The Heart Of Texas

The girls wanted homemade pizza for dinner so I got right after the preparation of the dough. I like it to rise twice and then again in the refrigerator. Then 2 hours prior to cooking I like it to rest at room temperature. I have been experimenting with many different flours. Napoli 000 is extremely good, but the high-gluten Baker's Flour from Central Market works great. Recently I bought some finely ground cornmeal. I mixed in about 1/4 cup at the beginning and then worked another 1/4 during the proofing process. Giving the yeast some time to activate in the warm water is very important. The chemical process of the yeast working on the flour is a glorious thing. Adding honey also changes the chemical process. The honey has a positive reaction with the yeast. It seems to accelerate the effects. Sorry, I went off on a tangent. Using the same recipe as my previous pizza, I made a special one for my lovely. I cooked and drained 1 pound of Italian sausage. I bought fre

I decided to make a turkey pot pie for the family this evening. I wanted to get away from shortening so I tried organic butter. The crust was fantastic. It goes like this: 3 cups baker's flour 1 cup Kerrigold's unsalted butter 2 t sea salt 1/2 cup ice water That's it! The filling was the following: 1 large sweet yellow onion 5 carrots chopped 6 stalks celery chopped 2 cups turkey meat chopped 1 cup turkey stock 1 TBS corn starch 1 TBS cracked peppercorn just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet Enjoy the pictures!

2 lbs certified organic 85/15 ground sirloin 5 fresh organic carrots grated 3 fresh organic celery stalks fine chop 1 organic yellow onion fine chop ½ tbs granulated garlic ½ tbs fresh basil 4 slices of Ezekiel bread crumbled 4 organic extra-large eggs 1 cup organic ketchup 1 tbs fresh cracked Tellicherry black peppercorns 1 tbs Bragg’s liquid aminos – this is where the sodium is achieved My kids love to eat this and it is great food. Now, if I could only get all of them to like brown rice! Enjoy

I dusted the strips with granulated garlic and then added fresh cracked Tellicherry black peppercorns and sea salt. Then I rubbed in a little Colavita Fruttato extra-virgin olive oil into the strips. I then cooked them very fast over a hot fire. They were delicious. Enjoy the pictures.

I bought some organic, grass-fed, beef ribeyes, organic asparagus and organic brown rice for dinner tonight. I dusted the steaks with granulated garlic and I added a considerable amount of fresh cracked Pemberton's black pepper with a little quality olive oil and sea salt. The asparagus got dusted with granulated garlic, drizzled with Colavita extra virgin, first cold press olive oil, just a hint of honey, a drop of balsamic vinegar and touch of sea salt. I served the steak after I melted a pad of organic butter on top. Ribeyes, asparagus and brown rice! It was delicious!

Lately I have been eating much more healthful foods. I got to thinking about all the ingredients. I decided to make my first appearance in Whole Foods. I bought all organic foods and used only the finest body friendly ingredients. After I bought the fresh organic celery I was amazed at the intensity of the flavor. Organic celery is 100 times better than any variety I have used in the past. Then came the organic carrots. My goodness they taste like berries! They are the best flavored carrots I have ever consumed. They are fresh and slam packed with vitamins and nutrients. Combining all organic vegetables and a beautiful fresh $14 organic chicken is a marriage made in heaven. I even used fresh cracked black pepper so I did not insult the other ingredients. My method for cooking this pot of chicken soup was pretty simple. I put the chicken in the pot with 1.5 gallons of water and added onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, basil, cilantro, fresh cracked black pepper and sea

3 cups Napoli 00 flour (high gluten) 1 cup corn meal 1 package yeast 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 ¾ cup warm water Makes 2 large pizzas – thoroughly mix and divide into 2 dough balls – coat dough balls with olive oil - let rest for a couple hours – pound them down – let rest again for a period of time – at this point you can cover and put in the refrigerator for days – the time in the refrigerator proofs the dough – after the dough has proofed for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator let it rest at room temperature for an hour or two before forming your pizzas - this amount of dough makes 2 large pizzas -Cook in a hot oven 500 degrees until done.

1 whole chicken 1 pound noodles (I like macaroni) 2 to 3 quarts water 2 large yellow onions chopped 8 celery stalks 4 carrots cut into small pieces 6 cloves garlic 2 tbs basil 1 tbs black pepper 5 bay leaves 2 ounces of soy 1 lbs fresh large mushrooms quartered (I do not cook these until the last hour) 1 tbs cayenne pepper (optional) Put water and chicken in the pot and bring water up to boiling, then reduce heat to low. I cut up everything and add while the water is getting hot. I then cover and let simmer for a couple hours stirring occasionally. I then render all the fat of the top of the pot with a ladle. I remove the whole chicken and de-bone and put meat back in the pot. 30 minutes prior to shutting things down I put in about 5 cups of noodles and the quartered fresh mushrooms. Forks in the road – If you want more liquid add it. If you want to tighten it up use what you got. I just added about 2 tbs corn starch dissolved in a couple cups of water. If you like more pepper

--> --> When it comes to pork spareribs quality is very important. Butchers offer ribs in various cuts. They can be rough cut with a lot of bone, St. Louis cut without the chine, tail and tips, back rib cut also without the tips, flap and chine. What is sold as a baby back rib is simply a small pig with the ribs cut with a bandsaw down both sides. The added cost more than makes up for the loss of the flap, tips and chine bone. Years ago a fresh, rough cut 2.5LBS and down pork sparerib was my favorite product. These days you are lucky to find 3.5LBS and down frozen ribs. Obviously, the more bone the meat markets sell the more profit they make. The older the pig, the bigger the rib. The bigger the rib, the heavier the rack. Here in Southeast Texas the Asian food market has dominated consumption. Paying the cost of a case of 2.5LBS and down is prohibitive if you can even find them. Custom orders are very expensive. In a perfect world I would

