At the Waldorf

This is one of the sides that brings me right back to my humble days of early chef-dom - a very classical and very good Waldorf Salad.

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel c1899

A bit behind the salad history: Oscar Tschirky, maître d’hôtel at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC, is credited with creating this recipe in the 1890s, as well as many other recipes. Veal Oscar, anyone? I'll save that for another post.

The Waldorf Salad is simply apples, celery, and mayonnaise served on a lettuce leaf. But that’s where it all begins. Walnuts became a common addition years later, as did grapes and other dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, and sultanas. My friend Tony even opted to add the aforementioned and cut the mayo with good Greek yogurt, which is very refreshing and lighter than all mayo or a combo of mayo & unsweetened whipped cream. 

Things have changed since the 1890s, so go ahead and put your own spin on the Waldorf; Oscar won’t mind. Use a culinary license, prepare it with apples and toasted nuts, cut the mayo, and even substitute it with today’s olive oil mayo, which I prefer. Serve some grilled chicken or shrimp on the side, and then you are talking about a healthy main dish. 

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Glühwein Recipe

Many German town centers have street markets during the Christmas season, with stalls selling cookies, arts and crafts, wooden toys, and other festive items. Almost every street corner seems to boast Bratwurst and Glühwein stalls. Light a roaring fire and pour yourself a small glass of warm, spicy red wine. Below is a basic recipe, but vendors in Germany will offer additional flavorings, such as elderberry cordial or a shot of dark rum. At home, spike it, too, if you choose.

Heat your Glühwein in a large saucepan on the stove or in a large jug in the microwave, but don't let it boil, or the alcohol will evaporate. If you want a less alcoholic drink, mix in apple juice or water.

Glühwein Recipe

Makes 6 servings

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1 bottle of full-bodied red wine

1 small lemon

6 orange slices

10 cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

4-6 Tablespoons sugar

3 ounces brandy

Preparation

Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Cut the lemon into quarters. Stick the cloves into the rind of one quarter. Slice the rest thinly. Add the lemon quarter and orange slices to the pan with the cinnamon and sugar. Heat slowly until hot, but do not allow to boil. Add brandy and serve in heatproof glasses or small cups. Place a metal teaspoon in the glass before adding the hot liquid to prevent the glass from breaking.

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There's a Sop in My Soup

Of course, there is - what would a French onion soup be without a toasted crouton, aka a sop? Sops are used for soaking up a warm liquid, broth, or wine, and was the term used in days of yore. I guess it was only natural that the word soup derived from sop. 

The mixture of these five onions gives a nice character to the soup. But, no sweat if you have less than five. Use a sweet onion such as OSO, which I found this week at the market, and you'll have a tasty version. The so-called bar of success in making an onion soup is all the slow cooking and gradual 'caramelizing' of the onions. The onions' natural sweetness adds a rich, robust flavor and golden brown color, the prize in this soup. 

This easy to prepare hearty soup for a cool night makes for a wonderful dinner or rustic appetizer.

CREAMY FIVE-ONION SOUP

Makes 6-8 servings

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2 Tablespoons olive oil 

2 each sweet onions*, chopped 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

6 each Chipolini onions, chopped 

1 each red onion, chopped 

1 green onion, chopped 

1 Tablespoon flour 

1/2 cup tomato sauce 

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped 

2 cups chicken broth 

2 cups beef broth 

Optional:

1/2 cup half and half

French bread croutons

Parmesan, Emmental, or Gruyere cheese

Preheat a large soup or saucepot to medium heat. Add olive oil, sweet onions, garlic, cipollini onions, red onion, and green onion. Cook for 10 minutes without stirring until the onions in the bottom of the pot begin to brown. Stir, and allow the onions to continue to brown further. Stir and allow onions to cook for an additional five minutes. The total cooking time of onions will be about 20 minutes or more.

Season with thyme, bay leaves, and pepper; add tomato sauce and flour, and stir. Add white wine and cook for 5 minutes or until dry. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes. 

Remove bay leaves then, and puree one-half of the soup in a blender or food processor.

