MY FAVORITE VINAIGRETTE

Basic Gallery Vinaigrette

Hardware: Large mixing bowl, wire whisk, spice mill for grinding peppercorn, chef’s knife, storage container

Ingredients: 

4 cups apple cider vinegar

¾ cup coarse grain Dijon Mustard

4 Tablespoons white sugar, or more to taste

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

16 finely minced shallots

11 cups canola oil

1 Tablespoon dry dill

½ cup fresh finely-chopped parsley

½ cup finely minced fresh chives

1 Tablespoon fresh coarse-ground black peppercorn

Procedure:

1. Peel the outer skin from the shallots.
2. Process the fresh herbs using a chef’s knife. This requires precision and a sharp knife. Keep your eye on the knife at all times! Don’t get distracted unless you like blood! Finger cuts take forever to heal! If you want to speed up processing the shallots, you can pulse them in a food processor, but don’t do this with the other fresh herbs or they will be too mushy!
3. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a wire whisk.
4. Store and refrigerate.

Yield: one gallon

BLUER THAN BLUE: GREAT SALAD DRESSING

The superior taste of freshly made salad dressings is astounding!

Gallery Blue Cheese Dressing

This recipe will work best if you use the highest quality blue cheese that you can afford. If you want to save time, you can purchase cheese that is pre-crumbled. I prefer a good Roquefort or Gorgonzola blue.

Hardware:  Large mixing bowl, wire whisk, kitchen scale

Ingredients:

24 ounces of crumbled blue cheese

6 cups mayonnaise

4 cups sour cream

2 cups heavy cream

3 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is better, bottled is ok)

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon fresh ground black peppercorn

3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 Tablespoons Lea & Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce. (Others are less satisfactory)

Procedure:

1. Course-grind the black peppercorn.
2. Weigh out 24 ounces of cheese and crumble (calibrate the scale to zero with the holding container first)
3. Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Store and hold under refrigeration up to one week

Yield: 3 quarts

RIBRUB

Dry spice rub for barbecue ribs:

Hardware: Mixing bowl, wire whisk

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated white sugar

3 Tablespoons paprika powder

2 Tablespoons granulated garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

Procedure:

Gently blend all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl using a wire whisk, and store in an air-tight container.

ORGASMIC SALMON ANYONE ??

Gallery Berbere Salmon Seasoning

This is definitely a spice mixture for which I received verbal raves, and declined frequent bribes of every description from those who coveted the recipe.

The basic mixture originated with the cooking of the nomadic North African Berber tribes; hence the adulterated name. There are infinite variations, but this one is my favorite for salmon in particular. I had some customers who would addictively order salmon every time they came to my restaurant because of this blend.

I believe the key aromatics are the components of freshly ground fenugreek seed and green cardamom, which tend to be costly and hard to find. Rocky Mountain Spice Company, in my opinion, has the best fresh spices. You can Google them and easily place an internet order on www.myspicer.com.

It takes some time to grind everything and mix it up, so I recommend making a pound at a time. It’s well worth the trouble! The required dried whole peppers are available in most supermarkets in the Mexican section. If you’re feeling lazy purchase the peppers pre-ground, but the mixture will be less aromatic, and less impressive.

Hardware: wire whisk, large mixing bowl, Spice Grinder, Food Processor (optional), paper or metal funnel, airtight storage jar.

Ingredients:

8 teaspoons ground cumin seed

1 teaspoon ground whole clove

24 whole green cardamom pods

2 teaspoons finely ground black peppercorn

4 teaspoons finely ground fenugreek seed

2 cups dry granulated garlic

12 ounces of dry whole Ancho peppers

6 finely-ground dried, whole chipotle peppers or 6 teaspoons ground chipotle pepper

1 Tablespoon finely ground dry ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 Tablespoons Sea salt or Kosher salt

Procedure: 

