Involtini. A flavorful pinwheel of meat and stuffing. I hadn’t had any in over twenty years. It took me a long time to realize that I was going to get to eat it again for Christmas dinner, even as I rolled my hands up to help cook it.

Seventeen people were coming for Christmas dinner and my mother-in-law Joan’s house. When I left Ukiah on Tuesday to take my son to visit with grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, I thought Joan was cooking a turducken and I was thrilled. I almost cooked a turducken for Thanksgiving, but went traditional banging out the perfect turkey; so my joy at trying this remakable ballotine was nearly palpable.

Turducken is a Lousiana specialty where a turkey is boned and stuffed with a boned duck, which was previously stuffed with a boned chicken, all further stuffed with cornbread and sausage stuffing; and a ballotine is a protein, meat, fish or fowl, that has been boned, stuffed, rolled, tied, and cooked.

When I arrived Tuesday, Joan told me that turducken was off the menu, she did not remove the poultry from the shipping container, thinking that there was enough dry ice to keep it well for several days. Sadly, most food is shipped with only enough dry ice to get it safely to your door and such was the case here, the turducken was unfrozen and not cold on the outside, and as it was poultry that meant that there was surely spoilage.

Joan told me that we would be having a “brah-zhule” on polenta. I didn’t know what a “brah-zhule” was, but didn’t confess to my ignorance.

On Wednesday, Joan and I started prepping Christmas dinner. I love cooking with Joan, she is a great cook, and our backgrounds do not overlap, so I always learn a ton cooking with her. Joan asked me to pound out some already thin carne asada meat, either flank or skirt steak, so that each steak was larger in surface area. I pounded each piece of carne asada until it was about twice the original surface area.

Meanwhile, Joan combined garlic, flat-leaf parsley, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, pine nuts, and bacon. Joan spooned the mixture onto the meat, rolled it up, and I tied each ballotine with cooking string.

With a flash of comprehension, I realized that “brah-zhule” was similar to what I knew as involtini. A check on the internet, and I find that braciole and involtini are the exact same food item and oddly has two names.

Traditionally, instead of spooning a lump of the stuffing mixture onto the meat, and wrapping it by rolling and tying, the stuffing is usually spread thinly along the surface of the meat, then rolled and tied. The only difference is that the involtini/braciole, when sliced, will present a pinwheel of meat and stuffing when prepared in the traditional manner.

Joan made meatballs and browned them, then put them in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Next, she browned and added to the pan both sweet Italian and hot Italian sausages, some boneless pork shoulder, and the involtini.

We covered the meats in an Italian red sauce of tomato, wine, onion, garlic, herbs, and spices, and set it in the oven to cook most of the way, just needing a little oven time on Christmas to reheat and finish.

On Christmas day, Joan set about cooking polenta in a crock pot, using a recipe by Michele Anna Jordan found in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091215/LIFESTYLE/912149959/1309

Polenta is a cornmeal mush with butter and cheese, and is to Italian cooking what rice is to many other cultures. Put it on a plate, and top it with what you have available. Peasant food become fancy.

Okay, here’s the thing; I grew up eating a lot of involtini in Italian red sauce over polenta. I grew up in an Italian family, and the men hunted. Weekends would find twenty or more Italian men up at a 13,500 acre ranch, hunting by day and cooking by night. This is a dish I ate in endless variety growing up, the meat and stuffing changing, almost always cooked by men. Imagine the scene in the Godfather where Clemenza is teaching Michael the art of making spaghetti sauce for twenty, or the scene from Goodfellas where, in prison,  Paulie is slicing garlic with a razor blade paper thin for tomato sauce. That’s how it felt growing up. Men cooked, not all the time, but almost always better than the women.

Other treats cooked up for Christmas dinner included my take on a Rachael Ray recipe potato dish: I cut up 1 1/2 pound each of baby fingerling heirloom potatoes, baby ruby gold potatoes, baby dutch yellow potatoes, and baby South American purple potatoes. I cut each baby potato in half length wise, then cut them from one end to the other into 1/4″ slices. I put the six pounds of sliced potatoes into a roasting pan.

To 6 cups of heavy cream, I added a stick of butter, 4 cloved of crushed fresh garlic, and 4 sprigs each of sage, rosemary and thyme. I cooked over a medium flame, stirring constantly for about 20 minutes, deeply infusing the cream with flavor. I strained the cream, adding about two ounces of microplaned (super finely grated) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and poured the super flavored cream over the potatoes.

Next, I microplaned five more ounces of Parmigiano-Reggiano into a large bowl, then spead the cheese on top of the potatoes. I cooked the potatoes at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes. Better than Rachael’s recipe, more flavorful, it came out just fine; think of an Italian rustic potato au gratin dish.

There was sweet potato wrapped marshmallow, on a pineapple ring, topped with a cherry, a spiral cut ham, a perfectly baked salmon with lemon, butter and herb, stuffed zucchini, baked oyster, green bean casserole, salad, french bread, and more. It was all great, but for me, it was all about the involtini.

