Thursday, January 29, 2009

Restaurants in a Recession

I noticed a large number of ads in today’s relish advertising restaurant specials, and I can’t help but think they’re motivated by the recession and what is traditionally a slower time of year.

I noticed them, too, when I was trolling around on a few websites to collect addresses and phone numbers for the restaurants I’m including in next week’s column about going out for a cheapskate’s Valentine’s Day. Stay tuned if you need some suggestions - it’ll run Feb. 5.

Back to the specials: Bleu’s got a three-course prix fixe menu for $28, and so does Ombu, for three dollars less (though it seems as if that’s only available from 5 to 6 pm Sunday to Thursday, and 5 to 5:30 pm on weekends). The menus are simple and straightforward, but sound like worth trying - she crab soup, pork tenderloin with a potato and leek cake and salmon with warm pecan vinaigrette are among the choices at Bleu.

Another recessionary special - the Downtown Partnership has banded some restaurants together to offer a “signature dish” at half off on Tuesday through the end of March. They call it a Gastronomic Recovery Plan. Cute, but will it help? 

I wonder what’s the bigger success for restaurants: offering 50 percent off one dish one night a week for two months, or prix fixe menus. Or neither…maybe (surprise, surprise) it’s about the deliciousness of the food and the general vibe of a place. I hope so. One restaurant owner I think is overall doing things right told me yesterday that January has been a great month for him. Restaurateurs can be prone to exaggeration - is it the artist in (some of) them? But when I’ve driven past his place at night, it looks bustling.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Lovin’ That Bread

I was duly impressed by the people who seemed to start stirring flour and yeast within minutes of getting their Jan. 21 paper, which contained Donna Upchurch’s recipe for no-knead bread.

Anne-Marie Miller sent me the photo at left on Wednesday evening to show me how well her bread turned out.

Actually, Miller didn’t exactly make Upchurch’s recipe, but experimented to create her own version—just as Upchurch had experimented with a recipe from The New York Times to come up with her own.

It is impressive and encouraging to see so many creative cooks in our area.

Below is Miller’s recipe, plus one from Barb Ford of Mocksville, who started with yet a different recipe from The New York Times and changed it and changed it to make it her own.

Anne-Marie Miller’s No-Knead Bread
This is how Anne-Marie Miller made the bread the first time, and she said she was very pleased with the results. But, she said, she’d like to make it even healthier by increasing the amount of whole wheat. “Next time I think I’ll modify the flour proportions to 2 cups bread flour and 2 cups whole wheat and the ¼ cup cornmeal, without changing the yeast and water quantities,” she said. “If this works out, I will probably continue to increase the proportion of whole wheat to bread flour.”

2¾ cups organic bread flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup plain cornmeal
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 ounce (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2½ cups water

1. In a large bowl, combine flours, salt and yeast. Swish by hand to mix. Add the water and stir by hand until blended. A little kneading here is fun but not necessary. The dough will be shaggy and wet. Gather into a gloppy ball and drizzle on a bit of olive oil to cover the top of the dough. Cover bowl snuggly with plastic wrap and write the time four hours later on the plastic with a marker. Let the dough rest at room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. After four hours, lightly oil a work surface and place risen dough on it. Dough will still feel sticky and unwieldy. Fold dough over on itself four times: from the left side, the right side, the top and the bottom, as if folding a shirt. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest 30 minutes. It will spread.
3. Meanwhile, at least 30 minutes before the bread is ready to bake, heat oven to 450 degrees. With a rack in the center of the oven, put a 5- to 6-quart heavy covered cast-iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic Dutch oven or similar pot in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot and lid from the oven. Remove lid and sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the pot. Slide your oiled hands under the dough, if possible, and plop the dough into the pot seam side up. Do not be too concerned if it doesn’t sit correctly; give it a shake to straighten out. Cut a cross on top of dough with a razor or sharp knife. Sprinkle on flour or cornmeal.

Barbara Ford’s No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread recipe printed Nov. 8, 2006 in The New York Times. Though Ford uses a large pot for this, it should work fine in a standard 5-quart Dutch oven—it will just bake up a little taller.
3 cups bread flour
¼ cup rolled or quick barley (not pearl barley)
¼ cup rolled rye
¼ cup millet
¼ cup golden flax seeds
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
1 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
1¼ to 1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups water

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, barley, rye, millet, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, yeast and salt. Add 2 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Super Bowls for the Super Bowl

Millions of folks will be cooking up chili Feb. 1 for Super Bowl XLIII.

