Butternut Squash & Kale Winter Soup

Kelly Proudfit modified a recipe for this soup and she reports that it turned out so well...they all loved it! Kelly said, "Super healthy and tastes great."

1  large bunch of Kale (leaves chopped, discard stems)
2  cans 14oz Cannellini beans
1  large butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into small 1-inch cubes)
1  yellow onion, chopped
2  cloves minced garlic
1  tablespoon olive oil
5  cups chicken stock (lowfat- low sodium)
    salt and pepper to taste

Cook chopped onions and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In large stock pot add the chicken stock, cooked onions and garlic, beans, and cubed squash. Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat and then add the Kale. Cook for another 20 minutes on low heat. You can also just throw it all in a crock pot and let it cook all day.

Serve in bowls and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Sooooo good. Especially next day. Kids will like the soup if you strain it and just give them butternut squash pieces. They are sweet and the beans are good as well.

Kelly Proudfit

CoolCooksShare Factoid #1 - Turkey Giblets à l'Anglaise (Abatis de Dinde à l'Anglaise) [French for "in the English style," meaning food that is simply poached or boiled.]

In classic French cooking, the pieces of giblets, after a preliminary cooking with sliced onions and potatoes, are taken out, put in another shallow pan, covered with about 20 blanched small onions and the same number of cooked new potatoes and then the juice they were cooked in is passed through a sieve and poured over the giblets, onions and potatoes.

Larousse Gastronomique, 1961

Ribbon Celeriac Salad
Another great salad from Jamie Oliver

A wonderful Fall vegetable, celeriac is a fresh and crunchy alternative to lettuce in this salad by Jamie Oliver; a play on the traditional French Celeriac Rémoulade. The flavor notes of celeriac are celery, with a milder, nuttier flavor, and hints of anise. Celeriac is nutritionally useful, in the same family as carrots, coriander, cumin, fennel, parsley and lovage.

1  celeriac root (celery root), peeled
1  bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
2  anchovies, finely chopped (optional)
2  heaping tablespoons fine capers, chopped or whole to your taste
2  heaping tablespoons small sweet and sour gherkins, chopped
5  tablespoons crème fraîche (substitute whipped cream)
1  heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2  tablespoons sherry, red or white wine vinegar, to your taste
    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Clean and peel the celeriac until you reach its white flesh; then continue peeling in long strips. It’s OK if they break occasionally. Put the strips in acidulated water to prevent discoloring. When you reach the fluffy inner core, discard it. Discard any thick stalks from the parsley and rough cut the thin stalks and leaves. Put the drained celeriac and parsley in a large bowl and mix in all the other ingredients. Season to your taste, adding more vinegar if necessary. I added an optional ingredient of chopped pickled little onions. It would be interesting to substitute crumpled bacon for the anchovies.

Served as a side salad with hearty meat-sauce spaghetti this was super. This would also be great covered in thinly cut smoked Salmon, or as a side dish with cold roasted chicken.

Wedding Dinner

Mr. & Mrs. Wilfred Wottrich

Tuesday, November 23, 1920

Willoughby Mansion

M. Cahn - Caterer

Brooklyn, New York USA

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Oyster Cocktail

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Consommé en Tasse

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HORS D’OEUVRES

Celery ~ Olives ~ Gherkins ~ Almonds

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FISH

Kenneber Salmon Sauce Hollandaise

Parsley Potatoes

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ENTRÉE

Sweetbread Financiere Casserole

French Peas

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Fresh Beef Tongue a la Polonaise

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Sherbet

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ROAST

Long Island Duckling ~ Compot

Roast Chicken ~ Parisian Potatoes

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DESSERT

French Pastry ~ Cream a la Fantasie ~ Cafe Noir

Mineral Water

Condé Nast Closing Down Gourmet

The New York Times noted, "[Gourmet] has suffered a severe decline in ad pages, but the cut still comes as a shock. There was speculation that Condé Nast would close one of its food titles - Gourmet or Bon Appétit - but most bets were on the latter. Gourmet has a richer history than Bon Appétit, and its editor, Ruth Reichl, is powerful in the food world.