For my first pass through the chow line, I ladled polenta onto my plate, on top of the polenta I put meats, the involtini, some meatballs, some pork shoulder, and some sausage, and on top of the meat I ladled Italian red sauce.

I also poured myself a glass of the 2008 Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With raspberry notes from the Zin, cherry from the Merlot, and blackberry from the Cab, this wine was loaded with rich juicy red fruit notes, and was a great wine for dinner as each food could find a different element of the wine to pair with. Inexpensive, only about $12 a bottle, I was impressed throughout the meal with this wine’s versatility and deliciousness. Honestly, better with food than without.

I spent quite a while with my first plate at dinner, scooping a little polenta, a bit of meat, and some sauce into a perfect bite, sipping a little wine, the emergent whole so much better than the sum of its parts. Each bite a joyful experience, and a trigger to memories of times spent with my father, my brother, and a bunch of old Italian men many years ago.

My second plate was a tasting of the other dishes. While good, some great – I have to get the stuffed zucchini recipe – none, for me, matched the magic of involtini, sauce, and polenta.

I had a glass of bubbly, Korbel’s first sparkler, their Sec. Korbel Sec is made with French Colombard, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, and is a little sweeter than most bubblies, but not cloyingly so. It was nice to have bubbly on hand. One of Joan’s daughters (my son’s aunt) got married last week, and a grandaughter (my son’s cousin) will have a baby next month on or near my birthday. There were many reasons to be enjoying bobbly, but any day that ends in “y” is a good day to drink bubbly – no reason needed.

For Christmas, I received an electric pepper mill, an oregano dipping oil, a “green” water bottle, and a stack of old Cook’s Illustrated magazines, from the folks who produce America’s Test Kitchen on PBS. I am really looking forward to reading the food magazines, they look chock full of ideas for me to try out.

I was pleased to see my son’s face as he opened his presents. He listened to the rock songs featuring saxophone that I loaded onto his new iPod, is ecstatic about getting an XBox 360, and is old enough to be happy about getting new clothes.

It was great seeing family, it is nice that I am friends with my son’s mom, my ex-wife, and that her family still consider me their son-in-law, brother-in-law, or uncle. It was great getting to cook, and getting to help cook. It was fun learning that involtini is also known as braciole.

One of the best Christmas gifts I received were the memories of times spent with my father, triggered by food. My father passed away in 2008, but he was alive in my memory as I cooked and ate Christmas dinner.

Why citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, grapefruit)?

As mentioned in Anti-Cancer (page 127) citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, tangerines and grapefruit) “contain antiinflammatory flavonoids. They also stimulate the detoxification of carcinogenics by the liver.”

“It has even been shown that flavonoids in the skin of tangerines – tangeritin and nobiletin—penetrate brain cancer cells, facilitate their death by apoptosis, and lower their potential for invading neighboring tissues.”

In addition as reported by the Sunkist Nutrition Bureau:

“Lemon, orange and grapefruit peel are loaded with d-limonene, which studies show has cancer-protecting activity against a variety of cancers. A recent study from University of Arizona concluded that consuming citrus peel can reduce the risk of skin cancer by 30%. ‘As little as one tablespoon of citrus zest per week is enough to make a significant difference in preventing skin cancer,’ said Iman A. Hakim, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arizona College of Public Health and Arizona Cancer Center. (One tablespoon of zest is equivalent to the peel of approximately one orange or lemon, depending on the size of the fruit and how finely or coarsely the zest is grated.)”

IMPORTANT note of caution re grapefruit and grapefruit juice:

Before you consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice (or possibly even grapefruit peel), check with your doctor and/or pharmacist regarding possible adverse (and very serious) drug-food interactions. Read more about this at Science Daily .

ZESTY CITRUS FLAVOR CUBES (mini muffins)

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I love to create flavor cubes (mini muffins)! And…so here’s my latest flavor cube creation – one that will do three good things for you:

1. Add a lovely citrus flavor to your tea.
2. Instantly bring the temperature of the water you boiled (for making your tea) down to a reasonable temperature for steeping green tea (about 160 degrees F). For more on making green tea at the best temperature to avoid the bitter flavor, see Monamifood Green Tea – Part I and Part II.
3. Increase your body’s ability to absorb the healthy components of green tea as explained at Monamifood Green Tea & Citrus.

Ingredients

8 medium size organic oranges

• I used organic oranges so that the peel would be pesticide free.
• Eight oranges was enough for me to make 12 ice cubes (in an ice cube tray) AND 12 mini muffins (“cubes”) in a silicone mini muffin pan.

Directions

Wash the organic oranges and rub them dry.

Use a microplane (for food) to zest the oranges. Collect the zest on a plate or on a small piece of waxed paper.

When you have removed the zest from all of the oranges, cut each orange in half (horizontally) and juice each half.

• I used an electric citrus juicer that that I bought years ago for no more than $25.  But you could juice the oranges by hand if you like.

Pour the orange juice into the ice cube compartments of the ice cube tray or into the mini muffin compartments of the silicone mini muffin pan.

