Taking Stock, and Making It, too!

Souperlatif has not been busy in the kitchen for many a past week. Those of you who follow, will have missed the weekly excursions on soup roads less traveled. I, too, and am eager to be back with something new. What could be a better return than a return to the basics - taking stock, and making it, too! Almost every soup needs it, almost every cook never has it (the fresh homemade, that is), what's more, the making of it is a bit of a chore. And in my house, not everyone is addicted to stock aroma therapy.

Enter the pressure cooker. A bit dusty on a back shelf, seal ring and pressure gauge still looking serviceable, I think its time to revisit speeding up stock by intensifying the cooking, which is what pressure cookers do best. Not an original notion, pressure cooker stock seems to have quite a following on the blogs. While its no surprise to find a howto from Kuhn Rikon, the Swiss manufacturer of the worlds most high-end pressure cooker, Saveur, too, has an online article in their Test Kitchen series by Kyle Connaughten. Much more surprising, I found a discussion and instructions for making stock in the new 6 volume compendium, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold et al.

In this astonishing work, which details cooking with liquid nitrogen, has pictures from within the inside of covered pots while the cooking is happening, and describes using ultrasound to "cavitate" ingredients in a liquid bath (I still do not have my head around this one), the old-fashioned pressure cooker takes center stage for meat stock. From the author who advocates cooking pastrami for 72 hours in a sous vide bath at 120 degrees, he gets the stock done in under 45 minutes!

Well, could it be good? I'm curious! I've always had a healthy distaste for pressure cooker chicken dishes - closest thing in a homemade kitchen to canned chicken stew. And what about clarity? How could all that heat not cause the minute particles to be irremediably suspended in the broth? I adapted the stock discussion to beef stock, using chopped up bones, browned meat, typical stock vegetables and spices. I roughly followed the cooking directions - heat to 15 psi, lower heat and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. When I turned off the heat and allowed the cooker to come to normal pressure, the result was just what I thought. The stock smelled anything but aromalicious, and the broth looked almost milky. Could the food scientists be lacking in discrimination after all?

I re-read the manual and I have to admit, it was User Error. The most important point, and I didn't pay attention the first time around, is to allow the vessel to reach full pressure, but then to reduce the heat to low, just about a simmer.

When I repeated the procedure, both for beef and for a chicken stock, I got a really fine result. I don't think the broths would be clear enough for Thomas Keller, but they were definitely workably clear, even before straining. The key is low temp, the pressure provides process intensification, and the not insignificant benefit, significantly foreshortened cooking time.

This stock doesn't need a recipe. Whatever you normally do, you achieve the usual result, only sooner. My chicken stock was what I typically do for light soup base. I used the following - all the freshest, especially this beautiful organic half breast:

One proviso, making stock in the pressure cooker is not for big yields. It is never advisable to fill the cooker with water more than 2/3 full, or 3/4 at most. And therefore, the half breast was just the right amount for 4-6 cups of water.

So next time you think stock, think Presto - there's more to your mother-in-laws' old tool-of-choice!

Fall-toned Lentils – All the Earth Tones of Fall, and Protein, Too

I've not been blogging for a while, but I was inspired by a lentil soup meal we shared during a recent visit from one of our kids, Rachel, who I love to feed almost as much as I enjoy her earnest and honest intellect, her enthusiasm for her work as a media artist, and her crazy sense of fun. She loved the lentil soup and asked for the recipe (also posted on this site), but being new to lentils and newer to cooking, I couldn't resist putting together some food gab to add to the soup!

So now, all about lentils - colors and kinds, cooking tips, recipes and anecdotes for spice.

Lentils may be one of the most perfect foods, plenty of serviceable protein, high in fiber, and no significant fat. Also mineral rich, they have a fair amount of calcium, vitamins A and B, and are a good source of iron and phosphorus. In India, which is also the largest producer of lentils and home to more vegetarians than any other region of the world, they’re a star staple. Lentils have been nourishing folk, especially poor folk, even in Biblical times. Remember Esau selling his birthright for red porridge? That was porridge of red lentils, native to Egypt.

