Lael Hazan2013-05-23T12:21:29-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=lael-hazanCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Lael HazanGood old fashioned elbow grease.Finding Home Through a Wok, and a Recipe for Stir-Fried Pork With Chinese Broccolitag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8603192011-05-11T15:11:49-04:002011-07-11T05:12:01-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
For many years I kept saying that I was going to learn how to cook Chinese dishes, but somehow never found the time. However, this year, "poet laureate of the wok" and 2011 James Beard Award Winner, Grace Young has a new book, Stir Fry From the Sky's edge. The time has finally come for me to learn from the master (or in this case the mistress).
Grace Young's elegant and easily readable books make accessible the most complex ingredients and unfamiliar tools. Her books are recipe collections and beautiful travel guides for the novice, as well as a tasty reminder for those who have previously made the journey into the complex flavor palette of Asian cuisine. In Stir Fry from the Sky's Edge, Young explains that the book is about a "universal longing for home" and shows how a cooking technique traveled the globe. Throughout the work she catalogues recipes that use the wok with indigenous regional ingredients from Chinese immigrants in India to Cuba and recounts how using the wok eased the émigré experience for them.
Obviously a wok is essential to try the recipes in this book. The book is replete with helpful notes full of information on stir-frying at the proper heat, which oil to use and basic steps. Unfortunately, I don't have a wok anymore. However, I love Chinese broccoli and thought I'd try to give her pork and broccoli recipe a try. I must admit that when I tried the recipe in my "almost wok," it didn't come out as well as I had hoped. However, it wasn't the cookbook author's fault. Rather, I have two small "helpers" ages 7 and 12 who needed to add the ingredients that they had personally measured. Even with their assistance, the flavors were wonderful but a bit intense and I look forward to finding a method of distraction for them and, with the help of Grace Young's book, a well broken in wok. It is time for me to go shopping.
If you are afraid of a wok this is the book for you. There is even a marvelous tip and recipe for making popcorn in a wok. Not only do you get the popcorn, the heated kernels evenly disperse a light coat of oil throughout the wok when popping, thereby adding to the wok's patina.
Cantonese-Style Stir-Fried Pork with Chinese Broccoli Used by permission by Grace Young, Stir Fry to the Sky's Edge
• 12 ounces lean pork shoulder or butt, cut into ¼-inch-thick bite-sized slices
• 2½ teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce (my children added to much here)
• 1 teaspoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon minced plus 1 teaspoon sliced garlic
• 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce (this was where we also used to much)
• 1¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1½ teaspoons dark soy sauce (we didn't have a different one)
• 6 medium stalks Chinese broccoli (8 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons finely shredded ginger
• 4 medium fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup canned straw mushrooms
• ½ cup red bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares
• 8 snow peas, strings removed
• In a medium bowl combine the pork, 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of the soy sauce, rice wine, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of the peanut oil, 1 teaspoon of the oyster sauce, ¼ teaspoon of the sesame oil, and pepper. In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the chicken broth, dark soy sauce, and the remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon oyster sauce. In a separate small bowl combine the remaining 1 tablespoon chicken broth, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and ½ teaspoon cornstarch.
• In a 3-quart saucepan bring 1 ½ quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli stalks and cook, stirring 2 minutes or until the broccoli is just crisp-tender. Drain the broccoli in a colander, shaking well to remove excess water.
1. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil, add the ginger and the remaining 1 teaspoon sliced garlic, then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Push the aromatics o the sides of the wok, then carefully add the pork and spread it evenly in one layer in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the pork begin to sear. Then, stir-fry 1 minute, or until the pork is lightly browned but not cooked through. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms, peppers, and snow peas, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the snow peas are bright green. Swirl the dark soy sauce mixture into the wok and stir-fry 30 seconds or until well combined. Restir the cornstarch mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 15 to 30 seconds or until the pork is just cooked. Put the broccoli on a serving platter and spoon the pork mixture over the broccoli. Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multi-course meal.
Lael Hazan also writes with her husband, Giuliano Hazan, on their blog: The Educated Palate
]]>Why Do Hot Dogs Come in Packs of 10, and Buns in Packs of 8?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8452622011-04-06T14:32:13-04:002011-06-06T05:12:01-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/ THE QUESTIONS
I'm not the first to ask this question; although, judging by the amount of "net noise" it garners, apparently it has been asked for over 50 years.
Why, do hot dogs come 10 to a package while the buns come in packages of 8?
