A book a week: Flour & Water

Flour + Water by Thomas McNaughton was a great read and I have to thank my previous boss, Chef Benjamin Lee. While I was at A Voce on 41 Madison in NYC, I worked the hot apps station which was right next to Pasta station and I was always curious and enjoyed watching the skill and art of making a silky smooth pasta dishes. I would take whatever spare time I had after or in-betweens services to go downstairs and watch Bertha our pasta lady make our pasta, she made you feel like you were here grandchild.

 I was constantly asking my chef questions about pasta and why he did this or that, I stood over his shoulder and watched what he did like a hawk, I am sure some days he was happy to know that I was so interested and other days it drove him up the wall. One day I asked him about really good books to read, he told me about two, one I haven't gotten yet (sorry chef!), the other was Flour + Water, a story about three men, who were all connected in this small niche.

Thomas McNaughton left America to train in Italy and learn the art of pasta making. When the time came for him to go back home he applied for a job on craigslist not knowing what he was getting into. Both he and the two other men end up having a restaurant with great food, where the pasta was made fresh every day and became the main idea behind the name of the restaurant, Flour + Water

You learn the basics in this book and get an understanding of the real art of pasta making without having to fly to Italy. McNaughton goes deep into his descriptions making you understand the difference between different types of pasta and which ones to use for specific sauces. It sheds some light in the pasta world for you. Almost every dish in this book has a story behind it or how it came about, which is awesome because its almost as if the dish has a personality.

The book has a lot of character and has loads of yummy pictures that influence you to get up and get to rolling or learning. I hope you get this book and enjoy it as much as I did.

A book a week: Eating italy

Hey everyone! So, today I want to know what you read. I’ll show you what I keep close by when I’m ready to brainstorm, have an idea or I just down right need some kind of inspiration. Some of these books were what I got from school, they were gifts, or just good finds. We will talk about a book for everyday this week.

Lets get to talking.

Eating Italy by Jeff Michaud with David Joachim. I found this book in a BMV store on Bathurst. I gave it a quick flick through and I thought it was going to be a cool book. Jeff Michaud talks about going to Italy and learning so much from so many different regions of Italy. Its a great book with simple dishes and I think is good for you to have in your home or kitchen.

My favorite chapter is the first, its about the meats and charcuterie. Jeff spent his time working in a butcher shop in Paladina. He spent his early mornings learning from the best in the region, I'm not sure how many of you all are willing to do that just for knowledge. This is a great example of what being obsessed with what you do as an art. Butchering like anything you do takes loads of practice, skill and concentration, Jeff shows this in this book but you also learn that he has a lot of fun doing it which is what matters most.

The pictures of the dishes in this book are bright, vibrant and look yummy!

There is a recipe in this book that I keep staring at, when i get a chance i will do it and see how it comes out. Rabbit, some people don't like these little furry animals but the Chinese and Carib side of me only thinks food when I see a rabbit so this dish screams eat me when I see it. An oven roasted Rabbit Porchetta with a Pepperonata. Now Pepperonata is a common thing in Italian cuisine that I saw back in New York. It is so versatile and is addicting.

You get to have an idea of Jeff's personality and if this book doesn't make you want to get up and go to Italy just to try the food then I don't know what will. The Chef has got a great restaurant in Philli that has a great menu and has classes. If your in Philli I suggest checking it out. Go buy this book and have a good read, enjoy and see you tomorrow!

Corn & Chicken soup

Corn soup ( leftovers can go with your Chicken dish for sauce)

6 Corn on the cob

2 Cans of Cream of corn

2 Celery Stalks

1 large onion/ 2 Medium onions

1 Head of garlic

1 Whole chicken/ Leg Quarters

Bay leaf

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Equipment

1 large Pot

1 Cleaver

1 large bowl

Method

You need to disassemble the chicken, you want to cut the legs, wings and breasts off. Once you’ve taken those off, cut each body part into three pieces. Your breasts you cut into as many cubes as you can. The chicken back should be used as well but that’s subjective. Season them with salt (seasoning salt if you have) and black pepper and leave it to sit.

