Grow. Cook. Eat. – Page 10 – Julia Shanks Recovering Chef and Urban Gardener

October 25, 2010

The Same Thing, Only Different (Tallegio Stuffed Tater Tots)

One of my favorite hors d’oeuvres is roasted potatoes with tallegio and truffle. It’s so easy to prepare and always impresses, no doubt it’s the intoxicating aroma of truffles. But these are really best fresh out of the oven. After a few minutes the cheese starts to congeal, and they’re just not as good.

As I’ve commented before, my style of entertaining has simplified. I love having a big platter or hors d’oeuvres and snacks before dinner, but I also want to serve items that I can put out and then just enjoy my company.

I decided to reimagine this dish to withstand a little sitting at room temperature. Instead, I made tater tots, filled them with the cheese, and drizzled a little truffle oil and honey on top. Just before the guests arrived, I popped them in the oven to reheat. The panko-crust kept them nice and crispy. And the potato wrapping kept the cheese warm and oozy. I served them with homemade ketchup, but this was gratuitous.

Tallegio Stuffed Tater Tots with Honey and Truffle Oil.
4 yukon gold potatoes
½ cup flour
1 – 2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
¼ pound tallegio cheese. Rind cut off and cut into ¼ inch cubes
1cup panko crumbs
1 cup clarified butter or canola oil
1 -2 tbs. truffle oil
1 tbs. honey

1. Put potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. When potatoes are cooked, drain them and put them through a potato ricer. The ricer will extract the skin from the potatoes, so no worries. Alternatively, you can grate the potatoes using a food processor or hand grater. In any case, grate the potatoes while they’re still warm

3. Let potatoes cool to room temperature

4. Mix potatoes with, flour, salt (to taste) and egg.

5. Divide dough into 4 balls and roll potato dough into 4 logs. Cut each log into 1 inch pieces. Flatten out each piece, put a piece of tallegio inside and fold the dough over.

6. Roll each tot in panko bread crumbs. If you’d like, you can further reshape the tots to a round shape.

7. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter or oil. In batches, cook tots on all sides until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Put on a serving platter and drizzle truffle oil and honey on top. Serve with ketchup if you’d like.

October 21, 2010

One Trick Pony (Recipe: Cauliflower Masala)

After a recent Slow Money meeting at The Elephant Walk, several attendees and I retreated to the bar to continue the conversation of how we can better develop and support the local food economy. Several cocktails in, the head of our local chapter invited himself (and everyone else having drinks with us) to my house for dinner. We all pulled out our iPhones and Blackberries and found a date that worked for everyone.

When the booze wore off, a round of emails confirmed that dinner was still on. And the pressure was on me to come up with an interesting meal. Despite the fact that I haven’t cooked professionally for over 2 years, and no one in this group had ever eaten my food, I still had a reputation for being a really good chef.

My style of entertaining has decidedly mellowed over the years. Gone are the days of plated 3-course dinners and a la minute cooking. Now I serve (heavy) hors d’oeuvres followed by a family-style main meal, and everything is cooked in advanced. I’d rather sacrifice a little refinement in favor of enjoying my company.

Not feeling very creative, I decided on Tandoori Lamb. I like it because it’s easy to prepare, but still has a complex flavor that always impresses. Though I’ve made this dish many times for many occasions, no one in this group had had it before.

To shake it up a little, I served it with Cauliflower Masala, another traditional Indian dish…Oddly, I had only prepared this recipe with broccoli, favoring the bright green color and flavor that seems better suited to a pan sauté/steam. Because steamed cauliflower had little appeal to me, I decided to roast the cauliflower separately – to achieve the wonderful, caramelized brown flavor, and then top it with the roasted spices and tomatoes of the more traditional recipe.

From the garden: the last tomatoes of the season, garlic, chilies, scallions

Cauliflower Masala
(adapted from Singapore Food )

1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter or canola oil
½ tsp. brown mustard seed
½ tsp. cumin
pinch fenugreek
½ tsp. turmeric
3 slices fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 fresh green chili, sliced
Salt to taste

1.    Toss cauliflower florets and olive oil together. Season with salt. Lay cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 425F oven for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is deeply browned on the underside.
2.    Heat butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add mustard seeds cumin, fenugreek and turmeric. Continue cooking for 1 minute until spices are aromatic. Remove from heat and add tomatoes and chilies.
3.    When cauliflower is cooked, toss with tomatoes and spices.