(Editor's Note: To me Gourmet was primarily a travel magazine that taught me at a young age what was possible in the world. It shall be missed.)

CoolCooksShare Factoid - Crème de Cassis & Kir
 
Crème de cassis is a black currant liqueur (cassis is the botanical name for black currant) that was made famous by a priest, Chanoine (canon) Félix Kir (1876 - 1968). The priest was well-known as a fervent opponent of the Nazis, assisting thousands of resistance fighters to escape.

During WWII he was elected Mayor of Dijon. Dijon liquor factories at the time were fighting for survival due to the war. Kir would always give a guest a glass of white wine and Cassis, in line with an old tradition. Hence he kept alive the tradition of the Blanc-Cassis, which in time became known as the apéritif Kir.

To make a Kir the crème de cassis is poured first into the wine glass, followed by an acidic white wine. The International Bartenders Association gives a recipe using 1/10 crème de cassis, but French sources typically specify more; 19th century recipes for blanc-cassis recommended 1/3 crème de cassis, and modern sources typically about 1/5.

The white wine can be any wine, but many prefer a white Chardonnay-based Burgundy, such as Chablis. When ordering a Kir, waiters in France sometimes ask whether you want it made with crème de cassis (black currant), de mûre (blackberry) or de pèche (peach). A Kir Royal is made with Champagne or a white sparkling wine.

Blog Editor - Richard Wottrich

Sautéed Shrimp in Pastis

Norwegian Shrimp Boat (Photo: RLW)

"To know how to eat is to know enough." Old Basque Saying

The start for this recipe comes from “The Basque Kitchen” by chef Gerald Hirigoyen. We have visited and enjoyed his restaurant Fringale in San Francisco (now morphed into Piperade), where he and his wife Cameron reside. We first became acquainted with the Basque Region by virtue of meeting Tony Paget’s wife, Mercedes, in Paris in 2000. Mercedes is Basque and she told us stories about her people. Subsequently in 2005 we took a Backroads hiking trip through the Grand Pyrenees of both Spain and France and had variations of this dish.

The spirit behind this version is to adapt what is essentially a summer dish into a winter dish, by roasting fresh tomatoes for more intense flavor.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
2 pounds uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), shelled and deveined, 4 to 5 per person.
20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium bulb of fennel, trimmed and sliced thinly
5 tablespoons pastis
½ cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preparation: 1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees. Place the 40 halves of tomatoes cut side up on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes; sprinkle on sea salt and the rosemary. Add ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for two hours or until they resemble sun dried tomatoes. Reserve. 2. Shell and devein the shrimp. Reserve over ice. 2. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the fennel and sauté about five minutes until just soft, stirring frequently (do not overcook). 3. Add the tomatoes, shrimp and garlic and the pastis, ignite and flambé until the flame dies away. 4. Turn the heat down. Add the lemon juice, basil, parsley and chives. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Swirl the pan over the heat until the shrimp are completely covered in sauce. (Do not boil the sauce.)

Note: Wild caught Key West, Gulf of Mexico, or Alaskan shrimp are preferred. Much of our shrimp today comes frozen from shrimp farms in Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia and Brazil. China has become a huge exporter of farmed white shrimp as well. These shrimp aqua-monocultures are very susceptible to diseases, which have caused several regional wipe-outs of farm shrimp populations, increasing ecological problems, and repeated disease outbreaks. The taste of these shrimp is “muddy.” I would advise buying American.

Bulgarian snails set the pace for swift economic recovery

by Nick Iliev

Global economic crunch? An exotic and relatively new Bulgarian industry dating less than a decade since its establishment, doesn't think so, in fact, they have shown the way for a swift economic recovery.

Sadovets, a village in the Municipality of Pleven, is in the lucrative business of harvesting snails in industrial quantities and then exporting them mainly to... yes you've guessed it, France. Snail cultivation has since proven to be a very successful alternative to conventional agriculture.

