I Want To Cook

So Wifey recently struck a deal, and when Degens find deals we go big or go home. In this case she scored a 25-pound bag of carrots. For $4.

Needless to say, just about every dish I’ve made in the past week has included the orange roots. If I were eating any more of these things I’d grow a bushy white tale and be saying, “What’s up, Doc?” But in addition to stocking up some vegetarian friends, the surplus has also given me opportunity to experiment with the versatile veggies.

One of my more tasty uses for carrots is using them for something sweet, and it’s not cake. It’s actually in a quick-bread batter that can be used for bread or muffins.

Finely grated carrots give this bread a dash of color and a subtle crunch. I add in some crushed pineapple for extra pizazz. While I admit this recipe is more of a treat – as muffins and dessert breads usually are – I give mine a degree more of healthful properties by mixing in whole-wheat flour and using canola oil instead of butter.

Best of all, it’s a snap to make and uses the standard muffin/quick-bread method of simply mixing wet ingredients into dry, popping your chosen bakeware into an oven and, voila, half an hour later you’ve got a tasty treat that makes a fine dessert pairing with coffee or a breakfast indulgence. Hey it’s got carrots so it must be good for you, right?

You won’t need 25 pounds for this recipe. In fact just one carrot should do the trick. Guess I’m lucky that these loaves and freeze well.

Let’s bake.

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Back in culinary school, I had a chef-instructor who was known for her love of lemon juice. Adding it to dishes, she would say, is like “Adding bursts of sunshine.”

Very true. A squirt of fresh lemon or lime juice can really brighten a dish with tang. But there’s an often overlooked piece of that lemon, lime or other citrus that can add an equal bite: the skin, aka the “zest.”

If the juice of a fresh lemon packs rays of flavor, then pieces of zest are like culinary meteorites for your mouth.

Adding the zest of a citrus fruit can enliven any number of foods, from salad dressings, pancakes and rice to ice cream and, one of my favorites, cheesecake. And for those counting calories, it’s a bonus to know that the zest, like little bits of herbs, add nearly zero calories.

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In the culinary universe, pasta should be as easy to make as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But if you’ve ever ended up with noodles that are flaccid and flavorless, something has gone awry. Many of us have been there. In fact, when I’m giving personal cooking lessons, I’m continually amazed at how many people bemoan the fact that their pasta never tastes quite right.

It doesn’t have to be this way. And after reading this, you’ll be equipped to make perfect pasta every time. Yes, the two main steps for turning dry, Italian-style pasta into a meal are boiling water and submerging the noodles. But for the perfect pasta, the devil is in the details. And so is the flavor, texture and even how well those oodles of noodles will hold their sauce.

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Across back yards everywhere this past Memorial Day, grills blazed at the unofficial start of summer. And while I enjoyed some freshly cut barbecue chicken myself, my thoughts – and taste buds – turned to something much different yet absolutely perfect for this eating season: Tapenade.

Tapenade is an olive-based dish that can be served on top of crusty bread, as a dip for vegetables, or even as a spread on sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.

It’s a dish that has a fancy name and one that you may think is hard to prepare, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you have a can opener, a food processor and 10 minutes, you can make tapenade.

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Every time I pass the salad dressing aisle in the store these days, I let out a little sigh. It’s becoming such a regular condition that I’m starting to feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs.

Why this reaction over a simple salad staple? Because dressing can be so easily made at home instead of at some factory pumping out high-fructose-laden goop.

The easiest of all dressings to make also happens to be one of the tastiest: vinaigrette. At its simplest, you can make vinaigrette by mixing vinegar and oil in a ratio of one part vinegar to three or four parts oil, depending on your preference. By adding a few more ingredients, you can make it combine better and taste greater.

The process of combining two ingredients such as oil and vinegar that usually don’t like to combine is called emulsification. A vinaigrette is a classic example of a temporary emulsion because, in time, the two immiscible ingredients will separate. That’s why you shake a bottle of dressing before using: to get the ingredients to recombine, at least temporarily.

To make a vinaigrette go from good to great, I like to add a couple of extra ingredients, namely dried herbs such as oregano, and a dollop of mustard. That latter ingredient will not only add a burst of flavor, it will act as an emulsifier to help keep the vinaigrette more stable.

Emulsifiers such as mustard, honey and even the lecithin compound found in egg yolks are like that peacemaking third friend you had in high school who could make the two others who are usually at odds with each other get along.

With or without such extra ingredients, vinaigrettes can be made in countless ways, with everything from basic red wine vinegar and generic vegetable oil to a pomegranate vinegar and high-end extra virgin olive oil.

For this recipe, I use a decent balsamic vinegar and regular olive oil. The result is a delicious, slightly sweet vinaigrette that is outrageous on salads. In addition to a dressing, it will also work wonderfully as a dip and a marinade for meat.

