Author Archive
arthur avenue, Belmont, Belmont Avenue, bloomberg news, campagna, Cherry Peppers, cherry tomatoes, chicken campagna, Crescent Avenue, Dion and the Belmonts, E.186th Street, esquire, John Mariani, la cucina italiana, Little Italy, Roberto, Roberto Paciullo, Roberto Restaurant, The Bronx
In General Articles on January 21, 2012 at 3:13 PM
Inspired by a dish that she had on our most recent visit to Roberto restaurant in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, my wife suggested the ingredients for Chicken Campagna. That is not the name that Roberto applied to one of the ‘specials’ that he offered that evening. We thought of the name because the dish that we developed in a failed attempt to replicate Roberto’s reminded us of a rustic Italian chicken preparation, one that you would find in a country restaurant practically anywhere in Italy. Campagna translates to countryside. Despite the fact that it is not à la Roberto, Chicken Campagna is delicious in its own right.
Roberto Paciullo, who with his brother opened his original restaurant in this Little Italy of the Bronx more than 20 years ago, is an incredibly superb chef. The current restaurant located on Crescent Avenue, around the corner from the well-known Arthur Avenue, is one block west of where the original was situated at the intersection of E. 186th St., Crescent and Belmont Avenues. For those of you unfamiliar with New York and especially with the Bronx, that is the same Belmont Avenue that gave rise to Dion and The Belmonts.
While the printed menu at Roberto contains plenty of excellent and creative dishes, the ‘specials’ offered on the blackboard each evening are replete with imaginative surprises. For his legions of fans, they are the only way to order. From the very beginning, Roberto’s cooking has been an inspiration to me as well as to many others.
His dishes are filled with ingredients and that are common to la cucina italiana, but are combined in inventive ways that are vastly different than the standard Italian restaurant fare. In my opinion, there is no equal, and I agree with John Mariani, the writer and columnist for Esquire and Bloomberg News, Roberto is ‘The Best Italian Restaurant in America’.
Thanks Roberto, for many years of good eating and inspiration. I can’t wait to return to see what you have developed next.
campari tomatoes, Cherry Peppers, cherry tomatoes, chicken campagna, demi-glace, dredging with flour, skinless boneless chicken thighs
In Chicken, Meat, Recipes on January 15, 2012 at 5:34 PM
Chicken Campagna
(Preparation 15 minutes; active cooking 30 minutes. Serves 4, or serves 2 with leftovers)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tbsps. of coarsely chopped garlic, about 7 large cloves
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 tbsps. flour
Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt to taste
1 cup of sliced onion; slice medium onion in half from top to root end and then thinly slice each half
4 sliced Cherry Peppers, stems removed and discarded
2 cups of sliced Campari Tomatoes® or Cherry Tomatoes, about 10 oz.
½ cup red wine
2 tbsps. of chopped sage
1 tbsp. beef demi-glace
Preparation:
1. Add the flour to a shallow bowl and mix in the salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken thighs and set aside.
2. In a stainless steel sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium. When shimmering, add the garlic and stir.
3. When garlic is translucent add the chicken thighs and brown for 8 minutes in total. Turn after 2 minutes and brown for 2 minutes on the other side. Repeat – 2 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the thighs and keep warm. Lower the heat and de-glaze the pan by first adding the onions, then the cherry peppers and tomatoes. Mix well with the onions, scraping up the pan, let cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the wine and bring to a boil.
5. Return the browned chicken to the pan, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 12 minutes, turning the chicken pieces once, after 6 minutes.
6. Add the sage and cook 2 minutes more, uncovered.
7. Remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Raise heat to high, add the demi-glace and mix well, stir until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
Serve with Broccoli Rabe Sauteed in Garlic and Olive Oil and Crusty Italian Bread with which to sop up the delicious sauce.
Please see The Best Italian Restaurant
Bok Choy, Broccoli, Chili Paste, ginger, Hoisin Sauce, Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce, Sambal Oelek, Sesame Oil, Shiitake Mushrooms, Snow Peas, Stir-Fry, Tsingtao, Vegetarian, Wok
In Vegetables, Vegetarian Meals on January 13, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Vegetable Stir-Fry
(40 minutes preparation, 10 minutes active cooking: serves 3 to 4 with a side of rice)
Note: In stir-frying, which requires speed and constant attention, it is best to prepare and measure each of the ingredients and lay them out in order of usage before beginning to cook, this requires most of the time and effort, so a sous chef would be of great help. A wok is the best cooking vehicle for stir-frying, but in a pinch, a large saute pan would work. However, the vegetables tend to steam rather than retain their crunchiness. Under-cooking is the key word in stir-frying vegetables, so please invest in a wok, if you don’t have one.
