These are a few of my favorite things

My love for cooking extends to all aspects of it. I collect cookbooks, recipes, and even cooking tools. Recently, I collected a variety of antique kitchen tools and appliances. Enameled colanders, wooden mixing bowls, food scales, hand crank coffee grinders and percolators, bakeware, butter churns, flour sifters. They are displayed atop my cupboards. 



I appreciate the nostalgia of these old cooking items. They are just the kind of things that would have been used in our old Victorian house over the course of its 115 years of existence. I find that very cool. Somebody 50 or 100 years ago used these things in the everyday acts of preparing food and drink for their family. I have a few little tools from my mother, grandmother, and Jim's grandmother too. I like to think a little of their energy is left in them. Just another way cooking connects us, this time to our predecessors.


Can you tell what they are?

One of the cooking magazines I read, perhaps Bon Appetit, does one page interviews with top chefs and other celebrities and often the interviewer asks about can't-live-without ingredients or tools. I am always fascinated by this (I am sure it could be the voyeur in me needing to know what is in their cupboards or fridges). 


So I was thinking: what would I answer? While I have drawers and cupboards and storage bins of things that don't even fit in my kitchen, there really only a handful of things that I just can't do without. These are my favorites. What are yours?

Pam's Favorite 

Kitchen Tools 

(in no particular order)

• Chef's knife—I have 10" and 8" Henkels' chef's knives. I like the sturdy feel and ease of cutting. I try to keep them sharp. Even just a cheap sharpening tool can make a big difference in how well it cuts. 

• Microplane—ginger, garlic, citrus zests, lemongrass.  What did I ever do before the microplane?

• Lemon juicer—I use fresh lemon juice in many things. My lemon juicer has a built in strainer for the seeds and pulp. Easier than using a reamer and strainer.

• Heavy duty griddle—The kids love pancakes of any kind as well as french toast. I have a two-burner stovetop griddle as well as a built-in cast iron griddle on my stove. We also use it regularly to make quesadillas, grilled cheese, flatbreads and pizzas. 

• 12" covered saute pan—I make most everyday meals in this. From searing to saucing to serving it up. This pan does it all.

• Favorite spatula—the $0.79 yellow plastic spatula I got when I was 18. It is thin and flexible and has a tapered edge. It is great for getting under difficult to maneuver foods and doesn't scratch pans. I have never found one just like it since.

• Mini food processor—nuts, small amounts of bread crumbs, small amounts of herbs, whipping flax, mincing onions. Just used it tonight to make a lime and herb sauce to dress up some halibut. Very convenient.

• Mini-food slicer—I have a small, hand held version of a mandolin. It creates uniform slices (some extremely thin) quickly. Great for slicing apples for the dehydrator, thinly slicing onions, and slicing potatoes to fry up for brunch.

• Immersion blender—Great for pureeing hot soups and sauces right in the pan. I also use it for mixing batters and making smoothies right in their cups. A quick rinse is all it takes to clean it off. I rarely ever use my regular blender at all.

• Pressure cooker—I use this a lot in winter. It cuts down the time of braising and stewing from hours to minutes. Brown rice in about 11 minutes, unsoaked, dried beans in 35. A major time saver.

• Measure All Cup from the pampered chef. This is a plunger style 2 cup measurer just right for measuring those tricky or messy things like shortening, peanut butter, honey. It adjusts for any size and automatically scrapes the sides for you.

• Scoops with squeeze action handles—I have a few sizes of these. So perfect for filling muffin tins (we make lots of those), evenly apportioning cookie dough, and making meatballs too. Much neater than hands or spoons.

Pozole for Las Posadas

One reason I enjoy trying new recipes is that that they have a great capacity to connect people. When I eat food from other countries I feel like I have a little better understanding of different cultures and their traditional foods. For the December meeting of our neighborhood cooking group, we shared several dishes representing holiday traditions around the world. We had a feast of Jewish, German, Swedish, African, Finnish, Mexican and French foods.

