"But if the chicken is about method, the bread salad is more about recipe." So begin the instructions to one of Annalena's favorite dishes EVER: Zuni bread salad. So as to avoid confusion, she speaks of Zuni restaurant, NOT of Zuni Native Americans.
At Zuni Cafe' in San Francisco, the amazing roast chicken, is always served with this salad - which isn't really a salad. You will find the roast chicken recipe in this blog, very early on. YOu do not find the bread salad recipe there because, as many of you will understand, Annalena loves this recipe so much she can only make it occasionally. Last weekend was one such occasion. Ah, she may very well have to say that she would eat this before pasta. It is THAT good. And ultimately, it is very easy to do. It will SEEM difficult as you read through this, but do it, once, and you will find that very little cooking is involved. And, you will find that it is very economical. The most expensive ingredient you will need, is olive oil.
So, first, let us collect our ingredients. You will need a loaf of good white bread. No bagged nonsense from the grocery store, but an honest, bakery loaf. If you can get ciabatta, that will work well. So will things with names like "Italian peasant loaf," and so forth. Get one that weighs at least 12 ounces. That will not be a problem, as most loaf breads are at least a pound. You are going to need about a half pound of the white soft stuff. You are also going to need a half cup of olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons of a white vinegar (champagne, white wine, etc), and a good solid teaspoon of a red vinegar. Do not mix them. And no balsamic vinegar here, please. You will also need a hefty tablespoon of currants. Now, realizing that not every home has currants in it, you could substitute raisins if you had to. The salad would not be as good, but you could. Sliver three cloves of garlic, and chop up enough scallions, or green garlic, or spring onions, until you have a quarter cup. Finally, you will need two tablespoons of nuts. Pine nuts are called for, but Annalena has made this "salad" with slivered almonds. The nuts are there for the crunch, but you do not want anything too assertive. No hazelnuts here, please.
Turn your oven to the broiler option (pushing the button again....), and while that gets cranking up, take your bread, and remove as much of the crust as you can, and save it to make crumbs. Once you have the white grain, tear it into uneven chunks. No knives here, ragazzi, use your hands. You want irregular shapes. For 8 ounces, four hunks are fine. Now rub them all over with olive oil, put them on a pan under the broiler, and leave them for two minutes. Then turn them over for another two minutes, and get them out of the oven. They will be just lightly toasted, and the toasting will be uneven. Much of this dish is about unevenness and the nooks and crannies. All good.
Take a quarter cup of the olive oil, and mix it with the white vinegar. Stir it up, and save it, while you tear the cooled bread, into chunks. Again, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of bad cooks. Uneven, please. Bigger chunks, smaller chunks, etc. Put the stuff into a bowl, and pour that oil and vinegar mixture over it. Taste it. You want something slightly tart. If it is not tart enough for you, add a dash more vinegar. Put the bowl aside, and take that red vinegar, mix it with an equal amount of water, and pour that over the currants or raisins.
At this point, turn the oven to 500. If the broiler function has been working, you will have no trouble . It will be "there." And ready....
But not yet. Now, take a bit of the olive oil you have remaining, and add it to a small skillet, and toss in the garlic slivers and the scallions. Cook them until the scallions just begin to soften, and then stir in the nuts. Toss everything together for a minute, and then dump the stuff into the bread. So, too, with the currants and their soaking liquid.
Stir it all together, and toss it into a baking dish just big enough to hold it. Again, taste . You might want more olive oil, you might want more salt, you might want more vinegar, you may want all of the above. Go for it. Put this into the oven for 20 minutes. The original recipe calls for a foil "tent," which Annalena never uses.
And at the end of twenty minutes, you are done. And you have what is a remarkable "stuffing" without the need for that nasty cardboard box. IF you are making the chicken, you can put this into the oven after you have turned it for the final time. And if you want sheer bliss, pour a spoonful or two of the chicken drippings on the salad before you put it on the plate with the bird. But if you don't, that's fine, and you have a wonderful vegan side dish. Go back and check. No animal products in here, yes?
You will understand why Annalena does not make this often. This recipe theoretically serves four. Annalena could eat the whole thing herself.
Has she? She'll never tell. Will you?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
"We've got the beet(s)": pickled golden beets
Ragazzi, it seems that the world falls into two distinct camps in so many ways. The way we feel about beets is one of those: there are those, such as the Guyman, Sandra the artichoke queen, Annalena, and her friend Lucy (not his real name), who love them. Then there are those who recoil at the sight of them. But... within that camp of recoilers, there are... RECIDIVISTS. Ah yes, and therein probably lies a dissertation, or at least a Master's essay in nutrition. Shall the crazy woman elaborate?
In Annalena's experience, many people who hate beets, really don't. They hate the IDEA of beets, borne out of what they were forced to eat, as children, or even as adults. If all of us were still eating canned, "Harvard" beets (whatever Harvard had to do with them, we will never know), or the awful canned pickled beets of lore, we'd most of us hate them still. Annalena knows, from experience, however, that when confronted with beets cooked differently, things can change. The following is a word for word transcript of a conversation at Annalena's dinner table, with names changed to protect the innocent:
J "Annalena, these are good" (pointing his fork with a golden beet quarter impaled on it). What are they?"
A: beets
J No, they can't be beets, I hate beets.
A: they're beets
J No, really what are they
J's partner "they're beets J, and you'll eat them from now on."
When you give someone a beet that is well cooked, well prepared, it may not be love at first sight, but they will probably not hold up a silver cross and proclaim "Get thee behind me.." And if you have recalcitrant friends, there is no easier way to delude them into beet heaven, than with golden beets.
Truth to be told, golden beets do not taste as sweet as red ones do. Their advantages include NOT looking like beets, and, for those of us who are concerned about this kind of thing, not bleeding and staining things. So, if you wish to combine your beets with some other item and you are concerned that your beautiful white goat cheese will turn Pepto Bismol pink (which it won't, if you've tended to your red beets properly, but whatever), or that the potatoes in your potato salad will look like you bled on them, use the golden beets.
It must also be said that pickling beets is much easier than one would think. It is simply a matter of choosing a proper pickling liquid. This weekend past, Annalena was preparing some rather monstrous golden beets. The four of them weighed just shy of two pounds (in beet land a half pounder is a "medium sized beet"), and was wondering what to do with them. The pickling liquid came out of the need to use some things in the refrigerator. Now, many of you will not have the seville oranges and meyer lemon which Annalena used handy, so she has provided an alternative to you, sweet thing that she is.
First, let us deal with cooking the beets. We will have to be approximate here, because Annalena, far seeing that she is, cannot tell how big the roots you will have are. Remove any remnant of leaves from them, and give them a good soaking to remove any dirt (they ARE root vegetables, amici). Then put them in a non metal pan with about half an inch of water, cover it tightly with tin foil, and place the pan in a 350 degree oven, and come back after half an hour. Remove a corner of the foil, and test the largest one, with a knife. Pierce it. If it enters without too much resistance, your beets are ready. If you feel as if you are cutting through rock, replace the foil and continue to bake. Annalena's gang of four took 90 minutes to bake, so you can be in for a wait.
While this is happening, squeeze two seville oranges. You will recognize these in the market as the ugly oranges: the ones which look like they've collapsed. They are sometimes called sour oranges - because they are - or marmalade oranges - because they are - or Spanish oranges - which they sometimes are but usually aren't, and a meyer lemon. Mix these juices together.
Now, if you do not have these ingredients, you can make a reasonable facsimile by using two navel oranges, and one large lisbon lemon. Those you can find. Anywhere. Anytime. Then add two tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt, mix it together, and taste. You will probably feel a need for sweetness, and indeed, some honey is called for. Whisk this in, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a liquid which actually tastes stronger than you want it to taste on your beets. You might also want to add a big spoon of mustard of some type. Annalena does
When your beets have baked/steamed to a point where you can pierce them, to the center, remove the pan from the oven, and let the beets cool , but just for long enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. You will need to slice them while they are warm. First, run them under a stream of tepid water, and rub the skins off. Usually, this happens easily, but if you have difficulty, use the back of a knife and scrape the stuff off.
Once you've done that, if the beets are large, slice them in half lengthwise, and then into half moons. If they are smaller, circles, or full moons are fine. Then, toss them into the liquid you've put together, stir everything together, and let this sit at room temperature until everything has cooled down.
Not all of the liquid will permeate the beets. In fact, most of it will not. And that's fine. When you store them in the fridge, pour the leftover liquid on top of them. Chances are, they will soak up some more of it, and whatever is left, is something you can use as a component of salad dressing on its own, or something to toss over steamed vegetables. It is really good.
Lucy, Sandra, this one is for you both.
In Annalena's experience, many people who hate beets, really don't. They hate the IDEA of beets, borne out of what they were forced to eat, as children, or even as adults. If all of us were still eating canned, "Harvard" beets (whatever Harvard had to do with them, we will never know), or the awful canned pickled beets of lore, we'd most of us hate them still. Annalena knows, from experience, however, that when confronted with beets cooked differently, things can change. The following is a word for word transcript of a conversation at Annalena's dinner table, with names changed to protect the innocent:
J "Annalena, these are good" (pointing his fork with a golden beet quarter impaled on it). What are they?"
A: beets
J No, they can't be beets, I hate beets.
A: they're beets
J No, really what are they
J's partner "they're beets J, and you'll eat them from now on."
When you give someone a beet that is well cooked, well prepared, it may not be love at first sight, but they will probably not hold up a silver cross and proclaim "Get thee behind me.." And if you have recalcitrant friends, there is no easier way to delude them into beet heaven, than with golden beets.
Truth to be told, golden beets do not taste as sweet as red ones do. Their advantages include NOT looking like beets, and, for those of us who are concerned about this kind of thing, not bleeding and staining things. So, if you wish to combine your beets with some other item and you are concerned that your beautiful white goat cheese will turn Pepto Bismol pink (which it won't, if you've tended to your red beets properly, but whatever), or that the potatoes in your potato salad will look like you bled on them, use the golden beets.
It must also be said that pickling beets is much easier than one would think. It is simply a matter of choosing a proper pickling liquid. This weekend past, Annalena was preparing some rather monstrous golden beets. The four of them weighed just shy of two pounds (in beet land a half pounder is a "medium sized beet"), and was wondering what to do with them. The pickling liquid came out of the need to use some things in the refrigerator. Now, many of you will not have the seville oranges and meyer lemon which Annalena used handy, so she has provided an alternative to you, sweet thing that she is.
First, let us deal with cooking the beets. We will have to be approximate here, because Annalena, far seeing that she is, cannot tell how big the roots you will have are. Remove any remnant of leaves from them, and give them a good soaking to remove any dirt (they ARE root vegetables, amici). Then put them in a non metal pan with about half an inch of water, cover it tightly with tin foil, and place the pan in a 350 degree oven, and come back after half an hour. Remove a corner of the foil, and test the largest one, with a knife. Pierce it. If it enters without too much resistance, your beets are ready. If you feel as if you are cutting through rock, replace the foil and continue to bake. Annalena's gang of four took 90 minutes to bake, so you can be in for a wait.
While this is happening, squeeze two seville oranges. You will recognize these in the market as the ugly oranges: the ones which look like they've collapsed. They are sometimes called sour oranges - because they are - or marmalade oranges - because they are - or Spanish oranges - which they sometimes are but usually aren't, and a meyer lemon. Mix these juices together.
Now, if you do not have these ingredients, you can make a reasonable facsimile by using two navel oranges, and one large lisbon lemon. Those you can find. Anywhere. Anytime. Then add two tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt, mix it together, and taste. You will probably feel a need for sweetness, and indeed, some honey is called for. Whisk this in, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a liquid which actually tastes stronger than you want it to taste on your beets. You might also want to add a big spoon of mustard of some type. Annalena does
When your beets have baked/steamed to a point where you can pierce them, to the center, remove the pan from the oven, and let the beets cool , but just for long enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. You will need to slice them while they are warm. First, run them under a stream of tepid water, and rub the skins off. Usually, this happens easily, but if you have difficulty, use the back of a knife and scrape the stuff off.
Once you've done that, if the beets are large, slice them in half lengthwise, and then into half moons. If they are smaller, circles, or full moons are fine. Then, toss them into the liquid you've put together, stir everything together, and let this sit at room temperature until everything has cooled down.
Not all of the liquid will permeate the beets. In fact, most of it will not. And that's fine. When you store them in the fridge, pour the leftover liquid on top of them. Chances are, they will soak up some more of it, and whatever is left, is something you can use as a component of salad dressing on its own, or something to toss over steamed vegetables. It is really good.
Lucy, Sandra, this one is for you both.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Keep on fishing: poached soy tilefish, with scallions
Ah, ragazzi, here is the good news. Annalena is replete with recipes to send to this blog, for you to enjoy, or not. The not so good news, is that every time she has a good recipe in mind, another one comes along which pushes the first one away, and given that Annalena's mind, especially her memory, is not as good as it once was, it makes things a bit more challenging. Per esempio, this weekend past, she made the "classic" accompaniment to the Zuni roast chicken recipe posted here oh, so long ago: bread salad. It is good, and it will be here. It was supposed to be here already. But then... she made pickled golden beets and they are GOOD. And THEY were to come on first. BUT.... as Annalena was feeling virtuous over her occasional bouts of healthy eating, and the fish recipe of yesterday was SUPPOSED to go up last week, that took precedent. And then, last night, she made this. And given the positive reinforcement she received from YOU, ragazzi, about the broiled fish recipe, she had to give you yet another fish dish, which is again, of lower calories.
