Cooking for a cook

Few things are more daunting than cooking for someone who is a master in the kitchen. Especially if they are from Italy. It is a worthy challenge, but one not entered into lightly.

Last night we spent a lovely evening with a friend we had not seen in forever. She is from Sicily originally, and understands the value of great food as well as quality ingredients. And she knows wine. Fortunately, I had a few days to plan our menu, a subject I approached by deciding what I would not make, which was anything even vaguely resembling Italian cuisine. No point creating unnecessary stress, on both of us.

So, what did that leave? Nothing too heavy, foods appropriate to summer and the available fresh produce. Glancing at my cookbook shelf, I spotted the Momofuku cookbook - and remembered the fried chicken recipe within.





Daunting may be a theme here. Most recipes in this book are actually a compilation of multiple recipes, or multiple cooking approaches, making the cooking more of a journey than a task. The up side is bold, unique flavors, using the occasional unfamiliar ingredient.

So, the menu. A traditional summer picnic, Momofuku style:
Fried chicken
Cherry Tomato Salad with soft tofu & shiso
Roasted Sweet Summer Corn with miso butter, bacon and roast onions


Fried Chicken




4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c kosher salt
3-3 1/2 lb chicken cut into quarters
4 c neutral cooking oil (I used veg oil)
Octo Vinaigrette (yup - recipe within a recipe)

1. Combine water, sugar, and salt. Add chicken in a sealed container. Refrigerate for 1-6 hours. Turn the chicken occasionally to distribute the brine.
2. Drain the chicken. Steam the chicken for 40 minutes(keep an eye on the chicken - if it feels done take it out - I would go shorter next time - some of the white meat was a bit dry, over med heat, leaving the lid on the steamer slightly ajar. Let the chicken cool then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Remove from the fridge at least 30 before frying.
4. Heat oil in fryer to 375 degrees. Oil should be deep enough to submerge the chicken. Fry til golden 6-8 min. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
5. Cut into pieces. Toss with the vinaigrette ( recipe below), and serve hot.

Octo Vinaigrette . You can use this on anything - it's that good.
2 Tbsn finely chopped garlic
2 Tbsn finely chopped ginger
1/4 tspn pickled chiles
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 c light soy sauce
2 Tbsn neutral oil
1/4 tspn sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsn sugar
Black pepper

If you have the time and inclination, this is a great recipe. All the prep is ahead of time, with just the frying at the end.

Now on to the sides.

Cherry Tomato Salad




Ingredients:

12 oz of silken tofu drained
(I completely understand the addition of tofu - like mozzarella, the idea is to neutralize the acid from the tomatoes. However, if you use really flavorful cherry tomatoes, honestly, it is not necessary. It is an absolute pleasure to have that explosion of tomato and vinaigrette in your mouth, with nothing to dull it. Your choice, of course)
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
GOOD ONES!!! DON'T SKIMP HERE
1/4 c sherry vinegar
1 Tbsn light soy sauce
1 tspn sesame oil
1/2 c neutral oil ( I used olive oil)
Kosher salt and pepper
6 shiso leaves thinly sliced
To find shiso, a relative of basil with a different flavor, I went to my Japanese market. They did not have fresh shiso leaves, so the Owner pointed me to a package, completely in Japanese. When I opened it to appeared to be the dried remnants of something that bore no resemblance to the pictures in the book. It had a slightly peppery flavor, so a used it anyway. I have no idea what it was. Probably not shiso.

Recipe:

1. Cut the tofu block in half. Using a 2" ring mold, cut cylinders of tofu out. Carefully slice those cylinders in half to produce eight thin rounds of tofu.
2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath in a large mixing bow. Cut an small x in the bottom of 2/3 of the tomatoes. Drop them in batched into the water for 10 sec then pull out with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath to cool.slip off the skins. Put them in the fridge for 10 min to cool.
3. Cut the remaining tomatoes in half.
4. Stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, and oils in a mixing bowl. Add all the tomatoes and toss to coat.
5. To serve, place two tofu rounds in a shallow bowl, sprinkle with salt. Top with 1/2 c of tomatoes/sauce and sprinkle with salt, pepper and top with shiso leaves.

