Ragazzi, Annalena is back from her annual excursion. Oh, so much to tell. To tell here, however, is that sadly, the food this time around very much underwhelmed her. In the past, where Annalena lives, you would have seen one rave of a restaurant after another. Not so, this year. Perhaps 4 or 5 of the 12 have raves from Annalena. The rest - to use a word she favors - meh. But the vacation itself, ragazzzi, was wonderful. One of the best. You really must go if you haven't.
Now, let us turn to the matter at hand: crab cakes. Can we see a show of hands: how many of you love them?
MMM HMMM. Just as Annalena thought. And how many of you MAKE them? Mmmm hmmm. Again, as Annalena thought. Truth to be told, Annalena had stopped making them herself because she would screw them up every single time. And crab meat, carini, is expensive. It is WICKED expensive. This is why you will frequently be disappointed when you buy crab cakes that are prepared and bring them home... they are all filler and no crab. OR, you won't buy them, because they are HOW MUCH each? So too, in restaurants, when you might get one as an appetizer, for 15.00 (if you are lucky), or 2 for 27, and find yourself still hungry.
Getting crab meat is very labor intensive. And crabs do not yield much meat. As far as Annalena knows, the dungeness crab, which averages about 2-2.5 pounds each, will yield about half a pound of meat if it's picked over very well. Each of us can put away that much crab in a plate of crab cakes, without problem. One day, sit with a big, cooked crab, and try to get out the meat. Now, for those of you who are going to say "but I always feel full after a crab boil," remember two things: one, you are laughing, talking, having a good time when you go to one of these, and... melted butter? On your fingers? FILLING!!!!
So, ok, why should we make crab cakes? Well, that is like asking why should we breathe? Crab is sweet, and tasty, but is not a strong flavor. You can make crab cakes carry any flavor you like. For example, Annalena finds that most of the ones she gets outside, have a hot spicy flavor. This is something she does not want in her crabcakes: she wants the sweet flavor, perhaps with a bit of a green note, and that is it. Each of you will have your own particular take on how you like them. And you can make them the way you like them, as Annalena will explain.
She would also like to thank Nadia G, who made them on her show once, and was an inspiration. Annalena learned so much about these from that show, she should have made them sooner.
Ok, so let's get to work. You start with a pound of crab meat. Frankly, whatever you can afford, is what you should use. Annalena has a ton of frozen dungeness crabmeat on hand, which she used. You can use lump, backfin, whatever you can get. Most recipes are going to tell you to pick it over to remove shells. Again, if you are worried, do, but Annalena has only one experience of finding a shell in her crab meat.
In order to get these buggers to hold together, they are going to need a binder. Here, Annalena used about a third of a pound of cooked, cooled potatoes, that she had mashed roughly. She recommends this. Remember that when you cook potatoes, you should always cook extra. Also add one large egg, and half a cup of an unflavored breadcrumb. Panko is particularly good here. Annalena adds a good half cup of choopped parsley, and a squirt of honey mustard. Use the herbs you like, or not at all, and the flavorings as well. Here, you have freedom. Taste, however, and see if you need salt. Sometimes your crab meat will be salty, and sometimes it will not be. Mix this all up evenly.
Get a baking tray, or a large plate ready, and cover it with more of your breadcrumbs/panko. Get your hands into the mix, and work it gently ("Gently" is key here). Take a good handful of the stuff, and shape it without packing it. Make a ball of some size, but don't get too crazy. You're going to be making eight of them. After you make each one, coat them in the extra breacrumbs, and put them on another plate. (This is more fun than you might think).
Here comes the key to success: put the finished cakes in the fridge, for at least 3 hours. Overnight if you can. This helps them to cohere a bit, and frying them when cold, will prevent some break up. To cook them, put about a quarter cup of vegetable oil in a non stick pan, and when it's hot, add four of them.
Keep in mind that the only thing here that isn't already cooked is the egg, so you don't need much cooking time. Maybe 3 minutes to a side, over medium heat. Move the cooked cakes to a paper towel to drain fat, and repeat with the last four.
If you have made fat, small ones, you may want to put these in the oven for about ten minutes, at 325 or so, because the crab at the center will not necessarily warm up enough for you. But they're ready. You can make your own tartar sauce, or just use slices of lemon or, as Annalena has discovered, something like mango salsa works really well too. Indeed, this is a place to use some of those sweet sauces someone gave you that you have no idea what to do with.
This meal will not be cheap. It may, in fact, be more than you're used to spending on crab cakes when you buy them outside. But try it once and then ask yourself: was it better? Annalena thinks you will agree it was, and it is not much work.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Carbonara: easier than you think: and cheaper
Those of you who cook have experienced this: you sit down, look at what's on the menu, see the price and say "HUH? I can make that for 1/3 of the price." Indeed, the "restaurant rule" is that it should cost the restaurant 1/3 of the menu price, in ingredients. That's everything on the plate. When you do your little mental calculation (which Annalena does too), keep in mind that you aren't factoring in your labor, your rent, wear and tear on your equipment, etc. Annalena does NOT mean to discourage you from eating out, or not eating things you can make: you LEARN this way. An arugula and strawberry salad, for example, was new to Annalena three years ago. It seemed to be THE salad of the season during her sojourn to San Francisco. Every restaurant had it. It is not hard to make. It was also good to have. And Annalena can make most pasta dishes she gets in restaurants, but keep in mind that eating out is about "the moment."
Still... and then there are the dishes that somehow intimidate us, because they seem so... well... HARD. Annalena suspects that pasta carbonara is one of them. Indeed, it kind of freaked her out, until she made it.
Are you kidding? This may very well be the easiest dish in the world to make. Easy if you decide to cook bacon or pancetta, even easier if you take a simpler way and just use chopped prosciutto or ham. And what is even better about this, is that the multipliers here are very, VERY easy, as we shall see.
So let's do it. How many people are you cooking for? (and this is a GREAT "onesie " recipe for all of Annalena's single girlfriends). Plan on 3- 5 ounces of dried pasta, depending on how hungry you and your assorted guests are, for each person. You also need one egg yolk per person. To separate an egg, crack it, drop it into your hand, and let the white stream out the side. Save it for other stuff (including Annalena's love crop cookies), or not. Put the egg yolk or yolks in a bowl, and per person, grate 1/4 to 1/3 (1/3 is better) of a pecorino cheese. Stir this together.
If you want to cook bacon for this dish, do so. Make it as crisp as you like, and drain it. You can do so with pancetta chunks as well. Or... just slice up some good quality prosciutto, or some small chunks of country style ham for the spice, whatever pork product you like. Frankly, you could probably use cooked sausage, even chorizo, and go cross cultural.
Keep the pork separate from the eggs, for now. Get your water boiling, with plenty of salt, and cook your pasta. When it's just about ready ,(taste it), scoop out about a quarter cup of water, per person, up to a full cup. (Incidentally, any pasta will work here). Drain your pasta, and now... pour it into the bowl with the egg yolks and the cheese. and toss this all together. Add the water. Keep stirring, and... no, you won't see any egg in the bottom of the bowl. It all 'cooks' right to the pasta. Now stir in your ham, and please add some grated fresh pepper. Lots of it.
And there you have it. A very quick (how quick WAS IT?) dish that will make you feel like you could run a restaurant.
If you come away from this saying "WOW. That was not hard at all," Annalena has done her job.
Off to SF ragazzi. If you do not see her until Memorial Day, now you know why. This time, she is not having an existential crisis, or a work crisis, or any crisis of any kind. She is simply recharging her batteries, after a difficult first part of the year, and learning, learning learning.
Later, dudes.
Still... and then there are the dishes that somehow intimidate us, because they seem so... well... HARD. Annalena suspects that pasta carbonara is one of them. Indeed, it kind of freaked her out, until she made it.
Are you kidding? This may very well be the easiest dish in the world to make. Easy if you decide to cook bacon or pancetta, even easier if you take a simpler way and just use chopped prosciutto or ham. And what is even better about this, is that the multipliers here are very, VERY easy, as we shall see.
So let's do it. How many people are you cooking for? (and this is a GREAT "onesie " recipe for all of Annalena's single girlfriends). Plan on 3- 5 ounces of dried pasta, depending on how hungry you and your assorted guests are, for each person. You also need one egg yolk per person. To separate an egg, crack it, drop it into your hand, and let the white stream out the side. Save it for other stuff (including Annalena's love crop cookies), or not. Put the egg yolk or yolks in a bowl, and per person, grate 1/4 to 1/3 (1/3 is better) of a pecorino cheese. Stir this together.