See, here is how it happens with Annalena and fish: on Mondays, she heads to the Farmers Market, to visit the Karlin stand, give Wade grief, conspire with Jan, and buy fish. This being a local stand, which sells what they catch, one never knows what is going to be there. With exceptions. Scallops are pretty much a constant, as are flounder. And both are terrific. But the challenge of something "NEW" always informs Annalena's cooking, as it should yours. Yesterday, there was tilefish on the "menu" at the stand. It is not there frequently. Annalena suspects that a few of them may have gotten misdirected in transit, and wound up in Cap Karlin's nets. And a scant pound of the filets wound up in Annalena's bag, with the thought "Oh dear, what SHALL we do with this ?" (well, the thought was a bit more foul). Annalena does have her share of standard recipes, but she consults frequently with one of Mark Bittman's first book, on fish cookery. He had a recipe for tilefish that sounded wonderful, and it is.
But first... Annalena suggests that you perhaps google images of tilefish, for these are beautiful fish. She remembers that this type was much more prevalent in fish markets in her younger days, when it was available frequently as steaks, and one could see the vivid interplay of blue and yellow from the fish skin.
One does eat with one's eyes, but one also eats with a memory of what things taste like. Annalena remembered how good the fish tasted, and the fact that the available selection was filets, did not stop her. Nor should it stop you. You should make this recipe. EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE, and especially those of you who are, in fact, looking for tasty ways to reduce the fats that you eat. Because this one.... OH, yum.
Ok, let us start. You will need these ingredients: the tilefish: 3/4 to 1 pound. A cup of clam juice, or fish stock, or chicken stock. Some really good quality soy sauce (you should know that, like wine, soy sauce does come in different levels of quality and type, way beyond "low salt" and "regular" DO visit an Asian grocery store and ask). You will only need a tablespoon of it, but it should be the best you can find. And some scallions/green garlic/spring onions/baby leeks. You all know what she means by this, yes? Finally, a plastic bag with about a cup of flour in it, with a large pinch of salt and some pepper, and a non-stick pan.
Your fish will probably come in one, large piece. Cut it into the number of pieces you will need. Then, put it in the bag, with the seasoned flour, and shake to coat. While you need a cup of flour to do this, you will ultimately be using about two teaspoons of it. If you can figure out a way to use less flour (for this must be tossed after it is done), then by all means.
Now, put two tablespoons (remember, ragazzi, we MEASURE when we are looking to reduce calories. We do NOT eyeball), into a nonstick pan, and start heating it. Perhaps you should check beforehand, to make sure your fish will all fit into the pan. Annalena did so, and was glad she cut her large piece into two, smaller pieces.
You really need to let the oil get hot here, for a very simple reason: nothing will suck up fat faster than flour. If the oil is hot, a sear will occur and the oil will not be absorbed as quickly as if it is not. In any event, you will probably use all the oil here, but worry not. Sear the fish for two minutes or so, on each side, just to crisp it a bit. Put it on a plate while you move to the next step, with is sauteeing your onion entity. These, you should slice into thin coins, until you have a good 1/2-3/4 cup of them. As with your car, "check the oil." If there is none in the pan, add another tablespoon. If there is very little, add it anyway. You will probably need to do this. Heat it up, and saute' the onion coins for about three minutes, adding a bit of salt. Use medium heat, and try not to brown them too much. Spoon them out of the pan.
Add the clam juice/ fish stock/chicken stock to the pan together with the soy sauce (one tablespoon, remember?), and then gently place the fish into the pan. Keep the heat low, and cook for about five minutes on one side. Now, with a more than usual modicum of care, get a paddle, and flip the fish pieces, and cook them for another three minutes. (You might want to add some sliced ginger to this cooking liquid. Next time for Annalena).
You will not be using the liquid, unless you wish to reduce it and drizzle it over your fish, which is totally unnecessary. Rather, plate your fish, spoon the green onions over it, and... VOILA.
Now, let's go back through that recipe, shall we? Three tablespoons of fat, two teaspoons of flour, a pound of fish, a cup of onions, clam juice and soy sauce. That sounds not too bad, oui?
So, ragazzi, do treat yourself to this. In Annalena's view, this was about as close to something you could get in a restaurant as you will get at home. Enjoy it.
See, here is how it happens with Annalena and fish: on Mondays, she heads to the Farmers Market, to visit the Karlin stand, give Wade grief, conspire with Jan, and buy fish. This being a local stand, which sells what they catch, one never knows what is going to be there. With exceptions. Scallops are pretty much a constant, as are flounder. And both are terrific. But the challenge of something "NEW" always informs Annalena's cooking, as it should yours. Yesterday, there was tilefish on the "menu" at the stand. It is not there frequently. Annalena suspects that a few of them may have gotten misdirected in transit, and wound up in Cap Karlin's nets. And a scant pound of the filets wound up in Annalena's bag, with the thought "Oh dear, what SHALL we do with this ?" (well, the thought was a bit more foul). Annalena does have her share of standard recipes, but she consults frequently with one of Mark Bittman's first book, on fish cookery. He had a recipe for tilefish that sounded wonderful, and it is.
But first... Annalena suggests that you perhaps google images of tilefish, for these are beautiful fish. She remembers that this type was much more prevalent in fish markets in her younger days, when it was available frequently as steaks, and one could see the vivid interplay of blue and yellow from the fish skin.
One does eat with one's eyes, but one also eats with a memory of what things taste like. Annalena remembered how good the fish tasted, and the fact that the available selection was filets, did not stop her. Nor should it stop you. You should make this recipe. EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE, and especially those of you who are, in fact, looking for tasty ways to reduce the fats that you eat. Because this one.... OH, yum.
Ok, let us start. You will need these ingredients: the tilefish: 3/4 to 1 pound. A cup of clam juice, or fish stock, or chicken stock. Some really good quality soy sauce (you should know that, like wine, soy sauce does come in different levels of quality and type, way beyond "low salt" and "regular" DO visit an Asian grocery store and ask). You will only need a tablespoon of it, but it should be the best you can find. And some scallions/green garlic/spring onions/baby leeks. You all know what she means by this, yes? Finally, a plastic bag with about a cup of flour in it, with a large pinch of salt and some pepper, and a non-stick pan.
Your fish will probably come in one, large piece. Cut it into the number of pieces you will need. Then, put it in the bag, with the seasoned flour, and shake to coat. While you need a cup of flour to do this, you will ultimately be using about two teaspoons of it. If you can figure out a way to use less flour (for this must be tossed after it is done), then by all means.
Now, put two tablespoons (remember, ragazzi, we MEASURE when we are looking to reduce calories. We do NOT eyeball), into a nonstick pan, and start heating it. Perhaps you should check beforehand, to make sure your fish will all fit into the pan. Annalena did so, and was glad she cut her large piece into two, smaller pieces.
You really need to let the oil get hot here, for a very simple reason: nothing will suck up fat faster than flour. If the oil is hot, a sear will occur and the oil will not be absorbed as quickly as if it is not. In any event, you will probably use all the oil here, but worry not. Sear the fish for two minutes or so, on each side, just to crisp it a bit. Put it on a plate while you move to the next step, with is sauteeing your onion entity. These, you should slice into thin coins, until you have a good 1/2-3/4 cup of them. As with your car, "check the oil." If there is none in the pan, add another tablespoon. If there is very little, add it anyway. You will probably need to do this. Heat it up, and saute' the onion coins for about three minutes, adding a bit of salt. Use medium heat, and try not to brown them too much. Spoon them out of the pan.
Add the clam juice/ fish stock/chicken stock to the pan together with the soy sauce (one tablespoon, remember?), and then gently place the fish into the pan. Keep the heat low, and cook for about five minutes on one side. Now, with a more than usual modicum of care, get a paddle, and flip the fish pieces, and cook them for another three minutes. (You might want to add some sliced ginger to this cooking liquid. Next time for Annalena).
You will not be using the liquid, unless you wish to reduce it and drizzle it over your fish, which is totally unnecessary. Rather, plate your fish, spoon the green onions over it, and... VOILA.
Now, let's go back through that recipe, shall we? Three tablespoons of fat, two teaspoons of flour, a pound of fish, a cup of onions, clam juice and soy sauce. That sounds not too bad, oui?
So, ragazzi, do treat yourself to this. In Annalena's view, this was about as close to something you could get in a restaurant as you will get at home. Enjoy it.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Push the button, Max, and save some calories: broiling fish
There is a button on your oven which Annalena believes you probably have not pushed, or perhaps have pushed very little. She does NOT refer to the self cleaning button, although..... No, ragazzi, she means the button that turns on the broiler function of your oven.
Way, WAY back, just after the discovery of fire, when Annalena was un piccolo ragazzo, her grandmother used to curse a blue streak, in dialect, whenever she had to use the broiler. Nana's oven had a "bottom broiler," and the oven was low, to begin with. This mean, of course, that Nana, who was nearly as round as she was tall (4'10'' in her heels), had to perform some rather serious gymnastics to get food in and out. It resulted in us eating a lot of "griddled," rather than "grilled" cheese (which was the way she would make it when she wanted to guilt us up).
Well, times change. Annalena has observed that, for most of us, the broiler function of our ovens is at the top now, rather than the bottom, and since most of us have ovens that are at eye level now, this is much more convenient.
And Annalena is also quite convinced that most of us do not use the broiler option more than once in a while. Why is that, ragazzi? Is it fear? Well, if your oven is in fact not all that immaculate, and there is a great deal of accumulated fat, perhaps you should indeed press that self clean button and eliminate it, because, speaking of eliminating excess fat, broiling, as we shall see in this recipe, is an extremely easy way to eliminate a goodly portion of fat in what you are cooking: IF you know how to do it correctly. Today, we shall investigate a recipe involving little fat. Tomorrow, another one where, well, 'tis not so much. It is all about balance.
One of the major reasons that we use fat in our cooking is that it is a carrier: fats dissolve flavors, much more efficently than any class of molecule. If you were to eat, for example, a tablespoon of pure protein, with no flavoring agents added, you would taste... nothing. Not so with fats. One may not LIKE the flavor, but pure fats do have flavors: olive oil, butter, lard, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc. And, many of the molecules we associate with flavor (most of which fall into a general family called "esters." See what you learn here?) are in fact fat soluble. Not all are, but most are. So, when you add fat to a dish, you are adding a way to accentuate its flavor. Similarly, by adding fat, you allow a dish to carmelize more easily. In a series of chemical reactions called "The Maillard reaction" (you're learning even more, SEE?), the surface of foods carmelizes, and those carmelized ends add more flavor. Who amongst us does not favor the carmelized bits of macaroni and cheese, for example, or the "burnt bits" of barbecue fame. So, essentially, if you want flavorful food, you will have to use fat.
BUT... this does NOT mean you have to use as much as a recipe calls for. Especially when you are broiling. Annalena recently made this recipe, and when she saw the amount of fat called for, was astounded. She cut it in half, and could have cut it further. Let us make it together.
The recipe is simplicity personified. You will need a one pound piece of codfish. You can substitute another, thick piece of whitefish, but in using cod, Annalena learned something herself, that she will pass on to you. Codfish is a good fish to use for those of you who are never sure if your fish is cooked, because when codfish is cooked, the surface cracks, in a V shaped pattern.
Annalena did not know this. So, start with codfish. Most of you will like this as codfish has almost an innocuous flavor, it is available constantly and locally, and is not wildly expensive. It is also on the lower calorie side of fish .
You will also need, as an OPTION, but let's make it this way, shall we, a half cup of bread crumbs. If you are thrifty and have made your own, please use them. If you are not and have not, then use what you have. Annalena's original recipe called for unflavored bread crumbs, but in a nod to her Nana, Annalena uses "italian style" bread crumbs. Do not ask why. She then augments this with chopped, fresh herbs. In addition to salt and pepepr, you will need two tablespoons of olive oil. Please note that the recipe originally called for four, and as you will see, you may cut these two tablespoons down, even further.
First things, first. Turn on your oven, and turn on the broiler. But before you do that, move a rack in the oven, so that it is 4-6 inches from the heating element. Now turn on the broiler, and let it get cracking for about 5 minutes. Get a metal baking sheet, and rub the surface of it, with some of that oil. Then, put the fish in the middle, sprinkle some salt, and pepper on it, and then rub it all over with the oil.
Annalena SWEARS that the original recipe called for two whole tablespoons to do this. It actually took her, probably on the order of a half tablespoons, at best, to produce a piece of fish that was completely covered with oil. Put this aside for a minute, and wash your hands. Dump those breadcrumbs into a small skillet, and, over low/medium heat, toast them. When they begin to darken, dump them into a bowl, off of the heat. If you wait until they all brown, you will burn them, as they will continue to cook well after they are off the heat.
Now, here's another place where you could cut back the oil. Annalena did not. She should have. First, put that fish in the oven, under the broiler, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes. You will hear sizzling and snapping. This is good. While this is happening, IF YOU LIKE, you should pour some olive oil, into the toasted crumbs. You do NOT need to do this. In fact, you do not need to use the bread crumbs at all, and you will still have a delicious piece of fish. But try this, ok? If you do not want to use all of them, don't. If you would like to dice a clove of garlic into the breadcrumbs, do so (Annalena lobbies against garlic here, because the fish is delicate). If you decide to use, them, after 6 minutes of cooking, protect your hands, take out the tray, and sprinkle the crumbs over the fish. Put it back in the oven and broil for three minutes, no longer.
