Cooking

Fri - May 9, 2008

The Unmonitored Meal

There are no witnesses to any culinary crimes I commit tonight. My wife is in Wichita, and my daughter is at the movies. Sort of reminds me of the lyrics to Randy Newman's song, Rider In The Rain:

Oh my mother's in St. Louis
And my bride's in Tennessee
So I'm goin' to Arizona
With a banjo on my knee

But I digress.

I was talking about unmonitored meals, the food that guys will fix for themselves when there is no one around to disapprove. The biggest theme is "too too too": too large, too much fat or meat or spice. Sometimes the meals are too easy, or too starchy.

For years, my most frequent unmonitored meal would be braised short ribs of beef. My family would find them to be too fatty, so I had to wait to reacquaint myself with this dish until my family had abandoned me for the odd weekend here and there.

Many times, the unmonitored meal would be something over macaroni or rice. The starch would be a carrier for a flavor I liked, and a springboard to the quantity I craved. Chili or chicken pot pies were frequent candidates for this treatment.

Now, though, I've got the Weight Watchers thing going on. Since joining WW in January, I've dropped 35 pounds, and think that this is probably my lowest weight so far in the 21st Century. So, today when faced with the idea of cooking for myself, I viewed the meal not as a chance for unwise choices, but as a chance to fix myself something really nice since I was only buying for one instead of three. Economies of scale cut both ways.

First course:

Shrimp cocktail. 8 prawns, cooked, with Crosse & Blackwell Seafood Cocktail Sauce. 4 points.

Then, the Del Monico steak, 9 ounces, grilled medium rare with salt and pepper. 13 points.

Served with roasted asparagus. Asparagus stalks drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, spread in a single layer in a baking dish, and roasted at 350 degrees, tossing occasionally, finished with a sprinkling of lemon juice before serving. Zero points for the asparagus, 2 points for the oil.

All washed down with 22 ounces of Lagunitas IPA Maximus. 5 points.

Yeah, baby.

Posted at 11:57 AM

Sun - December 30, 2007

Pie Fetish

I've been a cook for a long time, but I've never been a baker. I've decided to learn to make pies as my baking debut.

There are several books I am finding helpful. The library helped me with a couple of books, including The perfect pie: more than 125 all-time favorite pies and tarts , by Susan G. Purdy.

It was a good starting place for crusts and fillings, but now I have joined every other pie maker in the world in the search for an even better crust. This led me to Pie : 300 tried-and-true recipes for delicious homemade pie , by Ken Haedrich.

This is such an excellent reference book that my copy now resides in my kitchen, and a batch of Flaky Pie Pastry (page 31) is now chilling in my fridge for today's project.

The one tome that has led me astray so far is the Cooks Illustrated special edition for the holidays, which included a recipe for pecan pie. My clue should have been when the author went on at length about her efforts to devise a pecan pie recipe which wasn't too sweet. After making the pie to her specifications, I found that she had succeeded in reducing the sweetness beyond her wildest expectations. It was the first time in my life I've had pecan pie which was not sweet enough. I expect that Tea Time At The Masters will have a pecan pie recipe more to my liking

Posted at 02:21 PM

Mon - August 13, 2007

End Of Summer Tortellini

Adapted from an epicurious.com recipe.

16 oz uncooked cheese tortellini
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced, in strips
2 cups corn (16 oz frozen corn, thawed, or corn from 4 ears)
4 TBS sweet (unsalted) butter
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup basil, chopped

Cook tortellini in salted water.

While it is cooking, saute corn and garlic in butter over medium heat for two minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add prosciutto, saute two minutes more. Remove from heat.

Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta. Toss with corn mixture, tomatoes, reserved pasta cooking water, and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with grated Parmesan. Serves 4-6.

Posted at 09:39 PM

Sun - July 29, 2007

Scallop and Bacon Chowder

This is my version of a recipe which I found on Epicurious.com :

1 cup Italian parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 pound bay scallops
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
salt and pepper

Process parsley and oil in food processor or blender until smooth. Add salt. Pour into small
bowl. (Parsley oil can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, and place on paper towels to drain.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add leeks, garlic, and thyme to pot, sauté until leeks soften, about 3 minutes. Add corn, sauté 2 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken broth, and
cream; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallops and bacon and simmer until scallops are just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Add Tabasco, season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon parsley oil atop chowder in each bowl and serve.

Makes 8 first-course servings.

Posted at 03:22 PM

Mon - July 2, 2007

Grilled Salmon with Apricot/Sweet Chili Glaze

I found a beautiful fillet of wild Alaskan Copper River salmon for a ridiculous price ($7.99/lb).

When I threw together the glaze, I used proportions which pleased my culinary sensibilities. I will guesstimate them as:

1 cup Apricot preserves
3 TBS sweet chili sauce
1 capful (probably abut 1 tsp) of apple cider vinegar

I fired up the gas grill, and when it was hot sprayed the grill with Spray Canola oil. I put the fillet skin side down on the grill, brushed it with the glaze, and closed the lid. I put the fillet over the back burner and turned it down to medium, while leaving the front burner on medium-high for indirect heat. I tried to resist the temptation to lift the lid too often, and occasionally brushed the glaze on again.

