The Old Professor's Cookbook: How to Become a Better Home Cook

By Richard Hebein

This is not your run of the mill cookbook. Inspiring and detailed, it is meant to be a teaching book, addressing an audience of varied culinary ability. The included delicious recipes vary in difficulty and detail. But it is not just a series of wonderful recipes. Professor Hebein has included descriptions of basic cooking techniques, along with

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Mar 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685154912

Book preview

Introduction

I want us to be the best cooks we can be, and I want us to have fun doing it. The only way that I know that humans get better at anything is by doing it. I’m here to show you how I learned by instruction from others and then by my own experimentation. In fact, I have been teased that I can’t make the same thing twice because I’m always trying a new twist. Well, what’s wrong with that?

I learned to cook from the women in my family. I always wanted to watch and help. They told me I was good at it. I think I was scammed. When I was in grade school, I was told I made the best apple pies so the job was given to me. I made them from memory and from scratch: crust and filling and right down to the finished, steaming, scented product. I couldn’t make one now without consulting a recipe.

When I got to graduate school, I realized that I would forget a lot that I had learned so I started writing the recipes down. I told myself that I would finish the book when I retired. Well, here I am.

I grew up in the upper Midwest, and my ancestors were from Eastern Europe. These recipes reflect that. They are family recipes or my versions of standard recipes or entirely my own. French and Italian cooking had an enormous influence on American cooking, and they have also influenced me. I have included former favorites.

The history of cuisine is fascinating and evolves far more rapidly than we realize. Many of our family recipes are gone. Many fads have come and gone-for some, gladly.

The best foods are cooked from the best, freshest ingredients. When I first got to graduate school, coming home late at night, I would heat a can of cream of mushroom soup. How much better it would have been to cook a few mushrooms in butter; add flour, milk and stir? I didn’t know that then. But soon after, homemade cream of mushroom soup was one of the first recipes I worked on. When my parents tasted it, I was elated that they approved.

Mine is not a basic cookbook. There are several excellent ones; buy one. I don’t have a sweet tooth so there are not many dessert recipes. The purposes of this book are to record recipes and to try variations on them. I give reasons for doing things a certain way. I guess this is the teacher in me. Some of the recipes are explicit and easy; if you have less experience, work with these. Others recipes are not so precise and simply describe the method. Work from that. This is how we learn. I want us to be the best cooks we can be.

Make a recipe as it is written the first time; then make it better. For many years, the working title of this book was Recipes in Progress, and they still are. When you really understand a recipe, you won’t need to look in a book. Think of cooking as learning the techniques rather than reproducing the individual recipes; then you will know how to cook anything. Record your version so you and others can profit from your experience.

Remember how certain herbs and spices taste; imagine how they would taste together. Taste memory and taste imagination are the qualities of a great cook. Recall the processes and tastes used to make a certain recipe; imagine how different processes might make it better. Experiment so you learn. Cooking should be fun.

I made puff pastry once so I would know how it is made. Now I buy it. Do not be afraid to use a shortcut if it does not compromise the quality of the result. Even in the finest restaurants, time and labor are important considerations.

Work on simple recipes first. Read it through before making it. Allow extra time. Try it on friends and ask for suggestions. Don’t try to cook a complicated recipe the first time for an important dinner.

When creating a menu, minimize the number of things you will need to do at the last minute. Think through the menu and the steps that you will have to do and the order in which to do them. Set your pretty table the day before. Stay organized. Stay calm.

Finally, enjoy what you do. Cook for your friends, family and yourself. In the fun category, try some visual and taste pranks like the recipe for dogburgers. The saying, we eat with our eyes, is true not only in the sense that we enjoy eating things that look well-presented or appealing to us because we are familiar with them, but also because we expect them to taste a certain way. If not, we are surprised. The reverse is also true. If we eat something that has a familiar taste but does not look like the item that we usually get that taste from, we will probably not be able to identify the taste. Dogburgers look like hamburgers but taste like hotdogs. See the recipe for cooked cucumbers. If you cut the cucumber into pieces, turn them, and briefly cook them; most guests won’t be able to identify the vegetable because we don’t eat them cooked or looking that way. Again, enjoy.

Measurements and Equivalents

There is liquid (fluid) measure and dry (avoirdupois) measure. Generally, liquid measure measures volume, and dry measure measures weight. However, liquid measure containers are used to measure common, dry ingredients such as flour and sugar simply because a measuring cup is just so handy in the kitchen.

The measuring terms, pint and quart name amounts in both the liquid and dry measuring systems. As just mentioned, this is not a problem with common ingredients. However, dry measure pints and quarts are about one-sixth larger than liquid measure pints and quarts. And dry measure pints and quarts are sometimes used for small fruits and vegetables although these are now usually sold by weight.

