Russ Parsons - How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science

Copyright 2001 by Russ Parsons
All rights reserved

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Parsons, Russ.

How to read a french fry : and other stories of intriguing kitchen science / Russ Parsons.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-395-96783-X

ISBN 0-618-37943-6 (pbk.)

1. Cookery. I. Title.

TX651.P36 2001

641.5dc21 00-054685

Cover photograph by Jim Scherer

Author photograph by Anacleto Rapping

eISBN 978-0-547-34625-0
v1.0519

The author is grateful for permission to reprint the recipes in this book that originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Reprinted with permission of the Los Angeles Times, copyright 2000.

For my mom, who taught me to use words;

my dad, who taught me to think;

and Kathy and Sarah, who taught me almost everything else.

Being a journalist means never getting to say thank you. You work on a story, you talk to your sources, the story appears, and then you move on to the next one. Most of what we do as journalists is relay other peoples knowledge to our readers. And the only thanks we give is a brief mention in the newspaper. Ive got 25 years of thank-yous saved up.

The people whove helped me fall into three groups: cooks, writers and scientists. The first group, of course, is closest to my heart. Theyve fed me (come to think of it, so have many of the writers and one or two of the scientists too). People like Andre Diddy, Deborah Madison, Michel Mai, Rosa Rajkovic, Michael Roberts, Nadia Santini, Ken Shoemaker and Trudy Baker, Martha Rose Shulman, Nancy Silverton, Chris Smith, Zanne Stewart, C. B. Stubblefield and Clifford Wright have taught me much of what I know about the joys of cooking for other people. Special mention goes to the two truly brilliant cooks Ive known, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Michel Richard of Citronelle in Washington, D.C., my French brother.

A writer is a magpie, collecting bits and pieces of technique from everyone he reads. Another, less polite way of putting it is that we are a bunch of thieves, stealing anything that isnt nailed down. The people Ive robbed most happily include first and foremost Phyllis Richman and Matt Kramer, but also Toni Allegra, Michael Bauer, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Mark Bittman, Amanda Hesser, Charles Perry, Fred Plotkin, Bart Ripp, Jeffrey Steingarten, Sylvia Thompson and Paula Wolfert. And, of course, the queen mother of all food writers, Julia Child. Special mention must be made of the food staff at the Los Angeles Times, especially Ruth Reichl, who hired me in the first place and was by far the best boss Ive ever had in any capacity, and Donna Deane and Mayi Brady, who tested most of these recipes.

Then there are the scientists. Anyone who writes about the science of cooking owes a tremendous debt to Harold McGee, who opened our eyes to the subject. His On Food and Cooking remains an incredible achievement; everything that has been written since only makes it more remarkable. But there are also many other books on food science that are worth investigating. Two authors I find extremely valuable are Belle Lowe, whose books, though published in the 1930s, remain remarkably up to date in many ways, and Margaret McWilliams. In addition, I relied on the expertise of many, many people, both in print and in person. These include: P. J. Bechtel of Colorado State University; Eric Block of State University of New York-Albany; Michael Blumenthal of Rutgers University (who handed me practically everything I needed for the frying chapter and, indirectly, gave me the title for this book); Carlos Chrisosto of the University of California at Davis; Terry Dockerty of the Cattlemans Beef Association; Janet Eastridge of the Department of Agriculture; Ray Field of the University of Wyoming; Gregory Gray of the Department of Agriculture; Arthur Grosser of McGill University; Arthur Maurer of the University of Wisconsin; Nell Mondy of Cornell; Leslie Norris of McCormick and Company; Jay Novakofski of the University of Illinois-Urbana; Louis Rockland of Food Tech Research; Daryl Tatum of Colorado State University; and Alan Sams of Texas A&M. There are many more whose contributions to papers or journals were useful. Whether they knew it or not, they all contributed to this book. Of course, any faults lie with my misinterpretations, not with their information.

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my stalwart agent, Judith Weber, who was always there when I needed her and contributed many good ideas (including spotting the title!), but always knew when not to ask me, Hows the book going? And finally, to the crew at Houghton Mifflin, especially my editor, Rux Martin, who never flinched when I asked to do just one more rewrite. That weve come through this process and remain on as good terms as when we started is a testament to our long friendship.

Appetizers and First Courses

Tuscan Potato Chips

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Fried Little Fish

Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions and Green Olives

Roasted Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

Trout Mousse

White Bean Crostini

Ceviche with Shrimp and Avocado

Dungeness Crab Coleslaw

Breakfast and Brunch

Cornmeal Waffles with Winter Fruit Compote

Strawberry Preserves

Nectarine and Rose Geranium Jam

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Scrambled Eggs with Morels and Asparagus

Salads

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad

Celery Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Green Goddess Salad

Smoked Tuna Salad in Tomatoes

Seafood Rice Salad

Calamari Salad

Crisp Salmon Salad

Soups

Smoky Cream of Corn Soup

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Squash Soup with Moroccan Spices

Fish Soup with Shellfish

Pasta, Rice and Beans

Orecchiette with Prosciutto and Peas

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe

Macaroni and Cheese with Green Onions and Ham

Broccoli Lasagna

Free-Form Lasagna of Roasted Asparagus

Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Pasta with Potatoes

Soft Polenta with Rag

Artichoke Risotto

Zucchini and Porcini Risotto

Pinto Bean Puree

White Bean and Swiss Chard Stew

Pinto Bean and Squash Stew

Pork and Beans... and Endive

Potato Gnocchi

Red Meat, Chicken and Fish

Crisp-Skinned Salmon on Creamy Leeks and Cabbage

Country Fried Chicken

Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts with Fresh Tomatoes, Green Olives and Rosemary

Pork Schnitzel with Arugula Salad

Ragout of Shrimp and Fava Beans

Braised Duck and Lentils

Sausages and Ribs with Red WineBraised Lentils

Salmon Braised with Leeks, Prosciutto and Mushrooms

Oven-Steamed Salmon with Cucumber Salad

Grilled Salmon with Chipotle-Tequila Butter

Grilled Swordfish with Salsa Verde

Baked Fish with Potatoes and Artichokes

Broiled Sand Dabs (or Sole) with Brown Butter

Roast Brined Turkey

Turkey Tonnato Sandwich

Real Fajitas

Umbrian-Style Pork Roast

Roast Lamb with Fresh Peas and Turnips

Chicken Braised with Green Olives and Thyme

Chicken in the Pot

Mushroom Pot Roast

Lamb and Lentils to Eat with a Spoon

Braised Lamb Shanks with Green Olives

Rag Napoletano

Wild Mushroom Meat Loaf

Spicy Garlic Sausages

Lamb, Orange Zest and Rosemary Sausages

Smokerless Smoked Bratwurst

Vegetables

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon