Knife Skills – The Basics [video lesson]

December 29, 2012 By 8 Comments

I’ve interviewed dozens of home cooks and hands down (pun intended), the most valuable thing a home cook can do is to get a decent chef’s knife and learn how to use it. Below, you’ll find a quick video lesson. After that, you’ll find basics on buying and caring for a chef’s knife.

A good knife is a worthwhile investment. If you buy a quality one and take care of it, you will have it for a lifetime and will easily pay for itself over time. Cooking will be much more enjoyable, so you’ll spend less money on restaurants and takeouts. A good knife is also safer, so you’ll spend less on bandages.

What Kind of Knives Do You Need?

I personally believe that most home cooks only need a few knives. A chef’s knife would be the first one I’d suggest purchasing, followed by a serrated bread knife and then a paring knife. After that, it depends on what your life is like. Plan on filleting a lot of fish? Get a filet knife. Eat a lot of red meat? Get a set of steak knives. Most people never use the bulk of the knives in a knife block if they’ve got one.

How to Care for a Knife

Next, never put a sharp knife in the dishwasher. Repeat that out loud. Dishwashers clean by essentially sand blasting an abrasive detergent. This will dull the edges of your knives and potentially damage it to the point it can no longer be sharpened. The steam setting that dries your dishes isn’t going to do the metal any favors. Neither aspect will do much for the handle, especially if it’s made of wood or involves glue to keep it together.  

Keep Your Knives Sharp

If you already own a good chef’s knife, get it sharpened. Any place that sells kitchenware should be able to recommend a professional sharpener. It will cost about $5 to $7. Depending on how much you cook, you’ll need to get it sharpened once or twice a year. A sharp knife will make it easier to get through an ingredient list. 

Buying a Knife

Before you buy knives, learn their anatomy. Knives are made up of four parts: the blade, the handle, the bolster, and the tang.

The blade can be made of stainless steel, carbon steel, high-carbon steel or ceramic. Metal blades can either be stamped (pressed out of metal) or forged (molded under high heat). Forged knives are heftier and tend to last longer, though stamped blades are useful for lighter work like filleting.

  • Stainless steel knives are inexpensive, but cannot be sharpened once they lose their edge.
  • Carbon steel knives hold their edges remarkably well, require careful cleaning and drying, and will eventually discolor, turning black over time. There’s nothing bad about the discoloration; it’s a matter of preference.
  • High-carbon steel gives you the sharpen-ability of carbon steel without the discoloration. Most professional knives are made of this material.
  • Ceramic knives stay sharp the longest but can break easily.

The handle can be made of wood, plastic, rubber or metal. Though wood can be beautiful, the other materials are more durable. The handle can either be riveted to the blade or molded around it. Riveted ones are believed to be the strongest, but the most important thing about a handle is that it feels good in your hand and you feel comfortable holding it.

The bolster is the thick ridge between the blade and the handle. It’s standard on forged knives and rare on stamped knives. It’s usually ground down towards the bottom to make sharpening easier.

The tang is the part of the blade that extends into the handle. “Full-tang” knives are made out of one piece of metal that extends all the way back to the handle. This is the heftiest and priciest option, but the tang shouldn’t be a deciding factor unless you plan on regularly using the knife for heavy-duty chopping (say, bones).

Below, you’ll find a video from my partner, Rouxbe.com on how to hone your knife with a steel.

Filed Under: Featured Basics, Year of Cooking Fearlessly

Vinaigrette Basics [video lesson]

December 29, 2012 By 2 Comments

Do you have so many bottles of vinaigrette and in your fridge, that when you open the door it sounds like wind chimes? Vinaigrette is one of the first things that any home cook should master for a couple of reasons. One, it’s expensive to buy and tends to be loaded with ingredients. I did a survey of eight popular brands of “Italian-style” vinaigrette. They averaged 17 ingredients. The basic recipe below has six. 

Most people think of vinaigrette as something only to use on green salads. A vinaigrette can also be used as a marinade, splashed on roasted or steamed vegetables or as a light sauce for chicken or seafood. 

Basic Vinaigrette Ratio

1 part acid + 3 parts oil = fabulous stuff

“Acids:” Any kind of vinegar, citrus juices (lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.)
“Oils:” Fruit & vegetable oils (olive, corn, avocado, etc.), nut oils (hazelnut, walnut, peanut)

Basic Method

In a bowl, add the acid, whisk in the oil. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Congratulations, you’ve made vinaigrette.

