Since my visit to Asturias, Spain, last October, I’ve been dreaming about a rustic chicken dish I was served there. I was visiting for the natural paradise that is Asturias, with hiking, climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, even coal mining on my itinerary. But all that exercise led me to explore the fantastic kitchens of the region too.

Since that Asturian trip I’ve researched recipes for Pitu Caleya only to learn that, as is so typical of true rustic dishes, each household has its own way of making it! The version I was served was a rice-centric dish with all the flavors of chicken but no big pieces. The recipes I found online were more formal, featuring chicken pieces and rice ranging from a risotto consistency to a crusted paella style. Below I combined the best recipes to deliver the great chicken flavor I remembered with a rice somewhere between the two. I’ve made it several times now and really like the fragrance, texture, and taste. I even included a shortcut so the dish can be made in one day if you are short on time.

A note about the spelling: Pitu caleya is the Spanish version. Pitu Calella is the Asturian version, with the double “ll”s pronounced as “l”, not as a “y” in Spanish.

Pitu Caleya – Asturian Chicken “Paella”

Ingredients – serves four (with the best leftovers!) to eight

• 4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs, (eight pieces) bone-in, skin-on
• Marinade:
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil – more as needed
• Braise:
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • 1 garlic head, cut in half
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups whole apple cider
  • 2 cups Sidra (Spanish cider) Preferably Trabanco, but in the US Angry Orchard would do.
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth as needed in braise or paella
• Paella:
  • 5 tbsp butter (or more as needed)
  • ½ cup flour
  • extra chicken stock or broth
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 medium carrot diced
  • 1 medium red pepper diced
  • ¾ cup Calasparra rice
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, chives) to garnish

Instructions

• Stir the salt, black pepper, and sugar in the oil until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over the chicken legs and thighs in a zipper plastic bag and rub chicken through sides of the bag to fully moisten and refrigerate from six hours to overnight. (Alternately, rub the marinade on the chicken and proceed to the next step.)
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken skin side up in a 9×12 baking pan, add thyme, garlic, and bay leaves, pour in the cider and sidra, (the liquid should be halfway up the chicken – if not, add enough chicken stock to get there) and braise in the oven uncovered for about 1 -1 ½ hours. The chicken should be tender, golden and caramelized on top and the liquid should have reduced by about half. Allow to cool enough to handle. 
• Remove the meat (skin attached) from the chicken drumsticks in pieces while keeping the thigh intact as you remove the bone.Set aside the thighs and garlic, strain and defat the liquid, mashing the roasted garlic back into the strained braising liquid. Reserve liquid and set aside the bones for your next stock.
• In a large sauté pan or paella pan brown the butter. Toss the pieces of chicken leg meat and skin (not the intact thighs) in a plastic bag with the flour and the remaining salt and add to the brown butter. Cook until the chicken becomes golden brown and crispy. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Then add the chopped onion, carrot, and both diced and dried red peppers and saute’ until soft, 3-4 minutes, adding more butter as needed. Return the chicken legs to the pan. Add the rice, stirring to moisten, followed in a minute by the remaining braising liquid from the chicken and, if needed, enough extra stock to make 4 cups.
• Cook over medium heat until the rice absorbs most of the liquid, stir, trying not to disturb the bottom layer of rice as it begins to stick to the pan – about 30 minutes. Taste the rice and adjust for seasoning, especially salt. Preheat the oven to 350.
• Arrange the reserved chicken thighs (halved if serving eight) on top of the cooked rice in the pan and finish cooking in the oven for ten minutes. Garnish with chopped herbs and set on the table. Serve on warm plates each with a thigh on top of the rice. Pass a salad.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get chef Noé Alvarez’s recipe for pitu caleya, of Castillo Del Alba Hotel, but this slightly fancier substitute will still deliver the delicious flavor while being true to the traditional regional specialty. I hope you enjoy it!

Note on accommodations: In the old quarter of Aviles, my hotel, the Palacio de Aviles, is a converted palace with centuries of history and beautiful, formal gardens to relax in. From there it was an easy walk or short drive for the culinary adventures described above. All but Pitu Caleya. I stayed at the Castillo Del Alba Hotel for that meal.

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Piranha I Caught in Peru’s Amazon. Eat ‘Em Before they Eat You, My Motto.

By Skip Kaltenheuser

Catching piranha is the ultimate fisherman’s no-brainer, though it does give one pause when taking a quick cooling-off swim in the same spot. The hardest part is hook removal. In the Amazon they use a hand-carved wooden phallus to pry open the mouth and hold the jaws open so one keeps one’s fingers.  It’s not the easiest image to get out of one’s mind. Here’s the occasion that took me there. The primary spice on my fish was a local pepper called Aji Pinguita, loosely translated to little monkey-dick, nine on the hotness schedule. The piranha were an interesting prelude to the quest that came after. We also ate varieties of catfish, of which there are a zillion species (at least over 1,300) in the Amazon, from armored ones that can waddle from one stream to another to ones big enough to swallow a small pig to the dreaded 5 mm candiru.

101 Things To Do with Cockroaches

By Ed Landry

I am thinking of a filthy, disgusting creature that wasn’t invited into your home and just won’t go away.  No, this is not a lawyer joke nor am I thinking about your uncle.  Because of the types of places I have gone, particularly third world destinations, war torn countries and disaster sites, I have come to expect cockroaches to be one of my traveling companions or at least my welcoming party. But at least let me begin with some good news. There are no cockroaches in Antarctica. If I come up with anything else I will let you know.MORE

Rattlesnake

By Richard Carroll

I was on assignment in Northern Arizona and booked at a hotel where a Native American Executive Chef was working. A confused Rattlesnake slipped into the kitchen and met his demise. A small piece of grilled rattler tasted like chewy chicken. I felt sorry for the snake and for sure that was my first and last snake tasting experience.