Meatpackers sell by the pound and most hotdogs weigh a tenth of a pound. Buns are typically baked in eight roll pans. I have no idea why the manufacturers haven't gotten together on this. But if you need them to come out even... purchase five bags of the 8 pack buns and four of the 10 pack hotdogs you will break even.
Why do yeast packages come in threes when all you need for most recipes are two packages?
I thought this would be a relatively easy one so I went straight to the Fleischman's yeast website. I emailed their consumer affairs department for assistance. The answer made me feel like I was asking for nuclear codes.
Response:
Thanks for contacting ACH Food, Inc. Great question! Fleischmann's yeast has been packaged in the 3-pack strips since 1950. The packages are easy to cut and remove from the strip, so regardless of how much a recipe calls for it's convenient to use. We recommend storing yeast in the refrigerator and used by the date code indicated for maximum freshness.
We appreciate your interest!
Carla
Consumer Affairs
ACH Food, Inc.
000069869A
That answer struck me as akin to how a politician would answer a question -- nicely evasive. I figured I'd give them another chance, so I wrote back.
Hello Carla:
Thank you for your response; however, it still doesn't answer my question as to why 3 packages. They've changed the packaging since the 50's. Did people use more yeast then? Why not four packages?... If there were a more on point answer that would be helpful.
I eagerly awaited their response. And here it is.
Lael,
Unfortunately, this is all the information we have to provide.
Valerie
Consumer Affairs
Hm... Sounds like it is classified information. What could be so important? I'd love to read your comments on the significance of the number three.
We've all heard the expression, "Not for all the tea in China", so...
How much is all the tea in China actually worth?
I discovered that according to the most recent records, China produces 1,183,502 tonnes of tea yearly. At 1000 Kg to a tonne that comes to 395,289,668,000 kilograms. In July 2009 Chinese tea sold for close to 334 US cents per kilogram.
However, that still amounts to $3,952,896,680. Therefore, if you say "not for all the tea in China" you mean you are refusing quite a lot of dough.
Lastly, and perhaps most frightening...
What are "natural flavors"?
According to my research, natural flavors are anything that the FDA allows to be used in food. The Federal code of regulation reads:
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of rasting, heating or enzymolysis... whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.
Anything else would be considered artificial flavoring. How much is left? Ok... don't answer that. Sometimes it really is better to be in the dark. Off to the farmer's market for some items that don't have any "added" natural flavors.
Conclusion:
I think there is a food conspiracy going on, and it needs to be stopped. I, Lael Hazan, intrepid blogger, have taken it upon myself, to uncover the truth.... In food. Thank you for joining me in playing, Answer that Random Food Thought!
]]>Finding the Perfect Extra Virgin, Olive Oil That Is...tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8288152011-03-10T17:01:31-05:002011-05-25T18:35:25-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
Extra virgin olive oils have been mentioned a lot in the news lately, and Giuliano and I are often asked, "How do you choose an olive oil"? Which ones do you like best? What does "extra" mean? Unless you are Madonna, how can you be a "like" a virgin? Extra virgin refers to olive oil that has no more than an .8% acidity level and comes from the first cold pressing of the olives. It's a great marketing idea, didn't the name make you stop and think? Giuliano and I import our own line of extra virgin olive oil A & H selections from the most southern region of Italy, Apulia. Made from 100% Ogliarola olives it is to olive oil what a single varietal estate reserve bottle is to wine. However, I also like oils from Liguria and the Veneto, makes lovely oils too. Our oil can be found on the Internet through cybercuccina.
When Italians use olive oil in cooking it is for the flavor it gives a dish. It is not just a base lubricant; therefore, the highest grade or extra virgin is always used. If you want to use a good quality olive oil, you should always look for extra virgin. Preferably, one with less than .3% acidity. All good olive oil (EVOO) is first/cold press. They have to be, otherwise heat is used to extract the oil, then often the acidity is too high and it needs to be lowered by the use of chemicals. That kind of oil isn't used by the Italians (I know) for human consumption. To put cold press on the label is redundant, which is why it never appears on labels of oil sold in Italy. True extra virgin olive oil is made with olives that were picked just at the ideal degree of ripeness and then immediately taken to the mill for processing. It is a labor intensive product that is expensive to produce. Please don't compromise, good olive oil is critical to good cooking.