Ingredients:
3 tbsps. minced garlic, about 6 cloves
1 cup of scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into ¼” pieces
2 tbsps. minced fresh ginger, on 2 inch piece, peeled
8 cups of broccoli florets, about 1 & 1/4 lbs.
4 cups of red peppers, cut into 1″ squares, about 2 large peppers
3 cups of green peppers, cut into 1″ squares, 1 large pepper
10 cups of Bok Choy, cut into ¾” pieces, about 1 & ½ lbs.
2 cups of Snow Peas, about 6 oz.
¼ lb. of Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
6 tbsps. of Sesame Oil
3 tbsp. of Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 cup of unsalted chicken stock
2 tbsps. Sambal Oelek, ground fresh chili paste
4 tbsps. Hoisin Sauce
Wondra flour or cornstarch as needed to thicken the sauce
Preparation:
1. Rinse, dry and chop or slice all of the vegetables and place each in separate bowls. Measure out each of the other ingredients.
2. Pre-heat a wok on high heat, add 4 tbsps. of sesame oil.
3. When the oil begins to shimmer and slightly smoke, quickly add the garlic, scallions and ginger and stir briskly for about 20 to 30 seconds to prevent burning.
4. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the red and green peppers and continuing stir frying for an additional 1 minute.
6. Add. 3 tbsps. of soy sauce, stir well for 1 minute and then add ¼ cup of chicken stock, continue cooking and stirring for 2 more minutes
7. Remove the vegetables, set aside and keep warm.
8. Add the remaining 2 tbsps. of sesame oil and when shimmering add the bok choy, stir fry for 1 minute.
9. Add the snow peas and mushrooms; continue stir-frying 1 minute more.
10. Move the vegetables to the sides of the wok and in the center of the wok, add the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock, Chili Paste and Hoisin Sauce.
11. When the liquids begin to boil, mix the vegetables well with the sauce, add back the set-aside vegetables and stir briskly for 2 minutes.
12. Remove the vegetables to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon, bring the sauce to boil to and add Wondra or cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
13. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and serve with rice.
Beer goes best with this dish, particularly Tsingtao
al dente, Arborio Rice, Crabmeat, Flounder Fillets, Frutti di mare, Holiday Meals, Seafood Risotto, Stuffed Flounder
In General Articles on January 12, 2012 at 6:06 PM
We were a week into the New Year and attempting to break out of the holiday season food-induced coma of the prior six week period. That coupled with the need for me to fit into my tux and my wife into her gown for a black tie event a few weeks down the road, led us back to seafood meals.
Our immediate thought the other night was for some shrimp, perhaps sautéed in butter, garlic and white wine and maybe a side of rice to absorb the sauce. But upon visiting the fish market, freshly harvested Bay Scallops were prominently displayed and attracted our attention. Then it hit me; combine the shrimp and scallops with the rice and, presto, Seafood Risotto! All that was needed were some mussels to round out the seafood medley and we would have a true Frutti di Mare. Alas, there were no mussels to be had.
My wife who has an eye for these things, suggested that we go ahead with the risotto idea, and to add some color and flavor use up the leftover arugula and scallions, which had gone into the previous evening’s salad. A brilliant idea, I thought.
Making a risotto is fairly easy, but does involve active participation for perhaps an hour or so. However, the result is well worth the effort, so don’t be deterred by the time factor. Arborio Rice, which is a short-grained rice, is considered to be the best for making a risotto. It has a high starch content which produces an exquisite creaminess, as well as the ability to absorb plenty of moisture without losing its bite, its al dente quality.
Yesterday as my thoughts remained in the seafood mode, I visited the fish market again and purchased some flounder fillets along with a 1 pound can of crabmeat. These ingredients were melded into Baked Stuffed Flounder Fillets. Both of these meals were a welcome and delicious respite from our hearty holiday fare.
Arborio Rice, Hot Hungarian Paprika, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Saffron, Seafood Risotto, Unsalted Chicken Stock
In Recipes, Rice, Seafood on January 12, 2012 at 6:00 PM
Seafood Risotto
(Serves four. Active Preparation time 50 to 60 minutes)
Ingredients:
8 cups of Unsalted Chicken Stock
1 pinch of Saffron threads, about 1/8 tsp.
