The Simple Magic That Is Poutine

 

      Poutine is a classic Canadian dish from Quebec, consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and smothered in a hot brown gravy, traditionally made from beef and chicken stock. The hot gravy slightly melts the cheese curds, creating a savory, gooey, and salty combination that has evolved from humble origins to a celebrated symbol of Québécois culture, with many modern variations adding proteins or other toppings.

      In the U.S., poutine isn't called one specific name; you'll find it as "poutine" at some places (especially near the Canadian border) but often as variations like "Disco Fries" (fries with gravy and mozzarella/cheese sauce) or general "Loaded Fries" (with various toppings like bacon, sour cream, etc.), though purists note these lack authentic cheese curds, making them distinct from true Canadian poutine. 

      We only discovered this dish during our first road trip to Alaska in 2014.  It was different, and as many other Canadian dishes intrigued us.  Since then, we have had it sparingly, but I developed a recipe to adapt venison for the dish.  It is perhaps the perfect bar food or an easy night at home in front of the fire. 

      One of the best aspects of this dish is that you can modify to your individual tastes or regional favorites.  The only requirements seem to be fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  Anything else is up to the chef.   I can promise you cheese curds are the key; fresher the better.  This is my recipe. 

Axis Venison Poutine.  

1 pack of frozen French fries

cheese curds

1 pound of venison (or your choice of meat)

1 cup brown gravy

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

      Season your meat with choice of rub.  Slice into thin strips.  I like either Adolphs, Lawry's, Cavender's, or even a bit of nutmeg.  Sear in hot skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes per side.  Remove to platter to rest.

      Prepare your FF, I like to use my air fryer.  Time completion to be done with the gravy.  Make your gravy with either the bits and pieces and drippings left in the frying pan or a commercial mix in a small separate sauce pan; simmer.  When the FF are done, toss them with the cheese curds while hot so they begin to melt.

      Plate the FF and curds.  Arrange the sliced steak on top and cover everything with gravy.  Top with green onions and serve.  Cold beer is the perfect accoutrement.

Plated and ready to YUM

      I have made this twice including once in Texas for dear friends and their granddaughter.  They loved it. 

“While poutine is a dish unique to Eastern Canada (Montreal and Ottawa), the concoction of French fries covered in cheese curds and (for no apparent reason) gravy, clearly deciphers Canadian culture. First, heart-blocking poutine is the easiest explanation for Canada’s adoption of universal health care coverage. Poutine also serves as a sedative, making you so drowsy and serene you find yourself saying “a-boot” instead of “about.” The extra pounds you immediately gain help shield you against the bitter climate. The irrational love of hockey still remains a mystery to me, but I’m convinced it has something to do with poutine.”

 Jim Gaffigan

Fat Tuesday

 

      This holiday is traditionally the final, indulgent celebration before the 40-day fasting season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It is a global tradition featuring parades, costumes, and rich, fatty foods like king cake, paczki, and beignets, allowing people to feast before the fasting period.  We celebrated early as we will be in Wisconsin visiting friends during the actual holiday.  

      Although not part of any such culture by definition, Barb and I have adopted it as our favorite.  As such we celebrate every year with a traditional meal from this.  All too often it is Crawfish Etouffee, Gumbo, Red Beans n Rice, or Jambalaya.  This year I went with something different.  Kind of a blend of 80s Oklahoma City Molly Murphy's Bacchus Feast and a Low Country Boil.

Fat Tuesday Dinner

1 pack crab or surimi, chopped large

2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp

1 pound crawfish 

1 Tbsp parsley

1 medium yellow onion, quartered

2 heads garlic minced

14 ounces andouille sausage, sliced crosswise into 2-inch pieces

1 pound baby red potatoes (6 to 8), halved

3 ears corn, cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces

3 Tbsp olive oil or neutral cooking oil

4 quarts water

½ cup plus 1 Tbsp Cajun or Old Bay seasoning, divided

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

4 Tbsp salted butter

Tabasco sauce, for serving (optional)

Garlic bread

      Arrange all the crab, shrimp, crawfish rinsed on a plate.  

      Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a 7-quart or larger pot over medium heat until shimmering.  Add 1 quartered medium yellow onion, garlic, and 14 ounces sliced andouille sausage.  Sauté until the onions are softened and the garlic is golden-brown, about 3 minutes.  Add 4 quarts water, increase the heat to high, and cover.  Bring to a boil, 10 to 15 minutes.

      Add 1-pound halved baby red potatoes, 3 ears cut corn, and the Cajun or Old Bay seasoning, and stir to combine.  Cover and cook until the water returns to a boil.  Uncover, adding mushrooms if desired and simmer, adjusting the heat as needed, until the potatoes are fork tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

      Add the crab, shrimp, and crawfish and stir to combine.  Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 3 minutes.  Uncover and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid.  Drain the seafood and vegetables, then transfer onto baking sheets or directly onto the center of newspaper-lined table.

