Team Cooking

The Stupids come as a package.

It's amusing and a bit baffling- both of us are perfectly competent cooks and cook regularly solo and with other people. But for some reason, when we're in the same kitchen, the sparks fly. There's yelling, screaming, profanity, insults, thrown crockery... but somehow, food emerges that's better than what we could do individually.

What's up with THAT?

True, we have some real differences- JD is better at the mechanics and more consistently competent, SY is a bit wilder and has a few more home runs and many more strikeouts. But that doesn't explain it. JD is an omnivore, SY is a vegetarian. That doesn't explain it. JD is a blue collar guy with a pickup truck, SY is a scientist with a Mercedes. Nope, no enlightenment there, either.

I don't know, it's a spooky thing- the first time we cooked together, we seemed to be able to communicate with the verbal shorthand that usually comes from years of familiarity. Now with over a decade of that familiarity, the verbal shorthand has transmuted to non-verbal. An eye gesture at an onion signifying, "You see what I'm cooking here, dice it!" A small twitch of the hand which says, "Not enough salt." A snap of the fingers which says more loudly than words, "Time for another bottle!" It's a good thing, I suppose; it leaves our mouths and speech centers free to come up with deeply personal insults.

We'll figure it out one of these years. And at that moment, we will never be able to cook together again.

Recipe: Saffron and Morel Risotto

We think this is one of the best damned risotto dishes we've ever had. It's very rich. Serves four as a first course.

To the basic recipe add:

1 big pinch of saffron
1/2-1 oz of dried morels
2 tbsp. fresh chopped Italian parsley, with extra for garnish

Soak the morels in 1 cup of hot water until soft (~ 20 minutes). Squeeze the morels dry and cut in half lengthwise. Run them very well under running water. Strain the soaking liquid through a double layer of cheesecloth and a strainer, or through a coffee filter and set aside.

Add the morels when you add the rice. The reserved mushroom soaking water will be the first liquid you add, after the wine. At the same time, add the saffron. Continue to cook as per the recipe. When you add the cheese, also stir in the parsley. Serve and top with a little more parsley and cheese.

If you've got some old red wines that have some mushroomy earthiness to them, this is the dish you want. We've had it with old bordeaux (St. Emilion to be exact) and found it to be a flawless match. An old cabernet or Meritage such as Joseph Phelps Insignia will also work well. We plan on giving it a spin with an old Rioja too.

Risotto Primer

Okay folks, risotto is something that everyone should be able to prepare. It's relatively quick to make (30 minutes start to finish), deliciously creamy, rich, and the variations that can be made are legion. It also is extremely versatile in that it can be a first course, main course or a side dish. Heck, you can even make deep-fried rice balls out of it that have got to be the some of the finest junk food known to man. With minor adjustments, it can be eaten by both vegetarians and meatatarians.

There are a number of different Italian rices that are normally used in risotto including; Arborio, Carnaroli, Baldo, Vialone Nano and Roma . Each is slightly different in how it tastes and what its texture is in the final dish. They all have the same cooking time though. Regular old white rice can be used but frankly, it makes pretty sucky risotto. The rice that is used most often, and can be found the most readily, is Arborio. A short grained rice from Italy, it normally comes in a 1-2 pound box or bag and runs about $5 a pound. Although it is now grown domestically by the likes of Lundberg, it doesn't seem to develop the same creaminess as the imported stuff does.

Cooking risotto is a little more involved than adding rice to boiling water, covering it and turning down heat. It must be stirred almost constantly during the cooking process with liquid added at certain times. Following is the basic recipe and, after that, we'll add the different variations that appear time to time from The Stupids test kitchens.

Morel Basics

We need to note that there are several varieties of morel, all members of the genus morchella (quick side nore: the closely-related genus verpa are not as tasty and have somewhat questionable toxicity). The most common are the esculenta (yellow morel), crassipes (giant morel), deliciosa (white morel), and elata (black morel).

All morchella should be eaten cooked- the raw mushrooms often contain a hydrazine compound which needs to be cooked off. This is also true of the soaking liquid, if you use dried morels.

