One of my occasional problems is buying too many online deals for dining out. I do not plan my time for these as well as I would like, and I end up with vouchers that I can't really use. I was facing this problem with my second voucher for Ruyi, so last week I went there for lunch during one of my less busy days.
I was able to park on the street quite close to the restaurant. Parking, by the way, is considerably cheaper than street parking in Boston, Cambridge or Somerville, though not quite as cheap as in Medford. I walked into the establishment and found it mostly empty. This is more likely in places outside of easy train reach, but it was still disheartening as I like the place.
I sat at the grill for some Japanese steakhouse food. I started with the onion soup (tasty) and a green salad with ginger dressing (also tasty). The show after the introduction was short but sweet, with the chef displaying considerable knife skills. Lunch does not include shrimp, but as I don't eat shrimp I didn't miss it. It does include grilled vegetables, rice and some sort of animal-based protein. I paid a bit extra ($2) to have vegetable fried rice and a little more (another $2) to have two sources of protein: sirloin steak and tuna steak. The vegetables went very well with the rice, and both the sirloin and the tuna were quite enjoyable even if a little saltier than my diet would strictly allow for.
Ruyi serves a variety of styles, from sushi bar to Japanese steakhouse to Chinese Cantonese-style cuisine. Prices are reasonable, with most steakhouse suppers coming in under $25 and Cantonese entrees generally in the $8-$12 range. It's a fine place for lunch or supper, and there's some excellent ice cream right down the street. If you have a car, or you have the time to ride the bus there and back, I suggest heading over there some day for a nice supper. It's closer to "nice date" range than "regular eats" range, but it is well worth it.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Gashleycrumb Dishes
With apologies to Edward Gorey and his Gashlycrumb Tinies, which I adore.
A is for Apple that fell down the stairs
B is for Basil devoured by bears
C is for Cookie just eaten today
D is for Dumpling thrown out of a sleigh
E is for Eclair deglazed by a peach
F is for Fruitcake sucked dry by a leech
G is for Gazpacho spilled on a rug
H is for Herring done in by a thug
I is for Ice Cream that drowned in a lake
J is for Jimmies on ribs by mistake
K is for Knishes struck down by an axe
L is for Lutefisk left by the tracks
M is for Mutton that swept out to sea
N is for Nachos thrown at the T V
O is for Olive run through with an awl
P is for Pasta served dead in the mall
Q is for Quinces smashed flat by a tire
R is for Rhubarb consumed by a fire
S is for Shwarma expired in kits
T is for Turkey that flew into bits
U is for Udon that slipped down a drain
V is for Venison squished by a train
W is for Wings imbedded in ice
X is for Xiphias eaten by mice
Y is for Yarrow dissolved in some gin
And Z is for Zeppole tossed in the bin
I wrote this today, aside from the two original lines that I was able to leave untouched but with changed meaning.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Stuffing solutions
One of my favorite parts of a Thanksgiving dinner is the stuffing, which, since I cook it outside the bird, should technically be called the dressing. The issue with a lot of dressings is the flavor: how do you spice them? Plus, if you need to add liquid, what kind do you use?
Normally, when I make a stuffing, the liquid I add for flavor is some sort of chicken stock or chicken broth. However, for Thanksgiving, one of the things I like to do is substitute some of that liquid, no more than a third, with apple cider. It adds some extra sweetness and flavor reminiscent of autumn in New England, especially autumn near an apple orchard, and I get to drink the spare cider. I do use some oil as part of my liquid for texture purposes, typically a light oil like grapeseed, rapeseed (canola) or extra light olive oil.
The tricky part for many people is the spicing. This is one time when I am willing to take a shortcut and buy a mix of spices colloquially referred to as "poultry seasoning." If you live near a megamart, you will probably find some Bell's poultry seasoning in the spice section. Even in my modern chowhound state I still consider this an acceptable blend, a flavor from my childhood that still works. Right now I have some poultry seasoning from Penzeys in my house, which is a fine blend as well. If you don't have any poultry seasoning in your home but you plan on making a stuffing/dressing, Don't Panic. If you are near a Penzeys outlet, they should be well stocked. Even if you aren't, your local megamart and even some little general markets should have plenty of the Bell's for your needs. One box will handle multiple batches of stuffing unless you're cooking for sixty, in which case you're probably too busy cooking right now to read this.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Normally, when I make a stuffing, the liquid I add for flavor is some sort of chicken stock or chicken broth. However, for Thanksgiving, one of the things I like to do is substitute some of that liquid, no more than a third, with apple cider. It adds some extra sweetness and flavor reminiscent of autumn in New England, especially autumn near an apple orchard, and I get to drink the spare cider. I do use some oil as part of my liquid for texture purposes, typically a light oil like grapeseed, rapeseed (canola) or extra light olive oil.
The tricky part for many people is the spicing. This is one time when I am willing to take a shortcut and buy a mix of spices colloquially referred to as "poultry seasoning." If you live near a megamart, you will probably find some Bell's poultry seasoning in the spice section. Even in my modern chowhound state I still consider this an acceptable blend, a flavor from my childhood that still works. Right now I have some poultry seasoning from Penzeys in my house, which is a fine blend as well. If you don't have any poultry seasoning in your home but you plan on making a stuffing/dressing, Don't Panic. If you are near a Penzeys outlet, they should be well stocked. Even if you aren't, your local megamart and even some little general markets should have plenty of the Bell's for your needs. One box will handle multiple batches of stuffing unless you're cooking for sixty, in which case you're probably too busy cooking right now to read this.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Simple orange-maple glazed carrots
One of the problems with carrots is getting the flavor balance right. When you roast them, they get small and dry; when you boil them, they stay large but lose flavor. Steaming would take hours. Frying them is another post. So how do you get carrots with a nice glaze?
