Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

ESCAROLE - the blog

A leafy green-yellowish lettuce with a somewhat sturdy texture, bitter to the taste, escarole doesn’t sound like a pleasant vegetable but in combination with other foods it shines - I’ll add a little later to that. Escarole is in the same plant family as radicchio, and Belgian endive. Sometimes it is called broad-leafed friseé because of its curly resemblance.
I remember escarole from my mother’s cooking where she tossed it with farm-fresh potato salad with a light mustardy dressing. It’s an ideal salad to be combined with fall flavors such as pears, apples, nuts, blue cheese etc.
I’m intrigued by escarole and I romanticize it with visions of rustic Italian cooking like hearty stews, sausagey rosemary inflected dishes, tomato based Tuscan country cucina perhaps with basil aromas all accompanied with crusty Italian bread.  This is the fantasy portrayed in an advertisement for a commercial tomato sauce and it’s the feeling that escarole evokes in me.

(freshly dug escarole)

Some Nutritious Info 
Escarole is loaded with vitamin C the beloved antioxidant that helps to fight off cell damage and in fact repairs it. Other noteworthy vitamins in escarole are A and K.  Also it’s high in fiber and will move things perfectly along in the digestive system.  

Cooking with Escarole
This bean stew recipe is forgiving as not too much can go wrong with it and it is easy on the budget. The sausage adds a deep flavor character and spice.  Combine the stew with just about any sausage, which is suitable for steaming - my favorite is an Italian style sausage with deep pork flavor and faint garlic aroma. I buy my sausage from an Austrian sausage master maker per mail order. The escarole with it’s faint bitterness creates the perfect flavor balance besides adding a welcoming vegetable crunchy texture.

(fresh Italian sausage from the local butcher)

Borlotti Bean Stew with Escarole
(recipe yields four portions)
2 cups Borlotti beans (a.k.a kidney beans)
1 small branch rosemary
1 head escarole
4 links Italian sausages

1. Soak beans overnight or for six hours in water at room temperature.
2. Pour beans into a colander then rinse with water for two minutes.
3. In a gallon-sized pot combine beans, rosemary and four cups of water.
4. Cook beans on medium heat setting covered with a tight fitting lid for 60 minutes.
5. During the time the beans are cooking: Cut 1-inch of the bottom from escarole and cut leafs in 1-inch long pieces across. Fill a large bowl with water. Clean cut escarole leafs in the water then dry leaves in a salad spinner or on a kitchen paper towel.
6. With a pointy knife puncture each sausage three times – this will release the natural sausage juices during cooking.
7. Once the beans have cooked 60 minutes add the punctured sausage and cut escarole.
8. Mixture for 20 minutes at this point beans are soft, the sausage is cooked throughout and escarole is soft. 

(bean & escarole stew with Italian sausage)

Chef’s Note: The bean stew is best when it is allowed to sit for 20 minutes on the side of the stove and then served. Any leftover bean stew can be reheated the next day, which benefits the flavor wonderfully.  

 

 

 

 

 

UNDERCOVER STAR VEGETABLES - the blog

It seems parsnips never attract much attention. My fellow South American cooks often tell me when I drag a new root vegetables such as parsnips, rutabaga, turnips etc. into the kitchen  “In my country this is what the cows eat”. All I can say is those cows are well fed.

(naked parsnips)


A close cousin to carrots, parsnips are very similar in shape but much sweeter, ivory colored have an even better nutritional value.  So what’s up with their minor role in our culinary lives? Perhaps the simple fact that they are a bit more expensive and not as available all year around put them on a back burner for many. They have a deliciously vegetal and sweet flavor unlike any other vegetable so let’s explore.

(Meatloaf crusted in bulgur crust with parsnip chips at a recent dinner party)

Selecting
Avoid overgrown parsnips as they tend to be quite woodsy in the center and an unpleasant texture that you don’t want in your prepared dish. Naturally starchy they’ll remind you of potatoes in texture and palatability but they are much sweeter. Alex, one of my farmers I consult at the market, leaves parsnips in the soil over the winter months which makes them sweet like candy since the starches in the parsley root convert to natural sugars.  In the Fall, this is achieved by cooling parsnips to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. for about 10 – 14 days which makes them sweet and hence more expensive.
(slicing and soaking in water- drying on paper towel

(slicing and soaking in water)

(drying the water of parsnip slices)

(happily frying)

(drying off excessive grease)

It doesn’t always have to be a spud
I thought parsnip chips were the most novel thing when we had to painstakingly fry chips in olive oil slice by slice in a very fancy 3 Michelin stared restaurant in Europe.  These days you can buy them in the supermarket readily available perfectly crisped!

