Food for Thought

My Tomato Salad

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Now, as they are in season, vendors are almost giving away tomatoes. Take advantage of this largess and try my tomato salad recipe:

Peel three or four large dead-ripe tomatoes (this is important ... try dipping them in boiling water for a few seconds to loosen the skin) and cut them into bit-sized pieces. Put this into a large bowl. Clean and dice a small bunch of scallions and add them. Chop a good four or five sprigs of Italian parsley and add to the bowl. If you want, you can also add chopped fresh basil and oregano (I often don't.) Add a good five-finger pinch of salt and about six grinds of fresh black pepper. Squeeze in a half a juicy lemon through your fingers to catch the seeds. Add about four dollops of good olive oil and about three of a good (but not great) balsamic vinegar. Mix well and refrigerate until cold. (I know, I know, you are not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes ... but trust me on this.)

If you can keep from eating this all yourself, serve what is left to your good friends and family ... with a good crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Catch a Tory

2011-08-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've never cooked chicken cacciatore before ... but tonight I tackled it (without benefit of a recipe) ... and it turned out pretty well. Today I bought four chicken thighs for $4.35 and decided to tried my hand at this dish. Here's how it went:

Rinse the chicken thighs and dry them thoroughly. Salt and pepper them liberally on both sides. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add a good olive oil (I actually used peanut oil tonight ... I couldn't find the olive oil) and heat until smoking. Add the chicken thighs and cook them until well browned. Remove the thighs to a plate and add one well chopped onion ($0.30), three slivered garlic cloves ($0.25) and one well diced Italian pepper ($0.50). Then add a good sprinkling of red pepper flakes and some fennel seeds to taste (I like a lot of them). Put a big can of good whole tomatoes ($1.69) in a big bowl and squeeze them to a pulp and then add them to the frying pan. Add a good pinch of salt and some more black pepper grinds, a palm-full of dried parsley flakes, a bay leaf, and a good pinch of oregano.

Cook this sauce for about ten minutes and then return the chicken thighs to the pan along with a can of drained artichoke hearts ($1.89) or just artichoke heart bottoms and any juices from the thighs. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook another fifteen minutes or until the chicken is real tender. (A few things I could have added but didn't -- some chopped-up sun-dried tomatoes and a good splash of red wine.) In a separate pot boil a good quantity of salted water and cook some cappellini ($1.29). Serve the chicken cacciatori over the pasta with a liberal sprinkling of Romano cheese. Enjoy. (You pick the side entrees ... maybe oil and garlic broccolini and a balsamic-vinegar tomato salad, see: My Tomato Salad.)

So, for around ten dollars I main-course fed very generously three people (with enough left for my lunch tomorrow.) We all said it was delicious. Not bad for a chicken-cacciatore tyro.

Brussels Sprouts

2011-08-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

I despised Brussels sprouts until at least the age of forty. Now I love them. (I suspect that it was they way people had cooked them for me.) Here is a recipe that may make you love them as much as I do now:

Buy a tub of Brussels sprouts and rinse them in cold water in a colander. Now clean them by removing any discolored outer leaves, cutting off the darkened stem end down about ¼ inch, and notching the fresh-cut stem end with a ½ inch deep cross. Place them all, cleaned, in a pot of cold salted water to cover. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for about five minutes or so until softened. Return them to the colander and rinse in cold water. Now cut them all into half-moons through one slit in the stem end. Heat a large frying pan with about two tablespoons of butter and the juice of half of a lemon. Add the Brussels sprouts and four grinds of fresh black pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Now stir and sauté them until they are dark brown all around. (It’s alright if a few appeared blackened … they are the best tasting.) Sample one and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve piping hot (important!)

