Ars Culinaria

“Reality” TV and the single girl

victoria — October 4, 2007 — Leave a comment

I was pulling for Casey to win the Top Chef finale, because I wanted to see a woman win the money and the title and the bragging rights. After she choked on the final challenge and having seen Dale’s amazing looking dishes and hearing his wherefore and why he had applied to be on the show, I really wanted him to win. I was rooting for the “big gay chef” (to borrow his own words).

I have often said that the real downside of this program is that we can’t actually taste the food and we only see the dynamics of how they interact through the “vision” of editing. Though Hung came across as, frankly, an inconsiderate shit, it was clear from the beginning that he had skills and though I didn’t agree that we never saw his personality in his food, I thought he lacked some of the fire of some of the other contestants. Though he was my last choice of the final three, it is equally nice to see him win as compared to another “white guy” chef. I started to say hetero, but I honestly don’t know about Ilan, or Harold for that matter. Looking at my students they are not overwhelmingly men, or overwhelmingly white. When I worked at Hotel Chi Chi, white males were definitely in the minority even in the F&B-side management. But still, the majority of chefs we see that are recognizable to, for lack of a better term, non-culinary professionals seem to be mostly white males (the Food Network stable of women cooks, I think, isn’t the same as chefs).

I don’t lose sleep over this, but I think Top Chef tends to throw it into relief by the numbers being roughly even at the beginning and 1 in 4 toward the end. I don’t think it’s a sign that women aren’t as good as chefs, I think the amazing women currently working in the industry is proof enough of that. I don’t even think that it goes to some outdated notion that women aren’t as competitive as men. I don’t honestly know what I think it means, but it’s intriguing and a little worrying for some reason. Worrying mostly because I think shows like this, that appeal to amateurs and professionals alike, may have an impact on perceptions about the industry and about the people in it and I don’t think the women come across as well if in all three seasons the final four has been one woman and three guys (gay or straight).

I am hopeful there will be a season four, and no I am absolutely not interested, that isn’t remotely something in which I want to participate. I’ll be rallying for a competent woman to kick some cheffy ass. And, I do hope they bring back Padma. Whatever the internet buzz on her on-set shenanigans or lack of talent, I think she’s interesting, she seems to have a palate, can cook in her own right, and she is drop dead gorgeous. I also hope we will get to see more of Ted Allen next time (as Queer Eye is ending) and Anthony Bourdain should be on at least every other week. His comments always steal the show.

All in all, despite me burnout on reality TV, I think Top Chef is the best of a mostly bad bunch, but I would still rather see some solidly written dramas, comedies, documentaries, whatever, slide into the time slots of these shows as a whole. I doubt that is going to happen any time soon as they are so much cheaper to produce than something with a decent script and some competent actors.

In reviews

A little sump’n, sump’n with some punkin

victoria — September 30, 2007 — Leave a comment

Okay. That was twee even by my skewed standards, but alas I cannot resist the kitsch.

I have finally seen the other side of whatever germs Keifel brought home last week and am back on schedule. Tomorrow in my class, where I am actually teaching cooking not just restaurant management, we are covering spices and making chili, my dad’s chili to be exact, and some pumpkin curry. The chili doesn’t actually have that many spices in, it being kind of purist, comparatively.

The pumpkin curry had a dry run and I have a few words of advice to go along. Use only starchy not waxy spuds. They need to soften into the curry to be good. Also get a pie pumpkin of some size because once you get the stem and the seeds and the peel off… there isn’t much left if it’s a teeny one and they can be stringy if they are too small. Trust me on this one.

Pumpkin Curry

1 pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes (halve, scoop and nuke 2-3 minutes to soften to peel)
1/8 cup tightly packed dried tamarind pods
1 cup very hot water
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoon nigella or onion seeds
¼ teaspoon aniseed
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Wash the pumpkin cubes and drain well. Soak the tamarind pods in the hot water for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pods, reserving the liquid, and extract the pulp by mashing in a bowl with the back of a spoon. Strain to remove seeds and string.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek, nigella seeds, and aniseed and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the potato chunks and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the pumpkin cubes, stir well and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the chili powder, turmeric, coriander, sugar and salt to taste, and continue cooking for 5-6 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp and some of the reserved liquid, to taste, then cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.

