The Essential James Beard Cookbook (51 page)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Shuck and clean the corn very well. With a sharp knife make a cut lengthwise in the center of each row of kernels. Scrape with the back of the knife to push all of the pulp out into a bowl. Whisk with the cream and flour, then the egg and melted butter. Drop the batter by spoonfuls on a well-buttered griddle or skillet. Cook until delicately browned on both sides.

BRAISED FENNEL

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Certain root vegetables braise very successfully. One is fennel, which takes on a completely different character, losing the strong anise taste of its raw state.

2 fennel bulbs

5 tablespoons (½ stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter

1 cup
Chicken Stock
or
Beef Stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Fennel has feathery green tops on long white stalks that look rather like dill. These should be trimmed off at the point where the bulbous part of the fennel begins. Also remove any discolored or very tough and stringy outer leaves. Cut the bulbs into quarters.

Melt the butter in a skillet; add the fennel quarters and brown them lightly over medium heat on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the skillet, and let the fennel cook gently (it should not boil) until just tender when pierced with the point of a knife, 30 to 40 minutes, according to size. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer the fennel to a hot serving dish, turn up the heat, and let the liquid reduce by about half, about 5 minutes, until it is rather thick. Pour over the fennel and sprinkle with the chopped chives.

Green Beans

The most common variety of green bean is the snap bean, formerly known as a string bean because it invariably needed stringing. This is no longer true, unless the beans are definitely overage. Buy the smallest, freshest, and crispest you can find—they should snap when you break them. You will occasionally find in specialty vegetable markets the very tiny beans called by the French name,
haricots verts;
these are expensive but well worth buying. Then there is the flat, broad Italian bean and the scarlet runners beloved of the English, which are almost never sold in markets but grown by some gardeners here for their lush vines and brilliant scarlet flowers. They must be picked and cooked when very young as they grow rapidly to tough-skinned inedibility.

There is a lot of controversy about cooking beans. It’s very much a matter of taste preference. While they used to be cooked until they were thoroughly limp and soft (some people still like them that way), nowadays there is an equally unfortunate tendency to go to the other extreme and barely blanch them, so they still taste quite raw. Personally, I like green beans cooked until the raw taste disappears but they still retain a fresh taste and a crispness to the bite. The trick is to keep the cooking water boiling rapidly while adding the beans. My friend Julia Child owns an esoteric piece of equipment called a buffalo iron, which is heated until fire hot and plunged into the water to keep it boiling furiously and cook the beans faster. While it might be fun to have, I’ve always managed to get along without one.

COLD GREEN BEANS WITH WALNUT OIL

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Editor: Beard spent many summers in Provence, and often shared the best of simply prepared French country country cooking, with his readers. Use a French walnut oil with lots of character. This oil is only used as a flavoring, and not for sautéing, and should be stored in the refrigerator.

Quick-boiled Green Beans (this page), cooled

4 to 6 tablespoons walnut oil

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Toss the green beans with walnut oil and lemon juice. Season with the salt and pepper. Garnish with the finely chopped walnuts.

VARIATIONS

GREEN BEANS WITH MUSTARD-FLAVORED MAYONNAISE:
Season a good rich
Mayonnaise
with 2 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Mix with the beans. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

GREEN BEANS WITH DILLED VINAIGRETTE:
Toss the beans with ½ cup well-dilled
Basic Vinaigrette Sauce
. [
Editor: About 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill should do it.
]

GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS AND GREEK OLIVES:
Toss the beans with ¼ cup olive oil, 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, and ¼ cup chopped, pitted Greek olives, such as Kalamata.

QUICK-BOILED GREEN BEANS

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

2 pounds green beans

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the beans and trim off the ends. Bring a plentiful amount of salted water to a rapid, rolling boil in a large saucepan. Drop in the beans, a few at a time, so the water never ceases to boil. If it does, replace the cover until it returns to a boil, then take it off and boil the beans uncovered or they will lose their fresh bright color. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on age and size, tasting from time to time to see if they are done to your liking. Drain immediately. Some people advise plunging the beans into cold water to stop them from cooking further, but if you have drained them while they are still bitey-crisp, this should not be necessary. Return the beans to the pan and toss with the butter for 1 to 2 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.

VARIATIONS

GREEN BEANS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS:
Toss with the butter and ½ cup toasted sliced almonds.

GREEN BEANS WITH GARLIC AND PINE NUTS:
Toss the beans with ¼ cup olive oil, 3 to 4 finely chopped garlic cloves, and ½ cup toasted pine nuts.

GREEN BEANS WITH SWEET ONION RINGS:
Toss the beans with ¼ cup olive oil or unsalted butter and garnish with thinly sliced raw sweet onion rings.

GREEN BEANS WITH FRESH HERBS:
Toss with ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil and 1½ tablespoons finely chopped herb of your choice, such as tarragon, dill, marjoram, or with chopped garlic and basil.

IMAM BAYILDI

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

This Turkish stuffed eggplant is said to have been given its name, which translates as “the imam fainted,” when the imam, or priest, tasted the dish and swooned with pleasure. Whether you believe that or not, there’s no denying that this is an utterly delicious way of preparing eggplant. It may be served hot or cold, alone or as a luncheon dish or first course, or with roasted or broiled meat.

3 large eggplants, trimmed

Softened butter, for the baking dish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 tablespoons (yellow) olive oil

3 large onions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon finely chopped pine nuts (optional)

Put the eggplants in a large pot and add boiling water to cover. Put a lid on the pot, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until they soften but hold their shape. Drain the eggplants well, plunge them into cold water, and leave for 5 minutes. Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh, leaving a ½-inch-thick shell. Set aside the scooped-out flesh. Arrange the shells in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Pour 4 teaspoons of oil into each shell and cook the shells, uncovered, in the center of a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, until they are tender. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm before stuffing.

While the shells are cooking, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet, add the onions and garlic, and sauté gently for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes, parsley, sugar, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Continue simmering this mixture until the liquid has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Chop the eggplant flesh and add it to the skillet with the chopped pine nuts, if using, and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove the shells from the oven and stuff them with the tomato mixture.

LEEKS À LA GRECQUE

MAKES 12 APPETIZER SERVINGS

Editor: Leeks poached and marinated in a flavorful liquid, these can be served as a first course, a buffet salad, or a side dish at a cold meal.

12 leeks, white and pale green parts only

For the Poaching Liquid

½ cup dry white wine, or more if desired for poaching (optional)

¹
⁄
₃
cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley

Good pinch of dried thyme

Dash of Tabasco

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Rinse the leeks well under cold running water. Put in a large bowl, add cold water to cover, and place under a faucet of running cold water to loosen any remaining grit. Drain and rinse again.

Place the leeks in a single layer in a large skillet. Add the ½ cup wine, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley sprig, and thyme. Add enough water (or use half water and half white wine, if desired) to cover the leeks. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer just until the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the leeks. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the leeks to a serving dish. Boil the cooking liquid over high heat until reduced to about ½ cup, about 20 minutes. Season with the Tabasco. Pour over the leeks and refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

BRAISED LETTUCE

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

This leafy vegetable is extraordinarily good braised and served with lamb, beef, game, and roast or braised chicken. I have found that the old recipes for braised lettuce give too long a cooking time, so I have formulated my own somewhat revolutionary way of preparing it, which, to my palate, produces a pleasanter result.

6 heads of Boston or Bibb lettuce

2 leeks or 2 medium yellow onions

2 carrots

8 ounces sliced bacon

3 cups
Chicken Stock
,
Beef Stock
, or
Veal Stock
, as needed

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce, then wash the heads under cold running water, pulling the leaves apart to loosen them and wash away all sand between them (this is especially important with Bibb lettuce, which is usually very sandy). Wrap the heads in paper towels to dry. Trim the root end and all but 1 inch of the green top from the leeks and wash them well under cold running water, separating the leaves to rinse out lurking sand. Dry and cut into fine julienne (matchstick-size) strips. If leeks are not available, use onions, peeled and thinly sliced. Peel the carrots and also cut into julienne strips. Arrange the carrots and leeks or onions in a layer in a heavy skillet and top with 2 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces. Arrange the lettuce heads on top and cover with the remaining bacon slices. Add enough stock to barely cover the lettuce. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until just tender and pierceable (Bibb lettuce, which is more compact, with heavier leaves, sometimes takes longer to cook than Boston). Carefully remove the lettuce heads with wooden spoons or tongs and drain on paper towels. Strain the stock. It may be saved and used for soups or stews.