~ – Enjoy a meal or a recipe with us! Be sure to check the Sidebar and Menu above. Interesting resources are listed there. Most are hot links. Air Fryer (AF), Instant Pot (IP) and Captain's Shack (CS) recipes now have their own page. Subscribe to the blog. It's still FREE!
I have been wanting to try this pasta for quite a while now and finally got up the nerve to try and make some. I think it came out very well. Originally, the sauce does not include any vegetables or protein. I changed that and used some large dice zucchini, shrimp, scallops and quartered crimini mushrooms. I like those additional items as it gives the pasta a good texture and mouth feel. Vodka Sauce is a popular Italian-American pasta sauce known for its rich and creamy texture. The exact origins of vodka sauce are unclear. One popular belief is that vodka sauce originated in Italian-American restaurants in the United States during the mid-20th century, more than likely in the 1970’s. Vodka was added to tomato sauce as a way to enhance the flavors of the ingredients. Vodka is thought to interact with the fat in the cream and the acid in the tomatoes, creating a smooth and balanced sauce. Here is a link to the recipe. Enjoy. https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Penne-Pasta.pdf
I had the great pleasure to attend a Lox Class this past week. I’ve made lox before, but this was a great class to attend to learn maybe a better technique led by Brad Wolf. It is not difficult. 1-3 pounds of fresh salmon, 1/4 cup kosher salt per pound, 1/4 cup sugar per pound, 2 aluminium pans and saran wrap. You can also use some fresh herbs for this, too. We like fresh tarragon but others like black pepper and dill. Use what you like. Combine salt and sugar and add about 1/2 of it in one pan, add the salmon, skin side down, add the herbs if you are using them and coat the salmon with the remaining salt and sugar mix. Cover tightly with saran wrap and place the second aluminium on top. Weight down with something. I use a 5 quart cast-iron Dutch oven, but you can use anything. Place in the refrigerator for 48 hours. After 48 hours, rinse the salt, sugar and herbs off. Pat dry. Slice on the diagonal thinly using a very sharp Chef’s knife and enjoy! Here is the way mine turned out. Enjoy! (Click on an image to see enlarged)
Correction – The salt and sugar ingredients should be 1/4 cup per pound of salmon. Sorry for the error.
Sliced a piece off. Delicious!
Class Bagel and Lox with a good red wine. This one was a Porteugese wine.
Bagel and Lox for lunch.
Cranberry Sourdough and Lox. Different., but good.
So there you are. Easy to do, fun and a great party treat, for those who like Lox Enjoy.
There are times when one feels really challenged in the kitchen, whether it is perfecting a dish, Creamed Spinach for example, where something just does not come out as you had planned or pictured. And at other times you want to create something kind of different with pan drippings. Or you want to create a dish that can be daunting or challenging. Well here are 3 that did just that. Let’s take a look. (Click on the images to see them enlarged)
This one was, I thought, just a basic baked chicken and rice dish. But then I thought, plain Jasmin rice with a good baked chicken can be sort of mundane, so why not add some green onion – a very Oriental twist – and fresh spinach? That spinach was a surprise to some who ate it. And the pan drippings of the rosemary and sage can create a differently good gravy. It did! Even added a little to the rice, which gave it a whole new twist. I think, and use it quite often, that it is sinful to “dump the pan drippings” in the trash, so I used it. Not many in the household would do such a thing. Use those drippings!
Potatoes. They are good, but if it were up to some other cooks that need potatoes at every meal – you know who you are – at least change them up from peeled, water logged piles of something that resembles pablum, to maybe some good, crispy hash browns that don’t need to be only served at breakfast. And to, add something green, like the creamed spinach pictured here. Add some mushrooms to the pan dripping gravy from the seared pork chop. Don’t be afraid to be creative and adventuresome in preparing a meal. If nothing else, it’s fun!
Here is another adventure. Steak with Mushroom and Onion Pan Gravy, Asparagus with Lardons and Green Onion and Smashed Potatoes and Gravy. (I used an hand masher and left the potatoes a little lumpy and as always, left the peels on.)
I guess I like to “mix things up” in the kitchen and try different variations of a given dish. Have fun when preparing and use your imagination. And, I might add, most of the products here came from the Boise Farmers Market.
