| THIS WEEK'S FEATURES AND RECIPES:
> Article:
"Move Over, Vinaigrette"
> Wine Appreciation:
Angoves Red Belly Black Chardonnay 2006
> Food Funnies:
Foods They Won’t Even Sell at Convenience Stores
S
E L E C T E D R E C I P E S :
* Howard
Johnson's Boston Brown Bread
* Red
Wine Pot Roast with Porcini
* Crock
Pot Ham and Beans
* Pirozhki
* Wilted
Greens with Garlic and Anchovies
* Taco
Soup
* Baked
French Toast Casserole
* Angel
Food Cake
Healthy Eating:
Low Carb: Black
Pepper and Balsamic Pork Chops
Diabetic: Italian
Style Green Beans and Tomatoes
Low Fat: Squash
Dinner Rolls
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+==+=-=+=-=+=-=
This Week's Cooking Tips
========================
* To frost a cake quickly without
having it crumble, freeze the
layers in the cake pans for
about one hour, then remove them
from the pans and frost them.
This also prevents the layers
from splitting in the center.
* To keep a cake from sticking to
the pan, grease the pan with
one part shortening and two
parts flour mixed until it has a
sandy consistency.
* To keep loaf cakes fresher longer,
cut slices from the middle
rather than from the end.
When you're finished slicing, firmly
push the two leftover sections
together to reform a loaf. This
way, you eliminate an exposed,
quick-to-dry-out "end" slice.
* To prevent cake filling from soaking
into the cake, sprinkle
layers lightly with confectioners'
sugar before spreading filling.
More
Cooking Tips
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+==+=-=+=-=+=-=
This Week's Culinary Quiz (Answer
at the bottom of page)
What is
a tomato-based Italian stew that has a variety of
fish and shellfish
in it?
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+==+=-=+=-=+=-=
Quote of the Week:
"We are living in a world
today where lemonade is made from
artificial flavors and furniture
polish is made from real lemons."
- Alfred E. Newman
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+==+=-=+=-=+=-=
Subscribe
to the VJJE Recipe Weekly - It's fun and it's free!
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+==+=-=+=-=+=-=
UPCOMING FOOD HOLIDAYS:
March is: National Nutrition Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Peanut Month
National Sauce Month
National Flour Month
National Noodle Month
February 28 - National Chocolate Souffle Day
March 1 - National Peanut Butter Lover's Day
March 2 - National Banana Cream Pie Day
March 3 - National Mulled Wine Day
March 4 - National Pound Cake Day
March 5 - National Cheese Doodle Day
March 6 - National Frozen Food Day
March 7 - National Crown Roast of Pork Day
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
FREE E-COOKBOOKS!
Get
14 Sample E-Cookbooks Absolutely FREE!
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Move
Over, Vinaigrette
By MARK BITTMAN
Ponzu, an all-purpose sauce from
Japan, is the rough equivalent of
vinaigrette. But bottled ponzu,
which is what you will find in
Japanese markets, is to real ponzu
as a supermarket brand is to real
vinaigrette: a pale shadow.
Real ponzu is delicious. With soy
sauce and citrus as its base, and
a few other esoteric but readily
available ingredients chipping in,
why wouldn't it be? Though the sauce
is quickly made, at its best it
is complex. Simply throwing together
some soy, lemon and ginger and
calling it ponzu, as most restaurants
do, is not the answer.
I began to learn what ponzu was
on a visit to Japan a couple of
years ago, and have since improved
my technique, largely through
swapping recipes with a few other
fanatics, in particular my friend
Daniel Del Vecchio, a chef. I am
enamored of the refined recipe here.
In Japan, ponzu is usually made
with yuzu, a citrus fruit that is
rarely found here and is outrageously
expensive when it is. A
combination of lemon and lime juices
substitutes well. You can vary
these to taste; I prefer a bit more
lemon than lime. Still, this does
not make an acidic-enough mixture,
and a touch of rice wine vinegar
is needed. Balance is provided by
mirin, a sweet sake used for
cooking.