Fried Grasshoppers – Cooked to Perfection

By Ed Boitano

For me, traveling to a destination is to immerse myself in the local culture. This includes, of course, sampling regional cuisine. On a recent press trip to Mexico City, I stumbled upon a restaurant that specialized in pre-Columbian food items. When I saw the Aztec dish of Fried Grasshoppers on the menu, I knew it was to be a match made in happen. Yes, they were crunchy, but also a strong source of protein. Slipping them into a tortilla, slathered with guacamole (the avocado also from Mexico) and a little salsa, made my dining experience a delightful pleasure. And, of course, everyone at my table wanted a taste of the critters before their transition into the tortilla. It proved to be nice moment of bonding with my fellow travelers.

Okra Soup

By Richard Frisbie

Its base is the typical combination of pork and beef broth served to locals in Curacao, with shrimp and some fish added, then thickened to an almost mucous consistency with lots of okra. My table companions turned their noses up at the delightfully fragrant bowl of soup because it was a thick as honey and stickier. It looked most unappetizing. I learned that to eat it, the trick was to rotate my spoon in circles on the viscous surface, slowly raising it to break the bonds of the slimy, clingy liquid. Still, strings like melted mozzarella on a pizza slice stretched with the spoon to my mouth in a sticky web bursting with flavor. If the okra soup wasn’t so good I wouldn’t have worked so messily hard to finish it.

Fried Bees

By Fyllis Hockman

Fried bees are a delicacy in China but I was still surprised to find a plate of them on our banquet table. Having already tasted duck feet webbing and grimaced at some jellyfish, I figured how bad can a fried bee be. But when I picked one up with my chopsticks, I demurred. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat something with whom I had just made eye contact. I blinked first….

Bowl of Chinese Soup

By James Boitano

This is not the strangest food I’ve ever encountered on a trip. I’ve had snake in China, whale in the Faroe Islands and kangaroo and crocodile in Australia. But none of those were actually that exotic tasting. But one of the most surprising things I ate earlier this year was a simple bowl of soup noodles in Beijing. I was on a 10 hour layover there and decided to take a city tour of the Forbidden City. Arriving at 5:00 am from an overnight flight from Kazakstan, I spent the next five hours on a tour of the city. By late morning I was exhausted and most of all famished. The tour included a ‘traditional Chinese breakfast.’ I was ecstatic when I found out it was one of my favorite things: soup noodles.  I was led into a modest traditional restaurant where I was the only foreigner and the guide helped me order a traditional bowl of noodles.  Ready to savor the meaty broth and thick satisfying noodles, I tucked in… and it was tasteless. It tasted exactly as if you added boiling water to top ramen without the flavoring packet: limp noodles in hot water. I tried to add some spice to get some flavoring out of it but was admonished by the guide. No, we do not eat spicy for breakfast. I gave up after that, and thought I’d settle for tea. Oh, no, my guide told me. We do not drink tea for breakfast. So what did they have? A sprite. I know, I know: I was just another barbarian visiting the Imperial City. The city’s tastes were obviously much too refined for me.

Pickled Grasshoppers & Beetles Snack

By Raoul Pascual

When I was still in the Philippines, we had a friend who came from the Ilocus region (which is the northern most part of the Philippines). The Ilocanos (as they are called) are known for their industrious spirit and frugality. They survive even the worst drought. It is no surprise that they have this delicacy. I had never heard of it. One day our Ilocano friend received a gift from home – a jar of black juice with insects swimming inside. When I asked what it was, she readily handed me a soft, fermented grasshopper. The soup had the consistency of dirty water on its early evolutionary stage to becoming oil so it had the darkness of used motor engine oil. It smelled awful like soaked forgotten socks but my friend was excited to see me taste her favorite snack so how could I refuse? I took a bite and ripped its crunchy head off. It tasted like mowed grass dipped in a sewer. It wasn’t spicy – so there was nothing to deaden the taste. It was simply repugnant. I chewed it a couple of times hoping there would be a redeeming flavor in the mix. None came. I imagined its tiny antlers and little legs scurrying excitedly at their new home. I retched it out. My friend laughed. I had to gargle. Worst food in the planet.

Pizza Napoletana: Naples’ Gift to the World

By Ringo Boitano

My dream was about to become a reality. Based in Los Angeles, I was used to taunts from my otherwise wonderful East Coast friends, who were never shy about battering me with people in Southern California don’t know what REAL pizza is. Though I had eaten my way through New York, Boston and Philly in the past and had sampled their delicious pies – I would ask my friends countless times why it was a REAL pizza and others were not. The standard reply was It’s just better.

Now, as I stood on the shores of Naples, I was about to experience the real REAL THING. I had prepared myself with plenty of research for this sacred occasion. The word pizza was first documented in AD 997. Baker Raffaele Esposito from Naples is often given credit for creating the first such pizza pie. Unlike the wealthy minority, Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza, sold by street vendors or informal restaurants, met this need. The early pizzas (known to the world as Pizza Napoletana) consumed by Naples’ poor were prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius, a splash of olive oil and some salt with no cheese, basil and fancy toppings. The pie was then baked in a wood-burning oven made of volcanic stones from Mount Vesuvius. MORE

Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India

By Ed Landry

My friend and I really love hot food. It was 1987 and we were on assignment in Southern India with a group called The Bible League. We had visited remote villages in the interior and had returned to Andhra Pradesh and needed a rest. This particular region of India has the reputation of having the spiciest and most deadly cuisine on the continent. Dog and I (yes, his nickname is “Dog”) were looking forward to a good meal. We needed a break from the village food, especially the rancid Ghee we ate sitting on dirt floors with cats crawling on our food. By the way, Ghee, when it is fresh, is clarified butter but Indian Ghee that has aged in the heat for years sitting open on a shelf has the flavor and texture of dog vomit so we were ready for a change of diet. It was good to get back into a city.

Recipe … if you dare!

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My friend and I really love hot food. It was 1987 and we were on assignment in Southern India with a group called The Bible League. We had visited remote villages in the interior and had returned to Andhra Pradesh and needed a rest. This particular region of India has the reputation of having the spiciest and most deadly cuisine on the continent. Dog and I (yes, his nickname is “Dog”) were looking forward to a good meal. We needed a break from the village food, especially the rancid Ghee we ate sitting on dirt floors with cats crawling on our food. By the way, Ghee, when it is fresh, is clarified butter but Indian Ghee that has aged in the heat for years sitting open on a shelf has the flavor and texture of dog vomit so we were ready for a change of diet. It was good to get back into a city.

