Fat is Flavor

Waste Not My Dear...Fat is Flavor

Sometimes throw a little fit when I see people toss spent olive oil (or after pouring too much, just the extra) down a drain. Regardless of the fact that pouring oil into our sewage system is horridly irresponsible, you're also wasting the building blocks of flavor. Never pour out that so called "waste." It is in fact, fatty and delicious. This leads to a second and probably more important point, fat is not bad-nearly every culture in the world eats foods that are laden with scrumptious fats, they just do it in a way that is totally different from our super size french fry culture. I lived in Italy a couple years ago, and I was amazed at how at every meal there was an element of fat beyond olive oil, usually cheese, cream, butter, and pork fat...yet the heart disease rate is miniscule compared to us here in the good ole U.S. Mediterraneans tend to eat smaller portions and a lot of veggies-you'll find that this blog attempts to follow their lead, I don't shy away from fatty foods, but I balance them by using them somewhat sparingly and loading my dishes with fresh veggies (specially the green ones).

Angry tirade about American's eating habits aside, don't waste what's left in the pan. I am always delighted when I make a dinner and I can use the same tablespoon of olive oil or butter over and over again. Once to sear some chicken, again to saute veggies, finally to make a sauce or gravy out of the tasty remnants.

Finally, if you happen to be cooking some pork products, don't even think about pouring bacon fat down the drain, cause that stuff is so delicious you can drink it. Ok, so maybe don't drink it, I think I would probably get an admonition from the Cardiologist Association of America if I seriously instructed you to do that (I may get one anyways!). The point is that something as naturally versatile and full of flavor as bacon fat should never go to waste. If you are using bacon for part of a dish, use the excess fat (and there is always a ton of it) for the rest of the meal-even dessert (kidding again...am I though?)

More recipes to come...you can chew the fat while you wait!

Babbie's Mushroom Pate

Bobbie’s Mushroom Pate (Faux Chopped Liver)

Time: 1 Hour Active time, Plus at least 1 Hour Fridge Time

My Grandmother (Bobbie) is one of the best home cooks of all time. Watching her cook and eating her food has taught me some of the most important lessons about making simple food with love and care. She also has graciously instructed me how to cook several recipes that she has been making for decades! It is quite difficult to write these recipes down, as amounts are often described as a bit of this, or a handful of that. I have tried my best to approximate amounts and clarify directions.

This particular recipe is a family favorite at parties, perfect to spread liberally on a piece of crusty bread or a cracker. Remarkably, this combination of ingredients creates a texture and flavor that is incredibly close to real chopped liver. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t augment the ingredients with fancy additions, although it sounds good to substitute with crimini mushrooms and fresh sage, it actually ruins the simple charm of the dish.

Mushroom Pate

2 Yellow Onions Diced

1 White Onion Diced

2 cups sliced white mushrooms

Quarter cup of ground walnuts

olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Saute the onions and mushrooms in a large lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook until the onions get translucent but not caramelized (usually 30 minutes or so). Season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic. Transfer to a bowl and let sit for another 30-45 minutes, or put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Pour the mushroom and onion mixture into a food processor and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Mix in the walnuts. Serve room temperature or cold. It is best to make this a day ahead, as the ingredients meld together wonderfully after a day of rest.

Enjoy this one folks, it is one of the most special recipes I know. Serve at party with family and friends....have great conversations with those close to you and most of all, don’t stop stuffing your face with the best hors d’oeuvres of all time created by the strongest, warmest and sweetest grandmother of all time.

The Big Night

A Big Night Indeed

I was daydreaming at work today (something that my supervisors would probably get a bit touchy about...I suppose putting it on my blog for all to see is not too smart) about some of those pivotal experiences in my life that led me to develop my love of food and cooking. There are too many to tackle, and in reality the smaller less memorable experiences were probably the most influential, nevertheless one in particular came to my mind today. Years ago a movie came out called Big Night, if you're a foodie like me, you'll love this one. It features some of the most beautiful Italian food, furthermore, the acting (it stars Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rosselini, and Minnie Driver) and story are incredible. In any case, I was a young lad, but my parents made me watch it. I was almost as mesmerized as they were.

They were so mesmerized in fact that they decided to put on a "Big Night" party of their own, featuring their own interpretations of the recipes in the movie. This was quite an undertaking, planning and executing a 5-6 course meal for 25 of their friends. Some of these dishes are amongst the most complex in the entirety of Italian cuisine, requiring subtle attention to flavor and difficult techniques.

As you can probably infer, they were going to need some help, a young amateur Nick, who was the eldest son of a family friend (who is now an incredible professional chef) and I volunteered to be sou chefs. Nick and I had some experience cooking together, and even then, we exchanged recipes (he was a few years older than me and acted as a kind of informal mentor for a couple of years, now he can cook circles around me).

The menu included (but was not limited to), chicken made under a brick, three different kinds of risotto, toretellini in brodo, and the flagship dish, Il Timpano. Il Timpano is perhaps the greatest single dish ever created. Named for the drum (Timpani) it fancifully resembles, it is a pie crust wrapped around perhaps the “best of” in Italian food. It has ragu, meat balls, fresh pasta tubes, hard boiled eggs, cheese, and pretty much any other delicious item you have hanging around. It is indeed perfection in a dish-with a crumbly outer crust filled with such delectable goodies....you can see I get carried away just talking about it.

In any case, I was too young to take on such an immense undertaking as the timpano. Instead, it was my job to chop parsley, onion and garlic all day until I could barely hold the knife, and then, watch the stove and dish out the risotto, I also did my fair share of cleaning. It wasn’t glamourous work-and I was so overwhelmed by the risotto (both the cooking of it, and the massive amount I snuck into my mouth while dishing it out), I couldn’t eat it for years, but I learnt so much from that back breaking work. Quality of food is directly correlated to effort and care.

As I continue to post recipes and tell stories, learn from my experience-enter your kitchens with light hearts and plenty of energy. The key to being a true stovetop junkie is not in the technical aspects of cooking, but feeling the great joy and satisfaction from chopping parsley and onion all day long.

More recipes and stories to come!