Red Snapper Stew

From Sunset (Lane Publishing's) Cooking for Two or Just For You.

 This is one of the first recipes I ever cooked for myself that I would qualify as being a true gourmet dish. I have made this dish for over 45 years now. 

 

16 ozs red snapper, boned and skinned
1 bell pepper, green, seeded and cubed
1 whole onion, quartered and quartered
15 oz. can tomatoes, whole or diced
12 ozs. tomato juice
¼ cup wine, white, dry
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano leaves
3 tbs olive oil

Instructions
Batterie de Cuisine: 3-4 quart pot, knife, garlic grater, small bowls for holding ingredients.
Prepare the fish by drying it with paper towels. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Put in a bowl and reserve. Cut the bell pepper along the stem side, remove the top (lid) and pull out the seeds from inside the bell pepper. If desired, using a vegetable peeler, skin the pepper. Cut the stem away from the meat and cut the remaining into dice. Cut the pepper into sections, then into 3/4 inch cubes. Skin the onion and remove the stem and root end, slicing 1/8 inch from each end. Cut the onion in half, from top to bottom. Lay the sides flat, cut in half again, turn around and cut again, making the onion sliced into eights.
Reserved the pepper and onion in a bowl. Peel and grate the garlic and put in a condiment or small cup. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the garlic. It is important that the garlic go first, or it will flow out in the next step, which is not wanted.
 

Heat the pot over medium low heat. When hot, pour the olive oil from the condiment cup, leaving behind the garlic for the moment. Raise the heat to medium high, add the onion and pepper cubes (pieces). Stir to coat the cubes with the oil. When they are coated, using a spatula or your finger, add the garlic and any remaining oil. Stir to mix the garlic into the vegetables. Sauce the vegetables for up to 8 minutes over medium high heat. The onions are to soften. You can cover the pot for a minute at a time to get some stem to help with the softening.

Next add the tomatoes (if whole) and break them up with a spoon. If using diced tomatoes, add them. Next add all the remaining ingredients, except the snapper. Over medium-high heat, bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the fish. Cover and simmer 8 minutes longer until the fish is flaky and can be prodded with a fork.
 

Serve with crusty French bread (a baguette) and a lettuce salad. 

While any leftover can be eaten the next day, it never tastes quite as good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wick Fowler's Famous Texas Style 2 Alarm Chili Kit

For two decades I've made Wick Fowler's Famous 2 Alarm Chili. I'm not sticking to that spelling: chili. By all rights it should be: chile. Due to differences in whether chile is or is not made with beans, I will not be going into details of my finished product. Or why I spell as I do.

I'm here to talk about those ingredients. As I said for 2 decades . . . and then the maker, Reilly Foods removed the salt from the package. And idiot that I was (or am), made a batch of chile and forgot the salt. I know that everyone has rising costs. As I type this in July of 2022, gasoline is over $6 a gallon, up from less a gallon only a short time ago. So I forgive Reilly Foods for removing the salt packet. But I'm unhappy that they did this and I would have paid more for the original recipe box. (I'm also the guy who wants to hear the sounds of the baseball game, but not the sportscasters.)

Some while ago, I got out my small electronic scale that can resolve to .1 grams. I weighed each of the Fowler spices packets in their bags, as the weight of those bags isn't much. And I did weigh the empty packets and it is an insignificant amount by comparison with the ingredient inside it.

I went to my nearest Hispanic market. They carry a large wall of spices. There I purchased, all Chulada brand of spices.

Ingredient List

96 grams Chile Pasilla Molido -- This is finely powdered chile pasilla (dark brown)

9 grams onion powder

9 grams garlic powder

6 grams cumin powder

7 grams oregano (I have flakes or dried leaves)

10 grams salt

7 grams paprika

6 grams Chile Arbol (labeled Red Pepper on the packet)

The above list is a your-mileage-may-vary scenario. Please don't leave snarky comments about how this doesn't taste like 2 Alarm. I would agree it does not. But it gets pretty close and the above list is what I used. As the recipe requires 96 grams of pasilla, you will have leftover spice mixture. My first attempt at this is in July of 2022, so it's a work in progress. 

Before I go any further, you will not be saving money making your own "kit". Fowler's is about $3.50 per box and I bought all fresh spices and that came to pennies under $7. But if you have read this far, perhaps you are foodie enough to try it yourself.

I did not weigh the packet of masa corn meal. I don't generally use it. I apologize. By law, ingredients listed on packages of food sold in the USA, must be by weight. From the 2 Alarm box:

Chile pepper

Corn Masa Flour (my guess is 2 ozs.)

Salt

Onion

Cumin,

Paprika

Red Pepper

Oregano

Garlic

If you read my list of ingredients and compare with the list above, it is inconsistent. I can only suggest you play around with the quantities. Who doesn't love making chile anyway?

The cumin and oregano are both in one packet in Fowler's. I guesstimate that it is equal parts of each. I can say that I like the flavor of this mixture I made. It's spicy enough to my taste. However, I used no Red Pepper (I believe this is Cayenne pepper or chile, as it is the most abundant commercially and therefore the least expensive to use.)

I weighed all the ingredients into a 2 cup jar; tightened the lid and gave it all a good shake. It stood on the kitchen counter for a few hours before being used. The aromas melded nicely together.

My one serious problem with Fowler's is that their packaging line has started to make improperly sealed packets. I see some onion flakes on the cardboard box I've retained. One box the onion/garlic packet was almost empty and the contents in the cardboard box itself. 

Lastly, next batch I'm going to use a mild New Mexico red powder or a California powder. It's got to have some chile taste, so I won't use paprika.

I made the standard Fowler's recipe. 2 lbs. of ground beef, 8 oz can of tomato sauce, 2 cups of water. The beef was browned and drained of excess fat. I added the tomato sauce and water and then the spices. Covered the skillet simmered for 30 minutes. The batch threw a good amount of liquid, which colored beautifully.

It's important to understand that the ingredients that Reilly Foods buys to make the 2 Alarm Chili is based on science and I cannot buy, at a market, the same ingredients with the same specific gravity or weigh by volume. My recipe is an approximation. Their onion flakes or garlic powder have food properties I cannot replicate (as much as I wish I could). The onion powder I have is not going to be the literally same thing as Fowler's. But I believe I have a good start and am narrowing the focus until that day of heavenly chile perfection arriving.

If you ever read: A Bowl of Red by Francis X. Tolbert, you will learn that in Texas, the spices are toasted to bring out their individual flavors. Whether Reilly Foods does that I cannot determine. I tried toasting cumin seeds for a batch of chile one time. I think I cooked the flavor out. And oregano leaves are almost impossible to toast without burning them.

Serious comments appreciated.

January 20, 2023. The price of Fowler's mix has gone up a bit. I tried another idea. I used All California Chiles with the seeds. It took two (or more) minutes in the blender getting the pods into powder. I should have removed the seeds. The first eating the dish was sort-of gritty. Not good. The next day, the grit was entirely gone. I think it is the seeds not being ground well enough. The all California chiles proved to be too mild, too. Next batch, I'm going to mix half California and half Pasilla. The flavor was good on the 2nd and succeeding days. Man! oh Man! I do love a bowl of red.

