So, you've had all these hearty, stewy kinda dishes, and cookies, lately. What can I tell you? This is what I'm cooking lately. Maybe it's time for something fresh?
I LOVE ceviche. I don't make it often, but I DO love it. And as I think about it, this really is the season for it. I do use an "out of season item" in that I use fresh hot peppers, but I don't have to.
There is a myth that ceviche is easy. In concept it is. In practice, it is not. Ceviche, as all of you know, is a mix of raw fish, acid, and other additives, like onions, peppers, spices, and so forth. But.... how many raw fish types are there? How many acids? How many additives? Hmmm.
I will say this: my favorite types of ceviche are simple, and I never MIX fish types. And I almost inevitably use scallops. They're nice and firm, they hold their shape in the acid, and they taste good. I DO mix citrus. If I happen to have some of Kim and Eric's seville oranges around, I use those, but if I don't, I go with classic combinations.
Ok, let's get started. Now, again, this is a dish you want to make a LOT of, because people do respond well to it. Get two pounds of day boat scallops. It's really important to do that for this dish, because if you use the treated ones, they will leak into your marinade, and you will not be happy. The scallops will probably be large. Cut them in half or quarters, whatever is more convenient to you. Put them in a bowl, and add a sprinkle of salt.
My choice of acid is to squeeze the juice of a lemon, that of a lime, and that of a navel orange, together, into the bowl with the fish. I then turn the fish into the juice, using clean hands. Then I taste the juice for saltiness. It's interesting how people assume that, because the fish is from salt water, it's salty. Don't make that assumption. These critters have incredible filtration devices built into their bodies. They push out more salt than you could imagine. You have to get it back in.
Now, for additives. For me, a sliced up red onion, a sliced up green jalapeno pepper, and some jarred, skinned red peppers are essential. Just mix them all up.
Here's the dirty little secret I didn't tell you. You have to do this the night before you want to eat it. Many people make the assumption that ceviche can "cook" in the acid on the countertop for just a few hours. It can, but the marriage is not going to work. Try to let it work for overnight to get all of the flavors to mix together. You'll be glad you did.
To serve? Well, traditionally, you pile this on some shredded cabbage or lettuce, and I'm all in favor of that. I have seen it served in a martini glass, and anything served in a martini glass sits well with me. There are restaurants, especially those where the chefs are from Peru, where ceviche is an art form (try the Peruvian CREAM ceviches for something you won't find anywhere else), where they include popcorn in the mix. Frankly, I had my doubts, but it works real well.
You can use other fish. Try to stay away from really muscular ones (I was going to say oily ones, but I realize that's a personal prejudice, since I don't care for the oily fish). Shrimp work well. So do white fish like cod, haddock, hake, and their relatives. I am not much of a fan of salmon, but I'm told that salmon with a blood orange marinade is fabulous ceviche. Mackerel would probably work real well, or bluefish, if these are REALLY drop dead fresh.
THere isn't much of a calorie in these variations, so let's put this one into the temple food category, and have it balance the coconut cookies.
Right....
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
AND YET MORE COOKIES!!!
You must think that all I do is bake cookies. Indeed, sometimes I feel that way. Having escaped the tyranny of the Xmas cookie bake, you'd think I'd leave it alone. Well, not this year. It does seem that the cookies went over extremely well - so well, in fact, that I'm making some of them over again. Hence the chocolate cookie recipe yesterday. And now, another one.
One of the puppies loves chocolate. The other, like me, could leave it alone with a frown. I made these cookies as filler for the cookie tins. He saw them, and essentially cradled the tin in his arms for about an hour before I pried them loose. I don't think of them as anything fancy, but y ou know, they ARE good.
Coconut is one of those ingredients that seems to inspire very strong love/hate feelings in people. The texture bothers a lot of people, and there may be a coconut allergy out there. Me? I could eat it everyday. So could Guy. And so could my pup. So, now that they're home (I JUST SPOKE WITH THEM. I AM ON CLOUD TEN), I can offer the chocolate cookies, and these.
You're going to need a cup and a half of sweetened, shredded coconut. I've only found one brand that does this, so you know what you're getting. Heap the container high. You won't regret it.
You also need a bit more than a cup of flour, so heap it high. Mix it with a teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of salt.
You then need a stick and two tablespoons of softened unsalted butter. Also, half a cup of light brown sugar, and a quarter cup of white sugar. Finally, an egg, a large one, and a teaspoon of vanilla.
Before you make the cookies, you have to toast the coconut. Now, you can do this in a skillet on the stove top, but it's hard. You can do it in the oven, and it's easier, but you have to watch the coconut, because it goes from toasted to burned in a blink. You spread it out on a baking sheet, on a sheet of parchment, and put it in the oven for about 5 minutes, at 375. Keep an eye on it. If it begins to brown on the edges, take it out. It's done. If you leave it too long, you will go from brown to black, even when it's out of the oven. Really, all you're trying to do is bring the oils out for flavoring. Let that mass of coconut cool, while you get to work on the cookies.
Get all of those flour type ingredients mixed together in a bowl, and then put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip it HARD. You want it very light and fluffy. This will take about 6 minutes, which is about as long as it will take for the coconut to cool. When the butter mass is fluffy, add the egg, and then the vanilla (and I reiterate: push the mass down as you need to). Then add the flour and the coconut, at lower speed. You'll have a very shaggy looking mess, from the coconut.
These cookies are small. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough, and roll it into a ball. Once you do that, it will be easier to do it with your hands. Lay these out, about 20 or so, on a baking sheet. You're going to get about 80 small cookies, so have plenty of sheets and parchment ready.
Bake them, one sheet at a time, for about 8 minutes. Push it to ten if you like them REALLY dark, but be careful. They burn easily. I like them slightly underdone and chewy. And if you make and bake one sheet, while you are preparing the second sheet, this will move along much faster than you think.
These are a great cookie with ice cream - ANY kind. Also, if you have any left over and they go stale, you can make a great crust for a cake, or coconut custard pie, or just crumble them over ice cream, or pudding, or something like that.