Dog said he wanted to eat some of the famous hot goat meat of Andhra Pradesh. I told him I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But, he asked our guide where the hottest food in the region was to be found and we were led to this dilapidated, hole-in-the-wall eatery. As we were walking in one of the customers was being dragged out either drunk or unconscious with what looked like severe facial burns. It was really disgusting. His friends were all laughing. I reminded Dog that I REALLY didn’t think this was a good idea at all.

When we sat down Dog made it quick and simple. He ordered the hottest thing on the menu. Our guide was impressed. I was scared. I was sweating before we even started to eat. There was something acidic in the air. As a former firefighter, I remember thinking as we walked in that there must have been a fire next door in a battery acid plant. My eyes were burning just sitting there and it was getting hard to breathe. The waiter smiled as he carried out the food and gave a high five to our guide. Half the restaurant stopped eating and watched us since we were Americanos and no hotter food existed. Dog said, “Wow, let’s do it.” Oh, what the heck. How bad can it be? We dove in.

I want to try to describe the experience without scaring off potential travelers. But first, something needs some explanation. There is a pepper grown in India which is called Bhut Jolokia. In 1987 it was the hottest known pepper in the world. We call that pepper the Ghost Pepper in America. OK, back to our story. He ordered the hottest Ghost pepper, goat meat dish that they made. If you ever travel with a man named “Dog” don’t let him order lunch!

We began. By the time the first bite of the hot goat meat reached my stomach, I felt like I had just gargled Drano. You could actually feel the skin peeling off the throat and falling in sheets into the stomach. My bowels started cramping just for practice knowing they would be called on big time shortly. It soon developed into a rebellion of the entire body. I kept eating. Macho Ed was not going to wimp out. It wasn’t long before salty sweat stains covered my shirt and pants.

Limca soft drinkLet me introduce a very important word at this time – Limca. Limca is an Italian soft drink similar to a lemon-lime soda. Since they don’t often have refrigeration in the interior of India the bottles are kept covered in cow dung to keep them cooler. I gulped down the entire bottle in one breath. Chunks of dried cow dung flaked off onto my sweaty shirt. I restrained myself from drinking another Limca and decided to try some of the rice to calm my gurgling stomach. I like rice. This wasn’t rice. This was chunky style paint remover. There were pock marks on the ceramic plate. I went back to the goat meat. But before I started again I ordered another Limca.

I looked over at Dog and he was looking pale and his smile was gone. “You OK, Dog?” He looked kind of scared and then in a quick, manly recovery said, “Sure no problem.” But his voice broke and he sort of squeaked the words out.

I took another bite of the goat stew. At the table next to us a man had fallen to the ground unconscious and his friends were pouring beer all over him. I made a mental note. I don’t drink alcohol but somehow, I could see this happening to me. I kept eating…

I think it was the next bite that melted my lips off. If you have eaten extremely hot food you learn it is wise to observe how the locals do it. They never let the food touch their lips. Anyway, it didn’t matter now, I had no lips. My biggest concern began to be brain damage. I finished my next Limca without taking a breath. Our guide said he had never seen a Limca consumed that quickly. It was also the first time he had seen someone shake the carbonated beverage and hold his thumb over the bottle while spraying it all over his face. I was able to buy an ice cube and just wiped it over and over on my throbbing, missing lips while moaning. The pain and insanity increased for the rest of the meal.

It was then I noticed that Dog was not looking very good. He was bent over in pain with a horrible gas attack. His intestinal track resembled Mount St. Helens and when it erupted three minutes later he literally cleared the table. Two people eating nearby moved to another table.

Then my intestines started to send an equally urgent message. I excused myself to pay a visit to the local comfort room. As I stumbled past the table where the two had moved I grabbed an unfinished Limca from their table and poured it on top of my head. I barely had time to reach the bathroom and sit down when steaming lava erupted from the heart of the earth. We are talking about a Richter 10 caustic explosion. I needed another Limca to wash off but I had none. I wanted to sit on an ice cream cone. My eyesight was almost gone. I barely recognized Dog when I went out. He was leaning over the table waiting for something else bad to happen. His chin looked like he had been drooling paint remover. I think his mouth was totally paralyzed. The entire front of his shirt and pants looked like he had fallen into a restaurant grease trap. He asked where the Limca was and I just told him I was going outside to die in the alley. He said, “OK.” Both our brains were now gone. We had no lips, brains, bowels, or shirts left. We looked like we had been beaten senseless by a herd of rabid monkeys and dumped into a pig trough.

I went to see Dog the next morning in his hotel room. He was half conscious sitting on the floor in the fetal position. I noticed three empty cases of Limca scattered around the room. We both had trouble talking. We ate yogurt the rest of the week. Our lips did grow back and our bowels returned to normal pre-volcanic activity. I have never been normal since. I twitch a lot when I talk. Sometimes I just slobber when I think about it.

Recipe: Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India

To marinate:

• 1½ pounds Goat, cleaned, washed & cut to 1 inch size pieces
• 1½ teaspoons of Red Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice (or 2 tablespoons thick yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon Salt

To grind:

• 1½ inch Ginger, peeled & cut into small pieces
• 8 to 10 Garlic Pods, peeled
• 2 cm Cinnamon Stick
• 6 Cloves
• 2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons desiccated Coconut
• ¼ cup Hot Water for grinding

To season:

• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 Star anise
• 2 Kapok Buds (Marathi moggu)
• 2 cm Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Cloves
• 2 Cardamoms
• 2 Bay Leaves

Other Ingredients:

• 1 large Onion, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 Ghost Chili Peppers (Bhut Jolokia), finely chopped (wear plastic gloves)
• A sprig of Curry Leaves
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of Red Chili Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Required salt
• ½ cup finely chopped Coriander, divided

Directions

• Marinate Goat with red chili powder, turmeric, a teaspoon of lemon juice and salt for about a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer the better.
• Grind ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, poppy seeds and desiccated coconut in a blender to a fine paste, without adding water.
• Then add slightly hot water, soak for a minute and grind to a fine paste. Soaking in hot water aids easy grinding of the poppy seeds.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Once oil is hot, season with dry spices.
• To this add chopped onions, Ghost Chili Peppers and sauté.
• Add curry leaves and stir for a minute. Be generous in using curry leaves!!
• Once onions become translucent, add in the marinated goat.
• Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes..
• Add remaining red chili powder and turmeric powder.
• Now add required water till the goat immerses. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy to suit your requirement. Adjust salt and add in some fresh coriander.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook over medium high heat for 5 to 7 whistles, then simmer and cook for 5 minutes till the goat is fully cooked, soft and tender.
• Open the lid of the pressure cooker once the pressure subsides.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped coriander

The Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India Recipe is done and ready to be served with rice.

