A Taster’s Journey

A couple weeks ago I ran a marathon.  A friend asked me if I eat pasta the night before the big race to carbo-load.  Although I love pasta, I prefer a  baked potato for my pre-race meal because it’s easier for me to digest. Actually I ate a steak, carrots, and a huge baked potato the size of my shoe. As I ate it, it  reminded me of my youth because baked potatoes were a weekly staple in my house. Today I rarely eat a baked potato, but I consume other types of potatoes at least three times a week. I love potatoes.

My favorite potato is a fingerling (or yukon) roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary. So simple, but the essence of the potato screams deliciousness.

For special occasions I am torn between two more decadent potato dishes: scalloped potatoes (sometimes called potatoes gratin) and twice baked potatoes. My mother served scalloped potatoes for festive occasions. Although there are different variations, you basically bake sliced russet potatoes in milk and cream. I add sliced onions and some garlic between the potato slices, but it’s the cream that makes the dish so rich and tasty.

Have you ever made twice baked potatoes? After baking russet potatoes for an hour or so,  scoop the potato out of the skin and mix with butter and sour cream. Put the mixture back in the potato and top with grated parmigiano reggiano and bake for another half hour.

I am crazy about potatoes. I could eat them almost every day, except for boiled potatoes. Did you every eat a boiled potato? It has to be one of the most tasteless and boring dished ever invented.

So, if you had one last meal and it had to include a potato…what potato would you pick?

Tired of the same old side dishes? Potatoes and rice are both great; but using a different starch can help mix things up a bit.

Farro is a grain in the wheat family typically seen in Italian cuisine. It can be added to salads or soups, treated much like barley.  The salad recipe below uses cherry tomatoes, scallions, carrots and feta as the main ingredients; but you can get creative and add any of your favorite vegetables or herbs.

For 4 people…

I cup farro                                                           3 scallions

12 cherry tomatoes, halved                         1/4 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup olive oil                                               1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbs sherry wine vinegar                             1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped

1 tsp dried dill                                                    1/4 cup carrots, diced

1/2 lemon                                                            salt & pepper

Farro salad ingredients

Add 1 cup of farro to 3 cups of water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes; the farro should be tender. Strain the farro and transfer to a mixing bowl then add 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Make a vinaigrette with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the farro while it’s still warm, the liquid will absorb better. Chop tomatoes, scallions, carrots, and chives and add to the farro with small chunks of feta cheese. Cover the salad and put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.

Farro salad

Prior to serving, taste for seasoning. The salad will probably need salt. If it also needs a touch more zing, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Serve at room temperature. The other night I had farro salad with grilled lamb and roasted asparagus; it was great.

Are there any other ingredients that you would add to a farro salad?

Simple, elegant, and tasty are three words to describe a “home run” meal. I know several people that enjoy fish, but never cook it for themselves. They say that fish from a good restaurant is usually accompanied by a delicious sauce, while at home it’s bland and uninteresting. I hope this recipe will inspire you to try again. Note that I made this recipe with Grouper because it was the freshest fillet at my fish monger, however feel free to substitute snapper, sole, flounder, or any other fillet.

For four people…

2 lbs. grouper fillet                                      1/2 cup creme fraiche

1 tbs. grainy mustard                                  1/2 lemon

2 tbs. capers                                                    2 tbs. fresh dill

4 tbs. Dijon mustard                                     2 tbs. minced shallots

Preheat the oven at 425 degrees. Place the fillets in a baking pan. In a bowl, mix the creme fraiche, mustards, lemon, capers and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the top of the fish. Using a scissor, snip fresh dill over each fillet. Bake for about 15 minutes (10 minutes  if using very thin fillets), the top will turn light brown.

Serve hot with your favorite wine.

The fruit this time of year is spectacular. A great way to showcase it is in a rustic tart, dramatic yet not fancy. I know many of you shy away from desserts and pastries because they can be difficult, and I don’t blame you. But I learned a recipe in cooking class with Chef Michele Moloney that is almost foolproof. I have modified the recipe slightly to make it even easier. Although this recipe uses peaches, you can substitute plums, apples or your favorite fruit. This recipe will make two tarts.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour                        2 large peaches

1/2 tablespoon salt                                         1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter                           1 lemon

1/4 cup cold water                                          1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. corn starch

First cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Now slice the peaches into 1/4 inch wedges and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar (perhaps 1/8 cup) and the juice from half a lemon then mix. Set aside.

For the pastry, whisk together the flour, salt, and butter (which should be cut into small chunks). With your finger tips pinch the butter cubes and flour together until the mixture resembles course chunks. Place the bowl in the refrigerator (the key is to keep the pastry cold). After 10 minutes add the cold water and mix the dough until it starts to come together.  Don’t over mix. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Note that the dough will look crumbly and seem like it will fall apart. Fold and re-roll the dough several times being sure to add more flour to your rolling surface so the dough does not stick. Note that you do not want the dough to get warm, so work quickly. Wrap the dough in plastic and return to the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Check your peaches (or other fruit), is there a lot of liquid in the bottom of the bowl? If so, pour the liquid into a small bowl and mix with some of the corn starch to form a slurry. Add this liquid back to the bowl and mix with the peaches.

Cut the dough in half and roll into a 12 inch circle, the tart is rustic so we do not need a perfect circle. Scoop out half the peaches being sure to leave any residual juices behind, and place in the center of your dough. Note that the dough below is far from perfect, but it is easy to fix. Just take some of the dough that you trim off around the edge and patch. Be sure to leave 2 inches of dough uncovered all around the periphery. Now fold up the uncovered dough around the fruit pinching as you go.

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the tart on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and return to the fridge while you assemble the second tart. Once the tarts are assembled, brush them with heavy cream which will ensure a golden crust, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes and then sprinkle on a bit more sugar. Return the tarts to the oven and bake until the crust is a golden brown which should be about 15 more minutes.

Serve the tarts warm with vanilla ice cream.