Episode 11: Kitchen Tour (Special Video Edition!)

Posted on May 31, 2009 by zora

This week, I show you around my pretty modest, unfancy kitchen, and show you some of the (also not-fancy) cooking tools that are the most useful in any functional space. Editing (and kibbitzing) by Peter.

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I can’t emphasize enough how you don’t need anything expensive or fancy to cook well. I have never worked in a spiffy kitchen with a high-end stove (except in a restaurant kitchen, of course–and I admit, I do miss those super high-power flames!), and never had a matching set of anything.

In fact, some of the best tools for cooking are the cheapest: cast-iron skillets, for instance, can be gotten preseasoned (that is, treated so they have a slick, nonstick finish) for just $20 or so. Your one big investment should be in a good chef’s knife, but even that you can delay until you really know what you’re getting into.

The most important thing is to organize your kitchen so everything is in logical reach. Set up a system and stick with it–even if that means labeling your shelves (that’s what we do). Think about what you need at the stove, what you need by your cutting board, etc.

As you’ll see in the video, we keep our pots and pans out, not hidden behind cupboard doors. In previous apartments, we’ve actually taken the doors off the cupboards, which not only makes it easier to get at things, but it also makes your kitchen seem bigger.

Episode 10: Date-and-Cinnamon Bulgur Pilaf, Quick-Pickled Green Beans and Macerated Strawberries

Posted on May 24, 2009 by zora

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This week, I make an easy pilaf with Middle Eastern flavors: dates and cinnamon, plus salty feta. Green beans pickled with dill and garlic are on the side, and for dessert, we have a quick trick for making strawberries taste their best. It’s all quite quick, and ideal for hot weather, when you don’t want the stove on for too long.

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Date-and-Cinnamon Bulgur Pilaf

I got the basic idea for this pilaf from the excellent Moosewood Cookbook Cooks at Home, which I recommend as a good beginner cookbook even if you don’t happen to be vegetarian. (See my blog, Roving Gastronome, for more about what’s great about the book.) In that cookbook, the base is precooked rice, and that works very well. I just like the chewy texture of bulgur, and it cooks very quickly. You can use whatever combination of ground or whole spices you happen to have.

For about 4 servings
1-2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 medium onion
Pinch salt
6 large dates
Large pinch ground cinnamon, plus 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Pinch ground allspice, plus 5 or 6 whole allspice berries (all optional)
1 1/2 cups bulgur (no. 2 grind, ideally)
2 1/4 cups water
Large handful pine nuts or almonds
Large handful parsley
Feta cheese, however much you like (goat cheese also works)

In a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, melt your butter or heat your olive oil over medium heat. Slice up your onion and toss it in, along with a generous pinch of salt. While the onions are softening up, slice up your dates into smallish bite-size pieces, then toss them in with the onions. Add the cinnamon and allspice and stir. Once the onions are soft and translucent, pour in the bulgur and stir to coat with oil (add a tiny bit more if you need to). Then pour in the water, give a good stir and put the lid on. Let the mix come to a boil, then turn down to the lowest simmer.

While the bulgur is simmering, chop your parsley coarsely. In heavy skillet over high heat, toast the pine nuts until just golden brown; immediately remove from the hot pan when they’re done. Set out your feta (or goat) cheese.

Check your bulgur after about 10 minutes. You want it to be chewy, and all of the water should be absorbed–if it’s still crunchy, put the lid back on for another minute or two. A lot depends on the weight of your pot and the flame on your stove. It’s OK if the bottom layer gets a bit dried and stuck to the bottom of the pot, but be careful not to let it scorch. If the bulgur is sticking and the texture is good, but the whole mix is still a bit moist, turn off the heat, fluff the bulgur up with a fork and leave the lid off for a few minutes, to let some of the steam dissipate.

Serve with parsley (you can mix it in with the bulgur, or sprinkle it on each serving) and toasted pine nuts–sprinkle these over the top, so they don’t get soggy. Set a slab of feta cheese on the side, or crumble it over the top.

Leftovers are good at room temperature; be sure to store any extra pine nuts separately, so they keep their texture.