For this year alone, Sadovets is responsible for the export of 900 tons of snails, and in spite of the global crisis "snail farms are germinating all over the place" and "their number is expected to increase several times over," Bulgarian National Radio reported on October 7 2009.

One of the farms in Sadovets, managed by Stancho Totov, covers five ha, has a "complete cycle of production", and employs permanently 25 staff, while in the summer the number increases to 75 employees.

The produce is designated exclusively for export to Western Europe, most of which is shipped to France, with Italy and Spain also being prominent customers.

"We expect to produce between 60 and 70 tons of snails in this farm alone in 2009," Totov told Bulgarian National Television (BNT). "In previous years we've reached up to a hundred tons, but the crunch has had an effect on us as well," he said.

Farmers say that this year the impact of stagnation was felt, as in times of crisis people tend to switch away from food branded as a "delicacy". However, there is recent trend on the domestic market of growing demand for the food. Farmers are expected to receive European Union subsidies under European programmes for the development of rural regions.

"Snails are an ancient form of food, their meat is light, delicious, ideal for dieting. Most importantly, a lot of accent is put in the food's aphrodisiac properties," said Totov, quoted by BNT.

The Sofia Echo

Joy of Cooking: 1930s cookbook has brought decades of culinary staples

By KERRY MCCRAY, The Modesto Bee

MODESTO -- After a career as a dancer, you'd think Jane Fenton's prize possession would be a memory of the stage -- pointe shoes from her days in the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall, perhaps, or a program from her stint in the Broadway musical "Oklahoma!" But the thing the Modesto woman treasures most isn't dramatic at all. It's an old, battered cookbook, held together with rubber bands, that has been a fixture in her life since before she could plie.

Fenton, 81, has what looks to be an original "The Joy of Cooking." And, like every good performer, she has a story to go with it.

Growing up in St. Louis, Fenton lived with her mother and her grandparents. Her grandfather conducted the St. Louis Symphony. Her grandmother had a reputation as a fine cook, a skill she picked up from older, well-to-do ladies in the city's German community when she was first married.

Her specialty? Baked goods. "For breakfast, I'd wake up and there were caramel rolls or crumb coffee cake," Fenton said. "When I came home from school, there'd be homemade cookies or doughnuts." One of young Jane's earliest memories is of holding her grandmother's hand, walking down the street to a dark and dreary apartment building. There, her grandmother and the woman who lived there would pore over recipes while she played on the floor.

The woman? Fenton believes it had to be Irma Rombauer, the author of "The Joy of Cooking." The timing is right. Fenton was a toddler at the time, so the gatherings likely took place in the late 1920s. Rombauer self-published her book on a shoestring budget in St. Louis in 1931.

Irma S. Rombauer

Fenton's grandmother was renowned for her abilities in the kitchen. It makes sense, Fenton said, that a cookbook author would consult her grandmother before a book went to press. The association could explain the presence of "The Joy of Cooking" in Fenton's life. Believed to be one of 3,000 first editions, the blue-covered volume was in her family when, at age 17, she asked to go to New York to audition for dance roles.

Her mother came along, and so did the book. Fenton landed the gig at Radio City Music Hall, then went on to play the Girl who Falls Down in a five-year run of "Oklahoma!" Her mother made sure she had a hot meal after the show.

"Mother always had the cookbook with us," Fenton said. "When we went on tour, we would rent a little apartment. She took care of my food." Fenton finished high school by correspondence and went on to act and dance in more productions. She married, divorced, then married again. As a young mother, she lived in Los Angeles and acted in television commercials.

By this time, the cookbook had been passed on to her. She wowed her husband's Jewish family with dishes like sauerbraten (beef shoulder steeped in vinegar and spices for a week, then cooked) and tiny dumplings (made with cracker meal to ensure their lightness).

"My grandmother always told me, 'Never make anything bigger than this,'" she said, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger. "She'd say, 'That's fine cooking.'" Fenton and her husband, Bob, moved to Modesto when the couple bought radio station KFIV. She still uses "The Joy of Cooking," but prefers the book's lighter recipes.