And you are done. Annalena guarantees you, you will be feeling after this recipe that simpler is better with fish. And, at most, you will have added two tablespoons of oil, and probably less, to a recipe that is, at its essence, not all that caloric. Continue with other, low calorie items on your plate, or splurge. The option is yours, but know now, that you have a tasty item in your repertoire that can easily be done whenever you like.
Way, WAY back, just after the discovery of fire, when Annalena was un piccolo ragazzo, her grandmother used to curse a blue streak, in dialect, whenever she had to use the broiler. Nana's oven had a "bottom broiler," and the oven was low, to begin with. This mean, of course, that Nana, who was nearly as round as she was tall (4'10'' in her heels), had to perform some rather serious gymnastics to get food in and out. It resulted in us eating a lot of "griddled," rather than "grilled" cheese (which was the way she would make it when she wanted to guilt us up).
Well, times change. Annalena has observed that, for most of us, the broiler function of our ovens is at the top now, rather than the bottom, and since most of us have ovens that are at eye level now, this is much more convenient.
And Annalena is also quite convinced that most of us do not use the broiler option more than once in a while. Why is that, ragazzi? Is it fear? Well, if your oven is in fact not all that immaculate, and there is a great deal of accumulated fat, perhaps you should indeed press that self clean button and eliminate it, because, speaking of eliminating excess fat, broiling, as we shall see in this recipe, is an extremely easy way to eliminate a goodly portion of fat in what you are cooking: IF you know how to do it correctly. Today, we shall investigate a recipe involving little fat. Tomorrow, another one where, well, 'tis not so much. It is all about balance.
One of the major reasons that we use fat in our cooking is that it is a carrier: fats dissolve flavors, much more efficently than any class of molecule. If you were to eat, for example, a tablespoon of pure protein, with no flavoring agents added, you would taste... nothing. Not so with fats. One may not LIKE the flavor, but pure fats do have flavors: olive oil, butter, lard, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc. And, many of the molecules we associate with flavor (most of which fall into a general family called "esters." See what you learn here?) are in fact fat soluble. Not all are, but most are. So, when you add fat to a dish, you are adding a way to accentuate its flavor. Similarly, by adding fat, you allow a dish to carmelize more easily. In a series of chemical reactions called "The Maillard reaction" (you're learning even more, SEE?), the surface of foods carmelizes, and those carmelized ends add more flavor. Who amongst us does not favor the carmelized bits of macaroni and cheese, for example, or the "burnt bits" of barbecue fame. So, essentially, if you want flavorful food, you will have to use fat.
BUT... this does NOT mean you have to use as much as a recipe calls for. Especially when you are broiling. Annalena recently made this recipe, and when she saw the amount of fat called for, was astounded. She cut it in half, and could have cut it further. Let us make it together.
The recipe is simplicity personified. You will need a one pound piece of codfish. You can substitute another, thick piece of whitefish, but in using cod, Annalena learned something herself, that she will pass on to you. Codfish is a good fish to use for those of you who are never sure if your fish is cooked, because when codfish is cooked, the surface cracks, in a V shaped pattern.
Annalena did not know this. So, start with codfish. Most of you will like this as codfish has almost an innocuous flavor, it is available constantly and locally, and is not wildly expensive. It is also on the lower calorie side of fish .
You will also need, as an OPTION, but let's make it this way, shall we, a half cup of bread crumbs. If you are thrifty and have made your own, please use them. If you are not and have not, then use what you have. Annalena's original recipe called for unflavored bread crumbs, but in a nod to her Nana, Annalena uses "italian style" bread crumbs. Do not ask why. She then augments this with chopped, fresh herbs. In addition to salt and pepepr, you will need two tablespoons of olive oil. Please note that the recipe originally called for four, and as you will see, you may cut these two tablespoons down, even further.
First things, first. Turn on your oven, and turn on the broiler. But before you do that, move a rack in the oven, so that it is 4-6 inches from the heating element. Now turn on the broiler, and let it get cracking for about 5 minutes. Get a metal baking sheet, and rub the surface of it, with some of that oil. Then, put the fish in the middle, sprinkle some salt, and pepper on it, and then rub it all over with the oil.
Annalena SWEARS that the original recipe called for two whole tablespoons to do this. It actually took her, probably on the order of a half tablespoons, at best, to produce a piece of fish that was completely covered with oil. Put this aside for a minute, and wash your hands. Dump those breadcrumbs into a small skillet, and, over low/medium heat, toast them. When they begin to darken, dump them into a bowl, off of the heat. If you wait until they all brown, you will burn them, as they will continue to cook well after they are off the heat.
Now, here's another place where you could cut back the oil. Annalena did not. She should have. First, put that fish in the oven, under the broiler, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes. You will hear sizzling and snapping. This is good. While this is happening, IF YOU LIKE, you should pour some olive oil, into the toasted crumbs. You do NOT need to do this. In fact, you do not need to use the bread crumbs at all, and you will still have a delicious piece of fish. But try this, ok? If you do not want to use all of them, don't. If you would like to dice a clove of garlic into the breadcrumbs, do so (Annalena lobbies against garlic here, because the fish is delicate). If you decide to use, them, after 6 minutes of cooking, protect your hands, take out the tray, and sprinkle the crumbs over the fish. Put it back in the oven and broil for three minutes, no longer.
And you are done. Annalena guarantees you, you will be feeling after this recipe that simpler is better with fish. And, at most, you will have added two tablespoons of oil, and probably less, to a recipe that is, at its essence, not all that caloric. Continue with other, low calorie items on your plate, or splurge. The option is yours, but know now, that you have a tasty item in your repertoire that can easily be done whenever you like.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The 700 club NOT, and the spring dishes begin: pasta with dandelions
Well, ragazzi, here we are at post 700! My, my, my. As the song says "What a long, strange trip it's been." Have we not all been through much? When we started, back in late autumn, 2007, things were so different. For Annalena, there has been a job change, a marriage, a change in health, and a fifty pound weight difference. How have you changed in that length of time? Annalena, for one, is curious to know.
In days to come, Annalena plans to revisit "eating clean" with some information on how she has cut back on calories - and how she has FAILED to do so - but for today, with late breaking news: at the farmers market yesterday, Annalena was absolutely thrilled to see that there were local dandelion greens, and watercress. Both are wild, and foraged. Even better. And dandelion is a natural diuretic. So as Annalena has a weigh in next week....
Both of these greens, like most early spring greens, are peppery, or at least have bite, or have a bitter edge to them, etc. One wonders what the connection is there. Any thoughts? Well, young dandelion greens, as these were, do not take well to long time storage. So, it was time to use them, as MFK Fisher wrote "not now, but NOW." And, as Annalena was looking for a dish she could make with the remnants of some other things, here it is. It is good, it is easy. And if you think through this, you can change things as you see fit. It is also FAST.
Annalena had a container of cherry tomatoes left over from lunch last week. Organic, and beginning to give her the stinkeye. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful thing to have around, when you want a quick sauce. They do not need slicing, and indeed, Annalena used them, whole in this sauce, and watched as they disintegrated in the cooking, which is exactly what she wanted to happen. You will thus need, a cup of cherry tomatoes, and about a cup of dandelion greens. Wash them. Remember, these are foraged. Buddha only knows what went on them. You also need one bunch of watercress. Annalena does not wash this, as it grows in (DUH) water. Keep them separate, and chop both.
Now, MEASURE (remember: we're watching calories here), two tablespoons of olive oil into a big pan. Add the cherry tomatoes , and stir them around to coat them in the oil. Add a big pinch of salt, and let them cook away. You may want to lower the heat to medium and cover the pot, which will speed things even more. And while that is happening, get a big pot of salted water going, to bring it to the boil.
After the tomatoes have cooked a few minutes, toss in the dandelion greens. Now, you really should cover the pan, and lower the heat, and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, and if they give and break up, proceed to the next step. If they do not, more cooking please.
OFF the heat, stir in a cup of ricotta (Need Annalena remind you to use GOOD stuff), and about half a cup of chopped up mozzarella (ditto). Stir this around. The residucal heat of the dish will melt the mozzarella somewhat, and the ricotta will keep its integrity, from not being exposed to too much heat. Finally, add the chopped watercress.
She guarantees you, it takes longer to read this, than it takes to make the sauce. Taste it, and add salt and pepper as you like. When the water boils, add a pound of fresh pasta. Something short and stubby - like penne, and cook it to aldente.
Keep a cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta, and toss it into your sauce. Stir it all together. If you feel it is too thick, add some of the water, and keep doing so, until you have the texture you want. Finally, a grating of parmesan cheese over everything.
Springtime lunch. Easy, yes? Fast, yes? And fairly healthy too. A pound of pasta? Hmmm. Three healthy appetites dispatched this (the Guyman and Annalena had run three miles without breakfast prior to the meal), and a very happy doorman was amongst them.
Vegetarians, did you note? Not a drop of meat. Sorry vegans, but if you added more greens in place of the cheese, you will enjoy this as well. Annalena suggests NOT using soy cheeses here, as she is unsure of how the heat will impact them.
So, onward we go , ragazzi. It may be interesting to look at posts 1,2,3 etc hundred. In the meantime, Annalena wonders what 1000 will bring. Stay tuned
In days to come, Annalena plans to revisit "eating clean" with some information on how she has cut back on calories - and how she has FAILED to do so - but for today, with late breaking news: at the farmers market yesterday, Annalena was absolutely thrilled to see that there were local dandelion greens, and watercress. Both are wild, and foraged. Even better. And dandelion is a natural diuretic. So as Annalena has a weigh in next week....
Both of these greens, like most early spring greens, are peppery, or at least have bite, or have a bitter edge to them, etc. One wonders what the connection is there. Any thoughts? Well, young dandelion greens, as these were, do not take well to long time storage. So, it was time to use them, as MFK Fisher wrote "not now, but NOW." And, as Annalena was looking for a dish she could make with the remnants of some other things, here it is. It is good, it is easy. And if you think through this, you can change things as you see fit. It is also FAST.
Annalena had a container of cherry tomatoes left over from lunch last week. Organic, and beginning to give her the stinkeye. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful thing to have around, when you want a quick sauce. They do not need slicing, and indeed, Annalena used them, whole in this sauce, and watched as they disintegrated in the cooking, which is exactly what she wanted to happen. You will thus need, a cup of cherry tomatoes, and about a cup of dandelion greens. Wash them. Remember, these are foraged. Buddha only knows what went on them. You also need one bunch of watercress. Annalena does not wash this, as it grows in (DUH) water. Keep them separate, and chop both.
Now, MEASURE (remember: we're watching calories here), two tablespoons of olive oil into a big pan. Add the cherry tomatoes , and stir them around to coat them in the oil. Add a big pinch of salt, and let them cook away. You may want to lower the heat to medium and cover the pot, which will speed things even more. And while that is happening, get a big pot of salted water going, to bring it to the boil.
After the tomatoes have cooked a few minutes, toss in the dandelion greens. Now, you really should cover the pan, and lower the heat, and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, and if they give and break up, proceed to the next step. If they do not, more cooking please.
OFF the heat, stir in a cup of ricotta (Need Annalena remind you to use GOOD stuff), and about half a cup of chopped up mozzarella (ditto). Stir this around. The residucal heat of the dish will melt the mozzarella somewhat, and the ricotta will keep its integrity, from not being exposed to too much heat. Finally, add the chopped watercress.
She guarantees you, it takes longer to read this, than it takes to make the sauce. Taste it, and add salt and pepper as you like. When the water boils, add a pound of fresh pasta. Something short and stubby - like penne, and cook it to aldente.
Keep a cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta, and toss it into your sauce. Stir it all together. If you feel it is too thick, add some of the water, and keep doing so, until you have the texture you want. Finally, a grating of parmesan cheese over everything.
Springtime lunch. Easy, yes? Fast, yes? And fairly healthy too. A pound of pasta? Hmmm. Three healthy appetites dispatched this (the Guyman and Annalena had run three miles without breakfast prior to the meal), and a very happy doorman was amongst them.
Vegetarians, did you note? Not a drop of meat. Sorry vegans, but if you added more greens in place of the cheese, you will enjoy this as well. Annalena suggests NOT using soy cheeses here, as she is unsure of how the heat will impact them.
So, onward we go , ragazzi. It may be interesting to look at posts 1,2,3 etc hundred. In the meantime, Annalena wonders what 1000 will bring. Stay tuned
Friday, March 23, 2012
Why grandpa, what big feet you have: calzones
Annalena knows you all know the jokes about what having big feet means. Let her tell you: in her experience, the only thing big feet mean is that the gentleman (or gentlewoman) in question, needs big shoes. And big socks. And that is our hook for today's post.
Calzones: know what calzone means? BIG sock. Yes, indeed. "un calzo" is a sock in Annalena's mother tongue, and whenever you add an "one" to the end of a word in that tongue, it means a BIG version of what you began with. So, "minestrone," is a big soup . And it is. Compare that, of course, to "ino," which makes everything small. So, if the man had small feet, he'd need calzino.
See how much you learn, and see how clever Annalena is, in leading you to the new item to discuss?
Ah, you know not how lucky you are.
