sugo alla puttanesca
"sauce à la sex worker" got its name, say the old wives, because prostitutes do not have as much time as house wives do to shop for ingredients and cook. it's a sauce that you can make in the time it takes for pasta to cook. if you have access to an italian grocer, you can get everything there.

-due denti d'aglio
-due pimenti secchi, arbol or italian
-olio, extra virgine
-pommodori interi in latta, 28 oz. (san marzano is best)
-filetti di sardina
-olive sott'olio, 1 cup
-prezzemolo

optionally,
-tonno
-funghi

start your pasta cooking.
coat the bottom of your skillet generously with the olive oil, heat it strongly.
add the garlic, crushed and slivered, and the dried peppers (as many as you like). fry for an instant, until the garlic starts to change color, then add the sardines (to taste) and the olives, chopped. you let it fry for a few seconds, longer if you like the sardine flavor to penetrate the oil. add the tuna and mushrooms at this time if you are using them. add your can of tomatoes. san marzano are worth the investment. you can alternately put fresh, diced roma tomatoes, seeded. crush the tomatoes with the spatula or potato masher as they fry. let the sauce reduce and thicken. add the chopped parsley.
- posted by Jesse @ 3:26 PM 0 comments

 
ngbang ze li ngong etchem
CARRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.” (the taste-altering berry on NYTimes)
- posted by Jesse @ 6:31 AM 0 comments

 
lenonge
 

an obscure technique for arousing women. oysters with muscadet sauce and veuve clicquot.
- posted by Jesse @ 6:35 PM 0 comments

 
pizza margherita



it's good to always know where to get fresh basil.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:00 PM 0 comments

 
ecrevisses



crawfish are in season!
- posted by Jesse @ 7:45 AM 1 comments

 
risotto
i prepared risotto for the first time today. i see it is a technique that could be applied with interesting results to many dishes of rice cooked in broth e.g. jollof rice, arroz con pollo, turmeric rice... instead of leaving rice undisturbed, you add the liquor gradually and stir tirelessly.
- posted by Jesse @ 1:48 PM 4 comments

 
teleology
here is a recipe with five ingredients that can be prepared even by people who take pride in not knowing how to cook. i am told it is japanese.

canned or pouched tuna
honey
soy sauce
eggs
rice

proceed thus:

cook the rice. short-grain is preferred here.
add tuna to a warmed frying pan at medium-low heat. if the tuna is packed in water you will need to drain and oil the pan. now add honey, about a quarter cup for a can of tuna, and cook until the tuna begins to get dry. add honey to adjust the sweetness. now add soy sauce to the level that you like, which is 1-2 tablespoons / can tuna for most people. fry until it is dry.
scramble the eggs. you would like a relatively large curd, so cook them quickly at a strong heat.

fill your bowl with rice, then add egg and tuna on top. eat with chopsticks.

variations are welcome.
- posted by Jesse @ 1:26 PM 1 comments

 
coagulate
according to Hervé This, a pinch of flour added to the egg mixture for custards, sabayons and quiches, makes them more forgiving and more tolerant of higher temperatures during the baking. do pro chefs agree with this advice?
- posted by Jesse @ 3:44 PM 1 comments

 
Why not?
If you're looking for something to fry up...consider coating it with french fries as well.
- posted by J @ 7:47 PM 0 comments

 
soup and french scientists
Antoine-Augustin Parmentier convinced the French that potatoes were edible. many french dishes made with potatoes bear his name.

Potage Parmentier (Potato Leek soup):

i am making some changes to the joy of cooking recipe. it is satisfying and light at the same time.

you will gently fry the firmer parts of as many leeks as you can afford (no less than two, no more than eight) in half a stick of butter (70g) until they are quite soft.

have some potatoes peeled, about three large ones. those of the type "gold" do well here. slice them in centimeter thick disks.

you then add about five cups of liquid. my preference is that the soup be light, so i would not advise making it entirely stock. also be wary that your stock may have some gelatin in it that can stiffen the soup. therefore i advise one cup of stock (fish, chicken, or shrimp) and four cups of water. simmer covered until the potatoes are well cooked.

now the place where i differ most sharply with joy of cooking. they say to purée the mixture, but i advise using a simple potato masher (one of which i bought in the aftermath of the recent scandal, and the recent scandal is probably the reason why i had this change of heart about puréeing, because i am now so cautious about making things too stiff, or horresco referens, "gluey", by wounding the potato starches.) until you have a thick of porridge with small but palpable lumps of potato in it.

now add salt, white pepper, and a touch of milk or creme.

dip crusty bread in it. good with ale.


