Friday: 15 Minute Biscuits (Plus Soup)

Cream of heirloom tomato soup with homemade biscuits.

We made this comforting cream of tomato soup with special out-of-town guest chef Tom. The soup was pretty straightforward, although it benefited from the delicious heirloom tomatoes provided by our CSAs.

We follow Mark Bittman's standard recipe for biscuits; they're surprisingly quick and easy:

Biscuits

2 c all-purpose or cake flour
1 scant tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 - 5 tbsp cold butter
7/8 c milk

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and then use your hands to rub them into the dry mixture until the butter is thoroughly blended in. (It might look a little like bread crumbs.)

3. Stir in the milk just until the mixture forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 10 times - no more!

4. Press the dough into a 3/4 inch thick slab and cut into circles using the rim of a drinking glass. Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake 7 - 9 minutes or until the biscuits are a beautiful golden brown.

Note: if you have yogurt, substitute it for the milk and reduce to 3 tsp baking powder.

PSA: On Food Preservation

These days, most people would think nothing of going into a supermarket in December to pick up fresh strawberries, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. Not too long ago, we did just that. But as we started to increasingly buy local and eat seasonally, we realized it's not possible to have those three things together. Not only that, but on some level it's not even desirable - when you regain a sense of seasonality, you get excited when you see the first strawberries appear in spring, and you wait anxiously through June and July for the first colorful heirloom tomatoes. Things taste better when you only eat them while they're at their best. Who needs strawberries all year?

When you eat seasonally, you also quickly come to understand food preservation in a whole new way. Jam isn't just a dessert - it's a way of preserving precious summer fruits when they're at their most bountiful. Same with pickling, which used to be one of the only ways to make fragile summer veggies last into the wintertime. All the myriad methods of food preservation actually only operate on a few different mechanisms, so we thought we'd share them here:

SUGAR
Adding a certain quantity of sugar to a food will inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. That's the basic idea behind all jellies, jams, "candied" fruits, and similar preserves - which is why they have to contain a certain percentage of sugar in order for them to be stored safely outside of refrigeration. (All the traditional Christmas desserts that contain candied fruits make a lot more sense when you realize that was the only fruit people had around during the winter.)

SALT
Large quantities of salt will also preserve foods - thus salted fish like cod and all manner of pickles (sometimes with an assist from vinegar, but not always). In the industrial food system "pickle" is treated as more or less synonymous with "cucumber," but basically any vegetable can actually be pickled. These days at the greenmarket you can find pickled beets, pickled green tomato, or pickled asparagus. Salt curing is also the mechanism for preserving hard cheeses like Parmesan, which keep much longer than softer types.

FERMENTATION
The basic theory of fermentation is that by encouraging the growth of certain good types of bacteria, you can inhibit the growth of the bad ones. This produces all types of tasty foods like yogurt, miso paste and soy sauce, and of course wine.

DRYING
Plenty of foods are dehydrated for storage, including seaweeds, fruits, seeds and herbs, legumes, and even meat (that's what beef jerky is, after some marination). When foods are completely dried out, bacteria can't grow in them and cause them to spoil. Apparently these days you can buy small home dehydrator units over the internet to make your own dried fruit slices.

SMOKING
Not as important as some of the others, but smoked salmon is tasty enough to merit its own entry on this list. Many other fishes and meats are smoked as well. Lots of things that are smoked are simultaneously salt-preserved.

FREEZING
Ever since World War II, freezing has been a dominant form of food preservation in the US - not always with good results. Freezing slows down the chemical activity in a food until it almost grinds to a halt, making it last much longer before spoiling. This is obviously a more energy-intensive form of preservation than the others, which makes it somewhat less sustainable, but it can have definite nutritional and taste advantages. When turned to purposes other than processed instant dinners, freezing can be a force for good.

Special Christmas PSA: Stollen

What is stollen, you ask? You must not have German grandparents. But seriously, stollen is a family Christmas tradition in the vein of panettone or fruitcake. But don't be put off by the mention of fruitcake - stollen is a soft, bready concoction studded with candied fruit, really more akin to challah in taste and texture.

Why only make it once a year? Well, aside from being a Dresden custom, making stollen is a huge pain in the butt(er). Because it needs several cycles of rising to develop its rich flavor, it takes about a day's worth of on-and-off labor to make one big batch. The process is much like that of any yeast bread, with a few extra complications: the batter is mixed, then left to rise and stirred down several times over the course of a few hours, adding butter halfway through. Afterwards even more flour is added to get the dough to its final bulk, followed by a few more cycles of kneading and rising. Some lemon juice, cardamom, vanilla, and almond extract are added for flavor.



