Radio Kitchen

December 25, 2012   #1114   Soda Bread and Quick Bread

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our loyal listeners out there.   It's a great time to be cooking.   And let's say you get a phone call from friends who are throwing an impromptu party, and you want to whip up something really good, really fast to take along.   As it happens, we have just the thing!   They don't call it Quick Bread for nothin', and Jerry is a devotee of this rapid fire form of baking.

Quick breads, or soda breads, don't use yeast to expand the dough and create those little holes that dictate a bread's texture.   They use baking powder or baking soda to create bubbles of carbon dioxide in the dough to lighten the texture.   Since you don't need to wait for the yeast to work a couple times, you can throw the dough together, knead it, form it, and bake it.   Bang!

Here the basic soda bread recipe:

              Quick Soda Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flout
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tbs (1/2 stick) cold sweet butter, cut into dices
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375.  Prepare a non-stick baking sheet.

2.  Combine the flour, sugar, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Add butter dices and mix at low speed with an electric beater until all is well mixed.

3.  Mix the buttermilk and egg in a cup, and slowly add to the dough mixture, beating at low speed.

4.  Place the dough on a well-floured flat surface and knead it into a round loaf.  Place the loaf, slightly flattened on the baking sheet, and score with a sharp knife, carving an X into the top of the loaf.

5.  Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a sharp knife comes out clean.  If you rap on the loaf, it will sound hollow when it's done.

For variations on this recipe, you can add flavorings or creamed ingredients into the dough.  Mushed up bananas, pureed zucchini, or buttermilk are great variations, and all the nuts, dried and fresh cut up fruit you can think of work very well.

December 11, 2012   #1112   Exotic Poultry: Part 1

During the holiday season, we ordinarily try to do something a little special when it comes to our big dinners.   Ordinarily that means a turkey, or maybe a ham, or a spectacular effort with roast beef.   But there are a number of other choices out there that are, well, truly exotic and truly delicious.

We asked our colleagues at Friends and Farms for a little guidance.   They are very good at keeping track of locally produced food, and they told us about a nearby place called Eberly Poultry Farms who produce an amazing assortment of birds…and other items.

Here is a list of possibilities that you might want to consider:

~Cornish Game Hens:  small chickens ideal for two people to share, and great for creative stuffing.

~Muscovy Ducks Not from Moscow, or anywhere near it.   These ducks are much larger than the ordinary duck we see.   The males can be as much as 6 pounds, and even the 3 pound females have a lot of meat on them...and they have substantially less fat.

~Heritage Chickens are worthy of a show all their own.   Suffice it to say, the term "heritage breed chicken" has specific legal connotations that protect the consumer.   Examples include the celebrated New Hampshire, which gained fame as a superb broiler;  the White Jersey Giant, noted for its generous size; the legendary Buff Orpington, a tasty mainstay of your great grandfather's table; and the equally legendary Rhode Island Red, a heavy tasty bird with great lineage.

~Pekin Ducks, an exotic name suggestive of Chinese restaurants, the Pekin Duck is in fact the most commonly raised domestic duck, some estimates peg the Pekin as the source of 95% of all the duck eaten in this country.

~Geese are a Christmas tradition, and they are at their best if properly fattened.   Cooking geese is a little challenging:  you'll need to render all that goose fat (which they say is extremely useful in cooking) and cut it up to cook the leg quarters longer than the breasts.   Despite their apparent size, a goose is not a particularly meaty bird.   A 12 lb. goose will feed 4 people, and that's about all.

~Guinea Hens are among the most flavorful of all poultry.   Some people are briefly put off by their very dark meat, but once they taste it, they develop a craving for it.   Simply roasted, it is at its best, with all of its rich intense flavors coming to the fore.

~Pheasants are beautiful birds, and in old times, the coat of feathers was preserved to garb the roasted bird as it came to table.  Pheasants, particularly older birds, are notoriously dry, so you need a method of cooking that will keep them moist.   Bacon comes into play quite often, as do rich braising sauces, low oven temperatures, and frequent basting.

~Partridges, which are rather small, face many of the same challenges as pheasant.   But they do cook quickly, especially if they are cut up.   Devotees of partridge (or ruffled grouse as they are known) say it has a unique, delicate flavor reminiscent of lemon chicken.

~Squabs are actually a breed of domestic pigeons, raised for their meat.   The smallish squab doesn't have much meat, beyond the breast, but what there is, is tender, moist and rich, with very little gaminess.  

~Quail is a game bird par excellence.   The Eastern Shore was for generations a haven for quail, and hunters would go there to shoot on private farms.   The quail is a small bird, and easily over-cooked.   Try butterflying the bird, and sautéing it very briefly (about 10 minutes).

