Re-Learning to Cook

It didn't long for me to figure out that my cooking skills were almost entirely limited Italian. Sure, I had dabbled with couscous and few other random chicken things, maybe even stuffed peppers in some vague Spanish way. Truth be told, I've got an extremely limited repertoire.

While cooking through another cookbook will surely be a good way to get started, I was thinking something a little more social. Not quite like a dining club, but I want to learn to cook from friends and strangers alike in an informal setting. So how do you go about setting it all up in such a busy city?

A story. A friend of mine threw a housewarming at her place last night. I had brought over a couple different kinds of brew, but it was quickly apparent that beer was not going to take the spotlight. The host had spent the better part of the day cooking penne vodka, rice and beans, buffalo wings, pizza, roasted chicken, coconut shrimp, guacamole, salsa, and something I'm now forgetting. Then came the cheesecake another friend had made and brought over and the curry chicken that was just fabulous. Here, near the bronx, were about 3 of my friends who had some serious cooking skills. Moreover, despite the range of pizza, penne, and buffalo wings, it was the latin flare that really stood out.

I tell this story because I want to start cooking and eating with people from what they know best. Learn how to make rice and beans and guac from my friends whose families from from latin america and beyond. Learn how to bake bread from, well, bakers, and so on. More than the food, people are connected to their food heritages in ways that make for heartfelt stories that make the dinner all the better. I hope to start soon!

Wild Mushroom Risotto

It was quite fortuitous that I had made my mushroom polenta a few days earlier. Important lessons learned: don't crowd the mushrooms, don't buy pre-packaged 'gourmet mushrooms,' leave more time than expected. I've made risotto before, but it's been a while, and it didn't help that Jamie doesn't always spell out which of the 'butter' segments to mix into the risotto at different times - it does matter. So I realized too late that I put way too much butter when softening up my onions and garlic. This set the stage for extra sauteeing time for the rice itself, and eventually a cooking process that went from 20 minutes to almost an hour.

T

he good news? The mushrooms came out delightful, and despite the extra-long cooking time, the risotto was a huge hit. (I think it was even better for lunch the next day, maybe there is something about letting it settle then reheating like a turkey)

Nearing the End of Jamie

Cooking 'through' Mr. Oliver's cookbook might have been an overstatement. It's not that I don't have the stamina for it. Some things are just not that feasible (like wild boar), some are beyond my equipment (like machine-rolled pasta dough), and some just aren't good (like anchovy related things). I'm willing to try something if someone hands it to me, but since I'm the one going to Fairway to pick up the goods, somehow anchovies don't make the weekly budget cut.

While I've made more recipes from Jamie's Italy than I have from any other cookbook, I'm not quite done yet, but I'm content to realize that I won't have done 'all' of them. You can call it a cop out, but I think it's just logical reasoning. However, here's what's in store for the next few weeks:

1) pizza (I'm seriously considering buying a pizza stone, but not sure that I've seen one that fits my tiny oven)

2) fresh pasta dough (I wanted to wait until someone had the grace to present my grandma's kitchenaid mixer with a set of pasta rolling tools, but my roller-pin will do fine)

3) more fish

4) more pasta recipes

It's strange to me that I haven't done more pasta, but that's what a project like this does. It forces me out of my comfort zone. It stretches me to consider new spices, techniques, recipes, and tastes. I am both a happier person and a better chef for it (the most recent wild mushroom risotto and shrimp frittata were some of the best things I've ever made).

As I finish out the remaining recipes in Oliver's book, I'm starting to look through my shelf to see what's next. In terms of cuisine, I'm pretty limited: french, spanish, greek, and American. I'll save American for last, but as I begin to flip covers of my french books I'm drawn toward Jaques Pepin. If I had barefoot, I would probably go for that, but for now, I'm staying away from buying more until I've used the ones I have.

Frittata Experiments

A frittata is a fun thing to make. It's quick, tasty, and really easy to share. It also has one big problem: it's very easy to overcook, and an overdone frittata really isn't worth eating.

Jamie has a really good suggestion for avoiding this: start with a really hot oven (425), pre-cook your frittata in pan on the stove for a minute or so, and basically sear the outside of the frittata for 5 minutes or so.

All of this makes great sense assuming your oven heats things evenly. Not here. So while the frittata came out wonderful, I recommend that you use that '5 minutes' as a very loose guideline. It took me about 10 minutes to even get a firm top, and another 5 or so before I felt confident I would have more than goo when I took it out. Know your oven.

Almost Risotto

Rule Number One for Risotto: have it.

I was all set to make roasted mushroom risotto with a parsley blend when, after going through a thorough search of my cabinet, I realized I had no risotto. I had already peeled and chopped an excessive amount of garlic for roasting with the mushrooms. Everything was ready, except the rice. So I made a quick choice looking through what was left: polenta.

