Potato Pups -- Fair Food Comes Home for Dinner

Some time ago, I told you all about fried coke, the latest in a long line of foods fried up by carnies. Their search for battered opportunities never seems to wane, but I've not yet seen fried mashed potatoes. We call them Potato Pups. To make them, start with mashed potatoes:

There are seven
Originally uploaded by greg.turner.

• Begin with a half dozen potatoes--any variety should be fine
• Peel the potatoes, and put the potatoes in a boiling pot
• Put enough water in the pot to cover the potatoes and salt liberally
• Place the pot on the stove over high heat and bring the water to a boil
• After about seven minutes, begin checking the potatoes by poking them with a fork
• When the fork enters the potatoes easily, they are done
• Drain the potatoes and mash them using a plain wire masher
  (how much work you put in will determine how smooth your potatoes will be. Keep in mind, however, that you're going to want them to hang together when you're frying them)
• After you've mashed the potatoes, you can mix in additional ingredients (For the Potato Pups, my dinner host mixed in some finely shredded cheddar cheese)
• Roll the mashed potatoes into balls--about half a golf-ball size worked best for us
• Heat oil to 325 degrees in fryer or dutch oven or large pot
• While waiting for the oil to heat, roll the potato balls in seasoned flour (for a special treat, you can grind instant potato flakes and try using those as a covering)
• Carefully lower the coated potato balls into the oil and cook for about 2 minutes
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the potato balls from the oil and increase the heat (medium-high should be fine)
• When the oil reaches about 350 degrees (or a little higher) lower the potato balls back in to crisp the outsides
• Remove the potato balls from the oil and drain on paper towels or an inverted cooling rack
• Serve with sour cream, bacon bits, broccoli, or whatever you normally use to doctor your potatoes

The potato pups are a wonderful complement to a casual evening of rented movies or good conversation. We enjoyed them as part of a catch-as-can meal that included french bread, pizza, and a fresh papaya served with a bright, flavorful dressing:

Mix 1/2 cup fresh kumquat juice and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with a 1/2 teaspoon of light brown sugar. Mix vigorously.

What to pair it with?
Zinfandel usually pairs well with all kinds of food, and tonight's zinfandel was no different. Seven Deadly Zins represents seven of the Lodi appelation's best wineries combining their crop to make a single, very drinkable wine. Seven Deadly Zins won't win any awards, but it is extremely friendly, mellow and jammy, and has lithe tannins and little alcohol heat. Being such an approachable wine, I'm sure you could serve it at most casual gatherings and have a real hit on your hands.

The Instersection of Food and Science

The fine folks at Epicurious lead me to News for Curious Cooks, a food/science blog that looks very interesting:

Here at News for Curious Cooks I'm filing brief reports from the intersection of food and science. It’s a lively neighborhood these days. There’s a constant influx of new information in food chemistry and microbiology, agriculture and manufacturing, and in human perception and health. I glean items from current technical publications and scientific meetings, from conversations with cooks and scientists, and from questions that come up in my own kitchen in the San Francisco Bay area. --Harold McGee

Mr. McGee is the author of On Food & Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen, a fine book and one that many cooks consider the one must-have in the kitchen.

Deconstructed Paella

This past week my La Fonera wireless router arrived, and in celebration, I invited my dad over and cooked up a deconstructed paella. I wanted to make sure there was something for everyone, and with as many differing tastes as there in the household, I knew a traditional paella was out of the question.

Deconstructed Paella 01
Originally uploaded by greg.turner.