I used my instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the fish at the thickest spot. Julia Child wrote that fish should be cooked to 150 degrees. I have learned that I have to cook meat, poultry, and fish about 10 to 15 degrees more than Julia to get it cooked enough for my tastes.

My family said that this was the best salmon I have grilled for them, and that I can make it again anytime. That is success in my book.

Posted at 07:28 PM

Mon - April 9, 2007

Dr. Science Roasts Leg Of Lamb

This is the data for roasting a boneless leg of lamb, 8.8 pounds worth. It was taken from the refrigerator, seasoned, placed on a roasting rack, and then put in a 350 degree oven.

Posted at 08:23 AM

Wed - April 4, 2007

Venison Picatta

This meal did not involve a whole lot of measuring.

Venison tenderloin
Milk (about 2 cups)
Butter
White wine
Lemon
Capers
Flour
Salt
Pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Thinly slice tenderloin into medallions about 1/4 inch thick. This is easier if it is still partly frozen.

Soak venison slices in about 1 to 2 cups of milk for 1 hour. Drain, repeat this process with fresh milk for another hour.

Season flour with salt and pepper.

Drain venison slices, pat dry. Dredge in seasoned flour. Melt about 2 TBS butter in large skillet. Saute venison slices over medium to medium high heat, about 2 minutes per side. Then, add white wine, about 1/4 cup or just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes more. If wine cooks off, add a bit more. Put cooked venison medallions in baking dish. For the sauce, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (the "fond") and cook the wine down a bit. Squeeze in some lemon juice, add some capers, pour that over the cooked venison, and keep that in the oven while you repeat the process tocook the next batch of venison, or do something else important.

This got rave reviews at dinner last night, including one guest who does not usually care for game.

Posted at 06:23 PM

Sun - March 4, 2007

Dr. Science Cooks Prime Rib

In our test kitchen today, our subject was a 4.75 pound prime rib roast.

Science is not for the faint of heart.

I believe it was Julia Child who wrote in one of her weightier tomes that when the temperature of a prime rib roast gets above 115 degrees, you have to watch it very closely, because it goes up very quickly from that point on. I wondered what the specifics were.

So, I stuck the probe for my wireless remote cooking thermometer in the roast, stuck it in an oven preheated to 325 degrees, and didn't open the oven again until the core internal temperature of the roast hit 145 degrees. Here is the data:

This looks pretty linear to me. Here's an alternate theory:

Perhaps Julia got into the cooking sherry, and a roast got away from her.

Posted at 09:55 PM

Sun - February 25, 2007

Peppercorn Chicken with Black Olives, Mushrooms, and Fetuccini

My good friend Roger Bertholf threw this recipe in over the electronic transom:

Hi Fitz:

This was an improvisation, but it scored a hit tonight:

Peppercorn Chicken with Black Olives, Mushrooms, and Fetuccini

4 chicken breasts, cut in slices or cubes, no more than 1/2-inch thick
4 Tbsp flour
1-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cooking (or olive) oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 C chicken broth
1/2 C cream (Half & Half will do)
4.5 oz can sliced black olives
4 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 C chopped parsley
8 oz fetuccini

Mix flour, pepper, mustard, and salt in a shallow pan. Heat oil and garlic on medium high in a frying pan or skillet. Coat chicken pieces in flour/pepper/mustard/salt mixture and fry in oil until brown, turning to ensure even cooking. When meat is browned, add chicken broth, cream, black olives, mushrooms, and parsley. Add additional salt to taste. Reduce heat to simmer and allow time to thicken, stirring occasionally. Cook fetuccini per directions. Serve chicken over pasta, with a green vegetable side, and beverage of choice (a pinot or cabernet is excellent).

Serves 4.

Roger

Posted at 12:49 AM

Sun - January 21, 2007

Pheasant Casserole - Experiment In Progress

David Nackerud gave us three lovely pheasants that he took with the aid of his Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas.

Tonght I am attempting to do justice to this gift. The efforts so far:

I cut the pheasant into pieces.

Dredged it in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika.

In my saute pan, melted 4 TBS butter with 3 TBS oil, then browned the pheasant.

Put the pheasant in a casserole.

Poured off all but 2 TBS of the butter/oil, added 2 cups of cream, brought to a simmer. Added 2 tsp tarragon and 1/2 cup cognac.

Poured this sauce over the pheasant, covered the casserole, and it is now baking for 1 to 1.5 hours at 325 degrees.

My plan is to serve this over/with buttered noodles, with a Caesar salad on the side.

