Bear Cuisine

A Southwestern Taste

Poblanos are among my favorite chiles. They have a distinctive flavor and are only rarely too hot for those who can't take  much heat.Almost every year, we buy a bushel at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market and have them roasted. When I put them in the freezer, I feel rich. It's as good as having money in the bank.

Combine their taste with Cilantro and you have a winning combination. David Rosengarten developed a recipe for a Cilantro-Poblano Cream Sauce that has been our Thanksgiving table for several years now. It freezes well and we'll be having some of it tonight on our pork chops.

CILANTRO-POBLANO CREAM SAUCE

1. 1/2 pound (2 sticks) plua 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (18 tablespoons altogether)
2. 3 cups coarsely chopped leeks ( 2 large leeks)
3. 3 cups coarsely chopped celery
4. 12 poblano chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 3 pounds)
5. 3 cups cilantro roots and stems, coarsely chopped plus 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro leaves
6. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
7. 12 cups chicken stock
8. Pinch of nutmeg
9. Tabasco green pepper sauce (optional)

 

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottmed pan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped leeks and celery. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the poblanos and the chopped cilantro roots and sems. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the flour, stirring well to coat the vegetables If the pot seems dry, add a little more butter. Saute the roux for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, stirring vigorously to blend well. Raise heat, bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce should be of a medium-thick consistency.

Strain the solids out of the stock and reserve. Return the sauce to the saucepan. Finely mince some of the solids until you have 3/4 of a cup. Return these to the sauce and added the minced cilantro leaves. Stir to blend. Add the nutmeg and if desired, a little Tabasco green pepper sauce. Taste for seasoning and serve.

 

You can cut the recipe in half if you don't want to make this much.

Herbed Linguine with Prosciutto

Here's another winning recipe from Christine Hickman. This one features prosciutto, the other star ingredient from Parma.

 CHRISTINE HICKMAN

HERBED LINGUINE with PROSCIUTTO

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   
2. 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
   
3. Pinch of salt
   
4. 1 1/2 cups light cream or Half and Half
   
5. 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
   
6. 3 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
   
7. 10 large fresh basil leaves
   
8. 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
   
9. 6 fresh mint leaves
   
10. 1 pound linguine or fresh egg fettuccine 
    
11. 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or to taste
    
12. Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Saute about 5 minutes until the onions soften and are transparent. Ad the light cream and the grated lemon zest. Cook one minute and remove from heat.

Cut the prosciutto into thin strips and separate all the pieces as you set them aside. Combine the basil, parsley and mint and chop finely. Set aside.

Cook the linguine or fresh egg fettuccine in rapidly boiling salted water. Just before the pasta is done, briefly return the saute pan to medium heat and warm the sauce. When the pasta is al dente, drain and add it to the saute pan along with the herbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Toss the pasta until the cheese melts and a light sauce forms. Add the prosciutto, season with freshly ground black pepper to taste and toss briefly.

Serve immediately in warm pasta bowls with more Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

This is sooo delicious. I had to make myself stop eating it so that I could eat the courses which were to follow. A simple, perfect supper all on its own with, of course, a glass of wine.

National Garlic Day

As far as I'm concerned,every day should be Garlic Day. I can't imagine cooking without it and I genuinely grieve for friends who are allergic to it. My mother rarely used garlic in her cooking; to her it was probably classed as an exotic ingredient used in ethnic cooking. I can't remember when I first tasted it, but I do remember that it was love at first bite.

Garlic was grown in the Middle East as far back as the third century B.C.E. Because it grew easily, garlic was cheap and widely used by cooks of every class. A head of garlic made up part of the daily ration of the Roman soldier because it was thought to create a strong fighting force. (The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices)

Garlic has even inspired poetry.

ALLIODE

OH GARLIC(ANGLO-SAXON)!
OH ALLIUM SATIVUM (LINNEAN)!
RUSTIC'S HEAL-ALL
SENT FROM HEAVEN.

YOU ARE THE PEASANT'S CAMPHOR
AND STINKING ROSE OF MIRTH
DIVINE STAPLE OF LAUGHTER
SACRED HERB OF D'EARTH.

OH SERPENTS WEEED
YOU ARE YET HOLY
ABOVE ALL HERBS INDEED
AND DETESTED ONLY
BY THOSE (UNCONFESSED)
WHO IGNORANT, LACK A NOSE
FOR WHAT IS BEST DIGESTED!

AND HOWEVFR ACCURSED AND PROFANE
YOU CROP UP AGAIN AND AGAIN
IN EVERY LANGUAGE KNOWN
IN EVERY NATION GROWN. . . .

ALLIUM S., ALLIUM EST!
ALLIUM YES, ALLIUM BEST!

(Lloyd J Harris in The Book of Garlic)

One of the first recipes I remember trying after falling in love with the Stinking Rose was Forty Clove Chicken.

FORTY-CLOVE CHICKEN--HERMETICALLY SEALED

There are many chicken dishes that call for 40 or more cloves of garlic. The garlic can be stuffed into the whole bird with other ingredients. Don't let the amount of garlic scare you; the garlic, after prolonged cooking has a mild, nutty flavor, and thus these chicken recipes are known as "pistaches" in France.

2/3 cup olive oil
4 stalks celery
1 tablespoon tarragon
salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly grated nutmet
1 2 lb. chicken
40 cloves garlic
1/3 cup cognac
1/4 cup flour
water
fried toast

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour olive oil into large casserole. To oil add the celery which has been cut into thin strips, parsley and tarragon. Sprinkle salt and pepper and nutmeg over the chicken which has been cut into quarters. Add chicken to oil and vegetable mixture turning to coat the pieces thoroughly. Add garlic, cognac and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add to flour enough water to make stiff paste. Cover the casserole with the lid and make a hermetic seal by spreading flour and water paste on edges of lid and and casserole. Completely cover the top with aluminum foil. Bake the casserole for 1 1/2 hours at 375 degrees. Do not remove the top until ready to serve at the table. Serve with fried toast on which the garlic sauce can be spread. Serves 4
(from The Book of Garlic)

Another favorite is Garlic Mayonnaise otherwise known as Sauce Aioli

SAUCE AIOLI

To prepare 1 cup of aioli, peel 3 medium-size cloves of garlic and work them into a smooth paste with a pinch of coarse salt in a mortar and pestle. If a mortar and pestle are not available, finely chop the garlic and then crush it on a cutting board with side of a chef;s knife. Combine the garlic paste with 2 egg yolks and gradually work 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil into the mixture. if using a mortar and pestle, do this directly in the mortar. Add 1 tablespoon or more of lemon juice or water to the mayonnaise after adding half the oil, to prevent the mayonnaise from becoming too thick.

Although garlic mayonnaise is traditionally prepared directly in a mortar while the oil is gently worked in with the pestle, modern recipes frequently suggest using a blender, electric mixer or hand whisk. Olive oil is a surprisingly fragile substance and will often turn bitter if beaten or overworked. When using extra virgin olive oil, work it into the yolks with a wooden spoon if a mortar and pestle are not available.
(from James Peterson's Sauces)