Well, the CC is off to culinary adventures in the Philippines (more Spanish influences!)
Back in a few weeks!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Garcia da Orta
People frequently ask the CC what he finds so endlessly fascinating about Spain, and the simple answer is that due to their complex society and insane wealth, they produced the most interesting personalities in science and art on the entire planet for their time.
The expulsion of the Jews due to the Reyes Catolicos (Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1492) caused a massive upheaval among the highly intellectual community of Jews in Spain. They either converted (conversos) or fled.
The Orta family fled to nearby Portugal — little did they know that the Inquisition was coming there next.
Garcia de Orta was born in 1501 or 1502. He was trained as a physician, and practiced medicine in Lisbon. With the growing power of the Inquisition, he fled to India in 1534 and settled in Goa serving kings, governors and viceroys.
He was clearly successful. He was even granted a lease to the then worthless islands of what is now modern-day Bombay (!) though he never lived there.
His culinary claim to fame is his masterpiece Colóquios dos simples e drogas da India (Conversations on the simples and drugs of India) which is the unique book that tells us about the culinary knowledge of pre-New-World India.
It's written in the Galileo-style of conversations between the author and an imaginary colleague, Ruano, and basically walks us through all the known culinary spices and herbs in alphabetical order.
It should be noted that there wasn't a strict distinction between cuisine and medicine in those days (courtesy of Galen) and there is considerable evidence that he was a polymath speaking sufficiently in half a dozen local Indian languages (besides the usual Greek, Latin, Arabic which was expected of an educated man of his generation.)
While his life was not tragic, his story does end tragically. He died in 1568 but was "convicted" posthumously of "Judaism" and his remains were exhumed and burned in an auto da fé in 1580.
What's unique about his work is his independence of "received wisdom" of Greek, Latin or Arabic authorities. It's a strict example of the scientific method where claims have to be demonstrated not just stated as truth.
For all the tragedy, it is useful to know that he was well received in his time, and respected for his unique orignality.
The expulsion of the Jews due to the Reyes Catolicos (Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1492) caused a massive upheaval among the highly intellectual community of Jews in Spain. They either converted (conversos) or fled.
The Orta family fled to nearby Portugal — little did they know that the Inquisition was coming there next.
Garcia de Orta was born in 1501 or 1502. He was trained as a physician, and practiced medicine in Lisbon. With the growing power of the Inquisition, he fled to India in 1534 and settled in Goa serving kings, governors and viceroys.
He was clearly successful. He was even granted a lease to the then worthless islands of what is now modern-day Bombay (!) though he never lived there.
His culinary claim to fame is his masterpiece Colóquios dos simples e drogas da India (Conversations on the simples and drugs of India) which is the unique book that tells us about the culinary knowledge of pre-New-World India.
It's written in the Galileo-style of conversations between the author and an imaginary colleague, Ruano, and basically walks us through all the known culinary spices and herbs in alphabetical order.
It should be noted that there wasn't a strict distinction between cuisine and medicine in those days (courtesy of Galen) and there is considerable evidence that he was a polymath speaking sufficiently in half a dozen local Indian languages (besides the usual Greek, Latin, Arabic which was expected of an educated man of his generation.)
While his life was not tragic, his story does end tragically. He died in 1568 but was "convicted" posthumously of "Judaism" and his remains were exhumed and burned in an auto da fé in 1580.
What's unique about his work is his independence of "received wisdom" of Greek, Latin or Arabic authorities. It's a strict example of the scientific method where claims have to be demonstrated not just stated as truth.
"Don't try and frighten me with Diocorides or Galen because I am only going to say what I know to be true."His empirical work on tamarind stands in stark contrast to the "received wisdom" of Arabic writers which considered them as "dates". By restricting himself to empirical observation, he markedly advanced the science of food in the Indian subcontinent.
For all the tragedy, it is useful to know that he was well received in his time, and respected for his unique orignality.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Dealing With Invasions
This is arguably an excellent idea: Answer for Invasive Species: Put It on a Plate and Eat It.
With its dark red and black stripes, spotted fins and long venomous black spikes, the lionfish seems better suited for horror films than consumption. But lionfish fritters and filets may be on American tables soon.
An invasive species, the lionfish is devastating reef fish populations along the Florida coast and into the Caribbean. Now, an increasing number of environmentalists, consumer groups and scientists are seriously testing a novel solution to control it and other aquatic invasive species — one that would also takes pressure off depleted ocean fish stocks: they want Americans to step up to their plates and start eating invasive critters in large numbers.
“Humans are the most ubiquitous predators on earth,” said Philip Kramer, director of the Caribbean program for the Nature Conservancy. “Instead of eating something like shark fin soup, why not eat a species that is causing harm, and with your meal make a positive contribution?”
Lionfish, it turns out, looks hideous but tastes great. The group had to hire fishermen to catch animals commonly regarded as pests. Mr. Heffernan said he would consider putting them on his menu and was looking forward to getting some molting European green crabs to try in soft-shell crab recipes.
Last summer, the Nature Conservancy sponsored a lionfish food fair in the Bahamas, featuring lionfish fritters and more. They offered fishermen $11 a pound — about the price of grouper — and got an abundant supply.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Active Dishonesty in Food Blogging
Of course, food bloggers aren't saints. They are trying to make a living off of it. The CC happens to be an exception.
However, one must be intellectually honest. One shouldn't delete criticism ever. The answer to criticism is a response not censorship.
However, most are not capable of doing so largely because they don't have the intellectual chops.
One such is a David Leibovitz whose blog the CC used to love until he realized that he is in the business of deleting criticism.
Sorry, David, but criticism is good for you. It takes you away from the adulators, allows you to learn new things, and enhances your reputation. Rising to a challenge is part of being intelligent. You're an EPIC FAIL when you squash criticism rather than rise to it.
The CC posted on this particular posting, and the comments (mild as they were) were deleted.
The proof of the offending comments being deleted (they are long gone!) is presented below:
However, one must be intellectually honest. One shouldn't delete criticism ever. The answer to criticism is a response not censorship.
However, most are not capable of doing so largely because they don't have the intellectual chops.
One such is a David Leibovitz whose blog the CC used to love until he realized that he is in the business of deleting criticism.
Sorry, David, but criticism is good for you. It takes you away from the adulators, allows you to learn new things, and enhances your reputation. Rising to a challenge is part of being intelligent. You're an EPIC FAIL when you squash criticism rather than rise to it.
The CC posted on this particular posting, and the comments (mild as they were) were deleted.
The proof of the offending comments being deleted (they are long gone!) is presented below:
Bold Radical Idea
Whenever the CC flies — which he loathes with a vengeance only reserved for the worst of the worst of food — he frequently muses why there isn't a category whereby you could fly Coach and get the food catered from First Class?
Surely some people would be willing to pay a premium for not eating plonk, right? And it can't be that much more work given that this is just an extension of the "special meals" category (which exists currently, one may add!)
Fancy restaurants do this all the time — they open a (very) lucrative "casual bar" that features their greatest hits without the obsequious service and stratospheric prices.
It surely fits into all the right economic categories:
Unbundling? CHECK.
User experience? CHECK.
Predictability of demand? CHECK.
This has to be one of the most obvious of ideas.
So what's the freakin' holdup?
Surely some people would be willing to pay a premium for not eating plonk, right? And it can't be that much more work given that this is just an extension of the "special meals" category (which exists currently, one may add!)
Fancy restaurants do this all the time — they open a (very) lucrative "casual bar" that features their greatest hits without the obsequious service and stratospheric prices.
It surely fits into all the right economic categories:
Unbundling? CHECK.
User experience? CHECK.
Predictability of demand? CHECK.
This has to be one of the most obvious of ideas.
So what's the freakin' holdup?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Hiyashi Chūka
In the dog days of summer, there is pleasure in eating cold dishes. Nobody knows these more than the Japanese who have hot, humid summers.
The name gives away the origin of the dish. It quite literally means "Chilled Chinese". In Japan, you will see this dish on restaurant menus only in summer. In fact, its arrival suggests that summer is here.
It basically consists of cold noodles topped with cooled vegetables (of various kinds), other cold toppings like crab and shredded eggs covered with a Japanese version of a very light, sweet-salty, umami-laden "vinaigrette".
The noodles can be varied — popular ones include ramen, somen, even soba (which is what the CC used.)
The toppings are traditional too — cucumbers, carrots, thinly sliced Japanese-style omelette, crab sticks, tomatoes, negi, even various kinds of seaweed.
True to Japanese washoku style, the entire assembly requires some effort but it's entirely worth it when the weather is as hot and humid as it is now. It mostly consists of chopping stuff, and assembling it, and is very amenable to making in advance.
There is a free-form element to this dish so the "recipe" should be taken as a starting point not as "definitive". In fact, there's no such thing. Restaurants vie with each other to produce versions that attract clients but there's a core logic that must be respected.
Ingredients
1 cucumber (kyūri)
3 crab sticks
1 tomato
1 carrot
1 scallion (diced thinly at a steep angle)
2 eggs
1 tbsp mirin
noodles
1 cup dashi
Dressing
8 tbsp dashi
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
Recipe
Toast the sesame seeds. Mix with the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
First make a very thin Japanese-style omelette with eggs, mirin and 1 tbsp of rice vinegar.
When cool, roll into a tight roll and slice very very thinly.
Dice the cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes into strips. Boil the crab sticks in the dashi, and when done, cut into thin strips.
Cool all of the above while you make the noodles. Dunk the noodles inside iced water to cool.
Assemble the lot and pour the dressing all over them.
The name gives away the origin of the dish. It quite literally means "Chilled Chinese". In Japan, you will see this dish on restaurant menus only in summer. In fact, its arrival suggests that summer is here.
It basically consists of cold noodles topped with cooled vegetables (of various kinds), other cold toppings like crab and shredded eggs covered with a Japanese version of a very light, sweet-salty, umami-laden "vinaigrette".
The noodles can be varied — popular ones include ramen, somen, even soba (which is what the CC used.)
The toppings are traditional too — cucumbers, carrots, thinly sliced Japanese-style omelette, crab sticks, tomatoes, negi, even various kinds of seaweed.
True to Japanese washoku style, the entire assembly requires some effort but it's entirely worth it when the weather is as hot and humid as it is now. It mostly consists of chopping stuff, and assembling it, and is very amenable to making in advance.
There is a free-form element to this dish so the "recipe" should be taken as a starting point not as "definitive". In fact, there's no such thing. Restaurants vie with each other to produce versions that attract clients but there's a core logic that must be respected.
Ingredients
1 cucumber (kyūri)
3 crab sticks
1 tomato
1 carrot
1 scallion (diced thinly at a steep angle)
2 eggs
1 tbsp mirin
noodles
1 cup dashi
Dressing
8 tbsp dashi
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
Recipe
Toast the sesame seeds. Mix with the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
First make a very thin Japanese-style omelette with eggs, mirin and 1 tbsp of rice vinegar.
When cool, roll into a tight roll and slice very very thinly.
Dice the cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes into strips. Boil the crab sticks in the dashi, and when done, cut into thin strips.
Cool all of the above while you make the noodles. Dunk the noodles inside iced water to cool.
Assemble the lot and pour the dressing all over them.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
If you find yourself with a bunch of slightly hard lemons, you aren't going to be able to ripen them since they are not climacteric fruits but there's still something you can do about squeezing juice out of them.
