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Dinner
Fresh tuna steaks with fennel/corriander rub
Garlic noodles
Salad
Strawberry shortcake, made with cream biscuits

The tuna was a gift from a commercial fisherman, fresh off the boat. This is better than the stuff we have been eating lately. I did make black bean turkey chili with cornbread this week. I also did a tuna casserole, when I was stuck with nothing in the house and we really liked it, oddly. I don't have links to these recipes and I have not yet figured the best way to post my recipes online.

Try the garlic noodles, though--these are great. The are from my old favorite Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter. This is meant as an East/West dish suitable for Asian or Western menu's. I especially like it with fish. These are so good I made them again the next day and served warm topped with cold sliced leftover tuna, diced cucumbers and cilantro.

Marco Polo Noodles
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
1 Tblsp finely minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp olive oil (neutral vegetable oil is fine, too)
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Asian-style sesame oil (dark toasted kind)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed (omit if you don't have it)
1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 pound noodles, cooked al dente (can be done ahead and tossed with a little oil)

In a large skillet, saute the garlic and ginger in the olive oil for one minute. Add the liquids and peppercorns and bring to low boil. Remove from heat and toss in noodles until coated with sauce. Toss with green onions and serve. I like to use the fresh Chinese chow mein style noodles, but dried are fine and thin spaghetti is acceptable if you live in the boonies. Serves 2 to 3.
12:58 PM

Sunday, April 22, 2001

test--Blogger has been having problems posting to my page--please be patient and check back.
I am also fiddling with how to make the archives/old posts work.
11:43 AM

Thursday, April 12, 2001

This recipe for French "Toast" pork rinds nicely illustrates the wrongness of the high-fat, low-carb diet fads ) link via pith and vinegar). Eating this way will not get you even short-term weight loss because the calories are just too high. If you are interested in quick weight loss, at least look into high-protein, low-fat, low carb diets. And get some understanding of the science behind the various claims, like the Atkins diet. Atkins is right we do consume too many carbohydrates, especially simple ones that are not all that nutritious, like in refined flour and sugar. For saner alternatives, here is an article from Dr. Dean Ornish, discussing the value of low-fat diets and use of complex carbo's. This method allows for quick weight loss and at least, is a plan you can stay on for long term good health.
11:35 AM

Tuesday, April 10, 2001

Pan Sauces
This one is for the correspondent who often dines alone. "One cooking dilemma I have is sauces. I love sauces on anything and everything. I feel that if I just knew how to whip up a few sauces, I could always have a nice meal. For instance, I like pork chops or pork loins, but I usually just pan fry and it's so plain. Is there some sauce I could make to go with pork?"

If you learn to make a basic quick pan sauce, there are endless variations. The main idea is to use the pan that you sauteed the chops in and deglaze it with liquid. You are incorporating the flavor of the browned particles that form on the pan into the sauce. Start with this Master recipe from The Complete Meat Cookbook (there are 13 variations).

Master Pan Sauce
After the initial saute, remove the chops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. The first step is to spoon off all but a bit of the fat, leaving any meat juices behind. For two chops, add a teaspoon of garlic and stir for 30 seconds, It is important not to burn the crust on the pan. Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine or vermouth and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. The wine is reduced a bit, then 1/4 cup of chicken stock (low sodium) is added. This is further boiled until it just turns a bit syrupy. You want the total liquids to be reduced about half, but this will happen quickly. Salt and pepper to taste. You can swirl a teaspoon or two of butter in at the end, or not. Return the meat to the pan and turn in the sauce to coat.

This technique is equally successful with chicken, fish and steak, and works for roasts too. You might choose red wine and beef stock for the steak and fumet and sherry for the fish. You can finish the pan with butter or cream to vary the effect. Some fruit juice, like apple cider, orange or lemon juice can be used in place of the acid in the wine. Herbs, a dab of Dijon mustard or tomato paste can be added. Instead of garlic, use shallots or onion, but they will need to be cooked a bit on low heat (don't burn the pan). Look at this variation on the basic recipe from The Complete Meat:

Mustard Pan Sauce
Add 1/2 cup chopped onion and a teaspoon of garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes on medium. Add 1/2 cup sherry and 1/4 cup vermouth, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon mustard (they use 1/2 Dijon, 1/2 coarse-grained). Bring the heat up and boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring, until it is almost a syrup. Optional--off the heat, stir in 1/4 cup sour cream.