Return pureed soup back to soup pot. Bring soup back to a boil; reduce temperature to a simmer. Add optional half and half. Serve with a toasted French bread crouton, top with grated Parmesan, and melt Emmental or Gruyere cheese. 

*Note on onions: Soup may be made with any type of sweet onions and garlic only. Or, you may add any onion family, such as leeks, chives, etc. 

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Hot Out of The Oven Biscuits

Forget the version from the tube, who doesn't like fresh homemade hot biscuits straight out of the oven? Great for breakfast, lunch, tea, or with a hot dinner soup and my Oven Fried Garlic Chicken.

Tips for the best biscuits:

Make sure the butter and the milk are very cold and be sure not to over mix the dough. It's important to use a sharp cutter; the sharper the cutter, the cleaner the cut, the higher the biscuits will rise.

George Hirsch's Biscuits

Makes one dozen

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2 cups sifted all purpose flour 

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt 

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

2 teaspoons sugar 

1/2 cup butter 

2/3 cup  milk

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

Sift dry ingredients, blend butter with dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a knife & fork. Add milk & mix well. Knead dough 2 minutes. Roll out dough and cut out biscuits. At this point you can store the cut out biscuit dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.

Bake on a ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the biscuits.

Serve immediately warm from the oven with butter or honey or both.  

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Curry Spinach Bean Soup

New season of GHL Celebrating Chef George's 25th anniversary on PBS and Public TV Stations. Check local listings. Click to watch TV Series Preview

Spice vs. Herb

The main difference between herbs + spices is rather subtle.  Spices tend to come from plants grown in tropical climates where as herbal plants can be grown in many climates. Most herbs come from the green parts of a plant such as the stem and leaves while most spices come from the root, seeds, bark or flowers of a plant.

A spice is the dried part of an aromatic or pungent vegetable's bark such as cinnamon, fruit such as fennel, root such as ginger, flower such as saffron (the stigma) and the seed like mustard. These substances are then dried and used for enhancing flavors in cooking + baking.

Herbs stemming from leafy greens are used mostly for finishing a dish's character in a more fresh and subtle way. Some herbs I use nearly everyday are basil, parsley + thyme.

What may first come to mind when you see the word 'spicy' is that it will burn the tongue right out of your mouth; but I assure you that is not necessarily the case. This is a topic I'm very passionate about and have written about in all my books. 

Spice mixtures, are the blending of the right amount of spices to create just the right taste sensation. This ancient culinary art has been used for centuries by numerous cultures that clearly knew that using spice blends is an ideal way to season foods beyond salt + pepper. Some good examples of blends are - a Five Spice Powder (China), Curry (Indonesian), Herbs de Provence (Southern France) + Poultry Seasoning (US).

Blending spices began for me with my passion for outdoor cooking on the grill. I found that if I used a combination of dried spices it produced an appealing enhancement to foods prior to grilling. 

Of course, not only using the right blends are important, but so is adding them well in advance of lighting the fire. In some cases a large piece of meat such as a Texas brisket would be seasoned some five days prior to meeting up with fire. Another benefit of rub blends is that they are salt free.

I am delighted that in today's times people are seeking out more flavorful foods in even the most simplest of meals. So let's spice it up today with a bit of curry!

Curry Spinach Bean Soup

Makes 6 servings 

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2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 Italian sausage links, hot or sweet, removed from casing

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1/2 cup chopped carrot 

4 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 cup tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon curry powder

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped 

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes, more if you like it spicy 

1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped 

3 cups chicken broth 

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 

2 cups baby spinach, washed, dried and chopped 

Fresh ground black pepper to taste 

Pre heat a large soup or saucepot to a medium heat. Add olive oil, sausage meat, onion, carrot, garlic, hot pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until the sausage is light brown and vegetables are tender. Add the potato, tomato sauce, broth, thyme, curry and beans. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover and cook about 30 minutes. Puree one half of soup in food processor. Return pureed soup back to soup pot. 

Bring soup back to a boil, turn down to a simmer and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add pepper to taste.

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