Bear in mind I've never cooked polenta before, but I figured that something as simple as polenta would be hard to screw up. In a sense, this is very true. It's hard to mess up polenta. But I also discovered over the course of over an hour of slow stirring and seasoning-correcting that it's also hard to make really good polenta.

Even with the parlsey, mushrooms, butter, parm, and garlic all mixed in, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I added some fresh thyme and a little rosemary. Better. Just as I was getting ready to serve, I had the consistency that I wanted, but it just lacked that taste that I loved about polenta in restaurants. I did what I usually do when something needs more flavor. I added a little olive oil. Bam. It went from ok to amazing. The earthy flavors of the mushrooms jumped out. The short-roasted garlic subdued and blended harmoniously with the other flavors, and even the consistency improved.

I know I got lucky, but I'm ok with that. But who knew polenta took an hour to make? I certainly didn't.

Best Pesto Yet

I've made pesto only a few times - my first mishap was in Italy when I first started cooking for myself (I was studying abroad and quickly discovered that I didn't have it in my budget to eat out for every meal. The solution seemed simple. Ask the nonne at the market what they're cooking and try to imitate).

Since then I've used blenders, forks, knives, and most other utensils to try my hand at it. It's never as good as you get in the restaurants. It seems like it should be simple - basil, garlic, cheese, oil, nuts. No cooking. No fire. Yet somehow, a really good tasting pesto seemed illusive. Until tonight.

I was searching through Jamie's cookbook for some quick prep dinners. Tomorrow is risotto night (first of the season, go figure it's going to be like 80 degrees). Jamie's recipe calls for the following: almonds, tomatoes, par

m, basil, oil, garlic. I liked the idea of tomatoes and almonds (instead of pine nuts) right away. I liked it even better that my hands would be used not only to mash the ingredients together in my new mortar and pestle (thanks Jason!) but also to squish and mangle the tomatoes. The ripe grape tomatoes were absolutely essential.

The results were simply divine. We rampaged through our servings, wishing there was more for tomorrow.

Sliders

It seems that instead of supersizing, posh Americans are 'sliding.' They're deliberately paying more to eat less meat. Whether there is a deeper psychological theme to consider here, I'll let you decide, but all I know is that when you have a pound of meat and two people, it's more fun to experiment, leading me to a night of sliders.

Over the past year I've seen some pretty interesting versions, but they're all based on a similar premise: small bun (usually more artisanal bread), small patty, simple additions, fries and/or salad.

The small bun is an interesting point because bakers have churned out really good buttery rolls that far exceed the average burger bun. And why not? When it's only a few bites for each, the meat (even if the ratio of burger/bun stays the same) has less of a chance to overpower the bun. +1 slider.

Occasionally you'll see a restaurant offer regular ole' beef patty sliders. I think even White Castle started doing this?! Often (at least in NYC), you'll see an important adjective next to beef. Like "Kobe," or "free-range" or "grass fed" or "organic." The idea is that somehow because the meat is smaller, the restaurant has to make up the difference in size with taste (or at least perceived taste, as unfortunately there are many organic burgers that are simply awful). I still think this a plus. If we ate smaller portions from local farms all the time, we would be a much healthier and happier country. Off the point though. +2 slider.

Rarely, you'll even see the restaurant taking it a step further. Game. Ever had ostrich? No need to get the 25 dollar plate. Try a 4 dollar slider. Then, once you're hooked and thought to yourself "my god this tastes good... too bad they're so cute" you'll dive in for the 25 dollar plate. Brilliant marketing. One place I went to in Brooklyn had an absolutely brilliant scheme. They paired up a gamey slider with a 4 oz beer, a cheese, and a style of potato. You could order just one, but since these guys are too small to share, watching your buddy roll his eyes back first bite in will make you want to try whatever s/he ate. So, all of a sudden you've order 4 sliders and spent more on burgers than you ever had. But oh are they good.

And every once and a while you'll get a little 'balsamic drizzle' or something fancy to top it off. Blue cheese emulsion (I don't even know what that would be, but sounds pretty).

As a home cook, however, sliders allow you to try to cook burgers in lots of different styles and with lots of different ingredients. Plus, you really have to try hard to cook them wrong since the meat is more likely to cook evenly when it's thinner. Yum.

Mushrooms 3 Ways

Mushrooms are funny. How long did it take for us to figure out which ones were poisonous and which ones were delicacies? Who tests new species? Whenever a recipe calls for cooking mushrooms - wild ones in particular - I'm transported 5 years back to when I got to spend a short weekend in Sweden during midsommar. I was staying with a wonderful family who hosted a huge fete, and one of the great traditions they had was that in preparation for the grand meal, the male head of house would set out into the woods to gather the mushrooms and kill the meat.

