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[achefandacook]

Barbara's Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

In response to our burger and fries post, our friend Barbara, who we hope to be a guest sous chef when she can get off the Left Coast, sent us this delicious recipe for sweet potato fries.  No pictures, because we haven't made it yet, but we thought it would be good to put this up ASAP.  No longer relegated to frozen!

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges

2 tsp. canola oil (although Cook is curious about using coconut oil here)

1/4 tsp. salt

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss the wedges with the oil, salt, and pepper until coated evenly.  Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until browned and tender, turning once, about 20 minutes total.

Next time we do burgers, we're definitely using this one.  Thanks, Barbara!

[achefandacook]

Hamburgers in Cabbage Wrap with Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Right off the bat, we'd like to say that we don't have a recipe for homemade sweet potato fries in this entry.  We needed an easy cooking night, so we bought frozen, pre-cut sweet potato fries.  We hope you're not too disappointed.  (EDIT: courtesy of our friend Barbara, we now have this recipe for spicy sweet potato fries on the blog).

The burgers, however, are delicious, and we think you'll like them.  If you're not into the red meat, it would still make an excellent turkey burger (although beef is far superior: see this video at 2:18 for an illustration of that irrefutable fact).  It would also be good with bacon, but Chef and Cook had each separately had a large amount of bacon earlier in the day, so we didn't add it.  This time.

What You'll Need:

Grill pan

Silicone basting brush

Ingredients:

2/3 lb. ground beef (preferably grass-fed, 85% lean)

One package Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, or make Barbara's Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

Two crisp red cabbage leaves

One bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Three garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sriracha

1/2 red onion, sliced in thin rounds

1/2 avocado, chunked

1/2 tomato, thinly sliced

1 chunk Maytag blue cheese

1/4 cup barbeque sauce of choice

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 strips bacon (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Todd's Dirt (a spice blend we dig)

Coconut oil

Start by making the basting sauce for the burgers by blending the barbeque sauce and Worcestershire sauce:

Place in the fridge to let the flavors meld.  Next, prep the green onions and garlic:

Flatten the ground beef into a sheet, and place the green onions and garlic on top:

Meld the beef, onions, and garlic together, kneading well with your hands.  Form into two patties, dust with salt, pepper, and Dirt, place on a plate, and cover in plastic wrap:

Place the patties in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the garlic and green onions to meld their flavors into the beef.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the sweet potato fries (we didn't use the whole package, not even close) on a small baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Flip the fries, and bake for 10 more minutes.

Place the mayonnaise and sriracha in a ramekin or small bowl and mix thoroughly:

Slice the stem off of a head of red cabbage, remove two large leaves, and place in the freezer to crisp.  Slice the onion and tomato and chunk the avocado and Maytag blue:

Heat a good amount of coconut oil in the grill pan, making sure it coats the peaks and valleys thoroughly.  Place the patties on the grill pan, spice side down.  Season the top with salt, pepper, and Dirt.  Cook for about five minutes, to char one side, then flip.  Paint the top with the basting sauce, using a silicone basting brush:

Cook for five minutes, then flip and baste again.  Cook two minutes, and flip one last time.  Usually, you don't want to flip a burger this much, but in a grill pan and with the garlic and green onion producing internal juice, the burger won't dry out.  Top with the Maytag blue:

By this time, the fries should be crisp, warm, and ready:

Remove the cabbage leaves from the freezer.  Place the burger on the leaf, and top with a dollop of sriracha mayo, the tomato, onion, and avocado.  Put the sweet potato fries and another dollop of sriracha mayo, for dipping, on the side:

There ya go: a nice, simple, easy dinner--yet delectable.  And messy.  Use lots of napkins.

[achefandacook]

Spicy Citrus Buffalo-Eggplant Tagine over Curried Cauliflower Mash

We hadn't used our tagine since we made the lamb over three months ago, and we figured it was way overdue.  This ended up being far spicier than intended, which was right up Cook's alley.  We're not sure if the jalapenos were hotter than normal or if the cayenne stewed into everything, but it was very spicy, and very delicious.