Like peach ice cream. She uses her food processor to combine the peaches and cream -- something Rombauer could never have imagined. Another thing that would surprise Rombauer, who died in 1962: Pristine first-editions of her book are worth up to $5,000, according to Maggie Green, who writes a blog on "The Joy of Cooking" Web site, www.thejoykitchen.com. Green wrote about Fenton in her blog.

Fenton's copy of the book is well-loved -- the cover is falling off. Pages are stained with drippings from long-ago meals. "I'd be lucky to get 5 cents," she said. "But I wouldn't trade it in for anything."

Pomegranate Tree, Korcula, Croatia (Photo: RLW)


















Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4-6

Wikipedia says: The most commonly-understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented by Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health in the mid-1990s. Based on "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s", this diet, in addition to "regular physical activity," emphasized "abundant plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, zero to four eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts". Total fat in this diet is 25% to 35% of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories.

The principal aspects of this diet include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, high consumption of unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, high consumption of vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat and meat products, and moderate wine consumption.

That aside, the true story is that the entire Mediterranean basin was “influenced” by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), an imperial monarchy that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922. No discussion of Mediterranean cuisine can begin without examining the Turkish cuisine at its heart.

This sweet potato dish is reminiscent of one I had in Istanbul where the subtle taste of pomegranates lingered on the palate.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 stick butter, cut into cubes (substitute olive oil)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
1 pinch salt
1 cup reserved cooking liquid

Preparation: 1. Boil the cubed sweet potato and potato in a pot of water until soft, 10 minutes. 2. Reserve one cup of the cooking water. 3. In a large bowl combine the cooked potatoes, cubed butter, brown sugar, pomegranate molasses and pinch of salt. Mix together. 4. Take one cup of the mixture and place it in a blender. Add the cooking liquid and chopped mint and blend. 5. Return the mixture from the blender to the bowl and mash. 6. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve as a side dish in small bowls, with a spring of mint as garnish.

Try the Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook (Paperback), by Ozcan Ozan

Richard Wottrich

Help! Can anyone get me a table at Rao's?

I've been trying to get into Rao's, the famous little Italian family restaurant, for years - located at 455 East 114th Street, East Harlem, New York.

Make Rao’s mouthwatering meatballs
Makes 14–16 meatballs

1 1/2 lb beef
1/2 lb veal
1/2 lb pork
3 large gloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino cheese
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
 
In a large bowl, place the meat and rub the minced garlic into it. Press the meat down in the bowl, then add, in this order, the salt, pepper, parsley, 2 eggs, and the water. Then sprinkle the cheese over the top as if you are going to cover the water. Finally, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese.

When you start to mix it all together, mix from the outside of the bowl to the middle and fold it in. After the ingredients are mixed, start to roll the meatball in your hands, about 6 ounces per meatball.

After your meatballs are rolled, take a frying pan (a 10 inch sautee pan is best), add your oil (2 cups) and heat. Place a clove of whole garlic in the frying pan; when the clove of garlic starts to brown, the oil is ready.

Fry the meatballs, cooking and flipping each side until golden brown, about 4 1/2 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the meatballs after cooking and put on a plate with some paper towels to absorb the oil. [If you want, you can bake the meatballs in an oven on a lightly greased tray at 350 degrees – the taste is totally different than frying.]

Add the meatballs to your tomato sauce and finish cooking them up in the sauce. Serve with the sauce.

GEFÜLLTE TOMATEN Baked Tomatoes & Eggs with Nutmeg


Sharon and I were wandering through Door County, Wisconsin, on a beautiful autumn day when we chanced upon this recipe. The tourists were gone by now. We bought smoked white fish in Gills Rock, where Sharon’s relative Willie WEIBORG once owned a big home (still there as a bed and breakfast), a warehouse and fishing boat. We had a lunch of ham sandwiches, split pea soup and cold beer at Al Johnson's, where six goats were still feeding atop its grass roof. We drove by her family’s original farm of 40 acres, just outside of Ellison Bay. We even visited two graveyards looking for long lost relatives! In a gift store Sharon found a German cookbook and in it I found this recipe, which I had never seen before. It is truly simplicity itself and a wonderful combination of tastes.

