Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2021 i Cook's Country

AS A FORMER professional baker, I’ve made many cakes from scratch, but I understand the appeal of boxed cake mixes: They are reliable and convenient. For this tasting, I set out to find a chocolate version that yielded a cake with a flavor and texture close to those of a homemade cake. I bought nationally available mixes from eight brands, baked the cakes according to the packages’ directions, and tasted them plain with the help of a few chocolate-loving friends. Some of the products weren’t all that speedy to make. Four required hauling out either a stand mixer or a handheld mixer; the rest could be whisked by hand. All the mixes called for eggs, but two called for additional refrigerated ingredients: milk and butter. We preferred the mixes that…

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, AN Israeli-born, London-based chef and cookbook author of well-deserved fame, has been one of the great culinary influences over the past decade. It was in his book Jerusalem (2012) (coauthored with Sami Tamimi) that I first encountered the delightful combination of roasted butternut squash and red onion with lemon-tahini sauce, and that recipe is the inspiration and jumping-off point for this salad. To make this dish my own, I adapted Ottolenghi’s side dish into a substantial meal; I serve the roasted butternut squash and onion (seasoned simply with olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper) on a bed of baby arugula, which adds color contrast, freshness, and a peppery foil to the sweet roasted vegetables. Whisking mayonnaise into a mix of tahini, lemon juice, and water creates a flavorful…

AFTER TASTING THE award-winning New England clam chowder at the immensely popular Woodman’s of Essex (see “Life’s a Clam; Dig It”) and getting the rundown on their time-tested recipe, I wanted to see if we could bring an approximation of their version to home kitchens everywhere. At Woodman’s, which sits on the Essex River, the team uses local, freshly shucked clams, relying on the quality of those bivalves to set their chowder apart. Unlike other versions that are often thickened with flour and contain salty pork products, Woodman’s chowder is more austere. It is made simply with clams, potatoes, onion, butter, and light cream (and thoroughly seasoned with salt and a healthy dose of black pepper). Woodman’s chowder is lighter than most yet unbelievably delicious and satisfying, brimming with the…

STROGANOFF HAS UNCLEAR origins. Was it, as many food historians agree, a dish made for Count Pavel Stroganoff (or Stroganov)—a Russian noble on the court of Alexander I, a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, and a gourmet—by his French chef? Did it start as fricassee (a French dish consisting of fried meat in sauce), and did that chef adapt it for the Russian palate by adding sour cream? Or could it be attributed to famed Russian food writer Elena Molokhovets, whose simple recipe appeared in her book A Gift to Young Housewives in 1861? The questions remain unanswered, but the dish, from basic versions to more elaborate ones, endures. It hasn’t always been stellar, though—as some of you may remember from the school cafeteria line or a box…

FRESH ARTICHOKES ARE beautiful—they look almost sculptural—but they can be intimidating because they’re spiky and require a bit of trimming work before they’re ready to cook. Artichoke hearts, which are already prepped, are more convenient. While we’ve all seen jarred marinated artichoke hearts, there are more versatile artichoke hearts hiding in plain sight in the frozen foods section. Frozen artichoke hearts are unseasoned (so you can flavor them in myriad ways), trimmed (save, typically, for a few soft leaves), and tender. In other words, they’re perfect for frying! As culinary titan Marcella Hazan writes in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (1992), “Of the substantial achievements of Jewish cooks in Italy, none is more justly celebrated than the fried artichokes of Rome, whose crisp outer leaves, looking like those of a…

The Story of a Sweet Breakfast Treat The history of coffee cake is somewhat elusive, in part because adapting and simplifying coffee cake is not a new concept. In the 1940s and ’50s, a recipe for Merk’s Coffee Cake—a sour cream coffee cake filled and topped with a nutty streusel—was popularized in the Los Angeles Times. It seems that handwritten versions of this recipe were mainstays in many family recipe boxes. Later, in the mid-1950s, a simplified version of old-fashioned coffee cake was served in the cafeterias of the Los Angeles Unified School District. This recipe called for ingredients that were standard commodities in school kitchens: salad oil, buttermilk, and flour. Sour cream coffee cake, made with cake mix and dubbed “Sock It to Me Cake”—a pop culture reference to…

