Bernard Berlin's Tales of Food and Wine

Pizza al Taglio -- Simply the Best!

2011-06-14T06:08:00.006-07:00

Reach back into your memory of taste sensations with me for a moment. Summon the delicious flavors of a baked piece of very thin bread, moist and chewy with a crispy brown bottom, topped with a dabs of savory Fontana cheese, delicately accented with slices of fresh tomatoes, rich caramelized red onions, garlic and savory pieces of pancetta and we have just “tasted” the best pizza I ever had!

Declaring any food as the “best I ever had” is a phrase that I have strenuously stayed away from using until now. Individual taste and personal preferences vary so much that such declarations are subjective at best. To add to my unease with this phrase I have often been disappointed when tasting someone else’s “best” of anything. Then there are times such as this when I savor food that is better than any other version of what I know to be very good or tasty, that I have no other choice but to simply say, this is the best I ever had. Such is my esteem for the pizza I relished from a little Pizzeria in the Trastevere section of Rome, Italy.

Tired and hungry, on our arrival in Rome we found ourselves hunting for a taste of the local fare when most Ristorantes and Trattorias are closed between lunch and dinner. Tucked away on a little street off of the Viale Trastevere, near the Tiber River we stumbled upon Pizza al Taglio. Much like a child with his nose pressed up against the glass storefront of his or her favorite toy store I beheld an array of rectangular trays of thin crusted pizzas. I was overwhelmed with insatiable joy at the prospect of trying each and every one of their offerings available by the slice. The variety of toppings on each pizza tray included some of these mouthwatering choices: pancetta, tender slices of fresh mushrooms, tangy anchovies, flavorful caramelized red onions and what would become my favorite, the unlikely combination of potatoes and curry. Each tray beckoned us to satisfy our hunger, which we did until there was no room for more. Every mouthful was a taste experience long to be remembered, fresh morsels of different combinations of cheese, meat and vegetables atop a delicious pizza crust.

Chocolate Pizza!

The deliciously thin flavorsome pizza crust though is what sets Pizza al Taglio’s pizza apart from all other pizzas I have enjoyed. The dough is made from Manitoba flour, a blend of wheat from North America whose origins are from the Canadian Provence of Manitoba. According to Debra Rossi and Roberto Spagocci the owners of Pizza al Taglio, dough made from Manitoba flour can rise for as long as seventy-two hours. The result is a crispy on the bottom, moist and chewy on top pizza crust that enhances the flavors of the toppings. Combine this delicious pizza crust topped with fresh cheese, meat and vegetables, baked to perfection and the end result of this appetizing mélange is the best pizza I ever had.

Pizza al Taglio is located on the Via Cardinal Marmaggi, 12 in Rome Italy!

Culinary Magic in Barcelona

2011-02-22T10:21:00.001-07:00

A little culinary magic takes place every day in a cozy Brasserie/Restaurant just ten minutes away from the hustle and bustle of La Ramblas in Barcelona. There is no other way to explain the picturesque, mouth-watering food coming out of the tiny kitchen in La Collita—it must be magic!

Fredy Naranjo - Magic at Work

Carpaccio of Shitake

Cooking in less than fifty square feet (4.65m²) of space, Fredy Naranjo creates his culinary magic to the delight of his loyal customers with such Catalan favorites as: a casserole of small white beans with tender rings of calamares and mushrooms or a plate of juicy botifarra (sausage seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) or my favorite, crisp and tender grilled rabbit and more. Other delicious specialties of La Collita include an assortment of savory Risottos, velvety smooth rice dishes laced with mushrooms and ham or vegetables and prawns or my favorite, risotto with prawns and curry— a flavorful meal of rich rice, seasoned with curry and dotted with tender prawns.

A Tempting Dessert

"A Glass of Foie"

We happened onto La Collita by chance. After a forty-eight hour journey from Phoenix, Arizona to Barcelona, Spain, a story on its own, my wife Linda and I threw down our luggage in our flat and went searching for food late that night. Travel weary and hungry we accidentally stumbled upon La Collita, a short walk from our flat that was to be our home for the next four months. Our good fortune continued when our server, a friendly young Serbian with an irrepressible smile spoke English well enough to explain some of their Catalan delicacies to us, such as: Carpaccio de Bacalao, paper thin slices of codfish drizzled with black olive oil, Queso de Cabras, a wonderfully nutty, semi-soft Spanish goat cheese and chorizo, a Spanish sausage flavored with paprika and garlic that is unlike any chorizo we have had in Arizona. Ever since that fortuitous night, we happily managed to find reasons to dine there at least once or twice a week. On our last night in Barcelona we bid the city farewell with another delicious meal at La Collita. I still long for another mouthful of Torrada de la Collita, a thick slice of toasted Catalan bread (similar to Ciabatta bread) covered with tender and not very salty anchovies, slices of pimentos and Queso de Cabras.

