cooking – Page 4 – Alice the Cook

September 21, 2011

Chocolate and Romance Weekend (September 17 and 18)

This past weekend was Chocolate and Romance weekend. Our kitchen cooked up another storm with a variety of romantic dishes. I hope you like them.

Pomegranate and Raspberry Wine Pork
Ingredients:

1 pork shoulder (4 – 5 lbs)
2 cups of pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
2 cups of Raspberry wine
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Place the pork in a large pot and add the wine and juice together and cook on a stovetop on medium heat for 2.5 hours. After the first hour, add the black pepper. After the second hour, add the salt. The pork is done when it falls apart (like pulled pork).

Potato Dauphinoise
Preheat over to 350 degrees F
3 lbs of red potatoes, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large garlic clove, halved
4 table spoons of butter
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potato slices into a bowl of cold water to remove the excess starch. Drain and pat dry with paper or cloth towels. Take the halved garlic clove and rub the cut side around a wide, shallow, ovenproof dish or cast iron pot. Butter or spray oil the dish/pot generously and blend the cream and milk together. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of the potatoes. Dot a bit of the butter and minced garlic over the potatoes and season with the salt and pepper. Pour a bit of the cream and milk mixture over the layer. Continue making layers until all of the ingredients have been used, ending with just a layer of cream. Bake for about 1 1/4 hours. If the potatoes are browning too quickly, cover with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil. The dish is done when the potatoes are soft and tender and the top is golden brown. Serves 8

Poached Pears
Ingredients:
4-6 Peeled, Cored and Sliced Pears (recommend Bosc or Anjou)
1 1/2 cups of red wine (recommend Zinfandel, Shiraz or Merlot)
3/4 cups of granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (can also add lemon zest if desired)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Preparation: Combine all ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. Once the wine mixture is boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and add the pears. Simmer pears for 10-12 minutes and then turn pears and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes – until they are tender and are easily poked through with a fork. Remove pears and let them cool. Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. Pour sauce over pears and serve with either marscapone, crème fraiche or Devonshire cream.

Chocolate Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut up
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon anise seed
1 cup almonds or hazelnuts, chopped
1.5 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ancho powder (or to taste)
sesame seeds

PREPARATION:
Brown chicken in a medium skillet in hot oil. Remove to a large (13x9x2) cake pan or baking dish. Pour oil from skillet and add the stock. Simmer 5 minutes. Mix cocoa with vegetable oil to form a paste. Add cloves, cinnamon, anise seed, and blend. Stir spice mixture into simmering stock and simmer 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Pour mixture over the chicken parts. Cover and bake in preheated 350-degree oven until chicken is tender (around 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

September 6, 2011

Silk Road recipes (Part I)

This past weekend was Silk Road weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and we cooked up a storm. My assistants, Nicholas and Rissa, worked very hard over the three day weekend and we cooked and cooked. We demonstrated several recipes. I will post the second set of recipes later, once I can compile my notes further.

This past weekend, our 1:00 pm show demonstrated chicken tikka, curry chickpeas, and samosas. I hope you like them as much as we did; they made a very tasty lunch.

Chicken Tikka
Ingredients:
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
3/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
2 cups whole-milk yogurt
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for greasing pan
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (Indian spice mixture)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
5 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

Blend well the whole milk yogurt and spices together. Add the chicken and marinate for 8 hours. Heat up a pan with oil and fry up the chicken or use skewers and grill the chicken until done.

Curry Chickpea Stew
Ingredients:
1 tsp sea salt
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp coriander, ground
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, dried and cracked (preferred) ground is also acceptable
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tablespoons of olive oil

In a pan with hot oil, add the mustard seeds and cook until they have all popped (like popcorn). Add the chickpeas and the spices. Cook until the spices have completely covered the chickpeas.

Vegetable Samosa FIlling
Ingredients:
1 Potato finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
2 cloves of crushed garlic.
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Cup of frozen peas
1 tblspn vegetable oil
2 tspn curry powder or your own spices according to taste
Salt, Pepper to taste

Dice up the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Heat up a pan with vegetable oil and the diced vegetables along with the frozen peas. Add the curry and sauté the vegetables until tender and put aside.

Pastry
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 tspn. salt
2 tblspb. vegetable oil
1-2 tblspb. warm water

Mix the flour and the salt together. Great a hole in the mound of dried ingredients and stir in the oil and the water until a soft dough forms. Create in a ball and let sit for 30 minutes. After the dough has sat, break the dough off into 12 equal parts. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into thin circles and use a knife to cut each piece of dough into half circles. Add the filling to one half of the dough and fold over the remaining dough. Seal with water.

