"But if the chicken is about method, the bread salad is more about recipe." So begin the instructions to one of Annalena's favorite dishes EVER: Zuni bread salad. So as to avoid confusion, she speaks of Zuni restaurant, NOT of Zuni Native Americans.
At Zuni Cafe' in San Francisco, the amazing roast chicken, is always served with this salad - which isn't really a salad. You will find the roast chicken recipe in this blog, very early on. YOu do not find the bread salad recipe there because, as many of you will understand, Annalena loves this recipe so much she can only make it occasionally. Last weekend was one such occasion. Ah, she may very well have to say that she would eat this before pasta. It is THAT good. And ultimately, it is very easy to do. It will SEEM difficult as you read through this, but do it, once, and you will find that very little cooking is involved. And, you will find that it is very economical. The most expensive ingredient you will need, is olive oil.
So, first, let us collect our ingredients. You will need a loaf of good white bread. No bagged nonsense from the grocery store, but an honest, bakery loaf. If you can get ciabatta, that will work well. So will things with names like "Italian peasant loaf," and so forth. Get one that weighs at least 12 ounces. That will not be a problem, as most loaf breads are at least a pound. You are going to need about a half pound of the white soft stuff. You are also going to need a half cup of olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons of a white vinegar (champagne, white wine, etc), and a good solid teaspoon of a red vinegar. Do not mix them. And no balsamic vinegar here, please. You will also need a hefty tablespoon of currants. Now, realizing that not every home has currants in it, you could substitute raisins if you had to. The salad would not be as good, but you could. Sliver three cloves of garlic, and chop up enough scallions, or green garlic, or spring onions, until you have a quarter cup. Finally, you will need two tablespoons of nuts. Pine nuts are called for, but Annalena has made this "salad" with slivered almonds. The nuts are there for the crunch, but you do not want anything too assertive. No hazelnuts here, please.
Turn your oven to the broiler option (pushing the button again....), and while that gets cranking up, take your bread, and remove as much of the crust as you can, and save it to make crumbs. Once you have the white grain, tear it into uneven chunks. No knives here, ragazzi, use your hands. You want irregular shapes. For 8 ounces, four hunks are fine. Now rub them all over with olive oil, put them on a pan under the broiler, and leave them for two minutes. Then turn them over for another two minutes, and get them out of the oven. They will be just lightly toasted, and the toasting will be uneven. Much of this dish is about unevenness and the nooks and crannies. All good.
Take a quarter cup of the olive oil, and mix it with the white vinegar. Stir it up, and save it, while you tear the cooled bread, into chunks. Again, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of bad cooks. Uneven, please. Bigger chunks, smaller chunks, etc. Put the stuff into a bowl, and pour that oil and vinegar mixture over it. Taste it. You want something slightly tart. If it is not tart enough for you, add a dash more vinegar. Put the bowl aside, and take that red vinegar, mix it with an equal amount of water, and pour that over the currants or raisins.
At this point, turn the oven to 500. If the broiler function has been working, you will have no trouble . It will be "there." And ready....
But not yet. Now, take a bit of the olive oil you have remaining, and add it to a small skillet, and toss in the garlic slivers and the scallions. Cook them until the scallions just begin to soften, and then stir in the nuts. Toss everything together for a minute, and then dump the stuff into the bread. So, too, with the currants and their soaking liquid.
Stir it all together, and toss it into a baking dish just big enough to hold it. Again, taste . You might want more olive oil, you might want more salt, you might want more vinegar, you may want all of the above. Go for it. Put this into the oven for 20 minutes. The original recipe calls for a foil "tent," which Annalena never uses.
And at the end of twenty minutes, you are done. And you have what is a remarkable "stuffing" without the need for that nasty cardboard box. IF you are making the chicken, you can put this into the oven after you have turned it for the final time. And if you want sheer bliss, pour a spoonful or two of the chicken drippings on the salad before you put it on the plate with the bird. But if you don't, that's fine, and you have a wonderful vegan side dish. Go back and check. No animal products in here, yes?
You will understand why Annalena does not make this often. This recipe theoretically serves four. Annalena could eat the whole thing herself.
Has she? She'll never tell. Will you?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
"We've got the beet(s)": pickled golden beets
Ragazzi, it seems that the world falls into two distinct camps in so many ways. The way we feel about beets is one of those: there are those, such as the Guyman, Sandra the artichoke queen, Annalena, and her friend Lucy (not his real name), who love them. Then there are those who recoil at the sight of them. But... within that camp of recoilers, there are... RECIDIVISTS. Ah yes, and therein probably lies a dissertation, or at least a Master's essay in nutrition. Shall the crazy woman elaborate?
In Annalena's experience, many people who hate beets, really don't. They hate the IDEA of beets, borne out of what they were forced to eat, as children, or even as adults. If all of us were still eating canned, "Harvard" beets (whatever Harvard had to do with them, we will never know), or the awful canned pickled beets of lore, we'd most of us hate them still. Annalena knows, from experience, however, that when confronted with beets cooked differently, things can change. The following is a word for word transcript of a conversation at Annalena's dinner table, with names changed to protect the innocent:
J "Annalena, these are good" (pointing his fork with a golden beet quarter impaled on it). What are they?"
A: beets
J No, they can't be beets, I hate beets.
A: they're beets
J No, really what are they
J's partner "they're beets J, and you'll eat them from now on."
When you give someone a beet that is well cooked, well prepared, it may not be love at first sight, but they will probably not hold up a silver cross and proclaim "Get thee behind me.." And if you have recalcitrant friends, there is no easier way to delude them into beet heaven, than with golden beets.
Truth to be told, golden beets do not taste as sweet as red ones do. Their advantages include NOT looking like beets, and, for those of us who are concerned about this kind of thing, not bleeding and staining things. So, if you wish to combine your beets with some other item and you are concerned that your beautiful white goat cheese will turn Pepto Bismol pink (which it won't, if you've tended to your red beets properly, but whatever), or that the potatoes in your potato salad will look like you bled on them, use the golden beets.
It must also be said that pickling beets is much easier than one would think. It is simply a matter of choosing a proper pickling liquid. This weekend past, Annalena was preparing some rather monstrous golden beets. The four of them weighed just shy of two pounds (in beet land a half pounder is a "medium sized beet"), and was wondering what to do with them. The pickling liquid came out of the need to use some things in the refrigerator. Now, many of you will not have the seville oranges and meyer lemon which Annalena used handy, so she has provided an alternative to you, sweet thing that she is.
First, let us deal with cooking the beets. We will have to be approximate here, because Annalena, far seeing that she is, cannot tell how big the roots you will have are. Remove any remnant of leaves from them, and give them a good soaking to remove any dirt (they ARE root vegetables, amici). Then put them in a non metal pan with about half an inch of water, cover it tightly with tin foil, and place the pan in a 350 degree oven, and come back after half an hour. Remove a corner of the foil, and test the largest one, with a knife. Pierce it. If it enters without too much resistance, your beets are ready. If you feel as if you are cutting through rock, replace the foil and continue to bake. Annalena's gang of four took 90 minutes to bake, so you can be in for a wait.
While this is happening, squeeze two seville oranges. You will recognize these in the market as the ugly oranges: the ones which look like they've collapsed. They are sometimes called sour oranges - because they are - or marmalade oranges - because they are - or Spanish oranges - which they sometimes are but usually aren't, and a meyer lemon. Mix these juices together.