Bernard Dines Alfresco

La Collita (The Harvest in Catalan) sits on the outer edge of the popular tourist areas of La Ramblas and the trendy La Ribera section, on Carrer Ramon Turro, just west of the tree lined Parc de la Ciutatdella. It is a small, unpretentious restaurant. The cozy dining room houses four tables, smartly set with white linen table cloths, wine glasses properly arranged and a small liquor service bar. Upstairs, six more tables are nestled under a wood beamed cathedral ceiling and surrounded by rustic brick walls. Dining alfresco is almost always an option in Barcelona as it is at La Collita. The service, watchfully attended to by Leon Salon, is always friendly, prompt and courteous and Fredy the magician creates culinary magic everyday from a kitchen that is too small for mere mortals.

The Magician!

A Wet Glass

2010-11-01T13:39:00.003-07:00

“Stand up wherever you are, go to the nearest window and yell as loud as you can…” Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in the motion picture Network

Never, in my wildest imagination did I ever anticipate writing about nightmarish restaurant experiences in this space devoted to the pleasures of food. Unfortunately, the time has come to stand up and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore.”

Over time, my expectations of the quality of food and service from the restaurants here in Southern Arizona have diminished to the point where I am pleased with merely “edible and adequate.” Most of the restaurants that I have tried in Southern Arizona have what I call a tourist mentality. They depend on the annual influx of temporary or one-time customers, such as part-time residents and tourists who change year after year. In other parts of the country, less dependent on “visitors” for their survival the restaurant’s emphasis is on building repeat customers all year long. When a tourist is displeased with the food or service in a restaurant, a different one will replace them next season. Conversely, a full-time resident is not likely to return after having several bad experiences. This is not a condemnation of our “snowbirds” or tourists; the area depends on them for its livelihood. It is, however, the business mentality of most of our restaurateurs, who rely upon a revolving door of one-time customers rather than building repeat business from full-time residents with quality food and service.

As a full-time resident in tourist areas such as Scottsdale and now south of Tucson, I have adjusted accordingly by ordering the most basic dishes on the menu, believing that any kitchen can produce a decent steak or hamburger. Regrettably, this has not always held true. I have also abandoned the notion of a drinkable glass of wine with my food since most of our area restaurants serve wine by the glass from bottles left opened for too many days or from ones that were never properly resealed. As a result, I found myself paying as much as twelve dollars for a glass of “swill” posing as wine. Having quietly endured this onslaught on my senses, the lack of anything resembling reasonable service has pushed me over the edge of silent acquiescence.

Recently, my wife Linda and I joined some friends for cocktails at a bar/restaurant in an upscale senior citizen community in Green Valley. We ordered our usual Dewar’s on rocks and our friends ordered two, ten-dollar glasses of wine. To my horror, one of the glasses of wine they were served was noticeably wet, inside and out. Adding to my chagrin, when I walked up to the bar asking for a dry glass, I received a “what’s wrong with this glass look” from the bartender. I was stunned. Obviously, the bartender did not see anything wrong with pouring wine into a wet glass and the server thought nothing of serving it that way. This act goes beyond the scope of my understanding. How can someone, who earns their living serving in a restaurant or bar, not know something as basic as—never serve wine in a wet glass!

The blame for this inexplicable act doe not lie with the bartender or the server alone. Management has a responsibility to ensure that their staff has, at the very least, a modicum of knowledge of what constitutes proper service. Patiently tolerating inexperienced wait staff is an unpleasant fact of dining-out in most restaurants in Arizona. Tolerating restaurant owners who do not know enough about the most basic aspects of service or care enough to educate their staff is unacceptable. Good food alone does not make for a pleasant dining experience, as good service does not excuse bad food. The combination of good food and proper service is what justifies the prices restaurants charge, not one without the other.

..........“I’m mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore!”

What Ever Happened to Pesto?

2010-06-18T08:44:00.002-07:00

For those of us who were old enough to remember and have since forgotten and for those who were too young to notice, there once was a thick, dark green, luscious sauce gracing the plates of the chicest new restaurants in New York City. Scarcely a menue existed that did not have at least one or more offering of this flavor-rich addition to the fare. Tiny bits of minced garlic and pine nuts melded with chopped basil and pungent, grated parmesan cheese in lush olive oil to add distinction to the simplest servings of pasta. The lushest sauce of the hottest new restaurants then?—pesto!

The origin of the sauce we know today as pesto dates back to ancient Rome and was later refined in Genoa Italy. In New York City, during the late nineteen eighties pesto’s popularity grew to culinary acclaim. From the neighborhood coffee shop to the finest of restaurants, there was a pesto dish on everyone’s menu. Over time though, pesto has lost favor to today’s overwhelming assortment of herbs and spices in recipes. The mouth-watering pleasure of pesto is in its simplicity. It consists of five basic ingredients; fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil. Together they come together to produce a nutty, rich taste sensation to enhance otherwise less flavorful food. Frequently served over pasta or as sauce for pizza it is also a welcomed addition to broiled fish, grilled chicken breast or add a dollop to bowl of hearty minestrone soup for more savory richness.