Just stick them in the freezer for an hour or two while they freeze. Pull them out, de-freeze, and they will yield a ton of juice without a lot of effort.
What's the reason?
The water content inside the cellular walls turns into ice shards which in turn puncture the cellular walls breaking down the structure. When unfrozen the walls are ready to give up the juices much more easily.
Elementary, my dear readers!
Just stick them in the freezer for an hour or two while they freeze. Pull them out, de-freeze, and they will yield a ton of juice without a lot of effort.
What's the reason?
The water content inside the cellular walls turns into ice shards which in turn puncture the cellular walls breaking down the structure. When unfrozen the walls are ready to give up the juices much more easily.
Elementary, my dear readers!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Official Status
In a historic vote, aligned with another historic bill, the New York Senate has voted "sweet corn" as the official vegetable of the State.
Which is ironic since corn is a grain not a vegetable. If it were a vegetable then we should probably debate whether Medicare vouchers, and "pulling the cord" apply to it.
(No corn (or corny) jokes please, we're skittish.)
It's probably a good thing that they didn't have to debate over the official "fruit" (which already has been deemed to be "apple") since that would've been just way too weird!
Which is ironic since corn is a grain not a vegetable. If it were a vegetable then we should probably debate whether Medicare vouchers, and "pulling the cord" apply to it.
(No corn (or corny) jokes please, we're skittish.)
It's probably a good thing that they didn't have to debate over the official "fruit" (which already has been deemed to be "apple") since that would've been just way too weird!
Goodness Gracious, Great Scapes of Garlic!
Nothing screams summer like the first garlic scapes. Clearly, the CC went just a tad overboard when he bought ten of them so it was inevitable that he would put them to good use.
If you've never had them, they have the mild pungency of garlic but a texture like that of asparagus stems which makes them quite versatile.
Garlic-Scape Fritatta Ingredients
2 garlic scapes (sliced real thin)
1 carrot (grated
3 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Heat the broiler.
Mix the ingredients. Heat a skillet at medium low heat. Toss in the mixture. When barely set (30 seconds) stick under the broiler for about 2 minutes.
You will need to keep checking when it's done otherwise it will burn. The bottom will set automatically because of the residual heat from the skillet.
Garlic-Scape Risotto Recipe Logic
The CC had garlic scapes so the idea of a garlic scape risotto was never far from his mind.
To add to the rustic taste, some mushrooms would be ideal. The CC happened to have large Chinese shiitake mushrooms which would augment the taste of the garlic scapes with their earthy flavor.
However, the dish would be too monochromatic visually and texturally incomplete so to punch it up a notch, the CC thought about adding a truffle breadcrumb topping. The truffles would complement the earthiness of the garlic scapes and mushrooms and add a textural component to the dish.
The silky risotto punched up with crunchy salty breadcrumbs is a wonderful early summer delight.
Ingredients
1 cup carnaroli rice
4 garlic scapes (cut into medium pieces)
1 head spring garlic (diced fine)
4 fresh Chinese shiitake mushrooms (cut lenghth-wise into thick strips)
2 cups white wine (one for the recipe, one for the chef)
3 cups broth
breadcrumbs
truffle salt
olive oil
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Fry some breadcrumbs in olive oil and set aside on a paper towel to drain. When cool, add in some truffle salt and powder with a mortar and pestle.
The recipe follows the standard risotto template. Bring the broth to a boil and keep warm at a very low simmer.
In a separate pot, heat up some olive oil and fry the spring garlic at a medium heat (4 minutes.) Add the garlic scapes and fry for a bit (2 minutes.) Add the mushrooms and the rice, and fry for a bit (4 minutes.) Add the salt and pepper
Toss in the white wine and deglaze. Add a ladleful of the hot broth, and keep stirring. When the broth gets absorbed, add another and keep stirring. Broth and stir, broth and stir.
Towards the end, toss in the parmesan for the mantecura.
Serve with the truffle-breadcrumb topping.