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Matzo ball soup gets a glow-up with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds along with lemon zest and edible flowers for color and bright spring flavor.

By Leah Koenig

Active Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6

Seltzer and fresh herbs make these matzo balls light, airy, and springy.

• Edible flowers bring a simple beauty to a classic soup traditionally served at Passover.
• The soup is ready in a couple of hours, but you can get a head start by cooking the matzo balls and making the soup a day in advance.

Passover arrives on the cusp of spring, when the trees are bursting into their annual riot of fragrant buds and flowers. It’s also called chag ha’aviv, which translates from Hebrew to “spring holiday.” With all loving respect to the heavy, brown, slow-cooked dishes of my Ashkenazi Jewish people, after a long winter, my taste buds are crying out for all things green and bright.

What are traditional Passover foods?

For Jews hailing from Eastern Europe like my family does (my mother’s parents were first-generation Russian and Lithuanian), Passover’s classic dishes were shaped by the seasons. The trees outside may have been starting to bloom, but the garden was still bare, and the larder told the story of late winter. With limited produce and other ingredients available, it’s no wonder why dishes like tzimmes (a root vegetable stew), starchy kugels made from potatoes or softened matzo flavored with browned onions, saucy braised pot roasts, and gefilte fish quenelles poached in fish stock and brightened with grated horseradish (another root vegetable), became de rigueur.

In my family, tradition is paramount, especially when it comes to holiday food. Eating familiar dishes offers a chance to connect to our history and heritage in a tangible way. I might be able to get away with skipping the gefilte fish, but if the matzo ball soup is missing? That transgression would hardly go unnoticed. And yet, respecting tradition does not have to mean forfeiting flavor or freshness.

How can I reinvigorate the classic Passover spread?

I plan to welcome spring to the Passover table with a collection of dishes that honor familial roots (both figuratively and literally!), while celebrating the holiday’s verdant potential. I’ll dress up a platter of chicken roasted with leeks and potatoes with a zippy gremolata made from toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parsley. I’ll serve a gorgeous and colorful salad that takes late-winter produce like thinly shaved beet and carrot ribbons and matches them with rounds of juicy clementine.

Guests needn’t fret, the chicken soup will be on the table. But bowls of fragrant, golden broth and comforting matzo balls will be enlivened with a tangle of fresh herbs, lemon zest, and edible flowers. It’s a recipe that still honors the iconic flavors of Passover while giving a glow-up that lets them truly shine.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Herb Garden kneidlach soup can be prepared and served on the same day — it’s table-ready in about two and a half hours. If you’d like to get a head start, though, you can cook the matzo balls and make the soup a day in advance. After shredding the chicken in Step 4, simply cover the soup, shredded chicken, and cooled matzo balls separately with plastic wrap (or place in airtight containers) and refrigerate until you’re nearly ready to eat, then proceed with the recipe.

Matzo Balls

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1/4 cup seltzer
• 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for simmering the matzo balls

Soup

• 12 ounces medium carrots, peeled, divided
• 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 pound medium-size yellow onions, halved lengthwise
• 1 medium (about 13-ounce) fennel bulb, quartered, 1/4 cup packed fennel fronds reserved
• 2 large celery stalks, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 6 medium garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 10 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Additional ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh dill fronds
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
• Edible flowers (optional)

Directions

1.     Make the matzo balls: Stir together eggs, matzo meal, seltzer, oil, chopped mixed herbs, and salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, bring a Dutch oven filled with generously salted water to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer while you shape the matzo balls.

3.     Using lightly moistened hands, scoop out chilled matzo mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls and roll into balls, carefully adding each ball to simmering water after you shape it. (You will have 18 to 20 balls total.)

4.     Cover Dutch oven; simmer matzo balls until tender and puffed, 45 to 55 minutes. (For denser, less fluffy matzo balls, cook for slightly less time.) To test for doneness, remove 1 matzo ball from water and cut in half. It should be uniformly pale in color throughout. Remove from heat. Remove matzo balls from water and transfer to a plate. Let cool 30 minutes. Proceed with making soup, or refrigerate matzo balls in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

5.     While matzo balls cook, make the soup: Cut 2 carrots in half crosswise and place in a large stockpot. Add chicken, onions, fennel bulb, celery, parsley sprigs, garlic, and bay leaves to stockpot. Cover with 10 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, partially covered, until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, occasionally skimming any foam that accumulates. Soup should maintain a very gentle simmer; if it starts to bubble too vigorously, nudge the heat down a little.

6.     While the soup cooks, cut remaining carrots into thin (1 1/2- x 1/16- x 1/16-inch) julienned strips. Set aside.

7.     Remove chicken from stock mixture; transfer to a cutting board and let stand until cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place a fine wire-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl; pour stock mixture through strainer. Discard solids. Return strained stock to stockpot; stir in salt and pepper. Add julienned carrot strips. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low. Simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

8.     Remove and discard chicken skin and bones from meat. Shred meat into bite size pieces. Return shredded chicken to stockpot and return to a simmer over medium-low. Simmer until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

9.     Place parsley leaves, dill fronds, chives, lemon zest, and reserved fennel fronds on a cutting board; roughly chop mixture, leaving some larger pieces intact.

10. Place 3 or 4 matzo balls in each of 6 bowls; top evenly with soup. Generously scatter bowls with herb mixture. If desired, decorate with a few edible flowers. Serve immediately.

