Chef's garden, Auberge du Bois Prin, Chamonix, France (Photo: RLW)

Sweet Potato & Mustard Greens Pasta Sauce

I have been experimenting with “super” foods lately and came up with this sauce. The name of the game is great taste along with super antioxidants and vitamins. This sauce is a real surprise of intense taste along with all the advantages of super nutrients.

Sweet potatoes contain unique root storage proteins that have significant antioxidant capacities. They are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) are jampacked with nutrients. They provide good to excellent amounts of 9 vitamins (three notable antioxidants: vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin A), 7 minerals (folic acid and magnesium), dietary fiber and protein. As a member of the Brassica family along with broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, they also feature the health-promoting phytonutrients known as glucosinolates.

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato (orange flesh), peeled and cubed
1 Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1 bunch mustard greens’ stalks, coarsely chopped
1 can roasted chopped tomatoes
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup sweet potato cooking water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Aleppo preferred)
1 teaspoon powdered Sumac
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
1 lemon, fresh squeezed juice
1 pound Fusilli pasta
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated Pecorino cheese to taste

Preparation:
Boil the cubed sweet potato in a large pot of salted water until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes. Reserve one cup of the liquid. Reserve the cooked sweet potato.

In a large sauce pan sauté the chopped onion and mustard greens stalks in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. (Reserve the mustard leaves for a complimentary salad.) Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

In a blender add the cooked sweet potato, sweet potato water and the wine. Blend until smooth. Add the mixture to the sauce pan. Add the grated nutmeg, Aleppo pepper, Sumac, vinegar, and lemon juice and simmer the sauce until it thickens appropriately; about 15-20 minutes.

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just done; about 8 minutes. Drain and put the pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and grated Pecorino cheese to your taste. Pour on the sauce, mix and allow to rest for three minutes. Serve with fresh Italian bread and the white wine you cooked with.

Richard Wottrich

(Coca leaves, Peru)

Quote of the week: "We make our food very similar to cocaine now"

That remark was made by Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, M.D., the chair of the medical department at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York. His comment was in response to a new scientific study published published online March 28, 2010, in Nature Neuroscience. The study in rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction.

According to Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., an associate professor of Molecular Therapeutics at the Scripps Research Institute, in Jupiter, Florida, doing drugs such as cocaine and eating too much junk food both gradually overload the pleasure centers in the brain. Eventually the pleasure centers "implode," and achieving the same pleasure requires ever increasing amounts of the drug or food. Kenny was the lead author of the study.

The study tracked three groups of lab rats for forty days. One of the groups was fed regular rat food. A second was fed bacon, sausage, cheesecake, frosting, and other fattening, high-calorie foods for one hour a day. The third group was allowed to eat unhealthy foods for up to twenty-three hours a day.

The rats that ate fatty human food quickly became obese of course. But their brains also changed. The researchers found that the rats in the third group gradually developed a tolerance to the pleasure the food gave them and had to eat more fat to experience a high.

The rats began to eat compulsively, to the point where they continued to do so despite applied electric shocks. When the researchers applied an electric shock to the rats' feet in the presence of the food, the rats in the first two groups were frightened away from eating, but the obese rats were not. "Their attention was solely focused on consuming food," says Kenny. In previous studies, rats have exhibited similar brain changes when given unlimited access to cocaine or heroin. Rats have similarly ignored punishment to continue consuming cocaine, the researchers noted.

Coca leaves have been used as a “natural” high for centuries, as Wang pointed out, but people learned to purify or alter cocaine to deliver it more efficiently to their brains. This made the drug more addictive. According to Wang, food has evolved in a similar way. "We purify our food," he says. "Our ancestors ate whole grains, but we're eating white bread. American Indians ate corn; we eat corn syrup."

Of course one cannot transfer these results as a template for human behavior, but the similarities are obvious. Excessive consumption of fatty foods begets itself. You are what you eat.

Richard Wottrich

(Fennel, Poncelet market, Paris, Photo: RLW)

Roasted Potato, Leek & Fennel Soup

The simplest recipes are the best. A potato and leek soup is a wondrous thing, as it is when served cold as Vichyssoise. But at times I want more depth and flavor in this preparation and this method of roasting the ingredients delivers a deep and rustic soup that is great on a cold and rainy spring day.

Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks
4 leeks, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 bunch of fennel stalks and fronds, finely chopped
1 bunch of Swiss chard, kale or any dark green-leafed vegetable as you prefer, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ quarts chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk, cream, sour cream, or Crème Fraîche as you prefer
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
chopped chives as garnish
fresh bread

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a large shallow roasting pan and scatter the potatoes, leeks, fennel and dark greens evenly. Pour olive oil evenly across the vegetables. Scatter a pinch or two of kosher salt and grind pepper evenly across the pan. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour roughly one cup of the chicken stock into the hot pan to deglaze. Move the vegetables around the pan to evenly coat everything. Working in batches, put the vegetables into a blender with additional chicken stock. Coarsely blend each batch and pour into a large soup pot. Pour any remaining liquid into the last batch.

Add the wine, Crème Fraîche, lemon juice, and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Cook until the small pieces of potato are tender. Salt and pepper to your taste. Add additional chicken stock if the soup is too thick, or continue cooking if it is too thin. Serve with the wine and fresh bread. Rye bread with caraway seeds is particularly good with this soup.

Richard Wottrich

Croissants & the Muslims

Is the croissant French? Or do the croissant and the Ottoman Empire share a common thread in history? Perhaps it was to celebrate the defeat of a Muslim invasion at the decisive Battle of Tours by the Franks in 732. Or perhaps it was invented in Vienna, Austria in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Turks to Polish forces in the Turkish siege of the city, as a reference to the crescents on the Turkish flags. The city bakers, who arose early to prepare their pastries, purportedly heard the tunneling operation and gave the alarm saving the city. Later during the reign of Marie Antoinette (1774-1792) it is believed that she introduced the croissant to France.

The problem with these historical myths is that they cannot be substantiated. In fact there is no reference to the croissant known until after 1800. An early French reference to a croissant is among the "fantasy or luxury breads" in Payen's Des substances alimentaires, 1853.

As Wikipedia states, The "birth" of the croissant itself - that is, its adaptation from the plainer form of kipfel, before its subsequent evolution (to a puff pastry) - can be dated with some precision to 1839 (some say 1838), when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, founded a Viennese Bakery ("Boulangerie Viennoise") at 92, rue de Richelieu in Paris. This bakery, which served Viennese specialties including the kipfel and the Vienna loaf, quickly became popular and inspired French imitators (and the concept, if not the term, viennoiserie, a 20th century term for supposedly Vienna-style pastries). The French version of the kipfel was named for its crescent (croissant) shape.

