Leite's Culinaria » entrees

Spaghetti with Wild Garlic and Herbs

Julie Dreyfoos — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:40:28 +0000

Darina Allen | Forgotten Skills of Cooking | Kyle Books, 2009 | Serves 4 to 6

This is a little gem of a recipe. You can vary the herbs and the fats and the cheese, and throw in choice bits like chanterelles or periwinkles or cockles, if you have any around. Wild garlic begins to emerge at green-markets late winter, typically in March. If you don’t have any available to you, you can substitute flat-leaf parsley.—Darina Allen

LC Note: Granted, pasta may not seem much like Irish fare. Yet what Darina explains in her book and in our conversations with her is that Irish cuisine relies on those hallmarks of home cooking of thrift and foraging—whether in the woods or forest, at the green-market, or in your own refrigerator. This is a lovely last-minute recipe that she conjures quite frequently based on what happens to be in season on any given day.

convert Ingredients
1 pound thin spaghetti
8 tablespoons butter or a combination of butter and extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped wild garlic (leaves and bulbs) or flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons basil or lemon balm, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 to 1 cup finely grated cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, though we often use Irish cheddar
Chive flowers or wild garlic (leave and bulbs) in season, for garnish (optional)

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Method
1. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

2. Melt the butter in another pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add all the herbs and the crushed garlic and cook gently for no more than 2 minutes. Pour over the hot spaghetti, toss, and serve with the grated cheese. Sprinkle chive flowers and wild garlic over the top for extra excitement, if desired.

Variations
~Add 8 ounces cooked sliced wild or cultivated mushrooms to the herbs and garlic—chanterelles are great.
~Add some halved cherry tomatoes to the herbs and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
~Add 1 teaspoon red chile flakes to the herbs and garlic.
~Add 4 to 8 ounces diced chorizo to the herbs and garlic.

Warm Sourdough Bread Salad with Chicken and Pine Nuts

Julie Dreyfoos — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:13:42 +0000

Sara Foster with Carolynn Carreño | Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking | Clarkson Potter, 2007 | Serves 2 to 4

Bread salad is a traditional Italian way to make use of a day-old chunk of bread. When I added shredded cooked chicken and tossed it with a heap of greens, it became a well-balanced meal. Golden raisins and pine nuts are a really nice combination, especially if you like a touch of something sweet in your savory dishes.—Sara Foster

convert Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
1 lemon, halved
2 garlic cloves, skin on
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad
4 cups 1-inch chunks of crusty, rustic-style sourdough bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups loosely packed arugula, watercress leaves, or mixed baby greens, washed and drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

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Method
Start the vinaigrette
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Place the lemon, cut side down, and the whole garlic cloves in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast the lemon and garlic until they’re soft and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven (but keep the oven on) and set aside until they’re cool enough to handle.

Make the salad
1. Increase the oven temperature to 475°F (245°C).

2. Toss the bread chunks with the olive oil on a baking sheet and season with salt. Scatter the chunks in a single layer and toast until the bread is golden brown and the edges are crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Juice the lemon into a small bowl. Peel the garlic cloves, add to the bowl with the lemon juice, and smash them with a fork. Add the vinegar and gradually whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Add the chicken, raisins, pine nuts, and garlic to the bread and combine. Drizzle with half of the vinaigrette, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.

5. Spread the salad on a rimmed baking sheet and place it in the oven for about 5 minutes, just to warm it slightly.

6. Remove the salad from the oven and return it to the bowl you tossed it in. Add the arugula and scallions, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Toss gently to combine, season with additional salt and pepper if desired, and serve warm.

Turkey and White Bean Chili

David Leite — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:35:12 +0000

David Leite | Personal Recipe Collection | Serves 4, or 6 with the meal stretcher

The One and I have been making and enjoying this dish for years—in fact, it’s been in our arsenal for about a decade. Technically, it’s not a chili, as it doesn’t contain chiles or chili powder. It’s really more of a Mediterranean bean stew. What can I say, nicknames stick. What’s great about it is it’s a cinch to make (all of a half hour) and it’s surprisingly light. When we have weekend guests and don’t want to get bogged down with making six big, heavy meals, we turn to this for a satisfying lunch or a light supper, with a salad on the side.

