Wikipedia says that the English word macaroon and French macaron come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. Most recipes call for egg whites (usually whipped to stiff peaks), with ground or powdered nuts, generally almond or coconut.
This is one of my favorite confections that I have always enjoyed, usually around Passover when supermarkets tend to carry them fresh and kosher. I suppose that the eggs and coconut were humanely slaughtered and/or blessed before being processed into ingredients. This is not a gluten-free food, if all-purpose flour or matzo cake meal is used to firm up the cookie. I like my macaroons to have substance, so this recipe uses flour.
Ingredients
1 c. egg whites (about 4 large eggs, reserve yolks for another recipe)
1/2 c. unbleached granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 or 1/4 tsp)
14 oz (1 bag) of sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Carefully separate the egg whites from egg yolks. I used two prep bowls for this step.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form and add almond extract. Whisk to incorporate flour mixture until a "dough" forms.
4. Stir in shredded coconut until it's even distributed.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (makes approx 2 dozen) or rounded tablespoonfuls (makes 18-20) onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges of the macaroons are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
Kitchen Note: Squid
Here's a first for the year. I prepared and made a squid dish. No seriously, I never made squid before today. It was the random shopping ingredient for December.
The quality of fresh squid, like most seafood, is easy to tell from visual and olfactory cues. It shouldn't have a strong nor fishy smell, be firm and shiny, and its outer membrane should be gray in color, not pink or purple. That is, of course, if you are using fresh squid. I suppose that at some point my squid was fresh. Since I didn't use it the same day I bought it, the squid had characteristics of not-so-fresh squid, as in I left it in the freezer for about a month then thawed it before preparation.
Preparing whole squid is a lot like shelling sunflower seeds: lots of effort, little reward. To put it bluntly, the only parts of the squid that is used in cooking are the tentacles and mantle (the skin, aka the tube). Just about everything else (head, guts, the hard beak, ink sack, cuttlebone) is removed and discarded. I didn't notice the ink sack when I prepared the squid. Squid ink is edible and is often used to add color to pasta, such as black linguini.
To make the calamari-shaped rings, cut the squid body into bite-sized pieces, horizontally. Here are other ways of preparing squid.
Squid can get tough if it's overcooked, so if you plan to fry it, do so on high heat with the pan already warmed up. I used 2 tbsp of olive oil for frying and added the squid just as the oil was able to spread across the pan easily. Probably no more than 5 mins for frying. Then remove it from the heat and plate it up.
The best tasting fried squid is how my folks make it--with chopped chives from their garden.
The quality of fresh squid, like most seafood, is easy to tell from visual and olfactory cues. It shouldn't have a strong nor fishy smell, be firm and shiny, and its outer membrane should be gray in color, not pink or purple. That is, of course, if you are using fresh squid. I suppose that at some point my squid was fresh. Since I didn't use it the same day I bought it, the squid had characteristics of not-so-fresh squid, as in I left it in the freezer for about a month then thawed it before preparation.
Preparing whole squid is a lot like shelling sunflower seeds: lots of effort, little reward. To put it bluntly, the only parts of the squid that is used in cooking are the tentacles and mantle (the skin, aka the tube). Just about everything else (head, guts, the hard beak, ink sack, cuttlebone) is removed and discarded. I didn't notice the ink sack when I prepared the squid. Squid ink is edible and is often used to add color to pasta, such as black linguini.
To make the calamari-shaped rings, cut the squid body into bite-sized pieces, horizontally. Here are other ways of preparing squid.
Squid can get tough if it's overcooked, so if you plan to fry it, do so on high heat with the pan already warmed up. I used 2 tbsp of olive oil for frying and added the squid just as the oil was able to spread across the pan easily. Probably no more than 5 mins for frying. Then remove it from the heat and plate it up.
The best tasting fried squid is how my folks make it--with chopped chives from their garden.
Kitchen Note: Canned Tuna
Canned tuna is pretty cheap and you're better off paying a bit more for Tongol. Not all canned tuna is the same. And according to an article on Epicurious.com, "canned tuna meat should be firm and flaky, but never mushy. It should be moist but not watery (and certainly not dry). And it has to look appetizing before it's dressed up with seductive ingredients."
