ARTICHOKES

I recently purchased a case of 30 artichokes. Why? Because I could. First I went to a couple of supermarkets to buy maybe two artichokes...none there. So I went to the restaurant supply depot to check and they had an entire case for a very good price. What to do? I bought the case. And now I have to start cooking them. It's your lucky moment because I am going to go through the cleaning and preparation of artichokes in numerous ways. I'm taking photographs as I go. Ready? This is the simplest technique for preparing an artichoke that I know and you can do it quite quickly.

Here we have the 30 beautiful
Globe artichokes.
Are you ready for the Artichoke Journey?

This is the box.
I recommend going to the website
www.oceanmist.com
for some interesting videos about artichokes.
It says "from the artichoke capitol of the world - 
Castroville, CA. I drove through there once and they
have a huge banner over the road that says that.

Let's take them one at a time. Look at this beauty!

First wash the artichoke and scrub it to remove the
 bitter coating.Then cut the artichoke in half 
using a serrated knife.

See all that fuzzy and purple growth in the center?
That is the choke. You want to remove it 
as it is inedible.

Use a serrated or grapefruit spoon to remove the choke.
If you use this tool it will be easy. 
Then rinse the choke.

Pull off some of the lower small leaves and trim off
the dark outer skin. Also trim the stem
 as it is an extension of the heart.

Put the cleaned artichokes in a pot with water and 
some flavorings. I used some salt, garlic, 
a few bay leaves, and half a lemon.
 Squeeze some lemon juice into the water.

Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil then
 lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Cook about 25 minutes
or until a leaf can be pulled away very easily.

That is lesson one. It is the simplest and the easiest way I know to cook an artichoke. When they are done remove them to a bowl and let them cool. Sprinkle with some olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and salt and pepper and whatever else you might want to add. Swish them around to get all the sides covered with the flavors. If you add enough you can let the artichokes marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Otherwise, you can eat them at room temperature.

Here is what the finished, cooked artichokes look like:

The artichokes cooling.

This is all the debris from cleaning the 4 artichokes.
Makes great compost.

NEXT WILL BE STUFFED ARTICHOKES.

The cleaned and trimmed artichoke.

Put the artichoke in a pot with some water, salt and lemon.
 Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer gently 
until you can insert afork into the heart. 
Some people like to cook the artichoke and
remove the choke after. You have to let it cool first
if you are going to do that. Either way is fine.
You will only cook the artichoke partially because 
you are going tocomplete the cooking after it is stuffed.
Cook it for about 10-15 minutes. You want it softened.

Chop some onion, garlic and saute in olive oil.
I think I had some garlic scapes that I added to this.
 Make the stuffing while the artichoke is cooking.
 For 2 artichokes use about 1/4 onion, unless you
really want more, and 1-2 garlic cloves.

Chop about 4-5 mushrooms. You can see here that I 
discarded the stems and peeled the mushrooms. 
I like to do that because I think you get a cleaner flavor 
and the stems and caps taste differently.
The caps have a fuller flavor.

 Chop the mushrooms finely. And add to the pan.
Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. 
Add some more oliveoil if it looks dry. 
I also chopped up about 6 pitted oil-cured
black olives, 1/2 roasted red pepper, 
1 tablespoon parsley, 
1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary, 
1 teaspoon fresh thyme. 
Stir all that together then add some 
breadcrumbs a little at a time while stirring. 
I might have added about 1 cup.
If the mixture looks dry moisten with a bit of water or
vegetable broth. Be careful not to add too much 
because itwill get soupy. If you add too much liquid,
 just add some morebreadcrumbs. Taste the mixture.

 The stuffing with some lemon zest and capers added. 
Instead of the breadcrumbs you could use 
cooked grains like bulgar or barley or quinoa.

