There is a show on the Food Network called Chopped on which chefs are presented with a basket of disparate ingredients and challenged to prepare a dish using all of them within a set time. The results are put before panel of judges and the least successful chef is “chopped”—sent home. Every few days my refrigerator begins to resemble those baskets as various odds and ends accumulate and need to be used up. Tonight I opened it and found: two thin eye round steaks, half a can of tomatoes, half a can of tomato paste, and a partial container of beef stock. Fortunately, unlike on the Food Network, there was no gotcha ingredient from left field. If I had the patience this could be the makings of good bracciole but I decided instead to just make a sauce, cook the steaks in it, and serve with polenta and broccoli. Simple, and now I have some room in the refrigerator.
Put the steaks into a small bowl and pour on the vinegar coat each piece well. Set aside to marinate while you make the sauce.
Prepare a soffrito by chopping the one half of the onion, the carrot, and garlic. Do not worry about making them perfect since you will puree the sauce before using. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sweat the soffrito until softened by not browned, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs, and red pepper. Cook for a minute or two then add the tomato paste, stock, and wine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, raise the heat, and reduce for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice the remaining half onion and the bell pepper. Remove the steaks from the vinegar and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Set a cast iron skillet over high heat. When it starts to smoke add a bit of olive oil and sear the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and cook the onion and pepper until soft. Return the meat to the skillet and pour over the sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
![Brisket-map[1]](http://ljcny.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/brisket-map1.gif "Brisket-map[1]")
With Saint Patrick’s Day just around the corner I though it would a good time to make corned beef. Sure, you can buy it ready made, but read the list of ingredients. There are far too many chemicals in it for my liking. Making corned beef at home is not difficult—I will post a recipe soon. The best corned beef is made with brisket, a rather tough cut that nevertheless has a great flavor and which takes well to long slow cooking. And once you have made corned beef you can turn some of it into pastrami. All in all an enterprise worthy of a bit of time and effort.
I bought a whole brisket at MaineSource for $2.39 a pound. At 19.51 pounds it cost me $46.63. I cut it into the usual three sub-cuts: point, middle, and plate. Trimming and squaring left me with 2 pounds of pieces for grinding and a small flat piece I will probably use for fajitas. I discarded a total of 6.25 pounds of fat for a net yield of 13.26 pounds at cost of $3.51 per pound. My local Wegman’s sells sub cuts of brisket for $3.49 per pound. But it is not the wash it might appear because I would still have to trim a fair bit of fat from the supermarket pack, driving its net cost to around $4.00 per pound.
(Steer diagram is from www.certifiedangusbeef.com)
Rice was introduced to the Mediterranean by Arabic traders who brought it from India to Sicily and Spain. From there, mostly likely Spain, the grain found its way to the Po River valley in northern Italy where the best risotto rice is still produced. The basic technique for cooking the starchy Italian rice into something akin to a porridge has been documented in Venice as early as the 14th century but legend has the classic Risotto alla Milanese having been invented in 1574. In the regions of Piemonte, Lombardy, and Veneto risotto is often eaten as a primo piatto, or first course, while in the US it is usually served as a side dish or a main course. This recipe is definitely the last and makes a filling one dish meal.
A note on the stock: risotto is never made with water but always with stock or broth appropriate to the finished dish. This recipe starts with a simple homemade stock using shrimp shells and scallop tendons that I collect in a small bag in the freezer. If you do not have those ingredient you could use store-bought fish stock or even chicken broth but be careful when adding salt toward the end because those tend to be salty.
Put the shellfish bits—no need to thaw them first—into a saucepan along with the onion, carrot, celery, herbs, and water. Season with a good grind of pepper, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for at least 30 minutes. Strain into a bowl and keep hot. You should have about 4 cups of stock.
Into a heavy-bottomed 3-quart pot, such as a small Dutch oven, over medium heat pour enough olive oil to just cover the bottom. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until the fat is rendered out and the cubes are brown and crispy about 4 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a small bowl using a slotted spoon to leave behind as much of the fat as possible. Set aside.
Pat the scallops dry with a kitchen towel and add them to the hot fat. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until done. Again using a slotted spoon remove to a bowl and set aside.