• Note: Since the silicone mini muffin pan is very flexible, be sure to put a piece of cardboard or another firm support underneath the pan so that you can hold onto the cardboard when you move the pan and then slide the pan off the cardboard into the freezer.

Sprinkle a little orange zest into each of the compartments that you already filled with orange juice. (Use up all of the zest.)

Put your filled ice cube tray or mini muffin pan into the freezer.

When frozen, remove your ZESTY CITRUS FLAVOR CUBES (or mini muffins) from the container you froze them in and pop them into a freezer bag or two. Store in the freezer for use the next time you make a cup of tea — any kind of tea!

Variations

Of course, lemon, lime and tangerine peels mixed with lemon, lime and tangerine juices would work great too. Have fun experimenting!

Besides tea, you can also use these Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes in lots of other dishes. Why not try…

• Tossing a few into  your wok (instead of chicken broth) when making a Chinese stir-fry.
• Adding them to soups. The lemon/lemon zest cubes would be great in chicken soups; the orange/orange zest ones would be wonderful in squash soups.
• Adding them to the mix of ingredients for smoothies.
• I’m sure there are plenty of other ways you will find to use these handy dandy cubes! I hope you’ll share your ideas in a comment or two!

Enjoy and be healthy,

Leni

A long-time (I won’t say “old” because it sounds so awful) friend came to stay for a few days and made this absolutely amazing pico de gallo. It’s simple and wonderful and tastes so fresh …

Pico de Gallo

1 large tomato

1 small onion

1 avocado

1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

*optional* jalapeño chili peppers – fresh, seeded and chopped; or canned, diced

*optional* cilantro, fresh chopped

Cut the tomato, onion and avocado into small dice. Zest the lime over them, then juice the lime over them and mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. If you’re looking for a little heat or spiciness, add chilis ’til you’re happy. Although we’re not fans of cilantro, add it now if you like it. Chill. This is delicious on burgers or scooped with tortilla chips.

There are a couple of Pampered Chef tools I bought at a party a few years ago that I love for the zesting and juicing.

For zesting, their Microplane Adjustable Grater is wonderful. I zest a lot of oranges, lemons and limes for recipes and we are fortunate enough to have a few citrus trees in our yard.

 For juicing one or two pieces of fruit, I like their Citrus Juicer. Works like a dream and easily gets every last drop of juice.

What a great way to eat your fruits and vegetables!

I have all but retired my old-fashioned box grater. I always resented that whatever ingredient I shredded on the side with many fine holes seemed to cling fiercely to the grater with very little yield on the plate below.  The sturdy little tool called a zester was a big improvement, and still desireable when what you want are long decorative strands for a garnish.  But I have very little time for garnishes these days so I delight in the microplane.  It looks like a lightweight rasp and can be had for under $20 at most culinary/hardware/grocery stores.  It can thoroughly denude any fruit with merciless ease, and the zest is light–fluffy even–with none of the bitter, dreaded pith.  I mention pith because in my culinary abandon I sometimes grab whatever tool comes to hand and sometimes come to grief.  Recently I ruined my signature salad dressing by casually zesting the limes with a vegetable peeler.  Yuk.  Don’t do that.

Why all the fuss?  Well you see I make this salad dressing with lime juice, lime zest, and shallots that seems to get people’s attention.  A friend referred to making “my salad” on several occasions and I finally had the nerve to ask what salad that was.  It was this one–silly me–I make it all the time but never really thought of it as a recipe. 

Lime Cilantro Dressing:  Zest of two limes, juice of two limes, one shallot chopped fine.  Macerate the zest and shallot in lime juice for a half hour (or more) to mellow the shallot.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper.  Whisk in 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.  Just before serving stir in 3 Tablespoons of cilantro chopped fine. (Makes about 1/2 cup, probably right for four people).

For the rest of the salad I combine: Tomatos sliced (or cherry tomatos, halved), cucumber (quartered lengthwise, seeded and sliced into quarter-moon chunks), avocado (cut into pieces similar to the size of cucumber), torn lettuce, (corn in season–cut from cob and microwaved 10-20 seconds and cooled,) Chicken (leftover, shredded.  I often buy rotisseried chicken from my grocery for this.)

Other good additions: Feta cheese (crumbled or cubed), chopped mint, chopped parsley, more chopped cilantro, red Spanish onion.

The quantities and proportions vary considerably due to number of servings, and taste, and how I feel on any given day.  Which is why I didn’t think of this as one particular salad until Sue started calling it that.  We had this several times this summer for dinner with a baguette.  Now you can make it your own!  Anne

I try one new pasta recipe a week, and I decided to revisit The Pioneer Woman blog again (since that Crash Hot Potatoes recipe from there was such a hit). Toby loves anything lemon-flavored, so I decided to start with the Baked Lemon Pasta. I know, I know, lemon and pasta usually don’t go together, but this recipe is great! The sauce itself is just SO good. I did what The Pioneer Woman suggested and bought a microplane zester. Oh man! Where has this thing been all my life! Now all I want to do is make recipes that call for zest! I left out the fresh parsley (Wegmans was out of it). Several times Toby said “this is really good”. I knew he would like it. I served this with a green salad and some warm crusty bread. The Pioneer Woman does it again!

rating: 9

Baked Lemon Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste if desired
Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (I left this out)
Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT.
When butter is melted, add minced garlic.
Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.
Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.
Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top.
Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley.
Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Even among us wannabe fancy foodies, there is one area that isn’t our favorite. For me, it’s cakes. I can do it, but oy, all the measuring, the accuracy!