THE FAMED ROMAN pasta dish cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper” in Italian) is, at its heart, a showcase for Pecorino Romano cheese, a sharp, nutty, pleasantly funky sheep’s-milk cheese produced in the region. While the ingredient list is simple, this dish is bold, delicious, and comforting; what’s more, it’s relatively easy to make and comes together quickly. After weeks of recipe testing—and plenty of arm fatigue from all the cheese grating and pepper milling—we came up with a top-notch version that serves two hungry diners. Here’s how to make it. Start by cooking 8 ounces of spaghetti (the classic shape for the dish, although other long noodles will work, too) in 1½ quarts of boiling water until it’s al dente. It may seem fussy to measure the volume of…

1. CANNED WHOLE TOMATOES Canned whole tomatoes are versatile. You can dice, crush, or puree them for an infinite range of applications, including soups, stews, and sauces. Fancier isn’t necessarily better. In our last tasting, we actually found that we preferred sweeter, more acidic domestic tomatoes to imported San Marzano tomatoes. The best-tasting tomatoes also had thin walls and plenty of jelly—the flavorful material that surrounds the tomato seeds. Our favorites had bold acidity, a high sugar content, and a firm but tender bite. 2. CANNED DICED TOMATOES We love using canned diced tomatoes in pasta sauce, soups, stews, and chili—even in salsa when fresh tomatoes aren’t available. In our tasting, dice size didn’t matter. We liked diced tomatoes that kept their shape even when cooked. Our favorite products used…

LEMON AIOLI Serves 24 (Makes about 1½ cups) Total Time: 15 minutes Do not substitute olive oil for the vegetable oil; the aioli will turn out bitter. 1 large egg3 tablespoons lemon juice1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard1 garlic clove, minced¾ teaspoon table salt¼ teaspoon sugar Pinch cayenne pepper1½ cups vegetable oil2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Process egg, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, sugar, and cayenne in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. With processor running, slowly drizzle in vegetable oil until emulsified and mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and continue to process 5 seconds longer. Transfer to jar and stir in olive oil. Affix jar lid and refrigerate until ready to use. (Aioli can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)…

SMOKING A TURKEY for the holidays is a pro move. Why? Since you cook it outside, it’s one less dish that has to compete for precious oven space. Slowly smoking the turkey cooks it gently, helping the relatively lean meat stay moist and juicy. The smoke and seasonings add a lot of flavor to the mild bird. And barbecuing is an activity that brings people together as they are drawn to the sights, sounds, and smells of the grill. Someone who understands the beauty of a smoked turkey better than anyone is James Beard Award–winning pit master and restaurateur Rodney Scott. While Scott’s barbecue restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia, are famous for whole-hog barbecue, his new book, Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ (2021), includes a…

MASHED POTATOES MADE the traditional way need no improvements, but it doesn’t hurt to embellish them a little, especially when preparing a special-occasion meal. Transforming this classic starts with choosing the right potato. After reviewing dozens of our mashed potato recipes, I opted for Yukon Gold potatoes, which become creamy when gently simmered and mashed. Peeling the potatoes was a no-brainer when it came to achieving a smooth mash. To ensure that the potatoes were well seasoned, I added a tablespoon of salt to the cooking water. Mashed potato recipes can call for a variety of dairy products—half-and-half, heavy cream, milk, sour cream, or some combination thereof. Milk worked best here because it didn’t overpower the potatoes. Just ¾ cup of whole milk turned out to be the right amount…

