Since You Asked... (quick chicken stock, roasted red pepper soup)

Over the last days a few readers have commented that the chicken stock recipe looks good, but since they normally use canned chicken broth in their cooking, couldn’t they just substitute that for the home made stuff?  There are a number of reasons that I would not recommend that particular strategy.  

Flavor is the big reason to make your own.  Your stock will have a clean chicken taste, even when you reduce it to make a soup.  Secondly, the canned/boxed stuff has all sorts of ingredients.  Really, look at the side of the box.  Do you want chicken and aromatics or is it OK to include dextrose, caramel color, stabilizers, salts, preservatives, thickeners, whey and a bunch of stuff that I can’t spell?  Me, when I die, I want to decompose.  (the decomposition thing may become a theme)

Clarity should count for something.  The stock you’ll make will never come to a rolling boil.  All that fat and protein will be skimmed off the top leaving a crystal clear broth below.  I’ve never seen a commercial stock that wasn’t muddy.  If you use bones you will get double the yield with only a small additional cost.  Finally, chicken stock freezes well, why not make it yourself in big batches.

If you must use canned broth there is a way to fix it.  It involves watering down the canned broth to even out some of the off flavors, then enriching it with aromatics.  Don’t add any additional salt, there’s already plenty in the canned broth.  This isn’t a substitute for the real stuff, but it will do in a pinch.  And since today we are cooking with canned ingredients, there is also a recipe for a roasted pepper soup that has an oddball ingredient that gives it a velvety texture.

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Quick Chicken Stock

1 14 oz. can of chicken broth (or box)

28 oz. cold water

1 carrot, finely diced

½ spanish onion, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ tsp. dried thyme

2 bay leaves

4 black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot.  Slowly bring the stock to a low simmer.  Skim any scum that rises to the top.   

Simmer the stock for 30 minutes.  Strain through a fine strainer.

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Roasted Pepper Soup

1 28 oz. can roasted red peppers, drained, chopped, juice reserved

2 qts. chicken stock

½ loaf white bread, crusts removed

1 spanish onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbs. olive oil

3 tbs. fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

salt and pepper

In a heavy bottomed stockpot on low heat, sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are transparent.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the roasted peppers.  Sauté for five minutes, until they begin to brown.  Add the bread, stir to break it up and then add the chicken stock and pepper juice.  Increase the heat and bring the soup to a simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.  Puree the soup with a hand blender or a food mill. Serve hot during cooler months, or chilled in the summer, garnished with fresh basil.  

Your Culinary Salvation (chicken stock, Avgolemono soup)

Ok, admit it, because confession is good for the soul.  You threw away the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving.  You probably didn’t even pick the meat off of it before it went in the trash.  There, didn’t that feel good?  You are not off the hook yet.  Redemption only comes after you show a willingness to change from your previous bad behavior and that’s what I’m here for, to offer you a chance at culinary salvation.

A continuing theme in the Fresh Fun Food Blog will be making stocks, soups and sauces simply.  My methods will show you how to get the most flavor and nutrition out of things that might have been tossed out in the trash.  Onion and carrot peels are a good example, similarly the turkey carcass mentioned previously.  When you learn to think at the stove, you will have learned to recognize where flavor comes from and how you can best exploit the ingredients in front of you.  Following is a recipe for chicken stock that can easily be adapted, using that turkey carcass instead of the chicken bones.  Since the turkey has already been cooked, there is no need to soak it in salted water, simply add it to the pot with the vegetables.

Chicken stock is one of the most overused ingredients in American kitchens, particularly when making soups.  It has its place, but if you are making a carrot or broccoli soup, wouldn’t you rather taste the vegetables instead of reduced broth.  Water is cheaper and makes a cleaner tasting, brighter flavored soup.  With that rant out of the way, you really should make your own stock.  Used properly, it makes a big difference in your cooking.  A Greek Avgolemono soup recipe is included.  The technique of tempering eggs is a little tricky, but the result is worth the effort.  Since you have made a nice stock, why not show it off with an egg and lemon enrichment.

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Chicken Stock

2 pounds of chicken necks and backs

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped with the skin

the bottom three inches of a head of celery, washed, cut in half

sprig of parsley

sprig of fresh thyme or ½ tsp. dried

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

4 black peppercorns

1 ½ gallons cold water

1 tbs. kosher salt

In a large basin, soak the chicken bones in cold salted water for one hour, in order to draw out any remaining blood, which would cloud the stock.  Drain the water and rinse the bones with cold water after soaking.

Add the bones, the carrots, onion, celery and water to a large, heavy bottomed stock pot.  Turn on high heat.  When the water boils, skim any scum that rises to the top, lower the heat.  Add the parsley, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns.  Bring the stock to a low simmer.  Simmer the stock for 90 minutes.  It will have reduced by 1/3.

Remove the stock from the heat.  Strain the liquid through a fine strainer, reserve the liquid and throw away the remainder.