The subtle underlying keys are kelp
(dried seaweed) and dried bonito
flakes (bonito is a relative of
tuna). When you add these two
ingredients the mixture becomes
smoky and rich. Without them, it is
just sweet-and-sour soy sauce.
All these ingredients are sold in
almost every Asian market and will
keep in your pantry for months if
not years. I cannot find much
difference in the quality of different
types of mirin, rice vinegar
and kelp. In Japan, large bonito
flakes are preferred to small, but
there, you can buy the flakes freshly
shaved. As always, however, it
is worth buying good soy sauce.
The standard brands (Kikkoman,
Yamasa, San-J and so on) are fine,
as is any soy sauce that lists as
its ingredients only soy, wheat,
salt and "culture," the yeast that
makes the mixture ferment.
Homemade ponzu will keep for several
days with no loss in quality.
Put it to work as a dip for seafood
of any kind, as a marinade or
sauce for chicken (roast chicken
with ponzu splashed over it is
fantastic) or, mixed with a little
bit of oil, as a great dressing
for salads or vegetables. Like vinaigrette,
there is seemingly no end
to its uses.
Ponzu Sauce
===========
2/3 cup fresh lemon
juice, more to taste
1/3 cup fresh lime
juice, more to taste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 cup good-quality
soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (or 1/4
cup sake and 1 tablespoon sugar)
1 3-inch piece kelp
(konbu)
1/2 cup (about 1/4
ounce) dried bonito flakes
Pinch cayenne
In a bowl, combine all ingredients.
Let sit for at least 2 hours or
overnight. Strain. Just before using,
you might add a small squeeze
of fresh lemon or lime juice. Covered
and refrigerated, ponzu will
keep for at least several days.
Yield: 2 1/2 cups.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
This Week's Wine Selection
==========================
Angoves Red Belly Black Chardonnay
2006 Price: $8
This wine is bright pale straw in
color with green hints, and
shows abundant white peach and citrus
on the nose. The palate
is soft and luscious with nectarine
and lemon flavors being
supported by spicy vanillin oak.
Serve With:
Poulet a la Fermiere
====================
2 pounds chicken thighs
and drumsticks
1 tablespoon unsalted
butter
6 fresh parsley sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
4 carrots, cut diagonally
into 1-inch-thick slices
2 cups frozen small
whole onions, thawed and patted dry
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 pound small (1 1/2-inch)
boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
2/3 cup creme fraiche
1 cup frozen baby peas,
thawed
1 cup coarsely grated
Gruyere
Pat chicken dry and season with
salt and pepper. Heat butter in a
12 inch ovenproof deep heavy saute
pan over moderately high heat
until foam subsides, then brown
chicken all over, in batches if
necessary, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer
to a plate and cover. Pour off
all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaf
in cheesecloth to make a bouquet
garni, then add to pan with carrots
and onions, stirring to coat with
fat. Add wine and deglaze by boiling
over high heat, stirring and
scraping up brown bits, until liquid
is reduced by half, about 3
minutes. Add broth and chicken,
skin sides up, with any juices from
plate, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and salt and
pepper to taste and simmer, covered,
until chicken is cooked through
and potatoes are tender, about 15
minutes.
Preheat broiler. Discard bouquet
garni. Stir in creme fraiche, peas,
and salt and pepper to taste, then
turn chicken in sauce to coat.
Sprinkle dish all over with Gruyere
and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat
until browned and sauce is bubbling,
3 to 4 minutes.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
http://www.littlefivers.com =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Food Funnies
============
Foods They
Won’t Even Sell at Convenience Stores:
9. Tofu Jerky
8. Bleu Cheese Ice Cream
7. Diarrheatos
6. Pickled Twinkies
5. Rocks-from-the-Road Ice Cream
4. Shingles Potato Chips
3. Slimfast Jims
2. Chock Full o’ Gnats Coffee
... and the #1 Food They Won’t
Even Sell at Convenience Stores ...
