Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Black Turnips // Black Spanish Radish



Found at CSA on Cemetery Road in Hadley, MA.
Splitting made this a cull, a throw away.

Fist-sized, like a large traditional beet.


Skin is elephant-rough, like a Russet baking potato.
Taste is similar to daikon radish.

I found a Polish wine writer who describes them as "black diamonds". .

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Cauliflower, Black Bean, Olives



Cauliflower, black beans, red onions, green olives. With a roast chicken a bottle of Sicilian nero d'avola.


Breakfast Burrito adds eggs, feta with a wheat tortilla
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Monday, November 22, 2010

Kimbap: Korean Sushi




Add caption




Quantities for making ten rolls, 80-100 pieces: 

-- 1 package of nori (10 sheets)
-- 3 1/2 cups uncooked sushi rice - makes slightly over 10 loose packed cups of cooked rice; 1 cup/roll
-- 3 x (3 Tbsp cider vinegar, 3Tbsp water, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp sugar)- slightly more than you need.
-- 8 eggs, 3tsp soy sauce, 1/4 cup chopped scallions -- make four 8" omelettes, cut into 20 strips, 2/roll.

-- 3 medium red pepper, cut into 40 strips, sauteed: 4/roll
-- 2 cups chopped spinach, squeeze dry, sautee onion, add spinach, 1/4 tsp of sesame oil; 1.5 Tbsp/roll
-- 10 scallion strips, split;  2/roll.
-- 10 yellow daikon pickle strips; 1 per roll
  • Cook rice according to instructions, should be fairly dry; cool in a big wide pan, and toss lightly, sprinkling with seasoned vinegar. 
  • Prepare fillings: Sautee four egg omelettes and cut into strips. Sautee vegetables and make strips.  Make strips of green scallion and yellow daikon.
  • Make ten rolls, using quantities above. Stack with seam side down.
  • Cut rolls by halving, then doubling up and cutting four times to make eight pieces and two ends. 






Saturday, November 6, 2010

We're from the government and we're here to help....



This giant hamburger hangs out by the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Hadley, and he does not eat cheese. Wave to him as you ride off your double cheeseburger or government inspired Domino's extra cheesy pizza.
“If you want to look at why people are fat today, it’s pretty hard to identify a contributor more significant than this meteoric rise in cheese consumption." - Physicians for Responsible Medicine.

The rest of the story here...

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Church of the Holy Garlic


At Next Barn Over CSA on Rt 47 in Hadley,  the tobacco barn is now glowing with garlic -- a big improvement in my humble opinion.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Chickpea, Basil, and Color

Chickpeas and basil    
Chickpea and basil with artichoke and shredded carrots or with orange cherry tomatoes from the porch --- either way, what a great mid-summer salad.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Fahrenheit 450 (Four Five Zero) or A Bradbury Dinner.

450F is perfect for three dinner elements:

Roasting meat : Spicy Chicken Drumstick
Roasting a bean and vegetable combination: Spanish Cauliflower/Chickpeas with Green Olives.
Baking bread in a dutch oven: No Knead Bread.

Time it right, and you've three for one saved energy, and got yourself a great feast to share with friends.Good red wine, and voila.

Fahrenheit 451 (four-five-one)  was one of many great books by Ray Bradbury. In it, firemen lit fires, burned banned books, and  "4-5-1" referred to the burning point of paper.  This was indeed a horror film --- beloved books curling up in wisps of smoke and ash. It was a perfect companion to Animal Farm, Soylent Green, and all the speculative fiction of that era depicting the totalitarian future.

Pesto: Arugula, Walnut, Garlic, Reggiano and Olive Oil.


This arugula pesto is an early spring alternative to basil pesto. It will taste spicy, even peppery. Unlike basil pesto which discolors on exposure to air this pesto stays bright green and tastes great even a week after you make it. 
Like regular pesto, you can chop together the hard ingredients first: a cup each of walnut and reggiano chunks, and perhaps five garlic cloves.  Add maybe seven cups of arugula and 2/3 cup of olive oil to make a pesto. Quantities are approximate, but the order holds.

Buon appetito. 

Friday, May 14, 2010

Chinese Cheese

Cheese. It always comes back to cheese.  Mindless consumption of cheese.  Cheese cheese cheese goes nonsense at the twentieth utterance, a little chai makes it Chinese and I end up with Chinese cheese.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Connie's Quinoa Frittata

This colorful frittata has sauteed onion bits, white steamed cauliflower pieces, and orange chunks of microwaved sweet potato, green steamed spinach, and cooked red quinoa stirred into a mixture of beaten eggs and cooked in a suitable cast iron pan with some vegetable oil. Cook like a spanish potato and egg tortilla, flipping over into a plate to cook the other side. Season to taste.

