Cooking with My Mother

I could write a book about cooking with my mother, but I’m not going to. I’m going to stick with a blog post as The Kitchen of A. Darr tell-all memoir would likely take years and all I have is the dwindling hours of the work week.

I enjoy cooking with my mother for several reasons. One, we often cook together in our kitchen at my childhood home, which is by no means the granite countertop and stainless steel fortress so often ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over on HGTV, but entirely functional, and with more counter space than any apartment kitchen I cook in day in and day out.  Second, her kitchen is always stocked. Fancy sprinkles for roll-out cookies? Check! Flank steak and lamb chops in the freezer? Mais oui! Cheese and charcuterie from every Western European country? Boom. Third, the woman knows her stuff. I still call her on the reg, even if I’m at my laptop, finger strokes away from a Google search, to get her opinion of cook times, methods, and ingredient substitutes.

AD does not care what website she gets her recipes from, or if her plate looks exactly like the picture.  AD stocks up on expensive ingredients, like olive oil and vinegars, and the fancy cake mixes, at William Sonoma seasonal sales to use in both the everyday as well as stuff Christmas stockings. A.D. keeps it simple and doesn’t fuss over technique or elaborate table settings.  Basically, my mother is a kitchen honey badger. 

I was home a few weeks ago and we cooked together. It’s take a few years for us to be able to do this without one of us peacing out and retiring to the living room couch in exasperation, but we can do it now. We mulled over restaurant options, but after a quick pantry survey that yielded lamb chops, brussel sprouts, and those delicious store-bought mashed potatoes (don’t hate), we decided to cook at home.

True to form, A.D. Googled a recipe and came up with crusted lamb chops with a pan sauce. I let her take the protein duties, as well being responsible for heating the mash up in the microwave, and I took hold of the brussel sprouts. I considered just roasting the sprouts, but I had also had a large martini before we started cooking, so I was feeling slightly more adventurous.

baa baa black sheep

I started by trimming the sprouts, cut off the stems and pulled off some of the outer leaves, and then chopped them in half. I got some garlic and red pepper flakes sautéing in the pan and threw the sprouts in. While they browned, I considered my next steps. I decided to speed up the cook time. I poured some white wine (always within reach in A.D.’s kitchen) and poured some in the sauté pan. After I let the alcohol cook off, I then threw a lid on it---steamed sprouts! Took the lid off and tasted one, and realized they weren’t quite right. Oooo, what makes everything better? Grated parm! Ah, and the oven was on from the lamb chops! Put some grated parm on top and stuck the pan in the oven. This browned the cheese and finished cooking the sprouts. Perfect!

Gettin crusted

We had a fantastic meal. My Dad even broke out a nice bottle of red--- classy guy!

Excellence is hereditary

Brussel Sprouts Cooked Three Ways

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

½ cup white wine

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Over medium high heat, heat a couple tbs of olive oil in a pan and cook garlic and red pepper flakes for about 30 seconds. Add the brussel sprouts and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour wine in pan and let the alcohol cook off, about 30 seconds. Place lid over sprouts and turn heat down. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle parmesan cheese over sprouts, then stick pan in over for about 3 minutes, or under the broiler for just under a minute (watch it!). Enjoy!

Sproutz!

Rosh Hashanah Salad

I first came into the idea of semi-homemade when my mother acquired a Cake Doctor cookbook. We always had a couple boxes of cake mix around the house for last minute baking needs and the Cake Doctor made those boxes of shockingly golden yellow “homestyle” cake that much better. Often, it was just an extra tbs of extract, some mini-chips, or the addition of sour cream making up short bits of “doctoring”, but they always went a long way. Now, in my own kitchen, I keep a box of cake mix around because I am simply not that organized when it comes to keeping a real baking pantry of flours, sugars, baking soda, power, extracts stocked. I am always good around the holidays, or if I commit to making something for a birthday, but if I get a strange urge to bake or make a flakey baking commitment, Duncan Heinz to the rescue.  