Sample Recipe: French Dijon Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive olive
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried 
Two pinches salt
A few grinds fresh coarse pepper 

Put the vinegar, mustard and shallots in a small bowl and whisk in the oil. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Whisk again until incorporated. Taste. Or, you can put all the ingredients into a jar and just shake it vigorously.

Too tart for your taste? Add a bit of olive oil. Not tart enough? Add a couple drops of vinegar. Needs more salt? Add some. Continue until it tastes good to you. 

Endless Variations

But you want a fancy designer gourmet vinaigrette? Raspberry? Blueberry? Then add the berry to the bowl and whisk. Asian vinaigrette? Use some things from the Asian flavor profile: ginger, garlic, miso, sesame oil, peanut oil, soy sauce. An Italian Vinaigrette? Basil, garlic, tomato, white beans. Get some ideas from our “Cheat Sheet” to Profiles

Be creative. Acid and oil don’t like to stay mixed, so if you want, add an emulsifier, like egg yolk, mayonnaise or mustard before adding the oil, drop by drop, while you whisk. Always taste the vinaigrette with a leaf or two of the greens it will be dressing, so you know what it will actually be like on the plate. Some lettuces can suck up the acid tang, others amplify, so taste before serving.

Some examples to get you started:

Or, add your own recipe in comments… 

 

Filed Under: Featured Basics, Year of Cooking Fearlessly

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December 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Firehouse Challenge: Packaged vs. Homemade Holiday Dinner Classics

December 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

For years, a relative of mine served boxed stuffing at her holiday gatherings, spiced up with cut-up pre-cooked turkey sausage. When I offered to make some homemade stuffing one year, she waved me off. “No one can the tell the difference, anyway.”

Funny, but I could absolutely tell the difference. Was it just me? I contemplated on how real mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh green beans and cranberry sauce would stack up to their processed cousins. What about supermarket turkey versus a fresh, organic bird?

There’s only one way to find out.

This year, I decided to make two dinners with the classic holiday side dishes — mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans and cranberry sauce. The catch: one featured all homemade sides, and the other, they cam came from a box, can or jar. 

I needed objective judges. Fortunately, there’s a group of individuals more than up for the task: the guys on Shift A at the Station 1 in Holmes Beach, my local firehouse in Florida. 

In addition to the side dishes, I threw in another comparative tasting — a standard supermarket-brand turkey breast (Publix) and a higher-priced organic version from an upscale grocery (The Fresh Market). 
 
The video offers an overview, the next few pages break down each of the dinner components by hassle factor, price, time and specific flavor comments from the firefighters. Also, you’ll find links to most of the recipes, too.
 
Let’s take a closer look.
Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

Firehouse Challenge: Cranberry sauce

December 13, 2012 By 3 Comments

Growing up, I assumed that cranberries grew in the shape of a can. I am not alone.  When I was nine, my Aunt Judy made cranberry relish from whole berries and nothing was the same again.

Of all the classic side dishes, cranberry relish is by the far the least challenging. If you can open a can, you can make it from scratch; it’s a pour and stir operation. 

Homemade Cranberry Relish

My family recipe calls for adding in some kind of alcohol as a flavoring, such as port, a sweet red wine or Cointreau. But frankly, if you don’t have it on hand, don’t rush out and buy a whole bottle. Just simmering some berries with sugar, water and a bit of orange juice will suffice beautifully, especially when enhanced with some cinnamon,  ginger or Chinese five-spice.  Around the holidays, you can find whole cranberries on sale. I based my cost per serving on $2.39 per bag. 

Process: Measure out sugar, orange juice and other ingredients. Pour into the pan, stir with the cranberries and simmer for about 20 minutes. (See my recipe here on CookFearless.)
Active time:  4 minutes
Total time:  20 minutes
Cost per serving: 41 cents 
Ingredients: CRANBERRIES, SUGAR, ORANGE JUICE, ORANGE LIQEUR, GRATED ORANGE ZEST, CANDIED GINGER 
 

Canned Jellied Cranberry Sauce

It’s quite straightforward: open, slice, serve. Worth noting: corn syrup is listed twice on the label. 