Originally, pesto was prepared in a marble mortar by crushing the dry ingredients with a wooden pestle by hand. Today, a simpler, easier and equally satisfactory method is with a food processor. Finely chop the fresh basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor separately; combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the grated parmesan cheese, mix thoroughly and then slowly pour in the olive oil while constantly stirring the mixture to achieve a smooth, thick texture.

Here are the proportions for the basic ingredients. As with any recipe, adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your personal taste preference or add an interesting new ingredient such as sun dried tomatoes for a hint of sweetness or substitute the parmesan cheese with a more pungent Grana Padano cheese.
2 cups fresh basil, closely packed

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons pine nuts

3 cloves garlic

Pesto is quick and easy to prepare, getting richer and tastier as it sits in the refrigerator waiting to titillate your palate. One of my favorite ways to enjoy pesto is by adding a spoonful on top of a golden brown omelet or spread it over a piece of toasted ciabatta bread accompanied by a glass of Soave or Vinho Verdi. Enjoy!

A Proustian Pizza Memory from the Grill

2010-05-05T07:17:00.001-07:00

Savoring pizza cooked on an outdoor grill is an uncommon taste experience with singular rewards. The hot charcoal briquettes or lava rocks add enticing, smoke-filled aromatics to the pie that conventional kitchen ovens cannot duplicate. The taste of the crunchy piecrust, topped with bubbling hot, melted cheese is wistfully reminiscent of the pizza served fresh out of the brick ovens from my bygone New York City neighborhood pizzerias. It is a Proustian Memory from my youth that I still relish with each morsel of pizza made on a grill.

One of the fundamental steps to successfully cooking pizza on an outdoor grill is bringing the temperature of the pizza stone, an essential tool, to the same temperature of the grill’s cooking chamber. The hot pizza stone sears the outside of the piecrust for a memorable, crispy and crunchy homemade pizza. The other equally important practice is elevating the stone from the grate, about two to three inches, with a metal vegetable basket or some other similar device that will not block the heat from the pizza stone. Elevating the stone in this manner places the uncooked pizza in the higher and hotter area of the cooking chamber to melt the cheese in the same amount of time necessary to cook the thin pizza dough.

The rest is easy; preheat the cooking chamber to 450° with the pizza stone in place, in order for the stone to reach the same temperature as the cooking chamber, slide the pizza with your favorite toppings onto the stone using a pizza peel. Close the cover to the grill and cook until finished. Randy Wade, the owner of Tumacookery in Tubac Arizona and my grilling guru, recommends a wooden pizza peel for this. When your piping hot, fresh made pizza is ready, slip a metal pizza peel underneath the crust, remove and enjoy! Following these simple steps will ensure a perfectly cooked pizza every time and—the creation your own Proustian Pizza Memory.

Randy Wade’s Signature Vegetarian Pizza Topping

Spread two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons of a balsamic vinegar reduction, or an equal amount of both, sufficient to cover the pie dough. Then add chopped arugula greens, a sprinkling of raw pecans and dried cranberries; the proportions of theses ingredient are to individual taste preferences; start with a quarter cup of each and adjust their amounts and proportions on your next pizza or pizzas. Finish the topping with thinly shaved slices of tangy Manchego cheese, sufficiently spaced for each slice to have its own shaving of cheese.

This no-fuss, easy to prepare combination of sweet and savory flavors elevates an ordinary pizza into a gourmet treat. Try a glass or two of Pinot Grigio by Cavit or a Soave by Inama; both are inexpensive Italian white wines that harmonize perfectly with the taste sensations of Randy’s vegetarian pizza.

A Trilogy of Enticing Meals and Snacks

2010-04-02T09:01:00.004-07:00

The culinary secret for making delicious and inexpensive meals is in the sauce! Every chef has their own secret weapon that brings out the best in all their meals. Some drizzle expensive truffle oil on the food for added flavor right before serving, others may have a secret spice or ingredient that they use. Most successful chefs simply spoon-on fresh made, delectable sauces to turn ordinary food into memorable dishes. Rich and savory, succulent sauces also turn boring leftovers into sumptuous epicurean creations, enliven raw vegetable plates and change plain grilled fare into gourmet meals.

The purpose of a sauce is not to mask or disguise the taste of food. Its task is to enliven or enhance the flavor of food or offset it with a countering flavor, such as sweet and savory food combinations. Here are three different, unique and easy-to-make sauces that will impress your friends and family with your culinary expertise.

Garlic Lovers Sauce or Dip

Fresh garlic is a great, natural seasoning that makes almost any dish or food taste better. I have added sautéed garlic to fresh cooked spinach, crushed it into omelets and used whole cloves to add more flavor to chicken stock. I do not know of any food or recipe where garlic would not improve its taste—except perhaps crème brûlée.

The following garlic sauce is not just for garlic lovers; everyone appreciates a flavorful, tangy condiment with their food. There are two ways to make this sauce. The first is for the brave-hearted who love the taste of spicy tangy garlic. The second version is a softer more approachable garlic sauce. Either way this sauce is a perfect dip for raw vegetables, a spread for cold chicken sandwiches, leftover meats and other poultry or as a condiment for whatever your taste buds fancy.