Lily Livered

2011-08-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Not many people like liver. I love it and, if you follow these dictates, you might like it too. The process is quite simple and in three steps:

1) Cook some nice bacon until crisp in a large cast-iron frying pan. Drain on paper towels and wipe out the pan with more paper towels.
2) Saute a thinly sliced onion or two in sufficient butter until golden brown but not burnt. Salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate. (Optional)
3) It is important to prepare the calf's liver by removing the outside membrane and any large internal veins. (The calf's liver should be very pale and fresh ... not gamey ... otherwise forget it. Beef liver is what has ruined most people's taste for this dish.) Add more butter to the frying pan and a good dollop of peanut oil. Heat until wisps of smoke appear. Salt and pepper the liver liberally, lightly flour it, and add to the frying pan. Sear quickly until you get a brown crust on both sides but the inside is still a little pink. Remove to a serving dish. Add a little white wine or water to the frying pan to make the au jus. Top with the fried onions and/or the crisp bacon.

Serve with mashed or escalloped potatoes (see: Escalloped Potatoes) ... topped with the au jus and sided with maybe sauteed Brussels sprouts (see: Brussels Sprouts). Enjoy! (And you know it is very good for you too!)

On the Cheap

2011-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

For those who like veal and don't want to spring for expensive veal leg meat, you can often find veal stew meat at a considerable discount at your local supermarket. This is frequently shoulder meat but, sometimes, better cuts are remaindered as stew meat at about one third the price of leg meat. When you find such a deal, first make sure that it is fresh and, second, that it is pale ... almost white. Buy about a half a pound per person since it will lose some bulk both in trimming and cooking. Also acquire a package of tiny baby carrots, some tiny red, white, or fingerling potatoes (or pick the smallest ones out yourself), a package of frozen pearl onions, and a package of small white button mushrooms.

To prepare this stew give yourself at least two hours. Start by trimming the stew meat of all gristle and unnecessary fat ... and cutting it into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces (I like it smaller to match the size of the other ingredients). Then salt, pepper and flour the meat liberally. Heat some canola oil in a large stainless steel frying pan and brown the veal well on all sides. Then add a good tablespoon of butter and the cleaned mushrooms that have been cut to the size of the veal chunks. Saute them until they take on good color. Add the baby carrots and two cups of chicken or veal stock ... not beef stock as we are trying to keep this dish pale in color and delicate in flavor. For herbs, may I suggest about a teaspoon of fresh chervil or half a teaspoon of dried. Lacking this herb, substitute the same amount of tarragon. Also add a large bay leaf and, maybe a bouquet garni if you have one.. Cover and simmer for about an hour.

Uncover and add the pearl onions and potatoes ... halved if too big ... and simmer for another 20 minutes adding liquid or water as required. (Note: if you don't include potatoes here, serve this veal stew over cooked white or wild rice.) When ready, if the stew is not the texture of tomato soup, add a roux made with a tablespoon each of butter and flour or, better yet, arrowroot. Adjust the salt and pepper levels if required and simmer for another five minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the bouquet garni. Serve with a nice cold dry white whine (Chenin Blanc), a nice tart green salad (dandelion greens dressed with a vinaigrette ... see Recipe), and a crusty baguette. Enjoy.

Ham I Am

2011-07-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Ham steak is a nice menu change. I usually fix it this way.

Take a large cast iron frying pan and melt a heaping tablespoon of bacon fat in it. Swish it around. Now fry the ham steak (old-fashioned kind ... bone in ... plenty of contained fat ... no cuticle of plastic edging) for a few minutes. Sprinkle the top lightly with ground cloves and a tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Turn it over and repeat this process. Flip back and forth until it is well coated and done but not burnt. Remove from the pan and carefully add a quarter cup of water (or apple cider) to make a "red-eye" gravy.

Cut and serve with buttered mashed potatoes and string beans. Pore some gravy on the mashed potatoes. (The cook gets the piece with the bone marrow ... the best part.)

Eggplant Parm

2011-05-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last week, in between tutoring gigs, I stopped for lunch at a place called Ziti's on Speen Street in Natick, MA and ordered its eggplant parmigian ($7.95). It was sublimely delicious. So tonight I tried to duplicate it here at home. I came very close.