If you want to cook bacon for this dish, do so. Make it as crisp as you like, and drain it. You can do so with pancetta chunks as well. Or... just slice up some good quality prosciutto, or some small chunks of country style ham for the spice, whatever pork product you like. Frankly, you could probably use cooked sausage, even chorizo, and go cross cultural.
Keep the pork separate from the eggs, for now. Get your water boiling, with plenty of salt, and cook your pasta. When it's just about ready ,(taste it), scoop out about a quarter cup of water, per person, up to a full cup. (Incidentally, any pasta will work here). Drain your pasta, and now... pour it into the bowl with the egg yolks and the cheese. and toss this all together. Add the water. Keep stirring, and... no, you won't see any egg in the bottom of the bowl. It all 'cooks' right to the pasta. Now stir in your ham, and please add some grated fresh pepper. Lots of it.
And there you have it. A very quick (how quick WAS IT?) dish that will make you feel like you could run a restaurant.
If you come away from this saying "WOW. That was not hard at all," Annalena has done her job.
Off to SF ragazzi. If you do not see her until Memorial Day, now you know why. This time, she is not having an existential crisis, or a work crisis, or any crisis of any kind. She is simply recharging her batteries, after a difficult first part of the year, and learning, learning learning.
Later, dudes.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Applying what you've learned: lamb chops milanese
At some point you've seen them: the massive, breadcrumb encrusted veal chops, served with a salad of arugula, chopped tomato, and balsamic vinegar.
Even if you've eaten lunch, Annalena bets your mouth just began to water. It gets put in front of you, and it's HUGE. You can't possibly eat it all.
And then you do. It disappears because it tasted, well, so .... LIGHT. And after all, there was salad with it too. So the salad will cancel out the panna cotta for dessert.
You can stop blushing with guilt now. Annalena has been there. She's been there far too often. And she too, is a fan of those massive chops that require a whole plate.
How do they get them that big? Well, ragazzi, one of the tricks to milanese (and no one seems to know why this technique is called milanese, or as one writer referred to it: Italy's answer to wienerschnitzel), is - excuse the indelicate language here, bambini, "beating your meat," until it's thin. It's not a particularly easy thing to do, to be honest, because you are working with a chop, so there's a fulcrum of a bone, and you are trying to "pound the meat" until it's thin, without tearing it. So you can't go at it as if you are a caveperson, but you have to proceed with delicate, smooth shots. You take a heavy weight, bring it down on the chop, and push away. And repeat. And repeat again. Until you have something no more than about a third of an inch thick.
With a veal chop, you will get something enormous. So too with pork chops, especially double chops, which seem to be all the rage these days. But lamb chops... Hmmmm. Now, this sounded interesting. And of course, when Annalena read the recipe, she changed it (of COURSE she did.). But when you read of the changes, she thinks you'll agree, it's for the better.
This is instructions for feeding four, because by the time you're done, two of these little baby chops will be more than enough for you. Trust Annalena here. Get eight rib lamb chops, preferably grass fed. Annalena's original recipe called for double chops, which are two chops that remain attached. The reasoning there, is that there is more meat, and you can pound the chop thinner. Not necessary. Annalena found it fairly easy to just pound the chops to thinnness, after they had sat in the fridge overnight, uncovered, and salted.
Next, you make two bowls for dipping . In one, put two cups of plain, dried bread crumbs, and about half a cup of chopped fresh herbs. Use herbs that "seem" right. Just about everything is with lamb. Parsley is good, so is thyme, so is sage, and ... so is rosemary. As is tarragon. And oregano. Lavender? Not so much, although a little wouldn't hurt. Break three eggs into a second bowl.
Take each individual chop, and dip it in bread crumbs, then egg, and then back in the bread crumbs. You can do this with bread crumbs, but do NOT think that you can follow this technique for flour. Once you coat something in egg, do NOT dip it back in flour. You will have a mess, you will cry, curse, and probably call your loved ones filthy names.
The breaded chops can sit while you get ready for the next step. This is the frying, and baking step. Annalena's original recipe called for 2.5 cups of oil.
HUH? Well, the reason for that, was presentation. The original recipe called for a dip of the bone of the chop into the oil, to darken it and crisp it. If you wish to, go ahead, but to Annalena's point of view, it is a waste of oil, and calories, for something that is really very good without the arguably beautful fried bone. Heat the oil to about 350 and then fry the chops, four at a time, over medium heat, for two minutes a side. When they're cooked, move them to paper towels, and repeat with your second batch. Then put everything into a 375 oven for another 10 minutes, for medium rare, and 15, for medium, which is as far as you want to cook these.
If you wish to go "whole hog" so to speak, chop up some arugula, and if you must (this not being tomato season), some cherry tomatoes, and toss them with balsamic vinegar and some garlic and salt. Put it over the chops, and serve it forth.
Better, in Annalena's mind, to put out something like tomato jam, or a pepper jam, or something like that. MUCH better.
Annalena is heading off for her annual vacation ragazzi, back to the city by the bay. She may get one more recipe out to you before she leaves. Does anyone want to know how to make carbonara, an easy way (which is a redundancy, because carbonara is about as easy as a pasta dish comes).
Even if you've eaten lunch, Annalena bets your mouth just began to water. It gets put in front of you, and it's HUGE. You can't possibly eat it all.
And then you do. It disappears because it tasted, well, so .... LIGHT. And after all, there was salad with it too. So the salad will cancel out the panna cotta for dessert.
You can stop blushing with guilt now. Annalena has been there. She's been there far too often. And she too, is a fan of those massive chops that require a whole plate.
How do they get them that big? Well, ragazzi, one of the tricks to milanese (and no one seems to know why this technique is called milanese, or as one writer referred to it: Italy's answer to wienerschnitzel), is - excuse the indelicate language here, bambini, "beating your meat," until it's thin. It's not a particularly easy thing to do, to be honest, because you are working with a chop, so there's a fulcrum of a bone, and you are trying to "pound the meat" until it's thin, without tearing it. So you can't go at it as if you are a caveperson, but you have to proceed with delicate, smooth shots. You take a heavy weight, bring it down on the chop, and push away. And repeat. And repeat again. Until you have something no more than about a third of an inch thick.
With a veal chop, you will get something enormous. So too with pork chops, especially double chops, which seem to be all the rage these days. But lamb chops... Hmmmm. Now, this sounded interesting. And of course, when Annalena read the recipe, she changed it (of COURSE she did.). But when you read of the changes, she thinks you'll agree, it's for the better.
This is instructions for feeding four, because by the time you're done, two of these little baby chops will be more than enough for you. Trust Annalena here. Get eight rib lamb chops, preferably grass fed. Annalena's original recipe called for double chops, which are two chops that remain attached. The reasoning there, is that there is more meat, and you can pound the chop thinner. Not necessary. Annalena found it fairly easy to just pound the chops to thinnness, after they had sat in the fridge overnight, uncovered, and salted.
Next, you make two bowls for dipping . In one, put two cups of plain, dried bread crumbs, and about half a cup of chopped fresh herbs. Use herbs that "seem" right. Just about everything is with lamb. Parsley is good, so is thyme, so is sage, and ... so is rosemary. As is tarragon. And oregano. Lavender? Not so much, although a little wouldn't hurt. Break three eggs into a second bowl.
Take each individual chop, and dip it in bread crumbs, then egg, and then back in the bread crumbs. You can do this with bread crumbs, but do NOT think that you can follow this technique for flour. Once you coat something in egg, do NOT dip it back in flour. You will have a mess, you will cry, curse, and probably call your loved ones filthy names.
The breaded chops can sit while you get ready for the next step. This is the frying, and baking step. Annalena's original recipe called for 2.5 cups of oil.
HUH? Well, the reason for that, was presentation. The original recipe called for a dip of the bone of the chop into the oil, to darken it and crisp it. If you wish to, go ahead, but to Annalena's point of view, it is a waste of oil, and calories, for something that is really very good without the arguably beautful fried bone. Heat the oil to about 350 and then fry the chops, four at a time, over medium heat, for two minutes a side. When they're cooked, move them to paper towels, and repeat with your second batch. Then put everything into a 375 oven for another 10 minutes, for medium rare, and 15, for medium, which is as far as you want to cook these.
If you wish to go "whole hog" so to speak, chop up some arugula, and if you must (this not being tomato season), some cherry tomatoes, and toss them with balsamic vinegar and some garlic and salt. Put it over the chops, and serve it forth.
Better, in Annalena's mind, to put out something like tomato jam, or a pepper jam, or something like that. MUCH better.
