A good meal should have one simple classic dish and one complex highly flavored one. The new York Times Food section delivered this yesterday in two recipes from two of their star writers. Melissa Clark gives us hints and instructions on how to create the perfect roast chicken while David Tanis has a great recipe for Moroccan herbed jelly. Bring them together for a dinner party for a widely varied meal, full of flavors and textures.
Novice home chefs would do well by reading A Good Appetite in yesterday's New York Times' food section.Melissa Clark show how to easily roast a chicken. It starts with a trip to your local supermarket or butcher's shop and try to get the best, usually a free range , antibiotic bird is the best choice. Once you bring it home, then salt it.It should b brined about a day before the actual roasting. Also leave it uncovered in the fridge so the skin can dry out a it Doing this gives the finished roast a nce golden, burnished look.For flavoring, salt and pepper = that goes without saying - but also herbs. Try the "twiggy" ones like rosemary, bay leaves and thyme. These will release less moisture than other herbs.If you prefer a lemony flavor , then use curls of lemon rind as opposed to lemon wedges.You can truss or tie up the legs if you want but it really doesn't male a difference. Ms. Clark recommends using a sauce such as chimichurri or Béarnaise, but personally I'd go with just the plain chicken. A roast chicken is flavorful on it's own.
You could make David Tanis. herbed Moroccan jam to go with the roast. The recipe was taken from Paula Wolfert's 1973 cookbook, "Couscous And Other Good Food From Morocco."It's not a jam in the traditional sense, it refers to the slow cooking down of ingredients. It's a favorite dish of acclaimed chef Russell, Moore of Camino Restaurant in Oakland, California and he has put it in his newly released cookbook "This Is Camino" He has tweaked the recipe so that instead of using foraged greens it uses the more domesticated ones such as lettuce along with parsley and carrots. Kale and broccoli rabe are also added along with celery tops and cilantro. Spice and heat come in the form of cumin and hot chiles.The jam method begins with first steaming the greens, completely drying them out and then cooking the down in pepper infused olive oil.The process only takes ten to fifteen minutes and then you can be served. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Mr. Tanis recommends serving it with pita but if you want try it as a sauce with Ms. Clark's roast chicken if you want.
Try Melissa Clark's roasted chicken recipe for an elegant dish. Serve it or have it follow Dave Tanis' exotic herbed jelly .They're a perfect blend of simple and complex, great for dinner or even supper.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
New York Biscuit Town?
New York is known for many things, fashion, night life, biscuits. Biscuits????! Surprisingly the most sophisticated city in the world and its' boroughs are becoming purveyors and experts on that Southern specialty. Some are traditionally made while others are given a fillip of spice. It's all part of the new city eating experience.
Ligaya Mishan wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section.Ms. Mishan, a restaurant critic for the section went on a city wide quest for the best biscuits. There are many Southern restaurants that are standouts in New York and with them comes the traditional fare.The cuisine is becoming so popular that there are even biscuit shops opening up too throughout Manhattan and her boroughs. Who has the best? Ms. Mishan visited several. One is the Beehive Oven, a Williamsburg hot spot where the owner and chief baker Treva Chadwell makes an approximation of her Texan grandmother's recipe.. These are tall biscuits , perfect little towers of married denseness and fluffiness..Chef Chadwell sometimes stuffs them with fried chicken or shrimp remoulade. One of Brooklyn's best known Southern style eateries Pies N Thighs , baker Sarah Sanna who also has Southern roots, takes on a more modern twist. She uses low gluten flour for airiness and European butter for richness. The biscuits are then brushed with a wash of raw egg and heavy cream.Chef Din Yates uses a similar recipe at Cheeky Sandwiches. The New Orleans born chef also adds butter milk too for tang.
Some bakers decide to go an entirely different route. They eschew traditional recipes and go their own way.The East Village Root & Bone make tiny ones, the size of petit fours as Chef Jeff McInnis serves them with a dipping sauce of dark chicken jus fortified with honey and sea salt. There are also twigs of fresh thyme and benne or sesame seeds for double dipping .Other biscuits from other restaurants and biscuit shops have the inside surprise of black pepper, homemade strawberry peach jam and dark chocolate as a rebel homage to pain au chocolat.. Some bakers, like Liz Santiso of Brooklyn Biscuit Company sprinkles grains of coarse sea salt on top to give it extra saltiness and crunch One batch has a dusting of chipotle on top with a smoky Cheddar filling. Even goat cheese has been added for a certain creaminess. Some bakers even nix the white flour and use cornmeal, creating a cakier kind of biscuit. All are served with either butter or honey butter.
