Louis Eustache Ude

Many people rail against attributing much importance to the pleasures of the table; but it is not observable that these moralists are more averse than others to gratification of the palate when opportunity occurs.- Louis Eustache Ude, The French Cook, 1813.

I never mention my interest in the history of cooking in these pages. Since most of these notes in this blog reflect a day-by-day process of cookery - albeit covering a fairly wide range* of cuisines, ingredients and tastes - the topic rarely comes up. I'm not a scholar in the subject. My kitchen library includes both my grandmothers' cookbooks: a copy of Mrs. Beeton** from the 1920s and a slightly later (though not first edition by any stretch) Joy of Cooking. Another book on my shelf is the 1981 Lord Peter Wimsy Cookbook, a culinary ramble through the fictional works of Dorothy L. Sayers.

A few days ago I developed a hankering for duck with green peas, wondering what that might be like. I couldn't put my hands on the 1981 book, and I still do not know about the recipe, because my online search led me to the name Louis Eustache Ude.

Fascinating.

Ude (1769-1846) cooked for nobility for most of his life. He started in the family business as an apprentice sous-chef in the kitchens of Louis XVI, leaving before the Revolution for several years in other jobs (printer, jeweller, casino employee). He returned to his original career for a two-year stint as the maître d’hôtel of Napoleon's mother, then relocating to England, where he worked twenty years for the Earl of Sefton. Leaving for service with the Duke of York (when the Earl's son added salt to the soup),  Ude became the initial chef of William Crockford's gaming club on the death of the Duke. Crockford's is still a London gambling club, though the name has changed to 'Fifty.'

Louis Eustache Ude, from an
early edition of The French Cook

His personality matched the English stereotype of the French at the time, and may well have contributed to it. Lady Chesterfield described him as "whimsical, good-natured, [and] exorbitantly vain." He is famous for one quotation, usually presented as "The English have many religions but one sauce." The actual text is given below.

This man is remembered for his two cookbooks, in particular

He published this extensive work in 1813, and during his lifetime the book went to at least ten editions. It was reissued (probably without royalties) in the US in the mid 19th century. Mrs. Beeton stole his recipe for Turtle Soup.

His major cookbook is still available today. Original copies of The French Cook (pre-1830) can be purchased - typically for upwards of £1000. There is a copy in the Harvard library which has been scanned by Google. And Nabu Press has issued a facsimile edition of 562 pages: The French Cook, Or, The Art Of Cookery, ISBN 114478428X, published at $42.75 but available online for less.

Looking through the online version for 'duck with green peas' I found the following two recipes which I decided on instead:

430. Compote of Quails.
Take six or eight quails, according to the size of your dish. Cut the claws off, empty the birds, without making too large an opening, Truss them en poule, that is to say, with the legs inward. Have a dozen pieces of bacon cut into the shape of corks, blanch them in order to draw the salt out: then let them fry in butter till they are of a light brown; next take them out of the stewpan to make room for the quails, which stew till they begin to be of a light brown also, and then take them out. Make a roux, which moisten with a ladleful of gravy of veal; add a bunch of parsley and and green onions, some small white onions (if approved of), mushrooms, &c. As soon as the quails are done, take them out of the stewpan, and let the bacon stew till thoroughly done. Skim the sauce well, and strain it through a tammy over the quails: then dish the bacon, mushrooms, and small onions, and send up quite hot and well seasoned. This dish will not do for an English dinner.

689. Asparagus Peas.
If the asparagus be properly dressed, it should taste like green peas. Take some young asparagus, which pick with great care; then cut them into small equal pieces, avoiding to put in such parts as are hard or tough. Wash them in several waters, and throw them into boiling water, with a little salt. When the asparagus are nearly done, drain them first through a sieve, and next wipe them quite dry with a towel. Then put them into a stewpan with a small bit of butter, a bunch of parsley, and green onions, and toss them in the stewpan over the fire for ten minutes. Now add a little flour, and a small lump of sugar, and moisten with boiling water. They must boil over a large fire. When well reduced, take out the parsley and green onions, and thicken with the yolks of two eggs beaten with a little cream, and a little salt. Remember that in this entremet sugar must predominate, and that there is to be no sauce. Asparagus are always dressed in this manner, when to be served in the second course; but for first-cours dishes, throw them into some good sauce tournee (No. 19), well reduced. Boil them a few times over a large fire, then powder a little sugar, and make a thickening of one egg. The sauce must be made thick, on account of the asparagus always yielding a certain quantity of water, which will thin the sauce.

The asparagus sat in the fridge, but when I went to the store. MLG let me down - and not for the first time. The package of frozen quails I had seen in the case had disappeared! As a fallback, I decided on halved game hens instead. Instead of bacon I bought a package of cured side meat, which served admirably.

In the end, I made a fresh stock and blanched the cork-sized chunks of side meat in it. These I sauteed in butter, followed by the halved game hens. I put the browned hens in a casserole in the oven while I completed the recipe with the roux, stock, parsley and onions. After straining the gravy over the game hens I served the nibbly bits in a dish separately as Ude suggests. The asparagus took less time to prepare than the recipe takes to read and parse. And it was good, served with no salad or starch and a glass of the house red.

I did not calculate the calories or the carbs for this meal, but the results the following morning were quite satisfactory. I bought the book as well (not the antique, but the reprint).




From the 1828 edition:
what a difference 15 years makes!

 Notes:

* Was that a pun? I do hope not, as my kitchen range, though flexible, is not large enough for my paella pan in any configuration I consider.

** In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that Elijah, when he was new to the family, took my treasured copy off the shelf and found it quite to his taste.

