Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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It’s the holidays, right? We still have time to sneak in a few indulgences? Good, just the excuse I need for these creamy garnet sweet potatoes splashed with smoky bourbon. Funny thing is, if you looked in our liquor cabinet, you would find all sorts of wonderful things to drink—vermouth, marsala, madeira, rum, calvados, JD, Maker’s Mark—yet nobody in our family actually drinks anything beyond an occasional glass of wine or beer. Or maybe a small glass of sherry or port. All those high octane bottles are for use in cooking, including the bourbon. I love the taste of bourbon, with its slightly smoky edge. But I’m a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, so only use it for flavoring something wonderful, like chocolate bourbon cake, a New Orleans bread pudding, or these sweet potatoes.

For those of you who avoid alcohol in cooking, I’m afraid this recipe is not for you. Obviously you can easily make the mashed sweet potatoes without the bourbon; it will be great, just add some nutmeg and cinnamon to spice it up a bit. I did experiment with reducing the alcohol content in this recipe by boiling the bourbon first, to accelerate the evaporation, but while the alcohol was reduced, so was the taste of the bourbon. So if you want the wonderful note that the bourbon provides, you’ll just have to add it as is.

3 pounds garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunksSalt3 to 4 Tbsp of bourbon whisky4 Tbsp butter (more or less to taste)4 Tbsp brown sugar (more or less to taste)2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 Place the sweet potato chunks in a large (5 quart) pot, cover with water.  Add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil.  Cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

2 Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and return them to the pot on the stove. Lower the heat to low. Add the bourbon and the butter to the pot and stir. Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and stir.  Mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Add more salt, bourbon, butter, and brown sugar to taste.

Yield: Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Indexed: Bourbon, Sweet Potato, Vegetables

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Pork Stir Fry with Green Onion

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Don’t you love a good stir-fry? Years ago I had this big wok with wooden handles, well seasoned, in spite of a housemate’s attempt one day to scour off all of the pan’s beautiful black seasoning I had worked so hard to create. I don’t know what eventually became of that wok; these days I’m loving my friend Jaden’s non-stick enamel cast iron wok. It does a great job with high heat, it’s stick-free and I don’t have to worry about it rusting. The good thing about stir-fries is that you don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to have a perfectly presentable dish. All you need is a pan and a cooking oil that can take high heat. Woks work well for this, as do large pans of cast iron or hard anodized aluminum.

The following stir-fried pork recipe couldn’t be easier. All you need is lean pork, some green onions, and garlic. You marinate thin strips of pork first in a mixture of soy sauce, a little sugar, and corn starch. The corn starch marinade is a useful trick to help keep the pork from drying out when it gets cooked on that high heat. The sugar is just enough to create some caramelization for added flavor. Consider this recipe a base for experimentation, though it is satisfying enough, unadorned. You could easily add some chile to the hot oil, or ginger, red bell pepper, mushrooms, or water chestnuts to the pork. Sprinkle on some fresh cilantro or toasted sesame seeds for a garnish too if you would like. The base recipe is adapted from one in The Cultural Revolution Cookbook by Sasha Gong and Scott Seligman.

You can substitute the green onions with Chinese chives (much thicker than regular chives), if available. If you want to spice this up a bit, add some chile pepper flakes to the hot oil with the garlic, and/or add some minced fresh ginger with the pork.

1 pound pork loin or boneless pork chops2 Tbsp soy sauce1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon corn starch4 Tbsp peanut oil or other high smoke point oil (canola, rice bran, or grape seed)5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced8-12 scallions/green onions, sliced diagonally into 1 to 2-inch pieces, green and white parts included1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

1 Pork chops tend to come in thicknesses either around 1/2 inch thick or an inch thick. If you are working with a thick boneless pork chop, start by slicing it into two thin layers, horizontally.  If starting with pork loin, cut slices 1/2 inch thick.  Put the slices under some plastic wrap or wax paper and pound them thin with a rubber mallet, meat mallet or even an empty wine bottle. This will help tenderize the meat. The slices should be about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the pork against the grain into thin strips, about 1 1/2 inches long.

2 Put the soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch into a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the pork strips to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat completely. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.

3 Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) add the garlic slices and stir-fry until they begin to turn brown at the edges, about 30 seconds. Add the pork strips and stir-fry until the pork changes color, about 90 seconds, stirring constantly.

