Liberty Cabbage

     During the First & Second World Wars the local Pennsylvania German staple of sauerkraut was re-named "Liberty Cabbage" to distance itself from the Arian enemies in Europe.  The term means literally sour cabbage and is a home made concoction created without the benefit of either refrigeration or pasteurization.

    
      While readily available in markets commercially produced, sauerkraut can easily be made right at home.  Finely cut cabbage is anaerobically fermented using only the lactic acid bacteria found in the leaves themselves.  It takes only a ceramic pot (Tupperware will also do), a tight fitting wooden lid and some sort of weight on top to patiently produce the final product from a head of cabbage and some salt.  It takes about two weeks for the pickling process to work.  The end result is a low calorie (42 calories per cup), high sodium accompaniment to a variety of meats such as: corned beef, spare ribs, franks, sausage, pork, and game.  It is also a tasty companion in appetizers, dips, soups, and desserts.  By itself, sauerkraut is a "simple heat and eat" Fall favorite.  It can also be enhanced by adding herbs, chili or hot sauce, chopped meats or clams.  Another way to serve it is by including a little brown sugar or chopped apples and onions.

     And sauerkraut has a history, too.  It is known and regarded around the world in various cultures and cuisines.  It is no stranger to not only the Germans, but also the French, Chinese, Polish, Russians, and Dutch.  Captain James Cook always carried an ample supply of it on his numerous sea voyages, crediting it to the prevention of scurvy.

     Had I not other previous commitments this weekend I would be attending the 43rd Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, Ohio.  There they celebrate the shredded fermented cabbage and juried competitions rate it's inclusion into everything from pizza to fudge. 




Here is one recipe that I'm sure you'd like to try:

CHOCOLATE SAUERKRAUT CAKE

 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar                       1 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup butter                                               1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs                                                              1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp vanilla                                                    1 cup cold water

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour                       2/3 cup sauerkraut, drained & chopped

 

     Cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly blended and smooth.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.  Measure the dry ingredients.  Mix them together with a fork.  Add to the creamed mixture along with the water, and beat to blend in completely.  Stir the chopped sauerkraut into the batter.

 

     Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9" round layer cake pans, or a greased and floured 9x13" cake pan.  Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes for layer pans and 35 to 40 minutes for 9X13" pan.

 

     Cover cooled cake with cream cheese frosting, using the following ingredients combined and beaten until smooth:

 

1 3 oz package cream cheese, softened                    6 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla                                                                   2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension
Mary E. Mennes, professor, Food Science

Fall Comfort Food

     This morning we are experiencing the coolest start of the season as temperatures are dipping near the freezing mark.  What better way to celebrate Autumn's arrival than to plan a week of warming comfort food?  Here is my menu planner for the week ahead:

Monday

Chicken Cacciatore

Egg Noodles

Roasted Green Beans

 

Tuesday

Broiled Salmon & Lentils

Braised Brussels Sprouts

 

Wednesday

Pork and Sauerkraut

Mashed Potatoes

Creamed Spinach

 

Thursday

Kitchen Closed

Chef's Night Off

 

Friday

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Potato Latkes

Steamed Broccoli



Creative Cookery

     Have you ever read through a recipe and discovered that you don't have all the ingredients listed?  That can certainly be vexing when you are all set to cook up something special and suddenly realize that you are missing something crucial.  So instead of getting in the car and driving to the local store, why not improvise?  Sometimes serendipitous things can occur and the end result may be even better than what you had planned.

     Such was the case recently when I decided to bake the Pork and Apple Pie that I had mentioned in a previous posting.  I actually had several recipes in front of me and each called for different ingredients: variations on a theme as it were.  But I did not have either ground pork or a pork loin that I could cube.  It would be very difficult, indeed, to bake this standard of the UK kitchen without one of the main elements.  But I did have a pork shoulder that had been defrosting in the refrigerator for a planned Carolina pulled pork dinner.  So before putting the entire shoulder in the slow cooker with the spicy vinegar based sauce, I cut off a portion and roasted it briefly and then cut it into thin strips for the pie.