Online References:

http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/louiseustacheude

It is very remarkable, that in France, where there is but one religion, the sauces are infinitely varied, whilst in England, where the different sects are innumerable, there is, we may say, but one single sauce. Melted butter, in English cooking, plays nearly the same part as the Lord Mayor's coach at civic ceremonies, calomel in modern medicine, or silver forks in fashionable novels. Melted butter with anchovies, melted butter and capers, melted butter and parsley, melted butter and eggs, melted butter for ever: this is a sample of the national cookery of this country.- Louis Eustache Ude, The French Cook, 1813.http://books.google.com/books?id=FXXKK6i7mCQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Ramen Noodles

A day or so ago I described a dish (Huevos Rancheros) I thought should be called more of a process than a recipe, since there are so many possibilities for variance. Here's another one .. among the least expensive items you can buy at the store. I can find it at MLG for as low as six cents a package. It comes in many, many flavors.

And, prepared according to the package directions, it is just about as bland as anything you will find, unless you do something interesting to tart it up. Fortunately that is not a difficult process, and can be quite rewarding.

Any purists in the house can leave now. Stick around if you like, but please don't say anything. This post is not based on any recipe, food group, culture or blog I have ever seen. The result tastes good, and fits well within my present guidelines. It gives an illusion of Asian dining on a pretty low budget. Since my fridge often contains odd scraps of various ingredients that need to be eaten before they spoil, I've become quite experimental.

If you know me, you know I'm a great fan of Asian food. I have eaten it all the world around (except, unfortunately, in Asia. When I was in Singapore* at the age of 11 I ate English food at the Raffles Hotel and Dutch food on the ship). I learned about noodles in Hawaii, where saimin is on the menu at McDonalds and all the cultural edges except your own tend to get a little blurred. Given a recipe, I can follow it .. and if I try to go off the beaten path I still come pretty close.

To be sure, I don't really think I'm that far off base when it comes to my basic idea of 'these noodles are not meant to be eaten plain.' My many ideas for improving the experience are based on what I have seen, with some extrapolation. I know many people eat ramen just as the packet says. They really don't have to do this, and indeed I wish they wouldn't.

In the present global culture, it is my joy to report the presence of CAM in the world. No, I'm not referring to the Cincinnati Art Museum, though that is a wonderful place. I'm talking about the Cincinnati (or Columbus, or Cleveland) Asian Market. This is a tremendous resource, and not just for the immigrant Asian people among us yearning for a taste of home. I love the store. Others do as well:
http://www.huaxin.us/english/news_0E.htm

What you can buy there covers an extremely very wide range. I like the cookware, staples, frozen dumplings, vegetables (cheaper than MLG) and condiments. I steer clear of the candy, toys, and things I wouldn't buy or eat on a bet ('black chicken' comes close, though I tried it once and it wasn't bad. I seriously draw the line at 'frozen pork wombs'). Then there's the other half of the shelf stock that I haven't a clue about, since I can't read the languages.

Something else I like very well at CAM: the absence of Indian foods. Cincinnati hosts many Indian stores to serve our consumers, and I'm certainly one of them. It's just comforting for me to know that I'm not likely to cross that particular international line by accident. I would hate to create, however inadvertently, a dish such as 'kim-chee biryani' and then have to explain it later. That would blow my credibility, such as it is, all away.

INGREDIENTS:
The Basic:
A packet of Ramen noodles
The flavoring envelope that comes in the packet
2C water

condiments***soy sauce
rice wine
sesame oil
fish sauce
five spices powder
ginger
dashi powder (Japanese broth base)
and if you like
cumin
chili
curry powder
sriricha

The range of optional ingredients is huge:protein choiceskamaboko ('krab', fish-cake)
wonton or other dumplings
1 can of protein (tuna, chicken, salmon)
sliced pork or beef
bay scallops
left-over chicken
ground beef
(and, if you want to go out on a limb****)
ham
cheese
bologna*****

vegetable choices:onion
spinach
daikon (Japanese white radish)
bok choy
won bok
and less traditional
turnip
carrot
broccoli
cabbage
garnish:
chopped scallions
sesame seeds
gari ('sushi ginger')
tarako furikake ('preared sesame seed & seaweed'****)

This list is by no means exhaustive. My only advice is that you not go too far in too many directions at once. The add-ins should be tastefully chosen, like Baroque ornaments in the music of Telemann.

My method of preparation is simplicity itself, and bears very little resemblance to the one printed on the back of the packet. One of my goals is to disguise as much water in cooking as I can.******

METHOD:Put two cups of water on to boil
Add any liquid condiments you choose
Put the noodles in the water (which should be getting close to boiling)
Add whatever else you choose
Simmer 5 minutes
Turn off the heat
Add the contents of the flavor packet and stir
Let cool for an additional 5-10 minutes

This recipe makes a single portion, with a variable number of calories and carbs depending on the extras you add. Most of the add-ins do not up the ante a lot, but I do recommend care in their choice.

Balat ng Manok

* The unrepentant home of 'Deep-Fried Chicken Skin' (Balat ng Manok, street food consisting of deep-fried chicken skin breaded with flour, usually dipped in vinegar. Eat your heart out, Colonel Sanders...).
** This was my father's typical lunchtime option.
*** all found in my kitchen on a regular basis .. I can't speak for yours.
**** IMHO the idea of 'Chili Ramen' is fairly adventurous, but with chopped onion, ground beef and shredded cheddar it isn't bad at all.
***** I think that is intended as 'prepared' - it is made by the Futaba Co., Ltd. in Kumamoto, Japan
****** The subject of paying for water in food is another issue, and I really prefer not to go there right now. Let me just say that I don't like paying per-pound meat prices for 'up to 15% of a basting solution added.' I also take a dim view of bacon that has so much water in it that it won't fry, it just sits in the pan and seethes.

