Matzo-Ball Soup on Saturday

A few months ago, a friend invited us over for matzo-ball soup, something I'd never had homemade before. She made a lovely, simple and fast version: Swanson's stock, carrot chunks, shredded rotisserie chicken and, of course, matzo balls. We LOVED it, so we went out and bought some matzo, and started making it ourselves, most often with just the dumplings and the stock.

My beloved, not one to stand on ceremony, wasn't into the "ball" part of the whole operation, and tended to create delicious but gigantic (i.e. 3" in diameter) irregularly shaped whompers instead of little perfect balls, as one might normally expect. Needless to say, this led to many discussions about food presentation and appropriate dumpling size. But I shut up when I was threatened to an end to matzo-ball soup unless I made it myself.

Well, I finally did make it myself (although I admit that I did have some help), and may I just say that it was darn good. I also acknowledge that, rather than 45 minutes, it took me the better part of the day even with extra hands, so we'll go back to the fast version (although hopefully with smaller balls - is this getting crude?) when we just need a matzo hit. But on days when there's time, this is what I'll be making:

Matzo-Ball Soup with Spring Vegetables
(adapted from Gourmet, April 2007)

Toast 2 tbsp. coriander seeds in a small skillet until fragrant; set aside.
Toast 1/2 tbsp. each fenugreek seeds and black peppercorns similarly.
Once spices are cool, grind them coarsely (we used a coffee grinder) and put in a big stockpot.

Add the following to the stockpot, coarsely chopping the veggies:
2 medium leeks
4 medium carrots
4 ribs celery
5 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh ginger
1 bunch cilantro
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
3 1/2 lbs. chicken (we used two breasts and two legs - all organic, very nice)
3 quarts water

Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours (we only had time to simmer for 2, since we had surprise guests, and it turned out fine), skimming foam from top occasionally.

Next, make the matzo balls with a total of 1 cup matzo. We use the recipe on the back of the box, but add the following as well as the fat, salt, liquid and eggs listed there:
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Mix until just blended, then cover and chill in fridge for half an hour or, if you're in a rush, as we were, in the freezer for 10 minutes. Form into small, 1- 1/2" balls with moistened hands.

Back to the stock: remove the chicken onto a plate, then strain the broth from the stock. (We ate the carrots, which were really tasty, but tossed the rest of the strained veggies. ) Bring strained broth back to a simmer, and drop matzo balls one by one into the broth. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.

While simmering, chop the following into spoon-sized pieces:
8 baby carrots
6 baby turnips (we used a big turnip)
6 spring onions (save the greens for serving)

Add the vegetables and cook for another 15-20 minutes (you can tell if the matzo balls are done by tasting them - they should be moist all the way through). While the soup is simmering, remove the bones and skin from the chicken and shred into pieces. Add just a few minutes before serving.

Top the soup with fresh dill and the onion greens, which give it a bit of a bite on top of the stock's spiciness. This is GOOD SOUP!

A Chocolate Tasting

So far we have managed to avoid all sorts of new-fangled tastings like oil, vinegar and water (water?!?). We got sucked in to wine tasting, I admit, which led to purchasing cases of delicious late-harvest dessert wines etc., but now we have discovered a new joy: tasting luxury chocolate.

The unassuming local grocery on a street we infrequently visit turns out to have half a wall of specialty chocolates. Unable to resist, we picked up four:

Cafe Tasse Blanc (white, for my companion) at $2.29 for 45g
Fran's Gray Salt Caramels at $7.79 for 7 pieces
(not solid chocolate, but still worthy of mention)
BruCo 72% fondente anice at $4.89 for 60g
Vosges Barcelona Bar at $3.89 for 85g

I mention price because it turns out that more expensive does not necessarily mean better. Why am I not surprised?

In order of the above, some comments:

The white chocolate was entirely mediocre. I vote for Lindt's plain white as the best white chocolate around, even though I clearly need to taste some more white. The problem is, why taste white when you could have dark?

Salt caramels are all the rage, and I have had one extremely good one (huge with a price tag to match) so these ones simply didn't live up to my expectations. Too much salt, too much sugar - just too much overall.

This Italian anise chocolate, BruCo, has apparently won awards, and well it should. Unbelievably creamy for 72%, this stuff is divine. The anise doesn't taste like anise, somehow - or at least is doesn't overpower the chocolate, which seems to transform the spice into something softer and sweeter. I will be trying to find this stuff again - look here for some more details on the origins of the chocolate and the company.

