Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

SAVOY CABBAGE - the blog

Savoy cabbage has a very distinctive look—it will most definitely catch your attention. The highly contrasting shades of green and deeply crinkled texture of the leaves make Savoy cabbages appealing to the eye. Despite the rough appearance, the leaves of Savoy cabbage are tender, even when eaten raw. It makes them an ideal choice for salads or as a wrapping leaf in a roll-up. In addition to its taste and texture, another highly beneficial trait is that it lacks the sulfur-like odor that most people are more than familiar with. This makes Savoy cabbage the perfect choice for cooking as well. I equally like it with roasted fish and grilled meat—meaning it stands up perfectly well next to strongly flavored foods.

Savoy cabbage beauty!

Green, red or Savoy cabbage
Compared to the leaves of green and red cabbages, tenderness is a huge factor in the appeal of Savoy cabbage. The green and red cabbages have a slightly bitter taste. Savoy cabbage, by comparison, is milder and sweeter. In addition the uneven surface of Savoy cabbage captures sauces much better than the flat-leafed green and red cabbage varieties and therefore tends to be more flavorful—capturing more sauce with each bite certainly equals more flavor.

Savoy cabbage = powerhouse
Like the rest of the cabbage family, Savoy cabbage has an excellent nutritional value. It's low in calories and contains no fat or cholesterol. It is a good source of dietary fiber and protein. In general, cabbage is rich in vitamins and minerals such as thiamine (B-1), folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, manganese, calcium, copper, phosphorous, and copper. In addition, cabbage is an excellent source of both Vitamins K and C. Its high levels of antioxidants make it disease combating—exactly what we need in the cold winter season. These properties make cabbage one of the world’s healthiest foods this time of year.

The following is currently my favorite cooked cabbage recipe. It is pleasantly spicy because of the addition of an increased amount of black pepper and a tad bit of cayenne.

Savoy cabbage with tomato sauce

Spiced Cabbage Sauté with Tomatoes
(recipe yields 4-6 portions)
1.5 pounds prepped cabbage or 1 whole, medium-sized head Savoy cabbage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower oil
8 oz canned, chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and more to taste
20 turns black pepper from a mill, and more to taste
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1) With a chef’s knife cut off the bottom 1/2-inch of the cabbage. Remove the dark green leaves and throw out. Cut cabbage vertically in half. With the tip of the knife cut the core out of the cabbage and discard. In 1 1/2-inch intervals cut cabbage and then across into 1 1/2-inch squares.
2) In a gallon-sized pot, heat the oil, then add the cabbage and cook for 15 minutes on high heat. Stir cabbage gently with a wooden spoon.
3) Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and vinegar, and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
4) Add parsley and adjust seasoning with black pepper and salt.

Chef’s note: For variation, 2 tablespoons of capers make a great addition to the above reci

 

CAFFEINE WEANING - the blog

My New Year’s resolution—in addition to a number of my friend’s—was to wean myself off of coffee, and I’m happy to say that it’s still going strong. I think many can agree that sipping a cup of Joe gives you that happy rush, which often feels so good. It seems like a perfect pick-me-up beverage in the morning when your own gears just don’t want to kick in. In my case, that cup of Joe used to call for me again around 3pm. Especially when I had spent a fair number of hours in front of a computer screen or when my internal mid-day clock was getting quieter and quieter—to that point where it felt like I needed a nap.

tea sampler

You may think, so what's wrong with a cup of Joe? In my experience, coffee tends to be an extremely acidic beverage that may upset my internal ecosystem. It is known that caffeine stresses the adrenals and can cause blood sugar issues. Sure, coffee delivers that needed rush, but on the other hand it leads to a feeling of going up the walls. Also, I noticed my facial complexion gets a gray tone accompanied by rings under my eyes—this may be because caffeine dehydrates the body, which leads to that grayness and overall sluggishness.

green tea

A change was on the horizon
It seemed like a good idea to have another hot morning beverage alternative, so I have been drinking tisanes up the wazoo. Currently, the following are sure to be found in my kitchen cabinet: deep red rooibos, and South American herba mate (contains caffeine), which is often celebrated as a coffee substitute and has a slightly bitter taste similar to green tea.