Web References:http://www.maruchan.com/index.html
http://www.maruchan.com/recipes_images/maruchan_recipes.pdf
http://www.huaxin.us/english/location_cinE.htm
http://jonography.blogspot.com/2007/08/fried-chicken-skin.html

Huevos Rancheros

While Huevos Rancheros remains one of the great weekend breakfast/brunch dishes, it can be eaten with gusto at just about any time of the day or night, with coffee, beer or mezcal as a suitable accompaniment. Mimosas aren't in it, I fear. Wikipedia translates rancheros as "in the style of the traditional large mid-morning fare on rural farms," using eighteen syllables instead of three, and really not especially specific, mind you.

The dish is known for a certain flexibility. One US food writer cites a version from 1950s Texas where the eggs were poached in a tomato-bacon sauce and served on toast (see the Note, below). I consider this dish more a process than a recipe, and attempt to present it as such.

Over the years I've made (and eaten) Huevos Rancheros in countless ways. I remember with great fondness (and a certain amount of horror and disbelief, given the present state of the world) tortillas smeared with refried beans, topped with uncased chorizo, with fried eggs on top - then garnished with cheese, salsa, sour cream and green onions. "Broke the mout'," as they say in Honolulu. I must say such a preparation is far too rich for my blood (-sugar) these days.

I've worked to come up with a version that meets my current criteria, that tastes as good and is as filling as what I used to fix. Looking back, all I really miss is the chorizo - and a little of that wouldn't hurt a thing. It is so seldom at hand, and what I have is frozen and in the downstairs freezer. I think.

These days I grill the tortillas and scramble the eggs. This is by no means my hard and fast rule. Grilling certainly keeps a lot of fat out. When I first learned to make this, my Arkansas teacher (who worked her way through college as a frat-house cook in Austin) cooked the tortillas and the eggs in lard. I can certainly see the point - the eew! response only occurs when you tell this little cooking secret to the diners. Grilling is, on the whole, better for me. Scrambling the eggs in with the vegetables makes for a more even experience, though the texture and variety of flavor are different from frying or poaching the eggs.

A great salsa** makes all the difference.

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs, beaten
4 corn tortillas
1/4C shredded cheese (Jack, Cheddar, Queso)
1 onion, sliced
cooking spray

options:
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 capsicum pepper, chopped (green, red, orange, yellow, hot)
cilantro
cumin
hot pepper flakes
chorizo*
frijoles*
chili*
1/8C half-and-half or cream beaten with the eggs.
salt and pepper to taste

garnish:
chopped scallions
salsa
guacamole* or sliced avocado
sour cream (no-fat is good)

METHOD:
Saute the onion and pepper in cooking spray and a little water
Add the pepper flakes, chopped tomato, cilantro, and cumin, if used
When they are soft, stir in the beaten eggs and the cheese
Grill the tortillas, 15-30 seconds per side
Put two tortillas on a plate, add the eggs and put salsa on top
Garnish as you wish

alternatives:
Saute the vegetables and top them with fried or poached eggs, cheese, salsa, etc.
Dry fry the tortillas in a cast-iron skillet, or use a little oil**

This recipe makes two portions, each with
calories and
carbs

NOTES:
In general, I define this dish as a Hispanic-slanted subset of the infamous Eggs Ackley, a term I coined in Pine Bluff Arkansas at the table of Laverne Hanners (1921-1998), may her memory be ever green: the woman who introduced me to Elmer McCurdy. The Ackley in question refers to 'exactly what you have in the refrigerator' - more is not possible.

One of these days I'll have to try huevos motuleños from town of Motul (Yucatán): eggs on tortillas with black beans and cheese, with additions such as ham, peas, plantains, and salsa. This dish can be found in Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca as well as in Cuba and Costa Rica. It sounds like a worthwhile variant. Huevos divorciados on the other hand, aside from its 'port and starboard' look, seems a trifle foofy.

* Using these ingredients will increase the calorie count dramatically, so watch out, have a care and be careful.
** We have been using Frontera salsa ever since we had brunch at the Frontera Grill in Chicago, discovered they sell it retail, and that a selection is carried by some of the upscale outlets of My Local Grocer. Many varieties (the store never has the same selection twice in a row) and they are all good.
*** or a lot .. it's your cholesterol count

Web References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huevos_rancheros
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/

The taste of dried cherries...

That was my suggestion, made in a dream to an old woman. She worked as a sort of camp cook in a curious place I reached in a strange way, which I can no longer recall.

As I walked up she was stirring two small kettles of sirloin tips, simmering in a thin gravy. She offered me a taste as I passed by. Confidentially, I whispered to her that the stew would be improved if it included the taste of dried cherries.

"Did you say something?" I repeated my remark, only to discover the question at least was real. I had been whispering in my sleep.

I woke myself up. I thought I would just write what I saw down to see what it really tasted like. I don't talk in my sleep. I'd have heard about it if I did.

I don't usually dream about food, either. The last time I can recall was about 2002, when I concocted a rather elaborate dip (that I should try again, because though the recipe looks promising the first result was so-so).

I considered what I thought I saw, and came up with this.

Ingredients:1-1/4 lb. Beef pot roast roast
2 onions, sliced
1 15-oz can of tomatoes, diced small
2.5 oz dried cherries
1/4 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Throw it all in the slow cooker for the afternoon*
Strain out the solids
Reduce the liquid to a gravy
Meanwhile, shred the pot roast
Spoon the cherries, onions and tomatoes on top
Pour the sauce over all

With the dried cherries and the reduced sauce, the result was better than the old woman could have dreamed of, had she been other than a figment.

An unusual taste for a pot roast, but something to dream of.

Served with a salad, half a baked sweet potato and a glass of the house red it made an ample dinner.

Four servings, each
325 calories
25 carbs

*during which time I installed and patched Finale 2011.

Souvlaki on the fly

I wondered where the nice boneless pork ribs I found in the used meat bin at My Local Grocer the other day would wind up. Grilled is always good, but even my typical approach (basted with sesame oil and a little soy sauce) benefits from a change of pace. I didn't have time to make carnitas, or I might have done that.

