Kitchen

Alfred Portale’s Beet Salad from James Beard Foundation’s “Best of the Best”

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 17, 2012
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Alfred Portale's Beet Salad with Mango, Feta, Orange and Mint. The chef plates his with characteristic precision; we were a little more casual about it.

From Spoon: I was so excited to be able to feature the James Beard Foundation’s brand new, 25th anniversary cookbook, “Best of the Best” in my column for The Record this week. The stunning, coffee-table-size book features profiles of – and recipes from – the 21 chefs who have been named “Outstanding Chef” at the annual JBF Awards since the first such honor was bestowed on Wolfgang Puck in 1991 (he was awarded the accolade again in 1998).

Salad ingredients - we love setting up these shots as much as the finished photos.

The challenge was choosing one of the glorious recipes, some of which would clearly be too daunting for column readers and me. David Bouley’s Sea Urchin Terrine with Creme Fraiche, Oestra Caviar and Fresh Kinome? Um, no, and what is kinome anyway? (“Prickly ash leaves,” according to the recipe, leaving the mystery unsolved.) Rick Bayless’ Smoky Peanut Mole with Grilled Quail? Judy Rodgers’ “Salmon Bacon,” Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich? Both sounded delicious, but sadly, quail was out of the question and it’s the wrong season for the sandwich.

Peeling roasted beets is messy business. If you care about staining your hands, wear gloves.

However, I wanted something chef-y enough to represent the book. Alfred Portale’s Beet Salad with Mango, Feta, Orange and Mint is beautiful, seasonal and easy to make. It’s also very delicious – I ate it for lunch three days in a row after we made and photographed it for the column! Portale, chef at the iconic Gotham Bar and Grill in Manhattan for nearly three decades, and since 2008, Gotham Steak in Miami, has mentored many top chefs, including Bill Telepan, Tom Valenti and Tom Colicchio. He is known for his calm, professional approach to running a kitchen as much as his precise food-plating style and attention to every detail. (Gotham was where food “towers” originated in the 1990s).  The column and recipe for the salad are here.

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Three-Cheese Mac and Cheese, Light

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 12, 2012
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From Spoon: I don’t mean to come off like a snob, but I’ve never understood the nostalgic longing people have for Kraft macaroni and cheese. Like soda, and the Twinkies I lusted after in my childhood friends’ kitchens – I didn’t grow up with the beloved blue box and its powdered, orange cheese. My mother’s mac and cheese came from the recipe on the back of the Muller’s elbows box: butter, flour and milk simmered together to make a white sauce with one of her few nods to processed foods  – Velveeta – folded in. Yes, as much as I love a good sharp cheddar, I have to admit that smooth, easy-melting Velveeta makes an awesome macaroni and cheese.

Today, mac and cheese has ventured far beyond the blue box, Velveeta and even sharp cheddar. Lobster, pesto, chipotle chili and all manner of vegetables are as likely to show up on restaurant menus and in recipes as are cheeses ranging from goat to gouda.

Gorgonzola, a gentle, creamy, Italian blue cheese, is featured in the “Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese” I made for my weekly column in The Record last week. It looks decadent, but the recipe is from “Cooking Light Comfort Food,” from the editors of Cooking Light magazine. and although it tastes plenty rich and cheesy, each portion has just 321 calories.

One reason for the reasonable calorie count is that you make this three-cheese mac in individual portions, eliminating the temptation to scoop “just a little bit more” from the casserole dish. I’m a big fan of Cooking Light recipes, and this one is another winner. If you want to think out of the (blue) box, the column and the recipe are here.

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Ginger-Carrot Cold-Cure Soup

Posted by spoonandshutter on February 26, 2012
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From Spoon: I’m good for one serious head cold per winter, and in the middle of last week, this year’s arrived. Since, then, I’ve been shuffling around in my PJs, sniffling and snuffling, pressing hot wash cloths against my clogged sinuses and drinking buckets of tea – while being pissed off because all I can think about are the many things I want to/should be doing and can’t.

I don’t take being sick lying down, and Ted, bless him, has put up with my ornery crankiness. On Friday afternoon, with my sinuses raging and my colleagues shooing me home so I didn’t infect them, I called to warn him of my early arrival. Twenty-five minutes later, I arrived to find something fragrant and enticing simmering on the stove – a soup he had thrown together after my call from what we had in the house.

Figuring that fresh ginger would be healing, he chopped up a chunk of it and threw it in the blender with carrots and a little chicken broth, then put all that in a pot with more chicken broth, crimini mushrooms, fresh spinach, leftover rice, and cannelllini beans for some protein. I know the combination sounds odd, but it really works. I’ve slurped up bowl after bowl of it all weekend – the gingery broth soothes my nose and throat and the vegetables make me feel nourished and restored. It’s not quite Jewish penicillin/chicken soup, but there must be something in the Jewish DNA about soup making, because as far as I’m concerned, this is right up there with that great cold-curing standard.

Ted’s Gingerific Cold-Cure Soup

Artist and instinctual cook that he is, Ted has trouble with exact measurements. I’ve done my best to interpret his “recipe,” so feel free to tinker with this as you like.

Serves about 6, depending on how many of them have colds

1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

5 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 bag baby spinach (5 oz.)

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, stems removed, quartered

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup cooked white rice (optional)

3 good pinches kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Place ginger and carrots in a blender (or food processor) with 1/2 chicken broth. Blend until pureed but keeping some texture.

Put the ginger/carrot mixture in a medium size pot with the rest of the chicken broth.  Add mushrooms, beans, salt and pepper; bring to a simmer over medium heat-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed; add rice and cook for 5 minutes to warm the rice. Add spinach; stirring until spinach is wilted.

Put down the box of tissues, and eat.

Onion, Fig and Asiago Focaccia

Posted by spoonandshutter on February 24, 2012
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From Spoon: Why had I never made focaccia before last week? It’s the easiest yeast bread I’ve ever tried, infinitely customizable and impressive. It was such a hit I actually made it twice. The first time was for our weekly In Your Kitchen column for The Record. In the original recipe, from Pat Sinclair’s terrific book “Baking Basics & Beyond,”  caramelized onions are strewn over the quickly risen dough, topped with chopped dried figs and grated cheese. It was even good for breakfast.

Over the weekend, I baked up another one to accompany drinks with friends before dinner. Ted had finished off the figs, so I rummaged around in the fridge and found a jar of sundried tomato spread, which also worked well with the onions and cheese. For the column and recipe, click HERE.

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Louisiana Duck Gumbo: Something Different for the Super Bowl

Posted by spoonandshutter on February 4, 2012
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From Spoon: In case you’re still casting about for alternatives to the usual wings-chili-big sandwich Super Bowl foods, or, if you’d like a wonderful winter recipe to inspire you, Virginia Willis’ Louisiana duck gumbo is IT. (And it’s not a stretch for Giants’ fans, who can think of it as a nod to quarterback Eli Manning and his hometown of New Orleans.) The recipe is from Willis’ most recent book, Basic to Brilliant Y’All,” which I featured in our column in The Record this week.

Willis, formerly the kitchen director for Martha Stewart Television and an accomplished food writer, recipe tester and stylist, is a Southerner who trained at Anne Willan’s famous Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne in France; her cooking combines classic French technique and Southern flavors.

Gumbo made with duck is definitely richer than the traditional chicken version. But the depth of flavor is absolutely worth the few extra calories. The column and the recipe are HERE.

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