Don't Forget to Tip Your Blogger

As promised, it’s time for the second installment of the Wannabe Foodie’s Kitchen Tip series. This time, we’re looking at Food Prep Solutions.

Today’s tips are brought to you by the editors of Martha Stewart Living and their “Good Things for the Kitchen” special interest publication. I’ve been holding on to this magazine since Winter 2007, apparently. Well, you know Martha. She’s always full of great kitchen advice. (Notice, I said kitchen. I didn’t ask her for stock tips. Hey, she served her time. Leave her alone!)

Grating Ginger. If you recall, a couple of blogs ago I mentioned my brilliant idea of putting fresh ginger through a garlic press to save myself the hassle of having to mince it. Naturally, that didn’t work out so well. Martha suggests freezing the ginger before you grate it. This helps prevent the messiness of the fibers separating from the flesh. Ginger freezes very well – buy yourself a nice piece, wrap it tightly and store it for several months.

Bonus sub-tip… this also works for fresh mozzarella. Freeze for about 20 minutes, but no longer.

Leafy Herbs. Isn’t chopping leafy herbs a pain, when all you want is the leaf and not the stem? Next time, try holding the bunch of herbs (such as parsley or cilantro) upside down, and using a chef’s knife in a short downward motion, strip the leaves from the stems.

Bonus sub-tip… those stems will come in handy when you want to add some flavor to soups and sauces. Think spaghetti sauce and chicken soup. But not together. That’s gross.

Dusting a Pan for Chocolate Cake. This is one of my favorite tips. I actually first learned it from America’s Test Kitchen, so it’s probably not that big of a secret. But here it goes… when you grease and flour a pan for baking something chocolate – cake, brownies, what have you – use cocoa powder instead of flour. It’s just as effective, and won’t leave spots of white powder on your chocolate cake. I am now feeling inspired to bake a chocolate cake.

Yolks without Whites. Don’t you hate it when you have a recipe that calls for separating eggs, but you need more whites than yolks? Well, just freeze those leftover yolks in an airtight container. You can easily defrost them in the fridge overnight, but be sure to include a pinch of salt for every four egg yolks (or, if you prefer, a teaspoon of sugar).

Leftover stock. I always buy those four cup boxes of chicken stock (or I make it homemade). But if you don’t use the whole box within a week of opening it, you’re SOL. If I’m really being honest, I’ll tell you that I still use the stuff after seven days, but I will boil the hell out of it first. But the better tip is to freeze the leftover stock or broth in muffin tins, and then place the frozen stock muffins in a zip top freezer bag. And if you use one cup muffin tins, you’ll actually know how much you have.

And look at that… turns out I did go to Martha for a stock tip! I honestly didn’t see that one coming. (Swear to God, I caught it during proof reading.)

I hope you are enjoying the tip series! As the holidays approach, there will sure to be more cooking to blog about. Last year for Thanksgiving, B and his brother did turkey three ways – deep fried, oven roasted and rotisserie grilled. We were supposed to decide which method produced the best turkey, but no one kept track of which platter was which preparation. We think rotisserie turkey won. I’m hoping for a repeat this year… I’ll keep you posted.

And this Sunday is the Patriots-Colts game. We’re planning another Tailgate Clambake, but I am not attempting clam chowder again (see October 2009’s Disaster post). We’re thinking oysters as B has become quite the shucker. And I’m a sucker for a good shucker. Sorry, couldn’t resist. No cooking involved, but I’ll whip up some mignonette that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get Sofia to eat one.

Until then, don’t forget to tip your blogger! I’m here all week.

Seriously… tip your blogger. What’s your favorite kitchen tip that you’d like to share with the world? Or the approximately one dozen people who may or may not read this.

Introducing the Kitchen Tips Series

I’ve decided to start a “tips” series. You know, once a week post a list of cooking and kitchen tips that we can all benefit from knowing. Don’t worry – these are not my tips. What good would those be? I promise these tips are compiled from various expert sources. No wannabes allowed.

So, welcome to the Wannabe Foodie’s Kitchen Tip Series!

Today’s tips are Recipe Conundrums, and they are brought to you by Fine Cooking magazine.

What is a sprig? I always thought a sprig was a sprig, but it turns out that when a recipe calls for a sprig of a fresh herb, and they don’t specify the exact length, you can feel safe going with a sprig that is approximately 4” in length. Just make sure it’s not a sparse sprig – if it is, you may want to use a little more to compensate.