It was as much a right of passage as a family tradition, but it rang of authenticity unlike what you find here. Parents never show their stash to their kids, and the mushrooms they found dance the fine line between delicacy and poison - once cooked properly they are divine... but make a mistake, and you've got your whole party in the toilet (or worse).

But that was Sweden. This week was mushroom week for no particular reason except that Jamie has some great recipes I wanted to try, and when cooking for two its easier to get a whole bunch of mushrooms and use them many ways.

The stuffed mushrooms with ricotta were near perfect. The outside tender, the inside filled with a zesty and sweet cheese mix (spiced up with some chili). Not sure what the cause was, but the innards spilled out a little too quickly leaving me to trim off some.

The lightly roasted shrooms with cheese on top were nice, but not necessarily something I'd make again. It's possible I just didn't do it right, or didn't have good enough mushrooms, but they just didn't click.

Tonight, I went for the more adventurous style - mushrooms in a bag with fresh

herbs, prosciutto, and white wine. They were great, although I feel like the mushrooms weren't quite tender enough. Why? Although I only had enough for one go-round, I would guess the mistake lay with my bag-folding technique (Jamie is not very good about giving those kinds of details. In fact, few chefs are in their cookbooks with the exception of the folks at the test kitchen and all their publications).

Conclusion? Mushrooms are a great accent to any meal. Stems chopped up and mixed into a sauce add a perfect earthy flavor. Caps are wonderful for sautéing or stuffing. Good mushrooms, on the other hand, are quite difficult to find. The supermarket variety are so far from the full taste that truly wild mushrooms bring. If you find a good recipe, stick to it. Otherwise, you're often better getting the goods at a restaurant (I usually don't say this). Try the bags, they're fun (and easy)!

On Sunday

Sunday is a great day to cook. In most parts of Italy, Sunday is when the extended family gathers early and starts preparing a meal together - a ritual generations of Italians have passed on to their kids. Sauces like Bolognese can take 5 hours, and making the fresh pasta for tortellini can take almost as long, so you really need a whole day like Sunday to get it all done.

I choose Sunday to be experimental. Why not try my hand at some of the odder and potentially more challenging recipes in the book. I guess "challenging" is relative. To many, Eggplant Parm is a staple that any deli can toss up. Street food-style fried pasta isn't technically difficult. So what do I mean by challenging? To do a melanzane parmigiano right, you need a perfect tomato sauce, prime eggplants, nice mozz, and good parm. It shouldn't be overly chewy, or suggest bland flavors of canned tomato sauce. In fact, you should be able to taste every distinct layer - like a lasagna - but still enjoy the perfect blend of the

ingredients. That's the challenge.

And with the street food, authenticity is key. It doesn't take much to batter up some spaghetti and saute it, but it is more of a challenge to get that outer-crispy gooey-inside parsley & parm laden taste that Romans would expect for a euro or two. So how did I do? (and I apologize for the bad pics, I'm still getting the hang of using the camera in the kitchen)

Melanzane alla parmigiana

Jamie says the mozzarella is optional? Then again, he suggests using buffalo mozzarella. This is a joke. You MUST use fresh mozzarella, but don't waste your money on imported buffalo mozz (the stuff is only at its best when made day of, which doesn't work if you get it imported from your grocery).

The tomato sauce is key too. Good canned tomatoes, lots of fresh basil, a drip of wine vinegar, and some sugar at the very end made for one of the best I've made. Then, if you've grilled your eggplants right, it's just a matter of layering.

I think I messed up on the cheese. I might have put too much, or not shredded it enough, or whatnot, but it was fresh and unsalted (which is the best way to do mozz when you're cooking it). Amazing. Find the recipe and use it.

Fritelle di spaghetti

I had mixed feelings about the pasta from the start. Fried pasta? Washing it? So many different things that didn't seem right. Basically, you make pasta and prepare a batter (sans flour) with egg, parsley, and parm. When the pasta is done cooking, you toss it with the mixture, then put it in the saute pan in little batches.

It took me a few tries to get the heat and timing right. As Jamie suggests, you want a nice crisp outside with a soft, tender inside. Who doesn't want this? What it means is high heat, olive oil (not the extra virgin type which would burn at these temps), and practice. By the last few ones I tried, they were nicely browned, crisp, and soft on the inside. I might even undercook the pasta a little in the future by 30 seconds. Great as a snack, but must be eaten hot hot hot.

1 out of 21

A good friend of mine decided to start a project - 1 out of 21 - that encourages us to be proud of what we do in the kitchen, and perhaps more importantly, take more ownership of what we eat. The premise is really simple, but brilliant: out of the 21 or so meals you cook each week, make (and share) one you're proud of.

To me, this clicked instantly. As much as I love cooking, I've recently found myself in a bit of a rut. Whether out of habit, ease, or fright I set into a standard resume of basic Italian dishes. Most of them had been improvised, but once I had it down, I just kept making it.

