good cateress newsletter Oct/Nov 2008

good cateress newsletter Oct/Nov 2008

October and November are the months for mushrooms, game and squash. All great earth items.

Late last week I was driving past the Live Poultry Shop on 127th Street and Amsterdam, something I do frequently on my way to the West Side Highway or Fairway. I am always intrigued and slightly horrified when I drive past and the crates of live birds are being unloaded. Would I in fact be able to deal with a live bird? I always joke to myself that it would depend on how hungry and desperate to eat I would be. I definitely fall into the category of preferring not to think of how chickens we eat are kept and butchered. I do know that the live chickens are undoubtedly in better condition than the chickens breasts we buy laid out on styrofoam and wrapped in plastic at most supermarkets.

I was stopped outside the store, waiting for the light and I realized that the birds I could see in the window were pheasants and turkeys. I could also see the salesman with a brace of chicken held in his hand, ready for someone’s weekend food. Do they kill them in the store? I presume so, I have never actually seen anyone carrying live poultry down the street.

Pheasants, I think to myself, I could probably handle the pheasant. When Dad and Murray would go out on shoots, back in the 70’s. We often had pheasant, hare and duck hanging in the cool of the stockroom, and it was often Simon’s and my job to pluck them. Murray liked to hang his birds a long time, I was never so keen on plucking those, sometimes they fell apart at the first tug of the feathers.

As roast lamb is my favourite spring and summer meal; roast pheasant and crisply roasted duck are some of my favourite winter meals. I have never understood american reluctance to eat game, it has so much more flavor and is hormone and antibiotic free. I also like pheasant or Guinea Fowl made Normandy; cooked with apples and onions in cream and calvados.

I do have to admit that the day I came home from school, walking through the kitchen and seeing a skinned rabbit soaking in water, totally freaked me out. I did not eat rabbit for a long time afterwards. But spending time in France and Spain where rabbits reared for eating were kept in cages outside houses, it just seemed second nature to eat them. In Spain I have loved it cooked with prunes; in France I have been served Coq au Vin or Chicken stew in the country, where the chickens had rib cages and spines. The meat was wonderfully succulent and flavorful.

On the Isle of Wight there were no deer to shoot. A few years into being here in America, Simon was up in State College, PA doing his Ph.D. I would drive up for weekends to see him. One November weekend, I was heading back to the City on Rte 80. I could see something strapped to the roof of the car in front of me, I couldn’t make out what it was, and it certainly looked quite odd. As I got closer and was getting ready to pass, I realized I was looking at a dead buck deer with it’s tiny horns; I almost swerved off the road when I saw it. A few more miles down the road, there was another car with a deer strapped too it. Hunting season had started. I wouldn’t know where to start to skin and butcher a deer! But thinking back this was during the recession of the early 90’s. I am betting there will be a lot more people shooting their meat this winter and the coming hard years.

Last winter, I finally, after much thought bought a piece of D’Artagnan Wild Boar to roast. I made a very herby stuffing to lay the boar on as it roasted, and a spicy apple sauce to serve alongside it. Of course, roast potatoes, I would not be English without a good roast spud, and braised some baby Brussels Sprouts from Union Square. Totally yummy comfort food.

I wrote about mushrooms in my second newsletter, October 2006. All of the newsletters can be found at http://goodcateress.blogspot.com. Although, last week I found myself with some extra Chanterelles, which I turned into a heavenly soup with very subtle flavor. Something to remember for next Fall, although I suspect I will probably not have too many occasions when I have too many Chanterelles!

Squash. I was amazed about the squash when I first came to America. I knew about pumpkin having seen pieces of giant pumpkin for sale in markets in France and Spain. Sadly the closest we came to squash in England in the 70’s and early 80’s was Courgette (Zucchini) and Marrow. I loved marrow; please don’t give me an overgrown courgette and tell me it’s a marrow, they are two totally different squash, one is supposed to be eaten when it is smaller and sweeter, one is grown for it’s size. Mum would cut up, peeled pieces of marrow, put them in foil with plenty of salt and pepper, butter or olive oil, then roast it in the oven with the meat that was being roasted for Summer sunday roasts.