I began by making a pork roast:

• Season the roast on each side with 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and a generous shake of paprika.
• Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and two minced garlic cloves into a skillet and heat it over medium high until the garlic begins to cook (it will become slightly translucent).
  !! Watch out !! Garlic can brown very easily, and some people think the taste becomes too strong when it does.
• Brown the roast on each side for about 4 minutes in the skillet,
• Then move the roast to a shallow roasting pan and into a 350 degree oven.
• Leave it be fo @22 minutes per pound.
  (Mine was a 2.26 pound roast, so I set the time for 50 minutes)

While the pork was roasting, I set about gathering up the rest of the ingredients:

• Scallops
• Large shrimp
• Chorizo sausage
• Red bell peppers sliced into thin strips
• Fresh green peas
• Saffron yellow rice

I cooked the chorizo, which I'd brought pre-packaged from the local market, by following the directions on the package. I just heated the chorizo in a pan. When it was done, I wrapped it in foil and set it aside, and kept the pan over the heat, set to low.

This is crucial--you want to keep all the flavor from the chorizo in the pan you cooked it in, so don't go cleaning the pan too quickly.

Immediately following that, I cooked the rice according to the directions on the package--it's perfectly serviceable rice. If you feel like making it from scratch, I'm sure there are recipes to be found.

When the rice was finished, I moved the heat of the chorizo pan up to medium-high and quickly sauteed the red bell pepper strips and searched the scallops and shrimp--about 60 seconds on each side. Scallops and shrimp cook very quickly, and it's important that they are not over done. As equally important is to cook them in the chorizo juices! This gives even the delicate scallops a rich, earthy flavor that really combines well with their usual buttery subtleties.

Once I had cooked everything, I plated the pork and seafood in a ring on a large serving dish and piled the peppers and peas in the middle. At the table, I coupled the serving dish with a big bowl of the saffron rice, and we each got to pick and choose the ingredients we enjoyed most.

What to pair it with?
Garnacha, of course! Garnacha is the Spanish word for grenache, and it is Spain's grape of choice. My own wine of choice when it comes to this bold, spicy grape is Las Rocas, an inexpensive Spanish wine that always seems to deliver consistent results. Alas, my local wine merchant had gone through their supply of Las Rocas, so I had to settle for a Bonny Doon 2004 Clos de Gilroy California grenache. Meh. The wine was very drinkable with interesting aromas and subtle fruit, but it lacked the tannic backbone to really stand up to the succulent pork and charred, smoky shrimp.

Pan-seared salmon served with parmesan cream sauce

The general wisdom concerning sauces is go slow. Slow heat, slow mixing, and slow preparation will enable you to create smooth, delicious sauces brimming with flavor but relatively free of lumps. This weekend I thought about making a parmesan sauce to have with grilled salmon and bow-tie pasta. It worked well, and even carried over to the next morning.

Pan-seared salmon served on bow-tie pasta with capers and parmesan cream sauce

Materials:

• A medium skillet for cooking the salmon
• A small sauce pan for the sauce
• A large pot to cook the pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon fillet
• 1 box bow-tie pasta
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (approx.) parmesan cheese
• capers
• finely chopped chives

Set your water to boil in the large pot according to the directions on the pasta packaging--remember to liberally salt the pasta water as it will be only chance you have to season the pasta.

Next start on your sauce by making a roux

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in 1 tablespoon flour, combining a little at a time. (if you dump in the whole tablespoon, your roux will end up being lumpy)
• Into the roux, slowly mix up to 2 cups milk. Again, just a little at a time or the mixture will end up lumpy. A good whisk helps immensely.
• Finally, slowly mix in a small handful of shredded parmesan cheese.
• Keep the mixture warm over medium-low to low heat.

While the sauce warms, your water should be ready and you can dump in the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (generally dry bow-tie pasta should boil for 12 minutes)

• Place the skillet on a burner and heat it to medium-high. Make sure it's plenty hot before you place your salmon on it to sear.
• Liberally season the salmon with salt and pepper (and garlic, if you're a fan)
• Place the salmon fillet in the skillet and let it sit for about two minutes carefully flip the salmon using a long, flexible spatula or a combination of wooden spoon and tongs--the salmon will begin to flake at this point, and you want to keep it together)
• Sear on the other side about 1.5 - two minutes. If you look at the end of the fillet, you should see the salmon is transparent all the way through.

