Mydailylunch Recipes

Raw Asparagus and Sweet Pepper Salad

2011-04-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 4 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.40

Useful leftovers: Yes

This is an unusual side dish that only takes a couple of minutes and tastes fabulous. It's really easy and is very nutritious. It's a good foil for strong flavored savory food like a steak.

For each person

2 stalks Asparagus
1/4 of a Sweet pepper, red or yellow or orange
1 teaspoon Toasted sesame oil
A few drops of Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Wash the asparagus carefully and dry it. Bend it near the bottom until the tough end breaks off.

Cut the asparagus into 1/4" rounds.

Wash the pepper. Cut it into 1/4" little squares.

Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Equipment (and some ingredients) for Beginners

2011-04-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a basic set of products to stock your kitchen, most of which qualify for free shipping. For a complete kitchen set up buy one of each. (I apologize for the wierd formatting on this page. Blogspot!)

And some ingredients. Our suggestion is to try one or two.

For dried mushroom products we recommend Pistol River Mushrooms. Their products are excellent and their prices are fantastic. A simple dried wild mushroom mix or some truffle peelings can turn a humdrum dish into fare fit for a king - or me!

Dried wild mushrooms
Truffles

Truffles

The Simplest and Fastest Tomato Sauce

2011-04-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti and meatballs in less than half an hour!

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.40

Useful leftovers: Yes

The Fastest and Tomatoiest!
1 can very good tomatoes.
1 onion
1 rib of celery

A bit of oil

One of the better canned tomatoes from California is fine. Check the label and if you find some without a lot of salt and without calcium chloride pick that.

Chop the onion and celery and saute in a heavy bottomed pot until translucent in a bit of oil. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Let it simmer for a while. Mash up the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

This is surprisingly good and so simple. You can jazz it up by adding garlic, red wine, rosemary, cumin, pesto, basil, sausage, salami, ground beef, cheese, lemon, tiny shrimp or any number of other goodies!

You can use this sauce with pasta of course but you can also use it to cook chicken or fish or as a seasoning for other sauces. You can add it to macaroni and cheese to make it tomatoey or put it on top of a roast or meat loaf. So handy!

The reason we look for tomatoes without calcium chloride is that they add it to keep the tomatoes whole and firm, and we want them to break down into the sauce.

Garlic Flank Steak

2011-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cost per serving: $3.00 to $4.00

Useful leftovers: Yes

Flank steak is a great cut of meat! It has hardly any fat but a lot of flavor and a wonderful texture. It's not fork tender like a tenderloin but has a nicely chewy, beefy texture. It is one of my father's favorite meals. He liked the well done bits on the thin ends.
You can easily alter the recipe but be careful to use a meat that can stand up to strong flavors. The delicate qualities of a veal chop would be lost in this recipe. It would work with salmon but not halibut for the same reason.
Flank steak
A head of garlic
Olive oil
Fresh rosemary
Paprika
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Trim the steaks if needed. If there are bits of fat you can usually pull them off with your fingers.

Take the head of garlic and slice off the root end (the non-pointy end). Crush the head with your hand to separate the cloves. Take each clove and smash it and take the skin off. Most cooks do this by laying the flat blade of a chef's knife on the clove then hitting it with your fist, but you can use a meat pounder, small frying pan or if are like me - just your hand.

Put all the peeled garlic in a pile and chop like mad. Don't worry if the pieces aren't all the same size.

Put the garlic on the meat, sprinkle with paprika and rosemary. If you are going to let it marinate then cover it and marinate and add the red wine vinegar and seasonings right before you cook it. If you are going to use it right away add all the ingredients and smoosh it all over the meat.

In any case let the steak come to room temperature before you cook it.

Prepare a charcoal grill and when it is quite hot add a chunk of almond or oak wood if you have it to the side of the coals and replace the grill and cook the steak. You want high heat to cook it quickly and to burn off all the garlic. You can also use a heavy bottomed pan and grill it right on top of the stove or use a broiler.

If your grill is hot the steak will be done in about 7 minutes, more for a thick steak and less for a thin one.

Remove it from the grill and let it rest at least 5 minutes in a warm place before you cut into it. It's ok to let it cool a bit and it's fantastic even at room temperature.

Since this steak has some strong flavors it is best to serve with something that contrasts. I like to serve it with my Super Sauce with some chopped cucunbers added.

You can make this recipe much easier by buying (the horror!) chopped garlic, cooking it in an indoor broiler or leaving out the almond wood.

