Excellent Italian ... Food

Do you like interesting food blogs? Do you like hardcore punk music and/or steely, sardonic post-hardcore? How about world-renowned recording engineers?

Even if you like only one of the above, you might want to check out Mario Batali Voice. It’s a food blog by Steve Albini, who started such bands as Big Black and Shellac; he’s also a renowned and revolutionary recording engineer (perhaps most famously, he recorded Nirvana's "In Utero"). He’s also, apparently, an excellent cook.

His entries are detailed, thoughtful and easily replicable. I also like the bits of personality he throws in, like how he discovered a kind of pasta called trottoli at his local Jewel (for those who are not familiar with Chicagoland grocery stores, it’s your usual big 26-lane supermarket; Stop and Shop or Pathmark for East Coasters, Safeway, Ralph’s and QFC for West Coasters). And he prepared it simply (letting pasta cook for a few minutes in sauce, by the way, is essential):

"I boiled the pasta and made a sauce by sweating finely chopped celery, onion and garlic in butter, then adding some white wine and the packing liquid (tomato juice) from a can of San Marzano tomatoes. I reduced it all down to a fairly dense paste, then added the pasta and a little of the pasta water. Cooking the pasta in the sauce for the last couple of minutes, tossing frequently, I was able to get the sauce to fill the crevices of the noodle just as I had hoped."

So, read Albini’s blog, try his stuff out at home, and put on a copy of “Excellent Italian Greyhound” to put a little pep in your step as you chop onions or sear meat.

The spears of spring are here!

Winter is over, asparagus is here. I spied my first display of the spring-green spears at my local Safeway last Sunday. Instinctively, like pressing the brake at a stoplight, I put the bundle of asparagus in my cart. Later that night, I ate them fresh from the oven, crunchy and dripping with olive oil, sea salt and garlic.

It was only a couple of years ago that I learned to love asparagus. I had steered clear of it for years, remembering how my parents used to overcook it, serving it up mushy, stringy and smelling unappetizingly pungent. My friend brought a bunch to a barbeque a couple of years ago and threw the spears on the grill wrapped in tinfoil, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. She’s from northern Michigan, where asparagus grows abundantly, and was well-versed in preparing the vegetable. So trying her version was a revelation.

I have since made sure, like tomatoes, potatoes, onions and carrots, to make asparagus part of my produce-buying routine. Asparagus is such a meaty, satisfying vegetable, like mushrooms or fingerlings. I still think grilling is the best way to prepare asparagus – a method I do not have access to in my current living situation. Head over to Bon Appétit magazine, though, for a great reflection on the vegetable, and some tips (har, har) on preparing it.

Introducing: paper bakeware

Like a cupcake wrapper, but bigger.

That’s the best way to describe the line of paper bakeware by Welcome Home Brands that we just added to ChefTools.com.

My biggest concern as an occasional home baker is pan-to-baked good physics. Will this cake stick or come out clean? How do I cut these brownies with this metal pan in the way? Can I alter the particle composition of my spatula so it can pass through the wall of the pan and get horizontal underneath my treats (just like this X-Men character I’m thinking about)?

Of course, when baking cupcakes, you don’t have to worry about any of this. You just pour the batter into the wrapper, bake and remove the cupcakes when they’re ready to eat. And, peeling that wrapper back is kind of fun.

So, imagine if you could apply the same method to cake, brownies, crispy treats, or whatever other sugary baked good you create. Plus, the bakeware looks nice, so you can feel good about plopping it down in the middle of the table after Thanksgiving dinner, rather than your 20-year-old dented aluminum pan.

Oh, and I almost forgot: you don’t have to clean anything. I think we all know that sugar + flour + water + 2 hours left sitting on the counter = cake concrete.

So, check this stuff out. These are not a substitute for metal or silicone bakeware pieces – especially if you’re a voracious baker - but if you only bake occasionally and for special occasions (if you’re like me, it’s about 6 times per year), you might want to try paper bakeware.