Quick-Pickled Green Beans

This is a great, simple treatment for green beans, and works for other crispy or relatively firm vegetables as well. You can vary the herbs and spices that go in as well–though if you had many more spices, you should probably remove the green herbs altogether, or the flavors will get too muddled. Dried herbs can work nearly as well as fresh–if you’re using them, add them to the vinegar mix just at the end of the boiling, so they get a bit rehydrated.

For about 3 side servings
2-3 large handfuls green beans (about 1 lb.)
Large handful fresh dill (or 1 heaping tbsp dried dill)
3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly crushed (or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced fine or pressed)
Large pinch red pepper flake (optional)
About 1/3 cup cider vinegar (or other fruity variety)
Small dab honey or sugar, less than 1/2 teaspoon

Set large pot of generously salted water on to boil. Rinse beans and snap stem ends off; remove tips if soft. Rinse dill and chop coarsely; set in a large stainless-steel bowl. Boil beans for about 1 minute, until bright green and just barely soft, then set in bowl with dill.

While beans are boiling, combine garlic, red pepper, vinegar and honey in a small nonreactive (stainless steel) saucepan and boil for 1-2 minutes. Pour hot liquid over beans and dill, stir to combine and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Taste for salt right before serving–it may need a little extra. The flavor will develop the longer they sit, and they keep for several days in the fridge.

Macerated Strawberries

This is an excellent treatment for good strawberries, and it also helps save ones that aren’t quite as good as they should be. For two people, simply wash, trim and roughly slice about six big strawberries. Place in a bowl and dust with a small amount of sugar–only about 1/2 tsp. Then sprinkle over about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, just enough to coat the berries. (If in doubt, add less, not more–there should just be a slight slick of vinegar in the bowl, not a pool in the bottom.)

Let sit for at least 20 minutes, but not more than a couple of hours. The strawberries will give off some of their juices–combined with the sugar and vinegar, it makes a very light syrup. The strawberries are great on ice cream, or with Greek yogurt.

Note: In the podcast, I use a bit of oxymeli, rather than balsamic vinegar. It’s extremely delicious, and more complex, but I’m not sure the stuff is easily available. Still, if you happen to see it, it’s an intriguing treat…

Vacation

Posted on May 17, 2009 by zora

Cooking in Real Time is on vacation this week. Back next week with more recipes!

Episode 9: Asparagus Omelette and Watercress Salad

Posted on May 10, 2009 by zora

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This week, I make a very quick omelette for dinner, along with the simplest of all side salads–just pick a good tasty green, and let that do all the work for you. The omelette filling is only a suggestion–it’s really up to you.

Note: Cooking in Real Time will be on vacation next week, May 17.

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Omelette with Asparagus, Mushroom and Goat Cheese

Endlessly variable, a delicate French-style omelette like this makes a great dinner. Get creative with leftovers from your fridge, mixing various cheeses, herbs and vegetables. One of the best combos I ever came up with was cream cheese and ajvar, a Balkan red pepper spread–invented only because they were the last two things in the fridge (both have a long shelf life).

For one omelette
2 small shallots, half a small onion or one scallion
1 large mushroom
1 spear asparagus
Butter
Small sprig tarragon (or any other fresh herb you have; totally optional)
About 2 tbsp soft goat cheese
2 eggs
Salt

Chop up your shallot in relatively small pieces, your mushroom into large pieces and your asparagus into thin rounds.

Melt about 1 tsp butter in a small (6 inches or so) nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the shallot and fry, stirring, until translucent. Add the asparagus and mushroom, turn the heat down to medium, and let cook until spotted brown, stirring occasionally.

Rinse your tarragon and tear the leaves into a bowl. When the vegetable mix is done, scrape that into the bowl with the tarragon.

Crumble the goat cheese into another small bowl, or at least break it into a few clumps. (If you’re using a firmer cheese, grate it as finely as you possibly can, ideally with a Microplane.)

With a fork, briefly whisk your two eggs together with a pinch of salt, just until white and yolk are combined.

