Make your own pickles

Bread and butter pickles.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

I'm not sure if it because I am German, but I love sour stuff.  I will eat just about anything pickled or fermented.  The inspiration for this post comes from getting really pissed off at the grocery store the other day.  I don't typically buy pickles because my mom usually keeps me well stocked, but my stock is mostly gone so I wanted to scout out some options.  Have you read the ingredients of pickles lately?  Try to find a brand that does not have sodium benzoate.  Even the refrigerator dills have preservatives. Moreover, some even have artificial color!  WTF!?  Let's think a minute here.  Isn't pickling, by definition, a form of food preservation?  So what's up with the preservatives?  Let's not forget the artificial color.  What, they aren't pretty enough?  I am totally blown away by that and I wouldn't accept any explanation of it, no matter who delivered it.  It just doesn't make sense.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this and we don't have to put up with that BS.  Make them yourself.  I realize that it is winter an fresh cucumbers are impossible to come by, but pretty much every grocery store carry the hybrid cucumbers.  Granted, we don't know how they are grown, but at least the enemy has been reduced to the cucumber itself and not some chemist at a pickle factory.  If you can find organic, all the better.  As an added bonus, home make refrigerator pickles are easy to make and don't take a ton of time.  Not to mention, they are better than store bought (no big surprise there).  My friend Steve, who is a self proclaimed pickle connoisseur, gave these a shining review.  These are ready to eat in a couple days and are really delicious after a week.   Give it a try and let the big manufacturers know that you aren't gong to take any more of their shit.  Enjoy.

Bread and Butter Pickles

• 2 large hybrid cucumbers cut into 1/16th" slices* (they are the long smooth cucumbers that are individually wrapped and have no seeds to speak of.  Great for B&Bs)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• ½ green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 TB kosher salt

Brine:

• 1 ⅔ cups sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. brown mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. celery seed
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 TB kosher salt

1. Combine cucumbers, onion, garlic, and peppers in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 1 hour. Transfer to a 1-qt. glass jar, leaving the liquid behind, and set aside.
2. Bring sugar, vinegar, mustard and celery seeds, turmeric, and salt to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan.  Pour mixture over the vegetables and seal the jar. Let cool to room temperature and then store in refrigerator.  They are ready in a couple days and will keep for a couple weeks, although I have never been able to test that theory because they get eaten quickly.

*Cooks note: A mandolin works great for this and even better if you have a blade with ridges so they look like official B&Bs.

Mise en place

Mise en place for shrimp chowder.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

I always tell people that if you are at all interested in being a better cook, you need to learn from the masters.  There are many cooks and chefs out there that are masters, but many are only within reach of culinary school students and apprentices.  I have two favorites that are withing easy reach of the home cook.  Julia Child and Jacques Pépin.  I grew up with SNL, and most everyone else for that matter, picking on Julia because of her large stature, booming voice, and Patrician English.  It wasn't until much later that I truly came to appreciate her for who she was; an intelligent woman of the world that could teach the French a thing or two about their own food.  Although she is gone, she left behind many of her works.  If you do not own a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, get one!  It is the de facto standard text if you want to learn how to cook French food, and whether or not you think you do, you do because it is the base skill set that will allow you to cook virtually anything else.

Even later in my life, Jacques also captured my interest.  I have never seen anyone wield a knife in a kitchen with such skill as Jacques.  I think the moment that took me was when he showed his viewers how to make melba toast.  He quickly removed the crust of the toast with his knife, then he held the toast gently with the palm of his hand and swung the knife through the toast under his hand to make two very thin slices of toast.  I just about fell off my chair.  I have pretty good knife skills, but I would have been in the emergency room if I had tried that one.  Wow.  Jacques also offers many texts.  One that I enjoy is Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques, which augments Julia's work very well.

There are many techniques to learn in the kitchen.  One that I think is important for the average home cook is mise en place, or to put in place.  Professional chefs depend on it, and home cooks can benefit from it, because when you really think about it, it is ingenious and beneficial.  It forces you to think things through; what ingredients I need and when.  It allows you to prepare those things, your "mise" as some chefs casually refer to them, ahead of time.  Without even thinking about it, it helps you organize your work area so when it comes time to cook your dish, you can concentrate on the task at hand instead of having to scrounge up ingredients at the last minute.  It allows you to...well, cook.  One of the things that most often plagues inexperienced home cooks is becoming overwhelmed when cooking for a group.  This technique allows you to examine things and break them down into smaller, more manageable parts.  Then, the stress melts away and you can focus on your work.  After all, cooking is supposed to be fun.  Think how cool you will look when your guests arrive and your "mise" is "en place".  Then you can grab a libation, visit with your guests and prepare the meal, cool as a cucumber.  Remember, you don't want to be that person that is freaking out flying around your kitchen like some big jacked up moth.

In the example above, I organized my mise en place for shrimp chowder.  The first thing I did was remove the corn from the cob and put them in a bowl.  Next, I boiled the cobs with the shrimp shells, from my shrimp which was also cut up an put into a bowl, to make a nice stock.  As that was cooking together, I chopped my carrots and celery and placed them in a bowl.  Yes, technically those could have gone into individual bowls, but I had them portioned out and were all going into the pool together anyway.  Then I diced onion and pepper into another bowl.  Then, the potatoes.  Finally, the shrimp/cob stock was done and went into the measuring cup along with what I scraped off the cobs.  Not pictured are the shrimp, corn, turkey stock, and cream, which were already "en place".  Finally, all I had to do was cook the chowder, which was splendid, I might add.  And why?  I thought things through and concentrated on the task of cooking so that I could taste and adjust and coax it into what I wanted.  And it was easy, relaxing, and fun.

Calamari Stew - Because Squid are Cool

Calamari Stew.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Squid, or calamari as it is commonly called, is not one of the most common ocean dwellers used in todays kitchens.  I think there are many reasons behind this, but I would venture to guess that the number one reason is, well, look at the picture.  When you order calamari in restaurants, you rarely get the tentacles, which is a shame because they are tasty.  I get it, though.  Most Americans don't like food that looks too much like what it looked like when it was alive, especially things with tentacles.  Therefore, most calamari is cut into strip lengthwise, breaded, then deep fried and served with some kind of spicy sauce, at which point, it resembles squid about as much as a leather shoe resembles a cow.  Maybe if we understood the squid more, we would change our minds.

A squid is a cephalopod, and is related to the octopus and cuttlefish.  They live in the cold ocean, swimming in nice clean water and eating seafood.  They are bioluminescent, which means they can light up based on their moods, so I guess you could say that they are into the performing arts.  They also get around using water jet propulsion, so they are high tech.  Let see a pig or cow do that.  (Most commercially raised pork and beef don't spend their lives in clean water, in fact, it is quite the opposite.)  Then, after a living in the ocean, they are caught and sold fresh at fish markets, unless you live where it do, in which case they are cleaned, and frozen into big blocks and sold at the grocery store.  The latter is the kind I will refer to in this post as it is probably what most people have access to.  Relatively inexpensive for seafood, somewhere around five bucks a pound, they are fairly easy to obtain.

They require a bit of cleaning, even though the packaging may state that they are cleaned, which they sort of are in that most of the guts are gone and the skin has been removed from the bodies.  I will start with the tentacles.  They need to be cleaned in such a way that everything is removed except the tentacles and the part that holds them all together, essentially everything past the eyes and beak.  Sometimes there is extra "stuff" attached that used to be on the inside of the squid that needs to be removed.  If that freaks you out, don't use the tentacles as the bulk of what you buy is body anyway.  It is also a good idea to feel around inside the bodies with a finger because you will probably find a cuttlebone or two in a batch of squid.  In fact, I have never had a batch of squid that didn't have at least a couple of them.  It looks like a long, clear leaf and isn't good for anything.  

