Fresh, Fast Bread, Lemon Curd & Artichokes

It was a big cooking day yesterday. I spent almost the whole afternoon in the kitchen, including a jaunt to the grocery store.

Sunday afternoons I usually have more freedom and leisure time than any other day of the week, so that’s when I like to do my “fun” cooking. Recently, my husband discovered lime curd at the farmers market, which he has been eating on his morning toast. I figured I could make him some — lemon curd, actually. Since it’s nothing more than a very thick custard, it was very easy to make, although it did require a lot of stirring. The end result was delicious, though, and will keep for about a week in the fridge. It works as a spread for toast and muffins, a pie filling, perhaps a base for ice cream? Hmmm.

I also made another Mark Bittman bread recipe, this time for fastest yeast bread, which rises and is ready to bake in just an hour or so. I actually let it rise the whole afternoon, which I’m sure improved the end result. The bread was a big hit at dinner. Unlike my previous loaves, this one is fine-crumbed and soft; it would be a good bread for toasting or sandwiches.

Finally, yesterday I experimented for the first — and quite possibly the last — time with whole artichokes. Let me say up front that artichokes are not one of my favorite ingredients, even pickled and in a jar. But with all the work that was required of stripping the leaves, cutting out the tough parts (of which I missed many) and getting out that ridiculous choke, I just didn’t believe the effort would be worth it. For me, it wasn’t, and I probably won’t be making artichokes again.

Dinner was poached chicken with the homemade bread and spring vegetables including the artichokes, spring onions and spinach. The chicken, which was poached with the vegetables, was light, moist and very flavorful.

Lemon-infused Potatoes

I tried a new way of cooking potatoes last night. I simmered them in less water than I would normally use, plus some flavoring and fat to infuse flavor into the potatoes. I used lemon juice, olive oil and herbs. The potatoes simmer until tender, and then the liquid is boiled away so that they remain a bit moist and saucy. The results were light and flavorful. I served the potatoes with some eggs scrambled with smoked salmon and scallions for a “breakfast for dinner” meal.

Lemon-infused Potatoes

Yields: 2 servings
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 2 Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup water
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the ingredients into a large pot or skillet with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes. If necessary, add a little more water. When the potatoes are cooked, uncover, raise the heat and let any remaining liquid boil away.

Tortellini With Lemon & Herbs

Tortellini with fresh herbs, originally uploaded by shannon_turlington.

Last week I posted a wintry pasta dish, so this week I am countering with a pasta that is all about summer. This sauce is light and tangy, perfect for a hot summer night, especially if you can use herbs right out of your own garden. It pairs best with fresh pasta, I think. I used cheese tortellini to make a more filling main dish, but it would also work well with fresh fettuccine as a side.

I paired the pasta with steamed asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan and a little olive oil. (Just run it under the broiler until the Parmesan melts.)

Pasta with Lemon and Herbs

Time to make: ~10 minutes
Yields: 2 servings (double or triple as desired)

What you need:

• 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• the zest and juice of 1 small lemon
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• ¼ cup fresh herbs, minced (good choices are basil, parsley and oregano)
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• grated Parmesan to taste
• 8 oz. tortellini or other fresh pasta

1. Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium.
3. Add the garlic and saute just until golden, then remove from the heat.
4. Combine the garlic and oil with the lemon juice, zest, butter and herbs in a large bowl.
5. Toss with the cooked, drained pasta until the butter is melted and the pasta is well coated.
6. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and Parmesan as desired.

Note: Reserve some of the pasta cooking water and mix in a tablespoon or two if the sauce needs a little liquid.

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Once Upon a Feast.

Some Notes About Seasoning

When a recipe directs you to “season,” right off you should read it as: “add salt and pepper to taste.” Unless the recipe is already very salty or very hot from other ingredients, these are absolute essentials. But here is what the cookbooks won’t tell you: The rest is up to you. The seasonings you pick should depend on the ingredients you are working with, the flavor theme you are going for and your personal tastes. Forget what the recipe says!

There are only a few basic ground rules you need to know about seasonings. The first is that the seasoning should be entirely to your taste. What’s overly spicy hot for you may taste on the mild side to me. That’s another reason why you can’t trust cookbook recipes, which I think often err on the side of blandness, and you have to taste, taste, taste while you’re cooking. I usually like to taste and add seasoning at each major step in the recipe.

You should also know that cookbook recipes often make seasonings more complex and mysterious and time-consuming than they really have to be. Do you really have time to be grinding whole spices in a mortar and pestle, or mixing together 1/8 tsp. of 18 different kinds of powders? That’s not cooking, that’s witchcraft.

One of my favorite time-saving secrets is to use seasoning mixes and dried herb mixes. That way, I don’t have to painstakingly measure out all those different kinds of herbs and spices; I just throw in the equivalent amount of seasoning mix. It’s not cheating — it’s smart. I get my spice and herb mixes from Penzey’s, where the quality is really good and there are a lot of varieties to choose from. I like to have several on hand at one time, so I can make my meal taste Spanish, Southwestern, Indian or Thai — whatever I’m in the mood for that night. The mixes also make great rubs for meats, flavor spikes for vinaigrettes and marinades, and bases for salad dressings and dips.

Still, there are a few seasonings you’re going to want to have on hand at all times. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Fats: butter, olive oil, peanut oil and vegetable oil

We’re all so fat conscious these days, but fats are an absolute necessity for bringing out the essential flavors in foods. Each recipe will start with some fat. To maintain that essential balance between good health and good taste, I figure on ½ tbsp. or less of fat per person per dish, less if I’m using nonstick and cooking over a high heat (as in stir-frying). Also, avoid trans-fats; there’s nothing wrong with good, old-fashioned butter.

• Aromatics: onions (including shallots, scallions, leeks and all the various colors), garlic, bell pepper, chiles, carrots, celery, mushrooms, ginger

Pretty much every cooked recipe is going to start with sauteing some aromatics in some fat. They’re called aromatics for a reason: they add aroma to a dish. They are the building blocks of flavor. You can’t go wrong with onion and garlic, no matter what you’re cooking. Your mileage may vary but generally, you’ll want to figure on ¼ of a small onion, ½ shallot or 1 clove garlic per person. Beyond that, you can vary the aromatics to vary the style of the dish. Keep some of each in your fridge and throw in what seems right to you. As as general guide, use ½ pepper, ¼ carrot or celery stick, ½ tbsp. ginger and/or ¼ lb. mushrooms, all minced, per person.

Chef’s tip: Dried chiles and mushrooms keep forever and are always on hand for enhancing dishes. To rehydrate, just soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes. The soaking liquid makes a terrific flavor enhancer, as well.

• Seasoning and dried herb mixes: start with 1 tsp. per person and add to taste
• Fresh herbs: mince and throw in 1 tbsp. per person at the end of cooking (otherwise, they’ll lose their flavor)
• Lemon and limes: Use 1 tbsp. (½ fruit) juice and 1 tsp. zest per person; also best added at the end of cooking
• Vinegars: Have a full selection on hand, including balsamic, red wine, white wine and sherry; these are stronger than citrus juices so start with 1 tsp. per person
• Mustard: use 1 tsp. per person and buy lots of flavors
• Soy sauce, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce: All essentials; generally use around ½ tbsp. or less per person
• Flavored oils (such as chile oil, sesame oil, etc.): use 1 tsp. per person
• Prepared sauces (such as barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, black bean sauce, mayonnaise and horseradish): Use 1 tbsp. or less per person
• Spice pastes (such as anchovy paste, chile paste, curry paste and sun-dried tomato paste): These are great timesavers; figure on 1 tsp. per person
• Hot sauces: 1-2 dashes per person is usually sufficient, but again, tastes vary widely — pass more at the table