How To Segment an Orange

Perfect citrus segments for garnishes, salads, slaws, or just for easy eating without the annoying stringy stuff.

Start by slicing off both ends of the orange. This will give you a solid, sturdy base to work with, plus you'll need to peel it anyway.

Next, place the orange with one of the cut sides down. Using a knife, slice the peel off the orange as close to the flesh as possible. This will remove all of the pith. Work from the top down, angling your knife to follow the curves of the fruit.

Start slicing segments by cutting just to one side of a segment membrane (the white lines). Slice towards the center of the fruit without slicing all the way through.

Now cut out the segment by cutting to the inside of the next membrane. Again, cut towards the center, but this time when you get to the center, twist you knife to release the orange segment.

Continue around the entire orange, cutting on either side of the membrane to release the segments.

Be sure to squeeze out all the juice from the scraps that remain. There's a lot in there!

How to Make Chicken Stock

Swanson's may think they have the secret to good cooking, but homemade chicken stock is magic you can add to your cooking. It adds huge flavor to so many things. I make it whenever I can and store it in the freezer. Much more economical than buying the stuff in cans or cartons. Oh, and did I mention the flavor? Seriously. I can make a recipe using canned broth then make the same thing using homemade stock and my family will ask what I did differently (just so we're on the same page, it's because they think it rocks).

Odds and ends:
* This can be made on the stove top or in a crock pot, but stove top gives the best results.
* Freeze in 1/2 c, 1 c and 2 c portions to accommodate a range of uses.
* Best not to add salt to your stock since you'll be adding both salt and stock to recipes.
* Chill the stock before freezing. This will allow you to easily remove excess fat.
* Save vegetable scraps like onion tops and peels, celery leaves, garlic peels, carrot peels, etc. in a bag or container in your freezer. Add to your stock directly from the freezer. Cheap and easy.
* Likewise, save bones in the freezer. Once you get a pile, make stock.
* Simmer the stock; don't boil. Boiling will give you a cloudy stock. A cloudy stock will give you cloudy soups and sauces. If you don't care about that, then that's OK too.
* If after chilling the stock, it is gelatinous...you've done an excellent job.

This isn't hard; just time-consuming. Do it on a cold rainy Saturday when you aren't doing anything anyway.

Chicken Stock (White Stock)
from Ms. enPlace

You'll need:
chicken or chicken bones (heck, I've even used the carcass of a rotisserie chicken)
onions, celery, garlic and/or vegetable peelings
peppercorns
parsley (optional)
water
cheesecloth and kitchen twine (optional)
big pot
colander

Step 1: Fill a large pot (a stock pot!) with cold water. Start with cold water because hot water can leach out impurities, such as proteins, from the chicken. This results in a gnarly looking stock...grainy-looking bits of chicken protein floating around. Not good.

Step 2: Coarsely chop vegetables such as onions, celery, and carrots. Half or quarters is fine. Garlic doesn't need to be chopped. Or, use vegetable peelings that you've saved in the freezer. Or a little of both. Up to you.

Step 3: Get your seasonings in order. I always use peppercorns. If I have parsley or other fresh herbs, I use them. If not, then I don't. I don't buy things in order to make stock. I make stock with what I have. I'm cheap like that.

This can be approached in one of two ways.

The fancy way: Place your seasonings, such as peppercorns and herbs, on a square of cheesecloth. Wrap into a package (bouquet garni) and tie with kitchen twine. If you want to be clever, make sure the twine you cut is long enough to tie off to your pot handle. Easy to fish out. Be sure to tell everyone what an awesome idea that is.

The git er dun way: throw everything in the dang pot because you'll be strainin' this mess later anyway!

Step 4: In addition to the seasonings (no salt!), place your chicken or chicken bones and the vegetable materials in the water. Looks like a pretty sad chicken soup.

Step 5: Bring everything JUST to a boil, but do not actually boil. Since I didn't have much in the way of fresh vegetables, I added a bag of veg scraps directly from the freezer.

Step 6: Lower to a simmer and simmer all day long. Many hours. It's worth it.

Step 7: After the stock has simmered all day and has reduced down, strain what's in your pot. Reserve the liquid. That's the part you want...just makin' sure.

Chill the stock (I like overnight). The fat will solidify on the surface, making it incredibly easy to remove. Much easier than skimming off as a liquid.

Step 8: Divide and freeze. Portion in varying amounts (1/2 c, 1 c, 2 c) to make this project even more useful. Label and freeze.

How to Roast a Pepper

I love roasted peppers and use them for and in all sorts of things: chiles rellenos, quesadillas, pasta dishes, enchiladas, creamy red pepper sauce, on sandwiches, on pizza, in dips...


What I don't love is that jarred roasted red peppers can be expensive (not that red peppers themselves are cheap by any means). If I catch red bell peppers on sale, I buy a bunch. Some, I chop and freeze, others I roast and freeze. They are just fine in many recipes. Even better, I like to grow my own. Sometimes I just like to stick it to the middle man.