Posted at 07:52 PM

Thu - September 28, 2006

Shrimp and Artichoke Casserole

1 14 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned/deveined/cooked
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
sufficient butter to saute mushrooms (I skimp on the butter and spray the mushrooms with olive oil spray)
1/4 tsp. flour

6 TBS. butter
4 TBS flour
1-1/2 cup cream
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 TBS Worcestershire

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Rice (2 cups of uncooked rice, cooked in whatever method works best for you)

Drain artichoke hearts. Place in bottom of casserole dish. Place shrimp on top of the artichokes. Saute mushrooms, place over shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.

Make roux with butter and flour (melt the butter add the flour cook several minutes until it smells like warm bread), add cream. Stir constantly until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add sherry and Worcestershire. Pour sauce over the artichoke/shrimp/mushrooms. Top with cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

Serves 6.

Modeled after recipe in Tea Time At The Masters.
Edited after Chris Harper's observation: "Hey! I think your recipe is missing the all important "pour the thickened cream sauce over the artichokes and shrimp" step. Otherwise, you end up wth naked veggies and seafood and a really cheesy baked sauce! "

Posted at 09:39 PM

Thu - August 3, 2006

Reader Participation

If you were a bartender and someone asked you to make them a "Mel Gibson," how would you go about it?

Posted at 07:54 PM

Mon - July 24, 2006

"1 Can Cream of ... "

Once upon a time, recipes which included cans of Cream of Mushroom soup were more highly regarded.

These recipes peppered cookbooks and magazines. You could hold your head up arriving at public functions with dishes made with Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soup. Tuna and noodles, or potatoes and cheese frequently bathed in Cream of Mushroom soup. For more exotic tastes, you might wed a can of Cream of Celery or Asparagus with a can of Cream of Chicken soup, as you threw in the rice and the chicken with broccoli.

This is no longer true. I can't remember ever seeing Cream of Mushroom in Gourmet, and suspect that if I see one in Bon Appetit it would be a sign of The Apocalypse. The only place they still raise their head with modern versions of these recipes is in Southern cookbooks. My favorite example is Tea Time At The Masters. As I browse through my copy of Recipes From Historic Fincastle. which I have had for many years, I see cans of a lot of things. The ingredients evoke memories. After leaving Virginia, I didn't encounter creamed corn in a recipe again until I hit Mexican cooking on the West Coast. Some of these recipes are dangerous, like the Sunday Special Chicken which includes "1 tsp. Accent Flavor Enhancer." Nothing like a ritual family Sunday Afternoon of battling the special effects from all that MSG.

Historic Fincastle advised putting Cream of Mushroom in Hamburger Stroganoff, Chicken Casserole, Baked Chicken Casserole, Hot Chicken Salad Casserole, Party Chicken, Asparagus Amandine, and Phyllis' Broccoli Rice Casserole. Cream of Chicken turns up in Potato Casserole and Squash Casserole. Cream of Celery drives the Broccoli Casserole. They seem to serve the roles of both sauce and glue.

One of my staples in college was a spaghetti sauce recipe gleaned from my first mother-in-law. The spaghetti sauce was one can Cream of Mushroom, one can Cream of Tomato, and an indeterminate (at least in my hands) amount of ground beef. Over spaghetti, (this was before there was "pasta") , this was described as a meal which would "stick to your ribs." Food which "stuck to your ribs" was also more highly regarded. Food less likely to become visible on your skeleton is more highly prized these days.

The only other place I see cans of Cream of Something Or Other soup is in crockpot recipes. Why not, in a cooking process which has already abandoned any control or influence over the final product after choosing what gets put in the pot?

Posted at 06:47 PM

Wed - April 19, 2006

Mushroom Chicken

This is a recipe in progress. For those interested, it works out to 7 WW points a serving.

Serves 3.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-1/2 cups fat free milk
3 TBS flour
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
seasoned salt
cooking spray

Over medium heat, warm milk, whisk flour into milk. Continue at a simmer or just below, whisking frequently, 20-30 minutes.

Place chicken breast in baking dish, season with seasoned salt, bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

In skillet with cooking spray, "saute" mushrooms (it's just so difficult for me to countenance the use of the word "saute" when no butter is involved) over medium then medium low heat until they release their liquid. May turn off heat and set aside at this point.

When chicken breasts have baked, stir mushrooms into sauce. Adjust seasonings of sauce before saucing chicken breast and serving.

--------------------

The next time, I may try a mixture of chicken broth and milk. I may also add some tarragon.

Posted at 12:37 PM

Mon - February 27, 2006

Smoked Salmon Fettucine - WW Points

For her birthday dinner, my daughter requested the smoked salmon fettucine recipe that I posted last September.

I entered the ingredients in the Weight Watchers recipe builder, which informed me that this recipe is 20 points per serving.

Posted at 06:25 PM

An Ambivalent Thank You

Ghost Of Thanksgiving Past - 2005 edition

Presbyterian Pumpkin Pie

The Pragmatic Chef

Chicken Tetrazzini

Food Science

Smoked Salmon Fettucine

Hush Puppies

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

Ribs

Swiss Steak