In addition to baking, the semi-homemade style has infiltrated other parts of my diet. Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite resources for finding products that eliminate huge chunks of cooking and meal preparation. I love the turkey meatballs for the occasional meatball hoagie, jarred sauces for a quick curry, mire-poix to get soup started, precooked lentils and beets for a salad, frozen chopped fruits and veggies for juices--- I could go on and on.  They also have some fresh, non-shelf stable items in the semi-homemade line up including cooked chunks of turkey and salmon, yogurt sauces, fresh pizza dough, and lots of chopped and washed vegetables in the produce section. In general, I’m not a big fan of their produce, but I always pick up a bag of their broccoli slaw.

I buy it with the intention of making some elaborate coleslaw as a side salad for the week, or stuffing it into wraps, but half the time I eat a couple portions as a side with a bit of vinaigrette and I find the bag slimy and rotted in the crisper a week later.  I was headed down this path recently, about 2/3 of a bag about to meet its doomsday in the following 48 hours, when I found myself responsible for preparing a salad for a Rosh Hashanah celebration.  

I had googled Rosh Hashanah menus and recipes earlier in the day and decided to keep it light and simple, anticipating plates of brisket and kugel that would follow the salad course.   I was feeling fall-ish, as well, and while not on the pumpkin train quite yet, I knew crisp chunks of apple would add sweetness in addition crisp and texture.   I was also sort of hung-over, craving Vietnamese food, thinking about the chopped peanuts that I love so much on top of the grape leaves. Chopped peanuts weren't quite it for this salad, but walnuts would certainly do!

Don't skip toasting them.

I think Pink Ladies are best. 

For the vinaigrette, I used Sesame Oil, orange marmalade, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice.  I added the lemon juice to help keep the apple from browning, although vinegar apparently will help prevent that as well.  I really did not keep track of how much of anything I added, so the recipe below is rough estimates, add more of less of everything to taste. I chopped and toasted the walnuts and then chopped the apple into roughly ½ in chunks. I threw the slaw, cooled walnuts, and apple into a bowl, tossed that, then added the dressing, and tossed some more.

toss away, tossers!

Sesame-Orange Vinagrette

½  cup sesame oil

1 tbs Dijon mustard

2 tbs orange marmalade

Juice one lemon

2 tbs red wine vinegar

Stir together the mustard, marmalade, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.  Gradually add the sesame oil, whisking the oil and the other ingredient together from a slow stream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sorry, haven't unpacked my measuring spoons.

In large bowl, toss the broccoli slaw, chopped apple (I used 1 medium pink lady, my favorite), and cooled walnuts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.

This would probably taste good in a wrap, perhaps with some goat cheese, or with some turkey. You could also toss it with greens, something sturdy like spinach, for a hearty green salad. 

l'shana tova!

Dry Rub

When I was first learning to cook, grilling seemed to me like the best way to cook meat.  Something about a hunk of meat over an open flame, spitting, crackling….

…..actually, my family has been blessed with more than one grill master, with my Uncle M probably taking the overall title. There is this taste, this  juicy, succulent bite, that takes me back to the woven placements and PortMeirion of my grandmother’s dining room table, the best place in my mind to enjoy a steak.  Not a white tablecloth in sight! I can’t remember the last time I even considered dining at a steakhouse. Why would I ever when my family dinners are the finest meat show going?

 Anyway—back to that bite.  It’s like a phantom. I have achieved it only a few times in my grilling adventures but it shows up without fail whenever Uncle M is on the grill. Like, there could be an assortment of ziploc bags stuff with leftover prime rib (because how else would you store leftovers? that’s how we do it in my family) in an unmarked fridge and I would know right away which one my Uncle was responsible for.  It’s incredible.

The seasoning is always simple---salt and pepper, or a really basic spice blend. Uncle M would probably tell you it has to do with timing, and I believe he mentioned something about how the meet feels if you roll your knuckles over it, but I have never really pursued the grillmaster (mistress?) role and I am happy just being a grilled meat eater for the most part. 

