I've always wanted a Paniolo Kitchen. Now, inspired by my dead stove, I can have one! My husband, bless his soul, is diligently excavating the crumbling mud wall which, each rainy season, washes across the service porch, and creating the foundation for the outdoor kitchen. I, meanwhile, am trying various configurations of the portable camp gear to see where I will want the permanent stone grill, oven, and the propane burners.
Of course, all these configurations must be thoroughly tested! What better way to test a Paniolo Kitchen, than to whip up some Paniolo meals? Cholesterol be d*****! Full Speed ahead!
Uncle's Paniolo-kine Huevos Rancheros
As many eggs and corn tortillas as you have paniolo (cowboys)
Big can refried beans
Yellow cheese
green onions
tomatoes
bell peppers
slab of bacon fat
Hawaiian salt or sea salt This recipe comes from an old paniolo friend of my dad. I only ever called him "Uncle." He was Mexican/Hawaiian.
|
Toss the slab of bacon fat into a huge skillet and set it over the fire. Slide the fat around to coat the skillet. While the skillet is greasing up, mince the bell peppers and tomatoes. Mince the green onion tops. Grate the cheese. Pull the fat when you have a good coating. Put as many tortillas in the skillet as will fit. Put a big glob of refried beans on each tortilla. Smoosh a dent in the middle of each. Crack an egg into the dent. Sprinkle with cheese, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers. Cover until the eggs set. Serve, and reload the skillet. Continue until all paniolo are fed.
Serve the Huevos Rancheros with Chili Pepper Water
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
2 cups water
2 cups vinegar
Hawaiian or sea salt
1 cup chili peppers
|
Clean the peppers. Mince about half of them very fine. Add a pinch of salt to the minced peppers and mash them with the salt. Put in a heat proof container, like a Pyrex jar. Add the whole peppers. Pour the vinegar and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pour over peppers. Bottle and let cool.
Paniolo Sausages
ground beef
bacon fat (uncooked)
cracked black pepper
minced onion
minced garlic
minced Greek Oregano
|
Measure out the fat so it equals the bulk of the ground beef. Mince very fine. Place in a large mixing bowl. For every pound of beef, add one teaspoon black pepper and one tablespoon of each of the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Now break the meat up and mix it in thoroughly.
Wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate at least 10 hours for the flavors to develop.
You can put this in casings, or make sausage patties or rounds.
All of these are good with Portuguese Sweet Bread. Here is a simple recipe.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
6 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 pkg. yeast, dissolved in warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. shortening
2 lb. flour
1/2 c. butter
1 c. evaporated milk combined with 1 c. water
|
Measure all ingredients. Mix flour, salt, butter and shortening. Add sugar. Add eggs. Add yeast. Gradually add milk combined with water. Mix, knead, form into loaves and let rise. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.
