Limping along...

Between the crazy weather and some critter with a need to  maim my tomato plants, it's amazing to me that the garden is surviving at all.  I was so excited to have these beautiful little heirloom plants but they have hardly been given a chance.  This one on the left was cut off at the ground and this other one had a branch torn off.  Then they're just left there.  The thing is not eating the plant and it is only disturbing a few...not all of them.  What is up with this?!  I'm not able to catch it so I don't know what is doing these dastardly deeds but this is beyond annoying...this is starting to piss me off.
And, now it is Cinco de Mayo.  We are in to the first week in May.  Do you think we could work on some Springtime temperatures?  Please, God!?
But you know me, it doesn't take me long to get positive because negative just uses soooo much stupid energy.  Here are the bright spots!
The sugar snap peas, pumpkin hill, the peppers and the eggplants!  All are doing great.  We did some row planting last weekend and we have radishes, bok choy and arugula coming up and yes...beets, of course.  Get ready, cooking class folks!

Getting next to fish...in a land locked state

Fish Cookery is one of my most popular and most requested classes.
Initially, I was surprised by this but it makes total sense.  Many people in Oklahoma just aren't comfortable with fish unless it's something they pulled out of one of the area lakes, like crappy or bass.  Then, guess what?!  They fry it...I mean, what else are you going to do with it?  Hence the popularity, nay fascination with, cooking fish.  I hear everything from...I have no idea what to do with it to what the Hell is that? to I don't like fish!  Imagine that, taking a class about food you don't like.  Here's the thing...they end up liking it by the time the class is over!  I LOVE that!!
But before we get started...let me get some preaching out of the way.
TILAPIA...stop it!  It is the bane of my existence.  It doesn't make you a bad person if this is the ONLY fish you think you like or can cook or will order in a restaurant but let's examine this tasteless, character-less specimen.  Abundant?  Yes, because it is farm-raised.  Now, in and of itself, being farm-raised is not a bad thing unless the only reason for it is to create tons and tons of it (to meet consumer demand, I know).  People love that sh-t!  You know why?  Because it has no flavor!  It isn't "fishy".  But, wait a minute, it is fish...shouldn't it taste like fish?  Is "fishiness" a bad thing?  I guess it is.  That's another thing we tackle in class...hang on, I'll get to that, I'm not finished with this.  Tilapia is an overly available, tasteless food.  Sustainable does not mean that it has to be uninteresting and uninspiring.  Please don't pay $15 or $20 in a restaurant for it.  Please try something else!  OK...now I'm finished.

Cooking fish involves basic skills that anyone can learn.  It does not have to be breaded and fried.  In class, we do everything from grilling to sauteing to oil poaching.  But you do need to know your fish before you decide what to do with it.
I recommend finding a good fish monger.  Depending on where you live, you might have one at your local grocery (highly unlikely in Oklahoma, however).  A fish monger is someone who sells fish for a living; she/he eats, sleeps and breathes fish and should be able to recommend what's good/freshest/in season and best cooking methods for it.  For instance, if you buy sole (a fish with a delicate flesh and not "fishy"), it probably is not a good idea to grill it because it will fall apart before you get it off the grill....probably before you get it near the grill.  It needs to be quickly sauteed or baked with a light sauce, something like that.  Also, your fish source should get fish in at least once, if not twice a DAY not a WEEK!  Therein lies the smell factor.  Fresh fish does not smell "fishy"!  You should either smell nothing or the ocean but not old fish.  If you smell old fish, tell the person who is trying to sell it to you that it smells bad and pick something else...maybe the pork chops.  A whole fish should look like you just caught it.  Clear eyes, beautiful skin and NO SMELL!  If you are buying filets or steaks,  treat it like you were buying a piece of meat you're familiar with.  You wouldn't buy an old dry, brown, stinky piece of steak.  Same goes for fish, good color, moist, and not stinky!

You do not have to buy wild fish but if you do, make sure that it is "running" that means in season.  Halibut runs from March to December but Pacific salmon runs mainly in the summer months (June, July) so the rest of the year, you're stuck with Atlantic, typically farm raised, salmon which just does not have the oil content or flavor of the wild varieties.  Also, it is usually colored by the distributor to make it look red like its wild cousins...just sayin'.  I'm just providing information, here.  There are many other wild fish, again, check with your fish monger for seasons.