If you’re in need of a recipe, here are the top two vote-getters and my favorite chilis from the Jan. 24 chili cook-off at Whole Foods Market on Miller Street.

The Florida Girls’ chili has a definite cinnamon flavor, with a hint of chocolate.

The Beef, Bean and Beer Chili is more traditional, with just the right amount of beer and a bit of smoky chipotle flavor.

Florida Girl’s Chili
The winning recipe, by Sheila Fisher of the customer-service department. Fisher used a particular brand of spicy chocolate, but any type of bittersweet chocolate would work here.
3 dried ancho peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons whole coriander
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotle chiles in adobe sauce, chopped
2 28-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons masa harina
2 ounces Vosges Red Fire chocolate
Grated queso fresco, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

1. In a small skillet over low heat add the ancho peppers, oregano, paprika, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until they become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Put the spices into a spice mill and grind until they are powdered. Set aside.
2. Heat a large heavy bottomed casserole dish over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons olive oil and the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the toasted spice mix, the garlic, chipotle, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Season with salt and stir well. Add some hot water until the meat is just covered with liquid. Return to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1½ hours.
3. Remove the meat and shred it with a fork. Return it to the pot, stir in the masa harina and chocolate, and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with the queso fresco, cilantro, and lime for garnish.

Beef, Bean, and Beer Chili
The runner-up by Missie Dowdy of the prepared-foods department.

1½ tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
5 pounds ground chuck
2 tablespoons canola oil
2½ pounds onions, coarsely chopped
1½ pounds red bell peppers, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ pounds yellow bell peppers, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 large jalapeno chilies with seeds, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
7 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons (packed) minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with added puree
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
1 12-ounce bottle beer (preferably Guinness stout)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream
Chopped green onions
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Toast cumin and coriander in skillet over medium heat until darker and beginning to smoke, about 4 minutes. Cool
2. Sauté beef in large heavy pot over med high heat until no longer pink.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium–high heat and sauté onions, all bell peppers, and jalapenos until they begin to soften.
4. Add onion mixture to pot with meat. Mix in toasted spices, chili powder, and chipotle chiles. Add crushed tomatoes, beans, and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and cheese.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Hurrah for Hummus

The other week, I mentioned in my Jan. 14 column that I had made some hummus.

Some readers asked for the recipe, so here it is.

I printed it this in a 2007 story I wrote about hummus.

Removing the skins is a tedious business, but if you have the time and the patience, I think the results are worth it.


Enjoy.



Hummus
Recipe adapted from The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert.

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 small onion, peeled

1/4 cup tahini

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Ground cumin, hot paprika or red pepper

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water to cover.

2. Drain, rinse and cover with fresh water. Add the onion and gently simmer until the chickpeas are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Drain reserving, 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Discard the onion. If desired, set aside 1/4 cup chickpeas for garnish. (See Note.)

4. Stir the tahini in the jar until well blended. Place 1/4 cup tahini in blender jar or the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and lemon juice and process until the mixture lightens. With the machine running, add the reserved cooking liquid. Add 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas and process until well blended. Correct the seasoning with salt and lemon juice as needed. Allow dip to rest to blend the flavors for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.

5. To serve, spread in a shallow serving dish. Use the back of a spoon to make a shallow well in the center. Drizzle olive oil in the well and sprinkle humus with cumin, hot paprika or red pepper. Garnish with reserved 1/4 cup chickpeas if desired.

Note: To make a lighter hummus, Wolfert suggests removing and discarding the skins of the chickpeas before pureeing them. This can be done by pressing the cooked and drained chickpeas through a food mill or shallow sieve, or tamis. The job can be done with a regular sieve, but it will be more difficult to press the chickpeas through. Also, rolling and lightly rubbing the cooked chickpeas between your hands or in a clean kitchen towel will make skins come off.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A World Without Meat? Or How About A Little Less of It

I’m not impervious to a guilt trip. You can ask my mother. She thinks I worry for a hobby, and she’s probably right.

So imagine my thoughts today, when I wake up to NPR’s Morning Edition, and an interview Mark Bittman, a cookbook author and a columnist at the New York Times who recently wrote a new book called Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating. In it, Bittman argues for us to eat less meat. As I’m listening to this, I couldn’t help but appreciate the irony that that my review of Bib’s Downtown ran in relish today, too, in which I was rather glowing about the restaurant’s many meats, in particular, its wonderful ribs and beef brisket.