If you've never had them, they have the mild pungency of garlic but a texture like that of asparagus stems which makes them quite versatile.
2 garlic scapes (sliced real thin)
1 carrot (grated
3 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Heat the broiler.
Mix the ingredients. Heat a skillet at medium low heat. Toss in the mixture. When barely set (30 seconds) stick under the broiler for about 2 minutes.
You will need to keep checking when it's done otherwise it will burn. The bottom will set automatically because of the residual heat from the skillet.
The CC had garlic scapes so the idea of a garlic scape risotto was never far from his mind.
To add to the rustic taste, some mushrooms would be ideal. The CC happened to have large Chinese shiitake mushrooms which would augment the taste of the garlic scapes with their earthy flavor.
However, the dish would be too monochromatic visually and texturally incomplete so to punch it up a notch, the CC thought about adding a truffle breadcrumb topping. The truffles would complement the earthiness of the garlic scapes and mushrooms and add a textural component to the dish.
The silky risotto punched up with crunchy salty breadcrumbs is a wonderful early summer delight.
Ingredients
1 cup carnaroli rice
4 garlic scapes (cut into medium pieces)
1 head spring garlic (diced fine)
4 fresh Chinese shiitake mushrooms (cut lenghth-wise into thick strips)
2 cups white wine (one for the recipe, one for the chef)
3 cups broth
breadcrumbs
truffle salt
olive oil
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Fry some breadcrumbs in olive oil and set aside on a paper towel to drain. When cool, add in some truffle salt and powder with a mortar and pestle.
The recipe follows the standard risotto template. Bring the broth to a boil and keep warm at a very low simmer.
In a separate pot, heat up some olive oil and fry the spring garlic at a medium heat (4 minutes.) Add the garlic scapes and fry for a bit (2 minutes.) Add the mushrooms and the rice, and fry for a bit (4 minutes.) Add the salt and pepper
Toss in the white wine and deglaze. Add a ladleful of the hot broth, and keep stirring. When the broth gets absorbed, add another and keep stirring. Broth and stir, broth and stir.
Towards the end, toss in the parmesan for the mantecura.
Serve with the truffle-breadcrumb topping.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Velvety Chickpea Soup
Most chickpea soups are earthy and rustic but this one is refined and silky. It's wonderful either hot or cold and perfect for a light summer meal.
Ingredients
1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight)
4 cups broth
4 garlic scapes
1 head spring garlic (finely diced)
1 tsp cumin (roasted)
1 tsp coriander seeds (roasted)
1 tsp sumac (finely powdered)
1 lemon (zested + store the rest for garnish)
olive oil
salt
pepper
8-10 leaves mint (for topping)
Recipe
Precook the chickpeas in salted water. The CC used a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, will probably take you about 60 minutes.
Heat up some olive oil in a stock pot. When shimmering, toss in the cumin and the coriander seeds. Fry for about 30 seconds. Toss in the diced green garlic and garlic scapes at fry at low heat until softened (roughly 6 minutes.)
Add in the chickpeas and the broth and bring to a boil. Cook together for about 6 minutes at a low simmer.
Add the zest and purée the soup in batches, and pass through a fine sieve. (This is the step that gives the soup it's soft silky texture.)
Reheat gently. Garnish with the lemon, sumac and mint just before serving.
Ingredients
1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight)
4 cups broth
4 garlic scapes
1 head spring garlic (finely diced)
1 tsp cumin (roasted)
1 tsp coriander seeds (roasted)
1 tsp sumac (finely powdered)
1 lemon (zested + store the rest for garnish)
olive oil
salt
pepper
8-10 leaves mint (for topping)
Recipe
Precook the chickpeas in salted water. The CC used a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, will probably take you about 60 minutes.
Heat up some olive oil in a stock pot. When shimmering, toss in the cumin and the coriander seeds. Fry for about 30 seconds. Toss in the diced green garlic and garlic scapes at fry at low heat until softened (roughly 6 minutes.)