Used too much salt? I’ve become a huge fan of kosher salt, thanks to Alton Brown. But while I know that it’s not an even swap with regular table salt, I never remember (or more likely, ever knew) how to make the correct conversion. Salting “to taste” is great until you add too much salt, which I often do (sorry, Dad). So now we know… Okay, now I know. Use 1 ¼– 1 ½ times the amount of table salt when using kosher salt. You are not actually using more salt – the kosher flakes are bigger, so they take up more volume. The larger the kosher flakes, the closer to 1 ½ times you should be.

Sub-tip… Bonus! As I turn the page in the magazine, I found out what to do if I over salt a dish. If you know immediately that you added to much salt, don’t stir it in, scoop it out. If you find out that your dish is over salted after you taste it, and the recipe has an acid ingredient (such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine or buttermilk), you can try adding a little more of the acid to balance the salt. As a last hope, add some more liquid (as appropriate to the recipe) to dilute the salt. Beyond that, you’re SOL. Make sure you drink plenty of water.

Eggs to cold? Often times, recipes call for room temperature eggs. If you are like me, you probably realize this merely minutes before you need to actually add the eggs to the recipe. And where are the eggs? In the fridge, of course. Just place the eggs in a bowl of warm water, and you ‘ll be good to go lickety split. (Did I really just say “lickety split”?)

Sub-tip… Another bonus! You should crack eggs on a flat surface, and not on the edge of a bowl. This minimizes shell shatter, and reduces the chances you’ll be fishing shell shards out of your mixture.

Butter too cold, too? Room temperature butter is another ingredient that usually hangs me up. I usually turn to the microwave, and tend to get overly softened butter. But you can cut the refrigerator cold butter into small cubes, separate it into a single layer, and let it sit on the counter. It will take about 30 minutes for the butter to come to room temperature, but it’s better than nothing. And certainly better than cold or melted butter.

In a pinch? Don’t you love those recipes that call for a pinch of something? How does my pinch measure up against B’s pinch? He has bigger fingers than I do, so wouldn’t his pinch therefore grab more of the ingredient than mine would? Well, it turns out a “pinch” is technically 1/16 of a teaspoon. If you are a perfectionist, you can find measuring spoons this small. But, a pinch is so small that a little more or a little less is not going to affect the outcome of your recipe. So pinch away, and don’t ask me what a dash is. It wasn’t in the magazine.


So there it is folks. Your first five tips from the Wannabe Foodie’s Kitchen Tip Series. Check back mid-week for the next five.

These Squashes Keep Multiplying

I think I have mentioned before that B and I signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this summer. The season is now over, and we are trying to figure out what to do with the six – yes, that’s right, SIX – butternut squashes we have. One a week for the last six weeks of the program. That’s just an awful lot of squash for two people. And believe you me, I’m not even talking about the acorn, spaghetti, and buttercup squashes we also got.

Which leads me to one question. Okay, two questions.

1) How in hell are we supposed to use all this butternut squash?

2) Is the plural of squash “squashes,” or is it just “squash”?

The answer to the first question is half easy. Give as many of them away as possible. Then experiment.

So we gave three squash away. (And I think there is the answer to my second question. Squash, not squashes.) Then we cut one up and roasted it like I roast potatoes – olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and my absolute favorite herb mix, Italian seasoning.

Yeah, not so good.

Tonight, we made butternut squash risotto. I found the recipe on epicurious.com. It got a rating of 3 1/2 forks (out of 4), and 94% of the people who rated it would try it again (out of 121). Sounds like a sure thing.

Here’s the recipe, then I’ll tell you what I learned:

Ingredients

• 1 small Butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
• 1 1/4 teaspoon minced, peeled fresh gingerroot
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• Shredded parmesan cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel one half and cut into 1/4 inch dice. Put remaining half, cut side down, in an oiled shallow baking pan with the diced squash, and season with salt and pepper. Bake squash in middle of oven, stirring the diced squash occasionally, until tender and browned lightly (15-20 minutes). Holding halved squash in a kitchen towel, scoop out flesh and chop coarse.
3. In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
4. In another saucepan cook onion, garlic, and gingerroot in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in 1/4 cup broth and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a simmer throughout, until absorbed.
5. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until about half of broth has been added.
6. Stir in diced and chopped squash and continue simmering and adding broth in same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes.
7. Stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Spoon risotto into 2 shallow serving bowls and garnish with chives and shredded parmesan.

So what did I learn?

Even though it sounds like it will work, you can’t really use a garlic press to press gingerroot. Unless you only want the juice. It squeezes all the juice out of it, leaving you with a pretty dry piece of solid ginger. Stick to the microplane. It’s awesome for a reason.