No surprise, Connie is a visual artist.  Thank you! 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Cheese Awareness Day

The two pound block of feta cheese I knifed open on April 1 was finished today in a most frightening way. I ate the crumbles of cheese with my fingers out of a container -- and finished it. Full stop.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Yellows: Turmeric, Annatto, and Saffron

Turmeric is great for pickling because it is water soluble and produces an amazingly bright yellow in daikon radish for example. It has a definite taste.Above, daikon radish and carrot with turmeric.

Annato seed barely dissolves in hot water, but in heated oil very quickly produces a deep, vivid yellow, shown below. It seems relatively mild in taste.

Saffron heated in water and in oil using same methods as with turmeric and annatto seemed completely wimpy!

Thus, turmeric for water solubles and pickling daikon. And for yellow Spanish rice, a bit of annatto in oil, rice, and water. Saffron will wait for another day.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Day Sixty Three

I knifed open a huge block of feta cheese two days ago.  Last night I came home, and just for the craving of taste, not because of hunger I took off a few chunks and ate them. Even worse I took off a few more chunks, cooked them up with eggs and ate with bread at eleven at night!

After it was all over I wasn't satisfied. I just wanted more.... 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Day Sixty One

I ate cheese yesterday, at a party, and the sin is having gone back several times beyond just tasting. I really didn't need this fall off the no-cheese wagon, and it was excellent -- a crumble mountain of very sharp cheddar -- oh god.  At least it didn't taste like plastic!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Hot pan, cold oil, everybody happy!

I recall a Chinese TV chef saying: "Hot pan, cold oil, everybody happy!" ---- except when you set off the smoke alarms. I imagine these Filippo  Berio Tuscan's dancers on my olive oil can are happy because they know oils smoke at these temperatures :

Hottest: 
  • Avocado (520F), 
  • safflower (510F), 
  • soybean (495F), 
  • extra light olive (468F)
Middle hot -- refined oils:
  • peanut (450F),
  • corn (450F),
  • sunflower (450F)
Lower hot:
  • canola (400F)
Lowest hot:
  • extra virgin olive oil (300F),
  • all unrefined oils (225)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hanky Panky (Homemade Meat) Balls

I chopped up some London Broil in a KitchenAid food processor the other day.  Ten pulses on twenty cubes.  With Italian spices and some anchovies. It tasted just like ground beef except fresher!  Then I added an egg and some pepper, and a little bread, and water, and made meatballs. They were great.

Then I heard Mark Bittman say, in a Lamb Meatball video, "Always grind your own meat!"   Many years ago he had written a whole column about grinding.

The same day, I chopped up some half frozen white bread (after I washed the food processor of course!). Five pulses on twenty chunks. They turned Panko! Just like all the pictures.  I dried them out in a warm oven. I call them Hanky Panky breadcrumbs because they are not really Japanese.

I like grinding my own. I posted the breadcrumbs because ground meat pictures are too gross to post.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Penchalapadu's Poetic Potatoes

Oh its spicy, and fun:



Boil six big old potatoes, till cooked, but not too long.  
Peel and cut and chunk them -- hard to do this wrong.
Now heat your fave  oil in a big whatever pot, 
In go seeds o' black mustard 'n cumin  ... COOK until they pop

Chop your onions quickly, two cups or so will do.
Cook them in the oil, till they're soft through and through. 
Turmeric &  garlic & ginger, a teaspoonful of each.
Cook a bit and add potatoes -- yes! the finale's within your reach. 
 
A little red chili and black pepper to excite that yellow pot,
Garam masala, curry powder -- a tad of whatev' you've got.  
Finish with some salt--just enough to make tastes zing, .

Stir it up and cook on low till the bottom fries and sings.
.

-- So sayeth the recipe giver:  Paul Penchalapadu

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Rutabagas 'n Turnip Heaven



Rutabagas are those suspiciously huge 'turnips' near the little turnips.
Rutabagas are also called swedes or yellow turnips.
Inside they are pale yellow and hard, while turnips are white and softer.
Rutabaga cook up sweet, and deep orange yellow.

These little turnips were pretty good too.

This year I am going to cook up a Westport turnip which they say is something special. 