1. Trim the stems from the whole dry peppers and then open them with your hands to remove the seeds. If you are sensitive to peppers, don’t touch your eyes. You may also want to wear a pair of kitchen gloves.
2. Using a sharp scissors, cut the dry pepper skins into tiny pea-size pieces, so they will be easy to grind or pulse-process to a coarse powder and add to a mixing bowl
3. Individually grind all remaining whole spices into a fine powder and add them to the mixing bowl.
4. Add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend slowly with a wire whisk until well blended. Go easy. If you are too vigorous in your blending you will end up inhaling a cloud of the mixture, which won’t agree with your throat or the sinuses in your head!
5. Store the mixture by placing a paper or metal funnel over the mouth of the storage container.
6. Slowly transfer spoon amounts of the mixture from the mixing bowl into the funnel. This will keep any spicy, powdery dust from being inhaled in the transfer process!
7. Seal the cover on the airtight jar and store.

Yield: one pound  

A LITTLE ZING FOR FISH OR CHICKEN

Spicy Chili-lime sauce

This is a super-quick and simple dipping sauce with heart. It’s great with any style of chicken or seafood. Fresh lime juice is the key.

Hardware: mixing bowl, citrus reamer or juicer, wire whisk

Ingredients: 

1 cup of your favorite mayonnaise

Juice of one half of a fresh lime

1 Tablespoon of Sriracha Chili Sauce: (available at most supermarkets or your local Asian food market). You can adjust this amount up or down to desired “heat”. Sriracha is also great for adding decorative squiggles of heat on the plate when you serve.

Add Sea salt to taste for balance, if your mayo is sweet.

Procedure: Fresh squeeze the juice from half of a lime. Combine all ingredients with the wire whisk in the mixing bowl until well blended. Store and refrigerate.

Yield:  slightly over one cup

LIGHT AND SLIM FISH SAUCE

Fish Dipping Sauce

This is a wonderful “light” dipping sauce that is full of delicate flavor. It works best with any white-meat fish filet that has been breaded or battered and fried. It is best made in quantities that will be used in one or two days in order to maintain a fresh flavor

Hardware:  Chef’s knife, two quart mixing bowl, wire whisk, two quart pot or two quart ceramic bowl

Ingredients: 

2 cups soy sauce

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

4 minced garlic clove

4 minced scallions

2 teaspoons dry ginger

2 teaspoons dry Coleman’s Mustard

1 teaspoon Thai chili paste or Sriracha Chili sauce

¼ cup honey

1. Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk, until the honey is dissolved.

2. Cook the ingredients on the stovetop to the boiling point in a two quart pot, OR in the Microwave on High for eight minutes in a two quart ceramic bowl (just until the contents heat enough to simmer and produce steam. Allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Store the sauce in a quart container in the refrigerator. It will hold flavorfully for one week under refrigeration.

Yield: one quart.

BEST EVER RIB SAUCE

Mango-Bourbon Barbeque Sauce for Ribs

Hardware: A large double boiler pot if you want to do this on the stovetop. If you want to do this in a microwave you will need a large ceramic bowl.

Ingredients:

4 cups of ketchup

2 cups dark brown sugar

Pureed fruit of one large ripe mango

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted

2 Tablespoons coarse ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon granulated garlic

1 Tablespoon celery salt

¼ cup Jack Daniels Bourbon whiskey

Procedure: If you want to do this in a microwave, you will need a large “micro” with a carousel and a large enough ceramic bowl to hold the ingredients. You must have a couple of inches remaining between the surface of the contents and the top edge of the bowl to prevent bubbling over during cooking. The best way is to heat the ingredients in three minute increments on “High”, and gently stir the ingredients in the bowl when each increment of cook time ends. Eight four-minute bursts should be sufficient. You can work on something else while the microwave does the cooking. The contents and bowl will become very hot. Use oven mitts to protect your hands and remove the bowl. Allow the contents to cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator. The sauce will be thick when cold and the flavors will meld. It can be frozen for long-term storage.

If you want to do this on a stovetop, use a double boiler pot so you can do something else while it cooks for an hour.

Yield:  one half gallon (8 cups): enough to coat and serve ten full racks of barbecue ribs

SO YOU LIKE DUCK ??