This was just the opportunity I needed. For a while, I have been wanting to make pozole, a Mexican pork and hominy stew that has been eaten for something like 500 years. Lots of Latinos eat pozole during their celebration of Las Posadas, which is celebrated December 16-24. The pozole I made was quite tasty with ultra-tender pieces of pork, a broth laden with the flavors or chilies and cumin, the wonderful toothy texture of the hominy, and the crunch of various fresh toppings. It was also fairly quick to make in my pressure cooker. Pozole is served along with several toppings such as sliced radishes, shredded cabbage or lettuce, cilantro, and lime so everyone gets to customize their soup experience. This, along with the fact you can make a big batch easily, makes it great for a party.


Before cooking I started, as usual, by checking out a variety of sources online and found some promising recipes.

• Epicurious' Holiday Pork Posole
• Fiesta Kitchen's Pozole
• Reluctant Gourmet's Classic Posole

I used the recipes to learn about common ingredients, their proportions, and techniques for cooking, but ended up kinda doing my own thing. I made it mild since my kids were eating it and served it with some Cholula hot sauce for those who like it hot. For a more authentic version, soak some ancho chilies in water or broth, remove seeds and stems; then puree them and the soaking liquid and toss it into your posole. Here is my more gringo-friendly rendition:

POZOLE
Serves 8-10

1 Tbs. olive oil
3 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 2" cubes (save the bones)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 poblano chiles, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 tsp. dried oregano

2-3 tsp. cumin

1-2 Tbs. chili powder

½ tsp. hot Mexican chile powder

3—14 oz. cans chicken stock

1—14 oz. can diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper

2—30 oz cans hominy

Garnishes: slivered radishes, shredded savoy cabbage, cubed avocado, diced onion, chopped fresh cilantro, crispy corn strips (see below), lime wedges

Dry meat off with paper towels; generously salt and pepper it. Heat oil in heavy bottomed dutch oven (I used my pressure cooker). When hot, brown meat in batches. Remove to a plate. Toss onion, peppers, and garlic into the pan and cook until golden, adding a little more oil if needed. 


Return meat to pan. Add 2 cans stock, tomatoes with juice, 2 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. cumin, and Mexican chili powder. Simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 hours, until meat it tender but still holds its shape (25 minutes in a pressure cooker). Add hominy, remaining seasonings and the other can of stock if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. 


Serve piping hot with garnishes of your choice.




CRISPY CORN STRIPS
Cut a stack of soft corn tortillas in half then into 1/4" wide strips (1 tortilla for every 2-3 people or so). Toss them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil. Spread them out and lightly salt. Bake in a 375° oven until crispy (some with be browned), about 6-8 minutes. Cool.

Learning to like new things

I find that the more new foods you try, the more adventurous your palate gets. I think this goes for kids and adults alike, which is why I am pretty insistent that my kids try new things all the time. And I do find that they will not only try, but get excited about trying, new things. Once I brought home leftover flatbread with duck, figs, and blue cheese. Not really standard K-5 fare, but Ethan, upon learning there was blue cheese involved, asked to try it and devoured all of it for lunch the next day.


The truth is tastes change—with exposure, with time, and even with practice. If my kids don't take to something right away, I'll often keep making it, sometimes with different variations, knowing that their tastes can shift. I recently read that kids need to eat the same new food (prepared the same way) something like six times before they will accept it into their eating repertoire. It makes me a little sad to hear parents categorically say things like, "He won't eat it. He doesn't like corn/carrots/mushrooms, etc." I tend to think, "He may not like it yet, but he hasn't eaten this particular dish yet." Who knows?


Over time our tastes mature. I love a big vodka martini now, but as a child it would have made me gag. As a child, I thought Domino's pizza sauce was spicy. Now, I will happily eat things so hot they make me sweat and cry simultaneously. As a child, I did not favor beets or pretty much anything in orange hues (winter squash, rutabaga, cooked carrots). As an adult, beets became a favorite veggie for me without any effort. I had to work a little to like the orange things.


I am a firm believer that you can teach yourself to like new foods. Over the years, especially before I had kids, I would make an annual food resolution which involved adding a new food (generally something I disliked but had nutritional merit) to my diet over the course of a year. I would try a variety of new recipes until I came upon one I liked. Once I found one and became comfortable with the new food then I could expand to other ways of using it. 