3 tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tbsps. plus 2 tbsps. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Scallions, sliced; about 4 Scallions both green and white parts
2 cups of Arborio Rice
1 cup plus ½ cup of dry white wine
¼ lb. of Arugula
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ lb. bay scallops
½ lb. large shrimp (8 or 9), shelled, deveined and cut in half
½ tsp. Hot Hungarian Paprika
Preparation:
1. Heat the chicken stock in a small pot.
2. Remove one cup of stock and add the saffron and set aside.
3. In a separate, 3 qt. pot, heat the olive oil on medium, add 3 tbsps. butter to melt, stir well.
4. Lower the heat; add the scallions and sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add the rice, raise heat to medium, and stir well for about 4 minutes to coat each grain of rice.
6. Add the white wine, continuing to stir until the wine is absorbed.
7. Add the set-aside cup of stock with saffron and keep stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed.
8. Add a second cup of stock from the heated pot and add a handful of arugula, stirring well until the arugula becomes limp and the stock is all absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.
9. Continue this process until all of the arugula and 7 cups of stock are used, leaving one cup still heated in the small pot, which will be added at the end.
10. In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 tbsps. of butter in a sauté pan, add the scallops and shrimps and sauté on high heat for three minutes.
11. Pour the remaining ½ cup of white wine over the shrimp and scallops and continue to sauté until most of the wine is absorbed. Sprinkle with the paprika and add to the rice after step 9.
12. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, as well as the one remaining cup of stock, mix well and serve immediately.
Baked Stuffed Flounder, Hot Hungarian Paprika, italian flavored breadcrumbs, powdered mustard, Wondra
In Fish, Recipes, Seafood on January 12, 2012 at 5:51 PM
Baked Flounder Stuffed with Crabmeat
(Active preparation time 30 minutes; cooking time 20 minutes: Serves 2)
Ingredients for Crabmeat Stuffing (makes about 8 tablespoons of stuffing):
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 oz. crabmeat
1 tsp. Powdered Mustard
1 heaping tsp. Hot Hungarian Paprika
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Italian Flavored Breadcrumbs
4 sage leaves, chopped
Other Ingredients:
4 Flounder fillets about 14 oz. in total
4 small pats of butter
Hot Hungarian paprika, for sprinkling
½ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon or more of Wondra Flour
Lemon wedges
Preparation: Pre-Heat Oven to 375 degrees
For the Stuffing:
1. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-low flame.
2. Add shallots and sauté until translucent.
3. Add crabmeat and breakup large pieces with a fork, add spices.
4. Add wine and cook down a few minutes, stirring mixture continuously.
5. Add breadcrumbs until liquid is all absorbed, stirring mixture continuously.
6. Add chopped sage, and stir into mixture.
7. Remove stuffing from pan, place in a small bowl and allow to cool, prior to stuffing the fish.
Crabmeat Stuffing
For the Flounder:
1. Spread fillets out on a carving board, with the narrower, pointed end of the fillets facing the away from you and the fillets tuned so that the inside is face up.
2. Take about 2 tablespoon of crabmeat stuffing and beginning at the end of the fillet closest to you, lay the stuffing on the sole spreading it out as you move upward, but stopping about 1.5 inches from the narrow end.
Preparing the Flounder
3. Roll-up the fillets starting with the end nearest you and secure each with a toothpick.
4. Place the rolled-up fillets in a non-reactive baking dish, with toothpick sides facing down and top each with a pat of butter, and sprinkle with paprika.
5. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven on the top shelf for 18 minutes.
6. After 9 minutes into the baking, add ½ cup of dry white wine.
7. When fish is cooked, remove from pan and set aside and keep warm.
8. Pour off the liquid into a small pot and boil on high for 2 to 3 minutes, while whisking in a ½ teaspoon or more of Wondra flour to thicken.
9. Pour sauce over fillets and serve immediately, with lemon wedges.
dry marsala, Italian Fontina, prosciutto di parma, veal cutlets, veal demi-glace, veal rollatini, veal scaloppine
In Meat, Recipes, Veal on January 5, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Veal Rollatini
Three different Italian Regions are represented in this dish: Valle d’Aosta in the northeast, where Italian Fontina is produced; Emilia-Romagna, the breadbasket of Italy for Prosciutto di Parma and Sicily the home of Marsala and the wine named after the city, as well as France where Demi-Glace originated.
