BAKED TROUT WITH CARMELIZED ONION/VERMOUTH REDUCTION

                                                Prep time: 15 minutes

                                                Cook time: 30 to 60 minutes

                                                Serves: 4

Farmed rainbow trout currently makes it onto all the ‘best choice’ seafood lists, with minimal contaminants and sustainable production. Thank goodness, because trout is a wonderful fish, flavorful, reasonably inexpensive, and easy to cook. Plain trout with salt and pepper is hard to beat. This recipe elevates plain trout to casual entertainment level. Give it a try.

MUSIC: Minimalism was quite possibly the most profound movement of second half twentieth century ‘classical’ music. One of my favorites is Steve Reich’s Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards, a pleasant, undulating ride for 22 minutes. For non-minimalists, try jazz guitarist Tuck Andress’s masterful album RECKLESS PRECISION, especially Body and Soul, and Begin the Beguine.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. Two trout filets (or three if they are small)
2. One medium onion, finely chopped
3. Dry Vermouth (or other dry white wine), ¾ Cup, more or less*
4. Sundried tomatoes, about ten to twelve halves, chopped coarsely**
5. Olive oil, 2 Tablespoons
6. Butter, 1 Tablespoon
7. salt and pepper

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Place trout filets, skin down, in a greased baking pan (oil or butter) just big enough to hold them, and bring to room temperature.
• Heat olive oil/butter in a sauce pan and sauté onions about 15 minutes until slightly carmelized to a golden brown color.
• Add vermouth and sundried tomatoes and cook on medium-high heat until reduced by half or more.
• Heat oven to 400° F.
• Pour/spread reduced onion mixture over the trout and place in oven.
• Bake until just done, usually about 8 to 10 minutes, certainly until active bubbling at the edges.
• Serve immediately on warmed plates, with kosher salt and coarse pepper added to taste.

CADENZA: Serve with either rice or potatoes, plain with only butter and salt and pepper so the flavors of the trout get top billing. A green veg on the side accompanies well (asparagus or broccoli best, hint of lemon juice).

WINE: White is best. A medium-dry Sauvignon Blanc, Vouvray, or a not-too-sweet Riesling accompanies the fish nicely.

*Dry Vermouth is inexpensive and full of flavors that work well in cooking. Any white wine works here as well.

** Sundried tomatoes come either dry or packed in oil. In this recipe, either is fine because cooking them in the Vermouth sauce softens them nicely.

Prosciutto and Broccoli with Pasta

Prosciutto and Broccoli in Pasta  

             

                                    Prep time: 20 minutes

                                    Cook time:  15 to 20 minutes

            The inspiration for this dish came during an Italian cooking class I took many years ago. The chef’s mother’s family, who lived in rural Italy, had made variations of this recipe for three generations. The dish had clearly withstood the test of time.

            I once made it for a woman to whom I was strongly attracted. It led to a variety of good things during and after the dinner. For one, I ended up marrying her (after, not during). Over the years, this recipe has withstood the test of time in our household when many others have fallen away as our tastes changed.

            The recipe is simple, the flavor bright; good for any season of the year. The main attractions are the olive oil and garlic, but all the ingredients, while they maintain their ‘individuality’ and color on the serving dish, meld beautifully on the palate.

MUSIC: This dish begs for Italian Opera (Pavarotti in an early career recording of La Boheme would be fine). If opera is not your thing, Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie big band “I Only Have Eyes For You” would work exceedingly well. If neither opera nor Sinatra is your thing, try one of them anyway. 

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED

1. Pasta: about ¾ to 1 lb. Any noodle will do, but shorter cuts (penne, fusilli, capunti) are best because the pasta is tossed with the sauce before serving, and long noodles can be cumbersome. Fresh pasta is always best.
2. Prociutto, Italian (Parma) or domestic, one slab ¼ inch thick, enough to make 1 Cup of cut pieces (see below). ¹
3. Broccoli, two or three stalks, stems in tact.²
4. Sundried tomatoes, about 6 to 8 halves or ¾ Cup chopped.³
5. Celery, chopped, 1 Cup minimum, with leaves.⁴
6. Garlic, 2 to 3 cloves, chopped
7. Olive oil, extra virgin, ¼ to ⅓ of a Cup
8. Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish
9. Salt, Pepper to taste

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Get all ingredients prepared ahead of time:
• cut prociutto into small shoe-string sticks, about one inch long, total about 1 Cup or less.
• cut broccoli into bite size pieces, including stems ¹
• chop sun dried tomatoes coarsely
• chop garlic, celery
• Cook pasta in plenty of salted water, drain and set aside.
• In a 4 quart shallow sauce pan, sauté garlic and celery in olive oil. Don’t skimp on the olive oil, especially if it is really good olive oil.
• Cook garlic and celery for 3 to 5 minutes approximately on medium heat. Don’t burn the garlic.
• Add rest of ingredients and turn up to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and has softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn off heat
• Add a portion (or all) of the pasta in with the sauce and toss lightly. Add a Tablespoon or two of water if needed.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve on warmed plates and top with plenty of grated Parmesan.

