Category: GLOSSARY / METHODS

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

FRESH PASTA


Ingredients:
300 g/10.5 oz “00” flour (see note), or strong white flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt

“00” flour
Flour is graded in Italy according to its coarseness, which designates its ideal use. It is marked “00”(very white and fine) to “04” (close to whole meal). Type “00” flour has a finer grain than commercial plain flours, resulting in light and airy bread and soft and delicate pasta.

Combine the flour, eggs and salt in a food processor until the mixture forms a dough.  Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.   When ready to roll the pasta, remove from the refrigerator and  bring up to room temperature.

WORKING WITH FRESH PASTA
Always allow pasta dough to come up to room temperature before rolling. It allows the gluten to relax which makes the dough much more flexible and easier to work with. Always keep the dough that you are not immediately working with, covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

See Spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli for the method of rolling the pasta and making ravioli.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

Agar-agar


Agar-agar, obtained from certain varieties of seaweed, is another form of setting liquid in a gel form.  Its advantages are that it sets more firmly than gelatin and sets at room temperature. It is odorless, tasteless and  colorless and is used in kosher, vegetarian and vegan cooking.  It is mostly available in health stores and Asian supermarkets.

1 tablespoon/15 ml agar-agar dissolved in
4 tablespoons/60 ml of hot water will set
2 cups/500 ml liquid.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

Dashi granules


Dashi is Japan’s fundamental stock and seasoning, much used in Japanese cooking, particularly in Japanese soups and dipping sauces for tempura, stews and salad dressings. It is made from dried flakes of bonito (dried, smoked and cured bonito, a type of tuna, which has a strong aroma but a smoky, mellow flavor), kelp and shiitake mushrooms and are available in granule form in Asian supermarkets.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

Mirin


Mirin, is a low-alcohol sweet Japanese cooking wine, made of a mixture of medium grain rice, glutinous rice and distilled rice spirit, then matured for two months.  It adds a lovely glaze to grilled foods and a mild sweetness in cooking. Mirin is sold in well stocked supermarkets. It can be substituted with dry sherry to which sugar is added but will not have the same results in flavor.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS


Sichuan peppercorns is not strictly speaking pepper but berries of a shrub called prickly ash.  Sichuan pepper, unlike ordinary pepper, has a pungent flavor and the aftertaste, rather than being hot as is in the case of pepper, is numbing.  The “peppercorns” should be crushed and dry-roasted to bring out their full flavor.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS

PANKO (JAPANESE) BREADCRUMBS


DEEPFRIED BRIE3Panko breadcrumbs, made from white bread with the crusts cut off, have a coarser texture and a more elongated shape than ordinary breadcrumbs.  It also exhibits a porous structure that results in a tender/crisp texture and therefore makes for a much lighter and crunchier topping or coating.  They brown better when fried, do not get soggy on the inside and stay crunchier on the outside. Panko breadcrumbs are available in Asian food stores or well stock supermarkets.

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GLOSSARY / METHODS METHODS

CHICKEN STOCK


¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
4 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
3 large onions, quartered
3 large carrots, coarsely chopped
½ whole head garlic, unpeeled
3 kg/6.6 lbs raw free range chicken carcasses
5 liters/10.5 pts cold water
6 black peppercorns
6 coriander seeds

Bouquet garni:
1 large leek
1 celery stick
1 large sprig thyme
1 small bunch of parsley
1 bay leaf
Tie the leeks, celery, thyme, parsley stalks and bay leaf together with
kitchen string.

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and lightly fry the celery, leeks, onions and carrots.  Add  the raw chicken carcasses and cover with the water. Add the peppercorns and coriander seeds, and bring to a gentle simmer, frequently skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface.

Add the bouquet garni to the pot, return to a gentle simmer for about 4½ hours, still skimming frequently but do not stir the stock.  Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature, then strain it by ladling the contents of the pan through a muslin-lined colander set over a large bowl. Try not to disturb the solids at the bottom, it will make the stock cloudy.  Cool the strained stock, remove all traces of fat, then chill or freeze in smaller containers until needed.  Discard the solids.

For a brown chicken stock simply brown the chicken carcasses or joints in the oven at 200°C/400°F for about 15-20 minutes, before adding to the stock pot.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS METHODS

FISH STOCK


½ cup/125 ml olive oil
1 small leek, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 small bulb fennel, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon/3 ml dried fennel seeds
2 kg/4.6 lbs fish bones, thoroughly rinsed and roughly chopped
1½ cups/375 ml dry white wine
¼ cup/60 ml  Noilly Prat
8 cups/2 liters cold water
2 sprigs each of parsley, thyme and tarragon
½ lemon, unpeeled
1 teaspoon/5 ml white peppercorns

In a large pot, lightly saute the leek, onion, celery, fennel and garlic in the oil.  Add the fish bones, wine, Noilly Prat and the dried herbs, and cook until the wine  has evaporated.  Add the water and bring to the boil.  Skim the surface frequently. Add the fresh herbs, lemon and peppercorns, and cook gently for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let the stock cool.  Strain through a muslin lined colander, but take care not to disturb the solids at the bottom.  Leave to cool, then chill or freeze in smaller containers until needed. Discard the solids.