This is a variation of a brisket recipe I got by watching Diners Drive Inns and Dives on Food Network. Guy Fieri said this brisket was amazing and I think my last brisket recipe was pretty much what I saw on TV. There is no searing or smoking. The hard part is trimming off the hard fat and deciding on how much fat that you want to leave on. Briskets were on sale so I picked one up. It happened to be a small one (around 9 lbs) I cut off not all but most of the fat. Then I just cut the brisket in half. Sprinkled a whole 1.41 oz box of Sazon all purpose seasoning. One pan got 2 lbs onions and some garlic and a 1/2 cup of water, smoked sea salt and black pepper. The other pan got red peppers, garlic, smoked sea salt, black pepper, and 1/2 a cup of water. Cover pans tight and 6 hours latter we had really great flavorful brisket. (one pan didn’t contain onions so my dogs could eat some and it still came out delicious anyway) Serving size will differ dramatically on depending on how much fat you trim and how much fat you are willing to eat. Jiggly brisket fat grosses me out so I trimmed mine far more than you probably would. My 9 pound brisket only made around 9 not so big dinners……..(but I think they gave me more fat than meat …..).
Ingredients for at least 9 servings
1 brisket (mine was 9 pounds) – trimmed to your liking and cut in half
1 – 1.41 ounce package Sazon con Colantro & Achiote (cilantro and annatto)
15 garlic cloves – chopped
2 lbs. onions – sliced and rough chopped
3 red bell peppers – slices and rough chopped
4 sweet potatoes – peeled – cut in half if large
1 cup water
a good sprinkle smoked sea salt
1 good sprinkle fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F
Each pan gets 1/2 a brisket sprinkled with 1/2 the Sazon. One pan gets all the onions, 1/2 the garlic, a good sprinkle of smoked sea salt and black pepper and a half cup of water.
The 2nd pan gets all the bell peppers, the sweet potatoes, 1/2 the garlic, a good sprinkle of smoked sea salt, black pepper, and a 1/2 cup water.
These pans get covered tight with foil and go on the middle rack for around 6 hours.
I thought this was extra easy!
FORKING EASY and DELICIOUS Brisket
(Tip***** You will want to put the briskets in the refrigerator over night so you can slice them. The liquid you might want to chill overnight so you can remove the thick layer of fat. *****Another hint- You might want to keep that fat in your freezer. It can add a lot of flavors to other foods and it can also be used to make beef gravy.)
This recipe isn’t for everyone because you have to wing it depending on the heat and taste of your hatch Chile peppers. The Smith’s Grocery store near me has a really good Murray’s Cheese Counter and I almost always pick up the WOO HOO sales at the cheese counter for fun. As a result my hobby at Smith’s my refrigerator is usually packed with TONS of cheese that I hardly pay for. I know most people would never use this much cheese in a recipe but it came out really delicious. I also have many dried peppers I use to boost the taste since the hatch chilies I bought here are extra light on flavor and extra EXTRA light with heat. You will not be in the same situation.
I do make my macaroni and cheese different from most people no matter what flavor profile I’m doing. I do make a cheese sauce but I usually make it with a little corn starch (I HATE the taste of flour when I eat macaroni and cheese and cornstarch works better), nonfat dry milk, no butter, and LOTS of cheese.
Today I did something a little different. I was afraid I’d over cook the pasta. So I started the pasta out in a bowl of hot salted water for a few minutes. I noticed the pasta was softer and I drained it. Then I baked it with layers of cheese sauce and some added cheese.
When this all baked it did have some oil on the top and I added some crushed white tortilla chips and a masa, onion, crumb mixture that I added to the top.
Then I finished it with some chopped Mexican green onion, cilantro, and some pickled red onion.
According to my husband this came out to be a Masterpiece. It did come out FORKING delicious too!