Ingredients

8-10 cloves of crushed garlic
½ teaspoon of salt
1 egg
3 teaspoons of fresh lemon
1 cup of olive oil

Mix all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a blender or food processor. Then with the blender or processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Note, as with making fresh mayonnaise the olive oil should be poured into the blender or processor very slowly to incorporate all the ingredients.

The amount of raw garlic determines just how tangy the sauce will be. One way to keep the garlic flavor and reduce its natural spicy taste is to first sauté the garlic cloves until they are light brown in color and then crush them for the sauce.

The finished sauce is a heavy, creamy emulsion of pungent garlic and lush olive oil. It is perfect as a dip or a spread for sandwiches. My wife Linda loves to spoon a dollop onto her omelet and also dip her steamed broccoli into it. No matter how the garlic lover’s sauce is used, it will energize any food it accompanies.

Savory Green Sauce for Fish or Seafood

This is one of my favorite sauces. I first tasted it in an enclave of Portuguese restaurants in Newark New Jersey; know as the “Ironbound” section of Newark. Green Sauce is a delicious mélange of onions, garlic and parsley simmered in white wine and fish stock or clam juice.

Savory Green Sauce is the perfect accompaniment for almost any broiled, grilled, fried or poached fish or seafood. It is a great flavor enhancer for broiled catfish, filet of sole or any fish that does not have much flavor on its own.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 tablespoons of flour depending on desired consistency
¼ cup of finely chopped onions
3-6 cloves of minced garlic, to taste preference
1 cup of chopped fresh parsley no stems
½ cup of inexpensive white wine, preferably Sauvignon Blanc
½ cup of fish stock or broth or clam juice

In a saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they are soft but not brown. Slowly add the flour, constantly stirring the mixture to keep it from lumping. (This mixture of oil and flour is the basis for most sauces. Once the technique is mastered, a whole new world of wonderful sauces will grace your table.) Now slowly pour in the white wine followed by the fish stock, broth or clam juice while stirring constantly with a wired whisk or wood spoon. Be sure that all the liquids are room temperature before adding to the onion, and garlic mixture of olive oil and flour. Now add the chopped parsley and simmer on a very low flame or heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly until a thick and creamy consistency is reached.

This is a tasty, easy to make sauce. Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic and onions to your personal preference (the more the better).

Rice and Chickpea Casserole......with a Surprise Ingredient!

2010-03-04T11:16:00.003-07:00

Our desert spring season is here, bringing with it cold nights and warmer daytime temperatures. We may not get the Midwest or Northeast sub-zero temperatures but it is the perfect time to enjoy warm, hearty casseroles to take the chill out of the cool evening air.

Rice casseroles in particular are a great choice. They are economical, delicious, quick and easy to prepare. For the price of a cup of rice, approximately one cup of broth or stock along with other inexpensive ingredients we have a tasty and satisfying meal for two to four people. Add a crusty baguette and a glass or two of red wine and we have a wintry feast!
One of my favorite and more versatile rice casserole recipes is an unlikely mélange of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rice and our surprise ingredient—a thinly sliced, ordinary potato. When I first tried this recipe I could not fathom the need for a potato with rice and chickpeas; that was until I tasted the dish. The potato adds an intriguing, hard to define, “what is that”, subtle texture to the casserole. I have tried this recipe without the lowly spud and it is just not as interesting as it is with it.

The most important ingredient in this recipe though, if not the most intriguing, is the rice. This casserole recipe comes from Spain and all Spanish rice recipes use only short or medium grain rice which is plump and chewy. When cooked properly, one can almost bite into each individual grain. It will quickly become “the” rice staple for any rice lover who has not yet tried it. The best short grain rice, available here, are any of the ones from Japan that are sold in the local Asian markets. Unfortunately, they are also the most expensive. A less expensive alternative, which I use, is the medium grain, Safeway brand rice.

Rice takes on the flavor of the liquid in which it is cooked. The more flavorful the liquid, the tastier the rice will be. If it is at all possible, when cooking rice, use homemade stock or broth instead of a canned broth that is full of sodium or the tasteless “sodium free” or “low sodium” versions. We normally have plenty of stock stored in the freezer to cook with that my wife makes from our leftover chicken or turkey carcasses. If homemade stock is not available use the no-sodium broth and compensate for its lack of flavor by salting the broth to taste. Now let us cook our savory rice casserole with chickpeas and the surprise ingredient—the modest potato.