~Silkies are about the most exotic thing you can think of.   They are small, very fluffy chickens with a very docile temperament.   Their flesh is grey-black, and in American-European traditions, unpalatable for that reason.   However in Chinese cuisine, they are valued, and many uses are found for them.   According to Wikipedia, silkies are making small inroads into American and French cooking, but they are far from mainstream.


One of our fine local farms is a purveyor of exotic poultry.   Eberly Poultry Farms in nearby Stevens, Pennsylvania run a certified organic operation.   Their birds are 100% free-range, and are antibiotic and growth hormone free.   The grain they produce to feed their birds is grown without herbicides or pesticides.

Eberly Poultry Farms are suppliers for Friends and Farms, the dynamic new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that provides members with a weekly market basket of high quality, locally sourced food all year round.   Meat, poultry and fish are standard offerings in their market baskets.   Memberships run for 13 weeks and are renewable.

If you are interested in obtaining some of these fabulous exotic birds, there are two ways to go about it.   CSA Members can order exotic poultry from Eberly as a "special order" which Friends and Farms will be delighted to carry out.   Non-members can go online to order directly from Eberly themselves.

Contact info:  friendsandfarms.com  Phone (240) 842-9121 for information about joining the CSA. 
Eberly Poultry Farms can be found on-line at eberlypoultry.com  Phone:  (717) 336-6440 for information on ordering directly.

November 13, 2012   #1110   Adam Borden and Alternative Sweeteners

Last week we talked about our tour of Domino Sugar, that waterfront institution in Baltimore.   The tour was arranged by our good friend Adam Borden, the food scout.   And we invited Adam to come on the show and fill us in on some of the alternatives that Domino and others are pursuing in the world of sweeteners.   Here are his notes:

Why Alternative Natural Sweeteners?

Although scientists and food technologists have been researching sweeteners and sweetness for over 100 years, the use of natural sweeteners as an alternative to cane sugar has exploded in popularity among the food industry, health professionals, consumers and the media.   The number of FDA-approved sweeteners has increased substantially in the last three decades.   As a result, food product developers now have many more choices to meet the increasing demand for good-tasting products that control caloric, carbohydrate or sugar intake.   Among the most popular natural sweeteners seen in various applications at the Fancy Food Show in Washington and the recent Natural Products Expo in Baltimore were:


•    Honey:  Honey is considered the first and most widespread sweetener used by humans.   It is an organic, natural sugar alternative with no additives that is easily digested, adapts to all cooking processes and has an indefinite shelf-life.   Flavors of honey vary based on the nectar source, so single varietals lend themselves to pairing with different foods.   Georgia-based Savannah Bee Company has a honey line based on the sweetness and flavor profile to complement its intended use (tea, cheese or grilling).   The tea honey is light and clean, offering only sweetness to the underlying tea, while the cheese honey is thicker and fruitier.   The grilling honey is a darker honey blend that should withstand the heat of the grill.

Savannah Bee Co.
Cheese Honey, Tea Honey, Grill Honey (http://www.savannahbee.com/category/EveryDay-Honey/EDH0)


•    Maple:   Maple syrup was first collected and used by the indigenous peoples of North America.   The practice was then adopted by European settlers, who gradually improved production methods.   Until the 1800's, maple sugar was the primary sugar in the United States.   Only when the cane sugar industry began in the Caribbean Islands in the 19th century did cane sugar begin to replace it. Maple syrup and sugar became delicacies rather than staples.   However, since technological improvements in the 1970's further refined syrup processing, production has increased substantially.   Maple syrup is quality graded according to the Canada, United States or Vermont scales based on its density and translucency.   In the United States, syrup must be made almost entirely from maple sap to be labeled as "maple."   Vermont’s Tonewood Maple sells a pure maple cube and maple flakes that can be used to shave or sprinkle over oatmeal, fruit or ice cream.

Tonewood Maple
Maple Flakes and Maple Cube (http://www.tonewoodmaple.com/collections/solids)

•    Maguey Sap:  The cultivation of the maguey plant (agave salmiana) represents an ancient Mexican tradition begun by the Aztecs.  To harvest the sap, the central part of the plant is removed before it starts to develop its flower.   The center of the maguey is then scraped with a spoon-shaped instrument, and the sap that was to have nourished the flowering stalk slowly starts to flow.   The juice is collected and then cooled to slow down fermentation, filtered and finally evaporated under high vacuum at room temperature.   The nectar is concentrated at room temperature to preserve its nutritional properties.   On average, seven liters of fresh juice are needed to produce 1 kilogram of concentrate.   As the product is never cooked, it retains a high amount of soluble fiber – 1 teaspoon is equivalent to 14% of daily requirements – as well as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.   Maguey sap also slows sugar absorption in the blood stream, thus avoiding blood sugar spikes.   Mexico-based Villa de Patos produces organic Maguey Sweet Sap for use on yogurt, fruit, in tea or pancakes.