I’m gonna (really) keep it brief tonight, since there’s nothing to brag about, really. Just wanted to tell you that even if you’re not being fancy, there’s no reason to buy a ready made cake.

Today is Ben’s second birthday. We had decided we weren’t going to do a big throw-down party. The grandparents came and showered him with gifts. We had our own little family cake-eating and present-bestowing. It was enough, and he loved it.

I baked three layers yesterday according to the recipe on the back of the cake flour box.

Today I made vanilla buttercream icing (thinkin’ I should have used Alton Brown’s version, but no matter).  Filled the layers with Nutella — who doesn’t love that?

Then I frosted with the buttercream and made “dirt” on the top out of a frozen Hershey bar. The finer dirt is shaved with a Microplane. The larger bits are shaved with a vegetable peeler, making little curls.

Oopsie, I forgot to put wax paper under each half of the cake, so I could decorate and then slide it out, leaving a nice, clean cake plate. Oh, well. Ben didn’t care.

And finally, the tractor, which was one of his little gifts for the day. It has buttons on top that make tractor-y sounds. I broke up what was left of the Hershey bar and put it in the bucket.

Two candles later, and you’ve got cake!

I sure wouldn’t make this for anyone else, as ghetto as it was, but I decided to share anyway. It’s kind of humble and sweet with its lumpy sides and simple deco.

When you’re a foodie, sometimes it’s the joy of creating that matters, even if it’s not perfect.

Much like the rantings of John Moschitta, Jr. about the speed and small size of planes, trains and automobiles,  The MicroPlane (featured below) is an incredible investment that grates, minces and literally pulverize whatever you put to it in a quick, ridiculous (and mini) fashion–except much less annoying. Besides small sizes and the name plane, the greatest thing they share in common is the effort needed to use them which is about as exhusting as moving a MicroMachine from one end of the table to another.

Yes, ladies and gentleman: it helps you make your food better while being as lazy as you usually are. If that alone does not prove why its the perfect invention than allow me to give you even more reasons:

• fresh Parmesan cheese
• instant minced garlic
• lemon zest (omg amazing when added to teas and meals)
• lime zest (omg as amazing as lemon)
• AND…it’s hand held so you can put it over the plate of food. You use only the amount that you need, which $ave$ money! Plus, no having to take out a large greater for a little bit of flavor. Really, how much lemon zest does a dish need?!

I’d go on, but I fear I could go into a Billy Mays-like rant. Imagine what he could do…

meervilt! is verhuisd van deze blog naar een eigen website op www.meervilt.nl. Nieuwe vormgeving, sneller, meer viltinformatie en met een webshop voor al je viltbenodigdheden! Dus: ga vanaf nu naar…

www.meervilt.nl

Adoro meus brinquedinhos. Não ria: independente da idade, cada pessoa tem seus cacarecos de estimação. A idade avança, os interesses mudam, os nomes são outros, mas ainda assim são brinquedinhos.

Os meus eventualmente são tratados por outra nomenclatura: utensílios de cozinha. Eu os carrego em uma grande caixa de ferramentas comum, dessas utilizadas por mecânicos de automóveis e marcineiros.

Há pessoas que, quando viajam, não deixam de comprar uma blusa do Hard Rock, uma colherzinha de chá personalizada, um chaveiro, etc. Eu sempre procuro algo para cozinha. Só pra vocês terem uma idéia, na minha caixa de ferramentas há 6 maçaricos culinários diferentes!

Uma de minhas ferramentas favoritas  se chama Microplane. Na verdade, Microplane é uma empresa que produz uma linha de utensílios de cozinha de formatos, tamanhos e finalidades variadas.

As ferramentas às quais me refiro são raladores, em bitolas que variam do ralado grosso, fita, zestes, ao pó fino. Destinam-se à utilização em queijos duros, chocolate, alho, gengibre, castanhas, noz moscada, côco, canela, etc.

Eu as emprego principalmente para ralar cítricos, e nesse quesito elas são imbatíveis. Quase que inteligentemente elas ralam apenas a parte colorida das cascas, deixando de ralar assim que chega à parte branca (e amarga). Com isso apenas as zestes coloridas e aromáticas são separadas para sua preparação.

Recentemente, em alguma aula que dei, minha Microplane favorita (igual à da foto maior) foi “sumida”. Fiquei apenas com a capa plástica. Não estou totalmente aleijado, pois ainda tenho esse utensílio em dois outros tamanhos.

