Lessons From a Chef & Culinary Instructor

I recently had the great pleasure of attending a talk and tasting given by Chef Dan Brophy.  His commitment to seasonal, local, homegrown food was very apparent, as was his dry wit and acerbic humor.  And while I would have made my Summer Succotash differently, I definitely learned a bunch and had a great laugh. 

As he has a half-acre urban farm, he is passionate about eating from the seasonal bounty, and then putting up the harvest to enjoy later in the year.  As it is currently tomato season (finally!) he shared a dead-easy technique for oven-dried tomatoes that can then be frozen for later use.  I promptly went home and made a batch with a bunch of our tomatoes that had all ripened with we were away.  Check it out here

And after all these tomatoes are used up, he warned against falling for the one that are brought in from hothouses all over the continent in the middle of winter.  

"It is tomato shaped…maybe even tomato colored…but definitely not a tomato."

Followed by the following advice on how to survive through this period of tomato impostors:

"Eat your bodyweight in tomatoes while they are in season and you won’t need to eat another one until the seed catalogues come and you start dreaming of tomatoes."

And presumably by then you will still have one or two jars of tomato jam, roasted tomatoes, homemade tomato sauce or tomato chutney to indulge in while waiting for the tomato plants to grow.

Chef Dan also had a wealth of information on how to be a better cook, be it either in he home or in a professional kichen.  One little gem he said that is often heard repeated in various forms is:

"If you are not making mistakes, you’re not trying very hard."

And I would add that you are not learning very much either.  He says that the average American home has a meal rotation of 10 items.  T-e-n.  He himself grew up in a 10-meal-rotation household in North Dakota, where the Salmon Loaf was the Meatloaf recipe but you opened a can of salmon instead.  He also pointed out that most of his culinary students came from similar such households.  I’m pretty sure that growing up I was exposed to more than 10 dishes on a regular basis, but with kids and work and activities I'm sure that my mom, like mothers everywhere, took a certain comfort in knowing you can get spaghetti on the table in 20 minutes.  So lets say I grew up in a 20-meal-rotation house - whooo hooo.

So if you feel as though you’ve fallen into a bit of a ‘Taco Tuesday’ rut, lash out and try some new ingredient or dishes and see how that revitalizes your culinary world.  (By the way, he advocates to his students that they get into a 100-dish rotation!)  Along those lines he also said:

"Be a committed member of the herb of the month club."

Pick an herb, preferably one that you are seeing in abundance in your garden or the market stands, and commit to using it 12 times in the next month – sauces, soups, stirfries… add it to rice or potatoes or a dessert, make a tea or put it in a smoothie.  Not all of your attempts will be good, some might even be awful (refer to the comment about making mistakes above), but you’ll have a much more intimate understanding of that herb and will undoubtedly stumble on some fantastic flavor combinations in the process.

Here are Chef Dan’s simple steps to being a great cook:

1. Know what you are doing

The other half of which is …then you know when you are done.  So what is the goal, the technique, the dish?  Then you know how to measure 'doneness'... is it by the color, texture, internal temperature?  And by all means STOP when you’re done.  He said that he often witnesses “death by boiling” in the kitchen… veggies should be simmered, and definitely not for long.  This also goes for knife skills – so you can stop at ‘chopped’, or go all the way to ‘fine dice’.  All these things do make a difference... so practice, practice, practice.  Make small batches and screw with it until you’ve got something great – which, presumably, is what you a going for. And for goodness sake take notes!  Get out the stickies and jot down what works and what really doesn't - both are valuable to remember for next time.

2. Seasoning

Specifically – salt.  Unless you are on pills for hypertension, don’t be afraid of salt.  As Chef Dan says, “salt is magic – it makes food freaking delicious”.  Too much salt and you may as well be a cow licking one of those pink blocks out in the pasture, too little and you’ve got “Marlon Blando”.  

I think the key to the right amount of salt is the right salt.  Don’t use that iodized, free-flowing, tiny-grained table salt.  That is the sure way to the salt lick.  If you must, then at least measure it out into your hand before adding it to anything.  You only need ½ a teaspoon of this stuff to meet the daily requirement for iodine.  Other sources are seafood & vegetables, bread (usually due to the amount of salt added), dairy, and plants grown in iodine-rich soils[1].  Even VGF diets usually have enough - and if you're worried about developing a goiter put nori or another seaweed on the list for your 'herb of the month club' and you'll have a great relationship with a natural source of iodine.  

