Home Coffee Roasting

There is little doubt that I am a foodie. I made the switch to home brewed coffee long ago and will only get something from Starbucks these days as a last resort before having Folgers. No, there is no doubt that I have high standards, but where do I go from here in my quest for ultimate foodie-ness?

I am among the lucky. I say that because I know a friend that roasts coffee. I've talked about him before; Spunky Monkey Coffee. My friend uses a common and inexpensive method of home roasting. He utilizes an air-popper, typically used for popcorn, only slightly modified. I've discovered that he is much more an artist than just a coffee roaster because with these air poppers one can only judge the roast by eye. He is rarely off by much.

Here is how it all starts: With the beans.



These are Tanzania Pea Beans. Notice that they are not half beans like most coffee. They also tend to smell more like caramel when you roast them (my opinion).

Now, with these raw beans, all he did was to plug in the air poppers, get them going and pour in a cup (a measurement he found by trial and error) and start swirling the poppers.

The beans will start to turn golden brown as you swirl them around. The whole reason for swirling is that you need to move the beans around. After they have roasted for a little while, they will expand and become lighter. Eventually the air popper will move them around on its own. Soon, the beans will start "popping" and shedding their skins. At this point, you will realize the wisdom of doing this outside as the bean skins or hulls start swirling around every where. The beans will eventually stop popping. They are now through what is plainly called the first pop. At this point the beans will be somewhere around a medium roast. If you keep on roasting you will enter into the "second pop" - so aptly termed. During this pop the beans sound more like the crackling of a camp fire. Then its all a matter of seconds as you go through medium dark roast, to a light french roast when the second pop starts dying down. A few seconds after the second pop stops you have reached a dark or true french roast (about 10 seconds following the second pop - give or take). A few more seconds you will be at espresso. After that you will have achieved charcoal. When your bean gets to the desired roast level, dump them out on a baking sheet to cool them and stop the roasting. After a few batches you will have a wonderful smelling pan of beans.






(Notice the bean skins all around the tray? Best not to do this inside)

That's it folks. Bag those beans up in a paper bag or put them in a resealable container and you've got good coffee for a week or so... depending on your level of addiction! So that is not to bad of an ordeal. I hope I have de-mystified the secrets of coffee roasting here. If I have left anything out or not explained something well enough please post your questions and I would be happy to clarify. Also, if you have any other tricks to add, please share!







(The "tricks" of the trade)

Grilling Again!

So one good thing has come with daylight savings time... I have officially fired up my grill. Yes folks, I am once again in my element. I did a little on it through the fearsome winter, but the season is open now!

This morning, as I exchanged my LP tank for a fresh one at the local box store, I could just smell that esoteric aroma filling my nostrils again. Ah, grilling. Cooking the way God intended. Just you, a chunk of meat and fire. Actually, I've made some taste vegetables on the grill as well as some delightful fruits as well. Ah life is good once again, at least at the dinner table!

So join me for the next few weeks as I move through a series of grilling posts. I don't have a planned number of posts to do, but I'll move through some basic principles as well as offer some hard learned tips and recipes as I bring you a tour of Lucky's Grill.

Bon Appetite!

Lasagna for a crowd

Sit back and loosen those belts for this tummy pleaser.

Primo Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion (1 small)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 - 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 - 6oz cans tomato paste
• 2 - 6.5oz cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 Tbs chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 the amount dried)
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16oz ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp salt (a divided amount, not from above)
• 3/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced (I recommend getting a real buffalo variety)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted and oiled water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (for about 10 minutes). Drain noodles, and rinse in cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with one third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil; prevent the sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or try to make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Go with the former as the later is practically impossible. Also, this fills the pan, so put some foil down beneath the oven rack to catch the spillage.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours and 15 minutes

Chili

Chili has gotten a bad rap through the years. To many deli lines seem to fill their vats with a tomato-bean goop during the winter time. Well gosh darn it, can't someone make a good pot of chili? As it turns out, I've found a recipe that has topped my old standby, the Better Homes and Garden chili... I don't recall where I ended up getting the recipe (sorry creators), but it is excellent. One thing to note: its home-made, from scratch so prepare for a long ingredients list. Here goes:

Ingredients:

1. 2 lbs ground beef chuck
2. 1 lb Italian sausage (not in casings)
3. 3 (15 oz) cans of chili beans, drained
4. 1 (15 oz) can of chili beans in spicy sauce
5. 2 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes in their juice
6. 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
7. 1 large yellow onion
8. 3 stalks of celery, chopped
9. 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10. 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
11. 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
12. 1 strip of cooked bacon (or 1 Tbs bacon bits)
13. 4 cubes beef bullion
14. 1/2 cup beef (use something good here)
15. 1/4 cup chili powder
16. 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (easier written than said)
17. 1 Tbs minced garlic (3-4 fresh cloves)
18. 1 Tbs dried oregano
19. 2 tsp ground cumin
20. 2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco for example)
21. 1 tsp dried basil
22. 1 tsp salt
23. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
24. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
25. 1 tsp paprika
26. 1 tsp white sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a LARGE stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan. Cook until evenly browned. Drain off any excess fat (makes the recipe healthier...).
2. Throw in the rest. I could spell it out for you, but I won't bother. Let it simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring every so often.
   