Ingredients for around 12 servings
1/2 a pound box of pasta (either a point or twisty type) 8-9 ounces
1 teaspoon jalapeño flakes (or to taste) – cheese sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper – cheese sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper – cheese sauce
15 oz mature cheddar cheese – either shredded or chopped (This is used to layer between pasta and sauce)
4 oz butter – melted – I used salted but you can use either – crumbs
1/2 cup harina de maiz – crumbs
1/4 cup flour – crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used Mexican onion) – crumbs
1/2 cup hard shredded Italian cheese (I used grana padano) – crumbs
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper flakes – crumbs
1 teaspoon smoked paprika – crumbs
non stick spray
2 oz crushed white tortilla chips – for finishing
2 Tablespoons – scallions – for finishing
2 Tablespoons – cilantro , chopped – for finishing
Optional (but better if you make some) 2 Tablespoons pickled red onions – for finishing (EZ – 1 onion sliced thin, 1/2 C. water, 1/2C. white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon g. black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon g. coriander)
Directions
Microwave or put on a pot of water with salt to boil. The pasta only needs around three minutes and then drain the pasta and put to the side.
Make cheese sauce. In a pot mix together the corn starch and milk powder. Then whisk in the water. This needs to be on medium heat until thickened. Keep stirring the bottom because it can burn.After it is thick add the cheddar, goat, brie cheese, and hatch Chile peppers. You will need to lower the heat to low. Add the hatch flakes, jalapeno flakes, black and white pepper.. Take off the heat.
This gets layered like lasagna.
Preheat oven to 350.
Use a big pan or 1/2 pan and spray with non stick spray.
Start with about three serving spoons of cheese sauce.
Next add about 1/3rd of pasta.
next add about 1/3rd of the cheddar cheese.
2 -3 serving spoons of cheese sauce.
1/3 of the noodles.
about 1/2 the cheddar.
1/2 the cheese sauce that is left. then top that with remaining pasta.
Add more cheese.
use the rest of the sauce.
Cover with foil that was sprayed with non stick spray. This goes on the middle rack of a preheated 350F degree oven till it’s cooked threw. Oven DO FORKING DIFFER. In my old GE oven this would take around an hour. In my Whirlpool oven this took 1 hour and 20 minutes.
While it’s baking make the crumb topping.
In a small bowl combine the butter, harina de mai, flour, onion, italian cheese, chipotle pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. This goes on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. This goes on your upper rack till done. In my oven this took 30 minutes but oven do differ. I’d look at it in 20 minutes and then decide if it needs more time.
After 30 minutes mine looked like this.
By now your baked pasta dish will be ready.
You need to assemble it.
It will have some oil on the top that separated from the cheese.
The crushed tortilla flakes are perfect for that add them first.
Then add the crumb topping.
Next add the cilantro and scallions.
Finish with pickled onions.
Extra Cheesy Hatch Chile and Cheese Noodle Casserole
I was thinking about a recipe by James Beard winner and Top Chef finalist Shota Nakajima. It was his Watermelon Salad in Miso Honey Dressing Recipe. I did my twist on it and it came out FORKING DELICIOUS.
Watermelon Salad with Miso Honey Dressing
So I changed it up again and still came up with something delicious!
Serving size always varies. The vegetables are different in size and so are we with different appetites. This for me worked out to 6 side servings for dinner so I’ll say 6 servings.
Ingredients for around 6 servings.
2 lbs carrots – remove skin if not organic cut however you like but that will change up the timing. I cut mine in a rough cut like this.
1/2 a cabbage – remove core and rough cut
1/2 onion – cut in slices and cut slices in half
2 Tablespoons butter – melted (doesn’t matter if sweet or salted because you adjust salt to your liking)
This is how I make my basic Deviled Eggs. If you eat two halves as a serving then this will make 9 servings with a few extra whites that you can snack on.
Ingredients for around 9 servings.
12 eggs – boiled till hard (10 minutes) soaked in ice bath till cold, then peeled, cut in halves. Rice the yolks.
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon piment d’ espelette + plus extra to sprinkle the cooked whites
2 Tablespoons Dijon but preferably Amora Brand
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
smoked sea salt – to taste
9 small celery leaves
Directions
Lightly sprinkle the egg whites on both sides with smoked sea salt and piment d’ espelette.
In a medium bowl the riced yolks, mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon piment d’ espelette, Dijon, dry mustard, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce together.
This mixture gets spooned or piped into the egg whites. Finish with a piece of celery leaf.
