Cooked Books

The King of Hops

2009-06-26T16:30:00.005-04:00

If you, like millions of others, were shocked and saddened by the passing of Michael Jackson on Thursday and perhaps raised a glass of brew (or whiskey) in his memory, then you were inadvertently marking the memory of someone I like to call 'the other Michael Jackson.' If the Michael Jackson from Gary, Indiana was referred to as the King of Pop, than the other Michael Jackson, of Wetherby, Yorkshire, could be called the King of Hops.

Michael Jackson (1942-2007) was a leading beer and whiskey writer and critic, whose groundbreaking book The World Guide to Beer (1977) helped usher in a new appreciation of beer around the world. He was especially fond of Belgian brews, and wrote extensively about them in his book The Great Beers of Belgium. He became known as the Beer Hunter after a documentary series -- of the same title -- followed him around the globe as he tasted beers from all over the world.

Jackson also wrote a host of beer and whiskey appreciation articles for British newspapers, such as the Guardian, which we have available digitally at the New York Public Library. In an article from 2003 called "Beer to Dine For," Jackson writes about pairing food with beer, an increasingly familiar sentiment coming out of wine and spirit writers here in the States, most recently voiced by Eric Asimov in his Times' piece last week.

There is so much more to say about Michael Jackson: his glassware, his rating systems, and his writings. I look forward to exploring his world in greater detail throughout the summer as I increase my knowledge of beer and perhaps toast to his memory in Belgian beer bars throughout the city.

And that's something to drink to.

Kitchen Cabinet of Curiosities

2009-06-01T13:13:00.004-04:00

The Shorthand Club of New York Dinner Menu:

I found this wonderful little menu for a dinner sponsored by the Shorthand Club of New York celebrating their third anniversary. According to the New York Times, the Shorthand Club was created for male stenographers "all thoroughly imbued with the one ambition -- to better themselves by becoming more efficient in their chosen field of endeavor and to help others similarly inclined." The dinner was held on February 10, 1912 at the West End Restaurant, just a few doors down from the Club's home base on 125th Street.

While the menu itself is rather unassuming, it's the wonderful shorthand on the back of the menu, presumably written by one of the Club's members (perhaps mocking the MC?), which makes this item colorful and unique -- that along with the wine glass stain on the front cover.

The Mask of Orzo

2009-05-27T10:30:00.002-04:00

I eat a lot of pasta. At the supermarket I stock up on a variety of different shapes, like spaghetti, linguine, penne, fusilli, farfalle, and so on. And then there are those small little shapes off to the side, usually reserved for soup, with names like ditalini and anellini. I rarely peruse those players -- except for orzo.

That little one pound box packed to the gills with rice-like pasta is one I replenish again and again. It's cheap, tasty, versatile and it feels really nice in your mouth. In college, my housemate would make a simple dish of orzo, olive oil, peas, and Parmesan, and I've been a convert since.

And because I'm automatically drawn to recipes that feature orzo, I have a few up my apron sleeves that I'm happy to share with you.

The dish above, believe it or not, has artichoke hearts somewhere in that bowl. The recipe comes from a 2006 Gourmet and it's a quick and simple lunch option: orzo, artichoke hearts, lemon zest, and toasted pine nuts in a light vinaigrette. Eaten warm or at room temperature it's a nice brown bagger for those of us stuck in the zoo that is Bryant Park in the summer.

Another favorite orzo recipe is Mark Bittman's orzo risotto from How to Cook Everything, and it's become my mainstay side to roast chicken, sauteed fish, or braised anything at all. The dish captures the creamy richness of regular risotto, but is far less heavy and about the half the work.

And finally, a lovely summer dish of orzo, feta, dill and tomato -- also from Gourmet. Served with grilled shrimp or scallops, it's a light, enticing, and all-together satisfying meal.

Orzo with Artichokes and Lemon Zest
(from the May 2006 Gourmet)

1 1/2 cups orzo
3 T. pine nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, not marinated, 14 oz.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
salt/pepper
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 t. freshly grated lemon zest

Cook orzo until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile drain artichoke hearts and rinse well. Pull off leaves from bases of the hearts and quarter bases. Rinse leaves and bases well, then drain.