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Sourdough starter ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water or milk
• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons yeast

Combine ingredients and place in large glass or crock with a lid and allow to sit in warm, draft-free location for 4 to 7 days.

Sourdough biscuits Ingredients:

• ½ cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ½ cups unsifted flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Approximately ¼ cup butter, melted

Mix the starter, milk, and one cup of the flour in a large bowl (the night before if biscuits are for breakfast; if for dinner, in the morning). Cover bowl and keep at room temperature to rise.

Turn this very soft dough out onto 1 cup flour on a board. Combine sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda with remaining ½ cup flour and sift over top. With your hands, mix dry ingredients into soft dough, kneading lightly to get correct consistency. Dough will be soft. Kneading too much will result in tough biscuits. Roll out to ½ inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with a cutter or glass (old sourdoughs just pinched hunks off). Dip each into butter. Place biscuits together (actually, squeeze them together) in a 9-inch square pan and set in a warm place to let rise for about ½ hour. Bake at 375º for about 30-35 minutes. Makes about 14 biscuits (2 ½ inch).

Since you borrowed from the sourdough starter, it’s now necessary to replenish. To the sourdough starter that is left, add:

• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 2 cups warm water (90º)
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix well in large glass or pottery bowl. Mixture may be slightly lumpy. Let stand in warm place 24 hours or until bubbly or sour. The sourdough starter is now ready to use again or store in refrigerator.  Do not store in tightly closed container, or it may burst. When the starter hasn’t been used for a while, a liquor will form on top. Just stir it into the sourdough starter. (The Hoochinoo Native Americans liked to drink this liquor; hence, the name “hooch.”)

A sourdough Biscuit Tradition

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When in doubt, as the sports adage goes, PUNT!

In the kitchen, scratching my head and wondering what to prepare for dinner, I usually PUNT! and rely on my favorite homemade remedy, PIZZA.

No muss, no fuss. Just plain and simple pre-packaged, store-bought ingredients from my Italian supermarket thrown together like scattered landscape in the tornado’s path, and, Voila! — a mouth-watering, quick-and-easy dinner for the guy, or gal, who has absolutely no clue around the kitchen; or, like me, both clueless and, admittedly, just plain lazy. Sure, I could easily walk down the street, turn right at the corner and order a professionally prepared wood-fired pie to take back home, or simply pop a frozen one in the microwave. But what’s the fun in that?

Honestly, I hate more than anything the cleanup that follows a big galley production, so with this simple recipe I limit the dirty dishes and can wipe up while my casual culinary work of art bubbles away in the oven.

Since I’ve become a frequent visitor to Rome – usually one trip a month – I’ve come to enjoy pizza bianca, literally white pizza sans the base tomato sauce. Instead, when I want tomatoes I use pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), cut in half or left whole, and dot them around on top. In addition to white pizza, I’ve also totally converted over to the thin and crispy alla Romana style that so many Romans enjoy. Forget all the thick, soft, deep-dish types of pies that leave your plate full of Lincoln logs when you’re done, I’ll take my pizza thinner than a runway model any old day.

No arduous kneading of dough, my homemade versions are made with Italian flatbread, Piadina Romagnola from the Emilia-Romagna region. These flatbreads measure about the size of a standard pizzeria pie, but without any crust whatsoever. And, sacrilegious as it may sound, I do not use Mozzarella on my homemade pizza. Instead, I spread on a nice thick layer of Stracchino cheese as my base and build from there.

To demonstrate, I’ll explain the steps involved in bringing my Lazy Person’s Pesto Based Flatbread Pizza – topped with tomatoes, black olives and salami – to the table.

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Lazy Person’s Pesto Based Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients (per person):

• Parchment baking paper or aluminum foil
• 1 Piadina Romagnola (or similar large flatbread)
• 60 grams (2.10 oz.) of Stracchino cheese (or Crescenza or Robiola)
• 45 grams (3 tablespoons) of Pesto Genovese with garlic
• 1.25 grams (1/4 teaspoon) of crushed/ground red pepper (more or less depending upon your threshold for heat)
• 4 thin slices of Salame Milanese (Milano style salami)
• 14-16 small or 1 dozen medium sized Datterino cherry tomatoes
• 14-16 oven baked whole Moroccan style black olives
• 15-20 grams (3-4 teaspoons) of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prep time: 10-minutes
Cooking time: 15-minutes

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Step-1: Pre-heat over to 200C (390-400F)

(While the oven pre heats)

Step-2: Cover your oven tray with parchment baking paper or aluminum foil

Step-3: Place the Piadina on the paper/foil

Step-4: Stracchino cheese – Spread the cheese all around the piadina

Step-5: Pesto Genovese – Spread the pesto over the top of the cheese

Step-6: (Optional) Sprinkle Red Pepper on top

Step-7: Salame Milanese – Place slices, evenly spaced, on top

Step-8: Cherry Tomatoes – Cut in half or placed whole (depending on size)

Step-9: Black Olives – Place whole olives around and in between the tomatoes

Step-10: Parmigiano-Reggiano – sprinkle the cheese until the pie is fully covered like Monte Bianco in winter

Step-11: Place the Flatbread Pizza in the oven, wait 15-minutes, then remove

Step-12: Plate the Pizza and serve with your favorite Mixed Green Salad

Wine Pairing: Savardo Pinot Nero Superiore (DOC) – Cantina Beato Bartolomeo – Breganze, IT – A balanced and elegantly refined dry, full-bodied medium-to-deep ruby red Pinot. Fruity to the nose with hints of spice.

Feel free to vary the ingredients to satisfy your tastebuds. Substitute cooked ham for the salami; drop the pesto and spread black olive pate’ instead; use red, yellow and orange bell pepper slices vice the tomatoes; use French Brie cheese in place of the Parmigiano-Reggiano; or, top off whatever it is you’ve created with a good helping of Arugula (Rocket) leaves. The combinations are endless.

The next time you find yourself in the kitchen scratching your head wondering what to prepare for dinner as the “game” clock winds down, don’t sweat it. Just do what I do, PUNT!, then make a homemade flatbread pizza. Do let me know how your creation turns out.

Article was originally published in 2017.

