The Leonard Lopate Show
Calculating Questions
Monday, November 21, 2005
On today’s show, chefs Joan Nathan and Michael Lomanaco answer your “burning” questions about how to avoid a dry turkey and other Thanksgiving cooking disasters. Also, the story of how one woman figured out how to measure the universe in the early 1900s. And Caryl Phillips' novel about the African-American Vaudeville star Bert Williams. Plus, one of the world's leading experts on autism will be here.
Turkey 101
Thanksgiving is just three days away! Should you brine your turkey? Is canned pumpkin as good as the real thing? Cookbook author Joan Nathan (author of The New American Cooking and Jewish Cooking in America) and chef Michael Lomonaco tell us how to avoid some of the worst cooking disasters. Call 212-433-9692.
Events:
Joan Nathan will be giving a talk and signing books
Tuesday, November 29th at 7:00PM
Barnes and Noble bookstore
82nd and Broadway
Music:
Music from “Jump Start” by Wynton Marsalis: #9 “The Dance,” #15 “Bebop,” and #16 “Root Groove.”
Recipes from Joan Nathan's THE NEW AMERICAN COOKING:
Mahammar
Pepper, Pomegranate, and Walnut Dip
Yield: 2 cups
2 red peppers, pith and seeds removed, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Dash of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped black Greek-style olives, optional
Raw cut-up vegetables or toasted pita bread
1. Put the peppers and the garlic in a food processor fitted with a
steel blade. Pulse until the peppers are in little pieces.
2. Add the walnuts, bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, and salt and pulse
a few times until the walnuts are processed but still have some crunch
to them.
3. Stir in the olive oil and pomegranate syrup. Adjust the seasonings
and gently fold in the fresh pomegranate seeds, mint, and olives. Turn
into a brightly colored serving bowl and serve with cut-up vegetables
or toasted pita bread
Potica
Iron Range Walnut Coffee Cake
Yield: 2 loaves (serves 12)
10 ounces walnuts (3 cups)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg
4 tablespoons light or heavy cream
2 sheets prepared puff pastry dough (about 17.3 ounces)
1 egg yolk
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-11-inch
jelly-roll pan.
2. To prepare the filling, put the walnuts in a food processor fitted
with a steel blade. Add both sugars, the honey, cinnamon, egg, and 3
tablespoons of the cream, and pulse a few times, until the mixture is
the consistency of a chunky paste.
3. Flour a table or other flat surface and roll out 1 sheet of puff
pastry dough to form a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Smear half the filling
all over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around.
4. Starting at the narrower 12-inch end, roll up the puff pastry like
a jelly roll, tightly but gently, tucking in the sides as you roll.
Place the dough in the baking pan. Repeat with the second sheet and
the remainder of the filling. Mix the egg yolk with the remaining
tablespoon of cream and brush the glaze over the potica. Bake in the
oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and
transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Yield: 4-6 servings
4-6 cups homemade or canned chicken, veal, or vegetable stock 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the better the oil, the better the
dish)
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, or a combination of regular button and
wild, chopped
1 medium onion, finely diced
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated aged Gruyère cheese (about 4 ounces), or to taste
1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chervil, tarragon, or flat-leaf
parsley
1. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then turn the heat
down to low to keep the broth warm.
2. Put the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide
skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter foam subsides,
add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring. After a minute or so,
sprinkle on a large pinch of salt to coax the liquid from the
mushrooms. Continue to cook over medium or medium-low heat until the
onions soften and the mushrooms have given up their liquid.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is
warm (feel it with the back of your hand) and coated with the fat and
flavor in the pan. Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour in the
white wine. Cook, reducing the wine by two-thirds or more, until
there's almost no liquid left in the pan.
4. Add enough warm stock to
just barely cover the rice-a couple of ladlefuls should do. Stir the
rice regularly, making sure it doesn't stick to the pan. When the pan
is almost dry, add another couple of ladlefuls of stock, again to
barely cover the rice, and cook, stirring constantly, then add another
ladleful. I find that risotto usually takes 3 additions of stock.
Start tasting the grains at this point-it should take about 15-18
minutes. It is done when the rice is soft but still offers a little
resistance when you bite into it. Take the pan off the heat and stir
in the cheese, the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter, and, if you
like, the truffle oil. If the risotto seems too thick to you, stir in
a few tablespoons of stock to loosen it. Divide the risotto between
warmed serving bowls, scatter on the chopped herbs, and serve
immediately.