Now, if you do not have these ingredients, you can make a reasonable facsimile by using two navel oranges, and one large lisbon lemon. Those you can find. Anywhere. Anytime. Then add two tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt, mix it together, and taste. You will probably feel a need for sweetness, and indeed, some honey is called for. Whisk this in, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a liquid which actually tastes stronger than you want it to taste on your beets. You might also want to add a big spoon of mustard of some type. Annalena does
When your beets have baked/steamed to a point where you can pierce them, to the center, remove the pan from the oven, and let the beets cool , but just for long enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. You will need to slice them while they are warm. First, run them under a stream of tepid water, and rub the skins off. Usually, this happens easily, but if you have difficulty, use the back of a knife and scrape the stuff off.
Once you've done that, if the beets are large, slice them in half lengthwise, and then into half moons. If they are smaller, circles, or full moons are fine. Then, toss them into the liquid you've put together, stir everything together, and let this sit at room temperature until everything has cooled down.
Not all of the liquid will permeate the beets. In fact, most of it will not. And that's fine. When you store them in the fridge, pour the leftover liquid on top of them. Chances are, they will soak up some more of it, and whatever is left, is something you can use as a component of salad dressing on its own, or something to toss over steamed vegetables. It is really good.
Lucy, Sandra, this one is for you both.
In Annalena's experience, many people who hate beets, really don't. They hate the IDEA of beets, borne out of what they were forced to eat, as children, or even as adults. If all of us were still eating canned, "Harvard" beets (whatever Harvard had to do with them, we will never know), or the awful canned pickled beets of lore, we'd most of us hate them still. Annalena knows, from experience, however, that when confronted with beets cooked differently, things can change. The following is a word for word transcript of a conversation at Annalena's dinner table, with names changed to protect the innocent:
J "Annalena, these are good" (pointing his fork with a golden beet quarter impaled on it). What are they?"
A: beets
J No, they can't be beets, I hate beets.
A: they're beets
J No, really what are they
J's partner "they're beets J, and you'll eat them from now on."
When you give someone a beet that is well cooked, well prepared, it may not be love at first sight, but they will probably not hold up a silver cross and proclaim "Get thee behind me.." And if you have recalcitrant friends, there is no easier way to delude them into beet heaven, than with golden beets.
Truth to be told, golden beets do not taste as sweet as red ones do. Their advantages include NOT looking like beets, and, for those of us who are concerned about this kind of thing, not bleeding and staining things. So, if you wish to combine your beets with some other item and you are concerned that your beautiful white goat cheese will turn Pepto Bismol pink (which it won't, if you've tended to your red beets properly, but whatever), or that the potatoes in your potato salad will look like you bled on them, use the golden beets.
It must also be said that pickling beets is much easier than one would think. It is simply a matter of choosing a proper pickling liquid. This weekend past, Annalena was preparing some rather monstrous golden beets. The four of them weighed just shy of two pounds (in beet land a half pounder is a "medium sized beet"), and was wondering what to do with them. The pickling liquid came out of the need to use some things in the refrigerator. Now, many of you will not have the seville oranges and meyer lemon which Annalena used handy, so she has provided an alternative to you, sweet thing that she is.
First, let us deal with cooking the beets. We will have to be approximate here, because Annalena, far seeing that she is, cannot tell how big the roots you will have are. Remove any remnant of leaves from them, and give them a good soaking to remove any dirt (they ARE root vegetables, amici). Then put them in a non metal pan with about half an inch of water, cover it tightly with tin foil, and place the pan in a 350 degree oven, and come back after half an hour. Remove a corner of the foil, and test the largest one, with a knife. Pierce it. If it enters without too much resistance, your beets are ready. If you feel as if you are cutting through rock, replace the foil and continue to bake. Annalena's gang of four took 90 minutes to bake, so you can be in for a wait.
While this is happening, squeeze two seville oranges. You will recognize these in the market as the ugly oranges: the ones which look like they've collapsed. They are sometimes called sour oranges - because they are - or marmalade oranges - because they are - or Spanish oranges - which they sometimes are but usually aren't, and a meyer lemon. Mix these juices together.
Now, if you do not have these ingredients, you can make a reasonable facsimile by using two navel oranges, and one large lisbon lemon. Those you can find. Anywhere. Anytime. Then add two tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt, mix it together, and taste. You will probably feel a need for sweetness, and indeed, some honey is called for. Whisk this in, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a liquid which actually tastes stronger than you want it to taste on your beets. You might also want to add a big spoon of mustard of some type. Annalena does
When your beets have baked/steamed to a point where you can pierce them, to the center, remove the pan from the oven, and let the beets cool , but just for long enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. You will need to slice them while they are warm. First, run them under a stream of tepid water, and rub the skins off. Usually, this happens easily, but if you have difficulty, use the back of a knife and scrape the stuff off.
Once you've done that, if the beets are large, slice them in half lengthwise, and then into half moons. If they are smaller, circles, or full moons are fine. Then, toss them into the liquid you've put together, stir everything together, and let this sit at room temperature until everything has cooled down.
Not all of the liquid will permeate the beets. In fact, most of it will not. And that's fine. When you store them in the fridge, pour the leftover liquid on top of them. Chances are, they will soak up some more of it, and whatever is left, is something you can use as a component of salad dressing on its own, or something to toss over steamed vegetables. It is really good.
Lucy, Sandra, this one is for you both.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Keep on fishing: poached soy tilefish, with scallions
Ah, ragazzi, here is the good news. Annalena is replete with recipes to send to this blog, for you to enjoy, or not. The not so good news, is that every time she has a good recipe in mind, another one comes along which pushes the first one away, and given that Annalena's mind, especially her memory, is not as good as it once was, it makes things a bit more challenging. Per esempio, this weekend past, she made the "classic" accompaniment to the Zuni roast chicken recipe posted here oh, so long ago: bread salad. It is good, and it will be here. It was supposed to be here already. But then... she made pickled golden beets and they are GOOD. And THEY were to come on first. BUT.... as Annalena was feeling virtuous over her occasional bouts of healthy eating, and the fish recipe of yesterday was SUPPOSED to go up last week, that took precedent. And then, last night, she made this. And given the positive reinforcement she received from YOU, ragazzi, about the broiled fish recipe, she had to give you yet another fish dish, which is again, of lower calories.
See, here is how it happens with Annalena and fish: on Mondays, she heads to the Farmers Market, to visit the Karlin stand, give Wade grief, conspire with Jan, and buy fish. This being a local stand, which sells what they catch, one never knows what is going to be there. With exceptions. Scallops are pretty much a constant, as are flounder. And both are terrific. But the challenge of something "NEW" always informs Annalena's cooking, as it should yours. Yesterday, there was tilefish on the "menu" at the stand. It is not there frequently. Annalena suspects that a few of them may have gotten misdirected in transit, and wound up in Cap Karlin's nets. And a scant pound of the filets wound up in Annalena's bag, with the thought "Oh dear, what SHALL we do with this ?" (well, the thought was a bit more foul). Annalena does have her share of standard recipes, but she consults frequently with one of Mark Bittman's first book, on fish cookery. He had a recipe for tilefish that sounded wonderful, and it is.
