What's Cooking With Kim O'Donnel

Calling all foodies! Join us Tuesdays at noon for What's Cooking, our live online culinary hour with Kim O'Donnel.

A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly known as Peter Kump's New York Cooking School), Kim spends much of her time in front of the stove or with her nose in a cookbook.

For daily dispatches from Kim's kitchen, check out her blog, A Mighty Appetite. You may catch up on previous transcripts with the What's Cooking archive page.

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Kim O'Donnel: Greetings! The weather we're having is nothing short of dreamy, but in all fairness, I must admit I'd really like some rain. It is SO DRY, and I'm worried for the farmers and their fall crops. I am also desperately trying to stay focused, working on this holiday cookbook project indoors, and a bit of rain would help the hunkering down mode. As promised, I played with phyllo dough and made baklava, a lesson in humility and grace and one that I'd definitely repeat. This week is a two-fer, with the WC vegetarian hour Thursday at 1 ET, fyi. Oh, and to make life easier, our friends in the tech department created something called a vanity url for A Mighty Appetite, which means a shorter Web address that's easier to remember. Now you can find the blog at: www.washingtonpost.com/mightyappetite

And now, let's get this cooking party started...

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Alexandria, VA: Hi there Kim!

I posted this last week, but I don't think you got to it in time. Last week you asked a poster where they had been in Italy so you could recommend cookbooks. I am not the original poster, but I recently returned from Florence and was wondering if you could recommend any cookbooks from the region which are easy for the "beginner" chef to understand.

Thanks so much!

Kim O'Donnel: The original question inspired me to write a blog post about Italian cookbooks. Florence (aka Firenze) is the capital of the famed Tuscany region, and to get started, I recommend Nancy Harmon Jenkins's "Flavors of Tuscany." Frances Mayes, author of "Under the Tuscan Sun" wrote "In Tuscany," which is more of a photo essay/valentine to Tuscany, with 25 recipes. Other Tuscan cookbook ideas?

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Washington, D.C.: I wanted to offer a great time-saver tip. I made an applesauce spice cake for a Yom Kippur breakfast this weekend. It called for 1 1/2 cups of applesauce. I always make my own applesauce and didn't have any. So I grated about 2 cups of apple and it worked beautifully. Question -- is there a difference in doing this v. applesauce, i.e. moisture? Also - what can I do to reduce or even eliminate the 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar called for?

Kim O'Donnel: Thanks, dear. Always good to hear of first-hand kitchen reports. The difference in your cake batter b/t applesauce and grated apples was invisible, as you discovered, but if you were to serve at table, the grated stuff would quickly brown. The benefit of applesauce is that it's been cooked and will last a good while. This time of year, I'm making a batch of applesauce every week for Mister MA who lives on the stuff. My Celebritology pal LizKel and I have been kicking around idea of canning apples to have all season long. As for reducing/eliminating the butter in the cake, try Earth Balance shortening. It has become my new favorite sub in baking. It's made with an oil blend and is easier on the cholesterol levels. You can always try reducing sugar, say down to 3/4 cup, but I might not go much lower than that.

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Fairfax, Va,: Hi Kim,

I've been experimenting with Moroccan food recently, mostly involving couscous and various spices, but I want to be more adventurous/authentic.

Are there any good Moroccan cookbooks you or the chatters can recommend?? Thanks!

Kim O'Donnel: Good for you. I would check out titles by Claudia Roden and Paula Wolfert, for starters. Anyone want to chime in on Moroccan cookbook titles?

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Arlington Gal: Hey Kim, to celebrate turning in a big grad school paper today (hooray!) this weekend's project is homemade cinnamon rolls. I'm good with muffins and pizza dough, but making a sweet-yeast dough has me a little nervous. Any tips? Any baking books I should consult for recipes before starting? I was going to use Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" as my starting point. Also, any thoughts on raisins, nuts, or other spices? I'm not into super sweet things and will probably omit icing, so I'm looking for a little more of a substantial filling than brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Thanks much, as always!

Kim O'Donnel: Consider Nick Malgieri when looking at yeasty titles, and I'm wondering if Peter Reinhart has something for sweet buns in one of his books. I'm a fan of cardamom mixed in with cinnamon, and walnuts are always nice, but then again, so are pecans.

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Akron, Ohio: Hi Kim,

I'm having garlic issues. I thought I was moving up in the cooking world by graduating from the pre-minced garlic in a jar to a bag full of bulbs (about 10) that I've been peeling and mincing myself. Unfortunately, I've found that many of the cloves (and sometimes an entire bulb) will be brown, soft, and foul-smelling upon peeling. I'm still working on my first bag (which I store on my countertop), and it's now a few months old.

Is this just too long to keep garlic? Do other people buy garlic in smaller quantities (or on an as-needed basis)? Do more experienced cooks actually use the jarred stuff?

Thank you!

