Cookbooks that we've gotten in recently that don't have too many holds (yet):
Little Kitchen -- this is aimed at kids and to get them cooking in the kitchen. The author is Australian so there are some differences in ingredients and instructions. We've made the Minestrone and Chocolate Pudding which were both very good.
Foodista -- a round up of food blogs with recipes. It is almost as good to just know about the blogs as to have the recipes. I have made a long list of blogs I want to investigate.
Alan Dunn's Christmas Cakes -- no one does Christmas cakes like the British!
The Everything Vegetarian Pressure Cooker Cookbook -- got a pressure cooker? Check this out for some new recipes to try out.
D.I.Y. Delicious -- like to make things from scratch? Really from scratch recipes for everything from making your own mustard to pasta, & cheese, and a few recipes that give you a way to use your goodies.
Organically Raised -- making your own baby food and cooking for your toddler too.
Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies -- want to learn about the Glycemic Index? Check this out to find out more and to find recipes using the GI.
A Life in Balance -- plant based food for better health.
Quiches, Kugels and Couscous -- French Jewish cooking. Includes stories as well as recipes.
Michael's Genuine Food -- recipes from the restaurant of the same name.
I can't vouch for these cookbooks but they might be worthwhile checking out and seeing if you find something you like.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Long Hiatus
It's been a long time between posts here. I am trying to get back on track and want to try some different things with this blog.
The main aim of the blog is the cookbook collection at Omaha Public Library. I love to cook and I love to read cookbooks so it seems natural that I should write something like this.
The previous posts have been reviews of cookbooks. The first was a mix of various cookbooks I used a lot. Then I began reviewing single cookbook. I felt it was important that I not only read through the cookbook but also try at least 3 recipes before reviewing. That got a bit exhausting, thus the hiatus.
But now I plan to do some posts which indicate newly ordered cookbooks available at Omaha Public Library as well still doing in-depth review posts.And we'll see where that takes us, perhaps things will change again, but I will try and commit to doing regular posts and doing some new things.
If you have suggestions for posts, please leave a comment.
Deirdre
The main aim of the blog is the cookbook collection at Omaha Public Library. I love to cook and I love to read cookbooks so it seems natural that I should write something like this.
The previous posts have been reviews of cookbooks. The first was a mix of various cookbooks I used a lot. Then I began reviewing single cookbook. I felt it was important that I not only read through the cookbook but also try at least 3 recipes before reviewing. That got a bit exhausting, thus the hiatus.
But now I plan to do some posts which indicate newly ordered cookbooks available at Omaha Public Library as well still doing in-depth review posts.And we'll see where that takes us, perhaps things will change again, but I will try and commit to doing regular posts and doing some new things.
If you have suggestions for posts, please leave a comment.
Deirdre
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Celebrating mothers
Mother's Best by Lisa Schroeder celebrates mothers in many ways. Schroeder owns and operates Mother's Bistro and Bar in Portland, Oregon and as I was lucky enough to find out recently it is a wonderful restaurant (and I am so glad we had reservations, even for lunch for two). We had a terrific lunch -- red snapper sandwich for me and a crab sandwich for my companion. And we had dessert because you just have to have dessert at Mother's -- a cherry crisp for me and a lemon tart for my companion. Heavenly, even if it was way too much food. We couldn't even think about trying the lovely little cookies that came with the bill.
The cookbook presents many of those heavenly dishes. Schroeder also presents her story, how she, as a mother, started cooking and came to open a restaurant. She honors mothers both in her cookbook and at her restaurant. Each month at the restaurant she has a M.O.M or Mother of the Month -- a mother who is featured in the menu with special items and with her story. It is a lovely touch and is clearly important to Schroeder. Many M.O.M.'s are also featured in the cookbook.
The food, although generally home-style, is rich, warm and welcoming. The books has many beautiful photographs and is nicely laid out. What I don't like is that most recipes stretch out over numerous pages. Often the ingredients are listed on one page, which you have to turn to start the instructions. This, for me at least, means, lost of flipping back and forth. She has little "love notes" at the end of many recipes which give you a few more directions or perhaps an indication of where to find a certain ingredient. Another nice touch.
I made a number of recipes: Chicken and Dumplings, for which I even made the chicken stock, following Schroeder's recipe. Overall, the chicken and dumplings were luscious and rich. My dumplings were utter failures but that I attribute to my own poor dumpling making skills (this is something I seem to have inherited from my parents, although my Grandmother made wonderful dumplings) and that I used the food processor. Schroeder indicates that you can use the food processor but take care if you do -- it is far too easy to over process and make heavy leaden dumplings. The chicken part of the dish was delicious.