TARTE TATIN Serves 6 to 8 Total Time: 2 hours, plus 2 hours 20 minutes chilling and cooling We like Gala or Golden Delicious apples here because they retain their shape and provide mild sweetness. If your apples are on the large side, you may have one or two pieces that won’t fit. Serve with vanilla ice cream. DOUGH 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour2 teaspoons sugar½ teaspoon table salt8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled¼ cup ice water FILLING 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided5 Gala or Golden Delicious apples (6 to 7 ounces each), peeled, quartered, and cored¼ teaspoon table salt¾ cup (5¼ ounces) sugar¼ cup water2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1. FOR THE DOUGH: Line large, flat plate with parchment paper.…

WOODMAN’S OF ESSEX is famous for fried seafood; steamed lobsters; and all things clam, from cakes to chowder. Situated on a piece of inland marsh on the North Shore of Massachusetts, the area offers up all the elements of an ideal coastal setting: rocky shorelines, tangerine sunsets, and sweet salt air. On any given weekend at Woodman’s, a line of customers waiting to place their orders—most of them still sandy from the beach—stretches 50 long out the door, and the hunger in the air is as palpable as the fog of fried seafood that hangs over the place. Inside, a view into the open kitchen reveals a crew of at least 20 seemingly high school–aged kids frantically working 10 deep-fryers and ladling out cupfuls of clam chowder for hungry customers.…

THE WORKWEEK IS over. You slept an extra hour and awoke craving a treat—something warm, buttery, and sweet. From somewhere deep in the back of your mind, the familiar smell of coffee cake washes over you (nostalgia has a powerful connection to our senses). But you didn’t plan ahead; can you still make and enjoy coffee cake in one lazy morning? With this recipe, yes! Unlike yeast-leavened breakfast pastries that require long rising times or those baked in special pans, this chemically leavened version of coffee cake comes together quickly and requires only two bowls, a few measuring spoons and measuring cups, and a square baking pan—it’s so easy that you could pass the recipe to the kids and get a little more sleep! Batter, Filling, Batter To prevent the…

THIS TIME OF year it seems that everyone is so caught up in planning for the holidays that weeknight dinners become an afterthought. One-pot stews topped with a pastry or bready topping are common dishes for many families and a great way to get a satisfying, multifaceted meal on the table with minimal fuss. From chicken and dumplings to pot pies to collards with cornmeal dumplings, this tradition creates comforting meals that are easy enough for weeknights yet warming and welcoming enough for Sunday suppers. In this recipe, we top a hearty, savory stew made with bacon, pork tenderloin, cabbage, and carrots with crisp, golden cheddar dumplings. Heady rosemary and piercing Dijon add depth and complexity to round out the dish. ONE-POT PORK AND CABBAGE STEW WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS Serves…

1 Holiday cooking often means lots of prep work—and kids want to help! Older children can help peel and chop vegetables, grate cheese, mash potatoes and squash, and whip cream for dessert. Younger kids can stem herbs, tear bread for stuffing, or put together plates of cheese and crackers. 2 Let kids choose a dessert just for them (and let them make it themselves)—giving them ownership instills a sense of pride in their final dish. Our ATK Kids recipe for Apple Crisp is a great place to start: AmericasTestKitchen.com/kids/recipes/apple-crisp. 3 Don’t designate a kids’ table! It’s so rare to have all your friends and family together at once around a single table, so let the kids fully participate and enjoy the special day (and use the good plates). 4 If…

The tradition of barbecued turkey is woven into American history. There is evidence that turkeys were roasted; stewed; and indeed, barbecued in the American Southeast, with archaeological finds dating back thousands of years. Dr. Heather Lapham, research archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, noted that turkey meat was dried over hot coals and dipped in bear or nut oil to make a portable meal. Fast-forward to the early 1900s, when Samuel Greenberg, a Jewish community leader, started smoking turkey in Tyler, Texas, to fill a need for kosher barbecue. The demand grew as smoked turkeys became “the rage of the moment,” according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1939. The Greenberg family started shipping turkeys around the country by packing the smoked birds in candy-store crates.…