Annalena has wondered about including this recipe because, to her, making a calzone is just an extension of making a pizza. Yet, when she speaks to people who know how to make pizza, of making calzones, eye get bigger, mouths form the "oooooo" shape, and there's total amazement.
Ragazzini , it is not difficult. Let us proceed.
First, you do need pizza dough, and by the miracle of computer technology, go to:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2012/03/bit-by-bit-putting-it-together.html
to get Annalena's pizza dough recipe. The dough for one pizza will result in enough for two, massive calzones, which everyone will say they cannot finish, but will anyway, or four normal sized oned. The Guyman and Annalena had these last night, and while they sat there saying "it's too big" they ate them anyway.
No comments, ragaccio ("accio": add to make something bad: parla: word parlaccio: curse). Capisce?
So you have that dough, and of course, just as with the pizza, you will need to heat your oven to 500 degrees. While that is happening, we will be making a filling. Here is the one that Annalena made last night, but please play with this recipe. There are so many ways one can make a calzone.
Farmers have caught on that in thinning their crops, they can sell the resulting thinnings to customers. Indeed, farmers have begun thinning, and that means that green garlic, one of the Guyman's favoritest things on the face of the earth, is now available. If you do not have this, then use scallions, or leeks, or any member of the onion family that is too immature to have "bulbed." You will be finding spring onions, for example.
Anyway, chop up about a cup of your chosen alium, white and green part, and saute' it in about a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Saute' at a gentle heat: don't let the stuff brown. Then pour it into a bowl, with a cup each of fresh ricotta, and diced mozzarella cheese. If you are making a calzone with something like sausage, the smoked variety may be called for. For green garlic, however, given its delicacy, some plain old buffala is what you want.
Mix this all together, and then taste for salt and pepper. You will probably want some of each. Put this aside now, while we prepare the calzone crusts.
Take that dough, and divide it into as many portions as you see fit. Roll them out, and instead of going for a perfect circle, go for an ellipse, or oval. Now, let us address the issue of the filling. Eyeball portions of it: if you are making two big calzoness, eyeball half. If four, quarters. And so on, and so forth.
It may seem to you , as it should, that when filling a circular/oval piece of dough like this, the thing to do is to put the filling right in the center. Not so. This will make it very difficult to close the critter. What you want to do is put it in the first THIRD of the dough, closest to you. Leave a good half- full inch on the borders. If this means heaping up the filling, so be it. Then, take the portion with no filling on it, and fold it over the filling. Press the pieces together. You can do this by hand, but it works much better if you use the back of a fork, and it also leaves a pretty little pattern.
If you have time, leave the calzones to rest for an hour, maybe two. When you're ready to bake them, prick a few holes in the top with a fork. If you like, you can beat up an egg, and spread that as a wash over the calzones before the pricking, but this is absolutely unnecessary.
Move the calzones into the oven, and bake for about fifteen minutes. They will not puff up much (your pizza dough didn't, did it?), and you will wind up with something rather delicious and , if you are serving people who are used to eating pizzas, something they will regard as "special."
One WARNING here, amici. Unlike pizza, which is exposed, calzones are sealed, so all that hot steam has accumulated. Some has gotten out of the holes, but not all, and the filling is ridiculously hot. And as you have mozzarella in here that has melted....
You do understand that Annalena cares for you and does not want you to burn yourself, don't you? Try to restrain yourself for a good ten-fifteen minutes while the calzones cool down. Then, especially if you have made the larger ones, go at them with a knife and fork.
With some greens and a salad, this is an informal meal that does not feel like one.
You are now empowered to make dinner calzones, fruit calzones, breakfast calzones, and so forth. You may very well find out that you prefer these to pizza.
And no one will care how big your feet are.
Calzones: know what calzone means? BIG sock. Yes, indeed. "un calzo" is a sock in Annalena's mother tongue, and whenever you add an "one" to the end of a word in that tongue, it means a BIG version of what you began with. So, "minestrone," is a big soup . And it is. Compare that, of course, to "ino," which makes everything small. So, if the man had small feet, he'd need calzino.
See how much you learn, and see how clever Annalena is, in leading you to the new item to discuss?
Ah, you know not how lucky you are.
Annalena has wondered about including this recipe because, to her, making a calzone is just an extension of making a pizza. Yet, when she speaks to people who know how to make pizza, of making calzones, eye get bigger, mouths form the "oooooo" shape, and there's total amazement.
Ragazzini , it is not difficult. Let us proceed.
First, you do need pizza dough, and by the miracle of computer technology, go to:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2012/03/bit-by-bit-putting-it-together.html
to get Annalena's pizza dough recipe. The dough for one pizza will result in enough for two, massive calzones, which everyone will say they cannot finish, but will anyway, or four normal sized oned. The Guyman and Annalena had these last night, and while they sat there saying "it's too big" they ate them anyway.
No comments, ragaccio ("accio": add to make something bad: parla: word parlaccio: curse). Capisce?
So you have that dough, and of course, just as with the pizza, you will need to heat your oven to 500 degrees. While that is happening, we will be making a filling. Here is the one that Annalena made last night, but please play with this recipe. There are so many ways one can make a calzone.
Farmers have caught on that in thinning their crops, they can sell the resulting thinnings to customers. Indeed, farmers have begun thinning, and that means that green garlic, one of the Guyman's favoritest things on the face of the earth, is now available. If you do not have this, then use scallions, or leeks, or any member of the onion family that is too immature to have "bulbed." You will be finding spring onions, for example.
Anyway, chop up about a cup of your chosen alium, white and green part, and saute' it in about a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Saute' at a gentle heat: don't let the stuff brown. Then pour it into a bowl, with a cup each of fresh ricotta, and diced mozzarella cheese. If you are making a calzone with something like sausage, the smoked variety may be called for. For green garlic, however, given its delicacy, some plain old buffala is what you want.
Mix this all together, and then taste for salt and pepper. You will probably want some of each. Put this aside now, while we prepare the calzone crusts.
Take that dough, and divide it into as many portions as you see fit. Roll them out, and instead of going for a perfect circle, go for an ellipse, or oval. Now, let us address the issue of the filling. Eyeball portions of it: if you are making two big calzoness, eyeball half. If four, quarters. And so on, and so forth.
It may seem to you , as it should, that when filling a circular/oval piece of dough like this, the thing to do is to put the filling right in the center. Not so. This will make it very difficult to close the critter. What you want to do is put it in the first THIRD of the dough, closest to you. Leave a good half- full inch on the borders. If this means heaping up the filling, so be it. Then, take the portion with no filling on it, and fold it over the filling. Press the pieces together. You can do this by hand, but it works much better if you use the back of a fork, and it also leaves a pretty little pattern.
If you have time, leave the calzones to rest for an hour, maybe two. When you're ready to bake them, prick a few holes in the top with a fork. If you like, you can beat up an egg, and spread that as a wash over the calzones before the pricking, but this is absolutely unnecessary.
Move the calzones into the oven, and bake for about fifteen minutes. They will not puff up much (your pizza dough didn't, did it?), and you will wind up with something rather delicious and , if you are serving people who are used to eating pizzas, something they will regard as "special."
One WARNING here, amici. Unlike pizza, which is exposed, calzones are sealed, so all that hot steam has accumulated. Some has gotten out of the holes, but not all, and the filling is ridiculously hot. And as you have mozzarella in here that has melted....
You do understand that Annalena cares for you and does not want you to burn yourself, don't you? Try to restrain yourself for a good ten-fifteen minutes while the calzones cool down. Then, especially if you have made the larger ones, go at them with a knife and fork.
With some greens and a salad, this is an informal meal that does not feel like one.
You are now empowered to make dinner calzones, fruit calzones, breakfast calzones, and so forth. You may very well find out that you prefer these to pizza.
And no one will care how big your feet are.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Revisit, remake, improve: rhubarb lemon squares
This one is for Ms. Sue S, and Mr Jeremy W, both inveterate bakers, and afficiandos of what we in the kitchen world call, ahem "the bar cookie." DO NOT confuse those with the cute whatever sitting at the stool, probably drinking a brandy alexander, or, Buddha help us all, a cosmo.
Lemon squares. You know them. Of course you do. They are a feature of bake sales, school fundraisers, and one of the featured treats in one of Annalena's favorite books, "Patty Jean's House of Curl." Hmmm. In fact, Annalena COULD see both Ms. Sue and Mr. J as characters in that book. Anyway, maybe you've even made them. Annalena has. She's made them often. But not for awhile. Having made these yesterday, she now knows why.
It is kind of ironic to post a recipe like this after posting one for healthier pizza, because there is NOTHING healthier about this recipe. The stats , should you want to know, are that if you cut these into 35 pieces, they have 150 calories. EACH. And 7 grams of fat. EACH. Trust Annalena, ragazzi, it will NOT feel that way when they are going down. But such is cookies. Enjoy them, and if , like Annalena, you are looking for ways to reduce the number of bags of frozen "stuff" in your freezer, this is a good one. And, Ms. Danielle P, this is one that nascent bakers can make. It is very, VERY easy.
Let us begin. Now, ideally, you will have a jelly roll pan for making these. That is a 10x15 inch baking sheet. If you do not have one, get one, as fast as you can. Annalena was skeptical of "yet another baking pan," but these are just the right size for many things. If you do not have one, a 9x13 inch baking pan will do fine, but it will be more challenging to remove the squares when they are done, since there will be sides on the pan, and you will have difficulties. One way to address this is to line your pan with parchment paper, such that you put sheets at a 90 degree angle, and when the pan of goodies is nice and firm, you can lift it out and then cut it. Of course, this means delayed gratification.
Annalena's baking clan will probably be able to recite the recipe for crust, from memory: a stick of unsalted buttter, .25 cup sugar, a bit of salt, 2.5 cups of all purpose flower, and 2, large eggs. Put all the dry stuff together, and then cut up the butter, and work it into the dough. A food processor or mixer will work super fine here, but if you have neither, use your finger tips. Just keep on mixing it up until you have something that looks a bit like rough oatmeal. Then stir in the eggs.
You have a very rough looking dough, but that's ok. Who doesn't like their sweets a little rough? After all, it's like kissing a man without stubble....
Ok, enough of that. Now, get your pan, and either rub the butter left over from the paper all over it, or spray some non stick, or put down that parchment paper. Dump in your dough, and with dry hands, press it as evenly as possible , trying to fill in every nook and cranny. Please do not get OCD on this, because it is a home dessert, and it need not be perfect. Indeed, people will look at you funny if they are (they may do that anyway, but who cares?).
Now, pop the pan into the oven, which has been pre-set to 350 , and bake it for 8 minutes. This is more than enough time for you to make the filling, which involves a stick of melted butter, the juice of meyer lemons to make half a cup, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Just dump it all together, and stir to a uniform moosh.
Of the lemons: Annalena had tons of meyers on hand, so used them. As these are sweeter than regular lemons, she cut back sugar, and added the grated rind of one of the lemons. If you are using regular lemons, up the sugar to 1.25 cups, and use the rind as well. If you are not in the habit of grating rind into your citrus dishes, start now. You will thank Annalena whenever you say your prayers.
Ok, so you take that sheet out of the oven, making sure you've protected your hands. Pour the glop over the dough, move the pan around to distribute it evenly, and get it back in the oven. This will now bake, for about 25 minutes, maybe a few minutes longer in the 9x13 pan. You want the custard to firm up.
Now, let's push this. While the squares are baking, we're going to make what Annalena is calling "red glaze." It was, originally, strawberry rhubarb glaze, but Annalena had no strawberries, and used frozen raspberries from last summer instead. You can use whatever you like, as long as you have 1.5 pounds of it. And, rather than use those frightening creatures called "berries from Chile," buy frozen stuff if you don't have it on hand. If you are using rhubarb, you want half a pound, as compared to a pound of the other fruit. Put this all in a pot with a half cup of sugar, and then put your heat to low, and stir, stir, stir. When you have a boil, add another half cup of sugar and a quarter cup of water into which you have dissolved 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Keep stirring, and watch as the mixture changes color, and thickness. When you have a boil that is somewhat scary (you know what Annalena means: the bubbles are such that you're wondering if your face is going to get burned), get it off the heat.
When the pan of lemon squares comes out of the oven, pour the goop over it, and spread it out. Let it all firm up nicely. Refrigeration helps, but is not necessary. Then, get a knife, and cut away.
Of course, the bakers in the bunch will know that these are just fine without the glaze. Annalena recently found a product which is an ingenious bit of marketing: someone has taken citrus flavored fruit slices, and cut them in quarters, selling them as "citrus bits." If you have such, you can decorate each square with one of them, and people may faint over the cuteness of such.
These are GOOD. Perhaps too good. Which may explain why they haven't come out of the kitchen lately. Eat one, eat ten, "all in moderation," but sometimes, not.
Lemon squares. You know them. Of course you do. They are a feature of bake sales, school fundraisers, and one of the featured treats in one of Annalena's favorite books, "Patty Jean's House of Curl." Hmmm. In fact, Annalena COULD see both Ms. Sue and Mr. J as characters in that book. Anyway, maybe you've even made them. Annalena has. She's made them often. But not for awhile. Having made these yesterday, she now knows why.
It is kind of ironic to post a recipe like this after posting one for healthier pizza, because there is NOTHING healthier about this recipe. The stats , should you want to know, are that if you cut these into 35 pieces, they have 150 calories. EACH. And 7 grams of fat. EACH. Trust Annalena, ragazzi, it will NOT feel that way when they are going down. But such is cookies. Enjoy them, and if , like Annalena, you are looking for ways to reduce the number of bags of frozen "stuff" in your freezer, this is a good one. And, Ms. Danielle P, this is one that nascent bakers can make. It is very, VERY easy.
Let us begin. Now, ideally, you will have a jelly roll pan for making these. That is a 10x15 inch baking sheet. If you do not have one, get one, as fast as you can. Annalena was skeptical of "yet another baking pan," but these are just the right size for many things. If you do not have one, a 9x13 inch baking pan will do fine, but it will be more challenging to remove the squares when they are done, since there will be sides on the pan, and you will have difficulties. One way to address this is to line your pan with parchment paper, such that you put sheets at a 90 degree angle, and when the pan of goodies is nice and firm, you can lift it out and then cut it. Of course, this means delayed gratification.
Annalena's baking clan will probably be able to recite the recipe for crust, from memory: a stick of unsalted buttter, .25 cup sugar, a bit of salt, 2.5 cups of all purpose flower, and 2, large eggs. Put all the dry stuff together, and then cut up the butter, and work it into the dough. A food processor or mixer will work super fine here, but if you have neither, use your finger tips. Just keep on mixing it up until you have something that looks a bit like rough oatmeal. Then stir in the eggs.
You have a very rough looking dough, but that's ok. Who doesn't like their sweets a little rough? After all, it's like kissing a man without stubble....
Ok, enough of that. Now, get your pan, and either rub the butter left over from the paper all over it, or spray some non stick, or put down that parchment paper. Dump in your dough, and with dry hands, press it as evenly as possible , trying to fill in every nook and cranny. Please do not get OCD on this, because it is a home dessert, and it need not be perfect. Indeed, people will look at you funny if they are (they may do that anyway, but who cares?).
Now, pop the pan into the oven, which has been pre-set to 350 , and bake it for 8 minutes. This is more than enough time for you to make the filling, which involves a stick of melted butter, the juice of meyer lemons to make half a cup, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Just dump it all together, and stir to a uniform moosh.
Of the lemons: Annalena had tons of meyers on hand, so used them. As these are sweeter than regular lemons, she cut back sugar, and added the grated rind of one of the lemons. If you are using regular lemons, up the sugar to 1.25 cups, and use the rind as well. If you are not in the habit of grating rind into your citrus dishes, start now. You will thank Annalena whenever you say your prayers.
Ok, so you take that sheet out of the oven, making sure you've protected your hands. Pour the glop over the dough, move the pan around to distribute it evenly, and get it back in the oven. This will now bake, for about 25 minutes, maybe a few minutes longer in the 9x13 pan. You want the custard to firm up.
Now, let's push this. While the squares are baking, we're going to make what Annalena is calling "red glaze." It was, originally, strawberry rhubarb glaze, but Annalena had no strawberries, and used frozen raspberries from last summer instead. You can use whatever you like, as long as you have 1.5 pounds of it. And, rather than use those frightening creatures called "berries from Chile," buy frozen stuff if you don't have it on hand. If you are using rhubarb, you want half a pound, as compared to a pound of the other fruit. Put this all in a pot with a half cup of sugar, and then put your heat to low, and stir, stir, stir. When you have a boil, add another half cup of sugar and a quarter cup of water into which you have dissolved 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Keep stirring, and watch as the mixture changes color, and thickness. When you have a boil that is somewhat scary (you know what Annalena means: the bubbles are such that you're wondering if your face is going to get burned), get it off the heat.
When the pan of lemon squares comes out of the oven, pour the goop over it, and spread it out. Let it all firm up nicely. Refrigeration helps, but is not necessary. Then, get a knife, and cut away.
Of course, the bakers in the bunch will know that these are just fine without the glaze. Annalena recently found a product which is an ingenious bit of marketing: someone has taken citrus flavored fruit slices, and cut them in quarters, selling them as "citrus bits." If you have such, you can decorate each square with one of them, and people may faint over the cuteness of such.
These are GOOD. Perhaps too good. Which may explain why they haven't come out of the kitchen lately. Eat one, eat ten, "all in moderation," but sometimes, not.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
"bit by bit, putting it together." "Healthier" pizza
Ragazzi, let's face some facts: pizza is NOT health food. You will see reports, which are accurate, which say that pizza is wholesome food, and it is: IN MODERATION. And if you make it yourself, you get the benefit of not using preservatives, knowing what has gone into your food, etc. But it is NOT a bowl of steamed broccoli, it is NOT a baked chicken breast, etc.
But it IS good. Annalena had a challenge put in front of her, some time ago, from Ms. Emily, which was to make it HEALTHY. Well, it has taken awhile, and Annalena's conclusion: you cannot make pizza healthy, but you can make it HEALTHIER. And that is just what we are going to do here.
Let Annalena explain what the specific challenge was. Ms. Emily asked if it were possible for Annalena to make her pizzas with whole wheat crust. And Annalena tried. The verdict: it IS possible, but here are the facts: to Annalena's taste, the crusts were heavy, somewhat too wet, and they did not puff and lighten, the way pizza crusts do. In retrospect, this is undertandable: whole wheat flour is heavier than white flour. It is also more absorbent, and it holds more water, longer. BUT... the major reason has to do with the reason we eat whole wheat: the bran.
If you look at bran under a microscope, as Annalena has done, it will probably remind you of a razor blade. With good reason. On the molecular level, the edges of bran are sharp. They are not sharp enough to cut you when you eat them, but on that micro level, they will cut the strands of gluten, which are what make breads, and other yeast products, stretch and rise. They do not do it to ALL of them, but the more bran in your recipe, the more likely this will be. If you do not mind bread which is not very high, and which is dense, proceed with all of your 100% whole wheat recipes.
But let us face it: in sandwiches, and in pizzas, we want a springy, light flavored thing to eat. And we notice it when we do not have it. Annalena DOES make 100% whole wheat bread. When she does, her sandwiches are of the "club" variety, because the bread does not rise very high, and the slices are smaller. Her whole wheat pizza crusts were tasty, but were more like crackers, than bread. (Incidentally, this is not so much a problem with things like pie crust, or the flat breads we all made together recently.
Where there is a will, however, there is a way. And we start this recipe, with the first component, a healthier pizza crust. Let us begin. You start by combining one tablespoon of yeast, and one teaspoon of salt, with a cup of water. Have an extra cup of water at hand. You will need some of it. The water should be cold, because hot water may very well kill your yeast. Stir it together. Add three tablespoons of olive oil. Then add 2 cups of white flour, and stir it together. Now add 1/3 cup of corn meal, and finally , 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Keep stirring. You will probably find this too dry, and that is why you start adding your water, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a product that adheres. You will probably need from 1/2-3/4 cup of additional water.
Dump this out onto a clean surface, and begin kneading. How to knead? Well,here's how Annalena does it: Take the end of the dough furthest away from you, and fold 1/3 of it in, toward the center of your mass of dough. Press it down with the palms of your hands. You will get some bicep work here. Now, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and repeat. And keep on doing this. For anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Eventually, you will get a smooth, even mass. When you have that, put the thing in a bowl, cover it, and leave it for a full hour.
Now, we turn to the topping, a place where we can easily get distracted with lots of stuff that is very high in fat. Not the way to make pizza, ragazzi. "Pizza" comes from a root that means "bread" (think "pita" for example). Pizza is about the crust, so your 'condimenti' as we Italians call them, should be savory, and limited. We're going to make one that is rather low in the bad things: we're going to carmelize onions, and you're going to be astonished by this.
You need 2 pounds or so of red onions. Peel them, half them lengthwise, and then make half moon slices. Now get a big pan ready (non stick is better here, but you can make this work with any pan. MEASURE (do not eyeball), one - AND ONLY ONE - tablespoon of olive oil in that pan. Heat it at medium, and add the onion slices, with 1 teaspoon of salt. Leave them alone for about five minutes, then lower the heat, and stir them.
Keep on doing this, every couple of minutes. You're going to be doing this for a good 30-45 minutes, and you'll see water come off of the onions, and then they will begin to carmelize (did you know onions have more sugar in them than any vegetable? Betcha you didn't). While you're doing this slow saute', start preheating your oven, to 500 degrees.
Your two pounds of onions are going to shrink to a bout a scant 1.5 cups of very tasty onions. (You should think about making these generally and keeping them on hand). If, toward the end, they stick too much, add a tablespoon of water at a time, and stir until they release. And when they're done, put them aside.
Now, get a dozen olives. Olives are certainly rich in fat, but HEY, a dozen of them? Annalena prefers black ones. Smash them with the back part of your knife to remove the pits, and put them aside. They don't have to be perfect.
Ok, we have onions, cooked with one tablespoon of oil, olives, and of course , tomato sauce (there is a good recipe for sauce in this blog. Go for it). What are we lacking? One of the "evilities" of pizza: THE CHEESE. And yes, it is very easy to put tons and tons and tons of cheese on a pizza. It is easier to do so, if you are adding it in chunks.
If you watch pizzaioli (pizza makers), making pizza, you will see them work with shredded cheese. They are not doing this to make a healty pie. They are doing it to save money. Shredded cheese goes further. Now, you can buy godawful preshredded cheese in the supermarket, but you can do it yourself. And a way to make it easier to do, take a chunk of mozzarella, and put it in the freezer for ten-fifteen minutes before you want to use it. No low fat or non fast stuff, please. It is better used as a baseball. Then get out your three sided grater. You know what to do.
Now, let's put it together. Remember that dough? It will make two, large pizzas or three smaller ones. Let's work with half. Use a rolling pin, your hands, or whatever you like, to spread it out as thin as you like. Annalena likes it to be 12-14 inches in diameter, and if it's not perfectly round, who cares?
Move it to your baking surface. Most of you do not have pizza stones. Annalena suggests taking a baking sheet, putting a piece of parchment on the underside of it, and putting the crust on top of that. This will make it much easier to get off of the pan when you're ready to eat. Spread about half of your onions over it, and then a few tablespoons of tomato sauce. "Few" here, means no more than four or so. Spread it around with the back of your spoon. Now add the olives, spreading them out around the pie, evenly. Finally, the cheese. Maybe.
Let Annalena explain on that. Shredded cheese will brown, and burn, quickly. So if you are using a thick pizza crust, which will take longer to bake, do not put the cheese on yet. Rather, put the pie into the oven and bake for ten minutes, and then remove it, add the cheese, and bake for another ten or so. If you have a thin crust (Annalena's favorite), put the cheese onto the pie, and bake it for 15-17 minutes without taking it out.
And you're done. It is much easier to do than this recipe may sound, as you will find when you make it.
No, it is not "good for you." But you've put some whole wheat into your body, and you've used less cheese than you would normally use, and you've also gotten some low calorie vegetables on your pizza as a topping. And it is delicious. Think not? Try it. Annalena will send you a picture of the one she made if you like. But you show her yours too. It's only fair.
Live a little. Make a pizza. Make a healthier one. Ms E would approve, but only if you exercised first - and you should have.
But it IS good. Annalena had a challenge put in front of her, some time ago, from Ms. Emily, which was to make it HEALTHY. Well, it has taken awhile, and Annalena's conclusion: you cannot make pizza healthy, but you can make it HEALTHIER. And that is just what we are going to do here.
Let Annalena explain what the specific challenge was. Ms. Emily asked if it were possible for Annalena to make her pizzas with whole wheat crust. And Annalena tried. The verdict: it IS possible, but here are the facts: to Annalena's taste, the crusts were heavy, somewhat too wet, and they did not puff and lighten, the way pizza crusts do. In retrospect, this is undertandable: whole wheat flour is heavier than white flour. It is also more absorbent, and it holds more water, longer. BUT... the major reason has to do with the reason we eat whole wheat: the bran.
If you look at bran under a microscope, as Annalena has done, it will probably remind you of a razor blade. With good reason. On the molecular level, the edges of bran are sharp. They are not sharp enough to cut you when you eat them, but on that micro level, they will cut the strands of gluten, which are what make breads, and other yeast products, stretch and rise. They do not do it to ALL of them, but the more bran in your recipe, the more likely this will be. If you do not mind bread which is not very high, and which is dense, proceed with all of your 100% whole wheat recipes.
But let us face it: in sandwiches, and in pizzas, we want a springy, light flavored thing to eat. And we notice it when we do not have it. Annalena DOES make 100% whole wheat bread. When she does, her sandwiches are of the "club" variety, because the bread does not rise very high, and the slices are smaller. Her whole wheat pizza crusts were tasty, but were more like crackers, than bread. (Incidentally, this is not so much a problem with things like pie crust, or the flat breads we all made together recently.
Where there is a will, however, there is a way. And we start this recipe, with the first component, a healthier pizza crust. Let us begin. You start by combining one tablespoon of yeast, and one teaspoon of salt, with a cup of water. Have an extra cup of water at hand. You will need some of it. The water should be cold, because hot water may very well kill your yeast. Stir it together. Add three tablespoons of olive oil. Then add 2 cups of white flour, and stir it together. Now add 1/3 cup of corn meal, and finally , 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Keep stirring. You will probably find this too dry, and that is why you start adding your water, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a product that adheres. You will probably need from 1/2-3/4 cup of additional water.
Dump this out onto a clean surface, and begin kneading. How to knead? Well,here's how Annalena does it: Take the end of the dough furthest away from you, and fold 1/3 of it in, toward the center of your mass of dough. Press it down with the palms of your hands. You will get some bicep work here. Now, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and repeat. And keep on doing this. For anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Eventually, you will get a smooth, even mass. When you have that, put the thing in a bowl, cover it, and leave it for a full hour.