What You'll Need:

Tagine

Food processor

Saucepan or Dutch oven

Ingredients:

1/2 pound buffalo strip steak

1/2 large eggplant, cut into small wedges

1/2 red onion, roughly diced

2 red bell peppers, quartered and sliced

Two large jalapenos, sliced

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes

Leaves of two basil sprigs

1/2 lime, for zest and juice

1/2 lemon, for zest and juice

1/2 Valencia orange, for zest and juice

16 oz. beef stock

1/2 cup red wine

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 heavy pinches fresh tarragon leaves

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. fenugreek

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. herbs de provence

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

Salt

Pepper

Coconut oil

Bacon fat

1 head cauliflower

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

To begin, put the olive oil, tarragon, fenugreek, cloves, herbs de provence, rosemary, salt, pepper, and steak in a Ziploc bag.   Shake and coat the meat, place in the refrigerator, and marinate for 30-45 minutes.  Place the steak on the counter so it can get up to room temperature.

Next, heat the coconut oil in the tagine, and brown the steak well:

About four minutes a side should get you some good char:

Remove the steak, tent, and set aside.

Next, add some more coconut oil to the tagine.  Add the eggplant, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos.  Sautee until the onions and eggplant start to soften:

Next, add 8 oz. of beef stock and the can of fire-roasted tomatoes.  Add the basil, zest and juice of the citrus, the chili powder and the cayenne pepper:

Cover, lower heat, and stew for an hour.

Meanwhile, put the bacon fat, 8 oz. of beef stock, and the cauliflower florets to the Dutch oven.  Add water to cover the cauliflower:

Cover and boil until the cauliflower is soft.  Spoon the florets into the food processor.  Add the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and pulse until mashed:

Check on the tagine, and make sure the meat is tender and the eggplant soft:

Serve over the cauliflower mash:

Enjoy the tender meat, succulent eggplant, burst of citrus, and spicy burn!

[achefandacook]

New Look

We've gone through a few aesthetic changes over the last few months, but we finally think we've settled on a winner.  All posts have been tagged for easier searching, the new layout has better access to the archive, and hopefully it's easy and fun to read.

How do you like the new look?  Let us know!

[achefandacook]

Paleo Pizza!

One of the things we missed on this diet was pizza, and judging from a quick search for "paleo pizza," we aren't the only ones.  There are several almond flour crust recipes on the Internet, but the simplest, and best-looking, is this one, courtesy of Son of Grok and Mark's Daily Apple.  The texture and taste, because of the almond flour, is closer to a Chicago crust than a New York crust.  The crust can support a lot of toppings, but it's best eaten with a knife and fork.

What You'll Need:

A pizza pan

Parchment paper

A hand or stand mixer

A heavy-bottomed skillet

Ingredients:

Two cups almond flour

Two eggs

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 can organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 cup smoked mozzerella

1 cup crumbled goat cheese (we used cana de cabra)

2/3 lb. Andouille sausage (preferably patties)

Beef stock

1/2 yellow onion, sliced in half-rounds

1 1/2 cup spinach

Leaves of two sprigs basil

Three cloves garlic, sliced

Oregano

Red pepper flakes

Start by combining the almond flour, eggs, salt and oil with your stand mixer or hand mixer.  If the mixture is too thin, add more almond flour slowly until it thickens:

In your heavy-bottomed skillet, start browning the Andouille sausage:

Prep the other toppings (the onion, garlic, spinach, and basil):

Cover the pizza pan with parchment paper, and roll out the dough into a large circle.  Make sure to leave a thick rim around the edge:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until the rim turns a light golden brown.

After browning the outside of the sausage, break up the patties, stir, add a bit of beef stock, lower the heat, and cover with foil.  This ensures the sausage is nice and moist before going into the oven:

Spread the can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes over the crust.  Lay down the smoked mozzerella as a base layer.  Top with the spinach, sausage, basil, onion, and goat cheese:

Dust the pizza with oregano and red pepper flakes before putting back in the oven for 15 more minutes.  When it comes out, you'll have delicious pizza:

Slice.  Eat.  Repeat step two.

[achefandacook]

Hurricane: Ribeye Steaks with Cebollitas and Bacon-Avocado Salad

There aren't a lot of pictures for this one, as it was part hurricane celebration, part dinner party, and part Kill Bill viewing.  In fact, there are only two, one of our illustrious guest sous chef, Jason:

and the picture of the completed dinner, later on.  Jason, for those who don't know, is an awesome person, a great friend, an MVP groomsman, and the best-prepared person I've ever met.  He brought emergency supplies to the get-together, including butane and a camp stove, just in case we lost power.  Badass.

