Controlling Heat

Of all the cookbooks I have read, none tell you about the importance of being a master of heat.

There are knife techniques and butchering; flavors and how to build them and pair them; composition and plating: I have yet to see a book that discusses how and when to apply the right amount of heat at the right time for the right amount of time.



Controlling heat is the secret of being a great chef. How many cooking competition shows have you seen where the chef with the under-cooked or overcooked protein gets chopped?



Poached eggs are not as easy as they look. You want a runny yolk. How runny? It depends on the cooking time and a proper simmer.

Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Use cold eggs. Crack an egg into a cup without breaking the yolk. Slide the egg into the simmering water. The simmer will stop. That's okay. Use a timer. 3 minutes - nice runny yolk. I like 4 minutes. 5 minutes and the yolk is almost completely set.

Serve the eggs right away. If preparing ahead, plunge the poached egg into ice water to stop the cooking. In this case, we start cold and end cold. For serving, reheat in the simmering water.



Grilling is another test of heat control. I have complete control over a gas grill. If you like that charcoal flavor, cooking with coal offers a terrific challenge.

Despite what the package of charcoal says, I would never spread the coals evenly over the bottom of the grill. I would pile the coals on one side of the grill and grill indirectly. Why? No flare ups. No blackened burgers or chicken thighs that are raw in the middle.

Baking in the oven is problematical. There may be hot spots. The temperature setting may be off by as much as 15 degrees. Get a quality oven thermometer so you know exactly what temperature you are using to bake.

Know your stove. Know how your pans conduct heat. Know your oven. Know your grill. Know your broiler.

Get an instant read thermometer. It should have a range of temperature readings that go up to at least 350 degrees so you can measure the temperature of oil for frying. If the oil is not hot enough, you will get soggy, oily fries for example.

For meat, steaks will come out a perfect medium rare (130 degrees). Turkey or chicken will not be dry if cooked to 160 degrees. 160 is that magic temperature where bacteria can no longer survive but the poultry still retains its juices.

Get a good oven thermometer. Keep it in the oven!

Even the humble pancake needs the right amount of heat applied for the right amount of time. The first one never comes out perfect because the pan is not hot enough. The last of the bunch are slightly burnt because the pan has gotten to hot.

Master and control heat. It takes practice and repetition.

Old Timey Lemonade

Old Timey Lemonade

The ultimate summer drink.

• 1-1/3 cup lemon juice (8-10 lemons)
• 1-1/3 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
• 80 oz water (2-1/2 qts)
• lemon slices for garnish

1. Cut all the lemons in half.

2. Squeeze the lemons through a strainer.

3. Using a funnel or measuring cup, pour lemon juice into a large container.

4. Add the sugar.

5. Add the water.

6. Shake or stir very well and taste. Too strong, more water. Too sour, more sugar. Too sweet, add the juice of one lemon and another cup or two of water.

7. Serve in a tall glass with plenty of ice and garnish with a lemon slice.

If you have an electric juicer, great. There are hand held juicers as well. I put the lemons between a pair of tongs and squeeze, turn 90 degrees and squeeze again.

Ultimate White Pizza

 

White Slice

Who doesn't like pizza? This is one is rated 'A' for adults only.

Pizza dough literally is a blank canvas. The twist here is that I have mixed ricotta cheese with Greek yogurt to make a tangy spread.

The Base

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg (1/8 of a teaspoon)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
• 2 tbsp milk (or more to get a pudding like consistency)

Toppings

• 1/2 cup golden onion (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup fennel (thinly sliced)
• 1/4 cup Granny Smith apple (thinly sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (shaved very thin like Paulie did in Wise Guys)
• 1" slice Jimmy Dean sausage
• 1 handful fennel fronds (for garnish)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

The Dough

• 1 ball store-bought dough (brought to room temperature)
• all-purpose flour, as needed (to prevent sticking to the work surface)

1. Flour the ball of dough, cover with plastic or a damp cloth, bring up to room temperature.

2. Form the pie. Start with your finger tips pressing down and out to form a small circle. At this point you can get fancy and place the dough onto both of your fists and start tossing it in circles to stretch it out. A rolling pin works as well. Keep the work surface floured to prevent sticking.

3. Since this is a heavy pie, dock the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles and pre-bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on a pizza stone or an upside down baking sheet. 

   
   
   

4. Take out the pre-baked pie crust. Raise the temperature of the oven to 500 degrees.

5. Assemble the base by combining the ricotta, yogurt, olive oil and spices. Thin out with milk as needed so you have a thick but spreadable consistency. Stir or whip the mixture well.

6. Spread the mixture on the pie crust all the way to the edge.

7. Take the time to evenly place the shaved garlic all over the pie.

8. Add the sliced fennel, onion and apple.

9. Break up the slice of Jimmy Dean sausage into bits and drop as evenly as possible onto the pie.

10. Bake at 500 degrees for about 12 minutes. The ricotta will actually start to bubble. The edge will start to get dark. It may char a little, but take out of the oven when you start to see that.

11. Garnish the pie with fennel fronds and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

If I had to do this again, I think I would oil the crust as opposed to the filling.

The pie lacks acidity, so there is no reason why you can't drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the finished product.

The ricotta and yogurt together measure two cups. You don't have to use it all. Use what you need to cover the crust from edge to edge.

 

Spicy Tomato Soup

 

Spicy Tomato Soup

I make soup all the time but I never write down a recipe. Here is the recipe.

• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 6 oz diced tomatoes with green chili peppers (Hunt's is a good brand)
• 8 oz water
• 4 oz pickle juice
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch sugar

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes

2. After the soup has cooled off a little, pour into a blender and blend until smooth

Serve the soup hot or cold. A nice addition is some sour cream or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

 

Easy Grilled Salmon Cakes

 

Grilled Salmon Cakes

This is for the grill pan or the grill.

