Sorry it's been a while since the last entry - the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas, current Hanukkah rush has taken up my spare moments.
Many people have commented on my turkey/stuffing entry. Thanks for your enthusiasm.
Christmas is coming. We currently have a broken oven at our house (I'm finding out how many recipes I can modify for a toaster oven!), so I wasn't planning much in the way of food. However, now it looks like we will have a new stove, so I'm thinking about the turkey.
Yet another remnant of my many years in England is the British Christmas dinner. This is turkey time in the British isles - or occasionally, a goose. Christmas Day is the big 'meal' day - turkey with two stuffings, brussel sprouts, white sauce (a kind of mush of bread and milk), gravy, roast potatoes. And for desert, the theme of dried fruit, fat and alcohol - steamed 'figgy' pudding (dried fruits, some bread crumbs, and suet or butter, drenched just before serving with brandy and lit on fire), Christmas cake (dried fruits, flour, eggs, butter baked in a cake in October or November, and then annointed weekly with whiskey), mince pies (dried fruit, alcohol and fat placed in individual pie crusts and baked, served with brandy butter, an incredible mix of butter, sugar and brandy). If lighter desert fare is desired, there is trifle - sponge cake soaked with sherry, fresh (not dried) fruit, custard and whipped cream!
I have been known to cook this meal single-handedly (with help from family members, of course). This year, I have limited the desert options - we will have only mince pies and trifle. If I don't feel like cooking on Christmas day, I won't (my local Chinese restaurant is open, and that sounds good to me). I'll leave it until sometime later in the week. But the turkey will have two stuffings.
In honor of that, here are a couple more stuffing recipes. Please refer to the Thanksgiving entry for the most important sausage stuffing recipe.
Remember - stuffings are not an exact science. All quantities are approximate - you really want to look at the mixture - is it too dry or too moist, is there enough bread or too much bread, are there enough flavorings. And go with your mood. I made my sausage recipe the other day (see previous post). It was going in lamb, so I wanted to lighten it up. I added the zest of an entire lemon, and some lemon juice, and lots of rosemary - amazing!
CHESTNUT STUFFING
The most difficult/tedious part of this recipe is preparing the chestnuts. You will need at least 12 chestnuts (I sometimes use up to double) and they need to be cooked and peeled. You can bake them (slice an x on the flat side of the chestnut with a sharp knife, place on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through) and peel them. Or you can boil them - slice off the top, place them in boiling water for 10 minutes, peel them, and then simmer them in stock or water for about 30 minutes. I have to confess - I hate this part. Chestnuts are not very reliable here in Colorado - I often get them home from the store to find them dry or rotten inside. If at all possible, I buy pre-cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts - they are sometimes frozen, sometimes in a vacuum pack bag, sometimes in a jar. These save me so much time (even if the do cost a fortune) and have plenty of taste. Don't bother with the canned ones - these are very mushy and have no taste.
Once you have your chestnuts, the rest is easy.
12 or more chestnuts, cooked, peeled and chopped into small-ish pieces
1 oz/2T butter (more if needed)
1 turkey liver, chopped into very small pieces
4 oz fresh white breadcrumbs (see sausage stuffing blog)
4 sprigs parsley, chopped fine
small onion, chopped fine
orange zest (optional but nice)
stock or orange juice
salt and pepper.
Melt the butter on medium-low heat. Gently fry onion then add the the turkey liver and fry until brown. Place in a bowl. Add all the ingredients except the stock, and gently mix. Then add a small amount of stock or juice until just slightly moist. That's it. As with all stuffings, place it in the bird just before cooking. This makes a small amount of stuffing - in our family, it's placed in the front of the bird, with the sausage stuffing in the main cavity.
GLUTEN FREE STUFFING
A few people have asked about gluten free stuffing. I suppose any of these recipes could be modified and made with gluten free bread. However, my experience with this bread is that it's too soft - not enough crumb - to hold a decent texture and absorb juices.
I prefer to use a grain option, my favorite being basmati rice. The grain should be cooked, and then mixed with the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
There are many ways of cooking rice, but this is my preferred method for stuffing and pilaf: to cook the basmati rice: place it in a large bowl of cold water. Stir gently with your fingers - the water will become slightly cloudy. Then drain out most of the cloudy water. Add fresh water. Repeat this process until the water is clear. Then drain the rice. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and a little salt. Bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the rice, and stir gently. Bring back to boil. Start tasting rice after 3 minutes. Cook 3-5 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain, and rinse, and let dry until needed for use.
I like to use the rice in the apricot/almond stuffing:
GLUTEN FREE ALMOND/APRICOT STUFFING
2 C dried apricots
1 onion, chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C chopped almonds
1 C raisins or chopped dates
1 1/2 C basmati rice
1 t grated orange rind
1 t allspice
1 t brown sugar
salt & pepper
2 T sherry
Cook rice according to above directions.
Soak apricots in water overnight. Strain and chop
Fry onions in butter.
Add all the ingredients except rice and sherry.
Add enough rice for a good mix (you will probably have some left over)
Add sherry until just moist
24 December 2009
22 November 2009
TURKEY TIME
I wasn't going to write about turkeys, but several people have asked me how I cook mine.
The first thing about turkeys is not to be afraid of them. The second is to have patience and just let them cook until done - and not any longer! My mother is very casual about turkeys - she thinks nothing of sticking one in the oven when we come to visit, and then having the leftovers for several days.
Some of my thoughts on turkeys...
To Brine or Not to Brine
Brining is certainly the fashionable cooking technique in the magazines and tv shows. I just don't get it. I don't have an objection to the gentle use of salt - from a health point of view, I think the people who obsess over eliminating sodium are doing more harm to their blood pressure from stress than if they just had the occasional sprinkle - but it seems insane to drench a piece of protein in salt water. The meat always seems salty to me. Also, while it is supposed to make the meat moist, to me it just tastes...well, wet. More poached than roasted. Also, the skin of brined turkey never gets crispy - and we love crispy skin. Also, you can't stuff a brined turkey - and my family lives for the stuffing.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
Yes, we love stuffing. During my years in England, stuffing the bird was normal. Lately, the cooking fashion seems to be to cook the stuffing separately. Another fashion I just don't get, nor do I think there's any justification for health paranoia, as long as you stuff the bird just before cooking and make sure it is actually done before serving. A stuffed bird takes a bit longer to cook, but is worth the wait. Stuffing cooked separately is just flavored bread. The beauty of stuffing is that it absorbs the juices from the bird - the flavor is created from the mixture of whatever you've decided to put in with the flavor of the bird. The stuffing also helps keep the bird moist. So I'd rather stuff than brine!
To Cover or Not to Cover
If you cover (with tin foil or a baking bag), the bird won't dry out. On the other hand, it won't get beautiful and crispy. I use a technique I learned many years ago - I cover the bird with cheesecloth that has been soaked in olive oil or butter. The bird needs less basting. I sometimes uncover the turkey for the last fifteen minutes to crisp up the skin.
High or Low Heat
I mix it up here - I start with a hot oven to seal the skin, then turn the oven down quite low to cook the bird. The last fifteen minutes or so, I may turn the heat up a bit to crisp the skin (have I mentioned that my family likes crispy skin?)
TURKEY GUIDELINES
Prepare the turkey:
I usually rinse it the night before, and let it air dry in the fridge. I sometimes salt the skin the night before, as well - it helps to dry the skin (a dry skin helps absorb the fat you coat it with, and helps it crisp).
Let the turkey sit at room temperature for a while before cooking - a cold bird cooks less evenly.
Near cooking: Preheat the oven to 425 (400 convection).
I usually rub the skin with softened butter, mixed with salt and pepper (no salt if you've already salted the skin). You can also slip the softened butter under the skin. You can use olive oil instead of butter.
Stuff the bird just before cooking (see below for stuffing ideas).
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. I don't use a rack for turkey, and I don't have an expensive roasting pan.
Take a piece of cheesecloth and soak it in olive oil or melted butter. Place it over the bird, covering it as well as you can.
Cooking:
Place the bird in the hot oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Turn oven down to 325 (300 convection). Roast until 165 in thigh (about 3 hours convection for a stuffed 15 lb bird).
A cheesecloth-covered turkey needs very little looking after. Every 30 to 45 minutes I might open the oven door and have a look - if it looks a bit dry, I'll baste it with the juices from the bottom of the pan (see options below for some other ideas).
When the turkey is done, the cheesecloth should slip off easily, revealing a golden skin. Check it when the bird is close to done - if the skin isn't as done as you like, take the cheesecloth off for the last ten minutes of cooking - you can turn the oven back up to high, to ensure nice browning.
Don't overcook the turkey!
Some options:
- if the bottom of the pan seems dry or close to burning, add 1/4 C stock or water or orange juice in the pan.
- 1/2 hour before the end, you can add 1 C warm white wine or orange juice in the bottom of the pan.
- if not crisp, put the heat back up high (425/400) for ten minutes at the end.
That's it - consult a real cook book about tying the bird up, letting it sit, carving, etc.
STUFFING
In England, it is traditional to do two stuffings for the Christmas turkey (obviously, they don't have Thanksgiving, since the Puritans were the ones who left England...) - one in the front cavity, then a smaller one in the back. I love to make stuffing, so I sometimes do this. I always make a traditional sausage stuffing. For the other, I might do a chestnut stuffing, or a sweeter stuffing with dried fruit and nuts. Stuffings give a lot of opportunity for creativity - the amounts are not exact, the flavorings optional. Adjust any recipe for your own personal taste, knowing that the flavors will become richer and more complex as they cook inside the bird.