Ssllurrp, ssllurrp, a violent intake of air and oil into the mouth are the only sounds you hear from the serious olive oil tasters when they are concentrating on evaluating extra virgin olive oils. In Italian, the technique is called strippaggio, and it helps the aromas of the oil reach the inner parts of the nose. Because it is possible to chemically disguise oils and "pretend" that they are truly extra virgin, teams of taste panels evaluate olive oil for their texture, flavor, and aroma. Some unscrupulous manufacturers mix olive oils from various countries, while others mix nuts, most often hazelnut, or sunflower seed with their olive oil. Apparently it is hard to detect lower quality oils if they are less than 5% of the total volume; therefore, the well-trained panelists are vital in assessing extra virgin olive oil quality.
Olive oil is healthy! Even the FDA makes a qualified health claim that it reduces heart disease. This is because olive oil contains mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as the bad cholesterol. It also appears to keep the inner lining of the arteries clear and reduce inflammation that can lead to heart damage.
Some people believe that most olive oil comes from Italy. Not true. Most olive oil is produced in Spain. In fact the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) is based in Spain. However, since most people think the best olive oil comes from Italy, manufactures go to great lengths to indulge us. Some will mix their oil with low grade Italian oil; others will ship their oil to Italy for bottling. The FDA realized this and in 2009 required all oil sold in the states to indicate country of origin. You can find it by looking at the back label; it is often in microscopic print. Unfortunately, the oils only have to be listed in order of importance, not percentage of the mix.
According to a July, 2010, University of California, Davis report, 69% of the imported olive oils tested and 10% of domestic oils did not meet the current international standards for EVVO. In fairness, they only tested 19 popular brands. Also, much of what they tested, oxidization and levels of peroxides could have occurred in their samples because of poor storage and bottle choice. Smaller premium producers were not tested. Also interesting in the July 6th, 2010 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report, which states that Italy produces 500,000 metric tons (MT) of olive oil a year, of which 300,000 is the extra virgin olive oil (EV00) that we all so dearly love. Somehow, Italy manages to consume 700,000 MT a year. The report points out that Italians are only able to produce half of the demand, an obvious problem. Does this mean Italians are consuming a substantial amount of imported oil or that much of what we get isn't really Italian?
What to do? As new markets demand the highest quality olive oil the production can't keep up with demand and the potential for fraud increases. Only 10 years ago, Italy, Spain & Greece consumed 90% of the worldwide market, now they are down to 60% with consumption rising in Japan, South America and the US. In an effort to combat the issue in 2011, Unaprol, the association of Italian olive oil producers, in conjunction with Gambero Rosso, one of Italy's foremost wine and food guides, will publish a comprehensive handbook listing the highest quality extra virgin olive oils. However, until that comes out, choose EVOO like choosing a wine. There are hundreds of varieties of olives and single varietals are prized. It is important to trust your vendor and read your label. Look for clues of where the olives come from and if it is an estate bottled oil. Simply "bottled in Italy" should be considered suspect. Lastly, although you may not be a trained sensory panelist, you too can develop your taste buds. At your next dinner party, suggest that your guests bring a bottle of premium olive oil. As host, boil, peel, and slice some red potatoes (bread has flavor and potatoes are used because they act as a more neutral base). Serve the potatoes as an anti pasto, that way you will have fun discovering some previously unknown oils and learn what appeals to you. In the end it really is the taste that matters.
We will be hosting a giveaway of our extra virgin olive oil from Apulia on our blog: The Educated Palate from March 1 -March 14th 2011.
Read more from Lael Hazan at her blog:The Educated Palate.]]>Who Picks Your Tomatoes?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8159532011-02-20T10:53:34-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
America is going through an upheaval. The language of hate and distrust seems to permeate our news. "It's the illegal immigrants," we hear, "they are taking our jobs!" "It is big business' fault." "They are poisoning us". Yet we all want good food and we don't want to pay a lot of money for it.
The arguments are so shrill and the commentators often so vile, that we are tempted to turn off the input and just go on with our lives. But then I look at my children.
Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.
-- Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 37a
How do I teach my children not to take a tomato for granted? How do I teach them that they can have an impact without scaring them so much that they feel impotent?
I recently took my children to a U-pick strawberry farm. I not only wanted to pick the strawberries, I also wanted my children to experience what it might be like to labor in the fields. I wanted my children to have a bit of an awareness of the backbreaking labor that the workers go through. Obviously, it was more fun than labor and the children were able to rapidly pick more strawberries than our immediate family could consume. However, after about 25 minutes they were done and ready to do something else. Then I asked them to imagine what it would be like to do this work for 8 to 10 hours a day.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
--
South Pacific
Over fifty years ago Edward R. Murrow created a documentary called The Sweatshops of the Soil. It was a searing piece about the Harvest of Shame, a documentary on the produce pickers of our country. Decades have past, the color of the skin of the workers has changed. What used to be black, turned to white, and now brown; but still the plight of the worker remains. They are the poorest of the poor. Often migrant or homeless, they are destitute people who are trying to provide for themselves and their families. Although some may be illegal immigrants hoping to find a better life in the US, some are veterans who have been seduced by straw bosses with the promise of a fair day's wage for a fair day's work.