Process: Open the can, pour onto a serving dish, slice
Active time: 4 minutes
Total time: 4 minutes 
Cost per serving: 44 cents
Ingredients: CRANBERRIES, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CORN SYRUP 

The Result

Homemade cranberry relish: 7
Canned relish: 0

Certainly, there are fans of the sliced-from-a-can variety cranberry relish, but the homemade relish was a big hit with the firemen.

  • “The difference is huge. I don’t even like cranberry relish normally, and I’m going back for seconds.”
  • “I can totally taste the orange in this.” 
  • “This isn’t in the same league with the stuff in the can. I mean, I actually like this.”
  • “It’s sweet, but in a complex way.”  

 

 

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Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

Firehouse Holiday Dinner Challenge: Gravy

December 13, 2012 By 3 Comments

At its heart, gravy is a sauce. Sauces flummox home cooks. I interviewed a woman at a supermarket who told me, “I’ve burned gravy, I’ve made greasy gravy, I’ve made lumpy gravy, I’ve made bland gravy. So, I add a packet of seasoning to my homemade gravy and it somehow works out.”  Her reasons are why many cooks turn to packaged gravy, either in the form of a packet or in a jar. 

Homemade gravy

Homemade gravy is inexpensive to make if you’re starting with a whole roasted bird. You simply drain off the liquid, add back in a bit of the fat, stir in some flour to make a roux and then add liquid – usually stock. But in fairness to home cooks everywhere, that’s four techniques that not everyone has mastered – roasting a bird, making a roux, making stock and then finishing a sauce. 

Process: I removed about three tablespoons of leftover fat from one of the turkeys, stirred in three tablespoons of flour and then added about two cups or so of previously prepared turkey stock. I also added a bit of thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
Active time:  11 minutes
Total time:  22 minutes
Cost per two tablespoon serving:  7 cents 
Ingredients: TURKEY STOCK, TURKEY DRIPPINGS, FLOUR, THYME, SALT, PEPPER

Jar of Gravy

I’ll be honest. I had imagined the jar of gravy holding many more preservatives and artificial ingredients. Aside from an overtly saltiness and paler color, it had the consistency of thick gravy. Each small serving had about 14% daily sodium requirement, though.

Process: Opened jar, poured into pan and heated
Active time:  3 minutes
Total time:  5 minutes
Cost per two tablespoon serving:  17 cents
Ingredients: TURKEY BROTH, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, WATER, SALT, SEASONINGS
 

The Result

Homemade Gravy: 7
Gravy from a Jar: 0 

No one particularly objected to the packaged gravy. After all, gravy’s primarily function – to moisten and flavor other foods – can be performed adequately by the jarred sauce, even if it doesn’t taste exactly like homemade. One of the firemen noted that he was used to the saltier flavor of the packaged gravy. Another said he preferred the thicker consistency over my homemade, which he thought tasted better although it was a bit thinner. But in general, they all preferred the homemade gravy. 

  • “I’m used to eating the high-salt store-bought gravy so… I guess this taste more like what I’m used to.”
  • “This has a blander, saltier flavor but otherwise it’s OK.”
  • “It’s fine although it doesn’t taste quite as good as [the homemade version].”
  • “It’s interesting to see that the color is actually different in the two gravies. Side by side, you can tell the difference just by looking at them.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -> NEXT: Cranberry sauce

 

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

Firehouse Challenge: Real mashed potatoes vs. Instant

December 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I can understand the lure of instant mashed potatoes, and you want comfort, you want it now. According to Wisegeek.com, a Canadian scientist developed instant mashed back in 1962. Here’s how the real thing stacked up to the packaged variety in our challenge. 

 

 

   

 

 

Homemade mashed potatoes

At $3.99 for a five pound bag of Yukon Gold potatoes and 65 cents in butter and milk, homemade wins in the cost department. The standard serving size for mashed potatoes used by caterers is about 2/3 cup mashed potatoes per person. But packages for instant mashed potato list 1/2 cup as a serving, so I  used that as a standard although my brothers would look at me as if I was shorting them payment if I served up only half a cup.  

A pound of potatoes yields about two cups mashed or four servings. So, five pounds of potatoes yields 20 servings. Although they are not challenging, homemade mashed potatoes do take time. There’s peeling and mashing, plus you need a large pot, a strainer and at least a fork. 