In an effort to spice things up a bit, I joined a CSA to eat more veggies and force myself to be more creative. It has definitely helped, but as I kept turning back to epicurious and various cookbooks for advice with beets, kale, and the like, I figured it was time to embark on a real adventure.

The results so far have been great. My "1" I'm guessing will be quite different from many. Ironically, I'm afraid to cook from a cookbook. I'd rather conjure up ideas and add spices along the way. It's a fun way to cook, but, unless you really get adventurous, it actually has been holding me back. So I joined teams with Jamie (read earlier posts) to expand my repetoire. For the next while, my "1" will involve the oven - an item I have used almost exclusively for mac and cheese, baked ziti, and chicken marsala.

Caponata

By now most people don't confuse tomatoes as Italian, but that doesn't mean they didn't figure out how to use them best early on. The Sicilians probably deserve credit for this, although it is surely impossible to say who made the first tomato sauce. That said, when you combine some splendid sicilian produce (tomatoes and eggplant) with a local farm's zucchini, you get one mean caponata.

I decided to venture a little bit from the recipe once I had the basics down. Jamie's recipe calls for adding tomatoes, eggplant, and onion. I cooked the eggplant and squash together, set them aside. Cooked up some mixed mushrooms, set them aside. Put everything back in the pot, added the garlic, parsley, and onion, and when it started to blend, mixed in some balsamic vinegar. Once the vinegar dissolved, I tossed in the tomatoes and an extra splash of extra virgin olive oil. I let that simmer for about 15-20 minutes (oh, and I had doubled the amount of garlic he put in).

The end result was amazing. I tried it in a few forms: on some pasta I cooked up, finished off with a little chili and parm, by itself (nothing added), on a piece of bread once room temp. I have a feeling this is one of those "better the next day" meals and am very excited to have bundled 2 lunches (kept with the over pasta method for those).

Cooking eggplant had, for a long time, given me some major trouble. If you too suffer, try this:

1) use small, firm italian eggplants. Once you see seeds, too late.

2) cook on high heat with olive oil (not extra virgin!). The extra virgin variety has too low a burning point and can make for some funky cooking at these high temps. This is a good rule in general. Save the good stuff for salads and finish off dishes.

3) add oregano (and a fair amount of it). You don't need fresh stuff, and in fact, it might be better to use the dried as you're cooking it at pretty high heat. This makes it taste vunderbar.

Why Jamie?

When i was looking at my cookbooks and trying to decide which one to begin my journey, I really didn't expect this one to make the cut. I knew I wanted to start Italian because of both its simplicity, availability of ingredients, and my own taste preferences. I've got this great "cucina rustica" book as well as a few by some other better known chefs, but in the end, after revisiting a few recipes from each I decided Jamie was closest to both my style and attitude.

While Jamie covers many different regions and their local foods, he focuses primarily on Roman and Sicilian cuisine. Although my time in Bologna made me rather biased toward the Emiglia Romana cuisine, it's not easy and often heavy.

Additionally, Jamie likes veggies. Not just to use as a side here and there, but, in his own words, "cook them nicely, dress them with care and you'll be laughing." That was pretty much the experience I had when I was in Italy, and while I do use a lot of vegetables in my cooking, I'm always looking for ways to expand. I got caught in a bit of a tomato/pepper/onion thing for a while.

Stay tuned.

Ricotta Fritta

Romans like to fry lots of things, including cheese. When I say fry I don't mean like the deep oil dip - I mean more like a pan sear, but they have the same word for it - fritto. I read the recipe for "ricotta fritta" and thought this would be a perfect dish. In a lot of ways it was, except perhaps in looks.

Jamie's got this lovely picture of an omlette like thing next to a pile of quartered and marinated mixed tomatoes. Yum. This is one of those recipes where I feel like the folks from chef's illustrated would have been a little more helpful. How did he get it to look so pretty?

I tried it in several batches, lowering and increasing the heat, with and without olive oil, a minute here or there, but by the end of my batch I had come up with something that tasted amazing, but didn't have the 'crisp' consistency he bragged about at the end of his recipe. Something to work on in the future.

Squid

After last night's success with bruschette (I ended up doing: roasted eggplant w/goat cheese, tomato w/basil & mint, pesto and goat cheese) I decided to continue my journey through Jamie's Italy.

You ever have really chewy calamari or octopus, whether fried, in a salad, or some other form? I've had amazing stuff, and I've had unedible stuff. What I discovered tonight is that the difference isn't so much in the quality of the squidy, but in how it's prepared. It's incredibly cheap (about 4-5 dollars a pound) and full of flavor.