The texture of fried parsnip chips is simple amazing with a meaty soft center and a crispy outside – this you get when you cook’em yourself.  Be aware this stuff is addictive so you should keep a few people around to share this recipe otherwise you’ll be the one who finishes them.

Parsnip Chips
Recipe yields a snack for four

3 medium sized parsnips (about 10-inch long)
3 cups vegetable oil such as canola
sea salt to taste 

1. Peel parsnips.
2. Slice parsnips with a slicer such as a Mandolin. Cut the parsnips as thin as possible but obtaining still perfectly round slices.
3. Plunge the parsnips into a bowl filled with luke-warm water – this will “wash-out” the natural starch from the vegetable. Leave parsnips for 15 minutes in the water.
4. Heat oil in a 1-gallon sized pot.
5. Transfer the parsnip slices to a kitchen paper towel lined plate then dry them completely. Change the paper towel with new one if necessary to dry them.
6. The oil is hot enough when you drop a drop of water in it and it sizzles - if you have a kitchen thermometer it should show 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Carefully lower the dried parsnip chips into the hot oil - be careful the oil will bubble wildly. I suggest frying the parsnip slices in two to three batches – this will not crowd the frying pot.
8. Stir the frying parsnip slices with a slotted spoon – this will prevent the parsnip slices from sticking together and it will brown them evenly.
9. The parsnip chips are ready when they have a golden brown color.
10. Transfer the chips to a kitchen paper lined plate and sprinkle them right away with sea salt – this will make sure the salt sticks to the chips.
11. Fry the rest of the raw parsnip slices.

Chef’s Note: Potato chips need a condiment such as ketchup – parsnips don’t – they're perfect with a crispy outside and soft center.

 

 

SQUASH ADDICTION - the blog

(it's the season squash, squash...) 

If you want to experience the bounty of seasonal squash you must visit a farmer’s market now. Different hues of orange, shades of brown, green, yellow, striped, dotted and more variations are abundant. Some have warty growths on their shells and range from tiny to huge. This is seasonal squash right now. I’m overwhelmed every year and find myself snapping pictures until I’ve had my fill visually and in my stomach. Am I addicted to it?

(seasonal gourds galor)

Baked Squash Preparation
It’s hard to choose among the variety but let’s highlight spaghetti squash because it differs not only in flavor but really in texture. Yellow or ivory colored it sits heavy, weighty on the kitchen counter. Certainly a strong chef’s knife comes in handy to cut off top and bottom – I have seen people take squash on with a cleaver!

(ends cut off)                     (apple cider spiced)

(squash spaghetti) 

This will give you more stability to be able to cut this hunk of a vegetable all the way through. Leave the seeds in place and they can be easily removed after cooking.  

For seasoning l like to keep it simple, I love to add flavors of autumn such as apple cider spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, just a touch of clove - which are a terrific fit - and the usual sea salt and fresh pepper. I’m a big fan of roasting squash on a cookie sheet pan with the cut-side facing up. I have realized cooking squash this way yields tastier results since it’s natural juice gets concentrated during the cooking process.

Depending on the size it takes 1 ½ - 2 hours in a 345 degree hot oven to get to the point where it’s soft enough to get that stringy texture and similar look to cooked spaghetti pasta. You know it’s done when the blade of a small knife can be inserted into the squash without getting any uncooked vegetable resistance. Remove the seeds with a kitchen spoon and discard, then remove the yellow spaghetti squash “meat” and now you’ll realize its stringy consistency where its names from. A sprinkle of good extra virgin olive oil and a touch of sea salt will do wonders for the mild flavored spaghetti squash.

(pretty pumpkins) 

Tasty and Nutritious
Spaghetti squash is abundant in vitamin A, C and beta carotene and also has a good amount of potassium. It is low in calories yet leaves that satisfying taste and feel in your mouth seeming starchy in a good way without being too filling.

Over the years to my guests I have come to realize that it is actually the texture that makes people excited about this squash – it’s the stand-out among the many squash varieties.

Chef’s Note: Uncooked squash does not have to be refrigerated it can stay at room temperature for up to three months. 

 

"SWEET" KIDS CEREAL

As my toddler daughter grows up I get to stroll through different aisles in the supermarket and witness Arabella’s amazement with the cartoon characters she finds on a wall of cereal boxes.