The Tractor doesn't tell a farmer how to run a farm
Anonymous Immokalee-area grower
There have been some heart-rendering articles written about the produce worker's plight. Barry Estabrook followed the life of one such worker, Lucas, in an article he wrote for the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. Many respected news organizations have chronicled their fight for better working conditions. But perhaps the most powerful force for change is the Modern Day Slavery Museum. A few weeks ago my children's school hosted the traveling museum. It is an eye-opening experience to discover the true cost of our perfect produce. Set up in a replica of a box truck that was once used as a cage to chain produce workers so that they wouldn't run away at night, on its walls are displays of the evolution of slavery in Florida and searing accounts of how slavery continues to be practiced today.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers created the museum. The Coalition in conjunction with Fair Food activists, Florida tomato growers, and some leaders in the food industry are working to create a: strict code of conduct, health and safety program, cooperative complaint resolution system, a worker to worker education process, and to increase produce picker's pay. Currently, for a 32 lb bucket of tomatoes the pickers get 45 cents. They are paid 1.4 cents per pound. The Campaign is asking for 1 cent more per pound. It still won't be a livable wage.
However, there is some light on the horizon. The New York Times recently posted that, after a decade of fighting, the CIW has reached an agreement with many of the big-name buyers including McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell to pay the penny more a pound. The big names have been paying the fee, an estimated $2 million, but it has been put aside in an escrow account and not yet been given to the workers.
Don't let making a profit stand in the way of doing the right thing.
Publix supermarket chain founder George Jenkins
So far, the only supermarket chain to enter the agreement has been Whole Foods.
So... what do I do and how do I teach my children? First, rather than stage a boycott, I can ask the management every time I go in the shop "have they heard about the Agreement, if so, will they sign it"? I can do this by myself, but I can also bring my children. A boycott only works if the stores know or care that you are boycotting. I can work with my children and their friends, to do this at every store we frequent and also at places that purchase large quantities of tomatoes. We can create a letter-writing campaign. I'm blogging about it and on Feb. 2nd. I hosted a radio show about the subject on WSLR. Lastly, we will be at the March 5th Do the Right Thing March in Tampa ! Will you join us?
It is my belief that people want to do "good" in the world. Fear and bureaucracy keeps us in chains. I want to teach my children that they do not have to be afraid, rather that their young voices can resonate. For after all....
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Since this is a food blog, I offer up my mother-in-law, Marcella Hazan's most popular recipe. Her iconic basic tomato sauce. For this recipe I would make sure to use tomatoes that are either home grown, or from a market which you know has entered into the agreement.
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes she recommends them cooked for 10 minutes and then put through the large hole of a food, or 2 cups imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice.
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt we always use sea salt
1 to 1 1/3 pounds pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for the table.
Put either the fresh tomatoes or canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato. Stir from time to time, mashing any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. We always enjoy the onion too.
To read more of Lael Hazan's work please visit her @ Educated Palate: Lael & Giuliano Hazan's Blog.]]>Strawberry Fields Forever: Valentine's Day Strawberry Gelato Recipetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8217632011-02-14T13:06:28-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne
The weather has been unseasonably "yucky" for those of us used to the beautiful envy-producing blue skies of Sarasota winters. Although better than for those who live in Northern climates, these past few weeks have been blustery and frown-producing for those of us who are planning a plethora of outdoor activities.
However, not all was lost. The freeze has been fortunate for some of our crops. The cold allowed roots to strengthen and the resulting strawberries are intensely succulent and sweet.
Recently we rousted our children from their warm beds and brought them, complaining that the sky was grey and that it was the weekend and why couldn't they stay where it was warm, to a nearby strawberry farm. As we bumped along the unpaved road out to the strawberry fields, even the grumpy children started to get excited about the thought of picking their own strawberries. We have tried to grow our own strawberries but... all we grew were one or two lonesome fruits that we then cut up into four pieces. Here, there was great bounty!
There were thirteen rows of strawberries for our children to pick. Although the lady at the store had told us that they weren't as large as they had been in the previous weeks, our children were able to find luscious jewels that were larger than their mouths. They were so excited that we soon had 17 pounds to bring home. Then came the question of what to do with them?