First, flavor some olive oil with some garlic, lemon, and parsley stem in a pan. Then, toss on the squid (whole) and let simmer for about 15 minutes until you can run a fork tenderly through it. This doesn't actually fully prepare your squid. Jamie offers several options, and I vied for the kebab method - lightly grilling (or in my case, pan searing) with a little extra parsley, lemon juice, and hot pepper. If I had more squid, I'd try marinating it (after the tenderizing process) to make a salad.

Bruschette

Traditional Italian food is often not particularly creative. Unlike their French friends across the pond, the Italians never resorted to stewing rats and using eggs and butter in ever possible permutation to create what we now call Haute Cuisine. Instead, the Italians have almost always relied on the vegetables (and occasionally animals) that were around them. There are a few notable exceptions (osso bucco), but Italian cuisine is at its purest when the ingredients are fresh, simple, and perfectly balanced.

Jamie starts off with bruschette (little toasts) and so will I. While there's no wrong way to make these bite size yummies, I've decided to lean heavily on the vegetable side of things having come back from the pork, sausage, and cheese world of Spain. Don't get me wrong, modern Spanish tapas has evolved into a near art form of the perfect bite, but for now I'll do it like the nonna I never had: tomato & basil, eggplant & mint, ricotta & olive.

A New Start

Four months have passed since my last post. I'm sure the suspense was slowly burning your brain cells. The good news is that I'm back, and with a purpose. Here's what you can expect:

1) Josh's Jamie's Italy - in my quest to become a better chef, I've decided to cook through several of my cookbooks, one in each of the major cuisines: Italian, French, Spanish, American. Why Jamie's Italy? You'll have to read the next post (more suspense, ah).

2) Meals my way - a good friend of mine came upon a brilliant idea. I'd share it, but its hers and until she gets her blog up and rolling I don't want to steal any thunder. Just look forward to it.

By now the suspense has probably made its way down to your brainstem. If the hormones that make you hungry have also decided to get an early start, then you're probably in for a big dinner as by now all you're probably thinking about is that warm bowl of saffron risotto with bacalao you didn't have... yet. So eat, come back tomorrow, and enjoy.

Matzoh and Egg

Brunch during Passover almost always means matzoh brei - a traditional combination of egg and water-soaked matzoh. Leftovers always play an important role as well. And usually, when it comes to food restrictions, I don't like to play the substitute game (i.e. tofurkey and the like).

But given the opportunity to use farm-fresh eggs and matzoh from a sedar, I thought why not? The result - a sunny-side up egg on a piece of matzoh. No recipe needed here. Fry an egg to your liking, and gently (very gently!) place on top of half a piece of matzoh. You gotta eat it quick so it doesn't get sloppy, and it helps to over-cook the egg a little so it stays together (matzoh doesn't soak up the yolk as well as bread).

Enjoy it for a 'change.' (pictures coming soon)

The 18 minute Meal

Some rabbis say that if they can't see that it's matzoh, then no, you can't eat it. Some say rice (even the white, refined type) is ok. Some say metal detectors are ok, in jerusalem, on the sabbath, well, because. There are so many different variations on the rules that it's hard to keep it all straight. so I've come up with a few of my own.

Chez's Kosher for Passover Laws

1) No bread

2) No beer

3) Eat Pasta - if you can cook your meal in less than 18 minutes

4) Eat Rice - if you can cook your meal in less than 18 minutes

5) Drink wine - the kosher wine laws have nothing to do with specific passover regulation, but stay away from bubbly.

Honestly, what matters is the intent. I understand that the seder is longer - it's about the family, the celebration, and the story. But what's the point if you're off in some exotic land, having 3 hour meals with

It's basic

But good. Check it out:

Little Ears

Sausage

Roasted Pepper

Feta

Red Wine

Spinach/Green Beans

Grape Tomatoes

Onions

Yay Shrimp

So this is a classic I learned from my mom, but I like to call "The Italian" for its colors. No recipe needed, see if you can do it from the pics.

Trying to improve my skills with the macro zoom and a steady hand. The optical image stabilization definitely helps - check out the detail on the spinach at the left and the shrimps contours.

Stuffed Peppers

Yum! Once again, a taste of spain wins here. Got the recipe from a book I actually first saw in Anthropologie. Go figure.

Time-wise, this one was a lot more work than last night's garlic shrimp. Although the actual time in the kitchen wasn't very intensive, between the rice, the pepper-baking, and the meat-simmering, there were a lot of long-cooking processes that couldn't happen simultaneously.

I added a little dollop of feta on top just as a tease (at room temp). would definitely do again.

Basic ingredients here:

onions

ground beef (lamb was suggested)

garlic

tomatoes

white wine

spanish rice

spices

olive oil

Garlic Shrimp

Spanish experiment number one was a success. I decided to go with a standard: garlic shrimp with spanish rice (and some string beans on the side, more for the nutritional value).

Here's a pic of the goods. (recipe to come soon)

(no flash, getting better with the macro foscus pics without a stand. I think i need to get a small, portable tripod if I'm going to be serious about this)

Real Recycling

Although those blue and green bins are nice, they're not nearly as efficient as finding ways to truly reuse products at home. So, I thought it would be helpful to offer some tips about ways to use everyday items in great ways.

1) The jelly jar as a cup - almost any jar will work, but Bonne Madame is definitely my favorite. when you've gone through, take off the label, rinse it out, pop it in the dishwasher, and presto! you've got a beautiful glass to drink from. Apparently, there's even some company that uses European tumblers to store their jam in so you actually have a really nice set of glassware to go with that yummy spread.

Pasta in Pan

It was never really a secret. Putting your cooked pasta into the pan with the sauce for a minute or two has been the suggestion of grandmothers and professional chefs alike since the beginning. But still, time and again, I see people mixing both later. Now, there are a few reasons why you wouldn't do it: you've got really fresh pasta that you don't want to overcook. You've got a 'sauce' that's not very saucy and you want the flavor of the pasta to stand out. You're from the South (of Italy) and you like to give people a spoon to mix their own pasta/sauce at the table. But other than that, here's some hopefully yummy pictures to get your appetite going. All photos here taken with a cannon powershot 950SI.

A Dabble in Spain

I love just about everything Spanish: the sports, the wine, the cheese, the tapas, port, the language, flamenco, don quixote, the people. So, what better way to celebrate a culture than to plan a trip and try a week's worth of dishes:

Tuesday: Grilled Garlic Shrimp

Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers (with rice, meat, tomatoes, onions)

Thursday: Salmon with parsley/basic pesto with green beans

Stay tuned for pictures, recipes, and reviews. Decided to go with FreshDirect today. I'm a big fan of their new rating system. It's a great way to choose veggies and fruit that are in season and extra-fresh.

Safari 4 beta

I try to stick to food, but every once and a while I'm just impressed. While i think Safari 4 is only a so-so attempt to match the goodness that is Google Chrome (yet to be released for Mac), it does have one really neat feature. Perhaps there were other ways to do this before, but safari 4 makes this so easy. If you look at the screen shot below, you'll see that I've captured a frame (Pandora) and embedded it into the dashboard as a permanent widget. Perhaps this is just overkill on my system resources, but it's nice to be able to get this kind of access no matter what I'm doing with my mac to one of my favorite sites. Cool.

On the left: linguine with asparagus, garlic, romano, feta, and olive oil

Below: the same with the addition of a little tomato

2 Pan Pasta

Sometimes my girlfriend and I are in the mood for something different. Tonight was one of those "we didn't go to Fairway so let's see what we have in the fridge." Lucky for us, we had a few things to work with: prosciutto, asparagus, pecorino romano, garlic, feta, and a little tomato sauce. If you've been with me from the beginning, most of those were in the 'pasta primer' section and this kind of dinner is exactly why.

First, I sauted some asparagus in some olive oil and garlic. Then, in the second pan, i split up the asparagus and added some tomato sauce. when the pasta was done, i split it between the two dishes.

In the next post you'll see the result: a cheesy version and a tomatoey version. Yum.

Demystifying Fish

I think most beginning cooks are a little scared of fish. It is often expensive, easy to overcook, delicate, and quite honestly, not very complex (in taste). When people think of blank canvases to cook with, they usually turn to chicken. (I'll talk a lot about chicken later) Fish, however, precisely because of its delicacy and varied taste makes for a much more interesting canvas. The trick, of course, is knowing how to cook it right. For a true how-to cook fish I almost exclusively turn to Julia Child's Kitchen Basics as a reference. The truth is, however, getting cheap fish and experimenting is how I've developed a few of the recipes you'll find in this blog.

Salmon a la Mustard

Because I like to cook for 2, that's what this recipe is for, but as usual, it's pretty easy to double. As a general rule, 1/3 pound per person is a rule (although it will give you a pretty small portion).

2/3 - 3/4 lb salmon (farmed is ok, king is ultimate)

1 clove garlic (sliced)

3 teaspoons dijon mustard (I like country style)

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

fresh parsley

1. Over just-over medium heat, add some olive oil and the garlic when it is fragrant.
2. Put the fish on the pan, skin side up (this is totally reverse from what you'll read in most places). After about 4 minutes, flip the fish over. Let saute for another 2-3 minutes.
3. When outside is no longer super-pink, cover the pan. (again, this is pretty non-traditional, but it really helps to cook the inside of the fish more evenly). Lower the heat to just below medium
4. After about 4 minutes cut the fish in half. It should be pretty easy to cut. If it's not, that means it needs more time. When the newly cut section is a nice shade of pink. You know if it's done if you can break off pieces of the fish with just your fork right along its breakpoints. (it's underdone if you have to fight it, it's overcooked if it just mashes under your fork)
5. While the fish is cooking, mix the mustard, oil, vinegar, and parsley in a small mixing bowl. Once the fish is plated, top off with 2-3 teaspoons of the sauce. Leave some on the side for people who like extra.

mangia bene!

