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Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Recipes

FALL RECIPES

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE WITH PARMESAN AND FRESH MUSHROOMS

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 to 6 ounces fresh mushrooms (button, portabello or other), sliced

6 cups butterhead lettuce, such as Boston or Bibb

6 tablespoons Parmesan shavings (see note)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly cracked pepper (tricolor peppercorns look particularly nice)

Makes six servings.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are wilted.

Portion lettuce leaves on salad plates. Top with mushroom slices and Parmesan.

To make vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil. Drizzle on salad immediately before serving.

Note: To shave Parmesan, use a grater with coarse holes to make larger shavings of the cheese.

SESAME PORK ROAST

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 or 4 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons molasses (any type)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup water

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

4 pounds pork shoulder roast (with or without bone)

3 tablespoon flour for gravy, if desired

Makes six servings.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over low heat until golden and fragrant. Place seeds in a bowl with the green onions, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, molasses, salt, curry powder, pepper, water and wine vinegar; stir to mix thoroughly. Place meat in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the meat. Marinate, covered, two to three hours or overnight in the refrigerator. When prepared in the slow cooker, the roast doesn’t need to be marinated in advance because the meat marinates during the lengthy cooking time. But for ease in the morning, it’s helpful to prepare the marinade the night before.

To prepare in a slow cooker: Place meat and marinade in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for eight to nine hours or on high for about three hours.

To prepare in the oven or on the stovetop: Remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Brown it in a Dutch oven or frying pan. To continue in the oven, place meat and marinade in a covered casserole dish and roast at 300 to 325 degrees for three hours. (The roast should be falling apart when it’s done.) To continue on top of the stove, place the meat and marinade in the pot and heat until the marinade is boiling. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook, turning meat once or twice, for three hours.

Serve meat with pan juices or make gravy.

To make gravy: Pour pan juices into a 2-cup measure. Skim off fat, returning 2 tablespoons of the fat to the pan. If defatted pan juices do not equal 2 cups, add enough water or chicken broth to reach the 2-cup measure.

Whisk 3 tablespoons flour into fat in the pan and cook over medium heat on the stovetop until bubbly, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the flavor from juices cooked to the pan. Slowly stir in pan juices and cook until gravy thickens, stirring constantly.

SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Salt

1/4 cup milk or cream

2 to 4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

White pepper

Makes six servings.

Place potatoes in a large pot; add 1 tablespoon salt and water to cover potatoes.

Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 20 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the potatoes. Drain.

If you have a potato ricer, run the potatoes through that first (it makes for a lighter mashed potato). In the pot or a large bowl, add milk and butter to the potatoes. Mash by hand or with a hand mixer. Mix in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Variation: Add about eight roasted garlic cloves (about 1/4 cup roasted garlic puree) to the potatoes and sour cream. Or, for a tangier flavor, substitute 4 ounces goat cheese (chevre) instead of the sour cream. Or you could add a little horseradish or chopped fresh sage to the recipe.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS

1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, if desired

Olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly cracked pepper (tricolor peppercorns look particularly nice)

Makes six servings.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss in olive oil and place in baking dish. Roast in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or so, until the beans are cooked through. They will have shriveled slightly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Variation: Add a sprinkling of black sesame seeds, which are available in the spice section of upscale supermarkets. (However, black sesame seeds are not recommended for this meal because white sesame seeds are used in the roasted pork.) Or, roast the beans with 1/2 cup raw cashews.

GINGERBREAD WITH LEMON SAUCE

FOR Gingerbread:

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt or buttermilk

1/4 cup light molasses

1 egg, slightly beaten

FOR Lemon Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (zest)

1/4 cup water

Strips of lemon peel, for garnish

Makes eight or nine servings.

To make gingerbread: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch square or round cake pan.

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup sugar and 4 tablespoons butter.

In another bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Blend into the creamed ingredients until the mixture resembles moist crumbs. Transfer a third of the mixture to another bowl and reserve.

To the remaining mixture, add baking soda, yogurt, molasses and egg. Stir until the batter is evenly blended. Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make lemon sauce: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, lemon rind and water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for four minutes, stirring until the mixture is clear and slightly thickened. Serve warm over gingerbread. Top with strips of lemon peel, if desired.