The trick to a good glaze is this: start with already-reduced ingredients. What do I mean by reduced? I mean ingredients that have already had some of their liquid content removed. Standard maple syrup has had a fair amount of liquid boiled off. So has frozen concentrated orange juice.
Get your carrots and boil them. You may have bought pre-cut skinned carrots, you may have bought whole carrots, skinned them and cut them up. That doesn't matter. Boil them until they're slightly soft, soft enough that you can stick a fork in it without worrying about rolling your carrot. Drain them, then add two parts frozen concentrated orange juice to one part maple syrup, enough to have a glaze. The orange juice doesn't need to still be frozen, but it should still be a concentrate. I suggest adding some ground cinnamon and either some good fresh grated ginger or some powdered ginger as well, to add some extra flavor. Put this in the oven you're using to reheat your food for Thanksgiving, which is probably at 325-350ºF for some 10-20 minutes. Add some butter if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to.
Serve them up hot. If your guests marvel at how exotic a dish it is and how difficult it must have been to glaze the carrots, just smile and say, "It was simple, really."
The trick to a good glaze is this: start with already-reduced ingredients. What do I mean by reduced? I mean ingredients that have already had some of their liquid content removed. Standard maple syrup has had a fair amount of liquid boiled off. So has frozen concentrated orange juice.
Get your carrots and boil them. You may have bought pre-cut skinned carrots, you may have bought whole carrots, skinned them and cut them up. That doesn't matter. Boil them until they're slightly soft, soft enough that you can stick a fork in it without worrying about rolling your carrot. Drain them, then add two parts frozen concentrated orange juice to one part maple syrup, enough to have a glaze. The orange juice doesn't need to still be frozen, but it should still be a concentrate. I suggest adding some ground cinnamon and either some good fresh grated ginger or some powdered ginger as well, to add some extra flavor. Put this in the oven you're using to reheat your food for Thanksgiving, which is probably at 325-350ºF for some 10-20 minutes. Add some butter if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to.
Serve them up hot. If your guests marvel at how exotic a dish it is and how difficult it must have been to glaze the carrots, just smile and say, "It was simple, really."
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms in a Balsamic Sauce
If you go to Davis Square in Somerville, you will find the Boston Burger Company located between the two Davis Square T stations. Some one to two restaurants ago, in that very spot, was an Italian restaurant that served linguini in a balsamic sauce with sauteed chicken and mushrooms. I adored that dish tremendously and tried to make it at home, but I had limited success. If I tried using chicken stock or gelatinized chicken drippings, it muddied the balsamic flavor. I made balsamic reductions but they still didn't impart enough balsamic flavor. I gave up the dish for several years.
After the experiment a few weeks back where I got wine flavor into pasta, I have been playing with my pasta considerably more. Tonight I realized I could use the technique there and combine it with a balsamic reduction, which had previously been my closest to success. I had the chicken, I had the mushrooms, I had the pasta, and I could make the reduction. This was a three pot dish, something I normally try to avoid.
Equipment:
cutting board and sharp knife, for cutting mushrooms and possibly other items and finally the chicken
One good 3-4 quart sauce-pot
One medium-size frying pan
One small frying pan
Two large cooking spoons
One metal spatula
One regular-sized bowl
Ingredients:
One 8-10 oz. container of mushrooms - even white button mushrooms are OK in this
about 1 lb boneless chicken - I use breasts but thighs are fine too
2/3 lb. dry pasta - any shape you want, but I used a short twirly pasta for this dish
balsamic vinegar
sherry, preferably dry
extra virgin olive oil
salt
other spices to taste
Put your small frying pan on the back burner of your stove, and turn it to medium high. Add about 3/4 of a cup of balsamic vinegar and a splash or two of sherry. As soon as it starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium low and let it continue to simmer. Check it occasionally. If it starts to get too thick, ass either a glug of balsamic vinegar or a glug of sherry. This is where you can add some spices. Keep it light on black pepper, if you use it at all, and stick with less pungent flavors like garlic powder or a little paprika. If you want basil in this dish, get fresh basil leaves and toss them in this at about the same time you drain your pasta.
Wash your mushrooms, remove the stems, and slice them up. If you want to use a little shallot with the mushrooms, cut that up too. Put the mushrooms (and shallot) off to one side and cut up the chicken. Try to keep each side of the chicken to about 1.5" as a maximum. Smaller is fine. Just do your best to have a uniform size.
Next, fill your pot with water and put it on high heat.
While waiting for the water to boil, take your medium frying pan, put it on the stove, and turn the heat to medium high. After about a minute, test the pan with a mushroom. If it sizzles, put in as many mushrooms as you can while keeping them to a single layer in the pan. If you need to do this in more than one fry, that is fine. Cook them until they are nicely (and gently) browned, then decamp to your bowl. If you have shallot, put it in with whichever batch of sliced mushroom is going last.
Your water should be boiling now. Put your pasta in the water and set the timer for about 2 minutes short of the recommended cooking time.
Go back to the medium frying pan and cook your chicken pieces, again one layer at a time, but don't crowd your chicken too much. A few millimeters between pieces is fine. If it takes multiple times in your frying pan, again, so be it.
When the timer goes off for your pasta, drain is well. Return your pot to the stove, on medium high, and add about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. Put your pasta back in the pot and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly or nearly so. Add in your chicken, your mushrooms, and your balsamic reduction. Mix well and serve.