Stir together oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add orzo, pine nuts, artichokes, parsley, and zest and toss to combine.

Orzo "Risotto"
(adapted from Mark Bittman)

2 T. butter or olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 cups stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable), plus 1/2 cup more if needed
1 1/2 cups orzo
Salt/Pepper
1 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup parsley leaves, minced

Place butter in saucepan and turn heat to medium. When foam subsides, add onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Meanwhile, heat stock in separate pan.

Add orzo to the onion and stir. Add salt and pepper and the stock -- all at once. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook, stirring every few minutes if necessary, until the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. If the orzo is underdone, add more hot water or stock and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in half the Parmesan and parsley. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve, passing the remaining cheese at the table.

Orzo with Feta, Tomatoes, and Dill
(from the July 2008 Gourmet)

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dill
1 t. grated lemon zest
1 cup orzo
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta

Toss oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 t. each salt and pepper together in a serving bowl. Let stand at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook orzo in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with tomato mixture. Add the feta and toss once more.

Eating In

2009-05-15T12:02:00.002-04:00

As if the recession wasn't enough to convince you to stay home and cook, the New York Public Library's Young Lions are hosting a panel discussion called Eating at Home this Monday, May 18th in the Library's Bartos Forum. Included on the panel are food writers Amanda Hesser and Julie Powell, chef Rocco DiSpirito, and Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU, Marion Nestle.

For more information about the Young Lions and the event, check out the NYPL website.

Babbo's Recipe Archive

2009-04-28T14:24:00.002-04:00

Years ago I had the pleasure of dining at Babbo. It was a lovely meal with great food, wonderful friends, and delicious wine.

I haven't been back.

Not that I would refuse an invitation, it's just if I want a Mario Batali-restaurant experience, I find that Lupa serves those needs just fine. Lupa is just as delicious, easier to get into, and less expensive.

But that doesn't mean I never want a bit of Batali's Babbo in my belly. For that I turn to the Babbo website.

Granted, the website is a bit...cluttered, but the site is a treasure-trove of wonderful culinary information, from travel advice, to an ingredient-of-the-month, to other restaurants worth trying, and finally to the restaurant's archive of recipes.

Yes. Archive. A librarian's dream.

Babbo's recipe archive is exhaustive and addictive. A few weeks ago, I made their Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp and Spicy Soppressetta. I go weak for squid ink pasta, and the simplicity and uniqueness of the dish really got my attention. While the jalapeno salsa nearly burned my eyes out (3 cups of jalapenos?), the dish was predictably spicy, and wonderfully flavorful.

So rather than rely exclusively on Epicurious or Food TV for your online recipes, head over to Babbo.com, and order off the menu.

What other restaurants do you know of that post their recipes? I'd love to hear about them!

La Fonda del Sol

2009-04-13T10:00:00.003-04:00

La Fonda del Sol (The Inn of the Sun) originally opened in 1960, and was the creation of Joseph Baum and his Restaurant Associates group. Located in the Time-Life Building on 50th Street and Sixth Avenue, Craig Claiborne called La Fonda del Sol "one of the most lavish Latin-American restaurants north of the border." He continued, "Should this restaurant become a Manhattan attraction to vie with the Empire State Building and the lions at the Public Library [that's us!], it will be well-deserved."

In 1960, four-course dinners at La Fonda cost $5.50, $6.50, or $7.50, depending on the food offerings chosen, and coffee was made table-side. Claiborne's review makes special note of the restaurant's cocktail options, including sangria -- apparently a relatively new libation to NYC restaurants at the time. He writes, "[...T]he management recommends a drink known as Sangria, which is really a wine punch made with citrus juices, Chilean wine, and soda. It is undoubtedly authentic but it would be more suited to warmer climates."

