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The King of Salt and Dough

The German-speaking countries of Europe are full of very interesting baking creations. From rye bread to pumpernickel, croissants to Frankfurter Kranz , fruit cakes like zwetschgentorte, dumplings in their huge variety to just regular brötchen (potato breads, too), the list is enormous. But if there is one that sticks out as representative of German baking it’s the pretzel. We know it here as a salty, hard snack that goes well with beer, which is great in its own right. However, in Germany, especially in the south, it is a high art form that bakers spend considerable time perfecting. As of late, I have been doing some practicing myself and, along the way, have learned some very interesting things about this ages-old form of bread.

Pretzels are basically bread dough that has been dipped or boiled in some sort of a salt solution. If you open a cookbook and proceed to make them, the salt will be sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. The formed pretzel is dipped or boiled in the solution, then baked. I like these and like making them, but I always wondered why they never came out that deep, mahogany brown that I know to be the distinguishing color of pretzels I get at the German deli. Then I found out from a German baker why; I’m using the wrong salt. To achieve this color, one must use instead sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as lye. That’s right; the same thing that cleans out drains also makes beautiful pretzels. It’s not poisonous, once baked it converts to bicarbonate, a rather harmless substance. That does not mean that one does not proceed with utmost care when making them. Since I can, I’m going to make them both, as the only difference is the salt. That way I can show, side by side, the difference. I shall then allow you to decide.

Start with basic white bread dough. You can pre-buy this, pre-make and refrigerate it till ready or make it fresh; it just needs to be at room temperature before you start. For our purposes we’ll assume the dough has gone through its first rise and has been punched down and start there (if you have questions on how to make a basic dough let me know; we bake all of our own bread and have it pretty well down. And a Kitchenaid makes it a snap).

Preheat oven to 450⁰.

Take four cups of water and add 1/3 cup of baking soda to it. This is for our baking soda pretzels. Set this aside. In a stainless bowl, add 4 cups of warm water. To this, add ¼ cup of lye SLOWLY. Stir with a wooden spoon and when dissolved, set aside.

Divide the dough, enough for one loaf, into 12 equal parts. The parts should be balls of dough about 2” in diameter. On a smooth, non-floured surface, start rolling the dough into an even strand that is 12-15 inches long.

rolling the dough for pretzel

Try not to add flour, as you want it a little sticky so the pretzel form will not fall apart. When the strand is made, fold it into a pretzel shape. I couldn’t take pictures of this while doing it, as I only have two hands, but here is a little diagram I absconded with from another website:

The mystery revealed

All pretzels made? Ok, take two cookie sheets and lightly grease. Place the baking soda water on the stove and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the pretzels one at a time and boil them for two minutes, turning once. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and place on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt to your liking, and place in the oven for about ten minutes or until brown.

Boiling pretzels in water and baking soda

Now, the others. Put on some painters gloves to protect yourself. With the lye water, place pretzels in the bath and let them sit for 1½ minutes. Fish them out and place on the cookie sheet, salt and bake for about 10 minutes.

The Outcome:

Left: Lye Pretzel Right: Baking Soda Pretzel

Well, they are different in appearance, but not too much in the taste department. I guess I would make the baking soda ones more often, as they are a little easier to make. But I must say that they never last long whichever one I do make. Also, we go through more American prepared mustard when I am on the pretzel-making kick. Enjoy!

The new expansion

In a time when things seem to be getting worse, it’s very nice to see some things that are getting better. Last November I wrote about the opening of a very nice, small produce stand that I found in Battle ground, Washington (see Produce stands, part 1), a great little place with excellent produce and a pretty good wine selection. I’ve since been there a few times (once going there right after shoveling in a load of horse manure into the back of my truck and, being rather conscious of its aroma, parking in the far corner, so as not to offend) and I can say that it has held its high rating in my mind.

Nuts, dried fruits, teas and other sundries

My family and I went back there last Saturday and I can safely state that it has become more of a destination for meal planning. Not only a slight expansion in the wine and dry goods (nuts, dried fruit teas etc.), but also the addition of a meat department that came complete with its own butcher!

Walt Coen, butcher extraodinaire

Please welcome Walt Coen, who is celebrating his 40^th anniversary as a butcher. Walt and his now-small (I have a feeling it won’t be that for long) meat section specialize in chicken, pork and beef. All the beef comes from Painted Hills, a ranch near Fossil, Oregon. They are well-known for raising beef in a humane manner, natural vegetarian diets and no antibiotics. Walt grinds all his own hamburger and bulk sausage in-house, and for link sausage they carry the local brand Zenners, and his selection of those should make any sausage lover happy (I hope one day to see Walt use his extensive knowledge and expand his sausage making operation to include making not just bulk, but link also. Right now, it’s merely a dream of mine).

Gallus de Vinum

Another great addition is wine tasting on Saturdays. The day we were there they had a beef brisket that had been marinating in pepper and burgundy for two days. Walt was preparing to smoke this for serving at the wine tasting. We didn’t stay for this, though I wanted to and I am sure it would have been a good time. Ill make sure we attend this in the future.

I look forward to going there again and for what other addition they may be doing in the future. Rumor be told, I heard word that it may have something to do with salami. But that’s just a rumor………………

Our friend Jack just posted the link to this site on his Facebook, and one of the comments he received was “This is food porn.” If there could be such a thing, they’re right.