Once the bodies are cleaned, you are ready to cook with them.  They can be left whole, or sliced into rings, like I did in the picture above.  The important thing about squid, as with many types of seafood, is that they need to be cooked very quickly, or for a long time.  Anything in between and they are like eating rubber bands.  So, basically that means that you can dredge them in flour or batter and fry them until golden brown, in which case it is only a matter of a few minutes, or stew them for about an hour and a half.  The recipe above was adapted from my cioppino or the octopus stew, if you are interested.  I hope you will give it a shot, or at least try cioppino, if you want to ease into it slowly.  Enjoy.

Aioli

Saffron Aioli.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Well, I am back after a short summer that I felt needed to be enjoyed as much as possible.  To be honest, I realized that I don't have a huge following of people in a world with numerous food blogs and I kind of pulled back from the whole blogging thing.  But then I started reading the blog of Johnny B. Truant, and basically learned that you need to quit worrying about stuff and just do it.  Maybe this blog will never have a huge following, but if I worry about that, I won't do it, as I haven't for the past couple months.  So, sometimes you have to just say fuck it and try to be as awesome as you can be.  Like Johnny says, no one is going to give you the gift of awesome, you have to make it yourself by doing awesome things.  This is my attempt at being as awesome as I can.  I digress.  On with food talk.

Aioli is one of those things that people often times have never heard of, yet have probably eaten several times, usually going by the moniker of something something spiced mayo, and usually one of those somethings in garlic.  In its most basic form, aioli is mayonnaise seasoned with garlic.  Ta-da!  Usually a lot of garlic.  I have found that a little garlic goes a long way, but as with most things, tastes vary.  The fun thing about aioli is that it is one of the basic French sauces, and not unlike many French sauces, is based on another sauce.  Feel free to make your own mayo for this, but I am perfectly happy with a good quality store bought mayo.  Once you have aioli, you can be imaginative and add what you like to tailor it to a specific application.  In the above example, I added a nice pinch of saffron to some aioli and stirred it every few minutes over the course of an hour so that the saffron infused into it and turned it a beautiful golden yellow color.

Another great thing about aioli is that, unless you make your own mayo, you don't even need to remember any real proportions, just don't burn it with garlic.  Now, aioli isn't for every type of food.  Obviously, it adds a silky mayo texture and mouth feel, but it also adds garlic, so it is a bit of a double whammy, so you need to be careful.  That being said, it goes well with fish, some times chicken, eggs, and many vegetables like potatoes and asparagus.

Here are a few of my favorites and how I use them:

• Plain old aioli - fish, potatoes, asparagus
• Creole spiced aioli - corned beef, believe it or not
• Saffron aioli - fish, potatoes, deviled eggs, Tortilla Espanola, salmon cakes
• Ponzu* aioli - pan seared salmon, deviled eggs, salmon cakes
• Wasabi aioli - pan seared salmon or tuna, deep fried chicken wings
• Dill aioli - salmon, and salmon quiche
• Green peppercorn and caper aioli - salmon cakes

As for the list above, the recipe is in the name. Just add the accompaniment to taste and let stand for about an hour.  Don't worry, if you use good mayo that has been properly stored within the proper time frame, you won't grow a colony of  people killing bacteria in an hour, although the fear-mongering news media would probably have you believe that now that they are tired about talking about whether eggs are good or bad for you, or if you should wash your chicken.  But that is another post.

* Ponzu is a wonderful Japanese sauce that looks like thin soy sauce.  The flavor is hard to describe without going into each ingredient that makes up ponzu, which many times does not help the situation as those ingredients are just as strictly Japanese as ponzu itself.  Just think of it as a light, yet full bodied sauce, faintly reminiscent of a thin soy sauce, but less harsh and salty with a slightly acidic citrus note.  You typically see it served with tataki (see my duck tataki post).

Malabar Spinach

Malabar Spinach.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

As I had mentioned to in a previous post,  I love the farmer's market because you can find some really interesting produce, especially if you have a strong Asian contingent, which our market fortunately does.  One of the things I really enjoy is this strange spinach like plant called "Chinese spinach".  Now, I am not doubting anyone, but it seems like it is all too easy to throw the name Chinese on the front of something that the plant looks like and most people won't notice.  However, Chinese spinach seems to be the name given to many different things, on of them being Malabar spinach, which also goes by many names.  Since I don't know any botanists, we will just call it Malabar spinach and  leave it at that.

So, now that I have bored you with what it is called, let's talk about it in a practical sense.  What to do with it.  Well, not surprising, it can be used in much the same way as regular spinach, with a couple minor exceptions. The first thing that you will notice is that the texture is not of a normal spinach.  It is like a succulent in that the leaves are fairly thick and rubbery, but not in a bad way.  You will also notice that it has clusters of leaves on a larger stalk, and that is because it is a vine, unlike regular spinach.  The flavor is much more delicate than spinach and does not tend to make your teeth feel like they are coated in Emery cloth after eating it.  I really hate that about typical spinach.  One thing that you will also notice, and perhaps to your chagrin, is that it is also a bit mucilaginous.  Okay, slimy.  But not like a northern pike or lunch meat you forgot about in your meat drawer (or what the cafeteria used to serve us in college on a regular basis), but kind of like okra.  Therefore, you most likely want to cook it quick in a stir fry, or in a soup so that it helps in the thickening process.  One of my favorite ways to cook it is to quickly stir fry it and then hit it with some oyster sauce.  It's really good.  Right now I have a kettle of meatball and white bean stew in the oven.  Typically I use chard or kale, but I had Malabar spinach on hand so I am using that.  So, far I have never felt that it was at all slimy when cooked, but you will notice it a bit when cutting it.

So, next time you are at your local farmers market, be adventurous.  If it is called Chinese something, then it is probably something you won't find at the local grocery store, and something you should take home with you.  You wouldn't believe how much time I spend on the web trying to identify what the heck I just bought.  And if an Asian farmer tells you something is good, buy it.  I think it is a safe bet that this is exactly what they are eating at home.

Hen of the Woods

Hen of the Woods mushroom.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

The other day a friend texted that he had a Hen of the Woods for me.  I had never had one before, so I jumped at the chance.  It is not every day that someone offers you fungus.  So, it arrived basically filling up a plastic grocery bag.  After a few minutes of rearranging the fridge, we made room and started looking forward to the next days meal.  Although I have quite a bit of experience cleaning and cooking mushrooms, I wasn't exactly sure how to approach this one.  It weighed in at exactly 2 1/2 pounds and was bigger around than a dinner plate, and about as tall.  The mushroom is built a lot like a cauliflower, in that it has a large central core and branches off into smaller clusters, but that is where the similarity ends.  Each small mushroom cluster reminds me a little bit of a chanterelle in both looks and texture.  So, how to clean it?

I first removed the bottom root area with a knife and started breaking it down, almost exactly like a cauliflower, working with a knife in a circle around the base until all the main clusters were removed.  I then split the larger ones down into something a bit more manageable.  In retrospect, I wish I would have sliced it up more because this mushroom stays fairly firm unlike most mushrooms that shrink down and soften up.  I just didn't realize that until after.  Next, I carefully washed the pieces and placed them in a strainer.  The only issue I had was dealing with a centipede that had stowed away.  I hate those things.  They have all those legs and dart around like they are going to jump in your ear, just like on "The Wrath of Khan".  Gross.