The best part, of course, is adding your choice of candied fruits. Half of D4SA (Giselle) doesn't take too kindly to raisins, so we left them out, but traditionally they provide the bulk of the added fruit. We decided to stick with these guys:


Candied clementines, purchased from the Italian market


Green candied citron


Closeup of candied cherries

After some final cycles of kneading and resting, the dough is rolled out, braided into loaves, brushed with beaten egg and sprinkled with slivered almonds, and finally baked. When it comes out warm and shiny the final touch is a sprinkling of powdered sugar.



One day of kitchen craziness is worth it for this much Chrismas cheer.

PSA: Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Chestnuts are a lovely seasonal item that shows up at least a couple times a year at farmer's markets around here. They're dissimilar to other nuts due to their much higher sugar content and their soft, chalky texture when cooked; because of their natural sweetness, they are equally at home as either dinner or dessert. You can use them in many different types of recipes - like the rice we made, or a creamed chestnut soup - or you can just eat them out of hand. But often the first step is roasting them, so in honor of the coming holiday season we thought we'd give you a little tutorial here.

While we hear that you CAN roast chestnuts on an open fire, we prefer to do it in a hot oven. First, preheat the oven to 425F. Then set each glossy chestnut on its flat side and gently score an "X" into the round side with a knife. It is easiest to do this with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion - just pressing down on these slippery little nuts with a normal blade can be tricky.



Set the chestnuts in a single layer on a foil-covered baking tray, scored side up. Drizzle some drops of water on the chestnuts with your fingers - the exact amount isn't critical, but it'll help to keep them moist.

Place the tray in the oven and let the chestnuts roast for ten minutes. Then remove the tray and flip all the nuts so that their scored side is down. Replace the tray in the oven and let it go another ten minutes.



When the chestnuts are done roasting, they'll look a bit like the above: some of the skins will begin peeling off on their own. The meat of the nuts will be soft and somewhat flaky.

Now is the fussy part - peeling the chestnuts. Grab the skin of each chestnut at the "X" where it has already begun to peel and tug it off the meat. Sometimes the skins will fall right off, and some will need some assistance. So far we haven't found any reliable predictor of which it will be...



But when you're done, you'll have a bowl full of warm, golden, aromatic roasted chestnuts to enjoy!

PSA: Applesauce and Apple Butter

Hello, faithful readers! Today we have a tutorial on how to make two fall favorites, applesauce and apple butter. The great thing about both of these products is that they can be frozen. You can make one big batch of applesauce in the fall when apples are cheap, and then divide it into plastic containers and freeze; it will last all winter. They can be defrosted overnight in the fridge.

To make applesauce, start by peeling and coring the apples. The exact amount doesn't really matter - you can make as much as your pot will fit.



Then cut the apples into slices, and dump them into a large pot (one with a thick bottom will work better). You can add as many apple slices as will fit in the pot. Add enough water so that it covers the bottom; you only want it to be about an inch deep, regardless of how many apple slices you have in there. The apples don't need to be submerged.



Cover with a lid and put over high heat until the water comes to a boil. Then lower the heat to let it simmer. Pretty soon the apples will start to break down - you can help them along by occasionally stirring or mashing a little with a wooden spoon:



Once they are looking fairly broken down, add some spices. We usually use cinnamon, allspice, ginger powder, and a little nutmeg. Some people like to use ground cloves, as well. Stir in the spices and watch the apples turn a nice golden color:



Keep stirring occasionally and cooking the sauce over low heat with the lid on. It's not too hard to tell when it's done because at that point it looks like applesauce!



That's right, there is no pureeing or anything else complicated involved - the apples do it all themselves. Thanks, guys.

At this point you can stop and either serve the applesauce or allow it to cool before putting it into tupperware and freezing. But if you are feeling adventurous and have a lot of time on your hands, you can continue onward in pursuit of apple butter...

Apple butter, for anyone who's not aware, is a delicious form of preserves. It's sweet and spreadable, and usually is sold by the Amish. Just like jam it is suitable for preserving in jars if you go through the proper sterilization process and use plenty of sugar - but if you want to do it the easy way, just eat it within a week or two, or freeze it for later use.

To continue on to apple butter, turn the heat on your stove down to as low as possible. (If you have a small burner, use that one.) Re-cover and keep cooking for a long time - it may take a few hours total. As the apple butter cooks the color will darken - that is the sugar caramelizing:



I'm not going to lie to you, faithful readers - apple butter is laborious, because you have to stir increasingly frequently as it gets closer to being done. The apple butter will thicken and will stick to the bottom of the pan, so you have to stir every few minutes and be sure to scrape the bottom repeatedly. This is a good task to do if you have something else going on and you can run back and forth between them. (Luckily, nowhere in our apartment is further than fifteen feet from the stove...)

