Homage to Julia

Like so many others whose foodiness today is directly linked to Julia Child, I am reflecting on the many things she taught me. Before lamb legs came boned, I remember learning how from Julia. How to roast a chicken, the art of simple salad dressing, potato leek soup, making omelets, beef Burguignon, Caesar salad, poached whole fish and so many more.

Almost as memorable are all the things that she inspired me to make that I will probably never make again. Things like Gauteau St. Honere, puff pasty balls glued with caramel filled with cream surrounding a pasty round filled with French pastry cream and topped with whipped cream. Of course it was delicious but it took all day to make and made me realizes that I do not like to bake. I also remember making miniature beef Wellingtons to serve to a crowd. They were topped with a pate and were wonderful. Julia also inspired me to make French bread and for years I perfected the technique. Of course that was when you couldn't get good French bread in Jacksonville Florida and now you can. However in Julia's honor I think I may take up bread making again. I will be hosting a dinner party in her honor this Saturday, August 15 on her birthday.

Julia Child's real legacy is in the host of devotees that along with technique developed a real appreciation for incredibly good food. We learned from her that good cooking does not have to be complicated but it does require the very freshest and best ingredients. Although her recipes are very precise she taught us to improvise based on what you have and what you like. Julia Child gave me a passion for good food and good cooking. How I miss her!

Mojitos, Mint and More...

Several years ago before it became fashionable, my friends discovered the magnificent Mojito. One of our favorite watering holes, The Brick, has Mojitos on their martini list and they make a great one. The basic recipe is simple.

3-4 fresh mint sprigs

2 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 oz light rum

1/2 oz orange liquor

1/2 fresh lime

club soda

Muddle the mint and sugar in a tall glass. (That means smash it up, the end of a wooden spoon works great) Squeeze the lime into the glass and add the rum and the orange liquor. I like Bicardi Light Rum and Patron Citronage Orange Liquor. Fill the glass with club soda or other sparkling water (some use Sprite or 7 up but that is too sweet for me) and garnish with another sprig of mint and slice of lime. 

Variations:

• Use simple syrup instead of sugar (Bars almost always do this)
  
• Omit the Orange liquor (its not really part of the basic recipe but I love it)
  
• Add fresh fruit when you muddle. Peaches, raspberries, blueberries, mangoes, strawberries are all terrific.
  

On Easter Sunday we generally have lunch in my garden and my friend Lee sets up a Mojito bar. Sipping Mojitos, we grill a leg of lamb and some seasonal vegetables. 

If you like Mojitos, I strongly recommend that you grow your own mint. It is very easy to grow; so easy that you must be very careful to only plant it where is has definite boundaries or it will take over you whole yard! Grow it from seed, get small plants or find a fellow gardner with some to share. My little crop of mint has been shared with many friend and family. It need some sun to thrive and water although it seems to thrive almost anywhere, well drained soil is definitely a plus. Once you have mint, you will find endless ways to use it in addition to Mojitos.

• Chop it up in tabbouleh
  
• Marinate lamb chops of leg in mint, lemon, garlic and olive oil.
  
• Use in fresh fruit compotes
  
• Flavor iced tea
  
• Tie in bundles and put in your bath water
  
• Make mint sauce for lamb (Boil sugar, mint and vinegar then strain)
  

Home grown lettuce salad

Lettuce is truly one of the easiest crops to grow. I live in North Florida so I can grow lettuce from October until about the end on June. (Lettuce does not like heat and bugs eat everything in sight in the summer here.) I have 4x8 raised beds filled with home made compost. 

A quick composting lesson...

The most important lesson in gardening is that you must start with good dirt. When I lived in an apartment years ago, I used to grow vegetables in bags of store bought compost. Works like a charm but now I am older and wiser and know that you don't need to pay for good dirt, you can make it yourself! Most people throw enough stuff in the trash which ends up in the landfill to make good dirt! I learned to compost and here is how I do it.

In July when I cleaned out those beds, I piled up everything remaining in the beds and added yard waste, kitchen scraps and some composted cow patties and horse manure.  I put a plastic sheet over all through our rainy season and turned the heap regularly. Water, air and Florida heat produced black gold compost in a very short time. 

Now I am collecting yard waste in a separate heap to compost over the winter, It takes longer in the winter however by spring, I should have a nice additional heap of compost to jump start my spring vegetables. 

Back to the lettuce...