Ingredients in Cooking Order:
Olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
1 large Roma tomato, chopped with or without skin
1-2 gloves of chopped garlic
1 small or ½ medium sized potato, peeled, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about the thickness of a quarter)
¼ teaspoon paprika
2 cups cooked chickpeas (fresh preferred)
1 cup short or medium grain rice
1½ cups of chicken broth or stock
Few strands of saffron (a small amount of saffron is not expensive and is available from Trader Joe’s)
Salt to taste
4 slices of 2 inch wide pimento strips, optional (homemade preferred)

On the stovetop, in a ten inch, shallow, ovenproof casserole (preferably earthenware), add enough olive oil to coat the bottom (approximately ¼ cup). Heat the oil over a moderate flame; add the chopped onion and sauté until wilted. Then add the chopped tomato and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, sliced potato and sprinkle in the paprika; cook this for an additional 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Now combine the rice with the other ingredients and cook for approximately five more minutes. Stir this frequently, coating the rice with the moisture in the casserole. Add the chickpeas, then the warmed chicken broth (adding cold liquid to a hot earthenware casserole can crack the casserole), salt and a few strands of crushed saffron. (It is best to dissolve the saffron first, in the warm chicken broth, to disperse its rich, savory flavor throughout.) Bring this loose, liquid mixture of rice, chickpeas and the other ingredients in the broth, to a boil. Cook this on a low flame, until it is no longer loose or until most of the liquid is absorbed, but not completely dry. (The consistency we want to achieve is similar to creamy oatmeal, moist but not wet or loose.)

Before we place our casserole into the oven we can add about four slices of two inch wide pimento strips across the top. The red pimento will add an interesting touch of color to the casserole’s presentation.
Place the uncovered casserole into a preheated, 325° F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover it lightly with tin foil and let it “rest” and finish cooking away from the heat, for another ten minutes.
The rice should be soft but still chewy and not mushy. The key to making soft but chewy rice is to cook the rice until it is “near done”. Then, allow the rice to finish cooking covered away from the heat. This always produces firm yet tender and delicious rice.

Our meatless rice casserole is a meal by itself. Serve it with a tossed salad, crusty bread and a glass of light bodied red wine such as a Rioja (Marques de Riscal) or Tempranillo or a Spanish rosé, which I prefer. For heartier appetites add a grilled sausage or a small amount of sliced, grilled chicken breast to the plate or served separately on the side.
Enjoy!

Tempting Hot or Not

2010-01-30T14:02:00.002-07:00

If the soup is being prepared a day or more in advance, store the potato leek mixture without the milk product in the refrigerator. On the day of serving, warm the soup first and then add the warm, not cold milk, half and half or heavy cream and slowly simmer for 5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Serve the soup as above with a thick pat of butter and chopped chives for color and taste.

Soups are great for quick, inexpensive lunches and light dinners accompanied by a salad and cheese. There is nothing more comforting than cozying up to a hot, steaming bowl of soup on a cold night or cooling down with a refreshing tureen of cold soup, on a sun-drenched desert day.
One of my favorite soup recipes, “Potage Parmentier” is a hearty, luscious soup that is satisfying in all types of weather. Served hot it is hearty and flavorful, with tiny bits of potato and leek swimming in the bowl. When this hot, savory soup is pureed and chilled it transforms into the mouthwatering and refreshing soup known as Vichyssoise.

The transformation from hot Potage Parmentier Soup into refreshingly cold Vichyssoise is the work of French Chef, Louis Diat, around 1917; who at the time was the head chef for the posh Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York City.

There are a many stories about what inspired Chef Diat to convert Potage Parmentier soup to Vichyssoise. Some say it was impulse others point to necessity. This story is my favorite. While the Chef was searching for an exciting, new recipe for the hotel’s summer menu, he recalled his childhood practice of cooling down his mother’s piping hot Potage Parmentier soup with cold milk. Remembering the creamy smoothness that the milk produced in her soup, he added heavy cream instead, for an even richer, more luxurious version, thus giving birth to a new summertime culinary staple called, Vichyssoise. The name “Vichyssoise” itself means “from Vichy”, the village in France where Chef Diat was born; adding his own personal history to the new soup.

Hearty Potage Parmentier soup is a classic French recipe from the country villages of France. It can also serve as a base to make other soups by adding watercress or chopped mushrooms, diced carrots, cooked beans, diced cauliflower or whatever your culinary imagination can conjure.

Potage Parmentier Soup

Ingredients:
2 medium sized leeks
½ tablespoon sweet butter
3 three medium sized potatoes, russet preferred, peeled and quartered
1 pint of chicken stock, homemade preferred
¼ cup of whole milk, half and half or whole cream
Salt
Pepper, white preferred
Chopped chives

Finely mince the white portions of the leeks. In a sauce pan, sauté the minced leeks in butter until soft, not brown, add the chicken stock and quartered potatoes, salt and pepper to taste. (Note, warm the chicken stock before adding to the sautéed minced leeks to avoid splattering.) Once the potatoes are cooked soft, remove the pot from the burner and mash them in the pot with a potato masher, wooden spoon or fork. Many recipes suggest rubbing the soup through a fine sieve at this point. I prefer the hearty bits and pieces of the potato and leek swimming in the soup and do not follow this part of the recipe. However, if you prefer a smoother version, now is the time to rub the soup through a fine sieve. Return the soup mixture to the pot and slowly add about ¼ cup of warm, not cold whole milk, half and half or heavy cream, stirring constantly; simmer slowly to thicken for about 5 minutes. Serve the soup in a bowl or a tureen with a thick pat of butter, which adds a nutty richness to the soup. Garnish the soup with chopped chives for added color and flavor.

Vichyssoise

To transform Potage Parmentier soup into refreshing Vichyssoise cook as above. When the potatoes are finished cooking, remove the pot from the burner to cool the soup down to room temperature; then in an electric blender or food processor puree with milk, half and half or cream. Refrigerate and served cold, preferable in chilled bowls or tureens, garnish with chopped chives, omitting the pat of butter. (Note, salt loses its flavor in cold food, adjust seasoning before serving.)

Whether it is hot Potage Parmentier soup or cold Vichyssoise, they are delicious and simple to prepare. The cost to make this delightful all purpose soup is the price of some potatoes, leeks, milk or cream and chicken stock. Enjoy it as an inexpensive meal by itself or as the basis for a light dinner accompanied by salad, cheese, some fruit and crusty bread. White wine goes best with either the hot or cold versions of the soup. I prefer Riesling over Chardonnay with this soup. Try one from Alsace France or the Riesling made by Hogue in Columbia Valley, Washington State.

An Old Favorite Rediscovered-Mayonaise

2009-12-31T15:45:00.002-07:00

Everyone can enjoy the pleasure of eating flavor-rich food with a modest amount of preparation. We do not have to settle for merely fueling our bodies with boring calories, we can instead delight our taste buds and also save money.

     Creating exciting and tasty food does not require a lot of time laboring over complex recipes that require a myriad of exotic spices. Science tells us that our taste buds can not discern more than three spices at a time. Our goal, as thrifty gourmands, is to quickly and easily bring out every ounce of natural flavor from our food and not bury these flavors under too many spices.
     Starting with fresh, natural ingredients that are simply prepared, we will add fresh made sauces or condiments that bring out the food’s flavors. We want to draw out the natural flavors of a steak to fill our mouths with its succulent, fatty juices; we want to savor the delicate flavors of fish and seafood. The juices of a simply grilled sirloin steak, without any other seasonings, will explode in our mouths with creamy richness by serving it with just a small pat of real butter. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice on broiled fish adds zest to it. A spoonful of clarified butter brings out the nutty tastes of grilled shrimp. Freshly chopped parsley creates a whole new taste dimension when sprinkled on warm pasta with plain marinara sauce or pasta tossed with olive oil and garlic. These are just some of the easy ways to add new life to basic food.
     Freshly made mayonnaise is one example of how a simple condiment can elevate the taste of a plain dish to new heights. Two years ago while visiting Valencia, Spain I made a wonderful discovery. Tucked away in a little restaurant, the name of which I never knew, I discovered sauce mayonnaise. Here, smooth, pale white sauce mayonnaise was served over deep fried, golden brown potatoes and drizzled with a pink, hot sauce (Patatas Brava). The mayonnaise was rich and creamy with hints of sweet vinegar and lemon juice. It changed a simple plate of deep fried potatoes into a visually colorful feast and a mouth watering delight. I have tried numerous recipes to reproduce the mayonnaise from Valencia and have settled on this one.

Sauce Mayonnaise
     Mayonnaise itself is simply an emulsion of raw egg and vegetable oil, flavored with vinegar, salt, and citrus juice. The end result is a thick, velvety sauce that adds elegance to very simple foods; such as the fried potatoes, steamed vegetables and more. The possibilities are endless and limited only by our willingness to try something new and different with our food. Before we begin to make sauce mayonnaise I must note that if for any reason eating raw eggs will cause physical harm, stop here. This is not the recipe for you.
     Sauce mayonnaise is made by forcing the eggs to absorb the vegetable oil. This absorption process is easily accomplished when everything, including the mixing bowl is at room temperature. First, thoroughly whip the eggs with the other ingredients before adding the oil. Now we are ready to force the eggs to absorb the oil. To make perfect mayonnaise every time, beat the egg mixture continuously while slowly adding the oil to it. Some recipes suggest dripping the oil into the egg mixture; I have been very successful making mayonnaise by slowly pouring the oil into the egg mixture in a very thin stream, rather than drops. A low speed food processor can be used to add the oil into the egg mixture. I prefer the control of a hand mixer that enables me to manually move the mixers around in the bowl. The same care needs to be taken when adding the oil to the egg mixture with either blending tool. Combining the oil into the egg mixture does not take more than ten minutes. Once you have mastered the technique, scrumptious, creamy mayonnaise is only minutes away. Now let us make the sauce mayonnaise.

Ingredients

Basic Egg Mixture:
     1 large whole egg
     1 large egg yoke
     1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (creates a unique flavor for sauce mayonnaise)
     1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice or for a zestier version use 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice.
     ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt depending on taste

Vegetable Oil:
     1 cup inexpensive olive oil (using an extra, extra virgin or a very flavorful olive oil overpowers the sauce mayonnaise). For a lighter version use, ½ cup of Canola Oil in place of olive oil with 2 egg yokes instead of the “1 whole egg and 1 egg yoke” noted in the above egg mixture.