Preparation time, 45 minutes, cooking time 15 minutes. (Makes 12 veal rolls -serves six)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Veal Cutlets trimmed for scaloppine (about 12 slices)
½ lb. Prosciutto di Parma
3/4 lb. Italian Fontina cheese, sliced thinly
12 basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup flour
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
12 oz. + ¼ cup Dry Marsala (see Note)
12 sage leaves, finely chopped
4 tbsp. Veal Demi-Glace
Preparation:
1. Have the butcher slice and trim the veal for scaloppine, telling him you need 12 cutlets.
2. Pat the veal dry on both sides and lay slices on a cutting board with narrow end facing away from you.
3. Sprinkle top with fresh ground black pepper to taste.
4. Layer on two slices of Prosciutto di Parma.
5. Cover prosciutto with sliced Fontina.
6. Place one basil leaf on top of the cheese, at the end closest to you.
Layering the Veal
7. Carefully roll up the veal and other ingredients away from you so that the narrow end is on the outside of the rollup.
8. Secure each roll with two toothpicks.
Rolled Up
9. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.
10. When all of the rolls are secured, dip them one by one, in the egg and then in the flour and set aside.
11. In a 14 inch non-stick skillet, on high heat, melt the butter.
12. When the butter is bubbling, add the floured veal rolls and brown for about 3 or 4 minutes turning every minute until all sides are lightly browned.
13. Lower heat to medium, add the 12 oz. of Marsala, cover the pan and cook the veal rolls for 6 minutes, turning each roll after 3 minutes.
In the Pan
14. To make the sauce, remove Rollatini from the pan and keep warm in the oven.
15. Add remaining ¼ cup of Marsala, the sage and demi-glace to the pan, stir and reduce to desired thickness. Return veal rolls to the pan along with any accumulated juices and turn once to coat well with the sauce.
16. Transfer the Rollatini to a serving platter, pour the sauce over them and serve immediately. Remind your guests about the toothpicks.
Note: You can also use Sweet Marsala as well, however, I prefer the Dry type for this dish. This is a matter of taste preference and availability.
arthur avenue, butcher shops, delivery bikes, delivery boys, inwood manhattan, Milanese, osso buco, veal rollatini, veal scaloppine, Vincent's meat market
In General Articles on January 4, 2012 at 4:25 PM
While attending high school, I held a number of after-school and summer jobs. It was easy to find work growing up in Inwood in the 1950’s, as there were many stores that needed delivery boys; the drug stores, the florists, the dry cleaners, the fruit & vegetable stores, the deli’s, the fish markets and the butchers. There were not many cars in the neighborhood then, so we delivery boys either hoofed it, or made our runs on delivery bikes.
My delivery boy career included a cleaner, a fruit & vegetable store and a butcher; the latter was located on the corner of 207th Street and Sherman Avenue and was called Wal-Fred’s. I don’t recall either a Walter or a Fred, but think I remember a Tommy and a Patsy (Pasquale), both Italian-Americans, who were either brothers or cousins. I’m lucky I can recall even that, but one thing I will never forget is the smell.
The delivery boy was also the one who cleaned the store after his delivery rounds were completed. There were chicken cases to be scrubbed and display trays to be washed; there were butcher blocks to be scraped with a steel brush; there were fat /offal cans to be washed out and deodorized and there was the floor to be swept and covered with fresh sawdust before the store was closed for the night at 6:00 pm. Aside from the tips, one of the best aspects of the job, was on a hot summer’s day being able to walk into the meat locker to cool down before heading home to my non air-conditioned apartment.
One by one, in most neighborhoods and towns, the little stores that provided these jobs disappeared as supermarkets and mega-markets made their appearance. And with the proliferation of cars and vans, deliveries are more often made by motor vehicle rather than on foot and bike. Of all of these businesses that have disappeared, the loss of butcher shops strikes me as the saddest.
Buying meat wrapped in plastic and placed on a Styrofoam tray is a far cry from asking the butcher to cut you a steak to a particular size, or to slice the veal cutlets and pound them into scaloppine or even to find certain specialty cuts like Osso Buco on the day you want to make it, rather than wait for the next warehouse delivery.
On a recent trip to New York, we visited our favorite butcher, Vincent’s Meat Market, on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx. At Vincent’s you are able to get the type of service that was standard back when there were butcher shops in every town and neighborhood. On this latest trip we brought back with us both 2 pounds of Veal Scaloppine and 4 lbs. of Osso Buco. The Osso Buco, which were two inches thick, were too large for one person, so at our request the butcher cut them in half horizontally with his electric band saw. Try getting that done in your local supermarket, even if you can find Osso Buco.
The veal cutlets, having been rolled and stuffed with Prosciutto and Fontina cheese, served six as Veal Rollatini for dinner last week. The Osso Buco was prepared Milanese style (without tomatoes, which in my opinion detract from the intense veal flavor) and served four for dinner on New Year’s Eve.