Kim O'Donnel: Akron, do you have a farm market nearby? Garlic is being harvested RIGHT NOW, and it will be fragrant and very un-foul and wonderful. Problem is that so much of the supermarket garlic is coming from China these days, way too far for those bulbs to travel and show up nice for you in the produce aisle. I buy local garlic like crazy while in season, and use it up before I even consider buying some at the store. I've even considered growing my own garlic. Anyone with experience in that department?

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Washington, D.C.: I put mint and parsely in the fridge, and never got around to cooking the dishes I had in mind for them. The mint went black and gooey but the parsley, lost scent but looked fine, and upon chopping, smelled like parsley again. Is there anyway to naturally dry mint (leaving to sit out on counter?) so that I can still use it even when I've forgotten about it?

Kim O'Donnel: I tend to think dried mint tastes and feels like saw dust, but I'd love to hear what others have done to solve this dilemma. For fresh mint, put in a plastic container and add water to help stave off the black gooeys.

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Looking ahead to the holidays ...: I'm really excited that my husband and I will be hosting my family for a week at Christmas this year in our new house. But I need some recipe help. My younger brother is very restricted in his food: he has celiac disease, severe lactose intolerance (not even butter) and is allergic to soy. How can I turn some Christmas standards (stuffing, pies, sweet breads) into food he can enjoy? Thank you!

Kim O'Donnel: I wrote a piece last month in WP Food section about a Maryland woman with celiac who has developed a GF flour mixture that has proven to be very versatile. Her Web site is: www.nearlynormalcooking.com

For lactose and soy-free fat, consider the Earth Balance spread I mentioned earlier.

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Garlic, Md.: Hi Kim, I was told that the way to tell American garlic (which is healthier) from the Asian garlic is that the American garlic has that little brown fuzz on the bottom and the Asian garlic has a flat, clean bottom. Had you heard this?

Kim O'Donnel: I have not heard this. But ever since June 2006, when I found out about those little bulbs coming from the other side of the world, it drives me crazy to think about all the fossil fuel expended -- for garlic!

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Washington, D.C.: Okay, silly beginner question, but what's the best way to store potatoes and carrots? My mom swears that you should not keep these in the fridge, but rather in some sort of cellar, but has no explanation other than "that's the way it's done."

Kim O'Donnel: Well, in an ideal world, where we live in houses with cellars and we've got lots of storage room, yeah, the ideal place for root vegetables is in a cool, dark 'root cellar.' But most of us don't have that kind of space freedom, at least not this cook. So I keep those items in my fridge and have no problems to report from doing so.

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Chicago, Ill.: Hi Kim. I had the most amazing, delicious bread at a restaurant in Maine. It was served wedge-style, so I'm assuming it was made in a cast iron skillet. Not cornbread, though. It was served with olive oil for dipping. Ever since, I've been searching online for non-corn containing skillet bread and coming up empty. Any recipes you can offer? Thanks.

Kim O'Donnel: Wonder if it was some kind of pan-like focaccia. What was the texture?

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Moscow, ID: Hi Kim-

I recently relocated to Idaho, but lived in Greenbelt for years and grew awesome garlic. I refuse to buy the kind in the grocery stores now. I have had good luck getting my seed garlic from a company called Filaree Farms in Washington. In fact, we just planted our first Idaho crop last weekend, although in Greenbelt we always planted on Columbus Day weekend.

The local farmer's market here is awesome, too - which was a happy discovery. The only thing I haven't been able to find is pasture raised chickens.

Kim O'Donnel: Hey Idaho! Great info on planting garlic on this side of the country. I may have to get busy. Glad you are getting into things out west. keep us posted.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Kim! When soaking beans overnight do I leave them on the counter or put them in the fridge? Covered? Uncovered? Does it matter?! Thanks! I'm excited to try an alternative to canned!

Kim O'Donnel: Keep'em on the counter. Covered or uncovered doesn't matter, unless you've got critters that might be tempted...

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Kim! I am a big fan of sauteed spinach and it usually turns out great for me with just some olive oil and garlic. Last night I prepared it the way I normally do but it was extremely bitter. I am assuming it was just that bunch of spinach I used. Is there something I could have done to cut the bitterness?

Kim O'Donnel: Well, maybe. Have you tasted your oil lately? Pour some on your finger and taste to see if it's gone rancid. And the garlic might be the culprit as well -- how old is that bulb?

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Washington, DC: My sister is visiting from Asia, where she really misses fall. Foliage, food, etc. I wanted to make a dinner that would be very fall-ish. Any suggestions? She loves roasted veggies. And we eat all meats.

Kim O'Donnel: I would make a squash puree to start things off. A salad of spinach and sliced pears with your favorite nuts. Baked sweet potatoes with garlic and chiles, to go alongside a roasted chicken with rosemary and olive oil. Dessert -- apple pie?

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Washington, D.C. -- Healthy Beef Stew: I made beef stew this weekend and while good -- it was lacking something special. I use an eye round cut of meat (the meat turned out great), and low-fat organic beef broth, and simmered onions, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and finely minced celery. The broth thickened, but I used a little flour to help it out (mixing flour with broth in a sep. bowl then adding it in). I seasoned with salt, pepper, a bay leaf. Any suggestions for herbs or ingredients which would help my cause but still keep it healthy-ish?

