The Good Life

Tribute to Garces: "King" Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and Maple-Chile Aioli

2011-01-01T18:08:00.002Z

First of all: Happy New Year!

Unfortunately, with the pace picking up with my job, it doesn't leave nearly the time I would like to blog about (and cook) food more. I am mainly just cooking on the weekends now, with Vanessa picking up the slack during the week, which has been working out. So I have been trying to make it count when I do cook. This is probably one of those times where I 'made it count'.

I was watching Unique Eats on the Cooking Channel and the episode was about insanely awesome burgers. Within this show they had a segment on Village Whiskey restaurant in Philadelphia, which is run by Jose Garces (one of the Iron Chefs America). They started to talk about this burger. And somewhere in the distance, choirs of angels sang, immediately followed by the beating of native drums. They gave no recipe, but they did say what was in/on it (and that it goes for $26 on the menu):

-Burger

-Bleu cheese melted on top

-Sitting on a bun with applewood-smoked bacon

-Cipollini onions with a bourbon and maple glaze (!)

-Topped with a slice of seared foie gras (!!)

I knew immediately that this was to be our New Year's Eve meal. I got to work writing a recipe for it, having only a few minutes of TV to go on. I drove across the island to go to the only place I know that has foie gras.

I don't want to toot my own horn here, but...

toot....tooooooot

Though I cannot claim the concept as my own, I CAN say that it's the best burger I have ever prepared AND the best burger I have ever eaten. It easily stands with any other "gourmet" burger I've ever had, and there have been a few.

The harmony of flavor here was indescribable, but I'll try: maple-y/bourbon-y sweet onions, giving way to salty bleu cheese, giving way to a delicately juicy burger, finished with the fatty, unctuous decadence of the foie gras. To get all of this in each and every bite, was a religious experience.

There were a few times I had to back up off of it and hit the fries to prevent overload. Just got a new fryer, for which this was the maiden voyage, and the yummy aioli (my idea!) was a nice, sweet/spicy counterpoint to the savory-insane burger.

BURGER
1/2 pound ground veal
12 ounces ground Maui grass-fed beef, or the best ground beef you can find
12 ounces ground beef short rib
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns, toasted

MAPLE-BOURBON GLAZED ONIONS
12 cipollini onions, halved
2 tablespoons butter
water, as needed, to just cover the onions
1 splash bourbon
2 tablespoons maple syrup

OTHER TOPPINGS

6 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled
6 slices foie gras
6 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon

SWEET POTATO FRIES
5-6 large sweet potato, cut into fry-sized batons
peanut oil or duck fat, for deep frying
sea salt, for sprinkling
thyme leaves, for sprinkling

MAPLE-CHILE AIOLI
1 clove garlic, germ removed
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

BURGER
Combine all of the meats, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly by hand. Divide the mixture into six equal portions and form into patties (if using immediately) or into a single, uniform log (if freezing for later use). If using immediately, chill the patties in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking.

AIOLI
Place the garlic cloves in the food processor. Add the salt and half the olive oil. Process for a few seconds, then add the yolk and mix well. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the rest of the olive oil and process until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup and chile powder. Keep refrigerated until needed. (NOTE: If your aioli 'breaks', put another egg yolk into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on medium speed, and *very slowly* drizzle in, a few drops at a time first, the 'broken' mixture, waiting to see if the emulsion is happening before you add more.)

ONIONS
Heat the butter over medium-heat until it starts to foam. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, stirring to combine, cooking until the onions start getting some color. Add the water (enough to just cover the onions), bourbon and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, then cover with a parchment lid and continue to cook, shaking the onions around to keep them moving around and coated. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a glaze and the onions are cooked through. Set aside.

FINISH BURGER
Cook the bacon in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until done. Remove, then pat dry on paper towels. Set aside.

Heat a grill to high. When the grill is hot cook the burgers over direct heat for 2-3 minutes on the first side. Flip over and cook over direct heat for another 2 minutes or so. Move the burgers to indirect heat and top with the bleu cheese. Close the lid and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill and set aside. (NOTE: You could also heat the buns on the grill here for a bit while everything else is cooking.)

Meanwhile, get a non-stick skillet heated over medium-high heat. When hot, sear the foie gras, 45 seconds on one side, then 20 seconds on the second until it has some good color and hasn't melted away too much. Pull off the heat and place the bacon, then the burger on the bun. Put some onions on the top and top with the foie gras. Place the top bun and serve.

FRIES
Blanch the potatoes in a large bowl of water for a few hours. Drain and allow to dry. Heat the oil (or fat) to 300F. When hot, add the potatoes, working in batches if necessary, and cook 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside on paper towels while you do the other fries. Heat the oil now to 375F. When hot, re-fry the potatoes for another 2-3 minutes, until they turn a nice, golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain, and immediately sprinkle with salt and thyme. Serve with the aioli.

2010-11-05T04:44:00.003Z

Vanessa loves Halloween. More than most folks. We typically watch spooky movies throughout October and try to cook a 'scary' meal. This year, we had access to decent blood sausage and had seen this recipe online from Saveur magazine. The blood sausage was great, definitely an Iberian recipe (vice the heavier version from the UK). Lots of subtle spicing, and if you've never tried blood sausage, properly done...it's amazing.

Nice interplay between the sausage and the wine. Really happy with this one overall!

Favas with Blood Sausage and Bacon
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Recipe By: Saveur Magazine
Serving Size: 4

Summary:

This dish is traditionally made with the blood sausage called botifarra negra—it is unavailable in the U.S., but morcilla may be substituted. This recipe comes from Colman Andrews's Catalan Cuisine (Harvard Common Press, 1999).

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, 1 slice left whole and remaining slices diced
3 scallions, trimmed and minced
2 morcilla sausages, 1 cut into 1⁄2"-thick slices and 1 left whole
1 1/4 pounds fresh young favas, shelled, about 4 cups
1 teaspoon Pernod
1 bay leaf
1 sprig mint, minced
1 pinch sugar
salt

Directions:

Put oil, diced bacon, and scallions into a heavy medium pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Add sliced sausages and favas, stir well, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add slice of bacon, whole sausage, Pernod, bay leaf, mint, sugar, and salt to taste.

Add enough cold water (about 1 cup) to pot to just cover beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until favas are tender and have absorbed water, 15–20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cut slice of bacon and whole sausage into 4 pieces each before serving.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Macaroni and Cheese

2010-10-26T04:45:00.003+01:00

After a long day Saturday, we got down to business with some good ol' Southern cookin'. You know the food was good through my clever use of apostrophes here. But seriously...

In any case, fans of the blog now know that Vanessa has taken over most of the cooking duties during the week, as my job now has me coming home quite a bit later. As she has picked up the slack, she is wanting to know about more cooking techniques. And though this pork recipe is written for the oven, we went ahead and threw it on the grill.

The meat came out tender and delicious, with a little zip. Perfect along with the Mac and Cheese, which is always a favorite.

Ted's Fiery BBQ Pork Tenderloin
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Recipe By: Matt and Ted Lee - Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Serving Size: 4

Summary:

Becoming a certified barbecue judge requires a rigorous three-hour course of study, but we stuck with it and received our diplomas from the Kansas City Barbecue Society. We needed certification because we'd been invited to judge the prestigious Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbeque and weren't about to turn down the opportunity.

The first principle of barbecue is that nothing is called barbecue (or BBQ or bar-b-que) that has not been cooked for a very long time using wood smoke or coals for heat. In other words. we may get our diplomas revoked forgiving the name "BBQ" to pork tenderloin that has been seared, then roasted in a gas oven.

We'll risk it for this recipe (and one or two more in this chapter), which was inspired by the datil peppers we encountered in the Florida panhandle. The datil, a cousin of the habanero, was brought to Florida in the late 1700s by Minorcans who settled around St. Augustine. Traveling in the area today. you still find a few farmstands and kitchen "factories" turning out hot sauces and pepper jellies, sausages and pilaus, with datil peppers. Like a habanero or a Scotch bonnet, a datil is searingly hot, but it also has a soaring, aromatic flavor that most folks claim to be indescribable. Since we're in the business of pinning it down, we'd say it has hints of smoked bergamot tea and orange peel.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 datil pepper or habanero chile, blistered over a burner or in a hot, dry skillet, then seeded and minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2x3/4 lbs. pork tenderloins
1/4 cup sorghum molasses or cane syrup
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, combine the bourbon, water, vinegar, ginger, chile, and garlic. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Remove the pork from the marinade; brush off any excess and pat dry. In a small saucepan, boil the marinade over high heat until reduced by one third, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sorghum molasses and ketchup and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Brush the tenderloins lightly with oil and season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sear the pork over high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through, turning the meat in the sauce. Transfer the pork to a work surface, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for at least 5 minutes.

To serve, thickly slice the meat across the grain and serve with any remaining sauce.

Notes:

VARIATION - Fiery Pork Tenderloin with Sour Orange and Honey Glaze

In place of the bourbon, sherry vinegar, ginger and garlic, use 1 cup SOUR ORANGE SAUCE (page 528) in the marinade. Then substitute 1/2 cup honey for the 1/4 cup sorghum molasses and 1/4 cup ketchup.

KILLER LEFTOVER - Fiery Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

Refrigerate leftover barbecued pork and sauce. Reheat the following day in a skillet or a microwave oven and serve on a toasted hamburger bun.

WHAT TO DRINK: A zesty Sancerre (made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes)from the Loire Valley, or a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, with enough fruit flavor to balance the mix of spices and peppers that infuse the tenderloin.

Macaroni and Cheese
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Recipe By: Matt and Ted Lee - Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Serving Size: 12

Summary:

In a chapter on vegetable dishes? Of course! At public schools throughout the South and in meat-and-threes we frequent (cafeterias built around meals that offer a choice of meats and three side dishes), mac 'n' cheese is always considered a vegetable. In our house it is, too.

How to make a great macaroni and cheese? One, high-quality cheese, and two, lots of it. In this recipe, we drench the macaroni in a cheese sauce made with extra-sharp cheddar and bay leaf Then we layer the sauced macaroni with more extra-sharp cheddar and slices of Swiss cheese for good, gooey measure.

If you have access to an aged Gruyere, substitute it for the Swiss, because it adds an appealingly funky character. But there's plenty of charisma already in this macaroni and cheese, so feel free to incorporate any of the brands of Swiss cheese you find at the supermarket, such as Cracker Barrel or Boar's Head. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
3 bay leaves
6 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 lb. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour 2 quarts water into a large stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, and reserve in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat until frothy. Add the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for 3 minutes. Add the milk, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt, increase the heat to medium, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. about 10 minutes. Add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it is completely melted. Turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and stir gently but thoroughly so that it is evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread half the macaroni and cheese (about 4 1/2 cups) in the bottom of a 3-quart casserole and flatten into an even layer with a spatula or wooden spoon. Sprinkle half the remaining grated cheddar cheese over it, then place half the slices of Swiss cheese on top. Spread the remaining macaroni and cheese in the casserole, scatter the remaining cheddar cheese over it. and top with the remaining slices of Swiss cheese. Bake on middle rack of oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. If desired. transfer to top rack for last five minutes to gently brown the top.

Serve immediately, and -as you would with greens, with okra or any other southern vegetable, really -pass a cruet of Pepper Vinegar (page 518) at the table.

Toro Steak with Teriyaki Balsamic Sauce

2010-10-20T05:09:00.004+01:00

Some people cringe at the thought of "fusion" food and its probably because many don't do it very well. Nobu Matsuhisa is world-reknowned and has ben quite successful at marrying flavors from the Far East with Mediterranean flavors. This is no exception.

The cool thing about it is in the simplicity. This was by no means a large or complicated dish, but the notes matched up so perfectly and the shiso rounded the whole thing out with a bit of sharpness. We used premium grade ahi tuna (in ABUNDANCE here in Hawaii) and the rest of the ingredients were few and basic.

This would be a great starter dish, or even pared down further into one-bite amuse bouche portions.

Toro Steak with Teriyaki Balsamic Sauce
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Recipe By: Nobu Matsuhisa - Nobu West
Serving Size: 2

Summary:

You will probably be amazed at quite how sweet and subtly flavored roasted garlic can be, and here it makes the perfect accompaniment to lightly seared toro (tuna belly) steak.

Ingredients:

1 head garlic
2x100 g toro (tuna belly) fillets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
BALSAMIC TERIYAKI SAUCE (see below), warmed through
1 handful baby shiso leaves
1 handful daikon cress (kaiware)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Trim the root and the head of the garlic and remove any loose outside skin but still keep the head intact. Wrap in foil, place in an earthenware dish and roast for 20 minutes.

While that is cooking, preheat a barbecue, grill or griddle pan. Season the tuna fillets with salt and pepper and briefly sear each of them on all the sides for 2-3 minutes, keeping the center rare.

To serve, spoon a little of the hot Balsamic teriyaki sauce on each of 2 plates, cut each tuna steak and the roasted garlic in half. Place the tuna steak halves in the middle of each plate and garnish with the shiso leaves and daikon cress, and a roasted garlic half.

Balsamic Teriyaki Sauce
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Recipe By: Nobu Matsuhisa - Nobu West

Ingredients:

250 ml balsamic vinegar
300 ml chicken stock
50 g granulated sugar
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon mirin
kuzu, arrowroot or cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken

Directions:

Put the balsamic vinegar into a nonreactive saucepan and boil until it has reduced by two-thirds.

Add the stock, sugar, soy sauce and mirin, and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring quickly to the boil and whisk in the kuzu to thicken.

Use while still hot. Any not used will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes:

It is not necessary to use an expensive balsamic vinegar as the flavor is intensified during the reduction.

Asian Chicken Coleslaw

2010-10-20T05:02:00.003+01:00

Since I am now back at work, Vanessa has pretty much assumed the duties and responsibilities of chief cook for us during the week. This was a great light meal, that made a good amount. This dish also benefits from a night in the fridge, to really get the flavors to settle in. Used fresh herbs from our garden, too, which is probably the first time I've been able to say that. A fresh, crisp, light dish with a little zing.

Asian Coleslaw with Chicken
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Recipe By: Marcus Wareing - One Perfect Ingredient
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

FOR THE SLAW
4 organic chicken breasts
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 head white cabbage
1 carrot
1/2 cucumber
200 g beansprouts

FOR THE DRESSING
50 g caster or granulated sugar
100 ml white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1 lime

TO GARNISH
50 g roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mint, finely shredded

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400F.

2. Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer on a large sheet of foil. Spread them with the chile sauce and sesame oil. Wrap the foil into a parcel and bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Cool, then shred or slice thinly on the diagonal, discarding any skin and bones. Set aside.

3. Slice the cabbage as finely as you can. Peel the carrot and cut into very fine julienne. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and remove the seeds, then peel the flesh and cut into fine julienne. Mix all the cut vegetables in a bowl with the bean sprouts.

4. To make the dressing, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a pan over a medium heat, then being to the boil. Remove from the heat. add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.

5. Just before serving, add the chicken and dressing to the vegetables and toss together. Garnish with the peanuts and herbs.

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Sauteed Broccolini with Garlic and Chile Flakes

2010-10-17T20:57:00.004+01:00

We have been on the lookout for more interesting proteins to work with, and we sorely miss the nearly year-round availability of game birds that we enjoyed in the UK. Walking around our local supermarket, we spotted these game hens, which is something we've been wanting to cook for awhile. I had to wing it with the cooking time (turns out 25 minutes was fine) as my meat thermometer hasn't shown up yet. Nifty technique with stuffing the compound butter under the skin of the chicken. This turned out very juicy and yummy. Nice sharpness from the garlic and chile flakes, creating a nice foil to the richness of the hens. Looking forward to having the leftovers in a few days!

Roast Poussins or Cornish Hens
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Recipe By: Thomas Keller - Ad Hoc
Serving Size: 6

Summary:

We love the young chickens known as poussins for their tenderness. They're usually less than a month old and weigh about a pound. Of course, you can use Cornish game hens, which are older and a little larger; even an ordinary chicken is delicious prepared with this method. The birds can be stuffed with the gremolata butter up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Ingredients:

BIRDS
6x1 1/4 pounds poussins or Cornish game hens

GREMOLATA BUTTER
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
(null) zest of 2 lemons
2 large cloves garlic, grated with Microplane or minced
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt

FINISH
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
canola oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed, skin left on
1 bunch thyme
fleur de sel

Directions:

Remove the poussins or hens from the refrigerator and set aside while you make the butter.

Using the pestle, grind the peppercorns in a mortar (or put them in a heavy-duty plastic bag and crush with a meat pounder or heavy pan). Add the lemon zest and garlic and mix into a paste. Put the butter in a medium bowl and mix in the pepper mixture, followed by the lemon juice, parsley and salt. Mix together until smooth and chill.

Remove the neck and innards if they are still in the cavities of the poussins or game hens, and discard. Rinse the inside of the birds and dry well with paper towels. Season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper. Cut out the wishbones. Leave any fat or skin at the neck attached, and trim any other excess fat.

Starting at the cavity end of each bird, carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh of the breasts and then the thighs to loosen the skin. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the butter under the skin of each thigh and spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter under each side of the breast.

Truss the birds (see page 23). Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until they come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Brush the birds with canola oil and season with salt. Place the birds on their backs in a roasting pan that will hold the birds in a single layer. Scatter the garlic and thyme evenly around them.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes; the temperature should register 160F in the meatiest portions of the bird (the thighs and under the breast where the thigh meets the breast), and the juices should run clear. If necessary, baste the birds, return to the oven, and roast; check every 5 minutes.

Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Transfer the birds, along with the garlic and thyme to the rack. Baste the birds with the pan juices, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Serve the birds whole, or cut into halves or quarters. Arrange on a serving platter, garnish with the thyme and garlic, and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Chile Flakes
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Recipe By: Thomas Keller - Ad Hoc
Serving Size: 6

Summary:

I love the bitterness of broccoli rabe, which comes with a touch of sweetness and works well here with the nutty notes of the sliced and sauted garlic, and a little bit of heat from the dried red pepper. The technique of adding blanched vegetables to oil flavored with chile and red pepper flakes also works well with broccolini, chard and spinach. This versatile vegetable would be delicious with cod, grilled steak, roast pork, and chicken.

Ingredients:

4 bunches broccoli rabe
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons garlic, finely sliced
red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut away and discard the thicker part of the broccoli rabe stems, cutting 1/2 inch below the smaller, more tender stems. Remove any torn or smaller greens.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (see page 147). Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and line with paper towels. Prepare an ice bath.

Add half of the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook until tender but slightly resistant to the tooth. Remove with a skimmer and chill in an ice bath, then drain on the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining broccoli rabe.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until lightly browned and crisp. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the broccoli rabe and cook, tossing often, for about 2 minutes, until heated through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Peppery Chicken Curry

2010-10-12T04:09:00.002+01:00

My express shipment hasn't arrived yet with all of the spices that I mailed myself from San Diego. So, I had to find something simple and delicious. We had to buy some turmeric, but that was about it.

Nice flavor from the slow-cooked onions, and clean, simple flavor from the pepper. This delivered pretty good flavor for something so simple.

Recipe By: Atul Kochhar - Simple Indian
Serving Size: 4

Summary:

Black pepper is a favored spice in Hyderabad. This recipe brings the full flavor of freshly crushed pepper into the sauce rather than drawing on its fiery heat. The final sprinkling of toasted pepper makes a huge difference.

Ingredients:

CHICKEN AND CURRY
1.2 kg whole chicken
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons white vinegar, or lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 teaspoons black peppercorns, freshly crushed
2 large onions, roughly chopped
100 milliliters vegetable oil
2 medium onions, sliced

GARNISH
ginger julienne
mustard cress
1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Joint the chicken into 8 pieces and put into a shallow dish. Mix together the ginger-garlic paste, salt, vinegar, turmeric and 1 tsp crushed pepper. Spread over the chicken, cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Put the chopped large onions into a blender or food processor and process to a paste; set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large deep saute pan, add the remaining 2 tsp crushed peppercorns and saute for 1 minute, then add the sliced onions. Cook gently until softened and golden. Next add the onion paste and fry gently for about 20 minutes until golden brown in color.

3. Add the chicken with the marinade and saute until the liquid evaporates. Add about 200mI water, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is done. Serve sprinkled with ginger julienne, mustard cress and toasted crushed pepper. Accompany with Indian breads.

Spaghetti Carbonara

2010-10-10T18:52:00.003+01:00

It has been a LONG time since I've posted here. Things got a bit hectic and frankly, I had lost interest. I am a bit refreshed now, having moved out to Hawaii for the forseeable future. We are renting a place and I am without my usual phalanx of cookware, but we're going to try to churn out some good food here.

I have made this dish a few times, the most recently was for a crowd in Newport, RI, just before we all went our separate ways from a school there. It went down a treat and is one of my favorites. It's really got all of the elements of good breakfast: eggs, bacon and cheese. This is super easy to throw together and delicious.

Dont wuss out about the egg yolk. It's a key presentation element and allows the diner to mix it in themselves, allowing the diner to "finish" the dish, which I think is fun.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
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Recipe By: Mario Batali - Molto Italiano
Serving Size: 4

Summary:

A true carbonara has no cream, and it can be slightly tricky in its execution. The key is to toss and thoroughly mix the cooked pasta off the heat with the cheese, eggs, pepper, and pasta water, to create a creamy yet not overly thick sauce. I like to separate the eggs and present the individual egg yolks in nests of pasta; then each guest stirs the yolk into the pasta to cook it and form an even creamier sauce. Be sure to use the best-quality eggs you can get.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces guanciale (page 186), pancetta, or good bacon
1 lb. spaghetti
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 large eggs, separated
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.

2. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and guanciale in a 12- to 14-inch saute pan set over medium heat, and cook until the guanciale has rendered its fat and is crispy and golden. Remove from the heat and set aside (do not drain the fat).

3. Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just al dente. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.

4. Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with the guanciale, then toss in the pasta heat, shaking the pan, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup of the Parmigiano, the egg whites, and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly mixed.

5. Divide the pasta among four warmed serving bowls. Make a nest in the center of each one, and gently drop an egg yolk into each nest. Season the egg yolks with more pepper and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.

Spanish Summer Dinner

2010-06-14T14:01:00.004+01:00

We had some foodie friends around Saturday night for a few dishes I had been dying to make for awhile. I thought all of the food came out pretty well seasoned and tasting good. There were a few presentation surprises that I thought were well-received. All in all, a highly successful evening!

AMUSE BOUCHE: Galician-Style Octopus '95 (from El Bulli)
OCTOPUS IN SAHSIMI
200 g octopus tentacle
200 g coarse salt

OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATO
375 g mashing potatoes
25 g single cream (35% fat)
water
salt
150 g virgin olive oil

OTHERS
virgin olive oil
ground paprika

OCTOPUS
1. Discard any the part of the tentacle which has a diameter of less than 3cm. Freeze to break the fibers.
2. Thaw out at room temperature and wash the tentacle in water. Dry, then cover in coarse salt for 3 hours.
3. Desalt the tentacle and wash it in plenty of cold water.
4. Blanch the tentacle for 3 mins in boiling water and drain.
5. Leave to cool down then wrap in cling film, shaping it into a cylinder. Freeze.
6. Slice the frozen tentacle, 0.2cm thick, in the slicer. Keep in parchment paper. Cut 32 slices of octopus.

MASHED POTATO
1. Peel and unevenly slice the potatoes. Put them in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil.
2. Drain and strain through a fine mesh strainer.
3. With a beater bind the mash with the hot cream and the cooking water necessary for an acceptable texture. Finish binding with 150 g of olive oil.
4. Salt to taste.
5. Cover well with parchment paper and keep warm.

FINISHING TOUCHES AND PRESENTATION
1. Arrange 8 slices of octopus around the plate in the form of carpaccio. They should not be touching each other. Leave space on the right-hand side of the plate.
2. On the right-hand side, place a hot quenelle of olive oil-flavored mashed potato.
3. Dress each octopus slice with a little virgin olive oil.
4. Garnish the octopus with a sprinkle of paprika.

STARTER: Evolution of the Hot 'Tortilla de Patatas Marc Singla' Foam (from El Bulli)
HOT POTATO FOAM
250 g mashing potatoes
100 g water used to cook the potatoes
125 g single cream (35% fat)
35 g virgin olive oil
1 ½-l ISI foaming canister
2 N2O cartridges
salt

PAN-FRIED ONION
250 g onion
50 g 0.4º olive oil
100 g water
salt

EGG SABAYON
40 g egg yolks
30 g water
salt

YOLKS AUCE
40 g pasteurised egg yolk

FINISH
50 g virgin olive oil

HOT POTATO FOAM
1. Peel, cut and then put the potatoes in salted cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for approximately 20 minutes.
2. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and keep the water to one side.
3. Put the cooked potatoes and 100 g of the cooking water in the Thermomix at 60 ºC. Blend and gradually add the cream. Repeat the process with the oil until you have a smooth, liquid emulsion. Season with salt.
4. Strain and fill the canister using a funnel.
5. Foam and keep in a bain marie at approx. 70 ºC.

PAN-FRIED ONION
1. Peel the onion, quarter and cut into a thin sticks ("julienne").
2. Stirring continuously, gently fry the onion in the 0.4º olive oil until it is golden brown.
3. Drain off any excess oil and deglaze with a little water. Continue cooking until the water has evaporated. Repeat the operation until the onions have the texture and colour of a caramelised conserve .
4. Season with salt and keep on one side.

EGG SABAYON
1. Put the egg yolks in a bowl, whisk using a hand whisk and drizzle in the boiling water. Beat quickly next to a heat source until it emulsifies.
2. Season with salt.

YOLK SAUCE
1. Sieve the egg yolks and keep in a baster.

FINISH
1. Fill a cocktail glass in the following order:
- a dessertspoon of pan-fried onion, which should be very hot.
- a teaspoon of yolk sauce
- two teaspoons of sabayon.
2. Make sure that the canister with the potato foam is hot. Shake and fill the top to just 1 cm below the rim. Drizzle a ring of virgin olive oil around it.

MAIN: Chicken Mar i Muntanya with Shrimp, Mussels, Green Beans, Piquillo Peppers and Chorizo (from Ad Hoc)

NOTE: This one has a few components!

Chicken Brine (makes enough for 10 pounds of chicken)

5 lemons, halved
24 bay leaf
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
½ cup clover honey
1 head garlic, halved through the equator
¼ cup black peppercorns
2 cups kosher salt
2 gallons water

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Saffron Rice
¼ cup canola oil
¾ cup onion, finely chopped (cut just smaller than a grain of rice)
kosher salt
1 teaspoon saffron
2 cups Calasparra or other short-grain rice
2 ¾-3 ½ cups CHICKEN STOCK or VEGETABLE STOCK

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and season with a sprinkling of salt. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add the saffron. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook for another 2 minutes; do not brown the onions and saffron. Add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring often, to toast the rice for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the stock, stir once, scraping the sides of the pan if necessary, and cover with a parchment lid (see page 120). Bring the stock to a simmer and simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 8 minutes, until most of the stock has been absorbed. The rice will still be firm. Gently stir the rice, scraping it up from the bottom, and reduce the heat to very low. Add an additional 1/4 cup of stock, cover with the lid, increase the heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Taste the rice and, if necessary, continue cooking, adding up to 3/4 cup more stock 1/4 cup at a time, as necessary, until the rice is almost tender and the final addition of liquid is almost absorbed. Turn the heat to low to allow the rice to absorb the remaining liquid, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and keep warm.

Chicken Mar i Muntanya with Shrimp, Mussels, Green Beans, Piquillo Peppers and Chorizo

4 pound chicken
½ recipe CHICKEN BRINE
12 extra-large shrimp, shells on
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
piment d'esplette
canola oil
SAFFRON RICE, warm
3 piquillo peppers, cut lengthwise in 1/4"-wide strips
1 cup thin green beans, blanched
½ cup CHICKEN STOCK, warm
1 Spanish chorizo, cut in 1/4" slices
¼ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
18 small mussels
parsley leaves
fleur de sel

Cut the chicken into 10 pieces.

Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken, add the chicken, and refrigerate for about 12 hours (no longer or the chicken may become too salty).

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels, or let air-dry. Set aside.

Without removing the shells, using a small pair of scissors or a paring knife, make a shallow cut down the back of each shrimp from head to tail. Gently open up the shrimp and, with your fingers or the paring knife, remove the vein. Rinse the shrimp under cold water.

Combine 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons salt in a medium bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the shrimp to the brine and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove from the brine, rinse and drain on paper towels.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of Espelette. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the dark meat skin-side-down, lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the skin is a rich golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. (If you turn the chicken too early, more moisture will be released from the meat and you will not get the crisp caramelized surface you are looking for.) Turn the pieces and brown for another 6 minutes, or until golden brown on the second side. Remove from the heat, transfer the dark meat to a plate, and set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add more oil as needed. Add the breasts skin-side-down and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, until almost cooked through. Remove from the heat.

Spread the rice in the bottom of a large heatproof serving dish or baking dish. Arrange half of the piquillo peppers and half the green beans over the rice. Tuck the dark meat and the breasts into the rice, pour the stock over the ingredients, and put the dish into the oven.

Heat some oil over medium heat in a frying pan large enough to hold the mussels in one layer. Add the chorizo and cook until browned and crisp on the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a plate and pour off the excess fat, leaving just a coating in the pan. Ad the shrimp to the pan and saute until just cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Add the mussels, cove the pan and cook until the mussels have opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the chorizo, shrimp and mussels in the baking dish; set aside in a warm spot.

Return the frying pan to the heat, add the remaining peppers and green beans, and heat through. Arrange them over the chicken and shellfish, garnish with parsley leaves and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

DESSERT: Crema Catalana (from Mediterranean Escapes)

300 ml single cream
300 ml full-cream milk
Finely grated zest 1/2 orange
Finely grated zest 1/2 large lemon
7.S-em piece cinnamon stick, broken in half
4 large egg yolks
75 g caster sugar, plus 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cornflour

Bring the cream, milk, orange zest, lemon zest and the cinnamon stick halves to the boil in a non-stick pan. Set aside for 1 hour for the milk to become infused with the flavorings.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the 75 g sugar and beat with a hand-held electric mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in the cornflour.

Bring the milk back to the boil and strain into a jug. Mix a few tablespoons into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it slightly, then stir in the remainder.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the wooden spoon. But don't let the mixture boil.

Pour the mixture into 4 wide shallow dishes (terracotta if possible), measuring about 12 cm across. Leave to cool, then chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Shortly before serving, sprinkle the surface of each custard with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and caramelize under a hot grill or with a blowtorch. Serve immediately - the sugar will only stay hard for about 30 minutes.

Goanese Potato Curry

2010-06-08T23:04:00.003+01:00

This was an unexpected delight. Pretty simple, on the whole. The recipe (as written) didn't have enough heat to balance the sweetness of the coconut cream, in my opinion, so I added some cayenne and cumin. It turned out wonderfully!

750 g Jersey Royal or other new potatoes
2 onions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small red or green chilli
3 cloves garlic
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons coriander seeds or 3 tsp ground coriander
200 ml coconut cream
500 g tomatoes
100 g petits pois
1 lime
1 handful cilantro
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and rinse the potatoes, then boil them in plenty of salted water until tender to the point of a knife. Drain and leave to cool. Meanwhile, peel, halve and thinly slice the onions. Heat the oil in a spacious frying pan or similarly wide-based saucepan until very hot. Stir in the onions and let them brown lightly. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until limp and soft.

Meanwhile, trim and split the chile and scrape away the seeds. Chop. Peel and chop the garlic. Stir the chile, garlic, cinnamon and coriander seeds or ground coriander into the onions and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the coconut cream. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove and liquidize the mixture to make a thick, creamy, speckled beige sauce. Return the sauce to the pan.

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, count to 20, drain and peel. Chop the tomatoes and place in a saucepan with 250ml water. Boil for about 10 minutes, then sieve the tomatoes directly into the sauce, pressing hard to extract maximum pulp. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add them too. Finally, cook the petits pois in boiling salted water and add them to the dish. Season generously with salt and lightly with pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then squeeze over the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve. Excellent hot, warm or cold.

Spaghetti Vongole

2010-06-06T13:28:00.002+01:00

Had a great day out yesterday with some friends. Had the last of the homemade pasta in the fridge and all it took was a bunch of clams to make this one. I love the vongole dish! We always end up making it a few times a year, which is saying something in a house that doesn't run a lot of repeats! The clams were of superb quality and made the sauce excellent. This is a a super quick on to throw together.

2 kg fresh palourdes (carpet shell clams) in the shell
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300 g dried spaghetti or linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled
1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly sliced
1 small red chile, quartered lengthways
handful of basil stalks
75 ml dry white wine
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Scrub the clams under cold running water and discard any that do not close tightly when gently tapped on the work surface. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil for pasta. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.

Cook the clams about 6 minutes before the pasta will be ready. Heat another large pan and add the olive oil. Tip in the clams and throw in the garlic, shallot, chile and basil stalks. Pour in the wine and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the pan and leave to steam for 3-4 minutes until the clams have opened. Tip the clams into a colander set over a large clean bowl. Discard any that have not opened.

Pour the clam juices back into the pan and boil for a few minutes until thickened slightly. Throw in the parsley, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Clams are naturally salty so you may find that you only need pepper.

Drain the pasta thoroughly. Immediately add to the sauce and toss to coat. Return the clams to the pan and toss again. Divide between warm plates and serve immediately, with chunks of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Lobster Rolls

2010-06-02T10:08:00.002+01:00

This is one of those quintessential New England dishes, right up there with clam chowder (or, chowdah, depending on where you grew up). Vanessa has been putting in some fairly serious time in the kitchen lately; she killed a lobster special for the making of this sandwich. It was delicious, you wouldn't know it had been made with lighter, healthier ingredients.

5 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
¼ cup celery, finely chopped
3 tablespoons onion, minced
2 tablespoons whole milk Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
1 ½ teaspoons dill, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 lb. cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces (about three 1.5-pound lobsters)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 hot dog buns
8 Bibb lettuce leaves

Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Add lobster to mayonnaise mixture; toss. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Brush butter evenly over cut sides of buns. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place buns, cut sides down, in pan; cook 2 minutes or until toasted. Line each bun with 1 lettuce leaf; top with 1/3 cup lobster mixture.

Spicy Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup Topping

2010-06-01T11:34:00.003+01:00

We had a wonderful weekend in NYC for Fleet Week and our anniversary. Met up with a friend and had two spectacular dinners (Le Bernadin and WD-50), both were amazing.

This high-class living had taken it's toll, though, and upon our return to Newport it was time to settle things down a bit. Get back to basics, so to speak.

We're going to try to do things a little more healthy during the week, so we've been digging around the Cooking Light website for inspiration. We came up with this meatloaf. It had been YEARS since I had one. This one is pretty good for you and we paired it with some homemade ketchup (wonderful!) and some mashed potatoes, to which I added some wasabi and smoked sea salt, just to give it a slight nuance.

MEATLOAF
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, chopped
¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
¼ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ lbs. ground turkey breast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

GLAZE
½ cup ketchup (homemade! See below)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Combine mushroom mixture, panko, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; stir well to combine. Shape turkey mixture into a 9 x 5–inch rectangle on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

Combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and nutmeg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over top of meat loaf; bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

ROASTED TOMATO KETCHUP
1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
3 tablespoons honey
salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes to a food processor and process until smooth. Strain, pressing against the solids with a wooden spoon to extract as much pulp and juice as possible.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until almost smoking, and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the tomato puree, cider vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and honey, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, 25 to 30 minutes. Blend again until smooth. Strain if necessary.