Note: If dried tamarind pods or pulp are not available, substitute 1 tablespoon molasses and 3 tablespoons lime juice mixed together.

In culinary classes, recipes

As summer winds to a close, a girl’s thoughts turn to the smell of

victoria — September 20, 2007 — 1 Comment

fallen leaves, freshly sharpened pencils and making Mollie Katzen’s gypsy soup.

My thoughts also turn philosophical. My thoughts lately have been about the consequences of raising a food snob and the old adage of “those who can do; those who can’t teach.”

On the first subject, Julian’s birthday falls in the early part of this month and when asked this year what he wanted to do for his birthday he decidedly did not give any of the standard boy pre-teen answers. There was no discussion of paint ball, laser tag, pizza blow out, bowling… nothing so common. For his birthday Julian decided he wanted to go to Zola for a birthday dinner. His rational for such an adult birthday celebration was that Keifel and I go for our anniversary and sometimes for one of our birthdays and he had never gotten to go with us. We invited some of our friends, I think rightly assuming that his posse wouldn’t be up for seared tuna on black rice and coffee caramel creme bruleé. I, of course, could be underestimating his friends’ tastes but I am going with my gut here and saying most kids Julian’s age probably wouldn’t feel real excitement when presented with a piece of mostly raw sashimi grade tuna.

I am incredibly happy that Julian doesn’t clamor to go to McDonald’s or Burger King. I am happy that he knows that hydrogenated fat and HFCS are really bad for your body. I am happy that he will eat a well-dressed salad without too much cajoling and that he has vegetables he does actually enjoying eating and that he will eat almost any fruit presented in some form or another. He loves sushi and pork belly and smoky exotic sausages. He likes seltzer with cassis syrup and would take an Italian soda over a Coke. Boy has expensive tastes to be so young. I realize college is going to be a wake up call into the myriad way one can prepare beans and rice and (god, I really hope not) ramen. I also worry a little because loving good food has made my ass more than a size or two larger than it should be for optimum health. Along with his taste we are trying to instill “all things in moderation,” enjoyment and balance. I would wish that he not have a lifelong struggle with weight and body issues.

In the second area of brain pan spinning, I am thinking about my effectiveness and success (or lack thereof) in teaching. I still feel like I am getting my feet under me and that I don’t have it all together. I feel like I might be boring some of my students and worry about making sure they leave my class with not only more than they came with but a real understanding of the subject. I think on some level I also worry that I just don’t have enough years slogged on the line to really tell them what that world is like. I am going to try some different ways of presenting the lecture and see what works for me and for them. I am also going to think about some ways to do some different things in class that engage them in some more meaningful ways that don’t involve me jabbering for an hour and a half.

I agreed to teach another class this week at another culinary school and have some real prep to put into that and getting familiar with their curriculum and expectations. And just getting familiar with the campus and facilities. It’s pretty excited, actually I’m excited to be teaching and feeling my way through this. It’s a little overwhelming, too. I guess on some level I just want to be good enough to be trusted with what small part of their academic life I am overseeing and not messing them up for the next level. That’s a pretty huge thing to wake up to every day.

In culinary school, dining experiences

Having something to say and not having words; or

victoria — August 14, 2007 — 2 Comments

Having nothing to say and no words.

Classes at the Pannery and Swedish Chefs have been going apace. I’m relatively happy but confused by my restlessness. I got an adjunct position for the fall (Yay!). But I don’t have much to say. It seems like the more I cook for others out in the big world the less I want to do anything at home involving food, which seems to include the blog of late.

