Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

COLORS OF FALL – the blog

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Leaves turning to yellow then brown seem golden in the autumn sun. Often wind blows through the streets seeming like a brush stroke that whirls the fallen leaves whimsically into the air. When walking through the local farmer’s market, fall becomes particularly evident in the colors of the vegetables  - there are orange pumpkins, golden-yellow hued spaghetti squash, pale-green kapocha squash, purplish and boyish heads of red cabbage.  The beautiful colors are magnificent with bright green Brussels sprouts and turquoise kale leaves during this time of harvest and bounty.   Naturally I cannot decide which to choose so here are tips for preparing various fall vegetables. 

(Fall leafs)  

Fall Vegetable Cooking:
Squash
My favorite recipe for squash is fairly simple. Cut squash such as acorn, spaghetti or hubbard in half, then into wedges, and put them on a sheet pan then sprinkle them with cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne, and brush them generously with agave syrup. Bake the squash wedges for 1 h 30 minutes.

(yes! kapocha squash is still live art)  

Brussels Sprouts
Rinse Brussels sprouts with water. If Brussels sprouts have a woodsy stem cut the stems off then slice them with a knife or a Mandolin into 1/8-inch thick coins. Heat vegetable oil in a 1-gallon sized pot on high heat setting. Roast Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes stirring every minute with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with sea salt, fresh pepper mill grindings.

Kale
 Kale was never on my radar until I started cooking at home for my toddler daughter. I recently had Kale fried and tossed with a spritz of fresh limejuice and a sprinkle of spicy pepper flakes. It was delicious but obviously such a vegetable preparation won’t make me a good parent since it’s not the most nutritious for my kiddo. I’m not fond of microwave cooking but kale works particularly well in a microwave. Rinse kale with water then chop it into ¼-inch wide pieces. Season kale with paprika, cayenne and sea salt. Microwave the mixture for up to three minutes. The kale will be perfectly cooked – it will still have a pleasant texture, color and taste.

Serving Suggestions: arrange the vegetable on a plate then sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil.

 

YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP & POLITICS - the blog

Watching the ongoing political debates and discussing who’s going to be the next president doesn’t leave much time for cooking especially with a busy work schedule. In our household we’ve been cooking delicious soups since they can be prepared in advance and simply reheated in a pot delivering a wholesome and satisfying meal fast. We enjoy the satisfying soups with a freshly baked rustic country loaf of bread. We have becomes fast regulars at a brand new reputable bakery in our neighborhood and we’re getting addicted to it already. Their counter people are really accommodating allowing you to split loaves of bread that is perfect for our soup dinners. This way we never have stale bread left over the next day.

(golden hued split pea soup) 

 

Yellow Split Pea Soup
Yellow split pea soup is one of the soups that we like in particular. It’s satisfying because of its wholesome chunky texture and it’s savory, floral flavor. The golden color of the split peas seems a perfect match with the golden leaves on the trees in the brisk fall season.  

(yellow split pea soup) 

Yellow Split Pea Soup
(recipe yields four servings)

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb potatoes, fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes preferred
2 carrots, approximately 6” long
1 cup yellow split peas
salt, to taste
black pepper mill, to taste 
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Peel onions and garlic. Cut vegetables into ¼-inch sized pieces.
2. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat vegetable oil on medium heat setting, add vegetables and season with salt, pepper, thyme and cook vegetables for 20 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon every 5 minutes to prevent scorching.
3. Add 8 cups water, add split peas and bring to boil and continue to simmer the soup on low heat setting for 60 minutes.
4. Transfer half of the soup into a blender, add a cup of olive oil and process for two minutes. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir to incorporate with a wooden spoon.

Chef’s Tip: Add ½ cup of coconut milk to the split pea soup for an extra velvety texture.

 

NATURALLY TASTY – the blog

Fall and early Winter season produces naturally tasty vegetables in the north eastern hemisphere. This season is almost Spring like with the bounty of vegetables.  The reason is because as temperature cool vegetables such as beets, carrots and turnips, among many others, convert their starches into natural sugars producing beautifully sweet and ripe vegetables. 

(nicely roasted farmers market carrots)

To test the effects yourself simply freeze some of these vegetables and compare them side-by-side with their unfrozen counterparts.  I tried this with a potato – I simply placed one in the freezer until it was frozen solid then steamed it alongside a non-frozen potato.   The frozen version was noticeably sweeter tasting. This does not mean that you have to freeze all your veggies from now on in order to make them taste better. Frost and cold weather is enough to concentrate or convert the natural starches to sugars which boosts flavor, but you may achieve this result with the right herbs and spices as well and transform a basic white skinned potato into a delicious dish. 
One of my favorite desserts in early spring on my menu is parsnip & poppy seed cake.  The parsnips were left in the ground over the winter season so that they were solid frozen for several weeks and brought to the market in early spring for a candy-like taste.  Granted such rare treats are hard to come by and you might be able to obtain them from a farmer’s market only by talking to the people who grow the goods they sell.

Fall Greens
Plants such as kale, Swiss chard and collards store their starch in the leafy part of the plant. Cold weather triggers the conversion of some of the starch to glucose, making the leaves sweeter and resistant to the cold of the season. It might explain why we gravitate towards such leafy vegetables during the fall season.

