William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-03-01 / 3. szám
TM fhe jim&ätim Kitelj 6D Marinating Food FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. By now we can see spring is just around the comer. The warmer weather will soon be with us. This has been quite a winter with more snow and cold than I can remember. It hasn't all been bad as Chef Vilmos and I have spent many hours in a warm kitchen during these cold months. The end result, of course, is more recipes and more information to pass along to you, the faithful readers of the HK. This past month, I had the pleasure of cooking a Hungarian buffet for a party of 10 people. Back in November at my ACF Chef's charity dinner for Chef and Child, I was part of a live chef auction. My package was dinner for 10 that included appetizers, main courses and dessert. I made stuffed cabbage, kolbász and sauerkraut, Hungarian gulyás with tarhonya, chicken paprikás and nokedli. For dessert I prepared a chocolate törte and a raspberry sauce for the plate, garnished with fresh blackberries. I wound up feeding 15 people and there were still leftovers for the next Practical Pointer When you are marinating larger pieces of meat-such as steaks or roasts or whole poultry-prick the food with a wooden skewer. This will allow the marinade to penetrate more deeply and give you a tastier finished product day. A good time was had by all! Since there isn't a Hungarian butcher shop in New Hampshire, I traveled to Fairfield, Conn., to get my supplies. If you live in the Fairfield area and want a great place to get Hungarian meats, specialty foods and cooking spices, the place to go to is Fairfield Meat Emporium, 849 Kings Highway East. The phone is 203-696- 2322. Or, you can email them at FairfieldMeat@aol.com. They have a great selection and are reasonably priced. As I find other Hungarian butchers in your neighborhoods, I'll pass along the information so you can enjoy their fine products. Last month we learned the basics of marinades and marinating. This month we'll have a more advanced discussion about marinating and share more great recipes you can enjoy. But, first, here is the trivia question of the month: What is the most popular vegetable to marinate? The answer awaits you at the end. I need to correct an item I mentioned in last months column about salt and a potato. The reason a potato can correct something that has been over-salted is because of the strong nature of salt which will seek out the bland potato and attempt to transfer as much salt as it can into the potato. When a highly-salted product and highly-bland product are put together, nature will attempt to balance the high with the low; hence, the potato will absorb salt. The potato does not put bland flavor into a recipe, but draws salt out. Now, back to marinades.... Looking at the basic components of a marinade—which are acid, oil, salt and seasonings-we can put together flavor combinations that can marinate any type of meat, fish or vegetables. The ACID and SALT work together to break down the tough fibers of what you are marinating. The OIL is a vehicle that carries flavor and provides moisture to the product. Base oils-like olive, canola and infused flavored oils-give your marinades depth and more flavors. While marinades do break down fiber and tenderize, their main purpose is to provide flavor. CHEFS TIP *51 An important factor with recipes is to know all the ingredients and how they fit in a recipe. By understanding the whole recipe and how everything fits together, you can make substitutions and additions that make sense and taste great Try substituting chicken or pork in a recipe that normally calls for beef, or try using fish in a favorite recipe that calls for chicken. Substituting or adding healthy vegetables whenever you can also adds another dimension to any recipe. A corned beef hash recipe could easily become turkey or vegetable hash. Once you understand how to manipulate recipes, your cooking goes to another level. B William Penn Life, March 2008