What you put with your fish is just as important as your fish itself.  Your fish is fresh so don't mess it up with frozen or canned vegetables.  Fresh goes with fresh.  I know you have to shop more often but fresh, seasonal produce is (typically) less expensive and certainly more flavorful and the texture is better than the canned and frozen varieties. Most importantly, do NOT overcook your fish.  That will turn you against fish in an instant!  It will dry out and the mouth texture will be similar to desert sand...just don't do it.  Delicate fish should flake.  Firm fleshed fish should be opaque, nothing more.  And, if you're talking seared ahi, well, that's doesn't mean much more than just showing it the grill or saute pan.

Since I know you're wondering (I'm psychic that way), personally, I like fish with a firm texture and richness, such as, halibut, grouper, swordfish, tuna, and salmon.

So let's look at Candace's five tenets of successful fish cooking:

• Do not buy smelly fish...that means it's old and should have been thrown out
• Wild fish should be "running" - that means in season
• Match fish with cooking method - a sole is not a swordfish
• Do not overcook your fish - delicate flesh should flake, firm flesh should look opaque
• DON'T BUY OR EAT TILAPIA, EVER!

*A final note about shrimp because I can't help myself.  Unless you live on a coast and I mean right on the coast, the shrimp you buy, no matter where you buy it, will have been frozen.  Typically, raw frozen shrimp is just fine out of the freezer case at your local grocer.  You don't need to pay high dollar for "fresh" shrimp from your fish monger...sorry, guys, I love you, but you know this is true.  And, don't buy cooked, frozen shrimp that's just wrong!

Here's your recipe bonus...oh, and the next Fish Class is Thursday, May 16...

Pan Seared/Oven Roasted Halibut

Serves 4

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1½ lb thick skinless halibut fillet (or other mild white fish, like cod), cut into 4 equal pieces

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.  Add the fish and cook until it browns and releases easily from the pan about 3 minutes.  Flip the fish, pour the tomato mixture around it and transfer the skillet to the oven.

Roast until the fish is just firm to the touch and opaque 3 to 6 minutes.


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It's the garden update!

 You gotta love Oklahoma weather, NOT!  If I have to cover my tomatoes one more time because there's a freeze warning in the middle of April, I will not be responsible for the aftermath.  It's hard enough to grow things with the typical weather patterns being typical.  You may or may not know but the last threat of frost is supposed to be somewhere around April 5 so the third week in April is kinda pissing me off!  But enough of my little temper tantrum.  As you can see, the beautiful little heirloom tomatoes are doing quite well, thank you.  First picture, here on your right is from April 7 ( a day or two before our first frost warning) and the one below it is from today so they are coming

along and it makes me happy!  I have not planted any killer cucumbers (yet) but I'm hearing that a lot of people (including, Kornell) are having problems getting the cucumbers to sprout.  So I may hold off on those.  Has anyone heard what that might be related to?  I would be interested to know!  Gotta share these little cuties with you, though...take a look at this next picture below on the left.  Sugar snap peas!  Aren't they the cutest little things you've ever seen.  You can sow and grow now and then you can do it again as a late summer/early fall crop.  You must trellis them and I am happy to say that I have lots of those left over from last year's garden.  I love this re-using thing.  Works so great!  I will have lots of sugar snaps to share in my Seasonal Vegetable Class so watch the calendar (hint:  Wednesday, May 22) for the next one.  That also reminds me that I forgot about one of my favorite crops...beets!  How could I do that?  Ummmm...I think I ran out of room but I've got to get me some of them!  I don't have good news on the Brussels sprouts front.  My seedlings are gone so we'll have to give them another try.  Same goes for spinach...oh well, it is gardening and sometimes gambling!  In thinking back to last year's successes (unexpected! and I think I mentioned them in my garden update from two weeks ago) but the sage and the rosemary just have me blown away!  I had to include a pic from two weeks ago and then one from today.  

The rosemary is holding its own but is not nearly as lush as the sage.  On the other hand, I cut the rosemary down to nothing at the end of last year for a lamb class so it has a long way to go.  And, trust me, these two herbs looked like long gone dead at the end of last year.  I had no hope of them returning.  So learn this lesson...don't give up on your plant friends, they will surprise you.  Seems like there should be some kind of life metaphor in there but I don't know...I think plants are much more likely to surprise you than people...

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Get your Asian on....Gangnam style?