Annalena is heading off for her annual vacation ragazzi, back to the city by the bay. She may get one more recipe out to you before she leaves. Does anyone want to know how to make carbonara, an easy way (which is a redundancy, because carbonara is about as easy as a pasta dish comes).
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Asian adventure continues: stir fried asparagus and shiitake mushrooms
Readers know that Annalena has rarely found an asparagus she didn't love. Not so much the white ones (the Spargel of Germany), but plain old green ones. Since they are the first to show up in the spring, they are the first to go, and the first "farewell" that Annalena gives. Frequently, she cannot wait until the local ones come back, and waits until the Mexican/ California crop is coming in. She refuses to buy Peruvian asparagus (she will explain why if you ask, but will not go into a very extended diatribe here).
There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with simple steamed asparagus with a squirt of lemon. PERIOD. And indeed, Annalena and the Guyman have them this way several times a week, usually as part of their bag lunch. But when you are looking for something a little different, it is good to know that asparagus are ridiculously versatile. They can be fried, baked, roasted, used in risotto, and actually even in an ice cream (which Annalena does not recommend you try).
So when she was looking at what to serve with the prawn cakes featured last time around, Annalena saw this recipe and thought: YES, this is IT. And it is. You will spend some time chopping, as you almost always do with Asian recipes, but once you're done ,this comes together so quickly you'd best have the rest of your meal ready. And here we go.
Start by slicing a pound of asparagus into 1-2 inch pieces. On the diagonal is nice, and exposes more surface, but this is not necessary. Make sure, though, that you get the nasty bit at the end off, if it is there (it usually isn't with farmers market stuff). Then get half a pound of shiitakes, and slice the tops of them into thin slices . You don't use the stems of shiitakes in cooking, but they do make an excellent broth, if you save them , because you need a lot. Annalena generally doesn't bother.
Take the length of your asparagus pieces as a guide, and chop up 4-5 scallions to the same length. Mince four cloves of garlic, and about two tablespoons of ginger (you mince the ginger, you don't grate it here). Now, get some sesame seeds. A tablespoon if you are a wimp, a quarter cup if you like them. And you also need at least a tablespoon of soy sauce, and a couple teaspoons, maybe more, of sesame oil (the dark one).
That took a while, didn't it? Actually not. Maybe 15 minutes, closer to ten? We'll make it up now. Put two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wide, nonstick pan . Nonstick here, because there is a sugar in the mushrooms that will stick to a regular pan. When the oil begins to ripple as you heat it at medium heat, add the asparagus, the mushrooms, and the scallions. Use tongs, or a spoon or something, and move them around, as if you were using a wok, for two minutes. Add the garlic, sesame seeds and the ginger, and keep stirring, for another minute.
You are really done. Now you season, with the soy sauce, and the sesame oil, off the heat. You will probably need to adjust flavors, because all the salt you are getting, is from the soy sauce.
Doesn't this sound GOOD? Trust me, ragazzi, it is. The total calories in this dish, by the way, is 560. NOT per portion, in all. So, have some shrimp cakes, or something else.
Those of you with some cooking chops will see the possibilities here: add some hot peppers, or another vegetable or something. But celebrate spring, Asian style. Asparagus are considered a "super vegetable" because on many levels, they are as good for you as broccoli. Enjoy em while they're here. You'll be glad you did.
Tomorrow, we will look at a very rich dish, where we apply a basic style of Italian cooking (milanese), to a meat it is normally not used on (lamb). Alla prossima, ragazzi.
There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with simple steamed asparagus with a squirt of lemon. PERIOD. And indeed, Annalena and the Guyman have them this way several times a week, usually as part of their bag lunch. But when you are looking for something a little different, it is good to know that asparagus are ridiculously versatile. They can be fried, baked, roasted, used in risotto, and actually even in an ice cream (which Annalena does not recommend you try).
So when she was looking at what to serve with the prawn cakes featured last time around, Annalena saw this recipe and thought: YES, this is IT. And it is. You will spend some time chopping, as you almost always do with Asian recipes, but once you're done ,this comes together so quickly you'd best have the rest of your meal ready. And here we go.
Start by slicing a pound of asparagus into 1-2 inch pieces. On the diagonal is nice, and exposes more surface, but this is not necessary. Make sure, though, that you get the nasty bit at the end off, if it is there (it usually isn't with farmers market stuff). Then get half a pound of shiitakes, and slice the tops of them into thin slices . You don't use the stems of shiitakes in cooking, but they do make an excellent broth, if you save them , because you need a lot. Annalena generally doesn't bother.
Take the length of your asparagus pieces as a guide, and chop up 4-5 scallions to the same length. Mince four cloves of garlic, and about two tablespoons of ginger (you mince the ginger, you don't grate it here). Now, get some sesame seeds. A tablespoon if you are a wimp, a quarter cup if you like them. And you also need at least a tablespoon of soy sauce, and a couple teaspoons, maybe more, of sesame oil (the dark one).
That took a while, didn't it? Actually not. Maybe 15 minutes, closer to ten? We'll make it up now. Put two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wide, nonstick pan . Nonstick here, because there is a sugar in the mushrooms that will stick to a regular pan. When the oil begins to ripple as you heat it at medium heat, add the asparagus, the mushrooms, and the scallions. Use tongs, or a spoon or something, and move them around, as if you were using a wok, for two minutes. Add the garlic, sesame seeds and the ginger, and keep stirring, for another minute.
You are really done. Now you season, with the soy sauce, and the sesame oil, off the heat. You will probably need to adjust flavors, because all the salt you are getting, is from the soy sauce.
Doesn't this sound GOOD? Trust me, ragazzi, it is. The total calories in this dish, by the way, is 560. NOT per portion, in all. So, have some shrimp cakes, or something else.
Those of you with some cooking chops will see the possibilities here: add some hot peppers, or another vegetable or something. But celebrate spring, Asian style. Asparagus are considered a "super vegetable" because on many levels, they are as good for you as broccoli. Enjoy em while they're here. You'll be glad you did.
Tomorrow, we will look at a very rich dish, where we apply a basic style of Italian cooking (milanese), to a meat it is normally not used on (lamb). Alla prossima, ragazzi.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Back to Asia: for Vietnamese style "shrimp" cakes
Some of Annalena's more astute readers may be wondering "what is this obsession with shrimp?" Well, ragazzi, while there isn't always a reason for everything, there is one for this.
You all know how Annalena rants about sustainability, locality, etc, etc, etc. Well, shrimp are not local, that is for certain. But they are tasty, they are quick to cook, and they are a staple of Annalena's kitchen.
Unfortunately, as you have read, more than here, there are issues with the harvesting of shrimp. Annalena has been aware of them, and has sought sustainable product when she could; however, it has been getting harder and harder to do that.
Recently, however, she learned that spot prawns, which come from the West Coast, are completely sustainable, and will serve for shrimp in any recipe. Emboldened, Annalena went off in search of spot prawns.
It is at times like this that she is on her hands and knees thanking her Creator for the Internet. Annalena could not find a spot prawn in NYC for love or money (well, she only offered money). She did find a few sources on the Internet: she could buy four pounds, of live ones, or ten pounds of frozen ones.
The thought of receiving four pounds of live, squirming prawns, akin to large insects, on a weeknight, did not appeal to Annalena. Ten pounds was /is a lot of fish, but that's how she went.
So, at this point, there are 8 pounds of frozen spot prawns in Annalena's freezer. Two pounds have been dispatched, and as God is her witness, Annalena will not need to buy prawns until at least the fall.
And now you have a peek inside Annalena's life, whether you like it or not. And an explanation of why you are seeing this mini flood of shrimp related recipes.
Annalena is also a fan of Asian flavors. She is also a fan of easy cooking, and also, of fried foods. And this recipe fulfills all of these features. It is really very easy to make. Annalena varied the recipe as she found it in the New York Times, and will explain how she did so. She wants you to vary it yourself. And please pay attention to the interesting and helpful (well, maybe not helpful) asides that she provides for her ragazzi.
You need a pound of cleaned and shelled shrimp. The original recipe called for large ones, which makes no sense in the context of this recipe. Get what is the best value. Put them in a food processor, together with 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of the white part of a lemongrass stalk (to prep this, strip the top layer, which is woody and tough, and then chop it, a couple of garlic cloves, a couple of hot peppers, which you may seed or not seed, and the bottom 2/3 , of four scallions. These should all be chopped before you put them in the processor. Finally, and Annalena says this firmly, add a tablespoon of sugar. Unrefined, if you have it. You do need it with this dish.