--------------------------------------
Louis Camille Maillard has a reaction named after him. quoth wikipedia:

The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat. Like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning. The reactive carbonyl group of the sugar reacts with the nucleophilic amino group of the amino acid, and forms a variety of interesting but poorly characterized molecules responsible for a range of odors and flavors. This process is accelerated in an alkaline environment as the amino groups are deprotonated and hence have an increased nucleophilicity.

I am proposing a standard chicken soup that uses all of the same ingredients as your standard recipe, but makes use of the Maillard reaction to improve the sapidity.

do so:

prepare a hot oven, 425-450F, and roast on your broiler pan:

1 celery heart
1 large carrot
1-2 lbs chicken necks or other unappreciated
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

turn everything over with tongs every 10 minutes or so. when something becomes very well browned, put it in your stockpot and wait for everything else to finish browning. when everything is finished browning, add water to just cover everything, then a bouquet garni. simmer your stock, skimming, leaving uncovered, adding water as necessary, 1-4 hours.

meanwhile, put three or four chicken thighs, their skin on, on the broiler pan and roast them, turning every 10 minutes, until they are done (about 30 minutes). it the skin should be crispy, dry and browned. remove the skin, salt it, and eat it or give it out as a snack. the reason i advocate the broiler pan is because moist conditions (viz. steam in equillibrium with wtaer) slow down the glorious maillard reaction. let the meat cool, then remove the bone and slice it across the grain. crumble the slices and reserve them. the reason we roasted the meat separately and have delayed adding it to the soup is so that it doesn't lose any flavor to the boiling stock.

once the stock is done, remove the solids, return it to the pot, then add

salt to taste
chopped carrots
diced potatoes

the potatoes will absorb some of the salt you added as they cook. when they are done, turn off the heat and stir in the chicken meat. add black pepper to taste.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:09 PM 1 comments

 
herrings
I have unearthed a valuable document about herrings. if anyone is going to write a history of herrings, then let this serve as a signpost.

Dodd, James Solas. An essay towards a natural history of the herring. By James Solas Dodd, ... London, 1752. 197pp. General Reference

here is a fragment thereof:

The Method of salting and curing Herring was found out, as some say, A. D. 1397 ;tho' others bring it down to A. D. 1416. And it is observ'd, that William Buckelsz, or Bachelen, a Native of Bier Uliet, render'd his Name immortal, by the Discovery of the Secret of curing and pickling Herrings ; and the Emperor Charles V. coming into the Low Countries made a Journey to the Isle of Bier Uliet with the Queen of Hungary, on Purpose to view the Tomb of the first Barreller of Herrings. The Method is as follows: When the Herrings are design'd for the white Pickle, as soon as they are taken out of the Sea, one of the Crew appointed for this Office cuts them open, and carefully separates the Guts from the Rows, the Firmness of which is a great Mark of their being well done ; then casting away the Guts, and leaving the Rows sticking whole to the Fish, they are first well washed in fresh Water, then put into a strong Brine, that will bear an Egg, made of fresh Water and Sea-salt, where they are suffer'd to lay fourteen or fifteen Hours ; then taking them out, they drain them, and when well drain'd, dispose them evenly in Rows in the Barrels, pressing them well down, and strewing a Layer of Salt both at Top, and at the Bottom. When the Barrel is thus filled, they stop it close down, lest any Air should get in, or Brine run out ; for the Air rusts the Herring, and the Loss of the Brine, by depriving some Part of their due Proportion of Salt, may cause them to stink ; and when they are repack'd, take the same Care. There hath been Objections made, that the Dutch Herrings eat not so rancid, more mellow, and taste less of the Salt than ours ; but let the Objectors consider how long they have been in Salt, and the short Time ours have. It is not with Fish as with Flesh, where, when the salt hath insinuated itself into the more close Texture of the Meat, after a Time it ceases to preserve, and preys on and destroys the Substance of the Meat ; but the Fish being more lax, and containing more Moisture, its longer Continuance mellows the Substance, and takes off the fiery Heat of the saline Particles. Thus as they sell no Herrings at home till foreign Marts aare serv'd, they may well in Holland eat more mellow than those here, that are sold and eaten almost as soon as caught ; and whatever some may imagine, it is certain that the longer a Barrel of Herrings is kept unopen'd the less of the Salt and more of the Delicacy of the Fish will be tasted. The later in the Season the Fish are caught, as they are fatter ; so is it, that they are more rancid, unless they are stronger press'd, which indeed is the only real Difference. The Curers of the Pilchards take especial Care in their Pressing, and was a little more Force used to our Herrings, none could tell any Difference between them and the Dutch.
- posted by Jesse @ 8:45 PM 0 comments

 
spring rolls revisited
having had a bit more experience than last time i posted, and having learned from various experts, I want to give some advice on how to elevate the level of your spring rolls.

in the area of herbs, you may want to expand beyond cilantro, basil and mint.

all of these herbs work well, and can be combined at will: (i looked up their names at this website)

kinh gioi: vietnamese balm
tia to: purple perilla
diep ca: fishscale mint
ngo gai: sawtooth mint
fresh chives

for the rice vermicelli, use it sparingly. let the herbs and meat carry the flavor of the roll. using too much is what unscrupulous restauranteurs do.

for the wrappers, they are not all created equal. you want one that absorbs water well, is of even thickness, and is flexible when moistened. the brand i trust is hieu 2 ca vang (two goldfish brand).

for the dipping sauce, give it the flavor of the meat that you choose. for example, if you use shrimp, save the shells and make a shrimp shell stock. simmer hoisin sauce with the stock. if you use pork, braise it or roast it, then simmer the hoisin sauce with some braising liquid or deglazed pan drippings. nuoc cham can be added to your sauce profile.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:29 AM 1 comments

 
educating our palates
from Les secrets de la casserole, by This Hervé:

In the early 80's, it was discovered that the limit of detection of saccarose, or the smallest noticeable quantity of sweetener that can be detected in a given quantity of water varies by individual ; likewise, different sweeteners are perceived with different limits according to the person. In other words, the amount of sugar that we put in our coffee depends not only on the sensation that we like to have, but also on our personal sensibility to the sweetening molecule . . . What is fascinating, and perhaps not astounding, is that these limits evolve through "education" : in a string of tests, the limits diminish, i.e. sensibility increases . . . This type of observation shows that, if we wish, we can train ourselves to develop a refined palate.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:19 PM 0 comments

 
pav bhaji
i developed a taste for this at the 3am punjab apartments of college when the prepackaged food sent from home by auntie was broken out.

it is a potato curry that you eat with toasted, buttered buns. you will want a potato masher to make it properly. this is my rendition.

for the bhaji:

either buy pav bhaji massala or follow a recipe online, like this:

roast these things:
50 grams coriander seeds
25 grams cumin seeds
25 grams black peppercorns
25 grams cinnamon stick
25 grams cloves
seeds of 4-5 black cardamom pods
10 grams fennel seeds

now grind everything, then add

50g chili powder
25g dry mango powder
1T turmeric powder

now you melt about two tablespoons or more of ghee
fry at a good pace in the hot oil:

1 large onion, diced

add now:
5 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 T ginger paste or fresh ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4T pav bhaji massala
1T chili powder
stems from a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped (you can make use of the whole cilantro plant if you add the stems at the start of your cooking, and the leaves at the end, instead of discarding the stems)

cook until a smooth sauce with oil floating atop.

meanwhile, you will have boiled some or all of the following, remembering that the potatoes are the sine quibus non:

3 large potatoes
2 large carrots
1 cup of peas
about 250g cauliflower
a green capsicum, seeded
a cup of boiled beans or lentils

add these things along with a cup or so of water

now stir and mash with the masher, until you have a curry that is thick but can still be stirred easily. use water to adjust the thickness. once it is all well mashed and has a smooth consistency, turn off the heat and add:

salt to taste
juice of a lemon or a lime (the lime will be more sour)
the leaves from your bunch of cilantro, in generous amount

your pav (pão) is buns that are toasted then buttered or buttered then grilled. dinner rolls or bolillos work well.
- posted by Jesse @ 2:35 PM 1 comments

 
tartiflette
for me, the standard tartiflette is layers of the following baked in a casserole dish:

bacon fried with onions
boiled, sliced potatoes
crème fraîche

after the last layer you pour in enough dry white wine to fill the interstices and then lay over the top a reblochon cut through the thickness like a sandwich roll. it's then baked for 30-45 minutes, until the cheese is melted and a bit browned on top, and the liquid has stiffened somewhat. a more standard recipe is here

i chose this dish for a potluck in buffalo, NY, this weekend, since buffalo is cold and showy. i made the following improvisations:

i used waxy white potatoes, peeled them, boiled them whole, then cut them into thick slices. this is standard.

i couldn't find suitable bacon, so i got a hunk of salt pork and fried it until it was crispy. it gave crackly bits of flesh that was almost purely fat. this is a welcome effect, i say, since the overall texture of the dish was made smoother and these pieces soaked up some of the liquid.

i forgot to fry onions in the pork fat.

there was no crème fraîche, so I used sour cream. about a pint and a half went into the casserole with three pounds of potatoes.

most importantly, there was no reblochon, so i experimented with Le pié d'Angloys, another washed-rind cow cheese that has a powerful fragrance when ripe. this cheese lived up to its expectation, and its flavor completely overtook the dish.

from this, i recommend further innovation in the area of cheeses. i would try époisse or pont l'evêque next time.
- posted by Jesse @ 1:47 PM 0 comments

 
Where is your food coming from?
Interesting video...sure you have seen something about this:

Something to remember is that in the United States cows must simply be able to walk the distance to be slaughtered, but can be prodded ceaselessly to get there. And technically, all beef cows that are raised in today's standards are extremely ill/on the verge of death because they are being fed things like corn that they were not supposed to be eating and then pumped with enough antibiotics to make it feasible for them to walk the distance to slaughter. Enjoy.
- posted by J @ 7:49 PM 1 comments

 
potatoes
here is something i wonder and i don't have a proper reference book around:

let's say my anonymous friend is making a mash to put atop a shepherd's pie. what if, instead of running the potatoes through a ricer then adding parmesan, salt and egg yolks, she just took the baked potatoes and threw them in a food processor with the other ingredients. what consequences does this invite?
- posted by Jesse @ 8:16 PM 3 comments

 
My friend Danny made these eggs this weekend and they were fantastic:



We didn't have creme fraiche so we used sour cream instead, and we did have goat cheese so he tossed a dab of that in as well.
- posted by J @ 8:38 AM 0 comments

 
do ang nguoi dai lan
here is an interesting editorial about chinese food. i encourage someone, probably myself, to read the book mentioned

The how of this is easy. The Chinese who sailed to the Golden Mountain of America to lay the ties and tracks of the transcontinental railroad were all men. In this womanless society, these workers ate a food of survival; unfamiliar ingredients were cooked in rudimentary Chinese fashion. This coarsened cookery is what evolved into the Chinese-American genre. It is bastardized food, prepared first to feed a worker and then to please an American palate that dotes upon overcooked vegetables and sauces thickened with cornstarch and sugar.

The why is more complex. Chinese-American food is regarded unquestionably as Chinese by an American public that consumes it by the ton. And while the public bears some responsibility for its love of these sodium-assisted flavors, much of the blame must be placed on those of us who are responsible for interpreting Chinese cuisine. I include those who collate its recipes, those who critique it, those who rate its restaurants. They have failed to do their jobs.

NYTimes
- posted by Jesse @ 7:39 AM 1 comments

 
tamal
a dish of grain or pulse wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed or boiled is a popular food in different cultures. three versions.

tamales:

ground nixtamalized corn (masa) is mixed liberally with lard (perhaps 1lb lard per 5lbs masa) and perhaps some chile sauce. enough lard is added so that the masa is en su punto, a bit in cold water floats. plantain leaves or corn husks are smeared with the masa and then rolled into a package so that stewed meat and other fillings are contained in the center. it is steamed. a food for holidays.

banh chung:

glutinous rice and mung beans are soaked for a few hours, over night. the mung beans are steamed, then mashed. at the same time, bits of streaky pork are marinated in fish sauce, salt and pepper. onto a cleaned plantain leaf layer rice, mung bean paste, meat, bean, rice into a square shape. wrap tightly in several layers of leaf and tie up. boil gently for 6-7 hours. let rest for a day. slice the package and remove the leaf. pan fry or eat as it is. a food for holidays.

koki

cow peas, black eyed peas, are washed, then soaked overnight. the chaffs are removed. they are ground, then mixed with red oil, salt, and ground habanero. they are wrapped in the plantain leaf in bundles like those old timey wallets with some type of leaf being incorporated into the mixture and boiled. served hot with boiled plantains or cocoyams. it should be very spicy, red and oily. a strong breakfast food.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

 
wings
if you live where chicken wings are cheap, they are a great accompaniment to beer. all this week i tweaked a recipe for baked chicken wings that are as refreshing as the fried, but less filling.

the great advantage of frying is the crispy skin, or the crispy breading if you bread, so i aimed towards this effect more than anything else.

cut chicken wings into sections.
sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper, then brush with melted butter on both sides.
bake on a pizza stone (one that has been thoroughly preheated) at 425F for 25-30min.

they are not as crispy as fried, but are browned, which is what is crucial for the flavor.

make some some sauce. i made the barbecue sauce from joy of cooking (a bottled sauce often has too much sugar or is insipid in one area or the other). the traditional buffalo sauce is melted butter with red wine vinegar and louisiana hot sauce.

smother the wings with the sauce. best accompanied with a pale ale during the greatest super bowl upset.
- posted by Jesse @ 8:17 PM 0 comments

 
vegetarians!
on this Occasion, I consider'd with my Master Tryon, the taking ever Fish as a kind of unprovok'd Murder, since none of them had or ever coculd do us any Injury that might justify the Slaughter. All this seem'd very reasonable. But I had formerly been a great Lover of Fish, and when this came hot out of the Frying Pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between Principle and Inclination: till I recollected, that when the Fish were opened, I saw smaller Fish taken out of their Stomachs: Then thought I, if you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you. So I din'd upon Cod very heartily and continu'd to eat with other People, returning only now and then occasionally to a vegetable Diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for every thing one has a mind to do.

Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography.
- posted by Jesse @ 7:39 AM 0 comments

 
walkin' hand in hand in hand in hand in hand


i made a terrine with the recipe for the patty in "decadent burger" in this website for fancy hamburgers.

it takes a long time, but you will feel true pride in having made something useful out of a pig's head. next time i'll try the filipino recipe.

if you want the brains, you have to crack the skull open. the skull is thick in the areas around the brain, and the cross section is rippled, as if it were designed to absorb blows that would otherwise damage the brain...
- posted by Jesse @ 12:15 AM 0 comments

 
lognghale?


let's see what can be made from this.
- posted by Jesse @ 7:37 PM 4 comments

 
Indian food in NYC
a NYTimes reporter tours several Indian restaurants with Krishnandu Ray, a food studies professor

In Little India, a strip of about a dozen Indian restaurants on East Sixth Street between First and Second Avenues, Angon stands out for its lack of trinkets, flashing lights and live music. The low-key décor is meant to appeal to the non-Indian, somewhat upscale clientele that Begum Mina Azad, the owner and chef, has courted since the restaurant opened in 2004. So are the decorative robes that the waiters wear, traditional garb of Indian’s upper middle class, even though, Mr. Ray pointed out, such robes would be inappropriate for service in India.
- posted by Jesse @ 11:31 AM 0 comments