      Add 4 tablespoons salted butter and 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley to the reserved cooking liquid.  When the butter is melted, stir to combine to make the sauce.  Pour half of the sauce over the seafood and vegetables.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon Cajun or Old Bay seasoning.  Serve with garlic bread and the remaining sauce for dipping and Tabasco if desired.

It’s a great party, and anyone who doesn’t enjoy Mardi Gras is not of this world.” 

Franklin Alvarado

Boudin Crescent Ring

      We love Cajun and it is definitely in my 'Wheelhouse Favorites' to prepare.  Down to Earth good food, southern at its best.  This recipe is good any time of year but best prepared for a gathering where folks can tear off a piece and dip.  The type of dipping sauce here is only limited by your imagination.  

      Boudin is not readily available 'up north', but we stock up on our trips south.  

2 pounds boudin

2 packages (8 oz each) Crescent Rolls

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 to 2 jalapeños, chopped (I used chopped green Hatch Chiles)

1 egg

Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Choice of dip for serving

      Preheat oven to 350°F.  Remove boudin from casings. On a baking sheet or pizza stone, arrange crescent roll triangles in a circle with the wide ends overlapping in the center and points facing outward, creating a sun-burst pattern.  I apologize for my lack of creative dexterity. 

      Spread boudin evenly over only the wide ends of the crescents, leaving the pointed tips bare. Top the boudin with crumbled bacon and chopped peppers.

      Fold the pointed ends of each crescent over the filling toward the center, crisscrossing to create a ring shape. The filling will still be partially visible.

      Lightly beat the egg and brush it over the entire crescent ring. Unfortunately, my ring turned out to be more of a mound.  

      Bake for 10 to 13 minutes at 350°F or until the crescents are lightly golden brown.

In the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top and return to the oven until the cheese melts.  Serve warm with dip.  NOTE:  A simple dip here would be something like Queso, Remoulade Sauce, or Creole Mustard Dip.  Again, my presentation is not very aesthetically pleasing, but it is tasty.

  

"Boudin is like snowflakes; no two are alike"

George Graham

Turkey Enchiladas

 

      We always have about 1 gallon zip loc bag full of leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.  This is, perhaps one of the most perfect complimentary leftover recipes for Thanksgiving.  Delicious meat accompanied with Hatch Green Sauce and cheese for a delicious Tex Mex Meal.  

1 pound chopped turkey

8 medium flour tortillas

1 jar green sauce

Sour cream

Refried Beans

Monterey Jack cheese block for shredding

      Preheat oven to 350F.  Ensure turkey is chopped small.  Mix turkey, cheese, refried beans, and a spoonful of green sauce per tortilla.  Roll tightly.  

Tortillas dredged in Green Sauce then loaded with turkey and cheese then rolled 

     Pour some green sauce in bottom of casserole dish.  Line up enchiladas in pan till full.  Top with remaining green sauce, sour cream, and a bit of shredded cheese.

  

Prior to oven, topped with green sauce and more cheese and Hatch Seasoning

      Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until just bubbly.  Serve with cheesy refried beans. 

"There's only so many leftover turkey sandwiches one can handle after the holidays are over, which is why I love these turkey enchiladas so much! It uses up your leftovers in a unique, tasty and EASY way."

Rich Hilts

Southside Market Hot Beef Sausage

       Founded in 1882, this is the oldest BBQ joint in Texas.  Started out primarily as a meat market it evolved into a successful operation, both restaurant and market with several locations throughout Texas.  We have been there many times.  The BBQ is very good, but our primary purpose is to stock up on our favorite sausage.  SSM offers several very good sausage products, but our favorite is the 1882 Hot Beef Sausage. 

 

      Old-timers will tell you that Southside’s original sausage recipe was spicier, with more cayenne and cracked black pepper.  In tribute to them, and their own spicy history, they brought that hotter recipe back and named it for the year of Southside’s birth – 1882.  This is a premium all beef sausage, coarsely ground in a natural pork casing, made fresh, in-house daily just as it has been done for over 139 years.  Delicious beef with large cracked black pepper.  A little heat, but not HOT.  

      Available at all their locations, it is also available for order online.  1882 Hot Beef Smoked Sausage | Southside Market & Barbeque

      You can use this in practically any recipe calling for beef sausage.  You can even simply grill and eat it.  Some recommended recipes include:  

1882 Hot Beef Sausage & Hatch Green Chile Cheese Dip 

This spicy, gooey dip is a popular appetizer. The recipe involves combining diced and sliced 1882 Hot Beef Sausage with cream cheese, sour cream, hatch green chiles, and Mexican blend cheese. This mixture is then baked at 375°F until bubbly and served warm with chips.

