Smoked Salmon Pasta wth Edamame "Pesto"

This was another quick one which used up some of our remaining smoked salmon. The saltiness of the salmon with the garlic-y-ness of the garlic was great. Simple to throw together, and really tasty!

1 cup frozen edamame, shelled
3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
¾ cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed, several sprigs reserved for garnish
½ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
2 small cloves garlic
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ lb. fusilli
6 ounces presliced smoked salmon, cut into 1/2-inch by 1-inch pieces
freshly ground white pepper
coarse sea salt such as fleur de sel

Place the edamame in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic and cook on high until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, cook the edamame in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup of the edamame for garnish.

Combine the remaining 2/3 cup edamame, lime juice, cilantro, basil, 1/2 cup water, and garlic in a blender or the workbowl of a food processor and process into a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and then the sesame oil in a thin stream. Scrape the pesto into a bowl and stir in the kosher salt.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, turn it into a large pasta bowl, and toss it with the pesto to coat. Stir in the smoked salmon and reserved edamame and toss again to distribute. Garnish with the reserved cilantro sprigs and serve immediately with freshly ground white pepper and fleur de sel to taste.

Chicken Legs Braised in Pinot Grigio Mojo

This is the second or third thing we've made from Andrea Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine, and it is another success story. I'd been wanting to cook a mojo dish for awhile, and this seemed as good as any. The best thing about this was the balance of flavors, and it delivered a very springtime palette of flavors. Roast the garlic head (top 1/3 sliced off) and the shallots (peeled and quartered) first in a piece of foil wth some olive oil, salt and pepper thrown in for 50 minutes in a 400F oven.

The lettuce saute was an afterthought, but our neighbors Tom and Charlene went on a trip and generously donated a TON of food to us that we've been working our way through. The lettuce turned out to be a nice compliment to the chicken, and took the mojo sauce well.

CHICKEN
1 ½ cups Pinot Grigio or other crisp white wine without oak aging (leftover is fine)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 head roasted garlic, squeezed from its skins
4 roasted shallots
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if necessary
6 whole chicken legs

LETTUCE SAUTE
1 knob of butter
1 drizzle olive oil
2 baby gem lettuce
5-6 spring onions, green parts only, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
small handful of chopped parsley

Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the cooled wine reduction with the lime juice, garlic, shallots, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow stream to emulsify.

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides.

Pour 1/3 cup of the mojo over the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately with the remaining mojo on the side.

LETTUCE
Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat until melted and starting to bubble. Add the lettuce, spring onions and salt and pepper, and saute briefly until just starting to wilt, about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the heat add stir in the parsley.

Salmon Tartare with Bloody Mary Sorbet

This is adapted from a Jason Atherton recipe (of Restaurant Maze - London) which originally called for tuna. I couldn't get my hands on tuns to save my life on Sunday, so I went with another flavorful, oily fish instead: salmon.

Kind of a cool contrast between room temperature fish and cold sorbet, but with a little chile heat running through it providing some 'warmth'. Overall, pretty nifty and easy to throw together. Serves 2.

TARTARE:
300 g sashimi-grade salmon
¼ red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 mint leaves, fine chiffonade
chile oil, to drizzle

BLOODY MARY SORBET:
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
¼ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 small red pepper, deseeded and chopped
8 ripe tomatoes
few drops of Tabasco
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons liquid glucose
20 ml vodka
handful of small mint leaves
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

First, make the Bloody Mary sorbet. Put the shallot, cucumber and red pepper into a blender or food processor. Halve two of the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds, then chop the flesh. Add to the blender and whiz to a smooth puree. Push through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard the pulp.

Quarter the remaining tomatoes, scoop out and discard the seeds, then tip the tomatoes into the blender. Measure 200ml of the puree and pour into the blender. (Use any leftover for another dish, or to make a Bloody Mary to drink!) Add the Tabasco, lemon juice, tomato puree, liquid glucose, vodka and seasoning to the blender and whiz until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into the bowl of an ice-cream machine. Churn until the mixture is almost firm, then transfer to a freezerproof container and freeze until firm.

Chop the tuna fillet into 1.5-2cm cubes and toss them in a bowl with the chopped chile, mint, some seasoning and a drizzle of chile oil. Arrange them in individual bowls. Top each tuna mound with pine nuts and a small mint leaf. Drizzle over a little more chile oil and sprinkle with another pinch of salt. Serve with neat scoops of Bloody Mary sorbet on the side.

