Gastroanthropology

The Best Bite

Quick apologies for being radio silent this past month. Travel, catering gigs, and a new project that I am working on (and will soon reveal) have kept me away from the blogosphere. Very much looking forward to sharing fall recipes and holiday cooking with everyone in the weeks to come!

On to the post...Usually when you eat something there are parts that are considered the best bites. For me its the cheesy crunch of the top of baked macaroni’n’cheese; the middle, barely-cooked-center of the brownie; the last few bites of apple pie when you get to edge of the flakey crust; or, the super marbley part of the steak where its melting in your mouth. When it comes to roasted potatoes it’s the pieces that are browned all over with fluffy centers that I can’t decide to eat first for immediate satisfaction or to reserve towards the end of the meal in efforts to savor and remember. To save myself the trouble of this conundrum why not just make a dish where every bite is the very best bite?

A fellow chef that I worked with for a few years taught me this potato cooking method. He worked savory and I worked pastry. We both worked in the mornings in the kitchen before the cavalry of chefs came in the early afternoon. We worked on opposite sides of the kitchen, but it was just us (maybe a few interns, but of course we sent them down to the basement!). The noisy hoods weren’t on yet and in between fiddling with recipes I learned a few tricks from this super talented chef.

These potatoes are cooked in a pan, but I just think of them as the best roasted potatoes ever. Small potatoes are key, which ensures that every bit of potato has that brown, crisp crust, and a fluffy, flavorful center. Because chicken stock is used with this cooking method the little spuds are packed with flavor. These potatoes insure the perfect marriage to any meat, poultry or fish dish.

The chef I learned this method from says he learned the trick from the famous Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

First, you need to get enough small baby new or fingerling potatoes (I find that the round baby potatoes work better) to fill the bottom of your pan. I cooked my potatoes in a cast iron skillet but any pan that has a 2 to 3 inch side would do. The potatoes should not have room to move, but each should get some real estate on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken (or veg) stock to the pan using enough liquid to cover the potatoes about ¾ of the way up. Add garlic cloves, a shallot or two (peeled and whole), and parsley sprigs for extra flavor. Add salt and pepper, keeping in mind the saltiness of your stock as this will be reduced and concentrated. Scatter a few pats of butter around the potatoes.

Cover and turn the burner onto medium low until the potatoes are just nearly done. Remove wilted parsley sprigs. Continue to cook to reduce the liquid to au sec or “almost dry”. Now it is time to add a bit more butter (drop a few knobs here and there) and then slightly squash the potatoes. They should stay intact. Once one side is gently crisp, flip and crisp up the other side. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs. 

What to do with all that Zucchini?!

There comes a time when the home gardener is faced with too much of something. In California tomatoes and zucchini often produce faster than a family can consume. Marinara in jars usually takes care of the excess tomatoes, but using all the zucchini poses a far greater task. Most "zucchini" recipes for bread and the like don't seem to use too many, so you are still left with pounds of the stuff. Rather than make a million different things that use a zucchini or two, I need a recipe that uses at least a 1/2 dozen.

Why not a vibrant green, super simple, creamy sauce that uses lots of roasted zucchini?

This recipe is great for pasta, but you'll find yourself wanting to dunk bread, crackers and carrot sticks in it. I even poured a bunch over a baked potato.

This recipe makes enough for four people (using about 12 ounces of fresh pasta) with a bit leftover for sopping some up with bread. 

CREAMY ZUCCHINI SAUCE

• 1 medium head of garlic
• 1 large onion
• 6 medium zucchini
• few sprigs of thyme
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• chicken stock, 1 to 1 1/2 cup
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, more if you like a little spice in your life
• 1 cup loosely packed spinach
• 2 sprigs basil (6 to 7 leaves)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

METHOD

Turn the oven on to 400F. Give garlic a head start in the oven, by cutting in half, widthwise. Place in a square of foil and liberally sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Close the foil around the garlic and place in the oven. 

Small dice onion and place on a large baking sheet - separating the onion pieces. Quarter zucchini lengthwise and then cut into 2 inch pieces. Add to the baking sheet. Coat the zucchini and onion gently in olive oil. Scatter sprigs of thyme on the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven once the garlic has been in there for 15 minutes. Roast zucchini pieces for 15 minutes or until they are soft and the edges start to brown. Remove zucchini and garlic from the oven. Discard the roasted thyme sprigs. Squeeze the garlic pieces out, or use a fork to pick them out if its too hot to touch.

Place the roasted zucchini, onion, and garlic in a medium sized pot with one cup of chicken stock. Bring up to a simmer. Add red chili flakes. In a separate small pot heat up some water. Once it comes to a simmer, blanch the spinach and basil for about 30 seconds. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze to remove excess water. Set aside. This will be used to keep the sauce really green. If serving with pasta make sure you have pasta water boiling and keep in mind the cooking time of your pasta. The next few steps take just a minute and you don't want start to blend your sauce until the pasta is just about done. This way it will be hot and green. 

Once the chicken stock and zucchini have come to a simmer, put in a food processor or blender. Blend till smooth, but try not to let it go so far that the sauce gets aerated. If it is really dense add a bit more chicken stock (make sure its warm). Add the cream and parmesan. Pulse to mix through. Taste. Adjust seasoning. Add blanched spinach and basil - blend till combined, again keeping in mind not to aerate the sauce too much.