When I smoke a brisket and I don’t have to worry about a uniform smoke ring I leave them fat side up un-trimmed with the chopped or fatty side towards the firebox. If I’m cooking in a competition I trim the fat and my method is totally different. I never puncture the meat with a fork, trident, injection needle or thermometer during the cooking process for obvious reasons. If at all possible I keep my briskets away from the fire box. Depending on the pit I stoke them up with a mild wood, pecan or hickory or well seasoned oak. Fruit wood in a North Texas thing. A huge mistake folks make is opening the doors of the pit. As long as you have a handle on the fire and temperature there is no need to open the doors. If I am cooking a lot of briskets I line them up and smoke for a good 6 to 8 hours without ever opening the doors of the pit. After a good long smoke I look at the briskets to see how far along they are. I judge them by their feel, color and appearance. After the smokin

My my, Texas chili! I have cooked chili in Texas for over 30 years. The bottom line is there is no definitive recipe and method worthy of the name Texas Chili. As I am from Southeast Texas my information absorbed through the years has been swayed by the Mexicans and the Cajuns. In Southeast Texas we tend to take in information and modify to our melting pot palette’s perspective, always rich in flavor and usually spicier than most. Spice is nice! Well it has been a while since I have cooked us a real big pot of Texas Chili so I decided to get after it. Texas Chili has some common ingredients. Meat, chili powder, onions, camino (cumin), liquid (beef stock, V8, beer…………), cayenne pepper, black pepper, beef stock or boullian and garlic. I like to use Mexican oregano and Mexican camino. The study and chemistry of Texas Chili is as easy or complex as your wish. For instance, chili powder, the key ingredient can be created by smoking and drying your own peppers. There are many

Growing up my close friend’s mother was 100% Italian. She was from the Palermo region of Italy and she brought her family meat sauce recipe with her. It is spectacular and I can closely duplicate it. I loved her and her passion for cooking! I have taken her recipe and twisted it to my liking. Very much the same way I do everything I cook. I replaced beef short ribs with 99% lean ground sirloin. That’s what I like! Rather than use salt pork, I use pork sausage. The grease in the sausage fills in the gap for the 99% lean sirloin. All the fat is rendered off later anyway. Sirloin has a special flavor and I like it in my spaghetti sauce. Rather than use any salt, I use soy. The sodium from the soy really permeates the entire pot of sauce giving it a deep, rich flavor. When it comes to herbs fresh is best…..for some. But dried herbs work very well. I use oregano, basil and bay in my spaghetti sauce. I add herbs the whole cooking process for a d

Have you ever had bad breath in the morning? Well a good bunch of belly aromatics would help freshen that breath. If you use liberal amounts of belly aromatics in your meals, your whole body will smell better! That fact and it is very flavorful and good for you. Belly aromatics can be herbs, spices, seeds, roots and barks that help flavor your meals. Some of my favorite belly aromatics are: Cilantro Basil Oregano Thyme Cinnamon Bay Sage Coriander Parsley Rosemary Cumin Terragon Dill......... All you have to do is use these great gifts from God and you will have fresh breath even in the morning. Belly aromatics - I LIKE IT !!!

Soft-shelled crabs are delicious any way you do them. Sauteed, baked, broiled or fried, they are real hard to beat. Just about anything tastes better fried. Rock hard abs need not apply. I had the hankerin ' for some sea food so I went to my favorite family owned seafood place and put in my order. I had never heard of Black Sable cod! But, I have now. Absolutely the best fish I have ever had and that is saying a lot. I will be a very frequent customer in the future. I bought fresh soft-shelled crabs, black sable cod, shrimp, scallops and calamari (squid). All along the devil on my right shoulder wanted fried fish and that is what he got. Here is how I cooked them. I used a simple Japanese tempura batter recipe I pulled out of the air. 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and 1/4 cup of corn starch, 1 egg and ice cold water to thin it down. Very simple and very effective. I seasoned the fish with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and Lawry's Seasoned salt. I did n

I know you do not eat carbs, you being so health conscious and all.........I digress.......I baked some quartered fresh corn tortillas in the oven. I tore them into quarters. After I baked the chips till they were crisp, I dredged the baked chips in a mixture of soy sauce, water, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. I then put them back in the oven until golden brown. ............low fat, delicious, filling, cheap! The flavor is very subtle and complex. This should be the come on appetizer at a high end Tex-Mex joint but it ain't.......go figure? The world may never know?

Here is a family recipe. It goes like this: Meat Loaf 3lbs lean ground meat 1 tablespoon black pepper 1.5 tablespoon onion powder 2 tablespoon fresh basil 2 tablespoon of minced garlic 3 tablespoons soy 2 whole eggs 3 slices of whole wheat bread crumbled 1 large Texas onion fine chop 4 stalks celery fine chop 1 large whole zucchini fine chop 1 cup of ketchup Thoroughly mix with hands in large bowl Take a 12” cast iron skillet or the like and rub down with olive oil Form your Meat Loaf to fit in skillet (see photo) Cover in aluminum foil so the seal does not lose any moisture (see photo) Cook in oven on bake at 325 for 45 minutes then drain and take off aluminum top Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned (see photo) Finish with a couple minutes on low broil (see photo) One of my favorite things is a fried meat loaf sandwich the next day…off the hook good ! Forks in the road – If I did not have kids I would add a whole chopped up habanero pepper. If hab