Finally, the prizewinner. This may be the best chocolate I have ever had in my life, although it is flavoured and milk, so I'm not sure if that counts. I bought it as an experiment - I'm not big on milk chocolate, but I thought I'd try it for the grey sea salt, which I'd never seen added in a bar before. Vosges calls it an "exotic candy bar" - it's 41% cacao and has both salt and hickory smoked almonds, so the experience is very smoky, sweet and sharply salty simultaneously.

There is so much going on in this chocolate that I can only eat one piece at a time, but it is so very good! These people are not afraid of thoroughly salting their chocolate, so there are chunks of salt whose crystals snap under the teeth and then melt on the tongue, exploding with almost metallic minerals all within a sweet-and-smoky haze. As their website indicates, they've got even more exciting ideas about what belongs in chocolate. Very creative, very delicious. Go out and find some!

Sunday Dinner Menu (Pan-Asian)

Last week we spent an hour or two pouring over our Asian cookbooks in search of an eclectic dinner for four (with lots of leftovers). We came up with the following:

Chinese Spring Rolls
Jicama-Lime Salad
Lettuce Wraps
Vietnamese Three-Herb and Chicken Rolls
Asian Meatballs with Lime Dipping Sauce
Coconut Crème Caramel

All in all, it wasn't a spectacular meal. Nonetheless, I learned a few things. First, making your own spring rolls, which we haven't done in about five years, is incredibly simple. Here's how: take a bunch of food you like (we did veggie spring rolls with carrots, baby bok choy, bean sprouts and scallions in Chinese 5-spice), chop it into long, thin pieces (julienned), add flavourful spices and stir-fry it all together. Roll a few tablespoons of this into a egg-roll wrapper (seal with beaten egg), heat up some oil, plonk the rolls in one at a time, and voilà! Homemade spring rolls.

Other lessons:

1. Julienned jicama makes for a lovely crisp salad (just make sure the dressing has character, because jicama can be bland).

2. I love lettuce wraps (see recipe below).

3. Gourmet's recent Asian meatball recipe is not worth repeating (although I admit we used beef instead of pork to complement the veal and added some shiitake mushrooms, so maybe it's not their fault).

4. Don't change the proportions of coconut milk to milk in the crème caramel recipe given below unless you want it to become pudding-like, which ours was. But it was delicious too.

Here are the stars of the evening:

Lettuce Wraps

Mix together 8 oz. ground pork, 1tbsp. each finely chopped Chinese mushrooms and water chestnuts, a pinch of sugar, 1 tsp. light soy, 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine, 1 tsp. cornstarch and salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a few teaspoons of oil in a preheated wok or pan and add 1/2 ts. finely chopped ginger and 1 tsp. finely chopped scallions. Stir-fry for one minute; then add the meat mixture, followed by 1 tbsp. oyster sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.

Blend well and cook until pork is cooked through. Serve with crisp iceberg lettuce and hoisin. To eat: spread a bit of hoisin on a lettuce leaf, add a tablespoon or so of pork and wrap it all up. Yes, this will make a terrible mess (we ate outside).

Three-Herb Chicken Rolls

Marinate 2 large (half) chicken breasts is 1/4 c. dark soy, 2 inches ginger (finely chopped), 2 cloves of garlic (crushed) and 2 tbsp. rice wine for at least an hour.

Bake the chicken in its marinade in a covered dish at 350 for 40 minutes, allow to cool, then slice diagonally, pouring juices over the serving plate. This chicken, I should add, is really, really good.

Make up another plate of fresh herbs, including mint, cilantro and Thai basil (we ate these with beansprouts too).

A warm, sweet and spicy dipping sauce goes well with these: blend 1/2 c. sugar with the zest and juice of two limes, 2 finely chopped green chilies and 1/3 c. white rice vinegar in a saucepan; boil for five minutes.

To eat: using Vietnamese rice paper wrappers, dip one in a bowl of hot water until soft, add some chicken, sprouts and a sprig or two of each herb; pour over (or dip into) the lime sauce. Yum!

Coconut Crème Caramel

For the caramel: boil 3 1/2 oz. water with 4 oz. sugar until the mixture is caramelized to a golden brown (once the syrup starts to brown, watch it very carefully, or you'll have hard candy instead of liquid caramel - aim for a light-to-medium colour rather than a darker brown and it should be fine). Remove from heat and add two tablespoons water, stirring until all the caramel has dissolved. Divide among 4-6 ramekins.