First get a firm, fresh, standard eggplant. Peel it and cut it into 3/4 inch rounds, discarding the ends. Then place two layers of paper towels on a cookie sheet and, salting the eggplant pieces liberally on both sides with Kosher salt. place them on the paper towels. Cover them with another two layers of paper towels and another cookie sheet and then something heavy (say a big cast-iron frying pan.) Let them stand for at least an hour. Remove and discard the paper towels. Pat the rounds dry. Then grind fresh black pepper on both sides.

Now place the big cast-iron frying pan on high heat, covering the bottom generously with extra virgin olive oil. When quite hot, start frying the eggplant rounds in batches (adding lots more oil as required) until nicely browned on both sides ... removing them to more paper towels. (No egg wash and bread crumbs ... why the extra calories?) Finally, in the remaining oil, saute three minced garlic cloves, red pepper flakes to taste (I used about four shakes), a pinch of salt, some fennel seeds, and a large can of good crushed tomatoes. Cook about five minutes. Then place about a cup of the tomato sauce on one of the cookie sheets (should have at least 1/2 inch sides), then the eggplant slices, and a good slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on each. Spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over the cheese and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in the top half of a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbling.

Eat until you burst. No need for anything else. And the next time you are in Natick, MA stop by Ziti's and say thank you (over a plate of its eggplant parm.)

Lots of Lox

2011-01-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Bagels and lox are the quintessential Sunday morning treat. I had forgotten much of the ceremony surrounding this treat until my friend, David, reminded me of it a few summers back. First start with a parcel of very good smoked Nova Scotia salmon (lox). I have found the the thinner and paler pink it is, the better it is. (The pictured lox above seems too thick and too dark.) Avoid supermarket specials and go for the hand-cut Nova, if you can find it.

Next the bagels ... I like those that come with everything (a wide variety of seeds). I slice them at least into thirds lengthwise (for thinner round discs) and toast them until they are brown but not burned. The guest of honor (or my wife) gets the piece with most of the seeds. (Here's where it's better to be married to someone with diverticulitis.)

Then the cream cheese ... try to get the kind without the gum agar if you can find it. Otherwise, I like whipped Philadelphia cream cheese. Spread this thickly on each toasted bagel section (a schmear).

This is followed by at least two pieces of lox and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. One may substitute thinly-sliced smoked sturgeon or smoked sable for the lox (sometimes I like this even better.)

Now on top place some very finely minced purple onion and some nonpareil capers ... and a sprig of fresh dill. The tomato slices are really not necessary.

Serve with a cup of good steaming hot coffee and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice (Valencia, preferred).

Now do the New York Times crossword puzzle (in ink of course).

Jeanette’s Famous Pulled Pork

2011-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

This is a great party treat … serves at least ten hungry folks.

For the meat: Get one 5-7 pound pork shoulder (with the bone in). Put it in an oven bag along with 1½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 2 tablespoons flour. Shake it to cover and add a good splash of water. Bake in a slow oven (250-300 degrees) for about 4 hours. When fully cooked, remove and let it cool. Then pull all the meat off the bone into shreds, discarding bone and any gristle only … not the fat.

For the BBQ sauce: sauté in a large stainless steel or enameled pot (important, do not use aluminum!), in one cup of canola oil, one chopped large onion and two minced garlic cloves until wilted. Add one cup ketchup, one cup water, one cup good cider vinegar, one cup of white wine, one cup dark brown sugar, 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce, one cup good prepared brown mustard, one tablespoon thyme, one teaspoon liquid smoke (optional, depending on where you are from), 3 tablespoons of salt, 8 grinds of black pepper, and the juice of one lemon. Bring BBQ sauce to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Add the pulled pork to the sauce and simmer, partially covered for about one hour.

Serve with lots of big hard rolls (Northerners) or big soft rolls (Southerners,) a large bowl of coleslaw (in my mind, a must, to be put on the pulled pork) and the hot sauce of your choice (Tabasco or Frank’s) … and, of course, all the other party goodies like potato salad, french fries, and/or baked beans (including mucho ice-cold beer ... try "Presidente" from Puerto Rico). Enjoy ya’ll!