Spaghetti scrubber test

How ironic: last night I used the Goodbye Detergent! spaghetti scrubber to clean out a pot I had used to make pasta. I mix pasta and sauce in the same pot, so it was quite soiled. Since I had been lazy about the dishwashing, the marinara sauce was a little dry, and some bits of pasta were still stuck to the bottom.

I was lucky to have the spaghetti scrubber (it’s another one of those products that we get to test; I was given it to take home last Thursday), since the only other implement I had was a plain old sponge. If you’re looking at the picture of the scrubber and wondering how it works – as I did when I first saw a picture – it’s basically a tangle of cotton and polyester strands embedded with corn cob smithereens. It’s a gentle abrasive.

I can report that the scrubber cleaned the pot well. It took one pass to clear off the sauce (keep in mind, this was a huge pot with deep sides, and I had succeeded in coating basically the entire thing with sauce), though I had to work at the pasta stuck to the bottom. I like the scrubber because it does not gross me out like steel wool, and it’s easier to maneuver than a brush. It also does not need soap to work, so it could be useful for non-stick surfaces and cast iron.

I still felt weird cleaning up pasta with “pasta.” I guess it’s not as weird as cleaning up after Thanksgiving with a turkey-shaped sponge, or cleaning the grill with a cow-shaped brush.

For a tasty Derby Day ...

The Kentucky Derby is an excellent, and strange, sporting event. It’s the exact opposite of other sporting events. We expect the athletes (the human ones) to be small and light and to avoid making contact with the others. It is only two minutes long, which leaves no room for boredom, as with baseball, soccer or hockey. And, it gives beer drinkers an excuse to imbibe a cocktail with a French-sounding name infused with pretty little herbs. Also: gambling.

The day of the Kentucky Derby is also an excellent day for eating. The Super Bowl may have nachos, pizza and all, but the Derby allows for richer, more refined binging. Yes sir, I will have another handful of buttered pecans sprinkled with cayenne pepper and brown sugar with my bourbon.

If you have not already planned a celebration for Saturday’s Derby, you should consider it. Listed below are some ideas for drinks and eats. I named each after a fictional racehorse.

NASCAR Dad

Start your day off right with sugar, butter, bourbon and espresso. It’s a bourbon ball and a couple of shots of espresso. I had never heard of a bourbon ball until this story on NPR. A bourbon ball is a chocolate confection with a butter cream center infused with the liquor. And the alcohol from the bourbon is not cooked off, though the confectioner on the radio said it’s not enough to impair you. Combine that with some espresso and you’re OK to operate heavy machinery.

Indiana Pants

This is rolled oysters – a Louisville delicacy – and fried lemons. This one is easy because you can batter and deep-fry both at the same time. Bathe your oysters in an egg, milk and cornmeal batter, then roll them in crackers (I’d use buttery Ritz), then fry. For the lemons: slice them thin, then dunk in that same batter; instead of crackers, coat them in a mixture of Panko, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Serve it all with aioli or mayonnaise mixed with adobo sauce and minced chipotle peppers.

Yes And No

You have to eat pecans. There are many recipes for improving on an already perfect snack – especially this one.

Lazy Diplomat

Salted watermelon and whiskey. You really don’t need to salt the watermelon, but I once knew a guy who put salt on all his fruit, and the salted watermelon was really good. I’ve never combined watermelon with whiskey before. But I know that some people infuse fruit and liquor to make liquor fruit. But I’d suggest having the watermelon and whiskey separate – it’s fancier.

Fitzcarraldo

This might be best for a small gathering, or if you’re just sitting around on Saturday afternoon and want to make a hearty lunch: a fried catfish po-boy with a lager tallboy. Catfish is good because you can still get it fresh if you live far from the ocean. Get a couple of filets, dip in cornmeal and any other spice you like and fry. Serve on a crispy bun with spinach (or tomatoes) and mayonnaise. Or, deconstruct it and serve deep-friend catfish fingers wrapped in spinach with mayo on the inside, or on the side. And you already know that lager complements any fried food. I suggest the tallboy size because the lead-up to the Derby is a couple of hours.