Today lentils are found the world over, particularly popular in Europe and the Middle East for spicy soups, health salads and stews rich with meat. In Ancient Greece, a lentil soup called Pitisane fed the men of iron that fought the wars - and famously, at least one fine philosopher as well: There is the oft-told story of Diogenes and Aristippus, two philosophers at the court of the Syracusian tyrant, Dionysus. Aristippus, the Hedonist, and as such, quite a bit more successful at court, one day sought to counsel his colleague. Musing as he watched Diogenes preparing some lentils for a meager meal, Aristippus quipped:
"If you would only learn to flatter Dionysius more, you wouldn't have to live on lentils."
"And if you would only learn to live on lentils, you wouldn't have to flatter Dionysius," retorted Diogenes.

The Romans, too, developed a taste for lentils, and apparently a voracious need: Lentils fed the masses, and the crop at home wasn’t enough. Through the reign of Caligula, it is documented that Rome imported lentils from Egypt on a scale unequaled by any other food stuff trade up to that time. The long and important history of lentils in the development of man yields many a choice anecdote. Clifford Wright, the food historian and expert on all foods Mediterranean, has more interesting info on his website.

The lentil food gab makes for great tableside chatter, but without the main course – lentils, of course - there’s no reason to be at the table! There’s more info below about the palette of lentil varieties, especially how to handle the cooking and soaking, if any. Some quick lentil sides are described below, and a few special soups have their own posts – see the links or the list of recipes on the side panel.

One important proviso with lentil cooking, save the salting until the end of the cooking. Lentils cook more slowly if they're combined with salt or acidic ingredients, so add these last. Also, never cook lentils with baking soda – an old housewives trick that does soften them faster, but destroys the vitamin B1 in the process. And worried about the after dinner gases? The soaking water contains most of the chemicals that adversely react with bacteria in your system, producing flatulence: Discard the soak water, and there’s little to fear.

The Colors of Lentils

LENTIL LENTILS (brownish): The most common of lentils are the brown variety found everywhere in the dried bean aisle of all groceries. They are sold in two sizes – small and larger (but still smaller than peas). Mass produced, processed and often very dried, the larger regular lentils do require soaking – overnight is too much, but 4 hours at room temperature works; or, pour over boiling water and let rest for 1 hour before rinsing and using in your recipe. Longer simmering is required to completely cook the larger browns – not a good choice for a 30 minute meal! The smaller brown lentils need no soaking and cook up in soups and stews in 30 minutes for al dente. Both large and small brown lentils are great with meat-based lentil soups. A ham hock or diced pancetta are common broth basics. Sausages or franks also taste great in Euro-style lentil soups, with lots of diced veggies to balance franks and beans! And of course, there's a recipe on this blog.

RED LENTILS: The red split, lentils, native to Egypt are my favorite for soups and sides. Because they have no hull, they take the shortest time to cook and require no pre-soaking whatsoever. This type of lentil is usually found in everyday meals and make a quick and healthy (high protein) starch side. For a tasty salmon go-with, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add an unpeeled clove of garlic, a sprig of rosemary, a shave of lemon peel and a few whole peppercorns. Simmer 10 minutes. Strain to remove rosemary, lemon and peppercorns, then simmer a cup of red lentils in the broth for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and serve with chopped cilantro or parsley – tastes great with simple salmon. There's a soup to try as well - see the Spicy Red Lentil from the Recipe List.

PUY LENTILS (tiny and dark green): Prized in French cooking, lentiles du puy are available in Whole Foods and better supermarkets. Because of their petit size, they also need little soaking, if any. Diners often remark that puy lentils taste almost like a fresh vegetable, and therefore, they’re great cold in salads. My favorite is a heart-friendly cold dish. Puys are not to be ignored for soups, either. The Velvety Lentil Soup made with puy lentils makes a great mini-meal, especially when temperatures start to climb. (Yes, heat cools!)