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France and Germany are renowned for the outstanding wines made there.   That beverage is ingrained in French culture.  The majority of the German varieties come from small family-owned vineyards.

The succulent spirit has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, and the quality has earned it a number of international awards.  California leads in viniculture,  accounting for some 80 percent of the total that is made and bottled.  Next, but far behind in volume, are New York and Washington State.

Many people are surprised to learn that wine is made in all 50 states.  Some of them seem unlikely locations for growing grapes.

As you travel close to where you live, or further away, opportunities exist to drop by vineyards and tasting rooms to sample vintages that may be new to your palate.

Of course, many oenophiles rank California first on their list of must-see, must-sip states.  A number of them head for St. Helena, where the Hall Rutherford Estate is tucked into the mountainsides of the Vaca Range, four miles east of downtown Napa. 

The caves at Hall Wines in St. Helena are an integral component of its winemaking process, providing a stable temperature and moisture level which are perfect for aging and storing wine in barrels.  The major attraction in the Chandelier Room where a massive suspended light which is dressed with hundreds of glittering Swarovski crystals.

The Jarvis Estate winemaking facility is entirely contained within 45,000 square feet of a cave tunneled into the scenic Vaca Mountains.  Due to the invariant temperature and high humidity of caves, wineries typically have used them for  barrel aging wines. Jarvis Estate was the first in the country to tunnel a cave so large that it contains the entire winemaking operation.  Water from a spring that flows through the cavern controls the temperature and moisture levels.

A very different vibe greets guests at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.  Along with wine offerings, it has a restaurant swimming pool and room devoted to the many Academy Award-winning films that Coppola directed.  A favorite among visitors is the Godfather Room.

During dry spells, the 50-plus wineries located in Fredericksburg , Texas hill country would welcome some of the water from Coppola’s pool.  By some counts, this ranks among the most popular wine destinations in the country.  Added attractions are bountiful barbeque and melodious country music.

Another surprise sipping state is Missouri.  Its wine region takes in the resort town of Branson and the sprawling Lake of the Ozarks reservoir.  The main attraction is the Ozark Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Area), which is a grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding territory.

Two of the earliest AVA areas in the Unites States are located in Missouri.  German settlers began planting vineyards there nearly 200 years ago, and the Augusta AVA was the first one to be established in the United States.  It was recognized and registered several months before any area of California’s Napa Valley achieved that honor.

Willcox, Arizona, about an hour drive from Tucson, is home to wineries that produce good products for a state usually associated with sand and searing heat.  Vineyards are perched on mountainsides where hot days, cool nights and rich soil provide  a welcome environment for grape vines.

If wine is your passion, there are numerous opportunities to combine travel with tastings.  Some are available in well-known viniculture destinations, others offer a welcome surprise.  Whether you’re a would-be sommelier or a tenderfoot taster, there are wines and wineries to meet any and every preference.

For an extensive list of wineries throughout the Unites States, log onto winerelease.com.

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New England Patriots

Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans

Ever wonder why Boston baked beans are called “Boston” baked beans? It’s the molasses, stupid. Boston has been tied to molasses since colonial days, when the city was a trade center for rum from the Caribbean. Molasses is used for rum production, a by-product of sugar refining, and was easily available to the colonists. Baked beans were also popular with the religiously observant Puritans who were forbidden to cook on Sundays. So they made a big pot the night before, and the baked beans were hot and ready the next day.

So why not go for tradition? After all, Boston is the nation’s most traditional city. Disregarding basic fire safety, cook the beans start to finish in the oven overnight. All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a Dutch oven, cover it, and bake it for hours upon hours upon hours. Toward the end, if they got too dry, you’d need to add a splash or two of boiling water, but otherwise, that’s about it. If you intend to soak dry beans overnight first, the next morning you’ll find that the beans have been inflated, so stick to the recipe. Boston baked beans make a perfect accompaniment to hot dogs, submarine sandwiches, and can even be used as a dip. For Bostonians, they are the city’s most patriotic dish. You’ll make Pats’ fans as happy as the first day of fall foliage season.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (2 to 2 1/4 cups) dry white beans such as Navy beans or Great Northern beans
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 pound salt pork (can sub bacon), cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, (1 1/2 cups) chopped

What to Drink: Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Is there any question? Samuel Adams Boston Lager helped lead the American beer revolution, reviving a passion for full-bodied brews that are robust and rich with character. A flagship brand of the Boston Beer Company, Samuel Adams was named in honor of Founding Father Samuel Adams, an American revolutionary patriot who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Now that’s patriotic. A second cousin to president John Adams, Samuel Adams inherited his father’s brewery on King Street (modern day State Street). Some histories say he was a brewer, while others describe him as a maltster. Established in 1984, Samuel Adams Boston Lager uses only the finest hand-selected ingredients to create this perfectly balanced and complex brew.

Seattle Seahawks

Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon

Totem Smokehouse is a family-owned business that has been handcrafting wild smoked salmon for over 40 years in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market.

During their early years, Totem perfected its famous smoking process. Their decades of experience smoking fish using their secret Native American-inspired recipes has satisfied customers from all over the world. They have a variety of house-smoked fish and also offer pâtés and gourmet bites. Ideal for Super Bowl parties.

Wild Sockeye Salmon Profile

Sockeye Salmon, also known as Red Salmon, is one of the most popular salmon species around the world. The species of salmon is known best for its wide array of nutrients, natural bright red coloring, salmon-forward flavor, and its firm texture.

What to Drink: George Town Beer

Georgetown is an independently owned Seattle craft brewery and maker of Manny’s Pale Ale. In May of 2017, after 14 years selling beer, we went from a draft-only production facility to canning select full-time beers (hey, we always said “never say never”). We now offer pints in our tasting room in addition to kegs, growlers, and cans to go. Or you could be social and get out to your favorite local watering hole. The only thing that hasn’t changed, we’re still focused on one thing … brewing darn tasty beer.