But first... Annalena suggests that you perhaps google images of tilefish, for these are beautiful fish. She remembers that this type was much more prevalent in fish markets in her younger days, when it was available frequently as steaks, and one could see the vivid interplay of blue and yellow from the fish skin.
One does eat with one's eyes, but one also eats with a memory of what things taste like. Annalena remembered how good the fish tasted, and the fact that the available selection was filets, did not stop her. Nor should it stop you. You should make this recipe. EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE, and especially those of you who are, in fact, looking for tasty ways to reduce the fats that you eat. Because this one.... OH, yum.
Ok, let us start. You will need these ingredients: the tilefish: 3/4 to 1 pound. A cup of clam juice, or fish stock, or chicken stock. Some really good quality soy sauce (you should know that, like wine, soy sauce does come in different levels of quality and type, way beyond "low salt" and "regular" DO visit an Asian grocery store and ask). You will only need a tablespoon of it, but it should be the best you can find. And some scallions/green garlic/spring onions/baby leeks. You all know what she means by this, yes? Finally, a plastic bag with about a cup of flour in it, with a large pinch of salt and some pepper, and a non-stick pan.
Your fish will probably come in one, large piece. Cut it into the number of pieces you will need. Then, put it in the bag, with the seasoned flour, and shake to coat. While you need a cup of flour to do this, you will ultimately be using about two teaspoons of it. If you can figure out a way to use less flour (for this must be tossed after it is done), then by all means.
Now, put two tablespoons (remember, ragazzi, we MEASURE when we are looking to reduce calories. We do NOT eyeball), into a nonstick pan, and start heating it. Perhaps you should check beforehand, to make sure your fish will all fit into the pan. Annalena did so, and was glad she cut her large piece into two, smaller pieces.
You really need to let the oil get hot here, for a very simple reason: nothing will suck up fat faster than flour. If the oil is hot, a sear will occur and the oil will not be absorbed as quickly as if it is not. In any event, you will probably use all the oil here, but worry not. Sear the fish for two minutes or so, on each side, just to crisp it a bit. Put it on a plate while you move to the next step, with is sauteeing your onion entity. These, you should slice into thin coins, until you have a good 1/2-3/4 cup of them. As with your car, "check the oil." If there is none in the pan, add another tablespoon. If there is very little, add it anyway. You will probably need to do this. Heat it up, and saute' the onion coins for about three minutes, adding a bit of salt. Use medium heat, and try not to brown them too much. Spoon them out of the pan.
Add the clam juice/ fish stock/chicken stock to the pan together with the soy sauce (one tablespoon, remember?), and then gently place the fish into the pan. Keep the heat low, and cook for about five minutes on one side. Now, with a more than usual modicum of care, get a paddle, and flip the fish pieces, and cook them for another three minutes. (You might want to add some sliced ginger to this cooking liquid. Next time for Annalena).
You will not be using the liquid, unless you wish to reduce it and drizzle it over your fish, which is totally unnecessary. Rather, plate your fish, spoon the green onions over it, and... VOILA.
Now, let's go back through that recipe, shall we? Three tablespoons of fat, two teaspoons of flour, a pound of fish, a cup of onions, clam juice and soy sauce. That sounds not too bad, oui?
So, ragazzi, do treat yourself to this. In Annalena's view, this was about as close to something you could get in a restaurant as you will get at home. Enjoy it.
See, here is how it happens with Annalena and fish: on Mondays, she heads to the Farmers Market, to visit the Karlin stand, give Wade grief, conspire with Jan, and buy fish. This being a local stand, which sells what they catch, one never knows what is going to be there. With exceptions. Scallops are pretty much a constant, as are flounder. And both are terrific. But the challenge of something "NEW" always informs Annalena's cooking, as it should yours. Yesterday, there was tilefish on the "menu" at the stand. It is not there frequently. Annalena suspects that a few of them may have gotten misdirected in transit, and wound up in Cap Karlin's nets. And a scant pound of the filets wound up in Annalena's bag, with the thought "Oh dear, what SHALL we do with this ?" (well, the thought was a bit more foul). Annalena does have her share of standard recipes, but she consults frequently with one of Mark Bittman's first book, on fish cookery. He had a recipe for tilefish that sounded wonderful, and it is.
But first... Annalena suggests that you perhaps google images of tilefish, for these are beautiful fish. She remembers that this type was much more prevalent in fish markets in her younger days, when it was available frequently as steaks, and one could see the vivid interplay of blue and yellow from the fish skin.
One does eat with one's eyes, but one also eats with a memory of what things taste like. Annalena remembered how good the fish tasted, and the fact that the available selection was filets, did not stop her. Nor should it stop you. You should make this recipe. EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE, and especially those of you who are, in fact, looking for tasty ways to reduce the fats that you eat. Because this one.... OH, yum.
Ok, let us start. You will need these ingredients: the tilefish: 3/4 to 1 pound. A cup of clam juice, or fish stock, or chicken stock. Some really good quality soy sauce (you should know that, like wine, soy sauce does come in different levels of quality and type, way beyond "low salt" and "regular" DO visit an Asian grocery store and ask). You will only need a tablespoon of it, but it should be the best you can find. And some scallions/green garlic/spring onions/baby leeks. You all know what she means by this, yes? Finally, a plastic bag with about a cup of flour in it, with a large pinch of salt and some pepper, and a non-stick pan.
Your fish will probably come in one, large piece. Cut it into the number of pieces you will need. Then, put it in the bag, with the seasoned flour, and shake to coat. While you need a cup of flour to do this, you will ultimately be using about two teaspoons of it. If you can figure out a way to use less flour (for this must be tossed after it is done), then by all means.
Now, put two tablespoons (remember, ragazzi, we MEASURE when we are looking to reduce calories. We do NOT eyeball), into a nonstick pan, and start heating it. Perhaps you should check beforehand, to make sure your fish will all fit into the pan. Annalena did so, and was glad she cut her large piece into two, smaller pieces.
You really need to let the oil get hot here, for a very simple reason: nothing will suck up fat faster than flour. If the oil is hot, a sear will occur and the oil will not be absorbed as quickly as if it is not. In any event, you will probably use all the oil here, but worry not. Sear the fish for two minutes or so, on each side, just to crisp it a bit. Put it on a plate while you move to the next step, with is sauteeing your onion entity. These, you should slice into thin coins, until you have a good 1/2-3/4 cup of them. As with your car, "check the oil." If there is none in the pan, add another tablespoon. If there is very little, add it anyway. You will probably need to do this. Heat it up, and saute' the onion coins for about three minutes, adding a bit of salt. Use medium heat, and try not to brown them too much. Spoon them out of the pan.
Add the clam juice/ fish stock/chicken stock to the pan together with the soy sauce (one tablespoon, remember?), and then gently place the fish into the pan. Keep the heat low, and cook for about five minutes on one side. Now, with a more than usual modicum of care, get a paddle, and flip the fish pieces, and cook them for another three minutes. (You might want to add some sliced ginger to this cooking liquid. Next time for Annalena).
You will not be using the liquid, unless you wish to reduce it and drizzle it over your fish, which is totally unnecessary. Rather, plate your fish, spoon the green onions over it, and... VOILA.
Now, let's go back through that recipe, shall we? Three tablespoons of fat, two teaspoons of flour, a pound of fish, a cup of onions, clam juice and soy sauce. That sounds not too bad, oui?