Chinese Chicken Curry

I like the Zesty brand curry powder. I see it at a number of Thai supermarkets (or markets). It comes in a large jar, but lasts well. I keep a bag of frozen peas on hand for this dish. Oddly, the peas are the sine qua non for this recipe.

Chinese Chicken Curry

1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken (either thigh or breast)
1 can coconut milk (19 fl ozs.)

2 cups chicken stock
2 tsp curry powder
2 potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 onion
1 carrot
2 tbs ginger
2 tbs garlic
1 cup peas, green, frozen
4 tbs peanut oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 limes
1 bunch cilantro
2 cups rice (cooked separately)

Cook the rice and reserve.

Cut the chicken into morsel soup size bites. Season the chicken morsels with salt, pepper and curry powder. Reserve.

Heat 2 cups of water and add the chicken bouillon or use 2 cups of chicken stock. Set aside and stir several times to mix well. Stir before pouring into the can and the pot, too.

Slice the onion 1/8" inch thick. Separate the rings and reserve. Cube the potatoes in 1/2" size. Reserve.

Peel and slice the carrot into 1/8" thick slices. Reserve. Cut the stems of the cilantro in bite size lengths and reserve. Halve a lime, and reserve.

Heat a 4 quart stock pot. Add 2 tbs of peanut oil. Rasp the ginger and garlic and saute them until they lose their raw aroma, 30 seconds to 60 seconds.

Add the chicken and brown over medium heat. Remove all to a bowl, cover and reserve.

Add 2 tbs of oil to the pot. Brown the onions, add the potatoes, continue to heat until the potatoes are warm (about 5 minutes). Add the carrots. Stir all to incorporate.

Return the chicken to the pot, add the coconut cream. Rinse that can with the chicken stock to obtain as much as possible of the thickened cream on the bottom of the can. Add the remaining chicken stock. Add the cilantro stems. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the lid, correct seasonings, add the peas. Remove from the heat, cover and rest 5 minutes. Serve over rice with a slice or two of lime. Set the table with soy sauce and fish sauce.

Cook's Note: The Zesty brand is expensive at Amazon. More than twice what I pay for it at an Asian market. If you have a curry powder you like, use it. 

Lo Ma Gai or Chicken in Sticky Rice

 Lo Ma Gai

Below starts the Theory of this Dim Sum. 

Preface:

Although I see lo ma gai as chicken in sticky rice, a more traditional recipe would use pork shoulder cubes. Chicken has replaced the pork and the dish seems to have developed it's name that way. I've included a traditional recipe.

I can eat one or two of these and that's lunch, folks. Even for dinner that's sufficient.

The Lotus Leaves used for this recipe measure about 16 x 18 inches. Two buns per leaf is the maximum that these huge leaves yield. How any restaurant can make a profit on selling lo ma gai is a mystery to me. Also, the amount of work needed would make the cost prohibitive in a home kitchen. Only the love of food makes this effort worthwhile.

End of Preface

Ingredient List

6 lotus leaves, cut in half, soaked in water overnight, cut in half
3 cups glutinous rice, uncooked
5 Chinese dried Shitake mushrooms, whole
6 ozs boneless skinless chicken breast (sort-of optional)
6 ozs. pork shoulder, cubed
2 Lap Cheong
5 tablespoons dried shrimp, (optional)
3 duck eggs, hard boiled, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons peanut oil, for stir-frying
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
 

Directions

Cut the lotus leaves in half. The soaked and softened lotus leaves are rolled up and at the stem end 1 to 2 inches are cut away. The length depends on the stiffness of the ribs. Do this by feel. Soften the leaves in boiling water 15 minutes prior to use. Use tongs to protect the hands.

Cook the rice. When done, spread it on a baking sheet or clean surface to come to room temperature. It is easier to work warm rice.

Soak the Shitake mushrooms for 30 minutes. Squeeze between the fingers the excess water, back to the bowl. Cut away the tough stem. Cut them into the same size as the chicken and sausage cubes.

Soak the optional shrimp in the mushroom water, 20 minutes. Remove any shells you feel.

Prepare the pork and chicken, by cutting it into 3⁄8 inch cubes. Do the same to the sausage and mushrooms. The mushroom cubes can be slightly larger, as they compress when squeezed. Cut the optional eggs in 3/8 inch cubes. Reserve all these ingredients in separate bowls.

In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil over medium heat. When hot, chow the shrimp until the initial water evaporates, one to two minutes. Next add the cubed pork and chicken. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Chow another minute and add the cubed mushrooms. After the mushrooms are warmed up, drizzle one teaspoon of sesame oil over the wok. Stir to incorporate. Next add the cubed sausage. Pour over one teaspoon of dark soy sauce.

Mix the cornstarch and water. When a slurry, add to the wok. Chow to coat the ingredients, and remove the heat, and put the ingredients in a bowl to allow to cool.

On a clean surface, put the softened leaf and spread a rice bowl of cooked rice onto the leaf. Next put two to three tablespoons of pork-mushroom-mix onto the rice. Put the chopped duck eggs on top of this.

Wrap the lo ma gai like a burrito, using the lotus leaf. Put the wrapped leaves into a bowl, setup the wok for steaming and steam the stuffed leaves 15 minutes. The lotus fragrance should waft through the kitchen. They will stay hot about 20 minutes after steaming. The restaurant I buy these from, keeps them in a cafeteria style steam table, dry, all day. But they are professional wrappers, and I but a poor amateur. You are cautioned about keeping them.

Serve 1-2 per person.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing - Hidden Valley Style

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing from Scratch

Some while ago, I put on this 'blog, a copy of Campbell's Book. That 1929 edition gives several recipes needed to make homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. I like the commercial version, but I think my homemade version is better flavored. This is not a recipe for beginning cooks. You must make your own spiced vinegar, then your own mayonnaise and buttermilk, too. It take some time. And you should not be concerned or afraid of raw eggs, either. If these ideas are serious to you, stop reading here and now.

First, I had to make buttermilk, as the only buttermilk for sale here in Los Angeles at the markets I shop at is fat free. That's a no NO! From the Farmer's Market, I purchased a pint of raw (unpasteurized) whole milk.  I removed about 1 fluid ounce of it from it's container and added about 4 tbs. of storebought unflavored yogurt. That sat on the counter at room temperate for 48 hours. I say that I have some concerns about that. I thought the whole milk could go bad, but it didn't. The end result is a buttermilk (such used to be called, in old recipe books, sour milk), a flavor that is creamy, and tangy. But there are not solids in it, such as come in storebought buttermilks.

 After the buttermilk was made, I move on to the spiced vinegar recipe. As I cannot buy garlic oleoresin, I decided to make garlic flavored vinegar. 

Garlic Vinegar for Homemade Mayonnaise

As this quantity would make a lot of mayo, I give quantities for about 4 cups of finished dressing.

15 grams of peeled, crushed and diced garlic

1 scant cup of vinegar. (I used malt vinegar. Campbell's says: cider or malt)

Put the garlic and vinegar in a pot, heat to a boil, uncovered. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer, cover and continue simmering 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Strain liquid of solids. Package and label.

Now that the garlic flavor is added to the vinegar, the spices can be added next. This recipe, adjusted for the above amount of garlic flavored vinegar is from Campbell's book (1929 edition). I believe that this recipe was not new or made up by the author. But as to how old it is, I cannot guess.