     The result was a delicious dinner that combined the pork with sliced golden delicious apples.  And no one was the wiser!!!



But it's a dry heat

     Something that Arizona and roasting have in common is dry heat.  Roasting is a method of cooking in either the oven or indirectly on the grill that draws out and evaporates food's moisture.  And in so doing concentrates the flavors of the food while the exterior browns to an amazing savory coating.  So there is no need to sear before heat is applied. 

     But there is a catch.  The dry heat must cook the food without drying it out.  Often this feat is accomplished by the use of higher temperatures. So to roast foods like vegetables, small poultry, fish and tenderloins a temperature of 400-450F is recommended to cook quickly, retaining some moisture.  Roasting vegetables does draw out some of the moisture but in so doing concentrates flavors, creating a taste that is more dramatic than can be accomplished by either steaming or boiling.  A slightly lower temperature of 325-350F is used for a longer time when roasting larger pieces of meat, prime rib or whole chickens and turkeys.

     There are 2 types of browning that occurs when food is roasted:

1. Caramelization-Sugars in the food change their chemical structure.  Sucrose converts to glucose and fructose, releasing hundreds of new compounds that stimulate the taste buds.

2. Maillard Reaction-At a temperature greater than 300F meats are browned and amino acids are broken down within the protein structure and new flavor compounds are formed.

To prevent unnecessary drying of a whole roasting chicken, try this recipe that I learned in a cooking class in Tuscany a few years ago:

Pollo Arrosto al Limone

 

 

 

     1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, neck and giblets removed

     2 Tbsp EVOO

     salt and freshly ground pepper

     2 small lemons

 

     Preheat the oven to 375F.  Rinse the chicken inside and out.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Rub the outside of the chicken with the olive oil, then sprinkle the skin and cavity with salt and pepper.  Stuff the cavity with the 2 whole lemons.  Tuck the wings behind the back.  Draw the drumsticks together and tie tightly with kitchen string.

 

     Lightly oil a shallow roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken comfortably.  Place the chicken, breast side up, in the pan and roast, basting occasionally with the juices, until it is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a sharp knife, about 1 1/4 hours.  An instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh away from the bone should read 170F.

 

     Transfer the chicken to a carving board and set the roasting pan aside.  Remove the lemons from the cavity and set aside.  Loosely tent the chicken with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

 

     When the lemons are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and squeeze the juice into the roasting pan.  Discard the lemons.  Add 3 tablespoons water to the juices in the pan.  Place over high heat and cook until reduced by one-third, about 2 minutes.

 

     Remove the string, carve the chicken, and arrange on a warmed serving platter.  Pour the pan juices over the top and serve at once.

 



    

Quite a Pear

     Recently I came across a recipe that required Bosc Pears.  It was perfect timing for the European import since they are harvested in late September and into the Fall and Winter.  Originating in France and Belgium they were introduced into the United States in the early 1830s and are now grown primarily in the Northwest region of the country, in Oregon and Washington.  They are marketed under different names, including Buerre Bosc, Calabasse Bosc and Kaiser Alexander.

     Bosc pears are more firm than other varieties and have a dense flesh that makes them ideal for cooking, especially poaching, sauteing and baking.  And they pair well with cheese.  One favorite recipe of mine is to poach them in white wine and then stuff the halves with gorgonzola and honey.  And did you know that they should be eaten unpeeled?  That is because most of their vitamin C content is in the skin.

     The recipe that included the Bosc pear is reprinted below:

German Pear Pancake

 1 large firm-ripe Bosc pear                            1 tsp vanilla extract

    peeled, cored, cut into 1/8” slices              ½ tsp kosher salt

1 lemon, grated to yield ½ Tbsp                   2/3 cup all purpose flour  

     then squeezed=2 Tbsp juice                     3 Tbsp unsalted butter

4 large eggs                                                              cut into 3 slices

¾ cup whole milk                                       3-4 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar                                             Crème Fraiche (optional)

          Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400F.

          In a medium bowl, toss the pear slices with the lemon juice and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric hand mixer on high speed until thick and frothy, about 3 minutes.  Add the mile, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix on low speed until combined.  Sift in the flour and mix on low speed until combined (don’t worry if there are lumps).