Since I had a bone-in chicken breast with the skin still on instead of already-deboned, already-skinned chicken, I took off the skin and fat from my chicken, cutting it up into small pieces no more than 1.5" on the long side. I rendered it in the frying pan on medium heat for part of the time that the pasta cooked, until it was all nicely browned and much of the fat had rendered out. I took out the remaining solids and added them into my pasta dish. It is much like adding bacon bits to a dish - and if you like bacon and have good bacon but no chicken skin, feel free to brown a slice and crumble it up on your finished dish.
I made what I thought would be enough for my wife and me to have dinner and put away a couple of luncheon-sized containers of leftovers. I had two servings, my wife one, and our roommate the rest.
Yeah, I get to make this one again.
I still miss the little Italian place that was there before Boston Burger Company, but now I can finally make the dish they made that I adored, at home.
After the experiment a few weeks back where I got wine flavor into pasta, I have been playing with my pasta considerably more. Tonight I realized I could use the technique there and combine it with a balsamic reduction, which had previously been my closest to success. I had the chicken, I had the mushrooms, I had the pasta, and I could make the reduction. This was a three pot dish, something I normally try to avoid.
Equipment:
cutting board and sharp knife, for cutting mushrooms and possibly other items and finally the chicken
One good 3-4 quart sauce-pot
One medium-size frying pan
One small frying pan
Two large cooking spoons
One metal spatula
One regular-sized bowl
Ingredients:
One 8-10 oz. container of mushrooms - even white button mushrooms are OK in this
about 1 lb boneless chicken - I use breasts but thighs are fine too
2/3 lb. dry pasta - any shape you want, but I used a short twirly pasta for this dish
balsamic vinegar
sherry, preferably dry
extra virgin olive oil
salt
other spices to taste
Put your small frying pan on the back burner of your stove, and turn it to medium high. Add about 3/4 of a cup of balsamic vinegar and a splash or two of sherry. As soon as it starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium low and let it continue to simmer. Check it occasionally. If it starts to get too thick, ass either a glug of balsamic vinegar or a glug of sherry. This is where you can add some spices. Keep it light on black pepper, if you use it at all, and stick with less pungent flavors like garlic powder or a little paprika. If you want basil in this dish, get fresh basil leaves and toss them in this at about the same time you drain your pasta.
Wash your mushrooms, remove the stems, and slice them up. If you want to use a little shallot with the mushrooms, cut that up too. Put the mushrooms (and shallot) off to one side and cut up the chicken. Try to keep each side of the chicken to about 1.5" as a maximum. Smaller is fine. Just do your best to have a uniform size.
Next, fill your pot with water and put it on high heat.
While waiting for the water to boil, take your medium frying pan, put it on the stove, and turn the heat to medium high. After about a minute, test the pan with a mushroom. If it sizzles, put in as many mushrooms as you can while keeping them to a single layer in the pan. If you need to do this in more than one fry, that is fine. Cook them until they are nicely (and gently) browned, then decamp to your bowl. If you have shallot, put it in with whichever batch of sliced mushroom is going last.
Your water should be boiling now. Put your pasta in the water and set the timer for about 2 minutes short of the recommended cooking time.
Go back to the medium frying pan and cook your chicken pieces, again one layer at a time, but don't crowd your chicken too much. A few millimeters between pieces is fine. If it takes multiple times in your frying pan, again, so be it.
When the timer goes off for your pasta, drain is well. Return your pot to the stove, on medium high, and add about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. Put your pasta back in the pot and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly or nearly so. Add in your chicken, your mushrooms, and your balsamic reduction. Mix well and serve.
Since I had a bone-in chicken breast with the skin still on instead of already-deboned, already-skinned chicken, I took off the skin and fat from my chicken, cutting it up into small pieces no more than 1.5" on the long side. I rendered it in the frying pan on medium heat for part of the time that the pasta cooked, until it was all nicely browned and much of the fat had rendered out. I took out the remaining solids and added them into my pasta dish. It is much like adding bacon bits to a dish - and if you like bacon and have good bacon but no chicken skin, feel free to brown a slice and crumble it up on your finished dish.
I made what I thought would be enough for my wife and me to have dinner and put away a couple of luncheon-sized containers of leftovers. I had two servings, my wife one, and our roommate the rest.
Yeah, I get to make this one again.
I still miss the little Italian place that was there before Boston Burger Company, but now I can finally make the dish they made that I adored, at home.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Roasting peppers
If you have a gas stove, you have one big advantage over people who only have electric or magnetic induction stoves: you can play with fire in your kitchen. Now, it's always a very good idea to be careful with fire. If you are unsure about doing so, then buy a kitchen fire extinguisher and keep it handy. Now that you've done that, let me tell you about my usual fire application: fire-roasted peppers.
Sure, you can buy pre-cooked roasted peppers in a jar at the store. Heck, I buy pre-made roasted peppers when I have a time crunch or don't have the wherewithal to cook. However, most jars have calcium chloride and other preservatives to keep the peppers in shape for months at room temperature in a jar on your shelf until you open the container. This can keep them too firm. However, if you have a gas stove, you can roast peppers inside of 30 minutes.
Items you'll need:
gas stove
fireproof tongs, preferably long tongs
bowl with a proper lid
Buy your fresh peppers from the store. I avoid green peppers, as they are simply under-ripe red peppers. Yellow, orange, red and purple peppers are all good non-spicy peppers. Turn a burner onto high and place your pepper on the grate above the flame. Move it around with the tongs to let all parts cook. For me this takes 5-10 minutes as a rule, but it takes as long as it takes. If it looks like it will take longer, keep the peppers on the stove until they are done.
