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Rockland Magazine Article November 2006
This article arrived today November 8, 2006. It is featured both in Rockland Magazine and Westchester Magazine; they are published by the Journal News. The story includes several other Personal Chefs. There is an error; the Aga heater. Please read this as Aga cooker. Otherwise, it was great fun cooking for this new journalist in his mother's home kitchen on an electric cooktop. My pan kept sliding around on the glass top causing a bit of hilarity. Mom came home and was quite gracious about this invasion of her kitchen. I understand that the entire family enjoyed the meals. The rice mentioned in the article was Jasmine Coconut Rice made with fresh coconut and coconut milk.

I've got to get ready now for a 10-person dinner party for tomorrow night. Salmon with a Potato Crust on a bed of Leeks in Champagne Vinaigrette is the main dish. Plus, by special request, Apple Pie cooked on the AGA topped with some Dulce de Leche. PS

TOMATO CHUTNEY

Phyllis Segura copyright 2006

4-5 pounds of ripe summer tomatoes, heirloom variety preferred, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
Mexican cinnamon
Cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, yellow mustard seed, whole cardamom, ginger,
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
small leek, chopped
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup Moscovado sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
golden raisins
red chili peppers
tamarind concentrate
lemon juice
sea salt
black pepper
grapeseed or canola oil or ghee

Grind the spices and sauté them in oil or ghee, add the leek, garlic, grated ginger. Add the tomatoes, hen add the sugars and vinegar and a pinch of paprika. Simmer slowly until thick. Stir occasionally. Add the raisins, a couple of red pepper pods, pinch of curry powder, some whole mustard seeds, a chunk of ginger, some chopped sundried tomatoes, a curry leaf or two, and some bay leaves. Salt and Pepper.

In the Aga, bring the ingredients to a boil over the Boiling Plate then place, uncovered in the Simmering oven.

Add a teaspoon of tamarind concentrate and cook down until thick. Mash the tomatoes as you go. Taste. Correct the seasoning.

It isn’t ready until most of the tomatoes and other ingredients have dissolved in the sauce. It should be a little bit chunky. The mixture should be quite thick. Let cool and put into clean jars, add a little lemon juice, then refrigerate. It’s ready after about a day or two. You can eat it right away but it is really better after resting for that amount of time.

JASMINE RICE PILAF WITH PISTACHIOS, DRIED CRANBERRIES,
AND CARAMELIZED RED ONIONS

Phyllis Segura copyright 2006

Jasmine Rice
Fresh Turmeric, grated – about the length of half your pinky finger
Shelled Pistachio nuts,toasted
Dried Cranberries
Sea salt
Water

5 or 6 Red Onions
vegetable oil or olive oil
sugar


Thin slice the onions and saute slowly in a small quantity of the oil. Sprinkle with a little sugar and salt and continue to cook until slightly browned and caramelized. Put aside.

Measure the rice. Use the recommended quantity of rice to water; probably 2 to 1.

Grate the fresh turmeric and add to the rice and water with a pinch or two of sea salt.

Bring to a boil on the boiling plate. Then put into the Simmering oven for about 20 minutes. Take out and stir in the pistachios and dried cranberries. Put back in the oven to steam for another 5-10 minutes. Take out and put into a serving dish. Toss in the caramelized onions with some additional salt, if needed, or put them on top of the dish.

CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH MAPLE-RUM GLAZE

Phyllis Segura copyright 2006

Mix together Maple syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Dark Rum, Soy Sauce, freshly grated ginger and freshly chopped garlic. Boil together until slightly thickened.

Bake chicken at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then pour the glaze over and bake about another 20 minutes or until glaze is browned and golden. Turn over a few times to brown on all sides. Be careful to not let it burn.

Garnish with chopped green onions.

AUTUMN CAPONATA

Phyllis Segura copyright 2006


2 onion
3⁄4 cup olive oil
1 can tomato puree
1⁄2 cup dry red wine
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 butternut squash
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 head celery
1⁄2 pound pitted green olives
1-1-1/2 oz. capers
1⁄2 cup parsley, chopped
1⁄4-1/2 cup pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Saute sliced and quartered onion in olive oil. Add puree, wine, sugar. Simmer 30 minutes. (For the Aga: saute on the simmering plate then put into the baking oven.)

Peel, seed and dice the squash. Stir vinegar into the tomato sauce. Add the squash. Season.

Cut celery and remove the strings. (Peel like peeling a carrot.) Cut into a large dice. Blanch in boiling water then drain and dip into ice water and add to the mixture.

(For the Aga: put back into the baking oven for about 1⁄2 hour or the simmering oven for about an hour or until the squash is soft.)

Chop olives. Add capers, parsley, olives, pine nuts for final five minutes. (For the Aga: put into the Simmering oven for 5 minutes to 1 hour.)

Let cool. Better the next day. Serve with additional salt and pepper and a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Good as a starter or side dish.

STUFFED BABY PEPPERS

adapted from AGA magazine, Spring 2006

8 red, yellow or orange Baby Peppers
2 large potatoes, boiled and mashed
3 oz. provolone cheese, cut into very small cubes
4T freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
1 egg
3T chives, finely cut
(2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, optional)
olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Remove the stalks from the peppers and reserve. With a small, sharp knife, remove the white membrane and seeds from inside the peppers taking care not to tear the flesh.

Mix together the mashed potatoes, provolone, Parmigiano, egg, chives, the garlic, if you are using it, and some salt and pepper.

Using a small teaspoon, fill the peppers three-quarters full with the mixture; the stuffing will puff up and if too full will ooze out the top. Put the stalks back in place on top. Pack the peppers tightly into an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 30minutes, until tender.

On the Aga: Cook on the grid shelf set on the floor of the Roasting oven. If they start to brown too quickly, slide in the cold plain shelf on the second runners down.

Serve hot or cold.

Use a decorative pan to cook the peppers so that you can also serve them in it.

*HALIBUT BATHED IN A POMEGRANATE BUTTER SAUCE*****

Phyllis Segura copyright 2006

I created this dish for an event for a group from the New York Women's Culinary Alliance. It is one of those unusual but magical combinations. It sounds heavy but the chemistry is: if you poach fish covered in a fat it doesn't penetrate the fish. I don't know why or how this works but this fish is not greasy. The lightness and the taste is unusual.

Fresh Halibut fillets, cut into serving sized pieces, no skin
Clarified Butter, from 2 pounds of unsalted butter, or Ghee
8 oz.or more of small capers
1-3 T Asian Fish Sauce ( Nam pla)
Pomegranate Molasses
2 whole pomegranates, seeds only


Boil the clarified butter and add the capers and the fish sauce, to taste. Be careful not to brown the butter but to have it boiling.

Place the halibut pieces in a pan to fit. Place the pan on the top runners in the Roasting oven for about 2 minutes or until the fish begins to turn opaque.

Take out the fish and pour the butter over it to cover the fish completely.

Roast another 5 minutes or so and take out. Remove the fish and capers to a warm platter with a fish spatula. Leave the butter in the pan.

Drizzle with Pomegranate Molasses. Toss the pomegranates seeds over decoratively.

Eat immediately.

(It might be possible to save the butter in a container in the freezer for future use in the same dish. But this has not been tested.)