Meatballs Sandwiches

Posted on April 9, 2012 by bilrob

Meatballs Sandwiches

It started back as far as I can remember. Ever since those days I’ve had an affection for sandwiches and subs, homemade or artisan deli and sub shops. There was something special about a place that baked its own breads and stocked fresh goods and meats. It’s also about the time I first started appreciating cheese and all the wonderful varieties. But it took me quite some time to appreciate all the offerings, instead usually settling for standard deli varieties and one or two common cheeses.

All that changed, but it took longer than I’d like to admit. It was probably around the time I started hanging out with friends with diverse ethnic backgrounds and in doing so opened myself up to foods that I wouldn’t normally be around and choose. And it all changed when I first tried real Italian food. And a friend’s Nonna and her handmade meatballs. I had never tasted anything like it before.

For years prior I looked upon meatballs in the same way I looked at meatloaf. I would pass. Time and time again. And for one reason or another I never thought to choose the meatball option at the sub shops. Never. It took me until much later to finally decide on change. And, one time, instead of ordering the same thing I usually did, I ordered a meatball sandwich. And I never looked back.

There was a short period after that when I only ordered meatball subs. Fresh marinara sauce, homemade meatballs and a soft cheese that melted evenly across everything in the salamander at the restaurant. It became my favourite. And ordered it every time I stepped through the front doors. Years later I tried to recreate that same great taste and flavour and failed. Miserably. But I kept on. And now I have this.

The truth is I honed my favourite meatballs years ago, partially in the restaurants I worked at and also through countless trial and error at home. A small change here and there until I settled on this recipes. Combine it with homemade marinara sauce, fontina cheese and fresh crusty rolls and it`s one of the best things I`ve ever had. True comfort food. Exactly what I needed at this time.

Meatball Sandwich

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
250 ml milk
4 thick slices of soft bread, crusts removed, roughly chopped
500 grams or 1 pound of ground beef
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 crusty rolls
3 cups Pomodoro sauce, your favourite recipe or a good bottle variety
4 slices of Fontina cheese

Prep:
1. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat and cool down.
2. Pour the milk over the bread in a mixing bowl and let soak for 2 minutes. In a separate large bowl, add in the beef, egg and Parmesan and season liberally. Squeeze out all the excess milk from the bread and add to another bowl with the cooled onion and garlic. Now combine all the ingredients with your hands until fully mixed, but don’t overwork so they won’t be tough. Divide the meat mixture into 12-16 meatballs.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Heat some oil in the original skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the meatballs, but don’t crowd the pan. Brown on all sides, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. Put the meatballs in the oven or in a baking pan and spoon some of the pomodoro sauce over top, until covered. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through or reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
6. Remove the meatballs from the oven.
7. Place the bottom half of each roll on a baking tray and top with meatballs, about 3-4 each, pomodoro sauce and a slice of Fontina cheese. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the rolls just brown.
8. Serves 2-4

Source: Michael From my kitchen to yours

suppers and buffets with Bill & Sheila

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French Cookery – Entrees

Posted on April 9, 2012 by bilrob

French Cookery – Entrees

French cooking traditionally conjures up images of food that is deliciously rich in flavour, stylish in presentation and complex in its preparation. We have selected a few well known French dishes adapted them slightly so as to make for easy making. The first in the new series of French cooking is entrees – Bon Appetit!

FRENCH QUICHE LORRAINE

When I was a lad, my grandmother used to bake this dish every week, but she called it bacon and egg tart. It was years later that I discovered that what she was making was the original French Quiche Lorraine.

Original French Quiche Lorraine is a savoury flan which originated in the area of Lorraine in France. It has become a french classic. This is a good basic recipe for quiche; serve a small wedge with a light salad for a first course. It can be served warm, hot or cold. The pastry case can be “baked blind”, cooled and stored in an airtight container for about a week. If weather is humid, store in refrigerator. The quiche is at its best freshly made, then baked, but for convenience it can be frozen. We found the best results were obtained by placing the filling in to the baked pastry case, still in the flan tin. Freeze uncooked quiche uncovered for 1 hour (fan tin can be removed at this stage if desired), wrap quiche tightly, freeze for up to 4 weeks. To bake: Place uncovered frozen quiche (in its fan tin) on oven tray, bake in moderate oven for about 50 minutes. This recipe is unsuitable to microwave.

PASTRY
1 3/4 cups plain flour
155g butter
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon juice, approximately

FILLING
1 onion, finely chopped
3 bacon rashers, chopped
3 eggs
300ml carton cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated tasty cheese

1 Pastry: Sift flour into bowl; rub in butter. Add egg yolk and enough lemon juice to make ingredients cling together. Knead gently on lightly floured surface until smooth, cover, refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll pastry large enough to line a deep 23cm flan tin. Lf weather is hot and pastry is difficult to handle, roll pastry between 2 pieces plastic wrap or greaseproof or baking paper. Lift pastry into flan tin, gently ease pastry into side of tin; do not stretch the pastry or it will shrink during the cooking.

