“Better Cooks, Not Just Recipe Followers…”

18 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by scolgin in Cooking Tips, Observations Tags: , , , , ,

I was preparing a cooking workshop for a group of women later this week, and got thinking about exactly what it was I was trying to teach them, beyond the type of food they had requested…

A friend of mine recently gave me a cookbook, “Serious Barbecue” by Adam Perry Lang. After perusing various recipes, I turned to the introduction. Lang talked about learning to cook in culinary school and famous French kitchens, and then re-learning from Texas-born ranch hands on a ranch in New Mexico. “My new friends,” he said, “were as passionate as any of the professionals I’d met in French kitchens.” In reflecting on his journey and his reason for writing the cookbook, it was, as he said, to teach people “to be better cooks, not just recipe followers.”

Not trash.

This phrase stood out brilliantly to me. For it is exactly what I’m trying to do with this blog. And with my teaching of other people. I’m trying to do this myself with every meal I prepare — be a better, more mindful cook. When a friend invites us over for a roasted chicken she’s purchased from Costco, and I ask if I can keep the carcass when we’re done, it’s not because I’m weird (despite the startled look on her face); it’s because (as I will explain to her) this roasted chicken is filled with flavor and will make an insanely good stock. And then I leave the bones to her and explain to her how to do it. That is not a recipe, that is cooking.

Next time you’ve get a roasted chicken from Costco or Zankou or wherever — or roast one yourself — when you and your kids are done picking it over, throw the carcass in a big pot with enough water to cover, an onion, a bay leaf and a couple tablespoons of salt, an cook for about an hour. Then strain. You’ll see what I mean — this ain’t Campbells, and you made it with something you were going to throw out. (And you can freeze the stock in plastic baggies in the fridge to make soup whenever the spirit moves you.) This is respecting the animal that gave its life for your meal. This is cooking.

When I was in my 20s teaching English, I decided I didn’t like teaching very much. But now I find I love it. Maybe I just wasn’t teaching the right subject.

Aloha at Home, Wherever You May Be

24 Aug 2010 2 Comments

by scolgin in Cooking Tips, Recipes Tags: , ,

Growing up in Southern California, my family would go to Maui a couple times a year. And I developed a love for Hawaiian food. There’s something both comforting and essential about digging into teriyaki chicken thighs or Korean short ribs draining sweet soy goodness all over a mound of overcooked white rice, the toothsome chew of mayonnaisey macaroni salad, the tangy interplay of tomato, onion and lomi lomi salmon, and lots of fresh tropical fruit to clear the palate.

It’s hot and muggy in Topanga today. Tonight my family is eating Hawaiian. Just cuz I’m in a mood. I’ll put on iTunes and stream some traditional Hawaiian music — I like KKCR community radio out of Hanalei, Kauai … they sometimes speak Hawaiian, and even the commercials are relaxing, or AM 940 Hawaii. Maybe I’ll mix some fruity tropical rum drinks, or maybe just cold lager.  That’s how we haoles roll when we’re gettin’ our aloha on.

Here’s what we’re eating. Wanna join us on the islands? It’s fun and the kids will love it, especially if they’ve been to Hawaii. Just scroll down for the recipes, and mahalo…

Teriyaki chicken, mac salad, rice and lomi lomi salmon, fresh fruit, lau lau (pork and fish cooked in taro leaves)

Serves 4, including the keiki (lil’ ones).

Hawaiian Dinner
You can make the macaroni salad, rice and lomi lomi salmon well ahead, so all you’re cooking at dinner time is the chicken. If you want to have a Hawaiian dinner party, increase the amount accordingly. (Double for eight people, etc.)

Teriyaki Chicken

1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts (you can also use the same amount of thinly sliced beef short ribs on the bone — Korean style — for a meat dinner)
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger

Grate ginger with a cheese grater or zester. Place into large bowl, add soy sauce, onion and sugar, stir together and let sit for 5 minutes. Toss chicken in mixture, and let marinate for a couple hours in the fridge. Turn the grill onto high heat, let it get nice and hot, and grill chicken for about 5 minutes each side, until golden and brown. Spoon extra marinade and onions on as you cook. You can keep warm in a 200-degree oven while you plate the other stuff. Before serving, slice each thigh across the grain with a very sharp knife into 3 or 4 pieces.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

1/3 pound very fresh salmon, chopped into dice and salted
1 very ripe tomato
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
sprinkle Japanese togarashi pepper (if you’ve got it)

Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of salt on your chopped salmon about an hour before you pull the dish together. After the hour, toss the salmon with the onion, tomato and pepper. Taste to see if it is salty enough. Cover and place in fridge until ready to use.

Island Macaroni Salad

1 cup dried macaroni, cooked to al dente
2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
dash of soy sauce
salt & pepper

Cook your macaroni until al dente and drain. Toss with a little olive oil and let cool. Once the macaroni is cool, toss in a bowl with the celery, onion, parsley and soy sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, cover and place in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. (Note: you could give this an Asian touch with a dash of sesame oil, some sliced sugar snap peas and a bit of minced cilantro. Although I think, why mess with simple perfection?)

Rice and fruit

Steam some long grain rice according to directions well before hand (give it an extra bit of water and an extra 2 or 3 minutes on the stove), and leave sitting covered until ready to eat. It’s okay to serve it at room temperature. Slice up plenty of fresh pineapple, mango, banana, guava or other Hawaiian fruits.

To serve:

Spoon a big scoop of rice and mac salad on each plate, place some sliced teriyaki chicken next to the rice, and a bit of lomi lomi salmon next to that.

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