It began with the stock, I did not have a big enough pot in which to put two chickens so I divided it between one large pot and the slow cooker and it cooked nicely and made a terrific stock. The stock was enriched with butter, flour and milk and then had vegetables and chicken added to it. Terrific. For the dumplings, follow Schroeder's instructions and leave the food processor alone and you'll likely do fine.
My husband loves peanut butter and many years for his birthday I have made a chocolate-peanut butter pie. This year I used Schroeder's recipe, Mother's Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie, and it will probably be the one I'll make in the future. The differences from others are one that she makes a peanut butter shortbread crust and then that it is a chocolate bottomed pie rather than chocolate topped (although you do put a bit of chocolate fudge on top too). The shortbread crust was divine but her instructions on using it in the pie gave me a far too-thick crust that left little room for a chocolate-bottom or peanut butter filling. The shortbread also makes wonderful cookies, and that recipe is at the end of the post. It is a very decadent dessert but really terrific and if you make your crust about 1/4 inch thick it should be fine. My household will be enjoying iterations of this pie for years to come.
Meanwhile I love poppyseeds, and Schroeder has a wonderful recipe for Almond Poppyseed pancakes. They are thick and filling but also have a light taste full of crunchy almonds and poppyseeds. Two pancakes were plenty for breakfast. We had them on Saturday morning with enough leftovers for two more breakfasts. Again, they are special occasion pancakes with lots of almond flavor. We'll definitely have them again as well.
Overall this is a cookbook filled with love and lovely recipes and photos that will make occasions special. It is a book that is interesting to read with the little stories about Schroeder and various mothers she has featured at her restaurant. It may not be a book to use everyday but it is one to use when you want to show your love.
Peanut Butter Shortbread (from Mother's Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably Jif
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until fluffy and pale in color, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, mixing just until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated.
Form the dough into a log (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour for freeze for later use.
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment. Slice the log into 1/4-inch thick rounds and bake for 10-12 minutes. Should make dozens of 2-inch cookies.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
A little bit of spice is awfully nice
Indian food can be intimidating for the home cook. The list of ingredients can be long and the unfamiliar. 5 Spices, 50 dishes by Ruta Kahate breaks it down and makes cooking Indian food at home pretty easy. If you already know how to cook and want to explore a different cuisine, this is an excellent cookbook for you.
There really are only 5 spices used in the book: coriander seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, cayenne pepper and turmeric. And they are not all used in every recipe. What I love about this cookbook is how it makes Indian food an everyday thing. I grew up with a father who cooked (and still does) curry with some regularity and I have continued to do the same, particularly when I was vegetarian. However, I had always thought of Indian food as more complicated, and as something that you only do together. Since using 5 Spices, 50 dishes, I have realised that I now have some great side dishes in my repertoire.
The book is nicely laid out with photos for most recipes. The instructions and ingredients are usually all on one page. Kahate includes a header note with each recipe. Sometimes it includes personal background information, other times notes on how to serve the dish or its cultural background. The notes make the cookbook more personal.
Kahate has some basic cooking techniques, one of them is making a tadka. This method involves heating oil to a high heat and then adding your spices. Often it begins with the mustard seeds, which then pop and more flavor is released, then other spices and then other ingredients. It also is a fairly fast technique and many the recipes are quick to fix.
You can also make things as spicy as you like -- I have been leaving out the cayenne pepper when cooking meals for my kids. And in some of the recipes fresh chilies may be called for, which I do not add -- so you can adjust the heat to your liking, or your audience's preference. I found that some ways of presenting garlic can add to the heat. I loved the recipe for a Cabbage Stir-Fry but my daughter was dismayed to encounter a large piece of crushed garlic (I would have loved it, and hope she will in time). The Cabbage Stir-Fry is quite simple and quick to make and is a great way to serve cabbage as a side dish. Other sides I plan to try include Corn with Mustard Seeds and Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Lemon.
The first recipes I made were the Lamb Chops with a Spicy Rub and Railway Potatoes. The kids loved the lamb chops (I omitted anything that had any heat to it). The adults loved the Railway Potatoes (the recipe is given below). My comment at dinner was: I could eat way to much of these. I have made the recipe more than once now. I was skeptical at first that the potatoes would cook in the time stated, but they did and I am a believer. You do need to slice them thinly an I, of course, did not use nearly as much oil as the recipe calls for. It also uses mustard seed which I was pleased to find recently at my local Hy-Vee store.