Make 'em. I want everyone to make more cookies in 2009
One of the puppies loves chocolate. The other, like me, could leave it alone with a frown. I made these cookies as filler for the cookie tins. He saw them, and essentially cradled the tin in his arms for about an hour before I pried them loose. I don't think of them as anything fancy, but y ou know, they ARE good.
Coconut is one of those ingredients that seems to inspire very strong love/hate feelings in people. The texture bothers a lot of people, and there may be a coconut allergy out there. Me? I could eat it everyday. So could Guy. And so could my pup. So, now that they're home (I JUST SPOKE WITH THEM. I AM ON CLOUD TEN), I can offer the chocolate cookies, and these.
You're going to need a cup and a half of sweetened, shredded coconut. I've only found one brand that does this, so you know what you're getting. Heap the container high. You won't regret it.
You also need a bit more than a cup of flour, so heap it high. Mix it with a teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of salt.
You then need a stick and two tablespoons of softened unsalted butter. Also, half a cup of light brown sugar, and a quarter cup of white sugar. Finally, an egg, a large one, and a teaspoon of vanilla.
Before you make the cookies, you have to toast the coconut. Now, you can do this in a skillet on the stove top, but it's hard. You can do it in the oven, and it's easier, but you have to watch the coconut, because it goes from toasted to burned in a blink. You spread it out on a baking sheet, on a sheet of parchment, and put it in the oven for about 5 minutes, at 375. Keep an eye on it. If it begins to brown on the edges, take it out. It's done. If you leave it too long, you will go from brown to black, even when it's out of the oven. Really, all you're trying to do is bring the oils out for flavoring. Let that mass of coconut cool, while you get to work on the cookies.
Get all of those flour type ingredients mixed together in a bowl, and then put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip it HARD. You want it very light and fluffy. This will take about 6 minutes, which is about as long as it will take for the coconut to cool. When the butter mass is fluffy, add the egg, and then the vanilla (and I reiterate: push the mass down as you need to). Then add the flour and the coconut, at lower speed. You'll have a very shaggy looking mess, from the coconut.
These cookies are small. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough, and roll it into a ball. Once you do that, it will be easier to do it with your hands. Lay these out, about 20 or so, on a baking sheet. You're going to get about 80 small cookies, so have plenty of sheets and parchment ready.
Bake them, one sheet at a time, for about 8 minutes. Push it to ten if you like them REALLY dark, but be careful. They burn easily. I like them slightly underdone and chewy. And if you make and bake one sheet, while you are preparing the second sheet, this will move along much faster than you think.
These are a great cookie with ice cream - ANY kind. Also, if you have any left over and they go stale, you can make a great crust for a cake, or coconut custard pie, or just crumble them over ice cream, or pudding, or something like that.
Make 'em. I want everyone to make more cookies in 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
And now, for some more cookies
One of the things that I tend to forget is how much people LOVE chocolate, because, frankly, I do not care for it. One of the chocolate cookies I made at Xmas, however, provoked such a positive response that I have to post it. It's not a very easy cookie to make, because it involves a lot of steps, but the chocolate lovers of the world really like this one really a lot. So here it is. It's called a chocolate truffle cookie.
You'll need four ounces of a v ery good quality chocolate, either bittersweet, or unsweetened. You will also need two cups of chocolate chips. I use a bittersweet variety, and I think you should too. Also, you will need half a stick of unsalted butter. What you do first is chop up that four ounces of chocolate, and combine it, with a cup of the chips, and the butter in a pan. Melt that over low heat. Keep an eye on it, stir it every now and then, and just make sure it's smooth and it doesn't burn. Take it off the heat, and let it cool
In a mixing bowl, combine a half cup of light brown sugar, a quarter cup of white sugar, 3 large eggs, and a pinch of vanilla extract. Mix this up really well, getting it nice and fluffy. Stir it down occasionally if you need to.
While that is mixing, combine a half cup of flour with a teaspoon of baking SODA (always using baking soda for chocolate recipes), and a half teaspoon of salt.
When the butter is all mixed up, then take that chocolate mixture and beat that in,to a uniform color. Then pour in the flour mixture, and mix until it's just combined. Finally, stir in the last cup of chips (I bet you thought I forgot, didn't you? Annalena forgets NOTHING).
This batter is too soft to bake. You need to refrigerate it for at least three hours, perhaps overnight. I WILL tell you that it is much harder to work with as an overnight chilled batter, but I think it is worth it.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, spread parchment paper out over at least three, and preferably four, baking sheets, if you have them. These cookies bake very quickly, and while you CAN wait until your baking sheets are cool enough to re-use, I like to get them "in and out."
Ok, enough of the jokes. Let's cook.
Make SMALL balls of the batter. The best way to do this, especially if you chilled it overnight, is to use a small melon baller, occasionally dipped in water and just scoop it out. Then form round shapes with your hands, and spread them out, say 12-16 to a sheet. Bake them in a preheated 350 oven, for 8 minutes or so a sheet. NO MORE than 8 minutes. You will think they are too soft. THese are called "truffle cookies" and they should be soft. And you need to leave them alone until they are fully cooled to take them off of the sheets. They are delicate, but once they firm up, they will hold their shape.
I have seen people fight for these cookies. More power to them. I made these last night for one of the returning puppies, and I can't wait to see his face when he 's confronted with 60 or so of his favorite cookies. Again, boys, welcome home!
You'll need four ounces of a v ery good quality chocolate, either bittersweet, or unsweetened. You will also need two cups of chocolate chips. I use a bittersweet variety, and I think you should too. Also, you will need half a stick of unsalted butter. What you do first is chop up that four ounces of chocolate, and combine it, with a cup of the chips, and the butter in a pan. Melt that over low heat. Keep an eye on it, stir it every now and then, and just make sure it's smooth and it doesn't burn. Take it off the heat, and let it cool
In a mixing bowl, combine a half cup of light brown sugar, a quarter cup of white sugar, 3 large eggs, and a pinch of vanilla extract. Mix this up really well, getting it nice and fluffy. Stir it down occasionally if you need to.