Carefully remove the choke if you haven't done so 
already. Fill the center with the stuffing and then 
separate the leaves and add stuffing between each leaf. 
This is a great job for someone who is compulsive. 
I poured some vegetable broth on the bottom
and added a drizzle of olive oil and a piece of lemon. 
Then I covered the pot and brought it to a boil, 
lowered the heat to a simmer and let the 
stuffed artichokes steam for about 25 minutes.

Here they are in the pot. You could also put them into a 
baking dish, cover the dish with foil and put them
 into a 350-375 F. degree oven to bake 
for about the same amount of time.

Serve it with a slice of lemon and a bit of the 
broth on the bottom.The leaves come off easily. 
Just put them in your mouth and pull.
Supply another plate or bowl for the leaves. 
Add a splash of areally good olive oil on top!

Keep scrolling - there's more:

Here is a little surprise for you! A picture of me.

See the dish of artichokes there? 
The next entry on this long post will be how to make:

ARTICHOKES A LA GRECQUE

 

Here is a lovely artichoke with the green leaves 
pulled off. Keep pulling until you get to the 
yellow part.

 

Slice off the top leaves to expose the choke.

 

Using a paring knife, and grapefruit spoon, 

remove the choke.

 

Get in there and get those fuzzy things out.

 

Turn the artichoke over and remove the dark green

 fibrous part and trim the stem.

 

 Drop into some water into which you have squeezed 

a lemon. Also add the squeezed out lemon.

 This helps to keep the artichoke from turning brown.

 

Set up a large pot with water and add some 

pickling spices and herbs: shallots, garlic, coriander 

seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, 

dill, parsley, lots of lemon juice, olive oil 

(does not need to be extra-virgin).

 

There is everything in the pot.

 

 Well, almost everything. Bring it to a boil and simmer 

for about 10-15 minutes before you add the artichokes.

 

Now add the beautifully trimmed artichoke hearts. Yum.

Let them boil in the brining mixture until they are 

quite soft:10 minutes boiling, 15 minutes simmering. 

You might want to put something on the top to 

keep them submerged,or else keep turning 

them to cook evenly.

 

This is what they will look like when done.

Cook down the liquid by about a third and strain it.

 

Artichokes with some chopped parsley and dill.

 

The liquid after cooking down and straining.

Pour it over the artichokes. I like to refrigerate this 

for a while, then serve it room temperature.

 

Serve it like this, or

serve it like this with some parsley, dill, mint, the
 juices and some crusty bread. Drizzle some good
quality extra-virgin olive oil on top.


CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA 
This is the style of Roman Jews. It's a very popular
way of preparing Artichokes.   

Pull off the outer leaves and remove the upper leaves
 layer by layer. Cut the leaves off in layers.
Trim the bottom fiberous outer parts. I used a scissor 
but if you have a very sharp paring knife,
or a curved paring knife which is what Italians
use for artichokes, use that. You can also rub your
hands with a cut lemon so they don't turn brown.

 Remove the choke the usual way,
as explained above. Here I am using a grapefruit
spoon and a paring knife. It's often suggested to rub
the artichoke with lemon to avoid it turning 
brown, but we are going to fry the artichoke and they 
will turn brown so what's the point?

 Here is the artichoke with the choke removed, we hope.

 Soak the artichokes in water that has a whole lemon
squeezed into it and add the lemons. 
This process reallycleans the artichoke more. 
Soak them for about 10 minutes.

Turn the artichokes stem up and drain them well 
on a towel. Dry them all over. Then, holding the stems, 
beat the artichokes into each other. 
This will help to open the leaves.

Season the artichokes all over, inside and out,  with a 
mixtureof salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning in well...
this also dries them.

Heat the olive oil (or canola oil or a combination)
 to 300-350 F.  in a deep fryer or deep saucepan.