CADENZA:  Serve with a country-style Italian bread and a simple leaf salad, maybe with some sliced green onion but without all the extras that are popular these days like nuts, pears, pomegranate seeds, etc. 

WINE:          Red wine is definitely best. Chianti, Rioja, Dolcetto d’Alba, or any of the lighter reds. Most white wines will nicely accompany this dish as well: Sancerre, Vouvray, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, French Chablis or white Burgundy.

¹About prociutto: While Parma prociutto from Italy is generally considered the best, some domestically produced (i.e. North American) prociutto is fine for this dish. The thick slab is important in order to make the small pieces; you might not need the whole piece depending on where on the leg it was cut. Don’t use more than one Cup of meat: too much procuitto overpowers the other flavors. One piece with every bite or second bite, is plenty.

²About broccoli: if you didn’t already know this, most of the sugar is in the stem, so use as much stem as possible. Cut off the chewy outer skin, but don’t discard the light green pulp of the stems. Stems are the best! The florets look nice but have less flavor.

³About sun dried tomatoes: I once heard a guy in the media predict that sun-dried tomatoes were only a fad and would soon go the way of quiche or other food fads. Clearly this guy’s fund of knowledge was more about pop culture than food. He was so wrong (about both sun-dried tomatoes and quiche). Sun-dried tomatoes are one of life’s wonderful taste treats, and will remain so as long as they exist on the planet. Though highly versatile, my preference is to use them in cooked dishes, not raw, as in a sandwich. But…personal tastes, you know.

            Buy them packed in olive oil or dry. The brighter the color, the brighter the flavor usually. If very dry, they require reconstitution in water before using for cooking.

⁴About celery: the leaves are full of wonderful flavor. Include them in all recipes that call for celery, especially soups.

OXTAIL SOUP

This may seem manic, but I have to share this with those of you who like to cook because it was so unexpectedly delicious and took about ten minutes. This is how it happened. It was all done with waay leftovers.

1. Ox tail bits from the freezer: I had made beef stock from oxtails [[[one oxtail sawed by the butcher into pieces, a quartered onion, some chunks of clelery, some chunks of carrot, a bay leaf, some water—you figure it out, just not too much—and cook it for two to three hours, strain off the broth to keep, ditch the veggies, freeze the oxtail bits]]].

2. Some of the leftover stock, gelatinized in the fridge, about ½ Cup or a little more.

3. Mashed potatoes from three days ago—equal parts potato and celery root pieces—boil the hell out of them, smash’em, add some butter and cream, salt and pepper.

4. Reduced tomatoes from, like, five days ago. (Take a can of chopped tomatoes, or sauce will suffice, and reduce by 50% in a pan on the stove or in the oven at 350, a little salt, a little thyme, until sort of dryish.)

• Thaw out the oxtail pieces enough to take the meat off the bone, or better, heat in a pan until you can take the meat off.
• Heat in a sauce pan with a little butter and light oil (sunflower or veg oil) along with one or two tablespoons of the reduced tomato goop. Stir to prevent sticking/burning.
• When hot, add the old stock/broth
• Add one or two tablespoons of the mashed potatoes and blend into the broth.
• Warm
• Serve
• I also had a few leftover mushroom agnolotti/ravioli/tortellini that I refreshed in hot water for a few minutes and added to the mix just before serving.
• A little parmesan and pepper is excellent.

It was unbelievably delicious, and I even was sober. I don’t have a photo. Next time.

Love

EASY ESCARGOTS

Easy Escargots (snails) Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 as a starter


Escargots, a big red Burgundy, an electrical storm, and very loud Beethoven at 3:30 in the afternoon. That was the setting in which I first made this dish. Sometimes a new recipe must first be tried in private (I had the place to myself for two days). The inspiration, of course, came from France. It was so successful that I simply had to include it in this collection.


Don't get me wrong. I realize that escargots are not everyone’s cup of tea. Eating snails is simply a non-starter for most of the population of North America. So this recipe is for two groups of people: 1) those of you who have loved eating escargots in French restaurants and would like to prepare them in a simple successful method; and 2) those adventurous souls who recognize the example of the French and would like to advance their palates into scrumptious new territory.


You don’t need special serving equipment. Don’t bother with the shells. They're only for show anyway unless you are actually cooking live snails. Instead, this recipe calls for a small baking dish.


MUSIC: Beethoven changed symphonic music forever with his 3rd Symphony, that’s what I was told, so I was trying to learn about that when I put it on. Consider listening to the killer first movement. Or try the 9th symphony which also blew humanity out of the water. In a different vein, Coltrane changed jazz, James Brown changed R&B, Jaco Pastorius changed bass playing, the list goes on and on, so find a musical visionary and play that music. Play it loudly.*


HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:


1. Snails, one can of 24 to 36
2. Ceramic baking dish or Ramekin: medium size
3. Butter, unsalted, ½ stick (¼ Cup)
4. Garlic, 1 clove
5. Parsley (Italian), a handful, chopped (¼ Cup approximately)
6. Red wine, a small dollop or two (2 tablespoons maximum)
7. Kosher salt, one medium pinch (less than ¼ teaspoon)


HERE’S WHAT TO DO:


· Pre-heat oven to 450º to 500º.
· Melt butter in the ceramic dish (microwave or oven).
· Rinse, drain escargots and add to melted butter.
· Chop garlic and add to dish
· Finely chop parsley and add to dish
· Add salt and red wine
· Stir gently to mix
· Heat in oven until bubbling and sizzling nicely, about 10 minutes usually. Use extreme caution removing from oven.


CADENZA: Escargots are best served with French baguette. Any bread will suffice however. I prefer slices, partially toasted, crunchy on the outside, soft and warm in the middle.


WINE: This dish is based on the Burgundian recipe, so a Burgundy style pinot noir is best, and red goes very well with the big flavors of the garlic, butter, and parsley. A white Burgundy would always be fine as well (or Chablis, Chardonnay).


About escargots. Snails come in a can unless you buy fresh at an outdoor market. I prefer the smaller size snails, 36 to a can, but the larger (24 to a can) are fine too.


About parsley: Italian (flat leaf) is best. The crinkly parsley would work in a pinch but try for Italian.


*About loud music. Not everyone enjoys music so loud you must shout to have a conversation. In my ‘old days’, shouting over Miles or Coltrane was just fine during a meal. But on the subject of loud music, I can't help being reminded of the landlord I once had in Boston who lived on the top floor of an old house and rented out the flats on the first and second floors. He was large, had a tetra-syllabic Italian name, taught Italian 'litrature', and smoked big cigars. Evenings, he would blast Italian opera through the floor to our apartment. My girlfriend and I had little knowledge of opera at the time, but on more than one occasion, the music provided ample accompaniment for what we were doing on the sofa, and we learned to like it. Loud has its place.

FEGATO (CALF'S LIVER MARSALA)

                                                Prep time: 30 minutes

                                                Cooking time: 10 min

                                                Serves: 2

            This recipe is about LIVER.

            “Eeew,” my daughters would say. The thought of liver sends shivers of disgust down the spines of thousands, even many card-carrying carnivores. What happened? Did their mothers cook beef liver for them in the 1950s??

            Here’s the story. When prepared well, veal (calf’s) liver is a real treat, delicate in flavor, and tender. Many restaurants do an acceptable job, but even they could do better. You cannot simply buy liver, throw it in a pan, and expect to eat well. Some care is required.

            The inspiration for this dish came from a restaurant in Florence, Italy, called Sabatini. I ordered ‘fegato’ (pronounced like mega-toe), not knowing what kind of liver it would be. I was served the most wonderful tender bite size strips of light tan colored milk-fed calves liver. No gristle, nothing to cut. Only tiny morsels of heaven.

            So try this recipe. It’s not difficult but requires a bit more care than most of the others in this book.

MUSIC: You need at least 30 minutes. Try Shostakovich’s Quintet for Piano and Strings, Op 57, especially the Intermezzo movement; or Sting: MERCURY FALLING or IT’S A BRAND NEW DAY.