Tasty fruits
Other sweet tasting examples of fall frost treats are apples, pears and strawberries that are enhanced by natural freeze.  Again the fruits that experienced a freeze were much sweeter.  This brings me to the conclusion that using vegetables and fruits frozen at their peak is preferable to using fresh vegetables of inferior quality or origin.  So I have been buying fruits at the farmer’s market which barely escaped the garbage bin because they did not look good enough and might have had some soft spots and consumers don’t want such “over the hill” looking fruits.  So I take these sweet and slightly bruised goods, freeze them and use them the next day for preserves or fruit butters (e.g. apple butter). It probably goes without saying that they need very little sweetener added!

(simpley roasted root vegetables)  

The following recipe is compatible with the season’s offerings and is meant to more of a guideline in terms of adding vegetables.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
(recipe yields four side portions)
4 golden beets, 1-inch diameter
4 turnips, 1-inch diameter
4 – 8 fingerling potatoes
1 white Swiss chard
½ teaspoon thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper mill grindings, to taste 

1. Peel beets, turnips, potatoes and slice into ¼-inch cubes.
2. Rinse chard with water and separate leaves from stems. Chop the stems into 1-inch long stalks and the leaves into ¼-inch long strips.
3. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat oil on low heat setting and add turnips, potatoes, beets and chard stems. Add some salt and cook vegetable for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir vegetables every 8-10 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables.
4. Add chard leaves and thyme to the cooked vegetables and add ¼ cup water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Season vegetables with pepper and salt to taste.
5. Put vegetables into four serving bowls.

Chef’s Tip: If you’d like the vegetable stew to be a little more substantial sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the roasted vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATURALLY TASTY – the blog

Fall and early Winter season produces naturally tasty vegetables in the north eastern hemisphere. This season is almost Spring like with the bounty of vegetables.  The reason is because as temperature cool vegetables such as beets, carrots and turnips, among many others, convert their starches into natural sugars producing beautifully sweet and ripe vegetables. 

(nicely roasted farmers market carrots)

To test the effects yourself simply freeze some of these vegetables and compare them side-by-side with their unfrozen counterparts.  I tried this with a potato – I simply placed one in the freezer until it was frozen solid then steamed it alongside a non-frozen potato.   The frozen version was noticeably sweeter tasting. This does not mean that you have to freeze all your veggies from now on in order to make them taste better. Frost and cold weather is enough to concentrate or convert the natural starches to sugars which boosts flavor, but you may achieve this result with the right herbs and spices as well and transform a basic white skinned potato into a delicious dish. 
One of my favorite desserts in early spring on my menu is parsnip & poppy seed cake.  The parsnips were left in the ground over the winter season so that they were solid frozen for several weeks and brought to the market in early spring for a candy-like taste.  Granted such rare treats are hard to come by and you might be able to obtain them from a farmer’s market only by talking to the people who grow the goods they sell.

Fall Greens
Plants such as kale, Swiss chard and collards store their starch in the leafy part of the plant. Cold weather triggers the conversion of some of the starch to glucose, making the leaves sweeter and resistant to the cold of the season. It might explain why we gravitate towards such leafy vegetables during the fall season.

Tasty fruits
Other sweet tasting examples of fall frost treats are apples, pears and strawberries that are enhanced by natural freeze.  Again the fruits that experienced a freeze were much sweeter.  This brings me to the conclusion that using vegetables and fruits frozen at their peak is preferable to using fresh vegetables of inferior quality or origin.  So I have been buying fruits at the farmer’s market which barely escaped the garbage bin because they did not look good enough and might have had some soft spots and consumers don’t want such “over the hill” looking fruits.  So I take these sweet and slightly bruised goods, freeze them and use them the next day for preserves or fruit butters (e.g. apple butter). It probably goes without saying that they need very little sweetener added!

(simpley roasted root vegetables)  

The following recipe is compatible with the season’s offerings and is meant to more of a guideline in terms of adding vegetables.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
(recipe yields four side portions)
4 golden beets, 1-inch diameter
4 turnips, 1-inch diameter
4 – 8 fingerling potatoes
1 white Swiss chard
½ teaspoon thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper mill grindings, to taste 

1. Peel beets, turnips, potatoes and slice into ¼-inch cubes.
2. Rinse chard with water and separate leaves from stems. Chop the stems into 1-inch long stalks and the leaves into ¼-inch long strips.
3. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat oil on low heat setting and add turnips, potatoes, beets and chard stems. Add some salt and cook vegetable for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir vegetables every 8-10 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables.
4. Add chard leaves and thyme to the cooked vegetables and add ¼ cup water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Season vegetables with pepper and salt to taste.
5. Put vegetables into four serving bowls.

Chef’s Tip: If you’d like the vegetable stew to be a little more substantial sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the roasted vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BALLS ON FIRE – the blog
Polpettine, Fleischlaibchen, Kloesse, buletten, klopse, gehaktbal , almondegas, or whatever one’s culture calls them, meatballs are a popular menu item!
NYC is in a meatball craze right now, a dish that incorporates some sort of a meatball preparation seems to have found its way on endless menus.
Perhaps its because our grandmothers toiled around with various recipes or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity of meatballs with their savory, saucy comforting way that makes us reach for another.