2 Use the rolling pin to trim the edges of pastry neatly. Place flan on oven tray for easier handling.

3 Cover pastry with greaseproof or baking paper, fill the cavity with dried beans of rice. This is called “baking blind”. Bake in moderately hot oven for 10 minutes, remove paper and beans carefully, bake pastry for about further 10 minutes or until golden brown; cool to room temperature. Cool the beans or rice; store in an air-tight container for future use when “baking blind’”.

4 Filling: Cook onion and bacon in frying pan until onion is soft; drain away excess fat, cool before spreading into pastry case.

5 Beat eggs in bowl with whisk, add cream, milk and cheese, whisk until just combined; pour into pastry case. Bake in moderate oven for about 35 minutes or until filling is set and brown.

6 Stand quiche 5 minutes before removing from tin.

FRENCH BRIOCHE

Brioche another French classic. It is the richest of all yeast breads, incorporating butter and eggs. They make a wonderful entree, or a delicious treat for brunch.

Individual French brioche can be prepared the day before, up to placing the dough in to the moulds; cover, refrigerate overnight. Allow the brioche to return to room temperature, proceed as below. This recipe is enough for 12 individual ½ cup moulds. If only 6 moulds are available; cook 6 brioche; remaining dough can be left covered in the refrigerator until ready to cook the remaining brioche.

Brioche is best eaten warm so that its rich buttery flavour and fine texture can be fully appreciated. We served ours with creamy scrambled eggs flavoured with smoked salmon. Baked brioche can be frozen for up to 2 months. This recipe is unsuitable to microwave.

15g compressed yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, extra
4 eggs, lightly beaten
185g butter, softened
1 egg yolk, extra
1/4 cup cream

FILLING
60g packaged cream cheese
30g butter
1/3 cup cream
3 eggs
100g smoked salmon, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 Cream yeast with the 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl, stir in warm water, cover, stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy. Sift flour, salt and extra sugar into a large bowl; make well in centre, stir in combined eggs and yeast mixture. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead mixture for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough should be fairly dry now.

2 Work butter in gradually; butter should be quite soft. Continue adding small pieces of butter to the dough until all the butter is incorporated, this should take about 5 minutes. Knead dough further 10 minutes, or until smooth, shiny and elastic.

3 Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, stand in a warm place for about 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk. Knock dough back, knead until smooth. Divide dough into 12 portions. Grease moulds (1/2 cup capacity). Remove a quarter of the dough from each portion. Mould the larger portions into rounds, place in moulds. Shape smaller portions of dough into rounds. Brush dough in moulds with combined extra egg yolk and cream. Place small rounds of dough on top of dough in moulds.

4 Using a wooden skewer, push dough from the top of the small round through to the base of the mould. This ensures that the small round will stay in position during cooking. Brush with remaining egg yolk and cream, stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until brioche are doubled in size. Bake in moderately hot oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to moderate, bake further 10 minutes or until brioche sound hollow when tapped with finger. Turn out of moulds immediately onto wire rack.

5 Cut tops from each brioche, scoop out a little of the dough to allow space for the filling.

6 Filling: Melt cream cheese and butter in small frying pan, stir in combined cream and eggs, cook, stirring, over low heat until just beginning to set, stir in salmon and chives, place filling in brioche; serve immediately. Makes 12

FRENCH STYLE BOULILLABAISSE

This is our favourite version of this classic French recipe. It must be made and served immediately, as seafood does not reheat successfully. This recipe is unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

6 small uncooked blue swimmer crabs
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
2 x 400g cans tomatoes
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup water
1 kg fish fillets, chopped
500g uncooked king prawns, shelled
250g scallops
250g calamari rings

1 Remove triangular flap from underside of each crab, remove the hard top shell and grey fibrous tissue; wash crab. Crack nippers slightly, chop down centre of each crab to separate body into 2 pieces.

2 Heat oil in large deep frying pan, add garlic and onions, cook, stirring, until the onions are soft. Stir in tomato paste, wine, undrained crushed tomatoes, turmeric, bay leaves, sugar and water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

3 Add crab and fish to tomato mixture, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 5 minutes.

4 Devein prawns leaving tails intact. Remove vein from scallops. Stir prawns, scallops and calamari into tomato mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer few minutes or until prawns are cooked. Serve the bouillabaisse immediately. Serves 6.

FRENCH VICHYSSOISE

This classic French soup can be made and stored covered in refrigerator up to 2 days before serving. This recipe is unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

1 small chicken
2 litres (8 cups) water
2 onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2kg (about 8 large) potatoes
2 leeks
300mI carton cream

1 Cut chicken in half, combine in large saucepan with water, onions, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 2 hours, strain, reserve stock. You will need 1 1/2 litres (6 cups) of stock for this recipe. Remaining stock can be cooled and frozen for future use.

