And also kitchen tools you don’t need (e.g., mini food processor). Well worth reading, the article begins:

Value is a relative concept. Just ask the folks at Lehman Brothers. But when it comes to ingredients and kitchen tools that beckon to the enthusiastic home cook, it’s important to the bottom line — in this case, a great meal — to take a look at what’s really worth your hard-earned cash — and what isn’t.

We scrutinized our kitchens and the merchandise. Our thumbs-up, thumbs-down verdicts on a couple of dozen popular or hyped cooking items follow. No apologies — we’re opinionated. Some gadgets and goodies are grossly overvalued, others just don’t get their due. We considered cost, efficacy and practicality — as well as the happiness factor. Because for a true chocoholic, a 3.5-ounce bar of Michel Cluizel Noir de Cacao 72% cacao really is worth $6.

Obviously, a lot of this is open for discussion, even heated debate. Is a 1-ounce tin of Spanish saffron really worth $199? How about a $60 Rachael Ray fondue pot?

With apologies to Socrates: The unexamined kitchen cabinet is not worth opening. And it’s certainly not worth filling up with even more stuff. … [Their list follows, with pros and cons - LG]

Keep reading. One comment: I really like the All-Clad Stainless 5.5 Dutch Oven, which is much lighter than the cast-iron models and still does a great job. Of course, I use it on the range and in the oven, not nestled into a bed of coals.

The SmarterFitter Blog is one I subscribe to. They often have interesting articles and/or recipes, and I’m making this one:

Eggplant Bharta

1 large eggplant
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 green chilli, finely sliced
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 200g tinned)
1/2-1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala

Set the grill (or broiler) in your oven to high. Place the whole eggplant under the grill and leave it there until the area nearest the heat darkens. Using tongs, gently turn the eggplant slightly by its stem and let the new hot spot darken. Keep rotating until the entire eggplant is scorched. This should take 20-25 minutes. Be patient!

Remove the eggplant, put it on a plate and take it to the sink. Put it under cold running water and peel the blackened skin off of the eggplant. Shake off as much water as you can.

Put the onion, ginger and garlic in a blender 3 Tbsp or so of water and blend to a paste at high speed.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. While heating, pour in the onion paste and add the turmeric. Fry until the mixture starts to brown, about 5 minutes, then add the green chilli and cilantro and fry another 1 minute. Then add the tomatoes, lower the flame, and simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, add the eggplant, salt, lemon juice and garam masala. Raise the flame to medium, and fry for 10-15 minutes.

To serve, remove the bharta to a warm dish and serve sprinkled with green coriander. Serve with rice, bread or my favorite - chapatis!

Click the link for more on the recipe and for related recipes.

It’s time to have delicata squash again, and here’s a good tip from Kim Carlson:

I learned a trick from the clever people at Tastebud Farm: Cut the squash lengthwise into quarters, scrape out the seeds, then slice the squash into bite-sized, moon-shaped pieces, about 1/3 inch thick each.

You can roast these in a 425-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once (my favorite), or sauté them like zucchini.

When it’s well cooked, the delicata skin is easy to eat — and tasty too.

Ripeness check:

Ripe delecata squash are pale and have a very mild (but extremely sweet) squash flavor.

Ripe squash will turn colors. For a delicata, it will be less pale green and more of a warm cream, and when very ripe the squash will also show an orange blush. The dark green stripes (particularly at the blossom end) will begin to turn orange. Any pale spot (from touching
the ground) will color up.

The stem will be very hard (like wood).

The rind will be tough enough that it will resist being pierced by a fingernail.

(These last two signs indicate a squash that is mature enough to store well.)

This image shows delicata squashes looking rather ripe.

