As a kid I remember my mom's frequent tuna salad. Open can and over load with Kraft Miracle Whip. I've eaten this same recipe countless times in restaurants, or the stuffed tomato variation. Never knew there was another way, that is until I saw Sara Moulton's Tuna and Olive Salad Sandwich on FoodTV/Gourmet. It's tuna salad with tasty zip... and only 1/4 cup of mayo.
Click on the title to get Sara's recipe, tho' I've modified it a little. I like roasted peppers - charring the skin, letting the pepper steam in a closed container for 10 minutes and peeling. Then remove the core and veins and finely chop. Recipe calls for 1/2 cup but I use the entire pimento along with the juices, about one tablespoon. I think the peeled pepper adds a smoother flavor.
Sara calls for mayo. I like Hellmann's rich flavor. Make sure you use Kalamata olives, not the bland California type. I use any bread or eat it right out of the bowl. Can't go wrong.
Click here or the title to get the recipe.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Choucroute Garnie
Last fall my sweetie was in Bar-Le-Duc, France ( about half way between Paris and Strasbourg). At the home of friends, she dined on choucroute garnie. The cook prepared this one-pot meal of sauerkraut and wursts to spotlite Alsatian region foods.
A food article in the New York Times a while ago was all about choucroute garnie. RW Apple Jr. wrote "Across the Rhine, Sauerkraut is even Sweeter". He pointed out that only the Alsatians would dare call such a parade of pig products a "garnish". It is as noble in its own way as foie gras, another of the area's traditional gastronomic delights, he wrote. I say it's definitely worth putting in your own recipe file.
Americans typically buy canned sauerkraut and serve it with hot dogs, pork, bratwurst. Apple insists that only bulk sauerkraut from a good purveyor be used. Never canned.
As to the types of meat? That is cook's choice. One thing I learned when I made it last week was that a variety of sausages cooked together for 1 1/2 hours all taste about the same. My wife says her Bar-Le-Duc hostess might have sauted the sausages and then added them 15 to 20 min. before serving so that they maintain their individual flavors. (This based on her recollection that the sauerkraut was not overwhelmed by the sausage flavor, fat, etc.....and mine was, says she)
Of course, the French will use a wine as part of the braising medium. In this case, a Riesling. Along with the wine, they will also incorporate a stock of some sort, chicken or pork.
I agree with NYT's Apple, the dish is a delight. Click the title to get his recipe.
If you do a search in FoodTV for choucroute garnie, you will find 4 recipes. Or better yet, Google or Yahoo for more choices. Seems that any would be worth trying...I plan to do just that.
A food article in the New York Times a while ago was all about choucroute garnie. RW Apple Jr. wrote "Across the Rhine, Sauerkraut is even Sweeter". He pointed out that only the Alsatians would dare call such a parade of pig products a "garnish". It is as noble in its own way as foie gras, another of the area's traditional gastronomic delights, he wrote. I say it's definitely worth putting in your own recipe file.
Americans typically buy canned sauerkraut and serve it with hot dogs, pork, bratwurst. Apple insists that only bulk sauerkraut from a good purveyor be used. Never canned.
As to the types of meat? That is cook's choice. One thing I learned when I made it last week was that a variety of sausages cooked together for 1 1/2 hours all taste about the same. My wife says her Bar-Le-Duc hostess might have sauted the sausages and then added them 15 to 20 min. before serving so that they maintain their individual flavors. (This based on her recollection that the sauerkraut was not overwhelmed by the sausage flavor, fat, etc.....and mine was, says she)
Of course, the French will use a wine as part of the braising medium. In this case, a Riesling. Along with the wine, they will also incorporate a stock of some sort, chicken or pork.
I agree with NYT's Apple, the dish is a delight. Click the title to get his recipe.
If you do a search in FoodTV for choucroute garnie, you will find 4 recipes. Or better yet, Google or Yahoo for more choices. Seems that any would be worth trying...I plan to do just that.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Boiled Irish Dinner
Typically, every March, we will have a boiled Irish Dinner, corned beef. Braise it for several hours, about 40 minutes per pound, along with wedges of cabbage, carrots and potatoes. To finish the brisket, slather it with a good quality mustard and top that with brown sugar. Roast it in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
However, for the last couple of years I have been buying the brisket and corning it myself. Corning a brisket is relatively easy which yields a more controlled, flavorful product. Add 8 ounces of canning/pickling salt, 3 ounces of powdered dextrose and 3 ounces of cure/salt peter to 5 quarts of water. Place brisket into pan, add a packet of pickling spices and place into a 40 degree refrigerator for 3-4 days for a 4 pound brisket, 5-6 days for a larger brisket.