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Choux Bruxelles Sans Fromage au Tofu

 
"Sans fromage" sounds so much fancier than "no cheese".



Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Autumn Olive Sorbet

This is how it starts!

Monday, March 8, 2010

To Be Continued.....?

Well, its almost forty days, and I have not resumed cheese. I'd call it a success.

Next sin?  OK.  Confession: 

I have Dollar Menu-itis. Sometimes I plan poorly on road trips. I stop at a  McDonald's for coffee instead of bringing my own. I often have it black, and I like it. Sometimes I  have  a McChicken with no mayo. I like the salt.  On very evil days I succumb to a McDouble --- two greasy cheeseburgers minus the middle bun. I like the drippy fat and salt. I never order anything else, except sometime a cheesy yogurt parfait.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Day Thirty

Success. For the month I have indeed had cheese:

four tablespoons of Grana Padano,
a half inch cube of Gruyere,
a piece of lasagna,
a half inch cube of plastic cheese.

So. It has not been thirty days completely without cheese.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Day Twenty Nine

Almost there. Avoiding all food, including CHEESE!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Day Twenty Eight

Really, japchae, made with julienned onions, carrots, mushroom; and spinach; and marinated beef; mixed in sweet potato noodles that cook clear -- seasoned with sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil. Never even thought of cheese.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Day Twenty Seven

Maine shrimp, loads of little local pink curly cues, brussel sprouts with caraway seed, roast potatoes --- and no cheese!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day Twenty Six

My thoughts turn to Day Thirty One -- will I return to old habits? Or will I do another thirty days without cheese?

Monday, February 22, 2010

Day Twenty Five

Danger comes in funny places.... Whole Foods, Hadley -- gruyere samples. Then a dinner with friends - that innocent looking lasagna contains -- oh shock! -- cheese -- a one piece cheat.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Day Twenty Four

Another day without cheese, sort of. Today I bought temptation: Chevre, Grana Padano, and feta. Not for me, of course!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Day Twenty Three

Airy fairy grana padano on a scrambled egg sandwich -- excuse, alternative to salt! Oh cheat, thy name is rationalizing.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Day Twenty Two

Black bean yam burrito, yummy -- it didn't even need cheese!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Day Twenty One

" I and my snow camel declare this another day without cheese!"

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Day Twenty

I made sun-dried tomato risotto using sushi rice. I added two tablespoons, two light as a fairy, airy tablespoons of grana padano! Sin oh sin, you are called cheese. Sushi rice is not quite so creamy as arborio rice.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Day Nineteen

Stuffed eggplant with sausage, eggplant, tomato, onion, breadcrumbs and a tablespoon of grated grana padano when rounded to the nearest cup measure is ZERO. So, I say, another day without cheese.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Day Eighteen

Butter is not cheese.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Day Seventeen

Cheese looks like plastic.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Day Sixteen

Asian food has no cheese.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Day Fifteen

See the cheese in Antonio's window in downtwon Amherst!! See the cheese sprinkles on the all veggie no cheese!! Oh, yummy.

Later in the day at a fartsy tartsy wine and cheese reception at the University Gallery my fingers, independent of me, snagged a cube of cheese and jammed into my mouth. My brain said: "It would be impolite to spit this out in a crowd of architects and designers, so chew it and suffer. " I did. It tasted like plastic.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Day Fourteen

As much snow fell as I've had cheese this month.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Day Thirteen

Pickles. Pickles. Pickles. Turmeric makes them yellow up. No big cheese craving, but some awarness I'd really like a piece of pizza, and it would be nice to have that tang of parmesan along with the veggies. Best not to even walk Antonio's -- even its for the all veggie, no cheese slice.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Day Twelve

I was at Bella Luna Saturday, and I didn't even think about cheese. I thought about stars.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Day Eleven

Cheese came into my presence on some noodles today. I cheated, stole a noodle, and licked a spoon.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Day Ten

Does milk count as cheese?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Day Nine

Funny, if you dont' think about cheese..... it disappears from your life.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Day Eight

Factoid of life:

I won't lose weight, even with no cheese, unless I up the physical activity!

Weigh-in: 138.6
Goal: 130

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Day Seven

Pan, pan, pan. Picante pan, bicicleta y pan, pan, pan, pan.

"Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francis.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Day Six

Little Happy New Year!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Day Five

Red flannel hash. Imaginate!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Day Four

Bikes Not Cheese.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Day Three

Julie lives in Madison, WI with cheeseheads.


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Day Two

I just got a personal email from Barack Obama. It pissed me off. But it kept my mind off cheese.

It said: "Gina, I cannot do it alone. I need your help."

True enough. Your 59 out of 100 Democratic senators, and your huge majority in the House have to bucky up, don't they? So, here's my question. Why do you not ask me to be your citizen lobby to call Democratic Congressmen and Sentators to support you?

NO, instead I get this demi-insulting punchline:

Can you help fuel our fight for the middle class with a monthly donation of $15 or more?

No. NO. NO. I will call, I will write, I will call out. But I will not send a single cent to a corrupt political party of either persuasion. John McCain's " Gina, Did you watch the State of the Union?" email arrived immediately after Barack's. It had the same punchline. But at least it was honest begging for re-election money.

Obama's email tells me that Barack's minions and maybe the president himself don't get it. There's huge power in his personal appeal, and in his policy proposals, yet he doesn't ask for my voice to help him move Congress. He asks for my money for a corrupt system, for a party that can't tie its own shoelaces, and whose holdout members openly disrespect him. The request contradicts, confuses, and in the end insults.


Hey, it keeps my mind off cheese.


Weighin:139.6

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Day One

I took whatever cheese was in the refrigerator and stuffed it in the freezer, way in the back. Way way. I turn my thoughts to other foods.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chestnut Bavarian Cream

  • 3T. unflavored gelatin
  • 3/4 cup plus 6T. water
  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups scalded milk
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups chestnut puree ( one 15 oz. can)
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • dash of salt

  1. Open the can of chestnut puree and break into tiny bits.
  2. Prepare the gelatin by sprinkling 3T over 3/4 cup cold water in a bowl. Let soften for a few minutes then set the bowl in a pan of hot water to allow the gelatin to dissolve completely.
  3. Prepare the milk by scalding 4 1/2 cups without allowing to boil.
  4. Whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 the sugar in a large saucepan. Mix in the scalded milk whisking and stirring over low heat until the mixture is thick on a spoon, about five minutes. Take off the heat, transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the dissolved gelatin, chestnut puree,vanilla and salt. Set aside.
  5. Whip the heavy cream. Set aside.
  6. Melt the remaining sugar and 6T water until it is a liquid syrup.
  7. Whip the egg whites and add the sugar syrup in a stream while whipping, about five minutes.
  8. Stir 1/2 whipped egg whites into the chestnut mixture in the large bowl. Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites and whipped cream.
  9. Rinse A 3 qt. mold with water, Fill with the mixture, and chill covered with plastic wrap for at least three hours, preferably overnight.
  10. To unmold, dip the mold in hot water for a few seconds. Cover with the serving dish, and invert the mold onto the dish. Decorate with chocolate shavings.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Cinnamon No Knead Bread

Dry
  • 3 cups white unbleached flour
  • 1/2 tsp. yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 to 1 cup raisins
Wet
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Pre-baking mix ins
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • additional raisins

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Mix in water, then heavy cream or melted butter.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at 70 degrees for 12-18 hours, till bubbly.
  4. Scrape dough onto a greased or floured board
  5. Pat down gently to a rectangle long enough to roll, approximately an inch deep.
  6. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, more raisins, all the way to the edges -- whatever amount you like really.
  7. Roll into a log and then shape into a boule.
  8. Cover with a cloth and let rise for an hour or two.
  9. Preheat the oven and covered dutch oven to 450F.
  10. Gently drop the dough into the dutch oven, and cook covered for 40-45 minutes.
  11. The bread may stick to the pan a bit but it should behave mostly like regular no knead bread that has no sugar.
  12. The cinnamon integrated in the basic dough gives the bread a darkish tint very unlike the brioche style raisin swirl bread that is a light yellow.

This is the basic Jim Lahey/NYTimes no-knead recipe with a lot of cinnamon added to the dry mix. I added minimal sugar to the dry mix to avoid any fermented, alcohol taste. I added some heavy cream to reach the amount of liquid needed beyond the 1:2 water:flour ratio. You might try melted butter instead of heavy cream. The addition of the late stage sugar, cinnamon, and raisins adds to the sweetness and may produce a spiral. It will distribute additional raisins better in the body of the bread.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Dancing With Tomatoes

I have the best tomato plants this season. They were little two dollar starters from Simple Gifts Farm, and I stuck them in two five gallon buckets of compost. They are now grown six feet tall and producing like crazy. The leaves are chock full of tomato smell, and these little orange gems are pops of color and flavor. I'd plant ten more if I could.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

No Knead Pizza

I made a fantastic thin crust pizza using this recipe:


  • 3 cups unbleached white flour,
  • 1 1/4 cups of water
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 1/4 tsp of salt.