You can tell when the apple butter is nearly done because it will greatly reduce in volume, and it will start to stiffen. When you scrape it off the bottom, it will keep its shape, like so:



When it is fairly dark in color and has a spreadable consistency (like soft butter) you can call it done.



Enjoy on a piece of toast or - yum - fresh cornbread.

PSA: Poaching tutorial

We make eggs all kinds of ways: hard and soft-boiled, scrambled, fried, in omelettes, in quiches, and even shirred. However, our first and last attempt at poaching an egg (maybe four years ago?) ended with a vinegary egg-drop soup. Today's guest chef, Mikell, gave us a primer on how to do it right, so we thought we would share it with our faithful readers. Thank you Mikell!!

First, start with fresh eggs - preferably from a farmer's market, since supermarket eggs are often weeks or even months old. It's hard to keep the white intact while poaching if you use older eggs, because their consistency is different.

Next, you need a fairly wide and shallow pan. Fill it with water and a splash of white vinegar, and then bring almost to a boil. You want it at the point where small bubbles are forming on the bottom of the pan, but the surface is not disturbed.

Crack the eggs just above the surface of the water so that they can slide in gently. With a large spoon, fold the whites over the yolk of the eggs as they start to cook. Some of the white will disperse anyway, but don't worry, that's inevitable:



Let the eggs cook about four minutes. At first they will be submerged, but as they cook they will start to rise to the top and float:



Remove with a slotted spoon so that the liquid can drain away:



Your egg has been poached! Hooray!

Storage tips

We had a request today for some tips on storage of farmers' market fruits and veggies (hi Mikell!). As our faithful readers may be aware by now, we generally buy our fruits and vegetables once a week, so storage over that timespan is a concern. We've picked up various strategies over time, though the easiest thing to do may be to pick up a copy of Elizabeth Schneider's "Vegetables: From Amaranth to Zucchini." Not only does it have beautiful food photography and great recipes for basically any vegetable you might encounter, no matter how weird, she also gives storage advice for each plant.

There are a few things to keep in mind about farmers' market produce. Everything you buy there will, undeniably, be much fresher than supermarket produce because it was probably just harvested the day before, and has not travelled 5,000 miles to reach you. On the other hand, many of the veggies that show up at greenmarkets are heirloom varietals. That generally means that they taste way better (and come in exciting colors) but have been bred for maximum flavor - not for how long they store or how well they hold up in shipping.

So the best way to approach storage is pretty much to learn what keeps and what doesn't through trial and error, and then plan meals accordingly. Some things will just always be best cooked the next day, whereas others can last a week or even months with no problem.

Sometimes we've been surprised by which veggies fall into which category. For instance, we have always had lots of trouble storing new potatoes, which seem like they should last a long time, but always turned green or went bad quickly. As it turns out, this is because potatoes for storage go through a curing process that hardens their skins and makes them last longer. New potatoes (ones freshly harvested in the current season) aren't meant to last very long. Eggplants are another example: their waxy skin might lead you to believe that they'd hold up well, but their flavor changes considerably within a few days, becoming bitter and flabby.

So here is our master list of produce storage advice:


THINGS STORED OUTSIDE OF FRIDGE

Potatoes:
Store in a brown paper bag, ideally in a cool, dry place out of the sunlight. New potatoes should be eaten within a few days, or at most a week; storage-type potatoes can last a long time - even months if they're at the right temperature. Don't leave any potatoes in plastic bags because it will make them sprout. DON'T STORE POTATOES NEAR ONIONS.

Tomatoes:
Don't put tomatoes into the fridge unless they're about to get too soft. We typically store them in a single layer on a tray.

Winter squashes:
These last weeks to months depending on the type. They can sit out decoratively. The one exception is if you buy a squash that has already been cut open - then it should be stored in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap.

Onions/Garlic:
Clearly these sit out. DON'T STORE ONIONS NEAR POTATOES. These two vegetables make each other go bad.

Non-berry fruits:
Apples, peaches and other stone fruits, pears, and other orchard fruits all should sit in a single layer on a tray outside of the fridge. As with tomatoes, if they start to go bad you can pop them in to preserve them - but it's best to eat them by then anyway.


THINGS STORED IN FRIDGE

A note for all of the below: everything lasts best if it is actually in a produce drawer, or "crisper." These control the humidity better, preventing things from drying out. They are also usually warmer than the very chilly top shelf of the fridge, which may freezer-burn any veggies you place there.

