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Easter Recipe
I was reading New York magazine last week. I used to live there (in New York, not the magazine). I like to keep up with what's going on.
It's full of the usual stuff of magazines -- what to wear, who's wearing what to wear, where they're buying what to wear, where they're wearing what to wear, what they're talking about when they're wearing what to wear, what gadgets they're buying when they're wearing what to wear, what restaurants they go to when they're wearing what to wear, and what they are eating at the restaurant when they are wearing what to wear.
It is a magazine that has no equal when it comes to explaining the huge differences between a tiny, black leather $700 purse and the identical (except to the trained shopper's eye) $1,400 purse; between the $1,200 shoes and their offensive look-alike $300 cousins.
A few weeks ago, New York magazine ran a feature in their food section on how to prepare burdock roots correctly for your next dinner party.
If you live in the country, you know what burdock is. Every now and then your dog or cat or child will come home with prickly, sticky balls of burdock in their hair that must be painstakingly and painfully combed or cut out.
But like many people, you may never have eaten a burdock root. You may not even know anyone who has eaten a burdock root. All I could think was "Who could possibly know more about eating burdock than a New Yorker?"
In Manhattan, where almost no one drives a car, where almost no one grills a hamburger on summer weekends, where there are no lawns to mow, where there are no shopping malls, where there are no Wal-Marts, where it's almost impossible to find a gas station, where there is no burdock - they know about burdock roots?
Recently, The New York Times ran a story about a new trend -- olive oil tastings. You mean you haven't been to one yet? Wine tastings and bottled water tastings and oxygen tastings are so passe. Where have you been?
A recent headline in their Travel Section read, "Why is Everyone Going to Bhutan?" I'm waiting to cross Quebec off my "Places to Go Before I Die" list and they've already been to Bhutan?
My only problem with all this is that many New Yorkers think it's normal. And many of those New Yorkers spend their weekends at my farmhouse in the country where they like to suggest practical, thoughtful and easy ways Sue and I can improve our sad, pathetic, empty, non-Manhattan lives if we would only do things their way.
"Why don't you get some chickens?" Bob Ferguson asked. This is the same Bob Ferguson who calls the super to his apartment when a light bulb goes out because he doesn't know how to change one.
"Because we're saving up to go to Bhutan," I said.
"It's not what it's cracked up to be," he said.
"You've actually been there?"
"Not for a few years, but you know, back when it was the place to go. Back when everybody was going. Maybe it's changed."
Bob was teaching Sue how to make "authentic" southern fried chicken from a recipe he had cut out of The New York Times.
"They went down to North Carolina or South Carolina or someplace and found this old woman who everybody said made the best fried chicken in the land. They spent weeks down there researching and learning exactly how things were done."
The first line of the recipe for Authentic Southern Fried Chicken read, "Take a teaspoon of Kosher salt ..."
Salt is salt, and it tasted just like my Southern mother's fried chicken, but I had to wonder where in world they got this recipe. Is there a Bhutan, North Carolina?
Jim Mullen is the author of It Takes a Village Idiot: Complicating the Simple Life.
Easter Recipe
Bali and Balinese themes have been an endless source of inspiration for many artists. French artist Jean Philippe Haure, or J-Philippe, naturally and beautifully used the island as inspiration in the 30 works recently displayed at the CSIS building in Jakarta.
Under the theme Passages, J-Philippe brought viewers to the idyllic land of Bali through his imagination and artistic expression. The displayed works mostly reveal ordinary old men and women working at traditional markets and in the rice fields. Young female dancers fitting their glittering costumes, beautiful girls, women and their children often appear in his canvasses.
In his work entitled Passage VI, J-Philippe portrays a grandmother, with an old, wrinkled, sad face, sitting with three boys. Two more old women chatting can be seen in the dimly lit background. In his works he presents ordinary people with ordinary lives.
"Maybe because I came from low-class society in France's rural area, it has been easy for me to vividly capture their feeling, their emotion and their everyday activities."
What is so special about ordinary people, he said, is that they lead a simple and honest life.
Born in Orleans, France, 37 years ago, to a talented artisan, young J-Philippe entered the prestigious Ecole Boulle art school in Paris.
"My grandfather was a farmer, while my father is a skillful artisan. Every Sunday, we did our painting work just as a hobby," he quipped, adding he might have inherited his father's artistic prowess.
Upon graduation, he worked on the restoration of antique French furniture. In l989, he joined the monastery of Saint Benoit sur Loire,
A year later, the National Service Volunteer appointed him to serve at the Sasana Hasta Karya Art School in a village in Gianyar regency, thousands of miles away from his country.
"Since I was a boy, I had always dreamed of working as a volunteer somewhere faraway from my home. I meant a permanent volunteer, not just a temporary one who came and went in a certain period of time," he said.
J-Philippe was sent to Gianyar on a special mission to become a dedicated art teacher to dozens of young artists, many of whom were school dropouts.
A devout Catholic, J-Philippe said he did not come to Bali to become a painter or as a tourist.
"I landed here fifteen years ago just to serve the community -- equipped with my knowledge on arts and my commitment," he said.
At the Gianyar art school, founded by French Catholic priest Father Le Coutour, J-Philippe developed new art teaching methods in the making of furniture, drawing, painting, carving and machinery.
