Salumi Salami-Seattle

I have a great love for the state of WA and wanted to point out a great hidden treasure that might not be around forever. If you live or plan to visit Seattle, please try a salumi plate for lunch. Batali would be proud, considering this is his fathers shop where they make house made salumi (cured Italian meats).

Check out the vid
Chow :)

Salumi Artisan Cured Meats Website (You can order online too!)

Flat Leaf Italian Parsley

Yup, its the green stuff that everyone ignores, the most under appreciated ingredient in the USA, but its one of the best ingredients in the world. Why? it adds a fresh taste and vibrant color to any dish (especially if you add it to anything that has olive oil).

Tips for flat leaf Italian parsley

1. Know the difference between regular parsley, flat leaf and Chinese parsley.They are all different.
2. Wash parsley to remove dirt, and other unwanted residue.
3. Spin dry in salad spinner and pat dry with paper towel
4. Pick leaves only and leave stems for soups stalks etc.
5. Bunch leaves together and cut with sharp knife
6. Parsley should be cut fine, or you can leave the leafs whole depending on the effect you want.
7. Know where to get it (On Oahu the best flat leaf I have found is from Nalo farms).

Check out the videos/links and respect the parsley!

How to Pick Italian Parsley

How to Chop Herbs with Gordon Ramsay
(Sorry guys, the youtube poster disabled embeded video on this one.)

Italian Parsley by Bon Appetit

Chili Pepper Water

I was hesitant to put this post up because

1. Its one of my favorite recipes
2. If you don't know how to deal with peppers,  it could be dangerous.

But, I figured it would be beneficial for everyone anyway.

Recipe:

1. 3 Thai chili peppers
2. Two cloves of garlic
3. 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, or white vinegar
4. 1/3 cup water to dilute
5. Salt and pepper to taste
6. Blend in food processor or or blender chilies, garlic and vinegar (with the lid on tight).
7. Add water and salt pepper at the end

This recipe is not exact but I think you'll get the idea

Use it with anything.  :) Check out the Video

Post editing

Hey everyone, just checking in.  I've gone through and spruced up a bunch of the older posts with in-post youtube videos and product pictures.  I'm slowly going through all of them, but I'll get caught up soon!

EDIT: All done!  Spiffy isn't it?

Naked Cow Dairy

If you're at the KCC farmers market in Honolulu, check out Naked Cow Dairy.  Its a creamery on Oahu.  They make butters, feta, cream cheese.  It cost more than normal dairy, but I can say that their European Butter at the farmers market is worth it.

When to buy produce in Hawaii

Check out the seasonal poster(For Hawaii.  Try to buy things in the peak of its season and the results will be magical.

Seasonality Poster(PDF Link)

Other info

Buy Fresh * Buy Local

Orecchiette My new obsession

This is pasta that looks like the shape of an ear.  It sounds weird but it looks cool.  I noticed that Italians have pastas that look like body parts(like the naval of venus).  To be continued....

Cooking pasta correctly with sauce

Just recently I have finally admitted that I have been cooking pasta wrong for the past 10 or so years. I recently threw a dinner party for a party for about 8 and figured that I give them something special and cook pasta the correct way.  It turned out to be magic. How do you cook pasta correctly? Well here is what I have been told.

1. Boil water- Lots of it. (Big pot 3/4 full). 
2. Add hand full of salt, or enough salt for the water to taste like a well salted soup. ( I use sea salt, just because its abundant here).
3. Boil Pasta till it is 90% cooked.
4. Grab pasta out of pot with strainer either via slotted spoon, or hand held strainer. Do not throw away pasta water!!!!!!!!!
5. Add pasta to sauce (typically a marinara).
6. Cook pasta in sauce, add ladel of pasta water, and fininsh with fresh herbs.
7. Serve immediately

I never understood why I cooked pasta wrong for so many years. Perhaps its all the media from TV and magazines or the way restaurants cook it. I was told a long time ago the correct way to cook it, but I resisted it like the plague. I guess if I did it that way and found it was better, then I would have to admit that I have been doing it wrong for so many years.

I caution that if you know the difference between al dente pasta and cooked pasta, YOU HAVE TO COOK IT THIS WAY.  It takes the dish to another level.

