Shtokhome

Ok, its really called a Stolkhom, but I like saying SHTOKHOME.  Great cocktail for the winter months and especially for holiday parties because you can make a large batch and have people self serve. Got this from a The Art of the Bar cocktail book.

Vodka
Lemon juice
Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar is dissolved, then allowed to chill) Love lemons as much as I do? Try adding the rind of a lemon to the syrup just after the sugar's melted and allow to steep for 20-30 minutes before straining.
Procsecco or Champagne

1 Drink
1.5 OZ Vodka
.75 OZ Lemon juice
.5 OZ simple syrup
combine above ingredients and pour over a glass filled with ice.  top with a splash or 2 of prosecco.



Skol!

Kale Kale Bo Bale

Have a ton of kale on hand from your CSA or local farmers market?  Try this soup.

Large onion chopped
3-4 celery stalks chopped
3-4 carrots cleaned halved
3 garlic cloves smashed
bay leaf and a tbsp of mixed dried herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, whatever

Part 1

• Fill a pot with the above ingredients
• Cover veggies with water plus 2 inches
• Bring to boil and simmer partially covered for 1 hour

Large bunch of kale - stems discarded, leaves diced and chopped and diced some more.
3 cups of chopped mushrooms (portabello, button, cremini, whichever you like most)
2 garlic cloves smashed and diced
1 cup of barley cooked according to package instructions (OR add barley and 2.5x amount of water to pot, boil, cover, reduce to low, cook 20-30 min)

Part 2

• In a large soup pot, warm a tbsp of olive oil and sautee mushrooms until nicely browned and very soft.  
• Throw in kale a handful at a time, mixing and adding additional handfuls once the previous handful of kale is wilted and soft. 
• When all kale has been added and wilted, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  
• Add a good pinch of salt.  
• Strain the veggie stock from Part 1 into the kale and mushrooms.  
• Discard the onion and celery,  save the carrots, slice them up and add to the kale and mushrooms.  
• Bring to boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes until the kale is very soft.  
• Add the barley and mix to warm. 

NOTE  : If you prefer the soup to be thick and stewlike, boil uncovered until you achieve desired thickness .  If you prefer brothier soup, add water until desired brothiness is achieved.

Serve it with toasted bread, top with a sprinkle of parm cheese.  enjoy!

More Brisket

4-5lbs brisket - trimmed of external fat

3 large carrots - diced

3 celery stalks - diced

Medium onion - diced

Large Potato diced

3 cloves garlic crushed

Bay leaf

Fresh rosemary sprig

Chicken broth/stock - 2-3 cups

Large can crushed tomatoes (2-3 cups worth)

Preheat oven to 300F

On stove top, over high heat, warm dutch oven or other oven safe pan with lid, with a couple tbsp olive oil.  Salt brisket and sear on both sides - 4 min per side. Remove meat to large plate. Pour off most of fat from pan.

In same pan - saute onion, 2/3 of celery, 2/3 of carrot on med until soft. Add garlic. Saute 30 seconds. Add pinch salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, rosemary and bring to boil. Add pinch salt and pepper.Add meat back to pan.  Cover and put in oven for 3 hrs.

5-10 minutes before removing brisket from oven...

Saute in clean pot the remaining 1/3 of carrot  and celery and potato in tbsp olive oil. 

Remove brisket from oven.  Remove brisket to large plate and keep warm.  Strain the sauce into clean pot with your freshly sauteed veggies and boil 15 min.

Slice meat and pour sauce and veggies over and enjoy.

Oozer cakes

like rich, chocolaty, warm, awesomeness? try these. they are fairly easy to make and delicious.

4 oz semi sweet baking chocolate
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tbsp flour

preheat oven to 425 degrees

• melt butter and chocolate together in a bowl set over boiling water and wisk until smooth and remove from heat
• stir in vanilla and sugar
• stir in eggs and yolk
• stir in flour
• make sure its all well combined and nice and smooth

pour the batter into 4 6oz (5oz guys will do too) buttered ramekins and place on a baking sheet in oven for 13-15 minutes.
let cool 1 minute
loosen the edges with a knife and flip onto a plate

DIG IN!

Pork and Chorizo Tacos

My friend Ross says "I just wanna bathe in that shit". Yes, its that good.

2 lbs Boneless Pork shoulder/butt cubed into bite sized chunks

4 chorizo sausages

Thyme- dried, couple pinches

Onion-diced

Garlic-couple cloves minced

Tomatoes-28 oz can

Chipotle in a can-diced. depends how hot u like it. One is eh, two starts to get interesting.

Tortillas

Avocado-one mashed up

Cilantro-a good palm full diced

Red onion-half diced

Cheese - whatever you like shredded

In a dutch oven boil and then simmer for 45 min the pork and thyme and 2 tbsp salt in 4 cups water. Remove pork and shred. save a cup of the broth. Discard the rest.

Saute chorizo and remove from pot when browned.

Sautee onion and shredded pork.

Add chorizo.

Add garlic. Sautee a minute

Add tomatoes plus juice and add pork broth. Boil, reduce heat to low and cover for 45 min.

Uncover and reduce for 15 min.

Serve it up with warm tortillas and the rest.

Mmm. Hmm