Crustaceans

Today we’ll look at the subphylum of crustaceans, which include such familiar creatures as shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and crawfish, but also such important critters as krill and barnacles. Now we don’t eat barnacles, those hard little filter feeding crustaceans that attach themselves to the bottom of boats and piers in tidal basins, but some varieties in Spain and Portugal known as percebes are an expensive delicacy. Krill are also unfamiliar to us, but these tiny shrimp-like creatures are one of the most important mainstays of the oceanic food chain, feasting on phytoplankton and other micro-organisms, converting these into suitable food for larger fish and mammals, like whales, for whom they comprise the majority of their diet.

Crustaceans, like spiders and insects, are anthropods, an invertebrate made up of segments with jointed limbs and an external skeleton. As a rule, crustaceans are not overly mobile, and their rigid appendages and large meaty tails allow for brief bursts of swimming short distances, crawling and attacking prey. Being both carnivorous and cannibalistic, farming these creatures, with the exception of shrimp, has not proven successful, so almost all are caught in the wild. Shrimp and prawns, however, as they grow rapidly and thrive on both plant feeds and small animals, lend themselves successfully to farming, with China and Thailand being the largest producers in the modern world. Almost all shrimp are frozen and come with the head off, but locally one can get head-on fresh shrimp from Maine on occasion, and if you see them, check them out as they are delicious.

Most edible crustaceans are decapods, with five pairs of legs, at least one of which is enlarged into claw(s), and the edible portion is skeletal meat like in fish and livestock. The cephalothorax is the forward portion, or “head,” and includes not only the mouth, eyes, and sensing antennae, but also the crawling appendages, and the main organs of the digestive, circulatory, respiratory and reproduction systems. The rear portion, or abdomen, known as the “tail,” is a large meaty block of muscle used primarily for propulsion. The main exception to this general body style is the crab, whose abdomen is a thin plate folded up underneath a greatly enlarged cephalothorax.

In lobsters and crabs the hepatopancreas, what we would call the “liver,” is the source of enzymes that assist with digesting food, and a reservoir for fatty materials that are stored to provide energy during the molting process, when the crustacean sheds its hard outer shell so it can continue growing. This “tamale” is very rich and flavorful, but is also a source for rapid spoilage if the crustacean is sold dead, but not cooked. For this reason, lobsters and crabs are available either alive or fully cooked, and shrimp, whose head includes their small liver, come mostly headless.

The flesh of most crustaceans is white, fast muscle fibers with more collagen that fish. They are usually boiled or steamed as these are the fastest cooking methods, preventing the active protein-breaking enzymes from turning the flesh mushy. They should be cooked in their shells as the cuticle prevents the leaching of flavor, and is in itself a mass of proteins, sugars and pigment molecules that can contribute flavor to the outer layers of the flesh.

Crustaceans are expensive and usually only served for special occasions. Rightly so as they also have high amount of cholesterol, so intake should be limited to once-in-a-while treats.

Here's a lobster thermidor recipe that is popular at our house.

Lobster Thermidor
Serves 4

2 (1 1/2-lb) live lobsters
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 lb mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry
1 cup heavy cream, scalded
2 large egg yolks

Plunge lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water*. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.

When lobsters are cool enough to handle, twist off claws and crack them, then remove meat. Halve lobsters lengthwise with kitchen shears, beginning from tail end, then remove tail meat, reserving shells. Cut all lobster meat into 1/4-inch pieces. Discard any remaining lobster innards, then rinse and dry shells.

Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until liquid that mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add lobster meat, paprika, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook, shaking pan gently, 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon Sherry and 1/2 cup hot cream and simmer 5 minutes.

Whisk together yolks and remaining tablespoon Sherry in a small bowl. Slowly pour remaining 1/2 cup hot cream into yolks, whisking constantly, and transfer to a small heavy saucepan. Cook custard over very low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Add custard to lobster mixture, stirring gently.

Preheat broiler.

Arrange lobster shells, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan and spoon lobster with some of sauce into shells. Broil lobsters 6 inches from heat until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

* When salting water for cooking, use 1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water.

