DUCK SALAD NOUVELLE

This is really a main dish. I'm featuring cool-season dishes as we head into summer.

This would be fabulous with an Italian Bruschetta,

and it was great with an Eagle Canyon Fume Blanc.

Hors d'oeuvre for 6 or a buffet platter for 8

AHEAD OF TIME:

Prepare: 1 to 3 medium small turnips, peeled if desired, shredded or grated.

Refrigerate overnight, covered.

Rub: 4 half-breasts of duck [of course, in a pinch, chicken could also be used]

with 1Tb walnut oil

Place skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place in preheated 475-degree oven. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook 10 minutes more, until an instant reading meat thermometer registers 180 degrees. 

Thoroughly chill to allow the meat to become firm and the fat and juices to set - at least six hours, or overnight.

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At cooking time:

Blanch in boiling water: 1/2 pound Chinese peas 

(or sugar snap peas, baby green beans, or blanched broccoli flowerets). Drain and rinse.

Remove bones from duck, cut into bitesize pieces.

In a bowl, add:

16+ sprigs fresh coriander, leaves only

salt and pepper

2 Tb red wine vinegar

4 Tb walnut oil 

(gives a special taste, but if necessary, can substitute peanut or light olive oil mixed with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil)

Top with:

2 Tb sesame seeds

6 sprigs fresh coriander

From the wonderful: American Charcuterie, by Victoria Wise (with my modifications). Buy it here:

American Charcuterie

SIN CHOW FRIED RICE STICK WITH SHRIMP

I haven't given many main dishes, 

as I often just combine soup, salad, and/or vegetables to make a meal,

but here is an interesting one. 

Serves 3

Soak 1/2-pound package rice stick noodles 

in medium-hot water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Marinate: 1/4 pound bay shrimp for 5 minutes in:

1/4 Tb soy sauce

pinch of salt, pinch of sugar (or honey, or artificial sweetener)

Saute each shrimp separately in:

1 Tb each peanut oil

on medium heat in a nonstick wok or skillet. 

Similarly saute separately:

1/4 pound boneless chicken breasts, chopped

and a mixture of:

1-2 green onions, sliced

14 green hell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1/4 red hell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks 

Remove all of these as you finish cooking them, and drain. 

Heat another tablespoon of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over

medium heat. Add, aook for a minute or two:

1/2 tablespoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of pepper

Add:

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable broth

and cook for just another half-minute.

Quickly add the rice stick noodles, drained.

Stir all lightly until well mixed. Combine with meat and

vegetables. Stir again and serve immediately.

Top with: 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

 (always add sesame oil at the very end, to keep its flavor)

Rich Red Beets - Salads

Everyone agrees beets are very very nutritious.

Here are some new creative ways to cook them.

Beet, Fennel, and Citrus Salad

1/2 pound beets

3 navel oranges or tangerines, limes

fennel bulb

scallion greens

Sherry vinegar

 olive oil

fennel seeds, ground fine

Another variation:

Beets with Oranges 

1 can (16 oz.) whole beets, drained

1 orange, peeled and cut up

Dressing: garlic, ginger; jalapeno chili; raspberry red wine vinegar; olive oil.

From Georgia: Beet Pkhali

1/2 lb. cooked beets

chopped fresh cilantro (lots)

chopped fresh parsley (lots)

walnuts

garlic

dried summer savory

ground coriander

red wine vinegar 

And how about a beet, goat cheese, and walnut salad?

Innovative Flavor Basics: TASTES

THE FIFTH DIMENSION

WHILE MEDICAL SCIENCE recognizes four basic tastes—sweet, sour, bitter and salty—a fifth taste is known in many parts of the world. Some researchers believe the taste the Japanese call umami is universal, but largely ignored by Western science because there is no English word for it.

"The idea of four basic tastes came about long before people knew how tastes work," says Michael O'Mahony, professor of food science at the University of California at Davis. Convinced that inadequate descriptions have biased taste research, O'Mahony and research associate Rle Ishii traveled to Japan where umami is a commonly recognized taste.

Umami, most closely described as a meaty taste, has been traced to certain natural compounds found in sea kelp (kombu), dried bonito fish (katsuobushi) and shiitake mushrooms, foods commonly used in traditional Japanese cuisine.

The U.C. Davis researchers found that Japanese tasters are generally more adept than Americans at identifying both sweet and umami tastes. Once Americans learn about umami, however, they can easily recognize the distinctive taste. "Americans get the idea pretty quickly," O'Mahony said. "It's as though they've had the idea in their heads and just didn't have a name for

it."

Substances linked to umami are compounds of amino acids, the naturally occurring acids used by plants and animals to build proteins. American consumers are well acquainted with the flavor-enhancing property of at least one umami substance, monosodium glutamate (MSG). [NOTE: not recommended for use!]

In fact, the flavor-enhancing properties of umami were recognized long ago by the Japanese. Monell taste researcher Gary Beauchamp speculates that traditional Japanese dishes came to rely on certain ingredients because their meaty taste helps counterbalance low levels of protein in the diet. He believes humans may be attracted to the amino acid compounds associated with umami because they signal the presence of protein in foods, in much the same way as sweet taste signals the presence of carbohydrates.

The survival value of having a taste preference for protein is quite clear. Protein is essential to life but not stored in the body, and without an adequate supply we would soon perish. Further research may confirm our innate protein hunger—and perhaps lead to a meatier version of the King's English.

From: Eating Well magazine

A great healthy recipe resource: http://www.eatingwell.com/

Fried Rice - A Quickie - Special for Kids!