So turf the ‘traditional’ stuff in favor of kosher salt, or one of the wondrous variety of seas salts.  We have Alaea sea salt from Hawai’i that we put in a salt grinder.  Not only do you use less salt overall, but you also gain trace minerals in proportions that are more similar to your own body chemistry – after all, we arose from the sea in the first place (well, more like wriggled, but you get the picture). 

Another way to use less salt is to eat less processed food.  Your palate gets accustomed to the insane amount of sodium in these products and then you need more to taste more.  I used to drastically over-salt my food until I ate a couple of “bland” meals and then a whole world of flavor opened up to me.  Compensate by amping up the herbs and spices, and you can wean yourself off salt while still enjoying food. 

Which leads us to the fact that salt is only one of the flavors that you need to concentrate on – sour, sweet, bitter, and umami (a Japanese word roughly translated as savory) are just as important.  And what’s more is that your brain interprets taste by comparing the responses from the different taste buds[2].  So meals that incorporate all of these flavors really do dance on your tongue.

3. Aroma

Herbs and spices make food sing!  Most of what we taste comes from our sense of smell – you realized that in grade school when they made you plug your nose and eat a piece of apple, which you couldn’t distinguish from the piece of onion.  And this is precisely the problem with most packaged foods, in that they are totally lacking in aroma – even VGF organic soups in a can need a healthy shot of pepper, red chili flake, basil, garlic or something to make it from the pan to my bowl.  That’s just the nature of making soup from a can versus making it from scratch.  That’s where the herb of the month club comes in!  I for one am looking forward to this exercise in aromatics.  And you don’t have to stop with herbs – heck, do a spice of the month club too.  That sumac in the Mediterranean food store looks interesting?  Figure out how to make it work in soups, stews, breads, dips…and I know it does because that’s exactly what I did.  You just have to dive in and chalk it all up to experience.

4. Presentation

Finally, don’t go to all this effort to just blob something on the plate.  We eat with our eyes first, that is what draws us a little closer, then the aroma makes it enticing and we dig into that lovely, well seasoned, well executed meal!  So keep in mind color, shape, height and texture.  Use the natural color of your ingredients to your advantage, shape the components such that you cover only about 60% of the plate, put the most beautiful or intriguing thing on top, and a play of textures on the plate will undoubtedly be a play of textures on the tongue. 

So I hoped you were inspired to greater culinary invention and creativity like I was – thanks Chef Dan!

---

[1] Whitney & Rolfes. Understanding Nutrition, 10^th Ed.  Thompson Wadsworth. 2005.

[2] Kalat. Biological Psychology, 8^th Ed. Thompson Wadsworth. 2004.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Wash your tomatoes and remove the stems.  Cut them in half and place them on a baking sheet (I used a Silpat for easy clean up but you could also put down baking parchment – don’t use wax paper, it will “melt”).  Put them in a 200 degree F oven for 4-6 hours depending on the size, maybe less if you have convection.  Remove them when they have reduced by half and are soft but not juicy.  Let cool and then either place the whole tray in the freezer if you have room, or transfer them into an air-tight container or bag and try to lay them out so they freeze in a single layer.  If you’ve done the tray thing, let them freeze overnight and then transfer to an airtight container.  For best flavor use within 4 to 6 months.  Best added to soups, stews, stir fries and other cooked applications.  What fun additions can you come up with???

Too easy!  Just cut and let them do their thing...

...and you get 'disks of sunshine' for the cold days ahead!

Recipe: Quick Pickled Onions & Friends

This is a very versatile condiment – its great added to sandwiches, perks up egg salad, and adds zing to just about anything.  JJ has been known to eat them straight from the jar!  You can also use this formula for peppers, cucumbers – just about any veggies that you can slice thinly and stuff in a jar.  Red onions are the original, but you could also use sweet white onions such as walla wallas or even shallots.  Right now, we have a plethora of little cherry bomb peppers – a tasty combo of heat and sweet – that I’ve added to the onions for an especially addictive combination and beautiful ‘ta boot!  You can remove the seeds & membranes if you want a milder version, or just use bell peppers instead.  You can get super creative with added spices too if you so desire, but I like to keep it pretty stock to make versatile - and easy!

There are 3 kinds of rice wine vinegar (Marukan is one brand) out there and you can choose the variety that is best for you.  Seasoned rice wine vinegar has salt and sugar added to it already – you could possibly omit, or at least reduce the amount of agave added depending on your taste if you have this kicking around in the fridge door.  If you are going out to buy some I’d recommend the “low sodium & sugar” kind, as it is pretty versatile in the kitchen and I use it in place of white vinegar especially for salad dressings (I only use white vinegar for cleaning).  If you are really watching salt and/or sugar intake then I recommend getting plain (unseasoned) rice wine vinegar.  Then you can add salt and sugar in smaller amounts.  I have made a salt-free version of this, but you definitely still need some sweetener to balance the acid. 

