The Goose, the Whole Goose, and Nothing But the Goose

Wiehnachtsgans (Viennese Christmas Goose)

SchiltzFoods, Inc. is America's largest goose farm. Established in 1944, Schiltz geese are raised free range in the natural rhythm of the geese. If you have never experienced a roasted goose you are in for a treat.

Weihnachtsgans (Viennese Christmas Goose)

The Goose:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim off goose wing tips, put into a small pot, and set aside. Prick skin all over with the tip of a paring knife. Rub bird, inside and out, with marjoram, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Stud apples and onions with cloves, and then stuff into cavity of bird. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Heat oil in a large heavy roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add goose and cook until browned all over, about 15 minutes. Set goose aside. Drain off fat from pan into a medium bowl and set aside. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add wine and 1 cup water and cook, scraping browned its stuck to bottom of pan with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes. Transfer goose, breast side up, to pan and roast until skin begins to get crisp, 35-45 minutes. Siphon off fat in pan with a bulb baster (add it to bowl with fat), leaving any pan juices in pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting goose until juices run clear when pricked and skin is brown and crisp, 35-50 minutes more, siphoning off fat from pan once or twice as it roasts. Meanwhile, add stock to pot with wing tips and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. Strain stock, discarding solids, and set aside.

The Apples:

Soak raisins in rum in a small bowl until plump, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples, leaving bottoms intact, and put into a medium baking dish, hole side up. Drain raisins, then stuff into apple cavities and top each with a piece of butter. Add 1 cup water to dish, cover with foil, and bake until apples are soft but still intact, 45-50 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and keep apples warm in oven.

The Dumplings:

Put potatoes into a large pot of salted water and boil over medium-high heat until soft, 25-30 minutes. Drain and set aside to let rest until just cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil over high heat. Peel potatoes, then press through a potato ricer onto a clean surface. Gather potatoes while still warm into a mound and make a well in the center. Add 2 cups of the flour, eggs, butter, and 1 tbsp salt to well and gently knead bread dough until smooth, adding up to 4 tbsp more flour if dough is too tacky. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Lightly flour your hands and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Working in 2 batches, add dough balls to pot of water, reduce heat to medium, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until dumplings float and are cooked through 20-25 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a warm plate, cover with foil, and keep warm in oven with apples.

The Cabbage:

Heat 3 tbsp of the reserved goose fat (save remaining fat for another use) in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft 4-5 minutes. Add cabbage and apples and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in wine, orange juice, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is very soft, 35-45 minutes. Keep warm over lowest heat.

The Chestnuts

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chestnuts and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Add cream and honey and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and chestnuts are glazed, 4-5 minutes. Cover skillet and keep warm over lowest heat.

To Complete

Discard kitchen twine and apples and onions from cavity of goose. Put goose on a large serving platter and allow to rest 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, drain fat from pan, then set pan on top of stove and heat over medium-high heat. Add reserved stock, scraping browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, and boil until reduced by one-quarter, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then strain gravy into a warm gravy boat.

To serve:

Fill goose cavity with warm chestnuts. Put cabbage next to goose on platter. Arrange apples and dumplings around goose. Moisten goose and cabbage with some of the gravy. Garnish dumplings with parsley. Serve gravy on the side.

Graupensuppe (German Barley Soup)

Graupensuppe (German Barley Soup)

Fall is soup time and nothing quite hits the spot like a hardy barley soup. In Germany barley soup is an "Eintopf" - a one-pot meal. It uses the classic "Suppengrün" mixture (mirepoix) of leek, celery root and carrot, plus potatoes and bacon for substance. This recipe is adapted from Klaus Weiler, the chef at Weinhaus Weiler in Oberwesel, Germany. It appeared in the Saveur November 2011 issue on The Art of Soup.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup pearl barley
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup white wine

½ cup finely chopped peeled russet potato
½ cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup finely chopped celery root
½ cup finely chopped leek
2 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried marjoram
2 German sausages, like bockwurst or bratwurst
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup thinly sliced flat-leaf parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add barley, and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add stock, potato, carrot, celery root, leek, marjoram, Swiss chard, button mushrooms, bay leaf, whole sausages, and bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausages are tender, about 35 minutes. Remove sausages and bacon from saucepan, thinly slice sausages, and discard bacon. Season soup with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. To serve, ladle soup into 8 serving bowls, and garnish with parsley and sliced sausage.

Try to find ‘real’ German sausages – bockwurst or bratwurst – freshly made. The 100-year-entombed, cryrovac-packed silicon casing tubes offered in supermarkets just don’t make the cut. You should be able to easily ‘tear’ the sausage into chunks.