In How to Cook without a Book, Pam Anderson has a good primer on how to make the quickest pan sauces. This is a must read. Pam Anderson used to work at Cook's Illustrated and is now a Contributing Editor at USA Weekend Magazine. Their current issue has an article that includes Seared Salmon Filets with Orange Dijon Pan Sauce, plus two variations--Balsalmic Pan Sauce and Tomato Pan sauce. Any of these flavors will work great with pork chops.

Now look to see how the same concept works for Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce, from the Washington Post Cooking Class series. This is a company dish, but you can adapt it to your pork chop. I'd make two chops, or one tenderloin, and halve the sauce ingredients to make dinner for two nights.

Pantry Items - just a little planning and you can whip up a sauce anytime
Chicken stock: Homemade unsalted is best, and easy, but you can always used canned. Choose the low sodium or the salt will intensify as the sauce reduces. Freeze any leftover stock in an ice cube tray and bag for future quick use. No need to defrost, just plunk it in the pan.

Sherry, Vermouth: These will last a long time. Opened white or red wine will not. I'm going to try freezing leftovers in the ice cube tray too. Sounds awful, but I have read that it works fine.

Shallots: These have better flavor than onions. Cutting up a shallot will provide just the right amount, so you don't leave cut onions in the refrigerator where the flavor quickly deteriorates. They cost a little more than onions, but I usually find them cheaper in Chinatown. They last a month in a cool dry place with good air circulation.

Tomato Paste: Buy a tube that you can store in the refrigerator. This is ideal for using small dabs. Alternately, if you have to open a can, freeze the rest in spoonfuls on wax paper, then bag when firm.

While rooting around in the USA Weekend site, I found another Pam Anderson article I liked on Frittatas. This is a better method that my link from 4/8/01. I include it here because this is another good and quick option for solo dining. Leftovers can be eaten for breakfast or lunch.
11:05 AM

Monday, April 09, 2001

San Gabriel Valley Item
This is old but so pertinent to me. Found while delving into the older articles in the Atlantic monthly food section, see the link on the left. I really enjoyed this article on Chinese migration in the Los Angeles suburbs. I grew up in the area and was very confused when I returned as an adult and found it was all Asian. When I discovered my first all-Chinese massive supermarket just blocks from my grandparents old house I was delighted but puzzled. When did this happen and where did these people come from? The street signs were in Chinese. This was a middle class white and hispanic suburb transformed. It is explained here, along with the reasons why I still couldn't figure out where to eat.
12:16 AM

Sunday, April 08, 2001

A correspondent was asked to bring an appetizer to a Paella dinner. Since this is not a Spanish theme party, I would just concentrate on simpatico dishes rather than trying for authentic Spanish dishes. There is no telling what seafood or chicken will go into the paella, so I'd stay mostly vegetarian. You could do Gazpacho, but it is not far enough into tomato season for my taste. It is awkward to bring and serve a soup to someone else's house. Likewise hot dishes will be a pain, so stay away from the garlic mushrooms and the fried calamari.

An interesting idea is to do a couple very simple, even rustic things. A small bowl of olives, a few slices of jamon Serrano, and some marinated vegetables with bread would be all that you need. Just a nibble, and don't distract from the paella. I don't know if you can find the fabulous sweet jamon Seranno, so get a little proscuitto from the Italian deli, plus some marinated assorted olives. You can round this out with a Tortilla Espanola that you can make during the day or even the day before. Just serve it at room temperature. Some people love this dish, but I am not a big fan and would rather go for the Carmelized Onion Frittata from 4/6/01. Again room temperature service. Lastly, you can impress with a simple roast bell pepper dish. I know peppers have shot up in price recently, but they're still not too expensive considering that just a luscious strip of the pepper, bathed in olive oil with a bite of crusty bread (and perhaps the small bite of anchovy) will go a long way. You might be surprised at how many people have not have this simple handmade version.