Leafy greens and herbs:
Greens range from very tricky to store to surprisingly hardy. Delicate greens like salad greens, arugula, beet greens, lamb's quarters and carrot-family herbs (parsley, cilantro, etc) should be wrapped in paper towels to wick away excess moisture, and then loosely enclosed in a plastic bag which has not been tied off. We often find it helps to pick through and remove any leaves that have gone bad before storing the rest.
Medium-hardiness greens include kale, mustard greens and chard. These can benefit from being wrapped in paper towel, but we tend not to since we will use them within the week. If you want to store longer, consider the above method.
The super-hardy greens are "dinosaur" (Tuscan) kale, collard greens, and the like. In good conditions, these can last up to a few weeks in the fridge just in a plastic bag.
A note on herbs: thyme and other tough mint-family herbs will last in plastic wrap (they seem to eventually dessicate rather than going bad). Basil, however, stores notoriously badly. Definitely use the paper towel method, try to dry them of any moisture before storing, and be realistic - they'll turn black and go mushy within a few days.

Asparagus:
We pretty much try to cook these delicious veggies the day we buy them, or at latest the next day. Asparagus rapidly turns woody from the base up - apparently it's best eaten within hours of harvest! In the meantime, store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Root vegetables:
These include carrots, turnips, beets, parsnips, radishes, etc. All of these generally last quite well, up to a few weeks if in good condition to start. (Carrots last basically forever.) Cut off any greens they came with before storing, and then tie them in a plastic bag. Edible greens can be stored as above and used later, if they're in good shape.

Summer squash and cucumbers:
In our experience, summer squashes store better than you might expect, probably because the ones from the greenmarket are so fresh. We've had no trouble keeping them for a week in a plastic bag; two weeks might be pushing it. Heirloom cucumbers won't store as well as the giant waxed ones in the supermarket, so try to use them within a week or two.

Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower (brassica):
These store quite well in a plastic bag. So far we haven't ever had one go bad on us.

Shelling or string beans:
We've had no trouble storing these at least a week in a plastic bag, though we haven't really attempted anything more.

Green onions, garlic scapes and other green alliums:
These will keep quite a long time in the fridge in a plastic bag. If scallions start to get mushy, you can peel off the outer mushy layers and wrap in paper towel as you would for delicate greens.

Sweet peppers and chilies:
We've never had trouble keeping these for a week or two.

Corn:
It may look hardy, but corn should optimally be cooked within 24 hours of when you buy it. The sugars in it will turn to starch if it is stored for much longer, so its flavor is best right away.

Fruits - berries:
Cherries, blueberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, and other berries all should be stored in the fridge. They don't have to be in a produce drawer (they'd just get smushed) but keep them on a lower shelf. It's best to pick through and remove any bad or crushed berries before you store them. Another good approach, if you have the space, is to spread them in a single layer in a glass or plastic tray.


HONESTLY, WE JUST DON'T KNOW

Eggplant:
Supposedly, this can be stored briefly in a paper bag in a cool place, like potatoes. However, we've never attempted this, and anyway we try to eat it pretty quickly after purchase. Eggplant may appear to have held up well, but its bitterness increases with storage time. We generally keep it in the fridge in a plastic bag (definitely in a produce drawer) until we use it.

Brussels sprouts:
There are two main ways to store these guys: either leave on the stalk and place its base into a glass of water, and then use within a day or two; or take each sprout off the stalk and store in a tupperware lined with paper towels in the fridge for a few days. Either way, as with eggplant, it's really best to cook these as soon as possible.

Melons:
To tell you the truth, we're not entirely sure what the melon protocol should be. Once they are cut, they should definitely be stored in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap, but in their intact form we're not really sure where they belong. If you find out, let us know. (We've been keeping them in the fridge.)

Thursday: Spanish mackerel...plus leftovers

Broiled Spanish mackerel with leftover Tuscan kale and quinoa-millet-chickpea-squash salad (leftover from Monday's stuffed squash).

At this point, you may have noticed that we are not strictly vegetarians. We are what you might call "flexitarians," or maybe "pesca-flexitarians," or perhaps "flexitarian-locavores," or...well, why put a label on it?

Suffice it to say, we cook fish about once a week. This is supposedly quite good for you, if you can dodge the twin bullets of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), but it's a struggle to eat fish responsibly. Many fish species are overfished, or farmed in environmentally devastating ways. Mark Bittman recently wrote a great column in the Times on this very subject.

We're trying to be more responsible about what fish we purchase, even though our options at local stores are pretty limited. This week we went for Spanish Mackerel, which is sustainably caught, but moderately high in mercury. The two leading resources for fish consumers are probably the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch (which focuses on environmental impact and sustainability) and Environmental Defense's Seafood Selector (which also includes information about health effects). We're going to try to follow their recommendations going forward, even if that means eating a little less fish.