Monday, May 21, 2012

Listen to Heritage Radio Network

Heritage Radio Network is the source on up to date food and drink. Started by Patrick Martins the founder of Slow Food USA, (which world wide was started in Italy, my favorite place) The station is an online station with a searchable archive of shows/interviews with the most currently important cookers, brewers, food writers, cheese mongers etc. in America. It operates out of two shipping containers in the back yard of Roberta's, a legendary Brooklyn restaurant. I think you are going to love this.

http://www.HeritageRadioNetwork.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/Heritage_Radio

https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetwork

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Grits; With Many Thanks to Miss Edna Lewis and Mr. Scott Peacock




About a month ago, I took a far too brief trip down South for the very first time. I traveled to South Carolina and Georgia. I was after a pair of rare John Vesey chairs that I did not win at auction, darn! Someone else also spotted them!  So I spent the rest of that weekend exploring Southern architecture,  Southern culture and of course the distinctive cuisine.

 Eating gluten-free I am particularly interested in the many other grains that have no gluten.  Southern cooking utilizes both corn and rice and buckwheat. Grits are served all over the South and with just about everything. Down South for three days they were served to me three times. 

For those of you who swear that grits taste akin to cardboard mush, I can attest to having eaten grits that tasted like that. It was not until I was having a late lunch at the bar of a Savannah Georgia restaurant; Vic's on the River,  that I had my first taste of sublime sweet creamy grits. Served as the base of "Wild Georgia Shrimp over Stone-Ground Grits with Tasso Gravy". It was a revelation!  You can make the same dish if you  buy their cookbook. It is published by Billy Bob's, Inc in Savanah and can be purchased by writing to vicsontheriver@aol.com or calling 912-721-1000.

Grits come in different versions; White, Yellow or Mixed. They come regular, instant, quick or Stone-Ground. Here are a couple of resources for great grains and grits;

No discussion of sources would be complete without pointing you in the direction of Anson Mills; a stone-ground producer with a national following. Here is the URL where you can order online some of their renowned artisanal products; http://www.ansonmills.com/

The city of Columbia SC has a great food reputation; Here is the URL for their slow food site which has links many interesting producers from whom you can order quite an array of tasty southern treats. http://www.slowfoodcolumbia.org/

Currently I am working my way through the 2 pound bag of yellow/white grits I purchased down south from Palmetto Farms ; whose URL is http://palmettofarms.com/

Logan Turnpike Mills
1-800-84 Grits
706-745-5735
http://www.loganturnpikemill.com/

J.T. Pollard Milling Company
334-588-3391


My son Max, who takes his food very seriously says my grits are wonderful.

My method for cooking the grits is taken from the wonderful book of southern cooking called; The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.  Miss. Lewis, was the doyenne of Southern Cooking.  Mr. Peacock; many decades her junior, met Miss. Lewis  in 1988, while he was the executive chef at the Georgia Governor's Mansion.  They collaborated on her fourth book, became the close friends, colleagues and eventually housemates as Mr. Peacock lived with and tended to Ms. Lewis in the last six years of her life. Miss. Lewis passed away in 2006. To read more about Miss Lewis and also Mr. Peacock, here is her obituary from The New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/national/14lewis.html?pagewanted=all

Here is their recipe for making basic grits.

Old-Fashioned Creamy Grits

Makes enough for 4-6

2 Cups water, or more
2 Cups milk, or more
1 Cup stone-ground or regular, (note: I am using stone ground)
Kosher salt
1/4 Cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat the 2 cups of water and milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until just simmering. While the milk is heating, put the grits in a large mixing bowl and cover with cool water.. (If you are using regular girts, skip this step.) Stir the grits assertively so that the chaff floats to the top. Skim the surface carefully, and remove the chaff. Drain the grits in a fine strainer, and stir them into the simmering water and milk. Cook, stirring often, until the grits are tender to the bite and have thickened to the consistency of thick oatmeal. Regular grits are done in about 20 minutes, but stone-ground require an hour or a little more to cook, and you will have to add additional milk and water as needed. As the grits thicken, stir them more often to keep them from sticking and scorching. Season the grits generously with salt, and stir in the cream and butter. Remove from heat, and let rest covered, until serving. Serve hot. 