Mostarda is a spicy Northern Italian Condiment. It is usually but not always made with candied fruit and mustard syrup. I read at www.LaCucinaItaliana.com that there are SIX basic kinds of mostarda (cherry, apricot, fig, peach, squash, tomato). According to La Cucina Italiana instead of mustard they use something called mustard essence instead of mustard to make mostarda. I used a combination of mustard and mustard powder to make my inspiration. I previously made a FORKING DELICIOUS acorn squash with mostarda and taleggio cheese….so this is a spin off of that. Serving size is always difficult to judge because I don’t know if you want a small or large serving. For me this made 6 side servings so I’ll say 6 servings.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
1 cabbage – core removed, rough chopped
1 onion – rough chopped
3 carrots – peel if not organic – slice on a slight diagonal around 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup chives
4 oz gorgonzola – crumbled (or any blue cheese)
1 cup sugar
1 lemon – zest and juice but separate
2 Tablespoons mustard powder
3 Tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used Maille Old Style)
2 short Calabrian dried chili peppers – crumbled
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt – to taste
black pepper – to taste
Directions
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl (or maybe a few bowls if you bowl isn’t very large) mix together the sugar, lemon juice (zest is for finishing), mustard powder, mustard, oil, Calabrian chili flakes, and sea salt. Mix well. Mix in the cabbage, onion, and carrots.
This goes on baking sheets with rims in an even layer.
Add a light amount of fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
This goes in your preheated 400 degree F oven for 30-50 minutes or until lightly charred.
I was reading a recipe for Focaccia and I was very surprised that it had an egg and heavy cream in the dough. This recipe I would have not read but it was by an Italian Chef from Lombardy so I guess it’s for real. I didn’t have heavy cream at home but I did have a French cheese called Fromagerd d Affinois with herbs (basically Brie). I used that in the dough instead of cream and I changed up the flours due to what I had in my pantry. I also changed up the liquids slightly. I also had to figure out the oven temperature and timing. But WOW! It came out FORKING DELICIOUS! Serving size is always difficult to determine because I don’t know if you want a small serving or a large serving. This made 6 small breads……so that means between 6-12 servings depending on if you want a half bread or a whole bread…..so I’ll say 9 servings. That is my guesstimate.
Ingredients for around 9 servings
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon water warmed up to 110 degrees F
1 pack active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 cup brie cheese or something similar
1 egg – lightly beaten
1 teaspoon course sea salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
5 Tablespoons 00 flour
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for spraying the dough
4 Tablespoons water
6 pinches flake sea salt
1/4 red onion – sliced extra thin
12 sweet grape tomatoes – sliced thin
3 oz Grana Padano – shredded
3 small pinches rosemary
3 small pinches Italian seasoning (This is what I used…..I tablespoon sea salt, 1 Tablespoon black pepper, 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder, 1 Tablespoon basil, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds, 1 crushed small dried Calabrian Chile pepper)
non stick spray
a few pinches of cornmeal or semolina
Directions
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine yeast, 110 degree water, and honey in a large bowl. Mix and wait about ten minutes till you see a foamy surface. Whisk in cheese, egg, and salt. Add flours, water, and olive oil. This mixes together very well. Knead it some and make a ball and put it in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. In around an hour divide the dough into 6 balls. 2 sheet pans get sprayed lightly with non stick spray and then spray the lightly with olive oil and add a light sprinkle of corn meal or semolina. Shape each ball of dough into a flat pancake. Three pancakes will fit on each sheet tray. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Let them rise 30-60 minutes.
Spray them with olive oil. Sprinkle them with a light sprinkle of sea salt flakes and rosemary. (Optional….you should make the dimples in the dough….I did but they didn’t stay dimpled)……Add a sprinkle of raw onions slices and tiny sweet tomato slices. Add a sprinkle of Grana Padano. Finish with a LIGHT sprinkle of Italian seasoning and another sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.
This goes in your preheated 425 degree F oven till slightly browned. Ovens do differ. This took around 25 minutes in my oven on a middle rack. In my old oven I think this only would take around 15 minutes.
Anyway it really did come out FORKING DELICIOUS! (Below is one of the 6 small loaves sliced up)
Took some to a party I went to with my FORKING AMAZING chocolate chip cookies.