Remove brisket from brine, place it into a large pan, cover with water, add 6 cloves, 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, 3 bay leaves and 2 onions halved. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 40 minutes per pound. Remove meet and add cut up potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes. Then add cabbage wedges for an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile glaze and roast the meat.
An alternative to the veggies is to make a colcannon, a creamy combination of mashed potatoes, sauteed leeks and cooked, chopped cabbage. Colcannon can be made anytime not just for St. Patty's day. But at least once a year, we indulge.
However, for the last couple of years I have been buying the brisket and corning it myself. Corning a brisket is relatively easy which yields a more controlled, flavorful product. Add 8 ounces of canning/pickling salt, 3 ounces of powdered dextrose and 3 ounces of cure/salt peter to 5 quarts of water. Place brisket into pan, add a packet of pickling spices and place into a 40 degree refrigerator for 3-4 days for a 4 pound brisket, 5-6 days for a larger brisket.
Remove brisket from brine, place it into a large pan, cover with water, add 6 cloves, 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, 3 bay leaves and 2 onions halved. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 40 minutes per pound. Remove meet and add cut up potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes. Then add cabbage wedges for an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile glaze and roast the meat.
An alternative to the veggies is to make a colcannon, a creamy combination of mashed potatoes, sauteed leeks and cooked, chopped cabbage. Colcannon can be made anytime not just for St. Patty's day. But at least once a year, we indulge.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Smoking Meats
Growing up I remember my folks were often given smoked turkeys for the holidays. Tasty. But I also remember that the meat was dry / very dry....needed lots of mayo. As a cooking adult I have eaten all kinds of smoked products. Fish seems to weather the process best.( I was always told It was "supposed" to be flaky - meaning well cooked... and dry.) A move to southeast Wisconsin
I cleared a place in the garage, stripped the insides of an old refrigerator and placed a couple of hot plates on the bottom. After much reading, mainly in Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas, I concluded that smoked doesn't have to mean dry. Control factors are the brining process, cooking time and internal temperature ( this one you have to really watch). But I quickly learned that it was going to take a whole lot more than hot plates and a how-to book.
The hot plates were mainly for smoke; heat was secondary. To maintain a steady flow of smoke the hot plates had to be on constantly. No temperature control resulted in a smoky product - but cooked too fast, too dry. I tried using the hot plates as a temperature control but the meat was missing the desired smoky flavor.
So I bought another used refrigerator: gutted it and got rid of all the plastic; insulated it and lined it with stainless steel. I bought the innards: heating element, blower fan, thermostat and temperature control and smoke generator. Now I have a smoker that can process in excess of 100 pounds with somewhat accurate temperature and smoke control. The finished product is some of the best I've tasted - cooked, smoky...and moist!.
These days I have a bit more respect for those who smoked that dry turkey of my youth. The smoking process for this bird can take up to 18 hours. I needed a way to start the smoking, real early, so I wouldn't be up past midnight. I figured the X-10 system that turned house lights on/off could turn on the smoker and all of its elements in the proper sequence. So I rigged some pilot lites to indicate on/off (this entire contraption is in our unattached garage)
At first, it worked well. Now the smoke generator and smoker could be sequenced starting at an early hour. I chose 3 am. Then during my nocturnal peregrinations, I could check the status of the smoker. But the X-10 system uses the electrical lines to send signals and some appliances can send static through the lines to turn on/off those lights/items. FYI, filters are not always reliable.
Had to go back to the drawing board. I decided to copy the controller in my brewery. It uses an old Allen-Bradley programmable controller along with an Omega temperature controller. Now all I have to do is to set the start time and the AB controller does the rest. An added benefit using the Omega temperature controller is that the temperature can be changed four times during the process. The temperature starts at 130°F for four hours then is raised 20° every four hours ending at 190°F.
I cleared a place in the garage, stripped the insides of an old refrigerator and placed a couple of hot plates on the bottom. After much reading, mainly in Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas, I concluded that smoked doesn't have to mean dry. Control factors are the brining process, cooking time and internal temperature ( this one you have to really watch). But I quickly learned that it was going to take a whole lot more than hot plates and a how-to book.
The hot plates were mainly for smoke; heat was secondary. To maintain a steady flow of smoke the hot plates had to be on constantly. No temperature control resulted in a smoky product - but cooked too fast, too dry. I tried using the hot plates as a temperature control but the meat was missing the desired smoky flavor.