Customarily, chilis and stews are made by first browning the meat then transferring it to a bowl while cooking the vegetables. Because there’s so little fat in the turkey sausage (and, admit it, they just don’t have that flavor punch beef does), I like to keep the turkey in the skillet while cooking the vegetables. This does two things: 1.) it really gives the turkey a good browning, which adds flavor, and 2.) it doesn’t overcook the red pepper. Oh, and whatever you do, resist the urge to muck this up by adding chili powder (yes, even though it’s called a “chili”). It would ruin the flavor profile.—David Leite

convert Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
One 15 1/2-ounce can cannellini beans, well-drained
One 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained, tomatoes chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl 2 tablespoons of the oil into the pan and then add the turkey. Cook, stirring often and breaking up the meat with the edge of a wooden spoon, until the turkey is chunky and nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the turkey. Dump in the onion and pepper, sprinkle with the oregano, basil, and thyme, and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables are just softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. The bottom of the pan may develop a brown coating—that’s good. It gives a lot of flavor. If it threatens to burn, drizzle in a few tablespoons of water and scrape it up.

3. Turn the heat to low and stir in the beans and half of the tomatoes and half their liquid. (Reserve the remaining tomatoes and liquid for a meal stretcher, see Note.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meal Stretcher Note: Unexpected company? No problem. Add a second can of drained cannellini beans and the remaining chopped tomatoes and their liquid. Simmer the chili until heated through. Serves six, easily.

Quick Navy-Bean Stew

Renee Schettler Rossi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:14:52 +0000

Editors of Everyday Food | Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast | Clarkson Potter, 2010 | Serves 4

This flavorful potato, bean, and mushroom stew is ready in less than an hour. You can use other beans, such as black-eyed peas, in place of the navy beans; kale or Swiss chard would be nice substitutions for the spinach leaves.—Editors of Everyday Food

LC Note: This versatile recipe, much like a proper minestrone, is more a general formula than an actual equation. In addition to trying the substitutions mentioned above, you can turn to other creative alterations. Vary the herbs as well, using a generous pinch of fresh thyme if you happen to have it on hand or omitting it entirely if you happen to have none on hand.

convert Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 small red potatoes (10 ounces), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups water
One 10-ounce package baby spinach
One 15 1/2-ounce can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, optional

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Method
1. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and thyme and season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and the water. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Add half of the spinach to the skillet, cover, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining spinach and the beans. Cook, covered, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, if desired. Season with the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Using Dried Beans
If you have a little more time, you could soak and cook dried beans, which would make the soup even more economical and a bit richer in flavor and texture.

Steamed Cod with Ginger and Scallions

Renee Schettler Rossi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:51:12 +0000

Editors of Everyday Food | Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast | Clarkson Potter, 2010 | Serves 4

Steamed fish is a healthful and quick-cooking dinner option. Adding a few aromatics to the steaming liquid enhances the taste of the fish without using any butter or oil. Haddock, halibut, or other firm-fleshed white fish can be used in place of the cod.—Editors of Everyday Food

LC Note: We suggest turning the fish once during cooking to ensure the cod takes on as much flavor as possible from its ginger-and-soy poaching liquid. Discard the liquid before serving; all the flavor will have been absorbed by the cod.

convert Ingredients
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger (see peeling ginger tip below)
4 skinless (1 1/2 pounds) Pacific cod fillets
6 scallions

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Method
1. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. Season both sides of the cod fillets with salt and pepper and place them in the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the fish is almost opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut the green parts of the scallions into 3-inch lengths and thinly slice them lengthwise (reserve the white parts for another use). Scatter the scallions over the fish, cover, and cook until the fish is opaque throughout and the scallions are just wilted, about 2 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Tip: Peeling Ginger
When a recipe calls for peeled fresh ginger, reach for a spoon: Holding ginger steady with one hand, scrape the spoon toward you in short strokes. To reach especially tight crevices, you may need to slice off a knobby portion and then continue peeling.