RUBY PORT SAUCE

(for Duck, Quail and Hens)

This is a sauce which works extremely well for roast duck, sliced seared duck breast, Cornish hen and quail. The citrus elements tend to combine with the fat in the fowl, which brings out the flavor in the meat tremendously. The result will be a sauce with many layers of flavor, which is mildly spicy. The hot pepper elements are balanced perfectly by the sweet elements in the ingredients list.

If you are sensitive to fresh garlic or hot peppers, wear latex gloves for kitchen work, and don’t touch your eyes! Wash your hands afterwards.

Hardware: Large ceramic bowl, wire whisk, large rubber spatula, Chef’s knife, storage container.

Ingredients:

10 cups prepared orange marmalade: cheap store brands will work fine.

4 cups ruby port wine

2 cups lemon juice

8 jalapenos, seeded and finely minced

8 Tablespoons chili powder

8 Tablespoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons ground cumin

8 finely minced garlic cloves

Procedure:

1. Cook the ingredients in a large ceramic bowl in a microwave on High setting for 18 minutes. You may need to do this in increments of two or three minutes if the mixture boils up too high. A Large ceramic bowl should only fill about ¾ full, so boiling over shouldn’t be a problem.

2. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools

3. Store in a one gallon container and refrigerate

Yield: One Gallon

BEST CRABCAKE SAUCE ON EARTH

Pinot Grigio-Dijon Crabcake Sauce

This sauce is the perfect complement for your favorite crab cake.

Hardware: Large mixing bowl, wire whisk, chef’s knife, rubber spatula, mortar and pestle, storage container

Ingredients: 

12 Tablespoons finely minced shallots

12 tablespoons green peppercorns packed in brine (essential!!)

4 Tablespoons peanut oil

3 cups Pinot Grigio white wine

4 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns

4 cups coarse grain Dijon mustard

4 cups mayonnaise

4 cups sour cream

½ cup honey

1 Tablespoon Kosher salt

Procedure:

1. Finely mince the shallots with a Chef’s knife.
2. Remove the green peppercorns from the brine and crush them in a mortar and pestle or use a food processor chopping blade and pulse until coarsely ground.
3. Freshly coarse-grind the black peppercorns. An electric spice grinder can save a lot of time here. A coffee grinder, reserved solely for grinding spices works great for small quantities. A food processor works best for large quantities.  
4. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed, using a wire whisk.
5. Place in a storage container and refrigerate. Use within one week.

Yield: one gallon

 

INCREDIBLE SAUCE FOR SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS

Vatapa Sauce

One would probably never guess that the origins of this sauce are Brazilian, since the ingredients are also extensively used in Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisines. This sauce is a favorite because of the numerous layers of texture, flavor, and aroma. It works best topped with a complement of shrimp or sea scallops, over your choice of rice. I prefer to make it directly in a steam table soup pot, or in a double boiler pot on a stovetop, in order to avoid overcooking and keep the vegetable ingredients slightly crunchy.

This sauce stores very well in a freezer. It is definitely worth making a gallon and then storing whatever is left over for another dinner or two.

Hardware: double boiler or steam table soup pot, Chef’s knife, Food Processor with chopping blade

Ingredients:  

9 Tablespoons peanut oil

3 Medium Red Onions

16 Garlic cloves

4 fresh jalapeno peppers

3 Tablespoons fresh ginger root

1 84 ounce can of diced tomatoes (a number 10 can)

3 Cups water

3 Tablespoons lobster base

2 cups unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1 14 ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk

1 ½ Cups of chopped fresh Parsley (from 1 large bunch)

1 ½ Cups of chopped fresh Cilantro (from 1 large bunch)

1 Tablespoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Black Malabar peppercorn

Procedure:

This is a simple one pot cooking procedure. Liquids are added first, then solids.

1. Add the 9 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
2. Add the 3 Cups distilled water
3. Add the 14 ounces of Coconut Milk.
4. Drain the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes and add only the solid diced tomatoes to the pot. (Adding the tomato juice would make the mixture too thin and acidic.)