(Meatballs simple and delicious with a sprinkle of Italian parlsey)

Meatball Cookery 
It’s hard to mess them up: put ground meat in a bowl, add spices and chop some old baked bread, eggs, do some mixing and you’re good to start rolling them. But a delicious meatball is another story. Meatballs can include a mixture of different meats and vegetables such as pork, beef, poultry and chopped vegetables such as carrots,  celery and often onions. Various spices and herbs herbs or a mixture of both often include paprika, pepper, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. In my experience weighing the ingredients of an approved recipe is crucial to make it a success over and over again – no “winging” the recipe my friend! Weighing out spices and herbs make all the difference in meatball cookery.

A word on texture
A meatball’s texture depends on the addition of bread, eggs and foremost the  protein used in the recipe, which holds ingredients together nicely. Protein gives it the overall texture or mouth feel. A vegetarian meatball will need some help in the binding department since vegetables generally have little protein and hence little binding power. Some eggs and/or bread will bind the ingredients together. If you’d like to keep it vegetarian soy protein in powdered form does a very nice job in binding. More and more people including myself seem to do better with a no gluten type of diet hence rice or oats can be substituted for bread.

(American classic meatballs & spaghettie)  

I like to contemporize classic recipes and the following is a good example. A mix of beef and chicken assures a high protein meatball held together with the help of rolled oats, which makes a welcoming bouncy texture.

Up-to Date Meatball Recipe
(recipe yields 4 portions)

1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
1 teaspoon salt
10 black pepper mill grindings
2 lb ground beef (from the shoulder)
1 lb ground chicken
2 cups rolled oats

1. In a 2-quart pot heat oil on medium heat setting and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
2. Put the vegetables on a cutting board and chop finely.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a bowl mix beef and chicken then add oats and vegetables. Incorporate the ingredients throughout with a wooden spoon or use your hands.
5.  Form 2-inch wide meatballs and place them on a shallow oven proof tray.
6. Cook the meatballs for 35 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a kitchen thermometer.

Chef’s Serving Suggestions:
My favorite sauces for meatballs are a simple plum tomato sauce or a pesto. Add shards of freshly shaved parmesan cheese along freshly chopped oregano sprinkled over the meatballs just before serving and this might border on perfection. 

BALLS ON FIRE – the blog
Polpettine, Fleischlaibchen, Kloesse, buletten, klopse, gehaktbal , almondegas, or whatever one’s culture calls them, meatballs are a popular menu item!
NYC is in a meatball craze right now, a dish that incorporates some sort of a meatball preparation seems to have found its way on endless menus.
Perhaps its because our grandmothers toiled around with various recipes or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity of meatballs with their savory, saucy comforting way that makes us reach for another.

(Meatballs simple and delicious with a sprinkle of Italian parlsey)

Meatball Cookery 
It’s hard to mess them up: put ground meat in a bowl, add spices and chop some old baked bread, eggs, do some mixing and you’re good to start rolling them. But a delicious meatball is another story. Meatballs can include a mixture of different meats and vegetables such as pork, beef, poultry and chopped vegetables such as carrots,  celery and often onions. Various spices and herbs herbs or a mixture of both often include paprika, pepper, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. In my experience weighing the ingredients of an approved recipe is crucial to make it a success over and over again – no “winging” the recipe my friend! Weighing out spices and herbs make all the difference in meatball cookery.

A word on texture
A meatball’s texture depends on the addition of bread, eggs and foremost the  protein used in the recipe, which holds ingredients together nicely. Protein gives it the overall texture or mouth feel. A vegetarian meatball will need some help in the binding department since vegetables generally have little protein and hence little binding power. Some eggs and/or bread will bind the ingredients together. If you’d like to keep it vegetarian soy protein in powdered form does a very nice job in binding. More and more people including myself seem to do better with a no gluten type of diet hence rice or oats can be substituted for bread.

(American classic meatballs & spaghettie)  

I like to contemporize classic recipes and the following is a good example. A mix of beef and chicken assures a high protein meatball held together with the help of rolled oats, which makes a welcoming bouncy texture.

Up-to Date Meatball Recipe
(recipe yields 4 portions)

1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
1 teaspoon salt
10 black pepper mill grindings
2 lb ground beef (from the shoulder)
1 lb ground chicken
2 cups rolled oats

1. In a 2-quart pot heat oil on medium heat setting and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
2. Put the vegetables on a cutting board and chop finely.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a bowl mix beef and chicken then add oats and vegetables. Incorporate the ingredients throughout with a wooden spoon or use your hands.
5.  Form 2-inch wide meatballs and place them on a shallow oven proof tray.
6. Cook the meatballs for 35 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a kitchen thermometer.

Chef’s Serving Suggestions:
My favorite sauces for meatballs are a simple plum tomato sauce or a pesto. Add shards of freshly shaved parmesan cheese along freshly chopped oregano sprinkled over the meatballs just before serving and this might border on perfection.