Beyond its culinary offerings, La Fonda was known for its creative and colorful design. The entire restaurant -- from its linens and dishes, to its menus and matchbooks -- was designed by Alexander Girard. Displays of Latin-American folk art, masks, and pottery wheels attracted Spanish-language school groups who apparently arrived en-masse for the $2.50 lunches. The restaurant closed in the early 1970s.

Just a few months ago, La Fonda del Sol re-opened in the Met-Life Building off Park Avenue with Josh DeChellis as head chef. From the photos online it displays nothing of the kitchy aesthetic that marked the restaurant's first incarnation, and while I haven't seen DeChellis' new bill of fare, I thought I'd present the 1960's La Fonda del Sol menu in its full glory.

Fowl Weather

2009-04-04T14:15:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was yuck. The weather was rainy, windy, and generally atrocious; my doctor's appointment ran late; the only food in my system was a croissant, two cups of coffee, and a slice of chocolate layer cake from Juniors. I had a headache and was (barely) functioning on very little sleep.

And then.... The clouds parted, the sun came out, and suddenly it was beautiful Friday evening and all was good in the world. My original dinner plan of chicken slowly braised in beer suddenly seemed like an inappropriate dish for a spring evening. I was all set to break out the limes and tequila, when crash! The rain began again, the wind howled, and the limes would have to wait a few more days. James Villas' French Country Kitchen came off the shelf for one more winter go-round.

Villas' chicken recipes are some of my favorites in the poultry canon. They're consistently delicious and not terribly time-consuming -- which is an important detail for a tired Friday night dinner with friends coming over. His recipe for chicken simmered in Riesling is one of my absolute favorites, and is on heavy rotation throughout the year. But chicken braised in beer seemed to be the perfect antidote to the wet wind outside, and required little more than what we already had on hand.

While the chicken cooked and filled the apartment with inviting smells, my boyfriend quickly cooked up Villas' country omelet with walnuts, potato, parsley and chives. Served over greens, it was a lovely and light first course, and will likely take its more rightful center stage in the months to come.

The moral of the story is that in foul weather, there is nothing better than a few good friends and a great chicken recipe to put you in a wonderfully fowl mood.

Chicken Braised in Beer
(from James Villas' French Country Kitchen)

2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 4lb chicken, cut into serving pieces (we used thighs and drumsticks instead)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 T. gin (we omitted this)
1 1/2 cups dark beer or ale
bouquet garni: 1/4 t. dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 2 parsley sprigs tied in cheesecloth
salt and pepper
3/4 lb. mushrooms, quartered
3 T. heavy cream (optional, but recommended)
2 T. parsley

In a large, heavy casserole, heat butter and oil. Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides and brown on all sides over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir and cook until lightly browned. Add the gin and ignite. Add the beer, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Transfer the chicken and mushrooms to a heated platter and keep warm. Discard the bouquet garni from the casserole, add the cream, increase the heat, and reduce until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce for seasoning, pour it over the chicken, and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Omelette Fermiere

5 T. butter
1/4 cup finely chopped potato
1/4 cup finely chopped country ham (we omitted this)
4 walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 T. minced parsley and chives
6 large eggs
pepper
1 T grated Gruyere cheese (we omitted this, but it would be welcome next time)

In a skillet, heat 2 T. of the butter. Add the potato, ham, and walnuts and saute over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring. Stir in the parsley and chives.

In a 10" omelet pan, heat the remaining butter. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan and stir with a fork over moderate heat just until the edges are set. Spoon the sauteed mixture quickly across the center and cook until the omelet is set but still very soft. Fold into thirds like a letter, and sprinkle cheese on top and serve.

Chez Julia

2009-03-31T18:00:00.007-04:00

As a young girl visiting my relatives in Providence, R.I., I remember how slowly and deliberately my aunt would drive through her neighborhood at night. I thought perhaps she was just more cautious than my own mother, but I soon learned that she drove slowly not for fear of running over a small child, but because she wanted to see how other people decorated their homes.