Now, we turn to the topping, a place where we can easily get distracted with lots of stuff that is very high in fat. Not the way to make pizza, ragazzi. "Pizza" comes from a root that means "bread" (think "pita" for example). Pizza is about the crust, so your 'condimenti' as we Italians call them, should be savory, and limited. We're going to make one that is rather low in the bad things: we're going to carmelize onions, and you're going to be astonished by this.
You need 2 pounds or so of red onions. Peel them, half them lengthwise, and then make half moon slices. Now get a big pan ready (non stick is better here, but you can make this work with any pan. MEASURE (do not eyeball), one - AND ONLY ONE - tablespoon of olive oil in that pan. Heat it at medium, and add the onion slices, with 1 teaspoon of salt. Leave them alone for about five minutes, then lower the heat, and stir them.
Keep on doing this, every couple of minutes. You're going to be doing this for a good 30-45 minutes, and you'll see water come off of the onions, and then they will begin to carmelize (did you know onions have more sugar in them than any vegetable? Betcha you didn't). While you're doing this slow saute', start preheating your oven, to 500 degrees.
Your two pounds of onions are going to shrink to a bout a scant 1.5 cups of very tasty onions. (You should think about making these generally and keeping them on hand). If, toward the end, they stick too much, add a tablespoon of water at a time, and stir until they release. And when they're done, put them aside.
Now, get a dozen olives. Olives are certainly rich in fat, but HEY, a dozen of them? Annalena prefers black ones. Smash them with the back part of your knife to remove the pits, and put them aside. They don't have to be perfect.
Ok, we have onions, cooked with one tablespoon of oil, olives, and of course , tomato sauce (there is a good recipe for sauce in this blog. Go for it). What are we lacking? One of the "evilities" of pizza: THE CHEESE. And yes, it is very easy to put tons and tons and tons of cheese on a pizza. It is easier to do so, if you are adding it in chunks.
If you watch pizzaioli (pizza makers), making pizza, you will see them work with shredded cheese. They are not doing this to make a healty pie. They are doing it to save money. Shredded cheese goes further. Now, you can buy godawful preshredded cheese in the supermarket, but you can do it yourself. And a way to make it easier to do, take a chunk of mozzarella, and put it in the freezer for ten-fifteen minutes before you want to use it. No low fat or non fast stuff, please. It is better used as a baseball. Then get out your three sided grater. You know what to do.
Now, let's put it together. Remember that dough? It will make two, large pizzas or three smaller ones. Let's work with half. Use a rolling pin, your hands, or whatever you like, to spread it out as thin as you like. Annalena likes it to be 12-14 inches in diameter, and if it's not perfectly round, who cares?
Move it to your baking surface. Most of you do not have pizza stones. Annalena suggests taking a baking sheet, putting a piece of parchment on the underside of it, and putting the crust on top of that. This will make it much easier to get off of the pan when you're ready to eat. Spread about half of your onions over it, and then a few tablespoons of tomato sauce. "Few" here, means no more than four or so. Spread it around with the back of your spoon. Now add the olives, spreading them out around the pie, evenly. Finally, the cheese. Maybe.
Let Annalena explain on that. Shredded cheese will brown, and burn, quickly. So if you are using a thick pizza crust, which will take longer to bake, do not put the cheese on yet. Rather, put the pie into the oven and bake for ten minutes, and then remove it, add the cheese, and bake for another ten or so. If you have a thin crust (Annalena's favorite), put the cheese onto the pie, and bake it for 15-17 minutes without taking it out.
And you're done. It is much easier to do than this recipe may sound, as you will find when you make it.
No, it is not "good for you." But you've put some whole wheat into your body, and you've used less cheese than you would normally use, and you've also gotten some low calorie vegetables on your pizza as a topping. And it is delicious. Think not? Try it. Annalena will send you a picture of the one she made if you like. But you show her yours too. It's only fair.
Live a little. Make a pizza. Make a healthier one. Ms E would approve, but only if you exercised first - and you should have.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
You were warned.... squid with herbs and lemon
Be honest: if Annalena had written her native "calamari" instead of "squid," you wouldn't be as turned off by the title, if you are in fact turned off (because many of you do LIKE squid. OH. PER Favore: many of you like calamari). Problem is, it seems, many people are afraid to deal with it, for whatever reason. For those who are not "skeeved" by the bodies and tentacles, but are "simply" put off because they do not know how to cook it, Annalena is here to rescue you.
Calamari needs to be cooked one of two ways: very fast, and very hot, or very low and very slow (Hmmm. Sounds like the two types of men Annalena favors. In what camp are you, sailor?). Seriously, ragazzi, if you cook calamari one of these two ways, you are going to get something delicious. If you don't, you may as well use it to hold your papers together, because it is all rubber bands.
This recipe falls into the very hot and very fast category, courtesy of Chef David Tanis and the NY Times, with Annalena's traditional changes. One of the things which Chef Tanis called for in this recipe, was fresh marjoram. Annalena did not have such in her kitchen. It is too bad, because if you walk into a restaurant that features the cooking of Liguria, you will smell two herbs: one is unmistakably basil. The other is marjoram. It is a natural with seafood, and there is a lot of seafood in Ligurian cooking. Chances are, if you had squid in a good Italian restaurant, there was marjoram, or perhaps savory, in it.
Bereft of both, however, Annalena turned to her trusty "Herb of all trades", thyme. And it worked beautifully. When marjoram comes back into season, Annalena will use it. For now , though, this recipe may very well be a keeper. And Annalena wants you to keep it, too.
Your preparation here, will take longer than your cooking. MUCH longer. And your prep will take 15 minutes at most.
Let's get the non squid ingredients together first: mince about 4 cloves of garlic, and also get a very small amount of hot red pepper flakes. Annalena used the flakes from pulverizing one small red pepper, and it was definitely "there," but not spicy. You be the judge here. You also need a tablespoon of lemon zest. Save the lemon for later. A tablespoon of a fresh herb of choice: marjoram, oregano, savory, or thyme all sound good. Annalena suggests staying away from the piney herb family members: rosemary and the like. You will also need a couple tablespoons of white wine, three sliced scallions, and a good third or half a cup of chopped parsley.
Guestimate how much time it will take you to put that together. Not long, huh? Now get a pound to 1.5 pounds of fresh squid. Worry not about the tentacles. Cut the bodies into rings about 3/4 to an inch wide, but don't pull out the ruler for this. Pat it dry, and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over it.
Now, get a big wide pan, and add four tablespoons of olive oil. Begin heating it. Have a big metal spoon ready.
Now, keep your eye on the oil. When it's hot enough, you will see a slight undulation (A wave for those of you with lower SAT scores). Just a bit of one. That's when you add the calamari, being very careful because there is no question: this WILL spatter. Start stirring immediately, for one minute. A timer is good here. Then add all of the garlic, pepper, lemon zest, and herbs. Keep stirring, and cook for another minute. Now toss in the wine. One minute more. Take this off hte heat. Add the parsley and the scallions.
Five minutes, maybe? And you've got dinner for anywhere from 2-4 appetites, if you have a starch ready. Annalena followed instructions, and made firm polenta with this (you can do that without Annalena's help, yes?), but rice sure sounds good with this too. Make sure you pour all the juices over whatever you serve.
You cannot find fish much cheaper than squid. Annalena paid 6.50 for her pound of the stuff, and you probably have just about all the other ingredients in your home.
Any of you who wish to tell Annalena "Well, I would, BUT... I have no time to cook," will get no sympathy, nor will those of you who say "well, fish is SO EXPENSIVE..." Get into the kitchen and make this. And get over your "squidophobia." If there is any dish that will get rid of it, it is this.
Calamari needs to be cooked one of two ways: very fast, and very hot, or very low and very slow (Hmmm. Sounds like the two types of men Annalena favors. In what camp are you, sailor?). Seriously, ragazzi, if you cook calamari one of these two ways, you are going to get something delicious. If you don't, you may as well use it to hold your papers together, because it is all rubber bands.
This recipe falls into the very hot and very fast category, courtesy of Chef David Tanis and the NY Times, with Annalena's traditional changes. One of the things which Chef Tanis called for in this recipe, was fresh marjoram. Annalena did not have such in her kitchen. It is too bad, because if you walk into a restaurant that features the cooking of Liguria, you will smell two herbs: one is unmistakably basil. The other is marjoram. It is a natural with seafood, and there is a lot of seafood in Ligurian cooking. Chances are, if you had squid in a good Italian restaurant, there was marjoram, or perhaps savory, in it.
Bereft of both, however, Annalena turned to her trusty "Herb of all trades", thyme. And it worked beautifully. When marjoram comes back into season, Annalena will use it. For now , though, this recipe may very well be a keeper. And Annalena wants you to keep it, too.
Your preparation here, will take longer than your cooking. MUCH longer. And your prep will take 15 minutes at most.
Let's get the non squid ingredients together first: mince about 4 cloves of garlic, and also get a very small amount of hot red pepper flakes. Annalena used the flakes from pulverizing one small red pepper, and it was definitely "there," but not spicy. You be the judge here. You also need a tablespoon of lemon zest. Save the lemon for later. A tablespoon of a fresh herb of choice: marjoram, oregano, savory, or thyme all sound good. Annalena suggests staying away from the piney herb family members: rosemary and the like. You will also need a couple tablespoons of white wine, three sliced scallions, and a good third or half a cup of chopped parsley.
Guestimate how much time it will take you to put that together. Not long, huh? Now get a pound to 1.5 pounds of fresh squid. Worry not about the tentacles. Cut the bodies into rings about 3/4 to an inch wide, but don't pull out the ruler for this. Pat it dry, and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over it.
Now, get a big wide pan, and add four tablespoons of olive oil. Begin heating it. Have a big metal spoon ready.
Now, keep your eye on the oil. When it's hot enough, you will see a slight undulation (A wave for those of you with lower SAT scores). Just a bit of one. That's when you add the calamari, being very careful because there is no question: this WILL spatter. Start stirring immediately, for one minute. A timer is good here. Then add all of the garlic, pepper, lemon zest, and herbs. Keep stirring, and cook for another minute. Now toss in the wine. One minute more. Take this off hte heat. Add the parsley and the scallions.
Five minutes, maybe? And you've got dinner for anywhere from 2-4 appetites, if you have a starch ready. Annalena followed instructions, and made firm polenta with this (you can do that without Annalena's help, yes?), but rice sure sounds good with this too. Make sure you pour all the juices over whatever you serve.
You cannot find fish much cheaper than squid. Annalena paid 6.50 for her pound of the stuff, and you probably have just about all the other ingredients in your home.
Any of you who wish to tell Annalena "Well, I would, BUT... I have no time to cook," will get no sympathy, nor will those of you who say "well, fish is SO EXPENSIVE..." Get into the kitchen and make this. And get over your "squidophobia." If there is any dish that will get rid of it, it is this.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A way with curds: pink grapefruit curd
Doesn't what Ms Muffet ate sound disgusting: her curds and whey. Probably some kind of cottage cheese with liquid in it. I know the rhyme says the spider frightened her away, but Annalena always things that it was perhaps a smart young lady saying "Thank Goodness! A way to escape this crap."
Well, fortunately , we have another form of curd to play with. Dessert curds. Like lemon curd, or passion fruit curd.
And Annalena has absolutely no idea why they are so called; however, she will eat them with the best.
People do argue about the "correct way" to make lemon curd, and if you happen to be British , well, welcome to this blog, you will of course be the expert reviewer of this blog on the correct ways to make these things. Some years ago, chefs began to play around with different flavor curds. Annalena was particular fond of a passion fruit curd which American Spoon used to sell, but unfortunately, others were not so inclined, and the product is not available. Lime curd is also a favorite. Blood orange curd, as well, but there is something about the resulting color that is off putting.
In any case, last week, while watching her favorite Nadja G, she saw a recipe for grapefruit curd which was intriguing. So, she looked up the r ecipe, and is terribly glad she did.
You know, for all the criticisms, many of which are valid, of our internet, for cooks and chefs, the internet is invaluable, because not only do you get recipes, you get the comments of those who have tried them. Annalena finds these comments very helpful. For example, with this one, the comments were all along the lines of how the recipe that Ms. G. gave us, simply did not have enough flavor in it. And they were right. So, Annalena is going to teach you how to make this grapefruit curd, and also a general method for making citrus curd. Then, some ideas on what to do with it.
We start with our fruit. Pink grapefruits, of course. You will need to juice them, so that you have a generous cup of fresh grapefruit juice. Annalena had enormous ones in her pantry, and only needed two. You may need more. In any event, before you squeeze them, or juice them in some other fashion, take about a teaspoon or two of peel off, via grating. It is MUCH easier to get this rind when the fruit is whole than when it is squeezed. Combine them together, and then add four, large egg yolks (reserve the whites).
Annalena would add that the original recipe called for 1/4 cup of juice. With one FULL cup, the flavor was just there. So, she appreciates the commentators who said 1/4 cup was not enough.
Now add the juice of one or two lemons, and also add some grated peel . Remember the above for the grapefruit? It applies here as well.
Mix that all together and put it aside.