The result pleased us both: a fast and easy take on souvlaki. I didn't follow a recipe. Had I, the pork would have marinated a lot longer.

Ingredients:
8 oz boneless pork chops, cut in cubes, marinated and skewered

Marinade:
smashed garlic
oregano
olive oil
pepper
red wine
orange juice

I didn't measure a thing. I put the first four ingredients in a small mixing bowl then added the meat. I put in wine to cover, stirred it up and set it aside. Later, on impulse, I added a small amount of orange juice, a good call.

Method:
preheat the grill
put the skewers on to broil
after 5 minutes, spray with olive pam and turn
Grill a total of 20 minutes/three turns

The result: another inexpensive and thoroughly delicious meal. I served the grilled skewers with a vegetable melange (an onion, two green peppers, a cherry pepper, and some zucchini with a splash of olive oil, a can of diced tomatoes and about a quarter cup of red wine. When I put it in the serving dish I piled on a couple of ounces of shredded feta. The cherry pepper gave just the right touch of color and heat to the dish.

Eating this became an interactive project: Take the meat off a skewer, slice it and put it in a pita half along with some of the melange. In the absence of tatziki sauce, ranch dressing works well enough. Repeat until done. Success lies in preparing only appropriate portions .. had there been dividends there would have been no leftovers. Neither of us could have looked at ourselves in the mirror in the morning.

This dish gave two portions, each with
calories 390
carbs 70

The vegetable melange consisted mostly of what Weight Watchers used to call 'unlimited vegetables.' I like pita, because two rounds equal the four grams of carbohydrate I should have with dinner. Once again, no frills or photos. Just a quick and good meal for a Friday dinner after a long week.

Broiled Tilapia and Ham

Most of the fun I have with cooking is not looking up imaginative recipes in books or online, though that has a charm of its own. I truly enjoy having an idea, looking to see what is in the fridge, and having it come out looking elegant and tasting wonderful. That happened this evening.

Ingredients:2 ham steaks (4oz)
6 oz tilapia fillet
1/2t  parmesan
thin slice of tomato
olive pam
salt, pepper, thyme to taste
juice of 1/4 lemon

Method:spray the pan with the pam
put two ham steaks in the pan
arrange tilapia on ham
top with parmesan, salt, pepper and thyme
place a small round of tomato on top
broil 6 minutes
squeeze with lemon juice before serving

This was really simple, and quick to prepare. Nancy called as I was leaving My Local Grocer with the fish and we sat down to eat it seven minutes after she got home. The fish was in the broiler for six of those - I didn't want to start cooking it before she got here. I didn't find this recipe anywhere, but it was good enough for a magazine.

two servings, each
calories 212
carbs 3

With numbers like these we could have eaten more.

We ate the fish together with mushrooms sauteed with garlic served over rice pilaf made with onions and chicken stock. Salad, with a simple vinaigrette, and a glass of the house red completed the meal.

Sorry for the absence of  photos or background details. We were hungry.

Greek Night 3: Paidakia with Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce, Agiorgitiko and a Rustic Salad (Παιδακια, Κουνουπίδι κοκκινιστό, αγιωργίτικο, χωριάτικη σαλάτα)

Wine is wonderfully wholesome for man in sickness and in health, provided that it is taken at the right time and in the right quantity to suit individual needs.
-Herodotus

This afternoon's brief visit to the Place the Wine Comes From proved highly successful: I returned with a bottle of Agiorgitiko (αγιωργίτικο) from Nemea. The wine is named after the Peloponessian grape it is made from, the region described by Homer described as "Ameloessa" ("full of vines"). Local residents term this wine 'Blood of Hercules' since, tradition has it, the demigod drank it before he strangled their lion (Λέων της Νεμέας) for his opening act. Today, Nemea is perhaps the most important red wine AOC of all Greece. The Agiorgitiko grape produces wines famous for their deep red color, complex aroma and long, velvety palate.

Like Spanish wines a decade ago, Greek wines are experiencing a continuous process of modernization, globalization and increased popularity. This rebirth coincides with a steady
emergence from six centuries of repression. Under the Ottoman empire, official repudiation and prohibitive taxes ended with a scorched-earth retreat. For nearly a century wars
swept the region (the Balkan wars, two world wars and a civil war). Add to this a lengthy period of emigration, and, unsurprisingly, many vinyards lay abandoned. I personally found the Agiorgitiko delightfully complex while not overpowering to an unsphisticated palate. It was worth every dime of the price paid.

But enough about the wine. This blog should, after all, focus on the food.

The cauliflower recipe bears more than a shouting resemblance to the Coliflor con ajos y pimentón from a few weeks ago. A highly flavored sauce complements the somewhat bland flavor of the steamed florets.

Cauliflower with tomato sauce
Κουνουπίδι κοκκινιστό

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
2T olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Parboil the cauliflower, then cool in tap water, discard the stems and cut it in florets
Drain the tomatoes in a strainer (reserve the juice for another use)
Saute the onions in the olive oil in a saucepan
Add the drained tomatos and the cinnamon, salt and pepper
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a high simmer
Reduce the liquid, then mash the onion and tomato sauce, stirring often
While the sauce simmers, arrange the cauliflower in a serving dish
When the sauce is thick, spoon it over the cauliflower

Two servings, each
200 calories
30 carbs

Lamb, like duck, is very high on my list of quality meats. At a restaurant with both on the menu I sit in a dilemma over which to order. It will always be one or the other,
unless the chef has decided to serve rabbit (America's other 'other white meat.') Someone (not I) should develop a compelling dish that uses both. If I find it, I'll try it and tell you. Until then, each travels its own path very well. Fortunately my path at My Local Grocer included stumbling on an orphaned packet of Baby Back Lamb Ribs, or this dish would never have been here. I'm so glad I could introduce you. This very simple preparation also works with lamb chops.