Other People's Places (You down with O.P.P.?) are endlessly fascinating: the decoration, the paint colors, the wallpaper, the books on the shelves, the light fixtures. Who doesn't become a complete voyeur when given the chance to peak into someone else's living space?

Celebrity homes can either be especially intriguing, or incredibly boring. The homes of C-list celebs in In Touch, for example, often seem to have been decorated by publicists eager for their client to appear legit.

Chefs are curious subjects for home tours, because at least one room is their's and their's alone: the kitchen. But what about the rest of the house?

Exhibit A: The home of Julia and Paul Child. The above photos are from an August, 1976 Architectural Digest piece on the Child's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. What's so glorious about this photo spread, is that while we all know her kitchen ("the beating heart and social center of the household," as she calls it in the article), it's rare to catch a glimpse into the rest of her home: the living room, the dining room, the pastry room off the main kitchen, and the "grass-papered" music room. The Child's home seems especially familiar, warm, and thoroughly lived in - in other words, a home worthy of driving by slowly.

Julia et Jim

2009-03-16T14:54:00.003-04:00

With so many menus in the New York Public Library collection, it's not uncommon for me to stumble upon a gem I've never seen before. The menu featured here is one such example. Had a patron not requested this 1975 dinner menu honoring James Beard and Julia Child a few months ago, it would still be sitting in its box downstairs. But thankfully the request was made, and I was introduced to this charming item.

The dinner, which was sponsored by the Wine & Food Society of New York, was held on Halloween night at the Pierre Hotel. And in addition to a traditional menu of food offerings, the organizers wrote creative "recipes" for both Julia and Jim, wherein the ingredients and techniques that make up these two unique personalities are written out in a recognizable recipe format. The result is clever, sassy, and fun.

Ruth Madoff's Cookbook

2009-03-12T11:40:00.018-04:00

While Bernie Madoff spends the rest of his life in prison, his wife Ruth will have plenty of time to work on a second cookbook. Yes, a second cookbook. Ruth Madoff edited a cookbook in 1996 called "The Great Chefs of America Cook Kosher," which has garnered its own bit of controversy.

Ruth, along with her friend Idee Schoenheimer, is credited as an executive editor of this spiral-bound work, although according to an article in the New York Times a few months ago, the book is really the work of food writer Karen MacNeil.

In the article, MacNeil (who is credited as editor of the book) claims she was paid to write the entire book...and did. Ruth Madoff may have had her own author blurb, but according to MacNeil, Madoff didn't write a word. Rather, she simply wanted to be part of something "fun."

The book features recipes from top chefs around the country who have adapted their dishes to fit the requirements of a kosher kitchen. Many of the recipes are simply reprinted from the chef's own cookbooks and hardly require any culinary creativity to make them kosher.

For example, Lidia Bastianich shares her recipe of pappardelle with fresh porcini sauce -- taken from her book La Cucina di Lidia -- while Al Forno owners Johanne Killeen and George Germon include their recipe for roasted asparagus. In other words, simple recipes already fit for a kosher kitchen.

It's also questionable whether the Madoff's even keep kosher. The Times article refers to a London Daily Mail article which claimed that Bernie was a big fan of pork sausages, "taboo under any definition of kosher cooking."

Rest assured, the New York Public Library has the book in its holdings, and unlike Mr. Madoff's Ponzi scheme, it won't cost you a dime.

Kheer Royale

2009-03-09T22:49:00.006-04:00

Of all the puddings in the world, rice is my favorite. I do Kozy Shack rice pudding, I do Greek diner rice pudding, but my favorite is Indian rice pudding, or kheer. It's a thinner, milkier pudding, and with the delicate taste of cardamom, it makes for a refreshing and subtly sweet dessert.

I've attempted kheer before, and failed miserably. But this weekend, as I was cooking a fairly sizable Indian dinner for my brother's birthday, I decided to attempt it again. I know how much that boy loves his rice pudding. This time I used Vij's recipe. Five ingredients, and an hour and ten minutes later, kheer royale.

Rice Pudding
(from Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine)

Note: I halved the recipe and it served six people. This is the full recipe, as printed.