If you want to use a garlic press on the garlic, instead of slicing it thinly, go right ahead. It doesn’t make a difference in this recipe. In fact, it probably saves lives. Okay, well, it probably just saved me from slicing my finger open once again. But that’s important too.

On a more serious note, don’t forget to add the squash in at the midway point, as instructed in the recipe. Don’t wait until the end. Otherwise the squash won’t be quite cooked enough. Or as B said, cook it longer in the oven. Sure, great idea, B. But that’s presuming I’m going to know in advance that I’m going to miss that step.

I would probably skip the water, using more broth instead, then use even more broth. The rice was a little too al dente (meaning not quite cooked enough), and the chicken broth didn’t over power it, so I see no reason to use a combination of water and broth. Unless you run short of broth.

Aside from both the rice and the squash being slightly underdone, it wasn’t all that bad. Instead of as a main course, we ate it as a side with roasted turkey tenderloin and it was pretty good. I have some risotto left over and I plan to use it to make risotto cakes later this week. My plan is to reheat it first, adding some more broth to try to compensate for its less than cooked thoroughly aspect, then form it into cakes and pan fry. I’ll keep you posted…

That leaves us with one more Butternut squash. Any suggestions? No? Well, here’s to hoping it keeps until Thanksgiving. 

Restaurant Review - Maxwells 148, Natick, MA

B and I enjoyed dinner and the theater the other night – without leaving our little domesticated suburb.

True story. We went to dinner at Maxwells 148, a nice, elegant restaurant located just outside of the center of town, and then headed over to the community arts center for their opening night performance of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt. It was just like a night out in Boston without having to pay for parking and tolls!

Maxwells 148 is an Itialian-Asian restaurant. I once read that it was a fusion restaurant, but saw very few fusion examples on the menu. Taking a closer look my second time around, there does seem to be more distinct Asian and Italian dishes, but there are a few fusion items to be had.

Their website describes the restaurant and your experience as:

“This wonderful treasure located in Natick, MA is the creation of partners Mitchell Maxwell and Randy Nason. Invaluable assets such as Maxwell's culinary skills and Nason's savvy business experience create the perfect duo for success at Maxwells 148. The imaginative Italian and Asian cuisine shines with the inspired glow of Maxwell's experiences with chefs from the Friuli region of Italy, and by traveling through Hawaii, Japan and south to Indonesia. Partner Randy Nason is the accomplished leader of Maxwell's staff, a superior crew providing extraordinary service. Take your time to peruse the specially selected eighty bottle wine list, a delight for wine lovers, and a tribute to Nason's wine knowledge.”

The restaurant itself is very nicely appointed – its Asian influence comes out in the décor. It’s not over the top or even really classically Asian, but it’s very calming and serene. I’d almost describe it as “zen.” It’s not a huge space, but they do a great job to make sure that the tables are not on top of each other. It’s elegant and tasteful without being too high-falutin’, and it does have a small bar. I wouldn’t say it’s an “eat at the bar” sort of place, but you can get a drink while you’re waiting for your friends to get there.

We started with a cocktail, and while B stuck to his old standard Bombay Sapphire martini, I opted for the special Ketel One martini with anchovy and bleu cheese stuffed olives. My old standard is a Grey Goose martini, dirty, up with olives. I know, not much of a stretch, especially if you do like to experiment with stuffed olives as I do. But in fairness, I was actually leaning toward experimenting with their black fig vodka martini (which I overheard is their private label vodka). I did request the martini to be made on the dirty side, and I think that prevented me from really tasting the anchovies influence in the flavor, but it was still quite a good olive.

For an appetizer, we shared a risotto cake that was served with mushrooms and some type of mushroom cream sauce. (Forgive me for not knowing or being able to describe the details… remember, I’m a wannabe foodie. Still working this stuff out.) It was delicious. But then again, I love risotto, I love risotto that has been fried or pan seared in any way, and mushrooms are the world’s greatest fungus. (There is a joke in there about fungus, but I’m writing about food so I’ll let it go.)

B ordered the mozzarella salad special, which sounded good, looked good, but I never tried and I can’t remember what else was in it. It was not a caprese-type salad which I think made it interesting, and the mozzarella was marinated. He cleaned his plate. He’s good like that.

I ordered the salad with baby greens and roasted mushrooms. It had a lemony salad dressing (by this time the martini was in my head and we were onto a lovely bottle of Italian red wine, so the details get fuzzy) and shaved Parmigiano Regiano cheese. (Notice, I didn’t say “parmesan cheese.” That’s significant. This cheese actually came from Italy.) The salad was really good, but I thought it could have used a bigger hit of the dressing to kick up the flavor. I would have salted it had there been salt on the table. (But I do love that really nice restaurants don’t put salt and pepper on the tables because their food is supposed to arrive perfectly seasoned.)