Process the following solids and add to the pot:

5. 3 coarsely chopped ( ½ inch diced) medium red onions
6. 16 garlic cloves (1/8 inch minced) Shell the garlic by pressing each clove under the flat side of your Chef’s Knife until it pops. Slice the cloves longitudinally into 1/8^th inch slices. Turn the garlic slices 90 degrees on the cutting board and repeat 1/8^th inch slicing to get the minced (fine dice) garlic. Add to pot.
7. 4 fresh jalapeno peppers: The first step in processing the peppers is to trim off the stems with your Chef’s Knife. Next slice each pepper lengthwise in half. On the inside you will see the pulp and seeds which add unnecessary heat and texture to the dish. Remove the pulp and seeds by scraping them out of each pepper hull with the aid of a small spoon. After removing the pulp and seeds, slice each pepper hull lengthwise into 1/8^th inch strips. Rotate the strips 90 degrees on your cutting board and again make 1/8^th inch slices to get the proper mince (1/8^th inch dice). Add the minced jalapenos to the pot.
8. 3 Tablespoons minced fresh Ginger Root. The first step in processing Ginger is to start with sections of root that are about 1 to 2 inch sections of whole root. Take each section of root and carefully slice of the outside layer of skin which surrounds the inner ivory pulp. This trimmed pulp is then sliced with the grain into 1/8^th inch slices. Each slice is then cut into 1/8^th inch strips. Rotate the strips 90 degrees on your cutting board and again slice every 1/8^th inch to get minced Ginger Root. Add the minced Ginger Root to the pot.
9. Process the Cilantro and Parsley by first thoroughly rinsing off any sand or dirt. Parsley growers in particular are notorious for growing Parsley in fine sandy soil that attaches to the Parsley and is virtually invisible to the eye. Rinse thoroughly. There is nothing worse than getting grit in a finished dish, into which you have exerted so much effort. Once you are sure that the Parsley and Cilantro are clean and grit-free, roll the bunch in paper toweling to remove the water after cleaning. Discard the wet paper toweling. Next, roll the bunch tightly on the cutting board with your hands. Turn the bunch lengthwise on your cutting board. Make paper-thin slices with your Chef’s Knife through the leaves a right angle, starting at the leaf-tip end and finishing where the leaves end and you’re into pure stems. Reserve the leaf trimmings and throw away the stem ends and rubber banding. Fine chop the Parsley and Cilantro Leaves. Add to the pot.
10. Add the 3 Tablespoons of Lobster Base. This is actually a moist paste in a jar. (Most good supermarkets have this where they have jars of quality chicken, beef, and fish base. Base is not Bouillon. That comes in cubes and is a very inferior product, although it does have its rare occasional place in the kitchen. Don’t worry about dissolving the paste. That will happen as you occasionally stir during the cooking phase. Relax and take a sip of good wine if you have some.
11. Add the 1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt. Why Sea Salt? It’s a seafood dish and we want the flavor of the sea. Yes it does taste better with seafood!
12. Grind 1 Tablespoon on black peppercorns in a spice mill. Why? Because fresh ground peppercorn retains all of its aromatic oils and the finished dish will taste much better than if you cheated with pre-ground pepper. Add to the pot.
13. Coarse grind 2 cups of dry-roasted unsalted peanuts in a Food Processor with a chopping blade by using the “Pulse” function, until the peanuts just begin to adhere to the sides of the processor. More than that would produce peanut butter, and you don’t want that. Add to the pot.
14. Stir all of the ingredients until well mixed in the pot. Cook on simmer for about 1 ½ hours, or until the vegetables are slightly crunchy.
15. Use the finished stew-thick sauce on top of rice, and top with your favorite shrimp or sea scallops.
16. Eat and be in rapture.    

  

   

NO COOKING NEEDED: SAUCES, DIPS, MARINADES

SAUCES, DIPS, AND MARINADES

Salsa Fresca

Although no one is certain as to the exact date the first Salsa was made, historians and anthropologists have estimated that the three key ingredients for red and green salsas (tomatoes, tomatillos, and various chili peppers) were cultivated and combined by the Aztecs who acquired them from the natives of the Andes Mountains, possibly as early as 3000 B.C.