Paidakia
Παιδακια

Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb back ribs (8 bones)
olive Pam
lemon juice
oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Divide the ribs and simmer for half an hour; let cool
Spray with Pam and place on hot grill
Grill for 15 minutes, turning at 5, 10, 12 and 14 minutes
Respray as needed
Season with salt, pepper, a sprinkle of oregano and a squeeze of lemon juice

Two servings, each
600 calories
0 carbs

All too often I've had reasons to dislike with the "Greek Salad" served in most restaurants. The dressing is frequently harsh and, all too often the case with many salads, the
greens and vegetables cut far too large. I also actively dislike the obligatory pickled peperoncini peppers. This is personal preference. I'm quite glad to see them listed as
optional in most recipes.

Rustic Salad
χωριάτικη σαλάτα

Ingredients:
Leafy Romaine
1 Roma tomatoes
4 scallions
1/4 bell pepper
2 oz crumbled Feta

This is, of course, a short list which could be augmented by the addition of
olives
cucumber
peperoncini
onion
radish
dolmades
anchovies
gigantes, etc.
but which quite obviously was not...

I completed the salad with a dressing that rivals The Best Salad Dressing In The World. In fact it is quite similar, with white vinegar and lemon juice replacing the wine or balsamic vinegar in TBSDITW.

Ingredients:
1/4C olive oil
2T white vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1 large clove of garlic
1T dried oregano leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Put all the above in a blender
Blend until smooth
Use half on the salad and reserve the rest for another day...

Two servings, each
460 calories
21 carbs

Photos:
http://www.nestorimports.com
http://www.allaboutgreekwine.com

Greek Night Revisited (Ρετσίνα, γεμιστά αμπελόφυλλα, Γίγαντες, Μελιτζανοσαλάτα, Παστίτσιο)

I have been orbiting the Mediterranean recently. Spain, Italy and Greece are well represented in these pages, and Morocco in my kitchen (although not perhaps in the past couple of months). The other side of the world is less well represented. The voices of Thailand, China, India, Sri Lanka and Japan clamor to be heard, and will be.

In my elliptical way, I'm going to start with a memory from the last city I lived in I can consider 'International.' That would be Cleveland. I never before lived in a place with an identifiable Ukranian neighborhood, among many others. Cincinnati, much though I love it, does not rank extremely high on that scale: East and West mean something very different around here.

When my daughters were young and we lived in Lakewood, Ohio, just west of Cleveland, the Y was just around the corner. It seemed a Good and Proper Thing to join the Father and Daughter Y Indian Princesses. As a kid I belonged to the Y Indian Guides. This expansion of the tradition looked to be a first rate way to relive my past while passing on the experience to my daughters. The activities were great stuff. I remember vividly A Two-Day Trail Ride at a horse camp in Tuscawaras County, and My First Trip to Canada - on which occasion I discovered just how much ID a stepfather needs to take his older daughter out of the country.

When not on an out-of-town jaunt we met in the neighborhood. The other dads had great projects for the girls when we met at their houses.

Eventually it was my turn to host the gang. No fear. There was a project to create: I invented a cool way to make drums out of rawhide and PVC pipe fittings. And snacks to provide: Hmm. What did Indians eat? Pemmican and roots? Not at My Local Grocery. I searched the shelves, and opted for dried fruit and smoked fish.

The Indians never had it so good. I asked MLG for smoked fish and got some gourmet smoked trout. Dried fruit? A small bag or two of elegant dried blueberries. The other dads told me I could be their Indian Guide any time. Fortunately I had cocoa and cookies on hand as a backup, because the Princesses wouldn't touch the stuff. It was way too close to Nature.

My recent experience with Retsina of Attica Kourtaki Dry White Wine reminded me of this evening feeding the princesses' dads. I learned, once again, that some of the worst things in life can be yuppified and made palatable.

Kourtaki vineyards. Can you taste the marble?

I've drunk Retsina before. In the words of one wine critic:*
 
Serious wine lovers joke about retsina, the traditional Greek country wine that's flavored with pine resin, a tradition that allegedly goes back to Homer's time when the clay amphorae used to transport wine were sealed with resin, a practice that puportedly kept out air and gave the wine a characteristic flavor that covered any signs of spoilage. The bottom line? It's hard for a palate accustomed to Cabernet and Chardonnay to get accustomed to a wine that tastes like, well, turpentine.

That precisely describes my early experience with Retsina. Or should I say "Ρετσίνα?" My prior concept went out the window as the Kourtaki came from the bottle. The vintner's web site goes on a bit about its "clear, pale to golden-yellow colour .. delicate aroma of pine on the nose .. fresh and rich on the palate .. develops the characteristics of the Savatiano grape with the development of a piney flavour at the back of the throat." They end by calling it "A nicely balanced, delicately flavoured retsina with a clean crisp finish."

It's all true. Not more than a hint of turpentine in sight. The Metro version, if you ask me, but in a good and distinctly non-Pine-sol way.

The good stuff

This evening, the prelude to another work week, was a bit over the top. I had bought the wine a week or two before as a plan-ahead. This was the night. The recipes were complex and took a bit of prep and a lot of cleanup, just right for a damp Sunday afternoon.

ΜΕΖΕΔΕΣ

(that's Mezes - or starters). Another branch of My Local Grocer features an olive bar with dolmades (γεμιστά αμπελόφυλλα, stuffed grape leaves), assorted olives, and gigantes (Γίγαντες giant marinated beans). I mixed up a batch of pita with Μελιτζανοσαλάτα (I really shouldn't call it melitzanosalata, the Greek eggplant salad, because what I made included tahini and no vinegar .. but I've got a great recipe for baba ghanouj and none at all for melitzanosalata and they are related.** By the eggplant ;^).

