I have a variety of graters in my “er” drawer and whenever I cook, I find that I am always reaching for one tool over and over again; my Microplane grater. The one I use is a simple, long and slender grater with a sturdy handle. Call me resourceful, call my lazy, but I use a grater for so many things beyond cheese grating. If I need feathery light lemon, orange or lime zest without taking the white pith off, it works wonders. Fresh grated nutmeg or delicate ribbons of chocolate, I’m on it!

The Microplane is also a good tool for finely minced garlic and ginger, but I prefer another tool for juicer grating, the Kyocera Ceramic Grater.  This nifty thing is a small disk the size of a sand dollar with sharp points like teeth on the top and a well at the bottom for catching juices. For finely grated ginger, without the stringy fibers but all the ginger juices, it’s a great tool.

Let’s not forget the classic box cheese grater can be used far beyond cheese grating! Instead of chopping, try shredding. To me, there is something so satisfying about seeing the quick transformation of the shape and texture of a carrot turned into confetti or sturdy potatoes pulverized for potato cakes or even cucumbers shredded for a fresh twist on coleslaw. Like shredding paper or pushing Playdough through a machine, some kitchen tools can make cooking fun and so satisfying. Here is a recipe from Foodista that uses the magic of a fine grater as well as the magic of a ceramic grater.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Categories:	Cooking tips • tools	2 Comments
Tags:	Cooking tips • graters • kitchen gadgets • kitchen tools • microplane • tools

Legend has it that during World War II American soldiers in Rome would bring their Italian friends eggs and bacon and ask them to make a pasta dish, thus becoming pasta alla carbonara. Another legend claims that carbonara, a derivative of the word carbon in Italian, was made for charcoal workers. Who really knows how eggs and bacon became transformed into a distinctively Roman pasta dish.

One thing is for sure, with the bacon grease that’s used it is certainly a meal hearty enough for a soldier or charcoal worker. So if you’re on a low-fat or low-carb (or both) diet, you may as well stop reading right here. Shut your computer down and go get an apple. If you love bacon, then take my hand and let me lead you down the long path of gluttony. It’s a fine journey.

In Rome salted pork jowl is usually used, but as it’s difficult to find in the States, pancetta or a smoky bacon works just as well.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
For 6 servings.

½ pound pancetta or bacon
4 garlic gloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine
2 large fresh eggs
¼ cup cream (optional- we didn’t use it but you could add it if you want extra creaminess)
¼ cup romano cheese
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 ¼ pounds of spaghetti
3/4 or 1 package peas (optional – I know it’s not traditional to add peas, but I thought it would be fun to mix it up a bit).

1. Cut the pancetta or bacon into ¼ wide slices.
2. Lightly mash the garlic with the flat end of a chef’s knife, enough to split it and loosed the skin, which you want to toss. Put the garlic and olive oil into a small sauté pan and heat over medium high until garlic turns a deep golden brown. Remove and throw away the garlic.
3. Put the pancetta slices into the pan, and cook until lightly brown and crisp at the edges. Slowly add the white wine, and let it cook a minute or two until the alcohol burns off.
4. Break the 2 eggs into the bowl in which you will be serving. Beat them with a fork then add the grated cheeses, a healthy grinding of pepper, and the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly.
5. Briefly reheat the pancetta over high heat then remove from heat.
6. Add a small amount of the pancetta drippings to a small amount of the just cooked spaghetti and mix well. Add to the bowl and toss rapidly, taking care not to cook the eggs. Toss in the rest of the pasta, cream (if using), pancetta with its drippings, and peas, and toss thoroughly.
7. Serve at once.

I prepared this recipe without the added cream. If you prefer a creamier sauce add the cream or another egg or two.

Note: I’ve never had problems using raw eggs, which can transmit salmonella, as I’ve always used the freshest ones I can find. But if you are concerned, or will be serving to young children, elderly people or those with a weakened immune system, you may wish to skip the raw eggs and add cream instead.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Young Winos
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Categories:	Cooking tips • Meat & Poultry • Pasta & Grains • Sauces • wine	13 Comments
Tags:	bacon • carbonara • Cooking tips • cream • eggs • Food • foodista • Italian • pancetta • pasta • roman • rome • sauce • spaghetti

The sun has finally decided to show itself here in Seattle, which means the barbecue has once again been hauled out of the garage and has settled back into its usual spot on the patio. At last. What better way to wrap up a nice sunny afternoon than to throw something tasty down on the grill?

