Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Recipe: Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Page: 38
Date Cooked: December 9, 2011

Fried seafood is one of those items that if done right tastes pretty damn amazing. You could eat it on its own, put it in a sandwich, and even put it in nachos (something I most recently discovered). All in all, given my last experience with JW's fried seafood recipe (Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise), I was pretty excited about this one.

Ingredients: Squid, milk, olive oil, canned chipotle chiles, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, lime, corn oil, cornmeal, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper

My grocer carries cleaned squid, so I didn't have to bother with the cleaning. I cut the squid bodies into rings  and placed them into a container. I covered the squid with milk and put the container in the refrigerator.

Left: Rings of squid
Right: Squid covered with milk

In the meantime, I proceeded to make the chipotle mayonnaise. I pureed the canned chipotle chiles and put them into a bowl. I whisked in the egg yolks and lemon juice. I then continued to whisk as I slowly dribbled in the olive oil. And voila...I got mayonnaise. I seasoned it with some salt and pepper and put it in the fridge. So my trick in mayo-making has been to use an immersion blender rather than a whisk. Ever since I switched to this method - I have been successful in the mayo-making department!

Chipotle mayo-making process

Luckily, there wasn't much prep work required for this recipe. So with the squid soaking in milk and mayo out of the way, I pulled the parsley leaves off the stems and sliced the lime.

Left: Parsley leaves
Right: Sliced of lime

While the corn oil heated, I began coating the squid. I put the cornmeal into a container, drained the squid, and tossed the squid with the cornmeal. I fried the squid in batches until they achieved a golden brown, removing them with a Chinese mesh skimmer.

Fried cornmeal battered squid

Once all the squid had been fried, I added the parsley into the oil. Jonathan Waxman warns about splattering, and he was not joking! I got hot oil everywhere. Luckily, I was somewhat prepared. I fried the parsley for just a few second and removed it with the mesh skimmer.

Fried parsley

Finally, I was ready to put all the items together. I put chipotle mayonnaise into a small ramekin. I put the squid onto a plate and garnished it with the lime slices, fried parsley, and minced red and green bell peppers. And it was ready to eat....

Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise

The chipotle mayonnaise was super delicious. Definitely had a kick to it, but I like spicy and therefore enjoyed it thoroughly. The rest of the dish however felt somewhat one note. I ended up getting more lime because the dish felt like it lacked acid. I wish I had more of the fresh red and green bell peppers because every other component felt heavy. Also, the only seasoning going on in the dish was the chipotle mayonnaise. And when I think about it, much of it has to do with the fact that the squid had no seasoning what-so-ever. If I did it again, I would probably add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.

There is no doubt that the dish was visually pleasing but I kept comparing it to the Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise, which had a lot of flavor and didn't feel soo heavy. All in all, this recipe may have to go into the not so great bucket. However, its one saving grace was the mayonnaise - which I ate on sandwiches for a number of days afterward.

Enjoy!

Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

Recipe: Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes
Page: 190
Date Cooked: November 28, 2011

Of all the recipes in "A Great American Cook," this I think is by far the most daunting. I remember flipping through the cook book when I first got it and thinking, "Wow! That is a lot of ingredients for one recipe AND a whole lot of steps." However, I think I am always up for a bit of a challenge.

Unfortunately, my grocer didn't have any venison in stock. But perhaps it was somewhat fortunate, because it goes for $20/lb - which is a bit out of my price range, being a grad student and all. But no fear, JW gives the option of using boneless beef chuck or pork shoulder as a substitute - so pork shoulder it was.

Ingredients: Garlic, pork bones, onions, carrots, olive oil, bouquet garni (not pictured), Kosher salt, pepper, pork shoulder, serrano peppers, leeks, butter, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosemary, thyme, carrots, new potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celery root, bacon, eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, soft goat cheese, and parsley

There are three main components to this stew: the stock, the stew, and the johnnycakes.

The Stock

I put horizontally halved garlic heads (which had been peeled) along with the pork bones, whole onions, and carrots into a roasting pan. I drizzled the ingredients with olive oil and placed the pan in the oven to roast.

Roasting stock components

I transferred the bones and vegetables to a pot and deglazed the roasting pan with some water. I poured the liquid along with some more water into the pot and brought it all to a boil. I then reduced the temperature down to a simmer and added the bouquet garni. The stock simmered for a few hours.

The stock simmering

A quick side note about the bouquet garni. It is simply a herb bundle used to flavor stocks and stews. It includes items such as - bay leaves, parsley sprigs, leek greens, ginger, and black peppercorns. As you can see in the picture above, I used the aforementioned ingredients and tied them up into cheesecloth and put it right in the stock.

Once the stock was ready, I stained it into a bowl, covered it, and allowed it to chill. I then skimmed any fat off the top of the stock (which this had very little) and poured the liquid into a pan and reduced it down. The stock was then seasoned and set aside.

Left: Taking large components out of pot before straining
Right: Strained stock

The Stew

First, I cut the pork shoulder into 2-inch cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper. I roasted the chiles under a broiler until blackened and blistered. I put them into a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and allowed the chiles to steam. While the chiles steamed, I quartered onions, peeled garlic cloves, and sliced leeks. Then, I peeled with chiles with my fingers; stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced them.