Mix it all together in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 12-18 hours at approximately 70F. Gently scrape dough from bowl onto floured surface and into a ball. Cut into two pieces. Cover again and let sit for another two hours. Dough is ready.




Pizza forming techniques: Google "pizza acrobatics" and "pizza world championships" for hints. Techniques are similar to strudel making. My pizza dough was nearly edgeless and had see through thinness. Pizza topping order: simple puree sauce, spices, vegs etc, and cheese.




Preheat oven and pizza stone at 450F. Transfer pizza to hot stone, leave until top looks bubbly and crust edges are brown. Cool, cut, eat.




Variation 1. Rosemary, sauce, fresh tomato, fresh onion, artichokes, ricotta with thyme and salt.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Pina's Scaccia

From Cucina del Sole (2007) by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, this is the English description of Pina's scaccia which I first tasted Christmas 1999, and which is illustrated in the Italian Antiche Ricette (2003), a local cookbook from Ragusa. Pina does a broccoli variation. Its like having a lasagna that you can hold in your hand.


Jenkins:
"This is probably the most unusual focaccia of all, made up of layers of dough rolled out till almost as thin as fil; the difference howeve is that this is a yeasted dough, so it rises and puff in a way that filo never does. It comes from Ragusa, a hill town in the southeastern corner of Sicily. Ragusano cooks who fire thier old-fashioned masonry ovens with olive branches or almon shells, say its the finest way to show off Ragusa's prized caciocavallo cheese, called ragusano and made from the milk of the local dark-brown modicana cows.....for the most authentic flavor you will definitely want a cow's milk cheese, preferably made from raw milk and aged for a couple of months at least.

  • 1/2 tsp dry yeast
  • 3 cups semolina
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
  • 3/4 pound ragusano or other cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely grated hard aged cheese
  • 18 - 24 fresh basil leaves or 2-3 tsp dried oregano
  • freshly ground black pepper

First make the dough: mix the yeast with 1cup of ver warm water and set asside until the yeast is fully dissoved. Add 1 cup of semolina to a large bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix well, but don't worry if the mixture is a little lumpy and looks more like a porridge than bread dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 2 hours to fement and develop.

When the surface of the starter dough is puffy and bubbly, add about a tablespoon of salt to 1/2 cup of very warm water and set aside to dissolve. Stir the remaining 2 cups of semolina into the starter dough, then add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix well. [GBR: note this ends up with a 2:1 proportion of flour to water, same as NYT bread recipe]. Add the salted water a little at a time stirring it well after each addition. You may not need to use all of it -- much depends on the humidity of the room in which you are working. Stir the water in with a wooden spoon, then with your hands. Finally, when you can handle the dough easily, spread 1/3 cup of all purpose flour on a bread board and turn the dough out. Knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is soft and elastic and has lost much of its stickiness.

Rinse the bowl and dry it, then sprinkle a few drops of olive oil in the bottom. Add the dough to the bowl, turning it to cover with olive oil, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside to develop for 2-4 hours, or until doubled.

While the dough is rising, use either a vegetable peeler to shave the ragusano cheese into flakes or use the largest holes of a box grater. Set aside.

When ready to make the focaccia, separate the dough into 3 equal pieces. Coat the bottom of a baking sheet that will hold all three foccace with olive oil. Have ready the tomato sauce, cheeses, pepper and basil. Spread a layer of semolina onto the bread board and roll the dough out tith a rolling pin to make a big oval a good 14 to 16 inches long and 10 inches wide. Roll the dough as thin as you possibly can -- less than 1/16th of an inch is ideal. Working quickly, spread a good 1/4 cup of the tomato saus ove the surface of the oval, then lay a handful of the shaved cheese down the middle and sprinkle with some of the grated cheese. Layer the basil leaves ove the tomato sauce or sprinkle with oregano.Grind pepper over all.

Fold the long left side of the oval in over the center of the dough, then fold the right side in on top of it, as if you were folding a letter. You will have a long rectangle. Paint the top surface with about 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce and scatter a little more grated cheese over it. Now fold the bottom of the rectangle to cover the middle part of the dough and, again, smooth a little tomato sauce and grated cheese on top. Then fold down the top of the rectangle to cover the sauce. At this point you will have a thick portfolio or envelope made of layer of dough, tomato sauce, and cheese. Transfer the portfolio to the oiled sheet and continue assembling the remaining pieces of dough.