So it would appear that the French origin of the croissant is safely tucked into a Parisian bakery and there can be no doubt that it reached its pinnacle in France after all. In the French preparation, croissants are made of a leavened variant of puff pastry. The yeast dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded several times in succession, then rolled into a sheet, a technique called laminating. Croissant pastry can also be wrapped around any praline, almond paste or chocolate before it is baked (in the last case, it becomes like pain au chocolat, which has a different, non-crescent, shape), or sliced to admit sweet or savory fillings.

The following recipe is from the SS France (1961), a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner. (sold and scrapped 2006-2008)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp flour
3 sticks butter (3/4 pound) of butter or margarine, equally divided and softened at room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1-1/2 cups milk, warmed to 80°F to 90°F (27°C to 32°C)
1/2 cup half-and-half, warmed
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Instructions:

Sprinkle 3 Tbsp flour over butter and blend together on the work surface. On a length of foil, fashion a 6" square of soft butter; fold over the sides of the foil to enclose. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours.

While the butter is chilling, prepare the dough. To mix by hand, in a large mixing or mixer bowl, blend 2 cups of the flour with salt and sugar. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add it and the warmed milk and half-and-half to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or the flat blade of an electric mixer to thoroughly blend the batter like dough, about 2 minutes.

Stir in additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a soft but not sticky dough (it will stiffen when chilled.) Knead by hand or under a dough hook for 5 minutes to form a solid mass.

If using a food processor, attach the steel blade. Place 2 cups flour in the work bowl and add the dry ingredients. Pulse to mix. Pour the 1/4 cup water, milk, and half-and-half through the feed tube. Pulse once or twice to be certain that all dry ingredients are moistened. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, turning the machine on briefly after each addition. When the mixture forms a mass and begins to clean the sides of the bowl, knead for 30 seconds. Don't over knead!

This begins the process of cooling the dough and at the same time allowing it to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Determine that both butter and dough are about the same temperature — 65°F (23°C) is ideal. The block of butter should bend but not break (too cold) nor be oily (too warm) when bent slightly. This may mean taking the butter out of the refrigerator an hour or so early to reach workable temperature. Likewise for the dough. Place the dough on a floured work surface and with the hands press it into a 10" square. Unwrap the block of butter and lay the block diagonally on the dough. Bring each point of dough into the center, overlapping the edges at least 1". Press the dough into a neat package. With a heavy rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 8" x 18". This dimension is not critical.

Caution: If the butter seems to be breaking into small pieces under the dough rather than remaining solid, allow the dough/butter to warm a few minutes. But if the butter softens, becomes sticky, and oozes while making the turns, put the dough back into the refrigerator for several minutes.

Fold the length of dough into thirds, as for a letter. Turn so that the open ends are at twelve and six o'clock. Roll again into a rectangle. This time, fold both ends into the middle and then close, as one would a book. The dough will now be in 4 layers. Wrap the package of dough in a cloth (an old tea towel is good) that has been soaked in cold water and wrung dry. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator to relax and chill for 1 or 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured work surface. Unwrap, roll out, and fold in thirds, as for a letter. This is the final turn before it is rolled out and cut into croissants. Dampen cloth again and wrap loosely around the dough. Place the package in a plastic bag so moisture will be retained (not pulled out of the cloth). Leave in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

Mix together the egg and 1 Tbsp of water. Have ready the egg wash, a knife or pastry cutter, and a wooden yardstick if you wish the pieces to be cut precisely otherwise, plan to cut them freehand. You may have or can borrow a French croissant cutter that cuts the dough into triangles.

Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll the dough until it is a generous 10"-x-38" rectangle, and, most importantly, about 1/4" thick. This is a crucial dimension, since it determines the size and texture of the croissants. Trim irregularities to make the strip uniform in width. Cut the strip lengthwise to make two 5" pieces. Mark the strip into triangles, 5" wide on the bottom. Using a yardstick as a guide, cut through the dough with a pastry or pizza cutter or knife. Separate the triangles, place them on a baking sheet, and chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the dough into the traditional croissant shape, by rolling the triangle from the bottom to the point.

Place the croissants on a baking sheet and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, in which they will double in volume.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the croissants for 22 to 25 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack before serving.

Yield: 24 to 30 croissants

Blast from the Past - Beef Bourguignon

I was sitting at The Peninsula Chicago Hotel last week having tea while waiting for a client. At the next table Mario Batali was holding court with one person after another, clearly conducting business. The fact that he is one of my cooking heroes gave me pause. He is a brilliant chef. The fact that I couldn’t bring myself to go over and bother him is another matter.

Chefs as heroes started early for me with Julia Childs and Jacques Pepin. Others would follow, but Julia was on television and therefore accessible from an early age. Last year’s movie “Julie & Julia” tried to bridge the generation gap between Julia’s TV kitchen and the digital texting, blogging, social networking world of today. It succeeded largely because of a brilliant performance by Streep (age 61).

The real star of the movie was however Beef Bourguignon, a timeless peasant dish from France that has evolved into an icon of elegance, but alas seldom cooked. It was originally a method for slowly simmering beef that was too tough to eat any other way. That it has evolved into haute cuisine speaks to improvements in the tenderness of beef and in modern kitchen equipment, but also to our yearning for comfort foods from the past.

The recipe that most of us refer to as an authentic boeuf bourguignon was first codified by Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935). Escoffier was famous as a chef, restaurateur and food writer, but his real genius was to simplify the elaborate and ornate cooking practiced in the royal kitchens of France by Antoine Carême and others. Then Julia came along to simplify and modernize even further so that ordinary Americans could recreate the same dishes at home.

In Escoffier’s’ “Le guide culinaire” Beef Bourguignon is referred to as boeuf à la bourguignonne. Lardons (batons of pig belly) were used to lard the beef of that day, as marbling the meat in giant feed lots with corn had not yet been envisaged. Today we use bacon to achieve that same umami (savoriness) that was once achieved by cooking beef bones and scraps for 24 hours to arrive at a demi-glace.

And that is really the point isn’t it? It is the sauce after all, that nuanced and complex broth of rich nectar that evolves over four hours of simmering in the oven. It is achieved by the perfect union of bacon, beef, garlic, onions, carrots, butter, olive oil, flour, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, beef stock, red wine, salt and pepper. It is a process. It is a dance.