Add in the chickpeas and the broth and bring to a boil. Cook together for about 6 minutes at a low simmer.
Add the zest and purée the soup in batches, and pass through a fine sieve. (This is the step that gives the soup it's soft silky texture.)
Reheat gently. Garnish with the lemon, sumac and mint just before serving.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sorrel Soup
This silky sour soup perfectly captures the mood of a lazy summer evening.
The sourness comes from oxalic acid which is poisonous in large quantities but delightful in small ones. Sorrel has very little so that this is quite safe. However, the veins of the leaves must be removed.
Ingredients
2 bunches sorrel (veins removed)
1 head spring garlic
4 cups broth (or water)
olive oil
salt
pepper
chives (to garnish)
Recipe
Fry the garlic languidly in olive oil. Toss in 4 cups of broth, salt and pepper Bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the sorrel. The sorrel will wilt immediately, and turn color from pale green to dark green. Cook for about 30 seconds.
Purée and pass through a fine sieve. (This is what gives it a silky texture.)
Serve with toasted bread and chives.
The sourness comes from oxalic acid which is poisonous in large quantities but delightful in small ones. Sorrel has very little so that this is quite safe. However, the veins of the leaves must be removed.
Ingredients
2 bunches sorrel (veins removed)
1 head spring garlic
4 cups broth (or water)
olive oil
salt
pepper
chives (to garnish)
Recipe
Fry the garlic languidly in olive oil. Toss in 4 cups of broth, salt and pepper Bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the sorrel. The sorrel will wilt immediately, and turn color from pale green to dark green. Cook for about 30 seconds.
Purée and pass through a fine sieve. (This is what gives it a silky texture.)
Serve with toasted bread and chives.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Thai Food from Isan
So the CC was treated to a restaurant that cooks food from the North-Eastern part of Thailand (Isan.) The food is closer to Laotian than to the more well-known Thai food (which stems mainly from the South.)
As you can guess from the geography, it's heavy on the freshwater fish and pork. Also, the heat quotient in true Thai style is very high.
The first dish is your traditional papaya salad but it has pickled crab in it. (If you squint, you can see the bluish crab sticking out on the right hand side.) The crab is intense! It has the consistency of jelly but it's like a concentrated sea-flavor which has absorbed the sweet-sour-salty dressing. Also, featured as a topping is fried crispy pig skin.
The second dish is fried catfish. The fish is cut into thin rounds, and fried in such a way that you can eat it bones and all. Quite delicious!
Som Tum Poo Plara
Pla Dook Pad Ped
As you can guess from the geography, it's heavy on the freshwater fish and pork. Also, the heat quotient in true Thai style is very high.
The first dish is your traditional papaya salad but it has pickled crab in it. (If you squint, you can see the bluish crab sticking out on the right hand side.) The crab is intense! It has the consistency of jelly but it's like a concentrated sea-flavor which has absorbed the sweet-sour-salty dressing. Also, featured as a topping is fried crispy pig skin.
The second dish is fried catfish. The fish is cut into thin rounds, and fried in such a way that you can eat it bones and all. Quite delicious!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Butter Massage
From the inimitable Julia Child:
"Not everything I do with my roast chicken is necessarily scientific. For instance, I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it -- and, more important, I like to give it."
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Italian painter (1527-1593) best known for his paintings made entirely out of fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, etc.
His most famous cycle is the one about the four seasons.
He was a favorite of the Surrealists for fairly obvious reasons.
Please note that there are no tomatoes in summer nor potatoes in winter since the produce of the New World had not yet made its way into common knowledge.
His most famous cycle is the one about the four seasons.
He was a favorite of the Surrealists for fairly obvious reasons.
Please note that there are no tomatoes in summer nor potatoes in winter since the produce of the New World had not yet made its way into common knowledge.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Taking the Short Bus
Today the new USDA "food chart" was released.