Makes 1 Pint, keeps for a week covered in the fridge

Using a mandolin*, food processor or sharp knife, thinly slice

• About 2 cups of your chosen veggies, or whatever will fit tightly packed in the jar
•  E.g. 1 small red onion & a handful of peppers such as cherry bomb or Hungarian wax

Pack the veggies in the pint jar and add

•  Low-sodium rice wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar of your choosing) to within  ½ inch of the top
•  2 t of agave syrup (or to taste)

Stir/prod to mix – I use a chopstick – and taste the liquid.  The veggies will start to soften almost immediately and give you an idea about the flavor.  Add more vinegar or agave if needed.  Top up with vinegar until all the veggies are covered.  Screw on the lid and put in the fridge and try to leave it for at least 4 hours or overnight before using.  Improves with age and will keep in the fridge for up to a week, put probably won’t last that long.

*A mandolin is a very useful kitchen gadget that is really worth having.  You don’t have to break the bank on a big professional one – Starfrit, Zyless and the like make affordable versions with interchangeable blades.  I think mine was under $15 and they make quick work of slicing.

Celebrate Late Summer with a Moroccan Mixed Grill

Recently we were fortunate enough to have our good friend Carol over for dinner.  I really wanted to try my hand at a tagine – the Moroccan-style slow-cooked stew in its namesake earthenware vessel with a conical top – but the idea of running the stove for multiple hours in 85 degree (plus) weather was less than appealing. 

So, I decided to use the same spices and ingredients, but turn it into a Moroccan grill… much more fitting for a beautiful summer evening.  I grilled all the veggies off in batches first, and tented them with tinfoil to rest.  Then I cleaned the grill and grilled the nectarines, which take mere moments, and while they rested and cooled off a touch, prepared the greens and rest of the salad fixings.  That way we could enjoy two separate courses with wine and no rushing off to cook the next one.

We started with cool salads of grilled nectarines and creamy goat cheese paired with a beautiful champagne, and followed with grilled, marinated veggies served family style so everyone could pick and choose, along with stewed black chickpeas.  These little gems were a revelation of nuttiness and texture, plus they pack a load of antioxidants in that rich outer skin.  They don’t take nearly as long as beans to cook from dried – about 2 hours all told (so I did have the stove going after all!  But I did leave to do some errands, so I think it worked out in the end).  But that time could be reduced substantially if someone had remembered to get them soaking the night before; then, according to the Timeless Food website, only 30 minutes to cook.  All told it was a wonderful accompaniment to time spent with dear ones on the patio.

Menu

Summer Salad with Grilled Nectarines and Goat Cheese

Blackberry, Balsamic & Pink Pepper Vinaigrette

Served with Mumm Napa Cuvee M
*recipe here*

Grilled Tagine-esque Vegetables with Stewed Black Chickpeas and Chermoula

Served with Maryhill Viognier
*recipe here*

Accompaniments

Castelvetrano & Cerignola olives

Sweet Harissa

(Recipes are posted separately)

Where to find it:

·         Pink Peppercorn (aka Pink Schinus; not a true peppercorn but fruit from the Brazillian peppertree Schinus terebrinthifolus)

o   Locally: Foster & Dobbs, maybe other specialty groceries or ethnic market?

o   Online: Numerous purveyors including Mountain Rose Herbs, based in Eugene, OR

·         Black chickpeas

o   Locally: Foster & Dobbs; possibly other specialty shops and/or New Seasons?

o   Online: Timeless Food, which also has information about other fun legumes and grains – they make a great line of lentils too – along with recipes at www.timelessfood.com

·         Harissa (I used Mustapha’s Moroccan Brand)

o   Locally: New Seasons, Pastaworks, and other such grocers

·         Castelvetrano & Cerignola Olives

o   Locally: In bulk at New Seasons, Foster & Dobbs, Alberta St Co-op, and the like

Recipe: Summer Salad with Grilled Nectarines and Goat Cheese

For each person arrange nicely on a plate or shallow bowl:

·         ½ Belgian endive, large leaves sliced lengthwise into halves or thirds

·         1 small handful of arugula leaves, stems removed and torn in thirds

·         ½ a grilled nectarine, cooled slightly

·         ~ 6 blackberries

·         ~ 6 dollops of goat cheese (2-3 oz total per person)

·         Drizzle with Blackberry Balsamic dressing (see below)

Blackberry, Balsamic & Pink Pepper Vinaigrette

I didn’t write down exactly what I put in this, so feedback is appreciated (!), but the following is likely.