I don’t think I ever saw anyone in my family dump a bottle of Italian dressing on a hunk of meat and call it a day, but for whatever reason, the first couple times I grilled, that was as a far as I went. Perhaps some Montreal Steak Seasoning made its way onto the beef and I let it reach room temperature, but I really didn’t do much research. I did make delicious steak tacos once that came from a piece of flank steak that sat overnight in a bath of lime juice, cilantro, vegetable oil, and chili powder, but not much experimenting beyond that.

Dried and rubbed...uhhh

I was inspired to try a dry rub because the steak went with a salad of sorts called Bloody Mary Salad. The dry rub was so simple, too, no exotics spices, just light brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/flank-steak-with-bloody-mary-tomato-salad

I made this a few weekends ago when I was home for my parents because of course my mother just happened to have a flank steak in the freezer that was begging to be dry rubbed and consumed.

Gentle!

brown sugar babe, I get high off your love

Not long after, the NY times featured this article, so I’m pleased to be on trend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/dining/welcome-to-the-post-marinade-era-of-grilling.html?smid=tw-nytdining&_r=0

ah, brown sugar! how come you taste so good?!

The salad was easy, too. In fact, I’m pretty sure there was no need to go out and purchase anything for this meal.   I think this rub is a great place to start and you probably have all the ingredients on your spice rack and in your pantry.  It was easy, and there was one more bottle of reduced fat Italian on the shelf to be purchased and make its way to sit room temperature on the table at a super lame pasta party.

Complete with Bloody Mary Salad

Rub on!

Clam Spaghetti

When I think of clam spaghetti, I don’t think of 6-8 clams neatly arranged a delicate bed of pasta with a gentle sprinkle of chopped parsley and red pepper flakes.  I think of sitting at the kid’s table in my Auntie Clare’s basement, a big plate of pasta, a pile of chopped clams swimming in butter, white wine, and parsley, with a heaping spoonful of Reggiano cheese on top.  To me, clam spaghetti is comfort food, a Superior Ave special that never fails to leave me with a fully belly and gunning for seconds, or thirds.

Every once in a while I find myself at an Italian restaurant and I see Spaghetti Alle Vongole on the menu. Nostalgic for a plate of Auntie Clare’s buttery, clammy-goodness, I’ll order it. Time after time, I find myself disappointed. I’m sorry, pretty as those clam shells are, I’d rather have the chopped, canned ones that Auntie uses. A couple times, the clams have been gritty-blech. The clam to pasta ratio is always completely out of whack, too. I want Clam Spaghetti, not a pound of spaghetti with a brief, clam opener. Sure, each plate ends with the delectable sauce to be sopped up by pieces of bread, always something to look forward to, but the main event just never seems to measure up. 

I decided to make Clam Spaghetti for S and me last night because I think we were both in the mood for/of need of some comfort food. I have been eating far too many bowls of cereal and hummus/peanut butter/carrot dinners, so it was time to cook.  S had talked about delicious smoked clams they concocted the previous weekend at the shore so I had clams and seafood on my mind. Grilling a piece of fish seemed boring and pasta is such a treat—I knew clam spaghetti would hit the spot.

Pretty Sauce

I was semi-concerned about finding canned clams at my usual haunts on my walk home from the gym. I didn’t think Whole Foods would have them, but I was pretty sure Dibruno might. I ran some recon at lunch and DiBruno did not have canned, I believe they were out of stock, but they DID have FRESH chopped clams.  I told the counter attendant I would be back.  Post-gym I picked up a pound of the chopped clams, some fresh linguine, and green onion. As disturbing as reading the register when checking out at DiBruno can be at times, the comfort theme (ie. convenience shopping) began then and there---worth it.

Fresh chopped clams!

Auntie Clare sent me her general recipe a while back. I have made it a few times since, and each time had slightly different results. I was curious to see how the fresh clams would play out in terms of adding to the flavor.  I wanted to keep it light, too.  Less buttery-goodness--- more seafood, wine, lemony-goodness!