If you don't believe me. This is how they cook it in Italy.

Chow :)
You're Doing it all Wrong

Mario Batali

Check out the vids!

Gnocchi Revisited

This is a Grandma that really seems to know what she is doing for Gnocchi.  This is the flourless kind (my favorite). Check it out! Its long but check out her part about Gnocchi  :).

Cooking with Grandma Paola

Deep Fat Frying / Pan Frying

Deep frying!  An American classic (he he he). Okay, okay, kidding a side, there are rules and safety issues when deep frying.

Important Things to know

• Oil/Fat for frying
• Temperatures
• How much oil to add 
• Types of pots and pan to deep fry in
• Make sure what your frying is DRY ( most important).
• Slowly place food in oil, do not drop in.  

Oil For Frying

1. I recommend vegetable or canola oil for frying. You can fry in other oils but, its the cheapest to fry in. 
2. You can fry in other oils but be aware of smoking point (how hot you can get the oil before it smokes).
3. For example, Olive oil smokes rather quickly and can't be heated up at high temps.
4. Animal fat does not smoke at high temps, but unless your rich, things such as duck fat can be expensive and hard to get.

Temperatures

1. Magic numbers are 350 and 375.
2. Follow directions for recipes, but when in doubt these temps are always good for crisping up things.
3. Watch your oil and make sure it doesn't get too hot. I highly recommend deep fat oil thermometers.
4. If oil gets too hot, just back away, or add more oil to cool it down. 
5. Just make sure that it doesn't exceed desire temp (350 or 375) and you don't have to worry about over heating.

How much oil to add

1. Super important, keep your oil less then half of your pan/frying vessel
2. Oil will double in size when things are added to it or bubble up. Heat makes oil expand so add less than half in your frying vessel. It will double in size! 

Vessels to use when frying

1. Woks
2. Large pots
3. large cast Iorn skillets or dutch ovens. 

MAKE SURE YOUR ITEM THAT YOU ARE FRYING IS DRY

1. Pat all items for frying dry
2. Breading, or batering is okay.  But water + oil = fire bomb
3. TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY

Place item in oil, don't drop

1. Dropping items into oil leads to splashing of hot oil.
2. Put part of your item in oil half way and then release your item. 
3. Do not throw it in!
4. That it is why your item must be dry, (no liquid). Thick batters are okay, but it will still react to oil (your oil will double in size).

Please watch these videos!

Safety first

Fried Chicken

Pan Frying

Kids, leave the frying to adults. For everyone else be safe and fry in moderation :)

Fried Okra

I must admit I am not always a fan of the food network because often times the recipes and hosts have bizarre unappetizing looking dishes.  But, I recently saw an episode with fried Okra and it looked rather tasty.  After trying the dish, it was really, really good (that is if you like textures that are crunchy and a little gooey, like okra, arai imo, etc).

Directions

1.Wash Okra, and pat dry with paper towel, or kitchen towel. (MAKE SURE THEY ARE DRY...IF NOT YOUR OIL WILL SPLATTER AND YOU MIGHT CAUSE INJURY OR FIRE).

2. Cut Okra in half length wise, (like opening a pea pod, where the peas are exposed). 

3. Get appropriate skillet, or pot for deep frying (oil should be less than half of your skillet or frying pot. If it is over your oil could over flow and would lead to a liquid bomb.  If your not comfortable with frying see my post about deep fat frying). 

4. Heat oil to 350 degrees (hot enough where your okra will sizzle or fry, not too hot or you will burn your okra). 

5. Fry Okra till brown, put on paper towel to let excess oil to drain and lightly salt immediately. 

Have fun, eating your crunch Okra. :)

Creme fraiche

We here it from the mouths of famous chefs, tvs, and see it on the top restaurants in the world, but do we actually have it in our kitchens?

For the majority of us the answer for us is no, and then a feeling of "I wish I had some."
Well, lucky for us creme fraiche can be made in the comfort of our homes! I have to admit, in the beginning the process of making it feels "weird."  But after you successfully made it, the process seems normal and routine.
Here is a recipe for creme fraiche.