Franka at Can Cook Must Cook seems to be having the same problem and as she gets paid to write, it is somewhat comforting. I thought I would have all manner of exciting things to talk about in our farm share CSA box but it has been so hot and dry this summer the pickings have been very slim and even I can’t eat two gallon bags of bitter greens a week or find something to make them interesting enough for me to eat by myself. Although the pie I made was tasty, Keifel and the Julian didn’t like it because they don’t like greens. I did make a Caprese salad with some of our tomatoes that was amazing. Love, love, love the fresh mozzarella and not having to actually cook anything when it is 100+ outside.

Victoria’s Greens, Lotsa Greens Pie
1 recipe for a double crust pie (especially the one made with oil from the 1940s Good Housekeeping)
a good glug of olive oil
1 small onion chopped fine
3 or 4 smashed cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 leftover raw bison burger pattie
Salt and pepper to taste
2 gallon bags of mixed bitter greens, washed and thick stems removed
1 tablespoon flour
a good glug of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup left over white wine, chicken stock or water
Handful of grated Parmesan, Grana Padano, Feta or what have you
1 large very ripe tomato
1 egg

Make the pie crust and line a round stone baker (mine came from Pampered Chef) with a little more than half the pie crust. You could also use a relatively deep pie plate.

In a very large sauté heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, add the red pepper and sauté another 20 seconds. Crumble in the bison burger and season the mixture with salt and pepper; cook until browned. Add the greens and sauté down until all is wilted but still fairly green. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring to mix in. Add the vinegar and wine or chicken stock or water and cook just until the juices thicken a little.

Allow mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and fill the pastry-lined baker with the greens mixture. Seed and slice the tomato fairly thinly and lay over the filling. Top with remaining pastry and crimp the edges together and make three or four slits in the top for steam. Make an egg wash with the egg and 1 tablespoon of water whisked together. Brush over the top crust to help it brown. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers and eat cold or reheat for 25-45 seconds in the microwave (though the crust will go a little soft).

In CSA, culinary classes, dining in, recipes

Potpourri, or more aptly, Mulligatawny

victoria — July 18, 2007 — 1 Comment

I have some pictures I took that I wanted to include in the blog and just haven’t gotten around to it. So here is a mish mash of the Foodieporn/Ars Culinaria summer experience.

We took a little vacation the week of the Fourth and went to Des Moines to see some old friends with a newish (she turned two while we were there) pumpkin whom we had not yet met (I know, bad friends we are, but Iowa is far). While we were there O and I went to the justly famous Des Moines farmers’ market. Such beautiful produce and organic meats and breads and all kinds of goodies.

I bought an herbed lemonade and some Raspberry Chipotle Sauce from this stand.

I bought amazing pecan raisin bread from here.

In my journey I also bought some Dutch letters (big, cinnamon filled S cookies), some plain chevre and something else that escapes me at the moment. If you get the chance to go, go. It is big (several blocks) and there’s everything from cut flowers to lamb chops. Seeing friends and this market made driving through corn for 6 hours so worth

***
We got another new digital camera which Keifel was playing with and took these shots of my dinner a few weeks ago. It’s just a Boca burger on a toasted bun with lettuce and tomato and grainy mustard.

There is almost something sinisterly shiny about this one… too much flash.

***

And finally, a shot of our basket two weeks ago. This week we got tomatoes and cucumber. Lovely.

In Uncategorized

Sometimes you just need to write*

victoria — June 19, 2007 — 3 Comments

I suspect this is true of most writers, whatever the medium. And though I am tentative of calling myself a writer as I do believe that “writers write” and, let’s be honest, I haven’t been doing much of that of late. I have embarked upon what could be a long project within the confines of my chosen professions and am hopeful that it will be the thing to prime the pump and get the things that have languished in drawers and the deep memory of this and previous computers out into the light of day again. I doubt, at this point, that I will ever return to writing poetry. There seems to have been some fundamental shift in how I view the world and in how I want to talk about it and poetry isn’t the form that comes to mind when I do sit down with a pen or a keyboard. I am a little sad about it and still fond (unbelievable, I know) of poems that I have written in the past. They do, however, feel very past and that brings me to my current project.

