Grow. Cook. Eat. – Page 22 – Julia Shanks Recovering Chef and Urban Gardener

January 13, 2010

Cooking from the Freezer (Recipe: Seared Foie Gras)

Scouring through my freezer unearths random bits of grand schemes and leftovers: turkey stock reduction from Thanksgiving, leg of lamb marinated-style tandoori but still raw, and a hunk of foie gras. When I realize I won’t be able to consume foodstuff before they expire, I toss them in the freezer. Perhaps, it’s not the best for way to store food, but it’s better than the alternative.

The foie gras was leftover from Foie Gras three-Ways. As hard as we tried, the six of us could not consume the full lobe (and thank goodness we didn’t). So I wrapped the leftover chunk in a paper towel and plastic wrap and tossed it in the freezer.

Fast forward nine months, and the foie gras is not improving with age. Consuming it hardly aligns with any new year’s resolution to lose weight or get fit; but it does fit with my goal of wasting less food. So I invited a few friends over for dinner.

In the vegetable drawer, another remnant of a grand scheme: celeriac that I had intended to serve with duck. Together, they made an elegant first course.

For the main course, I cooked the lamb and served it with naan (also from the freezer, leftover from the chicken tikka masala) and savory greens with potatoes.

A satisfying meal produced entirely from leftovers. And if I hadn’t said anything, you may have never known.

Seared Foie Gras
4 oz. foie gras cut into 4 slices
1 tbs. chopped shallots
¼ cup port wine
1 cup turkey stock reduction
2 tbs. butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Season foie gras with salt and pepper. Heat a pan over high heat until it is smoking hot. (Really). Press foie gras into dry pan. Cook for 1 minute. Turn over and cook for 1 second. Remove from pan.
2. Drain pan of all fat except 1 tbs. Add shallots. Deglaze pan with port, add chicken stock. Reduce. Swirl in butter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
3. Rest foie on celery root puree. Serve with fried sage and sauce.

Celery Root Puree
1 knob celery root
¼ cup cream
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Peel celery root and cut into chunks.
2. Put celery root in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the celery root is tender.
3. Drain celery root, reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Put in a food processor, along with the cream and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set aside in a warm place.

Fried Sage
1 bunch sage leaves
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 tbs. plan oil
Heat a large sauté pan over a high flame. Add oil. Add sage leaves. Sauté for about 1 minutes, or until the leaves begin to look spotted and translucent. Add the garlic and continue to fry until garlic begins to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

January 11, 2010

Fish Tacos in Paradise

A cross-country road-trip often requires stopping in places one otherwise might not visit. As I drove from DC to San Francisco in 1994, El Paso became an intermediate destination. I pulled into a seemingly clean motel with cheap rooms, and immediately began a quest for dinner. The hotel clerk recommended Lucy’s Restaurant just a few doors down. This suited me just fine since I could walk.

I was traveling alone. And perhaps it was the way I people-watched, or wrote in my journal; the manager decided I was a restaurant critic from the New York Times. He took great interest in what I ate, and brought me sample sizes of many different dishes. I recall my intrigue as he presented the soft tacos filled with cubed meat instead of the American taco bastardization of crispy shells filled with ground meat. This was a revelation.

Several years later, the discovery of crispy fish tacos was less unexpected, but more satisfying. The taco shells were still prepared of soft corn flour, but instead the filling was crispy fish chunks topped with shredded cabbage, onions and thinned, seasoned sour cream, with nary a hint of cheese. This style of tacos made their way north into the US from Baja California via San Diego.

On the other side of Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea, a different style of fish taco has evolved… the fish is cubed and marinated, more like a ceviche, and grilled in banana leaf or griddled plain.

With visions of turquoise waters and azure blue skies, these tacos are paradise on a plate. Equally authentic, but a distant relative of the tacos from Lucy’s.

