Christopher Kimball has done a good job with his 'Inside America's Test Kitchen'. Anyone who would roast 30 to 40 chickens to get it 'just right' has to be passsionate about the job. And good for us. We benefit from all of this because we can go right to the end result without all the agony. Thank you, Christopher.
I have my own test kitchen phenom in Sanford d'Amato, owner and chef at Sanford's in Milwaukee. On Sundays Sandy publishes one of his works of art in the local paper in a section labeled Entrée. I have benefited from his expertise and have told you about his/my successes several times in this blog.
Recently, I tried his Baked Mostaccioli and Meatballs along with his Basic Tomato Sauce. The flavors that this master puts together are extraordinary. The sauce is full bodied, popping with mouth smackin' stuff. Sandy uses breakfast link sausages for flavor and then removes them as he says 'for another use'. What other use? They never made it to the refrigerator!
The meat balls are the best ever. A mixture of pork, beef and bread crumbs along with traditional spices makes this hearty meal go a long way. Could easily feed 10 to 12 people. That is if gluttony is absent from the table because of the irresistible urge to have 2nd's and 3rd's.
This recipe rates alongside his Lasagna posted some time ago. Full of flavor from the many ingredients that he insists should be first class. With such results, who can argue?
Click the link in the article to get the full recipe or click to get the Baked Mostaccioli and Basic Tomato Sauce.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Still Alive
Seems to be a repeating pattern with the Buckeyes this sports season. Ranked #1 for most of it and then . . . Let's hope the hoopster Buckeyes complete the task. To date, though, they have made my life a little tooooo frenetic.
Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to close your eyes because they did not want you to peak too soon for the impending treat that you were sure was gonna be the best one of your life? Excitement was in the air. You knew darn well that you could not last as long as they wanted you to. I suspect that they also knew of the temptations to check things out before the designated time. Strange how they judged our attention span to be that of theirs.
At any rate, my experience was that in a matter of seconds I was peaking through the cracks of my hands to secure a glance at what was great expectation. Never to be disappointed. And, the Buckeyes are treating me the same way this BB season. When you are on top of the heap great expectations are attached to the top award. Expectations great or small are not to be trailing by 20 points. Not in the first half, never. Those cracks between the fingers diminish almost to the point of totally blocking all that was to be seen.
Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to close your eyes because they did not want you to peak too soon for the impending treat that you were sure was gonna be the best one of your life? Excitement was in the air. You knew darn well that you could not last as long as they wanted you to. I suspect that they also knew of the temptations to check things out before the designated time. Strange how they judged our attention span to be that of theirs.
At any rate, my experience was that in a matter of seconds I was peaking through the cracks of my hands to secure a glance at what was great expectation. Never to be disappointed. And, the Buckeyes are treating me the same way this BB season. When you are on top of the heap great expectations are attached to the top award. Expectations great or small are not to be trailing by 20 points. Not in the first half, never. Those cracks between the fingers diminish almost to the point of totally blocking all that was to be seen.
Most times it gets to be a bit much because of the lateness of the night, the irregular play of the putative heroes and maybe some previous late night celebratory tennis shenanigans. The penalty of the actions is, of course, the trepidation the following morning reading about the outcome. O, joyous day! They have risen once again. Only to put me through this again Saturday? Hopefully, not.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Buckeyes 42 Wolverines 39
39
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42
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What a glorious albeit gut-wrenching 3½ hours. The Columbus Dispatch so aptly put it in the headline "One to Go". Although the score indicates a close match, a couple of miscues by the inevitable Heisman winner contributed to the closeness. Without those two errors, a tipped and intercepted pass and an errant snap from center, the score could have easily ended at 42 - 28.
Both teams arguably have some of the best defensive players in the country. Or so it seemed until yesterday's 'epic' matchup. The first time in over 3 decades that both teams had unbeaten records. Michigan was rated as the top defensive team in the country pre-season. Ohio State was reportedly weakened by the graduation of many of its departing seniors. Michigan had not allowed any run longer than 25 yards in any game this season. Ohio State had allowed only 1 touchdown in its last 4 games and less than 6 points in something like 16 quarters. It did appear that a defensive battle was going to be witnessed on November 18, 2006 in the horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.....
.....that is until Michigan received the opening kickoff and scored within the first 2½ minutes of the game. What a sinking feeling. Ohio State answered with a masterful Troy Smith-engineered series the first time they got their hands on the ball. After that, seems that the defensive sides decided to have a contest on how porous they could be. Michigan allowed over 500 yards with 350 yards passing by Smith. Chad Henne and Michigan found the vulnerable spots in the Buckeye pass defense..... particularly the secondary. Mike Hart, running back for Michigan, showed some of the Buckeye running defense vulnerabilities.
Now that The Ohio State University Buckeye football team has been proclaimed the best in the land by vanquishing a once mighty wolverine, a huge question looms to the forefront: Should the Wolverines be allowed to have another go at #1? During one of the BCS bowl games? Keep in mind without the miscues by our Heisman man the score could have been as mentioned. Would Michigan then be #2 today? I would like to hear from you.