 I think everyone knows I have a penchant for Italian cooking, especially, authentic regional Italian...I could wax poetic for-evah.  So!  What is up with this need to go Asian?  I actually love to cook Asian almost as much as Italian.  Fact of the matter, the person I was hooked up with for 20 years didn't like it and would get supremely cranky when I tried to bring it to the dinner table so guess what happened!?  I stopped cooking Asian-style for, yes, 20 years!  Stupid, right?  RIGHT!  So I have been getting my Asian mojo back with cooking classes and various caterings.  As a result, I like to share my knowledge with my peeps so here you go...a few tips on bringing Asian flavors into your food.  First, get thee to an Asian market and spend some time wandering the aisles.  It should smell like old fish when you walk in the door and there should not be anyone who speaks English. You will see everything from the recognizable (soy sauce) to the super weird
(pig uterus, yes, I'm totally serious and no, I don't know what to do with it...yet).  Anywho, you can find almost anything for your authentic recipes and anything to help you add some Asian thang to your cooking.  I rest my case with the pig parts.
Here are my recommendations for making some small inroads into the Asian realm.

• Fresh ginger.  If you haven't already used this, get some now!  Grated, chopped, sliced, raw or cooked...it adds the essence of Asia.
• Fish sauce.  Again, if you haven't tried it, get some now!  I know it smells gross...it IS fish sauce after all but used properly, it adds that little umami* that you can't identify in the authentic cuisine...it leaves you asking what is that?
• Cilantro.  It's not just for Mexican cooking!  It is a critical herb in most Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
• Daikon.  Also known as a Chinese radish, it is very large, kind of carrot shaped, white tuber that when pickled makes your basic Banh Mi sublime.  Pickling is easy with rice wine vinegar, white sugar and a little salt.
• Star anise.  Looks like a star, smells like licorice and adds a complex fragrance and flavor to soups and braises.  Short ribs, especially love star anise.

I could go on and on but those are some of my favorites.  I have also included the recipe for my favorite sandwich, a meatball banh mi.  It uses most all of these ingredients and is a true expression of Vietnamese street food.  Speaking of which, Asian Street Food is one of our classes this week.  We'll be making shrimp summer rolls (the top picture) as well as Dan Dan Noodles and more...
Oh and here's the explanation of umami for those of you who have been living under a rock.
*  A savory taste.  Umami is one of the five basic tastes (yes, there were only four when I was growing up, too) with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  Borrowed from the Japanese, umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste" or just freaking delicious!  Examples of umami-rich foods are fish, mushrooms, tomatoes and fermented or aged products like fish sauce, soy sauce, etc.
Happy Cooking!

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Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwich

Serves 4

Meatballs:

¾ lb ground pork

¾ lb ground turkey

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp sugar, divided

2 tbsp fish sauce, divided

1/3 cup coconut milk

Sandwiches:

4 baguettes, split and cut into four inch lengths

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

Mayonnaise

Sambal (garlic chili paste)

1 – 2 fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced

16 Vietnamese Meatballs, cut in half

2 cups daikon and carrot pickle (recipe follows)

2 cups loosely packed cilantro sprigs (no hard stems)

To make the meatballs:  combine garlic, onion, salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp fish sauce and mix.  Add meats to seasonings and mix until just blended.  Do not overmix.  Form mixture into walnut to golf ball size meatballs.

In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk with the remaining sugar and fish sauce.

Preheat oven to 425°.  Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Brush the meatballs with the coconut milk mixture and return to the oven for another 20 minutes until the meatballs are browned and the coconut milk is caramelized.

(Meatballs can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated overnight.  To reheat, place the foil-wrapped meatballs in a 425° oven for 15 minutes.)

To assemble the banh mi:  On a rimmed baking sheet, place the baguette halves, cut side up.  Brush with softened butter and toast until they begin to brown around the edges, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Combine mayonnaise with sambal and spread on the baguette halves.  Cut meatballs in half and place cut side down on half of the baguettes.   Top the meatballs with the daikon and carrot pickle, followed by a few slices of fresh jalapeno, and a handful of cilantro sprigs.  Top each sandwich with the other baguette half.

 Daikon – Carrot Pickle

1 cup shredded daikon radish

1 cup shredded carrot

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

Mix vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add shredded daikon and carrot and toss to combine.  Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or store in the refrigerator overnight.