For tonight’s grilling pleasure I chose one of our favorite cuts of meat: flank steak. Flank steak (sometimes known as London broil) is cut from the belly of the cow, is long and flat, and relatively tough – but very flavorful! Since it tends to be on the chewier side most preparations call for marinating or braising in order to break it down.

Another foolproof method is to simply sear it on high heat until medium rare and slice it thinly. The results are tender, tasty and succulent pieces of steak. Here’s one of my favorite crowd-pleasing preparations:

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon and the zest
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Baby arugula
Parmigiano reggiano cheese
Truffle oil (optional)

Rub the garlic and salt on one side of the steak then spread the chopped parsley, creating a paste. Drizzle with olive oil, and add fresh ground black pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Grill on high for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning 90 degrees to get those nice grill marks. Let your meat rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

Thinly slice the meat against the grain and at an angle. On a platter, make a bed of fresh baby arugula and lay your slices of meat on top. Shave slices of parmigiano reggiano on top, add some lemon zest, give it a little drizzle of truffle oil and you’re good to go!

We served this al fresco along with a simple Caprese salad and rosemary roasted red potatoes.

Note: How can you tell if your steak is medium-rare? Poke the steak with either your finger or fork. If it feels squishy then it’s rare. The tip of your nose feels like a well-done steak. If you want a visual guide check out The Finger Test For Doneness from the Science of Cooking.

Possibly Related Posts:

• What do vampires eat?
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• 5 Food Games to Help Burn Off The Turkey
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool

Categories:	Cooking tips • Entertaining • Herbs • Italian • Meat & Poultry	2 Comments
Tags:	arugula • barbecuing • BBQ • caprese salad • Cooking tips • flank steak • Food • foodista • grilling • Herbs • Italian • Lemons • meat • recipe • steak • truffle oil

There’s never a bad time for a roasted chicken. Especially when the weather is still a bit crisp, and you feel like tucking in for the evening and enjoying a good meal. The smell of roasting bird wafts through the house, taunting your hunger. You almost want to grasp fork and knife in hands and bang on the table, urging it to cook faster.

But roasted chicken can all too often turn out dry. One way to avoid unwanted dryness is to soak your bird in brine, which locks in moisture and enhances all those wonderful flavors we so desire. Another excellent way to ensure your bird comes out of the oven juicy-licious is to roast it on a vertical roaster. Vertical roasting helps sear the inner cavity, keeping all those desireable natural juices and flavors in the meat and not in the pan. Roasting vertically also allows fat and grease to run off, much like rotisserie cooking.

We decided to combine moisture-retaining efforts and both brined and vertical roasted. Crazy, I know. But that’s just the kind of wild, recklessness we throw down in the kitchen every day (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration).

If you want to skip the brining step (it does take at least 24 hours) and get down to the roasting bit, then pull out your roasting pan and place the vertical roaster in the center. Our preparation was simple and no-frills, but you can certainly add more veggies, herbs and seasoning.

To prepare our bird for roasting we rough chopped a large sweet onion and placed it in the bottom of the roasting pan. We sprinkled a bit of fresh cracked pepper in the inner cavity, but did not season with salt since we had already soaked it in the salt water brine. We respectfully placed our bird on the vertical roaster and gave her a little massage with olive oil. Then, we sprinkled the outside with pepper, squeezed the juice of one lemon over the top and popped it in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes (time will vary depending on size).

Finger lickin’ good!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fun Links
• Young Winos
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast

Categories:	Cooking tips • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices • Uncategorized • kitchen equipment	1 Comment
Tags:	brine • brining • chicken • Cooking tips • Food • foodista • kitchen equipment • poultry • recipe • recipes • roast chicken • roasting • vertical roaster

Brining, the soaking of meat for many hours or days, was traditionally a method for preserving meats. It’s a curing process that binds with, or completely removes, the water in the meat in order to prevent the growth of micro-organisms. Fortunately for us we have refrigeration so we don’t have to rely on this lengthy, but delicious marinating method. In addition to its preservation qualities, brining meats (especially lean meats) improves the texture, flavor, and moisture content, leaving you with nothing but juicy goodness.