Creme Fraiche

Things you will need:
1. Digital thermometer
2. 3 cups of Heavy whipping cream
3. 3 table spoons worth of butter milk
4. Medium size stainless steel bowl
5. Plastic wrap
6. Small pot to heat cream and butter milk


Directions
1. Add 3 cups of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of buttermilk together in small sauce pot. 
2.Gently, (I mean really gently, the lowest setting on your stove), bring to 110 degrees F.
3. Remove and put in a stainless steel bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
4. Leave out at room temp for 8 to 24 hours (this is the weird part).
5. wait 8 hours and check if cream has thickened. If not stir and give it another 8 hours and stir. Repeat process till desired thickness is met.
6. After thick then keep in fridge. Will keep to 3 to five days.
7. Should taste like a nutty, mild sour cream

Helpful hints/things to know.

1. You're basically making a French sour cream, which is similar to making a cheese.
2. Once it hits 110 degrees put immediately into bowl, if you go over you might kill buttermilk cultures.
3. Leave out at room temperature, if you live in a warm place 70-80 degrees that is ideal.
4. You might want to start it in the morning because if left over night temp might drop to low and result in cultures not being active.
5. Yes, it feels funny and wrong, but you have to leave it out at room temp.
6. If you think that you killed the cultures or the cream is not thickening fast enough, reheat to 110 and add more butter milk, (the ratio is 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to 1 cup of heavy cream).
7. You cannot do this with half and half or milk, you have to do it with heavy cream.

Watch this video for accurate tutorial.....yes it is the man! Ming Tsai. Enjoy

Brown butter sauce - just remember 5-1

Brown butter, brown butter, brown butter, yes its one of the best and easiest sauces to make. I promise :)

Ingredients for a basic sauce:
1. butter (no margarine, or modified stuff.... the better the quality the better your sauce).
2. one or two lemons for juice
3. Pinch of salt

Things you want to know:
1. Butter consists of two things fat and cream. So when heated you will see it separate. The cream will brown and thus, make the sauce "brown".
2. The ratio for brown butter is 5 to 1. Five potions of butter to one portion of acid (lemon juice).

Directions
1. Once again the ratio of brown butter sauce is about 5 to 1. Five being butter, and one being acid (lemon juice).
2. Heat pan and add butter to pan. ( you want to hear a sizzle, but not too hot or you will burn your butter).
3. Wait till you can see specks of brown in your pan.  This is the cream that is browning from your butter. It will kind of smell like roasted bread/nuts. 
4. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt(more salt if the butter is unsalted, pinch if its salted butter).
5. Done

Variations.
1. Basic brown butter plus

• Thyme
• Garlic 

2. Basic brown butter plus

• Thyme
• Garlic
• Rosemary

3. Basic brown butter plus

• Ginger
• Parsley(Chinese or Italian flat leaf, depending on what you like)
• Green onion

Use this sauce for fish, chicken, pork duck you name it. I recommend the one with the rosemary is best with beef, lamb, venison, etc.  Not recommended with delicate flavored fishes, but if you like strong herbs than its fine.

Good luck and happy eating :)

Vine Ripe or not vine ripe tomatoes? Who cares?

I have to be totally honest and biased when I say that nothing beats a vine ripened tomato. I realize that they are not always in season so they might be hard to get (and they are expensive), but when they are available they are soooo worth it, that is if you use them correctly.

What do I mean when I say vine ripen? This means that the tomato is left on the plants vine and is picked when the fruit is at its "peak" before being picked. The result if a uniformly red, sweet, juicy, and wonderful tomato.

Typically tomatoes are not vine ripened and are picked early because of the cost effectiveness of it all. Because they are picked sooner that means less time on the farm and quicker to be sold. Unfortunately this leads to tomatoes that are bland and the color is usually that pinkish hey, rather than that deep, dark, delicious red.

It is important to note that while I do prefer vine ripen toms, they have to be used correctly in order to justify paying double the amount. Here are some helpful hints.

1. When you first get them, store them in a dry cool place, the fridge is fine if they are going to be eaten right away. Do not wash them until they are going to be used, because moisture on tomatoes will lead to mold.

2 If you leave them out on the counter to get over ripe, or if they naturally are over ripe, use them to make sauce. Over ripe, vine ripened tomatoes are the best for pizza, marinara, and soups.