2.30 grams Ground coriander
2.30 grams Ground clove
2.30 grams Ground mustard
1.53 grams Ground ginger
1.15 grams Ground cayenne
0.38 grams Ground cardamon
0.38 grams Ground mace
0.53 grams garlic, chopped
0.16 grams Ground caraway
0.07 grams Ground bay leaves
127.82 milliliters vinegar, white 10%
108.69 milliliters water

I did not go to the Korean market and but 25% vinegar to adjust the above to 10% strength from 5%. I made a ration and proportion of the vinegar and water to make less water and more vinegar. The outcome is it tastes good to me. YMMV.

I did not have ground caraway. I ground it myself and sifted out the coarse remains and ground more until I had a powder. As I had previously made a garlic flavored vinegar, that is omitted from my recipe, but given here for clarity.

The spices and vinegar sit for 7 days at room temperature, being agitated daily. At the end of that time, the spiced vinegar is filtered through a paper coffee filter. It took the better part of a day to obtain the filtered liquid.

Making the Homemade Mayonnaise

This gives a delicious mayo, unobtainable from the markets. I used canola oil, as I'm cheap, but any neutral flavored oil is sufficient.

Below are the percentages by weight. You can scale up as you like, based on these.

Oil                             82.00%
Spices                         9.24%
Eggs                           6.85 %
Vinegar                      6.66%
Water                         1.87%
Salt                            0.98%
Mustard                     0.76 %
Sugar                         0.64%

I cannot get the decimal points to align. If anyone reading this knows how to make blogger.com align columns, drop a comment below.

I decided to make about a quart of mayo because I was down to near the bottom of my current jar.

 The following are what weights I used in this specific recipes.

907± grams total weight, so weight below yield a typical quart±.

    Liquids
725.00± grams of oil
62.140± grams of egg yolk
60.420± grams of vinegar
16.960± grams of water
    Dry
83.83± grams of spices
6.890± grams of salt
6.790± grams of mustard powder
5.700± grams of sugar

I have a scale capable of resolving tenths of a gram, and I have given accurate measures.

I used a stick blender to emulsify the oil. I had to use 3 eggs for their yolks to 62 grams. As the rule-of-thumb is 1 egg yolk (or whole egg, if you prefer) will emulsify 1 cup of oil, I used more egg, as I like it that way. The eggs were brought to room temperature before being used for the mayo.

This mayo came out thinner than storebought. But it spreads evenly and isn't soggy.

I have in my herb garden, fresh dill and chives, so that's what I used. And more precisely, I had only fresh, yellow dill seeds so that is the source of my dill for this recipe. 

Guarded by Gnomes

To the buttermilk, add the mayo. Then the dill and chives. Stand overnight and then refrigerate. As I made mine but a few days ago, I cannot give a sense of how long it will stay fresh.

All I had growing

Lastly, as I like salad dressing to taste tangier than the commercial dressings, I added about 15 mL of lactic acid to the jar. That product is available in small quantites from the Woodland Hills Home Beer, Wine and Cheesemaking Shop.

Finished Buttermilk Dressing

Reproduction Chile Sauce with the Secret Ingredient

I've researched condiment recipes as much as I can. These types of recipes are closely guarded secrets. Think Coca-Cola. They don't want a copy of that getting out.

I've always wanted to make my own chile sauce. Pardon the other writer's misspelling, as it should not be chili.

Some while ago, I had found a cookbook author, one Gisine Lemcke, who ran a cooking school in Brooklyn NY in the late 19th early 20th century.

Below is her recipe. It's use of green tomatoes will impart that slight tang that chile sauce has, and that ketchup does not have. Heinz Chili Sauce sells at a premium to Heinz Ketchup. Now you know why.

Preserving and Pickling
By Gesine Lemcke
New York: Appleton, 1919

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Preserving_and_Pickling/08pDAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

Chili Sauce No 1

24 ripe tomatoes
15 green tomatoes
4 large onions
3 green peppers
4 tablespoonfuls of salt
2 tablespoonfuls sugar
1 quart of vinegar
1-2 tsp. cloves
1-2 tsp. allspice
1-2 tsp. ginger
1-2 tsp. cinnamon

Scald and free the ripe tomatoes from their skin and cut them in small pieces. Cut also the green tomatoes, the peeled onions and the green peppers, put all the ingredients in a kettle boil slowly 1 2 hours. 

Mrs. Lemcke, does not describe more than the above. Maybe this will cook to the correct consistency and not need a milling, but keep that in mind. Some bits are acceptable. I imagine Heinz removes the seeds from theirs as that would impart a bitter note.

If preserving with sodium benzoate, remember not more than .1%, that is .001 by weight. Add the benzoate after cooking, but before the pot reaches room temperature.

Yellow Chive Chinese Recipes

(for my competitive cooking friend)

Martin Yan, gave a recipe, around 1996 or 1997, that appeared only one time on his TV programs. It was called Taxi Driver Noodles. Supposedly sold to Hong Kong Taxi drivers, it has never been published in any of his cookbooks, and I've written his website several times and never received a response about it. So, here I give it from my memory. If it had something not in the original, or something taken away, I apologize.

Below are links to Specialty Produces info on the three types of chives needed for this recipe. Briefly, they are: yellow chives, garlic chives, and regular culinary chives. But the regular chives, when grown in the Chinese manner, are almost triangular in the stem and are sold with the heads. This is considered too bitter for Western tastes. I politely disagree with that assessment.

Yellow Chives  Garlic Chives and Chives

Taxi Driver Noodles

serves 3 to 4

1 lb. flank steak

16 oz. rice noodle wide, fresh (only)

3 ozs. yellow chives

3 ozs. garlic chives

3 ozs. chives

1 onion, brown

1-2 scallions

2 cups bean sprouts

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. black soy sauce

2 tsp xio xing wine

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp water for the cornstarch

3-4 cloves, garlic

1-2 inch piece of ginger

1 tbs. sesame oil

peanut oil for wokking

Plan ahead to separate the noodles. Place them in a large bowl with warm water. They need 5 minutes to separate. I chop them before putting them in the lukewarm water. Uncut, they are too long to eat. But if you like to cut with chopsticks, leave them long. They must be immersed in warm water to separate. Either way they need this time to not be clumped up. Clumped up, they make for poor texture. You can prepare the flank steak while waiting on the noodles. After the 5 minutes, drain in a colander in the sink. Shake to remove excess liquid.

If there is more fat than you like on the flank steak, remove it and the silver skin. Cut it into 3-4 mm (1/8") wide Chinese style bite size pieces. Marinate with the light soy, wine and cornstarch for 10 to 15 minutes. Then drain it. Slice the onions into Chinese take out restaurant style bites. Reserve. Slice the scallions for a relish. I toss the bean sprouts in, with their buds on whole, but it is more delicate and polite to remove them.

Heat the wok for 5 minutes on low to medium low. Make a garlic and ginger paste. (Garlic and Ginger Grater) 

When the wok is hot add the oil and garlic and ginger mixture. Chow for 30 seconds. Add the  beef and raise the heat to high. Brown the beef. Remove the beef to a warm bowl, covered. Add more oil and chow the onion until translucent and some of the edges, of some of the onions have browned. Return the beef. Chow all. Add the noodles. Chow to mix all well. Add the black soy and chow until the white of the rice noodles has turned a caramel color. Add the sesame oil. Dish the food, top with scallions and bean sprouts. Serve soy, hot sauce, sesame oil on the table for those who want more.