Adjust the amount of fat in the pan by adding a bit of olive oil if needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté the shallot for 2 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant about another minute. Add the rice to the pot, raise the heat to medium, and fry, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until is becomes chalky, 2 or 3 minutes. 
Stir in the vermouth and allow to boil for 30 seconds then add two 2-ounce ladles of the stock. Stir constantly as the rice absorbs the liquid. When the stock is nearly completely absorbed but the rice has not dried out add more stock, a 2-ounce ladleful at a time, again stirring continuously. Repeat until the rice is just done. It should be creamy but have just a slight “bite” to it. The rice should have absorbed most of the four cups of stock. Stir in the reserved pancetta and scallops. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Do not be tempted to add cheese! Although meat and vegetable risotti often contain cheese, those made with fish or seafood NEVER do.
This recipe that I adapted from Joanna Farrow & Jacqueline Clark, The Mediterranean Cookbook (New York: Lorenz Books, 2004) 203 is one of my standby favorites. It works well with whatever chicken parts and spicy sausage you have on hand. And it scales up easily if you have company coming. The one ingredient that you really should try to get is pimentón—Spanish smoked paprika. It comes in hot, picante, or sweet, dulce, varieties and is readily available online. Serve with Spanish-style potatoes such as patatas alioli, recipe below, or patatas bravas .
A note about the chorizo: this recipe is best made with Spanish chorizo or Portuguese chourico both of which are fermented and usually smoked. Mexican or fresh chorizo works as well but will give the dish a different flavor.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat the chicken pieces with paprika. Heat a Dutch over or other heavy, lidded, oven-proof pot medium-high heat then pour in about ⅛ inch of olive oil. When hot add the chicken pieces, working in batches if necessary, and brown on both sides. Remove leaving as much oil as possible behind.
Add the onions to the pot and sauté for about 3 minutes or until they just soften. Add the garlic and chorizo. Continue to fry for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and sherry. Tuck the chicken pieces into the sauce, bring to a boil, cover, and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Patatas Alioli
These garlicky potato cubes are often served as tapas, the snacks that Spaniards are fond of eating between then of the work day and their traditionally late dinner. Catalan in origin, alioli or allioli is similar to its Provençal cousin aioli except that it does not contain egg. That makes it a bit difficult to emulsify so it is best made in a blender. These are usually served at room temperature.
First make the alioli. Peel the garlic cloves and put them into a blender jar along with ½ cup of the olive oil and the lemon juice. Pulse to chop the garlic then run on high until the sauce thickens. Pulse in salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Scrub or peel the potatoes then cut into ½-inch cubes. Pour about ¼-inch of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium high heat. To check whether the oil is hot enough carefully place one piece of potato into it. If it immediately sizzles the oil is ready. Add the potatoes and cook, tossing carefully or stirring often until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Remove the potatoes to a large bowl and season with a bit of salt. Add about half of the alioli and toss to combine, adding more sauce if needed.
Say tortilla to a North American and they will instantly think of a thin flat bread of corn or sometimes wheat. But say it to a Spaniard and they will envision something completely different: a thick cake of eggs and potatoes often flavored with a bit of meat or sausage. In Spain these are eaten warm or at room temperature for any meal of the day. I like to make one for dinner that is large enough that there will be leftovers for breakfast. One trick to making a successful tortilla: cook the chorizo, onion, and potato in a 12” skillet but make the finished tortilla in a 10” one so that it is nice and thick. And do not skimp on the olive oil or you will have undercooked potatoes. To keep the amount of fat under control I mix non-fat liquid eggs with whole eggs. You could all of one or the other if you prefer. If I have milk or cream on hand I add a bit but it is not essential.
Preheat oven to 350° and set a rack about 4 inches below broiler (for an electric oven). Put the olive oil into a 12” non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the chorizo for about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, season with salt and a good grind of black pepper, and toss or stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.
Combine the eggs, liquid eggs, and cream in a large bowl. Beat to a froth—I use a stick blender—then fold in the potato mixture. Film a 10”-inch oven proof, non-stick skillet with olive oil and turn the potato/egg mixture into it. Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the edges begin to set. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Let sit for a few minutes before sliding onto a large plate to serve.
