Post # 18 “Chopsticks Tuna Casserole”

Post # 18 “Chopsticks Tuna Casserole”

The omelet post # 17 is tops for blog views and comments to date. Thanks to you all. I learned a lot. And we had some good laughs, too.

Somewhere in earlier posts or comments, I said I would put up a recipe for tuna casserole called “Chopsticks Tuna”. Its taste is unique, it is a cinch to make, and it’s delicious (that’s an almost unbeatable combination). Here it is.

“Chopsticks Tuna Casserole” by Lorraine Lockwood

Ingredients – in amounts to serve four:

1 five ounce can of tuna fish (in water)
1 cup of chow mein noodles
1 cup of chopped up celery (about two large spears)
1 10.5 ounce can of condensed mushroon soup plus 2 ounces of tap water

1/2 cup of chushed salted cashew nuts
(put the nuts in a plastic storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin)

1/4 cup (4 ounces (8 tablespoons)) of finely chopped onion

Preparation:

1) Oven to 375 degrees F.
2) butter, or spray with non-stick cooking spray, a 10x6x1.5 inch baking dish
3) add in any order and mix in the baking dish the tuna, noodles, celery, condensed soup, onions, and nuts

4) top with more of the chow mein noodles (about 1 cup)
5) bake for about 25 minutes
6) let stand for a few minutes before serving

Lorraine says (and I agree), “This is so good, yet so easy, it almost makes me feel guilty . . . . but not quite.

Post # 17: How do you cook an omelet?

Blog # 17 How do you cook an omelet?

A couple of weeks ago I googled ‘how to cook an omelet’ and I got a chef who talked about Julia Child and her role in the creation of “the” omelet pan made by the Pot Shop of Boston. Her design has a very interesting history tied to torpedo heads used in WWII.** In the video the chef went through 2 or 3 demos on technique using her omelet pan. He made a plain, a cheese, a tomato based and a something else omelet. Each time he cooked the egg mixture over medium heat and took about 2 to 3 minutes carefully nudging the edge of the omelet so it wouldn’t stick. Then he added other ingredients and then cooked it another 2 to 3 minutes before he folded and tipped the omelet out of the pan.

I’ve viewed a similar technique used by several other chefs.

Earlier tonight I googled again and this time I got a video of Julia Child herself cooking an omelet. She used a very different technique. She insisted on heating the pan on high before she added butter and immediately after that, the egg mixture, then she swirled the pan fast for about less than 10 seconds, and then vigorously jerked the pan “to and fro” linearly for another 5-8 seconds . Then she took it off the burner and tipped it into the serving dish. Here’s the link to Julia:

She said the egg mixture should be cooked over very high heat and for not more than twenty seconds. She said a longer cooking time gives the eggs a firmer and less fluffy consistency. I think she called it “leathery”. She didn’t go into how to add ingredients other than eggs.

*****

How do you do omelets – with and without added ingredients? I did one two mornings ago using jack cheese and the slow technique. I added a touch of basil, sage, and whole milk to the egg mixture. It was delicious!

*****

**Some History:

In the early 1940s, a foundry in the Midwest manufactured torpedoes for the U.S. Navy. The front end of the torpedo shell was cut off, so as to allow explosives and other materials to be inserted. That same front end piece was approximately 8 to 11 inches in diameter and was shaped like a skillet, with shallow, sloping sides.

This surplus end piece was simply stockpiled in the foundry yard. At some point in the early fifties, someone recognized the extraordinary cooking potential of the surplus pieces and affixed a handle to one. They made wonderful omelette pans and were distributed through restaurant supply companies, as there were no gourmet kitchenware stores in existence at that time.

In the 1950′s, the foundry stopped manufacturing torpedoes, and the surplus pieces were no longer available.

In 1962, Julia Child, who was just getting started as a television personality, visited the Pot Shop in Boston, one of the finer gourmet kitchenware stores in the USA. She told the torpedo story to the Pot Shop management and suggested that they develop a similar heavy cast aluminum omelette pan, since none were then available. Four months later the first French Chef Omelette Pan created by the Pot Shop was given to Julia Child at her home in Cambridge, where she used it to prepare an omelette lunch for Pot Shop management. As an educator in the field of public broadcasting, she could not officially endorse the omelette pan or any other product. Since then The Pot Shop has manufactured The Original French Chef Omelette Pan, and has done so for 44 years.