4 Add the sliced green onions and continue to stir-fry for another minute, or until the green onions wilt. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil, if using.

Serve immediately. Serve alone, or with rice.

Yield: Serves 4.

Indexed: Green Onion, Onion, Pork

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Hoppin’ John

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From the recipe archive, first posted 2010. Happy New Year! ~Elise

This was the year I fell in love with black eyed peas. (The food. Already loved the band.) They have a wonderful flavor, almost smoky, even without bacon or ham. Earlier this last summer we put them in a salad with feta and spinach. So so good.

The dish that black eyed peas are most famous for is Hoppin’ John. No idea where the name came from. And depending on where you are from you might not even call it that, but simply black eyed peas and rice. Hoppin’ John is one of those classic Southern dishes that come with as many versions, stories and flavors as there are cooks. At its core, however, Hoppin’ John is rice, black-eyed peas (or field peas), smoked pork, and onions. Black eyed peas are supposed to bring you luck if you eat them on New Year’s Day, and it is traditionally eaten with collard greens.

So, for this new year, I offer you a hot plate of Hoppin’ John. May we all enjoy its good luck. Happy New Year!

Note that many things may affect the cooking times of the peas. They could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to cook to tenderness, depending on their age, where they were grown, the water you are using.

1/3 pound bacon, or 1 ham hock plus 2 Tbsp oil1 celery stalk, diced1 small yellow onion, diced1 small green pepper, diced2 garlic cloves, minced1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas, about 2 cups1 bay leaf2 teaspoons dried thyme1 heaping teaspoon Cajun seasoningSalt2 cups long-grain riceScallions or green onions for garnish

1 If you are using bacon, cut it into small pieces and cook it slowly in a medium pot over medium-low heat. If you are using a ham hock, heat the oil in the pot. Once the bacon is crispy (or the oil is hot), increase the heat to medium-high and add the celery, onion, and green pepper and sauté until they begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

2 Add the black-eyed peas, bay leaf, thyme and Cajun seasoning and cover with 4 cups of water. If you are using the ham hock, add it to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes to an hour, or longer if needed, until the peas are tender (not mushy).

3 While the black-eyed peas are cooking, cook the rice separately according to package instructions.

4 When the peas are tender, strain out the remaining cooking water. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the peas for salt and add more if needed. If using a ham hock, remove it from the pot, pull off the meat, and return the meat to the pot.

Serve the dish either by placing a ladle-full of black-eyed peas over steamed rice, or by mixing the two together in a large bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve with collard greens, kale, beet or turnip greens.

Yield: Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Indexed: Bean, Black Eyed Peas, Rice, Rice and Beans, Vegetables

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Salmon with Fennel Baked in Parchment

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Have you ever baked salmon in parchment paper? It can look somewhat fancy and intimidating, but I assure you, it’s crazy easy to do. The fillets basically steam in their own juices, which are all contained in the parchment pouch. Preparing these salmon fillets takes just 30 minutes, including cooking time. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil. The cool thing about the paper is that it’s pretty, and you can even serve the salmon in the parchment pouches, letting the diners unwrap them on their plates.

This salmon with fennel baked in parchment is a classic French dish—saumon au fenouil en papillotte. Place a salmon fillet over thinly sliced fennel on parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, lemon juice or white wine, top with lemon slices, fennel fronds and butter, wrap in the parchment, and bake. That’s it! The sealing of the parchment paper so that it doesn’t come apart may seem intimidating, but it’s a lot easier than it looks. Added bonus? None of the salmon odors that can overwhelm a kitchen after cooking salmon on the stovetop. Everything that escapes the salmon while it cooks, stays within the parchment pouch. What’s your favorite food to cook “en papillote”? Please let us know in the comments.

You can use dry white wine instead of, or in addition to, the lemon juice.