So, ragazzi, do treat yourself to this. In Annalena's view, this was about as close to something you could get in a restaurant as you will get at home. Enjoy it.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Push the button, Max, and save some calories: broiling fish
There is a button on your oven which Annalena believes you probably have not pushed, or perhaps have pushed very little. She does NOT refer to the self cleaning button, although..... No, ragazzi, she means the button that turns on the broiler function of your oven.
Way, WAY back, just after the discovery of fire, when Annalena was un piccolo ragazzo, her grandmother used to curse a blue streak, in dialect, whenever she had to use the broiler. Nana's oven had a "bottom broiler," and the oven was low, to begin with. This mean, of course, that Nana, who was nearly as round as she was tall (4'10'' in her heels), had to perform some rather serious gymnastics to get food in and out. It resulted in us eating a lot of "griddled," rather than "grilled" cheese (which was the way she would make it when she wanted to guilt us up).
Well, times change. Annalena has observed that, for most of us, the broiler function of our ovens is at the top now, rather than the bottom, and since most of us have ovens that are at eye level now, this is much more convenient.
And Annalena is also quite convinced that most of us do not use the broiler option more than once in a while. Why is that, ragazzi? Is it fear? Well, if your oven is in fact not all that immaculate, and there is a great deal of accumulated fat, perhaps you should indeed press that self clean button and eliminate it, because, speaking of eliminating excess fat, broiling, as we shall see in this recipe, is an extremely easy way to eliminate a goodly portion of fat in what you are cooking: IF you know how to do it correctly. Today, we shall investigate a recipe involving little fat. Tomorrow, another one where, well, 'tis not so much. It is all about balance.
One of the major reasons that we use fat in our cooking is that it is a carrier: fats dissolve flavors, much more efficently than any class of molecule. If you were to eat, for example, a tablespoon of pure protein, with no flavoring agents added, you would taste... nothing. Not so with fats. One may not LIKE the flavor, but pure fats do have flavors: olive oil, butter, lard, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc. And, many of the molecules we associate with flavor (most of which fall into a general family called "esters." See what you learn here?) are in fact fat soluble. Not all are, but most are. So, when you add fat to a dish, you are adding a way to accentuate its flavor. Similarly, by adding fat, you allow a dish to carmelize more easily. In a series of chemical reactions called "The Maillard reaction" (you're learning even more, SEE?), the surface of foods carmelizes, and those carmelized ends add more flavor. Who amongst us does not favor the carmelized bits of macaroni and cheese, for example, or the "burnt bits" of barbecue fame. So, essentially, if you want flavorful food, you will have to use fat.
BUT... this does NOT mean you have to use as much as a recipe calls for. Especially when you are broiling. Annalena recently made this recipe, and when she saw the amount of fat called for, was astounded. She cut it in half, and could have cut it further. Let us make it together.
The recipe is simplicity personified. You will need a one pound piece of codfish. You can substitute another, thick piece of whitefish, but in using cod, Annalena learned something herself, that she will pass on to you. Codfish is a good fish to use for those of you who are never sure if your fish is cooked, because when codfish is cooked, the surface cracks, in a V shaped pattern.
Annalena did not know this. So, start with codfish. Most of you will like this as codfish has almost an innocuous flavor, it is available constantly and locally, and is not wildly expensive. It is also on the lower calorie side of fish .
You will also need, as an OPTION, but let's make it this way, shall we, a half cup of bread crumbs. If you are thrifty and have made your own, please use them. If you are not and have not, then use what you have. Annalena's original recipe called for unflavored bread crumbs, but in a nod to her Nana, Annalena uses "italian style" bread crumbs. Do not ask why. She then augments this with chopped, fresh herbs. In addition to salt and pepepr, you will need two tablespoons of olive oil. Please note that the recipe originally called for four, and as you will see, you may cut these two tablespoons down, even further.
First things, first. Turn on your oven, and turn on the broiler. But before you do that, move a rack in the oven, so that it is 4-6 inches from the heating element. Now turn on the broiler, and let it get cracking for about 5 minutes. Get a metal baking sheet, and rub the surface of it, with some of that oil. Then, put the fish in the middle, sprinkle some salt, and pepper on it, and then rub it all over with the oil.
Annalena SWEARS that the original recipe called for two whole tablespoons to do this. It actually took her, probably on the order of a half tablespoons, at best, to produce a piece of fish that was completely covered with oil. Put this aside for a minute, and wash your hands. Dump those breadcrumbs into a small skillet, and, over low/medium heat, toast them. When they begin to darken, dump them into a bowl, off of the heat. If you wait until they all brown, you will burn them, as they will continue to cook well after they are off the heat.
Now, here's another place where you could cut back the oil. Annalena did not. She should have. First, put that fish in the oven, under the broiler, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes. You will hear sizzling and snapping. This is good. While this is happening, IF YOU LIKE, you should pour some olive oil, into the toasted crumbs. You do NOT need to do this. In fact, you do not need to use the bread crumbs at all, and you will still have a delicious piece of fish. But try this, ok? If you do not want to use all of them, don't. If you would like to dice a clove of garlic into the breadcrumbs, do so (Annalena lobbies against garlic here, because the fish is delicate). If you decide to use, them, after 6 minutes of cooking, protect your hands, take out the tray, and sprinkle the crumbs over the fish. Put it back in the oven and broil for three minutes, no longer.
And you are done. Annalena guarantees you, you will be feeling after this recipe that simpler is better with fish. And, at most, you will have added two tablespoons of oil, and probably less, to a recipe that is, at its essence, not all that caloric. Continue with other, low calorie items on your plate, or splurge. The option is yours, but know now, that you have a tasty item in your repertoire that can easily be done whenever you like.
Way, WAY back, just after the discovery of fire, when Annalena was un piccolo ragazzo, her grandmother used to curse a blue streak, in dialect, whenever she had to use the broiler. Nana's oven had a "bottom broiler," and the oven was low, to begin with. This mean, of course, that Nana, who was nearly as round as she was tall (4'10'' in her heels), had to perform some rather serious gymnastics to get food in and out. It resulted in us eating a lot of "griddled," rather than "grilled" cheese (which was the way she would make it when she wanted to guilt us up).
Well, times change. Annalena has observed that, for most of us, the broiler function of our ovens is at the top now, rather than the bottom, and since most of us have ovens that are at eye level now, this is much more convenient.
And Annalena is also quite convinced that most of us do not use the broiler option more than once in a while. Why is that, ragazzi? Is it fear? Well, if your oven is in fact not all that immaculate, and there is a great deal of accumulated fat, perhaps you should indeed press that self clean button and eliminate it, because, speaking of eliminating excess fat, broiling, as we shall see in this recipe, is an extremely easy way to eliminate a goodly portion of fat in what you are cooking: IF you know how to do it correctly. Today, we shall investigate a recipe involving little fat. Tomorrow, another one where, well, 'tis not so much. It is all about balance.