BREAD RECIPES

WHOLE-GRAIN GARLIC KNOTS WITH PARSLEY AND OLIVE OIL

Start to finish: 4 hours (30 minutes active)

For the master dough:

5 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

4 cups lukewarm water

For the rolls:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 to 2 tablespoons blended seeds (such as sesame, flax, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy and anise)

Makes five to 20 rolls.

In a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, a resealable, lidded plastic food container or food-grade bucket (not airtight), whisk together both flours, the yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten.

Add the water all at once and mix without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if not using a machine.

Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a cover. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately two hours.

After rising, refrigerate in the lidded (not airtight) container and use during the next 14 days.

This recipe makes 4 pounds of dough. Each pound makes five rolls. To prepare the rolls, use 1 pound of dough, refrigerating the remaining dough until desired.

To prepare the dough as garlic knots with parsley and olive oil, in a large skillet over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the parsley and garlic, then saute for four minutes, or until the parsley is soft and the mixture is aromatic. Add more olive oil if mixture looks too dry.

Break off 1 pound of the dough (returning the rest to the refrigerator). Dust the surface of the dough with flour, then divide it into 3-ounce pieces (about the size of small peaches).

Dust each piece with more flour and quickly shape into a ball. To do this, gently stretch the surface of the top of the ball down and under to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

Elongate each ball into a rope about a little less than a 1/2-inch in diameter and tie a knot in the center of the rope. Allow to rest for 30 minutes on an olive oil-coated baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Meanwhile, place a baking stone on the oven’s center rack. Place an empty broiler tray on the bottom rack. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle the olive oil, garlic and parsley mixture over the knots. You may have some left over for another batch.

Place the baking sheet on the stone, pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and firm. Serve slightly warm.

CHEESE BREAD

Start to finish: 15 hours (30 minutes active)

3 cups bread flour

2 1/2 cups cubed (1/2-inch cubes) pecorino cheese

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/3 cups cool (55 to 65 degrees) water

Wheat bran, cornmeal or additional flour, for dusting

Makes one 10-inch round loaf.

In medium bowl, stir together flour, cheese, salt, yeast and pepper. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds.

Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature until surface is dotted with bubbles and dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.

When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece.

Using lightly floured hands a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour.

Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for one to two hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise, heat the oven to 475 degrees, with a rack in the lower third. Place a covered, 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.

Using pot holders, carefully remove the heated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Use caution; the pot will be very hot. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color, but not burnt, about 15 to 30 minutes more.

Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

WILD RICE AND ONION BREAD

Start to finish: About 18 hours (20 minutes active)

6 cups unbleached bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons table salt or 3 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons instant yeast

1 cup cooked wild rice or another cooked grain

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 95 degrees)

1/2 cup lukewarm buttermilk or any other milk (about 95 degrees)

1/4 cup minced or chopped dried onions, or 2 cups diced fresh yellow onion (about 1 large onion)

1 egg white, for egg wash (optional)

1 tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)

Makes two large loaves or many rolls.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the egg white and 1 tablespoon water for the egg wash. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for one minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for one minute. The dough should be sticky, coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for five minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand for four minutes, adding flour or water as needed to keep the dough ball together. The dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for two to three minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will still be soft and slightly sticky, but will hold together to form a soft, supple ball.

Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to four days. If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)

When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator about two hours before you plan to bake.

Shape the dough into one or more sandwich loaves or into freestanding loaves of any size, which you can shape as batards, baguettes or boules, or into rolls.

When shaping, use only as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. For sandwich loaves, let the dough rise in greased loaf pans. For freestanding loaves and rolls, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and let the dough rise on the pan.

Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for one and a half to two hours, until increased to about 1 1/2 times its original size. In loaf pans, the dough should dome at least 1 inch above the rim.

To make the rolls shinier, whisk the egg white and water together, and brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash before baking.

About 15 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 350 degrees, or 300 degrees for a convection oven.

Bake the loaves for 10 to 15 minutes, then rotate the pan; rotate rolls after eight minutes. The total baking time is 45 to 55 minutes for loaves, and 20 to 25 minutes for rolls.

The bread is done when it has a rich, golden color, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is above 185 degrees at the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes for rolls or an hour for loaves before slicing.