Notice what is missing here: eggs, and wheat flour. So for those of you who are allergic to either, this is for you. You can do this with shrimp, and with most fish, because the protein in fish, when chopped, becomes a bit gummy and gives you the adhesion that an egg normally would. The cornstarch works as flour here, and crisps the cakes as well. For some reason, cornstarch is very much a part of Asian cooking, and Annalena understands not why. Mature corn produces cornstarch, and there is no such in Asia.
Ok, as implied pulse this to a coarse paste. It will take you all of ten seconds. Before you go forward, let's make some sauce. We do this by mixing the juice of four limes (get your guns ready, ragazzi. Squeezing limes is tough), a quarter cup of fish sauce, another tablespoon of sugar, and the chopped up tops of those scalliions.
We are going to fry these babies, and please pay attention all of you who have fear of frying. You can avoid the issue that confronts you with fried foods, i.e, greasiness and sogginess, if you (i) use enough oil that is (ii) hot enough. Interestingly, if you use more oil, your food is less likely to absorb it than if you use less. For this, make sure you have about a half inch depth of vegetable oil, in a non stick pan (remember the fish is sticky? Hmmmm???). Start heating the oil at medium heat. Have paper towel ready. Your oil is ready when - and this is a REALLY interesting trick, kids - you put the stick end of a wooden spoon in the oil, and little bubbles form around it. If the stick burns to black, uh, you're too hot.
When the oil is ready, take the blade out of the food processor, and wet your hands. (Remember, the fish is sticky?). Make patties that are about 1.5-2 inches in diameter, and put them in the oil. The original recipe called for coating them in cornstarch, which Annalena did, and finds no reason to do so. They will need about two minutes per side to cook, if you keep the heat at medium. Annalena suggests that you keep cooked fritters in a preheated, 200 degree oven, because you will not be able to make them all in one batch.
You will get somewhere between 12 and 14 cakes, when all is done. And they're good. It is hard to resist them, but they are very filling, especially with the sauce over them, and with glass noodles, which are one of Annalena's favorite things in the world.
This wasn't very hard, was it? So, get yourself some prawns, or some shrimp, get out the pan, the oil, and fry, fry, fry.
Because Annalena is a tease, she is telling you that next time, we will visit the Asian style asparagus she prepared with these prawn fritters. You'll think the wait was worth it. Trust the donna
You all know how Annalena rants about sustainability, locality, etc, etc, etc. Well, shrimp are not local, that is for certain. But they are tasty, they are quick to cook, and they are a staple of Annalena's kitchen.
Unfortunately, as you have read, more than here, there are issues with the harvesting of shrimp. Annalena has been aware of them, and has sought sustainable product when she could; however, it has been getting harder and harder to do that.
Recently, however, she learned that spot prawns, which come from the West Coast, are completely sustainable, and will serve for shrimp in any recipe. Emboldened, Annalena went off in search of spot prawns.
It is at times like this that she is on her hands and knees thanking her Creator for the Internet. Annalena could not find a spot prawn in NYC for love or money (well, she only offered money). She did find a few sources on the Internet: she could buy four pounds, of live ones, or ten pounds of frozen ones.
The thought of receiving four pounds of live, squirming prawns, akin to large insects, on a weeknight, did not appeal to Annalena. Ten pounds was /is a lot of fish, but that's how she went.
So, at this point, there are 8 pounds of frozen spot prawns in Annalena's freezer. Two pounds have been dispatched, and as God is her witness, Annalena will not need to buy prawns until at least the fall.
And now you have a peek inside Annalena's life, whether you like it or not. And an explanation of why you are seeing this mini flood of shrimp related recipes.
Annalena is also a fan of Asian flavors. She is also a fan of easy cooking, and also, of fried foods. And this recipe fulfills all of these features. It is really very easy to make. Annalena varied the recipe as she found it in the New York Times, and will explain how she did so. She wants you to vary it yourself. And please pay attention to the interesting and helpful (well, maybe not helpful) asides that she provides for her ragazzi.
You need a pound of cleaned and shelled shrimp. The original recipe called for large ones, which makes no sense in the context of this recipe. Get what is the best value. Put them in a food processor, together with 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of the white part of a lemongrass stalk (to prep this, strip the top layer, which is woody and tough, and then chop it, a couple of garlic cloves, a couple of hot peppers, which you may seed or not seed, and the bottom 2/3 , of four scallions. These should all be chopped before you put them in the processor. Finally, and Annalena says this firmly, add a tablespoon of sugar. Unrefined, if you have it. You do need it with this dish.
Notice what is missing here: eggs, and wheat flour. So for those of you who are allergic to either, this is for you. You can do this with shrimp, and with most fish, because the protein in fish, when chopped, becomes a bit gummy and gives you the adhesion that an egg normally would. The cornstarch works as flour here, and crisps the cakes as well. For some reason, cornstarch is very much a part of Asian cooking, and Annalena understands not why. Mature corn produces cornstarch, and there is no such in Asia.
Ok, as implied pulse this to a coarse paste. It will take you all of ten seconds. Before you go forward, let's make some sauce. We do this by mixing the juice of four limes (get your guns ready, ragazzi. Squeezing limes is tough), a quarter cup of fish sauce, another tablespoon of sugar, and the chopped up tops of those scalliions.
We are going to fry these babies, and please pay attention all of you who have fear of frying. You can avoid the issue that confronts you with fried foods, i.e, greasiness and sogginess, if you (i) use enough oil that is (ii) hot enough. Interestingly, if you use more oil, your food is less likely to absorb it than if you use less. For this, make sure you have about a half inch depth of vegetable oil, in a non stick pan (remember the fish is sticky? Hmmmm???). Start heating the oil at medium heat. Have paper towel ready. Your oil is ready when - and this is a REALLY interesting trick, kids - you put the stick end of a wooden spoon in the oil, and little bubbles form around it. If the stick burns to black, uh, you're too hot.
When the oil is ready, take the blade out of the food processor, and wet your hands. (Remember, the fish is sticky?). Make patties that are about 1.5-2 inches in diameter, and put them in the oil. The original recipe called for coating them in cornstarch, which Annalena did, and finds no reason to do so. They will need about two minutes per side to cook, if you keep the heat at medium. Annalena suggests that you keep cooked fritters in a preheated, 200 degree oven, because you will not be able to make them all in one batch.
You will get somewhere between 12 and 14 cakes, when all is done. And they're good. It is hard to resist them, but they are very filling, especially with the sauce over them, and with glass noodles, which are one of Annalena's favorite things in the world.
This wasn't very hard, was it? So, get yourself some prawns, or some shrimp, get out the pan, the oil, and fry, fry, fry.
Because Annalena is a tease, she is telling you that next time, we will visit the Asian style asparagus she prepared with these prawn fritters. You'll think the wait was worth it. Trust the donna
Monday, May 6, 2013
How you put it together: Rhubarb cookie squares
In the last blog, Annalena spoke of how you have to use your sense when reading a recipe, in determining whether it needs changing or not. And as we saw, many do. NEED change, as compared to WANTING to change them, because you think something would be better, or something would be better left out. That kind of thing happens when you're in the kitchen all the time, you probably just don't know it. How often, for example, does a recipe call for a teaspoon of salt, you taste the dish, and decide that it's not salty enough? Well, you're cooking ragazzi. You're designing recipes. And do not think something like salt is trivial. Some day, try eating a slice of salt free bread, and then regular bread. One teaspoon in a loaf does all the trick.
But as usual, Annalena digresses. When you are in the kitchen, you can become your own artist. Or craftsman or craftsperson or craftswoman, however you choose to call it. Use inspiration where you find it, and you will be astonished with the results. This blog is about just such a thing.
On Friday, Annalena and the Guyman had dinner at Hearth restaurant. Normally, they do not eat the tastings menu, but an increase in the price of entrees, coupled with curiosity, propelled them into this. As a result, there were desserts, which normally, they would not eat. One was a buttermilk panna cotta, with poached rhubarb and pistachio nuts.
Yes, the rhubarb is here. Late, but it's here. And better late than never. Annalena has in fact already been at work.
Well, combining rhubarb and pistachios was something that Annalena had not thought of. It's a good idea. At the restaurant, the pistachios were not salted. Annalena thinks salted is better. And she used them, in what follows.
Recently, Annalena gave you a recipe for dried fruit squares. Here it is. You'll need it for this recipe:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2013/04/dessert-from-pantry-dried-fruit-squares.html
All you are going to need is the crust part. See the instruction about a cup of nuts? Use a cup of salted pistachios. Ok, you have the crust. Now, for the filling.
