SALT

Just a little commentary on salt in cooking. Some of the bad points about salt:

• It numbs the taste buds so the subtle flavors of the dish are obliterated leaving salt as the only detectable flavor.

• Salt draws out the juices in meat leaving the dish less tender and not as juicy as it might have been.

• Salt contributes to high blood pressure with The FDA recommending 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day maximum. Each teaspoon of salt contains 2,000 mg of sodium (salt).

My recommendation for flavor and good health is to learn to enjoy food's natural taste. Put the salt shaker on vacation or at least cover up half the holes on the shaker and don't add any while prparing foods. At first your food may seem bland, but give it a chance. Over a relatively short time, your taste buds will recover from the constant desensitizing of salt and will find new and wonderfull flavors you never knew existed.

Here is a list* of some of the worst offenders for sodium(salt) content:

Onion salt
Celery salt
Garlic salt
Seasoned salt
Meat tenderizer
Baking powder
Baking soda
Monosodium glutamate (msg)
Soy sauce
Steak sauce
Barbeque sauce
Catsup
Bouillon cubes
Mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Salad dressings
Pickles
Chili sauce
Relish
Salt shaker

*Source: Sodium in the Diet, by J. Anderson, L. Young, E. Long and S. Prior

Some suggestions for non-salt flavoring/seasonings :

• Lemon Juice/Peel
• Orange juice/Peel
• Lime Juice/Peel
• Rosemary
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Thyme
• Basil
• Marjoram
• Oregano
• Sage
• Dill Weed
• Savory
• Pepper

Morg's Bar-B-Que Sauce

I have had a request to post my Bar-B-Que Sauce. I never thought to post it as there are so many "bottled" varieties out there, why go through the effort unless you really want tasty and flavorful BBQ. I have been making it this way for so many years and my family just can't get enough of it.

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup Ketchup (Hunts)
¼ cup chili sauce (Hunts)
⅓ cup red wine
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive Oil
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 small lemon
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
½ Tbsp fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp Worcester sauce
4-5 dashes Tabasco sauce

PREPARATION:

Peel and press the garlic. Wash the parsley shaking off the water; cut off the leaves and chop finely. Wash the rosemary shaking off the water; strip and finely chop the leaves. Juice the lemon.

In a medium mixing bowl add the Ketchup, Chili Sauce, wine, and oil. Mix well with a whisk. Continue adding the remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly. (Should yield about ¾ of a cup or so).

White Asparagus

I have received in excess of 160 now 2,300 "hits" on roasted white asparagus and it's preparation. That leads me to believe further investigate the subject is warrented and to render an analysis and consensus on the subject.
White asparagus is grown "white" by excluding light from the stalks as they grow. Dirt is mounded around the emerging stalk, preventing the plant from producing chlorophyll; thus there is no green color to the stalks. To my intuition, this process simply extends that "white stump" at he base of green asparagus that is snapped off as the tough part of the stalk. Following that line of reasoning, the only tender part would be the tip. Even peeling the white stalks, they continue to be tougher then green.

It has been said in the literature that: "White asparagus is considered to be slightly milder in flavor and a bit more tender than green asparagus." which I emphatically reject. Perhaps the writer has an "inn" with growers in Germany, where the best are grown and the main source of the larger stalks that do tend to be more tender.

Asparagus in General is a member of the lily family, also includes onions, leeks and garlic.

Skip the white and go for the green or better yet try the Purple.

Purple Asparagus

Purple asparagus (also known as Burgundy asparagus) has a mild, nutty flavor and is sweeter than green asparagus because it has about 20% more sugar. It is grown just as green asparagus but is so tender, it can be served raw. It does however turn green when cooked.

Preparation:

Use a potato or vegetable peeler to peel the skin from the stalk. Then cut off ½ to 1" from the base. Rinse thoroughly to dislodge any sand or grit.

From here, either roast, boil, stir-fry, steam or grill the stalks. BUT The best recommendation for white spears is to boil them. Asparagus have a short cooking time of a few minutes.

