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Bob Pastorio: Restaurateur, Raconteur, Friend
\nBy: Charles Culbertson – Bob Pastorio
\nBob Pastorio died on April Fool’s Day 2007<\/p>\n
Newspaper stories are sometimes maddeningly short, due mostly to space constraints. Such was the case a few days ago with a Leader article about Bob Pastorio, who died April 1 after a brief but intense bout with cancer. I supplied our reporter with reams of info about Bob, and what he was like, but of course only a smattering of it could be used.<\/p>\n
That may be the nature of the biz, but it just ain’t enough. Bob came to local prominence about 1977 as the owner and chef extraordinaire of The Different Drummer, a high-end restaurant located on Central Avenue in one of the buildings later demolished by Community Bank. I had just rolled back into town after a four-year tour with the Marines and another picaresque year among the denizens of skid row, New Orleans, and met Bob on one of my nightly jaunts into the Drummer.<\/p>\n
I wanted to be a published writer. Bob already was one, and we spent countless hours discussing the craft of what he liked to call “hanging words together.” His views were always incisive and sometimes merciless, but they never lacked an infectious humor. He made me laugh at being a failure.<\/p>\n
And when I was on the verge of becoming the poster boy for starving writers everywhere, he gave me a job in the restaurant. During the day I hunched over an old Underwood manual typewriter hammering out short stories, one very awful novel and non-fiction pieces of dubious quality, and at night I washed dishes, bantered with Bob and flirted with waitresses at The Different Drummer.<\/p>\n
I remember a particular night in which a party of eight people dined lengthily and noisily at the Drummer, and ran their waitress nearly to death. When they departed, they left nothing for a tip. News quickly spread to the kitchen where Bob, who was cooking that night, dropped everything, ran out onto Central Avenue and accosted them.<\/p>\n
The leader of the party was big, drunk and belligerent, but Bob lit into him with complete disregard for his own safety. He not only berated the man and backed him down, but shamed the entire party, as well. When someone offered to fork over a tip, Bob refused it and said, “Just don’t come back.”<\/p>\n
Then, out of his own pocket, he gave the waitress the sizable tip she should have received. That’s the kind of guy he was.<\/p>\n
He was also opinionated, about everything. Ask him, “Bob, what do you think about the boiling point of hydrogen?” and he’d tell you. The chances were always good that he knew something about the boiling point of hydrogen, or anything else for that matter. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more knowledgeable man in my entire life, even though in 30 years we never agreed on anything political.<\/p>\n
The images are as fresh as ever in my mind: The two of us, long kitchen knives in hand, creeping into the abandoned Whitmore Hotel above the Drummer when we heard suspicious noises late one evening; Bob, playing chess on a slow night, handily defeating four challengers one after the other; and Bob, exhausted, sitting asleep at his desk in the back office.<\/p>\n
But I will always remember him best, and most clearly, like this:
\nFrequently, after hours, Bob would lock up and tape a piece of cardboard over the little window in the center of the front door. Then he’d whip up something simple yet elegant in the kitchen, open up the bar, and break out his guitar. No one went home on a night like this. The employees of the Drummer gathered in the dimmed lighting of the dining area and ate, drank, told jokes, whooped and hollered, and watched Bob be Bob until sometimes four in the morning.<\/p>\n
I can see him now, guitar in hand, singing ribald songs, laughing boisterously at himself or someone else about every other minute or so. I’d give almost anything to relive one of those evenings.<\/p>\n
That was the Bob Pastorio I knew. Funny, smart, warm, talented, generous and bursting with the kind of energy most of us only wish we had. We shall never see his like again.<\/p>\n
E-mail columnist Charles Culbertson at mail@stauntonhistory.com<\/p>\n
Anything Bread Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and set aside. Beat eggs in large bowl.\u00a0 Add oil and sugar and cream well.\u00a0 Add “anything” and vanilla.\u00a0 Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Add nuts. Anything Quiche<\/strong> – Serves 6 I usually use Swiss\/Emmentaler cheese….2-3 ozs?….grated. The last time it was Monterrey Jack. Anything Risotto Basic risotto Lemon risotto (Risotto al Limone)<\/strong> Port Risotto (Risotto del Porto)<\/strong> Risotto with Four Cheeses (Risotto ai Quattro Formaggi) 4 ounces Gorgonzola Anything Triple-Nut Pie<\/strong> For crust – Heat oven to 400, combine ingredients and mix well. \u00a0Press into bottom and up sides of pie plate. \u00a0Bake for about 9 minutes and cool on wire rack<\/p>\n For filling – Combine corn syrup, sugar, nut butter and vanilla in the top of a double boiler, over, not in, boiling water and, stirring often, mix well together until hot (200 degrees). Beat eggs and whisk about 1\/4 cup of nut butter mixture into eggs to temper. Pour egg mixture into top of double boiler, whisking, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, but do not boil or eggs will curdle. \u00a0Pour into pie shell, sprinkle chopped nuts on top and chill for 4 hours before cutting. \u00a0Serve with too much whipped cream on top and running down the sides.\u00a0 Makes one 9-inch pie<\/p>\n Recipe Notes Anything”Fruit Dessert Souffle – Serves 6<\/strong> Heat oven to 375. Butter and sugar the mold. Combine berries and preserves in saucepan over low heat, cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir to mash the berries. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add brandy. In bowl of mixer, whip whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually while beating. Chop and crush 1\/3 of souffle berries and add them with the remaining whole berries to the whites, gently folding them in. Pour into mold and bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed. Serve immediately.<\/p>\n Variations: Substitute any soft fruit for the berries like mango, persimmon, peach or plum. Use a combination of fruit. Add one teaspoon of grated lemon peel, orange peel or grapefruit peel. Add two tablespoons cocoa powder to the souffle. Recipe Notes Cream Of Anything Soup – Serves 12<\/strong> Saute the onion and celery in butter in large saucepan or small stockpot until sweated. Add flour, stir in well and cook for about 5 minutes.\u00a0 Whisk in stock and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming occasionally.<\/p>\n Add \u00a0solids, return to boil, reduce heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add cream, correct seasonings. Leave chunky or puree with wand or countertop blender. Serve. \u201cAnything\u201d Infused Vinegar<\/strong> Adding the flavors is the simplest job in the kitchen. Combine the vinegar with the flavoring agents and wait a month. Want to shorten it to days? Stand the uncovered bottles of vinegar with their flavoring agents in a pan of hot water (180 degrees or so) for an hour or two, then let them cool, cap them and wait about three days for the flavors to develop. Store in the dark.<\/p>\n What flavors? How much to use? In which types of vinegar? What size bottles? Well, here’s some of what I have, in a wide selection of bottles, most of which hold 750 ml. As far as how much of the flavoring to use, I just put stuff into the bottles until I don’t think I should put any more. I find that three or four sprigs of fresh herbs is good. From one, up to a dozen cloves of garlic, but less if other flavors are to be emphasized. Peels of two citrus fruits. A cinnamon stick.<\/p>\n * Orange\/white – distilled vinegar with the peel of one or two oranges. Peel the orange with a vegetable peeler so none of the white gets into the vinegar. The white (or pith) is bitter. Great for fruit salads or molds.<\/p>\n * Lemon\/white – peel of two lemons. Does magic for oily fish like tuna or salmon. Two or three drops on ripe melon is a pleasant shock * Garlic\/red wine – five or six peeled cloves of garlic on a skewer in a tall-necked bottle. Very decorative that way. Or, one clove of Elephant garlic in a large-mouth jar. Full, rich flavor and full scent. Mostly for salads and only with friends. Garlic\/white wine is more subtle and somehow graceful although not as bold as the red.<\/p>\n * Cinnamon\/cider – I first tried a tablespoon of ground cinnamon. One of my aesthetically less successful efforts. Tastes good, looks bad. The vinegar ends up cloudy and there’s a ring around the inside of the bottle at the top of the liquid. Now I use a large cinnamon stick and leave it on heat for about 3 hours. \u00a0Surprising what a tablespoon in an apple pie does; toss with apple slices before putting into the shell. Good in a Waldorf Salad.<\/p>\n * Peppercorn\/cider – one of the best. A half cup whole, black peppercorns in the bottle. Open the bottle and smell the sweet, pure scent of fresh pepper. A few drops on a steak is terrific. Use it in a beurre blanc for meat. Add some to barbecue sauce or demi-glace.<\/p>\n * Shallot\/cider – nasty tasting, stinky and an altogether, no-doubt-about-it failure. Despite the clear facts, I keep hoping it’ll improve with age but so far the hope is vain.<\/p>\n * Ginger\/cider – a good one. One good sized hand (that’s what the full root is called) of fresh ginger, sliced thin and put into the vinegar for a week or so. Run it through a strainer before using to take the slices out. Use in fish poaching liquid. Makes a wonderful mayonnaise for tuna salad or anything like it.<\/p>\n * Anise\/white – Anise seed tastes and smells like licorice. About a quarter cup of seeds. Good on fruit salads, white-fleshed fish, strongly flavored vegetables like broccoli.<\/p>\n * Mint\/white – a couple sprigs of fresh or quarter cup of dried mint flakes – make a highly aromatic vinegar. Nice on salads, especially if there are fruit included. Add a few drops to marinade and\/or gravy for lamb.<\/p>\n * Basil-Garlic\/cider – Superb as part of an oil and vinegar salad dressing or a blended vinaigrette for cooked vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage work beautifully with this one. Five basil leaves and three cloves garlic.<\/p>\n * Honey\/cider – Quarter cup honey – complete with tiny pieces of honeycomb. Very quiet touch of sweet and sour and the very small waxy pieces of comb add a nicely puzzling texture note to salads and fruit compotes.<\/p>\n * Jalapeno\/Anaheim\/Cayenne\/Habanero peppers\/cider – one or two of each type of pepper in the bottle. Bites the tongue hard if you’re not careful. Judiciously used, this one makes marinades, salsa, mayonnaise and salad dressings sing. The scent is rich and peppery and it makes sauces sparkle.<\/p>\n Beurre Blanc<\/strong> Combine first three ingredients in saucepan (NOT aluminum, or it turns gray) over medium heat and boil to reduce liquid to about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low and add 4 pats of butter and start whisking. This preparation will need to be whisked constantly but it should be done in less than 5 minutes. When the first 4 pats are almost completely melted, add four more and whisk to mix in. Continue doing the same until you reach the amount of sauce you want. Seviche<\/strong> Here are some I’ve had good results with. The liquid should be citrus juice (one-third, up to one half) and white or white wine vinegar. Hold for 24 hours refrigerated, then serve as an appetizer or party hors d’oeuvre with picks. You can also drain the mixture and toss the fish and onions with sour cream or yogurt. I add some thinly sliced cucumber when I do it this way. The Seviche will hold for 4-5 days in the fridge.<\/p>\n I like to use a blend of lemon, peppercorn, orange and ginger vinegars. Yellow onion, red pimento, green pepper and black olives with white fish, pink shrimp and creamy-gold scallops provide a visual treat as well as a festival of flavors and textures.<\/p>\n Banoffee Pie<\/strong> A column I wrote a decade ago… I ate there several times and the food was always good, interesting and too much. \u00a0I had too much smoked Scottish salmon. \u00a0Until that time, I couldn\u2019t imagine writing a sentence like that. \u00a0It was, of course, wonderfully beyond wonderful. \u00a0Made the mistake of going there for breakfast once.<\/p>\n Breakfast in the U.K. is a big deal. \u00a0I think there\u2019s this unwritten rule that if you can still breathe and walk, you haven\u2019t had enough to eat. \u00a0Of course, eggs, bacon, hot and cold cereals. \u00a0And meats, and fish, and breads, and gravies, and pies, and several beverages and a long list of things I\u2019d only ever heard of. \u00a0Scotch Eggs. \u00a0Toad-in-the-hole. It\u2019s not that you get to choose, you get them all. \u00a0And there\u2019s no hospital nearby.<\/p>\n Most of the things, I said most, I ate there were familiar enough to be no novelty. \u00a0There was one dessert, however, that I\u2019d never seen in this country. \u00a0The usual recipes call for you to boil a can of evaporated milk. \u00a0You just had a mental picture of yourself opening the can, pouring it into a pot and boiling it, right? \u00a0Nope. \u00a0You boil the milk while its still in the can. \u00a0Unopened. \u00a0For two hours or more.<\/p>\n A marvelous transformation happens. \u00a0The milk becomes this silken caramel that they call \u201ctoffee\u201d and it becomes so thick that it actually sets enough to cut into slices. \u00a0As in pie filling. \u00a0The traditional recipe includes a cookie crust and bananas, hence the name \u201cBanoffee Pie.\u201d Banana-toffee pie. \u00a0It\u2019s only slightly sweet but it\u2019s so richly satisfying that it doesn\u2019t take much to be enough. The whipped cream doesn\u2019t hurt it, either.<\/p>\n The tradition can\u2019t be so very old because both bananas and canned evaporated milk aren\u2019t very old products for the U.K. \u00a0A tad over a century for the milk. \u00a0Bananas cheap enough for the common folk much more recent. \u00a0Still, Brits and Scots value tradition, even if it started last Wednesday.<\/p>\n So there I was crusin\u2019 the net and found this whole discussion about Banoffee pie. \u00a0Not a single American in the lot. \u00a0There were several recipes citing ingredients or brand names we don\u2019t have. \u00a0Using terminology we don\u2019t use. \u00a0I translated. \u00a0This is the recipe I condensed from several others, simplifying as I went, leaving out ingredients that complicated it and, I think, diminish it.<\/p>\n Usually, the cookies are not very sweet or boldly flavored. \u00a0No sugar cookies or gingersnaps. \u00a0Maybe vanilla cookies or imported \u201cdigestive\u201d cookies would more closely approximate the customary approach. \u00a0Boiling the can builds pressure inside it so you\u2019ll want to open it carefully as explained below. Makes one 8-inch pie<\/p>\n Bagna Cauda (Bah-Nya Cow-Da)- Pastorio<\/strong> It will sound surprising to say that the flavors meld very nicely and the finished flavor is subtle. Not what you\u2019d expect from this combination of ingredients. The anchovies disappear and provide a quiet background flavor. The garlic becomes mild and gives it a hearty sparkle. The butter and oil are a tasty carrier of all those other flavors. The creamy one coats the dips more fully. Both versions are best if served in a fondue pot or other dish that can be kept warm, but not boiling.<\/p>\n VERSION NUMBER 1<\/strong> Peel the garlic and put it in milk to cover for about 2 hours. Drain it, dry it and cut into thin slices or mince finely and combine all ingredients in a pan over low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, over low heat (never at a boil). When it\u2019s ready, bring to the table and keep warm using a hot plate or alcohol burner set to low flame.<\/p>\n VERSION NUMBER 2<\/strong> 1 pound of butter Melt butter in a crockpot and add the garlic and anchovies, stirring to distribute. Add the cream, cover, and simmer gently for two or more hours, stirring occasionally. The garlic and anchovies should completely combine with the other ingredients. This can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. It will separate when it gets cold but will return to the original creaminess when gently heated and stirred. When the sauce is ready, bring it to the table and keep warm using a hot plate or alcohol burner set to low flame.<\/p>\n Baked Potomato Salad – Serves 4<\/strong> Column about Beans<\/strong> One day I started wondering about beans and went off to the store to see what was what. I bought a lot of different beans. Here’s the list: Cranberry (sometimes called October beans), Red Kidney, Great\u00a0Northern, Navy, Black, Garbanzo, Black-eyed Peas, Yellow-eyed Peas, Pinto, Baby Lima, Green Split Peas and Lentils.<\/p>\n And here are some other kinds I didn’t buy – green (also called snap, pole, field, string or french), wax (called yellow pole or string), crowder peas, soybeans, butter beans, snow peas (The French call snow peas butter beans and the British call them by a French phrase that means “eat it all.” Go figure.) Green limas, favas…<\/p>\n The news about beans not needing to be soaked. If you soak beans to plump them, they take anywhere from 45 minutes (lentils) to 3 hours (chick peas) to cook. If you don’t soak them, they take a tad more than that. The only other reason I’ve heard to soak them is to get rid of some of those troublesome oligosaccharides, the indigestible stuff that gives us gas. The theory is that soaking beans in a few changes\u00a0of water gets some out – it does. But just a little.<\/p>\n So, the beans have been cooking for a while and they should certainly be done, you think. How to test? You dip up a spoonful of them and blow on them. If the skins break and peel back, they’re done. Too easy.<\/p>\n Anyway, after simmering, my tasting began. I wanted to see the differences, find out which I liked best. First reaction: not much difference. Then I noticed a characteristic I’ve never heard discussed about beans: waxiness. Several of the beans had a waxy quality, notably the kidney and cranberry beans. Others lacked it, like black-eyed peas and lentils.<\/p>\n Food service people use a term that we need here: mouthfeel. How does it feel in the mouth? This waxy feeling is not at all unpleasant and could add a nice texture to some mixtures. Three bean salad is\u00a0popular, probably for that reason, among others.\u00a0Beans absorb flavors from the liquids they are cooked or stored in. That’s why my mother put ham bones in to simmer with split peas. And my grandmother chilled and marinated kidney beans for a few hours with vinegar and oil after cooking them in plain water.<\/p>\n Tips: start beans in cold water without soaking for more tenderness. Don’t add much salt until late in the cooking process because the beans can get too salty. There’s another untrue notion around – that\u00a0if you put any salt in the water, they won’t cook tender no matter how long you cook them. Not true, either. Country ham meat and bones have plenty of salt.<\/p>\n Slow cookers are wonderful for beans – put in enough water to fully cover by an inch or a bit more, a little salt or salty ham and whatever other seasonings you like and leave them low heat on all day.<\/p>\n Add fresh herbal flavorings when they’re tender. Simmer briefly to\u00a0 blend. Nutritively, beans are a wonderful source of protein, carbohydrate and soluble fiber. To get full benefit from their amino acids, beans need to be served with another food that provides what beans are\u00a0missing. Interestingly, rice and corn will both do it and virtually every culture that eats beans has traditional dishes that feature these mixtures. Folk medicine that has a basis in science.<\/p>\n Black Beans and Rice<\/strong> 1 pound dried black beans (or 2 cans) Put beans in saucepan with water to cover by at least an inch with bouillon cubes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, anywhere from 1 1\/2 to 2 1\/2 hours. Heat skillet over medium heat, add oil and saut\u00e9 onion, green pepper, garlic and tomato until softened without browning. Raise heat, add vinegar, oregano and basil, stirring to mix flavors. When vinegar is reduced to half, add beans, gently stirring to mix well. Reduce heat. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.<\/p>\n More olive oil may be added for flavor and creamier mouthfeel. Either add rice to beans and stir together or put a bed of rice on plates and top with bean mixture.<\/p>\n Variations: Add shreds of cooked meat, poultry or fish. Shrimp works well. Pineapple chunks and other not-too-sweet fruit mix in nicely.<\/p>\n Pasta e fagioli<\/strong> In a stockpot, saut\u00e9 pork in oil until lightly browned. Add celery, carrot and onion to pan and saut\u00e9 until tender but not browned. Pour off about half the fat and add tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans and broth and bring to a simmer. Add pasta to pot, stirring to prevent sticking together. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes and take off the heat. Let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve. Top with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Recipe Notes Anything Triple-Nut Pie \u2013 Pastorio<\/strong> Filling: For crust – Heat oven to 400, combine ingredients and mix well. \u00a0Press into bottom and up sides of pie plate. \u00a0Bake for about 9 minutes and cool on wire rack.<\/p>\n For filling – Combine corn syrup, sugar, nut butter and vanilla in the top of a double boiler, over, not in, boiling water and, stirring often, mix well together until hot (200 degrees). Beat eggs and whisk about 1\/4 cup of nut butter mixture into eggs to temper. Pour egg mixture into top of double boiler, whisking, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, but do not boil or eggs will curdle. \u00a0Pour into pie shell, sprinkle chopped nuts on top and chill for 4 hours before cutting. \u00a0Serve with too much whipped cream on top and running down the sides.\u00a0Makes one 9-inch pie Boursin-Ish Cheese – Pastorio<\/strong> Put everything in the processor bowl, and run until smooth. Scrape down sides and run again until it looks like its uniformly mixed. Put into another container and chill for 2 hours or more.<\/p>\n Variations can be made by altering the balance of ingredients or adding others. Sun-dried tomatoes; roasted peppers; finely chopped rosemary; anchovies; wasabi.<\/p>\n Recipe Notes Bob Pastorio’s Prime Rib Ala Pastorio<\/strong> For good results, the roast shouldn’t be smaller than 4 1\/2 or 5 pounds * Seasoning: Equal parts of each ground white pepper (or black pepper) * Take meat out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking to warm a bit. It will shorten cooking time and result in a more moist piece of meat.<\/p>\n Heat oven 250\u00b0 to 275\u00b0 in a conventional oven, or 205\u00b0 to 225\u00b0 in a convection oven. Bite-You-Back Texas Chili<\/strong> – Serves 15 This one is red, thick and aggressive. \u00a0If spicy food is to your liking, this one should get your attention. \u00a0It’s very richly flavored with an intensely beefy taste. \u00a0It freezes well. This recipe, unlike what is usually found in this column, calls for a packaged convenience product – Knorr brand dry Demi-glace sauce mix. \u00a0The classic demi-glace is a days-long simmered beef sauce. \u00a0This is an example of a convenience food item that comes decently close to the flavor of a well-made real demi-glace and exceeds the usual restaurant attempt. \u00a0If you can’t find the demi-glace, a good brown gravy mix will come a fair part of the way to what this should be.<\/p>\n Carla’s Sauce \u2013 Carla Pastorio Mix and use on Tortilla Wraps or any sandwich.<\/p>\n Carla’s Tomato Stuff \u2013 Bob Pastorio<\/strong> Cut vegetables to similar sized chunks, add herbs, oil and vinegar and stir. Let sit at room temperature for a while – couple hours is good – for flavors to mingle. Stir occasionally and taste. Add whatever you think it needs – more salt or pepper, vinegar or oil or whatever.<\/p>\n Cook pasta, drain. Drop butter into empty pasta pot to melt. Return pasta to pot and toss with butter to lightly coat. Spoon pasta onto plates, top with vegetables and serve immediately with a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese. I splashed in some of my own home-infused (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme) vinegar, my home-infused olive oil (with \u00a0lemon and garlic), salt, and a few cranks on my pepper mill. We also brought a chunk of wonderful old, hard Asiago cheese and an antique cranked cheese grater. I cooked some rigatoni pasta to combine with whatever we came up with.<\/p>\n After she chopped, diced, minced and stirred, I heated the pasta and dumped it onto a tray for the folks to help themselves. \u00a0pasta, a little tomato stuff (and make sure you get some of the juice), a sprinkling of cheese. We made several more \u00a0batches because they disappeared so fast. After the demonstration was done and the last of the folks had departed, she asked if we had any left. I said that all we had were empty bowls with a bit of juice and very little veggie stuff in the \u00a0bottom. \u201cMay I dip slices of bread and let the juice soak in?\u201d She ate the soggy, wonderful bread and left the bowls clean. The vegetables can be served as soon as they’re cut, but they taste better if they have a chance to sit for a while. Throw everything into a bowl and stir it gently now and again to let the flavors mix. You can add cooked or raw peas, spring onions, hot peppers, roasted peppers, water chestnuts, grapes, nuts, raisins, hearts of palm, cooked carrot circles or raw shreds, artichoke hearts, raw zucchini, bleu cheese crumbles… anything you want. (After dinner, if there’s any left, combine the pasta and the vegetables and refrigerate. Leftovers are tomorrow’s very tasty macaroni salad. Tastes great the second day. Add some flaked fish or ham shreds. Shrimp. Leftover lobster (very likely, huh?).) Serves at least 4, up to maybe 8<\/p>\n Bob Collins Mull two slices of cucumber in the bottom of a tall glass. That means to drop them into the glass and smoosh\/crush them with a wooden spoon, just enough to release a little juice. Add two ounces of gin (don’t rush to a judgement yet…) and fill nearly to the top with ice. Pour on about 3 ounces 7-Up and fill to the top with sour mix. To garnish, pour a circle around the top of the glass with grenadine and drop a cherry on top. The sour mix will take care of itself. You can lighten the gin content as the evening wears on so you can send a relatively sober group home.<\/p>\n Recipe Notes Bob Pastorio’s Angel Food Cake<\/strong> – Serves 12 Use an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Don’t use a non-stick pan. It won’t work. Turn cake pan upside down and place center tube of pan over narrow bottle neck. Cool cake completely, at least 1 1\/2 hours. With a knife or very thin metal spatula, cut around sides and center tube of pan to loosen. Remove side of pan. Cut cake from bottom of pan. Put on plate or tray. Sprinkle powdered sugar over or frost.<\/p>\n Beer Bread – Pastorio<\/strong> Bob And Carla Pastorio’s Wraps<\/strong> – Serves 2 Beurre Blanc<\/strong> Seviche<\/strong> Beef Tenderloin Information<\/strong> You did get a tenderloin, including the “side piece” called the “chain.” Just not a “peeled” one. Costco tenders are choice-grade, uncertified Angus and are wonderful. You need to peel the silverskin off, the tough, gelatinous muscle sheath that’s, well, silver. You want to slip a knife just under it, taking almost no red meat with it, and push the knife along immediately under the silverskin. Throw away the trim. You’ll likely have to do it several times to get it all. The silver will disappear into the meat partway along toward the thick part. I leave it on. Sirloin tips are make from sirloin. On occasion some demented chef will consider the end trims as “waste” and prep them as small pieces of meat buried in a sauce with some fancy name. Smack him and remind him that they’re pieces of tenderloin and need no extra anything to make them palatable. Use that meat for steak tartare. Chocolate Coated Wine Poached Pears<\/strong> Clafouti Or Clafoutis, Depending… Pastorio<\/strong> Poultry, pork, lamb, beef and game meats can all be brined and I guarantee they\u2019ll be tastier, juicier and more tender than without brining. Brining will also shorten cooking times. Cook as you always do, just check on the progress of the meats a bit earlier and more often than usual until you get the sense of it. And this isn\u2019t just for special occasions. Every time you cook meats, they can benefit from this approach. Discard the brines after using once.<\/p>\n BASIC MEAT BRINE<\/strong> BRINED PORK AND VEAL CHOPS<\/strong> FISH FILLETS IN A MAPLE AND DILL BRINE<\/strong> Deep Fried Turkey Parts<\/strong> Cream Of Anything Soup – Serves 12<\/strong> Cocoa X 3<\/strong> Apple Dumplings In Puff Pastry<\/strong> Asparagus, Poached * The quantities listed are the way I would do it today. Tomorrow it would Bagna Caoda<\/strong> Beef Roasting Technique<\/strong> Beyond Basic Butter<\/strong> Bleu Cheese Dressing<\/strong> Breadcrumb And Flour Coatings<\/strong> Corn Meal Dumplings<\/strong> (The Way I Faked Them, If Memory Holds) Two kinds of dumplings, roughly divided by geography in the US.\u00a0 In the Cranberry-Orange Relish<\/strong> Cream Sauce W\/ Citrus<\/strong> Decorative Pickled Vegetables<\/strong> Deep Fried Stuff Or Tempura<\/strong> Delightful Pear Dessert<\/strong> Escargot En Croute<\/strong> I did individual bouchees at one point, but I can’t recommend that Then I did pastry boxes and dumped a dozen of them in at service. French Onion Soup – Pastorio’s version<\/strong><\/p>\n 1\/2 gallon beef stock; defatted, unsalted Gilded Lily Grilled Cheese Sandwich<\/strong><\/p>\n 3 slices bread; most any kind Gravy Tactics<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 bunch flour; and\/or Grilled Cheese Club Sandwich<\/strong> Lemon Curd<\/strong><\/p>\n 1\/2 cup lemon juice Put the juice, sugar and butter into a double boiler over, not in simmering I must give away a small secret:\u00a0 put a dash of orange liqueur in there. ‘Member when I said I was making samples of several different curds and Lots Of Appetizers<\/strong> Smoked Salmon and Avocado Rosettes<\/strong> Lemon Basil Crostini<\/strong> Olivada with focaccia<\/strong> Mafalde w\/ Seafood \u00b7 la Bob Pastorio<\/strong> Mayonnaise (discussion thereon)<\/strong> Meringue Rounds<\/strong> Morels In Puff Pastry<\/strong> Old-Style Beignets<\/strong> Pastorio’s Lemon Curd<\/strong> Pastorio’s Pasta Salad Information<\/strong> Pig Candy<\/strong> Pommes Dauphine<\/strong> Puff Pastry Ideas And Techniques<\/strong> Rapid Lemon Glaze (Or Almost Any Flavor)<\/strong> Roast From Pastorio<\/strong> Roasted Pork Shoulder<\/strong> Roasted Potatoes By Pastorio<\/strong> Rueben Sandwich<\/strong> Scallop Ideas<\/strong> Sometimes I add a few oysters, mussels, calamari and\/or shrimp at the Good bread to dip into the sauce, chilly dry white wine. Small salad “It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.” Short Ribs In The Pressure Cooker<\/strong> Shrimp Flied Lice (2)<\/strong> Shrimp-Crab Sandwiches, Sorta…<\/strong> Spaghetti w\/ Shrimp al Cartoccio<\/strong> Spatzle<\/strong> Stocks #2 By Bob<\/strong> Stocks By Bob<\/strong> Stracotto Di Manzo Al Ginepro (Beef With Juniper Berries)<\/strong> Tempura Batter<\/strong> Walnut\/Pear Salad W\/ Vinaigrette<\/strong> White Chili<\/strong> Asparagus, Poached<\/strong>\u00a0* The quantities listed are the way I would do it today. Tomorrow it would most likely be different. What a country. Milk is good in this dish, but cream (the heavier the better) is heavenly. Serves several Bagna Caoda<\/strong> Deep Fried Stuff Or Tempura<\/strong> Escargot En Croute<\/strong> Mafalde w\/ Seafood \u00b7 la Bob Pastorio<\/strong> Mayonnaise (discussion thereon)<\/strong> Morels In Puff Pastry<\/strong> Old-Style Beignets<\/strong> One Potato, Two Potato<\/strong> Riced potatoes have a splendidly different texture.\u00a0 I like to use the ricer when I’m adding stuff to the potatoes like roasted garlic or roasted red peppers.\u00a0 I did a white-sweet potato combination that way recently that was heavenly to look at and amazing to eat.\u00a0 Cut the two kinds of potatoes into 3\/4-inch cubes (about a pound of each) and simmered them together in light chicken stock with a splash of cheap white wine.\u00a0 I put a big dab of butter in the cooking water.\u00a0 Drained and put them into the ricer bin and pressed away.\u00a0 Got these pretty swirls of the two different colors. Sprayed them with clarified butter I’d sauteed mushrooms in.<\/p>\n Baked Beans stuff. Imagine you’re looking down on a target. Black beans in the Dress with a vinaigrette (like about 3 or 4 cups – I like to add apple Variations On Whipped Cream —————————-<\/span><\/p>\n Bob wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n Of course it’s over the top. What could be better? How about incorporate the horseradish, capers and onion, very finely minced or even pureed, into the whipped cream? Want to really, really take it over the top? Add a bit of finely minced smoked salmon to the whipped cream and fold in a bit of caviar – both red and\u00a0 black…<\/span><\/p>\n Gorgonzola (or any blue-veined cheese) dressing for salad – comprised of whipped cream (a cup of liquid cream, whipped to full volume and then put into a sieve over a bowl in the fridge to let any whey drip out \u2013 couple hours). After draining, put whipped cream into a bowl and stir 1\/2 to \u00be cup (or however much suits you) crumbled gorgonzola into it. Let sit for 12 hours or overnight. Stunning on salads or as a dip for fruit…<\/p>\n Whipped cream drained like that with finely minced smoked salmon, a dash of lemon juice, grate of black pepper, and a sprinkle of minced fresh dill is an astonishing spread… (ground ginger optional)<\/span><\/p>\n That technique of whipping the cream and holding it in a sieve or strainer for a while to let any loose liquid drain out means it’ll be simultaneously light and more dense than if left undrained. Incorporating other flavors into it then is easy. I’d run those other ingredients in a processor and fold them in to the whipped cream.<\/span><\/p>\n Think of other flavors to do that with… Ground or fresh ginger to put on top of, oh, I dunno, pumpkin pie? Cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg on top of hot apple pie. Others…?<\/span><\/p>\n Veloute Sauce Begin with a good stock and reduce it to 2\/3 volume. Cool it.<\/p>\n Melt the butter and put in the flour. Cook it for about 10 minutes. Whisk in the cool stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and stir forever and continuously until it is right.<\/span><\/p>\n Remove from heat and cool.\u00a0 Use in pot pies or elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n CHICKEN BASIL PESTO RECIPE hoppin’ john all together<\/p>\n 1 pounds Dry black-eyed peas Wash and pick over the beans and put in a sauce pan with water to cover and simmer for 45 minutes. In a skillet, put the ham and onions over medium heat until the onions are wilted. When the beans are tender but not yet fully cooked, add remaining ingredients, adding water if necessary and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until both rice and beans are cooked.Serve hot with ham and greens for a traditional New Year’s meal. \u00a08\u00a0servings><\/p>\n braised garlic<\/p>\n When I was a child, my Sicilian grandmother made this. It’s used for several different dishes. Take a couple heads of garlic and break them apart. Peel the individual cloves and put them into a small covered baking dish with some white wine; enough to moisten the bottom of the pan. Bake at about 300 for 25 minutes or so. The garlic will have the texture of a smooth puree or custard.<\/p>\n Spread it thinly on bread as an accompaniment to garlic soup (or any soup).<\/p>\n Or, spread it on some bread, trickle with olive oil and bake briefly for another kind of garlic bread. Stir some into any soup. Add some to mayonnaise or salad dressing. Spread a thin layer on the dough for homemade pizza. Throw some into bread dough and knead it throughout. Brush on a piece of fish before baking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bob Pastorio: Restaurateur, Raconteur, Friend By: Charles Culbertson – Bob Pastorio Bob Pastorio died on April Fool’s Day 2007 Newspaper stories are sometimes maddeningly short, due mostly to … Continue reading
\n<\/strong>3 cup flour
\n1 teaspoons salt
\n1\/2 teaspoons baking powder
\n1 teaspoons baking soda
\n1 tablespoons cinnamon
\n3 eggs
\n1 cup oil
\n2 cup sugar
\n2 cup “Anything”
\n3 teaspoons vanilla
\n1 cup chopped nuts<\/p>\n
\nSpoon into 2 greased and floured loaf pans or a large Bundt pan.
\nBake at 350 F for 40 minutes (loaves) or 50 to 55 minutes (Bundt pan). Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto rack to cool completely.
\nRecipe Notes
\nThe anything in this recipe can be one or any combination of: grated apples, mashed bananas, grated carrots, chopped dates, pumpkin puree, raisins, chopped rhubarb, chopped strawberries (or any other berry), grated squash or zucchini, etc.<\/p>\n
\n1 pie shell baked
\n3 eggs
\nmilk
\n3 ounces cheese
\nnutmeg
\n3\/4 cup vegetables cooked
\nQuiches are subject to endless variation but there is a basis to launch from. I buy ready-made shells and bake them blind to start with.
\nFor a filling, I start with three eggs in a measuring cup. Beat the eggs and fill with whole milk to 1\u00bd cups. Grate a bit of nutmeg over it with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n
\nFor a meat….shrimp….bacon…leftover something….the last time I used cooked spicy bulk breakfast sausage.
\nCooked spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower work wonderfully for a vegetable…..3\/4 cup or thereabouts?
\nSet the oven to 350\u00baF after baking the shells. Sprinkle most of the cheese in the shell along with half of the meat and veggie. Pour most of the egg mixture over it and finish off with the balance of the cheese, meat, and vegetables and then use the balance of the egg mixture to moisten everything.
\nBake for 35 minutes if it is to be cooled and warmed up later and 40 minutes if you are going to eat it right away.
\nRecipe Notes
\nI get a better texture baking this at 325F
\nIf I don’t add the vegetable this mixture is just right for a 7″ pyrex pie plate.
\nIf I want it in a 9″ pyrex, I add enough milk to make it 1 3\/4 cups liquid. AND the vegetable.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>5 cup chicken stock
\n1 tablespoons olive oil
\n4 tablespoons butter
\n2 shallots — minced
\nsalt
\n1\/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano — grated
\n1 1\/2 cup arborio rice
\nRisotto is a northern Italian approach to cooking rice. Reduced to its minimum, it’s a starchy medium-grain rice cooked over medium-high heat, constantly stirred with frequent additions of stock to result in a soupy finished consistency. It’s customarily flavored with a very wide range of additions. Sometimes basic risotto is flavored and colored with a few strands of saffron infused in maybe 1\/2 cup of stock and added near the end.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>5 cups chicken stock (approximately)
\n1 tablespoon olive oil
\n4 tablespoons butter (1\/2 stick)
\n2 shallots, minced
\ncouple pinches of salt
\n1\/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
\n1 1\/2 cups arborio rice
\nBring the chicken stock to a simmer and hold it there. Put the oil, butter and salt into a saucepan and cook the shallots until soft, maybe 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the buttery oil. Cook for about 2 minutes until shiny and translucent. Add a ladleful – about 1\/2 cup – of hot stock, stirring to distribute evenly. When the rice has absorbed most of it, add another ladleful, stirring as before. Repeat this until the rice is almost tender with a slight firmness at the center. The rice should have a thin layer of stock over it all the while it’s cooking. The process will take 16 to 18 minutes and should result in a creamy, moist consistency. When done, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Cover and let stand for a minute or two and serve. Pass additional cheese at table.<\/p>\n
\nto the basic ingredients, add:
\na sprig of fresh mint
\nsprig of ropsemary
\nsprig of sage
\ngrated zest of a lemon
\n3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
\nPrepare risotto as above, adding additional ingredients to pan immediately upon removing from heat. Stir to combine, cover and let stand for a minute or two. Serve.<\/p>\n
\nto the basic ingredients, add
\n2 tablespoons olive oil
\nmeat of 1 pound mussels, cleanded and cooked
\n1\/2 pound squid, cleaned and cut into strips lengthwise
\nsmall bunch parsley, coarsely minced
\n1 clove garlic, minced
\n1green pepper, coarsely chopped
\n1\/2 pound tomatoes, chopped
\nfish or seafood stock can be substituted from chicken stock, if available
\nPrepare rice as above. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet and add all but the tomatoes to saute and lightly brown. The add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Combine with risotto. Remove from heat, cover for 5 minutes or so and serve.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>To the basic ingredients, add:<\/p>\n
\n4 ounces mozzarella
\n4 ounces Fontina
\n1 cup lukewarm milk
\n30-35 shelled pistachio nuts
\nreduce broth to 3 1\/2 cups
\nBegin preparing the basic risotto as above. Meanwhile, cut the three cheeses into small cubes less than 1\/2 inch square. Put the cheeses into a non-reactive bowl and \u00a0add milk. Blanch the nuts in boiling water for a minute or two and rub off the skins. When all the broth has been absorbed, ad the milk and cheeses to the pan, continuing to stir until cheeses and rice are well combined. Add nuts and Parmesan, test for salt and pepper and serve.<\/p>\n
\n1 Crust:
\n1 1\/2 cup nuts — finely ground
\n3 tablespoons sugar
\n2 tablespoons butter — room temperature
\nFilling:
\n1 cup dark corn syrup
\n1\/2 cupsugar
\n3\/4 cup nut butter
\n1\/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
\n3eggs
\n1 cup lightly salted nuts — chopped
\nwhipped cream to garnish (optional but desirable)<\/p>\n
\nThe idea here is to make a nut crust and fill it with any nut butter (creamy or crunchy) filling, and top it with chopped nuts.\u00a0 It works with any kind of nuts (except black walnuts – much too strongly flavored unless used very, very sparingly) and even combinations of different kinds of nuts. Think of a macadamia, cashew, hickory pie. Peanut, hazelnut, Brazil nut pie. Walnut, almond, sunflower seed pie. \u00a0Or almond, almond, almond pie.<\/p>\n
\nfor the mold:
\nbutter
\nsugar
\nglaze:
\n2 cup ripe berries — mashed
\n3\/4 cup preserves of same berries
\n1\/8 cup fruit brandy or cognac
\nsouffle:
\n6 egg whites
\n3\/4 cup sugar
\n2 cup very ripe berries<\/p>\n
\nI use a round, white, ceramic,\u00a0high-sided, souffle mold that says “20 cm” on the bottom. My ruler says it’s about 7 3\/4 inches.<\/p>\n
\nThis will work with any berry – raspberry, strawberry, blueberry – and is an example of the type of souffle made with a puree instead of Bechamel sauce. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or the glaze below. Serves 6 if you’re lucky.<\/p>\n
\n1 large onion — coarsely chopped
\n2 rib celery coarsely chopped
\n6 ounces butter (1 1\/2 sticks)
\n6 ounces flour (about 1 1\/2 cups)
\n1 gallon chicken stock
\n1 pounds”anything” (see below)
\n1 Pint(s)heavy cream<\/p>\n
\n“Anything” can be sliced mushrooms, diced chicken or turkey, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, tomato pulp, cauliflower, artichoke hearts, shrimp, carrots, lobster, or whatever… Also can add rice or pasta to\u00a0extend. Cheeses.<\/p>\n
\nOur word “vinegar” comes from the French “vin aigre” or sour wine. Virtually every culture on earth uses vinegar as a flavoring (alone or blended with other flavors), as a preservative, or as a beverage.<\/p>\n
\n* Grapefruit\/cider – obviously citric but people look confused for a moment until they figure it out. Has a sharp edge that cuts through oiliness. Fresh tuna, salmon or, best, mackerel.<\/p>\n
\nThere is a magical sauce called “Beurre Blanc” or white butter that’s an emulsion of white wine vinegar and butter. This forms a fast, silky and rich sauce. What it does for fish is amazing and chicken will never be the same after you try it once. If you use red wine vinegar, it’s called “beurre rouge” and it works with red meats and game.
\nThe quantity shown in the recipe can be cut in half by just dividing. Same for doubling. Three sticks of butter makes enough sauce for 8 to 10 people
\n2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
\n1\/4 tsp white pepper
\n1\/2 cup white wine vinegar
\n3 to 6 sticks butter, cut into pats and chilled<\/p>\n
\nLeft to cool, the sauce will separate but there is a way to reuse it. Leftover sauce should be refrigerated. When you want to use it, let it come up to room temperature and pull it back together with a mixer. The heat of the food will warm and melt it.<\/p>\n
\nVinegar is strongly acid and will “cook” some seafoods without heat by firming the protein in the food, making it snowy white. Some recipes like this call for lemon or lime juice, either alone or with vinegar, for both flavor and effect. Some versions call for the food to be marinated in the acids and served as is, others marinate then cook more traditionally. In either case, it can be a very elegant treat.<\/p>\n
\nShellfish – scallops, shrimp and rock shrimp (if you can find them), lobster.
\nFish – mackerel, orange roughy, salmon, tuna, red snapper, flounder and turbot.
\nPut down a layer of bite sized pieces of fish or shellfish in a glass or ceramic container. Next, a layer of thinly sliced onion seasoned with pinches of red pepper flakes, peppercorns and powdered bay leaf. Some cooks add diced bell peppers, pimentos, jalapenos, peas, carrot shreds or black olives. Repeat the layers and, finally, add enough of the pickling liquid to cover.<\/p>\n
\n2 cup cookie crumbs
\n4 tablespoons Butter — melted
\n1 can sweetened condensed milk
\n2 bananas
\n1\/2 cup whipping cream
\n1 tablespoons sugar
\n1\/2 cup toasted flaked almonds
\nCrush the cookies and mix with the melted butter. Spread to cover the bottom and sides of a tart pan with removable bottom or a low-sided (2-inch or so) springform pan. \u00a0Leave to cool and harden. \u00a0Without opening the can of condensed milk, simmer it gently – making sure it’s completely immersed – for 2 hours, turning over after one hour. \u00a0Take the can out of the water and let it cool for 15 or 20 minutes to relieve some of the internal pressure.
\nOnce the milk toffee is ready, slice the bananas and arrange around on the cookie base. \u00a0\u00a0Open the can carefully by putting a cloth over it as you open it. \u00a0It has turned to a gloriously brown, spreadable caramel. \u00a0Spread the caramel over the bananas and chill. \u00a0Once completely cold, whip cream and sugar together until it holds peaks. \u00a0Cover the caramel with the whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.
\nSome recipes called for vanilla or other extracts to be added to the toffee. \u00a0It seems to end up thinner and even runny if you do that. \u00a0I omitted those references but, hey, it\u2019s your dessert. \u00a0Most recipes called for a teaspoon or so of the vanilla, if you want to try it that way.
\nWhile it takes some time to make, most of the time is spent waiting for the milk to caramelize and the pie to chill. It\u2019s actually about 15 minutes of light work. \u00a0Cookie crust rich with buttery goodness. \u00a0Ripe, perfumey bananas. \u00a0Brown caramel and clouds of whipped cream. \u00a0Enjoy very much<\/p>\n
\nBanoffee Pie<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s a pie that I had in Scotland years and years ago. I was staying in a small hotel called the Friarshall outside of Glasgow, in Paisley, to be exact. \u00a0\u00a0I know the name of the hotel because I still have the ashtray that mysteriously found its way into my luggage. Nearby, there was \u00a0a restaurant whose name I don\u2019t recall that was run by three women. \u00a0One Scot, an Irishwoman and an Australian, I think. \u00a0They didn\u2019t have ashtrays with their names on them.<\/p>\n
\nThis always becomes a small party. A crock or pot of a dip is put center table, and people help themselves, either dipping into it or taking some in a bowl for themselves. The accompaniments can include raw or cooked vegetables, breads, pasta, cooked shrimp or pretty much anything else. The last departs somewhat from tradition, but don\u2019t we all?
\nThe name means \u201cwarm bath\u201d or, by extension, \u201cwarm sauce\u201d in a northern Italian dialect. These came out on the big holidays to keep people busy and out of the kitchen where they\u2019d only get in the way. There\u2019s no one protocol for doing this. The more like family the diners are, the more that breaches in normal table manners will be forgiven. Even double-dipping. Kids love to do this and it gets messy. Disposable tablecloths for such occasions are good.<\/p>\n
\nAmounts for 4 people:
\nSauce:
\n5 cloves garlic
\n1 stick butter (\u00bd cup)
\n1 cup oil, walnut or olive
\n1 tin anchovies, rinsed to reduce salt
\nvegetables:
\nraw or roasted peppers, white savoy cabbage leaves, Jerusalem artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot sticks, etc.
\nBreads:\u00a0 crusty Italian bread, bread sticks (grissini)
\npasta:\u00a0 put some in a bowl, trickle the sauce over
\nseafoods, etc.:\u00a0 you\u2019re on your own.<\/p>\n
\nThis is a creamier variation on the idea of bagna caoda. I\u2019ve seen it in Italy and, occasionally, in the homes of relatives. I\u2019ve adapted it to crockpot preparation.<\/p>\n
\n1 pint of heavy cream
\n1 tin of anchovies, mashed
\n20 cloves garlic that have been minced or put through a garlic press<\/p>\n
\n1 1\/2 pounds russet potatoes — baked
\n1 clove Garlic — finely minced
\n1\/4 cup pitted green olives — coarsely chopped
\n1 tablespoons Capers
\n1\/4 cup olive oil
\n1\/4 cup white wine vinegar
\n2 medium ripe tomatoes (still firm)
\n1 green tomato or a few tomatillos
\n1 small sweet onion
\nsalt and pepper
\nBake the potatoes for about an hour, until the insides are soft. \u00a0Peel (or not), cut into 1 inch cubes and put into a bowl large enough to hold all. Let cool for 15 minutes or so. Combine garlic, olives, capers, oil and vinegar; pour over and stir gently to mix. Let cool to room temperature. Core tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes and put into potato bowl. Slice the onion about 1\/8 inch thick and add to bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.\u00a0serves 4 to 6
\nRecipe Notes
\nYes, the name is silly, but the dish is wonderfully shocking with interesting, bright flavors. \u00a0To keep the salad from being too moist and to concentrate flavors, I use baked potatoes rather than boiling them. Bake potatoes at 400F right on the oven grates – no pan. Poke lots of holes in the spuds with a fork to let out the steam.
\n8\/12\/06
\nI made this recipe for lunch today. It was very tasty. Well recieved.<\/p>\n
\nHere’s a column I wrote a few years ago that says some things I wouldn’t say today, but what the hell….
\nBean trying some new ideas?\u00a0 Here’s a flash for most people. You don’t have to soak dry beans\u00a0before cooking them. Yeah, I know. For the last 40 years, that’s what you’ve been doing. Sorry. It’s not necessary. We’ll see later.<\/p>\n
\nBeans add a pleasant thickness to stew or soup liquids because of the starches they contain. Some people take some beans out, mash them to a puree and stir them back into the soup or stew for thickness. They can add volume to foods like chili, and meat loaves for both flavor and cost savings.<\/p>\n
\nBlack beans are really purply-black and make a pretty decoration on plates. A few drops of vinegar in the cooking water will turn them a rich burgundy color. If you cook the beans in a beef or chicken stock,\u00a0so much the better.
\nMakes about 6 servings<\/p>\n
\nwater (if using dry beans)
\n1 or 2 bouillon cubes (optional)
\n1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
\n1 large green pepper, thinly sliced
\n2 cloves garlic, crushed
\n1 medium tomato, ripe, chopped
\n2 tablespoon olive oil
\n1\/4 cup vinegar
\n1 teaspoon dried oregano
\n1 teaspoon dried basil
\n3 cups cooked rice (1 1\/2 cups raw)
\nFresh ground pepper
\nSalt (optional)<\/p>\n
\n…pronounced pas-tah eh fah-joe-lee if we’re speaking Tuscan Italian. My grandparents called it \u201cpasta fazoi\u201d (fah-zoh-ee) in their dialect. This is a treasure of my youth and an Italian specialty. It’s
\nlike so many other good peasant recipes. Ask three different people how to make it and you get five different opinions. It’s a hearty soup that was sometimes served as a whole meal. As a soup, the amounts
\nbelow are right. As a one-pot meal, double the meat, beans and pasta or throw in some compatible leftovers.
\nMakes about 6 servings
\n1\/4 cup olive oil
\n6 pork country spareribs, chops or loin slices, trimmed
\n1\/4 cup each, chopped: carrots, celery, onions
\n1\/2 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
\n2 cups dried cranberry beans, cooked (or 2 cans)
\n3 cups beef broth
\n1\/2 pound ditalini – little pasta tubes (or substitute)
\n2-3 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan
\nFresh ground pepper
\nSalt (optional)<\/p>\n
\nVariations which are, of course, sacrilegious because this recipe is how my grandmother did it: different pastas make it interesting, rotini spirals, flat egg noodles, elbows. Use other meats than pork.
\nSmall meatballs. Chicken broth. Other beans.
\nMany-bean salad<\/strong>
\nThe more kinds of beans the prettier. This one works both hot or old. I use four kinds, Black, Navy, Kidney and Pinto. The sweet and sour dressing is tasty.
\n8 to 10 servings
\n2\/3 cup brown sugar
\n1\/2 cup cider vinegar
\n1\/3 cup pineapple juice
\n2 teaspoons corn starch
\n1\/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
\n1\/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
\npinch ground cloves
\n1\/4 teaspoon ground pepper
\n3 cups cooked beans, drained
\n1 cup cooked brown rice
\n1 cup cooked corn kernels
\n1\/4 cup each, minced and saut\u00e9ed: onion, green pepper
\n1\/2 cup chopped apple
\n1\/2 cup pineapple chunks (with juice)
\nCombine first 8 ingredients in a saucepan, mix well and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for three minutes. Combine remaining ingredients and pour dressing over. Stir to mix. To serve hot, warm over low heat gently stirring occasionally.
\nVariations: Serve garnished with sliced apples, pears, peaches, pineapple. Sprinkle chives on top for pretty green accents. Scatter maraschino cherries on top.<\/p>\n
\nThis is a column my friend Bob Pastorio wrote about beans. I always listen to anything Bob has to say about food. He really knows his stuff.<\/p>\n
\n1Crust:
\n1 1\/2 cup nuts — finely ground
\n3 tablespoons sugar
\n2 tablespoons butter — room temperature<\/p>\n
\n1 cup dark corn syrup
\n1\/2 cup sugar
\n3\/4 cup nut butter
\n1\/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
\n3eggs
\n1 cup lightly salted nuts — chopped
\nwhipped cream to garnish (optional but desirable)<\/p>\n
\nRecipe Notes
\nThe idea here is to make a nut crust and fill it with any nut butter (creamy or crunchy) filling, and top it with chopped nuts. It works with any kind of nuts (except black walnuts – much too strongly flavored unless used very, very sparingly) and even combinations of different kinds of nuts. Think of a macadamia, cashew, hickory pie. Peanut, hazelnut, Brazil nut pie. Walnut, almond, sunflower seed pie. \u00a0Or almond, almond, almond pie.<\/p>\n
\n1 clove garlic — finely minced
\n1 pounds cream cheese — room temperature
\n2 stick(1 cup) butter — room temperature
\n1 1\/4 teaspoons dried oregano
\n1\/4 teaspoons dried basil
\n1\/4teaspoonsdried dill weed
\n1\/4teaspoonsdried thyme
\n1\/4teaspoonsfresh-ground pepper<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s close enough.\u00a0 Food processor makes short work of it. Everything in the bowl from the beginning, process for a few seconds, scrape down the sides and run it for another little while. Yield: around 3 cups.<\/p>\n
\nas heard on WSVA \u00a0Middays with Jim Britt
\nFigure 3\/4 pound raw, boneless meat per person.<\/p>\n
\n* Time will be somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes per pound, depending on several variables: the temperature of the meat being put into the oven, the shape of the piece of meat, the accuracy of the oven thermometer.<\/p>\n
\ngarlic powder seasoning salt (McCormick’s or Lawry’s or similar)<\/p>\n
\nCoat meat generously on all sides with seasoning. Put the meat on a rack in a roasting pan (nothing else in the pan, and uncovered) on the center rack of the oven. Use a quick-read thermometer to determine degree of doneness – insert into the thickest part of the roast, into the middle of the meat to check – don’t leave it in the meat during cooking. Pull the roast out of the oven when it reaches the degree of doneness you want, and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.
\nrare – 115\u00b0 to 125\u00b0
\nmedium rare – 125\u00b0 to 130\u00b0
\nmedium – 135\u00b0 to 140\u00b0
\nI don’t recommend cooking it to more than medium. It will toughen and dry out. If you must, here are those temperatures.
\nmedium well – 150\u00b0
\nwell – 160\u00b0 and up<\/p>\n
\n5 poundslean beef; preferably chuck
\n1\/2 cup olive oil
\n5 clove garlic; minced or crushed
\n1 large onion; minced
\n1 green pepper — minced
\n1\/2 cup chili powder
\n2 teaspoons coriander; ground
\n2 teaspoons cumin; ground
\n2 teaspoons oregano; dried
\n1\/4teaspoonscayenne
\n1\/2 teaspoons hot sauce
\n2 can plum tomatoes
\n3 cup beef stock
\n2 envelope Knorr demi-gl\u00e2ce mix
\nMethod: \u00a0Trim all fat off meat and cut into 1\/2 inch cubes. \u00a0Heat the oil in a pot large enough to hold everything and brown the meat. \u00a0Add onion, garlic and pepper and saut\u00e9 until slightly browned. \u00a0Add spices and hot sauce, stirring to mix throughout.
\nCombine tomatoes, stock and demi-glace mix and add to pot. \u00a0Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. \u00a0Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, gently for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. \u00a0If it thickens too much, add more stock. \u00a0Serve alongside a handful of cooked [pinto] beans, a basket of corn chips, a plate of shredded cheddar and a bucket of hot sauce. \u00a0Let those cowpokes help themselves. \u00a0Cold beer works here.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
\n1\/3 cup mayonnaise<\/p>\n
\n2 tomatoes \u00a0or 3 large (or 10 plum) diced
\n1 large cucumber — peeled and diced
\n1 large green pepper — diced
\n1 medium onion — diced
\n4 tablespoons each — minced, oregano, basil, tarragon (or more or less)
\n2 clove fresh garlic — mashed and very finely minced
\n1\/2 cup light olive oil
\n1\/2 cup herbal vinegar
\n1\/2 cup tomato juice (optional)
\npinch of sugar (optional)
\nsalt and pepper to taste
\n1 pounds macaroni — cooked and hot
\n4 tablespoons butter (1\/2 stick) to coat pasta
\nParmesan — Romano or Asiago cheese<\/p>\n
\nRecipe Notes
\nThe Kid and I did a cooking demonstration at a farmers\u2019 market. She walked around, picked up some things and we made a \u00a0wonderful dish out of it. Cucumbers. Huge red tomatoes heavy with their ripe juices. Tiny yellow plum tomatoes. A few Roma tomatoes. A new variety to me called Rose tomatoes. Elephant garlic and two other kinds of real garlic; Music and Italian red. Peppers so big and perfect that look like they should be in a museum. A big bag of basil with full, delightful perfume. We cut the veggies into pieces and popped them into a big bowl. She tore up some of the basil leaves and the perfume was maddening. The luxurious, heavy richness of the scent of basil blending with the pungent garlic, peppers.<\/p>\n
\n———————————————————-
\nThis might be called an uncooked pasta sauce, or a salad or a vegetable medley, but the name wouldn\u2019t capture the spirit of it. Add, subtract or substitute ingredients to your heart’s content. Macaroni (ziti, rotelle, rotini, wheels, rigatoni, cavatappi) works better than spaghetti in this one simply because you can spear the chunks of pasta with your fork as you pick up the chunky vegetables. They should be cut into pieces a half inch or bigger. If you use smallish macaroni, it can all be eaten with a soup spoon and I guarantee you’ll like it even better that way. You get more of the juices in each mouthful, and that can only be good.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>3 slices of cucumber — mulled (crushed) slightly.
\n2 ounces gin
\nice to top
\n7-Up or equivalent
\nsour mix to fill – Daily’s or similar
\ngrenadine inside around the rim
\nMaraschino to garnish<\/p>\n
\nTo make it in pitcher quantity, assuming a 64 ounce pitcher (1\/2 gallon):
\nAbout 5 inches of cucumber sliced 1\/4-inch thick and mulled. A pint of gin poured in and sloshed around a bit to mix with the cucumber juice. Fill with ice to about 3-inches down from the top. Add 1 1\/2 to 2 cans of 7-Up leaving enough room for sour mix. Add sour mix to fill. Run either a circle of grenadine around the top, or creme de cassis which will sink and make it look pretty. Drop on a handful of cherries and put a bowl of them next to the pitchers. For a party, you can make a punchbowl of this stuff. Float cubes of frozen sour mix with cherries frozen into their centers in the bowl. Top it up with more gin and 7-Up as it goes down.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s a very unusual drink yet very familiar for a few reasons. Refreshing, light in the mouth, complex. Easy to make. Let’s build one up from the bottom; this can be scaled up for a pitcher. Here’s a place where the booze is absolutely there, but it will absolutely stump the drinkers. It doesn’t taste like there’s gin in it. The combination of flavors blends so completely that lemon is about the only clear flavor anyone will identify. to be made in a tall glass – 10 ounces or so<\/p>\n
\nWet ingredients
\n1 1\/2 cup room-temperature egg whites (about 12 large eggs)
\n1 tablespoons water
\n1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
\n1 teaspoons cream of tartar
\n1 teaspoons vanilla
\n1\/2 teaspoons almond extract (optional)
\n3\/4 cup sugar
\nDry ingredients
\n1 cup sifted cake flour
\n3\/4 cup sugar
\n1\/2 teaspoons salt<\/p>\n
\nHeat oven to 350\u00b0. Beat together wet ingredients except sugar on low speed until well-mixed, 1 1\/2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat until the volume increases 4 or 5 times and it looks like a soft foam. Gradually add the sugar, continuing at medium speed until it becomes white and creamy-looking. It should hold a soft peak. Sift sugar-flour mixture over whites 1\/4 cup at a time and gently fold in. Pour batter into tube pan, passing a knife around a couple times to even it and get any large bubbles out. Bake until cake is light golden, a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven.<\/p>\n
\n3 cup self-rising flour (about 1 pound)
\n3 tablespoons sugar
\n1 teaspoons salt
\n12 ounces beer (one can or bottle)
\nHeat oven to 350\u00b0. Combine dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add beer, mix and pour\/scrape into bread pans. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, depending on any additions. The top should be lightly browned. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
\nBeer bread with fruit
\nSame as above with the addition of two more tablespoons of sugar, some spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice or whatever you like) and chopped dried fruit. I\u2019ve used cherries, mangoes, apples, pears, apricots, cranberries and raisins. I\u2019ve rehydrated the dried fruit in the beer and I\u2019ve done it without rehydrating. Works both ways. Grand.
\nBeer bread with bacon
\nCook a pound of bacon (and save the fat for making your hair shiny or cooking other things). Chop it into fingernail-sized pieces. Stir into the dry ingredients. Finish as above.
\nBeer bread with three onions
\nSame bread recipe as above, but add some sauteed onions (I used two medium onions cooked low and slow until they were nicely browned and very sweet), some chopped chives and some dehydrated chopped onions. A total of about 3\/4 cup.
\nBeer bread with…
\nI\u2019d say, try it with anything that sounds good to you with a few considerations:
\n1) Nothing too wet. Nothing that will give off juices. Soggy up the bread.
\n2) Nothing too dry. Consider how much liquid they\u2019ll soak up in the baking. Dry out the bread.
\n3) I\u2019d stay under a cup of total additions.
\n4) Have plenty of butter on hand.
\n5) Make more than one at a time. Otherwise you won\u2019t get any.
\nRecipe Notes
\nThis basic recipe came from a caller to my radio program and it sounded so good and so simple that I felt the need to make and eat a lot of bread over a couple weeks. It was a hard job, but I did it in the interests of science, furthering human culinary knowledge, and because I\u2019m just that kind of giving person. Seriously.
\nThis can be done with any kind of beer. I\u2019ve done it with a range of them from a very light American-style lager to a medium-weight lager like Yuengling all the way to Guinness Stout. They were all wonderful. And I made several variations, see below.<\/p>\n
\n2 Sun Dried Tortilla Wrap
\nLettuce
\nShredded cheddar cheese
\nHam
\nCarla’s sauce<\/strong>
\n1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
\n1\/3 cup mayonnaise
\n1. Lay tortilla on a flat surface.
\n2. Spread ingredients down the middle of the tortilla. Leave room at either end of the tortilla so ingredients won’t spill out. Don’t overfill or you will not be able to roll it up without making a mess. Remember, you can always make another one!
\n3.If you are using small tortillas: Fold bottom end up to make a pocket. Fold one side over, making sure the bottom stays tucked underneath it. Then, fold the other side over, wrapping it around the outside.
\n4. If you are using large tortillas: Fold bottom end up to make a pocket. Starting at one side, roll tortilla to other side, making sure the bottom stays tucked in.<\/p>\n
\n2 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
\n1\/4 teaspoon white pepper
\n1\/2 cup white wine vinegar
\n3to 6 sticks butter
\nThere is a magical sauce called “Beurre Blanc” or white butter that’s an emulsion of white wine vinegar and butter. This forms a fast, silky and rich sauce. What it does for fish is amazing and chicken will never be the same after you try it once. If you use red wine vinegar, it’s called “beurre rouge” and it works with red meats and game.
\nThe quantity shown in the recipe can be cut in half by just dividing. Same for doubling.
\nCombine first three ingredients in saucepan (NOT aluminum, or it turns gray) over medium heat and boil to reduce liquid to about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low and add 4 pats of butter and start whisking. This preparation will need to be whisked constantly but it should be done in less than 5 minutes. When the first 4 pats are almost completely melted, add four more and whisk to mix in. Continue doing the same until you reach the amount of sauce you want.
\nLeft to cool, the sauce will separate but there is a way to reuse it. Leftover sauce should be refrigerated. When you want to use it, let it come up to room temperature and pull it back together with a mixer. The heat of the food will warm and melt it.<\/p>\n
\nVinegar is strongly acid and will “cook” some seafoods without heat by firming the protein in the food, making it snowy white. Some recipes like this call for lemon or lime juice, either alone or with vinegar, for both flavor and effect. Some versions call for the food to be marinated in the acids and served as is, others marinate then cook more traditionally. In either case, it can be a very elegant treat.
\nHere are some I’ve had good results with.
\nShellfish – scallops, shrimp and rock shrimp (if you can find them), lobster.
\nFish – mackerel, orange roughy, salmon, tuna, red snapper, flounder and turbot.
\nPut down a layer of bite sized pieces of fish or shellfish in a glass or ceramic container. Next, a layer of thinly sliced onion seasoned with pinches of red pepper flakes, peppercorns and powdered bay leaf. Some cooks add diced bell peppers, pimentos, jalapenos, peas, carrot shreds or black olives. Repeat the layers and, finally, add enough of the pickling liquid to cover.
\nThe liquid should be citrus juice (one-third, up to one half) and white or white wine vinegar. Hold for 24 hours refrigerated, then serve as an appetizer or party hors d’oeuvre with picks. You can also drain the mixture and toss the fish and onions with sour cream or yogurt. I add some thinly sliced cucumber when I do it this way. The Seviche will hold for 4-5 days in the fridge.
\nI like to use a blend of lemon, peppercorn, orange and ginger vinegars. Yellow onion, red pimento, green pepper and black olives with white fish, pink shrimp and creamy-gold scallops provide a visual treat as well as a festival of flavors and textures.
\nRecipe Notes
\nThree sticks of butter makes enough sauce for 8 to 10 people<\/p>\n
\n1 beef tenderloin<\/p>\n
\nUse the thick end for the wellington. I tie them so they stay round and have no bits sticking out. Then I sear them to get a nice Maillard crust. Chill them and prep the rest of the fixings, untying after it’s chilled. A good pate, some mushrooms and puff pastry. If I’m doing individual Wellingtons, I freeze the meat, wrap them and \u00a0bake in a 425 oven. I make the pastry decorative so I can stick a thermometer into it without messing up the appearance. Pull at 120F and they’ll go up to about 135F – low medium. I serve them on a yin-yang puddle of Bearnaise and Demi glace.
\nFor the sandwiches, Sear\/grill the meat to about 125F and pull.. Let it cool down and slice across. Should be about 2.5 to 3 inches across. Serve with appropriately sized breads.
\nI went looking for a diagram for trimming the tenderloin and found this instead. Clearer and with pictures. Happy meat…
\n<http:\/\/www.epicurious.com\/gourmet\/kitchen_notebook\/beef><\/p>\n
\n1 cup White wine
\n1\/2 cup Sugar
\nstrip Lemon Peel
\n3 whole Cloves
\n1\/2 cup Water
\nSauce ingredients:<\/strong>
\n2 ounces Milk Chocolate — chopped or chips
\n2 tablespoons Heavy cream
\n2 tablespoons Creme De Menthe liqueur or mint syrup
\nPeel the pears and take a thin slice off the end opposite the stem \u00a0so they’ll stand upright. \u00a0Stand them up in a saucepan. \u00a0Add wine, sugar, peel, cloves and water to saucepan, cover and bring to a low simmer.
\nPoach until the pear halves are tender, about 10 minutes. \u00a0Test with the point of a small paring knife: it should penetrate the pear easily. \u00a0Lift the pears out of the pan with a slotted spoon and put into individual bowls or stemmed goblets. \u00a0Combine chocolate sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, melt, stirring constantly, or do it in a microwave. \u00a0Pour over and serve.
\nVariations: Instead of water, add creme de menthe to the poaching liquid. \u00a0Instead of chocolate sauce, boil the poaching liquid until it’s reduced to about half its original volume, discard peel and
\ncloves and pour over the pears. \u00a0To make the sauce differently interesting, add about 1\/4 cup of bleu cheese to the pan after removing the pears and reducing the liquid. \u00a0Stir to mix and pour over. \u00a0Or, put the pear on a slice of toasted pound cake. \u00a0Or in a mound of chocolate mousse. \u00a0Serve with a crisp cookie.<\/p>\n
\n1 tablespoons butter (or more to fully coat the baking dish)
\n1\/2 cup AP flour
\npinch of salt
\n1\/3 cup granulated sugar
\n4 eggs
\n2 egg yolks
\n1 cup milk
\n1 cup heavy cream
\n2 teaspoons vanilla extract
\n3 tablespoons kirsch
\n1 1\/2 pounds cherries — pitted
\nConfectioners’ sugar — for dusting
\nHeat oven to 350F. Generously butter a tart pan. Put flour, salt, sugar, eggs, yolks, milk, cream, vanilla and kirsch in a blender and mix thoroughly, about a minute. Spread cherries evenly in the tart pan. Pour the batter through a sieve over the cherries. Bake until the top is puffed and uniformly golden-brown. Test with the point of a paring knife. It should come out clean when stuck into the center. Cool for few minutes, shake a generous dusting of confectioners’ sugar over and serve. Ice cream or whipped cream optional.
\nVariations, all of which use about 3 cups prepared fruit: peeled, cored and sliced pears; peeled plums; sauteed peeled, cored and sliced apples; blackberries or blueberries.
\nRecipe Notes ..on whose cookbook you\u2019re reading. The traditional preparation uses cherries with the pits still inside them. It\u2019s good, but I don\u2019t see much flavor difference (actually, I see no flavor difference, but I don\u2019t want to admit that), and I\u2019d rather avoid the dental bills from an inadvertent molar-pit encounter. I prefer large, sweet cherries like Bing, Queen Anne or Ranier cherries.
\nAny nine- or ten-inch baking dish or pie plate will do just fine. The batter will puff while baking and settle back down as it cools. Best served just warm. A dab of vanilla ice cream doesn\u2019t hurt it a bit.
\nBaking time will vary from about 40 minutes on up to about 55 minutes, depending on the size and type of baking dish. Smaller-diameter ones will take longer because the batter will be deeper.
\nThere are two different techniques used to make them. One simply pours the batter over the fruit and bakes it. The other puts a little bit of the batter into the dish, bakes it until set, scatters the fruit over it (sometimes with a bit of sugar sprinkled over), pours the rest of the batter over, and finish-bakes it. \u00a0I prefer the second way, but it takes more time and attention, so if that\u2019s a problem, the simpler method works just fine.
\nBrining for Beginners
\nThis is one of those \u201cgotta have faith\u201d pieces. I want you to sink meats, birds and seafoods in some salty water so they\u2019ll cook faster, be better tasting, more tender and more juicy. Yeah, I know. Sounds absurd. But it really works and now it\u2019s all the thing.
\nAbout a year ago, I told you about this new twist on a technique that\u2019s very old. Time was when there were no refrigerators. Meat spoils quickly. All kinds of meats – four-legged, winged and the ones with gills. What to do? Well, there were several choices for storage. Put it under cold water. Store it hanging in a cold root cellar or springhouse. You could hang the meat over a slow, smoky fire. Anything else?
\nThe other major way to store meat was to pickle it; to brine it. Sink it in a flavored brine and in fairly short order, you have a piece of meat that won\u2019t spoil any time soon. We still have some being produced like that nowadays. Corned beef. Pastrami. Many different kinds of hams. You know them.
\nThat\u2019s the new-old method, but with some modern changes. Brining the meats. Here\u2019s what happens. The salt and sugar act to draw moisture out of the meats. Then a kind of balance is struck where no more juices come out of the meat. Then, in a funny reversal, the brine is taken up by the meat bringing moisture and flavoring into the meat. It makes the meat plumper and juicier. It makes it more forgiving in cooking. It makes your dinner a bit more tender. What\u2019s to not like?
\nWe aren\u2019t going to pickle them, just soak them in a light brine solution. Stay with me here. We aren\u2019t making the meats taste salty, just better. And cook more quickly.<\/p>\n
\nThis much brine will take care of a 3 or 4 pound piece of pork loin, a chicken (or chicken pieces), a 3 or 4 pound beef, lamb or veal roast. How long to leave the meats in the brine? Depends. For poultry, at least 24 hours. Up to about 36 hours. Roasts benefit from 3 days or more. Since I first started doing this, I\u2019ve evolved my recipe. This is the one I\u2019m working with now.
\n1 quart water
\n1\/4 cup salt
\n2 tablespoons sugar
\n1\/2 tablespoon black pepper
\n1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
\n2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
\n4 or 5 bay leaves, crumbled
\n4 cloves garlic, smashed
\n2 tablespoons vinegar
\nHeat the water and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low simmer, stir a few times and remove from the heat. Let cool.
\nThat\u2019s the brine. How to use it? One very easy way is a gallon freezer bag. Put the meat in the bag and pour the cooled brine over it. Squeeze out much of the air, put the bag in a container and refrigerate. Just in case of leaks.
\nVariations: Well, for the basic brine, you can add or subtract any flavorings you want. The amounts of water, salt and sugar should remain fairly constant, but the other ingredients are variable.
\nFor duck, goose and other oily birds, add 2 tablespoons ground ginger, a cup of soy sauce and 1\/4 cup orange juice concentrate. Stick the duck all over with a fork and brine for 3 or 4 days. Roast in a 400 oven for about an hour.
\nChicken pieces benefit from the juice of a lemon and a tablespoon of rubbed sage added to the brine.<\/p>\n
\nThese chops will be rosy inside like a good cured ham and very tender. Don\u2019t try to cook the wonderful pink color out, you\u2019ll ruin them.
\n1\/ 2 cup brown sugar
\n1\/4 cup salt
\n10 black peppercorns
\n5 bay leaves
\n2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, and sage)
\n1 quart hot water
\n3 quarts ice water
\n12 chops, 1 inch thick
\nolive oil or cooking spray
\nPut sugar and salt in a large nonreactive container – plastic, glass or stainless steel. Add the hot water and stir to dissolve. Add other seasonings and let sit for a few minutes to rehydrate herbs. Stir in the ice water. Submerge the pork chops in the brine. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24 hours or more. Or use the freezer bag technique. To cook, remove the chops from the brine, pat dry and lightly brush or spray with oil. Grill, broil or pan-fry. Figure 7 to 9 minutes per side.<\/p>\n
\nThis brine works well on fillets of tuna, salmon, orange roughy and trout. Brining fish is faster than meats. You need real maple syrup for best results.
\n1 quart water
\n21\/4 cup salt
\n2 tablespoons maple syrup
\n1 tablespoon brown sugar
\n1 bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped (about 1\/ 2 cup)
\n3 garlic cloves, smashed
\n1\/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
\nfish fillets, about 2 pounds total, center cuts if possible
\nCombine the water, salt, maple syrup and brown sugar in a large nonreactive container. Stir to dissolve the salt. Add dill, garlic, and pepper. Submerge the fish skin side up in the brine. Cover the container and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
\nTo cook, remove the fish from the brine and pat dry. Brush or spray with oil. To broil, put the fish on a foil-lined baking sheet, skin side down and broil for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness at the thickest point, or until just cooked through. To grill, put on a sheet of foil directly on the grill rack over medium heat for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
\nAnd don\u2019t forget that turkey or the venison leg. Got a really big bucket? Enjoy very much.
\nRecipe Notes
\nMany test cooks here find that plastic wrap will not stay in place no matter how hard they press on it. To provide an extra measure of security against spills and splashes, Greg Case of Cambridge, Mass., has devised a way to secure plastic wrap over the mouths of containers.
\n1. Tear off a piece of plastic wrap long enough to fit around the mouth of the container, plus about 12 inches. Roll the sheet of plastic lengthwise into a rope. Pull on both ends to make it taut.<\/p>\n\n
\n2 turkey legs
\n2 turkey thighs
\nI deep fry chicken at 350F. With turkey legs, I’d plan on using a thermometer now and again. Pull it up and stab it with a quick-read. Pull at 155F. Depending on size and starting temp for the pieces, and the amount of oil (lots of oil in a pot will cool down less and therefore take less time to get back to optimum temp), I’d say from a low of 20 minutes up to maybe 30.<\/p>\n
\n1largeonion — coarsely chopped
\n2ribcelery coarsely chopped
\n6ouncesbutter (1 1\/2 sticks)
\n6ouncesflour (about 1 1\/2 cups)
\n1gallonchicken stock
\n1pounds”anything” (see below)
\n1Pint(s)heavy cream
\nSaute the onion and celery in butter in large saucepan or small stockpot until sweated. Add flour, stir in well and cook for about 5 minutes. Whisk in stock and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming occasionally. Add
\nsolids, return to boil, reduce heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add cream, correct seasonings. Leave chunky or puree with wand or countertop blender. Serve.
\n“Anything” can be sliced mushrooms, diced chicken or turkey, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, tomato pulp, cauliflower, artichoke hearts, shrimp, carrots, lobster, or whatever… Also can add rice or pasta toextend. Cheeses.
\nDry Aging<\/strong>
\nI would think dry aging would be wonderful for any tender cuts like prime rib or tenderloin while brining would be good for tougher cuts but I’m anxious to hear from Pastorio if that’s correct and why.
\nBob How about an explication of the relative merits of brining and dry aging? Is there a contradiction? \u00a0Does one suit some cuts and the other others. Am I coherent? Matthew
\nI used to brine beef, but I don’t anymore. I found that it improved the flavor, but did nothing for tenderness as it does in other meats.
\nActually, I think it might have contributed some small increase in toughness because of cellular turgidity. I can’t prove it, but that’s my impression.
\nDry aging does several things including reducing cellular turgidity by facilitating evaporation – it makes the meat softer to the touch. If you poke aged meat with a fingertip, it’s noticeably more giving.
\nAging also lets the digestion enzymes work longer to tenderize the meat. \u00a0Wet aging permits this, as well, but the “meaty” flavor of dry-aged meat is missing. It really tastes “bloody” to me rather than the intense beefiness that the dry-ager meats carry.
\nCautionary note: Dry-aged beef tastes different than “green” (freshly killed) beef. Or wet-aged beef. The flavor changes come from the concentration of flavor elements when juices evaporate and enzymes break
\ndown connective tissue. To some people, it has the hint of a slight “spoiled” taste, distantly suggestive of wet-aged beef that’s been kept too long. For my palate, it has an tiny extra “gamy” taste that I find pleasant. Chacun a son gout…
\nDry-aging works well for top rounds, loin cuts and even chuck roasts. Not much benefit for clods and bottom rounds which, IMO, are best suited for either long, moist cooking or grinding. Filets simply don’t need it.
\nEven select grade filet will be tender and just as lacking in flavor as prime grade filets.
\nPork isn’t aged. Lamb and mutton better cuts may be dry-aged, and that can run up to 6 weeks. Poultry shouldn’t be aged at home (English hunting practices notwithstanding). Game meats can benefit from aging, but the gamy flavor will be intensified – if you don’t like game emats, don’t kill the critters. Goat may be aged, but only for a few days.<\/p>\n
\n5 tbsp dutch process cocoa powder
\n2 tbsp sugar
\n2 cups milk
\n6 oz bittersweet chocolate; finely chopped
\nchili powder; optional
\nPlace the cocoa powder, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a
\nsaucepan and heat until the sugar melts, stirring well to remove any
\nlumps. Boil and add the remaining milk. Heat to steaming, always
\nwhisking to incorporate the chocolate mixture. Turn off the heat and add
\nthe chopped chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate and let it sit. Reheat
\nto serve, stirring well before serving.
\n—————————
\n1\/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
\n1\/3 cup sugar
\n1 teaspoon cornstarch
\n1 cup milk.
\n1 cup water stirred in 1\/2 cup at a time
\nCook over low- or medium-low heat, stirring, until thickened.
\n—————————————-
\n2 ounces dark chocolate.
\n2 cups milk
\n5 egg yolks
\n1\/3 cup sugar
\nMelt the chocolate in 1\/2 of the milk and then add the rest of it. Whip
\nthe yolks with the sugar. Add the chocolate to the yolk and cook in a
\nwater bath or double boiler, or on a low burner, always stirring without
\nletting it boil until it thickens
\nTry one of these. Italian hot chocolate – I promise you these are the
\nbest ever…<\/p>\n
\n4 ea apples
\n4 bn cranberries; dried
\n4 tbsp brown sugar
\n4 tbsp butter
\n4 tsp cinnamon
\n1 cup apricot preserves
\n1 batch puff pastry; rough
\n1 ea egg; w\/ water for wash
\nMade apple dumplings last evening with Ginger Gold apples. Extraordinary.
\nBaked the apples first, filled with dried cranberries. Sprinkled brown
\nsugar, cinnamon and butter on top and poured apricot preserves softened
\nin water around the bottom. Baked until tender. Chilled. Made a rough
\npuff paste cut to size and egg washed. Wrapped the apples, egg washed
\nthe outside and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it. Baked until golden.
\nPoured the pan juice over the apples at service.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>1 loaf french bread; sliced 1 inch thick
\n2 lb. asparagus
\n1 cup cream; or more
\n2 ea. eggs; hard boiled
\n1 bunch caviar; for garnish<\/p>\n
\nmost likely be different. What a country. Milk is good in this dish, but
\ncream (the heavier the better) is heavenly. Serves several
\nButter and toast the bread. Lay out the bread slices closely on a platter
\nlarge enough to handle the whole batch of asparagus.
\nOver medium heat, put the asparagus, milk or cream and salt in a skillet
\nand cover. Bring to a low simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 8
\nminutes. Lift out the asparagus (I use two long-bladed spatulas) and lay on
\nthe bread.
\nTurn the heat up and rapidly cook down the cream until it will coat a spoon
\ndipped into it. Pour over the asparagus, sprinkle on caviar (two or three
\ntablespoons) and\/or eggs. Serve with an icy, fruity white wine.
\nIf you steam or boil, what would be good with the asparagus? Here’s a list:
\nHollandaise sauce. Biarnaise sauce. Crumbled bleu cheese. Cook 12 strips
\nof bacon, discard all but a tablespoon or two of fat; crumble the bacon and
\nsprinkle fat and crumbles over. Chopped shrimp and mushrooms (1\/2 cup of
\neach) sauteed in lemon butter, tossed over. Shreds of boiled country ham
\n(1\/3 cup) and grated cheddar cheese (1\/2 cup) on top, briefly broiled to
\nmelt the cheese and served.<\/p>\n
\n5 cloves garlic
\n1 stick butter
\n1 cup oil; walnut or olive
\n1 tin anchovies; rinsed to reduce salt
\n—-2nd version in directions—-
\nvegetables: raw or roasted peppers, white savoy cabbage leaves, Jerusalem
\nartichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot sticks, etc.
\nBreads: crusty Italian bread, bread sticks (grissini)
\npasta: put some in a bowl, trickle the sauce over
\nseafoods, etc.: you’re on your own.
\nPeel the garlic and put it in milk to cover for about 2 hours. Drain it,
\ndry it and cut into thin slices or mince finely and combine all ingredients
\nin a pan over low heat.
\nCook for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, over low heat
\n(never at a boil). When it’s ready, bring to the table and keep warm using
\na hot plate or alcohol burner
\nset to low flame.
\nVERSION NUMBER 2
\nThis is a creamier variation on the idea of bagna caoda.
\nI’ve seen it in Italy and, occasionally, in the homes of relatives. I’ve
\nadapted it to crockpot preparation.
\n1 pound butter
\n1 pint cream
\n1 tin anchovies, mashed
\n20 cloves garlic; minced
\nMelt butter in a crockpot and add the garlic and anchovies,
\nstirring to distribute. Add the cream, cover, and simmer gently for two or
\nmore hours, stirring occasionally. The garlic and anchovies should
\ncompletely combine with the other ingredients. This can be made a day or
\ntwo ahead and refrigerated. It will separate when it gets cold but will
\nreturn to the original creaminess when gently heated and stirred. When the
\nsauce is ready, bring it to the table and keep warm using a hot plate or
\nalcohol burner set to low flame.
\nPastorio
\nThis always becomes a small party. A crock or pot of a dip is put center
\ntable, and people help themselves, either dipping into it or taking some in
\na bowl for themselves. The accompaniments can include raw or cooked
\nvegetables, breads,
\npasta, cooked shrimp or pretty much anything else. The last departs
\nsomewhat from tradition, but don’t we all?
\nThe name means warm bath or, by extension, warm sauce in a northern Italian
\ndialect. These came out on the big holidays to keep people busy and out of
\nthe kitchen where they’d only get in the way. There’s no one protocol for
\ndoing this. The more like family the diners are, the more that breaches in
\nnormal table manners will be forgiven. Even double-dipping. Kids love to do
\nthis and it gets messy. Disposable tablecloths for such occasions are
\ngood.
\nIt will sound surprising to say that the flavors meld very nicely and the
\nfinished flavor is subtle. Not what you’d expect from this combination of
\ningredients. The anchovies
\ndisappear and provide a quiet background flavor. The garlic becomes mild
\nand gives it a hearty sparkle. The butter and oil are a tasty carrier of
\nall those other flavors. The creamy one coats the dips more fully. Both
\nversions are best if served in a fondue pot or other dish that can be kept
\nwarm, but not boiling.
\nVERSION NUMBER 1
\nAmounts for 4 people:
\nBatter-Dipped Chicken Fingers<\/strong>
\n1\/2 cup bisquick
\n1\/4 cup cornstarch
\n1\/2 teaspoon salt
\n1\/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
\n1\/4 teaspoon ginger
\nwater; (like, 1\/2 cup)
\n2 ea. chicken breasts; cut into 8 strips
\nSo the first night, we had the floured fingers.\u00a0 Carla said she liked the
\ncrunchy coating on the apples and could I do that with the chicken.\u00a0 Of
\ncourse I said sure.\u00a0 As in the case of the apples above, the quantities are
\nwaaay approximate.
\nMakes 8 chicken fingers
\nHeat the oil to between 320 and 340.\u00a0 Combine the dry ingredients and add
\nthe water to make a thick batter.\u00a0 Drop the chicken into the batter and
\ncoat fully.\u00a0 Stick a fork in the end of each chicken strip and lift it out
\nof the batter.\u00a0 Let the excess run off.\u00a0 Lower into the oil.\u00a0 Fry until
\ngolden.\u00a0 Serve immediately.<\/p>\n
\n1 ea. beef roast
\n2-3 cloves garlic
\n1 large onion
\nbay leaf
\n2 cups beef stock
\nbeurre manie
\nOkay, I’ll put my two cents in!\u00a0 I always select a cut that has fat
\nthrough it – chuck – shoulder; pepper it real good, brown it in a little
\nbacon grease.\u00a0 Put a rack in bottom of dutch oven and put roast on rack,
\nput a cut onion and couple of cloves of garlic and bay leaf.\u00a0 Cover and
\ncook in slow oven (300) for 2 -2\u03a9 or so hours (depending on size of roast).
\nNo liquid.\u00a0 The onion provides the needed moisture.\u00a0 The rack keeps the
\nbottom from burning and doesn’t “stew” the beef.\u00a0 When fork tender, remove
\nfrom oven and you’ll have pure beef drippings with which to make your
\ngravy.\u00a0 I always use beef broth for the gravy (instead of water).
\nThis is a marvelous variation on the usual pot roast. It’s technically a
\npoele (poh-el) and will provide the most concentrated flavors of any of the
\ncovered roasting techniques.
\nI’d put in a mirepoix, but it’s only a matter of taste. Splash of wine
\nto deglaze…<\/p>\n
\n1 qt. heavy cream
\n3 tablespoon plain yogurt
\nOne of the more remarkable butters I’ve ever made goes like this:\u00a0 Take a
\nquart of heavy cream (at least 36% milkfat) and heat it to 180F.\u00a0 Cool to
\n110F and stir in about 3 tablespoons plain yogurt.\u00a0 Pour into a thermos jug
\nor some other container that you can keep at about 110F for 24
\nhours.\u00a0 At that point, put it in the fridge to cool thoroughly.\u00a0 It will
\ngradually become thick.\u00a0 Let it rest 24 hours in the fridge.\u00a0 (You might
\nwant to taste yogurt with some serious sensuality.\u00a0 The mouthfeel is
\nastonishing and a shake of sugar on a strawberry dipped in it makes it a
\npersonal
\nmoment.)
\nWhip it with a mixer until you have butter.\u00a0 Let it drain in a colander in
\nthe fridge over a bowl to collect the buttermilk.\u00a0 Spread that on a piece
\nof toast and have a whole new idea of what butter is.
\nThe buttermilk is wonderful in soups, breads or even as the liquid in
\npasta.<\/p>\n
\n1 cup cream
\n1\/2 cup bleu cheese
\nThe simplest and\u00a0 most astounding bleu cheese dressing is this:
\nwhipping cream and cheese chunks. Whip the cream and fold in crumbled
\nblue-veined cheese.
\nI usually do about a cup of cream whipped (with nothing added) to a
\nrelatively stiff whipped cream. I crumble 4 or 5 ounces of cheese (I
\nprefer gorgonzola, but any kind you like will do) and gently fold them
\ntogether. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Stir gently (to
\nmix back in any water that has separated out, but not enough to
\ndeflate it) and put a little in any salad or use it as a dip for
\nbuffalo wings.
\nIt’s intense and rich with an amazingly rounded flavor. It’ll be
\nalmost as though you’ve never really tasted bleu cheese before.
\nYeah. I like it. Why do you ask?<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch flour
\n1 bunch bread crumbs
\n1 bunch stuff to put it on
\n1 cup milk
\n1 ea. egg
\nI don’t know logically if it makes a difference but you brought back
\nmemories.\u00a0 As I was growing up my mother used to make the most delicious
\nbreaded veal chops (and other breaded and fried foods, like salmon and tuna
\ncroquettes).\u00a0 She always let the food sit on a plate for a while (most
\nlikely not in the refrig) until she fried them maybe a half hour later.
\nWhenever I made the same dishes, I never let them sit after coating.\u00a0 They
\njust never tasted as good, didn’t have that wonderful crust, etc.\u00a0 BTW, she
\nalways (and I, too) always let them sit for a few minutes on
\npaper towels to take away excess oil.\u00a0 Years ago when I had Sunday dinner
\nwith my Italian in-laws, I would usually prepare the fried and breaded
\neggplant.\u00a0 I had to prepare it the way they wanted and we never let it sit.
\nIt just wasn’t as good as when I prepared it a couple of times by letting
\nit sit after coating.\u00a0 But since egglant prepared this way, esp. if you
\nuse two or three eggplants, takes so much time, we didn’t do it that way.
\nBut speaking about eggplant, a chef I knew at one of the restaurants here
\nprepared eggplant by coating it with egg and flour, letting it
\nsit for a minute or two, then coating it with milk and flour, placing it in
\non a baking sheet that had been oiled, letting it sit for a while and
\nplacing it in a hot oven to bake. When finished, he assembled the eggplant
\nwith the tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella and grated Parmesan,
\nfor a delicious eggplant Parmesan. That dish is delicious, although I must
\nadmit I haven’t made it in a very long time.
\nThat drying step makes an enormous difference in the adherence of the crust
\nas well as its integrity.\u00a0 It doesn’t break off or stick to the pan.
\nFor those things that benefit from a good crust of breading, I even go so
\nfar as to double-dip. Pork chops, dredged in seasoned flour, then into a
\nseasoned egg wash, into seasoned crumbs, back into the egg, back into the
\ncrumbs, on a tray on wax (greaseproof) paper for an hour or
\nmore, turning once after a half-hour or so.
\nTypically, I pan fry the chops in a very uncharacteristic way for me. I
\nguess when they’re done by looking at the color of the breading.\u00a0 It should
\nbe a good gold color on both sides.\u00a0 The meat is effectively steamed
\ninside the crumb crust.\u00a0 It’s very good.
\nThe seasonings are:\u00a0 flour – salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Egg
\nwash – Tabasco sauce, salt, white wine, a few eggs.\u00a0 Crumbs – salt, pepper,
\noregano, basil, rosemary, sage, ginger all whirled in the blender to make
\na fine powder.\u00a0 Mix with crumbs.<\/p>\n
\n1 cup yellow corn meal
\n\u00ba cup all-purpose flour
\n1 teaspoon baking powder
\n\u03a9 teaspoon salt
\n2\u00a0 eggs
\n\u03a9 cup milk
\n2 tablespoons butter; melted
\nSift together dry ingredients, combine wet ingredients and stir them all
\ntogether.\u00a0 Drop by
\ntablespoonfuls onto hot broth or stew so they aren’t touching.\u00a0 Cover and
\ncook for about 15 minutes.\u00a0 Spoon them off the liquid onto a platter and
\nserve immediately.<\/p>\n
\nnorth and west, drop dumplings – dough dropped in spoonfuls onto a
\nsimmering broth or stew.\u00a0 In the south, cut dumplings – dough rolled out,
\ncut into squares, strips or diamonds and laid on top of a stew to finish.
\nBoth types are poached\/steamed and can be light and delicate or heavier
\nthan granite.\u00a0 Testing them for doneness is the same as for cakes – a
\ntoothpick poked into them.\u00a0 If it comes out clean, it’s done.
\nMost recipes call for butter or bacon fat, flour, egg, baking powder, salt
\nand milk.\u00a0 There are also dumpling recipes that use corn meal, farina or
\ncrackers.\u00a0 Some use cake flour, others all-purpose. There are others that
\nincorporate liver or other meats.\u00a0 Still others incorporate potatoes, bread
\ncrumbs and cheeses.
\nFor chicken and dumplings, I’d do a very savory white chicken stew (with
\nplenty of cream and dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) and do drop
\ndumplings.\u00a0 Light and airy.\u00a0 Might even put a bit of parmesan in them for a
\nbit of interest.
\nOne of our family traditional meals was a creamy chicken stew with generous
\nslices of polenta that had been smeared with cream cheese.\u00a0 I did some
\ncorn meal dumplings a while back as an accompaniment to a stew and it was
\nwonderful.\u00a0 Reminded us all of those long-ago meals without the work of
\nstirring the polenta for a half hour and developing Schwartzenegger arms.<\/p>\n
\n1 bag cranberries
\n1 cup Sugar
\n1\u00a0 orange
\nZest the orange and section and seed it. Run the cranberries, the zest, and
\nthe orange sections through a meat grinder.
\nStir the sugar in and you are done.<\/p>\n
\n1 cup cream
\n1 ea. citrus; juiced
\nAny of several ways:
\n1) Reduce the cream to about half and whisk in the citrus. This usually
\nworks.
\n2) Reduce the cream a bit, add some corn starch (or other thickener) and
\nwhisk in the citrus.
\n3) Heat the citrus with some corn starch to thicken, whisk in the cream and
\nreduce.
\nHe probably started with 40% cream.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch cauliflower
\n1 bunch broccoli
\n1 bunch red peppers
\n1 bunch pearl onions
\n1 bunch baby carrots
\nI’ve done a very similar brine (5% white wine vinegar in slightly higher
\nratio – more like 30% than the 25% in this recipe) for mixed veggies to
\nmake an Italian-style
\n“giardiniera” to include cauliflower, broccoli, peppers (sweet and hot),
\nbaby green tomatoes, pearl onions, baby carrots (split lengthwise), whole
\nelephant garlic cloves,
\nand very small cucumbers (split into spears).
\nAlso have sometimes included celery (strings removed), fennel bulb slices,
\nsundried tomatoes, and already pickled things like mushrooms, artichoke
\nhearts and olives. Cut everything to expose interior surfaces and to let
\nthe brine in. I didn’t use dill or sliced onions, but I did put in a
\nsingle, small slice of beet to give it a pink cast. Once.
\nAfter that, I left the beets out. Pink cauliflower, garlic and onions
\naren’t as appetizing as they sound, and don’t get me started on carrots in
\nsome unearthly hues. I process longer than the suggested time, below, up to
\n20 minutes. Just because it makes me feel better to overdo the safety
\naspects.
\nUsually put in a sprig of rosemary, some black peppercorns, a few fennel
\nseeds and some strips of lemon zest.
\nMade ’em up for X-mas gifts maybe 2 weeks ahead of time. Arrange the stuff
\nin pretty combinations around the inside of the jars. Everybody is terribly
\nimpressed and I get good
\nkarma points. Oh, BTW, it all tastes good, too.
\nPastorio
\ndill heads — washed\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 onion slices — 1\/2-inch thick
\ngarlic cloves \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 carrot slices — optional for color
\nBRINE: \u00a0 6\u00a0 cups\u00a0 water
\n2 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 cups\u00a0 vinegar — 4-6 percent acididty
\n1\/3 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 cup\u00a0 canning salt — to retain firmness
\nWash and scrub the cucumbers carefully. Place 1 or 2 garlic cloves,
\nslice of onion, carrot, and head of dill into the bottom of a quart
\ncanning jar. Put the cucumbers into the clean, hot jars. Place two-piece
\nlids, lid and screwband, in boiling water. Cover cucumbers with boiling
\nhot brine to within 1\/2 inch of the top of the jar. Wipe rim of jar.
\nAfter removal from water, place lid on jar and tightly screw on metal
\nband by hand. Have water boiling in water bath canner. Process jars in
\nsimmering water bath at 200 to 205 degrees F for 10 minutes. Count
\nprocessing time when water returns to simmer. Remove jars. Do not
\ntighten screw bands. Set jars upright several inches apart on wire rack
\nor wooden board to cool.
\nThere is no quantity of pickles given as this method may be used
\nfor several quarts or several dozen quarts of pickles. The amount of
\nbrine given is sufficient for about six quarts of pickles. Larger or
\nsmaller amounts of brine may be prepared, but be sure to keep the
\ncorrect proportions of water, salt, and vinegar intact. Use pickling<\/p>\n
\nappetizers, vegetables, fundamentals
\n1 bunch vegetables
\n1 batch oil
\n1 bunch flour
\nTempura batter is: one egg, one cup of flour, one cup of water. It isn’t
\nintended to cover fully like a corn dog or an American-style fried shrimp.
\nThe crust should be lacy and crisp. The veggies should be dry before
\ndipping.
\nTempura batter should be *just* blended and maybe not even that much. When
\nI make tempura, there’s a ring of dry flour around the bowl.
\nIf you want full coverage, tempura batter isn’t what you want.
\nMore like a beer batter, it sounds like. The general rule for full-coating
\nbatters is: if it’s dry, wet it; if it’s wet, dry it. Moist foods like
\nshrimp should be floured before dipping. Dry veggies should be egg-washed
\nbefore dipping.<\/p>\n
\ndesserts, fruits
\n4 each pretty pears; should be firm – we used
\n1 each bottle of white wine
\n1 each wedge of saga blue cheese
\n1 handful mint leaves; finely chopped
\n—-whipped cream (optional)—-
\n—- CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG—-
\nI removed most of the core of the pears so I could pack as much of the the
\nblue cheese inside them as would fit and stood them in a pan deep enough to
\ncover and not hit the pears.\u00a0 I poured most of the bottle of wine into the
\npot, dropped the rest of the wedge of cheese into the pot, sprinkled the
\nmint on the pears and covered it.\u00a0 Heated to a simmer and let them cook
\nuntil the point of a paring knife penetrated the pears easily – maybe 20
\nminutes.
\nTook the pears out of the pan and cranked the heat to reduce the juice.
\nOne of my eager students made an executive decision and poured about a half
\ncup of heavy cream into the pot while it cooked.
\nI reduced it all until the coating on the back of a spoon would hold a
\nline when swiped with one finger.\u00a0 The line didn’t close up. Then I poured
\nthe reduction over the pears and sprinkled a little cinnamon, ginger and
\nnutmeg on top.\u00a0 Just enough to barely see it.\u00a0 Then we ate.\u00a0 If you’d like
\nit sweeter, drop in some sugar or use a sweet wine.<\/p>\n
\nappetizers, fundamentals
\n1 bunch snails
\n1 bunch puff pastry
\n1 bunch butter
\nActually did them a few different ways.\u00a0 Puff pastry and snails
\nsomehow seem sympathetic.<\/p>\n
\nunless you have some prisoners of war hanging around.\u00a0 About 1 out of
\n3 actually worked the way I wanted.\u00a0 The presentation was 6 snails,
\neach in its own small pastry case with too much butter and seasoning.
\nGorgeous but very labor intensive.<\/p>\n
\nSautied the snails in garlicky butter with tarragon and mint and
\npoured them in and replaced the pastry cover.\u00a0 Shipped on hot pewter
\nplate for some outrageous price.\u00a0 They were wonderful.
\nThe last and best was to lay out a sheet of pastry, egg wash and put
\nthe snails down on it 3 rows, 4 columns – a dozen – separated like
\nravioli filling.\u00a0 Egg wash another sheet and lay over top, pressing
\nbetween snails to seal.\u00a0 Crimp edges, bake at 450F and serve.\u00a0 The big
\ndeal was to put the snails in small molds, one per cup, and fill the
\ncups with about a tablespoon of seasoned (description above) butter.
\nChill to harden and put that inside the pastry, butter and all.\u00a0 It
\nleaks and who the hell cares.\u00a0 Served on a bed of fresh herbs –
\noregano, thyme, rosemary.\u00a0 The hot pastry makes the herbs give off
\ntheir scents.\u00a0 Maddeningly lush.<\/p>\n
\n1\/2 gallon chicken stock; defatted, unsalted
\n7 pounds onions; (yellow and white mixed)
\n1\/2 cup marsala wine
\n2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
\nsalt to taste
\nCombine the two stocks and bring them to a very light simmer. Let them cook
\nfor the whole time the onions are browning and reduce no more than 10%.
\nPeel and slice the onions thinly (1\/8″) and put into a non-stick skillet on
\nlow-medium heat. Stir every few minutes until the onions are well-browned,
\nup to 45 minutes. Dump the onions into the stock. Deglaze the skillet with
\nthe marsala scraping up and brown bits and add to the pot. Add
\nworcestershire. Let simmer for at least \u03a9 hour. Taste and adjust salt, if
\nnecessary. Serve.
\nThe most extravagant French onion soup service ever goes like this: Heat
\noven to 400F. Put a slice of toasted and buttered French bread in the
\nbottom of an individual-service soup crock. Break an egg onto it. Gently
\npour on hot soup to fill the crock. Top with another crouton and cheese.
\nSwiss if the classic, but I prefer provolone. Pop into the oven to melt and
\nvery slightly brown the cheese. Serve. To eat, poke through the topping of
\ncheese and bread and stir the egg yolk into the soup to thicken. Drink a
\nbit of crisp white wine. Take a nap afterward.
\n###############################
\nMy recipe for onion soup is a little different than the traditional
\napproach. It’s that philosophical desirable condition: the irreducible
\nminimum.
\nNo butter or fat of any kind. Onions cooked until they’re dark brown.
\nNo “sweet” onions because it’s a waste of good onions to cook them;
\neat them raw for good effect. Vidalia and other such onions aren’t
\nmore sweet than others; they’re all sweet. All onions have a lot of
\nsugar in them. The “sweet” ones just have less of the irritant chemicals.
\nPastorio<\/p>\n
\n2 oz. blue cheese
\n2 oz. cheddar
\n2 oz. jarlsberg
\n3 slices tomato; nice ripe ones
\n1 slice ham; bread sized
\n1 dab horseradish mustard
\nAnd in the spirit of “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,”
\nhere’s\u00a0 the archetypal, overdone, gilded-lily, over-the-top, grilled
\ncheese sandwich. Just posted info this on rec.food.cooking the other
\nday.[May 2004]
\n3 slices of bread (they don’t all have to be the same kind of bread)
\nbuttered on one side. Put them, butter side down, in a medium-hot
\nskillet. Quickly put cheese on each. They must be cheddar, Jarlsberg
\nand crumbled blue cheese, respectively. Simultaneously with one of
\nyour other hands, put down three slices of ripe, succulent tomato on
\nsome other part of the skillet. With the remaining hand, put a slice
\nof ham (your choice) in the skillet. When the breads are nicely
\nbrowned, pick up the blue cheese one and put it on a plate. Put the
\ntomatoes on top and give it a quick grind of pepper. Put another slice
\nof the grilled and cheesed bread (either side up) on top and do a dab
\nof horseradish mustard spread lightly side to side. Lay the ham slice
\non that. Close by putting the remaining slice of bread, cheese side
\ndown, on top of the stack. Cut into quarters from corner to corner and
\nstand them up, crust side down on the plate. Like a little
\ncheese-filled mountain range. Run and hide before anyone knows what
\nyou’ve done and wants some.
\nGrilled Cheese a la Pastorio Club Sandwich
\nWe did this in one of my restaurants and sold a lot of them.
\nTypically, two slender women would order one and split it. Still left
\nroom for dessert. <LOL><\/p>\n
\n1 bunch corn starch
\n1 bunch pan juices
\nFlour and corn flour (or corn starch in the US) will clump when they’re
\nadded to liquids that are hot enough to cause the starch to agglutinate
\n(clot).
\nIf adding flour to hot fat with no water-based liquids (like meat juices)
\nin it, just dump it in and whisk.\u00a0 It’ll mix in easily and forms a roux.
\nIf adding flour to a hot mixture of fat and juices, the flour needs to be
\nmixed with something else cool first, whether fat or juice.\u00a0 Add and whisk
\nand it’ll combine.
\nFor pan gravies that use the fat and juice residue of roasting, a slurry
\n(water and flour) will work best.
\nFor making gravies from fat drippings like bacon or sausage fat, just
\nmixing the flour with some room-temperature butter (called beurre manie in
\nFrench)and whisking that in will work.
\nFlour gives an opaque gravy.\u00a0 Corn starches give a shiny, translucent or
\neven transparent gravy unless milk or cream is added.
\nUsing stock as the liquid to extend it to a gravy adds a huge flavor boost.
\nAlmost no matter what kind.\u00a0 Any kind of rich stock added to any basic
\ngravy mixture will make a good gravy.
\nNotes:\u00a0 Pastorio<\/p>\n
\ncheese, ham
\n3 slices bread; asst.
\n3 slices cheese; asst
\nIn all my operations, from fast food to white tablecloth, grilled cheese
\nheld an honored place at the table and in the cash register.
\nThe one that really sparkled (and was a good seller) was the grilled
\ncheese club sandwich. Three slices of bread, each with a different kind of
\ncheese, buttered on one side and grilled with the cheese
\nmelting on top. Put slices together with all cheeses inside. Cut into
\ndiagonal quarters and stand them points up. Pickle and chips.
\nLovely.
\nWe also did more conventional ones with two different kinds of bread or
\nwith additions like tomato, bacon, ham, turkey, pepperoni, etc.
\nPastorio<\/p>\n
\n1\/2 cup sugar
\n2 tablespoons butter
\n1 bunch zest of two lemons
\n3 egg yolks
\n1\/2 oz orange liqueur<\/p>\n
\nwater. Heat to about 180F. \u00a0 Whip the yolks and make a liaison – take a
\ncouple tablespoons of the hot juice and whisk it into the eggs.\u00a0 Dump the
\negg mixture into the pan of warm juice and whisk to mix thoroughly.
\nStir often. It should thicken in a few minutes.
\nRemove from heat, pour\/spoon into a bowl and put into the fridge to cool and set.<\/p>\n
\nMaybe a half-ounce or so. It will astonish you.\u00a0 Don’t tell anyone…
\nPastorio<\/p>\n
\nwould like some feedback on them.\u00a0 That I’d send them to you at my cost?
\n‘Member that?
\nFunny thing.\u00a0 I’ve been selling everything I could make and in a couple
\nflavors, am out of stock. Today, I made cases and cases of cranberry-orange
\ncurd (cranberry juice with chopped fresh navel and chopped dried mineola
\noranges) and orange-cranberry (orange juice and chopped dried mineola
\noranges with chopped cranberries).
\nI’m producing 11 different flavors of curds and haven’t been able to stop
\nproduction long enough to make the small bottles I wanted y’all to try.\u00a0 I
\nthink I’ll be out of the woods in a few weeks. Getting a new kitchen with
\nconsiderably better production facilities.\u00a0 That should help.\u00a0 I’ll let
\nyou know. <pant pant><\/p>\n
\nappetizers
\n1 pkg tortellini
\n2 ea. pears; ripe
\n1 lb brie
\nRemember when Pastorio told us about his terrific clam chowder…canned
\npotato soup and canned minced clams? Well here are a few quick items to
\nconsider when company drops by this weekend. These are a few of super easy
\nitems and are my fall back things to serve if I have unexpected cocktail
\ncompany or just for us.
\nTortellini skewers with Lemon Parmesan Aioli.
\nCook purchased fresh tortellini, then skewer, 2 to 3 per skewer. Serve with
\na dipping sauce of lemon parmesan aioli (prepared mayo, lemon juice, lemon
\nzest, a little minced garlic, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese whipped
\ntogether). these can be tray passed or presented on a platter on a buffet.
\nWarm Brie and Pear Tartlets.
\nFill purchased mini tart shells with a slice of brie and finely diced ripe
\npear. Sprinkle a little minced fresh thyme or lavender on each and drizzle
\nlightly with honey. Bake in a 375F oven for 7 to 8 minutes, until the
\ncheese is bubbling. Serve immediately.
\nSkewered Bocconcini with Prosciutto.
\nStart several hours before
\nserving. Cut thick rosemary stems (stripped of leaves) into 3 inch lengths.
\nUse the rosemary to skewer 1 to 2 bocconcini (fresh mozzarella balls).
\nWrap and set aside for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge. Cut very good procuitto
\ninto strips. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with
\nolive oil, dash of balsamic vinegar, and ground black pepper. Wrap and
\nrefrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before using. To serve, wrap each bocconcini
\nwith a marinated prosciutto strip.
\nWarm figs with gorgonzola and pecans.
\nCut ripe, fresh figs in half. dust
\nlightly with sugar, place on a greased sheet pan and bake in at 400F oven
\nfor about 7 minutes, until the sugar begins to color. Remove from the oven.
\nUse the back of a spoon to press a hollow in the center of each half. fill
\nthe hollow with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and top with a pecan half. When
\nready to serve, return to 350F oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese begins
\nto melt. Serve immediately.
\nI also cut fresh figs into either halves or quarters depending on size and
\nwrap in procuitto and either saute till procuitto is crisp or do under the
\nbroiler. These are always a hit.<\/p>\n
\nMash a ripe avocado with a squeeze
\nof lemon juice, salt, and pepper and 1 to 2 tablespoons cream cheee or
\nmascarpone. Set aside in the fridge. Cut very good smoked salmon into 4 x 1
\ninch strips. cut firm dark bread, such as German rye, into small squares.
\nWrap each salmon strip around the end of your finger, then sit this roll,
\nstanding upright on the bread. Drop a spoon of avocado mousse in the middle
\nand gently spread the edges of the salmon back to form a “rosette.”
\nGarnish with a sprig of dill or a sprinkle of cumin seeds.
\nCorn Muffins with smoked turkey and Jalapeno Jelly.
\nPurchase mini corn muffins. Slice almost in half and spread one side
\ngenerously with japapeno jelly and the other with softened butter. Fill
\nwith finely sliced smoked turkey breast and some watercress.
\nDomades (Stuffed Grape Leaves) Drain purchased dolmades. Drizzle with
\nfresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. season with black pepper
\nand minced cilantro, mint, or parsley; toss to coat. Garnish with
\nroasted red peppers and pine nuts.<\/p>\n
\nSlice a baguette into very thin rounds. Dry out on a sheet pan in a 300F
\noven for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree 2
\ntablespoons cream cheese, 1\/4 cup soft unsalted butter, 1\/3 cup grated
\nParmesan cheese, 1\/4 cup fresh lemon juice, pinch lemon peel, pinch sugar,
\npinch granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon minced basil, and salt and white
\npepper to taste. Spread generously on baguette slices and bake in a 350F
\noven about 10 minutes, until bubbling and crispy.<\/p>\n
\nIn a food processor, puree 2 to 3 cups of plump pitted black olives such as
\nkalamata. When smooth, drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons EVOO. Add a splash of
\nCognac and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. Serve with
\nsliced focaccia or baguette.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch home made pasta; prepared as below
\n1 grupo mariscos mezclados
\n1 litro court bouillon; o mas
\n1 bunch sherry
\n1 bunch butter
\nUse semolina flour to make the pasta with sherry wine which has been
\nreduced by about one third. Roll it out to maybe the middle thickness, lay
\nit out on a tabletop and arrange parsley leaves (no stems) about an inch
\napart on half its length. Fold the other half back over it and run it
\nthrough the machine, thinning it to about 2 or 3 thicknesses from the thin
\nsetting. Cut it with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter into strips about an
\ninch wide. Cut diagonally to pappardella width.
\nPoach the mariscos in court bouillon for their average times. Meanwhile,
\nmelt some butter and whisk in some sherry or marsala and a bit of salt and
\npepper. Lift the seafood out of the poaching liquid and drop into the
\nbutter. Toss and hold just warm (about 140\u222b F) until the pasta is ready.
\nToss the pasta with the mariscos and portion out. Garnish with finely
\nchopped parsley.<\/p>\n
\n1\u00a0 egg
\n1\u00a0 oil
\n1\/8\u00a0 vinegar
\nChloe Parrott wrote:
\n>
\n> I would imagine that one of the main issues here is that food
\n> processor\/hand blender mayonnaise is easier made with whole eggs
\n> and hand-made mayonnaise (whisk, fork, spoon, finger if you’re
\n> desperate \ud83d\ude42 ) can *only* be made with egg yolks. Correct me if
\n> I’m wrong, but that has been my experience. How easy is it to make
\n> *real* (egg yolk) mayonnaise successfully in a food processor?
\nEasier than using traditional methods. And with more control over
\nthickness of the finished product.
\nEither one can be made either way. I like whole egg mayonnaise better.
\nBroader flavor and texture profile.
\n> I would also consider egg yolk mayonnaise and whole egg mayonnaise
\n> to be very different sauces. I make both, but for quite different
\n> purposes. I always make mayonnaise with 100% olive oil – about
\n> 3-quarters a very light oil that I buy in Spain and 1-quarter
\n> normal good Portuguese oil – I’ve given up buying non-olive oil,
\nit tastes so horrid. Then again, I do have a good local supply … :-)))
\nDifferent applications call for different oils. A full-flavor garlic
\nmayonnaise (aioli and the like) demand fruity olive oil. A lighter
\nmayo for, say, a grilled fish salad suits my tastes better if made
\nwith an oil with more mild flavor notes. Walnut oil or maybe a
\ngrapeseed\/canola combination.
\n—
\nMayonnaise ..Pastorio’s<\/strong>
\n1 ea. egg
\n1 ea. oil
\n1 ea. lemon juice
\n1 ea. mustard; dry
\nThe Kid and I make ours. Whole eggs, salt, dry mustard, lemon juice, oil.
\nIt’ll last months in the fridge.
\nSometimes, vinegar instead of lemon juice. Other times, pureed garlic or
\npureed roasted peppers added. Different oils. Last time, I used a dash of
\ntruffle oil with the walnut and olive oils.
\nWe use our wand blender to make it. A minute and 30 seconds start to
\nfinish.
\nClarification:
\nYep. One whole egg, tablespoon lemon juice, teaspoon salt, teaspoon dry
\nmustard, cup oil.
\nIf using a wand blender, add all the ingredients in that order to a tall,
\nnarrow vessel (mine came with one – holds maybe 3 cups and is about 3 1\/2
\ninches across the bottom). Put the blender end all the way to the bottom
\nand turn it on. Leave it there for about 10 seconds, then slowly pull it
\nup. Mayo.\u00a0If you want it thicker, add another egg (or just a yolk) or cut back on the
\noil.<\/p>\n
\n2 ea. egg whites
\n1\/3 cup nuts, pecans or almonds
\n3 tablespoons sugar
\n1\u03a9 teaspoons corn starch
\n\u00ba cup sugar
\n1 pinch cream of tartar
\nIf I make plain meringue rounds, I generally figure about 3 1\/2 whites from
\nlarge eggs (a tablespoon or two less than 1\/2 cup) plus twice the volume
\nof sugar and a pinch of cream or tartar per layer. If I do the classic
\nrecipe with finely\u00a0 ground nuts (1\/3 cup plus about 3 tablespoons sugar and
\nabout 1 1\/2 teaspoons corn starch)), I cut it back to about 2 whites and
\n1\/4 cup sugar per layer.
\nSo five layers will need about 17-18 whites from large eggs, if plain
\nmeringue. 10 whites if nutty. I usually use a pastry bag with a 1\/2″ tip to
\npipe it out. Draw an 8″ circle on a piece of parchment and turn it over.
\nPipe out the round starting in the center and piping a widening spiral
\nuntil the circle is filled. I bake them in a 200F oven\u00a0 for a couple hours
\nand then turn the oven off and leave them in there. If I’m not using them
\nwithin about 18 hours, I put them into bags and vacuum seal them.
\nThe nutty one is more interesting.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch morels; sliced
\n1 bunch puff pastry
\n1 bunch beef stock
\n1 pinch marsala wine
\n1 pinch cream
\nRecipe is like this:\u00a0 Morels (however many you have), sliced and simmered
\nin beef stock.\u00a0 I added a bit of Marsala wine.\u00a0 If you want to get crazy,
\nadd some cream.\u00a0 Chill.\u00a0 Put into bowls, brush the rims with beaten egg.
\nBrush a sheet of puff pastry with egg and stretch it across the top of the
\nbowl (egg side in) and press firmly around the edge to weld it on.\u00a0 Brush
\nit with egg on top and pop into the fridge.\u00a0 After about 20 minutes, pop
\ninto a 400F oven and bake for about 20 minutes.\u00a0 The puff pastry will
\ninflate into a dome.\u00a0 You’ll smell nothing. Bring to the table and sit each
\nperson’s bowl on a trivet or potholder.\u00a0 Poke a hole in the pastry and the
\nwhole neighborhood will smell like mushrooms.\u00a0 Eat the soup and sit and
\ntalk to yourself.\u00a0 The rest of the evening will be anticlimactic.<\/p>\n
\n1 cup milk
\n2 tablespoons butter
\n4 tablespoons sugar
\n1\/2 teaspoon salt
\n1\u00a0 egg, beaten
\n3 cups flour
\n1 package yeast
\noil for frying
\nHeat milk over low heat in a saucepan and add butter, sugar, and salt,
\nmixing well to dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in
\negg. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together half
\nof the flour and yeast. Add milk mixture and beat for 5 minutes or so.
\nGradually add remaining flour. When the dough forms a ball, put it in a
\ngreased bowl, turning dough to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator
\nfor 4 hours or overnight. Pat dough onto a floured pastry cloth or
\nwooden board. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Roll out dough and cut
\ninto rectangles (2X2, 3X3, etc.). Cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
\nDeep fry dough in 365\u221eF oil, a few at a time until golden on both sides.
\nDrain on paper towels and finish with powdered sugar.
\n**Dough may be kept in the fridge for a few days or cut and frozen.
\nPastorio
\nMakes about 2 dozen)
\n** Exported from Now You’re Cooking! v5.87 **
\n@@@@@ Now You’re Cooking! Export Format
\nOne Potato, Two Potato, …….
\nvegetables, fundamentals, side dish
\n1 lb. russett potatoes; cut up
\n1 lb. sweet potatoes; cut up
\n1 pint chicken stock
\n1\/2 cup cheap white wine
\nRiced potatoes have a splendidly different texture.\u00a0 I like to use the
\nricer when I’m adding stuff to the potatoes like roasted garlic or roasted
\nred peppers.\u00a0 I did a white-sweet potato combination that way recently that
\nwas heavenly to look at and amazing to eat.\u00a0 Cut the two kinds of potatoes
\ninto 3\/4-inch cubes (about a pound of each) and simmered them together in
\nlight chicken stock with a splash of cheap white wine.\u00a0 I put a big dab of
\nbutter in the cooking water.\u00a0 Drained and put them into the ricer bin and
\npressed away.\u00a0 Got these pretty swirls of the two different colors. Sprayed
\nthem with clarified butter I’d saut\u00c7ed mushrooms in.<\/p>\n
\n1\/2 cup lemon juice
\n1\/2 cup sugar
\n2 tbsp butter
\nzest of 2 lemons
\n3 large egg yolks
\nPut the juice, sugar and butter into a double boiler over, not in
\nsimmering water. Heat to about 180F. \u00a0 Whip the yolks and make a
\nliaison – take a couple tablespoons of the hot juice and whisk it into
\nthe eggs.\u00a0 Dump the egg mixture into the pan of warm juice and whisk
\nto mix thoroughly. Stir often. It should thicken in a few minutes.
\nRemove from heat, pour\/spoon into a bowl and put into the fridge to
\ncool and set.
\nI must give away a small secret:\u00a0 put a dash of orange liqueur in
\nthere.\u00a0 Maybe a half-ounce or so.\u00a0 It will astonish you.\u00a0 Don’t tell
\nanyone…
\nAnother easy one:\u00a0 use a lemon zester that cuts the peel into small
\nthreads.\u00a0 Easier than grating unless you like blood and little shreds
\nof knuckle-skin mixed in with the peel.\u00a0 Then cut and juice the lemon.<\/p>\n
\n1 pounds pasta; cooked
\nvinaigrette
\n1 bunch other stuffs
\nCook pasta, drain (rinse or not, I probably wouldn’t with this approach)
\nand toss immediately with your vinaigrette dressing made separately.\u00a0 Ratio
\nof oil to vinegar for a
\nclassic vinaigrette normally is between 2:1 oil to vinegar, and 4:1 oil to
\nvinegar.
\n1\/3 roasted garlic grapeseed, 1\/3 basil (or other herb-flavored, less if
\nrosemary) olive oil and 1\/3 very light olive oil. (Heavy\/fruity olive oils
\nwill overwhelm the other flavors. Lower quality oils will have more acid,
\nand so provide a bit more sparkle. I usually use “pure” oo or pomice for
\nsuch applications. The oil isn’t a star, just a supporting player.)\u00a0 –
\ntotal of 1 to 1 1\/2 cup.
\n1\/3 blood orange vinegar, 1\/3 basil vinegar, 1\/3 apple cider vinegar.
\nOptionally, whisk in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste (those tubes of it
\nare very handy), roasted red pepper puree, or a tablespoon of roasted
\ngarlic puree. – total of 1\/2 cup.
\nIf you want the dressing to remain more integral, whisk an egg into the vinegars before combining them with the oils – the acid will kill the unlikely salmonella, as it does in mayonnaise – and add the oil as for a
\nmayonnaise. Dry mustard can be used with or instead of egg for that emulsification, but it won’t be as binding by itself.
\nI’d figure about 1 1\/2 or 2 cups of dressing per raw-weight pound of pasta because a good bit of it will be absorbed, and you’re adding other stuff later that will need to be coated. Maybe reserve a bit of it to add at the end to insure coverage of tomatoes, basil and whatever else you decide to add.
\nI might add some chopped (peeled and seeded) cucumber for a fruitier flavor. I’ve added chopped melon to similar salads and it adds a few flavor notes that are surprising and pleasant. Chopped, roasted oil-packed red peppers. My approach would be to add layers of flavor and small fireworks to what most people see as “picnic food” so they’re positively surprised and wondering why they never thought of it. Drained capers or, even way better, caper berries with stems still attached. Scatter the berries over top for presentation. Most people won’t know what they are, and when the first one asks, the salad will occupy center stage in everyone’s mind until they know. And there will be more questions. Answer them with your best “aw, shucks, it weren’t nothin” imitation. You don’t have to *be* sincere. You just have to *act* sincere.
\nBring recipe cards to sell to the startled public. I’d go at least $2.95\u00a0 each.<\/p>\n
\n2 lbs bacon; 3\/8 inch thick
\n1\/4 cup brown sugar
\nAnother variant: I have dry-cured bacon custom-cut at a country market near here to about 3\/8″ thick – about twice as thick “thick-cut” bacon from the supermarkets.
\nOn a rack over a baking pan, I lay the bacon out flat, single layer, not touching. About 45 minutes at 250F leaves behind a pan full of bacon fat and strips of bacon that feel like pig-flavored wisps; very light. The
\nstrips have had virtually all the fat rendered. Next, out of the oven and pour off the fat (to save for another day).
\nLoosen the strips from the rack (if necessary) and either pile with brown sugar or trickle a generous amount of honey along their lengths. Back into the oven to let the sweetness melt into the bacon. Maybe \u00bd hour this time. It’s now *inside* the bacon.
\nBut I think those chopped pecans sound very good. Very good, indeed.oking!<\/p>\n
\n1 lb. potatoes
\n1\/2 stick butter
\n1 whole egg
\n2 ea. egg yolks
\nsalt and pepper
\n1 grate nutmeg
\n—-1 Recipe for Choux Paste—-
\nThis is a stepped-down version of what we did in the restaurants. The choux paste recipe is in text below.
\nPeel, boil, drain well, and mash a generous pound of potatoes (start with maybe 20-22 ounces before peeling). Add 1\/2 stick of butter, salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Whip in one whole egg and two yolks and let cool. This should be about 1\u03a9 pounds.
\nMeanwhile make a choux paste with milk, butter, flour and eggs.
\nTo the potato mixture, add about 1\/3 of its weight in chou, mix well and let cool. This should come to about 2 pounds total.
\nShape the mixture into (a lot of) little balls (perhaps an ounce or an ounce and a half each), roll in flour and deep fry at 360\u222bF. Drain well, sprinkle with salt. Serve in a pile or as a garnish for other foods.
\nPastorio
\nMake the choux paste in the usual way. 1 cup water, 1 stick butter, 1 cup flour cooked together then add 4 eggs, one at a time.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch flour
\n1 cup water
\n4 lbs. Butter
\nDepends on the use. For most applications, I do 3 turns which gives 54 layers. I use this for Napoleons, tops of pot pies and the like where I don’t want a spectacular rise. Typically, I get about 1 1\/2 inches from a
\n1\/4-inch thick raw dough.
\nFor turnovers, bouchees and vol-au-vents (both classic and modern), I do a 4th turn for 162 layers. Something over 2 inches finished from a 1\/4-inch sheet. For the classic vol, I stack two layers of pastry (egg washed between) or even 3 layers on occasion. The 3-layer approach is extremely fussy, though, and I wouldn’t recommend it without a commercial convection oven.
\nFor applications where the ingredients are on the wet side (like a Wellington), I do a 5th turn, egg wash the inside, let it dry (washed side up) in the fridge and wash it again at time of use. This dough will be thick – about 3\/8-inch. Almost 500 layers. For a whole filet, I vent the pastry (close to the ends so the center looks good) to let some of the steam out and keep it from sogging. For individual Wellingtons, no vent because it goes more quickly and purges less liquid. One thing I used to do in the restaurants was to sear the filet, cool it and dust the surfaces with corn starch before assembling. The starch absorbed and held juices so the meat was more flavorful and the pastry didn’t have to contend with as much thin liquid.
\nI use the 5-turn pastry for the individual portion of onion soup or clear mushroom soup (originally done with truffles!) lid. Put the cold soup in a deep bowl, brush the outer rim of the bowl with egg wash, egg wash a sheet of puff pastry and lay it washed side down on the bowl and smear it onto the rim and outer edge. Egg wash the top and bake in a 400\u221eF oven until the pastry forms a golden-brown dome. The steam from the soup creates a pressure under the pastry and forces it up into a wonderfully rounded shape. When it comes to the table, you can’t smell it. Poke a hole in the pastry and the room fills with the bouquet of what’s in the bowl. Works best with thin but richly-scented soups.<\/p>\n
\n1\/2 cup orange juice concentrate
\n1\/2 cup lemon juice
\ntablespoon corn starch
\nOk.\u00a0 Now don’t tell anybody, but here’s the quickest orange-lemon sauce I’ve ever heard of.\u00a0 It’s just you and me here and this is a restaurant secret.
\nCombine in a stainless or glass saucepan, whisk and bring to a gentle boil.\u00a0 Chill and do whatever you want with it.\u00a0 Have a friend nearby.
\nAdjust the balance of flavors, thickness and temperature to suit yourself.\u00a0 Promise you won’t tell anybody…
\nOh, you can radically change the whole thing by using different juice concentrates and juices.\u00a0 Orange-tangerine and pineapple.\u00a0 Cranberry and cranberry.\u00a0 Pineapple and coconut milk (and a dash of rum).\u00a0 Any
\nmore ideas?\u00a0 I haven’t done these different ones, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t work.
\nThat pineapple, coconut and rum sauce might just be wonderful over a tembleque or a Spanish-style flan.\u00a0 Or on your thumb.\u00a0 Have a friend nearby.<\/p>\n
\n10 lb. roast
\n1 batch brine
\n1\/2 cup seasoning mix
\nQuote – I like Barbara Kafka’s way of roasting – from her book of the same name. Starts it at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes, then at 325 for about 3 minutes a pound, then for 10 minutes at 450\u221eF. It’s a little fussy, but it sure makes a great roast.
\nEven better, before you cook the meat, rub and\/or press on some of your favorite spices and herbs with a little garlic salt and pepper (the only way I like garlic salt – if you use fresh garlic, it singes and tastes bitter).
\nAfter roasting, deglaze the pan with a little red wine, add beef stock and thicken for a lovely, rich gravy. End quote –
\nOr do a brine, roast at low temperatures and get more meat out of the oven that’s tender, juicy and intensely flavorful.
\nBrine for 24 hours (boneless) or 36 hours (bone in).
\nSeason with white pepper, salt and garlic powder – equal amounts of each for a total of roughly 1\/2 cup for a 10 pound roast.
\nRoast at 250\u221eF in a conventional oven or 205 in convection on a rack.
\nThere won’t be any pan juices. The meat will come out at 85% or more of the weight that went in the oven. High temperature roasting will take it down as low as 55%.
\nLow temp roasting won’t give that dark crusted exterior that high temp roasting will. IF you want that, crank the oven as high as it’ll go for the last 15 minutes or so.
\nPull the meat out of the oven at 125\u221eF for rare, 130 to 135 for med rare, 140 to 145 for med, cooking the meat to 160 is a felony. Let it rest for 15 minutes and carve away. — Bob<\/p>\n
\n7-8 lbs. pork shoulder
\n1 tbsp garlic powder
\n1 tbsp seasoned salt
\nI buy essentially all the meat we consume at Costco. The
\nshoulders aren’t injected with anything\u00a0 (“enhanced” like it
\nsays on the packages in most supermarkets). They’re packaged
\ntwo to a pack. Most often, I do one each way below.
\nI do shoulders to pull in a covered roaster (my mother’s old
\nspeckled blue one) at 220F until it gets to 195F. Takes
\nquite a while. I season lightly with equal parts garlic
\npowder (NOT garlic salt), ground white pepper and a seasoned
\nsalt (Lawry’s or McCormick’s). We add sauce at service, and
\nI used to make my own, but nowadays, we use Cattleman’s
\nbrand. The meat will purge a good amount of liquid, and it’s
\na good basis for a gravy or sauce extension. I pour it off
\ninto a saucepan, reduce it to about 1\/3 of its original
\nvolume and add it to some sauce. Sometimes I add a bit of
\ncornstarch to give it enough body. Combine the juices and
\nsauce and carry on…
\nAs roasts, I do them on a rack over an open roasting pan,
\nusually in my convection oven (210-220F), but also in the
\nconventional one (225-235), at low temp and seasoned the
\nsame way as the wet-cooked one.\u00a0 I cook it to 140 and let it
\nrest for maybe 20 minutes before cutting. The meat will be
\nslightly pink and a good many people just can’t abide it
\nthat way. They don’t have to eat it. I have a restaurant
\nmeat slicer, and use it to break down the roast. Thinly
\nsliced and\u00a0 stacked up deep on a good Kaiser roll…
\namazing. After that first meal, I chill the roast and then
\nslice it. Back into the fridge wrapped in wax paper inside a
\nsealed plastic container. When it’s time to have another
\nsandwich or whatever, a single portion of the meat can be
\nquickly heated in the nuker and it comes back to a wonderful
\nsucculence. Moist, tender and with all the flavor of
\nold-time pork.
\nYowzaa…<\/p>\n
\n3 lb. potatoes, red or white
\n4 tbsp. olive oil
\n1 tsp. salt
\n1\/2 tsp. pepper
\n2 tbsp. rosemary; minced
\n2 cloves garlic; minced
\n1 dash white wine
\nSmall potatoes of any variety (like 3 pounds or so) or even some red
\nand some white, cut into quarters to serve 4 people. In a bowl large
\nenough to toss them, pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or
\nenough to get it done), a teaspoon salt, maybe 1\/2 teaspoon freshly
\nground pepper, a couple good tablespoons rosemary leaves (finely
\nchopped), a couple cloves of garlic (smashed and very finely minced)
\nand a dash of white wine. Stir all that stuff together and drop in
\nthe spuds. Stir to coat the potatoes and dump the whole business
\nonto a baking sheet. 350F for, like, 35 or 40 minutes. Just getting
\ngolden and tender to the point of a paring knife.
\nI like to cut an onion or two into big chunks and add it. Sometimes,
\nsome celery and carrot for a sorta mirepoix to go with juicy beef
\nroasts. Done it a few times with a bunch of other veggies in
\naddition to the potatoes. Pepper chunks, sweet potatoes cut into
\nthick rounds, thick-sliced squashes, woody asparagus (peeled and cut
\ninto 3-inch chunks).<\/p>\n
\nsandwiches
\n2 slices rye bread; chewy and light
\n5 oz. corned beef, thinly sliced
\n8 oz. sauerkraut; 5 oz. when squeezed dry
\n2 slices swiss cheese
\n4 tbsp russian dressing
\n1 bunch butter
\nThe bread: Light rye, dark rye, pumpernickel, swirl rye, white, French.\u00a0 I
\nuse a chewy, light rye.
\nCheese: Swiss, processed Swiss (basically, white American cheese – melts
\nwell), half Swiss and
\nhalf Provolone.\u00a0 I use Swiss.
\nCorned beef.\u00a0 5 to 6 ounces, thinly sliced.
\nSauerkraut: about 8 ounces before I squeeze most of the juice out.\u00a0 About 5
\nounces drained.
\nDressing: Russian, Thousand Island, sweet mustards.\u00a0 I use Russian.\u00a0 Maybe
\na total of 3 or 4
\ntablespoons.
\nBuild it.\u00a0 Butter (brush with melted) one side of the bread and drop onto a
\nhot griddle or skillet.
\nLay cheese on both slices of bread.\u00a0 Grab a good handful of sauerkraut and
\nsqueeze most of the
\njuice out.\u00a0 Drop on the griddle. Flatten with a spatula so it heats more
\nevenly.\u00a0 By now, the
\ncheese should be melting. Drop the corned beef slices on the griddle and
\npush them around just
\nenough to heat them.\u00a0 Put half the meat on each slice of bread.\u00a0 Spread or
\nsquirt about an ounce
\nor two Russian dressing evenly over both sides.\u00a0 Put the sauerkraut on one
\nslice of bread and
\ncover with the other slice.\u00a0 Remove from the griddle, cut and serve.
\nVoila.\u00a0 Another guy’sReuben.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch scallops
\n1 bunch butter
\n14 cloves garlic
\n1 splash marsala; or sherry
\nSounds WONDERFUL. No cream around though, but scallops are on sale, so
\nwill probably get more Saturday.\u00a0 Guess I’ll just have to get some cream
\ntoo, and give this a try.\u00a0 Thanks.
\nJoan
\nBob Pastorio wrote:
\nPour about a half-inch of heavy cream into a skillet and crank the heat.
\nSmash a clove of garlic and add it. Bring it to a boil and let it reduce
\nto about 1\/3 of the original amount. Scoop out the garlic and drop in
\nthe scallops. They’ll release some juice and thin the cream a bit. After
\nabout two minutes, scoop out the scallops with a slotted spoon and
\nreduce the cream again. A small splash of sherry or marsala, swirl and
\npour over the scallops. Salt and pepper or a sprinkle of caviar.<\/p>\n
\nlast minute. Last time I added some artichoke hearts, too.<\/p>\n
\nwith a mild vinaigrette. Strawberries in Cointreau for dessert.<\/p>\n
\nBenjamin Disraeli<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch shorts ribs
\n1 bunch seasoned flour
\n1 splash red wine
\n1 bunch celery
\n1 bunch carrots
\n1 bunch potatoes
\n1 bunch onions
\nI do short ribs nowadays in my pressure cooker. Dredge in seasoned flour
\nand brown in the bottom of the cooker. A good splash of red wine and close
\nit up. 10 pounds pressure for, oh, maybe a half hour. Take off the heat
\nuntil pressure is gone. Skim off most of the fat. Check the meat for
\ntenderness. If still toughish, another 30 minutes under pressure. If
\ntenderish, about 15 minutes. Taste the liquid and adjust seasonings if
\nnecessary. Add chunks of celery, carrots, onions and potatoes. Close it
\nback up. Back on the heat. Start timing when pressure hisses the first
\ntime. Serve everything in a big bowl with lots of bread to dunk, big jugs
\nof craggy red wine and room-sized napkins.
\nIt helps if you can provide a place to take a nice nap for your guests.
\nDid something by mistake that turned out wonderfully. People over for
\ndinner, foodies all, who each did some cooking to get dinner ready. I had
\nsome rendered goose fat in the fridge and asked one of the “chefs” to get
\nit out for a pan gravy from the capon we were roasting. He mistakenly got
\nthe bacon fat I had saved and did it instead with that. Added some flour to
\nmake a roux and finished it with the pan juices from the chicken, some
\nmilk, seasonings and a splash of wine. Wonderful. The bacon fat didn’t
\nflavor it as strongly as I would have expected and it did add a rich note
\nto it all.
\nGuess I need to label my fridge stuff, huh? — Bob Pastorio<\/p>\n
\n2 cups rice; cooked
\n2 ea. eggs; beaten with a bit of wat
\n6 ea scallions; chopped
\n2 cloves garlic; minced
\n1 bunch soy sauce
\n1 bunch oil
\n1 bunch shrimp
\nDon’t tell anybody that I cook for myself this way.
\nCooked white rice, I dunno, a few cups.\u00a0 An egg or two, beaten with a
\ntablespoon or two of water..\u00a0 Soy sauce.\u00a0 Cooking oil (not olive).\u00a0 Maybe
\nsome scallions or green onions or maybe some other kind of onions.\u00a0 A clove
\nor two of garlic, mashed and minced.\u00a0 Ground ginger. Pinch of sugar
\n(optional). \u00a0 However many shrimp you have, peeled.\u00a0 If large, cut in
\nsmaller pieces.\u00a0 Or, if large, present on top of the rice for each diner.
\nPretty.
\nHeat the oil (some! couple tablespoons, maybe) in a big skillet and saut\u00c8
\nthe onions until limp and then add the garlic.\u00a0 Cook for a minute or two.
\nThrow in the rice and flip the skillet around to get it all moving so it
\nwon’t stick (non-stick is good).\u00a0 Drizzle in some soy sauce, flipping and
\nwatching.\u00a0 When it’s the color you want, stop pouring in soy sauce.\u00a0 Flip
\nit around some more. to mix it well.\u00a0 Sprinkle on enough ginger.\u00a0 Taste.
\nSee if it needs any more of these things.
\nThe eggs… can either be done as scrambled eggs in a separate skillet or
\ncooked with the rice.\u00a0 If separate, cook just until set, turn out onto a
\ncutting board, chop and throw in to the rice.\u00a0 If cooking with the rice,
\nstir furiously to keep the fragments small. With the second method, the egg
\nwill stick to the rice.
\nTaste.\u00a0 Everything good?\u00a0 Ok, toss the shrimp in and flip\/stir to get them
\nunder the hot rice.\u00a0 The shrimp will be cooked in a minute ot two.\u00a0 Serve.
\nIs it authentically Chinese?\u00a0 Hmmmph.\u00a0 Does it taste good?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Cooking
\nwill take 10 minutes all together, including the onion.
\nDo I own many good Chinese cookbooks?\u00a0 Of course.\u00a0 Do I consult them?\u00a0 Yes.
\nFor this kind of dish?<\/p>\n
\n1 cup crabmeat
\n15 ea. shrimp; u-15 size
\n1 tsp. lemon juice
\n\u00ba tsp. garlic powder
\n1 tsp. old bay seasoning
\n2 tbsp. bread crumbs
\n3 tbsp. mayonnaise
\nGet the biggest ones you can find (Costco sells U-15 and they’ll work
\nbrilliantly), peel (but leave the tails connected). You’ll want
\nbetween 4 and maybe 8 for each person – so a pound of shrimp in the
\nshell. We’re going to butterfly them, but not the usual way. Cut them
\nfrom the inside of the curve, the belly side, almost through, but
\nstill connected at the back. It’s now butterflied. Set them aside for
\na moment.
\nMix the crabmeat with the mayo, lemon juice, garlic powder, Old Bay, and
\nbread crumbs. Mix together everything but the crabmeat to get it
\nevenly combined and then gently fold in the crabmeat.
\nTake a shrimp and lay it on it’s uncut back. Pile on a couple tablespoons
\ncrab mixture and top with another shrimp, tail facing the
\nopposite direction, smooshing it together so it’s a nice, tight package.
\nWrap with appropriate-sized strip of bacon and pick to hold
\nit closed. Pancetta works, well, too as does prosciutto or country ham.
\nBroil, turning a few times to heat evenly. Serve with a small bowl of lemon
\nbutter, some bubbly and a place to lie down.
\nt
\nSpaghetti Squash Procedures<\/strong>
\n1 ea spaghetti squash
\n1 bunch ginger
\n1 bunch nutmeg
\n1 tiny-dash cinnamon
\n1 tinier-dash clove
\nNuke the squash until it is soft.
\nYep. Forgot about that.
\nCook it like that, add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and a tiny dash of clove
\nand it’s grand. Serve warm. On a low-carb program, you can either top it
\nwith a bit of whipped cream or just pour some cream over it.
\nFake squash pie, low-carb style: Make a crust of finely chopped almonds
\nand butter. Cook the squash to the mushy stage, whisk together a couple
\neggs, some cream and seasonings and add to the squash. Pour into shell
\nand bake until lightly set. Goes nicely fast if you cook the squash and
\ncontinue on directly to the pie-making stages.<\/p>\n
\n1 lb spaghetti or linguini
\n2 tablespoon butter for spaghetti; melted
\n2 tablespoon olive oil
\n1 clove garlic; minced
\n1 teaspoon salt
\n1 cup mushrooms; chopped
\n2 strips bacon (4 Tbsp); cooked and crumbled
\n2 tablespoon butter; melted
\n2 oz white wine
\n2-3 lb small shrimp; peeled, deveined
\nHeat oven to 450\u222bF.
\nCook pasta in salted water for 5 minutes and not longer. Drain and toss with butter. Hold aside.
\nPut oil and garlic in a skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and mushrooms and cook until the mushroom liquid is almost gone.
\nAdd remaining ingredients and heat through-no more than 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the pasta and all of the sauce in parchment* and bake for 12 minutes.
\n*Note: A simple paper bag or aluminum foil can be used for this process. Yield: 6 servings<\/p>\n
\n2 large eggs
\n\u03a9 cups water; or a bit more
\n1\/2 teaspoon salt
\n1\/2 teaspoon baking powder
\n1\u03a9 cups flour
\nBeat eggs and 1\/2 cup water together. Stir in dry ingredients. If too stiff, add a bit more water, a teaspoon at a time. Test by pushing through a ricer. It should move easily, but still require a good grip. Over a pot of boiling water, squeeze dough through the ricer, cutting it off in 1\/2 to 3\/4 inch lengths until all dough is in the pot. When they all come to the top, they’re ready. Scoop them out, drain and toss with butter. Serve. A good gravy over top doesn’t hurt them at all.
\nGnocchi dough with potato works well with a ricer, too. It doesn’t result in anything that looks like traditional gnocchi, but it’s good.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch bones
\n1 bunch vegetables
\n1 bunch water
\nI don’t know where that notion that roasting meats, bones and veggies makes for cloudy stock.\u00a0 It isn’t so.\u00a0 Cooking stock ingredients before simmering has a long tradition in both home and haute cuisine.
\nSearing veggies adds a bit of color and additional flavor notes. Stock is cloudy if it’s boiled, not skimmed, not defatted or if solids are left in – not filtered.\u00a0 Or some combination.
\nI routinely roast chickens before making stock (and sometimes a leg and thigh accidentally get eaten before they make it to the stockpot) and season them lightly with salt, pepper and garlic.\u00a0 Much of the fat
\nis rendered, skin is crisped and the meats become firm.\u00a0 I cut it up and put into just enough water to cover, sometimes with a mirepoix (celery, carrot and onion but no turnip or potato) and sometimes not.
\nAnd, again, sometimes, the mirepoix is roasted, or sweated or even just raw.
\nEach variation will give a different finish.\u00a0 To get the true flavor of stocks, somewhere near the end, it needs to be salted.\u00a0 Even very rich stocks (reduced or reinforced) have flavor notes that don’t appear until salt is added.\u00a0 It needn’t be a lot of salt, but the difference is astonishing with and without salt.
\nBones add a wonderful darkness of flavor and a good ratio for beef stock is 3 units of bones to one of meat.\u00a0 Since I make it in large quantity, it’s 10-12 pounds of bones to 3-4 pounds of meat.\u00a0 I usually use one of the cheap cuts and leave it whole – some chuck cut, usually.\u00a0 Local meatcutters are happy to provide bones for the purpose – one calls them “dog bones.”\u00a0 I roast bones and meat at 450F in a flat roasting pan.\u00a0 After a couple hours, I throw in the veggies and let them roast to a good brown color.\u00a0 Pour off the fat (it’s usually
\nscorched and not very tasty) and dump everything in enough water to cover.\u00a0 Low heat and let it go for maybe 24 hours, skimming whenever I happen to be nearby and adding liquid as needed.\u00a0 Water, wine, tomato juice… whatever the moment offers.
\nIf I’m making a clear broth, I take pains to skim very deliberately. When it reaches the place I want it to be, I gently pour through 3 or 4 layers of cheesecloth in a chinois.\u00a0 Solids are useless for anything else.\u00a0 Sometimes I give the meats to my cats and they seem to like it.\u00a0 Can’t hurt.\u00a0 I don’t often do the traditional “clearmeat” approach with ground meat and egg.\u00a0 Too fussy for any but the most elaborate exercise.\u00a0 Still, filtering through cheesecloth makes for a good stock.\u00a0 Do that a few times and it really sparkles.
\nIf I’m using is as a soup base, I filter once to get the pieces out and that’s it.\u00a0 For risotto or similar dishes, I filter only through a colander so that small bits are still in there.\u00a0 I like what it looks and tastes like.\u00a0 Adds tiny bits to the bite as well.
\nAt home, I use a crockpot to reduce stocks.\u00a0 Set it to medium and leave the lid off.\u00a0 Let it go all night.\u00a0 The surface doesn’t even ripple.\u00a0 The whole house smells grand<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch bones
\n1 bunch water
\n1 bunch bay leaves
\n1 bunch celery; chopped
\n1 bunch onion; chopped
\n1 bunch carrot; chopped
\nI’d suggest not boiling the stock hard or at all.\u00a0 That guarantees a cloudy stock.\u00a0 A very gentle simmer (so the surface “laughs” as a French chef would say) and frequent skimming make a clear and
\nintensely flavored stock.
\nEnriching the flavor of stock by precooking the meats or vegetables offers a possibility of greater intensity and fullness of flavor. Roast beef meat and bones and the veggies (celery, carrot and onion) in a hot oven to deeply brown them.\u00a0 The resulting stock will have the color and flavor of the Maillard reactions (the name of all the things that happen when foods brown) to add to the basic flavor of the meats.
\nSweat the chicken first.\u00a0 Likewise veal.\u00a0 Same with the veggies. Start fish stock with trimmings and bones in cold water over low heat.
\nSkimming and filtering make for the clearest and richest-tasting stocks.\u00a0 The ice cube approach has been in common currency for decades.\u00a0 It works fine.\u00a0 If you operate according to a fixed recipe and reduce to a fixed amount, you can freeze stock in concentrated portion size.\u00a0 Maybe one cube makes a cup of broth or some other amount you find useful.
\nStock cubes and other commercial preparations are approximations of what real stock tastes like.\u00a0 Sometimes the approximation is a long way off.<\/p>\n
\n2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
\n1\u03a9 cups onions; thinly sliced
\n2 pounds beef chuck; cut in 2 or 3 pieces
\n1 tsp juniper berries; crushed
\n2 tbsp red wine vinegar
\n1 tsp salt
\n\u03a9 tsp black pepper
\nPut the olive oil and the sliced onions in a heavy-bottomed pot and set the meat on top. Add the juniper berries and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium low and put then lid on.
\nWhen you hear bubbling, adjust the heat so that meat cooks at a very gentle simmer. Cover the pot. Simmer for about two hours, or until the meat is extremely tender when prodded with a fork. You can begin
\nchecking it after an hour and a half. When the meat is done the sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If it is too thin, remove the meat and raise the heat a bit until it has reduced.
\nNOTES:
\n1) Juniper berries – to crush, put them on a cutting board or counter and press on them with a heavy pot, or put them into a zipper bag and gently hit them with a meat hammer.
\n2) If you can\u00edt find juniper berries, two tablespoons of gin will work as well.
\n3) Crockpot – This can be done in a crockpot set to a temperature that will let the juices very gently simmer.
\n4)This stracotto may be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated over gentle heat with a few tablespoons of water or red wine.
\n5) Variations – Add a tablespoon of tomato paste after removing the meat, stirring it into the pan liquids; add a few sliced mushrooms to the pot for the additional flavor; use a boneless leg of lamb or a game meat roast instead of beef.<\/p>\n
\n1-1\/2 cups ap flour
\n1\/2 cup corn starch
\n1-1\/2 tsp baking powder
\n1 large egg
\n1 cup ice water
\nCombine dry ingredients, mixing well. Whisk together egg and water, dump into dry and stir just to combine. There should be lumps. Dip dry veggies into batter and drop into 365\u221eF oil. They’re done
\nwhen browned at the edges or whenever you decide.
\nFor wet ingredients like fish or meats, dredge them in flour first, then dip in batter and finish as desired.
\nVariations On Whipped Cream
\n1 cup cream
\n1 bunch other stuff
\nHas anyone tried a mustard or horseradish whipped cream on smoked salmon? I’m thinking of the SS on crackers and normally topped with cr\u00cdme fraiche, capers and a sliver of red onion. Would the flavored whipped cream, instead of cr\u00cdme fraiche, be over the top?
\n—————————-
\nBob wrote:
\nOf course it’s over the top. What could be better? How about incorporate the horseradish, capers and onion, very finely minced or even pureed, into the whipped cream? Want to really, really take it over the top? Add a bit of finely minced smoked salmon to the whipped cream and fold in a bit of caviar – both red and\u00a0 black…
\nGorgonzola (or any blue-veined cheese) dressing for salad – comprised of whipped cream (a cup of liquid cream, whipped to full volume and then put into a sieve over a bowl in the fridge to let any whey drip out \u2013 couple hours). After draining, put whipped cream into a bowl and stir 1\/2 to \u00be cup (or however much suits you) crumbled gorgonzola into it. Let sit for 12 hours or overnight. Stunning on salads or as a dip for fruit…
\nWhipped cream drained like that with finely minced smoked salmon, a dash of lemon juice, grate of black pepper, and a sprinkle of minced fresh dill is an astonishing spread… (ground ginger optional)
\nThat technique of whipping the cream and holding it in a sieve or strainer for a while to let any loose liquid drain out means it’ll be simultaneously light and more dense than if left undrained. Incorporating other flavors into it then is easy. I’d run those other ingredients in a processor and fold them in to the whipped cream.
\nThink of other flavors to do that with… Ground or fresh ginger to put on top of, oh, I dunno, pumpkin pie? Cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg on top of hot apple pie. Others…?
\nVeloute Sauce
\n3 cups reduced chicken stock
\n6 tablespoon flour
\n6 tablespoon Butter
\nBegin with a good stock and reduce it to 2\/3 volume. Cool it.
\nMelt the butter and put in the flour. Cook it for about 10 minutes. Whisk in the cool stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and stir forever and continiously until it is right.
\nRemove from heat and cool.\u00a0 Use in pot pies or elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\n1 head romaine
\n3 each pears
\n1 bunch bleu cheese
\n—-VINAIGRETTE—-
\n1 pint cider vinegar
\n12 sprigs mint
\n1 pinch cinnamon
\n2 pinches nutmeg
\n1 t sweet onion, finely minced
\n1 t salt and red pepper
\nIn a pint of cider vinegar, infuse about a dozen good sprigs of mint (put the bottle in a hot water bath to hasten the infusion – maybe 3 hours) and use that as the vinegar in a vinaigrette with walnut oil.\u00a0 A small shake of cinnamon, a grating of nutmeg and about a tablespoon of very finely minced sweet onion, salt and finely milled red pepper flakes.\u00a0 Shake.\u00a0 Then shake the dressing.\u00a0 Then shake the guests.\u00a0 Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.<\/p>\n
\n4 cups chicken stock; (low-sodium canned)
\n1 tablespoon cumin
\n1 tablespoon coriander
\n1 tablespoon oregano
\n1 tablespoon basil
\n2 teaspoons celery seed
\n1 tablespoon garlic powder
\n1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
\n5 pounds boneless chicken or turkey, white o; r dark meat
\n\u03a9 cup butter
\n1 large onion; minced
\n2 medium carrots, minced
\n2 stalks celery; minced
\n1 green pepper; minced
\n1\/3 cup flour
\n\u00ba cup milk
\nMethod:\u00a0 Put stock and herbal flavorings (next 7 ingredients) in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil.\u00a0 Reduce heat and simmer until finished preparing meat, at least 30 minutes.\u00a0 Strain stock and return to the pot.
\nMeanwhile, trim off any fat and skin from meat and cut into \u03a9” pieces. Saut\u00c8 in butter, stirring frequently, until the meat no longer gives off moisture but don’t let it brown.
\nAdd onion, carrot, celery and pepper and saut\u00c8 until the vegetables soften and no moisture remains in the pan.\u00a0 Sprinkle flour over and stir to distribute evenly. Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes to get rid of the raw
\nflour taste. Add stock, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.\u00a0 Cook for about one hour, stirring occasionally.\u00a0 Add milk and stir through. Serve over great northern beans (or any other white bean).
\nThe eternal discussion still rages about beans.\u00a0 To include or not to include.\u00a0 Do whatever you like.\u00a0 And who says it always has to be the same thing?
\nCombine several kinds of beans – pinto, red kidney, black, great northern, navy and others – and serve them alongside.\u00a0 Or throw the cooked beans into the chili for the last five minutes; just long enough to heat through. It’s your chili.\u00a0 Whoever complains has just volunteered to do it next time. Enjoy.
\nI invented this one just for this column because of the poultry produced in the area and in the interests of healthier eating. [Some ingredients in the original recipe have been changed. jbo] Make no mistake, though, this is real food, not some weak imitation of some other real thing. The recipe calls for chicken stock.\u00a0 Most brands of canned stock have tremendous amounts of salt.\u00a0 Get the low sodium or “no salt added” kind.\u00a0 It has a better flavor and doesn’t disguise a weak stock with salt.
\nThis approach calls for the herbal flavorings to be simmered in the chicken stock then filtered out.\u00a0 I only suggest this technique for the sake of final appearance; it looks nicer without the flecks, I think.\u00a0 If you’d
\nrather have them in the dish, why then, go ahead.\u00a0 Yield: 12 servings<\/p>\n
\n1 loaf french bread; sliced 1 inch thick
\n2 lb. asparagus
\n1 cup cream; or more
\n2 ea. eggs; hard boiled
\n1 bunch caviar; for garnish<\/p>\n
\nButter and toast the bread. Lay out the bread slices closely on a platter large enough to handle the whole batch of asparagus.
\nOver medium heat, put the asparagus, milk or cream and salt in a skillet and cover. Bring to a low simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Lift out the asparagus (I use two long-bladed spatulas) and lay on the bread.
\nTurn the heat up and rapidly cook down the cream until it will coat a spoon dipped into it. Pour over the asparagus, sprinkle on caviar (two or three tablespoons) and\/or eggs. Serve with an icy, fruity white wine.
\nIf you steam or boil, what would be good with the asparagus? Here’s a list: Hollandaise sauce. Biarnaise sauce. Crumbled bleu cheese. Cook 12 strips of bacon, discard all but a tablespoon or two of fat; crumble the bacon and sprinkle fat and crumbles over. Chopped shrimp and mushrooms (1\/2 cup of each) sauteed in lemon butter, tossed over. Shreds of boiled country ham (1\/3 cup) and grated cheddar cheese (1\/2 cup) on top, briefly broiled to melt the cheese and served.<\/p>\n
\n5 cloves garlic
\n1 stick butter
\n1 cup oil; walnut or olive
\n1 tin anchovies; rinsed to reduce salt
\n—-2nd version in directions—-
\nvegetables: raw or roasted peppers, white savoy cabbage leaves, Jerusalem artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot sticks, etc.
\nBreads: crusty Italian bread, bread sticks (grissini)
\npasta: put some in a bowl, trickle the sauce over
\nseafoods, etc.: you’re on your own.
\nPeel the garlic and put it in milk to cover for about 2 hours. Drain it, dry it and cut into thin slices or mince finely and combine all ingredients in a pan over low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, over low heat (never at a boil). When it’s ready, bring to the table and keep warm using a hot plate or alcohol burner set to low flame.
\nVERSION NUMBER 2<\/strong>
\nThis is a creamier variation on the idea of bagna caoda. I’ve seen it in Italy and, occasionally, in the homes of relatives. I’ve adapted it to crockpot preparation.
\n1 pound butter
\n1 pint cream
\n1 tin anchovies, mashed
\n20 cloves garlic; minced
\nMelt butter in a crockpot and add the garlic and anchovies, stirring to distribute. Add the cream, cover, and simmer gently for two or more hours, stirring occasionally. The garlic and anchovies should
\ncompletely combine with the other ingredients. This can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. It will separate when it gets cold but will return to the original creaminess when gently heated and stirred. When the sauce is ready, bring it to the table and keep warm using a hot plate or alcohol burner set to low flame.\u00a0 Pastorio
\nThis always becomes a small party. A crock or pot of a dip is put center table, and people help themselves, either dipping into it or taking some in a bowl for themselves. The accompaniments can include raw or cooked vegetables, breads, pasta, cooked shrimp or pretty much anything else. The last departs somewhat from tradition, but don’t we all?
\nThe name means warm bath or, by extension, warm sauce in a northern Italian dialect. These came out on the big holidays to keep people busy and out of the kitchen where they’d only get in the way. There’s no one protocol for doing this. The more like family the diners are, the more that breaches in normal table manners will be forgiven. Even double-dipping. Kids love to do this and it gets messy. Disposable tablecloths for such occasions are good.
\nIt will sound surprising to say that the flavors meld very nicely and the finished flavor is subtle. Not what you’d expect from this combination of ingredients. The anchovies disappear and provide a quiet background flavor. The garlic becomes mild and gives it a hearty sparkle. The butter and oil are a tasty carrier of all those other flavors. The creamy one coats the dips more fully. Both versions are best if served in a fondue pot or other dish that can be kept warm, but not boiling.
\nVERSION NUMBER 1<\/strong>
\nAmounts for 4 people:
\nCream Sauce W\/ Citrus….Fundamentals, sauces
\n1 cup cream
\n1 ea. citrus; juiced
\nAny of several ways:
\n1) Reduce the cream to about half and whisk in the citrus. This usually works.
\n2) Reduce the cream a bit, add some corn starch (or other thickener) and whisk in the citrus.
\n3) Heat the citrus with some corn starch to thicken, whisk in the cream and reduce.
\nHe probably started with 40% cream.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch vegetables
\n1 batch oil
\n1 bunch flour
\nTempura batter is: one egg, one cup of flour, one cup of water. It isn’t intended to cover fully like a corn dog or an American-style fried shrimp.
\nThe crust should be lacy and crisp. The veggies should be dry before dipping.
\nTempura batter should be *just* blended and maybe not even that much. When I make tempura, there’s a ring of dry flour around the bowl.
\nIf you want full coverage, tempura batter isn’t what you want.
\nMore like a beer batter, it sounds like. The general rule for full-coating batters is: if it’s dry, wet it; if it’s wet, dry it. Moist foods like shrimp should be floured before dipping. Dry veggies should be egg-washed before dipping. —<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch snails
\n1 bunch puff pastry
\n1 bunch butter
\nActually did them a few different ways.\u00a0 Puff pastry and snails somehow seem sympathetic.
\nI did individual bouchees at one point, but I can’t recommend that unless you have some prisoners of war hanging around.\u00a0 About 1 out of 3 actually worked the way I wanted.\u00a0 The presentation was 6 snails,
\neach in its own small pastry case with too much butter and seasoning. Gorgeous but very labor intensive.
\nThen I did pastry boxes and dumped a dozen of them in at service. Sautied the snails in garlicky butter with tarragon and mint and poured them in and replaced the pastry cover.\u00a0 Shipped on hot pewter plate for some outrageous price.\u00a0 They were wonderful.
\nThe last and best was to lay out a sheet of pastry, egg wash and put the snails down on it 3 rows, 4 columns – a dozen – separated like ravioli filling.\u00a0 Egg wash another sheet and lay over top, pressing between snails to seal.\u00a0 Crimp edges, bake at 450F and serve.\u00a0 The big deal was to put the snails in small molds, one per cup, and fill the cups with about a tablespoon of seasoned (description above) butter.
\nChill to harden and put that inside the pastry, butter and all.\u00a0 It eaks and who the hell cares.\u00a0 Served on a bed of fresh herbs -oregano, thyme, rosemary.\u00a0 The hot pastry makes the herbs give off their scents.\u00a0 Maddeningly lush.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch home made pasta; prepared as below
\n1 grupo mariscos mezclados
\n1 litro court bouillon; o mas
\n1 bunch sherry
\n1 bunch butter
\nUse semolina flour to make the pasta with sherry wine which has been reduced by about one third. Roll it out to maybe the middle thickness, lay it out on a tabletop and arrange parsley leaves (no stems) about an inch apart on half its length. Fold the other half back over it and run it through the machine, thinning it to about 2 or 3 thicknesses from the thin setting. Cut it with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter into strips about an
\ninch wide. Cut diagonally to pappardella width.
\nPoach the mariscos in court bouillon for their average times. Meanwhile, melt some butter and whisk in some sherry or marsala and a bit of salt and pepper. Lift the seafood out of the poaching liquid and drop into the butter. Toss and hold just warm (about 140\u222b F) until the pasta is ready. Toss the pasta with the mariscos and portion out. Garnish with finely chopped parsley.<\/p>\n
\n1\u00a0 egg
\n1\u00a0 oil
\n1\/8\u00a0 vinegar
\nEasier than using traditional methods. And with more control over thickness of the finished product.
\nEither one can be made either way. I like whole egg mayonnaise better. Broader flavor and texture profile.
\nI would also consider egg yolk mayonnaise and whole egg mayonnaise to be very different sauces. I make both, but for quite different purposes. I always make mayonnaise with 100% olive oil \u2013 about 3-quarters a very light oil that I buy in Spain and 1-quarter normal good Portuguese oil – I’ve given up buying non-olive oil, it tastes so horrid. Then again, I do have a good local supply … :-)))
\nDifferent applications call for different oils. A full-flavor garlic mayonnaise (aioli and the like) demand fruity olive oil. A lighter mayo for, say, a grilled fish salad suits my tastes better if made with an oil with more mild flavor notes. Walnut oil or maybe a grapeseed\/canola combination.<\/p>\n
\n1 bunch morels; sliced
\n1 bunch puff pastry
\n1 bunch beef stock
\n1 pinch marsala wine
\n1 pinch cream
\nRecipe is like this:\u00a0 Morels (however many you have), sliced and simmered in beef stock.\u00a0 I added a bit of Marsala wine.\u00a0 If you want to get crazy add some cream.\u00a0 Chill.\u00a0 Put into bowls, brush the rims with beaten egg. Brush a sheet of puff pastry with egg and stretch it across the top of the bowl (egg side in) and press firmly around the edge to weld it on.\u00a0 Brush it with egg on top and pop into the fridge.\u00a0 After about 20 minutes, pop into a 400F oven and bake for about 20 minutes.\u00a0 The puff pastry will inflate into a dome.\u00a0 You’ll smell nothing. Bring to the table and sit each person’s bowl on a trivet or potholder.\u00a0 Poke a hole in the pastry and the whole neighborhood will smell like mushrooms.\u00a0 Eat the soup and sit and talk to yourself.\u00a0 The rest of the evening will be anticlimactic.<\/p>\n
\n1 cup milk
\n2 tablespoons butter
\n4 tablespoons sugar
\n1\/2 teaspoon salt
\n1\u00a0 egg, beaten
\n3 cups flour
\n1 package yeast
\noil for frying
\nHeat milk over low heat in a saucepan and add butter, sugar, and salt, mixing well to dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together half of the flour and yeast. Add milk mixture and beat for 5 minutes or so. Gradually add remaining flour. When the dough forms a ball, put it in a greased bowl, turning dough to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Pat dough onto a floured pastry cloth or wooden board. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Roll out dough and cut into rectangles (2X2, 3X3, etc.). Cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Deep fry dough in 365\u221eF oil, a few at a time until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels and finish with powdered sugar. **Dough may be kept in the fridge for a few days or cut and frozen.
\nMakes about 2 dozen)<\/p>\n
\n1 lb. russett potatoes; cut up
\n1 lb. sweet potatoes; cut up
\n1 pint chicken stock
\n1\/2 cup cheap white wine<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In a square baking dish or disposable aluminum one for summer outdoors<\/p>\n
\ncenter. A ring of navy beans around that. Limas around that. A ring of
\nred kidney beans. Garbanzos. Pan is now full. Puree any leftover beans
\nand add to dressing.<\/p>\n
\njuice and dark brown sugar) and bake (350F), covered until bubbling, an
\nhour or so. Uncover, top with a mixture of crumbled bacon and light
\nbrown sugar. Bake until sugar melts, may take 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>1 cup cream
\n1 bunch other stuff
\nHas anyone tried a mustard or horseradish whipped cream on smoked salmon? I’m thinking of the SS on crackers and normally topped with cr\u00cdme fraiche, capers and a sliver of red onion. Would the flavored whipped cream, instead of cr\u00cdme fraiche, be over the top?<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/strong>3 cups reduced chicken stock
\n6 tablespoon flour
\n6 tablespoon Butter<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/strong>1 lb. Chopped Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
\n2 C. Loosely Packed Basil Leaves
\n1\/3 C. Pine Nuts
\n2 Cloves of Garlic
\n1 Small Sweet Onion
\n2\/3 C. Grated Parmesan
\n2\/3 C. Olive Oil
\nSalt and Black Pepper to Taste
\nBrown chicken and onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Combine Basil, Pine Nuts, Garlic, and Parmesan in food processor and blend into a paste. Add a little oil if paste is to thick. Add paste and remaining ingredients to chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Serve over 1 lb. of Pasta.<\/p>\n
\nHam hock or country ham skin and fat trimmings, total of about 3\/4 pound of meat, coarsely chopped
\n1 Big onion, chopped fine
\nteaspoon Ground bay leaf
\n1 teaspoon Salt (up to 2)
\n1 teaspoon Black pepper<\/p>\n