One of the major reasons that we use fat in our cooking is that it is a carrier: fats dissolve flavors, much more efficently than any class of molecule. If you were to eat, for example, a tablespoon of pure protein, with no flavoring agents added, you would taste... nothing. Not so with fats. One may not LIKE the flavor, but pure fats do have flavors: olive oil, butter, lard, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc. And, many of the molecules we associate with flavor (most of which fall into a general family called "esters." See what you learn here?) are in fact fat soluble. Not all are, but most are. So, when you add fat to a dish, you are adding a way to accentuate its flavor. Similarly, by adding fat, you allow a dish to carmelize more easily. In a series of chemical reactions called "The Maillard reaction" (you're learning even more, SEE?), the surface of foods carmelizes, and those carmelized ends add more flavor. Who amongst us does not favor the carmelized bits of macaroni and cheese, for example, or the "burnt bits" of barbecue fame. So, essentially, if you want flavorful food, you will have to use fat.
BUT... this does NOT mean you have to use as much as a recipe calls for. Especially when you are broiling. Annalena recently made this recipe, and when she saw the amount of fat called for, was astounded. She cut it in half, and could have cut it further. Let us make it together.
The recipe is simplicity personified. You will need a one pound piece of codfish. You can substitute another, thick piece of whitefish, but in using cod, Annalena learned something herself, that she will pass on to you. Codfish is a good fish to use for those of you who are never sure if your fish is cooked, because when codfish is cooked, the surface cracks, in a V shaped pattern.
Annalena did not know this. So, start with codfish. Most of you will like this as codfish has almost an innocuous flavor, it is available constantly and locally, and is not wildly expensive. It is also on the lower calorie side of fish .
You will also need, as an OPTION, but let's make it this way, shall we, a half cup of bread crumbs. If you are thrifty and have made your own, please use them. If you are not and have not, then use what you have. Annalena's original recipe called for unflavored bread crumbs, but in a nod to her Nana, Annalena uses "italian style" bread crumbs. Do not ask why. She then augments this with chopped, fresh herbs. In addition to salt and pepepr, you will need two tablespoons of olive oil. Please note that the recipe originally called for four, and as you will see, you may cut these two tablespoons down, even further.
First things, first. Turn on your oven, and turn on the broiler. But before you do that, move a rack in the oven, so that it is 4-6 inches from the heating element. Now turn on the broiler, and let it get cracking for about 5 minutes. Get a metal baking sheet, and rub the surface of it, with some of that oil. Then, put the fish in the middle, sprinkle some salt, and pepper on it, and then rub it all over with the oil.
Annalena SWEARS that the original recipe called for two whole tablespoons to do this. It actually took her, probably on the order of a half tablespoons, at best, to produce a piece of fish that was completely covered with oil. Put this aside for a minute, and wash your hands. Dump those breadcrumbs into a small skillet, and, over low/medium heat, toast them. When they begin to darken, dump them into a bowl, off of the heat. If you wait until they all brown, you will burn them, as they will continue to cook well after they are off the heat.
Now, here's another place where you could cut back the oil. Annalena did not. She should have. First, put that fish in the oven, under the broiler, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes. You will hear sizzling and snapping. This is good. While this is happening, IF YOU LIKE, you should pour some olive oil, into the toasted crumbs. You do NOT need to do this. In fact, you do not need to use the bread crumbs at all, and you will still have a delicious piece of fish. But try this, ok? If you do not want to use all of them, don't. If you would like to dice a clove of garlic into the breadcrumbs, do so (Annalena lobbies against garlic here, because the fish is delicate). If you decide to use, them, after 6 minutes of cooking, protect your hands, take out the tray, and sprinkle the crumbs over the fish. Put it back in the oven and broil for three minutes, no longer.
And you are done. Annalena guarantees you, you will be feeling after this recipe that simpler is better with fish. And, at most, you will have added two tablespoons of oil, and probably less, to a recipe that is, at its essence, not all that caloric. Continue with other, low calorie items on your plate, or splurge. The option is yours, but know now, that you have a tasty item in your repertoire that can easily be done whenever you like.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The 700 club NOT, and the spring dishes begin: pasta with dandelions
Well, ragazzi, here we are at post 700! My, my, my. As the song says "What a long, strange trip it's been." Have we not all been through much? When we started, back in late autumn, 2007, things were so different. For Annalena, there has been a job change, a marriage, a change in health, and a fifty pound weight difference. How have you changed in that length of time? Annalena, for one, is curious to know.
In days to come, Annalena plans to revisit "eating clean" with some information on how she has cut back on calories - and how she has FAILED to do so - but for today, with late breaking news: at the farmers market yesterday, Annalena was absolutely thrilled to see that there were local dandelion greens, and watercress. Both are wild, and foraged. Even better. And dandelion is a natural diuretic. So as Annalena has a weigh in next week....
Both of these greens, like most early spring greens, are peppery, or at least have bite, or have a bitter edge to them, etc. One wonders what the connection is there. Any thoughts? Well, young dandelion greens, as these were, do not take well to long time storage. So, it was time to use them, as MFK Fisher wrote "not now, but NOW." And, as Annalena was looking for a dish she could make with the remnants of some other things, here it is. It is good, it is easy. And if you think through this, you can change things as you see fit. It is also FAST.
Annalena had a container of cherry tomatoes left over from lunch last week. Organic, and beginning to give her the stinkeye. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful thing to have around, when you want a quick sauce. They do not need slicing, and indeed, Annalena used them, whole in this sauce, and watched as they disintegrated in the cooking, which is exactly what she wanted to happen. You will thus need, a cup of cherry tomatoes, and about a cup of dandelion greens. Wash them. Remember, these are foraged. Buddha only knows what went on them. You also need one bunch of watercress. Annalena does not wash this, as it grows in (DUH) water. Keep them separate, and chop both.
Now, MEASURE (remember: we're watching calories here), two tablespoons of olive oil into a big pan. Add the cherry tomatoes , and stir them around to coat them in the oil. Add a big pinch of salt, and let them cook away. You may want to lower the heat to medium and cover the pot, which will speed things even more. And while that is happening, get a big pot of salted water going, to bring it to the boil.
After the tomatoes have cooked a few minutes, toss in the dandelion greens. Now, you really should cover the pan, and lower the heat, and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, and if they give and break up, proceed to the next step. If they do not, more cooking please.
OFF the heat, stir in a cup of ricotta (Need Annalena remind you to use GOOD stuff), and about half a cup of chopped up mozzarella (ditto). Stir this around. The residucal heat of the dish will melt the mozzarella somewhat, and the ricotta will keep its integrity, from not being exposed to too much heat. Finally, add the chopped watercress.
She guarantees you, it takes longer to read this, than it takes to make the sauce. Taste it, and add salt and pepper as you like. When the water boils, add a pound of fresh pasta. Something short and stubby - like penne, and cook it to aldente.
Keep a cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta, and toss it into your sauce. Stir it all together. If you feel it is too thick, add some of the water, and keep doing so, until you have the texture you want. Finally, a grating of parmesan cheese over everything.
Springtime lunch. Easy, yes? Fast, yes? And fairly healthy too. A pound of pasta? Hmmm. Three healthy appetites dispatched this (the Guyman and Annalena had run three miles without breakfast prior to the meal), and a very happy doorman was amongst them.
Vegetarians, did you note? Not a drop of meat. Sorry vegans, but if you added more greens in place of the cheese, you will enjoy this as well. Annalena suggests NOT using soy cheeses here, as she is unsure of how the heat will impact them.