Villa de Patos
Maguey Sweet Sap (http://villadepatos.com/en/products/maguey-sap/)


•    Coconut Palm Sugar:  Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm and has been used as a traditional sweetener for thousands of years in the South and South-East Asian regions.   It is subtly sweet almost like brown sugar, but with a slight hint of caramel.   Harvesting is essentially a two-step process: the coconut palm flower stalk is cut, and a bamboo receptacle is attached to collect the sap, about 4 L per tree per day.   Once collected, the sap is then transferred into giant woks and placed over moderate heat to evaporate the moisture content.   It is then further reduced to crystal, block or soft paste form, depending on the moisture content.   Coconut palm Sugar is naturally low on the Glycemic Index.   Big Tree Farms, based in Portland, OR, markets a line of granulated sweeteners made from coconut palm nectar in a variety of flavor profiles.   These include a raw nectar/syrup and granulated “blonde” sugar by itself or with vanilla or cinnamon.

Big Tree Farms
Coconut Palm Nectar (http://www.bigtreefarmsstore.com/home.php)


•    Stevia:  Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical regions and grown predominantly in Brazil and China.   It has been used indigenously as a sweetener for over 400 years.   As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of cane sugar, and some of its extracts may have a licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.   In the Raw Brands extracts, the sweetest part of the stevia plant leaf (Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni) using water which is then filtered, purified and spray-dried to create a powder format.   This creates a sweetener that is 300 to 400 times sweeter than cane sugar.   Because the stevia leaf extract is so pure and sweet, it requires blending with a bulking agent (dextrose) so that it can be measured, poured and used as a substitute for sugar or other caloric sweeteners.   Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose and is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

Cumberland Packing Corp. (In the Raw Brands)
Stevia in the Raw (http://www.intheraw.com/products/stevia-in-the-raw)


•    Monkfruit:  Native to China and used since the 13th century, monkfruit is cultivated for its fruit and serves as an extracted sweetener.   It is also used for remedies in traditional Chinese medicine.   The fruit is high in vitamin C and has a low caloric content.  The vine-ripened monk fruit are harvested from the orchards, pressed to release the juice then steeped in hot water to create a sweet solution.   This liquid is filtered and dried to create a sweet, powder-like consistency.   The extract, which is about 200-300 times sweeter than cane sugar, is blended with dextrose to create a balance of sweetness so that it can be measured, poured and used as a substitute for sugar or other caloric sweeteners.   Cumberland Packing Corp., maker of In The Raw brands, produces an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener made from monkfruit extract.

Cumberland Packing Corp. (In the Raw Brands)
Monkfruit in the Raw (http://www.intheraw.com/products/monk-fruit-in-the-raw)

October 30, 2012   #1108    A Primer on Venison

As a boy, I loved hearing stories about Robin Hood and his Merry Men, sitting around their Sherwood Forest campfires wolfing down platters of roast venison.   I didn't have clue what roast venison tasted like, but I figured it had to be pretty bold and savory stuff.  Decades later, I can say that I had it right.

And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen knows, you can still harvest your deer with longbow and arrow, but there are easier ways of getting it.

Jerry's favorite source these days is Highbourne Farm, just across the line in PA.   Highbourne specializes in red deer, as opposed to the feral white-tail we all know.   Red deer are larger and meatier, and if kept under a controlled feeding regimen, will have superior flavor.   Deer pretty much has all the familiar cuts that beef does, but Jerry has his favorites:  t-bone steaks, tenderloin and deer shanks for venison osso bucco.

Another favorite things is to make venison jerky, a staple of the American frontier.

Spicy and Sweet Venison Jerky

(I like the contrast of heat and sweet when you make this jerky. Feel free to go as heavy on the hot as you can handle!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of soy sauce
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of molasses
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper
• 6 lbs venison loin or roasted sliced into ¼ inch pieces

Combined all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and place the pan in an ice bath.   Cool the marinade down as quickly as possible with occasional stirring.

Place the venison in a few zip lock bags and evenly distribute the marinade throughout the bags.   Seal and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Place a cookie sheet on the lower rack of an oven set at 160 degrees F.   Lay the strips of venison on the rack above the cookie sheet so they are not touching.

Allow to dehydrate for 24 hours or until the desired consistency has been achieved.

Store in a covered container at room temperature.