So I bought another used refrigerator: gutted it and got rid of all the plastic; insulated it and lined it with stainless steel. I bought the innards: heating element, blower fan, thermostat and temperature control and smoke generator. Now I have a smoker that can process in excess of 100 pounds with somewhat accurate temperature and smoke control. The finished product is some of the best I've tasted - cooked, smoky...and moist!.
These days I have a bit more respect for those who smoked that dry turkey of my youth. The smoking process for this bird can take up to 18 hours. I needed a way to start the smoking, real early, so I wouldn't be up past midnight. I figured the X-10 system that turned house lights on/off could turn on the smoker and all of its elements in the proper sequence. So I rigged some pilot lites to indicate on/off (this entire contraption is in our unattached garage)
At first, it worked well. Now the smoke generator and smoker could be sequenced starting at an early hour. I chose 3 am. Then during my nocturnal peregrinations, I could check the status of the smoker. But the X-10 system uses the electrical lines to send signals and some appliances can send static through the lines to turn on/off those lights/items. FYI, filters are not always reliable.
Had to go back to the drawing board. I decided to copy the controller in my brewery. It uses an old Allen-Bradley programmable controller along with an Omega temperature controller. Now all I have to do is to set the start time and the AB controller does the rest. An added benefit using the Omega temperature controller is that the temperature can be changed four times during the process. The temperature starts at 130°F for four hours then is raised 20° every four hours ending at 190°F.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Chicken Fricassee
Cacciatora or Seville Style. Whether you're in Italy or Spain, here is chicken in a pot. Cacciatora means hunter style in Italian and since there has always been a hunter in nearly every Italian household, every Italian prepares a dish with a claim to that description according to Marcella Hazan.
There are only a couple of ingredients separating the two styles. Marcella uses a carrot and celery stalk whereas Betty Wason in The Art of Spanish Cooking uses pimentos and stuffed olives. I use manzanilla olives from Spain. Much more flavorful.
A 3 pound chicken is cut into six to eight pieces - breasts with wings on (remove first joint) cut into two pieces each, thighs and legs. Dust the parts with flour and sprinkle salt and pepper over all. I put about a handful of flour into a medium baggy along with the salt and pepper. Put one or two pieces in at a time and shake until well covered. Open bag, shake off excess flour and place on a platter. Repeat.
Both recipes call for red peppers. Betty's uses pimentos. Take two red peppers, char the skin under the broiler or gas stove top. When totally blackened, place into a paper bag for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel off the charred skin. Core and save the juices - a wonderful addition to the cooking liquid. Should be about a tablespoon. Next de-vein the pimentos and thinly slice ala julienne.
Peel two tomatoes or use about 1 cup of canned tomatoes, chopped. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil - vegetable if your Italian, olive if your Spanish - in a large sauté pan until smoking, about 3 minutes. Add chicken parts and brown for about 5 minutes each side. Remove to platter and keep warm.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan, add 1 medium chopped onion, pimentos, 2 garlic cloves, minced and cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, ¼ cup white wine, 1 cup chicken broth/stock and 1 tablespoon brandy. Simmer until well blended and puréed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add dark meat to pan and simmer 15 minutes, partially covered. Next add white meat and cook an additional 10 minutes. If using a larger chicken increase cooking time. Garnish with 12 manzanilla olives, sliced.
Serve immediately.
Add the sliced carrot and celery stalk after browning chicken for additional flavor ala Marcella.
You can't go wrong with either version. Holler if you want either recipe in the original.
There are only a couple of ingredients separating the two styles. Marcella uses a carrot and celery stalk whereas Betty Wason in The Art of Spanish Cooking uses pimentos and stuffed olives. I use manzanilla olives from Spain. Much more flavorful.
A 3 pound chicken is cut into six to eight pieces - breasts with wings on (remove first joint) cut into two pieces each, thighs and legs. Dust the parts with flour and sprinkle salt and pepper over all. I put about a handful of flour into a medium baggy along with the salt and pepper. Put one or two pieces in at a time and shake until well covered. Open bag, shake off excess flour and place on a platter. Repeat.
Both recipes call for red peppers. Betty's uses pimentos. Take two red peppers, char the skin under the broiler or gas stove top. When totally blackened, place into a paper bag for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel off the charred skin. Core and save the juices - a wonderful addition to the cooking liquid. Should be about a tablespoon. Next de-vein the pimentos and thinly slice ala julienne.
