Some of you know that I look forward to my nephew, Chef Hank’s family visits. His Mom is a very good cook; CIA trained Hank is a master!
Yesterday, my sister alerted me that Hank has an article in the October issue of Food Arts. Wanting visitors to have the chance to learn the differences between Italian and American cuts of beef, I dashed over to the site to link Hanks article. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the July/August is currently displaying. Sigh…..
Here is a picture of Hank removing the noce from the fesa esterna. According to Hank, you slice the noce thinly to make carapaccio or bresaola.
I have no idea where I would buy these cuts of meat in DuPage county. People in NY city can buy them at Eataly, where Hank is the head butcher and manages the meat department.
As a professional eater, I do enjoy the art of a good chef!
Well.. Hank… food. OHHHHH!
I do sometimes learn the easier ‘tricks’. Like… two simple ways to make garlic mashed potatoes. The second is more garlicky and goes like this:
Melt butter in an oven proof dish– enough to more than cover the number of cloves you want. Put the garlic in it. Put the butter/garlic in the oven that’s not too hot so the garlic can soften and cook in the butter. Pour butter and garlic into potatoes when mashing adding whatever other things you like.
This is easy because the garlic is cooked in the ‘background’ while you are doing everything else. The temperature doesn’t matter a whole lot– but you don’t want to burn the garlic or butter, and you do want to get the garlic soft. Hank himself might attend to this more for his dishes, but this version works for…well… me. I don’t want to spend a huge amount of time on the mashed potatoes!
The other method: Just peel the garlic, through in the pot along with the potatoes and boil together. Drain reserving garlic and mash together adding whatever butter etc. you like to add. This is simpler and more mindless. But I think the oven method has the edge over heating garlic in water– or even in half and half like some other recipes I’ve seen.
Of course, since Hank’s boss, Mario, now has a food show at noon on ABC, I’m hoping that someday Hank can be a guest butcher and eventually become a star!!! 🙂 ( Mario Batali is on The Chew which replaced All My Children.)
BTW: Anyone who has simple food tips, share!
Corn, beans, rice, and wheat together supply all 20 amino acids. Milled in mouse turds supply the Vit. B12.
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Lucia,
Chicago has a long history of excellent beef and there are still plenty of old school Italian butcher shops in town. Finding specialty cuts there shouldn’t be a problem if you make the trip in.
Here in Cali we had a winter type Alaskan storm pass through dusting the mountain tops with a little snow. This is unusually cold for early October so we cooked up a batch of ham and pea soup with fresh sourdough bread that was excellent.
kim–
Oh. My.
ivp0–
I know I can drive into the city… and pay for parking. I’m going to hunt around Naperville/Aurora/Downers Grove. I’m sure we have something. I just don’t happen to know where. Heck, I might be able to get the “low budget” grocery store where I shop to get me something. Butera is an odd sort of store. On the one hand, they have the cheapest prices on fruits and veggies around. On the other hand, they carry lots of specialty stuff, and arrange their grocery store by ethnic groups. There’s an Italian section, Mexican section, Polish section, Arabic section, Indian section etc. All these sections are small but you can get basics.
I just crush the cloves of garlic with a garlic press, put the crushed garlic in butter in a tiny pan, and heat on a fairly hot stove burner for a couple of minutes, until water starts to boil out. Then it is ready to use…. immediately or later. If you want a more mellow garlic flavor, you can continue to cook until most of the water is gone and the garlic starts to brown a little bit. The whole process is really fast in either case.
Don’t overcook prawns. Makes their eyes bulge out.
Cut the top off a head of garlic, olive oil it, salt pepper, wrap in foil, put in the little toaster oven, when it smells good, take it out, squeeze the cloves out of skin, and squash up whatever amount you want in your taters.
Don Monfort–
Alas, to my husbands disappointment, I will never learn to properly cook prawns. I am afraid that crustaceans and I do not mix. On the occasions when I have consumed shrimp, lobster or crab, I have become quite ill a few hours later. It is not pretty.
Though touching or smelling crustaceans does not cause me to become ill, I’m afraid I’ve even developed quite an aversion to the smell of uncooked crustaceans. So, tasks like deveining them are more unpleasant for me that say, hand chopping lots of onions. After cooking the smell doesn’t bother me.
I haven’t experimented to discover my reaction to prawns, but I fear the reaction will be similar. My husband cooks shrimp when we have company and we are serving multiple dishes. That way he can indulge in his love of shrimp while I eat other things.
