Golden Beets and Flippin’ Fish, Burgers & Pancakes

Witamy!  So it’s still Lent, Laura is on a diet and one of us is eating VERY healthy (the other of us is just along for the ride…cheating a bit).  For someone in the business of food, that’s a tough challenge.  But last night’s dinner was actually quite tasty and got 4 stars out of 5.  Here’s how it went…

Earlier in the day we stopped by Whole Foods needing to buy flounder to supplement the anemic portion we found in the freezer left over from a previous meal.  We walked by the produce and saw the yellow beets we had been talking about trying, ever since we tested basic red beet dishes for the book. The tag said “Organic Golden Beets” and they were the color of pale carrots. Curious!  So we grabbed a fresh bunch and got the fish. We went with gray sole since it's cheaper than flounder and I can’t really taste the difference after it’s been cooked.  As usual we bought stuff we didn’t need, but that’s what Whole Foods is all about! There were these bins of nuts, seeds and grains for designing your own trail mix…YUM!

To roast the beets, Laura removed the stems and leaves, wrapped each one in foil and roasted them at 400 degrees for about an hour. Next she tossed 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  When the beets were soft, she took them out of the oven, removed the foil and let them cool a bit.  Then she rubbed off the skins and cut the beets into wedges.   Just before plating, she tossed the beet wedges with the vinegar and nuts, and finished them on the plate by drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling with crumbled feta cheese.

The fish were thin fillets of flounder and sole, brushed with a mixture of mayonnaise and country Dijon mustard and crusted with finely chopped pecans. The fillets were then sautéed  for 2 minutes per side in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, and they’re done – easy breezy!

I must say here, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that flippin’ is an important skill that not all have mastered.  Not long ago we took a cooking class which required browning meat on all sides, and there were a lot of meat plops and spatters of hot oil flying around the pans.  I don’t profess to be an expert by any means, but here is my take on flipping a long filet of fish, a burger on the grill, pancakes on Sunday morning, or even crepes.

Using the right tool is critical and it’s all in the wrist. For me this is usually a two handed operation – one tool held lightly in my left hand just to hold the target steady and a thin spatula in my right hand that is as round or long as the target (that’s important).  While holding the target from sliding away, I slide the spatula under - all the way.  Then keeping the down side close to the pan (in other words, keep the spatula very low), turn the spatula and let the target slide (not fall) back on to the pan. The firmer the target the easier it will be.  Burgers and thicker fillets are easy as long as the spatula gets completely under the target and is kept low.  For pancakes or crepes, first loosen the bottom by shaking the pan back and forth a bit.  That way you can slide your spatula underneath without tearing up the uncooked batter on top.

Once you get really good, you may not even need a spatula, but before you start showing off,  please keep in mind that I’ve been flippin’ for over 40 years. There have been many crepes and pancakes that missed the pan on the way down.  So good flippin’!

Smacznego!

Musings of a virgin food stylist...and stuffed cucumbers!

Witamy! Just a few short weeks until our book’s release on Amazon (April 15th) but we’re hoping to mail all the signed copies that have been pre-ordered on our site, a week or so before the 15th.   We’ve already scheduled a few book signings in early May, they’re posted here on the site – on the right side, down a bit.

We want you to meet Daniel Dalcin, a “chef-in-the-making,” which means he is a culinary student here in Washington DC.  Dan artistically arranged the food on the serving plates, so that Matthew could take his great photos.  It was really a team effort – Laura cooked, Dan styled, Matthew shot, I got in their way, and we all tasted! Anyway, we asked Dan to blog about his experience on our book, so this is from Dan:  

Working on the cookbook was a lot of fun! I remember the first day Matt and I went out to Peter and Laura's house. Matt had picked me up from work where I was wearing my slightly dirty and fish-smelling kitchen whites, to go out and meet the authors of this cookbook. I was a little nervous because Matt was wearing a nice button up shirt and slacks, making me think I was going to be the “slobby” under dressed cook – ha-ha.  It was no big deal at all; as soon as we knocked on the door we were greeted by the most friendly couple I've gotten to deal with in a long time.

Peter, throughout the whole cookbook, was the idea man, the revision man and the shopping man. He must have been sick of the local stores in the area by the end of the book. Laura was the kitchen queen, whipping up various dishes for the shoots in only a matter of minutes. She also had a great eye for picking out the backgrounds and helping me choose a plate for the food. 


It was hardly what I would call "going to work". It was more like hanging out with some good friends and tasting some awesome new food, while making a nationally published cookbook on the side. I always looked forward to spending the day there, listening to various kinds of music, but Peter always insisted on NO RAP! Peter and Laura also had become grandparents soon before we got to meet them, so it was cool to see a whole wall of pictures of the new baby develop from week to week.

All in all we made a good team and I think it shows in the cook book. Keep your eyes peeled for the next volume, and if it's Deserts then let’s hope Matt has a big enough lens to frame me and my possibly 50 extra pounds of body mass.

***

Here’s a tasty snack or appetizer that show’s France’s influence on classic Polish cuisine, as well as our love for sour cream.  It’s so easy and tasty that your kids will have a ball with it, plus it’s a great new way to use up some left over ham after Easter. Smacznego!

Stuffed Cucumbers

4 cucumbers, peeled  (straight ones will work better)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 cups lean finely chopped ham
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup prepared horseradish

Cut each cucumber in half, length wise.  Scoop out just the seeds making a small trough down the length of the cucumber. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and vinegar.  Let stand for two hours while the liquid leaches out.  Drain.  In a bowl combine ham with sour cream.  Add the horseradish a little at a time, tasting frequently.  Fill the hollowed out cucumber halves with the ham mix – about a quarter cup each.  Serve with a warm, crispy French baguette.

Cookbook update...

Witamy! A lot of friends have been asking about how the book is doing and when it will be out. As far as we know everything is on target for an April 15th release. That’s the date on Amazon’s web site.  We might get some books delivered here a few days earlier but who knows. The books were actually printed in China, along with many more being released by Pelican Publishing at the same time. They all get shipped at the same time by sea from China to New Orleans where Pelican has their warehouse.

With big help from Kim, our “social network publicist,” we’ve been pretty busy promoting the book on this blog, Twitter and Facebook.  Even though I’ve been marketing stuff for a long time, this is a whole new world. And, with the eager help of the Pelican sales and promotions staff, we’ve been introducing the book to retail stores that sell Polish stuff, cookbooks, and other food-related establishments, to libraries and to the media in cities with large Polish heritage communities. The book has been available on Amazon for several weeks for pre-orders and is getting picked up by a host of other sites as well. The power of the internet is eye opening when you’re actively involved in selling something online!

We have several personal signing events already scheduled  (listed on this page, over on the right)  and will be taking the book on the road later this spring and early summer to cities such as Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Richmond, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and more.

Laura and I are talking about a launch party in May to celebrate the release with all our friends who have been so supportive of this venture. Dan, our food stylist wants to help prepare the food, but I really think he’s coming back to eat again! We hope that Matthew, our photographer, can also come with his cameras. Now we just have to pick which dishes to offer for tasting. I’d love to have a special spot on the table for ice-cold shots of Polish vodka -- what do you think?

So that should bring everyone up to date...thanks for reading!
Peter & Laura