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Avgolemono Soup

1 quart chicken stock

2 egg yolks

the juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

½ cup cooked white rice, cooled

Combine the egg yolks and lemon juice in a stainless steel mixing bowl.  Heat the chicken stock to boiling, season with salt and pepper.

With a whisk, mix the eggs and lemon juice.  Using a ladle, slowly add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to the egg/lemon mix, stirring constantly to temper the eggs, cooking them by bringing them slowly up to temperature.  Continue to ladle the stock into the eggs and lemon.  It will thicken slightly.

When approximately ½ half of the stock has been enriched, stir the egg mixture into the rest of the stock.  Return to the heat, but take care not to boil the soup.  The eggs will scramble in the soup.  Add the rice and serve immediately.

Ours/Yours?

Here's our menu for today.

Garlic and chile pickles
Corn and fresh cheese fritters, preserved lemon mayonnaise dip 

Turkey with sage, sausage and mushroom stuffing
Giblet and roasted garlic gravy
Orange cranberry sauce
Mashed potatoes
Braised sweet potatoes with maple syrup
Cortland applesauce
Brussel sprouts cooked with bacon and aromatic vegetables

Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin and cinnamon ice cream

Beaujolais Nouveau
Home fermented hard cider
Trimbach Gewurztraminer

...and yours?

Back to the kitchen.  Happy Thanksgiving. 

Lou

Mashed Potatoes and The Rolling Stones (mashed potatoes)

Yesterday, I heard Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster of America's Test Kitchen being interviewed by Terry Gross.  http://www.npr.org/2013/11/26/247336038/dont-stuff-the-turkey-and-other-tips-from-americas-test-kitchen  You should listen to their discussion.  These are folks with whom I generally agree.  They are willing to throw out a cooking myth if reality, food science, gets in the way of what yer Mom did in the kitchen.  They think at the stove, something I’m going to encourage all of you to do.

When discussing mashed potatoes, Bishop mentioned that people appreciate homemade mashed so much that they give the cook a little room to play.  He offered a recipe for paprika and garlic mashed that really sounds interesting, but would get my head handed to me by everyone at the table.  At our house, mashed potatoes are sacred.  Once, about 20 years ago, I put garlic in the mashed and I’m still hearing about it.  So, much like the “expanded, reimagined” version of Exile on Main Street that the Stones put out a few years back, altered, adulterated, messed with mashed potatoes are something that we just do not do at the Farrell house.  You don't screw with something that is already perfect.  The risks are too great.  That’s too bad, because Bishop’s recipe looked good.  Maybe I’ll make it some evening when Cathy is out of town and I know that the kids won’t be dropping by.  It will have to be a dark, long night.  If I should get caught with anything other than the standard mashed…I don’t even want to think of the penalty.

There’s good reason for the kids love of my mashed potatoes and it has to do with the selection of the ingredients and the method used to make the stuff.  What we do is suspend as much butter and cream in the potatoes as is possible.  First, use peeled white potatoes and peeled russets.  The combination gives a fluffy finished product with enough body to make that lake of gravy that we all want.  Additionally, they fry up better the next morning as potato pancakes, if by chance you have any leftovers.  We never do, in spite of the vat of taters that I make.  No Yukon golds, too waxy and no boiling in their skins, too much waste when you try peel them hot.  Learn to drain them properly.   

Secondly, you shouldn’t worry about heating the butter and cream.  Potatoes have an atomic number above Plutonium, so they hold heat like nothing else.  Pouring hot liquid into a mixer is something you see in a workplace safety movie as a “don’t.”   Lastly, whip the potatoes in small batches in a mixer, I have one of those Kitchen Aid counter models.  Yeah, they cost $200, but we bought ours 20 years ago and I haven’t been able to kill it.  Mix all the batches together in a large pot and keep it warm in a double boiler.  A crockpot on low would also work.  You can prepare the mashed 2 hours before serving, making your life easier on Thanksgiving, continuing our theme of promoting sanity on a day that is inherently loony.

So, the following is the best mashed potato recipe that you will ever see, hands down, don’t argue.  Ask the Farrell children and all the people who have dropped by for dinner over the years.  (You should see what the Franklin and Marshall football team did to a 20 pound batch!)  We’ll be making a big batch in the foolish hope of leftovers.  If you think that it is too caloric, and you’d be correct, simply back off on the butter and follow Julia Child’s advice to “Just add more cream.” 

One last tip, don’t eat sticky buns while you are typing up your blog!  Thank you, Ann.

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Mashed Potatoes

4# white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

2# russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

12 tbs. unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch slices

1 pint heavy cream

salt and white pepper

Heat a large stockpot filled with 1.5 gallons of salted water to boiling.  Add the white and russet potatoes.  Cook about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and a knife goes through them evenly.  Drain in a colander until dry, about 5 minutes. 