Choosing Asparagus:

A common misconception is that thin spears are young shoots and therefore more tender. The fact is the thicker the spears, the more tender they will be, especially with white spears. Stay away from he bundles of "grass" as they are the first picking and tend to be stringy.

Asparagus can best be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within a few days. Place about a ½ cup of water in a plastic bag, stand the spears in it, seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator door in an upright position.

Dinner- revisiting two favorites Lamb and Asparagus

Sunday is always special at our home and yesterday was just a little more so. My lovely wife prepared the delicious meal depicted here, Rack of Lamb Roasted with Spiced Crust  and  Sautéed Asparagus with Shallots. I must say it was a truly wonderful combination. If you haven't given either of the recipes a try, do so, you won't be disappointed.

Grilling Combination

A couple of nights ago it was just beautiful. So I started up the grill and toasted up some Spiced Grilled Onion Slices along with Mesquite Grilled Shrimp. An Ideal combination to grill as the shrimp take about 6 to 8 min. and the onions take about 12 to 14 min.


After getting the grill nice and hot, sprinkled some soaked Mesquite chips on the charcoal and put on the onions, closed the cover and let them cook for about 6 min. Opened the cover and added the shrimp skewers. After they were on, I carefully turned the onions over and drizzled the remainder of the marinade on them. Closed the cover and let them cook for about 3 min, then turned the shrimp over. Another 3 min and everything was done.

Served up with some wild rice, we had a feast. It's nice to revisit recipes that we thoroughly enjoy.

Gourmet Cooking Defined

Well seeing as this is a blog, and not just a list of recipes I thought I would delve into the subject of Gourmet Cooking in deference to just cooking. I may be all wet here, but to my interpretation the difference lies is the preparation and use of spices, not just in the quality of the cut of meat. Typically today conventional cooking pretty much is getting something eatable on the table with the minimum amount of fuss. Perhaps heating up something picked up at Fresh and Easy or a rotisserie chicken – don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with either of them.


Here’s where the “extra effort” comes in to prepare a gourmet dish: First picking the best ingredients in your price range, that is the freshest bruise free vegetables, a cut of meat that is freest of grizzle and fat or a piece of fish that is fresh without odor and is just a little glossier then the rest. Then taking the items home, thoroughly washing them, removing any waste that got by your inspection, then peeling, slicing or cutting perfectly to fit your planned masterpiece.

Now keep in mind, we’re dealing with “cooking” NOT gourmet plating and presentation as is found in a seven course meal – You know the kind I’m talking about One large Scallop wrapped in bacon sitting atop of three asparagus spears, some unnamed sauce drizzled about to fill the otherwise vacant dinner plate.

Generally speaking, the entrée is prepared with some form of pre-seasoning or marinade that is comprised of fresh herbs and spices to augment the flavor of the meat/fish or vegetable, not overpower it. Next for the searing process in either butter or olive oil to lock in the juices. Now comes the actual sautéing/frying or roasting usually at high temperature. After plating the entrée a “reduction” or deglazing takes place to form a sauce which is ladled over the entrée.

The presentation is very important here. The entrée should not cover more then 2/3rds of the plate or serving dish. An appropriate garnish is now added, usually one of the herbs that was used, or perhaps slices of a citrus fruit.

So there you have it – A gourmet dish to set in front of a loved one, friends or family.

By the way we have Lemon, Key Lime and Grapefruit trees and a small Herb garden with Marjoram, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Sweet Basil and Boxwood Basil. Also we prefer shallots to onions as they are more flavorful. Onions can always be substituted with only a slight change in flavor.

Lobster, Cooking and Eating

Yes It's Ours!

Lobster: Real lobster from the north coast of New England's Cold water, claws and all. Not, Spiny lobster without claws, not Rock crawfish passed off as Lobster Tails. Truth be told, they are warm water in origin and don’t hold a candle to the real thing! Often tough.

Well I feel a story coming on! When I was a young fella, my buddies and I rented houses on Cape Cod for the summer. We were working in Connecticut at the time and would drive up there on weekends to party. Normal Sunday dinner was a bushel of little neck clams -steamed, another of corn on the cob and a 2-½ to 3 pound lobster each. We’d cook them outside over an open fire.

