Forking Food

Summer Fare

As much as the season can inspire my cooking, the weather usually influences the menu. And with a beautiful day in the city I set my cooking skills in early summer mode and begin to prepare a refreshing lunch.
As simple as celery is, most would never assume to use it a base for a soup. I think it has a very unique quality and paired with curry it can be a very delicious soup, either hot or chilled. Sautee onion and a dash of your favorite curry powder in olive oil add coarsely chopped celery (including the leaves) and cover with chicken stock or water. Cook until tender, then puree. Season and serve.

Nothing speaks to be more as light and cooling than a plate of Tuna Carpaccio with Pickled ginger & julienne bok choy. The cool sweet favor of the tuna, the tanginess of the ginger and the crisp texture of the bok choy and then give me a drizzle of teriyaki sauce and I am ready to oblige on eating a plate full.

Very few things are as easy as a plate of Proscuitto. And adding the sweet favor of beans only complements the saltiness. Canned beans are fine but I prefer fresh or dried. Toss the beans with a light Dijon vinaigrette, red onion and chopped parsley. Season with salt & pepper then serve along side the thinly sliced proscuitto.

1 Mallard=3 Dinners!

It’s unfortunate that the latter generations of my family are sacrificing their palette for fast food. As I often speak of the unusual meats and innards that we ate as kids I feel such sorrow that the kids of my siblings are not introduced or even given the chance to eat so well! Maybe they are given the chance but who would turn down a Big Mac over Squirrel and dumplings? So when my father gave me several wild mallards from a resent hunt you can bet that I made the most of it and only wished they were here to enjoy the good food we were meant to eat!One given night I decided to remove the breast and legs and use the carcass for stock. I seasoned the breast and seared them until medium rare and served them with curried Brussels sprout risotto and finished it off with a drizzle of aged Balsamic.

I cooked the small legs in olive oil with a bit of bacon dripping added from some extra flavor. I simmered the legs in the oil mixture with garlic cloves and Szechuan peppercorns until tender. Placed them in a container and poured the oil over them and reserved them for a later use.

The carcass I covered with chicken stock and added tomato, carrots, peppercorns, cloves, and onions and simmered for about 8 hours. Meanwhile, I soaked borlotto beans overnight and will use them the next day along with the game stock, tomatoes, carrots, onions, Parmesan rind and collard greens to make a hearty soup for a good winter day.

The mallard confit I may add to the soup or reheat them slowly and serve them over stewed lentils, either would certainly do justice.

A yummy & quick pleasure!

A beautiful Sunday afternoon in January is often filled with cold & snow but today it was a sunny warm day! We were driving about and Mario out of the blue wanted Clams & Pasta! One of life’s many simple pleasures!

So, I picked up 3 dozen of fresh clams, I hate when getting this dish in a restaurant and u find less then a dozen, and some fresh herbs and headed home. After steaming them with caramelized onions, garlic, white wine and finely chopped rosemary I removed the clams from their shell. I reduced the sauce by one third and made a Fresh breadcrumb mixture of Garlic, cilantro & butter. I added the clams back into the sauce a few minutes before the al dente Spaghetti. I let the spaghetti and clams simmer for a few minutes and seasoned with black pepper. I never add salt because most times the clams are producing enough on their on.

I placed the pasta & clams into a bowl and sprinkled it with the seasoned Breadcrumbs, poured a crisp white wine and called it a perfect light yummy Sunday lunch!

2007!!!

It’s been over a year since I left my last employment to take off a year and that year has been lickity-split! As I sat with many friends in the last few weeks we all agreed that this year was a speedball of a year!
So sat down to listen to Queen Latifah’s singing Poetry man and gathered my thoughts to ponder on the delicious year and thought of what’s to come? I just finished a new year traditional of Corn beef, cabbage & black Eye peas with some friends and had a impromptu dinner with a few other good friends the night before and realized that its not where I have been but who I have fed that has made this year a joyous one!
Since I was energetic about starting this blog it’s been difficult to maintain. Since my trip to Colombia, more on that later which I should have bogged in, it has been a feast of friends and food these passed several weeks! Therefore a wonderful finish to a memorable year of such!