Vinaigrette

2010-12-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

I don’t remember where I learned this one, but it never fails to bring raves. I've had to give this simple recipe to numerous friends.

Put a large pinch of kosher salt in the bottom of a wooden bowl. Slice up one large or two small cloves of garlic and place on top of the salt. Use a hefty and narrow-tonged fork or even a mortar to crush the garlic well into the salt … making into a paste. Add a good dollop of Dijon mustard and the juice of one-half a juicy lemon (or all the juice of a not-so-juicy lemon). I also like to add a big splash of good red-wine vinegar now. Mix it well with a fork adding about 3 or 4 turns of a pepper mill. If you must add an herb, try chervil ... about 1/2 a tablespoon. Next drizzle in about 4 or more tablespoons of good extra-virgin olive oil, mixing all the while with the fork to create a creamy emulsion.

The actual salad contents can vary greatly, but how about a package of mesclun-mix greens, a bunch of halved cherry or grape tomatoes and three sliced-up scallions? And maybe even some crumbled up blue cheese?

Italian Sub

2010-12-13T02:47:00.000-08:00

Call it a Hoagie, Hero, Grinder, Po’ Boy, Torpedo, Submarine or whatever, it is a classic Italian treat and here is my version. Again first, please buy high quality cold cuts and bread otherwise the end product will be second rate.

Slice the Italian bread (poppy- or sesame-seeded is good) lengthwise … the crustier the better. Now drizzle some good red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil on the top and bottom cut sides of the bread and then sprinkle with Italian or Greek oregano. Now layer in the following (order can be reversed … see picture):

- thinly sliced real Italian mortadella (a must in my opinion)
- deli-thin Genoa salami slices
- deli-thin Provolone cheese slices
- chopped olive medley (optional)
- deli-thin capicola slices (hot or sweet according to your taste)
- paper thin imported prosciutto ham slices (go ahead splurge)
- deli-thin Swiss cheese (very optional … as this is not traditional)
- shredded Iceberg lettuce
- chopped or sliced ripe tomato
- chopped sweet onion (or scallions)
- chopped or sliced roasted Italian peppers (hot or sweet according to your taste)

Give the whole thing an extra sprinkle of oregano and drizzle of olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Do not, I repeat, do not heat this sandwich or use any mayonnaise. Serve it as described. Use a bib or tuck a dish towel around your neck as eating this treat will be messy.

Enjoy!

A Thanksgiving Warning

2010-11-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

Something to avoid on Thanksgiving. Click here.

A Wine Whiner

2010-11-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

Upon further reflection, I probable should have published this blog post over here.

Navy Bean Soup

2010-11-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, at the Commons Lunch in Little Compton, Rhode Island, I had a steaming bowl of delicious navy bean soup. I’ve kept thinking about how good it was and how I wanted to reproduce it for my family. I came very close last night so I thought I would share this success.

Rinse well a package of dried navy beans and then place them in a pot of cold water. Bring this pot to a rolling boil and boil for two minutes and then turn off the heat, cover, and let it stand for a hour.

In a much bigger soup pot sweat, in about two tablespoons of good olive oil, one finely-chopped onion, two finely-chopped stalks of celery, two cleaned and finely-chopped carrots and a hand full of finely-chopped parsley. If you have some left over ham use it, but I bought a bone-in ham steak and cut it into pieces. Add the ham (and bone) to the soup pot along with 6 peppercorns and 6 allspice berries and about a good two quarts of water. No salt yet! Start boiling this mixture and, when the beans are ready, add them along with their soaking liquid. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for a good two hours.

Next take a 15.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes and, after chopping up the tomatoes, add it to the soup. Now, add salt to taste (less than a teaspoon). If need be, retrieve the ham pieces and mince them finer. Remove the bone, but add the marrow and the minced ham back to the pot. Re-cover and simmer for another half hour.

Serve with crusty bread and butter. (Even my wife loved this soup and she hates beans.)

A la Porcine

2010-11-16T03:08:00.000-08:00

Schnitzel is a quick and delicious departure from normal American fare. You can make it with expensive veal if you wish, but I usually use pork and defy most diners to tell the difference.

First find some nice, almost white pork tenderloin. Cut it into two inch sections and the pound these sections flat (about ¼” thick) with a tenderizing mallet. The results should be about six inches across. Salt and pepper these schnitzels on both sides, then do the quick-frying three step: dip in seasoned flour first (shaking of the excess), then a beaten egg (or two), then seasoned breadcrumbs or Panko (again shaking off the excess), and pan-fry in hot oil (corn or canola oil is fine) till golden brown on both sides. (The seasoning for the flour and breadcrumbs is open for creative flair, but I use salt, pepper, dried parsley flakes, and sometimes onion powder.) Top with the traditional lemon slice.

Serve these schnitzels with sides of red cabbage and apple sauce. To make the red cabbage: melt in a frying pan a good tablespoon of bacon grease (a must), add a small onion diced finely, sweat the onion for a minute or so and then add a jar of red cabbage (I’ve only ever seen one size of red-cabbage jar.) Heat thoroughly for a few minutes and then serve. The apple sauce is more complicated: get a large jar of good apple sauce, chill well, and serve with a topping of cinnamon. (French fries would be good too ... nice and hot ... and maybe even the cucumber salad from my previous blog post here.)

Should serve four. Enjoy. (Make sure you have hired an oompa band and a zaftig female server.)

Unencumbered Cucumber

2010-11-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a traditional German salad dish that is devoid of sour cream. (Not that that version isn’t good too.) And it is quite simple.

Peel and slice two medium cucumbers into 1/8 inch pieces. Next, peel, half and slice a small Vidalia (or other sweet) onion. Place all these slices in a bowl and cover with ice cubes. Place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. In the meantime mix 5 tablespoons of good sharp cider vinegar with three tablespoons of sugar (can be light brown), a good pinch of salt and about four pepper mill turns … all in a small glass. Mix well and place this glass in the freezer until you are ready to remove the cucumber and onion slices. Drain and pat dry these cucumber and onion slices and top them with the well-chilled vinegar dressing. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill or coriander seeds (pictured) and serve immediately ... as the secret of this dish is for it to be well chilled.

Goes will with chicken or pork dishes.

Beefy Stew

2010-10-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

I made a beef stew last night and it turned out so well I thought I would share it. I found 1½ pounds of sirloin beef on sale so I decided to greet our change to autumn weather with a hearty meal. You can use round steak or even chuck steak for this recipe but cut it up in pieces about 1 inch square. (I think that supermarkets sell you beef stew pieces that are too big to cook and eat easily … and need to be at least halved. Cooks Illustrated magazine recommends sirloin steak tips for beef stew.)

Dice one large onion and sauté it in a few tablespoons of olive oil. (Bacon grease would also be good.) Use a Le Creuset pot if available, otherwise, a cast iron one. Add a few chopped up garlic cloves and cook till transparent. Salt and pepper the meat well and brown it along with the onions and garlic. Next add a small package of mushrooms, cleaned and halved. Now clean and chop three carrots, two celery stalks (with leaves). Add them. After things are well amalgamated add a bouquet garni (I used a teaspoon of powdered bouquet garni from Penzey’s Spices. See here), one bay leaf, a half teaspoon of dried thyme, two tablespoons of chopped parsley, three squirts of Lea and Perrins, five peppercorns, five allspice berries, a third bottle of Bogle old-vine zinfandel, and a container of good beef stock (Emeril’s was good). Bring up to a simmer. Halve 7 or 8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes and add them. Mix well with a fork a heaping tablespoon of flour with an equal amount of softened butter and stir well into the pot. Continue simmering this concoction on the back of the stove for at least one hour (two is better). Then remove the bay leaf (and bouquet garni, if not powered) and adjust the seasoning. Serve with the remaining bottle of Bogel’s zinfandel and a crusty baguette. Enjoy!

Now, when done, if it is still light out, go out and rake some leaves.

DOH!

2010-09-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had a "DOH" moment and I would like to share it to show that all us cooks get goofy sometimes. I spoiled a wonderful pot of onion soup by not following the recipe carefully. I was salivating as I again tried to duplicate Julia Child's great recipe for onion soup (Mastering the Art of French Cooking, page 43). I bought all the ingredients and cleaned and cut up a large leek (a small digression), six large yellow onions, a few garlic cloves (another improvisation) and was sauteing them in butter and olive oil in a large Le Creuset pot. Now, I noticed that Julia calls for adding three tablespoons of flour after the onions are well cooked down. I cut this critical corner and added the flour near the beginning of the process. Needless to say, the flour burned and, not only spoiled the soup, but I had to spend almost an hour cleaning the Le Creuset pot. (It's still not perfect.)

The moral is -- sometime, but not always, recipes mean what they say. (Perhaps critical steps need to be in bold type?)

Cyetta’s Superb Spinach Salad

2010-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Anytime we have a gathering of friends and Cyetta asks what she can bring, I always request this superb salad:

First the most delicious salad dressing (Makes about one quart of dressing. Can be cut by ½ or 2/3rds. Remainder can be stored for months in the refrigerator.)

Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup salad oil (canola oil is good)
2/3 cup good sharp cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 small onion or shallot, grated (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery seeds (Cyetta's choice, but I substitute poppy seeds)
½ tsp paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
1 minced garlic clove (or equivalent in garlic powder)
A pinch of dry mustard
½ tsp Worcester sauce

Shake all these ingredients together in jar of sufficient size.

Use this dressing on a salad made from a package of baby spinach, a good amount of crumbled fried or broiled bacon (at least 1/2 a pound), a small cold can of Mandarin orange sections (or cold navel orange sections), and toasted slivered almonds. (The almonds can be toasted in the bacon grease … but are optional.)

Dried Lima Bean Casserole

2010-09-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Rinse and soak a package of dried lima beans (baby limas or full size, but baby limas are best) overnight in lots of cold water. Drain them well.

Sauté, until light brown, one large yellow onion with one or two cloves garlic, both chopped fine. Add one large can of chopped whole tomatoes, salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste, a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, a teaspoon of Worcester sauce, a good sprinkling of thyme, a little marjoram, a bay leaf (or a little bay leaf powder), a pinch of powdered cloves, a handful of chopped flat parsley, and a splash of good cider vinegar.

Add this mixture to the lima beans in a heavy casserole dish and bake in a slow (200-250 degrees) oven, covered, for at least two hours, adding water (or cider) as needed to keep the beans bathed in fluid. Uncover the dish and top with a layer of pork chops (or shoulder lamb chops) which have been salted and peppered. Continue cooking, uncovered, until the chops achieve your desired degree of doneness -- an hour or more. It is also good to splash some of the sauce over the chops from time to time to add to their flavor. The more fat you leave on the chops, the more flavor they will add to the beans below.

Serve with hard cider or beer and a good, crusty bread. Enjoy!

You Devil You

2010-08-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

I love deviled eggs, but the rest of my family doesn’t. So, as a consequence, if I make a batch, I have to eat them all … no problem. I guess I relish them so much because they remind me of my childhood picnics … and I also enjoy their taste and convenience. So here is my take on them.

First the eggs … place six eggs in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring this water up to a rolling boil and then turn off the heat. Let stand and cool in this water for at least 15 minutes. Then run cold water in the pot, cracking the eggs on the side so that some of the cold water gets inside the shells. This should make the job of peeling the eggs a breeze … and also keep the yolks from forming a green ring. Now cut the eggs in two longitudinally and ease out the yolks into a separate bowl … placing the 12 half eggs on a serving plate. Mash the yolks well with a fork and add:

- two well-minced shallots
- a tablespoon of good Dijon mustard
- a heaping tablespoon of Hellmann’s mayonnaise
- a tablespoon of chopped capers
- a big pinch of salt
- five grinds of fresh pepper
- a few squirts of Tabasco sauce (optional, but they are called “deviled” eggs)
- a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish (optional)
- a teaspoon of well-chopped parsley (optional)

Now mix well, taste for seasoning, and spoon into the yolk craters in the egg whites. (There is no need to use a pastry bag for this process unless you double or triple this recipe.) Finally, sprinkle some paprika on top and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Pop them in your mouth in between bites of crispy fried chicken.

Gazpacho

2010-08-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

When the farm stands are full of large ripe tomatoes (and their price is beginning to come back down to earth), this is the time for gazpacho soup. I can make a few quarts of it and, as my wife will surely testify, eat the entire batch myself. In fact, I will sometimes sneak out of bed late at night to raid the refrigerator’s last few bowls of it … climbing back under the sheets reeking of garlic.

Gazpacho is a fairly simple and flexible recipe. Start by peeling, coring, and chopping about five large, dead-ripe tomatoes. Put them in a large stainless steel bowl. You may de-seed them or not depending on your taste. (I don’t.) Next peel, de-seed (I do), and chop two large cucumbers. Add them to the bowl. Then de-seed and chop two large Italian peppers … add them. If you can’t find Italian peppers, use Bell peppers, but be sure to peel them first. Clean and chop a large Bermuda (preferred), Vidalia, or red onion. Add it. Then mince at least five large garlic cloves and add them. Finally, include a handful of fresh chopped Italian parsley. (At this point you might save a good cupful of these chopped vegetables to add as a garnish to the top of the served soup. I usually don't however.)

Then, process all these vegetables in a blender until just a little chunky, adding some V8 juice, if necessary, to get the blending going … placing the results in a large, pretty serving bowl. You’re almost done but for a few more steps: Add a large handful of fresh Italian bread crumbs, the juice of one large lemon, a tablespoon of good wine (or Balsamic) vinegar, about a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil, a palm-full of kosher salt, five turns of a pepper mill, and about ten good squirts of Tabasco sauce. If the result is too thick, add some more V8 juice until it is the consistence you desire. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate, covered, overnight. If you don’t cover this, everything else in there will pick up a garlic flavor.

Serve well chilled (with garnishes, if desired) as a first course for about six people (or just one, me.)

Spaghetti American

2010-08-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

By now most foodies know how to make spaghetti the highly stylized and sublimely tasty way that Italians religiously do. I also love it this way. But here I am going to offer an Americanized version. Just as imported bees have “Africanized” our native docile breed, so there is a version of spaghetti that we Americans have morphed out of the original Italian import. I will give you my interpretation here.

As per my recipe for meat loaf, start with the meat, “a mélange of ½ pound of ground beef, ½ pound of ground pork and ½ pound of ground veal is certainly a winner. However, if your taste runs to all beef … cajole your butcher into grinding you 1 ½ pounds of beef neck meat. It’s the sweetest and tastiest of all the beef cuts.” One thing that ruins my appetite for such ground meat is gristle … so make sure that your butcher is equally averse when preparing your order.

Now, place a large enameled pot place on high heat and add a quarter cup of good olive oil. Dice a large Bermuda onion and sauté until translucent. Then add four (or more) minced garlic cloves and cook briefly. Next add the ground meat and brown thoroughly … breaking it apart completely. (Use a potato masher if you can’t do a good enough job with a fork.) Add one small can of good tomato paste (Red Pack) to a cleaned-out space and let it cook for a minute or so ... prior to adding four large cans of good crushed tomatoes (Red Pack or Muir Glen).

Next add a good wine-glass-full of the red wine you intend to drink with dinner (a Pinot Noir or an old-vine Zinfandel?) and the following: a quarter stick of butter, a palm full of salt, a good pinch of red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of fennel seeds, about 5 good dried mushrooms (Cremini or Polish ones), a good pinch of oregano, and a teaspoon of dried basil. (Yes, dried basil … I know that many believe that dried basil has no taste, but I strongly disagree.) Stir real well.