So long as we’re talking about cooking for hard times, here’s an interesting article by Elisabeth Luard. It begins:

How did it happen that we’re prepared to pay good money, in restaurants and supermarkets, for modern, luxury versions of what any Victorian housewife would consider “made-dishes”: that dainty catch-all name for recipes that recycled leftovers in the days when refrigeration wasn’t an option? Kedgeree, fishcakes, bread-and-butter pudding, macaroni cheese, cottage pie: made-dishes all, and on a supermarket shelf near you. And while you’re about it, spot these restaurant recyclings on the menu: leftover mussels in the pasta marinara, yesterday’s shrimp in the seafood salad, the shreds of someone else’s Peking duck in the egg fried rice, tandoori-roasted chicken in the chicken tikka masala.

Waste not, want not, as granny knew well. Scraps from the Sunday beef, leftover slivers of fish, the carcass of a chicken, the last helping of pasta, end-bits from the bread bin, parings from the cheeseboard–it’s all good stuff when you know how to use it, which the likes of Isabella Beeton did. And although not everything you’ll find in Mrs Beeton’s cookery books has made it through to modern times–when was the last time you saw a rissole?–many of these Victorian leftover recipes survived because they taste good. The British love plain food (blame the Anglo-Saxons, who believed that if the meat was good all you had to do was turn it on a spit then slap it on a slab of manchet-bread); but they also love anything in white sauce finished with cheese, baked in a pie or topped with mashed potato. All we ask, it seems, is that we don’t have to cook it ourselves.

Turning leftovers into something delicious takes time and a modicum of skill, but that’s not the only reason we’re prepared to pay someone else to cook them for us. Times have changed. The Sunday roast comes ready-boned, meaning leftovers are in short supply. Few of us want to fillet our own fish for the sake of the scraps, or even trim our own vegetables for the benefit of the stockpot. And if we find there are still tops on the beetroot or greens on the turnips, how many of us would know to shred them, scald them and toss them in garlic and oil with a squeeze of lemon?

Assuming we do have leftovers left over, though, how do we make the unpromising taste delicious? It’s all about …

Continue reading.

This stew sounds hearty and frugal. From The Kitchn [sic]:

Sweet Potato and Tempeh Stew
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
6 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3 cups water or vegetable broth
8 ounces tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plain yogurt, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent.

Add ginger, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté for another minute.

Add sweet potatoes and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tempeh and simmer for about 10 more minutes, until tempeh is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Remove from heat, season to taste, and stir in 1/2 cup yogurt. Serve garnished with the remaining yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

Related:
Five Ways to Prepare Tempeh
Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
Sweet Potato Soup with Miso and Ginger

It’s easy, and you can pick the particular variety of vanilla bean you want. Moreover, as we look toward Christmas, handmade vanilla extract would be a nice gift for any bakers in your family. (My family take note: you won’t be getting this from me—I would never announce the present.)

The Wife and I have made it a practice to ship all our Christmas packages the day before Thanksgiving, which avoids the Christmas rush and also lets us enjoy the holiday season with panicking over last-minute buying. If you follow a similar course, the time to put up the vanilla extract is now.

Via the Vegan Lunch Box. Good to watch to get ready:

I was just at Safeway to pick up a prescription, and (as always) I checked the meat section where discounted meats (last day of sale) are put. And I found two packages of turkey necks at 30% off. So I’ll be making turkey neck soup again. I may have related how I once made a perfect batch of soup but, since I make soups on the fly, have never been able to replicate. Still I know the general direction:

Turkey necks into a big pot of water, along with juice of 3 or so lemons and 3 star anise.

Simmer for three hours, then dip out the necks and star anise, pull meat off the bones (after necks have cooled) and return it to the pot, discarding bones and star anise.

Add veggies — right now, with what I have on hand: shallots, garlic, celery, onion, yellow bell pepper, carrot, pearled barley — and herbs and  seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, tarragon, thyme, Worcestershire or soy sauce, a Parmesan rind. No hot stuff since The Wife will get some. Simmer until done.

There’s a good article at The Kitchn [sic], along with the recipe below. I don’t strip the stems, though.

Alchemical Kale
serves 2 to 4 as a side dish

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large bunch of dino kale, stripped of stems, washed and drained in a colander
Salt
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Choose a wide pan with sides, or a wok; either way, having a lid that fits is important. Film the bottom with the olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the kale and a few pinches of salt. Toss lightly with tongs so the kale is evenly coated with oil, then lower the heat and set the lid firmly on top of the pan.

Meanwhile, mix the tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl or coffee cup. The tahini may stiffen up a bit, which isn’t a problem. After about 5 minutes, check the kale and give it another toss. It should be wilted and there should be enough liquid in the pan to keep things moist and steaming. Add a little water if it seems too dry. Cover and cook another few minutes or until the kale is almost black in color and has a nice, chewy texture. Turn off the flame and add about half of the tahini sauce. Toss. Add more sauce if need, up to the entire amount, to coat the kale. Taste for salt. Serve hot.

For more information on Cavolo Nero, visit the Seeds of Change Dino Kale page.

Mark Bitten points to this column he wrote on several ways of making vegetable stock (including a mushroom stock that looks quite good). Here’s one recipe from the column:

Roasted Vegetable Stock
Time: About 2 hours

1/3.cup extra virgin olive oil
2 trimmed and well-washed leeks, cut in chunks (or 2 large unpeeled onions, quartered)
4 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut in chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut in chunks (optional)
2 potatoes, washed and quartered
6 cloves garlic
15 to 20 medium white mushrooms, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 sprigs fresh parsley
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
10 peppercorns
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine oil, leeks, carrots, celery, parsnip, potatoes, garlic and mushrooms in a large roasting pan; stir to coat vegetables with oil. Roast, shaking pan occasionally and turning ingredients once or twice, until everything is nicely browned, about 45 minutes.

2. Use a slotted spoon to scoop all ingredients into a stockpot; add all remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper) and 8 cups water. Turn heat to high. Meanwhile, put roasting pan over a burner set to high, and add 2 to 4 cups water, depending on depth of pan. Bring it to a boil, and cook, scraping off all bits of food on bottom. Pour this mixture into stockpot (along with 2 more cups of water if you used only 2 cups for deglazing).

3. Bring stockpot to a boil. Partly cover, and adjust heat so mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook until vegetables are very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, pressing on vegetables to force out as much juice as possible. Taste, and add more soy sauce, salt or pepper if necessary. Store or serve.

Yield: About 12 cups.

I bought some very nice looking chicken backs at Whole Foods the other day, planning to roast them and then use them for stock. I think now that in the roasting pan with the backs I’ll include some onion, garlic, celery, and carrots to roast along with the chicken backs, and then use them all in the stock.

I believe I have now a perfect recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts—the kind where, when you taste, you think, “Man, it’s been way too long since I’ve had this.” And it has a special (formerly secret, but I suppose no longer) ingredient.

Cut off any dead stem bit and cut sprouts in half lengthways

Toss the sprouts with olive oil.

Put sprouts into a roasting pan, one layer deep. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and shichimi togarashi.

Put pan into a 400º oven for 40-45 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time.

Remove pan from oven and squeeze the juice of a lemon over the sprouts.

Man, they are good! Though when I told The Wife I was having roasted sprouts for dinner, she said, “You poor thing.”

My little bottle of Shichimi Togarashi is pretty old—and nearly empty—so I need to get more. Great stuff to have on hand.

I do love my rice cooker. It’s a Panasonic using fuzzy logic, which (as you know) is the very best kind of logic there is. I have used it for many things—risotto, hot cereal, and (of course) rice—thanks to The Ultimate Rice-Cooker Cookbook. Today the NY Times has an article on rice cookers, and two recipes:

Recipe: Rice Cooker Bibimbap with Salmon and Spinach (October 1, 2008)

Recipe: Rice Cooker Chicken Biriyani With Saffron Cream (October 1, 2008)

I’m making this, but I will (sensibly) buy lamb stew meat rather than work on cutting up a lamb shoulder. UPDATE: Not so sensible as I thought: just back from the store, where I discovered that lamb stew meat is $10/lb and boneless lamb shoulder is $7/lb. I went with the shoulder after all.