HERE’S ALL YOU  NEED:

1. Liver: ¾ to 1 pound of milk-fed veal (calf) liver, firm in texture, cappuccino in color.
2. Flour, white, a handful for dusting liver
3. Butter, unsalted, about 3 Tablespoons
4. Garlic, 1 medium to large clove, chopped
5. Marsala, dry (not sweet), ¼ to ½ Cup

6. Kosher salt, pepper

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Cut liver into strips 2 inches long, ¼ to ⅓ inch wide. There should be NO sign of veins or other gristle. This requires discarding as much as ⅓ of the bulk of the liver.
• Toss liver strips in a bowl with the flour until evenly coated.   
• Heat butter in 8 to 10 inch skillet on medium-high heat until bubbling (hot but not burning or smoking)
• Add liver strips (not the excess flour)
• Add garlic
• Allow the liver to brown a little but don’t overcook (one or two minutes, max).  
• Salt with healthy pinch of kosher salt, and 4 or 5 twists of a pepper mill.
• Add Marsala which will sizzle at first and then meld with the juices and flour to create a nice sauce. Mix once, gently.
• Serve immediately

CADENZA: Excellent with some plain buttered noodles or potatoes au gratin, carrots, broccoli. Goes very well with polenta, grilled Portobello mushrooms, and grilled asparagus.

WINE: This dish needs a big red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, big Italian such as Brunello or Super Tuscan (Tignanello, Sassicaia), or an Australian Shiraz. White wine would be lost on this recipe.

About liver: Milk-fed calf (veal) liver is essential. Beef liver is incompatible with this dish or any high quality eating, though it is good for iron deficiency!

            A slice of veal liver is usually about ½ inch thick. You can see all the veins and connective strands. Get rid of these. Cut them out. Use only the flawless middle sections with no gristle when making strips.

About flour coating: Please, no measuring allowed. Throw some flour on a platter or bowl and toss the liver pieces until coated, OR sprinkle liberally directly onto the meat. Any excess flour will fall off when you transfer the meat to the pan. You can also use a sieve after you have tossed the liver pieces in flour.

Leeks sauté, the easy way

                           

                                                Prep time: 15 minutes

                                                Cook time: 30 minutes

            Leeks are indispensible as an alternative to the standard green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, and green beans. The subtle sweetness of leeks, combined with their hint of onion flavor make for a delicious side dish to accompany meat, fish, or other vegetables.

            Sybil introduced me to leeks. She once said that if you want to blend into rural French life, just have some leeks protruding from your grocery bag. Everyone will think you are French! That the French are big on leeks says something about how good they are. More and more, beautiful leeks are on the shelves in grocery stores and farmers’ markets all over North America.

            Many home cooks are intimidated by leeks because of fancy presentations they have tried at restaurants. This recipe, like most in this book, is simple. Use it for a dinner at home or for entertaining. The standard quantity easily serves four but could be stretched to six with slightly smaller portions.    

IN ESSENCE: Chopping eliminates the stringiness that happens if you try to cook whole leaves. The low heat sauté, covered mostly, allows them to steam and soften in their own juices.

MUSIC: Bob Dylan (Lay Lady Lay, or Spirit on the Water); or Joni Mitchell. I usually don’t go for folk music, but good memories were made one time when I prepared this dish while listening to Bob Dylan. If you don’t do folk music, try Pat Metheney, the LETTER FROM HOME album, or Tuck Andress, exquisite solo jazz guitar from the RECKLESS album.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. Leeks, 3 or 4 whole stalks                                                  
2. Butter, 1 tablespoon,
3. Salt and pepper
4. (optional: Cream (10% to 30% butter fat), ¼ Cup)
5. (optional: Nutmeg, ground, about ¼ teaspoon)

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Clean the leeks. The white part grows so tightly that it is usually grit-free, but dirt invariably gets into the base of the green part. If you plan on using the green part of the stalk (which you should, except when making vichyssoise), you must wash each leaf carefully to get all the dirt off.
• Chop the leeks. I recommend a fairly fine chop. Pieces about the size of postage stamps are perfect.  This requires a large chopping board and a long French chopping knife or Chinese style vegetable cleaver.
• Place chopped leeks and butter into any large sauce pan or skillet that can be covered. I usually use a 10 inch, 3 quart saucepan.
• Cook at medium low heat, being careful to avoid sticking or burning, for about 30 minutes. You could use cooking oil or olive oil instead of butter, but butter enhances the leek flavor nicely. You may need add a little water during the cooking, usually no more than a few tablespoons.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• See VARIATIONS below.

CADENZA: This dish accompanies pork tenderloin medallions beautifully. Also good with a white fish such as sole, cod, or halibut. Or serve with roasted red peppers, potatoes, or sweet potatoes for a purely vegetarian delight.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME: Add some cream at the end. Leeks and cream are an unbeatable combination. About ¼ cup of table cream (18% butter fat), or heavy cream (35% butter fat) should suffice. Add nutmeg, ¼ to ½ teaspoon for a real treat, especially if serving with fish. Delicious.