Not that Morning Edition or Mark Bittman know or care. But it got me thinking about how many mixed messages float around out there in Medialand about food. We have such a love-hate relationship with so much of it.

Now, I used to not eat meat. I was a vegetarian (albeit a lazy one, meaning I often relied on cheese and eggs, not loads of tofu and leafy greens) for part of my teenage years and into college. I think years of missing bacon was the straw that broke my back - that, and lamb, and generally being fed up with the worry about eating meat in restaurants or at friends’ houses. I know many vegetarians and applaud their efforts, but it’s just not for me anymore. And I never stopped eating fish. So perhaps my heart wasn’t really in it.

Bittman doesn’t argue for any meat. He argues for less of it as a means to a healthier body and planet, and it’s not a chain of thought I disagree with. It’s just that if I’m going to have meat, it’s going to be good. No wasting meat consumption on dry hamburgers, or boring barbecue.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Send Me Your Valentine’s Day Recipes

What kind of food do you find romantic?

Is there a recipe you plan to make for your loved one this Valentine’s Day?

That’s what I want to know.

I’m looking for readers who have special Valentine’s recipes and food ideas for a story to run in a couple of weeks.

If you have any good ideas or recipes, please send them along with your name and contact info!

In the meantime, here’s a great brownie recipe—the ultimate in simplicity for a Valentine’s Day chocolate celebration.

On-the-Fence Brownies

Recipe adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion (Countryman Press, 2004), by the staff of the King Arthur Flour Co. The name comes from the texture, which straddles between fudgey and cakey and provides a fudgey brownie’s moistness with the greater rise of a cake brownie.

Be sure to check out the variations below to add different flavors.

1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups (15.75 ounces) sugar

1 1/4 cups (3.75 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (6.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil with enough to hang over edges of pan. Lightly coat with cooking oil spray.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl (or a medium saucepan set over low heat), melt butter, then add sugar and stir to combine. Microwave or reheat slightly until hot (110 to 120 degrees), but not bubbling. Stir until it becomes shiny. (Heating mixture a second time dissolves more sugar to help produce a shiny top crust to the brownies.)

3. Stir in cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, stirring until smooth. Add flour and, if using, nuts and chips, again stirring until smooth.

4. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Brownies should feel set at edges and in the center. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Lift out of pan using overhanging pieces parchment or foil. Cut into 24 2-inch brownies.

Makes 24 brownies.

Nutritional information for one serving (one 2-inch square, without nuts or chips): 194 calories, 9 g fat (saturated fat unavailable), 3 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates (7 g complex carbohydrates, 18 g sugar), 57 mg cholesterol, 123 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Lunching with Lincoln (Sort Of)

The menu for Tuesday’s Inaugural Luncheon will take its cue from the inaugural theme “The New Birth of Freedom” and the celebration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

The luncheon tradition goes back as far as 1897, but has existed in its current form since 1953, according to The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

The committee hosts the lunch for “approximately 200 guests including the new President, Vice President, members of their families, the Supreme Court, Cabinet designees, and members of Congressional leadership” in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, according to a press release issued by the committee this week.

The theme tries to connect Lincoln’s culinary tastes to 21st-century food.

“Growing up in the frontier regions of Kentucky and Indiana, the sixteenth President favored simple foods including root vegetables and wild game,” the press release says. “As his tastes matured, he became fond of stewed and scalloped oysters. For dessert or a snack, nothing pleased him more than a fresh apple or an apple cake.”

Design Cuisine, a catering company in Arlington, Va., came up with the following menu. Though apparently, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had something to do with the fact that only California wines are being served. Feinstein, as luck would have it, happens to be chairwoman of this inaugural committee.

Illinois has vineyards. Could they not find even one decent wine in the state of Illinois or Kentucky (the state where Lincoln was born)?

At any rate, here’s the menu:
— First course: creamy seafood stew made with cod, shrimp, scallops and lobster, with Duckhorn Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley.
— Second course: pheasant and duck served with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes, with Goldeneye (another label from Duckhorn) 2005 Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley.
— Third course: apple cinnamon sponge cake and sweet cream glacé, with Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvée,” California sparkling wine.

You can get all the recipes for the luncheon at http://inaugural.senate.gov/documents/doc-2009-recipes.pdf.