Thunder Chicken

2011-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: 5 minutes for one or two servings

Cooking time: 15 - 25 minutes, then 5 minutes to rest

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $2.00 depending on what chicken pieces you use

Useful leftovers: Yes. This is great cold

I created this dish for a fancy dinner I was catering many years ago at a nice house in Los Altos. There was a large komado grill and I asked a friend to get a charcoal fire going in there. He dropped a whole 20 pound bag of charcoal and lit it. That grill was so hot it took all the hair off both my arms and I was using long tongs!

The chicken came out great. And it's so cost effective. That's business talk for 'it makes a cheapskate smile.'

This recipe is for range cooking but it works as well on an outdoor grill.

I have an aversion to burnt garlic and can tell if there is a molecule of it in a red sauce. I hate it on fish. To me garlic should be barely translucent, not brown.

However for this dish the garlic gets really cooked. Browned. Destroyed. Yum!

Chicken
Garlic, for each piece of chicken figure 2 whole cloves of garlic
Toasted sesame oil, figure a teaspoon per piece of chicken and one more tablespoon for cooking
Salt
Pepper

Cut your chicken into serving size pieces. You can leave the skin on or take it off. Put the chicken in a bowl.

Chop the garlic. You don't have to make all the pieces the same size, just chop away. Dump it in the bowl with the chicken.

Sprinkle on some sesame oil.

You can marinate the chicken overnight to get a deeper sesame flavor in the chicken but it works well if you cook it right away too.

If you cook it on the stove put a small amount of sesame oil in a cold, heavy bottomed pan and add the chicken. Turn the heat on and bring it up to medium. You want the garlic to brown but not burn. It is going to cook for a long time so it's critical you get the pan the right temperature. If it is sizzling hard it is too hot. If it is not sizzling then it is too cool.

You can cook the chicken completely in the pan or you can brown it in the pan then put the pan in a hot oven (400°) until it is done. You'll get crisper skin if you cook it all on the stove top but you will get more tender chicken if you finish it in the stove. You can also finish it in the stove then crisp the skin in the pan.

When the chicken is completely cooked let it rest for 5 minutes before eating. The best way to know if it's done is to touch the chicken. Chicken that is still raw in the middle feels squishy and when it is overdone it feels hard. This is the only tricky part of this recipe; getting the chicken cooked properly and the skin crispy. It takes a little experience.

You can garnish the chicken with sesame seeds or chopped raw tomato and basil or cilantro. This dish goes well with mashed, roasted or baked potatoes, a cooling green salad and some sauteed veggies.

Pan Gravies

2011-04-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Beef with red-eye gravy. Coffee and beef!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: up to ten minutes

Cooking time: 1 to 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $2.00 or more if you use fancy ingredients like expensive mushrooms

Useful leftovers: Depends

Making a pan sauce or gravy is easy and delicious. It has a bad name because of some bad practices but we'll avoid those.

The idea of a pan gravy is to make a fast, tasty sauce using the caramelized brown bits left in the bottom of the pan and a flavorful liquid. It's the cheapskate's perfect way to add flavor to sauteed meats or vegetables.

Some caveats:

- If the stuff in the bottom of the pan is burned it won't make a tasty sauce. It will taste burned.
- In traditional French cooking your pan sauce would have lots of butter in it. We'll avoid that.
- The liquids and seasoning used in the gravy must be flavorful and complement the food to be sauced.

The general rules for making a pan gravy are:

- Take the sauteed or roasted items out of the pan and keep warm
- Cook aromatics in the pan
- Add liquids and reduce
- Season

Pork tenderloin with gravy made from water!

Let's say you wanted to make pork chops and country gravy. You would saute the chops in a heavy bottomed frying pan. When they are done you remove them and keep them warm, drain the fat out of the pan and add a bit of coffee. Turn the heat to high and scrape up all the goodness on the bottom of a pan. Pour it over the chops.

To make chicken with mushroom gravy cook the chicken in a heavy bottomed pan. Remove it and keep it warm and add some minced onion and sliced mushrooms and cook quickly. When they are cooked and brown add a bit of dried thyme, a touch of milk or cream and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Pour it over the chicken.

To make a steak with red wine gravy cook the steak in the pan, take it out and keep it warm. Follow the directions for the chicken above but instead of milk or cream add some red wine and reduce. Then at the last minute add a touch of butter, or milk or cream or sour cream and swirl.

You can use all sorts of liquids to make the gravy. You can use apple juice or tomato juice, water, milk, cream, liquors, etc. Just make sure it complements the principal ingredients and use a good tasting liquid. An over the hill or sour wine will make bland or off-putting gravy. You don't have to use Lafite to make gravy but if you use crappy wine you'll get crappy gravy.

