Tomato, Basil, Raviolini Soup: Not your typical Tomato Soup

Years ago, I had this soup in some cafe.  I loved it so that I did some research knowing it was not homemade, and I found that it was from a company that sold frozen, concentrated soups.  I was able to purchase the concentrate, but because it was sold to institutions, it came in a package size that was impossible to deal with.  PLUS, what a better opportunity to challenge my own culinary skills!  I have been attempting to make this brothy tomato soup for several years, and this summer, I had a breakthrough.  This soup is not like typical tomato soups. It is not pureed, nor does it contain cream. It is only slightly thick, but is absolutely one of my favorites with a spicy kick from red chili flakes and basil.  This soup is best made during the summer due to the need for roasted tomatoes.  What I do is to take my tomato seconds from the garden and roast them up with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, at 350 for about an hour until they are soft and browning. I then put them through a food mill.  This is the key to this recipe.  It gives a depth to this soup you cannot get without the roasting.

This soup can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients for Roasted Tomatoes
3 lbs. tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Directions for Roasted Tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem.  Place tomatoes on a cookie sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in 350 degree oven for about an hour until skins have popped and turned black in spots. Put through a food mill (or processor then strainer).  Yield will vary based on tomatoes.  Extra can be used in soup or frozen for next batch.

Ingredients for soup
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. crushed red chili flakes
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 c. roasted tomatoes (pureed)
1-28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (not in puree), broken into small (about 1/2'') pieces
1 qt. homemade chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 c. water
1 T. white wine vinegar
3-4 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. basil, chiffonade
1 1/2 c. raviolini

Directions for Soup
Heat oil in heavy bottomed dutch oven.  Add chili flakes, bay leaf, and onions.  Sauté until onions are softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Add roasted tomatoes, whole can of broken up tomatoes and juice, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, then simmer for 1 hour. After 1/2 hour, bring large pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 T. salt and cook raviolini until thoroughly done (not al dente).  Drain pasta.  Taste soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add vinegar.  Mix 3 T. cornstarch and water.  Add to soup.  Soup should thicken slightly, but not be thick. If needed, mix the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water and add to make the soup a bit more thick, depending on taste.  Add the raviolini to the soup along with the basil.  Serve and enjoy!

Black Beans: Simple and delicious

My dear friend Erin is leaving Champaign for Salt Lake City.  Our community will be less without her.  Last night, we held a farewell party for her, and several attendees asked me to post the some of the recipes.  I cooked for two lovely, but hot days.  Tacos for 45.  Now that's a lot of tacos!  I made 4 salsas: de arbol, roasted tomatillo, roasted tomato, and a mango xnipek that was hot enough to blow off your head; 3 fillings: chicken with red chile sauce, sautéed vegetables in a tomatillo sauce, and a wonderfully delicious poblano and chard rajas; lime and cilantro rice; corn salad with jicama; queso fresco, and these wonderful black beans.  This recipe is vegetarian and can easily be made into a soup with the addition of vegetable broth.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my guests did.

Ingredients for cooking beans
1 lb. dried black beans, picked over and washed
2 serrano chiles
1 t. garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1 t. dried epasote
1 t. Mexican Oregano

Ingredients for finishing beans
3 T. vegetable oil
1 white onion, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chipolte pepper in adobo, finely minced
1 t. adobo from chipolte can
1/2 t. cumin powder
1/2 t. dried epasote
1/2 t. dried mexican oregano
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 lime, juiced
salt
1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped

Directions


The night before you make your beans, sort them looking for stones, wash them and soak them in a large pot with at least three times as much cold water as you have beans.  About 4-5 hours before you want to eat them, rinse your beans and throw out the now purple water.  But the beans back in a large pot (preferably a pot with a heavy bottom such as an enameled cast iron pot).  Add enough water to cover the beans by 4 inches of water.  Add serrano chiles, garlic powder, bay leaves, epasote, and oregano.  Bring the water to a boil and simmer until the beans are tender (taste 4-5--they should each be soft).
In a second heavy bottomed dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté the onions until they are browned on the edges and are quite golden.  Add the garlic, chipolte, adobo, epasote, cumin, and oregano.  Saute for 1 minute more.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans into the pot a few large spoons at a time (leave behind the bay leaves and chiles).  Mash the first cup of beans with a potato masher.  Add the rest of the beans and enough cooking liquid to make the beans rather soupy.  Add the orange and lime juice and simmer on low for at least an hour.  You can add more bean water to make the beans the consistency you want.  Season with salt to taste.  To finish, add the cilantro and serve.  Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler: A Taste of Southern Summer