==============

By translating "yellow chives" into simplified Chinese and running a netsearch on those letters, I found some recipes and append them below. I have not made them. I do stand by my translations.

Title: Yellow Chives Scrambled Eggs
Yield: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: Chinese
Website: https://baike.baidu.com/item/韭黄

---
Ingredients
---
5 eggs, whole
150 grams yellow chives
1 tbs oil - see Cook's Note
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp MSG

---
Instructions
---

Preheat a wok or utensil and add 1 tbs of oil after 5 minutes of
heating.
While the wok is heating, break eggs into a measuring cup. Add the
salt and MSG and whisk to homogenize. Cut the chives into 3/4"
lengths.
Pour the eggs into the heated wok, add the chives. Allow to set for
1-2 minutes, turn once and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Turn out onto a warm plate.


---
Notes
---

Cook's Note: the quantity of 1 tsp of salt is quite a lot in the ratio of other ingredients by weight.
Try 1/2 tsp. of salt to start. This recipe used Chinese "cooked oil". When deep frying, strain the oil, and reserve. Cooked oil is used as a condiment in some Chinese dishes. The oil develops a flavor that cannot be beat in some dishes. 

============

Title: Stir-fried Pork with Chives
Yield: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Website: https://baike.baidu.com/item/韭黄

---
Ingredients
---
200 grams yellow chives
100 grams pork - See Cook's Note
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1 green chile - See Cook's Note
1 tbs water
1 egg - for it's white
1 tbs xio xing wine - in equal halves, that is 7.5 mL of wine by halves of 15Ml (1/2 oz.) total
2 tsp. chicken stock powder
5 tbs oil, peanut
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch (optional)

---
Instructions
---

If you wash the chives, dry them a day before use. They wok best when dry. If the pork meat is moist, take a paper towel an dry it somewhat.

Shred the pork into slices approximately 2 to 3 mm (1/8") by 1 to 1.5"
inches long.

Marinade: break the egg white, add the salt and with a fork and whisk to a softer than soft peak. Add the wine. Mix the pork into this and rest 15 minutes to marinate. While marinating, cut the chives into 3/4 to 1 inch lengths. Reserve.

 Wearing gloves, split the chile, destem and remove the veins and seeds. Slice the chile into the thinnest slivers you can.

The Chinese recipe as given here: if there are flower heads or buds on the chives, cut them off and reserve. 

Preheat the wok and add 2 tbs of oil. Using a microplane, mush the garlic and reserve for immediate use. Wok the pork, adding the 1 tbs. of water and stir until the pork shreds turn white. Remove to a warm bowl and cover.
Add 3 tbs of oil and when hot, add the garlic and chile. After 30 seconds, add the chive buds if you have any and wok for 30 more seconds. Next add the pork and chives and wok until the chives become soft. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and heaping tsp. of chicken stock powder. Add the remainder of the xio xing wine and 1 tbs of sesame oi. Chow to mix and plate.

---
Notes
---
 

Cook's Notes:
If using pork shoulder, remove as much fat as practical. If using loin
or tenderloin, you can partially freeze to make julienning easier.
By green chile is meant anywhere in heat from a jalapeno to the tiny
Thai chile. The trick here is to use a razor blade sharp knife and
make shreds the thickness of a hair, figuratively speaking.
Salt is 2.5 grams, but don't measure, use the 1/2 teaspoon. The wine
can be a "dash" from the bottle. There are some sets of measuring
spoons that include a 1/2 tablespoon measure, but no need to buy such.
Optionally, use the cornstarch in place of the egg white.
In China, the chives are sold with the flower heads on and in this
recipe, the cook removes the heads and uses them at the end of
cooking. In the USA, yellow chives are sold less mature.
If using American chicken stock powder, omit the salt. The powder is
enough salt. The original recipe calls for 1 tbs of chicken stock
powder, but Knorr Swiss and USA equivalents would make this dish too
salty.

Title: Spring Rolls with Yellow Chives
Yield: 12 pieces
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Preparation Time: 1/2 hour
Category: Appetizers and Soups
Cuisine: Chinese
Website: https://baike.baidu.com/item/韭黄

---
Ingredients
---
12 spring roll wrappers
150 grams pork, finely diced
150 grams shrimp, bay shrimp, diced
100 grams bamboo shoots
100 grams yellow chives, minced
40 grams shitake mushrooms, after reconstituting
40 grams pork, ground
40 grams flour, all purpose
50 cc water
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs sesame oil
1 yolk, beaten for the wrapper sealant

---
Instructions
---

Parboil the bamboo for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the sour taste. Rinse
under cold running water and drain dry. Use a paper towl to absorb
excess liquid. Julienne for spring rolls.
The shitake mushroom will weigh 3 to 4 times their dry weight, after
reconstituting them. They need 10 to 15 minutes in warm water if
whole, but only 1 to 2 minutes if sliced. Once reconstituted, squeeze
out the excess liquid. Reserve this liquid and strain it through a
coffee filter. Destem, and dice the 'shrooms.
If using larger than bay shrimp, split and remove the sand vein. Chop
the shrimp, leaving some toothiness. Add the ground pork, shrimp,
mushroom, flour and water. Mix and add the cornstarch, and salt. Mix
the reserved mushroom soaking liquid with the chicken stock powder,
sugar, pepper and sesame oil. Add all ingredient together to a sticky
paste. You can wear gloves if you prefer.
Put 50 grams (about 2 ounces) of filing in each spring roll. Moisten
the edges with a beaten egg yolk, wrap and reserve.
Preheat at least 2" of oil in a wok or deep fryer. Fry until golden
brown, drain on paper towels and serve with a dipping sauce.

Title: Carp with Yellow Chives
Yield: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Website: https://baike.baidu.com/item/韭黄

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Ingredients
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100 grams carp
150 yellow chives
200 grams peanut oil
1 red bell pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
8 grams salt
5 grams MSG
2 grams sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbs water
1 gram pepper
1 egg, for it's white
1 tbs sesame oil, scant

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Instructions
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Preheat an oven to 200 degrees. This will be used to keep the fish warm while finishing the recipe.
Cut chives into 1 to 1.5" lengths. Reserve. Cut the bell pepper into mouthfulls.
Make a marinade for the fish of: 1 beaten white, salt, cornstarch and MSG.
Cut the fish into mouthfulls and add to the marinade for 15 minutes. Mince the garlic and shred the ginger. Add 1 tbs of water to the cornstarch. Stir well and reserve.
While the fish is marinating, heat 200 grams of oil in a skillet. When the oil reach about 200 degrees F, add the fish and cook until golden brown. Remove the fish to a rack over a sheetpan covered with paper towels to a warm place.
Add the garlic and ginger. Stir 30 seconds. Add the chives and bell pepper. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the chives soften. Return the fish to the heat. Stir the cornstarch to mix well and add to the skillet. Add the MSG, sugar and pepper. Lastly season with the
sesame oil. Toss to blend and plate.
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Notes
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Cook's Note

I do not recommend the 200 degree temperature. Again, I give this recipe, untried by me. I would use a temperature of 250 to 300 for cooking.
Carp is the ingredient given in the recipe, but any firm white fish will work.
The recipe says that the oil consumption is but 8 grams.
Keep cooked fish oil separate from other cooked oil, or use a 1 inch
cube of potato to de-fish smell the cooking oil while it is hot. For
this recipe, after the meal is removed from the cooking utensil, heat
to 350 degrees F. and cook the 'tater until starting to brown.