Wipe your skillet clean if necessary and add another 1 tsp of butter. Let it melt over high heat, swirling the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides. When the foam has just subsided, pour in your eggs. Let set for about 5 seconds, while you rinse out your egg bowl. Start jiggling the pan to create a little texture in the eggs. With a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, quickly poke small holes in the bottom of the omelette and tilt the pan to fill the holes with liquid egg.

When most of the egg is set but there is still a film of liquid egg on the surface, take the skillet off the heat and turn off the burner. Lay the cheese across the center of the omelette, perpendicular to the handle, then add the filling. Fold one third of the omelette over itself, then tip the omelette onto a plate.

Serve promptly, with good buttered bread or toast.

Watercress Salad

Rinse a big handful of watercress well, in at least two changes of water. Dry and place in a salad bowl. Drizzle on a very small amount of olive oil and toss to coat the leaves. Lightly squeeze half a lemon over the salad, and add a pinch of salt. Toss again, and you’re done.

You can also use arugula or sweet dandelion greens (where “sweet” means relatively less bitter).

Episode 8: How to Make an Omelette (Special Video Edition!)

Posted on May 3, 2009 by zora

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This week, I show you how to make a really good basic omelette. I’m doing it on video because it’s quick, and it’s the sort of thing you have to see to believe. It’s also an attempt to correct some very poor omelette-making advice by the Amateur Gourmet (more commentary on this on my blog). With this technique, you get a fluffy, tender omelette with perfectly melted cheese–and you don’t have to do any fiddly flipping. In a future episode, I’ll do an audio-only version, making an omelette as part of a full meal.

(Apologies…this takes a while to load. Watch on YouTube for faster service.)

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One of the keys to a good omelette is the size of the pan, as you don’t want the eggs to be too deep or too thin in the pan. I usually make a two-egg omelette (three eggs is just too much of a project) and use a 6-inch skillet. For a three-egg omelette, I’d use an 8-inch skillet.

You also want to have your cheese and any other filling prepared beforehand, and you should grate your cheese as finely as you can. I use a Microplane zester.

Contrary to the advice of the Amateur Gourmet (or, to be fair, his chef mentor in the video), you don’t want to whisk your eggs a lot. The fluffiness of the omelette comes not from whipping air into them beforehand, but in how you treat them in the pan–you want to give them high heat to set the bottom up, but ultimately not let the eggs get too hot all the way through.

After that, you just have to watch the video to see… The real key to success is knowing it’s OK to turn off the heat while the eggs are still a bit runny. When you get the hang of it, you’ll have a very satisfying addition to your kitchen repertoire.

Episode 7: Pad Thai and Cucumber Salad

Posted on April 26, 2009 by zora

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This week, I demonstrate the relative ease with which you can make this takeout staple for your own sweet self. Plus, absolutely no wok required! The shopping list might look a little daunting, but all the odd stuff will keep in your pantry a very long time, so whenever you have a pad thai craving, you just have to pick up the few fresh ingredients. The cucumber salad on the side is cool and refreshing, and just generally good to know.

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Preserved radish (click to enlarge)

Dried shrimp (click to enlarge)

Varieties of tamarind concentrate: Goya frozen, Thai unsweetened, Mexican sweetened (click to enlarge)

Pad Thai

The various ingredients are all worth tracking down for the extra flavor and texture they add, but the most important element is the tamarind, which adds the crucial sourness. Before you start, make sure you have your counters cleared and a lot of little bowls at the ready–you’ll want to keep each prepped element separate. Also, you can prep the various items in any order–the order I do it in the podcast is random, just as things popped to mind. You may devise a smarter system.

For 2 dinner servings, and very generous lunch leftovers; could serve 3 hungry people for dinner, or even 4 not-so-hungry people

Set to soak in very hot tap water to cover:
8 oz. rice noodles

Peel the shells off:
5-6 oz. small shrimp (about 16)

Pat dry and chop into 1/2-inch-or-so cubes:
3-4 oz. firm tofu

Set in separate bowls:

1-2 shallots

2 garlic cloves

2 eggs

2 tsp water

Large pinch salt

Green parts of 2-3 scallions

2-3 tbsp sweet preserved radish or turnip

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup fish sauce

Generous 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate

Scant 1/4 cup sugar

Large pinch cayenne pepper

1-2 tbsp tiny dried shrimp

Large glug peanut or vegetable oil

*You may want to make a little extra of this sauce, in case your noodles get a little dry in the final cooking, or if you think you might be craving pad thai again within the week.

Garnishes, all in separate bowls:

2-3 cups bean sprouts

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Green parts from 1-2 scallions

Leaves from half a bunch or so of cilantro

2 limes

*If you’ll be eating only part of the pad thai for dinner, and saving the rest, of course scale back the garnishes as necessary. If you have extras, store them separately from the pad thai so they stay fresh and crunchy.

When you’ve got everything prepped–or at least everything up to the garnishes–heat up a big cast-iron skillet on high. Add:
Big glug peanut oil (ideally; veg oil is fine too)

Toss in the tofu and fry, without stirring, until the tofu has a little crispiness on one side; stir to flip the cubes over and fry a bit longer. (This will take longer than you think, so you can use this time to prep the rest of your garnishes.) Then remove the tofu from the pan and set aside back in its bowl.

Add a little more oil to the pan if it’s looking dry, then toss in the shrimp and spread them out in a single layer. As soon as you can see pinkness creeping up the sides, flip them. By the time you’re done flipping them over, the first ones can come out–total cooking time is 1 minute, absolute max. Remove the shrimp from the pan and toss them in with the tofu.

Add a little more oil to the pan, then toss in the shallots and garlic. Fry until fragrant and just browning.

Then add the eggs, and stir a little and fry until set (as in photo), then break into chunks with your spoon.

Drain the noodles, if you haven’t already, and add them to the pan and give them a quick stir. Then pour in the tamarind sauce mixture. There will be quite a lot of liquid. Turn the heat down to medium and let the noodles simmer for about 1 minute, just until the noodles have absorbed a lot, but not all, of the liquid–there should still be visible sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Toss in the scallions and the preserved radish. Stir to combine, and just let the scallions wilt (you might want to crank up the heat again very briefly). Finally, after about another 30 seconds, when the noodles are sticky but not dripping in sauce, turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner as you stir in the shrimp and tofu. (If in doubt, turn off the heat early–you don’t want your noodles to dry out and glom together.)

Let everything sit in the pan for a minute, for the flavors to meld, then serve up on plates, topped with bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, and fresh squeezes of lime.

Cucumber Salad

This cool, crunchy salad is a nice counterpoint to pad thai. It also goes well with just about any Asian-style stir fry. You can use any combination of shallot and/or scallion, or even red onion, and whatever kind of chili you have around. And, though, I don’t do it in the podcast because it would be too repetitious with the pad thai, you can also add cilantro.

Serves 2
2 small cucumbers, or most of a large one
1 large shallot, or the white parts of 2 scallions
1/2 jalapeno, or green or red bird’s-eye chili
3-4 tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 tsp water
1-2 tsp sugar
Pinch salt

Peel the cucumbers and slice lengthwise, then into half-rounds, as thin as you have patience for. Slice the shallot in thin half-rings, or the scallions in rings. Slice the jalapeno in rings, discarding the seeds if you like. Combine all this in a bowl, then add the vinegar, water, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Let sit about 20 minutes if you have the time.

Pad Thai on Foodista Pad Thai

Episode 6: Recipe Decoder: Coconut Bread Pudding

Posted on April 19, 2009 by zora

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This week, I read through a recipe a friend brought me. She had eaten the dish and gotten the recipe, but it seemed very complicated. In this episode, I go through line by line to see where shortcuts can be taken, then compare it with another bread pudding recipe to show how the techniques differ–and which one is better for home cooks.

The main recipe I’m looking at is Coconut Bread Pudding, by Laurent Tourondel. It was originally printed in the New York Times, and I’m reposting it here for the people who aren’t already registered at our fine newspaper of record’s website.
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