Recent cookbook acquisitions and inspiration.

My blog-friend Kim recently mused on what makes a good cookbook, and for her it’s one that can be a big cookbook that’s not only chock full of recipes, but also of guidance. I’m inclined to agree, but I don’t necessarily need a “big” cookbook to do the job–just one that gets the importance of header notes and can provide direction on what level of heat to use during the cooking process. I think the absence of the latter is the single-most important reason why so many people I know like slow-cookers so much: they don’t have to worry that they’re going to mess something up by not heating the pan up enough or too much or cook it for too long or not long enough, and they don’t have to stand sentinel over a pan to gauge something like doneness. I can’t say that I love that uncertainty myself, but I’ve made peace with it over the years as I’ve practiced and asked M and others for advice and pored over the most helpful cookbooks.

Meat thermometers help, too.

So when I allowed myself to go off a months-long, self-imposed cookbook purchase ban a few weeks ago, I had it in my head that any substantial purchase had to fit the bill of being useful as well as inspiring. The two little cookbooks I bought in Spain technically count as recent purchases but were gotten as souvenirs rather than to be folded into a regular cookbook rotation–that is, until my Spanish improves–but the three larger books pictured above were acquired under more rigorous standards.

El sabor de soledad, Michael in England edition.

Bucatini con pesto trapanese/Bucatini with Trapanese pesto

It was with very mixed emotion I said goodbye to Michael a few Saturdays ago—I was off to Pennsylvania for some early-birthday celebrations with my family, while he was getting ready to head to England for a near-week-long trip. This wasn’t the longest he’s ever been away, but it is the furthest, and not having him handy when I was cooking, even remotely, meant that I was really on my own when it came to meal planning that week. And unlike the last time he was away for a long stretch, I wouldn’t have nearly enough time as I have in the past to plan my meals; after all, there was a Clásico to watch, and a barbell to lift, and groceries to buy on Sunday once I returned home from the Stamford train station. Fortunately, I was wise enough to ask for Made in Sicily for my birthday from my family, so I had a quiet ride on the Keystone to flip through its sizable pages.

It’s a pretty exhaustive tome on all things Sicilian that’s heavy on the vegetable, pasta, and seafood dishes, and it made me wish a few times at least that my birthday was a little earlier on the calendar so I’d have more time to take advantage of the many delicious tomato dishes on display. Other recipes definitely intrigued me until I realized the called for bottarga or uni (i.e. sea urchin roe), two ingredients that aren’t exactly cheap here in the U.S., but perhaps if I’m feeling particularly adventurous (and flush with cash), there may come a time to treat myself if only to try it in the future. I settled on a recipe that I had seen before, but never made from this book: a pesto trapanese that was exactly what I wanted: a fresh sauce made thicker by the inclusion of almonds and more refreshing with a healthy addition of mint. It may not need the processing I put it through via the blender, but I prefer a blended  pesto over a very rustic one, and I loved how it coated every strand of the bucatini.

Programming note. (Leaving New York, never easy; I saw the light fading out)

After an eventful afternoon of traveling (involving the Metro-North, subway and Amtrak as well as an ill-fated cab ride that made me miss my desired train and entailed me screaming at the dispatch while I waited for the next one), we’re safely ensconced in Pennsylvania for the rest of the week.  As a result, posting will be very light until next week while we eat delicious food and hang out at Victory, but we at the Manhattan [food] Project wish you a happy, healthy and savory Thanksgiving!  Cin cin!

Ispirazione! (links edition)

It’s been a bit of a crazy week with Michael being sick (hence his lack of presence here–he’ll be back next week, I promise!), but I still found some fun links to share with you this week:

• I’m always on the lookout for creative ways to present data, and GOOD magazine’s Infographics seldom disappoint.  Earlier this week they did a chart on the top 10 and bottom 10 meat-consuming countries in the world, and the way that they quantify the data is, to say the least, creative.  (from Serious Eats)
• Hosting a football party this weekend?  Here are some great, classic recipes that keep your guests full and happy (unless there’s some B.S. play) (from dinnercraft)
• The battle of chicken eggs versus duck eggs–I have to say that I’m intrigued.. (from Saveur)
• Siamese fruit! Must more be said?  (from Slashfood)

And with that, I bid you adieu until next week.  Are you planning any special meals for the weekend?  Tell me all about it in the comments!