Mesmo assim atiçou o “bicho-comprador” que há dentro de mim. No 2º semestre farei uma viagem aos EUA em programa “família” – visitar a Disney. Já sabendo que inevitavelmente procurarei minha queridinha por lá, vou me socorrer nos leitores: alguém tem sugestão de lojas para Orlando e Miami?!

[UPDATE]

Déia Barros , ex-estagiária do Babel, me indicou nos EUA a Williams-Sonoma. Eu até já tinha ouvido falar, mas acho que nunca fui a nenhuma loja deles. Isso promete…

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800-watt compact-size microwave oven with 4/5-cubic-foot capacityDefrosts meats and poultry by weight; 15 automatic settings; 4 cooking options; 6 reheat settings Fossil Watch Glitz White Dial Short cuts make melting, softening, and warming easy; popcorn setting; Minute Plus Stamina 55 4150 Pilates Four Auto-touch controls; 4-digit LCD display; interior light; 10-3/4-inch turntable provides even heating American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 Measures 18-1/8 by 10-7/8 by 14-1/8 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Cuisinart BRK-200 Brick Oven Deluxe, Stainless Steel

1700 watts of power and 500 degree F with industrial styled stainless steel housing Polaroid Digital Camera Removable baking stone to intensify brick oven cookingBake, boil, toast and convection with broiling pan and baking tray plus 2 wire racks for multi-level cooking T0104171703102 Nonstick coating covers the interior where there are no bricks, to make cleaning easy and quick Kids Shoes Tinted glass oven door with stainless steel handles and oven light

Bookmarks

Popular Woodworking (1-year)

Vibe

Sports Illustrated (2-year)

AJN: American Journal of Nursing

National Geographic En Espanol

Women’s Health (2-year)

American History

Mother Jones

Bird Talk (1-year)

Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars

Children of the Self-Absorbed: A Grown-up’s Guide to Getting over Narcissistic Parents

NO More Heart Disease: How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent–Even Reverse–Heart Disease and Strokes

Here If You Need Me: A True Story

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money

The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Modern Library Series)

Flash CS4 Professional Digital Classroom

Working with Emotional Intelligence

The Sisters Grimm: Book Seven: The Everafter War (Bk. 7)

Lehár: Waltzes

Haydn: Heiligmesse; Nelsonmesse; Kleine Orgelsolomesse; Theresienmesse

Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Cecilia Bartoli: Maria

Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) – Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon

Gloria: The Sacred Music of John Rutter

Moving On

Itzhak Perlman’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Lehar – Der Zarewitsch

The Wind Beneath My Wings

Birki’s Toddler/Little Kid Haiti Open Back Sandal

BCBGirls Women’s Karen Boot

Roxy Women’s Canton Wedge Sandal

Shoe features a 2.75 inch heel. Toner Cartridges

New Balance Men’s MX602 Training Shoe

ABZORB heel forefoot West Bend 13500 Polished Aluminum C-CAP midsole Phone Accessories

Official Zonkers Little Kid/Big Kid Soccer Sneaker

Dolce Vita Women’s Aegean-21 Sandal

GUESS Women’s Marvelous Mutli Strap Mid Heel Sandal

leather straps Needak Soft Bounce Folding Rebounder cork baserubber solemetal studshigh heel sandals

Reebok Men’s MLB Tigers Summer Time Flip-Flops

MLB Team Logo Bodum Bistro Removable Stainless Steel EVA Midsole Nikon 8358 Monarch Gold Laser Rangefinder

Sperry Top-Sider Men’s Sport Santa Cruz Thong

Contoured, molded EVA midsole for under-foot comfort Coffee Club Gift Certified Organic Non-marking rubber outsole with Wave-Siping#8482; for superior wet/dry traction Macro Lenses

Kenneth Cole REACTION Women’s Landing Zone Sandal

]]> http://thefoodinista.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/worth-your-salt/ Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:15:37 +0000 thefoodinista http://thefoodinista.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/worth-your-salt/

On my desk, I use a six-inch slab of Himalayan Pink Salt as a paper weight in my inbox. It’s so beautiful, and has a variety of uses beyond seasoning your food. It’s low porous so if you have a bigger slab of it, you can use it to cook on. Himalayan salt can handle temperatures from freezing to 500 degrees, so you can roast meats and fish on slabs of it, or you can chill it and use it to serve sushi (in which case you might want to skip the soy sauce as it does impart a subtle saltiness), or lay thin slices of salmon on it and watch them start to cure. And of course you can use it on food. It’s rich in minerals, which is what gives it that gorgeous color, and is pure so an excellent choice for using with grilled fish and meat. I saw this turquoise rock salt grater last weekend, and love the color story happening here. You can order the grater and a 1-ounce chunk of salt by clicking here.

I have been dead to the internet for a few weeks now. Not the whole internet, just the blog part. I don’t exactly know what’s gotten into me, aside from a lot of delicious food. I have to admit, I don’t really mind being disconnected all that much. However, the nagging guilt of not posting since January has finally bested me, and I hope not to go so long without posting (ever again).