This pan was voted the winner by Cook’s Illustrated as the best omelette pan. There is more information on the companies website – http://www.potshopofboston.com/omelettepanreviews.htm

Post # 16 “Pork Ribs: Help Needed”

Post # 16 “Pork Ribs: Help Needed”

Sorry, it’s been a while. Hope you all are still there! It being April 15th tomorrow, I’m sure you can guess what I’ve been up to. Yep, you’re right.

I don’t have a crock pot or an electric slow cooker, and at the moment I’m not planning to get either of these. On the other hand I want to try some slow cooking recipes. I seem to learn and retain ideas faster by doing than reading, so I started by trying the following:

You all know of Lawry’s salt. Well, I spotted a general use marinade put together under the same name – Lawry’s Marinade.

I cut 4 pounds of boneless pork ribs into single serving sizes (about 3x2x1″). I think there were 8 of these.
Using large freezing storage bags, I marinaded the ribs overnight with Lawry’s.
Then I wrapped them tightly by twos in aluminum foil, and in a shallow baking pan I baked them at an oven temperature of 225 degrees F for 10 hours.

On checking them, I could tell visually that they were not done, but the texture was very tender, and a nibble had a good flavor.

So I unwrapped them and froze them as single servings in storage bags.

I tried one experiment. Taking one frozen serving, I covered it generously with “The Original Australian Hot and Spicy Barbecue Sauce” (a favortie of mine – available on line), wrapped it again in aluminum foil and baked it at 350 degrees F for 90 minutes. (I’ve learned since that one should bring the meat temperature to about 147 degrees F to be assured that cooking is complete).

The pork rib serving was fully cooked, very tender, and very good, IF you like things HOT.

Here’s where I need help. How can I sweeten up these ribs a bit? What good ideas do you have to finish these tender and partially cooked pork ribs?

Thanks for any help.

Post # 15: “Lorraine’s Pork Roast”

Post # 15 “Lorraine’s Pork Roast”

The next few posts will deal with pork (other than chops, bacon, or ham).

Lorraine’s Pork Roast

This chinese recipe can be as good a source of conversation as it is a good entree. It can also act as a hot or cold hors d’oeuvre. It is a favorite in Lorraine’s household.

The recipe calls for “saltpeter.” Saltpeter is potassium nitrate. It’s chemical formula is KNO3. When it is dissolved in a small amount of water and brushed onto pork, it “cures” the meat, altering the meat’s composition. This is manifested visually by the color of the meat turning a brighter red than the natural color of pork. Asian markets call saltpeter “Curing Salt”. It is not easy to find. A butcher in an Asian market said to me, “Currently it is illegal to sell saltpeter over the meat counter.”

Now, why should this be? Let’s just say, “we don’t know.” If you attempt to run this down on the internet, you are going to spend a lot of time on
a very complex problem with incomplete and often enigmatic answers. You will most likely end up with more confusion than wisdom. Saltpeter is a major component of gunpowder, the other major ingredients being charcoal and sulfur. And there are complicated reactions that may occur in some food-curing situations whereby potential carcinogens are generated. If any of you know this field, please enlighten us.

I can say this. If you are persistent in searching for saltpeter among chinese food markets, you can find it as “Curing Salt.”

Now that we have our saltpeter, here is Lorraine’s recipe for Roast Pork:

Ingredients:

4 pounds boneless pork (Butt-cut) – have the butcher cut into 5 x 2 x 1″ slices

Curing mixture:
1 tablespoon saltpeter
1/4 cup sugar

Basting mixture:
1/4 cup of honey (or pancake syrup)
1 teaspoon of table salt

Meat marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons of table salt
1 tablespoon of white, dry table wine
1/2 teaspoon of “five-spice” powder (available in asian sections of stores)
1/2 teaspoon of MSG (mono-sodium-glutamate) – optional

Preparation:

Cure the pork overnight:
dissolve 1 teaspoon saltpeter in 2 tablespoons of water – brush on meat
rub meat with 1/4 cup sugar
refrigerate overnight

Marinate the meat for 1 hour

Roast and baste the pork:
Step 1: Pour 1 cup of water into roasting pan
put in meat rack to elevate meat above water surface
arrange pork on the meat rack
roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
turn meat over and roast for 30 minutes more
Step 2: set oven to “broil”
baste meat with the honey-salt mixture
broil for 5 minutes
turn meat over
baste meat with the honey-salt mixture
broil for 5 minutes more

Voila! You are done! Let meat cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Post # 14 “Strawberries and Pine Nuts”

Post #14 – Pine Nuts and Strawberries

Random happenings and events have led me to a wonderful dessert blend I’d like to share with you.

