Recipe: Rajas con Papas (poblanos in cream with potatoes)

dice and cook the potatoes

This dish is a bit of a fusion, but was a huge hit at my family reunion over the Canada Day weekend.  Carla, Diane and I were throwing a Mexican dinner and so had the task of selecting a few feature dishes from the huge repertoire of wonderful Mexican cuisine.  One of Carla's favorite dishes is chorizo con papas - kind of like a corned beef hash using chorizo instead.  One of my favorite dishes is rajas - poblanos cooked up in a cream sauce (seems a bit simple, but it gets me every time).  Since most Mexican dishes do have some meat involved, we were a bit stuck in our selection of vegetarian options - why not take the chorizo out of the potato equation, stretch the sauce of the rajas and use it to dress the potatoes like a warm potato salad?  Well, it turned out a stunner.  Vegetarian or not, everyone hit it hard.  The poblanos gave it a nice little zip, but it was mild enough that everyone could enjoy it - even Isabella at 11 months couldn't get enough!  If you want to just make rajas, simply use enough cream to make it saucy and serve.

peel and cut the poblanos

You will need:


6                           medium to large potatoes
3                           poblanos
1                           large onion
3 cloves                garlic
200ml / 6.8fl oz    cream
100ml / 3.4floz     sour cream
as needed             olive oil
as needed             kosher salt
as needed             black pepper

caramelize the onions

as needed             roasted corn



Method:


 - put a pot of water on to simmer
 - peel and dice the potatoes
 - simmer the potatoes in the water until almost cooked
 - strain the potatoes out of the water and let air-dry, cool, and set aside
 - roast corn on the grill, or pan-roast kernel corn in a pan and set aside
 - burn the poblanos, sweat, then peel (or use microwave - peeling peppers - microwave method)
 - cut the poblanos into thick strips and set aside - save any juice they have released
 - julienne the onion and saute in oil

add the cream and poblanos

 - when the onion is golden brown, mince the garlic and add it in
 - take the onions and garlic to a rich brown
 - deglaze the onions with the poblano juice, then add the cream
 - bring the cream to a simmer, then add the poblanos
 - simmer some more
 - add the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper
 - add in the potatoes and toss well in the sauce
 - check the seasoning and adjust if necessary
 - toss in the roasted corn and serve

add the potatoes and corn

Cooking rice noodles

soak in cold water

Maybe you're preparing these noodles for pho, or maybe for something like a pad Thai, if you are from a European background there is a tendency to overthink the process.  It's understandable, often rice noodles don't come with instructions, or if they do, they aren't in English.  Bear with us those of you who do it second nature, isn't it more important that we get it right once and for all?

The most common mistake is to cook rice noodles like pasta - just don't.  It's even simpler than that.  All you need is cold water and boiling water and a basin.  If the water cools down and the noodles are still a bit firm, you probably didn't add enough boiling water, so boil some more and pour it over.

pour in boiling water

You will need:

rice noodles

a basin 

cold water

boiling water

Method:

 - take the noodles out of the pack and put in the basin

 - put the basin under the tap and run cold water over the noodles

 - let soak about 1/2 and hour until the noodles are noticeably softer

 - get some water boiling

 - drain off the cold water and pour the boiling water over the noodles

 - let the noodles cook 5 minutes or more until tender and fully cooked - add more hot water if needed

 - drain again and rinse with cold water to keep them from sticking

 - use as needed

cooked and rinsed

Recipe: Smoked hash browns with bacon and apple

grate the potato

I love a good hash brown potato.  Whether its loose or biscuit-style, I'm always in.  I'm surprised it doesn't get used more beyond the breakfast menu - maybe this one will switch things up.  The bacon involvement is a bit of a no-brainer, but by adding the smoke and apple, the potato gets a bit of a lift worthy of and entree starch component.  Wherever you put them, it is important to take note of the fundamentals of prepping the potato, so you don't get a gluey pasty mess.  I grated these ones on a box grater because I wanted a fine texture, but you can certainly cut the potato any size you want and still follow the method.  If you use a Smoking Gun like I did, you will want to smoke the potatoes several times to get the flavour in, if you have a smoker, let 'er rip for about an hour.  Have some smoked butter on hand?  You know where it goes.

