Brisket and "Goop"

Everyone has a few household items or foods that they call by an odd name. Maybe it originally descended from a family member who speaks another language or maybe one day someone was at a loss for words and just made one up that stuck. Whatever the reason, the words become a natural, integrated part of your vocabulary and you forget that the general population doesn't have a clue what you are talking about (I actually do this fairly frequently). For example the first time I heard someone use the slang term "po-po" to refer to the police I was utterly confused because in my family, we called the end of a loaf of bread the "po-po". I was probably 16 and the conversation went something like this:


Friend: There's a tree blocking the road we can't go into town: but don't worry the po-po is on their way, it'll be cleared soon.
Me: Wait, what? Who's coming?
Friend: The po-po, to deal with the fallen tree.
Me: The end-of-the-bread is going to clear the tree from the road??
Friend: What are you talking about? The police are coming; po-po = police.
Me: Ohhhhhh, well not in my house it doesn't...

Or try sitting in your freshman dorm in college with a roommate that you barely know and asking her to pass the doo-hickey (TV remote or sometimes whatever it is that you want but can't seem to remember the name of, at which time you point and call it a doo-hickey).
Yea, I got a weird look for that one.

Sometimes, the real word just doesn't fit the item or food as well as the made-up word. In that case it's best to carry on as if the whole world calls it that same thing. Most likely no one will question you and in some cases they'll understand why it's so fitting. For example, the word "goop". Growing up in my house, this referred to the mixture of chopped vegetables, wine and broth that a brisket roasted with in the oven. They're finely chopped and kind of soupy, floating around next to the meat. After the brisket is done roasting (for 3 1/2 hours) the chopped vegetables get strained out of the sauce and plopped into a bowl to be served along side the meat and sauce. The words "chopped vegetables" just don't seem to fit. It's still a little liquid-y and the little bits are kind of uniformly sized, honestly I just can't think of any word for it besides "goop" and that's what has stuck all these years.

However, last night I served it to a table full of people who didn't grow up with brisket "goop" and every time someone asked me what was in the bowl, I was at a loss for words. Somehow explaining what exactly is in it just doesn't do it justice. I feel like the only way to really describe it is "goop" and eventually that's what I started telling people. I said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world and no one questioned it. I even got a few nods as if I had given them the answer they were expecting all along.

Beef Brisket with "Goop", Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions

Beef broth lends a deeper richer flavor but either chicken broth also works. Any combination of the two is fine as well. / Serves 8

1 3.5lb Flat-cut beef brisket, fat trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

7 cups (900g) finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1 750ml bottle dry red wine

8 large fresh thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

2 bays leaves

13 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth

1lb baby carrots

12oz pearl onions, blanched and peeled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Sprinkle meat with salt in pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, wide pot of medium-high heat.

Brown brisket - about 5 minutes per side - and transfer to a large roasting pan. Set aside.

Add chopped onions, garlic, celery and carrots to the original pot and saute until golden, about 10 minutes.

Add wine, thyme sprigs and bay leaves to pot. Boil until liquid is reduced to about 5 cups, about 10 minutes. Add both and bring to a boil.
This is a TON of liquid but it will reduce significantly and you definitely need all of it to ensure there is enough liquid throughout the whole cooking time.

Pour wine mixture over brisket to fill 2/3 of the pan, reserve remaining wine mixture.

Roast brisket uncovered until very tender, turning and basting occasionally and adding more of the wine mixture as necessary to keep the pan 2/3 full, about 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the meat to a cutting board or platter.

Strain pan juices into a bowl pressing on solids and set aside. 
Remove the time sprigs and bay leaves and discard.
*Puree the solids (aka the vegetables or "goop") until blended but still chunky and spoon into a bowl. Gradually whisk a little of the puree into the gravy adding more as needed to thicken but not too much as the gravy will continue to thicken on its own. If you accidentally add too much just whisk in a little broth to thin out again.
Season both sauce and "goop" with salt and pepper and set aside.

Thinly slice the meat across the grain.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add baby carrots, pearl onions and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme; saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve meat with sauce, "goop" carrots, and pearl onions.