Hello? Anybody home?!?
"Protein" is not a "food substance".
You can eat fruits, you can eat vegetables. you can eat grains. If you blink, you can even eat "dairy" (which really refers to "dairy products") or substances "high in protein" but there's no fuckin' thing such as eating "protein".
Not unless you have a liquidizer and a spare high-speed centrifuge lying around, and even then the CC doesn't really recommend it.
If you needed further proof that the USDA is basically filled with a buncha utterly corrupt, mouth-breathing retards with oatmeal-for-brains (yep, oatmeal and brains - both real edible substances) then you need look no further!
Hello? Anybody home?!?"Protein" is not a "food substance".
You can eat fruits, you can eat vegetables. you can eat grains. If you blink, you can even eat "dairy" (which really refers to "dairy products") or substances "high in protein" but there's no fuckin' thing such as eating "protein".
Not unless you have a liquidizer and a spare high-speed centrifuge lying around, and even then the CC doesn't really recommend it.
If you needed further proof that the USDA is basically filled with a buncha utterly corrupt, mouth-breathing retards with oatmeal-for-brains (yep, oatmeal and brains - both real edible substances) then you need look no further!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Spaghetti with Spicy Kabocha, Pan Grattato and Pine Nuts
This is the last of the "winter" dishes with the leftovers in the CC's kitchen.
However, it's a masterpiece of texture and flavor. It requires some effort but it gets repaid in spades!
Ingredients
1/4 kabocha (scored and diced into bite-sized pieces)
1 red onion (cut into thin semi-rounds)
1/2 cup sage
2 red chillies
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 anchovies
2 dried red-chillies (crumbled fine)
1/2 cup pine nuts
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Toast the pine nuts in the oven at 375°F until they are lightly toasted roughly 12 minutes. Be careful as they burn easily.
In the meantime, you must prepare the pan grattato with the anchovies and crumbled red-chillies as described here.
Prepare the spaghetti in heavily-salted water until just under al dente.
In a large pan (which can hold both the squash plus the spaghetti) heat up some olive oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and fry for a fit. Toss in the kabocha and fry languidly for at least 3-4 minutes. Toss in the red-chillies, chopped sage, salt and black pepper. Add a small amount of water, and let it cook at a medium-low heat.
When done, toss in the spaghetti, and toss the mixture together.
Serve with the pan grattato and pine nut toppings.
However, it's a masterpiece of texture and flavor. It requires some effort but it gets repaid in spades!
Ingredients
1/4 kabocha (scored and diced into bite-sized pieces)
1 red onion (cut into thin semi-rounds)
1/2 cup sage
2 red chillies
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 anchovies
2 dried red-chillies (crumbled fine)
1/2 cup pine nuts
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
Recipe
Toast the pine nuts in the oven at 375°F until they are lightly toasted roughly 12 minutes. Be careful as they burn easily.
In the meantime, you must prepare the pan grattato with the anchovies and crumbled red-chillies as described here.
Prepare the spaghetti in heavily-salted water until just under al dente.
In a large pan (which can hold both the squash plus the spaghetti) heat up some olive oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and fry for a fit. Toss in the kabocha and fry languidly for at least 3-4 minutes. Toss in the red-chillies, chopped sage, salt and black pepper. Add a small amount of water, and let it cook at a medium-low heat.
When done, toss in the spaghetti, and toss the mixture together.
Serve with the pan grattato and pine nut toppings.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Chinese Chefs Taste Cheese
As many here know, the CC is a big fan of Fuchsia Dunlop and her two books on authentic Chinese cooking. She is the first foreigner (and woman) to train at the famous Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu.
Here, she writes about her experience with having chefs taste cheese which is basically milk that has been precisely spoilt.
Here, she writes about her experience with having chefs taste cheese which is basically milk that has been precisely spoilt.