So, onward we go , ragazzi. It may be interesting to look at posts 1,2,3 etc hundred. In the meantime, Annalena wonders what 1000 will bring. Stay tuned
In days to come, Annalena plans to revisit "eating clean" with some information on how she has cut back on calories - and how she has FAILED to do so - but for today, with late breaking news: at the farmers market yesterday, Annalena was absolutely thrilled to see that there were local dandelion greens, and watercress. Both are wild, and foraged. Even better. And dandelion is a natural diuretic. So as Annalena has a weigh in next week....
Both of these greens, like most early spring greens, are peppery, or at least have bite, or have a bitter edge to them, etc. One wonders what the connection is there. Any thoughts? Well, young dandelion greens, as these were, do not take well to long time storage. So, it was time to use them, as MFK Fisher wrote "not now, but NOW." And, as Annalena was looking for a dish she could make with the remnants of some other things, here it is. It is good, it is easy. And if you think through this, you can change things as you see fit. It is also FAST.
Annalena had a container of cherry tomatoes left over from lunch last week. Organic, and beginning to give her the stinkeye. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful thing to have around, when you want a quick sauce. They do not need slicing, and indeed, Annalena used them, whole in this sauce, and watched as they disintegrated in the cooking, which is exactly what she wanted to happen. You will thus need, a cup of cherry tomatoes, and about a cup of dandelion greens. Wash them. Remember, these are foraged. Buddha only knows what went on them. You also need one bunch of watercress. Annalena does not wash this, as it grows in (DUH) water. Keep them separate, and chop both.
Now, MEASURE (remember: we're watching calories here), two tablespoons of olive oil into a big pan. Add the cherry tomatoes , and stir them around to coat them in the oil. Add a big pinch of salt, and let them cook away. You may want to lower the heat to medium and cover the pot, which will speed things even more. And while that is happening, get a big pot of salted water going, to bring it to the boil.
After the tomatoes have cooked a few minutes, toss in the dandelion greens. Now, you really should cover the pan, and lower the heat, and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, and if they give and break up, proceed to the next step. If they do not, more cooking please.
OFF the heat, stir in a cup of ricotta (Need Annalena remind you to use GOOD stuff), and about half a cup of chopped up mozzarella (ditto). Stir this around. The residucal heat of the dish will melt the mozzarella somewhat, and the ricotta will keep its integrity, from not being exposed to too much heat. Finally, add the chopped watercress.
She guarantees you, it takes longer to read this, than it takes to make the sauce. Taste it, and add salt and pepper as you like. When the water boils, add a pound of fresh pasta. Something short and stubby - like penne, and cook it to aldente.
Keep a cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta, and toss it into your sauce. Stir it all together. If you feel it is too thick, add some of the water, and keep doing so, until you have the texture you want. Finally, a grating of parmesan cheese over everything.
Springtime lunch. Easy, yes? Fast, yes? And fairly healthy too. A pound of pasta? Hmmm. Three healthy appetites dispatched this (the Guyman and Annalena had run three miles without breakfast prior to the meal), and a very happy doorman was amongst them.
Vegetarians, did you note? Not a drop of meat. Sorry vegans, but if you added more greens in place of the cheese, you will enjoy this as well. Annalena suggests NOT using soy cheeses here, as she is unsure of how the heat will impact them.
So, onward we go , ragazzi. It may be interesting to look at posts 1,2,3 etc hundred. In the meantime, Annalena wonders what 1000 will bring. Stay tuned
Friday, March 23, 2012
Why grandpa, what big feet you have: calzones
Annalena knows you all know the jokes about what having big feet means. Let her tell you: in her experience, the only thing big feet mean is that the gentleman (or gentlewoman) in question, needs big shoes. And big socks. And that is our hook for today's post.
Calzones: know what calzone means? BIG sock. Yes, indeed. "un calzo" is a sock in Annalena's mother tongue, and whenever you add an "one" to the end of a word in that tongue, it means a BIG version of what you began with. So, "minestrone," is a big soup . And it is. Compare that, of course, to "ino," which makes everything small. So, if the man had small feet, he'd need calzino.
See how much you learn, and see how clever Annalena is, in leading you to the new item to discuss?
Ah, you know not how lucky you are.
Annalena has wondered about including this recipe because, to her, making a calzone is just an extension of making a pizza. Yet, when she speaks to people who know how to make pizza, of making calzones, eye get bigger, mouths form the "oooooo" shape, and there's total amazement.
Ragazzini , it is not difficult. Let us proceed.
First, you do need pizza dough, and by the miracle of computer technology, go to:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2012/03/bit-by-bit-putting-it-together.html
to get Annalena's pizza dough recipe. The dough for one pizza will result in enough for two, massive calzones, which everyone will say they cannot finish, but will anyway, or four normal sized oned. The Guyman and Annalena had these last night, and while they sat there saying "it's too big" they ate them anyway.
No comments, ragaccio ("accio": add to make something bad: parla: word parlaccio: curse). Capisce?
So you have that dough, and of course, just as with the pizza, you will need to heat your oven to 500 degrees. While that is happening, we will be making a filling. Here is the one that Annalena made last night, but please play with this recipe. There are so many ways one can make a calzone.
Farmers have caught on that in thinning their crops, they can sell the resulting thinnings to customers. Indeed, farmers have begun thinning, and that means that green garlic, one of the Guyman's favoritest things on the face of the earth, is now available. If you do not have this, then use scallions, or leeks, or any member of the onion family that is too immature to have "bulbed." You will be finding spring onions, for example.
Anyway, chop up about a cup of your chosen alium, white and green part, and saute' it in about a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Saute' at a gentle heat: don't let the stuff brown. Then pour it into a bowl, with a cup each of fresh ricotta, and diced mozzarella cheese. If you are making a calzone with something like sausage, the smoked variety may be called for. For green garlic, however, given its delicacy, some plain old buffala is what you want.
Mix this all together, and then taste for salt and pepper. You will probably want some of each. Put this aside now, while we prepare the calzone crusts.
Take that dough, and divide it into as many portions as you see fit. Roll them out, and instead of going for a perfect circle, go for an ellipse, or oval. Now, let us address the issue of the filling. Eyeball portions of it: if you are making two big calzoness, eyeball half. If four, quarters. And so on, and so forth.
It may seem to you , as it should, that when filling a circular/oval piece of dough like this, the thing to do is to put the filling right in the center. Not so. This will make it very difficult to close the critter. What you want to do is put it in the first THIRD of the dough, closest to you. Leave a good half- full inch on the borders. If this means heaping up the filling, so be it. Then, take the portion with no filling on it, and fold it over the filling. Press the pieces together. You can do this by hand, but it works much better if you use the back of a fork, and it also leaves a pretty little pattern.
If you have time, leave the calzones to rest for an hour, maybe two. When you're ready to bake them, prick a few holes in the top with a fork. If you like, you can beat up an egg, and spread that as a wash over the calzones before the pricking, but this is absolutely unnecessary.
Move the calzones into the oven, and bake for about fifteen minutes. They will not puff up much (your pizza dough didn't, did it?), and you will wind up with something rather delicious and , if you are serving people who are used to eating pizzas, something they will regard as "special."
One WARNING here, amici. Unlike pizza, which is exposed, calzones are sealed, so all that hot steam has accumulated. Some has gotten out of the holes, but not all, and the filling is ridiculously hot. And as you have mozzarella in here that has melted....