Upon arrival, he stayed at Puri Abianbase with the royal family, where he learned about Balinese life and culture.
He became a member of the palace's traditional music troop Ble Ganjur.
"I started painting seriously in l997," he explained.
"Being a foreigner was quite difficult sometimes. After 15 years in Bali, I feel quite comfortable here. When visiting my hometown, I feel like a foreigner," he said.
For J-Philippe, art is an effective tool for bridging two different worlds, the West and the East. "Art is a universal communication means that can reach any person, beyond geographical, cultural and social boundaries," he said.
Every morning before teaching at the art school, he hides himself in his lumbung (granary) studio on the slope of the river in Kubu Bingin art village in Gianyar.
When visiting his studio recently, J-Philippe displayed some of his unfinished works.
"I think of the background of my painting before putting objects on it," he pointed at a canvas already painted with soft-pastel colors.
"Just follow my mood and emotion," he exclaimed. After composing structures and colors on the canvases then he inserts objects and characters that fit with the mood of the surface.
Art critic Jean Couteau said of J-Philippe that it was it was "definitely color that structures the painting."
Couteau said the works were mainly abstract, that their main was was their color composition.
"A `sensitive' answer to the problem of the encounter of genres, J-Phillippe's paintings are exactly at the crossroads of abstraction and figuration; and of photography and painting," Couteau comments. J-Philippe is also an accomplished photographer.
The inclusion of his works in different genres does not bother this artist. "I only focus on my work," he said.
It was indeed difficult to persuade him to display his works. "It requires a very strong commitment and effort when you agree to do an exhibition," he added.
Talent, he said, was not enough to be a good artist. An artist should have professionalism, patience, persistence and self-discipline.
"You can't accept any invitation to exhibit your works when you do not have something good enough to be shown to the public," he said.
In his current exhibition in Jakarta, he displays 30 paintings, the products of a year of hard work.
J-Philippe did not mean to overestimate his works; rather he had to explain his limited capacity as a painter and as a human being. "We have limitations -- of ideas, of time and energy."
Market pressures have often drawn artists to endless work.
In the last ten years, J-Philippe witnessed many young talented painters walk across the Indonesian art stage.
"They were propelled to rich and fame instantly thanks to the power of media and art dealers."
However, many of them are now drained of fresh ideas after succumbing to the market's demands.
Painters, he said, needed a good patron to protect them from the glitter and fussy market world in order to maintain their fresh ideas, their talent and the consistent quality of their art works.
"Galleries, art agencies or any parties can play this role," he said. The artist, on the other hand, has a responsibility to create quality work.
In J-Philippe's mind, painting expresses his idea of humanity; of friendship and of life and culture around him.
Jean Philippe Haure's works can be viewed at the Bamboo Gallery in Ubud, Gianyar, Bali.
Easter Recipe
When it comes to a backyard cookout, it's hard to beat a quick-seared steak or a juicy burger. Sometimes, though, you need a little variety to liven things up; man and woman cannot live on beef alone.
That's where seafood comes in, making for a refreshing change of pace, whether it's for a Fourth of July cookout, an informal family picnic or a dinner party on the deck for friends. Unlike beef and even chicken, fish pairs especially well with the fresh herbs, citrus flavors and white wines that fit so well with summertime entertaining.
But while we love the taste of smoky salmon fillets, tender tuna steaks and mouthwatering mountain trout, it can be a struggle to keep even the sturdiest piece of fish from sticking and crumbling on the grill. With a few low-tech, inexpensive tools available for under $20 at home goods and hardware stores, however, grilling fish and shellfish is easy and delicious.
One of the simplest pieces of equipment is a fish basket, which can be purchased for about $10 and keeps delicate fish such as trout from directly touching the cooking grate (and, potentially, sticking to it no matter how well you've oiled the grate and the fish). Fish stuffed with herbs, lemons, limes and other fillings also tend to stay held together better in the basket.
One of the most versatile kitchen implements you can own in your quest for delicious fish is a cast-iron pan, which makes it easy to cook shellfish, such as mussels and clams, in butter and wine for a simple, light dinner or first course.
Cast-iron pans will last you a lifetime, can be used to make a variety of grilled, fried and baked dishes, and often can be purchased for $20 or less. Clean-up is easy: wipe with a damp rag.
Another essential tool of cooking seafood is a cedar plank, which is soaked for several hours before you place fish fillets, fish steaks or whole fish on it and then is placed directly on the grill. The moisture from the plank keeps the fish incredibly tender while also protecting it from the flames, and the cedar gives the fish a sweet, smoky, spicy flavor. Another benefit? No need to flip the fish and risk mangling it. Cedar planks are also great for grilling beef, pork and chicken dishes with or without marinades, rubs or barbecue sauces. They are available in packs of two or three for about $5, and usually can be reused several times.
WHOLE SMOKE-GRILLED MOUNTAIN TROUT
The smoky, herbaceous flavors of this dish will remind you of your last mountain-camping trip. While the recipe calls for applewood smoking chips, you can also use mesquite chips in the smoker box or foil packet (for gas grills) or thrown in with the coals of your charcoal grill. Also, this recipe couldn't be simpler to prepare streamside, if you're lucky enough to land a trout of your own. Just substitute a little olive oil for the mayonnaise coating on the skin of the fish _ it will give the recipe a different flavor, of course, but serve the same purpose of keeping the fish from sticking to the cooking grate.