Remember rhubarb ripple cake? Well, if you don't, here it is again:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2009/05/ripple-effect-rhubarb-ripple-cake.html
Forget about the cake part for now, just make the filling. Do a double recipe, or after you've made one recipe of the cooked rhubarb, add an equal amount of a soft jam or preserves. Annalena had rhubarb hibiscus jam, but strawberry sure sounds good. So does apple. Apricot does as well. They ALL sound good.
When the base crust for the dried fruit squares are done, pour your rhubarb mixture over them. Now, use the pistachio topping, and proceed, as if you were making the original squares recipe, and you have something new, and delicious. Just let them cool for at least an hour before you cut.
Now, this entry is an example of how the creative process works. A bit of stimulation from a restaurant, and then basic recipes, in the cook's repertoire. Wanna see how they turn out?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200317023701235&set=a.4288098473695.2166773.1023439776&type=1&theater
So, try it ragazzi. Do this one, or make your own magic. And PLEASE, let Annalena know what you're cooking. Don't let her think you're all culinary voyeurs.
But as usual, Annalena digresses. When you are in the kitchen, you can become your own artist. Or craftsman or craftsperson or craftswoman, however you choose to call it. Use inspiration where you find it, and you will be astonished with the results. This blog is about just such a thing.
On Friday, Annalena and the Guyman had dinner at Hearth restaurant. Normally, they do not eat the tastings menu, but an increase in the price of entrees, coupled with curiosity, propelled them into this. As a result, there were desserts, which normally, they would not eat. One was a buttermilk panna cotta, with poached rhubarb and pistachio nuts.
Yes, the rhubarb is here. Late, but it's here. And better late than never. Annalena has in fact already been at work.
Well, combining rhubarb and pistachios was something that Annalena had not thought of. It's a good idea. At the restaurant, the pistachios were not salted. Annalena thinks salted is better. And she used them, in what follows.
Recently, Annalena gave you a recipe for dried fruit squares. Here it is. You'll need it for this recipe:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2013/04/dessert-from-pantry-dried-fruit-squares.html
All you are going to need is the crust part. See the instruction about a cup of nuts? Use a cup of salted pistachios. Ok, you have the crust. Now, for the filling.
Remember rhubarb ripple cake? Well, if you don't, here it is again:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2009/05/ripple-effect-rhubarb-ripple-cake.html
Forget about the cake part for now, just make the filling. Do a double recipe, or after you've made one recipe of the cooked rhubarb, add an equal amount of a soft jam or preserves. Annalena had rhubarb hibiscus jam, but strawberry sure sounds good. So does apple. Apricot does as well. They ALL sound good.
When the base crust for the dried fruit squares are done, pour your rhubarb mixture over them. Now, use the pistachio topping, and proceed, as if you were making the original squares recipe, and you have something new, and delicious. Just let them cool for at least an hour before you cut.
Now, this entry is an example of how the creative process works. A bit of stimulation from a restaurant, and then basic recipes, in the cook's repertoire. Wanna see how they turn out?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200317023701235&set=a.4288098473695.2166773.1023439776&type=1&theater
So, try it ragazzi. Do this one, or make your own magic. And PLEASE, let Annalena know what you're cooking. Don't let her think you're all culinary voyeurs.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Pulling back: shrimp with pineapple and mint
Annalena sometimes wonders about the lack of testing that goes on in the world of cookbooks, and cooking magazines. She truly believes that there are many people out there, who are convinced that they don't know how to cook, because they followed a recipe to the "t," and it didn't work out at all. Not that "it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be," or "it didn't look like the picture " (it never will), but out and out "it was AWFUL."
Sometimes, ragazzi, we do have to take responsibility. A piece of blueberry pie is NOT diet food, no matter how you "slice it," (Annalena brings this up because, in her weight watchers class, she once had a woman say that she ate such a thing, and counted it as a bread and a fruit. Was that right?). BUT... as you gain more confidence and learn more, sometimes you will realize: IT AIN'T YOUR FAULT. And do not assume you cannot cook because your recipe didn't work. Sometimes, your source was wrong, as was the case in this recipe, when Annalena first made it. She will give you a corrected version.
Those of us who cook regularly, find shrimp a lifesaver in the kitchen. They are tasty, low in fat, and cook in a ridiculously short amount of time, even if you start with frozen, peeled stuff. We should all have some of them around, preferably wild, or from a source with a good record for environmental health, because many sources of shrimp do not. And we fall into routines with our recipes. This is NOT necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes, as the song goes , you just wish to "BREAK OUT." Annalena wanted to do so with this recipe. It looked (and is), very easy. It seemed (and is), very different from what she usually cooks. But when she made it as written, it was NOT very good. And she knows why.
The salient ingredients here are shrimp, pineapple, and mint. In fact, they are the ONLY real ingredients. Think for a minute (which Annalena did not): which of these is the ingredient you wish to feature? And which of these has the mildest flavor? (If you answered anything other than shrimp, perhaps this is not the blog for you, bambino). So when the original recipe called for 2 inches of pineapple, sliced small, and a third of a cup of fresh mint, Annalena should have paused... For a pound and a quarter of shrimp? But... she followed through. She got a dish where the pineapple and mint were prevalent, but the shrimp was there for texture, nothing else.
This can be avoided. And we will. And we will avoid it by cutting back on the pineapple, and the mint. As follows.
First, combine a third of a cup each of rum and lime juice. If you are not using alcohol, substitute more lime juice, or orange juice, or lemon juice, whatever you like. Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to this, and a bit of black pepper and a bit of salt. Stir everything together, until the cornstarch dissolves. It won't take long.
You will need a hefty pound of shrimp or prawns, peeled. (If you get wild ones, you will have to peel them yourself, and probably devein them, if the line grosses you out. Annalena is not troubled by it). You will also need NO MORE than a half cup of diced pineapple, and NO MORE than two tablespoons of fresh mint leaves, chopped up. Divide that mint in half.
Now, we are going to cook, and we are going to cook very , very quickly. Put a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a big skillet and get it very hot. Add the shrimp and move them around. No more than two minutes. Now add the pineapple, and stir it all together for a minute. Add that liquid you mixed together. If you did use rum, move your face away, just in case... Stir for another minute. Now, add half the mint. Taste a piece of shrimp. Does it have enough mint for you? If it does, STOP. If it does not, add half of the remaining mint, and then do it again, if you still want more.
DONE. At most, you have spent ten minutes making dinner. Make it with the coconut rice Annalena wrote about recently.
If the pineapple bothers you, use mango. In summer, use peach. Green mango would be good here, too, as would unripe papaya. If mint is not your thang, use another strong herb. Cilantro seems to be obvious ,and it is. You retain the Asian feel with that. And finally, if you want some interplay with heat, add some hot sauce at the end. Not if you serve this with the spicy asparagus we chatted about recently, as Annalena did. That would put too much heat in the meal.
In any event, go back through these recipes: coconut rice with the spicy asparagus, and shrimp with pineapple and mint. Does that sound like a good dinner to you? It was, and it is. Go cook.
Sometimes, ragazzi, we do have to take responsibility. A piece of blueberry pie is NOT diet food, no matter how you "slice it," (Annalena brings this up because, in her weight watchers class, she once had a woman say that she ate such a thing, and counted it as a bread and a fruit. Was that right?). BUT... as you gain more confidence and learn more, sometimes you will realize: IT AIN'T YOUR FAULT. And do not assume you cannot cook because your recipe didn't work. Sometimes, your source was wrong, as was the case in this recipe, when Annalena first made it. She will give you a corrected version.
Those of us who cook regularly, find shrimp a lifesaver in the kitchen. They are tasty, low in fat, and cook in a ridiculously short amount of time, even if you start with frozen, peeled stuff. We should all have some of them around, preferably wild, or from a source with a good record for environmental health, because many sources of shrimp do not. And we fall into routines with our recipes. This is NOT necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes, as the song goes , you just wish to "BREAK OUT." Annalena wanted to do so with this recipe. It looked (and is), very easy. It seemed (and is), very different from what she usually cooks. But when she made it as written, it was NOT very good. And she knows why.
The salient ingredients here are shrimp, pineapple, and mint. In fact, they are the ONLY real ingredients. Think for a minute (which Annalena did not): which of these is the ingredient you wish to feature? And which of these has the mildest flavor? (If you answered anything other than shrimp, perhaps this is not the blog for you, bambino). So when the original recipe called for 2 inches of pineapple, sliced small, and a third of a cup of fresh mint, Annalena should have paused... For a pound and a quarter of shrimp? But... she followed through. She got a dish where the pineapple and mint were prevalent, but the shrimp was there for texture, nothing else.
This can be avoided. And we will. And we will avoid it by cutting back on the pineapple, and the mint. As follows.