For the custard: stir together 8 oz. milk and 8 oz. coconut milk and heat until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and whisk in four beaten eggs, 2 oz. icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla. Stir in 1 oz. dried coconut and divide among the ramekins.

Bake over water in the over at 325 for 40 minutes, or until set. When cool, turn out of the ramekins and serve cool or cold.

My custard wasn't the best, texture- and appearance-wise this time, but, with extra coconut milk and candied caramel, these puddings tasted mighty fine!

His and Her Salad Dressings

P's Light Vinaigrette

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fancy mustard (like dijon, or whatever you have)
1 clove minced garlic
salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in a seal-able jar. Microwave open for about 30 seconds to help dissolve the honey and to take the edge off the garlic. Stir with a spoon, and/or shake in the sealed jar over the sink (it almost always leaks as the expanding heated air seeps out of the jar).

This dressing keeps well in the fridge and is enough for several 2-person salads.

A's Homemade Ranch

Stir the juice of one lemon or one lime into two generous tablespoons of mayo (homemade is best, but I admit I use pre-fab 'cause I'm lazy). Add salt and pepper, paprika and lots of one or two savoury green herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram) to taste.

This recipe takes about 30 seconds to make and gives you some creamy oomphf on your salad when vinaigrette just won't cut it. I wouldn't recommend trying to store this dressing for long - this recipe makes enough for one LARGE (i.e. dinner-sized) salad for two.

Sunday Dinner Menu (Indian)

We've decided to start a tradition of cooking up a real storm on Sunday nights. Admittedly, this means grocery shopping on Sunday morning, which can involve a three-hour trip to the store unless we arrive at 10am sharp. This week we got lucky - we'll see how long that lasts.

This week's menu was as follows.

To begin:
Chana Chaat (chickpeas with cilantro, onion, tomato, yogurt, a sweet-spicy chaat. masala and tamarind - we used balsamic)
Tomato Catchumbar (a relish of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions and green peppers in lemon)
Lavash (we have given up trying to make our own naan) with cucumber-mint raita

The main course:
Vij's Prawns (in an onion tomato masala)
Vij's Grilled Corn (with lemon, salt and an umami masala)
Tandoori Chicken (on the grill with a pre-made ginger-garlic sauce - good chicken, but I'll make my own sauces from now on, thank you very much)
Pearl Divers' Rice (recipe below)

Dessert:
The oh-so-authentically-Indian Streusel Plum Cake from Anne Lindsay's The Lighthearted Cookbook (recipe below)

The things really worth repeating (which we already repeat all the time) are the rice and the cake, so here are the recipes.

Pearl Divers' Rice with Saffron and Honey
(adapted from Clare Ferguson's Rice)

Combine 1 pinch of saffron, the black seeds of eight green cardamon pods, 2 tbsp. of rosewater and 4 tbsp. of boiling chicken stock in the top of a double boiler and simmer over boiling water.

Put 3 c. of basmati, 2 tsp. of salt and 2 thinly sliced onions in a heavy pan, and pour over a litre (less the 4 tbsp. used above) of boiling stock. Return to the boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for ten minutes, or until almost all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour the saffron mixture on top of the rice and drizzle 4 generous tbsp. of honey over the surface. Push eight holes in the rice right down to the bottom of the pan and add a bit of butter to each (try cutting a half stick - 1/4 c. - of butter into eight pieces here.) Cover the pan again and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from the heat, wrap the pan in a cloth, let stand for ten minutes, then eat hot.

This rice is DIVINE.

Streusel Plum Cake

Cake:

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) milk
• 3 cups (750 mL) quartered fresh ripe plums or 2 cans (each 14 oz/398 mL) drained and halved plums

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
• 1tsp (5 mL) cinnamon

1. Grease 9-in (2.5-L) or 10-in (3-L) square cake pan (for a thinner, quicker-cooking cake) or use spring-form pan.
2. In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and egg yolks until fluffy. Combine flour and baking powder; beat into egg mixture alternately with milk. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Turn into prepared pan. Arrange plums on top.
3. Streusel topping: In small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon; mix well and sprinkle over fruit.
4. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

This may just be my favourite cake. It makes a nice breakfast, too.