Biscuits are not just a staple of the South anymore. They're becoming a Manhattan staple and a favorite.Like the city itself, they can be both traditional and funky, down home and chic at the same time.
Ligaya Mishan wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section.Ms. Mishan, a restaurant critic for the section went on a city wide quest for the best biscuits. There are many Southern restaurants that are standouts in New York and with them comes the traditional fare.The cuisine is becoming so popular that there are even biscuit shops opening up too throughout Manhattan and her boroughs. Who has the best? Ms. Mishan visited several. One is the Beehive Oven, a Williamsburg hot spot where the owner and chief baker Treva Chadwell makes an approximation of her Texan grandmother's recipe.. These are tall biscuits , perfect little towers of married denseness and fluffiness..Chef Chadwell sometimes stuffs them with fried chicken or shrimp remoulade. One of Brooklyn's best known Southern style eateries Pies N Thighs , baker Sarah Sanna who also has Southern roots, takes on a more modern twist. She uses low gluten flour for airiness and European butter for richness. The biscuits are then brushed with a wash of raw egg and heavy cream.Chef Din Yates uses a similar recipe at Cheeky Sandwiches. The New Orleans born chef also adds butter milk too for tang.
Some bakers decide to go an entirely different route. They eschew traditional recipes and go their own way.The East Village Root & Bone make tiny ones, the size of petit fours as Chef Jeff McInnis serves them with a dipping sauce of dark chicken jus fortified with honey and sea salt. There are also twigs of fresh thyme and benne or sesame seeds for double dipping .Other biscuits from other restaurants and biscuit shops have the inside surprise of black pepper, homemade strawberry peach jam and dark chocolate as a rebel homage to pain au chocolat.. Some bakers, like Liz Santiso of Brooklyn Biscuit Company sprinkles grains of coarse sea salt on top to give it extra saltiness and crunch One batch has a dusting of chipotle on top with a smoky Cheddar filling. Even goat cheese has been added for a certain creaminess. Some bakers even nix the white flour and use cornmeal, creating a cakier kind of biscuit. All are served with either butter or honey butter.
Biscuits are not just a staple of the South anymore. They're becoming a Manhattan staple and a favorite.Like the city itself, they can be both traditional and funky, down home and chic at the same time.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Leftovers With Zip
One of the worst things a home chef dreads is boring leftovers. Usually these consist of some forgotten veggies, leftover carcasses and this and that of sides from recent dinners past. Luckily with a dash of spice or a pat of butter these can be transformed into yummy meals that will be eaten. It just takes some creativity and the will to experiment.
One of the worst are those veggies that are still laying around the crispers. These can be that one leftover tomato or onion that was just one too many for a particular dish.These can be sliced up and made into a tasty salad, thanks to some added homemade dressing.These lone veggies can also go into an omelet, revving up the common egg dish into a frittata. You can even add a dash of Parmesan too for more flavor. Leftover broccoli and beets can also be transformed into colorful salads,perfect sides for tailgating parties. Be grateful for those leftover roasts too.Ham cam be devilled thanks to a quick spin in a food processor or it can be used for part of a croque monsieur sandwich. Turkey can be cut up for that classic tetrazzini or a yummy turkey and celery salad. This last can also be done with chicken, using mayo and tarragon for a lushly flavored salad. Serve on croissants for a really elegant lunch or supper.Those London Broil slices will be good on hot, buttery garlic bread or perfect in a biscuit topped meat pie.
Two of the most versatile foods that make perfect leftovers are bread and potatoes. Any kind of left over bread can be turned into a sweet or savory bread pudding.Stale French and Italian breads make an excellent base for the famed dessert pudding. They create a chewy, textured treat that's makes for an decadent dessert, especially when served with salted caramel sauce.These baguettes also are great for being repurposed into French toast. Any bread makes for tasty homemade croutons and breadcrumbs. Potatoes can be turned into almost anything as well. Last night's mash can be transformed into today's crispy fried puff. They can be cut up and used for breakfast and brunch hash browns. In fact you can use your leftover peppers and onions in it as well. Plain baked potatoes can be turned into a mash zinged up with garlic. Sweet potatoes are part of the versatility category too. They are wonderful mashed and whipped or as pancakes. Many turn them into fries or a kind of Tater tot, to be served with a molasses syrup. Use both white and sweet in a hash redolent with bacon strips and pepper for a fun brunch side.