Imagine this....Denver in June.  Days are dry and hot, evenings, stormy.  Last night, I made the sides for a boneless leg of lamb my brother, Amir, lovingly cooked on the his grill for Darren and I, his wife, Renee, their friend, Mark, and Darren's sister, Sandra, who was in from a conference from Boston.  Along with this boneless roast I made the most decadent of potatoes gratin with gorgonzola and fontina cheese, roasted asparagus with thinly sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of 18 year old balsamic vinegar, and these delicious popovers.  For dessert, to end this feast, we had this peach cobbler.  This recipe is a hi-bred.  The recipe for the peaches themselves come from Cooks Illustrated. I liked the fact that they suggested macerating the peaches as oftentimes, peach cobbler I have had has been too runny.  The topping is an altering of a recipe I found on Food Network's site.  I lessened the amount of sugar in the recipe overall, particularly in the crust, and further added to the crunch by adding unrefined sugar (such as Turbanado) to the top before baking. I also cut back a bit on the amount of butter.   The result was sublime.  This amount served 6 with leftovers, but remember, this was after a pretty decadent feast.  I served the cobbler with a dollop of whipped cream that was scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla.

Darren suggests having a small layer of crust on the bottom of the cobbler.  If you like that kind of thing, make 1 1/2 times the crust, put 1/3 of the resulting dough into the bottom of the buttered dish, pressing it down firmly before adding the peaches.  Top with the remaining crust and bake as described below.

Peach Cobbler

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Filling  

                 

2 ½ lb. peaches, ripe but firm (about 6-7 medium)

¼ c. sugar

1 t. cornstarch

1 T. lemon juice                                    

½ t. cinnamon (optional)

¼ t. table salt

                                   

Topping

1/3 cup sugar plus ¼ c. raw sugar for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch dice

1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel peaches (if firm, with a peeler, if soft, by plunging in boiling water for 30 seconds then into ice water) and cut in half.  If you are using cling peaches, you’ll need to cut the flesh off the pit.  If using no cling peaches, take a spoon and scoop out the spiky flesh that attaches to the peach pit.  Cut each half into 4 slices.  Put the peach slices in a medium bowl with ¼ c. sugar (or more to taste).  Let this rest for ½ hour.  After ½ hour, pour the peaches into a colander that is in a bowl and mix ¼ cup of the drained juices with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and if desired, cinnamon. Pour peaches into a lightly buttered 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.  In medium mixing bowl, mix 1/3 c. sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter it is incorporated and add beaten egg. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit, covering all exposed fruit. Sprinkle on raw sugar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.  I would suggest you bake your cobbler on a baking sheet lined with foil to protect your oven in case of a spillover.  Serve with whipped cream scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla, or vanilla ice cream.

Big Bowl of Fabulousness: Beans and Rice on Steroids

I had a dish similar to this one in Portland at one of the food trucks on 11th Avenue. I knew when I got my bowl that it was going to make me happy.  The characteristic smell of beans and rice, perfumed with lemon and garlic, and ohhhhh, the olives!  The bowl I had I think was called the "Big Bowl", and it had brown rice, black beans, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, cheddar cheese and green olives on it. This was topped with a bright yellow sauce that was reminiscent of a hummus, but more lemony, and rich tasting.  A dollop of yogurt and a splash of salsa finished it off.  I was in heaven, I tell you. Heaven.  After some sleuthing, I found out that the sauce, which was the magical part of this concoction, was a Tali sauce, so I did some research and some tweaking, and came up with this Tali sauce recipe. I also added feta for the salty edge it imparts and for its pairing with the olives.

This bowl of fabulousness is my favorite take to work lunch.  It can be served at room temperature or even cold. Warning though.....the garlic scent that will waft through your workspace may send vampires running.  This is one of those dishes that you'll return to again and again, and, you won't feel badly doing so.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.

Big Bowl of Fabulousness

Serves 8

2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice

1 lb. beans (or 4 cans)

2 cups Greek yogurt

Salad Ingredients

1 English cucumber, large diced

1 medium sweet onion, finely diced

2/3 c. green olives, sliced

11/2  c. feta cheese

¼ c. chopped cilantro

1 lb. tomatoes, large diced

Tali Sauce

1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 c cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 c cooked soybeans
4 garlic cloves
1/2 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ascorbic acid or citric acid

Directions for Beans and Rice: 

Soak beans overnight.  Drain and cook beans at a simmer in a heavy bottomed pot.  Water level should be about 2-3 inches above beans.  Add water as needed.  When beans are tender, drain and salt them.

