Twelve Black Code Monkeys

Ok, no one did, but sometimes I get the sense that they are, or at least that a much larger percentage of them are than Americans, perhaps owing to a large number of Hindus. Also, my sense has been that generally in Europe people are less apt to do something like low-carb because they have not gotten as obese (although they may be starting to catch up) as Americans have, and thus not been motivated to try something that might seem like it’s extreme. Add the somewhat more liberal political views (compared to the US anyway) that sometimes coincide with at least some of the reasons why some people decide to be vegetarian. But apparently low-carb may be taking off in the UK despite my misconceptions, albeit in perhaps a slightly less frenetic way:

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=48580

The Apprentice: My Life In The Kitchen is an autobiography of a French chef turned American culinary authority is a great read. Pepin grew up in war-torn

France and from practically puberty on was in the kitchen cooking for his mother’s restaurant. Thus began a life devoted to food and the culinary arts. We read about how Pepin goes through the grueling apprenticeship process in Parisian restaurants and somehow makes it through despite self doubts and a tendency for clowning that was sometimes very risky in the face of a strict hierarchical system

But as charming as the stories around his childhood and apprenticeship are, things get even more interesting once Pepin is drafted. Due to some great luck, he ends up as the chef for DeGaul. After working for the president for a number of years, he comes back to

Paris but eventually gets bored and comes to

America, and that is where things really start to get interesting. Pepin gets to be friends with some very notary people of the time, a time when gourmets and gourmands were still a very rare bird in this the

US. Such people as Jim Beard, Craig Claiborne, Julia Child, and many others were personal friends and colleagues of Peppin’s and we get to hear inside stories about all of them.

Peppin’s career, once in the

US, explored many different paths. He managed a popular restaurant that brought French bistro food to the New York City masses, worked in the management of Howard Johnson’s when it was all about serving mass-produced but high-quality meals, he gave personal and group lessons, he worked in television, wrote books, administered cooking programs at Boston University, and much more. The story is not just about a very successful chef expanding his career, but of a French cook trained in the French style and then being flung into the freewheeling U.S. and learning to not only survive but to thrive. To take the freedom and lack of formality and new foods and regional cuisines and running with them.

Although the French are often maligned by xenophobes here as being stuck up, snobby, and rude, Peppin seems the opposite of these. He applauds Claiborne’s culinary egalitarianism, he bemoans the lack of a decent number of African American chefs at cooking schools or kitchens, he admires all the different cuisines the

U.S. has to offer, rather than pooh-poohing anything that is not haute cuisine. He recognizes the cooking of women in

France as better in many ways than the very male-dominated system of chefs that populate the finer Michelin-starred restaurants. Peppin’s sense of humor and optimism shine throughout, even in the face of seemingly tragic events that might have ended his career if not his life. One also gets to hear his love of food and cooking throughout – so many events are talked about and always the food is described in such detail and excitement.

If you like to cook, love good food, or just a good story, The Apprentice – My Life in the Kitchen is a great read. I actually listened to the unabridged audio book version of this book, which is unabridged and read by Michel Chevalier, who does an excellent job.

A friend of mine, Keri-Rose, asked me to send her the recipe for a dish I made for a recent pot-luck dinner a bunch of us had to celebrate a couple of birthdays and to wish a some friends who are leaving the area bon voyage. I was about to write her up an email and then decided, hey, what the heck, why don’t I put it on the blog! I figure this is one of the first dishes I’ve actually developed by scratch on my own, although I probably should give my wife equal credit as we kind of developed it together. It’s a pretty simple dish, but hey, baby steps, right? The recipe makes probably enough for at least three decent sized helpings, but it’s hard to estimate because it depends on the size of the Bok Choy and whether you put some optional stuff in as described below.

 

1 Large Bok Choy

* 2 shallots (or 1 small onion)

* 1 diced yellow or orange pepper

3 Tablespoons grated ginger

3 tablespoons grated garlic

½ stick of unsalted butter

* toasted sesame oil to taste

* soy sauce to taste

 

* = optional

 

Cut the bok choy so that the white stems are separate from the leafy greens. Chop the white stems into smaller pieces of ½ to 1-inch square. Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan. Throw in the white bok choy stem pieces and shallots/onion and cover. Keep on a medium-high flame. Stir occasionally and when the stems look like they are starting to get tender, throw in the bok choy greens, garlic, and ginger – and pepper if you opt for that. Add a bunch of the sesame oil and soy sauce to taste if you wish. Keep covered but stir occasionally. When the greens look done or close (very maliable and bright green, but not disintegrating!), take the lid off and stir occasionally as the remaining liquid evaporates – if it evaporates before you feel it’s fully cooked, you can always add some more soy sauce and/or water.

 

Of course, as you can see, this is a recipe that can be made with a lot of variations and will probably come out differently from one time to the next. I like lots of flavor, so that’s why there’s all the ginger and garlic. When the garlic and ginger, and onions are cooked for a while (in addition to the bok choy), they tend to caramelize a bit, giving a sweet taste to the dish. Even without soy sauce I find it flavorful enough to eat without sauce, but some may wish to add this. Or experiment with other ingredients as we have. So far the above seems to work well. I have tried adding some other veggies like red peppers, green peppers, squash, tomatoes, etc., but often theses seem to distract you from the taste of the bok choy, garlic, and ginger, which are the key ingredients in this dish and the taste of which I love. I have also made this dish with coconut oil instead of butter and that can be good as well, but only for those who enjoy the taste of coconut, of course! The advantage of using coconut oil is that it is a lot less apt to burn if overcooked, but since you are cooking with other liquids (soy sauce and the water in the veggies primarily), and preventing evaporation by keeping the cover on throughout most of the cooking, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

 

If you do happen to experiment and find other ingredients or methods that work well, I’d love to hear about them!