3. Do not squeeze them or stack them on one another, this will cause them to bruise and will make them dwindle much faster. Be gentle and give them space.

4. Keep track of them- Watch for mold and too much condensation on them. If one tomato goes bad, they all can get moldy rather quickly.


Hope you enjoy your vine ripen tomatoes, but if you don't have them, or can't afford them, here is a cool recipe from a chef that I used to work for in Seattle.

Chef Daisley Gordon's Confit Tomato Technique

Happy Eating!

Storing vegetables and fruits.....what should go in the fridge?

While many of us, (including myself) have the urge to put every vegetable and fruit they buy in the fridge, sometimes doing so can actually hurt your produce. If fruits or vegetables are not ripe yet, leave them out in a cool place (away from the sunshine), to ripen. This could take 3 to 4 days till your fruits or vegetables are ripe. Remember, if you put them in the fridge this will stop the ripening process and it will just stay the way it was originally when you bought it. So if you want to stop the ripening process, put it in the fridge.  

How do I know when it is ripe? Well this depends on the fruit or vegetable itself, but typically the two most important things are color, smell and general touch. For example, avocados tend to need some time to ripen. If the avocado is hard like a rock, leave it out on the counter for a few days till it has a little "give." Then put it in the fridge. While I can't possibly cover all fruits and vegetables for the "okay" to put in fridge, I can say that some are better left out, in my opinion.

Leave out in cool place ( out of sun).

1. Potatoes
2. Onions
3. Garlic
4. Ginger

Items to immediately put in your fridge
1. Lettuce
2. Spinach
3. Basically any leafy green.

A good way to think about this to, is the next time you go shopping for groceries in the super market, notice which items are in the fridge and which ones aren't.

* I am not saying you shouldn't refrigerate fruits and vegetables, I just want to caution people for putting "everything" in the fridge, when some items could benefit, or tolerate being left out. 
:)

Dutch Ovens- For Braising

When I was talking about braising I forgot to mention what a Dutch oven is.

Basically it is a cast iron pot that is coated in a ceramic heat resistant coating, that allows you to cook on it as well as bake. Its perfect for braising. I must warn you this piece of cooking gear is expensive....but if your serious about braising....its well worth it.

1. Le Cruset is the top brand(Le Creuset's Home Page)

2. Mario batali has a brand(Order on Amazon.com)

3. And Lodge seems to have a cheaper model(Order on Amazon.com)

Here's a nice little forum post comparing the two top brands.  Batali vs Le Cruset

If you can't afford a dutch oven, you can brown your meats and vegetables in a separate pan first and then add liquid and browned ingredients to a oven safe baking container. 375 degrees F is the magic number to bake at.

Braising- Crock Pot Alternative

If you don't have a slow cooker, here is a technique that basically does the same thing, but you brown your meat first to get that extra amount of flavor.

CAUTION-ONLY USE APPROVED BRAISING DISHES WHEN ATTEMPTING THIS....DUTCH OVENS BY LE CRUSET WORKS THE BEST. IF YOU DONT HAVE ONE, BROWN THINGS IN SEPARATE PAN AND THEN ADD INGREDIENTS AND LIQUID TO OVEN SAFE BAKING CONTAINER, AND BAKE.

Check out the video and The "crock pot section" to get a better idea.

Crock Pot Cooking

Alright.....so after talking to a few colleagues of mine....they all mentioned that they love their crock pot/slow cooker.

I am not a crock pot expert, but I do have some helpful recommendations that benefit from crock pot cooking.

1. Choose the right meat -

• Beef - Highly recommend chuck, or short ribs.
• Chicken - thighs, drumsticks with bone in add richness, whole chicken cut in half works as well.
• Pork - Shoulder or pork butt work the best.
• Lamb - Leg or shoulder would both work.

2. Choose liquid to cook in -

• Chicken, beef, pork, lamb, veg stock 
• Chicken broth, beef broth
• Tomato sauce with combo of above liquid

3. Vegetables should be cut relatively large (size of a golf ball), unless you want them to disintegrate

• Of course, the classic Mirepoix (50 % onion, 25% carrot, 25% celery). 
• Other root vegetables, radishes, parsnips. 

