Untitled Document
Time flies when you’re chopping chives; this
year makes 10 since I received my blue-ribbon diploma from cooking school.
It was there that I learned, among many other things, how to bone a quail,
make a sauce, and cook eggs in more ways than I cared to know.
Ten years hence, I’ve not boned another quail,
and I’ve left my egg-coddling skills somewhere along the side of the
road with my boning knife.
As much as I appreciate my culinary education, I am
not the cook I am today because I know how to butcher 80 lobsters or the
difference between a beurre maniО and a roux (raw versus cooked). I am that cook because of the
boot-camp-like intensity of a commercial kitchen, which instilled a
do-or-die sense of purpose and confidence and forced me to acquire the
organizational and time-management skills of a CEO.
And I am that cook — simply put — because
of the tricks learned along the way, the things not found in textbooks but
passed on from those who have been around the chopping block a few more
times than I have.
Despite what the commercial says, tricks are not for
kids; they’re for cooks, and they’re indispensable to getting
things done in time, whether you’re cooking for 80 or for your brood
on a school night.
Tricks also make you feel smart and competent, which
inevitably makes your food great, wins you praise, and makes you hungry to
learn more. A bag of kitchen tricks is like a pot of . . . gold.
Take, for instance, peeling ginger. How the heck do
you peel that knobby, tough-skinned beast without losing a year of your
life — or the tip of your thumb? One word: teaspoon. Cut off the hunk
you need, and simply peel away with a spoon, which saves time, body parts,
and the root itself.
Chopping fresh basil without its turning black is another stumper. Pile those fragile leaves into a little pillow, roll them up into a cigar shape, then gently cut on the diagonal. This method, called chiffonade, yields still-green shreds rather than unsightly bruised leaves. And one for the road: Transform boring boiled potatoes into sublime spuds simply by salting the water and shaking them in a pot when done. The starch that’s released, combined with some butter or oil, yields a creamy sort of sauce and gives potatoes a new lease on life. I don’t know much about dogs, but it’s never too late to teach an old cook new tricks.
Culinary questions? Contact Kim O’Donnel at kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.
M.F.K. Fisher’s “Shook Potatoes”
Adapted from West Coast Cooking, by Greg Atkinson
2 pounds red or yellow thin-skinned potatoes (four to six medium potatoes; estimate two per person) 6 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons fat (unsalted butter cut into half-inch dice, or olive oil, or a combination thereof) 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, chives, or both Black pepper to taste Salt to taste
Scrub the potatoes and cut them in half, if necessary. Place in a heavy saucepan with water and salt. Cover the pot and cook on high heat until water is boiling; lower heat to a simmer. Cook potatoes until very fork-tender, about 20 minutes, and remove them from heat. Drain most of the water by tilting the pan over the sink. Leave a little cooking liquid in the pan (just enough to cover the bottom). Add butter/oil, chopped herbs, and salt and pepper. Shake pan vigorously to break up potatoes and combine them with the other ingredients. Serve hot. Makes two or three side-dish servings.
Chopping fresh basil without its turning black is another stumper. Pile those fragile leaves into a little pillow, roll them up into a cigar shape, then gently cut on the diagonal. This method, called chiffonade, yields still-green shreds rather than unsightly bruised leaves. And one for the road: Transform boring boiled potatoes into sublime spuds simply by salting the water and shaking them in a pot when done. The starch that’s released, combined with some butter or oil, yields a creamy sort of sauce and gives potatoes a new lease on life. I don’t know much about dogs, but it’s never too late to teach an old cook new tricks.
Culinary questions? Contact Kim O’Donnel at kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.
M.F.K. Fisher’s “Shook Potatoes”
Adapted from West Coast Cooking, by Greg Atkinson
2 pounds red or yellow thin-skinned potatoes (four to six medium potatoes; estimate two per person) 6 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons fat (unsalted butter cut into half-inch dice, or olive oil, or a combination thereof) 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, chives, or both Black pepper to taste Salt to taste
Scrub the potatoes and cut them in half, if necessary. Place in a heavy saucepan with water and salt. Cover the pot and cook on high heat until water is boiling; lower heat to a simmer. Cook potatoes until very fork-tender, about 20 minutes, and remove them from heat. Drain most of the water by tilting the pan over the sink. Leave a little cooking liquid in the pan (just enough to cover the bottom). Add butter/oil, chopped herbs, and salt and pepper. Shake pan vigorously to break up potatoes and combine them with the other ingredients. Serve hot. Makes two or three side-dish servings.