1. Roadrage! Supercharged Energy
Drink
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Howard Johnson's Boston Brown Bread
===================================
1 cup unsifted whole
wheat flour
1 cup unsifted rye
flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking
soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup molasses
2 cups buttermilk
Grease and flour a 2 qt. mold. Combine
flours, corn meal, soda,
and salt. Stir in molasses and buttermilk.
Turn into mold and cover
tightly. Place on trivet in deep
kettle. Add enough boiling water to
kettle to come half way up sides
of mold; cover. Steam 3 1/2 hr., or
until done. Remove from mold to
cake rack. Serve hot with baked beans.
Makes 1 loaf.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Red Wine Pot Roast with Porcini
===============================
1 cup low-salt chicken
broth or beef broth
1/2 ounce dried porcini
mushrooms
1 (4 pound) boneless
beef chuck roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely
chopped
2 celery stalks with
some leaves, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh marjoram plus sprigs for garnish
1 28-ounce can whole
peeled tomatoes, drained
1 cup dry red wine
Preheat oven to 300F. Bring broth
to simmer in saucepan. Remove
from heat; add mushrooms, cover,
and let stand until soft, about
15 minutes. Using slotted spoon,
transfer mushrooms to cutting board.
Chop coarsely. Reserve mushrooms
and broth separately.
Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy large oven-
proof pot over medium-high heat.
Add beef and cook until brown on all
sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer
beef to large plate. Pour off
all but 1 tablespoon drippings from
pot. Place pot over medium heat.
Add onion and celery. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper and saute until
beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic, chopped marjoram,
and reserved porcini mushrooms;
saute 1 minute. Using hands, crush
tomatoes, 1 at a time, into pot.
Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently
and scraping up browned bits from
bottom of pot. Add wine; boil 5
minutes. Add reserved mushroom broth,
leaving any sediment behind.
Boil 5 minutes.
Return beef and any accumulated
juices to pot. Cover; transfer to
oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours. Turn beef
and continue cooking until tender,
about 1 1/2 hours longer. Transfer
beef to cutting board; tent with
foil. Spoon fat from surface of
juices in pot. Bring juices to boil;
cook until liquid is reduced to
4 cups, about 7 minutes. Season with
salt and pepper. Cut beef into 1/2-inch-thick
slices. Transfer to
platter. Spoon juices over, garnish
with marjoram sprigs, and serve.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Crock Pot Ham and Beans
=======================
1 lb. dried great northern
beans or other dried beans
3 garlic cloves, peeled
and sliced
1 large sweet onion,
chopped coarsely
1/2 teaspoon kosher
salt
1/2 teaspoon black
pepper
1 tablespoon chopped
parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground
cloves
1 lb. smoked ham or
ham hock
6 cups water or broth
Sort beans and soak in enough water
to cover overnight, or you may
sort them and place in a saucepan
with 2 inches of water to cover.
Bring them to a boil, boil for 3
minutes, then cover and remove from
heat. Allow to sit for one hour
after boiling (don't lift the lid).
Whatever method you use, rinse and
drain the beans before placing
them in the crock pot.
Put the rinsed beans, garlic, onion,
salt, pepper, parsley, cloves,
ham (chopped into large chunks)
or ham hocks into the crock pot along
with 6 cups water or broth. Cover
crock, and cook on low for about
8 hours, or until beans are tender
and creamy. Skim any excess fat,
if necessary, before serving.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Pirozhki
========
2 cups milk, warmed
1 tablespoon white
sugar
1 tablespoon active
dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter,
melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups all-purpose
flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium head cabbage,
finely chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs,
chopped
salt and pepper to
taste
Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small
bowl. Stir in sugar and
sprinkle yeast over the top. Set
aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Pour the remaining milk into a large
bowl.
Add the melted butter, egg, salt
and 1 cup of flour to the large
bowl with the milk. Stir in the
yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at
a time until dough pulls away from
the sides of the bowl and doesn't
stick to your hands. Cover the bowl
loosely and set in a warm place
to rise for about 1 hour. Dough
should almost triple in size.
While you wait for the dough to
rise, melt the remaining butter in
a large skillet over medium heat.
Add cabbage and cook, stirring
frequently, until cabbage has wilted.