Good luck on your Derby Day, and may you eat well, drink responsibly and pick the right horse!

Don't Forget the Limes and Salt

!Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I'm celebrating tonight by making carnitas tacos, saffron rice, refried beans and of course the usual condiments: cilantro, queso fresco, crema, lime and fresh avocados. I use a lot of lime, cilantro and cumin in my recipes - for that fresh, authentic flavor.

Walter, our fearless leader (who happens to be a professionally trained chef) also brought in some goodies for us today.

Homemade veggie pico de gallo!

It had three kinds of peppers, carrot, onion, avocado, corn, chili's and tomato with fresh lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. This was a very crisp, refreshing take on your classic pico.

And what would a celebration be without the tequila?
Patron seems to be the favorite around here - CHEERS!

How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

The eels

The power of good food writing is funny. I do not eat meat. But I could not help but salivate when I read James Prosek's essay in the May issue of Saveur about wild eels. Just a little bit. The essay explores the unheralded eel as classic American cuisine. Prosek explains that these slippery, wild water creatures spawn in the mysterious Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean, and then migrate to freshwater up and down the Atlantic coast. This part of the essay in particular, describing Prosek’s early eel-catching forays in southern Connecticut, made me curious about eating eel.

“Joe skinned the eels we caught, slicing around their heads and pulling the skin back like a sock from a foot. Then he cut the grayish blue meat into chunks, leaving the spine in the center, dusted it with garlic salt, and grilled it over charcoal. The eels’ copious fat dripped into the flames, causing them to jump and char the meat. We ate each chunk like corn on the cob, chewing around the spine; the meat was dense but delicate, with a flavor like a cross between seafood and meat.”

Maybe it’s not so much the eels that I’m interested in, but the experience he describes in cooking them. I can’t catch a wild tofu brick, skin it and roast it over an open flame, its fat stoking the fire. I probably could not even stir up a bundle of vegetables in the wild without committing larceny. It’s not like asparagus or carrots are growing wild in the Cascade Mountains (maybe they are, but I would not be able to spot them).

If you’re in the mood to try eels, contact Delaware Delicacies Smoke House in Hancock, New York. Maybe they can send you some. Or, depending on where you live, strap on a pair of leather gloves, wade out into your local freshwater headway late at night and try to grab some eels. If it were me, I'd sprinkle on some oregano. But definitely don’t forget the charcoal and garlic salt.

Rolling out a new line of Tovolo products ...

Our Tovolo silicone ice cube trays have been flying off the shelves ever since the Wall Street Journal wrote a story about the importance of perfect ice cubes. They recommended the Tovolo tray – specifically, this one – because it generates large ice cubes that melt slowly, so your drink won't get watered down.

But Tovolo (which has an office here in Seattle) makes many other great products. You should check them out. Carolyn, our diligent product builder, just finished updating ChefTools.com with over 100 new Tovolo products.

There’s a line of silicone spatulas that come in an array of cool colors like cotton candy, raspberry fizz, sea foam, green apple and soymilk. There’s also a bunch of holiday, sports, and horticultural-themed turners – ever flip an egg with a two-dimensional basketball?

But two product lines stand out. One is a line of pie molds. They come in a couple of different shapes (an apple, a heart, a star, a pear, etc.), which is fun, but the really cool feature is that you can use these to shape dough. I want one so I can make a homemade version of those delicious Hostess apple (or cherry) pies. You know the ones: two for $1 at your local convenience store, packaged in a loud wrapper, and they come with that sheen of brittle glaze.

Then there’s the ice cream sandwich mold; another home solution to a convenience store classic. For some reason, an ice cream sandwich always seemed too complicated to me to reproduce at home. Like you needed some special factory equipment to make them just right. Apparently not; all you need is this Tovolo cookie mold, a log of cookie dough and a dollop of your favorite ice cream (I’d choose Breyers all natural vanilla, the kind with the little black flecks of vanilla bean mixed in – but that’s just me).