I also learned a great new technique when making an egg curry. After Easter we had some hard boiled eggs to use up and coincidentally had some curry sauce left so I combined the two to make a quick egg curry. I used Kahate's technique from the Onion and Yogurt Egg Curry (which I do plan to make someday) where you brown the halved hard-boiled eggs in a separate pan, yolk side down first, before adding to the curry. This helped to keep the egg yolk in the white, which can be a problem otherwise. Great technique.
This book really is about making Indian food accessible to all and at that it really excels. I will use, and have used, the recipes in everyday ways and not just as an Indian dinner menu. So, add some spice to you cooking life!
Railway Potatoes, Serves 4 (generously)
1 1/2 lbs medium red potatoes
5 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (omit if you don't want it spicy)
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Then cut them crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
Make the tadka: Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds stop sputtering, add the turmeric and stir for a second. Immediately add the onion, potatoes, salt and cayenne. Toss well, cover, and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Serve now or pack in an airtight container to take on a road trip.
There really are only 5 spices used in the book: coriander seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, cayenne pepper and turmeric. And they are not all used in every recipe. What I love about this cookbook is how it makes Indian food an everyday thing. I grew up with a father who cooked (and still does) curry with some regularity and I have continued to do the same, particularly when I was vegetarian. However, I had always thought of Indian food as more complicated, and as something that you only do together. Since using 5 Spices, 50 dishes, I have realised that I now have some great side dishes in my repertoire.
The book is nicely laid out with photos for most recipes. The instructions and ingredients are usually all on one page. Kahate includes a header note with each recipe. Sometimes it includes personal background information, other times notes on how to serve the dish or its cultural background. The notes make the cookbook more personal.
Kahate has some basic cooking techniques, one of them is making a tadka. This method involves heating oil to a high heat and then adding your spices. Often it begins with the mustard seeds, which then pop and more flavor is released, then other spices and then other ingredients. It also is a fairly fast technique and many the recipes are quick to fix.
You can also make things as spicy as you like -- I have been leaving out the cayenne pepper when cooking meals for my kids. And in some of the recipes fresh chilies may be called for, which I do not add -- so you can adjust the heat to your liking, or your audience's preference. I found that some ways of presenting garlic can add to the heat. I loved the recipe for a Cabbage Stir-Fry but my daughter was dismayed to encounter a large piece of crushed garlic (I would have loved it, and hope she will in time). The Cabbage Stir-Fry is quite simple and quick to make and is a great way to serve cabbage as a side dish. Other sides I plan to try include Corn with Mustard Seeds and Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Lemon.
The first recipes I made were the Lamb Chops with a Spicy Rub and Railway Potatoes. The kids loved the lamb chops (I omitted anything that had any heat to it). The adults loved the Railway Potatoes (the recipe is given below). My comment at dinner was: I could eat way to much of these. I have made the recipe more than once now. I was skeptical at first that the potatoes would cook in the time stated, but they did and I am a believer. You do need to slice them thinly an I, of course, did not use nearly as much oil as the recipe calls for. It also uses mustard seed which I was pleased to find recently at my local Hy-Vee store.
I also learned a great new technique when making an egg curry. After Easter we had some hard boiled eggs to use up and coincidentally had some curry sauce left so I combined the two to make a quick egg curry. I used Kahate's technique from the Onion and Yogurt Egg Curry (which I do plan to make someday) where you brown the halved hard-boiled eggs in a separate pan, yolk side down first, before adding to the curry. This helped to keep the egg yolk in the white, which can be a problem otherwise. Great technique.
This book really is about making Indian food accessible to all and at that it really excels. I will use, and have used, the recipes in everyday ways and not just as an Indian dinner menu. So, add some spice to you cooking life!
Railway Potatoes, Serves 4 (generously)
1 1/2 lbs medium red potatoes
5 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (omit if you don't want it spicy)
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Then cut them crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
Make the tadka: Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds stop sputtering, add the turmeric and stir for a second. Immediately add the onion, potatoes, salt and cayenne. Toss well, cover, and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Serve now or pack in an airtight container to take on a road trip.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Ooey-gooey cookbook
Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids by Jill O'Connor is all about baking and treats with and for kids. And it recognizes that it isn't easy to do this -- you get messy, things don't go as you think they will. Kids don't necessarily understand how or are able to shape, perfect little balls of dough. This cookbook is about having fun making things in the kitchen with children but I think of it as the ooey-gooey cookbook.
