Lockdown Hash

It has been one hell of a week here in Boston. Bombings set off on Monday, our noble Marathon violently marred, death and dismemberment brought home to children and other innocents, and terror injected into our Beantown lifeblood like intravenous drugs designed to heighten anxiety and stress. Last night and all of today has been all about police action, high emergency, and triage; one cop has been killed, others are seriously injured, shootouts have exploded and explosions have been hurled, and there has been an unprecedented complete and total lockdown of 6 different communities — including mine — within our fair borders. We have been held captive all week in a true siege perilous, literally and figuratively: this most ancient seat of our young nation is undeniably under attack. I worry about my neighbors, I worry about my Harvard kids, I worry about my friends. I worry about this boy, this fresh-faced, nice looking, by-all-accounts good boy who is hiding among us somewhere… waiting, maybe? Planning, maybe? Or scared and alone and hurt? I can’t not care; he looks so much like he could be one of my students. My little haven, my home, is 5 blocks away in one direction from the merciless fatal shooting of MIT policeman Sean Collier, and 5 blocks away in another direction from the merciful release of the carjacking victim which the news is, at this time (6:57pm EST), still surprisingly silent about. Needless to say, Clayton and I have stayed safely indoors, and totally glued to the TV, waiting until our beloved neighborhood is safe again.

Luckily, we had a dozen eggs and a handful of random items in the fridge to make both lunch and dinner, since we’ve been locked indoors and all stores are closed anyway. But after an onion & bacon omelet with cheddar grits for breakfast, I wanted something a little more vegetable for dinner. My pantry isn’t fully stocked, but I do try to keep some basics on hand, like canned beans and tomatoes and stock and stuff. I found a few carrots in the fridge, some just-about-to-turn-rubbery small colored potatoes, I had 1/2 an onion, and bacon is always welcome more than once a day anyway – so I came up with this skillet: Potato bacon hash, carrot studded tomato sauce, with baked egg, melted farmhouse cheddar, and garlic Texas toast for dipping. Super hot, *really* comforting, and served in a cast-iron skillet heavy enough to use as a weapon to beat back terrorists: just what we needed to feel safe and satisfied after a surreal day.

Lockdown Hash

8-10 small potatoes (these are purple, red, and creamer)
1 can peeled tomatoes
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup EVOO
4 sliced bacon
4 tbs butter
2 eggs
4 thick slices of toast
garlic powder, sea salt, cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano

I start by dicing my onion, carrot…

… and garlic.

I throw them in a hot pan with a glug of EVOO to sauteI add a dash of salt, pepper, and oregano, and cook on medium heat until just translucent — about 4 minutes.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: San Marzano canned tomatoes are the best. I crack me a can.

And dump all the contents into the pan with the aromatics.

Then I add my wine and about 1/2 cup of EVOO.

I set the heat on low, cover the pan, and let my sauce cook for about 30 minutes until thickened. At some point, since I’m anxious watching the news unfold, I end up breaking down the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Meaning, I just sort of stand there stabbing at them with my wooden spatula, splattering my clothes since my eyes are riveted on the TV. After the 30 minutes, I remove the lid and let the liquid start to boil off, to make a nice, thick, chunky sauce.

On one of my back burners, I boiled my potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes, or until I was able to pierce them easily with a knife. I drained and cooled them, and have now cut them into small pieces.

I get my two small skillets nice and hot on my burners, and I fry off two slices of chopped bacon in each. I add a LOT of cracked black pepper to each pan, too – just ‘cuz.

Once my bacon is nice and crisp, and all the fat has rendered and is sizzling, I split my potato pieces evenly between the two pans, laying them in a single layer across the surface, to let them sear for a couple minutes. After they’ve crisped on the hot edge, I stir gently to flip, and sear again. I do this for about 8 minutes, stirring every once in a while so that the pulpy cuts of potato can crisp and brown against the iron heat.

When the home fries/hash browned potatoes are perfectly crisped, I push them to one side of each pan.

On the other side, I layer my nicely thickened chunky tomato sauce. Sort of a yin-yang thing.

I’ve shaved several nice thin sheets of cheddar off the block, which I layer on top of my potatoes and tomatoes.

And in a well between them all, I crack a single egg. My oven is preheated to 400 degrees, and I throw the pans onto the bottom most shelf, and let them bake for about 7 minutes — until the egg whites have just set, and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Since I started writing this post 20 minutes ago, there has been another volley of gunshots, and the media is hopeful that that heralds a resolution to today’s drama. There hasn’t been any movement in hours; but now something seems to be happening. This blog is as much to show off my cooking as it is to remind me of my life, like a diary; each meal brings me back to a moment in my past in ways no other experience can do. Tonight’s meal was heartwarming, comforting, true homestyle, delicious, and filling — as many of my meals have been; but, given the historic events unfurling within hearing distance of my humble little condo, I doubt I could ever forget it, even if I hadn’t written it down. But I felt a need to share – and if I could have made this for every one of my local peeps, waiting like me for news that the suspect has been caught, and that all is safe (more or less) – I would have. These pictures, and this insignificant story, are my small way of sharing.