When all the dough has been shaped, dribble or paint a little olive oil over the top and set aside, lightly covered with plastic wrap, to rise for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 425F. Transfer the risen focaccia to the oven and bake for 40-60 minutes or until the crust is crisp and brown on top and cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. " pp73-74, Cucina del Sole, N.H. Jenkins

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Bill O'Shea's Souffle


  • 3 tsp sugar

  • 6 0z dried apricots

  • 1 cup apple juice

  • 3/4 cup egg whites (about 6 large eggs) room temperature

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • Whipped cream


Fit a well buttered 2 quart (or individual) souffle dishes with a standing collar exending 2" about rim. Butter and dust the dish and collar with sugar.


In a small heavy pan combine the apricots and apple juice. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until they are soft. In a food processor or blender, piree apricot mixture and transfer it to a bowl.


In a large bowl beat the egg white with salt until fluffy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until they hold sof peaks. Add the sugar a little at a time beating constantly. Add the sugar a lttle at a time, beating constantly. Continue to beat whites unti they they hold stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla. Stir 1/4 egg whites into apricot mixture, fold in remaining whites and spoon the mixture into souffle dishes or dish.


Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes, or untill puffed and golden. Remove the collar carefully. Serve with whipped cream.


No collar for individual dishes if dish holds 1 1/2 cups. Cook for 20 minutes. Make ahead up to 1 hour. 5 minutes before souffle is cooked sprinkle icing sugar on top.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Pad Thai Basics


Be careful when choosing your noodles, they must be soaked and fried; a good quality noodles survives this cooking process. Add the chilli when it is served, to make the dish spicy or mild.
Ingredients for 2 people
1 Small Pack of Glass Noodle
1 Egg
Dry Shrimp
Tofu
Red Onion
Bean Sprouts
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
2 Tablespoon Chilli Sauce
1 Tablespoon Peanuts ( fine pieces )
1 Teaspoon Dry Flaked Chilli
3 Tablespoons Oil

To do:

1. Soak the glass noodles in water for 5 minutes to soften them.
2. Chop the tofu into small squares,
3. Slice the red onion into smaller pieces.
4. Clean the fresh bean sprounts.
5. Put the oil in a hot frying pan with the dry shrimp, and fry for 30 seconds
6. Move it to one side of the frying pan to make room to fry an egg.
7. Break the egg in hot oil and stir quickly for a few seconds to break it up.
8. Add the glass noodle and other cooking ingredients and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Zucchini Summer Salad

Brown zucchini, then layer and sprinkle with thin slices of garlic, mint leaveSs; finish with wine/cider vinegar, let sit for three hours, and serve cold.
6-8 zucchini (courgettes)
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp mint leaves
very good wine vinegar
salt

Scaccia

An alternate guide for when antiche ricette and amiche are not available.

For the dough
1 kg. Hard wheat flour
½ cup water
½ tablespoon salt
½ cup olive oil
1 lemon
½ cup white wine

For the filling
Olive oil
Fried eggplants
Tomato sauce
Grated cheese like Provola and Caciocavallo, and Ragusano

Mix flour, water, lemon juice, white wine and salt in a kneading machine for 5/10 minutes. When the dough is smooth and elastic, knead by hand adding oil slowly. Knead until the oil will be completely absorbed.
Draw a square sheet of pastry as big and thin as you can, helping you with some flour if needed. Season with olive oil and tomato sauce all the sheet, avoiding only two bands above and beneath. Add vegetables and grated cheese at your pleasure, only in the middle. Now you have to fold the scaccia. Ply up and down the bands to the middle, then ply the lateral dough to the middle for two times, closing it like a book. Finish with olive oil.
Preheat oven at 200° (centigrade, eh?) and cook until it will be golden brown.

You can make also smaller pieces of scaccia and fill them with ricotta cheese, herbs and spinaches, onions.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Indian Pink Lemonade

On September 14, I picked about ten cones/fronds of edible sumac from trees growing wild near a grocery store. These are the furry marroonish cones you see by the roadside often in overgrown, weedy areas. I brought them home in a plastic grocery bag, and put them in the refrigerator. Three days later I:

  • Rinsed the fronds in cold water.
  • Filled a stainless steel bowl with about two quarts of water.
  • Broke up five cones into conelets, and stripped the sticky seeds from them. The seeds are similar to pomegranate. The seed stripping need not be complete or perfect.
  • Swished seeds around in the water and let the mixture sit in the sun for about two hours, as if making sun tea. In two hours the water had turned a darkish pink.
  • Poured the seed-water mixture through a colander as a coarse filter. This removed most of the seeds and any twigs.
  • Used a single cup coffee filter and a funnel to fine filter the remaining liquid which has fine “hairs”.
  • Resulting mixture is a very clear, rich pink, and tastes like lemonade without the sugar.
  • Added a teaspoon of sugar to an eight ounce glass. This is a matter of taste.
  • Drank as I would lemonade.