Monday Mac & Cheese

After Sunday's dinner and Friday's pizza night (we seem to have perfected the margherita and the widowmaker, more on that later, but our Greek and my old (and odd) standby shrimp and green pepper were just plain bad - more practice is obviously needed) we had some odd leftovers: tomato catchumbar, pizza sauce and the ends of some old cheeses.

So we made macaroni and cheese. It was phenomenal - here's the recipe:

Cook 2 lbs. of macaroni in boiling, salted water.

While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, chop and then fry a tomato or two, some cilantro, parsley or other fresh herb, a green pepper and an onion in the juice of one lemon and a tablespoon of butter. Use a heavy pan that will fit the pasta too - one that can go in the over and has a lid. Add a cup and a half of tomato sauce (ours was thick - paste just barely thinned for pizza - with salt, pepper and lots of fresh oregano) and slowly add between 1/2 and 1 cup of milk, stirring carefully to prevent lumps.

When the sauce is evenly mixed with the milk, add 2-3 cups of cheese and mix thoroughly. We used fontiago (which I assume is fontina + asiago - we'd never seen or tasted it before, but it is nice and sharp) along with an extra aged white Canadian cheddar.

When the cheese is melted, stir in the pasta until it is nicely coated with tasty sauce. Cover the pan and put in the oven for about half an hour at 350F.

This would probably serve 8 for dinner with a nice simple green salad (there were only two of us, so now we have plenty of leftovers!).

Huevos Rancheros: in Mexico and at Home

Some of my fondest memories revolve around tiny Mexican cafés on the Baja peninsula. I'd catch glimpses of an aged abuela in the kitchen kicking and cursing the chickens running around underfoot as her 14-year-old grand-daughter meekly served tables and mama shouted orders. Dad was usually never to be found unless he was drinking beer with friends in a corner, gesturing for food or more drink as the day wore on.

One such café was where I had my first huevos rancheros. Not too big on eggs at that point, I ordered them for the steak instead. Sliced into short, narrow strips, tough as nails, and soaking in a rich tomato-chili sauce, who knew beef could contain so much grassy, earthy flavour? Thank goodness for Sonoran cattle!

Ten years later, I still love beef, but eggs appeal too. It took my father almost twenty years to convince me to eat eggs, but I never got beyond the occasional toast dipped in peppered yolk. Somehow, my husband had me eating eggs done all ways within six months of our marriage. Poor Dad! The trick? Keep the egg-to-other tasty stuff ratio really low and then start sneakily cranking it up.

With Mexican eggs foremost in my mind, then, here are two recipes for vegetarian huevos rancheros. The first is adapted from Gourmet magazine (April 2007); the second is from the rebar cookbook (our new favourite vegetarian cookbook, created by the cooks at rebar restaurant in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada). Both recipes have a smoky secret ingredient: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Yes, this is an acquired taste and yes, it is worth acquiring (it took me less than a year, and now they go in many, many things for a little pizazz).

The big question for me is: should the eggs be served over-easy or sunny-side-up (traditional) or scrambled (innovative)? One of each is suggested below, but for my money, scrambled eggs with nothing in them are boring. Add a little cheese, tomato, onion or spices and now you're talking! Although I can't complain about the rebar recipe at all.

Gourmet Huevos:
(for four hungry people - dinner, perhaps?)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 (5-inch) corn tortillas
2 (14- to 15-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice (or use fresh ones - they're better!)
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
8 large eggs

Simmer tomatoes with their juice, onion, cilantro, chipotle, garlic, and salt in a hot pan, stirring occasionally, until salsa is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (Gourmet suggests puréeing the sauce. I think this is messy and makes the sauce so wet that it soaks the tortillas, making them mushy (ick!). But if you like smooth sauces, use a blender by all means, just don't blender the sauce once it is hot unless you would like your kitchen decorated in salsa - I have done this with tomato soup.)

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then crack 4 eggs into skillet and cook to desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered, then cook remaining 4 eggs in remaining tbsp. oil in same manner. (If you have a big enough pan, do them all at the same time - I can always tell when my eggs have sat for even a few minutes. They're just not as good.) Season eggs with salt and pepper.

Serve 2 warmed tortillas (you can fry tortillas in oil in a hot pan or reheat them wrapped in a clean, slightly damp cloth in the microwave) topped with 2 eggs and a big spoonful or two of salsa to each happy customer.

