Cuisine – Page 5 – Sporting Road

Tapenade

The word tapenade comes from “tapeno,” the Provençal word for caper, which is a versatile topping on crostini (dried slices of baguette toasts) for appetizers, a topping on grilled salmon, a marinade for roast chicken, lamb, or beef. The Italians use it as a quick pasta sauce or pizza topping. Use either black or green olives, oil-cured or brined. Oil-cured are easier to work with (if pitting the olives yourself), but brined can produce a great impact, too. Traditionally, tapenade is made with anchovies and capers. The best anchovies are fresh white ones, but the ones from Colliore in the Languedox-Roussillon, or the Basque coastal regions are also top shelf. Barcelona has sweet and meaty anchovies, which are so prized they are never exported. If you can find salt-packed Italian anchovies in the States, you won't be disappointed. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups olives, pitted, any kind will do, black or green, oil cured or brined, your choice, but we like Provencal black olives and castelvetro olives, from Emilia Romagna, which has a nice contrast of cured and soft versus hard, fresh and salty, finely chopped 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped. 1 T. capers (preferably salt cured), rinsed in a colander, and then coarsely chopped 1 t. minced fresh thyme and/or savory, or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1-2 boned fillets of anchovy, preferably fresh white anchovies, chopped Extra virgin olive oil as needed Red wine vinegar or lemon juice, to taste (about 1-2 tablespoons) 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper INSTRUCTIONS Finely chop together the olives, capers, garlic, herbs, and anchovy. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and pepper and mix together with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil. You may need to add salt or

By Sporting Road|October 3rd, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Starters|Comments Off

Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwiches
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Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwiches

Lox is a cured salmon fillet, usually sliced thin. Typically it is served on a bagel, often with cream cheese, onion, tomato, cucumber and capers. Lox can be crumbled into small pieces and added into scrambled eggs, sometimes with chopped onion. I have to confess, I never much cared for lox. At least, not when compared to freshly caught and smoked salmon, as lox is far too often too dry or too salty. Freshly smoked salmon is better, especially if you caught it yourself, fly fishing. While the Kokanee salmon run is on here in Colorado, we like to keep a few for smoking, as they die in their breeding rituals within the month of their run up the river anyway, so it seems a waste not to take advantage of their great flavor. And, the Togiak River is quite possibly the best King and Silver Salmon river in Alaska, from which our friend, Rim Chung, had just returned with some its delicacies. Numerous anglers who have fished all over the world describe the Togiak as incomparable for its salmon runs, as well as for its nearby trout and grayling fishing. All of the Alaskan and Northwest wild salmonoids are worth smoking, whether it is the Copper River salmon from your market, or something farther down the Sporting Road. We like our smoke salmon flaked on a hot, buttered bagel, topped with cream cheese and sprouts. It doesn't get simpler than this, nor better. Voila!

By Sporting Road|October 3rd, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Fishing, Recipes|Comments Off

Fig Molasses

Fresh figs are in season in the States from mid-September, just a short few weeks until mid-October, so get them now while possible from your grocery or specialty grocery. And, if short of the real thing, you can buy the dried variety of which the best may be Trader Joe's Dried Black Mission Figs. Or pick a bottle of Dolci Pensieri di Calabria (fig molasses). This is pure vigs, dark and syrupy, a result of combining the figs with sugar. Drizzle over fish, chicken, pork chops, waffles or pancakes, ice cream, fruit salad, salad dressings or marinades too. It is a substitute of honey on the fruit-salad, with fresh pineapple and maraschino. We like it drizzled over ice cream, fresh ricotta or any cheese like blue, Parmesan or Pecorino, stirring into yogurt, glazing a pork roast or flavoring pan juices.

By Sporting Road|October 3rd, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Sweets|Comments Off

Jambon, Speck, Proscuitto, Virginia Country Ham, Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico

Meat has been cured since ancient times. Dry cured hams have been a favorite in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal for centuries. Americans, particularly those in the South and the names Smithfield and Surry are legendary in this area, carried on this tradition with smoked hams, fattening them with tasty peanuts, beech nuts, hickory nuts, acorns and fruits. All of these hams are salt cured and aged. Some are smoked over fragrant hardwoods. While we love everything French and American, and whilst the Italian prosciutto is the best known the world over, we prefer Spanish ham which usually has a more uniform texture, more intense flavor and is usually less moist than other cured hams, because of the long curing stage. In fact, every European country seems to have its own specialty on cured hams. But pig rearing is Spain dates back to antiquity and once the pig was harvested, it was dry-cured to last the family for an entire year. Jamón serrano is a type of jamón (dry-cured Spanish ham), which is generally served raw in thin slices, or occasionally diced for use in cooking. Today, Spain is the world's leading producer of dry-cured pork. Serrano means from the tierra or the mountain range, where the European white (it's really pink) pig is curred. Jamón Ibérico comes from the black Ibérico pig, which has smaller litters and is more difficult to put weight on quickly (compared to the white pigs), hence its higher price and gamier flavor, which we prefer. These Spanish hams are often thinly sliced and served on a slice of pan tomate. The German Black Forest ham is commonly available world-wide and is smoked over pine and fir and coated with beef blood to give it a black exterior. Very lean and

By Sporting Road|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Uncategorized|Comments Off

White Anchovies

Anchovies - whether white boquerones, freshly cooked, salted, or smoked, are a classic Spanish tapa, an Italian addition to an antipasti platter, and a French delight. Boquerones are tender white anchovies lightly pickled in vinegar and olive oil. Salted anchovies are silky and tender, definitely different from your typical over-salted canned ones. Smoked anchovies are incredible with a tender smoky flavor. Be prepared to spend $40/pound for the good ones. In addition to just serving them on their own with a slice of toasted and sea salted and olive oiled bread as a tapa or as part of an antipasti platter, we also use them in: Black Truffle Pasta