Date, Lime and Raisin Chutney

A recipe from around 1960, it is probably much older.

Key Lime Chutney with Dates Raisins

Cooking Time: ½ hour 

Preparation Time: ½ hour 

Category: Condiment

 Cuisine: Indian  

Source: Harvey Day

 Ingredients

2 lbs. Key limes

2 ozs. salt

4 ozs. raisins, seedless

8 fl ozs cider or malt vinegar 

4 ozs. dates, seedless 

1 oz. ginger

1 oz. garlic 

½ oz. chiles, red, dried, seeded stemmed

½ oz. mustard seed 

4 oz. jaggery (brown sugar, but palm sugar preferred)

 Instructions

 Dates scorch easily. Do not leave the pot unstirred

  Quarter limes, not all the way through. Rub with salt, put them in the hot sun for 3 days. Remove the salt. Remove the seeds.Slice the ginger on a mandoline as thinly as possible. Same for the garlic. Put the ginger, garlic,vinegar, mustard seed, brown sugar, raisins, and dates in a stock pot. Seed and stem the chiles wearing latex gloves. Add the limes, torn apart into the pot. Bring to a simmer on the lowest possible heat and cook, uncovered 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature. Grind the contents in a food processor or food chopper. Bottle. Refrigerate

.Notes This may improve with age.

Why Salsas are the King of Condiments in Mexico

A while back, researching salsas for birria; I chanced to find on the 'net a recipe at a sports fishing site. The poster was giving his uncles recipe. I put the words and the URL into my recipe book, but when I returned to it in August of 2020, the entire website is gone. And no record at archive.org, either.

It was while reading this recipe that the gist of Mexico's culinary King came to me. It was the act of placing the ingredients in dying embers. That is, no direct flames that gave the smokey and spicy flavor.

If I recall I was researching salsas for birria. 

The recipe will be supplied, below. A caveat: the original recipe, gave no quantities for the ingredients. But as this recipe comes from a road side taco stand, the quantities would not be large. Certainly larger than for a small family, but the right amount for a party.

  a esa carne le hace una buena salsa mi tio vende tacos al pastor y el exito es su salsa le voy a pasar la receta las cantidades no las se perdon 

chile morita seco
chile de arbol seco

jitomate
tomate
sal
cebolla
ajo

todo esto va herbido el jitomate es muy poco lleva mas tomate k jitomate pero en serio keda deliciosa y perdon por la expicacion pero yo solo veo komo la hace nunka la he hecho solo me la komo jajaj

That is all there is to it. No call for liquid, but my instinct is they used water. All are whirled in a blender until smooth.

 The secret here is to have a small fire of burning embers and embed the ingredients in it, being careful no to scorch the items too much. I guess it would take some practice to perfect.

More Mustard Recipes circa 1900

MUSTARD.

The mustard seed contains two different oils, a fixed and
fat oil, which is in the pit itself, the other volatile and essen-
tial, contained in the envelope of the seed. The fixed oil is
sweet and can be compared to cotton seed oil; it is without
taste and can be used for all purposes. However, absorbed
alone at the dose of two ounces it is purgative and acts as
castor oil. It freezes only at very low temperature and keeps
great length of time before turning rancid; it is therefore suit-
able for oiling delicate machinery, clocks and watches.

The essential oil evaporates spontaneously at a temper-
ature of 123° Fahrenheit; its odor is as strong and power-
ful as that of ammoniac gas, one drop on the tongue produces
a great pain such as a burn and it is felt through the throat
and the stomach, in the same time producing great inflamma-
tion of the eyes. It dissolves easily in water, vinegar, and
burns with a large bright flame.

It is this volatile oil that gives the mustard its peculiar
flavor and strength.

FRENCH AND ENGLISH PROCESS.

There are two ways of preparing the mustard flour,
which, mixed with vinegar is the condiment of interest here.

By the "French process" the seeds slightly moistened by
addition of a little water and finely ground in a mill, the flour
obtained is directly used to prepare the mustard.

By the "English process" the seeds are first pressed and the
greater part of its fixed oil (sweet oil) extracted, the dry pulp
that is left contains all the essential oil ; this pulp is ground and
constitutes the English powdered mustard. The English mus-
tard is therefore much stronger than the French, but the latter,
containing all the sweet oil, is much softer and has a more deli-
cate taste.

ENGLISH PREPARED MUSTARD.
English prepared mustard is merely English process mustard flour mixed with light vinegar and a little salt; the addition of wheat flour is an adulteration.

GERMAN PREPARED MUSTARD.

Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Strong vinegar, 10 qts.
Salted cucumbers, 5
Ground pepper, 5 oz. 

Cloves, 1/2 oz.
Cinnamon, 1/2 oz.
Nutmeg, 1/2 oz.

Use "French process" mustard flour.

Boil the vinegar, add the mustard and spices, then add ihe
cucumbers. Crush into liquid paste.

FRENCH PREPARED MUSTARD.

Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Parsley, 5 oz.
Celery, 5 oz.
Taragon, 5 oz.
Chervil, 5 oz.
Salt, 2 oz.
Sugar, 2 oz.
Citric acid, 1/4 oz.
Salted anchovies, 4
Garlic, 2 cloves

Add sufficient quantity of strong vinegar.


FANCY FRENCH MUSTARD.

Parsley, 4 oz.
Water cress, 4 oz.
Shalotts, 3 oz.
Celery seeds, 3 oz.
Cinnamon, 1/2 oz.
Nutmeg, 1/2 oz.
Cloves, 1/4 oz.
Pepper, 1/4 oz.
Thyme, 1/4 oz.

Crush and infuse two weeks in one gallon of strong vinegar
then add

Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Salt, 4 oz.
Olive oil, 3 oz.

Make heavy paste, then add vinegar to reduce to proper thickness.

IMPERIAL MUSTARD.

Celery,    8 oz.
Parsley,  6 oz.
Chervil,  6 oz.
Scallion, or shalotte, 6 oz.
Nutmeg, 1/2 oz.
Pepper,  1 oz.
Cloves,  1/2 oz.
Cinnamon, 1 oz.
Thyme,  1/2 oz.
Taragon, 1/2. oz.

Crush and infuse two weeks in one gallon vinegar, then add:

Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Salt, 2 oz.
Olive oil, 4 ozs.

Add necessary quantity of vinegar.


ANCHOVY MUSTARD.

Mustard, 10 lbs.
Parsley, 10 oz.
Pepper, 1 oz.
Sugar, 2 oz.
Citric acid, 3 oz.
Nutmeg, 1/4 oz.
Garlic, 2 cloves
Salted anchovies, 1 lb.
Vinegar, quantity req'red.


TOMATO MUSTARD.

Use English process mustard flour.

Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Tomato pulp, 18 lbs.
Salt, 6 oz.
Cayenne pepper, 1/8 oz.
Citric acid, 1/2 oz.
Vinegar, quantity req'red

The tomato pulp must first be reduced by boiling to a very
thick paste.

HORSERADISH MUSTARD.