On our way home we called friends and family to share our bounty. My in-laws graciously took some, and we shared a few with friends. Still having too many, we froze about ½ of them. The key to freezing strawberries is to freeze them on cookie trays so that they don't touch each other, then transfer them to ziplock bags after they are frozen. We now have sweet strawberries whenever we wish.
The rest of the berries I had high hopes for. I had planned a strawberry tart, strawberry jam, etc.... However, they were so succulent and sweet that they were gobbled up before I had the ability to do anything more than wash them. For these strawberries, we didn't even sprinkle sugar - they went directly into our mouths.
A few weeks later, Giuliano and I were teaching a class in our home and we made his strawberry gelato. It was wonderful and is a perfect recipe for Valentine's day. Italian gelato is a bit different than American ice cream. It is made with less sugar and is often made with milk rather than cream. It has a more intense flavor. Italians like their flavors to "pop", melon tastes like melon, not melon and cream. In this case, the strawberry flavor is intensely delicious, perfect to cleanse one's mouth for a more intimate Valentine's Day celebration.
To read more of Lael Hazan's work, please see: Educated Palate, Lael and Giuliano Hazan's Blog.
]]>Timeless Rice: A Butternut Squash Risotto Recipetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8177602011-02-09T12:42:39-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
The bus makes a sharp right-hand turn into a rather non-descript parking lot. We tumble out onto a scenic spot next to a small river. In the river there are three men in blue latex overalls using scythes to cut the river grass. We turn our eyes to the structure before us and the men on the tour simultaneously gasp. Before us, encased in a sleeping beauty like glass structure, lies a 1950s type 40 Bugatti. It is covered in rice dust.
We have brought our students from our cooking school in Italy to see the Gazzani rice mill. It has been in continuous operation since 1648 and still uses the mortar and pestle method that is found in only one other place in Italy. The owner, Marco Soave, comes out to greet us and quickly takes us through the modern method of rice milling that dates from the post WWII era and uses 14 machines. We climb through a rickety wall opening and see what looks like an ancient water wheel that still powers the entire factory.
After our modern tour we enter the original part of the factory. Stretched out before us are 8 applewood pestles that have never broken or needed repair. They slam into a bank of mortars made of the finest Rosso di Verona marble. Stone that back home we would only use for the most expensive counter tops. The mortars are also covered in rice dust, but they too have never needed replacing. The operation runs by a system of wheels and pulleys that are all attached to the ancient water wheel by a camel skin belt.
Marco stops one of the pestles. There are only four that are used at any given time. He scoops up a handful of rice to show us how the hull has been removed. He then detaches a large round sieve from the ceiling that looks like an overgrown embroidery hoop, and pours the rice into the center. He slowly moves the hoop in a circular fashion, twisting it faster and faster as the dust falls to the floor. He says he repeats the process three times before the rice is completely cleaned.
What takes 14 separate steps using the modern machines is accomplished over four hours in one step using the mortar and pestle. However, the more modern method takes only 20 minutes and the rice is polished to a shine. Everyone on our bus bought the rice made with pestles, and later commented on its rich nutty flavor.
From Every Night Italian, by Giuliano Hazan, Scribner, 2000
RISOTTO AL PROFUMO DI ZUCCA
Butternut Squash Risotto
One of the many glorious dishes available in Venice is a risotto made with a local pumpkin called zucca barucca. Its aroma is rich and sweet and its deep golden color resembles the changing leaves in the countryside. In the US I have found that butternut squash most closely resembles the flavor of this pumpkin. Risotto is very easy to make. Its most trying requirement is having to stir it constantly for the 20 minutes it takes to cook and you can enlist the assistance of guests or family members to share stirring duty.
Total time from start to finish: about 45 minutes
serves 4 to 6 people
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound butternut squash (about 3 cups diced)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Italian rice for risotto such as Arborio or Carnaroli
5 cups homemade meat broth, or 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 5 cups water
2 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano, freshly grated
1. Put the onion and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat. Saute the onion until it turns to a rich golden color.
2. While the onion is sauteing, remove the rind and the seeds from the squash, then cut it into 3/4 inch cubes. When the onion is ready, add the squash to the pan with about 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the squash is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. While the squash is cooking, heat the broth in a sauce pot and keep it at a very low simmer.