My favorite pepper to roast is the poblano because then I can stuff them full of cheese and fry them. That right there is some good stuff. Pure genius.
Peppers can be roasted over the flame of a gas stove, on a grill, or under a broiler.

If using the broiler method, my suggestion is to place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet to help with clean-up. Place the peppers on the pan and broil away. Periodically check the peppers and turn them to char the skin evenly.

If using an open flame, it's pretty much the same deal. Place over the flame, check and turn them periodically to get an even char.




When the skin is completely charred, place in a plastic bag (I knew all those Wal-mart bags had to be good for something) or bowl sealed with plastic wrap to help steam off the skins.






When the peppers are cool enough to handle, flake the skin off with your hands. Don't run water over the peppers for skin removal--you'll also remove flavor.







A couple of things:
* Don't overdo it--don't char the skin so much that you fuse it into the flesh of the pepper. You'll never get the skin off the dang thing. Trust me, I've learned the hard way.

*Don't forget your peppers in the plastic bag or bowl. There comes a point where if you leave them sit for too long, it becomes difficult to remove the skin. Again, learned the hard way.

*if you're going to chop or puree the roasted peppers, skin them and de-seed like a savage. It isn't going to matter if you mangle them. If you need them intact to stuff, remove the skin and seeds with caution. It is a sad thing to have beautifully roasted peppers for chiles rellenos and then end up ripping holes in them when you remove the skins. Quite sad.

Roasted and ready. So many possibilities...

Here's one idea: Chiles Rellenos

How to Make a Roux

Roux (roo) is a handy thing to know how to make. A roux is a mixture of some type of fat and flour and is used to thicken sauces, soups, and stews. Depending on what you're making, you may want a light roux, a medium roux, or a dark one. Color can range from white all the way to a deep, reddish brown. Roux can be used as the base of cream sauces, in which case a light, white, or blonde roux would be made. A light roux doesn't add much flavor if any...its job is to thicken. For things like gumbo, generally a dark roux is preferred. A dark roux lends a deep, almost nutty flavor but has less thickening power than a light roux.

The fat: my preference is vegetable oil for a dark roux and butter for a light. Some people prefer butter or margarine for every roux they make. Some use lard or Crisco. Some use chicken or duck fat. If you are aiming for a dark roux, make sure the fat you choose has a high smoke point. I don't recommend butter for a dark roux, but I'm sure someone out there will say differently.

The flour: I use all purpose. I always have it; it's easy. I used to use Wondra flour, which is a flour designed to dissolve quickly. It helps avoid lumps. I don't use it anymore because now that I've made a roux or two I don't worry about lumps.

The proportion: standard ratio is equal parts flour and fat. But, once you get the hang of making a roux, you may find that you prefer more or less flour. Kinda depends on what you are making. I like to start with equal parts flour and oil, but usually add more flour until there are no longer pools of oil.  If you have trouble with overly oily roux, try sprinkling in more flour. 

The equipment: don't use non-stick cookware, especially if you want a dark roux. Just isn't going to work out. You'll also need a spoon or spatula that you trust to be heat resistant. I like to use a wooden spatula with a nice flat edge so I can easily scrape the bottom of the pot. Some people use a whisk, but I find it spastic to get in the "corners" of a pot.
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I love making roux. It is relaxing and satisfying. It is also almost magical, coaxing simple ingredients to become such a powerful cooking tool.

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* This will take some time (about 30-40 minutes for a well-made dark roux). Don't rush it.
* Roux is extremely hot...it isn't called Cajun Napalm for nothing. My mother in law has a scar on the top of her foot from when roux splashed out of her pot more than 20 years ago. Be careful and pay attention to what's going on around you.

So, here we go...
Step 1: Heat oil in a pot. Use cast iron or stainless steel, not non-stick.
Step 2: When oil is hot, sprinkle in the flour. Start stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot.

Step 3: Continue stirring and scraping. If you notice small pools of oil, sprinkle in some more flour. Below would be approaching a light roux. You could use it to make a white sauce. Once the flour bubbles, add milk, cream, or half and half (warmed) and stir until smooth.


Step 4: Even if you think your arm will fall off, don't stop stirring and scraping. Don't walk away. Don't do anything except stir and scrape.

Step 5: Same old story. Stir and scrape. Notice the spatula. I like the edge on it...good for roux making.


Step 6: Now we're getting somewhere. Be patient...we're about halfway to gumbo roux.

Step 7: You know the drill by now. Stir and scrape. This is at about the point where I would stop if I was making etouffee or courtbouillon. I go darker for gumbo.

Step 8: More stirring, more scraping. I think it's relaxing...mesmerizing even. This is roughly a "peanut butter" roux. Almost there.

Step 9: Depending on how dangerously you like to live, you could push it even farther than this. If at any time you notice black flecks, I'm sorry to tell you that you've burned your roux. Don't try to use it; it will ruin your dish. Throw it out (careful, it is hot) and start over.