Hen of the Woods Pasta.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

To prepare it, I simply sautéed it in some butter with a little bit of white wine, minced onion, and garlic, then served it over tagliatelle with some fresh grated Parmesan.  I thought about making a sauce, but thought that it may cover up some of the flavor, and since it was my first hen, wanted to keep things simple.  It was fabulous. and I don't often use the word fabulous!  So, if you know any mushroom hunters, it may be a good time to help them clean their gutters, or change transmission fluid on their car, or just do what I do and feed them.  You may end up with a prize now and again.

In Praise of the Farmers Market

Farmers market booty.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

If you have never gone to a farmers market, shame on you!  Find one and go!  You don't know what you are missing!  In my community, the farmers market is held in the central park every Saturday morning from late spring until fall.  Actually, there is a winter farmers market held indoors as well, but as you are about to see, I prefer the summer market.  It is part of my weekend ritual and I look forward to it all week long.  If I have to miss it for some reason, I feel somehow deprived.  There are many reasons to go.  It helps support the local community, you get excellent products, you can save some money, and it is just fun to talk to people and build relationships with vendors.

The market caters to many interests; anything from beads, honey, birdhouses, hand woven rugs, cookies, pies, pickles, paintings, cheese, clothing, and kitchen scrubby pads.  However, my favorite reason to visit the farmers market is produce.  There are several vendors, each with different reasons for being there, and each bringing something different to the scene.  Many are avid gardeners selling their surplus, but some are farmers in the truest sense.  You can spot them a mile away.  You can see it in their faces, the hours of hard work in the sun, but also of the satisfaction of eking out a living doing what they know and love.  Several of our vendors fall into the later category.  These people are serious farmers and take pride in their work.  You can see it in the quality of their products, and how they are presented.  Shiny clean, neatly bundled, and proudly displayed lined up beautifully on long multi-tiered tables.  Vegetables so picture perfect that you can't help but buy them and then figure out what you are going to do with them later.

I usually start my morning with an older couple selling produce from a large delivery truck.  They are both very kind, with easy smiles, and are my prime source of carrots, onions, peppers, and, later in the season, ripe red jalapeños by the bags full.  This past weekend I was pleasantly surprised to find a gentleman selling tomatoes that I had never seen there before.  And not just any tomatoes.  He must have had at least 15 different varieties of tomatoes in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  The line was long, which is always a good sign, and was definitely worth the wait.  He was asking $1 per pound of any type so, of course, I walked away with 5 pounds.  Well, I didn't walk away with them, I payed him.  The most interesting ones were the beautiful yellow tomatoes with the fuzzy skin.  They feel just like a peach and they are almost as sweet.  Along with these, I also bought a couple huge beef steak tomatoes from another one of my favorite vendors, a tall, lanky, musky fishing handyman with an obvious love and aptitude for gardening.  All the while visions of tomato salad and French tomato tart filled my mind.  But as good as all these things are, the best by far is a simple plate of sliced tomatoes, or in this case, one huge tomato.

Fresh tomatoes need very little to bring them to their full potential.  You don't need to beat them into submission, but rather gently coax them.  In fact, good ingredients typically only need gentle coaxing.  First, I started with the tomato.  A rather large brute of a tomato, weighing in at a bit over a pound.  I sliced it about 3/8" thick and arranged it on a plate.  Actually, I had to do a bit of creative arranging to get it to fit on a large plate.  So, here is where the coaxing comes in.  All it needs is a sprinkle of kosher salt, a sprinkle of sugar (it helps tone down the acid of red tomatoes), a light drizzle of good sherry vinegar, and finish with a light sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.  That is it.  I ate the whole damn think myself and don't feel any shame whatsoever.  I couple of times I thought "I bet my wife would enjoy this."  And, she probably would have, but she chose to sleep in.  Her loss.

So, get out there to your local farmers market.  Enjoy the open air, support your local vendors, and get some of the best ingredients around.  And, save money in the process.

Breaking Free of Recipe Reliance

Let's think about recipes for a moment.  What are they really?

1. A list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions that should  be followed exactly in order to prepare a dish 
2. A general guide to preparing a dish so that you don't forget something
3. Something that stifles creativity
4. Something that reminds you that you hand write bad enough to be a doctor
5. All of the above

If your answer is 5, you are correct.  So, what is my point?  Well, there are a couple of them.  The first one is that I hopefully made you think a little bit about recipes, which helps with the second point, which is that they definitely have their place, but should not be relied on for everything.  A novice cook needs recipes, but an experienced cook only needs them for certain things.  The big problem is that people have a hard time weaning themselves off of recipe reliance, and until you make that step, you will never realize your creative potential.  That is not to say that being recipe reliant is necessarily a bad thing, but since you are reading this post, I will assume that you are of the ilk that wants more out of cooking.  So, how do you get out of recipe reliance?

First, you need to have an idea of which recipes you should follow.  Here are the types of recipes I actually follow:

• For things I want to taste consistent such as spice mixes, sauces, salad dressings, and certain baked goods
• For things where safety is critical such as cured and fermented foods
• For things that have a particular technique or trick to them in order to work out, such as emulsions 
• For things that are just to damn complicated to remember

Next, you need to make the conscious effort to back away from all other recipes and trust yourself.  You can make most things using a few basic techniques, past experience, and your senses. Here is a good example.  I bet anyone can make chicken soup without a recipe.  If you have ever eaten chicken soup, you already know most of what goes into it.  Granted, results may vary the first couple of times you make it, but you should get something pleasantly edible even if it isn't perfect.  Step one is to think about what is in chicken soup.  The easy one is chicken stock.  Some vegetables are always good.  What kind is up to you, but you can never go wrong with a mirapoix, the old French go-to of carrot, onion, and celery.  Don't forget to season with salt along the way and while you are at it, perhaps throw in some additional aromatics like a bay leaf, thyme, parsley, all three, or whatever else you like.  You will probably also want to add some cooked chicken at some point, typically towards the end so it doesn't fall apart.  Noodles are also good, again toward the end so they don't turn to mush.  You will learn very quickly to ignore the little voice that says "that's not very many noodles, better add some more" once you have accidentally made something that resembles a hot dish instead of soup, but again, it will still taste good, it just won't be the way you intended.  The up side is that the next time you make it, you can apply what you have learned and in a short time will be making technically good chicken soup without a recipe.

The final note on breaking free of recipe reliance is to not be afraid of failure.  This actually applies to every facet of life, but I digress.  You are going to fail at some point, it's inevitable if you are trying.  Everyone does it regardless of how long they have been cooking.  But that is how you learn and become an even better cook.  Sometimes it is a minor thing that only you will notice like you forgot the bay leaf.  Other times it may be spectacular, like waking up to a very unpleasant smell after falling asleep for four hours while resting your eyes after putting your braise in the oven that normally only takes two and a half hours and forgetting to set the timer.  I know that is a pretty specific example...that I must have just come up with.  Just don't let it dampen your creative mood.  Get back in there and try again while not repeating the same mistakes.  Soon, boo-boos will be fewer and farther between, but most importantly, you will be unburdened  by recipe reliance and your creativity will soar.

Basic Salad Dressing

Basic Salad Dressing in a Cassis bottle.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

One item that is alway, and I mean always, in my fridge is a bottle of basic salad dressing.  My mom calls it Rob's House Dressing, which is nice, but I think it would come off as pretentious if I would start calling it that.  I'm flattered that she does, though.  In case you are wondering why it is in the Cassis bottle, it's because it has a really cool pour spout with a pop-off cap which works like a shaker so it is harder to over-dress your salad.  Although not nearly as colorful as the family tree of French sauces, this does have an interesting one of its own.  This is the building block of just about every other salad dressing I make outside of something like a buttermilk ranch or thousand island.  It is very nice by itself for use on delicately flavored greens, but nearly anything can be added to make something completely different.  Add some Italian herbs and you have a light Italian dressing. Add the same herbs and some mayo, and you have a creamy Italian dressing.  Add a bit more mayo and some grated Parmesan and you have an excellent wing sauce.  Like with most things, you are only limited by your imagination.