I use no salt added and packed in water for my cooking recipes to have better control over the salt and fat in the dish being prepared. I don't eat canned tuna that often, maybe 2-3 cans a year. That's mostly because I really enjoy raw tuna as sushi or sashimi.
The usual additive options are:
no salt added
salt added
vegetable oil added, usually safflower
olive oil added
The amount of vegetable or olive oil added to a can of tuna is trivial. You're better off buying the tuna that's been canned in water, drain it, and add one teaspoon of olive oil. That's the caloric difference between tuna canned in water vs tuna canned in olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, or roughly 40 calories per teaspoon.
Depending on the species, tuna is used in different product forms:
• albacore is primarily sold as white canned tuna
• skipjack is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• tongol is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• yellowfin is sold both as light canned tuna and as ahi
• bigeye is primarily used in sushi/sashimi, but also is sold as canned light
Recipes using canned Tongol:
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Read more:
Seafood Watch: Sourcing Sustainable Canned Tuna
Epicurious Taste Test: Canned Tuna
Download a regional Seafood Watch guide
NRDC List of How Often to Eat Tuna
I use no salt added and packed in water for my cooking recipes to have better control over the salt and fat in the dish being prepared. I don't eat canned tuna that often, maybe 2-3 cans a year. That's mostly because I really enjoy raw tuna as sushi or sashimi.
The usual additive options are:
no salt added
salt added
vegetable oil added, usually safflower
olive oil added
The amount of vegetable or olive oil added to a can of tuna is trivial. You're better off buying the tuna that's been canned in water, drain it, and add one teaspoon of olive oil. That's the caloric difference between tuna canned in water vs tuna canned in olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, or roughly 40 calories per teaspoon.
Depending on the species, tuna is used in different product forms:
• albacore is primarily sold as white canned tuna
• skipjack is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• tongol is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• yellowfin is sold both as light canned tuna and as ahi
• bigeye is primarily used in sushi/sashimi, but also is sold as canned light
Recipes using canned Tongol:
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Read more:
Seafood Watch: Sourcing Sustainable Canned Tuna
Epicurious Taste Test: Canned Tuna
Download a regional Seafood Watch guide
NRDC List of How Often to Eat Tuna
Tuna Casserole
The Food Timeline tells us that:
"The word 'casserole' has two meanings: a recipe for a combination of foods cooked together in a slow over and the dish/pot used for cooking it. Casserole, as a cooking method, seems to have derived from the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies are also related, in that pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings. Early 18th century casserole recipes [the word entered the English language in 1708] typically employed rice which was pounded and pressed (similar to the pastry used for pies) to encase fillings. Like their Medieval ancestors, they were both savory and sweet. The casseroles we know today are a relatively modern invention."
The traditional tuna casserole calls for egg noodles, of which I had none on hand. Brown rice fusilli was used instead since this type of noodle can hold up to both boiling and baking in the same recipe. The thought of adding a can of creamed mushroom soup to a casserole is appalling to me. I don't think I've had canned mushroom soup since I was a child and I'm more inclined to make it from scratch if I had to. There are three parts to this recipe: the sauce, the noodles, and the baking. Start by cooking the noodles first since they take the longest to prepare.
You could use any type of mushroom in a casserole. I had dried oyster mushrooms that had been in my pantry for almost a year so I used those. Rehydrated in water and the water (without the mushrooms) added to the pot of water to cook the noodles. The same goes for the shredded cheese. I used mozzarella, but you can easily use cheddar, jack, or colby.
The addition of olive oil to the boiling noodles is an optional step. I had about that much leftover from an appetizer I did earlier in the day. The tuna can is from Trader Joe's and it's tongol in water with no salt added. I didn't think about salt until I tasted the sauce. Hardly any of the ingredients used actually have salt in it, except for the trace amount in the cheese. I sprinklled some sea salt on top of the casserole before adding the last of the cheese.
Ingredients
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
One 6.5 oz can of tuna, drained
One red bell pepper, diced
1 c. oyster mushrooms, chopped
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
sea salt, to taste
1 c. whole organic milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c. dried fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pot of water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a pot, add enough water to dried fusilli and boil until noodles are tender. Add olive oil. About 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 8" skillet, on medium heat, melt butter and fry bellpepper and oyster mushrooms until soft. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk and stir (or whisk) until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and stir in one cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
3. In an 8" x 8" baking dish, add cooked fusilli and tuna. Break up the larger chunks of tuna into smaller pieces, if necessary. Add the sauce on top of it and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of casserole then add the remaining cheese (up to one cup) on top of the casserole. While it melts and browns, it also makes a tasty crust.
