Category: Dairy-Free

The Filthy Martini

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Trish Lobenfeld - Beverages, Cocktails, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan

I’m a big fan of a dirty martini, which is made with vodka and olive brine/juice, and sometimes vermouth depending on the bartender and/or the drinker’s taste. Then I discovered the Filthy Martini!

This Filthy Martini is inspired by a drink I had on vacation last fall at E.B. Strong’s Prime Steakhouse in Vermont It was delicious and the addition of the gherkin juice was such an interesting little twist.

Once I got home, I wanted to recreate this drink. I did a little research and found there’s a Filthy Food Company that makes premium drink garnishes, including the blue cheese stuffed olives. I always have gherkins on hand, love them in tuna salad, on charcuterie platters, or just a quick salty/sour snack.

While I enjoy Tito’s vodka, my preference is Kettle One. I like the mouthfeel of the vodka, it rolls across the tongue unlike any other vodka I’ve ever had. I tried the brine from the Filthy Blue Cheese Olives, but found I prefer my old standby, Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice.

In my opinion, what really makes this drink special is that ¼ ounce of gherkin juice. It teases the palette. If you didn’t know it was there you’d be trying to suss it out. I have to admit I didn’t pay that much attention to the ingredients until I tasted the Filthy Martini at Strong’s. It took a few sips before I identified the gherkin juice, even though the gherkin was on the toothpick with the olive (DOH).

Garnish with a speared olive and a small gherkin to complete the drink. The blue-cheese stuffed olive is an excellent choice. But, don’t hesitate to try a pimiento-stuffed olive, spicy marinated olive, or olives marinated with bits of lemon and garlic. Each contributes a different nuance to the drink and are equally enjoyable. Many of these are available at grocery/specialty store olive bars.

Once you get the right ingredients together, shake them well for 15 seconds. A great martini is an icy cold martini!

Cheers!

The Filthy Martini

Author: Trish Lobenfeld

Scale

Ingredients

Equipment

Cocktail Shaker
Fancy toothpick
Martini glass

4 ice cubes
2 ounces vodka, such a Kettle One or Tito’s
3/4 ounce olive juice
1/4 ounce gherkin juice, such as Maille or
1 olive*
1 gherkin

Instructions

Place the ice, vodka, olive juice, and gherkin juice in a cocktail shaker, cover, and shake for 10 seconds.

Remove cover, place strainer over opening and pour into a chilled martini glass.

Skewer the olive and gherkin and place in the glass.

Notes

*The blue-cheese stuffed olive was an excellent choice. But don’t hesitate to try a pimiento-stuffed olive, spicy marinated olives, or olives marinated with bits of lemon and. They all make a great garnish and add a distinctive touch to a Dirty Martini.

How to Clean and Parboil Kale

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Trish Lobenfeld - Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, How To, Vegan

Kale is a nutrient dense food high in antioxidants, sometimes referred to as a superfood because of these qualities. It’s a deeply colored leafy green with a firm texture that’s used raw in salads, protein shakes and smoothies. However, if you want to maximize the vitamins and minerals in kale, it’s best to eat it cooked. It’s a known fact that eating any food cooked provides access to more nutrients than raw food. But, before using for either a raw or cooked recipe, let’s discuss how to clean and parboil kale.

In this post, we’ll show you how to clean kale and to parboil it to use in recipes like our Creamed Kale and Leeks (coming next week). Toss kale into soups and stews during the final 15 minutes of cooking to add color, texture, and nutrients. Try our Chicken Kale and White Bean Stew, a delicious one-dish meal.

Kale is usually sold in bundles of leaves that weigh approximately 8 ounces. Once the tough stems are removed, you have around 5-6 ounces of useable greens, which need a thorough rinse to rid them of any grit. It’s much easier to do clean when the stems are removed first.

A pound of kale (stems and all) yield about 2 cups parboiled and squeezed dry kale.

How to Trim Kale

There are two ways to remove the stems, either by using your hands to pull the green away from the leaf or to cut it away with a knife.

To use your hands, grab the kale with the leafy party toward your palm right where the stem begins. Pull the stem back, but don’t break it. Pull towards the top of the kale and remove the tough upper rib as well.

To use a knife, lay the leaf on a cutting board and fold it in half so the rib is revealed. Take a sharp knife and start almost at the top of the leaf and draw the knife along the inside edge until the leaf is free.

If the recipe calls for chopped kale, cut it up before washing.

For salads, cut the leaves in half lengthwise and pile one on top of the other. Roll the leaves lengthwise and cut thinly across top to bottom and then wash.

How to Wash the Kale

Plunge the trimmed leaves into a large bowl filled with cold water. Swish around and scoop the kale into a colander. Drain the bowl, refill, and repeat. Repeat the process until there’s no grit on the bottom of the bowl.

How to Store Kale

Spread the kale out on a large towel (such as a flour sack towel) or a length of paper towel and roll. Place in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

How to Parboil Kale

Fill a large saucepan (7-quart) with cold water, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil.

Have a strainer ready to drain the parboiled kale.

Make an ice bath by filling a very large bowl with water and a couple of handfuls of ice cubes to plunge the kale into to stop the cooking.

Place 1/3 of the trimmed and cleaned kale in the boiling water, stir to get the kale completely into the water. Add another third, stir, and then the final third. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Drain the kale and immediately plunge it into the cold-water bath. Stir a couple of times to make sure all the leaves are free. Remove any ice cubes and drain the kale again.

Remove the excess moisture from the kale by squeezing in handfuls.

NOTE: If you are using the leaves whole, such as in a stuffed leaf recipe, don’t squeeze dry.