Note: Leftover grits can be reheated over low heat, stirring in a little hot milk or boiling water as needed to thin.

Mr. Peacock serves grits for breakfast with bacon and eggs or for supper with roast chicken braised lamb or veal shanks or braised beef short ribs or salmon croquettes.

Blogger's note: Grits are simply a soft mush of rich sweet corn. Thus it can be used as you wish and doctored as you wish. I do need to quote Miss. Lewis from her book in response to all the additions people were making to grits, she said; "People should really leave grits alone" In fact these grits are dynamite alone. 

But, being hungry for even more the what ifs start up in my mind. What if I used them to make something like a souffle or a custard or pancakes? Or what if I made them spicy or cheesy? Use your imagination but first..Just eat them plain, because plain may indeed be the best way to enjoy them.  I find these grits keep well in tupperware for at least a week in the refrigerator.






Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Sunday Lunch with Max

Tuna Salad, Homemade Mayonnaise and Asparagus with Ramps

Today's Sunday Lunch with the Executive Chef; better known as my son Max.
Max started cooking with me when he was a little boy as did his sister Laurel. Now each is an accomplished cook and all grown up and sometimes they cook for me!

So Sunday, Max was our guest chef. Our lunch wass made from what was found in the frig.

Lunch consisted of a tuna salad made with homemade mayonnaise and fresh herbs from the terrace along with asparagus with ramps, parmesan and balsamic vinegar. Max had real bread with his and I had a gluten free Challah from Udi's..it tasted like Challah but the structure was not anything to write home about, still as a gluten free substitute it was fine.

Home made Mayonnaise
ingredients:
1 egg yolk
lemon juice..or vinegar..according to taste..somewhere between 1/2 Tablespoon and half a lemon's worth
1 teaspoon poupon mustard
big pinch salt
2-3 Tablespoons of Canola Oil
Up to 1/4 Cup Fragrant Olive Oil

Method #1 Handwhisked
Whisk together yolk, juice, salt and mustard
Continue whisking adding canola oil by dripping slowly 2-3 Tablespoons in all..the trick is that at the beginning you must add the oil in tiny amounts and emulsify entirely before adding more. Eventually you will be able to add the oil in a steady stream but go slowly or it will never come together. Finally add olive oil; as much as 1/4 cup in a steady stream. You must decide how firm or loose you wish the mayonnaise to be, which will be determined by how much oil is added.

Method #2 Using an Immersion Blender
Place yolk and salt and vinegar/lemon juice and mustard into a ball jar
Gently pour over this all the oil
Placing the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar start it up and it will do all the work for you. Max says it takes 5 minutes and the blender creates a vortex. I have yet to buy one so I am taking his word for it.

Tuna Salad with Herbs

Drain a can of tuna. I like to buy line caught tuna which often comes from the Pacific North West. This is because it is very good quality and likely small fish which are lower in heavy metals than big ones.
Mash it with a fork. Dice some celery. Add chopped chives, chopped parsley and mix with the mayo.

Serve on lettuce or on toast or with a baguette. I used Udi's challah. I also heated a gluten free baguette from Schar; a european company. It did not come out right when I cooked it 5 minutes at 400 as instructed. It turned out a lot better when I left it in the cooling oven for a half hour. So I assume if I left it 10 minutes it might have been fine. It is a little scary that it has a shelf life months long.The texture was great considering that it is made gluten free, although it was  not yeasty like a real bagguette. I can't wait til some local bakery makes fresh gluten free breads. I hear that Le Pain Quotidien is experimenting!

Now for the Asparagus

Asparagus with Ramps

Toss cut up asparagus into a cast iron pan..or another good pan with a Tablespoon or so of good olive oil and the white bulb parts of the ramps. Once they are nicely cooked but still a bit too al dente add the leaf portions of the ramps and toss some more. Dress with a good aged balsamic vinegar and a bit of grated parmesan.