Fish #2

It has become generally known that fish is good for you. It has long been referred to as “brain food” as eating fish regularly contributes to the development and function of the brain and retina, to say nothing of the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids that help with the health of our central nervous system. Fish oils have anti-inflammatory properties that benefit our immune system, and lower the incidents of heart disease and cancer. Fish are a good source of protein, usually between 15% and 25%, A and B vitamins, minerals, amino acids, iodine and calcium. Fish contain phosphorous, potassium and iron. Ocean fish are particularly valuable, as they reside in very cold temperatures and consume tiny oceanic phytoplankton, from which their Omega-3 fatty acids are derived. Freshwater fish do not has access to phytoplankton, thus they have negligible amounts of Omega-3s. However as all fish are low in saturated fats, whenever fish replaces meat in the diet, they lower blood cholesterol and the risk for heart disease. Some of us eat fish roe like shad roe or caviar, and it contains thiamine and riboflavin. A caution, however, as not all fish roes, are edible and if the wrong kind is consumed, like roe from the sculpin family of fish, it can make you very sick.

As mentioned last week, the key to good fish is how it has been harvested, and handled after harvest before it reaches your fishmonger’s. Oceanic fish, due to the really cold water it lives in, must be packed in ice or frozen, immediately after harvest. As these deep-water fish live in such a cold environment, their fats and cell membranes must remain fluid and operational at temperatures approaching 32 degrees. Failure to maintain an icy environment will result in these fats and oils becoming rancid, stale smelling, and the flesh to deteriorate. Just keeping your fish in the refrigerator is not cold enough to maintain fish freshness, so plan on cooking it the same day you purchase it.

Remember, every pollutant on our planet has a tendency to leach through the ground, run off the land, and find its way into our rivers and oceans. These pollutants end up in our fish as evident by the widespread contamination of certain species with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, lead and other heavy metals, carbon containing pollutants, and toxins. Some species of fish contain so much mercury that the FDA recommends that children and pregnant mothers avoid swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel, or limit their consumption to 12 oz or less a week. Even tuna, one of the most popular fish in the US, is best if eaten on a limited basis. Fish that don’t accumulate mercury and other poisons are small, shorter lived fish like Pacific salmon and soles, talapia, catfish, mackerel, trout and stripped bass, many of which are raised on fish farms where the water is filtered.

Next week we’ll learn more about mollusks, cephalopods and crustaceans, some of my personal favorites.

Fish #1

Fish are aquatic vertebrates with fins, used for propulsion and
balance, and gills for breathing. They are an important source of
human food, whether derived from salt water or fresh. The
number and variety of saltwater fish greatly exceed the fresh water
varieties, with over 30,000 oceanic species identified.

Generally speaking, fish are divided into two broad groups,
according to their skeletons: cartilaginous fish like sharks, rays and
skate or bony fish, the largest group, characterized by salmon, cod
and bass. Various body shapes also exist with the round fish,
considered the most flavorsome, and the flat fish, a more mild or
delicate flavor, being the predominate varieties. Mollusks,
crustaceans and cephalopods are considered fish in the broader
sense, but these clams, lobsters and squid or octopus are outside of
today’s discussion, much as I love them as food.

All fish should be purchased, if not caught directly by the eater,
from reliable sources where inventory turnover is rapid. Fish are
highly perishable and, if not frozen, should be stored on flaked ice
if not eaten immediately. Fresh fish, whether steaks or fillets,
should be firm to the touch with no “fishy” smell. If purchasing a
whole fish, the gills should be red with no browning or
discoloration, the skin taunt and springy and the eyes bright and
shining. If any of these conditions do not exist, reject that fish and
find something else for supper.

Fish are harvested wild by fishermen on the ocean or farmed from
a controlled environment where they are fed protein pellets. As a
rule, wild fish are more desirable than farmed, but the real key to
good fish is how it was harvested, how soon it was processed, and
how carefully it was handled after leaving the boat. Many large
trawlers freeze their catches within hours of being caught, so often
frozen fish can be of better quality than fresh. I have read that
most sushi-grade fish, over 90%, are frozen right after being
caught.