Here we go again...The Garden 2013

The garden is back!  I was going to say "in da house" but that would be kinda stupid so TA DA!!  Yesterday, Kornell (for those of you who don't know, he's my guy and the reason I have such a beautiful vegetable patch) and I went out to see the Tomato Man's Daughter and I absolutely controlled myself...only bought 8 plants compared to last year's attempt at 14!  Aren't you proud of me?  Lisa (the daughter) is super knowledgeable and can recommend the right plant for the right purpose so I am really excited.  Combine that with the amount of love she showers over these beauties and it's a no-fail situation.  That is, if I can keep the dang critters out of the beds!  I included one picture where you can see the footprints or digging or free-for-all that somebody was having last night after we finished putting everything into the ground.  ARGHHH!!
We discussed the critter issue with Lisa and she said the only way to get rid of the squirrels was a shotgun.  If I see another one running across the top of my fence holding onto one of my beauties...I may be inclined to pull out the firepower!  Anyway, we're going to think positive.  The tomato variety is mostly heirloom with tried and true Oklahoma standbys like the Arkansas Traveler (had to have one of those in honor of my granddad).  So I've got one cherry variety along with a black, green and yellow pinkheart.  She also had an Italian frying pepper that I cannot wait to try!  As you can see in the first pic, I started a fair number of seeds inside.  Those included Brussels sprouts, tomatillos, jalapenos, eggplant, cauliflower and red bells.  Put sugar snap peas into the ground along with pie pumpkins (that's in case Reasor's doesn't have any for Thanksgiving!  Then take a look at my last picture...those are last year's herb holdovers.

 You've got to love that sage!  Can you believe it?!  Talk about beleaguered during last summer!  I held out no hope of seeing anything like that but sage is a hardy perennial obviously...standing in good stead next to it is last year's rosemary.  I really cut it back a lot at the end of last summer so I'm anticipating that it will go ca-razy this year.  And, I was reminded that it does help to water it.

I do have some tarragon, thyme and chives started from seed...we'll see what those will do.  So tales from the vegetable garden begin this weekend.  look for blog updates weekly interspersed with as much wit and wisdom as I can muster in between.  Next week, I'll give you the rundown on Thursday's Blank Canvas competition.  Think happy thoughts...I really want to win!!

Musings on a Sunday morning....

I love Sunday mornings.  It is typically a day off to stay in my jammies, get caught up on food magazines, write an occasional blogpost or email blast, have a Bloody Mary and generally, chill.  This is the day the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.  I, obviously, rejoice in my own way.

I am rejoicing today as I had to work all last weekend at a trade show (Tulsa Women's Living Expo) but I really can't complain because I won the Celebrity Chef Cook Off.  It was quite a surprise, to say the least.  I think you can tell in that last goofy picture that I allowed to be taken.  I have to defend my title next year but, in the meantime, long live the Queen!  HAH!  On a more serious note, it is more than gratifying to have your cooking recognized as "good enough" by more than family members.  But back to Sunday.  The sunlight really does stream in the windows in my front room and gives it such a warm feeling.  The sun was very bright this morning and it made me extra happy to look upon it (how's that for poetic!).  Just makes me want to stay home and admire it and so I do...most Sundays.  I made perfectly poached eggs with the freshest of eggs from my boyfriend's hens.  Frankly, there is nothing like seeing that almost orange yolk pour out over the toasty English muffin.  No, I don't have a picture...I used to take pictures of my eggs but realized it was silly to have a photo album of nothing but poached eggs.  That, in light of the fact that most of the photos I have on my phone or computer are of food or cooking classes!   Speaking of cooking classes, this is the day of the week when I review the class schedule and figure out which ones I need to repeat so I don't have Mutiny on the Bounty and then new ones to add so I don't get so bored teaching the fan favorites that I want to poke a fork in my eye!  Here are a few pics from the last class...Date Night for Valentines was super fun...Lobster Thermidor and Drunken Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.  Wednesday, we're making and stuffing ravioli (again).  It is a really good class that fills up VERY quickly so, yes, we will be repeating it in the next month or so (if you're not one of the lucky ones).

And, I will make every effort to NOT get near the forks.  We'll just change up the ravioli fillings...maybe we'll make that egg yolk one.  You know, the one where you nestle the raw yolk in a kind of basket of ricotta and spinach filling then cover with the top sheet of pasta.  You gently boil, I would say poach, the ravioli so the yolk doesn't break.  Then when you serve it, the ravioli kind of makes its own sauce.  Very fun.  OK, so I like making ravioli.  What I REALLY like is watching the people in my class make it and revel in their abilities.  Now, that's fun!  You may or may not know that I self-published my first cookbook and, notice I didn't say, first and last.  I will have a book signing and open house at the Kitchen this spring so stay tuned for more information.  You can buy it on Amazon and I would appreciate it!  It is full of favorite recipes from past classes and from my family (read, my mom).  Here's a picture...it's on Amazon!

I found a quote this morning as I was catching up on my food reading.  It's from Tim Ferriss, he's one of those new entrepreneurial types, but very interesting and the book I got as a Christmas gift is called, The Four Hour Chef.  So my new favorite quote is:  "You don't need more recipes, you need to learn to cook without them."  My theory entirely, in spite of having just written this cookbook.  Take my recipes and make them your own...then, you really won't need them!  Happy Cooking!!

