Muddy Butt Falls

Sunday before last I went to this waterfall at Mount Meru. It had been raining the day before and the way down into the gorge was slippery and muddy. It seems like I spent more time on my backside than my feet. This place will always, and affectionately, be know to me as Muddy Butt Falls.

Hangin' in the Western Cape

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here.

Well, I left India and am currently in the Western Cape of South Africa. There is something magical about this place, but a picture tell a thousand words.

Yesterday or Tomorrow?

Hi Chef Sandy here!

Well, today in my Hindi class I learned a new word; kal.

It means yesterday.  But guess what?  It also means tomorrow!  This explains a lot!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Pesto

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!  Also, by popular demand, my recipe for Basil and Pine Nut Pesto…

Although Basil and Pine Nut Pesto is probably the most typical pesto, it is by no means the only pesto.  You can substitute other nuts for the pine nuts (blanched almonds are a good substitute for pine nuts themselves if you are trying to achieve a similar flavor at less expense), or other herbs or veggies for the basil, you can eliminate the cheese all together if you are lactose intolerant,…your imagination, and availability of ingredients of course, are the only limit to the types of pesto you can make.  One of my favorite pestos to make is Sun Dried Tomato, Caramelized Onion and Walnut Pesto.  In this pesto I use just a touch of basil and cheese.  But that is not the recipe I am going to give you today.  One of my biggest fans has asked for the recipe for my Basil and Pine Nut Pesto, so here it is!

½ pound Basil – Washed, dried and big stems removed.  You can leave the little soft stems in.

1 cup Pine Nuts – Lightly toasted.  Be careful!  They go from not cooked to burnt in a flash!!!

1 cup Hard Cheese (like Parmesan or Romano) – Shredded

Salt and Pepper to taste. Be careful; the saltier the cheese the less salt you will have to use. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put all the ingredients, except the EVOO, in a food processor.  Put in just a splash of the oil and then turn the processor on a slow speed.  Slowly pour the olive oil in the processing mixture until you reach the desired consistency.  Whether you want it course or smooth is up to your taste or intended use for the pesto.

You can use the pesto as a spread on bread, on pizza, toss it in pasta, as a topping for grilled meats or vegetables, or loosen it with a little cream to make sauce.  As always, let me hear from you and tell me how yours turned out.       

Elephants and Dead Guys

By popular demand I am to tell you about more of my adventures here in India.  Problem is I’ve been working a lot more than adventuring since I’ve been here.  I signed up for Hindi classes at the American Embassy School; that’s an adventure of a sort.  So anyhow, I was on my way to class through Delhi traffic that would make the most hardened L.A. commuter whimper like a little girl, and I saw two little kids riding an elephant down the street.  But that’s not the funny part!  The funny part was that the elephant had reflectors on it’s butt!!!  I guess it makes sense.  If you get caught out after dark riding your elephant, you certainly would not want to get rear-ended.  I wish I had a picture of it to share with you, but alas, I was too slow.

Instead I will share with you some pictures I took this weekend at Qutb Minar.  At almost 238 feet it is the world’s tallest brick minaret, and is very impressive.  It was constructed in the 11^th century by a bunch of dead guys to celebrate the fact that they had killed a bunch of guys.  I don’t mean that they were dead when they built it, but they are now.  Kind of ironical, don’t ya think?        

FRRO, Making India a Greener Place!

Hi There,

Chef Sandy Krebs here! Well, yesterday I went to the FRRO (foreign residence registration office). I would like to say that it was a unique experience in my life, but it wasn’t. It was just bureaucratic B.S. Indian style. I was able to accomplish my registration in one day with one visit which, considering the stories I’ve heard, was quite remarkable. The weather was pleasant, so being patient was easy. I just kind of got into the carnival atmosphere of it all. There were people there from every race, color and creed all for the same purpose. What was that purpose you ask? Well apparently the Indian government needs something to do with all those pre-civil war computers and antique ledgers, because that is what they are using at this office that processes hundreds, maybe thousands of people a day! We were all there for the purpose of making the world a greener place. On days that I can help the Indian government keep a computer monitor the size of a small vehicle out of the land fill, I feel good about being me!