2 Peel and roughly chop potatoes. Trim leaves from leeks, chop white part roughly; wash, drain well.

3 Combine potatoes, leeks and reserved stock in large saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 40 minutes.

4 BIend or process soup until smooth; strain. Return to saucepan, stir in cream, reheat gently without boiling. Serve topped with chives. Serves 6.

CHICKEN LIVER AND PORT PATE

This French paté can be frozen for up to 2 weeks without the gelatine topping. The recipe can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of serving. Serve with toast or Melba Toast if desired.

500g chicken livers
1/3 cup port
90g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3, cup cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon gelatine
1/2chicken stock cube
1/2 cup water

1 Trim and wash livers, cut in half. Place livers into a small bowl with the port; stand 2 hours. Strain livers, reserve liquid, Melt half the butter in a frying pan, add onion and garlic, stir over heat until onion is soft. Add livers to pan, stir over heat for a few minutes or until livers change colour. Add reserved liquid, simmer mixture uncovered 1 minute.

2 Melt remaining butter. Blend or process liver mixture, cream, nutmeg and thyme until smooth. Add melted butter while motor is operating. Process until smooth. Pour into serving dish, cover, refrigerate 2 hours.

3 Sprinkle gelatine and crumbled stock cube over water, dissolve over not water (or microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds), cool to room temperature. Arrange bay leaves and strips of canned pimiento on pate, carefully pour gelatine mixture over pate; refrigerate overnight. Serves 4.

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Mongolian Hot Pot

Posted on March 26, 2012 by bilrob

Mongolian Hot Pot

Mongolian Hot Pot, Chinese Steamboat — the dish has many names — which all add up to a fun way of cooking for a small party. The cooking vessel can be purchased in Chinese food stores. If you have a fondue set, this makes a good substitute. Or if you have an electric frying pan or pizza pan, this is ideal for making the Mongolian Hot Pot Heat the chicken stock before pouring it into the fondue pot.

The hot pot is set in the centre of the table, guests add their own choice of food to the simmering stock. Small strainers, shown in picture, are for lifting the food from the stock into individual small bowls. When all the food has been eaten, the stock — which has now been transformed into a delicious soup — forms the last course.

Accompaniments set around the pot, from which guests help themselves, could be chosen from any of the following: soy sauce, chilli sauce, hoi sin sauce, sesame sauce, barbecue sauce or lemon sauce (all available in small bottles from most large supermarkets or Chinese food stores). Grated green ginger mixed with a little sugar and dry white wine, is a good accompaniment. Also have a large bowl of steamed rice.

TO PREPARE THE HOT POT:

Use heat beads available for use in barbecues. The beads must be set alight, then burnt until white hot; the best way to do this is in a barbecue or hibachi. While the heat beads are burning, stand the hot pot on a thick piece of solid wood to protect the surface on which the pot stands. Using tongs, quickly place the white hot beads down the chimney of the hot pot, then pour the boiling stock into
the pot.

YOU WILL NEED:

250g (8oz) piece fillet steak
2 pork fillets
2 whole chicken breasts
2 large bream fillets
500g (1lb) green king prawns
240g can bamboo shoots
1 carrot
125g (4oz) bean sprouts
125g (4oz) snow peas
425g can baby corn
24 oysters in the shell or one large bottle oysters
1/2 Chinese cabbage
125g (4oz) bean curd
425g can straw mushrooms
185g (6oz) vermicelli

CHICKEN STOCK:

3 chicken backs (or other chicken pieces)
2 1/2 litres (10 cups) water
3 chicken stock cubes
1 medium onion
5cm (2in) piece green ginger
1 stick celery
salt
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
4 shallots

1. Prepare meat and fish. Remove all fat and sinew from steak, wrap in plastic food wrap, place in freezer for one hour or until meat is very firm. With very sharp knife or cleaver, cut meat into 3mm (1/8in) slices. Remove all fat and sinew from pork fillet, wrap in plastic food wrap, place in freezer for one hour or until meat is firm; cut as for beef fillet. Remove skin from chicken meat; cut chicken meat from each side of breast bone, giving two pieces of meat; repeat with remaining breast. Cut meat into thin slices. Remove skin and bones from fish fillets. Cut fillets into 5cm x 5mm (2in x 1/4in) slices. Shell prawns, remove back vein; if large, cut in two lengthwise. Remove oysters from shell or drain bottled oysters.

2. Prepare vegetables. Wash cabbage, drain well, cut into 4cm (1 ½ in) pieces. Cut bean curd into 5mm (1/4 in) slices. Drain bamboo shoots, slice thinly. Halve mushrooms. Slice peeled carrot thinly, wash bean sprouts, top and tail snow peas, drain corn.