Season the gravy with salt and pepper at the last minute.

Mushroom Rice

2011-04-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 1 minute or less

Cooking time: 15 to 35 minutes plus 10 minutes to rest

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $2.00 depending on what dried mushrooms you use

Useful leftovers: Yes. Throw in soup or use to make fried rice.

Dried mushrooms are a great ingredient. So useful for making stocks here it creates a stock as the rice cooks.

It's important to use mushrooms that will be tender enough to eat. Some dried mushrooms can be really tough. To check put a few dried mushrooms in a cup of hot water and wait ten minutes then taste them.

If they are tough then you can use them to make stock but don't add them to the dish. Just heat two cups of water and add the mushrooms, wait ten minutes or until the stock is dark brown then drain and use the water in the recipe instead of using the mushrooms.

2 tablespoons dried mushrooms
2 cups of rice (I like brown basmati but you can use virtually any kind of rice)
Water to cover

Put the dried mushrooms in a pot. Add the rice. Cook according to the directions on the rice. I always use my mom's rule - put enough water in to cover the rice and one thumbnail. I put in two thumbnails for brown rice because it takes longer to cook.

This is a hearty dish and you can garnish it in many ways. You can use walnut or almond or peanut pieces, smoke salmon, pork, bits of chicken, green herbs, etc.

This recipe is not only a great accompaniment it is a great leftover. A tablespoon in a veggie soup packs a lot of flavor. It reheats beautifully. You can use it to stuff vegetables or a chicken. You can saute onions, carrots, parsnips, etc. in the pan before you make this recipe in it. You can add curry, cumin, saffron, etc.

Onions and Fennel

2011-04-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 7 - 10 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.75 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Yes. This is great thrown into a soup or used in a pasta sauce

I served a nice dinner to a friend yesterday and this was the dish he really liked. It's easy and fast and very tasty.

This recipe involves dry-frying, my technique of cooking vegetables in a hot pan with no oil or liquids.

1 Onion
1 large bulb of Fennel
A bit of olive oil or butter
Salt and Pepper

Peel, remove the stem and chop the onion into slices or chunks at least 1/4" thick. If they are too thin they will burn rather than grill.

Peel if necessary, remove the core and chop of slice the same size as the onion.

Put the vegetables in a cold heavy bottomed frying pan and turn the heat onto medium. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are completely cooked and browned a little. Season with salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil or butter and swirl the pan around. Serve.

This dish can stay hot in the pan for a few minutes.

You can make this with parsnips, celery, very small dice of carrots, zucchini, etc.

You can serve this with Super Sauce, walnut pieces, bits of smoked ham, sliced green leafy herbs like basil or parsley, or rosemary or cumin.

Cucumber and Carrot Salad

2011-04-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Very easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Useful but not great. The salad is best fresh.

So easy! So healthy! So tasty!
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tablespoon of walnut pieces
Toasted sesame oil
Lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and pepper

Wash the cucumber and slice it thinly or cut into chunks.

Scrub the carrot and cut it into small pieces. I like to do this by cutting a thin slice lengthwise so it will sit flat, then cutting it into wedges, then cutting those into sticks. Use a sharp, heavy knife for best control.

Put the cucumber and carrot in a mixing bowl and season with the sesame oil, lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and serve.

To make this really special, toast the walnuts for a few minutes in a dry saute pan over medium heat or in a 350° oven for a few minutes, then let them cool and add them to the salad.

How to Cook Steaks or Chops

2011-04-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Medium but takes some practice to get the doneness right

Prep time: depends how much trimming the steak needs

Cooking time: 10 minutes per inch of steak

Cost per serving: $1.00 and up depending on the quality and cut of meat

Useful leftovers: Holy Escoffier yes!

Is there anything more satisfying than a good steak!

There are a couple of tricks to making a really great steak and here they are. These apply to beef steaks, pork chops, lamb, whatever but for clarity's sake I am going to use beef in all the examples.

Pork tenderloin with red eye (coffee!) gravy

First you have to start with a good piece of meat. Since steak is a simple dish the ingredients truly matter.

Knowing which cut to use makes a huge difference. Muscles that get used a lot like the leg and shoulder do not make tender steaks. They have to braised or ground to get them to be tender enough to eat.

The most tender part of a mammal is the tenderloin, a long thin muscle that lays against the spine. On an animal where the spine is horizontal, like cattle, the tenderloin does practically nothing. It has very little fat or connective tissue. It's the most tender cut but also the least flavorful. It's the most expensive part of the animal because it is so tender, but that hardly makes it the best steak.

One of my favorites - lamb flank steaks!

