A bierock is not now, nor has it ever been haute cuisine, it is essentially a workingman’s lunch. When you are working, traveling, or having some kind of festival event, you do not always have time to sit down for meal. Having a meal in a neat, sealed package that you can slip into a pocket or pouch is a solution that many cultures have discovered.
Karl’s Better Bierock
Filed under Beef, bread, Main Dishes, Vegetables
My son-in-law is on the Atkins Diet, which means cooking with little or no starch and sugar—except for artificial things—of which I am rather suspicious. He had requested pork loin and I had been thinking “Italian,” until Miriam said she wanted bok choi, as well. Jumping half a world away, I decided on “Chinese.”
Karl’s Char Siu Flavored Barbecued Pork Loin (Atkins Friendly)
Filed under California Fusion, Chinese, Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Spices
Last Sunday I made a barbequed Sichuan chicken. It was so successful that I decided to do something similar with a beef tri-tip. Beef will stand up to stronger flavors than chicken, so I added some onion, chili flakes and white pepper to the sauce.
Karl’s Barbecued Sichuan Tri-tip
Filed under Beef, Chinese, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
I did a barbecued chicken with a wet Sichuan sauce a few weeks ago and I thought it would go well as a Marinade/basting sauce with Sunday’s tri-tip and mushrooms. Continue reading
Filed under Beef, Chicken, Chinese, Fish, Pork, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Jan, Eilene, and I went to Napa on a day-trip. I went mostly to go to Whole Spice for the spices I can’t get around the South Bay—yes, I could have bought them on-line, but you really do not know what you are getting if you cannot smell the spices. We also went to find the lamb bacon that Jan had tried the last time she was there at the Fatted Calf.
Karl’s Rogan Josh
Filed under Lamb, Main Dishes
Adapted from Serious Eats and Cracking Curries recipes
Son-in-law, Chris, requested a crab curry for this Sunday. It seems to be just past Dungeness season, so there was nothing but very expensive King crab in the stores. I bought some packaged crab meat and stretched it with some cod.
Karl’s Tamarind Seafood Curry Soup
Filed under Fish, Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups
I have done this dish before, but it shows just how differently a dish will turn out when you make just a few changes. The last time I made enough sauce to make the marinade and no more. After the bird was barbequed I sprinkled some fresh Sichuan pepper on the dry surface, producing a bird with crisp skin and strong pepper flavor. This time I made twice as much sauce and basted the bird so that the final dish had a thick, sticky glaze that melded the sauce flavors. Mostly the same ingredients, but very different dining experiences.
Karl’s Barbecued Sichuan Chicken II
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Chinese, Main Dishes, Poultry, Sauces and Spices
I have been seriously into stuffed breads lately. I made bierock last night and they were very popular. Jan asked for something with chicken for tonight.
Karl’s Chicken Curry Pasty
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry
Bierock are Volga German stuffed breads. The Volga Germans were brought into Russia by Catharine the Great for their “modern” technical skills. However, their cooking was not one of those skills. Many would consider both German and Russian traditional cuisines a wasteland—there is only so much you can do with cabbage, flour, potatoes and a little beef when you do not have access to, or can afford, fancy spices.
Karl’s Bierock
Filed under Beef, California Fusion, German, Main Dishes, Vegetables
Jan is off on her yearly stitching retreat with her friends for four days. While she will tolerate barbecued lamb, she will not eat it any other way. Her absence allows me to make dishes that Jan will not eat.
Karl’s Lamb Stew with Leeks
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 