You want the skin of the pepper to char and blacken. Once a section chars, keep it away from the flame. When you have charred as much of the outside of your pepper as you can manage, put your pepper in your bowl and cover the bowl with a tight lid, something that will stop steam from getting out. I usually use a Corelle bowl and a saucer from the same set for the bowl and lid, as they fit together nicely. You can use whatever you want that will work. Once you have put the pepper in the bowl and properly covered it, such that steam will not easily escape, you should walk away for a minimum of ten minutes, although 15-20 is better. This will steam the skin of the pepper to make it easier to peel it off.
At the end of that time, bring your pepper over to the sink. Run the coldest water you can personally manage from the tap, because your hands will get wet for a minute or two. Put the pepper under the water and start scrubbing away the skin with your hands. If it is properly charred, it will come away easily.
If you are not using your roasted pepper immediately, put it away in a sealed container in your refrigerator for no more than two weeks. It might last longer; but as with all freshly prepared foods stored for later, the sooner you eat it, the better it will taste.
You can use your roasted peppers in omelets, soups, spaghetti sauce, in meatloaf, on burgers, in stuffing - in short, in most anything where you might use a regular pepper. I'll be using one or two in my potato-mushroom dressing for next week's Thanksgiving dinner. Even my wife, who does not care for most prepared peppers, likes roasted peppers when it isn't an overwhelming part of the dish.
If you lack a gas stove but you want to do this yourself, ask a friend who has one if you can come over to cook. If you are new to roasting peppers, bring your fire extinguisher for safety.
If you have long hair, or hair on your arms, be extra careful around open flame. Even somebody experienced can end up with singed hair, such as some of the hair on my right wrist. This is not a recommended way to remove your hair. Also, burnt hair does not smell like good cooking.
Cook -- carefully! -- and enjoy!
Sure, you can buy pre-cooked roasted peppers in a jar at the store. Heck, I buy pre-made roasted peppers when I have a time crunch or don't have the wherewithal to cook. However, most jars have calcium chloride and other preservatives to keep the peppers in shape for months at room temperature in a jar on your shelf until you open the container. This can keep them too firm. However, if you have a gas stove, you can roast peppers inside of 30 minutes.
Items you'll need:
gas stove
fireproof tongs, preferably long tongs
bowl with a proper lid
Buy your fresh peppers from the store. I avoid green peppers, as they are simply under-ripe red peppers. Yellow, orange, red and purple peppers are all good non-spicy peppers. Turn a burner onto high and place your pepper on the grate above the flame. Move it around with the tongs to let all parts cook. For me this takes 5-10 minutes as a rule, but it takes as long as it takes. If it looks like it will take longer, keep the peppers on the stove until they are done.
You want the skin of the pepper to char and blacken. Once a section chars, keep it away from the flame. When you have charred as much of the outside of your pepper as you can manage, put your pepper in your bowl and cover the bowl with a tight lid, something that will stop steam from getting out. I usually use a Corelle bowl and a saucer from the same set for the bowl and lid, as they fit together nicely. You can use whatever you want that will work. Once you have put the pepper in the bowl and properly covered it, such that steam will not easily escape, you should walk away for a minimum of ten minutes, although 15-20 is better. This will steam the skin of the pepper to make it easier to peel it off.
At the end of that time, bring your pepper over to the sink. Run the coldest water you can personally manage from the tap, because your hands will get wet for a minute or two. Put the pepper under the water and start scrubbing away the skin with your hands. If it is properly charred, it will come away easily.
If you are not using your roasted pepper immediately, put it away in a sealed container in your refrigerator for no more than two weeks. It might last longer; but as with all freshly prepared foods stored for later, the sooner you eat it, the better it will taste.
You can use your roasted peppers in omelets, soups, spaghetti sauce, in meatloaf, on burgers, in stuffing - in short, in most anything where you might use a regular pepper. I'll be using one or two in my potato-mushroom dressing for next week's Thanksgiving dinner. Even my wife, who does not care for most prepared peppers, likes roasted peppers when it isn't an overwhelming part of the dish.
If you lack a gas stove but you want to do this yourself, ask a friend who has one if you can come over to cook. If you are new to roasting peppers, bring your fire extinguisher for safety.
If you have long hair, or hair on your arms, be extra careful around open flame. Even somebody experienced can end up with singed hair, such as some of the hair on my right wrist. This is not a recommended way to remove your hair. Also, burnt hair does not smell like good cooking.
Cook -- carefully! -- and enjoy!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Song: Brunch
I wrote this a few hours ago so the lyrics are copyright to me. So long as you aren't singing it commercially, go wild! If anybody wants to use it commercially, just send me an email and we'll talk.
TTTO Joy To The World
Joy to the house, the brunch is come
Enjoy what we could bring
Let every hand hold knife fork or spoon
While stomachs are growling
While stomachs are growling
While stomachs, while stomachs are growling
Joy to the house, the food looks good
Let all their napkins use
We butter our rolls, our glasses are full
The smells are savory
The smells are savory
The smells, the smells are savory
Look at the meal, now join the feast
The salmon has been smoked
Cream cheese bagels and capers all sitting on the platter
Tomatoes and onions sliced
Tomatoes and onions sliced
Tomatoes, tomatoes and onions sliced
Rest in the house, relax in grace
Your belches have been heard
The food has been enjoyed, leftovers have been stored
We all enjoyed our brunch
We all enjoyed our brunch
We all, we all enjoyed our brunch
TTTO Joy To The World
Joy to the house, the brunch is come
Enjoy what we could bring
Let every hand hold knife fork or spoon
While stomachs are growling
While stomachs are growling
While stomachs, while stomachs are growling
Joy to the house, the food looks good
Let all their napkins use
We butter our rolls, our glasses are full
The smells are savory
The smells are savory
The smells, the smells are savory
Look at the meal, now join the feast
The salmon has been smoked
Cream cheese bagels and capers all sitting on the platter
Tomatoes and onions sliced
Tomatoes and onions sliced
Tomatoes, tomatoes and onions sliced
Rest in the house, relax in grace
Your belches have been heard
The food has been enjoyed, leftovers have been stored
We all enjoyed our brunch
We all enjoyed our brunch
We all, we all enjoyed our brunch
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Let's Talk Turkey
One of my favorite US holidays is coming in two weeks: Thanksgiving. I am all about food on holidays, and this holiday is focused more on food than anything else. Lots of big businesses try to commercialize the day, but so far they haven't succeeded. Farms that grow turkeys, sweet potatoes and cranberries, they're the ones who capitalize on the day the most; I can live with that. It is the least inherently commercialized American holiday I can think of off the top of my head, as every other holiday is more about sales, or giving and receiving gifts. The most important part of the day is sharing food and company with friends and family. There's no stress about giving or getting gifts, no stress about a sale that day, and the football games on the TV are optional. The most stressful part is the cooking, and if you plan it well it's more labor than stress.