By Sporting Road|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Surf and Fin|Comments Off

Truffe – Black and White Truffles, the Diamonds of the Kitchen

La Truffe Noir - Black Truffles together with White Truffles the Diamonds of the Kitchen Truffles cost more per ounce than gold, or at least white truffles still do. The perceived value of the truffe is far removed from its real gastronmic value that it has become caught up in snobbery and hype. But the high prices are better understood when you consider that truffle production is 500 times lower than 100 years ago and demand is 50 times higher than supplies available. Our friend in Paris once had an English girlfriend who invited him home to London to visit her parents. He planned to make an impression and brought Burgundean truffles along with him and woke up early the next morning to make French omelets for the family, with a few slivers of truffles sprinkled on top. The girl's father went to the ice box to grab a bottle of catsup to the Frenchman's dismay and he attempted to explain the value and culinary uniqueness of the truffle which would be hidden by the ketchup. The father replied, "I always take my eggs with ketchup." On the next visit with the girl, he arrived with her at Charles de Gaulle airport to "discover" he had left his passport behind and there was not enough time to go back home and retrieve it. Voila, the French way of avoiding the problem without a conflict! Scientists say that there is a volatile alcohol in truffles that has a strong musky character related to testosterone, so perhaps this is the real reason we are attracted to them. The truffle is the fruiting body of an underground mushroom. Seeds, call spores, are dispersed through fungivores, animals that eat fungi. Since the 18th Century, truffles

By Sporting Road|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes|Comments Off

French Press Coffee

The French press, also known as a press pot, is a 19th century French invention that brews an above-average cup of coffee, if you use the right beans. It is more flavorful than the speedy and convenient drip American coffee maker and is just shy of the robust flavors of espresso. Its French name is cafetière à piston, but is more commonly known by its brand names, such as Bodum or melior, or simply a cafetière. The personalization of a morning cup of coffee is part of the fun of using a French press and can be anywhere between 2-5 minutes of steeping, before the plunger is slowly pushed while not allowing any of the grains to pass. A very coarse grind is recommended, which is a 1/10 on our grinder. We like Zabar's French-Italian roast for use in our French pressed coffee. We find it has the right balance for this sort of use. Making coffee in a French press coffee press is not complicated, and is more flavorful and aromatic than those having gone through an American paper filter and drip machine. You can also use it to make tea, in a pinch. A conical burr grinder is recommended over a blade grinder because it gives a more consistent grind. I believe you cannot have it too course, so crank the grinder to the coarsest setting. Heat the water just short of boiling, either on the stove or (heaven forbid, in the microwave if you are that pressed for time). Use the best filtered water available (to eliminate chlorine and hard water tastes), but bottled is unnecessary in most places. Place the coffee grounds into the coffee press. I like it strong, the French way, so we use 4 heaping tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee per 8

By Sporting Road|September 24th, 2011|Categories: Café, Cuisine|Comments Off

La Pavoni Espresso Machine

When traveling in Fiorenzi, Italy, I decide to embark on a journey to make café, espresso, and cappuccino at home, having seen the Italians do it with success both at home and in restaurants. I wanted to give up my French press and stove-top espresso "machines" in favor of a real machine. I stumbled into a cooking store which features over 100 varieties of real espresso machines and the clerk spoke perfect English after hearing my crude Italian. He asked, "How may at your house that drink coffee? I replied, "most of the time just me." He said, "Do you have a few minutes in the morning to read the paper or are you rushed for work?" I said, "I have a few minutes." He added, "How many would be the most, say for a dinner party?" To which I replied, "Eight." He said, "Then, this machine" and pointed to a La Pavoni Professional. I quickly added, "But wait, this is a huge store, there are hundreds of options here to look at, how can you so quickly dismiss them all in favor of this one?" He said, "Look, I can sell you a Fiat, or a Ford truck, if you wish, but you look like you can afford this Ferrari and, if so, I can teach you how to drive it and you will never look back at the others after having fallen in love with this Ferrari. La Pavoni is Ferrari." So, he picked a box with a La Pavoni modelo Professional 0,42 gallons espresso machine and made his way to the counter. By the way, I don't recommend hand-carrying back one of these machines from Italy, especially after 9-11, as it was interesting enough before 9-11 at the airport x-ray machines, not so much

By Sporting Road|September 24th, 2011|Categories: Café, Cuisine|Comments Off

New Posts

Please check out all my new posts...which are hidden under separate pages and therefore don't show up here. Kohlrabi Mardi Gras La Buche de Noel Noel House Wine Hungarian Partridge with Gin & Juniper Berries Pheasant Confit Four-legged Friends Gary Ruppel Rim Chung Friends from the Sporting Road Jim Fergus

By Sporting Road|September 22nd, 2011|Categories: Cuisine, Dog Training, Fishing, Fly Tying, Recipes, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Made in Italy – Book Review 5/5 (*****)

'"Made in Italy " is my cookbook of the year. If I had to choose one place to live my entire life, Italy would be hard to beat, as the food is unsurpassable and it varies from town to town. The countryside is beautiful and the food stuffs are abundant. This book covers all of those beauties of Italy. So many books are take-offs on television celebrities, featuring dumbed-down restaurant favorites simply catering to the home cook. If you only buy one Italian cookbook, buy this one. Locatelli's recipes are the real deal, many from his restaurant, and the reminiscences from his life. It is large and covers everything from risotto to panettone. While many of the recipes are complex and will require adventures to the market for ingredients, most are simple and easily tackled for the home chef looking to present the finest dishes that Italy has to offer.

By Sporting Road|September 17th, 2011|Categories: Book Reviews, Cuisine|Comments Off