Heat up a pan with 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees and begin to deep fry the samosas until golden brown. Remove from the oil and serve.

Optional dipping sauce

Blend together 1 cup of whole milk Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of garam masala and serve along side with samosas.

August 25, 2011September 23, 2011

Garam Masala and Traditional Curry Spice Mixes

Throughout the centuries, families along the Silk Road, would use the spices they had access to in order to create their own spice blends. Each family could control the amount of heat or sweetness based on the different combinations of the spices. Those that wanted heat, would have more peppers and those that wanted a sweeter blend, would have more cinnamon, etc.

Below are two recipes of two different spice blends popular among various cultures: Garam Masala and Curry. The first set is Alice the Cook’s Recipes and the other is that of her assistant, Nicholas Childs, an accomplished cook in his own right. They are very easy to do and provide a different tast of those spice blends found pre-prepared in jars. I hope you like them.

Alice’s Garam Masala
1 tsp Cinnamon sticks, broken into smaller pieces
1 tsp Caradamom pods (green, black, or brown)
1 tsp Ginger, dried and cracked
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Techillacherry black peppercorns
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Dried chili peppers

Alice’s Curry
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp coriander, ground
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, dried and cracked (preferred) ground is also acceptable
2 tsp cumin seeds

Nicholas’ Curry
1/2 t chili powder
1 t black mustard seed
1 t tumeric
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground corriander
2 t minced garlic
2 t ground or grated ginger( fresh or not)
2 t ajwian/cumin/caraway

Nicholas’ Garam Masala:
cumin
coriander
black pepper
cardamom
chilies
cloves
cinnamon
nutmeg grated

Additional Equipment
Mortar and pestle
Spice grinder

Instructions for both
Heat up a cast iron skillet so that it is quite hot and add the spices in order to dry roast them together. Once toasted, remove the spice mixture off of the heat and add them to the mortar and pestle to begin breaking the spices down for easier grinding. Once broken down, you can continue grinding them in the mortar and pestle, or you may use a spice or coffee grinder to combine the spices into a finer blend.

Place the spice blend into an airtight jar, the spices will keep their flavor for six months.

April 3, 2011

Moussaka

Moussaka is a very rich casserole that originated in Greece. The recipe takes some time to put together, but like good lasagna, it’s worth it.

The best way to make moussaka is in steps. Start with the meat sauce, and while that is simmering, prep the potatoes and eggplant. Make the béchamel last because it is not a sauce that holds up very well.

Moussaka Recipe

NOTE: All sorts of cheese can be used here. To be authentic, I recommend using kefalotyri. In this recipe, I used mizithra, which is becoming increasingly available in supermarkets. No need to search the globe for these cheeses, however, as a pecorino or any hard grating cheese will work fine.

INGREDIENTS

Meat sauce
2 pounds ground lamb or beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
Zest of a lemon
2 Tbsp or more of lemon juice
Sea salt to taste

Bechamel sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

The moussaka
3 large globe eggplants
1/2 cup salt 8 cups water
2-3 Yukon gold or other yellow potatoes
1 cup grated mizithra cheese (or pecorino or Parmesan)
Olive oil

METHOD

Prepare the meat sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground meat. By the way, the meat will brown best if you don’t stir it. Add the onions about halfway into the browning process. Sprinkle salt over the meat and onions.

2. Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add the garlic, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the red wine and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Mix well and taste. If the sauce needs more acidity, add more lemon juice.  Set the sauce aside.

Prepare the potatoes and eggplants

1. Mix the 1/2 cup salt with the 8 cups of water in a large pot or container. This will be the brine for the eggplants.

2. Slice the top and bottom off the eggplants. Cut thick strips of the skin off the eggplants to give them a striped appearance. A little skin on the eggplant is good for texture, but leaving it all on makes the moussaka hard to cut later, and can add bitterness, which you don’t want. (Some moussaka recipes leave the skin on and have you slice the eggplants lengthwise, which is an option if you prefer.) Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and drop them into the brine.

3. Let the eggplants sit in the brine 15-20 minutes, then remove them to a series of paper towels to dry. Place a paper towel down on the counter, layer some eggplant on it, then cover with another sheet of paper towel and repeat.