A basic brine solution consists of simply water and a moderate amount of salt. This got us thinking! “We live near water! Great, clean salty water!” So we went crazy and scooped up a bucket full of pristine Puget Sound water in our stockpot, added a quartered lemon, and soaked our free-range chicken for 24 hours. Now, you don’t have to get this connected to Mother Earth and scoop up the sea. Just fill up your stockpot with cool water and add Kosher or sea salt. You want about 1/2 cup of salt per 1 quart of cool water for each pound of meat. Here are a few simple rules:

1. The saltier your brine, the shorter your brining time. However, too little salt and it won’t work.
2. Do not reuse your brining solution.
3. Refrigerate. (I know, I said it was a preservative, but your temperature still needs to be below 40 degrees).

For more on “flavor brining” check out The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken
• Moose, it’s What’s for Dinner

Categories:	Cooking tips • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices	3 Comments
Tags:	brine • brining • chciken • Cooking tips • Food • foodista • marinating • recipe • recipes • salt

I have three words for you: Cardamom Crème Brûlée. It’s silly how easy it is to make. Just silly! I whipped this up last night to accompany my friend’s Indian feast and we danced around the table like actors in a Bollywood film.

Cardamom Crème Brûlée

12 large egg yolks, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup light brown sugar

Optional: Since we were eating Indian food we wanted to boost the cardamom flavor so we added about 10 cardamom pods, slightly cracked, to the cream as it heated, as well as an additional 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom.

This recipe filled ten 7-ounce ramekins.

Preheat oven to 325°.

In a large heat-proof mixing bowl, preferably one with a pour spout, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.

Pour the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat until little bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and, whisking constantly, pour into the egg and sugar mixture. Add the ground cardamom and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined.

Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into your crème brûlée ramekins, filling them just half full. Place the dishes into a shallow baking dish. Place the dish on the middle rack of oven and finish filling the ramekins with the custard mixture, making sure that it comes right to the top of each dish. Then carefully fill the baking dish with hot tap water so it comes halfway up the sides of the filled ramekins. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the custard is set in the center.

Remove the custards to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until ready to use.

When ready to serve, you can brûlée the top in one of two methods: under the broiler or with a hand torch as shown in the photo.

Generously sprinkle the top of each custard with brown sugar, taking care to cover all of the custard. Slowly torch the sugar in an even movement. Or, place the chilled crème brûlée dishes under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until the tops are crackling brown. Remove from the broiler and serve immediately

The best part is cracking the top with your spoon!

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Macarons are the new cupcakes

Categories:	Cooking tips • Seasoning & Spices • desserts	Leave a Comment
Tags:	cardamom • Cooking tips • creme brulee • custard • Dessert • Food • foodista • Indian • recipe • recipes

One of the delicious dishes we created in our Indian cooking class the other night was a chicken curry with cashews. As I said in Part I, the dishes that were prepared were quite easy yet wonderful and full of all that flavorful Indian goodness! If you are tired of hearing, “Chicken again?” try this recipe.

Curried Chicken with Bell Peppers & Cashews

1/2 C olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 lbs. chicken, cubed
2 C diced bell pepper (we used a combination of red, yellow and orange which was beautiful)
1 C diced yellow or white onion
1 C peas
1 C cashews
1 C cilantro, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic and cook until wilted. Add the bell peppers and cook until onions are translucent. Take veggies out of the skillet and set aside.

Pour in the remaining oil to the skillet and add all the spices. Stir quickly until completely mixed. Toss in the chicken and cook approximately 7 minutes or until no longer pink. Put the veggies back into the skillet along with the peas. Cook until heated through. Stir in the cilantro and cashews, then serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with more chopped cilantro and cashews on top.

*Options: you can adjust the level of any of the spices for added flavor. We like a little kick to our food so next time I will increase the cayenne pepper amount.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Categories:	Asian • Cooking tips • Herbs • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices • Veggies	4 Comments
Tags:	bell pepper • cashews • chicken • cilantro • cooking • Cooking tips • curry • Food • foodista • Indian

The other day I wrote about Zuppa di Vongole and have since been asked how to get clams sand-free. There is nothing worse than tucking into a nice dish of clams only to find yourself chewing on gritty sand.

Soft-shelled (also called fryers, steamers or long-necks), razor and geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck) clams are the biggest culprits for retaining sand. Because their shells gape open and don’t completely close up once out of the water they’re unable to fully purge themselves of sand.

Most hard-shelled clams contain little sand and usually just require a good rinse and scrub of their shells. But, I say soak the buggers. Better safe than sorry.