First, combine a third of a cup each of rum and lime juice. If you are not using alcohol, substitute more lime juice, or orange juice, or lemon juice, whatever you like. Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to this, and a bit of black pepper and a bit of salt. Stir everything together, until the cornstarch dissolves. It won't take long.
You will need a hefty pound of shrimp or prawns, peeled. (If you get wild ones, you will have to peel them yourself, and probably devein them, if the line grosses you out. Annalena is not troubled by it). You will also need NO MORE than a half cup of diced pineapple, and NO MORE than two tablespoons of fresh mint leaves, chopped up. Divide that mint in half.
Now, we are going to cook, and we are going to cook very , very quickly. Put a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a big skillet and get it very hot. Add the shrimp and move them around. No more than two minutes. Now add the pineapple, and stir it all together for a minute. Add that liquid you mixed together. If you did use rum, move your face away, just in case... Stir for another minute. Now, add half the mint. Taste a piece of shrimp. Does it have enough mint for you? If it does, STOP. If it does not, add half of the remaining mint, and then do it again, if you still want more.
DONE. At most, you have spent ten minutes making dinner. Make it with the coconut rice Annalena wrote about recently.
If the pineapple bothers you, use mango. In summer, use peach. Green mango would be good here, too, as would unripe papaya. If mint is not your thang, use another strong herb. Cilantro seems to be obvious ,and it is. You retain the Asian feel with that. And finally, if you want some interplay with heat, add some hot sauce at the end. Not if you serve this with the spicy asparagus we chatted about recently, as Annalena did. That would put too much heat in the meal.
In any event, go back through these recipes: coconut rice with the spicy asparagus, and shrimp with pineapple and mint. Does that sound like a good dinner to you? It was, and it is. Go cook.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Putting yourself in a pickle: a pineapple one
Who knows what inspired Annalena to make this? Perhaps, the recent death of Annette Funicello, who had a hit song when Annalena was a ragazzo, called "Pineapple Princess." Or, perhaps the recognition that she did not make her pineapple sorbet this year, and as local fruit season is about to begin, she probably won't. There are so many variables, that trying to do this kind of, "discordant analysis," will only lead you to a dead end.
Anyway, a few posts ago, Annalena asked what people wanted to see next. She got one comment, under "anonymous," but she is pretty sure it is her friend Bobby, or perhaps his friend Iris, who wrote the note. And so here it is.
Let us start with something that everyone needs to understand, especially if you like pickles: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO START CANNING AND PRESERVING THINGS TO LAST UNTIL THE NEXT MILLENNIUM. In fact, you don't even have to can and preserve until you can SPELL millennium. Most pickles are, and were, made for consumption fairly quickly. And that is why we make small batches, and even with small batches, we give them to people we love or like. Because everyone likes pickles. Even people who say they don't. People who don't like "pickles," usually don't like cucumbers. You can pickle anything. Ananlena thinks she has. Well, maybe not, because until now, she hadn't pickled pinapple. She likes this. It's easy. You can do it. So can you Bobby. Just be ready, as Annalena said, to go to your spice market, or to visit a friend, like Annalena, who has the spices and will share them.
Here's yourlist. It's substantial. You need a star anise (you should have them around anyway. They're pretty). Seriously, ragazzi, just one. They are strong. You need a small cinnamon stick. Do not cheat and use powder. You need a clove. Yes, A clove. Annalena could taste it in her pickles, so don't leave it out. A tablespoon EACH of fennel seed, coriander seed, mustard seed. All whole seeds again, ragazzi. T teaspoon of chili flakes, any level of hotness, but be warned: there are hot elements ahead. You need 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme. If you choose to use lemon thyme, Annalena will not put up the stop sign. Put this all in pot. Add to it a quart of vinegar. Annalena used a combination of apple cider, and red. You might want to stick to all apple cider, or apple cider and white, because the red gives the brine a darker color. Your choice. Now add six cups of water. Bring it to a boil, and when it boils, lower it to a simmer, for fifteen minutes.
While that's going on, dispatch a large pineapple, and here, underripe pineapple will do just fine. Trim off the skin and top. You can get illustrations of this on line if you don't know how, and cut it into bite sized pieces. Put these in a non reactive bowl (glass, ceramic, etc), and make sure it's large.
We come to the heat element now: a half habanero pepper, chopped, and a jalapeno pepper chopped. This is going to be spicy, so if it sounds too spicy for you, cut it back. You can also toss in a few sprigs of mint, if you have it. Mint is a good compliment to pineapple.
When your brine has simmered for fifteen minutes, put a strainer over the pineapple, and then pour it all through the strainer. Make sure the strainer holes are small enough to retain the seeds. If you don't have one of the proper gauge, line what you have with cheesecloth, or a towel.
Cover this, and let it sit for a couple of hours, until it cools. Now, scoop out the pineapple, and put it into jars or a large container, or whatever. You will only retain enough liquid to cover the fruit. The rest? Well... bye bye. It was nice knowing you.
Store this in the fridge, where it keeps for several weeks. Bring it out when you're serving a rich dish, like pork or duck. Something where you think "Oh... X and pineapple sounds good." And you know what? Putting this on the plate with the meat, transforms you from a "cook," to a "chef," as everyone marvels at how clever you are.
Only we will know. Only us...
We return to pineapple tomorrow, in a somewhat problematic dish of prawns, pineapple, and mint.
Anyway, a few posts ago, Annalena asked what people wanted to see next. She got one comment, under "anonymous," but she is pretty sure it is her friend Bobby, or perhaps his friend Iris, who wrote the note. And so here it is.
Let us start with something that everyone needs to understand, especially if you like pickles: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO START CANNING AND PRESERVING THINGS TO LAST UNTIL THE NEXT MILLENNIUM. In fact, you don't even have to can and preserve until you can SPELL millennium. Most pickles are, and were, made for consumption fairly quickly. And that is why we make small batches, and even with small batches, we give them to people we love or like. Because everyone likes pickles. Even people who say they don't. People who don't like "pickles," usually don't like cucumbers. You can pickle anything. Ananlena thinks she has. Well, maybe not, because until now, she hadn't pickled pinapple. She likes this. It's easy. You can do it. So can you Bobby. Just be ready, as Annalena said, to go to your spice market, or to visit a friend, like Annalena, who has the spices and will share them.
Here's yourlist. It's substantial. You need a star anise (you should have them around anyway. They're pretty). Seriously, ragazzi, just one. They are strong. You need a small cinnamon stick. Do not cheat and use powder. You need a clove. Yes, A clove. Annalena could taste it in her pickles, so don't leave it out. A tablespoon EACH of fennel seed, coriander seed, mustard seed. All whole seeds again, ragazzi. T teaspoon of chili flakes, any level of hotness, but be warned: there are hot elements ahead. You need 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme. If you choose to use lemon thyme, Annalena will not put up the stop sign. Put this all in pot. Add to it a quart of vinegar. Annalena used a combination of apple cider, and red. You might want to stick to all apple cider, or apple cider and white, because the red gives the brine a darker color. Your choice. Now add six cups of water. Bring it to a boil, and when it boils, lower it to a simmer, for fifteen minutes.
While that's going on, dispatch a large pineapple, and here, underripe pineapple will do just fine. Trim off the skin and top. You can get illustrations of this on line if you don't know how, and cut it into bite sized pieces. Put these in a non reactive bowl (glass, ceramic, etc), and make sure it's large.
We come to the heat element now: a half habanero pepper, chopped, and a jalapeno pepper chopped. This is going to be spicy, so if it sounds too spicy for you, cut it back. You can also toss in a few sprigs of mint, if you have it. Mint is a good compliment to pineapple.
When your brine has simmered for fifteen minutes, put a strainer over the pineapple, and then pour it all through the strainer. Make sure the strainer holes are small enough to retain the seeds. If you don't have one of the proper gauge, line what you have with cheesecloth, or a towel.
Cover this, and let it sit for a couple of hours, until it cools. Now, scoop out the pineapple, and put it into jars or a large container, or whatever. You will only retain enough liquid to cover the fruit. The rest? Well... bye bye. It was nice knowing you.
Store this in the fridge, where it keeps for several weeks. Bring it out when you're serving a rich dish, like pork or duck. Something where you think "Oh... X and pineapple sounds good." And you know what? Putting this on the plate with the meat, transforms you from a "cook," to a "chef," as everyone marvels at how clever you are.
Only we will know. Only us...