English process:
Mustard flour, 10 lbs.
Grated horseradish, 7 lbs.
Salt, 6 oz.
Pepper, 1 oz.
Vinegar, quantity req'red

Originally the French mustard was made in equal parts of
mustard, green grape juice and vinegar plus the tomatoes. In
modern days the citric acid has taken place of the green grape
juice, which was only obtainable during a short period of the
year.

GREEN MUSTARD.
Parsley, 12 oz.
Pepper, 1 oz.
Cloves, 1/2 oz.
Taragon, 6 oz.
Bay leaves, 1/2 oz.

Crush and infuse in one gallon vinegar two weeks, then add:

French process mustard flour, 6 lbs.
Dark green vinegar pickled cucumbers, 10 lbs.
Salt, 4 oz.

Crush to make fine paste and add necessary quantity of vinegar.

The Hangtown Fry

Myth and Lore. That's what whets my appetite. I had never heard of the Hangtown Fry until I read the recipe in George Herter's Bull Cook. Say what you like about Herter, he often captured what was missing in every other cookbook.

I'm going to quote the recipe and auxiliary text in full.

“HANGTOWN FRY

In the eighteen hundreds San Francisco was quite a town. The Barbary Coast which was a section of saloons and houses of prostitution, was known all world over as second only to similar areas in Rio and Hong Kong. It catered to sailors who came to haul California’s grain to Europe. In places like Little Egypt and many others on the Barbary Coast if a sailor walked into a saloon and didn’t see three or four nude  women lounging around he got mad and went to a more up to date spot. As time went on the reformers hung so many of the Barbary Coast’s citizens that San Francisco gained the name of Hang Town.

In 1853 a man named Parker opened a saloon called Parker’s Bank Exchange in the Montgomery Block, a famous building built by General Halleck. Parker invented and served a dish called Hangtown Fry. Its fame spread all over San Francisco and the surrounding areas. A few drinks and a Hangtown Fry was and is considered a gentlemen’s evening.

The original Hangtown Fry was made like this. This recipe is for two healthy people. At today’s prices [1960--MP] it costs 46¢ a serving to make.

2 small fresh oysters or 12 canned oysters.
Eight eggs.
One onion about two inches in diameter.
One clove of garlic.
Six ounces Of ham or a half can of Spam or similar product.
Celery salt.
Hot pepper sauce or Tobasco sauce.

Take a large bowl and break eight eggs into the bowl. Take one onion about two inches in diameter and grate into the bowl. Add six ounces of finely chopped up ham or Spam. Mix well together. Dip 12 oysters into cracker crumbs and add the oysters to the mixture. Take a large frying pan and put a heaping tablespoon of butter into it and melt it. Add the egg mixture, being sure to spread out the oysters so that they are evenly spaced out in the mixture. On a slow heat fry until the eggs are done on both sides. Remove and place on a plate. Salt all over with celery salt. Take hot pepper sauce or Tobasco sauce and put six drops on a plate. take your finger and dip it into the sauce and rub a little on one side of each oyster. Serve at once. This is the finest of eating for those who
like seafood.

Today the real Hangtown Fry is no longer to be found in San Francisco or anywhere else. It still is on the menus but when you get it you get nothing but an egg omelet with oysters and a couple of pieces of bacon across the top. The real Hangtown Fry is too slow to make and too expensive for our modern day restaurants.


My purpose in reproducing this old recipe, is that the Olympia Oyster has made a . . . almost a comeback. Andrew Beahrs, writing in the Smithsonian Magazine says that Olympia Oyster has made a comeback. But, unless you are in Oregon or Washington, I believe you won't find them at your fish monger. The author talks about the "coppery note on the palate" and I would describe that as a tincture of iodine. You don't really taste the metal or chemical. But it's there. In a good way. Full Disclosure: I've not had an Olympia Oyster, I have had a Dublin Bay oyster. It was on the plate with my Steak and Kidney Pie dish at Rules Restaurant in London. It had a distinct metallic taste, yet so ephemeral as to be pleasant on the tongue. Rules put one oyster on the side of the plate. Their style. I believe it and more should have been cooked in the pie. That's another post.

I have made myself a Hangtown Fry for dinner with fresh shucked oysters. Even with ordinary oysters it's a joy to eat. And now I've made myself hungry.

Orange Marmalade.

Mrs. Beeton's Household

ORANGE MARMALADE.
Ingredients.—Equal weight of Seville oranges and sugar; to every 1 lb. of sugar allow 1/2 pint of water. Mode.—Weigh the sugar and oranges, score the skin across, and take it off in quarters. Boil these quarters in a muslin bag in water until they are quite soft, and they can be pierced easily with the head of a pin; then cut them into chips about 1 inch long, and as thin as possible. Should there- be a great deal of white stringy pulp, remove it before cutting the rind into chips. Split open the oranges, scrape out the best part of the pulp, with the juice, rejecting the white pith and pips. Make a syrup with the sugar and water; boil it until clear; then put in the chips, pulp, and juice, and boil the marmalade from 20 minutes to one-half hour, removing all the scum as it rises. In boiling the syrup, clear it carefully from scum before the oranges are added to it. Time.—2 hours to boil the rinds, 10 minutes the syrup, 20 minutes to 30 minutes the marmalade. Average cost, Gd. to Sd. per 1 lb. pot. Seasonable.—Make this in March or April, when Seville oranges are in perfection.

ORANGE MARMALADE, an easy way of Making.
Ingredients.—To every 1 lb. of pulp allow 1 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar. Mode.— Choose some fine Seville oranges; put them whole into a stewpan with sufficient water to cover them, and stew them until they become perfectly tender, changing the water 2 or 3 times; drain them, take off the rind, remove the pips from the pulp, weigh it, and to every  1 lb. allow 1 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar and 1/2 pint of the water the oranges were last boiled in. Boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes; put in the pulp, boil for another 10 minutes; then add the peel cut into strips, and boil the marmalade for another 10 minutes, which completes the process. Pour it into jars; let it cool; then cover down with bladders, or tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg. Time.—2 hours to boil the oranges; altogether 30 minues to boil the marmalade. Average cost, from 6d. to 8d. per Ib. pot. Seasonable.— Make this in March or April.

ORANGE MARMALADE, made with Honey.
Ingredients.—To 1 quart of the juice and pulp of Seville oranges allow 1 lb. of the rind, 2 lbs. of honey. Mode.—Peel the oranges, and boil the rind in water until tender, and cut it into strips. Take away the pips from the juice and pulp, and put it with the honey and chips into a preserving-pan ; boil all together for about 30 minutes, or until the marmalade is of the proper consistency; put it into pots, and, when cold, cover down with bladders. Time.—2 hours to boil the rind, 1/2 hour the marmalade.
 
Orange Marmalade, Pounded
Average cost, from Id. to 9rf. per Ib. pot. Seasonable. — Make this in March or April.

---------------

Cook's oracle: containing receipts for plain cookery, on the most economical ... By William Kitchiner

TO MAKE ORANGE MARMALADE.
641. Choose the largest Seville Oranges, as they usually contain the greatest quantity of juice, and choose them with clear skins, as the skins form the largest part of the Marmalade. Weigh the Oranges, and weigh also an equal quantity of loaf Sugar. Skin the Oranges, dividing the skins into quarters, and put them into a preserving-pan; cover them well with water, and set them on the fire to boil: in the meantime prepare your Oranges; divide them into cores, then scrape with a tea-spoon all the pulp from the white skin; or, instead of skinning the Oranges, cut a hole in the Orange and scoop out the pulp; remove carefully all the pips, of which there are innumerable small ones in the Seville Orange, which will escape observation unless they are very minutely examined.
 