Ok Ok I know, where am I going with this? Well simply put I (we) my wife and I have purchased, cooked and dismembered at least three of those buggers in the 16 pound class. So I think that I speak from experience of how and what when it comes to LOBSTER.

Well first off size has nothing to do with tenderness. A 16 ponder is just as succulent as a “Chick”. And I’ll accept a duel over that statement! Buy a Hard shell lobster as they have more meat than soft shell lobsters. The old adage is only buy in the months with an “R” in it their name as that’s when they are not molting (loosing their shell). Look fore black mottled areas under the claws. Also select a male as the will have larger claws and smaller tail.

OK let’s get to it. First cooking such a behemoth is no different then a small fry (“chicks”). Make sure it’s alive! My kids actually feed one lettuce on the floor in our kitchen while we waited for the time to come to cook it. Buy the way they DO NOT make any noise as you put them into boiling water.

Get a really big pot of water to boiling then put it in head first. You may have to pry the claws off the sides of the pot in the process, but you’ll preserver. Wait ‘till the water starts to boiling again and then set your timer for 10-12 min. for 2 Lbs. and under. For the big one, 20 min. or more.

When the time is up, get a crane to haul it out and onto a dish - no I mean a huge platter.

Now the fun starts- First, take a fork (just a table fork) and pierce the membrane at the base of the tail several times. Pick up the back and bend the tail back until it snaps apart from the body. Pull it out as it will have meat attached to it as it comes out. Set it aside for now. BY THE WAY THIS ALL APPLIES TO EVEN THE SMALLEST OF THEM.

Moving on; also pierce the same membrane where the large claws connect to the body and again break them off and set aside. (Messy isn’t it?). OK so now we have the fella dismembered and can be served to your guests - But! They may not know what to do.

OK OK take the tail and tear out the center flipper at the far end. There will be a eatable flipper meat there, but never mind, Simply take the entire tail section in your left hand and endeavor to straighten it out the best that you can. Now stick your index finger in that place where you pulled off the flipper and push hard! I mean put some effort into it. The entire tail meat should slide out the end where you broke it off of the body.

Now to the claws; Take each claw and again pierce the area where the arm joins the claw and break it backward, separating them. Take a fork and stick one tine into the opening at the base of the claw and work it like an old fashioned can opener right up to the side claw. You should now have basically a slot up the bottom of the claw. Just take the shell and break it open again using the fork tine. Right there in front of you is the most tender piece of meat in the entire critter! Dip it in some butter and chow down.

Each of the segments of the “arms” can be opened in the same fashion accessing the meat inside. The auxiliary arms can be removed from the body by again piercing at the juncture with the body and “can openering” them in turn. On the really small ones, just suck out the meat.

OK now how far do you want to go? There’s still a lot of good tender meat remaining in the body. ……If you are up to dismembering it?

If so read on!

OK (I like that word here) Pick up the main body and turn it over right side up. Grab the shell at the back end while holding the lower part of the body and peel off the top shell. Sorry, there’s no meat here, but if you have access to running water, flush the inner body section so as to see what you’re working on.

Now all cleaned up, head for the junctions of the claws with the body, there you will find quite a bit of very tender meat, Again with your fork, pry open the containing white cartilage and pull out the meat.

Well you have the idea by now, just keep digging for treasure.

Lobster CRACKERS - not necessary, they just crush the meat!

OH by the way use unsalted butter!

Pork and Beans

Well yesterday, Sunday, was a meal of two favorite gourmet treats, Pork Tenderloin encrusted with Rosemary and Capers along with Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds. A beautiful combination, however the two dishes present a problem with only one oven. The beans require 425 deg temp while the pork is 350 deg. This is where your instant read thermometer comes into play. Roast the pork for about 20 min. at 350 deg and raise the temp to 425 for the beans. The pork should come out of the oven 8 to 10 minutes before the beans are done, just enough time for it to rest.

And yes we picked the beans out one at a time from the local grocery. They had just received a shipment and had them in a large bin, so each bean could be checked before it went into the bag. I know, a lot of trouble, but it’s worth it.

The answer is yes, we do have a small herb garden and an especially large rosemary bush!