Fish Tacos a la Maya Tulum

Fish
1 lb. grouper fillets, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. lime juice
1 chipotle pepper (packed in adobo), minced
1 tbs. oil

Papaya Salsa
1 ½ cups ripe papaya diced
¼ cup red onion, diced
2 tbs. cilantro
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar

Cilantro “Aioli”
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup cilantro leaves (and stems)

Corn tortillas and romaine lettuce

1. For the fish: combine fish with soy, lime and chipotle. Let marinade for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for papaya salsa. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine cilantro and mayonnaise. Process until the mayo is bright green and smooth.
4. Turn oven to 400. Put corn tortillas on a sheet tray. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. Warm in oven until warm, soft and pliable, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside in a warm spot
5. While tortillas are warming, Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil. Add the fish and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Put two tortillas on a plate. Top with fish cubes, papaya salsa and cilantro aioli. Garnish with lettuce.

I'm submitting this recipe to Joan of Foodalouge's Culinary Tour of South America. To see a round-up of Mexican recipes, click on her blog.

January 8, 2010

Cooking for Great Friends (Recipe: Beef en Rollo)

I went into Chez Henri looking for a part-time job, something to supplement my income while I started my own business. I walked out with the position of sous-chef (and a temporary distraction from my entrepreneurial dreams). This was back in 1996, and Chez Henri had just opened to national praise for its inventive French-Cuban cuisine. I knew nothing of Cuban cuisine — not even the now très-trendy Cuban sandwiches or mint mojitos.

I had to get smart fast! My first week on the job was writing the new spring menu with the chef de cuisine. I borrowed cookbooks from friends and scoured them for interesting recipes and general themes about the style of cooking.

I had fun playing with ideas – black rice with white beans, duck pate with pickled pineapple and plantain crusted halibut with mango coulis.

One dish that never made it to the menu, but became a staple on my Interactive Cuisine menus, was the Biste en Rollo. The idea came from Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, but I quickly modified it to be my own. Typically, I prepare it with flank steak but the other night, I spiffed it up using beef tenderloin instead.

A few years ago, I contributed this recipe to a cookbook called “Great Chefs Cooking for Great Friends.” The book was published by Friends of Dana-Farber and all proceeds go to support cancer research. You can buy the book by clicking here. And if you live in the Boston-area, you can support the “Friends” by attending their annual fundraiser, “Chefs Cooking for Hope.”

Grilled Flank Steak and Red Pepper Roulade with Cilantro Mojo and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 lb. flank steak or beef tenderloin butterflied
1 red pepper, quartered, seeds removed
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks thyme
1/2 tsp. cayenne or chili flakes
1 tsp. fresh oregano
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic
1 lime, juiced
2 sweet potatoes
2 slices ginger
¼ cup cream
1/2 stick butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. In a large sauce pot, add red peppers, thyme, 3 garlic cloves smashed and cayenne. Cover with olive oil. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Let cool.

2. Season steak with salt, pepper, oregano and lime juice. Rub meat with garlic. Lay out steak, and place red peppers and carrots on top. Dot with butter. Roll steak with the grain, and tie with kitchen string.

3. Peel and quarter sweet potatoes. Put in a pot of salted water with ginger and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until potatoes are tender. Drain water and puree potatoes with cream. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Brown meat on all sides, and finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes for medium rare. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Remove strings, and slice meat as thin as possible. Garnish with watercress, sweet potatoes and cilantro Mojo.

Cilantro Mojo

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped garlic
½ cup chopped onion
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbs. fresh oregano
2 tsp. pepper
1 tbs. salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 ½ cup cilantro, leaves and stems

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, cumin and oregano. Cook for 3 minutes, or until garlic becomes aromatic.
2. Strain olive oil and reserve. Puree garlic onion mixture with remaining ingredients. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste

January 5, 2010

Cooking for a Plan

This weekend, The Boston Globe published a story about my dating trials and tribulations. Yes, it’s more amusing than Fred Flintstone. And all true. I don’t want to give away the punch-line, you should read the story.

Due to space limitations, they could not publish the accompanying recipes.

Dinner for Ken
Fried Rice in general is a great to use up left-over bits of vegetables and meats. Though, it is so good, I don’t wait for left-overs to make it. And the green beans… these are spicy and delicious.

If you're cooking for a specific meal plan, as I did for Ken, you may choose to substitute brown rice for the white rice.