           Heat a 12” cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add the butter and when it begins to foam, add the pear slices, quickly turning them to coat with the butter, and arranging them in a single layer, pour the batter evenly over them and transfer the skillet to the oven.  Bake until the pancake is set in the middle, the sides have risen and the bottom is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

           Sprinkle the pancake with confectioners’ sugar.  Serve immediately.

Fine Cooking, October/November 2012, p. 61

 

 



Enjoying Intercourse

     What could be more tranquil than a ride through Amish country in Lancaster County, PA?   The rolling hills and farmlands spread out in view speckled with only an occasional well kept farm to crowd the landscape.



     The land continues to support the economy of a people who have chosen a quieter, simpler way of life without the hectic pace of modern society.  Such is the life of those who live as the Pennsylvania Dutch.  While the term "Dutch" is really a misnomer being incorrectly transliterated from "Deutch" meaning German, they are a people who shun any celebrity or commercialism as they live along side those they term "The English."

 

     Last week I spent a day enjoying the bucolic countryside in towns with such colorful names as Bird-in-Hand, Paradise, and Intercourse.

 

     But my enjoyment was rudely interrupted when I came across an artificial village constructed with the sole intent of commercializing the life style of the people who had originally settled there.  As I pulled into the parking lot I was confronted with hoards of people descending from behemoth tour buses to experience a way of life contrary to their own.  It was discouraging to see such an invasion taking place right before my eyes.

 

 

     And what was even more disheartening to me was the commercialism of the "Plain People" of their own uncomplicated customs.  For a price I could take a horse and buggy ride in a specially built "stretch" carriage along the back roads, or if I chose, I could purchase a quart of freshly packed pickles that ladies had canned right before my eyes in a special kitchen built as a part of a country store (no pictures please!).

 

 

     Further down the road I did make a stop at an authentic orchard farm store and purchased a basket of Jonagold apples freshly picked from trees just feet away.  Somehow that seemed more honest to me.

 

     At the end of the day I came away feeling that Intercourse isn't all that's it's made out to be.

MNYK

     On Saturday I attended the first ever strEAT Food Festival in Manayunk.  It was a creative way to kick off  Restaurant Week in the once independent borough.  Manayunk (known to locals as MNYK) was formerly called Flat Rock due to it's proximity to the Schuylkill River.  The name was changed by the residents in 1824 adapting the Lenape Indian name of manaiung meaning "place where we go to drink."  (That is even more true now than then!)

     The area was first settled by immigrants from England, Ireland, Italy and Poland and was a primarily working class community.  There are still several ethnic Roman Catholic parishes there that reflect distinct national identities.  Manayunk lays claim to the construction of the first canal in the United States and is part of a 108 mile navigation system that stretches from the tidewater in Fairmount to the coal fields of Mount Carbon in Schuylkill County.  Along the waterway mills were constructed to utilize the available hydraulic power to operate machinery.  The town thrived and was incorporated as a borough in 1840, only to be consolidated into the much larger neighboring city of Philadelphia fourteen years later.

     But by the mid-twentieth Century industry had declined and the once thriving community had fallen on hard times.  It was in the decade of the 1980's that the gentrification of Manayunk began and the old mills were converted into high end loft apartments and Main Street became home to numerous one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants that attracted a younger crowd of college students and urban professionals.  Available public transit and its proximity to Center City made it a desirable place to live and work.

     That, by way of introduction, is how the first (annual?) strEAT Food Festival came into being.  It wasn't a particularly nice day for the event.  It was slightly chilly and overcast.  But that did not deter the crowd from descending onto Main Street.  Perhaps the main attraction (no pun intended) was the presence of 20 food trucks of various size and cuisine.  And unlike the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square, the Manayunk festival actually followed a theme.  There were practically no extraneous vendors present and the emphasis was on food, apples in particular.  It was an enjoyable afternoon strolling along Main Street, which by the way, was kept open to traffic the entire time.  I sampled several offerings from the festively decorated food trucks and had a good time chatting with others.

     Here are just a few of the food trucks at the event: