Low tech kit part B

I recently shared my new-found love with my mortar and pestle.  Did I tell you how much I like it?  I think I did,   but that’s not the only new addition to my kitchen.  Now I’m not a real big kitchen gadget kind of guy.  Most of the time I’m only using a sharp chef’s knife, a cutting board, some measuring devices, some bowls, and a limited amount of pots and pans.  Add a whisk, a ladle, a spatula, and some tongs and there you go. I have an immersion blender but hardly ever use it, have a big food processor and only use it once in a while when I make bread for my parrots, and a mini-food processor I use when I have to.  I do like my food mill for making soup.

I’d read several recipes and articles about a mortar and pestle and was considering it because it was quieter, easier to clean, and brought me closer to the food than a food processor/blender.  There was also the added benefit of rewarding the inner Luddite in me.  In my professional life I’m a high-tech kinda guy but at home, not so much.

So there I am, at a kitchen store, contemplating the purchase of a heavy, black, mortar and pestle, and in the corner of my eye something attracts my attention.  It looks like something that might be advertised on TV but Cuisnart’s name is on the box.  It turns out that it is a Mini Manual Food Processor and it works exactly how the name suggests.

It only has three pieces – a bowl, a lid, and a three blade cutter.  The process is simple.  Put the blade in the bowl, toss in a bunch of stuff, put the lid on, and pull the handle on the lid until everything is chopped the way you want it.  With no electrical parts, cleaning is easy – everything goes in the dishwasher.

So why is this cool?  In the last two weeks I have made four separate batches of Italian salsa verde.  I’m in love with salsa verde.  Toss a big handful of parsley into the bowl with another big handful of mint (in a ratio of 2:1 or so).  Add a garlic clove, a tablespoon of good olive oil, a teaspoon of some acid (I like sherry vinegar but I’ve also used lemon juice), 3-4 anchovies, salt, and pepper.  Pull the handle until the whole thing is reduced to a medium-thick paste.

I loved this from my first taste.  I wouldn’t pretend to try to figure out how mint and anchovies work together, but I can tell you with certainty that they do.  I’ve used this on vegetables, broiled and poached fish, and as a dressing to a sandwich and it is fresh, vibrant, and flavorful.

As an American it doesn’t quite correspond to what I think of as a “salsa,” although that is the word in Italian.  Here in the U.S. we are so used to thinking of salsa in terms of Mexican or Tex-Mex food that the pesto-like consistency of the salsa verde doesn’t seem to qualify.  But I did make something that does qualify as a salsa in that context that I used for a topping on a piece of broiled fish that also worked well on a boneless pork chop.

This was something of an improvisation based on what was in the refrigerator, but I tossed some pineapple, mango, red onion, jalapeño, red bell pepper, yellow  bell pepper, olive oil, and lime juice into the manual mini processor and pulled the string a few times.  I didn’t want to go all the way to a paste and stopped when the chopped ingredients still had some texture.

I’ve also used my new toy for a Turkish mint/parsley salad with red onion and cucumber, for cutting herbs used as a garnish, and for chopping walnuts.  In all of these efforts, it isn’t as if I couldn’t do the same thing with a knife, but it’s much faster.  As as with the mortar and pestle, although it may take a little longer than a food processor, working directly with the food gives you more control.  You can see and feel exactly where you are and get a better idea about when to stop.  These devices are also easier to clean up and less noisy.

Sooner or later I’ll get tired of experimenting and won’t be dragging out my new gadgets every night, but I’m also pretty sure that they both will become part of my standard kitchen equipment.

Recipe – Salsa verde

Ingredients

1 cup parsley, long stems removed

1/2 cup mint leaves

1 garlic clove, skin removed, lightly chopped

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

3 anchovies

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

The amount of parsley and mint can vary, but you want a ratio of about 2 to 1. Toss all the ingredients except the salt and pepper into the processor and chop until you get to a thick paste.  Check for seasoning (salt, pepper, and maybe lemon juice) and serve.

Recipe – Pineapple mango salsa

Ingredients

pineapple

mango

red bell pepper (capsicum)

yellow bell pepper (capsicum)

1/2 cup cilantro, long stems removed

2 1/4″ slices red onion

medium size jalapeño pepper, cored and seeded

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper

Directions

The amount of fruit and capsicum doesn’t need to be exact but there should be a similar amount of all four ingredients.  Add them, the jalapeño, cilantro, and onion and chop until you get a chunky consistency.  Add the olive oil and lime juice and taste for seasonings.