Ok, ragazzi, can we have a show of hands: how many of you saw the words "tabbouleh salad" and thought "OMG. I haven't thought about tabbouleh salad since the 80s. Or the 70s." Remember those days, ragazzi? Was it possible to go to a potluck and not encounter one? Annalena even had a piece of kitchen stoneware that was called a tabbouleh bowl. It didn't look too different from any other serving bowl, but she was told that it was designed for serving tabbouleh especially.
Are there some heads shaking in assent? Well, now comes the question: what happened to tabbouleh? Did it in fact go the way of quiche, or fondue pots, or any of those other foods that we all associate with a "period?" Come on , ragazzi, you know some of them don't you? Spinach dip.... chex mix.... Hmmmm. Is Annalena hitting a nerve or two? On some of them (onion soup mix dip, or spinach dip, or chex mix), Annalena understands. On others, like quiche, Annalena suspects that they just got too "clever," and we weren't interested anymore. There are still too many bad quiches out there.
That's probably what happened with tabbouleh. It is, essentially, a blank slate, and so much can go in, that perhaps too much DID go in. Too much olive oil. Too much "stuff."
Well, let's bring it back. It's a good dish. Warmer weather is coming, and ragazzi, you MUST start making this. You can make it ahead of time, it makes tons, it is wonderful at room temperature, and it tastes very light. Does this say "summer" or not? Here's one that Annalena made just this week, to serve with some fish. Do it this way, or do your own version, but please, let's bring this one back.
First, the essentials: you need bulghur wheat. If you garden, you are going to think it looks like vermiculite. It's light, soft, and it blows away. It's cracked wheat, and Annalena understands it to be a basic food substance for a great part of Africa. You probably need to go to a health food store to get some. To make enough for four, as a side dish, all you need is a cup of the stuff. Put it in a pan and stir, at medium heat, for 3 minutes, without stop, to toast it. Then immediately pour it into a cold bowl, and put it aside, whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In this one, what you want to do is chop up half a cup of dried apricots. Also, you will want about a third of a cup of pistachio nuts, toasted, salted or not. Now, the herbs. Tabbouleh may be synonymous with parsely, and indeed, you will want about a cup, maybe more, of chopped parsley. And about a third each of cilantro and mint. You can vary the proportions or change the secondary herbs, but make sure you use that parsley. Mix that all up and put it aside.
In the pan where you toasted the wheat, add a chopped onion, and three chopped garlic cloves, with two tablespoons of olive oil. Cook them until they just soften.
While this is happening, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. When it's ready, turn off the heat on both the water and the pan with the onion/garlic, and stir in the bulghur wheat. Pour in the water, cover it, and put it aside for about ten minutes. Add the apricots, and half of the pistachios, and cover it again. After all of the water has been absorbed (it will take about an hour), add the herbs. Taste everything for seasoning, but you're going to get another chance to season, right now.
Tabbouleh needs dressing. Squeeze two lemons. Scrape the peel if you like, but remember it will make the dish VERY lemony, and Annalena doesn't recommend this. Slowly dribble half- 3/4 cup of olive oil (the good stuff), into the lemon juice. If you felt your tabbouleh was underseasoned, add some salt and pepper here. Now, mix those chopped herbs in, and then the dressing. If you're not serving this until later, wait with the dressing. Annalena thinks it's better that way. And, finally, add the rest of the pistachios for some crunch.
You will get little bits of flavor from the variou add ins, but ultimately, you will go back to the elemental, almost earthy taste of the wheat. And that is how it should be.
Start getting ready ragazzi, summer's coming. There are parties. Volunteer to bring the tabbouleh. Don't be surprised if your host or hostess says "Oh, is he visiting from the Mideast?"
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
I fogottza: let's make focaccia
When Annalena was a ragazzo, she and her sisters used to torment their Nonna whenever she made focaccia. It LOOKED like a pizza, but there was no tomato on it, and no mozzarella. Nana called it focaccia, and of course, the bambini renamed it, because "Nana fogotta da tomatoes."
Annalena never said she was good as a child. While she doesn't regret being a child and doing that (Nana eventually started calling it fogotta pizza too), she wishes she had watched her Nana make it. Because focaccia is NOT pizza. And Annalena has tried at least a dozen recipes claiming to be the "definitive" one, and has found them all lacking. BUT... Ms. Clark of the New York Times published a recipe this week, which has supplanted all in Annalena's mind. What follows is Annalena's interpretation of that recipe.
A big difference between focaccia and pizza, is the amount of oil in focaccia. That is what makes it so substantial, and why you will see slices of it in the baskets of mixed bread, in good Italian restaurants. Because tomato sauce is not used, you have a great deal of liberty in making the stuff. Some restaurants and bakers do in fact add tomato back to the focaccia dough, usually in the form of paste or dried tomatoes, but generally, you will find herbs, olives, things of this nature. The amount of oil, however, means that focaccia does not keep well, and this becomes a problem, because it is usually baked in huge sheets. So if there are two, or three, or even four of you, you will make too much focaccia, and wind up tossing it.
Another issue is that focaccia should taste different from pizza. At its base, it is almost a mix of fried, and baked bread. So, how do we address these issues.
Ms Clark's solution, if Annalena does say so herself, is brilliant" rather than bake the focaccia in a large sheet, she suggests baking rounds of it, in 9 inch cake pans. Also, rather than do what is a tradition in focaccia making, which is dimpling the dough and making puddles of oil in it (which inevitably spill on you when you eat it), she adds a good quantity of oil to the bottom of the pan. This, too, is brilliant, both for "bake frying" the dough, and also for distributing the oil throughout the dough, as we shall see.
Ok, so let's get started. We need 1.5 cups of water, 4 teaspoons (which is one tablespoon, and one teaspoon) of dry yeast, 3/4 cup of olive oil a talbespoon of salt, 4 cups of regular white flour, and one of whole wheat. Put all of this in a big bowl, and with your mixer, get it going. Do be warned that with all the oil in the dough, this is not going to cohere like a loaf of bread, or a pizza dough. It IS going to be a bit problematic, if that's what you look for. Don't. Just look for an even combining of everything. Then, put it aside, covered, for a good two hours. (the recipe said one hour. This is way too short a time).
Keep checking the dough by poking a finger deep into it, and then coming back in ten minutes. If the hole fills, it is not ready. If it does not, it is. When it is ready, you need to divide it into three pieces, and either freeze it if you are not using it, or use it right away.
This later point is important, because as Annalena found out, if you let the focaccia dough rise, it becomes very delicate, which is good, but prone to tearing, which is not. So she suggests you put two of the portions into your freezer, and work with the third one.
Annalena's topping here, was ramps (get em while you can), and a very soft sheeps milk cheese which she had left over from dinner with Ginger peachy. You can use whatever you like, but if you do the ramp topping, get a small bunch of leeks, wash them, and then chop the leaves into slices. As usual, we do not need surgical precision here. Put a tablespoon of oil in a small pan (olive oil, please) and at medium heat, saute' the whole bulb portion of the ramps until they begin to brown (careful readers will see that you can use green garlic, scallions, or any member of the lily family we have discussed. You could even use chopped garlic cloves). You need about two minutes. Then add the leaves, stir them in the hot oil, and your topping is finished, except for maybe a bit of salt and hot pepper.
Put another 3 tablespoons of oil into a 9 inch cake pan, and then start pressing the dough into it. This is NOT an easy dough to work with, so perservere. You will notice that while you do this, the oil oozes over the entire surface of the dough. This is PRECISELY what you want to happen.
When you have it spread out as much as you think you can, then put the topping on, and put it in a 450 oven, for fifteen minutes (Ms. Clark's recommended time of 30 minutes would have burned Annalena's focaccia to a crisp). Keep an eye on it. You want some uneven browning, but browning is indeed what you want. Not tan, BROWN. and when you're there, if you wish to use a soft cheese, put it over the top, turn off the oven, and let it sit for about five minutes.
All the oil in the pan will make this very easy to take out and serve forth. You COULD cut it into pieces in the pan, but if you like your baking ware, you won't do this.
How many does this serve? How hungry are you ? Truly, Annalena can eat a whole one herself. Plan accordingly ragazzi, and watch your Nanas cook. You won't regret it.
Annalena never said she was good as a child. While she doesn't regret being a child and doing that (Nana eventually started calling it fogotta pizza too), she wishes she had watched her Nana make it. Because focaccia is NOT pizza. And Annalena has tried at least a dozen recipes claiming to be the "definitive" one, and has found them all lacking. BUT... Ms. Clark of the New York Times published a recipe this week, which has supplanted all in Annalena's mind. What follows is Annalena's interpretation of that recipe.
A big difference between focaccia and pizza, is the amount of oil in focaccia. That is what makes it so substantial, and why you will see slices of it in the baskets of mixed bread, in good Italian restaurants. Because tomato sauce is not used, you have a great deal of liberty in making the stuff. Some restaurants and bakers do in fact add tomato back to the focaccia dough, usually in the form of paste or dried tomatoes, but generally, you will find herbs, olives, things of this nature. The amount of oil, however, means that focaccia does not keep well, and this becomes a problem, because it is usually baked in huge sheets. So if there are two, or three, or even four of you, you will make too much focaccia, and wind up tossing it.
Another issue is that focaccia should taste different from pizza. At its base, it is almost a mix of fried, and baked bread. So, how do we address these issues.
Ms Clark's solution, if Annalena does say so herself, is brilliant" rather than bake the focaccia in a large sheet, she suggests baking rounds of it, in 9 inch cake pans. Also, rather than do what is a tradition in focaccia making, which is dimpling the dough and making puddles of oil in it (which inevitably spill on you when you eat it), she adds a good quantity of oil to the bottom of the pan. This, too, is brilliant, both for "bake frying" the dough, and also for distributing the oil throughout the dough, as we shall see.
Ok, so let's get started. We need 1.5 cups of water, 4 teaspoons (which is one tablespoon, and one teaspoon) of dry yeast, 3/4 cup of olive oil a talbespoon of salt, 4 cups of regular white flour, and one of whole wheat. Put all of this in a big bowl, and with your mixer, get it going. Do be warned that with all the oil in the dough, this is not going to cohere like a loaf of bread, or a pizza dough. It IS going to be a bit problematic, if that's what you look for. Don't. Just look for an even combining of everything. Then, put it aside, covered, for a good two hours. (the recipe said one hour. This is way too short a time).
Keep checking the dough by poking a finger deep into it, and then coming back in ten minutes. If the hole fills, it is not ready. If it does not, it is. When it is ready, you need to divide it into three pieces, and either freeze it if you are not using it, or use it right away.
This later point is important, because as Annalena found out, if you let the focaccia dough rise, it becomes very delicate, which is good, but prone to tearing, which is not. So she suggests you put two of the portions into your freezer, and work with the third one.
Annalena's topping here, was ramps (get em while you can), and a very soft sheeps milk cheese which she had left over from dinner with Ginger peachy. You can use whatever you like, but if you do the ramp topping, get a small bunch of leeks, wash them, and then chop the leaves into slices. As usual, we do not need surgical precision here. Put a tablespoon of oil in a small pan (olive oil, please) and at medium heat, saute' the whole bulb portion of the ramps until they begin to brown (careful readers will see that you can use green garlic, scallions, or any member of the lily family we have discussed. You could even use chopped garlic cloves). You need about two minutes. Then add the leaves, stir them in the hot oil, and your topping is finished, except for maybe a bit of salt and hot pepper.
Put another 3 tablespoons of oil into a 9 inch cake pan, and then start pressing the dough into it. This is NOT an easy dough to work with, so perservere. You will notice that while you do this, the oil oozes over the entire surface of the dough. This is PRECISELY what you want to happen.
When you have it spread out as much as you think you can, then put the topping on, and put it in a 450 oven, for fifteen minutes (Ms. Clark's recommended time of 30 minutes would have burned Annalena's focaccia to a crisp). Keep an eye on it. You want some uneven browning, but browning is indeed what you want. Not tan, BROWN. and when you're there, if you wish to use a soft cheese, put it over the top, turn off the oven, and let it sit for about five minutes.
All the oil in the pan will make this very easy to take out and serve forth. You COULD cut it into pieces in the pan, but if you like your baking ware, you won't do this.
How many does this serve? How hungry are you ? Truly, Annalena can eat a whole one herself. Plan accordingly ragazzi, and watch your Nanas cook. You won't regret it.
Friday, April 26, 2013
You made it, now use it: Steak with rosemary oil
You will almost never find flavored oils in Annalena's kitchen. Why? one might very well ask. Well, the reason is very simple: flavored oils are not shelf stable. They can, and will , get toxic on you, unless they contain the ugly "p" word: preservatives. Yes, ragazzi, all those oils flavored with truffle, or garlic, or anything else, either has a preservative in it, or the flavoring is artificial. It is that simple. If you like them, fine, but if you are avoiding things that are artificial, as a matter of principle, you need to know this. If it is an oil that has a "thing" in it, like a garlic clove, or other herbs, etc, it DEFINITELY has a preservative in it.
Anytime you put something, as we Italians say "sottolio," or "under oil," you MUST refrigerate it, period. Anything living: fruit, vegetables, herbs, etc, has bacteria or yeast on them. These critters love fat, and what's oil...? (Annalena doesn't have to explain that, does she?). Even if you don't see it, those buggies are making their , well, how do we put it, their "waste products" or "bug poopies" all the time. And some of them are really not nice. Think of botulism, ragazzi. That's bug poopy.
Incidentally, generally this is NOT true for vinegar. The very acidic nature of vinegar actually arrests, and sometimes kills the buggies. While Annalena is not going to recommend this, there are reports in the medical literature of sterilizing wounds, with vinegar. Annalena hopes that it was diluted.
So if you want to have a flavored oil, you will have to make it yourself. And store it in your refrigerator. So, unless you have an enormous amount of space, and are planning to use lots of flavored oil, you will be making very small quantities of it. And it's easy to do. We're going to make rosemary oil today, and then we're going to use it to flavor a steak. And Annalena will tell you how she varied the recipe that she found for this.
Let's make our oil. Start with 3/4 cup of a good, but not horribly good, extra virgin olive oil. Annalena has two oils that she uses regularly: her California oil, which she buys in gallon jugs, and her fancy Italian oil, that Patrizia sends her from Umbria. For this, she used her California oil. Put this oil in a small pot, and add a SCANT half a cup of chopped rosemary. You can use the whole sprig - no need, in fact it is not recommended - to take the needles off the branches. The branches are going to help retard the heat when you make this, and that in turn prevents the needles from burning.
Turn the pot to low heat, and bring the stuff to 140 degrees. If you have a thermometer, this is easy. If you don't, stop after 2-3 minutes. Smell the stuff. Are you getting a hint of that piney rosemary scent you know? If you are, you're there. If you're not, go for another minute, but no longer. Then take it off the heat, and let it cool. When it's cool, unless you're using it right away, refrigerate it.
Now, let's make a steak. And here's what you'll need. A flank steak, a hanger steak, a London broil, some slices of braciole steak - any beef that is very thin. Annalena had a grass fed flank steak, about a pound or so. If at all possible, salt this the morning of dinner, or even the night before, and let it sit in the fridge.
The original recipe called upon us to make yet another oil - a garlic oil - and to slice the steak into four smaller ones. Annalena did not see the point of combining garlic oil, AND rosemary oil, on a steak. If, however, you disagree, you can make the garlic oil by slicing up six cloves of garlic, and putting them in 6 tablespoons of olive oil at low heat, until the garlic browns. Then take it out.
We will not do that here. Nor will we cut the meat into four pieces. Rather, we will get our grill pan very hot, and spread some plain olive oil on it. When it's very hot, put the steak on the grill pan, for two -four minutes per side. IF the steak curls upwards, and it may, press it down with a heavy pan, or a can of tomatoes, or something like that.
This gives you a rare steak. If you want it a bit more cooked, put it in a 350 oven for ten minutes. Whatever you do, let the steak rest for five minutes, and during that rest time, crack some black pepper all over it. Then slice it across the grain, and just as you plate it, pour about a tablespoon of the rosemary oil over the meat.
The rosemary oil is definitely "there," and to Annalena, rosemary and black pepper are a wonderful match.
If you haven't put the oil away already, do so now. And save it for the next time you want something where you think rosemary will work well. Annalena is thinking that it may be just the thing for a mushroom risotto, for example.
SPRING IS HERE and Annalena is doing her happy dance. Asparagus, ramps, and nettles are all in the market. When we come back, perhaps we will be making ramp focaccia together. Check in and see, because you never know what Annalena is going to be up to next.
Anytime you put something, as we Italians say "sottolio," or "under oil," you MUST refrigerate it, period. Anything living: fruit, vegetables, herbs, etc, has bacteria or yeast on them. These critters love fat, and what's oil...? (Annalena doesn't have to explain that, does she?). Even if you don't see it, those buggies are making their , well, how do we put it, their "waste products" or "bug poopies" all the time. And some of them are really not nice. Think of botulism, ragazzi. That's bug poopy.
Incidentally, generally this is NOT true for vinegar. The very acidic nature of vinegar actually arrests, and sometimes kills the buggies. While Annalena is not going to recommend this, there are reports in the medical literature of sterilizing wounds, with vinegar. Annalena hopes that it was diluted.
So if you want to have a flavored oil, you will have to make it yourself. And store it in your refrigerator. So, unless you have an enormous amount of space, and are planning to use lots of flavored oil, you will be making very small quantities of it. And it's easy to do. We're going to make rosemary oil today, and then we're going to use it to flavor a steak. And Annalena will tell you how she varied the recipe that she found for this.
Let's make our oil. Start with 3/4 cup of a good, but not horribly good, extra virgin olive oil. Annalena has two oils that she uses regularly: her California oil, which she buys in gallon jugs, and her fancy Italian oil, that Patrizia sends her from Umbria. For this, she used her California oil. Put this oil in a small pot, and add a SCANT half a cup of chopped rosemary. You can use the whole sprig - no need, in fact it is not recommended - to take the needles off the branches. The branches are going to help retard the heat when you make this, and that in turn prevents the needles from burning.
Turn the pot to low heat, and bring the stuff to 140 degrees. If you have a thermometer, this is easy. If you don't, stop after 2-3 minutes. Smell the stuff. Are you getting a hint of that piney rosemary scent you know? If you are, you're there. If you're not, go for another minute, but no longer. Then take it off the heat, and let it cool. When it's cool, unless you're using it right away, refrigerate it.
Now, let's make a steak. And here's what you'll need. A flank steak, a hanger steak, a London broil, some slices of braciole steak - any beef that is very thin. Annalena had a grass fed flank steak, about a pound or so. If at all possible, salt this the morning of dinner, or even the night before, and let it sit in the fridge.
The original recipe called upon us to make yet another oil - a garlic oil - and to slice the steak into four smaller ones. Annalena did not see the point of combining garlic oil, AND rosemary oil, on a steak. If, however, you disagree, you can make the garlic oil by slicing up six cloves of garlic, and putting them in 6 tablespoons of olive oil at low heat, until the garlic browns. Then take it out.
We will not do that here. Nor will we cut the meat into four pieces. Rather, we will get our grill pan very hot, and spread some plain olive oil on it. When it's very hot, put the steak on the grill pan, for two -four minutes per side. IF the steak curls upwards, and it may, press it down with a heavy pan, or a can of tomatoes, or something like that.
This gives you a rare steak. If you want it a bit more cooked, put it in a 350 oven for ten minutes. Whatever you do, let the steak rest for five minutes, and during that rest time, crack some black pepper all over it. Then slice it across the grain, and just as you plate it, pour about a tablespoon of the rosemary oil over the meat.
The rosemary oil is definitely "there," and to Annalena, rosemary and black pepper are a wonderful match.
If you haven't put the oil away already, do so now. And save it for the next time you want something where you think rosemary will work well. Annalena is thinking that it may be just the thing for a mushroom risotto, for example.
SPRING IS HERE and Annalena is doing her happy dance. Asparagus, ramps, and nettles are all in the market. When we come back, perhaps we will be making ramp focaccia together. Check in and see, because you never know what Annalena is going to be up to next.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Let us leave the lettuce alone. Salad of hearts of palm, avocado, and....
Annalena insists on a salad at every meal. PERIOD . It didn't used to be that way, but after she started reading the writings of Alice Waters, who feels, with some good reason, that a salad is the hardest part of the meal to prepare, she started serving them. Every night. Annalena's salads are almost always green, but not always lettuce. In fact, they are rarely lettuce, or lettuce by themselves. Mache, arugula, pea shoots, etc, all make appearances in Annalena's salads, as the main ingredient. About half the time, they are the ONLY ingredient, with a simple vinaigrette. The other half the time, there is some "enhancer," for lack of a better word, like dried fruit, or candied nuts, or olives, or cheese, etc.
Annalena and the Guyman's taste in the greens for salads runs toward the bitter end of the spectrum. For most people, this is fine. For others, it is not. Their friend, whom Annalena shall refer to as "ginger peachy" due to his complexion, decidedly does NOT like bitter greens. But he DOES like beets. Keep this in mind as you read.
So as Annalena was preparing the menu for a dinner for "GP", she found a salad recipe that seemed right, and brought back memories of an ingredient she had stopped using: heart of palm.
Back in "the day," when Annalena was a law student, she and her friend Liz discovered heart of palm at just about the same time. To us, it was an exotic ingredient and ultimately, it still is. Pale white, thick, soft, with the taste of the can that you simple will not be able to eliminate completely, it is exactly what the name says: it is the heart of a palm tree. Indeed, this made it even more exoitc. And we used it often. We made salads. We made gratins. We fried it. Annalena THINKS we missed baking with it, but maybe we didn't.
As she approached her dotage, Annalena stopped using it because, well, it's in cans, and she has told you all how she feels about canned foods. From time to time, she was able to get "fresh" heart of palm, in vacuum packs, but they simply weren't the same. To be honest, they didn't taste as good as the canned stuff, and they were tough. She has also tried, and liked , the closest we have to "local" heart of palm," which is the core of young cat tails, which are available to some degree at farmers markets late in the summer. These are tough, and require a helluva lot of work.
So, when Annalena saw a recipe in a "gourmet" magazine, giving her permission to use canned heart of palm, she jumped at the chance, and used it. After modifying it.
This is a good salad. It has an unusual quality about it, that you will not find in green salads: you can store what you do not use, and use it the next day. As she and the Guyman did. In fact, it may be better. Annalena shall give you the recipe as it was written, and as she changed it.
You start with two cans of heart of palm, drained. You will have somewhere between 8 and 10 sticks of palm. Drain them and pat them dry. Cut them into circles, about 1/3 of an inch big, and put them into a salad bowl. Eyeball how much you have. Now, get a ripe avocado (the rough skinned kind: Haas), and peel it and cut it into small pieces. Put that in the bowl as well.
The original recipe now called for yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half. If you use them, use about as much volume as you have heart of palm. BUT....
Remember when I said "GP" liked beets? Well, Annalena had chioggia beets, which have a rosy hue, and golden beets, which have a golden hue, in her refrigerator. If you like beets, and you have them around, chop them into pieces about as big as the avocado and palm and again, use an equal volume. (You can learn how to cook beets by searching on this blog).
Now, the dressing. The original called for two tablespoons of lime juice, two tablespoons of mayonnaise, and two tablespoons of olive oil. Annalena suggests you leave out the olive oil. The dressing is wet enough as it is, and mayonnaise is pretty rich. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then pour it all over the salad. Taste, and if you want more salt, add it then.
The dressing will be a little wet when you make it. If you store the salad leftovers (if there are any), overnight, the dressing will thicken, and you will need to add some more oil and vinegar the next day. On the next day, Annalena did add arugula, and the salad was wonderful.
Play with this, ragazzi. Do keep the palm and the avocado, but vary ingredient number three as you see fit. And tell Annalena how it turns out. She DOES want to know.
Annalena and the Guyman's taste in the greens for salads runs toward the bitter end of the spectrum. For most people, this is fine. For others, it is not. Their friend, whom Annalena shall refer to as "ginger peachy" due to his complexion, decidedly does NOT like bitter greens. But he DOES like beets. Keep this in mind as you read.
So as Annalena was preparing the menu for a dinner for "GP", she found a salad recipe that seemed right, and brought back memories of an ingredient she had stopped using: heart of palm.
Back in "the day," when Annalena was a law student, she and her friend Liz discovered heart of palm at just about the same time. To us, it was an exotic ingredient and ultimately, it still is. Pale white, thick, soft, with the taste of the can that you simple will not be able to eliminate completely, it is exactly what the name says: it is the heart of a palm tree. Indeed, this made it even more exoitc. And we used it often. We made salads. We made gratins. We fried it. Annalena THINKS we missed baking with it, but maybe we didn't.
As she approached her dotage, Annalena stopped using it because, well, it's in cans, and she has told you all how she feels about canned foods. From time to time, she was able to get "fresh" heart of palm, in vacuum packs, but they simply weren't the same. To be honest, they didn't taste as good as the canned stuff, and they were tough. She has also tried, and liked , the closest we have to "local" heart of palm," which is the core of young cat tails, which are available to some degree at farmers markets late in the summer. These are tough, and require a helluva lot of work.
So, when Annalena saw a recipe in a "gourmet" magazine, giving her permission to use canned heart of palm, she jumped at the chance, and used it. After modifying it.
This is a good salad. It has an unusual quality about it, that you will not find in green salads: you can store what you do not use, and use it the next day. As she and the Guyman did. In fact, it may be better. Annalena shall give you the recipe as it was written, and as she changed it.
You start with two cans of heart of palm, drained. You will have somewhere between 8 and 10 sticks of palm. Drain them and pat them dry. Cut them into circles, about 1/3 of an inch big, and put them into a salad bowl. Eyeball how much you have. Now, get a ripe avocado (the rough skinned kind: Haas), and peel it and cut it into small pieces. Put that in the bowl as well.
The original recipe now called for yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half. If you use them, use about as much volume as you have heart of palm. BUT....
Remember when I said "GP" liked beets? Well, Annalena had chioggia beets, which have a rosy hue, and golden beets, which have a golden hue, in her refrigerator. If you like beets, and you have them around, chop them into pieces about as big as the avocado and palm and again, use an equal volume. (You can learn how to cook beets by searching on this blog).
Now, the dressing. The original called for two tablespoons of lime juice, two tablespoons of mayonnaise, and two tablespoons of olive oil. Annalena suggests you leave out the olive oil. The dressing is wet enough as it is, and mayonnaise is pretty rich. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then pour it all over the salad. Taste, and if you want more salt, add it then.
The dressing will be a little wet when you make it. If you store the salad leftovers (if there are any), overnight, the dressing will thicken, and you will need to add some more oil and vinegar the next day. On the next day, Annalena did add arugula, and the salad was wonderful.
Play with this, ragazzi. Do keep the palm and the avocado, but vary ingredient number three as you see fit. And tell Annalena how it turns out. She DOES want to know.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The mystery of marinades: Pork chops in honey orange vinegar glaze
Ok, Annalena needs to say something right at the start. We're going to be making pork chops with this recipe. Now, if you do not eat red meat, or animal protein, for health reasons, for reasons of personal dislike, etc, Annalena is fine with that. BUT... if you are not eating meat because of cruelty issues, but eat fish, or eat food that has been picked or produced by migrant workers, she does. Annalena eats meat. She eats it frequently. And she does what her Nonna taught her, and says a prayer of thanks to the animal which gave its life so that she could eat. But beyond that, Annalena investigates the sources of all proteins that she buys: she wants to see pictures of the farms, how the animals are raised. She wants to know how many animals are harvested (and she uses that word in the sense of any other food), before she makes her decision. The result is a clearer conscience , and also better tasting food.
Do keep in mind, ragazzi, that if you are a vegetarian, the food you are eating was undoubtedly picked by an underpaid worker, living in bad conditions, who breathed in toxins from pesticides, etc. There are tradeoffs. None of us can say we are "clean" because of what we eat, or don't eat. Let us not throw stones.
This diatribe has been brought about because of criticism of some of Annalena's dishes, and the alleged "cruelty" they cause. Feeding your family bad food, is cruel. PERIOD.
Ok, end of that. Now, onto the mystery of marinades. We are, collectively, fascinated with them, be they brines, dry rubs, wet rubs, etc, which are all "marinades," because of the flavor they impart to food.
Truth is, ragazzi, most marinades don't put that much flavor into what they're used on. It is a plain old fact. Marinades, originally, were intended to permit acids to break down tough proteins. If you sit fish, or meat, in any kind of acid, it essentially tenderizes the meat. Sometimes, too much. Add salt, and you do get some flavor added to the protein, because the salt will diffuse into the meat tissue. Fact is, however, other molecules are too big. They sit on the surface of the protein, but don't really get into it much.
If you ever wanted to see this in action, put a chunk of tofu into a heavy soy marinade. Let it sit for a day. Cut the tofu. Check the penetration of the color. Put the stuff back, and soak another day. Look again. And so on and so forth. It's a good lesson.
Marinades, however, when used well, do add flavor, as well as the above mentioned tenderizing - even when the meat is tender to begin with. Most marinades can be used - as we will here - to make a glaze or reduction. This in turn compliments the protein, which has received just the "tinge" of flavor the marinade added.
Ok, so here we go. We're going to make pork chops. Get four nice sized ones, from a reputable place - like your farmers market. Expect to pay much for this, that's the way it is. Pork chops are expensive, artisanal pork is more expensive, and cruelty free, even more. It's worth it. They should weigh about 8 ounces each (half a pound), and have a bone in them. Put them aside, while you mix 3/4 cup of honey (probably you have it in the back of your cupboard. Dig around), the juice of an orange, together with the grated peel of that fruit, and 1/4 cup of white wine, champagne, or cider vinegar (incidentally, if you don't find that honey, use maple syrup). Put a handful of small rosemary stems in with this. Rub the needles between your fingers to release some of the oil. Add about a teaspoon of salt, and some pepper. Now stir this all together, put it in a bowl, and add the pork chops. Stir it together, and then put everything in a big, sturdy plastic bag, and put the bag in a bowl. Put this in your fridge, and let it sit overnight.
Now, in the original recipe, after you've done this, it says to let it sit "at least 2 hours or up to overnight." Now, Annalena asks: if you can let something sit for 2 hours, or 8, doesn't that tell you something about the effect?
The original recipe calls for putting these in the broiler; however, Annalena prefers to do this another way. Get out your grill pan, and oil it lightly. Turn it on, and also turn on your oven to 375. Meanwhile, drain the marinade from the pork, and pull out the rosemary. Toss it. Take the marinade, put it in a small pan, and let it reduce to half. Watch it: this stuff boils up, and if your pan is too small, you'll have a mess.
When your ridged grill pan is ready, pat the chops dry, and salt them again. Let them cook for about four - five minutes per side. Look at what happens: you will get very dark cooking. The reason for that is the sugars in the honey and the juice. They did stay on the surface, and you are getting carmelization. After the ten minutes, brush the reduced marinade on one side of the chops, and then get them in the oven for another ten minutes. After that, PROTECT YOUR HANDS, take out the pan, flip the chops and brush them with the reduction again.
Annalena also wants you to taste the marinade before it goes on the chops. What do you taste? Bet not a lot of rosemary. The heating transformed it into something else. It is now like the "bass notes" in music. You'd know if it weren't there, but you don't know it's rosemary. And also, remember the taste of the marinade when you eat your chops. It won't be the same, and if you like, you can pour some of the left over reduction on the chops, at table, or add it to whatever starch you're eating.
These are good. They are VERY good. They have a sweetness, and a complexity, that you will not find without the marinade, nor will you get it with just glazing the meat as you cook. You'll be happy you did this, but as you work with these recipes, you will begin to understand the limitations and the plusses of this whole family of ingredients.
Thursday is steak night at home, ragazzi, and we will be exploring "infusions." Stay tuned.
Do keep in mind, ragazzi, that if you are a vegetarian, the food you are eating was undoubtedly picked by an underpaid worker, living in bad conditions, who breathed in toxins from pesticides, etc. There are tradeoffs. None of us can say we are "clean" because of what we eat, or don't eat. Let us not throw stones.
This diatribe has been brought about because of criticism of some of Annalena's dishes, and the alleged "cruelty" they cause. Feeding your family bad food, is cruel. PERIOD.
Ok, end of that. Now, onto the mystery of marinades. We are, collectively, fascinated with them, be they brines, dry rubs, wet rubs, etc, which are all "marinades," because of the flavor they impart to food.
Truth is, ragazzi, most marinades don't put that much flavor into what they're used on. It is a plain old fact. Marinades, originally, were intended to permit acids to break down tough proteins. If you sit fish, or meat, in any kind of acid, it essentially tenderizes the meat. Sometimes, too much. Add salt, and you do get some flavor added to the protein, because the salt will diffuse into the meat tissue. Fact is, however, other molecules are too big. They sit on the surface of the protein, but don't really get into it much.
If you ever wanted to see this in action, put a chunk of tofu into a heavy soy marinade. Let it sit for a day. Cut the tofu. Check the penetration of the color. Put the stuff back, and soak another day. Look again. And so on and so forth. It's a good lesson.
Marinades, however, when used well, do add flavor, as well as the above mentioned tenderizing - even when the meat is tender to begin with. Most marinades can be used - as we will here - to make a glaze or reduction. This in turn compliments the protein, which has received just the "tinge" of flavor the marinade added.
Ok, so here we go. We're going to make pork chops. Get four nice sized ones, from a reputable place - like your farmers market. Expect to pay much for this, that's the way it is. Pork chops are expensive, artisanal pork is more expensive, and cruelty free, even more. It's worth it. They should weigh about 8 ounces each (half a pound), and have a bone in them. Put them aside, while you mix 3/4 cup of honey (probably you have it in the back of your cupboard. Dig around), the juice of an orange, together with the grated peel of that fruit, and 1/4 cup of white wine, champagne, or cider vinegar (incidentally, if you don't find that honey, use maple syrup). Put a handful of small rosemary stems in with this. Rub the needles between your fingers to release some of the oil. Add about a teaspoon of salt, and some pepper. Now stir this all together, put it in a bowl, and add the pork chops. Stir it together, and then put everything in a big, sturdy plastic bag, and put the bag in a bowl. Put this in your fridge, and let it sit overnight.
Now, in the original recipe, after you've done this, it says to let it sit "at least 2 hours or up to overnight." Now, Annalena asks: if you can let something sit for 2 hours, or 8, doesn't that tell you something about the effect?
The original recipe calls for putting these in the broiler; however, Annalena prefers to do this another way. Get out your grill pan, and oil it lightly. Turn it on, and also turn on your oven to 375. Meanwhile, drain the marinade from the pork, and pull out the rosemary. Toss it. Take the marinade, put it in a small pan, and let it reduce to half. Watch it: this stuff boils up, and if your pan is too small, you'll have a mess.
When your ridged grill pan is ready, pat the chops dry, and salt them again. Let them cook for about four - five minutes per side. Look at what happens: you will get very dark cooking. The reason for that is the sugars in the honey and the juice. They did stay on the surface, and you are getting carmelization. After the ten minutes, brush the reduced marinade on one side of the chops, and then get them in the oven for another ten minutes. After that, PROTECT YOUR HANDS, take out the pan, flip the chops and brush them with the reduction again.
Annalena also wants you to taste the marinade before it goes on the chops. What do you taste? Bet not a lot of rosemary. The heating transformed it into something else. It is now like the "bass notes" in music. You'd know if it weren't there, but you don't know it's rosemary. And also, remember the taste of the marinade when you eat your chops. It won't be the same, and if you like, you can pour some of the left over reduction on the chops, at table, or add it to whatever starch you're eating.
These are good. They are VERY good. They have a sweetness, and a complexity, that you will not find without the marinade, nor will you get it with just glazing the meat as you cook. You'll be happy you did this, but as you work with these recipes, you will begin to understand the limitations and the plusses of this whole family of ingredients.
Thursday is steak night at home, ragazzi, and we will be exploring "infusions." Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Juicing : scallops in fresh apple juice reduction
Now, now. For any of you who may have thought this, let Annalena make something very clear: she does NOT juice.
Some of you may be thinking "how would she think she juiced ? Is she KIDDING?" Ragazzi, Annalena knows that her physique, albeit not the mountainous one of the past, would not tease anyone into thinking she juices THAT way. No, no no. She is writing about the juice craze, where people make their own juices at home.
Annalena's kitchen is crowded with so many machines and implements that, although she is constantly "wanting" things, Annalena will not add anything unless it serves several purposes. A juicer does not. It juices. Annalena is not a juice drinking woman. The only juice she consumes is wine (it's grape juice after all), and an occasional spritz of fresh citrus, for which she has a hand squeezer. It does just fine. The mess of juice preparation (all that pulp), the cleaning of the equipment, and frankly, the calories involved, have succeeded in keeping Annalena from the whole juice extravaganza. It hasn't been a truly big thing, as the only thing Annalena can remember regretting she could not make, was a green apple sorbet from Lindsay Shere's book on desserts, because it called for fresh apple juice.
And FRESH apple juice is necessary because, as those of you who imbibe will know, almost immediately after being prepared, fresh apple juice discolors. It oxidizes. That is why that big bottle of it you find in the supermarket is brown colored. No, that is not the color of the juice, it is artificial (or natural) color added, to mask the unappetizing brown of oxidized apple juice.
Oh, dear. A digression. But a helpful one. Also, one has to remember that when drinking fresh juice, a glass of, say, orange juice, is the equivalent of at least three, sometimes four, fresh pieces of fruit. At some levels, fresh juice is almost the same as soda. So, no fresh juice, and no juicer.
So when Annalena saw this recipe, she despaired of making it, as it calls for fresh juice. BUT... it makes a relatively small quantity, is helped by the greatest ingredient of all - water - and it calls for a blender. She was dubious, but is now very pleased and sees this recipe going into her repertoire.
Let's cook.
You will need two granny smith apples, a large lemon, and then 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pound of scallops, the largest you can find and a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Also salt and pepper.
Note the minimalism of the recipe. It is in accord with our themes, right ragazzi?
Now, let's make the apple juice. Cut up one of those granny smiths in large chunks, and core it. Get rid of the stem, but do not peel it. Put it in a blender with the juice of that lemon, and 1/4 cup of water. Puree, and sing a song to yourself while you do, to break down the apple as much as possible. You'll see this lovely "stuff," the beautiful green color of a luna moth (if you have never seen a luna moth, take steps to rectify this immediately). Get a find strainer, and a bowl. Pour the stuff into the strainer, and press down. The pulp will stay behind, and the juice goes into the bowl. You will wind up with somewhere between 3/4 and a full cup.
Get to work on the second apple. This time, you do peel it. Core it, and cut it into small cubes - about half an inch, and keep in mind this is home cooking, so perfect cuts are not necessary. Put those chunks into a bowl with the juice you made. The lemon juice is going to keep everything from browning, while you make your scallops.
To make them, spread out the scallops on a plate or tray and dry them very well. This is an important step. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on them. Get a big pan, and add two tablespoons of olive oil. It is all you will need. Let it cover the pan, and get hot. Now add the scallops. You might want to use a timer, because you don't want them to cook more than 2 minutes on a side. If the oil is hot enough, they will brown nicely, and if they are dry enough, they will not stick. (if you are nervous about any of this, use a non-stick pan, and if it's not large enough, cook the scallops in batches). Put them back on their tray, or plate, and put them aside. Add the tablespoon of butter, and when it melts, add the juice and apples. Kick up the heat as high as it will go. Stir every now and then, and watch the juice carmelize (bye bye bright green color), and the apple bits cook to aldente. Divide your scallops, and then pour equal amounts of this stuff over them.
If you are so inclined, you might add some greens, like pea shoots, or other like product, to the hot oil before you pour it over the scallops, but such is not necessary. These are both very light, fresh flavors (scallop and apple), and to Annalena's taste, the greens overpower them.
No juicing, ragazzi, even if you think that guy is hot. Drink your juice, if you must, and in any case, do make this recipe.
Some of you may be thinking "how would she think she juiced ? Is she KIDDING?" Ragazzi, Annalena knows that her physique, albeit not the mountainous one of the past, would not tease anyone into thinking she juices THAT way. No, no no. She is writing about the juice craze, where people make their own juices at home.
Annalena's kitchen is crowded with so many machines and implements that, although she is constantly "wanting" things, Annalena will not add anything unless it serves several purposes. A juicer does not. It juices. Annalena is not a juice drinking woman. The only juice she consumes is wine (it's grape juice after all), and an occasional spritz of fresh citrus, for which she has a hand squeezer. It does just fine. The mess of juice preparation (all that pulp), the cleaning of the equipment, and frankly, the calories involved, have succeeded in keeping Annalena from the whole juice extravaganza. It hasn't been a truly big thing, as the only thing Annalena can remember regretting she could not make, was a green apple sorbet from Lindsay Shere's book on desserts, because it called for fresh apple juice.
And FRESH apple juice is necessary because, as those of you who imbibe will know, almost immediately after being prepared, fresh apple juice discolors. It oxidizes. That is why that big bottle of it you find in the supermarket is brown colored. No, that is not the color of the juice, it is artificial (or natural) color added, to mask the unappetizing brown of oxidized apple juice.
Oh, dear. A digression. But a helpful one. Also, one has to remember that when drinking fresh juice, a glass of, say, orange juice, is the equivalent of at least three, sometimes four, fresh pieces of fruit. At some levels, fresh juice is almost the same as soda. So, no fresh juice, and no juicer.
So when Annalena saw this recipe, she despaired of making it, as it calls for fresh juice. BUT... it makes a relatively small quantity, is helped by the greatest ingredient of all - water - and it calls for a blender. She was dubious, but is now very pleased and sees this recipe going into her repertoire.
Let's cook.
You will need two granny smith apples, a large lemon, and then 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pound of scallops, the largest you can find and a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Also salt and pepper.
Note the minimalism of the recipe. It is in accord with our themes, right ragazzi?
Now, let's make the apple juice. Cut up one of those granny smiths in large chunks, and core it. Get rid of the stem, but do not peel it. Put it in a blender with the juice of that lemon, and 1/4 cup of water. Puree, and sing a song to yourself while you do, to break down the apple as much as possible. You'll see this lovely "stuff," the beautiful green color of a luna moth (if you have never seen a luna moth, take steps to rectify this immediately). Get a find strainer, and a bowl. Pour the stuff into the strainer, and press down. The pulp will stay behind, and the juice goes into the bowl. You will wind up with somewhere between 3/4 and a full cup.
Get to work on the second apple. This time, you do peel it. Core it, and cut it into small cubes - about half an inch, and keep in mind this is home cooking, so perfect cuts are not necessary. Put those chunks into a bowl with the juice you made. The lemon juice is going to keep everything from browning, while you make your scallops.
To make them, spread out the scallops on a plate or tray and dry them very well. This is an important step. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on them. Get a big pan, and add two tablespoons of olive oil. It is all you will need. Let it cover the pan, and get hot. Now add the scallops. You might want to use a timer, because you don't want them to cook more than 2 minutes on a side. If the oil is hot enough, they will brown nicely, and if they are dry enough, they will not stick. (if you are nervous about any of this, use a non-stick pan, and if it's not large enough, cook the scallops in batches). Put them back on their tray, or plate, and put them aside. Add the tablespoon of butter, and when it melts, add the juice and apples. Kick up the heat as high as it will go. Stir every now and then, and watch the juice carmelize (bye bye bright green color), and the apple bits cook to aldente. Divide your scallops, and then pour equal amounts of this stuff over them.
If you are so inclined, you might add some greens, like pea shoots, or other like product, to the hot oil before you pour it over the scallops, but such is not necessary. These are both very light, fresh flavors (scallop and apple), and to Annalena's taste, the greens overpower them.
No juicing, ragazzi, even if you think that guy is hot. Drink your juice, if you must, and in any case, do make this recipe.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Only eat what you knead: buttermilk bread
Ragazzi, Annalena knows that most of you have no wish, desire, motivation, etc, to make your own bread, and whilst she disagrees with you and thinks you're lazy for it, she respects this decision.
Well, not really; however, she refrains from posting homemade bread recipes, because she knows...
Except when she finds one that is exceptional. And ragazzi, this one is. You do have to go and get a product that is not going to be in your pantry (or, perhaps make a substitution, as Annalena will explain), but it's worth it. And if you make this, Annalena thinks you will almost certainly say something along the lines of "why haven't I done this before." You will, of course, remember your manners and say a thank you to Annalena, and she'll wait and smile.
As she has written before, Annalena started making her own bread when she found the preservatives in the bread she was buying to be too problematic. Also, there were , and are, so many ways to make a delicious loaf of bread that you will never find most of them in any market. No question, there are bread makers who care, and make wonderful bread, but let's say you have a hankering for spicy cheddar cheese bread with jalapenos? Bet you won't find it. Or walnut and sausage bread? Nope. And so on, and so forth.
This one is nowhere near as fancy as those, but it is pretty darn good. And it's a good, basic loaf to make so that you, 'get your feet wet' or your hands in some dough.
The ingredient (actually, there are two), which you will need to gather, is buttermilk powder. This is essentially the same thing as dried milk powder, but adapted for bread making. You will also need semolina flour, just a bit. If you can find neither, or are not inclined to look for them, in the recipe which follows, substitute all purpose, unbleached flour for the semolina. As for the buttermilk powder, replace at least half, and up to 2/3 of the water, with buttermilk. And if you have no buttermilk, then you can do one of several things. You can make the same replacement suggested above, with whole, or 2% milk, with a tablespoon of white vinegar added. Or, you can take a cup of yogurt,and then thin it with water or milk to make the quantity you want (use plain yogurt, kids).
Ready? Here we go. For two nice loaves, you will need 4 cups of all purpose white flour, and 2 cups of whole wheat. You can go to six cups of white, but this is such an easy way to get some fiber into your diet. You will also need a cup of semolina flour. As above, make the substitution, if you need to. Now, if you have the buttermilk powder, add a half a cup of it to the flour mix. Annalena's original recipe calls for sugar, which she dismisses as unnecessary.
Keep those dry ingredients at hand, as you put 2.5 cups of liquid into a bowl. Again, what that liquid is, depends on what you have at hand. (and if you happen to have left over water from boiling potatoes: FABULOUS). Add a tablespoon and a teaspoon of yeast to this liquid, making sure it is no warmer than room temperature. Add a couple of teaspoons of salt.
Now, start adding that flour mixture, a cup at a time. If you are using a mixer, you can increase it to two, and use the dough hook. If you are doing it by hand, use a spoon. For you by hand folks, when it gets too stiff to stir, put it on the table, and knead the rest of that flour in, little by little. For machine folks like Annalena, after you have the flour in, switch to a dough hook. Knead the stuff, by hand, for about 10 minutes, or six by machine (or, until your machine tells you "I've had enough," and stops. They do that).
You just made bread! Yes, you did. Now, you let the yeasty beasties do what they do, and put the dough aside, covered, for an hour and a half to two hours. Annalena has made over 2000 loaves of bread, and she remains amazed by this process. When the dough has doubled, punch it down, divide it into two pieces, and form logs of each piece, before putting them into lightly greased 9x5 baking pans. You can use the smaller size 8x4, but you will get a very tall, exaggerated loaf here. There's 7 cups of flour in all. That's a lot for two small loaves.
Cover these loaves, until they crest over the top of the pan. You're looking at probably another hour or so, while you preheat the oven to 350.
Put the loaves in, and bake them for 30-40 minutes , until you have that miraculous golden brown color.
Your home will smell like you're an old fashioned gal when you're making this, and the bread is spectacular. You can eat it just plain, as the Guyman and Annalena did, or use it for sandwiches (as we are), of any type.
The astute amongst you will see the possibility of herbs, or cheese, or sun dried tomatoes, or olives, or other good things in this. Go for it, says Annalena, but try it straight up the first time, because there is nothing quite like a good, honest loaf of the homemade stuff.
She WILL turn some of you into bread bakers.
Well, not really; however, she refrains from posting homemade bread recipes, because she knows...
Except when she finds one that is exceptional. And ragazzi, this one is. You do have to go and get a product that is not going to be in your pantry (or, perhaps make a substitution, as Annalena will explain), but it's worth it. And if you make this, Annalena thinks you will almost certainly say something along the lines of "why haven't I done this before." You will, of course, remember your manners and say a thank you to Annalena, and she'll wait and smile.
As she has written before, Annalena started making her own bread when she found the preservatives in the bread she was buying to be too problematic. Also, there were , and are, so many ways to make a delicious loaf of bread that you will never find most of them in any market. No question, there are bread makers who care, and make wonderful bread, but let's say you have a hankering for spicy cheddar cheese bread with jalapenos? Bet you won't find it. Or walnut and sausage bread? Nope. And so on, and so forth.
This one is nowhere near as fancy as those, but it is pretty darn good. And it's a good, basic loaf to make so that you, 'get your feet wet' or your hands in some dough.
The ingredient (actually, there are two), which you will need to gather, is buttermilk powder. This is essentially the same thing as dried milk powder, but adapted for bread making. You will also need semolina flour, just a bit. If you can find neither, or are not inclined to look for them, in the recipe which follows, substitute all purpose, unbleached flour for the semolina. As for the buttermilk powder, replace at least half, and up to 2/3 of the water, with buttermilk. And if you have no buttermilk, then you can do one of several things. You can make the same replacement suggested above, with whole, or 2% milk, with a tablespoon of white vinegar added. Or, you can take a cup of yogurt,and then thin it with water or milk to make the quantity you want (use plain yogurt, kids).
Ready? Here we go. For two nice loaves, you will need 4 cups of all purpose white flour, and 2 cups of whole wheat. You can go to six cups of white, but this is such an easy way to get some fiber into your diet. You will also need a cup of semolina flour. As above, make the substitution, if you need to. Now, if you have the buttermilk powder, add a half a cup of it to the flour mix. Annalena's original recipe calls for sugar, which she dismisses as unnecessary.
Keep those dry ingredients at hand, as you put 2.5 cups of liquid into a bowl. Again, what that liquid is, depends on what you have at hand. (and if you happen to have left over water from boiling potatoes: FABULOUS). Add a tablespoon and a teaspoon of yeast to this liquid, making sure it is no warmer than room temperature. Add a couple of teaspoons of salt.