Thai-Style Hot And Sour Pasta with Clams

We had some new friends around for a mid-afternoon glass of wine which turned into a few glasses of wine, which eventually became full-fledged dinner. Fortunately, we had everything on hand, including the clams (which were originally intended for something else).

I had made up some curry paste not too long ago (search recent posts) and usually have a good stock of Thai ingredients in the freezer (lime leaves, chiles and lemongrass). This was a delicious no-brainer. For something just thrown together, the balance of spice to flavor was just right in my opinion. Great flavors given up by the clams to the broth, too.

Smiles all around the table for this one and it came together rather quickly.

500 g fettucine or other ribbon-shaped pasta
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallot, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, lower stem and bulb only, finely chopped
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
3 Thai chiles, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ cup dry white wine
1 kg clams
juice of 1 lime
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 large handful cilantro, roughly chopped

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat on a wide saute pan. When hot, add the garlic, shallot, lemongrass, lime leaves, chiles and curry paste and saute for a few minutes until fragrant and the mixture darkens slightly.

Add the fish sauce, white wine and clams and turn the heat up to high, covering the pan. Let the clams cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until all of the clams have opened. Discard any that have not opened.

Squeeze in the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and stir the cilantro through off the heat. Add the pasta and toss well. Serve hot.

Glazed Salmon with Spinach and Radish Salad

Vanessa and I have been detoxing ever since we got back from Australia, as it was, essentially, an orgy of Pan-Asian food. And some drinks.

We slowed it down further this week after I managed to score some SERIOUSLY high quality smoked salmon from an unnamed local source at a RIDICULOUSLY bargain price. It was put to good use here, with a nice, fresh salad and a zippy little dressing. Vanessa suggested adding a little wasabi paste to the marinade which brought a nice subtle back heat.

This was super-easy and delicious. Also, I am getting the hang of better food photography using some funky filters.

SALMON
4x150 g lightly smoked salmon fillets
100 g baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
8-10 radishes, washed, trimmed and finely sliced

MARINADE
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon grated fresh root ginger

DRESSING
1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons tahini

Remove the skin from the salmon and check carefully for pin-bones, pulling out any with kitchen tweezers. Place the fillets side-by-side in a shallow dish. For the marinade, mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour over the salmon to coat. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 0 minutes to allow the flavors to permeate.

For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oven to 230C. Arrange the spinach leaves on individual plates and top with the radish slices.

Left the salmon from the marinade and arrange on a lightly oiled baking tray. Cook in the oven for 4-6 minutes until medium rare, basting after 2 minutes. The fish should feel slightly springy when pressed.

Place a salmon fillet in the middle of each plate and drizzle the ginger and tahini dressing over the salad to serve.

Pigeon Cooked with Chettinad Spices

Another solid, simple Indian dish from Atul Kochhar's Simple Indian cookbook. I couldn't get my hands on pigeon, so I used guinea fowl instead and it was just fine. Really delicate spices here with a nice citrusy hit from the orange and zest.

PIGEON:
2 wood pigeons, cleaned (liver reserved)
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

TOASTED SPICE POWDER:
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 star anise
5 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
2.5cm cassia bark or cinnamon stick

TO COOK:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 curry leaves
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Joint each pigeon into 4 pieces (2 legs and 2 breasts with wing bones attached) and remove the skin. Put the pigeon pieces in a shallow dish.

Mix together the orange juice, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt, then spoon over the pigeon pieces and turn to coat all over. Set aside to marinate in a cool place for at least 30 minutes. (Reserve the orange zest for the garnish.)

In the meantime, prepare the toasted spice powder. Dry-fry the spices in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until they crackle, shaking the pan constantly. Allow to cool, then grind to a powder, using a spice grinder, pestle and mortar or mini-processor. Set aside.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a pan, add the curry leaves and saute for a minute or two, then add the sliced onions and fry until softened and golden brown in colour. Add the toasted spice powder, saute for a minute, then add the pigeon (including the liver) together with the marinade. Saute for a few minutes until the pigeon pieces are lightly browned. Add 250ml water and bring to a simmer. Cook slowly for about 45 minutes until the pigeon is tender.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and grated orange zest. Stir well and serve hot, with chapattis.