Have a large basin near you with some cold water in it, to throw the pips and skins into—a pint is sufficient for a dozen Oranges. A great deal of glutinous matter adheres to them, which, when strained through a sieve, should be boiled with the other parts.

When the skins have boiled till they are sufficiently tender to admit of a fork being stuck into them, strain them; some of which may be boiled with the other part*; scrape clean all the pith, or inside, from them; lay them in folds, and cut them into thin slices of about an inch long. Clarify your Sugar; then throw your skins and pulp into it, stir it well, and let it boil about half an hour. If the Sugar is broken into small pieces, and boiled with the fruit, it will answer the purpose of clarifying, but it must be well skimmed when it boils.
Marmalade should be made at the end of March or the beginning of April, as Seville Oranges are then in their best state.

ORANGE MARMALADE, ANOTHER WAY.
641.* To each pound of Seville Oranges allow two pounds of Sugar, grate the oranges lightly, and slice them down with a very sharp knife as thin as possible, and straight through,—nothing must be kept out but the seeds,—clarify the sugar, put the fruit in, and boil it slowly, for at least an hour, until the chips are perfectly tender and clear, and it will jelly—a little of the grate may be put in if approved, the rest is nice for seasoning puddings.
 
ORANGE MARMALADE, ANOTHER RECEIPT.
642. Take equal weight of Orange and Sugar, grate the oranges lightly score them across, and take off the skins in quarters, boil the skins in a linen bag until you can pierce them easily with the head of a pin—slit open the inside of the orange, and scrape out the fine part of the pulp, along with the juice, keeping back the tough white skin and seeds. When the skins are tender, scrape out the strings, and cut them as thin as possible into chips about an inch long—clarify the sugar, and put in the chips, pulp, and juice, and boil quickly twenty minutes.

----------------------
American druggist and pharmaceutical record, Volume 35

Bitter Oranges.*
By H. H. Robins.
In the London market this fruit is known under the name of "Sour Oranges."
They are chiefly imported from Malaga, Seville and Messina. In this order they arrive. The Malagas have just now commenced, but they are very pale in color, the Sevilles reach us about January, and the Sicilians February and March. Malaga supplies the largest quantity, and Seville the smallest, but no statistics are obtainable. There is in certain quarters an impression that only this latter fruit is the official variety. This error probably arises from the Seville district being the first to put on the market bitter fruit.
I was shown this week by a firm of city brokers a catalogue of a fruit sale in the year 1776; it contained a lot of six cases of Sevilles, but no mention of any other kind.

In Bentley and Trimen it is stated that "the fruit is imported from the South of Europe, and is known in London as the bitter orange or Seville orange.
The London Pharmacopoeia, 1857 orders peel dried in February, March and. April to be used.
The B P., 1864 and 1867, describes ripe fruit imported from the South of Spain.

The outer part of the pericarp is the only official portion of the fruit used, so producers of this are left with the remaining pulp and pith.
These are known by them as "dummies, though they nevertheless help to produce a special transparent kind of marmalade, much in favor with the Scotch. It is important to use peel from ripe fruit in the official preparations, for then only is the full flavor of the essential oil obtained.
The present tincture is a good preparation, but it would be improved if it contained more of the peel.
Last season I secured representative samples of ripe fruit from each of the before mentioned sources, and the tincture* shown were made respectively from them. The specific gravities and extracts obtained by evaporating the tinctures in a water bath until they ceased to lose weight are as follow: Source of 
                              Sp. G.                           Grains            Ext. % Fruit. Temp. 6o° F. per Fl. oz. Ext
Malaga   0.8808             905       2-35
Seville    0.8808             8.47      2.20
Messina 0.8811             904        2-35
It will be found that the tincture made from Messina fruit has the finest aroma, and this when diluted with 500 times its bulk of water still possesses an orange odor. This under similar conditions is not perceptible in either of the other samples. There is apparently no difference in - their relative bitterness. This property of the peel is fully developed in its unripe stage, and preparations made from such fruit are doubtless as useful for tonics as those made from the ripe, but they are certainly not so pleasant.
The percentage of extract in these tinctures is no guide to their strength.
The pith from lemons will yield more extract to 56 o/p spirit than the rind (the outer part of the pericarp), and the same is no doubt true of the orange.
Oil of orange is almost entirely volatilized at the temp, of a water bath, and any results obtained by such a method are absolutely misleading. ' I probably ought to mention a variety of bitter orange that comes in small quantities from Jaffa. This fruit is better grown and finer in every respect than that from any other district.

Marmalade

Marmalade.

I have said enough.

What other preserve or condiment ages and becomes a more sophisticated taste over time?

In 2010 I had approximately 13 pounds of bitter oranges (Seville Oranges). I parboiled them 3 times. I reserved the water from the first boiling. (about 1 gallon) When I was done with the par-boiling, pulping and shredding, I had this:

Total pulp 96 fl. ounces - which yielded only: xxxx fluid ounces of orange juice.
Rind in shreds: 74 ounces.

To each pound of fruit (and juice) add a pound of sugar. Add enough of the reserved boiling liquid to make thin to your taste.

Cook to the soft ball stage 235° F–240° F.

Put the marmalade in preserving jars and can another 30 minutes on a low simmer. Cool and store in a dry place.

To ease the technique of the foregoing, I present some recipes from William Kitchiner and Mrs. Beeton's cookery books.

Mrs. Beeton's Household

ORANGE MARMALADE.
Ingredients.—Equal weight of Seville oranges and sugar ; to every Ib. of sugar allow if pint of water. Mode.—Weigh the sugar and oranges, score the skin across, and take it off in quarters. Boil these quarters in a muslin bag in water until they are quite soft, and they can be pierced easily with the head of a pin; then cut them into chips about 1 inch long, and as thin as possible. Should there- be a great deal of white stringy pulp, remove it before cutting the rind into chips. Split open the oranges,
scrape out the best part of the pulp, with the juice, rejecting the white pith and pips. Make a syrup with the sugar and water; boil it until clear; then put in the chips, pulp, and juice, and boil the marmalade from 20 minutes to ^ hour, removing all the scum as it rises. In boiling the syrup, clear it carefully from scum before the oranges are added to it. Time.—2 hours to boil the rinds, 10 minutes the syrup, 20 minutes to J hour the marmalade. Average cost, Gd. to Sd. per Ib. pot. Seasonable.—Make this in March or April, when Seville oranges are in perfection.

ORANGE MARMALADE, an easy way of Making.
Ingredients.—To every 1 Lb. of pulp allow 1 1/2 Lb. of loaf sugar. Mode.— Choose some fine Seville oranges ; put them whole into a stewpan with sufficient water to cover them, and stew them until they become perfectly tender, changing the water 2 or 3 times; drain them, take off the rind, remove the pips from the pulp, weigh it, and to every 1 Lb. allow 1 1/2 Lb. of loaf sugar and 1/2 pint of the water the oranges were last boiled in. Boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes ; put in the pulp, boil for another 10 minutes ; then add the peel cut into strips, and boil the marmalade for another 10 minutes, which completes the process. Pour it into jars; let it cool; then cover down with bladders, or tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg. Time.—2 hours to boil the oranges; altogether ^ hour to boil the marmalade. Average cost, from 6d. to 8d. per Ib. pot. Seasonable.— Make this in March or April.