10 to 12 green cardamom pods
3/4 cup basmati rice
12 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
raw, unsalted almonds for garnish.

Lightly pound cardamom and peel off the pods. Empty brownish-black seeds into a medium pot. Discard the pods. Add rice and milk and bring to a gentle boil on medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring gently and regular, for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Never scrape the bottom of the pot while stirring, otherwise you maybe get bits of slightly burned milk in your pudding.

As the rice and milk cook, the consistency will become more and more like pudding. Stir often, or turn down the heat slightly if the rice begins to clump.

Remove the pot from the heat and add sugar. Stir well. If you wish to serve it chilled, wait until the pudding is at room temperature before putting it into the refrigerator.

Sprinkle almonds (or pistachios) over pudding before serving.

Library Class

2009-02-23T16:56:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24th, I'm teaching a class at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library on culinary research. It's open too all who are interested, and it starts at 3:15 pm.

Founded on Oyster Shells

2009-02-18T12:14:00.014-05:00

This Saturday, February 21st, the New Amsterdam Market - whose goal is to provide a public market promoting regional agriculture - is hosting a fundraiser called Founded on Oyster Shells at the f/ocus Rental Gallery in Manhattan. The event, which costs from $50 - $100, will feature various types of East Coast oysters (including Blue Points which are ubiquitous on every 19th century restaurant menu), in addition to local beer, bread, butter, chowder, baked beans, pickles and seltzer.

The menu is reminiscent of 19th and early-20th century oyster bars and parlors, where oysters were often slurped up, and chased down, with a cold lager beer.

The fundraiser is also auctioning off over two dozen prizes, from sharing a meal with Alice Waters at the restaurant of her choosing, to having mixologist Allen Katz mix drinks at a cocktail party for you and twelve of your guests, to inviting Jacob Dickson to cater a pig roast at your home, to enjoying lunch and a tour of Stone Barns for two adults. Check out all the options on their auction site.

Adequate Compensation

2009-02-10T14:11:00.009-05:00

Reading Frank Bruni's Diner's Journal piece on low tips from foreign tourists, reminded me of this wonderful menu in our collection. Make sure to read the fine print on the bottom.

Catch-as-Catch-Can

2009-02-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

"What's for dinner Mom?"

"I thought we'd do a catch-as-catch-can."

That was the occasional response to my daily dinner question, and it never failed to satisfy. What my mother was really saying was, "Whatever you find in the fridge or freezer or cupboard is yours, provided I don't have to do any cooking." My choice of dinner on those nights ranged from a bowl of Rice Krispies to canned corn and creamed spinach, to any leftovers for the taking.

In my, ahem, older age, catch-as-catch-can is more than a once a week dinner solution. In fact, I find that many of my weekday meals share some of the familiar catch-as-catch-can characteristics. Some may prefer to call takeout, but I still enjoy the challenge of scraping up bits and pieces and half containers, and making do with what I have around.

The meal pictured above was a recent catch-as-catch-can concoction. I took a can of chickpeas and roasted them in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper. While they roasted, I sauteed a bunch of dandelion greens in olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper. While they sauteed, I cooked up some orzo (my favorite catch-as-catch-can carbohydrate). And while the orzo cooked, I fried up some eggs.

On that delicious ensemble, I sprinkled some cheese, added a few drops of hot sauce, and made a meal of it. In fact, one could argue that the above example blurs the line between a planned meal and a catch-as-catch-can completely. Where does one end and the other begin? I would argue that anytime you put a fried egg over something (just for fun!), you're well on your way to catch-as-catch-canning it.

So in this new era of austerity, I urge everyone to catch the catch-as-catch-can bug, jump on the catch-as-catch-can-can line, and get catch-as-catch-can creative. In fact, I've been cooking so many catch-as-catch-can meals lately, don't be surprised if you see a post listing the top 15 "Catch-as-Catch-Quinze."