When I was growing up, baked beans were the standard Saturday night fare. My father told of how as a boy in a mostly French mill town in Connecticut it was his job on Saturday morning to take the bean pot his mother had prepared to the neighborhood bakery where they would cook all day. And leftover baked beans are still a Sunday breakfast staple in New England.
Perhaps because of that baked beans are often associated with Boston. However, their origin is most likely French, deriving from the cassoulet popular in the south of that country. In French Canada they are cooked with a good amount of pork and are known as fèves au lard. While in English lard refers to rendered pork fat, most often belly fat, in French it refers to any subcutaneous pork meat and contains a lot of lean. Since French-style lard is generally unavailable in the US I make my own substitute by salt-curing pork shoulder according to a recipe from Bruce Aidells’ Complete Sausage Book, (Berkley, California: 10 Speed Press, 2000) 48. You could use store-bought salt pork but use less because it is so fatty. In northern New England and Québec these beans are often made with maple syrup rather than molasses.
A note on soaking: although many cookbooks advise soaking dried beans overnight, authorities differ about whether it is really necessary. Mexicans and other meso-Americans, who were eating phaseolus beans long before the Spanish introduced them to Europe, do not soak them. The theory that soaking reduces any “side effects” of eating beans is thoroughly discredited. So, I never soak dried beans.
Rinse beans and pick through for any stones or defective beans. Put them into a large pot or pressure cooker and cover with cold water by at least two inches (about 8 to 12 cups). Bring to a boil, reduced heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about an hour or cook at high pressure in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Wait a few minutes before releasing the pressure according to manufacturer’s instruction.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Drain the beans reserving the cooking liquid, and place them in a bean pot or casserole with a cover (I use a 3-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven). Cut the pork into 1” cubes (if using store-bought salt pork, leave it whole then slice it when done) and add to the beans along with the onions, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and pepper. Pour in enough of the reserved cooking liquid, and cold water if needed, to cover the beans then fold everything together. Save any remaining cooking liquid in case the beans start to dry and need more liquid.
Cover the pot and bake for 6 to 8 hours. Check occasionally to ensure the beans are not drying out and add reserved liquid as needed. Uncover for the last hour of cooking.
Having just made a large slab of smoked pancetta I was casting about for recipes in which to use it when I came across a menu listing for Chicken Sinatra on the web site of an Italian restaurant chain in Virginia. Without their recipe I can only surmise how it might be made and I had no interest in what they described as a “semi-sweet Grand Marnier cream sauce.” Still, the combination of chicken, mozzarella, and smoked pancetta seemed like something worth exploring. So, I threw this together and served it with Italian-spiced potato wedges.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut a slit down the side of each chicken breast. Put a piece of mozzarella and half the basil in each. Wrap a slice of pancetta around it.
Put an oven-proof non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Film with olive oil and add the chicken with the loose ends of the pancetta down. Cook until the pancetta is crispy enough that it does not unwrap when you turn chicken over. Brown for about 2 minutes on that side then turn back over and finish in the hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Shut off the oven. Remove the chicken to plates, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and return to the oven to keep warm.
Adjust the amount of fat in the frying pan to about 1 tablespoon, set over medium heat, and quickly brown the garlic lightly. Pour in the vermouth, raise the temperature a bit, and boil until it has reduced by half. Add the cream and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Authentic Jamaican meatloaf is made from spiced beef wrapped in a dough called coco bread and rather resembles a calzone. My interpretation omits the wrapping and adds some pork to the beef but uses typical jerk seasoning and traditional techniques. The British brought many Indians to the Caribbean in the early 19th century as indentured servants and the cooking styles of the region reflect their influence. Another change I have made is to substitute steel-cut oats for the bread crumbs that would typically be used to avoid gluten. If that is not a problem for you just revert to bread crumbs. For the full island experience, serve this meatloaf with baked sweet potatoes, spinach (or callaloo if you can find it), and a cold glass of Red Stripe beer. Enjoy, mon!
Rinse the oats, cover with cold water, and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
Using a food processor chop the onion rather finely and remove to a bowl. Mince the garlic then the pepper in the food processor. Film a non-stick frying pan with oil and add the onion. Fry, stirring often and adding more oil if needed, until soft and just starting to color. Add the pepper, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until well browned then add the pepper and allspice. Fry for a few more minutes until very aromatic. Set aside to cool.
