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Recipe for Galette Bretonne

 

A galette is not a crêpe.  Crêpes are filled with sweet ingredients and made with white wheat flour; while galettes are made with buckwheat flour and have savory fillings.  Originally from Brittany & Normandy, Galette Bretonne is traditionally cooked on one side only, and its most popular filling is egg, jambon (ham) and Emmental or Gruyere -- that’s what the French call galette complète (a complete galette).  Fillings are only limited to your imagination.  Have you heard of galette saucisse from Rennes?  It’s a hot sausage rolled up in a galette.  (Like a fancy hot dog.)

 

What Women Want for Valentine’s Day

 

 

Men hate Valentine’s Day.  It’s true.  In my profession, I spend most holidays in restaurant kitchens, Valentine’s included, so the occasion has never really been a big deal for me.  I had no idea that men hated this day in particular, until last year.  

 

I was thoroughly educated by my fellow chefs (4 men, various ages & situations) of the intense pressure this day brings to every man they know, themselves included.  Apparently, the expectation to somehow create, in setting and substance, a perfect, romantic gesture for the likely-to-be-disappointed woman in their life, drives men crazy.  For some, to the point of physical illness every February 14th.  Huh.

 

The answer?  That’s even more impossible to decode than resolving the issue that “life is short.”  However, by using the far-stretched notion that “life is short, melt some cheese” (aka, food fixes all things), it might be interesting to look at it a different way.  To decipher what women want, let’s first nix what they don’t want.

 

Gnoccho Fritto con Affetati

My mother taught me at a very young age how to eat and still maintain the integrity of one’s lipstick.  So when Signor Morandi served me my first plate of gnoccho fritto, and I picked up a knife and fork, you can imagine his expression.  He patiently showed me how to fold it, proving that the integrity of his gnocchi far outweighed the integrity of my lipstick.  

Gnoccho Fritto con Affetati - literally translated: knot or lump fried with salami.  

The more detailed translation: Small squares of dough that puff into light, hollow, airy pillows when deep-fried.  The crust is thin, golden and cracker-like, with a little give that consents to folding without crumbling.  These gnocchi are usually topped right out of the hot fat with thinly-sliced cured meats (prosciutto, prosciutto cotto and various salamis), which are then folded like a sandwich and eaten warm.  The heat slightly melds the fat-laced prosciutto with the warm pastry -- it’s quite a rich textural experience.

Not always getting great results with other recipes, I experimented a while and created a recipe I love.  It’s not for the faint-hearted, even with olive oil replacing the lard.  But, it’s a very easy process.  And good news for those who don’t have the best of luck with yeast-risen projects, gnoccho fritto is rolled and fried - no unforgiving rising sequence or rebellious gluten.  Just remember to leave the flatware in the drawer, gnoccho fritto tastes better folded over, plus, you don’t lose your salami.  

 

Spicy Shrimp & Dirty Grits with Chateau Ste. Michelle 2007 Eroica Riesling

After hours of shrimp ‘n grits research and recipe testing, I decided I likes ‘em like my men -- spicy, smoky and dirty.  There’s a zillion variations of this Low-Country dish, and quite honestly, I haven’t figured out the original.  From what I can tell, if shrimp, bell peppers, Tabasco, and some type of smoky, fat-rendering pork product are included, it’s a fairly genuine nod to tradition.

Creamy Meyer Lemon & Chive Grits

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Deliciously creamy & lightly lemoned, these grits make an elegant side dish to grilled fish, roasted chicken or fried green tomatoes.

Creamy Meyer Lemon & Chive Grits

Based on The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

Makes 3 cups

1 cup stone ground grits

3-1/2 cups water, plus more to float the chaff

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Pinch freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1 Tablespoon buttermilk, or more to taste

Zest of 1 Meyer lemon

1/4 cup snipped chives

Broiled Grits with Smoky Bacon & Sharp Cheddar

Broiled grits is an excellent dinner party dish.  Made and topped in advance, this method lets you focus on your guests, not your grits.  When it’s time to serve, place them under the broiler for a few minutes to heat the grits and melt the cheese.  It’s also a great way to use up leftovers.

For an authentic touch, stir the grease from the bacon right into the grits at the end to dirty them up -- just don't tell your cardiologist.  If you don’t want the extra step of cooking bacon, a little chopped Kentucky ham is a delicious substitution.  

Southern Boiled Peanuts

“Fresh peanuts seem to occupy a space between snack food and a habit, like chewing tobacco.  As any diehard boiled peanut fan can attest, the salty, wet little beans inspire your mind to take a lazy walk while your hand shuttles between bag and mouth and your teeth do the chewing.”

--Matt & Ted Lee, The Lee Bros. Southern Cooking

Boiled peanuts can be a bit disconcerting upon the first encounter -- not unlike wondering who licked them all before you got there.  But once you get over the fact that roasting isn’t the peanut’s only path to the snack bowl, they can become very addicting.  They were definitely the conversation starter at our last dinner party.

Slow Weekend: Antinori, Fries & Coltrane

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Not much beats a slow weekend in the kitchen.  Pots simmering, chocolate things baking, crispy things frying, corks popping, spices wafting.  By yourself or with someone you love, slow weekend cooking is pleasurable.  Don’t forget to turn on a little Coltrane -- anything is gratifying with Coltrane.  Even sweeping is hot with John Coltrane.

The Fries:

This weekend, might I suggest French fries.  Deep-fried potatoes are delicious and good for your soul -- don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Deep-frying is actually quite easy to master.  Once you do, you’ll be deep-frying everything, trust me.  All you need is a heavy-bottomed pot, peanut or canola oil, a deep fat frying thermometer, a few potatoes and salt.  I defer to Anthony Bourdain for the perfect French fry instructions (recipe below).

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Green Olives, Raisins & Capers

Braising is insanely easy and tastes even better the second day, which makes it an ideal dinner party dish.  A good braise depends on a flavorful braising liquid and a long, low simmer in the oven or on the stove top.  

Braising variations are almost endless -- experiment with different aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices, red or white wines, spirits, stock, and meat.  Side dishes are also numerous -- polenta, risotto, noodles, potatoes or other root vegetables, sauteed greens.

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Green Olives, Raisins & Capers

serves 4

Potato Latkes

I was enamored with Jewish traditions in my early twenties.  Admittedly, the fascination was mostly food oriented, luring me into every Jewish cookbook I could find.  But, since mine was a Gramma, not a Bubbe, there were no secret latke recipes passed down the family tree.  Luckily, the blogosphere brings a wealth of useful information, and with it, the perfect latke recipe.