Schrafft's menu, 1959

2009-01-30T10:59:00.016-05:00

While the Library has a pretty sizable collection of Schrafft's menus, the one above is my favorite. I love that Schrafft's would use the New York Public Library as a way to advertise the two Schrafft's restaurants located nearest to the Library.

In addition to the menus in our culinary collection, the Art Division has a wonderful book of photographs of the interiors of empty Schrafft's restaurants throughout the City. It's definitely worth a look-see.

I could drink a case of you

2009-01-27T13:08:00.015-05:00

I know next to nothing about wine, except that I like to drink it.

In an effort to increase my knowledge, I followed the advice of New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov: drink more of it. In his blog The Pour, Asimov suggested that those who are interested in learning more about wine should go to good wine shop, speak to a knowledgeable salesperson, and have the store create a mixed case based on a set price limit. Asimov threw out $250 as a fine amount to spend for the price of an oenophilic education.

But that all takes effort. I have a couple of wine stores in my neighborhood whose selection seems well and good, but to go in, speak to someone about a mixed case, and choose a price point? I'm exhausted already.

Then one day I met a restaurant manager/wine guy. I asked him what his favorite wine store in New York was. Without hesitation he said, "Chamber Street Wines." Check one.

I went to the Chamber Street Wines website where I found a section called "$150 & $250 Cases." Check two.

In that mixed case section, not only can you choose among the two price points, but you can also choose a red-only, white-only, or mixed case. Oh, and tax is included. Check please!

I bought a red-only, $150 case, and eagerly brought it back home. I split the cost with my brothers who are the most frequent dinner guests around my table, and together we've been testing out our favorites among the bunch. It's probably the best money I've spent in a while, because not only does it allow me to drink lovely wines I've never heard of before, but it's all in the name of education.

I still don't know much about varietals, regions, or grapes, but I'm learning fairly quickly about what I do and don't like. So, while I'm still no Jancis Robinson, just give me some time.

Union Square Cafe's Black Bean Soup

2009-01-25T15:32:00.020-05:00

Danny Meyer has a lot of fans at the New York Public Library. His book, Setting the table: the transforming power of hospitality in business, has been read by more than a few librarians who subscribe to his belief in hospitality and customer service. It's a wonderful and inspiring book, and should be required reading for anyone in the service industry.

Oh, yeah, his food ain't bad either.

Now, I'm not a Danny Meyer restaurant aficionado. I've been to Union Square Cafe once (not surprisingly with a group of librarians, and it was delicious), and I don't bother with Shake Shack unless it's slightly drizzling, and then I'm only too happy to dry off a table and chair in order to have a moment with my Shack Burger.

But this weekend I decided to try and actually cook from his Union Square Cafe Cookbook. I knew the bar nuts recipe (perfect for Superbowl Sunday), but beyond that, I was a complete novice. Considering the weather (cold) and my Sunday social obligations (umm, none), I opted for the black bean soup which requires a mere four hours of cooking time in the oven, not to mention an overnight soak for the beans.

Well, it was worth the wait. The smell that enveloped my apartment from the beans, bacon, and vegetables was, I hope, jealously inducing for my neighbors. It was that long, slow, cooking smell that reaches into the apartment building hallways -- smells that make you go mmm.

I counted down those last few minutes, pureed the soup, added more salt, a splash of sherry vinegar, and slurped it up. Danny Meyer has fans, indeed.

Black Bean Soup with Lemon and Sherry
(from the Union Square Cafe Cookbook)

1 lb. black beans
1 c. peeled and sliced carrots
1 c. peeled and sliced onions
1 c. chopped celery
3 garlic cloves
2 t. dried thyme
4 ounces slab bacon, cut crosswise into 1" pieces
1 t. kosher salt (I followed the recipe, but ended up adding a bit more salt after tasting the finished product.)
1/2 t. ground black pepper
lemon slices
minced parsley
good quality dry sherry (optional)

Soak the beans overnight, or for a minimum of six hours.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Rinse the beans well and place them in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then drain the beans, discarding the water.