4 small whole rainbow, golden or mountain trout, scaled and gutted
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 sprigs fresh thyme
8 sprigs fresh oregano
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 lemon slices, 1/4-inch thick
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (optional)
Applewood or mesquite smoking chips
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Coat the outside of each trout with mayonnaise. In the body cavity of each fish, stuff 2 thyme sprigs, 2 oregano sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig and 2 lemon slices. Add a little garlic if you like. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
Light a charcoal fire or preheat your gas grill on high. Oil your grill's cooking grate (or inside of a fish basket, if using). When the coals are almost ready or the gas is close to preheating, add the smoking chips and cover (or for gas grill, add chips to smoker box or foil pouch with holes punched in it). Wait until a good head of smoke is obvious, then add trout. Cover and cook 5 to 6 minutes each side, depending on thickness of trout (use the 10-minute-per-inch rule as a guide).
Remove trout from heat to a platter and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with drizzle of first-rate extra-virgin olive oil.
Serves 4.
_ "The Big Book of Fish & Shellfish," by Fred Thompson
SWEET & SPICY GRILLED FLORIBBEAN CEDAR-PLANKED SALMON
Break out of your dill-sauce rut with this zesty, Caribbean-style salmon recipe. The fish is cooked on cedar planks that have been soaked for several hours, then placed directly on your gas or charcoal grill. Moisture from the planks keeps the salmon tender and moist (and keeps you from having to flip and potentially mangle the fish), and the cedar gives the fish a slightly smoky, spicy flavor.
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like more heat)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of one small orange
Zest of one lemon
Approximately 6 tablespoons honey mustard
Approximately 1-1/2 pounds of salmon fillets with skin on
1 untreated cedar plank large enough to hold fillets
Olive oil
Chopped fresh cilantro, basil and mint (optional, for garnish)
Combine first nine ingredients in small bowl. Cut salmon into 4 6-ounce fillets or 6 4-ounce fillets, as desired.
Brush honey mustard on each filet and place in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle fillets evenly with sugar-and-spice mixture and pat lightly to adhere mixture. Allow to marinate 2 to 6 hours in refrigerator.
While salmon marinates, soak cedar plank fully submerged in water for at least 4 hours.
When ready to grill, preheat grill on high for approximately 10 minutes. Place cedar plank on grill and allow it to get hot and start smoking.
Brush top side of plank liberally with olive oil and place fillets, skin side down, on plank. Turn one side of grill down to medium heat and move cedar plank to that side of grill. Keep other side of grill on high heat.
Close lid and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until fillets are cooked through and flake easily. While fillets are cooking, peek under lid occasionally to be sure planks have not caught on fire.
If planks start to flame, put flames out with a squirt bottle of water and reduce heat if necessary to avoid flare-ups.
For a dramatic effect, serve fish directly on planks and garnish liberally with chopped fresh herbs.
Serves 4 to 6.
_ Chef Carla O'Donnell, Culinary Capers Personal Chef Services
GRILL-ROASTED MUSSELS WITH WHITE WINE & SHALLOTS
This dish makes an exciting presentation for guests, and if you're using a charcoal grill it will pick up smoky undertones in addition to the briny flavor of the mussels, the rich taste of the wine and the fresh taste of the herbs. You will need a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for this recipe.
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 pounds natural or farm-raised mussels
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup full-bodied dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
Toasted French bread for serving, optional
Chop shallots, garlic and parsley. Clean the mussels by pulling off beards and scrubbing shells with a sturdy brush under running water. If they are natural, not farm-raised mussels, they should be soaked for 30 to 60 minutes in a solution of 2 tablespoons salt to 8 cups cold water to encourage them to expel sand and grit. Repeat if a lot of grit collects in the bowl. Discard any mussels whose shells are cracked or that fail to close to the touch.
About 20 minutes before you start cooking, preheat grill for direct grilling over high heat.
In a 12-inch cast-iron frying pan, heat olive oil on stovetop over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until shallots soften and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine and pepper and bring to boil over high heat. Carefully add mussels to frying pan.
Place frying pan on very hot grill and cook, covered, by stirring mussels occasionally with tongs, until the shells open, about 5 minutes.
Transfer mussels to warmed bowls, discarding any mussels that failed to open and leaving cooking liquid in pan. Add parsley and butter to liquid and whisk continuously until butter melts and sauce starts to thicken and come together. Spoon sauce over mussels and serve right away with toasted bread.
Makes 2 main-course or 4 first-course servings.
_ "Mastering Grilling," by Rick Rodgers
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette food editor Amy McConnell Schaarsmith can be reached at aschaarsmith(at)post-gazette.com.)
Easter Recipe
The judges' picnic table at the Taste of Niagara at Outwater Park was filled with food Saturday evening, except for one item.
There were no seconds of Papa Leo's new Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza.
'That would be the one that's gone,' said Petty Officer David Vendetti of Niagara Falls who was dressed in his dress white uniform. 'Papa Leo's Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza is the best so far.'
There were five judges and the Cordon Bleu Pizza got unanimous approval. The topping was made with a blend of three cheeses: Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella; ham, ranch dressing and chicken.