Now, start adding that flour mixture, a cup at a time. If you are using a mixer, you can increase it to two, and use the dough hook. If you are doing it by hand, use a spoon. For you by hand folks, when it gets too stiff to stir, put it on the table, and knead the rest of that flour in, little by little. For machine folks like Annalena, after you have the flour in, switch to a dough hook. Knead the stuff, by hand, for about 10 minutes, or six by machine (or, until your machine tells you "I've had enough," and stops. They do that).
You just made bread! Yes, you did. Now, you let the yeasty beasties do what they do, and put the dough aside, covered, for an hour and a half to two hours. Annalena has made over 2000 loaves of bread, and she remains amazed by this process. When the dough has doubled, punch it down, divide it into two pieces, and form logs of each piece, before putting them into lightly greased 9x5 baking pans. You can use the smaller size 8x4, but you will get a very tall, exaggerated loaf here. There's 7 cups of flour in all. That's a lot for two small loaves.
Cover these loaves, until they crest over the top of the pan. You're looking at probably another hour or so, while you preheat the oven to 350.
Put the loaves in, and bake them for 30-40 minutes , until you have that miraculous golden brown color.
Your home will smell like you're an old fashioned gal when you're making this, and the bread is spectacular. You can eat it just plain, as the Guyman and Annalena did, or use it for sandwiches (as we are), of any type.
The astute amongst you will see the possibility of herbs, or cheese, or sun dried tomatoes, or olives, or other good things in this. Go for it, says Annalena, but try it straight up the first time, because there is nothing quite like a good, honest loaf of the homemade stuff.
She WILL turn some of you into bread bakers.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Variations on a theme: pasta with crab, snap peas and lemon
To the astute reader, it is clear that Annalena makes a lot of pasta dishes which incorporate fish , and vegetables into the dish. Indeed. Fish cooks quickly, you don't need a tremendous amount of it with a dish like pasta, and it's a good way to get some protein into you, when you're having a meal based on starch. (Let Annalena clarify immediately that she is all in favor of dishes based on starch. For those of us who are trying to balance the endless variations on what we should and should not eat however, one thing does remain constant: protein and carbohydrate should be a part of your diet. Where we fight is over how much of each).
Ok, philosophical diatribe over. One of the more popular items on this blog (at least based on the hits), is a recipe for a pasta dish with shrimp and peas. Indeed, Annalena's erstwhile Italian teacher Jonathan wrote her not that long ago to tell her that (i) he was making it, and (ii) it was pretty good. Annalena told you all in that discussion that you could substitute other things , like scallops, and asparagus, for the shrimp, and peas. The key issue was: how fast do they cook?
Well, this time, we only have to worry about the vegetables. And the story of why this recipe is here. Annalena hopes you are doing exactly what she did.
Last evening, faced with the news that the restaurant she and the Guyman were going to had lost its liquor license (a fact they chose not to tell Annalena when she made the reservation three weeks ago - at which point they had already lost their license , and not at all revealed on their website, which presents a cocktail and wine menu), she hustled to find a place to eat, three hours before dinner time. On a Saturday night.
La coppia found a warm welcome at Trestle and Tenth, where they had not been for a while. And on the menu was a dish that could be had in a half or full portion: tagliarini with crab, snap peas and lemon.
Well.. Annalena had defrosted some dungeness crab meat to use "somehow," and of course, there are always lemons in the house . There were string beans, but she was going shopping. And there was fresh pasta. This could work. This could be done in about fifteen minutes.
See, ragazzi, when you buy crab meat, it is already cooked. Raw crabmeat is not meat: it's gel. Annalena could draw parallels for you, but why gross you out? So there was no need to cook the stuff. And snap peas cook in two minutes - literally. And so, the dish was born. Here we go, with some ideas for substitution.
Here, we are going to use the "rule of 12," i.e, we are going to want 12 ounces of crab meat ( a cup and a half), 12 ounces of pasta (3/4 of a pound), 12 ounces of snap peas. Take the snap peas, and break them in half. You can cut them, but it will take less time if you do it by hand. Have them, and the crab meat ready, as a large pot of salted water comes to the boil. Drop in your pasta - any type - and about 3 minutes before you are ready to drain it, add the snap peas.
In the time that the pasta is cooking, grate the rind from one large lemon very finely. Keep that aside. That is your "cheese" here.
When the pasta is aldente to your taste, drain it, and the peas. Off the heat, stir them together with the crab meat. Add some fresh black pepper, and then when you plate it, sprinkle some of the lemon over it.
Some thoughts: well, Annalena's friend Bobby has been wondering what to do with a can of salmon for a while. Perhaps this, with some asparagus. If you have some fish left over from a prior dinner. You could even drain some high quality tuna, and use that. What's to stop you from cutting some cherry tomatoes in half and adding them? Or using something other than asparagus, peas, or snap peas? What of broccoli florets, for example? Simply choose things that will cook quickly.
Lemon is really required here, but don't use the juice. It will overwhelm things. And no cheese, please. If you feel the pasta is a little dry (and some can feel that way), add a bit of olive oil, or less desirably a pat of butter.
This will serve you up three large portions, or four smaller ones. It will take you more time to buy the fish than to make this meal. Go for it. Speed is not everything , but when it results in something nutritious, natural, and tasty, "it's a good thing"
Ok, philosophical diatribe over. One of the more popular items on this blog (at least based on the hits), is a recipe for a pasta dish with shrimp and peas. Indeed, Annalena's erstwhile Italian teacher Jonathan wrote her not that long ago to tell her that (i) he was making it, and (ii) it was pretty good. Annalena told you all in that discussion that you could substitute other things , like scallops, and asparagus, for the shrimp, and peas. The key issue was: how fast do they cook?
Well, this time, we only have to worry about the vegetables. And the story of why this recipe is here. Annalena hopes you are doing exactly what she did.
Last evening, faced with the news that the restaurant she and the Guyman were going to had lost its liquor license (a fact they chose not to tell Annalena when she made the reservation three weeks ago - at which point they had already lost their license , and not at all revealed on their website, which presents a cocktail and wine menu), she hustled to find a place to eat, three hours before dinner time. On a Saturday night.
La coppia found a warm welcome at Trestle and Tenth, where they had not been for a while. And on the menu was a dish that could be had in a half or full portion: tagliarini with crab, snap peas and lemon.
Well.. Annalena had defrosted some dungeness crab meat to use "somehow," and of course, there are always lemons in the house . There were string beans, but she was going shopping. And there was fresh pasta. This could work. This could be done in about fifteen minutes.
See, ragazzi, when you buy crab meat, it is already cooked. Raw crabmeat is not meat: it's gel. Annalena could draw parallels for you, but why gross you out? So there was no need to cook the stuff. And snap peas cook in two minutes - literally. And so, the dish was born. Here we go, with some ideas for substitution.
Here, we are going to use the "rule of 12," i.e, we are going to want 12 ounces of crab meat ( a cup and a half), 12 ounces of pasta (3/4 of a pound), 12 ounces of snap peas. Take the snap peas, and break them in half. You can cut them, but it will take less time if you do it by hand. Have them, and the crab meat ready, as a large pot of salted water comes to the boil. Drop in your pasta - any type - and about 3 minutes before you are ready to drain it, add the snap peas.
In the time that the pasta is cooking, grate the rind from one large lemon very finely. Keep that aside. That is your "cheese" here.
When the pasta is aldente to your taste, drain it, and the peas. Off the heat, stir them together with the crab meat. Add some fresh black pepper, and then when you plate it, sprinkle some of the lemon over it.
Some thoughts: well, Annalena's friend Bobby has been wondering what to do with a can of salmon for a while. Perhaps this, with some asparagus. If you have some fish left over from a prior dinner. You could even drain some high quality tuna, and use that. What's to stop you from cutting some cherry tomatoes in half and adding them? Or using something other than asparagus, peas, or snap peas? What of broccoli florets, for example? Simply choose things that will cook quickly.
Lemon is really required here, but don't use the juice. It will overwhelm things. And no cheese, please. If you feel the pasta is a little dry (and some can feel that way), add a bit of olive oil, or less desirably a pat of butter.
This will serve you up three large portions, or four smaller ones. It will take you more time to buy the fish than to make this meal. Go for it. Speed is not everything , but when it results in something nutritious, natural, and tasty, "it's a good thing"
Is this the definitive blondie recipe? Chocolate banana blondies
Annalena has sort of a hate/hate relationship with brownies. First, she does not like them. That , in and of itself, would not normally stop her from making them; however, every cook has his or her Achilles' heel in the kitchen (Annalena has several), and brownies are one of them. Let us put it this way ragazzi: she is sure that, if she makes brownies which have a total ingredient content of 4 pounds, her brownies weigh 12. Yes, it is that simple. She has played with more formulas, more different types of chocolate, more different leavens than you can shake a stick at. The result is always the same. So, Annalena does not make brownies.
Now, blondies are a different story. First, Annalena loves them, especially the classic butterscotch blondie with nuts. And she makes them well. She finds them a joy to make. In fact, it is one of the few sweets which Annalena will eat too much of if they are around (cheese, butter, bread, wine, those are different stories. But sweets? Normally Annalena leaves them be).
And let us face it: everyone LOVES brownies and blondies, or one of the two. And Annalena is always aiming to please. So, when she saw a recipe that not only was on blondies, but also gave her an excuse to use up the three black, shriveled bananas that were in her fridge, she took the chance.
She took liberties, borne out of necessity and judgement, and feels that she may now have the definitive version of the blondie. So, ragazzi, try these and let her know.
First, you make a cookie crust. And to do this, you buy cookies. Yes, bambini, you BUY cookies. Something not too sweet, and chocolate. Annalena wonders if you know how difficult it is to find CHOCOLATE cookies. Not chocolate chip cookies - they are everywhere. But CHOCOLATE cookies, like the chocolate version of nilla vanilla wafers, are ridiculously difficult to get. Annalena wound up with some kosher chocolate tea biscuits which were not too sweet. They were perfect. She also thinks that this recipe would work with different types of cookies, but suggests you put some cocoa powder in with the cookies, when you go through the next step.
You need a pound of crispy cookies. Break them up into small pieces, and put them in a food processor with a melted stick of unsalted butter, a quarter cup of brown sugar (Annalena used dark), and a pinch of salt. You will wind up with "sand." Press this into a very well greased, 9x13 inch pan (you can use metal), and bake this for about 8 minutes.
Let's make the filling. Put about three bananas that are VERY ripe into that food processor bowl, and puree them. Then add 2 large eggs, and mix this together. Now, we get to the sugar. Annalena's original recipe called for a pound of dark brown sugar - 2.5 cups. Brown sugar is a lovely thing, but it can be monotonous. And, Annalena did not have enough. So she mixed brown sugar with cinnamon sugar, to get 2.5 cups (and here's a side recipe for making cinnamon sugar: take a cup of sugar, stir in a teaspoon of good quality cinnamon, and you have cinnamon sugar). Put this in with the eggs and bananas and whirl it together. Now, add a stick and a half of soft, unsalted butter (and apologies for leaving this out the first time, ragazzi)
Next, we add some flavoring. If you are making these for adults, or for children who need to be kept quiet, add a quarter cup of dark rum. If, on the other hand, the alcohol is not what you want, or your children will behave, just add a good PLUNK of vanilla extract. Annalena suggests a teaspoon and a half.
You have your liquid ingredients now. And you add a cup of flour, and a pinch of salt, and pulse. You pulse rather than mix, because the flour will get gummy if you work it too hard.
This is your batter. by now, your crust will be ready. Take it out of the oven and, while hot, pour this stuff over it. If you like, sprinkle nuts over the top, and DEFINITELY sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the whole thing. Bake it for about 45 minutes, or until it's nice and firm.
Ragazzi, this is an EXPLOSION of flavors. You get waves of chocolate, banana, rum, salt and vanilla, over and over and over again when you eat them. You will not wonder why Annalena had to go and put them in a place that was hard to get to.
Ostensibly, this makes 24. If you want big pieces for a dessert, of course it will make less. And if you're in the "smaller is better" camp to cut back calories, cut them smaller. Annalena made 30.
DO try this. All the caps in the recipe are because it is so darn good. It's worth buying yucky bananas, or having them around long enough to get yucky. You will love it. Promesso
Now, blondies are a different story. First, Annalena loves them, especially the classic butterscotch blondie with nuts. And she makes them well. She finds them a joy to make. In fact, it is one of the few sweets which Annalena will eat too much of if they are around (cheese, butter, bread, wine, those are different stories. But sweets? Normally Annalena leaves them be).
And let us face it: everyone LOVES brownies and blondies, or one of the two. And Annalena is always aiming to please. So, when she saw a recipe that not only was on blondies, but also gave her an excuse to use up the three black, shriveled bananas that were in her fridge, she took the chance.