Brazilian Fish Stew

David Leite — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:08:49 +0000

Leticia Moreinos Schwartz | The Brazilian Kitchen | Kyle Books, 2010 | Serves 4

This fish stew, called moqueca in Portuguese, couldn’t be more Brazilian, although it has an international appeal that is hard to resist. Moqueca is originally from the state of Bahia, and there are many versions: fish, shrimp, or crab are the most popular. Use this recipe as a guideline and experiment with different types of fish, such as wild striped bass, halibut, and tilapia. Just a little bit of coconut milk makes this colorful fish stew rich, but only in looks and spirit—one spoonful will reveal how unbelievably light it is. Moqueca is commonly served with farofa, a side dish made from cooked manioc flour, but feel free to use white rice.—Leticia Moreinos Schwartz

convert Ingredients
1 scallion (white and green parts), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons dendê oil (you can use extra-virgin olive oil or peanut oil, but you’ll loose the vibrant Bahian hue)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
11/4 pounds sea bass, cut into 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup freshly chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup freshly chopped yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 cups fish stock (you can substitute clam juice, low-sodium chicken broth, or equal amounts of both)
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup canned or jarred hearts of palm, drained and diced
2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

Method
1. In a bowl, mix together half of the scallion, half of the onion, half of the ginger, and half of the garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of the dendê oil, all of the olive oil, and half of the cilantro. Place the chunks of fish in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade, pressing the bag to evenly coat the fish. Remove all of the air from the plastic bag and seal it. Place the bag in a shallow bowl, making sure the chunks of fish are completely covered by the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. Take the fish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

3. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of the dendê oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaining scallion and onion along with the green and yellow bell peppers, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the remaining ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring to combine, for another minute or until it’s hot. Add the fish stock and let it come to a full boil. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and return to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low or so and simmer the sauce, nice and gently, while you prepare the fish.

5. In the meantime, place the fish and its marinade in a gratin or casserole dish. Pour the lemon juice on top and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is almost but not quite cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

6. Carefully transfer each chunk of fish to the pan with the gently simmering sauce. Add any juices in the dish from the fish and marinade. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook just until the fish is soft and tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

7. Uncover the pan, add the hearts of palm and tomatoes, and just let them get hot, which will take only a minute or two.

8. Taste the moqueca, season it with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro.

Seafood Soup Amalfi-Style

Renee Schettler Rossi — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:09:37 +0000

David Pasternack and Ed Levine | The Young Man & the Sea | Artisan, 2007 | Serves 4

When you’re making a fish soup, the broth is everything. There’s always good fish soup on the Amalfi Coast, where each town has a slightly different version. This is my own Hell’s Kitchen version, intensely flavorful and complex—this is not zuppa for the faint of heart.

I use the sweeter imported canned tomatoes with the DOC label on them. (In 1955 Italy enacted DOC laws to safeguard the names, characteristics, and origins of certain Italian foods.) Don’t be afraid to use oilier fish in your zuppe, like mackerel and monkfish, which lend tons of flavor. If you use shrimp, leave them in the shell or else they’ll dry out. The anise liqueur adds an interesting licorice flavor. Prepare the broth the day before, to make it easier on yourself, and to allow the broth’s flavor to intensify.—David Pasternack

LC Note: While this recipe is a classic, it’s eminently variable and can accommodate any manner of shellfish, such as mussels or clams, as well as the addition of olives or the substitution—within reason—of various aromatics and spirits.

convert Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
5 garlic cloves
1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
1 small leek, washed well and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh Roma or canned San Marzano tomatoes, halved
3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes and their juice
1 cup white wine
1 cup Ricard (or other anise liqueur)
2 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 pounds fish bones, cleaned
1 pound assorted fresh fish fillets (cod, bass, flounder, salmon, grouper, cut into 2-inch pieces)
Chopped parsley, for garnish

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Method
1. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic, fennel, leek, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the fresh tomatoes, if using, and continue cooking until they begin to break down, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the canned tomatoes, wine, Ricard, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over a high flame, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down substantially, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently throughout.

3. Add the fish bones and enough water so that the bones are covered. Stir while the stock simmers for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 days.