ORANGE MARMALADE, made with Honey.
Ingredients.—To 1 quart of the juice and pulp of Seville oranges allow 1 Ib. of the rind, 2 Ibs. of honey. Mode.—Peel the oranges, and boil the rind in water until tender, and cut it into strips. Take away the pips from the juice and pulp, and put it with the honey and chips into a preserving-pan ; boil all together for about 1/2 hour, or until the marmalade is of the proper consistency; put it into pots, and, when cold, cover down with bladders. Time.—2 hours to boil the rind, 1/2 hour the marmalade.

Orange Marmalade, Pounded
Average cost, from Id. to 9rf. per Ib. pot. Seasonable. — Make this in March or April.

---------------

Cook's oracle: containing receipts for plain cookery, on the most economical ... By William Kitchiner (1843 edition)

TO MAKE ORANGE MARMALADE.
641. Choose the largest Seville Oranges, as they usually contain the greatest quantity of juice, and choose them with clear skins, as the skins form the largest part of the Marmalade. Weigh the Oranges, and weigh also an equal quantity of loaf Sugar. Skin the Oranges, dividing the skins into quarters, and put them into a preserving-pan ; cover them well with water, and set them on the fire to boil: in the meantime prepare your Oranges; divide them into Gores, then scrape with a tea-spoon all the pulp from the white skin; or, instead of skinning the Oranges, cut a hole in the Orange and scoop out the pulp; remove carefully all the pips, of which there are innumerable small ones in the Seville Orange, which will escape observation unless they are very minutely examined.

Have a large basin near you with some cold water in it, to throw the pips and skins into—a pint is sufficient for a dozen Oranges. A great deal of glutinous matter adheres to them, which, when strained through a sieve, should be boiled with the other parts.
When the skins have boiled till they are sufficiently tender to admit of a fork being stuck into them, strain them; some of which may be boiled with the other parts; scrape clean all the pith, or inside, from them; lay them in folds, and cut them into thin slices of about an inch long. Clarify your Sugar; then throw your skins and pulp into it, stir it well, and let it boil about half an hour. If the Sugar is broken into small pieces, and boiled with the fruit, it will answer the purpose of clarifying, but it must be well skimmed when it boils.

Marmalade should be made at the end of March or the beginning of April, as Seville Oranges are then in their best state.

ORANGE MARMALADE, ANOTHER WAY.

641.* To each pound of Seville Oranges allow two pounds of Sugar, grate the oranges lightly, and slice them down with a very sharp knife as thin as possible, and straight through,—nothing must be kept out but the seeds,—clarify the sugar, put the fruit in, and boil it slowly, for at least an hour, until the chips are perfectly tender and clear, and it will jelly—a little of the grate may be put in if approved, the rest is nice for seasoning puddings.

ORANGE MARMALADE, ANOTHER RECEIPT.

642. Take equal weight of Orange and Sugar, grate the oranges lightly score them across, and take off the skins in quarters, boil the skins in a linen bag until you can pierce them easily with the head of a pin—slit open the inside of the orange, and scrape out the fine part of the pulp, along with the juice, keeping back the tough white skin and seeds. When the skins are tender, scrape out the strings, and cut them as thin as possible into chips about an inch long—clarify the sugar, and put in the chips, pulp, and juice, and boil quickly twenty minutes.

Lao Gan Ma Noodles And It's Celebrated Sauce

There are a number of jarred sauces from China which seems to have the notion of family or relatives involved with the name or on the label. One such is, in Chinese:

Guiyang Nanming Laoganma Flavor Food Co., Ltd. was started by a woman named Tao Huabi 陶华碧 and has a fascinating history. She keeps her company unlisted, does not borrow from banks to expand her company and is named in Forbes Magazine as one of wealthiest Chinese. The company names roughly translates into English as The Old Godmother.

The products page. All in Chinese. Untranslated. (And somewhat untranslatable unless you are fluent in both Chinese and cookery.)

As the sauce obtains pride of place in this dish, I giving a double quantity. Sauce your noodles well, and serve the extra for diners who like more of it.

I prefer egg noodles for this dish, but classically it's served on rice noodles.

Protein:

1 pound of flank steak or pork loin, cut into matchsticks
1 tbs of garlic paste
2 tsp of ginger paste
1 tsp light soy

Carbohydrates:

16 oz noodles, chopped into bite size lengths. I cut the package into sixths.
1/2 to 3/4 cup of raw peanuts
1 package of pickled Sichuan vegetable (rinsed in water and chopped a little)
2 (or more) gai lan, coarsely chopped (Chinese broccoli)

Sauce:

4 tsp light soy
2 tsp dark soy
1-2 tsp black vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil (Kadoya brand recommended)
2-4 tbs scallions, cut in 1/8 inch slices
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tbs garlic paste
2 tsp white sesame seeds toasted
3 tbs Old Godmother Sauce (or any brand of chile bean sauce or "paste")
5 tbs peanut oil
1 cup cilantro, chopped with stems

Heat a dry skillet and toast the sesame seeds until they darken in color. Remove and reserve to cool. Slice the meat into matchsticks. Neatness doesn't count here too much. If you have a box grater or Microplane, reduce the garlic and ginger to a paste. (I prefer the term mush.) Mix the pastes into the meat and add 1 tsp of light soy, reserve.

Mix the soy sauces, vinegar, sesame oil, preserved vegetable, garlic, ginger, godmother, sesame seeds and scallions in a metal container. Reserve. Metal because hot wok cooking oil will be added shortly.

Heat a 2 quart or larger pot with water to cook the noodles. Add no salt. Use enough water to almost cover all the noodles. Put on high heat, uncovered. When the noodles start to simmer, remove from the heat and drain the noodles in a colander. Reserve.

Heat the wok, add the oil. On low heat, fry the peanuts for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the wok and add to the sauce.

Put the heat up to high on the wok. Add more peanut oil, at least 3 tbs. When starting to smoke, add the marinated meat in batches so as to not cool the wok too much. Stir fry and brown some of the meat, when browned remove to a bowl and stir fry the remaining meat. Use the Chinese spade (spatula) tool to remove the browned meat, allowing the oil to drain back to the bottom of the wok.

When all the meat is cooked, pour half of the hot oil into the reserved sauce. It will sizzle for a few seconds. Put the wok back on the heat, and while it is reheating, stir the oil into the sauce using a teaspoon or long handled spoon.

Add the noodles to the wok and stir fry them a few minutes. If some of the noodles brown a little that's excellent. Add the gai lan. Add 2 tbs of water to the wok, stir the noodles and gai lan. Cover for 2 to 3 minutes to steam the gai lan. Remove the wok, add the meat, stir to mix well. Add the sauce and stir again. Recover the wok, put on lowest heat. Wait 5 minutes. Serve with chopped cilanto. Have extra light soy, sesame oil and Sriracha sauce available for diners to help themselves.

Cook's Note: some sauces call themselves sauce others call themselves paste. They all work exactly alike.