Tortilla Soup

I am wary of cooking things that are somewhat common menu items in Mexican restaurants, but for which I don't have a very strong food memory. I have had tortilla soup a few times, but that was a long time ago. Looking at the ingredient list, I was skeptical as to how it would come together. Was it too simple? Would it taste right?

Well, we had a bite, and I got the nod from Vanessa. It was right.

This is super simple and awesome. Give it a go. As for the cooked chicken, I seared them off seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin and finished them in the oven.

SOUP
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
9 tomatoes, cut in half
2 heads garlic
4 quarts water
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
Salt to taste

GARNISH
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 cups crumbled queso anejo (crumbly white Mexican cheese) or feta cheese
Fried tortilla strips
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat the vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns and saute until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and water and bring to a boil. Boil until the tomatoes ate starting to fall apart, about 30 minutes.

Add the bouillon cube and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the soup into a large pot, pushing down on the solids with a potato masher or wooden spoon to force out all the juices. Discard the solids.

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire, and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the chicken, avocados, cheese, fried tortilla strips, and cilantro.

Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce

This was our final dinner in Australia. While I could go on about the Tequila-Lime Scallops with Mango Salsa or the Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter which accompanied this, the real star of this show was the steak.

This is the second time I have made this steak from Bobby Flay and it delivered HUGELY on taste. Lots of rolling of the eyes and what-not. This is so simple to put together, and the payoff is amazing.

I am a bit jet-lagged now (we're back in the UK as of a few hours ago), so I won't write too much about this. Seriously, you need to try this now.

FILETS MIGNONS
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chile de arbol powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
4x8 ounce filets mignons

ANCHO-MUSHROOM SAUCE
4 cups Enriched Chicken Stock or low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lbs. assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, portobello, and oyster, thinly sliced
4 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, and pureed
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FILETS MIGNONS
Combine the ancho powder, espresso, paprika, brown sugar, mustard, coriander, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt, the pepper, ginger and chile de arbol powder in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat until smoking. Season one side of each filet with a heaping tablespoon of the rub. Place the filets in the pan, rub side down, and cook until a crust has formed, about 2 minutes. Turn the steaks over, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking to medium-rare,6 to 7 minutes. The meat will be bright pink in the center. Remove from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Ladle the sauce onto large plates and top with the steaks.

ANCHO-MUSHROOM SAUCE
Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to 2 cups.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated,8 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the ancho puree into the reduced chicken stock and then pour the mixture into the pan with the mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the honey and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Butter Bean, Chorizo and Red Onion Soup

We were out wandering around for a long time yesterday. Fortunately, Brian (a friend of Travis's) is a hardcore serious foodie. He is studying for a Masters in Gastronomy. He knows every good eating place in town for every type of cuisine. I initially asked Travis what he was like. He replied to me, "He's like you on food steroids."

We met up in Chinatown and got down to business with some dead-serious sushi. I had been craving it for awhile now, and I can't tell you how this hit the spot. We had a couple of rolls, one scallop and one with salmon. Delicious.

We moved onto a Malaysian place, which has won some accolades in the city. We barely made it in before the end of lunch and grabbed the last table. That, too, was spectacular. I'll be looking into Malaysian food more closely in the future. It's very saucy, spicy and sweet - which is right up my alley.

After this, we ended up walking home from downtown Sydney, which took awhile. It seemed cabs just kept avoiding us until we got within 500 yards of the house, then there were cabs everywhere. All told, it was probably 3-4 miles to get home.

We wanted something simple for dinner, and since Vanessa's margaritas claimed a few more victims the night before, a nice soup seemed to be the ticket. We stopped by the fish market and got a few items from the deli and away we went.

This is a fantastically simple dish, that takes no time to prepare and cook. It's so fast, it appears in Gordon Ramsay's "Fast Food" cookbook, which I highly recommend. This is one of the knockouts in it.

225 g chorizo picante, skin removed
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
2 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
3 sprigs thyme
2 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 squeeze lemon juice
1 large handful parsley, roughly chopped

Chop the chorizo into small bite-sized pieces. Put the kettle on the boil.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the onions, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes then add the chorizo. Stir over a high heat for a few minutes until the oil has taken on a reddish-golden brown hue from the chorizo.