Eggplant parmesan opened the doors for baingan bharta, chinese eggplants in garlic sauce, baba ghanoush, and eggplant "meatballs." Tofu was tasteless, until I tried it with peanut sauce and broccoli (see below). Now, Sam and Ethan eagerly gobble down sesame fried tofu with asparagus and shiitakes. Grapefruit eluded me, until I found out that if you remove the membrane around each segment, the bitterness I despised disappeared. When I was pregnant with Ethan, I craved pink grapefruit and ate it, peeled like an orange, nearly every day for a time.
 
I hope that all of you reading this will continue to try new things and encourage your kids to do the same. I know that the next time we go to Zen Gardens in South Burlington, I will be skipping the General Tso Chicken in favor of the house special jelly fish or fried sea cucumber. I am sure if the boys are with me they will ask to try it before I even offer. I love that about them!


Here's one of those gateway recipes I mentioned above.

Broccoli and Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce 
from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen.


The Sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter, unprocessed is best
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbs. molasses
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper


In a small saucepan, whisk together peanut butter and water until uniform. Whisk in remaining ingredients and set aside.


The Saute
1 lb. bunch of fresh broccoli, chopped into flowerettes
3 Tbs. peanut oil (I use much less)
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. firm tofu, cubed (I like to press this to get some of the water out first)
Salt and pepper
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 cup coarsely chopped raw peanuts
2-3 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
2 freshly minced scallions


Directions (paraphrased)
Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a hot wok or saute pan. Add half the garlic and ginger then tofu. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry 5-8 minutes then transfer to the saucepan of sauce.


Add a little more oil to the pan. Add remaining ginger, garlic and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry until onions are beginning to get soft. Meanwhile, heat the peanut sauce gently over low heat.


Add broccoli, tamari, and peanuts to the pan and stir fry for 5 minutes or so, until bright green and just tender. Pour sauce over the saute. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve with rice.


The sauce is also great over noodles.

Breakfast for Dinner Pizza and Butterscotch Pudding Cake: Two Keeper from Sara Moulton

Not too long ago, I purchased Sara Moulton's newest cookbook, Everyday Family Dinners. I gotta say, I like the lady. We don't have cable, but on occasion I see her on our public television Create channel. She is just a no-nonsense person. She talks about how she came up with different recipes and what her family thinks of them, offers lots of variations for ingredients and techniques, and basically cooks in real time. She is a classically-trained chef who isn't afraid to use beans from a can or frozen veggies in a pinch to get food on the table for her family. When you read her book it almost feels like she is in the room with you having a little chat. 


One of my favorite lines of hers is "Left to my own devices, I'm tempted to finish off just about every recipe with a fried or poached egg." And in this cookbook she does seem to do just that. She puts eggs over warm lentils with roasted tomato vinaigrette, poaches them in yogurt with sage oil, stuffs them in phyllo cups with creamed spinach, and uses them as a topping for cheesy grits with corn, to name a few of her creations. This past week, I made her Breakfast for Dinner Pizza, which calls for topping a potato, bacon and Gruyere flatbread with a fried egg. We all enjoyed it. Ethan ate two big servings. It is perfect with a little side salad or even some fruit. It was simple, different and yet somehow classic. 

Breakfast for Dinner Pizza

Adapted from Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners

1 — 20 oz bag of store-bought pizza dough
8 oz. maple cured bacon
1 1/4 lbs. small yukon gold potatoes, thinly 
    sliced
1/2 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
6 large eggs


Remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you begin preparing dinner. Preheat the oven to 475° F.  


Cook the bacon in a large skillet until firm and just beginning to brown, but slightly undercooked. Drain on paper towels.


Drain and reserve the fat from the pan and wipe it out with a paper towel. Return 1 Tbs. of the bacon fat (let the burnt bits settle first) to the skillet (or you can use olive oil) over high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and onion; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half the rosemary. Reduce heat to med-high and cook the mixture until the potatoes are just tender, turning several times. Set aside.


Roll or press out the dough into a 14x10" rectangle and place it onto a baking sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake for 3-4 minutes, until set but not browned. Let it cool a few minutes before proceeding.