The recipes are very kid-friendly with plenty of chocolate, some peanut butter and marshmallows (even a recipe for making your own). The layout is designed to be kid-friendly with lots of color, plenty of photos, cute recipe names and a scalloped edge. I hate the scalloped edge -- it is hard to flip through the book and find the recipe that caught your eye before -- tabs for chapters would have been useful. There also is so much white space that recipes often run over a page which makes cooking more difficult as you have to flip back and forth between the ingredients and the instructions.
It is a book which an inexperienced cook could use. There are some instructions at the beginning on recommended equipment, ingredients and techniques. There are also notes for specific recipes which provide more directions. There are chapters for breakfast foods, everyday treats, and special occasion treats. There are recipes for familiar foods such a Hunka Chunka Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Best Chocolate Birthday Cake Ever and then more unusual such as A is for Apple-Pie Stuffed French Toast, Ode to Oodles Oatmeal Flapjacks and Miraculous Mile-High Strawberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie.
We tried a few recipes from the book. First up was Wicked Good Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding. It was similar to many chocolate pudding recipes but a little richer with egg yolks and whole milk, and peanut butter. My family loved it, even though I was not willing to make the Chocolate Balloon Cups which were in the picture. Next up were the Banana Split Pancakes. The pancake recipe was fairly typical, with mashed banana in it -- serving it with heated Nutella and sliced bananas made it in to a banana split which my kids loved. The grown ups preferred the Buttery Brown Sugar syrup from the accompanying recipe.
We also tried the Chock-a-Block Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Muffins -- gingerbread with a touch of chocolate. These were quite tasty with chocolate chips (and a few leftover cocoa nibs which was great but not in the recipe) and some leftover cream cheese icing. The recipe made more than the 18 muffins it said -- more like 30.
But the favorite recipe, which we'll definitely make again, was the Holy Moly! Strawberry Jam Roly-Poly. This is a sweet biscuit dough rolled out, filled with jam and rolled up like a roll. Then baked and sliced like a log. A recipe for making your own jam is optional (we used what we had in the fridge). I was surprised to find that this was still tasty a day or two later. I did not bother heating the jam to pour over.
Holy Moly! Strawberry Jam Roly-Poly
serves 6
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
2/3 cup (or more if needed) ice water
3/4 cup strawberry jam (or raspberry jam or cherry preserves of Jumbled Berry Jam)
1 tablespoon whole milk for brushing
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Using your hands, lightly toss the flour and butter together. If the butter starts to soften, pop the mixture into the freezer for about 5 minutes to allow the butter to harden.
Stir enough ice water into the flour and butter mixture to form a soft, shaggy dough that comes together to form a loose ball. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water by tablespoons.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured board, gently kneading it just to combine (5 or 6 turns), but not allowing the butter to melt.
Rub a rolling pin with flour and, on a flat service, lightly sprinkled with flour, roll the dough quickly into an approximately 9 by 13 inch rectangle.
Spread 4 or 5 tablespoons jam over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Starting from one long end , roll up the pastry like a jelly-roll, brushing excess flour off the pastry as you go.
Seal the end seam with a little water and tightly pinch the ends to prevent the jam from seeping out. Place the pastry, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar.
Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, and little rivulets of jam are bubbling out the ends, about 30 minutes. Let cool briefly on the baking sheet and slice into 6 portions using a serrated knife. Warm the reserved jam in a small saucepan, or in a bowl heated in the microwave, and drizzle over slices of the pastry, if desired.
The recipes are very kid-friendly with plenty of chocolate, some peanut butter and marshmallows (even a recipe for making your own). The layout is designed to be kid-friendly with lots of color, plenty of photos, cute recipe names and a scalloped edge. I hate the scalloped edge -- it is hard to flip through the book and find the recipe that caught your eye before -- tabs for chapters would have been useful. There also is so much white space that recipes often run over a page which makes cooking more difficult as you have to flip back and forth between the ingredients and the instructions.
It is a book which an inexperienced cook could use. There are some instructions at the beginning on recommended equipment, ingredients and techniques. There are also notes for specific recipes which provide more directions. There are chapters for breakfast foods, everyday treats, and special occasion treats. There are recipes for familiar foods such a Hunka Chunka Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Best Chocolate Birthday Cake Ever and then more unusual such as A is for Apple-Pie Stuffed French Toast, Ode to Oodles Oatmeal Flapjacks and Miraculous Mile-High Strawberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie.