1 fennel bulb, sliced paper thin (a mandoline helps for this)4 6-ounce portions of fresh salmon fillets (skinless is best)Kosher saltFreshly ground black pepperLemon juice (to taste)12 very thin slices of whole lemon (from 1 to 2 lemons)Several sprigs of fresh fennel fronds2 Tbsp butter4 12x18-inch pieces of parchment paper (can sub aluminum foil if you don't have parchment paper)

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2 Lay down a square of parchment paper on a flat surface. Fold the parchment in half to create a crease, then open it up again. Place several slices of fennel bulb below the crease of the parchment paper in a mound, and sprinkle with salt. Place one fillet of salmon on top of the fennel bulb slices. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the salmon (anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon, or to taste). Sprinkle the salmon generously with salt and pepper. Lay sprigs of fennel fronds over the salmon. Lay 3 thin slices of lemon over the fennel fronds and salmon (more if you want). Or you could put the lemon sliced down first and top with the fronds, your choice. I think the slices on top look better. Dot the top with butter.

3 Fold the parchment over the salmon and secure close. There are several way that you can accomplish this. One easy and particularly attractive way is to fold a corner near the folded edge of the parchment paper into a triangle. Then about halfway down that triangle, fold another triangle over the previous triangle.  Working down and around the parchment edges, you can create folds all around the edges. When you come to the last folded edge, tuck the corner under the parchment.  There is an excellent video available that shows this technique here: How to Wrap Fish in Parchment. This technique works well with individual portions.

You may find it easier to wrap a large (multi serving) fillet in the following way. Arrange the fillet so that its long side is facing you, and the two shorter ends are to the left and right. Then lift up the parchment edges closest to you, and furthest from you, bring them together, and fold them over a few times.  Then tuck the left and right edges under the fillet.  

4 Place on a roasting pan or baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Serve immediately. To serve, you can either carefully transfer each salmon fillet and mound of fennel slices to individual plates, or you can serve the salmon in the pouch itself, on a plate. To eat, you can either unwrap the pouch, or cut through the top with a sharp knife to expose the salmon inside.

Yield: Serves 4.

Indexed: Fennel, Salmon

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Salmon Mousse

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From the recipe archive. First posted in 2003.

Remember those retro fish molds? I have two of them, both of which I have used to make this salmon mousse over the years. But try as I may, it’s almost impossible to make salmon mousse in a fish mold look good. These days I take the easy way and just pour the mousse mixture into serving bowls, chill until set, and serve. This doesn’t mean the fish molds are retired, I just have to be up for a decorating challenge if I use them again. In any case, this is an easy-to-make, delicious salmon mousse, not too rich, and quite flavorful. The recipe comes from my friend Tina Seelig’s book The Epicurean Laboratory, now long out of print (but a great book if you can get a hold of a used copy.) This mousse was presented to a flock of teenagers who hungrily ate it up with loud exclamations of “This is GREAT!”

You can either pour the salmon mousse mixture into a mold, and then chill it and un-mold it when set, or you can pour the salmon mousse mixture into crocks, tureens, or attractive bowls and serve it as is.

1 lb freshly cooked or canned boneless salmon1/2 cup diced celery1/2 cup diced green pepper1/4 cup finely chopped onion3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill1/2 cup mayonnaise1/2 cup plain yogurt1 8 oz package of cream cheese1 can concentrated tomato soup or 8 ounces of puréed tomato sauceTabasco sauce3 Tbsp lemon juice3/4 cup cold water4 teaspoons (2 envelopes) unflavored, unsweetened gelatinOne greased or stick-free 6 cup mold, or a few serving bowls.

1 In a bowl, mix salmon, celery, green pepper, onion, dill, mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice.

2 In a saucespan, melt the cream cheese. Add the tomato soup or tomato sauce and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce. Pour the cream cheese and tomato soup mixture into the salmon mixture and mix thoroughly.

3 Pour the cold water into a small pot and stir in the gelatin. Be sure to use cold water. Gelatin needs this to disperse properly. Slowly heat the water and gelatin just until the gelatin dissoves. Do not boil the gelatin or it will not gel properly. Add the dissolved gelatin to the salmon mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into a decorative mold or into serving bowls and refrigerate for 6 hours, or until firm.

4  If using a decorative mold, unmold the salmon mousse by placing the bottom of the mold in hot water for a few seconds and turn the mold over onto a large serving dish to release the mousse. The surface of the mousse may appear a bit ragged. If you cover with plastic wrap and re-chill in the refrigerator, it should become more smooth.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve salmon mousse with sliced avocados, celery sticks, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, olives, slices of baguette, and/or crackers.

Yield: Serves 12 as an appetizer.