It was strongly suggested by my friend Joe Levich that I try this Basque restaurant. Robin and I have been to 5 other Basque restaurants in Boise and two in Oregon, The Basque Hotel in Jordan Valley and The Basque Hotel and the Basque Restaurant in Winnemucca, OR. Ansots is definitely 5-Stars. Delicious! 560 W Main St in Boise, (208) 336-9166. http://www.ansots.com on the web. If you are in Boise, definitely try to enjoy their food. It won’t be difficult. Here are some photos of what I had – I was told to try a variety, and I did – and the inside. The Waite Staff is awesome.
Ansots is owned and operated by Dan, Tamara, and Ellie Ansotegui. Here we make a variety of chorizos, marinated solomo, and Basque bacon for you to enjoy at home. Our Ansots crew is also available to come to your house to cook and cater your event. We welcome you into our restaurant for small plates, Basque & Spanish wines, Basque natural cider, and espresso like you remember from your trips, either real or imagined, to the Basque Country.
The Ansotegui Inchausti family has been a part of the Idaho Basque scene for over a century. In 1908, Dan’s grandfather, Santiago Ansotegui, jumped ship in New York and made his way out west to find work. He ended up on a ranch in southern Oregon herding sheep. In 1911, his betrothed, Gregoria left Ibarrangelua, Bizkaia, in Spain to be with him. They were married and started their family. The couple had four children, Antonio, Domingo (Dan’s dad), Francisca, and Julia. They moved to Nampa in 1920 and lived across from the Spanish Hotel, a Basque Boarding House run by the Jausoro Family.
David Inchausti, Dan’s maternal grandfather, immigrated to the U.S. in 1922, working on the Drake Ranch between Challis and Mackay, Idaho. He returned to Spain in 1925, met and married Epifania Lamiquiz, and came back to earn the money to bring her back to the States. She came to the U.S. in 1928 with their 2 year old daughter, Rosie, who had been born after David had returned to the U.S. Although she was a seamstress by trade, Epi became the ranch’s head cook, and the Inchausti family took root. The family later moved to Hailey. David opened the Gem Bar and Epi started taking in Basque boarders to make ends meet. Epi became well known for her wonderful food as she served a few lucky diners each night if there was room. Ernest Hemingway, Bing Crosby, and Tennesse Ernie Ford, were among the famous who ate at Epi’s.
Dan Ansotegui has been involved in the Boise food scene for 40 plus years, starting both Bar Gernika in 1991 and The Basque Market in 1999. He was recently involved in Txikiteo known for its fine charcuterie and tapas. Dan drug in his wife, Tamara Ansotegui, and daughter, Ellie Ansotegui, into their project here at Ansots. They couldn’t be happier to work with a kinder, more talented man, but someday would like to try…
Ansots Web Page
The front door displays the times they are open. Generally a lunch schedule.
The inside prep area.
The smaller dining room. There is a much larger one, too
I had the Tortilla de Chorizo and Idiazabal Cheese Bocadillo, A 3 egg bocadillo with traditional chorizo and six-month aged idiazabal smoked sheep’s milk cheese with piquillo peppers and served in a baguette from Acme Bakeshop here in Boise.
I have been working on some new recipes for the past several weeks. I have 3 that I will post here. Hope you like them. Let me know. The3re will be at least three new recipes. My favorite oven bbq pork ribs, a really good bbq sauce in the Memphis style – slightly tart, but also with a sweetness. A Memphis style bbq rub that is great on ribs, beef, pork and chicken. Then a side dish – corn fritters, since corn is now in season. I grew up on these and love them. Almost as good as a corn pie! Most, but not all of the ingredients in the posted recipes, come from the Boise Farmer’s Market (BFM) and I am grateful for their products and information. Use your local farmer’s markets. Enjoy!
Starting with the Oven BBQ Pork Ribs, I have created our version of a Memphis style bbq rub. Sweet, but tangy. Best to be very generous with this rub and the longer it “cures”, stays refrigerated for awhile – I let the ribs I was doing to rest (cure) in the refrigerator for 24 hours. But that length of time is not essential. 8 hours will also work. Don’t forget to let the meat come to room temperature before you cook it. This rub is full of sugar, sea salt, onion powder and garlic granules, Aleppo pepper, cumin and smoky paprika. Great on the pork In did and super on chicken.
The BBQ Sauce I came up with, https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-BBQ-Sauce.pdf, CS BBQ Sauce, is thick and rich. Slightly smoky. Slightly tangy. It includes red onion, minced garlic, ketchup, dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and pomegranate molasses among some other ingredients. Check the recipe by clicking the link.