4. When the squash is tender and all the water has evaporated, add the rice and stir until it is well coated. Add a couple of ladlefuls of the heated broth and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring and adding broth to the rice as the liquid in the pot evaporates. The right amount of broth to add is just enough to produce the consistency of a rather thick soup and it is important to wait until all the liquid has evaporated before adding more broth. The rice will be done in about 20 minutes, when it is firm to the bite but not still crunchy or chalky in the center. At the end the risotto should have a creamy, almost "wavy" consistency.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley, the grated parmigiano and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Taste for salt and serve at once.
Read more of Lael Hazan's work at: The Educated Palate: Lael and Giuliano Hazan's Blog]]>Eating Art: Ferran And Molecular Gastronomytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.8015932011-01-06T14:35:51-05:002011-05-25T18:20:30-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/I just finished Colman Andrew's eminently readable new book Ferran about Ferran Adria and his restaurant El Bulli. While reading it I was reminded of the Lilly Tomlin skit in her play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe when she riffed on Andy Warhol's famous Campbell Soup work saying, "This is Soup, and this is Art". In a recent discussion with Colman while he was on tour to promote the book, he compared Ferran to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, both artists who were so ahead of their times that it took 50 years for the music world to catch up. However, I wonder if, for the general audience, whether eating art can be sustaining?
Elissa Altman recently lyrically lamented about foam stuffing in a Thanksgiving meal and her wish for "real" food. My in-laws, Marcella and Victor Hazan, took Ferran to task, reminding people that "Food, like language, is constantly evolving, but the act of cooking, which, like language, made us human, had its moment of creation long before Ferran made foam out of smoke."
Recently, Anthony Bourdain gave a witty and entertaining speech, in which he spoke about how there are very few Food TV personalities left who really know or care anything about food. His stating that both Italian and Mexican cuisine use few, but good, quality ingredients, gave me the courage to ask his thoughts about Ferran Adria and El Bulli. His answer was surprising. He said, "Ferran Adria is an artist, and if you are going to make that kind of food you have to be one. Those who dismiss his cooking haven't eaten there."
It is hard to sustain ourselves on art alone; however, without art, the world would be dull and lifeless. Our family prides itself on simplicity and that each ingredient has a purpose and each dish has a history. As Marcella wrote, "Cooking well is like the telling use of language: Expression must be vigorous, clear, concise. There can be no unnecessary ingredient or unnecessary step. A dish may be complex, but every component, every procedure, must count."
Perhaps the difficulty with the molecular gastronomy movement is that we are being asked to deconstruct our food. Rather than experience the substance of the food for the wonderful product it was, we now must use our heads rather than our stomachs to digest it. The joy of eating can be lost without the sensations of recognition and reassurance that can generate pleasure.
Ironically I met Colman at Sea Salt in Naples Florida, a wonderful restaurant known for its fresh whole fish preparation and the case from which you can choose your favorite fish. Chef/owner, Fabrizio Aielli told my husband, Giuliano Hazan, that when he first started serving whole fish, there were patrons who left the restaurant in disgust because the table next to them had ordered an entire fish and they felt that "it was looking at them". Fabrizio went on to tell us that he now he serves 2,000 pounds of fresh fish a week and that is the featured menu item. Giuliano and I happily devowered our fresh French Turbot/Rombo, that was served as the masterpiece it was, whole. We discussed art, food, and the flavors that sustain.
Many have compared Ferran to Picasso, and that may be the issue. His work and those whom he inspires should be compared to Christo and Jean Claude, beautiful on many levels, but fleeting, and not meant as a daily experience. Colman Andrew's book not only tells us of the life of Ferran Adria, and makes us wish to have had the opportunity to eat at the restaurant, but he also cooks up a dish that we must masticate in order to ingest.
]]>The Ultimate White Truffle Experience, Marcella Hazan's recipe for Truffle Tortinotag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7953392010-12-27T07:39:32-05:002011-05-25T18:20:30-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
One of the benefits of being the daughter-in-law of Victor and Marcella Hazan is that while at their table I have been exposed to an amazing variety of fabulous wines and exotic foods. Although Marcella continues to cook every day and I enjoy eating with them anytime, late fall is my favorite time of year. December includes the holiday celebrations as well as their only child, cookbook author Giuliano Hazan's birthday.
Last week, we celebrated Giuliano's birthday at their house with a gastronomic extravaganza. What Victor called, "a once casual country lunch", is now, due to its expense, saved for only the most special of occasions. Late fall, when the weather turns cold, is the perfect time for white truffle. If you've never experienced a white truffle, it is more aroma than flavor. It literally perfumes the food. Truffles are not mushrooms as generally thought, but tubers. They grow symbiotically with oak, hazel, poplar, and beachwood trees and typically ripen late in autumn. In Italy, you can find both black and white truffles. Black truffles are fairly plentiful in northern and central Italy and are marvelous, but it is the rarer white truffle from Alba that is the aristocrat, much more intensely perfumed than the black and, unfortunately, also much more expensive. The record price in 2007 for a 3.3 lb truffle was $330,000. It's because, like diamonds, the price increases exponentially the larger they are.
