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It’s How You Cut It
Chef Silvia

Growing up my mother and I would make homemade pasta on a regular basis. Sometimes we used a small hand cranked tabletop machine and other times we rolled out the dough using an unusually large rolling pin and cut strips of fettuccine noodles with a knife. The hand rolled and cut version always tasted better–though I didn’t know why. Nor did I understand why tearing fresh herbs always seem more flavorful than cutting them or for that matter why splitting an English muffin with my fingers tasted better than when I cut it open with a knife. I do now.

I’ve come to understand that it’s the imperfections that make all the difference: butter gets stuck in the nooks of the English muffin, tears in herbs release the flavor more intensely and pasta tastes better when it’s naturally uneven and its thickness is irregular.

How something is cut is of great importance in food preparation and the success of any dish. Anyone who has ever bit into a large slice of a sun dried tomato will immediately know that it’s far too intense–a little sliver is all you need. The opposite is true for mushrooms–cut them too small and they disappear. How something is cut is especially important with pasta. This is why we have so many varieties. Matching the right pasta with the right sauce is an art that makes or breaks a dish. Serve a dish of angel hair with a heavy alfredo sauce and it will soon look and taste like one big lump, or rigatoni with an oil and garlic sauce will taste like you’re eating oily starch. Serve angel hair with a sauté of fresh chopped grape or cherry tomatoes and torn pieces of just picked basil and you’ll think you are eating the food of the angels.

As a professional chef I’ve come to understand more and more that how something is cut makes a huge difference. Most of the time, the decision on how I want a particular ingredient cut is a thought out process—which is why any good recipe will specify this. At other times I find this out by pure instinct–as is the case with my chicken salad. I tear it instead of dicing or cutting it in any way. This will produce the same imperfections that make tearing an English muffin so good. Try it and you won’t believe what an amazing difference this small change will make. The other day, even my kitchen adverse daughter noticed this when she brought home some chicken salad from Whole Foods that was torn. She was so excited to have more that we walked over 14 New York City blocks (in high heels) just get some–funny that she didn’t take notice when I instructed her to do this years ago, hut one taste did the trick!

So let’s celebrate the imperfections in everything and realize that it’s these very “flaws” that makes all the wonderful, delicious difference.

Shredded Chicken Salad with Mint/Tarragon Pesto Mayonnaise

This is chicken salad at it’s best; shredded and coated with a perfect balance of mayonnaise and pesto (and not the usual kind—though any pesto will work) and accented with a dash of red grape tomatoes. Serve it in a sandwich or put a scoop of it over some fresh greens, tossed in a simple vinaigrette.

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup grape tomatoes (sliced lengthwise)

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup pesto

Mint/Tarragon Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

1 cup tarragon leaves, loosely packed

?1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup pine nuts (or walnut)

2 medium cloves garlic

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the herbs, oil, nuts, and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the sauce into a bowl, stir in the cheese, and season. (Be careful with the salt since the Parmesan is salty). Mix with the mayonnaise.

In the meantime, bake the chicken (after seasoning it on both sides with salt and pepper) uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the center is opaque. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until it’s cool enough to handle. In a large bowl, shred it into thin pieces about 2 inches long along the grain of the chicken. It will shred easily. Toss with the pesto/mayonnaise, add the tomatoes and serve over your favorite greens or with crusty bread.

Chef Silvia’s Tip:
Make Big Batches
Cooking is always easier when you use seasonal ingredients and make a recipe in big batches when appropriate. It takes the same amount of effort to make more, as it does to make less. So for instance, if you’re making a tomato sauce, double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don’t use. The same applies to dressing a salad—don’t make just enough for one salad, make a jar full. In the case of this month’s recipe, use whatever fresh herbs you have growing in your garden or find what’s especially appealing in the supermarket or farmer’s market. Buy them in big batches. Make a large container of pesto and keep a supply in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. Cooking becomes infinitely easier whenever you don’t have to make all parts of a recipe from scratch and instead, you can simply reach for your pre-made supplies.

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So what exactly is it?

Harissa: A spicy paste made with red pepper, native citrus and spice (garlic, coriander). It is a staple of Moroccan & Tunisian cuisines. Its mellow heat & smoky taste makes it ideal to add to so many things.

Mix jarred harissa (we sampled Alili Morocco’s - excellent) with yogurt to make a dip for for veggies/crackers/pitas or use it as a sauce for roasted or grilled salmon/chicken. Mix it with olive oil for a marinade, or add it to eggs for a tasty omelet. Alone it makes a wonderful rub for chicken, fish or beef. Great spice addition for soups.

If you are familiar with Food411’s Chef Silvia, you know she is the Queen of Saute. This receipt takes saute to a new level!