Stir-Fried Lamb With Chili, Cumin and Garlic

Yield 4 servings
Time At least 30 minutes

You absolutely need cumin seeds, not ground cumin. It’s worth the two or three minutes it takes to toast the seeds before marinating the meat. You can grind them if you like, but I like the little bit of crunch the seeds add.

• 1 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, to film the bottom of the skillet
• 1 cup trimmed and roughly chopped scallions, optional
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

1. Cut lamb into 1/2-inch cubes (easier if meat is firmed in the freezer for 15 to 45 minutes). Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, a minute or two. Toss together lamb with cumin, chili, garlic, soy sauce, a large pinch of salt and a healthy grinding of pepper. If you like, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 24 hours.

2. When ready to cook, put a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet (ideally, it will hold the lamb in one layer, or nearly so) and turn heat to high. When hot, add lamb. Cook, undisturbed, for about a minute, then stir once or twice to loosen lamb from skillet. Cook another minute, then stir again. Add scallions, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions glisten and shrink a bit and the meat is about medium.

3. If you want a slightly saucier mixture, stir in 1/4 cup water and cook another minute. Serve hot over rice, garnished, if you like, with cilantro.

Edward Schneider tells us how. The Eldest will like this tip—she loves her pressure cookers.

Tasteless vegetable stock: you’ve probably bought it; you’ve probably made it; and you’ve surely wondered why you’ve bothered. It has always puzzled me that a pot of vegetables and herbs have so much flavor when you eat them or use them in a stew, but when simmered in water yield such an insipid broth — even if you brown them first. But it never puzzled me enough to investigate the problem: most of the time I prefer to use chicken or veal stock.

There are, however, those dishes or occasions that call out for vegetable stock — a light risotto, a vegetarian guest — and salted water is a poor substitute.

A couple of years ago Jackie and I, having overcome our parent-instilled fear of improvised explosive devices, bought ourselves a pressure cooker, which we use mainly for dried beans. I noticed that the broth from pressure-cooked beans was considerably more flavorful than what I was used to, and I began to add additional water to the pot so that there would be extra broth.

Then the penny dropped: use the pressure cooker to make vegetable stock, and it would get more of the goodness out of those onions, carrots, leeks and whatever else went into the pot.

It really works. Typically, I lightly brown the vegetables — making sure there are a few onions and numerous carrots and a little celery; leeks are desirable and the tiniest mite of garlic not unwelcome — then add plenty of water and some herbs. I always use parsley, and lots of it, but I’m more judicious with thyme and bay because their intrusive flavors seem to be intensified under pressure. Same goes for pepper — just a half teaspoon of whole black peppercorns is ample. Use whatever vegetables you want: tomato peelings, a bit of bell pepper, the odd celery root or parsnip, scraps of lemongrass. But bear in mind that distinctive flavors will circumscribe the stock’s versatility.

And put in some salt, just a little.

Clamp on the lid and bring the cooker up to full pressure. Turn down the heat and let it cook dangerously away for twenty or twenty-five minutes (read the instructions). Then, don’t release the pressure unless you need the stock right away: let it cool on its own. Strain, chill and store or freeze.

It really will taste of the vegetables rather than the shopping bag you brought them home in.

These sound terrific. Here’s the story, and here’s the recipe:

Pasta with Turkish-Style Lamb, Eggplant and Yogurt Sauce

1 large eggplant, about 1 pound, in 1/2 -inch cubes
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, more to taste
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Turkish or Aleppo (see note), more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or dill, more to taste
1/2 pound bowtie or orecchiette pasta
2 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, to taste
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt.

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta.