Leftovers don't have to be hohum. They can be transformed into exciting new dishes that are mouth watering. In fact they'll be so good , there won't be any leftovers!
One of the worst are those veggies that are still laying around the crispers. These can be that one leftover tomato or onion that was just one too many for a particular dish.These can be sliced up and made into a tasty salad, thanks to some added homemade dressing.These lone veggies can also go into an omelet, revving up the common egg dish into a frittata. You can even add a dash of Parmesan too for more flavor. Leftover broccoli and beets can also be transformed into colorful salads,perfect sides for tailgating parties. Be grateful for those leftover roasts too.Ham cam be devilled thanks to a quick spin in a food processor or it can be used for part of a croque monsieur sandwich. Turkey can be cut up for that classic tetrazzini or a yummy turkey and celery salad. This last can also be done with chicken, using mayo and tarragon for a lushly flavored salad. Serve on croissants for a really elegant lunch or supper.Those London Broil slices will be good on hot, buttery garlic bread or perfect in a biscuit topped meat pie.
Two of the most versatile foods that make perfect leftovers are bread and potatoes. Any kind of left over bread can be turned into a sweet or savory bread pudding.Stale French and Italian breads make an excellent base for the famed dessert pudding. They create a chewy, textured treat that's makes for an decadent dessert, especially when served with salted caramel sauce.These baguettes also are great for being repurposed into French toast. Any bread makes for tasty homemade croutons and breadcrumbs. Potatoes can be turned into almost anything as well. Last night's mash can be transformed into today's crispy fried puff. They can be cut up and used for breakfast and brunch hash browns. In fact you can use your leftover peppers and onions in it as well. Plain baked potatoes can be turned into a mash zinged up with garlic. Sweet potatoes are part of the versatility category too. They are wonderful mashed and whipped or as pancakes. Many turn them into fries or a kind of Tater tot, to be served with a molasses syrup. Use both white and sweet in a hash redolent with bacon strips and pepper for a fun brunch side.
Leftovers don't have to be hohum. They can be transformed into exciting new dishes that are mouth watering. In fact they'll be so good , there won't be any leftovers!
Monday, October 12, 2015
An Exchange Of Foods
Today is Columbus Day and like it or not it's when two cultures,the indigenous American and European collided.It may have been the end of one culture yet it brought together what we now know as global cuisine.It expanded the world's diet and brought about better nutrition.
The Europeans brought various meats such as chickens , beef and lamb to the American diet.Yes the people already here ate meats but it came from hunted animals.The new kinds were able to be kept in herds or on properties.European bakers brought yeast to the New World which enabled breads to be made, thus more ready nutrition for the
young, infirm and elderly.It could go a long way in feeding large families. It could also be turned into sandwiches for easy meals.Whether considered good or bad,sugar was also introduced. One of the most dubious "gifts" is alcohol.Fire water was a way of placate them however it proved lethal in the 20th Century. Sadly many young tribes people have fallen for the variety of junk food that their Euro American counterparts have. Luckily many are returning to the ancient pre-Columbian diets.
The tribes from Canada to Central America have given us so much.They expanded a European diet that primarily existed of cabbage and turnips.Thanks to the Western Hemisphere ,there is polenta and tomatoes in Italy,chocolate in Switzerland and France, and beans in England.Our diets have expanded so much thanks to the potato which was easy to grow. Any meal we eat today has at least one indigenous ingredient.Even our Thanksgiving is influenced not by the English who created it, but by the Massachusetts tribes.The native Tai no gave us barbecue or Barbac a which has become a worldwide staple.On a broader scale the Pacific Islanders gave us pineapple and breadfruit .
Columbus and his crew discovered a whole new world.It was a culinary exchange that changed diets around the world.It broadened our palates and diets.
The Europeans brought various meats such as chickens , beef and lamb to the American diet.Yes the people already here ate meats but it came from hunted animals.The new kinds were able to be kept in herds or on properties.European bakers brought yeast to the New World which enabled breads to be made, thus more ready nutrition for the
young, infirm and elderly.It could go a long way in feeding large families. It could also be turned into sandwiches for easy meals.Whether considered good or bad,sugar was also introduced. One of the most dubious "gifts" is alcohol.Fire water was a way of placate them however it proved lethal in the 20th Century. Sadly many young tribes people have fallen for the variety of junk food that their Euro American counterparts have. Luckily many are returning to the ancient pre-Columbian diets.