I shopped one of my local Trader Joe's today in search of a small turkey I could bring home for tomorrow's supper. None of the turkeys were small enough, but that is where I plan to get my turkey. If you are in charge of roasting a bird for your home, I have a few tips for you.
If you have the opportunity to buy a pre-brined fresh turkey, I suggest doing so. Lots of people look for the biggest, least expensive birds they can find, which means frozen. If your budget is really tight, then I do not blame you for bargain shopping to find a turkey that's under $1 a pound. However, if you do have the spare money in your budget, fresh turkeys will have a better texture and flavor. Unless you have a really good butcher shop nearby, this is the only time of the year you have the chance to buy a fresh whole turkey. Fresh birds that you want to use on a Thursday you should pick up no earlier than the Sunday before. By the way, the bigger the bird, the tougher it will be. If you have a lot of guests, I suggest two smaller turkeys instead of one enormous one.
If you do not have the chance to buy a pre-brined bird, you can still brine it yourself so long as it is thawed. I bought a lobster pot some years ago specifically to have something big enough to brine a turkey. There are plenty of recipes for a basic brine on the net, but I have a couple of twists: have a lot of ice nearby, a 5-10 pound bag, and use only about 2/3 the water you need for your brine. When you are done boiling your brine, add enough ice to make up the difference. The ice will cool down the brine quickly. Do Not put your turkey in your brine unless the brine is under 40ºF, preferably closer to 32ºF. In addition to the usual brine materials of salt and perhaps a little sugar, you can add a few bay leaves as well as whole spice berries, like black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds and an allspice berry or two. Don't use any clove spices.
Brining does three things for your turkey: it makes it tastier, it makes it juicier, and it makes it harder to overcook.
The USDA recommends that your turkey be cooked to a minimum of 165ºF at the thickest part of the breast. Some turkeys come with built-in thermometers, but these are not always all that good. If you can, get yourself a probe thermometer, something that can stay in the bird as it cooks.
My favorite way to roast a turkey, which I try to keep at or under 16 pounds, is much like how I roast a chicken, but I finish at a low heat. Because a turkey is much bigger than a chicken, I give it more time at high heat. I will start my turkey breast side down. My oven starts preheated at 425ºF; the turkey gets an hour at that temperature breast side down, then I take it out of the oven and flip it to breast side up. After another hour at 425ºF, I turn the oven down to 250-275ºF and let it cook to 163-164ºF, however long it takes to get there.
When you take your turkey out of the oven, if you let it rest (and you should) there will be carryover cooking - the heat lingering in the outer section of the bird is still radiating its way in. This is why I do not roast my bird all the way to 165ºF. The amount of carryover heat depends on what the last temperature of the oven is, and how long it was at that temperature. If it was at the final temperature for 30 minutes or more, base it off of that temperature. When I finish my bird at the temperature above, it only goes up a maximum of couple of degrees due to carryover cooking. If your bird finishes at higher temperatures, be prepared for more carryover cooking. Many people finish their turkey at 350ºF, and that means 5-10º of carryover cooking.
After your turkey comes out of the oven, let it rest for 20-30 minutes if possible -- at least 10 minutes if you are really pressed for time. Do not cut into it as soon as it leaves the oven. Why? Well, you want the meat to stay juicy, yes? Well, letting the bird rest after it comes out of the oven allows those lovely turkey juices to distribute properly throughout your bird. If you cut into it right after it leaves the oven, a lot of juices that would otherwise keep your meat juicy will instead spill onto your cutting board. I for one do not care if my cutting board has a lovely turkey flavor.
Some people slather butter over their whole turkeys, but I have to tell you: a turkey already has a lot of fat in its skin. If you use the method I detailed above, a lot of the fat will render out of the skin and help keep your turkey nice and moist. Your turkey will not stay moist if you overcook it, however.
Now, if you put on butter because you like the flavor of butter, that is another story; but you don't need a lot of butter for that. I will never do that to my turkey, but my tastes may be different than yours.
If you want to spice your turkey, go ahead. A good way to spice would be to loosen the skin on your bird, make a spice rub, add just enough of a light-flavor oil (like grapeseed or canola) to make it a bit liquid, then rub the spices under the skin. You can also stuff whole (large) garlic cloves, small shallot cloves, or peeled slices of a firm apple (like a MacIntosh or a Fuji). Any spice from the rub that won't stay under because it sticks to your hands, that you can rub on the outside of the skin. Because I am a purist when it comes to turkey, I prefer not to do this. I want to enjoy my bird's basic flavor.