October 18, 2010

The Reality of Reality TV (Recipe: Seared Scallops with Curried Lentils)

I turned on the TV the other night to discover a new season of Hell’s Kitchen had begun. After watching Chef Ramsey spew his usual venom for a few minutes, I turned it off.

For the previous two seasons, I’d known at least one contestant on Hell’s Kitchen. Two seasons ago, it was Andy Husbands, the chef/owner from Tremont 647. We met as volunteers for Operation Frontline (now Cooking Matters), and then I worked for him when he first opened his restaurant. Last season, Jason Santos reached the final-two. He also worked for Andy at the same time I did. Two days after each episode, Andy would post on his blog a behind the scenes perspective of the show. And Jason posted amusing status updates on his Facebook page… teasing us with things to come. (I also know Ben Knack tangentially – we're practically related – but that's another story)

With no friends on the show, the appeal was gone.

Instead, I went to kitchen and cooked scallops for myself. I had no worries of anyone throwing scallops at me screaming “They’re raw, you donkey!!” Without the pressure of cut-throat competition, I achieved a beautiful sear on both sides, cooked to my preferred medium doneness. (Would Chef Ramsey have approved??)

Honestly, I don’t understand how the contestants struggled with undercooking the scallops, whichon on the show had been sliced in half, so they would cook even more quickly. Even with whole scallops, by the time the deep brown caramelization envelops the scallop; they are well on their way to medium. With an additional 30 seconds in the pan, letting residual heat do its thang, they’re perfect.

Scallops are so sweet and delicious; they require little adornment beyond salt and pepper. But to keep things interesting, I served them with curried French green lentils. Fresh arugula provides a fresh, bright balance to the scallops and coaxes out the spice in the curry.

From the garden: celery, leeks, scallions

Seared Sea Scallops with Curried French Lentils

2 tbs. butter
1 shallot, small dice
1/2 carrot, small dice
1/4 celery rib, small dice
1/2 leek, small dice
2/3 cup French green lentils
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 scallions, cut into rounds
1 pound sea scallops
1 tbs. plain oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Over medium heat sweat shallots, celery, carrots and leeks in 1 tbs. of butter. Add curry powder and lentils. Add salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. You may need to add up to 1 cup more of water. When lentils are cooked, stir in scallions and remaining butter.

Season scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Add the scallops and cook for approx. 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn scallop and cook for 1 minute more.

October 15, 2010

Social Media for Food Businesses

A few times a month, I will post articles from my monthly “Food Consulting” Newsletter Click here to receive the newsletter by email.

The prevalence of social media has created new, low-cost marketing tools for the entrepreneur. It also presents challenges as we seek new ways to maximize our efforts and stand out in the sea of tweets, buzzes and status updates. While these outlets can enhance marketing efforts, they should not replace more traditional methods of print advertising, email blasts and press-releases. Traditional marketing still plays an important role.

Facebook is perhaps the most dynamic marketing tool a business owner can use. More and more, restaurants use Facebook as their primary web-presence, and the more traditional websites become a static afterthought.

Bergamot uses Facebook to post its nightly dinner specials. Pizzeria Posto engages its customers by asking their opinions – on anything from naming a new drink to whether they should open for weekend lunch. Toro announces special events. Rialto and Chez Henri post musings from behind the scenes giving their patrons an insider’s view to their restaurant.

Atlanta-based Vitrue offers several tips to make the most of your Facebook posts:

The most successful posts have photos, rather than plain text or video clips.
Posts in the afternoon have more engagement than those in the morning – when potential customers are thinking about dinner.
Wednesday posts garner the most attention, over weekend or early-week posts. Thursday and Friday posts come in second in attention grabbing potential.

Twitter does not have the reach as Facebook but has become an important tool for mobile food trucks such as Clover. With easy access from mobile phones, food trucks can easily announce their location in real time. Restaurants also use twitter to announce special discounts and new menu items.

Dr. Ola Ayeni, Chief Idea Officer of Dining Dialog, offers these tips for using Twitter:

Announce your new menu or drink specials of the day to your followers
Promote a happy hour event or special restaurant event to customers via twitter
Start a promotion and allow people to sample your food and in-turn invite their friends to your restaurant.
Ask for ideas for new menu items or specials of the day from your followers on twitter
Offer a special prize for people who follow you on Twitter by a specific time and date, to be entered to win something free like a free bottle of wine or gift certificate.

The newest entrant into the world of social media is Foursquare. It requires less attention from the business owner, but still offers the potential for buzz. According to Foursquare, “Foursquare aims to encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and then reward people for doing so. We do this by combining our friend-finder and social city guide elements with game mechanics – our users earn points, win mayorships and unlock badges for trying new places and revisiting old favorites.”

Subscribers to Foursquare announce where they are through the mobile phone application, and then it is posted to their facebook page. Users can post recommendations and tips for a particular spot, allowing the restaurant owner to follow what their customers are saying. Business owners can also offer specials to its Foursquare users.

Inc. Magazine offers tips on how to promote loyalty and drive revenues using Foursquare.

What social media tactics have you found most helpful?

October 13, 2010

Eggplant Curry

I didn’t write much about eggplant this summer – not that I didn’t grow, cook or eat them… but I didn’t have much to add to the conversation. I blew my wad of knowledge and recipes last summer.

When I cleaned the garden of all the tomato plants, I also dug up the eggplant plants and harvested the last few. I was determined to get out of my rut and try something different.

The tomato jam was simmering on the stove-top with an Indian-style aroma to it. I decided to follow that scent, and began looking through my Singapore cookbook for ideas (the only book I own with any Indian recipes). I found a Sri Lankan curry recipe that seemed perfect. With a side of naan, it made the perfect accompaniment to the swordfish and green tomato jam.

Eggplant Curry
(loosely adapted from Singapore Food )

4 small eggplants, cut in quarters lengthwise, and then into 1 ½ inch slices
1 tbs. plain oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. ground fennel
¼ tsp. mustard seed
Pinch (or more) cayenne pepper
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup water
½ lime, juiced

1.    Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil and then eggplant in a single layer. Let eggplant sit so that it can brown on the bottom side for about 4 minutes.
2.    Add onions and garlic to the pan and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until onions start to soften.
3.    Add spices and salt and stir to coat eggplant.
4.    Add coconut milk and water and simmer for about 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender.
5.    Season with lime juice just before serving.

October 11, 2010

Green Tomatoes and Jam

Summer is officially over.

With threats of the first frost looming and the race to get the garlic in the ground, I spent the weekend playing in the garden. I gathered all the tomatoes – green, red and everything in between. In between digging up the tomato plants and preparing the soil for garlic, I made green tomato jam.

I scoured the web for recipes: a theme emerged – simmer chopped tomatoes with sugar and vinegar. Some called for additions of apples and/or raisins. Spicing ranged from ginger to cinnamon to a medley of warm spices. I decide to use an old recipe for green mango chutney. I had used it with great success substituting in strawberries and apples, so I figured green tomatoes would work well too!

Did it ever. Wow! I served it last night with swordfish – seasoned with lime and dusted with chick pea flour. The chick pea flour elicited enough of an Indian flare that paired perfectly with the chutney. I preserved the remainder into ½ pint jars.

Green Tomato Jam

6 cups chopped green tomatoes
2 cups sugar, brown
1 small onion, diced
2 cups vinegar – cider
1 in. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 – 2 jalapenos, chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon

Put sugar and vinegar in sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat until chutney is reduced and thick, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.

Here are canning instructions… reposted from here.

Preserving Tomatoes in Jars
The one thing to remember when canning tomatoes is that you need to boil everything. Boil the jars, boil the tomatoes, boil the tomatoes in the jar. The first two boil are necessary to sterilize the jars and the tomatoes, the third boil is to create a vacuum seal in the jar.

So to be clear, the process goes like this:

1. Purchase canning jars. I prefer the wide mouth because they are easier to fill. Consider buying a variety of sizes. Even if you are only canning one kind of sauce, the variety will enable you to maximize your tomatoes – if a recipe calls for a small amount of tomato; you open a small jar, instead of opening a large jar that may not be completely used. Also, buy a pair of “canning tongs”. These tongs are specially designed to lift the jars out of the water.

2. Wash the jars. Put the lids in one pot and the jars in another pot. The pot for the jars should be deep enough that the jars can be covered by at least on inch of water.

3. Cover the lids completely with water and put them on the stove. Bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Let them sit in the water until you’re ready to use them.

4. Cover the jars completely with water and bring them to a boil. Continue boiling them for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring the tomatoes to a boil, and continue cooking them for at least 10 minutes. Even if you smoked the tomatoes, you still need to boil them.

6. Remove the jars from the water, draining the water out. Fill each jar with tomatoes, leaving about ½ inch at the top. With a clean towel, wipe the lip of each jar clean.

7. Drain the water from the lids and cover each jar. Seal with the metal band.

8. Return the jars to the boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the band and test the lids – if it comes off easily, then the seal did not work and you must repeat the process. If the lid is tight, then you are all set!

October 6, 2010

The Anatomy of a Green Tomato

I recall a few years ago, debating with a friend whether “Fried Green Tomatoes” were inspired by the impatient gardener who couldn’t wait until the season began or the thrifty gardener trying to make the most of the season’s last harvest.

Wherever the inspiration came from, you can find them on restaurant menus throughout the season. And a few weeks ago, still during peak (ripe) tomato season, I even saw someone buying 2 *cases* of green tomatoes to make jam for the winter.

As nighttime temperatures drop, the tomato plants turn yellow and the leaves wither. The tomatoes won't have a chance to ripen on the vine, before I need to dig up the plants. I’m confronted with pounds of green tomatoes.

I’ll sort the tomatoes into three categories. The tomatoes which have begun to blush pink (or more) will finish ripening on the counter. The green tomatoes that have a glossy sheen will be cooked into chutney. And the matte tomatoes will get fried.

It's hard to really see in these photos, but …

Here's a green tomato with a glossy sheen:

And a matte finish:

Unlike tomatoes with a glossy sheen, tomatoes with a matte finish will never ripen once picked. They’re ideal for frying because they stay firm and have a bright tartness. Once the tomato transitions into its ripening state by developing the gloss, they break down more easily when cooked. And even though they turn red on the counter, they will never have the same texture and taste as a truly vine-ripened tomato. If you’ve eaten a tomato in February, you know this. These tomatoes are best suited for a cooked chutney.

Fried Green Tomatoes
3 green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup regular milk mixed with 1 tbs. sour cream
½ cup flour
¼ cup corn meal
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
Pinch or more of cayenne
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ cup plain oil or bacon grease

1.    Slice tomatoes ½ inch thick.
2.    Soak tomatoes in buttermilk.
3.    Mix together flour, corn meal, salt and other spices.
4.    Heat a large skillet over a high flame. Add oil and/or bacon grease. When hot, dredge tomato slices in flour mix and gently place in pan. Cook on both sides until brown and crispy.
5.    Serve with remoulade or tomato salsa.

October 4, 2010

Power Foods (Recipe: Pomegranate Vinaigrette)

The FTC recently filed a complaint against POM Wonderful for the health claims it makes. Perhaps, this will put a crimp in POM’s sales, but it certainly didn’t stop me from making a wonderful dinner of Roasted Swordfish with Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Whether POM’s health claims are true or not, I would argue it’s better than many of the dietary supplements available on the market. And when I served it with beets and kale – the most nutritionally dense food per calorie available, I knew I had a healthy meal.

Pomegranates and portobellos pair wonderfully with the combination of sweet and earthy flavors. The swordfish was a perfect vehicle to transport the flavor – meaty enough to keep its presence known but with minimal flavor competition.

In the past, when I’ve made the pomegranate vinaigrette, I squeezed my own – taking fresh pomegranates, cutting them in quarters and then squeezing the juice out with a potato ricer.

This time, I lazily just purchased bottled juice. The vinaigrette is thickened with cooked beets – which mirror the flavors of the pomegranates and mushrooms.

I served the sauce and 'shrooms with roasted swordfish, but you could also serve it with lamb or salmon. Or just toss some arugula with the mushrooms and vinaigrette for a bright fall salad.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1 small beet, cooked until exceedingly tender
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 small shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautéed Mushrooms
2 tbs. butter
3 portobello mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 small shallot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 – 2 sprigs thyme
¼ cup dry sherry
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add butter. When butter is melted, and mushrooms. Cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add shallots and garlic. Sprinkle thyme on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes more. Add sherry and let reduce. Set aside.

October 1, 2010

When Summer and Fall Collide

This week, I’ve harvested cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplant in plentiful numbers. And I also plucked a late planting of radishes and cut my first salad for the fall. The window when summer and autumn collide is small, but the bounty is intoxicating.

As simple as it sounds, I couldn’t resist just making a minimally dressed garden salad with arugula, tat soi, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes and basil. The radishes were still a bit spicy, but sliced thin they had just enough kick to play well with the tomatoes and cucumbers. A drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice was superfluous.

I think of Bolognese as hearty autumnal cooking. But with the plethora of summer tomato sauce this seemed like the perfect accompaniment to my salad. I added ground meat, carrots, celery, onions and garlic to the tomato sauce and let it simmer for an hour. And for my facebook friends — yes, I did make my own pasta even though the humidity was crushing.

Here's the link to the Bolognese Sauce, previously posted.

Here's the link to the pasta recipe, also previously posted. And step by step photos to make your own pasta.

September 29, 2010

Comfort Me with Figs (Recipe: Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Roquefort)

The first time I went fishing with Brett, we caught at least a dozen fish. Within minutes of casting my line, I felt the rod twitch – a sign that a fish was nibbling on the bait. I quickly jerked the line back, setting the hook, and reeled the fish in. We took the fish off, put it in a bucket and recast the line. Two minutes later… another twitch and another fish…

Since that time, Brett and I have not caught a single fish together. We’ve woken at the crack of dawn when the tides and moon were just perfect… paddled out to the middle of lakes…. Cast off the shore, cast off the docks, cast off rocks jetting out into the sea, gone on charter boats…. And not one single fish.

I visited the farm last week, determined to break our curse. We headed down to the neighbor’s dock along the Chesapeake Bay (I should confess, we have harvested many crabs from the pots tied to that dock). We brought three rods, and an assortment of bait – crabs, live fish, dead fish and lure. We cast to the left, center and right… near the dock and 100 yards off shore.

And this is why they call it “fishing” and not “catching.”

We headed back to the farm despondent.

To console myself, I walked to the greenhouse where there’s a block of fig trees. Normally, Brett reserves the harvest for his customers, but on this day he indulged me.

There’s something very sensual about harvesting figs… I look for magenta plump fruit then gently take them in my hand to test for softness. And equally alluring is biting into that first fig, the way they open up to expose the fuchsia flower inside with crunchy seeds, soft fruit and honey sweetness.

I intentionally pick figs slightly under-ripe before they become, to my taste, cloyingly sweet. Left on the counter, they fully ripen within 12 hours. Or to preserve them for a day or two, they should be refrigerated.

If you can manage to save the figs for cooking (I could easily eat every single one raw), they are delicious grilled, roasted with a little balsamic, wrapped with prosciutto or served with blue or goat cheese.

Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Figs with Blue Cheese and Balsamic

1/4 cup white wine
1 shallot, diced
3 oz. roquefort cheese
2 tbs. whole butter
2 cups balsamic vinegar
8 figs
8 slices prosciutto
1 tsp. fresh thyme

1. Slice figs in half. Sprinkle with thyme. Wrap in prosciutto and secure with a toothpick

2. Put 2 cups of balsamic vinegar in a pot, reduce over high heat until about 1/2 cup remains and the balsamic is syrupy. Remove from heat.

3. In medium sauce pan, add white wine and shallots. Reduce over high heat until only 2 tbs. of liquid remain. Reduce heat to low (or turn heat off completely), and vigorously whisk in cheese and 2 tbs. of whole butter. Set aside in warm place (does not reheat well).

4. Grill figs until prosciutto is slightly charred and figs are heated through. (alternatively, set under the broiler for a few minutes). Serve with bleu cheese and balsamic glaze.

Garnish with an arugula salad, if you’d like.