May be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.

Lobster in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Linguine (Lobster Fra Diavolo)

2010-05-25T23:37:00.002+01:00

THIS was our anniversary dish. There's a fish market right down the street that will sell live lobster for 10 bucks. It seemed like a no-brainer. We had everything else on hand, up to and including some leftover pasta dough, which we made linguine out of. Wonderfully spicy, unctuous and sexy. This was fabulous and a fitting anniversary meal. (Serves 4; it makes extra)

2 live lobsters (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 small dried peproncino, crumbled, or a pinch of crushed red pepper
⅓ cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 large can Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped or passed through a food mill
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
salt
1 lb. linguine or spaghetti

Place the lobsters upside down on a cutting board. Do not remove the rubber bands that keep the lobster claws shut. To kill the lobsters, protecting your hand with a heavy towel or pot holder, hold each lobster above the tail and plunge the point of a heavy chefs knife into the body where the tail joins the chest, and cut off the tails. Cut the lobsters at the joints into 1-2" chunks. Crack the claws.

In a large heavy saucepan. cook the lobster pieces, garlic and peperoncino in the oil over medium·low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, parsley, oregano and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove the lobster pieces and keep them warm.

Meanwhile, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt to taste and the linguine and stir well. Cook, stirring frequently, until the linguine is at dente, tender yet still firm to the bite. Drain.

Toss the linguine with the sauce. Arrange the linguine in a warm shallow serving bowl and top with the lobster. Serve immediately.

Maple-Cured Smoked Bacon

2010-05-25T23:30:00.002+01:00

There are few things in this world as wonderful as pork belly. Many of you have heard me say this before. It's nothing new to you if you know me. Well, I have been wanting to make my own bacon for a long, long time. I finally got a book which is definitive on the subject of making sausages, bacon, terrines, pates and well just about anything cured. It's called Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. If you give the slightest damn about bacon and/or the wonder pork products can bring you, you really have no business NOT owning this book.

This took a week to make, and MAN, was it worth the wait. This is so wonderfully sweet, savory and smoky at the same time, I just can't even tell you how happy it makes me to eat it.

Find a supplier that can get pork belly, a wonderfully versatile cut. It should only run you about $3-4 a pound and you'll likely have to buy a 5-pound slab at least. You'll find out where the money went when you taste it. It's actually pretty cheap versus what you get out of it.

THE CURE
50 g kosher salt
12 g pink salt
50 g maple sugar or packed dark brown sugar
60 milliliters maple syrup
BACON
5 pound slab pork belly, skin on
Combine the salt, pink salt, and sugar in a bowl and mix so that the ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the syrup and stir to combine.

Rub the cure mixture over the entire surface of the belly. Place skin side down in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag or a nonreactive container just slightly bigger than the meat. (The pork will release water into the salt mixture, creating a brine; it's important that the meat keep in contact with this liquid throughout the curing process.)

Refrigerate, turning the belly and redistributing the cure every other day, for 7 days, until the meat is firm to the touch.

Remove the belly from the cure, rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry. Place it on a rack set over a baking sheet tray and dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.

Hot-smoke the pork belly to an internal temperature of 150F/65C, about 3 hours. Let cool slightly, and when the belly is cool enough to handle but still warm, cut the skin off by sliding a sharp knife between the fat and the skin, leaving as much fat on the bacon as possible. (Discard the skin or cut it into pieces and save to add to soups, stews or beans, as you would a smoked ham hock.)

Let the bacon cool, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate or freeze it until ready to use.

Caldo Verde with Salt Cod

2010-05-25T23:26:00.001+01:00

Today is our wedding anniversary. When we first set out to make the menu for the week, we really didn't set aside anything special for our anniversary. This, we realized, was absolutely ludicrous and, really, an affront to our marriage. So the ho-hum soup (which was good, mind you) that we had originally scheduled for dinner, got bumped up to lunch.

This soup is traditionally made with chourico, a luscious, spicy pork sausage found in a lot of Portuguese cooking. This variation uses salt cod instead, another staple of Portuguese food.

This was a good soup but need a little hit of lemon at the end and/or some kind of herb to wake it up (such as parsley). We'll be trying that next time.

1 lb. salt cod
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 ½ lbs. potatoes, peeled
1 quart non-salty chicken stock
2 cups water
6 ounces kale without thick stems
Portuguese olive oil for drizzling
Soak the salt cod in a bowl of water in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Change the water several times a day.

When ready to make soup, drain and dry off the salt cod. Place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and half of the salt cod. Saute until the garlic starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Immediately add the potatoes, chicken stock, and water. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

With a potato masher, mash the potatoes and the cooked salt cod right in the pan. (They will end up in little chunks.) Boil for 5 minutes.

While the potatoes and cod are boiling, shred the kale. Gather some leaves together, roll them up the long way, and then cut the rolls into fine shreds.

Add the kale to the soup, along with the remaining salt cod cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the kale is just tender. Taste the soup for seasoning before serving in soup bowls. Drizzle each bowl with a little Portuguese olive oil.

Pork and Green Onion Stir-Fry

2010-05-25T17:32:00.002+01:00

Just a real simple stir-fry here (which Vanessa made herself). Good, clean flavors. Not a lot of fuss, but a nice delivery of flavors. We added some ginger and a chile to it just for old times' sake.

1 ½ lbs. boneless pork loin
12 green onions
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (divided use)
1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry wine
¾ cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups steamed white rice

Cut the pork into thin shreds, about 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long.

Trim the root ends of the green onions, split lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal. Set aside.

Mix together the cornstarch, oyster sauce, sugar, 1 tsp of the soy sauce, and 1 tsp water in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry until it stiffens and is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 tsp soy sauce and the wine and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Stir the cornstarch mixture co recombine and add to the meat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and add the green onions. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and serve over the rice.

Buckwheat Pizza with Cilantro Pesto, Jack Cheese and Grilled Shrimp

2010-05-25T17:28:00.002+01:00

This was our first time ever grilling a pizza. The result was such that I was left wondering why, oh why, did it take me so long to grill a pizza.

The crust was the most crispy result I have ever had. The toppings would not wilt the crust, making it easy to handle and delicious. Great grill smoke flavors really elevated this. I'll be doing this again in the future!

BUCKWHEAT FLATBREAD
1 ¼ cups warm water (105F to 115F)
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 pinch sugar
1 ¼-1 ¾ cup flour, plus more for rolling
¾ cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

CILANTRO PESTO
¾ cup cilantro
¼ cup parsley
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

GRILLED SHRIMP
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
cilantro, chopped

DOUGH
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Mix for 1 minute on low speed, then let sit until the mixture just begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Attach the dough hook and add 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the buckwheat flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix on high speed until the dough forms a mass, 2 to 3 minutes; the dough should be sticky. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if necessary for a dough dry enough to roll out.

Divide the dough into quarters, roll into balls and lightly brush with the oil. Place on a floured surface and cover the balls loosely with plastic wrap and a clean cloth. Let rise 2 hours at room temperature, or place on a lightly greased baking sheet or in 4 medium bowls, cover, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.

PESTO
Combine the cilantro, parsley, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a food processor or blender and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the cheese, salt and pepper and process for a few seconds longer until combined. If the mixture appears too pasty, add a few tablespoons of water to thin it slightly. The pesto can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.

SHRIMP
Heat your grill to high.

To form the flatbreads, pat each piece of dough out on a lightly-floured surface and sprinkle liberally with flour. Roll each disk into an 8" circle. Prick the dough liberally with a fork to keep it from rising. Brush both sides of the dough with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper.

Grill the flatbreads until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and set aside for the moment.

Brush the shrimp with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side until slightly charred and just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Spread 2 tablespoons of the pesto over each flatbread and divide the cheese on top of the pesto. Arrange the shrimp on top of the cheese and place the flatbreads back on the grill. Close the cover of the grill or cover the flatbreads loosely with foil and cook until the cheese has melted and the dough is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the grill and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

Watermelon Ginger Agua Fresca, Amber Twist

2010-05-19T20:23:00.003+01:00

Okay, so it's my first time writing a post. Naturally, it would be a cocktail.
All last week, we looked forward to the weekend since we heard it was supposed to be gorgeous. Well, it wasn't. It was better! Anyhow, I decided to make an agua fresca, and since we're adults, I decided to add a little somethin' somethin'.

10 Cups 1-inch peeled watermelon (from about 8-pound watermelon), seeded, divided
3 Cups cold water, divided
1/3 Cup fresh lime juice
1/4 Cup (or more) sugar
1 1/2 TBS fresh minced ginger

Midori to taste
Vodka, gin, whatever your pleasure

Place 2 1/2 cups watermelon, minced ginger and 3/4 cup cold water in blender. Puree until smooth. Pass thru sieve into large bowl or container. Repeat process 3 more times (add more ginger if you like) with remaining watermelon and cold water. Pour all sieved liquid into a pitcher, then add lime juice and sugar. Test for sweetness. I added Midori. After chilling for at least three hours, pour over ice. After trying it with gin then vodka, I have to say that gin was they way to go.

Friday was another crappy weather day. After a nice lunch and brisk walk, we decided it was an excellent day for a cocktail. Truth be told, the weather could have been perfect and we still would have had a cocktail, but the weather called for this particular drink.
Trying to break away from my affinity for Manhattan's, I asked Kevin what sort of cocktail he'd like (i.e. sweet, smooth, fruity, bitter) and he said smooth. I found this and set about making it. Originally, I doubled it so as to divide amongst the two ofus, but when I poured it into the glasses, I poured too much into one. Kevin just poured the entire contents into one glass and told me to do the same (double the recipe) for the remaining glass. I'm so glad I did, and wouldn't you know, the sun immediately came out, and stayed out for the rest of the weekend.
5-6 Ice cubes
1 Measure Cognac
1/2 Measure Dry Vermouth
1 TSP Apricot Brandy
1 TSP Orange liquer (I used Grand Marnier)

Pour all contents into a mixing glass. Stir with mixing spoon for 8-10 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass.
I quadrupled this recipe for the two of us, and thought it was just lovely, but I wouldn't want to have more than one (or two).

Fettuccine with Puttanesca Sauce

2010-05-19T10:06:00.002+01:00

We recently picked up the KitchenAid attachments to make fresh pasta. Readers of the blog will no doubt be aware of our penchant for fresh pasta. I can tell you this: if you own a KitchenAid mixer AND love fresh pasta, you owe it to yourself to get these attachments. It cut the prep time in half. From starting to make the dough until we had fresh fettuccine coming out the other end (to include a 25 minute dough resting period) was about 35 minutes. Incredibly fast and tasty.

Due to a mix-up at the grocery store, we were without the services of capers in this dish, which I consider to be a key component to making 'true' puttanesca. Oh well. We did have some spare basil on hand, so we threw that in there.

There's just something about freshly made pasta that can't be beat. Great texture, light, absorbs sauce well. The recipe (as written) has you putting the sauce over the top at the end. I am never a big fan of this. I like to get the pasta in the sauce while still on the heat to give the noodles a chance to take in some of the flavor. Overall, very pleased with the result here.

¾ lbs. dried fettuccine or 1 Ib fresh
¼ cup olive oil
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
5 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until al dente. Cooking time may vary by brand; follow package directions. If using fresh pasta, boil until tender, 1-2 minutes. Drain immediately.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring frequently, until the anchovies are is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, parsley, olives and capers and simmer until thoroughly heated, 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and toss to coat evenly. Serve at once.

"Steak Tartare" Compressed Watermelon and Hayden Mango "Yolk", Lamb Burgers with Tomato-Mint Salsa and Feta Cheese

2010-05-16T13:34:00.002+01:00

We recently dropped a few pennies on a commercial-grade vacuum sealer, which has really paid off nicely in terms of safe food storage, but I had really been waiting for the time that I could use it in cooking applications. Namely, very good friends of ours managed to get us a signed copy of Thomas Keller's cookbook Under Pressure, which deals exclusively with sous vide (vacuum) cooking. This was our first chance to actually do one of the recipes.

The compression of the watermelon changed the textures and also turned it an extremely vibrant red. Nice mix of salty and fruity. I would have liked the mango to have been a bit sweeter, but oh well. Cool visual take on it looking like steak tartare with an egg yolk on top. The mango 'yolk' was done using and algin bath and gluconate/xanthan gum mixture in the mango to achieve the spheres.

The burgers were nice and simple. I added some smoked paprika to it to make it sing a little louder. Good contrast of cool salsa to hot burger.

"Steak Tartare" Compressed Watermelon and Hayden Mango "Yolk"

WATERMELON
¼ ripe seedless watermelon, rind removed
kosher salt
extra-virgin olive oil

MANGO "YOLK"
125 g mango juice
0.8 g Kelogel F
0.2 g sodium hydroxymetaphosphate
30 g calcium gluconate
0.4 g ascorbic acid
75 g sugar

FINISH
½ lime
freshly ground black pepper

WATERMELON:
Place the piece of watermelon in a bag and vacuum pack at the highest setting. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To complete: Cut the watermelon in a fine dice and then finely mince to resemble tartare. Drain in a chonois with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

MANGO "YOLK"
Put the mango juice in a Vita-Prep. Place the Kelogel F, and sodium hyroxymetaphosphate on a saucer. Hold it above a Vita-Prep and, with the machine running, and with the machine running on low speed, slowly tap in the powders in steady small amounts until they are all incorporated. Turn to high speed for 2 to 3 seconds, then strain the mixture through a chinois or fine-mesh conical strainer.

To complete: Pour 500g of cold water into a deep bowl. Whisk in the calcium gluconate, ascorbic acid and sugar to dissolve. Put another deep bowl of cld water next to it. Drop a teaspoonful of the mango mixture (keeping it as close to a ball as possible) into the calcium gluconate mixture and let sit for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place into the bowl of cold water. Repeat with the remaining mango mixture. Use the best yolks.

AT SERVICE: Spread one-quarter of the watermelon in a ring mold on each plate. Lift off the mold and top with a mango "yolk". Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and a grind of black pepper.

Lamb Burgers with Tomato-Mint Salsa and Feta Cheese

TOMATO-MINT SALSA
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

LAMB BURGERS
1 ½ pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

SALSA
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving. The salsa can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

BURGERS
Heat grill to high.

Mix together the lamb, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Shape the mixture with your hands into 4 round patties about 1 1/2" thick. Brush the burgers on both sides with the oil. Grill the burgers for 2-3 minutes per side until slightly charred and cooked to medium. Divide the cheese among the burgers, close the lid of the grill and cook an additional minute to slightly melt the cheese.

Top each burger with a large spoonful of the tomato-mint salsa before serving.

Plank-Cooked Salmon with Indonesian Five-Spice BBQ Sauce and Thai-Style Asparagus

2010-05-15T19:42:00.002+01:00

Plank cooking fish has been something on my list of techniques to try for some time now, but, due to the fact that I have no grill and no planks, I was hindered.

Now I have a grill and cedar planks so away I went. Can't say enough about the BBQ sauce. Nice sweetness and heat balance. Perfect for the salmon. The asparagus was a nice sour/spicy contrast to the fish. This dish was so simple yet delivered a big flavor payoff.

INDONESIAN FIVE-SPICE BARBECUE SAUCE
3 garlic cloves
1-inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), or 1 small fresh serrano or jalapeno chili, stemmed and seeded
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup soy sauce (preferably Tamari)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

Place the garlic and ginger in a blender or the workbowl of a food processor and process to finely chop. Add the chili paste and process again to chop. Add the brown sugar, five-spice powder, tamarind concentrate, tomato paste, soy sauce, lime juice, and oil and process until smooth. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, covered, up to 1 week.

PLANK-COOKED SALMON
1 ½ lbs. center-cut salmon fillet, 1 inch thick
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe INDONESIAN FIVE-SPICE BARBECUE SAUCE (see above)
Special equipment: cedar cooking plank

Soak the cedar plank in cold water to cover for 30 minutes. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Brush the skin side of the salmon lightly with the olive oil. Put the fillet, skin side down, on the soaked cooking plank and season the flesh side with salt and pepper. Brush the barbecue sauce on the salmon generously to coat. Place the plank on the grill and, as soon as it begins to smolder, reduce the grill's heat to medium and close the cover. Cook the salmon, covered, until medium rare, about 10 minutes for a 1-inch fillet.

THAI ASPARAGUS
350 g asparagus stalks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
½" piece fresh galangal, finely shredded
1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon palm sugar or light muscovado (brown) sugar

Snap the asparagus stalks. They will break naturally at the junction between the woody base and the more tender portion of the stalk. Discard the woody parts of the stems.

Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic, sesame seeds and galangal for 3-4 seconds, until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden.

Add the asparagus stalks and chile, toss to mix, then add the fish sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Using two spoons, toss over the heat for a further 2 minutes, or until the asparagus just begins to soften and the liquid is reduced by half.

Carefully transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

Jerk-Rubbed Catfish and Spicy Cilantro Slaw

2010-05-12T10:42:00.002+01:00

With the exception of a little chemical warfare conducted on our cat (the jerk spice, while cooking, got into our throats a bit) this was a nice dish. I used a Bobby Flay jerk spice rub recipe, which was a little more complex than other ones I looked at. I added a touch of honey to the slaw and it made a nice sweet, cold contrast to the hot and spicy fish.

SLAW
1.5 cups cabbage, shredded
1.5 cups carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1-1.5 teaspoon habanero or serrano pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
salt to taste

CATFISH
cooking spray
4x6 ounce catfish fillets
4 teaspoons Jamaican jerk spice rub (see below)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with jerk seasoning. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; serve fish with slaw.