rinse, blanch and strain it

You will need:

2                  potatoes

1                  onion

4 slices        bacon

1                  apple

to taste         kosher salt

to taste         black pepper

as needed     vegetable oil or smoked butter

smoke the hash

Method:

- set some salted water on to boil

 - grate or cut the potatoes and rinse under cold water until the water is clear

 - dunk the potatoes into the water for 30 seconds

 - strain and rinse under cold water again until it is clear

 - squeeze any excess water out and place in a bowl or plastic container

fry the bacon, onion and apple

 - lightly coat with vegetable oil - it helps absorb the smoke

 - cold smoke for an hour or smoke several times with the Gun, sealing the container each time

 - cut the bacon into short lardons and render the fat out in a pan

 - dice the onion small and add to the bacon and saute

 - peel and dice the apple and add to the mix

 - take the mixture out of the pan and set aside (leaving as much bacon fat behind as possible)

 - add any needed oil or smoked butter to the pan

 - add the smoked potato and fry to golden brown

 - add the bacon, onion and apple mix back in and mix well

 - season with salt and pepper

 - serve

fry the potato

the finished hash with a vinegar-drop egg

Recipe: Potato blinis

Potato blinis are classic with caviar, but can be served with innumerable spreads and garnishes to create a wide variety of appetizers, hors d'ouevres, and amuse bouche.  Try to keep the mix hot while mixing and try to avoid over working the starch (fold the batter, don't stir).  The finished batter should be firm enough to hold a shape, but soft enough to push through a piping bag.   A non-stick pan helps the production process as well.

You will need:

3                     medium Yukon gold potatoes
45ml / 3Tbs    flour
1                     egg yolk
1                     whole egg
45ml / 3Tbs    sour cream
to taste            kosher salt
to taste            pepper

Method:

 - set the oven to 350F / 177C
 - prick the potatoes with a fork and roast about an hour until very soft inside
 - lightly whip the egg and egg yolk, then mix with the sour cream
 - scoop the potato out of the skin and pass it through a tamis sieve (or ricer) into a bowl
 - sprinkle the flour over the potato, add the egg and cream mixture and fold together
 - season with salt and pepper
 - put the mix into a piping bag
 - add some butter to a pan
 - pipe small dollops into the pan
 - cook until golden brown on bottom, then flip and do the other side (you can gently pat it down if needed)

Recipe: Pomme Maquere

Pomme Maquere is not seen very much, but it is a very nice way to use potatoes and gives you an opportunity to surprise your guests.  It's similar to a Duchess potato in that you mix some egg yolk into a potato puree, but has the added element of surprise by the inclusion of a concealed parcel of your choice in the middle - like a really fancy gravy volcano.  If you have or can get a hold of a silicone muffin mold it makes things really easy, but you can still freestyle it on a tray - just make sure your potato mix is nice and firm when you start as you'll need to build up the sidewalls.  Your filling should be made ahead of time so you can pipe the potatoes warm, fill the Maqueres, then cap them off before the potatoes cool off.  The filling can be anything you like, but as an example here, we'll use a nice creamed out wild mushroom saute.  Depending on the size of your potatoes and how much you fill the Maqueres, this recipe should give you 4 - 6 portions in  muffin molds.