The term ounce is also used in both systems. There are thirty-two ounces in a quart (liquid measure or fluid ounces) and sixteen ounces in a pound (dry measure or ounces avoirdupois).

Here are the equivalents and abbreviations in both systems.

Note: Names of recipes that are in bold face within another recipe can be found by referring to the Table of Contents or the Index.

Appetizers

APPETIZER BREADS

There is something so pleasing about starting off a meal with a piece of bread with a topping even when that topping is as simple as butter or olive oil. This group includes canapés with smoked salmon, cocktail rye bread with liver pate, bruschetta simply rubbed with garlic, and crostini with prosciutto and cheese or with anchovy butter. Getting hungry? Some are served hot, some cold. Some become lunch dishes: Chicken in cream sauce over toast points. Chipped beef in cream sauce over toast also called something on a shingle, so named by the soldiers who had too much of it during World War II. Here are a series of ideas. Try them and improvise to create your own. See also the recipe for caramelized onion toasts.

Cheese Bread

This is an open-faced sandwich that is covered with cheese and put into the oven preheated to 350F until the cheese melts. Use a cookie sheet. Cheese bread can be assembled ahead of time, but put a piece of plastic wrap over it so it doesn’t dry out, and bake it just before serving. You can also make it on a grill.

You can use American sandwich bread, but the more substantial crusty types work better. If the bread is fresh and soft, toast it first in the oven to crisp it a bit. Turn once during the toasting. The outside should be crisp and the inside still soft.

The variations are endless. Basic ingredients are a fat (butter, oil), a condiment (mayonnaise, spaghetti sauce, pesto), a seasoning (salt, pepper, perhaps a green herb), and a cheese on top (soft, young, white type) to melt. Ingredients in the middle include anchovies, capers, crab meat, fried mushrooms, olives, tomato slices, or tiny shrimp. Final garnishes (paprika, chopped fresh parsley or chives) can be added when the bread slices are removed from the oven. Particularly memorable are pesto and feta on Italian bread, and havarti with caraway seeds on Jewish rye.

Garlic Bread

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut Italian bread crosswise into slices and place them on a cookie sheet. Using a spoon, spread about a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. Use your best olive oil because the slight heating will bring out its flavor. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. A little, freshly shredded, fine Parmesan cheese on the slices makes a wonderful result. Bake until the crusts are starting to get crispy and the bread starts to take on some color. A popular combination is olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta. Chopped, cooked bacon is a good addition. Black salt instead of white salt is pretty. A drizzle of balsamic glaze is a good finish after baking

Pizza Bread

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut ciabatta or focaccia bread horizontally, and place the toppings on the inside sides.

Put a thin layer of pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce on the bread, then your favorite pizza toppings and cheese, and bake until the cheese melts. Cut pieces with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Melts

These open-faced sandwiches are substantial, often including vegetables. They are often served on individual, ovenproof dishes with a thick slice of bread to serve as the base. Generally speaking, use only pre-cooked ingredients.

For example, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the bread. Add a slice or two of cooked bacon, some pieces of cooked chicken or turkey meat and defrosted peas or a few florets of cooked broccoli. Pour two tablespoons of chicken or turkey gravy on top and then a slice of muenster or Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 350F until heated through.

Tuna MeltServes 4

This is another easy recipe left over from student days. It can be served over toast points or in individual bread croustades. These are made from small, round loaves. Cut the top third off the loaf, and pull out the interior to leave a shell about one-half inch thick. You can use it this way, but it’s better toasted in a 350F oven for five to ten minutes until the outside is, well, crusty.

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Stir, cover with a plate, and heat in a microwave. Serve on toast or in the croustades.

Sandwiches Without Crusts

These are elegant little delights, which can be served from trays to standing guests or on plates as appetizers with or without a sauce. You need fresh, white, pre-sliced, sandwich bread, two slices per sandwich. Fillings are limited only by your imagination, but pesto sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese make a good combination.

Preheat oven to 350F. Put a slice of bread on a cutting board. Set a large water glass upside-down in the middle of the slice to make a slight indentation. Do not press hard; this is only a guide for the placement of the filling. Spread a little pesto sauce within the circle staying a quarter inch away from the edge. Sprinkle a bit of the cheese in the center. Do not over fill the sandwich, or the top slice will split. Place another slice exactly on top of the first slice. Press the glass down hard through both slices to cut the bread and to seal the edge. While still pressing on the glass, pull away the crusts and remaining bread. Place the sandwiches on a cookie sheet and bake for a minute. Turn them over and bake until the top is lightly toasted. Serve immediately.

PARMESAN WAFERS

These can be served as appetizers or as a garnish to salads and entrees.

Shred some good quality Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the cheese into a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. The cheese will form a wafer about two and one-half inches in diameter. After about a minute or when the cheese is just starting to brown, turn the wafer over and cook for another minute. Remove the wafers from the pan to a plate in a single layer; do not stack them in multiple layers. These can be served hot or cold.

PARMESAN CUPS

These handy containers are made almost the same way. Sprinkling a layer of grated Parmesan cheese about one-eighth of an inch thick and four inches in diameter into the middle of a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the cheese melts into a crepe-like mass, dislodge it with the point of a knife and drape it over an upside-down glass. Do not turn it over to cook the other side. It will quickly harden into a container, which then can be carefully peeled off the glass. Cooking spray in the pan before the cheese and on the glass will make this easier.

MARINATED OLIVES

These olives marinated with herbs in oil are delicious with cocktails. They should be made a couple of days in advance. Any leftover oil can be used in cooking or eaten with crusty bread.

Place some olives in a non-reactive dish or jar with a cover. They can be any type, but the smaller, harder types with the pits work better. The larger ones are more difficult to eat; the softer ones tend to get mushy once removed from their brine. The dried Moroccan type works well since it picks up moisture and flavor. California stuffed Spanish olives are good fixed this way, but the pimiento stuffing will start to deteriorate after a few days at room temperature. The California black olives are better saved for other uses. A mix of types is colorful and interesting.

Sprinkle dried thyme, marjoram and rosemary on the olives; be generous. Fresh, leafy herbs like basil don’t work well since they will darken and deteriorate. Add a peeled garlic clove and some freshly cracked pepper. Pour enough good quality olive oil over the olives to cover them. Cover the container. Let it stand at room temperature for a couple of days. Drain before serving.

MARINATED FETA

This is an excellent appetizer. The preparation is similar to marinating olives, but the cheese must be refrigerated.

Take a pound of Greek feta, and put it on a plate with paper towels in the refrigerator for several hours uncovered. This will dry and firm the cheese for cutting.

Cut the cheese into half-inch chunks. Carefully place them into a jar large enough to hold them. Add several peeled and smashed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of cracked pepper or smashed peppercorns and a teaspoon of dried rosemary leaves. Add enough oil to cover the cheese: Since olive oil will congeal in the refrigerator, use one third olive oil to two-thirds vegetable oil. Cover the jar, and carefully tip it to distribute the spices. The cheese will be well-flavored and ready to serve after two days and will keep for a couple of weeks. Tip the jar once a day to distribute the spices. Use the oil in cooking or salad dressing, or serve with crusty bread.

ROLL-UPS

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, people were always rolling things up to serve as appetizers. Lunchmeat and thinly sliced cheese roll-ups were common. Roll up some thinly sliced prosciutto, capicola, or deli sliced ham around a piece of cheese or with thinly sliced cheese. Sometimes a dab of mustard or prepared horseradish is included. Thinly sliced deli ham rolled around a piece of bleu cheese is good. Secure with a toothpick, and serve with a dipping sauce of equal amounts of honey and Dijon mustard. The dried beef rounds used for creamed chipped beef or thinly sliced salami are good with cream cheese. Various spreads can be rolled up in very thinly sliced, white sandwich bread, from which the crusts have been removed. Sometimes the bread with crusts removed is rolled firmly with a rolling pin. Then apply the spread, and roll up.

With MushroomsAbout two dozen

A dear friend used to serve these at her parties. This is easy with a food processor. Once the roll-ups have been refrigerated, you can cut them in half to a more manageable size.

Clean the mushrooms. Put the garlic into a food processor with the metal blade, and spin until you can’t hear the pieces any more. Scrape down the sides, add the anchovies, and spin. Scrape the sides, add the mushrooms, and spin until pulverized.

Put the butter into a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ingredients from the food processor, season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunk and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Cut the crusts from the bread slices. Spread some of the mixture on each. You might not need all the bread. Roll the slices up, place the seam side down, and press down on them. Place them on a plate or cookie sheet in a single layer, and place another plate or sheet on top to weigh them down. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

With Olives and Cream Cheese

Use California, pimiento stuffed olives and chop them fine. Use an equal amount of cream cheese. The soft type is easier to work with, or let the cream cheese come to room temperature. Mix the olives and cheese together. Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread the mixture, and roll up.

With Chicken Livers and BaconAbout two dozen

Also popular were rumaki, which are chicken livers, scallops or whole water chestnuts, rolled in bacon. Here the livers are rolled in bacon with sliced water chestnuts and baked in the oven. They can also be broiled, deep-fried or microwaved.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Remove any connective tissue from the livers; cut them in half or thirds. Roll each piece and a slice of water chestnut in a piece of bacon; secure with a toothpick.

Place them on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Put a dash of soy sauce on each. They can be held covered in the refrigerator at this point. Bake for twenty minutes until cooked to desired doneness. Turn them once during the process.