Using a stick blender, mini food processor or mortar & pestle, combine the following:

·         1 large handful blackberries (1/3 – ½ cup)

·         1 T good quality balsamic vinegar

·         1 T good quality extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

·         1 t stone ground mustard (such as Inglehoffer)

·         ½ t pink peppercorns, ground

·         Sea salt & coarsely ground black pepper

Whir/mash until smooth and then taste

·         Agave nectar, if necessary depending on the sweetness of the blackberries & balsamic; don’t overdo it, the blackberries should be the star.

Serve with a Demi-Sec Champagne (I used Mumm Napa Cuvee M) or Off-Dry Riesling

Grilled Tagine with Stewed Black Chickpeas and Chermoula

Serves 4, but can be easily increased.

Serve with a Viognier (I used Maryhill Viognier), Sauvignon Blanc, or Off-Dry Riesling

NB: Only when I typed this out in full did I notice how many components there are to this dish!  It is worth it though, honest! But definitely more of a weekend meal.  Any or all of the steps (besides the grilling) can be prepared a day or two ahead - so make it easy on yourself.  While you’re at it I encourage you to make a batch and use leftovers for a “bonus” meal without the prep.  I’ve included one at the end that I made with my leftovers, a Moroccan-Inspired Frittata. Or, if you don't want to dive all the way in right off the bat, make just the chickpeas and use them to top a salad, or add them to quinoa; use the chermoula to spice up some tacos; or make a one-pot stew with the tagine spice mix.  Experiment!

Grilled Tagine-esque Vegetables

Tagine Spice Mix

Grind the following spices* (an old, clean coffee grinder dedicated to spices work great, or use a mortar & pestle):

·         1/2 t green cardamom seeds, about 10 pods worth

·         1/2 t cloves, about 15

·         1/2 t allspice, about 24 medium berries

·         1 t cinnamon, about ¼ of a stick (I use Mexican cinnamon which is sweeter and way easier to break than “traditional” cinnamon; find it in the Hispanic food aisle)

·         2 t red pepper flakes or other medium heat dried chilies (for a more toned down heat, use 1 T)

·         3 t coriander seeds

Grind to a powder and then add:

·         1 t turmeric

·         1.5 T sweet/mild paprika (I use Hungarian)

Whirl or stir to combine.  Makes about ¼ cup.  Use in a tagine or make into a marinade as below.  (While you have the grinder out, you may as well process ½ t cumin for the chickpeas and set aside).

*You can substitute all ground spices for this, but you’ll likely not get the complexity of flavor, especially if you’ve had that ground allspice kicking around since the 90s (80s??).  Whole spices preserve their flavor and aroma better, and are cheap and easy to buy from the bulk section in small quantities – you’ll notice the difference.

Marinade

Transfer the spices to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup (such as Pyrex, or anything with some headspace above the 1 cup mark – you can easily sub for a 2 cup if that’s what you’ve got handy/clean or are a messy stirrer).

With a mortar and pestle or a mini food processor make a paste with:

·         2 cloves garlic

·         1 small handful cilantro, large stems removed (about ¼ c loosely packed)

·         A healthy pinch of coarse salt

Then work in, one at a time if using the mortar, all at once for the processor:

·         1 T extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

·         1 T agave nectar

·         Zest and juice of one fat lemon

When combined, add the paste to the mixing cup with the spice mixture.  Stir in:

·         2 T evoo, until combined, then add

·         Water to make 1 cup

Let rest to “get to know itself”, as JJ would say, while you deal with the veggies.

Veggies

Choose a selection of seasonal vegetables; clean, trim ends and parboil as necessary, such as:

• 2 cups small carrots, parboiled whole (cut large carrots into 2 inch long pieces at the top and 3 inch pieces where they narrow to compensate for uneven thickness)
• 2 sweet potatoes or 1 small winter squash, peeled, diced and parboiled
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, leave whole if small or medium, halve if large (or substitute portabello and leave whole to grill then slice to serve)
• ½ a cauliflower, divided into about 2” florets with stem attached
• 1 bell pepper, cut into large pieces (about 2”x2”)
• 4 small zucchini, halved

Put the veggies in a large, non-reactive container (i.e. glass or ceramic) or a zip-top bag and pour the marinade mixture over them.  Mix/rub/squish until all veggies are coated.  Cover/zip & let marinate in the fridge, turning often, for a minimum of 4 hours.  I haven’t tried leaving them overnight, but that could be especially good!