Since we last rendezvoused, I have made (in bold) and/or eaten (not in bold) the following delicious foods:

Challah French Toast

Homemade Papardelle with a Ragu Bolognese

Green Garlic and Broccoli Soup with Gnocchi, Beef Tenderloin with a Root Vegetable Gratin and Spinach, and Chocolate Three Ways (at Harvest)

Pain de Campagne

Wild Mushroom Soup

A Number of Delicious Salads

The list continues on, obviously, because I didn’t only eat 6 meals over the past two weeks. But, lately, all I’ve been thinking about is food and the abstract future. Wondering whether or not they might be joined one day. I used to say that culinary school was my backup if I ever dropped out of college. I was probably 60% serious, but I never really thought I’d drop out (and didn’t).

People I know are pondering, applying to, attending, or have attended grad school. I feel like there’s probably some higher educational track out there for me, but I haven’t quite nailed it down. Working in (fake) education is great for right now, but the honeymoon will end someday. If I continued on a logical tangent from my current job, I would be attending grad school in a couple of years for my masters in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education… from there, I’d have to be some kind of real teacher or program director or administrator or something in the educational field, and frankly the idea of planning and executing curriculums just doesn’t appeal to me.

In the closeish-distant future, there will likely be a new city in my life. If I go to that city, would I find a job I like there? Or should I consider grad school? Or should I go out on a limb and just go to culinary school. It’s now been my “backup” career for YEARS, and lately all I want to do is have people over so I can cook for them and fill their bellies and then fill them all over again if I can con them into staying for another meal. I stopped by Whole Foods today to get some salmon for dinner, and frankly I just couldn’t contain my drool. I was tripping over my own feet staring at all the delicious meats and cheeses and produce that I want so desperately to get my hands and kitchen tools on.

So why would I not do it? The life of a chef is full of cuts and burns and working nights and weekends. The cuts and burns thing I’m starting to get over. Recently, I have burned myself with hot sesame oil, and on the side of the oven trying to get a pan out… the pain doesn’t really matter when the stir fry is the best I’ve ever made and the pizza is scrumptious. I’ve shredded a pinkie and a thumb on my Microplane–the frustration that a Band-Aid changed the way I cook was stronger than the physical pain of losing a little skin. The nights and weekends, though. Those are what get me.

I’m not going anywhere in particular with this, I haven’t made a decision about my middle-distant future, but I’ll keep you updated. I just wanted you to know I’m back. In the meantime I’m going to try to spend as much time as I can with my boys… Mario, Jamie, Alton, Alex, and James.

Microplane

VIELSEITIG & EINDRUCKSVOLL In der Professional Serie hat Microplane die besondere Leistungsfähigkeit der Reiben mit noch längerer Lebensdauer und schlichter Eleganz verbunden. Zur Auswahl gibt es sechs Klingenvarianten: Reibfläche Fein, Grob, „eher” Grob, Kleine Raspel, Große Raspel und Mittelgroße Schneide.

Rasiermesserscharfe Schneidekanten aus hochwertigen Edelstahl

Spülmaschinenfest

Rutschfester Gummifuß für mehr Stabilität

13,3 cm x 5,7 cm Reibefläche

Maße der Reibe 35,9 cm x 6,7 cm

Aus der Holzwerkstatt in die Küche…

Der große Moment für Microplane Reiben kam 1994, als eine Hausfrau in Ottawa, Kanada, einen Orangenkuchen backen wollte. Aus lauter Frust über ihre alte Küchenreibe schnappte sie sich ein neues Werkzeug, eine Microplane Holzraspel, die ihr Mann aus ihrem Eisenwarengeschäft mitgebracht hatte. Die Orange glitt über die Klingen und versetzte die Hausfrau regelrecht in Staunen.

Zest makes my recipe taste bitter.  What am I doing wrong?

While attending a Pampered Chef party, I watched in agony as the hostess fiercely ground the peel of an orange down to its soft flesh.  I explained to her the proper way to zest was by only removing the outer peel of the citrus based ingredient.  This allows the natural oils trapped just below the peel to be released to their full potential.  The white part is bitter and should never even come close to being incorporated into your favorite recipe.

There are two ways I prefer to zest a lemon, lime or orange.  Both are equally as delicious, it just depends on the application and the desired result.

Citrus Zester (pictured above):  This zester has been an invaluable tool for adding flavor to my dishes.  The tiny holes produce long elegant strands of the peel that can be used as a garnish or added during the cooking process for a wonderful bust of flavor.  These long strands are best used when the recipe calls for steeping, simmering or boiling for a period of time.  This will allow the citrus oils to properly release and blend harmoniously with the other flavors in the dish.

Microplane Grater (pictured below):  One of the most versatile graters in the world!  It not only finely grates the peel into micro shreds, but can also be used for hard cheeses and spices.  This size of grated zest works well in batters and thick recipes that require the flavor to be distributed throughout the entire dish.  The air always seems to become intoxicated with a sweet orange scent that makes me know it’s full of flavor.

The one main things to remember is zest can be a pretty intense ingredient.  A little goes a long way with this baby.  Now it’s your turn.  What’s your favorite recipe that uses zest?