Arborio Rice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, risotto milanese, Saffron
In Recipes, Rice on January 4, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Risotto Milanese
Serves 4. Active preparation time 30-45 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 qt. unsalted chicken stock
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Arborio Rice
3 pinches saffron threads
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 qt. pot. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
2. Remove 1 cup of stock and add the saffron threads.
3. In a 3 qt. pot, melt the butter over medium heat, add the oil
4. Add the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring to coat each grain.
5. Add the cup of the warm chicken stock with saffron and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
6. Add the remaining stock, 1 cup at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each cup of stock before adding the next.
7. Test the rice for doneness, it should be al dente but creamy smooth.
8. Remove risotto from heat, add grated cheese and black pepper. Serve at once with Osso Buco Milanese.
braising pan, gremolata, lemon zest, orange zest, osso buco, ossobuco milanese, risotto milanese, veal demi-glace, veal shanks
In Meat, Recipes, Veal on January 4, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Osso Buco Milanese with Gremolata and Risotto Milanese
Serves 4. Active Preparation – 30 minutes, cooking time 3 hours
Ingredients:
4 veal shanks, (Osso Buco) each about 1.5 inches thick (1 lb. each). If larger, have the butcher cut them in two, horizontally.
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
½ cup carrots, finely chopped
7 garlic cloves—4 sliced thick, 3 minced
3 bay leaves
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine
6 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp. veal demi-glace
2 tbsp. flour
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced Italian, (flat-leaf) parsley
Preparation:
1. Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large braising pan add the butter and melt.
3. Brown the veal shanks over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover to keep warm.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the diced onion, celery, carrots, sliced garlic cloves and bay leaves and cook over medium heat until they are softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
5. Add white wine and deglaze the pan. Add the chicken stock and thyme and bring to a boil.
6. Add back the veal and any accumulated juices, cover the braising pan and cook on low heat for about 2- 2.5 hours, until very tender.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the gremolata. In a small bowl, mix the orange & lemon zest, minced parsley and the 3 minced garlic cloves.
8. When the shanks are cooked, transfer them to a serving platter, cover with foil and keep warm in a preheated 200 degree oven.
9. Strain the liquid into a bowl, discarding the solids.
10. Rinse the braising pan and wipe dry. Pour the liquid back into the pan, bring to a boil over high heat, add the demi-glace and reduce on high heat for several minutes, lower heat, add flour and return meat to pan and keep warm until ready to serve.
11. Pour the gravy over the Osso Buco, sprinkle each veal shank lightly with the gremolata and serve.
Note: The Osso Buco can be made in advance. Serve with Risotto Milanese.
One of the treats of this dish is the delicious marrow in the center of the bone. In fact, the name Osso Buco means bone with a hole.
Please see: Where Have All the Butchers Gone?
Amontillado Sherry, Black Bean Soup, Ham Bone, Spanish Chorizos, Unsalted Chicken Stock
In Recipes, Soups on December 28, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (please see note below). Active involvement-1 hour, cooking time 2&1/2 hours; makes about 16 servings.
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs. dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
• 1 ham bone
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 & ½ qts. water
• 8 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups of finely chopped onions, about 4 medium onions
• 2 cups finely chopped celery, about 3 stalks
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots, about 2 carrots
• 5 tbsps. minced garlic, about 1 whole head
• 3 tbsps. ground cumin
• 2 qts. Unsalted Chicken Stock
• 6 jalapeno peppers including seeds, chopped fine
• 1 lb. Spanish Chorizos, sliced lengthwise and then at 90 degree angle, so that each slice is a ¼ inch thick half moon
• 1 cup rum
Preparation:
1. Place beans, ham bone, bay leaves and water in a 5 qt. pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on a low boil, until beans are tender about 90 minutes. If too thick, add an additional cup or two of water and continue to simmer until beans are tender. Remove ham bone and bay leaves and discard.
2. In the meantime, heat olive oil in 8-quart stock pot over medium-high heat until shimmering; add the onions, carrots and celery, cook for 6 minutes stirring until vegetables are soft.
3. Add the garlic and cumin and continue cooking, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the beans and their liquid (after removing and discarding the ham bone and bay leaves), mix well.
5. Add the chicken broth and jalapenos, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to boil, reduce the heat to low, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove 3 cups of beans and 3 cups of liquid to a food processor, process until smooth then return to pot. Add the chorizos and rum bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes more.
Upon serving add a splash of Amontillado Sherry to each bowl and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream.