6 large tomatoes
6 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
  salt and pepper to taste
  nutmeg or curry as you like
  garnish of parsley, lettuce, or toast

Preparation: 1. Slice off the top of the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp, making space for a whole egg. 2. Rub the insides with salt and pepper to taste, put in a nugget of butter, and set the tomatoes inside of a shallow greased baking dish. 3. Crack an egg into each tomato, sprinkle with either curry or nutmeg (depending on the menu). 4. Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 20-30 minutes until the eggs are nicely poached. The juice and butter in the tomatoes acts as a poaching liquid and it takes a bit of time for the tomatoes to heat up so they poach the eggs.

Presentation: For a breakfast I would suggest using nutmeg and setting the tomatoes on a slice of toast. For a dinner curry would do nicely, set on a bed of lettuce. In either case garnish the top with a parsley sprig.

Notes: This dish retains its heat wonderfully. You can time these to be first out of the oven and they will still be warm by serving time.

Sogneford, Norway (Photo: RLW)

Torsk med Eggesaus
Poached Codfish Steaks with Egg Sauce (Norwegian)
Serves 4-6

You have no idea how satisfying it was to find a Norwegian dish that pleases Sharon, my Norwegian! This recipe originated in Foods of the World, 1968, Time-Life Books, New York. Yes, we use a whole stick of butter (If you don’t like my butter, don’t pump my churn).

4-6 codfish steaks, fresh if possible, or flash-frozen from Iceland
½ cup salt

Egg Sauce:
¼ pound butter (one stick)
¼ cup hot fish poaching stock
2 hardboiled eggs, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of dill, parsley and/or chives to your taste
salt and ground paper to taste

Garnish:
Thinly sliced lemon
Dill, parsley, or chives to your taste

Preparation: (1) Fill a fish poacher, or enamel roasting pan, with four inches of water. Add ½ cup of salt. Add white wine if you like. Add to your taste: whole pepper corns, fresh sage, lemon wedge, and/or dill. (2) Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce heat to a steady bubbling. (3) Gently place the cod in the liquid and poach for five minutes or until tender. Egg Sauce: (4) Melt the butter in a saucepan. (5) Remove from the heat and whisk in the poaching stock. Mix in the chopped egg, tomato, and herbs. Salt and pepper to your taste. (6) Return to the heat and bring almost to a boil.

Presentation: I served this dish with boiled and quartered potatoes and asparagus tips. I cut the cod into chunks about two by two inches each and placed them in the middle of the plate. The potatoes went on one side of the cod and the tips on the other. Then I spooned the sauce over each cod piece and dabbed a bit on the vegetables. A sprig of dill and a lemon slice were the garnish. I have to tell you that both Sharon and I were blown away by this dish. It is simple, elegant and delicious. As a family style main dish, arrange the cod on a serving platter, garnish and serve the sauce on the side.

Butter-Poached Maine Lobster with Leeks, Pommes Maxim, and a Red Beet Essence
The French Laundry - Homarus americanus

English explorers started taking lobsters in Maine as early as 1605 and in 1880 they were so plentiful that they sold for two cents a pound in Boston. When my dad, Robert E. WOTTRICH was 14, his parents spent the summer in the tiny town of Camden beside Penobscot Bay in Maine. Camden was known as “the prettiest town in Maine” at the time, which was 1937. My grandfather Wilfred arranged for my dad to ride out on the lobster boats as a junior hand each of several mornings.

Fast forward to my days at Dartmouth College in 1964-1968, we would drive to Boston and pick up “chicken” lobsters (one pound or less) right on the docks for $1.00 each. We’d bring them back in the trunks of our cars along with buckets of steamers and seaweed and steam them over coals in big new galvanized garbage cans for the Green Key weekend each spring. Those trunks never smelled the same again!

As House Manager at Bones Gate fraternity (Delta Tau Delta) I was responsible for the lobster dinner. As chef this meant I could eat as much lobster as I was able and that was a considerable amount at the time. The trick was to stay away from cheap New York State champagne, which when combined with lobster usually made our dates quite ill!