Kim O'Donnel: You're missing acid. I would use some red wine and/or a can of plum tomatoes. The acid does wonder for flavor and balance. I'd also add some fresh sprigs of thyme.

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New Wine Drinker: I have a bottle of cabernet savignon and a bottle of chardonnay. I would like to build a dinner around each bottle. Which meats, poultry or fish goes with each bottle and what seasonings and veggies (tex-mex, cajun, southern, italian, thai, asian, etc.) match.

Thank you!

Kim O'Donnel: Generally speaking, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay are big wines, full in flavor and body, so you need something in the edible dept that doesn't get lost against the wine. That said, I wouldn't choose anything spicy to go with either one of these wines -- in fact, for Thai, Indian or other spicy cuisines, I usually pick a crisper Sauvignon Blanc, a Viognier, an Albarino, something with more acidity. Steak, burgers, lamb chops are classic partners with a Cab, and Chardonnay, well, it's a hard wine to pair with because it can be so buttery. A grilled piece of fish, perhaps.

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Ashburn, Va.: I know I'm late sending this in, but I just go out of my meeting! I'm a cooking novice who has enjoyed various types of squash in restaurants. I would like to try to cook butternut squash, but I am not familiar with how. Could you please give me any tips or tricks or even flat out instructions? THANK YOU!

Kim O'Donnel: To cut a butternut squash or any winter squash, you need a sharp knife to pierce its tough skin and go through the flesh with ease. Some folks like to prick a squash with a fork, then put in microwave for a minute, which helps to soften exterior and make for easier cutting. Slice squash in half, scoop out seeds and strings, lather up with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, and place on a sheet in 350 oven and allow to roast until fork tender, which can take about an hour. You can also peel squash, scoop out seeds, cut into cubes and boil, then puree.

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Washington, D.C.: I'm so excited to read your piece on baklava. I have always wanted to try it, finding the store bought ones very dry, but have always been frightened by phyllo. Even when I cover it with moist paper towel, it get dry and flaky on me.

Kim O'Donnel: There's a really useful tip from a reader in Philadelphia in comments area on how to apply melted fat and move sheet to baking tray without it tearing. Forget paper towel, think dish towel instead.

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Washington, D.C.: What's up with this weather?? Mentally, I'm ready for some big, cozy batches of soup, but it still feels like gazpacho weather. Any good transition recipes?

Kim O'Donnel: It is strange, I agree. I feel like I'm in Key West in January. Last night, Mister MA and I had a very ad hoc meal, after 8, that took less than 30 minutes to put together. I had a bunch of sun gold tomatoes that needed attention, so I halve d them, chopped a few cloves of garlic, half a chile and threw all of that into a skillet lined with olive oil. I added a splash of white wine and in another pot, boiled some penne pasta. Used a little bit of cooking water to add to sauce. Chopped parsley went on top, plus a bit of parm, and some olives in fridge that needed to be used.

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Alexandria, Va.: We have had great results grilling Tri-Tips but are wondering if it would be a good piece of meat to put in a crock pot/slow cooker? Getting ready to have our first baby in a few weeks and trying to do some make ahead meals, my husband loves this cut of meat but I'm not sure if it's good for slow cooking? Thanks!

Kim O'Donnel: I think I might do beef shoulder for slow cooker. It's muscle-y and needs the long, slow braise to coax it into melty goodness. It's also cheaper than tri-tip.

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Parsley lover : A great cook taugh me a little trick many years ago....

When I buy parsely I buy 3 or 4 bunches from the market. I wash it and mince it well. I than add it to ziplock bag, and drop them in the freezer. When I need some parsely, I open the freezer and break off a tiny bit, seal the bag and keep moving.

If you adding to something as a garnish, drop it in a little for a few minutes and its good to go.

Kim O'Donnel: Nice. Excellent tip. Thanks for checking in!

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Morroccan cookbooks: I have one from Williams and Sonoma that I like -- it's their own personal brand of cookbooks.

Kim O'Donnel: Excellent. Good to know.

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Washington, D.C.: I tried Tom Yum soup the other day and just found it's sourness unappealing to me. Is it that kaffir lime leaves or the lemongrass that makes this Thai soup so sour? I know others love it.

Kim O'Donnel: The lemongrass would not make it sour, but combined with the limes and kaffir lime leaves, well that makes for a sour combination. Have you ever thought about making it at home?

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Kim O'Donnel: Ack, it's already time to go. Thanks for stopping by. Come back Thursday for vegetarian hour, if you've got a minute. In the meantime, you can get your daily online bread with A Mighty Appetite, and if you'd like to be on my mailing list for holiday cookbook updates and other treats, send me an e-mail to: writingfood@gmail.com. In the subject field, type "Mailing List."

Bye!

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