About 1 ½ hours before serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Boil 3 ½ cups of water.  Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with 2 t. oil and sprinkle on 2 t. kosher salt and 2 c. rice.  When water is at a full boil, add it to the baking dish and cover the dish with 2 layers of foil.  Be sure to cover tightly to prevent steam from escaping.  Bake at 375 for one hour and five minutes or until rice is tender.  Let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and fluff with a fork.

Directions for Tali Sauce:
Combine oil, almonds, beans, and garlic in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree until completely smooth.

Directions for Serving:

Make a salad with the vegetables and feta.

Serve by placing rice and beans in a bowl.  Top with some of the Tali sauce fabulousness.  Top that with the salad and a dollop of yogurt. You may want to consider adding some salsa to the top too, but hey, I’m just crazy that way.

Enjoy!

Mu Shu Pork: An authentic combination of textures and tastes

For some reason, I had the taste for Mu Shu--you know, those lovely pancakes filled with a tangy, slightly sweet, combination of vegetables, eggs, and meat.  Problem?  This is a dish that has been changed so much from its Chinese origins, I don't know what real Mu Shu is.  To this end, I went on a mission.  I spent several hours looking up recipes for authentic Mu Shu online.  I also searched a few "authentic" Chinese cookbooks.  I found some similarities, that in general, found that recipes from China used more fungus, and recipes from America, more vegetables than different fungi.  I used some ideas from Ming Tsai, when I added lime to the Hoisin sauce, to cut the sweetness.
This hybrid is authentic to the taste of some traditional Chinese recipes, with the addition of more vegetables.


I made this with homemade mu shu wrappers, which were amazing. I will put that recipe on line soon.  You can use frozen mu shu wrappers, but homemade are much better.

Serves 4-6

1 pound pork loin, finely julienned


2 t. minced garlic


2 t. minced ginger


1 cup soaked, sliced shiitake mushrooms


½ cup soaked, sliced black mushrooms or other dried mushrooms

20 dried Lily buds, hard part removed, torn in half, lengthwise and soaked

3 cups shredded Napa cabbage


1 carrot, thinly julienned into matchstick sized pieces

3/4 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (may use canned that have been rinsed well in cold water)


2 cups bean sprouts

1 bunch green onions, cut into ½ inch pieces

4 eggs, beaten

Sauce:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce (I like Lee Kum Kee)

juice of 1 lime

1 t. ginger

1 t. garlic

2 T. oil

For serving: 12-16 Chinese Pancakes (Mu Shu Wrappers--Recipe to come)

Directions

1.            Bring 1/2 cup oil to about 350 degrees (almost smoking) in a wok or deep, large frying pan,  add the pork. Using a strainer, quickly move around the pork and cook until medium rare, only 1 minute. Remove, strain pork and set aside.

2.            Leave 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok and return to high heat. Add eggs to hot oil and scramble. Set them aside with cooked pork.

3.            With remaining oil in wok, stir fry the garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms until soft, about 2-3 minutes and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4.            Add the cabbage, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms and continue stir frying 2-3 minutes.

5.            Add back the pork and eggs.

6.            Add half of the hoisin-lime and check for flavor.

7.            Meanwhile, in a steamer or wrapped in plastic in the microwave, heat the pancakes until hot.

8.            Lay individual pancakes on plates and paint on hoisin-lime sauce Top with Mu-Shu and roll up to serve.

New York Style Bagels: An attempt at perfection

What's better, I often wonder, than a great bagel.  But, they are so hard to come by--those wonderfully chewy, yet soft bundles of fabulousness.  Now, you may wonder why in the world you would take the time to make bagels.  Well, I'll be honest.  I think the bagels we get in stores and even in "bagel" restaurants, quite simply, suck.  Who boils their bagels anymore? I know Gothem Bagels in Madison does, and several places in Skokie and of course, New York do, but I don't live there. I live in Champaign, Illinois. The closest thing we have to real bagels is Einsteins, and I've already shared my opinion of their attempts.