Sausage Stuffing
2 oz butter (or more as needed)
1 lb onions, finely chopped
6 oz breadcrumbs
8-12 oz ground sausage meat, or breakfast sausages chopped into small pieces
liver from the turkey, chopped fine
fresh sage and thyme
A note on breadcrumbs: You can buy 'stuffing mix' breadcrumbs, but I never do. Here's what I do - I take a nice bread and chop it up or tear it up into small pieces and leave it to dry out a while. This is one time when I really do prefer white bread to whole wheat, although I might put a bit of whole grain bread in. I usually take off most, if not all of the crust. A nice sourdough works well. Don't skimp on the bread - commercial bread is too soft to make a nice stuffing. I don't spend too much time drying the breadcrumbs, although you can stick them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I just tear it up a few hours before (the night before, if I remember) - the air will dry it out. Dry, stale bread absorbs more juices than fresh soft bread.
Cook onions gently in butter, on medium low heat, in a cast iron or stainless steel frying pan. Add the sausage and liver and fry until the meat is nice browned. Put the onion/meat mix in a large bowl, and add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste.
All these amounts are approximate - feel free to add more or less of anything. In addition, here are some ideas for optional extras: 1 egg (added at the very end), 3-4 T cream or stock (added at the end, if the mixture looks very dry), 1-2 apples, chopped fine and sauteed separately in butter. If your don't have fresh herbs, dry will do. Feel free to add more herbs - parsley, small amounts or rosemary, chives all mix well with the sausage.
Stuff in the bird just before roasting. Fill the cavity, but don't pack it in too tight. If there's extra, put it in the back cavity, or bake separately in a baking dish, adding some stock or wine to the mix (it'll take about 45 minutes)
Apricot and Almond Stuffing
2C/8 oz dried apricots
1 onion, finely chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C/2 oz chopped almonds
1C/4 oz raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of the two
4 oz breadcrumbs (prepared as in sausage stuffing recipe)
grated rind of one orange
1 t allspice
2 T sherry
1 t brown sugar (optional)
salt & pepper
Soak the apricots overnight. Try to get preservative-free apricots - they will look harder and darker and perhaps less appealing, but have much better taste (and no preservatives, of course). After soaking, drain them and chop finely
Fry the onions gently in the butter, and transfer to large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients except the sugar. If you're using dried cranberries, which are sweetened, don't add the sugar, otherwise add according to personal taste. Then add just enough sherry to moisten the mix. If it's too wet, you just have mushy stuffing.
Options: orange juice instead of sherry; different spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and star anise are all nice possibilities); some chopped dates or prunes instead of some of the apricots...pecans instead of almonds...like with all stuffing, play with the proportions - feel free to add more bread if it's too densely fruit-y, or more liquid if it's too dry. If you want to experiment with changes, just don't make it too complicated - too many flavors or ingredients can overwhelm your senses!
Enjoy your turkey!
The first thing about turkeys is not to be afraid of them. The second is to have patience and just let them cook until done - and not any longer! My mother is very casual about turkeys - she thinks nothing of sticking one in the oven when we come to visit, and then having the leftovers for several days.
Some of my thoughts on turkeys...
To Brine or Not to Brine
Brining is certainly the fashionable cooking technique in the magazines and tv shows. I just don't get it. I don't have an objection to the gentle use of salt - from a health point of view, I think the people who obsess over eliminating sodium are doing more harm to their blood pressure from stress than if they just had the occasional sprinkle - but it seems insane to drench a piece of protein in salt water. The meat always seems salty to me. Also, while it is supposed to make the meat moist, to me it just tastes...well, wet. More poached than roasted. Also, the skin of brined turkey never gets crispy - and we love crispy skin. Also, you can't stuff a brined turkey - and my family lives for the stuffing.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
Yes, we love stuffing. During my years in England, stuffing the bird was normal. Lately, the cooking fashion seems to be to cook the stuffing separately. Another fashion I just don't get, nor do I think there's any justification for health paranoia, as long as you stuff the bird just before cooking and make sure it is actually done before serving. A stuffed bird takes a bit longer to cook, but is worth the wait. Stuffing cooked separately is just flavored bread. The beauty of stuffing is that it absorbs the juices from the bird - the flavor is created from the mixture of whatever you've decided to put in with the flavor of the bird. The stuffing also helps keep the bird moist. So I'd rather stuff than brine!
To Cover or Not to Cover
If you cover (with tin foil or a baking bag), the bird won't dry out. On the other hand, it won't get beautiful and crispy. I use a technique I learned many years ago - I cover the bird with cheesecloth that has been soaked in olive oil or butter. The bird needs less basting. I sometimes uncover the turkey for the last fifteen minutes to crisp up the skin.
High or Low Heat
I mix it up here - I start with a hot oven to seal the skin, then turn the oven down quite low to cook the bird. The last fifteen minutes or so, I may turn the heat up a bit to crisp the skin (have I mentioned that my family likes crispy skin?)
TURKEY GUIDELINES
Prepare the turkey:
I usually rinse it the night before, and let it air dry in the fridge. I sometimes salt the skin the night before, as well - it helps to dry the skin (a dry skin helps absorb the fat you coat it with, and helps it crisp).
Let the turkey sit at room temperature for a while before cooking - a cold bird cooks less evenly.
Near cooking: Preheat the oven to 425 (400 convection).
I usually rub the skin with softened butter, mixed with salt and pepper (no salt if you've already salted the skin). You can also slip the softened butter under the skin. You can use olive oil instead of butter.
Stuff the bird just before cooking (see below for stuffing ideas).
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. I don't use a rack for turkey, and I don't have an expensive roasting pan.
Take a piece of cheesecloth and soak it in olive oil or melted butter. Place it over the bird, covering it as well as you can.
Cooking:
Place the bird in the hot oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Turn oven down to 325 (300 convection). Roast until 165 in thigh (about 3 hours convection for a stuffed 15 lb bird).
A cheesecloth-covered turkey needs very little looking after. Every 30 to 45 minutes I might open the oven door and have a look - if it looks a bit dry, I'll baste it with the juices from the bottom of the pan (see options below for some other ideas).
When the turkey is done, the cheesecloth should slip off easily, revealing a golden skin. Check it when the bird is close to done - if the skin isn't as done as you like, take the cheesecloth off for the last ten minutes of cooking - you can turn the oven back up to high, to ensure nice browning.
Don't overcook the turkey!
Some options:
- if the bottom of the pan seems dry or close to burning, add 1/4 C stock or water or orange juice in the pan.
- 1/2 hour before the end, you can add 1 C warm white wine or orange juice in the bottom of the pan.
- if not crisp, put the heat back up high (425/400) for ten minutes at the end.
That's it - consult a real cook book about tying the bird up, letting it sit, carving, etc.
STUFFING
In England, it is traditional to do two stuffings for the Christmas turkey (obviously, they don't have Thanksgiving, since the Puritans were the ones who left England...) - one in the front cavity, then a smaller one in the back. I love to make stuffing, so I sometimes do this. I always make a traditional sausage stuffing. For the other, I might do a chestnut stuffing, or a sweeter stuffing with dried fruit and nuts. Stuffings give a lot of opportunity for creativity - the amounts are not exact, the flavorings optional. Adjust any recipe for your own personal taste, knowing that the flavors will become richer and more complex as they cook inside the bird.
Sausage Stuffing
2 oz butter (or more as needed)
1 lb onions, finely chopped
6 oz breadcrumbs
8-12 oz ground sausage meat, or breakfast sausages chopped into small pieces
liver from the turkey, chopped fine
fresh sage and thyme
A note on breadcrumbs: You can buy 'stuffing mix' breadcrumbs, but I never do. Here's what I do - I take a nice bread and chop it up or tear it up into small pieces and leave it to dry out a while. This is one time when I really do prefer white bread to whole wheat, although I might put a bit of whole grain bread in. I usually take off most, if not all of the crust. A nice sourdough works well. Don't skimp on the bread - commercial bread is too soft to make a nice stuffing. I don't spend too much time drying the breadcrumbs, although you can stick them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I just tear it up a few hours before (the night before, if I remember) - the air will dry it out. Dry, stale bread absorbs more juices than fresh soft bread.
Cook onions gently in butter, on medium low heat, in a cast iron or stainless steel frying pan. Add the sausage and liver and fry until the meat is nice browned. Put the onion/meat mix in a large bowl, and add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste.
All these amounts are approximate - feel free to add more or less of anything. In addition, here are some ideas for optional extras: 1 egg (added at the very end), 3-4 T cream or stock (added at the end, if the mixture looks very dry), 1-2 apples, chopped fine and sauteed separately in butter. If your don't have fresh herbs, dry will do. Feel free to add more herbs - parsley, small amounts or rosemary, chives all mix well with the sausage.
Stuff in the bird just before roasting. Fill the cavity, but don't pack it in too tight. If there's extra, put it in the back cavity, or bake separately in a baking dish, adding some stock or wine to the mix (it'll take about 45 minutes)
Apricot and Almond Stuffing
2C/8 oz dried apricots
1 onion, finely chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C/2 oz chopped almonds
1C/4 oz raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of the two
4 oz breadcrumbs (prepared as in sausage stuffing recipe)
grated rind of one orange
1 t allspice
2 T sherry
1 t brown sugar (optional)
salt & pepper
Soak the apricots overnight. Try to get preservative-free apricots - they will look harder and darker and perhaps less appealing, but have much better taste (and no preservatives, of course). After soaking, drain them and chop finely
Fry the onions gently in the butter, and transfer to large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients except the sugar. If you're using dried cranberries, which are sweetened, don't add the sugar, otherwise add according to personal taste. Then add just enough sherry to moisten the mix. If it's too wet, you just have mushy stuffing.
Options: orange juice instead of sherry; different spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and star anise are all nice possibilities); some chopped dates or prunes instead of some of the apricots...pecans instead of almonds...like with all stuffing, play with the proportions - feel free to add more bread if it's too densely fruit-y, or more liquid if it's too dry. If you want to experiment with changes, just don't make it too complicated - too many flavors or ingredients can overwhelm your senses!