(corn flakes, peaches and grapes with yogurt) 

A few mascots might have contributed to the success of cereal makers such as Kellog’s with Cornelius the green rooster in the early years and Tony the Tiger still hot to this day.  Everyone know Lucky Charms’ leprechaun telling us “they’re magically delicious” brought to us by General Mills another giant in cereal making. Quaker is a well known leader in cereal making and owns popular brands like Cap’n Crunch.

It probably comes as no surprise that the ingredient list of these popular “kids” cereals read like a candy bar and taste like candy which is probably why they do several billion dollars in business each year. If you calculate the added sugar content from an average cereal box it results to three teaspoons per serving.

(no Tony the tiger, no Cap'n Crunch...)

If you are like our family and try to cut down or even eliminate sugar and artificial ingredients from the staple foods like cereal then you probably turn your kids’ eyes and your own to “healthier” brands.  But here’s the disappointing news – nearly every one of the cereals in health food mega stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s contain sugar.  True the amount of sugar is less than the big commercial brands and true they have fancier names like “organically milled cane sugar” or “cane juice” but a rose by any other name …. Shouldn’t sugar be a treat and not snuck into your kids bran flakes and foods dressed up to look healthy?  I think so and therefore have taken cereal making into my own hands. 

What is a cereal?
It’s the family of grains (rice, wheat, millet, maize, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat) composed of bran (the out side layer of grain), which is nutritious and high in fiber, the germ and endosperm which is rich in vitamins, minerals, carbs, good fats and protein.

It didn’t start that sweet
Corn flakes is certainly one of the more popular breakfast items worldwide and it was actually developed accidentally.  Dr John Harvey Kellogg was in charge of a food program for a sanatorium where bland food was served. He believed that spicy or sweet foods increase passion which he did not welcome in the sanatorium.  He developed a flavorless wheat mixture which in his believe had an anaphrodisac effect and lowered the sex drive. As the story goes some cooked wheat was left to sit out for a long period of time unintentionally and became stale and was then processed through a dough sheeter in the hope of obtaining long sheets of that wheat mixture.  But what came out instead were little flakes which they toasted and served to the sanatorium patients and they loved it. A patent was filed shortly thereafter and issued in 1896. Different recipes were developed out of that process one was corn flakes with a good amount of sugar added for palatability and the rest is history.

A few responsible cereal options

Granola
Our friend Reuben came by the other day and brought us a home-made batch of delicious granola and inspired our cereal crusade and sparked my appreciation for these toasted oats. Granola usually consists of rolled oats and nuts, sweetened with honey. It gets its addictive crispy-crunchy texture from baking, often dried fruits such as grapes, blueberries, dates, etc. are added to boost sweetness and flavor. In our family we love to snack throughout the day on granola straight out of the box without adding anything. For breakfast I like to add sliced banana for it’s soft texture and some sort of fresh fruit such as raspberries or strawberries for their bright color and natural tartness which makes the eating more interesting especially for my toddler daughter who loved Reuben’s recipe. She’s currently going through her crazy twos  and granola has become our reward snack of choice. 

(Bells eating her morning cereal)

Müsli
Growing up I remember eating Bircher Müsli back in Austriae, which is similar to granola. Müsli is made with uncooked rolled oats, which is soaked in water overnight to soften.  It is meant to be consumed with fresh fruits such as thinly sliced apples and berries in addition to hazelnuts, yoghurt, milk and sweetened with honey. These days Müsli can be found conveniently in instant versions on the supermarket shelves (but be sure to read the ingredients!).

To get you started following is a granola recipe – it’s really simple and everybody will love it.

(home-made granola) 

Granola Recipe
(recipe yields four portions for snaking or to be consumed with milk or yoghurt)

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds and/or a mix out of chopped cashews, hazelnuts, pecans
            sunflower seeds, pistachios, walnuts
½ cup maple syrup
2 pinch sea salt
¼ cup dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, blueberries
1 teaspoon vegetable oil such as canola

1. In a bowl mix oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt and dried fruits with a kitchen fork.
2. Brush a cookie sheet pan with vegetable oil. If you don’t have a brush dip a kitchen paper towel into vegetable oil then coat the sheet with it.
3. Bake in a 280 degree Fahrenheit hot oven for 45 minutes.
4. Cool granola then transfer into an airtight container.

Chef’s Note:  experiment with spice powders such as cinnamon, star anis, coriander, ginger, cayenne and such they add an interesting note to the granola recipe.