Place the beans in a 4 qt. ovenproof pot with the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, and bacon.

Cover with 2 qt. water and add the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil on the stove, then cover tightly, and place in the oven to cook for four hours.

Puree the contents of the pot. Adjust seasoning to taste.

To serve, dip one side of each lemon slice in the minced parsley and float, parsley side up, on each portion of the soup. Add a 1/4 ounce shot of dry sherry to each bowl just before serving, if desired.

Red Lentil Soup

2009-01-07T14:48:00.013-05:00

The weather isn't the only thing frightful outside. With the economy, the mid-winter blues, and the world in general, it's enough to make anyone run for the hills. Unfortunately, it's too rainy and I'm too tired to bother.

Enter red lentil soup. It's a dish that works for this time of year, meaning it's warm, easy, and cheap. The recipe I keep coming back to is from Melissa Clark, and was published in the Times a year ago. It's so healthy and so delicious that it's a crime not to make this at least once a month. I have a backlog of red lentils that I must use up, and this recipe will be on heavy rotation until I smell the start of spring. Last night I served this alongside a salad and the delightful cheese toast that the Wednesday Chef featured a few months ago. It was the kind of quiet, simple, warm dinner that makes you happy to stay home.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
(from the New York Times, January 8, 2008)
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. (I puréed the whole thing, which is why my soup looks a bit thin, although it thickens a bit on subsequent days.)

Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Montpellier Butter

2008-12-17T11:02:00.023-05:00

I subscribe to the Oxford English Dictionary's RSS feed (hey, I'm a librarian!), and so everyday I potentially learn a new word, and hopefully, improve my vocabulary. The other day the OED Word-of-the-Day was Montpellier, as in n. "the name of a town in the department of Hérault in southern France." Henceforth comes Montpellier Maple, Montpellier Yellow (or Turner's Yellow), and Montpellier Butter.

I had never heard of Montpellier butter before. But its official definition sounds very appealing: "n. Cookery butter flavoured and coloured green with a mixture of shallots, gherkin, mixed herbs, and hard-boiled egg, and usually served with fish." With a little more research on Google Books, I found quite a few mentions of Montpellier butter, and its affinity with fish, but also its adaptability to other dishes as well.

For example, Escoffier writes - in a Guide to Modern Cookery - "The only butter fit to be served with cold salmon is Montpellier butter." He adds that the butter can be added to the sides of the fish with a piping bag, "fitted with a small grooved pipe" for decoration.

Isabella Beeton, in the Book of Household Management, spreads Montpellier butter on toast, which she then tops with a hard-boiled egg and aspic.

Elizabeth David also finds the marriage between Montpellier butter and eggs to be very appealing. In French Provincial Cooking, David writes that although the butter tastes particularly wonderful with fish, both cold and grilled, "a teaspoon of Montpellier butter added to eggs en cocotte is also very delicious."

And in the Royal Cookery Book, Jules Gouffé serves Montpellier butter over rice, and with calves' brains.

But the most vivid description I read of a dish involving Montpellier butter is from a New York Times article in 1871, reporting on the Ball and Supper of the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique. The author described the food served, and its presentation, in the following way: "Salmon which, when alive, might have been credited with tremendous leaps, could never have overskipped the high and ornamental walls of richest Montpellier butter surrounding it."

I'm sold.

Chuck E. Craziness

2008-12-11T09:46:00.008-05:00

A colleague tipped me off to this outrageous article from the Wall Street Journal about violence at Chuck E. Cheese's.

"Amid pressure from local politicians, some Chuck E. Cheese's have...added security guards who carry pistols." (!!!)

Pretty crazy stuff.

...in Bocca

2008-12-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

A few years ago, the New York Times featured an article called "Save these Books!" where chefs and food writers talked about their favorite out-of-print cookbooks. While many of the books listed sounded vaguely familiar, Mario Batali's pick, Umbria in Bocca, was new to me. Batali wrote that Umbria was just one title in a series of books published in the 1970s all with "in Bocca" in the title, and all featuring a different city or region.