Roast Red Bell Peppers
Roast peppers over a flame or under a broiler until well blackened on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Peel and seed. Don't worry if a bit of char clings to the outside, but get rid of the seeds and ribs and liquid. Slice lengthwise in 3/4-inch strips. Find a nice piece of shallow, oval crockery. Lay the peppers in the dish, using a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper and perhaps a few capers in between each layer. I recommend you also use anchovies between the layers, they will mellow considerably and surprise anchovy-haters. Cover with a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Some like a splash of balsalmic vinegar. Let sit overnight, if possible, but several hours at least, and serve at room temperature.
11:37 PM

Friday, April 06, 2001

I usually get into little cooking ruts, often over finding compromise dishes that both my daughter and I will like. One habit I have started that I am really liking, is to do a batch of carmelized onions every week or so. It's is so versatile and delicious and can be used for impromptu meals for one as well as for entertaining. You can use it for frittata, on top of focaccia bread before you bake it, on toasted baguette slices with a bit of goat cheese or gorgonzola, and tossed with pasta and a bit of toasted walnuts.

I started by following the technique from the Washington Post Cooking Class. This was a delicious onion soup recipe. If you try it read the entire recipe before starting to cook because the carmelizing steps are in a couple places. Fine Cooking magazine is very reliablie for technique as well. Then I made frittata with carmelized onions and walnuts from Debroah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for everyone. This forms the basis for the recipe I keep around--the sweet rich onion, tiny crunch of nuts and contrast of the bit of vinegar is so appetizing.

1 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (optional, but I do)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)
Slice onions crosswise about 1/4 inch wide. Warm the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet, add onions and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until golden and soft, about 1/2 hour. Add vinegar and let it reduce and season with salt and pepper. She adds a 1/8 teaspoon of cloves. Toss with nuts.

Now you can do your frittata, reheating the pan with butter, using 6 eggs, and some chopped parsley. This is good for brunch but also makes a nice appetizer with drinks, just serve it at room temperature. Here's a little primer on frittata
11:48 AM

Thursday, April 05, 2001

I will be very sorry to see Webvan fail. Their auditor says that they are likely to go under this year. The stock is well under $1 and they will have to raise financing in order to meet operating expenses. This is a sorry state for a company that had great credentials and initially raised megabucks. As a consumer, this was one of the first purchases I made on the internet. The quality of the meat, fish and especially the produce was superior. I was very happy with the service. That said, I'm not sure why I didn't order more often.
12:14 PM

Friday, March 30, 2001

After being away for a few days, it was really hard to start this up again. Please forgive me. I could catch you up on my desparation dinners, but I'm sure I will be making fried rice again soon. I tried to get some inspiration from the columnists who write Desparation Dinners, but aside from a couple of good ideas, there is not much here to inspire me. I am never so desparate that I have to use bottled chopped garlic. Using this sort of product just leads to curtailing availability of the real fresh thing, to my mind. I was also surprised they used an expensive pork loin for the crockpot pulled pork BBQ, when a cheaper roast would be less dry not to mention less expensive.

Tonight, I'm trying to get some emergency food stashed away in the freezer, so I put a big pot of Italian Gravy and Meats on the stove. For those of you who are not Italian Americans, this is a big vat of tomato sauce, that you use to simmer various meats. The rich smooth meaty sauce is served first with a small dried pasta, then the plated meats are served separately with a little more sauce.

Today I'm using a couple pieces of pork butt, some pork neck bones for flavor, Italian sausage links, homemade meatballs and bracciola, a thin pounded steak layered with good flavorful things like proscuitto, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan chese, then rolled and tied. I learned how to make it from the internet, a great cook from the Bronx. I love this very simple explanation and basic recipe. If you make this add a pork country rib or two and some sauteed onion. I make three times that amount. Others use different meats, a cheap piece of beef, even lamb, ox tails, country ribs or even spare ribs, chicken too. Everything cooks long enought to be tender and falling apart. The only thing that you always have to do is the meatballs, and some kind of pork because that makes the sauce sweet and meaty tasting. Beware any recipe that does not call for water. The sauce starts thin but concentrates over time.