Authors Note:  This blog post is part of a series that answers a few basic cooking questions I have received in the past.  Feel free to learn more about the series by checking out Ask Culinary Cory: The Series.  You can also check out the other posts in the series called Ask Culinary Cory: Brown Sugar and Ask Culinary Cory: Food Photos.

Microplane-Zester-Raspel nicht nur für Küchen-Profis

http://www.alfred-wittenauer.de/prod/zester.htm

Im Jahr 1990 kamen die Brüder Grace in Arkansas/USA auf die Idee, ihre patentierte chemisch-technologische Bearbeitung von Metallteilen nicht nur in der Computer-Drucktechnik einzusetzen. Die scharfkantigen Edelstahllteile, so war die Überlegung, müssten sich auch hervorragend bei der Holzbearbeitung einsetzen lassen. Die Holzraspeln der Marke Microplane fanden einen reißenden Absatz.

1994 wollte dann eine Hausfrau in Ottawa/Kanada einen Orangenkuchen backen. Aus Frust über ihre alte, untaugliche Küchenreibe schnappte sie sich ein neues Werkzeug, das ihr Mann aus einem Eisenwarengeschäft mitgebracht hatte, eine Microplane-Holzraspel. Dieses Profi-Werkzeug lies die geriebene Orangenschale wie Schneeflocken in die Backschüssel wirbeln.

Der Siegeszug durch die Küchen der Profi- und Hobbyköche begann danach in Kanada und den USA. Die winzigen rasiermesserscharfen Klingen zerfetzen nicht das Schneidegut, sondern schneiden Käse, Nüsse, Früchte oder Schokolade in feinste Partikel.

[disclaimer:  i do not endorse those products pictured here that i do not own and use. the uncredited, borderless images are my photos of my cooking tools.]

10 hand tools that will allow me to cook anything and everything:

1.  an 8-inch chef’s knife
2.  an 8-inch serrated knife
3.  a fork
4.  a teaspoon
5.  a wooden spoon
6.  12-inch tongs
7.  a flipper
8.  a 6-inch strainer
9.  a microplane
10.  mortar and pestle

You might think 10 is a lot, but if you think about how all cooking can be done with just these tools, it’s quite a small number.  And notice i said cooking, not baking, or making drinks, or candy-making, or whatever.  You don’t need 10 different knives, an electric beater, a food processor, and whatever fancy gadget is marketed to us as a necessary tool to have in our kitchen.  I realize i’m putting myself on the line here, because what if it turns out i absolutely need some other tools?  Well, i promise i’ll admit to my foolish mistake if such a situation arises and update this list accordingly.  I also promise that i will make it a personal mission, at least for a while, to not use any tools to cook other than the ones listed above.  I mean it.  Let’s say…a month.  So in a month, i will report back with my results.  

Now, i will discuss my specifications for each of the tools listed above:

1.  8-inch chef’s knife

The length is that of the blade, not the entire knife.  Also, the chef’s knife is a type of knife.  I have not had the pleasure of trying out several brands of knives.  Instead, i’ve primarily been using my mom’s Henckels.  They’re very good.  It’s a trusted brand.  I’m not even going to start discussing knife brands, because every chef and cook has different opinions, preferences, and needs.  To be honest, my knife pictured above is actually a 6-inch knife, but the length of an optimal chef’s knife blade is really 8 to 10 inches (i really need to invest in one soon).  But for now, my 6-inch chef’s knife is the one i’m most comfortable with and the one that is best-suited for my everyday usage.  I don’t think they even make my model anymore; the set, from the company’s premium line, was purchased decades ago.  

2.  8-inch serrated knife

Essential for cutting things that are tough on the outside and soft on the inside, such as bread and tomatoes.  I prefer the curved kind, whose blade gets narrower towards the tip.  The pink one pictured above is very old (hence, the dull blade), but i’ve grown attached to it, so i still keep it around and use it only in safe situations.  The white one isn’t a serrated knife in the typical sense, although it does have a serrated blade.  I like to use that one for precision work.  But all you (and i) really need is something like this:
 

courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

3.  fork

Good for a quick whisk, testing doneness of anything, and straining small bits of ingredients from whatever you’re cooking.  I prefer to use those with a rounded end, because sometimes i use forks for purposes requiring me to push hard with the end of the fork pushing into my palm, and a fork with a sharp, cornered, or otherwise weirdly-shaped end would make the job much more painful.  The handle should also be flat, which would make whisking comfortable and efficient.  The mechanics of whisking are for another post.

4.  teaspoon

I never seem to have enough of these.  I like long-handled ones, because they’re easier to use, mechanically speaking, and they can reach farther.  I use them for…everything.  This is such an obvious tool that i cannot even bring myself to list its uses.