2. Toss eggplant with 4 tablespoons oil and a large pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet, making sure there is room between pieces, and roast until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and the shallot and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lamb, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Sauté until lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in mint or dill and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir eggplant into lamb. Taste and adjust seasonings.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter: the amount is to your taste. Let cook until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, remaining garlic and a pinch of salt.

5. Drain pasta and spread on a serving platter. Top with lamb-eggplant mixture, then with yogurt sauce. Pour melted butter over top. Sprinkle on additional red pepper and more mint or dill. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings.

Note: Turkish or Aleppo (Syrian) red pepper flakes are sold at specialty markets and at kalustyans.com. You may also substitute ground chili powder. Do not use crushed red pepper flakes; they will be too hot for this dish.

As it happens, I have Aleppo pepper flakes and eggplants, so I’m practically there.

I got a late start blogging—well, a late start in general. I slept until 8:00 this morning. All that walking, I imagine. And then I wanted to get the boneless pork shoulder in the oven (recipe below), and then I had to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.

The recipe (from Laurie Winer in the LA Times of 9 March 2005, an article titled “A slow celebration of pork”:

Begin with the pot uncovered at 450 degrees; after half an hour, cover it, and turn the heat down to 250. Eight hours, 10 hours — you and your fork will be the judge. This produces the moistest, most pudding-like results. As for the bone-in/bone-out question: both are equally good. But bone-out is easier to find. If you opt for bone-in, add an hour of cooking time.

This, we feel, is the perfect porchetta. Even if it really isn’t porchetta.

Slow-roasted shoulder of pork

Total time: 20 minutes plus 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours roasting time
Servings: 8 to 10

10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup fennel seeds
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 small dried red chiles, crumbled, with seeds
1 boneless pork shoulder butt (about 6 to 7 pounds) [mine is half that - LG]
1/2 cup hot water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and fennel seeds and mix them together. Add the salt, pepper and chiles and combine.

2. Cut 1-inch wide slits all over the surface including top and bottom of meat. Rub the garlic-seed mixture into the slits.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven. Sear the meat on all sides over medium-low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn.

4. Remove the roast from the pot, add the hot water, stirring and scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan. Place a rack in the bottom of the pan, add the meat, fatty side up, and roast in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

5. Pour the lemon juice and the chicken broth over the meat. Brush with the remaining olive oil.

6. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees [in the intro, she reduces heat after 30 minutes, only then covering the pan - LG], cover the pan and roast the meat 8 to 10 hours, occasionally basting with pan juices. The roast will be done when the meat is falls apart when barely touched with a fork.

7. Remove the roast from the pot and place it on a serving platter. Skim the fat from the pan drippings. Serve pan drippings on the side or drizzled over the meat.

Each of 10 servings: 377 calories; 36 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 121 mg. cholesterol; 588 mg. sodium.

UPDATE: Delicious! I’ll make it again. One warning: because I used a 3 lb pork shoulder, mine was done in 6 1/2 hours rather than 8 1/2 hours—the longer times are clearly for the bigger cuts of meat.

As I get my pot roast chops into shape, I’m expanding the elements. Today:

Boneless chuck roast, seasoned and browned on both sides in large sauté pan.

Added to pan:

1/4 c red wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 stalk celery, minced (to augment flavor)
4 large cloves garlic, minced (same reason)
4 carrots, cut into chunks (smallish carrots)
2 medium onions, cut into chunks
1 c domestic mushrooms, sliced thick
6 small Dutch Baby potatoes
dried oregano, sprinkled over roast and veggies
Worcestershire sauce, sprinkled over top of roast
Salt and pepper over vegetables

Into 210º oven for the day.

It occurs to me that if you cook this for vegetarians, you should substitute soy sauce for the Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies.

Constant Reader emailed to say that he made the pot roast recipe and thoroughly enjoyed it, and just thinking about it made me hunger again for it. So I got one. Changes I’m making:

1. Only 1/4 cup red wine, not 1/3.

2. Besides the onion, also a carrot or two cut into chunks.

Other than that: why mess with perfection?