You do understand that Annalena cares for you and does not want you to burn yourself, don't you? Try to restrain yourself for a good ten-fifteen minutes while the calzones cool down. Then, especially if you have made the larger ones, go at them with a knife and fork.
With some greens and a salad, this is an informal meal that does not feel like one.
You are now empowered to make dinner calzones, fruit calzones, breakfast calzones, and so forth. You may very well find out that you prefer these to pizza.
And no one will care how big your feet are.
Calzones: know what calzone means? BIG sock. Yes, indeed. "un calzo" is a sock in Annalena's mother tongue, and whenever you add an "one" to the end of a word in that tongue, it means a BIG version of what you began with. So, "minestrone," is a big soup . And it is. Compare that, of course, to "ino," which makes everything small. So, if the man had small feet, he'd need calzino.
See how much you learn, and see how clever Annalena is, in leading you to the new item to discuss?
Ah, you know not how lucky you are.
Annalena has wondered about including this recipe because, to her, making a calzone is just an extension of making a pizza. Yet, when she speaks to people who know how to make pizza, of making calzones, eye get bigger, mouths form the "oooooo" shape, and there's total amazement.
Ragazzini , it is not difficult. Let us proceed.
First, you do need pizza dough, and by the miracle of computer technology, go to:
http://annalenacantacena.blogspot.com/2012/03/bit-by-bit-putting-it-together.html
to get Annalena's pizza dough recipe. The dough for one pizza will result in enough for two, massive calzones, which everyone will say they cannot finish, but will anyway, or four normal sized oned. The Guyman and Annalena had these last night, and while they sat there saying "it's too big" they ate them anyway.
No comments, ragaccio ("accio": add to make something bad: parla: word parlaccio: curse). Capisce?
So you have that dough, and of course, just as with the pizza, you will need to heat your oven to 500 degrees. While that is happening, we will be making a filling. Here is the one that Annalena made last night, but please play with this recipe. There are so many ways one can make a calzone.
Farmers have caught on that in thinning their crops, they can sell the resulting thinnings to customers. Indeed, farmers have begun thinning, and that means that green garlic, one of the Guyman's favoritest things on the face of the earth, is now available. If you do not have this, then use scallions, or leeks, or any member of the onion family that is too immature to have "bulbed." You will be finding spring onions, for example.
Anyway, chop up about a cup of your chosen alium, white and green part, and saute' it in about a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Saute' at a gentle heat: don't let the stuff brown. Then pour it into a bowl, with a cup each of fresh ricotta, and diced mozzarella cheese. If you are making a calzone with something like sausage, the smoked variety may be called for. For green garlic, however, given its delicacy, some plain old buffala is what you want.
Mix this all together, and then taste for salt and pepper. You will probably want some of each. Put this aside now, while we prepare the calzone crusts.
Take that dough, and divide it into as many portions as you see fit. Roll them out, and instead of going for a perfect circle, go for an ellipse, or oval. Now, let us address the issue of the filling. Eyeball portions of it: if you are making two big calzoness, eyeball half. If four, quarters. And so on, and so forth.
It may seem to you , as it should, that when filling a circular/oval piece of dough like this, the thing to do is to put the filling right in the center. Not so. This will make it very difficult to close the critter. What you want to do is put it in the first THIRD of the dough, closest to you. Leave a good half- full inch on the borders. If this means heaping up the filling, so be it. Then, take the portion with no filling on it, and fold it over the filling. Press the pieces together. You can do this by hand, but it works much better if you use the back of a fork, and it also leaves a pretty little pattern.
If you have time, leave the calzones to rest for an hour, maybe two. When you're ready to bake them, prick a few holes in the top with a fork. If you like, you can beat up an egg, and spread that as a wash over the calzones before the pricking, but this is absolutely unnecessary.
Move the calzones into the oven, and bake for about fifteen minutes. They will not puff up much (your pizza dough didn't, did it?), and you will wind up with something rather delicious and , if you are serving people who are used to eating pizzas, something they will regard as "special."
One WARNING here, amici. Unlike pizza, which is exposed, calzones are sealed, so all that hot steam has accumulated. Some has gotten out of the holes, but not all, and the filling is ridiculously hot. And as you have mozzarella in here that has melted....
You do understand that Annalena cares for you and does not want you to burn yourself, don't you? Try to restrain yourself for a good ten-fifteen minutes while the calzones cool down. Then, especially if you have made the larger ones, go at them with a knife and fork.
With some greens and a salad, this is an informal meal that does not feel like one.
You are now empowered to make dinner calzones, fruit calzones, breakfast calzones, and so forth. You may very well find out that you prefer these to pizza.
And no one will care how big your feet are.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Revisit, remake, improve: rhubarb lemon squares
This one is for Ms. Sue S, and Mr Jeremy W, both inveterate bakers, and afficiandos of what we in the kitchen world call, ahem "the bar cookie." DO NOT confuse those with the cute whatever sitting at the stool, probably drinking a brandy alexander, or, Buddha help us all, a cosmo.
Lemon squares. You know them. Of course you do. They are a feature of bake sales, school fundraisers, and one of the featured treats in one of Annalena's favorite books, "Patty Jean's House of Curl." Hmmm. In fact, Annalena COULD see both Ms. Sue and Mr. J as characters in that book. Anyway, maybe you've even made them. Annalena has. She's made them often. But not for awhile. Having made these yesterday, she now knows why.
It is kind of ironic to post a recipe like this after posting one for healthier pizza, because there is NOTHING healthier about this recipe. The stats , should you want to know, are that if you cut these into 35 pieces, they have 150 calories. EACH. And 7 grams of fat. EACH. Trust Annalena, ragazzi, it will NOT feel that way when they are going down. But such is cookies. Enjoy them, and if , like Annalena, you are looking for ways to reduce the number of bags of frozen "stuff" in your freezer, this is a good one. And, Ms. Danielle P, this is one that nascent bakers can make. It is very, VERY easy.
Let us begin. Now, ideally, you will have a jelly roll pan for making these. That is a 10x15 inch baking sheet. If you do not have one, get one, as fast as you can. Annalena was skeptical of "yet another baking pan," but these are just the right size for many things. If you do not have one, a 9x13 inch baking pan will do fine, but it will be more challenging to remove the squares when they are done, since there will be sides on the pan, and you will have difficulties. One way to address this is to line your pan with parchment paper, such that you put sheets at a 90 degree angle, and when the pan of goodies is nice and firm, you can lift it out and then cut it. Of course, this means delayed gratification.
Annalena's baking clan will probably be able to recite the recipe for crust, from memory: a stick of unsalted buttter, .25 cup sugar, a bit of salt, 2.5 cups of all purpose flower, and 2, large eggs. Put all the dry stuff together, and then cut up the butter, and work it into the dough. A food processor or mixer will work super fine here, but if you have neither, use your finger tips. Just keep on mixing it up until you have something that looks a bit like rough oatmeal. Then stir in the eggs.
You have a very rough looking dough, but that's ok. Who doesn't like their sweets a little rough? After all, it's like kissing a man without stubble....
Ok, enough of that. Now, get your pan, and either rub the butter left over from the paper all over it, or spray some non stick, or put down that parchment paper. Dump in your dough, and with dry hands, press it as evenly as possible , trying to fill in every nook and cranny. Please do not get OCD on this, because it is a home dessert, and it need not be perfect. Indeed, people will look at you funny if they are (they may do that anyway, but who cares?).