Μελιτζανοσαλάτα
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1/4C tahini
3 garlic cloves
1/2 lime, juiced
1 pinch ground cumin
salt to taste
garnish with olive oil, chopped parsley/cilantro and kalamata olives (optional)

Method:
1. Halve and broil the eggplant (cut side down, spray both sides with PAM and broil for half an hour. For real!)
2. Remove from the oven, let cool, and scoop the pulp into a food processor
3. Add the tahini, the garlic, the lime juice and the cumin then blend until smooth
4. Taste, and season with salt
5. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
Optional Garnishes: Drizzle the olive oil over the top, sprinkle with parsley and place the olives around the sides
Serve at room temperature with pita bread sliced in wedges.

This recipe contains
625 calories
44 carbs
Don't eat it all by yourself!

So we nibbled on mezes and drank retsina while we waited for the main event to come out of the oven twenty minutes later, a perfectly marvellous pastitsio that went very well with the retsina as well. I would have to describe this dish as a macaroni lasagna with bechamel sauce, but this description scarcely does it justice. I've also seen the name defined as "a big mess in the kitchen." I must say that part is also true.

FULL DISCLOSURE WARNING

Keep in mind that the following recipe makes an entire lasagne pan, and plan your individual servings accordingly;*** the recipe is wonderful and you will be tempted to go back for more Until it's gone.

Παστίτσιο
Ingredients:
for the meat sauce-1T olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef or lamb (I used a pound of each)
2 onions, chopped
1C dry white wine
1 14 oz. can crushed tomato
3T chopped fresh parsley
1/2t ground allspice
1t ground cinnamon
1-1/2C grated Parmesan cheese (use Kefalotyri if available)
salt and pepper to taste
3T breadcrumbs

for the pasta-500g ziti/penne/#2 Macaroni for Pastitsio
5 egg whites (reserve the yolks for the bechamel sauce)
1/2C butter (1 stick)

for the bechamel-1/2C butter (1 sticks)
1/2C all purpose flour
3C milk, warmed
8 egg yolks, beaten lightly
a pinch of ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Boil the water for the noodles and preheat the oven to 350 (or, if you made the baba ghanouj, reset the oven to bake and 350 if you made the baba ghanouj and broiled the eggplant)
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan then brown the ground meat
3. Add onions and cook until they are translucent
4. Add wine, tomato sauce, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and simmer until the noodles are done
5. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions and drain; rinse to cool
6. Stir the breadcrumbs into the meat sauce (to soak up the liquid) then remove from heat.
7. Melt the first stick of butter in the pasta pot and put the cooked noodles back in
8. Stir in the beaten egg whites and a cup of the cheese Be gentle!
9. Spray the bottom and sides of the lasagna pan with olive PAM
10. Put half the pasta in the pan in an even layer
11. Add all the meat filling
12. Layer the rest of the noodles on top, then make the bechamel (this will require your full attention for several minutes)
13. Melt the second stick of butter in a clean then whisk in the flour to make a roux and let it bubble for a minute or two
14. Add the milk in three pours: the first wets the roux, the second makes the sauce and the third thins it out
15. Whisk continually as it thickens, then remove from the heat
16. Whisk in the  egg yolks and add the nutmeg
17. Pour the sauce over the noodles and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top
18. Bake for half an hour or longer.

This recipe makes 24 portions, each with
330 calories
22 carbs

An appropriate portion of pastitsio

Envoi
A week later, due to a picture uploading problem and other irons in the fire, the Retsina is gone (good to the last drop) and there are only a couple of pieces of the pastitsio left. We each ate one last night, with a salad. It is still incredibly good. This morning I found another incredible Greek recipe for feta and eggs scrambled with chopped onion and diced tomato and served in pita halves:  strapatsatha (στραπατσάδα). No further recipe required...

A couple of notes:

For a tremendous blog of Greek recipes and food culture (though from my point of view entirely unregulated) Sam Sotiropoulos is the guy. http://greekgourmand.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

* Robin Garr at http://www.wineloverspage.com/wines/wt030398.shtml
** this is a lame excuse
*** It turned out to be one of those dinners that Nancy and I both had a hard time finding a place to stop eating, our bad luck. I looked at the pan later, and a third of it was gone. My numbers today are awful - hers too, but we track different things. The whole pan racks in at just under 8000 calories and 517 carbs. I'll just have to freeze the rest in sensible portions. While we'll have leftovers for days this is in no sense a bad thing. A complex recipe with a prodigous cleanup task, you want it to last a while. The right thing to do would be to have a single serving and with a salad alongside. Oh, and go light on the Μελιτζανοσαλάτα. I haven't made a mistake this bad since the night I had three Taco Bell beef and cheese burritos. It will be OK tomorrow...

pastitsio photo © Lynn Livanos Athan

Rueda, Dead Soldiers and Autumn Leaves

I do love wine. Perhaps the only thing I love more than wine - in that special viniferous way - is the way most people write and talk about it.

All my life I've been exposed to this language and culture, though perhaps not in a good way. "It's a naïve domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused at its presumption." Thank you, James Thurber, for furnishing that little corner of my mind. And thank you also, Dorothy (Sayers that is, not Parker*) for making Lord Peter Wimsy** the world-class wine expert he is. So I don't really have to go there. I can just sit back and watch. And enjoy.

Simply put, I just don't get all the fuss. I certainly recognize the history of viniculture, admire the complexities and enjoy the varieties of varietals. My favorite book this week is Karen MacNeil's encyclopedic The Wine Bible: she knows far more than I will ever pretend to.

But it is all vicarious. I simply can't afford the cost in time, money or sheer psychic energy to develop a palate and a nose and speak convincingly of my own knowledge on the subject. It is far too easy to fall into mock pomposity about what is truly an ancient and well-respected calling. I shouldn't do it.

You will hear me say, if you are around long enough, that I can tell the difference between a $5 wine and a $15 bottle of wine - no, wait, this is 2010 - make that $12 and $30. Beyond that the subtle qualities are lost on me. And yet I enjoy it immensely.