What started all of this today was puttering around my kitchen making coffee this morning. I would like to say that I do that every day as well, but lately I have been out the door before I had time to make the coffee and I am out of filters for the Chemex, my preferred caffeine delivery system, which requires a special trip to Hillsboro village and the one shop in Nashville that stocks the filters.

This morning it was raining. And what a wonderful thing that is. Our CSA box has been skinny with the heat and the drought and to know that rain is falling all over the mid-state makes me very happy. It also made me want to sleep in and putter this morning. Hence the digging out of the French press which was my one-time favorite and is now kept for Ms. Janet’s visits and caffeine emergencies. I filled the grinder with beans and changed the setting for the coarser grind, put the kettle on to boil and read a few pages of The Bee Keeper’s Apprentice. I had forgotten how very satisfying the ritual of the French press can be and seemed to enjoy my coffee just a bit more this morning.

In the midst of all this, it occurred to me yet again how much I enjoy the very simplest things about my new kitchen and our new house. There is, most of all, room to putter which compared to the increasingly claustrophobic confines of the duplex is remarkable all by itself. But the thing that makes me most content is the light. Even on a rainy morning, I don’t need to turn on the overhead light, there is plenty from the windows and that lack of artificial light makes everything seem quieter. The quiet of watery sunlight and the sound of my own feet padding about on a softly worn wooden floor, that to me is a small slice of paradise, marred, sadly, by the absence of the boychild and the husband. I am not knocking solitude by any means and I do welcome it, but this morning I missed them both.

All of that, which I suppose are really small things, lead me here to write something, anything, before leaving to run errands and make preparations for my cooking class at the Pannery this evening. So perhaps, it is not a far fetched thing for me to at least refer to myself in my own mind as a writer, as long as that impulse has the power to intrude on the previously ordered events of a day.

And on a completely different note, I will leave you with one of last night’s recipes from my Cooking with Herbs, Oils and Vinegars class in the ‘boro.

Sesame-Raisin Vinaigrette
adapted from Crescent Dragonwagon’s Soup and Bread

½ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup dark raisins
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup peanut oil
¼ cup toasted (dark) sesame oil

Place all ingredients, except the oils, in the blender and buzz until the raisins are chopped to a dark paste. With the measure cup in the lid out out, allow machine to run and slowly drizzle in both the oils, allowing the vinaigrette to emulsify. The vinaigrette will keep well in the fridge for a couple weeks, if it lasts that long. It is also good added to the mayo for chicken salad or as a sandwich spread, especially with club-type sandwiches. If it separates on standing, give the jar — tighly-lidded of course — a good shake, or if it thickens too much in the fridge, thin it with a little more vinegar.

*Sometimes you also need to edit, girl. There were some bad, bad grammar/agreement type problems. I do know better than to hit publish on a first draft… laziness.

In recipes

Summer is so much busier than I had thought

victoria — June 16, 2007 — Leave a comment

In fact I seem to be up to my eyeballs — writing lectures, going to the grocery four times a week for classes and for us, ferrying the child hither and yon. But it’s a happy busy and when I get a longer minute I will catch up with the blog. Sorry for the bumpiness of late.

In Uncategorized

CSA box goodies, part 1

victoria — May 24, 2007 — 1 Comment

It has taken me until Thursday, I know, but well. We were in Atlanta over the weekend and then I had the flu, or some brief horrible thing that acted as if it might be the flu and, well, it is difficult to cook when one feels as though one’s large muscle groups are be wrung out like a wet dishrag. So, tonight we really got down to the goodies in the box.

Our share for the week consisted of one dozen free-range eggs varying in size from teeny to Jumbo, a dozen radishes, a dozen large spring onions, a gallon bag of mesclun, a gallon bag of collards, and a gallon bag of kale. I nibbled on the mesclun all week. But tonight was the first night we cooked anything from the box. We had two pork tenderloins we’d cooked earlier that Keifel sliced up and stewed briefly just to reheat. I’d rubbed it with a mix of smoked paprika, coriander and cumin before roasting it.