Sautéed Ice Cream Wrapped in a Delicate Crèpe, and Chocolate Sauce
Makes 4 servings
4 scoops vanilla ice cream (or your favorite flavor)
4 pastry crèpes, each about 8 inches in diameter (see note)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Whipped cream (optional_
2 sprigs mint (optional garnish)
Chocolate sauce (mandatory)

Put 1 scoop of ice cream in the center of each crèpe, and roll the crèpes into a cylinder, tucking in the ends to completely enclose the ice cream. Freeze until the ice cream is extremely hard. At the same time, place 2 dessert plates in the freezer.
Melt the butter with the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat, heating until the mixture is very hot but not smoking. The oil will help keep the butter from burning, but if the butter turns brown, your heat was too high, so start again and use lower heat. Keep the crèpes in the freezer until you’re ready to sauté. Then cook the crèpes, seam sides up, in the hot oil until they’re golden brown, about 30 seconds. Flip the crèpes and brown them on the second sides. Remove the finished crèpes from the pan and place two on each cold dessert plate. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce
Note: I suggest you buy these crèpes already prepared, usually from the frozen-foods section of your supermarket. ***

Chocolate Sauce
Melt semi sweet chocolate pieces in a double broiler. Add one or two pats of butter and about ¼ cup of cream or milk, a bit at a time until you’ve reached the desired thickness.

***Check out our past blog post on Frieda’s crepes - excellent!

From our very own Chef Silvia, Cobbler with a Polenta Crust!

“What could be easier than mixing up a batch of seasonal fruit? Doesn’t matter what season it is. Each season has fruits that offer the makings of a great cobbler. For all you non-bakers (like me) this is the perfect dessert to fool everyone into thinking you’re a pastry chef. Get this one right and you’ll have a crowd-pleasing dessert for every season.”

Apple/Blueberry Cobbler with Polenta Crust
Topping
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
¾ cups cornmeal
½ cup white granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 beaten egg
Place all ingredients except butter and egg in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add butter and egg and pulse again until well mixed and the topping is somewhat moist and crumbly.
In the meantime preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a separate, large bowl, add the following:

The Filling
2 cups berries (these can be any seasonal berries)
2/3 cups granulated white sugar
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 lbs granny smith apples peeled and cut into bite size pieces (these also can be any seasonal fruits)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix all the filling ingredients together and place in an oblong 9 x 13 inch oven safe dish which has been sprayed with a cooking spray. Top with the crumb topping and place in the oven, uncovered and cook for about 1 hour or until the topping is golden. Set aside for about 15 minutes to set and serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

If you haven’t seen our recent email, we didnt want you to miss it. Our annual MD gift picks

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We just sampled Frieda’s (the company that introduced the kiwi to America) french style crepes. These crepes can be used right out of the bag for so many creations. For starts, on Mother’s Day open a “creperie” right in your house. Let everyone decide if they would like a sweet crepe or a savory. Offer fillings such as berries & whip cream, chocolate sauce & bananas or ham & cheese or omelets. This adds a festive, social atmosphere to the gathering, rather than the usual lunch. Mom will enjoy choosing her fillings and watching you prepare.

We really enjoyed these ready to eat crepes - it isn’t easy for a novice to make a perfectly round light crepe, this takes all that aggravation out of the process.

They are a nice alternative to a heavy tortilla. They would also be very useful for making appetizers ( just cut into small bites). They are packaged in a pack of 10 and can be purchase in your local supermarket ( usually in berry area) or right on Frieda’s website. Their website is also great for recipes, and purchasing just about any type exotic produce - which is what they are famous for! Looking for cactus pads, banana leaves, mangosteen, they have it all! Great resource.

Recently, we received a package from Storyville Coffee Company When we opened it, we were blown away by the presentation. They sent their “Awakening” gift package - and it rocked us from looks to taste. This group of people are taking their mission (they want everyone to drink what a real cup of coffee is suppose to taste like) very seriously. This gift pack is presented in a leather box (a useful gift in itself!), they include 2 packages of their freshly roasted coffee beans, a beautiful stainless french press & 2 mugs. This gift truly gives the recipient an experience. In addition they include instruction & a DVD on making the perfect cup of coffee. Here at Food411 we celebrate people with a passion for their product. The people at Storyville are not only passionate about artfully roasting the perfect coffee beans & having you grind/brew it fresh - they are obsessive. We admit it does take some time to brew the perfect cup ( the grinding & french press) but in the world of one cup “pods” there is something very special about elevating your coffee experience to a ritual. Stop & smell the coffee.

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Spilling the beans on our favorite “Joe”