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to Newsletter ...would add the celery first and add the corn towards the end of the process. The second system, is to prepare each item according to its cooking times. An example would be cutting potatoes for potato leek soup small and thin so as to cook in the same amount of time. Some of the sure fire ways to "get it right" is to precook those little items that always throw your timing off. Rice, pasta, beans, or barley are excellent examples of items that are high on the exasperation list. So just precook them, unless they are an intergral part of the thickening process. An example of this would be adding the potatoes early in a chowder to make it extra thick. Of the two types of controls mentioned, adding vegetables in stages, beginning with those that take the longest to cook is an easier approach. When you are dealing with a lot of different vegetables, the cooking times are bound to vary. Therefore, prepare the slow cooking vegetables first...get them started... and while they are cooking, you can prepare the faster cooking items. This way you are not sitting around watching a "pot boil" most of the time. And while we are at it, as a general rule: If you are cooking with wine, dry wines are added early to the pot and sweet wines are added last. Sweet wines, such as Sherry, have a tendency to lose their kick after a short time. So inorder to take advantage of their flavor, they need to be added at the end of the process. 2. Try Thickening Naturally....continued ...or taking advantage of the starch in the ingredients to do the job. Here's a recipe that gives us a look at how that works. Chef Tip: Notice there is no flour in this soup fo thickening. The make this soup thick, we took advantage of the starch in the potatoes. Any starchy vegetabls, ( potatoes, beans, rice, peas, etc.) when pureed in a blender or food processor will thicken the mixture. You can puree some or all of the soup for the consistency you desire. Saftey Note: To achieve a smooth texture, the ingredients should be hot. This can be dangerous in a blender. Only fill the blender 1/2 full and cover the lid with a towel. Only blend on the slowest speed. This will prevent you from being burned or also from having pureed "whatever" all over your kitchen. Shawn's Cream of
Chicken Soup...Serves 4 |
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Over run with tomatoes? Would you consider drying them?, continued...
...To dry foods at home, you will need a solar dryer, an electric dehydrator.....NOT!!! Just an oven will do! Drying indoors in your own oven has several advantages. Controlled-heat shortens the drying time and extends the drying season. Foods dried this way have better color and flavor and rehydrate more effectively. Preparation for Drying. For full-flavored dried fruits and vegetables, select those that are ripe and of peak quality. Wash the produce and peel the varieties with thick skins. Cut the produce into small pieces to hasten drying. Keep the size of the pieces uniform so that drying is even. Blanch the produce to retain the quality. Some fruits--apples, apricots, bananas, etc. tend to discolor when sliced. You can preserve the color by soaking the slices in a solution of one tablespoon lemon juice to one quart of water. Soak the fruits for five minutes, then drain them and spread on trays to dry. How Much Heat? The temperature should be 140 degrees. So just set the dial! Place food directly on oveen racks, one piece deep. If the slats are too far apart, cover the racks with nylon mesh or cheesecloth and then put the food on top of the cloth. Leave the door ajar and use a small fan to aid air circulation. Testing Dryness. Too much moisture left in dried foods will permit mold to grow during storage, so check foods carefully. In general, appropriately dried fruits will have no moisture when cut and squeezed. They will feel leathery and be resilient. Storing. If stored under the right conditions, dried fruits will retain good quality for up to a year and vegetables for up to four months. Keep dried foods in tightly closed jars or insect-resistant plastic bags in a cool, dry place. Can also be frozen. If it turns out that you are serious about this, you might want to check with the experts for the little details at:
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4. Stock, Broth, or Bouillon..So what's the difference, continued... ...it is a concentrate. Real bouillon is when you take that stock or broth you just made and continue to cook it until it reduces to concentrate the flavors. Made from scratch, it's a winner. Bought on store shelves, it's not bouillon at all! Next time you have a minute or two to kill while shopping, read the label. You're in for an education. Try the following recipe for example. Made with stock, broth, or base it will be mild in flavor. Made with bouillon you just might over salt yourself. This is a great recipe to use that butternut squash your neighbor is growing and you know you are getting it as a gift. |
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5. Sachet Bags aren't only for the top dresser drawer, continued... ...Tie the asked for herbs of your recipe into a piece of cheesecloth. Allow the bundle of herbs to simmer in your creation. At the end of the cooking process, remove the bag and discard. You may say to yourself, "Well, I like seeing all those pretty herbs as part of my soup", and that's fine. But if you are adding herbs such as bay leaves or pieces of garlic or whole spices such as peppercorns you might want to do a rethink. The following sachet bag is adequate for flavoring about 2 qt. of liquid: 2 tsp. chopped parsley stems |
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