While he worked on the protein, I frenched (doesn’t that sound salacious?) an onion and sautéed it in some olive oil with three fat cloves of garlic, chopped fine, until the onions were translucent. I sprinkled over about a half teaspoon of salt and deglazed the small bit of browned goodness with some white wine. I put the kale in first and let it wilt down enough to add the collards and let both wilt down enough to stir. Then just let it cook until it was still a pretty, bright green and tender. I hate bitter greens cooked to mush, but I also hate chewy collards. These were young and tender enough that you could almost eat them pleasantly raw, but not quite.

Sautéed onions and kale waiting for their close up before the collards join the party

I will be better next week about actually taking a picture of what comes in the box. Or at least I’ll try.

In CSA, dining in, recipes

Two posts in one day. Please, don’t be alarmed

victoria — May 17, 2007 — 2 Comments

I just wanted to report a sighting of new Culinaria books. The Borders in Nashville on West End had Culinaria Germany, France and the one volume European Specialties. I was in a hurry and scanned to see if they had one I didn’t have, so I can’t say what the price was but I can say that they were in the bargain section as you walk in the door. Happy hunting.

In food porn

12 days after the fact… the Cinco de Mayo party spread

victoria — May 17, 2007 — Leave a comment

In order to thoroughly warm our new casa, we had a Cinco de Mayo housewarming/Vic’s culinary school graduation party. We knew we wanted to have the party about a month after we moved and we wanted it to be on Saturday, and it turned out May 5th was the first Saturday in May. My love of themed menus took over and ta da, Cinco de Mayo housewarming party. We were very lucky that my mom stayed on a week after the move. Unpacking in such a short time would definitely not have happened without her and without CSG and J helping me unpack the kitchen that first night.

To celebrate our new digs and the fabulous friends we have, I planned a vegetarian-friendly with carnivorous option menu:

Sugar and spice peanuts
Jícama salad
Guacamole
Green, white and red salsas (tomatillo, chayote with honeydew, and pico)
A giant corn pudding with roasted pablano peppers and serrano ham
Saffron and black bean tamales
BBQ chicken tamales with chipotle crema
Roasted squash salad with green beans
Goat cheese and chorizo quesadillas with carmelized onions
Chocolate and pepita shortbread
Almond cinnamon cookies
Dulce de leche cake
Sangria
A store-bought case of Jarritos sodas in various flavors like tamarind, mango and guava
Friends also brought lots of Mexican beer and lawn chairs to warm up our back yard

Friends from culinary school came and brought goodies as well. M brought a slow cooked pork shoulder and spicy cornbread, both of which were amazing and disappeared quickly. I know Keifel and The Carpenter were really happy to see the pork shoulder.

It appeared a good time was had by all, our house felt absolutely toasty after being warmed by friends near and far. And though I was feeling all over protective of my shiny new floors, clean up was a snap the next day, even outside. We still have two bags of tamales in the freezer and I keep finding little bits of leftovers in the fridge. I haven’t quite perfected the art of not over cooking. In fact, I was still worrying there wouldn’t be enough food right up until people were arriving. Silly me.

Chayote Salsa (adapted from Mark Miller’s Great Salsa Book)
1 chayote squash, peeled and diced
3/4 cup, about 1/4 of a large, honeydew melon, diced
3/4 cup fennel bulb, diced
2 teaspoons fennel frond, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
juice of two limes
pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Combine everything in a non-reactive bowl and chill until ready to serve. This is especially good as an accompaniment for fish but was interesting just with chips. The original recipe also called for some heat in the form of green habanero chile sauce. That or a fresh pepper of your preferred heat would be good. I needed a mild to nothing salsa to go with medium and scorcher salsas.

Goat cheese and chorizo quesdillas waiting for the corn pudding to appear on the hot pad next door