While that is mixing, combine a half cup of flour with a teaspoon of baking SODA (always using baking soda for chocolate recipes), and a half teaspoon of salt.
When the butter is all mixed up, then take that chocolate mixture and beat that in,to a uniform color. Then pour in the flour mixture, and mix until it's just combined. Finally, stir in the last cup of chips (I bet you thought I forgot, didn't you? Annalena forgets NOTHING).
This batter is too soft to bake. You need to refrigerate it for at least three hours, perhaps overnight. I WILL tell you that it is much harder to work with as an overnight chilled batter, but I think it is worth it.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, spread parchment paper out over at least three, and preferably four, baking sheets, if you have them. These cookies bake very quickly, and while you CAN wait until your baking sheets are cool enough to re-use, I like to get them "in and out."
Ok, enough of the jokes. Let's cook.
Make SMALL balls of the batter. The best way to do this, especially if you chilled it overnight, is to use a small melon baller, occasionally dipped in water and just scoop it out. Then form round shapes with your hands, and spread them out, say 12-16 to a sheet. Bake them in a preheated 350 oven, for 8 minutes or so a sheet. NO MORE than 8 minutes. You will think they are too soft. THese are called "truffle cookies" and they should be soft. And you need to leave them alone until they are fully cooled to take them off of the sheets. They are delicate, but once they firm up, they will hold their shape.
I have seen people fight for these cookies. More power to them. I made these last night for one of the returning puppies, and I can't wait to see his face when he 's confronted with 60 or so of his favorite cookies. Again, boys, welcome home!
Savory and sweet: Daisy's chicken with figs
There is something rather "exotic" about mixing fruit with savory elements. Somehow, we associate those combinations with far off places, the "orient," even though that word is out of fashion now. Yet, frequently, those combinations are much closer to home and they do fool people.
At our New Year's party, I made a dish that I learned watching the wonderful Puertoriccana, Daisy Martinez. I am not going to fracture the Spanish, I'm just going to call it "chicken with figs" because that's what it is. When we served this, people thought it was Persian, or from the mideast somewhere.
Interestingly , my lamb with apricots dish IS in fact middle eastern. I do not see a link between the two cuisines, but it is possible I am missing something. I am also told, by those more versed in this cuisine than I, that this may be Daisy's fantasia on a Puerto Rican dish, but it is not Puerto Rican.
Well, if someone will not claim it, I will. This is a wonderful dish. It's wonderful for parties, it's wonderful for dinner. Yes, it is time consuming, but it's worth every minute of it.
I have changed Daisy's recipe a little, and I'll tell you how I do. Also, I will give it to you exactly how she taught me, on her televsion show.
You need a somewhat long list of ingredients. You need bacon, about a half pound. Also a quart and a half of chicken stock, three tablespoons of flour, a third of a cup of cognac or dry sherry, two carrots, two stalks of celery, and a large onion. Finally, five cloves and two bay leaves. And that's what you need for the SAUCE. Then, you will need four pounds of chicken and a pound of dried figs.
This is a recipe that makes the full amount of sauce, but half of the chicken of Daisy's recipe. I like to cook the recipe down to make a thicker, almost glazey sauce, rather than a wetter one. If you have the space, the people, and the time, then double the amount of bacon , chicken, and figs given above.
When Daisy makes the recipe, she uses a full chicken. I find that I can't cook all of the parts of the chicken to a good even degree, so I use chicken thighs. They are "finger friendly," they stand up to overcooking (a risk here), and they taste good. You be the judge of what you want. Four pounds is about twelve thighs on the bone.
Ok, here we go. First, you have to cook the bacon. I have written that I find it much easier to cook bacon if I add a little olive oil first. I prevent burning that way. And that's what you should do here. Cut a half pound of bacon into bite sized pieces, and heat up about two tablespoons of olive oil in a very wide, deep skillet. Fry the bacon at medium heat until it's crispy. It will crisp up faster and nicer, if you drain off excess fat occasionally. When the bacon is crisp, then drain it on paper towels. We'll come b ack to it.
Pour off just about all of the fat - save maybe three tablespoons, and add the vegetables, cut into irregular chunks. No fancy stuff here. Sautee them until they begin to brown. This is going to take you in excess of five minutes, but not more than ten. Now, add the flour and stir it really well. You want the white color to disappear. This will not look promising, but it's fine.
Next step, which is very important, is to take that pot off of the flame, and add the cognac or sherry. You do this to avoid burning down your kitchen. After you've added it, put the pan back on the flame, and cook the liquid away. When it's gone, add the chicken stock. Stir this around, add the bay leaves and cloves, and bring it to a simmer. Then, add some salt, and let it cook away for thirty minutes.
What you are doing here is making a variation on "sauce espagnole," which is a nightmarishly time consuming classic of the French kitchen. This simpler v ersion is quite fine.
There is, however, a simpler way to do this, if you are making the dish for people who do not eat pork. Instead of cooking bacon, cook your chicken in that olive oil until it browns. Then put that aside, and use the chicken infused fat to cook the vegetables.
If you have room on the stove to do the next step, do it while the sauce is cooking. Otherwise, wait. What you now want to do is sautee those chicken pieces. Pat them dry (REAL important here), salt them, and then brown them in another few tablespoons of fat, skin side down, until it's nice and brown. Then flip them over and cook them a few more minutes. No need to be rigorous here, because there's going to be more cooking.
While the chicken is cooking away, get the figs, cut the little tough tip off of the top, and cut them into halves, lengthwise.
You now have your chicken, your figs, and your sauce. If you did the bacon free version, return the thighs to the pan. Drain the sauce through a sieve, right over the chicken pieces. Add the figs and, if you're using them, the bacon. Bring this to a simmer, cover it, and cook it at a low heat for an hour.
You CAN, if you like a thicker sauce, take the cover off and cook it exposed for the last fifteen minutes. But if you do this, keep an eye out to make sure that things do not scorch. It is very easy to do this (trust me on that point). After the hour, your sauce will be reduced, your chicken cooked through, the figs soft, the bacon infused with the flavor, and you'll be ready to dance up a samba that is unbelievable.
