Two Big Guys Cook Risotto

One of the joys Toby Stevenson and I share is cooking (though we each have our own copy).  A little bit back we got together to see if there was a difference between cooking risotto the traditional way or in a pressure cooker.  Watch here to see the results!

His Wit is as Thick as Tewkesbury Mustard!

Suzy and I have had the pleasure of visiting Tewkesbury.  While there we enjoyed its local specialty made famous in Shakespeare's Henry IV; a thick mustard.  It has a hefty proportion of horseradish to give it an extra kick.  We brought home a recipe which we've adapted over the past decade into the form below. The batch I threw together on New Years Day was so well received that we've had several requests for the recipe. Here it is!


Grind:
1/2 cup of yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup of brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of mixed peppercorns
coarsely in a seed grinder or mortar and pestle. Leave some whole seeds intact. Remove to a bowl and add:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark beer
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup freshly grated horseradish
Adjust the beer/vinegar until you have the desired consistency.

If you would like a spicier mustard let the grated horseradish sit for a few minutes before adding it to the vinegar and mustard. It is also worth remembering these immortal words Juvenal attributed to Henry V, "War without fire has no value, no more than sausages without mustard." Enjoy!

Orzi e Pisi al Limone

If you mention orzo in Canada most people will think you has the pasta in mind.  However, the pasta shape is named after the grain its named for, namely barley.  Another surprise is that barley (or orzo) substitutes readily for rice.  When prepared in the manner of risotto the creamy texture is familiar, while the nutty flavour and "al dente" texture of the barley makes for a delicious variation on a familiar theme.  Enjoy with a glass of sparkling wine!

Over medium heat in a small saucepan bring
4 cups chicken stock (unsalted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
to a simmer.  In a frying pan or dutch oven over medium-low heat melt

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Add the whites and pale green parts of :
3 medium leeks, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
and sautee until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add:

1 cup pearl barley
and stir until coated with the oil and butter. Add:
1/2 cup of white wine
and stir until absorbed.  Add:
1/2 cup of warm stock
and stir until absorbed, approximately 4 minutes.  Adjust heat if too fast or slow. Repeat until you have a half cup of stock left and add:
1/2 cup of stock
1 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed and then add:
2 tablespoons of whipping cream
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 to 1 cup of parmesan cheese
Blend in and serve immediately sprinkled with:
Chopped mint leaves
Parmesan cheese.

Quantities can vary, so watch the stock to ensure it does not evaporate too quickly from the side pot.  Add a little water if it is reducing too quickly.  Also, towards the end of the stock start tasting between rounds, and stop when the barley reaches the desired texture.

Arroz con Pollo Anyone?

Along with Julia Child's Beouf Bourginon this is one of the greatest dishes we've ever made. While we follow Julia's Beouf recipe religiously, we've introduced a few variations to this classic Spanish dish to both make it a bit more authentic and flavourful.  Remarkably, the subtle aroma of the basmati rice not only survives but combines with the saffron and paprika into a delightful whole.

Separate:
1 whole chicken (approximately 6 lbs)
into serving sized parts.  Season with:
Salt
Pepper
Heat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Brown the chicken on all sides in batches, then remove to a bowl.  Pour off all but:
4 tablespoons of fat 
from the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium and add:

2 large onions, chopped
6 ounces of sliced Serrano ham (or prosciutto) cut into small squares
Sautee until tender but not brown (approximately 5 minutes) and add
3 cups basmati rice
Stir until the grains are coated with fat.  Add:
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
2 teaspoons of Spanish paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons of ground pepper

Cook for one more minute.  Add:
5 cups of chicken stock or broth
3/4 teaspoon of oregano
3/8 teaspoon of saffron threads
Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, scraping the bottom of the dutch oven to remove any brown bits.  Return the chicken and any juices to the pot.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Check to see if the rice is ready.  If it is not, give it 5 more minutes. When the rice just about right, stir in:
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup of roasted red peppers cut into strips
1/2 cup of triple rinsed whole green olives stuffed with pimentos
Cook five minutes more and remove from the heat.  Do not be concerned if all of the liquid has not been absorbed.  Let stand covered for 15 minutes and the remainder of the liquid will be absorbed. Share and enjoy!

For the stock we recommend using extra giblets and necks as it's much more strongly flavoured than what you can buy off the shelf.  This balances the potent effects of the saffron and paprika.  

How to Flatten a Chicken in Three Easy Steps

I have seldom seen a flattened chicken served. This is a shame, as while a little messy, it is a quick and easy process.  It also eases marinating a whole bird, dramatically reduces the cooking time, and makes a great impression when served at a dinner party.  While tonight's big cook will be Arroz con Pollo, which requires that I dissect our six pound bird from Fresh from the Farm into parts, it seemed like a good opportunity to document the process.  All that is required is a cutting board, a sharp knife, and a good pair of kitchen shears.  The high carbon steel knife and shears are two of the most used implements in our kitchen, and both are courtesy of Lee Valley Tools. We usually buy our birds frozen, and then thaw them.  If the bird is still partially frozen it makes managing and cutting it easier.