Stay safe, my dear readers. Lolita out.

Braised Short Rib Matzohdilla

I get my inspiration from all sorts of places. Since the husbandman and I are on the cheap these days, I usually peruse the menus of Boston’s finer restaurants, looking for what they’re serving which I can replicate at home. But that’s my high-brow approach; sometimes, it’s better to be influenced by popular culture. For example: Chickenhawk’s Chicken and Beans, one of my most popular posts, was inspired by this ditty on the new Looney Tunes show. Tonight’s meal crawled into my imagination thanks to Sean and Gus from USA’s Psych; a silly show, to be sure, but one that makes me laugh every time I watch it. On their 100th episode, Sean – with his customary wit – celebrates a verbal mashup of Yiddish and Spanish by coining the term “Matzohdilla”, which Gus thinks “sounds delicious”. So did I, dear readers – so did I. The concept of a quesadilla made with matzohs instead of tortillas just lit me on fire! My mind immediately conjured a delectable vision of crusty pressed unleavened flat-grilled crackers stuffed with gooey cheese and savory meat, served Mexican style with some guac and sour cream for garnish. I ran pell-mell to Whole Foods to make my dream a reality.

Braised Shortrib Matzohdilla

1lb boneless short ribs
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 qt beef broth
3 slices bacon
1 can black beans
1 bottle dark beer
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb cheddar cheese
6oz cream cheese
1 avocado
1 small red onion
3-4 tablespoons minced cilantro
4-5 tablespoons diced tomatoes
4 matzohs
sour cream
garlic powder, red chile powder, ground cumin, black pepper, sea salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, EVOO

My original idea was to make carnitas for this meal, but I figured I was already slapping kosher in the face with the inclusion of cheese and cream cheese in my recipe; pork would just be cruelly insensitive. (Of course, I ended up using bacon in my beans (see below), but bacon doesn’t count, right?) Instead, I chose some lovely beef short ribs; I rubbed them down with a nice healthy blend of my dry spices (salt, pepper, cumin, garlic & onion powder, paprika, chile powder), and dusted them with flour before searing them thoroughly in hot EVOO in a large pan deep enough to submerge them in braising liquids.

After they’ve been browned on each side and all the edges, I dump my tomatoes and 1/2 my minced garlic into the pan…

…before adding my broth. These babies floated a bit, but they eventually sunk to the bottom. I throw a lid on top, lower my heat to a bare simmer, and let these braise for about 90 minutes…

… or until I can easily shred the meat with a fork – like so. Um: YUM!

Apparently, I can’t avoid pork. I tried – I really did. But before I even knew my auto-pilot had kicked in, I’d done gone and fried up a few slices to include in my beans. What can I say? I’m a degenerate.

After my bacon crisped, I dumped in my beans and a few scoopfuls of the braising liquid from the shortribs, and my bottle of beer. I let these simmer on medium heat until most of the liquid had burned off, then I mash up everything with a fork to give them a nice, spreadable texture.

Time to break out the matzohs! I spread cream cheese on each cracker, then layer them with meat, beans, and cheese before carefully pressing them together.

Like so!

I get my largest, non-stick skillet set to medium, and I brush it down thoroughly with a little EVOO.

I very carefully lay my matzohdilla in the pan, pressing down gingerly to flatten. I made two of these – one for me, and one for El Husbandious; I sort of snapped one, but I am happy to say they stayed together pretty well, enough so that none of the filling leached out. As the matzohs heated in the oil, they became slightly pliable – but without losing their crunch!

The trick to an excellent grilled cheese anything is time. The heat should be set at a relatively low level, or else the outside can burn before the inside melts. With constant gentle pressure, it took about 5 minutes on each side for these babies to cook up, and for all the cheddar cheese inside to melt and ooze. Since I only had one pan large enough, I had to make these in shifts; I placed the cooked one on a sheet in a low oven to stay warm while I grilled up the other one.

See how nice? All my cheese is gooey and ready, and the matzohdilla is born!

In a separate bowl, I whip up a quick guacamole: mashed avocado, diced tomato, diced red onion, minced garlic and cilantro, paprika, salt, pepper, and chile powder. Mix that all up, and you’re good to go.