Ready to make your own vinaigrette? Grab a bowl, a whisk, and let’s get to this.

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During these harsh winter months, there is a certain special recipe that warms the heart and soul like few others, a dish that’s as enjoyable to eat as the conversation that comes with it: fondue.

Yes, that ’70s staple is still around, tempting a new generation to dip into its lush, creamy, goodness. At a restaurant it can cost you an arm and a leg; at home it’s not only totally doable but creates an instant party in the process.

There are a few kinds of fondue, from chocolate that can be a dip for fruits, to sizzling oil that can be used to cook pieces of meat tableside. But when most people think of fondue, it’s that sumptuous mixture of wine and cheese, a wonderful combination if there ever was one.

To make the kind of traditional cheese fondue made famous in the Jura region of Switzerland and France, you basically just melt cheese in simmering wine, add some seasonings and then thicken it with cornstarch.

Kept warm at the table via a Sterno or a similar fire-emitting device, and you have an instant party favorite that is then dipped into with day-old bread, crudités (that’s fancy raw veggies, you know) or anything else that fits on a small fork and can be slathered with cheese sauce, which in my book is just about anything.

Who says grown adults can’t have fun with their food? Now, if you’re ready to get you own party started, I’ll show that you, too, can make fondue.

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When I was a boy, my mom on occasion would make a certain meal that tasted and felt like we were living in the lap of luxury, even if our family’s bank account indicated otherwise. The dinner was a treat, an Italian classic like the kind that generations of her family ate in their home country: linguine and clam sauce.

Now that I make this dinner regularly, I can see why my mom counted on it so often. Aside from it coming together in less than 30 minutes – my mother worked hard in an office all day, too – it’s delicious, healthful and, at about $3 a serving, inexpensive. It can feed a young couple like my wife and me for less than the cost of a bowl of soup at many restaurants, and when the recipe is doubled in portion, will still feed a family of four for around $12 or less.

Using canned clams not only cuts the cost significantly, but also makes the dish way easier to prepare: no cleaning the clams, pan-steaming them, and then having to pry the meat from the shells. Sure, canned clams won’t taste as good as fresh, but keep in mind that in this dish they’ll be complemented by additional flavorful ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, garlic and capers, all mixed in with the pasta.

I buy canned clams on sale just to make this dish, and recently found name-brand ones for $1.50 at Vons, and even cheaper at 99 Cents Only.

It’s one clam dish (literally) in which you don’t need a lot of clams (figuratively) to make. Here’s how to do it:

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Waste not, want not.

Those words ring truer than ever in today’s uncertain economic times, and in another place as well: the kitchen.

Experts such as Timothy Jones, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, Tuscon, says the average American family throws away $1,200 in food each year, which translates to about 500 pounds of food annually. That’s a shame on many levels, and you probably don’t need a Ph.D.  to point out that it’s costly on many levels, too.

Luckily, certain recipes can equal salvation for foodstuffs otherwise destined for a squanderous demise. Take bread, for instance. This pantry staple, especially the fresh-baked, preservative-free variety, can go south faster than the stock market in fall of 2008.

I used to find myself tossing the stuff all too often once it started to get dry and hard. Then I started purposely re-purposing it, giving those stale slices new life in French toast.

Bread that has lost its moisture is actually the perfect vehicle for French toast, because you want a certain amount of stiffness for it to stay together after it’s been dipped in an egg mixture and thrown in a frying pan or on a griddle.

Once plated, those luscious slabs of bread won’t be dry any longer. They will get plenty moist from the batter, not to mention the butter and syrup that are subsequently slathered on top. If you’ve never made French toast, here’s your chance. If you’re an old hand at it, try this version with a citrus twist. It’s so good — not to mention cheap and easy — you might find yourself buying an extra loaf of bread just to leave it out. Here’s how to make it happen.

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Consider this the month of the squash. Whether you realize it or not, they are making their way to doorsteps all over the country, preparing to spook every young guest who rings the doorbell seeking candy.

Yes, pumpkins are a part of the squash family, but as winter squash, they tend to take much longer to cook due to their tough rinds. Luckily, you can still celebrate all things squash by quickly and easily cooking that other popular variety, summer squash.

As its name would not lead you to believe, summer squashes can actually be found in markets year-round.

Among my favorites in this category is the familiar zucchini. This vegetable is wonderful baked, and can be served as a side, combined with another dish like pasta, or even as the main event itself for vegetarians. Seasoned simply with herbs and tossed lightly with oil, these squash taste even better when baked with two good friends – garlic and onions.

This recipe is a true treat for the mouth, and one you definitely don’t want to leave out on the porch. Here’s how to make it. Read the rest of this entry »