Current Reading/Books in Progress
Return to Extras.
Reading
These days I can't stop reading Nigella
Lawson's How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good
Food (John Wiley & Sons, paper). It's not just that the food is
alluring and easy to cook; what really keeps me turning the pages
when I should be sleeping is the tone. Few cookbooks give you the
sense of a whole person, but Nigella's writing is so vivid and direct,
you really do feel as if you know and trust her. Here's a taste of
her prose:
| According to my paternal grandmother, spring
no longer exists, though her lament was as much sartorial as environmental:
no more spring coats, you see, because no more spring weather.
Actually, I suspect the change is in us rather than in the climate;
our failure to recognize, let alone celebrate, the advent of spring
owes rather more to the fact that we now live in centrally heated
homes. The meager upturn in the weather cannot have quite the
impact it must once have had. But I do think there is an idea
of spring, culinarily speaking. Of course, seasonal produce has
something to do with it, but not everything. For me, that idea
is instantly conveyed by this lemony, creamy tangle of linguine
that actually you could cook at any time of the year. It's the
easiest thing you could imagine— the sauce requires no cooking,
just stirring (and limply at that) and it produces food that is
both comforting and uplifting. There must be something about the
smell of lemons, so fresh, so hopeful, which makes this instant
good-mood food. But it isn't so jaunty and astringent that you
need to brace yourself to dive in. |
Writing
I'm currently writing a book
called The Flavors of Olive Oil, designed to showcase olive
oils in all their variety. Some of the wonderful sources for great
olive oils are in the Food Links section;
below are some olive oil recipes I've developed based on a recent
trip to Italy.
Fava Bean Soup
This hearty soup, a variation on a Tuscan classic, uses two kinds
of olive oil -- a buttery olive oil for cooking the onion at the
beginning, and a flavorful green and grassy oil to pass at the table
for dribbling over the hot soup. Dried fava beans are available in
the International section of most grocery stores, packaged by Goya;
and in health food stores in bulk. The health food variety is often
shelled, and is preferable for cooking ease. An unshelled fava has
a dark brown exterior with a black smile at one end; a shelled fava
is a more uniform pale green-brown. If you do buy unshelled favas,
be prepared to peel them as indicated in the recipe below. If you
are using fava beans which have already been shelled, skip right to
step three after rinsing them off. Serves 6-8.
2 1/4 cups dried fava beans (or one package)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon buttery olive oil
5 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock or water
1 cup (1/2 bunch) parsley, preferably flat leafed, stemmed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
small chunk (about 4 tablespoons) of Parmesan cheese to grate
green flavorful olive oil for garnish
Rinse and pick over beans. Boil 4 cups of water and add beans to
the water. Boil, uncovered, about 10 minutes, or until foam rises
and steam smells starchy. Drain and put beans into a large bowl of
cold water to stop the cooking process.
Peel the beans, using your fingernail to split the shell. Discard
shells.
In a soup pot, slowly heat 1 tablespoon of any olive oil until fragrant.
Add the diced bacon and chopped onion, and cook over low heat until
the onion is transparent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add peeled fava beans and chicken stock or water. Keeping the heat
low, cover the pot and cook, simmering slowly for 45 - 60 minutes,
or until the beans are tender. Check and stir occasionally to make
sure the beans are not sticking to the bottom.
Add parsley, salt and pepper, and serve. Pass cheese and grater,
along with a cruet or bottle of flavorful green olive oil to dribble
over the surface of the soup.
Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage and Greens
Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage and Greens is a weeknight staple
at our house, since it comes together so rapidly and makes a one-dish
meal. I like it best with a toothy pasta, like penne or orecchiette,
but it's also good with fettucine. Adding the optional potato to
the pasta as it cooks is a useful trick to make dried pasta taste
fresher, but it's by no means essential. I've used spinach in this
recipe, but you can also use chard or kale -- just cut off and set
aside the whole length of thick stem, chopping the leaves into slivers.
Boil the leaves of tougher greens like chard or kale longer by adding
them along with the pasta, since they require more time to cook to
tenderness. See the note, below, for an additional crisp breadcrumb
topping. Serves 4-6.
1/2 - 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausages
1/2 cup white wine or water
1/2 pound fresh spinach, stemmed and washed
1 pound package orecchiette, or other pasta
(optional: 1 potato)
1 tablespoon salt
about 3 tablespoons green and grassy olive oil to taste, for finishing
the dish
a hunk of Parmesan cheese about 3" by 2", or 1/4-1/2 cup, grated
Fill a large pot (8 quart capacity or more) about 3/4 full with water,
and bring to a boil. At the same time, heat a heavy frying pan and
when it is used). Stir occasionally as pasta cooks. After five minutes,
add the chopped spinach to cook along with the pasta.
When the pasta/spinach/potatoes are cooked "al dente" (about 10-12
minutes or so -- taste a piece to make sure the pasta is cooked through),
drain well in a colander and add to the serving platter. Pour olive
oil over the pasta, and mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle
with salt and pepper, grate cheese generously over the top, and mix
again. Serve immediately, passing additional olive oil and cheese
at the table.
NOTE: This dish can elevated sensationally by the addition
of grilled breadcrumbs sprinkled over the top. Pan-fry good country
bread along with a chopped clove of garlic in a puddle of flavorful
green olive oil until toasted and golden-brown. Let cool, and then
grate on a hand grater, or cut into chunks and process in a food processor
until you have coarse crisp crumbs.