My cultural mash-up is complete! I can’t really express how good this was: the matzohs stayed crispy and crackly, but they didn’t fall apart or crumble under the pressure of my teeth; the cream cheese/cheddar cheese blend was rich and creamy, with the cheese stretching from bite to bite like a most excellent pizza; the savory beans and tender, shredded meat were hot, flavorful, and delicious. I admit, Clayton and I rather laughed our way through the whole meal. It was freaking amazing, but I’d never seen or heard anything quite like it before (and I searched the internet for recipes – to no avail!), and it just seemed so silly to have been inspired by a cast-off quote from a TV show. But, in this case, silly was super-delicious. I wonder what other mash-ups I can come up with? Chicken Tikka Chow Fun? Caribbean Cassoulet? Pad Thai Pizza? Suggestions are welcome!

Queen Grits: Scallops, Shrimp, Serrano Ham, and Ouzo Cream with Chives

There are a handful of pseudo-cliches I could start this posting with, like “you can take a girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of a girl”, and “once a redneck always a redneck,” and “roots run deep” – but I couldn’t possibly do that, could I? Instead, I’ll straight up admit it: I love shrimp and grits. It’s a classic dish o’ mine, stemming from a season working at Jim Shaw’s on Vineville after college, where they serve their grits as a side dish, but where the perfect compatibility of shellfish and hominy first entered my consciousness. A few years later, in the Florida pan-handle, I enjoyed the Boss Grits at Boss Oyster, the first time I’d seen OTHER stuff thrown into the bowl – like bits o’ pork and a sweet white sauce. Tonight’s dinner is a variation on this theme: succulent shrimp and seared scallops atop cheddar grits with sauteed Serrano ham and my favorite ouzo cream. The meal is warm and satisfying, steaming and buttery, fragrant and briny, unctuous and sweet: a perfect plate, in less than 30 minutes. If you’ve never married grits to sea critters before, I urge you to correct that discrepancy in your gastronomic resume. You’ll be glad that you did.

Cheddar Grits with Shrimp, Scallops, Serrano Ham, Chives, and Ouzo Cream Sauce

1 cup grits
4 1/2 cups water, salted
4 tbs butter
1/4# slab Serrano ham (about 1/2″ thick)
4 large shrimp
2 large scallops
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cream
1/2 cup Ouzo
3 tbs chopped fresh chives
sea salt, cracked black pepper, Adobo seasoning, paprika

This is, at heart, a very simple meal. I start by getting a few tablespoons of butter melting in my largest non-stick fry pan, while I get my water boiling for my grits on the back burner.

Once the foam has subsided, I throw my chopped Serrano ham into the lightly browned fat to saute and crisp.

Moving these meat bits around often, I toast them up really good. I add a dash of black pepper and some paprika to the pan as well, which combines with the smoked pork to make a dizzying aroma.

Once my water comes to a boil, I stir in my grits well, lower the temperature to simmer, and cover the pan for about 10 minutes – reaching in to stir only once or twice.

I wish I had a flat grill, but alas. Instead, I’m crafty. I push all my cooked ham to one side of my pan, which I slide off the burner and balance on the raised edge of my stove – which is at the same height as the burner itself. This leaves an exposed half of my pan directly over the heat, and allows my pork to stay warm but without the element underneath. When you have a crappy kitchen, you learn to improvise.

On the exposed surface of the pan, which is still glistening with porkypaprika-y goodness, I layer my shrimp (which I’ve peeled to just the end of the tail) and my scallops, which I’ve sprinkled with salt and pepper. I let them sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until the shrimp is perfectly opaque, and my scallops are seared to a crispy golden brown exterior.

Meanwhile, my grits are cooked perfectly, so I toss in 1 tbs butter and all my shredded cheddar cheese, which I mix in well. I also add a dash of Adobo seasoning – which has garlic and pepper in it as well as salt. This I blend well until all the cheese is melted.

At the last few moments, I remove my proteins from the pan, and put them aside on a warm dish. I put the pan back on the burner, add my last tablespoon of butter until it melts, then in goes my sweet sweet ouzo. I let this reduce for about a minute over high heat.

In goes my cream, which I whisk in very well, leaving the heat on high so it can bubble and boil.

It thickens nicely.

A steaming mound of warm, sharp cheddar grits are surrounded by a pool of fennel scented rich cream. Mounded on top of this tempting pile are the buttery shrimp, sweet seared scallops, and salty crispy-edged tidbits of Spanish jamon, scattered with the mild oniony tang of snipped chives. Wholesome, delicious, and heart-warming. What better for a weeknight dinner after a long day’s work?

What Lolita Eats…

Eating. Without it, I couldn't survive.

Tag Archives: recipe

Lockdown Hash

Braised Short Rib Matzohdilla

Queen Grits: Scallops, Shrimp, Serrano Ham, and Ouzo Cream with Chives

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