The first step is to remove the bird's backbone  Flip it over on its breast bone and score the skin with the knife.  Then, take the shears and cut along the lines an pop out the backbone.

Spread the body until you hear a crack as the breastbone loosens. You will now see the the bottom of the breastbone under a membrane.  Score the membrane with the knife on both sides, then use the knife to separate the white meat from the breastbone.  The only trick is to avoid cutting through the skin. You can do this by making smooth angled cuts.  The fat will help keep the knife from going through as well.

Towards the neck hole there are some bigger bones.  Take the shears and cut through them, pop out the breast bone.  Flip over the bird and you're done!

You can avoid wasting the bits if you make stock at the same time.  The fresh chicken and giblets make for the best flavour.  Just make sure to strip off the skin first so the stock isn't too fatty!

Enjoy!

Goulash: Western Take on an Eastern Specialty

Traditional goulash is more of a soup than a stew.  We had an excellent example of it this summer made by our friend Maria over an open fire. Rather than try to copy that recipe, we decided to make something a little more in line with the Western versions that have evolved over the years. Here is the recipe we developed.  Frying the paprika dredged meat imparts it with the colour of beef roasted over an open fire.  Braising it slowly in the oven breaks down the connective tissue in the meat from the shank and allows you to savour it's phenomenal taste without the toughness. Overall the recipe has a rich and hearty balance of flavours that combines the sweetness of the tomatoes and smoked paprika with the mild spiciness of the czabi and the sourness of the lemon juice.  

Makes 16-18 servings

In a large bowl combine:

6 tablespoons of flour

6 tablespoons of smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Dredge:

4 lbs of cubed beef shank (meat only)

in the mixture.  Melt:

3 tablespoons of bacon grease

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat in the hot fat, adding extra if necessary.  Put aside the beef in a strainer.  Remove all but:

2 tbsps of fat

From the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and fry:

3 large onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Until they begin to brown at the edges.  Add:

1/2 cup of tomato paste

and fry for another 5 minutes.  Transfer the meat, tomato paste, and onions to a large dutch oven  and add:

1 litre of San Marzano tomato sauce

1 litre of diced tomatoes

2 cups of beef stock

2 medium spicy Hungarian czabi sausagues, chopped

6 bay leaves

1 tsp caraway seeds

And bring to a simmer over high heat.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  When the mixture is simmering transfer it to the oven and cook covered for 3 hours, checking occasionally to stir and make sure it is still simmering. A half an hour before the end add:

2 large red peppers, chopped

Remove from the oven and skim any fat from the top. Add:

Juice of 1 lemon

and add:

Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. 

Serve with a:

Dollop of sour cream.

The lemon juice is a critical element of the balance of the recipe, so don't omit it because it seems odd.  Similarly, the czabi imparts a mild spiciness that infuses the dish without overpowering it.  Finally while frying in a mixture of pork and beef fat may not make this health food, it creates a flavour that is truly divine.  Egészségére!

Merry Christmas from the Hotel Cavell!

It's been a busy year that hasn't afforded a great deal of time for posting here.  I have regretted that for a while now, and made a promise to myself to post something before the new year. Christmas morning madness is done, the mess cleaned up, and brunch is behind us.  The kitchen is clean, there is a pot of stock simmering on the stove.  Soon the whole family will take a nap before Christmas dinner at my sister-in-laws this afternoon.  This will be followed by me returning to writing for my masters while Suzy works nights tonight.  Until then, here is a quick update on what's been going on in the kitchen at the Hotel Cavell.

Beyond the usual canning, cooking this year has been particularly challenging.  Working on mymasters, looking for a new job, then a different schedule that came with the new job, and Jane taking six weeks vacation made everything harder.  At the beginning of December Suzy and I took a page from the old ways, and put together a meal plan.  It's not prescriptive so much as a pattern, and it goes like this:

Sunday - "Big Cook" - Lots of extra to store for future meals
Monday - Soup
Tuesday - Grilled meat
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Order in (usually pizza from our favourite joint, Bona Pizza on Donlands)
Saturday - It depends - Saturdays are varied, so we play them by ear

Leftovers from the day before become lunch the next day.  Grocery lists are prepared in advance and scheduled.

Over the past month eating out and general waste of food has gone way down. The stress that used to come from having to answer the question of, "what are we having for dinner," has vanished in the face of certainty.  It's also one less decision to make in what has been a hectic time.  For the first time in living memory the Christmas presents were bought and wrapped before Christmas Eve.  Only Christmas cards were a bridge too far this year, as we lost all of our addresses to a nasty bit of malware several weeks back.

The other side effect has been that we've been trying out new recipes for the first time in a while.  Jambalaya, Goulash, Almedras Saldanas, and an update on our classic pea soup recipe are just a few examples.  I will be putting up the recipes again as well, as we seldom cook right off the page...

Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!