She took liberties, borne out of necessity and judgement, and feels that she may now have the definitive version of the blondie. So, ragazzi, try these and let her know.
First, you make a cookie crust. And to do this, you buy cookies. Yes, bambini, you BUY cookies. Something not too sweet, and chocolate. Annalena wonders if you know how difficult it is to find CHOCOLATE cookies. Not chocolate chip cookies - they are everywhere. But CHOCOLATE cookies, like the chocolate version of nilla vanilla wafers, are ridiculously difficult to get. Annalena wound up with some kosher chocolate tea biscuits which were not too sweet. They were perfect. She also thinks that this recipe would work with different types of cookies, but suggests you put some cocoa powder in with the cookies, when you go through the next step.
You need a pound of crispy cookies. Break them up into small pieces, and put them in a food processor with a melted stick of unsalted butter, a quarter cup of brown sugar (Annalena used dark), and a pinch of salt. You will wind up with "sand." Press this into a very well greased, 9x13 inch pan (you can use metal), and bake this for about 8 minutes.
Let's make the filling. Put about three bananas that are VERY ripe into that food processor bowl, and puree them. Then add 2 large eggs, and mix this together. Now, we get to the sugar. Annalena's original recipe called for a pound of dark brown sugar - 2.5 cups. Brown sugar is a lovely thing, but it can be monotonous. And, Annalena did not have enough. So she mixed brown sugar with cinnamon sugar, to get 2.5 cups (and here's a side recipe for making cinnamon sugar: take a cup of sugar, stir in a teaspoon of good quality cinnamon, and you have cinnamon sugar). Put this in with the eggs and bananas and whirl it together. Now, add a stick and a half of soft, unsalted butter (and apologies for leaving this out the first time, ragazzi)
Next, we add some flavoring. If you are making these for adults, or for children who need to be kept quiet, add a quarter cup of dark rum. If, on the other hand, the alcohol is not what you want, or your children will behave, just add a good PLUNK of vanilla extract. Annalena suggests a teaspoon and a half.
You have your liquid ingredients now. And you add a cup of flour, and a pinch of salt, and pulse. You pulse rather than mix, because the flour will get gummy if you work it too hard.
This is your batter. by now, your crust will be ready. Take it out of the oven and, while hot, pour this stuff over it. If you like, sprinkle nuts over the top, and DEFINITELY sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the whole thing. Bake it for about 45 minutes, or until it's nice and firm.
Ragazzi, this is an EXPLOSION of flavors. You get waves of chocolate, banana, rum, salt and vanilla, over and over and over again when you eat them. You will not wonder why Annalena had to go and put them in a place that was hard to get to.
Ostensibly, this makes 24. If you want big pieces for a dessert, of course it will make less. And if you're in the "smaller is better" camp to cut back calories, cut them smaller. Annalena made 30.
DO try this. All the caps in the recipe are because it is so darn good. It's worth buying yucky bananas, or having them around long enough to get yucky. You will love it. Promesso
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Look to the lillies: do it yourself spring garlic soup
The more you cook, the more you will get interested in the origins, the history, etc, of the food you cook. What is related, how, and so forth. And then things begin to make more sense. When you learn, for example, that all of the stone fruits are related to almonds, then not only does that little, soft almond shaped pit that you sometimes see in peaches make a connection, more importantly, you realize why almond goes so well with these fruits when you bake with them. When you realize that many plants are vegetables when unripe, and fruit when ripe, then you understand green papaya salad in a Thai restaurant, or plantains in a Mexican one, as a side vegetable.
And sometimes, what you learn, is just interesting. For example, did you know that lillies, onion and garlic, are all related to each other? Yes ragazzi, they are. If you have ever seen flowering garlic, or flowering onions, it will make more sense. It will also make sense if you line up the bulbs from which lillies flower, with onions, with garlic, etc. Now, Annalena does not suggest that you start cooking lillies with onions (although Asian cuisine has used lily blossoms as food for hundreds of years), but this is interesting stuff to know.
The first spring plants are essentially relatives in the lily family. Garlic and onions both need a lot of room to grow. So, farmers go out and glean the seedlings. If , for example, you have five garlic plants growing, you may very well cut this back to three, or even two. So, too with onions. Farmers glean them, and VOILA, we have "spring onions," which look like fat scallions, and "green garlic" which looks like something between a garlic bulb and a scallion. Let us not forget scallions either, or those harbingers of spring, ramps.
All of them are here, now, and this recipe is miraculously adaptable. And it's fast. And as you go through it, you will see that you can make this as lowfat, or as high fat as you like. You can have a very light snack, a light lunch, or a heavier one. So let's go.
We start with chicken stock. Now, if you make your own, bravo, and you will need six cups. Even the best boxed or canned stuff is too strong, to use on its own, so if you use that (which is what Annalena does), mix 4 cups of it with two cups of water. Put that aside while you work on your greens.
Now, recall all those options up there? Well, let's add leeks too. What you want is to have about four-five cups of thinly sliced garlic/onion type stuff. Green garlic, leeks, ramps, spring onions, whatever you can find. Don't use bulb onions or garlic cloves here. They're too strong. This is a GREEN soup. And use as many different ones as are available. Annalena sometimes tells you you don't need surgical precision. Here, you do need to try to slice as thinly as possible, but don't worry about uniformity.
Now, pile them all together. Start heating the chicken stock, and when it comes to a boil, immediately lower it to a simmer. Add the greens, and simmer for five minutes. Taste it, and add the salt you want.
Guess what? On one level, you are now done. This is the simplest version you can make, but if you think this will be satisfying as a meal, you're wrong. You use this as a stepping stone. Today, Annalena added a pound of shelled shrimp to hers, cooked it for another five minutes and she and the Guyman had lunch. Scallops or other fish will work too. So, too, would small bits of chicken. You could also bulk it up with rice, or potatoes. If you do that, though, please cook them separately, otherwise you will loose the wonderful garlicky broth, especially with rice.
You might also consider adding spinach, or peas, or any other quick cooking vegetable. In any event, you will have a restorative bowl of soup on your table in about half an hour, at the most.
If you try this, please let Annalena know how you made it. She's curious.
And sometimes, what you learn, is just interesting. For example, did you know that lillies, onion and garlic, are all related to each other? Yes ragazzi, they are. If you have ever seen flowering garlic, or flowering onions, it will make more sense. It will also make sense if you line up the bulbs from which lillies flower, with onions, with garlic, etc. Now, Annalena does not suggest that you start cooking lillies with onions (although Asian cuisine has used lily blossoms as food for hundreds of years), but this is interesting stuff to know.
The first spring plants are essentially relatives in the lily family. Garlic and onions both need a lot of room to grow. So, farmers go out and glean the seedlings. If , for example, you have five garlic plants growing, you may very well cut this back to three, or even two. So, too with onions. Farmers glean them, and VOILA, we have "spring onions," which look like fat scallions, and "green garlic" which looks like something between a garlic bulb and a scallion. Let us not forget scallions either, or those harbingers of spring, ramps.
All of them are here, now, and this recipe is miraculously adaptable. And it's fast. And as you go through it, you will see that you can make this as lowfat, or as high fat as you like. You can have a very light snack, a light lunch, or a heavier one. So let's go.
We start with chicken stock. Now, if you make your own, bravo, and you will need six cups. Even the best boxed or canned stuff is too strong, to use on its own, so if you use that (which is what Annalena does), mix 4 cups of it with two cups of water. Put that aside while you work on your greens.
Now, recall all those options up there? Well, let's add leeks too. What you want is to have about four-five cups of thinly sliced garlic/onion type stuff. Green garlic, leeks, ramps, spring onions, whatever you can find. Don't use bulb onions or garlic cloves here. They're too strong. This is a GREEN soup. And use as many different ones as are available. Annalena sometimes tells you you don't need surgical precision. Here, you do need to try to slice as thinly as possible, but don't worry about uniformity.
Now, pile them all together. Start heating the chicken stock, and when it comes to a boil, immediately lower it to a simmer. Add the greens, and simmer for five minutes. Taste it, and add the salt you want.
Guess what? On one level, you are now done. This is the simplest version you can make, but if you think this will be satisfying as a meal, you're wrong. You use this as a stepping stone. Today, Annalena added a pound of shelled shrimp to hers, cooked it for another five minutes and she and the Guyman had lunch. Scallops or other fish will work too. So, too, would small bits of chicken. You could also bulk it up with rice, or potatoes. If you do that, though, please cook them separately, otherwise you will loose the wonderful garlicky broth, especially with rice.
You might also consider adding spinach, or peas, or any other quick cooking vegetable. In any event, you will have a restorative bowl of soup on your table in about half an hour, at the most.
If you try this, please let Annalena know how you made it. She's curious.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Get out the frying pan: squid (or fish) fritters
Can we all admit, ragazzi, that we LOVE fried food? Yes, we do. We know it's not good for us, we know we shouldn't eat it. But it's good. As Annalena has posted before, many people have said that "if you deep fry it, people will eat it." The sense of crunch, the carmelization, it all works together.
And so, ragzzi, with POST NUMBER 800!!!!, Annalena wants to challenge you to make something you think you won't like: she wants you to cook squid.
OK, enough with the EWWWWW. You eat fried calamari, don't you? Hmmm? Well, this is easier. And it tastes better. If you have yourself a good old food processor, you can do this in less than 30 minutes. Promesso. And if you REALLY do not feel up to the squid challenge, you can use another white type fish: you can use skate (ENOUGH WITH THE EWWWWS. You are NOT helping), you can use flounder, or cod, or anything along these lines. You can use shrimp, or scallops, but why would you? Stick away from the muscle type fish (let's review: these are: tuna and swordfish, marlin, that kind of thing). In fact, you could probably use canned salmon for this (that's for you, Bobby D), and then you don't need the food processor.
Ok, you take your fish, and you cut it into small pieces. Put it in the food processor, and pulse it until it's chopped up. Don't worry about surgical precision. Dump it into a bowl, and then, in the same food processor, add half of a green pepper, cut up, half of a red one, also cut, a bunch of chopped scallions or , even better, a few spring onions, and a few stems of cilantro. Pulse these, too, and put them in with the fish. Add an egg, stir it all together, and put it aside. Put your processor away, because you don't need it anymore. (If you like things spicy, put some jalapenos in there, too)
Now, in a separate bowl, mix up a cup and a half of plain, all purpose white flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of "something hot," be it chili powder, cayenne, etc. Add half a teaspoon of salt.
Now, you need something carbonated. Beer is preferred. If you are off the sauce, use plain seltzer. Pour half a cup of it into the fish mixture, stir it together, and then stir another half cup into the flour and mix it up. The flour will clump up horribly. Worry not. You stir this all into the fish mixture, and you will wind up with a thick, wet batter.
Now, get a big pan, and fill it with about 3/4 cup of oil. Start heating the oil as you set up a couple of baking sheets with paper towels, and turn your oven to 200.
After, oh, 3-4 minutes, start dolloping tablespoons of the mixture in the oil. Keep an eye on them. You'll see browning happening on the edges, sooner than you think. Try to get a feel for how long that took, because that's how long you're going to cook them after you flip these guys, using a pancake turner or something like that. All in all, you'll spend about five minutes doing this. Transfer them to the paper towels (you'll be making about six at a time), and when you fill the baking sheet, put it in the oven.
Keep working. You'll get somewhere between 24-30 of these by the time you're done.
Didn't sound hard, did it? Because it's not . To serve them, mitigate your evils by putting them on some fresh lettuce leaves. You need sauce with these .Annalena added insult to injury by adding hot sauce to mayonnaise, instead of the recommended tartar sauce, but you know that you can use anything that sounds good to you.
Try them with squid, ragazzi. It is cheap, it's plentiful, and Annalena PROMISES you won't know it's squid if you didn't make them. But if you try this with different fish, please drop Annalena a note and let her knw what you did.
800 posts. What a long, strange trip it's been.
And so, ragzzi, with POST NUMBER 800!!!!, Annalena wants to challenge you to make something you think you won't like: she wants you to cook squid.
OK, enough with the EWWWWW. You eat fried calamari, don't you? Hmmm? Well, this is easier. And it tastes better. If you have yourself a good old food processor, you can do this in less than 30 minutes. Promesso. And if you REALLY do not feel up to the squid challenge, you can use another white type fish: you can use skate (ENOUGH WITH THE EWWWWS. You are NOT helping), you can use flounder, or cod, or anything along these lines. You can use shrimp, or scallops, but why would you? Stick away from the muscle type fish (let's review: these are: tuna and swordfish, marlin, that kind of thing). In fact, you could probably use canned salmon for this (that's for you, Bobby D), and then you don't need the food processor.