Basic Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup canola oil

Add all the ingredients except oil in a suitably sized bottle or jar and let stand on the counter for at least an hour shaking occasionally to mix.  Add the oil and refrigerate until needed.  Shake vigorously before using.

Italian Dressing Seasoning

• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder 
• 2 tbsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 tbsp ground fennel seed
• 1/4 cup dried oregano
• 2 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Mix together and store in an air tight container.  Makes about 2 cups.  Combine to your taste with the basic salad dressing to make a light Italian dressing.

Tortillas...Another Secret Weapon of the Kitchen

Cheese Pizza.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

I think I must have taken a cue from Jacques Pepin for his enthusiastic embrace of the tortilla.  He points out that it is a ready to use crust for deserts and other things.  I can think of no better use (well, other than its normal use in Mexican cuisine) than for mini pizzas.  Whenever I am short on time, or just want something quick and easy for lunch or dinner, I make pizza.  As long as you don't pile it a mile high with toppings, these tortilla crust pizzas can be baked in 5-8 minutes.  I make these for lunch with plenty of time to spare during my lunch hour.

Sad story tangent.  I was taking out my cooling rack from my cupboard that has the dividers that you can store cookie sheets, cutting  boards, etc. and it hooked my favorite pizza stone that we got for a wedding present over 20 years ago.  It rolled out and as I tried to save it with my foot, which was my only free appendage at the time, it tipped and cracked in half.  Dammit!  I'm going somewhere with this, so bear with me.  So I started researching pizza stones.  Turns out the brand I had, which was perfectly smooth, is now rough and not near the quality it was.  In fact, it is a lot harder to find a really nice smooth stone.  Mario Batali makes a nice pizza stone, but there is no way I will spend $89 on one.  Then it hit me that I have a 10.5" lodge cast iron griddle pan.  Perfect.

So the way this works is that I put the griddle pan in the oven and turn it to 425 F.  While it is heating up, I mix a can of tomato past with some Italian herbs, and spread it on a tortilla.  Then I add my toppings, usually some kind of meat and Parmesan.  By that time the oven beeps at which time I wait another five minutes so that the pan can catch up in temperature.  Then, I slide the pizza onto the pan and set my timer for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes I start to check on it until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Then I remove it to a cooling rack and wait another 5 minutes until it is cool enough to not cause 3rd degree burns in my mouth.  During that time I rinse the griddle under hot water with a stiff brush (never use soap on a cast iron pan unless you plan to re-season it!).  Now it is time to enjoy a crispy flavorful pizza and it only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

What makes this really fun is that you can buy any size tortilla for this and you can make several different styles of pizza for any one meal.  If you prefer a pizza with more toppings, go for it.  It will just take a bit longer to cook, but I prefer mine thin and crispy.  Next time you don't know what to cook for dinner or lunch, give this a try.  Chances are you will probably have all the ingredients on hand.  And to finish my sad story, I don't think I will bother replacing my pizza stone since the griddle pan works even better (and is harder to break).  If I decide I need some thing larger, Lodge makes a 14" baking pan with handles that would make a fantastic pizza pan.  See, things always seem to find a way of working out.

Tempura

Shrimp and green bean tempura with spicy mayo.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

What can you say about tempura, other than it's fantastic.  If you are not familiar with tempura, a Japanese specialty, it is basically deep fried food, but with a twist.  The batter is very light, crisp, and doesn't overpower the food like traditional deep frying tends to do.  I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with typical deep fried food, quite the contrary, I love it.  But tempura is like the refined cousin.  Tempura batter is fairly thin, so by its very nature does not coat the food too much.  There are tons of variations on the normal tempura batter.  Some have egg, some have rice flour, some use water, some use seltzer water, and on and on.  I think the spirit of tempura is there as long as the batter is thin and relatively simple.  I have seen just about anything served in the style of tempura, perhaps even more than you see in typical deep frying.  Green beans and shrimp are among my favorites, but cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, onions, basically anything as long as it is not too moist and can be properly cooked in only a few minutes.  I have done pickles, and they were wonderful, but not particularly crispy due to their natural sogginess.

As with many cuisines, especially eastern cuisine, there are a lot of rules.  And while I am a stickler for technique in some cases, I don't like to get too bogged down in them so it makes you not want to attempt them.  If you are familiar with batter deep frying, then you probably know most of the rules:

• Let your food dry a bit before adding to the batter.
• Don't crowd your deep fryer.  Things tend to stick together in a huge clump, but more importantly, it lowers the temperature of the oil, which just makes for soggy, oily food.
• Resist the urge to mess with your food once in the deep fryer. 
• Drain well.  A wire cooking rack on a baking sheet works well for this.
• Cook at around 350 degrees F.

Now, there are a couple additional rules for the batter itself:

• Mix the ingredients until they are just combined.
• Use very cold liquid.

Now, for the confusion.  Some say mix the batter right before you use it, and some say to refrigerate it for 30 minutes prior to use.  This may have some merit based on what kind of liquid (flat or carbonated), but I have not spent any time testing this.  I will just tell you what I did, and as you can see, it was very light and crisp, and it was delicious.  Not to mention easy.

All-Purpose Tempura

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 cup lager (I use Grain Belt Premium)
• 1 lb extra large shrimp (26/30)
• 1 lb green beans
• Oil for deep frying (I use canola)
• A deep fryer or heavy pot

Lightly mix the flour, corn starch, and beer in a bowl.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  In the mean time, heat your oil to 350 degrees F.   Peel the shrimp and blot dry with paper towels.  Feel free to place the each shrimp on a short bamboo skewer lengthwise.  This will keep the shrimp straight.  If you don't care about such things, as I obviously didn't in the picture above, skip that step.  Place on a couple layers of paper towel and let dry until ready to use.  Trim and wash the beans and dry just like you did for the shrimp.  When 30 minutes have past, you are ready to go.  Working in small batches, place 1/4 of the beans in the batter, then place them, one at a time, into the oil.  Fry for about 2 minutes, just until the batter becomes golden brown. Gently remove to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.  Place in a warm oven.  Repeat until the beans are done.

Next, repeat the process for the shrimp.  They will only take a couple minutes as well.  Remove the skewers prior to serving.  Enjoy with your favorite tempura sauce or a spicy mayo like I did.

Chicken Wings Demystified

Hoisin Chili Chicken Wings.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

When people talk about wings, they always talk about the sauce and gloss over the flavor and texture of the actual wing.  There is much more to chicken wings than the sauce.  Seems to me that the places that sell wings forget that and, instead, put the sauce in the spotlight.  But, the sauce is supposed to compliment the chicken wing.  If it is a good chicken wing, one could argue that it really doesn't need sauce. I admit that I am kind of a chicken wing snob.  I think that most places under-cook their wings.  Granted, they are done and safe to eat, but the meat still clings to the bone and you have to put a bit of effort in gnawing on them.  I hate that.  A lot.  I know a lot of people that go fore the boneless wings, which aren't wings at all.  When I ask them why, I get the same answer; they don't like gnawing on bones.  I contend that you shouldn't have to work at chicken wings, if made properly.  And to be made properly, you need to have your head in the game.

Chicken wings are one of those intuitive things that you can't simply slap a temperature and time on and, all will be well, and people will cheer your name and make toasts to you all night long.  There is a fine line between tender, pull-off-the-bone goodness, and past tender, kind of dry, but still falling off the bone wings.  Let us not forget about the above mentioned not-so-tender-stuck-to-the-bone-yet-done-enough-to-be-safe-to-eat wings.  So, what's the secret?  Practice, practice, practice.  Also, don't fall into the pitfall of underestimating these things because they are so small and simple looking.  They take a fair amount of thought to do properly.

The sauce is ancillary to the whole process.  If you like creating your own sauces, like I do, then do it.  Go crazy.  But if that is not your bag, then find yourself something from the market that you enjoy.  Ultimately, you are going to make chicken wings, not sauce with chicken wings.  To start with, you need wings.  I usually buy a family pack of wings for me and my wife and usually can get one meal with left-overs.  The wing is made up of three parts: the drumette, flat, and the tip. Like most wing restaurants, I split my wings into the three parts.  The tips go into a vacuum bag and are saved for stock.  The rest is dinner.

Next, I dredge them in a mixture of flour, cornstarch, and salt.  Some could argue that you don't need this step, but it is up to you.  Then, I fry them in canola oil at a temperature of around 350-360.  Typically, they will take about 16-20 minutes depending on how big the wings are.  I start to really pay attention to them at around 15 minutes and check for color and how much steam is still rolling off the deep fryer.  Again, this takes practice.

While they are frying, I dig out my huge stainless steel bowl.  I have never measured, but it has to be at least 20" across with very slopped sides, which is perfect for tossing the wings in the sauce.  Then I add some sauce to the bowl, and when the wings are done, in they go for a nice bath of sauce and out on the plate.

I know of few people who make their own wings, and it is a shame, really.  Yes, you need to deal with some kind of deep fryer and the left over oil, but it is worth it.  With a little practice, you can make better wings than the restaurants.

Sweet and Sour Spam - Just Because

Photo by Rob Robitaille

Nothing makes sense these days.   I walked past our koi pond on the way to my truck, which sits outside the garage because my motorcycle is out and ready to go...if it ever warms up.  The pond was mostly frozen over again and I had to scrape off the windshield because we had record (or near record) lows last night.  I would love to see some warm rain instead of sleet, snow, and ice.  May is just a few days away, dammit!  But not everything that fails to make sense is a bad thing.

The other evening, after working on some remodeling projects, I realized that it was getting late and I hadn't eaten.  As it would happen, I didn't have any meat that wasn't frozen.  So, I started looking through the freezer for something that would thaw quickly and satisfy my craving for meat.  Nothing.  I was just about to give up when I spotted it sitting on my pantry shelf.  A can of Spam.  Now, there appear to be two groups of people in the world, those that love Spam and those that hate Spam.  But, after talking to enough people over the years there are actually four:

1. Those that love Spam and are proud of it.  They may even ask a person at the grocery store where the Spam is, even though they know exactly where it is.  It is their way of letting everyone know they eat Spam and are not ashamed of it.
2. Those that hate Spam, and really do.
3. Those that say they hate Spam, but have never even tried it.
4. Those that say they hate Spam, but enjoy it at home, with the curtains drawn.  They buy it at the store, looking around to make sure no one sees them, then they snatch several cans, put it in their cart and cover it up with the organic tofu and soy milk.  The only person that sees it is the cashier, so they nervously tell them that it is for their grandmother, who just "loves the stuff" because she grew up during the war.

I digress.  So, Spam in hand, my next step was what to do with it. Sweet and sour Spam!  Just what I really wanted, I came to realize.  I think I saw this on a travel show once, but can't remember exactly.  The beauty is that it is really simple, and to my surprise, was very delicious indeed.  After all, isn't cooking all about creativity?  It kind of makes sense, but kind of doesn't, which usually means it has to be good.  It just shows you that you can make something out of seemingly nothing.  What's next?  Maybe Spam Parmesan from the M*A*S*H episode Too Many Cooks.

Poutine and Things a la Poutine

A variation on Poutine.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

There are a lot of foods that make perfect sense, foods that go together like they were made for one another; ham and eggs, macaroni and cheese, pizza and beer. French fries, gravy, and cheese curds?  Maybe not so much.  Of the people I have talked to, they fall into two distinct groups: those that love poutine and those who have never heard of it.  And most of the people who have never heard of it seem to always say the same thing like "Huh, that doesn't sound like it goes together."  But, take it from the poutine lovers of the world, it does go together and it's really good.

Poutine is a popular French Canadian invention, but outside of Canada, even in a bordering state like Minnesota, most people have never heard of it.  In its pure form, poutine is fries with cheese curds and gravy.  The method of how the fries are cooked, the type of curds, and the style of gravy are hotly debated and I don't think I can really add much to that debate, nor do I want to.  However, even in its birth place, there are many riffs on it, even as over-the-top as lobster poutine.  All I know is that poutine is great and if there was a place that sold poutine near my favorite watering hole back in college, I would have been there a lot.  I can't think of anything else that goes better with, or after consuming large quantities of beer.  In fact, poutine can be fairly complex in flavor and a properly matched beer can push it to a whole new level.

The "poutine" pictured above is made from some basic fries, cheddar curds, and the left over braised beef chuck roast from my previous post.  As long as you don't care, that no matter what riff you choose to make, it will always be wrong in the eyes of the self proclaimed poutine purists, the sky is the limit.  

Poutine

• French fries
• Cheese curds
• Gravy

Place a pile of hot fries on a warm plate (I think a small cast iron pan looks cool and keeps the fries warm longer).  Place a hand full of curds on the fries and top with steaming hot gravy.  This will help melt the curds.  Serve with a suitable beer.

Riffs on the gravy:

• Braised beef chuck roast (like I did)
• Left over pot roast, shredded, with carrots, potatoes, and gravy
• Beef stew
• Chicken a la king (Then you could call it chicken a la king a la poutine. HA!)

Braising - Another Essential Skill

Beer Braised Chuck Roast.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Have you ever braised anything?  I bet you have.  Pot roast is one of the most common dishes that is braised.  The cut of meat is a roast, but you are not roasting it, you are braising it.  Loosely defined, braising is cooking something, usually a tough, flavorful cut of meat, in liquid, with relatively low heat, over a long period of time in a covered vessel.  This happens to be one of my favorite cooking methods, mostly in the cold Minnesota winter months.  Almost anything can be braised, but the bulk of braising time probably goes to meats. Beef chuck roast, or short ribs are right at the top for me.  The main point is that braising is particularly suited to softening up tough cuts of meat, which tend to have a lot of flavor, but also a lot of connective tissue that need the slow moist heat to break down.

So let's do a walk through of a simple braise.  Maybe I shouldn't even use the word simple, because braising is simple, in and of itself.  Anyone can do it, no matter what their skill level.  Ultimately, there are three basic steps in braising: 1) select a braising vessel, 2) brown the meat, 3) make a braising liquid, and 4) braising.

Selecting a Braising Vessel

There are only a few considerations for this.

• It should be fairly heavy an a good conductor of heat.  Cast iron is an excellent choice.  I use an old school cast iron Dutch oven for this.
• It should be fairly deep so there is plenty of space over the contents.
• It needs to have a lid.
• It should be oven safe, however, you can braise on the stove top, but then you need to tend it much more.

Browning the Meat

Browning the meat does a couple of things.  Most importantly, it adds flavor, but also important, it also helps to keep blood from coagulating in the sauce by making a crust on the exterior.  Some people like to dredge the meat before they brown it.  There are many apparent reasons for this floating around.  Some say it adds flavor, a better crust, or helps thicken the eventual sauce.  This is something that can be debated ad nauseam; in fact, it still is.  Personally, I don't dredge in flour.  I am not convinced that browned flour adds any flavor that I desire, nor does it seem to make a better crust.  I also don't buy the whole thickening argument either since by the time the flour is brown, it doesn't thicken all that well anyway.  So, I just don't do it.  If you want to, knock yourself out.  That being said, salt the meat and brown it in some canola in the braising vessel over moderately high heat.  We are looking for a nice sear on ALL sides.  When done, remove to a plate.