Ispriazione! (links edition)

My Google reader is chock full of great food blogs (amongst others), and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I turn to them often for meal inspiration.  So every once in a while I’ll share with you some of the recent posts, articles and the like that are making me very, very hungry:

• Mark Bittman’s pasta e fagioli con le cozze, or pasta with beans and mussels, sounds SO delicious.  He’s one of my favorite resources for slap-dash meal ideas, and I cannot wait to try this out soon.
• Cheese or font? This has been making the rounds today, and it’s a delightful distraction.  It also combines two of my very favorite things–typography and cheese.
• While I wait for Michael’s take on our own adventures in grilled whole fish, amuse yourself with The Wednesday Chef’s tale of grilled orata…
• This brings me back to where we spent our honeymoon (because it’s where we stayed), and the bread recipe looks utterly heavenly.
• I’m not much of a stew girl by nature (lamb stew is one of the few exceptions) but this concoction by the Kitchen Witch looks particularly intriguing–and I love the idea of dinner by committee.

Have you seen anything particularly delicious, interesting or amusing?  Feel free to let loose in the comments.

08.08.09: dinner (Cacio e pepe, Sicilian-style)

Cacio e pepe, Sicilian-style

There are few things that delight me more than the unexpected dinner party among close friends (though planned dinner parties come close), so when L told me while shopping that her husband wouldn’t be finished his round of golf until 8:30, I knew a dinner invitation was in order.  It’s become a tradition of sorts–when she finds herself on her own for dinner, whether during the week or on the weekend, we usually urge her to come over to our place as we tend to make too much food anyway.  For this meal, we made more than enough to feed six; fortunately for us, that meant we’d have leftovers for at least three days.

The menu that night was simple:  breaded veal cutlets as an appetizer, and cacio e pepe along with sauteed leeks and fennel for the main course, all inspired (at least in part) by an article I read a few months ago in the Times that extolled the delights of Roman trattorias and the simple pastas that are part of the experience.  Never one to pass up a chance to combine pasta and cheese together, I set off to Romeo’s to get what I needed. The traditional dish calls for pecorino romano, but all Romeo had was pecorino siciliano–but it was riddled with whole black peppercorns.  Perfetto.  Having bought a half-pound of that, two boxes of pasta (because we were hungry), along with some veal cutlets, fennel and leeks, it was time to start cooking.

Veal breading station

Michael was in charge of the veal, and he saw it as a way to atone for some less-than-stellar (in his mind, anyway) veal cutlets we’ve had in the past.  In the interest of trying something new, I suggested using some rosemary along with panko breadcrumbs instead of regular old Italian-style ones, with the thought that they would pair more effectively with the veal.  Using panko also mitigates guilt in using store-bought crumbs at all, given how difficult it is to make them on your own.  Don’t believe me?  Look for the episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown attempts to make them in his kitchen.  Bottom line:  if he suggests buying them from the store, you know that it’s not worth the time and aggravation to do it yourself.  If you’re hoping to save some money, also make a point of buying in bulk–I bought a big bag at Whole Foods for much less than buying a box at a normal grocery store.

This ended up being the perfect way to have a little meat in an otherwise grain, cheese and veggie-heavy meal, and when sprinkled with a little lemon juice, these cutlets seem to sing in our mouths.

The pasta, fortunately, could not be more simple to do–this is a great dish to get your kids in the kitchen, and it’s also a wonderful dish to entertain with thanks to its short ingredient list and even shorter instructions.  Follow me after the jump to find my take on this classic, as well as see Michael’s finished cutlets:

5.18.09: dinner.

Panko-coated Cod with Safflower Orzo and Red Onions

One of my favorite facets of regularly cooking in your home is the possibility for food substitution and experimentation.  Often, food substitutes are employed because of allergies or dietary restrictions, and while that’s not the crux of my current discourse, it certainly still applies.  My focus today is experimentation for its own sake, the idea of creating something new and delicious completely on your own.  Most people assume that creating recipes is a ground-up process, and while that can be true, I think it’s much easier and more fulfilling (especially for the novice) to modify existing preparations and in doing so make them your own.

In an effort to find a new and still healthy way to prepare all the good, inexpensive cod that’s been available lately, I  did a little digging and found that using panko instead of standard breadcrumbs can make for a crispier coating while still employing the oven.    Mixing the panko with a little olive oil and a few choice spices makes a terrific topping for the fish that gets super-crunchy without burning during cooking (the cod gets done at 400 F after about 20-25 min).