3 cups cooked rice, cooled
shrimp or chicken seasoned with salt and pepper
peanut or canola oil
2 whole eggs

2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbs. fried shallots
1-2 tbs. srirachi chili sauce (depending on taste)
¼ cup shredded white cabbage
¼ cup chopped tomatoes

Sauce
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. Chinese Rice Wine
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ tbs. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

1. Combine ingredients for the sauce.

2. Heat skillet on high heat. Add 1-2 tbs. oil. Cook meat until ½ cooked. Remove meat from pan. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, but not browned (you may need to add more oil to the pan). Add ½ of the fried shallots, cabbage and tomatoes. Cook for 1 minutes more. Add rice. Break up and stir fry until slightly brown and heated through. Stir in the sauce

3. When rice is heated through and brown, and chili sauce to rice and stir.

4. Remove rice from pan and put on a serving dish. While the skillet is still hot, add more oil, and fry the eggs. Garnish rice with fried eggs and fried shallots.

Green Beans with Chilies and Lime

1 lb. Green Beans, snipped
1 cup bean sprouts
½ head of shreaded green cabbage

Dressing
2 tbs. Fried shallots
1 tbs. oil
2 tbs. chopped garlic
1 large chili, seed and diced
1 bird’s eye chili, diced
3 lime leaves, finely chopped
1 ½ inch kencur or ginger
½ tsp. Sugar
salt, pepper and lime juice to taste

1. Heat a large skillet, add oil. Add garlic, kencur and chilies and cook until the mixture becomes aromatic, about 2 minutes.

2. Add green beans and cabbages and saute, stirring frequently, until green beans are bright green

3. Add sugar and adjust seasoning to taste with salt pepper and lime juice.

4. Toss green beans with bean sprouts and fried shallots

January 2, 2010

Taste-Driving Boyfriends

Due to space limitations, they could not publish the accompanying recipes.

Dinner for Boyfriend No. 2
Perhaps this dish should be a litmus test for future boyfriends. I don’t think any of the old boyfriends would eat this as it was served in the story… The original recipe, which was written for elk loin, is quite adaptable. I’ve substituted tuna, duck and beef with equal success.

Chamomile Scented Tuna with Blackberry Sage Chutney and Crispy Polenta

Spice Rub:

1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. cumin seed, roasted
1 tbs. chamomile, whole
1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Polenta
½ onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
1 tbs. butter
3 cups liquid (any combination of chicken broth, milk or water)
3/4 cup polenta,
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Plain oil

Blackberry-Sage Chutney:
3/4 cup diced shallots
2 strips smoked bacon, finely chopped
4 tbs. black- or raspberry liqueur
3/4 cup blackberries, frozen
1 tbs. fresh sage, chopped
2 tbs. brown sugar
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

To prepare the Tuna:
3 lbs. tuna loin
¼ cup pomegranate molasses

For the Spice rub: In food processor, grind peppercorns and star anise until completely powdered. Add cumin seed and chamomile; grind until smooth and then add remaining ingredients. Set aside.

For the Polenta: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add onions and saute until soft. Add milk, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. When polenta is thick, pour onto a 9”x13” pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) then cut into fry shape. Heat plain oil in a large skillet. Cook polenta fries until crispy on all sides.

For the Blackberry Sage Chutney: Saute bacon in a skillet until lightly brown. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add liqueur and deglaze the pan. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to soften blackberries.

To prepare the tuna: Coat the tuna with the molasses. Dredge in spice mix and place in a very hot cast iron skillet. Sear tuna on both sides until dark in color, about 3 minutes per side. At this point it should be medium rare. If you like your fish more well done, continue cooking in a 400F oven. Slice and serve with polenta and chutney.

Up next: Dinner for Ken………………

December 30, 2009

Laziness – Thwarted (Recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala)

With all the holiday mayhem, I craved a simple dinner. The convenience food aisle at the supermarket beckoned my lazy alter-ego, and my taste buds responded with a cry out for Chicken Tikka Masala. Unfortunately, the market no longer carried my favorite brand of Indian simmer sauces, the prepared sauces that only require the addition of meat to create a complete “freshly prepared” meal.

I was left to my own devices… and a semi-well-stocked pantry.

I started with a recipe from Alosha’s Kitchen…and chicken from the freezer, canned tomatoes from the summer and left-over cream from lord-knows-what. But as I scanned the ingredient list, I realized modifications would be necessary.