We return to pineapple tomorrow, in a somewhat problematic dish of prawns, pineapple, and mint.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Revisiting the past: seared cod, with salmoriglio sauce
Everything old is new again, except us. Isn't that the case, ragazzi? Sigh. Yes, let us sigh, collectively. Nearly 5 years ago (has it been THAT long that Annalena has been entertaining you? Yes, it has), Annalena wrote an entry on that wonderful Sicilian sauce, salmoriglio. You can find it be searching the website. And at that time she wrote, because this is what she knew, that salmoriglio was Sicilian in origin, and used almost exclusively on tuna and swordfish. These are the mainstays of Sicilian fish cooking (except for sardines and octopus and... oh well.. The sauce was always used on these fish). Recently, however, Annalena saw a recipe for salmoriglio on halibut.
In her palate like mind, Annalena could "taste" the dish. Yes, this would work. And it would probably work with something less expensive than halibut.
Halibut is a west coast fish. If you can find Atlantic halibut, you should NOT buy it, you should NOT eat it, and you should scold the fishmonger. The supplies of Atlantic are just about gone. Pacific, however, is very abundant, and readily available... at 30 plus dollars a pound. Annalena does not mind spending money on good fish (and her source of halibut is always very good), but she began to think: it is still cold weather, the markets are filled with white flesh fish, and just last weekend, the Guyman mentioned how much he liked cod.
Guyman NEVER mentions what he likes. When he does, it's cause for taking notes. Well, if you know a bit about your fish, you know that cod, like halibut, is a firm, thick, white fish. And it was home cooking, so how bad could it be? And at 13.00 a pound, Annalena felt thrilled to have saved the equivalent of her cappucino money for the week. So, a pound of cod in hand, and a bunch of fresh oregano in the other, she headed home to make her dinner.
Except... see, Annalena doesn't always function well in the morning. The fresh oregano was right next to the fresh mint. And Annalena needed mint for another dish. So she took one bunch of each, which turned out to be two bunches of mint.
Always resourceful, Annalena picked up her jar of dried Turkish oregano, put it on the counter, and immediately filled it with some kind of sauce that she was planning to use elsewhere, and fouled the herbs.
SHIT. (How rarely does that show up in this blog?). However, again, always resourceful, Ananlena had a bag of MEXICAN oregano, which is not the same as Turkish, but close. It was a compromise, but it worked.
Ragazzi, when you make this (and you will, won't you), get the fresh stuff, or get the Turkish dried stuff, or the Greek stuff, and make it the right way. It will be better. Annalena promises.
Get a pound of codfish fillets. If you get one big piece, cut it in half, or smaller if you like, but don't try to cook the whole thing. Pat the slices dry, and let them sit on a baking sheet, while you make this ridiculously easy sauce.
You need to peel two cloves of garlic. Sprinkle them with salt, and then with the back of your knife, smash them to as close as you can, to a paste. Put this in a bowl, and add the juice of a lemon. A BIG one. Then add a half cup of chopped fresh parsley (no dried stuff here, kids. Dried parsely is green paper). Add the oregano. If fresh, a tablespoon. If dried, maybe 2/3 of that. Mix this all together. Put about a half cup of the good stuff (extra virgin olive oil), in a cup, and drizzle it in to the herb and lemon mixture, stirring violently as you go along. It WILL emulsify, and you will have more than you need. A GOOD thing. Taste it, correct the salt.
Put the sauce aside, and get ready to make your fish. You need a non stick pan here. Pour in two tablespoons of oil and keep an eye on it. You will see small ripples forming, and when they do, you're ready to cook. Have a flipper ready. Put the fish in, and watch it sear. It will take all of 2 minutes to brown on one side. Then carefully flip it. Brown it for another two minutes.
Plate up the fish, and pour a couple of spoons of the salmoriglio over it. Picture perfect. It will look as good as a cookbook recipe picture. PROMISE. And you haven't killed your calorie budget.
As noted, you will have extra sauce left over. You can put this on veal, chicken, other firm fish, anything short of pork, duck, beef, or the "red meats." It keeps for an eternity in your fridge, and if you make a salad with a strong will, you can even use it there.
So there you have it, ragazzi. A quick, delicious fish dish that combines the old with the not so old.
There was one comment on Annalena's last post, so next time around, we're going to pickle some pineapple. Be warned! You need to visit your spice merchant for this, so make sure you have some coriander, some fennel, some cloves, and some hot peppers ready. All the whole seeds, puleeeze
In her palate like mind, Annalena could "taste" the dish. Yes, this would work. And it would probably work with something less expensive than halibut.
Halibut is a west coast fish. If you can find Atlantic halibut, you should NOT buy it, you should NOT eat it, and you should scold the fishmonger. The supplies of Atlantic are just about gone. Pacific, however, is very abundant, and readily available... at 30 plus dollars a pound. Annalena does not mind spending money on good fish (and her source of halibut is always very good), but she began to think: it is still cold weather, the markets are filled with white flesh fish, and just last weekend, the Guyman mentioned how much he liked cod.
Guyman NEVER mentions what he likes. When he does, it's cause for taking notes. Well, if you know a bit about your fish, you know that cod, like halibut, is a firm, thick, white fish. And it was home cooking, so how bad could it be? And at 13.00 a pound, Annalena felt thrilled to have saved the equivalent of her cappucino money for the week. So, a pound of cod in hand, and a bunch of fresh oregano in the other, she headed home to make her dinner.
Except... see, Annalena doesn't always function well in the morning. The fresh oregano was right next to the fresh mint. And Annalena needed mint for another dish. So she took one bunch of each, which turned out to be two bunches of mint.
Always resourceful, Annalena picked up her jar of dried Turkish oregano, put it on the counter, and immediately filled it with some kind of sauce that she was planning to use elsewhere, and fouled the herbs.
SHIT. (How rarely does that show up in this blog?). However, again, always resourceful, Ananlena had a bag of MEXICAN oregano, which is not the same as Turkish, but close. It was a compromise, but it worked.
Ragazzi, when you make this (and you will, won't you), get the fresh stuff, or get the Turkish dried stuff, or the Greek stuff, and make it the right way. It will be better. Annalena promises.
Get a pound of codfish fillets. If you get one big piece, cut it in half, or smaller if you like, but don't try to cook the whole thing. Pat the slices dry, and let them sit on a baking sheet, while you make this ridiculously easy sauce.
You need to peel two cloves of garlic. Sprinkle them with salt, and then with the back of your knife, smash them to as close as you can, to a paste. Put this in a bowl, and add the juice of a lemon. A BIG one. Then add a half cup of chopped fresh parsley (no dried stuff here, kids. Dried parsely is green paper). Add the oregano. If fresh, a tablespoon. If dried, maybe 2/3 of that. Mix this all together. Put about a half cup of the good stuff (extra virgin olive oil), in a cup, and drizzle it in to the herb and lemon mixture, stirring violently as you go along. It WILL emulsify, and you will have more than you need. A GOOD thing. Taste it, correct the salt.
Put the sauce aside, and get ready to make your fish. You need a non stick pan here. Pour in two tablespoons of oil and keep an eye on it. You will see small ripples forming, and when they do, you're ready to cook. Have a flipper ready. Put the fish in, and watch it sear. It will take all of 2 minutes to brown on one side. Then carefully flip it. Brown it for another two minutes.
Plate up the fish, and pour a couple of spoons of the salmoriglio over it. Picture perfect. It will look as good as a cookbook recipe picture. PROMISE. And you haven't killed your calorie budget.
As noted, you will have extra sauce left over. You can put this on veal, chicken, other firm fish, anything short of pork, duck, beef, or the "red meats." It keeps for an eternity in your fridge, and if you make a salad with a strong will, you can even use it there.
So there you have it, ragazzi. A quick, delicious fish dish that combines the old with the not so old.
There was one comment on Annalena's last post, so next time around, we're going to pickle some pineapple. Be warned! You need to visit your spice merchant for this, so make sure you have some coriander, some fennel, some cloves, and some hot peppers ready. All the whole seeds, puleeeze
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Springing into spring: spicy Asian asparagus
Yes, ragazzi, the long wait is over. Asparagus are HERE. Annalena found her first bunches on Friday last (five days from the date of this missive), and heard the stories. Ah, the stories. Lest you think Annalena is the craziest foodie out there, when she bought her asparagus, from Debbie the sword fighter, she heard of th two fistfights that had broken out already (it was 8:30 a.m.) over the Jersey grass. NOT because there was only one bunch left, but because , in both cases, two parties wanted the same bunch, and neither was going to compromise.
Really? Annalena can understand fights about morel mushrooms (actually she can't), but fighting over a freakin bunch of ASPARAGUS? Folks, can't we all get along? Or at least get to the market earlier.