'Everybody is trying something different these days. Everyone wants a specialty pizza and it feeds the family,' said chef Gary Chapman who created it for the Taste of Niagara.
see taste on page 8A
taste...
continued from page 1a
Sharon Livermore, who describe herself as an innocent bystander from Gasport, said, 'That Chicken Cordon Bleu from Pappa Leo's is indescribable.'
It was also the choice of Melissa Junke, Lockport's executive director of department of youth and recreation. The Cordon Bleu Pizza and Mrs. Ribs were her favorites.
'I like being a judge,' she said. 'I don't know if I'll like it in about a half an hour. Right now I'm having a great time.'
The Cordon Bleu Pizza earned the best specialty pizza award, organizer Richard Hoose announced. Papa Leo's also won for its side dish, corn nuggets.
The Apple Orchard Inn won three blue ribbons and Mark's Pizzeria took two food prizes and won best booth display. Garlock's prime rib and Mrs. Ribs barbecue ribs won again.
'I don't come in here to win awards, I just love what I do,' said Sarah Person, AKA Mrs. Ribs. 'It's a third generation secret sauce. It was my mother's mother's recipe.'
Mrs. Ribs won the award in 2005 and 2006, the Taste of Lockport and the Culinary Art award in Lewiston. Person is helped in the mobile kitchen by her children who she has given special names.
They are Eula 'Baby Ribs,' Geraldine 'Collard Greens' and Tony 'Baked Beans.' Her daughter's fianc', Collins, might be called 'Mac & Cheese' in August. Collard Greens wants to be the next Mrs. Ribs.
'I play around a lot. I name all the kids after the food,' said Mrs. Ribs, who has been in business seven years. However, officers at the Fairgrounds named her son, Fred, 'Cornbread.'
The restaurant on wheels will be in Lewiston next weekend.
The Committee' Choice and the People Choice, which is based on volume, will be announced today.
Business picked up in the evening after temperatures reaching 90 degrees may have kept crowds down during the day.
'We want to make it good for everyone involved, for the restaurants and to get the expenses paid so we can have money to donate charity,' Hoose said. 'Last year we were in the hole 800 bucks. That came out of my pocket.'
Garlock's and Mrs. Ribs ran out of everything. Phil and Beth Banks of Appleton worked at the Winery of Marjim Manor on East Lake Road for Margot Bittner. Three tastes of wine cost two tickets.
'There's some enthusiasm about the fruit wines,' Phil Banks said. 'Those that are trying the wines seem to be enjoying them. This is a new experience for them.'
'It' a nice little affair,' said John DiCarlo who was visiting from Fort Myers brother. 'They should continue.'
Mildred Klimek in Appleton offered, 'I think it's wonderful that Lockport does something like this.'
Easter Recipe
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski was fresh out of ideas for his prolific pen. The founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Aliquippa admits he was anxious. After 50 books, what would he write about next?
"Writing is as addictive to me as alcohol and cocaine are to the chemically dependent," says Twerski, a noted psychiatrist and scholar whose titles include "When Do The Good Things Start? and "Waking Up Just in Time" (illustrated by Charles M. Schulz of "Peanuts" fame, part of a series -- Hazelden, $13.95 paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, $10.95 paperback, respectively); and "The Spiritual Self: Reflections on Recovery and God" (Hazelden, $13.95 paperback).
"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat," he says. "We had some friends over, and I asked whether someone could come up with an idea to write about. The answer was, no matter how many cookbooks there are, there are never enough cookbooks."
"A Taste of Nostalgia: Tales and Recipes to Nourish Body and Soul" was born. Twerski contacted Judy Dick, an editor at ArtScroll/Shaar Press in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the two opened their recipe files to share dishes from family and friends. The book -- $24.99 -- was published in March.
Twerski also dipped into his deep bag of stories, recollections and 70-plus years of memories to offer descriptions of Jewish holidays past and present and tales of the Chosen People that often are followed by a punch line, or, more often, a moral that will make readers think twice. That's one reason why the rabbi doesn't label "Taste of Nostalgia" a cookbook per se, but calls it a "storybook with some great recipes."
The rabbi and his daughters contributed recipes; the majority of the 150 are from co-author Dick. They are simple and honest --- like the rabbi's own chicken soup recipe -- and coordinate with the Jewish holidays and the weekly Shabbat.
"I happen to like to cook," says Twerski, who visited Pittsburgh recently during a visit from his home in New York, where he lives with his wife, Gail, a psychotherapist. "My mother had five boys -- I was the only girl in the family," he quips. "I had a nanny, and I hung around her in the kitchen and got interested in cooking."
Twerski says he's a "volume" home cook, making dishes in large quantities and freezing them for later meals. "I've got a restaurant pot so I can make a ton of soup all the time," he says. "The only thing is (the pot) is difficult to clean." He and his wife enjoy entertaining, but don't get the opportunity as much as they would like.
"We're trying to cut down on work so we can take more time for vacations," the 74-year-old physician adds. Until then, his next book, No. 51, will be published in July, and he is working on a history of Gateway -- between bubbling batches of chicken soup.
Bubbie's Chicken Soup
This is how Rabbi Twerski makes his favorite chicken soup.