I’ve met an American journalist, Jen, who is doing a piece on expats living in India. She met me at the FRRO, but was promptly chased away by cops saying, “No pictures, no pictures!” I can see why. If word ever got out about all those old ledgers that they are using at the FRRO the place would be overrun by antique dealers!

Since I can’t treat you to any pictures inside the FRRO, this is a picture of a guy selling OJ right outside the office. Eat your heart out Orange Julius!

What is Your Pet Peeve at a Restaurant?

A comment to a recent post of mine precipitated this post.

I put up a recipe for Crab Cakes and my friend commented that she had some really great crab cakes at a restaurant lately, but the only problem was, it wasn't crab cakes, it was crab cake! They only brought one.

What do you really hate when you go a restaurant? I'll get this ball rolling.

One of my pet peeves is if I walk into a restaurant and there is no one there to greet me. O.k., I understand if for a minute the host/hostess walked away to seat some one. But if you keep standing there and employees are walking by not saying a word to you, it's like, “What, do I have my Cloak of Invisibility on?”

It just makes me want to

That's a picture of me in Bolivia right after I had been ignored at a restaurant for a full five minutes!

Not really, it is me in Bolivia, but at a train “grave yard”. It was very cool. I was expecting Dudley Doright to show up any second.

This is not just an opportunity for you to rant, but it will help me professionally. I can make sure that at my restaurant we never do the things that make you want to lay down in front of an oncoming train, or throw your server in front of one.

Please share your experiences and send this to your friends and family so that they can share their experiences too.

Thanks!!!

Chef Sandy Krebs

Lemon Confit

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

I seem to be into preserving things lately. My last recipe was Lox (cured salmon) now this one is for Lemon Confit (preserved lemons). I don't know if there is some deep psychological meaning here, or if they are just both good easy recipes with many applications in the home and commercial kitchen. Lemon Confit (pronounced con-fee) can be used in baking, salads, to garnish fish or veal or lamb. I particularly like chopping it with fresh parsley and finishing my Osso Buco with it.

Lemon Confit

5 cups Kosher Salt

5 tablespoons Sugar

6 Lemons- washed well and quartered

In a large bowl mix the salt and sugar. Toss the lemons with half the mixture. Pour a little of the mixture into a clean one quart glass jar. Place the lemons in the jar a few at a time covering with the remaining salt mixture as you go. Seal jar and refrigerate the lemons for at least two weeks. When you are ready to use, take out as many as you need and place the rest back in the frig; they will keep in this salt mixture for months. Remove the flesh from the rind. Discard the flesh keeping the rind only. Rinse and pat dry. You now have Lemon Confit. You will be surprised how much the curing changes the character of the lemon. Once you taste it I am sure you will be able to use your imagination (or Google) to come up with any number of creative uses for it.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or ask question and do let me know how yours turned out!

Lox for Breakfast Anyone?

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

If you want home made lox with your bagels and cream cheese on New Year's morning it only takes ten minutes...but you better start today!

Making Lox (or Gravlax or Cured Salmon) is a piece of cake. The initial preparation time takes only a few minutes, but the curing part takes days. I know many people are a bit hinkey about eating “raw” fish, but if this is the way our ancestors preserved fish so that they could keep it for weeks, without refrigeration, we can probably survive it too, especially considering that ours stays refrigerated. The way curing works is the salt draws moisture out of the meat and moisture is needed for bacteria growth. It's excess bacteria that makes meat “bad”. I have attached a Wiki link below if you want to learn more, but suffice it to say the New Year's Eve party the night before is a lot more dangerous than Lox for breakfast on New Year's Day.

Wikipedia Link on Food Preservation

The recipe I am giving you is my favorite flavor combo for cured salmon. You can switch up the seasonings in this recipe for different flavors, but the one part you can not switch up is the salt and sugar; that's what does the curing. Try replacing the bay leaves and nutmeg with dill and lemon zest, or anise and crushed red pepper flakes for completely different flavors. Some people prefer to leave the skin on the salmon while curing, but I don't, as the brine (brine is the term used for the salt mixture) does not work it's way through the skin, and you are only curing the fish from one side so it take longer.