I think Jim generally prepares shrimp headless; I’m sure the bulgie eyes would be disconcerting to our guests.
Is it fesa etarna or fesa eterna or fesa esterna?
To which regional Italian school does your nephew belong? I am told it matters in a country where, for example, a cow that leaves Parma and grazes anywhere else can never come back because cheese derived from its product would not be pure Parmesan. Amazing it ever became a single nation.
Shrimp in spicy salt
http://www.gayot.com/blog/blue-ribbon-sushi-bar-grill-las-vegas-cosmopolitan-hotel-restaurants/salt-pepper-shrimp/
to be eaten WHOLE eyes and all. yum yum
Another favorite.. see those slabs of brown stuff?
the color of liver.. the consistency of tofu.. and a taste that is beyond description.
http://biggestmenu.com/rdr/Beijing/Beijing/Sansu-Szechuan-Restaurant-1592384/hot-pot-with-duck-blood-and-other-stuff-20775
duck blood. I must return to taiwan.
George–
I have no idea. My nephew studied at the culinary institute of america, and works for Mario Batali, and Italian American chef. (Mario’s accent is American. So, I’m assuming he grew up here.)
Hanks article says “fesa esterna” . I don’t speak italian, and don’t know anything about Italian butchering other than what I read in Hank’s article. I found an Italian butchery web site: http://www.boutiquedellacarne.com/Tagli_Carni.htm
That also spells it that way.
If I’m not mistaken, the issue of Parma meat or cheese is not so much how it is butchered or made, but that Italy only lets stuff raised in Parma be called “Parmesan”. It’s sort of like wine in France. Champagne is from Champagne. Sparkling wine made by the same process but elsewhere is not labled Champagne.
In contrast, in the US Parmesan is descriptive, and we can find Parmesan made in Wisconsin. I assume those manufacturers would have to call it something else if sold in the EU or Italy.
Ahh, czernina! (with prawns?)
lucia,
Seems as though you have the not uncommon shellfish allergy. A pity it leaves you out on a lot of good stuff…like seafood paella. Which brings to mind a food tip. I often cook paella and there is no store nearby that sells good Spanish chorizo. One day I didn’t have any handy, so I took some applewood smoked bacon and marinated it in chorizo spices (smoked paprika, cumin, etc.) and it was very good in the paella. Have also done it with slices of pork tenderloin.
Here is a translation of an article in Italian that explains what fesa esterna is, outside meat of the breast:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://fesa.it/&ei=AyqPTpTHL6W0sQLF2bjOAQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFoQ7gEwBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfesa%2Besterna%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DeNE%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26prmd%3Dimvns
You mentioned your Cuban heritage. If you are interested in Cuban cuisine, have a look at the 3 guys from miami website.
Lucia,
I share your reaction to shellfish. I used to be able to eat clam chowder, lobster and shrimp by the kilo but about 15 years ago I developed a rash, followed by increasingly severe symptoms. As I understand it, the reaction is an iodine allergy which can be quite deadly. If I continue to eat shrimp it might be my eyes that are bulging and disturbing the guests.
The garlic you use is paramount to the method and taste from garlic mashed potatoes. Most stores have turban garlic. What you need is hard neck garlic, preferably a creole variety. The creole I grow can have a single clove almost as big as a man’s fist. This variety was known at one time as a seperate species under the common name the onion garlic since some cloves the first year after seperation from the hard neck stalk would produce one large clove. The next year a 4 clove plant is typical. Depending on space, the actual number can vary from 4 to 8, but reflects growing space. It is hot and spicy uncooked, smooth and delicate, but long lasting when cooked. Be warned, so much oil you can often feel it when slicing. It also means your spouse may wake you up in the middle of the night insisting you brush your teeth again. 3 or 4 times a night is not unknown. The taste is worth the sleep disturbances.
ivp0–
My understanding is we have different problems. I have no medical training. But from what I’ve read a rash is potentially very bad, as it can indicate that your are having an honest-to-goodness allergic reaction involving your immune response system.
Here’s an article that discusses some differences:
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/foods-allergy-intolerance
My symptoms are mostly limited to some on the list of “food intolerance”. I also break into a sweat.
Rash is on the list of “allergy” and allergy can be deadly.