Baking

The only thing I really bake is ziti. I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and certainly some in front of the oven, but what I've learned fall into two basic concepts:

1. Get to know your oven. Not only does it make food taste good, but it's a finicky thing. When recipes say 350, that might be 325 or 400 on yours. There's no secret, you just have to try. And so I suggest starting out easy, with things like Mac and Cheese, baked ziti, potatoes, and other veggies.

2. Read the recipe. I usually don't spend a lot of time hovering over recipe books but when the oven is involved, I tend to stay close to the page. The difference of a few degrees may make or break your meal, so before the guests arrive make sure you've experimented.

Thursday Nights

If, like many people, you only go shopping once a week - on the weekends - then I think Thursday is the hardest to prepare for. Whatever you're planning to eat either has to be frozen (blah) or has been sitting in the fridge since Saturday/Sunday. Here's a meal that I cooked up that lasts pretty well, has a good balance of protein and veggies, is cheap, and takes about 30 minutes to make. Although I've been making this dish recently for 2 people (as this recipe is for) it is very easily doubled. There's one trick to ensuring the meat cooks well and you're ready in under 30: as you're thinking about getting started take the meat out of the fridge. Also, if this is the first time you've made sausage rounds with your hands, it's probably best not to start the water to boil until you've finished the step with the sausage links.

Is it still good? orechiette

1/2 lb orechiette (or linguine if you decide to go with the sausage balls instead of crumbled)

2-3 links hot italian sausage

1 small carton grape tomatoes

1/2 lb or more of fresh spinach (preferably baby)

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic

dash dried oregano

fresh parsley

olive oil

optional (i.e. will cost you a little more, but taste a lot better)

parmeggiano reggiano or percorino romano

goat cheese or feta

chicken broth

1. Take the sausage out of the fridge, and set a pot of water to boil on the stove.
2. Prep the sausage in a small bowl by squeezing out little rounds of sausage (any size you like, although I usually go with about 1/2 inch diameters)
3. Slice 2 of the cloves of garlic, mince 1 and set aside in small bowl/cup
4. slice in the onion into strips (about 1/8th inch thick)
5. crumble up any cheese and set aside
6. Have all your ingredients you need within reaching distance of the pan. For this dish, I would use my "chefs pan" - as described in one of the first posts - but any 12-inch saute will do, so long as it has a lid.
7. Drizzle a little oil in the pan (if not non-stick). Put the sliced garlic and when it starts to sizzle, add about half the onion. Wait until it sizzles. Add a little chicken broth if you're going to use it.
8. Add the sausage to the pan - should be about medium-high - and make sure the rounds are separated. If you decide to just get ground meat, make sure to break apart as it starts to cook.
9. Wait a few minutes and turn when it starts to brown. Add the oregano. Just when you no longer see pink on the outside, lower the flame to medium and cover. Add the pasta to the water.
10. When the pasta is about halfway done, add the spinach, tomatoes, minced garlic. Stir.
11. When the pasta is done, take it out, drain it, and add it to the pan. Mix in the cheese and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over to taste. Add fresh parlsey, chopped or whole.

Yum!

Pasta Primer

I have literally gone weeks when I have pasta for at least one meal a day consecutively. It's probably not the healthiest option, but what I quickly learned is that a well balanced fridge, freezer, and cabinet can turn the mundane into a rather impressive lunch/dinner/snack/?. I have a few guidelines that hopefully will help you the next time you're in a bind for a meal:

1) always keep at least half a pound of two different types of pasta around - preferably one long and thin shaped, and one different (like farfalle, penne, rigatoni, etc.)

2) keep a couple packs of frozen spinach in your freezer. Although I almost exclusively use fresh spinach, it's almost guaranteed to help if you don't have it on hand.

3) Keep a jar of simple tomato sauce around. Buying expensive stuff isn't worth it. You can very easily add some spice to a jar and make a very fine pasta sauce in a few minutes (recipe forthcoming).

4) always keep fresh garlic around. When you really run out of supplies, a little olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt (and if you follow step 2, spinach) makes for a really good pasta actually.

5) try your best to keep parmeggiano or something like it around. even the simplest of recipes can be significantly improved with a little sprinkle of this potent yet flexible cheese.

6) if you do have some vegetables, think like the italians. Try not to overcook them, and don't necessarily mix them all together. When using mostly veggies, you want each one to keep it's texture and taste so that the dish is both diverse and dynamic. Adding veggies at different times helps (always add spinach last).

