Cooking Gift Sets: No, Says the Grinch

[ Here's a popular article from last year's holiday postings. Tom ]

Who Hash Gift Set, $49.99.
Includes one can Who Hash produced by hash artisans
from rural Whoville and one inexpensive can opener. 

I'm not a big fan of cooking gift sets. Especially Any Gift Set That Includes a Food Product. The quality of the food and gadgets is likely poor and the price likely high. In one catalog alone I saw gift sets for:

• Paella
• Pizza
• Whoopie Pies
• Donuts
• Ebelskivers
• Fondue
• Cupcakes
• Grilling with BBQ Rub
• Moroccan Tagine
• ....and my favorite, the Himalayan Salt Block set

None really looked like a fair value to me. The sets included gadgets you probably wouldn't use, the quality looked questionable, prices high-ish. Bah.

Grinch with 3x larger heart.
No gift sets - just plates, knife, fork and roast beast. 

Yet, in appreciating that the Grinch himself opened up to new possibilities and embraced the positives of Christmas in Whoville, I too, can open up with a positive ending to my Grinchy ramblings today.

Months ago you may have read my thoughts on the Kitchen Tools You Can't Live Without. It's a pretty short list of essentials that every good cook should have. Picking a few items from that list, and a few others we rely on, here's a very short list of favorite kitchen tools. Most are easily found even during last minute shopping, or might be worth exchanging for if there were some impractical cooking items in your stocking.

Moderately Priced SHARP Chef's Knife

Keeping a knife sharp is far more important that what you paid for it.

Oil Mister

Less expensive than Pam, better taste from your own choice of oil.

 Flat edged wood spoons

How well does a rounded spoon scrape a pot / pan?

Stick Blender

Easy to clean up, replaces many blender and food processor tasks

Chinois

Better than a mesh strainer, a key for sauces, large capacity,

easy to clean, and can double as a regular strainer / colander.

Wow - those eggs must be good....

...because I see that I just wrote an entire post without realizing that I had posted this separately about a month or so ago.

Eggs with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Herbs

Here's a simple dish inspired by Judy Rodgers of the Zuni Cafe (in S.F.). Toasted breadcrumbs along with fried eggs seems like an obscure combination - until you've tried it. Then it will seem to be an obvious combination, and one you'll return to often. The gentle crunchiness of small breadcrumbs with fried eggs is surprising. I've also used crumbles of leftover grilled polenta in this dish. 

Eggs with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Herbs

1. Coarsely grind a few slices of rustic bread. Alternately, use Japanese panko breadcrumbs. Reserve a few tablespoons of crumbs.  
2. Add a few leaves of fresh herbs (thyme is great). 
3. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick or stainless skillet. Add the bread crumbs. 
4. Right after the crumbs begin to brown, break 2, 3 or 4 eggs into the skillet, sunny-side up style.
5. If you care to flip the eggs, sprinkle a the reserved crumbs over them first. 
6. Top with an herb sprig, or a thin slice of crispy pancetta or bacon. 

  

4 Ingredients: White Beans.....a versatile addition to salads and main dishes

I get a little jazzed up about good beans. Think about a semi-fancy salad that has had small white beans sprinkled over the top. Or an Italian appetizer of white beans with garlic, olive oil and herbs (with maybe with a little pancetta or prscioutto). A hearty French stew or cassoulet.

But I also think of bean cooking as a total hassle. Soaking overnight, rinsing, etc. ending up with mush. So sometimes I've resorted to a can of 'high quality' imported white beans. Well, that's not too great a solution either.

Here's what might work best - soak dried beans for 'a while', then cook them with some aromatics until they taste  right. The longer you soak the shorter the cooking. Big beans take longer too. Keeping it that simple, and not obsessing about cooking times and procedures should help make bean cooking less intimidating. 

Using the beans with monkfish and shrimp creates a pretty enjoyable result. 

Braised Monkfish and Shrimp with Fennel, Tomato and White Beans

White Beans

1 cup dried white beans
1 carrot
1 small onion
1 bay leaf

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight, or for a few hours. Put beans in a pot and cover with cold water. 
2. Bring to a simmer, stir occasionally and cook for 30 minutes or up to two hours. Taste a few along the way, and as soon as they have a texture you like, take them off the heat and drain them. 
3. Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Serving suggestions: 

- Toss with olive oil, drained flaky tuna, chopped herbs and chopped hardboiled eggs. 

- Serve as an accompaniment to most any soup

- Mash a few tablespoons with fork, add garlic, herbs and spread on a cracker

- Use as a replacement for rice

Four Ingredients: Fried Eggs, Bread Crumbs and Herbs

These pictures are even in the ballpark for how good this tastes - just try it some weekend morning when you've got a slice of high quality bread lying around. I’ve used leftover grilled polenta as well, but big fresh bread crumbs are better than the polenta.

1. Pulse a piece of rustic bread in a food processor or blender to make coarse bread crumbs.
2. Cook bread crumbs over med-high heat in oil or butter to toast. Reserve a few on the side. 
3. Add two eggs. If you want to, flip them with a spatula after 2 minutes. Or do the sunny side up thing. 
4. Sprinkle some chopped fresh herbs atop. Top with reserved crumbs. 
5. Further, top with a slice of crispy pancetta, if that happens to be lying around your kitchen too. Bacon or bacon crumbles would be good. But frankly, the egg, crumbs and herbs don't need the pig.    

This dish was inspired by Judy Rodgers, Zuni Cafe.