NOTE: Please see The Gift of Christmas Ham that Kept on Giving for a discussion of how this recipe was adapted and developed
From a Cask of Amontillado
Asparagus, Parmigiano-Reggiano
In Recipes, Vegetables on December 28, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 13 minutes, serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
2 lbs. asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/8 lb. unsalted butter cut into thin slices
½ cup Italian flavored breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Preparation:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Steam the asparagus for three minutes.
3. Drain the asparagus and arrange them on a rimmed cookie sheet.
4. Cover the asparagus with the butter slices, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over them and lastly sprinkle the cheese on top of all.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Baked ham, Bone-in Smoked ham, Fried Ham and Eggs, Ham Bone, Ham Leftovers, orange juice
In Pork, Recipes on December 28, 2011 at 3:08 PM
Active preparation 20 minutes, baking time 3 hours 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 12 lb. smoked ham, bone in
Whole cloves
8 oz. orange juice
8 oz. light beer
½ cup honey
10 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. powdered hot mustard
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Score the fat by making shallow slices 1 inch apart and repeating the process at a 90 degree angle, so that you wind up with 1 inch squares of exposed fat. If the fat is not sufficiently exposed, carefully slice off the skin back to the shank end along the top of the ham before scoring.
3. Place, a clove securely into each square of fat.
Preparing the Ham
4. Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan; add two cups of water to the pan.
5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 2 hours at 325 degrees.
6. In the meantime, prepare the glaze: heat 8 oz. of orange juice in a two quart pot.
7. In a separate one quart pot empty a can beer and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. When done, add 8 oz. of the beer to the orange juice and stir well.
8. Separately and slowly mix in the honey, brown sugar and powdered mustard.
9. Remove from the heat until ready to baste the ham.
10. After 2 hours of baking pour the glaze over the ham and baste every 15 minutes for another hour.
11. Raise the temperature to 450 degrees and baste the ham one last time.
Ready for the Carving Knife
12. When ham is ready, remove the rack and ham from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm; place the pan on the stove top and heat on high to thicken the liquid to be used as gravy for the ham.
Note: For use of leftovers, please see: The Gift of Christmas Ham that Kept on Giving and Black Bean Soup.
Baked ham, Bone-in Smoked ham, Christmas Ham, Glazed Ham, Ham Bone, Ham Leftover, How to Carve a ham, Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock, Schaller & Weber, swansons unsalted chicken stock, Unsalted Chicken Stock
In General Articles on December 28, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Christmas has come and gone, but the remains of the ham are still with us. Thanks to the kindness of our friend Rita, we found ourselves with a 12 pound Schaller & Weber bone–in smoked ham for Christmas. Originally we had planned on a prime rib roast for Christmas dinner, but the receipt of the unexpected ham necessitated a new game plan. The Roasted Rosemary Potatoes would still work, but the ham, which would be baked with an orange-honey-brown sugar-mustard glaze called out for Dorothea’s Asparagus Tips as the green vegetable, rather than the originally planned Brussel Sprouts Roasted with Hazelnuts.
I was assigned ham duty and my wife took on responsibility for the asparagus and potatoes. The ham proved to be delicious and moist, unlike last year’s spiral cut ham, which became dried out as the interior was exposed to too much heat. Spiral cut hams are a great convenience, particularly for a buffet where each guest can cut off his or her own portion. But on balance, I think a whole uncut ham is superior in flavor and the carving is not all that difficult.
There were only six of us for Christmas dinner, so needless to say there were plenty of leftovers in the ham department. Big Mike always said, the best parts of a smoked ham are the leftovers and the ham bone. He loved frying up the ham for breakfast, which we did in his honor, on two mornings: fried ham and fried eggs the first day and then a ham and cheese omelet a few days later. Then the decision, what to do with the ham bone, which he usually employed in his favorite, Split Pea Soup. But a check of the pantry revealed a 2 pound bag of black beans, and a search of the refrigerator uncovered a package of Spanish Chorizos. With those ingredients readily available, it was not hard to envision a big batch of Black Bean Soup .
After a consulting Cook’s Illustrated.com for the basics on Black Bean Soup, I deleted some ingredients, salt (I figured the ham had plenty of salt), baking soda and cornstarch and added some others, jalapenos, chorizos and rum. I also adapted the proportions of vegetables to my personal taste. Most importantly, I conducted a research of chicken stock at our local supermarket. To my amazement, the quantity of sodium in each brand available on the shelf varied from a low of 150 mg per 240 ml (1 cup) for Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock to over 900 mg per 240 ml for the store brand private label. According to Please, Don’t Pass the Salt! Blog, Swanson’s Unsalted Chicken Stock contains 13% lower sodium – 130 mg per cup, but Swanson’s was not available on the supermarket shelf that day.