Process: Peel the potatoes, boil, mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper. (See the full CookFearless recipe – with a video – on perfect mashed potatoes.) 
Active time:  18 minutes (peeling, mashing)
Total time:  38 minutes
Cost per serving: 23 cents
Ingredients: POTATOES, BUTTER, MILK, SALT, PEPPER

 

Instant Mashed Potatoes 

In the bag you get four ounces of powdered mashed potatoes and the other stuff listed below. The Idahoan package reads “with Buttery Homestyle flavored mashed potatoes, you’ll enjoy the superior taste of Idaho potatoes blended perfectly with real butter. They’re satisfyingly rich. They’re delightfully creamy. And the genuine buttery flavor is 100% irresistible.”

However, there is no actual butter listed in the ingredients, only a “butter powder” that includes sweet cream, salt and annatto coloring. But since butter is made from cream originally, this may be viewed as splitting hairs. An issue here is about the reliability of the serving size quoted. In the supermarket, I asked a woman buying this product how many servings a packet usually yields and she said two. “My husband and I usually split one.” She was buying six packets for Thanksgiving to feed seven guests. Each 1/2 cup serving contained a hearty 19% of daily sodium intake.

Process: Add pouch contents to boiling water. Remove from heat, let stand one minute. Fluff with fork. 
Active time:  2 minutes
Total time:  4 minutes  
Total Cost: $1.39 per packet                 
Cost per serving:  35 cents
Ingredients: IDAHO® POTATO SLICES (PRESERVED WITH SODIUM BISULFITE), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL* (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: SOYBEAN, COTTONSEED, SUNFLOWER), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, COCONUT OIL, NONFAT DRY MILK, SUGAR, WHEY POWDER, SODIUM CASEINATE, BUTTER POWDER (BUTTER: SWEET CREAM, SALT ANNATTO COLOR), NONFAT MILK SOLIDS, SODIUM CASEINATE AND DISODIUM PHOSPHATE,  MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM STREARoYL LACTYLATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SPICE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), SODIUM BISULFITE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, CITRIC ACID (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), MIXED TOCOPHEROLS (VITAMIN E) (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS) AND LESS THAN 2% SILICON DIOXIDE ADDED AS AN ANTI-CAKING AGENT.

The Result 

Homemade mashed potatoes: 7
Instant mashed potatoes: 0 

All seven firefighters not only favored the real mashed potatoes over the packaged variety, they picked them out right away. Among their comments:

  • “The real mashed have a butter flavor. The instant ones taste like the butter salt on popcorn.” 
  • “The instant ones tasted like the kind that come in a TV dinner.”
  • “The [instant potatoes] are really white, like they’ve been bleached.”
  • “Compared to the real potatoes, [the instant ones] taste sort of flat and salty.” 
  • “I have to admint, I’m used to [the instant potatoes] since I eat a lot of frozen dinners.”
  • “The homemade potatoes have a rich, smooth texture. I could eat a ton of these.” 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -> NEXT: Stuffing

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays Tagged With:

Firehouse Challenge: Green Beans canned vs. fresh

December 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

Green beans are a classic side dish for any holiday. I debated an update on green bean casserole, but decided instead to serve fresh green beans and canned green beans, each were lightly sauteed in butter with garlic, salt and pepper and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon. 

Fresh Green Beans

Green beans are pretty simple to prepare. I put mine into a skillet with a bit of water and steamed them for about eight minutes. I drained the pan, wiped it dry and then sauteed them in butter with garlic for about three minutes.  I bought mine for 99 cents per pound; a pound yields about four servings.

Process: Steam or boil for about six to eight minutes, then lightly saute in butter 
Active time:  4 minutes 
Total time:  11 minutes 
Cost per 1/2 cup serving: 28 cents
Cleanup factor: One pan
Ingredients: GREEN BEANS, BUTTER, GARLIC, SALT, PEPPER, LEMON JUICE

Canned Green Beans

Process: Open a can, drain excess water, lightly saute in butter 
Active time:  4 minutes 
Total time:  8 minutes 
Cost per 1/2 cup serving: 24 cents
Cleanup factor: One pan 

Ingredients: GREEN BEANS, BUTTER, GARLIC, SALT, PEPPER, LEMON JUICE

The Result

 Fresh green beans: 7
Canned green beans: 0

All the firemen immediately recognized the grayish-green color of the canned beans. Here’s what else they said:

  • “They don’t even look the same. It’s almost like they’re a different vegetable.”
  • “The crispness of the green beans is really nice. Lots of flavor.”
  • “It’s not that I dislike canned green beans, but side-by-side like this, it’s a reminder how much better they are fresh.”
  • “They remind me of school lunches.” 