Jamaican Jerk Rub
2 tablespoons light brown soft sugar
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon habanero chile powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Pulverize all of the spices in a spice grinder.

Beef Vindaloo

2010-05-04T11:33:00.003+01:00

We had some leftover Wagyu beef from a previous meal (Braised Short Rib in Barolo), and thought we might give it a try in a curry. When we lived in the UK, you couldn't throw a rock in any direction and NOT hit 6 Indian restaurants. And now that I think about it, we have really not had Indian food in some time.

Vindaloo (as I have had it) is usually crazily-spiced. Not a lot of elegance to it, but that wasn't what I was eating it for. Eating it made me sweat, and probably linked to some kind of endorphin release and/or link to the brain's pain/pleasure centers. I ALWAYS suffered some 'next-day effects' which sometimes couldn't wait past 3AM. But I digress...

So we cracked the 'Best-Ever Curry Cookbook' which, as I have said before, I was wary of buying as cookbooks that proclaim themselves to be the 'best' of anything immediately sends red flags up. Anyhow this, like everything else I have cooked from this cookbook, actually is (or is very close to) the best ever. Using meltingly delicious Wagyu beef certainly didn't hurt it. The spice was subtle and overall, the dish was quite aromatic. One of those you just want to keep eating. So I did.

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 dried red chiles
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods, seeds only
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon demerara (raw) sugar
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
900 g stewing beef, cut into 1-in cubes
1" piece ginger, shredded
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
plain and yellow rice, to serve

Use a pestle and mortar to grind the cumin seeds, chiles, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds to a fine powder. Add the salt, sugar and white wine vinegar and mix to a thin paste.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Put the onion and the spice mixture into a food processor or blender and process to a coarse paste.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the meat cubes over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the beef cubes with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the shredded ginger and crushed garlic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander and turmeric and fry for 2 minutes more.

Add the spice and onion paste and fry for about 5 minutes.

Return the meat to the pan, together with 1 1/4 cups water. Cover and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the meal is tender. Serve with plain and yellow rice, and a raita, if you like.

Italian Sausages with Lentils

2010-05-04T10:18:00.003+01:00

Sometimes, something really simple comes along a makes you take a step back and evaluate food that is complicated. Now, while I am not ready to abandon 'difficult' preparations altogether, I can really appreciate when something that is both ridiculously easy and delicious comes along. This is one of those dishes.

I will say this, a superior Italian sausage is ESSENTIAL to the success of this dish. We had mail- ordered some (as a part of a larger order) a few weeks back, and they were just sitting in the freezer waiting to be eaten up. We had no idea what kind of goldmine we were sitting on until we ate them.

Lovely, sweet spiciness. Enriching wholesomeness. The was comfort food through and through without being overly heavy. I am seriously looking forward to the leftovers! I honetsly can't say enough good things about this dish. You owe it to yourself to try it.

olive oil
200 g smoked bacon lardons
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
3 bay leaf
500 g Puy or Castelluccio lentils, rinsed and drained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
12 Italian sausages
100 milliliters dry white wine
handful parsley, leaves chopped

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the lardons until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and bay leaves, stir well and cook over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Tip in the lentils, stir well and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are tender. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Cook the sausages in the meantime. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the sausages and pan-fry for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and leave the sausages to braise for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

With a pair of tongs, transfer the sausages to the lentils, nestling them among the vegetables and lentils and adding the pan juices. Reheat for a few more minutes.

Divide the lentils and sausages among warm shallow bowls. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and a grinding of black pepper, then serve.

Rabbit Pate

2010-05-02T20:19:00.002+01:00

Our friends Corey and Franca gave us a rabbit the other day as they had managed to find a place that had them. They are dedicated food people, good friends, and really had our back on this one. We paged through our recipes for rabbit. Dedicated readers of the blog will know that I have had a few unsuccessful go arounds with rabbit, so I wanted to try something that had a better chance of succeeding.

We turned to the Bouchon cookbook, which is out of control. We've never made anything out of it that wasn't absolutely spectacular. We were kind of feeling it for something like a pate and luckily there was one in there.

Well, it didn't disappoint. That's an understatement. It was amazing and rich. Great with the little cornichons, salt and Dijon mustard. Just perfect! You need a full 24 hours for this one though. Be warned!

SPICE MIXTURE
2 tablespoons salt, plus 1 teaspoon
¼ teaspoon pink salt
1 tablespoon thyme, plus on teaspoon, minced
1 tablespoon nutmeg, plus 1 teaspoon, grated
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 bay leaf

PATE
13 ounces rabbit meat
1 ¼ pounds chicken livers
9 ounces white bread
1 ¼ cups milk
canola oil
5 bay leaf
1 ¼ pounds thinly sliced slab bacon
9 ounces fresh, unsalted pork fatback, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons cognac, or other brandy

ACCOMPANIMENTS
Dijon mustard
Cornichons
Radishes
Fleur de sel and black pepper

FOR THE SPICE MIXTURE: Grind the salts, thyme, nutmeg, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a coffee or spice grinder. Set aside.

FOR THE PATE: Cut the rabbit into 1-inch cubes. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.) Place in a medium bowl. Clean any fat, sinew, or dark spots from the livers. Add to the rabbit, then add the ground spices and toss well, being sure to coat the rabbit and livers evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.

About 30 minutes before grinding the meat, remove the crusts from the bread and tear the bread into pieces no more than an inch across. Place in a medium bowl, add the milk, and set aside to soak.

Brush a 2 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-3-inch-high lidded terrine (see Sources, page 330) with a light coating of oil. Line the terrine with plastic wrap, leaving about a 6-inch overhang on all four sides. Arrange the 5 bay leaves in a line down the bottom of the terrine (this will be the presentation side of the terrine). Line the terrine with the bacon slices, beginning with one end of a bacon slice just slightly past center and the opposite end overhanging the side of the terrine. Continue working around the terrine, overlapping the slices by 1/8 inch; they shouldn't overlap by much more or the bacon will be too thick. The ends of the bacon that overlap in the center of the terrine should overlap by about 1/4 inch. If necessary, use scissors to trim the bacon so that the overhang is 3 inches. Place the terrine in a deep roasting pan that is at least three-quarrers of the height of the terrine. Preheat the oven to 300F.

Fit a meat grinder with a large-holed die. (Be sure that it is bolted securely.) Place a stainless steel bowl set in a bowl of ice under the grinder to catch the ground mixture. First grind the marinated meat mixture, then grind the bread and milk mixture into the bowl. Mix the meat and bread together and transfer to another bowl. Return the first bowl to the ice. Change the grinder die to the smaller one and grind the mixture a second time. Then run the fatback through the grinder into the bowl. To clean any mixture trapped in the grinder, cut a piece of plastic wrap 3 to 4 inches square and run it into the machine. Once it pushes out any remaining mixture, stop the grinder. (You can remove the plastic wrap when you clean the machine.)

Mix the egg yolks and cognac together in a small bowl, then stir into the pate with a rubber spatula, making certain the the fat is evenly distributed throughout.

Pack the mixture into the terrine, being careful to avoid air pockets, especially in the corners. Fold the bacon over the terrine, beginning at the two short ends. Then use one side of the plastic wrap to lift one long side of the strips of bacon over to the center. Lift up the plastic wrap and repeat with the second side, then, over the top with the plastic wrap and the lid. Place the terrine in a roasting pan.

Add enough warm water to the roasting pan to come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the terrine. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until the center of the terrine registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. (The lid of most terrines has a hole through which you can place a thermometer.) Remove the roasting pan from the oven and then the terrine from the pan; place on a cooling rack set over a small baking sheet (to catch the fat later). Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Cut a piece of cardboard to fit over the surface of the pate and wrap the cardboard in aluminum foil. Puncture the plastic wrap at each end of the terrine and tilt the terrine at each end to drain any fat. Place the cardboard on the terrine and top with several heavy weights, such as clean bricks. (If the weights are resting on the sides of the terrine, add an additional layer or more of cardboard so the weights are sitting on the cardboard, not on the rim of the terrine, so they can compress the pate.) Refrigerate the weighted pate for 24 hours.

TO SERVE: Remove the weights and cardboard from the terrine. Lift up the pate with the overhang of plastic wrap to release it from the mold, then replace it in the terrine. (If the pate doesn't release, fill the sink or other large container with warm water and dip the terrine in just long enough to soften the fat and release the pate.) Carefully run a knife around the edges of the pate and invert it onto a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Serve with a pot of Dijon mustard, cornichons, radishes, fleur de sel, and ground pepper.

Grilled Delights

2010-05-02T20:00:00.003+01:00

We had a good crowd around Saturday night. The weather was gorgeous and we got the grill going for each of the three courses. All are Bobby Flay recipes. All were delicious. I have to say, the steak was the highlight for me. It was perfectly cooked and the beef of high quality. One diner remarked that getting into our house for dinner carries with it some level of exclusivity. He said, "It's like if you don't get in when you're invited, you won't get another reservation here for months." Here's everything we made:

Appetizers:
-Guacamole
-Ancho-Red Pepper Sauce

Starter:
-Grilled Squid and Sweet Onion Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
-Red Chile Oil
-Cilantro Oil

Main Course:
-Black Pepper-Ancho-Crusted Strip Steaks with Hot-and-Sweet Mint Glaze
-Maple-Glazed Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Dessert:
-Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone

Guacamole
5 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The guacamole can be made a few hours in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)

Ancho-Red Pepper Sauce
5 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup red onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cans plum tomato
3 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 ancho chiles, blistered, soaked, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

First prepare the peppers and the chilies. Preheat the broiler to high and get a small saucepan of water boiling. Do the chilies first, tearing them into flat pieces, discarding the seeds and the membranes inside. In a medium sized skillet over high heat, put the chilies in the skillet (in batches if necessary) and allow the skins to blister and change color. When they are all finished, cover them with the boiling water and put something over the top of them to weight them down. Let them soak for 20-30 minutes.

For the peppers, lay some foil out on a baking tray and drizzle some olive oil on it. I like to slice the peppers into flat pieces first before roasting, so that I can lay them all flat and not have to deal with turning them in the oven. Lay the pepper pieces out on the tray and move them around to coat them in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place under the broiler (4-6 inches away from the heat source) and roast until the peppers have a fair amount of blackness on the skins, about 12-16 minutes.

Leaving the broiler on, pull the peppers out and, using a paring knife, work to separate the blackened skins from the peppers. Discard the charred skins and roughly chop the peppers. Strain the ancho chilies (when ready) and roughly chop. Now these are ready for inclusion in the sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, and anchos, and cook until the tomatoes break down and liquid thickens, 20 to 30 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth. Add the vinegar, honey and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and pulse a few times just to combine it all.
Grilled Squid and Sweet Onion Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
4 plum tomatoes, halved
¼ cup olive oil, plus 2 T
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 lb. medium squid, including tentacles, cleaned
4 ounces arugula
4 ounces frisee, torn into bite-sized pieces
GREEN CHILE VINAIGRETTE (see below)
chives, chopped, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the tomatoes with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, seed and dice the tomatoes.

Preheat a grill to high or a grill pan over high heat.

Brush the onions and squid with the 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.

Grill the squid on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Combine the onions, squid, arugula, and frisee in a large serving bowl. Toss with some of the green chile vinaigrette. Transfer to a platter and top with the roasted tomatoes and chives and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Green Chile Vinaigrette
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Combine the poblanos, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, 1/4 cup of water, and honey in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Add the cilantro and blend for 5 seconds more. There should be flecks of the cilantro in the vinaigrette. This can be made up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated.

Red Chile Oil
5 guajillo chiles, toasted and seeded
1 cup canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the guajillos, oil, and salt in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl. This can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Cilantro Oil
1 ½ cups canola oil
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems included
10 fresh spinach leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the oil, cilantro, spinach, and salt in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (don't press on he solids, or the oil will get cloudy) into a bowl. This can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Black Pepper-Ancho-Crusted Strip Steaks with Hot-and-Sweet Mint Glaze
FOR THE GLAZE:
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE FILETS:
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon salt
4x8 ounce strip steaks
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola

GLAZE
Whisk together the mustard, honey, horseradish, and mint in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

FILETS
Heat your grill to high.

Combine the pepper, ancho powder, and salt in a small bowl. Rub each filet on one side with the spice mixture and drizzle with the oil. Set aside a few tablespoons of glaze to brush on the cooked filets.

Grill the filets spiced side down until the bottom is lightly charred and crusty, about 4 minutes. Turn the filets over, reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill, and brush the top with the glaze. Grill, brushing often with the glaze, until medium-rare, about 4 minutes more.

Remove the filets to a cutting board and brush with the reserved glaze. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Maple-Glazed Grilled Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes (do not peel)
¾ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Salt
¼ cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until soft but not mushy (you should still feel resistance when you stick a small knife through the center), 25 to 35 minutes.

Have ready a bowl of cold water. Drain the potatoes, put them in the cold water, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and quarter each one lengthwise.(The potatoes can be cooked a few hours in advance, covered, and set aside at room temperature. Don't cut them until you're ready to grill.)

Heat your grill to high.

Whisk together the maple syrup, ancho powder, and salt to taste in a small bowl. Brush the potatoes with oil. Grill until golden, about 3 minutes. Brush with the maple glaze and continue grilling, brushing often with the glaze, until the potatoes are glazed, lightly charred, and heated through, about 3 minutes more.
Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone
1 cup dark rum
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
8 ounces mascazpone
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
½ cup fresh blueberries

Combine the rum, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer, whisking often, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, cooled, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a sharp knife. Whisk the mascarpone and vanilla seeds together. (The mascarpone can be made a day in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)

Heat your grill to high.

Grill the pineapple slices, brushing frequently with the glaze, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the pineapple to a platter or serving plates and top each slice with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.

Crab and Cucumber Linguine

2010-04-28T11:37:00.002+01:00

Many of you know that I like cutting edge cuisine and that I have a bit of a fascination with it. But aside from foams, gels and "airs", I like simple stuff, too. This dish is a simple, yummy plate of food. It would not have been had I used second-rate crab meat; it's the main ingredient. There is simply nowhere to hide.

I added some garlic and the zest of the lemons along with everything else and finished it with a garlic and chile-infused olive oil. Great interplay between the citrusy and fresh lemon with the chile heat and good crab meatiness. I had leftover dill and used that, which brought an added lift. Quick to throw together, too!

400 g Iinguine
1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes or 2 fresh red chillies
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber
2 large dressed crabs and 6 large claws, yielding about 250g brown meat and 200g white
juice and zest 2 large lemons
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley or dill
6-8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, then drain and return to the saucepan. Meanwhile, place the chile flakes in an egg cup, just cover with boiling water and leave for a few minutes until soft. If using fresh chillies, trim and split them, scraping away the seeds. Slice into skinny strips and then into tiny dice.

Remove the skin from the cucumber with a potato peeler. Split it in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds and their watery surround. Thinly slice the cucumber into half moons. In a bowl, mix together the drained chile flakes or fresh chile, garlic, dressed crab, juice and zest from half of the lemons and the chopped parsley (or dill) and season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Crack the crab claws and scrape the meat off the flat central 'bone', leaving it in big chunks, directly into the mixture. Slowly stir in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil to make a thick but slack mixture.

Stir the cucumber and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the drained pasta, stirring to mix thoroughly and encouraging the cucumber to wilt slightly. Now add the crab mixture, adding more lemon juice or oil to taste. Serve with forks and spoons.

Brined Pork Chops

2010-04-27T11:25:00.003+01:00

What do you think of when I say pork chops? One of two things I bet:

1) A horrible, hockey puck-like piece of grey leather that you used to eat when you were a kid

2) A totally wonderful, amazing, soft and juicy piece of meat that you wish you could have every day

The memory of Option 1 is hard to erase. I am here to tell you it is possible (and easy!) to achieve Option 2 results. The key is using a brine, and using a meat thermometer.

Let's clear something up straight away. Pork SHOULD be pink. It's OK. Now, you wouldn't want to cook it rare, but more of a medium rare (around 140-145F) is fine. In fact, it's perfect. Anything above that, and you're getting into hockey puck land. So get a thermometer and pay attention to the temp for consistent results.

Here's another thing. Vanessa is getting bolder in the kitchen about tackling new things to cook. I didn't touch these. She made these all by herself. And they were amazing. Just a little science and some brine are all that's keeping you from having consistently spectacular pork chops every time.

8 cups water
¼ cup coarse salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, smashed
4 loin pork chops (each about 1 1/2 inches thick)
¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
Mix together the water, coarse salt and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

When mixture is at room temperature, strain it over the pork chops (they must be completely immersed in the brine). Marinate chops in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

When ready to cook. remove chops from brine and dry them with a towel. Place oil in a
heavy saute pan that's large enough to hold the chops in a single layer without crowding; place the pan over moderate heat. Add the chops. After a minute or so, using tongs, shift them slightly in the pan to make sure they're not sticking. Cook until well browned on the first side, about 8 minutes. Turn over and brown on the other side. Cook further, turning occasionally, until the chops reach an internal temperature of 137F. (NOTE: You'll want to let these rest on a plate for 5 minutes or so, as they will continue cooking a bit. The resting helps the juices redistribute and the meat relax so that is REABSORBS the juices). Remove from pan, season and serve immediately.

Grilled T-Bone Steak Tuscan Style (Bistecca alla Fiorentina), Cannellini Beans

2010-04-26T10:05:00.002+01:00

Saturday saw some gorgeous weather. It's days like these the cry out for the use of a grill. Fortunately, the weather folks have been fairly accurate around here for the most part, so we were able to put an order in for a giant T-bone steak through our local meat market.