Making the Braising Liquid

Now, this may be as simple as just adding some water or stock, in which case, you can leave the meat right in the vessel.  However, I like to remove the meat and create the braising liquid without having to work around the meat.  In the example of the beer braised chuck roast, I threw in a couple of diced onions and slowly browned them in the remaining fat.  Then I added some crushed garlic and cooked it for another minute or two.  I then added some flour and stirred that into the onions and garlic.  Once that was incorporated, I added about a pint of chicken stock and a pint of beer.  I used a mild lager, but if you want to fortify the flavor a bit more, you can use something darker and maltier.  Heck, you can even use stout if that is the flavor you are after.  I wanted a lighter flavor, so I stuck to lager.

I then added about 6-7 allspice berries and about 10 pepper corns, toasted and cracked.  I also added a bit of ground Ancho chile, a dash of hot sauce, a bay leaf, a tiny splash of fish sauce*, and a dash of sherry vinegar.  At this point, don't add salt, because you will be reducing the sauce.  Once reduced by 1/4 or 1/3, you can adjust the seasoning and add your meat and cover the vessel.

A note on the amount of braising liquid: If you are looking to braise a larger cut, like a roast, you only need to have the liquid come up about half way on it.  The top of the meat will take on a nice color and flavor that way, not to mention you won't need to have an excessive amount of liquid.  Unless you want to.  The neat thing about this is that there are no hard and fast rules. In this particular example, I browned the whole roast, then braised it with liquid about half way up.  Then, towards the end, I removed it, sliced it into chunks and placed it back into the liquid, which now covered the meat completely, and finished it off.  I could have cut the meat up before I browned it, but that was not the texture I was ultimately after.  This yielded a particularly melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that I wanted.  Yes, there are a lot of subtleties to braising, and that one there was pretty darned subtle, but over time you will start to see them.

Braising

There is no actual temperature assigned to braising other than it is typically on the low side.  When I braise on the stove top (when my oven is in use and I will be around to tend it), I like to keep the temperature at a lazy bubble.  Just between a simmer and a low boil.  However, I typically like to braise in the oven somewhere in the 200-225 degree F range.  Not only does the oven stay nice and constant, but the best thing is, you can walk away and ignore it.  Smaller cuts of meats take less time that larger cuts, obviously, and a large cut like a whole roast can take 5-7 hours depending on the temperature.  Another great thing about braises is that they can be done a day or two ahead then reheated for a meal, at which point you can make any adjustments on the sauce, if you wish, such as further reduction to make a glaze, or to thicken it with a roux or corn starch slurry.  Talk about a low stress dinner party option.

*Fish sauce is my secret weapon.  I always have some on hand.  When used properly, you don't really detect any fish flavor, but it adds a savory richness to just about anything you add it to.  I use it in cream sauces, braising liquids, salad dressing, tomato sauces, soups, mac and cheese, anything that needs a bit of savory support.

Fromage Fort

Photo by Rob Robitaille

Have you ever wondered what to do with those little chunks of cheese that collect in your refrigerator cheese drawer?  Alone, they are not big enough to do anything worthwhile with, but together they are the building blocks for something delicious.  Once again, leave it to the French to re-purpose old cheese into something great.  I'm talking about Fromage Fort, which literally translates to strong cheese.  Essential, it is left over cheese turned into a spread that can be eaten with crackers or slathered on bread and broiled. The only caveat to this is to be careful if you decide to use blue cheese as it can tend to get really strong and boss the other flavors around. Other than that, pretty much anything goes and you are only limited by your creativity.  The best thing about Fromage Fort is that no two batches taste alike, which I think is really fun because each time is a surprise. This works great as an appetizer, or as a snack on a cold Minnesota winter day.  Since Fromage Fort can be all over the flavor scale, this recipe is a very loose guideline, more of like a thought map that I use when making it.  Seriously, it is hard to screw this up.

Fromage Fort

• Left over cheese - about 1 lb. (In this example, I used mostly Cheddar.  It also had Brie and a couple of other firm cheeses that I can't remember right now.)
• 2-4 T. butter
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Dry white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

We will assume that the cheese is free of mold and dry spots.  I am not going to provide direction on whether or not you should use a particular piece of cheese if it has mold.  Personally, mold on firm cheeses doesn't scare me and I trim that off. Softer cheese, not so much.  Then cube your cheese and place it in a food processor.  Add the butter and garlic and process until a ball forms.  At that point, start slowly adding the wine until the cheese becomes creamy and smooth.  You may need to scrape the sides of your food processor a few times during this.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and process another 20-30 seconds.  You just made Fromage Fort!  You can use it immediately, or refrigerate for up to a week.  I think it tastes better if you leave it for a couple days, but it's pretty darned good right away, albeit much sharper.

It will firm up in the refrigerator, so you will want to let it come up to room temperature before serving it as a dip or spreading on bread.  If you choose to broil it, you need to keep a close eye on it as it goes really fast.  I typically broil it with my rack in the middle or one up from middle.

The Humble French Tomato Tart

Photo by Rob Robitaille

I fell in love with the tomato tart last year during the height of the tomato season.  Garden tomatoes are fantastic, but their season is way to short, which is why we eat tomatoes until we don't want to see them again for a long time.  Last week apparently marked the end of a "long time" and I started pining for the beloved tomato once again.  Fortunately, there happens to be an outfit in my town that grows hydroponic tomatoes all year long, so they are pretty easy to come by.  Every grocery store in town has piles of these gems, still on the vine.  There are many ways to prepare fresh tomatoes, but on a cold, gray Minnesota winter day, I was in the mood for something comforting.  Fortunately, we were having dinner guests and I needed a starter course.  Perfect.

 This thing is so simple, it barely can be called a recipe, but like I said before, sometimes the simple things are the best.  When I say simple, I am assuming that you don't plan to make your own puff pastry.  Personally, I hate working with dough, and avoid it as much as possible.  I hope you give this one a try.  It is great as part of a meal, or as a light lunch all on its own.  Enjoy.

French Tomato Tart

• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 c. grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Slice your tomatoes fairly thin, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Place a layer of paper towel on top; this will remove some of the excess moisture. In the meantime, roll out your puff pastry sheet so that it fits into a tart pan.  Push it into the tart pan to remove any air gaps and let the excess hang over the pan.  Then take your rolling pin and roll it across the top of the tart pan to trim the dough.  Next, evenly sprinkle your grated Gruyère in the pan and gently press it down.  Now, arrange your tomatoes on top in what ever cool pattern you like.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper, if you wish, and place it in the oven.  Bake for about 40 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.  This can be served hot or at room temperature.

Don't be Afraid to Cook Your Own Steak

The finished product. This was medium well, which is how I like my rib eyes.  By the way, it was tender and delicious and was one of the best steaks I have ever had.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Steak lovers are fiercely loyal.  They like such and such steak done such and such...and so should you.  I myself am a steak lover and also have these feelings.  I love rib eyes.  They are a nice size, have plenty of fat, and are very tender.  I like mine medium well.  I think the flavor is better and they are more tender done more toward the well end of the spectrum.   However, I draw the line at telling you which steak is best and how it should be cooked.   One of my buddies likes his rib eye cooked just enough to heat it up and get some grill marks.  I don't like mine that way, but he does and that is really all that matters.  Because there so many opinions of how to cook steaks, some people feel overwhelmed and never cook them at home because they overhear steak fans going into great detail on how to do it.  It doesn't have to be that way and you don't have to be an expert to cook a great steak the way YOU like it.  If you start with a good steak and follow some simple guidelines, you will soon be cranking out steaks that rival, and in many cases exceed the quality of a good steak house.  This post will show you how to cook a rib eye similar to how you would get one at a steak house.