We tried a few recipes from the book. First up was Wicked Good Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding. It was similar to many chocolate pudding recipes but a little richer with egg yolks and whole milk, and peanut butter. My family loved it, even though I was not willing to make the Chocolate Balloon Cups which were in the picture. Next up were the Banana Split Pancakes. The pancake recipe was fairly typical, with mashed banana in it -- serving it with heated Nutella and sliced bananas made it in to a banana split which my kids loved. The grown ups preferred the Buttery Brown Sugar syrup from the accompanying recipe.
We also tried the Chock-a-Block Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Muffins -- gingerbread with a touch of chocolate. These were quite tasty with chocolate chips (and a few leftover cocoa nibs which was great but not in the recipe) and some leftover cream cheese icing. The recipe made more than the 18 muffins it said -- more like 30.
But the favorite recipe, which we'll definitely make again, was the Holy Moly! Strawberry Jam Roly-Poly. This is a sweet biscuit dough rolled out, filled with jam and rolled up like a roll. Then baked and sliced like a log. A recipe for making your own jam is optional (we used what we had in the fridge). I was surprised to find that this was still tasty a day or two later. I did not bother heating the jam to pour over.
Holy Moly! Strawberry Jam Roly-Poly
serves 6
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
2/3 cup (or more if needed) ice water
3/4 cup strawberry jam (or raspberry jam or cherry preserves of Jumbled Berry Jam)
1 tablespoon whole milk for brushing
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Using your hands, lightly toss the flour and butter together. If the butter starts to soften, pop the mixture into the freezer for about 5 minutes to allow the butter to harden.
Stir enough ice water into the flour and butter mixture to form a soft, shaggy dough that comes together to form a loose ball. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water by tablespoons.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured board, gently kneading it just to combine (5 or 6 turns), but not allowing the butter to melt.
Rub a rolling pin with flour and, on a flat service, lightly sprinkled with flour, roll the dough quickly into an approximately 9 by 13 inch rectangle.
Spread 4 or 5 tablespoons jam over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Starting from one long end , roll up the pastry like a jelly-roll, brushing excess flour off the pastry as you go.
Seal the end seam with a little water and tightly pinch the ends to prevent the jam from seeping out. Place the pastry, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar.
Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, and little rivulets of jam are bubbling out the ends, about 30 minutes. Let cool briefly on the baking sheet and slice into 6 portions using a serrated knife. Warm the reserved jam in a small saucepan, or in a bowl heated in the microwave, and drizzle over slices of the pastry, if desired.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy
I'm part Italian and love to cook Italian food. It is a cuisine I grew up with and feel very comfortable cooking. Lidia Matticchio Bastianich's newest cookbook, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy : a feast of 175 regional recipes, which accompanies a PBS series, is a comfortable cookbook. When I flip through the cookbook I hear Bastianich's voice, providing instruction and encouragement. This is not, however, a cookbook for novice cooks. You do not need to know how to cook Italian food but being comfortable in the kitchen is helpful.
Bastianich goes through Italy region by region with photographs and a little travelogue on each region, as well as notes on regional dishes and plenty of recipes. Within each region the dishes are arranged in a traditional cookbook manner with appetizers and soups coming first, followed by sides and main dishes and perhaps ending with a few desserts. It varies by region, not surprisingly.
It is a good cookbook to just read, and enjoy the photographs but the recipes are enticing too. Each recipe has a head note which can provide useful tips for recipe success or just background on the dish. I love the recommended equipment note that follows the ingredients list -- it lets you know at a glance whether you have the right equipment (or the equivalent) without having to hunt through the instructions. There are also various notes throughout the book which provide extra directions or background.
The rice dishes of Lombardy seduced me -- at first it was the Baked Rice Frittata, but it took too long for a recent Sunday lunch so instead I made the Rice Lombardy-Style, which is rice with cheese and egg. It was quick, easy, very tasty and well received by my family. This recipe, and many others of Bastianich's rice dishes, uses a no-stir rissotto technique. I found that I had to cook the rice longer than the time listed in the recipe, but by following her directions on how to cook rice, it worked out just fine. It seems rather like a rice carbonara (without bacon). The recipe is at the end of this post.
There are some surprising flavor combinations such as a tomato sauce with apple and baked apples with chocolate (which does not appeal to me, despite being a definite chocoholic). Some dishes require special ingredients such as octopus, farro pasta or pane carasau but a list of sources is included. There are many recipes for making your own pasta from all over Italy. Some, but not all, require pasta-rolling machines. Bastianich recommends Scrippelle, a kind of crepe, from Le Marche as a good place to start if you not sure about making your own fresh pasta. As I flip through the book I find many recipes, which I stop and think, ooh, that sounds good but the ones that most interest me are Fregola (from Sardinia) and the Meatless Pecorino Meatballs (from Arbruzzo).