Here are a couple of methods of “de-gritting” your clams: an overnight method and a quick method. First, rinse and scrub (gently scrub the soft-shelled variety) clams first under cool running water until water runs clear, then follow one of the methods below:

Overnight Cleanse
Stir one cup salt into 3 quarts of water, making sure there is enough solution to cover the clams. Stir until all the salt is dissolved and soak overnight (or at least 2-3 hours) in the refrigerator.

Quick Cleanse – Electrify the clams!
To do this place the clams in your sink and run cold water over the back of a stainless steel spoon continuously for about 10-15 minutes. An electrical charge is created by the water flowing over the stainless steel. Oh, the magic of physics! As the clams react to the fresh water and the electricity they will spit the sand as well as the fluids that remain in their systems. Make sure they are completely submerged in the water so that they can completely process the water through their bivalves.

So there you go, clean clams, no more sandy grit!

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood	5 Comments
Tags:	clams • cleaning clams • Cooking tips • Food • foodista • seafood • Shellfish • vongole

The clean, crisp air of Seattle, with its slightly salty breeze, calls for a meal of fresh fish. Luckily, it’s quite easy to find good sushi-grade fish in the Emerald City. Just head to the market -Pike Place Market, that is – and buy yourself a top-grade troll-caught albacore tuna loin. What is troll-caught, you ask, and why would I want it? Younger (3-5 years old) troll-caught albacore contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than larger, older albacore tuna. And, because of the higher content of fatty acids you need less fat in your recipe. It always comes out buttery and tender.

Trolling (fishing with jigs behind a slow-moving boat) is also a low-impact, environmentally responsible fishing method . We like that!

Sesame Seared Albacore Tuna

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan.
Combine equal amounts of toasted and black sesame seeds on a plate.
Thoroughly coat each side of the loin with the seeds (no need to use any egg wash as the seeds will stick).
Sear loin on each side about 1 minute (a bit more if you want it less rare inside).

To cut the loin use an exceptionally sharp chef’s knife. To come out with clean, unbroken slices, I find it easiest if you place your hand perpendicular to the loin and carefully slice between your index and middle finger. This way you can stabilize the loin while you slice and prevent it from falling apart. Take care to make nice long slices, not short back-and-forth slices as if cutting bread.

Serve on a bed of wakame and drizzle with a little ponzu sauce. It’s also delicious with a little soy sauce and wasabi.

Tip: How can you tell how well-done your fish (or meat) is? Check out Men in Aprons‘ Hand Test Method.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Japanese	2 Comments
Tags:	albacore • cooking • cooking techniques • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Food • foodista • recipe • recipes • seafood • seaweed • tuna • wakame

Risotto is a difficult and time consuming dish to make, one that all too easily results in a heavy, mushy glob. A good deal of patience is required to stand at the stove for half an hour and constantly stir and ladle hot liquid in small increments. But it’s well worth the effort. I’ve embarked on creating the perfect risotto, and while I’m not quite there yet I’m getting closer. Getting that perfect creaminess is a challenge…

Important basic tips:

The Stockpot
Use a sturdy pot that retains sufficient heat (my Le Creuset works perfectly). A light-weight pot, such as aluminum, can lead to scorching.

Mise en Place
Since you must stir constantly have your mise en place (all of your ingredients) ready.

Toasting the Rice
Before you add any liquids it is important to toast the grains. Raising the grain’s exterior temperature prevents them from falling apart later and seals in the starch. Stir constantly in olive oil and take care not to let the grains brown (about 3-4 minutes). You want them pearly white.

Adding Liquid
One thing I did not know was the importance of using hot broth, not cold or room temperature. Adding cold liquids to hot rice will leave the center of the grains hard and uncooked. At your liquid at medium-low to medium heat, and use more liquid in the beginning (1/2 to 3/4 cups) then decrease towards the end (1/2 to 1/4 cups) of the cooking process. If you add too much liquid the grains will become overcooked. You want your risotto to be al dente, not soft at the center or mushy on the outside, so keep tasting while you cook. Additionally, use the amount of liquid your recipe calls for as an approximation. You may need more or you may need less. Again, keep tasting.

Mantecatura
Vigorously stir butter or olive oil and Parmesan cheese into your risotto. This important last step binds the ingredients together resulting in a creamy texture.

Here is a beautiful presentation of risotto in lemon cups from Eating is Believing.

And, a delicious recipe from The Amateur Gourmet for Arancini.

Buon appetito!

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Categories:	Cooking tips • Italian	1 Comment
Tags:	arancini • Cooking tips • risotto