What You'll Need:

A heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet

A grill pan

Ingredients:

Three ribeye steaks, preferably grass-fed and organic

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. rosemary

1 Tbsp. Todd's Bayou Dirt (a spice blend we like)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Two avocados

One bunch green onions

One lime

Salt and pepper

Salad greens

Dressing

Two strips bacon

Butter

Bacon fat or coconut oil

Start by putting the steaks in a large Ziploc bag.  Add the spices and olive oil, and shake to coat the steaks.  Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes, then take the steaks out to get them to room temp.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a pat of butter and a lump of bacon fat or coconut oil in the skillet, and brown the steaks on both sides, about 4 minutes a side, to get a good char.  Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 more minutes, then remove the steaks and tent with foil.

In the skillet, Chef used red wine to deglaze and make a pan gravy.  This is optional and recommended.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in the grill pan.  Clean and trim the green onions, and grill with salt, pepper, and lime until the onions begin to char and turn bright green.

Cook the bacon until crispy, and crumble.

Top the salad greens with the crumbled bacon, slices of avocado, salt, pepper, and dressing.

Pair with good beer, good movies, and good people:

[achefandacook]

All-American Down-Home Country Tom Yum Gai

Chef is still a little under the weather.  The heartiness of last night's braised beef shank stew helped a little bit, but Cook thought a little more spice and vitamin C would help.  Then again, spicy food laced with citrus is Cook's solution for everything.

Cook thought about chicken noodle soup, sans noodles, of course, but then he thought about Thai tom yum and tom kha soups.  Then he thought, "why not both?"  With that, the All-American Down-Home Country Tom Yum Gai was born.

What You'll Need:

Large stockpot

Fine strainer

Two large bowls

Ingredients:

One whole (3.5 lb.) chicken

Two yellow onions, chunked

Four stalks of lemongrass, ends trimmed, outer layer removed, and cut into thirds

Seven or eight chunks of galangal

Six to eight whole black or red peppercorns

One clove of garlic, crushed

Six carrots, chunked

Two parsnips, peeled and chunked

Three quarts chicken broth

Two leeks, halved, cleaned, then thickly sliced

Eight to nine small Thai green chiles, or four large jalapenos and one habanero, unseeded and sliced

1 large pat of butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1.4 cup sriracha sauce

2 Tbsp. coriander

1 heavy pinch bottled, shredded kaffir lime leaves

Three limes, for both zest and juice

Cilantro

Salt

Pepper

Start by adding the whole chicken, chicken broth, half the carrot, half the onion, half the lemongrass, half the galangal, the peppercorns, and the garlic to the stock pot:

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is ready to fall apart.

Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in a large bowl.  It will look gross.  Worry not:

Place the strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth:

Discard the solids.  Remove the skin, bones, innards, and any chunks of gristle that are still solid from the chicken.  Shred the meat.

Melt a large pat of butter in the stockpot.  Add the leeks, the rest of the onion and carrot, and the parsnips:

After seven or eight minutes, when the onions become translucent, reintroduce the strained broth and the chicken.  Add the coriander, the other half of the lemongrass and galangal, the zest and juice of two limes, the kaffir lime leaves, and a little salt and pepper:

Simmer for a half hour, then add the chiles, sriracha, and fish sauce.  Simmer for twenty more minutes and taste.  Add fish sauce, sriracha, salt and pepper as needed.

Simmer for ten more minutes.  Pull out the lemongrass stalks and galangal if you can find it.  Tear off some cilantro leaves and halve the last lime:

Ladle the soup into bowls, squeeze half a lime into the soup, sprinkle cilantro over it, and add a little more sriracha for a spicy punch:

Clear your sinuses and stimulate your taste buds!

[achefandacook]

Braised Beef Shank Stew

Chef was feeling under the weather, and Cook thought a hearty, spicy meal would help.  Naturally, that spells "stew."  Beef shank makes a hell of a stew.  Especially if you pick a piece with a whole bunch of bone marrow that can just melt into it.