Next on the list are cuts that come from the rib section, such as the rib-eye and the New York strip. These are the perfect combination of tenderness and flavor. Marbling, or the fat in between the muscle fibers, will determine the quality and price of the steak. At the top is Wagyu, or Kobe style beef. It is very rich with obvious marbling all through the meat. I'll never forget the first time I tried it at Grace in Los Angeles. It's expensive but really a great experience to eat.

Sirloin chops come from an area that gets a little more exercise so they are not quite as tender but still can be good eating. Steaks from the round and flank are less tender yet but still can be made into good steaks. There are other small steaks that are interesting but come from less tender areas of the animal. I like flat iron steaks that come from the shoulder. There are only two small steaks per animal but they have an interesting texture and a lot of flavor. They also cook very quickly.

Steaks cut from the shoulder and leg can be rather chewy.

Pork sirloin steak with chipotle and powdered garlic

So now to the technique.

1) Take the steaks out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature before you cook them. Rub them with oil to help brown them.

2) Salt but don't pepper them right before cooking. You'll add more salt later so don't over do it.

3) If you are cooking indoors use a heavy bottomed pan. The heavy bottom will spread the heat evenly and will not cool off when you put the meat in it.

If you are cooking outdoors get your grill hot.

Rolled lamb leg steak with Super Sauce

4) Use the guideline of ten minutes per inch to cook the meat. If it is less than an inch thick you can cook it right on top of the stove but if it is thicker you'll want to brown it on top of the stove, baste it then finish it in a hot oven. This improves the texture and keeps the outside from overcooking while the meat cooks through.

To test for doneness the best way is to press the steak with your finger. If it is soft it is rare. If it is firm but still a little soft in the middle it is medium rare (this is where I take it off the heat). If it is firm it is well done. If you are not sure you can take a small knife and peek inside.

Let the steak rest for a couple of minutes before serving it. If you cut into it right away the moisture will run right out and the meat will get gray, toughen up and be dry.

Dry Fried Asparagus

2011-03-31T01:56:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 4 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.40

Useful leftovers: Yes

Dry frying is my technique of cooking vegetables in a dry hot pan until done then dressed lightly with oil or butter and seasonings.

It is really easy and fast and the veggies taste fantastic.

You need a heavy bottomed pan. You can't make this in a thin bottomed pan. Maybe you can, but I can't.

This recipe works really well with asparagus, green beans, squash, carrots, onions, celery, etc.

Asparagus, washed carefully and dried, tough stalks removed and cut into 1/2" pieces
A tiny bit of butter
Salt and pepper

Heat a cast iron pan until it is fairly hot. You don't want it extremely hot but if you drop a drop of water on it it should sizzle and the water should evaporate quickly.

Put the chopped veggies in one layer in the pan. It's ok if they don't all quite fit but if you have two complete layers the veggies will get soggy.

Shake the pan every couple of minutes while they cook. Let the veggies cook until they are slightly brown and just barely done. Toss in the bit of butter and swirl the pan just until the butter is melted and pour out into a serving dish. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently.

Brown Rice Risotto

2011-03-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour but most of it is just watching and stirring

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $2.00 or more if you use fancy ingredients like expensive mushrooms

Useful leftovers: Very useful! Great reheated or used to thicken soup

This is a great recipe. It takes a long time but there is little work to do. Despite what TV cooks will tell you you don't need arborio or carnaroli rice. The texture of this risotto is surprisingly like the classic risotto but with a nuttier flavor and of course it's a lot better for you. Not only is it a whole grain dish I don't dump a half pound of cheese on it - but you could. My version is vegan but you could use chicken or beef stock instead of the mushroom stock, and you can add bits of cooked meat as a garnish.

This recipe takes over an hour to cook but after the first ten minutes you just have to stir and add liquid when needed, which is every few minutes.

The best rice for this is brown basmati rice. I love the nutty taste which really comes out in this dish. It's really versatile too; you can eat it as is, add nuts, cheese, bits of leftover meat, you can throw it in a soup or you can put it on a tray and refrigerate it, cut it into shapes and deep fry it.

1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 cups of brown rice
1 clove of garlic, minced
Fresh or dried thyme
4 cups of hot water

Put the wild mushrooms in the hot water. Stir them up and push them down so they are all wet. Keep this stock on a low heat or keep it covered while you make the risotto. If it cools down heat it up again. You want the stock to be just below the boiling point while you add it to the rice over the course of an hour.

Saute the onions in the olive oil with the thyme until the onions are cooked but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice and cook for a couple of minutes. It should smell quite nutty.