To go with it, I was reminded of my wife’s love of orzo pasta.  Recently, I found myself combing a grocery store for saffron.  The only bottle I found cost nearly $20 and contained far more of the stuff than I needed.  About to give up, I checked the organic spice section and found a large container of ‘organic American saffron’ for less than $3.  I found this notion of the organic product being far, far cheaper than the normal confusing until I read the box.  Organic American Saffron is not harvested from the standard crocus, but rather form the American safflower plant.  I imagine harvesting a huge field of flowers to get three tiny saffron threads would be nearly impossible with organic farming methods.  So, created for a completely unrelated reason, I found an extremely cheap saffron substitute.  Now, it’s not *quite* as good as normal saffron.  The flavor’s not quite as good and it doesn’t make your food quite so yellow, but it costs about $4 for an ounce, instead of over $100.  Proper (or ‘Spanish’) organic saffron is also available, for about $200 per oz.

The American stuff is a wonderful addition to pasta and rice (simmer 1 tsp in your cooking water for 5-10 minutes before bringing to a boil and adding your starch)  and for the weeknight gourmet it’s more than adequate, espeically considering the price.

The PISMO cometh. again.

It’s that time again. Anyone who watches TV will tell you that there’s nothing but commercials for lawn furniture and Bobby Flay marathons on so it must be grillin’ season. We get a lot of traffic about the whole beef tenderloin, known in butcher parlance as the ‘PISMO’ (peeled, side meat on). As anyone who is a fan of Good Eats will tell you, these huge specimens can yield 8-10 wonderful Filet Mignons along with a Chateaubriand and meat to spare. I have priced these at my local BJ’s price club for $45-60. This is certainly not cheap, but consider this- bringing one of these to a cookout almost certainly will make you the culinary hero of the day and when all is said and done, all you have to do is squirrel away the other bits and you have a considerable amount of leftover, top-quality cow to for yourself. Because in the end, isn’t the most important mouth to feed your own?

Allow me to reiterate that the best guide for this is the Good Eats episode, so let’s say I’m adding my voice to AB’s for the sake of enrichment and exploration. So this Saturday I’m taking the PISMO to task again and I’ll chronicling the step-by-step approach and the results, for better or for worse. Flame On!

Oh, to tide you over, I found an online version of the seminal GE episode for your viewing enjoyment (as long as it stays up, anyway)

Homemade Duck Ham!

Sliced Duck Ham and Manchego

Maybe as a scientist you’d think I’d get sick of doing experiments, but I really don’t, especially when it comes to making crazy/yummy foodstuffs in my kitchen.  Our most recent undertaking is motivated solely by the fact that Elizabeth and I share an insatiable love of prosciutto and will go to great lengths and expense to get our hands on the good stuff.  

The scrumptious endeavor pictured above and below was a confluence of fortunate circumstance.  One Saturday, I found several vacuum-packed duck breasts at the groceria, presumably my intrepid butcher must have ordered but they failed to sell at market value.  They were heavily marked-down, so much so that I bought pretty much all of them and chucked them into my freezer.  Slip forward a few weeks and lo and behold, my dear wife comes across a recipe for ‘duck ham’ promising to be, essentially, a homemade prosciutto.  

The preparation was remarkably simple- essentially just remove most of the duck skin, cover it on all sides with salt, some sugar and a little dried spice of your choice (dried thyme or better yet Zahtar), wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 24 hours.  No heat, no turning, no air-curing, no additional fuss.

We sliced into this baby boy the following day and boy was it INCREDIBLE.  It was as good as any prosciutto and we did it all at home with 15 minutes of time and 24 hours of waiting.  Two notes- first of all, I recommend spending some quality time getting as much salt as possible before you consume and maybe let it sit in the freezer to stiffen slightly before slicing.  One problem with homemade prosciutto is that the TBYK kitchen isn’t equipped with a Berkel slicer.  Yet.

 

Duck Ham, minus the first cut

Ispirazione!

This is my favorite ad of the last two years or so–I love the fact that they took some otherwise cliched, dated concepts and made them modern and (pardon the pun) fresh, all the while promoting simple pleasures–it’s an ad that feels right for right now, without being heavy-handed on the “it’s a RECESSION!” message that so many companies are adopting.

Oh, and ever since I’ve seen this I’ve a.) wanted to make acres of pizza bianca and pizza rossa, and b.) eat endless quantities of pizza from Modern and Bar.

One of the two will come true sooner than later–I’m sensing a pizza dough making session Sunday morning, and it will be good.