  

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -> NEXT: Gravy

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

Firehouse Challenge: Supermarket turkey vs. Organic Bird

December 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

A turkey may seem like a humble, if popular, bird but it’s yielding increasing discussion in the food world. One study found that generic turkeys contained high levels of bacteria; researchers pointed to the use of mass antibiotics as the culprit. Turkeys raised on smaller farms tend to get more humane treatment than those cranked out by the millions at factory farms. 

A movement began more than a decade ago to save old-time breeds through a “heritage turkey” movement. Epicurious did a taste test of six supermarket brand turkeys and found a wide variation on flavors. Inspired by this, for the Firehouse Challenge, I purchased two turkey breasts and cooked them exactly the same. My goal:  to see if there would be a difference in flavor, texture, cooking time and to evaluate the relative cost.

Both carcasses met up in the end in a big pot of stock. You can learn more about this classic holiday bird at the CookFearless Turkey FAQ. 

Supermarket Turkey

At $1.69 a pound, my 9.28 pound fresh supermarket breast costs just under $16. The flesh and skin were noticeably pale, almost ghost-like. Also, a lot of liquid gushed forth when I opened the package over my sink. This was probably the “flavor enhancing” liquid noted on the label. The supermarket turkey cooked more quickly; it hit 165 degrees in about 2 hours 48 minutes. 

Process: With both turkeys, I massaged a thyme and sage butter under the skin and then roasted it on a rack of vegetables at 365 F degrees. I turned the breast over about 45 minutes of the cooking time, and basted each four times over the morning. The supermarket turkey cooked more quickly; it hit 165 degrees in about 2 hours 48 minutes. 
Active time:  32 minutes
Total time:  2 hours 48 minutes
Cost per serving: 89 cents 
Ingredients: Turkey, up to 7% solution of turkey broth, salt, sodium phosphate and flavorings (extract of celery and pepper).

Organic Vegetarian-Fed Turkey

For a posher bird, I went to The Fresh Market. At $3.39 per pound, my 9.48 pound fresh breast cost about $32, twice as much. When pulled from its package, it had a drier feel. The flesh had more color and the skin had a yellowish hue. The package boasted the turkey had been treated “humanely in a stress-free environment,” experienced minimal processing and had never been administered antibiotics. 

Process: Same as above
Active time:  32 minutes
Total time:  3 hours 11 minutes
Cost per serving: $1.61 
Ingredients: Turkey, less than 6% retained liquid

The Result

Supermarket turkey: 2
Fancy turkey: 5 

Although I cooked them exactly the same and basted equally until they reached a specific internal temperature, the firefighters unanimously thought the supermarket turkey was much drier than the other. However, two of the men said they liked drier meat on turkey, so they preferred the less expensive one. 

  • “This one (the organic bird) just melts in your mouth.” 
  • “This is drier, but I prefer a drier bird, so this is the one I’d go with.”
  • “They’re both good, but one tastes more turkey-ish, if you can say that.”
  • “The color is actually different, this one (the organic) has a darker color. The other meat is so pale.”
  • This one (the supermarket one) is a lot harder to cut. The texture is kind of stringy.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -> NEXT: Mashed Potatoes

 

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

Firehouse Challenge: Stuffing

December 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

Next up came stuffing. Arguably, this has the most “active” time of any of the traditional side dishes. There’s chopping and sauteing involved. I made this dish twice, once manually cutting up the vegetables as a home cook’s pace and a second time using a food processor which dramatically cut the prep time. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of cutting up bread and letting it go stale or toasting it  in an oven.  In the photo left, the boxed version is in the upper pan, the homemade version is in the lower pan.

 

 

Homemade stuffing 

With a $1.29 loaf of bread, an onion, some celery, carrots, garlic, an egg and some broth, stuffing comes in an inexpensive, yet filling side dish. The total cost of making a pan of stuffing came out to $4.23 for about 12 servings using a 99 cent can of chicken stock. If you used your own stock or used bouillon, it cuts the cost to around $3.24 to serve a dozen. 