The meat, sauce and "goop" freeze well either separately or mixed together into ready to go portions.


*I completely forgot this step last night which is why my sauce was too thin and my "goop" just looks like chopped up vegetables. It's not a huge deal but it's definitely worth the extra step.

Garlic Chicken Spiedies

It's funny, I spent the first 3 years in Binghamton wishing I was back downstate. I missed the city, the faster-paced life. I missed the downstate bagels and pizza. I missed the good Jewish challah bread, the babka and the black and white cookies that New York is so famous for.

I loved Manhattan, I was always a city girl but recently I find I'm overwhelmed by the crowds. I still love the exceptional ethnic foods available here but Binghamton had it's own perks too. There was a peacefulness to the open space, something calming in the knowledge that country and farmland were less than 20 minutes away. There was a stillness to the morning and a comfort in the stars at night. Most of all there was a sense of pride and community among the locals and a growing interest and effort to better the area. 

Although it has become an economically depressed area, Greater Binghamton (also known as The Triple Cities) was once a thriving area bustling with immigrants. It is home to numerous corporations, authors, screenwriters and even some local foods. 

The most notable of which, may be the Spiedie.

A Spiedie is a sandwich made of cubed meat in some combination of olive oil, vinegar and Italian spices known as Spiedie sauce. It's marinated for at least 2 days, grilled on skewers and served in a fluffy white submarine rolls. It's a dish local to the Binghamton area and the Southern Tier region of New York. The concept originated from Italian immigrants in the area in the 1920s but there is some debate over who served the first Spiedie. 

BBQ chicken and grilled sandwiches may not be unique to the area but, never the less, it is home my favorite pit that serves chicken so delicious - I count the days until it's seasonal opening every March. Next door is the best ice cream shop and 7 miles east, across the river is Lupo's Char Pit which serves chicken or pork Spiedies and some really great french fries.

I know what you are thinking, that sounds like a kebab, right? Wrong. The locals would skewer you if they heard you say that. The concept is similar but the spices are different and the sandwich has nothing but meat in it. The roll is used like an oven mitt to hold the chicken while the other hand pulls out the skewer. It's then served hot and sometimes drizzled with fresh marinade before serving. 

Garlic Chicken Spiedies

Instead of using the traditional white sub roll I decided to go with a multigrain baguette for something a little less refined and more flavorful. I used dried spices but if you have fresh on hand go ahead and use them. You could even mix it up and use some fresh some dried but don't leave out the onion and garlic powder in favor of more fresh garlic or onion. Even though I used hot paprika (I brought a jar back from Budapest!), it was not spicy at all so don't worry if you are sensitive to spicy food. If you are still concerned, replace it with sweet paprika. 

Serves 8-12 as sandwiches or over salad.

3-4 pounds chicken breast, cubed

2 multigrain baguettes

3 small shallots or 1 red onion

2-3 large cloves of garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

Peel the garlic and shallots or onion. Trim the ends and place in a blender. Add the oil, vinegar and all of the spices. Blend until smooth.

Toss the chicken with the marinade and refrigerate for 2-4 days.

When you are ready to grill the chicken, slice the baguette open length wise. 

Cut into two pieces horizontally and set aside.

Place the cubes on metal skewers and pack it tightly. Depending how long your skewers are, each will probably hold more than one serving of chicken. Mine each made enough for two sandwiches.

Grill the skewers over medium to medium high heat until the inside is white and juices run clear - about 8 minutes. The outside should be crisp but the parts where the chicken cubes touch will be soft and the marinade will collect there and stay moist.

Remove the skewer (with tongs, don't touch the metal!) and place in side one piece of the baguette and use the bread to hold the chicken while you remove the skewer. Repeat with the other chicken and baguette pieces. 

You should now have 4 baguette halves filled with chicken. 

Cut each in half to make 8 sandwiches. 

Enjoy!

April Daring Cook's Challenge - New Brunswick Stew

Kitchen shears are my new favorite utensil.