The Cookbook Update

Just about a year ago, I posted about "The Cookbook" that I am working on as a tribute to my mother and all of things I learned from her about the "art" of cooking.  I am still plowing through the plethora (how's that for alliteration?!) of recipes that my mom, grandmother and aunt left behind.  In the meantime, I have finished a collection of recipes favorites from my cooking classes as well as some family favorites.  I am self-publishing so it will be going to the website this weekend and see what else I need to do to finish it so...that is on its way!
Here is a re-worked version of that post from last year...quite a bit better, I think.  Let me know if you agree!

There are a few things in life that are pivotal if you’re going to cook, at least, if you were growing up in my house.  Can you make pie crust and, more importantly, can you make gravy?  Gravy making skills could only be described as the defining moment in your cooking career.  You were measured by your ability to make gravy whether lumpy, pasty, too thin, too thick, salty, peppery, or perfect. There were a lot of gradations of bad but only one good.  So for some reason, I wanted to make gravy, actually, I needed to make gravy and not just any gravy, my mom’s cream gravy.  But why?  There was no gravy hall of fame or was there?  What if I could make cream gravy as good as my mom’s…what if I made it better?  No, no, that couldn’t be possible.  My aunts couldn’t do it.  Not even my grandmother could make the legendary cream gravy that my mother called “hers”.   The gravy that was chock full of delicious crispy bits of chicken left over from the perfect frying (that’s another chapter) , the small amount of flour and fat that she used to thicken and turn it just slightly off-white so it could never be mistaken for the shocking white of gravy mixes.  And, the texture, creamy, just thicker than heavy cream, creaminess that would roll over your mashed potatoes to pool around the fried chicken, green beans and freshly baked rolls waiting on your plate.  That was my mom’s cream gravy and I wanted some of that!

My mom had two gravy making methods.  Gravy made in the pan from drippings where she added flour and milk or broth, and gravy made from combining flour and water in a Mason jar and shaking it to combine then pouring it into a beef broth (this was the accepted method for pot roast, the other for fried chicken, chicken fried steak, etc.).  So, I watched my mom make gravy.  I asked so many questions about how to do it she would finally become so annoyed that she would say, “just watch and be quiet and you’ll figure it out.” 

You see, my mom was an amazing cook but she was no teacher.  She had no interest in teaching you how to do much of anything really.  It was easier (and better) if she did it herself plus she didn’t have the patience for you to learn from your mistakes.  “Just let me do it.”  So, I would characterize my culinary education at my mother’s elbow as “osmotic”.  I would watch and, with any luck, the knowledge, skill, talent or gift would simply waft its way over in the fragrance of roast turkey, banana cream pie or pot roast to me and, I would grab it, and file it in that part of my brain devoted to learning the tricks of my mother’s cooking.

But my mother couldn’t or wouldn’t explain how much flour to use or how much fat to leave in the skillet or how much milk to pour in and when and what temperature it needed to be.  That was because she had made “cream gravy” so many times that she just did it.  There was no measuring.  She just knew.  And, I wanted to just know, too.  But, that sacred knowledge is only acquired after years of making gravy (and lots of other things) and she wasn’t going to make it easy for me; I had to learn myself.  That osmosis thing. 

I started studying cookbooks.  Not just reading for recipes but actually, pulling the methods apart and figuring them out.  And, one day, as I was considering my mother’s cream gravy and her “white sauce”, I happened upon “Mother sauces” and, one in particular, leapt off the page at me.  Béchamel.   A classic cream sauce made with a roux and milk. 

Wait a minute.  Roux.  Fat and flour.  Thickening. Milk.  White sauce and yes! Cream gravy.  Hallelujah!  The Heaven’s opened and the angels sang…it’s a béchamel , you idiot!  Your mother has been making béchamel all these years and you just figured it out!  I couldn’t wait to share my newfound knowledge.  I discovered it…the Holy Grail!  The Gravy Hall of Fame! 

Mom!  I’m so excited.  You know your cream gravy and white sauce…it’s actually a béchamel.  You know how you add just enough flour and fat?  Well, it’s actually equal parts.  You probably just knew that but anyway that’s a roux.  Did you know it was called a roux?  And, then you add the milk and bring it to a boil because it doesn’t reach its full thickening power until it boils but then you simmer it for about 30 minutes so it doesn’t taste pasty.  It’s called a Mother sauce because other sauces “spring” from it like a mother having a baby, and, and, and, she said, “well, of course, it’s a Mother sauce.  I’m your mother and it’s mine.”