Ziti for the Masses

There are times when gourmet intentions must be thrown out the window.

Last fall, for example, our son was born, and my time to cook disappeared. We received a steady stream of visitors, and none of them came empty handed. Before they sat down to chat with me they handed Shefali a casserole dish large enough to feed the two of us for days. We were humbled by their generosity, as we received more than 30 meals from friends and family. What they'd cooked didn't matter. The food was always satisfying.

When friends of ours recently had triplets, I paid it forward and made portable meals - 24 total - fast enough to deliver them that evening. 

When I was a child my dad traveled often and my mom had to feed the three kids. Between long days at the pool and ball games in the evenings she couldn't spend much time in the kitchen, but we always ate home-cooked food.

This week, 13 of us gathered at my table for Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone arrived a day or two early, so as host I needed a meal before "the meal."

Arati's Fish Curry

Here's another recipe in honor of November 13's Diwali celebration:

My mother-in-law, Arati, was back this summer, which means I got free cooking lessons. This is another one of her staples. It's very similar to the family's chicken curry recipes, but the change in protein calls for several adjustments, particularly coconut and mustard seed. Use a flaky white fish, like catfish or cod. 

 

Arati's Fish Curry

vegetable oil

2 onions, diced

1 cup shaved, unsweetened coconut

3 cloves garlic

1/2-inch of ginger root

1 pound white, flaky fish filets, cut into pieces

3 dried red chillies (not the spicy type)

1 diced tomato

1-2 tbs yoghurt

1 tsp mustard seed, ground, or 1/2 tsp powder

1/4 tbs cumin

2 small cardamoms

2 cloves

1 full star anise

1 big black cardamom

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder 
3/4 tsp red chili powder (or more, to taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbs ghee (clarified butter) (optional)

fresh cilantro

1. In 2 tbs oil, brown the shaved coconut, then transfer to a blender or food processor.

2. In 2 more tbs oil, brown the onions, garlic, ginger and red chillies, then transfer to the blender.

3. In the now-empty pan, add extra oil if needed, then add the dry ingredients: mustard seed, cumin, cardamom, cloves, anise, bay leaves, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Add 2 tbs of water and let the flavors blend for 1-2 minutes.

4. While the spices are simmering, add the tomato and yoghurt to the blender and puree. You may need to add a little water to get the desired consistency.

5. Add the puree to the pan and stir.

6. Add salt (to taste) and ghee to the pan.

7. Add water to the pan until the curry reaches your desired consistency. Use 1/2 cup for a thick sauce and 1.5 cups for a thin sauce. Bring to a boil.

8. Add the fish and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until it’s cooked through.

9. Top with fresh cilantro, check the spices (especially the salt), and serve with rotis, naan or basmati rice.

Arati's Beef Curry

In honor of Diwali coming up on November 13 I'll be featuring more of my mother-in-law's recipes.

Another one of Arati's staples, beef curry is almost identical to her chicken curry recipe, but instead of adding yoghurt and tomatoes she substitutes vinegar. You can use many cuts of meat.

Arati's Beef Curry

vegetable oil

2 onions, diced

3 cloves garlic

1/2-inch of ginger root

1 pound stew meat

3 dried red chillies

2 tbs vinegar

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder 
3/4 tsp red chili powder (or more, to taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbs ghee (clarified butter) (optional)

fresh cilantro

masala combo:

1/4 tbs cumin

2 small cardamoms

2 cloves

1 full star anise

1 big black cardamom

2 bay leaves

1. In 3 tbs oil, brown onions with garlic, ginger and red chillies.

2. When the onions have browned, transfer them to a blender or food processor.

3. In the now-empty pan, add the masala combo and let cook (add a little more oil if necessary) for about 30 seconds, then add the beef and 2 tbs water.

4. While the beef is cooking (not browning), add the vinegar to the onions and puree. You may need to add a little water to get the desired consistency.