Ok, you take your fish, and you cut it into small pieces. Put it in the food processor, and pulse it until it's chopped up. Don't worry about surgical precision. Dump it into a bowl, and then, in the same food processor, add half of a green pepper, cut up, half of a red one, also cut, a bunch of chopped scallions or , even better, a few spring onions, and a few stems of cilantro. Pulse these, too, and put them in with the fish. Add an egg, stir it all together, and put it aside. Put your processor away, because you don't need it anymore. (If you like things spicy, put some jalapenos in there, too)
Now, in a separate bowl, mix up a cup and a half of plain, all purpose white flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of "something hot," be it chili powder, cayenne, etc. Add half a teaspoon of salt.
Now, you need something carbonated. Beer is preferred. If you are off the sauce, use plain seltzer. Pour half a cup of it into the fish mixture, stir it together, and then stir another half cup into the flour and mix it up. The flour will clump up horribly. Worry not. You stir this all into the fish mixture, and you will wind up with a thick, wet batter.
Now, get a big pan, and fill it with about 3/4 cup of oil. Start heating the oil as you set up a couple of baking sheets with paper towels, and turn your oven to 200.
After, oh, 3-4 minutes, start dolloping tablespoons of the mixture in the oil. Keep an eye on them. You'll see browning happening on the edges, sooner than you think. Try to get a feel for how long that took, because that's how long you're going to cook them after you flip these guys, using a pancake turner or something like that. All in all, you'll spend about five minutes doing this. Transfer them to the paper towels (you'll be making about six at a time), and when you fill the baking sheet, put it in the oven.
Keep working. You'll get somewhere between 24-30 of these by the time you're done.
Didn't sound hard, did it? Because it's not . To serve them, mitigate your evils by putting them on some fresh lettuce leaves. You need sauce with these .Annalena added insult to injury by adding hot sauce to mayonnaise, instead of the recommended tartar sauce, but you know that you can use anything that sounds good to you.
Try them with squid, ragazzi. It is cheap, it's plentiful, and Annalena PROMISES you won't know it's squid if you didn't make them. But if you try this with different fish, please drop Annalena a note and let her knw what you did.
800 posts. What a long, strange trip it's been.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
OLE! Spanish chicken in garlic almond sauce
Annalena fancies herself a MEDITERRANEAN cook, rather than an Italian one, so she explores the repertoire from time to time, venturing out of the safety of the boot, to test other dishes that sound tasty and use the things she likes.
While Annalena sees the value of a boneless, skinless breast of chicken and eats more than her share of them, in truth, she is a legs girl. To her, the legs have more flavor, and are more "gratifying" to eat. They have more texture, more juice, more "chickenness" for lack of a better word. Yes, my health food fans, she knows that they have more calories, and that they have more fat but the recipe she is about to give you comes in at a whopping 450 calories, if you consider one full leg a serving - and it is. Annalena found it a bit difficult to even finish this, so give it a try.
It does seem interesting to Annalena that, in her day, chicken legs were extremely popular. Wings were almost never eaten, breasts were eaten but not really much mentioned. Legs, legs, legs. Now, however, one is hard pressed to find a recipe for a whole chicken legs. Thighs? Oh yes. Drumsticks? Si. But the whole leg? Not so much. And so, we turn to this one which requires it.
The recipe will take you about an hour to make, from start to finish. It has some involved steps, but nothing you can't handle. It's different. Try it.
We start with four whole chicken legs. As always, if you have the time, salt them and let them sit in the fridge overnight. If not, salt and pepper them as far ahead of time as you can, and pat them as dry as you can get them.
While you are letting the chicken sit, measure out a half cup of almonds. Now, let's stop here for a minute. Ideally, you will use slivered, or sliced almonds for this dish. If you do not have them, use the whole unsalted ones. The skinless ones would be better, but the unskinned ones will work. If you do use the whole ones, get the toasted variety, and skip the step below where we fry the almonds. If you try to do it with whole ones, you will burn them .
You also need two cups of crustless bread cubes. Annalena's recipe called for white bread. She had a bread that was 1/3 whole wheat, 2/3 white, and it worked just fine. Any firm country bread will do, as long as it is not a bread that, in the words of Fran Lebovitz "is so good for you you need an ax to slice it."
Now, chop up four garlic cloves, but don't worry about how fine you make them. In fact, if you are pressed for time, you can use the whole, peeled cloves. At this time of year, green garlic is showing up in the market, and you could use a bunch of that too. If you like the flavor of garlic, you can also increase the quantity here. It will change the dish, but it will still be tasty.
You also need 2 cups of chicken stock, and then a scant cup of either white wine, or dry sherry, or a mix of these. Annalena recommends a mix. Sherry gives the dish a Spanish feel, but too much of it can be overwhelming in a dish. Finally, you will want a good pinch of saffron, and a chopped onion.
Okay, ragazzi, now we make the dish. First, we fry those almonds. Put three tablespoons of olive oil in a big pan, and add the nuts. Spread them out, so they cook faster, and fry them at medium heat. Have paper towels ready, and when they begin to brown, scoop the nuts out with a slotted spoon and drain them (remember: you leave this out with whole nuts). Now, put those bread cubes into the remaining oil, and move them around, until they begin to crisp up. In all, the two steps will require, perhaps, six minutes to do.
Put these in a blender with the garlic, the chicken stock, the wine, and the saffron. Add some salt as well, and puree this, until it's smooth. You will get a very creamy looking, ecru colored sauce. Taste it.
Betcha it's like nothing you ever tasted before.
Now we move to the chicken. Clean out that pan. You don't need any oil, because of the fat in the chicken, and the fact that the pan is still warm. Add the legs, and cook at medium heat, until they brown on one side. If your chicken is dry, this will take about six minutes. It will take longer if it's not. Then flip them, and brown the other side.
When the browning is done, you may be stunned at how much fat is in the pan. Drain it off, and leave about a tablespoon. Now add the onion and cook it until it begins to brown. Maybe five minutes here? When that happens, add the chicken back, and add the sauce. Cover the pan, lower the heat to a simmer, and let this cook for 20 minutes. Taste it, and adjust the salt and add pepper if you like.
If you serve this directly from the pan, it will be a very liquid sauce, and the seasonings may seem underdeveloped. If you leave it to sit, overnight in the refrigerator, the sauce will thicken as the bread picks up moisture. Reheating it will be fun. The combination of natural gelatin from the bones of the chicken and the bread turns this into a very solid "mass,' that needs gentle warming in the oven, rather than high heat at the stove.
The sauce is so rich tasting that you will probably find that, if you serve plain rice, or potatoes, with the meal, you only need one. Indeed, the Guyman and Annalena ate this with mashed potatoes and spinach, and had a fine meal. With leftovers.
Bet you wish you were there...
While Annalena sees the value of a boneless, skinless breast of chicken and eats more than her share of them, in truth, she is a legs girl. To her, the legs have more flavor, and are more "gratifying" to eat. They have more texture, more juice, more "chickenness" for lack of a better word. Yes, my health food fans, she knows that they have more calories, and that they have more fat but the recipe she is about to give you comes in at a whopping 450 calories, if you consider one full leg a serving - and it is. Annalena found it a bit difficult to even finish this, so give it a try.
It does seem interesting to Annalena that, in her day, chicken legs were extremely popular. Wings were almost never eaten, breasts were eaten but not really much mentioned. Legs, legs, legs. Now, however, one is hard pressed to find a recipe for a whole chicken legs. Thighs? Oh yes. Drumsticks? Si. But the whole leg? Not so much. And so, we turn to this one which requires it.
The recipe will take you about an hour to make, from start to finish. It has some involved steps, but nothing you can't handle. It's different. Try it.
We start with four whole chicken legs. As always, if you have the time, salt them and let them sit in the fridge overnight. If not, salt and pepper them as far ahead of time as you can, and pat them as dry as you can get them.
While you are letting the chicken sit, measure out a half cup of almonds. Now, let's stop here for a minute. Ideally, you will use slivered, or sliced almonds for this dish. If you do not have them, use the whole unsalted ones. The skinless ones would be better, but the unskinned ones will work. If you do use the whole ones, get the toasted variety, and skip the step below where we fry the almonds. If you try to do it with whole ones, you will burn them .
You also need two cups of crustless bread cubes. Annalena's recipe called for white bread. She had a bread that was 1/3 whole wheat, 2/3 white, and it worked just fine. Any firm country bread will do, as long as it is not a bread that, in the words of Fran Lebovitz "is so good for you you need an ax to slice it."
Now, chop up four garlic cloves, but don't worry about how fine you make them. In fact, if you are pressed for time, you can use the whole, peeled cloves. At this time of year, green garlic is showing up in the market, and you could use a bunch of that too. If you like the flavor of garlic, you can also increase the quantity here. It will change the dish, but it will still be tasty.
You also need 2 cups of chicken stock, and then a scant cup of either white wine, or dry sherry, or a mix of these. Annalena recommends a mix. Sherry gives the dish a Spanish feel, but too much of it can be overwhelming in a dish. Finally, you will want a good pinch of saffron, and a chopped onion.
Okay, ragazzi, now we make the dish. First, we fry those almonds. Put three tablespoons of olive oil in a big pan, and add the nuts. Spread them out, so they cook faster, and fry them at medium heat. Have paper towels ready, and when they begin to brown, scoop the nuts out with a slotted spoon and drain them (remember: you leave this out with whole nuts). Now, put those bread cubes into the remaining oil, and move them around, until they begin to crisp up. In all, the two steps will require, perhaps, six minutes to do.
Put these in a blender with the garlic, the chicken stock, the wine, and the saffron. Add some salt as well, and puree this, until it's smooth. You will get a very creamy looking, ecru colored sauce. Taste it.
Betcha it's like nothing you ever tasted before.
Now we move to the chicken. Clean out that pan. You don't need any oil, because of the fat in the chicken, and the fact that the pan is still warm. Add the legs, and cook at medium heat, until they brown on one side. If your chicken is dry, this will take about six minutes. It will take longer if it's not. Then flip them, and brown the other side.
When the browning is done, you may be stunned at how much fat is in the pan. Drain it off, and leave about a tablespoon. Now add the onion and cook it until it begins to brown. Maybe five minutes here? When that happens, add the chicken back, and add the sauce. Cover the pan, lower the heat to a simmer, and let this cook for 20 minutes. Taste it, and adjust the salt and add pepper if you like.
If you serve this directly from the pan, it will be a very liquid sauce, and the seasonings may seem underdeveloped. If you leave it to sit, overnight in the refrigerator, the sauce will thicken as the bread picks up moisture. Reheating it will be fun. The combination of natural gelatin from the bones of the chicken and the bread turns this into a very solid "mass,' that needs gentle warming in the oven, rather than high heat at the stove.
The sauce is so rich tasting that you will probably find that, if you serve plain rice, or potatoes, with the meal, you only need one. Indeed, the Guyman and Annalena ate this with mashed potatoes and spinach, and had a fine meal. With leftovers.
Bet you wish you were there...
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Putting the cart before the horse: miso and honey glazed turnips
If you eat seasonally, and locally in New York, during the winter, you eat a LOT of turnips. Annalena's friend Patty once said, that shopping at the Farmers Market, from December to March means "apples. turnips... apples... turnips... turnips... turnips." All too true, ragazzi, all too true.
Now, while Annalena does not suggest a diet based completely on turnips, or even eating them every day, she does suggest that we all get better acquainted with them.
Facts are facts: turnips are available all year long and, like many of the vegetables we do not think of as varying over the course of a year, they do. Not very long from now, the markets will be filled with baby tokyo turnips, with fresh greens on the top of them. Annalena uses them, in their totality, to make turnip and turnip green soup, or stir fried turnip greens with roasted turnips (you DO know, by the way, that true broccoli rabb, "cima di rape," is turnip greens, didn't you? Well, you do now). As the year goes by, the turnips get bigger, and the greens get uckier. At this time of year, what we have are the big winter storage turnips: the ones that came out of the ground before it froze, with leaves that were more like mud than green, and which store in cellars. Turnips store very well. And that is why you can get them at this time of year, and why they were such an important part of diets in the early parts of this country's history, and in the diets of climates where winter is long, cold, and nasty.
Turnip soup. Roasted turnip. Mashed turnip with potatoes. Fried turnips. What next?
Hmmm. A problem. So when Annalena sees a recipe for turnips which intrigues her, she tries it. And this one was a good one. She presents it to you, urging you to try it, with some tips for changing it.
You will need to buy something you probably do not have in your home: miso. Preferably white miso or, as you will see it sold "shiromiso" Don't bother with the dried stuff. A friend of Annalena's once said, correctly "dried miso is dead miso." Using dried, when you can get fresh, is like using dried basil when you can get fresh. Either use the fresh or don't use it. You will not need more than a couple of tablespoons for this recipe, so either do some research, buy a small quantity, or share it with your friends. You will also need a mild type of honey, water, and a pound of turnips. Some unsalted butter too.