If you want to get more into it enjoy the Atlantic Monthly's essay. In all, this is a very soothing and homey thing to make, plus it yields great dividends. I usually eat it a couple times that week, and still have a couple quart jars in the freezer that I save for Baked Ziti. They don't call it Sunday Gravy for nothing. I didn't start mine early enough, so it looks like we may be scrounging for dinner again tonight!
7:42 PM

Tuesday, March 20, 2001

More questions? This one wants sauces--sorry off for a few days...will have a think.
3:12 PM

A correspondent wants suggestions to serve in the afternoon. "Not lunch, more like tea". Well, since you don't have any time to fuss, I would put out a few quick things, similar to what you would serve at a cocktail party. Perhaps very nice crudites and hummus dip Tofu hummus is really very good, light and fluffy, but use tahini if you have it. To make it like tea, serve curried chicken salad sandwiches, crusts trimmed and cut into triangles, and scones.

Put out a plate of these great scones, pirated from the pages of a cooking BB. They are easy to make, rustically attractive wedges, and less rich or 'short' than cream scones.

Buttermilk Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup buttermilk
one egg yolk mixed with a splash of cream (or milk)
raw sugar
Optional: currants, dried cranberries, chopped toasted nuts, or candied ginger, or oange zest

Measure the dry ingredients into the food processor, pulse briefly to mix. Add butter, pulse until butter is in pieces about the size of a hazelnut.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in any optional ingredients. Pour the buttermilk in, and mix with a fork until a shaggy mass forms. Form into a disk about 1 1/2 inches high. With a sharp kinfe carefully cut the disk in half and in half again. Cut each of the 4 pieces either into thirds to get 12 or in half again to get 8. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove from freezer, brush tops with egg yolk mixture sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 12 minutes at 400. These can be served with marmelade, preserves or lemon curd, but are fine plain.
12:53 AM

Sunday, March 18, 2001

There is a rash of blue garlic reports turning up on various food boards. I answered questions on two food sites, although I have not had this happen myself. It sounds alarming but it is a harmless. UC Davis Extension just came out with a publication on preserving garlic that notes this as the number one FAQ. You can download the article and check out their useful Nututrition, Family and Consumer Science news releases too.
1:51 PM

Saturday, March 17, 2001

Even though King Midas tomb was discovered 50 years ago, the funerary feast discovered there was only recently chemically analyzed and published in Nature. Thanks to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, you can now recreate this feast at home, using modern extrapolations of what was then authentic. The menu? Carmelized fennel tart, spicy fire-roasted lamb and lentil stew, chicken-currant dolmades, garbanzo and olive spread, Turkish mezze salad plate, dried apricots with sheeps milk cheese, washed down by King Midas Golden Elixir. Let me know if you make it. Thanks to Bon Appetit April edition for the link.
8:46 PM

Thursday, March 15, 2001

SOAR has moved to a new URL that is faster and has a better search engine. Yeah! Check out RecipeSource for huge database of recipes. To fund the site, they have set up Amazon Honor System and book ordering, hummm.

Dinner:This is my default marinade for salmon; I use this when I need a quick dinner. The recipe is from Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter, but found it on the net (unattributed). I only add the butter when I have company, but it's good. Oh, and Hugh adds parlsey (or cilantro). You can broil it. Preheat the oven to 500, then switch to broil, place salmon 4 inches below and cook without turning, about 5 to 7 minutes. I check for doneness at 5 minutes by taking 2 forks and gently pulling apart the flesh, peeking inside. After that I check every minute until it just barely loses the darker raw red color.
8:05 AM

Tuesday, March 13, 2001

I don't really get the fixation with St. Patrick's Day meals, since even starchef can't do better than boiled lamb, spotted dick and dingle pie.
9:52 PM

Sunday, March 11, 2001

When you need to make a deja vous dinner with yesterday's roast chicken, it helps to pad out the meal and make it interesting again if you add a soup to start. This carrot soup works well because it is medium-light bodied and the ginger and OJ add interest. I usually have the ingredients around for this quick soup.

