Fried Rice

Growing up Chinese fried rice has always been a comfort food for me. Fried rice is considered a snack food by the Chinese and it is never served as a main course, but Americans feel differently. Making it yourself at home is not difficult if you follow a few basic techniques. First of all you do need a wok and always use your largest stove burner for high heat. Second, you must use cold cooked rice, so plan ahead. Third, a 50/50 blend of white and brown rice works the best. Rinse the rice first and allow it to sit in a colander for 30 minutes prior to cooking. Fourth, cook whatever fish, meat or poultry you want to add to the dish first and then thinly slice it. And finally it is best to first parboil all the vegetables you plan on adding in a big pot of salted boiling water. As soon as they are just flash boiled, turn off the heat and hold until ready to drain and add to the stir fry. Variations are endless and actual preparation time is quick – so enjoy.

Whisk briskly:

4      eggs

½     teaspoon of salt

            Heat your wok over medium heat until it evaporates a drop of water on contact. Pour in and tilt the wok to coat:                       

1      tablespoon of vegetable oil (canola)

            Heat until very hot. Add the eggs all at once and as they bubble around the edges, push them to the center, tilting the wok to cook the eggs evenly. Break the cooked eggs into clumps. When the eggs are set remove them to a bowl. Pour into the hot wok and heat until hot:

                        2      tablespoons vegetable oil

            Add to the wok:

                        1     cup thin sliced spring onions or scallions, equal parts green and white

Toss for one minute and then add all together:

            4     cups cold cooked rice

1         teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

Cook the rice for three minutes, tossing all the time to coat all rice grains with the hot oil. Then add and toss:

                Cooked sliced fish, meat or poultry as you wish

                Par-boiled thinly sliced vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower,      zucchini, French beans, as you wish)

                Button mushrooms or sliced shitake mushrooms

                1    small can drained bamboo shoots

                1    small can drained water chestnuts

Add soy sauce and drizzle with sesame oil and a splash of rice wine or rice vinegar to your taste. Toss the fried rice to mix thoroughly and serve immediately.

                                

BASF Million-Bottle Wine Cellar, Mannheim, Germany

Top Wines of the Year


Wine Spectator magazine's new issue of the top 100 wines of the year has several surprises. This is the best of times for fine wine from the world over. My three rules for drinking wine are:

Drink what you enjoy.
Cook with the wine you drink.
Keep the value of the wine proportional to the value of the dinner.

My own rule of thumb is to drink any wine rated 90 or higher that I enjoy that costs $20 or less. Rated at number 7 on this year's Wine Spectator list is a beautiful Australian wine, Schild Shiraz Barossa 2008, rated 94, cost $20. Who could live better than this!

Richard Wottrich

Lionfish with Fregola Sarda, Lambrusco, Guanciale


January 30 2011 marked my first encounter with Slow Food Charleston. I was fortunate to have my experience to include a dinner at Trattoria Lucca who is owned by Ken Vedrinski. Chef Ken Vedrinski established himself in the early 1990s as an advocate for farm fresh ingredients heading up the kitchen of the acclaimed Opus Restaurant in the former Swissôtel Atlanta. He went on to garner the only Mobile Five-Star ranking awarded to a South Carolina restaurant at the Dining Room at Woodlands Inn. With the opening of hisTrattoria Lucca, Vedrinski, who learned to cook at the side of his Italian grandmother, has brought his culinary journey full circle.

Lucca - named for the town in Western Tuscany that produces his favorite olive oil - is a tribute to Vedrinski's Italian heritage. A semi-finalist for "Best New Restaurant" in the 2009 James Beard Awards, its menu showcases Lowcountry staples, particularly freshly-netted fish and local produce.

Recently, Slow Food Charleston asked Vedrinski to help raise awareness of the predatory lionfish now patrolling the waters of the East Coast, and he was completely on board.

"I'd just read an article about the lionfish," says Vedrinski. "They eat everything, and are threatening to wipe out the natural species unique to South Carolina."

Vedrinski also read that the lionfish is delicious, and that the best strategy for controlling it is increased consumption, so he's teamed up with guest chefs Mike Lata of FIG and Celina Tio of Julian to prepare a four-course dinner to support this sustainable initiative. The lionfish was the centerpiece of the January 30 event, "Eat the Lionfish", as well as a new dish on Lucca's menu. Local lionfish hunter (and Lucca lionfish supplier) Vic Depuis will gave an excellent presentation on the habitat + history of these voracious fishes.

Ken Vedrinski's Lionfish
Lionfish with Fregola Sarda , Lambrusco , Guanciale

Four 6-oz Lionfish filets
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 oz Fregola (large cous cous)
1 btl Lambrusco
4 oz Guanciale, cooked & chopped
1 qt chicken stock
2 shallots, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 small carrot, diced
1 fresh bay leaf
1/3 cup olive oil
1 beet, peeled & chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Saute shallots, garlic, and carrot in olive oil till soft. Add Fregola, Lambrusco, beets and bay leaf, and simmer until wine is almost gone. Add chicken stock and cook until Fregola is al dente. Remove beet pieces. Add salt to taste. Keep warm. Put Guanciale crust thinly on top of fish and bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes. Serve over Fregola.