Ingredients:

Kitchen Supplies:
9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish, 3 inches deep
Slotted spoon

Boeuf Bourguignon:
6 ounces bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine, such as Burgendy
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
Blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs

Preparation:
Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

The Swiss Pope of Cheese

Switzerland is the epicenter for many things globally that people do not generally think about. For instance 35% of the world’s wealth is kept in its banking system, the exemplar for discreetness.

Switzerland historically has been ground zero for political neutrality, representing a haven for both sides in many world wars. Even today the Swiss Chambers' Court of Arbitration and Mediation is recognized internationally as a fair and neutral third party.

Less well known is Switzerland’s role in the environment. Its tight regulation of waste sets the standard for all of Europe, and its citizens pay perhaps the highest price for disposal of all types of contaminants. This in turn means that Switzerland sets the standard for all types of packaging, much as California automobile emissions standards set the tone for the US.

Which leads us quite naturally to Swiss cheese and a man by the name of Rolf Beeler (BAY-lor). Beeler is an affineur – a finisher of cheeses. In the entire world there are only a few such people, mostly French. An affineur advises and coaches a cheese maker on aging their cheese, how often to wash and rotate them, and how to “season” them with various bacteria. Think of a top figure skating coach leading his or her charge to the Olympic gold medal.

Beeler advances this art further by “designing” the cheese before the goat or cow is even milked. He alters the animals’ diets by designating the fields they graze on, usually at very high altitudes, and exactly what they eat.

Beeler started this quest for perfection thirty years ago, walking the high mountain meadows of the Alps, talking to the cheese makers, and of course tasting every cheese in the land. Beeler today at age 55 is well known as the Cheese Pope - http://www.rolfbeeler.ch/

Beeler’s cheeses are found in the finest artisanal shops and fine restaurants all over the world – including The French Laundry and Gramercy Tavern. Beeler’s impact is not economic, but rather he is recognized for selecting and developing the world’s finest cheeses. His influence causes ripple effects in the world of cheese. For example, Beeler reinvented the classic Swiss Emmental – pushing its maturation cycle from 7 months to 18 months and washing the rind twice a week until it turned a dark nutty brown, the way it used to be made for centuries. Now the major cheese companies are doing the same.

Just twenty or so cheeses carry the stamp “Rolf Beeler Maître Fromage.” They are made from raw milks and as Rolf says, “I like the farmer to know the name of each cow.” Beeler contends that the Swiss have surpassed the French in the finest cheese making. There is only one way to find out…

Caring for Cheese

We have no problem with the concept of planting and cultivating a vegetable or herb garden, or caring for and cooling fine wines, but for some reason people think of cheese as an inert object. It isn’t. Cheese is about caring for and developing bacteria and they deserve the same attention that any fine food ingredient receives.

You pick cheese by what you enjoy naturally, but once home what do you do with it? Paradoxically “air” is both the enemy and the friend of cheese. Cheese is a living breathing organism, so standard airtight Saran wrap suffocates it. So use wax paper to lightly wrap cheese. Properly wrapped soft cheeses will keep this way for a week and hard cheeses for a month – in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

If blue and green surface molds appear, scrape them off. Keep blue cheeses segregated from other cheeses for this same reason. Cheese is best served at room temperature in most instances, so take them out an hour or two ahead of serving. And final warnings – never bake or freeze cheese.

Richard Wottrich

Blast from the Past – Corned Beef

First there was Salted Beef. The practice of salting meat goes back to ancient times in cold regions when they found that meat didn't spoil if it made contact with enough salt.

The term “Corned” comes from putting meat in a large crock and covering it with large rock-salt kernels that were referred to as “corns of salt.” This preserved the meat. The term Corned has been in the Oxford English Dictionary since at least 888 AD. An early mention of “Corned Beef” goes back to an English Book by Richard Burton in 1621, Anatomy of Melancholy, “...Beef ..corned young of an ox.”

Irish were the biggest exporters of Corned Beef until 1825. The region around Cork, Ireland, was a great producer of corned beef in the 1600s until 1825. It was their chief export and sent all over the world, mostly in cans. The British army was sustained on cans of Cork’s corned beef during the Napoleonic wars.

The term corn is modified from an Old Germanic word “kurnam” that meant a small seed of anything. Since a kernel of rock salt looked like a wheat or oat kernel it became known as a corn of salt.

[In Proto-Germanic (about 500 B.C.E.) the form was kurnam: this became korn in Old High German and Old Norse and corn in Old English (Anglo-Saxon), and that is the immediate origin of the modern English word corn. In classical Latin, meanwhile, the form was granum. This became grano in Spanish and Italian and grain in French, meaning 'cereal grain', and the French word was borrowed into English. The French words graine (seed) and grange (barn) derive from the same Latin word.]

Ingredients

3 pounds corned beef brisket
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

Spices

Hand-mixed from mustard seeds, Moroccan coriander, Jamaican allspice, Zanzibar cloves, Turkish bay leaves, Indian dill seed, China #1 ginger, star anise, black pepper, juniper berries, mace and cayenne red pepper.

Directions

Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spices. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.

Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.

Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

Richard Wottrich

Sprouting Broccoli & Oyster Mushrooms in Ginger Broth with Pumpkin & Nut Dumplings

Serves 4

This Sprouting Broccoli & Oyster Mushrooms in Ginger Broth with Pumpkin & Nut Dumplings is adapted from Cafe Paradiso; Denis Cotter, voted 'Chef of the Year ' by Food & Wine (Ireland) magazine in 2005.

Make a broth by combining the following and bringing them to a simmer for 20 minutes and then strain:

2 pints water
1 chopped Onion
2 chopped celery sticks
1 chopped carrot
4 whole cloves garlic
3 oz sliced Ginger root
1 Serrano chili
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
3.5 oz soy sauce

Discard the vegetables & herbs & return broth to a pot with low heat. In the time the broth is simmering: Take 8 large wonton wrappers & make them into dumplings by filling them with the following mixture:

3.5 oz cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. chopped nuts (I like walnuts or macadamia nuts)
grated lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp finely chopped cilantro

(You make dumplings by wetting the edges with water, placing the stuffing in the center and folding them over to make a packet.)

Fry 4 sprigs of broccolini in oil until soft, add 4 oyster mushrooms, then 4 spring onions slices length wise until gently cooked. Add vegetables to simmering broth for 5 minutes then add the wontons for another 2 minutes. Serve in 4 bowls.

This is simply wonderful fare. And although Clayton Beck insists this is a painting of a squash it will always look like a white pumpkin to me and one that would be perfect for this little stew courtesy of Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me.