For the salmon cake:

• .60 lb salmon fillet
• 10 Saltine crackers (smashed to crumbs)
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• chives to garnish

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp chopped chives

1. Poach the salmon in barely simmering water, about 8 minutes. 

   
   
   
2. When the tip of the knife can pierce the fish easily, it’s cooked.
3. Scrape off the flesh from the skin. Place the salmon in a bowl and continue to flake with a fork.

4. Add the cracker crumbs, pepper, egg, oil and lemon juice, combine and flake with a fork.

5. Form the mixture into 4 patties.

6. Put the oil in a hot grill pan and fry the patties, about 3 minutes per side. These should be firm enough to put on a BBQ but if there is any doubt, use a fish basket or heavy duty aluminum foil to line the grill.

7. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce: Mayonnaise, Dijon, chives, lemon juice and pepper.

8. Sauce the plate and add the grilled salmon cakes.

The patties will be slightly wet. That's okay as they will tend to be more moist.

 

Mussels Fra Diavolo

Translated: Brother Devil Mussels. It's gonna get hot in here.

I haven't had this in a long time. It's real easy to make.

Get 2 pound of mussels. Rinse. Debeard the mussels if needed. Soak in salty water.

Make the spicy tomato sauce.

Simmer the mussels in the spicy sauce until they open.

Serve with crusty bread. Done.

Servings: 2 to 4 depending on how hungry. One pound was good for me.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds of mussels
1 28 ounce can of tomato puree
1-1/4 cups of water
1 large lemon
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 table spoons red pepper flakes - more or less to taste
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
10 cloves garlic - thinly sliced like Paulie or finely chopped
1 loaf of buttered, crusty bread cut into wedges

Debeard the mussels if necessary. Rinse in a colander with cold water. Put the mussels into a big pot with salty, cold water.



The sauce is easy. Olive oil, red pepper flakes and garlic until sizzling - or until the garlic starts to brown.

Add the tomato puree. Stir. Add the black pepper. Stir. Add the water with the juice of one lemon. Stir.



When simmering, add all the mussels. Cover and steam with another big pan on top.



When the mussels are all open it's time to serve. Discard the ones that did not open.

Plate with some chopped, Italian parsley. Chopped fennel and/or fennel fronds work too.

The dunk of the bread into that spicy, salty tomato broth is a little bit of heaven.

Notes

The mussels and their liquid should provide all the saltiness you need for the sauce. If not, add a little salt.

They All Can't Be Winners

Salsa is a great condiment or dip. For a cook, making salsa teaches flavors and combinations of flavors.

I had the saltiness. I had the sweet from a touch of honey. For heat I had a jalapeno. For the tang I had lime juice and the tomatoes. For the bitter accent I had fresh cilantro and some onion. For shine, a little olive oil.

I decided to get fancy and roast the vegetables. Mistake number one. Everything dried out.

The tomatoes were "tomatoes on the vine". They were the only tomatoes that looked decent. They were this weird yellowish orange on the inside. Mistake number two.

The salsa was so thick you could stand up a spoon. The color was totally off.



Appetizing, isn't it?

This time of year, grape or cherry tomatoes are probably the best bet for salsa. That or canned crushed tomatoes.

Once again, the best ingredients you can get generally make for the best finished product.

Other cookbooks will show only the wins and not the fails. Today I failed. Tomorrow I'll see if I can't get a win.

A Summary

I promised not to talk about techniques and equipment. But, clearly you should have some idea of what you are doing in the kitchen. You should should be able to follow a recipe. That's why I wrote this. Follow the recipes and make them your own.

Newbies are welcome, but there are better ways to learn techniques other than this book. I can write, "Thinly slice three scallions." It's up to you to know what that means. Sometimes you will be required to chop finely or mince. You should know the difference. This book is the next step in your cooking journey where we will try different ingredients, flavor combinations, and so on.

My first marriage, I did much of the cooking. Single, I continued that trend, simply as a way to save money. In my second marriage I really stepped up my game as we entertained and my second wife worked in New York, had many rich friends. They certainly knew what good food tasted like.

I felt like I could really cook when one of our guests didn't want the dinner I had made. I switched gears and made Veal Marsala in about a much time as it is taking to write this chapter. He liked it.

The veal fillets were expensive. It was USDA Choice or Prime. I don't remember. Simply, this was the most tender veal I ever had. You could cut it with the side of your fork.

So, lesson number one is: Get the best ingredients you can afford.

Lesson number two is: Get all your ingredients together on the counter prior to cooking. This is the mis en place you may have heard of on cooking shows.

Equipment: You should have, in no particular order, the following:

• A sharp knife and a cutting board


• A way to keep the knife sharp


• A stainless steel pot for soups and sauces


• A bigger pot for chili, roasts and stews


• A really big pot to make pasta


• A frying pan


• A vegetable peeler

A mini-processor or blender can come in very handy, especially if you are making soups, smoothies or chopping a lot of vegetables.

After the second marriage and single again, I began to expand my knowledge of ingredients. I would walk into a supermarket and get a bunch of tomatillos for example. Then I would figure out what to do with them. For instance, I made the green tomatillo chili shown below.



With a little confidence, I made Pad Thai:



I have a real passion for baking now.

Apple Pie:



Bagels:



These days I am trying to cook more vegetarian dishes and making classic meat and chicken dishes with less fat. This is not just a concession to old age. We all should try to eat a little lighter.

Because I don't drink anymore, I don't cook with wine anymore. I am on the lookout for a place that sells denatured wine.

Read recipes, watch cooking shows and practice. It will be worth it.

The Lonely Guy may be poor, but he eats like a King.