I've never met a kid who didn't love fried rice, and I still love it too!

It's super-quick to prepare, and especially nice if you have some

leftover rice from an earlier meal. Here's a spicy version.

For kids who

Spicy Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp

4 servings

2 Tb olive oil

1-1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

4 tsp minced seeded fresh jalapeno chiles (optional)

3 cups cooked rice, cold (dry, not sticky rice)

2 Tb soy sauce

2 Tb fish sauce

1-1/4 cups shelled, cooked tiny shrimp (canned are fine)

or diced cooked pork or chicken (about 8 oz.) (canned is fine)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Fry garlic, onions, and chiles in olive oil, and stir often until limp, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce: reduce heat to medium and stir

often until ingredients are well coated and hot to touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp, cilantro, basil, and sesame oil; stir often until shrimp are hot to touch,

about 3 minutes.

That's it! Ready to serve!

Cool Cool Cucumbers!

The weather is warming up a bit. Here are some great cooling recipes for hot days:

COLD CUCUMBER-WALNUT SOUP

1 cup walnuts

5 large   cucumbers,   peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/2 cup green onions or scallions (green tops included) finely minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 quart buttermilk

1-1/2 cup plain, unflavored yogurt

1-1/2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt, if desired

1/4 teaspoon white pepper.

HUNAN CHICKEN AND CUCUMBER SALAD

(a cooling salad to go with picante dishes)

 (from: Henry Chung's Hunan Style Chinese Cookbook - a fabulous cookbook!)

 2 ounces vermicelli OR Chinese bean noodles (for gluten-free, use rice noodles)

 1-2 cups finely shredded cucumber

 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked, finely-shredded chicken meat

 1 Tb sesame oil

 1 Tb minced scallions 

 1 1/2 cups RICH HOT AND SOUR DRESSING:

2 Tb sesame paste (or crunchy-style peanut butter)

2 Tb soy sauce (or fish sauce)

4 Tb vinegar

1 Tb hot red pepper oil (optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp or less sugar (optional)

1 Tb sesame oil

2 Tb vegetable oil

1 Tb finely minced fresh ginger

1 Tb finely minced garlic

1 Tb finely minced scallions

1 Tb white wine

1 tsp hot mustard (optional)

1/2 tsp or less salt

1 to 2 cups chicken broth

SUNBURST SALAD - great for a potluck!

1/3 cups cooked wheat berries

1 orange, halved crosswise

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

4 scallions, sliced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup dried fruit (i.e. apricots and peaches)

1/4 cup nuts or seeds (i.e. pumpkin seeds), toasted

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. chopped fresh mint, or 1/3 tsp. dried

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

CHLODNIK

1/2 pound lean veal, cut in small pieces

1/2 pound beets, cleaned and cut bitesize

6 large shrimps

1 cucumber, cut bitesize

2 cups plain, unflavored yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped chives or scallion tops

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

CEVICHE SCALLOPS WITH MANGOS AND CUCUMBERS

(from Temasek, a much-missed San Francisco restaurant)

How about CUCUMBER and MELON? (salad, or soup?)

The Glory of Risotto - thank you Italy!

Risotto is very easy and quick to make, 

but there are a couple basic things you must do in order for it to be risotto:

1) Saute the rice in whatever oil you are using, with flavorings,

and, even if you don't do #1:

2) Cook your flavorings WITH the rice, from the beginning of the recipe.

Risotto is risotto because the flavorings are cooked into the rice.

Risotto is also typically thick and sticky when cooked.

I've read that it's not a good idea to stir the risotto rice while it's cooking.

BASIC RISOTTOS:

All risottos start with:

chicken (or vegetable) broth (remove all the fat you can) 

dry white wine or dry sherry (optional but good)

butter &/or olive oil

[salt - optional; will intensify flavor, but better for your health if you use seasonings to do this instead]

Then you modify the seasonings to go with the other ingredients, i.e.:

Mushroom Risotto:

mushrooms (i.e. porcini, cepes &/or shiitake, portobello, and chanterelle), 

onion, garlic, parmesan cheese + basil

Thai Red Curry Risotto:

onion, ginger, garlic, paprika

Thai red curry paste

shiitake or other mushrooms

coconut milk

peas

fresh cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pork and Persimmon Risotto:

pork tenderloin, fat trimmed, sliced thin or chopped

Fuyu persimmons 

minced shallots, ground allspice, pepper

crumbled blue cheese

minced parsley

Here's a combination I consider perfect:

caramelized artichokes, onions and scallops 

with accent of bacon bits, thyme and creamy goat cheese

(from Plumpjack, San Francisco)

Then you can get fancy:

Squash Blossom Risotto:

chopped onion and garlic

pepper

assorted summer squash, half grated, half diced

Parmesan cheese

squash blossoms

risotto cakes with squash blossoms, pine nuts, and Parmesan (from Zuni, San Francisco)

Asparagus, Salsify and Truffles Risotto (ingredients as named)

Roasted Alaskan halibut filet on Dungeness crab risotto with meyer lemon salsa (from Sea Salt, Berkeley)

Rabbit with watercress purée, miner’s lettuce, carrot risotto, fava beans (from Iron Chef winner Dan Siegel)

Rice cremosa: a risottolike cake baked with spinach, leek bouillon, and raisins, topped with paper-thin fried greens (from Lorca, San Francisco)

Risotto is good pan-grilled after the rice and ingredients are fully cooked by boiling.

Arancini - I may post this separately.

And here's a breakfast of risotto, if you have left-overs:

Risotto Cereal with Anise-Coriander Sugar and Milk