 Fry, submerged, for 10-15 minutes. They need to be fried
 long enoughfor the fibers to break down to make 
them edible. The first time I did this I didn't cook them long 
enough. Take them outof the oil, turn them over and 
let them cool. You could inserta fork in the heart (ouch!) 
to see if they are done. Pull some ofthe leaves apart. 
If you did not season them earlier, do so now.
Fry them again a couple of minutes upside down, 
push them down so that the leaves open. 
You can also sprinkle some water or white wine. 
Just be careful because the oil will splatter. Put some
water into a bowl and place a fist in the water, then quickly
open your fist over the frying artichokes. 
This helps them cook byadding some steam to the process. 
Let them cook long enough
so that they are quite crispy but not burnt.

 Take out the artichokes with a strainer or tongs. 
Let them drain.Repeat with the other artichokes. 
They taste like potato chips and
should be quite crunchy.

BEETS AND GREENS

beets with beet greens, carrots and walnuts

Gorgeous beets are now at Farmer's Markets and elsewhere. Always check the size of the beets and see if their greens are in good shape, not too browned or torn up. The only part you don't want are the stems so beets selling now for about $3 a bunch are really a good buy.

I'm forever trying to create new recipes that use greens. Steaming then sauteing them with a bit of olive oil, garlic and some chili peppers or raisins is always a good classical stand-by.

Here I first boiled the beets whole, then peeled off their skins and sliced them into chunks. This was going to be a quick meal. I had also purchased a bunch of rather skinny carrots in multiple colors: purple, cream and orange. They got sliced up. The beet greens got washed, pulled away from their stems then added to the saute. I didn't bother to steam them. Some garlic got sauteed and walnuts were added. Toss, toss, toss, stir, stir, stir until the greens wilted and the carrots cooked through but stayed crunchy. Some halved grape tomatoes were added. Herbs? Sure. Got some fresh thyme? or rosemary?  A douse of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a bit more water topped with a swirl or two of a good olive oil to serve as condiment and you have something that feels like your cells are filling up with deep satisfaction at every bite. 

I'm going to add a list of greens here in the coming days. Stay perched!

VEGETABLE MATZO BALL SOUP

 

Vegetable Broth and Matzo Ball Soup

For the broth:

2-3 carrots, washed

2-3 stalks celery, washed

1/2 celery root, cleaned, well trimmed

1-2 parsnips, washed

2 leeks with greens, well washed

1 turnips, trimmed

1 large onion with skin, cut in half

15 cherry tomatoes, whole

1/2 bunch parsley with stems

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 bay leaves

4-5 stalks dill

5-6 peppercorns

3-4 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

coarse salt

pinch sugar

juice of 1/4 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and cut up the ingredients into approximately 1-inch sections. Fill a 2-gallon pot with water to almost full, but leave enough room to add all the vegetables. Bring to a boil then simmer gently, covered, for 2-4 hours.

Strain the soup taking out the cooked vegetables. Use a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth or a moistened paper towel. Put back the strained soup into the washed out pot. Bring the soup to a boil, leave uncovered and reduce by about 2-3 inches or about 1 quart. This will intensify the flavors. Add salt, pinch of sugar, squeeze or two of lemon juice. Taste to correct seasonings. This will probably take more salt than you might think. Be careful not to make it too salty by adding the salt in small portions and continuously tasting. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the soup. You might have noticed that none was used and its addition adds a good amount of body to the soup. It's your choice though.

Additions - cut into a small dice about ¼-inch:

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 turnip

6 mushroom caps, peeled

1 zucchini

10-20 green beans, trimmed

Add the diced vegetables to the clear broth. Don't boil at this point. Let the heat from the broth cook the vegetables and in that way they remain crispy.

Meanwhile, make the matzo balls.

6 eggs, beaten

1-1/2 cups matzo meal

½ cup oil (olive, sunflower, canola or grapeseed)

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons seltzer

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

chopped dill, optional

Beat eggs, add salt,  fat and matzo meal.

Gradually add water and seltzer. Chill, well covered, at least 2 hours.