Kids should know where real food comes from

Basque Roasted Pepper Soup

piment d’Espelette

Basque Roasted Pepper Soup

This sweet, smoky pepper soup was adapted from “The Basque Kitchen” by Gerald Hirigoyen. His restaurant in San Francisco is a rustic joy. The inspiration came from our Backroads.com, Pays Basque, Rustic Inns hiking trip to Spain and France in 2005. In my considered opinion this beautiful hike through the provinces of Pays Basque in the Pyrenees Mountains is one of the great culinary experiences in the world.

The Basques would use their famous piment d’Espelette (peppers) for this soup - the entire town of Espelette turns red with garlands of these smoky red peppers when hung out to dry each summer. I have found that pimento peppers, New Mexico peppers or any pungent small red pepper works just as well. The Basques grind their dried peppers into a sweet powder that you can order on line. In this recipe I used Aleppo ground chili pepper. The wonderful result is a soup that can be served either hot or cold.

4      pimento peppers (medium size), roasted, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1      jalapeño pepper, roasted, seeded, skinned and chopped

2      banana peppers, roasted, peeled, deseeded and chopped

½     Vidalia onion, chopped

1      carrot, chopped

2      stalks of celery, chopped

2      cloves of garlic, minced

½     cup of olive oil

2      medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1      tablespoon crushed Aleppo chili pepper (or any crushed red pepper)

1      28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

1      32-ounce container of organic chicken stock

1      tablespoon Kosher salt

        ground black pepper to taste

        assorted fresh herbs, chopped finely

        sour cream or Greek yogurt, garnish

        chives, chopped for garnish

Preparation:   Roast the peppers in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes or until just charred – reserve to cool. In a stockpot sauté in olive oil the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until soft. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and potatoes and bring to a simmer. When the peppers are cool, remove their skins and deseed – chop and add to the soup. Add the pepper flakes, salt, ground black pepper and chopped herbs. Bring to a quick boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. When the soup has cooled use a blender to puree the soup in batches.

Presentation:  If serving the soup hot, return the soup to the burner and heat for serving. Garnish with a tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt and chopped chives. If serving cold put the soup in the refrigerator for at least three hours and present the same way.

Eating Well Inexpensively

One of the myths of healthy whole foods is that they are expensive. I take issue with this and present this recipe as a case in point.

Constructed Chicken & Baby Potato Salad – Two servings

Ingredients.

½               Cooked chicken breast, cut into quarter-inch slices [Buy an organic roasting chicken two-pack at Costco for $9.99 – ½ chicken breast equals $2.50]

2                Fresh farm eggs, hard boiled, shelled and split in two [I buy a dozen farmers eggs a week at the Farmers Market for $6.00 a dozen - $1.00 for two eggs]

1                Bunch farmers market red lettuce [$  .50].

10              Baby organic potatoes, boiled [$1.50]

½               Vidalia onion, sliced thin [$  .50]

                  Herbs to taste.

                  Salt and pepper to taste.

2                Tablespoons butter [$  .25].

Total entrée cost - $3.12 per person.

Preparation.

Roast your chicken as you prefer and bring to room temperature or reserve in the refrigerator. Boil the baby potatoes until tender, bring to room temperature and toss with half the butter, herbs and salt and pepper. Sauté the sliced onion in half the butter until just lightly browned. Add to the potatoes and toss.

Presentation.

On two salad dishes arrange the lettuce on half of each plate. Display the sliced chicken across the lettuce. Spoon the potatoes and onions on the other side of each dish. Place the egg haves in between. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top. Salt and pepper to your taste. Lightly splash with a simple vinaigrette and serve.

The Government Knew About Bacteria in Turkey


Find a butcher you trust and grind your own meat. Factory meat contains flesh from hundreds of animal or birds, increasing the odds of contamination.

Golden Corn Cakes

These light and succulent fresh corn cakes are adapted from the recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, a chef with four cafés in London, and Nopi in Soho NYC - http://www.nopi-restaurant.com/ - Yotam celebrates Middle Eastern flavors and vegetarian virtues. These corn cakes are light, crunchy and flavorful and accent the best of fresh summer corn from your roadside stand.