Chef’s Note: Virtually any dried flowers, fruits, spices or herbs steeped in hot water can be called a tisane. Usually there are no tea leaves in tisanes and are traditionally caffeine-free. Tisanes are said to be relaxing or rejuvenating.

Skipping coffee and drinking tea has been improving my overall mental energy, focus, mood and also promoted deeper sleeping, which is important since I don't sleep usually more then six hours. Currently my yogi friends have me hooked on chai tea that I like to prepare as follows.

when caffeine gets to you

Home-made Chai Tea
(recipe yields 8 cups)
2 sticks cinnamon, 2” long
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
5 cups water
¼ cup Assam or Darjeeling tea, or 3 tea bags of these teas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup honey
4 cups water

1.     In a pot, combine cardamom and cloves in the water and bring to boil. Simmer mixture 15 minutes on low heat.
2.     Add the tea and steep on the side of the stove for 2-3 minutes. A longer steep time will increase bitterness in the tea. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
3.     Add honey, vanilla and water (or milk, see tip below) and heat on the stovetop.

Chef’s Tip:  Instead of the water, add 3 cups cow’s, almond or rice milk for a chai latte version of the beverage.

 

…Quick caffeine comparison:

Coffee, average 160 mg

Coca Cola, 21 mg

Rockstar Energy,160 mg

Red Bull, 75 mg

Monster, 151 mg

Herba maté, 85 mg

Black tea  (Darjeeling), 42 mg

Green tea, 25 mg

 

MANICURED BEETS - the blog

For the locavore in me, beets are a good choice this time of the year. At my local natural market they are one of the few vegetables next to rutabaga, potatoes and onions advertised as “local vegetables.” Indeed, they are sweet tasting and, when prepped raw and shaved paper-thin, they have a particular earthy flavor note that I enjoy very much. Beet salads prepared with apples or oranges and goat cheese gives the perfect balance to that earthiness. Toasted nuts such as pistachios, pine nuts or pumpkin seeds add terrific textural contrast. Most of the time I keep several of those ingredients at home, which makes it easy to prepare beets in different styles.

red beets

Bleeding beets
Granted, larger beets have an extended cook time and the "bleeding" of the deep-red color can get tricky on white kitchen counters. The other day I happily discovered pre-cooked, vacuum-packed beets at the before-mentioned local natural food market. It took the red-staining prep work out of my beet preparation and gave birth to several delectable beet dishes. A major plus was that these pre-cooked beets were soft enough to be cut with my egg slicer, which saved my white cutting board from being stained.

Chef’s note: An egg slicer is a harp-like small kitchen tool. Cutting avocados, eggs and now red beets becomes a mess-free event. It makes perfect thin, even slices. A couple of bucks spent was well worth the investment for the egg slicer.

I studied the ingredient list of the pre-cooked beets and realized that there were no other ingredients in the beet’s boiling process, so they needed seasoning. I tossed my sliced beets in a bowl with sunflower seed oil, balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of black truffle oil. I keep black truffle oil in the refrigerator, which keeps it from getting rancid since a small amount goes a long way and the oil can last for several months in my kitchen. A dash of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper from my pepper mill wrapped up the seasoning step. I arranged the dressed beets in one straight line in the middle of white plates. Then, I sprinkled the beets with fragrant basil strips and toasted, salted pine nuts, which added richness. For acidic punch I sprinkled a few chunks of oranges onto the beets. It was a stunningly simple dish prepared in under 30 minutes and looked like it could have been served in any mannered restaurant.

beet carpaccio

Beet Carpaccio
(recipe yields four portions)
1 pack vacuum packed beets, 16 ounces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon black truffle oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 grindings black pepper from the mill
2 tablespoons toasted, salted pine nuts
3 basil leaves sliced into 1/8” thick strips

1 orange, peeled with a knife and chopped into ¼-inch cubes

Chef’s tip: Wear disposable plastic gloves or use a plastic bag over your hands when prepping beets—it will protect your fingers and fingernails from the crimson-red beet juice.