I removed leaves, pine straw and debris from the 2 raised beds. I shoveled and raked to brake up the clods of dirt. When I turned the dirt, I saw lots of worms indicating that the dirt was happy I knew it was time to plant. My current crops include...

• Purple Oak Leaf Lettuce - Pretty color, mild flavor)
  
• Arugula (My favorite!) Pleasant tart flavor
  
• Mizuna Tart like arugula, pretty  leaves 
  
• Mesclun mix - I like to find an organic one if I can
  

I mix each packet of seeds with 1 cup of sand and then scatter the sand-seed mixture on the soil. I used 1 packet of seeds for approximately 12 square feet. Then I covered up the seeds with a thin layer of fine peat moss and watered all. As the lettuce begins to grow I thin it and eat the tender young plants. Once you grow your own lettuce you will be spoiled and never want the super market variety again!

Salad

Many salads today contain too many ingredients and mask the flavor of good lettuce. 

Bottled salad dressing is a waste of money.

Use freshly picked, washed and dried greens. Add dressing right before serving and use dressing sparingly. The greens should glisten a bit, not be drowning or soggy.

Home made salad dressing

1 part vinegar or lemon juice - vinegar can be white or red wine, balsamic, rice wine, apple cider

3 parts great extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Whisk together or shake in a small jar

Nice to add a few of these ingredients depending on you menu...

• Blue cheese - I like Gorgonzola or Maytag Blue, Crumble your own, it tastes better
  
• Lemon zest if you use lemon juice
  
• Dijon mustard, either smooth or the country seedy kind
  
• Honey
  
• Citrus fruit, orange or grapefruit sliced or jarred Mandarin oranges
  
• Avocado (I usually use lime juice and add sliced onions with avocado)
  
• Something crunchy like radishes, peppers or jimcana
  
• Edemane
  
• Fresh herbs, my favorites are thyme and basil, I love basil so much, I named my dog Basil (see photo above)
  
• Oven dried tomatoes - Put wedges of great fresh tomatoes in the oven on low heat 275 degrees for about 2 hours. They will be less juicy and the flavors will be more concentrated.
  
• Shaved hard cheese, my favorites are Parmesano Reggiano and Locatelli Romano, shave with a vegetable peeler over dressed salad so the pieces don't break up.
  
• Grated cheese. Riccota Salada is one of my new favorites.
  
• Sliced roasted beets - wash fresh beets, prick with fork, roast in glass container or foil until tender
  
• Young green beans or sugar snap peas steamed until tender crisp
  

Just make sure you don't add too many ingredients! Simple is better.

Kabobs & Brown Rice

Last minute feasting required? Kabob it! Combine meat, poultry, seafood vegetables and/or fruit for tasty grilling.

Recently we had a small dinner party and I didn't go to the grocery store or even decide what we were having until mid afternoon! From my freezer, fridge and pantry, I came up with this menu.

Kabobs:

• Pork loin cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes. Put in baggie with marinade.
  
• Marinated in mix which included: Myer lemon juice, garlic, ginger, dark sesame seed oil, orange juice, orange zest, canola oil, salt and pepper, local honey (the only kind I use!)
  
• Other kabob ingredients: apples, green pepper, red onion. Cut these up in chunks and microwave in covered casserole dish for 2-3 minutes just slightly soften.
  
• Remove vegetables from casserole and make brown rice in same dish.
  
• Soak kabob skewers 30 minutes
  
• When ready to grill, skewer ingredients (3 pork, 2 pepper, 1 apple, alternate with onions)
  
• Skewer remaining ingredients when you run out of pork.
  
• We grilled on a charcoal Weber grill which still has the best flavor and ambiance. We use a gas grill often too.
  
• Grill on medium heat until toasty and caramelized.
  

Brown Rice

• I love brown rice and particularly the short grain variety. For all you rice impaired people, it doesn't get any better that Alton Brown's baked rice recipe. See link.
  
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe/index.html
• When the rice was done, I tossed it with scallions raisins and almonds.

A tossed salad and crunchy bread sticks completed this wonderful dinner on the deck.

Other kabob combinations:

Lamb

I often dissect a leg of lamb and freeze for grilling.

Marinade in olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh rosemary,

Combine with chunks of eggplant, onion and peppers.

Add toasted pine nuts to the rice. (you can toast vermicelli pieces and add to rice while cooking for a real Mediterranean feeling)

Shrimp and/or scallops, swordfish etc.