Recipe courtesy of Slow Food Charleston + Ken Vedrinski of Trattatoria Lucca, Charleston SC - Maggie

Twelve Cookbooks to Live With

If cooking for those you love is part of the fabric your life, then the cookbooks one relies upon become the catalysts for that love. They count. This is not my life list, or top list, but rather is where I go when seeking inspiration or information when cooking. It will change from time to time, as I explore different cuisines and depending upon the season. Enjoy!

Title	Author	Year & Publisher	Comment
Craig Claiborne’s Memorable Meals	Craig Claiborne	E.P. Dutton, 1985	Elegantly simple menus across multiple cuisines
Heartland	Marcia Adams	Clarkson Potter, 1991	To quote Clementine Paddleford, this is “How America Eats”
Jamie’s Kitchen	Jamie Oliver	Hyperion, 2002	Youth will be served
Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art	Shizuo Tsuji, forward by M.F.K. Fisher	Kodansho International, 1980	You cannot ignore Japanese cuisine, if only for an occasional stir-fry
Joy of Cooking	Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer, Ethan Becker		The font of knowledge to answer questions or check a basic recipe
Kitchen of Light	Andreas Viestad	Artisan, 2003	New Scandinavian cooking for my Norwegian
Les Halles Cookbook	Anthony Bourdain	Broomsbury, 2004	Hands down the best French bistro cookbook ever!
Marcella Cucina	Marcella Hazan	Harper Collins, 1997	Authentic and heartfelt regional Italian cooking
Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen	Rick Bayless	Scribner, 1996	The primal source for fantastic Mexican sauces
Simple French Food	Richard Olney, Introduction by Patricia Wells, Forward by James Beard	MacMillan, 1974	Pure country French cooking combined with fascinating insights
The Paris Cookbook	Patricia Wells, Ina Garten's muse	Harper Collins, 2001	Ah Paris! Need I say more?
The Splendid Grain	Rebecca Wood	William Morrow, 1997	Read and learn and enjoy

I own over 350 cookbooks and they come and go from my kitchen. As I explore different cuisines, such as Chinese or German, my list will change. But in the end the books above can and will inspire you and bring smiles to those you love.

Richard Wottrich

Swiss chard, Cannellini Bean, Mushroom and Barley Soup

We just had the 3^rd largest snowfall in Chicago history with over 20-inches on the ground, howling 70-mph winds and temperatures near zero. I have a chicken with herbs roasting in the oven and bourbon on the rocks with a twist in my hand. What could be better than making a Marcella Hazan classic Italian soup? Hazan was born in 1924 in the village of Cesenatico in Emilia-Romagnaand and her recipes have the ring of authenticity. Mario Batali can deliver the panache of Italy across his legions of restaurants, but if you are cooking at home you want Marcella.

I adapted this recipe from her “Marcella Cucina” cookbook published in 1997. This soup comes from the Trentino and Friuli northern regions of Italy. I have returned to this book many times over the years and it never fails to deliver.

As always your ingredients should be at peak. Don’t try this unless your Swiss chard is exceptional. In the winter I take a tip from Batali and use canned San Marzano whole plum tomatoes. Their flavor cannot be equaled. Crush them in a bowl yourself. Cremini mushrooms work best here I find. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1              pound Swiss chard

¼             cup olive oil

1              cup finely chopped onion

½             cup finely chopped celery

½             cup finely chopped carrot

1              28-ounce can of San Marzano whole plum tomatoes, crushed

1              cup orzo (pearl barley)

2              8.5-ounce cans of cannellini beans, drained (substitute Great Northern white or cranberry beans)

1              teaspoon lemon juice

1              teaspoon apple vinegar

1              pound Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1              cup Friuli white wine

1              cup good chicken stock

2              teaspoons fresh thyme

                water as required

                salt to taste

                black pepper ground fresh

                freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the table

                toasted bread slices

Directions:

1.    Soak the chard in cold water for ten minutes, drain and wash several times. If there are broad stalks, detach them and dice into small pieces. Cut the leaves in narrow strips about ¼-inch wide. 2.       Put the olive oil in your stock pot and sauté the onions at medium heat until they turn golden. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 6 to 7 minutes. Garlic is optional. Stir occasionally. 3.       Put the crushed tomatoes into the pot and stir. After roughly 6 minutes add the chard stalks and leaves and some salt. Mix well, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. 4.       Put 4 to 5 cups of water in another pot and bring to a boil. Put in the barley and cook at a steady simmer for 40 minutes. Slightly under cook the barley so it is a bit chewy. Drain the barley into a small bowl and keep the water. 5.       Taste the chard stalks and leaves. When tender add the white wine, chicken stock, barley, sliced mushrooms and drained beans and stir gently. 6.       Add the barley water to achieve the soup consistency that you enjoy. This soup is meant to be somewhat thick. Add the thyme and salt and pepper to your taste. I usually bring the soup to a quick boil and then turn the heat off until serving. 7.       Serve with toasted bread and Parmesan cheese at the table and of course the rest of the Friuli wine.

Richard Wottrich