Ingredients

1 cup Kosher or Coarse Salt

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 large Yellow Onion – quartered

1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

A handful of Bay Leaves

2 pound filet of Salmon – skin off

First, find two pans that fit inside one another (like two 9 x 13 pans) and something heavy (like a brick, or a couple of heavy cans of something you have in the cupboard, or the fruitcake you got for Christmas).

Place all the ingredients, except the Salmon, in a food processor. Pulse on and off just a few times, until the mixture is blended, but don't liquify the onion. Line the bottom of the first pan with plastic wrap. Put a thin layer of the mixture over the plastic in the bottom of the pan. Place the salmon filet on top, then pack the rest of mixture around the filet. Loosely place another piece of plastic on top, then place the second pan on top. Put whatever you are using for a weight inside of the top pan and refrigerate. Turn the salmon over once a day, repacking the brine around the fish. The moisture will start to be drawn out of the salmon and the brine will turn liquidy. Don't worry about it; this is what is supposed to be happening. After two or three days you have lox! Just rinse all the brine off under cold water and pat dry. Now you can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. The lox will keep for two weeks or more in the frig. Slice (as thinly as possible) as much of the filet as you will use at a sitting and wrap the rest tightly and put it back in the frig for later use.

As always, please leave questions or comments and let me know how your Lox turned out.

Empanadas

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here! I had a beautiful roast leg of lamb for Christmas dinner last night. For all of you that did the same and are wondering what to do with all those left overs, here's one of my favorite thing to do with lamb.

Empanadas

Pastry Dough

1 2/3 cup All Purpose Flour

A pinch of salt

4 ounces Butter

1/3 cup milk

Cut together flour, salt and butter. Add milk slowly working dough as little as possible. Wrap in plastic and let rest in refrigerator while you make filling (or as long as overnight).

Filling

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 pound Lamb, Beef or Pork chopped into very small cubes (or ground) I like it best with lamb.

1 large Onion, chopped small

1 red (sweet) Bell Pepper, chopped small

2 Jalapeno Peppers (seeds removed) chopped very small

Heat olive oil then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook in pan until well browned. Let cool.

Add to the meat mixture…

1 medium boiled Potato, first cook and cool, then chop

2 hard boiled Eggs, chopped

10 Green Olives, chopped

2 tablespoons Raisins, chopped

1 tablespoon Paprika

1 tablespoon chopped Parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

If you like you can add 4 ounces of Shredded Cheese but it is not necessary. You want something just a little strong, but not too strong, with a nutty flavor).

On a board with flour roll out the pastry dough into rounds handling the dough as little as possible. Put filling on half the round and fold dough over top to make a crescent. Pinch edges.

Beat together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk. Brush tops of pastries.

Place on well oiled paper and cook in 350 degree oven until brown.

Pumpkin Cookies

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!  This is a recipe my Nana (that's Sicilian for Grandmother) used to make. I don't know where she got the recipe from, but I have been eating these cookies since I can remember.  These are a very cakey cookie (say cakey cookie ten times fast!) and I have used this recipe, without altering it, as a coffee cake or in a loaf pan.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups Sugar

2 cups Butter

2 cups Pureed Pumpkin

2 Eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

4 cups Flour

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

3 teaspoons ground Cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Allspice

1 cup chopped Walnuts

1 cup Raisins

Glaze

2 cups Powdered Sugar

3 tablespoons Milk

1 tablespoon melted Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Mix all of the ingredients together. If necessary add a few extra drops of milk to make the glaze a good consistency to drizzle.

In a very large bowl cream Sugar and Butter. Add Pumpkin, Eggs and Vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredient (except nuts and raisins). Beat Flour mixture into wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing well. Add Raisins and Nuts. Drop from tablespoon onto well oiled or nonstick cookie sheet, placing 2 inches apart. Bake in 350 oven until light brown (about 15 minutes).