Marinade in olive oil, orange juice, fresh thyme,  orange zest and a bit of orange marmalade.

Skewer with pineapple, onions and peppers

Add scallions, orange segments, toasted almonds, cilantro, thyme and golden raisins to the rice.

You get the picture, use what you have and create flavors you like. 

Feasting on Pork... The Ubiquitous Pig

Years ago, my husband's niece Maggie decided to roast a whole pig. With a little help from friends, family and Budweiser, she slathered the swine in Mojo Criollo, a fragrant Spanish marinade and spent the night basting the little porker to its succulent best. Those of us lucky enough to be there when she took
him off the coals, feasted divinely. My husband, Nick's, father was in the hospital after having knee replacements, so we took him what Nick considered to be the best part of the pig, the head. He loved it!


Don't have an entire night, a whole pig and lots of help? You can still feast on pork. I like all kinds of pork and have had my days with ribs or Boston Butt cooked low and slow for hours. Most of the time, I don't have hours and hours and you don't either. Enter the pork loin. I buy it whole from Costco and cut it into pieces of varying sizes for my varying number of people who may show up for dinner and freeze it. For example...

Sauteed pork for 2
I took out 1 piece of pork for 2 and cut it in half. Place each half in a plastic baggie and pound to a nice even thickness. Salt and pepper and saute for about 2 minutes a side until nicely browned. Remove pork from pan and deglaze with wine, add capers, chopped parsley and a splash of lemon. Reduce sauce and pour over pork. Drizzle with a little fragrant olive oil. Artfully arrange pork over smashed potatoes with buttermilk.

Smashed potatoes with buttermilk
No big deal to make!
Simmer potatoes until tender.
Drain and add a little butter salt and pepper. Mash with hand masher in the pan. Add buttermilk.Yum

Grilled pork... Brined Swine
Most of the time, we cook pork loin, and every other meat, on the grill. My latest discovery is that brining makes most meat except beef, and poultry taste better, more tender and more juicy. A simple rule of thumb is 1/4 cup of salt to 1 quart of water. Brine chops for 1/2 to 1 hour, roasts 2-4 hours.
Rinse off brine, wipe dry and cook.
Generally we don't put heavy marinade or basting sauces on any meat.

Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
Cut the pork loin to pieces about 1 inch thick. Brown on the hot part of the grill, finish with the lid closed over a very low or no flame. Don't overcook! Pork tastes best when it is just done or even a little pink. Take it off the grill and let it rest. While the pork is resting, I often grill vegetables.
For example...

Grilled fruit and vegetables
Zucchini
eggplant
red onion
Apples
Cut veges into slices, salt and put on grill until you see niche grill marks.
Take off grill and toss in dressing

Dressing
1 part vinegar or lemon juice, to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil. Whisk and add herbs to taste... basil, thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, whatever you like.

Of course you can grill any vegetables and many fruits. Add a salad and some bread and you have dinner.

A Paella Feast

Last spring I acquired a new 18 inch carbon steel paella pan and finally I put it to the test and made paella the "real way" in the real pan on an open fire. Actually we used our Weber kettle grill and the pan just fit on top of the grill handles leaving enough air to keep a good fire burning. I find recipes for paella, like many stews and soups, are only a rough draft and you need to do it to taste using ingredients at hand. The weather here in Jacksonville has been a total rain story and the night of my party we got all of the 20% rain that had been predicted. I invited several friend and their dogs because we are all going to Highlands, North Carolina in late October and we wanted to make sure the dogs were happy together. My guests and dogs got a little soppy and we actually had to finish it on my stove but the results were terrific and I will definitely try this again when the weather gets better. Here is how I did it.

To serve 6
Meat and Seafood

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 chorizo sausages
• 2 thick slices of pork loin
• 3 Italian chicken sausages
• 1 pound of shrimp

Sofrito

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 can well drained tomatoes

Saute peppers and onions until soft. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Can be made the day ahead.

Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon saffron
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper

Garnish

• Italian parsley
• Lemon wedges
• Sliced avocado (this is totally not Spanish however I had a ripe avocado and I liked the combination of favor and the color)

2 cups Valencia rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup peas (frozen defrosted)

Directions:

1. Light a generous amount of charcoal and wait until coals are very hot.
2. Grill the chicken for 20 minutes. Grill the sausages and the pork about 10 minutes.
3. Take meats off grill and cut into bite sized pieces. Remove skin from chicken.
4. Clean grill and put paella pan on to heat up.
5. Add olive oil and 2 cups of rice. Stir until coated then add sofrito and stir until well blended. Add chicken stock and all chicken, pork and sausage. Heat until simmering. Cook 20 minutes and don't stir it. It is supposed to form a crust on the bottom which mine did not because of the rain and all the moving around.) Add shrimp and peas. Cook 1 minute then remove from heat.
6. Cover with a towel and let sit for 10 minutes.
7. Top with sliced avocado, lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Normally when I make paella, I include more shellfish; mussels, clams. squid rings, even chunks of fish like grouper or snapper. I have done all seafood or various combinations but I know one thing for sure. I like the real paella pan and I could easily have made more for a larger crowd! I served this with a terrific orange and red onion salad which my friend Leila brought, and some great Albarino white wine which my friends Jack and Pam brought. Crusty bread and a fresh peach flan completed the menu. What a feast!

Feasting Necessities

If you are going to have a feast everyday, you have to stock your kitchen with some basic necessities. With a few basics you would be surprised at how many feast you can make. The most important basic is an herb garden. This is the worst time of year to grow things in North Florida... unbelievable heat, humidity and rain including a hurricane named Fay. That's why I only took a small picture of some of my rosemary rather than my whole collection. I have herbs in pots, flower beds, raised beds with vegetables, any and everywhere. My current collection includes:

1. basil
2. rosemary
3. garlic chives
4. marjoram
5. thyme
6. sage
7. mint
8. oregano

Usually I have parsley however the flat leaf Italian parsley which has the best taste does not like the heat and I forgot to plant the curly variety this year. With these 8 herbs, you can do amazing things!

Here are other basic necessities:

• Extra Virgin Olive oil, I spoke about this in an earlier blog but it bears repeating. Buy the good stuff for cooking and the really good stuff for drizzling.
• Tomatoes. Usually I have fresh from the farmers market and I always have a variety of canned, whole, sauce, puree and paste. San Marzano tomatoes really are the best canned tomatoes.
• Beans. Dried and canned white and black beans. A quick side: Drain and rinse a can of white beans. Add slivered garlic, chopped rosemary, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil. Heat or not.
• Vinegar. Rice wine, balsamic, red wine, apple cider whatever you like just have several varieties.
• Rice. Brown, Basmati and Aborio are always in my pantry along with regular long grain white.
• Pasta. Good Italian Pasta. I love Barillo although I sometimes spurge on gourmet varieties.
• Stock. Of course it is best to make you own but who really does. I think Swanson Organic is the best tasting and I often fluff it up a bit by adding vegetable clippings from whatever I am making.
• Nuts. Sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts and pine nuts all trade places in my kitchen. I usually stock at least 2 varieties.
• Booze. Wine (food will be better if I drink a glass while cooking) I also occasionally put it in the food. Sherry, Port and Maderia are all good to have for sauces, deglazing soups etc.
• Salt and Pepper. Kosher salt and sea salt. good peppercorns to grind fresh. I am still using peppercorns I bought at the spice market in Turkey this past June. They are fabulous as were the hazelnuts and dried figs and apricots which are long gone.
• Jelly and preserves. I buy them on trips. We go to North Carolina several times a year and there and along the way in Georgia and South Carolina, we find fabulous collections of locally made preserves. Great in sauces, to glaze entrees, make salad dressing or put on toast!
• Chutney, pickles, chow chow... We find these on trips too.
• Garlic. I ALWAYS have fresh garlic.
• Spices. The usual assortment. the ones I use the most are red pepper flakes, oregano. Unusual finds are fennel seeds and coriander seeds. I bought them for a recipe but I find myself using them a lot. they both smell amazing when you grind them up. I uses a regular Braun coffee bean grinder to grind spices.
• Mustard. Dried, Dijon and Grainy county style are all essential.

I will talk about equipment later however I must address the basic of all basic. Knives! I travel with a chef's knife and a paring knife because most people don't have sharp knives. Mine are Henkels and almost all of them are over 30 years old. I have them professionally sharpened 2 to 3 times a year. Invest in a good German knife, take care of it and you will be a believer.

So here is you basic list. Next time I will give you some quick and easy ways to prepare a feast using these core ingredients and only a few fresh ones.