Add enough mushroom stock to barely cover the rice and stir like mad. Leave the rice over really low heat and every few minutes stir it like mad. You don't want to be gentle, you want to put little holes in the rice.

When there is just a little liquid left in the rice add more to cover and stir like mad again.

If you start to run out of stock and the rice isn't cooked just add some more hot water to the mushrooms.

After 45 minutes or so you'll start to see a nice creamy quality to the liquid in the rice. When you see that and the rice is no longer hard the risotto is done.

Add salt and pepper (be generous as the rice is bland) and if they are tender add the mushrooms from the soaking liquid.

You can garnish the risotto with fresh herbs, cheese, bits of meat, water chestnuts, etc.

Sauteed Celery

2011-03-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.50

Useful leftovers: Good reheated and good to throw in soup or use other ways

This is a simple dish but it's unusual and has a lot of flavor and texture.

Celery
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper and a pinch of celery seeds.

Wash and slice a few ribs of celery about 1/4 inch thick. Heat a dry, heavy bottomed pan and add the celery and let it sit for a minute or two until it starts to turn brown. Add a bit of olive oil (just for flavor really) and grind a pinch of celery seeds with your fingers over it, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Takes a couple of minutes, is low in calories and tastes great. Simple and delicious and unusual enough to serve at the fanciest tables.

You can vary the recipe by adding onions, corn, parsnips, parsley, etc. It's great for a bed for entrees.

How to cook Green Beans

2011-03-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

Quick, easy and so tasty as a side dish.

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: up to ten minutes

Cooking time: 1 to 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Yes

I love this method of cooking vegetables. They steam in their own juices and get a little browning action.

Clean, dry and trim some green beans. Cut them into one inch lengths.

Get a heavy bottomed pan hot and add the beans. Do not put oil or butter in the pan first. Don't stir them, let them brown.

When you can see they are about a third of the way done shake the pan and turn them all over to cook the other side.

When they are about a third of the way done on the second side add a pat or two of butter and swirl the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove from the pan immediately.

The beans will be crunchy and have a great deep flavor.

This recipe also works with zucchini, celery, parsnips, etc.

Easy, Fast, Tasty, Pea soup

2011-03-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Just one word - YUM!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: up to ten minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.50 and up depending on garnishes

Useful leftovers: Yes

Just like the title says this is easy, fast and very tasty.

1 small onion or half a big one
1 small carrot of half a big one
1 pound bag of frozen peas, rinsed with hot water
Pinch of thyme, fresh or dried
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Cut the carrot and onion into small dice. Saute gently in the olive oil until they are cooked but not browned. This is called sweating.

Add the peas and enough water just to cover them. Bring to a boil and blend, either with a stick or regular blender or in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.

To make it fancy blend it really well then force it through a sieve. This will get rid of any bits of veggies that didn't puree completely and give you a smoother texture.

You can add a touch of cream and a dot of butter if you want a more classic French style soup.

You can garnish this soup many ways. I like crunchy or salty things as they contrast with the mild soup. Croutons, nuts, bits of ham, small chunks of lemon and bits of black olive are all great with this soup. You could put a dollop of yogurt or sour cream in the middle for a nice garnish.

Hartman House Dressing/Marinade/Cheap Drunk

2011-03-24T00:45:00.000-07:00

NOTE: For reasons of historical accuracy and general laziness I have not edited this recipe, hence the layout problems and such. Sorry. It's another thing we created to get plant matter into our kids stomachs. Enjoy!

1 liter     Kalamata Olive oil (1)
1 cup or so cheap balsamic vinegar
1 large wine glass     Latour '63
4 or 5 anchovy fillets, or smoked herring (see NOTE)
1/2   Lemon
1 big blopping tablespoon     Dijon mustard
1 Boatload     garlic, peeled, little brown umbilicals and any brown spots cut off (2)
1 Boatload     fresh herbs (3)
Wooooseeestershire sauce to taste, probably a teaspoon or so
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
One nasty little pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

1) Juice the lemon and if you want, chop up a teaspoon or so of the zest. Rinse the herbs and dry them on a paper towel. (4)

2) Put the garlic, mustard, anchovies, herbs, lemon juice and zest into a food processor. Add enough balsamic vinegar just to cover it and chop the bejeezes out of it. It doesn't need to be pureed, it should have lots of little pieces in it.

3) With the motor running if possible, add a few drops of olive oil. Let it process for a few seconds to start the emulsion. Slowly add more oil, waiting for it to process every few seconds.

I don't have a big food processor, so at this point I put it into a large bowl and use a wire whisk to beat it like DELETED as I slowly add the oil. You'll want to add more vinegar.