Stewed Black Chickpeas

Soak overnight:

• 1 cup dried black chickpeas (you could substitute any of the following
•  Regular chickpeas (soak, follow directions as per black chickpeas), or
• French lentils (which do not need soaking, follow cooking directions on the package), or
•  Canned chickpeas (don’t soak, don’t cook, add where it says “add chickpeas” below and be careful not to overcook)  
• In 3 cups water

Drain, and 2 fresh cups of water, then turn down and simmer for 30 minr, or until tender but not mushy.  Alternatively bring to a boil 1 cup dried, unsoaked chickpeas in 3 cups of water, then reduce and simmer for 60 – 75 minutes or until tender.  Drain.

Cut in half lengthwise (top to bottom)

• 1 sweet onion
• Dice half and set aside.  Thinly slice the other half crosswise (concentric ‘c’ shapes).

In a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, add:

•  A drizzle of evoo, swirling the pan to coat the bottom (1-1.5 t);
•  when hot add thinly sliced sweet onion from above, stirring to coat
• Heavy pinch sea salt

Keep stirring as the onion starts to brown.  Add more evoo if the onion isn’t evenly coated and is sticking at the beginning.  Once some golden color is happening and the bottom starts to dry, add

• A splash of veggie stock, stirring to get the yummy brown bits off the bottom

Continue stirring and adding splashes of veggie stock until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 15 min. Then add:

• Diced onion from above
• 1 t cumin, ground
• 1 handful of dried apricots, ideally Turkish unsulfured ones, chopped (1/3 – ½ cup)
• ¼ c veggie stock

Stir and let simmer until onion is translucent, apricots are soft & stock has reduced.  Then add:

• The chickpeas 
• ½ c veggie stock 
• 1 t harissa (more or less to taste)

Let simmer until the stock is reduced and thickened lightly.  Taste & adjust seasoning if necessary.  These can be set aside and reheated before serving.  Or transfer to a pre-warmed earthenware pot with a lid and they will stay toasty while you grill.

Chermoula

Combine the following in a mini food-processor or mince by hand:

·         ½ a sweet onion (such as Walla walla)

·         1 clove garlic

·         1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, large stems removed (1-1.5 cups)

·         1 large handful cilantro, large stems removed (1-1.5 cups)

·         1 t cumin, ground

·         1 t coriander, ground

·         1 t turmeric powder

·         1 t sweet/mild paprika

·         Pinch of salt

Pulse (or chop) to combine into a relish-like consistency, stop before it becomes a puree.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  You can use a tablespoon of water or evoo to help it combine if needed.  You can make this ahead and put in the fridge until serving.

Grilling & Assembly

If you choose not to grill, you could either roast or sauté instead. Otherwise, warm the grill to medium high.  Grill veggies in batches in the order listed above until they are char-marked and cooked al dente – remember there will carry-over cooking as the veggies rest so ere on the crunchy side.  As each batch comes off, move to a serving plate and tent with foil.  Try to keep the veggies in groups so that people can choose a little of each, or chop carrots and zucc into 2” pieces and toss everything together along with the chickpeas.  Reheat the chickpeas briefly, if desired, before serving.

Serve with the chermoula and harissa or make Sweet Harissa by combining 2 tablespoons of harissa with one teaspoon of agave nectar (or more to taste).

Accompany with an assortment of olives such as: oil cured, castelvetrano and/or cerignola olives.

*BONUS RECIPE IDEA:

Reward yourself for all this culinary slavery with an easy “leftover” meal.  One idea:

Moroccan-Inspired Frittata

Chop the remaining vegetables, add the chickpeas and any remaining chermoula along with some diced olives in an overproof dish – I like glass because the egg comes away cleaner without oiling, but do what works for you.  For every 2 cups of leftover mix, use 4-6 eggs depending on how “eggy” you want it or how far you want to stretch the leftovers.  Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk with 2 T water or milk until light and foamy.  Whisk in 1 t each sweet paprika & turmeric, salt & coarse pepper.  If you don’t have any/ a lot of chermoula, add some chopped cilantro and parsley, about 2 T of each.  Pour the eggs over the veg-chickpea mixture in the baking dish, and prod a bit to make it even.  Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden and firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool, turn out of the dish and slice how you please.  Enjoy an easy “bonus” meal!