Arrange the potatoes and onion over the crust. Sprinkle it with the remaining rosemary, cheese, and crumbled bacon. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.


Fry the eggs in the same skillet, using additional bacon fat or olive oil, until they are cooked as you like them. A runny yolk is nice in this dish. Season with salt and pepper.


When the pizza is done baking, cut it into 6 pieces and top each with a fried egg.


Makes 6 servings

Butterscotch Pudding Cake

From Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners

Another of Sara's recipes I recently made was Butterscotch Pudding Cake. I am a big fan of chocolate pudding cake, but eating chocolate after dinner sometimes has a way of making sure Jim and I understand we are not as young as we used to be. Waking up at two am and not being able to get back to sleep has motivated me to find other non-chocolate alternatives for the occasional dessert I make. 


I love butterscotch so when I saw the delicious picture in her book of the golden cake and warm pools of buttery sauce topped with melting vanilla ice cream, I new I needed to act. And I am glad I did. Like its chocolate brethren, the preparation involves topping a stiff batter with boiling water, baking, and voila, out of the oven comes a light cake with a crispy surface atop a layer of molten pudding. It is not too sweet and has a little saltiness to it that makes your mouth water. We topped ours with a generous dollop of maple flavored whipped cream. So easy and quick to make, so delightfully homey to eat. 


4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup boiling water


Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease an 8 cup shallow baking dish or pan. Melt the butter. Bring water to boil.


Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until there are not brown sugar lumps. Add the milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir until just combined; transfer the batter to the baking dish.


Pour the boiling water carefully over the surface of the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake has a crisp golden surface and the pudding sauce on the bottom bubbles.

Set aside for 5-10 to cool slightly. Serve warm.


Serves 4-6

It turns out we do like brussel sprouts

I remember liking brussel sprouts the few times I ate them as a child (probably because they were so cute), despite that they were bland, overcooked, and most certainly from the freezer. However, as an adult, I have only ventured to prepare fresh brussel sprouts a few times; and without much success, I might add. Either they were bitter or too crunchy or tasteless. The boys, who are not generally picky children, would not even put them in their mouths. I actually caught Jim (who, BTW, has even eaten burnt clam chowder with a smile) scraping most of his serving into the garbage disposal after dinner on one occasion.

In the past few years, I have noticed that fresh brussel sprouts are becoming more readily available, particularly this time of year. Despite my lack of success with them, those little tiny second cousins of my pal, the cabbage, still beckon me. Recently, I saw a recipe for Brussel Sprouts with Onions, Apples, and Bacon in a newspaper ad for our Healthy Living market. I gave it a try and 'Houston, we have lift off!' They had a nice carmelization, with the sweetness of onion and apple, crunchy, salty bits of bacon, and a little apple cider vinegar for zing. The boys did not love them, but they did eat what was put on their plates with little complaint. Jim stole the leftovers before I could even pack them in my lunch the next day! His enjoyment of them stunned him as much as me.


So I ended up making them again for Thanksgiving with Jim's family. Of course, with all the other vegetables to choose from, Sam and Ethan's less adventurous cousins were not enticed at all. But those of us adults who ate them did enjoy them.


Both times, I used more vinegar than called for. Next time, I think I may make a dressing of maple, a smidge of dijon, cider vinegar, and maybe a splash of soy to toss them with for even more flavor. Or an apple cider reduction? Or how about working some miso in there? As you can see, I am inspired now and happy to welcome brussel sprouts to my permanent repertoire.


Healthy Living's Brussel Sprouts with Onion, Apple, and Bacon


2 lbs Brussel sprouts
6-8 slices thick cut bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced in ½ inch wedges 
1 apples, cored and sliced in ½ inch wedges, unpeeled
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper 


A large cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet will work best for this recipe. With the skillet on medium-high heat, render bacon pieces until crispy; drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat left in the pan. 