Flash Roasted Salmon with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Flash-roasting fish in a very hot oven is the simplest way I know
to cook a flavorful filet. Whisking fresh lemon juice and a fragrant
olive oil together produces a light sauce that's a perfect match for
the salmon. The salmon and dressing are also delicious served on
top of mounds of sautéed spinach and flavorful rice such as jasmine.
Figure 1/4 to 1/2 pound of fish per person, depending on appetite
and whether you are serving in courses. If I'm starting with soup
or a salad, I assume that a pound of thick boneless salmon filet will
feed four when served with a starch and a green vegetable. But if
the salmon plate is the meal, I allow 1/2 pound per person.
Flash Roasted Salmon
1 (1-2 pound filet of salmon to feed two or four)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon buttery olive oil
Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup buttery olive oil
Heat oven to 500 degrees. While it is pre-heating, lightly grease
a cast iron or other heavy ovenproof frying pan. Place salmon filet
in pan, skin side down, cutting it into serving size pieces if necessary
to make the fish fit in the pan. Using your hands or a pastry brush,
smooth a little oil on top of the fish's flesh.
When the oven is at temperature, slide in the pan and roast for 15
minutes. Remove immediately and place salmon on serving platter or
plates. Salt and pepper to taste.
While salmon is roasting or resting, juice a lemon. Using a whisk
or a mini food processor, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream
to the lemon juice to make a light dressing.
Pour a small portion of the dressing over the fish, reserving extra
dressing for another use, such as over a green salad.
Olive Oil Bathed Spring Vegetables
This recipe is adapted from one in Georgeanne Brennan's book, Savoring
France. Georgeanne says that in France, baby artichokes and asparagus
come into season at the same time, and so are natural candidates for
cooking together. Since it's often difficult to find tender baby
artichokes, I make this dish with frozen artichoke hearts and the
season's first asparagus.
2-3 tablespoons mildly assertive olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 pound fresh asparagus
10 frozen artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon thyme
2 bay leaves
Parmesan cheese to grate over the finished dish
In a wide shallow sauté pan or frying pan, heat the oil and gently
cook the garlic over medium-low heat. Trim the woody ends off the
asparagus and wash the stalks. Cut the stalks into one-inch lengths.
Cut each artichoke heart in half lengthwise, and then divide each
half again lengthwise.
Add the asparagus and artichoke hearts to the pan, and stir in the
thyme and bay leaves. Continue to cook and stir for a minute or two
until all the vegetables are coated with olive oil.
Cover and cook over low heat for another 5-10 minutes, or until the
asparagus are cooked to crisp tenderness.
Serve, with cheese grated over each serving.
Chicken Liver Crostini
It's worth looking for organic chicken livers for this dish, as the
difference is palpable. Organic livers are a rich deep red; they're
larger than conventional chicken livers, and they're probably better
for you. You can easily halve or double this recipe, depending on
the size of the crowd. This recipe makes about one baguette's worth
of topping, and is especially good on whole-wheat walnut baguette.
Adding the optional capers enlivens the flavor, but if you're not
fond of capers feel free to leave them out. Note that the livers can
be cooked earlier in the day and brought to room temperature before
spreading.
2 tablespoons of buttery olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
2 large shallots or 1 medium onion, sweet if possible, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped; or dried sage
1/2 pound chicken livers, cleaned and drained
1 tablespoon Dry (not sweet) Marsala, or red wine
optional: 1 teaspoon capers
One baguette (whole wheat walnut preferred)
Heat a large frying pan, add olive oil and butter, and reduce heat
to low. Add the sage and chopped shallots or onion. Cook, stirring
occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until the shallots or onions begin
to look translucent.
Increase heat to high and add chicken livers, stirring to make sure
each liver is in contact with the pan. Cook, stirring as necessary,
to brown all sides and cooks to a slightly pink interior.
When livers are nearly done, add the Marsala or wine and cook another
3 minutes or so until the alcohol evaporates. Salt generously to
taste and let cool.
Chop by hand or with a food processor, adding the capers if using.
If you use a food processor, pulse no more than six times to make
a coarse and textured pate.
Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Arrange
these on a baking sheet and broil, or use a grill pan on top of the
stove, or a wood or gas-fired grill, watching carefully to avoid burning.
Spread the toasted bread with the liver mixture and serve.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus gain a depth of flavor from the intense heat of the oven,
and this is magnified if you use a cast iron frying pan, because it
holds the heat. Alternatively, you can use a roasting pan. Note that
oven roasted asparagus can be the basis for a wonderful spring pasta
dish: Instead of roasting the asparagus whole, cut them into 1-inch
pieces. While the asparagus roasts, boil a large pot of water and
cook a pound of pasta. After it is drained, mix in the asparagus
pieces and lemon zest, adding additional oil if necessary, and grating
fresh Parmesan cheese over all.
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons fragrant olive oil or lemon-infused olive oil
salt
one washed whole lemon, for zesting purposes
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and preheat a cast iron frying pan
in the oven.
Wash and drain the asparagus, snapping or cutting off any woody ends.
Carefully remove the hot frying pan from the oven, and put a little
of the olive oil in the pan. Place the asparagus on top of the oil,
and pour the rest of the oil over the asparagus. Stir until all the
stalks are covered with oil, and put the pan back in the hot oven.
Roast for 10-15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to make sure
the asparagus isn't sticking. After ten minutes, remove a stalk and
see if it is done to your liking, as cooking times will vary according
to the thickness of the stalks and their freshness. The goal is crisp
tender, with slight char marks.
When the asparagus are done, remove promptly and serve, grating fresh
lemon zest over the top.