Dried and fresh morels have distinctly different flavors and textures. The dried morels are intense and meaty, with a subtly chewy texture. The European dried morels are decidedly smoky. Fresh morels are slightly more soft-rubbery with a subtler, earthy aroma and a wonderful "bite" to their texture. My personal preference is to use fresh morels in very simple preparations and to accompany them with white wine.

One of the wonderful things about morels for amateur fungus gatherers is that their appearance is so distinctive; it's pretty hard to find something toxic thatwould fool you into thinking it's a morel. To be certain that you've got a morel, just check that the cap is pitted with distinct concave pits. If the cap closely resembles brain-like bulges, it might be a helvella or gyromita, and should be avoided.

Dried morels should be soaked in warm water with a tiny pinch of salt until soft. Reserve the soaking liquid for stocks- it should be well-filtered before using and NEVER used without cooking. The morels may need a slight rinsing before using, depending on the dirt level. The French dry their morels with smoke, which gives them a distinctly different flavor than domestic ones.

Simplest Prep -This works well with fresh or dried, depending on the wine. Simple sautee the mushrooms in plenty of butter with a little bit of chopped garlic. Cook over a medium-high heat with frequent turns until the mushrooms just begin to give up some juices and wilt very slightly. Stir in a teaspoon or two of chopped Italian parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. This is a wonderful accompaniment to fine old whites; the dish's simplicity allows the wine's complexity to stand out. It won't overwhelm the older wine in the way that strong cheese might. Sauteed fresh morels with a fine old Hermitage blanc is a slice of heaven. This also matches nicely with young, elegant pinots; I love Volnays with fresh morels.

Recipe: Morels en Croute

15-20 dried morels
2 large or three medium shallots, finely diced
1-2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 c. red wine (my favorite is a bretty Rhône)
1/4 c. soaking liquid or stock
2 tbs brown roux
2 pinches dried thyme
2 tbs creme fraiche (optional: normal cream)
4 puff pastry shells
3 tbs chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper

Soak, drain, and rinse (if necessary) the morels. Reserve the soaking liquid. Start baking the puff-pastry according to directions (the Pepperidge Farm shells work fine if you're not inclined to make your own).

Add the olive oil and butter to a medium-hot pan. After the butter foams, then collapses, sautee the shallots until they are translucent. Toss the morels in, then continue sauteeing until the morels are thoroughly cooked and the shallots are barely beginning to brown. Deglaze with the wine and the soaking liquid. Reduce slightly, then stir in the mustard, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two, then quickly stir in the roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue stirring until the gravy thickens. Add 1 tbs of the parsley, then add the creme fraiche with continuous stirring. Remove from heat, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Take the center cap off the baked puff pastry shells, hollow them out, then spoon in the morels with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley, then put the caps back on. Serve with big reds.

Recipe: Guajillo Sauce

From "Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen", a great cookbook.

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 oz dried guajillos
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
3-1/2 c stock
1-1/2 tbs olive oil

On a griddle, roast the garlic cloves on all sides until they are soft and there are black spots on the skin. Put aside.

Flay open the guajillos, discard the seeds and stem, then roast them briefly (3-4 seconds) on both sides on the griddle. Use a spatula to press them against the hot surface; they should bubble and discolor a bit. Place the roasted guajillos in a bowl, pour hot water on them to cover, then let them soak for 30 minutes.

Grind the spices and herbs finely. Peel and chop the roasted garlic. Drain the guajillos, discarding the water, then combine them with the spices, the garlic, and 2/3 c of the stock. Puree in a food processor (or with an immersion blender), then strain through medium mesh, using a rubber spatula to squeeze and scrape the strainer.

Heat a 4 qt. saucepan to frying temperature, then add the olive oil. Dump in the paste (careful of splattering!), leaving behind a small trace (1/4 tsp or less). Fry the paste, stirring continuously, for several minutes, until it turns a rich red-brown- use the left-behind paste as a color gauge to see how well-cooked the fried paste is. Then pour in the remaining stock and bring to a low boil. Simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Leftover sauce is great for plate decoration (I always have a squeeze bottle in the fridge) and as an enchilada sauce base.