Process: Saute vegetables until softened. Add dried bread cubes and seasoning. Then add stock, egg and transfer to casserole and bake for 35 minutes. (See my favorite stuffing recipe.) 
Active time:  16 minutes (11 with a processor) 
Total time:  46 minutes (41 with a processor)
Cost per 1/2 cup serving: 35 cents
Ingredients: BREAD, ONION, CHICKEN OR TURKEY STOCK, CELERY, CARROT, EGG, GARLIC, DRIED SAGE, DRIED THYME, SALT, PEPPER

vs. StoveTop Stuffing

Noticeably high in sodium, as prepared it has 20% of daily sodium intake in a half cup. The box states six 1/2-cup servings. I talked to a woman at the supermarket purchasing this product who said she made it regularly and found it “yielded perhaps three to four” servings at dinner. “At Thanksgiving, people take large portions, so I am planning on making three or four boxes for eight people.” The top two ingredients are bread and high-fructose corn syrup. While the box cheerfully promises “with real turkey broth,” the ingredients list notes that it is less than 2 percent of the overall ingredients. 

Process: Melt 1/4 cup 53 percent vegetable oil spread stick into 1 1/2 cups water. Add pouch to boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Let stand five minutes, fluff with a fork.
Active time:  3 minutes
Total time:  7 minutes   
Cost: $1.39 per box + .18 cents in margarine                 
Cost per 1/2 cup serving: 26 cents

Ingredients: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN, MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ONIONS*, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2 PERCENT OF PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL,HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, COOKED TURKEY AND TURKEY BROTH, YEAST CELERY*, PARSLEY*, TURMERIC, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, SILICON DIOXIDE AS AN ANTI-CAKING AGENT, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL FLAVOR WITH BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID AND PROPYL GALLATE AS PRESERVATIVES.   *INDICATES DRIED

The Result 

Homemade stuffing: 7
Boxed stuffing: 0 

All seven firefighters favored the homemade version, but at least three noted that the boxed version was good. Among their comments:

  • “This one [homemade version] has a lot more flavor. I can taste the vegetables in it.” 
  • “They’re both good, but the [homemade] stuffing tasted like it could have come out of the bird.”
  • “I eat [boxed stuffing] so I knew the flavor right away. It’s not bad, but more salty and dry in comparison.”
  • “The homemade stuffing is more aesthetically pleasing.”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -> NEXT: Green Beans

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays

“Minestrone” Soup like My Mother’s

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Recipe by Kathleen Flinn

In my first book, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, this recipe was known as “Potage ‘Minestrone’ a la Ma Mere,” since all the recipes had French names. This is neither French, nor strictly speaking, even minestrone.

Instead, it served as a catch-all flexible soup recipe into which my mother could leverage the various leftovers from our dinner table. With five kids on a Michigan farm, my mother couldn’t afford to waste anything. So she kept a lime-colored plastic bin in the freezer. Whenever something was left over – say a fistful of green beans or a few roasted potatoes or the remnants of a meat loaf – then into the bin it went. The soup was never the same. In summer, she added fresh tomatoes. In winter, squash made frequent appearances. She made sure to give soup the three things it needs to turn out well: a good base of flavor, plenty or salt and at least a couple of hours to simmer. Do not think you can fool the soup gods by madly trying to boil a pot of soup for 30 minutes. It doesn’t work. 

I like to make a thick bouquet garni by tying together several sprigs of fresh oregano, thyme and/or parsley and a bay leaf and throw it in the pot, and then remove before serving, but if all you’ve got is a bay leaf, go for it. You can use a blend of spices such as Herbs de Provence or Italian Herb seasoning or whatever flavor you prefer. I use canned fire-roasted tomatoes for this and white beans, but you can also use red kidney or navy. Fresh basil chopped into bowls adds a fresh flavor if you’ve got it. Try to use fresh stock; it does make a difference in soups. Here’s a recipe. Makes about 8 to 10 servings. - KF

1 ½ pounds (750 grams) lean stew meat, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 quarts (2 liters) beef stock
1 cup (250 ml) spaghetti sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can beans (400g), drained, rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can canned tomatoes (800g), undrained
1 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs
Bouquet garni (see above)
2 to 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
          or leftover vegetables cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup (250 g) elbow macaroni or other pasta
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
DashTabasco, salt, pepper to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) grated Parmesan cheese

 In a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or stockpot, sear the meat in oil over high heat until very brown. Remove meat from pan, pour off excess fat and oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, stirring around the bottom and edges of the pan. Add the stock, browned meat, spaghetti sauce, garlic, beans, tomatoes, herbs, bouquet garni and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil, skim, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for about two hours. Skim and stir occasionally. If needed, add more water during cooking. Add the macaroni and the vegetables and cook another half hour. If desired, finish the soup with some butter, and stir through until melted. Check the seasonings, adding salt, pepper andTabascoto taste. Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan atop each bowl when served. 