With Sea Scallops and BaconAbout two dozen

This is my variation of angels on horseback as they were called, which was popular in the 1960s. Instead of rolling oysters in bacon, I use large scallops, which are easier to roll up.

Preheat the oven broiler.

Remove the nubbin (small side muscle) if attached. Roll each scallop in a piece of bacon; secure with a toothpick. Place them on a broiling pan. Put a dash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce on each. Sprinkle on the seasoning or pepper. They can be held covered in the refrigerator at this point. Broil about five minutes until cooked to desired doneness. A sauce of horseradish and mayonnaise or sour cream is a good accompaniment.

FILO ROLLSTwo dozen

Everybody likes these flaky bundles of flavor. Once you get used to working with filo dough, you can make these quite quickly. They can be kept in a warm oven for a while before serving. This recipe uses a filling with ricotta cheese and pesto sauce. You can experiment with different fillings, but whatever you use should be well seasoned.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Put all the ingredients above into a bowl and mix. The mixture should have the consistency of prepared oatmeal. You can thin it with water or oil or thicken it with more grated cheese.

Unroll the sheets and put them on a dry towel. Working quickly so the dough doesn’t dry out, take a sheet from the pile, fold it in half and then into quarters. Set the folded sheet on a work surface. Take a tablespoon of melted butter and spread it on the dough with the back of the spoon. Put a tablespoon of the mixture on the middle of the sheet about one inch from the bottom. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough away from you until you get to the top. Roll until the seam is at the bottom. Press lightly to flatten the roll slightly. The mixture is then in the middle third of the roll. Pick up the roll and tuck both ends under. Place the roll seam side down on a baking sheet. It is not necessary to grease the baking sheet, but take about a third of a tablespoon of butter and spread it on the top of the roll with the back of the spoon. Repeat the process with all the sheets.

Bake them until they are golden brown, about fifty minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pesto TurnoversEighteen

I have also put this filling into commercially made puff pastry, which is available two sheets to a box. Cut the thawed dough into three-inch squares, put one teaspoon of filling in the middle, brush the edges with beaten egg, fold into a triangle, and bake according to package instructions. Use any leftover filling on cooked thin spaghetti.

SAUERKRAUT BALLSAbout two dozen

These are a favorite in northwestern Ohio. Traditionally served with cocktail sauce, they are also delicious with mustard and pickles. Here’s my version.

Cut the ham into large pieces, and put them into the food processor. Pulse to chop finely. Put the remaining ingredients into the processor. Pulse until blended. Scrape down the bowl several times during the process. The mixture will be somewhat dry and fluffy.

Roll into one-inch balls, compressing the mixture as you roll them. They can be held at this point. If so, sprinkle some breadcrumbs on a cookie sheet, place the balls on this, cover, and refrigerate. Fry in deep fat at 350F until golden on the outside. Serve immediately.

PORK, VEAL AND CHICKEN LIVER TERRINE

A terrine is similar to a pate, but the texture is coarser. It is an elegant appetizer with a sublime flavor and well worth the effort. Serve chilled with sliced baguette and a fine, dry white wine or brut champagne. It is also compatible with dry reds. This terrine is rich. Most guests will not eat much. On a buffet, this will serve two dozen guests. The mixture will fit perfectly into a two-and-a-half quart oval casserole dish. You will need the cover to compact the loaf.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix very will. Use your hands to squeeze the mixture through your fingers repeatedly until you get a thick, homogenous paste. This is important to keep the loaf together as it cooks. Food service gloves are useful. Using a large spoon, fill the container to the top of the interior edge but not to the top of the container. Press the mixture down firmly as you go, and level the top with a fork.

Place the cover on top, and bake for an hour and a half. You can put a cookie sheet under the mold to catch any overflow. After an hour and a half, check the loaf with the back of a fork. If the juices in the middle of the top are pink, cover and return to the oven for fifteen minutes. When done, the juices will be clear. The loaf will be firm to the touch and will have pulled away from the sides a bit. Run a knife blade around the edge to free any sticking loaf from the sides. There will be a considerable amount of liquid in the pot. The loaf will absorb most of this during cooling. Let the loaf cool for fifteen minutes.

In the meantime, wash the cover. Place it upside down on the loaf, and put two cans of canned goods on the cover. Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate with the cans overnight. This is important to compact the loaf.

The terrine can be served cold or at room temperature. Before serving, if there is excess fat around the top of the loaf, you can scoop it off with a spoon, but the fat is most flavorful.

To serve, cut a two-inch slice in the dish at the end of the loaf, and remove it. Cut the next slice one-half inch thick while still in the mold. Place the pieces on the serving platter. Repeat. You can also let the guests serve themselves from the dish; a cake or pie server is a