Gotham Gal

Quote of the day

Jessica, our driver, was driving us to the movies. 

Fred says to Emily, "What do you think of McCain's pick, Palin for VP?"

Emily says "I don't even know her".

Josh pipes in, "neither does John McCain".

Tomato Jam

Tis the season.  All my blogging is about cooking.  I am in the beach mode.  It is amazing how an entire day just goes by out here.  Not being here this summer has definitely screwed up my jam production.  Alas.  The strawberry jam we made in the city was a bit of a bust.  Hoping to catch the last gasps of blueberry season this weekend but we will see.  I made a tomato jam the other night which was so good that I opted to make a serious batch and then can it. 

This process took literally all day.  I used regular tomatoes but really you should use Italian tomatoes.  Less water.  But, here goes.

I made 19 jars. 

18 lbs of tomatoes - cored and chopped ( I took off the skin but not necessary )
12 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of fresh squeeze lime juice
12 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
12 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. cinnamon
12 tsp. kosher salt
4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and let hang out until thick.  Can it.

I got this from Mark Bittman who is always good.  Here is a smaller version which I made one night just to put on fish.  Hence the reason I made a huge amount the following week.

1 1/2 lbs. Italian tomatoes
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
 1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
(he used 1/8 tsp. of cloves which I ommitted b/c I didn't have them in my pantry)

Same as above.  Bring to boil and then simmer until thick.  Really delicious.  Good on meat, fish or even a baguette that has been smeared with some goat cheese. 

Lemon Cake

I love a good lemon cake probably more than any other kind of cake.  I have made this recipe before.  This was a total group effort.  I made the lemon curd, which you can see from the picture, didn't exactly get thick but it didn't seem to matter.  I have tried making curd a few times.  Obviously I have not been patient enough to let the egg yolks really thicken.  I think it takes more like 15 minutes vs 10.  There is always next time.  My sister and Jessica made the cake.

2 sticks unsalted butter - room temperature
3 cups sifted flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
grated zest of 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter 2 8 X 2 cake pans.  I only had 9" which is fine too.  Butter the pans and use parchment paper to cover the bottom.  It isn't necessary but I find it worth the effort.

In an electric mixer cream the butter until soft and fluffy.  About 3 minutes or more.  Really beat.  Slowly add in the sugar while beating the butter until totally incorporated about another 3 minutes.  Gradually add in the eggs, one at a time and beat until each is mixed in.  Sift the flour together with the baking soda and baking powder.  Add in the flour and buttermilk alternatively.  About 1/3 of each until completely mixed in.  Starting and ending with flour.  Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Pour into cake pans evenly.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until done.  Cool

Lemon Curd

12 large egg yolks
grated zest of 2 lemons
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter - cold and cut into pieces

Combine the egg yolks, zest, juice and sugar in a saucepan.  Cook over low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thick.  I'd do it about 15 minutes.  Make sure to constantly stir.  You don't want the eggs to cook but just get thick. 

Remove the pan from the heat.  Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon, until completely incorporated.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap on top of the mixture so there is no film on top.  Set in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Beat until whipped.  The sugar is key.

When the cakes are ready, take out.  The one that looks the best should be on top.  Cover the top of the bottom cake with lemon curd.  Place the second one on top and cover with curd and then whipped cream.  Put berries over that and serve.  I prefer blueberries. 

Pulled Pork

Pulled pork, like brisket and ribs, is beyond easy to make. 

I had a huge shoulder of pork, probably around 12 lbs.  At 8 in the morning, I rubbed the pork down with a combination of spices that I had in the pantry that  I used for ribs.  Made a huge batch and at 8 am in the morning it was a helluva lot easier to use what I had.  Here is the mixture:

4 T cumin
3T sugar
4 T kosher salt
1T pepper
3 T paprika

I covered the bottom of a huge baking pan (like the one I use for a turkey) and placed the pork shoulder on top.  Rubbed it down with the mixture.  Set is in the oven at 250.  I let this cook until about 330 pm.  The temperature should be around 170 - 190 internally when finished.  At 330 the pork was done so I turned down the oven to 140 and let it sit in there until dinner at 6pm.  I put the thermometer in and it literally slid through.

At 530, I took the pork out and Jessica cut and pulled the entire pork and put it in a big bowl.  Each time we'd throw a handful in, we'd toss a little bit of white vinegar over the top and toss.  Not a lot but just enough to give it a kick.

Served this with a bowl of barbecue sauce, cole slaw and some hamburger buns and we were good to go.

Needless to say, I had plenty left over!

Joe Biden

 We are a household of political junkies.  The saying of the weekend is "did you hear, Joe Biden is the VP pick".  We have been at it since Friday night.  You have to be here but it is pretty funny.

Personally, I have always been a fan of Joe Biden.  He has no problem speaking up and saying what people might be thinking.  He doesn't play politics too well but he has been in the political forum for years.  That says a lot. 

The Hilary supporters don't understand why not Hilary?  Playing the feminist card is not the issue.  The issue is Hilary ran a campaign that should have been run 8 years ago.  In essence, she ran a bad campaign.  She also couldn't keep her husband in check.  Bill was not an asset on her campaign trail.  If she could have shipped him off for the entire campaign proving that she is running the show then maybe the outcome would have been different.  This campaign was hers to lose. 

I also believe that is Hilary had lost the campaign to Obama while keeping Bill as the supportive spouse not the meddling spouse, she would have been the VP pick.  Who needs to be President with a past President whispering constantly into the VP's ear. 

Obama has run an incredible campaign.  He will probably start to pick up speed again starting tonight.  His campaign is methodical.  If you look at the beginning to now he has had crescendos and then went flat and then crescendo-ed again.  Almost like a well run business that sits back and evaluates from time to time while they are not gaining altitude. 

Picking Hilary would have been interference that he did not need.  The key is getting her to be supportive and give her a role that she can really sink her teeth into and make her a key player.  I'd love to see Obama announce this week that Hilary will be the head of something and part of his cabinet.  It will make her and her base happy and allow her the ability to shine. 

She needs to have that regardless of whether you like Hilary or not.  After all, this is politics. 

Blueberry Pie

My friend Jane was telling me about her blueberry pie and how it was the best.  I asked for the recipe and she said it came from a book that she thought was fantastic.  So, I just bought the book.  Great Pies and Tarts by Carole Water.  That is truly one of the best things about Amazon.com.  They have about everything.  It took me less than 30 seconds to find the book and click send.  I got the book in two days and have made the blueberry pie.

The book has recipes that can be quite detailed.  Different crusts for different pies, etc.  But, if you just want to cut and paste a recipe, do it.  It isn't essential to use the exact crust for a pie if you don't have the energy.

I made the classic pie crust that I always make but that was pretty much what was called for in the book.  I won't go into details on that because if you can make a pie crust, make it.  If not, buy one already made and nobody will ever know.  This particular pie has a crumble on top.

Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstach
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
3 pints blueberries
1 tbsp instant tapioca
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large skillet.  Stir in the water.  Add the blueberries and stir gently.  Bring to a slow boil over a low heat.  Stir gently so you don't pop the blueberries.  I admit, I forgot about the water and everything turned out okay.  Cook only about 5 minutes.  Better undercooked than overcooked because the blueberries bake again in the oven.  The key is making sure the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon are completely melted and mixed thoroughly with the blueberries.

There is a whole process of layering the blueberries and sprinkling with tapioca.  I have a pretty big skillet and opted to let them cool a little and do it in the same pan.  Less mess.  I moved about 2/3 of the blueberries to the side and sprinkled some tapioca on top.  Then moved some more blueberries on top and sprinkled some more and then did it again.  Mixed up the blueberries very gently and let the tapioca set on them for about 15 minutes to absorb. 

Pour this into the pie plate ( the bottom ) and dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice. I forgot that part but is probably worth it.  Don't put the juices in, just the blueberries.  So use a slotted spoon.

Crumble Top:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup melted butter and cooled to lukewarm

Combined the dry ingredients and then pour over the melted butter.  Using a fork, mix to make crumbs.  You can squeeze them together and then break them up over the pie.  Don't press the crumbs into the top, just sprinkle everywhere.