Combine the pasta and sauce and plate, divide the salmon fillet between two people, sprinkle with capers and a smattering of chives, and enjoy.

What to pair it with?

Muir Wood pinot noir 2005
Originally uploaded by greg.turner.

The strong flavors of salmon lend themselves to a wide variety of wines. And with a cooking method like pan searing, you can be assured of some of the strongest flavors possible. This dish would pair well with a number of wines, most notably a solid pinot noir. I paired it with the 2005 Muir Wood pinot noir. This wine has a light ruby color and produces distinct cherry and strawberry aromas with slight touches of citrus and evergreen. The platte produces a solid balance of fruit-forward flavors mixed with a cherry tartness from its light acidity. The tannins are fairly well-balanced and the finish is fairly long, producing light fruit flavors long after the sip has been swallowed.

The Puppetmaster

puppetmasterWine
Originally uploaded by greg.turner.

The few times I've visited the Albertson's liquor store, I have been tempted by the series of Sideshow wines that sit nestled in with the Four Emus and the Alice Whites. Sideshow wines, according to CheapFunWines.com are sold exclusively by Albertson's and in some restaurants, and each is an edgy, hard-hitting blend not meant for nature. Thus, the Sideshow name. This weekend, I picked up a bottle of The Puppetmaster, a blend of Syrah and Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina:

See careful manipulation of extraordinary detail. Oh, what grace, what agility...what subservience - with deft of hand, our Puppetmaster spring to life his indentured two. But, what lurks beneath this victorian façade? Was that a wink?! Can it be....are they real? Only the Puppetmaster knows.

Ominous! However, I found the wine to be strong, fruit-forward and fairly enjoyable.

Quick Tasting Notes
Sideshow Puppetmaster
Syrah and Malbec blend, non-vintage
Mendoza, Argentina

Color: dark, almost inky purple going to rose at the edges
Nose: very fragrant. Definite fruit with some complexity / confustion. Plum, perhaps a little rhubard(?). Floral notes and a little earth thrown in for good measure
Palate: Big fruit up front, settling into a smooth smokiness as washes across the tongue. Strong tannins
Finish: Nice, long finish, going through the smokiness and bringing back some of that lingering fruit

This was a solid wine, with a nice tannin structure and big fruit flavors. It's fun and not complicated. A definite burger and fries wine.

What to pair it with?
You could pair this wine with a number of things, as it has enough fruit character to blend nicely with many dishes and tannins strong enough to stand up to heavier meals.

But let's say you spent most of your Saturday painting the living room. Let's say you finish up and are looking for something quick and easy. Something that doesn't require a trip to the store. You're looking at a pantry meal, and The Puppetmaster might be just the thing to bring a little whimsy and a little rough-hewn elegance to the party. A party where the featured meal is the poor man's pasta carbonara

Ingredients:
Fettucini
1 Egg
1/4 cup half and half
1 large handful of sliced ham cut into small pieces
A healthy shake of grated parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. While it's cooking, mix and whisk the egg and half and half. When the pasta's done, drain it, return it to it's pasta pot and toss in the ham. Mix in the egg and half and half, but be careful. You don't want to stir too vigorously as you'll end up with scrambled eggs, and that's not what you're after. Just carefully fold in the egg mixture. Shake on the parmesan and you're done. Delicious!

200 Calories

200calories Originally uploaded by greg.turner.

What does 200 calories look like? Wise Geek will show you.

When you consider that an entire plate of broccoli contains the same number of calories as a small spoonful of peanut butter, you might think twice the next time you decide what to eat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average adult needs to consume about 2000 - 2500 calories to maintain their weight. In other words, you have a fixed amount of calories to "spend" each day; based on the following pictures, which would you eat?

Sprawl contributes to obesity

It's kind of a no-brainer:

U.S. children who live in expansive suburbs may start to pay for it with expansive waistlines, new research suggests.