We had Steak Florentine for the first time in Florence, Italy. It was in this little out-of-the-way place that wasn't geared toward tourists. The steak was thick, gutsy and served rare. It was wonderful and simple. This recipe is a reasonable replica, I think. The key here is a steak that is at least 1 1/4" thick. And did I mention that it has to be rare?

Anyhow, we did it up with some cannellini beans that we had soaked and then cooked down in some veggies and herbs, finishing them off in a pan with some butter, olive oil and some more herbs. All served with a fantastic Malbec. Delicious and simple, this serves 4.

2 T-bone steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
¼ cup minced garlic
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat a gas grill to high and leave one burner off. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a light coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed on one side of the grill. Clean the cooking grate.

Brush the steaks with a bit of the oil and season generously with the garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary.

Grill the steaks over direct heat until marked, about 2 minutes on each side. Move the steaks to the cooler part of the grill and continue to grill over indirect medium heat until medium-rare, another 6 to 7 minutes on each side.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board or a large platter. Drizzle each of the steaks with 2 tsp more olive oil and finish by sprinkling the steaks with lemon juice.

Let the steaks rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before carving into slices. Serve on a heated platter or plates.

Drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Cannellini Beans

2 cups cannellini or other small, dried white beans
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and halved
1 celery rib
1 sprig of fresh tarragon
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FINISH
2 knobs butter
1 generous glug of olive oil
additonal rosemary and thyme, chopped

Rinse and pick over the beans and place them in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper and enough water to cover by 3 inches (about 8 cups). Bring the beans to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender. (Begin checking after about 45 minutes.)

Remove the beans from the heat and allow them to cool in the cooking liquid. Discard the aromatic vegetables and herbs. Use the beans immediately or store in the cooking liquid in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

To finish, heat the butter and olive oil in a pan until the butter is melted and starting to bubble and foam. Dump the beans in and stir to coat. Season with salt, pepper and the herbs. Serve hot.

Coq au Vin

2010-04-19T10:14:00.002+01:00

If you look back through these posts, you'll find a few meals we've done out of the Les Halles Cookbook, by Anthony Bourdain (of 'No Reservations' fame). You might notice a trend with these recipes, namely, that they have all been knockouts. Not just good.....KNOCKOUTS. This one is no exception.

This takes two days to throw together, the first day simply getting the marinade together and soaking the bird. The second day, doing the actual cooking. This dish TASTES like a two-day project. It tastes like your French grandmother made it.

The key to our success here was not rushing anything, using a wonderful free-range organic chicken, using good wines and lastly, using a temperature probe for the chicken. Had we left it in the pot according to recipe directions, it might have gone a bit dry. When the chicken got to 163F, we pulled it out and let it rest a bit while finishing the sauce.

This was absolutely wonderful and easy to produce.

1 liter red wine, plus 1 cup
1 onion, cut into a 1-inch/2.5-cm dice
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch/6-mm slices
1 celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch/1-cm slices
4 whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
1.3 kg chicken, guts, wingtips and neckbone removed
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon flour
112 g slab bacon, cut into lardons 1/4 by 1 inch
225 g small, white button mushrooms, stems removed
12 pearl onions, peeled
1 pinch sugar

DAY ONE
The day before you even begin to cook, combine the bottle of red wine, the diced onion (that's the big onion; not the pearl onions), sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns, and bouquet garni in a large, deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so that all of it is covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY TWO
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Put it aside. Strain the marinade through the fine strainer, reserving the liquids and solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. In the large Dutch oven, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter until almost smoking, and then sear the chicken, turning with the tongs to evenly brown the skin. Once browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside again. Add the reserved onions, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and golden brown. That should take you about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix well with the wooden spoon so that the vegetables are coated. Now stir in the reserved strained marinade. Put the chicken back in the pot, along with the bouquet garni. Cook this for about 1 hour and 15 minutes over low heat.

Have a drink. You're almost there ...

While your chicken stews slowly in the pot, cook the bacon lardons in the small saute pan over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels, making sure to keep about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan. Saute the mushroom tops in the bacon fat until golden brown. Set them aside.

Now, in the small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, the pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add just enough water to just cover the onions, then cover the pan with the parchment paper trimmed to the same size as your pan. (I suppose you can use foil if you must.) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated. Keep a close eye on it. Remove the paper cover and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown.

Set the onions aside and add the remaining cup of red wine to the hot pan, scraping up all the fond on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and reduce over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Your work is pretty much done here. One more thing and then it's wine and kudos ...

When the chicken is cooked through-meaning tender, the juice from the thigh running clear when pricked-carefully remove from the liquid, cut into quarters, and arrange on the deep serving platter. Strain the cooking liquid (again) into the reduced red wine. Now just add the bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Now pour that sauce over the chicken and dazzle your friends with your brilliance. Serve with buttered noodles and a Bourgogne Rouge.

IMPROVISATION
If you are a bold adventurer, and live near a live-poultry market or friendly pork butcher, you might want to play around a bit after doing this recipe a few times. By cutting back on the flour and thickening with fresh pig or chicken blood, you will add a whole new dimension to the dish. Be warned, though: add the blood slowly. It doesn't take much to make the sauce sit up like a rock. (Blood freezes nicely, by the way, so you might consider keeping a stash in small, individual packets. You never know when you'll need it.)

The Magic of Sous Vide

2010-04-13T00:09:00.003+01:00

No big recipes this time. Just dropping in to say that I got out the ol' water bath again over the weekend and had some fun. The first, the 64.4C poached egg, which turned the yolk into a nifty soft spread and turned the whites barely set. Really interesting stuff and a great texture.

Next was a few lamb steaks, which I did at 57.5C, throwing in a few sprigs of rosemary, a pat of butter, salt and pepper and some crushed garlic cloves. After 4 hours, the connective tissues in the steaks had completely broken down and the steak had gone extremely soft and succulent. The lighting wasn't so good in the photo (it was much pinker in real life), but I can assure you, the lamb was cooked a perfect medium-rare, all the way through. The seasonings had worked their way in there and after a quick sear in the pan (basting with butter) and reducing the cooking juices, it was magic.

More sous vide experiments to come! Watch this space......

Pan-Seared Scallop and Black Pudding with Minted Pea Puree

2010-04-10T12:41:00.002+01:00

I came up with this idea when we scored some black pudding recently. Black pudding plays really well with scallops, which we now have a totally reliable source for in town. Mint is a nice, fresh, cool herb which really cut through the richness of the black pudding. Bacon is a good idea, just in general.

All in all, this is one of my more balanced dishes. No overpowering flavors, everything seemed to work in harmony. I am proud of this one!

SHALLOT AND BACON FOAM
1 shallot, diced
3 strips bacon, coarsley chopped
2 cups skim milk

PEA PUREE
200 g peas, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons butter
4 sprigs mint, leaves only
100 milliliters cooking liquid from the peas

SCALLOPS
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 large scallops
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

BLACK PUDDING
6 slices black pudding, about 1/2" thick

First, make the shallot and bacon foam. Get a saucepan hot over medium high heat. Put the bacon and shallot in there and cook down for 7-9 minutes. Pour the milk over the top and heat until the milk just starts to bubble. Turn the heat off, cover the pan, and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.

Now, make the pea puree. Get a pot of water to the boil. Dump the peas in and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they are just cooked and are a vibrant green color. Strain, saving some of the liquid.

Put the peas in a blender with the butter, mint, salt and pepper and some of the cooking liquid. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a clean pan. If it is too thin, bring to a low simmer and reduce it down to desired consistency. If too thick, add some cooking liquid or water. It is now ready to warm up just prior to serving.

To finish the foam, strain out the bacon and shallot and put the milk into a clean saucepan. Heat until it just starts to bubble. Pull off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender put just on the surface to get some froth going. You'll spoon this froth off to put on the scallops later.

Get a non-stick skillet hot over medium-high heat. When hot, put the black pudding slices in it and cook for about 3 minutes on the first side (until well-colored) then flip them over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

While you are cooking the black pudding, get a skillet (NOT non-stick) hot over medium-high heat. Season the scallops on both sides. Drizzle some oil in the skillet when hot, and add the scallops. Cook each scallop until well-colored on the bottom (about 45 seconds to a minute). Then flip them over (in the same order you put them in the pan), put the butter in the pan, and cook for an additional 30-45 seconds until done, all while basting the scallops with the melted butter. When done, pull them out and set them on some paper towel to drain a bit.

To finish, lay some pea puree down on a plate. Place three slices of black pudding, top them with the scallops. Put some bacon and shallot foam on the scallops and around the plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.

Quick Halibut Seviche with Grapefruit and Chiles

2010-04-06T23:31:00.002+01:00

Our springtime food orgy continues with another simple, yet powerfully-flavored dish. Nice fresh cool mint balances the chile and Tabasco heat with a nice blast of citrus from the grapefruit. This couldn't be easier and was yummy.

1 lb. halibut fillet
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup grapefruit juice, plus 2 T
1 whole grapefruit
½ teaspoon garlic, very finely minced
2 tablespoons red chiles, very finely minced
1 tablespoon green chiles, very finely minced
2 tablespoons mint, chiffonade
coarse salt, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

With a very sharp knife, cut the halibut into thin, broad slices. Place in a howl and toss with the lime juice and grapefruit juice. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

While the halibut is sitting, cut the grapefruit in half crosswise and, using a grapefruit knife, cur cut pieces of grapefruit. Slice each in half lengthwise.

When ready to serve seviche, drain the liquid completely from the halibut and discard liquid. Add grapefruit pieces to the fish with the garlic, red chilies, green chilies, and mint. Toss gently. Divide among 6 plates, laying our the strips of halibut flatly on each plate. Season with coarse salt, sprinkle with hot sauce, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Chile-Marinated Pork with Black Bean Salsa (Puerco en Adobo con Salsa de Frijoles Negros)

2010-04-06T10:02:00.002+01:00

Just a quick little throw-together with some leftover pork tenderloin we had in the freezer. The nicer weather has lent itself to a whole host of fresh, zippy springtime food and this one was no exception. The salsa has a wonderful kick and texture next to the juicy marinated pork.
Chile-Marinated Pork with Black Bean Salsa (Puerco en Adobo con Salsa de Frijoles Negros)

1 pound pork tenderloins, trimmed
2-4 chipotle chile peppers, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, or 1/4 small red onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
salt and black pepper
3 cups BLACK BEAN SALSA (recipe follows)
¼ cup CUMIN-SCENTED SOUR CREAM
1 pomegranate , seeds only

Arrange the pork in a 13 X 9" glass or ceramic baking dish.

In a food processor or blender, combine the chile peppers, garlic, shallots or onions, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, oregano, and allspice. Puree until smooth.

Spoon the marinade evenly over the pork. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Turn 2 or 3 times while marinating.

Preheat the grill or broiler to medium-high.

Season the pork with salt and black pepper. Grill or broil the pork 4" from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature registers 160F on a meat thermometer. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let stand for 3 minutes. Thinly slice on the diagonal.

Mound 2/3 cup of the salsa in the center of each of 4 dinner plates. Divide the pork among the plates, fanning our the slices around the salsa. Squirt or dollop the sour cream over the pork. Sprinkle each dish with the pomegranate seeds.

Black Bean Salsa (Salsa de Frijoles Negros)

2 cups black beans, cooked or rinsed and drained canned
½ small red onion, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 poblano chile pepper or 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
½-1 habanero chile pepper or 1-2 Jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and minced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
salt and ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, onions, red bell peppers, celery, poblano chile peppers or green bell peppers, habanero or jalapeno chile peppers, cilantro, and lime juice. Toss to mix. Season with salt and black pepper.

Christening the Grill

2010-04-05T11:11:00.002+01:00

Now that I actually have open space, to include a yard and a garage, it was high time I got myself a grill. Those who visited us in the UK know that there was simply nowhere to put a grill. Also, the weather there was rarely nice enough to really do a lot of grilling. So we waited. And waited.

My friend Alex helped me assemble it, a Brinkmann which has a gas side and a charcoal/smoker side (to appease Vanessa) and a side burner. It's a pretty grown up grill.

Well we had some folks around and it was pretty good food. I'll have to work on my technique a bit; I'm going for something a bit less along the lines of throw-it-on-and-hope-for-the-best and more solid grilling fundamentals.

In any case, the recipes delivered. Really classic barbecue flavors, nice and smoky.
Black Jack Chicken Breasts

2 cups apple cider
½ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
8 chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
2 cups BLACKJACK BARBECUE SAUCE (see next)

To make the marinade: Combine the apple cider, cider vinegar, shallots, garlic, 1 tsp of the salt, and 1/2 tsp of the pepper in a zip-close bag. Add the chicken pieces and seal the bag, pressing out the air. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 and up to 12 hours.

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high; leave one burner off. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a moderate coating of while ash. Spread the coals in an even bed on one side of the grill. Clean the cooking grate.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting any excess drain off. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.

Grill the chicken over direct heat until marked on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Finish cooking the chicken over indirect heat, covered, turning every few minutes and brushing with the barbecue sauce, until the chicken Is cooked through (165F) and the juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Serve on a heated platter or plates.

Black Jack Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced small
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup chili powder
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno, or to taste
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup apple cider or apple juice

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder and jalapeno, and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Use immediately, or let cool to room temperature before storing in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Barbecued Spare Ribs with Apricot-Ancho Glaze

3 tablespoons paprika
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 ½ tablespoons packed brown sugar
¾ teaspoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
8 lbs. pork spareribs
4 cups APRICOT-ANCHO BARBECUE GLAZE (see below)

Make a rub by combining the paprika, cayenne, sugar, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture generously and evenly over the pork ribs. Place the ribs in a pan, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 24 hours before barbecuing.

Preheat a gas grill to medium and leave one burner off. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a moderate coating of while ash. Spread the coals in an even bed on one side of the grill. Clean the cooking grate.

Grill the pork ribs over direct heat, covered, until the ribs are browned on both sides, about 15 minutes per side. (If desired, add wood chips to the grill, either directly onto the hot coals or in a small aluminum pan over one of the burners.)

Bring the glaze to a simmer in a saucepan; reserve 2 cups of the glaze (and keep warm) to pass with the spare ribs. Brush the ribs with a light layer of the remaining barbecue glaze and continue to grill over indirect heat, turning the ribs every 5 to 10 minutes and brushing with sauce after each turn, until the ribs are very tender and a rich glaze has built up on the ribs, another 20 minutes.

Remove the pork ribs from the grill and cut into portions. Serve on a heated platter or plates. Pass the reserved barbecue glaze on the side.

Apricot-Ancho Barbecue Glaze
6 strips bacon, chopped
1 ½ cups yellow onion, small dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¾ cup ketchup
¾ cup orange juice
¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup malt vinegar
2 ancho chiles, diced
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Saute the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic, about 1 minute.

Add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer until the apricots are very soft, about 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Transfer to a blender and puree until relatively smooth. The glaze is ready to use now, or it can be cooled and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Short Ribs in Barolo (Brasato al Barolo) - featuring KOBE BEEF

2010-04-04T16:05:00.002+01:00

I ordered some waygu beef (AKA Kobe) from Snake River Farms online. I also ordered a whole pork belly, which we haven't cooked yet.

In any case, we shelled out for some good Barolo to have with this. Waygu beef is the finest in the world, which has everything to do with how the animals are reared. Check out the fat marbling:

This was amazing. Deep, rich and sexy. Also, dead simple to make. I highly recommend it next time to want to drop some money and some really quality ingredients.

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium carrot, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups Barolo or other hearty red wine
2 cups BASIC TOMATO SAUCE (recipe follows)

Basic Tomato Sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, 1/4" dice
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
½ medium carrot, finely shredded
4 cans whole tomatoes
salt

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook until the carrot is quite soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, with their juice, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer until as thick as hot cereal, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 6 months.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, brown the meat all over, turning frequently, until dark golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and set aside.

Pour the excess oil out of the pot. Add the onions, carrot, celery and pancetta and cook until the vegetables are light brown and starting to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.

Add the meat and bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer the meat to a festive platter.

Bring the cooking liquid to the boil and reduce to 2 1/2 cups. Season with salt and pepper, pour over the meat, and serve immediately.

Sweet-and-Sour Pork (tang cu Ii ji)

2010-03-31T23:58:00.001+01:00

Fuschia Dunlop is a genius. Her non-Westernized Sichuan food is authentic and amazing. While usually pretty easy to prepare (provided you have a few staple pantry items) they have always been PACKED with flavor. This is one of our favorites and is NOTHING LIKE the gloopy, radiation-orange version found in lesser shopping mall food courts.

PORK
300 g pork tenderloin
groundnut oil for deep-frying

BATTER
2 eggs
50 g potato flour

MARINADE
⅓ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine

SAUCE
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons Chinkiang or black Chinese vinegar
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 ½ teaspoons potato flour
3 spring onions, green parts only
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped
200 ml EVERYDAY STOCK or chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Trim any fat from the meat. Cut it into slices 1 cm thick, and then cut these into 1 cm strips. Place in a bowl. Add the marinade ingredients, mix well and leave for 30 minutes.

Combine the salt, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and potato flour for the sauce in a small bowl. Finely slice the spring onion greens.

Heat oil for deep-frying to 150C. Beat the eggs together. In a bowl, mix the 50g of potato flour with enough beaten egg to make a custardy batter - about 1 1/2 eggs. When the oil is hot, mix the batter with the pork strips. Drop some of the battered strips into the oil, adding them individually to prevent sticking, and stir with long chopsticks to separate. Fry the strips at about 150C for 3 minutes or so, until they are just cooked through. Remove and drain. Repeat with more pork strips until you have cooked the lot.

Reheat the deep-frying oil to 190C, add the pork strips in one or two batches and deep-fry them until they are crisp and golden. Remove, drain and place on your serving dish. Keep them warm while you prepare the sauce.

Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a clean wok over a medium flame. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until they are fragrant. Add all the stock, bring the liquid to the boil and then add the prepared sauce ingredients from the small bowl. Stir briskly as the liquid thickens, then add the spring onions and sesame oil, stir once or twice and pour the sauce Over the waiting pork strips. Serve immediately.

Chicken Piccata

2010-03-31T23:54:00.002+01:00

We like a quick-hitting, good-tasting meal during the week... especially since I have been working longer hours. Luckily, Vanessa has started to embrace the kitchen a bit and has really turned out some nice stuff. If nothing else, she has done all of the prep work making the actual cooking a snap. She has also taken on the role of Chief Baker, with wonderful results.

Chicken Piccata is quick and delicious. A squeeze of lime is all it needs at the end to bring it altogether.

2 boneless chicken breasts, in half
salt and black pepper
flour, for dredging, plus 1 tsp
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallion, chopped
½ cup sweet vermouth, sherry, white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and lightly crushed
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced (or cut in half for squeezing)

Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, on a sheet of plastic wrap; fold the wrap over to cover. Using the mallet, pound each breast to a uniform thickness 1/4 inch. Season the chicken liberally with the salt and pepper, dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess.

In a heavy skillet just big enough to hold all the chicken, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. When the oil and butter stop sizzling, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until just brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour off any grease from the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.

Add the onion to the skillet and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and the scallions and saute 1 more minute. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the flour over the vegetables and toss to combine.

Deglaze the pan with vermouth and the lemon juice. Add the capers and toss to combine. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and reduce heat to low, simmering until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, and serve on warm platter garnished with the parsley and lemon slices.

Fish Fillets with Fresh Tomatoes, Capers and Olives (Pescado a la Veracruzana)

2010-03-30T10:20:00.003+01:00

This is a great Rick Bayless recipe, which really tastes of summer. Even though it has been raining like crazy around here recently, this was a nice respite from the crappy weather. While this is a Mexican dish from Veracruz (on the Gulf coast), you really get the Mediterranean influence with the capers and olives. I could have just as easily tossed this sauce with some pasta and been quite happy with it. As it was, we wound up with the some really meaty, lovely halibut fillets.

Easy to throw together and delicious.

FOR THE FISH
1 ½ lbs. fish fillets like red snapper or halibut, boneless, skinless, preferably in 4 pieces each 1/2 inch thick
lime juice
1 pinch salt

FOR THE SAUCE
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably part olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 medium ripe tomatoes, roasted or boiled (page 352), peeled and cored OR 3 cans good-quality tomatoes, lightly drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
20 meaty green olives (preferably manzanillo), pitted and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Spanish capers
2 medium pickled jalapenos, store-bought or homemade (page 48), stemmed, seeded and sliced into strips
1 tablespoon pickling juices from the chiles
1 ½ teaspoons mixed dried herbs (such as marjoram and thyme)
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish
3 bay leaves
1" cinnamon stick
2 cloves
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, very coarsely ground
1 cup light-flavored FISH BROTH, bottled clam juice or water
salt, if necessary

1. THE FISH.
Rinse the fillets, lay them in a noncorrosive dish and sprinkle them with lime juice and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour.

2. THE SAUCE.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium, aid the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 7 or minutes.

While the onion is cooking, cut the peeled fresh tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out the seeds into a strainer set over a small bowl. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Collect all the juices on the cutting board and add to the tomatoes, along with those strained from the seeds. Canned tomatoes need only be lightly drained, then cut into 1-inch pieces, collecting the juices as you go.

Add the garlic to the lightly browned onion and stir for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes and their juice. Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce some of the liquid.

Divide the olives and capers between two small bowls, and set one aside to use as garnish. To the other bowl, add the jalapeno strips, pickling juice, mixed herbs and chopped parsley. If you don't wish to have the whole bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves or cracked pepper in the finished sauce, wrap them in cheesecloth and tie with a string; otherwise, add them directly to the bowl containing the herbs.

When the tomatoes are ready, add the mixture of pickled things, herbs and spices, along with the fish broth (or clam juice or water). Cover and simmer 10 minutes, then taste for salt (and remove the cheesecloth-wrapped spices).

3. FINISHING THE DISH.
Fifteen minutes before serving, remove the fillets from the refrigerator and rinse them again. Either poach them in the sauce on top of the stove or bake in the sauce, as follows:

STOVE-TOP METHOD: Nestle the fish fillets in the sauce so they are well covered. Set the lid on the pan and place over a medium heat. After 4 minutes, turn the fillets over, re-cover and cook 2 or 3 minutes longer, until a fillet will flake under firm pressure.

THE BAKING METHOD: Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the fillets in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish. Spoon the sauce over them, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fish just flakes when pressed firmly with a fork at the thickest part.

Serve the poached or baked fillets on warm dinner plates with lots of the sauce, garnished with a sprinkling of the reserved capers and olives and a sprig of parsley.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin a la Rodriguez with Guava Glaze and Orange-Habanero Mojo

2010-03-23T09:09:00.002Z

This was a great and simple dish. Vanessa gets the credit for putting the components together while I was at work. All it took was cooking the tenderloins in the oven and throwing some arugula on a plate. The simplicity : awesomeness ratio of the guava glaze was amazing. Fruity with the zip of Dijon mustard and a bit of sweetness from the orange juice. Genius. I would have happily just sat there and eaten the glaze, personally.

FOR THE GLAZE:
1 cup guava jelly or apricot jam
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup orange juice, preferably fresh
salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MOJO:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups orange juice
½ cup lime juice
½ habanero chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PORK:
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 pounds each
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

GLAZE
Whisk the ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The glaze can
be made a few days in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

MOJO
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook,
stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes; do not brown. Add the orange juice,lime juice, and
habanero and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half.Whisk in the cilantro and cumin
and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The mojo can be made a few hours in advance
and set aside at room temperature.)

PORK
Heat your grill to high. Set aside a few tablespoons of glaze for brushing the cooked pork.

Brush the pork with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, brushing often with the glaze, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Remove the pork from the grill, brush with the reserved glaze, and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with mojo and serve immediately.

Ad Hoc Dinner

2010-03-22T20:39:00.003Z

Well, we finally got settled in enough to have a bunch of people around, what, with our big new table and all. The guests included new, recent and old friends, and was a good mix of folks. The theme for the evening's menu was home cooking and everything came out of the Ad Hoc cookbook by Thomas Keller. Readers of the blog have heard me rave on and on about what an excellent chef he is, but you must know that this book contains AMAZING recipes that aren't too hard (a bit time-consuming perhaps) but DELICIOUS.

The clam chowder, I will go on record as saying, is the best I have ever tasted. A few other people told me this, too, so it HAS to be true. I think the key was the bacon. Oh, and a lot of cream and some butter. If you love chowder, you OWE it to yourself to make it.

The chicken and sausage dish was great, with lots of bold, springy flavors with good Italian sausage thrown in. The dish itself had MANY components, but was well worth it in the end. If you have never brined a chicken, I must tell you that the result is wonderful; juicy and flavorful.

We never actually got around to eating dessert, as things ran a little late. The next day Vanessa turned it into some ice cream (with an assist from some peach brandy) and we happy hoarded it for ourselves.

Clam Chowder with Bacon (Sorry no photo! We were too busy eating it!)

CHOWDER INGREDIENTS
8 ounces slab applewood-smoked bacon
canola oil
2 cups leek, coarsely chopped
2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic
kosher salt
2 pounds Yukon Gold potato, 1/2 inch dice
1 SACHET (1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs thyme, 10 black peppercorns, 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled - all wrapped in cheesecloth and tied up)

CLAMS
4 pounds littleneck or Manila clams
1 ¼ cups kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup shallot, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

SOUP LIQUID
4 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Cut the bacon into lardons that measure 1 x 1/2".

Heat some canola oil in an 8x10 quart stock pot over medium heat. Add the bacon, reduce the heat to low, and let the fat render for 20-25 minutes, stirring from time to time; the bacon should color but not crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan.

Add the leeks, onions and garlic to the pan and stir to coat with the bacon fat. Sprinkle with salt, cover with a parchment lid and cook very slowly for 30-35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Put the potatoes, sachet and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan, add cold water to cover, bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, 10 minutes. Drain and spread on a tray to cool; discard the sachet.

Use a clean souring pad to scrub any sand from the shells of the clams. Put the clams in a large bowl. Mix 8 cups of water and salt in another bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour enough of the water over the clams to cover, and soak for about 5 minutes, to purge them of any sand.

Lift the clams from the water, drain the water, and repeat the soaking one more time. Drain the clams and rinse under cold water.

When the vegetables are tender, increase the heat to medium and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour to coat the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes to take away the raw flour taste. Whisk in the milk and cream, season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a very low simmer.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Ad the shallots and thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring for about 1 minute, until the shallots are tender. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes to evaporate some of the alcohol. Add the clams, cover the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, removing the clams as they open. Strain all of the clam liquid through a fine-mesh conical strainer into a bowl.

Shell the clams and set aside.

Gently stir the clam liquid to taste into the soup (avoid any sand that may have settled in the bottom of the bowl). Season the chowder with salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in the potatoes, and add about 2/3 of the clams.

Spread the bacon in a small frying pan and crisp over medium-high heat.

Garnish the soup with the bacon, the remaining clams, and the chives.

The Chicken Dish (and all of it's parts - in the order you should make it)

Chicken Brine (enough for 10 pounds of chicken)

5 lemons, halved
24 bay leaf
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
½ cup clover honey
1 head garlic, halved through the equator
¼ cup black peppercorns
2 cups kosher salt
2 gallons water

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (Note: the chicken for this recipe brines for 12 hours. While it is brining, you can easily complete the rest of the steps)

Soffritto

3 cups Spanish onion, finely diced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 pound plum tomato
½ teaspoon garlic, minced

Combine the onions, oil and a pinch of salt in an 8-9" wide saucepan and set over medium heat. As soon as the oil starts to simmer, reduce the heat to low and set the saucepan over a diffuser (such as a Flame-Tamer) to maintain an even low heat. The onions should stew slowly but eventually caramelize; adjust the heat as necessary so that the oil continues to bubble gently. As the onions release their liquid, the oil will become cloudy, but once the moisture has evaporated, the oil will clear. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the onions are a rich golden brown (a shade darken than a golden raisin) and the oil is perfectly clear. Check the pan often; if any onions have caramelized against the side of the pan, scrape them back into the oil.

Meanwhile, for a quick tomato puree, cut the tomatoes lengthwise in half. Gently squeeze the seeds out and discard. Hold the cut side of each half against the large holes of a box grater and grate the tomato flesh; discard the skin. You will have about 1 cup of tomato puree.

Add the tomatoes to the caramelized onions and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer, or until the onions and tomatoes begin to fry in the oil; the mixture will sizzle and small bubbles with cover the entire surface. Gently stir the mixture - the tomatoes and onions will separate from the clear oil. Turn off the heat, add another pinch of salt and the garlic, and let the soffritto cool in the pan.

The soffritto with keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Drain it before using. The oil can be used to start another soffritto.

Peperonata Rustica

6 yellow bell pepper
6 red bell pepper
canola oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces piquillo peppers, drained, peeled and seeded
½ cup SOFFRITTO (from above)
1 ⅓ cups CHICKEN STOCK or VEGETABLE STOCK
¾ teaspoon piment d'Espelette
1 tablespoon chives, minced

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the bell peppers lengthwise in half to remove the stems and seeds. toss the peppers in oil to coat and salt pepper to taste. Arrange the peppers cut side down on the baking sheets, the red peppers on one, the yellow peppers on the other.

Roast the peppers until the skin is blistering, 30-35 minutes for the red and 35-40 minutes for the yellow; do not allow the edges to blacken. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or put in an airtight container with a lid.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them. Tear them lengthwise into strips about 3/4 inch wide. Tear the piquillos into strips the same way.

Combine all the peppers, the soffritto, stock and espelette in a medium saucepan over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, to soften the peppers completely an meld the flavors.

Transfer to a bowl or platter, sprinkle with chives and serve.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Sausage and Peppers

2 x 3 pound chickens
CHICKEN BRINE (from above), cold
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
canola oil
3 sweet Italian sausage
1 recipe PEPERONATA RUSTICA, (from above)
extra-virgin olive oil
fleur de sel
¼ cup parsley

Cut the chickens into 8 pieces each: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 breast halves and 2 wings.

Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken, add the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer or the chicken may become too salty).

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse under cold water, removing and herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels, or let air-dry. Season the thighs and drumsticks with salt and pepper.

Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin side down and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until the chicken is golden and the sausage is brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes (it won't be fully cooked); once the chicken is browned, turn the pieces over and sear the other side for 1 minute. Transfer the individual pieces and sausages to a plate as they are ready.

Season the chicken wings and breasts with salt and pepper, place skin-side down in the saute pan, and cook until the skin is crisp and golden and the chicken is almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Drain any remaining oil from the pan and return to the heat. Add the peperonata to the pan, bring to a simmer, and add the chicken, tucking it into the peppers. Cut the sausages in half and nestle them in the pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with fleur de sel and top with parsley leaves. Serve directly from the pan.

Peaches and Cream

MASCARPONE CREAM
4 large eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
½ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

PEACHES
2 pounds ripe peaches, preferably freestone
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Tondo balsamic

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a bowl. (It is not necessary to wash the bowl or the whisk.)

Add the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to the mixer bowl and whisk until pale and thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese. Transfer to a large bowl.

Wash the bowl and whisk, using cold water to chill them. Dry and return to the mixer stand. Add the heavy cream and whisk until medium peaks form. Fold one-third of the cream into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold in another third and then the remaining cream. Fold in the whites one-third at a time just until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2hours, or for up to 1 day.

Just before serving, slice each peach in half, twist the halves to separate, and remove and discard the pits. Cut each peach half into 4 or 5 slices. Put in a bowl and toss with the lemon zest, lemon juice and balsamic.

Spoon some of the cream into a serving bowl. Top with the peaches and garnish the top with more cream. Serve the remaining cream on the side.

(NOTE: This is how is was SUPPOSED to be served. But we turned it into ice cream. Make the cream as shown above. Cut up the paches into chunks and cook them down in 1/4 cup of sugar syrup and a splash of peach brandy. Let it cook down for 10 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered. Put the cream in the ice cream maker and when the cream hits the 'soft-serve' stage, dump the peaches and liquid in and let it churn until done. I dare you not to have some.)

Fragrant Grilled Chicken

2010-03-17T10:15:00.002Z

In that I am so tied up at school this week, Vanessa has embraced her inner cook. She made some of our favorite honey-wheat bread; the smell awaited me when I walked in the door. She also made dinner, this simple yet flavorful Thai dish.

The real story here was the sauce, which was sweet and vinegary and a little spicy all at the same time. The dish is meant to make four servings, but we ended up finishing it all. We just threw it on top of some Jasmine rice and away we went.

CHICKEN
450 g chicken breasts, skin on
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cilantro stems, finely chopped
2 small red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
cooked rice, to serve
lime wedges, to garnish

SAUCE
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped
115 g cilantro, finely chopped

Lay the chicken breast portions between two sheets of clear film (plastic wrap), baking parchment or foil and beat with the side of a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer until the meat is about half its original thickness. Place in a large, shallow dish or bowl.

Mix together the sesame oil, garlic, coriander roots, red chiles, fish sauce and sugar in a jug (pitcher), stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Cover with clear film and set aside to marinate in a cool place for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Heat the vinegar in a small pan, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the salt and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir well, then spoon the sauce into a serving bowl.

Preheat the grill (broiler) and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and baste with the marinade, then cook for 5 minutes more, or until cooked through and golden. Serve with rice and the sauce, garnished with lime wedges.

Baked Cod Fillets with Fennel and Orange

2010-03-17T10:10:00.003Z

Things have been a little hectic since school started Monday. We're finding ourselves needing to come up with quick and simple things to cook that don't sacrifice on flavor. I would have liked to use bream here, but the store was out so we used cod instead. Any white fish would do here, honestly.

Citrus, fennel and fish are always going to work, pretty much no matter what. This dish highlights this pairing and worked out rather nicely.

4x150 g cod (or bream or sea bass) fillets, (with skin, if bream or sea bass)
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed (fronds reserved if intact)
2 large oranges
75-100 ml dry white wine
2 teaspoons caster sugar
sea salt and black pepper
few basil sprigs, leaves only
olive oil, to rub and drizzle
small handful of thyme sprigs

Preheat the oven to 200C. Trim the bream fillets to neaten, and remove any pinbones with kitchen tweezers. Score the skin of each fillet at 5mm intervals. Chill until ready to cook.

Halve each fennel bulb and slice finely, using a mandoline if possible. Scatter the fennel over the base of two lightly-oiled, deep baking trays. To segment the oranges, slice off the top and bottom to just expose the flesh. Stand on a board and cut along the curve of the fruit to remove the peel and white pith . Now, holding the fruit over a sieve set on top of a bowl, cut along the membranes to release each segment. Finally, squeeze the core to extract the juices before discarding.

Scatter the orange segments over the fennel. Trickle over the reserved orange juice, then add the wine. Sprinkle with the sugar and some salt and pepper. Cover each tray with foil it and place in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the fennel is just tender.

Remove the foil and scatter the basil leaves over the oranges and fennel. Rub the bream fillets with a little olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Lay them on top of the oranges and fennel. Drizzle over a little more olive oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Scatter over the thyme sprigs.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until the fish is opaque and feels slightly firm when pressed. Divide the fennel and orange between warm plates and top with the fish fillets. Serve at once.

Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

2010-03-09T13:58:00.002Z

Well, I can't tell you how nice it is having all of our stuff under the same roof for the first time in almost four years. Among our things is the tagine, a North African cooking vessel whose name is often used interchangeably with the types of dishes cooked within it.

The conical shape of the tagine allows the aromatic steam to be contained within the cooking vessel, and as it condenses, it drips back down onto the food, reintroducing the flavor to the food being cooked. Pretty interesting and often very tasty.

This dish, without the prunes, would have been somewhat average. But WITH the prunes, it brought it to a whole new level. That fruity burst was magic with the richness of the lamb and the spices. I served this with a simple couscous which I put some almonds, cumin, salt, pepper and lemon zest into with a splash of olive oil. I topped it with some parsley, a few more almonds and sesame seeds.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 kg shoulder of lamb on the bone, cut into 6 pieces
50 g butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 beef tomato, sliced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon RAS-EL-HANOUT
½ teaspoon saffron strands
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 small bunch coriander
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 large cinnamon stick, halved
250 g dried prunes
40 g blanched almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the excess fat from the pieces of lamb and season them well. Heat the oil in a large tagine or flameproof casserole, add the lamb pieces and brown lightly all over. Lift the meat out onto a plate, add the butter and the onions and cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly browned.

Overlap the slices of tomato on top of the onions, followed by the pieces of lamb. Mix the ginger, ras el hanout, saffron and turmeric with 100 ml water and drizzle the mixture all over the lamb. Push the bunches of cilantro and parsley and the cinnamon stick into the centre of the meat, season once more lightly with salt and pepper, and pour over enough water to almost cover the meat - about another 500 ml. Cover and leave to cook over a gentle heat for 1 1/4 hours until the lamb is tender. Remove the herbs.

Meanwhile, remove the stones from the prunes and replace them with some of the toasted blanched almonds. After the lamb has been cooking for 1 1/2 hours, uncover and skim away the excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Put the prunes in among the pieces of meat and leave to simmer a little more vigorously, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes or so until the meat is almost falling off the bone, the prunes are tender and the sauce is reduced and concentrated in flavor.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Scatter the tagine with the remaining toasted almonds and the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Sea Trout Ceviche

2010-03-06T14:25:00.002Z

Well, we have managed to finally move up to Newport, Rhode Island. It has been a long week, but I am happy to say that we have managed to fully unpack and are finally getting around to the relaxation phase.

This was a quick one we whipped up during the week, which didn't require a lot of prep space, and no cooking at all. Ceviche is wonderful, and generally refers to marinating raw fish in some sort of acidic marinade (in this case, lime juice and spices). The acid "cooks" the fish if you leave it in there for a bit. This has a bit of an Indian twist to it, and comes from Atul Kochhar. It was delicious and simple.

400 g sea trout fillet, skinned
juice of 3 limes (or 3 tablespoons coconut vinegar)
½ tablespoon coconut oil or sunflower oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 small red chile, deseeded and finely sliced ~
1 small green chile, deseeded and finely sliced
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan and then ground to a powder
1 small pinch garam masala
1 small green mango, peeled, stoned and cut into thin strips
½ teaspoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
sea salt

Remove any bones from the fish and then slice it across the grain into strips 1 cm thick. Put them in a ceramic, glass or plastic container (don't use metal, which will taint the flavor). Mix the lime juice, oil, onion, chillies, cumin, garam masala, mango, palm sugar and a pinch of salt together. Mix carefully with the fish. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (but no more than 10 hours). The fish will 'cook' in the marinade and turn opaque.

Correct the seasoning to taste and stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve in chilled small, deep bowls with some of the marinating juices.

Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Chorizo

2010-02-24T12:19:00.002Z

This is the last real thing we are going to cook here in the spartan kitchens of Dahlgren. Fitting that it was something kind of awesome.

We've not had anything grit-based until the last year or so, but everything we have had has been great. This one has a Cajun-y feel to it, but I added a little something extra by way of chili powder and some smoked paprika. Next time, I will probably go with a sharper cheese. The Manchego got lost a bit against the assertive spices. A sharp Cheddar would do the trick.

Also, I threw in cilantro at the end rather than chives.

4 ounces chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch dice
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup quick-cooking grits or instant polenta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup Manchego cheese, grated
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Cook the chorizo in a heavy, medium skillet over medium heat until it is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but a thin film of fat from the skillet.

Bring 4 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to low and cook about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the grits are thick and smooth.

While the grits are cooking, add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and heat over medium-high until the butter is foaming. Cook the shrimp until just pink, turning once, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chorizo and the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds longer.

Stir the remaining tablespoon butter and the cheese into the grits and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the grits into 4 warmed bowls and top with the chorizo and shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

Baja-Style Fish Tacos with Southwestern Slaw with Mexican Crema

2010-02-21T23:29:00.002Z

We were watching some show on Food Network called "The Best _____ I Ever Ate" (or something like that) and someone came on and talked about the best fish tacos he had ever had. It got me thinking about what we had on hand and how far we would have to go to make it work. I had a rummage around and found that we only needed limes to bring it all together. A quick trip to the store sealed the deal.

I had been wanting to make these for a long time. I can't tell you how incredible these tasted. The bright, acidic lime juice running throughout, with a hint of sweetness from the honey in the slaw and some spice. Truly amazing and delicious.

Baja-Style Fish Tacos with Southwestern Slaw

2 lbs. mahi-mahi (or tilapia)
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
5 teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoons garlic, minced
salt, to taste
8x8" flour tortillas

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a moderate coating of white ash. Spread
the coals in an even bed. Clean the cooking grate.

Cut the mahi-mahi into 16 equal slices.

Combine the oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, and salt. Coat the mahi-mahi with the marinade.

Grill the fish on the first side over direct heat until the flesh is firm and well marked, about 2 minutes. Turn the fish and grill until cooked through, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more.

Grill the tortillas until they have light grill marks and are heated through, about 15 seconds on the first side. Turn the tortillas and grill them until they just start to bubble, another 15 seconds.

Center 2 pieces of grilled fish on each tortilla, and top with the Southwestern Slaw. Add a dollop of Mexican Crema, fold in half, ad some salsa and serve immediately.

Southwestern Slaw

2 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
2 teaspoons jalapenos, minced
2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste

Combine all the ingredients. Allow the mixture to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before serving.

Mexican Crema

½ cup Mexican sour cream
½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. The cream is ready to use now or it can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Vegetables with Molasses and Cider

2010-02-18T12:02:00.002Z

This was quick, easy and delicious. Still hanging onto the winter food palette here and the cider and molasses (if you don't have sorghum) is surprisingly nice and make a little sauce to put over everything at the end.

PORK
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 9 ingredients; rub over pork. Let stand 20 minutes. Heat oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink), turning after 7 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

4 servings
Cal: 166
Fat:6.3
Protein:24
Carb:2.1

VEGGIES
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
16 baby carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise (about 1 pound)
12 baby turnips, peeled and cut in half lengthwise (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sorghum
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 450°.

Place onions, carrots, and turnips on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with canola oil, and toss gently to coat. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.

Combine sorghum and vinegar. Drizzle half of sorghum mixture over carrot mixture, and toss gently to coat. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drizzle with remaining sorghum mixture. Sprinkle evenly with chopped fresh chives, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

8 servings
Cal:77
Fat:1.3
Protein:1.2
Carb:15.9

Turkey Magiritsa

2010-02-16T12:19:00.003Z

Just some good, simple Greek home cookin' here. Nice interplay of lemon and a bit of eggy-ness. I really like what the lettuce does in it, too, which is strange because it takes kind of a lot to make more common greens interesting. The herbs and the lemon give it a nice lift. AND IT IS GOOD FOR YOU.

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon flour
2 large eggs
7 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ cups onion, finely chopped
1 pinch salt
1 ½ cups turkey, cooked, shredded (light and dark meat)
1 cup short-grain rice, cooked
1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
½ cup scallion, sliced
1 tablespoon dill, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice and flour in a bowl; whisk until smooth. Add eggs; whisk until combined.

Bring 1 cup broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually add hot broth to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return egg mixture to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt, and sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add 6 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add turkey meat, and simmer 2 minutes. Add rice, and slowly whisk in egg mixture. Keep warm over low heat. Add remaining ingredients immediately before serving.

Cal:232 (35% from fat)
Fat: 9.1g (sat 1.9g,mono 4.9g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 18g
Carb: 17g

Foie Gras and Seville Orange Marmalade on French Toast

2010-02-15T01:07:00.002Z

This was complete sex on a plate. We had been looking forward to this since we decided a week or so ago that we were going to make something for Valentine's night. And what could go wrong when you use foie gras, brioche, blood oranges and sherry? Nothing.

This comes from Jose Garces, a rising star of Nuevo Latino cuisine and the recent winner of The Next Iron Chef America. A really clever combination of flavors here. I am still a bit in shock at how good it was. We both just kind of sat and stared at it after the first bite. We looked a bit like the cave-people gawking at the monolith at the beginning of '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Then we took another bite and witnessed the creation of the universe.

Yeah. It was that good.

FRENCH TOAST BATTER
3 large egg
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE
1 shallot, brunoise
½ cup peach, small dice
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
½ navel oranges, juiced
3 Seville oranges, segmented and zested
1 clove
¼ stick cinnamon
1 star anise
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

HONEY CREME FRAICHE
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
½ teaspoon honey
kosher salt, to taste

SHERRY REDUCTION
1 star anise
2 clove
1 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons glucose syrup

DISH
½ pound foie gras, cut in 2 pieces, each less than 1" thick
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 pieces brioche, crust removed, cut in 2x4x1" rectangles
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
sea salt, to taste

FRENCH TOAST BATTER
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a hand blender, puree until smooth. Chill.

SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE
In a saucepan over low heat, sweat shallots and dried peaches in oil until the peaches are very soft. Add orange juice and zest and continue to cook.

In a separate saute pan over medium heat, toss the spices for 1 minute to toast. Grind spices.

Add spices, sugar and honey to dried-peach mixture. Cook over low heat until almost all of the liquid is gone. Fold in orange segments, vinegar and olive oil. Spread the mixture on a tray and refrigerate. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Marmalade can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

HONEY CREME FRAICHE
In a bowl, whisk creme fraiche and honey. The creme fraiche will loosen once you add the honey, so whisk until it starts to stiffen up again. Season with salt and chill. Honey creme fraiche can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

SHERRY REDUCTION
In a saucepan over medium heat, toast spices for one minute. Remove pan from heat and add sherry. Return the pan to the heat and raise to high. Cook until the sherry is reduced to 1/4 cup. Strain through a chinois. Sherry reduction can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.

ASSEMBLE AND FINISH
Preheat oven to 350F. Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Lightly score one side of each piece of foie gras and season with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, place the foie gras in the pan, scored side down. Place pan in the oven to cook, 1 minute. Remove pan and flip foie gras. The foie gras should have a nice brown sear with even score marks. Place the pan back on the burner over medium heat until the second side is seared. Press on the middle of the foie gras to test the doneness. It should be slightly firm but tender. If not yet firm, return the pan to the oven for a few seconds to finish.

Soak brioche in French toast batter for 1 minute. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Brown the soaked brioche on all sides until golden brown.

On each of 2 plates put a small dot of marmalade right in the middle and place the brioche on top so that it won't slide around. Place a piece of foie gras on top of each brioche. In the corner of each plate, place a dot of honey creme fraiche, and in the opposite corner, place a quenelle of marmalade. Drizzle foie gras with sherry reduction and little extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt.

Gingery Seared Pork (Shoga Yaki)

2010-02-13T13:25:00.002Z

This was a fairly simple dinner to throw together out of a book on Japanese home cooking called Washoku. We had to substitute a few ingredients here, vermouth for sake, grated ginger for ginger juice. Still, it was feeling a little flat as I was cooking it. I decided to throw some honey, a bit more soy, some ground ginger and some garlic powder in there to wake it up. This was a simple and easy stir fry.

14 ounces boneless lean pork butt or boneless loin, in a single piece
2 teaspoons ginger juice (page 71)
2 tablespoons sake
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 bell peppers, preferably 1 each green, red, and yellow, quartered lengthwise and stem, seeds, and ribs discarded
2 tablespoons canola or other mild vegetable oil

Partially freeze the pork to make it easier to slice, then cut into paper-thin slices across the grain, From a piece this size, I usually get 12 to 15 large slices and some shreds, (I use any scraps to make Miso-Thickened Pork and Vegetable Soup, page 119, the next day.) If you are having trouble getting broad slices, do not worry. Shredded or torn pieces are fine.

In a shallow glass container, stir together the ginger juice and sake to make a marinade. One at a time, dip the pork slices into the mixture, turning each slice to make sure that all surfaces of the meat come in contact with the liquid. When all of the slices have been dipped, arrange them in the container in the remaining liquid, stacking them as needed if the container is small. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 day. Add the soy sauce 10 to 15 minutes before cooking (do not add it sooner, or the meat will toughen).

The pork and peppers will be cooked in two consecutive stages: an initial searing over high heat, and then a second glazing over medium heat. Using a heavy cast-iron skillet will yield the best results. Place it over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, and tilt and rotate the skillet to coat the entire surface well. When the oil is hot (to test, flick a drop of the marinade into the pan; it should sizzle loudly and be instantly aromatic), place the pork slices in batches, being careful not to crowd the skillet. Sear the meat until it begins to buckle and the edges change color, about 30 seconds. Flip the slices over and sear the other side, flattening them with the back of a spatula to avoid excessive curling. Remove the slices from the skillet as they change color. Set them aside on a plate.

Lower the heat and add the peppers, skin side down. Sear for about 45 seconds, letting them brown and blister slightly and become aromatic. Turn them over and continue to sear for another minute. They should still be crisp-tender and very aromatic. Add a drop more oil to the skillet, if necessary, to keep the peppers from scorching. Remove the peppers and set them aside on a plate.

Return the pork, all at once, to the skillet with whatever juices remain from the first searing that have collected on the plate. Saute over high heat, turning the slices several times, for about 2 minutes, or until all the surfaces are well glazed and slightly browned. Return the peppers to the skillet for the final 30 seconds. Cover the skillet with a lid just before removing it from the heat. This allows the pork and peppers to continue to cook by retained heat for an extra few moments. Serve immediately.

Jitin's Steamed Salmon Trout with Bok Choy and Ginger

2010-02-10T13:42:00.002Z

When we were living in England, one of my absolute favorite restaurants was called Vatika, which was set in the Wickham Vineyard near Southampton. The concept belonged to Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, known for his elevation of Indian food into the realm of haute cuisine at his restaurant Benares in London. He opened Vatika and put his protege, Chef Jitin Joshi, in charge of Vatika which delivers modern English food with an Indian twist.

The food there is amazing and the staff come to know us pretty well as we were in there practically all of the time. I managed to pull a shift in the kitchen there and got to work for Chef Joshi and came to know him a bit. His recipe is featured in Atul's cookbook, Fish Indian Style, which I highly recommend.

I had never made this dish before, and you will see right way that it has definite Japanese leanings. This was extremely simple but loaded with flavor. I only wish I had a decent kitchen to work out of! The plate would have looked a lot prettier!

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1" piece fresh ginger, cut into fine shreds
1 head bok choy, trimmed and shredded
2 garlic cloves, chopped.
460 g salmon trout fillet, in four equal portions
120 g sushi rice
8 tablespoons caster sugar
8 tablespoons rice vinegar

Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, bok choy and garlic. Place the fish fillets in a steamer, spread the bok choy mixture on top and steam for 5-6 minutes, until the fish is just done.

Measure the rice in a jug and then put it in a pan. Measure out double the amount of water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until the rice is cooked and the water has been absorbed.

Put the sugar and vinegar in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour it over the cooked rice. Serve the fish accompanied by the rice.

Turkey Pasta with Rosemary and Garlic Tomato Sauce

2010-02-08T10:24:00.003Z

If there is something in this world I can make consistently it's a good bowl of pasta. I mean, I don't like to brag, but if you dropped me into a kitchen halfway around the world, blindfolded me, spun me around three times, ripped off the blindfold and demanded, "Now. Make a bowl of pasta," I would likely be able to deliver it. And I'd like to think it would taste good.

I really like the taste of the turkey in this and also, we used a more passata-like canned tomato this time. It was a smoother consistency, and was a nice change from the chunkier versions I have made in the past. I'm like a broken record here, but I can't say enough for the combination of fennel seed, red pepper flake, oregano and rosemary.... especially in these wintry times. This one is also very good for you!

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1.3 pounds extra-lean ground turkey
3 ¼ cups canned crushed tomatoes
300 g Healthy Harvest fusilli (or other whole-wheat pasta, such as penne)
salt, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5-8 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the fennel seed, red pepper flakes, rosemary and oregano and stir through to combine. Add the turkey and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the pinkness has gone away. Add the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and then let this slowly bubble away for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions.

Drain the pasta, then add to the sauce. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot.

Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms and Chicken

2010-02-06T01:08:00.003Z

Well, Virginia has certainly seen it's share of snow lately. In fact, as I am writing this, it is snowing like CRAZY outside. I guess if there is to be an upside to winter weather, it's wintry food. We had been wanting to do wild rice soup for ages, but just never seemed to get around to it. We finally did and it turned out amazing. This is an old Midwest classic and pretty easy to throw together.

2 teaspoons light butter
1 medium carrot
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 ounces chicken broth
1 cup wild rice, uncooked, not instant
⅓ cup flour
2 ¾ cups reduced fat milk
2 tablespoons dry sherry
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cooked and shredded or cut into chunks

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); saute 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Stir in rice; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to soup mixture. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in sherry and salt.

Beer-Braised Beef with Onion, Carrot and Turnips

2010-02-03T22:08:00.002Z

This was a great, full-flavored stew perfect for warm weather. Vanessa nailed this one with only minimal assistance from me (I peeled some stuff with our crappy, makeshift peeler). Really rich and full-bodied flavors! I am looking forward to eating these leftovers!