     Combine all the ingredients, except the oil, into a mixing box and beat for about 30 seconds. Then, very slowly add the oil to the egg mixture while blending all the ingredients with a hand mixer until all the oil is completely absorbed into the egg mixture. Important, do not stop pouring the oil until it is finished. Otherwise the oil can separate from the egg mixture.

Congratulations, you have just made fresh sauce mayonnaise!

     Always promptly refrigerate the mayonnaise after using (remember this is made with raw eggs, although it does not taste it). The sauce will stay refrigerated for about five days but we normally do not have much left over for that many days.

Serving Suggestions
     Now that you have mastered this basic recipe the variations are endless. Try adding a clove of crushed garlic to the sauce and refrigerate it overnight. As a dip, with garlic it adds a zesty flavor that will rejuvenate the taste of cold shrimp or raw vegetables. Also try mixing in about a teaspoon or more of Dijon mustard to the sauce to serve with cold, leftover chicken. Our fresh mayonnaise will also make tastier tuna and chicken salads.
     For the small price of two eggs, one tablespoon each of the vinegar and lemon or lime juice, one cup olive oil or one half cup canola oil plus ten minutes of our time we can enjoy fresh, not processed mayonnaise anytime.

Savor the food and relish the savings!

The Prostitute’s Sauce — “Puttanesca”

2009-11-28T09:45:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite pasta sauces. It is mildly piquant, succulent and cooks in less than thirty minutes. I am not always sure if my esteem for this sauce is based entirely on its pungent flavors or for its “saucy” lineage. Moreover, making a sauce with the past that this one has, brings out a cheeky part of me that is fun to revisit.

The name Puttanesca comes from the Italian word Puttana—which means whore. There are many tales of how this recipe came into being. This is the version that was told to me by my good friend Julio Piccole, over a bowl of Pasta Puttanesca, in an Italian Restaurant in New York City many years ago.

Late one night in Naples Italy, a popular, local trattoria was in the process of closing down for the evening. The owner, the only person left in the trattoria, heard tapping on the kitchen door leading to the back alley. To his surprise, he found standing in the doorway, two beautiful, sultry women. Their raven colored hair shimmered in the moonlight. Each of their faces beamed with imploring, dark eyes, set against silky smooth, olive toned skin. He was taken aback by their loveliness and was no match for this chance encounter.

Composing himself, he recognized them as two of the prostitutes that frequented the area. They politely apologized for their untimely appearance at his trattoria but they were tired and very hungry and would happily pay for a meal, if he would be kind enough to accommodate them. Being a gentleman and not wanting to be discourteous or turn away paying customers, he graciously seated them and proceeded to explain that the kitchen staff had left but he would be happy to put together something for them.
Hurrying back to the kitchen in somewhat of a frenzied state, he was in a quandary as to what he could serve them. He knew his task would not be an easy one. This night’s dinner business had been one of his busiest and as luck would have it everything was gone. Not a thin slice of veal remained or a piece of chicken, not a filet of fish, or even one measly sausage— nothing! There was of course enough pasta but not one spoonful was left of his wonderful marinara sauce that simmers for hours, full of tomatoes, herbs and spices. He scoured the kitchen from top to bottom; searching everywhere, looking for something to make a sauce that would please the two beautiful women who were waiting to eat. This is the sauce he made.

Puttanesca Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped, sliced or minced to personal preference
4 large of 6 medium sized fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped into 4 to 6 pieces depending on their size.
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons pitted, slice black olives or black Gaeta olives if available
One 2oz can of anchovy filets in olive oil (prefer Trader Joe’s brand)
Salt
This recipe serves 2 people; for 4 to 6 servings double the ingredients.

In a large fry pan heat the olive oil, and then reduce the flame and sauté the chopped garlic for 2 minutes or until it is tender, taking care not to brown the garlic pieces. Now add the chopped tomatoes. Cooked the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes or until they start to soften and add the capers, olives and anchovies, including the olive oil from its can.
Simmer this mélange, uncovered, on a low flame, for about 20 minutes. In this short period of time the anchovies will dissolve and all the flavors will coalesce, creating an intriguing and memorable pasta sauce. As a note, I do not bother peeling the tomatoes for this sauce; the tiny bits of skin that remain add a touch more flavor to the sauce.
If more cooking liquid is needed add some white wine instead of water or try some of the white vermouth that we all seem have sitting in our liquor cabinet, waiting for those martinis we never seem to make. Salt to taste a minute or two before the sauce is finished cooking but not before; this ensures that all the flavors are released and we will not add any unnecessary salt.

That is the story of the pasta sauce called “Puttanesca” as it was told to me. It is a quick, easy to make, savory sauce that adds zest and panache to an ordinary bowl of pasta.

Serve Puttanesca Sauce over any type of pasta and sprinkle it generously with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Add a crusty loaf of bread, a glass of Sangiovese or Chianti with Pasta Puttanesca and we have a meal worthy of our trattoria in Naples Italy and the two beautiful women who inspired the recipe.

Enjoy!

Savoring Tapas at Home

2009-11-15T10:03:00.002-07:00

For those of us who love food and we who also love a variety of mouth watering tastes from many different dishes, Tapas is a fantasy come true. There are few sights that are more pleasurable than a bar or table covered with a copious assortment of plates, filled with lip-smacking good food to choose from. Will it be the dish of tiny brown meatballs or the thick slices of the lean, spicy sausage nestled on small squares of bread or maybe the wafer thin crackers topped with fresh slivers of silver-skinned herring or is it going to be the small plate of russet colored mushrooms sitting in garlic sauce that we choose? Our Tapas choices are abundant and tantalizing.

“Tapas”, is the distinctive practice of Spanish bars serving small plates of their savory house specialties or finger food. Invariably, locals and tourists alike gather throughout the day in their favorite Tasca (as these bars are called) to eat and drink and sometimes debate politics or simply enjoy the company of others. Maybe it is the combination of food and drink in Tascas or their relaxed atmospheres that invites lively conversations between total strangers; whichever it is, they are as much a social experience as they are havens for food lovers.

One of my favorite Tasca’s in Barcelona is self-service, offering anywhere from 50 to 80 (I never counted just how many there actually are) varieties of finger food lining its two- tiered counter top. It is a bustling place, with tables inside and out that are always teeming with locals and tourists. Long trays filled with small plates of food, each with delectable morsels pierced with a tooth pick, are constantly replenished with fresh ones and there is never a lack of variety to choose from. The cost of the meal is tallied by the beverage servers, who add up the toothpicks from the empty plates on the table, the long ones are more money than the short ones. Other Tascas are closer to what we know of as “traditional bars”, with small plates of food lining the back portion of the bar and served by the bartender. Whatever kind of Tasca it may be, they are always a fun place to eat and mingle or simply be with other people.

It might be more romantic to just fly off to Spain to experience the many different foods of Tapas, but it is not necessary. We can easily recreate the casual atmosphere of eating “Tapas-style” right here in our own homes. There are no rules for Tapas. The food is whatever we want it to be. It can be finger-food or small servings of savory fare or a combination of the two; simple or sophisticated, the choice is ours. Economically, Tapas is also an ideal way to stretch the food budget by serving leftovers along with freshly made dishes as part of a Tapas-style meal or snack. This month, surprise your friends and delight your family with a “Tapas-styled” meal accompanied by a pitcher of homemade, fruity Sangria or an elegant glass of dry Fino styled Sherry.
Here are four easy to make recipes that can be enjoyed Tapas-style in small portions.

Potato Vegetable Salad
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and diced
¼ cup cooked and diced carrots
¼ cupped cooked peas, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
¾ cup of mayonnaise, homemade preferred.
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Combine the potatoes, carrots and peas in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar together. Gently fold this liquid mixture into the bowl of potatoes and vegetables. Let this sit for several hours, allowing the potatoes and vegetables to meld with the liquid mixture. Then add the mayonnaise and crushed garlic to the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour or until ready to use. This dish is best served at room temperature.

Pork Balls
Ingredients:
¼ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons beaten egg
¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
8 blanched almonds, ground
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
¼ cup olive oil or enough to generously coat fry pan
Mix all the ingredients together except the lemon juice and shape into small balls that are less than one inch. Then dip the balls into the lemon juice and fry until golden brown. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

Mushrooms and Garlic Sauce
Ingredients:
3 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
½ dried red chili pepper cut into 3 pieces, seeds removed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ pound mushrooms, halved or whole
Heat the garlic in 2 of the 3 tablespoons of olive oil until tender but not brown. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the flour while constantly stirring the oil and flour. Then gradually stir in the beef broth (the broth should be warm to room temperature but not cold). Then add the chili pepper slices, 1 tablespoon of parsley and lemon juice and stir until smooth. In a separate fry pan sauté the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until brown and tender but not soft. Combine the mushrooms into the garlic sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes and serve. Garnish the plate with the remaining parsley.

Marinated Chickpeas
(Prepare one day in advance)
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 hard boiled egg yoke
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 glove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon small capers
Pass the egg yoke through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Beat the oil and vinegar with a wire whisk, add to the egg yoke and stir in the onion, garlic, parsley, capers and chickpeas. Refrigerate overnight and garnish with additional chopped parsley before serving at room temperature.

The fun of Tapas is eating small amounts of food from a large selection and going back for more and more. This month break the mold and bring a taste of Spain into your home with Tapas. Fill a table with these dishes, or your own recipes, along with a stack of small serving plates, add a pitcher of sangria with lots of fresh oranges and apples or a bottle of dry Fino styled Sherry, or both, and enjoy a breadth of Spain in your home.

Anyone wishing a Sangria recipe is welcome to contact me at bernardberlin@q.com

Enjoy!