Selecting the right steak

Most meat counters offer rib eyes cut to about one inch, which will work fine for this.  If they are thinner, then you will have a very well done steak by the time you get a nice crust on the outside.  If they are thicker than that, that's okay.  It will take a bit longer to cook and will be a lot more to eat.  The most important thing to look for is brightly colored meat with no dark patches, that indicate is has been sitting for a while.  Next, make sure it has a lot of fat marbled into the meat.  Remember, fat is flavor and will make for a really tender steak.  Typically, if you follow those rules, you should have an excellent steak experience.

Prep the steak

Regardless of whether or not you will be making the steak right away, unwrap it and salt it. I know what you are thinking, but it won't dry it out.  Well...it will in a sense, but in a good way.  It serves two purposes.  First, it gives the salt time to penetrate the meat a bit and it helps remove some water, which will enhance the beef flavor.  The fat in the steak will keep it moist and tender.

When you are going to make the steak, remove it from the refrigerator and unwrap it.  If you like some pepper, now is the time.  Let the steak come up to room temperature.

My rib eye ready for the pan.  Note the fat marbled into the meat.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Cooking the steak

I have been cooking steaks for years.  My all time favorite method is to grill them over oak logs, which is very time consuming, but my goodness does it make a great steak.  My second favorite method is to sear them in a heavy pan on your stove or cook top.  Stay away from non stick because we are going to be using a lot of heat.  I have an All-Clad pan that I like, and I also have several cast iron pans that I also use.  To be honest, the All-Clad works great and is on the top of my stack of pans, which is why it gets the most use.  Put the pan on your highest power burner and fire it up.  You want the pan smoking hot for this.  In the mean time, drizzle a bit of canola oil on the steak and rub it in to both sides.  This will help the steak get a nice crust.   I should probably mention that this will make quite a bit of smoke, so a good vent hood is important.   When the pan is really hot, put the steak in.  Resist the urge to poke or prod at the thing.  I should also mention that the steak is stuck to your pan right now.  Don't worry, it will release once the crust starts to form.  (This is an especially valuable piece of information when you are cooking chicken since chicken is so delicate and tends to shred if you try to move it around too soon.)  After three or four minutes you can take a quick peek under the steak to see how it looks, once it has a nice brown crust, you can flip it.  Cook it for roughly the same amount of time until it is done.

This is the crust you are looking for.  Photo by Rob Robitaille

Knowing when it is done

The best way is by feel.  Get in the habit of poking the steak with your finger somewhere toward the center.  It takes practice, but after you do a few of them, you will be able to tell.  If the meat dents and the indentation of your finger does not pop back up, it is on the rare range (give or take).  If it feel firm, but but yields and your finger does not leave an indentation, you are in the medium range (give or take).  If it feels very firm and doesn't yield much, it is more on the well done range (give or take).  When I say "give or take", I mean that it is not an exact science.  Also, different cuts feel different when they are the same "doneness".  A rib eye is more yielding than a strip steak.  A strip steak will always feel more done than a rib eye.  You just come to know these things with practice.  How you like your steak done is entirely up to you. you may find that you like different steaks done differently.  I do. I like rib eyes medium well, my strip steaks medium, and filet mignon rare to medium rare.  You will find that, if you start with a really good steak, and you miss the mark on how you like it done, you will probably still enjoy your steak experience.  If it is under done, you can always throw it back on the heat.  If it is too done to where you just can't eat it, then you need to come up with a plan B.

When it is done

When your steak is done, remove it from the pan to a warm heavy plate and ignore it for about 5-7 minutes.  This is referred to as letting the steak rest.  If you would cut into it right now, the juice would be pushed out and you would be eating a dry steak.  Now is the time to finish the steak with a pat of butter or compound butter like Kraueter Butter.  It also gives you time to clean up your pan.*

Completing the menu

Steak goes good with a lot of things: salads, creamed vegetables, potatoes, etc.  I personally like creamed greens, like kale, chard or napa cabbage, during the cold months and salads in the warmer months.  Red wine is great with a steak, so is beer.  Whatever wine or beer you like with it is up to you.  If you aren't sure, my advice is to not be afraid to go with something with a bit more body to stand up to the boldness of the steak.  All that is left to do is dig in.

Enjoy!

* The best way to clean a heavy seasoned pan, such as cast iron, is to scrub it out when it is still hot with a stiff bristled, long handled brush under hot water, then dry it with some paper towels.  Never use soap.  If that thought bothers you, just think of it as you would your grill.

Knives - Your Most Important Kitchen Tools

Photo by Rob Robitaille

Knives are the most important kitchen tools you can own, and arguably one of the most personal.  It is an extension of your body, which is probably why good chefs own their own set of knives but use the restaurants pans. Yet most people treat them like they would treat an old screw driver.  Sometimes they are just thrown in a drawer with other utensils, and sometimes they are stored in a knife block.  Regardless of the storage method, most often they are really dull.   I only know of a couple of people where I can go into their kitchens and find sharp knives.  Seriously, it drives me nuts.  To sole purpose of a knife is to cut things and in order to cut things, it needs to be sharp.  It seems pretty obvious to me.  That's why, when I visit somewhere and have reason to believe I will be in the kitchen, whether by choice or a well-meaning friend or relative "promoting" me to kitchen bitch, I bring my own knives.  They are that important to me, and they should be to you too.

Selecting Knives

So, where am I going with this?  Well, there are a few simple rules for selecting knives, in my opinion.  First, buy the best quality knives you can afford.  They don't have to be the most expensive, but they should be good quality.  What makes a good quality knife, primarily, is the steel.  There are many good knives made in the US and Europe and I have owned my share, but my vote goes to Japanese knives, specifically Shun.  The steel in a Japanese knife is superlative.  They hold an edge far longer and usually come out of the box ridiculously sharp. I'm talking razor blade sharp.  Many people are terrified of using a knife that sharp, but let's put it in perspective.  A sharp knife does the work for you without you having to provide much pressure.  A dull knife requires a lot of pressure, doesn't cut straight, and tends to slide off surfaces such as onion peels or tomato skins, which are two items that should not prove difficult to cut.  The reason that Shun knives are so sharp is the edge bevel angle.  Shuns tend to be about 16 degrees, while others can be 20+ degrees.  This means a sharper angle where the two bevels meet.  Combine that with good hard steel, and you have a very sharp edge that will stay that way for a long time.

Honestly, other than quality, the rest falls to personal preference.  Every person is built different, so find something that fits your hand.  I have big hands, and you will notice that my knives have pretty hefty handles.  Someone with smaller hands may have problems with that arrangement, but they fit my hand perfectly.  Fortunately, most companies offer several lines of their cutlery with different sized hands in mind.  A good cutlery store will let you try them out to see how they feel, sometimes with a supply of vegetables so you can see how they truly perform.  That way you can spend some time with the knife in your hand so you find what works for you.

Another aspect of personal preference is knife style, which can be lumped into two main types, European and Japanese. They differ in a couple respects.  Most importantly, most Japanese style knives have a single bevel, meaning they are only sharpened on one side, European knives are beveled on both sides.  The second major difference is that the European style knives sharp edge tend to curve up to a point toward the top edge of the blade, where Japanese knives have straighter blades and the tip is toward the bottom sharp edge.  Which style you pick is up to you.   It is important to note that, despite being Japanese made, the Shun knives pictured above are European style.