Focaccia Style Bread with Onions, Tomatoes, and Grana Padano
I didn’t make chef Mattia Agazzi’s recipe for Focaccia (only because I didn’t have the ingredients) but it inspired me to make what I got here so a Special Thanks!!!! to him!
I was thinking about calling this recipe FORKING TASTY cauliflower because when my husband tried it he said that this was, “FORKING TASTY Cauliflower. Sorry I missed photographing my dog for you……….. but even he thought it was FORKING TASTY too and STOLE a piece off of this plate while my back was turned. I used an orange colored cauliflower that is slightly tastier than the white ones but you can use a white cauliflower. Purple cauliflowers are more delicate and would probably burn up so I wouldn’t recommend using purple. Serving suggestion size may differ because we all have different appetites.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
1 cauliflower (preferably orange) – break down to florets
2 eggs
3 tablespoons mustard (I used Amora Brand Dijon mustard)
4 oz parmesan cheese – grated
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
non-stick spray
Directions
preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Spray your baking sheet(s) with non-stick spray and set to the side.
In a large mixing bowl mix together the eggs, mustard, cheese, pepper, and paprika. Mix well and then add the cauliflower florets. This mixture will be very thick. Mix well till it looks like the cheese mixture is all over the cauliflower. Then arrange the cauliflower on sprayed sheet pan(s) in single layer with a small amount of room around each floret.
These go on your middle rack for around 25 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked and slightly brown.
This recipe is easy but is kicked up a couple notches from the pickled onions and the sumac crusted feta cheese. Easy recipe just roast the carrots with a little cumin and the broccoli with smoked paprika…All the flavors are FORKING DELICIOUS together! This will make around 4-6 servings. I got 6 side servings. Your carrots might be smaller so I’ll go on the low end just in case.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
1 onion – slice thin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
10 carrots – Peel if not organic. I cut mine in half longways (you can cut however you like but they will cook in different time)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt – to taste
ground black pepper – to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 bunch broccoli – break down in florets
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt – to taste
ground black pepper – to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 oz feta cheese – crumbled
1 teaspoon sumac
optional – 2 tablespoons parsley or cilantro
Directions – preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small bowl or tub combine the onion, water, vinegar, sugar, pepper, and coriander. Let this sit on the counter for an hour. You can refrigerate after that.
The carrots go on a baking sheet. Spray them generously with olive oil. salt and pepper to taste. Then sprinkle them with ground cumin.
Ovens differ….also carrots differ in size and freshness too so your timing may differ from mine. Mine took about 50 minutes on the middle rack.
In a small bowl add the crumbled feta and sprinkle it with sumac.
I got very thin broccoli that can almost pass for broccolini so I didn’t need to par-boil mine but you might need to par- boil yours. About 2 minutes in boiling water. Then give them an ice bath. You might want to peel and trim the stems too!
Broccoli goes on a sheet pan. Spray generously with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Give them a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Broccoli timing may also differ. Mine took 20 minutes to be done on a lower rack.
Assemble – Carrots and broccoli go on plate. Add pickled onions. Add sumac crusted feta. Finish with fresh parsley or cilantro if desired.
Roasted carrots &.broccoli with pickled onions and sumac crusted feta cheese
Egg salad doesn’t have to be the same old egg, mayo, mustard, celery. You can make it Global anything! I happened to have leftover eggs, feta, harissa, and dukkah so this egg salad practically made itself. Instead of mayo or (what I normally use…Amora Dijon) I used tahini because I thought that would work well and I also needed to use it. I used my own recipe for the harissa that I make in batches and portion out and keep frozen in my freezer but you can use any harissa you like….I also always make dukkah and usually follow any Yotam Ottolenghi recipe for dukkah because that will always be like a 100 times better than what you can buy in a jar. But you can use what you want.