I made it a point to make sure the Library had every book listed in that Times article*, and was especially eager to find our own copies of the "in Bocca" series. From what I can tell, the Library has them all. Two of the books, sadly, have been rebound and do not contain the stunning cover art. The others are all preserved in their original binding, and are safely kept in specialized book boxes in the stacks. The recipes are in both English and Italian, and have wonderful illustrations throughout. But as Nach Waxman pointed out a few weeks ago (also in the New York Times), these books are extremely fragile (the covers are cardboard), so care is required to make them last.

*The Library does have every book mentioned in that article, except for one: The Provincetown Seafood Cookbook by Howard Mitcham, which was nominated by Anthony Bourdain. Needless to say, I'm hunting it down.

Jon Hammer Paintings

2008-12-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

Jon Hammer is a painter whose work captures the family-run restaurants and bars that once littered our city; places where you didn't need a reservation, much less a celebrity on your arm to get in.

The painting above is Hammer's tribute to Billy's (948 First Avenue), considered one of New York's oldest family-run restaurants, which closed its doors in 2004 after 134 years in business.

Bryan Miller, in a 1992 New York Times review of Billy's, claimed that the steakhouse menu hadn't changed since the Eisenhower administration and that pleased the patrons just fine.

Wrote Miller: "The Billy's of today retains its Old New York charm, with an ornately carved mahogany bar illuminated by an original gas lantern, red-checked tablecloths and menus posted on the wall. Almost all customers get a hug from the hostess upon entering, and the genial, wisecracking waiters are studies in quiet efficiency."

It seems the only thing left now is Hammer's painting and memories, because according to the New York Sun (now also a thing of the past) Billy's was replaced by a luxury high-rise.

Steamed Fennel

2008-11-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

I've been a little preoccupied lately (perhaps you've noticed?), and my diet has suffered as a result: I haven't been eating my vegetables. Mom, don't be alarmed, but if it wasn't for the soup I buy everyday for lunch, I might have a serious vitamin deficiency. Which is why I was so relieved to read David Tanis' steamed fennel recipe in the New York Times a few weeks ago. It's quite possibly the easiest of the tasty recipes I've read in a long time, and very adaptable for a one or two-person household...on a Tuesday night...for a 9:00 PM dinner...after a long day at work. The highest compliment a girl can give.

Steamed Fennel with Red Pepper Oil
(adapted from David Tanis' A Platter of Figs and other Recipes)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 to 1 t. red pepper flakes
6 to 8 fennel bulbs
salt and pepper
lemon

In a small pan, heat oil until warm. Turn off heat and stir in red pepper flakes. Let cool and transfer to serving bowl.

Trim fennel bulbs, reserving a few fronds. Cut bulbs crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. (Cut out and discard fibrous core at bottom of bulb.) Put fennel into perforated top of a steamer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set over boiling water and steam, tightly covered, until fennel is silky but slightly crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with fronds, and surround with lemon wedges. Pass red pepper oil and salt at table.

Cheap Eats

2008-10-22T15:00:00.004-04:00

Illustration by Luba Hanuschak

A few weeks ago, the House and Home section of the New York Times featured some very creative interior design ideas from students who know how to put a room together, even when money is scarce. But it turns out decorating isn't the only thing students can do well - and cheaply.

In the stacks I found the delightful Cheap Eats: The Art Students Coloring Cook Book, a spiral bound monograph published by the Parsons School of Design in 1976. The book is filled with illustrations and recipes from Parsons students, faculty and friends. The simple black and white drawings invite readers to color in as they see fit.

The introduction reads: For students of art it is the atmosphere, the presentation, the visual temptation of the food that sets it apart from being "just cheap eats."

And while some of the recipes sound appetizing -- except for the MSG I found in a few recipes (hey, it's 1976!) -- the illustrations really steal the show.

Illustration by Karen Scheetz

Illustration by James Glenn

The Library also has an earlier Parsons project called Bread, which was chosen as one of the "Fifty Best Books of Year" in 1975 by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.