Don't Eat Anything Your Great Grandmother Wouldn't Recognize (Watch out for GRAS)

As if we needed reminding, engineered foods are never as good for you as natural organic foods. A new report from federal investigators says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to ensure the safety of thousands of additives manufacturers put in what we eat.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressional watchdog agency, singled out a longstanding exception to FDA rules that has concerned consumer and public health advocates for years. Substances "generally regarded as safe" by food companies' own scientific panels are immune from rigorous FDA analysis, meaning that manufacturers that want to include an additive in a product are often spared having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in safety tests and can save years in getting the product to market.

The GAO stated that:

• The FDA generally doesn't know about most of these determinations of "generally regarded as safe," or GRAS, because companies are not required to inform the agency.

• The FDA has not taken steps that could help ensure the safety of additives listed as GRAS.

• Food products may contain numerous ingredients, including GRAS substances, making it difficult, if not impossible, for public health authorities to attribute a food safety problem to a specific GRAS additive.

• The FDA does not systematically reconsider the safety of GRAS substances as new information or new methods for evaluating safety become available.

The GOA reported that it was almost impossible to link adverse effects to GRAS additives because their presence in food is rarely known to anyone beyond those responsible for it.

GRAS designations started in 1958, when Congress amended the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to say that the safety of an additive "does not need to be established with absolute certainty." Instead, the law said, a scientific panel selected by the manufacturer can rule that no harm will result from the intended use of an additive.
In reality, the only ones who know whether the additives are actually safe are the company and its own analysts, or the outside labs it hires.

Thousands of exemptions are granted by panels designated by food industry trade groups. The largest such organization, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, has bestowed GRAS on more than 2,600 additives since 1960.

So this means that a company can have an additive declared GRAS, and then import that additive from China and put it into their food product. Scary enough for you?

The easy solution is to eat natural organic foods – an apple doesn’t need a label or an additive.

Richard Wottrich

Knowledge Lost: Hors-D'Oeuvres

In the culinary tome "Larousse Gastronomique" (1961 edition) there are thirty-three pages devoted to hors-d'oeuvres, with well over 500 preparations! How many people today under the age of 30 know what a hors-d'oeuvre is? OMGYG2BK!

Historically these were meant to be light and delicate snacks additional to the main luncheon or dinner. In the 1950s no self respecting American cocktail party would be without several hors-d'oeuvres, both cold and hot. Oddly this evolution is French as derived from Russia, following a custom there referred to as "Zakuski" - a kind of dinner-before-dinner, served with Vodka and other spirits (hors-d'oeuvres á la russe).

In fact the language of hors-d’oeuvres sounds today as ancient as Sanskrit – knowledge lost.

Anchovy scrolls á la Nicoise

Free anchovy fillets from salt, scrape and dry in a cloth. Flatten the fillets and coat them with a thin layer of fish purée or any other mixture suitable for cold hors-d’oeuvres. Roll the fillets into scrolls. Hollow some very small raw tomatoes. Marinate them and fill two thirds with the same purée. Place the scrolls in the tomatoes. Garnish to taste, as with chopped egg yolks and egg whites, capers and chopped parsley. Dress with a thin trickle of fine olive oil.

Canapés á la livonienne

Slice a dark rye loaf of rectangular shape; spread the slices with a compound horseradish butter. Garnish with slivers of herring filets alternating with thin ribbons of good tart apples, brushed lightly with oil and surround with a border of chopped chives.

Sausages á la maltaise

Fry small artisan sausages quickly in butter. Cut a sandwich loaf into thick rectangular pieces. Hollow out and fry in butter. Put one sausage on each piece of fried bread. Add white wine to the butter in which the sausages were fried, stirring well. Season with a little chopped shallot. Make a rich demi-glace sauce (reduction). Blanch some orange peel, drain, cut into very thin strips and add to the demi-glace sauce. Pour this sauce over the sausages.

JTLYK

Lefse

This week I traveled to Whalen, Minnesota to participate in my mother's funeral. Many of her dear friends attended, coming up the long hill in the cold bright Minnesota February sunshine to pay their respects and fix a church luncheon. It was so sweet. Many of the ladies were of Scandinavian descent and many carry on the traditions of their immigrant ancestors. One of their favorite foods is Lefse. My mother and these delightful ladies used to produce large mountains of it for the Whalen Stand Still Parade (A Prairie Home Companion favorite) each year. What follows is her recipe, scaled down from the parade sized batch she normally turned out.

5 Large Potatoes
1/2 Cup Sweet Cream
1/2 Cup Flour for each cup of the resulting mashed potatoes
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Butter

Boil potatoes, mash very finely. Add cream, butter & salt. Beat until light & fluffy, let cool. Add flour. Take a piece the size of the palm of your hand and roll as if for pie crust, rolling as thinly as possible. Bake on a griddle or lefse griddle until light brown turning frequently to prevent scorching using medium heat. Place between flour sack towels to keep moist until they can be slathered in butter, sprinkled with sugar, rolled up and gobbled down.

Five-Spice Powder

To me five-spice powder was always some dried up brown "stuff" in an old bottle in the back of my spice cabinet. I would read about it in Chinese recipes, but never use it. It never occured to me to make my own.

Five-spice powder is found in Chinese cuisine, but is also used throughout Asian cookery. The concept is to encompass all five flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty. Traditionally it includes star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Szechwan pepper and ground fennel seeds. Another combintion of the five spices consists of huajiao (Sichuan pepper), bajiao (star anise), rougui (cassia), cloves, and fennel seeds. The concept is based on the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food.

Five spice is used with fatty meats like pork and duck. It is used in stir fried vegetables and as a spice rub for chicken, duck, pork and seafood. Five spice also is used in recipes for Cantonese roasted duck, as well as beef stew.

2 tablespoons black peppercorns
6 cloves
1 3/4-inch piece of cassia bark or a 2-inch piece of cinnamom stick
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
5 star anise
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)

In a small pan over medium heat toast all the spices until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Grind the spices in a spice grinder until very fine.

Richard Wottrich

Greek Yogurt & Feta Mashed Potatoes

This delicious variation on mashed potatoes was adapted from "Artichoke to Za'atar", Modern Middle Eastern Food, by Greg Malouf and Lucy Malouf, University of California Press, 2008 edition. Of course the French ideal is that illusionary land of butter and potatoes suspended in time in equal portions - 50/50. But here in the real world where actions have consequences, we search for more reasonable alternatives.

Feta cheese and Greek yogurt have distinctive flavors and do not blow out either the budget or your diet. We served this with a simple roasted chicken, a platter of roasted vegetables, and a medium dry Riesling white wine; with gravy made in the roasting pan with the same wine.