The tribes from Canada to Central America have given us so much.They expanded a European diet that primarily existed of cabbage and turnips.Thanks to the Western Hemisphere ,there is polenta and tomatoes in Italy,chocolate in Switzerland and France, and beans in England.Our diets have expanded so much thanks to the potato which was easy to grow. Any meal we eat today has at least one indigenous ingredient.Even our Thanksgiving is influenced not by the English who created it, but by the Massachusetts tribes.The native Tai no gave us barbecue or Barbac a which has become a worldwide staple.On a broader scale the Pacific Islanders gave us pineapple and breadfruit .
Columbus and his crew discovered a whole new world.It was a culinary exchange that changed diets around the world.It broadened our palates and diets.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Nadiya's Baking Conquors All
Can a television baking completion hold the answer to race relations? Can politicians learn from competitors vying for a title as they bake cream puffs and eclairs? The answer is yes. Some of our Republican front runners; can glean a lot from "The Great British Baking Show."'
This wildly popular English TV program recently crowned a winner for their latest season, She is as British as the Windsors, but not as traditional as one might think Nadiya Jamir Hussein is a thirty year old mother of three from Northern England. She is the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and a Muslim. While British politicos descry the influx of all sorts of immigrants and their effect on eroding everything that is good and British (sound familiar? Listen to our debates) the rest of the country has embraced this expert baker. She is simply and lovingly known by her first name only, being a superstar and inspirations to millions of Britons,She has also turned around a lot of assumption about hijab wearing women heading off to join ISIS. . She is like any other English girl with a love of baking and a sweet tooth.The only thing scary about her is that her bakes are scary good.
I am in awe of her. It is not easy to please the show's formidable judges, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. They are quite critical when it comes to the trio of weekly bakes.that make up the series. A cake or cookie may look heavenly on the outside but in their discerning mouths could be nothing more than a scoop of sweet sand.What we deem as a perfect buttercream rose may be just another ball of colored lard to them.They adored her raspberry mille feulle, and soda flavored cheesecakes. Her blue chocolate peacock and her mountain of eclairs in the shape of a nun won them over as it did Britain.. Nadiya also had her own style , crucial to winning an audience on any televised completion. Her cheeky humor won over viewers from Cornwall to the Orkney isles. During one stressful bake she joked that she would rather brave childbirth again than create a chocolate soufflé.Like any second generation her heritage shown through. Her lemon drizzle cake was decorated with jewels from her wedding, perched on a stand with a sari bearing the colors of the Union Jack. She is proud of both her blended backgrounds and that is important to young second generation Anglo girls trying to make peace with their identities.
The Great British Bake Off is not only an enjoyable show but it can be a great teaching tool for our American politicians.They should see how immigrants truly contribute to a country's identity, only giving their best.They need a Nadiya, not only for delicious treats and breads but to show them how people of different backgrounds make a country great.
This wildly popular English TV program recently crowned a winner for their latest season, She is as British as the Windsors, but not as traditional as one might think Nadiya Jamir Hussein is a thirty year old mother of three from Northern England. She is the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and a Muslim. While British politicos descry the influx of all sorts of immigrants and their effect on eroding everything that is good and British (sound familiar? Listen to our debates) the rest of the country has embraced this expert baker. She is simply and lovingly known by her first name only, being a superstar and inspirations to millions of Britons,She has also turned around a lot of assumption about hijab wearing women heading off to join ISIS. . She is like any other English girl with a love of baking and a sweet tooth.The only thing scary about her is that her bakes are scary good.
I am in awe of her. It is not easy to please the show's formidable judges, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. They are quite critical when it comes to the trio of weekly bakes.that make up the series. A cake or cookie may look heavenly on the outside but in their discerning mouths could be nothing more than a scoop of sweet sand.What we deem as a perfect buttercream rose may be just another ball of colored lard to them.They adored her raspberry mille feulle, and soda flavored cheesecakes. Her blue chocolate peacock and her mountain of eclairs in the shape of a nun won them over as it did Britain.. Nadiya also had her own style , crucial to winning an audience on any televised completion. Her cheeky humor won over viewers from Cornwall to the Orkney isles. During one stressful bake she joked that she would rather brave childbirth again than create a chocolate soufflé.Like any second generation her heritage shown through. Her lemon drizzle cake was decorated with jewels from her wedding, perched on a stand with a sari bearing the colors of the Union Jack. She is proud of both her blended backgrounds and that is important to young second generation Anglo girls trying to make peace with their identities.