Chilies were first brought to Spain in 1494 by the doctor who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage. Later, during their conquest of the Aztecs beginning in 1519 the Spanish were first exposed to sauces that combined tomatoes, chilies, and tomatillos. Salsa is simply the Spanish word for sauce.

    

There are entire books devoted to Salsa variations which use fresh chopped ingredients which macerate in the flavorful acid of lime juice. You can eat Salsa Fresca alone or use it on salads, or for combinations of Burrito and Taco fillings with lettuce, avocado, sour cream, seasoned meats, shredded cheese and beans.

If you make one salsa you will want to try others, instantly recognizing that the taste of freshly made Salsa is far superior to the pre-made refrigerated or canned versions in super markets.  The only drawback to Fresh Salsa is best if used on the same day that you make it. After the second day under refrigeration the acids in the lime juice begin to build up and create a sour taste.

My favorite Salsa Fresca is mild and uses a ratio of one part sweet onion to four parts fresh tomato as a foundation. If you prefer a green Salsa you can try substituting tomatillos for the tomatoes. Feel free to vary the amounts of the other ingredients and experiment on your own by adding other types of fresh minced hot peppers to suit your own desire for heat in the recipe.

Hardware:  Two-quart plastic mixing bowl, Chef’s Knife, Mixing spoon, storage container.

Ingredients:

4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, ¼ inch dice

1 medium onion (Vidalia or Red), ¼ inch dice

2 cloves fresh Garlic, 1/8 inch dice

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, 1/8 inch dice

1 red bell pepper, ¼ inch dice

Juice of one fresh lime

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro leaf

Procedure:

1. Trim and ¼ inch dice the tomatoes and add to the bowl
2. Trim and ¼ inch dice the onion and add to the bowl
3. Trim and core the red bell pepper by removing the stem, seeds and pulp. This can be most easily done by slicing off the sidewalls and bottom of the pepper while being careful to leave the bulk of the pulp and seeds intact with the top. Then simply trim any remaining pulp from the inner face of the sidewalls. Discard the trimmings. Next slice the sidewalls and bottom of the pepper into parallel ¼ inch thick julienne strips. Rotate the parallel strips 90 degrees on your cutting board and slice the strips into ¼ inch cubes. Add to the bowl.
4. Trim off the top of the jalapeno. Slice the jalapeno in half, lengthwise. Use a small spoon to remove the whitish pulp and seeds from the inside of the pepper. Discard the seeds and pulp. Slice the cleaned and trimmed sides of the pepper longitudinally into 1/8 inch strips. Rotate the parallel strips 90 degrees on your cutting board and slice into 1/8 inch cubes. Add the diced jalapeno to the bowl. 
5. Shell the Garlic. Cut into 1/8 inch dice. Add to the bowl.
6.  Rinse any dirt from the Cilantro bunch with water in your kitchen sink. Shake off any excess water and pat the cilantro dry with a paper towel. Trim off the stems and discard. Finely chop enough of the Cilantro leaf to make ¼ cup. Add to the bowl.
7. Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
8. Mix all of the ingredients with a spoon until evenly blended.
9. Store the mixture in the refrigerator and allow the ingredients to meld their flavors for one hour. Serve immediately.

Yield: one quart

Guacamole

Guacamole is known to have been made by the Aztecs as early as the sixteenth century. The name derives from an Aztec dialect and translates as avocado sauce. Avocado pulp is the primary ingredient, generally followed by the addition of salt and lime juice. Beyond these three primary ingredients limitless variations abound.  Texture is also an option. You can choose to puree all of the pulp or reserve some as cubed chunks to be folded in at the finish. 

Hardware:   Two-quart mixing bowl, wire whip, mixing spoon, chef’s knife

Ingredients:

2 ripe Haas Avocados. They are ripe when the skin first turns from green to dark brown.

1 fresh lime

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dry granulated garlic

1 teaspoon Sriracha Chili sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise….yes this seems weird, but it will add creaminess to the texture.