Enjoy your turkey!
12 November 2009
ADIEUX TO APPLES
Another snowstorm is headed towards Colorado (the 6th snow of the winter, here in mid-November). To be fair, it was 70 degrees today...the fun of Colorado fall. In any case, early frosts mean that apple season is truly over. I can't resist another post, using the last of my local Honeycrisps. They are slightly wrinkled, but still sweet and great for baking.
I love apples...
I've carried around my favorite apple cake recipe with me since I was a teenager. It's named after my grandfather, although I have no memories of him ever baking. I've modified and updated this recipe over the years. It's simple and delicious.
KAPPY'S APPLE CAKE
1 C sugar
1/2 C oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2C whole wheat pastry flour
2t cinnamon
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 C diced apples
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
2 loaf tins, or 1 tube pan, greased and floured.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, oil and sugar together with a whisk until frothy. Lots of beating!
Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Mix in apples, nuts and raisins.
Pour into tins
Bake: 40 minutes for loaf tins, 1 hour for the tube tin
GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
I invented this for my many friends who eat gluten-free. The extra nuts make it very rich. It is perhaps more delicious than the original!
5-6 apples (1 1/2 lbs)
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 T brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats
1/2 C (2 oz) oat flour
1 C (5 oz) almond flour
1 1/4 C (2 oz) organic cane sugar
8T/1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
3/4 C (3 oz) chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 (350 convection)
Crumble:
Mix together the oats, oat flour, almond flour, sugar and spices. If you don't have almond flour, take 5 oz of almonds and process them to a course flour in a food processor. Rub in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. (see the 'normal' recipe, in the previous apple blog entry, for technique details). The nut flour makes the mixture a little difficult to work - if it gets too sticky, put it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes - the ingredients, when cold, are easier to mix. After mixing, keep the crumble cold while you prepare the apples.
Apples: Slice the apples thinly, mix them with the orange juice and rind. Add the sugar if the apples are tart. Pile into a small baking dish.
Pour the crumble evenly over the apples. Don't press the mixture down. This recipe makes a lot of crumble - if you have too much, just put it in a bag in the freezer for later use. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples are soft and the crumble is brown.
I love apples...
I've carried around my favorite apple cake recipe with me since I was a teenager. It's named after my grandfather, although I have no memories of him ever baking. I've modified and updated this recipe over the years. It's simple and delicious.
KAPPY'S APPLE CAKE
1 C sugar
1/2 C oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2C whole wheat pastry flour
2t cinnamon
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 C diced apples
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
2 loaf tins, or 1 tube pan, greased and floured.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, oil and sugar together with a whisk until frothy. Lots of beating!
Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Mix in apples, nuts and raisins.
Pour into tins
Bake: 40 minutes for loaf tins, 1 hour for the tube tin
GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
I invented this for my many friends who eat gluten-free. The extra nuts make it very rich. It is perhaps more delicious than the original!
5-6 apples (1 1/2 lbs)
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 T brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats
1/2 C (2 oz) oat flour
1 C (5 oz) almond flour
1 1/4 C (2 oz) organic cane sugar
8T/1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
3/4 C (3 oz) chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 (350 convection)
Crumble:
Mix together the oats, oat flour, almond flour, sugar and spices. If you don't have almond flour, take 5 oz of almonds and process them to a course flour in a food processor. Rub in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. (see the 'normal' recipe, in the previous apple blog entry, for technique details). The nut flour makes the mixture a little difficult to work - if it gets too sticky, put it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes - the ingredients, when cold, are easier to mix. After mixing, keep the crumble cold while you prepare the apples.
Apples: Slice the apples thinly, mix them with the orange juice and rind. Add the sugar if the apples are tart. Pile into a small baking dish.
Pour the crumble evenly over the apples. Don't press the mixture down. This recipe makes a lot of crumble - if you have too much, just put it in a bag in the freezer for later use. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples are soft and the crumble is brown.
25 October 2009
AUTUMN APPLES
Autumn and apples seem inexorably linked. The leaves turn yellow and gold and orange, the fruit ripens red on the trees. There is something wonderful about eating an apple that's just been picked, from your backyard tree or by your neighborhood farmer.
It's worth looking out for locally grown, interesting apples. Supermarkets and the nature of the food distribution business in the US have led to a year-round supply of apples, but only of a few varieties - the ones that store easily and have a fairly bland taste. Branch out from Delicious and Galas, if you are able.
We lived in apple country in England - it was easy to get ten different varieties at this time of year. There were apples that were giant and gnarly and green - so tart and hard that they couldn't be eaten raw. Cooked into tarts, pies, and crumbles, the flavor was incredible. (Note to my British readers - there is no such thing as a cooking apple in America). There were apples that were tiny but so sweet and juicy that the flavor exploded with each bite. There are places in the States, too, that still grow a variety of apples. In the Hudson Valley in New York, near my son's college, there are roadside stands with incredible offerings. Like with fine wines or cheeses, each apple offers unique taste and texture. Here in Colorado, I turn once again to my favorite fruit growers at the farmer's market for Honeycrisps and Empires.
Apples and Health
The old saying about an apple a day keeping the doctor away turns out to have some merit. I am troubled by the number of clients who come to see me and say they are going to 'lose weight' or 'be healthy' by staying away from carbohydrates, or by excluding grains and fruits. Fruit, in general, offers incredible nutrition - fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins - as well as delicious taste. An apple has over 4 grams of fiber (quick summary of fiber benefits: regulates blood sugar, lowers LDL levels, helps in weight loss by increasing sense of fullness, helps normalize many aspects of digestive function). They're also very high in antioxidants (which help in reducing the aging effects of free radicals, as well as protecting from chronic degenerative conditions and possibly reducing risk of cancer). Because of the high fiber content, apples are low on the glycemic index scale - they taste sweet, but don't force your body into a sudden insulin rush the way a soda or candy bar would. There is research indicating that apples may lower the risk of lung disease and asthma, heart disease, cancer, colorectal disease, and high cholesterol.
Apple Abundance
Enough about health. This time of year, I have lots of uses for apples. We snack on them, just as they are, or sliced with a little cheese or nut butter. I bake them into pies and crumbles and cakes. And I preserve the harvest for use at a later time.
This year, the apple crop in Boulder suffered from late frosts in the spring - some of my favorite trees (at friend's houses, in parks or standing neglected outside of apartment buildings) have produced no fruit. Our own crab apple tree suffered irrevocable damage a few years ago when when a black bear decided he wanted his meal 'to go' - and took half the tree away for munching at a convenient time. However, there are some hardy wild apple trees on our drive home, and I stop and pick them. They're small - somewhere between the size of a crab apple and the supermarket variety - and very tart. They're great for making apple sauces, apple jelly, apple butters, or apple chutneys.
I don't bother to slice them - just give them a quick wash and chop them roughly - seeds, core and all. Everything goes into the pot and with some water. I dig out jelly bags and my food mill from the back of my kitchen closet. The fruit is loaded into the jelly bags (or, if I'm not too fussy, just a plain old strainer) to drain. The juice is cooked up with some sugar and herbs to become mint or sage jelly. The fruit is put into the food mill and used for applesauce, apple butter, apple curd, or apple cheese (the last is an English Victorian invention - fruit cooked for a long time with some sugar, until it is an extra thick butter - it stores well, and is great sliced and eaten with cold meats or cheese).
APPLE CRUMBLE
One of my husband's favorite deserts...
I have fond childhood memories of my grandmother peeling apples with a paring knife, and ending up with one long piece of peel. It's a fun trick. However, I no longer peel my apples. The peel holds a much higher concentration of nutrients and the peels soften perfectly well when cooked. Please - use organic apples if at all possible. Also, if the apples are waxed (as supermarket apples often are) please wash them thoroughly.
Note to beginner bakers: Apple crumble is a fairly easy desert to bake, as it doesn't need to rise. The only technical piece is to 'rub in the butter.' For newbies - this means exactly that. I have my pile of flour. I have butter which is COLD from the fridge (not, as in cake-making, at room temperature). I cut the butter with a butter knife, into very small pieces, and toss them into the flour mix until the pieces are coated. Then I rub - I take a small amount of the flour/butter mix between my thumb and my first two fingers, and gently mush. The trick here is to have cold butter to start, and to not press too hard - you're breaking up the flour/butter into more uniform pieces, not kneading them together. The end result should like coarse breadcrumbs (not fine sand). It is better to have some bigger pieces - pea-sized - than to over-mix.
Note on slicing apples: The best trick I have to getting even slices is to place the apple upright on the chopping board, and slice a large piece off just next to (but avoiding) the core. Then give the fruit 1/4 turn, and slice again. Repeat for all four 'sides' of the apple. You then have a square core to discard, and four pieces which you can lay flat on the cutting board and cut into even slices.
Here's my recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 (375 convection)
Make the crumble first:
1 C (5 oz) whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 C/4oz white flour)
1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats (normal-sized - not giant)
8 T (4oz/1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 C (2 oz) unrefined organic sugar (or light brown, or even white)
1/4 t cardamon seeds
1/4 t cinammon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 C (2 oz) chopped pecans or hazelnuts
Mix together the flour and oats. Rub in the butter. Add the sugar, spices, and nuts, and toss until well blended.
Put the crumble mix back into the fridge to cool while you prepare the fruit.
Fruit:
5 apples (about 1 1/2 lb) sliced 1/8" thick
1 orange - juice and peel
1/4 C (2 oz) organic raw or light brown sugar (optional)
Mix the apples with the orange juice, peel, and sugar (I often don't use the sugar, but if the apples are very tart it's a nice touch). Pile into a small baking dish or pie plate (8" x 8" pyrex baking dish is perfect).