You will need:

2                      large Yukon gold potatoes
3 - 4                 egg yolks
45ml / 3Tbs     cream
15ml / 1Tbs     butter
to taste             kosher salt

For the filling:

1L / 4C            assorted wild mushrooms (rough volume measure)
1                      shallot
1                      garlic
15ml / 1Tbs     butter
to taste             cream
to taste             kosher salt
to taste             black pepper

Method:

 - for the filling, cut or tear the wild mushrooms into small pieces
 - sweat the shallot and garlic in the butter in a pan
 - add the mushrooms and saute well
 - season with salt and pepper
 - add cream as desired
 - cook out until the mixture has a nice saucy consistency and tastes great
 - set aside and let cool
 - set the oven to 350F / 177C
 - butter or panspray the muffin molds and set on a baking sheet
 - prick the skin of the potatoes with a fork and roast in the oven about an hour until completely soft inside
 - heat the butter and cream together and set aside
 - open up the potatoes and pass through a tamis sieve
 - measure the potatoes by volume - calculate one yolk per cup (250ml) of potato
 - gently mix the hot potato with the hot cream and butter and season with salt
 - lightly whisk the egg yolks and fold through the potatoes
 - put the potato mixture in a piping bag
 - pipe a solid bottom in the muffin mold, then run around the outside, leaving a cavity in the middle
 - fill the cavities with the mushroom mix
 - use the rest of the potato mix to completely cap off and seal the mushrooms in
 - put the baking sheet in the oven about 15 minutes to set the egg and lightly colour the potato
 - remove from the oven and let cool
 - when the Maqueres are cool and firm, you can remove them from the molds
 - set the Maqueres upside down on a paper or silicone mat covered sheet pan
 - to serve, reheat in the oven

Recipe: Sous-vide polenta

I have thought about cooking polenta sous-vide for a long time, but only recently got around to experimenting with it.  To cook polenta properly the traditional method is a lot of work, and the potential for burning it if you don't scrape the bottom well (or turn your back on it for a second) is high.  I used polenta as a starch in a contest once and blistered my blisters during my daily practices - without a better option, such is the nature of the beast - you suck it up and keep going.  If you are in a hurry, make it the stove top method, it is faster, but if you've planned ahead, your life just got a whole lot easier.  You can have the polenta simmering on the stove in a holding pattern until the very moment you need it.

My goal was to produce a super creamy polenta, and I got it.  To that end, I did soak the cornmeal overnight in a portion of the water but I'm not convinced it was 100% necessary, but it couldn't have hurt.  I also stuck to the most basic formula to focus on the cornmeal - you will probably want to involve some cheese at least, and maybe some onion, garlic, aromatics or what have you.  Obviously, any sweating of onion or garlic will have to be done outside the bag, and it's your choice to mix it with the cornmeal before or after cooking - before will infuse the flavours better, but garnishes will retain their character better mixed in after cooking.  Other good news, you don't need a water bath.  I threw my batch in the industrial steamer at work, but you could also put it in boiling water.  The ratio below will give you a nice soft product with some room for adding butter or cream if you like, but if you were planning to set the polenta for frying later, you would want to cut the water down.

You will need:

250ml / 1C             cornmeal

1L / 4C                   water

2.5ml / 1/2tsp         salt (this leaves room for a salty cheese)

Method:

 - heat up 500ml (2C) of the water and pour it over the cornmeal - mix it up and let it soak overnight in the fridge (optional step)

 - mix in the rest of the water, salt, and anything else going into the cooking process

 - seal it all in a bag - not too tight - leave room to expand without excessive air 

 - steam 2 hours, if boiling, a bit longer (steam is hotter)

 - once cooked, remove from the bag, mix in garnishes and serve - or set in a pan for cutting and frying later

Recipe: Risotto

Risotto is a real classic - creamy, rich and satisfying in so many ways.  Since rice is so neutral, it lends itself to endless options as far as garnishes go.  I'm going to give you a basic recipe and leave the garnish up to you.  With garnishes, just remember they need to be cared for just as much as the rice - many commercial operations prepare both separately to maintain control and bring them together as the dish gets heated at service (few places are making your risotto from scratch after you order it).  A lobster risotto will have the lobster mixed in later in the process to avoid over cooking, but a mushroom risotto is a little more forgiving since the mushrooms can handle more time on the heat.  