Because of this, I have spent about a year learning about bagel making. I've read, watched videos, and had made several attempts at this process. What I found out is that ingredients, as is often the case, are key. In this case, you need high gluten flour (I use Sir Lancelot from King Arthur Flour, which has 14% protein) and distilled water as well as diastolic malt powder (also available from King Arthur Flour).  Armed with these ingredients and a bit (not too much, honestly) of time, you can create, in your very own kitchen, a more than acceptable bagel.  For the topping, I tend to go with the everything, which for me includes flaked sea salt, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic and onions, flax seeds, and chia seeds.  You can use any combination you like, but whatever you do, include a bit of flaked salt. It is the kicker here.

I love these bagels.  I make them small, 3 oz., and believe they are a perfect size for breakfast, but the recommended size is 4 oz., so do whatever you wish.  I have just slightly adapted this recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  Kudos to this most amazing cookbook.  If you love to bake bread, get it.  It is genius and has revolutionized my baking techniques.

New York Style Bagels

Adapted From:  Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Yield:   12-18 bagels

Ingredients:

Sponge

1 t. instant yeast

4 c. unbleached high gluten flour

2 ½ c. room temperature, distilled water

Dough

½ t. instant yeast

3 ¾ c. unbleached high gluten flour

2 ¾ t. table salt

2 t. malt powder

To finish

2 T. baking soda

Directions:

For the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in your stand mixer.  Add the water and stir only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly (about 2 hours).

For the dough, add the yeast to the sponge and stir.  Add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt.  On low speed with the dough hook, stir on low until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cups of flour.  The dough will be very stiff.  Knead on medium low for 6 minutes.  At this point, take a bit of the dough and try to stretch it out like you are going to blow a bubble with it.  If it easily rips, knead another 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 ounce pieces for smaller bagels, and 4 oz. for large bagels.  Form the pieces into balls and place them on the counter covered with a clean towel. Let them rest for 30 minutes.  One at a time, stick your thumb into the center, through each ball.  Evenly stretch the hole until you have a hole approximately 2 inches in diameter.  Place each bagel on a cookie sheet with parchment that has been lightly sprayed with oil.  Place each 2 inches apart on the sheets.  Mist the bagels with oil and put in a food grade plastic bag.  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Before refrigerating over night, put one into a bowl with cold water. If it floats, it is ready to retard.  If not, let them rest for another 10-20 minutes.  Retard in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.  When you are ready to bake the bagels, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and put the racks in the middle of the oven.

Remove bagels from the refrigerator.  Bring water to a boil in a large, wide pot.  When boiling, add the baking soda.  Put 4-5 bagels in the boiling water and boil for 1-2 minutes (the longer the boil time, the more chewy the crust of the bagel).  Use a slotted spoon and chopstick to flip the bagels over and boil another 1-2 minutes.  Remove and sprinkle with topping of your choice.  Place on a parchment lined sheet pan that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

When all bagels have been boiled, place them into the oven and bake until browned to the desired doneness, rotating and switching top and bottom pans after 5 minutes.  Cook a total of 12-15 minutes.  Cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting or eating.

Enjoy.

Chicago Style Italian Beef: Succulent with a Kick

Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwiches

Last week, I spent time in my home town of Itasca, Illinois with my partner, Darren, and 2 of my dear friends from High School, PJ and Greg.  When I asked PJ what her agenda for our visit included, she seemed pretty open, but had two requests:  Chicago Style Pizza (we went to Lou Malanati's) and a Chicago Beef.  For me, that meant only one thing....Johnnies.  Perhaps it was the taste of memories, but every bite of that sandwich was like gazing into heaven.  Tender, and succulent, with the Turano roll perfectly permeated with an unctuous au juice, punctuated perfectly with Chicago style spicy giardinara.  

Trying to replicate this recipe was a challenge.  There are many recipes out there, but in my experience, few come even close.  With years of practice, this is the recipe I have arrived at.  It does come with a caveat.....you need good, Chicago style Italian rolls and patience.  Now, if you have a Chicago style hot dog joint in your town, there is a chance they serve Italian Beef.  And if they serve Italian Beef, there is a chance they get good Italian sandwich rolls, which have an amazingly chewy crust, which you need for this sandwich.  Ask them to buy a half dozen.  You also need a Giardinara (hot peppers and vegetables packed in oil).  You may have more luck finding Giardinara packed in vinegar, but it is not the same.  Now if you can get these two items, I think you absolutely need to try this recipe.  I would not ask you to spend 2-3 days on a recipe if it was not worth your time.  Trust me, as a graduate student, I don't have much time to waste.

I hope you enjoy this sandwich--this taste of Chicago--as much as I do.

Serves 6-10 (depending on size of the roast)

INGREDIENTS

3-5 pound rump roast or sirloin roast ( I prefer sirloin)

6 cloves of garlic chopped fine

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp of dried basil

1 tsp of dried thyme

½ tsp majoram

½  tsp salt

 ½ tsp red pepper flakes

 ¼ tsp black pepper

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cups of beef broth

1/2 cup of red wine

1/2 cup of water

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup additional broth

Serving:

3 red and green bell peppers, sliced in ¼ inch slices

1 white onion, sliced in ¼ inch slices

pepperoncini

Hot Italian Giardinara (packed in oil)

Italian Rolls, preferably Turano (must have a good crusty exterior and fluffy interior to hold up to the juices)

DIRECTIONS

Mix garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the beef. Massage it thoroughly. Place the beef in a large plastic bag and let sit 4 hours to overnight.  Remove the roast and place on top of onion slices in a roasting pan.  Pour in  broth and wine and the additional 1 cup water, 1/2 t. salt and additional black pepper.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast with no lid for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on size of the roast) turning once within that time (roast to 120 degrees.  A 3 lb. roast should be made with same ingredients and will take less than 1 ½ hours).

Remove roast and let stand on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet until completely cooled.  Freeze for ½-1 hour, until lightly firm hour once cool. Reserve juice and skim off any additional fat.

Add 6 pepperoncini and 1 T. juice from jar to reserved juices.  Reserve.

Remove roast from freezer and slice beef thin on a meat slicer or thinly with a sharp knife (as thin as possible but not shredded).  Put meat into juices and let sit for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight (flavors will develop with time--I like to do overnight).

If using peppers, saute onions and peppers in oil until al dente.

When ready to eat, remove meat from the broth.  Heat broth on low until hot.  Dip in whatever meat you are using in the broth and let it gently warm for 30 seconds or so, but not much longer.

Slice your rolls and pile on that juicy beef. Add sweet peppers, pepperoncini or giardinera and some additional juice.  Enjoy. I know I do.

Sunday Roast Beef

I have a distinct memory of rump roast on Sundays growing up.  I doubt we had it every week, but I remember those lovely meals.  Last week, I decided to try to relive this memory with a bit of updating.  I've not made many roasts in my life.  A big hunk o' meat isn't really my thing....except, I see the benefits of them in the sense that once made, there are so many things you can do with the leftovers.  Anyways, I purchased an 8 pound sirloin roast last week, and here's what I did.

First thing I did was research.  How does one make a roast?  There is a lot of debate on this matter on the web.  Methods vary from cooking at a high temperature to very low.  From what I understand, most roast making methods end up with a fairly gray roast.  What I was aiming for was a well browned roast that was pink throughout.  What made sense to me was what I read from America's Test Kitchen, so I tried it with a few additions--and it was good!    In terms of what cut to purchase, everything I have read suggests that "rump roasts" can be one of two cuts--round or sirloin.  I have also read many authors who suggest that round cuts can be very tough and can have a livery taste, so I went with a sirloin roast, which has nice flavor and a bit more fat.  I first cut that huge roast in half and froze the second half for a foray into Italian Beef in the near future.  Next, I put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet, placed the roast on the rack and covered it with a sheet of paper towel. I put this in the refrigerator for a week.  By the end of the week, the outside of the roast was rather leathery, so I used a very sharp slicing knife and cut off the leathery bits.  I did this about 2 hours before cooking and kept it out of the refrigerator before cooking.  Next, I did the cooking.  The total cooking time for my 3 1/2 lb. roast was 2 1/2 hours using this method.  I served my roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and asparagus broiled with ghee (browned clarified butter), salt and pepper.

Ingredients
1 3-4 lb. Sirloin roast
2 T. Vegetable oil (divided)
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, quartered
2 carrots, sliced into 2 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced into 2 inch pieces
1 sprig thyme

Directions:  Dry age the roast in the refrigerator for 3-7 days (see above for instructions).  2 hours before cooking (4 hours before eating), remove the roast and carefully remove all leathery parts (dog treat!).  20 minutes before cooking, turn your oven on to 250 degrees and rub the roast with 1 T. vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.  Tie the roast so that it is in a nice bundle and will cook evenly.  Heat a roasting pan with remaining 1 T. oil until the oil is smoking.  Add the roast and let it brown without moving it for 3-4 minutes per side.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, and thyme and place, uncovered in the oven. Cook the roast until it registers 110 degrees in the center.  This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Finish cooking the roast until it reaches 120 degrees for rare, 125 for medium rare, or 130-140 for well done (but don't do this).  When the roast reaches your desired temperature (I love 125--it is pink throughout and a little rare in the very center for those who like it that way) take it out, remove it from the roasting pan, and place foil on it to let it rest while you make yourself some lovely gravy.  Let the roast rest 15 minutes, remove the strings, slice thinly and serve.

Bonus!  To make gravy, put your pan on a burner on medium.  Add butter to your roasting pan to equal about 2 tablespoons (do not remove the vegetables).  When the butter has melted, add 2 T. flour.  Stir and let this cook for 1 minute.  Add one cup chicken broth and one cup beef broth and stir vigorously.  Cook until thickened.  Season with pepper (probably won't need salt), strain, and serve.

Ghee: A step above clarified butter

If you've never made ghee, you need to, and I'm not just talking about for Indian food.  Yes, you can buy it, but why?  Why!  Once you make this clarified butter on steroids, you'll always want some in your fridge.  Imagine clarified butter that can be used at any temperature that tastes and smells nutty......You can use it for anything, but I simply love to fry eggs in it.  YUM!  And, it's easy!

Ghee
Place one (or more) pound of good quality unsalted  butter in a heavy bottomed pot.  Turn the heat to medium low.  As the butter melts, you will find foam rising to the top.  Skim off as much of this foam from the top as possible and discard (these are the milk solids).  Some will fall to the bottom.  Leave them alone. Over the course of about 45 minutes to 1 hour, you will start to see that these solids on the bottom of the pot have turned golden brown and when you smell the butter, it will smell distinctly nutty.  Besides skimming, you need do nothing until this point.  At this point, strain the butter and put into a storage container with a tight fitting lid, such as a jar.  Enjoy on nearly anything!

Roasted Pork Loin, carmelized onion, and escarole sandwich: Cornhole Extravaganza!

A group of my friends gathered last night to play some cornhole.  It's a weird name for a game, isn't it?  Almost feel dirty saying it.  Anyways, this is a game normally played outside as it involves lofting bean bags about 20 feet in the air and into a hole on a slanted board. Perhaps you've seen it being played. It's loads of fun, but I'm not very good at it.  The weather has been remarkably warm (thanks global climate change), so we decided to break out the boards at Mark's shop, which is in a quansit hut. 

Of course, this was an opportunity for me to cook.  And, as we were going to be in a woodworking shop, I decided to make something that could be eaten over a long period of time without need for heating or refrigeration.  Sandwiches!  Oh, my opportunity was here to make that lovely sandwich I had at Olympic Provisions back in December.  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

I made 2 batches of focaccia dough and made just one huge sandwich for folks to cut into hunks as they saw fit.  I actually made two parts to the sandwich.  2/3rds was the roasted pork loin with homemade mayonaise, escarole, and carmelized onions (YUM!), and 1/3 was hummus, feta cheese, calamata olives, cucumbers, red onions and tomatoes, for my vegetarian friends.  I layed the sandwich out on a big cutting board and left a knife there for folks to cut off their own hunks.  It was a huge success.  This sheet pan sized sandwich was enough to feed at least 12 folks. 

Also on our makeshift table was homemade onion dip (thin onion sliced dried out and browned in the oven mixed with 1 pt. sour cream, 1/2 cup homemade mayonaise, 1 t. "Better than Boullion" Vegetable base, salt and pepper),

I have copied parts of this recipe from my previous sandwich recipe in which I used chicken.  Trust me, the pork is where it is at (if you eat pork, that is).  This sandwich was not as good as the one I had in Portland, but was amazing all the same. I am guessing it was the pork I can have access to here in Central Illinois.  The pork in Portland was much more juicy. I hope you will enjoy it.


Focaccia (single recipe)

5 cups bread flour (I like King Arthur unbleached bread flour)
1 t.  salt  (not kosher here, but rather fine grained salt)
2 t. instant yeast
6 T.  olive oil
1 3/4 cups (8 oz.) water, at room temperature
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t. rosemary (dried is fine)

Directions
Using the stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast using the paddle attachment.  Add 6T. olive oil and water and stir until combined.  Change over to the dough hook.  Knead on medium low speed for 7 minutes or until you form a smooth, sticky dough that clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

Sprinkle a 6 inch square of flour on your counter.  Place your dough on the square.  Stretch it out to this size.  Lift each side and fold over in thirds, like an envelope.  Walk away for 5 minutes to let the gluten in the dough relax.  

Stretch the dough to be twice its size and fold over as before, in thirds.  Mist with spray oil, sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, repeat.

Let the dough ferment for one hour on your counter.  It should swell.  If your counters are stone, and it is winter, and if your house is cold like mine, this may take up to 3 or more hours depending on the temperature.  You will see pockets of bubbles on the surface of the dough when it is ready for the next step.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drizzle with 2 T. olive oil. Lift the dough and place it on the parchment paper.  Put 2 T. olive oil on top of the rectangular dough.  Use your fingers to stretch it out until it is about 1/2 inch thickness.  Heavily dimple the surface with your fingers.  Sprinkle on the remaining 2 T. olive oil, 1 t. crushed dried rosemary, and 1/2 t. coarse sea salt.  Cover with plastic, or place in a plastic bag and let rest in the refrigerator (or on your cold porch) for at least 8 hours to retard the dough (this makes for a much more complexly flavored dough).  

3 hours before baking (or 6 if your kitchen is cold), redimple your dough and add more oil if desired.  Proof at room temperature for 3 hours or until about 1 inch thick.  Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the oven in the middle position.  When the oven gets to temperature, put your focaccia in, lowering the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn the pan 180 degrees and continue to bake until browned, about 5 minutes.

Immediately transfer the dough to a cooling rack.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing or serving.

Mayonnaise
1 egg
2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. white wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 cups canola oil

Directions
For this recipe, you'll need either a food processor, blender, or bowl and whisk.  It is almost foolproof with a food processor, but I've had some difficulty with my mayonnaise breaking when using a blender. I made this last week with the food processor after failing with the blender. It was super easy!  Place your egg and lemon juice in the processor.  Process for 5 seconds.  Add the salt, vinegar and mustard.  Process 5 more seconds.  Next, fill a 2 cup glass measuring cup.  If you have a small hole in the bottom of your plunger mechanism of the food processor, start the processor and begin to pour in the oil into the plunger. It will stream in the oil at the perfect speed.  Do this until all of the oil has been emulsified.  To do this with  the blender or in a bowl, follow the first set of instructions up to when you add the oil.  Then, very slowly, in a very thin stream, whisk or blend in the oil until emulsified. Homemade mayonnaise is amazing.  There is no replacement, particularly in something simple like this sandwich.

Pork Loin
1 t. canola oil
3 lbs. pork loin (whole loin, not tenderloin)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper (fresh ground)

Directions
Turn your oven on to 300 degrees.  Heat up a roasting pan until it is smoking.  While pan is heating, rub the loin with oil, salt and pepper.  Tie every 1 1/2 inches for even cooking.
Place the loin in the hot pan.  Brown on all sides. Place browned loin in the oven and bake until it reaches 140 degrees internally.  Remove from oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

Sandwich
3 medium onions, sliced to about 1/4 inch thick
2 t. olive oil
pinch of salt
Escarole
Mayonnaise
Focaccia

Directions
Carmelize your onions in the 2 t. olive oil until medium brown. 


Slice the pork into 1/3 inch slices. Shingle the pork onto the sandwich.  Put mayonaise on the bottom of the leftover piece of foccacia.  Put a generous amount of pepper on the meat, and add a sprinkling of good sea salt.  Top the sandwich with the bread and enjoy.

Note:  you can also make this sandwich in individual portions.  Just cut your foccacia into pieces that are about 4 x 5 inches then proceed as listed above. 


Put your foccacia in the oven to crisp it up on the outside (about 5 minutes).  For one huge sandwich, lay one (or 1/2 for a smaller sandwich) flat side up on a board.  Spoon on a nice coating of mayonaise.  Top with a full layer of escarole, carmelized onions.

An Indian Feast

I had the pleasure of planning and cooking an Indian feast for a benefit dinner for a wonderful local foods movement in Champaign called the Flatlander Food Foundry.  I planned on feeding 28 people, 20 of which would be donors and 8 helpers, but ended up only having 22.  It was still lovely.  The food was delicious, and the company gracious.

For the meal, I did copious amounts of research and spent quite a bit of time talking with my 83 year young father who is from Hyderabad, India.  Together we planned the meal to be a taste tour of Bombay and Hyderabad, our family's two landing spots.

For appetizers, on the table when people came in we had samosas and Bombay cashews, both lovely street foods.  For the main course, our primary dish was a chicken biryani, which is a signature dish of Hyderabad--one that you'll be hard pressed to find in the States done well.  It is tremendously time consuming and complicated, but is amazingly subtle in its flavor profile.  To go along side this mild dish we served some very flavorful and HOT dishes.  Included was naan (yes, made on the grill), a saag paneer which included spinach, but also kale and collard greens; murchi ka saalan (which is a mole-like thick curry of chiles, and yes, it's hot!); dahl makhani (a rich, creamy, hot lentil dish); tomato chutney; and to cool things off, a raita.  For dessert we served kheer, which is like an Indian rice pudding.

Overall, the meal was amazing.  Honestly, it took several days to make. On Thursday, I had 9 people helping me and we made all of the spice mixes, the ghee (clarified brown butter), and the yogurt.  I also cooked by myself Friday night for about 5 hours, and again on Saturday morning for another 4.  I had 5 wonderful helpers for 7 hours during the afternoon before the function.  This is not the kind of feast I would be able to put on by myself, but it was a wonderful exploration of my own culture and brought back wonderful memories of cooking with my father.

I will be adding individual recipes to the blog over the course of the next several days.  Though these dishes are complicated, they are delicious. I have made sure the recipes are translated correctly and are accurate to the traditions of India.  I hope you enjoy!

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

SOFIYANI BIRYANI

Adapted from Royal Hyderabadi Cooking

by S. Kapoor & H.S. Sokhi

Serves 6-8

2 lbs.  chicken on bones cut into 2-3 inch pieces (cut through bones), skinned

1-1/2 cups Basmati Rice, rinsed & soaked

12 Green Cardamoms

12 Cloves

4 one-inch stick cinnamon

1 ½  Cup Yogurt , whisked

2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbs Almond Paste

1 Tbs Ginger paste

1-Tbs Garlic Paste

2 Tbs Grated Khoya/mawa (find this refrigerated or frozen in Indian Market)

4 Green chillies cut into thin strips

   Salt to taste

1 tsp lemon Juice

6 Tbs. ghee

1 Tbs ginger & garlic Paste

1 Cup Milk

I  tsp green cardamom powder

2 Tbs Cream

Directions

Put 6 cardamom, 6 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, the yogurt, almond paste, 1 Tablespoon Ginger paste & 1 Tablespoon garlic paste, Khoya, green chillies, salt, lemon juice and 2 Tbs of ghee in a large bowl. Mix well until well combined.  Add the chicken pieces.  Mix to coat the chicken.  Add onions and mix.  Let marinade at least 4 hours, up to 5. 

After marinading, add chicken marinade to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Cover and cook  over low heat till the chicken is just tender, stirring every 10 minutes. (if you want to be fancy, and are using chicken breasts in addition to chicken with bones, remove the breast meat after marinading, then add to pot ten minutes into cooking so as to not overcook the breast meat.) Do not overcook.

In a separate pan, add 5 cups of water, salt, remaining ginger & garlic paste, remaining green cardamoms,

remaining cloves and remaining cinnamons and bring to boil. Add the rice and milk and cook till rice is three-fourths done (still slightly firm, kind of like al dente pasta).  Strain rice, reserving 1 cup of milk mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Spread a layer of chicken in a heavy bottomed, oven-proof pan with a tight fitting lid. Layer half the rice over the chicken.

Sprinkle half the cardamoms powder eand spread half the cream over the rice. Repeat th layers. Drizzle the remaining ghee around the edges of th pan. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the center of the layers.  Pour in reserved milk mixture.  Cover tightly with foil then the lid and bake for 30 minutes until rice is done.  

Serve hot.

Biryani is accompanied with Churri, a relish made with yogurt containing chopped fresh coriander, mint, green chilies and salt.

Hyderabadi Garam Masala

This is an amazing spice blend.  Like any spice mix, they vary from family to family.  This is the one my family (or at least my father) uses.  You will need a digital scale to make this recipe. Store it in a jar and it will last for a year.

Hyderabadi Garam Masala

100 gm. Coriander seeds

25 gm. Black cardamom seeds, weighed after removing seeds from pods

20 gm. Green Cardamom seeds, weighed after removing seeds from pods

20 gm. Black peppercorns

20 gm. Cloves

20 gm. Cinnamon stick

15 gm. Bay leaves

10 gm. Cassia buds (I couldn't find this so added 10 extra grams of cinnamon)

10 gm. Mace

10 gm. nutmeg

 Directions:

Grate the nutmeg and mace.  Set aside.  Put other spices into a mortar and pestle and break up into alike sized pieces.  Toast until fragrant in a medium hot, heavy bottomed skillet, moving constantly.  Set aside to cool. Grind all spices except for mace and nutmeg in a coffee or spice grinder.  Combine all spices and store in airtight container.