Well, maybe not the samba, but you get my point.
I cannot imagine serving this with anything other than yellow rice; however, I will be serving it over spinach pasta tomorrow, as my puppies come back from a trip to Argentina. I have missed them terribly, and it will be wonderful just to be sitting opposite them and seeing THEM, rather than my memories of them, for the first time in two weeks.
This is the perfect dish for this kind of "reunion." You can make it, store it, and reheat it, so when your missing ones come back, you can spend time with them, rather than with the food in the kitchen.
The dinner will be this chicken, pasta (perhaps jerusalem artichokes if Snoops wants them), some broccoli, a salad, and an ice cream parfait of tangerine sorbet, and vanilla caramel ice cream.
And I made cookies for you boys too. Your favorites. Welcome back home
At our New Year's party, I made a dish that I learned watching the wonderful Puertoriccana, Daisy Martinez. I am not going to fracture the Spanish, I'm just going to call it "chicken with figs" because that's what it is. When we served this, people thought it was Persian, or from the mideast somewhere.
Interestingly , my lamb with apricots dish IS in fact middle eastern. I do not see a link between the two cuisines, but it is possible I am missing something. I am also told, by those more versed in this cuisine than I, that this may be Daisy's fantasia on a Puerto Rican dish, but it is not Puerto Rican.
Well, if someone will not claim it, I will. This is a wonderful dish. It's wonderful for parties, it's wonderful for dinner. Yes, it is time consuming, but it's worth every minute of it.
I have changed Daisy's recipe a little, and I'll tell you how I do. Also, I will give it to you exactly how she taught me, on her televsion show.
You need a somewhat long list of ingredients. You need bacon, about a half pound. Also a quart and a half of chicken stock, three tablespoons of flour, a third of a cup of cognac or dry sherry, two carrots, two stalks of celery, and a large onion. Finally, five cloves and two bay leaves. And that's what you need for the SAUCE. Then, you will need four pounds of chicken and a pound of dried figs.
This is a recipe that makes the full amount of sauce, but half of the chicken of Daisy's recipe. I like to cook the recipe down to make a thicker, almost glazey sauce, rather than a wetter one. If you have the space, the people, and the time, then double the amount of bacon , chicken, and figs given above.
When Daisy makes the recipe, she uses a full chicken. I find that I can't cook all of the parts of the chicken to a good even degree, so I use chicken thighs. They are "finger friendly," they stand up to overcooking (a risk here), and they taste good. You be the judge of what you want. Four pounds is about twelve thighs on the bone.
Ok, here we go. First, you have to cook the bacon. I have written that I find it much easier to cook bacon if I add a little olive oil first. I prevent burning that way. And that's what you should do here. Cut a half pound of bacon into bite sized pieces, and heat up about two tablespoons of olive oil in a very wide, deep skillet. Fry the bacon at medium heat until it's crispy. It will crisp up faster and nicer, if you drain off excess fat occasionally. When the bacon is crisp, then drain it on paper towels. We'll come b ack to it.
Pour off just about all of the fat - save maybe three tablespoons, and add the vegetables, cut into irregular chunks. No fancy stuff here. Sautee them until they begin to brown. This is going to take you in excess of five minutes, but not more than ten. Now, add the flour and stir it really well. You want the white color to disappear. This will not look promising, but it's fine.
Next step, which is very important, is to take that pot off of the flame, and add the cognac or sherry. You do this to avoid burning down your kitchen. After you've added it, put the pan back on the flame, and cook the liquid away. When it's gone, add the chicken stock. Stir this around, add the bay leaves and cloves, and bring it to a simmer. Then, add some salt, and let it cook away for thirty minutes.
What you are doing here is making a variation on "sauce espagnole," which is a nightmarishly time consuming classic of the French kitchen. This simpler v ersion is quite fine.
There is, however, a simpler way to do this, if you are making the dish for people who do not eat pork. Instead of cooking bacon, cook your chicken in that olive oil until it browns. Then put that aside, and use the chicken infused fat to cook the vegetables.
If you have room on the stove to do the next step, do it while the sauce is cooking. Otherwise, wait. What you now want to do is sautee those chicken pieces. Pat them dry (REAL important here), salt them, and then brown them in another few tablespoons of fat, skin side down, until it's nice and brown. Then flip them over and cook them a few more minutes. No need to be rigorous here, because there's going to be more cooking.
While the chicken is cooking away, get the figs, cut the little tough tip off of the top, and cut them into halves, lengthwise.
You now have your chicken, your figs, and your sauce. If you did the bacon free version, return the thighs to the pan. Drain the sauce through a sieve, right over the chicken pieces. Add the figs and, if you're using them, the bacon. Bring this to a simmer, cover it, and cook it at a low heat for an hour.
You CAN, if you like a thicker sauce, take the cover off and cook it exposed for the last fifteen minutes. But if you do this, keep an eye out to make sure that things do not scorch. It is very easy to do this (trust me on that point). After the hour, your sauce will be reduced, your chicken cooked through, the figs soft, the bacon infused with the flavor, and you'll be ready to dance up a samba that is unbelievable.
Well, maybe not the samba, but you get my point.
I cannot imagine serving this with anything other than yellow rice; however, I will be serving it over spinach pasta tomorrow, as my puppies come back from a trip to Argentina. I have missed them terribly, and it will be wonderful just to be sitting opposite them and seeing THEM, rather than my memories of them, for the first time in two weeks.
This is the perfect dish for this kind of "reunion." You can make it, store it, and reheat it, so when your missing ones come back, you can spend time with them, rather than with the food in the kitchen.
The dinner will be this chicken, pasta (perhaps jerusalem artichokes if Snoops wants them), some broccoli, a salad, and an ice cream parfait of tangerine sorbet, and vanilla caramel ice cream.