3. An electric hot pot (which simplifies the preparation) or a large electric fry pan can be used. However, many people still have the hot pot which is fired by charcoal.

4. Make the chicken stock, Place chicken pieces, water, crumbled stock cubes, chopped celery, sliced ginger and peeled and sliced onion in pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 2 hours, strain stock, return stock to pan, add salt, sesame oil and chopped shallots on top.

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STEAMED DUMPLINGS

Posted on March 26, 2012 by bilrob

STEAMED DUMPLINGS

Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may be sweet or spicy. They can be eaten by themselves, in soups or stews, with gravy, or in any other way. While some dumplings resemble solid water boiled doughs, such as gnocchi, others such as wontons resemble meatballs with a thin dough covering.

Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, wherein fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes are carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables.

Recipes for steamed dumplings

Soft light pastry encases tasty fillings in these treats. We have made 5 fillings and 2 dipping sauces, and we show you how to shape the dumplings in diferent ways.

Fillings and dipping sauces can be made a day ahead, cover and refrigerate them.

The pastry is best made close to assembling, and dumplings must be cooked just before serving.
Each filling makes enough for 24 dumplings. Dumplings are not suitable to freeze; fillings are suitable
to microwave.

BASIC PASTRY
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
1 cup (250ml) water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil

1. Sift flours into medium bowl. Combine water and vegetable oil in small pan, bring to boil, pour over flours, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to mix to a sticky dough.

2. Knead dough briefly on lightly floured baking paper until smooth. Divide dough into 5 portions; wrap each portion in plastic. Roll each portion between sheets of baking paper until about 1mm thick (pastry should be paper thin, almost see-through). Cut 4 x 9 cm rounds from each portion of
dough. Re-roll all scraps, cut 4 more 9cm rounds. Drop rounded teaspoons of filling into centres of rounds.

3. Crescents: Fold rounds over to enclose filling and make crescents; press edges together to seal. Using fingers, crimp edges.

4. Pouches: Gather dough around filling and twist to seal. For a variation, turn dumpling upside down so the twist becomes the base.

5. Pockets: Using both hands, pinch rounds together as shown; press edges together.

6. Line a large bamboo steamer with baking paper. Place dumplings in batches in steamer, brush lightly with sesame oil, cover, steam over wok or pan of simmering water about 10 minutes or until pastry is translucent. Serve with dipping sauces.

FILLINGS

DUCK AND BLACK BEAN
250g Chinese barbecued duck
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 green shallots, finely chopped
80g mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar

Discard skin and bones from duck, chop meat finely (you need 1 cup meat). Heat oil in small pan, add garlic, shallots and mushrooms, cook, stirring, until mushrooms are soft. Stir in remaining ingredients, cook, stirring, 2 minutes; cool.

PRAWN AND BOK CHOY
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 green shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 small (35g) carrot, finely grated
2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons canned bamboo
shoots, finely chopped
1 small (50g) bok choy, finely shredded
300g uncooked medium prawns, shelled, finely chopped

Heat oil in small pan, add shallots, ginger, carrot, coriander and bamboo shoots, cook, stirring, about 2 minutes or until carrot is tender. Add bok choy, cook, stirring, until just wilted; cool. Combine prawns with vegetable mixture; mix well.

BEAN CURD AND MUSHROOM
3 Chinese dried mushrooms
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 green shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 (55g) canned straw mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup (40g) canned drained baby corn, finely chopped
1/4 cup (40g) canned drained water chestnuts, finely chopped
50g firm bean curd (tofu), drained, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Place mushrooms in small heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms, discard stems, chop caps finely. Heat oil in pan, add all ingredients, cook, stirring, about 3 minutes; cool.

PORK AND CABBAGE
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
4 (125g) Chinese cabbage leaves, finely shredded
250g minced pork

Heat oil in pan, add garlic and ginger, cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add blended cornflour and water, and sauce, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Add cabbage, cook, stirring, until just wilted; cool. Combine vegetable mixture with pork; mix well.

CHICKEN AND PEANUT
2 Chinese dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried shrimp
1/2 stick (55g) celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
150g minced chicken

Place mushrooms and shrimp in separate small heatproof bowls, cover with boiling water, stand 20 minutes; drain. Discard stems from mushrooms, chop caps finely. Chop shrimp finely. Combine
mushrooms and shrimp in bowl with remaining ingredients; mix well.

DIPPING SAUCES for dumplings

HONEY CORIANDER SAUCE
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup (60mI) chicken stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/2 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well.

BLACK BEAN SAUCE
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
pinch five spice powder
1/3 cup (80ml) chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green shallots, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well.

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Peking Duck

Posted on March 26, 2012 by bilrob

Peking Duck

Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered one of China’s national foods.

The dish is prized for the thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is eaten with pancakes, spring onions, and hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce. The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries-old establishments which have become household names.

Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan Dynasty. The dish, originally named “Shaoyazi”, was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui an inspector of the imperial kitchen. The Peking Roast Duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming Dynasty, and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. The first restaurant specialising in Peking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, Qianmen area of Beijing in 1416.
By the Qianlong Period (1736–1796) of the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of Peking Duck spread to the upper classes, inspiring poetry from poets and scholars who enjoyed the dish. For instance, one of the verses ofDuan Zhu Zhi Ci, a collection of Beijing poems was, “Fill your plates with roast duck and suckling pig” In 1864, the Quanjude restaurant was established in Beijing. Yang Quanren the founder of Quanjude, developed the hung oven to roast ducks. With its innovations and efficient management, the restaurant became well known in China, introducing the Peking Duck to the rest of the world.

By the mid-20th century, Peking Duck had become a national symbol of China, favored by tourists and diplomats alike. For example, Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State of the United States, met Premier Zhou Enlai in the Great Hall of the People on July 10, during his first visit to China. After a round of inconclusive talks in the morning, the delegation was served Peking Duck for lunch, which became Kissinger’s favourite. The Americans and Chinese issued a joint statement the following day, inviting President Richard Nixon to visit China in 1972. Peking Duck was hence considered one of the factors behind the rapprochement of the United States to China in the 1970s. Following Zhou’s death in 1976, Kissinger paid another visit to Beijing to savour Peking Duck. Peking Duck, at the Quanjude in particular, has also been a favourite dish for various political leaders ranging from Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.

PEKING DUCK with panckes

We used the more fleshy Muscovy duck in this recipe.

2kg duck
1/4 cup (60ml) honey, warmed
1 small (160g) Lebanese cucumber
8 green shallots

PANCAKES
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup (180mI) boiling water

SAUCE
1/3 cup (80ml) hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon plum sauce

1. Wash duck, drain well. Tie string around neck of duck. Lower duck into large pan of boiling water for 20 seconds, remove from pan, drain well; pat dry with absorbent paper. Tie string to a refrigerator shelf and suspend duck, uncovered, over drip tray overnight. Remove duck from refrigerator, suspend duck in front of cold air from an electric fan about 2 hours or until skin is dry to the touch.

2. Tuck wings under duck. Place duck breast side up on wire rack in large baking dish, brush entire duck evenly with honey. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven 30 minutes, turn duck, reduce heat to slow, bake, uncovered, about 1 hour or until tender.

5. Place duck on chopping board, remove skin, place skin in single layer on wire rack over oven tray. Bake skin, uncovered, in moderate oven about 10 minutes or until crisp and browned; slice skin. Slice duck meat. Remove cucumber seeds. Cut cucumber and shallots into thin 8cm strips. To serve, top warm pancakes with duck meat, crisp skin, cucumber, shallots and sauce, roll, eat with fingers.

4. Pancakes: Sift flour and sugar into large bowl, add water, stir quickly with wooden spoon until ingredients cling together. Knead dough on floured surface about 10 minutes or until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

5. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll a piece into a 16cm round. Heat small heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry pancake about 10 seconds on each side or until very lightly browned. Repeat with remaining dough. Wrap cooked pancakes in foil as they are cooked to prevent drying out. lf necessary, pancakes can be reheated in a bamboo steamer or microwave oven. Line steamer with a cloth, place pancakes in single layer on cloth, steam over simmering water about 2 minutes or until pancakes are heated through.

Sauce: Combine all ingredients in small bowl, mix well.
Serves 4.

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Recipe: Braised beef short ribs with root vegetables and quince

Posted on January 13, 2012 by bilrob

Recipe: Braised beef short ribs with root vegetables and quince

George Mendes

Ingredients

• 8 beef short ribs, bone in
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, small, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 ribs celery root, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 carrot, large, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch piece
• 1 parsnip, large, peeled, cut into 1/2 pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups red wine
• 3 cups veal or beef stock
• 5 springs thyme
• 3 sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf, fresh
• Poached quince
• 2 quinces, fresh, peeled, halved, core removed
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Select a braising pan that will accommodate beef short ribs in single layer. Place pan over medium high heat on stove top. Pat dry the beef with absorbent towel. Season evenly with the sea salt. Add the canola oil to the hot pan. Sear the beef on all sides until well browned. Carefully remove from the pan and set aside.

Add all the vegetables, coriander seed, black peppercorns and the thyme, parsley and bay leaf (tied together with butchers twine). Season lightly with the sea salt. Lower the heat slightly and let cook until the vegetables are tender about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes. Add the red wine, increase heat, and simmer until wine is reduced by half. Next, return the short ribs to the pan and then add the veal stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with lid or parchment paper and place in oven. Let cook for 3 hours or until meat falls off bone easily. Remove the beef from the pan and discard the bundle of herbs. Adjust the consistency of sauce to desire by reducing over medium heat. Serve the beef short ribs along with all the vegetables, sauce, and the poached quince (recipe follows).