Peel two tomatoes or use about 1 cup of canned tomatoes, chopped. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil - vegetable if your Italian, olive if your Spanish - in a large sauté pan until smoking, about 3 minutes. Add chicken parts and brown for about 5 minutes each side. Remove to platter and keep warm.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan, add 1 medium chopped onion, pimentos, 2 garlic cloves, minced and cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, ¼ cup white wine, 1 cup chicken broth/stock and 1 tablespoon brandy. Simmer until well blended and puréed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add dark meat to pan and simmer 15 minutes, partially covered. Next add white meat and cook an additional 10 minutes. If using a larger chicken increase cooking time. Garnish with 12 manzanilla olives, sliced.
Serve immediately.
Add the sliced carrot and celery stalk after browning chicken for additional flavor ala Marcella.
You can't go wrong with either version. Holler if you want either recipe in the original.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Maple-Glazed Pork Roast
Pork, the other white meat. Pork producers have bread a lean pork product that some processors of are enhancing by injecting it with a water/salt/sodium phosphate solution to season the meat and improve juiciness. I prefer to control the taste of pork so I get it from the local butcher shop or from the supermarket where I know I can get un-enhanced pork.
Inside America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated) has a Maple-Glazed Pork Roast that we recently tried. It is well worth the venture even though they state 'This dish is unapologetically sweet'. Yes, it does have a sweet crust which has little influence on the rest of the roast.
They also offer four variations of the same recipe. Three alternatives are additives such as grated orange zest, star anise pods and smoked hot paprika. The other is a substitute - rosemary for the spices.
Easy to do. Click the title to get the recipe.
Inside America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated) has a Maple-Glazed Pork Roast that we recently tried. It is well worth the venture even though they state 'This dish is unapologetically sweet'. Yes, it does have a sweet crust which has little influence on the rest of the roast.
They also offer four variations of the same recipe. Three alternatives are additives such as grated orange zest, star anise pods and smoked hot paprika. The other is a substitute - rosemary for the spices.
Easy to do. Click the title to get the recipe.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Arroz con Pollo
Rice with chicken. And saffron. A combination that we enjoy often. I first came upon arroz con pollo through The Art of Spanish Cooking by Betty Wason. Ms. Wason traveled extensively and part of her sojourns took her to Spain. The cookbook contains many easy-to-do recipes that are a joy.
The original recipe calls for a small - 2½ pound - chicken cut up, lean ham or Canadian bacon, pimentos and chicken broth. A larger chicken is fine to use just increase the cooking time. On occasion I have substituted chorizo for the lean ham or bacon. Also, I prefer to make my own pimentos by charring a red pepper on a gas stove until the skin is blackened, then cover it for 10 minutes so the skin loosens. You can also place it into a paper bag. The idea is to let the pepper steam to loosen the skin.
Since we like a lot of saffron rice, the quantity has been increased by 50% along with an increase in liquid. The original recipe called for ¼ cup of olive oil - use extra virgin which leaves the rice a little to oily for my tastes. Even though the original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon salt, be generous when seasoning the chicken. Some of the salt is lost during sautéing. I like the flavor of kosher salt.
Ms. Wason claims that by adding the chicken parts to the pan and covering for 15 to 20 minutes will finish the cooking of the chicken. Since I use larger chickens I finish the cooking this way: In order to ensure that the breasts are not overcooked, place the dark meat into the casserole/sauté pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes, then add the chicken breast for the last 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. I use the sauté pan for a one pan meal instead of placing ingredients into a casserole.
Click the title to get the recipe. As always, I enjoy hearing from you.
The original recipe calls for a small - 2½ pound - chicken cut up, lean ham or Canadian bacon, pimentos and chicken broth. A larger chicken is fine to use just increase the cooking time. On occasion I have substituted chorizo for the lean ham or bacon. Also, I prefer to make my own pimentos by charring a red pepper on a gas stove until the skin is blackened, then cover it for 10 minutes so the skin loosens. You can also place it into a paper bag. The idea is to let the pepper steam to loosen the skin.
Since we like a lot of saffron rice, the quantity has been increased by 50% along with an increase in liquid. The original recipe called for ¼ cup of olive oil - use extra virgin which leaves the rice a little to oily for my tastes. Even though the original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon salt, be generous when seasoning the chicken. Some of the salt is lost during sautéing. I like the flavor of kosher salt.
Ms. Wason claims that by adding the chicken parts to the pan and covering for 15 to 20 minutes will finish the cooking of the chicken. Since I use larger chickens I finish the cooking this way: In order to ensure that the breasts are not overcooked, place the dark meat into the casserole/sauté pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes, then add the chicken breast for the last 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. I use the sauté pan for a one pan meal instead of placing ingredients into a casserole.
Click the title to get the recipe. As always, I enjoy hearing from you.
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