5 quarts water
1 package beef or veal neck bones, about 2 pounds
2 medium-size beets, peeled
1 package chicken bones, about 2 pounds
2 large onions, halved
4 large carrots, peeled
1 kohlrabi, peeled
1 parsley root, peeled
2 ribs celery
1 piece (3- by 3-inch) celery root
Salt, to taste
1 small zucchini
1 leek, trimmed and washed
4 sprigs fresh dill, optional
4 teaspoons dry chicken soup mix, optional
Fill a 12-quart or larger pot with the water, neck bones and beet. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chicken bones, onions, carrots, kohlrabi, parsley root, celery ribs, celery root and salt. Simmer for 2 hours. Add the zucchini and leek. Simmer for 30 minutes.
If desired, add the dill and chicken soup mix during the last 60 minutes of cooking.
Allow to cool. Remove the solid ingredients and reserve for another use. Strain the soup through a fine sieve.
Makes 5 quarts.
Moroccan Fish
If desired, substitute 1 tablespoon hot paprika for 1 tablespoon of the sweet paprika. This recipe is from one of Twerski's daughters-in-law, Michal. The rabbi says the hot pepper makes it a tad too spicy-hot for him, so omit that ingredient if you have a sensitive palate.
4 cups water, more if needed
1 salmon fillet (2 pounds), cut into six 5-ounce servings
3 large carrots, cut into circles or sticks
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 hot green or red pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dry chicken stock mix
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika, divided
1 handful fresh cilantro, cleaned and stemmed, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Place 4 cups water into a large poaching pan or deep roasting pan. Add the carrots, sweet and hot peppers and garlic. Add the chicken stock mix, salt and 1 tablespoon paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Place the salmon slices on the simmering sauce.
Combine the oil with 1 tablespoon paprika in a cup and let the paprika settle to the bottom. Pour the seasoned oil on the fish slices and garnish with cilantro. Simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, basting the fish occasionally with the seasoned sauce.
If necessary, add 1/4 cup water to the mixture at a time to ensure adequate sauce.
Makes 6 servings.
Whole-Wheat Rolls
Here's a recipe from another Twerski daughter-in-law, Hendel. Yes, this uses 5 pounds of whole-wheat flour -- an entire bag. Home bakers who use all granulated sugar instead of a mixture of sugar and honey probably are going to have to make adjustments, adding more water, some all-purpose flour and one or 2 more eggs, to achieve a dough of kneading consistency. A standard counter-size heavy-duty mixer will not work with this quantity of dough -- you might burn out the motor.
To work around this problem, place the flour in a very large bowl, make a well in the center, then add 2 cups water, the yeast and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. After the mixture bubbles, start working the flour and liquid together, using your hands. You will have a shaggy mass. Add the other ingredients, in order, and continue working the dough with your hands.
To knead it in the mixer, break into batches and knead portions with the dough hooks, adding more water and some all-purpose flour to adjust the consistency. If you need to add another one or two eggs, add during the mixer kneading, then knead all the batches together by hand to integrate the ingredients before you form the rolls.
5 pounds stone-ground whole-wheat flour
5 cups warm water, divided, more if needed
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey or granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons table salt
All-purpose flour, for kneading
Put the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Make a well in the flour. Add 2 cups warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Wait for the mixture to bubble (about 10 minutes).
In order, add 3 cups warm water, the oil, honey or 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, baking powder and salt. Mix for 10 minutes or longer, until a smooth dough forms. Adjust the water, and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down the dough and reknead. Let rise again for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into 30 pieces. Shape into rolls and place onto 2 or 3 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Let the shaped rolls rise for 45 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 1/2 hour or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Makes 30 rolls.
Cheese Crepes (Blintzes) for a Crowd
Look for farmer cheese at cheese specialty shops or in the kosher dairy section of your supermarket. Vanilla sugar can be purchased in food specialty stores or in markets featuring international baking ingredients. Daughter-in-law Hendel also contributed this recipe to "A Taste of Nostalgia."
For the crepes:
7 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
Vegetable oil, butter or margarine, for greasing frying pan
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds farmer cheese
8 ounces plain cream cheese, at room temperature, whipped
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
To make the crepes: In a bowl, combine the eggs, flour, milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar, the salt, 1/2 cup oil and the water. Blend, using a whisk. The batter will be thin. At this point, the batter can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature and whisk well before making the crepes. This should take about 30 minutes.
Place a very lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, spoon in a thin layer -- 2-3 tablespoons -- of the batter and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom. Fry briefly, then turn out of the pan when slightly browned -- you will not be cooking the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter, regreasing the pan as needed. Stack the crepes as they are cooked. At this point, the cooked crepes can be cooled and wrapped in wax paper, then in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.
To make the filling: In a mixer, combine the farmer cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Beat well, until combined. Whip in the granulated sugar, then beat in the vanilla sugar and confectioners' sugar.
To assemble: Heat a frying pan over medium heat; add a thin layer of oil, butter or margarine. With the cooked side of a crepe facing you, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese filling over the middle of the crepe. Try to keep the filling in a thin even layer. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll up the crepe. Repeat with the remaining crepes, or assemble and cook one by one.
Fry the crepes on both sides until golden. Serve immediately, or rewarm in a 350-degree oven. Crepes also can be served at room temperature.
Makes 35 blintzes.
Karin Welzel can be reached at kwelzel@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7992.
Easter Recipe
There's a pasta shop near my house that makes really good meatballs. My kids tease me because every time I stop there for an order with some fresh pasta, I try to get the owner to share his meatball recipe.