4. Aromatics (things that give it a nice smell as well as taste).

• Rosemary 
• Thyme
• Sage
• Pepper corns (crushed)
• Bay leaf
• Parsley stems

5. Other things that might add a little dimension/complexity

• Wine (red or white)
• Tomato paste
• Garlic
• Ripe cherry tomatoes

While this isn't the end all be all for crock pots, these are good recommendations to consider. For the meat section, if you slow cook these for long periods of time, the size that you cut them will influence the amount of time it takes to cook. smaller = shorter.  while,  bigger = longer.

Easy recipe tip
Rustic Beef Stew (classic)

Ingredients:
1. About 2 lbs Chuck cubed into golf ball size portions.
2. One can of tomato sauce.
3. Standard Mirepoix, use one onion- Ratio to onion is (50% oinion, 25 % carrot, 25% celery).
5. About 2 cans or favorite brand of beef stock.
6. 2 bay leaves
7. Flour for dusting
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Oil for browning meat

Directions

1. Dry cubed chuck and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with flour and brown is separate pan. Do this in 2 to 3 batches at a time. NOT ALL AT ONCE OR YOUR BEEF WILL NOT BROWN. Remember the more brown the meat gets the better your stew will taste (trust me).

2. Put browned chuck into crock pot and cover with beef stock, tomato sauce and the rest of ingredients. Cook in crock pot for about 4 to 6 hours if on high, if on low cook beef for 10-12 hours.

I don't own a crock pot but I am basing this off the manufacture's directions.The basic idea is to cook meat low and slow in liquid. Browning the meat and just covering it with liquid is known as braising. I plan to talk about that in a seperate post.

Here's a manual(PDF Link) I referenced for the crock pot cooking.  Check out the directions for yourself to get a better idea what works best for you.

Serve with rice :)

* If you are absolutely pressed for time mix beef stock and tomato sauce with 1 spoonful of flour and then add all ingredients and cook until meat is soft (the above recipe is recommended though).

Mise en place - What does it mean?

We have all done it, we are all guilty of it and its a constant struggle we all face...keeping organized and clean in our kitchens. Despite the hassle of keeping everything in proper working order, it must be done!

The term Mise en place pronounced (meaz en plas) or (miz en plaz) (sorry, I am not french)...means everything in its place. What does that mean well here are some simple things to consider if you practice good Mis en place.

1. Are Pots and pans in your oven instead of a shelf or a place easy to get to?
2. Are the only things constantly on your working surface a knife, cutting board and kitchen towel?
3. If I asked for something such as sugar....how fast could you find it (if its more than 5 seconds, not good).
4. Do you have any counter space to work on period?

If you answered no for any of these, then you must work on your MIS EN PLACE!

I know I sound a little crazy talking about this so much, but I can't stress this fundamental practice enough. I, for one, have been cooking for a long time now....and I still struggle with this concept (so don't worry if you do to). On the bright side if you master this concept, I guarantee that you will be twice as affective cook than you already are. Believe it or not, professional kitchens actually judge you first and foremost on this concept, so if your serious about being an awesome cook/foodie you will practice this.

Here are some helpful tips.

1. Give yourself 10x the counter space than you think you need. It will come in handy when you are working fast. I noticed that you always need space when you cook and moving things out of the way for something can be that split second needed for culinary success or "burnt, over cooked, chicken."

2. The only things that should be out on your working surface should be your cutting board, knife, kitchen towel, and the item that you are working on. Work on one thing at a time. Don't clutter your cutting board with to much stuff.

3. Prep in advance. Before starting anything prep ingredients that need to be done to complete dish. So when it comes together, you don't have to worry about timing.

Once again I know that this may seem like common sense, but it is probably the most important and neglected fundemental practice in a kitchen.

Have good Mis en place = excellent chef.
Bad Mis en place = average/not so good chef.

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO !!!!!!!!

Post editor

Hello all you foodies out there!  Holynub here, just helpin out my good friend the Practical Foodie(PracFoo).  I'm not sure if I can put up a lot of content here, but I'll try my best to help PracFoo out in site formatting and layouts. 

Gyoza-Japanese panfried dumplings

Home Made Gyoza is delicious and fun.....  give it a try.