Choosing my entrée was a challenge. While it’s not a huge menu per se, there is an enormous selection of delicious sounding meals. The menu focuses on house specialties that include both Asian and Italian fare, but also has a generous assortment of other meals – pasta, fish, chicken and meat – both from the Asian and Italian side of the culinary table.

I went simple… Shrimp fra diavolo. B opted for the rack of lamb special – one of the fusion type dishes I mentioned, it came with lobster fried rice.

The fra diavolo was definitely devilish… it was spicy and yummy. I could only eat half of it. (I confess to ordering spicy pasta dishes when I’m trying not to do overdue it in an Italian restaurant. Inevitably, I cannot eat the whole thing because my mouth is en fuego.) But let there be no confusion – it was delicious. (I don’t “review” a lot of restaurants…. I’m working on my synonyms for delicious that don’t make me sound like an asshole. Scrumptious, mouth-watering, to die for… yeah, just not there yet.)

B cleaned his plate. And I’m proud to say he did this without picking up the bones and sucking them clean. (We differ on the appropriateness of this in a public setting, but he threw me a bone this time, no pun intended. And he didn’t actually throw me a bone.) He ordered the lamb medium rare, and thought it might have been over cooked. I thought it looked perfectly cooked. That then launched us into a discussion of what medium rare is supposed to look like. I say “warm red center.” I don’t know that he had a description, but quite frankly, they looked closer to rare than medium if there was an argument to be had. But his meal, his opinion. (Compromise is that thing about marriage I’m having the toughest time with… It’s hard to take an Italian-Irish girl who has been on her own for a long time and tell her she can’t always get her way.)

The one thing about Maxwells 148 where there was no debate – the service. It was impeccable. The servers were knowledgeable without being pretentious, friendly without being overbearing. I’m not 100% sure, but when we asked to order a bottle of wine that would complement both of our meals, I believe it was Randy, the co-owner, who brought the list to our table, suggested three bottles that would be good, and offered us a sample of the one that was also available by the glass. And his recommendations ranged in price – from the $90 bottle that they had a limited amount of, to the $44 bottle we ended up buying. (And not because we’re cheap… B spends a ridiculous amount of money on wine in restaurants. But now that we’re married, the show’s over… let’s rein it in, buddy. That money needs to go towards a new house with a big, fancy chef’s kitchen! Oh, just imagine the blogs… but I digress.)

The servers worked well as a team. There was never any doubt who our server was, but we had our water re-filled by a number of different people, as they didn’t just focus on their tables. They all took care of the restaurant. And what I really liked was that the chef made the rounds. I saw him in the dining room several times, and he stopped by our table to ask how our meals were and if we had any questions for him. Nice touch. Restaurants need to do that more. Well, really just the nice ones. No offense, but I don’t need to make small talk with the head chef at TGI Friday’s.

So, I highly recommend Maxwells 148 if you are ever in the Natick or Metro West area. Just one suggestion… if you order one of the off-menu specials, you might want to make sure how much they cost. We were a little sticker shocked by my $18 martini (that’s more expensive than Grill 23, and it wasn’t nearly as big) and B’s $52 rack of lamb. I still chuckle that his entrée cost more than the bottle of wine we ordered. You just don’t see that very often!

Maxwells 148 is located at 148 East Central Street, in Natick, MA.  They are open for lunch Tuesday – Friday (noon to 2:00 p.m.) and dinner Tuesday – Friday (5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) and Saturday (5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.).  You can find them on the web at http://www.maxwells148.com/.  Reservations are available through Open Table.

Something In My Freezer Smells

For the last few days, each time I open up my freezer, I get a whiff of something not so pleasant. And I can’t figure out what it is. It kinda smells like bad fish – like lying in the middle of my freezer amidst all the frozen food is a piece of defrosted, unwrapped, spoiled fish. Well, we all know that’s not possible.  So what's going on?

I emptied the freezer out, and smelled everything in it. It wasn’t the popsicles, or frozen Lean Cuisines. Even though that piece of chicken has been in there for well over a year, it wasn’t that either. Veggies all checked out. Even the tilapia filets passed the smell test. Plastic containers of homemade chicken broth remained sealed and odor free.

Ice cubes! That’s it… it has to be. Ice cubes are really the only things in there that could pick up the stench of something gross and hold on to it. Sniff, sniff. Nope, not the ice cubes. Should I throw them away and make fresh ones, just to be safe? Nah, but I will mix myself up a quick vodka tonic.

All this project left me with was very cold hands. And the realization that I need to figure out something to do with those two pounds of phyllo dough.