I had some Creme Fraiche in the fridge that in the back of my mind I wanted to use before it was too late. And Post #13 here had put pine nuts in mind.

When Julie came to walk Fritzie today she brought along two cookies we both admire from the Safeway bakery, that is – chocolate topped sweet short bread cookies. I put them aside to enjoy later.

I was looking for something else* in Mollie Stones store when I walked by some beautiful large strawberries. I thought, “Haven’t I heard of Strawberries and Creme Fraiche somewhere? Yes, where ever it was, they mentioned coating the berries with brown sugar and heating them a touch before adding a dollop.”

Then I remembered someone mentioning that pine nuts went well with fruits, especially strawberries. So I bought a package of the beauties.

I had just finished enjoying a tuna dish called “Chopsticks Tuna”, courtesy of Lorraine Lockwood. It was delicious and easy, just my style, and I certainly will share it with you soon.

Then I thought, “A strawberry dessert would be perfect to top this repast”.

So, here’s what I did (for one serving):

1) Take four large strawberries and quarter each of them.

2) Add three tablespoons of brown sugar, and mix.

3) Microwave on high for 25 seconds.
(you could refrigerate and re-cool the berries at this point, but it’s not necessary)

4) Take one Safeway chocolate topped short bread cookie, crumble it and then spread and mix the chocolate and the cookie crumble into the sugar coated strawberries.

5) Now top the mixture with two heaping tablespoons of Creme Fraiche.

6) And finally, add three tablespoons of pine nuts.

For me, the taste and consistency of this blend is just wonderful. I think you’ll agree!

* the something else was “saltpeter” (potassium nitrate; known in some Asian markets as “Curing Salt”). This topic deserves a discussion of its own. Stay tuned.

Post #13 A Call for Pine Nut Recipes

Post # 13 – A Call for Pine Nut recipes.

I acquired about a cup of pine nuts the other day.

Please help me with some recipes that include
pine nuts as ingredients.

Many thanks, Don

Post # 12 Julie’s Favorite & Owens Chicken Breasts

I promised at the end of Post # 9 that I would offer “Julie’s Favorite” (a recipe for a tomato based meat loaf), and
an unusual take on baked chicken breasts.

Here they are:

*****

Julie’s Favorite – Glazed Meatloaf
( It might also be called “Meatloaf with a Sweet Tooth” )

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Heinz Ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 cup soft bread crumbs

1 and 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs – well beaten ( equivalent of an electric beater at medium for 2 minutes )

2 tablespoons minced fresh onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup Heinz tomato Ketchup
2 tablespoons pancake syrup, light corn syrup,
or honey

Preparation:

In a small (2 cup plus) bowl,
combine the 1/3 cup ketchup and water,
stir in bread crumbs and set aside.

In a large (2 quart plus) bowl, place the meat, eggs, onion, salt and pepper. Add the bread crumb mixture, and combine thoroughly.
Form into a loaf in a (8″ x 4″ x 1-11/2 to 3 “) baking dish or pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

In the meantime, combine the 1/4 cup ketchup and syrup.
Spread over the top of the meat loaf for the last 10 -15 minutes of baking.

Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Don’t worry if the spread doesn’t form into an actual glaze. It will work it’s magic just the same.

*******

Owens Chicken Breasts

My brother’s family acquired this simple recipe from a family named Owens with whom they shared a summer retreat in Maine many years ago.

For two. Simply multiply for more:

Ingredients:

1 whole skinless chicken breast (cut into two portions)
3 ounces Red Russian Dressing (the Wish Bone Company offers it)

2 1/2 ounces of Apricot Preserves

1/2 packet of dry onion soup mix

Preparation:

Place the chicken breasts in a buttered 24 oz baking dish
Add (and coat the breasts with) the other ingredients
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The dish has an unusual sweet tang to it.

Post # 11 – Help Regarding Beef Ribs

Post # 11 “Help in Understanding about Beef Ribs Recipes”

About a month ago I went to the John Bentley Redwood City

restaurant. They offered beef ribs and to me their dish was

wonderful. The only problem is, I can’t afford it except very occasionally.