For the poached quince: Combine the water with the sugar in a pot that accommodates quantity. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Add the quince along with the vanilla bean halves, seeds scraped into the water. Bring to a simmer and let cook until quince is soft (pierce with tip of knife, should be no resistance). Remove from cooking liquid and slice into ¼ inch pieces. Serve with the beef short ribs.

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Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Icing

Posted on December 22, 2011 by bilrob

Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Icing

An enjoyable part of our research for interesting recipes, involves scanning through local newspapers and magazines for recipes that readers have submitted. We often find little gems like this one for carrot cake. We found it in the Costa Blanca edition of the ‘The Big News’ – a free newspaper distributed throughout the Costa Blanca region of Spain.

This carrot cake is a deliciously good cake, made all the more pleasing by the twist of lime mascarpone icing.

Ingredients
• 250g unsalted butter; softened
• 250g light brown soft sugar
• 5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic, separated
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 170g seIf-raising flour, sifted
• 1 slightly heaped tea spoon baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus a handful for serving
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated sea salt

for the lime mascarpone icing:

• 100g mascarpone cheese
• 200g full-fat cream cheese
• 85g icing sugar; sifted
• zest and juice of 2 limes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease and line a 22cm-square cake tin or a round equivalent with grease-proof paper.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one by one, and add the orange zest and juice.

3. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder; and add the ground almonds, walnuts, spices and grated carrot and mix together well.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold them into the cake mix.

5. Scoop the mixture into the prepared cake tin and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes until golden and risen. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick into it.

6. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky, it needs a bit longer; so put it back in the oven.

7. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a rack and rest for at least
an hour.

8. Mix all the icing ingredients together and spread generously over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.
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RedFarm's Ed Schoenfeld Talks Dumplings, History Of Chinese Food In NYC

Posted on December 11, 2011 by bilrob

Chinese

Photo via Ed Schoenfeld’s Twitter/ Evan Sung

RedFarm’s Ed Schoenfeld Talks Dumplings, History Of Chinese Food In NYC

Ed Schoenfeld may not be a household name, but to anyone who’s paid attention to the city’s dining scene over the past 40 years, he certainly is. “Eddie Glasses,” as he’s nicknamed, is one the city’s (really, the country’s) preeminent food experts, particularly in Chinese cuisine, and he’s made a career for himself since the ’70s as a restaurateur/host/consultant/food-world insider of formidable authority. Schoenfeld’s first taste of fame was for running the front of the house at the four-starred Uncle Tais Hunan Yuan on the Upper East Side in 1973, and over the years he’s been involved with everyplace from Shun Lee to Chinatown Brasserie. Years ago, Gourmet magazine dubbed him “the curator of Chinese food in America,” and it still holds true today.

Most recently, Schoenfeld’s been in the spotlight with RedFarm, his new and ragingly popular West Village restaurant with chef Joe Ng. We sat down for dinner with the gregarious, opinionated, and impressively candid restaurateur to talk about everything from the history of Chinese food in America to his family. What we’ve printed below is a small selection of our two-hour meal, which was filled with enough food to feed a small army, and enough interruptions from well-wishers and passerby to exhaust even the most seasoned celebrity. Here’s a small taste of what it’s like to eat with Eddie.

How did you first get interested in Chinese food and decide to pursue it as a career? As a kid growing up in the city in an intellectual, middle class family, my parents never went out to a French restaurant. And being a New York Jew, we would go eat Chinese food all the time. I had realized early on, when I was a little kid, I loved going to restaurants. I loved eating. So I thought it would really be fun to have a career like that. I started pursuing food in a thoughtful kind of self teaching pedantic way when I was about 16 or 17. And I decided to start taking cooking lessons, when I was about 18 or 19—

[Answer interrupted by the arrival of steamed vegetable and chive dumplings]—[Pointing to garnish] This is the tip of a flowering chive, as opposed to a garlic chive. When a plant bolts it grows quickly and develops a plant or a flower. So this is a chive that bloted. When a garlic chive bolts, the stem becomes crunchy and crispy, when a regular chive bolts the stem becomes woody and inedible. So in Chinese cooking, flowering garlic chives are a really unique vegetable. Something you don’t see so often.

Anyway, to get myself educated in Chinese food in particular I started setting up Chinese dinner parties at different restaurants throughout the city. At the time I was going to NYU, but when I was 20 I dropped out to support my cooking habit. I started driving a taxi to support myself.

So how did you end up working in restaurants? Well, through these parties, I met a lot of restauranteurs and I became friendly with one of them and made a joke to him that if he ever wanted to hire a nice Jewish boy he should call me. Six months later he called me up and I became his assistant and we did the opening of Uncle Tais Hunan Yuan, the first Hunan restaurant in the United States. I was 22 or 23 years old.

To run a four star restaurant in New York, the kind of clientele you get is kind of amazing. We had crazy customers, iconic people. When Norman Mailer came in, who looked like a crazy guy, they stuck him near kitchen like was he a street person. When Warhol came in, they had no idea what to make of that. The whole Sulzberger family who owned the New York Times, really big time people. Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Tennessee Williams, Lillian Harmon. For me it was enormous fun. I really loved that.

A spread at RedFarm (Courtesy Red Farm)

Do you think that New Yorkers have a different relationship with Chinese food than other Americans do? I think yes and no. I think that when I started in the business, Chinese food was the exciting Asian food. We had all these chefs coming into the country in the ’60s and that’s when we started getting all this authentic Szechuan and Hunan food. We moved away from Cantonese-American food. Szechuan food exploded and spread like wildfire.

Do you think the average diner recognizes the variation? Or are they just like, “that’s Chinese food”? Chinese food became so popular that it morphed into the main home replacement meal. There’s this enormous appetite for delivery and take-out. For the last 40 years people have been ordering in Chinese and it supplanted the Chinese restaurants with a kind of taken-for-granted experience. Then Japanese food became the hot cuisine. Chinese restaurants couldn’t keep up with the Nobus. And when they tried to do something out of the ordinary they were so provincial that it was very hard to do something different.

Seems like now people get excited by going out to Flushing to eat offal or some obscure dish. In your generation, by and large, you prioritize authentic over delicious. There’s a big difference now from the food I knew in the early seventies at Uncle Tai’s. When I go to the best Szechuan restaurant in New York City and eat their best dishes, every single time without exceptions, I think that I am eating the B- version of that dish. If I go and eat shredded pork with garlic sauce or Kung Pao chicken which are really classic dishes that have a pretty set way of being made, to my palate they’re almost all inferior, one after the other. If I go to Grand Szechuan and have the best food on the menu, I think its C+ to B-.

Are you telling me you don’t think you’ll ever be able to replicate the A+ level? No, I think we are able to replicate that, it’s just that just most people don’t.

‘Pac Man’ shrimp dumplings at RedFarm (Courtesy RedFarm)

So what are you trying to do with RedFarm? It’s pretty dissimilar to most Chinese restaurants in the city. What we set out to do was to showcase Joe’s cooking and to put it in a more modern format and to do something that was more of a market-to-table Chinese restaurant which is something that is lacking….When I really sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with [Joe] he said, “I want to make food that surprises me and my guests.”

So are you prioritizing the delicious over the authentic? You know, I told Florence [Fabricant] at The Times that our food is unabashedly inauthentic and that we’re interested in making food that’s delicious, and we don’t feel like we have any boundaries here. We’re not trying to make something that’s authentic.

Do you get any Chinese customers in here? Many.

What’s the feedback? They love it?. We had a big, big piece on the cover of a Chinese-language newspaper, a two-page piece?.It’s nice and you know what’s going on is that, as I said to you before, we’re in a business where we’ve been stagnant for decades, certainly in the United States. Chinese food in the United States, and especially the Chinese food in the United States that’s oriented towards the caucasian community. There’s a lot of regional ethnic food in Chinatown and Flushing, or if you go to Vancouver, but…

What do you mean—that Chinese food for white people is boring? It’s not that it’s boring, it’s the stuff all over the country. If you look at the menu at the “best” Chinese restaurants and at the local take-out place, I bet you 70 percent of the items are the same. And this is an industry where creativity has been at a standstill.

[Answer interrupted by the arrival of sauteed black cod with yellow leeks]: This is black cod. Are you familiar with black cod?
A little bit, you don’t see it on menus all that often anymore. Do you know why?
Is it un-environmentally friendly? No, it costs three times as much as lobster.

Do you think Chinese food, has it ever been cool? It was very cool in the 60’s and 70‘s. It’s cool here. That’s one of the biggest achievements of this restaurant is that it’s cool and it’s a business. This is the first Chinese restaurant to open in the New York market in 30 years that is exciting dining public and where people are like, clamoring to go out cause it’s something different.

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Real Chinese Food

Posted on December 8, 2011 by bilrob

Real Chinese Food

When I was a child, “Chinese food” at my house consisted of some chunks of chicken and a can of limp vegetables poured over crunchy chow mein noodles — from a can. It was pretty dull, and it wasn’t really Chinese, but we all cleaned our plates.

Years later, I visited a Chinese restaurant that did not feature American-style Chinese food. I ordered a hot, sweet, crispy Sichuan fish dish. Chinese food seemed a whole lot more interesting after that.