4. Before using, skim the surface of any impurities that rise to the top.

5. Reheat the zuppa in a stockpot over a medium flame until gently simmering. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the fish pieces and cook for about 6 minutes; the fish should be well cooked and flaky. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Add the chopped parsley just before serving, and drizzle with a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Coq au Vin

David Leite — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:08 +0000

From the 1960s TV show “The French Chef” came many classic dishes. Julia Child made good on Herbert Hoover’s promise of a ”chicken in every pot” by translating her wildly popular recipe for coq au vin into the simple dish that it is, made with mushrooms, onions, bacon, red wine, and (natch) chicken. Since then, it has been recreated in millions of kitchens for decades.

Many of the versions of this dish floating around when Madame Child was learning to cook in Paris were based on ancient recipes that called for a rooster or cock (coq) well past his crowing days. A rooster who’s no longer cock of the walk has flesh that’s incredibly flavorful and sturdy enough to stand up to the frying, simmering, and more simmering required in this fricassée. In addition, the cockscomb, feet, head, and kidneys were tossed in for good measure. Blood was also added to the pot for a little thickening power and that oh-so-français touch, which put the dish over the top.

Julia knew (I’m assuming things here, but I like the intimate familiarity and the ring of “Julia knew”) that getting an old rooster and a cup o’ blood ain’t exactly easy. Not unless you live between the East and Left Coasts and have a hatchet handy. So she tried to squeeze as much flavor as possible into this dish since its publication in Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the redux years later. She smartly chose brown chicken stock, which is a homemade stock made by first searing the chicken pieces. It’s a simple and easy way of adding extra depth and complexity. Short on time? Take a few dried mushrooms (porcini or shiitake), add them to your mother-in-law’s bonafide homemade chicken stock or, forbid, store-bought beef broth and simmer gently, covered, until fully hydrated. The mushrooms, a great umami source, add an extra, indefinable oomph. You might need to top off the amount of liquid once the ’shrooms have blossomed in order to equal Julia’s requisite two cups.

We think of this as a weekend project because making it one day and eating it the next only enhances the flavor. We suggest whipping this up on Saturday, letting it cool, and then refrigerating it. Take it out Sunday, skim any fat from the top, and heat it gently—and we do mean gently—over low heat until warmed through. Considering you’ll be sitting down to a rooster-less, bloodless coq au vin, it’ll be pretty darn tasty.—David Leite

Coq au Vin
by Julia Child
From Julia Child’s Kitchen
Alfred A. Knopf, 1979
Serves 4 to 6

convert Ingredients
1/2 cup lardons, cut into 1/4 by 1 1/2-inch strips (optional)
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 pounds ready-cut frying chicken (a selection of parts, or all of one kind), thoroughly dried
1/4 cup Cognac or Armagnac
Salt and pepper
1 imported bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
16 to 20 small white onions, peeled
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups red wine (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Pinot Noir)
About 2 cups brown chicken stock or beef bouillon
1 or 2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
About 1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and quartered

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Method
1. If you are using lardons, sauté several minutes in 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole until lightly browned; remove lardons to a side dish and leave fat in pan. (Otherwise, film pan with 1/8 inch of oil.)

2. Heat fat or oil in pan to moderately hot, add chicken, not crowding pan; turn frequently to brown nicely on all sides. Pour in the Cognac, shake pan a few seconds until bubbling hot, then ignite Cognac with a match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.

3. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add bay leaf and thyme. Place onions around the chicken. Cover and cook slowly 10 minutes, turning once.

4. Uncover pan and sprinkle on the flour, turning chicken and onions so flour is absorbed; cook 3 to 4 minutes more, turning once or twice.

5. Remove from heat, gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock or bouillon to almost cover the chicken. Add the browned lardons, garlic, and tomato paste to the pan. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, then test chicken; remove those pieces that are tender, and continue cooking the rest a few minutes longer. If onions are not quite tender, continue cooking them; then return all chicken to the pan, add mushrooms, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. Taste carefully, and correct seasoning. Sauce should be just thick enough to coat chicken and vegetables lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if too thick, thin out with spoonfuls of bouillon.