I tried a recipe from the original “Joy of Cooking” called “Anna’s

Short Ribs of Beef”. They tasted OK, but they weren’t in the same class as

the Bentley experience and, for me,  weren’t worth the considerable effort.

So I did some googling and the more I googled the more

confused I got. So I talked with a butcher at Lunardi’s, and

became even more confounded.

Recipes talk about “short ribs of beef” and “racks of beef ribs”

and just “beef ribs”.

I asked the butcher directly if short ribs were  a different quality of cut than just straight “ribs” and he said,

“No, they differ only in the way you cook them. ‘Short ribs’ are the same as ‘racks of beef ribs’ (rack just refers to the amount you order). ‘Short ribs’ (or racks of ribs) are for barbequeing, whereas just ‘beef ribs’ are for braising.”

I noted that the plain “beef ribs” are sold either with or without the bone, and have more meat per bone than do “short ribs”.

I think I’m after a recipe for non-barbequed, plain “beef ribs”, that somehow

is simpler than “Anna’s”, which involved par-boiling (2 hours), then searing in a skillet to brown, then making a gravy, then covering the ribs with the gravy in a baking dish and baking, with basting, for 45 minutes. There must be a simpler way.

What are your ideas? And what is the etiquette about asking a restaurant or a professional chef about a recipe you like?

Post # 10 A Frisky Frittata

Why frisky?

Nan Smekofske, who kindly shared this beautiful, yet wonderfully easy and delicious recipe, says, “My two grandsons in the middle grades are nothing but frisky. I can keep up with them for a while, but when I need a break and they need a treat, this simple item will fill the bill just about every time. I get rejuvenated and they get thoroughly recharged for the next round.”

Ingredients and cookware:

one cup broccoli tips (or zucchini, or the veggie of your choice – or even bacon or ham)

one cup of grated cheddar cheese

one bunch of green onions ( tips )

one buttered standard 9 inch (top rim to rim) pie tin

one and one half cup whole milk

three eggs thoroughly beaten

3/4 cup Betty Crocker Bisquick

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Chop veggies and onions (and/or other ingredients) well and add to pie tin

Add cheddar cheese to pie tin

Beat and blend the eggs, milk and bisquick

Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese and gently mix

This step needs balance and a steady hand:  Slowly and Carefully, place the pie tin into the oven

bake for about 35 minutes to golden brown

Voila! (photos and bows to the press corps at this point)

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing

Cut into six servings. You can set aside and freeze slices for future use.

Post # 9

Post # 9 – Mozzarella Meatloaf

Last week I went to see friends and relatives in Tucson, AZ and Redlands, CA while my house was tented for termites. Tenting requires that ALL food and ALL medicines be removed from the premises. That rules out much cooking while preparing the house. Rather than eat out, I decided to try a single dish that would serve throughout the week before I left.

I Googled “meat loaf”. You can image what happened. I generated so many “hits” that I couldn’t even scan them all. But I was able to gather a couple of things about meat loaf recipes. They are either tomato based, or not, and most contain bread crumbs or cracker crumbs of some kind.

I settled on and tweaked a meatloaf recipe with cheese but without a tomato base. It is rich and tasty. The recipe makes enough to feed one person for a whole week.

Here goes:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I used ground sirloin)

2/3 pound ground pork

1/3 pound italian sausage

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 eggs, well beaten

1 and 1/2 cups crushed (via rolling pin) saltine crackers

5 turns of the black pepper mill

3/4 cup water

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided into 1/2 and 1 and 1/2 cup portions)

Prep:

1) Combine beef, pork, sausage, soup mix, crushed crackers, eggs, pepper, and water

2) Stir in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

3) Mix well

4) Divide mixture into two half portions

5) Place 1/2 of mixture into a 9″ x 5″ loaf baking container (I used an oven safe glass loaf dish)

6) Spread remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese over the meatloaf mixture

7) Top with the other 1/2 of the meatloaf mixture

8 ) Shape the meatloaf

9) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (some ovens may require 1 and 1/4 hours)

10) Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving

11) Store in the baking container in the refrigerator.

12) Use for sandwiches or an entrée, reheated ( in microwave about 45 sec on high per slice), or not

*****

For future posts, I have a tomato based meatloaf recipe – “Julie’s Favorite”, a recipe for a frisky veggie frittata, and a recipe for an easy but unusual take on chicken breasts. Stay tuned!