Pile the crumble on top of the fruit (don't press it in - just make sure it evenly covers the fruit).
Bake 25-35 minutes, until the fruit is soft and the crumble topping is golden brown.
Serve with yoghurt, ice cream, or whipped cream.
Variations:
This is a recipe with infinite possibilities. I sometimes don't use the oats. Occasionally, I omit the nuts. The nuts can be varied - almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts all work well. I love the flavor of cardamon, but it can be omitted. Play with the spices, or leave them out for an unadulterated fruit taste. The fruit, too, can be varied. Pears, or a mix of pears and apple, work well, as do some blackberries thrown in with the apples. The summer peaches I placed in the freezer are used for a winter peach crumble.
I often make double the crumble recipe - placed in a plastic bag, the mix keeps well in the freezer. It's a simple matter to slice up some fruit, top it with the frozen mix, and bake - an easy desert with no effort.
The smell of apples baking in the oven...soothing and lovely!
It's worth looking out for locally grown, interesting apples. Supermarkets and the nature of the food distribution business in the US have led to a year-round supply of apples, but only of a few varieties - the ones that store easily and have a fairly bland taste. Branch out from Delicious and Galas, if you are able.
We lived in apple country in England - it was easy to get ten different varieties at this time of year. There were apples that were giant and gnarly and green - so tart and hard that they couldn't be eaten raw. Cooked into tarts, pies, and crumbles, the flavor was incredible. (Note to my British readers - there is no such thing as a cooking apple in America). There were apples that were tiny but so sweet and juicy that the flavor exploded with each bite. There are places in the States, too, that still grow a variety of apples. In the Hudson Valley in New York, near my son's college, there are roadside stands with incredible offerings. Like with fine wines or cheeses, each apple offers unique taste and texture. Here in Colorado, I turn once again to my favorite fruit growers at the farmer's market for Honeycrisps and Empires.
Apples and Health
The old saying about an apple a day keeping the doctor away turns out to have some merit. I am troubled by the number of clients who come to see me and say they are going to 'lose weight' or 'be healthy' by staying away from carbohydrates, or by excluding grains and fruits. Fruit, in general, offers incredible nutrition - fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins - as well as delicious taste. An apple has over 4 grams of fiber (quick summary of fiber benefits: regulates blood sugar, lowers LDL levels, helps in weight loss by increasing sense of fullness, helps normalize many aspects of digestive function). They're also very high in antioxidants (which help in reducing the aging effects of free radicals, as well as protecting from chronic degenerative conditions and possibly reducing risk of cancer). Because of the high fiber content, apples are low on the glycemic index scale - they taste sweet, but don't force your body into a sudden insulin rush the way a soda or candy bar would. There is research indicating that apples may lower the risk of lung disease and asthma, heart disease, cancer, colorectal disease, and high cholesterol.
Apple Abundance
Enough about health. This time of year, I have lots of uses for apples. We snack on them, just as they are, or sliced with a little cheese or nut butter. I bake them into pies and crumbles and cakes. And I preserve the harvest for use at a later time.
This year, the apple crop in Boulder suffered from late frosts in the spring - some of my favorite trees (at friend's houses, in parks or standing neglected outside of apartment buildings) have produced no fruit. Our own crab apple tree suffered irrevocable damage a few years ago when when a black bear decided he wanted his meal 'to go' - and took half the tree away for munching at a convenient time. However, there are some hardy wild apple trees on our drive home, and I stop and pick them. They're small - somewhere between the size of a crab apple and the supermarket variety - and very tart. They're great for making apple sauces, apple jelly, apple butters, or apple chutneys.
I don't bother to slice them - just give them a quick wash and chop them roughly - seeds, core and all. Everything goes into the pot and with some water. I dig out jelly bags and my food mill from the back of my kitchen closet. The fruit is loaded into the jelly bags (or, if I'm not too fussy, just a plain old strainer) to drain. The juice is cooked up with some sugar and herbs to become mint or sage jelly. The fruit is put into the food mill and used for applesauce, apple butter, apple curd, or apple cheese (the last is an English Victorian invention - fruit cooked for a long time with some sugar, until it is an extra thick butter - it stores well, and is great sliced and eaten with cold meats or cheese).
APPLE CRUMBLE
One of my husband's favorite deserts...
I have fond childhood memories of my grandmother peeling apples with a paring knife, and ending up with one long piece of peel. It's a fun trick. However, I no longer peel my apples. The peel holds a much higher concentration of nutrients and the peels soften perfectly well when cooked. Please - use organic apples if at all possible. Also, if the apples are waxed (as supermarket apples often are) please wash them thoroughly.
Note to beginner bakers: Apple crumble is a fairly easy desert to bake, as it doesn't need to rise. The only technical piece is to 'rub in the butter.' For newbies - this means exactly that. I have my pile of flour. I have butter which is COLD from the fridge (not, as in cake-making, at room temperature). I cut the butter with a butter knife, into very small pieces, and toss them into the flour mix until the pieces are coated. Then I rub - I take a small amount of the flour/butter mix between my thumb and my first two fingers, and gently mush. The trick here is to have cold butter to start, and to not press too hard - you're breaking up the flour/butter into more uniform pieces, not kneading them together. The end result should like coarse breadcrumbs (not fine sand). It is better to have some bigger pieces - pea-sized - than to over-mix.
Note on slicing apples: The best trick I have to getting even slices is to place the apple upright on the chopping board, and slice a large piece off just next to (but avoiding) the core. Then give the fruit 1/4 turn, and slice again. Repeat for all four 'sides' of the apple. You then have a square core to discard, and four pieces which you can lay flat on the cutting board and cut into even slices.
Here's my recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 (375 convection)
Make the crumble first:
1 C (5 oz) whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 C/4oz white flour)
1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats (normal-sized - not giant)
8 T (4oz/1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 C (2 oz) unrefined organic sugar (or light brown, or even white)
1/4 t cardamon seeds
1/4 t cinammon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 C (2 oz) chopped pecans or hazelnuts
Mix together the flour and oats. Rub in the butter. Add the sugar, spices, and nuts, and toss until well blended.
Put the crumble mix back into the fridge to cool while you prepare the fruit.
Fruit:
5 apples (about 1 1/2 lb) sliced 1/8" thick
1 orange - juice and peel
1/4 C (2 oz) organic raw or light brown sugar (optional)
Mix the apples with the orange juice, peel, and sugar (I often don't use the sugar, but if the apples are very tart it's a nice touch). Pile into a small baking dish or pie plate (8" x 8" pyrex baking dish is perfect).
Pile the crumble on top of the fruit (don't press it in - just make sure it evenly covers the fruit).
Bake 25-35 minutes, until the fruit is soft and the crumble topping is golden brown.
Serve with yoghurt, ice cream, or whipped cream.
Variations:
This is a recipe with infinite possibilities. I sometimes don't use the oats. Occasionally, I omit the nuts. The nuts can be varied - almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts all work well. I love the flavor of cardamon, but it can be omitted. Play with the spices, or leave them out for an unadulterated fruit taste. The fruit, too, can be varied. Pears, or a mix of pears and apple, work well, as do some blackberries thrown in with the apples. The summer peaches I placed in the freezer are used for a winter peach crumble.
I often make double the crumble recipe - placed in a plastic bag, the mix keeps well in the freezer. It's a simple matter to slice up some fruit, top it with the frozen mix, and bake - an easy desert with no effort.
The smell of apples baking in the oven...soothing and lovely!
15 October 2009
AWESOME ENGLISH BIRTHDAY DINNER
Sunday was my husband Roland's birthday. We don't do a big deal around presents, but I do always like to cook a 'meal of choice.' Roland's request - a British roast dinner. And so it was - prime rib roast, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, and glazed carrots. His request for a birthday cake was "not chocolate." My daughter certainly couldn't understand that - she was all ready to bake her favorite sour cream chocolate cake for him. His opinion ruled (it was his birthday, after all). So it was that I had tremendous fun making a coconut cake, with coconut rum buttercream frosting.
There's nothing complicated about cooking any of the pieces of a roast meal. Roast potatoes, for example - cut up the potatoes, put them in the oven with some olive oil or chicken fat, turn them occasionally until crispy. The difficulty is in the timing - getting the potatoes, meat, and sides all ready at the same time. This time, I thought I had it all organized. However, even the best laid plans...the meat took forty minutes longer than anticipated to cook.
I was very glad I hadn't invited friends to share dinner - nothing is more stressful than keeping guests waiting. As it was, I realized I was going to be behind schedule and applied some culinary first aid. The carrots, already cooked, kept perfectly well at room temperature and could be finished at the last minute. I removed the potatoes when they were about 2/3 of the way cooked. Roland made some basic gravy with roux, chicken stock and whiskey, which needed only the addition of beef juices at the last minute. The yorkshire pudding batter, once mixed, does better for waiting around.
When the meat was finally done (crisp and brown on the outside, beautiful rare on the inside), I let it sit while I blasted the heat in the oven. The drippings/fat from the beef went into the already-hot baking dish, with the pudding batter poured on top. Then the pudding and the potatoes went into the hot oven for twenty minutes, while the meat rested to perfection. The carrots were reheated and had a just-before-serving sprinkle of lemon juice and parsley (the parsley found under the snow which covered our garden that day... October surprises in Colorado). The gravy was fine tuned. The potatoes came out crispy on the outside, melting and soft on the inside. The pudding rose to glorious heights. And the cake...well, I always start cooking my meals with the important things first - so dessert had been long ago baked, cooled, frosted and decorated with roast hazelnuts and toasted coconut flakes.
British cooking has a bad reputation - boring overcooked food, people say. From my experience living there, nothing could be further from the truth. British cooking, at its best, exemplifies all that is coming back into fashion here in the US with the slow/local food movement - locally grown and raised products cooked simply.
For recipe references, I recommend Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's The River Cottage Meat Book (good for basic roasting references). For the cake, I am indebted, as always, to Nigella Lawson - in this instance, for her Coconut Cake in How to be a Domestic Goddess. The carrots are from Jane Grigson's Good Things, long out of print and recently republished. In 1971, Jane Grigson wrote "a book about enjoying food" in which she espoused the joys of cooking simply using seasonal, local ingredients. This book has been on my shelf for over twenty years. I have many favorites, and still find new things to try.
My recommendation - buy the best quality ingredients for a roast dinner. Grass fed beef or lamb, a free-range chicken or piece of pork - these give the best flavor and nutrition. Fats from animals raised in a healthy manner (ie good, natural diet and ability to move) are actually healthy - including necessary omega-3's; fats from commercial animals contain accumulations of the toxins fed to the animals. A small piece of excellent meat goes a long way. Supplement it with potatoes (great fiber and many micro-nutrients, especially if you leave the skin on) and plenty of vegetables - and you really do have a healthy and wonderful meal. As for the pudding and cake - well, both really do require white flour, and the cake needs white sugar as well. However, what is life without joyous food - including an occasional indulgence!
There's nothing complicated about cooking any of the pieces of a roast meal. Roast potatoes, for example - cut up the potatoes, put them in the oven with some olive oil or chicken fat, turn them occasionally until crispy. The difficulty is in the timing - getting the potatoes, meat, and sides all ready at the same time. This time, I thought I had it all organized. However, even the best laid plans...the meat took forty minutes longer than anticipated to cook.
I was very glad I hadn't invited friends to share dinner - nothing is more stressful than keeping guests waiting. As it was, I realized I was going to be behind schedule and applied some culinary first aid. The carrots, already cooked, kept perfectly well at room temperature and could be finished at the last minute. I removed the potatoes when they were about 2/3 of the way cooked. Roland made some basic gravy with roux, chicken stock and whiskey, which needed only the addition of beef juices at the last minute. The yorkshire pudding batter, once mixed, does better for waiting around.
When the meat was finally done (crisp and brown on the outside, beautiful rare on the inside), I let it sit while I blasted the heat in the oven. The drippings/fat from the beef went into the already-hot baking dish, with the pudding batter poured on top. Then the pudding and the potatoes went into the hot oven for twenty minutes, while the meat rested to perfection. The carrots were reheated and had a just-before-serving sprinkle of lemon juice and parsley (the parsley found under the snow which covered our garden that day... October surprises in Colorado). The gravy was fine tuned. The potatoes came out crispy on the outside, melting and soft on the inside. The pudding rose to glorious heights. And the cake...well, I always start cooking my meals with the important things first - so dessert had been long ago baked, cooled, frosted and decorated with roast hazelnuts and toasted coconut flakes.
British cooking has a bad reputation - boring overcooked food, people say. From my experience living there, nothing could be further from the truth. British cooking, at its best, exemplifies all that is coming back into fashion here in the US with the slow/local food movement - locally grown and raised products cooked simply.
For recipe references, I recommend Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's The River Cottage Meat Book (good for basic roasting references). For the cake, I am indebted, as always, to Nigella Lawson - in this instance, for her Coconut Cake in How to be a Domestic Goddess. The carrots are from Jane Grigson's Good Things, long out of print and recently republished. In 1971, Jane Grigson wrote "a book about enjoying food" in which she espoused the joys of cooking simply using seasonal, local ingredients. This book has been on my shelf for over twenty years. I have many favorites, and still find new things to try.
My recommendation - buy the best quality ingredients for a roast dinner. Grass fed beef or lamb, a free-range chicken or piece of pork - these give the best flavor and nutrition. Fats from animals raised in a healthy manner (ie good, natural diet and ability to move) are actually healthy - including necessary omega-3's; fats from commercial animals contain accumulations of the toxins fed to the animals. A small piece of excellent meat goes a long way. Supplement it with potatoes (great fiber and many micro-nutrients, especially if you leave the skin on) and plenty of vegetables - and you really do have a healthy and wonderful meal. As for the pudding and cake - well, both really do require white flour, and the cake needs white sugar as well. However, what is life without joyous food - including an occasional indulgence!
08 October 2009
SWISS CHARD AND COLLARDS AND KALE...OH MY!
Over the last five or six years, dark leafy greens have taken a more prominent place in my family's diet. I have grown to the love the versatility, color, taste, and ease of cooking these vegetables. From a nutrition point of view, they're awesome - lots of fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium, iron, beta carotene, calcium, omega 3s, magnesium, manganese, copper, and vitamin K.
Don't be put off by how good for you they are! Have fun shopping. Should I have swiss chard with pale yellow or bright orange stalks, or those giant collard leaves that look more like an antique fan than a vegetable, or sleek lacinato kale, or frilly Red Russian kale, or bold green spinach, or spicy mustard leaves or majestic deep green and magenta beet leaves. My advice - buy what looks fresh! Buy different types - they're easy to mix and match.
There are many ways to cook leafy greens, and I'll give some type-specific hints later. In general, they can be steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, blanched, roasted, cooked on their own or with many other vegetables in a mixed vegetable dish, added to soups and stews and curries, and, if young and fresh, eaten raw in salads. Baby spinach is a popular salad item, but baby Red Russian kale adds an amazing sweetness and crunch to a mixed green salad.
Here's a trick for washing leafy vegetables - don't! Instead, fill a sink or large bowl with cold water. Place the greens in the water to soak. The dirt will drift off the leaves and down to the bottom of the sink. After a few minutes, you can gently lift the leaves out of the water. If they're any stubborn spots you can rinse those. You don't have to dry the leaves - a little water on them will help with the cooking.
One of my favorite things to do for a quick weeknight dinner is a mixed vegetable saute. I don't have to worry about precise timing, and I can use up whatever I find in my fridge or on a quick trip to my garden. I slice up an onion or leek or some shallots, perhaps a clove or two of garlic, and then whatever else is around - a carrot, some kohlrabi, some zucchini, and then as much leafy green as I can get my hands on. What looks like a lot on the chopping board may not be too much in the pan! Spinach, beet greens, and chard shrink down a lot when cooked - kale and collards less so. If the greens have hard-ish stems (like chard or older kale) I separate the stems and chop them separately (see chard advice below). I saute the onions, then add the rest of the vegetables (including the chopped stems) except the greens, and saute gently until soft. Then I add the greens, toss them with the cooking oil or fat, add a little liquid, then let cook. The veggies can slowly cook happily until the rest of the dinner is ready, or can be turned off and re-heated just before serving. Long slow cooking turns the greens sweet and tasty.
SAUTEED COLLARDS
Note: these recipes give detailed instructions for beginner cooks - if you know what you're doing, skip to the summary!
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove (optional)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch (about 8 ounces) collards
1/2 cup stock
Large pot of boiling water
10-12 " frying or saute pan (stainless steel is best; no non-stick).
1. Slice the onion thinly.
2. Chop the garlic (trick; to peel the garlic, place it on its side on the chopping board, then press the flat side of a large knife on the garlic. The peel should easily slip away, and the crushed garlic will be easy to chop).
3. Wash collards (as above) and slice. (trick: I take a few collard leaves and line them up in the same direction, then roll them up like a loose cigar. Then I slice across the leaves at about 1/4" intervals, ending up with lovely collard ribbons). If the leaves are very large, trim away the thickest, toughest part of the stem and slice up the rest of the stem into thin pieces.
4. Blanch the collards for 3 minutes (see 'green beans' entree for detailed instructions - place the collards in rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and plunge immediately into cold water, then remove from the water and place spread out on paper towel or dishcloth until needed).
5. Place the olive oil into a 10"-12" frying pan. Heat the oil on medium heat, then turn down to medium low.
6. Add the onions, use a wooden spoon or metal spatula to toss them in the olive oil, and let cook gently for five minutes. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the garlic if using, and saute for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the greens all at once. Toss them in the oil (you can add a little more if they don't seem coated). Let cook gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
9. Add the stock. Allow the mixture to get to a boil, then turn down to low and let cook for about 15 minutes. The collards will be sweet and tender and creamy.
10. ENJOY!
Summary: Blanch the collards 3 minutes. Saute an onion until soft but not brown. Add the garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the blanched collards, and saute for a few minutes. Add the stock, and let simmer slowly for fifteen minutes.
Variations:
I vary the fat I use depending on my mood. Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, chicken or goose fat or lard (animal fats from organic sources only, please!) all produce delicious results. I don't use polyunsaturated oils, as I believe they are not healthy and have no taste.
I vary the liquid according to my mood and what's around. Some white wine or dry sherry, a little cream or just plain water all work well.
You can use any leafy green. Kale and collards work best when blanched first, but the others (eg chard, spinach, beet greens) can go directly into the frying pan after the onion is soft.
SPECIAL LEAFY TIPS:
Kale tastes sweeter and is more tender when it's been through a frost. You can replicate that frost in your kitchen. Wash and chop the kale. Place it in a freezer bag, and put the raw kale in the freezer for ten minutes, then blanch it. This really works! (You can also keep the kale raw and frozen and ready to use at a later date).
To slice swiss chard: I take an individual leaf and fold it in half length-wise. Then I can cut the 'stem' part out in one piece, from the starting point in the leaf. I then end up with two pieces - a wedge-shaped stem, and a soft leaf with the center missing. Don't throw away the stem - I slice it into thin pieces then saute gently for quite a while before I add the chopped wet leaves.
Spinach doesn't need much water to cook, and you don't want to mushy. Simple spinach: Wash as above, leaving the leaves wet. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add wet spinach all at once, with no extra water. Cover and turn down the heat. Make sure it's not sticking or burning - if so, add a few tablespoons of extra water - but the water from the washing should be enough. Let cook for a few minutes. Uncover if there's too much water, and let the water cook away. Add a tablespoon of butter or heavy cream right before serving, for an extra rich taste.
Don't be put off by how good for you they are! Have fun shopping. Should I have swiss chard with pale yellow or bright orange stalks, or those giant collard leaves that look more like an antique fan than a vegetable, or sleek lacinato kale, or frilly Red Russian kale, or bold green spinach, or spicy mustard leaves or majestic deep green and magenta beet leaves. My advice - buy what looks fresh! Buy different types - they're easy to mix and match.
There are many ways to cook leafy greens, and I'll give some type-specific hints later. In general, they can be steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, blanched, roasted, cooked on their own or with many other vegetables in a mixed vegetable dish, added to soups and stews and curries, and, if young and fresh, eaten raw in salads. Baby spinach is a popular salad item, but baby Red Russian kale adds an amazing sweetness and crunch to a mixed green salad.
Here's a trick for washing leafy vegetables - don't! Instead, fill a sink or large bowl with cold water. Place the greens in the water to soak. The dirt will drift off the leaves and down to the bottom of the sink. After a few minutes, you can gently lift the leaves out of the water. If they're any stubborn spots you can rinse those. You don't have to dry the leaves - a little water on them will help with the cooking.
One of my favorite things to do for a quick weeknight dinner is a mixed vegetable saute. I don't have to worry about precise timing, and I can use up whatever I find in my fridge or on a quick trip to my garden. I slice up an onion or leek or some shallots, perhaps a clove or two of garlic, and then whatever else is around - a carrot, some kohlrabi, some zucchini, and then as much leafy green as I can get my hands on. What looks like a lot on the chopping board may not be too much in the pan! Spinach, beet greens, and chard shrink down a lot when cooked - kale and collards less so. If the greens have hard-ish stems (like chard or older kale) I separate the stems and chop them separately (see chard advice below). I saute the onions, then add the rest of the vegetables (including the chopped stems) except the greens, and saute gently until soft. Then I add the greens, toss them with the cooking oil or fat, add a little liquid, then let cook. The veggies can slowly cook happily until the rest of the dinner is ready, or can be turned off and re-heated just before serving. Long slow cooking turns the greens sweet and tasty.
SAUTEED COLLARDS
Note: these recipes give detailed instructions for beginner cooks - if you know what you're doing, skip to the summary!
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove (optional)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch (about 8 ounces) collards
1/2 cup stock
Large pot of boiling water
10-12 " frying or saute pan (stainless steel is best; no non-stick).
1. Slice the onion thinly.
2. Chop the garlic (trick; to peel the garlic, place it on its side on the chopping board, then press the flat side of a large knife on the garlic. The peel should easily slip away, and the crushed garlic will be easy to chop).
3. Wash collards (as above) and slice. (trick: I take a few collard leaves and line them up in the same direction, then roll them up like a loose cigar. Then I slice across the leaves at about 1/4" intervals, ending up with lovely collard ribbons). If the leaves are very large, trim away the thickest, toughest part of the stem and slice up the rest of the stem into thin pieces.
4. Blanch the collards for 3 minutes (see 'green beans' entree for detailed instructions - place the collards in rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and plunge immediately into cold water, then remove from the water and place spread out on paper towel or dishcloth until needed).
5. Place the olive oil into a 10"-12" frying pan. Heat the oil on medium heat, then turn down to medium low.
6. Add the onions, use a wooden spoon or metal spatula to toss them in the olive oil, and let cook gently for five minutes. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the garlic if using, and saute for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the greens all at once. Toss them in the oil (you can add a little more if they don't seem coated). Let cook gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
9. Add the stock. Allow the mixture to get to a boil, then turn down to low and let cook for about 15 minutes. The collards will be sweet and tender and creamy.
10. ENJOY!
Summary: Blanch the collards 3 minutes. Saute an onion until soft but not brown. Add the garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the blanched collards, and saute for a few minutes. Add the stock, and let simmer slowly for fifteen minutes.
Variations:
I vary the fat I use depending on my mood. Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, chicken or goose fat or lard (animal fats from organic sources only, please!) all produce delicious results. I don't use polyunsaturated oils, as I believe they are not healthy and have no taste.
I vary the liquid according to my mood and what's around. Some white wine or dry sherry, a little cream or just plain water all work well.
You can use any leafy green. Kale and collards work best when blanched first, but the others (eg chard, spinach, beet greens) can go directly into the frying pan after the onion is soft.
SPECIAL LEAFY TIPS:
Kale tastes sweeter and is more tender when it's been through a frost. You can replicate that frost in your kitchen. Wash and chop the kale. Place it in a freezer bag, and put the raw kale in the freezer for ten minutes, then blanch it. This really works! (You can also keep the kale raw and frozen and ready to use at a later date).
To slice swiss chard: I take an individual leaf and fold it in half length-wise. Then I can cut the 'stem' part out in one piece, from the starting point in the leaf. I then end up with two pieces - a wedge-shaped stem, and a soft leaf with the center missing. Don't throw away the stem - I slice it into thin pieces then saute gently for quite a while before I add the chopped wet leaves.
Spinach doesn't need much water to cook, and you don't want to mushy. Simple spinach: Wash as above, leaving the leaves wet. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add wet spinach all at once, with no extra water. Cover and turn down the heat. Make sure it's not sticking or burning - if so, add a few tablespoons of extra water - but the water from the washing should be enough. Let cook for a few minutes. Uncover if there's too much water, and let the water cook away. Add a tablespoon of butter or heavy cream right before serving, for an extra rich taste.
05 October 2009
SUKKOT & THE BLESSING OF FOOD
Last night was the beginning of the week-long festival of Sukkot. This is a Jewish harvest celebration - a time to mark the changing of the seasons and rejoice in the bounty of the land.
Traditionally, we build 'sukkah' - temporary huts with a roof of branches, providing shade but allowing the stars to shine through, and decorated beautifully with carpets and harvest produce. It is the custom to eat meals in the sukkah, and even sleep in it. We welcome friends to share meals. It becomes our temporary home for the week.
This festival, like harvest festivals in so many cultures, brings us closer to the divine beauty of the agricultural life - the growing of the crops, the raising of the animals, followed by harvest and storage. It is a joy to eat our meals outside, surrounded by the natural world, in awe of the food produced by the earth.
It is the custom of all the major religions to take a moment before our meals to give thanks. Even if not religious, it seems right to contemplate the source of the food, and the work that has been put in - by the farmer, the cook, the earth itself - to create a meal.
I think part of the growing trend for Americans to go to farmers markets or be part of CSAs (community supported agriculture) is a desire to be more connected to that cycle. Besides having a fun weekend outing, besides having fresh local produce at reasonable prices, we get to see how the seasons change the food that's available. We can get tomatoes all year long in the supermarket, but only for a few special weeks at the farm. But what tomatoes they are! We get to know our local growers, we move from lettuce to chard to beans to tomatoes to kale to winter squash in our meals, we get to perhaps help at a local farm, planting or weeding or harvesting. We grow in appreciation for the work and miracle of food, and take a moment to give thanks - while we are preparing food, while we are sharing it with friends and family.
01 October 2009
INCREDIBLE PEACHES
Colorado has the most amazing peaches. They are not grown in my Front Range neighborhood (Boulder, Denver), but on the other side of the continental divide – the Western Slope. The climate is a little more mild, the precipitation greater. And the peaches – incredibly divine. The season is short. Most of the summer, I don’t need to go to our farmer’s market – my husband grows almost all our vegetables, and I get whatever else I need from his farmer friends – but in peach season I’m on a mission.
I buy a box (20 lbs) of 'seconds' from my favorite growers. The seconds seem to have no flaws – perfect skin, perfect ripeness. Perhaps a little variation in size. The next weekend, I get another box sold through my daughter’s school as a fundraiser. The third week , I’m back to the market for a third box. Sixty pounds of peaches!
A good third of them get eaten raw. Breakfast, snacks, dripping juices onto our t-shirts as we munch, or sliced into a bowl of yoghurt or breakfast cereal. My husband has built a solar dehydrator, and another quantity are sliced and dried. My daughter loves these dried peaches above all else – I have to ration the dried ones while the fresh are still around. My husband thinks he’s dried enough for the winter. I tell him we’ll be lucky if they last a month.
I slice many, place them in quart Ziploc bags, and place them in our chest freezer. These are wonderful in the winter in smoothies or baked into desserts or simmered gently into a sauce for waffles.
I love to bake peaches – as crisps, stuffed with chopped nuts, or just sliced and placed in a baking dish with a little apple cider or orange juice in the bottom, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
BAKED PEACHES & NUTS
This recipe is gluten free.
JAM
And then there’s jam. I lived in England for ten years, where jam-making is a national sport. I don’t remember anybody ever buying fruit for jam – it was a matter of going to one’s favorite wild blackberry or plum patch, harvesting until you dropped, them cooking.
I was quite paranoid about jam-making for a long time. It seemed daunting – all the difficulties with setting, all the cautions about bacteria. Now, however, it is one of the most relaxing things I do in the kitchen.
First, I decided I didn’t really care about set. One problem that I was having was that much of the fruit I was using (peaches, strawberries, plums) was low-pectin (and therefore low-set) fruit. This means I would have to add extra pectin, extra acid (which helps release pectin), lots of sugar, or cook it a long time in order to get a ‘jam’ set. However, most of the reason I want to make my own jam is that I find commercial products – even the high-end ones – too sweet. I wanted to lower the sugar content. Pectin addition seemed incredibly complicated – the box instructions filled with all kinds of detailed measurements that needed to be followed exactly. And I realized I like ‘conserves’ - loose-ish mushy fruit rather than firm jam. They're more versatile, for one thing – the fruit can be put into desserts, added to yoghurt or cooked cereals or spread on toast – and has a fresh flavor.
So, I make ‘jam’ that might not be quite jam. The method is fairly simple. Use ripe but not over-ripe fruit. Cut up the fruit. Weigh it if you want to keep track, from year to year, of how much of each ingredient you use. With peaches, I add some lemon zest and lemon juice – it zips up the flavor as well as increasing pectin. With the Colorado peaches, I don’t add any water, but if my peaches are old or dryish, I might add a little. I put everything in a large stainless steel pot and cook gently. Meanwhile, I estimate a sugar amount, place it in a pie or cake tin, and warm it in the oven (the oven is already warming the jars – see below). When the fruit is cooked, I mash it with my potato masher until it’s the consistency I want. Then I take it off the heat. Add the warmed sugar. A tip I learned in England – if the fruit is boiling, or the sugar cold, the jam will crystallize, giving an unpleasant texture and the impossibility of any kind of set. When the sugar is mixed in, bring the mix back to the boil and cook hard for a few minutes. If you want a set, you can start checking. You may need to boil for up to fifteen minutes. (More on testing set below). Otherwise, less than five minutes at a rolling boil (one that won’t go away when you stir it) is fine. Give it a stir occasional – you don’t want sticking. Then take off the heat for a few minutes, and place into hot jars.
ON JARS
American jam recipes have a lot of complicated instructions about sterilizing jars, and about placing the full jars in canning pots and boiling to death. In Britain, life is simpler. And so is jam. The jars need to be very clean and dry and warm. I've found two ways to do this. The first is to run them on a hot cycle in your dishwasher, with a heated dry, and keep the dishwasher door closed until ready to use. This definitely sterilizes the jar. However, it does take quite a bit of energy to run the dishwasher like this, and requires some forethought as to timing - if you wait too long, your jars will be cold. If you forget, your jars aren't done. The other option is to wash the jars (even if they're already clean) in very hot soapy water and then place them in a 275 degree oven. The jars can sit there quite happily until you're ready to use them.
The Brits cover their jams with wax paper discs, but I do love the American canning lids. The rings can be re-used, but the insets (the little circles) should be new. I wash the lids, put them in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave them until needed.
ON SET
When I'm beginning my jam recipe I put a small saucer in the freezer to cool. To check the set, I put a spoonful of jam on the saucer and allow it to cool. Then I run my finger across the middle. The halves should remain separate, instead of running together.
If you have a candy thermometer, the set is 104 degrees F.
If you're wanting a set for jam start testing soon after boiling point. With some fruit (eg apples and currants) there is a danger of oversetting. There are some wild berries that grow down the road from me; I once attempted jam and ended up with solid rubber.
I don't like to cook the jam to death, so I will often stop before the setting point is reached. As mentioned above, this leaves a mushy, soft, delicious spread.
ON POTTING
When the setting point (or for me, the finish point, even if it's not set), take the jam off the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.
I get my potting tools ready - a small plate to put the jar on, a soup ladle, a funnel (cooking and hardware stores sell these - a very wide mouthed funnel that really makes things easier), my lids, a dishcloth or pot holder.
I take out a hot jar, place it on the plate, put the funnel in the jar, use the ladle to scoop the jam into the jar. I fill to the top.
Put on the lid insert then the ring. The jar will be hot, so I hold it with a dishcloth or pot holder and tighten.
That's it. I leave the jars until cool, then label with a sharpie (date and type of jam - you think you'll remember, but you don't).
PEACH JAM
I buy a box (20 lbs) of 'seconds' from my favorite growers. The seconds seem to have no flaws – perfect skin, perfect ripeness. Perhaps a little variation in size. The next weekend, I get another box sold through my daughter’s school as a fundraiser. The third week , I’m back to the market for a third box. Sixty pounds of peaches!
A good third of them get eaten raw. Breakfast, snacks, dripping juices onto our t-shirts as we munch, or sliced into a bowl of yoghurt or breakfast cereal. My husband has built a solar dehydrator, and another quantity are sliced and dried. My daughter loves these dried peaches above all else – I have to ration the dried ones while the fresh are still around. My husband thinks he’s dried enough for the winter. I tell him we’ll be lucky if they last a month.
I slice many, place them in quart Ziploc bags, and place them in our chest freezer. These are wonderful in the winter in smoothies or baked into desserts or simmered gently into a sauce for waffles.
I love to bake peaches – as crisps, stuffed with chopped nuts, or just sliced and placed in a baking dish with a little apple cider or orange juice in the bottom, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
BAKED PEACHES & NUTS
This recipe is gluten free.
- 4 peaches
- 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1 T sugar or honey or agave
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup orange juice or apple cider
- 3 T orange liqueur or brandy
- shallow baking dish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix ground nuts, sweetener and egg yolk together, then mix in chopped nuts.
- Slice the peaches in half and remove the stones. Place them cut side up in the dish.
- Stuff the peaches with the filling, piling the rest on top of the peach halves.
- Pour the juice in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake 15 minutes covered.
- Remove the cover and bake 5-10 minutes.
- Put the peaches on a serving plate.
- Mix the liqueur into the juices then pour the sauce over the peaches.
- Serve with yoghurt or whipped cream or ice cream!
JAM
And then there’s jam. I lived in England for ten years, where jam-making is a national sport. I don’t remember anybody ever buying fruit for jam – it was a matter of going to one’s favorite wild blackberry or plum patch, harvesting until you dropped, them cooking.
I was quite paranoid about jam-making for a long time. It seemed daunting – all the difficulties with setting, all the cautions about bacteria. Now, however, it is one of the most relaxing things I do in the kitchen.
First, I decided I didn’t really care about set. One problem that I was having was that much of the fruit I was using (peaches, strawberries, plums) was low-pectin (and therefore low-set) fruit. This means I would have to add extra pectin, extra acid (which helps release pectin), lots of sugar, or cook it a long time in order to get a ‘jam’ set. However, most of the reason I want to make my own jam is that I find commercial products – even the high-end ones – too sweet. I wanted to lower the sugar content. Pectin addition seemed incredibly complicated – the box instructions filled with all kinds of detailed measurements that needed to be followed exactly. And I realized I like ‘conserves’ - loose-ish mushy fruit rather than firm jam. They're more versatile, for one thing – the fruit can be put into desserts, added to yoghurt or cooked cereals or spread on toast – and has a fresh flavor.
So, I make ‘jam’ that might not be quite jam. The method is fairly simple. Use ripe but not over-ripe fruit. Cut up the fruit. Weigh it if you want to keep track, from year to year, of how much of each ingredient you use. With peaches, I add some lemon zest and lemon juice – it zips up the flavor as well as increasing pectin. With the Colorado peaches, I don’t add any water, but if my peaches are old or dryish, I might add a little. I put everything in a large stainless steel pot and cook gently. Meanwhile, I estimate a sugar amount, place it in a pie or cake tin, and warm it in the oven (the oven is already warming the jars – see below). When the fruit is cooked, I mash it with my potato masher until it’s the consistency I want. Then I take it off the heat. Add the warmed sugar. A tip I learned in England – if the fruit is boiling, or the sugar cold, the jam will crystallize, giving an unpleasant texture and the impossibility of any kind of set. When the sugar is mixed in, bring the mix back to the boil and cook hard for a few minutes. If you want a set, you can start checking. You may need to boil for up to fifteen minutes. (More on testing set below). Otherwise, less than five minutes at a rolling boil (one that won’t go away when you stir it) is fine. Give it a stir occasional – you don’t want sticking. Then take off the heat for a few minutes, and place into hot jars.
ON JARS
American jam recipes have a lot of complicated instructions about sterilizing jars, and about placing the full jars in canning pots and boiling to death. In Britain, life is simpler. And so is jam. The jars need to be very clean and dry and warm. I've found two ways to do this. The first is to run them on a hot cycle in your dishwasher, with a heated dry, and keep the dishwasher door closed until ready to use. This definitely sterilizes the jar. However, it does take quite a bit of energy to run the dishwasher like this, and requires some forethought as to timing - if you wait too long, your jars will be cold. If you forget, your jars aren't done. The other option is to wash the jars (even if they're already clean) in very hot soapy water and then place them in a 275 degree oven. The jars can sit there quite happily until you're ready to use them.
The Brits cover their jams with wax paper discs, but I do love the American canning lids. The rings can be re-used, but the insets (the little circles) should be new. I wash the lids, put them in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave them until needed.
ON SET
When I'm beginning my jam recipe I put a small saucer in the freezer to cool. To check the set, I put a spoonful of jam on the saucer and allow it to cool. Then I run my finger across the middle. The halves should remain separate, instead of running together.
If you have a candy thermometer, the set is 104 degrees F.
If you're wanting a set for jam start testing soon after boiling point. With some fruit (eg apples and currants) there is a danger of oversetting. There are some wild berries that grow down the road from me; I once attempted jam and ended up with solid rubber.
I don't like to cook the jam to death, so I will often stop before the setting point is reached. As mentioned above, this leaves a mushy, soft, delicious spread.
ON POTTING
When the setting point (or for me, the finish point, even if it's not set), take the jam off the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.
I get my potting tools ready - a small plate to put the jar on, a soup ladle, a funnel (cooking and hardware stores sell these - a very wide mouthed funnel that really makes things easier), my lids, a dishcloth or pot holder.
I take out a hot jar, place it on the plate, put the funnel in the jar, use the ladle to scoop the jam into the jar. I fill to the top.
Put on the lid insert then the ring. The jar will be hot, so I hold it with a dishcloth or pot holder and tighten.
That's it. I leave the jars until cool, then label with a sharpie (date and type of jam - you think you'll remember, but you don't).
PEACH JAM
- 3 lb peaches
- 1 lemon - zest and juice
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- water as needed
- optional - 1 cup strawberries or blueberries (frozen is fine)
- canning jars and lids
- Wash the jars in hot soapy water (see above) and place in a 275 degree oven.
- Chop the peaches into small chunks and place them in a large pot with the lemon juice and lemon zest. (I don't peel my peaches but if you need to, blanch them in boiling water for a minute and the skins will peel off quite easily).
- If the peaches are dry, add up to 1 cup of water.
- Simmer the fruit gently. If the fruit is sticking to the bottom, add a little water, but you don't want too much liquid.
- While the peaches are cooking, put the sugar in a dish or pie tin or baking tin and place in the oven to warm.
- Also while the peaches are cooking, wash the jar lids in very hot soapy water, place them in a bowl, and pour boiling water over to cover.
- When the peaches are soft, mash them gently until they're the texture you want.
- Sometimes for color or a little taste variation, I'll add some berries at the end. Chop the strawberries into small-ish chunks. If they're frozen, you don't need to thaw them - just throw them into the peaches towards the end, and let them heat through until mushy.
- Take the pot off the heat.
- Add the warmed sugar. I usually start with about 1/2 of the amount I've listed, mix it in, taste it, then add some more. Please note - my recipe is about 1/2 the sugar amount of a standard jam recipe. You can certainly add more than my recipe states, if you like a sweeter jam or want a firmer set.
- Bring the fruit/sugar to a hard boil (when you stir it, it keeps boiling). Boil for 5 minutes for soft conserve, or 10-15 minutes for a firmer jam (see above for set).
- Pot as described above.
OK - I've just read this recipe, and it seems like there are too many steps. So I'll simplify. 1. Cook your fruit until soft and mushy. 2. Take off heat and add warmed sugar to taste. 3. Boil hard for a few minutes or until set. 4. Pot in sterile jars.
Enjoy!
ON COOKING TECHNIQUE & THE JOYS OF VEGETABLES
On Cooking Technique
I love to cook – it is relaxing and natural and fun for me. I know that is not the case for all people. I will, at various points in this blog, explore details of cooking – kinds of pots, kinds of knives, basic technique. I’m not a chef – just someone who loves cooking and feeding people and has some basic cooking skills. I hope my thoughts on food are of interest to people who share my passion for cooking. However, I also hope to provide some inspiration for less experienced cooks. For those, I’ll try and include some technical, practical information in each blog. Those who know this stuff – feel free to skip it!
On the Joys of Vegetables
I’ll be blogging a lot about vegetables. I’m not a vegetarian, although I was for a time in my life. I do feel, however, that, even after all the hype about the nutritional benefits of vegetables, they are somewhat neglected. At some of my most favorite restaurants here in Boulder, I’ll have a glorious meal – some locally raised beef, or fresh-caught fish – and a small aside, an afterthought, of some kind of vegetable. Or I have to order it separately – a salad or side of vegetables – to get anything at all! So often, it’s completely uninspired – maybe it’s not iceberg lettuce in the salad, but it’s a baby green mix taken out of the bag and dumped onto a plate.
When I’m planning my meals at home, I usually start with the vegetable. And I believe that the most healthy style of meal – as well as the most interesting in terms of taste – is to have a meal centered around the vegetable. So, instead of having a summer meal of a grilled steak with a large baguette and a small side salad, I’ll prepare a large salad with whatever’s fresh in the garden or farmer’s market. I might broil or grill a small-ish steak or chicken, or hard boil some eggs, or bring out some farmhouse cheese, We’ll slice the meat thinly. Make a home-made balsamic vinagrette (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, a little mustard, a touch of honey or jam). Fill the plate with salad. Top with a small amount of protein. Serve with some rye or rice crackers or a small amount of whole grain bread. Same idea – meat, salad, bread – but the proportions are so different. The nutritional benefits are very different. The amount of fiber is different. The feeling of satisfaction is different (high fiber meals, with lots of vegetables and whole grains, fill us up with more ease and satisfaction). Most importantly, the taste is different – a variety of different lettuces, a bit of spicy mustard or arugula, some bitter raddichio, some cherry tomatoes which burst in your mouth – a delightful exploration in color and taste, rather than an afterthought of iceberg.
I take care with cooking my vegetables. A slow saute of mixed vegetables, or a large heap of slowly browned mushrooms, are a great centerpiece for any meal. A Chinese-style stir fry with lots of veggies and a little meat, or a stew loaded with potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beans, and a small amount of lamb - these provide an awesome blend of tastes, a sense of fullness and satisfaction, and the pleasure of knowing you're eating all those vegetables!
GREEN BEANS
I begin this blog on vacation. I’m outside of my home territory – my husband’s prolific garden, the local farmer’s market – and on my way to the beach in North Carolina. We stop at a Whole Foods outside of Raleigh, which provides some basics. However, almost all the vegetables seem to have come from California. They are incredibly uninspiring.
On the country road out to the beach, we stop at a roadside produce stand. A gentle man is selling the extra produce from his garden. There are some green beans in a bucket that look good. I try one. It has a pleasant snap and fresh flavor. I look to take a few handfuls. The gardener looks confused – he doesn’t know how to sell a small quantity. The bucket, he says, is $3. I buy the bucket.
What to do with a bucket of green beans?
While they are fresh, I decide to blanch them. Blanching is a French technique (now that Julia Child, one of my long-time idols, is back in fashion, maybe this technique will be as well). Blanching is incredibly easy, but requires some initial set-up. The first thing is a large pot of boiling water. The second is a very large bowl – or small sink – filled with ice water (put cold tap water in and add ice cubes). The third is a slotted spoon and colander, or a pasta insert for the pot.
Green beans require a bit of preparation before cooking, and there are a lot of them in this bucket. Fortunately, my husband helps. I relax into the rhythm of topping and tailing. I line a few string beans up in a row, like little soldiers, with their ends all in order, then slice the narrow, stringy tops off. I turn the beans around, line them up again, and take off the tails. Sometimes I do them one by one, just for a change. After they’re topped and tailed, I slice them into manageable lengths for eating – in halve or thirds.
When all the beans are washed and sliced, I’m ready to blanch. The water needs to be boiling hard. At home, I do this in my pasta pot. I keep the insert out and boil a full pot of water. When ready to blanch, I put some of the vegetables into the insert, then plunge it into the boiling water. You don’t want to overcrowd the pot – the veggies want space to roll around in the water. When the vegetables are done, I pull out the insert and plunge the whole thing straight into the bowl of ice water.
Here, in my vacation rental, there is no pasta pot. I boil a large pot of water, and have my colander and slotted spoon standing by. I drop a few handfuls of beans into the water. Blanching times vary a lot on the vegetable, but I find that most cookbooks overestimate times. A few minutes cooks the vegetables, keeps a bright color and some crunch. The green beans take a couple of minutes, then I quickly scoop them out into the colander, and dump them into the ice water. When they’re cool, I put them on a dish towel, paper towel, or in another colander. In the meantime, I start again with the next bunch of beans.
This is the trick with blanching – very fast boiling water for a short amount of time, followed by very cold water to prevent any further cooking. Then remove from the water and let dry. The beans are very green and delicious.
And I have beans ready to be used, as I like, for the next few days.
Here’s what I do:
1. The first night, when I’m ready for dinner, I melt a little butter and olive oil in a sauté pan (this is a frying pan with edges that slope – but any frying pan will do. Please – no toxic non-stick!). The butter melts gently – not too hot, or it will burn. I add the beans, and stir them in, coating them with the oil/butter. I like to cook them slowly, until they’re very tender. I add a handful of pecans, chopped into large-ish chunks, at the last minute.
2. The second night, I make a salad using some rice leftover from dinner the first night, with some cooked shrimp (also leftover), and some of the blanched beans. Mix it up, then make a very simple dressing – balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, some fresh basil, and some olive oil. Toss and serve.
3. A couple of nights later, we have friends for dinner. I take all the beans that are left (this is still quite a lot!), throw them into a bowl, make a fresh dressing, and serve. If I had some fresh cherry tomatoes, I’d halve them and throw them in. But I don’t, so I serve them on their own.
People rave. They are devoured.
Finally, the end of the green beans!
28 September 2009
ON SEASONAL & LOCAL COOKING
It seems to me natural that eating, and cooking, and diet, follow the rhythm of the seasons. In the early summer, when the lettuce is prolific in the garden, it seems logical to have meals which center around salads. When the cold Colorado winters settle in, and the days shorten, I yearn for slow-cooked foods – stews and casseroles, soups and sautéed vegetables.
It’s not a hard and fast rule. I certainly have the occasional salad in the winter – although I find I have lost interest in non-local, out of season tomatoes flown in from who knows where – after a summer of picking them out of our garden, an imported winter tomato has no taste or texture.
In no way am I a 'local' or 'seasonal' fanatic, although I admire Barbara Kingsolver's experiment. ("Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" is certainly a good read; she shares her family's attempt to eat local with humor and insight). Human beings have been storing and preserving food, as well as trading for non-local goods, as long as there has been history. I love many imported food items - chocolate, coffee, and spices being absolute essentials of life. And there's no way that you could ever get 'local' rice in Colorado - but what would the dinner table be without risottos or Chinese food? My freezer is stocked with summer tomatoes reduced to sauce, blanched beans, sliced peaches, grated zucchini - all summer produce waiting to be enjoyed in the depths of winter.
But following the seasons – looking at what’s fresh in the garden or the farmers market, and listening to what my body tells me about what it wants to eat – results in incredible pleasure. Using good quality in season produce, prepared simply, it is easy to have wonderful meals, with great taste and great nutrition and great fun, with very little work.
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