Cool, remove from cookie sheet, and glaze.

My Favorite Christmas Poem

‘Twas the Night Before Solstice

By James Finn Garner

‘Twas the night before solstice and all through the co-op

Not a creature was messing the calm status quo up.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

Dreaming of lentils and warm whole-grain breads.

We’d welcomed the winter that day after school

By dancing and drumming and burning the Yule

A more meaningful gesture to honor the planet

Than buying more trinkets for Mom or Aunt Janet,

Or choosing a tree just to murder and stump it,

And dress it all up like a seasonal strumpet.

My lifemate and I, having turned down the heat,

Slipped under the covers for a well-deserved sleep,

When from out on the lawn there came such a roar

I fell from my futon and rolled to the floor.

I crawled to the window and pulled back the latch,

And muttered, “Aw, where is that Neighborhood Watch?”

I saw there below though the murk of the night

A sleigh and eight reindeer of nonstandard height.

At the reigns of that sleigh sat a mean-hearted knave

Who treated each reindeer like his personal slave.

I’d seen him before in some ads for car loans,

Plus fast food and soft drinks and cellular phones.

He must have cashed in from his mercantile chores,

Since self-satisfaction just oozed from his pores.

He called each by name, as if he were right

To treat them like humans, entrenching his might.

“Now Donder, now Blitzen,” and other such aliases,

Showing his true Eurocentrical biases.

With a snap of his fingers, away they all flew,

Like lumberjacks served up a plate of tofu.

Up to the rooftop they carried the sleigh

(The holes in the shingles are there to this day).

Out bounded the man, who went straight to the flue.

I knew in an instant just what I should do.

After donning my slippers, downstairs did I dash

To see this trespasser emerge from the ash.

His clothes were all covered with soot, but of course,

From our wood-fueled alternative energy source.

Through the grime did I make of his duds

He was dressed all in fur, fairly dripping with blood.

“We’re a cruelty-free house!” I proclaimed with such heat

He was startled and tripped on the logs at his feet.

He stood back up dazed, but with mirth in his eyes.

It was then that I noticed his unhealthy size.

He was almost as wide as when standing erect,

A lover of fatty fried foods, I suspect.

But that wasn’t all to make sane persons choke.

In his teeth sat a pipe that was belching out smoke!

I could scarcely believe what invaded our house.

This carcinogenic and overweight louse

Was so red in the face from his energy spent,

I expected a heart attack right there and then.

Behind him he toted a red velvet bag

Full to exploding with sinister swag.

He asked, “Where is your tree?” with a face somewhat long.

I said, “Out in the yard, which is where it belongs.”

“But where will I put all the presents I’ve brought?”

I looked at him squarely and said, “Take the lot

“To some frivolous people who think that they need

To succumb to the sickness of commerce and greed.

“Whose only joy comes from the act of consuming,

Thus sending the stock of the retailers booming.”

He blinked and said, “Ho, ho, ho! But you’re kidding.”

I gave him a stare that was stern and forbidding.

“Surely children need something with which to have fun?

It’s like childhood’s over before it’s begun.”

He looked in my eyes for some sign of assent,

But I strengthened my will and refused to relent.

“They have plenty of fun,” I cut to the gist,

“And your mindless distractions have never been missed.

“They take CPR so that they can save lives,

And go door-to-door for the used clothing drives.

“They recycle, renew, reuse—and reveal

For saving the planet a laudable zeal.

“When they padlock themselves to a fence to protest

Against nuclear power, we think they’re the best.”

He said, “But they’re children—lo, when do they play?”

I countered, “Is that why you’ve driven your sleigh?

“To bring joy to the hearts of each child and tot?

All right, open your bag; let’s see what you’ve got.”

He sheepishly did as I’d asked and behold!

A Malibu Barbie in a skirt made of gold.

“You think that my girls will like playing with this,

An icon of sexist, consumerist kitsch?