And I made cookies for you boys too. Your favorites. Welcome back home
Cooking beef the Italian way
Well, already I am breaking my resolutions. I had promised to write this on Sunday, or even Saturday. And here comes Monday, and I'm only getting around to it. Sorry kids, I was busy cooking. I will make it up to y ou. I promise.
Have you noticed that, when you look at Italian cooking, it is almost void of those big steaks that we Americans seem to be so proud of, and eat so many of? Indeed, that is true. There is only one "steak" recipe in Italian cooking, "bistecca alla fiorentina," and many people with stronger historical cooking chops than I feel that this dish is a result of the British influence in Florence. Missing their "Sunday joint," the Brits who expatriated to Tuscany, and settled around Florence, developed this enormous joint of grilled meat. It is a steak of huge proportions. Two pounds is about as small as they get. I have seen them go to 3.5 pounds.
Now, you must keep in mind that when Italians cook a steak of this size, it is intended as a meal for EVERYONE. You share. Everyone gets a few slices of the steak. There is no such thing as a two pound steak for an individual . "Tagliata" is sliced steak. You get a few slices of top quality meat, with lots of vegetables.
There IS, however, a tradition of braises. Slow cooked, using cheaper tougher cuts of meat, that become wonderful. There is a generic recipe, called "stracotto." I am not sure what the "stra" adds to the name (I shall ask my Italian teacher), but "cotto" is cooked. "Stracotto, " traditionally, is a beef roast cooked in barolo. That is fine, in Piedmont, where barolo is the "lingua franca" of wine. Here in the US, or even in other parts of Italy, where barolo can cost you a neat hundred bucks for a bottle, this isn't really what you're going to use. And fortunately, you can generalize the recipe to other red wines. The two requirements are that they have a "nose," (that is, they have some fruit and some flavor), and they have a high alcohol content.
Interestingly enough, in researching this family of variants on stracotto, no one seemed to admit of using a French wine. There were either Italian wines beyond barolo, or California wines, one of which is zinfandel.
Zinfandel has a very high alcohol content. In fact, it may have the highest alcohol content of any red wine. It certainly has the highest one for American reds. And I happened to have a started bottle of zinfandel that I had to use. So, "stracotto al zinfandel" was born. It's good. Try it.
This is another one of those recipes that requires a lot of time, but very little work. I encourage you to make it. Again, it is a dish to be shared, and during these cold months of winter, it's a good one to share.
You will need a chuck roast of about four pounds. Also, you will need onion, carrots and celery, as well as a bit of tomato or tomato paste. You will also need olive oil, butter, and beef broth. Salt and pepper, of course. Equipment wise, you will need a frying pan that can hold the roast and you will also need a heavy pot, like a dutch oven, that can go into the oven and is just big enough for the roast.
Let's get started. Turn on your oven to preheat it to 350. While that's happening , get out your food processor, and chop up, very fine, and separately from each other, an onion, two carrots, and two stalks of celery. Pour out a cup and a half of red wine, and have a can of beef stock ready.
Pour out enough olive oil to slick your frying pan and while it's heating up, salt and pepper the roast. When the oil is hot, brown it all over. This will take you less than ten minutes to do. Now put it aside, and keep the pan separate.
Put two tablespoons of olive oil, and one of butter, in that dutch oven. Put the onions in before you melt the butter and cook them at low heat until they just take on a golden color. Then add the other vegetables, and sweat them for about five minutes.
While this is happening, add the wine to that frying pan,(after you pour off the oil) and bring it to a boil, stirring up from the bottom, and let it boil for a minute. Then, put the beef in the pot with the vegetables, and pour in the wine. Add the beef stock, to 2/3 -3/4 of the way up the roast. Add either a half cup of chopped canned tomatoes, or a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Cover the pot and put it in the preheated oven. Try to turn the roast every twenty minutes, for a total of three hours of cooking.
For the first hour, you will wonder what is happening. In the second hour, the house will begin to smell wonderfully, and as you turn the meat, you will see it taking on a glazed look. In the third hour, the liquid will reduce wonderfully and the meat will become very tender.
After three hours, take the pot out of the oven, and let it cool down. I like to then slice the meat, and let it sit in the remaining sauce for a day or so, or longer. You don't have to skim fat, or anything like that. Warm it up again when you serve it, in the oven.
For this, I can only suggest polenta and some greens. It's a pretty solid winter meal. Something we all need. And ultimately, if you look at the ingredients, not too bad on your waistline. So I guess it's sort of temple food, right????
Have you noticed that, when you look at Italian cooking, it is almost void of those big steaks that we Americans seem to be so proud of, and eat so many of? Indeed, that is true. There is only one "steak" recipe in Italian cooking, "bistecca alla fiorentina," and many people with stronger historical cooking chops than I feel that this dish is a result of the British influence in Florence. Missing their "Sunday joint," the Brits who expatriated to Tuscany, and settled around Florence, developed this enormous joint of grilled meat. It is a steak of huge proportions. Two pounds is about as small as they get. I have seen them go to 3.5 pounds.
Now, you must keep in mind that when Italians cook a steak of this size, it is intended as a meal for EVERYONE. You share. Everyone gets a few slices of the steak. There is no such thing as a two pound steak for an individual . "Tagliata" is sliced steak. You get a few slices of top quality meat, with lots of vegetables.
There IS, however, a tradition of braises. Slow cooked, using cheaper tougher cuts of meat, that become wonderful. There is a generic recipe, called "stracotto." I am not sure what the "stra" adds to the name (I shall ask my Italian teacher), but "cotto" is cooked. "Stracotto, " traditionally, is a beef roast cooked in barolo. That is fine, in Piedmont, where barolo is the "lingua franca" of wine. Here in the US, or even in other parts of Italy, where barolo can cost you a neat hundred bucks for a bottle, this isn't really what you're going to use. And fortunately, you can generalize the recipe to other red wines. The two requirements are that they have a "nose," (that is, they have some fruit and some flavor), and they have a high alcohol content.
Interestingly enough, in researching this family of variants on stracotto, no one seemed to admit of using a French wine. There were either Italian wines beyond barolo, or California wines, one of which is zinfandel.
Zinfandel has a very high alcohol content. In fact, it may have the highest alcohol content of any red wine. It certainly has the highest one for American reds. And I happened to have a started bottle of zinfandel that I had to use. So, "stracotto al zinfandel" was born. It's good. Try it.
This is another one of those recipes that requires a lot of time, but very little work. I encourage you to make it. Again, it is a dish to be shared, and during these cold months of winter, it's a good one to share.
You will need a chuck roast of about four pounds. Also, you will need onion, carrots and celery, as well as a bit of tomato or tomato paste. You will also need olive oil, butter, and beef broth. Salt and pepper, of course. Equipment wise, you will need a frying pan that can hold the roast and you will also need a heavy pot, like a dutch oven, that can go into the oven and is just big enough for the roast.
Let's get started. Turn on your oven to preheat it to 350. While that's happening , get out your food processor, and chop up, very fine, and separately from each other, an onion, two carrots, and two stalks of celery. Pour out a cup and a half of red wine, and have a can of beef stock ready.
Pour out enough olive oil to slick your frying pan and while it's heating up, salt and pepper the roast. When the oil is hot, brown it all over. This will take you less than ten minutes to do. Now put it aside, and keep the pan separate.
Put two tablespoons of olive oil, and one of butter, in that dutch oven. Put the onions in before you melt the butter and cook them at low heat until they just take on a golden color. Then add the other vegetables, and sweat them for about five minutes.
While this is happening, add the wine to that frying pan,(after you pour off the oil) and bring it to a boil, stirring up from the bottom, and let it boil for a minute. Then, put the beef in the pot with the vegetables, and pour in the wine. Add the beef stock, to 2/3 -3/4 of the way up the roast. Add either a half cup of chopped canned tomatoes, or a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Cover the pot and put it in the preheated oven. Try to turn the roast every twenty minutes, for a total of three hours of cooking.
For the first hour, you will wonder what is happening. In the second hour, the house will begin to smell wonderfully, and as you turn the meat, you will see it taking on a glazed look. In the third hour, the liquid will reduce wonderfully and the meat will become very tender.
After three hours, take the pot out of the oven, and let it cool down. I like to then slice the meat, and let it sit in the remaining sauce for a day or so, or longer. You don't have to skim fat, or anything like that. Warm it up again when you serve it, in the oven.
For this, I can only suggest polenta and some greens. It's a pretty solid winter meal. Something we all need. And ultimately, if you look at the ingredients, not too bad on your waistline. So I guess it's sort of temple food, right????
Friday, January 2, 2009
And now to the temple
Here, we combine some of Annalena's favorite things: underused vegetables, soup, and olive oil.
I was asked, many times over this holiday season, about my holiday baking. Honestly, boys and girls, women and men, if I had to give up one area of cooking completely, I would give up desserts in a minute. I do NOT enjoy making desserts. I find them agonizing, a "punctuation mark" that people really do not need. I am more of a savory eater myself. But the world being what it is, dessert is a necessary.
But if I could only cook ONE type of food, it would be soup. I LOVE making soup. You can make a soup as simple as can be (my type of soup), or complex, and really, this is one of those places where, contrary to belief, you can NOT get away with poor ingredients. You can make it rich, or lean. This one is fairly lean.
Leeks, in my opinion, are underused. They are too expensive in grocery stores, they look like a lot of work, and they take a long time to cook. SOMETIMES. Yes, if you get the humongous
"caveman leeks," that could crack a skull, they will take a long time to cook, and they take some work. If you are fortunate enough to find small, or medium sized leeks, make this soup.
Leeks have almost no calories. The only calories in this soup come from the chicken stock and the olive oil. If there are two hundred calories in a portion, there's a lot. The soup has so much flavor that you won't need a lot. And it's quick.
First, you will need four cups of finely sliced or chopped leeks. That's about 8-10 small ones. How you do it , is to make two vertical cuts down each leek, at 90 degree angles to each other. That is, cut a cross in the leek. Then use your knife to mince them. It will take less time than you think. You also need - now don't let me scare you - a bouquet garni - of a stalk of celery, cut in half, a sprig of rosemary, a few sprigs of thyme, and two bayleaves. A "bouquet garni" puts all of these in a piece of cheesecloth - go buy some, and get a good one - and then ties them together. You will also need two garlic cloves that you will slice thinly, and a quart each of chicken stock and water. Finally, four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Incidentally, can we put a moratorium on the acronym EVOO this year? That is the only thing, short of Ms. Ray retiring, that would make me happy). Heat the olive oil and add the leeks. Lower the heat and cook them gently until they soften. Add a pinch of salt to this. Then add the garni, the stock and water, and the garlic. Bring this all to a simmer, and let it alone for twenty minutes.
Pull out the garni ,and you're done. Leeks have such a strong, wonderful fragrance and flavor, that you may very well feel like you're eating French onion soup. That being the case, you may want to toast some bread and put some gruyere or some other type of cheese on top of it. Serve t his with something else. It's a bit of a lean dish. If you serve eight people, you've got a half cup of stock and half a tablespoon of olive oil as your big calorie contributors. So, perhaps you want to eat the whole pot yourself? I give you leave to do so.
I will be back again tomorrow, with two wonderful, hearty recipes. One is Italian, and is actually a class of recipes called "stracotto," and the other, a wonderful Puerto Rican dish from Daisy Martinez, that I do not make often enough
I was asked, many times over this holiday season, about my holiday baking. Honestly, boys and girls, women and men, if I had to give up one area of cooking completely, I would give up desserts in a minute. I do NOT enjoy making desserts. I find them agonizing, a "punctuation mark" that people really do not need. I am more of a savory eater myself. But the world being what it is, dessert is a necessary.
But if I could only cook ONE type of food, it would be soup. I LOVE making soup. You can make a soup as simple as can be (my type of soup), or complex, and really, this is one of those places where, contrary to belief, you can NOT get away with poor ingredients. You can make it rich, or lean. This one is fairly lean.