Now, IMNSHO, In My Opinion Not So Humble Opinion, are super good! And they are done in the oven. (Can these be considered truly BBQ Ribs?) As plated here, we added some of our Doctored Baked Beans and a Corn Fritter. Drizzle some CS BBQ Sauce over the ribs (even go well with the beans) and Yum-O! They fall of the bone and have great flavors from the rub and the sauce.
And since I mentioned Corn Fritters, they go really great for breakfast with eggs. The eggs above are basted. A very Pennsylvania Dutch (German) treat. I was raised on these and they were aq hit when I made them for folks. Not hard to do. Fresh corn works best, but frozen corn can also be used. Here they are served with fresh fruit and homemade sourdough bread toast.
The last item I want to share is a sourdough bread we have been working on since January of this year. Created our own starter and it takes a while to develop and experiment making bread and other treats. Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, for one. (https://www.rockinrs.com/Sourdough-Blueberry-Muffins.pdf) This bread I have baking in a Romertopf Clay Pot and it comes out just great.It is a full flavored sourdough. Robust. Makes great toast and sandwiches. Great grilled cheese.
So there you are. Try these and let us know if you liked them or not. If not, let us know why. Cheers and Good Eating!
Been trying some4 different recipes, most of which are Use What You Have In The Kitchen. You end up with some interesting combinations and meals.
For instance, I really hate to throw away the sourdough starter. Seems a waste to me both in time and ingredients. S I came across this recipe for http://www.rockinrs.com/Sourdough-Blueberry-Muffins.pdf – Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, that are really good and easy7 to make. Not particularly easy, but fun and delicious. Give it a whirl and see what you think, I haven’t tried, but why not change the fruit, strawberries, apricots or blackber4ies, for instance?
And if you have made some sourdough bread, why not make Sourdough French Toast? This was really deliciously different.
And here is a very basic Salisbury Steak dinner with Pan Gravy made with Apple Brandy and Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Button Mushrooms. Corn On the Cob and Steamed Asparagus on the side. Then add a slice of homemade Sourdough Bread.That sauce with the apple brandy was fantastic!
And this one, a Pork Loin Chop in a Brandy-Apple-Pear-Herb Sauce with Corn On the Cob. It was delicious! Apples and pork with fresh pears is an awesome combination. Just be sure to caramelize the apple and pear The pears should break down to act as a thickener. slices with some brown sugar in the unsalted butter.
And as an endnote, the sourdough recipe that I have been using I named Anna’s Sourdough and it comes from my Granddaughter In-Law, Anna Shaner. You can find her recipe at http://www.rockinrs,com/Annas-Sourdough.pdf
I know. Its been a while. But it has been a learning session. Making sourdough starter, bread and pancakes. But it has been an exciting adventure and a real learning experience. Started out with a basic
The starter, in my opinion, must be active, bubbly and smell somewhat “sour”. It is the starter is what gives the bread it’s name – Sourdough Bread or Pancakes, Cookies, Bagels or a host of other baked goods their name. The starter pictured here is my starter and you can see how it has doubled in size and is nice and bubbly. Thee rubber band around the jar marks the level at the start and then one can “see” how the starter has grown, or not. The starter is not especially difficult to do, but it does take some time and persistence to create. Check the recipe above to see how it is done, but don’t be intimidated by it.
This is the bread right after it came out of the oven. The recipe link above has two different baking techniques listed. Personally I like the 500 degree F temperature best, but either one will work fine. See the recipe above. The crust could be a little browner, but not much more.
Here is the loaf after it has cooled and is partially sliced. Notice the crumb – the “holes” – in the surface and the color of the crust. Love the flavor from the starter. The interior is soft, but not gummy.. The crust is crunchy, but you won’t break any teeth on it. It is somewhat crunchy. However, it could be a little more crunchy.
And finally, we have one, of many uses, for the starter discard. Sourdough Pancakes. But you can also make cookies, bagels, rolls, etc. There are many recipes on the web, but the one I like is PantryMama, http://www.pantrymama.com. Many recipes there, but more importantly, much useful information and help in solving sourdough problems. You can also find help on Facebook.
So there you go! It was a long 5 weeks or so to gather, read and then produce this bread. It was a long process, but well worth it. And then too, I had a lot of personal help from friends and relatives. I want to Thank each and everyone who gave me assistance. Have fun with these recipes. It might be a new adventure, but a fun one. just remember – Temperatures are extremely important, so follow them closely. And please don’t use cups or ounces. Rather use an inexpensive digital scale that reads in tare and grams. They range from about $20 to well mover $100. The brand I use is Escali, for about $30 and it works just fine. And please too, use a 10 quart Cast Iron pan with lid.