Indexed: Fish, Fish and Seafood, Salmon, Seafood

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Chicken Noodle Soup

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Is there anything more comforting than homemade chicken noodle soup? Perfect for cold weather, and especially good if you are fighting off a cold or flu. There are probably as many ways of making chicken noodle soup as there are moms who make it. The key is the stock, homemade from bones. The iron rich gelatin from the bone marrow is good for you, and one of the reasons why homemade chicken stock is so beneficial. If you don’t already have a cache of homemade chicken stock, the following is a recipe for making the entire soup from scratch, starting with a whole chicken, parted out. This recipe makes an especially clean tasting soup with a rich, clear broth, and plenty of noodles.

A few points about the method. First, we separate the meat we plan on using in the finished soup from the bones and meat we will use for the stock. The last thing we want to do is dry out the chicken meat we plan on eating by cooking if for a couple hours.

Second, we parboil the stock meat and bones, at high rolling boil, for 5 minutes, then discard the boiling water. This hard boil forces the scum to the surface all in one go. This is a technique I use for making stock from chicken feet, and helps produce a clear, clean broth.

Finally, I chop up the raw chicken breast and thigh meat and return it to the soup near the end of cooking, to be lightly poached in the soup broth. You could also cook these pieces whole, in the broth, and remove them after 15 minutes of cooking or so, cool them and shred them to be added at service. My friend Jaden cooks the chicken this way in her Vietnamese chicken noodle soup.

That’s it, hope you like it, eat and be well!

One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into parts—breast, thighs, backs, wings and neck (if available)5 carrots (2 carrots scrubbed clean, but not peeled, cut into 2 inch chunks for the stock, 3 carrots peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds for the soup)5 ribs of celery (2 ribs cut into 2 inch pieces for the stock, 3 ribs cut into 1/4-inch thick slices for the soup), including celery tops for the stock1 onion, quartered (for stock, peel on is okay)3 cloves of garlic, peel on, cut in half2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or a teaspoon of dried)1 bunch of parsley5 whole peppercornsSalt8 to 12 ounces of  egg noodles (depending on how noodle-y you want your soup)Freshly ground black pepper

1 Remove the breast meat from the breast bones, and the thigh meat from the thigh bone, place in a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator until needed towards the end of preparing the soup. Discard the breast and thigh skin. Remove and discard excess fat from chicken pieces. Place breast and thigh bones, the back, leg, neck, and wings in a large (8 quart) pot. Cover with water. Bring to a full rolling boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, skimming away and discarding the scum that comes to the surface. After 5 minutes, remove from heat, drain off the water, rinse the bones and the pot.

2 Return the now parboiled bones to the clean pot.  Add a couple carrots and a couple celery ribs, each cut into 2 inch chunks, and some celery tops if you have them, to the pot with the chicken. (Fennel tops or leek greens can be added too, if you have them.) Add the quartered onion, garlic cloves, thyme, one-half of the parsley, and the peppercorns to the pot.  Cover with an inch or two of water (about 3 quarts).  Bring to a low simmer (about 185°F) and let simmer (the stock should be just barely bubbling), partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

3 At the end of 1 1/2 hours strain out the bones and vegetables, reserving the stock. If you want, set aside and strip the bones of any remaining meat. After parboiling and 1 1/2 hours of cooking the meat will be rather dry and tasteless, though you can use it in a chicken salad.  Rinse out the pot and return the stock to the pot.

 4 Taste the stock. It should be rather bland because up to now, no salt has been added. Add salt to taste. As a guideline, for 3 quarts of stock, start with 2 tablespoons of salt.

5 Add the sliced carrots and celery to the stock, bring to a simmer.  Cut the chicken breast and thigh meat into bite-sized pieces.  Add to the pot with the carrots, celery, and stock.  Add the egg noodles and return to a simmer. Note that the noodles will expand substantially in the soup broth as they cook. Simmer for until the egg noodles are just barely cooked through, al dente (about 5 minutes or so, depending on your package of noodles), and the chicken is just cooked through. Stir in a handful of chopped fresh parsley.

Add freshly ground black pepper, more thyme, and more salt to taste.

Yield: Makes about 3 quarts of soup.

Indexed: Chicken, Chicken Soup, Egg Noodles

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