What You'll Need:

Heavy-bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef shank, with at least one bone-in piece

16 oz. beef stock

One yellow onion, chunked

One bunch green onions, cut into 1 1/2" lengths

Two heirloom tomatoes, chunked

1 can organic tomato paste

One avocado, sliced

Sour cream

Cilantro

Spices to taste:

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Cumin

Coriander

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Bacon fat or butter

Start by heating the bacon fat or butter in the Dutch oven.  Brown the beef shank well:

Next, add the onion and beef stock, as well as the first round of spices.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and cook until tender:

Poke the bone marrow out of the bone and into the liquid.  Discard the bone and slice the meat, and return to pot along with the heirloom tomatoes and another round of spice:

Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the green onion.  Once the onion turns bright green, add the tomato paste and stir vigorously:

Taste and spice one last time, if needed.  Spoon the stew into a bowl, and top with avocado, sour cream, and cilantro:

If you use enough cayenne, it'll clean out your cold in minutes flat!

[achefandacook]

Sausage and Salad with Szechuan Peppercorn Dressing

Sometimes you just need sausage.  Like cilantro chicken sausage:

Or lamb sausage with rosemary, garlic, and mint:

Or another lamb sausage, merganza:

We went on a two-day sausage kick, where we made essentially the same salad, but with different sausages.  The first day, we used sliced chicken sausage.  The second day, we ate the salad as a side dish to the two kinds of lamb sausage.

Ingredients:

Sausage of choice

1 Anaheim pepper, ringed

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 bunch bok choy, cut in thirds

3 green onions, sliced

Cashews

Cilantro

Salad greens

Extra virgin olive oil

Champagne vinegar

7-10 Szechaun peppercorns (also called prickly ash)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. powdered ginger

Mustard seed

Salt

Pepper

First, make the dressing.  Combine three parts olive oil with one part vinegar.  Add salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorns.  Add mustard seed to thicken as you mix well with an immersion blender:

Next, prepare the salad vegetables:

Cook the sausage through in a heavy-bottom skillet, to get optimal char:

Throw the bok choy in the same pan with the sausage fat, and sautee until wilted.  Combine all ingredients over salad greens in a bowl, and top with cilantro, cashews, sausage, and dressing:

Insert sausage joke here.

[achefandacook]

Power Salad with Steak, Cashews, Avocado, and Roasted Vegetables

Ever have a day where you need your dinner to pick you up, energize you, and get you going?  There's no food coma with this salad, which provides enough power, through saturated fat, protein, and vitamins, to run a 1973 VW Thing.

What You'll Need:

Baking pan

Heavy skillet

Ingredients:

One 1-1.5 lb. flank steak

One large leek, halved.

One large yellow squash, cut into half-rounds

1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved

Liquid bacon fat or butter

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Cumin

Cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

One avocado, chunked

Salad greens

Cashews

Dressing of choice

First, assemble the leeks, squash, and Brussels sprouts on a baking dish, and brush on both sides with the liquid bacon fat or butter:

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Preheat the oven to 400, and cook the vegetables for 10 minutes or so.  

In the meantime, grease the skillet with bacon fat, butter, or (ideally) both and pre-heat.  Dust the steak with the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Add a tiny pinch of cinnamon and cayenne to taste.  Cook the flank to your desired temperature; for medium rare, about four to five minutes a side ought to do:

Side note: to test the "doneness" of a steak, compare the "give" in the steak when poked with the pad of your thumb, like so:

Relaxed hand: rare

Index touching thumb: medium rare

Middle touching thumb: medium

Ring touching thumb: medium well

Pinky touching thumb: well

This is a useful trick Chef learned in culinary school and Cook learned when he was a line cook for a major restaurant chain which shall remain nameless.  For the record, Cook does not recommend the latter three levels of "doneness."

Check on the vegetables.  If they look like this:

the flip 'em over and stick 'em back in the oven for ten more minutes.

The steak should be looking pretty delicious by now:

so tent it up and let it cook in its own juices a bit more:

Once the vegetables are done roasting, let them sit for a bit while you chunk the avocado.  Then slice the flank and leek.

Lay down the greens and chunked avocado, and top with the roasted vegetables, steak, cashews, and dressing:

Ideally paired with a malbec, or in our case, TWO malbecs:

Power Salad: Eat it, and you could choke out the Incredible Hulk.

[achefandacook]

Stuffed, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Post forthcoming.  Chef's writing this one solo, as she did this one all on her own.

[achefandacook]

Lemon Chicken, Parsnip Puree, and Sauteed Spinach and Peppers

Chef was craving citrus, and Cook was craving spinach.  Chicken seemed to be the best way to unite the two, and it was nice to make a recipe which didn't allow Cook to go insane with the spice cabinet.