I find great fun in buying a cheap and different wine (I'm not saying 'indifferent') then looking around to find out what I have brought home. Pairing wine and food amuses me greatly also. I try to keep it so I never have enough at stake to actually risk anything beyond a burned saucepan or a broken glass.

Last night, instead of the usual house wine, we sat facing a chilled bottle of Con Class 2008, a Rueda (DO) white wine by Sitios de Bodega of Valladolid. An interesting (though remarkably  inexpensive) wine. Experts rate it around 90 on their 100-point scale.Ricardo Sanz-Martin and his sister Alejandra, the sixth generation of a well-known wine producing family in the Rueda region, decided to branch out on their own in 2004. In keeping with their heritage, they care deeply about Rueda and craft their wines to the individuality of each vineyard site.

This wine is organic (a new direction to me) and made mostly from old-vine Verdejo grapes. A small percentage of Sauvignon Blanc brings a bright flavor to the table. You can almost taste the deep chalky soil and the breeze off the Atlantic that causes the vintners to keep their century-old vines close to the ground. So say my sources.

Valladolid

The Con Class paired nicely with two Spanish dishes, Broiled Salmon with Cilantro Sauce and Coliflor con ajos y pimentón (you can tell by the names which one I found online and which is featured in The Heritage of Spanish Cooking). Since both involve blended sauces, having on hand a mini-food processor with two bowls helped greatly. Not having to clean out the stone mortar between grinding the two sauces made for much quicker prep, and I succeeded in doing all the cooking within my typical half-hour.

The evening caused me to recall one of the last courses I took in Music History at CCM: The Renaissance in Spain, taught by James Reilly, long may he be remembered. One still autumn afternoon in particular, he dedicated the entire class to playing a single CD of music by Tomás Luis de Victoria (born in Ávila and studied at the Cathedral there, 179 km. from Valladolid). I spent the time looking at a limestone gargoyle on the dormitory across the way, listening to the most beautiful counterpoint ever written and thinking wistful thoughts.

Broiled Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
This recipe brings salmon, broiled with salt and olive oil, together with a Spanish-style cilantro and green pepper sauce from the Canary Islands.

Ingredients:
10 oz salmon fillets
Salt
Olive PAM

For the sauce:
1/2C cilantro (leaves and stems)
1 small can green chiles
3 garlic cloves
1/2t salt
1/2t cumin
2T wine vinegar
2T olive oil
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and spray with PAM
2. Put on the grill (or under the broiler), skin side toward the heat
3. Grill 20 minutes without turning.
4. Put the remaining ingredients in the food processor and blend until liquid
5. Remove the charred skin
6. Make a pool of the sauce on the plate and place the salmon in it
7. Spoon a little sauce on top for effect, and serve.

2 servings, each
432.5 calories
11 carbs

Coliflor con ajos y pimentón
Preparing this dish flowed very quite well. Simmering the cauliflower in the paprika imparts a wonderful flavor and a tinge of color. The sauce - another highly flavored bread sauce like Romesca, but with different ingredients and color - is quite simple to make.

Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower
1/2 Lime (juice only)
1-1/2C water

For the sauce:
2 cloves Garlic
2t Paprika
2t Pine nuts
1/2C Croutons
1/2 bunch Parsley
1t olive oil
salt to taste

Method:
1. Blanch the cauliflower, separate florets and sprinkle with lime juice
2. Heat olive oil and paprika until it begins to bubble, add water and stir
3. Add the cauliflower florets and simmer 20 minutes
4. Put everything else in the food processor with a bit of water and blend to a thick paste
5. Remove cauliflower to serving dish
6. Add sauce to the remaining liquid in the pan, then blend and whisk another 5 minutes
7. Spoon the sauce over the cauliflower and set it forth

My method with the cauliflower was simple and direct. I put the whole head, upside down, in a saucepan of water and brought it to a boil. After a minute or so I picked it up by the stalk (still cool), drained it, and ran it under cold water to make it easy to handle. I then picked the cauliflower apart and squeezed a half lime over the bowl. It was much easier to separate the florets after blanching, plus it was partially cooked.

2 servings, each
182 calories
26 carbs

Random Thoughts
- What you cannot tell from the description is just how good it all tasted, or how well it went with the wine.
- It crosses my mind that you could switch the sauces and the meal would taste the same, but the cilantro and the salmon did pair wonderfully. 
- The amount of raw garlic in the sauce for the salmon makes me recommend that everyone participate equally.
- The preparation of both dishes in the same half-hour was made easier by the two food processor bowls I mentioned, but could have been done with one. There was plenty of time.
- I actually used steelhead trout (freshwater salmon, and probably farm raised). It was certainly not wild-caught Atlantic salmon.
- It's a great invention, the food processor. It's the reason I don't own a stone mortar...

The Dead Soldier

* Though certainly not unfamiliar with the effects of alcohol, the only wine-related quote I have been able to trace to Ms. Parker is this:

Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.
- Dorothy Parker

Her better-remembered bon mot in this bibulous context:

I like to have a martini,
two at the very most,
after three I’m under the table,
after four I’m under my host.

** Several have told me they consider this person to be my alter ego. I dispute the allegation: I'll never be rich enough to carry that much side.

Broiled Salmon with Cilantro Sauce modified from http://fishcooking.about.com/od/fishfilletrecipe1/r/salmon_cilantro.htm
Coliflor con ajos y pimentón modified from The Heritage of Spanish Cooking (ISBN 0 09 178186 8)
Salmon photograph by Holly Heyser. Other images from Wikipedia.