Procedure: 

1. Using your Chef’s knife, and starting at the pear-shaped tip of the avocado, longitudinally cut and score through the skin completely down to and around the pit. Place your knife aside. Grasp the top and bottom half of the avocado with your hands and gently twist the two halves apart. The seed will remain stuck in one half. You can easily remove the seed by gently tapping the blade edge of your Chef’s knife into the pit. Then you can hold the half-avocado steady with one hand and remove the pit by twisting it loose with your Chef’s knife. The pit will stay stuck on the knife blade. Safely wrap it with a cloth towel and pull it loose and away from the blade to avoid cutting yourself. Dispose of the pit, or save it, plant it and grow a new tree later. Repeat with the second avocado.
2.  Using a soup spoon, scrape and remove the pulp from the skin of the avocado halves into your mixing bowl. Discard the skins.
3. Add the juice from the fresh lime, salt, pepper, sriracha, granulated garlic, and mayonnaise.
4. Blend all of the ingredients together in the mixing bowl with the wire whip until you the ingredients are well blended. You can leave some lumps of pulp or puree it all. Your choice. You can add a little more salt to taste if desired.

Yield: one pint of guacamole

Crème Fraiche

With origins in Normandy, France, Crème Fraiche is used in many of the same ways that one might use sour cream when a creamier, more delicate, and slightly sweeter taste is desired. It is very expensive to buy in the U.S., but you can easily make it yourself by combining equal amounts of whole-milk Sour Cream and Heavy Cream.

Hardware: wire whisk, two quart mixing bowl

Procedure:

1. Blend equal liquid volume amounts of Heavy Cream and whole-milk Sour Cream in a mixing bowl using a wire whisk, until evenly blended. (I recommend using one pint of each)

2. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for 2-3 days. The mixture will be thickened and ready to serve.

  

Marinade for Rack of Lamb

This is my personal spin on a recipe by Julia Childs, with a more intense use of fresh Rosemary and Garlic. First, use the best rack of lamb that you can find. New Zealand or Colorado suppliers sell newborn baby lamb racks which are the most tender and flavorful. Australia seems to wait longer in the slaughter process, with slightly larger racks that rate as a decent second choice.

You will achieve an incredible degree of sumptuous flavor in your rack of lamb if you apply a thick coating of the marinade to the meat and then seal the coated rack in a vacuum sealing bag.

The flavors in the marinade will be maximally absorbed in a vacuum and the lamb will taste that much better!

In my experience vacuum sealing bags also have the added advantage of allowing you to store meat for at least six months in a freezer set at zero degrees Fahrenheit, or six days in a refrigerator that is set at 38 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Hardware:  Chef’s Knife, four quart mixing bowl, wire whip, Food Processor (optional)

Ingredients:

8 cups coarse-grain Dijon Mustard

2 cups soy sauce

32 cloves (approximately one whole head) shelled and minced)

½ cup finely chopped fresh Rosemary

2 Tablespoons dry Ginger

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure:

1. Add the mustard, soy sauce, and olive oil to the mixing bowl and blend with a wire whisk
2. Shell the garlic cloves by pressing down on them using the flat side of your Chef’s Knife. Once they are shelled, pulse-grind them to a paste in the Food Processor. Add the garlic to the bowl.
3. Remove the rosemary from the stems by holding the stems at one end and stripping the needles off with the other hand. Chop the needles by placing one hand over the top of the tip end of your Chef’s Knife and use a rocking motion over the rosemary with handle-held end to do the chopping. You want to get pieces that are about 1/8^th of an inch. Add the finely-chopped rosemary to the bowl
4. Add the dry ginger and combine all of the ingredients until well blended with a wire whip. Store until ready to use.

Best Use:  Coat whole lamb racks with a thick coating and then vacuum seal the racks. The flavors will intensify and you can safely keep the vacuum sealed racks under refrigeration up to four days or freeze them for later use.