I thought on recapping on some of the food that I was fortunate to eat and a few of the restaurants or places I think are worth mentioning.

Corn Beef is one of them. I brine my own and have done so many times with great success. Better than brisket with a salty herbal tang, is a sure winner for any occasion

Colombian Pastels may be a process but it’s worth doing and more so to eat! Different than most, it’s a great first course or even better as an appetizer!

Roasted Chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese with a hint of preserved lemon and rosemary has taken the roast chicken up a notch!

As easy as 123… Chocolate Tiramisu is a winner for all crowds! Or you can’t go wrong with serving old-fashioned Kentucky Bourbon chocolate covered cherries!

Brussels Sprouts may be Nay Say for most people but with a good preparation, sautéed with bacon and Red pepper flakes is a different Hooray!

For drinks, I find Taylor’s to be a super place. A comfortable space downstairs with delicious mixed drinks.

Hands down for Harvest on Hudson in Hastings for Oysters! We consumed about a dozen a week there and never had a bad one! Fresh, Fresh, Fresh! The mojitos are one of the best too!

Pizza, clearly Al forno in Providence Rhode Island has the best! Clean toppings with crispy dough! If you are lucky enough to sit with the owners than its even more worthy of a trip! A pure Pleasure!

Ever time I hear stone Crabs I think of Key West. Go in February and have a bucket of them ever night. Some of the best you will ever find.

One of the better finds was MK in Chicago. A fun place with a good changing menu.

One the best Framers markets I went to this year was in Bogotá Colombia! If you love fruit than you will fall in love with Plaza Paloquemao! The soup kitchens there are some of the best. Try the Pajarila!

A bed and Breakfast with great food was Alexandra B & B in Bennington, Vermont. Some of the Best sweetbreads!

Still hands down, a good place to eat is Oliveto in Oakland California.

An old-fashioned hang out with friends with good food and great drinks is Jack Fry’s in Louisville, KY.

A great margarita with fried Grasshoppers you got to hit Toloache in NYC.

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. For the pool and the gracious staff.

A house rental on Saint Georges’s Island is a great place to spend with a group of family or friends. The fresh seafood was always available to sell to grill or roast.

A fun place with great history and views is Niagara Falls. There is a also a casino there so if you are not a early sleeper than you have nothing to worry about.

Still, the steaks at TASTE are by far the best for the value anywhere in New York City, as long as the prices don’t get any higher.

I hope this is helpful and it only gives a glimpse of what I tasted and enjoyed during 2007. I wish the best eats and sights for you all.

A quick southern note!

As I mentioned before, I went to Louisville for a few days. Just the smell of the Pot Roast in the crock pot I knew that I had made the right decision to head “Home” for a few days! Pot roast is a simple dish but it can draw many conclusions on its preparation and the finishing gravy. Sauce for those not in the know!

In the north I find pot roast always served with this thick paste called gravy. There are a few things the South can learn form the North but when it comes to Gravy, the North should take out its notebook.

My Mom always cooks it in a crock-pot, an undisputed invention. A drizzle of Cornstarch until the sauce becomes just thick enough to become a stage beyond jus is the trick. Just remember that when the word is out your having a roast always make sure that your making more. If any left over, a good hash for Sunday morning with Biscuits and dried beef gravy is a welcoming invitation to any visitor.

French food made easy!

Rarely do I have any wine left over but I noticed that there was a 1/2 bottle of zinfandel that was left over from the previous evening. I had some chicken thighs that I did not use from the Sancocho dinner, so I thought a nice quick Coq au Vin. When it comes to preparing French dishes, especially if you have a hard time pronouncing it, most assume it will be difficult and a drawn out evening of cooking. I can assure you that Coq au Vin can be made in a few hours or even overnight in a crock pot, just remember to marinate the chicken the day before in red wine.