Prepare the Brussels by peeling off the tough outer leaves, slicing off any remaining stem and cutting each Brussel sprout in half (or in quarters if they are very large). Turn heat on pan up to high, when the bacon fat left in the pan is smoking add the Brussels. Do not stir for 2-3 minutes. Add onions, season with salt and pepper (easy on the salt, as the bacon is salty) and cook over medium-high for another 10-15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add the apples and thyme, toss together and cook for 5-10 more minutes. The onions should be soft, Brussel sprouts tender and golden and the apples cooked but not mushy. Remove from oven, sprinkle with vinegar, and toss bacon back in. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Secrets of a French Toast Snob

It all started about five or six years ago in Montreal. Jim and I were on a little weekend getaway to Montreal during Christimas vacation while the kids were with Gramma and Papa in Vermont.  We stayed at a small boutique inn, The Auberge Bonaparte, which was located in historic Vieux (old) Montreal. Breakfast in hotel's lovely french cafe was included in our stay package. I had the most beautiful and delicious french toast ever. Thickly-sliced baguette nicely browned and topped with fresh berries and powdered sugar. Inside they were warm and custardy. I knew then I could never eat french toast made with sandwich bread again. And I never have.


The love of truly good french toast is something Sam and Ethan feel as passionate about as I do. Even when I have used extra batter to make a couple toast from regular bread they have refused to touch them. This morning I made french toast that were, in Sam's words, "custardy but a little orangey and really yummy." Is there any higher compliment than from a child who articulates such specific culinary feedback?

Here are some tips on making truly worthy french toast:

BREAD. French baguette or Italian bread from the supermarket bakery is what I generally use. Challah is also nice. Brioche is divine. I slice it about 1 to 1 1/4" thick (on the diagonal for small diameter breads like baguette). Slice it up and leave it out to dry the night before for maximal custard-ness.

EGGS AND MILK. The more liquid you use, the looser the inside of your toast is. 1/3 cup liquid per egg is often used. I use closer to 1/2 cup. Whole milk or half and half is fine. A combination of half orange juice and half cream is quite good. I haven't tried apple cider yet, but I am sure it would also be quite good as half the liquid. If you use reduced fat milk, add 2-3 Tbs. melted butter to the batter.

SWEETENER. I add a couple Tbs. of white or brown sugar. Honey or maple syrup are also good.

FLAVORINGS. I use about 1 tsp. or so of cinnamon. Other spices like nutmeg, cardamom, or cloves are also delicious (1/4 to 1/2 tsp.). I always add vanilla extract too. Today I also added maple extract, which is a new must have in my kitchen. Almond or coconut extracts would be worth trying. Microplaned citrus zest adds another dimension. 

LEAVENING. You don't need to, but I usually add a little baking powder and all purpose flour. The flour idea came from  America's Test Kitchen French Toast for Challah recipe. I think it helps the toast to fluff up and keeps them from deflating before you get them on the table. 

PREP AND COOKING. A hot griddle is a must. I turn the heat to high under the griddle while I prepare the batter and bread. For cooking, I keep it on med-high. For the inside to stay a little loose you need to cook them quickly.

Give the bread ample time to soak up the batter.  I push down on it to get the air out and help it suck the batter into the middle. If you slice into a cooked piece and it looks like plain bread in the middle you know you did not soak it long enough. 

Butter the griddle before each slice. I just rub a stick directly on the griddle.

Serving them straight off the griddle is best as they retain a hint of crispness on the outside. But, generally, I keep the toast on a preheated platter in a 200° oven while I am finishing them all. They can also go directly on the oven rack, which helps keep their steam from sogging them out.

THE BASIC RECIPE

4 large eggs

1 1/2 to 2 cups half and half

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 hungry boys

Ina Garten knows how to jazz up turkey and gravy

Just a quick post since it is so close to Thanksgiving. Last year, Jim's family came here for a kind of potluck meal. Since I only really had the turkey, stuffing, and gravy to make, I tooled around on the internet for ideas to zing things up a bit. Ina Garten, of Barefoot Contessa fame, has several simple, yet interesting recipes.

I used her recipe for Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast. In addition to rubbing a delicious lemon/herb pesto under the skin as Ina suggests, I filled the inside of the turkey with onion, herbs, and lemon. The turkey was moist and flavorful throughout. Her Homemade Gravy, which calls for a little cognac and cream, was one of the best turkey gravies I have ever tasted. 

This year we are eating at the Vincent's house. I haven't decided what I will bring, but I am pondering some Brussels sprouts with bacon or maybe a savory root veggie crumble/gratin. That, and maybe a pumpkin roll, a tradition at my sister Cheryl's that is truly irresistable.

An ode to Trader Joe's enchilada sauce

Oh thy delicious enchiladas

dripping with sauce and cheese.

Guacamole and sour cream 

on the side, if you please.

So many ways to enjoy your tasty union

with cheese or chicken and bits of onion.

Throw in peppers, corn or beans of black.

Ay carumba! 

I want my Trader Joe's back!

In the MD/DC area, Trader Joe's abound. And here I am in VT, Joe-less. Whole foods, organics, gourmet at a affordable price. Oh, how I still pine for Trader Joe's. Sadly, I have learned to without...except for TJ's enchilada sauce. Luckily many friends have been keeping me stocked up. My friend, Sara, a pilot, who sometimes flies into Trader-lucky cities. Curtis, who travels for work and stops by TJs in Mass. to stock up for his family. Care packages from Tracy and others in TP/SS.  I am fortunate to still have a couple precious bottles left.

As pictured on CookingLight.com

 I use TJ's enchilada sauce in several meals. My family loves enchiladas of any kind. My favorite is chicken with bits of corn, onion, green olive, and red pepper. But the boys really love Tamale Casserole.  Which is fine with me because it is a lot easier and quicker to make than enchiladas. I found the recipe on cookinglight.com and even though it calls for pre-packaged foods, I made it because the picture looked so good. I usually serve it with a black bean salad (see below) and a side of guacamole and sour cream. All in all, I think it is a pretty nutritious meal.  

SIMPLE BLACK BEAN SALAD

Dressing measurements are approximate. Taste it.

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 can (14 oz) hearts of palm, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2-3 Tbs. finely minced onion

1 clove garlic finely minced

2-3 Tbs. fresh lime juice

2-3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. honey, if you like

Salt and pepper

Combine beans, corn, palm, and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Whisk together onion through honey in another small bowl. Toss dressing with veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it marinate for 30 minutes or more for best taste.

OTHER GOOD RECIPES
And, as long as we are talking Mexican food, I have used Rick Bayless' recipe for Poblano Rice many times. Very easy, slightly spicy, wonderful taste.  It goes great with any Mexican-inspired meal. Try it next time your menu goes south of the border.

If you are not fortunate enough to have access to TJ's sauce, please know that I feel your pain. Before I discovered TJ's enchilada sauce, I often made Chicken and Green Olive Enchiladas from Bon Appetit magazine. The recipe calls for a little bittersweet chocolate in the sauce, much like mole sauce. A bit of work, but quite good. And you don't need any jarred sauce.


Or here is a recipe for a quick sauce that is good in a pinch.  It is better than mainstream brands, but not as good as TJ's.  


QUICK ENCHILADA SAUCE
As posted by TubaDave on ChowHound
4 Tbs. oil

4 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup chili powder

4 cups water (I used chicken stock)

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder (I used more)

This was a little bitter, which I attribute to the poor quality of my chili powder.  I added:

1-2 tsp. onion powder

1-2 tsp. garlic paste (the tube kind)

1-2 tsp. sugar

Dash of cinnamon

Tomato paste (about half a small can)

Water, a little for thinning

Salt

Heat oil over med heat, add flour, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes (enough to get rid of flour taste). Add chili powder, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add water stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add herbs. Bring to a nice simmer and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

I whisked in my additions after it was off the heat. 

Notes on assembling enchiladas: 

• Have your shredded cheese and other fillings ready in little bowls. Pour some warm sauce in a plate. Have another clean plate at the ready for rolling (this is messy).
• Spread a little sauce in the bottom of your 9x13" baking pan to keep the enchiladas from sticking when you serve them.
• Heat up your corn tortillas in a non-stick skillet to make them pliable then dip them in the sauce so both sides are coated.  
• Move the tortilla to your rolling plate; add a little filling. 1 to 1 1/2 Tbs. is all you need along with 1/4 cup of cheese. I like cheddar and jack cheese, but smoked gouda would also be good. 
• Roll it up and place in a baking pan with a little sauce spread along its bottom. Top with more sauce and cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Maybe this winter I will order an array of dried chiles online and make up a really authentic enchilada sauce to jar up.  I will keep you posted. Hell, if it is good, maybe I will have to start selling it to all the TJ-deprived folks up here in VT.

