Turning up...and understanding...the heat!

To food fanatics, the name Harold McGee tends to elicit fawning admiration. This for a man whose book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen is usually considered the Holy Grail for innumerable restaurant chefs and home cooks who really want to get into the subject of where food comes from, what it is made of...I mean exactly what it is made of...and why it behaves the way it does when cooked. The whole sous vide/molecular gastronomy fad? It probably wouldn't exist if not for McGee. If FoodTV's Alton Brown is considered the irreverent teacher/scientist/prankster of the genre, then McGee would rightly be considered the Dean of Food University. His blog Curious Cook, and his regular NYT column of the same name, explores some of this territory in a, well, more user friendly way than in his in depth, sometimes exhausting book.

In Wednesday's NY Times he wrote a fascinating column on heat in the kitchen that touches on how heat works, cooks food, wastes energy, flavors food, etc. Every home cook should read this, as it is as fascinating as it is informative. Who would think to pre-soak dry pasta, turn steaks on the grill more often, because "steaks and chops cook more evenly on high grill heat — and faster as well — if you become a human rotisserie and turn them not once or twice but as often as you can stand to, even dozens of times, every 15 or 30 seconds." Or that most cooks are "...often aiming a fire hose of heat at targets that can only absorb a slow trickle, and that will be ruined if they absorb a drop too much." Every home chef will learn something from this short essay, and most likely come away a better cook for it.

image from New York Times

The Anti-Turkey!

After last Thursday's turkey fest, about the last thing I wanted to consider for our Sunday dinner party with friends was something fowlish. I figured what would take the taste of too much turkey out of my mouth better than an old fashioned meatloaf? Meatloaf...the anti-turkey! Perfect. One of the greatest inventions ever, ground beef, paired with ground veal, chopped veggies, herbs, and bread crumbs. Plus for a crowd this is one of the best make-ahead dishes that you can pop in the oven an hour ahead of time so you have plenty of time to prepare snacks and make sure there's enough alcohol around to slake the seemingly unending thirsts of your friends. Or maybe that's just the unending thirsts of my friends (btw- our recycler hates dinner party night at 1309. It's like how many empty wine can fit into one recycling bin!!). You know what I mean. This was a hit, with some garlic mashed spuds and pan roasted brussel sprouts, plus we had a first course of apple-fennel soup and w made a fabulous pumpkin mousse for dessert....more on those tomorrow!

Okay, I know it's a half-assed picture, but the meatloaf is fucking awesome, I promise!!






This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown of Food TV fame. It is a regular in our home rotation, and the best thing? It makes killer meatloaf sandwiches the next day!!

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Good Eats Meat Loaf
adapted from Alton Brown

ingredients:
6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and broken
3 whole cloves garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
18 ounces ground beef 15% fat
18 ounces ground veal
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg

For the glaze:
1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon honey

method:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Place on middle rack in oven. The meatloaf is done when an instant read thermometer reads 155*.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

** cooks note: the meatloaf can be made several hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Take out 45 minutes before baking.

Stock up!

On the recent post about fava beans that included a killer recipe for Meyer lemon risotto to which I added the emeralds of spring that are favas, I received a comment about the recipes call for chicken stock (or low-sodium chicken broth). The comment: "Low sodium chicken broth? Ouch!" I have to agree. Now I wish I could say I always have containers of homemade chicken stock in my freezer, but at times I find myself adding that carton of chicken stock to my shopping list. It can be a perfectly acceptable substitute, especially if you boil it down for a few minutes to concentrate its flavors before using. But still, I always feel like such a slacker doing it.

Which of course got me in the mood to make more chicken stock, since I used my last container in the above mentioned risotto. Stock is something I love making. The whole process of taking a big pot of water, throwing in a few choice ingredients, and ending up with this rich, flavorful broth that makes everything taste better is so satisfying. The house ends up with that chicken noodle soup smell that is one of the definitions of comfort, and even in summer when I am less apt to want to spend a few hours tending the stove, it still feels good! Especially when I can escape outside to the garden while the stock bubbles away.

The final point is for those of you who say, "oh, it's just too much trouble, it takes so long, blah, blah, blah...", get a grip, get your asses into the kitchen, and grab that stockpot, because dammit, it is SO worth the minimal effort expended. The recipe I use is from an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats show on Food TV. This is super easy, and makes plenty of incredibly savory, clear stock.

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Chicken Stock
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs (I use one whole four pound chicken for a more intense flavor)
1 large onion, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 gallons cold water

Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.