Fish lends itself to a large number of cooking methods from
broiling or grilling, to steaming, poaching, baking, pan frying or
deep-frying, and smoking. Whichever method is chosen, the
challenge for the cook is to get the texture of the cooked fish right.
The cooking process transforms the muscle proteins, and one must
control the coagulation process so it doesn’t proceed too far,
resulting in the muscle fibers becoming too hard and the natural
juices drying up completely. A good rule of thumb on fish is to
cook it to between 120 degrees and 140 degrees when measured
with an instant read thermometer, where the fish is still moist and
succulent. Many recipes call for cooking fish until it “flakes,” but
to my taste that’s just a little too much. An old rule, if you don’t
have a thermometer, is to cook it for 8 minutes to each 1 inch of
the fish’s thickness, but one can also make a small incision in the
fish to see if it’s interior is still translucent or has turned opaque, or
try pulling on a bone to see if the connective tissue has dissolved
enough to release it.

Here's a simple but delicious way to cook stripped bass, salmon, halibut or any firm fleshed fish with skin on.

Sauted Wild Stripped Bass With Crispy Skin

4 stripped bass fillets with skin (5-6 oz each), scaled
Salt & pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 non-stick saute pan

Take the fish out of the refrigerator about 10 to 15 minutes before using. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a the saute pan coated generously with extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot.  Gently place the fish fillets skin side down in the saute pan.  Cook the fish slowly one the skin side for most of the cooking time.  As fish cooks it turns from translucent to opaque as can be seem on it's sides. The idea is to cook the fish 2/3s of the way on the skin side and flip it over for the last 1/3 of the cooking time. The rule for fish is about 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness, a little less if you like your fish more on the rare side.

The Sandwich

The sandwich is usually considered lunchtime fare. Two slices of bread enclosing some meat and vegetables with some condiments like mayonnaise or mustard and away you go. It’s quick, it’s easy and it provides mid-day sustenance that carries us until the dinner hour, and there is little clean up.

The sandwich, however, is much more than just a quick repast consumed on the fly. It’s name is derived from the 4th Earl of Sandwich who reportedly ordered cold meat between two slices of bread so he could sup without leaving the card table or getting his cards greasy. Despite the origin of its name, the sandwich existed long before the English aristocrat’s birth and far from England. In the middle ages, a slab of stale bread known as a “trencher” upon which food was placed was consumed by the diner as part of the meal, and was an early form of the open faced sandwich. Sandwiches were initially associated with men engaged in gaming or drinking, but in time they became part of polite society’s evening meal. In the US, as bread became a staple of the American diet, the sandwich became a quick, portable meal usually associated with lunch.

Every society has their own sandwiches. When I was in Brooklyn, I used to frequent a Vietnamese shop, which sold bahn mi sandwiches. A crusty baguette was filled with a pork pate, pickled onions, carrots and cucumber with your choice of roast or grilled pork, meatballs or chicken, a lot of cilantro and chili peppers. Absolutely delicious, and well worth the 10 block walk to the store.

In the Italian sections of town, panini were sandwiches filled with cold cuts like salami, prosciutto, sopressata, and cheese and toasted on a double-sided press. This sandwich is similar to the French croque-monsieurc, a form of grilled ham and cheese. Taken a step further, the French dipped the sandwich is batter and deep-fried it to produce the Monte Cristo. In the Latino sections of the city, one finds the “Cuban pressed sandwich,” another form of ham and cheese made on Cuban bread, a form of baguette made with lard. It includes mustard, Swiss cheese and pickles and is toasted.

In New Orleans they make the muffuletta, a unique cheese and Italian cold cut sandwich characterized by the inclusion of olive salad, a mixture of olives, celery, cauliflower and carrots on special round bread made specifically for this sandwich. Philadelphia is famous for it’s “steak and cheese” sandwiches served on a submarine roll, also known as a sub, a grinder, a hero, a hoagie, a po’ boy, and other names.

Ubiquitous sandwiches we encounter everywhere include the “BLT” which has bacon, lettuce and tomato, the “Club” sandwich made with at least 3 pieces of toasted bread with turkey, ham, bacon and other meats with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard, the “PB&J” and “Fluffernutter,” both made with peanut butter and jelly or marshmallow fluff. For big eaters there is the “Dagwood,” characterized more by its size than any specific ingredient and the “Manwich” where the size of the meat, usually beef, is larger than the bread surrounding it. Both the hot dog and hamburger are forms of sandwiches, and there are many, many more.

Here's a great sandwich known as "The Bookie Sandwich" that is ideal for a picnic lunch or a day of ice fishing.