WINE: With the leeks themselves, a French Chablis or white Burgundy are splendid. If you are serving with pork, a Beaujolais or Pinot noir go very well.

Sunday morning pancakes

                                              

                                                Total time: 15 to 20 minutes

                                                Serves: 2 - 4

           

            Like everything, when it comes to pancakes, personal tastes are all over the map. Some people are under the impression they like the discus-sized cakes one gets served at a diner, stacked high on the plate, ready to absorb a pint and a half of artificial syrup. These individuals are sadly mistaken. They just haven’t sampled anything better.

            This recipe is about small and moist cakes, delicate and spongy, maybe a little crispy at the edges. It features the rich sweet flavor of bran, not too much, but just enough.

            It is also about approximate quantities. Each new batch is a little different from the last one. The basics of this recipe were inspired years ago by my friend Charlie Walters. He used the palm of his hand to measure out the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. After seeing him do that, I never went back to measuring spoons. With a little practice, you can gauge quantities quite well, and the hands-on approach adds a certain intimacy to food preparation. Once you get comfortable you can throw the recipe together automatically, half asleep, or while recovering from the worst of Sunday morning hangovers.

MUSIC: Rachmaninoff’s Vespers or Faure’s Requiem (both under Robert Shaw’s direction). Be gentle. This is not a Kurt Cobain breakfast.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. Flour, about ½ Cup, all purpose white, or whole wheat if you like.
2. Wheat bran: about ¼ Cup
3. 1 large or 2 small eggs
4. Baking soda: ½ teaspoon approximately. (put ½ teaspoon of baking soda into the palm of your hand to learn the volume for future measuring).
5. Baking powder: ½ teaspoon approximately.
6. Salt: ¼ teaspoon approximately.
7. Yogurt (plain!), or buttermilk or part sour cream: about ½ Cup
8. Milk: to dilute batter to right consistency: usually about ½ Cup (see below)
9. Cooking oil (vegetable oil, safflower, canola, etc): 1 Tablespoon in batter, 1 Tablespoon in pan for first batch (melted butter is fine as alternative).

           

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Put all dry ingredients, egg, yogurt, and oil into a bowl.
• Add milk (usually about ½ Cup) and mix (with hand whisk or spoon). Use enough milk to achieve correct consistency: somewhat thick, a little jiggly. Let sit for five minutes for the leavening soda/powder to go to work.
• Heat skillet to low to medium, until a splash of water bounces around in little beads.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and spread evenly. Pour off some oil if it looks like too much.
• Ladle batter in tablespoon size (four to a 10 inch skillet). Flip when firm enough and golden brown. Serve directly when done, or transfer to warm platter. Serve on warm plates with one of the toppings below.

VARIATIONS ON THE THEME (and TOPPINGS):

1. A word about maple syrup. Don’t make this recipe if you plan to use artificial commercial maple syrups. Use only authentic maple syrup. Real maple syrup comes in light, medium, and ‘standard’ (the darkest). The finest, most delicate flavor is the light variety. The others can be overpowering. If you have never had real maple syrup, the flavor may surprise you, but it usually doesn’t take long to convert even the most resistant.
2. Apple/pear sauce: This is fantastic as an accompaniment to pancakes, with or without maple syrup. Peel and cut into coarse chunks: 2 pears (Anjou or Comice are best, but any will work beautifully) and 2 large apples, into a 1 or 2 quart sauce pan. Heat on medium heat with 10 - 15 raisins, covered, with a splash of water to prevent sticking. When soft (5 to 10 minutes usually), stir or mash into a coarse sauce. Add a little sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon carefully, to taste.
3. Heated blackberry sauce. Heat fresh or frozen blackberries with splash of water until softened, add sugar and a dollop of Cointreau and cook for 2 minutes. Don’t use maple syrup with this one; put berries directly on the pancakes.
4. If you like banana, a small quantity of mashed banana can be added to the batter, but not too much or the cakes remain too wet. Even better is to use coarsely chopped banana as a topping. Great with maple syrup.

About the eggs: for more fluff, separate the egg and beat the whites, then fold into the batter. It is wonderful now and then. Beaten egg whites yield bouncier batter and very light pancakes.

About yogurt, milk and buttermilk. The best pancakes contain some fat. Non-fat pancakes are so unsatisfying and thin in flavor. Yogurt goes from non-fat to over 10% or higher in the Balkan or Greek styles. I often use 3% yogurt and dilute the batter with skim milk. Buttermilk is usually non-fat, so add yogurt, sour cream or whole milk for body. Any combinations of the above ingredients work well.