This was my first attempt at sumac-ade, and it was very easy to do, and quite good. If we, in the northern climes ever get cut off from our southern regions we can still have pink lemonade. The tang is supposedly malic acid, and it resides in the slight bit of hairy fruit that surround the very large seed of the sumac. The trick is to rough up the berries enough in stripping that they release their color and flavor. Sumac is native to New England as I do believe the Native tribes here used it very well.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Three Things Make A Really Good Blog

Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian, who is pretty busy, and no nonsense, says this about blogs:

“My major criteria for the blog recommendations are consistent posting over time, frequency (more than once a week), sticking to the topic, and a general sense of value to a public librarian . (Shifted Librarian).

Basically, readers want an article that amazes, surprises, touches, amuses, tells them something they couldn’t know otherwise. As editor/writer, you yourself have to:

  • create and maintain an identity
  • provide a varied menu of posts
  • edit for narrative line, drama, color, pacing, and have a strong point of view.
  • solicit and acquire content if your own is not enough.
  • come up with ideas for posts.
  • imagine what your readers will want to see in the future.
  • care about physical layout of graphics, information, and headlines that are easy for your audience.

Some blogs like The Shifted Librarian are so content rich the layout can be functional if not lovely. Others with a more visual emphasis, where layout and visuals are key parts of what people like to see, you have to pay a lot more attention to an aesthetically satisfying experience.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Bread Perfect

bread.JPG This is my first ‘perfect’ bread — amazing what happens when you follow the recipe. My cooking notes are attached. Check out photos the lovely, yummy details of crust and texture here.

Jan 22-07 — KAFlourWhite, 1/2 tsp. yeast, room temp 65F, rise in 80F gas-piloted oven (330pm -initial mix, 530pm -activity visible, 9:30pm -bubbles,12:30am (+9hrs) -very expanded. 8:30AM -slightly down, bubbles covered ). Removed dough, folded onto floured board, rested. Folded over, seam down onto heavily floured cotton cloth, covered into 80F oven, two hours. 10:30 - dough had doubled easily. 10:40 - dough stuck to cloth as I was trying to plop into pre-heated cast iron pan — had to use knife to scrape away from cloth. Cooked covered with dome (inverted mixing bowl), 30 min, and removed at 25 min — bottom burnt. Very hard crust. Makes snap crackle pop noises as its cooling. Oven temperature may not be accurate.

Jan-29-07 - Five Roses Flour, generic whit, 3/8 tsp yeast, rise at room temp 18C, (930PM mix, 930AM well bubbly, 430PM formed ball, put on plate with cornmeal, covered with cloth)

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Pasta Puttanesca

This recipe for pasta with a spicy sauce of anchovies, garlic, capers, olives and hot peppers is the so-called “Prostitute’s Pasta.” Some say it was named because the enticing smell lured customers to the brothel. Others insist it was a quick, cheap, hearty meal that the ladies could make between engagements. At any rate, the big, distinctive flavours will surely wake up the palate.

1/2 cup olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped black olives
2 tbsp drained capers
50 g can anchovies, chopped, drained
28 oz (796 mL) can diced tomatoes with juices
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp each: red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice
6 cups dried fusilli
1/2 cup chopped curly parsley
In large pan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes to soften. Don’t brown. Add olives, capers and anchovies. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices. Raise heat to medium to reach gentle simmer. Stir in oregano, chili flakes, vinegar and lemon juice. Cover; cook 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling, salted water, cook fusilli as per package instructions until al dente; drain well. Divide pasta over 8 plates; cover with equal portions sauce. Garnish each with parsley.Makes 4 main or 8 appetizer servings.

Insalata del Calamari

Adapted from Sara Moulton’s book Sara’s Secrets. The grilled squid served in bite-size pieces adds a smoky richness to a standard mesclun salad brightened by multi-coloured tomatoes and the lighter but still pungent tang of a white balsamic vinaigrette.