“With its unnatural figure and airheaded grin,

This trollop makes every girl yearn to be thin.

“And take up fad diets and binging and purging

Instead of respecting her own body’s urging

“To welcome the shape that her body has found

And rejoice to be lanky, short, skinny, or round.”

Deep in his satchel he searched for a toy,

Saying, “This is a hit with most little boys.”

And what did he put in my trembling hand

But a gun from the BrainBlasters Power Command!

“It’s a ‘hit,’ to be sure,” I sneered in his face,

“And a plague to infect the whole human race!

“How ‘bout grenades or some working bazookas

To turn all of our kids into half-wit palookas?”

I seized on his bag just to see for myself

The filth being spread by this odious elf.

An Easy-Bake Oven—ah, goddess, what perfidy!

To hoodwink young girls into household captivity!

Plus an archery play set with shafts that fly out,

The very thing needed to put your eye out.

And toy metal tractors, steam shovels, and cranes

For tearing down woodlands and scarring the plains,

Plus “games” like Monopoly, Pay Day, Tycoon,

As if lessons in greed can’t start up too soon.

And even more weapons from BrainBlasters Co.,

Like cannons and nunchunks and ray guns that glow.

That’s all I could find in his red velvet sack—

Perverseness and mayhem to set us all back.

(But I did find one book that caused me to ponder—

Some fine bedtime tales by a fellow named Garner.)

“We need none of this,” I announced in a huff,

“No ‘business-as-usual’ holiday stuff.

“We sow in our offspring more virtue than this.

Your ‘toys’ offer some things they never will miss.”

The big man’s expression was a trifle bereaved

As he shouldered his pack and got ready to leave.

“I pity the kids who grow up around here,

Who’re never permitted to be of good cheer,

“Who aren’t allowed leisure for leisure’s own sake,

But must fret every minute—it makes my heart break!”

“Enough histrionics! Don’t pity our kids

If they don’t do as Macy’s or Toys ‘R’ Us bids.

“They live by their principles first and foremost

And know what’s important,” to him I did boast.

“Pray, could I meet them?” “Oh, no, they’re not here.

They’re up on the roof, liberating your deer!”

Then Santa Claus sputtered and pointed his finger

But, mad as he was, he had no time to linger.

He flew up the chimney like smoke from a fire,

And up on the roof I heard voices get higher.

I ran outside the co-op to see him react

To my children’s responsible, kind-hearted act.

He chased them away, and disheartened, dismayed,

He rehitched his reindeer (who’d docilely stayed.)

I watched with delight as he scooted off then.

He’d be too embarrassed to come back again.

But with parting disdain, do you know what he said

When this overweight huckster took off in his sled?

This reindeer enslaver, this exploiter of elves?

“Happy Christmas to all, but get over yourselves!”

Bechamel (White) Sauce

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

Knowing how to make a basic Bechamel can come in quite handy. You can add cheese to it to make cheese sauce, or cheese and vegetables to make a nice Pasta Alfredo, or mustard to make a nice mustard sauce, or you can use it for a sauce to make white pizza, or....the possibilities are endless.

Traditionally, while heating the milk, you would would put in a Mirepoix (a combination of celery, carrots and onion, tied in a piece of cheese cloth to make it easy to remove from the milk when you are done with it). I usually skip this step, opting instead to cook some finely diced onion in the butter before I add the flour to make the roux. I think in the end it makes a much more flavorful sauce, however if you are looking for a sauce with a very smooth consistency, this won't work and you'll need to use the Mirepoix. Another variation you can try is using Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of butter, or half butter and half oil. It will totally change the flavor, of course, but it will be a much more heart smart sauce.

Bechamel (White) Sauce

5 tablespoons Butter

4 tablespoons Flour

1 small Onion - finely diced (optional)

4 cups Milk

Salt – to taste

½ teaspoon finely ground Nutmeg

On a very low heat begin heating milk on a back burner while you are making the roux (the butter and flour which will become a paste which thickens your sauce. Stick with me kid, and you'll learn all the terms!). Do not allow the milk to come to a boil, turn the heat off as soon as you see steam rising off the surface.