These days, one can order regional Chinese food from menus in many American cities. However, I imagine the most authentic Chinese cooking here in Columbia is happening in home kitchens, as I learned when I was recently invited to sample Arthur Du’s cooking at Hsiao-Mei and Ray Wiedmeyer’s home. Du’s multicourse meal is the subject of this week’s food cover story. Watching Du and tasting his food inspired me to experiment more at home. Because I don’t have a fabulous Chinese chef like Du at my house, I turned to a new cookbook called “Feeding the Dragon, a culinary travelogue through China and Hong Kong with Recipes” by Mary Kate and Nate Tate. (Andrews McMeel, 2011, $24.99) The book is written and photographed by a sister-brother team who embarked on a 9,700-mile eating and cooking trek through China. The Tates share what they learned about the people and the diverse regional cooking in China and Hong Kong. They also provide a fun-to-read cultural and historical context for the 100 recipes they have adapted for the home cook.

The book includes a glossary of terms and some of the basics on how to make staples such as rice, dumpling wrappers, good stock and hand-torn noodles. I plan to try many of the recipes, but I was first drawn to lemongrass chicken wings from Yunnan. After making them — and eating a few too many — I determined these wings would fly off the serving plate at a holiday party.

LEMONGRASS CHICKEN WINGS

3 stalks lemongrass, tender sections only, minced (see note)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 pounds chicken wings (about 20) tips removed

20 leaves peeled from lemongrass stalks

Use a mortar and pestle to mash the minced lemongrass, garlic, ginger, salt and lemon zest into a coarse paste. Whisk the lemon juice, sesame oil, sugar, Asian fish sauce and lemongrass paste in a small bowl. Place the chicken wings in a large resealable plastic bag with the marinade and toss them well so they’re well- coated. Place the bag in the refrigerator and marinate for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Remove wings from refrigerator and wrap a lemongrass leaf around each wing a couple of times, tying the ends together in a knot.

Marcia’s note: This looks pretty on the plate, but my son called it “slightly impractical.” Place the wings on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve warm, as finger food.

Note: Lemongrass is available at Hong Kong Market, Kea International Market and Chong’s Oriental Market.

Makes: 20 wings

— From “Feeding the Dragon” by Mary Kate and Nate Tate.

Marcia Vanderlip is the Tribune’s food editor. Reach her at 815-1704 or [email protected].

Reach Marcia Vanderlip at 573-815-1704 or e-mail [email protected].

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Recipes from Young Chefs Academy get kids in on holiday-baking fun

Posted on December 7, 2011 by bilrob

Recipes from Young Chefs Academy get kids in on holiday-baking fun

There is nothing like several generations of family gathered around a table enjoying recipes that everyone made together.

It may seem like you will end up with more chaos than cookies, but including young children in the process is a wonderful way to spend time together.

To inspire you, we met with chef Melissa Weiner, who teaches cooking classes to children ages 3-18 at the Young Chefs Academy in Fort Worth. The academy offers multiple cooking classes each week to provide children with a fun, hands-on experience preparing seasonal recipes.

Here are three recipes that Weiner uses in her classes — two recipes for side dishes and a dessert. All are just perfect for a hearty holiday meal.

Baked pumpkin pudding (side)

Butter or shortening to grease ramekins

2 eggs

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup milk

Whipped cream to garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the inside of 4 ramekins.

2. Crack eggs into mixing bowl and beat with fork until they are light yellow in color.

3. Add pumpkin to the eggs and mix with a wooden spoon until blended.

4. Add the cinnamon, ginger, molasses and milk. Stir until well blended.

5. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture into each ramekin and bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 129 calories, 3 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 108 milligrams cholesterol, 61 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 22 percent of calories from fat.

Baked apples with sweet potato stuffing (side)

1/2 cup cinnamon red hot candies

1 cup water

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

6 baking apples, peeled and cored

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

6 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the candies and water. Stir until candies are dissolved (approximately 5 minutes).

3. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave on high 8-10 minutes until tender. Cool and peel. Mash with a fork.

4. Place apples in a microwave-safe baking dish and pour the candy mixture over the apples. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 31/2 to 4 minutes.

5. Combine the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, pineapple and pecans.

6. Stuff the cooled apples with the sweet potato mixture. Mound any remaining mixture on top of the apples.

7. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Score the marshmallows with a knife to lie flat on top of the apples. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to lightly toast marshmallows.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 369 calories, 1 gram fat, 94 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, no cholesterol, 35 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber, 2 percent of calories from fat.

Pumpkin whoopie pies (dessert)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

11/2 cups pureed pumpkin

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Maple cream cheese filling:

3 cups powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the butter and sugars. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, salt and pumpkin.

3. Into another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until well combined.

4. Scoop teaspoons of the batter on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until done. Allow to rest on a rack until completely cooled before assembling.

5. For the filling, whisk all the ingredients together until very smooth.

6. Turn one cookie upside down, add a teaspoon of the frosting, and place another cookie on top. Continue until all your whoopie pies are assembled.

Nutritional analysis per pie, including maple cream cheese filling: 189 calories, 8 grams fat, 28 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 119 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 38 percent of calories from fat.

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LEMONGRASS CHICKEN WINGS

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