Tools of the Trade

When I think about monumental tools of the cooking trade, I know my list is probably quite unique compared to most other people's.  The below are my top five tools, all of which are very important in my kitchen and each come with a good story!

On my 28th birthday, we went crazy and bought a super discounted nice set of pots and pans.  There is no denying it...that was the moment I realized I was an adult.   I was just too happy to rid our kitchen of the random pot or pan bought here or there.  One of the best birthday presents ever!

And then there was our wedding registry day!  The day of all days, knowing you will soon be upgrading everything!  The best gift ever from that day:  the five dollar garlic peeler tube.  Who knew it would be so useful?  I highly recommend this great tool! 

That day was also when we bought our first and only “As Seen on TV” product.  While my husband did not want an “As Seen on TV” item on our registry, we walked home with our very own Magic Bullet in the free “Wedding Registry” tote bag.  To think you can puree about anything, whether beets for a Chocolate Beet Brownie mix or part of a soup to make it a bit more creamy.  While I was always revert to a thirteen year old boy and giggle when I think of it’s name, it really has been very useful when we have least expected it!

For Christmas this year, Santa brought me a new red Kitchen Aid.  Apparently, Santa knew that the CSA was going to be supplying us with some serious flour in the near future.  I have to admit at first I was a bit timid around this new, bright and shiny toy.  My brother, who happened to be visiting, broke it in with a batch of pizza dough and then some “too healthy” muffins.  A little flour on the base was all it took for my kitchen to quickly fill with baking supplies.  Who would have thought that I would soon be the proud owner of four different kinds of flour:  Whole Wheat, All Purpose, Bread, and 00 Baking flours.

While the Kitchen Aid has recently transformed our baking, the most exciting and dangerous tool of the trade has been our new mandolin.  It has always been one of those things that both my husband and I have stopped and stared at when wandering in and out of Williams Sonoma.  To slice and julian so quickly....amazing! 

We recently moved to the Mile High City.  And with any great move comes a great yard sale.  I remember standing with my yard sale cash box in hand when a gentlemen (who ended up buying quite a bit) looked into a bag of random kitchen items for sale, smiled, and said, “Wow, you guys like to slice and grate a lot!”  I sheepishly smiled back,  “Don’t worry, we do too!” he said with a grin.

Flash forward three months to our new kitchen and new, very sharp mandolin.  It was a Monday evening and I was making dinner for the family.  We recently tried a Brussels Sprouts salad and fell head over heels in love.  I making it for the second time when...opps....a little to much off of that sprout and my finger.  I felt so silly, sitting on the couch with my dinner half made, holding my finger with a tissue.  My husband took over and within three minutes...opps...I didn’t feel so silly anymore!  Long story, short:  be very careful with this tool!  While I now use it often, I use it with much care! 

This brings me to our current “go to” salad:

Today’s Disciplinary Foods:  Red Onion, Apples, and Cabbage

Brussels Sprout Salad with a Lemon Dressing
Salad:
1 small red onion
3 cups Brussels sprouts (use larger sprouts if possible)
1 Apple
Half of a Cabbage (red or green)
1 handful of cranberries
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano

Dressing: 
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Soak the onion slices in a small bowl of cold water for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Set aside.
3. Trim all of the Brussels sprouts, cutting off any bruised outer leaves and slicing off a good portion of the hard root end. Using a mandolin, shave the sprouts one at a time. When you're done, use your fingers to gently separate the leaves so that the shredded sprouts resemble a very fine slaw. Do the same with the cabbage.
4. Julian the apple using the mandolin.
5. Put the sprouts in a serving bowl and toss gently with the onions (which you've now drained) and the dressing. Fold in the pecorino, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately, before it starts to wilt!

Notes:  Having made this many times, a quick time saver tip:  make a quick lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  It can be made with the Magic Bullet and saved for later use in the fridge.  It is especially great on a spinach or arugula salad! 

Source:  The main aspect of the salad came from www.food52.com.  It's a great site for food specific recipes.