JintanManis

Latest posting is just below: My Recipes: Table of Contents

2011-11-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

You can check my latest posting in the post just below this table of contents.

Unlike in the past, I'm beginning my blog with a table of contents on the 250 recipes I've posted. My "analytics" show that a number of recipes are hit by internet surfers who simply key in a type of recipe. That will continue as before. But for those who simply visit my blog to see what I posted recently, they hit my most recent recipe rather than see what's available.

In the five years this web blog has been operating, I've posted a number of recipes and related commentaries. They're in no particular order, other than some seasonal dishes at certain times. That all makes it hard for anyone who checks the blog to find particular recipes, or even to check what is there to see if anything
interests them. That's especially true for things back in the archives.

To deal with the problem, I've created a table of contents and will update it as I add recipes. Unlike a usual table of contents, there are no page numbers because the blog does not have numbered pages. In their place I list the date a particular recipe was published.

I hope you find some recipes of interest.

(To locate recipes, go to the month/year [in the Archives on the right side of the blog] then find the posting for the day indicated; dates are in reverse order, from more recent to earlier)

Appetizers

Smoked Salmon Dip/Spread I -- 12/24/07
Smoked Salmon Dip/Spread II -- 3/2/08
Tangy Salmon Spread -- 6/25/08
Fish Pâté made with Tuna -- 1/10/10
Double-Fish Cream Dip -- 11/13/10
Pâté Saxonne, Liverwurst-based Spread -- 11/03/08
Smoked Salmon Tartare -- 10/27/07
Spanish Fish with Peppers, Olives, and Pine Nuts -- 8/19/08
Tomatoes Stuffed with Fruited Tuna -- 9/9/06
Spanish Tapas Meatballs -- 11/5/06
Korean American Sesame Chicken Cakes -- 8/6/10
Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings -- 8/09/09
Rillettes: French Charcuterie Appetizer -- 7/11/10
Jeweled Stuffed (Devilled) Eggs -- 1/2/10
Sherry-Almond Cheese Ball -- 1/3/10
Welsh Rabbit (aka "Rarebit") -- 3/8/11
Shrimp Scampi -- 7/23/08
Shrimp Newberg -- 8/25/08
Triple-fish Thai Nam Ya Curry over Rice Noodles -- 9/12/09
Crispy wontons with sweet-sour sauce -- 2/26/11
Hot Artichoke-Cauliflower Antipasto -- 11/27/07
Green Beans Sautéed with Garlic and Tomato -- 8/26/08
Roasted Stuffed Mushrooms -- 12/28/08
Braised Mushrooms à la Grecque -- 4/6/09
Fried Cauliflower Appetizer -- 10/3/10
Spinach-Artichoke Dip -- 2/16/08
Roasted Zucchini "Hummus" -- 6/21/09
Great Guacamole -- 5/16/07
Double Bean Salsa for Dipping -- 1/24/10
Lentils Sautéed with Cream (dip/salsa) -- 7/29/08
Lentil-Cream Dip for Maria -- 11/19/10
Hummus -- 7/22/08
"Terra Cotta" dip for Maria -- 12/10/10
Baba Ganouj, roasted eggplant spread -- 7/25/08
Cold Gazpacho -- 8/12/06
Tangy Asiago-Almond Spread -- 6/28/08
Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil – Caprese -- 4/1/08
French Lentil Salad -- 8/6/08
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese -- 8/18/07
Aioli: Garlic Mayonnaise for Roasted Vegetables -- 8/27/08
Quiche -- 7/21/08

Soups and Salads

Cold Gazpacho -- 8/12/06
Tomato-Basil Bisque Soup -- 8/16/10
Ancient Roman Dry Legume Soup with Greens -- 5/23/10
Lentil Soup with Greens -- 1/09/08
Grandma's Split Pea Soup with Ham -- 7/19/08
Dutch Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage -- 4/22/10
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup -- 7/19/08
Black Bean Vegetable Soup -- 11/17/08
Gingered "Pumpkin" Soup -- 10/30/11
French “Pumpkin” (Butternut) Bisque -- 5/1/10
Red Riot Soup, hot or iced -- 5/16/10
Mulligatawny Soup, Meatless -- 3/28/07
Turkey-Apple Chowder with Cheddar -- 12/4/06
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo -- 8/1/10
Green Chile with Pork -- 11/20/06
Red and Black Chili -- 7/17/08
Blond Chili -- 10/28/06
Competition-winning "Hot Blond" Chili -- 2/7/10
Orange-Rose Chili with Lentils -- 8/12/09
Vegetarian Chili -- 8/8/08
Delicious Meatless Chili -- 12/8/08
Summer Herb Salad Dressing -- 7/7/07
Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette -- 4/15/08
Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette -- 9/28/11
Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil –- Caprese -- 4/1/08
French Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche -- 6/18/08
French Lentil Salad -- 8/6/08
Coleslaw, Deli-Style -- 6/5/08
Great Potato Salad -- 6/3/08
California Fruited Tuna Salad -- 9/22/07
Devilled Egg Salad -- 5/3/07

Poultry and Meat

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo -- 8/1/10
Pâté Saxonne, Liverwurst-based Spread -- 11/03/08
Rillettes: French Charcuterie Appetizer -- 7/11/10
Korean American Sesame Chicken Cakes -- 8/6/10
Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings -- 8/09/09
Malaysian Soy Sauce Chicken -- 2/2/08
Black Soy Sauce Chicken w/ Broccoli -- 4/20/09
Spicy Coconut Chicken -- 2/21/08
Jerk Chicken -- 8/31/08
Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Feta -- 3/26/08
North African Chicken Medallions (for Wedding) -- 7/5/08
Marinated Chicken Shish Kebabs -- 5/31/08
Oven-roasted Chicken Kebabs -- 11/29/09
‘Tandoori’ Chicken Tikka Kebabs -- 6/10/08
Mediterranean Herbed Chicken for Sandwiches -- 8/10/08
Chicken Sautéed with Dijon-Cream Sauce -- 11/26/06
Chicken à la Créole -- 3/19/08
Haitian-style Chicken Creole -- 1/22/10
Alsatian Chicken in White Wine and Cream -- 1/14/08
Autumn Sautéed Chicken with Fruit -- 11/4/07
Chicken Marsala -- 5/31/07
Chicken Sautéed with Mushrooms and Cream -- 3/29/09
Chicken Cacciatore -- 7/12/08
Chicken Sautéed with Red Wine and Sun-Dried Tomato -- 8/24/08
Chicken Stewed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes -- 5/15/11
Alsatian Chicken braised in Beer -- 7/3/11
Easy Mediterranean Chicken Stir-Fry -- 8/24/06
Malaysian-Chinese Braised ("Red-Cooked") Chicken -- 5/25/09
Vietnamese Chicken (or Pork) in Caramel Sauce -- 6/03/09
African Peanut Sauce Chicken -- 2/22/07
North Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry -- 11/9/08
Malabari Coconut Chicken Korma -- 5/17/09
South Indian Chicken Curry -- 8/11/08
Brightly Flavored North Indian Chicken Curry -- 3/2/10
Kofta Curry with Chicken and Cashew Cream -- 7/31/11
Chicken Keema Gobi (Chopped chicken curry with cauliflower) -- 10/24/10
Braised Turkey Pot Roast -- 12/04/10
Turkey Kofta Korma (Meatball Curry with Cashew Cream) -- 8/20/11
Persian Beef and Nectarine Stew (Koresh) -- 8/11/10
Indian Kofta (Meatball) Curry -- 9/23/08
Pakistani Beef Meatball and Potato Curry -- 10/5/09
Keema -- "Minced" Meat Curry with Peas and Potatoes -- 2/6/10
Spicy Pork Vindaloo Curry -- 10/1/09
"Ceylonese" Pork or Beef Curry -- 10/25/09
Malay Beef Curry -- Kari Lembu -- 4/24/10
Afghan Qorma of Lamb or Beef with Green Beans -- 8/05/09
Dansak -- Chicken and Lentil Curry -- 2/29/09
Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Butternut -- 1/25/08
Thai Chicken Panang Curry -- 8/12/06
Spiced Ground Meat Kebabs -- 8/10/08
Thai Beef Panang Curry -- 10/16/10
Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef -- 9/23/09
Easy Chicken Pot Pie -- 9/13/07
Chicken Chilaquiles: Mexican Casserole -- 1/11/09
Paprika Schnitzel -- 4/12/08
Basque Pork or Beef Stew -- 6/14/08
'Chopped' Beef Stoganoff /08
Transylvanian Goulash -- 10/18/06
Stout-Molasses Marinated Pork Tenderloin -- 3/25/11
Autumn Pork Stew with Fruit -- 9/30/06
Pork stewed with Quince 1 -- 11/12/08
Pork stewed with Quince 2 -- 11 15/09
Balkan Pork Stew with Eggplant -- 6/17/09
Braised "Country-Style" Pork Ribs -- 12/26/10
Pork braised with Bananas and Apples -- 11/27/11
Pork and Lentils stewed with Cream -- 11/08/08
Garnished Sauerkraut with Smoked Meats -- 3/12/11
Carbonade Flamande I, Belgian Beef and Onion Stew with Beer -- 3/6/11
Carbonade of Chicken, Belgian Chicken stewed with Beer -- 9/12/08
Baked Kibbeh (Middle Eastern stuffed Meatloaf) -- 9/15/08
Red and Black Chili -- 7/17/08
Green Chile with Pork -- 11/20/06
Blond Chili -- 10/28/06
Competition-winning "Hot Blond" Chili -- 2/7/10
Orange-Rose Chili with Lentils -- 8/12/09
Bourbon-Glazed Pork (or Chicken) Burgers -- 1/24/08
Mushroom-Caper Smothered Chopped Steaks -- 1/20/08
Swedish Meatballs -- 10/30/07
Prussian Meatballs with Caper-Curry Sauce -- 9/06/09
Green Peppercorn Meatballs in Spiced Cream -- 10/13/07
Mediterranean Meatballs -- 8/27/07
Stuffed Lamb (or Beef) Meatballs -- 5/21/11
Spanish Tapas Meatballs -- 11/5/06
Turkey and Basil Meatballs with Peppers sautéed in Red Wine -- 9/7/08
Frikkadels -- South African Curried Meatballs -- 1/12/11
Meatballs and Tomato Sauce for Pasta -- 4/07/10
‘Sausage’-style Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce -- 3/9/08
Spicy Lentil Stew with Meatballs -- 9/19/10
Bolognese Meat Sauce for Pasta -- 9/15/06
‘Russian’ Meat Pie -- 1/17/07
Polish Easter, and Wedding, Sausage -- 3/13/10
‘Philadelphia’ Scrapple -- 2/12/08
Creole Zucchini (with pork and ham) -- 7/8/09
Zucchini Jambalaya (with ham and chicken) --8/18/09
Sausage Jambalaya -- 4/21/09
Greek rice dressing for turkey or lamb -- 11/01/08
German-style Sautéed Cabbage topping for Burgers -- 3/19/10
English-style Mushroom Sauce for Beef -- 9/28/11

Seafood

Tangy Salmon Spread -- 6/25/08
Fish Pâté made with Tuna -- 1/10/10
Double-Fish Cream Dip -- 11/13/10
Smoked Salmon Tartare -- 10/21/07
Sweet and Sour Fish -- 4/24/07
Spanish Fish with Peppers, Olives, and Pine Nuts -- 8/19/08
Irish-style Salmon with Mint-Watercress Sauce -- 4/25/11
Lemon-Dill Roasted Salmon -- 1/10/07
3-Peppers Salmon -- 1/15/08
Roasted Salmon with Fruit Glaze -- 9/7/07
Indian Fish Curry ("Korma") -- 8/16/09
Triple-fish Thai Nam Ya Curry over Rice Noodles -- 9/12/09
Thai-Chinese Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus -- 9/13/09
‘California’ Fruited Tuna Salad -- 9/22/07
Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas -- 10/31/07
Smoked Salmon with Grits -- 6/9/07
Shrimp Scampi -- 7/23/08
Shrimp Newberg -- 8/25/08
Shrimp Grits -- 6/9/07
Pasta alla Putanesca: Spicy tomato and anchovy sauce -- 5/31/10

Eggs and Cheese

Jeweled Stuffed (Devilled) Eggs -- 1/2/10
Devilled Egg Salad -- 5/3/07
Tangy Asiago-Almond Spread -- 6/28/08
Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil – Caprese -- 4/1/08
Sherry-Almond Cheese Ball -- 1/3/10
Welsh Rabbit (aka "Rarebit") -- 3/8/11
Quiche -- 7/21/08
Jalapeño-Wine-Cheese Grits -- 8/23/08
Sicilian Orange Cheese Tart -- 8/28/08
Italian Ricotta Cheese Cake (Torta) -- 6/14/09
Guava and Cheese Turnovers -- 2/12/09

Vegetables and Vegetarian

Cold Gazpacho -- 8/12/06
Tomato-Basil Bisque Soup -- 8/16/10
Ancient Roman Dry Legume Soup with Greens -- 5/23/10
Lentil Soup with Greens -- 1/09/08
Grandma's Split Pea Soup with Ham -- 7/19/08
Dutch Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage -- 4/22/10
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup -- 7/19/08
Black Bean Vegetable Soup -- 11/17/08
Gingered "Pumpkin" Soup -- 10/30/11
French “Pumpkin” (Butternut) Bisque -- 5/1/10
Red Riot Soup, hot or iced -- 5/16/10
Mulligatawny Soup, Meatless -- 3/28/07
Dhal, Indian stewed lentils -- 12/31/08
Vegetarian Chili -- 8/8/08
Delicious Meatless Chili -- 12/8/08
Gourmet Mashed Potatoes -- 1/17/08
Cajun Hash Browned Potatoes -- 10/12/08
Collards -- 2/22/08
Braised Kale with Apple -- 5/9/11
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese -- 8/18/07
Roasted Beets with Aioli -- 8/27/08
Broccoli with Mock Hollandaise Sauce -- 2/23/07
Zucchini sautéed with Olive Oil and Garlic -- 7/9/07
Creole Zucchini (with pork and ham) -- 7/8/09
Zucchini Jambalaya (with ham and chicken) -- 8/18/09
Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef -- 9/23/09
Green Beans Sautéed with Garlic and Tomato -- 8/26/08
Sautéed Kabocha Squash with white wine and cream -- 2/01/09
Tomatoes Provençal Style, 'Tomates provençale' -- 9/02/08
Provençal Eggplant Casserole -- 11/01/09
Gratin of Winter Squash -- 2/01/09
Ratatouille (medley of summer vegetables) -- 8/1/07
Braised Mushrooms à la Grecque -- 4/6/09
Fried Cauliflower Appetizer -- 10/3/10
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Cream -- 2/25/10
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Cream or Balsamic Vinegar -- 1/9/11
Sautéed Chickpeas and Spinach -- 7/18/08
Spicy Braised Eggplant with Lentils -- 10/4/09
Sautéed Butternut over Jalapeno-Wine-Cheese Grits -- 1/1/09
Stir-fried vegetables with oyster sauce and cashews -- 10/27/08
Thai-Chinese Stir-fried Broccoli -- 5/26/09
Thai-Chinese Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus -- 9/13/09
Fresh Corn Curry -- 6/29/08
Indian Cabbage Curry -- 11/9/10
Chickpea Curry, Chole or Chana Masala -- 2/25/09
Red Bean Curry: Rajma -- 2/18/10
Lentil (or Black Eye Pea) Masala Curry -- 3/6/08
Slow-cooked Indian Black Lentils: Dhal Makani -- 3/18/09
Lentils sauteed with cream (dip/salsa) -- 7/29/08
French Lentil Salad -- 8/6/08
French Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche -- 6/18/08
Coleslaw, Deli-Style -- 6/5/08
Great Potato Salad -- 6/3/08
Hummus -- 7/22/08
Baba Ganouj, roasted eggplant spread -- 7/25/08
Roasted Zucchini "Hummus" -- 6/21/09
Double Bean Salsa for Dipping -- 1/24/10
Lentil-Cream Dip for Maria -- 11/19/10
"Terra Cotta" dip for Maria -- 12/10/10
Roasted Stuffed Mushrooms -- 12/28/08
Hot Artichoke-Cauliflower Antipasto -- 11/27/07
Spinach-Artichoke Dip -- 2/16/08
Fresh Green "Salsa" -- 10/17/11
Tomato Coulis -- 7/12/09
Thai Sweet-Sour Cucumber Condiment, Ajaad -- 2/3/10
Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney for Curries -- 8/15/09
German-style Sautéed Cabbage topping for Burgers -- 3/19/10
Carrot Halva, an Indian dessert -- 8/22/10

Rice, Noodles/Pasta, etc.

Cooking Great Rice -- 1/26/08
Golden Coconut Rice -- 1/30/08
Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf -- 1/5/07
Rice Pilaf, another version -- 3/30/08
Rice Pilaf with Fresh Peaches -- 8/7/11
Zucchini Jambalaya (with ham and chicken) -- 8/18/09
Sausage Jambalaya -- 4/21/09
Créole Rice, ‘French Exotic’ -- 3/18/08
Rice with Lentils -- 8/30/08
Pad Thai Noodles -- 9/20/07
Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken and Greens -- 2/6/07
Triple-fish Thai Nam Ya Curry over Rice Noodles -- 9/12/09
Greek rice dressing for turkey or lamb -- 11/01/08
Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas -- 10/31/07
Pasta with Ham, Tomato, and Cream -- 1/17/09
Pasta Primavera -- 4/29/07
Winter Pasta with Butternut Squash -- 12/27/06
Sweet Pasta with Butternut-Brown Butter Sauce -- 3/15/08
Pesto with pasta -- 9/4/08
Meatballs and Tomato Sauce for Pasta -- 4/07/10
‘Sausage’-style Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce -- 3/9/08
Bolognese Meat Sauce for Pasta -- 9/15/06
Great Marinara Sauce for Pasta -- 8/7/06
Pasta with Green Olives, Basil, and Garlic -- 6/22/08
Pasta alla Putanesca: Spicy tomato and anchovy sauce -- 5/31/10
Crispy wontons with sweet-sour sauce -- 2/26/11
Chicken Chilaquiles: Mexican Tortilla Casserole -- 1/11/09
Jalapeño-Wine-Cheese Grits -- 8/23/08
Sautéed Butternut over Jalapeno-Wine-Cheese Grits -- 1/1/09
Smoked Salmon with Grits -- 6/9/07
Shrimp Grits -- 6/9/07

Thai, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Etc.

Korean American Sesame Chicken Cakes -- 8/6/10
Triple-fish Thai Nam Ya Curry over Rice Noodles -- 9/12/09
Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Butternut -- 1/25/08
Thai Chicken Panang Curry -- 8/12/06
Thai Beef Panang Curry -- 10/16/10
Pad Thai Noodles -- 9/20/07
Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken and Greens -- 2/6/07
Thai Sweet-Sour Chili Dipping Sauce -- 12/15/07
Dipping Sauce for Grilled Chicken or Shrimp -- 6/17/07
Stir-fried vegetables with oyster sauce and cashews -- 10/27/08
Thai-Chinese Stir-fried Broccoli -- 5/26/09
Thai-Chinese Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus -- 9/13/09
Thai Sweet-sour Cucumber Condiment, Ajaad -- 2/3/10
Malaysian Soy Sauce Chicken -- 2/2/08
Black Soy Sauce Chicken w/ Broccoli -- 4/20/09
Malay Beef Curry -- Kari Lembu -- 4/24/10
Spicy Coconut Chicken -- 2/21/08
Persian Beef and Nectarine Stew (Koresh) -- 8/11/10
Indian Fish Curry ("Korma") -- 8/16/09
South Indian Chicken Curry -- 8/11/08
Indian Kofta (Meatball) Curry -- 9/23/08
Pakistani Beef Meatball and Potato Curry -- 10/5/09
Keema -- "Minced" Meat Curry with Peas and Potatoes -- 2/6/10
North Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry -- 11/9/08
Brightly Flavored North Indian Chicken Curry -- 3/2/10
Malabari Coconut Chicken Korma -- 5/17/09
Chicken Keema Gobi (Chopped chicken curry with cauliflower) -- 10/24/10
Kofta Curry with Chicken and Cashew Cream -- 7/31/11
Turkey Kofta Korma (Meatball Curry with Cashew Cream) -- 8/20/11
Spicy Pork Vindaloo Curry -- 10/1/09
Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings -- 8/09/09
"Ceylonese" Pork or Beef Curry -- 10/25/09
Afghan Qorma of Lamb or Beef with Green Beans -- 8/05/09
Dansak -- Chicken and Lentil Curry -- 2/29/09
'Tandoori’ Chicken Tikka Kebabs -- 6/10/08
Dhal, Indian stewed lentils -- 12/31/08
Slow-cooked Indian Black Lentils: Dhal Makani -- 3/18/09
Fresh Corn Curry -- 6/29/08
Indian Cabbage Curry -- 11/9/10
Chickpea Curry, Chole or Chana Masala -- 2/25/09
Red Bean Curry: Rajma -- 2/18/10
Lentil Masala Curry -- 3/6/08
Mulligatawny Soup, Meatless -- 3/28/07
Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney for Curries -- 8/15/09
Crispy wontons with sweet-sour sauce -- 2/26/11
Malaysian-Chinese Braised ("Red-Cooked") Chicken -- 5/25/09
Sweet and Sour Fish -- 4/24/07
Vietnamese Chicken (or Pork) in Caramel Sauce -- 6/03/09

Curries and Similar Dishes

Indian Fish Curry ("Korma") -- 8/16/09
South Indian Chicken Curry -- 8/11/08
North Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry -- 11/9/08
Brightly Flavored North Indian Chicken Curry -- 3/2/10
Malabari Coconut Chicken Korma -- 5/17/09
Kofta Curry with Chicken and Cashew Cream -- 7/31/11
Chicken Keema Gobi (Chopped chicken curry with cauliflower) -- 10/24/10
Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings -- 8/09/09
Dansak -- Chicken and Lentil Curry -- 2/29/09
'Tandoori’ Chicken Tikka Kebabs -- 6/10/08
Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Butternut -- 1/25/08
Chicken Panang Curry -- 8/12/06
Turkey Kofta Korma (Meatball Curry with Cashew Cream) -- 8/20/11
Thai Beef Panang Curry -- 10/16/10
Triple-fish Thai Nam Ya Curry over Rice Noodles -- 9/12/09
Spicy Pork Vindaloo Curry -- 10/1/09
"Ceylonese" Pork or Beef Curry -- 10/25/09
Pork braised with Bananas and Apples -- 11/27/11
Afghan Qorma of Lamb or Beef with Green Beans -- 8/05/09
Persian Beef and Nectarine Stew (Koresh) -- 8/11/10
Indian Kofta (Meatball) Curry -- 9/23/08
Pakistani Beef Meatball and Potato Curry -- 10/5/09
Frikkadels -- South African Curried Meatballs -- 1/12/11
Keema -- "Minced" Meat Curry with Peas and Potatoes -- 2/6/10
Spicy Lentil Stew with Meatballs -- 9/19/10
Malay Beef Curry -- Kari Lembu -- 4/24/10
Fresh Corn Curry -- 6/29/08
Indian Cabbage Curry -- 11/9/10
Chickpea Curry, Chole or Chana Masala -- 2/25/09
Red Bean Curry: Rajma -- 2/18/10
Lentil Masala Curry -- 3/6/08
Mulligatawny Soup, Meatless -- 3/28/07
Dhal, Indian stewed Lentils -- 12/31/08
Slow-cooked Indian Black Lentils: Dhal Makani -- 3/18/09
Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney for Curries -- 8/15/09
Carrot Halva, an Indian dessert -- 8/22/10

Mediterranean and Nearby Region

Spanish Tapas Meatballs -- 11/5/06
Stuffed Lamb (or Beef) Meatballs -- 5/21/11
Rillettes: French Charcuterie Appetizer -- 7/11/10
Hot Artichoke-Cauliflower Antipasto -- 11/27/07
Roasted Stuffed Mushrooms -- 12/28/08
Shrimp Scampi -- 7/23/08
Hummus -- 7/22/08
Roasted Zucchini "Hummus" -- 6/21/09
Baba Ganouj, roasted eggplant spread -- 7/25/08
Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil – Caprese -- 4/1/08
French Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche -- 6/18/08
Cold Gazpacho -- 8/12/06
Ancient Roman Dry Legume Soup with Greens -- 5/23/10
Lentil Soup with Greens -- 1/9/08
Gingered "Pumpkin" Soup -- 10/30/11
French “Pumpkin” (Butternut) Bisque -- 5/1/10
Braised Mushrooms à la Grecque -- 4/6/09
Fried Cauliflower Appetizer -- 10/3/10
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Cream -- 2/25/10
Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef -- 9/23/09
Spanish Fish with Peppers, Olives, and Pine Nuts -- 8/19/08
Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Feta -- 3/26/08
Chicken Cacciatore -- 7/12/08
Chicken sautéed with Red Wine and Sun-Dried Tomato -- 8/24/08
Chicken Stewed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes -- 5/15/11
Chicken Sautéed with Mushrooms and Cream -- 3/29/09
Easy Mediterranean Chicken Stir-Fry -- 8/24/06
North African Chicken Medallions (for Wedding) -- 7/5/08
Marinated Chicken Shish Kebabs -- 5/31/08
Oven-roasted Chicken Kebabs -- 11/29/09
Baked Kibbeh (Middle Eastern stuffed Meatloaf) -- 9/15/08
Spiced Ground Meat Kebabs -- 8/10/08
Mediterranean Herbed Chicken for Sandwiches -- 8/10/08
Chicken Marsala -- 5/31/07
Basque Pork or Beef Stew -- 6/14/08
Balkan Pork Stew with Eggplant -- 6/17/09
Braised "Country-Style" Pork Ribs -- 12/26/10
Sautéed Chickpeas and Spinach -- 7/18/08
Spicy Braised Eggplant with Lentils -- 10/4/09
Sautéed Kabocha Squash with white wine and cream -- 2/01/09
Mediterranean Meatballs -- 8/27/07
Turkey and Basil Meatballs with Peppers sautéed in Red Wine -- 9/7/08
Meatballs and Tomato Sauce for Pasta -- 4/07/10
‘Sausage’-style Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce -- 3/9/08
Spicy Lentil Stew with Meatballs -- 9/19/10
Spiced Meatballs braised with Gingered Butternut and Apple -- 10/10/11
Bolognese Meat Sauce for Pasta -- 9/15/06
Pasta Primavera -- 4/29/07
Winter Pasta with Butternut Squash -- 12/27/06
Sweet Pasta with Butternut-Brown Butter Sauce -- 3/15/08
Great Marinara Sauce for Pasta -- 8/7/06
Pesto with pasta -- 9/4/08
Pasta with Green Olives, Basil, and Garlic -- 6/22/08
Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Peas -- 10/31/07
Pasta with Ham, Tomato, and Cream -- 1/17/09
Pasta alla Putanesca: Spicy tomato and anchovy sauce -- 5/31/10
Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf -- 1/5/07
Rice Pilaf, another version -- 3/30/08
Rice Pilaf with Fresh Peaches -- 8/7/11
Zucchini sautéed with Olive Oil and Garlic -- 7/9/07
Green Beans Sautéed with Garlic and Tomato -- 8/26/08
Tomatoes Provençal Style, 'Tomates provençale' -- 9/2/08
Provençal Eggplant Casserole -- 11/01/09
Gratin of Winter Squash -- 2/01/09
Ratatouille (medley of summer vegetables) -- 8/1/07
Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce (Cacik, Tsadziki) -- 4/25/08
Aioli: Garlic Mayonnaise for Roasted Vegetables -- 8/27/08
Tahini (sesame) and Lemon Sauce -- 7/4/10
Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette -- 9/28/11
Tomato Coulis -- 7/12/09
Sicilian Orange Cheese Tart -- 8/28/08
Italian Ricotta Cheese Cake (Torta) -- 6/14/09
Biscotti -- 11/12/06
Crème Caramel – Caramel Custard - Flan -- 5/17/08
Creamy Rice Pudding -- 6/8/08
Greek rice dressing for turkey or lamb -- 11/01/08
Pita Bread or Pizza Crust -- 7/14/11

Other European Dishes

Irish-style Salmon with Mint-Watercress Sauce -- 4/25/11
‘Russian’ Meat Pie -- 1/17/07
Polish Easter, and Wedding, Sausage -- 3/13/10
Chicken Sautéed with Dijon-Cream Sauce -- 11/26/06
Garnished Sauerkraut with Smoked Meats -- 3/12/11
Alsatian Chicken in White Wine and Cream -- 1/14/08
Alsatian Chicken braised in Beer -- 7/3/11
Autumn Sautéed Chicken with Fruit -- 11/4/07
German-style Sautéed Cabbage topping for Burgers -- 3/19/10
Carbonade Flamande I, Belgian Beef and Onion Stew with Beer -- 3/6/11
Carbonade of Chicken, Belgian Chicken stewed with Beer -- 9/12/08
Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef -- 9/23/09
Easy Chicken Pot Pie -- 9/13/07
Chicken Chilaquiles: Mexican Casserole -- 1/11/09
Paprika Schnitzel -- 4/12/08
Basque Pork or Beef Stew -- 6/14/08
'Chopped' Beef Stoganoff /08
Transylvanian Goulash -- 10/18/06
Stout-Molasses Marinated Pork Tenderloin -- 3/25/11
Autumn Pork Stew with Fruit -- 9/30/06
Pork stewed with Quince 1 -- 11/12/08
Pork stewed with Quince 2 -- 11 15/09
Braised Kale with Apple -- 5/9/11
Spiced Meatballs braised with Gingered Butternut and Apple -- 10/10/11
English-style Mushroom Sauce for Beef -- 9/28/11

Condiments and Sauces

Easy Horseradish-Caper Sauce -- 7/14/10
Great Guacamole -- 5/16/07
Double Bean Salsa for Dipping -- 1/24/10
Fresh Green "Salsa" -- 10/17/11
Thai Sweet-Sour Chili Dipping Sauce -- 12/15/07
Dipping Sauce for Grilled Chicken or Shrimp -- 6/17/07
Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce -- 11/27/11
Cranberry-apricot chutney -- 11/01/08
Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney for Curries -- 8/15/09
Thai Sweet-sour Cucumber Condiment, Ajaad -- 2/3/10
Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce (Cacik, Tsadziki) -- 4/25/08
Tahini (sesame) and Lemon Sauce -- 7/4/10
Marinara Tomato Sauce -- 8/7/06
Pesto for Pasta -- 9/4/08
Tomato Coulis -- 7/12/09
Marinade for Summer Grilling -- 6/10/07
Bourbon and Coke Marinade -- 10/15/06
German-style Sautéed Cabbage topping for Burgers -- 3/19/10
English-style Mushroom Sauce for Beef -- 9/28/11

Baking

Crispy Waffles -- 6/8/08
Great Corn Bread -- 6/29/07
Easy Herb Rolls (non-yeast) -- 3/25/10
Irish Soda Bread -- 3/16/07
Pita Bread or Pizza Crust -- 7/14/11
Easy Chicken Pot Pie -- 9/13/07
‘Russian’ Meat Pie -- 1/17/07
Quiche -- 7/21/08
Gratin of Winter Squash -- 2/01/09
‘Cinnamon Flop’ Coffee Cake -- 9/23/06
Grandma's Chocolate Cake -- 7/13/08
Plum Cake -- 7/20/08
‘Swedish’ Apple Torte -- 10/08/06
Sicilian Orange Cheese Tart -- 8/28/08
Italian Ricotta Cheese Cake (Torta) -- 6/14/09
Guava and Cheese Turnovers -- 2/12/09
Louisiana Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce -- 9/01/08
Biscotti -- 11/12/06
Christmas Fruitcake Bars -- 12/7/09
Baked Apples -- 10/09/07

Desserts

Crème Caramel – Caramel Custard - Flan -- 5/17/08
Creamy Rice Pudding -- 6/8/08
Grandma's Chocolate Cake -- 7/13/08
Mum's Boiled Chocolate Frosting -- 9/1/09
‘Swedish’ Apple Torte -- 10/8/06
Sicilian Orange Cheese Tart -- 8/28/08
Italian Ricotta Cheese Cake (Torta) -- 6/14/09
Guava and Cheese Turnovers -- 2/12/09
Plum Cake -- 7/20/08
Louisiana Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce -- 9/1/08
Biscotti -- 11/12/06
Christmas Fruitcake Bars -- 12/7/09
Baked Apples -- 10/9/07
Carrot Halva, an Indian dessert -- 8/22/10

Drinks and Miscellaneous

Hot Chocolate -- 1/1/11

Pork braised with Surprizing Fruit

2011-11-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

A reader of my column accidentally challenged me to create an unusual dish when he referred to the paper I publish in as the "Athens Banana-Herald."

Bananas are used in plenty of sweet dishes from fruit salad to fried bananas to banana bread and, of course, banana cream pie. But what about savory dishes?

I'm not referring to plantains, which must be cooked and are often part of savory dishes, particularly in tropical countries. I was challenged to cook with the sweet, tender fruit that are usually eaten raw.

I checked my fruit cookbooks then online for savory recipes made with bananas, and only found a couple of random stews from places like Sri Lanka. There are also some chutneys made from bananas to accompany curries.

So at that fairly vague starting point, I sought to make a spicy, though not exactly curry-like dish with the meat that seems to cook best with fruit, pork.

My trial produced a dish I quite like. We ate it with brown rice. I need to experiment with it more to see what the possibilities are. It seems most suited for rice as an accompaniment.

I haven't figured out what wines might go, but a rich white wine with at least some acidity would be where I'd start, maybe an Albariño or Chenin Blanc or Viognier.

The recipe will serve six or more.

Pork braised with Banana and Apple

2 1/2 pounds lean pork (butt or country "ribs") in 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil or rendered pork fat
1 medium onion, diced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water

In heavy Dutch oven or casserole, fry pork, half at a time until seared on the outside.

With all the meat back in the pot, add and fry onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions soften.

Reduce heat and add spices and herbs. Fry, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

Add bananas, apples, salt and water. Simmer, covered, but stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, until pork is tender and fruits have fully broken down. The sauce becomes a little stickier after the fruit disintegrates. Add a little water if sauce is too thick.

Taste as the mixture cooks and add a little salt, if needed.

Homemade cranberry sauce a simple task

2011-11-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Throughout my childhood, my mother made her own cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner. Everything else for that holiday feast, and for most of her dinners, she also cooked from scratch.

To my mother, the boring canned, aspic-like cranberry sauce, which I secretly liked back then, was worthy of the cafeteria steam-table. And we didn’t spend money in those days on “eating out.”

Mum made the classic whole-berry sauce, the one on the Ocean Spray package: boil one cup sugar, one cup water and one bag of berries until berries pop.

The recipe on the Ocean package remains the same. However, the bag that once held a pound of berries has shrunk over the years to contain a mere 12 ounces. Thus the proportions of sugar, water and cranberries in the classical sauce changed.

But no matter. I have edged beyond my mother’s formulas on many dishes, including cranberry sauce.

I typically slip in other ingredients and seasonings to heighten flavors and effects.

Cranberries are a modest, if widespread, woodland and marshland berry. Like their cousins the lingonberries (of Swedish and Ikea fame), cranberries are firm, sour crimson fruits from dwarf-growing bushes or swamp-growing vines indigenous to colder latitudes in North America and Europe.

They are distant relatives of blueberries and huckleberries.

Native peoples have gathered cranberries as food for centuries. In the wild, cranberries are a favorite of bears (how cool is that) but birds, squirrels and chipmunks also eat them.

The fruits are cultivated in watery bogs in a number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

As a teenager I saw cranberries growing nearly wild in a small wetland on an old Central Connecticut farm.

Native Americans combined unsweetened cranberries with venison to make their dried pemmican.

The fruits nowadays usually are prepared with sugar to balance their tart taste and mild tannic bitterness.

As sauce, cranberries accompany meats, particularly turkey. Thanksgiving turkey in North America and Christmas turkey in England virtually demand cranberry sauce. Similarly, in Scandinavia, lingonberry sauce traditionally enhances reindeer steak and Swedish meatballs.

Yet sauce is an infrequent use of cranberries, having long been overtaken by cranberry juice and dried, sweetened cranberries. The one-time specialty fruit now is big business.

In addition to their stimulating taste and iconic color, another quality has made cranberries popular in recent decades. The berries, like many red fruits, contain antioxidants, considered beneficial for health.

Here’s my recipe for the sauce. Despite the salt and horseradish, cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving dinner goes admirably into “jam” bars and onto Brie or cream cheese for the Christmas party appetizer table.

Make extra. It keeps for weeks in the fridge.

Whole Cranberry Sauce

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 orange, preferably organic
1 cup sugar
7⁄8 cup water
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Pick over and rinse cranberries. Set aside to drain.

Rinse and dry orange. With vegetable peeler, cut strips of zest off half of the orange. Place strips in a stainless steel pot along with the juice squeezed from the orange.

Add sugar, water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

Add berries and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. When most of the berries have popped (several minutes), remove from heat. Stir in horseradish.

Let cool. Remove orange zest strips.

The sauce is tastiest if allowed to age for at least a day, refrigerated. It will keep for weeks if stored cold.

Strozzapreti pasta shows wicked Italian humor

2011-11-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

The special pasta from North-Central Italy called “strozzapreti” (priest stranglers) is a rolled, then twisted, noodle of irregular length.

Provocatively anticlerical — like some sentiment in Catholic Italy — the name strozzapreti (STROTE-tzuh-PRAY-tee) exemplifies the Italian culinary tradition of fanciful titles for delicious foods.

Consider other pastas like linguine (little tongues), vermicelli (little worms), ziti (bridegrooms) and mostaccioli (little mustaches).

Italy gave the world spaghetti “alla puttanesca” ([filtered word]’s style) and “Fra Diavolo” sauce (addressing the Devil as a Catholic monk).

On the darker side, the small, red-tipped Sicilian cakes “Minne di Sant’Agata” commemorate the severed body parts (I’m not making this up; but I’ll let you do the translation) of Saint Agatha, an early Christian martyr in Sicily who was tortured to death for not giving up her chastity to a lecherous Roman official.

But then, Italy also is where Church tradition designated St. Lawrence as patron saint of chefs.

Laurentius, an educated Roman not known to have cooked, was a third century deacon, friend of the pope and archivist for the early church. Martyred during the Valerian persecution, Laurentius was roasted to death on a gridiron, giving him, apparently, the culinary credentials to become my avocation’s patron saint.

Where were we headed with this? Oh, yes, pasta.

Strozzapreti noodles are hard to find here. But some gourmet shops carry them, as do online vendors — including Amazon.com.

However substitutes are available, short of making your own. These include “gemelli” (twins), “campanelle” (little bells) and “rotini” (twists).

Kroger carries more varieties than Publix.

The Dekalb Farmers Market in Decatur sells fresh homemade “radiatori” (little radiators) large enough and complex enough to choke a priest, or maybe even a bishop.

To be fair, they probably could do damage to a minister or rabbi, too.

Strozzapreti is served with a variety of sauces, usually chunky. I’m using a walnut-containing sauce adapted from one created by my daughter and co-restaurateur, Anna.

For Anna’s walnut and kale sauce with gorgonzola (she actually uses blue cheese plus bacon), a medium-bodied dry red wine is the call. Sicilian Nero d’Avola does particularly well. Otherwise, try a Chianti, Tuscan red or Malbec.The recipe serves six.

Walnut, Kale and Gorgonzola Sauce for Strozzapreti Pasta

3⁄4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
8 large leaves curly kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1⁄4 teaspoon salt (somewhat less if using bacon)
3⁄4 cup crumbled gorgonzola or 1⁄2 cup blue cheese
1 cup light cream
1⁄2 cup water
3 slices bacon, fried, drained and crumbled (optional)
3⁄4 pound (12 ounces) strozzapreti or other short, twisted pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping, optional

Make sauce before boiling pasta.

Toast walnuts on a plate in microwave, starting with 2 minutes, then 20 seconds at a time until toasted. Or toast them in oven. Set aside.

Heat frying pan to medium hot. Briefly fry garlic in oil, stirring, until fragrant. Add kale. Stir and fry briefly. Add salt plus several tablespoons water. Simmer, covered, until kale becomes tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add toasted walnuts and gorgonzola or blue cheese. Heat to melt cheese, stirring often.

Add cream and water. When mixture bubbles, remove from heat. Add bacon, if used. Taste, and add salt, if needed. Keep warm.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling, well-salted water, stirring while adding pasta. Boil until just tender to the bite.

Drain and toss with sauce. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Pumpkins are for more than jack-o'-lanterns

2011-10-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Jack-o’-lanterns were once large, hollowed-out turnips, carved hideously like a head. The original, though mythical, Jack-of-the-Lantern was illuminated by a burning ember from hell. It was to light the way for Jack, a rascal in Irish folklore who was condemned to wander the Earth, since although he had cheated the devil, he was too sinful for heaven. Jack’s wanderings became associated with Oct. 31, the ghostly night (the “eve” or “even”) before the religious feast of “All Hallows,” that feast now called All Saints’ Day.

The turnip jack-o’-lantern, lit by a candle, became a folk custom on “All-Hallows-Even” — “Hallowe’en” — in Ireland and Great Britain. Irish and British immigrants who came to America adopted the more convenient pumpkin for their jack-o’-lanterns.

For many pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns are the only suitable role. Beautiful, round, orange, ribbed and big, but watery and bland, these pumpkins were bred for carving and lighting. They are best then composted.

The contemporary American pumpkin variety good for cooking, in my opinion, is the small “New England Pie.” But there are French and Italian heritage pumpkins worthy of the plate, too. And several American cousins of pumpkins, termed winter squash, are excellent in the kitchen.

Pumpkins and squashes are distinguished based on appearance, not botanical difference. Technically “fruit,” they come from four separate species of the genus Cucurbita, all of Middle-American origin. The four species each include both “pumpkins” and “squash.”

Available winter squashes for cooking in the manner of pumpkin include kabocha and butternut.

Kabocha squash resembles a European pumpkin, green, lightly ribbed and squat. They were grown in Japan for some 400 years, having been introduced there from the Americas by Portuguese sailors, and reintroduced to the Western Hemisphere in recent decades.

By contrast, smooth, tan-skinned and pear-shaped butternut squash is a 20th century development from Massachusetts.

These squashes have largely replaced the old-fashioned Hubbard squash. And, like Hubbards, both produce wonderful “pumpkin” pie.

Pumpkins and winter squash, with spices, are made into breads, cakes, pies and cookies or baked as a vegetable.

In France, pumpkins, herbed rather than spiced, are cooked into soups and gratins, and in Italy are stuffed into ravioli or worked into the pasta sauce.

For American Halloween, here’s a hearty, spiced soup creation of pumpkin or, preferably, winter squash. The recipe serves six.

Gingered "Pumpkin" Soup

1 medium (about 2 pounds) kabocha, butternut, or small “pie” pumpkin

1 medium-small onion, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 large or 2 medium sticks celery, minus leaves, finely diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

11⁄2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

4 cups unseasoned chicken or vegetable broth

11⁄2 teaspoons salt, plus to taste

2 bay leaves

1⁄2 teaspoon savory or oregano

1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1⁄4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon minced parsley for finishing

Peel, seed and cut squash or pumpkin into 1⁄2-inch cubes.

In soup pot, fry onions, carrot and celery in olive oil, stirring frequently, until tender and just starting to brown.

Stir in garlic and ginger for 1 minute.

Add squash or pumpkin. Stir and fry 2 minutes.

Add broth, salt and dry seasonings.

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until squash or pumpkin begins to break up. Add water if soup is too thick.

Mash vegetable somewhat with back of spoon.

Taste, and add salt as needed. Remove bay leaves.

The soup is best if made ahead, refrigerated and reheated to serve.

Stir in minced parsley before serving.

Fresh Green "Salsa"

2011-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

This salsa was suggested by one we ate at a road-side restaurant in Dolores Hidalgo, in Guanajuato state, Mexico. The mixture of green vegetables and herbs, combined with mashed avocado gave a fresh and creamy sauce.

I’ve toned down the amount of hot jalapeño chili, used green tomato rather than tomatillo, and added diced cucumber. The result was somewhere between a Mexican salsa, an Argentinean chimichurri and an Indian fresh chutney.

This was used to tone down an especially hot white chili I made for my wife’s church staff meeting lunch. It was not intended to be as hot as it turned out, but the habanero peppers I used must have been particularly intense.

Make the salsa an hour or two before use, keeping it cold. Stir and taste it for salt, adjusting if needed, just before serving.

Fresh Green “Salsa”

1 ripe avocado
1 long “European-style” (nearly seedless) cucumber
1 large green tomato or 3 medium tomatillos
1 small bunch scallions (green onions)
1 jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup coarsely cut cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 medium-large lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
A sprinkle of black pepper

Scoop avocado flesh into bowl and mash it coarsely with fork.

Rinse off all vegetables before preparing them.

Quarter cucumber lengthwise, line them up together and slice very thinly. Add to bowl.

Core then chop tomato or tomatillos fairly finely. Add to bowl.

Cut off scallion roots and remove any bad tops. Line scallions up and slice both white and green parts very thinly. Add to bowl.

Remove stem, seeds and membranes from jalapeño. Slice thinly lengthwise, then cross cut into fine mince. Add to bowl.

Add cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Taste for salt and add some if needed.

Make at least an hour before using, keeping it cold. Mix again and check for salt before serving.

Meatballs with Spiced "Pumpkin"

2011-10-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my newspaper column that will be published the Wednesday before Halloween, and which I will post to the blog after it's published in the Athens Banner-Herald, I was working with pumpkin (actually its close relatives, winter squash) and ginger.

The newspaper column will be on a gingered "pumpkin" soup along with a discussion of the origins of jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween and how pumpkins got involved.

In the process, I also came up with a savory dinner dish in which spiced meatballs are cooked in with squash or pumpkin.

This is a hearty dish that should be accompanied by noodles, brown rice, or roasted potatoes.

A spicy dry red wine, such as a Grenache or Garnacha, or a Syrah/Shiraz would accompany it well.

Spiced Meatballs braised with Butternut Squash and Apple

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup quick oatmeal
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
-----

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large stick celery, diced
1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 large apple, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Make meatball mixture: Combine meats, eggs, breadcrumbs, oatmeal, salt and seasonings. Knead well. Set aside.

Make vegetable "sauce": Gently fry onion and celery in oil, until softened. Fry in ginger and garlic 1 minute.

Add butternut and apple, and fry in, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

Add water , salt, and spices. Simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until squash and apple are becoming tender (test with toothpick).

Shape meat mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs, rolling them with moistened hands. Drop them as they are formed into the simmering vegetables. Cover and let simmer 10 minutes, gently shaking the pot from time to time.

Gently turn meatballs as they start to become firm, and when they are fully firm, stir under them to scrape bottom of pot. Simmer meatballs a total of 20 minutes.

Taste sauce, and add salt, if needed.

The flavors are best if chilled, then reheated. Serve with buttered noodles, salted brown rice, or roasted chunked potatoes.

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

2011-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

This summer in the Adirondack Mountains in Northern New York state at our camp overlooking an inlet between two lakes, with scenery as gorgeous as it is extensive, and weather crisp and cool, cooking ingredients were limited while appetites were hearty.

In Saranac Lake, I could buy excellent fresh "spring mix" of various lettuces and other salad greens.

More correctly it was "mélange du printemps" that I could buy, since it came from the nearby Canadian province of Québec.

Back in camp, I needed to make a vinaigrette to dress the assorted young leaves for our salad. Fortunately, in the cupboard, left behind by earlier-visiting family members, were Progresso brand balsamic vinegar, canola oil and sea salt. From these I fashioned the vinaigrette in 30 seconds. Freshly dressed, the spring mix made a delightful, as well as colorful, salad.

Vinaigrette is the French culinary term for salad dressing, a diminutive of the French word "vinaigre" (which became "vinegar" in English).

Vinaigre, in turn, simply means "sour wine," etymologically indicating the vinegar-making process in winegrowing countries like France. Exposing the alcohol in wine to air results in oxidation to acetic acid, the tart, or sour, element in vinegar, through the action of special bacteria.

Balsamic vinegar is a more complex and sweet type of vinegar than standard soured wine. It is a slightly thick, deep brown liquid with a balanced sweet and sour flavor. The fragrances and overtones can be remarkable.

Although common in this country only in recent decades, "Aceto Balsamico" goes back to the Middle Ages in Italy, where it is made in the adjacent regions of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

Traditional and modern balsamic vinegars differ in cost and culinary uses.

The classical version, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, is vinegar very slowly made from "must," a sweet, cooked-down concentrate of freshly pressed grape juice.

Over 12 years or more, the mixture is transferred from wooden barrel to wooden barrel as it evaporates down and intensifies in flavor and color. Extraordinarily expensive and rare, real balsamic vinegar is dripped sparingly on cheeses, meats, fish and desserts by high-end chefs and gourmet food lovers. This is not something for salad dressings.

More common, and much cheaper, "Aceto Balsamico di Modena," or Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, is a modern mixture that attempts to imitate the original. It typically contains wine vinegar and cooked-down grape juice must -- like what is used in the traditional method -- and is colored with caramelized (burnt) sugar. Influencing their price and quality, modern balsamic vinegars are barrel-aged for differing periods.

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, the modern vinegar, is the correct one for salad dressings. It also is the vinegar for cooking down to make a "balsamic reduction" to drizzle onto foods.

Since balsamic vinegar already is somewhat sweet from the grape must it contains, I used no additional sugar in making the vinaigrette. The balanced sweet-sour tanginess needed for an exciting vinaigrette already is there. All this vinegar requires to make a great dressing is salt and salad oil. It couldn't be easier.

The recipe makes enough to dress salad for six to eight people. Leftover vinaigrette remains fresh at room temperature for a few days.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil or mixture of olive and canola oils

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix well.

Moisten lettuce and other salad ingredients with vinaigrette and toss the salad just before serving.

English-style Mushroom Sauce for Beef

2011-09-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

My wife Christina's Uncle Fritz, the surviving family member of that generation, has wide culinary tastes.

They include much-maligned British cuisine, a result of his 50 years in England.

Since he was born in Eastern Pennsylvania and once again resides there, you may wonder at the substantive English sojourn.

A teenager during World War II, when Fritz turned 18 he left college -- and his college sweetheart -- to join the Marines.

He was aboard a ship headed for the dreaded invasion of the Japanese homeland when, following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan precipitously surrendered, sparing countless Allied and Japanese lives.

Mustered out of military service and supported by the G.I. Bill, Fritz finished his university studies at the Sorbonne in recently liberated Paris. He then drifted to England, began working for an international firm, married and raised a family. After being widowed 10 years ago, and with his children grown, he returned to the U.S., tracked down his old college sweetheart and married her.

We met with them for lunch this past summer during our vacation up North.

Several days before that lunch with Fritz and Margie, we had enjoyed one of Fritz's specialty dishes, though prepared by my wife's brother in Virginia.

A mushroom-and-cream sauce touched with sherry, the condiment is intended for topping grilled beef -- in this case a marinated London broil. Fritz's recipe now is "company food" at my brother-in-law's. It does pair well with seared beef.

The sauce seems archetypically British.

However, Fritz told us the actual recipe came from an American grilling cookbook. Clearly, though, a sauce of mushrooms, cream and sherry intended for grilled beef fit with the classic English cooking Fritz had come to appreciate.

The sour cream should have been the giveaway. That is much more typical of American than British cooking, which would more likely employ heavy cream.

Learning that the recipe is only virtually, not purely, English, I had few qualms taking minor liberties with it to intensify several flavors.

The recipe will serve six when spooned over a suitable amount of steak or good-quality burgers. "English" peas or peas and carrots, or alternatively asparagus, along with hearty mashed potatoes might round out the meal.

To accompany a British-style dinner of beef topped with a mushroom-and-cream sauce, I would probably choose a lager beer (chilled is my preference, unlike the style in England) or even a fairly dry hard cider. Otherwise a full-bodied red wine is in order, but the cream and sherry in the sauce make pairing a little tricky. I'd go with a Zinfandel or Merlot.

FRITZ'S MUSHROOM SAUCE FOR GRILLED BEEF

1 small onion, shredded lengthwise

1 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/4-inch wide

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons dry sherry

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice at the end

Prepare the vegetables.

Heat large frying pan to medium hot. Fry onions in butter, stirring frequently, until limp. Add mushrooms. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.

Stir in sherry, salt and pepper. After 1 minute, add sour cream. Stir until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.

Taste, and add salt if desired. Keep warm, but not hot, to serve over grilled beef.

Turkey Kofta Korma, a rich dish of meatballs in cashew-cream gravy

2011-08-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Turkey kofta korma is an actual dish from South India. The turkey meatballs typically contain spices, chilies and cilantro, and the smooth gravy includes ground white poppy seeds, coconut and curry leaves.

My recipe is an amalgam, with the basically southern turkey meatballs but a more northern style korma gravy enriched with ground cashews rather than poppy seeds and coconut.

As with many Indian dishes, the list for seasonings for this one is extensive. And, sadly, curries are somewhat tedious to make. But they can reward the effort.

This dish goes well with lightly salted basmati rice and a fresh chutney of diced tomato, onion, cucumber, a little hot chili, and chopped cilantro, finished with salt and lime juice to taste.

The recipe serves six generously.

Turkey Kofta Korma (Meatballs in Cashew Cream Gravy)

Meatballs
2 tablespoons golden raisins, finely minced
1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3/8 teaspoon ground fennel
3/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Mix minced raisins and breadcrumbs together with fingers to loosen raisins. Add remaining ingredients and knead all together well. With moistened hands, shape into walnut-sized meatballs and flatten them slightly. Set on oiled cookie sheet and hold until needed for the recipe.

Gravy
2 medium-large onions, diced
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 whole cardamoms
4 whole cloves
1 small stick cinnamon, broken in half
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pounded in mortar along with ginger
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely minced or pounded in mortar along with garlic
2 teaspoons turmeric
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups water
6 tablespoons ground cashews or cashew butter whisked with 3/4 cup water
Coarsely chopped cilantro for topping

In wide pot, fry onions in oil over medium-high heat, along with whole spices. Stir often, until becoming golden colored.

Meanwhile, prepare garlic and ginger. Measure ground spices and salt into a small bowl.

When onions are golden, stir in garlic and ginger. Lower heat and fry, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add spice mixture and fry, stirring, 2 minutes.

Beat yogurt in a bowl until smooth. Stir into pot. Raise heat and simmer mixture 2 minutes. Add water and let simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Drop meatballs into simmering mixture. Do not stir them, or they can break. Shake ans swirl pot gently from time to time. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, shaking or swirling pot occasionally. Meatballs will become more firm. Stir carefully. Simmer 10 more minutes.

Whisk cashews and water. Stir into korma. Heat until it returns to a gentle boil. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Taste sauce and add salt, if needed.

Serve with rice. Sprinkle korma with chopped cilantro.

Georgia Peach Pilaf Rice

2011-08-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for a pot-luck gathering where pulled pork barbecue was to be the central dish, I made a rice pilaf with local peaches, the classical Georgia fruit, which is still in season.

Other than containing fresh chopped fruit, the pilaf follows a traditional Middle-Eastern pattern.

The recipe will serve six to eight.

Rice Pilaf with Peaches

2 cups Basmati or other long-grain rice
2 medium peaches, from Georgia if in season
1/2 small onion, minced
4 whole cloves
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups unseasoned chicken broth, or part water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Rinse rice well and drain. Spread rice out on a cookie sheet to partially dry.

Peel peaches with vegetable peeler. Chop flesh into small bits using a chef's knife on a cutting board.

In heavy pot, fry butter, onion and whole cloves over medium-low heat, stirring often, until onion is well softened and butter loses its cloudy appearance.

Add partially dried rice. Raise heat and stir and fry 3 minutes, scraping bottom of pot frequently.

Add broth plus salt. Stir well once. Bring to a boil without further stirring. After 1/2 minute, cover pot tightly. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Simmer 12 minutes.

Have peaches ready. Open lid of pot, spread peaches quickly on top of rice but do not stir rice. Replace lid on pot.

Simmer, covered, 8 minutes. Turn off heat, but keep lid on the pot.

After 10 minutes of resting, fluff rice with rice paddle or fork.

Keep covered and warm until served.

Shahi Korma: Chicken curry in cashew cream

2011-07-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

A particularly rich curry from northwest India and from Pakistan is Shahi Korma. "Shah" meant king or emperor, and thus this particular dish is "royal." Kormas, named for a Persian word for similar dishes, are asociated with Muslim cuisine, particularly "Mughlai" cuisine, food from the Mughal Empire.

A korma is a creamy, light-colored stew with little red color from either peppers or tomato. Although rich with aromatic spices, these dishes are typically not pepper hot. Ground cashews plus cream often finish the dish, but ground almonds or, in the south of India, coconut are also sometimes cooked into kormas.

Chicken korma is one of the more common versions of the dish and, other than the fish version, is the fastest cooking.

Coarsely cut cilantro is a frequent garnish.

Serves six with rice

Shahi Korma with Chicken and Cashew Cream

2 medium-large onions, diced
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, most seeds removed, minced
4 whole cardamoms
2 tablespoons ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons turmeric
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup water
1 medium-large potato, peeled and in 1-inch cubes
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons ground cashews (cashew butter) whisked with 3/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream
Coarsely cut cilantro for garnish

Dice onions and begin frying them with the oil in large pot over medium heat. Stir often, scraping bottom of pot.

Prepare ginger, garlic and hot peppers, mincing them finely together. Measure ground spices into a small bowl. Peel and cube potatoes, and keep them in water.

Trim excess fat and tough parts from chicken. Cut chicken with the grain into 1-inch wide strips.

When onions are golden brown, reduce heat. Fry in the whole cardamoms plus the ginger-garlic-pepper mixture for 2 minutes. Add ground spices, and stir and fry gently for one minute. Stir in 1/2 cup water.

Add potatoes, and simmer, stirring them frequently, adding a little water to keep mixture moist, until becoming tender (test with toothpick).

Add chicken plus salt. Raise the heat to medium hot. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, until chicken has fully changed color. Add a little water as needed to keep mixture moist but not wet. Simmer covered, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Whisk cashews and water until smooth. Then stir mixture into chicken. Bring to a gentle boil.

Stir in cream and bring back just until hot. Taste and add salt as needed.

Dust generously with chopped cilantro when served.

Pita Bread or Pizza Crust

2011-07-24T12:24:00.001-07:00

For a "Book and Cook" program on Ancient Greece that my daughter Anna ran for my grandson August and several of his friends this summer, I had the kids make pita bread in one of the cook sessions.

I standardized a bread recipe based on what my Turkish friends at Decatur's Café Istanbul make as their flat bread. Their approach was, in turn, based on a pizza crust method. The method includes proofing in a refrigerator at least 24 hours.

The small pita breads were shaped by the kids from dough I had prepped the previous day. The breads were a success, other than not being as regular and round as they might be. The kids dipped them in olive oil that had been seasoned with minced garlic and herbs, and ate them along with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

Several weeks later, I used the bread recipe for a "workshop" on pizza (and fresh pasta). It made an excellent crust. The pizza crust was then successfully made again, from mixing and kneading to proofing to shaping, topping and baking, by a teenage boy who had been part of the workshop.

Last week I prepared the pita bread dough again for shaping by a group of new University of Georgia students at a quasi-educational cultural class at our restaurant as part of their summer orientation program. They ate it with homemade hummus and tzadziki sauce, olives, feta cheese and grapes.

The method I'm showing is for pita. However, the same dough topped with tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings can be used for pizza.

Pita Bread (or Pizza Dough)

[Make the dough the day before cooking]

2-3/4 cups flour, half of it all-purpose flour, half bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rapid dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water

In large bowl (or in bowl of mixer fitted with bread hook) mix flour, salt and yeast.

Add oil and water. Mix with fork (or bread hook) around and around until moistened. With hand (or bread hook) continue to mix about five minutes, kneading dough in bowl. If sticky, dust with a little flour. Dough will pull away from bowl and form a ball that is not sticky.

For pita bread, divide dough into 8 equal pieces, for pizza only into 2 pieces. Roll each piece with hands into a ball and place it in its own zip-lock plastic bag.

Store overnight or longer in refrigerator to proof (rise).

When ready to bake, let bagged dough warm 15 minutes out of refrigerator.

Set oven for 400 degrees.

Remove dough from its bag onto floured work surface. Flatten dough with hands, dusting often with flour. Then either roll it or flatten it out till thin with hands, squeezing and stretching it gently to even out the edges and make it round.

Place on lightly floured baking sheet -- the best has small perforations to allow steam to escape . (For pizza, smear with sauce and sprinkle with cheese and desired toppings.)

Bake quickly on top shelf in oven, until browning lightly (darker golden for pizza).

Serve warm. For pita, brush with olive oil if desired.

Turning leftover beer into gourmet fare

2011-07-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Published Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in the Athens Banner-Herald

My nephew Russell, who recently moved to Athens, and who even more recently turned 21, fulfilled a fantasy at his birthday party - a small keg to moisten the palates of his family, friends and fellow musicians. Although he and his friends played Celtic and traditional music late into the night, the next morning found plenty of beer still in the keg.

Unrelatedly, while researching for a column on beer cookery (Athens Banner-Herald, March 2), I had encountered a traditional beer-based specialty from Alsace, the Germanic region of Eastern France across the Rhine from Germany. I then tasted that dish, "Poulet à la Bière" (literally, chicken in beer), at Café Alsace, a small, authentic restaurant in Decatur run by an Alsatian couple.

Now suddenly with plenty of beer available, Poulet la Bière reemerged in my consciousness as it, in turn, began to clear after the party.

Trying several approaches to reproducing the dish I had enjoyed, I settled on a boneless version rather than the more typical whole leg style. The result passed muster with family guinea pigs, including Russell. It also went quite well with a freshly tapped glass of leftover party beer.

The typical beer for cooking this dish would be a pale lager, fairly low on hops. In France, that would likely be "Kronenbourg 1664," which is brewed in the heart of Alsace. A workable Athens substitute would be Terrapin Golden Ale. The one I used, successfully, was Miller High Life, the beer from the party.

This dish typically would be served with buttered egg noodles, particularly homemade "spaetzle" noodles, a specialty of Alsace and the nearby regions of Germany and Switzerland.

While beer is considered the de rigueur drink for beer-based dishes, certain white wines also could serve with this one.

These include (dry) Riesling, Grüner Veltliner (from Austria), and Albariño, a Spanish wine whose ancestral grapes were introduced many centuries ago from the Rhine Valley, apparently by German or French monks. But those wines can be pricey. Beer is fine.

Chicken braised in Beer: Poulet a la Bière

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat or olive oil
1 medium-large onion, diced
2 large sticks celery, in 1/2-inch slices
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups (11/2 12-ounce bottles) low-hop lager-type beer
3 medium carrots, peeled, in 1/2-inch rounds
2-inch strip orange zest
3-inch sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
Minced parsley for garnish

Trim excess fat and tough parts from chicken. (Render fat in cooking pot for flavor; save 2 tablespoons and discard cracklings.)

Cut each chicken thigh into 3 roughly equal pieces. Sprinkle both sides with mixture of 1 teaspoon salt plus the pepper and nutmeg.

Fry chicken in rendered chicken fat or olive oil, turning frequently and scraping pot, until color fully changes. Add onions and celery, and stir and fry until onions soften. Add garlic and fry 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add beer, carrots, orange zest, rosemary, bay leaves plus 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Simmer, uncovered, until chicken and carrots are tender, stirring from time to time. Add a little water if liquid begins drying down.

Taste, and add salt if needed. Remove whole seasonings.

Stir in cream. Bring back just to a bubble.

Serve dusted with minced parsley.

The recipe serves six. Accompany with buttered noodles or potatoes.

Stuffed Lamb (or Beef) Meatballs

2011-05-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cooking with a student friend recently, I was provided with a pound of ground, locally raised lamb by a couple for whom I've been doing some personal cheffing. This gave me the chance to make them one of my favorite dishes, meatballs.

To stretch that pound of fairly expensive meat and to include a fruit the couple liked, I decided to make Turkish-style stuffed meatballs - "köfte dolmasi." Dried apricots were to be the filling, but other options might have included feta cheese and green onion; spinach and dill; or plums. The styles of meatballs in the vast West-Central Asian culinary region extending from Turkey to Pakistan are very diverse.

Meatballs - variously called kufta, kofta, kefta and köfte throughout that region along the ancient Silk Road - have extraordinary variety, exotic yet delicate fragrances and occasional surprises. Lamb is the favorite meat there.

Because the ground meat was a little fatty, I designed the meatballs to be roasted rather than fried. And I used a non-Turkish manner of binding the meat - chopped rolled oats and a little cornstarch rather than the more traditional egg. (Egg in meatballs produces messy, coagulating juice rather than just oil coming out of the meat.) I did not use bread crumbs because the people for whom the dish was cooked avoid gluten.

My student friend Andrew (from the University of Georgia, not a culinary school) actually was the one who prepped, shaped and stuffed the meatballs, using a recipe I sketched out for him. He liked the result so much he made them again at home, though with ground beef instead of lamb. He pronounced the result "great." Thus the recipe below has been well tested.

Various sauces or condiments would traditionally accompany this type of meatball, the simplest being lemon to squeeze on. Other options include lightly salted garlic-scented yogurt, cucumber-yogurt sauce (cacik/tsadziki) and lemon-tahini sauce. The traditional accompaniment would either be a rice dish or flatbread.

In the lands where these stuffed meatballs originated, alcoholic beverages generally are not consumed.

However, if you were to serve wine (as I would), try a chilled, somewhat fruity white like a dry to mildly sweet Riesling or Gewurztraminer, or a Viognier or Albariño.

The recipe we used will serve four people.

Turkish Meatballs with Apricots: Köfte Dolmasi

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1 teaspoon olive oil for frying onion

1 pound ground lamb (or beef), not too lean

2 tablespoons quick oatmeal (or mince old-fashioned oatmeal on cutting board with chef's knife)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

4 to 6 dried apricots (depending on size), finely chopped

Olive oil for glazing

Minced parsley for garnish

Mince then fry onions until softened. Transfer to mixing bowl.

Combine with remaining ingredients other than apricots, oil for glazing and garnish. Knead ingredients together well.

Divide meat into 8 equal portions. Divide chopped apricots into 8 portions.

Form a portion of meat into a flat patty. Place one portion of apricots in middle. Fold meat over and gently seal together to keep apricots in middle. Shape back into round ball, rolling gently between your hands. Place on baking sheet, jointed side down.

Rub a little olive oil on top of meatballs. Roast in 375 degree oven about 12 minutes.

Serve dusted with minced parsley. Accompany with lemon wedges to squeeze on.

Cooking with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2011-05-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

The St Bartholomew's staff for whom I cook for their Monday staff meetings includes several people who have to avoid certain foods. The individual for whom I cannot cook with seeds or chopped nuts will not be there this Monday.

That was my chance to use some sun-dried tomatoes I've been keeping for a while. We put them in a couple of dishes at the restaurant, but I don't cook with them often at home.

This Italian ingredient is relatively new on the American cooking scene, only a generation or so. So there are not many dishes here using them.

Here's a creation that takes advantage of dried tomatoes' special qualities. I revive the tomatoes in wine, both at home and at the restaurant. Dried tomatoes have a tangy, acidic flavor that, to me needs something a little sweet to balance them. Fried onions and carrots serve that purpose in this dish.

It's a heavy stew, hinting of northern Italy or southern France. Probably the best accompaniment for it would be polenta. But other starchy, mildly flavored side dishes would work, like brown rice or pasta.

The recipe serves six. I made a double batch for the Monday group, and offered brown rice with it.

Chicken Stewed with Dried Tomatoes

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut in dice
1/2 cup red wine
1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced 1/4 inch
1 cup water
2-inch sprig fresh rosemary (do not use dried; substitute 1 large bay leaf)
2-inch sprig fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in 1 1/4-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 fresh basil leaves

Dice tomatoes if not already done. Soak tomatoes in wine while preparing the other ingredients.

In heavy pan, fry onion in olive oil, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to turn golden.

Add garlic and carrot. Fry 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add tomatoes and their marinade, water, rosemary and thyme. Simmer, covered but stirring periodically, until carrots are tender.

Add chicken and salt. Raise temperature until mixture boils. Reduce heat again and simmer, covered but stirring frequently, until meat is cooked, 12 to 15 minutes. If liquid dries down, add a little water.

Remove stems of herbs. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Remove from heat. Stir in basil leaves.

The dish is tastiest if allowed to cool then reheated to serve. Check salt when reheating.

Braising Kale

2011-05-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

At the Athens Farmers Market on Saturday mornings at Bishop Park, local farmers are loaded with kale, all of it organically grown. Particularly pretty is the "Red Russian" variety, a mauve-stemmed favorite that is young and tender. But as delicate as kale's frilly leaves appear, their flavor is assertive.

This is a cool weather green, which with some "hoop house" protection can be produced all winter in Athens and, with some shade, bears into early summer.

An open-leaf cabbage family member, kale reaches back to antiquity. It was well established in ancient Greek and Roman gardens.

Kale is thought to be close to the original wild cabbage from which it and related vegetables were domesticated. Through selection over the millennia, people have developed an entire group of culinarily important plants, all variants of a single biological species. In addition to kale, these include cauliflower, broccoli, collards, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and red, Savoy and green cabbages.

Kale is particularly rich in vitamins and reasonably rich in calcium. Perhaps even more important is the plant's bounty of antioxidants, thought to have important anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Boiling kale destroys some of these beneficial compounds, but steaming and stir-frying it does not.

Quickly braising kale ("braising" is a Western counterpart to Asian stir-frying) is not only healthful and fast, but brings out the young green's outstanding flavor and texture.

Kale braised with butter or olive oil is fine. Yet after a few dinings it starts to lose interest. But add some diced apple, onion and a little shredded bacon or ham, and the effect is rich and extraordinary.

Here's a simple but rewarding method for braising fresh, local kale with those ingredients. Omit the smoked meat for delightful vegetarian eating.

For kale as a side dish, I wouldn't recommend any particular wine. Wines are best chosen to pair with more central dishes in the meal.

However, if you have a kale fest, serving it over cheese grits, for example, go for a crisp, fruity white wine with some acidity like a Sauvignon blanc, Albari o or Viognier.

The recipe serves six.

Braised Young Kale with Apple

2 bunches (about 8 ounces each) locally grown kale, such as "Red Russian"

1/2 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 of a small onion, minced

1 strip smoked bacon or 1 (1/8-inch) slice smoked deli ham

2 tablespoons olive oil (3 if bacon not used)

1/4 teaspoon salt plus to taste

A sprinkle of black pepper

Water as needed

Rinse kale well in basin of water to eliminate sand or grit. Cut stems into 1-inch lengths and set aside. Cut leaves in half lengthwise, then cut across into 11/2-inch wide strips. Prepare apple and onion.

For bacon, cut raw strip across very thinly (chill in freezer 5 minutes for easier cutting).

For ham, cut into 1-inch wide strips, stack them up and cut across into narrow threads.

Heat large frying pan or wok to medium high. Add oil and bacon or ham, and stir and fry 1 minute. Add apple and onion.

Fry, stirring frequently, until they are softened.

Add kale stems, and stir and fry 1 minute. Add kale leaves, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or so of water. Fry, stirring almost constantly, until kale is wilted and tender to the bite, adding a little more water as needed to keep a bit of liquid in pan.

Remove from heat. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Irish-style Salmon with Mint-Watercress Sauce

2011-04-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for Easter with most of the kids and the grand kids, we had roasted salmon fillets with a sauce I had previously developed for a St. Patrick's Day banquet we catered in Athens. It was not main-stream Irish, but more Irish inspired. Easter dinner was well received.

Here's the article I wrote in the Athens Banner Herald just before St. Patrick's Day. The only difference yesterday was that we roasted two whole salmon fillets because of the crowd.

Dondero: Salmon still a fine dish on Emerald Isle

Athens Banner-Herald

Published Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Centuries ago in British-ruled Ireland, poaching a salmon had quite different results depending who you were and which type of poaching you did.

For the nobility who owned the lands, the rivers and the game in them, their cooks poached salmon in the kitchen for delectable dining. By contrast, if you were an Irish peasant out poaching a salmon from the river - and the water bailiff caught you - you could be hanged as a thief or transported as a convict to colonial Georgia or Australia.

Salmon was, and still is, fine dining in Ireland. And now with Ireland's economy improved and feudal land ownership laws long gone, salmon - wild-caught or farm-raised - is more widely available.

The culinary technique of poaching involves simmering the fish in a "court bouillon" seasoned with aromatic vegetables, herbs, white wine and lemon juice. It's antiquated and requires an enormously long pan plus a whole fish.

Nowadays, and especially with salmon fillets or steaks, roasting in a very hot oven is faster, more practical and, to my palette, preferable.

Here's a delightful salmon dish for St. Patrick's Day, roasted salmon with an easy yet beautiful green-flecked sauce of cream, mint and other fresh herbs, thickened with lemon juice. The pink-orange, white and green of the salmon and its sauce suggest the colors of the Irish flag, especially if you've had a Jameson or two as your aperitif.

Mint goes surprisingly well with fish. It's a typical pairing in Greek and Cypriot cooking. But the sauce also can be made with watercress.

Wine was not common in traditional Ireland, the climate being generally inhospitable for grapes. My informants who grew up in the country say that wine remains rare with food, though sherry might be served before or after the meal.

Here, however, a rich, buttery salmon dish calls for a cold chardonnay, preferably one without much oak. Alternatively, a Sauvignon blanc goes well with fish, and the wine's acidity complements the sauce, which contains lemon juice.

The recipe serves 6 people generously.

ROASTED SALMON WITH MINTED CREAM SAUCE

For the fish:

2 to 3 pounds skinless salmon fillet, as fresh as possible

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Juice of 1 lemon

For the sauce:

8 mint leaves or 4 sprigs watercress or a combination

4 large sprigs watercress, leafy parts only

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cut salmon into six pieces. Wipe with paper towel. Sprinkle both sides moderately with salt and lightly with pepper.

Paint or rub melted butter over all surfaces. Place fish, dark line down, on a metal cookie sheet. Squeeze lemon evenly over fish. Lift pieces to get some juice under them. Allow to marinate until 15 minutes before serving time.

While the fish is cooking make the sauce. On cutting board, finely mince the fresh herbs together using a chef's knife.

Combine with remaining ingredients. Let sit 5 minutes. Taste, and add salt, if needed.

Place salmon pieces on dinner plates and spoon sauce over them.

Heat oven to 450 degrees and temporarily disconnect the smoke alarm. Roast salmon on highest shelf for 10 minutes.

Test for doneness by sticking a sharp knife tip into the fattest part of the fish and twisting. There should be no dark, uncooked color apparent inside.

If there is, return fish to oven and roast 1 to 2 more minutes.

Stout-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

2011-03-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the last of "cooking with beer" recipes from the article I did earlier this month in the Athens Banner-Herald. It's a beer version of a pork dish I would normally cook with red wine. But Guinness Stout gives more complexity and heartiness to the dish.

The malty dark ales, stout and porter, have many layers of flavor and lend themselves to marinating meat, especially pork. Paired with the sweet and sharp overtones of molasses, stout is outstanding in cooking, and shows up in many dishes at pubs and brew houses.

Beer is the traditional accompaniment for food cooked with beer. Beer experts wax poetic about the nuances of pairing particular beers with particular dishes. My knowledge of beers is such that I'll leave that task to the experts. (Plus, I'll confess that I prefer wine with food).

The recipe serves six to eight.

Stout-Molasses Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (about 11/2 pounds)

3/4 cup stout or porter (Georgia micro-brewed stouts and porters are only available seasonally, but include Terrapin Moo Hoo and Red Brick Porter; otherwise use Guinness Stout)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 medium shallot or 1/2 small onion, finely minced

4 teaspoons molasses (not "blackstrap")

Canola or olive oil for frying

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons finely minced parsley for garnish.

Slice pork 1/2-inch thick.

In bowl, mix beer, salt and pepper. Add pork and marinate 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, mince shallot or onion.

Remove pork from marinade, and place on plate. Keep marinade. Stir molasses into it.

Heat large frying pan to medium high. Add several tablespoons oil. Fry pork, half at a time. Turn the pieces several times, until lightly browned. Add a little oil as needed. Remove pork.

Add a little oil, if needed, to pan. Fry shallots or onions, stirring well, until softened. Add marinade mixture, and stir as it bubbles for half a minute.

Return pork to pan. Braise for about 2 minutes, turning pieces several times.

Stir in cream and move pork pieces around while sauce comes to a bubble. Remove from heat.

Arrange pork slices on platter. Taste sauce, and add salt if necessary. Spoon sauce over pork. Dust with minced parsley.

Garnished sauerkraut with smoked meats

2011-03-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here's another of the recipes from my recent article for the Athens Banner-Herald on cooking with beer.

Sauerkraut, the pickled cabbage that traditionally fed much of Northern and Eastern Europe in winter, and provided their essential Vitamin C, has many culinary uses. Not simply something to drape half-raw on hot dogs, sauerkraut, when simmered with smoked meats, fruit and seasonings is revered in Germany, Switzerland and the Alsatian portion of France. The typical cooking liquid is white wine, but there also are beer versions.

Beer is the traditional accompaniment for food cooked with beer. Though I'll confess I prefer wine with food. Riesling, preferably fairly dry, is the classical wine accompaniment to sauerkraut. But pilsner or lager type beers with low hops do well too.

In this recipe I've indicated the general type of beer used plus an Athens brew that works well.

The recipe serve six to eight. Accompany the dish with small boiled potatoes.

GARNISHED SAUERKRAUT WITH SMOKED MEATS

3 tablespoons bacon grease or olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, ninced
1 (28-ounce) can shredded sauerkraut, juice squeezed out
1 (12-ounce) bottle golden, low-hop beer, such as Terrapin Golden Ale
3/4 pound chunk or slice smoked ham or 3 smoked pork chops
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon juniper berries or allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste
6 or more good German-style sausages (such as Boar's Head frankfurters, knackwurst, etc.)

Heat bacon grease or oil in stainless or enamel (not aluminum or cast iron) pot. Fry onion, stirring frequently, until turning golden. Add garlic and fry 1/2 minute.

Add squeezed sauerkraut. Stir frequently, and fry until a bit of the sauerkraut is lightly browned. Add beer, ham or pork chops, apple, herbs and spices (but not sugar or salt).

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. The apple will break down. If liquid dries, add a little water.

Stir in sugar. Taste, and add salt to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes.

Prick sausage skins with toothpick in a number of areas. Place sausages on top of sauerkraut.

Let steam gently, covered, 5 minutes, or until sausages begin to swell. Turn sausages and lift some sauerkraut onto them. Simmer a few more minutes.

Serve with boiled, buttered and parsleyed potatoes. Accompany with German-style or Dijon mustard.

Welsh Rabbit (aka "Rarebit")

2011-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Here's another of the recipes from my "Beer in Cooking" article in the Athens Banner Herald recently.

Welsh Rabbit, that delightful British hot cheese mixture served over toast, dates back to the 18th century. Composed of cheddar cheese melted with beer (or sometimes with a béchamel sauce), it may be a local variant of Swiss Fondue. The whimsical name alleged that the Welsh were too poor to buy, or too clumsy to hunt, a real rabbit. In fact, cheese is much esteemed in Wales. The occasional name change to "rarebit" is modern, and is not British.

This cheese sauce is served hot over toast or boiled vegetables. It can be lunch or supper, or the starter course to a dinner.

Beer is the traditional accompaniment for food cooked with beer. Though I'll confess I prefer wine with food.

In the recipe I've indicated the general type of beer used plus an Athens brew that works well. The recipe serves six to eight.

WELSH RABBIT (aka "Rarebit")

1 pound sharp yellow cheddar cheese, freshly grated

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 (12-ounce) bottle mildly hopped beer, such as Terrapin Golden Ale

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or 1/2 teaspoon dry English mustard mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Toasted bread, or boiled (5 minutes) Brussels sprouts or broccoli, for serving

2 teaspoons finely minced parsley

Toss cheese together with flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper.

Rub pan (from which the dish will be served) with garlic, using wooden spoon. Discard garlic.

Heat beer in pan until foam clears and bubbling begins.

Add cheese by the handful, stirring between additions and bringing liquid back to a bubble.

Add mustard. Simmer, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve over toasted bread or boiled vegetables. Dust lightly with minced parsley.

Belgian Carbonade: Best-known beer dish?

2011-03-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Here is perhaps the most famous gourmet dish cooked with beer. It's from my recent article on cooking with beer, in the Athens Banner-Herald, along with some of the description I used.

The more famous beer-based dishes, like Belgian Carbonnade and Welsh Rabbit (aka "rarebit"), are from regions that produce little wine. Necessity - perhaps in the form of plentiful stale beer and expensive, imported wine - probably mothered the inventions. Yet in the Germanic Alsace region of France, which produces excellent wine and good beer, a classical dish is Poulet la Bi re.

Arguably the top beer dish, Carbonnade is a richly flavored beef and onion stew from the Flemish regions of Belgium. Its traditional ingredient is dark, but lightly hopped, ale.

The recipe serves six to eight. It goes with boiled potatoes or buttered noodles. The traditional accompaniment is, of course, beer.

CARBONNADE FLAMANDE (Belgian beef stew with onions and beer)

2 pounds stewing beef (chuck or sirloin tip preferred)
2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil or rendered beef fat for frying
2 very large onions, diced
1/2 of large stick celery, diced
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark, low-hop beer, such as Sweetwater Georgia Brown or Belgian dark
2 large bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish

Cut beef into 11/2-inch chunks, removing excess fat. (For extra flavor, fry fat in stew pot. Remove cracklings and extra grease before frying meat.) Toss beef with flour mixture.

Heat stewing pot. Add several tablespoons oil or melted fat. Fry beef, half at a time, scraping bottom of pot frequently, until beginning to brown. Add more oil or fat if needed. Transfer beef to bowl.

Add more oil or fat to pot, if needed. Fry onions and celery over medium-high heat until starting to brown, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot.

Return beef to pot. Add beer, dry herbs and spices. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring frequently. Add a little water if gravy dries. As beef becomes tender, 40 to 60 minutes, add salt.

When beef is fully tender, remove bay leaves and stir in ketchup and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste again. Add salt, as needed.

Serve with buttered noodles or potatoes. Sprinkle with minced parsley.

Crispy wontons with sweet-sour sauce

2011-02-26T18:39:00.001-08:00

Here's the column I wrote for Chinese New Year recently.

At Chinese New Year, Chinese families customarily indulge on foods considered to bring wealth and luck.

Orange or gold-colored edibles symbolize money, as do those that are round like coins. But most interesting to me, and the tastiest, are stuffed dumplings, whose shape conjures up a full money bag.

Here for the Year of the Rabbit is a special dumpling, crispy fried wontons and a sweet and sour sauce to dip them in. Wontons usually are stuffed with pork, or sometimes with chicken, duck or shrimp, but I offer a vegetarian alternative, too.

This recipe serves six as an appetizer.

They typically go with beer. Chinese beers, like many East Asian beers, are lager style and fairly low in hops. For wine, try a chilled sauvignon blanc, albariño or dry rosé.

Crispy Wontons

1 package wonton skins (available frozen at Asian groceries)
3/4 pound ground pork or chicken*
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
21/2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil (available at Asian groceries)
Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Thaw wonton skins in their package, refrigerated for a day or at room temperature for a few hours.

Make sweet-sour dipping sauce (recipe below).

Combine ground meat, cornstarch, sugar, pepper, salt, minced ginger and soy sauce. Add sesame oil and mix well.

Use 24 to 30 wonton skins. Divide filling into the same number of portions. Place one portion in the center of a skin.

Moisten entire edge of skin with a finger dipped in water.

Fold skin diagonally over filling and place the two points a quarter inch apart from each other. Seal up the skin all around, gently squeezing out any air.

The two opposite points at the fold can then (optionally) be stuck together with a bit of water to make a crown-shaped wonton.

Place stuffed wontons on a tray until ready to cook. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Heat oil 11/2 inches deep in a wok or small pot to medium hot (test by frying a bit of wonton skin, which should brown in about 20 seconds). Adjust heat up or down as necessary.

Fry wontons 5 or 6 at a time, turning them frequently, until deep golden colored, but not brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon or tongs, and drain on paper towel.

Arrange on a platter, accompanied by dipping sauce in small serving dishes where diners can reach them.

* Note: For a vegetarian version, replace meat with 1 block tofu, frozen, thawed, squeezed out and mashed up with a fork. Increase ginger to 1/2 inch, sesame oil to 1 teaspoon and add 1 small scallion (green onion), finely minced. Several dried Asian mushrooms (shiitake), soaked in warm water 20 minutes, stem discarded, caps minced, also can be added, if desired.

Sweet-Sour Dipping Sauce

6 tablespoons sugar, part of it brown
6 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons apricot preserves or 1 tablespoon tomato catsup
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, bruised
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (available at Asian groceries)

Mix all ingredients except sesame oil in stainless steel or enamel (not aluminum or cast iron) pan.

Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 seconds, stirring.

Remove from heat. Stir in sesame oil. Let cool. Remove garlic.

Curried meatballs from South Africa

2011-01-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

South African meatballs are called 'rissoles" in more English-influenced circles and 'frikkadels" in more Africaner circles. I wound up using the Afrikaner name because it is more accurate, closely resembling the words for meatball, or meat cake, in Denmark, parts of Germany and Holland. Rissoles, by contrast, are more like croquettes in their original European meaning.

I wrote a column on meatballs around the world in my food commentary and recipe series in the Athens Banner-Herald. Here's the South African feature.

The curried version of frikkadels I selected is a fusion of several of the food traditions that form South African cuisine, including Dutch-Afrikaner, Indian, Cape Malay and English.

South African Frikkadels in Curry Gravy

Meatballs:

2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 egg
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lamb
Flour for dusting
Oil for frying

Combine onion, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings in large bowl. Add meat and combine, handling mixture gently, without kneading it.

Form into 12 burger-shaped cakes, 3/4-inch thick. Dust lightly with flour on both sides.

Fry over medium heat in pan with a little oil, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil.

Curry Sauce:

1 small-medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup water
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium tomato, cored and chopped
Salt to taste

In pan used for the meatballs, fry onion gently with the reserved oil, stirring frequently. When they begin to turn golden, add garlic and ginger. Stir and fry 1 minute.

Add curry powder plus pepper. Fry very gently, stirring, 1 minute.

Add water, apple and tomato. Simmer gently, covered, stirring frequently, until apple softens. Add sufficient extra water to make the sauce somewhat soupy. Add salt to taste. Simmer 1 minute.

Add fried meatballs to the curry. Simmer, turning them occasionally, for 5 minutes. Taste sauce, and add salt if needed.

Serve with rice.

Sautéing brings out flavor of Brussels sprouts

2011-01-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here's my first Athens Banner-Herald column of the new year.

Le Gourmet Fauche

Athens Banner-Herald

Published Wednesday, January 05, 2011

That classical winter vegetable, the Brussels sprout, is beloved to many and reviled by others. As with other vegetables exhibiting real character - such as eggplant, okra, fennel and endive - Brussels sprouts fit the cliché of "an acquired taste." I love them.

Although dreary if overcooked and gone gray, when handled well they are delightful. Their mild bitterness can be balanced by the tartness of apple or a little vinegar, or mellowed by cream or butter. The cook's challenge is to get the texture, color and nutty flavor right. Fortunately, that's not too difficult.

A fascinating plant, the Brussels sprout's tall stalk is studded throughout its length with sprouts resembling baby cabbages (which is what my kids used to call them), and is topped with a plume of kale-like leaves. The sprouts are members of the Brassica, or mustard, family and are an exotic variant of the same species as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

Named for Belgium's major city, these sprouts have been cultivated for centuries in North-Central Europe, though they were known to the ancient Romans. The city name applies not only in English, but also in French (choux de Bruxelles), the principal language of Brussels, and in Flemish (Brusselse spruitjes), the language of the surrounding countryside.

With their hearty flavor, Brussels sprouts hold up to vigorous culinary treatment. They pair well with robust meat or vegetarian fare, but would overpower delicate dishes.

The most familiar style is boiling them whole and salting, peppering and either buttering them or drenching them with heavy cream. Alternatively, boiled sprouts can be marinated like artichoke hearts or caramelized by frying in butter or, in Belgium, goose fat. They also can be puréed and seasoned with nutmeg and butter.

If the raw sprouts are shredded or their leaves are plucked off, the vegetable can be sautéed. Raw shredded sprouts make a hearty slaw-like salad or even a Thai-style salad. Recently, I've been sautéing shredded sprouts with a little onion and finishing them with cream or Balsamic vinegar. Here are these two variants, differing only in terms of what's stirred in at the end.

Either style makes a good side dish to strong-flavored meats or part of a vegetable plate. An alternative trick is to cook several smoked sausages, or previously fried savory meatballs, on top of the shredded sprouts to make a savory one-pot main dish.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Cream or Balsamic Vinegar

1 pound Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Moderate sprinkle of black pepper

Small pinch grated nutmeg (optional)

Water

Either 4 tablespoons light to heavy cream or 1 1/2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar

Cut off bottom 1/4-inch of stem from sprouts. Cut sprouts in half, then slice 1/8-inch thick, or put trimmed sprouts through 2mm shredding blade of a food processor.

Mince shallot or onion and add them to pot with oil. Heat over medium burner until just starting to sizzle. Add sliced sprouts, salt and spices. Stir frequently and fry just until beginning to turn golden.

Add 4 tablespoons water, and stir to moisten. Cover, and let sprouts simmer, stirring frequently, until they become tender, but still are green (total of 8-10 minutes). Stir in cream or vinegar. If too dry, moisten with a little water. Bring just back to a simmer and remove from heat. Add salt if needed.

Hot Chocolate for a Wintry Day

2011-01-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

With the arrival of the winter solstice, how about a classic wintertime drink? This is my column in the Athens Banner-Herald for my Wednesday spot three days before Christmas.

Here's a hot chocolate that's fancier than what Mama served after we played outdoors in the cold. I include an adult version, less sweet than some, with a touch of liqueur or liquor. The junior version has a marshmallow.

Chocolate, from "xocolatl," the Nahuatl (Aztec) word for a spicy, bitter drink made from cocoa bean paste, vanilla and hot chilies, was encountered in Mexico by the Spanish conquistador Hern n Cortéz. That Aztec drink, containing native Central American plants, goes back at least 2,000 years to the Mayans.

Introduced to Europe by the Spaniards, chocolate, especially once sugar and milk replaced the hot chilies, became a fashionable drink among the upper classes.

The terms "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" are virtually interchangeable. Both are made from cocoa powder, which is what remains of cocoa bean paste after the cocoa butter is largely removed. Cocoa dissolves, or is at least thoroughly wetted, when heated with liquid.

Cocoa powder is sold with the baking supplies, not with the drink mixes. Hershey's, the traditional U.S. brand, makes good hot chocolate. It still has the flavor from many people's childhoods. San Francisco's Ghirardelli produces a premium American cocoa. Several supermarkets carry their own brands of cocoa that are quite decent, too.

International cocoas, available sometimes in specialty shops or online, include Van Houten and Droste from Holland, Cadbury's from England and Kras from Croatia.

In addition to pure cocoa powders, there are instant cocoa mixes. I find those quite avoidable.

However, two good "drinking chocolate" solid preparations are available to dissolve in hot milk, one by Ghirardelli, the other, "Abuelita," from Nestlé of Mexico. The Mexican version is heavy in cinnamon.

My mother had a "secret" for rich creamy hot chocolate (which she called cocoa). She added canned evaporated milk - not for economy, but for flavor. Similarly, I make hot chocolate with a mixture of milk and canned evaporated milk.

Hot chocolate can be fancied up. For adults, stir into the cup up to a tablespoon of Kahl a, Cointreau/Grand Marnier, Baileys, Drambuie, Amaretto or Frangelica. Peppermint schnapps and cr me de menthe also are fun. Lacing it with brandy, rum or bourbon makes more serious hot chocolate.

The drink can be frothed, like cappuccino. It can be topped with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon or nutmeg.

For kids, forget the adult flourishes. Just put a marshmallow in the cup before pouring in the hot liquid.

The recipe makes a quart of hot chocolate, or four to six servings. For convenience, the syrup part can be done ahead, and the hot chocolate made by heating the syrup with milk later.

Hot Chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 sugar

1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt

Large pinch of cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 (10-ounce) can evaporated milk

21/4 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in pan. Using whisk, mix in water to moisten ingredients thoroughly.

Bring to gentle boil. Simmer 2 minutes, whisking frequently. Add both milks. Whisk occasionally while heating. Bring just to a simmer, but do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into cups to serve. If desired, stir into each cup up to a tablespoon of liqueur, brandy, rum, bourbon or a marshmallow.

Top with whipped cream, if desired. As an option, dust with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Braised Pork "Country Ribs"

2010-12-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, getting away from the intensive pre-Christmas cooking that involved me both at home and at our restaurant, I prepared an inexpensive cut of pork I often see at the supermarket but rarely use. "Country-style" pork ribs are the lower side of the loin when the more expensive ribs and surrounding meat are cut off. The section contains some bone and lots of meat, along with some marbling of fat that predicts moist tenderness. The portion is cut crosswise into five to six strips, each containing some rib.

I got a 3-pound portion and braised it like I would beef short ribs. The difference was that the meat was more plentiful, the price considerably lower and the cooking time shorter.

This went with mashed potatoes, since there was meat with some vegetable and a lot of thick gravy-like liquid. I just had some of it leftover after several days of rich Christmas fare. It tasted homey, delicious, if I say so myself, and satisfying.

I did not try a wine with this, but would go for a medium-bodied red, such as a fruity Merlot or Tempranillo, or even a dry Riesling or a Viognonier.

The recipe serves six, generously.

Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs

3 pounds "country-style" pork ribs, as meaty as possible
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Rendered fat or olive or canola oil
1 medium-small onion, chopped
1/2 large stick celery, chopped
1 medium-large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup unsalted chicken broth or water, plus more as needed
1 whole clove
2 bay leaves
Small pinch of thyme
1 10-ounce bag frozen French-cut green beans

Trim any large pieces of fat, if present, off the ribs. Dust ribs evenly with mixture of salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Select casserole pan or dutch oven big enough to hold meat in one layer. Over medium heat, melt a little of the trimmed fat, or use a tablespoon olive or canola oil. Gently fry meat pieces, turning them frequently until lightly browned on all sides.

Prepare vegetables and add to fried meat, turning meat pieces. Vegetables will settle to bottom. Fry gently about 5 minutes, turning frequently and scraping bottom of pan.

Add soy, ketchup, wine and Worcestershire. Turn pieces while frying gently several minutes.

Add half a cup of broth or water, the clove, bay leaves and thyme. Simmer, covered, turning meat from time to time. Add a little broth or water as needed to keep half an inch of liquid around meat.

As meat becomes tender (total cooking time of 40-50 minutes), add frozen green beans, without thawing. Stir and cook another 10 to 15 minutes, until beans are tender and meat is beginning to fall apart.

Taste sauce from time to time during the later stages of cooking. Add salt, if necessary. Remove bay leaves and clove, if you can find it.

Serve with mashed potatoes or potatoes boiled, lightly salted and buttered.

"Terra Cotta" Dip for Maria

2010-12-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

The third of a trio of appetizers I created for open house gallery events for my daughter Maria, this one also has a linkage to Maria's pottery,

Terra Cotta is the Italian term (literally baked earth) for the type of low-fired pottery that Maria does. Actually she makes "majolica," which is terra cotta covered by white slip then decorated with colored slips and glazes. But turn majolica pieces over and the characteristic earthy brick red pottery shows on the bottom.

This spread or dip is made from seven red to redish brown ingredients, which come out a rich earthy red color.

The dip is remotely a Mexican bean dip, so low-salt tortilla chips or crackers go with it.

The recipe makes enough for a large appetizer table for many gallery visitors. Serve it in a terra cotta dish.

"Terra Cotta" Bean Dip for Maria

2 pounds dry pinto beans
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
3 large dried mild red chilies (California or Guajillo)
3/4 cup red wine
2 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup olive or canola oil, divided
1 medium red onion, cut in chunks
1 large clove garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pick over, rinse, then prepare beans. Either do the soak then boil (in fresh water) until tender, or pressure cook dry beans in plenty of water, 30 minutes at full pressure. Let cool.

Discard seeds and stems from chilies. Simmer chilies and dried tomatoes in the wine, until softened, about 10 minutes.

Place chili mixture and liquid in food processor. Puree them, scraping down the side of the container.

Seed red bell peppers, and fry flesh in part of the oil until softened. Add peppers and their frying oil to processor and puree.

Add onion, garlic vinegar, salt and pepper. Puree.

Add part of the cooked beans, lifted from cooking liquid with slotted spoon, to food processor. Puree the mixture and remove to a bowl.

Puree the remainder of beans, along with the remaining oil. Stir into first batch. If too thick add a little of the bean liquid.

After 10 minutes, stir mixture again, then taste it. Add salt, if needed, to make the mixture faintly salty (beans will soak up some more).

Braised Turkey "Pot Roast"

2010-12-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

After the turkey load at Thanksgiving, it seems inauspicious to propose yet another turkey dish. However this one is different. And as a savory and substantial dish, it goes well in winter.

It was an effort at copying (I'll admit it) a dish that the "Flying Biscuit," our neighborhood comfort food place, has offered for years. They accompany it with a hearty mashed potato dish called "pudge," said to be a family recipe of the original chef.

That creative chef is long gone, the restaurant has been bought by a corporation and replicated elsewhere, but -- or maybe, therefore -- the menu at the Flying Biscuit doesn't seem ever to change. For some of their dishes, their salad and their biscuits, that's fine with me.

Here's the way I worked out the dish. I received no tips from the cooks at the restaurant, but I didn't ask.

It's been a while since I thought of this dish, but I was reminded of it by having cooked a lot of turkeys recently for catering and family.

The recipe will serve 4 to 6 people.

Braised Turkey Pot Roast, after the manner of The Flying Biscuit

2 turkey thighs, about 2 pounds total
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 large stick celery, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup unseasoned chicken broth, or water
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Minced parsley for garnish

In heavy pot, gently fry turkey thighs (skin still on) in oil. (More oil will come from turkey.) Fry over medium-low heat, turning frequently, until browned all over.

Lift thighs out of pot to a plate. Sprinkle all over with a mixture of the salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

Meanwhile, fry diced onion and celery in drippings remaining in pot, stirring frequently, until golden brown.

Stir in garlic, and fry 1 minute. Stir in flour, and fry 2 minutes.

Add pre-fried turkey thighs and wine. Let boil gently, scraping bottom of pot.

Add broth or water plus all the seasonings. Simmer, covered, turning thighs occasionally and scraping bottom of pot, until meat is very tender.

Remove thighs, scraping off any sauce and returning it to the pot. Discard skin and bone and tough parts from meat.

Return lean meat to pot, pull it apart somewhat with two forks. Simmer the mixture briefly. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Serve with mashed potatoes or with boiled, buttered potatoes or noodles. Dust top with minced parsley.

Lentils and Cream Dip for Maria: new take on an ancient legume

2010-11-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

Lentils go back at least to Neolithic times over 8000 years ago, back when terra cotta pottery pots had been developed in which to cook them.

Red lentils stewed into "pottage," according to the Book of Genesis, was the reason why Esau, the firstborn son and rightful heir of Isaac, traded away his birthright to his younger brother. Except for the lentils, the people of Israel might have been the House of Esau rather than the House of Jacob.

Called "lens" by the Romans (still the scientific genus name for lentil) lentils had the name well before it was applied to the similarly shaped light-focusing structure in telescopes and eyes.

A legume like peas and beans, lentils grow easily in poor soil thanks to nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. The bacteria make fertilizer, in effect, from thin air. Lentils also require little rain, and can be grown in fairly dry zones.

Like other legume seeds, lentils are rich in protein and fiber. They are also an excellent source of dietary iron. They store and ship well. And unlike most of their dried bean and pea cousins, they cook quickly.

But their historical, agricultural, nutritional and culinary attributes would be of limited interest if they did not taste good. Fortunately they do taste good. And cooked well, they can be exciting as well as comforting.

Strangely, lentils are not prominent in American cuisine, despite their popularity in South Asia and the Mediterranean. These simple legumes, of which there are many varieties, are among my favorite cooking ingredients.

Here's a lentil appetizer dish I developed for my daughter Maria for an opening reception at a gallery exhibit of her pottery. Lentils and pottery are intertwined in early human history, and I made a dip of lentils to serve out of one of Maria's pots.

The lentils for this recipe are the common tan-green variety readily available at supermarkets (near the dried beans and rice) as well as at natural and health food stores. The smaller dark green "French" lentils are also extremely tasty, but they require somewhat longer cooking.

Choosing a wine to pair with this dish is a little challenging. It's earthy and creamy body, with light herbal overtones, suggest to me a medium light-bodied red wine. A Beaujolais, a good Chianti, or perhaps a Grenache/Garnacha or Malbec would do, as would a crisp, luscious white like Viognier or Albariño.

The recipe makes enough appetizer for a large crowd. Accompany it with non-salty crackers or pita chips.

Lentil-Cream Dip for Maria

1 pound (2 cups) tan or green lentils
1/3 cup red wine
2 medium-large carrots
1 medium celery stick
1 medium onion
1 medium clove garlic
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup sour cream
12 small fresh Asian basil or 4 medium-large regular basil leaves

Add lentils to a pot of boiling water, simmer 1 minute, then allow to sit at least 20 minutes. Drain, then return lentils to pot.

Add wine plus enough water to reach the surface of the lentils. Bring back to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add a little water as necessary to keep lentils moist but not wet.

Meanwhile, scrub but do not peel carrots. Cut off tips, then chunk the carrot. Chop very finely in food processor, along with chunked celery, onion and garlic. Alternately, mince all the vegetables very finely.

In frying pan, fry vegetables in oil, stirring frequently until color lightens and vegetables become tender.

When lentils are very tender, add fried vegetables plus salt, pepper and cayenne. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot. Taste, and add salt to make the mixture slightly salty (the lentils will soak up more salt).

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Mince basil finely and stir it in.

Cool thoroughly. Taste, and add salt, if desired.

Serve in bowl, accompanied by crackers or pita chips.

Double-Fish Cream Dip, for Maria

2010-11-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Our youngest daughter is a potter, and only makes vessels that can be used. Maria's artistic vision is that the pottery she makes should not only be beautiful, reflecting nature's beauty, but that one can eat and drink from it.

Since the development of terra cotta in the Neolithic Age, mankind has had two principal uses for fired clay: cooking, eating and drinking with it -- pottery -- and reverence for divinity and humanity -- sculpture.

For Maria's gallery exhibit this December, I have developed several appetizer dishes that are intended to "pair" with her pottery. She will, as she has done before, serve her guests foods to eat from her ceramic creations, foods that I have created to complement her works.

Here is one of the dishes I developed, a dip or spread for bread or chips. Other recipes will follow in later postings.

Double-Fish Cream Dip

8 ounces low-fat (Neufchatel) or regular cream cheese
2 teaspoons anchovy paste (from supermarket, near the canned fish)
1 (5-ounce) can chunk light tuna, including its water
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1 sprinkle of ground black pepper
1 medium scallion (green onion), green and white parts, minced
1 teaspoon capers, drained and minced

In bowl, soften cream cheese and anchovy paste with wooden spoon. Mix in all the other ingredients, breaking up tuna.

Let rest 10 minutes, then taste. Add salt if needed. If desired, several drops of vinegar can be added.

Serve with small toasted pita or bread slices (bruschetta/crostini), low-salt crackers or tortilla chips.

Indian Cabbage Curry

2010-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

I’ve been somewhat slow at getting things onto my blog because of being busier with the family restaurant and catering in Athens, plus I’m busier at my day job for the time being too.

At any rate, here’s a cabbage curry, a nice side dish for an Indian dinner, that I cooked for a vegetarian dinner for a group this past weekend. It’s basically the South Indian (Tamil) dish I learned to cook from Indians in Malaysia, except that there the oil would have been coconut, and curry leaves would have been cooked in with the cumin seeds.

I haven’t put many Indian dishes on the blog because the ingredient lists, spices particularly, are so extensive. I get my spices in small bulk quantities at our Dekalb Farmers Market, but they’re available inexpensively also at Indian groceries.

The recipe makes enough for a side dish for 6 to 8 persons.

Sliced Cabbage Curry

1 small-medium head cabbage (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/4 cup yogurt
Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish

Prepare vegetables and spices before starting to cook. Quarter and core cabbage. Cut quarters in half lengthwise, then slice across into 1/4-inch shreds. Dice onions. Mince garlic and ginger together. Have butter, mustard seeds and whole cumin ready. Combine ground spices in a small bowl.

Heat heavy pot to medium hot. Add canola oil, and when it’s hot add mustard seeds. Shake or stir as the seeds pop. When they are partly popped, add cumin seeds and let them splutter 10 seconds, stirring.

Add butter and reduce heat. Immediately add ground spices and stir for 1/2 minute, or until fragrant. Add onion and fry, stirring occasionally until softened and just starting to brown. Add garlic and ginger. Stir and fry briefly.

Add cabbage, and let it fry several minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and yogurt. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally and adding a tiny amount of water if mixture is dry. Simmer until cabbage is tender. Taste, and add salt as necessary.

Serve sprinkled generously with cilantro. Accompany with rice or Indian roti chapati.

Chicken Keema Gobi: Chopped chicken curry with cauliflower

2010-10-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Keema, meaning "minced meat" in Hindi, is a simply made -- though requiring many different spices -- richly flavored curry from Northern India and Pakistan. The classical meat for keema is ground lamb. But that meat is both expensive and hard to find. I'm showing a chicken version, but ground lamb or beef could be substituted, since the aromatic spices are those for red meat.

Keema typically has a vegetable incorporated into it. Peas (keema mattar) are the most common, but cauliflower (keema gobi) is also frequent.

When our kids were young we made keema frequently, and called it "children's curry." For them we generally reduced the amount of hot pepper. But keema is not traditionally very hot, even in South Asia.

The recipe makes enough for 8-10 servings with Basmati rice. It's worth making the full lot and having some as leftovers.

Chicken Keema Gobi (Chopped chicken curry with cauliflower)

2 large or 3 medium-large onions, chopped
6 tablespoons canola oil
8 whole cloves
6 whole cardamoms
1 large stick cinnamon
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thinly and minced (with garlic)
4 large cloves garlic, minced (with ginger)
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 large tomato, chopped, or 2 tablespoons tomato paste plus 2 tablespoons water
2 pounds ground chicken
3/4 cup yogurt, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into flowerettes
2 tablespoons coarsely cut cilantro, plus extra for garnish

In heavy pot, fry onion with oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until starting to soften. Add cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon stick. Continue to fry onions until becoming golden.

Reduce heat to simmer, and fry in the ginger and garlic, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add ground spices, and stir and fry 1 minute.

Add tomato or paste with its water. Stir and fry, until tomato breaks up and starts to dry.

Mix in ground chicken, raise the heat, and fry. Break up the meat as it cooks.

When color is fully changed from raw to cooked, add yogurt (beating it lightly so it doesn't clump). Add salt. Simmer 5 minutes, covered, stirring frequently.

Add water and cauliflower. Stir frequently, and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is becoming tender. Taste, and add salt as needed (probably about 1/2 teaspoon). Do not over cook cauliflower, as it will continue to soften.

Just before serving, stir in cilantro. Sprinkle with additional cilantro to serve.

Accompany with Basmati rice or nan bread.

Thai ‘Panang’ Beef Curry (Gaeng Panang Nua)

2010-10-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

For a cooking class recently featuring curries, I finally taught one with beef. Previously I found beef so slow to cook, that although we enjoy beef curries at home, I didn't teach them in class because there wasn't sufficient time.

Then, in the last year, I discovered the merits of a tender cut of beef that is not forbiddingly expensive. The "flatiron" steak, a recent meat-cutting development, is a lean section from beef chuck -- a tasty but normally tough piece of beef. It is long and flat, with the grain running lengthwise. The shape makes thin cross-grain slicing easy, perfect for stir-fries, among other things. Sliced slightly wider, the meat cooks quickly in a Thai curry. Best of all, the steaks range from 3/4 to 1 1/2 or more pounds, making them conveniently sized for a meal. They are often sold at reduced prices.

Panang curry is a little richer, and less hot, than the familiar Thai red curry. Its origins are in southern Thailand and include Malay influences, notably the chopped peanuts that are sometimes dusted on the curry before serving (which I have not done here). The curry paste can be homemade (but is tedious and requires hard-to-find ingredients; see a Thai cook book) or purchased in cans at Asian food shops. Thai cooks these days typically buy their curry mixtures fresh from market vendors specializing in seasonings.

The recipe serves six, and should be ladled over unsalted rice.

The traditional drink with curry in Thailand is lager-type beer (Singha in particular). I also like Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino (a new favorite) or fairly dry Riesling wines with Thai curries.

Thai Panang Beef Curry

1 1/2 pounds flatiron steak of beef, 2 small or 1 large
1 can (4 ounces) Penang curry paste (for a milder curry, use part of the can and freeze the rest for later use, wrapped tightly in plastic)
1 tablespoon oil
1 (14-15-ounce) can sliced or shredded bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened Thai coconut milk (available at Asian groceries); shake well before opening
1/2 can of water
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce, plus to taste (available at Asian groceries), or substitute salt to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 hot red chili pepper for garnish
Either 4 double kaffir lime leaves (sometimes available at Asian groceries) or 12 sprigs fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Trim steak(s) of any tough “silver skin” fibers from surface. Place meat flat on cutting board and slice crosswise 1/8-inch thick with a sharp knife. Cut any pieces over 3 inches into halves.

Heat cooking pot to high. Add oil. Then add sliced beef, and stir and fry until raw color has mostly changed.

Add the quantity of curry paste to be used, and stir and fry 2 minutes.

Add drained and rinsed bamboo shoots and continue to stir and fry 1 minute.

Add half the coconut milk and stir until boiling. Add remainder of coconut milk then the half can of water. When mixture returns to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Add fish sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon salt) and sugar. Simmer two more minutes. Remove from heat. Taste the sauce and add a little fish sauce or sugar as needed, making the sauce slightly salty, because the meat and bamboo shoots will absorb more salt. The sauce should also have a mild sweetness.

If using kaffir lime, cut out central vein. Stack the leaves on cutting board and slice crosswise into very fine threads, or cut with kitchen shears. Stir half into the curry.

Serve the curry in an attractive shallow bowl garnished with thinly sliced red chili pepper plus either the remainder of the shredded kaffir lime leaves or the coriander leaves picked off their stems.

Fried Cauliflower: Calling an "Entree" by the Correct Name

2010-10-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Trendy American restaurants are getting better at their terminology. It used to be that main dishes in this country were called "entrees." But in culinary French, "entrée" literally means an entry dish, or first course, something that opens the dinner. The main dish in French is simply called "le plat," the plate.

Increasingly here, what used to be termed "entree" is now, more appropriately, called a main or "large" dish." What in French is called an "entrée," and frequently here was called an appetizer, now tends to be called a small dish or starter.

I guess that's progress.

Here's a real starter course specialty, a classic small dish. It's from the Lebanese-Syrian tradition, a "meze" or "mezza," one of the small dishes served before the main course. Or, if you're lucky, you can have an entire meal of many different meze, a real treat.

This dish is amazingly tasty despite its apparent simplicity. I first had it at one of Atlanta’s early Lebanese restaurants, the Bahou Container, sadly long gone. The method used in this recipe is direct frying, or baking, of the cauliflower pieces. Some recipes call for par-boiling before frying, and some use breadcrumbs or even batter on the cauliflower. I suggest a tahini sauce, like I first had with the dish, but sauces based on seasoned yogurt are also used.

Sautéed Cauliflower with Tahini-Lemon Sauce

The sauce:
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste, available at Middle Eastern and health food stores)
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Sumac, paprika or finely minced parsley for garnish (sumac is available at Middle Eastern groceries)

The cauliflower:
1 medium-large head of cauliflower
Salt
Oil (such as canola) for frying or roasting

Before cooking the cauliflower, mix the sauce. In a small bowl place tahini and beat it with a whisk until smooth. Add the water and whisk it in. The tahini thickens somewhat, at first. Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and, if necessary, add a little salt to make the sauce slightly salty.

Rinse cauliflower. Remove leaves and thick stem and cut the rest into similarly sized (1 to 1 1/2 inch) flowerets. In a large bowl, lightly sprinkle cauliflower with salt and toss; salt lightly and toss twice more.

Heat a frying pan with oil about 1/2-inch deep. When hot, fry cauliflower pieces, part at a time, turning often, until golden in places. Do not over cook. Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil.

(Alternately, toss uncooked cauliflower with several tablespoons olive or canola oil, after the salting process. Place on baking sheet and roast in 375 degree oven 5 minutes. Stir and turn cauliflower pieces. Return to oven and roast until golden in a few places.)

Arrange still-warm cauliflower on a platter or shallow serving dish.

Accompany with a bowl of the sauce, lightly dusted with sumac, paprika or finely minced parsley.

Diners can either dip the cauliflower into the sauce or place cauliflower pieces on their plates and spoon sauce over them.

Spicy Lentil Stew with Meatballs: Comfort Food

2010-09-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Seeking a homey meal for a group I cook for regularly, I came up with a stew of lentils -- because one of the group particularly enjoys that legume -- plus meat balls, a type of thing I make often, and recently wrote about in my column in the Athens Banner/Herald.

I was not feeling very well when I cooked (a dental problem, now dealt with), and comfort food seemed more to my mood than something exotic or exciting. Also, lentils and meatballs are both fairly quick cooking, as well as substantial.

Although I enjoyed the dish, including on a rerun of some leftovers, and my grand kids liked it, it was considered "good" by the group, rather than "wow."

Nonetheless, here it is, a tasty supper dish, especially when accompanied by lightly salted brown or regular rice.

I haven't tried wine with it, but I'd presume a dry, medium-bodied red, like a Tempranillo, Chianti, Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would do the trick.

The recipe serves six, with leftovers. Accompany with sour cream to dollop on, plus bottled hot sauce for those who want it.

Spicy Lentil Stew with Meatballs

1 pound (2 1/2 cups) green-tan lentils
4 cups water or unseasoned chicken broth
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-large onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
Minced parsley for garnish

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground turkey, pork, beef or a combination
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

Rinse lentils, then bring to a boil in large pot with water or broth plus wine. Skim off foam. Let simmer, covered, while preparing onion mixture. Add water as needed to keep liquid even with surface of lentils.

Heat olive oil in separate pan. Fry onions until softened. Add garlic and carrot and fry 2 minutes.

Add to simmering lentils. Add seasonings (other than salt) plus tomato paste. Simmer together until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot. Add salt, and simmer several more minutes. Add water as needed to make a thick, soupy mixture.

While lentils are being cooked, mix meatball ingredients together well, kneading thoroughly.

Cook the meatballs in the simmering lentils, once lentils are tender. Roll out meat mixture into 1-inch balls, moistening hands with water, and drop meatballs, as they are formed, into lentil mixture.

Shake the pot gently to mix meatballs around, but do not stir, or meatballs can break. After 10 minutes, meatballs should be firm, at which point, lentils can be stirred gently.

Taste lentil mixture, and add salt to taste. Simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve, sprinkled with minced parsley. Accompany with a rice dish. Offer sour cream plus bottled hot sauce as condiments.

An easy-to-make Indian treat: Carrot Halva

2010-08-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, for a fancy Indian dinner I prepared, I needed a dessert in addition to the mangoes we would be serving. I only know three Indian desserts that I can cook without extensive effort.

One is carrot halva, a sort of carrot and milk fudge scented with cardamom. Another is "shahi tukra," (royal toast), which is bread fried in clarified butter then soaked in a sweet syrup made with cooked-down milk and cardamom. The third is rice pudding, a sweet, silky, soup-like mixture of rice cooked with milk and cardamom. (Do you see a pattern?)

One other I've made in the past, but it's elaborate, calorie-intensive and requires dry whole milk powder. Goolab jamun, a sort of Dunkin Donut munchkin with concentrated milk as the principal ingredient, is deep-fried in oil then soaked in a sugar syrup containing cardamom and rosewater.

I first encountered halva as the dry, crumbly Jewish treat "halvah," made from tahini -- finely ground sesame seeds -- and honey. Later, in Asia, I had various types of Indian halva, or "haluwa," made from such items as semolina, or carrots, pumpkin or gourd, or even from cornstarch. Whatever the ingredients, the confection was always sweet.

The origins of the word "halva" indicates the sweet's history. It showed up in English in the mid-19th century from Yiddish, in other words from Central and Eastern European Jews. As it turns out, the word came into Yiddish from Romanian, where in turn it had come from the Turkish "helva." However, neither the word nor the sweet were originally Turkish. Ultimately, both came from the Arabs. The Arabic name transliterates into the Roman alphabet as "Al halwa," meaning sweet confection.

Some Indian carrot halva, or "gajar ka halwa," is made into small, firm cakes. Other versions are softer and fluffier. That's the kind I made.

Typically carrot halva is garnished with pistachios, almonds or cashews. In India, the confection may even have a small sheet of vanishingly thin silver foil on it.

The carrots shrink down during the cooking process. The recipe makes enough for 6-8 persons, but leftovers keep well in the fridge and make delicious nibbling.

Carrot Halva -- Gajar ka Halwa

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
8 whole cardamoms
1/4 cup butter
1 cup canned evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons toasted (shelled) pistachios, cashews or slivered almonds for garnish

Place grated carrots, whole cardamoms and butter in large, heavy frying pan. Fry gently over low heat, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Mix well. Cover pan and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pan.

Add another 1/4 cup evaporated milk plus salt. Fry gently, stirring often, uncovered, so liquid begins to dry down. Repeat, adding the last 1/4 cup milk.

When carrot is tender and becoming dry, add sugar, starting with 6 tablespoons.

Stirring frequently, fry until no more juices are present in carrots. Taste, and add final tablespoon of sugar (or more) if desired. (When cooled, the halva will have less intense flavors.)

The halva can be stored, refrigerated, in a covered container for up to a few days. To serve, bring to room temperature, mix with fork to fluff it and remove cardamoms.

Place in serving dish. Top with a light sprinkling of pistachios, cashews, or almonds.

Tomato-Basil Bisque Soup:combatting the restaurants

2010-08-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

So often the soup du jour at nice restaurants these days, at least the ones my wife and I frequent, is tomato-basil bisque. Sometimes it seems like their routine main dish rather than the alleged soup special of the day.

The soup sounds fresh and wonderful. And it can be. But it's becoming a bore. And it's too easy to make (if you have a food processor) and makes money too easily for the restaurant.

So my motivation for this blog posting is to show how simple and inexpensive this soup is to make, and maybe (I flatter myself and my readership) encourage good restaurant chefs to create something new for a change -- or even recreate something classical -- for a special soup of the day.

By the way, for my Athens readers, the tomato bisque we serve occasionally at our restaurant, and which is popular, is somewhat different. That's in case you thought I might be giving away our secret.

The recipe serves four, and costs under three dollars to make.

Tomato-Basil Bisque

1 small-medium carrot
1 small onion
1/4 of a large stick of celery
1/2 small red bell pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, Hunts or Kroger brand
1 1/2 cup water (rinse tomato can into soup with it)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 generous sprinkles black pepper
8 medium-large leaves fresh basil, finely shredded
1/2 cup whipping cream

Rinse and trim carrot, but do not peel. Cut it in chunks and put it in food processor. Add onion, peeled and chunked, celery, cut in chunks, and bell pepper, seeded and chunked. Process very finely, scraping down the sides of the processor several times.

In soup pot, fry carrot-onion mixture slowly in olive oil, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, but have not started to turn golden.

Add tomatoes, water, and seasonings other than basil. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered and stirring frequently, only 3 minutes (so tomato retains fresh taste).

Stir in shredded basil. Simmer 30 seconds. Add cream, and stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

After a few minutes, stir again, taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve now, or chill then rewarm quickly.

Koresh of Beef and Nectarines: a Persian Treat

2010-08-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Few American families can boast having taken a vacation in Iran.

We did, at least a brief one, in Teheran many years ago. That's back during the Shah's days, before the Islamic Revolution. It was during our return from years in Malaysia.

Frankly, I don't recall specific Persian dishes we had. But what I remember is that the food was wonderful, elegant actually, with amazing flavors and fruits and subtle spices cooked with meat.

Here's a koresh, a stew, that I fixed for my wife's staff meeting. The group has lunch during the meeting, pay for the ingredients, and have agreed to guinea pig dishes I'm working on.

The inspiration for this particular dish was having some white-fleshed organic nectarines to use up.

I made a double batch, to feed the crowd. The recipe below will serve six, when accompanied by basmati rice and a yogurt condiment.

[This is added later, based on the comment from a reader, a woman whose father was Iranian. A really Persian yogurt side dish for a koresh would be whole milk yogurt beaten, then mixed with grated cucumber (with liquid squeezed out), salt, and dried mint leaves. I'm pretty sure the name of the dish is "mastakheah." It's a close relative of raita in India and cacik/tsadziki in Turkey and Greece.]

Wine or beer would be culturally inappropriate with Persian food. More typical would be fruit drinks, like limeade or pomegranate juice or a rosewater-scented drink. Iced tea will also do well, even if more of an American drink.

Persian Beef and Nectarine Koresh (Stew)

1 1/2 pounds lean beef (I like "flatiron" steak), cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
Olive oil or clarified butter for frying
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium nectarines, rinsed but not peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 1/2 cup water
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 sprig fresh mint (or 4 large leaves)

In stewing pot over high heat, fry meat in a little oil or clarified butter, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot. When starting to brown, remove meat to a bowl.

Add more oil or butter to pot. Fry onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until becoming golden in color.

Reduce heat to medium low. Stir and fry in garlic and ginger 1 minute.

Add spices and stir and fry another minute.

Add nectarines, salt, and water. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add pre-seared beef plus juices to the pot. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat starts to become tender.

Add potatoes plus enough water to just reach the surface. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes become tender (test with toothpick). As the mixture cooks, add salt as needed to bring sauce to just faintly salty (the potatoes will soak up more).

When potatoes are tender, turn off heat and stir in the mint.

Serve with lightly salted basmati rice with a side dish of yogurt (preferably whole milk). Stir yogurt before serving to make it creamy.

Chicken Sesame Cakes, Korean American style

2010-08-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

I learned this dish from a Korean American woman student who was dating one of my student friends. It was a recipe from her mother.

At her home it would be part of a Korean dinner in which several “entrée” dishes were placed in the middle of the table to be shared by all the diners, accompanied by individual bowls of rice and surrounded by numerous small dishes of kimchee and other condiments. But the chicken dish also served well as a snack alone, and could even be served as a hamburger on a toasted bun.

I included the recipe in one of my international cooking classes for Evening at Emory. By chance there was a Korean American woman in the class. She said that while the dish tasted Korean, she didn't know specifically of it. She then checked with her mother, who also didn't recognize it.

Thus the recipe seems to have been a creation in the family of first woman, a sort of Korean American chicken hamburger. But it certainly tastes good, especially with the dipping sauce.

The recipe as I learned it makes six substantial portions, but 12 smaller ones could also be made.

Korean food is often served with beer, "OB" being the import from that country.

Chicken Cakes with Sesame Seeds, Korean American Style

4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 pound ground chicken
1 scallion (green onion), finely minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil (available at Asian groceries)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Large pinch ground hot pepper or cayenne
Large pinch black pepper
Watercress sprigs for garnish or a scallion (green onion) shredded lengthwise and soaked in cold water to curl

In a heavy pan toast the sesame seeds over medium high heat, stirring constantly or shaking the pan, until the seeds become golden brown and fragrant. Pour them into a mixing bowl (do not leave them in the pan, or they will overcook). Set aside a half-teaspoon of the seeds for garnishing.

Add ground chicken and remaining ingredients, other than garnish, to main group of seeds. Mix well.

Form into 6 large or 12 smaller hamburger-like cakes. Fry over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan with a little oil, turning several times to cook until lightly browned on both sides.

Serve on a platter, sprinkled with the reserved sesame seeds and surrounded by several sprigs of watercress or curled green onion. Accompany with dipping sauce.

Korean-style Dipping Sauce for Chicken Cakes

3 tablespoons soy sauce, Korean or Japanese style preferred
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons rice or white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
A few thin slices of scallion (green onion) tops

Combine soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix to dissolve sugar.

Transfer to several small sauce dishes. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo -- using fresh summer produce

2010-08-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Gumbo, that thick, luscious, chunk-filled stew of meat or seafood and vegetables, is a fusion of multiple Louisiana cooking traditions. Although considered by outsiders as somehow "French," the stew, in fact, most closely resembles dishes from West Africa, and even draws its name from a West African word for okra.

The seasoning is predominantly Spanish-Caribbean. The flour-fat mixture cooked to a red-brown is a French dark "roux." And if filé [FEE-lay] powder (dried, ground sassafras leaf) is added at the end of the cooking (especially used with seafood gumbo) Choctaw Indian tradition is involved.

So why West African? Who do you think got the job of cooking in old Louisiana? The early cooks were slaves, and perhaps as an irony of history, the French-Louisiana culinary centerpiece of gumbo is primarily an African dish.

Cooking-wise, the roux is the heart of gumbo making. It's the most difficult part and the only really French part of gumbo. It's a dark roux, a mixture of flour and fat or oil slowly cooked down until richly brown. I use olive oil, but other oils, margarine (yuck), or lard or bacon grease will do also. Lard and bacon grease are actually more traditional than the oils.

I use a "Cajun" spice mixture, one of the few pre-mixed seasonings I employ. My personal favorite is "Louisiana" brand (Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Ltd, Baton Rouge, LA). It contains no MSG. Tony Cachere brand is also good. The mixes contain salt (don't bother with the "lite" unless you must avoid salt), and are the only salt used in the gumbo -- with enough spice mix added to the desired level of saltiness. The spices then take care of themselves.

Serve gumbo in wide shallow bowls over a spoonful or two of cooked rice.

The recipe serves 8 to 10.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup olive or canola oil (original was bacon grease or lard)
1 very large or 2 medium-large onions, coarsely chopped
4 large sticks celery, split lengthwise into thirds and cut 1/4-inch wide
1 very large red or green bell pepper, cored and cut in 1/2-inch squares
2 cups water or unseasoned chicken broth
5 teaspoons "Louisiana" brand Cajun seasoning
3 very large tomatoes, cored and coarsely cut up (seeds can be removed, if desired)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh (or breast) cut in 3/4-inch pieces
1 pound andouille or kielbasa sausage, split lengthwise into quarters then cut in 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 pound fresh okra, trimmed and cut 1/2-inch long (or 12 ounces frozen)
Cooked, unsalted rice for serving

In heavy pot over low-medium heat fry flour and oil to make roux. Stir frequently, scraping bottom of pan, as moisture boils off then mixture turns golden (10-15 minutes).

Reduce heat slightly, and stir very frequently until color is like dark caramel or lightly creamed coffee. Be careful not to scorch the roux.

Add the onions, and fry, stirring frequently 3 to 4 minutes.

Add celery, and fry an additional 2 minutes.

Finally add the bell pepper. Stir and fry 1 minute.

Add water or broth, Cajun seasoning, and simmer 3-4 minutes.

Add tomatoes, and cook 1 more minute.

Add chicken, and if thigh, simmer 4 minutes, if breast, 2 minutes.

Add sausage, and let the gumbo simmer 5 minutes.

Add okra, and simmer 2 minutes or until okra begins to soften.

Taste, and add salt, if needed, to make faintly salty (the okra and meats will soak more up).

Finish by simmering several minutes. Let cool to allow flavors to mingle.

Serve reheated in individual soup bowls over several spoons of cooked rice.

Super Easy Horseradish-Caper Sauce for Fish and Beef

2010-07-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

This evening I had two student friends over to cook and eat with me. It's their last cooking evening of the summer, since they both recently graduated from Emory, are just finishing their summer jobs, and are moving to start their graduate student lives. One of them, Alex, will be in Athens for two years, so I'll see him frequently there, I expect.

We had oven-roasted tilapia (salmon was out of sight on price right now) and various fresh vegetables, a light hot-weather dinner. To go with the lemon and dill-seasoned fish, I made a simple sauce of the kind I enjoy with oven-roasted fish, but also with beef and even with hamburgers.

The sauce ingredients reflected other parts of the meal, or complemented them. It took about one minute to mix the sauce. I aged it 15 minutes while waiting to serve dinner.

Horse radish remains one of my favorite seasonings. It shows up in many of my recipes at our restaurant, from sauces to chicken salad to mashed potatoes to quiche. I've loved it since I was a kid, when in my hometown an old Bohemian man sold homemade horseradish in wooden buckets from a horse-drawn wagon. I remember him more than once parking out in front of our house and my mother going out to buy it, bringing out her own jar. (I'm not kidding -- that was in the 1940s.)

The old man would have called it "kren", I later learned, the Slavic -- and Austrian -- name. Germans call it meerrettich (sea radish), and the French call it "raifort."

The horseradish I prefer is the simple grated horseradish in vinegar with a little salt. The good, unadulterated ones tend to be from Jewish manufacturers and are kosher. Gold's is a particularly good brand. These prepared horseradishes are found refrigerated, especially in the kosher section, at supermarkets -- at least in Atlanta.

Capers, the pickled flower buds of a Mediterranean bush, are a more recent favorite for me. Recent is a relative term, given my "seniority." Lemon juice and cream are always beloved.

Here's the sauce. Just enough for a six-person meal of roasted fish, braised or grilled beef, hamburgers or meatloaf. Don't make more than is needed for the meal. It's so easy to compose, and it's best very fresh.

By the way, we enjoyed a cold, crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Northern California with the fish and its sauce.

Horseradish-Caper Sauce

4 tablespoons light or heavy cream
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons pickled capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit a few minutes. Taste, and add salt to taste.

Transfer to a small sauce dish to serve.

Rillettes: Homemade French Charcuterie

2010-07-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

For years, I've looked for rillettes [ree-YET] any time I was in France going back and forth to my work places in Africa, and at French restaurants in Atlanta. I was intrigued by this farmhouse specialty, which I first encountered in French cookbooks.

It's allegedly much easier to make than pâté or terrine, but fills the same niche in the appetizer course along with crusty bread or melba toast, Dijon mustard, and cornichon pickles.

Rillettes, a specialty of pork, duck or goose lightly spiced and cooked down slowly in its own grease and served spread on bread or toast, comes from the southwest of France. It's traditionally put up in the autumn and stored in small crocks in the cellar for use during the winter. An old-fashioned grandmother's (grandmère's?) kind of thing, it shows up rarely in the restaurants I visit.

Le Giverny, a fine and largely French restaurant near Emory University in Atlanta, offers "rillettes" as a starter. But what they actually serve is a baked terrine or maybe a country-style pâté, a perfectly good French dish -- but distinctly not rillettes.

Then Shorty's, a pizza-plus place with a wood-fired oven, which is one of my hangouts, recently came up with duck rillettes on their summer menu. Shorty's is a cook-driven restaurant, short on theme or atmosphere or pretense but long on hearty artisan cooking, good wines and beers. They are not at all French in style. One of their owner-chefs is in fact from New Zealand.

Their rillettes, laced with green peppercorns, are served packed in a small crock and topped with a thin layer of grease the way the real thing is. They are quite authentic and make an excellent, if slightly heavy, starter course.

So after all these years, this recent inspiration led me to make rillettes this weekend. They were guinea-pigged on some visiting family plus a friend from years ago who showed up with her new husband. I worked out the recipe with pork shoulder ("butt"), and now look forward to trying the fancier versions with duck or goose.

The seasonings approximate the "quatre-épices" ("four-spice") used in French charcuterie. The method is simply to cube the pork, keeping the fat and bone, season it for 24 hours with sea salt, herbs and spices, then slowly simmer it down with red wine as a starter.

It takes three or more hours cooking after one day marinating. The cooking requires occasional stirring, and the pot should be enamel, or at least stainless steel. Because of the cooking time, rillettes should be made when other cooking or kitchen tasks are going on. Make a lot, and store it. Cooking more is no more work than cooking less.

Rillettes should be stored several days to let the flavors mellow. They are served with bread or toast, small pickles and Dijon mustard.

They go well with a hearty, dry red wine. The closest available to the wine where rillettes are made would be a Malbec. Although those affordable wines come from Argentina, they are descended from Cahors, the largely Malbec grape wine from the southwest of France. But a fruity, and faintly sweet white wine will also work, like a German or Alsatian Riesling or a French Chenin Blanc.

Rillettes de Porc

3 1/2 pounds pork butt, including fat and bone
2 teaspoons sea or Kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 large bay leaves, broken in half
2 tablespoons lightly packed fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dry
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground fennel
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
Extra grease, either butter or freshly rendered pork or chicken fat
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons drained green peppercorns

Discard any skin present, but keep all the fat plus any bone. Cut meat into 2-inch chunks. Mix with salt, herbs, and spices. Marinate in refrigerator 24 hours.

In heavy enamel (preferred) or stainless steel pan, simmer pork with wine and water, covered and stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove bone plus bay leaves. Break up meat with wooden spatula. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid drys down. If there is not much grease, add butter or rendered pork or chicken fat to make the mixture oily. Continue simmering, with occasional stirring, until meat is entirely broken down.

Add sugar and green peppercorns. After a few more minutes simmering, taste, and add salt as needed. The mixture should be just faintly salty so it will taste balanced when served chilled. Continue simmering 15 minutes more, stirring more frequently.

Pack hot into cleaned jars or crocks with lids. Press meat down so grease emerges onto surface. If too dry, pour in a little olive or canola oil to keep surface greased. Store in refrigerator.

Serve with bread, melba toast, or unsalted crackers. Accompany with tiny cornichon or other pickles and a dollop of Dijon mustard. A sprig of parsley or several slices of radish make a good garnish.

Sesame and Lemon Sauce for Middle Eastern Treats

2010-07-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

In the summer heat, the tangy impact of freshly squeezed lemon juice combined with the subtle bitterness of tahini adds a highlight to otherwise heavy foods. The effect is arrestingly good, cutting through the heaviness of the dish and perking up satiated taste buds. No wonder this lemon-sesame condiment is so popular throughout the Middle East.

The sauce serves as a dip or is poured over snacks like falafel (chick-pea and lentil cakes) and fried cauliflower or meatballs. It is even used as a sauce for fried fish. Easy to make, it highlights the dishes it accompanies and adds protein to vegetable dishes.

Rather than the Lebanese favorite of deep-fried cauliflower, try roasting olive oil-dipped and lightly salted cauliflower pieces on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until just tender. Serve hot with tahini-lemon sauce as an appetizer -- or meze -- course.

Sesame (Tahini) and Lemon Sauce

3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste, available at Middle Eastern and health food stores)
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove of garlic (optional), thoroughly mashed in the salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Minced parsley for garnish, optional

In a small bowl mash tahini with a spoon or fork until softened. Add water and whisk it in. Whisk in lemon juice plus the mashed garlic, if used, salt and pepper.

Allow mixture to sit several minutes. Taste and, if necessary, add a little salt to make sauce slightly salty.

If serving sauce in a dish for dipping or spooning onto the foods, dust with some minced parsley.

Putanesca: a Sauce for the Working Girls

2010-05-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's an Italian dish that was fun to write up in my cooking column in the Athens banner-Herald.

How can I phrase this delicately for a family-oriented publication? "Sugo alla Puttanesca," a tangy Neapolitan pasta dressing of garlic, hot pepper, anchovies, olives, capers and tomatoes, means (gently speaking) sauce for ladies of negotiable virtue.

A post-World War II newcomer to Italian cuisine, it has a name whose origins are as rife with speculation as they are skimpy on authority. Cheap shots like "fast" and "easy to make" don't help. One explanation is that since the sauce requires only ingredients typically available in poor urban Italian kitchens, someone working indoors with little time between clients could throw it together quickly. Time is money, after all. While several attributions point to the notorious brothels of Naples (can you imagine those kitchens?), one Italian cookbook claims Trastevere, a poor district in Rome, another, Calabria. Yet another, citing interesting research, says puttanesca was created not by "working girls," but by a flamboyant local artist and host on the Isle of Ischia near Naples.

Italian sauces are often wryly named - "marinara" (sailor's sauce), "carbonara" (charcoal maker's sauce), "Fra Diavolo" (Brother Devil's sauce - titled like a Catholic monk). So whether pasta alla puttanesca really emerged from the sex trade is a mystery. But with its catchy name, it gets attention. It's also delicious.

What pasta to serve with puttanesca? Spaghetti (in Italian, little cords) and vermicelli (little worms) are typical in Naples. But linguini (little tongues), a pasta for seafood, seems reasonable because of the anchovies. Puttanesca with "ziti," originally a lengthy tubular pasta named "bridegrooms" (I'm not making this stuff up), probably is not a wise pairing.

The anchovy fillets should be olive oil-packed. Greek Kalamata olives are preferred over waxy, dull California black olives. The crushed red pepper is the same as used on pizza. For canned tomatoes, Hunt's is my favorite American brand. The "trick," a risky word in this context, is to make the sauce quickly while a big pot of water boils for cooking the pasta when the sauce is nearly done. Cheese is not customary with puttanesca.

Accompany with crusty bread and a simple green salad. Because of the anchovies, Italian food writers recommend dry white wines. I like a light-bodied Chardonnay, or a California or Oregon Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris.

Pasta alla Puttanesca

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 2-ounce can anchovy fillets (save oil), coarsely chopped

24 Greek Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

6 tablespoons oil from anchovies plus olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (Hunt's preferred)

Salt to taste

10 ounces spaghetti

Heat large covered pot of water for pasta. Keep at low boil until needed. Prepare all the ingredients.

In large frying pan over low heat, fry garlic in the oil 10 seconds, stirring. Add anchovies and red pepper. Stir and fry 1/2 minute. Add tomatoes, olives and capers. Raise heat and boil, stirring, 2 minutes. Taste, and add salt as needed, making sauce slightly salty. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

As sauce is cooking, add a tablespoon salt to pasta water, and over high heat add pasta, stirring immediately so it doesn't stick. As pasta softens, bite a piece to test. When just tender, drain in colander and shake off excess water.

In large serving bowl, toss pasta with 3/4 of the sauce. Spoon the remainder over the pasta.

Serves six as starter course, four as a meal.

A Soup from Ancient Rome

2010-05-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

In an article I wrote for the Athens Banner Herald on soups, I started with one of the oldest surviving soup recipes. It was published in De Re Coquinaria, a compilation of cookbooks from Imperial Rome attributed to Apicius.

Barley Soup with Legumes and Greens is adapted from that cookbook. Culinary judgment was needed, since Apicius specified ingredients and methods but not quantities.

Only asafoetida has been omitted, since the variety used in ancient Rome, grown in North Africa, is apparently now extinct. The strongly flavored and scented Indian-Persian asafoetida is thought to be different and is so overpowering as to not be a good substitute.

For convenience, I also left beet greens off the list of greens in the soup, because of their general lack of availability, unless you grow them. If available, add them to the other greens in the recipe.

Asian fish sauce is the available equivalent of the ubiquitous Roman seasoning “garum,” also called “liquamen.” Several ancient recipes for making the seasoning indicate that Roman garum was prepared like the modern Asian sauce. Celery seed is very similar to the lovage used in ancient Rome.

Ancient Roman Barley Soup with Legumes and Greens

1/2 cup pearled barley
1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup tan lentils (supermarket type)
10 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons salt, plus to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed
2 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1 large or 2 smaller leeks, white part and 3 inches of green part, split, rinsed carefully and chopped
3 cups coarsely chopped Savoy cabbage, packed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, packed
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, packed
1/4 cup chopped fennel leaves, packed
1/2 cup olive oil

Place barley, peas and lentils in a heavy pot. Rinse and drain. Add water and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are becoming tender. Add a little water if too thick.

Add chickpeas, salt, oregano, ground spices and fish sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare leeks, cabbage and greens. In a frying pan, cook them gently in olive oil until bright colored and wilted. Stir mixture into soup. Simmer, stirring frequently, just until cabbage is tender, 5-10 minutes.

Taste, and add salt as needed to make slightly salty, since the vegetables will absorb more salt.

Red Riot Soup: a Creation

2010-05-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

At our restaurant in Athens, we make many different soups. In winter we often serve two contrasting soups at a time. The soup I call "Red Riot" I created for the restaurant as a counterpoint to our Green Garden Soup, which has been popular with vegetarians. As it turned out, we had so many soups already we did not actually use this one.

Red Riot soup combines 10 different red vegetables with red wine to make a dark cranberry-red potage that can be served hot or iced.

In a recent article I did for the Athens Banner Herald on soups over the ages, this was the 21st century soup I selected to anchor the series of recipes that extended from a soup recreated from an ancient Roman cook book. The middle two soups, Dutch Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage (4/22/10) and French Pumpkin (Butternut) Bisque (5/1/10) are already on my blog.

This multi-vegetable soup would only possible in recent generations, since it depends on fresh produce from spring, summer and fall harvests. Prior to modern shipping and refrigeration, the vegetables could not have been assembled at any one time. The soup also depends on modern technology, the food processor, for finely chopping or puréeing the vegetables.

The optional topping is sour cream, dusted with paprika.

Red Riot Soup

Prepare vegetables, as indicated, in a food processor:
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup split red lentils (from natural or health food store)
6 cups water
1/4 cup red wine
3 whole small beets, about 1/2 pound, peeled
1/2 pound (1 bunch) red radishes, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 pound (half a small head) red cabbage, finely chopped
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (unflavored)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large red potato, scrubbed but not peeled, puréed with 1 cup water in food processor
1 tablespoon salt, plus to taste
Sour cream plus paprika for topping, optional

In large soup pot, fry onion in oil, stirring frequently, until softened.

Rinse lentils. Add to onion, along with water, wine, and whole peeled beets. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add radishes, bell pepper, cabbage, tomato and spices. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender.

Test beets for doneness by piercing with a toothpick. When cooked, remove from soup and reserve.

Add puréed potato plus salt to soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Finally, purée the cooked beets in food processor, adding a little water if needed. Return beets to soup.

Simmer briefly. Add water if too thick. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Serve hot or chilled.

Optionally, top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle very lightly with paprika.

French “Pumpkin” (Butternut) Bisque

2010-05-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another recipe from my recent Athens Banner-Herald newspaper column on soups throughout the ages. While in the old days this would have been a winter soup, butternuts are now available year-round and this soup isn't too heavy for a meal in the spring.

French pumpkins, like their Italian relatives, are large, ribbed, flattened globes. Some farmers in Georgia grow them as a “heritage” vegetable. In the absence of the real thing, I prefer butternut or kabocha squash over American pie pumpkins, which have a heavy, different flavor.

This pumpkin soup, which hails from Provence, typically uses homemade chicken broth.

French “Pumpkin” (Butternut) Bisque

1 medium-small onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 medium-large (1/2 pound) baking potato, peeled, in 1/2-inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence or oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium-large (1 3/4 pounds) butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus to taste
1/2 cup cream
Minced parsley for serving

In soup pot, fry onion in olive oil until softened.

Add broth, wine, potato, herbs and pepper.

Simmer 5 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally.

Add squash plus salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes, or until squash is breaking up.

Remove bay leaves. With slotted spoon, lift chunks into blender and purée, or use immersion blender in the soup pot.

Add cream and simmer 2 minutes. Add a little water if too thick.

Taste and add salt, as needed.

The soup is best if made ahead, refrigerated, and reheated to serve. Sprinkle lightly with minced parsley.

Malay Beef Curry -- for the Birthday of a Daughter born in Malaysia

2010-04-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

The other evening as I was making this "kari lembu," in honor of Anna's birth way back when we lived in Malaysia, the rich and reminiscent spice and coconut fragrances reminded me that I cook Malay curries very infrequently, despite their popularity in the family.

Then as the hours and cooking steps dragged on, I recalled why. Malay cooking can take forever.

Perhaps the most difficult dish is one of the family's most appreciated, rendang, a curry so slowly simmered down and dry it's like pulled beef barbecue in coconut and spice. Even the kari lembu for Anna's birthday, which has a wetter sauce, takes multiple hours.

In Malaysia these curries would be festival dishes, or restaurant cooking, not everyday fare. But they also come from a different era, before television and cars in every family, when there was time to cook and few other distractions.

I put this recipe in the blog more as an archive than with any expectation that my kids, even the three Malaysian-born ones, will be making it often. My recall of how to make it was helped by a recipe in a 1962 cookbook from Kuala Lumpur.

This is a double recipe (2 katis of meat, a kati being 1 1/3 pounds), since it's an entertainment dish and it's just as much work to make a smaller batch.

Kari Lembu -- Malay Beef Curry

2 3/4 pounds stewing beef, cut in 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces
2 large stalks lemon grass, cut in 2-inch lengths and bruised
2 large cloves garlic put though press or finely minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
5 tablespoons ground coriander
5 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons water
2 large onions, chopped
4 tablespoons canola oil (the original is coconut oil)
1 whole star anise
8 whole cardamoms
6 whole cloves
1 small stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon shredded fresh ginger
2 1/2 cups water
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in 2-inch chunks (alternatively 1 pound potatoes and 3/4 pound young okra)
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons tamarind pulp softened in 1/2 cup water and strained
1 tablespoon sugar

Marinate beef with the next 12 ingredients, mixing well.

In a large pot, fry onions in oil, stirring frequently, until dark golden color. As onions turn golden, add whole spices and ginger. Fry gently several more minutes.

Add beef and its marinade and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of pot, until raw color is gone.

Add water. Simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, or until beef is starting to become tender.

Add potatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

Shake coconut milk can well. Open add coconut milk to curry. Add salt. Simmer until beef and potatoes are tender.

Taste, and add salt if needed.

If using okra, slit them down the side and mix well with tamarind juice, getting some into the slits. Add okra, if used, tamarind juice and sugar.

Simmer until okra becomes tender. Taste and adjust salt.

Serve with unsalted rice. Accompany with cucumber, cut in 1/2-inch cubes, plus roasted lightly salted peanuts.

Dutch Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage

2010-04-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a recipe I presented in a recent newspaper article (April 18, 2010) on the history of soups. It was in my every-other-week Athens Banner-Herald column, Le Gourmet Fauché. Over the next several weeks, I'll put the other recipes on the blog.

In Holland, this centuries-old soup is usually simmered with a ham or other smoked pork bone. Celery root (“celeriac”) is preferred over celery. After cooling and reheating, the soup can be very thick, like porridge. A traditional garnish for pea soup is “rookworst” [ROKE- vourst], a ring-shaped, smoked pork and beef sausage.

Dutch Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage

1 pound (2 1/4 cups) green split peas
6 cups water
1 large bay leaf
1 medium-large onion
2 medium-large carrots
A small celeriac or 2 sticks celery
3 cups broth made from the vegetable trimmings and peels
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus to taste
1/2 teaspoon dry savory or oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra
Small pinch of thyme
14 ounces to 1 pound smoked sausage

Rinse peas. Place in pot with water. Bring to a boil. Skim off foam.

Add bay leaf. Simmer, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, until peas start to break down.

Meanwhile peel onion, carrots, and celeriac, if used. Make broth with peels, leaves of celery, if used, plus 3 cups water, simmering 20 minutes.

Coarsely dice the vegetables. Fry them with oil until wilted. Add to simmering peas.

Strain broth into soup. Add salt, dry herbs and pepper.

Simmer until peas disintegrate and vegetables are tender. Add water, as needed, to make the consistency of heavy cream.

Slice sausage into 1/4-inch discs. Add to soup. Simmer 5 minutes.

Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in a generous sprinkling of ground black pepper.

Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs -- Easy and Eminently Italian American

2010-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

When my grand kids come to visit, there is one favorite food. But their parents, and Christina and I, enjoy it too. The kids' choice, spaghetti and meatballs, is one of the common, and beloved, "Italian" dishes from my childhood. It is also surprisingly easy to make.

But it's not really Italian. It's actually more Italian American, something poor immigrants from southern Italy made with the ingredients available in New York and Philadelphia and New Jersey and New England.

Certainly meatballs, "polpette," are eaten in Italy, at least in southern Italy. But they're not nearly as common as their American reputation would suggest, and are not cooked in tomato sauce and do not accompany pasta.

Nonetheless, spaghetti sauce with meatballs is satisfying, plus it's economical and easy to make. Perhaps that's why it became an Italian American specialty.

While the sauce is simple, which tomatoes are used makes a big difference. I like canned "crushed" tomatoes -- canned without seasonings other than salt. Petite diced also work, but the kids don't like "lumps" in their sauce.

I find that of the American tomatoes, "Hunts" and Kroger's own brand are the best, the latter being the cheapest. Good Italian canned tomatoes are pricey. I've tried the economy brand at Kroger, but they are very watery.

Canned tomatoes need some sugar, since they are a little tart. American tomatoes do not seem as sweet as those from the Mediterranean.

There are two optional seasonings for the sauce. One is a small amount of whole fennel seeds, which I learned to enjoy from my Sicilian friends where I grew up, and which hints at the seasoning Italian sausage would give to the sauce if I used it. The other is a few leaves of fresh basil (never dried basil) stirred in at the end of cooking the sauce. That's an option in the summer when basil is common.

I never use black pepper in the sauce, since it was absolutely proscribed by my mother. On the other hand, there is black pepper in the meatballs.

Any of several meats can make good meatballs. I typically use ground turkey (as a substitute for veal) mixed with either pork or beef. My mother typically used ground beef or a mixture of ground pork and beef.

Here's my simple recipe. This makes enough for several meals, but the leftovers are popular, either for more pasta or for meatball sandwiches. The grand kids will love it. But so will high school and college students.

Which pasta to use is personal preference. Vermicelli or thin spaghetti (spaghettini) would have been the choice during my childhood -- and is the choice of my grand kids. But a short pasta, like penne or rigatoni, works well too.

Spoon on plenty of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese when serving.

This dish calls for a hearty red wine, if served to adults. A California red Zinfandel or not too pricey Cabernet Sauvignon, or an Italian Montepulciano d'Abruzzo go well.

Meatball Sauce for Pasta

Make the meatball mixture first:
2 eggs
2/3 cup quick oatmeal
1/2 cup dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 large clove garlic, finely minced or put through press
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey, pork or beef

In large bowl, beat eggs with all ingredients except meat. Then mix in meat and knead well with your hands. Hold until sauce is ready.

Prepare the sauce:
4 large cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds (optional)
2 large (28-ounce) cans crushed unseasoned tomatoes, Hunts or Kroger brand preferred
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Large pinch thyme or oregano
Large pinch crushed red pepper
6 fresh basil leaves (optional)

In large wide pot (not cast iron), gently fry garlic, and fennel if used, in oil until softened but not golden.

Stir in tomatoes and all other ingredients other than basil. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes.

With hands, roll meat mixture into similarly sized balls of your preferred size, anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. (The Sicilians I grew up with liked the smaller size). As you form them, drop them into the simmering sauce.

When all the meatballs are made, gently shake and swirl the pot to partially cover the meatballs. Some will be only partially submerged.

Cover pot. Simmer 15 minutes, shaking and swirling pot occasionally. Meatballs should firm up by then. Gently stir meatballs and sauce, scraping bottom of pot.

Simmer 15 additional minutes -- 20 minutes if using beef -- stirring occasionally.

Taste sauce and add salt if needed. Stir in basil leaves if used.

Remove from heat. Reheat to serve over freshly boiled pasta. Sprinkle with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

World's Easiest Bread: Herb "Rolls"

2010-03-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

As those who check my blog or my newspaper column might have noticed, I don't do much baking.

But there was a simple type of roll, really more of a biscuit, that I've been thinking about for some time. I first heard about it years ago. It's from Southern country cooking, possibly from high school home economics classes in the old days.

The original was called "mayonnaise biscuits" if dropped onto a baking sheet or "mayonnaise rolls" if made in a cupcake pan. It required only three ingredients and almost no technique.

Sometimes the name "Smith House" is associated with these quick breads, but articles about the famous Smith House in Dalonega, Georgia do not show anything quite like them.

The original ingredients were self-rising flour, mayonnaise (for the egg and oil) and milk.

Here's my variant, in which I put some herbs, spices, or cheese. I use self-rising White Lily flour, which makes incredibly light baked goods.

Real mayonnaise is required, not a low- or non-fat variety, since the shortening -- though there's not much of it -- in the recipe is from the mayonnaise.

Easy Herb Rolls

2 1/4 cups White Lily self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry dill weed, savory, or oregano, or 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh herb
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, optional
2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, optional
1/4 cup mayonnaise ("real" type)
1 cup milk

Set oven for 400 degrees. Use spray oil a 12-cup muffin/cupcake pan.

Mix flour and seasonings are used in bowl. With fork, lightly mix in mayonnaise.

Stir in milk just until moistened. Mixture will be somewhat lumpy.

Drop by spoonfulls into prepared pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan onto cooling rack, so edges dry.

Serve warm.

This Sautéed Cabbage is more German than German

2010-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

If this dish isn't German, it ought to be.

It is said that fiction can have more truth than does recorded fact. Well, at least English teachers say that. But in the big scheme of things, I accept it as valid.

The dish I'm describing is so German, to the extent that I have experienced true German cooking, that if it is not in fact German it should be. It certainly has the essence, if not necessarily the fact, of Germanness. But my German cookbooks, of which I have over a dozen, show nothing quite like it.

One Sunday recently I was at the supermarket hunting for meat to cook in an interesting way with the partial head of Savoy cabbage and the boiled potatoes I had in the fridge. By chance, someone was demonstrating a new new product, a frozen Springer Mountain chicken burger from Gainesville, Georgia.

It seemed like something I could work with, so I bought some. I'll point out that this is not an endorsement of these Georgian chicken burgers, as excellent as they turned out to be. A juicy burger of beef, pork, or turkey would also have served well as a base for my dish.

The creation I came up with was "informed" (that's trendy research jargon meaning "influenced") by a traditional Czech-German manner of cooking kohlrabi (a cabbage cousin) with cream and by a shredded Brussels sprouts and apple dish I was testing during the winter.

Cabbage lends itself well to caramelizing, as does onion. I took advantage of both. I used no herb or spice seasoning, other than a little black pepper, which is consistent with German cooking. The flavors emerge from the vegetables themselves and are mellowed by the sour cream.

I served the cabbage as a topping on the fried, and lightly salted and peppered, chicken burgers. I'm convinced that turkey burgers, pork burgers or beef burgers, if juicy, would also have worked well.

The accompaniment was fried, seasoned slices of previously boiled potatoes. I presume that hash browns, french fries, or (as my grand kids would advise) "Tater Tots" would also do.

I recommend accompanying the dressed burgers and potato dish with non-yellow mustard and horseradish.

We had a dry but not particularly distinguished California Cabernet Sauvignon with this because it was already open. But on principle, an off-dry (Kabinett level of ripeness) German Riesling would go with the meal better, as would a good lager beer.

The recipe provides toppings for six large burgers.

Sauteed Savoy Cabbage and Sour Cream

3 tablespoons shredded shallot or onion
Half a small Savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Water as needed
6 tablespoons sour cream

Prepare the vegetables.

In a medium-sized frying pan, fry onion in oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown.

Add cabbage. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Fry gently, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown. Sprinkle lightly with salt several times during frying.

Add 1/4 cup water. Stir, and simmer, with pan covered, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in sour cream. Simmer, covered 2 to 3 minutes. Stir, taste, and add salt, if needed.

Keep warm until served.

Spoon generously over burgers.

Polish Easter Sausage

2010-03-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, my best friends had grandparents from Poland. I was exposed to many regional dishes, since their grandmother visited often and was a good cook.

I also worked with my friends' parents, who did catering, especially for Polish-American weddings.

A "must-have" wedding dish, but also an Easter dish, was what they called "Polish Easter Sausage," a savory combination of lightly smoked kielbasa sausage braised in a tomato-tinged sauerkraut and cabbage mixture.

The dish is Polish American, more than old-country Polish, I have learned, but became a mainstay specialty in Polish-American communities.

In Poland -- and among Polish Americans -- the typical drink with this meal is beer. But an off-dry German Riesling (Kabinett level of ripeness) or an Austrian Grüner Veltliner would also accompany the dish well.

The recipe serves 4 to 6.

Polish Easter and Wedding Sausage

1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 pound (half a small head) cabbage, quartered, cored, shredded
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon whole caraway seeds or 1/2 teaspoon juniper berries
1 small (14-ounce) can shredded sauerkraut, juice squeezed out
1 small (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, unflavored
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound kielbasa sausage cut in 2-inch lengths on a slight angle
Sour cream for serving, optional

In stainless steel or enamel pot, gently fry onion in oil, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown.

Add cabbage, and raise heat. Fry, stirring often, until starting to brown.

Add water, pepper, and caraway or juniper berries. Cover, and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, or until cabbage is starting to become tender.

Add drained sauerkraut and entire can of tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes, covered but stirring occasionally. Add a little water if becoming dry.

Add sugar, salt and kielbasa. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste cabbage. Add salt, if necessary.

If desired, sour cream can be spooned on when serving.

Serve with boiled, salted potatoes. Accompany with horseradish mustard or Dijon mustard.

A Brightly Flavored Chicken Curry

2010-03-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Way back, when I was single and before I lived in Asia, an Indian colleague, Pravan, invited me frequently to dinner with his family. Indu, his wife, was a brilliant cook.

Her seasonings were amazing, even when she made a chicken curry. She was a strict vegetarian, but would cook chicken for her family. That meant getting her Thai neighbor to cut the bird -- she couldn't face it -- and estimating her spices and salt right because she would not taste something with meat in it.

She taught me to make my first real curry, from scratch, with no premixed spice powders. I've since had fairly extensive exposure to Indian cooking, in Southeast Asia, in India and Pakistan, and in North America.

My seasonings have become more intense than Indu's, who being Gujarati had a delicate hand with aromatic spices and chilies. But other than the more Punjabi style of seasoning, the dish below is what I first enjoyed at those friends' home.

Split chicken breast halves are often on sale at the supermarket, and are generally economical. Spices are cheapest at natural food stores.

The recipe makes enough for six, probably with leftovers.

I serve this with rice. Indu made her own chapatis, which require considerable skill and experience.

Chicken Curry, North Indian Style

3 pounds split chicken breasts, with skin and bone
2 medium onions, chopped
1/4 cup canola oil -- not olive
8 whole cardamoms
8 whole cloves
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin, stacked and shredded
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup part-skim yogurt
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired

Cut off excess fat and part of skin from chicken. With sharp heavy knife or cleaver, cut chicken through the bone into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

In heavy pan, gently fry onion, cardamoms and cloves in oil, stirring frequently, until onion starts to turn golden.

Add ginger and garlic. Fry 1 minute, stirring. Add dry spices. Fry gently, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Add yogurt, water and salt. Mix and simmer a minute.

Add chicken. Over low heat, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, cook until chicken loses raw color. The gravy will be thick, but will thin as the chicken cooks further. Simmer, covered, stirring every few minutes, until chicken is tender, 30-35 minutes.

Like all curries, this dish is richer if made in advance and reheated to serve.

Serve with unsalted, or very lightly salted basmati rice. If desired, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Cream

2010-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Unusual for me, I had some rendered duck fat in my fridge the other day.

It was the remnants of the duck legs I got for enriching one of the dishes plus the soup for the family's Chinese New Year. The fat I trimmed off the duck I fried slowly to melt out the grease that is so appreciated in France.

I made two dishes with it, fried potato slices (yum) and shredded Brussels sprouts sautéed in manner of southwestern France.

Not having duck fat available very often, I could also have done this with butter.

This is a side dish, so I don't propose a specific wine just for it. But in the style of southwestern France (which despite all the duck and goose grease and fois gras they consume has some of the best cardiac health in Europe), there should be a dry, slightly hard red wine with the meal that includes this dish. The one I think of in particular is Cahors, from the region of Toulouse, but Minervois or Corbières would serve well too. The cheapest, readily available counterpart here would be a Malbec from Argentina, made from the same grape as Cahors.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Cream

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons rendered duck fat or butter
1/2 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream

Cut off bottom 1/4 inch of sprouts. Slice sprouts top to bottom 1/8-inch thick.

Place in large frying pan with grease or butter. Fry quickly until just starting to brown. Reduce heat. Add apple and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Fry over low heat, with pan covered, stirring from time to time and adding a bit of water if too dry, until sprouts are tender and apple breaks down when gently mashed. Taste sprouts and add salt as needed.

Stir in sour cream. Fry gently several minutes, until cream is hot. Remove from heat.

Taste a final time and add salt, if necessary.

Exciting Red Bean Indian Curry: Rajma

2010-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

As Lent starts once again, I lean toward dishes without meat, a carryover from my pre-Vatican II Catholic childhood. I say I lean. I don't quite fall all the way.

The season, however, makes me think of my vegetarian favorites. Many of those are Indian.

Here's a dish I can't believe I didn't get onto the blog earlier. It's a family favorite, meat or no meat. And we make it at the restaurant. Like most Indian curries, this is not a simple cooking task. And the red beans, rajma in Hindi, have to be soaked then cooked until tender with spices before adding them to the curry gravy.

The recipe is as I made it for Christina's staff meeting lunch at St. Barts. It's not quite how we make it for business at the restaurant -- I won't give that recipe away -- but it's a delicious rajma.

This should be served with basmati rice, lightly salted, with yogurt and a chutney to accompany.

The recipe serves six with leftovers.

Rajma -- Punjabi Red Bean Curry

1 pound (2 1/2 cups) dry light red kidney beans
1 large clove garlic, crushed and peeled
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large onions
1/3 cup canola oil
2 thin sticks cinnamon
6 whole cardamoms
4 whole cloves
1 1/4 inch fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, about 5 tablespoons
Salt
1/2 cup cream or undiluted evaporated (canned) milk
Coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of stems, for topping

8 or more hours before making curry, prepare the beans. Pick over dry beans and discard stones and spoiled beans. Rinse. In cooking pot, soak beans at least 8 hours in water to cover by 4 inches.

Drain. Add water up to the level of beans. Bring to a boil. Skim off foam that collects. Add the next 4 ingredients. Simmer beans covered, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if level goes below surface of the beans, until beans are tender, 45-55 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat. Do not drain.

Meanwhile, dice onions and fry them in 1/3 cup oil, along with whole spices. Stir frequently, until onions turn golden.

Peel and slice ginger, then pound it plus the peeled garlic in mortar, or puree them in small food processor, or mince together very finely on cutting board.

When onions are light golden, fry in ginger-garlic mixture for a minute, stirring constantly. Add ground spices and fry 1 minute, stirring and scraping.

Add several tablespoons of bean liquid plus tomato paste. Stir well and let simmer 3-4 minutes, or until a little oil emerges from the mixture.

Add beans, lifted from liquid with slotted spoon. Add enough of the bean liquid to make a soupy gravy around the beans. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Simmer, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.

Stir in cream or evaporated milk. Heat one minute. Remove from heat.

After 10 minutes, stir, taste, and add salt, if needed.

This is best if made ahead and rewarmed to serve. When serving, sprinkle heavily with chopped cilantro.

"Hot Blond" Chili wins Superbowl Cook-Off

2010-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Today I tested my white chili idea from several years ago. It was at the Super Bowl chili competition held by Maggies, an Atlanta sports bar. With an extra habanero pepper and the name macho-ed up for the occasion, the chili took first place.

The heat in this dish comes from habaneros, which are among the hottest peppers in the world. Including their seeds and membranes they reach up to 200,000 Scoville units. Jalapeños, by comparison, range up to 8,000 units and Tabasco up to 50,000.

The recipe serves six.

“Hot Blond” Chili

1 medium-large onion, finely chopped
2 thick or 3 thin slices hickory-smoked bacon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 to 2 small whole orange habañero chile peppers
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
Water as needed
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2 (14-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup sour cream
Grated “queso blanco” (Mexican-style crumbling cheese)
Coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of stems

Fry onion, bacon, and olive oil together until onion softens and begins to turn golden.

Reduce heat. Add garlic, herbs and spices plus habañero pepper (handled by the stem). Stir and fry one minute.

Add meat. Raise the heat. Break up meat as it fries. When raw color is gone, stir in 1/2 cup water. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender. Add a little water as needed, so there is always a bit of liquid with the meat.

Add salt and beans. Heat together for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt if needed.

Stir in sour cream and simmer several minutes. Taste for salt at end of cooking.

The chili is best made ahead and reheated to serve.

Sprinkle lightly with cheese and cilantro.

Keema: "Minced" Meat Curry with Potatoes and Peas

2010-02-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here is an updated version of what our kids loved when they were young. It is a "minced" (ground) meat curry with peas, which we called "children's curry" back then.

This is actually a classical curry from north India, a Punjabi dish. The meat there, of course, should be ground lamb, which "keema" implies. Beef would be religiously offensive in India, which is predominantly Hindu. On the other hand, in Pakistan, a Muslim country that includes the western half of the state of Punjab, beef is perfectly OK, assuming it has been properly ("halal") slaughtered.

Personally, I prefer lamb on the basis of flavor. But it is expensive, so I generally use a mixture of the two meats. The spicing is deeply aromatic. Hot pepper is, traditionally, used sparingly. The base of the curry gravy is caramelized onions, but tomato and yogurt are typically included too.

While the curry is principally ground meat, peas are a traditional accompanying ingredient. In this case it's called "Keema Muttar." "Keema Gobi" is minced meat curry with cauliflower, and "Keema Alu" is minced meat curry with potatoes.

The recipe below is for meat with peas and potatoes, or "Keema Muttar Alu."

This should be accompanied with basmati rice (see my blog posting of 1/26/08) or the flat bread known as nan. A yogurt raita (see my blog posting of 4/25/08) is the typical condiment.

The recipe serves 8, with leftovers.

Minced Meat Curry with Peas and Potatoes -- Keema Muttar Alu

2 medium-large onions, chopped
3 tablespoons canola (not olive) oil
4 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large stick of cinnamon
4 whole cloves
4 whole cardamoms
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds ground lamb, beef, or a mixture of the two
1 large baking (russet) potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons tomato paste (1/2 of a 6-ounce can -- freeze remainder in plastic bag)
2 teaspoons salt, plus to taste
1/2 cup yogurt, beaten in the cup
12 ounces frozen peas
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of stems, plus more for garnish

Fry onion in oil in heavy pan, stirring frequently, until becoming golden brown. Reduce heat.

Pound in mortar, puree in food processor, or finely mince garlic with ginger. Stir into fried onion mixture, along with whole spices. Fry gently 2 minutes.

Add ground coriander, cumin and turmeric. Stir and fry 2 minutes, adding a little oil if too dry.

Add water, paprika, cayenne, black pepper and meat. Mix well so meat breaks up before it starts to cook.

Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

Add tomato paste, salt and yogurt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until potato is tender when pierced with a toothpick.

Add frozen peas. Simmer just until fully heated. Taste and add salt, if necessary, to make the curry just slightly salty (the vegetables will soak up more salt).

Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro.

This is best made ahead, refrigerated, then reheated to serve. Taste, and add salt, if needed. Sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro when serving.

Thai cucumber and shallot relish, Ajaad, is a hit

2010-02-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

On two occasions recently after fixing this side dish for Thai curries I've had several requests for the recipe. Sometimes the condiment seems to outshine even the curry, the central dish of the meal.

This salad-like accompaniment, called ajaad in Thai, is typically served with massaman (Muslim) curry and as a side dish for satay.

Based on its name in Thai and the fact that it traditionally accompanies originally Malay dishes from southern Thailand, ajaad would appear to derive from the old-fashioned Malay sweet-sour pickled vegetable side dish known as acar. That dish, in turn, derives from Indian achar, a spicy and usually very hot pickle that accompanies curries.

But regardless of its derivation, this is a wonderfully refreshing and very Thai complement for rich, heavy meat dishes.

Thai Cucumber-Shallot Condiment, Ajaad

3 pickling style cucumbers (about 3/4 pound) or 1 large ordinary cucumber
1-2 small shallots (substitute 1 very small onion, red if possible)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons white or rice vinegar
Asian fish sauce or salt to taste
8-10 sprigs of cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 small red chili pepper

If cucumber skin is tough or waxed, peel it thinly, leaving some green color. Then quarter the cucumbers lengthwise. (In Thailand, the cucumber is not usually peeled for this dish.) If using a large regular cucumber, cut off most of the seed section.

Slice cucumber(s) (several pieces at a time) crosswise as thinly as possible.

In a bowl, cover cucumber with cold water and stir in about 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit a minute then drain thoroughly.

Peel and thinly slice shallot or onion (quarter the onion, if used, before slicing). Add it to cucumber. Stir in sugar, vinegar, 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Let sit several minutes. Stir again. Taste and add, if needed, a little sugar, vinegar, or fish sauce or salt to make the mixture sweet-sour and mildly salty.

Pick most of the cilantro leaves from their stems and add to cucumber mixture, along with some thinly sliced red chili (excluding seeds, which can be very hot). Stir.

When ready to serve, taste one last time and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve in shallow, decorative bowl, draining off part of the liquid if desired. Garnish with a few fine shreds of red chili pepper and a few more cilantro leaves.

Remarkable Double Bean Salsa

2010-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

For a large family gathering over the weekend, I was planning a special salsa, that included mashed avocado, in which to dip blue corn tortilla chips as the appetizer for our New Mexico dinner.

I planned ahead and got a bunch of avocados five days in advance to be sure they would be ripe. They weren't.

Quickly I had to improvise with a couple ingredients picked up at our Dekalb Farmers Market. The result was a creamy, spicy fresh new dish, a large cleaned-out salsa bowl and several requests for the recipe.

Here it is.

Double Bean Salsa for Dipping

1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large fresh jalapeño, including all or at least part of seeds
1 small red onion
1 medium bunch cilantro, including stems, rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can "petite" diced tomatoes (without flavorings)
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup sour cream

In food processor, finely chop beans and chickpeas, by pulsing. Scrape down inside of container several times. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.

To food processor add jalapeno, onion, cut in chunks, plus cilantro including stems (cut off bottom half inch). Pulse, then chop until very fine, scraping down inside of container. Add this mixture to beans.

Add tomatoes, including their juices, to beans. Add salt, pepper and sour cream. Stir well.

Let sit 10 minutes, stir again, then taste. Add salt as needed.

This will mellow over a half hour or more.

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Chicken à la Créole recalls the “old” Haiti

2010-01-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is an update of a recipe I posted nearly two years ago. The timing is obvious, with Haiti so tragically in the news these days.

I first encountered this savory, and attractive, way of fixing chicken legs -- and “steaks” sliced frozen from turkey legs -- in Haiti a few years ago. The venerable Hôtel Montana in Port-au-Prince, at whose dining room I enjoyed the dish, was destroyed in the recent earthquake.

“Chicken Créole,” named for people of French ancestry born in the overseas territories, is not limited to Haiti, but is a common food term throughout the French-speaking tropics. Just to confuse things, “Créole” is also the name of the Haitian dialect of French, which I cannot understand despite being fairly fluent in standard French.

Chicken Créole typically describes chicken braised in a thick, savory sauce made of locally available ingredients. These often include peppers, onions, and tomatoes, plus spices. I’ve had so-called Creole Chicken, variously made, in several countries.

The recipe below reproduces the dish I enjoyed in Haiti. Naturally, I did not get an actual recipe from the chef there. Rather, this is my rendering from memory, first tried and recorded soon after my return.

I would have had local beer with this in Haiti, since imported wines were difficult -- and expensive -- to find. However, here I would choose a light- to medium-bodied dry red wine, such as a Beaujolais, Chianti, or Malbec.

The recipe serves six generously, and should be accompanied by a rice dish. See my blog posting of 3/18/08 for a Creole rice recipe.

Haitian-style Creole Chicken

12 large chicken drumsticks (about 4 pounds)
Melted chicken fat or olive oil for frying
1 medium-large onion, chopped
1 medium-large bell pepper, cored and chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth (made from leg trimmings)
4 tablespoons tomato paste (1/2 of a 6-ounce can -- freeze the rest in a plastic bag)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme

On a cutting board, using a cleaver or kitchen scissors cut off bottom 1 1/2 inches of drumsticks. Pull skin off the meat. Sprinkle chicken moderately on all sides with salt.

In large heavy pot, fry skin and bone pieces over medium-low heat to bring out some grease and to get a crust on the pan.

Transfer fried skin and bones to a small pan, keeping grease and crust in cooking pot. Add 3 cups of water to the skin and bones. Simmer to make broth while the main dish is cooking. Skim off the fat (part of which can be used for frying the onions). Use this broth in the recipe and put any extra into the rice dish.

In the large pot, fry chicken pieces, half at a time, turning them frequently, until outsides have changed color. Meanwhile, prepare onion, pepper and garlic.

Once chicken is removed from pot, add more grease or olive oil, if needed, and fry onions, stirring frequently and scraping the pan gently until they begin to turn golden. Add garlic and peppers, and fry, stirring frequently, for two minutes.

Add fried chicken, broth, tomato paste, salt, herbs and spices. Simmer, covered, scraping bottom of pan occasionally and turning chicken. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender. If sauce gets dry, add a little broth or water.

As the chicken is cooking, taste the sauce and add salt if necessary, especially toward the end of cooking. Uncover the pan for the last several minutes for the sauce to thicken.

Serve with a rice dish.

Fish Pâté made with Tuna

2010-01-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am relearning to appreciate canned tuna in ways other than tuna salad sandwiches -- which I still love (see my blog of 9/22/07 for a California-style fruited tuna salad, for example).

This appreciation returned last summer after enjoying tuna in a delightful Thai "curry" served over rice noodles. This was prepared by my sister-in-law Nai, who is from Chiengmai, as part of a dinner that she and I cooked. (See my blog posting of 9/12/09 for a slight variant of Nai's Nam Ya Pla.)

Two dishes suddenly come back to mind that I loved long ago, but had forgotten about. Tuna-noodle casserole with cream of mushroom soup and crumbled potato chips is from my childhood. Tuna curry is something we made when I lived with West Indian students in Jamaica during my student research summers there.

Writing for the Athens Banner-Herald in my column, "Le Gourmet Fauché" (the Broke Gourmet), I did a special article in early December on non-extravagant entertainment foods for the holidays. Tuna figured into that as an inexpensive replacement for salmon pâté. I thought it worked out, and I also served it with strongly positive reviews at our Christmas open house.

This fish pâté appetizer, though a creation, hints of France or Scandinavia. It spreads well on crackers or baguette slices. Use oil-packed tuna for best flavor. Be sure the crackers are not salty or heavily seasoned.

Fish Pâté

2 (4-ounce) cans chunk light tuna, in oil
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons freshly minced dill, plus extra for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons capers, drained (rinsed if dry-packed in salt)

Drain tuna. Mix together all ingredients except capers with fork until smooth. Coarsely chop capers and mix them in.

After 10 minutes. Mix again and taste. Add salt and/or lemon juice as needed.

Spoon into serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed.

Serve sprinkled with minced dill.

Sherry-Almond Cheese Ball

2010-01-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Continuing the effort at getting recipes out on the blog after being so quiet over the holidays, here's another winter entertainment snack from my Athens Banner-Herald column from early December.

The much-maligned, if inevitable, American cheese ball got reworked with sherry and ground almonds. I used to tire of the once-trendy cheese ball, but somehow always ate some of it if it was there. Recognizing its presence as a reality, I at least put a couple of my favorite flavors in it.

Sherried Almond Cheese Ball

Almond butter, available at natural food stores and some supermarkets, provides the roasted almonds for this. The cheeses are available at the supermarket.

This recipe makes two cheese balls. Surround with roasted, unsalted almonds for an extra treat, if desired.

8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 pound sharp cheddar or Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1/4 pound Asiago cheese (domestic), grated
1/2 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons golden or Amontillado sherry
Green part of 1 large scallion (green onion), finely minced, or 3 teaspoons minced chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika or minced parsley for garnish
1 cup roasted almonds for garnish (optional)

In large bowl, mash cream cheese with fork. Mix in remaining ingredients except for garnishes.

Taste, and add salt if needed (Asiago can be salty).

Shape the soft mixture into two balls. Sprinkle lightly all over with paprika or parsley. Wrap each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or up to 3 days.

With plastic wrap still on, pat cheese balls perfectly round and smooth.

Serve on a dish. Sprinkle again lightly with paprika or parsley. Surround with roasted almonds, if desired.

Jeweled Devilled Eggs

2010-01-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Resolved this New Year: Keep more consistent on the blog.

I've been busy in December, between office, restaurant, catering and family holidays. But my writing has been going to the Athens Banner-Herald, where I have a cooking column every other week.

Here's a recipe for a holiday food, but good at other times, which I did in my special entertainment column in early December. This one was picture in a large color photo. There will be two more recipes from that column in the blog in coming days.

Finely diced red and green peppers give the spicy devilled eggs (I called them "jeweled stuffed" during the Christmas season, rather than invoke Satan) a festive look.

Jeweled Stuffed (Devilled) Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs peel best if refrigerated at least a week before boiling. Fresh eggs do not peel well.

Use an extra egg for every 12 to be served, to allow for torn whites and to make more filling with the extra yolk. Careful stirring during boiling helps center the yolks.

13 eggs (refrigerated at least a week before boiling)
2 teaspoons finely minced scallion (green and white part) or onion
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne or 4 squirts hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons each, finely minced red and green (or other colors) bell peppers

Bring eggs to a gentle boil in large uncovered pan with water 3 inches above eggs. Gently roll eggs around with spoon 4 to 5 times during first 4 minutes of simmering. Simmer a total of 14 minutes. Remove from water and cool.

Peel eggs, rinse, and dry with paper towel. Cut in half lengthwise. Gently scoop yolks into bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork. Mix in remaining ingredients except bell pepper. Let sit 10 minutes. Mix again, taste, and add salt, if desired.

Using two teaspoons, fill the best 24 egg whites with yolk mixture. Place in casserole dish(es) with high sides.

Mix red and green bell peppers. With fingers, place peppers evenly over stuffed parts of eggs.

Cover dish(es) with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed – up to 24 hours.

Serve on a bed of finely shredded lettuce.

Christmas Fruitcake Bars: Even fruitcake sceptics like them

2009-12-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

I developed this recipe on very short notice over 25 years ago when my wife suddenly needed a dessert that morning for the choir's Christmas rehearsal brunch at her former church, whose name I won't mention. Without a recipe, I had to throw together something with what loose ends I could find in the pantry. I thought it amusing, if devilish, to slip some bourbon into the fruit, since it was one of those churches (unlike her current Episcopal church or my Catholic community) where many conservative members did not approve of alcohol.

Whatever happened, the bars worked out extremely well. The following year, I made the same cakes, but this time for us. Now I wrapped them in liquor-soaked towels and aged them, as fruitcakes were traditionally prepared. We have made the fruitcake bars ever since.

There are several beauties to the recipe. One is the pan does not need lining with brown paper, a tedious part of normal fruitcake making. The cakes bake fairly quickly, unlike traditional fruitcakes. And finally, the cut bars cure quickly in the liquor fumes from the towels.

These bars are more elegant than standard fruitcakes. But best of all, people love them who say they don't like fruitcake.

Fruitcake Bars

Heat together to fluff the raisins:
1-1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup black raisins (Monuka are good)
1/2 cup bourbon

Cream together:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Beat in:
2 eggs

Add and mix well:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Add and mix in well with wooden spoon:
1-1/2 cups pecans, broken
1/2 cup candied cherries
1/2 cup candied pineapple
1/2 cup candied citron
1/2 cup candied orange peel
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dates
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped prunes
The prepared raisins and any liquid with them

Press into greased 9 by 11-inch pan or into two 8-inch square pans. Bang pan(s) on hard surface several times to remove bubbles.

Bake at 325 degrees (315 in convection oven), with pan containing boiling water on lower shelf. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until test toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan(s) overnight, covered with towel.

With sharp knife, cut cake into 1/2-inch by 1-1/2-inch bars. Lift carefully out of pan with spatula, especially if cake is soft.

Store in tightly covered tin with plastic wrap lining the bottom. Place paper towel on this, and sprinkle with brandy, rum, or bourbon. Arrange cut bars on this, with a little space between them. Add a layer of liquor-soaked paper towel, and arrange another layer of fruitcake bars. Continue filling the tin, placing liquor-soaked towels between and on top of the remaining layers of bars.

After a few days, sprinkle with several tablespoons liquor. Do this several more times, until towels remains moist.

These keep well, almost indefinately. Their flavor improves over the first several weeks of storage.

Oven-roasted Chicken Kababs

2009-11-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

In near-winter, grilling outdoors seems unappealing. But kebabs can be roasted in an oven and make a hearty dish with rice and yogurt.

Here's a kebab I suggested to a local restaurant, one of my regular hangouts, that makes excellent thin-crust pizza and pita bread, if you order it specially, in their wood-fired oven. Ultimately they didn't decide to make the kebabs.

These are based on a kebab I learned from a Turkish friend, a chef who was a co-founder of the Istanbul Café in Decatur. (Kazim has since moved elsewhere, and the current owners of Istanbul Café do their “Mediterranean Chicken” somewhat differently.)

The recipe, though different, is reminiscent of what I developed for our restaurant, Donderos’ Kitchen, in Athens, GA. It is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant, where we serve it with pilaf rice and tsadziki (called cacik [ja JEEK] in Turkish).

There are recipes on this blog for pilaf (1/5/07, 3/30/08) and for cacik/tsadziki sauce (4/25/08).

The chicken is marinated 1 to 3 days in advance.

Makes 6 portions.

Oven-roasted Chicken Kebabs

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (remove tough and fatty parts), cut in 1-1/2 by 2-inch pieces, 3/4-inch thick
1/2 inch of fresh ginger
1 very small onion
1 medium clove of garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive-canola oil mixture

Prep chicken.

Peel ginger (with teaspoon), then thinly slice it. Puree it in food processor with onion, garlic and lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl, scraping out the container. Add dry seasonings, cornstarch and oil. Add chicken and mix well.

Let marinate (zip-lock plastic bag works well)at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight, and up to three days, refrigerated. Stir, or squeeze bag, occasionally.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Set chicken on a flat wide baking pan with space between the pieces. Roast on the top shelf. After 6 minutes, turn the chicken pieces with a spatula. Let bake an additional 4-5 minutes, or until starting to brown. Do not overcook.

Pork Stewed with Quince

2009-11-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here's an autumnal stew. Pork is remarkably cheap right now. Quinces are in selective markets -- like Dekalb Farmers Market -- for a few weeks. Nothing is quite like the fruity taste of quinces, but Granny Smith apples with 1 cup grapefruit juice replacing some of the water would be a substitute.

The quantity is large, due to the size of the pork loins. But leftovers are very tasty.

A spicy medium-bodied red wine, like a Spanish Garnacha, Cotes du Rhone, or California or French Syrah would complement well, as would a dry Riesling.

Pork stewed with Quince

3 1/2 pounds pork loin

Trim off fat and tough parts, and render fat in medium hot stewing pot. Cut meat in 1 1/4-inch chunks.

Fry pork, part at a time, in some of the rendered oil, sprinkling moderately with salt and pepper. Remove pork to bowl.

In some more oil, fry until softened:
2 medium-large onions, diced
2 large bay leaves

When softened, add pre-fried pork,
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quinces, peeled, cored, and chopped

Simmer until pork is beginning to become tender, stirring frequently. Add:
3 teaspoons salt
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces

Simmer, adding a little water as needed, until potatoes are becoming tender. Taste and add salt as needed. Stir in:
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Let sit a while, or refrigerate overnight. Reheat, stirring frequently so it does not scorch. Taste and adjust salt, if needed,

Serve with brown rice, noodles, or boiled potatoes

Aubergine Provençale: At the end of the season, the best eggplant dish

2009-11-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Having a pair of late eggplants from Roots Farm near Athens, courtesy of Kevin and Maria, I needed to make something I've thought about for a long time.

In France with the family of our "French Son," Thomas Ménard, who spent three summers with us in Atlanta as a teenager, I tasted a wonderful eggplant dish his mother made. Sylvie was from Marseilles and her cooking remained Provençal. I thought she told me this was a "gratin" of eggplant, despite having tomato rather than béchamel (cream) sauce as most gratins do.

Recently Thomas, now an engineer with four kids and working for an American firm, visited me in Atlanta. I recalled the eggplant gratin with him, and he claimed that Sylvie's eggplant gratin did indeed have béchamel. Apparently what I recalled was a different Provençal dish, simply called Provençal eggplant, or in French, Aubergine Provençale.

That's what I made this afternoon. And if that's possible it was even better than what I recalled. Christina and I finished the entire casserole. Then Bona licked out the casserole dish.

The dish makes a delicious supper on its own, or serves as an elegant side dish to grilled chops or roasted meat. We ate it alone, without even salad or bread.

We had a California Merlot, which went well with it. The traditional Provençal red wine would be a Côtes du Rhône, or some other Syrah and Grenache combination.

The recipe serves four to six.

Eggplant Provençal -- Aubergine Provençale

2 (1-pound) eggplants
Salt and pepper
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Olive oil for topping and for sauce
1 large clove garlic minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can finely diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
Several small sprigs fresh oregano and basil

Cut stem and 1/8 inch off bottom of eggplants. Peel eggplants in alternating strips, leaving half the skin. Slice 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle generously with salt, and let sit 1 hour to extract the bitter juices. Rinse and drain well.

Beat egg and water lightly in flat dish. Put breadcrumbs in another dish.

Heat griddle. Oil well with canola oil. Dip eggplant slices in egg, and shake off most. Lightly sprinkle both sides with bread crumbs (use only part), and fry eggplant over medium-low heat. Do this in several batches, removing fried slices to a 9 by 11-inch casserole as they turn lightly golden. Add more oil as needed for frying the subsequent batch(es).

Sprinkle fried eggplant slices evenly with the cheese as they are added to the casserole.

Set oven for 350 degrees.

In small pot, fry minced garlic briefly with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add tomatoes plus 1/4 cup water to rinse out can. Add paprika, sugar, fresh herbs, and salt to taste. Simmer about 5 minutes, crushing tomato with spoon to soften.

Spoon tomato sauce over eggplant slices. Moisten remaining breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Sprinkle crumbs over the mixture.

Bake about 40 minutes, or until liquid is bubbling throughout and crumbs darken a little. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

"Ceylonese" Pork or Beef Curry: one from my memory

2009-10-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

When we lived those years in Malaysia, there was a group known as "Ceylonese." I worked with several such colleagues.

During British colonial times, before 1960, many of the railway workers came to "Malaya" from what was then Ceylon. (That island nation just south of India has been known as Sri Lanka since its independence.) Most of the Malaysians of Celonese ancestry were ethnic Tamils and largely Hindu. They were related ancestrally to the Tamils from South India, of whom there were many in Malaysia.

The curry below, however is from the ethnic Sinhalese majority of Sri Lanka. Being Buddhists, they are allowed to eat beef and pork, unlike their Tamil Hindu countrymen.

The "Ceylonese" curry otherwise shares features with South Indian curries, including coconut milk rather than yogurt or tomatoes, multiple spices, ground fennel, lemon grass, curry leaves and fiery taste. My recipe omits the curry leaves because they're hard to find. It is also less hot. But its flavor is rich, different from the more familiar North Indian curries, and uses pork with an option for beef.

This goes well with Basmati rice as a substitute for the "par-boiled" rice or rice cakes of Sri Lanka and South India. I would not salt the rice for this curry (the local rice dishes, though with different rice, are usually not salted).

As always, this sort of dish goes with beer, or a dry Riesling or, perhaps, a Sauvignon Blanc. The recipe serves 6.

"Ceylonese" Pork or Beef Curry

1 1/2 pound pork butt (after trimming off fat) or stewing beef, in 1 1/4-inch cubes
3 stalks lemon grass, fatter half well bruised, top half discarded
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 1/4-inch chunks
1 very large or 2 medium-large onions, diced
1 large bell pepper, red or green, in 1-inch squares
1/2 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (freeze the remainder)
2 cans water
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
4 whole cardamoms
4 whole cloves
5 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus to taste
1 tablespoon vinegar

Prepare the meat. Heat large pot with coconut milk, water, and lemon grass. Boil 5 minutes, then add meat part at a time, letting outside lose the raw color before adding the next portion. Cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is becoming tender (pork 25-35 minutes, beef 55-65 minutes).

Meanwhile prepare remaining ingredients. Store cut potatoes in water. Combine dry ground spices, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus vinegar.

While meat is cooking, in a separate pan, gently fry onions plus whole spices in oil until onions start to turn golden. Lower heat. Add garlic and ginger. Fry 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ground spice mixture. Stir and fry 2 minutes. Add several tablespoons water and set aside until needed.

When meat is nearly tender, add potatoes plus 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are becoming tender.

Stir in fried spices. Simmer several minutes. Add bell pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat, potatoes, and peppers are tender. Taste, and add salt to taste.

The curry can be served now, but is richer if stored and reheated. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Kofta Curry: Spicy Pakistani Meatball and Potato Curry

2009-10-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have always loved meatballs. Maybe that's from growing up around Italian Americans. Well seasoned ground meat dishes have appealed to me more than steaks and chops for as long as I can remember.

Savory meatballs, especially made with lamb, extend from the Balkan countries through Turkey and the Middle East, to as far east as India. They typically are named some variant of the Persian word kofta.

Here is a curry of meatballs, a kofta curry. Because it is made from beef, this is a Pakistani dish. For Indian kofta, use ground lamb instead. It is a very rich dish, aromatic with spices. Typically, this is not a "hot" curry, as in hot from chilies.

Serve this with lightly salted basmati rice (my blog 1/26/08) and accompany with plain yogurt or raita (my blog 4/25/08).

The recipe serves six when accompanied by rice.

Kofta (Meatball) and Potato Curry

Sauce
2 medium-large onions, coarsely diced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 sticks cinnamon
5 whole cardamoms
3 whole cloves
2 medium large russet potatoes, peeled, in 1-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tablespoons ground coriander
7 teaspoons ground cumin
5 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel
3/8 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro with some of the stems

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (not too lean)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 teaspoons cornstarch (not traditional, but works well)

In large pot, fry onion in oil with cinnamon, cardamoms, and cloves, stirring frequently, until starting to turn golden. Add potatoes, and fry, stirring frequently, until outsides appear cooked, 7-8 minutes.

Stir in garlic and ginger, and simmer 1 minute. Add dry spices, and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add tomato paste, water, and salt. Simmer gently 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, mix meatball ingredients, and knead well. Shape into 1-inch balls.

When sauce has simmered, drop meatballs in, and simmer 20 minutes. Swirl pot to move meatballs around, until they are firm. Then stir gently.

Taste sauce. Add salt, if needed. Stir in coriander leaves and remove from heat.

This is best if cooled, then reheated to serve. The curry can be refrigerated up to 4 days. Taste to check salt after reheating.

Serve with basmati rice, cooked with a little salt (1/2 teaspoon to 1 cup rice), Accompany with yogurt or raita.

Spicy Braised Eggplant with Lentils

2009-10-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I did an article in the Living section of the Athens Banner-Herald on eggplant. The article included five international and internationally inspired recipes for using that wonderful vegetable. Eggplant grows extremely well in Georgia, producing heavily in mid to late summer, but cooking it here is pretty much limited to eggplant parmesan and batter-fried strips. Here's one of my recipes from the article.

Although this stew-like dish tastes Mediterranean, it is in fact a creation that combines some of my favorite flavors and textures. During cooking, the eggplant melts down into a rich creamy sauce.

This can serve a substantial vegetable with roasted or grilled meat, or as a main dish when accompanied by rice. Alternatively, if diluted with more liquid, it makes a full-bodied soup.

I enjoy dry, spicy Garnacha/Grenache wines with a dish like this. Alternatively, a Malbec from Argintina does well.

The recipe serves six, with leftovers.

Spicy Braised Eggplant with Lentils

1 pound (2-1/4 cups) dry tan/green (ordinary) lentils
1 medium eggplant (1 to 1-1/4 pounds)
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 stick celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 medium-sized tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons salt plus to taste
2 cups water or unsalted broth
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat (“Italian”) parsley
1/4 cup either canned, evaporated milk or sour cream

Place lentils in large bowl. Add boiling water to cover by 3 inches. Soak until needed.

Peel alternating strips of skin from eggplant, keeping about half the skin attached. Cut eggplant in 1-inch chunks. Soak 30 minutes in salted water (4 teaspoons salt to 8 cups water), stirring occasionally.

In large pot, gently fry onion in oil, stirring frequently, until turning golden. Add celery and garlic. Fry several minutes, then reduce heat.

Stir in seasonings other than salt. After one minute, add tomato and fry until softened, stirring frequently.

Drain eggplant. Add to onion-tomato mixture. Increase heat, and fry 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Drain lentils. Add to pot, along with salt and water or broth. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot, until lentils are tender but not disintegrated. During cooking, add a little water, if needed, to keep mixture moist.

Taste, and add salt if necessary. Stir in parsley plus milk or sour cream. Heat until bubbling. Remove from heat.

Serve as vegetable side dish or as main dish with rice. Or, add extra liquid, adjust salt, and serve as soup.

Vindaloo: The curry where Portugal meets India

2009-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Fusion" was trendy in restaurant cooking a decade ago. But it often just meant throwing Thai curry paste or coconut milk into an otherwise Western dish. Real fusion, with a small "f," has happened organically and gradually over the ages as cultures interact, instead of by some chef's design.

The Portugese were the first Europeans to extensively explore and live in Asia. Goa, a prominent Portugese colony on the west coast of India from the early 1500s until 1961, was a major cultural meeting ground, where now the largely Indian inhabitants have some Portugese ancestry and Portugese names and practice Catholicism. Goa is also the home of vindaloo, an intensely hot curry, classically of pork (which is not eaten by India's Hindus or Muslims) marinated in vinegar and spices.

The old Portugese dish "Carne de Vinha d'Alhos" (meat cooked with wine and garlic) gradually morphed into "vindaloo" by switching from wine to wine vinegar ("vinegar" means sour, or acidic, wine) to vinegar from other sources, and by increasing the spicing. The curry with the corrupted Portugese name, now a staple in Indian restaurants when made with lamb or chicken, has two characteristics that are unusual in Indian cooking, pork and pickling the meat with vinegar.

The recipe below has much less hot pepper than a Goanese vindaloo. The pickling process for the meat requires 12 to 24 hours.

One recipe will serve six generously. Eat it with unsalted white rice.

Because of the heavy spicing and hot peppers, this dish is a candidate only for beer, and not wine. Alternatively, a cold limeade or iced tea would go well.

Pork Vindaloo

2 1/4 pounds lean pork (butt or loin)
Marinade
1/4 cup wine vinegar or white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 teaspoons turmeric
4 teaspoons ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
4 whole cloves
4 whole green cardamom pods
1 large stick cinnamon, broken in half
2 bay leaves, broken in half
Curry
2 medium-large onions, diced
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Cilantro for topping

Trim off excess fat from meat. Cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Marinate, cold, 12 to 24 hours with vinegar, garlic and seasonings. Stir from time to time.

In heavy stainless steel or enamel pan (not cast iron or aluminum), fry onions slowly in oil, stirring frequently, until beginning to turn golden.

Add ginger and garlic. Fry, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste or tomatoes, and stir and fry briefly.

Add pork and its marinade. Increase heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until meat loses raw color. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until pork is tender. Add a little water from time to time, so the sauce stays thickly soupy. Add salt when meat is nearly done.

Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Taste and add salt, if necessary. The dish is richer in flavor if made ahead and reheated.

When serving, sprinkle generously with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves. Accompany with unsalted white rice.

Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef: Using meat for flavor

2009-09-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Throughout history, meat, even for hunter-gather societies, was occasional. Animal protein was a lucky highlight rather than a staple. Even today, the great majority of the world's population eats meat, if at all, as something to flavor rather than center the meal.

We Americans typically consider meat -- or fish -- the focus of dining, except perhaps for soup or seasoning with broth. Potatoes, rice, or vegetables serve primarily as side dishes. Our culinary heritage is rich in meat, especially in the German-American cooking of the Midwestern "Heartland" -- a medically ironic term.

Elsewhere in the hemisphere meat, especially beef, looms even larger. The Argentineans and Brazilians are notorious meat eaters. "Argentinean" attached to "Restaurant" means steak house. When as a student I lived with families in Colombia and Costa Rica, fried steak was part of almost every breakfast.

By contrast, in some of Europe and most of Asia, meat is the minority food, the expensive touch to the meal, the food for celebrations.

Some smug Western writers have suggested that curry seasoning was a way to disguise the taste of spoiling meat. In fact, curries are a way of stretching freshly butchered meat bought the same day at market. Lots of savory sauce enhances the meat and flavors the rice or bread that is the true base of the meal. A scrawny chicken or small chunk of meat can thus feed a large family.

Having spent a number of years in Asia, I also tend to view meat as a way of flavoring, rather than being, the meal. (That said, I won't turn down a juicy steak or a pile of barbecue, if offered.)

Here's a dish I developed to explore seasoning with meat. This Eastern Mediterranean style of lentil and vegetable stew uses the approach that is more typical in Asian cooking. It has plenty of protein, as well as flavor -- just not a lot of meat. See if you think the experiment worked.

Based on the contents and seasonings, I would serve a spicy red wine like a Grenache/Garnacha or Côtes du Rhône with this.

The recipe will serve six. Many different accompaniments could go with this, like noodles, brown or regular rice, other grains, or good crusty bread.

Butternut and Lentils braised with Beef

3/4 cup tan (ordinary) lentils
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 medium-large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped, or 2 tablespoons tomato paste (freeze the rest)
1 1/2 cups water
1 small (1 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 cup low-fat yogurt

Place lentils in large bowl and cover with boiling water 3 inches above the lentils.

In heavy pot, fry ground beef and onions together, stirring occasionally, until both are looking well cooked.

Reduce heat. Add garlic, ginger, spices and herbs. Fry, stirring frequently, one minute. Add tomato or paste, and simmer another minute.

Drain lentils, and add them to pot. Add water. Simmer, covered, stirring from time to time, until lentils are becoming tender. Add a little water if mixture is sticking.

Add butternut and 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer, covered, and stirring occasionally until butternut becomes tender. Add a little water, as needed, to keep mixture from sticking. As butternut becomes tender, add remaining salt.

When lentils and butternut are tender, beat yogurt in a small bowl with a fork and stir it into pot. Bring back to a light bubble. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and add salt if needed.

Serve with noodles, rice or other grain, or crusty bread.

Thai-Chinese Stir-fried Shrimp with Asparagus in Oyster Sauce

2009-09-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

For reasons I don't understand, I have put few stir-fried dishes on my blog. A reader asked for more recipes after I posted one on stir-fried broccoli (5/26/09). In three years of this blog, I only have one other stir-fry recipe (on 10/27/08).

Yet at home, basically Chinese stir-fries have been pretty much my most frequent dishes for family and friends. Ever since our years in Malaysia and sharing kitchen duties with a skillful Chinese cook, quickly made stir-fried treats have been family favorites.

The dishes are sometimes the main course with unsalted Thai jasmine rice (blog post of 1/26/08). Sometimes they are side dishes for Thai curries. Healthy, economical and quick to make, stir-fries typically use meat or seafood in small quantities as flavoring rather than principal ingredient. There are, of course, both purely vegetarian stir-fries and those heavy in meat or seafood. But even for the meat or seafood dishes, vegetables are present in quantity for contrast and texture.

Here is a colorful stir-fried vegetable dish garnished with shrimp that in Thailand would accompany a richly flavored curry or other meat or fish dish. It could also, along with rice, stand as the principal dish for a lunch.

Of obvious Chinese ancestry, this recipe nonetheless has uniquely Thai touches, including the use of fish sauce (nam pla) rather than soy sauce. Another Thai feature is that the sauce around the vegetables is neither oily nor thickened, as Chinese stir-fried dishes can be.

The recipe serves six as a side dish, or 4 as a main luncheon or supper dish. Either way, it would always be served with white unsalted rice.

Thai-Chinese Shrimp with Asparagus

1/2 pound shrimp, as fresh as possible (or frozen, raw)
1 small bunch of thin asparagus
1 medium crown of broccoli
2 large scallions (green onions), including the greens
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
2 tablespoons canola oil (not olive)
1-1/2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce (available at Asian groceries)
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (available at Asian groceries), or soy sauce

If using frozen shrimp, defrost them quickly in a bowl of cool water, changing the water once or twice. If fresh shrimp, rinse well.

Drain shrimp. Peel them, leaving tail shells on. De-vein by cutting shallowly down the middle of the back of the shrimp and lifting out vein with the tip of a knife. Butterfly shrimp, if desired, by slicing down part way into the middle of the back (near the head end) along the vein line. Rinse, then pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Refrigerate until needed.

Prepare vegetables, placing them in separate piles until needed: Cut off tough lower third of asparagus stems. Cut asparagus into 2-inch lengths, slicing stem on an angle. Cut off all but about 1-1/2 inches of broccoli stem. Cut broccoli lengthwise into small, similarly sized flowerets, each with a strip of stem. Cut scallions diagonally into 1-inch lengths. Mince garlic. Slice ginger paper-thin. Stack up slices and shred them into narrow threads.

In wok or large frying pan, precook asparagus in one cup of boiling, lightly salted water, stirring and tossing until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1/2 minute. Lift out of water and store on a plate. Reheat water and precook broccoli similarly. Reserve blanching water in a cup. Rinse wok or pan.

Reheat wok or pan to medium high. Add oil, garlic and ginger. Stir and fry briefly until fragrant but not browned, 10 to 15 seconds. Add shrimp and stir and fry until the color has mostly turned pink. Add precooked vegetables plus scallion. Stir once. Add oyster sauce and fish or soy sauce. Add one tablespoon of vegetable water. Stir and fry briefly.

Taste sauce. It should be slightly salty (the vegetables will soak up salt). If necessary, add a little salt. Serve immediately on a platter or plate, heaped up in the middle.

Thai Triple-Fish Nam Ya Curry with Rice Noodles

2009-09-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

During our summer trip, I was reintroduced to a Thai dish I did not remember well. It was so outstanding, I'm not sure how its memory faded. I would have had it at Thai homes years ago. Perhaps the swirl of flavors back then and the stunningly new tastes obscured this one. Well no longer.

In Northern Virginia, my sister-in-law, Nai, who is from Chiang Mai, Thailand, made it as part of a dinner she and I co-prepared. (I fixed Indian food, and the dishes fit well together.)

The base for Nai's dish was "kanom jeen," literally Chinese snack or cake. It is a swirled pad of rice noodles on which, in this case, Nam Ya, a curry-like sauce with fish, was ladled. Nam ya literally means medicine water. Blanched beansprouts and narrowly cut green beans, along with Asian basil are the accompaniments.

Kanom jeen with whatever topping is an appetizer course or a light meal, rather than part of the main course of a traditional dinner.

The fish is traditionally chopped, making Nam Ya a somewhat lumpy pinkish-brown sauce to spoon over the rice noodles. I use tuna, as I learned from Nai, plus tilapia. The third fish is the anchovy in nam pla, Thai fish sauce.

No specific drink goes with this, because it is a starter course rather than a main dish. But in Thailand with the entire meal the drink would be beer, especially Singha, which is imported here. Wines are hard to pair with this one. The best bets would fruity and gently acidic whites like Sauvignon Blanc, dry Riesling, or a wonderful wine from Argentina I'm just becoming familiar with, Torrantes.

Thai Triple-Fish Nam Ya with Kanom Jeen

Make curry ahead and rewarm to serve.

3 tablespoons Nam Ya curry paste (available only in 14-ounce containers -- freeze the remainder, placing the container in a zip-lock bag)
2 (5-ounce) cans light tuna in water, drained
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk plus 2 tablespoons water
2 stalks lemon grass
12 ounces fresh or frozen tilapia
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
8 leaves Asian or regular basil

In sauce pan, heat curry paste and tuna together, stirring frequently, until starting to bubble. Add coconut milk. Rinse out can with 2 tablespoons water, and add it to the mixture.

Cut lemon grass into 4-inch pieces, and bruise with side of cleaver or bottom of pot. Add to the mixture. Simmer 10 minutes.

Quickly thaw tilapia, if frozen, in lukewarm water. Or if fresh, rinse it off. Cut into 1/2-inch squares, and add to curry. Stir and simmer several minutes until tilapia looks cooked. The mixture should be thick but creamy and pourable. If it looks too thick, add a little water.

Stir in fish sauce and sugar, and remove from heat. Stir in basil leaves. Remove lemon grass stalks, shaking off clinging curry.

Taste, and add more fish sauce if not salted enough.

Kanom Jeen

12 to 14 ounces straight rice vermicelli ("Guilin" style, Golden Eagle brand works well)

Bring large quantity of water to boil. Add noodles, and stir with long fork until noodles soften, so they do not stick. Boil, stirring frequently, until tender to the bite, 6-8 minutes, depending on the brand.

Drain in colander. Rinse with cold water, mixing noodles to cool thoroughly. Drain well.

Pick up small handful of noodles and swirl them gently on a large platter to make small, flat circular packet of noodles. Repeat, making packets of the same size, until noodles are used up.

Cover platter with plastic wrap and let sit at least 15 minutes at room temperature to set the noodles. The noodles can held like this up to two hours. If holding for longer, refrigerate noodles but bring back to room temperature to serve.

Prussian Meatballs: Echoes from a vanished kingdom

2009-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

The historic and cultured East Prussian port city of Königsberg ("king’s mountain"), established as a German outpost by the crusading 13th century Teutonic Knights, became wealthy during the Hanseatic League and was later home of the Prussian kings. Königsberg is no more.

Extensively bombed by the Allies toward the end of World War II, the city was captured by the Soviet Army, its German population expelled, and recreated as the Russian city of Kaliningrad. However Prussian meatballs, "Königsberger Klopse" (literally meat dumplings in Low German), live on in the traditional cuisine of Germany.

I first tasted and became enchanted with these huge, elegant meatballs, enriched with spices and minced anchovies, as a teenager. My mother and I were invited to dinner at the home of her boss, a professor from Austria. His wife Edi, a substantial, cheery German woman, had been a soldier during the war, serving as a truck driver and mechanic. Her meatballs, learned during childhood, showed an exotic trace. Cuisines in port cities often do. Curry overtones brightened the otherwise very German caper sauce.

It took some trial and error to reproduce Edi's Prussian meatballs. The recipe serves six plentifully, as is the German custom. Accompany the meatballs with boiled potatoes or noodles.

Consistent with the origins of this dish, beer would be the drink. However, a chilled Riesling, preferably dry or nearly dry, would also pair with the subtly complex flavors.

Prussian Meatballs -- Königsberger Klopse

Meatballs:
4 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 tablespoons quick-cooking oatmeal
1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets, including their oil
6 tablespoons unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
2 pounds ground beef chuck or 1 pound each ground chuck and pork

Broth and sauce:
3 cups water
4 slices of onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon curry powder (or 1/4 teaspoon each coriander, cumin, and turmeric, large pinch each ground fennel and cayenne)
1 tablespoon flour mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained (rinsed, if packed in salt)
Minced parsley for garnish

Gently fry onion in oil until softened. Transfer to bowl.

With chef's knife on cutting board, coarsely chop oatmeal. Add to bowl. Pour oil from anchovies into bowl. Mince anchovies, and add to bowl. Add crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, pepper, and eggs. Beat everything together lightly. Mix meat in well with your hands.

With moistened hands shape six large evenly-sized meatballs. Set them on waxed paper. Chill them if there is time.

In a wide pot, simmer water, onion slices, bay leaf, and salt. Gently place meatballs in the water. Cover pan and steam meat balls 10 minutes over low heat. Carefully turn meatballs with thin spatula. Steam them 10 more minutes. Turn once more, and steam 5 minutes.

With slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to serving platter. Cover loosely with waxed paper, and keep warm.

Remove bay leaf and onion from the broth. Skim off grease. Add curry powder or spices. Boil broth down to about 1-1/2 cups. Reduce heat. Whisk in flour-oil mixture. Simmer 2 minutes, whisking often.

Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Taste sauce, and add salt if needed.

Spoon sauce over meat balls (do not pour from pan, or it be messy). Dust with a little minced parsley.

Serve with boiled, buttered potatoes or egg noodles.

Mum's Luscious Chocolate Frosting: Amazingly easy

2009-09-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

My mother, though quite a good cook, lived the philosophy that if it needed more than one bowl or one pot it was too fussy.

A practical woman, she started her career as a social worker, then raised four kids, then worked as an administrative assistant at a university. After retirement she worked as town librarian to the age of 82. Fussy in the kitchen was not her style.

Yet several stunningly good dishes came from her repertoire, a few of them still made by her grandchildren. One of those dishes, that tastes of my childhood, is chocolate frosting that is rich yet practically fat-free. It is presented below.

Recently Christina produced a double chocolate cake for a friend's farewell luncheon. Both the cake and the silken frosting were simple to make from scratch and were from Mum's recipes. The easy but elegant chocolate cake was posted on my blog on 7/13/08, and is quickly retrievable from the blog archives.

The boiled chocolate frosting, velvety and gleaming, tastes remarkably intense. Yet it actually uses less sugar than a typical frosting and contains no butter. We made this one often when we lived overseas in the tropics, where confectioner's sugar was hard to find and butter expensive.

Mum claimed this was originally a cake filling rather than a frosting. But it was her standard chocolate frosting, and the favorite of her kids.

A recipe covers an 8- to 9-inch layer cake.

Mum's Rich Boiled Chocolate Frosting

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup milk (she sometimes used canned evaporated milk)
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In heavy sauce pan, combine cornstarch and sugar with a whisk. Mix in milk, chocolate squares and salt.

Heat rapidly, stirring almost constantly with whisk. When chocolate has melted, simmer 10 minutes, stirring very frequently.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Stir often as frosting cools to just warm. Spread it still warm on cooled cake.

Zucchini Jambalaya: Not Really Louisiana

2009-08-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

I checked with my informant on such matters, Katy, a New Orleanian Katrina exile who knows a lot about cooking. She says zucchini would not, to her knowledge at least, be used in jambalaya.

Zucchini is recent in Lousiana cooking, and jambalaya traditional. So traditional, in fact, that it goes back to the dishes of rice cooked with meat, seafood or vegetables introduced by the Spanish Lousiana Creoles. Few Americans recall that Spain ruled New Orleans and Louisiana for decades in the late 1700s, including when the "Cajuns," the defeated French who were driven out of the Canadian region of Acadie, arrived.

Jambalaya is in an extensive family of rice dishes cooked with seasonings and various ingredients (think paella, think pilaf) that originated in Central Asia and came to Spain with the Moors and Arabs.

Although non-traditional, zucchini, for which I am seeking more ways to fix, gives an interesting freshness and tang to jambalaya. Try this otherwise traditional recipe if you doubt it.

Jambalaya with Zucchini

3/4 pound smoked ham (from the deli, sliced 1/4-inch thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-large onion, in 1/4-inch dice
3 sticks celery, in 1/4-inch dice
1 small red bell pepper, in 1/4-inch dice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, in 1/2-inch cubes
2-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning ("Louisiana" or "Cachere")
3 tablespoons tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water
1-1/2 pounds young zucchini, in 1/2-inch dice
2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
Sliced green onions (green and white parts) plus coarsely chopped parsley for serving

Cut ham in 1/4-inch cubes. In heavy pot, fry it gently in oil until starting to brown.

Add onions and celery, and fry until softened, stirring from time to time. Add bell pepper, and fry briefly.

Add chicken and Cajun seasoning, and fry until raw color changes. Add tomato paste, water, and zucchini. Simmer, covered and stirring from time to time, until zucchini is tender. Turn off heat.

While the mixture is cooking, rinse and drain rice. In a different pot, bring it to a boil with the salt and 2-3/4 cups water. Do not stir. Cover tightly when mixture boils, reduce to lowest heat and simmer without opening lid. Set timer for 20 minutes. When time is up, turn off heat, but keep pot covered. Let rest 10 minutes.

Stir, then taste zucchini mixture. Add salt if necessary to make it just faintly salty.

In large bowl, gently toss the mixture and the rice together. Return jambalaya to meat-zucchini pot, place sheet of waxed paper over pot and replace lid.

Keep warm until needed for serving. If holding for a while, place in 150 degree oven, or place pot in a large frying pan, add water 1-inch deep to pan, and keep on simmer.

Serve sprinkled generously with sliced green onion and parsley. Accompany by Louisiana hot sauce.

Fish Curry: Authentic and easy

2009-08-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

With several friends visiting Malaysia and sending back daily updates and photos, I was indirectly reminded of some of the cooking I learned when we lived in that country for much of the 70s.

In particular, an Indian fish curry came to mind, one I used to make frequently back then. What set it apart from other curries, which I often still cook, is the ease of making it. I learned it as a "korma," one of the curries with a smooth, fragrant but not too hot sauce.

Ironically that fish dish was not like the typical fish curries we got at Indian restaurants or at the homes of friends. Rather it was based on a recipe from a cookbook (which I still have) written by "Mrs. P Majumdar," an Indian woman living in Singapore. At some later point, I met Mrs. Majumdar's daughter, and found out that her mother was from Bengal, in eastern India, an area with fairly different cooking from what we had in Malaysia.

I had changed a number of things in the recipe, but kept the core principle of marinating the fish in spices, lime juice, and yogurt, then cooking it quickly.

Here it is, filtered through my memory and made with ingredients available in the US. Having revived it recently and guineapigged it on some neighbors who are long-time friends, I don't understand why I neglected it for so long.

The recipe serves six, accompanied by lightly salted rice and a vegetable curry, yogurt, and chutneys. The dish went well with an unoaked Chardonnay when we tested it with our friends.

Fish Korma after that of Mrs. Majumdar

1-1/2 pounds tilapia, either very fresh or still frozen
4 teaspoons lime juice
8 tablespoons yogurt, whole milk or low fat
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 small-medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 small bay leaves
2 small sticks cinnamon, broken in half
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of stems, for serving

If fish is still frozen, thaw quickly in lukewarm water. If fresh, rinse fish. Cut in 1-inch squares and place in bowl.

Marinate with lime juice, yogurt, salt and ground spices for at least 20 miuntes. (Or mix ahead and store up to several hours refrigerated.) Prepare onion, garlic, and ginger.

Heat oil in heavy pan. Add whole spices and let splutter while stirring for several seconds. Add onion and fry, stirring frequently, until starting to turn golden. Add ginger, garlic, and sugar. Fry one minute. Add water, and let boil half a minute.

Add fish and all its marinade. Over medium-high heat, bring just to a full bubble, stirring carefully so as not to break up fish. This will be enough to cook the fish. Remove from heat.

Taste sauce, and add salt if needed. Serve immediately, accompanied by lightly salted rice.

Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney for Curries: Beautiful and easy

2009-08-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

This easy side dish for curries and rice is patterned after one that was served, and allegedly created, at a family-run Indian vegetarian restaurant I used to frequent in Atlanta. It would have been called something like "gobi chatney."

Chutneys are any number of fresh or cooked condiments to accompany Indian snacks and meals. Americans usually think just of the bottled "Major Grey's" chutney from England. That sweet, gingery bottled mango mixture, as tasty as it may be, is Anglo-Indian -- a 19th Century fusion enjoyed by British colonialists back home from India or out in the other colonies. While Major Grey's is not really Indian, Indian merchants are not adverse to making it to sell to the foreigners.

The restaurant, "Chaat Pati," made their chutney with green cabbage. Having some red cabbage to use up recently, I tried recreating what I remembered in red rather than green. It seemed to work well. The flavor and texture were pretty much what I recalled. The rich red color, which develops once the lime juice is added, was a bonus.

The recipe needs about a quarter of a medium head of red cabbage, minus the core. Cabbage is easily sliced, then briefly chopped on a cutting board with a chef's knife. The total preparation time for the batch of chutney was less than ten minutes.

Fresh Red Cabbage Chutney

1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Slice cabbage as for coleslaw. Chop coarsely on board. Place in large glass measuring cup or bowl. Mix in the salt.

In a small pan, heat oil to medium hot. Remove from heat and stir in cumin seeds. When they stop spluttering, stir in cayenne. Immediately add seasoned oil to the cabbage, using some cabbage to help scrape out the pan.

Mix well. Stir in lime juice and let cool, stirring occasionally.

The chutney is ready in half an hour. Serve in a small dish to be spooned onto dinner plates at the edge of the rice.

Orange-Rose Chili with Lentils: Chile Rosado con Lentejas

2009-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Cooking for my wife's Monday lunchtime church staff meeting, a group that agreed to be guinea pigs, has led to developing a number of dishes. Several constraints shape what turns up. The logistics favor reheatable one-pot stews, curries, and chilis that are prepared ahead, plus rice or other grains served hot from the rice cooker. I also need to avoid cooking with nuts and seeds.

Here's a chili I developed for the group's next meeting. I aimed for a pink-colored chili but wound up with an orange-pink color. Since I worked with lentils this time, one of my favorite legumes, the dish was quicker to prepare from scratch than a chili with beans.

While I haven't yet tried this with a beverage, like most chili dishes it presumably does well with beer or medium-bodied red wines.

The recipe serves 4 to 6. Make a double batch to have leftovers, which are even richer flavored.

Orange-Rose Chili with Lentils -- Chile Rosado con Lentejas

3/4 pound (1-3/4 cups) dry tan/green lentils
1 medium onion, coarsely diced
1 pound ground beef, not too lean
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 of a (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 medium-large red bell pepper, finely diced
2 teaspoons salt, plus to taste
1/2 cup canned evaporated (not sweetened) milk
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of stems, plus more for garnish

Place lentils in large bowl and add boiling water to cover by 3 inches. Soak at least 20 minutes.

In heavy pan over medium-high heat, fry onion and beef together, breaking up the meat. (If beef is very lean, add a little olive oil.) When beef has fully changed color, reduce heat, add garlic, and fry 5 minutes.

Drain lentils, and add to pot. Add water plus spices and herbs, but not salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered but stirring occasionally, until lentils are becoming tender (10-20 minutes). Add a little water as needed, keeping the mixture reasonably thick.

Add bell pepper plus salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until pepper is tender. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Stir in evaporated milk and cilantro. Bring just back to a simmer and remove from heat.

Serve now, or refrigerate and reheat later (check salt). Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Accompany with rice.

Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings

2009-08-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

There's no buffalo in these chicken wings. Though in India where this style of dry-fried "curry" originated, buffaloes are raised for milk to make rich, wonderful yogurt, clarified butter, and ice cream.

I was fortunate while living in Malaysia in the early 70s to experience ethnic South Indian spicy fried meats, lamb and chicken particularly, at small restaurants run by older cooks who immigrated from India during the colonial period. These regional specialties don't show up in cook books, as far as I can find.

This dish, usually made with small pieces of chicken, including skin and bones and using whole spices, I associate with Muslim cooks from the Malabar coast. Similar chicken as well as lamb treats, without the coconut but using curry leaves, were made by Hindu cooks from Tamil Nadu. The spicy treats were served at room temperature as appetizers or as side dishes in south Indian rice-based dinners.

While the original would have been made with freshly grated coconut slowly toasted on a dry pan, the dry unsweetened coconut available at natural food stores as well as at Indo-Pak groceries works in this recipe.

Malabari Spicy Coconut-Fried Chicken Wings

2 pounds chicken wing pieces, "drumettes" preferred, and no wing tips
1 small onion, diced
3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons dry finely grated unsweetened coconut
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Cut wings into separate pieces, if not already done. Remove any pin feathers still present. Dice onion. Set aside until needed.

Heat large frying pan to medium-low. Add oil, then fennel seeds. Stir or shake pan until seeds begin to fry. Add cumin seeds. As soon as they fry, add coconut. Lower heat to simmer and fry, stirring until coconut just begins to turn golden.

Lower heat. Add turmeric, and stir a few seconds. Add onions, and stir and fry 10-15 seconds.

Add chicken wings and sprinkle with the salt and cayenne while turning them.

Fry over lowest heat, stirring often and turning the pieces, until raw color is gone. Cover pan and continue to fry very gently and turning occasionally, until meat is very tender. Remove lid, and fry uncovered for several more minutes.

Serve on a platter or shallow dish. These can be served warm or at room temperature.

Afghan Qorma: Memories stirred by our summer trip

2009-08-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't do summer vacation in Afghanistan this year. (Although when the kids were small and we were living in Asia, we spent a week there.)

Rather, on the trip north this summer, we ate at a fine Afghan restaurant, the Bamian, in Falls Church, Virginia. That reminded me, concretely, of qormas, the savory meat stews of Afghan cuisine.

Qorma -- or korma or quorma -- is a romanization from languages written in Arabic or Sandscritic scripts. Therefore the English spelling varies. The word is originally Persian, but rich-gravied meat dishes with this name range from Iran through Central Asia, to Afghanistan, to Pakistan and India.

Afghan qormas are typically made with lamb, beef being a distant second choice. Lamb not only tastes richer, but it cooks faster.

Frequently there is a vegetable cooked in with the meat and caramelized onion gravy -- green beans, cauliflower, carrots, spinach or eggplant (soak eggplant chunks in salty water 1/2 hour to get out bitterness). Qorma is traditionally served with chelow, plain white long-grain rice cooked with a little salt.

Qormas are tedious to prepare, but spectacularly tasty. They are better if prepared ahead and reheated to serve, making them a good entertainment dish.

In the real spirit of Afghan culture, no alcoholic drink would be served with qorma. Iced tea, or rosewater lemonade would be more typical. However, if you insist, beer or a light-bodied red wine can be drunk with it.

The recipe makes enough for four to six people, when served with a lot of rice. Since the cooking time is the same for a double recipe, doubling yields more meals for your efforts.

Afghan Qorma with Green Beans

2 medium-large onions, chopped coarsely
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 pound stewing lamb, or beef (chuck preferred)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger or 1-1/2 inches fresh ginger peeled and finely minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound green beans trimmed and cut in 1-1/2-inch lengths (or see above for other vegetables)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, including part of the stems

Fry onions gently in oil in heavy pot, stirring frequently, until dark golden colored.

Meanwhile trim excess fat and tough parts from meat. Cut meat in 1-inch cubes. Add to caramelized onions, and fry gently, stirring often, until raw color leaves.

Add garlic, turmeric, coriander, ginger and cayenne. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally and adding a little water as needed to keep moist, until meat is tender (lamb 30-40 minutes, beef 50-60 minutes).

Add salt and tomato paste. Stir well, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add vegetable, and simmer together with meat and sauce until tender.

Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

Qorma is better if cooked in advance and reheated to serve.

Tomato Coulis: A Sauce idea from my Grandson

2009-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Three years ago at age two, my grandson August began eating his asparagus with ketchup. He still does. Moreover, he has convinced his younger cousin and best friend Isabella of the merits of ketchup on asparagus. And she now insists on it. I don't get it. For me as a kid, ketchup was meant for making ketchup sandwiches.

But figuring there might be an adult version of August's dish, I worked out a rich tomato coulis to ladle over a stack of roasted asparagus. While I was pleased with the sauce, it overpowered the distinctive but delicate taste of the asparagus. I'm afraid I still like that vegetable with butter or olive oil, or a mildly seasoned holandaise.

Now what to do with the coulis? As it turns out, it goes with stronger-flavored vegetables like steamed broccoli or, better yet, with very mild-flavored vegetables like herb-roasted potatoes. It strikes me it would also be good over a slice of meatloaf, or even over fried green tomatoes.

"Coulis" [coo-LEE] is relatively recent in French cooking. There are no established rules -- at least that I can find. The term seems most common in restaurants, applied to a sieved tomato or roasted pepper purée or, by extension, to one made of raspberries. A coulis seems typically colorful and red, medium thin, and fairly fresh-flavored. It is spooned over or around a food being served.

Here's my August-inspired tomato coulis.

Tomato Coulis for August

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (unseasoned)
1 scallion (green onion), sliced thinly
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
2 tablespoons sour cream

In a stainless steel or enamel (NOT aluminum or cast iron) pan, simmer tomatoes, scallion, sugar, paprika, salt and pepper 10 minutes, uncovered. Let cool partially. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, then push it through a strainer into a bowl, discarding any seeds, skin, etc.

Stir in the sour cream until smooth. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve warm over broccoli, roasted potatoes, or meatloaf.

Creole Zucchini

2009-07-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

As my recent blog postings indicate, I'm on a zucchini rush. Here's yet another dish, zucchini braised in New Orleans style.

This colorful dish was developed for my newspaper column in Athens, an area with increasingly available local, organic produce of excellent quality. Zucchini can overwhelm us in sheer quantity. Thus additional ways of preparing it are always welcome.

I conceptualized this based on what I knew of Louisiana cooking. I ran the idea by Katie, a New Orleans Katrina exile now working in the restaurant business in Decatur. She affirmed that this is basically how her mother, as well as her "Ex," would fix zucchini.

Two ingredient notes. This dish is best when made with young, slender zucchini, before seeds form. Second, I use "Cajun Seasoning," one of the very few pre-mixed spices I work with. (The particular brand is "Louisiana," manufactured without MSG by Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Ltd. of Baton Rouge. Katie prefers "Tony Chachere's.") All the salt in the dish -- other than what seeps out of the ham or bacon -- comes from the Cajun Seasoning.

When this was guineapigged on the clergy and staff of St. Bartholemew's at their weekly staff meeting, we served it with lightly salted brown rice.

I would serve this with a chilled dry white, such as a Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry rosé made from Malbec (Argentina) or Grenache (France or Spain).

The recipe feeds six generously -- Louisiana food is never served skimpily.

Creole Zucchini

1/4 pound smoked ham (leftover, or from the deli), or 4 slices smoked bacon
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil (omit if using bacon)
1 large onion, in large dice
1 pound ground pork
1 stick celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 medium-large red bell pepper, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomato (unseasoned), or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
2 pounds young zucchini, in 1/2-inch dice
3 to 4 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (not "lite")
Minced parsley for garnish

Dice ham or bacon. In heavy pot over medium high heat, fry ham with oil, or bacon without oil, plus onion until onion is very tender, scraping bottom of pan often.

Add ground pork, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Fry, stirring frequently and breaking up pork 10 minutes or more, until celery is tender.

Add bell pepper, tomato and wine. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, five minutes. Liquid should reduce somewhat.

Add zucchini, and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until zucchini is just starting to become tender. Add 3 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning, and cook until zucchini is tender, but not soft.

Taste, and add more Cajun Seasoning if salt is not sufficient. Make the mixture faintly salty, since the vegetables will soak some up. Remove from heat, and let rest 5 minutes. Stir again, check salt and add salt if needed.

Serve with lightly salted brown or white rice. Dust with minced parsley, if desired.

Iced Zucchini Bisque: Turning excess into dinner

2009-07-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

The impending zucchini season caused me to try some new creations for using some of the green tide. I was inspired to work on these recipes by my editor at the newspaper, who is both a Community-Supported Agriculture ("CSA") member and married to a gardener.

In the course of working up a newspaper column for mid-summer dealing with zucchini, I came up with a cold soup, suggested by my recall of a cold cucumber soup from years ago.

Although I had never tasted such a soup made with zucchini, I found out after the fact through Google that the idea isn't original. (The recipes I found there were with raw zucchini.) But then, as Ecclesiastes has it in the Old Testament, "there is nothing new under the sun." At least my other recent creation, roasted zucchini hummus (see my blog posting of 6/21/09), does not have similar recipes in Google.

So here is a cold soup that can use some of your excess zucchini. The recipe serves six. It needs to be made ahead and chilled well before serving.

Iced Zucchini Bisque

1 1/2 pounds young zucchini (with small, soft seeds)
1 medium-large potato
1 small onion
1/2 stick celery
1 clove garlic
2 large bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt plus to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Small pinch cayenne or small piece of hot pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Minced parsley for garnish

Remove stem and brown tip from zucchini. Cut squash roughly into 1-inch pieces and place in a pot. Peel potato and onion, cut in chunks, and add to zucchini. Add celery, chopped, garlic, peeled and crushed, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cayenne, broth and water.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Let cool.

In blender thoroughly puree the soup mixture. Mix in milk and sour cream. Taste, and add salt as needed. Chill at least several hours, or up to a day.

Before serving, stir well, taste, and add salt, if needed.

Dust with minced parsley to serve.

Dansak: a Parsee treat I just tasted

2009-06-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

For Fathers' Day, my daughter Rachel took me, along with Christina and Rachel's husband Steve, to one of my earlier favorite Indian restaurants, Mirch Masala in Decatur. The quick news is that the food is as good again as it once was before drifting for a while.

A dish on the menu that caught my eye was Dansak, a chicken and lentil-based curry that comes from the Parsee people of Eastern India. This prosperous minority community descended from the Persians who fled to India with their ancient Zoroastrian religion a millenium ago as Islam swept over Persia. I've often read about the dish, now a regional Indian classic, but never actually tasted it till that night.

Being surprised and excited at how rich a dish with lentils in the sauce can be, I came up with a way of making it. It was guineapigged yesterday on a visiting niece and her boyfriend, then today on the St. Bart's staff meeting. Since it was well received, here it is.

The recipe serves six, with leftovers.

Dansak -- Parsee Chicken and Lentil Curry

1 cup red ("Egyptian" or "masoor dal") lentils
3 pounds chicken thighs, with skin and bones
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5 teaspoons turmeric, divided
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
1 inch fresh ginger, pounded or minced finely with garlic
4 cloves garlic, pounded or minced finely with ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste (1/4 of a 6-ounce can -- freeze the rest)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups water
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Rinse lentils. Soak in a bowl in plenty of warm water, at least 30 minutes.

With cleaver on cutting board, strip skin and excess fat from chicken (make broth with them for other use). Chop thighs through bone into three pieces, and cut part of meat off the largest piece. Mix chicken with lemon juice, 2 teaspoons turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt. Let marinate, mixing occasionally, as sauce cooks.

Slowly fry onion in oil until becoming golden brown, stirring occasionally. Fry in garlic and ginger over reduced heat, 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.

Add remaining 3 remaining teaspoons turmeric, the cumin, coriander, fennel, cayenne and black pepper. Stir and fry gently until fragrant, several minutes.

Drain lentils, and add to onion-spice mixture, along with 2 cups water. Simmer, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pan, until lentils are becoming tender (15-20 minutes). Add a little water if too dry.

When lentils are becoming tender, add marinated chicken plus 2 teaspoons salt. Simmer everything together, scraping bottom of pan often. As juice comes out of chicken, the sauce will become soupier. But if too dry, add a little water. Simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.

Taste, and add salt, if needed. Cover pan, turn off heat, and let curry cool slowly - which will finish cooking the chicken. Reheat to serve, checking salt and adding some if needed.

Accompany with basmati rice and plain yogurt. Sprinkle curry generously with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Zucchini Hummus: Getting ready for the annual zucchini glut

2009-06-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

I did the cooking demonstration yesterday at the Athens Farmers' Market. Because zucchini season is nearly upon us, I developed and showed a recipe to exploit that vegetable, which can so be delightful for a while then piles up in the field and the fridge. I'll use the recipe, along with its accompanying wine-herb polenta, in an Athens Banner Herald column in a few weeks.

Zucchini isn't even "in" big time yet in north Georgia. But in addition to the one for the Farmers' Market, I've come up with two other zucchini creations, which will also find their way into the newspaper this summer.

My editor had expressed interest in zucchini recipes -- almost desperate interest. She's a Community-Supported Agriculture ("CSA") member plus her husband gardens. She hates to waste local organic produce. It sounds like she gets swamped with zucchini, as she did with lettuce some weeks back.

Here for my blog readers is one of the new zucchini dishes. If you try it, please tell me your reactions and suggestions.

Since this is an appetizer, I am not putting out wine recommendations. Only that with appetizers that contain lemon juice, as this one does, the wine should have some acidity, as do most white Sauvignon Blanc and red Grenache (Garnacha) and Malbec wines.

Roasted Zucchini Hummus

1 pound young, narrow zucchini
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt plus to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dry
1 small clove garlic
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), available at Middle Eastern and whole foods groceries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 moderate sprinkles black pepper

Set oven for 375 degrees.

Cut off stems and bottom tips of zucchini. Cut squash into 1-inch lengths. On cookie
sheet, toss pieces with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and oregano.

Roast 5 minutes on upper shelf of oven. Turn pieces, and roast until tender with a tiny amount of browning on squash (about 20 minutes). Cool.

Scrape squash and oil into bowl of food processor. Add garlic, tahini, lemon juice, pepper, and the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree well in processor, scraping down the bowl several times. Taste, and add salt as needed.

Chill in serving dish at least 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap. The "hummus" can be stored up to 4 days, refrigerated. Stir before serving.

Serve with bread, pita or bagel chips, or plain crackers that aren't heavy with salt.

Balkan Pork Stew with Eggplant: Enjoying summer's excess

2009-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

In late summer, I'll be doing a newspaper article on eggplant, an underappreciated vegetable in the US but which is very popular elsewhere. I write an every-other-week food column for the Athens Banner Herald, but occasionally I do a bigger piece. The article will include a number of recipes for preparing that vegetable, which floods Georgia markets for several months.

Over the next few weeks, I'll get recipes into the blog as I develop and test them, to put them "out there" for people to try and comment back, before I get the full newspaper article together.

Here's a way of using eggplant to create a rich sauce for a hearty stew of the type made in the Balkan countries. The stew itself is based on pork, a reasonably economical meat right now. As with much of the food in the Balkans, this stew has both Slavic and Greek/Turkish influences.

The stew should be served with a starch as a side dish. Polenta would be more Croatian, Italian, and Romanian; noodles would be more Slovenian and eastern Slavic; rice would be more Greek and Turkish, especially a mildly seasoned pilaf; potatoes would be more Austrian and German.

A dry red wine would go with this dish. The recipe serves six.

Let me know what you think.

Balkan Pork Stew with Eggplant

1 medium (3/4-pound) purple eggplant
2 pounds lean pork (butt, leg, loin as last choice)
3 tablespoons rendered pork fat or olive oil for frying
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large tomato, diced (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup red wine
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano, fresh and minced, or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt plus to taste
Minced parsley for garnish
Sour cream for serving

Peel eggplant and cut in roughly 1-inch chunks. To remove bitterness, soak in large bowl of salted water (2 teaspoons salt to 8 cups water) for at least 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Cut meat in 1-1/2-inch pieces.

Either fry some of the pork fat trimmings in the stew pot (and remove cracklings), or use olive oil, for frying the meat. Heat 3 tablespoons of rendered pork grease or olive oil in stew pot and add meat.

Quickly fry meat over medium-high heat, scraping under meat frequently and turning it until raw color is completely gone. Add onions and garlic, and fry, stirring frequently, until onion is quite softened.

Add tomato or paste, and fry 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomato starts to break down. Add a little water if mixture seems too dry.

Add bell pepper, wine, spices and herbs. Stir, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until meat is starting to become tender, 20-25 minutes. The liquid should be thick, but stir often, scraping bottom of pot. Add a little water, if necessary.

Drain eggplant, and add it to meat. Simmer, covered, stirring frequently, until eggplant breaks down into the sauce, leaving only tiny chunks.

Taste, and adjust salt.

Serve with polenta, noodles, rice, or potatoes. Sprinkly with a little minced parsley for garnish.

Accompany with sour cream to be dolloped on top.

Orange-Scented Italian Cheese Cake: Lower-Fat success in an Overall Failure

2009-06-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

OK. Some of my trials are a bust. I just forget them, and certainly don't put them out on the blog. However, this trial had success mixed with failure.

I wanted a dessert recipe with figs. I was anticipating the arrival of fig season in Georgia, having noted that the tree by our market's herb garden has 1/2-inch fruit already. Maybe this year there will be enough so I can actually get to them before the squirrels (there's a neighborhood cat that may help on that front) and before my frugivorous granddaughter Isabella gets them.

I thought that fresh figs baked on top of an Italian cheese cake was a natural. It was a little surprising that none of my many Italian cookbooks, even the Sicilian ones, had anything like it. And even on Google, the only fig and cheese pie was from Emeril Lagasse. He used chopped dried figs soaked in rum, and his readers awarded him a one out of five for interest. Maybe figs baked with cheese just don't work

I tried, nonetheless. Alas, the fresh figs I used (Black Missions from California, which are never great fresh) were dull, bland, and vaguely unpleasant when cooked. But the good news is that the basic ricotta cheese pie, or "torta," was delicious. And it even carried little fat, though still could not be considered dieting food.

Since I have relatively few desserts in my blog (I'm not that enthusiastic a baker), I thought I'd put the cheese pie part of this one in. It would probably work well with wedges of plum baked atop the cheese filling, and it certainly would do well, when served topped with fresh strawberries or peaches or raspberries.

Italian Cheese Cake: Torta di Ricotta

1 pre-made pie crust lining a 9-inch pie pan
3 eggs
1 quart (32 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

This is easiest using a food processor. Otherwise press the ricotta through a sieve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In food processor or large bowl, beat eggs lightly. Use about 2 teaspoons beaten egg to coat inside of pie crust.

Add remaining ingredients to food processor, and puree well. Alternatively, press ricotta through a sieve into bowl with the eggs, then mix with remaining ingredients.

Pour cheese filling into crust. Bake 50 to 60 minutes on bottom shelf of oven (so bottom crust browns). Top will turn golden and middle will puff up. Shake lightly, and when center is no longer wiggly, remove from oven. Cool on a rack, then refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap.

Enjoy alone or with cut-up fruit or whole raspberries.

Chicken (or Pork) in Caramel Sauce: Memories of Vietnam

2009-06-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Some years ago, I participated as an instructor in a public health training course in Hanoi, Vietnam. I shared lunches with the students at the training center. There I enjoyed a delicious meat dish -- though in small quantity with lots of rice -- every day. Sometimes it was made with chicken thigh, other days with pork. There was usually a vegetable stewed with the meat, my favorite of which was young turmip. But what was common every day was the luscious, mildly sweet sauce. This was the northern version of Vietnamese stewed meat in caramel sauce.

The dish is somewhat similar to the Chinese “red cooked” stew of chicken or pork but with Vietnamese touches, including the caramelized sugar and the fish sauce. It can be made with bamboo shoot chunks rather than turnip, or carrot or potato, added at appropriate times in the cooking to reach tenderness. Or there can be no vegetable, if preferred.

The dish is served topped with a little chopped cilantro and accompanied by unsalted white rice. Jasmine would be good (see blog posting of 1/28/08). The recipe serves six.

In Vietnam the drink would be beer (though not for the students at lunch!). A fairly dry Riesling or rosé would go well, too.

Vietnamese Chicken (or Pork) in Caramel Sauce with Turnip

1-1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or lean pork from shoulder or leg)
4 tablespoons palm or brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup water (water from coconut or even lemon soft drink was sometimes used in Vietnam)
1 large clove of garlic
2 scallions (green onions)
1/2-inch fresh ginger
2-1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (available in Asian groceries)
1 teaspoon black soy sauce (available in Asian groceries)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 slices hot chili pepper or 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 medium white turnips or daikon radish (about 1-1/2 cups when cut up)
Cilantro or scallion (green onion) for garnish, optional

Trim away fat or tough parts of meat. Cut meat into 1-inch pieces and set aside. In heavy pot, heat sugar and 2 tablespoons of water over medium heat until bubbling. Heat without stirring until melted sugar turns a milk-chocolate color. Add 1 cup of water, and stir to begin dissolving the caramel.

Crush garlic, slice scallions 1/4-inch long (including greens), and slice ginger 1/8-inch thick. Add all these to pot. Add fish sauce, black pepper, and hot pepper. When boiling, add cut up meat, and stir until the meat color changes. Reduce heat, and simmer until the meat starts to become tender (about 5 minutes for chicken thighs, 30 minutes for pork).

Add a little water, if needed, to keep liquid just below surface of the meat. While meat is cooking, peel turnips or daikon radish and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. When the meat is becoming tender, add turnips to pot. Simmer until turnips are tender, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring carefully. Taste sauce and, if necessary, add salt to taste.

The flavor is enhanced if dish is prepared ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated to serve. Taste sauce and adjust salt, if necessary.

If desired, the dish can be garnished on top with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves or sliced green tops of scallion.

Serve with unsalted white rice.

Thai-Chinese Stir-fried Broccoli

2009-05-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

I was dismayed the other evening when doing the blog posting on Chinese braised ("red-cooked") chicken to discover that I don't have one of the most basic dishes on my blog, one I personally make often.

I mean stir-fried green vegetables in the basically Chinese manner. They show up almost constantly in one form or another in southern Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and even Malaysian cooking.

To make up for the lapse, here is one of several green vegetable stir-fries I will get onto the blog over the next several months. This particular one is with broccoli, easier for Americans to find than the Asian greens.

Although broccoli is not as frequent as other green vegetables in Asia, and somewhat of a luxury there, it works very well when prepared in the Thai-Chinese manner. That's why it is so common in Chinese and Thai restaurants in the US.

In Thai, unlike in Chinese, cooking, fish sauce replaces soy sauce, and the juices in the dish are not thickened or very oily. The recipe below follows the Thai style.

This makes a fine side dish to a Thai curry or other meat or fish dish and white unsalted rice, and will serve six.

Stir-fried Broccoli, Thai-Chinese Style

2 medium-large stalks (crowns) broccoli
1 medium-large carrot
2 large scallions (green onions), including the greens
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola (not olive)
1-1/2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce (available in Asian groceries)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (available in Asian groceries)

Prepare vegetables and set aside in separate piles on a platter until ready to cook: Cut off and discard all but about 1-1/2 inches of broccoli stem. Peel tough outer skin off stem. Cut broccoli lengthwise into small, similarly sized flowerets, each with a strip of stem. Peel carrot and slice diagonally into long oval pieces about 1/8-inch thick. Cut scallion into 1-inch lengths, slicing on a diagonal. Mince garlic. Slice ginger paper-thin, stack up slices and shred paper-thin.

In wok or large frying pan, pre-cook carrots in a half cup of water, salted lightly, stirring frequently until crisp-tender, about 1/2 minute. Remove to a plate, retaining the water in the pan. Add broccoli and stir and cook in the water until color changes to bright green, about 1/2 minute. Remove broccoli and add to carrots. Reserve water in a cup. Rinse pan.

Heat pan again and add oil, garlic, and ginger. Fry briefly until fragrant, but not browned, 15 to 20 seconds. Add pre-cooked carrot and broccoli plus the scallion. Stir once and add oyster sauce, salt, fish sauce, and a tablespoon or so of the vegetable water.

Stir and fry briefly. Taste the sauce. It should be slightly salty (vegetables will soak more up). If necessary, add a little salt.

Serve immediately on a platter or plate, heaped up in the center.

Malaysian-Chinese Braised ("Red-Cooked") Chicken

2009-05-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

A dish I learned and loved during our days in Malaysia, many years ago, is the braised chicken popular in Chinese home cooking there. This subtly fragrant treat is one for which I worked out my recipe in the 70s and taught it when we first got back to the US. It never fails to please on those infrequent occasions I remember to make it. I don't recall who I learned the cooking technique from. Certainly it was someone who neither used nor wrote down precise recipes. It was probably either Ah Ping or Yi Lien, who worked for us while we were in Kuala Lumpur raising our children.

Rarely a restaurant dish, "red-cooked" chicken is highly economical. It requires only a whole chicken -- typically cheap here, some dried black mushrooms, several sauces and seasonings, a cleaver to cut the chicken with, and a little time to simmer the dish.

"Red cooking" is a traditional Chinese style of braising meat, or meat and firm vegetables. The gravy is not actually red, but more of a tan-brown color. "Red cooking" refers to simmering in water to which soy sauce and seasonings are added before the meat. It shows up in various Chinese-influenced dishes throughout Southeast Asia.

I standardized my recipe in order to teach it. I came across a copy of that recipe recently. It still produces an amazing dinner centerpiece. It needs to be served with good, unsalted white rice, with a preference for Thai Jasmine (see my blog posting of 1/26/08). An appropriate accompaniment is a stir-fried green vegetable (see my blog posting of 5/26/09).

In Malaysia we would have drunk unsweetened iced Chinese tea with this for dinner. Or for a fancier dinner it would have been Malaysian beer.

Malaysian-Chinese Braised ("Red-Cooked") Chicken

12 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms*
1 chicken, 2-1/2 to 3 pounds
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
3 small shallots, peeled, or 3 large scallions (green onions)
3 (1/8-inch thick) slices fresh ginger, unpeeled
1-2 segments star anise* (optional)
1-1/2 cups water from soaking the mushrooms
2 tablespoons ordinary soy sauce*
2 teaspoons rice wine*, sake, or dry sherry
1 teaspoon black soy sauce*
1 teaspoon oyster sauce*
1/4 teaspoon sugar

* available at Asian groceries

Soak dry mushrooms in 2 cups warm water 20 minutes or more. Save 1-1/2 cups of the soaking water for cooking chicken. Discard mushroom stems. Keep mushrooms whole, or if large, cut in half.

With heavy knife or cleaver, cut chicken (bones, skin and all) into small pieces: drumsticks in half, thighs in half, breast into half then each half into 3 pieces, separate wing segments. Reserve bony back, neck, and wing tips for soup stock.

Bruise garlic and shallots or scallions.

Heat oil to medium hot in wok or heavy pot. Briefly fry (15 seconds) garlic, shallots or scallions, ginger, and star anise, if used. Stir as they fry. As soon as fragrant, add the mushroom-soaking water, sauces and wine. Bring back to a boil.

Add chicken pieces a few at a time, starting with the tougher parts first (leg, thigh). After each addition, bring broth back to a boil. When chicken is all in, add mushrooms. Stir, cover, and reduce heat.

Braise, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender, 25-30 minutes. Taste sauce, and add salt, if needed, so sauce is faintly salty since more will be soaked up by the chicken and the dish will be served with unsalted rice.

Add sugar, and with lid off, let simmer, stirring occasionally, a few minutes to thicken the sauce down. If too dry, add a little water. Taste sauce, and add salt if needed. Discard ginger, star anise, and any remaining garlic or onion.

Serve with rice. Accompany with a simple stir-fried green vegetable.

Malabari Chicken Korma: Rich with Coconut

2009-05-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's been busy recently with the "day job" and more so with the catering by the family restaurant in Athens as the end of the school year brought receptions, departmental parties, "exit shows," and even a wedding. It should now slow down for a while. During the rush, I didn't get to work on my blog postings.

Here's a curry from our days in Malaysia in the 70s that I learned from an old chef, a Muslim man from the Malabar Coast of South India. His ramshackle thatch and tarpaulin-roofed open restaurant nestled under a huge Flamboyant tree across the street from the Institute in Kuala Lumpur where I worked. Lunches were served on banana leaves and eaten with the fingers. His food was uncommonly tasty, cheap and different.

When he wasn't too busy, I would ask him about recipes. He had nothing written down. It was all just in his memory. But he said if I were willing to be at his place at 5 in the morning when he cooked for the day, I was free to watch and ask about anything he was cooking. I did so on a number of occasions.

I made this recently for the staff at St. Bart's. It's in my memory. (But from time to time we also make pretty much this same curry at our restaurant in Athens from a volume version of the recipe that I recorded.) Technically it's a korma, ancestrally from Muslim cuisine, rather than a curry. But unlike typical North Indian kormas, it has neither cream nor ground cashews for richness. The South Indian substitute is the omnipresent coconut, coconut milk like in most South Indian (and Thai and Malay) curries, but also toasted coconut pounded into the spice mixture.

This rich dish is surprisingly inexpensive, though a little fussy to make. It uses chicken thighs, skin removed, but bone-in. Plus it has potato.

It should be served with unsalted white rice. The recipe is sufficient for 6 people, with leftovers.

Malabari Chicken Korma with Coconut

1/2 cup dry shredded unsweetened coconut
1 very large or 2 medium-large onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 bay leaf
4 whole cardamoms
3/4-inch fresh ginger, skin scraped off, thinly sliced
3 large cloves garlic
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (put remainder in zip-lock bag and freeze)
1 can water
3 pounds chicken thighs
1 pound potatoes
2 teaspoons salt plus to taste
Cilantro for topping

In large frying pan, dry-fry shredded coconut over medium heat, shaking and stirring frequently until evenly pale golden in color and fragrant. Either pound this very finely in a mortar and pestle or puree it in a food processor or blender, adding just enough water to have it puree well. Set coconut aside.

Fry onion, bay leaf and cardamom slowly in oil in large pot, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, either pound in the mortar the sliced ginger and garlic, or mince them very finely. Measure spices.

Pull skin off thighs (make broth with it for another use). With cleaver, cut thighs in two or three pieces each, through the bone. Peel potatoes, and cut in 1-inch chunks and place them in water so they don't brown.

When onion is turning dark golden (caramelized), stir in ginger-garlic mixture, and fry, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add pureed, toasted coconut plus the spices, and fry, scraping the bottom frequently about 2 minutes.

Add coconut milk plus water and bring to a boil. Add cut chicken, drained potatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken and potato are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add another teaspoon salt when cooking is partially done. Add a little water, as needed, to keep the sauce thickly soupy.

Taste sauce, and add salt as needed, making the sauce slightly salty because the meat and potato will soak up more.

When meat and potatoes are tender, remove pan from heat. Let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Stir and taste, checking salt again.

It's best to make the curry ahead and reheat to serve. Check salt. Serve over unsalted Basmati or other long-grained rice. Sprinkle generously with coarsely chopped cilantro.

One-Pot Tastiness: Jambalaya

2009-04-21T19:26:00.001-07:00

My mother would have loved it. Not necessarily the flavor -- I never made any Louisiana dishes for her, and all she knew of New Orleans was "praw-leens." But that a major dinner dish could be turned out of one pot would have won her over. She was actually an excellent cook, my mother. Vegetables were just exactly cooked, flavors were fresh and clear, and some of her cakes are still made by her grandchildren. But anything that required more than one bowl for prep or one pan to cook was "too fussy."

Stumbling onto one-pot jambalaya was accidental. Being a bachelor this evening and not wanting to eat alone at a restaurant, I went to Krogers for inspiration and ingredients. What caught my eye was their own brand of smoked turkey sausage, and I thought about cooking it together with other things for a simple supper.

Those who know me or my cooking might not have predicted this. Simplicity is not among my driving impulses. Flavor and freshness are.

So what about jambalaya? It can be Creole (from the European-ancestry French and Spanish in New Orleans) as mine is, or Cajun from the countryside. The distinction seems to be that tomatoes are typical in the urban Creole jambalaya, while browned meat and seafood without tomatoes are more Cajun. The origins appear to be Spanish (who ruled Louisiana for about 40 years), a New World attempt at making the rice-and-seafood or rice-and-meat dishes of which paella is the most famous. These in turn trace back to Spain's Arab influences, and ultimately to the Middle East and Persia. Jambalaya, then, is a descendant of pilaf, one of my favorite rice preparations.

The rice for this recipe is (gasp!) Uncle Ben's. There are only a few dishes I cook with that rice, but Louisiana dishes are among them. The liquid quantities work for Uncle Ben's. To use a different rice, you would have to decrease the liquid for white rice and increase it for brown rice. The liquid proportions work for dry rice. Rinsing, as you need to for Basmati or Jasmine, means cutting way down on cooking liquid, or you'll have mush.

I use pre-mixed "Cajun seasoning." Louisiana brand is my current favorite, but Tony Cachere's is my favorite at other times. I haven't compared the salt levels between the two. The recipe was worked out for Louisiana brand.

This dish is for supper. Perhaps with warm bread and a salad it could serve as a simple dinner. I'm drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon from California as I write this, and it goes quite well with the rice. Probably any dry red wine would.

The recipe serves 4 to 6. By doubling, not only would the entire ingredients be used, but you could serve 8 to 10, or have great leftovers.

Simple Jambalaya with Smoked Sausage

1 medium stick celery, split lengthwise and cut in 1/4-inch lengths
1/2 medium onion, in 1/4-inch dice
1/2 green bell pepper, in 1/4-inch dice
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage, split lengthwise then sliced across 1/4-inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups water or unsalted chicken broth
2-1/2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (Louisiana brand), not "lite"
2 cups Uncle Ben's rice
1 thinly sliced scallion (green and white parts) for garnish

In a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, place celery, onion, bell pepper, sausage, and oil. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, water or broth, Cajun Seasoning, and rice. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, let boil 30 seconds uncovered, reduce heat to lowest setting, and cover tightly. Set timer for 20 minutes, and do not uncover during cooking.

Without opening lid, turn off burner and let rice sit another 10 minutes. Stir rice from the bottom to combine well. Serve dusted with thinly sliced scallion.

Black Soy Sauce Chicken: Easy Treat

2009-04-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Of Chinese origin, soy sauce chicken, gai see yu in Thai, is what my Thai sister-in-law, Nai, makes for garnishing her delicious rice soup. The recipe below is somewhat different, a marinated chicken stir-fry dish which uses a heavier soy sauce, and makes a main course when served with rice. It is also fairly easy and economical.

A thick, sweetened sauce, black soy sauce is a different condiment for special uses in southern China, Thailand, and Indonesia, among other places. Called "thick black," or "bead molasses," or "kecap manis," it is available cheaply at Asian food stores, and keeps indefinitely at room temperature. It gives color to some sauces, golden brown highlights to fried rice, helps with barbecues, and in the current recipe delivers a subtle flavor and bold color to the chicken.

Chicken thigh is preferred for much Asian cooking because of its superior texture, moisture, and flavor for stir fries, curries, and barbecues. Happily, it is also cheaper than breast. If boneless, skinless thigh is not available, get twice the weight in whole thighs, pull off the skin, cut the meat off the bones. Make broth of the skin and bones (skimming off the fat) for soup or other cooking.

Although the preparation of the chicken takes several steps, it can be done long ahead of time, so that the actual cooking is quick. The broccoli can be cut ahead and refrigerated in a closed plastic bag. The ginger and garlic can be minced and stored cold in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap.

The recipe serves six when accompanied by white rice. Beer goes with this, as it does in Asia with most dishes. But for wines, try a medium bodied red, like a Grenache or Garnacha, or a white like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. There are still those, and I am sympathetic if not fully in agreement, that feel Riesling (not too sweet) or Gewürztraminer are the right wines for tangy Asian foods like this one.

Black Soy Sauce Chicken with Broccoli

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh (or 3 pounds whole chicken thighs)
2 tablespoons black (dark, thick) soy sauce (from Asian groceries)
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound broccoli crowns
2 green onions
4 tablespoons canola oil
Salt as needed

If chicken has skin and bones, remove skin and cut meat off bones. Trim off excess fat, and cut meat into 1/2-inch wide strips the long way. Mix well with soy sauces, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, sugar, cayenne and pepper.

Cut off broccoli stem, leaving 2 inches attached to the crown. Cut crown into long 1/2-inch wide flowerets, each having a piece of stem. Cut green and white parts of onion into 1/2-inch lengths.

Precook broccoli: In wok or large frying pan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil, add 1/4 teaspoon salt plus broccoli. Stir and toss broccoli until it turns dark green, 45-60 seconds. Remove to a bowl, along with the water. Rinse pan.

Bring back to medium-high heat. Add oil, ginger and garlic. Stir and cook very briefly until fragrant but not browning. Add chicken and its marinade. Stir and fry quickly for several minutes, until chicken seems cooked through (cut a piece, or bite into a small piece). The sauce and oil will cling to the chicken.

Add the broccoli and its water back to the pan, stir and fry until hot and bubbling. If dry add just a little water for a small amount of sauce. Stir in the onion briefly. Remove from heat. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve in a shallow dish or on a platter. Accompany with unsalted rice.

Mushrooms à la Grecque: Great Accompaniment for Meat

2009-04-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Heading toward Easter, here's a classy old-fashioned dish for which I worked out the recipe to go with meat and strong-flavored fish dishes, like salmon. It could certainly accompany an Easter ham or roast lamb -- the prized Irish Easter dinner centerpiece of my New England Irish childhood (hint: the lamb needs to be overdone so it practiacally falls off the bones).

Despite the name meaning “in the Greek manner,” mushrooms à la grecque are firmly in the classic French culinary tradition. Quartered mushrooms quickly braised with onions, garlic, olive oil, and a bit of exotic seasoning make an elegant side dish, typically presented at room temperature. But they could equally be served warm with toast points for a luncheon or the appetizer course to a fancy dinner.

These mushrooms go particularly well with a crisp, slightly acidic white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

Mushrooms à la Grecque

1 pound mushrooms, small sized preferred
1 very small onion or large shallot
1 large lemon (for both zest and juice)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dry oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice, from the lemon above
Chopped parsley for garnish

Rinse mushrooms, slice 1/8 inch off end of stems. Quarter mushrooms. Cut onion or shallot in half lengthwise, then slice it lengthwise into narrow crescents. Rinse lemon well and rub dry. With vegetable peeler or small knife take off a strip of lemon zest 2-inches long. On board, cut zest crosswise into fine shreds. Squeeze lemon and save juice for later step. Mince garlic.

In heavy bottomed stainless steel or enameled pan simmer onion and lemon zest with olive oil, covering pan and stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and translucent but not browned (8-10 minutes). Add garlic and simmer one minute. Add coriander, oregano, pepper, cayenne, and salt. Stir and simmer a half minute longer. Add water and lemon juice, and simmer several minutes. Add mushrooms. Raise heat, stir, and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Taste a mushroom, and add salt if not fully seasoned.

Remove mushrooms to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Drain any juices from mushrooms back into the pan. Simmer until juices are reduced to a somewhat thick sauce. Add sauce to mushrooms, and allow everything to cool.

Before serving, taste a mushroom and add a little salt if necessary. Serve mushrooms and their sauce in a shallow bowl. Dust generously with chopped parsley.

Chicken Sautéed with Mushrooms and Cream: Inexpensive Elegance

2009-03-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Boneless, skinless chicken breast is often on sale at the supermarket. That's the time to buy two portions, freeze one for future use and make something elegant from the other.

In the past several years, a lot of chicken is injected with "up to 15% natural broth." The stated reason for this is to make the meat juicier and more tender. Clearly, it's a way of selling water for the price of chicken. I look for chicken without injected broth.

Chicken breast, when cut up, lends itself to sautéing, a more colorful term than might be suspected. "Sauter" [so-TAY] in French, the language of the kitchen, means (in its less vulgar usage) to jump, as a frog might. "Faire sauter" (make [something] jump) is culinary French for frying quickly in oil or butter while stirring or shaking the pan so the pieces of meat or vegetable jump about. "Sauté" is the past participle of the verb, and is what we use in English.

Here's a simple French method for sautéeing chicken with mushrooms and cream that is as elegantly tasty as it is easy. Actually, the method is similar to that used to prepare several veal dishes in Italy and Switzerland (such as émincé de veau zurichoise), and even Russian "beef stroganoff." Thin strips of chicken are marinated briefly in brandy or white wine and seasonings, quickly fried with mushrooms and finished with sour cream or cream.

The recipe serves six with buttered noodles, steamed potatoes, or toast points. Or the chicken can be spooned into baked puff pastry nests for an elegant luncheon. A flavorful dry or nearly dry white wine, such as a oak-barreled Chardonnnay or a Riesling, would go well with this.

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 tablespoons brandy or white wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-3/8 teaspoons salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Large pinch of thyme or oregano, crumbled between the fingers
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 medium shallot or 1 very small onion
1 medium-sized clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons sour cream or heavy cream
Minced parsley for garnish

Trim away fat or tough parts from chicken. Slice meat crosswise into strips 1/4-inch thick. Cut in half strips that are more than 2-inches long. Mix chicken with brandy or wine, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of salt, the nutmeg, pepper, and thyme or oregano. Marinate at least 10 minutes. Rinse mushrooms. Trim off bottom 1/8 inch of stems. Halve mushrooms or, if large, slice 1/2-inch thick. Finely mince shallot or onion and garlic.

Ten minutes before serving, heat a large non-stick frying pan to medium high. Add 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter, shallot or onion, and garlic. Stir and fry until shallot is translucent but not browned (1 to 1-1/2 minutes). Add marinated chicken. Stir and fry just until uncooked color is gone (2 to 3 minutes). Spoon chicken out to a bowl, keeping juices in pan.

Add another tablespoon each of oil and butter to the pan. Add mushrooms plus 3/8 teaspoon of salt. Quickly stir and fry mushrooms, sprinkling with a little water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to pan. As soon as mushrooms darken and start to look cooked (1 to 2 minutes), return pre-fried chicken to pan. Heat, stirring, until juices bubble. Stir in sour cream or cream. Bring mixture just back to a bubble. Remove from heat. Taste sauce, and add a little salt, if necessary.

Serve with toast points, buttered noodles, buttered steamed potatoes, or in puff pastry shells. Dust with minced parsley.

Slow-cooked Indian Black Lentils: Dhal Makani

2009-03-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite lentil, or "dhal," dishes at Indian restaurants is the creamy, slowly cooked black lentil stew called "dhal makani." This is a "fancy" restaurant dish and is traditionally simmered overnight in a clay pot in the dying coals at the bottom of the tandoori oven. Nowadays an electric slow cooker does the work. But it still takes overnight or all day to simmer.

The dish, though made from whole black "urad dhal" plus red kidney beans, is actually a reddish brown color. It is very creamy. But just to enhance that richness it usually has real cream stirred in at the end. It accompanies a curry extremely well, along with rice or Indian breads.

It took a long time for me to know to look for it at restaurants, and much longer to realize I could make this favorite dish at home easily and economically. The key ingredient is the small black dhal, unsplit. It is available in one- or two-pound bags at Indian groceries, of which we have many in Atlanta and even one in Athens. Otherwise the special ingredients are fresh ginger, cumin seeds, turmeric, dry red kidney beans (available at Indian groceries, some natural food stores, and some supermarkets), and cream or canned evaporated milk.

While it is an acquired taste to Americans (I now like it), Indians will often include a little asafoetida ("hing") in the dhal. My recipe does not use it, but if you wish, put a quarter teaspoon of powdered asafoetida (from Indian groceries) in with the other spices.

The recipe serves six with leftovers.

Dhal Makani (Creamy Stewed Indian Black Lentils)

1 pound (2-1/4 cups) whole black urad dhal (see above)
1/2 cup dry red kidney beans
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced then pounded in a mortar or finely minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt plus to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream or canned evaporated milk
Chopped cilantro for serving

Pick over lentils on a cookie sheet (there are often small stones) and pick over beans. Rinse them together well. Soak at least 8 hours in water 3 inches over the top. Drain, and place them in the container of a slow cooker (crock pot).

Add butter, oil, tomato paste, if used, ginger, onion, garlic, bay leaves and ground spices (but not salt). Add boiling water to 2 inches above surface of lentils.

Heat 1/2 hour on high cook setting, then reduce to slow cook (not "warm") and let simmer overnight or all day, 10-12 hours.

Add salt and sugar, then mash with potato masher to coarsely break up lentils and beans. Add water if needed to give a soupy consistency. Let heat 10 more minutes, then stir in cream or evaporated milk. After 10 minutes, taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve sprinkled generously with chopped cilantro.