Well, in any event, Annalena got hers. And she has gotten them several times since then. In fact, the Guyman and Annalena will probably be eating asparagus in some form every day this week. And it is the phrase "in some form" which we address today.
There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with simple steamed asparagus, with a squeeze of lemon, or not. In fact, that is what awaits Annalena in her lunch bag, as well as the Guyman. There are times, and indeed you will feel them, when you will want to do "something different" with them. And you will want to do it before their all too short season is over (because you are NOT going to buy Peruvian asparagus out of season, right carini? You PROMISED Annalena, remember?). So, when Annalena was preparing the menu for dinner last night, she checked her trove of asparagus recipes. First, she was going to roast them, but then.... the meal she was preparing had a decided Asian slant to it, and so, Asian asparagus it was.
This recipe is ridiculously easy. The preparation may seem daunting. It is not. Trust Annalena on this. Her recipe says that it takes 20 minutes. It is more like 10, if you have your ingredients at hand. So, let's begin.
You need a pound and a half of fresh asparagus for this. This is slightly less than two standard bunches. You may wind up with a little more, you may wind up with a little less, but plan on two farmers market sized bunches. In Annalena's experience, farmers' market asparagus do not admit of peeling, but there is a point where the farmers tie them together, at their base. She takes a large knife, and cuts the asparagus here, and always has tender vegetables. She commends this method to you. Once you have done that, and either composted the ends, or saved them to make stock for rice or other dishes, take what you have left, and cut them into 1.5 -2 inch pieces. Surgical precision, as is usually the case, is not necessary.
The other ingredients you will need, are very flexible. Annalena used the six dried red peppers her recipe called for. This will lead to a very spicy dish. If you do not have them, or do not want them, do not use them. You also need a half teaspoon, or more, of a chili paste. Annalena had sricha, the wonderful Thai hot sauce on hand, and used a full teaspoon. Use less if you can't handle it, more if you can, but don't go overboard: asparagus have a delicate taste. You will also need to grate a hefty teaspoon of ginger, and an equal amount of garlic.
How do you grate garlic? AH. Annalena wondered. She had her rasp grater for the ginger, and just took the garlic clove and used that. WONDERFUL. It was FABULOUSNESS ON FABULOUSNESS. Why? Because in grating a clove of garlic, you don't have to peel it. The skin does not grate, and you have saved some time.
Yes, Annalena needs a life. Chop up a fresh, hot pepper: be it jalapeno, serrano, or if you like to live dangerously, a habanero or scotch bonnet.
With respect to these hot peppers, ragazzi, keep in mind that you already have the chili sauce, and the dried chilis. Keep your palate in mind, not Annalena's, and use the quantity you think is right.
All of this is going to go into the cooked dish. Apart from that, chop up half a bunch of cilantro, slice up three scallions , and have a tablespoon of sesame seeds, and a tablespoon of sesame oil ready. Again, all of these are optional. They are good, but if you don't have them, don't toss the recipe.
Here comes the cooking, and it's fast, and easy. Put a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil in a big pan. Use high heat, and when the oil is hot, toss in the asparagus, and DO toss them. Add the hot peppers if you are using them. Cook this all for maybe two minutes, closer to one. Add some salt and pepper. Now add the chili paste, the ginger, the garlic, and the hot pepper. Cook for no more than two more minutes.
Guess what? Your cooking is done. Seriously, it is. Take those optional ingredients, and off the heat, toss them into your cooked asparagus.
If you have made up some rice , or even better, some coconut milk rice (how do you do THAT? Well, Annalena is glad you asked: take your rice cooking instructions, substitute half of the water with low fat coconut milk and cook away), you could very easily have a light meal. Maybe some tofu on it, or some left over cooked duck, or anything you want. If you're sticking to serious vegetarian, some chopped nuts would be good here, too. (Most people overlook the fact that asparagus and nuts pair well together. Annalena recommends pecans).
There you have it, ragazzi. Something wonderful, something easy, something seasonal. June is not here, but "May is bustin out all over." The asparagus, the ramps, the rhubarb, they are all here now. Use em while you got em.
Next time around: perhaps a new recipe to use salmoriglio sauce, or a recipe for shrimp. OR, perhaps a recipe for pickled pineapple. What would i miei bambini wish to see? Let Annalena know. The early bird picks the recipe.
Really? Annalena can understand fights about morel mushrooms (actually she can't), but fighting over a freakin bunch of ASPARAGUS? Folks, can't we all get along? Or at least get to the market earlier.
Well, in any event, Annalena got hers. And she has gotten them several times since then. In fact, the Guyman and Annalena will probably be eating asparagus in some form every day this week. And it is the phrase "in some form" which we address today.
There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with simple steamed asparagus, with a squeeze of lemon, or not. In fact, that is what awaits Annalena in her lunch bag, as well as the Guyman. There are times, and indeed you will feel them, when you will want to do "something different" with them. And you will want to do it before their all too short season is over (because you are NOT going to buy Peruvian asparagus out of season, right carini? You PROMISED Annalena, remember?). So, when Annalena was preparing the menu for dinner last night, she checked her trove of asparagus recipes. First, she was going to roast them, but then.... the meal she was preparing had a decided Asian slant to it, and so, Asian asparagus it was.
This recipe is ridiculously easy. The preparation may seem daunting. It is not. Trust Annalena on this. Her recipe says that it takes 20 minutes. It is more like 10, if you have your ingredients at hand. So, let's begin.
You need a pound and a half of fresh asparagus for this. This is slightly less than two standard bunches. You may wind up with a little more, you may wind up with a little less, but plan on two farmers market sized bunches. In Annalena's experience, farmers' market asparagus do not admit of peeling, but there is a point where the farmers tie them together, at their base. She takes a large knife, and cuts the asparagus here, and always has tender vegetables. She commends this method to you. Once you have done that, and either composted the ends, or saved them to make stock for rice or other dishes, take what you have left, and cut them into 1.5 -2 inch pieces. Surgical precision, as is usually the case, is not necessary.
The other ingredients you will need, are very flexible. Annalena used the six dried red peppers her recipe called for. This will lead to a very spicy dish. If you do not have them, or do not want them, do not use them. You also need a half teaspoon, or more, of a chili paste. Annalena had sricha, the wonderful Thai hot sauce on hand, and used a full teaspoon. Use less if you can't handle it, more if you can, but don't go overboard: asparagus have a delicate taste. You will also need to grate a hefty teaspoon of ginger, and an equal amount of garlic.
How do you grate garlic? AH. Annalena wondered. She had her rasp grater for the ginger, and just took the garlic clove and used that. WONDERFUL. It was FABULOUSNESS ON FABULOUSNESS. Why? Because in grating a clove of garlic, you don't have to peel it. The skin does not grate, and you have saved some time.
Yes, Annalena needs a life. Chop up a fresh, hot pepper: be it jalapeno, serrano, or if you like to live dangerously, a habanero or scotch bonnet.
With respect to these hot peppers, ragazzi, keep in mind that you already have the chili sauce, and the dried chilis. Keep your palate in mind, not Annalena's, and use the quantity you think is right.
All of this is going to go into the cooked dish. Apart from that, chop up half a bunch of cilantro, slice up three scallions , and have a tablespoon of sesame seeds, and a tablespoon of sesame oil ready. Again, all of these are optional. They are good, but if you don't have them, don't toss the recipe.
Here comes the cooking, and it's fast, and easy. Put a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil in a big pan. Use high heat, and when the oil is hot, toss in the asparagus, and DO toss them. Add the hot peppers if you are using them. Cook this all for maybe two minutes, closer to one. Add some salt and pepper. Now add the chili paste, the ginger, the garlic, and the hot pepper. Cook for no more than two more minutes.
Guess what? Your cooking is done. Seriously, it is. Take those optional ingredients, and off the heat, toss them into your cooked asparagus.
If you have made up some rice , or even better, some coconut milk rice (how do you do THAT? Well, Annalena is glad you asked: take your rice cooking instructions, substitute half of the water with low fat coconut milk and cook away), you could very easily have a light meal. Maybe some tofu on it, or some left over cooked duck, or anything you want. If you're sticking to serious vegetarian, some chopped nuts would be good here, too. (Most people overlook the fact that asparagus and nuts pair well together. Annalena recommends pecans).
There you have it, ragazzi. Something wonderful, something easy, something seasonal. June is not here, but "May is bustin out all over." The asparagus, the ramps, the rhubarb, they are all here now. Use em while you got em.
Next time around: perhaps a new recipe to use salmoriglio sauce, or a recipe for shrimp. OR, perhaps a recipe for pickled pineapple. What would i miei bambini wish to see? Let Annalena know. The early bird picks the recipe.
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