Mix in the eggs and season with
salt and pepper. Continue to cook,
stirring occasionally until
cabbage is tender. Set this aside
for the filling.
Place the risen dough onto a floured
surface and gently form into a
long snake about 2 inches wide.
Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each
piece into a ball. Flatten the balls
by hand until they are 4 to 5
inches across. Place a spoonful
of the cabbage filling in the center
and fold in half to enclose. Pinch
the edges together to seal in the
filling.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line one
or two baking sheets with
aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki
onto the baking sheet, leaving
room between them for them to grow.
Bake for 20 minutes in the
preheated oven, or until golden
brown.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Wilted Greens with Garlic and Anchovies
=======================================
1/4 cup extra-virgin
olive oil
3 anchovy fillets,
rinsed
4 cloves garlic, thinly
sliced
1 head escarole or
1 head or bunch other sturdy leafy green,
such as
dandelions or turnip greens, cut crosswise into
1/2-inch-wide
ribbons, washed and spun dry
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1/2 lemon
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high
heat until hot. Add the
olive oil, anchovies, and garlic
and cook just until the garlic is
light golden brown, about 30 seconds.
Add the greens and cook,
stirring constantly, until wilted,
about 5 minutes. Season with
salt and pepper, squeeze the lemon
juice over, and serve.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Taco Soup
=========
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans
pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can
pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can
whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can
Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can
diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can
tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans
diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black
olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives,
sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package
taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package
ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for
garnish
Chopped green onions,
for garnish
Pickled jalapenos,
for garnish
Brown the ground beef and onions
in a large skillet; drain the
excess fat, then transfer the browned
beef and onions to a large
slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the
beans, corn, tomatoes, green
chiles, black olives, green olives,
taco seasoning, and ranch
dressing mix, and cook in a slow
cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours
or simmer over low heat for about
1 hour in a pot on the stove.
To serve, place a few corn chips
in each bowl and ladle soup over
them. Top with sour cream, cheese,
green onions and jalapenos.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Baked French Toast Casserole
============================
1 loaf French bread
(13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated
sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1/4 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground
nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe
follows
Maple syrup
Slice French bread into 20 slices,
1-inch each. (Use any extra bread
for garlic toast or bread crumbs).
Arrange slices in a generously
buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking
dish in 2 rows, overlapping the
slices. In a large bowl, combine
the eggs, half-and-half, milk,
sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg
and salt and beat with a rotary
beater or whisk until blended but
not too bubbly. Pour mixture over
the bread slices, making sure all
are covered evenly with the milk-
egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture
in between the slices. Cover
with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly
over the bread and bake for 40 minutes,
until puffed and lightly
golden. Serve with maple syrup.
Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks)
butter
1 cup packed light
brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light
corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground
nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium
bowl and blend well. Makes
enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
Free Recipes and Cookbooks =+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
Angel Food Cake
===============
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the
closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract,
or extract of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons cream
of tartar
Preheat oven to 350F. In a food
processor spin sugar about 2 minutes
until it is superfine. Sift half
of the sugar with the salt and the
cake flour, setting the remaining
sugar aside.
In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk
to thoroughly combine egg
whites, water, orange extract, and
cream of tartar. After 2 minutes,
switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift
the reserved sugar, beating
continuously at medium speed. Once
you have achieved medium peaks,
sift enough of the flour mixture
in to dust the top of the foam.
Using a spatula fold in gently.
Continue until all of the flour
mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an
ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35
minutes before checking for doneness
with a wooden skewer. (When
inserted halfway between the inner
and outer wall, the skewer should
come out dry). Cool upside down
on cooling rack for at least an hour
before removing from pan.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=
This Week's Culinary Quiz
Answer: Cioppino
Cioppino came about from the Italian
fishermen of the San Francisco
area in the late 1800s. It was often
made out at sea and then brought
into port. The feature fish was
typically the catch-of-the-day. It is
often served over long pasta with
the shells still on the crabs and
other shellfish. Eating this treat
might take some extra effort!
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-= |