This one is easy. First, you peel the turnips. This may strike you as odd, but you need to do it because you are going to be braising them, and in order to get the flavor fully into the roots, you need to remove the skin, which will inhibit the process. Slice them into about half inch pieces, and then put them into a pan or pot.
The dimensions of this pot are going to determine how your recipe cooks, so think about this a bit. A pot that is wide, and shallow, is going to cook the liquid (we are coming to that) away very quickly, and you may need to add more. A pot that is narrower, and deep, will take longer to cook away the liquid, and you may have to remove the turnips to prevent turnip puree. But we will address this.
Now, whatever the pot you use is, put in the turnips, at least a tablespoon of miso, a tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of unsalted butter, and two cups of water. This mixture is going to produce a mild dish, somewhat on the sweet side. If you want something saltier, up the miso, but don't go over two tablespoons.
Stir everything together, and bring the heat to medium high. Keep an eye on things, and after five minutes, check both the water, and the texture of the turnips. Ideally, the water will evaporate to a syrupy sauce at about the same time the turnips go to al dente. In reality, don't count on this happening. If it looks like you are getting to syrup and your turnips are too tough, add more water. If the turnips are cooking, but you still have a lot of liquid, take out the turnips, raise the heat, and boil the liquid down to a few tablespoons.
When you get to the syrupy stage, stir the turnips around gently, so as not to break them, and also to coat them completely. All together, this won't take you more than ten minutes.
So, what was the hardest part of that recipe? Probably buying the miso.
This is an excellent side dish for hearty meats, like the duck breast with which Annalena and the Guyman had them last night. The miso gives them a slightly Asian taste, so think along those lines with what else you are serving. Maybe steamed fish, or something like that?
Next up, ragazzi: if this dish was easy, we're going to work for the next one, and it will be worth it: we're going to make a Spanish (or Greek) chicken dish, with a sauce made of - ready for this? - almonds, and bread.
Now, while Annalena does not suggest a diet based completely on turnips, or even eating them every day, she does suggest that we all get better acquainted with them.
Facts are facts: turnips are available all year long and, like many of the vegetables we do not think of as varying over the course of a year, they do. Not very long from now, the markets will be filled with baby tokyo turnips, with fresh greens on the top of them. Annalena uses them, in their totality, to make turnip and turnip green soup, or stir fried turnip greens with roasted turnips (you DO know, by the way, that true broccoli rabb, "cima di rape," is turnip greens, didn't you? Well, you do now). As the year goes by, the turnips get bigger, and the greens get uckier. At this time of year, what we have are the big winter storage turnips: the ones that came out of the ground before it froze, with leaves that were more like mud than green, and which store in cellars. Turnips store very well. And that is why you can get them at this time of year, and why they were such an important part of diets in the early parts of this country's history, and in the diets of climates where winter is long, cold, and nasty.
Turnip soup. Roasted turnip. Mashed turnip with potatoes. Fried turnips. What next?
Hmmm. A problem. So when Annalena sees a recipe for turnips which intrigues her, she tries it. And this one was a good one. She presents it to you, urging you to try it, with some tips for changing it.
You will need to buy something you probably do not have in your home: miso. Preferably white miso or, as you will see it sold "shiromiso" Don't bother with the dried stuff. A friend of Annalena's once said, correctly "dried miso is dead miso." Using dried, when you can get fresh, is like using dried basil when you can get fresh. Either use the fresh or don't use it. You will not need more than a couple of tablespoons for this recipe, so either do some research, buy a small quantity, or share it with your friends. You will also need a mild type of honey, water, and a pound of turnips. Some unsalted butter too.
This one is easy. First, you peel the turnips. This may strike you as odd, but you need to do it because you are going to be braising them, and in order to get the flavor fully into the roots, you need to remove the skin, which will inhibit the process. Slice them into about half inch pieces, and then put them into a pan or pot.
The dimensions of this pot are going to determine how your recipe cooks, so think about this a bit. A pot that is wide, and shallow, is going to cook the liquid (we are coming to that) away very quickly, and you may need to add more. A pot that is narrower, and deep, will take longer to cook away the liquid, and you may have to remove the turnips to prevent turnip puree. But we will address this.
Now, whatever the pot you use is, put in the turnips, at least a tablespoon of miso, a tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of unsalted butter, and two cups of water. This mixture is going to produce a mild dish, somewhat on the sweet side. If you want something saltier, up the miso, but don't go over two tablespoons.
Stir everything together, and bring the heat to medium high. Keep an eye on things, and after five minutes, check both the water, and the texture of the turnips. Ideally, the water will evaporate to a syrupy sauce at about the same time the turnips go to al dente. In reality, don't count on this happening. If it looks like you are getting to syrup and your turnips are too tough, add more water. If the turnips are cooking, but you still have a lot of liquid, take out the turnips, raise the heat, and boil the liquid down to a few tablespoons.
When you get to the syrupy stage, stir the turnips around gently, so as not to break them, and also to coat them completely. All together, this won't take you more than ten minutes.
So, what was the hardest part of that recipe? Probably buying the miso.
This is an excellent side dish for hearty meats, like the duck breast with which Annalena and the Guyman had them last night. The miso gives them a slightly Asian taste, so think along those lines with what else you are serving. Maybe steamed fish, or something like that?
Next up, ragazzi: if this dish was easy, we're going to work for the next one, and it will be worth it: we're going to make a Spanish (or Greek) chicken dish, with a sauce made of - ready for this? - almonds, and bread.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dessert from the pantry: dried fruit squares
Annalena would like to see a show of hands: how many of you have bought dessert for a dinner because, well, making one was just too much trouble? Or, while wanting something a little dressier, convinced yourself that "fruit is the best dessert after all," and served a fruit salad, or sliced apples, or something along those lines?
Well, ragazzi, there is absolutely nothing wrong, and everything right with serving fresh fruit for dessert, but you see , here's the thing: if you are trying to fool yourself into thinking it is something else, the only one who is going to be fooled, is you, and later that night, you are going to raid chocolate, candy, or something, because that sweet tooth urge, has not been satisfied.
Trust la strega on this one: she knows whereof she speaks. And so do you.
So what if Annalena told you she has a "dessert for all seasons," that you can make at the drop of a hat, and will make everyone happy. All you will need is some dried fruit - even - as they say in a little night music "raisins." In fact, raisins would make this mighty fine.
Don't believe her? Shame on all of you! Annalena may fib, but of food, she never lies.
This dessert actually qualifies more as a cookie, but if you put this in front of people for dessert, they will be happier than if you put just about anything else in front of them. Put out some ice cream, and you have what may very well be the apotheosis of a weekday dessert.
Now, Annalena presents this dessert as if you are going to make it for immediate service. But you can make the components ahead of time. You can certainly make the crust way ahead of time and freeze it, and it will take you all of about six minutes when you use a food processor.
So here we go. Let's make the crust. You will need a heaping 2 cups of flour, and a cup and a half of confectioner's sugar. Put that in a blender with a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder, and two sticks of room temperature unsalted butter, cut up. Finally, IF you like (Annalena does), add a cup of nuts.
Now, pulse this mixture until you get fine crumbs. It will not take long. Pull out 2 cups of it and set it aside. That is the smaller quantity, and that will be your topping. The rest will be your crust.
Not too hard, huh? So, let's assume you had a few minutes during the week and you made this for later in the week. Put the stuff in bags, and freeze it.
And now, the filling. The basics are 2 cups of dried fruit and a cup and a half of water. And then, "stuff."
Let Annalena explain: every dried fruit has a complementary flavor, and every dried fruit works better with one thing than another. For example, with apricots: vanilla and ginger are great. For cherries: almond extract. For figs: lemon. Raisins: maybe some sweet wine. Play with combinations. Be your own artist.
Whatever you decide, put the fruit and the water into a pan, after you've cut up bigger pieces of fruit, like apricots, and let it come to a boil. Simmer it for ten minutes. Now, add your "stuff," whatever it is. In some cases, it may include some more sugar. You might want cinnamon. You're going to taste as you go along. You want a filling that tastes VERY strong, because it is going to lose something in baking, so kick it up. Acids, spices, anything that brings things forward.
Now, we're ready to cook. For this, you can use a metal pan. Preheat your oven to 350, and now, take the larger amount of crumbs, and press it into a 9x13 pan as evenly as you can. This won't take long. Put it into the oven, and bake it for sixteen minutes. An odd timing, but it works. Bring it out (don't forget to protect your hands, ) and spread out the filling as best as you can. You may need to add some more liquid, and if you do, act judiciously. Spread it as well as you can, because it will spread a bit more (incidentally, if you don't have dried fruit, you can substitute a cup of a very well flavored jam or preserve). Now take the two cups of crust you reserved, sprinkle it over the top, and bake the whole thing for 30 minutes.
If you used figs, or raisins, you will get something akin to those big fruit bars we ate as kids (or, that people of Annalena's generation ate as kids). Apricots and cherries may remind you of the fruit bars that you buy, pretending they are healthy. Use what you got. Make some magic.
But please make these. Don't pretend they're healthy. They're not. They have a lot of calories, and a lot of fat in them, but you know what... sometimes, you have to just ... not... care. Annalena doesn't.
Well, ragazzi, there is absolutely nothing wrong, and everything right with serving fresh fruit for dessert, but you see , here's the thing: if you are trying to fool yourself into thinking it is something else, the only one who is going to be fooled, is you, and later that night, you are going to raid chocolate, candy, or something, because that sweet tooth urge, has not been satisfied.
Trust la strega on this one: she knows whereof she speaks. And so do you.
So what if Annalena told you she has a "dessert for all seasons," that you can make at the drop of a hat, and will make everyone happy. All you will need is some dried fruit - even - as they say in a little night music "raisins." In fact, raisins would make this mighty fine.
Don't believe her? Shame on all of you! Annalena may fib, but of food, she never lies.
This dessert actually qualifies more as a cookie, but if you put this in front of people for dessert, they will be happier than if you put just about anything else in front of them. Put out some ice cream, and you have what may very well be the apotheosis of a weekday dessert.
Now, Annalena presents this dessert as if you are going to make it for immediate service. But you can make the components ahead of time. You can certainly make the crust way ahead of time and freeze it, and it will take you all of about six minutes when you use a food processor.
So here we go. Let's make the crust. You will need a heaping 2 cups of flour, and a cup and a half of confectioner's sugar. Put that in a blender with a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder, and two sticks of room temperature unsalted butter, cut up. Finally, IF you like (Annalena does), add a cup of nuts.
Now, pulse this mixture until you get fine crumbs. It will not take long. Pull out 2 cups of it and set it aside. That is the smaller quantity, and that will be your topping. The rest will be your crust.
Not too hard, huh? So, let's assume you had a few minutes during the week and you made this for later in the week. Put the stuff in bags, and freeze it.
And now, the filling. The basics are 2 cups of dried fruit and a cup and a half of water. And then, "stuff."
Let Annalena explain: every dried fruit has a complementary flavor, and every dried fruit works better with one thing than another. For example, with apricots: vanilla and ginger are great. For cherries: almond extract. For figs: lemon. Raisins: maybe some sweet wine. Play with combinations. Be your own artist.
Whatever you decide, put the fruit and the water into a pan, after you've cut up bigger pieces of fruit, like apricots, and let it come to a boil. Simmer it for ten minutes. Now, add your "stuff," whatever it is. In some cases, it may include some more sugar. You might want cinnamon. You're going to taste as you go along. You want a filling that tastes VERY strong, because it is going to lose something in baking, so kick it up. Acids, spices, anything that brings things forward.
Now, we're ready to cook. For this, you can use a metal pan. Preheat your oven to 350, and now, take the larger amount of crumbs, and press it into a 9x13 pan as evenly as you can. This won't take long. Put it into the oven, and bake it for sixteen minutes. An odd timing, but it works. Bring it out (don't forget to protect your hands, ) and spread out the filling as best as you can. You may need to add some more liquid, and if you do, act judiciously. Spread it as well as you can, because it will spread a bit more (incidentally, if you don't have dried fruit, you can substitute a cup of a very well flavored jam or preserve). Now take the two cups of crust you reserved, sprinkle it over the top, and bake the whole thing for 30 minutes.
If you used figs, or raisins, you will get something akin to those big fruit bars we ate as kids (or, that people of Annalena's generation ate as kids). Apricots and cherries may remind you of the fruit bars that you buy, pretending they are healthy. Use what you got. Make some magic.
But please make these. Don't pretend they're healthy. They're not. They have a lot of calories, and a lot of fat in them, but you know what... sometimes, you have to just ... not... care. Annalena doesn't.
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