 

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BITTER COLD, BITTER GREENS - the blog

January is here! It never ceases to amaze me how health conscious many of my friends become after the new year. All of a sudden it starts to matter what they're stuffing into their bodies. I suppose it's all the indulging over the holidays and the New Year’s resolutions that cause their mindsets. Later, when February rolls around, many are back to their old habits. For my part, I also crave rich food when it's really cold, like it is now. This time of the year I enjoy preparing seasonal winter salads. They're a nice change of pace to the everyday menus that tend to be filled with heavier foods. Leafy salads like frisée, endive, escarole, radicchio and dandelion greens have a bitter flavor profile that needs to be complemented with flavor-balancing ingredients. I suggest rich dressings such as brown butter, bacon, egg yolk and oil (a.k.a. mayonnaise), tahini and crumbled blue cheese, and buttermilk. I like to toss some marinated olives into the mix with their salty, brine-y taste. Furthermore, rich nuts such as cashews and pine nuts add welcome texture. Additionally, I usually add a sweet note with fresh fruits like apple slices, chunks of pears, orange segments, pomegranate seeds or dried fruits such as dates, cranberries or apricots. These fruits give balance to the natural bitterness that come along with the salad greens.

When composing a winter salad the variations seem endless to me but I’m listing some of my recent favorites here.  Each recipe yields two salads.

Romaine & Apples with Dates
6 oz romaine, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 apple, such as crispin or granny smith
1/4 cup cashews, toasted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 black pepper grindings from the mill
4 dried dates, pitted and cut into thin slices

1) Toss all ingredients in a bowl.

Frisée & Bacon with Blue Cheese
6 ounces frisée, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 thick slices of bacon, 1/4-inch thick cut, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
1 slice whole grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5 grindings black pepper from the mill

1) Heat bacon on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bread and continue to cook for another minute.
2) In a bowl, sprinkle frisée with vinegar, then add cooked bacon/bread mixture. Adjust seasoning with sea salt if necessary.

 

endive & orange salad

Endive & Orange with Pine Nuts
4 pieces endive, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 mandarin oranges, peeled and divided into sections
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 grindings black pepper from the mill

1) Toss all ingredients in a bowl.

dandelion & pomegranate salad

Dandelion & Pomegranate with Candied Walnuts
1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 bunch dandelion greens, chopped 1-inch wide
4 ounces romaine, chopped 1-inch wide
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 grindings black pepper from the mill
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1) Coat a plate with vegetable oil. Toast walnuts on medium heat for 2 minutes, then add maple syrup. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring with a spoon. Pour nuts onto the greased plate. Cool for 10 minutes, then chop nuts with a knife into small pieces.
2) In a bowl, toss all ingredients.

 

BUTTONS & BARLEY - the blog

In my world the holidays equals all things indulgent. Appropriately, rich food such as festive pork ham, goose, heavenly mac and cheese, fancy brioche rolls and my mother’s Christmas cookies start to overwhelm me. To top it off, the New Year’s dinner party plan is to prepare a buffet with a tour of endless foods. I'm thankful for all the goodies, but that constant overeating starts to get to me. Time to unpack my New Year’s resolutions!

barley

This time of the year, especially when it's cold outside, my body craves comforting foods, and I have been unraveling some soothing, pleasant recipes.

Mushrooms are good.
Dried mushrooms make a soup rich in flavor vs. being glutinous. They're readily available in many stores and can be kept in the cupboard for many weeks if need be—perfect for an impromptu recipe. In addition, I like to combine them with fresh button mushrooms, garlic and onions, which make the base flavor for my soup. The satisfying kicker is added with barley.

slowly simmered barley

Mushroom & Barley Soup
(recipe yield for 4 portions)
1 cup dried sliced shiitake
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as sunflower seed
1 cup red onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 grindings black pepper from a mill
10 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup barley, soaked in water overnight
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoon miso paste
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1) Cover shiitake mushrooms with 4 cups of hot water.
2) In a gallon-sized pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and thyme. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
3) Add button mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes.
4) Add broth, the shiitake mushrooms with their 4 cups of soaking water, button mushrooms and barley; bring to boil and cook on low heat for 45 minutes.
5) Take the soup off the flame and add soy sauce, miso and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Chef’s tip: Try the recipe above with one cup of finely chopped watercress instead of the parsley.

 

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