Get your corns, now whether you want it to be all kernels or a bit of both is up to you. I cut mine in half and ran my knife down the side to take the kernels off. I took maybe three corn on the cob and cut them into small quarters.

Now to do your onions and celery, chop them into small pieces & save a place for them in a small bowl

Grab your garlic use same description as in other recipe using your hand and peel them, you can either chop them really fine or run it through your blender with some oil. Get your pot, pour some oil in there, and drop your garlic into it then turn the heat on low/medium. You want to slowly cook the garlic until it turns golden brown, reason being this would bring out the true flavor of garlic and its sweetness. Once you’ve done that then add your celery and onions into your pot , season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook them until you can’t smell that strong harsh smell from onions. Once that’s all done then add your corn , season again lightly with salt and pepper. Open your cans of corn and add them to your soup, then get your bay leaf and thyme and add them to it also. Get your pieces of chicken in there and fill with water, about 1 or 2 inches above the chicken is just fine. You want to bring your soup to a boil then turn it down to a simmer, once simmering you will get a brown foam on top of your soup. Be sure to skim your soup until there is no more foam on top.

Constantly taste your soup, look for the taste of your corn, a little chicken, and most importantly taste for salt.

The soup should cook for maybe an hour, but then again that depends on how thick you want your soup and how much flavor it has. The longer you keep the pot cooking is the more it will thicken,  don't forget to stir your soup or else it will catch on the bottom.

  

Culantro stuffed chicken, Corn sauce & Spiced Sweet Potato

Good day everyone! You all ready for today? So last week Sunday when I was supermarket shopping (which can take about two hours because of constant distraction and looking around) I ran across culantro. Yes it’s very similar to that citrus herb cilantro that looks like parsley. I mean it wasn’t the best quality but I got pretty excited about even finding it. Just so you know, it’s the Spanish equivalent of cilantro. Moving forward to later on this week, I took out six chicken breast in the morning to defrost to cook dinner, not knowing exactly what it was that I wanted to do. That’s pretty much how my evenings for dinner go unless I have something that I brain storm about for a week.

After constant back and forth, opening and closing the fridge I figured it out. I was going to stuff the chicken with loads of culantro and a little bit of garlic and spring onions (that’s how far I got with figuring it out). I looked in the fridge then there it was, left over corn soup from Sunday (there will be a recipe for that as well). I said I was going to salvage what I can, puree it then put on the chicken and let it bake. I still needed a starch though, so I looked over at my massive sweet potatoes and said I’ll mix some spices together and season it with that, chop some dates, bake it and that’s my starch.

You ready? Now please remember everyone, your oven bakes different to mine and putting a time on how long the prep can take depends on how fast and efficient you move. You’re at home, not a professional kitchen so just take your time and pay attention to the small details okay.

Let’s begin!

Culantro stuffed Chicken

3 Culantro

3 Cloves garlic

1 Spring onion

6 Skinless Chicken breasts

170 ml/g can corn or 6 oz corn soup

3 sprigs thyme

Spiced Sweet Potato

1 Large Sweet Potato

½ tsp Ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp honey

5 Dates

Equipment

1 large bowl

1 med bowl

1 small bowl

1 large Pyrex or baking pan for the chicken

1 Small Pyrex or baking pan for your sweet potato

1 Cutting Board

Measuring spoon

1 Saute pan (I use regular pans, if you have a non-stick even better)

Spatula (something to pick the chicken up)

Tasting spoons

1 Magic Bullet or blender

Method

First thing first season that chicken with some salt & pepper and just leave it there in your large bowl while you get ready to chop your herbs up. Grab your garlic, now simply take the garlic and put on the board, take the palm of your hand, place it on the garlic and with all your weight, press down on it. This should shorten your peeling garlic time. You can then mince it, place it in your small mixing bowl. Next you want to take your culantro, wash them, line them up, chop them and add them to your mixture. Last but not least get your spring onions and do the same thing, wash them, line them up and chop. Take your thyme and remove all the little leaves because you don’t want to be eating the stem, your pretty much eating wood if you keep those. Mix your herbs and garlic and get ready to season

Next we are going to take our chicken breasts, now you can either butterfly them or run a thin knife through the top of the breasts to the bottom and season inside that way. It wasn’t until I butterflied mine I thought about seasoning it the other way. You can use a skewer or a toothpick to keep your butterflied chicken together. 