To your stove: in a medium sized pot, add 1.5 cups of water, 1.5 cups of white sugar (again, thank you commentators. Annalena did not see brown sugar working, which was called for), and 1/3 cup of corn starch. Make sure your water is COLD, because hot water and corn starch are not a happy mix. Stir this all together with a whisk, turn the heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly. It will not take long, and the mixture will bubble and thicken, and look very much akin to melted plastic.
Not looking appetizing here. Doesn't sound like it either, does it? Well, take it off of the heat, and pour about 1/4 of it into that juice and egg mixture. Stir that together, then pour the whole thing into your melted plastic look alike. Lower your heat even further, and cook, again, whisking, until the thing thickens nicely. Taste it. Add a bit of salt, or more salt, and taste it again. Do understand that the flavors will develop on sitting, because you will probably be having your doubts. Melt two tablespoons of unsalted butter into it.
At the end, you have a pale pink, soft mass, which looks like a soft pudding, and in a way, that is what it is. Let this cool, for at least three hours.
It will keep for several days, while you decide what to do with it. You could pour it into small bowls and eat it just like that. Or, you could use it in place of the rhubarb, in Annalena's rhubarb ripple cake, which is posted on this blog. OR.... pile it into a pie shell. Now, remember the egg whites? Mix them with a quarter teaspoon of white vinegar, three tablespoons of sugar, get out your mixer, or the friend with the strongest arm, and whip up some egg whites with soft peaks. Pile that on top of the curd, put the whole thing in the oven, and bake at 375 until you see the peaks begin to color.
Yes, indeed, you have just elevated lemon meringue pie to a new level. NOT that there's anything wrong with lemon meringue pie. You will probably have to use less lemon juice than you did here, but maybe not. Play with the flavorings. Use regular oranges, or make a fruit puree, and use that. Remember the mention of passion fruit? How about some pureed pineapple? Or berries.
Ragazzi, you do NOT respond to Annalena's requests to play with the recipes and let her know how they turn out. She wants reports from EACH of you. MAKE THIS RECIPE. Tell her what you did with it. And enjoy the dish.
Now, wasn't that better than a squid recipe? Well, as Mozart wrote in "Magic Flute": Sie kommt... sie kommt... sie kommt.
Well, fortunately , we have another form of curd to play with. Dessert curds. Like lemon curd, or passion fruit curd.
And Annalena has absolutely no idea why they are so called; however, she will eat them with the best.
People do argue about the "correct way" to make lemon curd, and if you happen to be British , well, welcome to this blog, you will of course be the expert reviewer of this blog on the correct ways to make these things. Some years ago, chefs began to play around with different flavor curds. Annalena was particular fond of a passion fruit curd which American Spoon used to sell, but unfortunately, others were not so inclined, and the product is not available. Lime curd is also a favorite. Blood orange curd, as well, but there is something about the resulting color that is off putting.
In any case, last week, while watching her favorite Nadja G, she saw a recipe for grapefruit curd which was intriguing. So, she looked up the r ecipe, and is terribly glad she did.
You know, for all the criticisms, many of which are valid, of our internet, for cooks and chefs, the internet is invaluable, because not only do you get recipes, you get the comments of those who have tried them. Annalena finds these comments very helpful. For example, with this one, the comments were all along the lines of how the recipe that Ms. G. gave us, simply did not have enough flavor in it. And they were right. So, Annalena is going to teach you how to make this grapefruit curd, and also a general method for making citrus curd. Then, some ideas on what to do with it.
We start with our fruit. Pink grapefruits, of course. You will need to juice them, so that you have a generous cup of fresh grapefruit juice. Annalena had enormous ones in her pantry, and only needed two. You may need more. In any event, before you squeeze them, or juice them in some other fashion, take about a teaspoon or two of peel off, via grating. It is MUCH easier to get this rind when the fruit is whole than when it is squeezed. Combine them together, and then add four, large egg yolks (reserve the whites).
Annalena would add that the original recipe called for 1/4 cup of juice. With one FULL cup, the flavor was just there. So, she appreciates the commentators who said 1/4 cup was not enough.
Now add the juice of one or two lemons, and also add some grated peel . Remember the above for the grapefruit? It applies here as well.
Mix that all together and put it aside.
To your stove: in a medium sized pot, add 1.5 cups of water, 1.5 cups of white sugar (again, thank you commentators. Annalena did not see brown sugar working, which was called for), and 1/3 cup of corn starch. Make sure your water is COLD, because hot water and corn starch are not a happy mix. Stir this all together with a whisk, turn the heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly. It will not take long, and the mixture will bubble and thicken, and look very much akin to melted plastic.
Not looking appetizing here. Doesn't sound like it either, does it? Well, take it off of the heat, and pour about 1/4 of it into that juice and egg mixture. Stir that together, then pour the whole thing into your melted plastic look alike. Lower your heat even further, and cook, again, whisking, until the thing thickens nicely. Taste it. Add a bit of salt, or more salt, and taste it again. Do understand that the flavors will develop on sitting, because you will probably be having your doubts. Melt two tablespoons of unsalted butter into it.
At the end, you have a pale pink, soft mass, which looks like a soft pudding, and in a way, that is what it is. Let this cool, for at least three hours.
It will keep for several days, while you decide what to do with it. You could pour it into small bowls and eat it just like that. Or, you could use it in place of the rhubarb, in Annalena's rhubarb ripple cake, which is posted on this blog. OR.... pile it into a pie shell. Now, remember the egg whites? Mix them with a quarter teaspoon of white vinegar, three tablespoons of sugar, get out your mixer, or the friend with the strongest arm, and whip up some egg whites with soft peaks. Pile that on top of the curd, put the whole thing in the oven, and bake at 375 until you see the peaks begin to color.
Yes, indeed, you have just elevated lemon meringue pie to a new level. NOT that there's anything wrong with lemon meringue pie. You will probably have to use less lemon juice than you did here, but maybe not. Play with the flavorings. Use regular oranges, or make a fruit puree, and use that. Remember the mention of passion fruit? How about some pureed pineapple? Or berries.
Ragazzi, you do NOT respond to Annalena's requests to play with the recipes and let her know how they turn out. She wants reports from EACH of you. MAKE THIS RECIPE. Tell her what you did with it. And enjoy the dish.
Now, wasn't that better than a squid recipe? Well, as Mozart wrote in "Magic Flute": Sie kommt... sie kommt... sie kommt.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Where the hell are they? NOT white bean and escarole soup
Annalena has a kitchen and pantry that can best be described as chaotic. You name it, it's there, SOMEWHERE. Sometimes, it's there in duplicate, or triplicate, because when she couldn't find it the first time, she bought it a second time, then found it, and didn't throw either one of them away.
But of course, she can never find what she's looking for when she wants it. Are there readers out there who can related to this situation? Don't lie. I know you can.
So, if you understand the trauma of not finding what you KNOW is in your kitchen, you will understand more fully the philosophy of the dish which follows. Last week, Annalena was looking for a break from her healthy, bag lunch. No, she was NOT looking to cheat, but the thought of one more chicken breast sandwich on bread so healthy you could break a knife cutting it, raw veggies, fruit and roasted nuts was driving her to the drink. She wanted something healthy and sustaining, low calorie, but NOT what she had in her bag.
Try to pull that off in midtown Manhattan. It can be done, but it'll cost ya.
She wound up at Pret a Manger, probably Annalena's favorite take out place, although it is not for those looking for a cheap meal. She wound up getting a shrimp salad rap (for 290 calories), which she knew would sustain her for about twelve minutes. Looking at the soup selection, there was white bean escarole soup. Hmmm. The medium sized container (12 ounces), had 345 calories, and since it WAS vegan, it went back with Annalena.
It was 345 well spent calories. Annalena will have it again. But in the meanwhile, she was confronted with the thought of a soup for Monday's meal with the Guyman. AH. How about that bean and escarole soup? SURE. All she needed really was white beans, and escarole. And we have SO many beans in the house.
An hour later, nose slightly out of joint, Annalena found not a single white bean. Closest she came were the brownish yellow "eye of the tiger " beans from Rancho Gordo. Those would do. And she got to work.
And as soon as she put the beans in the water to soak, what did she see in her cupboard?
You guessed it. A bag of white beans. MERDE. CAZZO. Oh well. The soup is still good. In fact, it is wonderful. And it is another soup which, if you alter Annalena's directions, you can make as a vegan soup.
So, let us get to work. You will need a pound of beans, white or whatever. Try not to use black or kidney beans though, as they will muddy up the soup some, and you'll lose some of the green of the escarole. Put them in a pot of water to soak overnight. The next day, dump the water, cover the beans with enough new water to extend two-three inches above the top, and cook at low heat. It will probably be about an hour before the beans are nice and soft. Let them cool in the liquid, and drain them. You will wind up with double the number of beans you need for this soup - in fact, MORE than double - so you will wish to consider freezing half, making hummus, or doing something else with them.
This is all prep to the soup making, which actually happens very easily once you get started. You also need one large head of escarole. "Large head" of escarole is actually very redundant. It seems there are no small heads of it. So, make a vertical cut at the bottom of about one inch. That will leave you with lots of leaves of escarole. Hold them together, and cut vertically into strips. No surgical precision here, you're going to chop again later. You will have about 8-10cups of greens.
Relax ragazzi. You now get a big pot of salted wtaer boiling, and dump them in. Cook for about 8 minutes, and while they're cooking, get your strainer ready. Dump them out. Let them cool. PLEASE LET THEM COOL. THEY ARE VERY HOT. Leave them for about fifteen minutes. Then squeeze out the water.
Know what? You'll have about a scant two cups of cooked greens. Keep this in mind the next time you're complaining or want to complain about the 8 dollar side dish of greens at your favorite restaurant.
We now get the soup trilogy together. REVIEW TIME: what is the soup trilogy: repeat after Annalena: onion/celery/carrot. Equal amounts of each: maybe a cup and a half, chopped. This time, add two cloves of garlic as well. Pulse it in the food processor, if you have it: one onion, two carrots, and 2-3 ribs of celery will do it. Again, don't worry too much as long as they're about equal.
Remember that pot that's been getting so much action? Now put in two tablespoons of olive oil, and warm it. Add your chopped vegetables with a teaspoon of salt. Cook them up until they being to stick to the bottom of the pan. Annalena said BEGIN to stick. You'll hear a very slight crackling. Then add 3 cups of your beans, and four cups of chicken stock and two of water (or six of water). Also add 2-3 very large sprigs of rosemary. Put this on low heat, and let it cook away for about 20 minutes. After 20minutes, take that cooked escarole, squeeze out the water one more time, and chop it roughly. Put that all into the pot as well, and cook for another ten minutes. Now, here's the fun part. Take a big spoon, and start swirling it through the soup. Some of the beans will break up. You can press the spoon against some of them, pressing them on the side of the pot, and break up more . Do this to your heart's content, and you will get a nice mix of chunky and thick broth. Taste it, and correct the salt.
You will have about 2.5 quarts of delicious, rather economical (the escarole cost Annalena 1.50) food, which is certainly more than enough to feed people, especially if you've made the whole wheat flatbreads, or a pizza, or something along those lines.
It is actually also extremely nourishing, if you run through those ingredients. So if you want to have something "bad" for you with it, as we will ( a pizza, with merquez sausage, feta and beet greens), do not let Annalena get in your way.
Alla prossima, ragazzi. Be warned! Squid is on the horizon
At the
But of course, she can never find what she's looking for when she wants it. Are there readers out there who can related to this situation? Don't lie. I know you can.
So, if you understand the trauma of not finding what you KNOW is in your kitchen, you will understand more fully the philosophy of the dish which follows. Last week, Annalena was looking for a break from her healthy, bag lunch. No, she was NOT looking to cheat, but the thought of one more chicken breast sandwich on bread so healthy you could break a knife cutting it, raw veggies, fruit and roasted nuts was driving her to the drink. She wanted something healthy and sustaining, low calorie, but NOT what she had in her bag.
Try to pull that off in midtown Manhattan. It can be done, but it'll cost ya.
She wound up at Pret a Manger, probably Annalena's favorite take out place, although it is not for those looking for a cheap meal. She wound up getting a shrimp salad rap (for 290 calories), which she knew would sustain her for about twelve minutes. Looking at the soup selection, there was white bean escarole soup. Hmmm. The medium sized container (12 ounces), had 345 calories, and since it WAS vegan, it went back with Annalena.
It was 345 well spent calories. Annalena will have it again. But in the meanwhile, she was confronted with the thought of a soup for Monday's meal with the Guyman. AH. How about that bean and escarole soup? SURE. All she needed really was white beans, and escarole. And we have SO many beans in the house.
An hour later, nose slightly out of joint, Annalena found not a single white bean. Closest she came were the brownish yellow "eye of the tiger " beans from Rancho Gordo. Those would do. And she got to work.
And as soon as she put the beans in the water to soak, what did she see in her cupboard?
You guessed it. A bag of white beans. MERDE. CAZZO. Oh well. The soup is still good. In fact, it is wonderful. And it is another soup which, if you alter Annalena's directions, you can make as a vegan soup.
So, let us get to work. You will need a pound of beans, white or whatever. Try not to use black or kidney beans though, as they will muddy up the soup some, and you'll lose some of the green of the escarole. Put them in a pot of water to soak overnight. The next day, dump the water, cover the beans with enough new water to extend two-three inches above the top, and cook at low heat. It will probably be about an hour before the beans are nice and soft. Let them cool in the liquid, and drain them. You will wind up with double the number of beans you need for this soup - in fact, MORE than double - so you will wish to consider freezing half, making hummus, or doing something else with them.