When I was younger, I used to own a a lot of knives.  As I grew older, I found that I only used a few knives on a regular basis.  I typically use a 10" chefs knife, a 3.5" paring knife, and a 4.5" utility knife (all pictured above).  That being said, I use my chefs knife 90% of the time, even for small jobs like slicing garlic and mincing shallots. The point is, start with the basics, and if you still want to buy more knives, knock yourself out.

Knife Care

Only four rules here.  First, keep your knives sharp.  It is really easy to do with a little bit of practice and should be a normal kitchen task, not unlike cleaning your work area and equipment.  If you don't feel comfortable sharpening them yourself, there are many knife sharpening services available, some that even travel.  The point is, keep them sharp and they will server you well (and safely).

Second, the knife should only be in one of three places; in your hand, laying safely on a cutting board or towel, or properly stored.  Period.

Third, use only blade friendly cutting boards such as wood, bamboo, and plastic.

Fourth, always wash and dry your knives by hand and be careful.  Don't put them in the dishwasher, sink, or drying rack.

Final Thoughts

Don't be afraid to spend some time and money selecting good knives.  Good knives make prep work easy and enjoyable, not a chore to be avoided.  And, barring any unfortunate mishaps and with the proper care, you will only need to buy one set of knives in your lifetime.

Pfannekuchen - German Pancakes

Photo by Rob Robitaille

This is another thing I grew up eating.  As usual, no one else I knew ate anything like this, and in case you are wondering, yes, these are basically crepes.  I have yet to find any information on what, if any, difference there is between a pfannekuchen and a crepe.  The only thing I can tell, from my own observation, is that the German pfannekuchen tend to be cooked a bit more brown than the crepe, which tend to be in the golden brown category.  Other than that, they seem to be identical in all other aspects.  This photo represents the most common use for these from my childhood.  Creamed asparagus rolled in a pfannekuchen.  This is not uncommon in Germany, but the main difference is that Germans tend to eat the white asparagus, rather than green.

Asparagus tangent: From what I understand, the white asparagus are really no different than the green, other than they are kept covered in earth until being harvested.  This yields a pale white stock with a much more mild flavor as well as being much more tender.  Generally these are harvested at about 18" in length and as big around as your thumb.  When I visited Germany as a child, it was right in the heart of asparagus season, and like most of Europe, when something is in season, that is what you eat until you can't bear the thought of having it again.  It typically starts out with them in the purest form - being steamed and served with some clarified butter, then moves into many other variations, including creamed and rolled in a pfannekuchen.  Although white asparagus are occasionally on the market in the states, I have never had any as good as in Germany.

But, let's get back to the pfannekuchen.  Like I said before, they are a crepe and can be used in the same ways crepes can.  They can be filled with savory filling or sweet, made into a cake, or eaten with a dusting of sugar or honey.  Left over, they can be frozen for later user.  But since I am thinking back to my childhood, I should mention the main use for left over pfannekuchen in our house.  Actually, for some reason it was Dad's job to do this, and that was to thinly slice them into strips, then lay them on a sheet pan and freeze them.  Once frozen, they were stored in plastic bags until being used in soup, similar to a noodle. The cool thing about this symbiosis is that the frozen shreds are placed in a bowl and piping hot soup is ladled over them. The hot soup thaws the shredded pfannekuchen and  in turn, the pfannekuchen helps cool the hot soup.  For some reason, soup was always dished up "boiling lava" hot in our house.

I would consider crepes to be an easy recipe that most anyone can make.  A well seasoned or non stick pan is helpful, as is a silicone spatula for flipping.  Total prep time for the completed dish is under an hour.

Pfannekuchen

• 2 1/2 c. Flour (all-purpose)
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp. Baking powder
• 2 Medium eggs
• 2 c. Milk

Place the dry ingredients in bowl. Add the eggs and part of the milk. Stir together and add remaining milk in stages until the batter is thin and creamy. Heat a large non-stick pan with a bit of vegetable oil, butter, shortening, lard, duck fat, or whatever seems appropriate for how you will be using them. Pour in one 1/4 cup ladle of batter and spread around in circles until you have a very thin pancake. When the pancake starts to get dry on top, flip over with a silicone spatula and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Don't be afraid to make them a bit darker than golden brown. Remove to a plate and repeat until you use all the batter.

Creamed Asparagus

• 1 lb. asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• sauce bechamel (recipe follows)
• Fresh nutmeg to taste 

Steam asparagus in salted water until tender.  Remove the asparagus from the pan with a slotted spoon and combine with the bechamel.  Season with nutmeg to create that traditional German flavor.

Cooks note: depending on much loss their is by trimming the woody ends from the asparagus, you may need to adjust the amount of sauce bechamel.

Sauce Bechamel

It just kills me to add this into this post, because this sauce is so important to the culinary world that it deserves its own post, which I will do at some point.

• 2 T. butter
• 3 T. flour
• 2 c. milk, hot
• Salt and white pepper to taste

In a heavy sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Then add the flour and whisk for a couple minutes until bubbly and frothy to form a white roux.  Remove from the heat and add the hot milk whisking vigorously until smooth.  You don't want any lumps.  Place on medium high heat and whisk until it comes to a boil.  Continue to whisk for another minute.  Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Cooks note:  For this particular use, you can substitute some (maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup) of the asparagus steaming liquid for the milk.  Just be mindful of this when adjusting your seasoning at the end as you may not need to add any salt.

Pork Belly Part Deux - Food Porn

Photo by Rob Robitaille

I know that I have already posted about pork belly, but this was really, really good.  I made it the other night when my wife was working.  I was bored and this turned out fantastic.  I had no intention to post about it, because I had recently posted a similar article.  Regardless, I was rolling through my pictures, ready to post about something else tonight, and I rolled across this picture - and it brought it all back to right now.  Have you ever wanted to roll in something?  Or make a sleeping bag out of it and crawl in?  Well, I am ashamed to say that I have.  Roasted pork belly has to be, hands down, one of the most decadent foods you can experience.  I mean...it is a slab of uncured bacon.  Treated properly, it is tender and delicious and can invade your dreams.  I admit, I dream of food.  This combo that you see, works.  It just works.  I has it all.

The base is caramelized onion and sauerkraut braised with bay leaves, caraway seeds, and a bit of brown sugar.  The pork is nothing more than an ordinary, unappealingly white slab of animal protein and fat.  Unremarkable in its raw, plain form.  However, with the proper prep and mix of heat; you have an extraordinary experience.  I know what you are thinking.  For now, my dear friends, let's not think of fat as either good or bad.  Let's think of it as a flavor.  We can have the other discussion later, perhaps.  Fat is both flavor and a texture.  Have you ever had baked potato chips?  They taste okay, but they are kind of wrong on many levels.  They are dry and stick to your tongue in a very unholy way.  This is the antidote to that very experience.  Fat, in moderation, is a very good thing both in taste and texture.  It has to be experienced rather than observed.

I prepared the roast (about one pound) very similar to all the times before, but I took a hint from the Scandinavians, because...you have to.  I live in Minnesota for goodness sakes.  I made slices, about 1/8 inch deep and about 1/8 inch apart on the fat side.  Then, running off on  my own as I often do, I rubbed in salt and some vinegar between the slices (vinegar is really good on pork...try it). After which, I roasted it at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours, then turned on the broiler.  Once the layer of fat was crisp, I removed it to a cooling rack and sliced it about 1/2 inch thick.  I garnished it with some mustard (yellow mustard with some brown sugar, tarragon, cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper).  I am not joking when I say that, this was unbelievable.  It was sweet, salty, sour, and bitter.  All the basic senses of the human tongue and then some.

All right, I need to stop.  Food should be fun and interesting.  This is about as fun and interesting that I can think of.  Don't think of what is necessarily "healthy".  This is an occasional treat.  Enjoy it.