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Article by Fyllis Hockman. Photos by Victor Block for TravelingBoy.com

Enjoying our first dinner during a group tour of Sicily, I turned to our guide and told him that the meal was excellent. This being Sicily, the reply was not all that surprising. “You can steal my money but don’t touch my food,” Alessio remarked. He followed that remark by claiming: “If lunch or dinner doesn’t have at least five courses, it’s just a snack.” I suspect the largesse ahead of us was a paltry morsel.

So yes, food plays an important role in the lifestyle of Italians. Very important. Portions often approach gargantuan in size. And growing, harvesting, cooking and eating hold a place of near reverence in their daily lives.

Of countless repasts I have enjoyed at home and abroad, several stand out because of what they demonstrate about the locale and the people who live there. They range from gourmet spreads set out in a romantic setting to everyday street fare consumed by local inhabitants. All linger in my memories, if no longer on my taste buds, because of what they taught me about the lifestyles of those who prepare and share local favorites.

Of the many meals I experienced in Sicily, from lavish lunches to picnics among Phoenician ruins, one that stands out was billed as A Day in the Life of a Sicilian Family. Because family is the only thing that equals food in importance in Italy.

The up-front instructions from Alessio were clear: relax, cook, set the table, sing, dance, and be open to being part of the family despite the language barrier. A tall order, despite Alessio’s efforts to teach us Italian — though admittedly his emphasis on hand gestures — which cover a multitude of sins — weren’t that effective. But considering the emphasis on food by Sicilians throughout the trip, a visit to a farm where they grow and make their own seemed appropriate. We were introduced to the family and their captivating history going back generations — both of the farm and of themselves — before trying our hand at preparing our meal from scratch.

Parents of both the owner, Jean, and his wife plus assorted aunts and cousins all took part in teaching us the finer techniques of kneading bread and rolling pasta, all of which we consumed with gusto. Part of what made the meal even more memorable was the connection with the extended family who helped us create it. One heart-warming story told by Jean’s mother about her first kiss with her soon-to-be husband below the property’s huge Mulberry tree at the age of 12, was one Jean sheepishly claimed he had never heard before. A wow moment — especially for Jean. It was that kind of day!

And from Sicilian farmhouse to island inn, a marked change in venue and recipes but no less memorable. I’m not accustomed to trussing up and skewering the night’s main course, a practice not for the faint-hearted, before it was spit-roasted on an open-air fire pit for eight hours. But so it is with the Wednesday night pig roast at the Hermitage Inn on the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis. A very large head-to-tail pig on a very large spit, to be exact.

Sitting in the Great Room awaiting its theatrical entrance, I couldn’t help but reconnect with the plantation owners and their guests of yore who feasted on roasted pig and its many local dishes over 300 years ago: Plantain and rabbit pie, Bar-B-Q chicken and curried chick peas, fish in cream sauce and tomato salad, with a special shout out to the Johnny Cakes, of course…

Such elegant fare was replaced by more traditional techniques as we prepared our own meal at the Village Restaurant in Thit Ael Pin, a tiny town inhabited by farmers and fishermen in Myanmar (also known as Burma). It’s home to the Danu people, one of 135 distinct ethnic groups that are officially recognized by that country’s government, each with its own customs, traditions and food preferences.

A chef presided over the activity, and we each had our own personal assistant who instructed, and helped, us to add the pre-prepared ingredients to the cooking pots. The nine-course luncheon began with vegetables tempura prepared in the local style, went on to steamed fish wrapped in cabbage leaves and tea leaf salad, and titillated our taste buds with a desert of crispy fried banana with honey. The food was paired with glasses of Myanmar-produced red and white wine which we found to be surprisingly good.

As immersed in everyday appreciation of all things culinary as are the Italians, nowhere in the world is fine food approached with more reverence than in France. A barge trip along a shallow canal in the Burgundy area of France sponsored by French Country Waterways epitomizes that tradition. All the senses are satiated, but taste and smell predominate, with wine and food the focus of the trip.

Sure, the tree-lined towpaths, medieval villages, stately chateaux, and rolling fields where magnificent, pure white Charolais cattle graze were also appealing, but we’re talking about French food here. Fresh breads and buttery croissants are brought on board each morning, still warm from the village bakery. Both lunch and dinner, exquisitely prepared and presented from products from the local farmers’ markets hurried on board to maintain freshness, are accompanied by a select red and white wine. The de rigueur Plat de Fromage, a selection of three different cheeses, is served up with as much reverence as the wine.

Each bottle of wine is tenderly caressed as its characteristics are lovingly described prior to serving. The table is hushed as it learns of the wine’s vintage, heritage, blush, fruity nose, supple taste, sweet aroma, lightness, elegance, finesse, its children, hobbies, indiscretions — whatever.

Comparable homage is paid to the cheese. There’s always your basic cow’s, goat’s and blue varieties, farm fresh, 5 months old, 2 weeks old, square curd, penicillin rind, pasteurized, unpasteurized, mild and nutty, light and fresh, tangy and robust — this is a cheese we’re talking about! But once I returned home, I found it hard to look at a glass of wine or wedge of cheese without wanting to know its entire history.
The French take their wine and their cheese very seriously. No doubt, if the barge were to sink, the crew would save the wine and the cheese first. Fortunately, this is not a concern in four feet of water.

Back on land, in a world far away, a famous chef visiting from New York City toils in a Pennsylvania kitchen several days a week. The three meals a day are scrumptiously prepared, visually appealing, enormously filling and, oh yes, so delicious you hear murmurs of appreciation at every sitting. Not unusual for any fine restaurant. But when the calorie count for all three meals ranges between 1200-1600 calories, if you factor in the two snacks available on a daily basis, the meals — every one of them — takes on new significance. Welcome to the Deerfield Health Retreat and Spa in East Stroudsburg, PA, where you may come for the exercise — virtually round the clock options — but you stay for the food. And for the very comfortable homey atmosphere where both the guests and the staff members return year after year.

After gallivanting and gourmet-dining around the world, we end with a tiny snack shack in the United States. The Pine Tree Frosty has been serving light bites and ice cream in the tiny western Maine town of Rangeley since 1964. My husband and I have a summer home there and tend to hang out a lot at the modest establishment.

