In the Kitchen

What's New at Paulding & Company

April 2009

What’s On My Mind

I want to talk about salt. We seem to be a salt-phobic society, based on my observation of cooks in the groups that I teach—from classes to team building groups to parties—who are terribly resistant to normally salting the food we’re cooking. I was reminded just how important salting food is twice in the last week or so, the first time, with a soup we made during a group event—it tasted absolutely awful, and the group making it was very upset, and called me over to the stove. I watched their misery turn to awe when we added a good amount of salt to the pot. The soup “woke up” and turned from unpleasant to delicious in a matter of minutes, as we judiciously added a little, tasted, added a bit more, tasted, etc. until the flavor was right. It did need a splash of white wine to complete the transformation, but the entire group enjoyed the soup immensely afterwards.

I was reminded again, when I made paella for my family Saturday. I salted the meat before searing it, but obviously, tasting the finished product, I didn’t initially use enough. The paella was seasoned perfectly, but the meat in it was not. I noticed, but if anyone else did, they were too polite to say so.

You don’t need to overdo the salt, but it is terribly important for flavor and in proper amounts, is also necessary to good health. Your body composition is 0.9% salt. Which is why athletes know to replenish it when they’ve worked out and sweated a lot. Like everything else in life, maintaining a reasonable balance is the objective. Having your food taste good, by being properly salted, means that you will enjoy it and feel more satisfied. That is important!

What’s Happening at the Kitchen

We have some interesting classes coming up. I’ve been too busy to run any public classes myself (that’s a good thing, in a way). But Rosetta has many on the schedule, and for the moment, there’s still space in many of them. Her Italian classes remain some of our most popular, so if you’ve not tried one out, this is a great time. See the list on the sidebar.

Our other teacher this month is NEW, but not to teaching—Alexandra Fochi’s first Brazilian food class is set for the Thursday Aapril 16th, and still has plenty of room for you and your friends. Her focus for this first class incorporates a concept that you’ve been suggesting to me: FAST and EASY food that you can incorporate easily into your busy lifestyle. Of course, you get to play with new ingredients and methods and flavors as well. Alexandra’s a native Brazilian, who been working with me at many of my team building events lately—she’s a very experienced teacher, and her class will be dynamite. You will learn all about such interesting ingredients as yucca—a staple there, that we have very little knowledge of here. Check out the full menu, and sign up today!

Private Classes, Team Development, Rehearsal Dinners

We’ve had a very busy month in March, and events are lining up for the rest of spring—now is the time to plan that party or class for a group of friends, or to mention to your work team that there is a great opportunity to play in the kitchen. If by chance you’re planning a wedding, remember that a rehearsal dinner in the kitchen is FUN and your families will interact and get to know one another in a relaxed, delicious atmosphere.

VERY Special!

We have a unique event to offer—once it’s bought, it’s gone: We have teamed up with exclusive French chocolate maker Valrhona, to offer a cooking event for a group of 30-40 guests, with their US executive chef and, of course, plenty of chocolate. All the recipes will be from their cookbook, from appetizers to dessert. I’ll be working with the group along with chef Derek, who travels the country, training chefs most of the time. Email me for further information if you’re interested.

Camp Cook!

We’re now taking registrations for our summer camp, Cook! Culinary Adventures is an awesome day camp for pre-teens and teens. Our camp is creating plenty of “buzz” in the community—one mom recently told me the following: “My son just wanted to stay home, in front of the computer, and IM his friends all summer. Then I showed him the flyer for camp and he got really excited.”

We think that the combination of fun, flavor, life skills, and challenge is just irresistible! We have so many chefs wanting to come and play with the kids, we’re having to schedule them carefully—and our talented home team of chefs is busy planning the sessions. Download the flyer and pass it along to your kids’ friends too, along with the link to our registration form and complete camp information sheet. Soon they’ll be cooking YOU dinner!

We are hosting an open house to introduce prospective campers and their families to the kitchen and some of our staff, on Sunday, April 19th from 1-4 PM.

In the Market

Mother nature is, thank goodness, not influenced by politics. She doesn’t tow the line on the global warming fantasy—as witness by our record cold winter, which means, I think, a good strong blossom set on the cherry trees, as has been reported to me by one farmer friend. Local cherries should be in the market in May, as usual, but the ones from down south can arrive in early April. Fava beans and early peas should be along any minute, the bright pea tendrils have already shown up (a quick stir-fry with some garlic is wonderful with these), and the artichokes are at their peak. Green garlic and spring onions are still going strong—so last month’s recipe for soup should be great right now; if you want, try making it with a few tablespoons of rice thrown in for a change. Strawberries from Ventura and San Diego have given way to the more local ones from Santa Cruz, and avocados are plentiful—did you know that avocados are supposed to lower cholesterol? Also, many of the vegetable farms have added chickens, and are selling eggs. Some, like Full Belly Farm in Guinda, (Berkeley markets) are raising all the grain they feed the chickens. Of course the chicken manure is great fertilizer for the fields, so a good life cycle. The farm eggs are amazingly flavorful, with deep orange yolks.

A great tip for lemon use!

In the kitchen this week, we’re making batches of salted preserved lemons. I picked a hundred or more Meyers from my two trees over the last few weeks. I use Paula Wolfert’s simple recipe, where you tightly fill a pint jar with well-washed lemons cut into wedges, and then fill in with lemon juice and kosher salt (about 2/3 cup salt to 1 cup lemon juice), cover and let stand for a week on the counter. After that, a film of olive oil on top and into the fridge, to keep for months. You use only the rind—discard the flesh which is more bitter and mushy. They’re great in Middle Eastern dishes, finely chopped as a colorful and tasty garnish on fish dishes, or mixed into tapenades. I also love using the lemon with roasted cauliflower, garlic and olives—just toss the cauliflower with some olive oil and salt, roast until turning a bit brown, and mix in diced preserved lemon, garlic and olives for 10 more minutes of cooking time. Sometimes I also add some fresh lemon juice and saffron, too.

Recipe of the Month: Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is native to Argentina and Uruguay, and there are many variations. I particularly like this one, with lime juice instead of vinegar, but if you have no limes, you can substitute red or white wine vinegar. Many recipes add more spices than mine—again, a matter of personal taste. Skirt steak is one of my favorite meats, relatively economical, extremely flavorful, and quick to cook—a natural pairing with the sauce, also used as a brief marinade before cooking. The sauce can be used on other proteins too—if you prefer fish, try marinating a piece briefly in some of the sauce, and serving the rest on top.

View the recipe »