Wet your hands and make balls, either the size of golf balls or a bit larger. Or use an ice cream scoop to make the balls. After they cook they will increase in size.

Cook in a large pot an abundant amount of simmering salted water, covered, for 40 minutes without removing the lid.

Remove the matzo balls with a perforated spoon and add them to your soup. Let them cook in the soup gently to absorb the flavors. Add some chopped sprigs of dill. Taste again for seasoning.

New Dish

Moroccan Meatballs

Ready for a new dish? I've been using my new Tagine which is a clay cooker. These are some lamb meatballs sitting in a sauce with grated onion, saffron, cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, butter and lemon juice. Very delectable.

WHAT DOES A PERSONAL CHEF DO?

     After over a decade of being a Personal and Private Chef I see that clients still don't know what it is I do. Very generally, I pre-prepare meals for people in their homes. The meals are packaged, usually in reusable glass containers and labelled. They are stored in your refrigerator or freezer. Reheating instructions are offered when required. I bring my own tools and other necessary equipment.

     I also create small dinner parties for you and your guests in your home. These can be of any number of courses and are usually of a different level of cuisine than your daily foods. Usually, but not always. The big difference is the number of courses and that the food is beautifully plated and served. Often an assistant, server and dishwasher can be hired depending upon the number of dinner guests. I can usually do it on my own up to 4-6 people, again depending upon the menu. For dinner parties, gratuities are often offered but they are left up to the client and not included in the fee. Having a dinner party in your home can be a very special and memorable occasion. I simply do the cooking. You are hiring a chef. You supply the table arrangements, dinnerware and serving utensils, etc. This is different than a caterer who might bring all the food and heat it up or finish it in your kitchen and will bring all the dishes, glasses, etc. I don't do that.

     Often when I receive a call from someone who would like to hire a chef to cook for them I will go to their home and have a chat and make some assessment as to the client's needs. Often the client is not sure what their needs are except that they would like to have good, healthy food available to them. Sometimes there are health concerns.

     Though I am not a registered nutritionist I have a very strong base of knowledge about nutrition. I can also recommend a nutritionist. If someone needs a special diet because they have digestive and other issues they should definitely seek a nutritionist along with hiring a chef. Otherwise, I can only prepare the foods that my client requests, within reason. 

     Also, as part of the assessment I will give you a list of foods to determine your likes and dislikes and any food allergies, or foods you just don't want.  Often I have found that most people have a very small window of experience when it comes to the variety of vegetables and grains they consume. Sometimes I can introduce new vegetables and new food experiences. Then we review different menus to see what appeals to you or even if you have some recipes of dishes you know you like. As part of this post I show some pictorial recipes that are all meat based. I can also accommodate vegetarians and you can find many vegetarian recipes on this site altogether.

     People often feel that they do not have enough time to cook for themselves and either eat in restaurants all the time or order out from fast food places. While restaurant food is good it also can contain larger amounts of salts and sugars in order to make the food tasty enough for you to return. This is not necessarily a bad thing occasionally but not for an everyday diet.

     So first the foods are discussed, then the quantity. That is, how many meals for how many people. If you are one person you might want 2 servings of each meal for the week or for only 3 days and that would be 6 meals in all. If you are two people, you might want 2 meals for 5 days and that would be 10 meals in all. And so on.


     The minimum amount of each dish needs to be two because of the way our food markets are organized. Most foods, including vegetables, are packaged in quantities and have to be purchased that way. It is rare that one can buy one of anything except for onions or garlic or a potato. Food is sold in bunches and packages. Even a cabbage is more than enough for two servings. So 2 servings is the minimum amount that can be prepared for each dish.


     Then we discuss chef service fee. Price is determined several ways: whether it is part of a long-term program, by the hour, the number of meals being prepared,  and what is generally being paid in your area, and from an assessment of the fees other personal chefs. If you read about personal chefs you will most likely see that the chef fees begin at $35 an hour. The time is based upon: driving distance,  menu planning including grocery list, food shopping, food preparation and storage, clean-up. The cost of the groceries is a separate charge, however; you only pay what they cost and you get the receipts.  You don't even have to be home. Several of my clients over the years have been at work when I come to cook. I just do my job, clean up and leave.