He never does, though, and it gets me really frustrated. Does he think I'm going to put him out of business if I learn his secret?
Keeping this in mind, I can't tell you how happy I was on a recent trip to southern Maine, when the chef at the inn I visited was completely generous with his recipes. Gerry Bonsey, executive chef at York Harbor Inn, even shares his recipes on the inn's Web site.
York Harbor Inn, in York Harbor, started out as a small family business overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and now includes five separate buildings. Bonsey has been part of its success story for 24 years.
Among the popular dishes served at the inn's main dining room are appetizers such as Corn and Lobster Chowder and Yorkshire Stuffed Lobster.
Other stuffed lobster recipes use a lot of breading, but Bonsey said he takes a lighter approach.
"You take fresh Maine shrimp, native crab meat and sea scallops, then poach it in white wine and butter," he said.
"You steam the lobsters, then crack open the tail and place the seafood in the tail. You top it off with thermidor sauce."
Also very popular is Bonsey's Lobster Stuffed Chicken with Boursin Cheese Sauce.
The chicken dish is the one Bonsey removed once from the inn's menu, in order to offer some new choices. But there was so much customer demand, he had to put it back.
"The restaurant was new ' it had no following," said Bonsey of his early days at the inn. "I came up with the Lobster Stuffed Chicken recipe; it emphasizes the taste of the lobster flavor. Other restaurants have tried to copy it, but ours is better," he added, smiling proudly.
It wasn't as if he were bragging, either. He just said it as a matter of fact.
Then Bonsey said my favorite thing of all, that he takes it as compliment when people try to copy his recipes.
So there, Mr. Pasta Shop With the Great Meatballs. Next time I ask you for your recipe, just take the request as a compliment and spill the beans.
I promise I'll still come in to buy meatballs from you, because I'm a busy gal who rarely has time to cook. Besides, it will probably be one of those recipes that has an ingredient you can only find in the market at Brigadoon.
Speaking of magical places, Bonsey went to school at one. It's called Johnson and Wales, and it's where many of the world's finest chefs have studied.
The way he got there is quite a story. Bonsey, who grew up in New Hampshire, was called into his high school guidance counselor's office one day to discuss his future.
"The guidance counselor asked me what I like to do," he said. "I told him I like to play the drums and cook.
"He said, 'Are you any good at the drums?' And I said no. He didn't ask if I was any good at cooking!"
But Bonsey was, and is, a great cook. He started doing it at age 10 or 12 because his mom, a nurse, was working a lot. The youngest of five kids, Bonsey often cooked dinner for his whole family.
He was 21 when he started cooking at the York Harbor Inn. Now he's 46. Though he still enjoys the job very much, he puts in many hours at work, leaving little time for his two pets, a puppy named Remy Martin and a dog named Sambucca (Bucca for short).
Bonsey said posting his recipes online means some guests may make the dishes at home occasionally, but he knows they'll still visit the inn. After all, there's nothing quite like sitting in an elegant dining room and looking out over the Atlantic while being served a delicious meal.
And knowing someone else will do the dishes later doesn't hurt either.
??
Easter Recipe
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Easter Recipe
If you are lucky, you might just see Roxolana in her intimate garden, clearing tables or watering flowers to ensure a welcoming atmosphere for diners.
Roxolana is a youthful 13 years old, but if you speak to her, or to her brother, Ivan, 13, in English, French or Ukrainian, she'll answer. Perhaps you have a question about the variety of pierogies offered at Roxolana's Garden, the restaurant opened last summer by her mother, Irene Horajsky, along Western Avenue on the North Side. Or maybe you want to know the meaning of pyrizhky.
Horajsky -- who speaks her children's three languages, plus Polish -- brought her Eastern European style of cooking from Chicago, where her parents owned a restaurant during the 1960s and '70s. She is a native of the Ukrainian Village in the Windy City.
"The signs were in (Ukrainian), and people walking down the street would be speaking it," she says. "It was the same with other ethnic neighborhoods, such as the Italians."
Financial pressures brought Horajsky to Pittsburgh, where she worked as an interpreter to support her children until deciding to venture out on her own to share her culinary heritage. Roxolana's Garden -- a fully renovated townhouse with living quarters upstairs -- opened last August featuring Eastern European delights such as beet salad, chicken paprikash, potato pancakes, cheeze blintzes, borscht and several varieties of pierogies -- including fresh blueberry and cherry, in season.
She hasn't forgotten that Pittsburghers can be a meat-and-potatoes crowd; Black Angus hamburgers are offered, as well as Italian sausage and grilled chicken sandwiches, deli lunchmeat sandwiches, spinach and bacon salad and french fries.
Horajsky, who says she learned to cook from her mother -- "real Ukrainian food," she says -- also prepares savory and sweet strudels. For Cooking Class, she demonstrated her Asparagus Strudel. She flavors the strudel with tarragon, but admits she's "dill crazy -- there's no life without it."
Her apple strudel recipe, featuring aromatic spices, coconut, raisins and walnuts, was developed by her mother and grandmother. Harajsky's mother was famous in Chicago for a pork chop sandwich, but it didn't catch on with Pittsburgh customers. "I guess the times have changed," she sighs.