Can one ever have enough cookbooks, really?

I love cookbooks. And not just because I love food. My cookbook collection has gradually expanded over the years. At first, I used them fairly frequently, cooking the recipes exactly as written. Over time as I built my cooking skills, I used them more as inspiration than as a road map.  Now, in a pinch to figure out what I might make, I am more likely to use the internet to discover new ideas and recipes.  But I still buy cookbooks and cooking magazines (Cooking Light and Bon Appetit remain my favorite).

The first cookbook I ever got was from Jim's mom, Red, sometime after I moved into my first apartment.  Perhaps for my 19th birthday?  It was the one of those thick tomes with a recipe for just about everything you ever heard of, conversion tables, roasting charts, and more—The New Doubleday Cookbook. I am not sure whether it was for me or really for Jim, who was already pretty much living with me by that time.  The first dish I remember making from it was Chicken Cacciatore (recipe below), which I had never had before, but seemed like it would be good. It was excellent. My first pie crust, sugar cookies, rolls, cream of broccoli soup, and many other staples I still make today all came from that cookbook.

Some of my cookbooks

I did not get another cookbook until I was 21.  The Sutherland family, whom I was providing childcare for afterschool, gave me a cookbook as a graduation present, I think.  It was a classic, The Moosewood Cookbook.  I relied heavily on that book for a while then when I started working at PCADV in Harrisburg, I joined a cookbook club and quickly amassed a little set.  Some of my favorites then were: 

• True Thai by Victor Sodsook
• Diana Shaw's The Essential Vegetarian
• The Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites
• Jacques Pepin's Simple and Healthy Cooking
• Laxmi's Vegetarian Cooking by Laxmi Hiremath
• The Dim Sum Dumpling Book by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Nowadays, I still love cookbooks and have amassed a collection of 40 or 50 of them.  The difference is that I do not rely on them much for recipes.  I have some that I would have a difficult time parting with and yet I have never made a single recipe from them.  I think what I am looking for in a cookbook is a little different now.  I like ones that are pleasing to look at, with good page design and stylized pictures here and there that inspired me to make my food look nice.  I like the background info and, often-witty commentary that is in some of the cookbooks I have.   Some of my newer favorites are:

• Cooking with Shelburne Farms (Local and sustainable foods are the focus; including foraged foods like fiddleheads and ramps)
• King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking (Don't we all need more whole grain? And come on, it is the best flour and its from VT)
• The Country Cooking of Ireland by Coleman Andrews (beautiful and educational, although I am not sure I will ever make the potted herring)

Another cookbook I recently bought, Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners, has nice little intros to ever recipe make me think I am talking to her when I read it.  She just seems to be a really likeable person, who would be fun to cook up a meal with.  This week I am finally going to try one of her many delicious sounding recipes, Breakfast for Dinner Pizza.  Imagine bacon, potatoes, rosemary and Gruyere cheese on a flat bread, topped with an over-easy egg (I think I will poach 'em instead).  I'll let you know how it turns out.


In the meantime, what are your favorite cookbooks?


Chicken Cacciatore
From The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna

1/4 c. olive oil (I use 1-2)

3 -3 1/2 lbs. chicken parts with bones 

    (removal of skin is optional) 

2 medium yellow onions, peeled 

    and minced

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 small green pepper, coarsely chopped

1 -1 lb can tomatoes with liquid

3/4 c. dry white or red wine 

1/4 c. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oil in heavy non-stick skillet over med.-high heat until hot.  Brown chicken on all sides; remove and reserve.  In Dutch oven, saute onions for 3 minutes then add mushrooms and peppers and cook another 3-4 minutes until onions are golden.  Add tomatoes, breaking up clumps.  Blend wine with tomato paste and add along with rosemary.  

Add chicken to tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes until chicken is very tender.   Serve with spaghetti.