Once this small variety of things are determined no more decisions really need to be made. We simply set the dates for my visits. Very often, once I am familiar with the foods you like I just go ahead and create the menus, come to your house with the groceries and set about cooking. At the end of the day your refrigerator is filled with delicious foods. 


Now, I'm going to give you a pictorial account of a recent cook date for a client I have been serving for over a year:


The menu: 
Apple-stuffed Pork Chops, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans
Roasted Salmon with Bok Choy, Cabbage and Shiitake Mushrooms
Chicken Hunter Style, Fingerling Potatoes, Steamed Swiss Chard & Zucchini
Vegetable Soup

 APPLE-STUFFED PORK CHOPS, SWEET POTATOES, GREEN BEANS

Apple, celery, onion sauteing. Raisins that are soaking
will also be added.

Make a large pocket in the pork chop. The pocket will be filled
with the stuffing.

The sauteed vegetables are cooled. Add breadcrumbs, an egg,
raisins, salt and pepper.

Season the chops with salt and pepper. Dust with flour or Wondra.

Saute and brown the stuffed chops. They have been sealed with
toothpicks. Then they are covered with aluminum foil and
placed in a 350 degree F. oven for about 45 minutes.

The chops have been removed from the oven and the temperature
 checked.Though about 160 degrees would be okay, and any more
than that you risk a dry pork chop, these have been heated a little
more. Since they were covered the moisture has been retained.
Also they will be served with sauce.

Add some water to the pan and stir. I also added some sliced
apples that you don't see here. Then I strained the sauce
to remove the parts you don't want.

 The dish placed in a glass container. Don't forget
to remove the toothpicks!

 The green beans are being prepared.

The sweet potatoes are being steamed. You can see the steam!

Here is a small dish with a serving of the beans and potatoes
and the stuffed pork chop. This will be covered and labelled,
then refrigerated for your dinner.

ROASTED SALMON WITH BOK CHOY, CABBAGE & SHIITAKES

This is adapted from a recipe by Rosanne Gold in a recent Bon Appetit article.

I found that I wanted to add a bit of sauce to this as well.

Wild Salmon without the skin.

The finished dish. Baby Bok Choy cut in half, shredded cabbage,

sliced shiitake mushroom caps, tossed with finely grated garlic and

 ginger. Place both on a sheet pan that has been pre-heated in a

 450 degree F. oven and roast briefly about 7-12 minutes.

Toss the vegetables half-way. 

 CHICKEN HUNTER STYLE
adapted from a recipe by Julia della Croce

Fine chop onion, garlic, capers, rosemary, sage, lemon with the peel. 
Slice green olives.

Saute cut-up chicken in olive oil until browned. Remove from pan

and place on a plate.

Saute the onion, garlic, capers, rosemary, sage, and lemon.

Add the sauteed chicken back in to the pan along with the olives.
Add about 1/2 cup of dry white wine and 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.
Toss, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

In another pan, place the stemmed Swiss Chard and sliced Zucchini
in a small amount of olive oil. Add a little bit of water and stir 
until the Chard is cooked through. Season with salt.

Check the Chicken's temperature. It should be 165 degrees. Add a bit 
of water if the liquid evaporated.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender.

Below are the dishes packed in glass containers ready
to be covered and labelled. A little garnish of parsley and sliced 
lemon adds a nice touch.

I hope this helps you to get the idea about what a 
Personal Chef actually does. Please send all your 
Comments and Questions to me. If you find this interesting 
click on the +1 to add to the Google list. Or, if you
are on facebook, 'like' this posting or any other.
That way people can find me more easily and often.
THANK YOU & BON APPETIT.