Why are they my new favorite utensil?  Well, I was having a wrestling match with a 3lb chicken and it was winning - until I remembered the kitchen shears. The beautiful, sleek, seriously sharp kitchen shears. They sliced right through those chicken bones with ease and grace as if to say why have you been struggling with this for the better part of 20 minutes? Weakling.

Lesson one: Don't underestimate the kitchen shears.
Lesson two: Read a recipe before you buy the ingredients - or you could just do what I did.

I bought all my ingredients (so I thought), set aside a night to cook and serve the meal, and of course, left no time for errors or extra runs to the supermarket. Then, just as I went to start cooking at 4:30 Monday afternoon, I realized I should have bought 3lbs of chicken breasts, some quantity of 3 other meats, lima beans and a can of whole peeled tomatoes. I had none of the above, but I did have plenty of homemade chicken stock in my freezer. I thought for a few minutes, decided I would cut my chicken into pieces, use the ground sirloin that I already had defrosting and just flat out make my own recipe. I know I was supposed to use one of the two recipes provided by the Daring Cook's Host but I was out of time and options. I made it up as I went and it came out quite good. Hopefully the Daring Kitchen police won't be too angry. 

Not-Even-A-Little-Bit-Traditional Brunswick Stew

New Brunswick Stew is a modern adaption of Brunswick Stew (squirrel stew). It replaces squirrel with rabbit and also includes several other meats like pork and chicken. I've eaten rabbit once before but I've never cooked it. Unfortunately, there is no butcher in Binghamton and short of killing your own that's the only place you'll find rabbit meat. I did check Wegmans just in case but when I asked if they could order it for me, the kid working behind the meat counter looked at me as if I was seriously disturbed. The answer was obviously: no crazy lady, we don't sell cute, furry, backyard animals. I even tried to get a friend to hunt one for me. He hunts plenty of deer and other animals but declined on the rabbit citing them as too cute and furry. By this point I officially felt like a horrible, soul-less person trying to kill cute and furry animals. I gave up and went with chicken and beef.

 I used homemade BBQ Sauce because Jason made 7 quarts of of it from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook. In case you are wondering 7 quarts is a TON of BBQ sauce and we've been doing everything short of drinking it to try to use it all up. I encourage you to use the Paul Purdome Chicken Seasoning because it really is the best. I use it on everything but if you can't find it you can replace it with hot paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Serves 6-8

1 onion

2 leeks chopped

1 lb boneless chicken breast

1 lb chicken thighs (bone-in)

1 lb lean ground sirloin

4 cups chicken broth (I used homemade)

Paul Purdome chicken seasoning 

red cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

28oz butter beans

1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 1/2 cups spicy BBQ sauce (see headnote)

1 pound frozen green peas

10oz frozen baby corn

A few tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat pastry but white is fine)

kosher salt

pepper

In a large dutch oven (mine is 5 1/2 quarts), sauté the onion and leeks in olive oil until just soft

add the chicken and season generously with chicken spice. Cook about 5 minutes, flipping the pieces half way through.

Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add ground sirloin to the pan and cook until just brown but not cooked through

Add chicken back to the pan

Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Cover and bring to boil.

Cook for about 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through and easy to shred.

Remove chicken pieces and shred the meat. Remove the drumstick and thigh bones and return shredded meat to the pot.

Add beans, BBQ sauce and diced tomatoes.

Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

At this point it will still be pretty thin.

Put a few tablespoons of the flour in a small bowl and whisk in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid from the pot. When the mixture is smooth stir it back into the pot and continue to simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. If it's still too thin repeat the process and simmer for another few minutes. 
Remove the bay leaves and throw them out.

At this point I covered it and turned off the heat for about a half an hour to wait for my friends to come over. This step isn't necessary but it did help thicken it up a great deal. 

If you skip this step then just stir in the peas and corn, cook until both are hot and serve.

If you choose to let it sit like I did, add the peas and corn and bring it back to simmer until heated through.

Serve with a good chunk of crusty bread. The leftovers store well in the fridge and freezer and taste even better the second day.