5.  wooden spoon

Another obvious kitchen staple.  Once, in the middle of cooking, i couldn’t find my wooden spoon, and i nearly had a nervous breakdown.  I use my wooden spoon in any type of pan (frying, sauce, or baking) or bowl.  I use it for sautéing, mixing, stirring, and certain mashing jobs.  I sometimes even use the back of it to crack whole spices.  A wooden spoon has to have a round handle.  Never buy one with a flat handle.  It will be way too uncomfortable to use.  

6.  12-inch tongs

I love my tongs.  Tongs are like the Zeus of kitchen tools.  They’re just about the most powerful hand tool in the kitchen.  (The chef’s knife is the most delicate.  If you think i’m out of my mind, cook seriously for a few years and you’ll know what i mean.)  The length is critical here:  shorter than 12 inches, and it will certainly be uncomfortable to use.  Spring-loaded is good.  I endorse OXO’s 12-inch tongs.  They’re pictured above, and i swear by them.  In the first picture, they are locked by the pull-out tab, and in the second, they are unlocked.  That’s quite a useful mechanism right there.  

7.  turner

Gotta have it to flip things, right?  The longer the flipping surface, the better.  Mine’s not so good.  It flips well, and i like the long handle, but food residue gets stuck in the holes, which makes it hard to clean.  I think i need something like this,

courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

but this doesn’t look so good, either.  Finding a good turner is harder than i thought.  

8.  6-inch strainer

Good for blanching, sifting, and straining small amounts of food.  

9.  microplane

This might seem like the least necessary item on the list, and to be honest, i did do some serious pondering before deciding on keeping it.  Most hard cheeses can be finely shaved with a chef’s knife if you’ve got good knife skills, but zesting was my main reason for keeping this one.  Zest is one of those things that need to be absolutely fine, and believe me, it is impossible to get it fine enough with just a chef’s knife or a serrated knife.  Ooh, and grinding nutmeg.  Another reason to keep the microplane.  

10.  mortar and pestle

Pulverizing anything.  Making a paste out of anything.  Can always replace an electric food processor.  Admittedly, i do not yet own a mortar and pestle but plan on buying at least one set soon.  Actually, i think i’m going to start off with a molcajete, which is the Mexican, volcanic rock version of a mortar and pestle.  It’s wider and shallower than a typical granite mortar and pestle, which would make it more versatile, allowing for more freedom in movement inside the basin.  Here’s an image of a molcajete:

courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

and a granite mortar and pestle:

courtesy of Sur la Table

And that’s it.  10 essential hand tools for the home cook.  Think twice before buying another tool that’s deceptively marketed as “a must-have,” “making your life easier,” or “state-of-the-art.”  You’ll most likely never use it, and even if you do, it’s probably a uni-tasker (as Alton Brown puts it) or something so fancy that its various unnecessary mechanisms get in the way or even malfunction, making the entire thing unreliable.  So stick to the basics and save your money!

versione italiana

A pocos días de distancia uno de otro, Bill Granger en el Daily Telegraph y Nigel Slater en el Observer han publicado una receta de lemon posset. La receta es tan sencilla, y con tan pocos ingredientes (nata, azúcar y zumo de limón), que tuve que hacerla en seguida. Hacerlas, mejor dicho – las dos recetas tienen cantidades distintas de zumo de limón, lo bastante como pata dejarme intrigada.

Es un dulce tradicional inglés, así que nada de monerías o finuras, sino calorías para el clima frío. Tiene sin embargo el gusto de las recetas simples, con pocos ingredientes bien mezclados. Hoy en la comida lo hemos tomado con trocitos de fresas por encima, y en la merienda con unas migas de tarta de almendras (la receta, próximamente). La versión que he elegido es la de Nigel Slater, más equilibrada en los sabores y también más correcta técnicamente (la de Bill Granger, además de ser extremadamente ácida, queda más suelta y se separa al poco tiempo).

Lemon Posset

receta de Nigel Slater, The Observer
para 4 raciones abundantes (6 para un postre)

500 g de nata fresca
150 g de azúcar
75 g de zumo de limón

En un cazo mezclar la nata y el azúcar. Llevar a hervor, y remover de vez en cuando para disolver el azúcar. Bajar el fuego y dejar burbujear 3 minutos, removiendo de vez en cuando. [La receta original repite este punto, con palabras distintas, dos veces: creo sea un error, yo he dejado burbejar la nata 3 minutos y ha salido muy bien].

Quitar del fuego, añadir el zumo de limón, mezclar y dejar reposar. Verter en cuatro (o seis) vasitos -se pueden utilizar copas, chatos o chupitos. Guardar en el frigorífico y dejar reposar algunas horas antes de servir; se conserva muy bien hasta 24 horas.

El posset está muy rico por sí solo, pero es muy fácil de acompañar. Si no hay tarta para desmigar, se pueden utilizar galletas (de mantequilla, o estilo digestive). O fruta como fresas, kiwis, frambuesas – las grosellas le quedan bien idealmente, pero creo que resultaría un postre demasiado ácido; el plátano le quedaría muy bien, si lo cortáis en el último momento y lo coméis enseguida antes de que se oxide. O sencillamente un poco de cáscara de limón, naranja o lime rallada finamente con el Microplane.