Cheese is not a favourite food in China, to put it mildly. Traditionally, dairy products were associated with the nomadic people who lived on the fringes of China and who were regarded as fearful barbarians. The Han Chinese, with a few notable exceptions, avoided eating dairy foods altogether: many were, and still are, lactose-intolerant. Cheese, however, is still generally regarded as beyond the pale. A few sophisticated Shanghainese might eat Stilton just as sophisticated Londoners eat tripe and chitterlings, but many people, especially in the provinces, have never tasted it.The entire article is fascinating!
Over several visits to Shaoxing, I wondered what the locals, such ardent lovers of rotted soymilk and vegetable stalks, would make of rotted cow’s milk, otherwise known as cheese. Finally, I returned to Shaoxing with a boxful of artisanal cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, including the smelliest I could find in the shop. I had selected one mild hard cheese, Isle of Mull, to serve as a kind of toe-in-the-water; Stichelton, which is an unpasteurised version of Stilton; pale, veined Harbourne Blue; Ardrahan, a fairly whiffy washed-rind cheese that I adore; Milleens, another washed-rind variety with a punchy, farmyardy aroma that acquires a hint of ammonia as it ripens; and a wildly smelly Brie de Meaux. By the time I reached Shaoxing after a week on the road, the cheeses had all ripened nicely, and some were beginning to ooze.
At the Xianheng, a waitress cut the cheeses into pieces, and the assembled tasters began to pick them up with their chopsticks, sniffing and tasting. And where I had been impressed by what cheese and stinky soya products had in common, these culinary professionals were immediately struck by their differences. “Although in some ways you could say the flavours of cheese and fermented beancurd are similar,” said Mao, “vegetable stinky foods are very clean and clear in the mouth (qing kou), and they disperse quickly, while milky foods are greasy in the mouth (ni kou), they coat your tongue and palate, and they have a long, lingering aftertaste.”
Two other chefs said the cheeses had a heavy shan wei (muttony odour), an ancient term used by southern Chinese to describe the slightly unsavoury tastes associated with the northern nomads. Another said that the selection “smells like Russians”. “The difference,” he added, “is that the stinky things Chinese people eat give them smelly breath, while stinky dairy things affect the sweat that comes out of your skin.”
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Pasta with Asparagus, Lemon and Oregano
This is an wonderful spring dish that sounds like a repeat of the former and guess what?
It is!
Doesn't mean it's not equally brilliant though!
Ingredients
2 cups penne
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
dried Greek oregano
parmigiano-reggiano
black pepper
sea salt
Recipe
Cut the delicate tops of the asparagus and set aside. Quickly strip the woody bits with a knife. Cut at a steep diagonal angle into thin spears, and set aside separately.
With a peeler, zest the lemon and keep the strips. Dice finely. Set the lemon aside.
Bring the heavily-salted pasta water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan. Fry the asparagus strips at a low heat until they are well-done (roughly 6-7 mins.) Toss in the spears for about a minute and add the lemon zest, and the oregano. Toss in 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Toss in the pasta when done. Squeeze the leftover lemon all over it, and toss. Serve with lots of black pepper and parmesan on top.
It is!
Doesn't mean it's not equally brilliant though!
Ingredients
2 cups penne
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
dried Greek oregano
parmigiano-reggiano
black pepper
sea salt
Recipe
Cut the delicate tops of the asparagus and set aside. Quickly strip the woody bits with a knife. Cut at a steep diagonal angle into thin spears, and set aside separately.
With a peeler, zest the lemon and keep the strips. Dice finely. Set the lemon aside.
Bring the heavily-salted pasta water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan. Fry the asparagus strips at a low heat until they are well-done (roughly 6-7 mins.) Toss in the spears for about a minute and add the lemon zest, and the oregano. Toss in 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Toss in the pasta when done. Squeeze the leftover lemon all over it, and toss. Serve with lots of black pepper and parmesan on top.
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