I don’t know if my food insensitivity can turn into an allergy. The symptoms are bad enough that I’m not going to intentionally experiment with myself to find out!
I have no trouble with clam chowder, mollusks, or fish of any kind. I’ve had the problem with crustaceans since I was a little kid. I still remember way back when I was 6 or so being prodded into eating crab despite my protestation it would make me sick. Most people assume 6 year old are resorting to hyperbole when they say something will make them sick. But… well…in 10 minutes, the adults were dealing with a moaning, wailing 6 year old who looked like she had instantly come down with the flu. About 1 an hour later, the adults who wouldn’t believe me were cleaning up an undigested mess. But at that point, I was now fine.
I just can’t seem to digest the stuff. I don’t know why. It doesn’t kill me, but it’s really no fun.
John F. Pittman… I may need to look for neck garlic.
John, does it give you strange dreams.. regular garlic does that to me..
Lucia,
See http://www.italianeating.eu/what_means/meat/beefcuts/firstclassbeefcuts.htm for Italian translations of beef cuts. Fesa esterna appears to be “bottom round”, and usually available in supermarkets.
I verified this name using an official European Commission document on beef, where the various cuts were given their equivalent names in several languages, including Italian; in Britian it is called “silversides” and commonly used to make corned beef.
Re: Don Monfort (Comment #83219)
There is absolutely no need to put chorizo in a paella. In fact, in some places, you could get shot for that 🙂
(That said, as long as you’re the one who’s going to be eating it, of course you can suit yourself!)
As compared to gourmet cooking, its far more efficient to just open a jar of Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter and eat directly out of the container. Admittedly that efficiency needs to be counteracted during some other meals. In an attempt to balance calorie intake, it may on occasion be advisable to spend the extra effort to microwave a Lean Cuisine TV dinner.
Kim may appreciate the B-12 contributions from mouse droppings, but that type of beneficial food supplement does not appeal to all. Some of those with gourmet tendencies may appreciate the efforts that the FDA makes to keep those kind of items out of the general food supply.
Julio,
I know about the places, where they shoot people who put chorizo in paella. I don’t go there.
Actually, sometimes I put, sometimes I don’t. Never with the seafood type, and certain guests don’t like it for various reasons. There are many ways to make paella. That is part of the beauty of the thing. Here are some examples, as presented by Jose Andres:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jose+andres+paella&aq=4&oq=jose+andres
Re: Don Monfort (Comment #83231)
Oh good. That’s the main thing!
Fun to read about food while I’m eating (red vongole (clam) sauce spag)!
Re shellfish, I have no allergy in principle but have noticed that I get high when eating scallops – anyone know why that could be?
I used to struggle with beef cuts when I first came here (Switzerland) and finally gave up, just figured out what was sort-of-what (pretty much the price will give a general idea of the quality of the meat!). Sort of like not worrying about converting ounces and cups (you just get U.S. measuring utensils to use for when using U.S. recipes). I have friends closer to the Italian border than I am and often get meat there (1 1/2 kilo allowed to import), I’ve never heard the cuts are different from Switz but now I’m interested to find out if there’s a general “European” cut or if each country varies.
Note: When I’m stateside, I’ll go anywhere with anyone if roast prime rib is on the menu! OTOH, I eat alot of horse here, hahaha!
Oh, I forgot the most important thing about seafood in Italy – there are LOTS of eyes. All kinds of eyes.
Lucia,
My favourite Italian beef cut is used to make Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Its equivalent cut here would be a porterhouse, but true steak florentine comes from a specific breed of cattle called Chianina. These are those huge white oxen that are raised in the Val di Chiana. Since the cattle are so large, a single steak can weigh 6 pounds. The meat is extremely tender and flavorful. It is most often served on the rare side with lemon and olive oil. This is the best steak I’ve ever eaten. Apparently there is an American Chianina Association that can help source this incredible beef.
Kendra,
My absolute favourite is red clam sauce! I have to make two pounds of pasta for my family of four when I make it because everyone wants it for lunch during the week. I use a combination of canned baby clams and fresh live baby clams when I make it.
SteveE,
What fun! Actually, my favorite is white although I guess it’s not really white (oil, white wine, garlic, parsley, clams). Red was easier for me tonight as I only had to mix the clams and napoletana sauce.
My very favorite in Italy is where there are clams in the shells, a bit of basil and/or parsley and bits of tomato (but not tomato sauce) and I don’t know what else but it is simply to die for!