Leeks, in my opinion, are underused. They are too expensive in grocery stores, they look like a lot of work, and they take a long time to cook. SOMETIMES. Yes, if you get the humongous
"caveman leeks," that could crack a skull, they will take a long time to cook, and they take some work. If you are fortunate enough to find small, or medium sized leeks, make this soup.
Leeks have almost no calories. The only calories in this soup come from the chicken stock and the olive oil. If there are two hundred calories in a portion, there's a lot. The soup has so much flavor that you won't need a lot. And it's quick.
First, you will need four cups of finely sliced or chopped leeks. That's about 8-10 small ones. How you do it , is to make two vertical cuts down each leek, at 90 degree angles to each other. That is, cut a cross in the leek. Then use your knife to mince them. It will take less time than you think. You also need - now don't let me scare you - a bouquet garni - of a stalk of celery, cut in half, a sprig of rosemary, a few sprigs of thyme, and two bayleaves. A "bouquet garni" puts all of these in a piece of cheesecloth - go buy some, and get a good one - and then ties them together. You will also need two garlic cloves that you will slice thinly, and a quart each of chicken stock and water. Finally, four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Incidentally, can we put a moratorium on the acronym EVOO this year? That is the only thing, short of Ms. Ray retiring, that would make me happy). Heat the olive oil and add the leeks. Lower the heat and cook them gently until they soften. Add a pinch of salt to this. Then add the garni, the stock and water, and the garlic. Bring this all to a simmer, and let it alone for twenty minutes.
Pull out the garni ,and you're done. Leeks have such a strong, wonderful fragrance and flavor, that you may very well feel like you're eating French onion soup. That being the case, you may want to toast some bread and put some gruyere or some other type of cheese on top of it. Serve t his with something else. It's a bit of a lean dish. If you serve eight people, you've got a half cup of stock and half a tablespoon of olive oil as your big calorie contributors. So, perhaps you want to eat the whole pot yourself? I give you leave to do so.
I will be back again tomorrow, with two wonderful, hearty recipes. One is Italian, and is actually a class of recipes called "stracotto," and the other, a wonderful Puerto Rican dish from Daisy Martinez, that I do not make often enough
I'm baaack. With days of sin and temple days: first the sin
Yes, my lovelies, I have been away for a while. Blame it on the holiday season, the rotten economy, dealing with issues with a terminally ill cat, dealing with issues as my friends and I get to know each other better, but the fact is, Annalena has been on a bit of a sabbatical. I shall try to make it up to you by doubling my entries until I make up for what has been lost.
Last year, at this time, I did a series of entries on what Nigella Lawson, wonderful woman that she is, called her "temple day" food. As she explains it, "temple days" are the days you spend making up for the excesses of one or more days before.
May I have a show of hands? Has anyone had a day or more of excess over the last three weeks. Let's not lie now.
Hmmmm. Just as I thought. My readers are shy. Well, I shall start by giving you an excuse for excess, by special request from my friend Robert. My recipe for a chocolate chestnut cake.
This cake has been in my repertoire for at least ten years. And it has won a permanent place in the dessert buffet at our "no holes barred" New Year's Day party. Indeed, it has replaced every other chocolate cake that I have ever made at that party. People love it. And lest you recoil at the thought of "chestnuts," in the finished product, they add more texture and density than taste.
Thi sis a very rich, dense cake. I first saw it made on an episode of a television show based on chefs and teachers cooking at the California Culinary Academy. It was a beautifully made show to watch, although NOT to learn from. I remember that on the episode where I saw this cake made no mention was made of quantities, temperatures, and so forth. Naif that I was, I learned later that this was to encourage people to buy the cookbook that came with the show. I do recall that finding that cookbook was one of the most frustrating incidents in my life. NEVER buy a book as an advertisement from a television show, children. You will find it on line very quickly thereafter, probably pay less, and suffer much less aggravation.
I still have the book, but I only use two recipes from it. This is one of them.
I laughed when I first read it because it calls for "leftover champagne." Uh, have any of you ever had leftover champagne? Besides, everyone knows you use leftover champagne with grapefruit sorbet (this is true. If you make grapefruit sorbet, and you "happen" to have a bit around, use it. And if you don't, when you serve the sorbet, pour some champagne around it. It is BLISS).
So, "leftover champagne." I use white wine because, after all, champagne IS a white wine, yes? No one has ever said "needs a bit more of a yeasty nose," and if they had, they would wind up with a nose that looks risen, perhaps from yeast.
The preparation for the cake is a bit of work, but the finished product is HUGE, delightful, and you will be a big hit. People will fall at your feet worshipping you and you will get marriage proposals.
Well, maybe not. But they will love you. The original recipe says this serves 16. I think 20 is more like it, especially if you use the optional whipped cream, which I never do.
Okay, let's get started.
You need a pound of really good chocolate, chopped up. DON'T try to cheat with chips. Get a block of chocolate, and start chopping with a serrated knife. I use Schaffenberger semisweet chocolate, which in my view, is as strong as most bittersweet chocolates. Adjust your choice accordingly.
This chocolate comes in 9.7 ounce blocks. Rather than try to guestimate a pound, chop up two blocks. Shred it as fine as you can. You do this by pushing the serrated knife into the chocolate at a 45 degree angle, until it's all cut. You will also need half a cup of dry white wine (actually, any white wine will do), a stick of softened, unsalted butter, a half cup of heavy cream, a pound of chestnut puree (I get mine from an Italian grocery store. Try to get it unsweetened, but if you can't, no big deal). Also, 1.5 cups of granulated sugar, .5 cup flour and six eggs.
Get a BIG pan. A ten inch springform, or a twelve inch layer cake pan, would be ideal (I've made it in both. I like the springform better). Preheat your oven to 350, and butter the pan all over.