Roxolana's offers a full breakfast menu, from omelets to waffles to pancakes, with bagels, breads and muffins. Specialty coffees and espresso can be ordered at any time, especially served with ethnic sweets such as Ukrainian torte or cheesecake, Layered Wafers, chocolate torte, a variety of sweet quick breads and pyrizhky -- filled puff pastry.
Roxolana and Ivan work at the restaurant when they can, but Mom keeps them pretty busy. She's determined that they know their ancestral lineage, and that means language and arts, as well as the cuisine. They are students at Mellon Middle School in Mt. Lebanon and attend a certified Ukrainian education program on weekends in Parma, Ohio.
Roxolana's Garden, 856 Western Ave., West Allegheny, North Side, is open for brunch from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sundays; breakfast and lunch from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m Tuesdays through Fridays.; and dinner from 5:30-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays. Details: 412-231-7696, www.roxolanas.com.
Asparagus Strudel
Look for thin asparagus -- the thick stalks will be difficult to fold into the phyllo dough and too big for diners to eat in one forkful.
2 pounds thin fresh asparagus (about 2 bundles)
About 2 1/2 sticks butter (2 1/4 cups) or more, divided (do not use margarine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried tarragon leaves
12 ounces whole mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (about 4 cups sliced)
1 bundle green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 ounces blanched slivered almonds, toasted, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 sheets (18- by 14-inch) #10 frozen extra-thick country-style (horiatiko) phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions
Lemon slices, for garnish
Break off the tough woody ends of the asparagus. Cut the stalks of 1 bunch into bite-size pieces. Leave the remaining stalks whole.
Place the asparagus in a shallow dish in a microwave oven, cover and cook for 2 minutes on high power. Remove and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter. Remove from the heat and add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, tarragon and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Return the skillet to the stove and saute until the mushrooms begin to give off their juices, for about 30 seconds. Add the green onions and saute for 30-40 seconds.
Add the lemon juice and the asparagus. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the almonds for the garnish; add the remaining almonds to the skillet with the vegetables and herbs. Mix and cook over very low heat, until it just comes to a bubble (see Photo A). Remove from the heat, wait 5 minutes, then taste for seasoning.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt half of the remaining butter (melt more, as needed, to finish brushing the dough as the strudel is prepared). Line a large baking pan with foil and brush the foil with some of the melted butter.
Place 2 sheets of phyllo on a work surface and brush with butter to cover the surface. Place 2 more sheets atop the buttered sheets. (Wrap the remaining phyllo in its original container, then wrap in plastic wrap or cellophane. If using it within 2 weeks, refrigerate; otherwise, wrap it in plastic wrap, then in foil and re-freeze.)
Scoop the asparagus filling onto the phyllo dough along one side, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border on the side, top and bottom (Photo B). Begin folding the phyllo over the filling from the long side, then turn in the short sides as you go to encase the filling (Photo C). When the strudel is rolled, carefully transfer it to the prepared baking pan, seam-side down.
Pour a generous amount of melted butter over the top of the strudel to coat. Place the baking sheet on the middle oven rack and bake for about 20 minutes or until the phyllo slightly turns color. Remove from the oven and baste well with the butter in the pan. Mix some of the reserved almonds with the butter, then sprinkle the almonds on the strudel (Photo D).
Return the pan to the oven. Bake for about 10 more minutes: When the almonds are browned, the strudel will be done. Watch carefully so the nuts do not burn.
Remove to a cooling rack. Baste the strudel a few more times with the pan butter. Let rest a few minutes, then cut for serving, if desired. Serve with lemon slices.
Leftover strudel can be cooled, then wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Heat gently in a microwave oven.
Makes 4 lunch portions or 8 first-course servings.
Karin Welzel can be reached at kwelzel@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7992.
THE VILLAGES ' Just when she thought a summer of leisure had begun, Eleanore Mollenhauer found her duties as The Villages German American Club president had increased.
Mollenhauer was kept busy Thursday afternoon playing festive melodies with the Music Makers during the club's annual Volksfest at The Villages Polo Club.
'I brought my bells,' a smiling Mollenhauer said.
Though it wasn't a necessity that she perform with the band, Mollenhauer said she wanted to put her cluster of bells, a Christmas gift, to use. She made the crowd ' residents with German family ties ' very happy.
Heavy ceramic steins being clicked against plastic cups was a sure sign that the Volksfest, or party, had gotten under way. The club provided a bevy of fried chicken; it was up to individual members to provide the rest of the picnic fare. Some of the food rang true to the group's German roots.
Nancy Pasko prepared her friend's sauerkraut recipe, and gave out generous portions of the aromatic cabbage dish.
'The two of us can't eat it all by ourselves,' Pasko said of herself and her husband, Edward. 'We like to share it. That way, we can have a little.'
All who were asked said the pavilion separating the east and west polo fields was an ideal location for the Volksfest. Weather couldn't have been better for the party.
'It's such a beautiful day and [there is] a wonderful breeze,' Gail Rathgeber said. 'With the music and celebrating, it's a good time.'
Rathgeber said she and her husband, Fred, planned to kick up the festivities a few notches after mealtime by dancing with their fellow club members.
The Volksfest ranks high among German American Club events.
'We always have a nice celebration ' the best,' said Michael Fuchs, who came to The Villages from Munich by way of Chicago.
Easter Recipe
DALLAS -- Bulbous-headed restaurant mascots and TV advertisements proclaim the news: Bread is back.