The setting alone — perched at the edge of a small lake which is the seasonal home for several dozen ducks and an occasional loon — is worth a visit. But it’s what we rate as the best lobster rolls in Maine, where that tasty treat is a time-honored favorite, which keep calling our names.

For the uninitiated, the dish consists of a New England-style hot dog roll, which is split at the top instead of the side and has flat sides, filled with delectable lobster meat. At the Frosty, the rolls are buttered and toasted, and overflowing with 5 ounces of luscious lobster meat (more than the standard 3-4 ounces) dressed very lightly with a touch of mayonnaise. After gorging ourselves around the world, such a simple repast is especially appetizing.

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Curiously enough, many people attribute its birthplace to the nation of Italy. Most dispute this claim, and credit the Caesar Salad’s creation to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in both the U.S. and Mexico. Cardini lived in San Diego, but also worked in Tijuana where he could avoid the restrictions of Prohibition. His daughter, Rosa, recounted that her father invented the dish in 1924 on the Fourth of July after a rush of thirsty and hungry American tourists depleted the kitchen’s stock in the wee hours of the morning. Cardini made do with what he had left in the restaurant’s refrigerator, adding the theatrical flair of the table-side tossing by the waiter.

Julia Child wrote that she had eaten a Caesar Salad at Cardini’s restaurant when she was a child of nine-years-old in the 1920s — thus making the creation world-famous.

“I am probably one of the few people around who saw the real Caesar Cardini making his salad. I was about 9 when my parents took me to his restaurant in Tijuana, just the other side of the border from San Diego. They were so excited when big jolly Caesar himself came to the table to make the salad, which had already been written up and talked about everywhere. And it was dramatic: I remember most clearly the eggs going in, and how he tossed the leaves so that it looked like a wave turning over.

In her classic, “The Way to Cook,” Julia Child remembers: “According to Chef Caesar Cardini’s daughter, with whom I talked at length before doing this recipe for our TV show some years ago, the original contained no anchovies. However, you may certainly add them if you wish, mashing them into a puree with a bit of olive oil and tossing them in before adding the cheese. When Caesar Cardini first served his famous salad in the early 1920s, he used just the hearts of the romaine lettuce, the tender short leaves in the center, and he presented them whole. The salad was tossed and dressed, then arranged on each plate so that you could pick up a leaf by its short end and chew it down bit by bit, then pick up another. How-ever, many customers didn’t like to get their fingers covered with egg-and-cheese-and-garlic dressing, and he changed to the conventional torn leaf. Too bad, since the salad lost much of its individuality and drama. You can certainly serve it the original way at home – just provide your guests with plenty of big paper napkins. And plan to be extravagant.”

Julia Child’s Recipe for the Caesar Salad

This version is quite close to the original, and you can see it is really a very simple salad. Use small, tender whole leaves, real Parmigiano-Reggiano – none of the fake stuff – and the 1-minute egg for creaminess (though you can substitute 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise for the egg). But you don’t want herbs and anchovies and things like that – then you have adulterated it.

Yield: 2 or 3 servings

18 to 24 crisp, narrow leaves from the hearts of
2 heads of romaine lettuce, or a package of
romaine hearts (about 1 pound)
1 cup Plain Toasted Croutons (recipe follows)
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup or more excellent olive oil
Salt
1 large egg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 whole lemon, halved and seeded
Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese,
imported Parmigiano-Reggiano only
Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano

Special equipment: A large mixing bowl; a small frying pan

Preparing the salad components:

You will probably need 2 large heads of romaine for 3 people – or use a commercially prepared package of “romaine hearts,” if they appear fresh and fine. From a large head remove the outside leaves until you get down to the cone where the leaves are 4 to 7 inches in length – you’ll want 6 to 8 of these leaves per serving. Separate the leaves and wash them carefully to keep them whole, roll them loosely in clean towels, and keep refrigerated until serving time. (Save the remains for other salads – fortunately, romaine keeps reasonably well under refrigeration.) To flavor the croutons, crush the garlic clove with the flat of a chef’s knife, sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and mince well. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic and mash again with the knife, rubbing and pressing to make a soft purée. Scrape the purée into the frying pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and warm over low-medium heat. Add the croutons and toss for a minute or two to infuse them with the garlic oil, then remove from the heat. (For a milder garlic flavor, you can strain the purée though a small sieve into a pan before adding the extra croutons. Discard the bits of garlic.) To coddle the egg, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Pierce the large end of the egg with a pushpin to prevent cracking, then simmer for exactly 1 minute.

Mixing and serving the Caesar:

Dress the salad just before serving. Have ready all the dressing ingredients and a salad fork and spoon for tossing. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the romaine leaves and toss to coat, lifting the leaves from the bottom and turning them towards you, so they tumble over like a wave. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, toss once or twice, then add the lemon juice and several drops of the Worcestershire, and toss again. Taste for seasoning, and add more, if needed. Crack the egg and drop it right on the romaine leaves, then toss to break it up and coat the leaves. Sprinkle on the cheese, toss briefly, then add the croutons (and the garlicky bits in the pan, if you wish) and toss for the last time, just to mix them into the salad. Arrange 6 or more leaves in a single layer on individual plates, scatter the croutons all around, and serve.

Homemade Croutons

“Homemade croutons are essential for our Caesar salad and a fine addition to a basic green salad as well as soups. You can enrich the cubes with melted butter before toasting, if you like, or flavor them after with garlic oil, as in the Caesar recipe. It’s easy to make a large batch and freeze any croutons you are not using the same day. Reheat frozen croutons in a low oven until crisp.”

Plain Toasted Croutons (makes 4 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the crusts from 4 or more thick slices of home-style white bread and slice bread into 1/2-inch strips and then the strips into 1/2-inch cubes, to make 4 cups. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and set in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until lightly toasted on all sides. Spread the cubes on a tray to cool before using or freezing.

The Caesar Salad – According to the Hotel Caesar’s Recipe

• whole leaf romaine or cos lettuce
• olive oil
• fresh crushed garlic – often in olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh-ground black pepper
• wine vinegar
• lemon juice or lime juice – fresh squeezed
• Worcestershire sauce
• raw or coddled egg yolks
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• freshly prepared croutons

Prepared table-side, ‘natch.

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