5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Makes 2-3 servings.
"The word 'casserole' has two meanings: a recipe for a combination of foods cooked together in a slow over and the dish/pot used for cooking it. Casserole, as a cooking method, seems to have derived from the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies are also related, in that pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings. Early 18th century casserole recipes [the word entered the English language in 1708] typically employed rice which was pounded and pressed (similar to the pastry used for pies) to encase fillings. Like their Medieval ancestors, they were both savory and sweet. The casseroles we know today are a relatively modern invention."
 |
| Tuna casserole. There, now I can say I made it. |
The traditional tuna casserole calls for egg noodles, of which I had none on hand. Brown rice fusilli was used instead since this type of noodle can hold up to both boiling and baking in the same recipe. The thought of adding a can of creamed mushroom soup to a casserole is appalling to me. I don't think I've had canned mushroom soup since I was a child and I'm more inclined to make it from scratch if I had to. There are three parts to this recipe: the sauce, the noodles, and the baking. Start by cooking the noodles first since they take the longest to prepare.
You could use any type of mushroom in a casserole. I had dried oyster mushrooms that had been in my pantry for almost a year so I used those. Rehydrated in water and the water (without the mushrooms) added to the pot of water to cook the noodles. The same goes for the shredded cheese. I used mozzarella, but you can easily use cheddar, jack, or colby.
The addition of olive oil to the boiling noodles is an optional step. I had about that much leftover from an appetizer I did earlier in the day. The tuna can is from Trader Joe's and it's tongol in water with no salt added. I didn't think about salt until I tasted the sauce. Hardly any of the ingredients used actually have salt in it, except for the trace amount in the cheese. I sprinklled some sea salt on top of the casserole before adding the last of the cheese.
Ingredients
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
One 6.5 oz can of tuna, drained
One red bell pepper, diced
1 c. oyster mushrooms, chopped
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
sea salt, to taste
1 c. whole organic milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c. dried fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pot of water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a pot, add enough water to dried fusilli and boil until noodles are tender. Add olive oil. About 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 8" skillet, on medium heat, melt butter and fry bellpepper and oyster mushrooms until soft. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk and stir (or whisk) until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and stir in one cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
3. In an 8" x 8" baking dish, add cooked fusilli and tuna. Break up the larger chunks of tuna into smaller pieces, if necessary. Add the sauce on top of it and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of casserole then add the remaining cheese (up to one cup) on top of the casserole. While it melts and browns, it also makes a tasty crust.
5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Makes 2-3 servings.
Pumpkin Muffins
I suppose I could have made pumpkin tartlets with the leftover canned pumpkin from when I made the biscotti. It would have meant actually calculating how much tart crust to make. I just wanted something sweet and easy to nibble on. These won't win any bake contests, but they're easy to make and when they're warm, the muffins are pretty good on a cold, breezy weekend.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
1 c. cooked pumpkin
2 eggs
1/3 c. olive oil
For this batch, I used the entire leftover can of pumpkin which was roughly 11 oz (from a 15 oz can).
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Whisk the dry ingredients together so that the spices are evenly disbursed.
2. Stir in pumpkin and eggs until the mixture neither looks runny nor like there's egg white everywhere.
3. Fill prepared muffin tin (either use paper muffin cups or lightly butter the muffin pan) so that each muffin opening is 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they look done. Let cool on a rack.
This batch didn't get to cool and I'd already eaten two of the muffins before remembering to take photos, which eventually will get posted.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
1 c. cooked pumpkin
2 eggs
1/3 c. olive oil
For this batch, I used the entire leftover can of pumpkin which was roughly 11 oz (from a 15 oz can).
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Whisk the dry ingredients together so that the spices are evenly disbursed.
2. Stir in pumpkin and eggs until the mixture neither looks runny nor like there's egg white everywhere.
3. Fill prepared muffin tin (either use paper muffin cups or lightly butter the muffin pan) so that each muffin opening is 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they look done. Let cool on a rack.
This batch didn't get to cool and I'd already eaten two of the muffins before remembering to take photos, which eventually will get posted.
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