“The New American Cooking” (Knopf, $35)
A generous openness of mind and taste gives a family-kitchen kind of warmth to Joan Nathan’s latest book, “The New American Cooking.” And it’s easy to feel that Nathan’s kitchen is pretty much as wide as the whole country, if not the world, in its reporter’s detail.
“These stories add up to America’s story,” she says, summarizing a book whose vignettes introduce us to a host of characters ranging from home cooks and farmers to chefs, butchers and bakers. The book includes some 280 recipes and is, according to the jacket, “full of delectable new flavors from around the world as well as fresh ways with old favorites.”
The world has come to us, Nathan says, and there’s been a transformation in American food: “With myriad immigrant groups, we are living now in one of the most exciting periods in the history of American food.”
Forget the plastic and the processed. Over the past few years, Nathan has been in hot pursuit of “the positive aspect” of American food today.
She tasted her way from Alaska to Puerto Rico, hanging out with a chef at the Honolulu fish auction, gathering wild rice with Ojibwe Indians in Minnesota, eating Sunday dinner with a family of Cambodian farmers in Lowell, Mass., gleefully noting a Chinese restaurant serving stir-fried bison. | Joan Brunskill, The Associated Press
Omelet With Mixed Greens and Cilantro
The omelet tastes best with absolutely fresh herbs and vegetables steamed in a thin layer of egg in a minimal amount of oil, Nathan says. You can substitute spinach, dill, basil or parsley for the herbs and bitter greens and tomatoes for the mushrooms. Serve the omelet alone for brunch, or with fresh salsa and bread for lunch.
Ingredients
Directions
Break the eggs into a medium bowl and mix well.
Heat the butter in a 10-inch nonstick frying pan (see note) and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Carefully pour the eggs into the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle the cheese on one half of the omelet 2 inches from the edge.
When the eggs are cooked on the bottom and around the edge but still a bit liquid in the middle, arrange the mustard greens, arugula, cilantro, scallions and shiitake mushrooms on top of the cheese. Gently fold one half of the egg mass on top of the other half. Remove from the heat and let steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until the greens are wilted. Then return to the heat for 1 to 2 minutes to make sure the omelet is warmed through.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Note: Nathan says Marion Spear uses a rectangular nonstick electric frying pan.
Guatemala-Inspired Fried Chicken
The following is Nathan’s version of the wildly popular Pollo Campero (Country Chicken) made by a Guatemalan fried-chicken company of that name, that she says has created a sensation within the Latin American communities in the United States. After being marinated in lemon, garlic, oregano and other strong seasonings, the chicken is dipped in flour and fried.
Ingredients
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon juice, then rub in the garlic and sprinkle on the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and refrigerate, covered, overnight.
When ready to cook the chicken, heat about 5 inches of oil to 340 F in a wok or deep pot.
While the oil is heating, dip the chicken in the flour briefly, shaking off any excess flour.
Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken pieces from the oil with tongs and drain them on paper towels. Eat immediately.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Couscous de Timbuktu
Amatha Sangho Diabate, a professor at Spellman College in Atlanta, makes this couscous de Timbuktu, a feast dish from her native Mali that she often takes to potluck parties.
Here she uses beef, though she learned to make the dish with lamb. You can use either, Nathan says.
Ingredients
(Stew with dates and couscous)
Directions
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep heavy pan over high heat, and sear the meat, along with the garlic, in the hot oil (you may have to do this in two batches). Add the cumin, fennel seeds, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg, and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Place the meat and the spices in a large pot. Add the tomatoes and enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour.
Add the onions, cinnamon and dates, and simmer, uncovered, until beef is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 40 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve with couscous.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Note: Basic couscous, as detailed by Mark Bittman in “How To Cook Everything” (Macmillan, 1998) can be simply made by melting 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add 1 1/2 cups couscous and cook it, stirring, until it is coated with butter, about 1 minute. Add 2 1/4 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat low, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, 5 top 8 minutes.
Pour into a large serving bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon butter with a fork, fluffing the couscous and breaking up any lumps. Add pepper and more salt, if desired, and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Mango Ice Cream Cake
Nathan says she learned the technique of making pure ice-cream cake from Steve Herrell, but this one is inspired by her daughter Daniela, who likes mango and vanilla ice cream.
In this cake, the intensity of the dried mango slices and preserved ginger enhances the flavor.
Work as quickly as possible when making the cake, Nathan advises – once the ice cream melts, it doesn’t refreeze properly.
Ingredients
Directions
Take the mango ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly.
Put a 9-inch springform pan in the freezer to chill.
When the ice cream can be scooped, take the cake pan out of the freezer. Working quickly, scoop up all the mango ice cream into the cake pan to flatten it, pressing down on a small spatula. Don’t leave any gaps on the side. Sprinkle the ginger and dried mango over the ice cream and press each piece in firmly so you won’t have trouble with the next layer of ice cream. Return the cake pan to the freezer to harden, for at least 20 minutes.
When the mango ice cream is stiff again, take out the vanilla ice cream and let it soften slightly. Take the cake pan out of the freezer, scoop the vanilla ice cream into it, and smooth the top.
This will be the bottom layer (the cake is inverted), so its top doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. Return the cake to the freezer for a couple of hours to harden before serving.
Fill a bowl wide enough to fit the cake pan with very hot water.
Take the cake out of the freezer and carefully dip the sides of the pan in the hot water, almost to the top. Hold it there for about 15 seconds, then remove the pan, dry the pan off, run a knife around the inside, and invert the cake onto a serving plate. If you are not serving the cake right away, return it to the freezer.
When you are ready to serve the cake, spoon the mango puree or preserves over the top, starting in the center and moving in concentric circles out to the edge. Let the puree or preserves spill over and down the sides of the cake. Top the cake with the thinly sliced fresh mango.
Makes 10 to 12 slices.
Note: Mango puree is available at Indian and Latin American food stores.