The Bookie Sandwich

1 baguette or Italian loaf of bread
2 6 oz. New York strip steaks
Salt & pepper, to taste

Cut the end of the loaf of bread, and scoop out most of the crumb right to the other end. Leave the crust and outer crumb, and set aside.

Preheat your broiler or light a fire in your grill. Season the strip steaks with salt and pepper, and broil or grill until medium rare, about 125 to 130 degrees. Set the steaks aside to rest for no less than 10 minutes, and 15 minutes or more is even better.

When the steaks are rested, slice against the grain into 1/4 to 3/8 inch, or so, slices. The juices should not run out of the meat if it has been rested properly. Place a large piece of aluminum foil or coated freezer paper on your work surface and put your baguette on top. You can salt and pepper the slices of steak before pushing them inside the hollowed out baguette. Fill the baguette with as much steak as it will hold, replace the cut off end, and wrap tightly with the aluminum foil or paper. Place wrapped sandwich under a heavy weight like a cast iron skillet with some canned goods on top for at least an hour and somewhat longer is better. This weighting allows any steak juices to be absorbed into the bread's crumb and crust, developing a flavorsome combination. Slice the baguette into pieces before serving.

According to legend, bookies would purchase a steak sandwich and put it in their back pocket before the horse races. They would sit on the sandwich until the last race, and then consume their repast, hence the name.

Winter Turnips

I went to the winter farmer’s market in Norwich this past weekend, ostensibly to purchase a whole, untrimmed, beef tenderloin from Ray William’s of Back Beyond Farm (www.backbeyondfarm.com) . I was pleased to find some baby chickens under 3 lbs. each which I got from Nancy LaRowe of Hogwash Farm (www.hogwashfarm.com). For winter vegetables, I found some lovely purple-topped turnips, baby beets and multi-colored fingerling potatoes from Your Farm (www.yourfarmonline.com) in Fairlee.

Now turnips, a root vegetable, are under consumed in many households, probably due to their sulfury taste, which predominates in the “winter” turnip. Summer turnips, which come with their greens attached, are milder in flavor and can be eaten raw, grated or lightly simmered or sauted. Look for these all white turnips in the spring when they are sweet and flavorful and go well in salads with a drop of lemon.

The purple-topped winter turnip, Brassica rapa, has been around for 4,000 years or more, coming from Eurasia. The rutabaga is a large turnip that is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. Brassica napobrassica is also known as swede, yellow turnip, and “waxed turnip” as it is sometimes sold with a wax covering to preserve its freshness. Rutabagas can be roasted or served raw cut into fine julienne in a salad. It is frequently combined with cooked potato and/or carrots into a mash to accompany a roast.

The turnip is wonderful when it absorbs butter or meat fat, and is particularly delicious when finished in a stew or braised dish, or in the bottom of a roasting pan with the meat juices from the accompanying roast. Most cooks suggest peeling the turnip just before cooking to prevent discoloration of the flesh through oxidation, but I like to leave the skin on in some applications, unless I am using a rutabaga, which I always peel.

The turnip is rich in Vitamin C, however the greens have lots of Vitamin A, C & K as well as folate and calcium, so cook them when available and enjoy their slightly mustard flavor.

In most instances with the purple-topped turnip, the bulbous taproot is blanched in salted water to remove some of its stronger flavor before being braised in butter or meat fat, or baked into a gratin, which is a common side dish to pork, sausages, ham, goose or duck. We like to quarter unpeeled turnips and include them with other winter vegetables like potato, parsnip, peeled winter squash, carrots, beets and the like to roast with olive oil, salt and pepper in a hot oven until tender.

One note of caution: turnips that are cooked too long become mushy and an overcooked cabbage flavor develops, contributing to their lack of popularity amongst many eaters. So treat your turnips right and you will find them sweet and flavorful, and they bring an inexpensive side dish to your supper table.

Winter Turnips Braised in Butter

1 lb. purple top turnips, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons of butter
3/4 to 1 cup chicken stock or water
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice
fresh parsley, minced

Cover the quartered turnips with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are partially tender. Drain in a colander.

Place blanched turnips in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the chicken stock to just cover. Season lightly, cover and boil slowly until they are tender, 20 minutes or so. If the liquid has not cooked off, uncover the cook it off.