5. After the beef has cooked for up to 5 minutes, add the onion puree to the pan and stir to coat the meat.

6. Add the corriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric, salt (to taste) and ghee to the pan, then cover and let the sauce cook on low heat until the beef is cooked.

7. Add water to the pan until the curry reaches your desired consistency. (use 1/2 cup for a thick sauce and 1.5 cups for a thin sauce)

8. Add 1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro, let simmer for another 5 minutes. Check the spices (especially the salt), and serve with rotis, naan or basmati rice.

Penne with Sausage, Mushrooms and Collard Greens

It's always exciting to watch the summer fruits transition to fall vegetables. Several farmers had shiitake mushrooms for sale this week. I combined them with a few leaves of collard greens and built a rich pasta sauce. It's a great recipe for this time of year because all the vegetable are in season and available locally.

Penne with Sausage, Mushrooms and Collard Greens

2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs butter
1 pound sausage, casing removed
4 cloves garlic, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
5 collard leaves, julienned
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes or 3-4 fresh
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used sauvingon blanc)
1 tbs fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
1 box penne

1. In a saucepan add the oil, brown the sausage and remove it from the pan.

2. Fill a pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Don't forget to add salt to the water. 

3. In the now-empty saucepan, melt the butter, then add the garlic. When the garlic is fragrant but not brown, add the mushrooms.

4. When the mushrooms have released their water, add the collards and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the wine and simmer for 5 more minutes. 

5. Add the sausage, parsley, pasta and cheese. Toss, garnish with additional oil, parsley, collards or cheese and serve.

Chef Challenge Recap

Three talented local chefs cubed, julienned, mashed, boiled, roasted, pickled and fried sweet potatoes, assembled three exceptional dishes and shared them with judges and market visitors at the fourth-annual Chef Challenge last Saturday morning.

Two-time defending champion Billy Cotter (Toast) returned to defend his locally-welded, hand-crafted trophy, but 2011 runner-up Andy Magowan (Geer Street Garden) and newcomer Christy Quirk (Bull Street Gourmet and Market) both had other ideas.

Emcee and local radio personality Frank Stasio revealed the secret ingredient at 8:30 and let them loose in the market to buy their ingredients and get to work.

Billy and his assistant got to work cubing and julienning sweet potatoes while a pot of pickling spices came to a boil. Andy, once again flying solo, threw cubes of sweet potatoes in a pan while he (jokingly) informed the judges that an envelope of cash awaited each of us under our chairs. This was a strategic shift from the one-dollar bribes he offered one year ago. Christy and her assistant lightly fried strips of sweet potatoes in oil. All three chefs shared a grill, where a slew of peppers roasted away.

The noise levels rose as the deadline approached. Excited to use a workspace larger than his restaurant's kitchen, Billy fired up his pasta roller, mixer and blender before assembling small, stuffed pasta and a brown butter sauce. Andy began shouting complaints about the noise coming from Billy's fancy machines as he rolled his pasta and mixed his ravioli fillings by hand and simmered a pork and butter sauce. Christy remained quiet and composed, keeping her workspace noticeably cleaner than her opponents and topping her completed dishes with foil.

As we neared the final minutes Billy and Andy shared a huge pot of boiling water to cook their pasta while Christy answered questions from the audience.

Christy's plate hit the judges table first. She prepared a Spanish-style tort with eggs and sweet potatoes (sort of like an omelette) with a spicy sweet potato and pepper sauce and and a salad of kale, red pepper and sweet potato tortilla strips.

Next, Andy presented ravioli filled with sweet potato, kale, ricotta and ginger with a sauce of caramelized onion, vinegar, butter and guanciale and a salad that featured both sweet potatoes and sweet potato greens.

Source: Kelly Alexander

Finally, Billy presented a smaller stuffed pasta filled with sweet potato and ricotta cheese with a brown butter sauce, chive oil and pine nuts. His plate also featured slender sweet potato fries and cubes of pickeled sweet potato.