The kale is now ready to be used in a recipe or frozen.

See Other Kale Recipes:

Tuscan Kale and Bean Soup
Curried Lentil and Kale Stew
Winter Greens

How to Clean and Slice Leeks

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Trish Lobenfeld - Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, How To, Vegan

Leeks are a member of the onion, or allium, family, which includes chives, shallots, garlic, and scallions. They have a strong, unpleasant taste eaten raw, but develop a silky texture and sweet flavor when cooked, the perfect foundation for soups, stews, and side dishes.

Grown in sandy soil, the white portion of a leek is deeply embedded to prevent it from turning green (photosynthesis). As a result, leeks always have dirt hidden between the layers and need a thorough rinsing.

The tough, dark green leafy tops are not used in recipes, however, it’s worth cutting through that top lengthwise to see if there are any usable portions hidden in the middle. As the leek grows, the portion of the leek that’s closer to the surface begins to turn a faint green. Use this portion, some of the inner green top leaves, and the white for most recipes.

Occasionally, however, only the pure white portion is used in a recipe where the green color is undesirable, such as Vichyssoise.

As a rough estimate, for every 3 inches of a leek that’s about 2 inches in diameter you will get 1 cup of thinly sliced leeks.

How to Trim and Clean Leeks

Remove the green tops and slice in half lengthwise to see if there are tender, usable green leaves. Toss the dark, tough greens.

Some recipes, such as poached leeks, cook the leeks in two long halves. To prepare the leek, cut off the roots but leave the center core to keep the layers together. Slice the leek in half lengthwise stopping just before the core. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Proceed with the recipe.

Other recipes ask for sliced leeks. Remove the greens as instructed above and cut off the entire root end. Slice the remaining leek in half lengthwise and again lengthwise.

Thinly slice the leeks and place in a cold-water bath.

Swish the leeks around and rub them against each other with your hands to loosen any grit.

Use your hands or a hand strainer to remove the leeks into a strainer or clean bowl.

Drain the water, rinse the bowl, and refill with cold water.

Repeat the above steps until there is no grit left in the bottom of the bowl.

How to Julienne Leeks

Cut off the roots but leave the center core to keep the layers together. Slice the leek in half lengthwise stopping just before the core. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Remove one layer and fold in half lengthwise if small or in quarters if long. Thinly slice the leek.

This shape is perfect for frizzled leeks, which are dipped in a little flour, deep fried, and used as a garnish.

Other leek recipes:

Potato, Leek, Turnip and Bacon Soup
Rosemary Pea Soup
Leek and Zucchini Casserole
Celery Root and Leek Soup

Guinness Beef Stew

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Trish Lobenfeld - Dairy-Free, Meat / Poultry, One-Dish Recipes, Slow Cooking (stews and braises)

Guinness is a dark, dry Irish stout. It has a slightly bitter taste from toasted malt, which nicely compliments a fatty cut of beef like a chuck roast. Guinness Beef Stew is cooked low and slow to tenderize the meat and develop a rich and satisfying gravy. The stew has Yukon gold potatoes and carrots. Add some peas at the last minute, they just need to heat through, and you have a delicious and satisfying one-dish meal!

I prefer to buy the chuck roast and trim and cut to size myself. I find pre-packaged beef stew pieces to be too small. There’s a bit of fat that’s pretty easy to remove, just follow the natural lines of the meat and cut the trimmed roast into 2-inch cubes.

I also like bigger pieces of carrot and potato in the stew. They don’t overcook and get mushy and the carrots sliced lengthwise on an angle make a nice presentation.

No need to brown the meat. I have found that this process of browning the meat first can be messy and time consuming and I don’t find that it makes any difference to the end dish. I use my go to More Than Gourmet demi-glace as the base for the sauce, with a dab of tomato paste for added flavor. Penzey’s bouquet garni herb mix gives much more flavor than a traditional bouquet garni (bay leaf, a few thyme sprigs, parsley stems and black pepper corns) and is much more convenient.

My slow cooker has a removable insert, which allows me to prepare everything on the stovetop and then place it back in the cooker on low for 6 – 7 hours. The recipe can also be made on the stovetop and I’ve included those directions as well.

If at all possible, make this recipe the day before. Chilling overnight and removing the fat makes for a less greasy dish and the flavors of the stew are always best the next day.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 7-quart Dutch oven or a removeable slow-cooker insert.

Stir in the onion and celery, cover and sweat for 5 minutes, stirring twice. Lower the heat a little if the onion is browning.

Uncover and add the garlic. Stir for 30 seconds, then mix in the tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly for another 30 seconds.

Sprinkle the flour, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper over the vegetables and stir to combine until no lumps remain.

Slowly add the beer stirring constantly to incorporate the flour into the liquid, then add the stock or demi-glace.

Add the beef, potatoes and carrots; stir to mix well to cover everything.

Tuck the vegetables under the meat. They take a little longer to cook at this size and it’s best if they are buried in the liquid. Don’t be alarmed at the small amount of liquid. The meat and vegetables quickly release their own juices into the pot. Adding too much liquid in the beginning only dilutes the gravy flavor.

Stovetop Method:
Bring to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to a very gentle simmer, barely a bubble, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef and vegetables are tender. The optimum braising temperature is 180 degrees F.

Slow Cooker Method
Bring to a boil. Cover and place the insert in the slow cooker or transfer the stew from the prep pot to the slow cooker. Set on low and cook for 6 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Cool and refrigerate the stew. Next day, remove the fat that hardened on top and reheat. Add the peas and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Stew freezes well.