The photo above (courtesy of http://www.inaugural.senate.gov) is of replica china from Lincoln’s presidency. The first course of the 2009 luncheon will be served on this replica china.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pickled Shrimp Plus

After I wrote about Drew Ward’s pickled-shrimp salad being served at the Governor’s Inaugural Ball on Jan. 9, I got a lot of feedback.
Of course, someone asked for the recipe, and Ward, the executive chef at Noble’s Grille, was happy to oblige.

Ward said he had a great time feeding people at the ball. “I had plenty of shrimp. I just didn’t have enough of all the stuff to go with it. Still, it worked out,” he said. “A lot of people came up and said, ‘Hey, I saw you in the paper.’”

He thought he might see the new governor, but didn’t. “I was more excited about seeing Andy Griffith. But I didn’t see him either,” Ward said.

Ward also mentioned that he got such good reactions to his pickled-shrimp salad that he put it on the menu at Noble’s Grille at 380 Knollwood, Winston-Salem.

Pickled Shrimp Salad
Blanching liquid:
1½ pounds shrimp, peeled with tail-on
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon celery seeds
2 tablespoons paprika
Water
Pickling mix:
2 cups white wine vinegar
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
½ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 thinly sliced with peel on
1 red onion thinly julienned
1 cup capers drained
1 to 2 jalapenos, to taste, deseeded and sliced thin crosswise
Salad:
3 Blood oranges
Olive oil
Mache, arugula or other greens
2 avocados
½ bunch fresh parsley leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Salt
2 large sunchokes

1. In large pot, place all blanching ingredients with enough water to hold the shrimp without crowding. Bring mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water.
2. Once liquid boils, add the shrimp and cook until just begin to curl, about 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately remove shrimp and shock in ice water.
3. Mix all of the pickling ingredients together. Drain the shrimp, place in a glass or plastic container and pour the pickling mixture over to cover. Cover container and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 3 days.
4. To make the salad, segment the blood oranges. Set the sections aside, then squeeze the bodies to extract as much juice as possible. Mix the juice with olive oil to taste to make a vinaigrette.
5. Mix mache or another light lettuce with enough of the vinaigrette to lightly coat. Add the onion, lemon, capers and jalapeno from the pickling liquid to the salad. (Discard the pickling liquid.)
6. For the avocado puree, add 2 peeled and seeded avocados, a ½ bunch of parsley and 1 lime, pinch of salt to a blender and puree.
7. Slice the sunchokes very thinly on a mandoline. Deep-fry or pan-fryin oil until golden and crisp. Season with salt while they’re hot.
8. To serve each plate, place about a tablespoon of avocado puree on each plate. Place a small amount dressed greens next to the puree.  Place about 5 orange segments on the greens. Place 2 shrimp on top of the puree. Garnish with a few slices of sunchokes. (These amounts can be changed to make a larger serving, if desired.)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Pancakes for Lunch

Mark your calendars and save the date: it’s pancake time.

The Twin City Kiwanis Club’s annual pancake and sausage extravaganza is Friday, Feb. 13 at the Benton Convention Center - I noticed a sign up this morning on my way into work. There’s something comforting about eating breakfast for lunch, especially in the dead of winter. I’ll never forget when I was a photographer in college, shooting a similar (albeit much smaller) event at a local church. The griddle was circular, and one cook stood on one side, pouring batter. By the time the grill had rotated a full circle, it was time to flip the flapjacks. Looks like the Twin City guys use something similar. What a great invention!

I’m particularly found of the Kiwanis Club’s sausage, which I recall as peppery. This year I’m bringing my own syrup, though - I’m tired of that fake stuff, and I’ve got a good stash of Grade A Dark Amber from upstate New York at home.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Want Some Guilt With Those Fries?

Just in time for those lingering New Year’s resolutions, Massachusetts officials announced last week plans to make major fast food restaurants post calorie counts for burgers, fries and all other offerings on their menus or at the counter. Chains with at least 15 stores in the state are subject to the proposal, an estimated 2,000 restaurants, according to the story in the Boston Globe.

It’s an interesting idea, if a little heavy-handed. After all, don’t most people know by now that Happy Meals and value menus aren’t packed with healthy choices? Fast food companies already make calorie counts public, but they’re certainly not there staring you in the face as you order.

What do you think about this? Will it really keep you from eating unhealthy food? Or is that the last thing you want to see when you’re jonesing for a Big Mac?