Take your chicken,stuff it and leave it on the side. 

Get your pan on the stove, a medium heat, and add some oil (I don’t use anything else besides olive or coconut oil). 

Once your pan is nice and hot, not burning or smoking, but to the point where you can see little waves of heat in the oil. If you’re not sure take the bottom of your chicken breast and just put the tip of it in the oil and look for a reaction, a crack or a simmer. 

Now place your chicken breast side down because that’s your presentation side, leave your chickens in the pan for a while, they shouldn't burn but that doesn't mean to forget them. 

Your looking to get a golden brown color on them

Start peeling that potato, it doesn’t have to be evenly peeled. Meaning the orange that you will see will have two shades, I haven’t noticed a difference in taste so you should be okay.

 You're now going to cut your potato a half inch thick, try really hard to make it even so they don’t cook fast than the other, unless you leave a tiny end piece. Put them in your medium bowl.

Don’t forget your chickens! If your chickens have that nice golden color you can take them out and put them in your Pyrex breast side up. Now your pan should have a golden color to it, it will be skin and fat. You want that in your pan because that’s all good flavor so keep the pan on the side. Preheat your oven to 350⁰ F.

Now get back to your potatoes, measure up those spices and seasonings, add them to your small bowl and mix them properly. You can now add them to your sweet potatoes. Slice your dates into thin pieces and add them as well, drizzle some oil on it. 

Mix everything and lay them properly in your dish or baking pan. Cover with foil.

Next is your corn, simply just put it in your blender (I use a magic bullet for everything) and let it go until it’s smooth.

 Once that’s done get that pan that I told you to save and get it on the stove again, add your puree and bring it to a simmer, scraping all that lovely brown goodness from the bottom. 

Once that’s done, pour it over your chicken and cover with foil.

Place both dishes in the oven for 30 minutes. Please don’t just sit down and forget about it. Check it in intervals, I suggest in 15 minutes, set a timer, and act like you care. Your sweet potatoes may take longer, just watch them.

I really liked this dish, it was a good way of getting rid of some left over soup and using it for a sauce. The culantro brought a fresh taste to it, almost lightening the heavy corn. I hope you enjoyed this recipe every one, the usual goes, leave me a comment a suggestion, something you think would make it easier or more convenient. Criticism is always welcomed(welcome).

A Pinch of black salt?

Black salt, an interesting form of that lovely stuff we season our food with. The questions running around in your head are probably, black salt? What's that? How is it made? Why did he choose that name?

Let's get to it then.

I fell in love with Black Salt on my trip to Spain this year with my girlfriend. The first time I saw it was in Madrid, baffled and confused I looked it up and read about it and that made me love it more. Do you have any idea how much patience you need to make salt properly? It can take anything from a few days to a few weeks.

It was at the Boqueria market in Barcelona I finally decided to buy my little container of black salt. This salt is special for more reasons than one, besides having an awesome black sheen, it also has a Smokey, sulfur taste to it and that is because its infused with activated charcoal. But don't worry, it doesn't carry with it the flavor of charcoal

Because of how long it takes to make salt and make it right, I realized that it's very similar to anything you do in the kitchen, whether its opening a restaurant, or doing a food blog, you need that precision, that accuracy and that perfection. I wanted something different, something special and I've found it.

A Pinch of black salt; the tiny special black flake that you can't use too much of because its very salty.

A Pinch of black salt is all you need to finish that dish to make it perfect.

A Pinch of black salt is going to be that little bit of confidence, that guide for all your kitchen thoughts, needs and ideas.

A Pinch is all you need, not much more than that.