Just before serving, toss the hot turnips with the rest of the butter, a few drops of lemon juice, the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Gratin of Turnip

2 lbs. purple topped turnips
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt & pepper, to taste
Nutmeg, fresh grated, to taste...pinch
4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
3 oz bread crumbs, fresh
5 tbl butter

Peel the turnips and slice 1/8" thick using a mandoline. Put the milk into a skillet, add the sliced potatoes and bring the milk to the boil. Simmer the potatoes 3 or 4 minutes to parcook. Add the cream, bring back to the simmer, remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Butter a gratin dish and layer the potatoes slightly overlapping. Sprinkle each layer with a bit of each of the cheeses. Make 3 or 4 layers, pouring any left over liquid all around before finishing the top with the last of the cheese. Spread the fresh breadcrumbs over the top, dot with the butter and bake in a 325 degree oven, lightly covered with aluminum foil, until cooked through, 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Remove the cover, the turnips should have absorbed all the liquid. Turn oven up to 400 degrees and cook until breadcrumbs are toasty golden and a slight crust has formed.

Remove from oven and let rest at least 15 minutes, uncovered, before slicing.

Italian Food

When I first became seriously interested in food I was a devotee of Julia Child and French cuisine. She introduced fine cooking in the French style in her first book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. That tome is as fresh and exciting to read and cook out of today as it was trendsetting when it was introduced in 1961. Every serious cook should have a copy of at least Volume 1 on their bookshelf.

However, over the years I tended to cook more in the Italian style than French, and I think purchasing my first pasta machine was the catalyst for my conversion. That was in the early 1970s when we were living on a small homestead indulging in a diversified agricultural experience raising everything from goats, chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs and a cow to fruits and vegetables of all kinds. We made our own cheese, churned butter, raised veal and pigs for slaughter, put down barrels of cider and cured bacons and hams. We wanted to make everything from scratch, so we scrapped up $35 and bought a pasta rolling machine. (Today I want to roll out the dough by hand, but that’s another article).

The Italian cookbook that inspired me was Marcella Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cookbook published in 1973. She emphasized local, seasonal ingredients and simple recipe construction that matched the Italian approach to meals of a primo, or first course such as pasta or risotto, followed by a secondo, or second course, usually the protein course consisting of meat, poultry or fish, with a contorno, or side dish like a cooked vegetable or salad.

While I followed Marcella’s recipes and loved the food, it was only while visiting Italy that I realized what Italian cuisine is all about. In Italy the past is a part of the present. They have a long culture stretching back for centuries, and for much of those years Italy was a series of towns and valleys that developed regional traditions and recipes based on what was locally available. In their food, their art, their way of life, they honor past traditions while carrying forward recipes and food preparation techniques that are rooted to the land and the sea. Everywhere one travels in Italy, small gardens and backyard food raising operations are common. Game is still a source of local recipes and local fish proliferate, both fresh and salt water, depending on the region. Many people forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms, and all the good truffle grounds are long ago spoken for.

One goes to the market every day, not a supermarket, but to the bread store, the fruits and vegetable store, the butcher’s or fishmonger’s or pasta maker’s store. One purchases items that are “nostrano” which literally means “local,” but is derived from “nostro” or “ours.” I always shopped as early as possible, as Italians are looking for the best of whatever is offered, so the earlier one arrives, the better chance of finding something truly unique.

Pride in local products is central to the Italian experience, so if you get a chance to visit there, do so, and enjoy the different pace of life as well as the truly delicious food that literally is everywhere.

There are lots of recipes for Sauce Bol0gnese, but here's one I've been using lately, an adaptation of a recipe by Anne Burrell, with whom I cooked in New York city.

Sauce Bolognese

* 1 large onion or 2 small, cut into 1-inch dice
* 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
* 4 cloves garlic
* Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
* Kosher salt
* 3 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination
* 2 cups tomato paste
* 3 cups hearty red wine
* Water
* 2 cups milk
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
* 1 pound spaghetti
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.

Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time. Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. About 1 1/2 hours before the end, add the milk in place of the water. The last 30 minutes add the cream.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. Salty as the ocean! TASTE IT! If your pasta water is under seasoned it doesn't matter how good your sauce is, your complete dish will always taste under seasoned. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve.

Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

A summer classic is basil pesto. While I made some pesto with store bought basil, because it does give us a hint of spring when we eat it, I believe that the summer basil that we grow in our garden, coupled with our own garlic, makes a better sauce. The recipe is the same for winter or summer basil.