This is pretty, delicious and actually quick to make. I recommend this one!

Roasted Sweet Corn

Finally, the corn. This is a very complicated recipe, that I am going to simplify significantly. No picture - it was not a pretty dish. (There's no picture in the book either, apparently David Chang doesn't think it's pretty either). With that said, the flavor is pretty spectacular.

1. Combine 2 Tbsn of shiro (white miso) and 2 Tbsn unsalted butter. Make sure you mix it so it is one color, not streaky. Take a taste - you will want to put it on everything.

2. Slice a large sweet onion thinly. Heat 2 Tbsn oil over med high heat for 1 1/2 min. Add onions. Don't touch them at all for three minutes. Then add a pinch of salt and turn them gently. Let the onions alone to cook another 4 minutes it so, then turn the pile and reduce the heat to med low. Turn every 10 minutes for a total of 45 minutes. The object is carmelized but not dried out or burned. Keep an eye on them, they should be soft and golden. Put aside to cool.

3. Cook six slices of smoky bacon in a skillet until lightly crisp - do not overcook. Drain on paper towels and remove the fat from the pan.

4. Add 1 Tbsn oil and heat on high till it smokes. Add 4 cups fresh corn kernels. Sauté 3-4 minutes till the kernels turn yellow and start to brown. If they start to pop, reduce the heat.

5. Add the bacon and onions to the corn. Add miso butter, 1/2 c chicken broth ( the recipe really calls for ramen broth, an all day adventure that combines the flavors of seaweed, shiitakes, chicken, pork, bacon and vegetables. And I'm sure it added dimension to my dish, but for only half a cup, seriously, chicken broth is fine.), a pinch of salt and pepper. Glaze the corn mixture with butter and broth by stirring for a minute or two.

6. Serve warm with sliced scallions on top.


All in all, not a bad showing. And the likelihood of a pasta making session in my future. Life is good.












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD

Poached Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Green Beans

Summertime. For us that means relaxing on the porch, drinking wine, and enjoying the sounds and aromas of summer. It means fresh, home or farmers market grown vegetables and fruit. Often it means John spinning tunes from what has become a fairly large music collection. Tonight, we are enjoying a sampling of the many songs written by Shel Silverstein. If you were not aware, besides being a fabulous children's writer, Mr. Silverstein was also was a writer/ cartoonist for Playboy (I guess people did read the articles), and a prolific song writer.

Cover of the Rolling Stone - written by Shel Silverstein, sung by Dr. Hook

Yup, he wrote that. Google him - you'll be amazed.

Summertime also means not spending any more time than necessary heating up the kitchen. So, tonight I revisited a recipe that I tried out while staying with very kind friends in Charlotte. Low calorie, high protein and lots of fresh flavors. And quick, which makes it ideal.

Poached Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, and Green Beans ( from Epicurious.com)

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (1 3/4 lb total)
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups water
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 fresh thyme sprig
3/4 lb haricots verts or other thin green beans, trimmed
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice (3 cups)
1/2 cup brine-cured green and black olives such as picholine and Kalamata, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon torn fresh oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Sprinkle chicken all over with 1 tablespoon salt and let stand.
While chicken is standing, bring water, broth, and thyme to a boil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, then add beans and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer beans with a slotted spoon to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Add salted chicken to broth and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes .
Transfer chicken with tongs to a cutting board and cool, about 5 minutes.
While chicken is cooling, stir together tomatoes, olives, oregano, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 4 tablespoons oil in a bowl.
Holding a knife at a 45-degree angle, cut chicken across the grain into 1-inch-thick slices.