In order to prevent burning, pour tin foil underneath the edges to prevent from burning and also put foil over the top about 35 minutes into the baking process.  It will help the top not burn. 

Bake for about 50 minutes.   This recipe also called for a blueberry sauce but I didn't think it was necessary.  Vanilla ice cream did the trick.

There's Something About Barry

I love a good t-shirt.  I lived in them for years.  At this point, I really only wear them on the weekend and at the beach.  I buy Josh all the t-shirts I love so instead of wearing them, I can actually see them. 

My friend sent me a site called There's Something About Barry.  Great Obama t-shirts.  I bought one and plan on getting another. 

If Obama is your guy, this is a great shirt.  I love the logo.

Feta salad

Every once in a while I come up with a new salad that becomes the new favorite until the next one appears.  This appears to be the summer favorite right now.

2 cans of chick peas
3/4 lb of feta cheese ( I prefer French feta but any kind will do ) - chopped up
1 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in halve (a box of grape tomatoes is perfect)
A little under a pound of baby spinach
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Saute the spinach in a frying pan.  Use very little oil.  I used a non-stick pan and used a spray.  Cook until green.  Takes less than 1 minute.  Let cool and then either use your hands or put the spinach in a ball in a napkin and press all the water out.  Chop. 

Drain the chick peas and pour into a bowl.  Add the chopped feta.  Add the halved tomatoes.  Add the spinach.

Put the cumin and mustard in a small bowl.  Whisk in the vinegar.  Whisk in the oil to make the dressing.  I used all the dressing the second time but only half the first so pour and toss before dumping it all in.

Add the dressing to the salad, toss and season.  This stays in the refrigerator for a few days.  It is one of those things that everyone takes out, takes a few bites and puts back or adds to their lunch plate. 

Chorizo and tomato salsa

I love chorizo.  Spicy, textured and full of flavor.  This salsa has been made twice now in the past week.  Could be the end of summer appetizer. 

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. chorizo ( don't use fresh )
1 red onion chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
2 tsp. paprika
2 Bay leaves
2 ears of corn (cook anyway you want and then take off the kernels)
12 Italian tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (can be omitted)
1 tbsp sugar

In a large frying pan heat the oil.  Then add the chorizo, onion, celery, paprika and bay leaves.  Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes, corn (kernels) and tomato paste.  Bring to a high heat and cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until thick.  It is chunky but there is still some sauce.

Take off heat, add sugar and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.

Voila.  Serve with chips.  It can be served hot or luke warm.  I like it warm.

Couscous

When we were in London, we ate breakfast at Ottolenghi in Notting Hill.  Not only was the food delicious, the cookbook was a must have.  I finally made something.  Granted, some of the recipes have ingredients we might not have in the states or are just called something else, the combinations of ingredients are interesting and can easily be played around with. 

Ingredients:
16 large ripe plum tomatoes cut in halves lengthwise
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
9 tbsp. olive oil
2 vidalia onions thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
pinch of saffron strands
1 1/2 cups couscous
sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 300.  On a baking sheet, I used parchment on top of the baking sheet ( easier cleaning later ), then lay the tomatoes ( spread out ) skin side down.  Drizzle with the brown sugar, then 2 tbsp. olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  Honestly, I used more than was called for and it turned out fine.  I got a little heavy handed.

Bake in the oven until the tomatoes start to caramelize.  About 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, add 4 Tbsp. of olive oil and heat.  Saute the onions over medium heat until dark and golden.  Toss in some salt too for flavor.

In a separate pot, bring the chicken stock to boil with the saffron and a little bit of salt.  Place the couscous in a bowl, add 3 tbsp of olive oil, mix and then pour in the stock mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit about 10 minutes.  Again, I forgot about the olive oil and added it in after the couscous was done.

The tomatoes got very liquidy because I was so heavy handed.  About 1 and a half hours in, I poured the tomato juices into the sinnk, not all of it, so the tomatoes could dry up a bit and stuck it back in the oven for about another half an hour.

Once the couscous is done, use a fork to get rid of the lumps.   Mix in the onions. Set the tomatoes on top, to the side and pour the mixture over it.   Really flavorful and a nice side summer dish.