I think the fresh clams really made this dish. We could taste the ocean.  Although I actually like the texture of the canned clams, the fresh clams were meaty and juicy and on a different level. Also, I am completely aware a real Italian would NEVER add cheese to seafood, but I just had to do it. I took a couple bites without the cheese, and they were delicious, but I threw on some handfuls of Pecorino Roman after that in honor of Auntie Clare. S, a REAL Italian, tried it with the cheese and said she enjoyed it, but it didn't need it.  Using fresh pasta, a treat, also makes a big difference. It was so light, and it soaks up the sauce in a way dry pasta wouldn't quite be able to.

Fresh pasta treat

Clammy comfort (oxymoron?)

Clam Spaghetti makes 2 hearty main course servings

1 lb fresh, chopped clams

3 tbs of butter

3 tbs of olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 green onions, chopped (I used the whole onion, all white and green parts)

¾ cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

~ ½ cup clam broth (I just used all the liquid that the clams were in)

Juice of one lemon

½ cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Spaghetti or Linguine

Drain the clams and preserve the liquid to use in the sauce. Heat 2 tbs of butter and all of the oil over med-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and allow to sauté for about a minute, careful not to burn the garlic--doing this will allow the pepper to infuse the oil and give the dish the heat it needs later.

Add the chopped green onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft, and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine, the stock, the clam broth, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.  Allow the liquid to reduce by about half, and taste it for flavor.  I often add another splash of wine or chicken stock at this point.  If the clam flavor is way too strong for you, add the chicken stock.  If you think it needs a bit more acidity, add the wine.  My Auntie says, “it will taste strong, but it works once you add the clams”. 

Add the clams and chopped parsley and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook.  Taste the sauce again.  Like I added the chicken broth or wine earlier, I sometimes find at this point it needs the other tbs of butter or a bit more lemon juice at this point. The butter will add creaminess and the lemon sharpens the flavor.

Serve over pasta and don’t hesitate to put a bowl of grated Parmesan or Romano on the table (you never know who might like it).  

PS. Make sure you have  some crusty bread around for the sauce!

Sangria

Signature cocktails are fun for entertaining.  They can be seasonal, sentimental, or perhaps they are just the drink that has somehow become your default cocktail bar order or post-work libation.

In college, as shameful as it is to admit, my signature “cocktail” (beside BL bottles) was a Jaeger Bomb. Yup. I accumulated quite the collection of Jaeger bottles received as gifts from age 18-21. Now, my friends give it to me as a sort of gag gift (hehe, puns!).

In a post-college trip to Italy with J, I discovered Aperol.  J and I were walking around the piazza in Como in search of refreshment and could not miss the neon cocktail that graced nearly every table. We ordered 2 and the rest is history. The “Spritz” became a family favorite, and my method of not measuring anything requires that I am always the one mixing up round after round because others just don’t quite get it right and unfortunately, I can’t pass off a specific recipe. Quel dommage.

My mother’s side of the family has a variety of signature cocktails. Gin and tonics, gin martinis (always with olives/cocktail onions and a twist)---as well as jugs of fruity red sangria that make steady appearances during the summer months.   My uncle is usually the one to make it, and it always packs a punch. I don’t know at what point I transitioned from just being allowed to eat the leftover boozy fruit to actively pouring myself a glass or three---I highly doubt anyone gave me permission to upgrade my alcohol scavenger status, but as an adult, I have adopted sangria as a signature cocktail of sorts of my own.

favorite post-work libation - get it from my momma

The great thing about sangria is that it is not as fussy as some other cocktails with multiple components can be. All you need to set up is the jug of sang itself, a big spoon for scooping out the fruit, some ice, and possibly some club soda for mixing---no muddling or measuring required. I think it is served best in larger cups. I served it insmall cups last time and it was difficult to leave room for the booze, or a splash of club soda, once the ice and fruit were in the cup.

it might look a little cloudy--- do not worry!