So, in short:
- Buy a fresh, pre-brined turkey, preferably not too big, or brine a plain turkey
- Buy a probe thermometer if you don't already have one
- Use high heat to brown the skin and render more of the fat, then low heat to finish to avoid overcooking
- Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting it
- If you want, you can butter and/or spice your bird
If you are worried about side dishes, well, that's another post. I hope you have the chance to have some turkey this Thanksgiving, and that it is juicy, tender and flavorful.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Restaurant Review: The Dockside, Riverside Location
I am not the hardest person in the world to please when it comes to food. That might be my son. However, I can be picky as well.
Recently I got an email in my inbox about prix fixe dining at the Dockside location right off Commercial St. in Malden. The deal was an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert for $20. When my wife said she wanted to eat out near home last night, instead of shlepping all the way to Somerville to our favorite Mexican place, I suggested we try the nearby Dockside and see if it was OK.
We went inside and were seated promptly. Our hostess was also our server. When I dithered between the beer-battered haddock or the 10 oz. ribeye, she suggested the fish. My wife ordered the eggplant parmesan over linguini. We got buffalo fingers for our appetizer and ended up with a bowl of ice cream for dessert as they were out of brownies for the sundae. The children split an order of chicken fingers with French fries ($5.99).
The children's meal was actually quite good. The fingers were properly cooked, the fries were crunchy, and the kids enjoyed the food. The buffalo fingers appetizer was also good, with the chicken properly cooked and not dried out -- a common hazard of such fare. The buffalo sauce was a little salty for me, but most people on regular diets should be fine with that level. My wife tried the bleu cheese dressing and said it tasted more like tartar sauce, with disappointing flavor.
My wife's eggplant parmesan came out at the same time as my fish. Her dish looked appetizing, but the pasta was nowhere near as good as what we cook at home. The eggplant and cheese were devoured, but most of the pasta got left in the bowl. Since Boston's North End has had its cuisine migrate around greater Boston over the past few decades, and since we're used to buying good dried pasta for personal use, we rather expect good quality pasta when we go out to eat locally. This was low-end pizza shop quality pasta.
My fish came out looking like a plank of flat wood, which told me that the haddock was definitely frozen before hitting the fryer and the batter was probably frozen too. The fish was acceptably crunchy on the outside and not particularly dry on the inside, but it wasn't thrilling, as it had no hint of beer flavor anywhere in the batter. The side of green beans was properly cooked, a small bowl filled with short-cut, wide beans reminiscent of cafeteria style. They were good with a little added butter. I should have tried the ribeye instead.
The major disappointment for me was the dessert. One of the choices was a brownie sundae, which we ordered, but the kitchen was out of brownies at 5:45PM on a weeknight. Our server did her best to make sure we got a dessert we would like, in this case offering the sundae without the brownie. Now, I admit to being a bit of a snob about high-quality ice cream -- this is greater Boston, the ice cream consumption capital of the world -- but I'll eat Hoodsie cups sometimes too. This sundae was disappointing: chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, covered not with hot fudge but with Hershey's chocolate syrup or something that tastes very much the same. The syrup detracted from the chocolate of the ice cream and muddied the sweetness of the whipped cream, neither of which were top quality to begin with. A proper fudge sauce would have gone a long ways to salvage this, but scraping the drizzled sauce off the ice cream and whipped cream was an exercise in frustration.
We tipped our server decently as she had done her best to keep us happy, but she was handicapped by a kitchen working with frozen prepared food, low-grade pasta and substandard ice cream. Hopefully their ribeye steaks are fresh, but I don't think I'm going back to find out. The next time we want a decent meal out and don't want to spend a lot of money, we're probably shlepping to Somerville for Mexican food.
Recently I got an email in my inbox about prix fixe dining at the Dockside location right off Commercial St. in Malden. The deal was an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert for $20. When my wife said she wanted to eat out near home last night, instead of shlepping all the way to Somerville to our favorite Mexican place, I suggested we try the nearby Dockside and see if it was OK.
We went inside and were seated promptly. Our hostess was also our server. When I dithered between the beer-battered haddock or the 10 oz. ribeye, she suggested the fish. My wife ordered the eggplant parmesan over linguini. We got buffalo fingers for our appetizer and ended up with a bowl of ice cream for dessert as they were out of brownies for the sundae. The children split an order of chicken fingers with French fries ($5.99).
The children's meal was actually quite good. The fingers were properly cooked, the fries were crunchy, and the kids enjoyed the food. The buffalo fingers appetizer was also good, with the chicken properly cooked and not dried out -- a common hazard of such fare. The buffalo sauce was a little salty for me, but most people on regular diets should be fine with that level. My wife tried the bleu cheese dressing and said it tasted more like tartar sauce, with disappointing flavor.
My wife's eggplant parmesan came out at the same time as my fish. Her dish looked appetizing, but the pasta was nowhere near as good as what we cook at home. The eggplant and cheese were devoured, but most of the pasta got left in the bowl. Since Boston's North End has had its cuisine migrate around greater Boston over the past few decades, and since we're used to buying good dried pasta for personal use, we rather expect good quality pasta when we go out to eat locally. This was low-end pizza shop quality pasta.
My fish came out looking like a plank of flat wood, which told me that the haddock was definitely frozen before hitting the fryer and the batter was probably frozen too. The fish was acceptably crunchy on the outside and not particularly dry on the inside, but it wasn't thrilling, as it had no hint of beer flavor anywhere in the batter. The side of green beans was properly cooked, a small bowl filled with short-cut, wide beans reminiscent of cafeteria style. They were good with a little added butter. I should have tried the ribeye instead.