                                Corn Cakes

½             cup quick-cook polenta or fine-ground cornmeal

1 ¾          cups corn kernels, cut from 1-2 ears of corn, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute

1              small shallot, diced fine – about 3 tablespoons

½             cup chopped red pepper

½             jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed (more if you like heat)

½             teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly smashed

¾             teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning at the end

¼             teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning at the end

¾             cup Greek yogurt

3              tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for frying

3              eggs, separated

Cilantro Salad

4              cups arugula

1              tablespoon lemon juice

½ - 1        cup cilantro leaves
                     olive oil to taste

Garnish

                Sour cream

Preparation:  (1) In a large bowl mix the corn meal, corn, shallots, jalapeño, cumin, salt and pepper. Add yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and one egg yolk (reserve the other two yolks for another use). Mix well with a fork. It will form a fairly thick paste.  (2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully fold the whites into the corn paste in two stages. This will change the consistency to a batter. Let rest for 5 minutes.  (3) Make the dressing by whisking 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.  (4) Set a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1 teaspoon olive oil. When hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of batter per cake until the pan is full. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden. Flip and cook 1 minute. Transfer to a paper-lined tray.  (5) Toss the cilantro and arugula. Add the dressing and toss again and season.

Presentation:  Serve the corn cakes with a dollop of sour cream and the salad on the side. We served this with an heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad with basil vinaigrette, along with a crisp Italian white wine - Italian Gavi, Mosby Cortese.

Just the Way Hemingway Cooked His Trout (but in a fry pan on a fire and absent the smoker)

Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Trout With Tarragon

Saveur magazine, BBQ Nations, issue 139

12 slices bacon

2 whole rainbow trout (about 1 lb. each), cleaned

2 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 sprigs tarragon

1. Heat oven to 375°. Place bacon on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until half-cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. Brush inside and outside of each trout with 1 tbsp. oil, season with salt and pepper, and stuff with 3 sprigs tarragon each; set aside. Arrange 6 bacon slices, overlapping slightly, on a cutting board parallel to you. Place I trout over middle of bacon perpendicular to you, and wrap trout in bacon, arranging it seam side down on the rack of a stove-top smoker (see link for instructions). Repeat with remaining bacon and trout.

2. Prepare stove-top smoker according to manufacturer's instructions, using apple or pecan wood shavings (see Fuel and Flavor); place rack with trout inside. Smoke until fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Heat broiler to high and arrange a rack 4″ from broiler element. Transfer trout on smoker rack to a baking sheet and place under broiler; cook until bacon is crisp, about 2 minutes.

Zucchini Vichyssoise

                This delicious cold soup is adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris” (2004). To build this soup I used organic zucchini, potatoes, spring onions, and banana peppers from the organic farmers market in Evanston, IL, and fresh herbs from my herb garden.

                1              tablespoon unsalted butter

                1              tablespoon olive oil

    4              white skinned potatoes, skins on, chopped

                6              small zucchini, trimmed, skins on, chopped

                2              white spring onions, chopped

                1              banana pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

                2              tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

                6              cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock as you wish

                1              cup cream

                1              tablespoon chives, chopped for garnish

                1              teaspoon salt

    1              teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste

    1              teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat the butter and oil in a large stockpot; add the onions and banana pepper and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, zucchini, vegetable stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then pass the mixture through a food mill, or mix in batches in a blender. Add the cream and season to taste.

You can serve this either hot or cold, but I prefer serving it as a vichyssoise with a splash of fresh lemon juice and scattering of chives and freshly ground black pepper just before serving.

Steamed Golden Beets, Fresh Garlic & Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

There are those who do not love beets and I plead guilty. But over time I have found certain recipes that bring out the earthy tones of beets in a pleasing way. This dish is entirely dependent upon the quality of its ingredients – I recommend a visit to a local farmers market for organic vegetables as a prerequisite.

4-6   medium or small golden beets, cleaned and sliced thinly

2      heads of fresh garlic, thinly sliced

12    red cherry tomatoes cut in half

12    yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half

1      tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1      tablespoon butter

1      teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

        Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:   Clean and thinly slice the golden beets and garlic. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Prepare a bamboo steaming basket or similar steamer and put the beet and garlic tops in the water along with a lemon peel. Steam the beets, garlic and tomatoes for about five minutes, or just until the beets are still crunchy. Put the vegetables into a mixing bowl and combine with the butter, dill, sea salt and ground pepper. Toss briefly and serve.

Presentation: I presented this dish in a constructed salad of fresh spinach served with a poached egg and prosciutto, black olives and shavings of Spanish Manchego cheese with a vinaigrette dressing.

Richard Wottrich 

Slow Roasted Glazed Salmon

Slow Roasted Glazed Salmon

Serves 4

                Over the years I have cooked Salmon every which way – grilled, slow roasted, sashimi, blackened, poached, steamed, cold cured – you name it.  But my two favorites are slow roasted Salmon and glazed Salmon. The problem combining the two is how to achieve a perfect crunchy glaze without drying out the top layer of the fish. This recipe perfectly solves this riddle and produces an amazing Slow Roasted Glazed Salmon dish. [Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated]

                4              center-cut Salmon fillets of equal thickness (6 to 8 ounces each)

                ½             teaspoon kosher salt

                ¼             teaspoon corn starch

                                Ground black pepper

                1              teaspoon vegetable oil       teaspoons fleur de sel

                1              recipe glaze (see following recipes)

               

Adjust your oven rack to the middle and heat to 325 degrees. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pat the Salmon dry with paper towels and make sure all scales and bones are removed. Season with ground pepper. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the flesh side of each filet and rub to evenly distribute.

Heat oil in a 12-icnh cast iron fry pan or oven safe nonstick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Place the Salmon, flesh side down, in the pan and cook until well browned – 1 minute. The brown sugar will form a perfect crunchy glaze and the corn starch will make it adhere to the surface and “grab” the glaze. Using tongs carefully flip the Salmon and cook on the skin side another 1 minute.

Remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the glaze over the flesh side of each fillet. Use a butter knife to smooth the glaze to a thin layer – too thick is too much. Put the skillet in the heated oven and roast until you achieve the desired consistency. I like to Salmon just done, melt in your mouth – which for a 1-inch-thick filet takes about seven minutes.

For the glaze whisk ingredients in a small pan. Bring to a quick boil and then simmer until thickened – about 1-3 minutes.

Soy Mustard Glaze

                3              tablespoons light brown sugar

                2              tablespoons soy sauce

                2              tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

                1              tablespoon sherry vinegar

                1              tablespoon whole grain mustard

                1              tablespoon water

                1              teaspoon cornstarch

                                Dash of red pepper flakes to your taste

Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze

                3              tablespoons light brown sugar

                3              tablespoons pomegranate juice

                2              tablespoons balsamic vinegar

                1              tablespoon whole grain mustard

                1              teaspoon cornstarch

                                Dash of red pepper flakes to your taste

               

Asian Barbeque Glaze

                2              tablespoons ketchup

                2              tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese dipping sauce)

                2              tablespoons rice vinegar

                2              tablespoon light brown sugar

    1                            tablespoon soy sauce

    1              tablespoon toasted sesame oil

                2              teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

                1              teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Orange Miso Glaze

               

                ¼             cup juice + 1 teaspoon finely grated zest from two oranges

                2              tablespoons white miso

                1              tablespoon light brown sugar

                1              tablespoon rice vinegar

                1              tablespoon whole grain mustard

                ¾             teaspoon cornstarch

                                Pinch of cayenne pepper

Richard Wottrich

The Myth of Killer Mercury
May 25th, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Facts are stubborn things - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703421204576329420414284558.html?KEYWORDS=mercury

New Food Site - Gilt Taste


http://www.gilttaste.com/

China gives press more freedom - for food safety

May 15, 2011, Chicago USA

China has been coping with enormous food chain safety issues that have caused an historic shift in freedom of the press. In short, Chinese leaders are relaxing press restraints on social criticism to encourage the uncovering of food chain fraud.

Go to: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20110515/API/1105150565

rlw

 

Panko Sesame Seed-crusted Halibut

Serves 4 as a main course

Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders (Pleuronectidae). Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy days. Halibut live in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans.

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, most Atlantic flatfish such as halibut and sole have been overfished and are ranked "Avoid." One exception is summer flounder, a species that’s recovering and is a “Good Alternative.” This should be labeled “Pacific Halibut” or “Alaskan Halibut.”

4      6-ounce Halibut filets, skinless

2      eggs, beaten

1           cup flour

3            tablespoons Herbs de Provence (oregano, thyme, savory or as you wish)

2           cups Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

3      tablespoons sesame seeds

        Salt and freshly ground pepper

2            tablespoons butter

4      tablespoons olive oil

1      heavy cast iron fry pan

Preparation:   Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare three large shallow bowls. In the first put two beaten eggs. In the second mix the flour, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. In the third mix the Panko and sesame seeds. Take four Halibut filets and pat them dry. Take each filet and coat with the eggs, then dredge in the flour mixture, finally roll in the Panko and sesame seeds until evenly coated. Set aside on a large dish for five minutes. Put the olive oil and butter into the cast iron pan and bring to very high heat (just smoking). Place the four filets in the pan and cook two to three minutes a side. When you flip them they should be golden brown. Place the fish in the pan in the oven to finish. Depending upon the thickness of the filets (one half to one inch) this should take between three and five minutes. Remove the sizzling filets from the oven and serve immediately.

This fantastic nutty crusted Halibut can quite literally be paired with anything. I presented the Halibut with an English pea and white button mushroom risotto and a Pinot gris.