Source: Kelly Alexander

As usual, eating the delicious food was hard work, but declaring a winner was even more challenging. Lex Alexander, Kelly Alexander and I agreed that we'd order any of the meals and hope they appear on the chef's menus this fall. Christy's spicy sauce was fantastic, Andy's generous dose of vinegar really made the sweet potatoes pop, and the complexity of Billy's flavors despite using just a handful of ingredients opened my eyes to what sweet potatoes are capable of.

After much deliberation we crowned Billy Cotter champion (again). All three plates had big flavors and utilized the secret ingredient in creative ways, but we couldn't deny that, once we had all three plates in front of us, we returned to Billy's plate to polish off whatever was left.

Thanks to Erin Kaufman, Durham Farmer's Market for allowing me to take part in the event. I encourage everyone to come out to support the market, it's farmers and great events like this one, which seem to happen nearly every week.

Campanelle with Broccoli, Sicilian Style

I bought a head of broccoli at the market this weekend and wanted it to last more than one meal. Recalling an old recipe for orecchiette with broccoli from a cookbook my dad brought home from Venice, I adjusted the ingredients to fit what I had on hand. The combination of pine nuts, raisins and chile flakes with pasta isn't for everyone, but I think it rocks.

Campanelle with Broccoli, Sicilian Style

1 large head of broccoli
1 box short pasta
4 anchovy fillets (about half a can)
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 small handful of pine nuts
1 even smaller handful of raisins
chile flakes, to taste
grated Pecorino Romano cheese, to taste (1/4-1/2 cup)
4 tbs olive oil
salt 

1. Fill a pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt and the broccoli. Remove when it's cooked but still firm and soak it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Use the same water to boil your pasta. Remove the pasta about two minutes before it's fully cooked.

2. heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the garlic. When the garlic is fragrant but not brown, add the anchovies and chile flakes. Let the anchovies cook until they dissolve. Add a little broccoli water if necessary to keep the pan from drying out. 

3.  Add the pine nuts, raisins, broccoli and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the pasta. Mix well and add enough pasta/broccoli water to cover the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the pasta's al dente, add the cheese, toss and serve immediately. 

Chef Challenge 2012

The Durham Farmer's Market will hold its fourth annual chef challenge Saturday, and I'll be one of the judges!


Chef Billy Cotter of Toast is back to defend his championship, and Geer Street Garden's Andy Magowan returns to challenge him. Chef Christy Quirk of Bull Street Market joins the field for her first challenge.

The secret ingredient will be unveiled at 8:30, and chefs will have two hours to get what they need from the market and cook. Judging begins at 10:30. Frank Stasio of WUNC will be hosting the event and the chefs will offer samples to the crowd.

Join us for great food at the market this Saturday!

Taming Fresh Ginger

Fresh ginger and turmeric are available at the market these days, but my family recipes have little need for either. The Indian recipes I know call for them in curries, but I wanted to try them in a more direct way.

Turmeric

 Once again I turned to Arati:

The best and healthiest way to use your fresh ginger or turmeric I think would be to julienne them after scraping off the outside skin, then soaking them in lime juice and salt to taste. Let them soak for 3-4 hours or even overnight - they should turn pink! You can then eat it like a garnish with a meal or put in a sandwich with any meat. 

You can use both in marinades too, but then you would have to grind them in a food processor or blender. A roast chicken or any piece of meat would taste wonderful.

Ginger

Chicken 101

Justin and Kate Meddis of Rose's Market and Sweet Shop performed a chicken butchery workshop at the market this weekend.

Their shop opens in downtown Durham soon and will feature locally sourced cuts of meats, housemade sausages, charcuterie, soups and stocks. They will also offer rotating dinner options and desserts. In the meantime, they're offering butchery classes and teaming up with local farms to create themed dinners, like their upcoming whole hog dinner with Okfuskee Farm.
Justin offered great tips during the chicken workshop. Some of my favorites were:

- Salt moves through meat at the rate of one inch per day, so season your chicken early and generously.

- instead of tying a chicken's legs together before roasting it, cut slits between the leg bones and Achilles tendons and slip one leg through the opposite slit.