Yield: eleven cups (enough to coat ten racks)

MICROWAVE BASICS

MICROWAVE BASICS

What is true and possible with microwave cooking is governed by knowing six microwave basics:

1.  which foods work best for microwave cooking

2.  which foods only work best for microwave reheating

3.  which you can do both with

4.  which don’t microwave well at all

5.  Which time and temperature settings to use

6.  The proper microwave cooking container to use

The main microwave advantage:

If your time settings, temperature settings, and choice of cooking vessel are correct, simply press the start button and relax or do another task until you hear the stop signal. No watching, no stirring, no turning, or burning!!

Microwave Oven Cook Times and Temperatures

Keep in mind that one microwave heats one entrée portion when the temperature setting is on HIGH very fast, but slows dramatically as food volume increases. If you want to heat multiple entrees fast and simultaneously, use multiple microwaves. Cook times and temperatures are listed in each recipe using a micro.

All of the recipes in this book which use a microwave oven specify a temperature setting of HIGH for a period of continuous minutes. The only exception to this is when sauces are cooked in the micro. In that case the temperature setting would still be HIGH, but the total time might be specified in incremental pulses to limit over-boiling of liquids.

Microwavable Cooking Vessels

Why use them?

Any food that is micro-waved for more than one minute will rapidly dry out and lose its original texture if uncovered or unwrapped with a microwave-safe material. The food will taste terrible!

Materials which are not specified for micro use are unsafe, and can even catch on fire!

Characteristics to look for in a microwave-safe container

Containers that are designed for multiple long-term uses are either made of heat-resistant glass or heat-resistant ceramic material. They will come with a snap-on cover or glass lid. Snap-on covers seal best. Other so-called microwaveable containers are designed for single-use and will melt if foods have a high fat or oil content in them.

On the top of a snap-on cover there will be a small pop-open steam vent built in. This will function to release any excessive steam pressure that builds up during the COOK phase and retain most of the moisture in the food being cooked. Examples of reliable brands would be vessels labeled as PYREX or CORNINGWARE in the following forms:

1. Heat-treated ceramic glass with a vented cover ( such as Corningware)
2. Heat-treated glass (such as Pyrex) with a flexible vented cover
3. Heat-treated glass with a heat-treated glass cover
4. Ceramic or glass bake ware which does not have a cover and must be wrapped in microwaveable clear plastic wrap which you must vent yourself by piercing two small evenly spaced openings in its surface with a knife tip.
5. Ceramic or glass serving plates without a cover for short re-heating times of less than two minutes, which you must cover with clear plastic wrap and vent by piercing the wrap in the center with a knife tip to make a small vent hole.

Four container caveats:

1. …they must be made of glass, ceramic, or any material labeled as safe for repeated microwave use as specified by the manufacturer.
2. Use microwave cooking vessels that are slightly larger around the edge than the amount of food to be heated.
3. A vessel that is too large leaves unnecessary dead space around the food which will slow the cooking process.
4. A vessel that is too small and therefore to full will not vent properly.

Standard Oven Cook Times and Temperatures

Standard oven temperatures should be verified as accurate by testing your oven with a portable oven thermometer.

A standard oven without convection is hotter towards the top, while a convection oven maintains a more consistent temperature at all levels of the oven by circulating the air, and can thereby decrease required cook times by about twenty percent. If you are using a standard oven without convection, try to place items to be cooked in the center of the oven.

Recommended Storage Containers

Before choosing a storage container, think about how long you will need to store the contents. All stored food should be stored in a tightly wrapped or sealed container at an appropriate temperature. Consider whether the food is dry (low moisture content), wet (high moisture content), prepared, or cooked, and how long it may require refrigeration or freezing.

Prepared foods have been made ready for the application of heat. They are food items containing one or more ingredients which have not been exposed to the application of heat from a cooking device. Unless they are composed entirely of dry ingredients they must be held and stored in a refrigerator at 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or a freezer set at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

  

Cooked foods have been exposed to the application of heat. Cooked foods always store best when properly refrigerated at 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or frozen at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

Place a thermometer overnight near the center rack in your fridge or freezer to accurately check average temperatures.  As of the time of this writing you can purchase a thermometer for this purpose for less than five dollars.

Adjust the temperature setting knob in increments until you achieve the optimal temperature on the thermometer.