Ingredients for 4 servings
10 eggs – boiled 10 minutes, then ice bath till cool, then peeled, then rough chopped
2 slightly heaping Tablespoons tahini
4 Tablespoons harissa – split in half (or amount to taste….fresh made taste different than from a tube or jar)
1 lemon (just the fresh squeezed juice)
1 – 6.5oz small jar marinated artichokes – drained (mine was quarters and pieces that looked small. you might need a rough chop)
2 oz feta cheese either crumbled or sliced thin. (preferably a good quality that isn’t too salty and taste creamy not sour)
1 1/2 Tablespoons dukkah – Preferably a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe dukkah or purchased dukkah to taste.
3 Tablespoons – cilantro, parsley leaves, or a mix of the two – chopped
Optional – black or Aleppo pepper to taste (I don’t think you will need salt because feta cheese even mild is salty)
Directions
Mix the tahini, 1/2 the harissa, lemon juice together. Add the artichokes and mix. Gently mix in the eggs trying not to break them up much. Top with remaining harissa, cilantro and or parsley, feta, and dukkah. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. You might want to serve with pita bread.
Egg Salad with Artichokes, Harrisa, Feta, & Dukkah
I thought I’d do something slightly different with turkey quarters. I do note that I buy turkeys from Trader Joes (they only sell them in November). I usually only buy turkey from Trader Joes because they sell brined, and dry brined or kosher turkeys. When you buy brined turkeys you are getting the most BANG for your buck because brined turkeys always come out flavorful and usually moist. They are the closest to the most foolproof turkey that you can buy. The way this came out for me….I got my usual flavorful moist dark meat but what came out different was the skin. The skin got thin and crispy with a really great taste to it.
Today I marinated the turkey quarters (each weighted about 1 1/2 pounds) I mixed up normal ingredients like soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger. This mixture and the turkey quarters went in a gallon ziplock bag and marinated over night. The next day you blot the turkey quarters dry. You dump around 1/2 a cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a gallon ziplock bag. Shake and add turkey quarters and shake and bake.
I discovered after I made the turkey quarters I had liquid gold in my pan and it couldn’t be wasted. It had an amazing aroma and taste. The only thing I had at home to use was a cabbage so there we go. After all the turkey quarters needed an hour to cool off anyway. Just rough cut a cabbage and an onion. Toss it around the liquid gold. Put it in the still hot 375F oven for a total of around 45 minutes stirring after around 30 minutes.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
2 preferably brined or dry brined turkey quarters (mine weighed around 1 1/2 pounds each. They can be any size but timing will differ)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark)
1 large head garlic – ground to paste
1 inch ginger – fresh grated
1/2 cup flour – (around this you don’t have to measure)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cabbage – core removed, rough cut
1 onion – skin removed – rough cut or slice
salt – to taste
pepper – to taste
Directions
To a gallon zip lock bag (you could use a bowl to support the bag) add soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Squish around so it is mixed. Add turkey quarters. Squish the liquid all around the turkey quarters. This needs to refrigerate over night. Occasionally keep turning the quarters so they marinate on all sides.
Next Day –
Pull the turkey quarters out and let them rest around 30 minutes.
Set oven to 375 and pour the oil in your pan. Set the pan in the middle of your oven to heat up.
Take the legs out of the bag and blot them dry.
Put some flour salt and pepper in a clean gallon ziplock bag. Add the turkey quarters and shake, shake, shake.
Pull the pan with hot oil out of the oven. Add the legs.
In my oven on the middle rack mine took 65 minutes to be done……YOURS MAY DIFFER! So you really do need to use a thermometer. According to the U.S. Department of agriculture the turkey leg meat is safe to eat at 165 degrees F but in my opinion it isn’t good at 165 F. I like it more at 180F or even slightly higher.I like mine to fall off of the bone and melt up some stuff in that area. Most people will agree 165F-180F is what you must aim for.
After 65 minutes.
Then I noticed I was left with liquid gold. The turkey quarters need to rest an hour. Take them out of the pan and place on a tray or preferably cooling rack.
Rough cut one cabbage (with core removed) and rough cut or slice a peeled onion. They go in your liquid gold pan. Mix up the cabbage and onion in the pan.
This goes in your still hot 375F oven. After around 30 minutes some of it will be lightly charred but stir and put back in for the remaining 15 minutes.
Add a good quality sea salt and any pepper you like. I used my homemade smoked pecan sea salt and Aleppo pepper.