So how about this: at your next summer picnic (or graduation or Mother’s Day jam), bake a couple of portable apple-shaped apple pies, a tray of ice cream sandwiches and a bowl of lemonade swimming with a half dozen Tovolo king-sized ice cubes. And do not forget to save some ice cream for on top of the apple pies!

Road Trippin’ to Oregon for an Edible Garden

Road tripping – music to my ears. Especially when it’s with one of my best friends since seventh grade and we’re headed to a garden show! Pack up the VW, pump up the tunes, pump in the Starbucks, and – WOOHOO – we’re off!

I have been a gardener since I bought my home 8 years ago. But my friend, Angela, has been a gardener her entire life, thanks to her mother, and Snohomish County recently certified her a master gardener (check out her blog: Gardening In My Rubber Boots). I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from her over the years, mostly about which plants are great for my shady, woodland yard, but also about organic gardening, killing slugs, and, most recently, edible gardening.

Up until now, my boyfriend has been the veggie gardener in our little slice of the woods amid Microsoft country, growing mostly bitter greens and tomatoes, which I refuse to eat. (Yes, I am Italian and no, I don’t eat tomatoes, and yes, I know it’s a sin.) I’ve always maintained the herb terrace, which includes Italian and Greek varieties of oregano, thyme, cilantro, chives, and, of course, rosemary, among others. Cooking with fresh herbs is a staple and a luxury I insist on in my kitchen, but growing veggies: not so much.

Recently, thanks to my urban gardening friend, I’ve been introduced to growing the veggies I adore –green beans, edamame (soybeans), potatoes, and even Brussels sprouts! I don’t eat raw tomatoes, but I heart Brussels sprouts – go figure. We have pickled and canned green beans with garlic and dill from the garden, made the most amazing green tomato marmalade and even homemade mustard, which turned out exceptional. I’ve been told that I need to make it in bulk and sell it at farmers markets. Someday, maybe.

This year I’ve got even bigger goals, with the help of Ms. Master Gardener Angela: home grown and homemade tomato sauce, salsa and canning galore to last me through the long, rainy winters we have here in Seattle. Thus, this road trip to the Clackamus County Master Gardeners Spring Garden Fair in Canby, Oregon! (That’s a mouthful and a half!)

Us Snoqualmie Valley-raised girls are on a mission for new and unique veggies, fruits and herbs to create our edible gardens for the year and it’s gonna be a blast! Commence road trip in 3, 2, 1… WOOHOO!

I’m going to take you along on our journey, so stay tuned for pictures, stories and updates on the progress of our edible garden adventures from garden to table throughout the upcoming year.

Happy Edible Gardening!

ChefTools Foodie: Sara.

What's a fondant?

I have never been interested in fondant. I have never eaten it, nor have I seen it used outside of those extreme cake shows on the Food Network. Those shows actually drive me a little nuts. Fondant is also a little scary to me. It seems so delicate, and gives me flashbacks to the first time I tried to make dumplings, which ended with me nearly in tears and a kitchen that looked like the scene of a horrific crime.

So, I am in awe when I find a blog like Pink Little Cake. It is quite nice to find someone with such a delicate, subtle touch, and who is a good instructor. She does not work exclusively with fondant, but does a great job with it. Most recently, a simple (appearing) way to make tiny roses; an elegant cake topping. She combined punk rock aesthetics with Easter and fondant here (Steve Ignorant would approve of the homemade approach, I'm sure). And she goes all the way up the scale with a replica of a Burberry purse. (And just for the sake of salivation, she made this lemon cake.)

Is fondant the American contribution to the world of food art? If Japan gave the world sushi, has America given the food world (besides hamburgers) pop-culture cake sculpture? I cannot find any useful history of fondant on the Internet – does anyone have any thoughts as to its origins, and how it’s become so popular in contemporary cake decorating?

I will not be attempting to use fondant anytime soon. I like making food that’s more … durable? I will never get frustrated if my home fries come out looking like a compost bin, because there is no expectation of prettiness. But I will tune in to Pink Little Cake every now and then to marvel at the craftsmanship.