I didn’t have yogurt to marinate the chicken, but I did have a scootch of left-over sour cream from this year’s latke-fest. I didn’t have garam malsala – an Indian spice blend – but did have most of the ingredients. And the recipe called for grilling the chicken first before simmering it – and I had no interest in adding the extra step of precooking the chicken, much less digging out the grill from under its blanket of snow. Instead, I added some smoked onions to the sauce to give it that extra depth.

This was a bit more labour intensive than I planned, but still only 20 minutes from start to finish. All-in-all a delicious dish!

From the garden: canned tomatoes and jalapenos

Here’s the original recipe with my modifications.
Chicken Tikka Masala
adapted from What's for Dinner via Alosha's Kitchen

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt (I used 2 tbs. sour cream)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
~~1 teaspoon red pepper flakes~~
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips or large cubes

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 smoked onion
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 jalapeno chile, minced (I used a smoked jalapeno leftover from the summer garden)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger + 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom + 1/8 tsp. clove + 1/4 tsp. cinnamon +1/8 tsp. cumin)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a small mixing bowl, combine everything on the marinade list, including the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is better.)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, ginger and jalapeño, and stir for a minute. Add the chicken and lightly brown. Stir in the seasonings, and salt. Add the tomato sauce, and stir for one minute. Add the half-and-half, and simmer, covered, until the sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through.

Serve with basmati rice or naan bread. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Happy New Year! Wishing you a sparkling and joyous year.

December 28, 2009

Alive and Kicking (Recipe: Corn and Scallop Soup)

A few years back, Whole Foods decided to abandon sales of live lobsters. Apparently, customers complained that this was cruel treatment to the feisty crustaceans. The whole thing seemed silly to me, as I can only imagine that the “free range chickens” live and die no better… it’s just a matter of what the consumer sees, I suppose.

In any case, it’s really not that hard to find lobsters elsewhere. Just ½ block from my local Whole Foods is Alive and Kicking. This little seafood market is set so far set back from the street that you could drive past it without even knowing it existed. And that’s just what I did… until just a few weeks ago.

Inside the market are a half dozen lobster tanks and a small display of fresh fish. The selection is small, but everything is impeccably fresh. I went there last week in search of lobsters for my new favorite dish, and walked out with a pound of scallops.

With left-over frost bitten greens and corn kernels from two summers ago (yes, it was time to clean out the freezer), I made a variation of corn and crab soup from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. The clean, light broth let the sweetness of the scallop shine. And the greens added brightness to the whole dish. It was the perfect first course before the richer Cantonese Lobster.

Corn and Greens Soup with Seared Scallops

1 pound corn kernels
5 cups chicken stock
1 tbs. freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. salt
5 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sliced scallions
½ pound braising greens (such as kale, collards, mustard, or a combination)
1 pound sea scallops
1 tbs. plain oil (canola or peanut)

In a large pot, combine corn, chicken stock and ginger. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Using a slotted spoon, strain out some of the corn (approximately half) and puree in a blender with one cup of the broth. Return pureed corn to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Wash the greens and slice them thinly. Add to the soup pot and cook for 3-5 minutes, just until they wilt. Remove pot from heat and set aside while you cook the scallops. (Alternatively, you can poach the scallops directly in the broth over medium heat for 5 minutes. If you do this, skip the next step).
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and set aside.
Bring the soup back to a simmer, turn off heat and fold in egg whites. Serve immediately, garnishing with scallops and scallions.

December 24, 2009

Refinement (Ginger Snap Cookies)

Molasses is the viscous byproduct of processing (refining) sugarcane into sugar. Its slightly bitter caramel taste gives gingerbread its unique flavor. It’s also the sugar source used in making rum.

The various phases of sugar refinement yield different colors of sugar – from dark brown to light brown and finally white sugar. Molasses can be added to white sugar to give the effect of brown sugar (1 tablespoon per cup of white sugar for light brown, 2 tablespoons per cup for dark brown). But when making gingersnap cookies, the extra kick of straight molasses is needed.

These spicy cookies are great on their own, as book-ends for ice-cream sandwiches or as a crunchy contrast to crème brulee.

The recipe comes from my pastry instructor Bo Friberg in cooking school, and now author of the authoritative book on professional baking. I usually make half the recipe at a time (which still yields quite a lot, maybe 5 dozen). I roll it into logs and freeze. Then, when I'm in the mood for cookies, I can slice off a few rounds to bake fresh.