So from the gift of Christmas ham, not only did we have a memorable Christmas dinner but managed to eke out about 6 quarts of soup, breakfast meat for two mornings and still have a half pound of ham leftover for sandwiches. Thanks Rita!
bourbon, Sweet Potatoes, Thanksgiving
In Recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables on December 4, 2011 at 4:04 PM
Ingredients:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 cup light brown sugar
½ stick sweet butter
¼ cup orange juice
½ cup bourbon
Preparation:
1. Par-boil sweet potatoes for 15 minutes until fork can gently pierce them, remove the skins when cooled and slice them into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
2. In a separate pot, mix together the sugar, butter, orange juice, and bourbon and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Place sliced sweet potatoes in a baking pan.
4. Pour the mixture over them, cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.
Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving
baby bella mushrooms, Bell's seasoning, Crimini mushrooms, Italian sausage
In Recipes, Thanksgiving on December 4, 2011 at 4:02 PM
Preparation time: 1 hour with 2 people preparing the stuffing. Makes about 6 qts., which is enough for a 20 lb. turkey with several cups leftover.
Ingredients:
2 14oz. bags of Herb Seasoned Stuffing
3 lbs. of Italian sausages, casings removed and discarded, meat crumbled up*
4 large onions, coarsely chopped – about 6 cups
2 lbs. Crimini mushrooms, sliced – about 10 cups**
¾ cup of chopped fresh sage
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme, stems removed and discarded
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tbsps. Bell’s Poultry Seasoning
2 tbsps. ground black pepper
8 cups of boiled water
Preparation:
1. In a large non-stick skillet, fry the crumbled sausage meat on medium heat until all of the pink color is gone.
2. Empty stuffing bags into an 8 qt. bowl or pot.
3. Add 5 cups of boiled water and mix well.
4. Remove the cooked sausage meat with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind in the skillet. Add the sausage meat to the stuffing and mix well.
5. Melt 1 stick of the butter in the sausage fat and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes on medium low heat.
6. Add the sage and thyme to the onions, stirring well and continue sautéing until onions are translucent. Transfer the onions to the stuffing and mix well.
7. Melt the remaining stick of butter in the skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté on high for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it evaporates. Transfer the mushrooms to the stuffing and mix well.
8. Add the remaining 3 cups of boiled water to the stuffing mixture, so that it is easily mixed.
9. Add the Bell’s Seasoning and pepper and continue to mix well.
10. Set the stuffing aside until ready to stuff the turkey.
Timesaving hints:
*If you can find it, buy loose sausage meat
**If you can find them, buy pre-sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving
Roast Turkey, Stuffing, Wondra
In Recipes, Thanksgiving on December 4, 2011 at 4:01 PM
Ingredients:
20 pound Fresh Free Range Turkey
Dorothea’s Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups of dry red wine
Preparation:
1. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and packaging about 2 hours before ready to cook.
2. Remove the neck and gizzards from the turkey cavities.
3. Rinse the inside and outside of the turkey and pat it dry.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and position the rack so that there will be a couple of inches above the turkey for the air to circulate.
5. When the oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, stuff both turkey cavities with the stuffing, being careful to not pack it too tight so that the heat circulates inside the cavities. Secure the stuffing in the neck cavity with the skin flap, using two small skewers.
6. Sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper.
7. Place the stuffed turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan and place in the oven.
8. Roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes to seal in the juices.
9. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and set timer for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
10. After the two hours in the oven, pour 2 cups of wine over the turkey and rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue roasting for 1 hour, then pour 2 more cups of red wine over the turkey and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. At this point the turkey will have been roasting for 3 hours and should be ready in about another 60 to 90 minutes. So set the timer for 30 minutes and then baste the turkey with the pan drippings every 30 minutes until ready to remove from the oven.
11. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees, probably 4 & ½ hours
12. Remove the rack from the oven and place it and the turkey on a large platter, cover with aluminum foil and prepare the gravy.
For the Gravy:
1. Make a broth from the neck and gizzards. Place them in a 3 qt. pot, add 4 large whole shallots, 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until reduced to 2 cups. Strain and remove the liquid to a container and wash out the pot.