Ingredients:
1. Gyoza/wonton/Mandu Wrappers
2. 1/2 cup Choped Water chess nuts
3. 1 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame seed oil.
4. 1/2 cup shredded/(thinly cut like coleslaw) regular Cabbage
5. 1 pound pork
6. 1 table spoon Oyster Sauce
7. Vegetable oil
8. Large/medium pan that you can put some type of lid on
9. Bowl of water
9. Dipping sauce (equal parts shoyu and vinager, plus hot sauce). 

Directions:
Preparation:
1. Mix pork, oyster sauce, shredded cabbage, chessnuts together.
2. Get 1 small spoon of filling and put in wrappers. Be careful not to fill them up to much. 
3. With your bowl of water wet the inside half of the wrapper and fold in half and crimp.
Watch this video to help illustrate how to wrap your gyoza:

Cooking:
1. Heat pan with vegetable oil
2. Add gyoza
3. Wait for pan to heat back up
4. Add about a 1/2 cup water and immediatley cover for about 5-7 minutes
5. Wait till water is about evaporated and check if the tops are done if not add a little more water. Don't drown gyoza in water.
6. add a little oil on top and allow gyoza to crisp up
Watch this video for tips on cooking the gyoza:

Enjoy

Mapo Tofu

Quick and easy recipe I have been using forever...if your pressed for time its quick and easy.

Mapo Tofu

Ingredients:

1 Firm, or regular tofu
1 Pound ground pork
2 Cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce(about a spoon full)
2 Teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce or 1 teaspoon minced fresh red chili (depends how hot you want it).
Green Onion for garnish
Salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Cut Tofu into small cubes and set aside.
2. Heat up pan add small amount of oil and add pork, garlic and oyster sauce, cook until done.
3. Add hot sauce or chilli and stir around.
4. Gently add in your tofu and heat through.
5. At this point taste food.  The oyster sauce is an approximation.  I would recommend to start with little because you can always add more in the end.
6. Garnish with green onion.

Done!

Hope this was helpful

Thai Food Essentials

Here are some essential ingredients that I thought would be useful when discussing Thai food.

Fish sauce

I think this is the fish sauce used in the restaurant and favored by my friends.(Order at Amazon.com)

Curry Paste 

This was the curry paste I posted about in my Thai Curry post.  (Order at Amazon.com)

Lemon Grass 

This video from Chow.com shows different ways to use Lemon Grass.

Ginger

Yes, Ming Tsai is the man :)

Thai Basil

Not a lot of people know what Thai Basil is, or how it's different from "regular" basil.  This video on Rouxbe.com has a nice short video briefly explaining what it is.

Thai Chilies

Many in America aren't as familiar with Asian chilies.  Again from Rouxbe.com, they have a nice short video on Thai chilies.

Have Fun! :)

Curry(Thai Style)

Based on a suggestion from a buddy of mine in college....I decided to cover this topic because I love making it at home. For those of you who are reading please be aware that this is Thai Curry....and not Japanese, Indian....etc.

The Recipe concept is based on the experience when I was working for a Thai kitchen up in WA. Here is a list of the general things you will need.

1. Mae Ploy Red Curry (Order on Amazon.com)
2. 6 Basil leaves - whole leaf, washed
3. Lemon Grass - one stalk smashed with back of pan or something heavy. Use a pan and hit it, like using a hammer. It brings out the smell and essence.
4. 1/4 ginger root Ginger - fresh and peeled cut into the same size as a quarter (25 cents US).
5. Coconut milk - one to two cans. Its always better to have a back up :)
6. 2 Carrots(peeled and trimmed) - cut into 1/2 inch thick about the size of quarters
7. 1 Onion - dice about size of quarters
8. 1 stalk Celery - dice about size of quarters
9. Fish Sauce - add sparingly, really salty, but absolutely necessary.
10. Chicken Stock - I like making my own but a good quality store bought one will do
11. Just a touch of sugar (if you like yours on the sweeter side).


