For the chef

[Trier20]

I might have to try that one out after opening day of dove season this year. LOVE me some doves!

[strawberryblonde]

Liz, I'm real happy you liked the lamb and it's sauce-

And Brandon - I've never cooked asparagus in a reducing wine sauce - but it sounds great - my wife thought so too, so we're definitely going to try it soon. And I'll bet it works well with beef filet too, as you said !
.

In the spring when the asparagus is super slender and fresh I gently simmer it for a few minutes in my balsamic vinegar as I'm reducing it. Just a few minutes, then pull it out, finish the reduction for whatever grilled meat I'm making that night and dinner is done.

Now I'm gonna have to try it in a wine reduction!

Oh and Liz? I"m not a chef either, just a woman who loves the taste of really good food, so you and I can hang on here and pick up some recipes. And next time I manage to drive down to Florida to visit my grandkids I'll let you know so we can share a beer and cook a meal together as I pass you by.

[LizStreithorst]

I will look forward to it, Toni.

Do you grow your own asparagus? I tried years and years ago. I did all that soil prep and it was a total failure. I've been told since by a horticulturalist friend that down south here we need to plant them shallow. I may try them again come fall.

[roclement]

Liz...as promised! Feijoada!

Feeds 10-15 people:

Ingredients:

1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, tongue
(optional)
1 lb. Brazilian "linguica"
or Mexican "chorizo"
1/2 lb. Brazilian "carne seca"
or Chunk of lean Canadian bacon
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 4-5 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat.

In a large frying pan saut‚ onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Saut‚ an additional two-three minutes.

Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary)

Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.

Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired.
Have plenty off cold beer! Pilsner is prefered!
We also drink Caipirinhas with this meal, a drink made with Cachaca, a Sugar Cane distiled.

Rodrigo

[strawberryblonde]

Oh my gosh Rod, you just made my day! =)

My husband and I took a trip to Costa Rica about a million years ago and during a trip into the mountain regions we stopped for a quick lunch at the only roadside restaurant we could find. (Drove for 6 hours and never saw so much as a gas station... this place looked mighty fine when we saw it!)

They didn't have a menu, they just offered whatever the ladies were cooking that day. They gave us a huge plate of some sort of meat and beans thing over rice that they called "Fay Jwada". That's how they said it, and since it wasn't written down we had no idea what the real name or spelling for it was.

It was so delicious and we talked about it for the rest of our vacation. I tried to find out from various folks what the dish was actually called, but no one seemed to know, they just looked at me funny when I said "Fay Jwada".

The minute I saw your recipe I knew what it was...it's that yummy dish we ate on the side of a mountain, sitting in little chairs and sucking down cold beers while watching birds flying through the trees and listening to monkeys.

Gonna make this just as soon as I can find the ingredients at my local shops.

[discuspaul]

Rod - thanks a bunch for that recipe - sounds fantastic - I just HAVE to try that !!

[LizStreithorst]

Toni, I had it when I was in Brazil years ago. It was the best thing I have ever eaten. Can you believe that Ringo doesn't much care for it? Not enough peasant blood in his veins, I guess...I'm hoping that I can talk the folks at the pork processor up the road from me to sell me the gross pig parts. They're wholesale, run by Mexicans, Perhaps I can give them a mordida.

[roclement]

Glad I could make you all happy!

Liz (Vixxen), when you grow up with rice and beans...it's just rice and beans... The best thing about Feijoada is that it's usually prepared for a l group of friends, so the it becomes a party, with plenty of food, drinks, and great laughs!!!

Rodrigo