The major disappointment for me was the dessert. One of the choices was a brownie sundae, which we ordered, but the kitchen was out of brownies at 5:45PM on a weeknight. Our server did her best to make sure we got a dessert we would like, in this case offering the sundae without the brownie. Now, I admit to being a bit of a snob about high-quality ice cream -- this is greater Boston, the ice cream consumption capital of the world -- but I'll eat Hoodsie cups sometimes too. This sundae was disappointing: chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, covered not with hot fudge but with Hershey's chocolate syrup or something that tastes very much the same. The syrup detracted from the chocolate of the ice cream and muddied the sweetness of the whipped cream, neither of which were top quality to begin with. A proper fudge sauce would have gone a long ways to salvage this, but scraping the drizzled sauce off the ice cream and whipped cream was an exercise in frustration.
We tipped our server decently as she had done her best to keep us happy, but she was handicapped by a kitchen working with frozen prepared food, low-grade pasta and substandard ice cream. Hopefully their ribeye steaks are fresh, but I don't think I'm going back to find out. The next time we want a decent meal out and don't want to spend a lot of money, we're probably shlepping to Somerville for Mexican food.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Grade A Select vs. Choice vs. Prime
I remember, in my younger years, seeing signs in my local megamart for "Grade A Select!" beef. Most people look more at the grade of beef than the word that comes after it, but that single word can make a big difference in the meat you buy. The difference comes in the fat in the meat, sometimes called the marbling. Fat is where the flavor is, and is a good indicator of tenderness when cooked. These are all classifications given by the US Department of Agriculture, so you can take it up with them. Grading is voluntary, so not all cuts of beef will have a label. Hamburger does not go by this grading system.
Grade A Prime is what top-notch steakhouses serve for their very expensive entrees. A steak that is Grade A Prime has the best marbling you'll find on the market, meaning it is generally going to be tastier and juicier than any other grade. If you hear about Kobe or Wagyu beef, those cows' muscles are marbled enough that they easily qualify as Prime; however, they are generally a step above prime grade in my experience.
Grade A Choice is the most common grade you'll see in a standard megamart. It is generally less marbled than prime but can still be perfectly tasty. You can still see variations in steaks and chops labeled choice, though, so look for better marbling. When I shop at Costco, sometimes I find choice ribeye steaks that look nearly as marbled as the Grade A Prime.
Grade A Select is found at some stores. This meat can still be tasty, but it is leaner. If you're looking for lean beef for your diet, select is the grade to hunt for in the store. However, the lack of fat means it will not be as inherently tasty as the other two grades listed above. It also means it is much easier to turn into the consistency of shoe leather. You can use it, just be more careful than usual.
When it comes to ground beef, I skip anything above 90/10. Frankly, I'll usually skip anything above 85/15 unless I'm at the aforementioned Costco and need "a Costco" of ground beef (5-6 lbs). The second number in ground beef is the fat content. Remember, fat is where the flavor is. It's also what you use to fry things, be it a burger or not. Yes, you could get yourself some (expensive) 96/4 ground beef and cook it in a nonstick skillet to keep out as much fat as possible, but you'll end up with a very tough burger even if you don't overcook it. Give yourself a little leeway. If you're still concerned about high fat content, go ahead and get that (expensive) 96/4 ground beef but use some canola oil in your frying pan. Oil from the rapeseed (that's what canola oil is; they renamed it as a successful marketing ploy) is healthier for you than beef fat.
Grade A Prime is what top-notch steakhouses serve for their very expensive entrees. A steak that is Grade A Prime has the best marbling you'll find on the market, meaning it is generally going to be tastier and juicier than any other grade. If you hear about Kobe or Wagyu beef, those cows' muscles are marbled enough that they easily qualify as Prime; however, they are generally a step above prime grade in my experience.
Grade A Choice is the most common grade you'll see in a standard megamart. It is generally less marbled than prime but can still be perfectly tasty. You can still see variations in steaks and chops labeled choice, though, so look for better marbling. When I shop at Costco, sometimes I find choice ribeye steaks that look nearly as marbled as the Grade A Prime.
Grade A Select is found at some stores. This meat can still be tasty, but it is leaner. If you're looking for lean beef for your diet, select is the grade to hunt for in the store. However, the lack of fat means it will not be as inherently tasty as the other two grades listed above. It also means it is much easier to turn into the consistency of shoe leather. You can use it, just be more careful than usual.
When it comes to ground beef, I skip anything above 90/10. Frankly, I'll usually skip anything above 85/15 unless I'm at the aforementioned Costco and need "a Costco" of ground beef (5-6 lbs). The second number in ground beef is the fat content. Remember, fat is where the flavor is. It's also what you use to fry things, be it a burger or not. Yes, you could get yourself some (expensive) 96/4 ground beef and cook it in a nonstick skillet to keep out as much fat as possible, but you'll end up with a very tough burger even if you don't overcook it. Give yourself a little leeway. If you're still concerned about high fat content, go ahead and get that (expensive) 96/4 ground beef but use some canola oil in your frying pan. Oil from the rapeseed (that's what canola oil is; they renamed it as a successful marketing ploy) is healthier for you than beef fat.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Restaurant Review of Venetian Moon, plus Port-Infused Pasta
Last night, while escaping the house and the shrieks of an angry child who would not go to bed, I went to Venetian Moon in Reading, MA. I had a voucher for reduced price cuisine which had an expiration date of yesterday. Funny, that.