With the Atkins low-carb craze of 2003-04 a crusted-over memory for many, restaurateurs are pushing past the bread dread and heavily promoting artisan offerings, whole-grain loaves and other yeasty treats.
And consumers are eating it up.
"Because of the low-carb craze, people came back to bread with a vengeance," said Tammy Bailey, vice president for menu marketing and promotions with San Diego-based Jack in the Box Inc. The fast-food company has reported better-than-expected earnings as higher-end items such ciabatta bread sandwiches boosted sales.
"They really love their bread now," she said.
And with the introduction of more whole-grain options, bread has moved off the "guilty pleasures" list, where it lingered during the height of the low-carbohydrate juggernaut.
In Billings, many bakers acknowledged the Atkins fad by offering low-carb bread, but say it never really caught on.
At the Log Cabin Bakery, manager Debbie Surwill has a recipe for low-carb bread, but rarely uses it. "I never really got into that diet bread," Surwill said. "We only made it upon request."
Log Cabin customers have long had healthy alternatives like whole-wheat sandwiches and bran muffins, she said.
Bryan Layton, owner of the Great Harvest Bread store in Billings, said the Atkins craze did hurt a little, and for a while the stores offered a low-carb bread.
"When it first came out it was pretty popular," Layton said. "We'd make it two or three times a day. It only lasted maybe a year." Now the store doesn't make low-carb bread at all.
For the 52 weeks ended April 24, 2004, sales of fresh bread at grocery stores fell 2 percent to $5.9 billion, according to ACNielsen. Since then, sales are up 3 percent to $6.1 billion.
Sandwich and bakery restaurants -- whose bread and butter is bread and meat -- saw sales growth slow slightly as carb-conscious dieters pulled back. But that has changed, too.
U.S. sales at the top 25 sandwich and bakery concepts were $16.7 billion in 2005. That's up 13 percent from 2004, according to a new report from Chicago-based Technomic Information Services. By comparison, sales grew 8.8 percent in 2003.
Restaurant industry experts say the major chains were able to avoid a big fallout from the carb craze because they were quick to respond with wraps, salads and other low-carb options.
The proportion of adults who say they adhere to a low-carb diet is down from about 16 percent in early 2005 to 10 percent this year, said Lawrence Shiman, vice president of Cambridge-based Opinion Dynamics Corp., which specializes in food-service market research.
With the coast largely clear, restaurateurs are being just as quick to unabashedly roll out breads.
In April, Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. reported a "favorable response from consumers" to its new Frescata deli sandwiches. The line launched earlier in the month, backed by a national advertising campaign.
The highly publicized "Bread is Back" promotion by Jack in the Box -- complete with its own www.breadisback.com Web site and a commercial featuring the company's round-headed pitchman -- has helped plump up sales of its ciabatta sandwiches since the campaign launched last year.
Bailey declined to give sales figures but said the sandwiches were "doing much better than we ever expected."
The bread-boosting campaign was "our little way of poking fun at the craze," she said.
Not to be outdone by the burgermeisters, traditional sandwich players are also lengthening their bread lines.
Using the same "bread is back" tag line, Atlanta-based Blimpie International Inc. also launched a line of ciabatta sandwiches last year featuring "premium meats and freshly baked artisan bread."
"They have done phenomenally well," said Mark Mears, chief marketing officer for Blimpie, adding that the new sandwiches on average account for 15 percent of sales and can be as much as 30 percent in some markets.
At its peak, the chain's carb counter menu amounted to only 10 percent of sales and is no longer available nationally.
"Restaurants have done an about-face," said Joel Cohen, owner of the Cohen Marketing Group in Raleigh, N.C. "But it's not one done with any embarrassment.
"I see this as a way to market to a broader audience. Also, it's a way to get an edge on the competition."
And it's a way to boost the size of the average check because chains generally charge top dollar for specialty sandwiches.
"Consumers are willing to pay a bit of a premium because it's artisan bread," said Bailey of Jack in the Box, which counts Texas as its second-largest market. "It's not mass-produced -- it's more handmade."
That may be, but with prices close to $6 for offerings such as the chipotle chicken ciabatta sandwich, some consumers balk at forking over that much dough.
"I'm trying to eat cheap," said 22-year Dennis Daoust, finishing up a less expensive sourdough burger at a Jack in the Box on Greenville Avenue in Dallas this week. "That's the whole point of eating at these places, for me."
Restaurateurs are counting on consumers' desire to "trade up" to a higher-quality product, albeit with a higher price tag.
"Going from peanut butter and jelly's white bread to an (artisan bread), it feels good," said Aaron Allen, founder and chief executive of the Quantified Marketing Group, a Heathrow, Fla.-based restaurant marketing firm. "It's an easy indulgence that you can afford."
And the new breads, especially the whole-grain versions, offer sandwich restaurants a chance to market their offerings as healthier than the fare at the burger joint next door.
Experts say that as baby boomers age, the focus on eating healthier will grow.
Sandwich chains in general are already picking up a healthy glow as Subway Restaurants, the nation's most populous restaurant chain, continues to market itself as a healthy fast-food alternative.
-- The Gazette's Jasa Santos contributed to this report.
Published on Sunday, June 18, 2006.
Last modified on 6/18/2006 at 12:41 am
Copyright ? The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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