It is important to work quickly so that the potatoes do not cool too much.  Put 1/3 of the potatoes and 1/3 of the butter in a mixing bowl.  Season lightly with salt and white pepper, then whip on a medium setting, breaking up the large chunks into a smooth puree.  Take care not to over whip the puree or the potatoes will get gummy, resembling taffy, instead of creamy. 

Transfer the puree with a rubber spatula into a large pot that can serve as a double boiler, keeping the potatoes hot until serving.  Repeat this process until all the potatoes have been pureed.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving gang!  Thank you for following the Fresh Fun Food Blog.

It Begins! (Fritters)

I like to cook.  Even when I’m at home alone, I’ll whip up something that my wife thinks is extreme, overly complicated and dirties up too many pots and pans.  That said, whatever I’m making up tastes good and reflects my individual flair.  I once read that any of her acolytes could pick out the egg that the great chef and educator Alice Waters had fried, just by looking at the way that the whites had scorched around the outside.  I hope that I have a similar, distinctive style.  Fritters may be an example of that.

For most cooks, the coming Thanksgiving holiday is a hassle.  You’ll be cooking for more people than usual, the kitchen will be cramped with inefficient “helpers” and the food is expected to be perfect, just like Grandma used to make.  The problem is that everyone’s memory of Grandma’s meal is really just a misremembered bit of Norman Rockwell.  At her house, the turkey was dry, the TV was too loud and Uncle John said something inappropriate every year and got slapped by Aunt Sarah.  Psychological balance is a tricky thing.  I repress a lot!

A great cook at Thanksgiving works hardest at making their life easy.  Over the next few days, I’m going to help you survive and thrive during what can be an extremely stressful day.  One of the best ways to do that is to plan ahead what you’ll be serving and make most of your offerings dishes that can be reheated at the last minute and put on the table.  You’ll want to keep the final work to a minimum, just in case the unexpected, which will happen, happens.  This way, you’ll be able to deal with the craziness that comes with family dinners with panache.   So, our focus over the next few days will be on dishes that can be prepped ahead of time.  You’ll look good and be able to enjoy that Beaujolais Nouveau, rather than needing that water glass of Scotch RIGHT NOW, DAMNIT!

Fritters are a good hors d'oeuvre.  They can be prepped two days ahead and are easily varied.  Without too much of a problem, you can make a few types, say maybe ham, shrimp or cheese.  Just split the batter in half and stir in the savory ingredients.  Toss a plate of fritters out into the family room and the kids will leave you alone for a while so you can get down to business.  What follows is just a basic recipe.  There are plenty of substitutions that you can make.  For example, switch buttermilk for the milk or if you care about taste not longevity, bacon fat for butter.  I sort of feel that if you are making fritters, you probably aren’t counting calories.  Don’t eat them every day, but when you do, do it right. 

Fritters

2 cups flour

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon melted butter

a pinch each of sugar and salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, butter, salt and sugar.  Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.  Add the baking powder and flour.  Mix the fritter batter until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  You’ve done nothing wrong.  It should be a sticky mess.  Add any extra flavorings at the end.

Heat a three inch deep pot of oil to 375°.  Use a thermometer.  The oil must not be too hot or the center of the fritters will not cook.  With a small spoon, drop one teaspoon of batter into the oil.  Turn the fritter when one side is cooked.  Fry for about three minutes until brown and crispy on the outside.  Remove from the oil with a strainer and drain on some newspaper.  Fry the fritters in small batches.  You can also fry them on an electric griddle like lumpy pancakes.  Hold the cooked fritter in a 165° oven.  Season with salt.  Serve hot.

For savory fitters, I usually add 1 sliced scallion and 2 slices of bacon that have been cooked and crumbled.  You can mix it up by adding whatever you have in the fridge.  Avoid any dried herbs.  They tend to burn.  Here are some variations:

1 cup chopped ham

1 cup cooked, chopped shrimp or scallops

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, chevre or crumbled bleu cheese

1 15 ounce can of corn, drained well

½ cup cooked oyster mushrooms

1 cup stewed onions (cook slowly in butter until like jam, cool)

1 cup cooked, chopped swiss chard

1 cup peeled, blanched and chopped asparagus, broccoli or salsify

Some folks want to serve fritters with a sweet dipping sauce.  I wonder why you would want to coat a well-made fritter with sugary goo.  Stick with a mayo or cream based sauce with fresh herbs.

Put this away for later.  On Thanksgiving, you’ll want to stick with pumpkin pie and the like for dessert, but you should keep in the back of your mind that sweet fritters make a good dessert or side for brunch.  My favorites are with diced lemon, peels and all, which have been stewed in syrup.  Cook a chopped lemon in 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water until it crystallizes, then finely chop.  Whatever you put in the fritter batter should be cooked and cooled.  Try peaches, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pears, brandied cherries, apples, cranberries... 

Fry ‘em up and sprinkle with powdered sugar.