In a heavy pan, on medium heat, melt the butter. Do not allow the butter to brown. If you are not using the onion, start stirring the flour into the butter with a wooden spoon as soon as the butter is melted. If you are going to use the onion, this is the time to cook it. Add the onion to the butter, stirring often with wooden spoon to prevent the onion from browning. When the onion is translucent start stirring in the flour a little at a time, mashing well with the wooden spoon to prevent lumping. This is the reason that you use a wooden spoon, while “mashing” the flour and butter you wouldn't want to have the metal spoon scraping on the metal pan. That could give you the willies, and willies must be avoided at all times when cooking.

As soon as you have all the flour mixed into the butter (congratulations by the way, you just made roux!) begin slowly adding the milk stirring constantly to avoid lumping. After you have added all the milk, keep stirring for a few minutes, and like magic your milk will thicken up into a beautiful sauce. At this point you can stir in the salt and nutmeg, and whatever else you are using, cheese, mustard, veggies, etc.

Don't let the French words and having to use two pans and a wooden spoon to make this sauce intimidate you; it's really easy!

As always, please share your comments and/or let me know how your sauce turned out.

Tamales

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

I love tamales! The number of different types of tamales there are is about the same as the number of people who make them. The most traditional fillings are pork or chicken and they are usually topped with either a red or a green sauce. During Christmas time it is traditional to add raisins and nuts to the meat filling for a kind of sweet/spicy filling. Vegetarians can use roasted eggplant or squash or other “meaty” vegetables as a base for their filling. Usually people start out by making a whole roast or chicken and shredding the meat to make a big batch; sharing tamales with your neighbors and friends is also a tradition during the holidays. This can turn into an all day affair; why not invite some friends and family and make it an event! The recipe I give below for the Tamale Dough is enough to make dozens of tamales, but you can also cut the recipe in half or even quarter it and use left overs to make the filling.

I am attaching links to Wikipedia which has a very interesting article about the history of tamales, to about.com which has a number of different fillings you can try, and lastly I have embedded a youtube video. The little girl who is narrating is adorable and the music in the background is great!

Let me hear from you with your tamale making traditions, stories or recipes.

Tamale Dough

6 cups Masa

5 cups water

1 ½ cup shortening

1 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 ½ tsp salt

Tamale Facts on Wikipedia        About.com Tamale Filling Link

Make Your Own Vinaigrette

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here.  The following is the correct proportions for a basic vinaigrette.  Once you find out how easy it is you may never buy a bottle of dressing again!

½ cup Vinegar

1 ½ cup Oil

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

Blend in a bowl with a wire whisk or submersion blender.  Voilá!  You have vinaigrette.    

Now that you know the basic recipe you can mix and match different types of vinegar and oil, add herbs or spices; have fun, be creative!  Try adding a dab of mustard too, it’s a natural emulsifier; that means it helps the oil molecules bond to the vinegar molecules, and your dressing won’t separate as fast.

Variations on a theme…

Key Lime Walnut Vinaigrette

¼ cup Fresh Key Lime Juice

¼ cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar

1 ½ cups Walnut Oil

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

Balsamic Vinaigrette

½ cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. Whole Grain Mustard

1 tsp. Chopped Garlic

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

Roasted Garlic, Parmesan, Basil Vinaigrette

Chop together 2 tablespoons each Roasted Garlic, Fresh Basil and Parmesan Cheese.  Place in mixing bowl.  Add…

½  Apple Cider Vinegar

1 ½ Cups Pumpkin Seed Oil

¼ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

Interview with Prabhjot Bedi, Editor of Hospitality Career E-Mag

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

Below is a link to an interview I did back in the summer with Prabhjot Bedi, editor of Hospitality Career E-Mag, before I accepted the position of Executive Chef at Ambrosia Hospitality in Delhi.  I thought you might like to read the interview and I also want to introduce you to the site which has a lot of interesting information and resources.

Interview with Prabhjot Bedi, Editor of Hospitality Career E-Mag