I had Bistecca alla Fiorentina exactly once (normally, I can’t afford a pasta AND a meat course). It was delicious! And huge!
Kendra,
I think it’s a whole umami thing. Shellfish are rich in umami and so are fresh ripe tomatoes. I typically fine chop mushrooms as part of the mix, which adds another layer of umami to the dish. Of course, the mushrooms and shallots are also infused with white wine as I cook down three-quarters to a full bottle of white wine (pinot grigio) to build flavour in the sauce.
Although, it may be a Canadian thing, eh! One of our favourite cocktails is a Bloody Caesar, which is vodka, clamato juice (a mixture of clam and tomato juices) tabasco, pepper, and a glass rimmed with celery salt served with a celery stalk.
Cheers!
Odd enough, in today’s Chicago Tribune, Kass dove into the great “Is it Porterhouse or T-bone” debate.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-1007-20111007,0,2645494.column
The distinction has to do with how much of the filet remain on the steak.
I’m not a ‘big steak’ eater, so I was totally unaware of this distinction. I like beef– but I’m not one of those people who wants to see more than 6 oz of meat on my plate. I often buy cheaper cuts and make things that take a long time to cook. I love braised or stewed stuff, and I love soups.
Lucia,
I love the serendipity!
Bistecca alla Fiorentina is cut two-and-a-half to three inches thick. You could never cut a true, Chicago Tribune defined porterhouse that thick off, say, an angus cattle. The cattle breed, in this case, makes an enormous difference.
“I’m not one of those people who wants to see more than 6 oz of meat on my plate.”
That’s the beauty of this dish! It’s a totally family style meal. The beef is cut into slices and diners around the table decide how much they take. If you want 6 ounces on your plate, it’s up to you. 🙂
Steve E, so do the tomatoes then turn into what we think of as “tomato sauce?” It’s not really clear, maybe you could stand to give a few more recipe details? And this umami (never heard of it!) definitely requires looking into!!
I’ve always wanted to try a Bloody Caesar (not having known that was the name), I think there’s an online shop in CH that clamato can be ordered from, otherwise – no dice!
Lucia, thanks for the add’l info, I had no idea what distinguished T-Bone and Porterhouse, etc. We only get T-Bone if we go to one of the gourmet places on the Bahnhofstr. Filet seems to be a Swiss (or Euro) cut, that’s available in “normal” places. Actually, the last times we wanted to cook something special red-meat-wise, we got Canadian Bison filet from one of the gourmet places, it was just so good.
I think meat is in general more expensive over here so such things are relatively rare, not only for me but in general. And I’m with you Lucia, I adore stews, goulashes, soups, etc. Now that winter’s coming on, that’s actually the kind of thing that I’ll be cooking more and more of and not just cause it’s affordable. Although first I’ll indulge in “Wild Saison” – yes, where “wild stuff” is available for a couple of months.
Kendra,
You’re absolutely right the tomatoes are ground up to become a tomato sauce. The best tomatoes in the world for tomato sauce, IMHOP are San Marzano tomatoes from italy. We can only buy them canned, but the canned are superior to what we can grow fresh.
As for umami, here’s a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami
I can’t help you with the clamato juice. It’s a normal off the shelf grocery item here in Canada. The major brand that is used in a premium Bloody Caesar is Mott’s. You can make your own clamato by mixing clam juice and tomato juice.
Try it, you’ll like.
Cheers!
Kendra–
Wikipedia has pictures showing steer with colors bits to explain differences in American, UK and Dutch cuts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef
Lucia,
Thanks! Really quite amazing differences. I guess I should have thought of wiki myself but for me I’d figured it was going to have to be pretty much a mystery and I’d just buy what’s there! Now… I just have to figure out what’s what in Italian or German…
Actually, I’ve gotten so used to not knowing the english for what I’m eating, I’ve pretty much gotten used to it. Luckily, I do know what I like even tho I often don’t know what it is!
Steve,
I guess I can make my own clamato if I use jar clams juice… oh wait, I usually add that to the sauce. Oh well, time to try to find the online store! Thanks for the umami link – just skimmed for now (time for sleep, getting late here). I get the impression I’m definitely a fan of it… what’ll also be fun is I’ll get to spring it on my clueless friends!