Edible Schoolyard's Autumn Harvest Soup
Yields: 10-12 servings
2 leeks
1 medium onion
3 carrots
3 ribs celery
1 1/2 pounds pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds winter squash, such as acorn, butternut, hubbard, or
kabocha
4 tablespoons pure olive oil 5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup coarse bulgur
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and chopped
5 medium tomatoes, diced small
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Cut the leeks lengthwise and clean them with lukewarm water to
remove any grit. Slice the white part, saving the green stalks. Peel
and trim the onion and carrots and chop, saving the peels and skins.
Cut the celery into small dice and save the ends. Peel the pumpkin and
the squash, cube the flesh, and save the peels. You will use all the
scraps to make a vegetable stock.
2. Place the scraps in a stockpot. Cover with about 12 cups cold
water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered,
about 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the vegetables, then
strain the stock into a bowl and discard the scraps.
3. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté the leeks, onion,
carrots, and celery for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, squash, thyme,
garlic, and parsley and sauté a few minutes longer.
4.Transfer everything to the stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce
the heat and simmer the soup, uncovered, until the pumpkin and squash
are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cover the bulgur with 2 cups water and let sit for
about 15 minutes, while the squash is cooking.
6. Add the bulgur, Swiss chard, and tomatoes to the soup and simmer
for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. If
the soup is too thick, thin it by adding vegetable broth or water, a
ladleful at a time.
7. Serve in warm bowls to friends and family along with a loaf of
crusty bread.
Oven-Roasted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 racks of lamb, 1 1/2 pounds each (7-8 ribs each), excess fat
removed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Lamb Marinade:
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (about 3-4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pomegranate Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and minced (about 2-3 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup canned beef broth, or homemade lamb stock
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses*
3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces and softened
Salt to taste
1. Rub the lamb with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with
the pepper and salt.
2.To make the marinade, stir the mustard, garlic, rosemary, and thyme
together in a small bowl, then rub over the meat. Let sit in the
refrigerator an hour or so or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Place an ovenproof skillet, large enough to hold both racks of
lamb, over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive
oil and heat until it's almost smoking. Brown the lamb on both sides,
then put the pan in the hot oven.
5. Roast the lamb until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of
the meat reads 130-135 degrees (the meat will be medium-rare), about
15-20 minutes. Carefully transfer the meat to a cutting board and let
it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the pomegranate sauce: Drain any fat remaining in
the skillet, pour in the olive oil, and heat on medium-high. Add the
shallots and garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the broth and pomegranate molasses. Increase the heat to high
and boil until the liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a
time. Sprinkle with salt to taste, if needed.
7. Cut the lamb between the rib bones and divide among 4-6 plates.
Spoon the sauce on top and serve immediately.
*You can find pomegranate molasses, often labeled concentrated
pomegranate juice, in Middle Eastern markets and most specialty food
stores.
Miss Leavitt’s Stars
At the turn of the century, Radcliffe grad Henrietta Swan Leavitt worked as a number cruncher in the Harvard Observatory. In Miss Leavitt’s Stars, George Johnson reveals the little-known story of how she figured out a way to measure the universe while she was there.
Events:
George Johnson will be speaking on:
Monday, November 21st at 7:30pm
Hayden Planetarium
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park W at 79th Street
Tuesday, November 22nd at 7:30pm
Rutherford Observatory
Columbia University
Astronomy Department
Pupin Hall
550 W. 120th Street
Music:
Music from the Soundtrack of “Naqoyqatsi”: #2 “Primacy of Number,” and #5 “Religion.”
Dancing in the Dark
Caryl Phillips, author of A Distant Shore, discusses his latest book: Dancing in the Dark. It’s a fictionalized account of the life of Vaudeville star Bert Williams, one of the biggest African-American celebrities in the early 1900s.
» Bert Williams CD collection
Music:
The Complete Bert Williams (A Sampler): #2 “Nobody,” #4 “Play That Barber-Shop Chord”
The Autism Sourcebook
Karen Siff Exkorn is one of the world’s leading autism excerpts. She became so after her son Jake was diagnosed with the disorder. In her new book, The Autism Sourcebook, she shares her knowledge about everything from dealing with the diagnosis, to treating autism.
Music: Music from the Soundtrack of “The Secret Agent”: #2 “Winnie Remembers,” #3 “Verloc and the Russian Embassy,” #5 “Emigration”
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