NEW YORK (Reuters) - For
archeologist and food historian Paula Marcoux, the business of
cooking begins as it did almost two million years ago: with a fire
and a stick.
From fish and meat to breads and vegetables, the 100-odd
recipes in Marcoux's first book, "Cooking with Fire," serve as a
how-to guide to often ancient and sometimes forgotten culinary
techniques.
"The flavors are just so much better," said Marcoux, who
instructs readers in the use of sticks, spits, skewers and
grills as well as masonry ovens and coal beds.
"Even if it seems you're just boiling something, there's a lot
more that enters into the food when you're cooking with fire,"
she said.
The 53-year-old, who lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts, spoke
about reclaiming the bygone pleasures of gathering around the
hearth, whether it is to bake bread in a wood-fired oven, slow
roast a pork loin on a homemade spit, or toast cheese in an
urban fireplace.
Q: Why did you write this book?
A: (Fire) is the basic element that cooked all our food
until recently, and it's gone away so quickly. I'm hoping to
give people confidence to try things out.
Q: Where do the recipes come from?
A: They’re accumulated from all over the world, but
really represent the people I’ve run up against and the flavors
I like. Some are from friends and others I’ve made up. They are
simply in the service of helping people try these techniques.
Q: Does food taste better when cooked over an open fire?
A: The flavors are so much better. And it’s celebratory,
collaborative and more of an experience than a meal. You cannot
help but bring in more people when you’re cooking with fire.
Q: How can city dwellers begin to cook with fire?
A: You must know somebody who has a fireplace and you need to
cultivate that relationship. It’s really hard to go back and
think of your fireplace as a decorative element of your home if
you’re making a meal in it, even if it’s just an appetizer. Also
some of these techniques can be done on a beach or in a park.
A: Put some kind of melting cheese on a long skewer and just
toast it like a marshmallow over the coals until it starts to get
nice and soft and gooey. Have a crusty slice of bread ready to catch
the drip, and some condiments like pickles or chutney or a nice
mustard. It’s like making fondue on your own little slice of bread.
Cream Scones (makes eight):
10 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ ounces (5 tablespoons) lightly salted butter, cold
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
½ cup cream
½ cup currants, or other dried fruit chopped to the size of currants
1. Set up a griddle arrangement and get a fire going. You may use
something approximating a bakestone, but a 10-inch cast-iron griddle
or even a frying pan works fine, with low heat under it. You can
nestle a heavy pan into a bed of coals, provided the heat is
dampened with plenty of ash.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl or
food processor. Cut or rub in the butter until the flour looks like
meal. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and yolk together, then beat
in the cream. Use a fork to lightly stir the egg mix into the flour
mixture, tossing in the currants as you go. Scrape it up into a
ball, but do not overwork.
3. Preheat your griddle.
4. Flour a work surface lightly and scrape the dough out onto it.
Pat it lightly into an even cake about 8 to 9 inches in diameter.
Use a bench knife or scraper to cut the scone into eight
wedge-shaped pieces, and transfer them to the hot griddle. (If you
hear any sizzling, situate the griddle in a cooler location or
spread out the coals or diminish the blaze under it.) Bake for 10 to
15 minutes per side, peeking underneath to monitor and turn when
lovely and brown. Let cool several minutes before serving.
New
cookbook draws modern cooking closer to the flame
From fish and meat to breads and vegetables, the 100-odd
recipes in Marcoux's first book, "Cooking with Fire," serve as a
how-to guide to often ancient and sometimes forgotten culinary
techniques.