But the Squash I saw here were an array of colors, shapes and size. Although, at first I only really saw Acorn Squash. The first time I ate acorn squash it had been, halved, roasted with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon - there’s that cinnamon again. But I couldn’t understand the very sweet brown sugar aspect, it made the squash too sweet for me, and as we know, I do like my sweet. So other than at Thanksgiving I passed on the squash for a few years. Over the years, I started to see other squash, particularly down at Union Square Green Market, I talked to the farmers, who suggested different ways to cook and eat the different squash. I started to buy Butternut squash and my early form of cooking was to cut into squares and roast it, as a Brit, we understand roasting! It was divine, crisp outside and succulent in the middle.

I made a soup with butternut squash, ginger and pear, which I liked a lot, I never added cream or milk, I liked the simplicity of the fruits and stock combination. But truly my favourite Squash item was risotto, heartwarming nectar. For the risotto I would halve the butternut squash ( by the way, for anyone interested you should buy a farmers market squash and a squash from a store and compare colors and flavors, two different items!), scoop out the seeds and strings, season the cut halves and add a knob of butter, lay on a roasting pan skin side down and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Let it cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh and puree with a wand stick or in a cuisinart. Make risotto your usual way, add the squash puree about half way through adding your liquids. Serve with parmesan cheese.

The squash I have had least success with is Spaghetti squash. I know this is all about me, rather than the squash, but truly I don’t get the point.

I debated with myself about which recipe to share this month and came back to my original thought. My mothers apple cake. Neither Simon or I remember mum cooking this or eating this cake, but Mum sent me the recipe and I started making this cake about 15 years ago. It is one of my favorite mum recipes, and I have been known to eat the entire cake in a few days, but not recently!


Lucy McQueen-Masons Apple cake “Rungli Rungla”

Butter and flour a 8” spring form pan
Oven 375 degrees

10 oz/2 cups flour mixed with a teaspoon of baking powder
8 oz sugar, we use the organic baking sugar that adds a slight caramel flavor
2 large eggs
8 oz/ 1 cup melted butter
1lb apples, we use Granny Smith in England it would be Bramleys - peeled, cut into pieces, placed in a bowl with lemon juice
3 oz sultana’s/golden raisins
2 oz chopped walnuts
large teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 2oz Demerara sugar

Beat eggs and sugar together in kitchenaid or with handheld mixer. Add the melted butter, then flour mixture. When combined add apples, sultana’s and walnuts. Put mixture in baking tin, sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 35 - minutes or until done, test with a skewer. Serve warm with whipped cream or creme fraiche.



Happy Thanksgiving

We should give thanks for the change of power here in America, this year.

good cateress newsletter January 2009

good cateress newsletter, January 2009


In the bitter cold of the last few weeks, I am again, reminded that I would have made a truly lousy pioneer woman. I do like the comfort of heating, duvet and warming foods.

Although, I suspect we would have survived better without the media terrorizing us on a daily basis, with their figures and projections of doom and gloom. Even in the midst of joy at the inauguration, they continued to whisper in our ear, Can he do it? Can President Obama save the country? Could the media give him more than a week to try?

It reminds me of England's Winter of Discontent in 1973/4, when under Prime Minister Edward Heath the three day work week was bought in. Nightly on the news we were shown the ever dwindling stocks of coal that powered Britain's power stations. Which led to the country being limited to 16 hours of electricity a day. It is hard now to imagine a western country being without constant power. Each day we had no power from either 4am - midday, midday to 8pm, 8pm to 4am. So every fourth day we got up to go to school by candlelight, or went to bed by candlelight.

8pm meant no telly, we were teenagers what on earth would we do? It was great, we played games, talking, laughing in front of the fire, lit by a tilley lamp from Murray and Janette's boat, Grey Cygnet or the mucky duck, as she was fondly known. Board games, like Scrabble, Risk, Monopoly, We had always played card games, sitting at the kitchen table playing as mum cooked dinner. Patience if we were on our own; Whist and its myriad varieties, Sgt. Major, Hearts, Solo, Bridge. And my favourite Cribbage. I have often thought I learnt to count by playing cards. On another table there was a jig saw on the go, someone was always stopped beside it, having spotted a piece that would fit, and then be hooked into working that corner for an hour or so.

