I decided to barbecue some tri-tip for Memorial Day. I have done this roast many different ways—California Fusion, Sichuan, Salt and Pepper with Green Pepper Sauce, Moroccan, Santa Maria style, Teriyaki, Cajun, and just plain Barbequed. What could I do that was new and different? I looked at some recipes marinating beef in red wine, but they seemed mundane.
Karl’s Barbecued Mulled Port Tri-tip
Filed under Barbeque, Beef, California Fusion, Holidays, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
For Miriam’s birthday dinner, she asked for Spicy chicken and pan fried noodles. This is a dish that takes an hour of “mindful” frying and—while it is a wonderful dish—I make it less than my kids would like—like maybe every day. This is a one dish meal by itself, but I decided to add another favorite of Miriam’s and make a mushroom side dish.
Karl’s Oyster Mushrooms and Chive Stems
in Black Pepper Sauce
Note: I actually used one pound of mushrooms for this dish. It was popular enough that it left people wanting more—even though Eilene would not touch it. I added another half pound of mushrooms to the ingredients list. Continue reading
Filed under Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
I made ham steak the other day and, after the meal, I had half a pound of ham left. By itself it was not enough to feed three people, but with some creativity I could make a meal of it. Stretch the meat with some vegetables—add an interesting sauce and some rice—and you have something new and different.
Karl’s Leftovers:
Karl’s Ham and Baby Bokchoi Stri Fry
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Everyone has their own ideas about chili. A wide variety of dishes fall under the general heading of “chili.” Some think this dish should be only beef slow cooked in chili sauce. Others use a wide variety of meats—chicken, pork, turkey—in their chili. Still others say that it should include beans as well. Vegetarians get rid of the meat all together and still call it “chili.”
Karl’s Quick Beef Chili with Beans
Filed under Beans, Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Stews
Chili powder—as a blend of spices—is composed chiefly of chile peppers and mixed with other spices including cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. While there is some agreement about which spices this blend should contain, the amount of each is a matter for debate. This is not improved by the linguistic confusion between “chili powder”—as a blend of spices—and the “chili powder”—as in powdered dried chilies—used in those blends. In addition to the basic ingredients, some add other herbs and spices and still call it “chili powder.”
Karl’s Quick Chili Powder
Filed under Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian
For weekday meals I sometimes take shortcuts, like buying pre-seasoned meat from an ethnic market. Being Californians, tacos are very popular in my house, but when I take short cuts I usually do not post about it. However, this one has been requested. If you happen to have a Hispanic market near you, like Chavez Market, these tacos are worth a few short cuts.
Karl’s Weekday Tacos al Pastor
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Spices
Jan’s friends are coming for Stitches—a gathering of knitters— and I thought I would make chicken paprikash for one of their meals. Traditional Hungarian chicken paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) is chicken slowly simmered with pork lard, onions, green peppers and seasoned with paprika and sour cream.
Karl’s Paprikás Csirke
Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Filed under Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Sauces and Spices
Several weeks ago, I make a roasted chicken using some pear jam that my wife had been given. This was not your standard jelly or thick jam, but a clear jelly mixed with translucent pieces of fruit. I thought that some people might need a substitute for this ingredient in my recipe, so I posted a quick substitute that I had not actually tried to make. I had thought, how hard would it be to make this?
Karl’s Bartlett Pear Butter
Filed under Breakfast, Sauces and Spices, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian
Jan, my wife, is an anthropologist at SJSU. When she can, she arranges for her students to do “real world” projects for their assignments. This semester, she will be and her students will be part of a team, organized by NUMU Los Gatos, interviewing relocated American Indians who live in the South Bay. Having moved to the city—from the reservations in the 1950s, ‘60s, and 70s—their stories will soon be lost to history, if they are not recorded now.
Karl’s Asian Salad for a Crowd
Filed under Chinese-American, Salads, Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
It’s my birthday dinner and this almost always means lamb. I have done a variety of grilled lamb dishes—like Greek lamb, Moroccan lamb, and kefir lamb. My favorite is Uyghur Shashlik, in Kashgar, these are small bits of lamb coated in a cumin based spice blend.
Karl’s Uyghur Shashlik Flavored Lamb
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 