What You'll Need:

Heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven

Deep skillet or wok

Food processor

Ingredients:

2-3 large chicken breasts

3 parsnips

1 white onion

1 bunch spinach

1 red pepper

Zest and juice of 2 large lemons

Chicken stock

Dill

Salt and pepper

Bacon fat or butter

First, peel and slice the parsnips, preferably while sipping wine:

Place the parsnip on a greased metal baking dish, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until softened.  Chunk the onion, and place the onion and chicken in the pot with bacon fat or butter, salt, and pepper:

Add chicken stock until the liquid covers about half of the chicken.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.  Meanwhile, zest the lemons:

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pot:

Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill to the liquid in the pot.  Bring to a slow boil, uncovered, and reduce:

Meanwhile, clean the spinach and slice the bell pepper.  Sautee with bacon fat or butter, salt, and pepper:

Pulse the parsnips in the food processor until mashed well.  Top the chicken with the lemon-onion-dill sauce, and scoop some spinach and peppers alongside:

On a side note, parsnip mash may have eliminated mashed potato craving entirely for Chef and Cook.  It's delicious!

[achefandacook]

Pickled Onion, Shallot and Jalapeno update

We ended up fermenting the mixture on the kitchen counter for four days.  The process was going too slowly, so we moved the jar into the sun for three days.  By then, the bubbling had begun.  Three more days back in the shade, and the mixture was ready to put in jars.

To the left jar, we added Indian spices: curry powder, cumin, fenugreek, garam masala, and coriander.  To the right, we added herbs de provence, oregano, and bay leaves:

The mixture is pleasantly hot and sour, but the onions and shallots retain some of their succulent firmness.  Highly recommended on scrambled eggs.

[achefandacook]

Pork Roast with Root Vegetables and Southern-Style Greens

Some down-home cooking, Chef and Cook-style.  That means subbing delicious parsnips and rutabaga for potatoes in a classic, simple roast and pairing it with bacony mixed greens.

What You'll Need:

A slow cooker

Ingredients:

One 3.5 pound pork roast (we used Boston butt, which is pork shoulder)

Three carrots

Three parsnips

Two rutabaga, peeled

Greens (we used rainbow chard, dino kale, and mustard greens)

Four strips of bacon

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Hot sauce (we like Cholula) to taste

Garlic

Rosemary

Salt and pepper

Butter or bacon fat

First, slice up the carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga.  Wash, but don't peel, the carrots and parsnips.  The skin is delicious when stewed.  In a heavy-bottomed pan, brown the pork roast with salt, pepper, and bacon fat (or butter, if you must).  Add the root vegetables and pork roast to the slow cooker:

We'd like to point out the new slow cooker, a gift from Chef's stepsister, which is almost twice the size of our old one, and way cooler.  Cook cuddles it at night:

Top the pork with sliced garlic, add salt, pepper, and rosemary, and cook on high for six hours, basting as you go:

Meanwhile, shred the greens.  In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook the strips of bacon on low, turning once or twice, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is cooked, but not crispy.  Add the greens, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.  Add water until the greens are mostly covered.  Bring the pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat.  Simmer for 60-90 minutes:

Slice the pork, and plate with the stewed root vegetables and greens:

We sure do hope y'all enjoy this home-style recipe!

[achefandacook]

Tilapia and Vegetables with Curried Cauliflower Mash

It's been a long time since we updated this blog, so we've got some catching up to do.  Ignore the freezer-burned tilapia--this is best made with fresh.

What You'll Need:

Food processor

Ingredients:

Three tilapia filets

One heirloom tomato

One white onion

Two zucchini

Two yellow squash

One head of cauliflower

Butter (and bacon fat, if you're so inclined)

1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. fenugreek

Herbs de provence

Salt

Pepper

Start by slicing the zucchini, onion, and squash into rounds, and chunking the tomato:

Layer in a baking dish.  Start with the onion, then tomato, then the squash and zucchini.  Distribute thin pats of butter liberally over the surface, and season with salt and pepper:

Place the filets on top of the bed of vegetables and add a little dash of herbs de provence:

Preheat the oven to 350, cover the dish, and cook for 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, clean the cauliflower, break up, and cook in broth, water, and bacon fat or butter until soft.  Move the florets to the food processor, and add a pat of butter, the curry powder, cumin, fenugreek, and coriander:

Blend until smooth.  Uncover the fish and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until flaky.  Spoon the mash onto the plate, put the filets on top, and the vegetables to the side:

Bon appetit!