Try to think about the final dish and without making it over complex, incorporate that theme wherever possible.  We used to do a mushroom risotto where we used mushroom stock in the preparation, seasoning it with porcini powder, then garnishing it with sauteed wild mushrooms and truffle oil.  The dish incorporated mushrooms wherever possible, but didn't clutter the picture with other flavours and the result was a complex yet unmistakable ode to mushrooms.

By giving you a purist recipe, I hope to let you use your imagination the rest of the way.  If you want to use chicken stock, by all means, but in this recipe water is all you need.  A good risotto is all in the preparation and the seasoning, not the chicken.  Some cooks add cream, but I don't - it's kind of cheating.  If you prep ahead of time, just remember to cut short your cooking so you don't overdo it at mealtime.  You want the dish to flow as a single mass with each grain of rice retaining some firmness in it's grain - al dente.  If you are so inclined, finishing it off with a bit more butter is always welcome, but do it off the heat so it doesn't split.  A small squeeze of lemon juice at the end balances the richness well too.

You will need:

500g                       arborio rice

150g                       butter

1                             small white onion - finely diced

1.5L (give or take) water (warm)

1                             bay leaf

2 sprigs                   thyme

to taste                    kosher salt

to taste                    pepper 

Method:

 - dice the onion very fine - smaller than the grains of rice if you can

 - warm the water up on the stove (warmed up cold water tastes better than hot tap water)

 - sweat the onion off well in the butter

 - add the rice and sweat, stirring constantly

 - season the rice minimally - most seasoning comes at the end

 - add the herbs

 - slowly add the water, letting it get absorbed with each addition 

 - taste the grains of rice as you go to judge the speed of the cooking

 - if you will finish cooking later, turn off the heat while the rice is still undercooked and the risotto is very liquid 

 - spread the rice out on a sheet pan to cool - don't lose any of the starchy liquid

Finishing:

 - remove the herbs from the preparation stage - add fresh at the end if you like

 - put the cooled rice and congealed liquid back in the pot, add some water and slowly heat up

 - depending on your garnish, think about adding it in now to infuse the flavour

 - just like preparation, add water as needed and keep cooking

 - as you get close to cooked - decide how loose you want the final product to be - add water accordingly

 - finish seasoning

 - when rice is cooked, turn off the heat and add butter, a squeeze of lemon, and any fresh herbs or delicate garnishes still to come

 - mix well and serve

Recipe: Potato chive gnocchi

Delicious potato gnocchi are always a welcome sight.  Saute them for a nice outer crust - start them in butter so that by the time they are done the butter has started to brown.  Serve them with something saucy so they can soak it up.  It doesn't get much better.  Gnocchi isn't hard to make, but there are a few tricks to make sure they are the best they can be.  

 - You don't want your dough to be too wet, which is why many people bake the potatoes rather than boil - also split the potatoes once they come out of the oven to let some steam evaporate.  Professionals often have a baking sheet layered with pickling salt (very coarse) just for baking potatoes - your call - of course the salt can be saved for future baking.

 - You want to always make your dough while the potatoes are still warm because the starch will get sticky as they cool down.

 - To avoid over-activating the starch, always mix the dough with a bench scraper with a vertical chopping motion - resist the temptation to scrape the ingredients toward the middle, this isn't a dough to knead.  By chopping the dough from the outside to the middle, you can keep things from spreading all over the counter.

 - Cook the gnocchi in gently simmering water , not boiling - delicate dumplings are the most satisfying, but boiling water will tear them apart.

 - Gnocchi is a pasta, so cool it like one - spread out on a lightly oiled sheet pan so the steam can evaporate.

This recipe is very versatile, so I've kept it fairly simple, but you can easily leave the chives out, substitute another herb, add some black pepper.  Cheese is always welcome, but the harder varieties such as parmesan will affect the moisture content less and resist leaking out during cooking better.   By the way, if you have some cream around, take the potato skins and put them in it - vacuum seal even better.  Next time you make mashed potatoes, keep the skins involved right up until you strain your infused cream before adding to the potatoes - baked potato mash!