Ginger Snap Cookies
(yields 5 dozen)

4 oz. (1 stick) soft butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ egg
½ cup molasses (to best measure molasses, oil the measuring cup first, then the molasses will come right out)
1 tbs. white vinegar
3 1/2 cups A/P flour (better yet, weigh out 14 oz.)
1 tbs. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cardamom

1. Beat butter and sugar until well combined. Incorporate eggs, molasses, and vinegar

2. Sift together flour, baking soda and spices. Add to butter mixture, and mix just until combined. Refrigerate.

3. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into ropes, and cut each rope into 30 pieces.

4. Form the pieces into round balls and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 375 for approximately 10 minutes.

December 21, 2009

Frost Bitten (Recipe: Savory Greens and Potatoes)

photo credit: Christine Bergmark, Even' Star Organic Farm

The process of breeding greens for winter-tolerance takes many years. Each spring, after the grueling winter winds have dissipated and the snow has melted, Farmer Brett inspects his fields for survivors. In a field of thousands of plants, maybe 10 have withstood the elements. Before the plants begin to flower, he transplants them within 50 feet of each other. When the plants flower, several weeks later, the bees can pollinate them. And after the plants flower, they generate seeds for subsequent years’ plantings. After several years of breeding out weak plants, Brett has robust and flavorful plants.

Last week, Brett came north to the New England Fruit and Vegetable Conference to talk about cold hardy greens and how New England farmers can adapt this process to the more severe winters.

He brought with him several varieties of greens for sampling and also for cooking dinners at the end of the meetings. The greens are spicy and full of flavor and texture. The overnight frosts that Maryland experienced (before the two feet of snow from two days ago), causes a chemical reaction in the plants which makes them sweeter.

The recipe for Savory Potatoes and Greens comes from his Winter CSA cookbook. I used basil from my garden (that I froze in August) to season the dish.

SAVORY VEGETARIAN GREENS AND POTATOES
3 average sized russet potatoes, washed but with skins on
salted water to cover
1 bag (gallon) any of our cooking greens
3 – 6 T mix of olive and neutral oils
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 t black pepper
½ to 1 t salt
½ bunch scallions
fresh herbs, or 1 t dried oregano, basil, or rosemary

1. Gently boil potatoes until just cooked (skins aren’t all coming off, and a sharp knife inserted into spud encounters a teeny resistance). Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. Let cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Use same water to barely blanch greens, and be sure to shock in an ice bath. Drain in colander, and push out all extra water. Chop coarsely. Set aside. In a heavy skillet (works best in seasoned cast iron), sauté onion and garlic ‘til barely soft. Add potatoes and fry, scraping pan bottom often and adding more oil if needed. When potatoes have started to brown, add greens, herbs, and chopped scallion. Cook two minutes more. If needed, season further before serving: this should be hearty, not bland.

2. Can nicely be served with a dollop of sour cream, or of home-made guacamole, or with grated cheddar or Monterey jack, on top. Also really good with 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed (added to skillet right before spuds go in) in lieu of or in addition to other herbs. Hot peppers complement the latter approach well.

December 19, 2009

Something Amazing

The other night, in need of a little pampering, I took myself to Oishii… Dining alone, I opted to sit at the bar so I could watch the sushi-chefs work their magic. I ordered the Truffle-Hamachi Make , and was quickly distracted into a "When Harry Met Sally" moment.

When I recovered, the couple next to me was struggling to understand and order from the menu. I felt bad for them since they seemed to expect a more traditional, "American-Style" Japanese experience. And I felt bad for the sushi-chef as he struggled to understand and accommodate their special requests.

I watched longer, the chef vacillating between indulgent creativity for a table enjoying the chef's tasting (omakase) and the restrained obedience of tuna tartar.

Most intrigued by the omakase, and desirous of something more, I asked the chef to make me "something amazing."

Indeed he did! Five spoons arrived on a plate… each filled with a most delightful taste — scallops with fried taro threads, a slab of tuna with mango and tempura seaweed, uni with ponzu foam, sea bream with ginger-daikon salad and otoro with truffle and gold leaf.