Mashed Potatoes

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium yam, white flesh, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk, whole or 2% as you like
1 cup Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper to taste

Put the peeled and cubed potatoes and yam into a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are just cooked.

As they simmer, put the olive oil, butter, milk and Greek-style yogurt into a sauce pan and blend together. Whisk in the chopped chives. Keep warm.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and then put them back in the pot to dry on low heat for less than a minute. Put the potatoes in a large bowl and pour over the sauce pan mixture. Mash with hand masher or hand mixer. Adjust the consistency with either more milk or yogurt depending upon whether it is too thick or too thin. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Crumble on the Feta cheese and mix well. Serve immediately.

Gravy

Gravy is the thing! What are mashed potatoes without it?

When I roast a chicken I fill the cavity with whatever fresh herbs and onion greens I happen to have - scallion greens, fennel fronds, rosemary, lavender, or as you wish. Then I surround the chicken with all the vegetable trimmings; carrot tops, potato skins, celery tops, onion skins and so on. Added to this are lemon, orange and/or lime rinds as may be left over from other preparations. Throw in a few peppercorns, Allspice berries and Cloves and you're good to go.

After roasting put the chicken on the cutting board to rest for 10-15 minutes. Tip the roasting pan and carefully drain the excess fat into a can or other safe receptacle. Place the pan on a couple of burners on the stove and deglaze with a cup of the wine. Take a can of chicken stock and swirl in two tablespoons of corn starch and pour into the hot roasting pan. Scrap the bottom of the pan and swirl the various herbs, fruit and vegetables around in the liquid until it starts to boil and thicken. Take a large bowl and put a strainer over it. Carefully pour the hot gravy into the strainer, discarding all other ingredients. Salt and pepper the gravy to your taste - it will be very aromatic at this point. If you like you can add a little cream or milk. Serve hot.

Richard Wottrich

E. Dehillerin - Cookware Shop - Paris

That title is akin to saying that Champagne is a carbonated drink, or that filet mignon is cow meat. Founded in 1820, E. Dehillerin is the nexus of cookware in this universe. Over the top? Not really.

The first time I chanced upon the store was back in 2000. All I wanted was a wine corkscrew. I walked into a world of heavy gauge copper pots and gigantic whisks, fiber glass and silicon sheets, molds for pastry cooks, and stainless steel for induction hob (magnetic). Who doesn’t need a duck press for 1,000 Euros?

The store itself is like a Jean-Paul Sartre séance, with opinionated French clerks who have the humor of a winter storm. But the "stuff" is the thing and they have the stuff!

Their web site is passable. You can download entire sections of their catalogue, so if you’re having trouble finding something – try E. Dehillerin.

Richard Wottrich

The Chicago-Himalayas Connection

By Richard Wottrich

While in Whole Foods last weekend I noticed a new line of teas from Ineeka, a brand I had never heard of. Reading its tin container I saw that they were located in Chicago. Ineeka claims to be the only tea company in North America that owns its own tea plantations and blends its own handpicked teas.

This was enough to peak my curiosity and I bought a tin, took it home and enjoyed a wonderful blend called Ma-Chai (insight), composed of black tea, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, rose petals and saffron - delicious!

Ineeka teas are grown high in the pristine Himalayas of northeast India, in Darjeeling and Assam, on 12,000 acres of prime growing land – considered the best tea growing region in the world. Here the Goel family has been producing tea since 1861, and on these particular farms for 50 years. Over 25,000 local farmers pick their teas. Their high-quality teas have long been sold to luxury companies like Harrods and Mariage Frères, who market them under their own labels.

The Goel family is now selling their 100% organic, biodynamic and Fair Trade-certified whole leaf teas directly, packaged in their innovative Brew-Taché™ infusion system—perhaps the best advance in tea-brewing that I have ever seen.

The Brew-Taché™ infusers are packaged 14 to a canister; the canisters are handsome matte silvery rectangles with rounded corners that are 3-3/4" wide by 5-3/4" long by 2-5/16" high. 

Ineeka offers seven teas include three blacks, two greens, and two herbals:

• Himalayan Green: A rich, pure green producing a honey-like sweetness on the palate and finish.

• Himalayan Black: Lively, brisk, bright and fresh.

• Green Osmanthus: Green tea subtly scented with the sweet aroma of Osmanthus blossoms—a Chinese flower used in some of the world’s most famous fragrances. Osmanthus lends tangy fruity-peachy undertones.

• Ma-Chai: A black tea blend of Assam tea and organic warming spices—ginger, cardamom, clove, black pepper, and saffron, with organic rose petals that create a beautiful composition. This recipe has been carried down through generations of the Goel family, and is a chai lover’s delight.

• Darjeeling: A black tea often described as having a muscatel flavor, this Darjeeling has a silky roundness with a naturally fruity overtone. This blend has added organic calendula petals for beauty, and to provide a hint of added sweetness.

• Mint: Organic herbal peppermint tea that is 100% caffeine-free, the mint leaves are a natural digestive. Even in its hot brewed form, the tea is cool and refreshing (hot mint tea is the beverage of choice in the desert climates of Africa and the Middle East).

• Chamomile: For millennia, mankind has turned to the calming and relaxing chamomile flower to soothe body and soul. Beautiful to look at, these gentle whole flowers brew a cup of tea that is both restful and renewing, and 100% caffeine-free.

Enjoy!

Udon with Mushroom Broth, Cabbage and Yams

Udon Soup is a moment in time - a carefully prepared broth and absolutely fresh accoutrements - combining to create perfection. Udon is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle very popular in Japanese cuisine.

Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in a mildly flavored broth, in its simplest form as kake udon, served in kakejiru made of dashi, soy sauce (shōyu), and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings include tempura, often prawn or kakiage (a type of mixed tempura fritter), or abura age, a type of deep-fried tofu pockets seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. A thin slice of kamaboko, a halfmoon-shaped fish cake, is often added. Shichimi can be added to taste.

The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu) is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu) is used in western Japan.

The origin of udon in Japan is credited to Buddhist priests who traveled to China: local areas specifically attribute Kūkai or Enni. Kūkai, a Buddhist priest, traveled to China around the beginning of the 9th century to study Buddhism.