Of course we would have eaten long before 8pm, something from England's true home cooking of winter warmers, soups, stews and casseroles, always with potatoes and a winter Brassica; January King cabbage, cauliflower - all of which grew in the fields along the cliffs of the South Wight on warm days you could smell them. A few winters later the potato harvest failed and Britain had to change again to eating something other than potatoes, rice and pasta were not eaten as they are now; the tv had to show people how to cook these novelty items!

England is in many ways a gardeners paradise, as produce is grown year round. There is usually some local green available. Looking back on it now, I think I enjoyed coming home from school, after munching on a warming slice of toast and butter, heading out to the garden to pick Brussels Sprouts, Purple sprouting broccoli, pull some leeks. But I know I complained then, and I have conveniently forgotten the rainy, damp days.

One of my all time favorite casseroles is Chicken in a pot. Most countries have a version of this, as do most families. I make mine in our largest Le Creuset. I take an organic, hormone free chicken, wash it thoroughly - I like to put my chicken in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice for ten minutes or more to clean it - season it and place it in the pot. I then take a cacophony of vegetables, really whatever I have to hand: leeks, onions, celery, carrot, garlic, peppers - hot and sweet, sweet potato, squash - butternut, zucchini, potato, thyme, marjoram; a little water, a splash of white wine, if I have some open. Lid on, pop in the oven for a couple of hours. The cooking aromas are a comfort of their own. When I start to eat and the symphony of flavors hit my tongue, I sigh with contentment. My body then starts to glow from within as the healing nutrition pulses through my veins.

Today we had a whole turkey breast, bone and all. We seem to eat a lot of turkey, which truly is the other white meat! It seems to me to be like a placebo, it can replicate any other meat you want. I skinned and boned the breast, believe me if I can do it you can. I didn't need it to be perfect and wanted some meat left on the carcass. This I took and roasted it with onions, celery and carrots for an hour or so. I then placed it all in a stock pot to become stock for our soups for the week. We like a broth based soup, again made with whatever vegetables are around. I use many of the same vegetables from the Chicken in a pot, chopped, sauteed broth added, slowly cooking, then adding noodles and shredded kale.

One half of the turkey breast we will grind up, Num will make Turkey Chilli. Some weeks we make pasta sauce, meatballs in tomato sauce or meatloaf. The other half we cut into steaks to grill or cutlets to saute. Sometimes I roast a half to have for sandwiches. I have to confess there is nothing gone to waste, as long as I didn't think about the thighs and drumsticks! I almost feel like Mrs. Beeton with a side of pig or lamb!

It would not harm us to return to our mothers and grandmothers cooking. Planning the weeks meals with health and economy on our minds. In the last 30 years of growth and greed, this sadly, seems to be what we chose to leave behind. And yes, I know we all work now, and our lives are harder. But, if we put half a day at the weekend to the side for cooking, I think we could discover that it is both pleasurable and relaxing.














Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce

1lb ground turkey breast
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
teaspoon of chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Bring turkey breast to room temperature. Place in bowl large enough to mix the ingredients. Peel the onion and grate into the turkey meat, chop the garlic or put through garlic press. Add all the seasonings. mix together, until well blended. Make required size balls with the turkey.

In a skillet heat some olive oil, add the meatballs to the oil and gently brown on each side. I have to confess I end up with a sort of triangle shape meatball. When browned remove from skillet to plate.

1 can of crushed tomatoes - I like progresso
3 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped
a little chopped jalapeno or other hot chili, if you like

Add the chopped garlic to the skillet that you have removed the turkey balls from, saute briefly - do not let burn. Add the pepper if required, I like a little heat to my tomato sauce; then add the crushed tomatoes. If I have a fresh tomato, I chop that and add that first, it changes the flavor. Season the sauce to your liking, I always add a teaspoon of sugar to the tomatoes, I think they need it. When the sauce is simmering nicely, add the meatballs, cooking for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Cook spaghetti or your preferred pasta. Add the meatballs and sauce, mix together and serve immediately with Parmesan to sprinkle on.


Stay warm and optimistic. We can change and overcome.