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups

Shepherd’s Pie with Chard-Lentil Filling

December 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

Recipe by Kim O’Donnel

My family has shifted to mostly vegetarian in the past couple of years. This has meant something new for us: meatless holiday dinners.  The key to this recipe is a great technique: braising lentils in red wine. This step adds a certain “meatiness” to the dish. Since I first made this dish, I now routinely braise lentils in wine for other dishes, too. Last year, we had the extended family for dinner last year, a group that includes omnivores. So I made two versions of this dish, one with red meat and the other with the lentils. Hands down, I preferred this version.

This looks long, but you can make the mashed potatoes and the lentils a day ahead and just assemble and bake before dinner. This pairs well with with a red with some bite, such as a Syrah or Zinfandel. It’s always great to drink the same wine with dinner that you used in the recipe. Makes about 6 servings.

1 cup wine-braised lentils (details below)
11/2 cups onion gravy (details below)

for the topping and the chard
2 pounds medium-size potatoes (4 to 5 potatoes; my favorites are Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn), washed, trimmed/peeled as needed, and cut into quarters

2 teaspoons salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
5 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups chard (from 1 bunch), washed, stemmed, and chopped finely into “ribbons”
1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Here’s what you do:
Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Fill a medium-size saucepan with 4 cups of water, and add the potatoes and salt. The water should just barely cover the potatoes. This is important.

Cover and bring to a boil. Add the whole garlic. Return the lid and cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer the potatoes and garlic to a large mixing bowl and mash with a hand masher. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid as necessary to moisten the potatoes. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and stir in vigorously with a wooden spoon. Taste for salt, pepper, and texture and season and stir accordingly; mashed potatoes should be smooth and well seasoned.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and cook the chard with the chopped garlic, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes, regularly tossing with tongs to cook evenly. Stir in the nutmeg and season with more salt to taste, if needed. Transfer to a medium-size bowl.

Portion out 1 cup of the lentils (the rest is cook’s treat) and stir into the chard until well combined.

Assemble the pie: Transfer the chard mixture to the greased pie plate. Top with the mashed potatoes, and with a rubber spatula, smooth the mash so that it’s evenly distributed and completely covers the surface. Top off with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place the dish in the oven and heat through, 20 to 25 minutes. During the final 2 minutes of cooking, set the oven to the broil setting to brown the cheesy-mashed top.

Remove from the oven, slice into wedges, and eat hot with a ladleful of onion gravy.

Wine-Braised Lentils
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup carrot, peeled and diced
1 sprig fresh thyme, or
1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed (the smaller French lentilles du Puy, with a more refined texture, are my preference, but they’re not always available. Use what you can find in your local market.)
2 tablespoons red wine you enjoy drinking
3/4 to 1 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

Here’s what you do:
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the lentils and stir to coat. Add the red wine (if using) and bring to a lively simmer. The wine will reduce a bit. Add 3/4 cup of thewater, return to a lively simmer, then lower the heat, cover and cook until fork tender, about 40 minutes. Check and add a little extra water if need be, to keep the lentils from drying out completely. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of the salt, taste, and add the remaining salt, if needed.

Makes 11/2 cups. If you love these lentils, amounts may be doubled for a big pot that will keep for days and pair up seamlessly with your favorite grain.

Onion Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups onions, sliced thinly into half-moons
1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Here’s what you do:
In a deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions and thyme. With tongs, toss to coat the onions with the butter and cook over medium-low heat, until softened, reduced, and jamlike, about 25 minutes.

Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the water and bring to a lively simmer. Reduce by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for an additional 5 minutes; the gravy will continue to reduce. Stir in the salt and sugar, and taste. Finish off with the soy sauce.

Turn off the heat, cover, and gently reheat at a simmer, just before serving with pie. Makes approximately 11/2 cups

Who Wrote This Recipe
Kim O’Donnel is a trained cook, food journalist and cooking instructor. She trained at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City and earned an English degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She was the creator of What’s Cooking, an interactive weekly chat on The Washington Post’s web site. She shifted her life to the author world. This recipe appeared in her first book, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook. Her most recent book, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations.  

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays, Vegetarian Tagged With: , ,