3. After 2 hours, taste and adjust the salt, pepper and chili powder if you feel like it. The longer it cooks the better. Even better, make it ahead, take it off the stove, refrigerate over night and serve the next day... it will be amazing.
   
4. Serve with cheese and Fritos on top.

Recipe says it makes enough for 10, but those would have to be pretty big people. Cut the recipe in half or save it for a big party.

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage

Here's a real twist on fettuccine alfredo.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 9-ounce package of refrigerated fettuccine
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 clove of garlic
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whipped cream
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook broccoli and fettuccine in boiling water to cover in a dutch oven 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet; add mushrooms and garlic. Saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add to fettuccine mixture.
3. Brown sausage in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes; drain and add to fettuccine mixture. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.
4. Stir together eggs, whipping cream, and pepper in skillet until blended. Add fettuccine mixture; toss well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss. Serve immediately.

The serving size is about 4 on this.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Back in the 1960's there was a home cooking revival that along with the well known Pillsbury cookbook gave banana bread its stardom and ever after popularity. I dare say there are hundreds of variations on this beloved bread which include nuts, raisins, cranberries and even peppermint. The unknown scandal of banana bread though is that it really is not a bread or at least it should not be. In reality, banana bread should be a muffin! Like many other quick breads, banana bread has succumb to being over processed which really results in more of a banana cake than a bread. I've found the following recipe to be outstanding. It is the mainstay in our household and will most likely continue to be so for quite some time. The recipe consists of three bowls for mixing: two "wet bowls" and one "dry bowl." In the first "wet bowl" mix together three or four ripe banana's (really, as long as no furry stuff is growing off them they will be perfect) with one cup of sugar. I use a potato masher and find it works very well for this. Turn it into mush as if you're least favorite person was in that bowl. In the second "wet bowl" mix together two large eggs, one stick of melted and cooled butter and a teaspoon of almond extract. This adds a nutty flavor to the bread and makes the kitchen smell delicious! In the meantime, set your oven rack to one position below the very top rails. Preheat to 350. Prepare a pan with butter and parchment paper. Then, in a third and much larger bowl, sift two cups of all purpose flour together with a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of fine salt. Make a depression in the center and set aside. Combine the two wet bowls until well mixed. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Now be careful at this step. You want to mix the ingredients gently until you see the last of the white flour disappear. No more. This is why banana bread should really be a muffin not a bread. You want lumps. They will add to the structure of the bread and ultimately give you a scrumptious bread, not a cake. If you want fold in extras at this time like pecans, walnuts, craisins, etc. Pour the batter into your bread pan and place in the oven for 40 minutes. After that time, check to see that your bread has achieved a perfect caramel brown on top and place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top. Allow it to bake for another 10-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When the bread is baked, take it out and let the pan cool on a rack for 15 minutes. If you have used a sling of parchment paper, pull the bread out of the pan and let it further cool to room temperature. If you rap the bread tightly in saran wrap it will keep for about 5 days. Trust me, it won't last that long anyway!!

Lucky's Secret Fried Chicken (Declassified)

Skill Level: who cares, cooking is an adventure!
Time: well...you'll get quicker.
Serves: depends on the company, but makes a good dinner for six

Here's a fried chicken recipe that will give Colonel Sanders a run for his... chicken! This took loads of modification and lots of treadmill - guilt running to perfect.

1 quart buttermilk, plus two cups (yes be authentic, will not taste as good with skim milk)
1 egg or two (depends on the size, but don't sweat it)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (pre-ground will do if you must)
2 tablespoons of hot sauce (use your favorite, I like a chipotle personally) and 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 whole chickens (3-4 lbs each) cut up into at least 8 pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 quart of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of salt and hot sauce mixture along with the black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (4 hrs if you're in a pinch)

Next day: place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl. Make some buttermilk biscuits to go along with this. They will be mighty tasty and a good use of the remaining buttermilk. Add the egg and stir just till they are combined. In another bowl, put the flour mixture (recipe follows). Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it till its absolutely dry. Dredge the pieces a few at at time in the flour mixture and pat off the excess. Be sure to get the excess off, if you don't the breading will fall off instead. Dip them in the buttermilk and allow the excess to drain off. Dredge them again in the flour mixture and pat off the excess. Put the chicken on a pieces of parchment paper till ready to cook.

Using a large cast iron pan (I recommend a Lodge Cast Iron Fryer ), fill the pan until it is almost half full of Crisco shortening and one piece of bacon. Heat the pan over medium high (350) heat while you are coating the chicken. When ready, pull out the piece of bacon, if you haven't already. Just make sure it doesn't burn. Place about 4 pieces of chicken in the pan at a time and let them cook for 6-8 minutes, flip them over and cook another 6-10. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for medium done (I wouldn't recommend much cooler). Dark meat will take a little longer. Remove the chicken and let rest on a drying rack with lots of paper towels under it. You'll fry the last four the same way you fried the first four.

Flour mixture (here's the secret ;-))

3 cups of flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon course salt (Kosher)
1 teaspoon black pepper (fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered thyme