Divide green beans among 4 plates, then arrange sliced chicken over beans and top with tomato olive mixture.

This recipe is very straightforward and takes very little time to cook. One note - this is a simple recipe - the ingredients have nowhere to hide, so they need to be fresh and high quality. I recommend tasting the oregano leaves - mine had gone a bit bitter.

I served this dish with oven roasted potatoes seasoned with Barnegat Bay Butchers Rub from Savory Spice Shop in Charltte, NC, a heady combination of salt, garlic, pepper, Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. TSA detained for bringing it through security, but it is so worth it.

Enjoy! Happy September!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD

Kale, Toasted Chickpea and Plum Tomato Stew

We have three tomato plants in our garden. One plum tomato, which is happily providing fruit, one beefsteak tomato, which is grudgingly providing smallish, non beefsteak looking tomatoes, and one plant that is pretending to be a tomato plant, but has yet to give any fruit.
Thankfully, this recipe only requires plum tomatoes. Of the top five cancer protecting foods, this has two - tomatoes and kale. The other three are listed on the chart below -




- unfortunately hot dogs and doughnuts are on the other list...
Here is a rough estimate of the ingredients ( I wasn't working from a recipe - just tasting as I went):
1 can chickpeas
2 tbsn Olive oil divided
Salt
1 onion diced
2 garlic cloves diced
2 tbsn cumin
2 tbsn coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c veg broth
1/4 c wine
26 oz of Pomi tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste
Two bunches of kale - stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
10 small plum tomatoes sliced
1. Toss the chickpeas with about 1 Tbsn olive oil. Toast for about 12 minutes, until the chickpeas start to brown. Remove from heat, toss with salt (to taste).
2. Heat 1tbsn olive oil in a large pot over med high heat. Cook onions 4 minutes, add garlic and cook one more minute.
3. Add spices, sauté for 30 seconds.
4. Add wine, cook till mostly evaporated. Add broth and tomato purée. Taste and adjust spices. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add kale. Cook till wilted, stirring often - about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Top with sliced tomatoes.
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Fig Skewers

As I write this, Jacob is upstairs cleaning his room, possibly for the last time. Tomorrow he leaves for Penn State, for NROTC training and the beginning of his next great academic adventure. I am proud and sad and excited for him, and I wanted his last home cooked meal for a while to be memorable.

As if in anticipation of my mindset, fresh figs unexpectedly showed up at our door last night. Actually our neighbor showed up at our door bearing a bag of figs from her fig tree. Of course, this led to a scouring of recipes that would do justice to a gift of fresh figs. And a search for fun fig facts. Here are a few:

Eating figs can help you quit smoking due to their high alkalinity.
Many believe that it was actually figs, not apples in the Garden of Eden.
Figs are higher in fiber than any common fruit or vegetable and are also extremely high in calcium.
Figs were the training food by the early Olympic athletes and a token of honor.

Seems fair that Jacob be seen off with honor and a meal fit for an Olympian. We have every reason to believe he will go on to do great things.

The search for fig oriented recipes ended with this one, from Epicurious.com:

Click here for recipe

The sweet figs, goat cheese, rosemary, honey and pork blend really nicely. Make sure to season the pork well before grilling - you want to get a nice crust on the outside of the meat. And while the goat cheese seems slightly odd, don't be stingy - it adds a velvety richness that absolutely complements the unadorned pork.





And so, Jacob, we send you off with a belly full of sweetness and a soul full of goodness. You make us so proud.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet-and -Sour Onions

Gift giving is an art. It is an act of stepping outside your own likes and desires to consider the needs, or wants of another. When done properly, there is joy for the giver as well as the receiver.




Recipe books are always a winner for me. Each time I pull the book off the shelf, good memories of a dear friend come with it. This one appeared at my door quite unexpectedly, and is not only a hysterical parody of the book series, but also has some very good recipes. All commentary is from the perspective of the chicken, which seems very inclined toward the various "treatments" it experiences.