The Great British Bake Off is not only an enjoyable show but it can be a great teaching tool for our American politicians.They should see how immigrants truly contribute to a country's identity, only giving their best.They need a Nadiya, not only for delicious treats and breads but to show them how people of different backgrounds make a country great.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Discover Israeli Cooking
Many Americans have a narrow knowledge of Israeli cooking. They think it could be halvah and tabbouleh , possibly falafel If they're a bit more sophisticated , they may know of hand rolled bagels and za'atar the mixed bag of spices used in cooking.However it's a bit more than just those . It's one of the most flavorful and varied of Mediterranean cuisines. It has ancient grains and fresh herbs along with much loved meat dishes and cool salads.
Melissa Clark explored this in her Cookbooks column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.She reviewed and tested some of the recipes in Zahav: A World Of Israeli Cooking (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishers),written by restaurant owner, Michael Solomonov and Stephen Cook. Both are co-owners in the wildly popular Philadelphia restaurant Zahav.It's much more than just a cookbook,veering into memoir territory. Not many cookbooks have an account of a brother's death by a Lebanese sniper or his feelings about being shipped off to a boarding school. The recipes are perfect for any novice home chef . They are direct, simple and immediate. There is a recipe on the gaining in popularity za'atar, a mix of common and exotic spices and harissa, the fiery red pepper paste from North Africa.Of course there are several recipes dedicated to tabbouleh along with hummus which figures huge in the Israeli diet as it does throughout the Middle Eastern world.The main star, though, is the sesame paste tahini. It's used in so many dishes, from savory to sweet being the backbone of both main courses , sides and desserts.There is a caveat to the book though, Ms. Clark warns, some of the ingredients may be hard to find in an American supermarket. A trip to Amazon.com can solve that.
Ms. Clark includes two recipes in her review. One is a pastel, an Israeli meat pie, similar to the Greek pastitsio.It has spiced ground beef along with carrots and onions along with parsley , dill and sesame seeds. However , instead of using pasta or lasagna as layers as the Italians and Greeks do, puff pastry is used, creating a take on a Cornish pasty,She also includes a simple recipe for halvah that requires - what else - tahini.It's as easy to make as simple fudge and a great end to any of the meals in the book. For those who love hummus , there is a snippet of advice as well. Chef Solomonov recommends using overcooked chickpeas for it. They create a dip with an almost buttercream consistency where it silkily melts on the tongue. His hummus is the star of the restaurant, with all the flavors, including lemon and garlic being equally balanced in a perfect blend.Any of these recipes could work well at a fall dinner party, especially the pastel served with a good red wine. The halvah would be nice to make as a dinner party or holiday gift.
Israeli cooking is so much more than just hummus and tabbouleh .It is a wide variety of meats and vegetables cooked fresh with exotic spices.Chef Solomonov knows this and displays it in both his restaurant and cookbook, Zahav,A World Of Israeli Cooking.
Melissa Clark explored this in her Cookbooks column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.She reviewed and tested some of the recipes in Zahav: A World Of Israeli Cooking (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishers),written by restaurant owner, Michael Solomonov and Stephen Cook. Both are co-owners in the wildly popular Philadelphia restaurant Zahav.It's much more than just a cookbook,veering into memoir territory. Not many cookbooks have an account of a brother's death by a Lebanese sniper or his feelings about being shipped off to a boarding school. The recipes are perfect for any novice home chef . They are direct, simple and immediate. There is a recipe on the gaining in popularity za'atar, a mix of common and exotic spices and harissa, the fiery red pepper paste from North Africa.Of course there are several recipes dedicated to tabbouleh along with hummus which figures huge in the Israeli diet as it does throughout the Middle Eastern world.The main star, though, is the sesame paste tahini. It's used in so many dishes, from savory to sweet being the backbone of both main courses , sides and desserts.There is a caveat to the book though, Ms. Clark warns, some of the ingredients may be hard to find in an American supermarket. A trip to Amazon.com can solve that.
Ms. Clark includes two recipes in her review. One is a pastel, an Israeli meat pie, similar to the Greek pastitsio.It has spiced ground beef along with carrots and onions along with parsley , dill and sesame seeds. However , instead of using pasta or lasagna as layers as the Italians and Greeks do, puff pastry is used, creating a take on a Cornish pasty,She also includes a simple recipe for halvah that requires - what else - tahini.It's as easy to make as simple fudge and a great end to any of the meals in the book. For those who love hummus , there is a snippet of advice as well. Chef Solomonov recommends using overcooked chickpeas for it. They create a dip with an almost buttercream consistency where it silkily melts on the tongue. His hummus is the star of the restaurant, with all the flavors, including lemon and garlic being equally balanced in a perfect blend.Any of these recipes could work well at a fall dinner party, especially the pastel served with a good red wine. The halvah would be nice to make as a dinner party or holiday gift.