So I did, I poured the zinfandel over the thighs and placed in the refrigerator. The next day I removed the thighs and reserved the wine. I rendered 3 slices on bacon until slightly crispy. I added the thighs and sautéed them until brown. It will be hard to notice the color since they will be purple form the wine. After removing the chicken, I added 1 thickly sliced onion and 8 cremini mushrooms that had been cut in half. Once the onions and mushrooms were a bit caramelized I added the chicken and pour over the reserved wine. Once the wine was reduced to one quarter I added the bacon that had been cut into thirds and enough chicken stock to cover the chicken. I covered the pan and simmered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made some mashed potatoes and prepared a quick salad of arugula. Rice or noodles would go with the chicken just as well. Once the chicken is just tender enough (barely falling off the bone) then reduce the cooking liquid to half. If it is already reduced then omit the reduction. Bring the liquid to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of diluted cornstarch (cornstarch diluted in water), Stir and season with salt & pepper.

Along with the Coq au Vin, mashed potatoes and arugula a nice robust red wine would go wonderfully. Bon Appetite

U like Lamb?

After a few nights in the Chicken Coop I opted to head out to the pasture for Lamb. I love lamb and only wish more people would enjoy its flavor. My family will eat squirrel, pig’s feet, venison and almost anything else that walks this earth but are not keen on Lamb. Mario, on the other hand, will eat anything. I never tell him what we are eating unless he asks and in most cases he never does. A sense of trust I suppose. How rare is that in America?

Keeping it simple, I marinated the single cut lamb chops in olive oil and rosemary. Now I say single because you can have the butcher, if you use one, to cut them in double chops, which are double in thickness. Unlike Steak, I enjoy lamb chops either rare or well done; so obviously the double cut will provide you the chance of getting rare or med-rare on the grill, as the single chops will not. After eating them in Italy well done I realize that with lamb either way is just as enjoyable, some may disagree.

I chopped some olives and mixed them with a good portion of chopped mint and lime, using the zest and the juice. I would use the olives to sprinkle over the cooked lamb chops to give them a little zing. Then I prepared polenta with caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese. I had some tomatoes that needed to be used so I made the infamous tomato pudding that would, I think, go perfectly with the lamb and the polenta.

It was an amazingly tasty dinner and relatively easy to prepare. The Eight Lamb Chops cost about $19 and the sides were inexpensive. A nice bottle of Purple Mountain Zinfandel was about $12.

Grand Total of $18.71.

Ok enough on Fried Chicken and Southern cuisine (after this one)! But as I was at the grocery store I thought about how much a simple dinner for two is! So I cost the ingredients for tonight and was amazed how little I spent considering the amount we spend going out for a meal!
A package of 4 Chicken thighs was $2.50. I bought a pint of Buttermilk for 78c to soak the chicken overnight. Dredging the thighs in seasoned flour of dried herbs and S & P was probably not enough to worry about.
A bundle of Collards Greens were 89c. I sautéed some salami, bacon is traditionally used but I had a few slices of Salami and thought it would bring a nice addition to the flavor,
in Bacon grease at a cost of 15c. I covered the greens with water and added a splash of fresh lemon juice, addition of 65c. I know, why are lemons so expensive?
Covering small Yukon Potatoes with water and adding a few fresh cloves of garlic amounted to $2. Finishing with milk and butter added another 75c.

A nice Bottle of Australian Viognier was $10.99.

I am not a dessert eater but I enjoy making it. Since I opted not to include it I will let you decide on that!

$$

So the total for tonight’s dinner was $18.71, a far cry from $125 plus tip that we normally spend on a simple dinner at a restaurant.
BTW: It was a comforting meal and an easy one at that! You can make it faster by cooking the greens in a crock-pot before you leave for work and then have the chicken ready to fry. A baby or daddy fryer is a must for any household. It makes it easier to fry! I do it the old-fashioned way and use a cast iron skillet and only cover the chicken at first for a few minutes just to steam it. We should all know how to make mashed Potatoes so I won’t bother with that! So there, your greens are ready, a quick fry for the chicken while the potatoes are cooking. WOW a quick cheap meal! A nice stroll after dinner should leave you with no guilt of the bacon grease or the fried chicken! Besides life is to short to worry about such cheap and easy pleasures of Life!