Directions


1. Brown chicken thighs in pot with a little oil.
2. Add about 2 table spoons of curry paste. Be careful paste is spicy.
3. Deglaze with chicken stock (Deglazing means to add stock or liquid to the pot or pan, in order to get all the brown off the bottom of pan).  Reduce till liquid is mostly gone
4. Add coconut milk, carrots, onion, celery, ginger, crushed lemon grass stalk. Reduce until thickness is soup consistency.
5. Add splash of fish sauce and about 1 table spoon of sugar and reduce for about 5 minutes. Taste after five minutes to adjust seasoning.
6. Finish with basil leaves.
7. Enjoy with jasmine rice. :)

Here is a video to give the general idea...but this is not my method...enjoy :)

Potato Gnocchi

Okay...so in my previous entry, I mentioned how ricotta gnocchi was my favorite one to eat, but as of now, my favorite one that I like to make at home is the potato gnocchi.

The reason why I like making these dumplings is that potatoes are always easy to get  a hold of (they are usually always in the pantry of things compared to ricotta and semolina).

With that said, here are some helpful info and tips when making potato gnocchi.

1. Pick the right kind of Potato- Potatoes that are fluffy such as the russet. 
2. Rice your potatoes rather than mash them- This gives them that light airy quality.
3. Let your potatoes steam off after riceing- this allows excess moisture to leave the potatoes 
3. Don't over work or over flour your gnocchi-excessive kneading and flour will hinder outcome.
4. Decide on a method- Egg less Gnocchi Vs. Gnocchi recipe with egg- Mario Batali has a Recipie with egg and other chefs prefer no egg at all.

Egg-Less Potato Gnocchi - By Chef Joey Campanaro (Starchefs.com)

With Egg Potato Gnocchi - By Chef Mario Batali (Food Network)

Both of the recipes above come from good sources, but if you have a difficult time getting that really "airy and light" quality to your gnocchi, I would try the egg-less version.

After tasting the egg less one, I think it gives us a better idea what it means when gnocchi is light and airy, compared to dense and heavy.


here is a video that gives a general idea about how to make them....the guy seems a little messy, but you'll get the idea after you watch it. I like potato gnocchi the classic way with sage and brown butter, but he uses a cream/cheese sauce. Look at the video as a visual aide...the recipes above are best in my opinion.

Visual Aide for Potato Gnocchi

Good Luck!

Gnocchi

Based on my research and my experience I have discovered that Gnocchi can be defined simply as a "dumpling." With this in mind there are several ways Italians make Gnocchi and single method that the French use.

Italian Gnocchi consists of Semolina, Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi. Which one is the best is highly debatable. Semolina Gnocchi reminds me of airy polenta and can be the size of a miniature hockey puck. Potato Gnocchi is typically the size of a large almond and is supposed to be airy and light (kind of melt in your mouth affect). Lastly ricotta gnocchi is similar to the potato, but instead it uses ricotta cheese as the main binding ingredient. Personally I like all three, but ricotta is my favorite because of its airy texture and ricotta taste. I know that die hard Gnocchi fans would say potato is the best, but I found that when I order it on the menu the texture is inconsistent from restaurant to restaurant.

French Gnocchi differs from Italian Gnocchi because it uses a dough that uses predominately eggs and flour.
The dough is known as Pate Choux (Pate-shoe), which is the same type of dough used to make cream puffs. The dough is special because the eggs cause it to "puff up" and creates a hollow interior. I like these Gnocchi if its being mixed in with other ingredients because it adds to the dish rather than being the main star. (it's light, hollow and adds a textural element to a dish). At the restaurant that I cooked at in Seattle, we would serve it with haricot vert (french green beans), King Oyster Mushrooms, and truffle butter. The dish was very good.

I hope that the info on gnocchi was helpful and allows you to explore all the possibilities Gnocchi has to offer. Give them a try and I promise you'll like at least one of them. :)

Cuisine in General

So over the years I had the opportunity to cook at restaurants featuring American, Italian and French.
People often ask me what I like cooking the most and every time I have a difficult time answering that question. Reasoning being, I don't cook a particular type of food, but rather I focus on what is accessible and special to the region. For example  Okinawan  sweet potatoes are abundant and grow locally in Hawaii (where I am at), so recently I have been making Okinawan Sweet Potato Gnocchi. While the technique may be Italian, the Okinawan Sweet Potato is far from it.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that often times the most important or coolest part of a cuisine is not so much its dishes, but the techniques that the dishes offer for us to create, re interpret and define the food that is around us.

This is my first blog......so bare with me....I hope you'll find it worth reading :)