My freezer still smells. Everything in it appears to be guilt free. And I am stumped.

But… I did stumble across two bottles of my homemade limoncello from a couple of Christmases ago. And since it requires some lead time, and the holidays are right around the corner, I decided to share the recipe with you. (The recipe is credited to Michael Chiarello, founder of Napa Style, Food Network host, and winner of the first season of Top Chef Masters.)

       Limoncello

• 12 lemons, peel only (no pith!)
• 3 sprigs lavender (optional)
• 2 liters vodka
• 6 cups sugar
• 3 cups water

1. Put the lemon peels, lavender and vodka in a container, seal and let stand for four weeks.
2. After four weeks, strain mixture into a separate container. (Mike recommends a decanter, I’m not sure it really matters. Since I don’t have a decanter, I’m pretty sure I didn’t use one.)
3. Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until all the sugar has dissolved.
4. Let cool, then add the vodka mixture.
5. Store in the freezer for up to one year.

When I made this, I did not include lavender. I bought really cute glass bottles from the Container Store, and made tags on my computer. I tied the tags to the bottles using raffia, and gave the limoncello out as Christmas gifts. I found that the color was not as creamy yellow as the limoncello you buy at the liquor store, but the flavor was better. (You know I taste tested this, so you can trust me.)

And even though the recipe specifically says that it keeps for up to one year in the freezer, and I’ve had it for at least two, it’s not what smells in my freezer.

The Prodigal Foodie Has Returned

I have been noticeably absent from my wannabe foodie blog. Okay, I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one who noticed I was absent, but even though, I’m gearing up for a comeback.

The last few months have been a bit of a personal challenge for me. In June, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, and spent the rest of the summer and into the fall getting treatment. It was a rough time, but I cannot deny that I had it much easier than most cancer patients. And I’m happy to report that my treatments are over, my long term prognosis is beyond excellent, I’m back to work (okay, maybe not so happy to report that), and I can taste and appreciate good food again.

 I’m working on a few posts to get myself back on track. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:

• Something in my freezer smells
• Cooking tips and techniques
• Kitchen cheat sheets

I hope my scant few readers are still interested in what I have to write. Laugh with me or at me… just please still read me!!

Fall Is In The Air

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. There is just something about the way the temperature changes to something remotely comfortable, slipping on your favorite pair of jeans after a three month hiatus, sleeping with open windows instead of AC, and not sweating when you drink that piping hot cup of coffee. (I don’t care what anyone says, as much as I like a good cup of iced coffee, it’s the hot stuff that opens my eyes in the morning.)

And of course, cooking season is back. Hearty soups and stews, tender roasts, and fall vegetables. (Pumpkin!) Fall began in earnest in my neck of the woods this past week, and to celebrate I prepared a lovely autumn-inspired dinner for B and myself the other night.

The inspiration for this meal came from a book that my friend Karen sent me. (Think of a Number, by John Verdon… I’m only halfway through, but so far it’s a really great, compelling read. Thanks again, Karen!) Early on in the book, the protagonist’s wife cooked pork chops braised in apple juice. We all know that pork chops and apples go together like chocolate and peanut butter. How could I resist?

Since Think of a Number is a mystery and not a cookbook, I had to use my Google skills to find a recipe. I couldn’t come up with anything that was apple juice specific, but I did find one that called for apple cider. Close enough… in fact, even better. Cider, in my opinion, is so much better than juice, and it’s definitely more seasonal. The recipe was very simple. It called for the chops, the cider and some diced onion, dried sage (which I did not have, so I substituted rosemary) and vegetable oil.

To accompany the pork chops, I decided to do something beyond the basic apple sauce. I still wanted an apple-based side. A) because, like I said, pork chops and apples go together like chocolate and peanut butter, and B) because B and I had a bowlful of apples that were on the pushing list.

Another Google search later and I had a simple recipe for homemade applesauce, and another recipe for apple stuffed acorn squash. The apple sauce was used in the stuffing, along with brown rice, celery and pecans with some ginger and onion powder. The squash was seasoned with butter and cinnamon prior to stuffing.

I may have been pushing the season just a little bit, but it was quite a delicious meal. Sadly, in all my excitement to eat the dish, I neglected to take a picture of it to share with you all. My only complaint was that the pork chop recipe was a little vague on how long to cook the pork, so it was slightly overcooked when I was done. Fortunately, while it was a little tough, it wasn’t dry and the sauce made from the braising liquid helped hide its flaws.

If anyone is interested in the recipes for the pork, applesauce and squash, just shoot me a message and I’ll share the specifics.

Happy fall, everyone!