1. Pork cubes 2. Quartered onions 3. Peeled garlic cloves 4. Sliced leeks

1. Serrano chiles 2. Chiles, blackened and blistered 3. Steaming chiles 4. Thinly sliced chiles

I added butter and olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat and browned the meat in batches. As it browned, I transferred the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon. 

Browning meat in batches

Once all the meat had been browned, I cleaned out the pot, and melted some butter. I added the onions and cooked until soft for a few minutes. I then added the garlic, chiles, and leeks. All items cooked slowly. Finally, I put in the meat back in, poured in the Cabernet, the reduced stock, chopped rosemary, and thyme leaves. I covered the pot and brought the stew to a simmer. The stew simmered for a hours until the meat was really tender. 

Stew simmering for hours

The Johnnycakes

While the stew simmered, I made the batter for the johnnycakes. I beat melted butter and milk into a bowl of eggs. I then whisked in the flour and cornmeal. Finally, I crumbled the goat cheese into the batter. I covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. 

Johnnycake batter

Back to the stew...

Finishing the stew meant including all those root vegetables. I peeled and cut the carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and celery root. I placed the vegetables into a bowl of cold water and set aside. 

1. Carrots 2. Potatoes 3. Turnips 4. Parsnips 5. Celery root

I also cut the bacon into lardons and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and drained them on paper towels

Frying up lardons of bacon

Once the meat in the stew was tender, I brought a large pot of water to boil, reduced it to a simmer, and added in all the root vegetables. I cooked the vegetable just until tender. I took heed to JW's warning... "Many people overcook their root vegetables when they make stews. Don't be one of them!"

Cooking root vegetables. I forgot about the carrots initially, but cooked them separately later on.

I then added the root vegetables and bacon to the stew, checked for seasoning, and kept the stew warm.

Finished stew

Back to the johnnycakes...

Finally, I whisked the johnnycake batter and some salt and pepper. I melted butter into a skillet, added some of the batter to the pan and cooked the pancake till golden brown on each side. I transferred them all to a plate and kept warm. 

Cooking the johnnycakes

Ready to eat...

I spooned the stew into bowls, draped a johnnycake over the bowl, and sprinkled it with parsley.

Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

So if you're actually still with me, I can go ahead with the verdict. It was damn good. Flavors - check. Texture - check. Heartiness - check. Freshness - check. Everything was there. The stew was cooked to perfection. And I think I know what Jonathan Waxman is saying about people overcooking root vegetables. The vegetables were obviously cooked but had that al dente bite to them which worked so well alongside the tender pork shoulder. 

The surprising component of the stew was without a doubt the johnnycakes. They were amazing! The goat cheese played nicely with the cornmeal pancake. I found myself just taking one off of the stack and eating it on its own. It was soo freaking good. 

Overall, lots of ingredients. A good amount of work. But at the end of the day it made enough for several meal and is super easy to freeze. So...yeah...I think it was a good one.

Enjoy!

JW Fries

Recipe: JW Fries
Page: 243
Date Cooked: November 12, 2011

The ultimate French fry, an elusive item many of us seek. And I don't think I am alone in saying that it appears almost impossible to achieve the perfect French fry at home. It's as if no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to taste like a restaurant fry. Well Jonathan Waxman claims that his recipe is well, "a pain...but well worth it to achieve the ultimate French fries." As suggested by JW, these French fries are a perfect accompaniment to Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.

Ingredients: Organic russet potatoes, corn oil, and sea salt

Let me just start off by saying, these French fries really are a pain and require two days, not of actual work, but of planning. First, I peeled the potatoes, placed them in a bowl of ice water, and refrigerated overnight. The whole idea behind potatoes in ice water is to get rid of a lot of the starch that is on the surface of the potato.

Peeled potatoes in ice water

The next morning, I cut the potatoes lengthwise into fries that were about 1/2 inch wide. As I cut the potatoes, I put them in cold water.

Left: Slicing potatoes
Right: Soaking wedges in cold water

In the meantime, I heated the corn oil in a heavy pot. Once the oil was hot enough, I drained the potatoes and patted them dry. I was then ready to simply blanch the potatoes in the hot oil for just a few minutes. Since the potatoes are actually fried twice, I didn't want the potatoes to achieve any kind of color. After blanching, I drained and cooled the fries on paper towels.

Left: Blanching potatoes
Right: Drained and cooled potatoes on paper towels

After I blanched all my potatoes in batches, I spread them onto a baking sheet and refrigerated for almost 6 hours, uncovered.

Blanched potatoes on baking sheet

Finally, the last step was upon me. I brought the French fries to room temperature and also heated the corn oil. I fried the potatoes in batches until they achieved a crisp, golden brown.

Frying potatoes for the second time

I drained the potatoes on a brown paper bag, sprinkled with sea salt, and they were ready to serve.

JW Fries

JW Fries involve a number of steps and heck almost two full days. So the ultimate question is: Was it worth it? ....... Well, I can tell you this...the fries were amazing. I have never been able to achieve that good of a fry at home...ever! They were crispy and yet still had a lot of potato (I'm not the biggest fan of just pure crunch and no potato). There is no doubt that it yielded restaurant quality ultimate French fries.

However, it DID take quite some time to prepare. Regardless of the point that actual cooking time was minimal. Planning this out was a bit of a pain.

So, would I make them again. Honestly, I can't say yes or no. I just don't know. I will say one thing, they did taste damn good with that Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.

Enjoy!