Rice Lomabrdy-Style (Riso alla Lombarda)
Serves 6 or more as first course or side dish
5 1/2 cups hot water or light stock, more may be needed
1 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups Arborio rice
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended)
5 oz Gorgonzola, crumble into small pieces (optional0
recommended equipment: a heavy saucepan, such as enameled cast iron, 10 inches wide, 3-to-4 quart capacity, with a cover
Put the water or stock, the butter and the salt in a saucepan, set over high heat, and bring to the boil. Stir in the rice, and bring back to the boil.
Cover the pan, and lower the heat so the water is bubbling gently. Cook for about 14 minutes, until rice is al dente with a creamy consistency like risotto, so you can easily stir in the egg yolks. Adjust the consistency if needed (see note below).
While the riso cooks beat together the yolks and olive oil in a small bowl with a fork, then mix 1/2 cup of grated cheese, to form a paste.
When the rice is fully cooked, remove from the heat. Scrape in the egg and cheese paste, and stir vigorously until thoroughly amalgamated. Stir in the remaining grated cheese and the crumbled Gorgonzola, if you like, reserving some of the the crumbles for a garnish.
Spoon the riso into warm pasta bowls and serve immediately
from A perfect pot of rice note (p. 41)
"... when your rice has cooked the suggested amount of time, remove the lid, give the rice a stir and take a bite. If the rice is perfectly chewy and creamy, turn off the heat and incorporate the finishing ingredients. If it is almost al dente or just a bit loose, cook a couple more minutes, covered.
But if the rice seems dry -- especially if the grains are also undercooked -- stir in 1/2 cup hot water or stock, or more if necessary to loosen the rice, and cook, covered, over low heat for several more minutes, then taste again.
On the other hand, if the riso seems soupy -- and the rice grains are almost fully cooked -- you want to evaporate excess liquid quickly by keeping the lid off, raising the heat, and cooking the rice, stirring constantly, until it thickens."
My notes:
1. I used a whole egg instead of 2 egg yolks as I didn't feel like having leftover egg whites.
2. I cooked the rice almost twice as long as the recipe said, but I had some old Arborio rice.
3. I did not use Gorgonzola but I think it would be wonderful.
Bastianich goes through Italy region by region with photographs and a little travelogue on each region, as well as notes on regional dishes and plenty of recipes. Within each region the dishes are arranged in a traditional cookbook manner with appetizers and soups coming first, followed by sides and main dishes and perhaps ending with a few desserts. It varies by region, not surprisingly.
It is a good cookbook to just read, and enjoy the photographs but the recipes are enticing too. Each recipe has a head note which can provide useful tips for recipe success or just background on the dish. I love the recommended equipment note that follows the ingredients list -- it lets you know at a glance whether you have the right equipment (or the equivalent) without having to hunt through the instructions. There are also various notes throughout the book which provide extra directions or background.
The rice dishes of Lombardy seduced me -- at first it was the Baked Rice Frittata, but it took too long for a recent Sunday lunch so instead I made the Rice Lombardy-Style, which is rice with cheese and egg. It was quick, easy, very tasty and well received by my family. This recipe, and many others of Bastianich's rice dishes, uses a no-stir rissotto technique. I found that I had to cook the rice longer than the time listed in the recipe, but by following her directions on how to cook rice, it worked out just fine. It seems rather like a rice carbonara (without bacon). The recipe is at the end of this post.
There are some surprising flavor combinations such as a tomato sauce with apple and baked apples with chocolate (which does not appeal to me, despite being a definite chocoholic). Some dishes require special ingredients such as octopus, farro pasta or pane carasau but a list of sources is included. There are many recipes for making your own pasta from all over Italy. Some, but not all, require pasta-rolling machines. Bastianich recommends Scrippelle, a kind of crepe, from Le Marche as a good place to start if you not sure about making your own fresh pasta. As I flip through the book I find many recipes, which I stop and think, ooh, that sounds good but the ones that most interest me are Fregola (from Sardinia) and the Meatless Pecorino Meatballs (from Arbruzzo).
Rice Lomabrdy-Style (Riso alla Lombarda)
Serves 6 or more as first course or side dish
5 1/2 cups hot water or light stock, more may be needed
1 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups Arborio rice
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended)
5 oz Gorgonzola, crumble into small pieces (optional0
recommended equipment: a heavy saucepan, such as enameled cast iron, 10 inches wide, 3-to-4 quart capacity, with a cover
Put the water or stock, the butter and the salt in a saucepan, set over high heat, and bring to the boil. Stir in the rice, and bring back to the boil.