Tonight's draw from the book came under the heading "Dripping Thighs". But first lets talk corn.

I make a lot of corn in the summer. It is so versatile, and there are a million ways to prepare it. My current favorite is the crab boil approach. Into boiling water I throw a combination of herbs and seasonings and let them steep. Sometimes I go cilantro, jalapeño, lime, palm sugar and garlic - quite flavorful. Tonight I used dill, pickled garlic and a bit of brown sugar. The result was fresh summer corn with a lovely undertone of dill. This is a great way to use up extra herbs, and the flavors never overpower the corn.

Ok, back to dripping thighs. This is quite a simple recipe, with a high flavor return.





1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs - pat them dry with paper towels
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tspn + a pinch coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Onions: (personally, I would double this part - the onions make the dish)

1 sweet onion thinly sliced
1 C white wine ( the good stuff - you will taste it)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsn honey
2 Tbsn unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl toss the chicken with the garlic, 1 tspn salt and the pepper.

2. In a small saucepan, simmer the onion, wine, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt until most of liquid is evaporated - about 20 min. Mix in honey and butter.

3. Spoon the mixture over the chicken and toss well. Spread the thighs :-) onion mixture, and any juices on a rimmed baking sheet ( I think a cast iron skillet might actually be better). Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and the onions are tender - at least 25 minutes. ( I ended up finishing it in the broiler to get it browner).

Enjoy.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD

Doing The Unthinkable

Today I did the unthinkable, I put summer tomatoes in the oven.




And with good reason - they were bland. I had purchased them yesterday for the usual exorbitant summer tomato prices, and was anticipating that luscious, vibrant summer tomato flavor. Not so much. So, disappointed, I decided that a quick broil might coax out a bit more flavor. It did.





Coincidentally, maybe, I just added this cookbook to my collection. It is well written, with vegetables separated by family, fun bits of history about the evolution of each vegetable, beautiful photography and a plethora of recipes for an absolute carnivore who is desperately trying to eat healthier (while refusing to give up wine, ice cream or chocolate).

Within the nightshade section of the cookbook was the following recipe:

Beefsteak Tomatoes Baked with Feta Cheese and Marjoram

(As interpreted by me...)

Thickly slice beefsteak tomatoes (I assume 1 per person). Top with the strong cheese of your choice - they recommend feta, I went with a cheese from the farmers market - a sheeps milk gray with streaks of blue - very creamy but not quite as sharp as the feta.

Sprinkle with marjoram (or oregano) and drizzle with olive oil (thyme or sage might also have been nice - the goal is to match the pungency of the herb to the pungency of the cheese).

Broil for 7 minutes (don't go that long - I went for 5 minutes and the tomatoes were getting soft).

Sprinkle with more marjoram (or whatever herb you used), salt and pepper.

Very quick and simple for an easy summer dinner, and even the blandest tomato will be elevated.

Enjoy, and be sure to leave room for wine and/or chocolate and/or ice cream. Life is short.

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Location:Rockville, MD

Soup Kitsch Rebirth

Seriously? A book on food blogging? On reflection, though, it makes sense.




Over the last five years or so, I have been posting food pics on line, occasionally accompanying those photos with a recipe. At first, there was minimal thought about presentation, visual balance of colors, textures etc. I was just thrilled that at least it looked edible. Now, while I am still happy when the food comes out looking appetizing, I actually spend time on occasion composing the photo. If I don't like the way it photographs, the dish is not likely to get posted.

Having a blog is different. There is more room to explain why you are discussing the pathetic looking thing on the plate. There is also an art to recipe writing - clear directions and expectations, with bits of experience thrown in, because, frankly, at least for me, that is the point to the blog.

So, I will try this again, in the hopes of having a little more to show for myself than a bunch of pretty photos with no attached recipe or information.

Happy cooking!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rockville, MD