The coca-cola side of life!

Not bad! The coca-cola marinated chicken was actually good. I was anxious to see how it worked and even more so how it tasted. The idea used the old philosophy of brining. The coke with the addition of salt acts like a brine, penetrating the meat with a tinge of salt and sweetness, by soaking it for a few hours. Rinsed and an easy rub is applied before grilling. I came home and tried it again to be sure. I did tweak the rub since I am no fan of garlic powder. A quick run down: Soak chicken in coca-cola & salt for 4-6 hours. Prepare a rub using Smoked paprika, honey, Dijon mustard, finely chopped fresh garlic and fresh ground pepper. Remove the chicken and rinse. Brush on rub and place in refrigerator for 1 hour. The chicken can be grilled or baked. Try you’ll like it!
While in Louisville a quick stop at my uncle’s house I was blessed with some freshly cut kale and lettuces. I opted for the fresh peas but gave them up to my mom. The bush & pole beans looked good but once again I had a long drive home and not much room. The kale was a highlight. Immediately after returning home I cooked the kale Southern style with a hint of curry. I sautéed bacon, onions, diced carrots, garlic, curry powder and smoked paprika, added a few pork ribs and the washed kale. Covered with a light chicken stock and added a splash of champagne vinegar and a touch salt. Simmered for 3 hours and a simple meal was born. I used some of the leftover to accompany the cola-cola chicken that I tried the next day. Great combination.
After a few southern meals it was time to get back to a simple seafood dinner. After a fast look at the seafood selection at Stew’s, I made a skewer of diver scallops, tuna, swordfish, shrimp, onion and peppers. Marinated them in a herb vinaigrette for 30 minutes and grilled. A simple salad of my uncle’s lettuce tossed with anchovy vinaigrette made a delicious combo with the seafood kabobs. A lemon wedge set the tone

Jarred!

One of the many attributes that I received from my Grandparents was the passion for jarring. And while at Eli’s, is was jarring that I look forward to most in the summer. Sal, the produce manager, was often “generous” with his contribution of the summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables. Between the fig jam, roasted Molino tomato sauce and the preserved fruits I often had enough to carry me through the winter. The abundance of fig jam one year brought me to the point of creating an old-fashioned fig jam cake, still one of my favorites.

It is not yet really summer but I saw green tomatoes at the farmers market. Which prompted me to do a little jarring. Pickled vegetables, green tomato-cabbage relish (chow chow) and marinated baby artichokes in olive oil.

I started with pickle brine and choose green tomato slices, carrot sticks, mushrooms, cauliflower florets, sugar snaps, Serrano peppers and whole garlic cloves as the vegetables. Simmering all but the sugar snaps until al dente in the brine. I then removed the vegetables from the brine and mixed in the sugar snaps. Placed them into a clean glass jar and filled it with the brine. I won’t seal the jar because I intend to eat this within the next few months along side cured meats, grilled sausages or in a salad. I will store the pickled veggies in the refrigerator.

I cooked the baby artichokes in a tangy vegetable broth. Then tossed them with mushrooms, green garlic and asparagus spears. Seasoned them with fresh rosemary, herb de province, red pepper flakes and salt & pepper. Placed them in small mason jars and fill them with olive oil. I then sealed them in a pressure cooker. The heat from the sealing process will cook the asparagus and mushrooms. These will be good for pasta and as an accompaniment for cured meats.

The relish also similar to chow chow is a mixture of green tomatoes, cabbage, onion and Serrano & green pepper. I made a sweet and sour mixture of vinegar, sugar, water, turmeric, ginger and mustard & celery seeds. After chopping each ingredient into small pieces and simmering them in the sweet and sour liquid for 15 minutes I poured it into small jars and sealed. Excellent with grilled meats!