4. As the eggplants are brining, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Boil them in salted water for 5-8 minutes – you want them undercooked, but no longer crunchy. Drain and set aside.

5. To cook the eggplant, broil or grill the rounds. You could also fry the eggplant rounds but they tend to absorb a lot of oil that way. To grill the eggplant rounds, get a grill very hot and close the lid. Paint one side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes. When they are done on one side, paint the other side with oil and flip. When the eggplants are nicely grilled, set aside. To broil, line a broiling pan or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Paint with olive oil. Place the eggplant rounds on the foil and brush with olive oil. Broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on one side, then flip them over and broil for a few minutes more. Set aside.

Prepare the béchamel

1. Heat milk in a pot on medium heat until steamy (about 160 degrees). Do not let simmer.

2. Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Let this roux simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Do not let it get too dark.

3. Little by little, pour in the steamy milk, stirring constantly. It will set up and thicken dramatically at first, but keep adding milk and stirring, the sauce will loosen. Return the heat to medium. Add about a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Stir well.

4. Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. Temper the eggs so they don’t scramble when you put them into the sauce. Using two hands, one with a whisk, the other with a ladle, slowly pour in a couple ladle’s worth of the hot béchamel into the eggs, whisking all the time. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the béchamel while whisking the mixture. Keep the sauce on very low heat, do not let simmer or boil.

Finish the moussaka

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Layer a casserole with the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the layer of potatoes with a layer of eggplant slices (use just half of the slices).

2. Cover the eggplant slices with the meat sauce. Then layer remaining eggplant slices on top of the meat.

3. Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Ladle the béchamel over everything in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

4. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Let the moussaka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Yield: Serves 8.

January 5, 2011

Cooking Techniques of the Renaissance

Preparing food with heat or fire is an activity unique to humans and over the years it has perfected into an art form. Many anthropologists believe that cooking over a fire developed around 250,000 years ago. From cooking, developed agriculture, commerce, and transportation across different regions, offering cooks new ingredients and techniques. New inventions and technologies, such as pottery to hold and boil water, expanded cooking techniques.

The most common cooking techniques included roasting with a firedog over an open fire where instead of cooking on a single spit, they use multiple spits. Meats roasted on these firedogs included joints of larger animals or multiple smaller animals being cooked together.

Boiling meats was also popular. Using large cauldrons, cooks would place meat in boiling water or wine and place the meat into the pot using large hooks called flesh hooks. Meat was often parboiled before they were roasted on a firedog. Other cooking techniques include frying, hearth baking, and oven baking.

One of the techniques that fell out of favor over the years is salt baking. Baking in salt is not difficult. This technique has become popular in many of the fine dining establishments where servers will crack and remove with flourish. Inside the white salt dome lies perfectly cooked, moist and fragrant fish. Baking fish (or vegetables, even other meats) in a salt crust creates a sort of oven within an oven. The salt seals in moisture essentially steaming the fish inside. Because the salt absorbs the moisture, the texture of the fish ultimately is more like roasted than steamed fish.

Below is a fairly easy-to-follow recipe on how to create your own salt baked fish. I have created this dish using a multitude of seafood including salmon, trout, eel, and other local white fish. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Ingredients:
4 cups kosher salt
1 whole red snapper, striped bass, or porgy (1-1/2 pounds), cleaned and scaled (we used tilapia in this recipe and it was delicious)
1 lemon
3 rosemary or thyme sprigs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with foil; spread 2 cups salt in bottom of pan.

Rinse fish inside and out with cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. From lemon, cut 3 slices. Cut remaining lemon into wedges. Place lemon slices and rosemary or thyme in cavity of fish.

Place fish on bed of salt; cover with remaining 2 cups salt. Bake until fish is just opaque throughout when knife is inserted at backbone, about 30 minutes.

During the Renaissance, cooks would place parchment, leaves, or husks in the bottom of the pot and place the fish on top of it. It would allow the fish to bake in the salt without burning or scorching the salt or the fish.

To serve, tap salt crust to release from top of fish; discard. Slide cake server under front section of top fillet and lift off fillet; transfer to platter. Slide server under backbone and lift it away from bottom fillet; discard. Slide cake server between bottom fillet and skin and transfer fillet to platter. Serve with reserved lemon wedges.

Yield: 2 main dish servings

As you can see from the photo timeline, we pulled it from the open fire, removed the crust, and plated the dish for presentation.