In a laughable attempt to delay the game after Michigan's futile on side kick attempt, a Wolverine groveling on the ground appeared to be hurt. However, he could not determine which leg was injured as he was seen first grabbing his right calf and then his left. Guess he was prepping himself for the NFL where it seems to be win at all costs.
In a display of unabashed bravura Hart said in a post game interview that the outcome would be different in a rematch. Of course it would. Smith would not give up 11 points. What Hart might see from the bench is more of this type of scenery from the Badger-prone Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
If you want a copy of this Michigan quarter, holler.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Peanut Butter
Jif, Captain Crunch and Skippy...the three mainstays of peanut butter in my growing up years. All creamy. Not crunchy. If I wanted crunchy peanuts, I would eat them out of the shell. Peanut butter and jelly. On Wonder Bread. Couldn't get much better. With the exception of maybe dippin' a piece of celery or carrot directly into the peanut butter jar. And in the absence of dippin' sticks, I could always dip my finger into the jar.
Thought I knew my peanut butter until my sweetie started me on the journey of organic food. Some org. pb's are salted, some not. My experiments with adding salt didn't work. And then there's all of that oil floating on the top. What a mess. The way around this is to scoop out the contents into a large mixing bowl, re-emulsify and then put back into the jar. Takes about 5 minutes.
After what seemed to be an interminable period of tasting and testing for the ultimate pb, my sweetie brought home a jar of Maranatha creamy & roasted peanut butter. Just the right consistency when mixed with the right amount of salt.
Now, whenver one jar is opened the grocery list is automatically addended with a request for another jar of Marantha.
Thought I knew my peanut butter until my sweetie started me on the journey of organic food. Some org. pb's are salted, some not. My experiments with adding salt didn't work. And then there's all of that oil floating on the top. What a mess. The way around this is to scoop out the contents into a large mixing bowl, re-emulsify and then put back into the jar. Takes about 5 minutes.
After what seemed to be an interminable period of tasting and testing for the ultimate pb, my sweetie brought home a jar of Maranatha creamy & roasted peanut butter. Just the right consistency when mixed with the right amount of salt.
Now, whenver one jar is opened the grocery list is automatically addended with a request for another jar of Marantha.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Summer Salads
Maybe potato salad oughta be a year round salad not just for summer. Salad Nicoise is French potato salad, perfect for summer with it's oil/vinegar based dressing instead of mayonnaise. The name itself, Salad Nicoise, sounds like it might take time to prepare, not a plus in summer. In reality, it is nothing more than the dressing - with tuna, green beans, olives and egg wedges....and the potatoes.
Let me start with the tuna. Recently I made a tuna salad sans the canned tuna. Bought fresh tuna and grilled it, broke it into pieces and used it in Sara Moulton's recipe. Some will prefer canned tuna over fresh but I like the fresh.
A typical French type potato salad uses 2 pounds of boiling (red) potatoes boiled until just tender. Remove skins if you want, slice about ¼" thick and place into a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of wine vinegar. Pour over hot, sliced potatoes. Stir gently until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
In a small bowl add 2 tablespoons wine vinegar or 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard such as Dijon type, ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until salt has dissolved and then add 6 tablespoons olive oil in a dribble. Add chopped spring onions or 2 tablespoons of minced shallots. Pour dressing over potatoes and stir gently.
To make this into a Nicoise, oil both sides of a 6 to 8 ounce piece of tuna. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Cook on a very hot grill for about 3 minutes per side. Break into chunks. Other additions: two or three hard-cooked eggs quartered, 6 to 12 anchovy fillets (drained) and ½ cup of Kalamata olives, pitted. Even more: tomato wedges and al dente green beans. Add all of these to the bowl before you add the dressing. Increase the dressing quantity to make 1 cup which means doubling the above measurements.
Top the salad with a couple of tablespoons of chopped, fresh, green herbs or parsley.
A typical French type potato salad uses 2 pounds of boiling (red) potatoes boiled until just tender. Remove skins if you want, slice about ¼" thick and place into a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of wine vinegar. Pour over hot, sliced potatoes. Stir gently until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
In a small bowl add 2 tablespoons wine vinegar or 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard such as Dijon type, ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until salt has dissolved and then add 6 tablespoons olive oil in a dribble. Add chopped spring onions or 2 tablespoons of minced shallots. Pour dressing over potatoes and stir gently.
To make this into a Nicoise, oil both sides of a 6 to 8 ounce piece of tuna. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Cook on a very hot grill for about 3 minutes per side. Break into chunks. Other additions: two or three hard-cooked eggs quartered, 6 to 12 anchovy fillets (drained) and ½ cup of Kalamata olives, pitted. Even more: tomato wedges and al dente green beans. Add all of these to the bowl before you add the dressing. Increase the dressing quantity to make 1 cup which means doubling the above measurements.
Top the salad with a couple of tablespoons of chopped, fresh, green herbs or parsley.