You will need:

2lbs / 900g         russet potatoes

2                         egg yolks - lightly whisked

1C / 125g           flour (plus more for working with)

to taste               kosher salt

pinch                  nutmeg

to taste               chopped chives

Method:

 - set your oven to 350F / 177C

 - start some water on to simmer

 - pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake about a hour - make sure they are well cooked

 - cut the potatoes to let steam escape

 - scoop the flesh out of the skins and pass through a ricer (or mash VERY gently)

 - generously flour your board or counter top and set the potatoes down

 - add the yolks and flour and start vertically chopping with a bench scraper

 - if the dough seems a bit wet, add more flour

 - season with salt, nutmeg, and add your chives (or other seasonings)

 - when the dough is almost together, stop chopping - and bring it just together by hand

 - take a small amount and test it in the simmering water - if it doesn't hold, it may need a little more bench work

 - divide the dough into pieces and roll each one into logs about as thick as your thumb

 - cut the gnocchi with the scraper - if you like, give them a dimple with your finger or roll them along the back of a fork for texture

 - at this point, gnocchi freeze very well - freeze first on a sheet pan separately, then pack together

 - when cooking, get the water at a simmer, season with salt and lightly oil a sheet pan

 - cook the gnocchi a few at a time - when they float, they are cooked - take them out and spread out on the pan

 - when they are all cooked, let them cool unless they are going right into a sauce

 - if sauteing, a non-stick will help but a good hot pan will do too

 - get the pan hot - medium high heat

 - add a generous amount of butter

 - add the gnocchi - give it a shake to make sure they don't stick, then let them colour

 - as they colour, you can toss them to form a crust

 - if you like, glaze them with more butter (yes), shallots and chives then drain on paper towel

 - serve

Recipe: Herb spaetzle

Herb spaetzle would be a nice accompaniment to those braised beef cheeks from yesterday.  Very easy to make, with a texture unique to itself, and more than ready to mix in with that nice braising sauce you made.  You will need something in the way of equipment, but it is possible to improvise.  There are spaetzle-makers made, however having worked in large operations, I have always used perforated steamer trays and scraped the batter through manually.  Basically you need something that can sit steadily over a pot of boiling water that has pea-sized perforations to drop the batter through.  A bench scraper or stiff spatula will be needed to force the batter through, then a spider or small strainer to scoop the spaetzle out of the water.  The picture below not only shows the technique, it is also the best home-style spaetzle maker I've seen - it's available at AMAZON for a decent price.

You will need:

500 g        flour
1 tsp         baking powder
125 ml      chopped "soft" herbs - parsley, tarragon, chervil
6               eggs
125 ml      milk
to taste      salt
oil and butter for frying

Method:

 - sat a large pot of water on to boil
 - if you have a mechanical mixer, load up the paddle, give the eggs a slight whisk, then add all the ingredients except the herbs and start mixing .  If mixing by hand, use a strong whisk or wooden spoon and get ready for a workout
 - let the gluten develop well - sticky and "goopy" - then add the herbs (adding them earlier would make the batter more green than speckled)
 - add salt to the water and set your chosen perforated screen over the pot
 - take a bit of the batter, set it on your screen and scrape it through to the water
 - when the spaetzle floats, it is cooked - scoop it out and spread out on a sheet pan with paper anda drizzle of oil
 - repeat the process until the batter is gone
 - return to your sheet pan and mix up the spaetzle in the oil so it all has a light coating and won't stick together
 - once cool, you can store in the fridge, or get ready to cook
 - set a frypan (non-stick wouldn't hurt) on to medium high heat - add a bit of oil
 - add the spaetzle to the pan and saute, letting it get some colour and crisp up

nicely browned spaetzle

 - add some butter and take it to a nice golden brown
 - serve