Cover the pan, and lower the heat so the water is bubbling gently. Cook for about 14 minutes, until rice is al dente with a creamy consistency like risotto, so you can easily stir in the egg yolks. Adjust the consistency if needed (see note below).
While the riso cooks beat together the yolks and olive oil in a small bowl with a fork, then mix 1/2 cup of grated cheese, to form a paste.
When the rice is fully cooked, remove from the heat. Scrape in the egg and cheese paste, and stir vigorously until thoroughly amalgamated. Stir in the remaining grated cheese and the crumbled Gorgonzola, if you like, reserving some of the the crumbles for a garnish.
Spoon the riso into warm pasta bowls and serve immediately
from A perfect pot of rice note (p. 41)
"... when your rice has cooked the suggested amount of time, remove the lid, give the rice a stir and take a bite. If the rice is perfectly chewy and creamy, turn off the heat and incorporate the finishing ingredients. If it is almost al dente or just a bit loose, cook a couple more minutes, covered.
But if the rice seems dry -- especially if the grains are also undercooked -- stir in 1/2 cup hot water or stock, or more if necessary to loosen the rice, and cook, covered, over low heat for several more minutes, then taste again.
On the other hand, if the riso seems soupy -- and the rice grains are almost fully cooked -- you want to evaporate excess liquid quickly by keeping the lid off, raising the heat, and cooking the rice, stirring constantly, until it thickens."
My notes:
1. I used a whole egg instead of 2 egg yolks as I didn't feel like having leftover egg whites.
2. I cooked the rice almost twice as long as the recipe said, but I had some old Arborio rice.
3. I did not use Gorgonzola but I think it would be wonderful.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Lucid Food
I have been interested in seasonal cooking for a few years and have enjoyed the explosion of cookbooks focused on cooking with what is in season. A recent example of this trend is Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life by Louise Shafia. This book goes beyond just cooking in season to considering the ecological impact of your food choice. Thankfully, it is not too preachy and includes a chapter, Eco-Kitchen Basics, which goes over how to make these choices, even in an urban setting. If you are new to the this idea this chapter is a very good introduction.
The book has beautiful photographs which always make recipes more appealing. Many of the recipes are vegetarian but this is not a vegetarian cookbook or even a particularly health-conscious one. Finding some ingredients may not be easy at a standard grocery store in Omaha -- fried tofu pockets, sheets of yuba and cocoa nibs for instance. But there are a variety of recipes for each season from snacks and soups to entrees, sides and desserts. This is not a cookbook for beginner cooks -- but rather for the intermediate or advanced. It is for the adventurous who want to try new ingredients, flavors and tastes.
I tried The Best Granola Ever which may not be the best ever but it is a very good granola, and I had some cocoa nibs to use up (they add a nice note to the granola). It has been a nice topping on hot oatmeal in the mornings. I didn't feel that this was a recipe that had to be confined to Spring , given that it includes mainly dried fruits, nuts and rolled oats. Perhaps Shafia thinks that most people will be eating granola in the warmer months.
We also had the Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs (recipe follows) -- potatoes and cauliflower with scrambled eggs. It was liked even by the smaller members of the household. Mustard seeds are not always easy to find in the grocery store (but if you get some, hang on to them as there is another cookbook which I'll blog about later, where you'll need them). The recipe describes the dish as being airy and light -- which I did not achieve, 2 minutes is a long time to beat eggs by hand -- but we no one else knew and we enjoyed them nonetheless. Minor quibble -- it is hard when a cookbook just specifies an onion or potato with no indication of size or weight. I guess it gives your room to do what you want but it can make a difference and if you are new to cooking it can be easy to make a misstep here.
There are other recipes I am interested in trying. From Fall: Amaranth Porridge with Fruit and Nuts (Amaranth is a small grain that has a slight peanut flavor to it -- makes great porridge) and Grape and Ginger-Glazed Chicken; from Winter: Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie, Buckwheat and Orange Zest Gingersnaps; from Spring: Matzoh Brei with Caramelized Apples, Ash-e-reshteh (Persian New Year's Soup with Beans, Noodles and Herbs); and from Summer: Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches and from the Accompaniments: Sweet Potato and Cranberry Cornmeal Biscuits and Green Rice.
Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs
serves 4 to 6
1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
1 cups cauliflower florets
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt
6 eggs
Place the potato in a saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and boil for 1 minute more. Drain the vegetables.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, and cook until soft. Add the potato, cauliflower, spices and a dash of salt. Decrease the heat to medium and saute for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl, and cover. Return the skillet to the stove.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons water and 3 dashes of salt. Whisk for 2 minutes, tilting the bowl as you whisk to whip as much air into the eggs as possible. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs. Allow them to begin to set before stirring, then gently push the eggs toward the center of the pan with a wooden spoon. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the uncooked eggs. When the eggs are just firm, flip them over and cook for 25 seconds more.
Transfer the eggs to the bowl of vegetables and stir to mix. Taste and season with salt. Serve immediately.
My Tips:
1. Instead of mincing fresh ginger, peel and grate it. I store my ginger in the freezer and peel and grate as needed.
2. I never use as much oil as called for when sauteeing I used about 2 tablespoons total.
3. When cooking for small kids, they can be wary of spices. I began by using about half the amount of spices called for in dishes like this, and omitting hot spices like cayenne pepper entirely. Now, about 3 years later, I use the full amount of spices except the cayenne. That I still omit or perhaps use a small dash. My 8-year-old commented on this still being a little spicy but she ate it.
The book has beautiful photographs which always make recipes more appealing. Many of the recipes are vegetarian but this is not a vegetarian cookbook or even a particularly health-conscious one. Finding some ingredients may not be easy at a standard grocery store in Omaha -- fried tofu pockets, sheets of yuba and cocoa nibs for instance. But there are a variety of recipes for each season from snacks and soups to entrees, sides and desserts. This is not a cookbook for beginner cooks -- but rather for the intermediate or advanced. It is for the adventurous who want to try new ingredients, flavors and tastes.
I tried The Best Granola Ever which may not be the best ever but it is a very good granola, and I had some cocoa nibs to use up (they add a nice note to the granola). It has been a nice topping on hot oatmeal in the mornings. I didn't feel that this was a recipe that had to be confined to Spring , given that it includes mainly dried fruits, nuts and rolled oats. Perhaps Shafia thinks that most people will be eating granola in the warmer months.
We also had the Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs (recipe follows) -- potatoes and cauliflower with scrambled eggs. It was liked even by the smaller members of the household. Mustard seeds are not always easy to find in the grocery store (but if you get some, hang on to them as there is another cookbook which I'll blog about later, where you'll need them). The recipe describes the dish as being airy and light -- which I did not achieve, 2 minutes is a long time to beat eggs by hand -- but we no one else knew and we enjoyed them nonetheless. Minor quibble -- it is hard when a cookbook just specifies an onion or potato with no indication of size or weight. I guess it gives your room to do what you want but it can make a difference and if you are new to cooking it can be easy to make a misstep here.
There are other recipes I am interested in trying. From Fall: Amaranth Porridge with Fruit and Nuts (Amaranth is a small grain that has a slight peanut flavor to it -- makes great porridge) and Grape and Ginger-Glazed Chicken; from Winter: Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie, Buckwheat and Orange Zest Gingersnaps; from Spring: Matzoh Brei with Caramelized Apples, Ash-e-reshteh (Persian New Year's Soup with Beans, Noodles and Herbs); and from Summer: Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches and from the Accompaniments: Sweet Potato and Cranberry Cornmeal Biscuits and Green Rice.
Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs
serves 4 to 6
1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
1 cups cauliflower florets
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt
6 eggs
Place the potato in a saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and boil for 1 minute more. Drain the vegetables.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, and cook until soft. Add the potato, cauliflower, spices and a dash of salt. Decrease the heat to medium and saute for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl, and cover. Return the skillet to the stove.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons water and 3 dashes of salt. Whisk for 2 minutes, tilting the bowl as you whisk to whip as much air into the eggs as possible. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs. Allow them to begin to set before stirring, then gently push the eggs toward the center of the pan with a wooden spoon. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the uncooked eggs. When the eggs are just firm, flip them over and cook for 25 seconds more.
Transfer the eggs to the bowl of vegetables and stir to mix. Taste and season with salt. Serve immediately.
My Tips:
1. Instead of mincing fresh ginger, peel and grate it. I store my ginger in the freezer and peel and grate as needed.
2. I never use as much oil as called for when sauteeing I used about 2 tablespoons total.
3. When cooking for small kids, they can be wary of spices. I began by using about half the amount of spices called for in dishes like this, and omitting hot spices like cayenne pepper entirely. Now, about 3 years later, I use the full amount of spices except the cayenne. That I still omit or perhaps use a small dash. My 8-year-old commented on this still being a little spicy but she ate it.
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