Usually, truffles are prepared very simply. They are shaved over sunny side up eggs, homemade egg pasta, or on veal scalloppine. In the peak of white truffle season, in Piedmont, truffles are sometimes added to every course. One of the most decadent ways to serve them is in a "tortino": thinly sliced boiled potatoes layered with generous shavings of white truffle and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. My father-in-law says that although he would not want to eat caviar every day he would have no trouble having truffles every day. Some people believe that truffles were the manna sent to the Israelites through Moses as they traveled through the desert for forty years. My children have no problem eating that kind of manna.
For our celebratory meal we had risotto alla Parmigiana with shaved white truffle. There was a little bit of truffle left over which Victor graciously thinly sliced over toast which had been smothered with excellent butter. We then had a salad of punterelle, the young shoots of the chicory that has a taste vaguely reminiscent of Belgian endive. And for dessert, a variety of Gardini chocolates. Although there are some who feel that there aren't many wines to go with white truffle, the 1998 Barbaresco Giacosa that we drank with the meal was extraordinary.
The memory of that meal continues to linger. It certainly was a magnificent way to celebrate, and I wish all of you an equally flavorful holiday season.
10 to 12 ounces boiling potatoes
5 tablespoons butter
An oven-to-table gratin dish made of porcelain or earthenware, about 11/2 to 2 inches deep and 5 to 6 inches in diameter
Salt
Black pepper in a grinder
2 or more ounces fresh whole white truffle, brushed and clean of all surface and embedded grit
3 ounces parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan), shaved into thin strips with a peeler or vegetable slicing tool.
1. Wash the potatoes, cover, and boil them in their skins.
2. Turn on the oven to 450.
3. When the potatoes are done, drain them and, as soon as you are able to handle them, peel them. Allow them to cool completely, then slice them into thin rounds.
4. Smear the bottom of the gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of butter, then cover with a layer of potato slices sprinkled with salt and grindings of pepper. Using a truffle slicer or; if you don't have one, a peeler or other vegetable slicing tool, slice enough white truffle-very thin-to cover the potatoes. Top with a layer of Parmesan livers, then dot with butter. Repeat the procedure, layering all ingredients in the same sequence, until you have used them all. Top with Parmesan and dots of butter.
5. Bake in the uppermost level of the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the Parmesan melts and forms a light crust. Allow the heat of the dish to subside before serving. Serve with slices of crusty, country-style bread.
Read more of Lael Hazan's work at Educated Palate.
]]>It's Not Fruitcaketag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7975402010-12-22T11:45:29-05:002011-05-25T18:20:30-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/It's NOT fruitcake. Or at least that was what I was told when I was first offered a slice of Panettone. I must admit to not being overly fond of fruitcake. My earliest memories are of a rocklike substance covered in foil that a friend of the family took out of her freezer. It was heavy, had fluorescent green and red, bulbous, squishy to the tooth items in it, and was generally unappealing to my then pre-pubescent sensibilities. To be polite to our hosts, my mother forced me to eat the drenched in cheap alcohol awful item and I vowed never to try fruitcake again.
Fast-forward 15 years, the man I was dating and professed to love was offering me a slice... what was I to do? I ate it. It was nothing like the fruitcake from my childhood. Panettone is a light and airy confection that was originally only for the noble table of the ruling Sforza family in Milan. Often shaped like a chef's hat, cylindrical tall sides and a round fluffy top, its true origins are lost to history, although there are many stories. It is reserved for the Christmas season when the nobles allowed the regular populace a bit of elegance, or in the Milanese dialect Ton, the word for luxury. That is how it got its name - pan (bread) de (the/of) Ton (luxury).
The flavor of a Panettone is a cross between a sweet pastry and bread. In Italy, there are as many recipes for it as chefs. In fact, in the early 1930's the two major commercial bakers of Panettone, Motta and Alemagna, were in such stiff competition to produce more than the other, that they developed a method for industrializing the process.
Italians traditionally eat Panettone for breakfast, which is what is happening now in our home. However, there are many other ways of serving it, such as carving out the inside and putting whipping cream in for a dessert or using it as the base for a delectable sweet sandwich.