Israeli cooking is so much more than just hummus and tabbouleh .It is a wide variety of meats and vegetables cooked fresh with exotic spices.Chef Solomonov knows this and displays it in both his restaurant and cookbook, Zahav,A World Of Israeli Cooking.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
a Good Old Fashioned Sauce
Nothing beats a good old fashioned marinara sauce. It makes an ordinary bowl of pasta memorable, with its' layers of simple flavors. Anyone from experienced to novice home chefs can make a perfect one. It's an easy ragu to create for a dinner tonight or for one several weeks down the road.
Julia Moskin wrote about it for her Recipe Lab article in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She is something of a sauce whiz, having made her first sauce when she was a child. Her early sauces ,made for her little sister, consisted of nothing more than browned chopped meat and can of tomatoes. Her recipe has progressed , improved over the years with the addition of spices and pork . Funny enough the sauce doesn't exist in Italy, being one of those Italian American inventions such as pepperoni pizza and garlic bread. One of the successes to a good ragu is how it reacts with the pasta. It should be well mixed with a chunky sort like rotelli or penne. The sauce is added a little bit at a time to the pasta pot and then stirred in until there is nothing in the sauce pot.Doing it this way will allow the hot pasta to absorb the ragu, making it the most flavorful. More spices, along with salt and pepper can be added after to zing it up.
What goes into a good marinara sauce?The main ingredient meat should be a mix of pork and beef. Italian sausages work well too, because they already have the herbs and spices needed for flavoring the ragu.if you want to add just beef for a chunky sauce you can but just remember it will make it a one note kind. Tomatoes are also key. Ms. Moskin recommends using San Marzano whole ones but the Tuttorosso brand can also work here.There should also be tomato paste here as well for depth and body. Any imported kind works here, including San Marzano's American or Chinese canned tomatoes just don't quite cut it , probably because their tomatoes aren't ripe when picked as processed.. This affects the unami or fifth flavor of the entire recipe.. Spices are important. They bring out the tomatoes' earthy sweetness. Use fresh rosemary and thyme. along with fresh parsley. If you have basil, add it too. Ms. Moskin doesn't but I feel it gives a nice mellowness to the sauce. The meat and the onion should be fried first in olive oil then the tomatoes are added and cooked for forty minutes.
Nothing beats a good homemade meat sauce.Try this one for a delicious, old fashioned flavor of an Italian American kitchen .It's a nice lift to ordinary pasta and makes for a memorable meal.
Julia Moskin wrote about it for her Recipe Lab article in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She is something of a sauce whiz, having made her first sauce when she was a child. Her early sauces ,made for her little sister, consisted of nothing more than browned chopped meat and can of tomatoes. Her recipe has progressed , improved over the years with the addition of spices and pork . Funny enough the sauce doesn't exist in Italy, being one of those Italian American inventions such as pepperoni pizza and garlic bread. One of the successes to a good ragu is how it reacts with the pasta. It should be well mixed with a chunky sort like rotelli or penne. The sauce is added a little bit at a time to the pasta pot and then stirred in until there is nothing in the sauce pot.Doing it this way will allow the hot pasta to absorb the ragu, making it the most flavorful. More spices, along with salt and pepper can be added after to zing it up.
What goes into a good marinara sauce?The main ingredient meat should be a mix of pork and beef. Italian sausages work well too, because they already have the herbs and spices needed for flavoring the ragu.if you want to add just beef for a chunky sauce you can but just remember it will make it a one note kind. Tomatoes are also key. Ms. Moskin recommends using San Marzano whole ones but the Tuttorosso brand can also work here.There should also be tomato paste here as well for depth and body. Any imported kind works here, including San Marzano's American or Chinese canned tomatoes just don't quite cut it , probably because their tomatoes aren't ripe when picked as processed.. This affects the unami or fifth flavor of the entire recipe.. Spices are important. They bring out the tomatoes' earthy sweetness. Use fresh rosemary and thyme. along with fresh parsley. If you have basil, add it too. Ms. Moskin doesn't but I feel it gives a nice mellowness to the sauce. The meat and the onion should be fried first in olive oil then the tomatoes are added and cooked for forty minutes.
Nothing beats a good homemade meat sauce.Try this one for a delicious, old fashioned flavor of an Italian American kitchen .It's a nice lift to ordinary pasta and makes for a memorable meal.
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