4) Call me first, then rush like hell over to my house so I can have the Latour. Hmm, maybe I'll make myself a steak to go with it. Thanks!

5) Add the Woosterstuff sauce, pepper and sugar. Mix it up and taste it (I like to use a cucumber stick or jicama, but a clean finger works well) before you add any salt, or more pepper or other stuff.

(1) OK, so you'll need a little less than that.
(2) 1 boatload equals a dozen big cloves or so. At least.
(3) A bunch of basil and half a bunch of parsley does well. I use about two cups of herbs.
(4) You don't have to go crazy drying the herbs, they're full of water anyway.

NOTE: If you are using canned anchovies or anchovy paste you don't have to rinse them. If you are using the fancy salted anchovies then soak them for five minutes in water, then pull their little spines out, pinch off any bones or guts that are left on them (this is why anchovies don't like humans) and rinse them well. You can also use smoked herring, which is really cheap and you can get it in any market. A can costs about a buck. Sometimes they are called kippers or kippered herring. Use the ones in oil, not sauce.

NEXT NOTE: It hardly ever stays emulsified so don't worry about it.

EVEN MORE OF THESE DAMN NOTES: You might notice that I have these NB type notes and the numbered notes above. I noticed that too. Too much Fledermaus will do that to ya.

SIGH - MORE NOTES: If you are going to use a different oil, I would recommend cheaper rather than more expensive. You are going to process it with a boatload of garlic and anchovies. Any subtle flavor derived from the precious volcanic soils of Vesuvius are going to be smothered by the fragrant tang of the fruit of Gilroy.

Onions and Peppers

2011-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: Depends on how much you make but for 2 lbs of peppers and an onion figure 10 minutes

Cooking time: 7 - 10 minutes

Cost per serving: cheap

Useful leftovers: Oh yes

This sounds too simple to be good. I almost always have a tub of this in my fridge and I use it all the time.

Onions
Sweet red peppers
Olive oil
Salt

This would be so drab without it!

It couldn't be much simpler. Go to a market where you can get inexpensive red bell peppers. There are some Asian markets near here where I sometimes get them for less than a dollar.

Number two peppers are fine for this. Those are the ones that are too twisted or have a scar or blemish and can't be sold as a number 1. As long as they are not cracked open or disgusting or old they are fine. Look for crisp ones that have a relatively smooth skin.

I don't care about the skins on the peppers but if you do go ahead and peel them.

Wash and dry the peppers. Cut the flesh into strips. I don't cook for customers or teachers so I don't care if they are all the same size. Makes no difference here.

Cut an onion into chunks.

Put the vegetables into a dry, heavy bottomed pan. You cannot make this in a thin pan. You'll burn everything. Turn the heat onto medium and when they are just starting to brown add 1/4 cup of good olive oil. Not a fancy olive oil, just not a bitter cheesy one.

Turn the heat way down and stir like mad. At this point you want to cook the stuff very slowly for at least 1/2 hr. We don't want a lot of browning but we want everything to be fully cooked and soft. Don't let a molecule of raw onion remain but be careful nothing burns. If you can cook it for 45 minutes without burning it so much the better.

Put the peppers and onions into a bowl and scrape the stuff from the bottom of the pan into the bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and another tablespoon of olive oil. When it is cooled to room temperature put it in the fridge.

Here are some ways that I use this:

As a bruschetta topping, sometimes with smoked herring and lemon or with cucumbers
As a pasta sauce base
As a meat sauce base
As a salad dressing base
Over a rare steak or piece of lamb or sausage
As a salad ingredient
As a filling in a stuffed chicken breast of pork chop
As a flavoring oil'
As a dip

You can vary this many ways. I sometimes add serrano chiles or chunks of potato. I like to sprinkle Cholula hot sauce on it. You can use it to top chile or enchiladas. It's great with sour cream.

These peppers go well with bits of salty things like ham but also with very savory things like grilled meat, sausage, or meaty fish like mackerel.

The best thing in this recipe is the oil! It tastes great. Just sprinkle a little on a grilled Italian sausage, or grilled eggplant or tomatoes. Just great.

Hartman House Spice Rub

2011-03-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

You get a whole lotta yum with a few spices

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: Maybe a quarter

Useful leftovers: Keep it dry and cool

I use this mixture a lot! I use it as a general seasoning and a spice rub when I barbeque or smoke meat. It's good on vegetables. You can add other spices or herbs to adjust it for individual recipes.

Notice there is NO salt in this. I mix salt into it when I use it so I can control the amount. There is nothing in here to keep it from hardening. So sometimes, especially if you live in a humid climate, you'll have to scrape or hit it with a spoon. Better than loading it with chemicals to keep it flowing.

Since I never measure anything and you can alter this as you wish the amounts are very approximate.

10 parts Sweet Paprika
2 parts Smoked Paprika
1 part Chipotle powder
2 parts Garlic powder
2 parts freshly ground Cumin seeds
1 part Celery seeds, ground between your fingers
1 part Dried Thyme
1 part freshly ground black pepper

Mix it in a bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Put it in a container and keep tightly closed.

Lamb Flank Steaks

2011-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: A minute. Plus a couple of minutes to heat the pan

Cooking time: A minute or less on each side

Cost per serving: $3.00 to $5.00

How to use leftovers: Sliced thin on crackers with mustard and lemon juice, or added to salads, perfect for sandwiches. Best eaten cold as a leftover as these are thin and can dry out.


A pretty nice lunch featuring Lamb Flank Steaks

I love these! Inexpensive (for lamb), easy easy easy to cook and very tasty.

You have to use a hot, heavy-bottomed pan for these. They need to brown fast without overcooking the thin interior.

Lamb flank steaks - figure 2 per person. They are about 2 oz. each, or you can serve one as an elegant appetizer
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Salt the lamb. Put a teaspoon of oil in the pan for each steak. When it starts to smoke add the flank steaks. Don't crowd the pan or they will boil in their own moisture rather than brown. You want them to brown in less than a minute.

When they are browned turn them over and brown the other side. They will brown more if you wipe them around the bottom of the pan to scrape up the brown bits. As soon as they are browned take them out of the pan and keep them warm on a plate for a minute. Grind pepper over them.

Hints on using leftovers

2011-03-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

In a restaurant we don't want to eat leftovers but at home we treasure them! Leftover steak! Leftover potatoes! Sauces, pasta, soups all make great leftovers if you follow some principles and don't have a bad attitude about them.

1) When you cook think about what you might do with the leftovers when you make the original recipe. Making pizza? How sad to have some leftover slice tomatoes, garlic in olive oil, shredded cheese!

Good dishes make good leftovers, crappy dishes make crappy leftovers.

2) We are judicious seasoners and don't tend to use a lot of salt but leftovers frequently need a kick. You need to add salt, pepper, hot sauce, fresh herbs, something - to kick the flavor up.


Leftover rice and smoked ham? Aww.

3) Always think soup if you can. Make a simple brunoise or duxelle and add your leftovers, some wine (white or red, Marsala, Madiera, Sherry, etc) and you are there.

4) I never order manicotti or stuffed shells in a restaurant because you have no idea what's in there. But at home I do know and can use many dishes by adding a bit of tomatoes or sauce, olives, etc, to the chopped leftovers and make stuff pasta.

5) If you have a nice piece of beef or lamb or pork, eat it cold! Let it come to room temperature for a few minutes and serve with a vinaigrette with lots of Dijon mustard or fresh herbs in it.

Home made pizza!

2011-03-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

For us pizza is a summer food made with ingredients from the garden: tomatoes, garlic, basil, sweet or hot peppers. We keep it simple. For dinner parties we like to line pie tins with dough and let people make their own.

We chop the garlic and put it in some olive oil and wipe the oil on the edge of the pizza.

We peel great fresh tomatoes and slice them. For me a great treat is to drink the tomato water left at the bottom of the bowl! Fantastic!

We shred or cut mozzarella (not from Wisconsin, of course) and sprinkle on basil and some of the garlic. This is the way I like it, simple and delicious.

Here is one that has some browned, crumbled sausage and slice green olives added.

In case you are wondering, YES it does taste as good as it looks. So easy, so delicious!

Confession time: I do make the dough sometimes but frequently we use Bridgeford's frozen bread dough.

Lamb chops or steaks

2011-03-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

A Fernand Point style recipe:

Make sure your chops or steak is at least an inch thick for best results.

Let them come to room temperature. Salt them but do not pepper them.

Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add a thin layer of olive oil. Put the chops in the pan and cook them uncovered and undisturbed for 4 minutes. They should be nice and browned. Turn them and brown the other side. If they are not done you can turn them again or put them in a hot oven and cook them until they are just past rare. Take them out of the pan and put them on a plate.

Drain the fat out of the pan but don't wipe it out. Put it back on the heat and add half and onion chopped fine, a pinch of salt and some celery seeds, thyme or rosemary. Cook the onion quickly and add some lemon juice, a tablespoon of water and some salt and pepper and boil down until there is just a trickle of sauce. Serve it over the lamb chops.