In a small pan , combine the chocolate, the wine, and turn the heat on low. Melt them together, stirring occasionally to keep the chocolate from burning. Then put this aside to cool
Get your electric mixer going, and combine the butter, the cream and the pureed chestnuts. You will not get a completely smooth product. That's ok. Do the best you can. Then add the chocolate mixer (I suggest turning off the mixer and pouring the stuff in, then turning it back on at a low speed. It won't take much. Then add the sugar. When that's combined, add the flour, a pinch of salt (I know, I didn't say that at the top), and finally, the eggs, one at a time.
Did you notice the eggs come in last in this recipe? Isn't that odd? Wish I could tell you why.
Ok, you have a big, heavy pot of batter. Run a spatula through it to see if it's even and uniform. It should be, and if it's not, stir it a bit more. Then pour this all into your prepared pan. Put it on top of a baking sheet, especially with a springform, because sometimes they leak, and bake it for about an hour, maybe an hour and a quarter. When it doesn't jiggle at all, it's done.
Let this cool. It will crack a little. Run a knife around the perimeter, and be ready to use some strength to do that. Release the spring, and let the cake sit until you're ready to serve.
A bit of whipped cream, sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla, or perhaps some vanilla ice cream, melted or frozen, completes this if you feel it needs completion. Again, no one has ever complained to me about this cake being less than enough.
You may not want this now, and you may be asking "why didn't you give me this recipe LAST week, Annalena, you......" Oh well. Save it for next year. Or make it for the next birthday party you have. You'll make new friends.
Last year, at this time, I did a series of entries on what Nigella Lawson, wonderful woman that she is, called her "temple day" food. As she explains it, "temple days" are the days you spend making up for the excesses of one or more days before.
May I have a show of hands? Has anyone had a day or more of excess over the last three weeks. Let's not lie now.
Hmmmm. Just as I thought. My readers are shy. Well, I shall start by giving you an excuse for excess, by special request from my friend Robert. My recipe for a chocolate chestnut cake.
This cake has been in my repertoire for at least ten years. And it has won a permanent place in the dessert buffet at our "no holes barred" New Year's Day party. Indeed, it has replaced every other chocolate cake that I have ever made at that party. People love it. And lest you recoil at the thought of "chestnuts," in the finished product, they add more texture and density than taste.
Thi sis a very rich, dense cake. I first saw it made on an episode of a television show based on chefs and teachers cooking at the California Culinary Academy. It was a beautifully made show to watch, although NOT to learn from. I remember that on the episode where I saw this cake made no mention was made of quantities, temperatures, and so forth. Naif that I was, I learned later that this was to encourage people to buy the cookbook that came with the show. I do recall that finding that cookbook was one of the most frustrating incidents in my life. NEVER buy a book as an advertisement from a television show, children. You will find it on line very quickly thereafter, probably pay less, and suffer much less aggravation.
I still have the book, but I only use two recipes from it. This is one of them.
I laughed when I first read it because it calls for "leftover champagne." Uh, have any of you ever had leftover champagne? Besides, everyone knows you use leftover champagne with grapefruit sorbet (this is true. If you make grapefruit sorbet, and you "happen" to have a bit around, use it. And if you don't, when you serve the sorbet, pour some champagne around it. It is BLISS).
So, "leftover champagne." I use white wine because, after all, champagne IS a white wine, yes? No one has ever said "needs a bit more of a yeasty nose," and if they had, they would wind up with a nose that looks risen, perhaps from yeast.
The preparation for the cake is a bit of work, but the finished product is HUGE, delightful, and you will be a big hit. People will fall at your feet worshipping you and you will get marriage proposals.
Well, maybe not. But they will love you. The original recipe says this serves 16. I think 20 is more like it, especially if you use the optional whipped cream, which I never do.
Okay, let's get started.
You need a pound of really good chocolate, chopped up. DON'T try to cheat with chips. Get a block of chocolate, and start chopping with a serrated knife. I use Schaffenberger semisweet chocolate, which in my view, is as strong as most bittersweet chocolates. Adjust your choice accordingly.
This chocolate comes in 9.7 ounce blocks. Rather than try to guestimate a pound, chop up two blocks. Shred it as fine as you can. You do this by pushing the serrated knife into the chocolate at a 45 degree angle, until it's all cut. You will also need half a cup of dry white wine (actually, any white wine will do), a stick of softened, unsalted butter, a half cup of heavy cream, a pound of chestnut puree (I get mine from an Italian grocery store. Try to get it unsweetened, but if you can't, no big deal). Also, 1.5 cups of granulated sugar, .5 cup flour and six eggs.
Get a BIG pan. A ten inch springform, or a twelve inch layer cake pan, would be ideal (I've made it in both. I like the springform better). Preheat your oven to 350, and butter the pan all over.
In a small pan , combine the chocolate, the wine, and turn the heat on low. Melt them together, stirring occasionally to keep the chocolate from burning. Then put this aside to cool
Get your electric mixer going, and combine the butter, the cream and the pureed chestnuts. You will not get a completely smooth product. That's ok. Do the best you can. Then add the chocolate mixer (I suggest turning off the mixer and pouring the stuff in, then turning it back on at a low speed. It won't take much. Then add the sugar. When that's combined, add the flour, a pinch of salt (I know, I didn't say that at the top), and finally, the eggs, one at a time.
Did you notice the eggs come in last in this recipe? Isn't that odd? Wish I could tell you why.
Ok, you have a big, heavy pot of batter. Run a spatula through it to see if it's even and uniform. It should be, and if it's not, stir it a bit more. Then pour this all into your prepared pan. Put it on top of a baking sheet, especially with a springform, because sometimes they leak, and bake it for about an hour, maybe an hour and a quarter. When it doesn't jiggle at all, it's done.
Let this cool. It will crack a little. Run a knife around the perimeter, and be ready to use some strength to do that. Release the spring, and let the cake sit until you're ready to serve.
A bit of whipped cream, sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla, or perhaps some vanilla ice cream, melted or frozen, completes this if you feel it needs completion. Again, no one has ever complained to me about this cake being less than enough.
You may not want this now, and you may be asking "why didn't you give me this recipe LAST week, Annalena, you......" Oh well. Save it for next year. Or make it for the next birthday party you have. You'll make new friends.
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