Monday, September 11, 2006
The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University 24
I've been a Buckeye since birth in Ohio... went to school in Columbus, twice. During my earlier years Woody Hayes won a couple of Big Ten titles and some national stuff. Then in the late 70's he seemed to outgrow his clothes...slapped a player during a game...bye-bye, Woody.
After that, football at The University of Ohio was a sometime thing for many years as far as I was concerned. That is until OSU hired a guy from Arizona named John Cooper. Cooper had one of the best records in the Big Ten. But he could not win the only two games that the alumni thought were important - Michigan and the bowl game. His record against Michigan was a disgusting 2-10-1. Why a university would renew a contract before the season is beyond comprehension. But every August, John Cooper's contract was renewed until he was finally fired in 2000.
Along came Jim Tressel and now the program seems to be back on track. The current record vs Michigan is 4-1. And bowl games are a plus also. National champs in just 3 years under Trussel. Smiles all over Columbus.
I belong to a homebrew forum, hdb.org, in which questions are posted one day and many answers come back the next. A well respected contributor who lives in Ann Arbor and attended Michigan answered the question on how to get to Columbus. "Well, from here we go South on I75. When the noise is coming from our left side we turn left and follow the smell." He made that remark just prior to the OSU-Michigan game several years ago. That was the Buckeyes first victory over the never-to-be-loved Wolverines in several years. Seems to me that the aroma in Columbus has improved dramatically.
When I lived in NYC in the '60s, met a guy from Tyler, TX. He's a University of Texas alum and a college football expert/nut. During the fall college football season, in order to prepare for the upcoming games, he researchs the weather forecast for the games. Rain/sleet/snow is a factor on the spread. Last season he was visiting me for the Texas/OSU event. He took a lot of heat during the game but, unfortuntely, it didn't end soon enough for the Buckeyes.
This year he invited me to accompany him to the game in Austin. I declined the offer. Just as well... I probably would have been insufferable. Besides, why watch from nose bleed heaven in the end zone when I can zoom in at home with a homebrew?
OSU and Texas had never been matched for a game until last year. Remember the desperation pass by Vince Young with 90 seconds remaining? Had Trussel started Troy Smith . . . but " wait 'til next year".
This IS next year. And in their sand box. The only drawback that I could see is that dinky little stadium in Austin could only accomodate about 5000 Buckeyes. And this from a state that claims everything is bigger.
Troy Smith was interviewed after the game and said it was not about revenge. Very mature for a college kid. Call it what you want, how sweet it is. 24-7
UT at Austin 7
I've been a Buckeye since birth in Ohio... went to school in Columbus, twice. During my earlier years Woody Hayes won a couple of Big Ten titles and some national stuff. Then in the late 70's he seemed to outgrow his clothes...slapped a player during a game...bye-bye, Woody.
After that, football at The University of Ohio was a sometime thing for many years as far as I was concerned. That is until OSU hired a guy from Arizona named John Cooper. Cooper had one of the best records in the Big Ten. But he could not win the only two games that the alumni thought were important - Michigan and the bowl game. His record against Michigan was a disgusting 2-10-1. Why a university would renew a contract before the season is beyond comprehension. But every August, John Cooper's contract was renewed until he was finally fired in 2000.
Along came Jim Tressel and now the program seems to be back on track. The current record vs Michigan is 4-1. And bowl games are a plus also. National champs in just 3 years under Trussel. Smiles all over Columbus.
I belong to a homebrew forum, hdb.org, in which questions are posted one day and many answers come back the next. A well respected contributor who lives in Ann Arbor and attended Michigan answered the question on how to get to Columbus. "Well, from here we go South on I75. When the noise is coming from our left side we turn left and follow the smell." He made that remark just prior to the OSU-Michigan game several years ago. That was the Buckeyes first victory over the never-to-be-loved Wolverines in several years. Seems to me that the aroma in Columbus has improved dramatically.
When I lived in NYC in the '60s, met a guy from Tyler, TX. He's a University of Texas alum and a college football expert/nut. During the fall college football season, in order to prepare for the upcoming games, he researchs the weather forecast for the games. Rain/sleet/snow is a factor on the spread. Last season he was visiting me for the Texas/OSU event. He took a lot of heat during the game but, unfortuntely, it didn't end soon enough for the Buckeyes.
This year he invited me to accompany him to the game in Austin. I declined the offer. Just as well... I probably would have been insufferable. Besides, why watch from nose bleed heaven in the end zone when I can zoom in at home with a homebrew?
OSU and Texas had never been matched for a game until last year. Remember the desperation pass by Vince Young with 90 seconds remaining? Had Trussel started Troy Smith . . . but " wait 'til next year".
This IS next year. And in their sand box. The only drawback that I could see is that dinky little stadium in Austin could only accomodate about 5000 Buckeyes. And this from a state that claims everything is bigger.
Troy Smith was interviewed after the game and said it was not about revenge. Very mature for a college kid. Call it what you want, how sweet it is. 24-7
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