BROCCOLINI IS A hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli. And it looks like a cross between the two, sporting the florets of standard broccoli but the long, thin stalks of Chinese broccoli. It is less bitter and, in turn, milder than standard broccoli, and without the thick stalks, broccolini requires less cooking and prep (no need to peel the tender stalks) than standard broccoli. It’s typically sold in bunches like asparagus, so it’s easy to hack off the woody ends in one fell swoop while the broccolini are still bunched together. While it can be cooked whole, broccolini is easier to manage and eat when cut into bite-size pieces. So for this quick skillet-roasted broccolini side dish, I opted to cut the broccolini into 1½-inch pieces. Steaming these pieces first…

PEPERONATA IS A quiet hero of Italian cuisine. Sweet bell peppers, stewed in extra-virgin olive oil until meltingly soft, play the starring role, with onion, garlic, and tomato as supporting players. The mixture is served at room temperature as part of an antipasto platter or warm as a condiment for different meats. It is equally fantastic on salads, with eggs, spread on slices of crusty bread, or layered into sandwiches. We wanted to pair this mild, sweet vegetable mélange with rich, quick-cooking skinless salmon fillets for an easy weeknight supper. To make the peperonata, slice up two bell peppers and an onion, crush six garlic cloves, and add them all to a skillet with lots of olive oil plus some salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers and…

RICE AND PEAS is so foundational in Jamaican cooking that it has been called the nation’s “coat of arms.” Brought to Jamaica by enslaved West Africans who were skilled at growing and cooking rice and beans, the dish was traditionally made on Sundays, the only day free from plantation labor. Now, rice and peas is made any day in Jamaican homes and restaurants. The dish features fluffy white rice and creamy red kidney beans (Jamaicans call them peas) enriched with coconut milk and seasoned with scallions, garlic, a Scotch bonnet chile, thyme, and pimento (allspice). It’s a wonderfully simple one-pot recipe; the rice is cooked with the beans. The rich, earthy, sweet-savory bean-infused broth, with its mild yet fruity heat, flavors the whole dish, making it supremely satisfying. JAMAICAN RICE…

THE LEAVENING Coffee cake evolved from lightly sweetened yeasted breads to what we know it as in the United States today: a crumbly, cake-like treat with layers of streusel. For timing and ease, this coffee cake (like most) uses the chemical leavening power of baking powder and baking soda along with eggs to lift the dense batter. This means no waiting for the dough to rise. PANTRY FRIENDLY Many recipes use buttermilk or sour cream in the batter for moisture and structure. This recipe calls for more-standard ingredients that most of us keep on hand: milk, eggs, butter (melted, for ease of mixing), and all-purpose flour. LAYERING THE BATTER Measuring the batter for the bottom layer of the coffee cake is essential in keeping the filling from sinking to the…

THIS TOMATO SOUP fits the bill when you want something wholesome to eat: It’s simple, comforting, and nourishing. And unlike some tomato soup recipes that call for sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of tomatoes, this hearty version relies on a harmonious mix of vegetables for its sweet notes. First, make a flavorful base by sautéing carrot, onion, fennel, and garlic until the vegetables are slightly softened and beginning to brown, and then add the mixture to the slow cooker. Next, stir in drained cannellini beans; chicken (or vegetable) broth; canned crushed tomatoes; and a sprinkle of slightly minty, floral dried thyme. Note that the canned beans are drained but not rinsed. The starchy liquid clinging to the beans helps give the soup body. Cooking the soup on the high…

While the exact location is unclear, tomatoes likely originated in the coastal highlands of western South America. The Aztecs were among the first to cultivate the plant. The word “tomato” comes from the Nahuatl word “xitomatl.” Tomatoes were brought to the United States in the 18th century via European settlers and enslaved people. The tomato was initially slow to take off with Americans—until the 19th century, some believed it was poisonous! The earliest known American recipes for tomatoes include scalloped baked tomatoes, soup, and even marmalade. In the 19th century, advances in commercial processing made canned tomatoes available to Americans year-round, boosting their popularity. Today, tomatoes are America’s secondfavorite produce, with the average American consuming almost 21 pounds each year.…