Broth
10 cups light chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped cilantro
1 ½ ounces dried shitake mushrooms, rinsed
¾ cup thinly sliced peeled ginger
2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed, all but bottom 4 inches cut off and discarded.
2 6-inch strips dried kombu
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Accoutrements
2 cups ½-inch cubes peeled yams (sweet potatoes)
5 ounces snow peas, trimmed
4 cups ½-inch-wide crosswise slices of cored Napa cabbage
5 ounces slender carrots (assorted colors if possible), peeled and sliced diagonally
10 ounces Japanese-style udon noodles
1 cup sliced scallions
¼ cup matchbook-sized strips of peeled fresh ginger
4 ounces of firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes (optional)
1 cup shredded chicken (optional)
1 poached egg per bowl (optional)
Sambal oelek
Tamari soy sauce

Broth – Bring broth and water to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cilantro, mushrooms, sliced ginger, and lemongrass. Cover and simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Rinse kombu; add to the broth for 1 minute. Using tongs remove kombu and mushrooms; discard kombu. Transfer mushrooms to a work surface; cut off stems and discard. Cut each mushroom into 3 or 4 strips. Pass the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into another large pot; discard solids in strainer. Add tamari and rice vinegar to broth. This can be prepared a day ahead. Cover and chill mushrooms and broth.

Garnishes – Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the yams until just tender; 4 to 5 minutes. Using a skimmer, transfer yams to a medium bowl. Cook snow peas, cabbage, and carrots separately until just tender (snow peas, 30 seconds; cabbage, 1 ½ minutes; carrots, 2 minutes). Using skimmer transfer vegetables to separate bowls. Reserve cooking liquid. Vegetables can be cooked up to 2 hours ahead. Let liquid and vegetables stand at room temperature.

Bring the cooking liquid to boil. Sprinkle with salt. Add the udon noodles; cook until tender but still firm; stirring often. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile bring the soup broth to a simmer. Add the scallions and ginger strips. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Using tongs, divide the noodles among your serving bowls (4 to 6 servings). Divide the vegetables among the bowls, each in a separate mound. Add shredded chicken, or cubed tofu or poached eggs as you wish. Ladle on the hot broth and serve. Pass the sambal oelek and tamari separately.

Richard Wottrich

Pink Peppercorn Thyme Soda

This refreshing nonalcoholic drink served at Green Zebra, a vegetarian oriented restaurant in Chicago USA, gets a spicy floral note from pink peppercorns.



8 whole star anise
2 tablespoons whole pink peppercorns plus additional for garnish
1 tablespoon whole cloves
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh thyme sprigs plus 8 additional sprigs for garnish
ice cubes
4 cups chilled club soda

Preparation

Toast anise, 2 tablespoons peppercorns, and cloves in small skillet over medium-high heat until aromatic, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Wrap spices in triple layer of cheesecloth; tie shut. Pound with rolling pin to crush spices lightly. Bring 3 cups water and sugar to boil in medium saucepan. Add spices in cheesecloth. Remove from heat; cover and steep 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup thyme sprigs; cover and steep 10 minutes longer. Strain syrup into medium bowl. Chill until cold. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

Fill 8 tall glasses with ice. Divide syrup among glasses.

Add 1/2 cup soda to each glass. Garnish with thyme sprigs and peppercorns.
 
Bon Appetit

Black Bean Soup

Black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are native to the Americas. One of over 500 varieties of kidney beans, black beans are also known as turtle beans, caviar criollo, and frijoles negros. These beans date back at least 7,000 years, as a staple food in Central and South American.

This particular recipe is adapted from “Cold-Weather Cooking” by Sarah Leah Chase, Workman Publishing, New York, 1990. Sharon made this soup the night of a snow storm – what could be better. The flavor notes are subtle and surprising.

8 ounces sliced bacon, diced
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 carrots, peeled and minced
4 ribs celery, minced
3 jalapeños chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 large can of tomato sauce
¼ cup cumin
¼ cup oregano
2 bay leaves
1 pound black turtle beans, soaked for at least four hours
4 quarts chicken stock
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup sherry or Madeira
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Sour cream to garnish

1. Cook the bacon in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until it begins to crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

2. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to the bacon fat and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the jalapeños and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the cumin and oregano.

3. Rinse and drain the black beans and add to the stockpot. Add the tomato sauce. Cover with the chicken stock. Simmer uncovered until the beans are tender and starting to split, about two hours. Thin with additional broth as you wish.

4. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lime juice, sherry and bacon. Season to taste. Just before serving stir in the cilantro and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream. We served this fabulous soup on white rice.

Cool Cucumber Raita (Indian)

Raita (also spelled raitha) is an Indian condiment based on yogurt (dahi) and used as a sauce or dip. It is similar to a Greek tzatziki or a Turkish cacik sauce.

Traditionally raita is yogurt is seasoned with coriander (cilantro), cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and other herbs and spices. It is prepared by frying caraway (zeera) along with red mustard (raie) and these mixtures are poured into curd. Vegetables such as cucumber and onions and even fruits like pineapple and raw papaya are used. Raw ginger and Garlic paste, green chili paste and sometimes mustard paste are used to enrich flavor. A popular variety of raitha of northern India is Boondi raitha; tiny balls of fried gramflour, which may taste salty or tikka (spicy). The mixture is served chilled. Raita has a cooling effect on the palate that makes it a good foil for spicy Indian dishes. Raita is also eaten with kebabs. Southern Indian cuisine, such as that found in the Bangalore region, often uses finely chopped or diced carrots mixed with dahi yogurt.

My version of raita is based upon the freshest ingredients you can find at the moment. It is a cool counterpoint for chili, which we will serve for Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow.
 
2 cups Greek-style yogurt
1 seven-inch long English cucumber, peeled and corsely grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons (packed) finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
   juice from one squeezed lime
 
Combine the yogurt and grated cucumber in a mixing bowl. Add the course salt, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, and lime juice. Mix well. Cover and chill for at least two hours. It will keep well for three days.
 
Richard Wottrich
 

♪♪ My Boyfriend’s Back and You’re Gonna Be Sorry ♪♪

All of us have our peccadilloes – mine is Coca-Cola. I have been a Coke drinker all my life – not the diet junk, but real unadulterated Coca-Cola. I've finally gotten my hands on a glass bottle of Coca-Cola produced in Mexico.

Coke and Pepsi switched to High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in the 1980's, which brought an annoying sweetness to the palate. But what were my choices - New Coke or Crystal Pepsi or RC Cola? Forget it. Then I walked into Costco last week and I saw them. Beautiful shrink-wrapped 24-bottle cases of tall thin clear glass bottles of Coco-Cola made with real Mexican cane sugar. Eureka!

There is a difference between Mexican cane sugar Coke and our American Coke. The difference is in the overall feel and aftertaste of the drink. The Mexican Coke is a bit sharper, cleaner and crisper. Coca-Cola also makes a Kosher version, sharper still than the American and Mexican versions.