- Meat should be room temperature when you cut and cook it. Roasting it straight out of the fridge will reduce the oven's temperature and cook unevenly. it takes about 90 minutes for a refrigerated chicken to reach room temperature.

- After Justin eats roasted chicken, he puts the bones back into a saute pan and roasts them in a 425 degree oven again until they're brown. Then he removes them from the oven and makes a stock. He doesn't season the stock, since you're going to season whatever recipe you add the stock to anyway.

Watching Justin handle his knife during the demonstration reminded me what an art butchery is. Try his tricks next time you buy a bird and check out their shop!

A Sicilian Salsa Cruda

I wrote about the wonders of fresh tomatoes last summer, particularly in a raw tomato sauce, also known as salsa cruda. I've always viewed salsa crudas as exlcusive to the summer, but that's not always the case in Sicily. Just because tomato season is coming to an end doesn't mean you have to start cooking all of your sauces again.

A recipe for salsa cruda in a Messina News article published in August 2010 provides a variation that includes, but does not necessarily feature, the tomato. It calls for ten cherry tomatoes, but they are just the backdrop for bold flavors like pistachios, almonds, anchovies, capers and orange. It's great with pasta, bread or grilled meats and fish.

I've translated (with help from Google) and copied the recipe below:

SALSA CRUDA ALLA SICILIANA

Ingredients for 4 people:
 
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts 
2 tablespoons almonds
1 tablespoon capers
2 anchovies, in oil
10 Pachino cherry tomatoes 
some basil leaves 
½ an orange, peeled and cut into wedges
extra virgin olive oil
salt (if needed) and pepper.

preparation:
1. Drain the capers and rinse them again under running water.
2. Drain the anchovies.
3. Place capers and anchovies in a blender and blend together with all other ingredients. 
4. Add the oil and season with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of Fragolosi 

Basic Vodka Sauce

Last Sunday was my last day of summer vacation, as teachers reported back to school Monday for our annual week of work to prepare for the students' return on the twenty-seventh. To commemorate a great summer, I threw a pile of padron peppers in a frying pan, defrosted a box of Christopher Sauce, boiled a box of pasta and called it a party.

The padrons were so spicy that we all needed a beer before moving on to the pasta. Instead of crab and egg crepes, I kept it more traditional this time with sausage and rigatoni.

Vodka Sauce with Sausage 

Serves 4

1 pound sausage, casings removed

6 tbs olive oil

5 cloves garlic, diced

1+ tsp crushed red pepper

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes or 2 cups Christopher Sauce  or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cored, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup vodka

1 cup cream

1/2 tsp black pepper

12 fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1 tsp dried basil

salt

note: If you're using Christopher Sauce, you can skip steps 2 and 3. 

1. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a sauce pan, then brown the sausage.

2. Remove the sausage and add the remaining 4 tbs oil and garlic. 

3. Before the garlic begins to brown, add the crushed red pepper and let cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the tomatoes or Christopher Sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add salt to taste.

5. Add the vodka, stir, and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

6. Add the cream, black pepper and basil. Stir and lightly simmer for 5 more minutes.

7. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and mix until it becomes a rough puree. 

8. Return it to the pan and add the pasta and sausage. Toss, simmer for a couple more minutes and serve.

Back in Action

It's been a long time since my last post, but I've stayed busy cooking and eating. Stay tuned for new recipes, and in the meantime check out the redesigned site and highlights from our time away.

 

Oysters, 

courtesy of Walking Fish

 

Steamer plate for two

Dock Street Oyster Bar

Wilmington, NC

 

Crab Nachos 

South Beach Grill

Wrightsville Beach, NC

 

Grilled Magherita Pizza

 

Hawaiian Haystacks 

(a Utah classic), 

Courtesy of Meghan Kennedy and Lloyd Rickenbach

 

Salad Nicoise

Vin Rouge

Durham, NC

 

Baguette

Vin Rouge

Durham, NC