Tip in the butter beans and pour just enough boiling water to cover them. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes.

Season generously with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Scatter over chopped parsley and ladle the soup into warm bowls to serve.

Kangaroo Pizza Supreme

I am not going to be too long-winded here, but you must know that we had kangaroo pizza. Kangaroo was one of my 'must try' ingredients while being out here in Australia and it did not disappoint. A very lean meat, I would put it's flavor somewhere between beef and venison. We grilled it off and topped the pizza with a homemade sauce, onions, garlic, olives, red pepper, mushrooms, scallions, red pepper flakes, Pecorino cheese, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Delicious! And the kangaroo flavor held up to everything else on the pizza, too.

In the background there was a significant steal from our day out in wine country. It is from my favorite winery in the Hunter Valley (Brokenwood) and it was a 1997 Quail. It is a blend of their best Graveyard Shiraz and their best McLaren Vale Shiraz for that year. It was fruity and spicy and spectacular. The person who worked at the winery managed to 'acquire' this case out of the museum stores and represents the last existing bottle of this vintage for sale in the world. That made it taste a little better!

SPECIAL SYDNEY EDITION: White Peach Sangria and Porterhouse Steak with Tamarind Barbecue Sauce and Basil-Marinated Tomatoes

I have not eaten barbecue food in forever. We don't have a balcony or a yard or anything in the UK. Logistically, we just can't do it. So, I haven't had proper BBQ food for about two years. You could say I had the jones for it by now.

One huge benefit with staying with our friends is that we KNEW they had a grill prior to coming here. I KNOW that Travis would grill his breakfast on it (if he liked eating breakfast) if he could. The only people besides Americans who regard the BBQ grill as a sacred altar are Australians. They are just as serious about grilling as the US.

We went to the local butchers which, among other things, had a whole section devoted to wagyu beef. This is astonishing because it is the best beef in the world and you can just pop into the local butchers and get some. I was drooling notcieably.

We settled on some giant porterhouse slabs. I normally wouldn't eat this much meat at once, but since I hadn't grilled in TWO YEARS I figured I would go for it. Well...

This was amazing. The sauce had what I call 'ninja heat', which is to say that you don't get the spice of the sauce until a good 5 seconds later. Up front is just saucy, sweet goodness. I sweetened it a touch with some honey to balance the heat. The beef was of amazing quality and went down like gangbusters.

The sangria was fresh, clean and awesome. We woke it up with some fresh mint and that really tied the whole thing together. Thanks to the ladies for making this great, refreshing drink.


White Peach Sangria
1 ripe, large white or yellow peach
2 bottles dry white wine, preferably Spanish
1 cup orange juice, preferably fresh
1 cup pineapple juice, preferably fresh
⅓ cup brandy
¼ cup triple sec
3 cups sliced peaches, oranges, lemons, limes and/or apples
¼ cup simple syrup (optional)
Ice (optional)

Peel the peach and remove the pit. Put the peach in a blender with a few tablespoons of water, just enough to make the mixture blendable, and puree until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher. Add the wine, orange and pineapple juices, brandy, triple sec, and half of the fruit and stir to mix. Taste for sweetness, adding simple syrup if needed. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, strain out the fruit that's been sitting in the pitcher and discard. Stir in the remaining fruit and serve straight up or over ice.

Porterhouse Steak with Tamarind Barbecue Sauce and Basil-Marinated Tomatoes

SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
8 canned plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and black pepper

TOMATOES
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup basil, chiffonade
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
salt and black pepper

STEAKS
8 porterhouse steaks, 10 ounces each
olive oil
salt and black pepper

SAUCE
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ketchup, water, mustard, sugar, molasses, tamarind concentrate, cayenne, ancho chile powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Place the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until thickened, about 20 minutes. May be refrigerated for 1 day; serve at room temperature. Makes about 4 cups.

TOMATOES
Combine the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. May be refrigerated for 1 day; serve at room temperature. Makes about 4 cups.

STEAK
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high. Brush the steaks with oil, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the steaks 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium rare. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush them with the Tamarind Barbecue sauce and grill for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the grill, brush again with the sauce, and place on a large serving platter. 5erve the Basil-Marinated Tomatoes and any extra sauce alongside.