Now Coca-Cola claims of course that all its Coke products taste exactly the same – that HFCF and cane sugar taste the same. You can draw your own conclusions about that. Some people think all salts taste the same, or all butters.

But then there’s that tall, thin sexy bottle of Coca-Cola calling silently from the depths of my garage refrigerator. I’ll be right back…

Richard Wottrich

Sherry Yard’s Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting
Financier Method
Yield: Two 10-inch round cakes









Sherry Yard’s “The Secrets of Baking” is the Zen Master of deserts. Sherry is the Executive Pastry Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s famous restaurant Spago. She was recently named the nation’s top patisserie by the James Beard Society. Sharon recently made this Carrot Cake by Sherry and it was jaw-dropping good! (This is baking, so remember, follow the directions exactly.)

Special Items:
Two 10-inch round cake pans (9-inch pans will do and make a deeper cake)
Parchment paper
Standing electric mixer with paddle attachment

Carrot Cake Ingredients:
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 3 times
½ cup almond flour or almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups grated carrots (about 2 medium sized carrots)
1 cup grated unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
1 pound (2 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½+ cups powdered sugar, sifted (you may need more)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the solids separate and brown into a dark golden color, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let cool at room temperature until it reaches 70°F, about 30 minutes. Don’t chill it. It needs to remain in liquid form. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven. Spray two 10-x-2-inch round cake pans with pan spray, line them with a piece of parchment paper, then coat the paper lightly with pan spray.

3. Sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or use a large bowl and a hand mixer. Turn the machine on low and mix for 30 seconds. Set aside.

4. Combine the granulated sugar and the cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir to blend. Add the powdered sugar and stir to blend, then add the brown sugar and stir again to blend. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Add the sugar mixture and the vanilla, and whisk together quickly to combine well.

5. Turn the mixer on low and stream the sugar mixture into the dry ingredients. Once lightly incorporated, increase the speed to medium and whip for 2 minutes.

6. Reduce the speed to low and slowly stream in the melted butter. Be sure to scrape in all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Mix for 30 seconds on medium speed, then turn the mixer to high speed and mix for 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl well.

7. Using a balloon whisk, gently fold in the carrots, coconut, and pineapple. Carrot cake batter will keep in the refrigerator in this form for up to 2 weeks.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert onto the rack, remove the pans and parchment, and cool completely before serving. Wrapped airtight, carrot cake will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

9. When the cake is completely cool, top with the frosting and spread evenly to coat. The frosted cake can be stored for 1 day at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting Preparation (Nick’s Hole in the Wall Diner, Los Angeles)

1. Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together very slowly on the lowest speed.

2. When the cream cheese mixture is completely smooth and lump free, about 4 minutes, slowly add the powdered sugar. When it is fully incorporated, about 2 minutes, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, rum and vanilla. Mix to combine. Cream cheese frosting can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Richard Wottrich for Sharon Wottrich

Blast From the Past – Coq au vin

By Richard Wottrich

Coq au vin ((kōk' ō văN') is a recipe that goes back at least 400 years and perhaps further. Coq means rooster naturally and vin mean wine, so this is a simple dish of a rooster cooked in wine. On French or Alsace farms a rooster was kept as long as it was useful. When it wasn’t they would kill the rooster for dinner, but its meat would be tough at that point, hence the slow cooking in wine.

In the French region of Bourgogne (Burgundy), a red wine is typically used. This is the ubiquitous version of Coq au Vin. In Alsace, a Riesling white wine is traditionally used. Alsace is on the German border and hence has strong historical Germanic connections, which is reflected in both its food and wine. Cream and morel mushrooms may be added.

I usually prefer a "capon" (a young, castrated rooster) instead of a chicken. However the meat of a capon is so tender that normally I would roast it rather than mask its flavor by cooking it in wine. A cut up fryer will do quite nicely.

The Larousse Gastronomique (1961) recipe is simplicity itself:

“Cut up a young chicken into six pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of butter in an earthenware pot, 3 ounces (90 grams) of lean breast of pork (lardons or pancetta), cut into dice, and some little onions. When these have browned, put in the pieces of chicken, a garlic clove chopped fine, a bouquet garni, morels, or other mushrooms. Sauté until golden on a lively heat, with the lid on; take off the lid and skim off the fat. Pour over a little good brandy, set light to it, and then pour on a pint (demi-litre) of Auvergne wine. After cooking on a good fire for 15 to 20 minutes take out the chicken, and pour over it the sauce, thickened with the blood of the chicken mixed with the pounded liver and some brandy. Do not cook the sauce after this liaison, because the sauce will curdle. Lacking blood, the sauce may be thickened with kneaded butter.”

Serve with snowy white rice, fresh toasted bread and Auvergne or Alsace wine. This dish is heaven on earth!

Perfect Bolognese Ragù

(Soupflower photography)

This traditional Italian meat sauce is the subject of endless arguments regarding its “correct” preparation. Registered in 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina, the “secret” of Bolognese is confined to the ingredients of beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine, and milk or cream. The dish is based on the traditional use both butter and olive oil for cooking the Soffritto of small amounts of celery, carrot and onion.

No matter how you make it the key ingredient is patience, with a long slow simmer of five to six hours. This allows the modern American cook to substitute the crock pot at the appropriate moment, work all day, and return to the most fragrant of aromas. The people of Bologna traditionally serve their famous ragù with freshly made tagliatelle (tagliatelle alla bolognese) and their traditionally green lasagna. But any pasta will do. I adapted this version from a Williams Sonoma recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbs. olive oil
1 ¼ lbs. ground Bison
1 ¼ lbs. ground pork shoulder
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
4 oz. pancetta, ½-inch dice
1 yellow onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
½ cup roasted red peppers (jarred is fine)
5 garlic bulbs, minced
½ cup tomato paste
1 cup Black Rooster Chianti (or any red wine)
1 cup milk
2 cans (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, passed through a food mill
2 bay leaves
1 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Preparation: 1. In a large pot warm half the olive oil. Over high heat add the ground bison, pork, salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 12 minutes. Reserve to a paper towel lined bowl. 2. Add the pancetta to the pot and cook until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. 3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, celery and carrots cook until soft and translucent (the Soffritto), about 8 minutes. Be patient here, as this is the flavor foundation of the ragù. 4. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. 5. Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes. 6. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. 7. Remove the entire mixture to your crock pot insert. The combine together the cooked meats, crisp pancetta, milk, rendered tomatoes, bay leaves, cheese rind, and bring to a simmer on the “high” setting. 8. When the ragù is bubbling (about 30 minutes, depending upon your crock pot) taste and season to your liking. Reduce setting to “low” and simmer for five to six hours.

