Author Archives: Terri Salminen

Lemon-scented flour

November 29, 2012 By in Cupboard essentials Tags: , , 8 Comments

Lemon-scented flour IIIf asked to choose the single most important ingredient in my kitchen, I would choose the lemon, first and foremost for the peel and secondly for its juice. The lemon is refreshing. On the island of Sicily the lemon is quite large and looks like a bumpy grapefruit. The Sicilian lemon is to be found on street markets throughout southern Italy. This citrus fruit is an integral part of Italian baking, and thus the lemon and its peel are a cupboard essential.

 

I discovered the method of infusing flour with lemon zest by chance. While planning ahead during a busy cooking schedule, I decided one day to put my freshly grated lemon peel into a jar filled with wheat flour. Hoping to infuse flavors slightly and to win time for the next day, I was surprised to discover in the morning that lemon peel had dried in the flour. I also found that the perfume of the lemon had permeated the entire jar. After sifting the flour to remove the dried lemon curls, I baked a cake topped with pine nuts. The result was subtle yet distinct. Since the success of my experiment, I keep a jar of lemon-scented flour in my cupboard.

Although you may not bake at home on a daily or even weekly basis, lemon-scented flour is perfect for pancakes, shortcrust pastry and even for pasta.

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Red onions marinated in honey vinegar

November 21, 2012 By in Cupboard essentials Tags: , , , 1 Comment

RecipeWritings

My inspiration for the making of marinated red onions originates from the famous Venetian recipe ‘Sarde al Saor’. The traditional recipe for ‘sarde’ is made of a combination fried sardines in a bath of onions marinated in vinegar. Wandering through the streets of Venice, one will invariably find simple white ceramic platters filled with this combination of ingredients, set on buffet tables and bar counters, ready to be served with a glass of cold white wine. An Italian won’t mind the relatively colorless appearance of white onions on fried fish, served at room temperature on a credenza table top. Living far north of Venice, I found that my guests were reluctant to eat fried sardines, let alone white onions in vinegar. Thus the study of marinated onions that ultimately led to the simple recipe that follows.

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A few notes of explanation

November 7, 2012 By in Journal entries Leave a comment

The original plan for my recipe writings was to post seasonal recipes, adding to each category on a weekly basis in alphabetical order, from top to bottom and back. My thoughts on filling the categories equally in intervals has evolved for a number of reasons.

First of all, the category of ‘My Mom’s Favorites’ is very important to me, and I want her entries to be completely accurate. This inspires lots of thinking and jotting down of notes. I am currently researching her hand-written recipe cards, arranging them chronologically. I have now decided to present my Mom’s favorites by putting them together in combinations of dishes which she liked to serve at dinners shared with family and friends. I hope not only to reflect her cooking style and generous personality, but also to weave the story of many memories, starting with our house in Caldogno. This category will be posted periodically as it is both beautiful and also very difficult for me to write about because I miss her so.

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Marinated carrot salad

October 30, 2012 By in My culinary tradition Leave a comment

Carrots give a perfect crunch to a salad. Raw carrots also take well to marinades. Their texture changes slowly as they take on the flavors of a dressing. Surprisingly enough marinated carrots taste even better after being saved for a few days in the refrigerator.

Choose the readily available orange carrot, or bring some yellow or purple carrots home from the farmer’s market to make the following salad.

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Honey and white wine vinegar

October 30, 2012 By in Cupboard essentials Tags: , 3 Comments

A worthwhile addition to the kitchen cupboard is a mixture of honey with white wine vinegar. Simply whisk the best honey or agave syrup available to you into good white wine or apple cider vinegar until the honey dissolves. Pour the vinegar into a glass jar and save it in the refrigerator, keeping it at least a month. Use the honey vinegar as a base for vegetable marinades and salads. Having the honey vinegar at hand makes creating salad dressings that much easier.

Ingredients

  • 250 grams (1 cup)  of white wine vinegar
  • 100 grams (1/2 cup) of honey or agave syrup

♦ Suggested combinations
Mix equal amounts of honey vinegar to extra virgin olive oil with a bit of sea salt and some celery seeds. Pour the dressing over fresh, thinly sliced cabbage to make a simple coleslaw. Let the two ingredients marinate one hour in the refrigerator. Toss the coleslaw and serve with a handful of corn and a few leaves of fresh mint.

♦ Notes
Add 5 threads of saffron to the honey vinegar and let them steep a few days until the vinegar turns bright orange.

In another post, red onion vinegar will be added to the kitchen cupboard using honey vinegar as a starting point.

Rosemary and pink salt

October 24, 2012 By in Cupboard essentials Tags: , , 1 Comment

Rosemary

A perfect kitchen is filled with cabinets and shelves where bottles and jars are gathered together containing those special ingredients that flavor the simplest of foods. In the category of cupboard essentials I will write about my favorite combinations of ingredients. The order in which I post notes on this subject will be according to personal preference. Rosemary is predominant in the Italian kitchen and decidedly my favorite herb.

Rosemary salt has a separate and different effect upon foods when combined than when used separately. While requiring a bit of time and effort to pick the leaves carefully from the stems, it keeps its flavor for at least two months. Choose a quiet moment at the kitchen table to make the following essential cupboard ingredient. Double the amount mentioned below if you have time.

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Melanzane dal forno ripiene al pomodoro

October 22, 2012 By in Authentic Italian Leave a comment

Shades of purple

Eggplants are just barely in season. Although a summer vegetable, I want to write my first recipe in this journal utilizing the beautiful purple eggplant as a main ingredient. The rounded eggplant is special because its pale white flesh has very few seeds. When cooked its lavender skin becomes violet and its taste is mild and sweet. This particular kind of eggplant is often grown in Sicily. I’ve seen them in Arizona as well. Next to vine-ripened tomatoes, this is my favorite vegetable.

Eggplants (melanzane in Italian) remind me of Naples and of countless dinners shared at home and with friends. My journals are filled with notes on how to cook with eggplant. The following recipe was a favorite this summer.

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The first post

October 21, 2012 By in Journal entries, My Mom's favorites Tags: 3 Comments

I’ve written notebooks full of ideas and recipes all mixed together with thoughts concerning food and color combinations, plate arrangements, table settings, styling and food presentation. My notebooks form a history in themselves, tracing my work as a cook.

After procrastinating for a number of months, the perfect hazy Sunday morning has arrived to sit down at the kitchen table and write the introduction to my own kitchen diaries.

Cooking brings the senses alive. Substance, taste and smell come to the foreground. A chemistry of ingredients mingle as the kitchen becomes perfumed. All other activities fall into a backdrop as the elements of a meal come together.

This is my cooking journal. Ultimately it will form a book of notes on simple dishes and meals made from a cupboard of favorite ingredients.  My collection of recipes are primarily from the authentic Italian kitchen. Although not strictly vegetarian, I will highlight vegetables and herbs, and other beautiful elements to be found on the kitchen tables of my friends in Italy.

I prefer naturally grown produce as well as fresh and seasonal ingredients obtained from people who care about their products. My passion is for healthy food, free of artificial colors and preservatives. My quest is to document wonderful dishes that are as easy as pleasurable to make.

As my journal develops I will construct a library of special sources. My favorite place to buy food is at farmer’s markets, thus I will write about the special markets I know and my relationship to them.  In addition I will make a scrapbook of personal photographs.

Cooking inspires.  The content of this journal of recipe writings are inspired by mothers and daughters. First and foremost, I dedicate my work to my mother who taught me the love of cooking.

Saluti – Terri Salminen