Cover this concoction and gently simmer for about an hour until well amalgamated. Then, uncover and cook for about another half hour to fill the kitchen with those great childhood aromas. It is now permissible to dip a chunk of baguette into this sauce to assuage your galloping hunger and adjust the sauce’s seasonings. Finish the sauce off with a handful of chopped Italian parsley and a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Finally, boil your spaghetti (I prefer angel hair or vermicelli, my wife likes the thicker kind) in a good amount of salted water until it is just done (a little past al dente)… and then drain well in a colander. With a pair of tongs place a small mountain of pasta on your plate, at least a ladle-full of sauce and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. I realize that this later ceremony diverges markedly from the way that real Italians do things, but this is the way I often like it. I also enjoy my accompanying crusty baguette with lots of butter and a tall cold beer (certainly not Peroni … how can Italians drink that panther p*ss?) or the aforementioned red wine.

(Left-over spaghetti sauce can be made into chili quite easily. Just add a can of drained pinto or kidney beans, a handful of chili powder (you choose the number of alarms), more oregano, and a good tablespoon of cumin. Heat and serve over rice or on some steamed hot dogs in their buns. In some parts of the Midwest U.S., they even serve chili over cooked spaghetti. Try topping any of these variations with diced sweet onion, diced jalapeno peppers, and a grated cheese of your choice. How's that for morphing an Italian classic?)

Vichy Water

2010-08-10T01:43:00.001-07:00

Vichyssoise can be served either hot or cold. Each is appropriate depending on the weather … cold in summer, hot in cold weather. And it can also be pureed or chunky. I like it pureed when cold and chunky when hot. But, to me the secret to good vichyssoise is the quantity of leeks, the quality of the chicken broth, and the herbs used to flavor.

So start with one huge or two smaller leaks. Clean them well according to the myriad of advisories on just about every other cooking show (split and de-sand under running water). Then cut them crosswise into ¼ inch pieces. I like to include at least ½ of the green part, but purists disagree and eschew the verdant. Sauté these leaks in about a quarter cup of butter or good olive oil adding a palm full of salt and a good pinch of fresh-ground pepper as you stir. Next add about a quart or more of good low-sodium chicken broth (home-made if you can) and a quart or more of cold water.

Then peel, roughly dice (1 inch pieces), and add about six or seven good sized Russet potatoes. Bring up to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft (at least 15 minutes). Now add either two teaspoons of minced fresh tarragon (my preference) or fresh chervil (half this amount of these same herbs, if dried), stir, and heat for another few minutes. Now carefully add more salt to taste … as potatoes have a way of reducing salt’s impact.

Now you can use an immersion blender (or potato masher) briefly to chop things up a bit … or take this soup all the way down to a puree. Again serve hot or cold according to your want and the weather. But in either case sprinkle a goodly amount of chopped chives on top of each bowl and have the pepper mill handy. Serve with a nice salad (Caesar?), crusty rustic bread, and a well-chilled white wine (vino verde?). Serves about six people. Is even better the next day.

Simply Simple

2010-08-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe for an hors d’oeurve that contains only five ingredients and about which I have had continued raves. (And it was given to me by my wife’s father, Leo, a former chef at Luchow’s.) The ingredients are: a large package of room-temperature cream cheese, 5 scallions chopped into bite sized pieces, 5 radishes (preferably French Breakfast) chopped into bite sized pieces, a good pinch of salt, and a good pinch of freshly-ground pepper. That’s it. Put all this into a pretty bowl, mix well and refrigerate for a few hours. Serve with crispy crackers or thinly sliced crusty bread and your favorite cocktails. Enjoy ... and then look up and thank Leo.

Addendum: the reason that they are called "French Breakfast" radishes is that the French often eat them in the AM, thinly sliced on a well-buttered baguette with salt and pepper. Try this tip with what you have left over from the above recipe.