Pimenton Ahumado - dress up your dishes

There are some food items that can transcend any dish. In South East Asian cooking, it’s the fish sauce. In Italy, olive oil. You get the idea. In Spanish cooking, pimenton ahumado – smoked paprika – is indispensable. We discovered this spice a few years ago and since then, the simplest dishes now come out so much more interesting.

For example, add a dash of this fiery powder to sauteed onions and red bell peppers before cooking a can of canneloni beans and then sit back and revel in smoked Mediterranean alchemy.

Or, for easy whitefish, put a nice slice of fish in some tin foil, (be sure to eat sustainable fish – river species and freshwater species like catfish are really the only good alternatives), throw in finely sliced onions, a few cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and shake some smoked paprika. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so and it’s a great meal. Serve with rice or do the same with some new potatoes.

A great way to add some flourish to your meals and life…

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Mmm...Moroccan food

The Moroccans have a dish called the tagine. It is both a literal dish – or more correctly a cooking pot with a cover – and a dish that is served. Think of delicious chicken cooked on high heat with lots of spices, some vegetables and maybe, just maybe, some preserved lemons.

What’s cool about the Emile Henry tagine is that it allows you to cook on the stove top (gas, electric or halogen), in the oven (up to 500 degrees) and even directly on a fire (gas grill, charcoal, even an open fire). It’s also more reasonably priced then other (ahem…) French cooking dishware maker’s versions…

The design of the tagine – taken from the original Moroccan style, has a conical lid that allows the steam to recirculate in the dish and keeps your stew moist.

Some good recipes:

• Fish Cinnamon with Tomatoes and Capers from (RIP) Gourmet Magazine
• Crazy breakfast tagine with eggs from Tamarind and Thyme blog
• Tagine Makfoul (tomato/onion base) from about.com
• Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives from Closet Cooking (note: food porn alert)

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The good vacuum sealer

Sous vide. A revolutionary process of heating meats and vegetables by submersing them in heated water, up to 140 degrees, over a long period of time. This technique is part of the whole “molecular gastronomy” movement – where gourmet chefery meets science.

People who cook sous vide say it’s the best way to make really moist fish, that it brings out the colors and lively fresh flavors in vegetables and that cooking a steak sous vide renders the most tender delicious meat that melts in your mouth like meat flavored ice cream.

The process of cooking sous vide is fairly straightforward: you seal the food in plastic to keep the water out (we are not poaching it, we wan’t to keep the flavor in) – it is recommended to use a vacuum sealer and to sear each side after the sous vide soak using a fry pan or grill to get that brown crispy outside.

Food Sealer:

1) Deluxe: FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing Kit

2) Affordable: FoodSaver V2440 Advanced Design Vacuum-Packaging System

3) Ghetto: ZipLoc Freezer Bags

The next step is to heat the water. The key will be to keep a consistent temperature so it gradually raises the heat. The more accurate you can be the better. Chefs in a kitchen will employ the use of a water bath or a special immersion circulator that will heat/cool as necessary. You can use a stove top and thermometer, but it will require attention to keep it at the correct temperature.

Water baths:

1)Ultra Deluxe: Sous Vide TW20 Water Bath (note: it can even get more deluxe than this…but this is more than AMPLE for homes)

2) Deluxe: Immersion Water Heater: Sous Vide ED Heating Immersion Circulator

3) Ghetto: Stove top. This method requires attention as it’s crucial to keep the temperature steady.  You’ll want a decent thermometer, a large pot and some cold water or ice nearby (in case it gets too hot…)

From there out, you monitor the food…cook it for a decent amount of time (this will vary depending on what you’re cooking) (here is a great article on it)…but really that’s it.

A good cookbook on the process is one by Thomas Keller called Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide

Warning: cooking food like this can grow botulinum bacteria…be careful and know the safety guidelines.

Let us know how it turns out!

Le Crueset Dutch Oven

There is nothing like a Le Crueset Dutch oven (yes, technically this is a French oven, but let’s not pick nits.) I know it’s been said a hundred times, but it remains a stone-cold truth. Is it worth dropping a couple hundred bucks? Hells yeah. This is heirloom material. AND if you buy it online instead of some place like Sur La Table, you’ll pay a hundred bucks less.

Warning: it’s heavy. But you can use it on the stove, in the oven or in a fire pit – whatever tickles your fancy. Try this:

Short Ribs Recipe

Get some good ol’ short ribs (they’re all the rage these days – 5 pounds or so depending on the size of your feedlot AND Dutch oven). Get some shallots. Three big bulbs or so. A carrot. Two celery stalks. A couple big garlic cloves. Dice these and saute (in your Le Crueset, of course) in olive oil until the onions are just translucent. Remove vegetables and throw in the meat and sear it off, allowing the meat to sear on each side for a few minutes. Try to drain some of the grease off, then ump enough red wine in there to cover the meat, a little can of tomato paste. Toss in a sprig of rosemary and a bay leaf. Chuck in the oven at 375 degrees for 3 hours – check the water level and top off as necessary with hot water (heat some up on the stove for this purpose)…

Tuscan White Bean Cassoulet

Vegetarian? Try this: soak a cup or more of Cannelloni beans overnight. On stove, brown a medium onion and 4 (or more!) cloves of garlic…both diced…in olive oil. Add in the leaves only of two rosemary stalks and salt and pepper, then, if you have some Parmesan rind, throw it in (if not, no worries). Add a full carton of vegetable stock – the big ones from Whole Foods, add more water to cover. Chuck it in the oven @ 375 for 3 hours, checking the water level intermittently – keep them moist. When they’re done, plop a large dollop into a bowl and drizzle it with good olive oil and shave a little Parmesan, serve with fresh baguette (great for dipping) and some lovely tomatoes sliced. I love it. Could live on it.

Come back to comment and let us know how it turns out!

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