1-1/2 lb (700 g) cleaned squid (1 or 2)
1-1/4 cups
olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp kosher salt + more to taste
2 tbsp freshly ground pepper + more to taste
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
8 cups mixed salad greens
2 cups diced tomatoes (red, yellow and orange)
Place squid in glass or ceramic container.

In bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup oil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons pepper and chili flakes. Pour over squid. Cover. Marinate 2 hours in fridge.

Remove squid from marinade and barbecue directly over high heat on greased grill 90 seconds per side. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces.

In small bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide greens over 8 plates. Top each with equal portions squid and tomatoes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over each. Add final grinding of pepper and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Merluzzini Con Lo Zenzero (Cod-Ginger Cakes)

Merluzzini Con Lo Zenzero

Miniature Cod-Ginger Cakes are a modern answer to the traditional Polpette di Baccala or Salt Cod Balls that are a part of the traditional Seven Fishes dinner. These are adapted from a codfish cake recipe in James Beard’s American Cookery. Crispy outside, creamy inside, with the bright tang of fresh ginger, they make great hors d’oeuvres. If you want a dipping sauce, standard seafood cocktail sauce or a mayonnaise-based sauce flavoured with lemon juice and/or dijon mustard are good choices.

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb (450 g) cod fillets
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp finely grated, peeled ginger
Salt + pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanut oil
Curly parsley sprigs for garnish

Place potatoes in medium pan. Cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until easily pierced with fork. Drain well; return to pot. Add olive oil. Mash until smooth. Cool.

Place cod in microwaveable dish, cutting to fit if needed. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 4 minutes. Remove from dish; cool. Drain excess water.

In large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, cod, breadcrumbs and eggs. Using potato masher, mash until smooth. Stir in ginger. Season with salt and pepper.

Form mixture by hand into 24 patties, each about 1/4 cup. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours or 1 day ahead.

To cook, in large skillet, heat peanut oil over medium until shimmery. Cook 8 cod cakes at a time until golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn; cook 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining cod cakes.

Place on serving platter. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24.

Risotto Dell’aragosta

Risotto Dell’aragosta

This is adapted from the recipe for Risotto Milanese in The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan. A basic risotto is made even more unctuous for this festive meal by the addition of sweet lobster meat, a hint of pungent truffle oil and the sparkle of fresh tarragon. Either buy your lobster/lobster meat already cooked, or buy two live lobsters (each about 1-1/4 pounds or 600 grams) and steam as per your usual method.

6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp saffron threads
2 tbsp each: unsalted butter, olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup Champagne, dry white wine or vermouth
2 tsp white pepper
2 cups chopped cooked lobster meat
1-1/2 cups finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 tbsp white truffle oil
1/4 cup finely chopped tarragon
Freshly grated black pepper to taste

In large saucepan, bring stock to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain strong simmer. Using mortar and pestle, grind saffron to fine powder. Cover with 1/4 cup simmering stock.

In large, wide pan over medium-low, heat butter and olive oil until slightly bubbling. Add shallot. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes to soften. Don’t brown. Add rice. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes until well coated. Reduce heat to low. Add Champagne, wine or vermouth. Stir gently with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed. Stir in saffron mixture and white pepper. Add 1/2 cup simmering stock to rice, stirring until absorbed. Repeat until stock is gone and rice is creamy but slightly al dente. This will take about 20 minutes. Stir in lobster, cheese and truffle oil. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in tarragon; remove from heat.

Divide over 8 plates. Season with black pepper. Makes 4 main or 8 appetizer servings.

Zuppa di Cozze (Tomato & Mussel Soup)

Zuppa di Cozze

This recipe takes Alexander Dumas’ description of an everyday Neapolitan Zuppa di Vongole from his Grande Dictionnaire de Cuisine and replaces the clams with plump mussels. It’s a dish of bold, simple flavours and you should taste them all distinctly: garlic, tomato, wine and, above all, the mussels.

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
28 oz (796 mL) can diced tomatoes with juices
1 cup dry white wine
3-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 lb (900 g) mussels, bearded, rinsed, drained
Salt + pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped curly parsley.

In large pan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes to soften. Don’t brown. Add tomatoes, wine and stock. Raise heat to medium-high; bring to gentle boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Add mussels; cover. Cook 5 minutes. Uncover. Discard any unopened mussels. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley.

Serve in soup bowls.

Makes 8 servings.

Monday, December 5, 2005