Truffled Mushroom Sauce

2011-03-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

I don't make a lot of sauces. I can make several dozen but we eat pretty cleanly here.

But on special occasions this kicks butt. Don't believe the snobby wisdom that canned or jarred truffles aren't worth eating. They are not the same as fresh truffles but for a sauce like this they are fantastic. I buy mine from Pistol River Mushrooms. Right now a small jar of truffle peelings (perfectly good for this) are less than $7 and whole truffles are less than $8.

1 half of a black truffle or the same amount of chopped truffles
1 onion, diced very finely
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 oz dried mushrooms, any kind
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon Madeira or Marsala
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

If you make the steaks in a frying pan you can take them out and make this sauce in the pan while the meat is resting.

Soak the dried mushrooms in a cup of hot water for at least 15 minutes. I start them before I cook the steaks.

Saute the onion and fresh mushrooms in the butter until the onions are just translucent and not browned. Add the truffle, tomato paste and the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for a minute.

Add the liquid from the dried mushrooms and if they are tender enough, chop and add them. Off the heat add the Madeira or Marsala then cook for another minute (being careful as it might flame up).

Add the cream and reduce everything over high heat for a minute until it thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a sauceboat and it won't be long until the groans of pleasure begin!

Chicken Stuffed Under the Skin

2011-03-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

The secret to this dish is to put something flavorful under the skin then get the skin crisp. In this version I use bacon but you can use butter, sauteed mushrooms or onions or carrots or just about anything. I will admit that when I made this for the blog I ate both portions one after the other. As I write this I am stuffed but it’s a good kind of stuffed. I’ll eat light tomorrow.

Oh man Oh man Oh man Oh man

If you don’t want the extra fat in the skin just take it off after cooking. It will help to keep the meat from drying out. Cooking with the bones adds a lot of flavor.

I know this looks long and difficult but it really isn't.

For 2 people:

2 Chicken breasts, bone in and skin on. You want a lot of skin.
1 slice of bacon (of course I used my home made bacon for extra incredibleness)
Hartman House Spice Mix or your favorite spice blend or rub
Olive oil
4 lemons

Put some olive oil in a bowl and add the spice rub. Add salt if you wish but don’t use pepper until after it’s cooked.

Slice the bacon in half width wise. Trim any extra fat or bones off the chicken.

Take each chicken breast and loosen the skin at the top and the bottom so you can slide the bacon right in there. Make sure it lays flat.

Dip the skin of the chicken into the spiced olive oil or rub it on the chicken with a spoon.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. You want the skin to brown and sizzle but you don’t want to burn the spices.

Put the chicken skin side down in the skillet. If the sides get hot lean the chicken against them so the most skin is touching the hot surface as possible.

Wash the lemons and cut them in half. Throw them in the bowl with the spiced oil and swish them around. Put them cut side down if possible in the skillet.

Turn the oven on to 375°.

When the chicken is brown put the pan in the oven in the middle rack or higher. Roast for 10 minutes then turn the chicken skin side up. Baste with juices from the pan. If there aren’t enough then add a tablespoon of water and swirl it around.

Bake for another 5 minutes and check to see if they are done. This is where experience helps because the best way to tell is by touching the chicken. When it is raw it feels mushy and soft, when it is overdone it feels hard. When it is just right it feels firm but springy.

When they are done take them out of the pan, blot them to dry the surface and let them rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a grinding or two of black pepper.

Meanwhile squeeze all the juices from the lemons (a big spoon works well) and if you need to add a little water and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom and pour this sauce into a bowl. Add salt and pepper and a bit of fresh lemon juice if you want. This is a dipping sauce for the chicken.

If all has gone well the skin will be flat and crisp and will have a smokey flavor from the bacon. The spice rub will add a lot of flavor and the sweet and sour lemon sauce is a great foil.

Clams and Celery with Vermouth

2011-03-07T23:51:00.001-08:00

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes plus an hour to soak the clams

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $1.50

Useful leftovers: Good served cold with a flavorful sauce

Fast and easy and so tasty

Serves 1

4 clams
1/4 rib of celery
1/2 shallot
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of dry vermouth
Zest and juice of a lemon

Soak the clams in cold water for an hour. Scrub them to make sure they are clean and have no grit.

Finely chop the shallot and cut the celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute them gently with the zest in the olive oil.

When they are translucent and slightly browned take the pan off the heat and add the clams, the vermouth and the water. Cover the pan and put it on high heat.

Cook for two minutes then peek to see if the clams are starting to open. If they are, remove the open clams to a bowl. Season the liquid in the pan with salt and lemon juice. Pour the liquid over the clams and serve.