 

Southside Sausage & Shrimp Cajun Foil Packets

This versatile dish can be cooked in the oven or on the grill. The recipe includes Southside 1882 Hot Beef Smoked Sausage cut into circles, corn, shrimp, red potatoes, white onion, and green bell pepper. These ingredients are combined with butter and Creole seasoning, sealed in foil packets, and cooked until the potatoes are tender, and the shrimp are done. Garnish with parsley and lemon. 

Southside Smoked Sausage & Hash Brown Breakfast Bake

This is a hearty breakfast option suitable for feeding a crowd. The recipe uses diced Southside Smoked Sausage (Hot Beef is recommended), thawed hash brown potatoes, diced bell peppers, and onion. These are mixed with a whisked mixture of eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, and seasoning, then baked at 350°F in a greased dish until golden brown and set. 

      You can Google any of the above recipes to get the exact recipe.  Obviously with this sausage you are only limited by your own imagination.  We picked up 4 more pounds during our Texas trip in December.  

"Love and sausage are alike. Can never have enough of either."

Dean Koontz

      

Crockpot Flanken Ribs

 

     Flanken ribs are short ribs cut across the bone rather than along it into thin slices, popular in Korean and Eastern European Jewish cuisine. Each piece typically contains 3 to 4 small cross-sections of bone. 

      Flanken ribs have a rich, flavor and good marbling. The thin cut makes them suitable for quick, high-heat cooking methods, distinguishing them from thicker, "English-style" short ribs, which require slow cooking or braising to become tender. 

2 lbs. Beef Flanken Ribs

1 small Yellow Onion sliced into thin pieces

1 cup carrot pieces

1 cup redskin potatoes or rutabagas

Sesame Seeds garnish

Green Onion garnish

Sesame Oil for searing

Ramen noodles or broccoli slaw

Marinade

1 Bartlett pear, cored and chopped

1 1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Mirin or Sherry

1 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp honey

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp dried ginger

      Remove the flanken ribs from the packaging and pat them dry to remove excess moisture.  Place the ribs into a shallow dish or container and set this aside.

      Make the marinade by adding all the ingredients together into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside about 1/2 cup and store in a separate container.  Pour over the ribs and make sure they are fully coated.  Add in the sliced onion and mix everything together, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

      In a small pot on the stove, cook down the saved 1/2 cup of marinade and let it reduce in half on low heat.  Remove from the burner and set aside.  Remove the flanken ribs from the marinade and discard the remaining liquid.  Pat the flanked ribs dry and prepare them for searing.

      Heat a large cast iron griddle over medium high heat or heat a grill to medium direct heat.  If searing on the cast iron griddle, add a little sesame oil and then sear each side of the flanken ribs for 1-2 minutes.  Add to crockpot with carrots and potatoes/rutabagas; adjust heat to high.  

      Prepare serving dish with a bed of cooked ramen noodles, mashed taters, or broccoli slaw.  

      When they are cooked, place them on the bed of noodles, taters, or slaw and brush them with the reduced marinade, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve!

"Push your boundaries, when it comes to cooking always look for more"

Rich Hilts

Picadillo Con Papa

 

      One of my all time favorite Tex Mex dishes, perfect for cool weather or large family gatherings.  It uses plenty of leftover brisket or other meats.  Warm, lightly spicy, and filling.  It is perfect for dinner or even breakfast with eggs.  You can follow the recipes and use this to fill tortillas or serve as is with tortillas on the side.  This meal has it all, it needs no sides.  

1 medium Russet potato or 2 white potatoes, diced

1 pound chopped, smoked brisket

1 tsp salt more to taste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp green chile powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic minced

1 small white onion diced

2 large Roma tomatoes roughly chopped

1/3 cup Hatch green chiles roughly chopped

1/4 cup water pinch of salt and Mexican oregano

Large flour or corn tortillas 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

      Preheat 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil in a nonstick pan to medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the diced potatoes and cook until browned and crispy in most spots.

      Transfer potatoes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, set aside.  Add the chopped brisket to that same skillet and heat to medium/high.  Season beef with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until nicely browned.

      Add the garlic and onion, continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, Hatch peppers, 1/4 cup water, salt and oregano to the picadillo.  Let it come to a boil and taste for salt.  Taste for seasonings and continue cooking at a low simmer until sauce thickens and reduces, 7-10 minutes.

      Remove from heat.   Add back in the potatoes and stir until well combined.  Increase skillet heat to med high.  Place equal amounts in each tortilla and roll to seal.  Place in skillet with oil and simmer 90 seconds per side, then remove and drain on paper towels.  Serve with dip of choice.  

"It was prepared often in our house because it could feed a large family for a low cost"