Market Day Potato and Leek soup from kissmyspatula.com

Check out this recipe, story, and photographs of “Market Day Soup“

The core Foodnuts met last week and had a great foodie evening.  It is raining like crazy here in Southern Cal right now, so what could be better than soup and sandwich, only upgraded to divine gourmet.. the meal was followed by a great glass of port, and –are you ready? Girl Scout Cookies, as they are in season right now. We were so entranced with the food that we did not even take photos. I do have a couple nice shots of  the leftovers though.
Here goes.

Dutch Onion Soup

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 55 Minutes
Makes: 6 servings
4 sweet onions, sliced
3 T vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
½ cups port wine
6 cups Wolfgang Puck Organic Beef-Flavored Broth
2 springs fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
¼ t. ground black pepper
12 slices French bread (1/2 in thick)
1 ½ cups grated Gouda cheese-hence the “Dutch”

Heat oil in 6 quart saucepot over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring often
Add celery and cook and stir for 3 min. Add port, broth, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper , stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot.
Reduce heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaves and adjust seasoning with salt. Heat broiler. Sprinkle bread with cheese Broil until cheese is melted. Put soup into 6 bowls, top with bread and any extra cheese.

Copyright 2005, Ina Garten. Delicious! My daughter made these for me one evening this summer and it was just wonderful! Didn’t include resting time of 20 minutes.

45 min | 20 min prep   SERVES 4         ( We served 7!)- Louise

BEEF

• 2-3 lbs filet of beef, trimmed and tied
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room at temperature
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh coarse ground black pepper

SAUCE

• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise (Hellmans)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon white prepared horseradish    (or to taste)-Louise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• kosher salt

FOR THE SANDWICH

• 1 loaf unsliced health bread or unsliced multi-grain bread (or french rolls or other hearty bread) -Louise
• arugula
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• unsalted butter, at room temperature

1. TO COOK THE BEEF:.
2. Preheat oven to 500ºF.
3. Place the beef on baking sheet and pat the outside dry with a paper towel.
4. Mix the unsalted butter and mustards together in a small bowl and spread the mixture over the beef with your hands.
5. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.
6. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare.
7. Remove the beef from oven, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room tempearture for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice fillet thickly(personal preference, I like mine thin).
8. SAUCE:.
9. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve at room temperature.
10. TO MAKE THE SANDWICH:.
11. Cut the bread into 1/4″ thick slices.
12. Spread 4 of the slices thickly with the Mustard Horseradish Sauce.
13. Top with slices of beef and arugula and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
14. Spread 4 more slices of bread very lightly with butter and place butter side down, on top of the beef.
15. Enjoy, they are divine!

Sorry- You had to be there--Make your own!!!

Tupperware Leftovers

Beautiful beef shanks

On January 6^th of this year, I put myself on a diet. It was a simple one: No alcohol of any form (not only puts weight on, but makes for “bad decisions” in regards to your calorie intake), one meal a day that consists of one head of iceberg lettuce, hot peppers, a slice of blue cheese and raw scallions. As of the start of the diet, I have lost 56 lbs. Not only did I have my doubts that I could lose the weight, but I must admit I also had no idea how I would feel after such a big loss. I have more energy than I have had in years, I sleep less and sleep better, and have resolved to never return to that level of gravity again.

I bring this up only as a prelude to the following recipe. While on the diet, I ate a “regular meal” once a week, that once being Friday night. The meals varied as to what they were, but all fell into the “hearty” category. It was a good break from the somewhat monotonous once-a-day meal, and probably helped me to stick with the diet overall.

I noticed last night that my wife was thawing out beef shanks for the following day. Close to veal, it differs only in the age of the animal. I immediately thought of that great Lombardian recipe Osso Buco. It would be richer with beef than with veal, and I figured I would have to cook it a bit longer to get that “falling off the bone” aspect that makes Osso Buco so wonderful. That being said, on to the kitchen!

Basically, it is a very simple recipe. Its beef shanks à la Mirepoix.

To prepare the beef shanks, you have to remove the connective tissue that is on the outside of the shank, otherwise the shank will curl during cooking.

remove connective tissue

Dredge the beef shanks in flour. Add three tablespoons of Olive oil to a braising pan and brown the meat. While browning, prepare the vegetables.

brown dredged shanks in olive oil

The ratio of a Mirepoix is 2:1:1, onions, carrots and celery. Dice the vegetables but not too fine.

Diced vegetables

When beef is brown, remove from the pan and add the diced vegetables. Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil (add a couple more Tbls if needed). As they cook, add about ½ cup of water and cover (this will add a final steam to the veggies, softening them and preventing burning).

sauté vegetables in olive oil

When vegetables are tender, add two cups of beef stock or wine, or a combination of the two, depending on your taste. Add 1 tsp pepper, two teaspoons of salt and 2 tsp of thyme. Add the browned shanks with enough water to bring the liquid level to the level of the shanks, but not over them. Cover, and simmer for about an hour (Because I am using beef instead of veal, I simmered until they were  very tender, perhaps 20 minutes longer).

start simmering when all ingredients in

When tender, serve the meat with covering of the vegetables and sauce from the pan. It went very well with Potatoes à la Lyonnaise. I’ll cover them in another post.

The final product