Now, pop the pan into the oven, which has been pre-set to 350 , and bake it for 8 minutes. This is more than enough time for you to make the filling, which involves a stick of melted butter, the juice of meyer lemons to make half a cup, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Just dump it all together, and stir to a uniform moosh.
Of the lemons: Annalena had tons of meyers on hand, so used them. As these are sweeter than regular lemons, she cut back sugar, and added the grated rind of one of the lemons. If you are using regular lemons, up the sugar to 1.25 cups, and use the rind as well. If you are not in the habit of grating rind into your citrus dishes, start now. You will thank Annalena whenever you say your prayers.
Ok, so you take that sheet out of the oven, making sure you've protected your hands. Pour the glop over the dough, move the pan around to distribute it evenly, and get it back in the oven. This will now bake, for about 25 minutes, maybe a few minutes longer in the 9x13 pan. You want the custard to firm up.
Now, let's push this. While the squares are baking, we're going to make what Annalena is calling "red glaze." It was, originally, strawberry rhubarb glaze, but Annalena had no strawberries, and used frozen raspberries from last summer instead. You can use whatever you like, as long as you have 1.5 pounds of it. And, rather than use those frightening creatures called "berries from Chile," buy frozen stuff if you don't have it on hand. If you are using rhubarb, you want half a pound, as compared to a pound of the other fruit. Put this all in a pot with a half cup of sugar, and then put your heat to low, and stir, stir, stir. When you have a boil, add another half cup of sugar and a quarter cup of water into which you have dissolved 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Keep stirring, and watch as the mixture changes color, and thickness. When you have a boil that is somewhat scary (you know what Annalena means: the bubbles are such that you're wondering if your face is going to get burned), get it off the heat.
When the pan of lemon squares comes out of the oven, pour the goop over it, and spread it out. Let it all firm up nicely. Refrigeration helps, but is not necessary. Then, get a knife, and cut away.
Of course, the bakers in the bunch will know that these are just fine without the glaze. Annalena recently found a product which is an ingenious bit of marketing: someone has taken citrus flavored fruit slices, and cut them in quarters, selling them as "citrus bits." If you have such, you can decorate each square with one of them, and people may faint over the cuteness of such.
These are GOOD. Perhaps too good. Which may explain why they haven't come out of the kitchen lately. Eat one, eat ten, "all in moderation," but sometimes, not.
Lemon squares. You know them. Of course you do. They are a feature of bake sales, school fundraisers, and one of the featured treats in one of Annalena's favorite books, "Patty Jean's House of Curl." Hmmm. In fact, Annalena COULD see both Ms. Sue and Mr. J as characters in that book. Anyway, maybe you've even made them. Annalena has. She's made them often. But not for awhile. Having made these yesterday, she now knows why.
It is kind of ironic to post a recipe like this after posting one for healthier pizza, because there is NOTHING healthier about this recipe. The stats , should you want to know, are that if you cut these into 35 pieces, they have 150 calories. EACH. And 7 grams of fat. EACH. Trust Annalena, ragazzi, it will NOT feel that way when they are going down. But such is cookies. Enjoy them, and if , like Annalena, you are looking for ways to reduce the number of bags of frozen "stuff" in your freezer, this is a good one. And, Ms. Danielle P, this is one that nascent bakers can make. It is very, VERY easy.
Let us begin. Now, ideally, you will have a jelly roll pan for making these. That is a 10x15 inch baking sheet. If you do not have one, get one, as fast as you can. Annalena was skeptical of "yet another baking pan," but these are just the right size for many things. If you do not have one, a 9x13 inch baking pan will do fine, but it will be more challenging to remove the squares when they are done, since there will be sides on the pan, and you will have difficulties. One way to address this is to line your pan with parchment paper, such that you put sheets at a 90 degree angle, and when the pan of goodies is nice and firm, you can lift it out and then cut it. Of course, this means delayed gratification.
Annalena's baking clan will probably be able to recite the recipe for crust, from memory: a stick of unsalted buttter, .25 cup sugar, a bit of salt, 2.5 cups of all purpose flower, and 2, large eggs. Put all the dry stuff together, and then cut up the butter, and work it into the dough. A food processor or mixer will work super fine here, but if you have neither, use your finger tips. Just keep on mixing it up until you have something that looks a bit like rough oatmeal. Then stir in the eggs.
You have a very rough looking dough, but that's ok. Who doesn't like their sweets a little rough? After all, it's like kissing a man without stubble....
Ok, enough of that. Now, get your pan, and either rub the butter left over from the paper all over it, or spray some non stick, or put down that parchment paper. Dump in your dough, and with dry hands, press it as evenly as possible , trying to fill in every nook and cranny. Please do not get OCD on this, because it is a home dessert, and it need not be perfect. Indeed, people will look at you funny if they are (they may do that anyway, but who cares?).
Now, pop the pan into the oven, which has been pre-set to 350 , and bake it for 8 minutes. This is more than enough time for you to make the filling, which involves a stick of melted butter, the juice of meyer lemons to make half a cup, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Just dump it all together, and stir to a uniform moosh.
Of the lemons: Annalena had tons of meyers on hand, so used them. As these are sweeter than regular lemons, she cut back sugar, and added the grated rind of one of the lemons. If you are using regular lemons, up the sugar to 1.25 cups, and use the rind as well. If you are not in the habit of grating rind into your citrus dishes, start now. You will thank Annalena whenever you say your prayers.
Ok, so you take that sheet out of the oven, making sure you've protected your hands. Pour the glop over the dough, move the pan around to distribute it evenly, and get it back in the oven. This will now bake, for about 25 minutes, maybe a few minutes longer in the 9x13 pan. You want the custard to firm up.
Now, let's push this. While the squares are baking, we're going to make what Annalena is calling "red glaze." It was, originally, strawberry rhubarb glaze, but Annalena had no strawberries, and used frozen raspberries from last summer instead. You can use whatever you like, as long as you have 1.5 pounds of it. And, rather than use those frightening creatures called "berries from Chile," buy frozen stuff if you don't have it on hand. If you are using rhubarb, you want half a pound, as compared to a pound of the other fruit. Put this all in a pot with a half cup of sugar, and then put your heat to low, and stir, stir, stir. When you have a boil, add another half cup of sugar and a quarter cup of water into which you have dissolved 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Keep stirring, and watch as the mixture changes color, and thickness. When you have a boil that is somewhat scary (you know what Annalena means: the bubbles are such that you're wondering if your face is going to get burned), get it off the heat.
When the pan of lemon squares comes out of the oven, pour the goop over it, and spread it out. Let it all firm up nicely. Refrigeration helps, but is not necessary. Then, get a knife, and cut away.
Of course, the bakers in the bunch will know that these are just fine without the glaze. Annalena recently found a product which is an ingenious bit of marketing: someone has taken citrus flavored fruit slices, and cut them in quarters, selling them as "citrus bits." If you have such, you can decorate each square with one of them, and people may faint over the cuteness of such.
These are GOOD. Perhaps too good. Which may explain why they haven't come out of the kitchen lately. Eat one, eat ten, "all in moderation," but sometimes, not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)