Using data from a national health survey, researchers found that teenagers living in sprawling suburbs were more than twice as likely to be overweight as teens in more compact urban areas.

The findings echo those of a 2003 study by the same researchers that focused on U.S. adults. The researchers believe the same factors may be driving the link between suburban living and teenagers' weight -- the major one being reliance on cars. more...

In urban or truly rural areas, exercise often is part of people's everyday lives. They exercise walking to the store, up and down stairs, or, in the case of rural residents, down to the back 40 to check on the cows. Next time you're heading out, think about whether or not you can walk or take a bike. If you do, you might work off enough to have an extra serving of fried Coke.

Lazy Sunday

One of the best-kept secrets among cooks is that there is no such thing as a bad cut of meat. The French, especially, have a long tradition of taking the cheap, the cast-off, what others believed was inedible or beneath them, and creating magnificent, succulent dishes that many now consider delicacies. The secret is time.

Take a cheap, tough piece of meat, cook it long enough, and you'll end up with tender, delicious food that will have you returning for seconds, if not thirds. And there's no better time to go low and slow than Sunday afternoon.

Beer Braised Ribs

The dry:

• Begin with about three pounds of Chuck flanken style ribs (whether or not that's a real cut of meat is up for debate; I'm just quoting the package), well seasoned with salt and pepper
• Three to five cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
• About four thin slices of fresh ginger--1/8th an inch by about 3/4 of an inch

The wet:

• Three tablespoons vegetable oil
• Three tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 12 oz brown ale (I used a large, single-serving pint of Newcastle Brown Ale for my recipe, which worked out great because I was able to drink the remainder)
• 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (not too sweet!)

What you do:

1. Place the oil in a heavy stew pot and heat to medium-high
2. Brown the beef in the bottom of the pot, between 1 - 2 minutes per side
• DON'T overload the bottom of the pot. Work in batches; It will prevent the heat from dropping too drastically.
  As the meat is browned, move it off to a bowl on the side.
3. Toss in the garlic and ginger and give it a vigorous stir
4. Add several splashes of the ale to de-glaze the pot's bottom
5. Return the meat to the pot and pour in enough of the ale to just cover the beef
6. Add the rice wine vinegar (for brightness), give everything a good stir and lower the heat to a simmer.
7. Cover and let stand for approximately 1 hour--you don't have to stir, touch, mess with, enhance, or any way do anything with the meat except enjoy the aroma as it fills your house and watch the game on television.
8. After an hour, begin preheating your oven to 350 degrees
9. After another 30 minutes, remove the pot from the stovetop, stir in the barbecue sauce and place the pot into the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes

Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes and a good, bright tasting vegetable, like peas or green beans. Makes two heaping servings with enough left over for a couple delicious midnight snacks.

Pairing
Depending on the amount of barbecue flavor you end up with, you might want to pair the dish with a good hoppy Ale. However, if you go the wine route, any well-structured wine with fine tannins will be able to take the succulent gelatin that coats the ribs when they're served.

For this dish, I went with a 2004, Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz. This luscious, smoky wine has aromas of candied fruit and chocolate with berry overtones that hinted to the black. The wine exhibits definite fruit across the palate, but has tannins and body enough so as not be overwhelming. The finish is long and delicate, leaving traces of mocha and berry. Definitely delicious and a wine that might just be worth cellaring.

French wine too complicated?

The French seem to think so:

Forget about things improving with age. Some officials here are saying French wine needs to be made more appealing to their not-so-vintage countrymen.

Lawmakers said Wednesday that young people in France need better education on the tradition of wine-drinking, according to a report aimed at getting the country's storied but struggling wine industry back on track. more...

James Kim found deceased

I remember watching James' segments on TechTV years ago. I remember his camera reviews often featured pictures of himself with his children. He seemed like a kind and good person, and he clearly loved his family deeply. This is very sad news, but I hope his family and friends can take comfort in his courage and the good memories of James they must have. My thoughts are with them.