There is a lot of bad sangria out there. I'm always wary of a non-ethnic restaurant that advertises a sangria special, and I've had few bad house party sangria experiences (typically with white sangria). I think fresh squeezed OJ makes a difference, as well as letting it sit as long as possible, overnight if you can plan far enough in advance. I always add a couple tbs of sugar, and every once in a while, a shot or two of triple sec. I think the added sweet depends on what wine you start with. Always sweeten to taste, which means you actually have to taste it before you serve it, and remember you can always add more but not take away. I sweeten after it has sat for a bit. 

best served cold on a hot day

Red Sangria

Two Bottles of Fruity Red Wine* 

1 cup brandy

1 cup fresh squeezed OJ

1-2 tbs sugar, to taste

1 apple, chopped into 1/2 in pieces

1 orange, chopped into 1/2 in pieces

1 lemon, sliced into thin 1/2 circles

1 lime, sliced into thin 1/2 circles

1-2 shots triple sec, to taste 


Chop up all the fruit and put it in the bottom of a large pitcher. 

Add the wine, brandy, OJ, sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow the sangria to sit in the fridge for 3-4 hours, and taste it for sweetness/booziness. Add sugar by the tbs, or shots of triple sec to taste, stirring well and tasting in between. Let the sangria sit for 3-4 more hours. If doing overnight, just try the sangria before serving for sweetness (or when you wake up at 8 am, whatever your palette fancies in the am).  Serve over ice with a splash of club soda (optional). 

*I don't feel you need to use "good" wine for sangria.  If something tastes "good enough" straight out of the bottle, it's going to taste "great" once you add all the fruit and brandy. I generally use a combination of Cabernet, Merlot, and maybe even Malbec. In fact, I really just use whatever is one sale, which is often of the Barefoot/Jacob's Creek/Gallo variety. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

Pancakes are an easy breakfast food to develop a love-hate relationship with. For one, the first couple times you make them, you are bound to attempt to flip them too early.  Then, after you have rearranged the batter and splatter into coherent blobs, you will likely cook them for too long on the other side, and they will then be burnt. It is also easy to skimp on the butter and oil that should be applied to the pan LIBERALLY, resulting in a residual mess that burns to a char and stick to the final batches mercilessly.

Most recent batch of blueberry guys

However, once you get the hang of it, and find a pancake recipe you like, things get easier. Confident in your mastery of the hot stack, you may even be tempted to venture into the realm of healthy pancakes---made from scratch! After mastering that mix that was in your Christmas stocking, and had a nightmare about the nutrition label, you become obsessed with adding protein, cutting a couple grams of fat, and infusing some whole grains.  Why not substitute the eggs with low-fat yogurt? Gluten-free flour blend? Sure!

Healthy(ish) pumpkin pancakes

After forcing your hung-over body to suffer through a few Sunday morning rounds of gummy, lackluster, healthy pancakes, you finally sober up and reach for your copy of Joy of Cooking.  The page with the recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes calls your name and begs for batter stains and grease spots.   Exhausted, and hungry, you collapse into its arms. Voila. It’s love.

Buttermilk pancakes

I believe the key to great pancakes is using a combination of oil and butter to fry them in, and lots of it. If you are worried about fat, don’t eat these every weekend, and for God’s sake don’t put more butter on them when you add syrup!  

I was inspired to make these most recently when S and C were describing a breakfast they had down the shore at Gilchrist’s in Atlantic City. Diner/breakfast spot pancakes are such a treat. They are light and fluffy, yet crisp around the edges. They are never under cooked,  and have a nice brown on them that provides a warm, toasty edge.  A good diner is always going to have a competitive advantage with a huge flat top to cook, grease supplies, and the perennial all-star that has been flipping flapjacks every morning for 30 years, but you can do pretty well for yourself at home and avoid a 2 hour wait.

Best breakfast spot in Margate

Buttermilk Pancakes (adapted from Joy of Cooking) 4 hearty servings

Lots of butter and canola oil for frying

2 ¼ cups of flour

4 ½ tbs sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp of baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

2 ¼ cups of buttermilk

4 ½ tbs butter, melted

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Have the butter cut up into tabs and the oil available near to where you are frying. I use about 1 tbs butter to a tbs of oil per batch (although I don’t always need to re-up between batches). Use your judgment, just don’t be stingy.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Lightly beat the eggs in the bottom of another, and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients, until just combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and again, mix until just combined. 