Put fresh cooked pasta in a large glass bowl, liberally pour sauce over it and toss with thongs. Every bit of pasta should be heavily coated. Serve. Any excess sauce should be used for bread dipping.

Jersey Royal Potato Salad + A Plenty Cookbook Give-Away

I stumbled upon Ottolenghi soon after I arrived to London when I was discovering all of its different neighborhoods. All of their locations are a tube ride and walk away so I don't frequent it as much as I'd like, but now I have Plenty, a delicious compilation of Ottolenghi's best dishes, and all vegetarian to boot. I'm not a veggie by any means, but realize that meat does not a meal make, and its better for my body and the planet to limit meat intake.

Plenty is exactly what this book is. Plenty of recipes, pictures, and ideas for what to do with your CSA. I barely flipped through the first few pages when I came across a recipe for a warm potato salad with semi-soft quail's eggs. Basically, as soon as you take your cooked Jersey Royals (or New Potato) out of their scalding hot water, you slice them in half or quarters. Toss with a freshly made pesto, petit pois peas and finely shredded mint. Add halved semi-soft boiled quail's eggs. As Ottolenghi says, this is a very posh version of an ordinary spud salad. 

I know this cookbook isn't as easy to get in the States just yet, but if you leave a comment you may just win one! This contest is open to everyone and the winner will be chosen at random in two weeks, May 18th - This contest is now closed. The winner is Lisa of dandysugar!

Halloumi Salad

After a whirlwind Easter Weekend in western Austria and southeast Germany that included some skiing and lots of bread dumplings... 

and Bavarian pork knuckles...

I needed something on the lighter side for lunch today. Simple and easy - Halloumi Salad. Halloumi is a cheese that comes from Greece and Turkey. When aged, the sheep's milk (or goat's milk) cheese is firm enough to be grilled and still hold its shape. I often pan sear a few thin strips of halloumi in a small pan and add to a salad for lunch.  

Here I have it with some beets and jarred marinated artichokes over lamb's lettuce. I find its not necessary to dress the lettuce because the halloumi is quite salty and the marinade dripping from the artichokes is flavor enough.

But, back to Austrian foods...we did sample plenty of apple strudel on our trip. Nate and I had lengthy discussions about the necessary characteristics of the best apple strudel. We agreed on ratio of apple to strudel dough, texture, and level of sweetness. We disagreed on the presence of raisins. He likes them, I couldn't care less of they never existed. So, of course, apple strudel recipe testing begins at home and posting should soon follow.

Shallot Tarte Tatin

My most favorite dessert could quite possibly be Apple Tarte Tatin. Caramelized apples and no chance of a soggy crust. In fact, caramelized anything often tops my list of favorites. While I pick raw onions out of anything, slow-cooked caramelized onions or shallots often make something good into something fabulous. Last week, when an Aussie friend shared with me a recipe for Shallot Tarte Tatin she had recently come across, I knew I had to give it a try.

The original recipe, which came from Delicious, was good, but I tweaked it a bit. First, I added reduced chicken stock to the shallots to give more depth of flavor. I also added some fresh lemon thyme. Finally, I baked the whole thing in the same cast iron skillet that the shallots cook on the stove with, just like a real tarte tatin. The original recipe has you transfer the cooked shallots into a baking dish - didn't see the point. The shallots cook, low and slow, first on the stove, and then topped with a whole grain mustard dough, continue their journey in the oven. 

The result is a soft, sweet, melty, syrupy shallot on a crumbly, savory, gently mustardy crust.    

SHALLOT TARTE TATIN

For the Grain Mustard Crust

• 125 g all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 60 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 1 large egg yolk
• Ice water, if necessary

For the grain mustard crust combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add cut pieces of butter and mustard. Rub the butter and mustard into the flour with your fingertips or pulse in a food processor until combined. Make a well and drop egg yolk in. Mix in till just combined. If dough is too dry add a sprinkling of ice water. The dough should be a bit crumbly. Pack into a circular disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the Shallots

• 375 g small shallots (about 10)
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 5 Tbsp reduced chicken stock (bring 1 cup of seasoned chick stock to a boil and reduce to 1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbsp picked lemon thyme leaves

To prepare and easily peel the shallots - bring enough water to a boil to completely immerse the shallots. Drop shallots into the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and let cool a bit. Peel the shallots, taking care to make sure they remain intact at the root. Halve the shallots. Some will naturally halve, if not, then gently cut through the root so the shallot stays intact. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small cast iron skillet (8 to 9 inches) melt butter and olive oil on low. You will leave the stove on low the entire time. Once melted gently place the shallots in the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, gently rotating the shallots once at 7 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, reduced chicken (or vegetable) stock, and the picked lemon thyme leaves. Pour over the shallots. Continue to cook on low for an additional 20 minutes. At 10 minutes rotate shallots a second time, taking care not to break them apart.

Roll out the whole grain dough to about 1/3 inch thick and in a circular disk large enough to cover all the shallots. Remove the shallots from the stove and place the dough on top. Gently press down onto the shallots and trim the edges so only a slight lip remains.

Bake for 20 -25 minutes at 350 F, or until the crust browns slightly. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a plate.

Cut and garnish with fresh lemon thyme. Best served hot and immediately. Will serve 4 as a side to roast chicken or grilled steak.