Steve,
Unless the cows in your neighborhood are midgets, you can easily get a three inch porterhouse off the end of the short loin. Ask your local butcher to fix you up. Get that bad boy and dry age it in the fridge. Salt it liberally and put it uncovered near the bottom. Leave it for at least three days and it will be significantly improved. Even cheap lower grades of sirloin and other cuts develop a much nicer texture and flavor with a little pre-salting and dry aging. I keep a separate fridge for dry aging meats. To make the best hamburger meat, cut one inch strips of chuck (with maybe 20% fat), salt and age for three days, then grind it. Makes the most flavorful burger you have ever eaten. If you don’t like the idea of a naked steak in the fridge, you can buy plastic bags made for meat drying that allow the moisture out. Without the bags the meat may turn black in surface spots. Just trim it.
Cooking like this is a lost art. In the future, I fear that children just aren’t going to know what chow is…
Anthony–
Hank’s kids will know. 🙂
Don,
thanks for the tips! You sound like a true meatatarian; my own personal lifestyle choice. 😉 I agree aging beef (dry aging especially) makes an incredible difference in taste. My favorite burger is a blend of chuck, short rib and scraps from a whole tenderloin.
You have to see a 3″ porterhouse cut from Chianina cattle. There is no appreciable difference in the size of the tenderloin from top to bottom of the steak and they can cut a bunch of them. Unless you get first cut from the end, the tenderloin part of the porterhouse on a normal 3″ cut starts to look different in size from one side of the steak to the other.
Kendra,
Here’s a link on how to make a Bloody Caesar:
http://cocktails.about.com/od/vodkadrinkrecipes/r/bloody_caesar.htm
and here’s a link for homemade clamato, I’m sure you can cut the recipe size down and it will still work.
http://www.food.com/recipe/clamato-juice-substitute-homemade-copycat-clone-11774
Cheers!
Great tip about slow cooking the garlic – we usually do the garlic in the water method but I can appreciate that the aroma would be excellent this way.
I cook quite a bit but my wife has all the skills with comfort foods (southern style) and garlic mashed taters are on of her favorites. She cooked meatloaf in muffin pans this last week for a faster cook time – turned out great! Nice crust, moist inside – Mmm Mmm.
@ Don – I agree about the dry aged beef, all my steaks (if I plan it out) get this treatment especially the rib roast. I do put paper towels on mine for the first 24 hours to help get the moisture off the meat though.
Fun thread too 🙂
Thanks Steve, and everyone, lots of great ideas on this thread! That I’m actually going to use! Got it bookmarked for when I can start cooking – sometime in Dec – moving fulltime down south and will be getting a “real” fridge with 3 freezer drawers below!
Meanwhile, any recipes for apple cake (similar to banana bread – loaf kind that can be frozen)? Once I had one but have lost it and it called for veg oil whereas I want anyway to bake with butter. My apple tree had a bumper crop, there’s a huge basketful with more to come (and a basketful already given away).
SteveF,
Yeah, I am definitely a carnivore. And I like my meat on the chewy side. Not too fond of filet mignon and that soft stuff. Go more for the rib roasts and steaks, with bone in. Bone adds flavor and serves as a handle. Flatiron steak is relatively cheap and can be very tasty.
You might find this interesting. I am about to put it to the test with a large chuck roast:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/physicist-cracks-bbq-mystery_b_987719.html?view=print&comm_ref=false
Chris,
I dry the meat well with paper towels to start, but I would guess that covering would impede drying. I have pans with racks that allow air to flow around the meat.
If you want to impress your wife, look for Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc fried chicken recipe (and others). My mom is from Kentucky and could cook a mean fried chicken, but Ad Hoc is the best. It is not simple, but well worth the effort. Also, look up Judy Rogers Zuni Cafe roast chicken recipe. That’s where I learned the magic of the “dry brining” technique. I use it on all meats now. Now I have a craving for some buttermilk biscuits, sausage and gravy.
Don Monfort,
Thanks for the link! Look’s like it could cut down on a lot of cooking time. Let me know how it goes. I’m smoking ribs (baby backs) tonight–four-and-a-half hours @ 235 with a blend of cherry, apple and mesquite smoke.
Good eating!
Well, Lucia, if I can send some by mail, I could send you some cloves to put in your garden. I just don’t know the rules for shipping.
Steven you will probably have nightmares from all the times you get elbowed and told to brush your teeth, or ones where you tongues has turned to fur or something.