Carrot Soup
In a medium saucepan saute a chopped onion in a dab of butter or oil. Add a minced garlic clove and some grated fresh ginger, about 1 Tbsp., and 3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin. A pinch of ground corriander is good too. Give a stir, then add 4 cups of chicken stock. Cut 3 large carrots and 1 medium potato into small chunks and add to pot. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor or blender, then return to the pot. Add salt and ground white pepper to taste. Squeeze in the juice of an orange, and the peel if you feel like grating it. Serve in bowls with a spoon of plain yogurt.
7:05 PM

Saturday, March 10, 2001

Yesterday was cookie day. Sold them for fundraising for the Washington D.C. school trip. I made two different kinds, chewy molasses cookies and killer chocolate peanut butter cookies.

The chewy molasses cookies are from a recipe I got from Gourmet. They are the most popular cookies I make for the school, and if I come without them everyone complains. Little nut says they are the official cookies of our house.

Dinner: This is an easy dinner. The chicken takes very little prep time and an hour to bake--tip: you don't need to truss. It is very juicy and lemony. Classic Marcella Hazan lemon roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and chard with garlic and lemon. For the chard, cut the leaves off the stem and slice into ribbons 1-inch thick. Heat a frying pan with olive oil and a little garlic, then add the chard and toss until wilted, then squeeze some lemon juice over. If you make this, pour some of the chicken juices onto the chard.
10:05 AM

Having company is an excuse to make rich desserts so last week I did a White Chocolate Challah Pudding that was raved about on one of the cooking boards. This was an easy dessert that tasted like more trouble than it actually was. Everyone groaned and panted over it, but no one would have a second piece because it was so rich. Apparently these types of puddings are pretty forgiving, so don't worry about getting it exactly right. Try it the way it is (even if I didn’t) and don't be tempted too add much more bread. Make the chunks of bread about 1-inch square. You will get some lucious bread plumped up with custard and pure custard pockets too. You can put it in the oven just before you serve dinner and it will be warm and ready to eat afterwards. This would also be perfect after a brunch if the main dishes are not pancakes or waffles.

I made it in a 9x13 pan, using the entire loaf of Challah (from the store). I added another cup of cream, one whole egg and a couple of egg yolk, and another 1/4 or so cup of sugar. Don't let anyone see the recipe or they may have a heart attack on the spot, hey? I kept the white chocolate to 10.5 ounces (3 Lindt bars) and it was still very sweet. Don't make this larger amount unless you have more than 6 for dinner! Otherwise the 8x8 pan is enough. For the raspberry sauce, I just thawed a bag of frozen raspberries and wizzed them in the food processor, with a spoon or two of sugar and some lemon juice. Then I pressed it through a coarse mesh strainer to get the seeds out. I used fresh raspberries on top.

The pudding is from The Fig's Table by Todd English, from his Boston restaurant Figs, a book I mean to get one of these days. He also owns Olives and has a cookbook for that too. His recipes seem simple and rich--perfect for dinner parties. Check out asparagus risotto and Parmesan Pudding with Pea Sauce. Check his bio and recipes on Star Chef's.

Since I had all these extra egg whites, I made an angelfood cake the next day. These are really pretty easy, I had mine in the oven in less than 10 minutes, since the whites were ready to go. I used a recipe from Gale Gand for Tangerine Angefood Cake, another recommendation from a reliable food board. This was a wonderful, fluffy angelfood cake--very popular with the kiddo. This is a good alternate to the fattening bread pudding. Angelfood cakes don't have any fat or much flour, so they are only about 140 calories per slice (1 slice = 1/12th of a cake). This is not much comfort when you eat the entire cake, which we did in one day. I don’t bring my egg whites to room temperature. This is supposed to make the whites whip higher, but overwhipping the whites is one of the trouble areas in angel cake making.

Gale and her husband own Tru and Brasserie T in Chicago, and she has a show on FoodTV called Sweet Dreams . You'll find recipes there.
10:00 AM