Cooked foods rapidly lose freshness after three days in a refrigerator.

Cooked or raw frozen foods begin to lose freshness to the surrounding air in a freezer within two weeks.

Dry Food Containers using screw-top or snap-lock lids with soft plastic or silicone rubber gaskets seal best.

They will keep your dry goods fresh for weeks or months. They are the best long-term solution for storing dry ingredients with low moisture content such as flours, sugar, grains, nuts, and dry spices. Visually inspect the gasket before sealing. Make sure that there are no food particles between the gasket and the internal surface of the container at the point of contact. Lids that do not have some form of gasket seal will freely transfer air, moisture, bugs, and rapidly lose ingredient freshness. Periodically check gaskets for wear.

Vacuum Sealed Containers and Bags have many advantages for extending food life, flavor, texture and color. They are also very useful for microwave reheating of foods from refrigerator temperature. Here are the major advantages:

1. They are best for fresh, prepared, or cooked foods that must stored more than three days under refrigeration.
2. They have the distinct advantage of removing most of the surrounding air which would otherwise speed the decomposition of foods.
3. Foods in a marinade will fully absorb the flavors of the marinade.
4. They can extend the safe storage of meat and cooked foods up to one week in a refrigerator set at 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Any food which needs to be stored in a freezer, will retain full freshness, and will not discolor or get freezer burn for up to six months of storage.
6. With proper procedure (described in the recipes) many previously cooked items such as roast rack of pork portions, can be frozen, thawed and later be reheated in a micro to their original cooked freshness directly in the vacuum sealed bag.

Procedure, Ingredients, and Measurement

Proceed patiently and plan ahead.

Cooking is work, but it will also be pleasurable and joyful if you stay organized and plan ahead.

1.  When you use a recipe, gather all of the utensils and ingredients that you will use at the outset.
2. Make an effort to keep your work area organized and clear of food scraps, tools, and containers that are no longer needed as you proceed.
3. Use economy of motion in the kitchen by doing the most in the smallest number of trips or steps.
4. Clean up what you can as you proceed. Your work area will stay organized with everything in its place when you need it.

Use fresh ingredients with minimal processing.

Whenever possible, stick to the preferable path of using the finest raw ingredients, harvested in their raw natural state.

To the greatest degree possible use unprocessed or minimally processed foods which are free of chemical and additives and preservatives. If you do this you will get the most flavor and nutrients from your food.

When purchasing “store-bought” ingredients, seek the best unit pricing posted on the store shelf, and consider the finished yields you want to produce over time. The largest container is not always the cheapest or the amount you will use before optimal quality is lost.

Use the freshest herbs, and spices available.

Fresh naturally moist herbs retain superior flavor and aromatic oils which are less present in their dried state. They are readily available from most food markets in their harvested state or as plants that you can transplant to your own garden, and are easily stored under refrigeration for several days. Grind whole spices in an inexpensive hand-held coffee grinder reserved for that purpose.  

You can achieve any desired grind or degree of coarseness right down to a powder. If dried spice pieces are bigger than ¼ inch in diameter, first use your Chef’s Knife to chop them into smaller pieces, or for large quantities use a Food Processor with a chopping blade and a pulse function to pulse-chop the dried spice into smaller pieces. Keep the grinder clean. Thoroughly wipe out your spice grinder with a dry cloth or paper towel when you finish using it. You don’t want to combine traces of different aromatic spices! Whole spices fully release all of their aromatic oils when they are ground. Your results will be most flavorful and gourmet!

Calculate the total number of individual servings you will need before proceeding. The average adult will eat one six ounce entrée item, and four to eight additional ounces of any combination of foods.

Adjust the Yield. Many of my recipes may yield amounts that are too large for the home cook. If you want to reduce the “yield” of any of these recipes, simply reduce the ingredient quantities consistently. For example: if you want to decrease the yield to half the amount simply multiply the numerical quantity for each ingredient by ½ to get ½ the amount, 1/3 to get 1/3rd the amount, ¼ to get ¼th the amount, and so on, to produce the yield you can best utilize.