2. When the turkey has been removed from the roasting pan, strain the drippings into a fat separator. Combine the de-fatted, strained drippings and the 2 cups of broth in the roasting pan. Place the pan across two burners on the stove and bring to a boil add 1cup of red wine and whisk in 3/8 cup of Wondra flour. Stir and boil down to desired thickness.
Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving
cheese tortelloni, leftovers, Turkey soup
In Recipes, Soups, Thanksgiving on December 4, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Turkey Soup with Cheese Tortelloni
Ingredients:
Reserved turkey carcass, skin, bones and meat scraps, as well as any stuffing and gravy that you don’t want to save for leftovers
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
3 stalks of celery, including leaves, cut into thirds
4 carrots, skin left on and cut into quarters
Preparation:
1. Place all of the ingredients in a 16 qt. pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for 1 hour.
2. Remove cover and continue simmering for 2 more hours or until the meat falls of the bones.
3. Strain the soup out and discard all of the solids.
4. When cooled, place soup in refrigerator overnight.
5. The next morning skim off and discard all of the gelatinous fat that has formed on the top.
6. Heat the soup; add any cut up leftover turkey and gravy.
7. Serve with separately cooked tortelloni, tortellini, ditalini, ditali, elbow macaroni or pastina, whatever is your choice, as well as grated Pecorino – Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving
brussel sprouts, Cherrystone Clams, Cranberry Sauce, Cremant de Loire, East Dennis Oyster Farm, East Dennis Oysters, Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing, Keesler Air Force Base, Plainville Farms, Roast Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Thanksgiving, Turkey soup
In General Articles, Recipes, Thanksgiving on December 4, 2011 at 3:59 PM
Here it is nine full days after Thanksgiving and we are still enjoying the gifts given up by our 21 pound Plainville Farms Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey dinner and its side dishes are but a memory. The leftovers of hot turkey sandwiches smothered in gravy, accompanied by re-heated stuffing and the counterpoint of tart cranberry sauce, as well as cold turkey sandwiches on rye bread slathered with homemade Russian dressing disappeared days ago; and now the last of the Turkey Soup is gone as well. I have had my fill of Tom Turkey and if I don’t meet him again until next Thanksgiving, that will be just fine with me. But it is remarkable how many meals one can squeeze out of a single bird.
Our Thanksgiving feast this year started out with a gift of more than two dozen deliciously sweet and briny East Dennis Oysters™ compliments of John and Stephanie Lowell of the East Dennis Oyster Farm and our mutual friend Serge. I first became acquainted with these briny delights in Biloxi, Mississippi while on the payroll of Uncle Sam and stationed at Keesler AFB. Having had a long established relationship with another hard-shelled creature of the sea, Cherrystone clams, I never felt the need to meet their cousin. But clams were not readily available on the Gulf Coast, while oysters were in abundance, thus began a long-standing conflict; clams or oysters or both!
I am an able-bodied clam shucker, but never developed the skill of oyster shucking, so have always had to depend on the kindness of strangers. Our son-in-law, having grown up on the North Shore of Boston and on Martha’s Vineyard, is a skilled oyster shucker. He was assigned the task of prying these creatures from their shells, and as you can see from the picture, did a remarkable job in doing so.
Original East Dennis Oysters™
My wife, bravely tried her first raw oyster, but happily for the rest of us, demurred from having a second. As a result, our two daughters, son-in-law and I finished them off in a flash, washing them down with a well-chilled bottle of Crémant de Loire.
By the time we finished off the oysters, the main meal was ready. The Roast Turkey, having been filled with Dorothea’s Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing, was waiting to be carved.
Ready and Waiting for the Carving Knife
I dutifully performed that task while my wife readied the delicious Bourbon Sweet Potatoes and the additional side dishes of Brussel Sprouts Roasted with Hazelnuts and Cranberry Sauce. The latter was prepared by following the recipe on the bag of fresh cranberries, as opposed to opening a can.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Sitting around our harvest table, with no gift-giving, or tinsel, or Christmas music to distract my thoughts, I reflected upon how fortunate I was to be surrounded by the love of our ever-growing family, which over the past 40 years has grown from two to seven.
arugula, rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula
In Recipes, Salads on November 23, 2011 at 4:20 PM
Ingredients:
1 bunch of arugula, also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sufficient to coat the arugula leaves – 1 to 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 lemon cut into wedges
Preparation:
1. Rinse the arugula and dry it well, if not pre-washed.
2. Add the arugula to a salad bowl, pour the olive oil over it and mix well to coat all of the leaves.
3. Add salt & pepper and mix well again.
4. Serve the salad with lemon wedges on the side for each
Easy to prepare for a quick salad. See A Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
The Literate Chef 