Once reserved only for nobility, premium Panettone is now a sought-after Christmas gift and a great giveaway item. One can find them made solely with cherries, or with the grapes from prosecco. Loison, one of our family's favorite Panettone makers, has created a panettone infused with Maculan's Torcolato, a precious dessert wine that makes the cake moist and rich. True Italian Panettone is one of the highlights of the Christmas season and certainly not a fruitcake to be stored, until next year, in anyone's freezer.
]]>The Incredible Flavorful Egg With a Recipe for Fried Egg With Black Truffletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7867512010-12-09T13:40:13-05:002011-05-25T18:15:22-04:00Lael Hazanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lael-hazan/
I've always been curious about the differences in flavor between factory farm, cage-free, pasteurized and free-range eggs.
An egg is a perfect conveyor of flavor. According to the United Egg Producers association (UEP), it is more what chickens are fed, rather than how they live, that gives eggs flavor. An egg tastes exactly like what the chicken ate. Commodity eggs, like Egglands Best, pride themselves on what they feed their chickens. Depending on the producer, it can be vegetarian, Kosher, enriched with Omega-3, etc. I discovered that the Omega-3 eggs had a slight fishy taste. I also noticed a subtle difference in flavor between the cage-free and "regular" eggs, but I was told that it was due to the feed. In Italy, where we have our cooking school, chickens are fed Beta-carotene. There the eggs are the color of sunset and taste fresh and rich.
At the invitation of the UEP, I spent a day as an embedded journalist touring egg farms. We boarded a bus in Tampa and drove two hours past picturesque towns and horse farms, until turning off the road to be faced by closed gates. After our bus was thoroughly hosed down, we were allowed to enter and parked next to a series of ten warehouse type, corrugated metal buildings. Each of these, we were told, was home to 100,000 chickens.
Before entering the houses we had to don bio suits. We even had to decontaminate the soles of our shoes. Inside the mostly mechanized facility we saw the birds. Specially bred for docility and high volume production, these chickens live, six to a cage, in 67 square inches of individual space. We would later learn that much study went into figuring out the optimal space for a chicken and what type of living situation helped to increase egg production.
Next, we moved on to visit a cage free facility. It's a bit of a misnomer. The outside of the buildings looked like low-slung versions of the caged bird facility. We entered a dimly lit holding area that was fenced from the larger bird living space. Twenty thousand birds huddled together on the floor. They could move around; however they kept close to each other. I learned these chickens required more food and were more costly to keep than their caged cousins, increasing the cost for cage-free eggs.
I also tried Safest Choice brand pasteurized eggs; represented as an egg with no possibility of salmonella contamination. I found them very similar in taste to conventional eggs, although they were a bit more difficult to separate and whip.
In order to make a complete comparison, I also visited friends who raise chickens in their backyard. Their 12 chickens are let out in a 10-acre yard. The chickens lay eggs of many colors. The color difference is due to the breed and the family chose different chicken breeds to get an Easter egg effect. As we pulled up to the home, the chickens dispersed and had to be corralled by the children. Are these chickens happier? Well... the family recently bought another clutch because a now happy coyote had found a way into the hen house. The family was kind enough to give us a dozen of their fresh eggs, which we happily fried. The eggs of different colors tasted the same, but; these eggs were rich and silky, and they all had more flavor than any American egg I had previously tried.
So.... are factory farmed eggs inferior? The factory produces bland eggs extraordinarily well. Lots of money and research has been spent on finding the optimal breed and they are housed to create maximum production. However, the eggs that came from the home farm had much greater flavor.
I'm curious as to why there aren't gourmet eggs. If eggs are such a great conveyor of flavor, why not change the chicken's feed and create flavored eggs? Our factory farm guide said, "consumers don't like their eggs messed with". Obviously, factory egg farms have found their niche and don't plan to change. However, some small US farmers feed their chickens marigolds to produce an egg similar to the ones we found in Italy. And there are always entrepreneurs; perhaps, we will see "chocolate flavored eggs" cropping up in farmers' markets.
In our home, the ultimate way of eating an egg is fried and topped with shaved truffle. We offer this recipe with which to enjoy your favorite eggs.
Serves 2
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce black truffle
1. Put the butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, crack eggs and open them into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the white of the egg is firm and no longer translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. When the eggs are done, slide them onto a serving platter. Thinly shave the black truffle over them to cover the egg evenly. Serve hot, inhaling the rich aroma and enjoy.
To read more of Lael and Giuliano Hazan's work, visit educatedpalate
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