An evening in Spain

I have always enjoyed books on the food of different countries. One of my favorites in the past decade has been The Heritage of Spanish Cooking by Alicia Rios and Loudres March. This meets all my criteria: it is lavishly illustrated, discusses the presentation and history of food in Spain, has many recipes, a lot of trivia (both cultural and food-related). I especially enjoy the extensive presentation of other Spanish art relating to food, including cookware, still life, paintings of people, etc. in addition to the photographs of the dishes.
I prepared this dish to go with an inexpensive bottle of 2007 Tres Ojos - a Calatayud Old Vines Garnacha (=Grenache) from a D.O. region not far from the Rioja district. We enjoyed it. Though perhaps not stellar, it certainly represented a change from our typical carafe of House Red. Together with a salad and grilled zucchini with Romesca sauce the dinner was complete. We were served with a culinary trip to eastern Spain, all courtesy of Rick's Unamerican Cafe.

Cordero al chilindrón

Ingredients:
2 Lamb arm chops
1 oz chopped ham
3 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped bell pepper
2 sliced carrots
1t olive oil
1 can diced tomatos
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 sprig parsley 
2 oz white wine
salt and pepper to taste 

Method:
1. Saute the ham and the lamb chops and put in casserole (with the lamb on top)
2. Spread the drained garbanzo beans around the chops
3. Saute the carrots, pepper and tomato
4. Add the remaining garlic, parsley and wine
5. Let simmer, then add to casserole
5. Bake at 450 for half an hour

Two servings, each:
cal 620
carb 55

Modified from a recipe found in:
The Heritage of Spanish Cooking
ISBN 0 09 178186 8

Prime and Wine*

I've been looking for two years. I found it .. and it's the wrong end of the season. My favorite produce stand has been closed since 2008. Aichholz: You can still find the name on the web, but the tent is gone and the family sold the land they used to grow the Silver Queen corn. The farmer was tired, so he drove off into the sunset in a red Corvette and, well - what do we do now?

We grow our own basil. That's one answer. But where can we go for good corn? My Local Grocer sells it of course, but it's not just worthy of the name. It is not even as good as my grandfather used to grow (he was a doctor, retired when I knew him, and grew a lot of vegetables for my grandmother).

After an errand downtown that lasted past noon, I drove east from Milford about five miles to visit two of my favorite places for locally grown stuff. Rouster's Apple House has been in the orchard business for around 70 years. In the summertime they give city folks who make the drive a chance at pick-your-own blueberries and such. In the fall Rouster's becomes the Apple Capital of Ohio, with as many kinds of apple as there are ways to eat them. A mile and a half closer to home, Shaw Farms, a family owned and operated farm for over 200 years. They still have great corn this late in the season - they think Silver Queen is outdated, but what they sell looks and tastes a fair treat.

I really love locally grown produce, but I scarcely think this makes me a locavore, any more than it makes me a vegetarian. If really good things are grown close by I'm certainly willing to make a trip to find them, but nobody within driving distance grows artichokes like they do in Watsonville. My goal is flavor. I confess it.

hot off the grill

Anyway .. dinner tonight turned into one of those it-doesn't-get-any-better-than meals. A couple of the little $5 pre-packaged, 4-ounce, bacon-wrapped beef tenderloins (marked down for less by My Local Grocer as a Manager's Special); two ears of corn and a tomato from Shaw Farms; a small bunch of that really thin asparagus from My Local Grocer, grilled - and later, a baked apple from Rouster's with a small bit of fat-free ice cream on top. Altogether (including a perfectly elegant foundation of sauteed mushrooms, onion and basil together with a glass of the House Red) a total of under 900 calories and just over 100 grams of carbohydrate.

The preparation and cooking was so simple as almost not to bear writing down:
I seared the tenderloins on each side for 5 minutes then put them in a 450º oven for half an hour. While the meat was in the oven, the sliced mushrooms and chopped onion simmered in the pan dripping with ¼ cup of red wine and ¼ cup of fresh basil leaves. While the mushrooms cooked, the water for the corn boiled and the corn itself was shucked. I trimmed the asparagus and laid it on a cold grill, then melted butter in the microwave for dipping. I set a timer and went off to read a book...

With seven minutes to go, I:
Turned the grill on high,
Put the mushrooms in a dish and laid two slices of beefsteak tomato on them,
Placed the corn in the water,
Microwaved the mushrooms for a minute,
Placed the tenderloins on the tomato slices,
Took out the corn,
Scooped the asparagus from the grill, and
Served it all up.

Did I leave anything still cooking?
No, and I remembered to turn off all the burners, too...

worth every penny...

Later, I baked apples:
Ingredients:
2 apples
2t raisins
2t honey
2T apple cider
cinnamon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350º
Core the apples (NOT all the way through)
Drizzle the honey into the cavity and add the cinnamon and raisins
Set the apples in individual baking dishes with the cider
Bake for 40 minutes
Serve them with a small scoop of fat-free ice cream

A couple of notes:
- I learned about grilled asparagus from the Dilly Deli in Mariemont. It's not hard.
- "Each stalk of asparagus knows where it should break," and this is perfectly true. But I've come to take a couple of representative stalks from a bunch and break them, then cut them all at about that length.
- I melted far more butter than we ate (with a smashed clove of garlic, some oregano and some pepper). After dinner the dish with the butter was almost as full as in the picture.
- I never said the corn shucked itself.

And for those nay-sayers - Job's friends who say, "Rick, you're kidding yourself:"
- The cost for the ingredients was under $12 - not counting gas.
- The calories and carbohydrates for everything in this post total less than half of my 2000 cal/225 gram daily target.
- At 2AM (when I wrote this) I checked my blood glucose, and it was 103, a great number.  And this is the proof of the pudding.

Web resources:
http://sites.google.com/site/roustersapplehouse/home-2
http://www.shawfarms.com/index.html
http://www.dillycafe.com/

* for those who don't remember, "Prime and Wine" was a Cincinnati restaurant chain, a subsidiary of Frisch's with locations at Northgate and Kenwood.