Mangia bene!

Penne with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

Inspired by flavors from the Mediterranean (mostly Greece and Italy), this dish works well for a crowd for lunch or dinner. It's incredibly cheap, flavorful, and healthy. If making for a big group, it's probably best to go with the frozen spinach, but for 2-3 people you should try to get fresh. Also, when toasting the pine nuts, make sure that the pan you're using is dry (preferably non-stick).

1 lb Penne

1/4 lb Feta (I like Bulgarian for cooking, mainly because it's a little less salty)

1 lb (or more) spinach

3 cloves garlic, sliced and minced (mixed)

handful of pine nuts

olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Heat a big pot of water on high, waiting for it to get to a rolling boil. Meanwhile....
2. heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet on low (no oil). You'll know it's ready if you can put your hand over the pan and feel a little heat. Add the pine nuts and swirl them around the pan, taking it off the heat source (you can turn off the flame if you want). You'll see some of the nuts turn a light brown color when they're done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Check the water. If it's boiling, put the pasta in with a little salt. Bring back to a boil. Put the flame back on medium for the pan. Add the olive oil, and when you can really smell it (but before it starts smoking, add the sliced garlic). Cook for 1-2 minutes.
   
4. Add the spinach and stir. You'll know you've overcooked it if it looses it's green color and becomes more black. You'll want it to wilt but keep most of it's texture. (it also looses a fair amount of nutritional value if it's overcooked).
   
5. When the spinach is ready, and you've got about a minute before the pasta is done, put in the feta, minced garlic, and pepper. Add salt to taste (you probably won't need to add much because feta is pretty salty).
   
6. Drain the pasta and add to the spinach/feta mixture. Add the pine nuts. Serve!
7. Additionally, you can crumble on a little extra feta if you like it cheesy.

Prep

Although it takes some practice in front of the stove, my opinion is that most of the work is done well before the food hits the heat. Although he's a rather pompous man, Anthony Bourdain taught me (through his books) that being ready is way more than half the battle. He breaks it down into 'deep prep' and 'prep', but for most of us, 'prep' is really where we'll put in the most effort and where the difference between a good meal and an unintended mush will be.

Knife skills and kitchen organization/readiness will make everything significantly easy and can turn the reluctant cook into a foodie. For me, it means having two knives I go to relentlessly, keeping them in good shape, and organizing my space with bowls (those light-weight stainless ones are great). Although I don't do a lot of measuring, I still like to keep my ingredients separated into categories, if not giving them each a little bowl of their own. I think an example will help.

Almost every Monday I make a dish my girlfriend came up with which we fondly call "The Monday Night Special." It's healthy, easy, and cheap (a recurring theme). Here's how making the dish looks like in my kitchen:

After cranking the tunes, I fill up my pot with cold water and put it on the stove. (I do this almost any time I'm making dinner). I grab the cutting board and my Forschner santuko blade, run it on the steel a couple times. First comes the garlic - sliced and minced, then put off to the side on a small plate. Then comes the peppers - cored and sliced, then put into a small stainless bowl. Then comes the parsley, chopped and put into a cup. Then comes the cheese (ricotta), mixed into the cup with the parsley.

When everything is ready, the water is boiling, I toss in the tortellini, and heat up the olive oil. Now it's just a matter of putting the ingredients in the pan, a quick saute, and mixing it all together at the end. Clean-up is a snap because everything I used (except the knife and pan) can go into the dishwasher, and we're ready to eat.

Pans

I was about to write what pots and pans I have, but that would just bore you. Read any generic cookbook and you'll get some good advice. What I want to tell you is that the success to a good meal isn't about how expensive your pots are, but whether or not you use each for its own purpose and store 'em well. A rack keeps closet size kitchens like mine super easy to manage. Keeping only pans I use every week means the space isn't cluttered. And knowing when to go with the regular saute or the straight-side can change the thickness of sauce. I'll try to be specific about what kind of pot/pan works best for each recipe that makes it up here.

Meet my Kitchen

You can tell a lot about a person, and their kitchen, by the spice rack. Mine for instance, is made from two bamboo boxes that were meant to hold who knows what, but which I hammered to the wall. Put a few decorative heat absorbers (there's some kitchen name for them which escapes me now) around it and all of a sudden, bam, it looks like it was meant to be that way. Spices of choice? Oregano, Herbs de Provences, bay leaf, majoram, thyme, red pepper, not necessarily in that order.

I come from the Mediterranean school of cooking. That is to say I'm not fancy, like fresh things, and really like Italy. I usually use olive oil - but sometimes a chip of butter helps a meal immensely. Love garlic. Hummus, good. Vegetables, good. Fish, good. You get the idea. But spices add an important part to any meal, and it's not just about how you use them, but making sure they're easily accessible.