BELUGA BLACK (quite black!): These specialty lentils, so-called to conjure up the more luxurious caviar, were featured for a while back at Trader Joe’s, and are certainly a standout. With their novelty came a spate of recipes and recipe gab on the internet, too. Black lentils need no soak, and cook almost as quickly as puy lentils. They, too, work well in salads. I’ve seen some tempting recipes with diced red peppers (hot and sweet!), green onions, lime juice vinaigrette and cilantro, and, with a red wine vinaigrette, shallots, parsely and goat cheese or feta.

TOOR/ARHAR (yellow lentils): The Toor Dal, is dull yellow in color and is most often the base for many South Indian specialties like Sambhar. Other than in specialty Middle Eastern or Indian groceries, yellow lentils are not easy to find. They need to soak for a few hours before cooking, and take longer to boil down to a soft edible center. They cook up perfectly, however in a slow cooker – real comfort food carbs without the high glycemic index.

Celery Root - In Season, and in the Soup

Celery Root or Celeriac...
is a gnarly old thing easily passed up in the veggie display on account of its formidable ugliness and its often relatively steep sticker price. Definitely don't demur - take it home and you'll have enough to transform some of your everyday favorites into elegantly flavored new dishes.

Celery root is nutty and slightly sweet with a hint of celery flavor. The tough outer skin peels with a strong vegetable peeler to reveal a white turnip-like interior. Cooking time is similar to other root vegetables like turnip and sweet potato, though shorter than beets and white potatoes. The French love their celeriac au gratin, in addition to making a rich and creamy potato and celery soup. Northern Europeans make a delicious celery root salad by boiling and slicing the root, then dressing with onions, parsley and a sweet sour sauce.

For American palates, using less goes a long way. So, if you encounter celeriac in a recipe, try halving the amount until you know what you like!

And now that you've bought this thing, here are a few suggestions:

New Mashed Potatoes
Add a diced quarter of a celery root to your usual amount of potatoes. Potatoes take 20 minutes after water boils, so add the celery root 5 minutes into the cooking. Drain, steam, then mash using a hand mixer or ricer with 2 tbspns butter and up to a 1/4 cup milk or half n half until fluffy. Season with a few fresh gratings of nutmeg and server hot.
Wonderful with Swedish meatballs, roast chicken or duck, or perhaps roast beef.

Celery Surprise Roasted Root Vegetables
Half or quarter 4 small red potatoes with skins on, peel and cut a white turnip into 1/8 (slices look like half moons) and large dice half a celery root. Also slice a large carrot into 1 inch rings. Melt a tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss vegetables with 4 whole cloves of garlic, with skins on, with the oil/butter mixture, salt, and pepper. Put into a baking dish (higher than wide so flavors mix), and drizzle with juice of 1/2 a lemon. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, until vegetables are slightly crisp on the outside and tender.
Serve with roast chicken.

Soups with just a hint of nutty celeriac
Now you have a quarter of the root left. Just enough for either the Smoky Split Pea Soup posted earlier or, saving best for last, a delicious creamy Potato Veloute. Click on the link for this wonderful luncheon soup, best served only with a light salad of baby lettuces with a delicate lemony raspberry dressing and fresh pepper.

No Tears Diced Onions

There's rarely a soup without the onion - so its best to perfect the dicing of one of soups most frequent starters.

Slice off the stem end, then clean any loose strands from the root end. Don't cut the root end off.
(Instructional videos on YouTube show chefs coring the stem and root ends with a paring knife - not necessary to dirty a second implement - just cleanly slice both ends.)

Half the onion through the two cut ends.
Now the peeling is easiest - peel the outer brown skin and the first inner layer together - they both come off easily with the help of the tip of a knife.

With the onion face down on your cutting board, make thin slices from the stem end almost the whole length of the onion to the root. Don't cut through the root end, though, or your onion will fall apart.

Last, make thin even slices perpendicular to the first cuts to achieve a fine dice.

Perfect, fast; no tears!