So suffice it to say that I have boiled my share of Maine lobsters over the years. Imagine my surprise when I opened up a gift copy of “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller recently and learned that there was a better way to cook lobster! The French Laundry is the celebrated restaurant in Napa Valley, California.

Boiling lobster for several minutes in the time-honored tradition does cause the meat to seize up and become tough, and it makes it difficult to get any flavor into it. While great for summer beach parties, it loses in translation to the fine dining experience. If you take a lobster out of its shell before fully cooking it, you have more control over the taste and texture. Steep the lobster just enough so that its meat will pull away cleanly from the shell, leaving the interior raw, so you can treat it like raw fish. Try the following procedure and get ready for heaven itself.

Steeping the Lobsters: Fill a large pot with enough water to cover three 1 ½ to 2-pound live lobsters and bring to a boil. Add ½ cup of vinegar for every 8 quarts of water. Pour the boiling water onto the live lobsters in another pot and steep for 2 minutes if using 1½ pound lobsters, or 3 minutes for 2-pound lobsters. Remove the lobsters from the water, turn off the heat, but do not discard the water. One at a time, using a towel or rubber gloves to hold the lobster, grasp its tail and twist and pull to detach it. Twist and pull off the claws and return them to the water for 5 minutes. Reserve the bodies.

For the Tails: Hold each tail flat and twist the tail fan to one side, pull off and discard. Use your fingers to gently push the meat through the tail end and pull the meat out through the large opening at the other end. Lay the tail meat on its back and cut lengthwise in half through the middle. Remove the vein running through the top of the meat. Lay the meat on a paper towel-lined plate or platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

For the Claws: After 5 minutes, remove the claws from the hot water. Twist off each knuckle to remove it. Hold the claw in your hand and pull down to loosen the lower pincher. Push it to either side to crack it and pull it straight off. Ideally, the cartilage from inside the claw should be attached to the pincer and the claw meat should remain intact. Still holding the claw, crack the top of the shell with the heel of a knife, about ¾ inch from the joint where the knuckle is attached. You want to go through the shell, but not damage the meat. Wriggle the knife to loosen and crack the shell. If the shell doesn’t pop off, it may be necessary to turn the claw over and repeat the procedure. Shake the claw to remove the meat (if it doesn’t fall out, cut off the very tip of the shell and blow through the hole to release the meat).

For the Knuckles: Pull back and discard the top shell of each lobster, including the heads and antenna. Remove the tomalley, roe, lungs, and the sac behind the head. You can reserve the dark green roe for other uses, but discard the light green tomalley, feathery lungs and sac. You will be left with body and legs. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water and use immediately, or freeze them to make lobster stock or consommé.

Butter-Poached Maine Lobster with Leeks, Pommes Maxim, and a Red Beet Essence:

For the Pommes Maxim: (Which originated at Maxim’s in Paris) Preheat the oven to 300F. Peel one large 12-ounce potato and slice it into paper-thin rounds on a mandoline. Toss the rounds with clarified butter; they should be well coated. Arrange them on a Silpat-lined baking sheet, overlapping the slices by half to form a solid circular sheet of potatoes, or lay them in overlapping circles in a large ovenproof skillet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake the potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden brown. They may not hold together completely. These can be made hours ahead and left at room temperature.

For the Red Beet Essence: If using fresh beets, juice enough beets to make a generous cup. Reduce the beet juice slowly in a small saucepan to 2 to 3 tablespoons of glaze.

To Complete: For the lobsters, bring the pieces to room temperature. Place them in one layer in a large saucepan and add the beurre monté . The lobster should be almost covered. Place the pan over low heat and slowly poach the lobster in the butter for 5 to 6 minutes, just to heat it through.

Meanwhile, for the leeks (1 ½ cups leek rounds), warm the leek rounds in a saucepan. Add tomato diamonds (2 tablespoons), chives (2 teaspoons), Brunoise (1 tablespoon), and beurre monté (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon).

Reheat the pommes Maxim in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.

Bring the beet glaze to a simmer and whisk in the beurre monté (3 tablespoons), red wine vinegar (1/2 teaspoon) and a few drops of lemon juice.

Place a small spoonful of beet essence on each plate. Top with a generous tablespoon of leek mixture, a lobster tail, and a claw. Break off a piece of the pommes Maxim and place it on top of the lobster. Present. (Serves 6)

Richard Wottrich

NYC's Tavern on the Green files for Chapter 11 

 

Editor's Note: On July 6, 1945, my parents, Bob and Joan, were married at the Tavern on the Green in Manhattan. My dad was a Navy pilot on leave as WWII raged on in the Pacific. The pictures we have from their reception show a measured celebration, against the backdrop of war. The dinner was simple. Decorations were at a minimum. It was a different time.

 
NEW YORK (AP) — Tavern on the Green, the landmark restaurant in New York City's Central Park, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The filing comes just four months before the 75-year-old restaurant is to hand over its license to another operator.

Tavern Chief Executive Jennifer Oz LeRoy blames the filing on the financial crisis and New York City's decision to give the Tavern license to a new operator.

The new license was granted to Dean J. Poll, who runs the Central Park Boathouse restaurant. The federal bankruptcy filing lists 20 creditors.

Poll, who takes over Jan. 1, plans to renovate with green technology. The original building, which dates to the 19th century, housed sheep. LeRoy's father, Warner, took over the Tavern in 1976. He died in 2001.

Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/

(Photo: Marais Market, Paris RLW)

Ten Principals of Healthy Eating
(Adapted from “In Defense of Food,” Michael Pollan)


Avoid Food You Do Not Understand
Do not eat anything your great grandmother would not recognize. Avoid food products that have ingredients you do not understand, or more than five unrecognized ingredients, or high-fructose corn syrup.

Avoid Engineered Foods
Avoid food products that make claims. An apple does not need a label. Fresh food does not need supplements. Humans do not need food pyramids. Eat more plants and their leaves. That is where the antioxidants are.

Learn To Market – Buy Often – Buy Fresh
If you must shop at a supermarket, shop around its edges (fruit, vegetables, bread, cheeses, meats) and stay out of the middle where the engineered foods are. Find a bakery, butcher, fruit and vegetable stand and farmer’s market that you like. Shop fresher and more often. Make it a habit.

Know Your Food’s Origin – Buy Quality – Buy Variety
You are what you eat eats too. Be aware of where your meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit come from. Closer is better. Grass-fed is better. Antibiotic and steroid free is better. If you find something that is perfect, buy it in quantity and freeze it.

Buy Local – Buy Heritage, Organic, Wild and Artisan Foods
Eat well-grown foods from healthy soils. Ask. If they can’t tell you where it is from, don’t buy. There will be an organic farm near you. Call and ask about heritage fruits and vegetables, artisan meats and cheeses, and wild plants.

Emulate Cuisines That Endure – Be Informed
Eat more like the French, Italians, Japanese, Indians, Greeks, or Turks. Google their diets. Buy cookbooks. Use them. Be informed about nutrition. Pick a good multivitamin that fits you and take it, especially as you get older.

Dine Together and Talk
Dine together as a family. Dine at a dining table. Not in your car, or on a bar stool, or anywhere that is not receptive to the enjoyment of food over time. This is where you teach your children manners, behavior, patience, ethics, humor, values and build their character. Have a glass of wine with dinner. Take your time and practice the art of conversation.

Practice Moderation
Pay more for quality. Buy better food in smaller amounts, unless you are preserving or freezing. Spend the same by eating less and stabilize a healthy weight. Don’t look for a magic bullet in the traditional healthy diet. You keep a healthy weight through being active and eating in moderation.

Respect Your Mind and Body
Listen to your body. It tells you how it feels, what it craves and when you are abusing it. Your body is the organism that takes care of your brain. Do not abuse it. You can’t trade it in. Eat slowly. Try not to eat alone.

Learn to Cook
Be in control. Meet and talk to people who grow and raise your food. Make the connection. Plant a garden. Plant and keep herbs. Learn to cook and then cook. Preparing food for people you care about is an act of respect and love. Enjoy life!

Richard L. Wottrich

Russell Gordon's magnificent painting of fish inspired me to cook the following recipe from Elizabeth David's Mediterranean Food published in 1950:

Mediterranean Fish Soup

3 or 4 Mackerel fillets cut into serving size chunks
1 Chopped Onion
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Tomato Puree
2 Minced Cloves Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
A Mix of Chopped Fennel Tops,Thyme& Parsley
Pinch of Saffron
2 lbs. Peas (Frozen or Fresh)
2.5 cups Boiling Water
Salt & Pepper
Fat slices of Artisan bread

Saute onion in olive oil until golden, add tomato puree, stir, toss in garlic and herbs. Pour in boiling water, salt, pepper, saffron & peas if they are fresh. Allow to simmer until peas are cooked (if required) or simply until the flavors meld if using frozen peas (about 5 minutes). Add the mackerel and if using the frozen peas. Simmer until fish is firm & white. Place bread slice in the bottom of shallow soup bowls. Ladle fish, peas & broth. Enjoy!

Basil & Peppers - Wottrich Herb Garden

Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Matching roasted peppers with goat cheese is an ancient pairing. There are hundreds of pepper varieties out there and many are available at markets today. Select them as to your taste and in perfect condition.

2 medium mild red peppers, roasted, remove skin and seeds, chopped
1 small hot pepper of your choice, same preparation
1 medium log of goat cheese, set out to soften
2 shallots, finely chopped
Fresh herbs to your taste, chopped
1 tablespoon fine olive oil
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste
1 loaf of rustic bread, your choice

Preparation: 1. Roast the peppers whole over your grill or under your broiler until well charred. Wrap in a dish towel and set aside to cool completely. 2. In a mixing bowl combine the chopped shallots, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. 3. Remove the skin from the cool peppers (do not run water over the peppers as that removes flavor) and then quarter to remove stem and seeds. Chop the peppers into a medium dice. Mix with the shallots (add the hot pepper to your taste). 4. Cut thick slabs of bread and toast. Spread the goat cheese on the toast and then the peppers. Add salt and ground pepper to your taste. Serve with a crisp Riesling white wine.

Rogue Creamery in Oregon Wins Best in Show at ACS Competition With Its Blue Cheese

We just returned from Portland where we feasted on this remarkable blue cheese from the Rogue Creamery, founded in 1935.

Rogue Creamery

Cucumbers á la Grecque

For those who have seen Julie & Julia (2009), a celebration of food and marriage, a featured recipe was Cucumbers á la Grecque. This delicious recipe is from Julia Child's famous revolutionary "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," published in 1961.

The art of cooking vegetables in an aromatic broth, or Court Bouillon, is a lost skill in this country well worth resuming.

Court Bouillon

1 pound cucumbers (about 4 cups)
2 cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons minced shallot or green onions

Tied in Cheesecloth

6 sprigs parsley including root if available
1 small celery stalk with leaves or 1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
1 spring fresh fennel or 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 spring fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
12 peppercorns
6 coriander seeds
(or any other herbs and spices as you like)

Preparation:

1. Peel cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut halves into 1/2-inch strips lengthwise, then into 2-inch pieces. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each 4 cups of cucumber pieces, and let stand in a bowl for 20 minutes.

2. In an enameled or stainless steel saucepan place all of the Court Bouillon ingredients (excepting the cucumbers) and bring to a simmer. Drain the cucumbers thoroughly, put them into the Court Bouillon, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the cucumbers nicely arranged on a serving dish and place in refrigerator. Reduce (boil) the Court Bouillon down to roughly 1/3 cup. Pour it over the cucumbers and chill. (I substituted black mustard seeds for the coriander seeds.)

3. Sprinkle minced fresh green herbs on the cucumbers just before serving. Cracked pepper is a must. Experiment with other vegetables such as artichoke hearts, celery, eggplant, fennel, leeks, onions, broccoli and combinations thereof.