Every once in a while, one comes across a variation to a classic recipe or style. This one I was dubious of. Who wants to tamper with a classic Eggs Benedict? It took me about a week to build up the courage to do so and I was pleasantly surprised. This really isn’t bad. A change.
Using a basic and classic Hollandaise Sauce (https://www.rockinrs.com/CIA-Basic-Hollandaise.pdf ) some lightly toasted Jewish Rye or Marbled Rye can be used also, some ham – I used a thin sliced Black Forest Ham – poached eggs and asparagus with diced caramelized spring onions and their greens (put uncooked diced green onion and greens on the Hollandaise, which I forgot to do, so I put them with the asparagus).
Just a note on making a Hollandaise Sauce – Use fresh eggs, the fresher the better from your local farmer – and I used large or jumbos, which ever is available. But most important is to keep the temperature in your double boiler to 130 degrees F or lower!!! The sauce is likely to break making scrambled eggs if you don’t watch the temperature.
Have a good time with this if you make it. You can vary your Eggs Benedict anyway you want.
We had an awesome experience this past week and that was we had an awesome dinner at Bacquet’s Restaurant in Eagle, Idaho.We have been there before and it was superior then. It still is. We had more than the scallops pictured above, much more. But these, at least in my opinion, stood out. The food and the restaurant is easily deserves a 5-Star rating. Service was outstanding as was the food. If you are in the Boise area, Google the restaurant to find it and make reservations! (1117 E Winding Creek Dr, Eagle, ID 83616 (208) 377-6238) I asked for permission to use the recipe, and Michele Holly, Manager, was happy to give me permission to use the recipe. So here is a link to the recipe. https://www.rockinrs.com/St-Jacques-Scallops.pdf This recipe is not for the faint-of-heart home cook, but it is doable. Just take your time and follow the recipe.
The recipe calls for U10 scallops, so here is an explanation of just what that means. U10 size: Jumbo scallops are a dry scallop. All cold water ocean scallops have a succulent sweet texture and are 100% white meat. What does u-10 mean? It means that there are less than 10 scallops in a pound, and they are perfect for sauteing and broiling! These wild, jumbo sized Sea Scallops are harvested off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts. Their size ensures a tender, succulent texture with loads of sweetness and just enough briny salinity to be both refreshing and satiating.
Over the past several weeks, we have made some really good meals. Potato Latkes for one (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Latkes.pdf), Hopping John, aka Hoppin’ John, (http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Hopping-John.pdf) and an East Coast style Crab Dip (http://www.rockinrs.com/Marges-Crab-Dip.pdf). Potato latkes are a traditional Chanukah dish,Hoppin’ John is a traditional southern, New Year’s Day meal with ham hocks and black eyed peas (cow peas) and a superb East coast style crab dip. I do hope you enjoy these.
From Chabad.com we learn that,
“Latke (pronounced LOT-keh, LOT-kah or LOT-kee) is Yiddish for “pancake.” On Chanukah, it is traditional to serve latkes (most often potato)fried in oil to celebrate the Chanukah miracle, which involved the oil of the Templemenorah lasting for eight days instead of just one. Those of the Jewish faith, eat foods that reflect the significance of a holiday—such as matzah on Passover and apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah is no exception. For at least the last thousand years, Jews have traditionally eaten oily foods on Chanukah.” In other words, it’s tradition.
Hoppin’ John, on the other hand, is a traditional southern United States dish that is usually eaten on New Year’s Day to bring good luck. The recipe, although not totally like this one, dates back to the early 1800s and is made with ham, or ham hocks, black eyed peas (cow peas), rice, bacon and collard greens, or if you want spinach or rainbow chard. The first written recipe appeared in “the Carolina Housewife” in 1847. It was written by Charlestonian Sarah Rutledge.
This third dish is actually an appetizer. We originally had it at the home of my brother and his wife. I love it! Full of blue crab and I have added the salad shrimp and green onion. It is probably best to make it and then refrigerate it for a while so as to let all the flavors “marry”. Chilling after making, brings out the sweetness and flavor of the blue crab. Chilling brings out the Taste of The Sea, Goût de la mer.
I hope you try some, or all, of these recipes. All are good and fun to prepare, even though the Hoppin’ John is a little involved to make, but not impossible.
Over the past several weeks, we have made some really good meals. Potato Latkes for one (
Boise Foodie Guild 