Heat the butter and the oil over med-high heat in the skillet. Once it’s melted, and foaming just a bit, add the batter in ¼ cup portions. Cook on one side until bubbles form on the surface, and the edges have browned a little. Watch the heat, and before you flip, you may consider lowering it to medium.

Cook through on the second side, which will likely have a shorter cooking time than the first. Make sure you manage the temperature of the pan. I generally alternate between medium and medium high heat.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or warm maple syrup. 

Homemade Donuts

Similar to how we treat domesticated animals, we, as humans, like to reward ourselves with treats. Treat rewards are particularly relevant in managing children’s behavior and perhaps this is why I associate donuts with childhood.  Sit still for at least 50% of Mass on Sunday? Post-liturgy basement donut sale! Make it to morning swim practice over summer vacation without a meltdown? Dunkin Donuts is conveniently on the way home and has a drive through. No shoes, no shirts, no problems

The fall starting fourth grade was a donut heavy one as I managed to fracture my right arm and two fingers one after the other. My mother treated me to a coffee coolata and strawberry frosted (WITH sprinkles) post-orthopedist appointments that were aplenty that fall.  The subsequent sugar rush soothed my emotions as I was completely torn up having to miss out on all those Saturday afternoons in Umbros and a neon cotton t-shirt with some international team name emblazoned across the back (I think I would’ve been a member of the “China” squad that fall).

My  “adult” awareness of what constitutes a nutritional breakfast has decreased my donut consumption overall, as I walk by Dunkin Donuts on the reg without giving second thought to Barbie pink icing.  Food trends, however, have made donuts more prevalent than ever, as boutique donut purveyors beyond national chains churn out “gourmet” varieties that include exotic spices and booze infused fillings.  In Philadelphia we can enjoy Federal Donuts, the new Beiler’s Bakery stall in the Terminal, and an assortment of South Philly bakeries.  

I’ve always been hesitant to try making donuts because deep frying can really stink up a kitchen/apartment. I was sold on the idea, however, after reading a recent feature in Saveur magazine. The recipes were simple, the instructions clear. If I could get 2” of canola oil to 350 degrees in a 6-qt sauce pan, I could do it. I know places like Beiler’s will always hold a competitive advantage until I acquire bathtub size vats of glaze and an industrial deep-fryer and apparate them up the four steep flights of stairs to my apartment, but I was quite pleased with the results, and homemade donuts will be making a debut on the Mother’s Day menu this weekend!

I chose an Old-Fashioned Spiced Sour Cream recipe from the Saveur feature because I had all the ingredients on hand for the dough and the glaze.  Actually, I didn't have All Spice, but I did have ground Mace, so I used a few dashes of that instead.  Also, sour cream donuts are generally amazing, and I was not ready to take to the time to make a yeast-raised variety.   I cut the recipe by 2/3 and got 8 smallish (2 ½- 3”) donuts, more than enough for my purposes.

Pre-Glazing.

The spice really came through in the glaze, but I experimented with just powdered sugar, and that was really good, too. You could also use a plain vanilla glaze if you don’t have the spices (I have a lot of spices leftover from Lebkuchen baking at Christmas). I got a great crust on the batch I made, and they were not cloyingly sweet.  My apartment did sort of smell like McDonald’s after I was done, but nothing some open windows and scented candles couldn’t fix by the time I went to bed.

After the flip.

Getting Puffed and Golden.

I managed fine on my own, but this would be a fun thing to do in a group.  As with all deep frying, there is a lot to keep track of between managing the oil temperature, timing for flipping/rotating, actually forming and preparing whatever you are frying, so if you can divvy up the jobs, more power to the group. I was aided by the stopwatch on my iPhone and a small kitchen where nothing is ever really out sight or reach. 

The Finished Product!