Mix the beef and pork together well in a large bowl. Drain the oats and mix in along with the onion and spice mixture. Lightly beat the egg and add it with the salt, rum, and water. Mix everything well and turn into a lightly oiled 5-inch by 10-inch loaf pan, pressing gently to eliminate air pockets. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and quickly invert the loaf pan onto it so that the loaf comes out. Bake for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F.
This simple dish of steak and French fries is classic bistro fare. In US the steak is usually New York strip but in France it is more often a thin slice from the rump, like the sirloin tip steak I use. And while in this country the steak is almost always cooked on a grill, in France it is pan fried in a bit of butter. Portion sizes are much smaller there too, usually 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and never more than 200 grams. The French fries have to be crispy and piping hot so timing is critical to successful steak frites. The thin steak should not rest very long so make sure that the fries are nearly done before you start the meat then pop them back into the hot oil for a minute or two before serving. Above all, remember that this is plain bistro food; do not be tempted to gussie it up with a sauce. A pat of compound butter is all you need. Traditionally, steak frites are served without a vegetable but you can add a green salad if you wish.
Serves 2
First make the compound butter by creaming together in a small bowl the softened butter, garlic, parsley, and salt. (Or, if you are lazy like I am, use a minichopper.) Spread the butter mixture onto the center of a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a 1-inch cylinder then twist the ends of the plastic to make a tight sausage. Place in the refrigerator to cool. (There will be more than you need for your steak frites but it keeps well.)
Turn on deep fryer to 300°F or, if you do not have an electric deep fryer, heat at least 2” of oil in a heavy pan monitoring the temperature with a thermometer. Peel the potatoes and, using a French fry cutter or mandolin if you have one, cut into even ⅜-inch strips. Put into a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes. Remove one half of the potatoes from the water and dry well on a kitchen towel. Fry for 3 minutes then drain on a cooling rack or in a screen colander. Repeat with the other half of the potatoes. These can be done ahead of time.
Turn the deep fryer up to 375°F. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels then season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet first on medium heat then on high heat. Fry the potatoes, in one batch this time, until lightly brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Let drain while you cook the meat. Add about a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and put in the steaks. Turn after 2 minutes and return the fries to the oil for another minute. Remove to the colander and season with a bit of kosher salt. Plate with the steaks, adding a generous pat of compound butter to each steak. Serve immediately.
Originally from the Canary Islands mojo criollo, literally creole sauce, is a popular garlic, onion, and sour orange marinade used throughout the Caribbean. It is readily available in most supermarkets with a reasonably well-stocked Latin foods section. I used it to marinate a butterflied pork tenderloin that I seared quickly on a griddle. (Had the weather been more salubrious I would have done it on the charcoal grill.) I served it sliced with Caribbean black beans and, mixing cuisines a bit, Yucatán-style achiote rice.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Remove the membrane (silverskin) from the pork and trim any excess fat. Lay the tenderloin on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, carefully cut it parallel to the board to ¼-inch from being sliced into two pieces. Unfold and flatten. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and pound to ¼-inch thickness with a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Place in a shallow pan just large enough to hold it and pour on mojo criollo to barely cover. Set aside.
Rinse the beans and pick them over for any small stones or discolored beans. Put a bit of olive oil into a pressure cooker and brown the bacon lightly. Add one half of the chopped onion and sauté until just softened, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the pepper and garlic for continue to cook for another minute. Put the beans into the pressure cooker along with four cups of the water. Cook at high pressure for 25 to 30 minutes then allow the pressure to release normally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the beans are cooking, sauté the remaining half of the onion and the rice in a bit of olive oil in a heavy pot with a tightly fitting lid for 2 or 3 minutes. Mix the achiote paste into the remaining two cups of water and pour over the rice. Season with ½ tsp. of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and correct seasoning before serving.
Set a griddle or large skillet over high heat. When very hot, film with olive oil and sear the pork quickly on each side. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Make a small cut in the meat to check for doneness and continue to cook for until just slightly pink. Remove to a cutting board and slice thinly to serve, garnished with the cilantro leaves.