Presentation: When ready to serve remove the cheese rind and bay leaves. Adjust your seasoning if required. Serve with pasta of your choice – you can toss the ragù with the pasta or serve it on top of the pasta as you like. Serve the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano along side. Present with the same Black Rooster Chianti you cooked with and with fresh bread.

Richard Wottrich

US Lifts 21-Year Ban On Haggis

Haggis and its traditional accompaniment, whisky. Haggis was banned by US authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient - minced sheep offal - could prove lethal. Photograph: Marco Secchi/Getty Images.

Smuggled and bootlegged, it has been the cause of transatlantic tensions for more than two decades. But after 21 years in exile, the haggis is to be allowed back into the United States.

The "great chieftan o' the puddin-race" was one of earliest casualties of the BSE crisis of the 1980s-90s, banned on health grounds by the US authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient ‑ minced sheep offal ‑ could prove lethal.

Some refined foodies might insist it always has been and always will be: in the words of Robert Burns, in his Ode to a Haggis, looking "down wi' sneering, scornfu' view on sic a dinner". But now, as millions of Scots around the world prepare to celebrate Burns's legacy tonight with an elaborate, whisky-fuelled pageant to a boiled bag of sheep innards, oatmeal, suet and pepper, its reputation has been restored, on health grounds at least.

For the past two decades, Americans of Scottish descent ‑ of whom there are at least 6 million ‑ have been forced to celebrate Burns' night without a true haggis, much to their distress.

There are stories of Scots smuggling in a haggis for their starving cousins, risking deportation in the process. Others are said to have secretly tried to create homemade, bootleg haggis, desperate to sample that particularly peppery concoction.

Meanwhile, butchers in the US have tried, and failed, to make their own versions of the pudding without using the vital ingredient: sheep. "It was a silly ban which meant a lot of people have never tasted the real thing," said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. "We have had to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful."

The long-running campaign by Scottish ministers to reverse the ban has been reinvigorated by Alex Salmond, the Scottish National party leader, since he became first minister, privately lobbying US officials during his visits there. The reverse in policy from the US department of agriculture is now expected by Salmond's government after the World Organisation for Animal Health decided that sheep lungs no longer carry a risk of contamination by scrapie, a close variant of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.The latest sales figures suggest haggis is more popular now than ever.

Nearly £9m worth were sold in the UK alone last year, the 250th anniversary of Burns' birth, up by 19% on 2008. Richard Lochhead, the Scottish environment secretary, was delighted. "I am greatly encouraged to hear that the US authorities are planning a review of the unfair ban on haggis imports," he said. "We believe that reversing the ban would deliver a vote of confidence in Scottish producers, and allow American consumers to sample our world-renowned national dish."

guardian.co.uk

Danish Meatballs in Celery Sauce

Sadie Valeri's silver boat would be perfect to serve this dish.

3 Cups Chopped Celery or if you can get them 2 Chopped Cleriacs
1/2 lb each ground pork, veal, beef
1 large onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1.5 cups soda water
1 egg
celery salt
white pepper
1/2 c blanched fresh spinach
butter
3 tblsp.flour
vegatable broth
2 beaten egg yolks (Optional)
Puff pastry triangles baked acording to the directions on the box.

Toss onion, bread crumbs, egg, spices, spinach, in food processor & pulse, then mix with meats. Using a wetted spoon, fry quennelle shaped (like little boats) meat balls in butter until browned & cooked through. Keep warm. Add the Celery or Celarics to the brownings in the pan. Cook until soft. Toss in flour and brown lightly (make a roux). Add vegetable broth & cook to make a sauce & simmer until smooth & thick. If desired, add small amounts of the hot sauce to the egg yolks and when the danger of curdling passes incorporate into the remaining sauce. Serve over the meatballs, reserving enough to pass. Decorate the edge of the meatballs with puff pastry triangles. Enjoy this dish with red cabbage or pickled beets, Akavit & a good Danish beer.

Maria Batiali’s Braised Pork in the "Black Rooster"- Brasato di Maiale Nero

This Mario recipe is drop-dead delicious with a broth that is nectar from the Gods.

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) pork loin, tied at regular intervals with butcher's twine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 fresh sage leaves
2 1/2 ounces pancetta
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup flat parsley leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup plus 1 cup "Balck Rooster" Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes and their juices, crushed
Black pepper

Directions

Season the pork with the salt, rubbing it into the meat, and place the sage leaves around the loin, secured under the twine. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Mince together the pancetta, garlic and parsley to form a homogenous, smooth mixture. In a large, cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add the pork paste, cooking until it has melted into the oil. Place the pork in the pan and brown on all sides so that a uniform crust is formed. Add 1 cup "Black Rooster" Chinati and reduce by 3/4. Add the remaining cup of wine and the tomatoes, cover, and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 2+ hours, until meat is fork tender.

Remove meat from casserole, allow to rest 15 minutes, and remove string and sage leaves. Serve in 1/3-inch thick slices.

St. Maarten, Caribbean – Lolos

(Photos: RLW)

“Lolos” are what St. Maarten locals call informal outdoor barbecue restaurants. They are found all across St. Maarten. Two of the most famous lolos are located in Grand Case, on the French half of the island. Grand Case is St. Maartin’s restaurant nexus along a narrow street running parallel to the ocean, filled on each side with restaurants ranging from fancy to very simple. The lolos are basic delicious home cooking, a laid-back attitude and cheap. The local owners of these open-air restaurants usually offer “1 dollar to 1 euro” currency conversions, which these days is a pretty good deal for Americans.

The menus at Talk of the Town and Sky’s the Limit (among others) are displayed on wooden easels right on the sidewalk, and the delicious smell of shrimp, lobster, chicken and ribs on the grills drew us in. The lolos are composed of picnic tables protected under canopies, adjacent to an open grill and a wooden bar. For less than ten dollars you can choose a main dish with a plate load of sides, cooked to order.

We ordered Creole shrimp, BBQ Ribs and chicken. Our plates came with heaping helpings of sides, each of which can be ordered for a couple of bucks. Sides include green salad, corn-on-the-cob, fried Plantains, coleslaw, French Fries, mac and cheese, red beans and rice, dirty rice, and spaghetti in Creole sauce. Everything is made that morning and meats are barbequed while you dine. They offer a pungent local barbeque sauce, Kalina, bottled and sold on the island.

While we dined the grill smoke wafted through the tables while a local steel drum band played. The lolos fill up fast for good reason, so get there before Noon. Take-out works.

Richard Wottrich, Blog Editor