Recipe: Smoked Chicken Nachos

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One of the favorite appetizers at Stephen Pyles’ restaurants.

SMOKED CHICKEN NACHOS

3 lb chicken, smoked (see recipe for Stephen Pyles’ Smoked Chicken)
Vegetable or canola oil (for deep frying)
16 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
Salt to taste
1 ½ C avocados, diced
1 C cooked black beans
4 C shredded Mexican-style cheese
3 C Pico de Gallo
Sour cream (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350o. Heat enough oil in a large skillet to come ½ inch up the sides. Fry tortilla quarters until crisp. Drain thoroughly and salt to taste. Remove meat from smoked chicken and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Combine avocados, beans, and chicken pieces, mixing thoroughly. Spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet, cover with chicken mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese has fully melted. To serve, spoon Pico de Gallo over nachos and garnish with sour cream.

Recipe: Stephen Pyles’ Smoked Chicken

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Used in the Smoked Chicken Nachos recipe, but excellent for many other dishes and occasions

STEPHEN PYLES’ SMOKED CHICKEN

3 lb chicken (about)
1 gallon water
1 C kosher salt
½ C dark brown sugar, packed firm
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 tsp dried, crumbled
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large stock pot and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before soaking chicken. Soak chicken overnight in refrigerator in brine to cover. Next day, prepare smoker (using hickory or pecan chunks) and smoke chicken for 3 hours or until breast meat is firm but springs back when squeezed.

The Weekend Walk | To the Watershed

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A watershed is an interesting– what’s the technical word?– thing. This one runs through the (unmaintained) pine plantation. Pines do not like wet feet, but the oaks and gums and sycamores are fine with it, so the arial view clearly shows the swath of the watershed with the deciduous trees running down to the lake, and the pines on the two sides of higher ground.

Didn’t go all the way to the lake because I’d driven up to the Summit and was not going to walk back up there. Instead, when I’d seen what I wanted to see we cut through the pines.

To orient, first photo– with the little mound at the end off a clearing– is from the bottom of the North Road looking into the woods where the watershed runs. Next is looking back at the North Road. The several at various distances looking at how the water flows (when it does). And then through the woods and back to the road where the truck awaits.

No time!

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What a day!

Yes. I know that the apple tree isn’t shaped the way it supposed to be. And if you think that’s bad, you should see the grapes! I miss The J-Man.

I did something today that I haven’t done in ages. I worked in the garden (irises and gladiolas) without a phone, without a fitbit, and without a watch. No way at all to keep track of the time except the sun– not that I can really do this.

In other news, Mr. Big Food is smoking a chicken. Mesquite. You should be on my patio.

Break’s over.

Recipe: Antoine’s Hollandaise Sauce

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Blast from the past this morning, folks. Ah, the good old days when we made fun of kids who had a saucephobia.

By the way– you can follow me on Gab where we have a delightful group devoted to old books (and we stay on topic).

Recipe: ANTOINE’S HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Published on March 19, 2019 by Marica 

No Dinner at Antoine’s for her!

ANTOINE’S HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Makes 4 portions Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS  

  • 1 C clarified butter
  • 2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp onion minced
  • 3 pepeprcorns
  • 4 egg yolks
  • Juice of ¼ lemon

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Place vinegar, water, onion, and peppercorns in a saucepan, and cook over very low heat to reduce liquid to one teaspoon. Remove pepeprcorns and cool. Add egg yolks, beating sljghtly. Gradually add clarified butter, beating constantly. Add lemon juice and serve immediately.

TO CLARIFY BUTTER

  • “Slowly melt butter, and let stand until clear part can be skimmed off easily.”

NOTES

“Antoine’s … Oldest restaurant in the United States, this world famous mecca for the epicure was established in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore … In the heart of New Orleans’ famous and ancient French section, it now is owned by Roy Alciatore, grandson of the founder. It has entertained kings, presidents, the great, and the near great.” —Louisiana’s Fabulous Foods and How to Cook Them (date unknown).

The Weekend Walk

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Yesterday Missy, Rocky, and I decided to stroll over to a new cut-in on the far side of the lake. Along the way we passed Molly the neighbor horse. She was curious, and so were the dogs, but none were so curious so as to create a situation. We turned left at the corner of Molly’s pasture and started down the new cut-in. It’s been bush hogged, and Mr. Big Food has cut a nice wide path.

The view of the levy was nice. We walked across it to get where we are. The most interesting area, though, is the bottom of the watershed. It’s become a real wetland, thanks to those industrious beavers. It doesn’t really come out in the photo but there’s a lot going on from an ecological perspective.

The photo that doesn’t look like much of anything at all is of a beaver lodge. The entrance is the dark hole about a third of the way from the left side. I cannot figure out if this lodge is still inhabited or not. I could get back in there (from the peninsula side) and set up the trail cam. “Could” being the operative word.

On the way back Missy discovered that Molly’s fence is missing its bottom strand of wire on two sections in the corner. So guess what happened next! After some useless commands to COME! I walked along one side and they followed on the other until we got to a decision point. Missy made the decision to crawl under the fence and join me on my side. Rocky was less decisive.

Poor Missy. She did everything she could to show and coax Rocky how to crawl. She whined and whined, sort of postured, and even attempted to go back under– which I forbid.

In the end, we walked all the way back down and Missy showed Rocky were he could breech the fence. So that was a lot of steps.

Rain today so I’m glad we went yesterday.

It’s the Book Thread!! And it’s a good one!

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Begun in 1978 by the inimitable Anita Raskin who passed away in 2002, the expanded Book Lady Bookstore is Savannah’s only full service independent bookstore offering a broad range of new, gently used, rare, and out-of-print books. Joni Saxon-Giusti, who worked at The Book Lady with Mrs. Raskin for many years, purchased and revamped the business in 2002, and has overseen the exponential growth and relocation of the shop.

Ace of Spades Headquarters Sunday Morning Book Thread

I have been in this bookstore.

Here is the Rare Books page from the store’s site.

More to come from the Book Thread.

Recipe: Corn Bread Broccoli Pie

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CORN BREAD BROCCOLI PIE

Serves 6

1 package (8 ½ oz) corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
12 oz luncheon meat, cut into ½ inch cubes (preferably homemade—see recipes in Meats section—but can use Spam in a pinch)
10 oz broccoli spears, cooked and drained (can use frozen)
1 ½ C shredded yellow cheese

Preheat oven to 400o. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions, stirring in luncheon meat, and spread out in a lightly greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake 12-20 minutes or until corn bread is almost done. Arrange broccoli spears on top of corn bread, sprinkle with cheese, return to oven, and continue baking 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted and corn bread is completely baked.