This is all prep to the soup making, which actually happens very easily once you get started. You also need one large head of escarole. "Large head" of escarole is actually very redundant. It seems there are no small heads of it. So, make a vertical cut at the bottom of about one inch. That will leave you with lots of leaves of escarole. Hold them together, and cut vertically into strips. No surgical precision here, you're going to chop again later. You will have about 8-10cups of greens.
Relax ragazzi. You now get a big pot of salted wtaer boiling, and dump them in. Cook for about 8 minutes, and while they're cooking, get your strainer ready. Dump them out. Let them cool. PLEASE LET THEM COOL. THEY ARE VERY HOT. Leave them for about fifteen minutes. Then squeeze out the water.
Know what? You'll have about a scant two cups of cooked greens. Keep this in mind the next time you're complaining or want to complain about the 8 dollar side dish of greens at your favorite restaurant.
We now get the soup trilogy together. REVIEW TIME: what is the soup trilogy: repeat after Annalena: onion/celery/carrot. Equal amounts of each: maybe a cup and a half, chopped. This time, add two cloves of garlic as well. Pulse it in the food processor, if you have it: one onion, two carrots, and 2-3 ribs of celery will do it. Again, don't worry too much as long as they're about equal.
Remember that pot that's been getting so much action? Now put in two tablespoons of olive oil, and warm it. Add your chopped vegetables with a teaspoon of salt. Cook them up until they being to stick to the bottom of the pan. Annalena said BEGIN to stick. You'll hear a very slight crackling. Then add 3 cups of your beans, and four cups of chicken stock and two of water (or six of water). Also add 2-3 very large sprigs of rosemary. Put this on low heat, and let it cook away for about 20 minutes. After 20minutes, take that cooked escarole, squeeze out the water one more time, and chop it roughly. Put that all into the pot as well, and cook for another ten minutes. Now, here's the fun part. Take a big spoon, and start swirling it through the soup. Some of the beans will break up. You can press the spoon against some of them, pressing them on the side of the pot, and break up more . Do this to your heart's content, and you will get a nice mix of chunky and thick broth. Taste it, and correct the salt.
You will have about 2.5 quarts of delicious, rather economical (the escarole cost Annalena 1.50) food, which is certainly more than enough to feed people, especially if you've made the whole wheat flatbreads, or a pizza, or something along those lines.
It is actually also extremely nourishing, if you run through those ingredients. So if you want to have something "bad" for you with it, as we will ( a pizza, with merquez sausage, feta and beet greens), do not let Annalena get in your way.
Alla prossima, ragazzi. Be warned! Squid is on the horizon
At the
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The not so silent lamb stew
Ah, she's got you wondering now, doesn't she. "Not so silent?" Hmmm. What could that mean. Well, here's a hint for only cooking afficianados: Tuscan cooking.
No takers? Well, here's the give away: the musical fruit.
OK, NOW you all now what Annalena is talking about. She's referring to ... beans!
Many years ago, when Annalena saw one of her favorite movies, "Stevie," she remembers how there was a scene where our heroine is asked what she would like with the lamb that night. She responds, with great certainty "Oh, beans." And indeed, when Annalena was growing up as a ragazzo, whenever Nana made lamb, there were beans. Out of a can.
Yum. NOT. Well, Annalena had not thought of that combination until a few weeks ago, when another favorite chef, Joanne Weir, posted a recipe on her website.
Chef Weir's shows used to be carried on public tv in NYC, but no more. Yet another sign, in Annalena's view, of the decay of society. But what can one do? The episode in which this dish was made, apparently involved the help of a lovely young man from the San Francisco ballet company. From Spain. So, perhaps that's the reason why this dish is a "Spanish" lamb stew, because Annalena cannot really see any other reason for it. There are garnishes that speak of Spain (and indeed, this recipe is an object lesson on the importance of "accessorizing" your food), but Iberian? She thinks not.
In any event, let us get started.
To get to the "meat of the matter," you need 2 pounds of lamb stew meat. You can get shoulder meat, or leg meat. If you simply buy "stew meat," you will have no choice. Annalena, however, prefers shoulder for her stews. Leg meat is delicious, but shoulder stands up to the long cooking. So, when she makes this stew, Annalena asks for a piece of shoulder meat. Cut it up yourself. It's not hard.
You will also need an onion, and three cloves of garlic. Also, a large can of tomatoes, and a half pound of merguez sausage (Note that the original called for chorizo, but spicy lamb sausage is merguez. If you are fortunate enough to have a piece that will hold together without the casing, muy grande).
We are not finished yet, ragazzi. Let us get to the beans, and discuss the possible variations. Chef Weir calls for 2 pounds of fresh shell beans, which you then shell, as well as 3/4 cup of dried beans, which you cook.
Now, locally, regardless of where you live, fresh shell beans are a product of late summer and early fall - PRECISELY when you do NOT want to make lamb stew. So, if you are prudent and freeze shell beans at peak of season, use those. Annalena was out, so she used her frozen fava beans. This is a more than acceptable substitution, since fava beans ARE shell beans. Indeed, Paula Wolfert, in her wonderful book on Provencal cooking, talks about the last cassoulet of the season, which is made with fresh fava beans, instead of dried beans. So "use em if you got em." IF you don't, you want to cook up enough dried beans, to eventually get 3.5 cups or so of the guys. White beans go really well with lamb. While this may sound ridiculous try to make sure your dried beans are fresh (does anyone besides Annalena remember the scene in "Flower Drum Song" when the chef calls in an order for "a dozen thousand year old eggs. AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE FRESH!")
Annalena loves that movie. The cook then breaks into "Chop Suey," a politically incorrect song, but oh so much fun.
Oh dear, digressions abound, don't they? Let us return to our stew.
Chop up the onion and put it in a big pot, with two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the lamb to the onions (odd, but it works), and sear it, until it picks up some color. No pan is going to be big enough to do this in one layer, so split the onions and the meat, and do it in two. Add salt and pepper to taste while you do this, and when you're done, put everything back in the pot, and add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir everything together. Cook until you see the flour disappear, which will take about two minutes (incidentally, you could leave out this step, or save it until later, which Annalena did, successfully. Read on).
While the meat and onions are cooking, mince three large garlic cloves, and combine them with those tomatoes, and a bay leaf. Put this all in with the lamb, and fill that can from the tomatoes with water, and add that. You will have a good two quarts of liquid in this pot with your lamb, and that's ok. NOW, if you have forgotten to add the flour, you can grab a cup of the water, mix the flour with that, and then stir it all in. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat, and let it cook away for an hour.
Your home will begin to smell wonderful.
NOW... add those musical fruits, and the sausage. Cook for another 45 minutes to an hour. Sample the liquid to see if it needs salt. And notice how much of it has evaporated. You're on the right track.
You could stop the stew right here, but why would you, when you have this wonderful garnish to make. HEAVENS it is wonderful. Get a small pan, and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Also add 2 gloves of garlic, which have been sliced, together with a teaspoon of sweet paprika, and half as much of the smoked variety, "pimenton," which is another Spanish ingredient. Just warm these together. Do not let anything color, but watch as the oil gets brilliant, ruby red (you may at this point wish to sing the line from "Mack the Knife" about scarlet billows if you like).
Put this flavored oil right into the stew, stir it together, and taste. Spicy, and probably salty enough, but if not, add some more.
"Some like it hot," and if you do, you may choose to add some hot chilis here too. If not, you're ready to eat.
Sort of. As with all stews, this will improve on sitting. And if you remember that lamb is fatty, you may wish to cool it, and then peel the lamb fat off the next day. Of course, if you are fortunate enough to have a source of grass fed lamb, you may not have any extra at all. Or, you may wish to stir it back in. It is all up to you. Annalena would probably stir it back in, because the flavors and colors of paprika are fat soluble, and when the fat goes, so do they.
PHEW! Now that was WAY more work than we usually do here, wasn't it? Well, you have a free afternoon or evening sometime. Get busy. As Annalena's friend Julie Gold wrote "God is watching us," and as Annalena says "God does NOT like it when people are not busy."
Alla prossima.
No takers? Well, here's the give away: the musical fruit.
OK, NOW you all now what Annalena is talking about. She's referring to ... beans!
Many years ago, when Annalena saw one of her favorite movies, "Stevie," she remembers how there was a scene where our heroine is asked what she would like with the lamb that night. She responds, with great certainty "Oh, beans." And indeed, when Annalena was growing up as a ragazzo, whenever Nana made lamb, there were beans. Out of a can.
Yum. NOT. Well, Annalena had not thought of that combination until a few weeks ago, when another favorite chef, Joanne Weir, posted a recipe on her website.
Chef Weir's shows used to be carried on public tv in NYC, but no more. Yet another sign, in Annalena's view, of the decay of society. But what can one do? The episode in which this dish was made, apparently involved the help of a lovely young man from the San Francisco ballet company. From Spain. So, perhaps that's the reason why this dish is a "Spanish" lamb stew, because Annalena cannot really see any other reason for it. There are garnishes that speak of Spain (and indeed, this recipe is an object lesson on the importance of "accessorizing" your food), but Iberian? She thinks not.
In any event, let us get started.
To get to the "meat of the matter," you need 2 pounds of lamb stew meat. You can get shoulder meat, or leg meat. If you simply buy "stew meat," you will have no choice. Annalena, however, prefers shoulder for her stews. Leg meat is delicious, but shoulder stands up to the long cooking. So, when she makes this stew, Annalena asks for a piece of shoulder meat. Cut it up yourself. It's not hard.
You will also need an onion, and three cloves of garlic. Also, a large can of tomatoes, and a half pound of merguez sausage (Note that the original called for chorizo, but spicy lamb sausage is merguez. If you are fortunate enough to have a piece that will hold together without the casing, muy grande).
We are not finished yet, ragazzi. Let us get to the beans, and discuss the possible variations. Chef Weir calls for 2 pounds of fresh shell beans, which you then shell, as well as 3/4 cup of dried beans, which you cook.
Now, locally, regardless of where you live, fresh shell beans are a product of late summer and early fall - PRECISELY when you do NOT want to make lamb stew. So, if you are prudent and freeze shell beans at peak of season, use those. Annalena was out, so she used her frozen fava beans. This is a more than acceptable substitution, since fava beans ARE shell beans. Indeed, Paula Wolfert, in her wonderful book on Provencal cooking, talks about the last cassoulet of the season, which is made with fresh fava beans, instead of dried beans. So "use em if you got em." IF you don't, you want to cook up enough dried beans, to eventually get 3.5 cups or so of the guys. White beans go really well with lamb. While this may sound ridiculous try to make sure your dried beans are fresh (does anyone besides Annalena remember the scene in "Flower Drum Song" when the chef calls in an order for "a dozen thousand year old eggs. AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE FRESH!")
Annalena loves that movie. The cook then breaks into "Chop Suey," a politically incorrect song, but oh so much fun.
Oh dear, digressions abound, don't they? Let us return to our stew.
Chop up the onion and put it in a big pot, with two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the lamb to the onions (odd, but it works), and sear it, until it picks up some color. No pan is going to be big enough to do this in one layer, so split the onions and the meat, and do it in two. Add salt and pepper to taste while you do this, and when you're done, put everything back in the pot, and add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir everything together. Cook until you see the flour disappear, which will take about two minutes (incidentally, you could leave out this step, or save it until later, which Annalena did, successfully. Read on).
While the meat and onions are cooking, mince three large garlic cloves, and combine them with those tomatoes, and a bay leaf. Put this all in with the lamb, and fill that can from the tomatoes with water, and add that. You will have a good two quarts of liquid in this pot with your lamb, and that's ok. NOW, if you have forgotten to add the flour, you can grab a cup of the water, mix the flour with that, and then stir it all in. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat, and let it cook away for an hour.
Your home will begin to smell wonderful.
NOW... add those musical fruits, and the sausage. Cook for another 45 minutes to an hour. Sample the liquid to see if it needs salt. And notice how much of it has evaporated. You're on the right track.
You could stop the stew right here, but why would you, when you have this wonderful garnish to make. HEAVENS it is wonderful. Get a small pan, and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Also add 2 gloves of garlic, which have been sliced, together with a teaspoon of sweet paprika, and half as much of the smoked variety, "pimenton," which is another Spanish ingredient. Just warm these together. Do not let anything color, but watch as the oil gets brilliant, ruby red (you may at this point wish to sing the line from "Mack the Knife" about scarlet billows if you like).
Put this flavored oil right into the stew, stir it together, and taste. Spicy, and probably salty enough, but if not, add some more.
"Some like it hot," and if you do, you may choose to add some hot chilis here too. If not, you're ready to eat.
Sort of. As with all stews, this will improve on sitting. And if you remember that lamb is fatty, you may wish to cool it, and then peel the lamb fat off the next day. Of course, if you are fortunate enough to have a source of grass fed lamb, you may not have any extra at all. Or, you may wish to stir it back in. It is all up to you. Annalena would probably stir it back in, because the flavors and colors of paprika are fat soluble, and when the fat goes, so do they.
PHEW! Now that was WAY more work than we usually do here, wasn't it? Well, you have a free afternoon or evening sometime. Get busy. As Annalena's friend Julie Gold wrote "God is watching us," and as Annalena says "God does NOT like it when people are not busy."
Alla prossima.
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