Pesto

3 cups fresh basil (2 to 2.5 oz)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
2-3 tablespoons Percorino Romano cheese, grated

Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree the basil and other ingredients and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a slurry develops. Remove the slurry to a boil and stir in the cheeses to thicken the sauce. If not using right away, place in a small bowl and cover completely with olive oil so the pesto retains in bright green color. Otherwise it will turn black on the top. When ready to use, stir in the oil and spoon over pasta, use on a sandwich or whatever.

Winter Salads

I know it’s the middle of the winter and having a salad with supper poses a problem for guys like me who want to keep their dietary intake to local foods. However, in an attempt to control our weight and eat healthy during this season when we tend to be less active outside, we eat more green salads and less starches like potato or pasta with whatever protein we are having.

High quality supermarkets like the Hanover Cooperative Society carry numerous types of lettuces, most being imported from California right now. A recent trip to the market revealed green and red leaf lettuces, Boston or Bibb lettuce, romaine, endive, radicchio, watercress, arugula, baby spinach, mache or lamb’s lettuce, iceberg, escarole, mesclun, and curly endive or chicory. Sometimes they have frisee, also, and while I like them all, this time of year I prefer the heartier Boston, escarole, romaine, radicchio and endive.

I use Boston lettuce on my sandwiches I take to work, and in salads combine it with some crunchy chopped romaine, which contains both green and white leaves, and bitter chopped radicchio and endive with their red and white colors. You can add other salad ingredients like cucumbers, grated carrots, tomatoes and the like, but we usually just add some toasted pumpkin seeds, grated cheese, perhaps some left over bacon, crumbled, or sauted onion which has been allowed to cool. We’re also partial to Caesar salad, which is just romaine, home-made garlic croutons, grated or slivered Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with home-made Caesar dressing.

I recommend you make your own salad dressings versus what you can purchase at the grocery store. I counted 18 different salad dressings at the Coop, and only two didn’t include some industrial food additive of one kind or another. The major national brands like Kraft and Wishbone were laden with multiple additives with high fructose corn syrup being the number one ingredient in many of their dressings. Only two dressings contained no additives, and popular brands like Annie’s, Drew’s and Newman’s only included xanthan gum, a polysaccharide used to promote viscosity, in small amounts,

While I will admit that I have a bottle of Annie’s Golden Goddess dressing in my refrigerator, I prefer to not ingest food additives of any kind, so I almost always make a dressing for our salads. There are two types of salad dressings, vinaigrettes and those based on mayonnaise, unless you just want to splash on a little extra-virgin olive oil and some good red wine vinegar with a dash of salt and pepper.

Vinaigrettes are a combination of olive oil and vinegar, usually in a proportion of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. The oil is slowly added to the vinegar while whisking until an emulsion is formed. While this emulsion will be temporary, if you add a small amount of Dijon mustard, the emulsion will last longer and it adds a nice sharpness to the results. Fresh herbs can be added as well as salt and pepper.

A Caesar dressing can be made by hand or in a food processor. Caesar dressing is made with raw eggs, however one can place the raw eggs in boiling water for 1 minute to kill any salmonella bacteria, if you are not sure of your egg’s origin.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tbl brown sugar or maple syrup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 cup blended oil
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

If making by hand, add mustard to minced garlic & shallots, whisk in the balsamic vinegar and slowly whisk in the oils to form an emulsion. Season with salt & pepper, adding brown sugar or maple syrup to taste.
Or,if using a food processor
grind garlic and shallots in food processor. Add mustard and with the machine running pour in the balsamic vinegar. Slowly drizzle in each oil in turn to form an emulsion. Add the brown sugar or maple syrup to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Caesar Salad Dressing

1 egg yolk
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
A handful of Parmesan cheese
6 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup blended oil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8-1/4 cup water
salt &pepper

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Parmesan, anchovies and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Turn on the machine and slowly drizzle in the oils. As the mixture gets thick, thin out with the water to desired consistency. Season with salt as needed, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Garlic, Parmesan Croutons

Take some left over bread, remove the crusts, and cut it into 1/2" cubes. Place in a large bowl and pour some extra-virgin olive oil over them. Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt and pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together well.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour croutons out onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
Place in top third of the preheated oven. Toss croutons with a spatula every 5 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious all over.
Store at room temperature in a covered container.