Rebar Huevos:
(for two - and yes, this is my favourite because the beans are to die for; this despite the scrambled eggs)

Toss a can (14 oz) of drained, rinsed pinto beans, 1 tsp. (or to taste - this stuff can be HOT!) chipotle purée (just throw the can in the blender - oops, I mean take the peppers and sauce out of the can, put them in the blender and purée them rather than the aluminum can), 1 tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. brown sugar (this is very important), 1/4 tsp. salt into a saucepan and heat slowly while making the eggs. (Or, if you are very lazy, buy a can of refried beans and add some - or none, but that would be sad - of the ingredients above to taste. You can get veggie refritos, but in my opinion, the traditional lard-based beans are unbeatable.)

Scramble four eggs with salt and pepper (this is where I am always tempted to add extra cheese, tomato, peppers, onion, something!) and set aside. While the beans are still heating slowly, heat the tortillas too.

Rebar suggests making a kind of tortilla omelet in the pan at this stage, which is fine (and has the added bonus of melted cheese, always a plus): add some grated cheese to a fried tortilla, top with salsa, eggs and beans etc. We, however, like to serve these buffet-style instead: put out a little bowl of cheese (spicy jack? aged cheddar?), some fresh salsa (I'll post a good salsa recipe at some point - for now, think: the best tomatoes money can buy (smell, don't look), lots of parsley, a bit of jalapeño, more lime juice than you'd think and some mild onion), some spicy red sauce (taco?) and, of course, some beans. Take your tortilla, add eggs and toppings, and breakfast is served!

Bob's Baked Eggs (in two minutes)

While I'm talking about eggs, let me include a super-fast version of "Bob's Baked Eggs." Let me stress that I do NOT cook with the microwave. EVER.

Until Tuesday, that is, when I was too hungry to bake eggs in the oven, so I thoroughly mixed an egg and a tablespoon each of leftover salsa and cheese (Day 1: herbed gouda; Days 2 and 3: smoked mozzarella; next week: extra aged cheddar, and I bet goat cheese would be good too) in a little ramekin with a fork and microwaved on high for a minute and a half.

Presto! (Speaking of which, you could use pesto instead, or tapenade) A very quick scramble, with almost no clean-up (although don't put the ramekins in the dishwasher or the eggs will bake right on - yes, I learned this the hard way).

I ate my egg, very contentedly, on buttered toast.

Eggs at Sea - Piperade by Request

By special request, here is my recipe for making piperade, which, traditionally, is a Basque dish of garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers and eggs. Last served with a three bridge view, I think it will make an excellent morning, noon or evening contribution to a sailing cruise - no three-oven kitchen needed here! The galley should do just fine.

My version is rather flexible (excellent for using up bits and pieces of vegetables lurking belatedly in the fridge) and may not bear any resemblance to the original, which I have never had the honour of tasting either in the south of France or in the north of Spain (sigh).

Chop your chosen vegetables (about half a cup, chopped, per person) into small pieces about a centimetre square. I use whatever is on hand, but onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, fennel bulbs and/or garlic all work well. Sauté the veggies in a broad shallow pan (with a lid!) in good olive oil starting with the firmest (carrots, potatoes, onions) and finishing with the softest (peppers, tomatoes). Spice with salt and pepper; oregano, thyme, dill and/or basil - again, whatever is on hand (actually, cumin and cayenne might make things interesting).

Before the vegetables disintegrate, but after they have produced enough liquid to coat the pan, spread the veggies evenly in the pan and make two to eight (depending on how many eggs you want to cook) "holes" in the mixture. Crack an egg into each one, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

This is the tricky stage: how to cook the tops of the eggs without "hard-boiling" the bottom or overcooking the vegetables. I usually add a few spoonfuls of water and slam a lid on top of the whole pan, turning the heat down and letting the eggs steam as they cook. Keep a close eye on the heat and on the doneness of the eggs - they can go from gelatinous to chalky in a split second.

When the whites are firm and the yolks still runny, take off the heat and serve immediately - this dish doesn't keep at all well, so make sure you don't make any extra. Everyone gets an egg (or two or three), some veggies and a piece or two of lovely fresh bread and butter. Make sure the bread is substantial or toast it if not; otherwise it will fall apart and the textures will be all wrong.

Enjoy!

Incidentally, the Basque restaurant "Piperade" in San Francisco is reputedly excellent. I think a visit is in order.