[achefandacook]

Shameless Plug

You know who else makes great food?  dinnr.

[achefandacook]

Paleo Panang Curry via The Ultimate Curry Method (tm)

This method for making curry, involving browning and braising the meat, slow-cooking the curry sauce, and adding a stewed onion-stock-bacon fat reduction, was created by Cook and his buddy from A League of Morons a few months ago for a Family dinner.  This particular variant is a paleo (read: almond butter) panang recipe, but simple alterations to the vegetables and curry paste used create good Thai curry of any type.

Done right, this is not particularly labor-intensive, but does take some time and TLC.

What You'll Need:

A large Dutch oven or stockpot

A slow cooker

Time

A food processor (if you're making the almond butter)

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs. pork roast (we used Boston butt)

1 cup almond butter (simply blend raw almonds in a food processor)

1 jar Thai red curry paste

3 cans organic coconut milk (NOT LIGHT)

1 orange bell pepper, chunked

1/2 yellow onion, chunked

1 bunch green onions, thickly sliced

1 sprig Thai basil

6-8 western basil leaves

2 2" stalks lemongrass

2 chunks dried galangal

5 dried red bird eye chiles

3 serrano chiles, sliced

2 whole or 1 Tbsp. bottled Kaffir lime leaves

Juice of two limes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 large butternut squash

16 oz. beef stock

Salt

Pepper

Bacon fat

Butter

NOTE: This is pleasantly spicy for the average palate.  If you are a spice freak, double the red bird eye chiles, serranos, and curry paste, or sub fresh Thai chiles for the serranos.

Start about seven hours before you plan to eat.  Warm a pat of butter and a heaping tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot, and brown the roast and onion on both sides:

Add the beef stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook four hours, turning once.

Start the curry sauce about halfway through the meat's cook time, right after you turn it.  Set your slow cooker to low, and mix the curry paste, one can of coconut milk, the lemongrass, galangal, salt and pepper, and the juice of one lime:

Cover and let it sit on low.

After the four hours are up, remove the meat (keep the heat on the pot) and slice/shred it:

Add the meat to the slow cooker and stir.  Meanwhile, raise the heat under the uncovered pot to medium-high, and stir vigorously to reduce the stewed onion/beef stock/bacon fat/butter mixture:

Note the pieces of pork fat liquefying in the pot.  This is a good thing.  Once the mixture is thick, but not jammy, add it to the slow cooker, along with another can of coconut milk, and stir.  Allow to cook on low for another hour to 90 minutes.

Stir well.  There will be a thick layer of oil and fat on top.  Do not worry.  This will get emulsified into the sauce later, when you add the almond butter.

Add the Thai basil, serrano peppers, red bird eye chiles, the juice of the other lime, and a touch more pepper.  Stir well.

Now it's time to cook the butternut squash.  Start by splitting the squash, lengthwise, and scooping out the seeds.  Grease a jelly roll pan with butter, and place the butternut squash halves, cut side down, with a pat of butter in each cavity.  This is different than we did things back when we made the Poached Chilean Sea Bass, because this squash mash is going to be more "al dente" to simulate the texture of rice.  Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, until it looks like this:

Turn off the oven, but keep the squash inside to keep it warm.

Next, it's time to finish the curry.  Add the bell peppers, green onion, and western basil, as well as the last can of coconut milk.  Stir well:

Turn the slow cooker to high, and cook 15-20 minutes.  Find and discard the galangal, lemongrass, and red bird eye chiles.  Some of the chiles may have disintegrated--do not worry.  That's supposed to happen.  Slowly add the almond butter, stirring until the sauce thickens and emulsifies:

Told you that oil and fat would get taken care of.  Cover the slow cooker while you make the butternut squash mash.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash, which should almost look like spaghetti squash.  If it's softer, no worries--you'll lose the rice texture, but none of the flavor.  Add salt, pepper, butter, and lemon juice, and mash it up:

Man, those are attractive rings Chef is wearing.  Cook has really good taste.  

Lay a bed of the mash in a bowl, and top with the curry sauce:

Afterwards, we recommend splitting a bomber of Stone's Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout for dessert:

Slainte!