At any rate, I arrived all of 20 minutes before they close the doors. I was peckish but did not need a huge entree. I ordered three items from their appetizers and tapas menus, partly to get to near the value of my voucher: stuffed mushrooms ($9), eggplant rollatini ($10), and tortellini al forno ($10). The mushroom caps were filled with a mushroom stuffing. I normally don't get stuffed mushrooms because there is usually shellfish or pork hanging around in the stuffing somewhere, so I got to enjoy my first stuffed mushrooms in years. And I did enjoy. The eggplant rollatini was close to an entree size for me. I did try one of the four rolled slices of eggplant. Each was stuffed with ricotta and baked with sauce and mozzarella. There was a nice garlic flavor in there as well. I took home the rest. The standout dish, though, was the tortellini. It was served in a port wine and basil cream sauce, and some of the port had been absorbed by the pasta. It was, I have to tell you, heavenly. I didn't finish it there, but after I got home I polished off the rest. As I was seated upstairs at the bar, I asked about how kid-friendly the place was. My server informed me that adults do bring their kids earlier in the evening, so they are not wholly foreign. Prices are a little steep without a voucher or coupon, so you might want to save it for a special occasion; but the food is worthy.
The thing was, the flavor of the tortellini got into my head. It tasted so good! The cream sauce, the wine, and the lovely cheese tortellini made an excellent dish that was also rare in my taste experience. Tonight, some hours after ingesting some take-out cheese pizza from my local Costco -- which is actually reasonably tasty, though not gourmet -- I wanted to see if I could make some of my own port-infused pasta. I was just off-balance enough at the time to actually try this. Interestingly enough, it worked!
I did not use a huge pot to boil my pasta, just a saucepan, but you can do this with a larger pot if you want. I had about 1/4 pound of dry De Cecco linguini fini, which I boiled for about a minute less than the directions stated. I drained my pasta, then put somewhere around 1/4 cup of port into my now-empty saucepan, which was narrow enough so it had a small amount of depth. I turned the heat back up to medium-high. As soon as the wine started to show signs of some sort of bubbling I put the pasta back in the saucepan. I occasionally stirred my pasta in the port for around 75-90 seconds, as the heat distribution was not as even as with a pot full of water. At the end of that I added some jarred pasta sauce (Trader Joe's Arribata sauce, $2.99) and grated some fresh Romano cheese I keep in the fridge. The port did indeed cook into the pasta, giving some lovely extra flavor. There was a little bit of port that did not go in the pasta and mixed with the sauce instead, but I definitely tasted the port in the pasta.
I had taken home-grade ingredients, albeit good quality ones, and used them to make a dish I'd consider worthy of a good Italian restaurant. That's a decent night's work, if I do say so myself.
At any rate, I arrived all of 20 minutes before they close the doors. I was peckish but did not need a huge entree. I ordered three items from their appetizers and tapas menus, partly to get to near the value of my voucher: stuffed mushrooms ($9), eggplant rollatini ($10), and tortellini al forno ($10). The mushroom caps were filled with a mushroom stuffing. I normally don't get stuffed mushrooms because there is usually shellfish or pork hanging around in the stuffing somewhere, so I got to enjoy my first stuffed mushrooms in years. And I did enjoy. The eggplant rollatini was close to an entree size for me. I did try one of the four rolled slices of eggplant. Each was stuffed with ricotta and baked with sauce and mozzarella. There was a nice garlic flavor in there as well. I took home the rest. The standout dish, though, was the tortellini. It was served in a port wine and basil cream sauce, and some of the port had been absorbed by the pasta. It was, I have to tell you, heavenly. I didn't finish it there, but after I got home I polished off the rest. As I was seated upstairs at the bar, I asked about how kid-friendly the place was. My server informed me that adults do bring their kids earlier in the evening, so they are not wholly foreign. Prices are a little steep without a voucher or coupon, so you might want to save it for a special occasion; but the food is worthy.
The thing was, the flavor of the tortellini got into my head. It tasted so good! The cream sauce, the wine, and the lovely cheese tortellini made an excellent dish that was also rare in my taste experience. Tonight, some hours after ingesting some take-out cheese pizza from my local Costco -- which is actually reasonably tasty, though not gourmet -- I wanted to see if I could make some of my own port-infused pasta. I was just off-balance enough at the time to actually try this. Interestingly enough, it worked!
I did not use a huge pot to boil my pasta, just a saucepan, but you can do this with a larger pot if you want. I had about 1/4 pound of dry De Cecco linguini fini, which I boiled for about a minute less than the directions stated. I drained my pasta, then put somewhere around 1/4 cup of port into my now-empty saucepan, which was narrow enough so it had a small amount of depth. I turned the heat back up to medium-high. As soon as the wine started to show signs of some sort of bubbling I put the pasta back in the saucepan. I occasionally stirred my pasta in the port for around 75-90 seconds, as the heat distribution was not as even as with a pot full of water. At the end of that I added some jarred pasta sauce (Trader Joe's Arribata sauce, $2.99) and grated some fresh Romano cheese I keep in the fridge. The port did indeed cook into the pasta, giving some lovely extra flavor. There was a little bit of port that did not go in the pasta and mixed with the sauce instead, but I definitely tasted the port in the pasta.
I had taken home-grade ingredients, albeit good quality ones, and used them to make a dish I'd consider worthy of a good Italian restaurant. That's a decent night's work, if I do say so myself.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
A quick pizza shout-out
This evening, after a trip elsewhere, my family stopped in Emma's in Kendall Square so my son could have something he was willing to eat. I ordered a plain slice for him. The lady behind the slice counter saw my kids, both with their red hair, and put in an extra slice for them. I cannot swear they'll do that for your kids, but that was extremely nice of her.
You can't get that at corporate pizza places. Equally important, the pizza looked really good. I don't make it to Kendall Square often, but I am definitely willing to stop there again.
You can't get that at corporate pizza places. Equally important, the pizza looked really good. I don't make it to Kendall Square often, but I am definitely willing to stop there again.
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