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
1 pound beef chuck roast, boneless, trimmed
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup beef broth
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bottle dark beer
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
9 ounces small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 300°.

2. Place flour in a shallow dish. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef evenly on all sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Add beef to pan; cook 10 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf), scraping pan to remove browned bits; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 300° for 1 1/2 hours. Add carrots; cover and cook 25 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, turnips, and onion; cover and cook an additional 1 hour and 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and beef is fork-tender.

3. Remove beef and vegetables from pan; discard bay leaf. Cover beef mixture; keep warm. Let cooking liquid stand 10 minutes. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour cooking liquid into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain cooking liquid into a medium bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Serve cooking liquid with beef and vegetables. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon parsley.

Tilapia with Citrus-Braised Endive

2010-02-01T23:15:00.002Z

This was an on-the-fly adaptation of a Thomas Keller (Bouchon) recipe. I was originally going to go with fennel and such for this, but when Vanessa found the local grocer out of fennel. She went with some Belgian endive instead.

I got the idea to combine the endive with some citrus and remembered that we had some great south Texas valley grapefruits (the best around!) and just went from there. I dug up a Bouchon recipe that was somewhat similar and made some modifications - et viola!

Nice interplay here between the citrus, honey and bitter endive. Tilapia is a nice, meaty white fish that complimented these flavors well. The dish screamed out for some fresh herbs (parsley and/or tarragon would have been my choice), but no luck this time.

We may see this one again when I am back in a proper kitchen with proper food stores.

Tilapia with Citrus-Braised Endive

ENDIVE
4 heads Belgian endive
kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
¾ cup grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, skin on, smashed
white pepper
½ cup CHICKEN STOCK
2 tablespoons light unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks

TILAPIA
400 g tilapia fillets
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme

FOR THE ENDIVE: Pull off and discard any brown exterior leaves. Cut off the bottom of each endive-you'll see the rings of the core. Use a paring knife to cut a cone shape from the bottom of each endive to remove as much of the core as possible.

Salting the endive will pull out any bitter taste. Put about 1/2 inch salt in a container large enough to hold all the endive upright. Stand the endive upright in the salt. The salt should reach about one quarter of the way up the endive; if not, add more salt as necessary. Cover the endive with a dampened towel and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to a day.

Rinse the endive under cold running water. Cut off about 1/2 inch from the bottom of each endive and cut lengthwise in half. Cut a V shape from the bottom of each half to remove any remaining core or discolored portion. Remove leaves a few a time, lay them on a paper towel to drain.

Tie together the thyme sprigs and lavender sprigs, if using, with kitchen twine. Bring the orange juice and honey to a boil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the herb bundle, bay leaves, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of white pepper. Add the endive (the liquid should cover most of the endive). Cover with a parchment lid (see page 326) and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the endive is translucent but still has a slight bite. Remove from the heat. (The endive can be made ahead to this point, cooled, and refrigerated in its liquid for up to a day.)

Drain the endive, reserving the liquid. Discard the herb bundle and bay leaves and strain the liquid into a saucepan. Add the stock and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer to reduce to 1 1/2 cups.

FOR THE TILAPIA: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the tilapia with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, cook the tilapia until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until done.

TO SERVE: Add the endive to the reduced fumet. When the liquid is simmering, stir in the chunked butter. Stir in the thyme.

Proper Blokes' Sausage Fusilli

2010-01-31T14:10:00.003Z

This is a great Jamie Oliver recipe we've made a few times with outstanding results. This is classic Jamie, simple and gutsy, with a good bit of spice thrown in. No precision to it at all and it only takes 20 minutes or so to throw together.

We had it with a superior Ruffino Chianti Superiore 2007. We're familiar with the Ruffino label, and have been quite happy with it in the past, but this was a cut above any we've tried. It has some nice, bold fruit running through it to counteract the spiciness of the pasta. Couldn't have been happier with this meal!

2.5 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 red chili, dried, crushed
olive oil
1 ⅓ pounds sausages, Italian and/or Cumberland (good-quality)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
⅓ cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
500 g fusilli pasta, dried
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
15 g butter, (a few knobs)
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
½ cup parsley, fresh, leaves only, chopped

Bash up the fennel seeds and chilies in a pestle and mortar (or spice grinder) until coarsely crushed, then put to one side. Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins and put into the pan, really breaking it up using the back of the spoon. Fry for a few minutes until the meat starts to color and the fat has rendered slightly, then crush it once more so that it resembles coarse mince (ground meat). Add the bashed-up fennel seeds and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes until the meat becomes crisp, golden brown and slightly caramelized.

Stir in your oregano, then pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by half. Add the lemon zest and juice. Turn the heat down to low while you cook your pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. When the pasta has cooked to al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water, and toss the pasta in with your sausage mixture. Coat the pasta in all the lovely flavors then add the butter, Parmesan and chopped parsley, and a few spoonfuls of the reserved pasta cooking water. This will give you a lovely loose, shiny sauce. Taste and check for seasoning, then serve immediately with a little extra grated Parmesan over the top.

Black Pepper and Molasses-Glazed Strip Steaks with Roasted Shallots

2010-01-28T11:44:00.002Z

This was a simple, delicious steak recipe. The glaze is full of flavor, and amazingly, pairs well with A&W Root Beer. The shallots were a bit of an afterthought, and work out well; they became wonderfully soft and sweet from their time in the oven.

This is another one of those sauces you'd want to just take a spoon to, but don't! It would likely kill you from the caloric content.

GLAZE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
¼ cup dark rum
1 cup molasses
3 cups orange juice
3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt

STEAKS
2 x 6 ounce beef strip steaks
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt

ROASTED SHALLOTS
8 shallot, peeled, head and tail end removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper

GLAZE
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until almost smoking, and cook the onion until soft, 4 to 5 minutes, Add the garlic and ginger root and cook an additional 2 minutes, Add the rum and reduce until completely dry. Add the molasses, orange juice, and pepper, season with salt, and cook until reduced to 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool at room temperature, May be refrigerated, covered for 1 day; use at room temperature. Makes about 1 cup.

STRIP STEAKS
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium. Brush the meat with olive oil and season with salt. Grill until well seared on one side, 4 minutes, turn over, and baste with the Molasses Glaze. Continue grilling for 3 minutes, turn over, baste, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes more (a total of 10 minutes), for medium rare. Let rest for 10 minutes; then slice into 8 steaks.

SHALLOTS
Heat the oil in a double-bottomed pan and place the shallots inside. The shallots should just cover the bottom of the pan, there should not be any free space, neither should they be on top of each other. Fry until colored on all sides and pour away the oil, then add the chicken stock. Simmer on the stove until the jus has reduced, then cover and place in the oven.

Braise until they are cooked well at 350°F, for approximately 45 minutes.

Parmesan Turkey Escalopes with Rocket Salad

2010-01-26T16:05:00.003Z

Vanessa and I have really been watching what we eat lately, as our fitness push continues into 2010. The challenge now is how to prepare food which is both tasty and healthy, all within the confines of our tragically under-equipped kitchen here in Dahlgren.

Happy to say that things have worked out pretty well so far. This one here couldn't be simpler, and I'll go on record as saying that this ranks among the best things I have ever breaded and fried. The squeeze of lemon at the end is pretty yummy.

ESCALOPES
½ cup breadcrumbs
10 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg
flour, for dusting
200 g turkey escalopes
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pat butter
SALAD
100 g cherry tomatoes
50 g rocket
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 lemon, in wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the breadcrumbs on a large plate or shallow bowl and mix the grated Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper into the crumbs. Whisk the egg in a second shallow bowl. Measure off a large double fold of greaseproof paper. Lay one escalope in the middle of one half and fold the other half over the top. Use a rolling pin to bash the escalope gently but firmly until it is the thickness of a coin and more than double its original size.

Dust both sides with flour, shaking away any excess, and repeat the process with the second escalope. Dip the escalopes first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs and leave to rest while you heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the butter in a frying pan. When it's hot, lay out the escalopes in the pan and cook, adjusting the heat so nothing burns, for a 2 minutes a side until the egg has set, the crumbs turned golden and the meat is cooked through. Quickly quarter the tomatoes. Pile the rocket over the escalopes, scatter over the tomatoes and with the balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve lemon wedges.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce and Parisian-Style Potato Salad

2010-01-25T15:50:00.004Z

Through the course of the school I am attending right now, we have come to know Matt (and through a quick trip to Baton Rouge, came to know his wife Beth and their kids) and have become friends. Matt is from Louisiana and is into good food. When we went to visit him in Baton Rouge, they had bought Vanessa and I a massive cookbook on the history of food in Louisiana. This, in addition to being a great gift, intrigued me in that I had no credible books on the subject, and I am a fan of Cajun and Creole cuisine.

Matt came over last night to watch the NFC Championship Game. Matt was rooting for the Saints. I, naturally, was rooting for the Vikes. That is all I will say on the subject of football.

The important thing is, we ATE when he came over. He suggested this recipe out of the book he got us. Vanessa made her tried-and-true potato salad. The combination was wonderful. The pork was perfectly cooked to about 157F (not able to grill, I roasted it at 430F until the thermometer read 157F).

Really great, fruity flavors match so well with pork and it was a nice big hunk of it, too. Very juicy. And all very simple. Lots of just mixing stuff up in a bowl, really.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

PORK
2.5 pounds pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano

BLACKBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE
½ cup blackberry preserves
1 ½ cups ketchup
⅛ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons Louisiana cane syrup
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup blackberries

PORK
In a small mixing bowl, combine all seasonings. Sprinkle tenderloin with mixture and rub in spices. Let rubbed meat sit at least 1 hour in refrigerator. Light grill. Cook tenderloin, turning once halfway through cooking process. When pork is almost done (reading about 145F), brush with barbecue sauce and continue to cook until it reads 157F. Remove when internal temperature reaches 157F for medium-rare.

SAUCE
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Brush sauce over grilled pork tenderloin, pork chops or ribs when they are almost cooked.

Parisian-Style Potato Salad

1.5 lb. new potatoes, red, if possible
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons red bell pepper, roasted, finely chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil, extra-virgin
8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 garlic, minced
parsley, to garnish (optional)
anchovy fillets, whole (optional)

Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain and cool slightly. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine potatoes, 2 tablespoons vinegar, salt, and pepper; toss gently. Let stand 5 minutes.

Combine 1 tablespoon vinegar, bell peppers, and remaining ingredients except parsley sprigs and whole anchovy fillets in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Pour over potatoes; toss gently to coat. Garnish with parsley sprigs and whole anchovy fillets, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

BLT with Parmesan and Poor-Man's Roasted Garlic Aioli

2010-01-20T16:03:00.004Z

Vanessa's birthday was yesterday. In years past, with all of my arsenal of kitchen gadgets and phalanx of appliances, I usually liked to turn it out a bit and do something kind of difficult and complex, ya know... really put a good bit of effort into making something special.

Fans of the blog know that this year's kitchen set-up is a bit different. And while it is not quite Robinson Crusoe-esque, it is limited, and we are having to make do with just the essentials here.

When I asked Vanessa what she wanted, she said, simply, "I want a B.L.T." It was then that I knew, with so few ingredients, there would not be a margin for error. It HAD to be the best damn BLT anyone had ever made. Otherwise, I would risk sending the wrong signal. A dilapidated, soggy piece of crap sandwich just wasn't going to do.

Such a sandwich would say to my wife, "You are a soggy piece of crap, and this sandwich perfectly expresses what I think of you."

It started with making our own loaf of bread. If you do a search on this blog, you'll find our standard bread recipe. Here's the rub: NO MIXER. I had to do this the old-fashioned way, kneading by hand.

Then, instead of bacon, a fine prosciutto. Throw on some shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano toasted over the top. Some slices of fresh roma tomato. A scattering of arugula leaves. But perhaps the best part (or at least the key ingredient) was my homemade poor-man's aioli. Made with some garlic that I roasted in the oven with care and some fresh chopped oregano. It really brought the whole thing together. As much as I hate to endorse storebought sauces, this one did the trick.

She said it's the best BLT she ever had.

Mission Accomplished.

SANDWICH
4 slices bread
1 roma tomato, sliced
½ cup arugula
2 slices prosciutto, fried in a dry pan until crisp
20 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into thin shards

POOR-MAN'S ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI
3 tablespoons *STOREBOUGHT* light mayo
2 clove garlic, roasted
2 teaspoons oregano, chopped
salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat the broiler.

Brush the bread slices with olive oil. Place onto a cookie sheet and cook under the broiler until lightly golden brown. Flip the slices over and repeat. Remove the tray from the oven.

Cook the prosciutto in a non-stick frying pan for 3-4 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Leave one slice on the tray and take one off. Top the one on the tray with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cook under the broiler until the cheese is melted; don't let the bread burn, though.

On the other slice, put a dollop of mayo. Top with a torn up slice of prosciutto, some tomato slices and some arugula. Top with the cheesy slice of bread, fresh out of the oven. Serve with extra aioli for dipping.

AIOLI
Heat the oven to 450F. Put a few cloves of garlic into some foil with some olive oil and seal it up. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, then squeeze out of the kins and chop up finely. Add it to the mayo with some chopped oregano and salt and pepper. Mix together and taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside.

Pork Tips in Red Chile Sauce (Asado de Puerco) with Rice

2010-01-19T21:43:00.003Z

Vanessa and I have been on full-on healthy eating and intense workouts since arriving back here to Dahlgren. And while we have been watching our food intake rather closely, we are still able to churn out some pretty decent stuff, even with our somewhat limited kitchen set-up.

This is from the Los Barrios Cookbook, which is really a great, authentic Tex-Mex cookbook from a restaurant in San Antonio. We bought a ton of proteins (as we are going high protein for a month or so), and some pork chops were among them. Just whip up this sauce, et voila!

Nice, rich, deep flavors from the sauce along with some well-seasoned rice and a nice slab of pork. This went down a treat.

6 ancho chiles
2 cascabel chiles
10 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
.8 kg (4 good-sized) pork chops, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 ½ cups water
1 bay leaf
1 cup rice, cooked
cumin, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
fresh oregano, chopped, to garnish

Put the chiles in a small saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Boil until the chiles are softened. Drain and let cool briefly, then peel off the skins and remove the seeds. Transfer the chiles to a blender, add the garlic, and blend until smooth. Add the oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and blend to mix.

Heat a bit of oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chile puree and bay leaf, stir for a few minutes on high heat or until it has darkened a few shades. Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pork. Get a pan going over high heat. Season each side of the pork with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, sear the pork off until browned, 3-4 minutes. Flip the pork over and cook some more, until just done. (When you push on the meat it should have some give, but spring back rather quickly.)

Cook the rice according to package directions. When done, season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin (oregano, too, if you like).

Put the rice on the plate, top with a pork chop, then some sauce. Sprinkle with fresh oregano.

My Get-Well Chicken Soup

2010-01-10T00:10:00.003Z

Vanessa and I have returned to sunny Dahlgren and she brought her stupid cold with her. So I figured it was time to step up. This soup is guaranteed to make people feel better. It's like an elixir of sorts. No one knows (well, someone does - probably a doctor or something) why chicken soup is so great for colds. Maybe it's a simple a matter as having something that warms the soul.

3 carrots, peeled and cut in half
4 stalks celery, washed and cut in half
1 rutabega, washed and sliced in half
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
1 pinch ancho chile powder, plus more to taste
1 pinch cumin, plus more to taste
2 sprig bay leaf
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pound chicken, quartered, with bones intact, including necks and giblets
½ cup small shell pasta, optional
extra-virgin olive oil, optional
coarse sea salt

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the vegetables, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, ancho chile powder and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Let these vegetables soften for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Place 1 gallon water and the chicken in a stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently, skimming regularly, until the broth is fragrant, for about 30 minutes. Take the carcass out and discard. Shred the chicken into small bite-sized shreds. While you are shredding the chicken, bring a pot of salted water to the boil (for the pasta), reduce the soup stock to low and put the reserved vegetables back in.

Add the shredded chicken back to the soup. Keep the heat low. When the pasta water is boiling. add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and add to the pot. Add the parsley and stir through. Check the seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Spicy Tuna Tartare with Blistered Serrano Hot Sauce and Avocado Relish

2010-01-01T16:54:00.003Z

This is an old favorite that just keeps giving back. We ate this at Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's NYC restaurant) back in 2006. He was kind enough to provide me the recipe and we have made it a few times since then.

Tartare is a beautiful thing whether its beef or seafood. If you are a bit squeamish about raw protein preparations, DON'T BE. But, if you insist on being a close-minded boring person (but have considered being an exciting, adventurous person), this is a wonderful introduction to the beauty of raw tuna. Lots of flavors going on here, nice spicy kick from the sauce which manages to be sweet and spicy at the same time. Citrusy avocado relish cools the whole thing down. The tuna is meaty and rich and has a nice zing to it, some saltiness from the capers, along with some smokiness from the chipotles (pronounced 'chee-POAT-lay' and NOT 'chip-OL-tee'. (Note: this annoys the hell out of me when people say it the wrong way)

Anyhow, the greatest thing about this dish is it's SIMPLICITY. There is almost no cooking. It's really just cutting things up and mixing them together. The cooking, such as it is, has you merely throwing some stuff in a pan in the oven for 15 minutes, then into a blender. That's it.

MAKE THIS NOW and use the best tuna you can find (sashimi-grade if you can find it)

TUNA TARTARE
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon pureed canned chipotles
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. tuna, cut into 1/4" -dice
¼ cup capers, drained
¼ cup scallion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

BLISTERED SERRANO HOT SAUCE
1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
10 serrano chiles, stem removed and cut in half
¼ cup canola oil, plus 2 T
Salt
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey

AVOCADO RELISH
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and finely diced
3 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

TUNA TARTARE
Whisk together mustard, chipotle and oil in a medium bowl. Fold in the remaining ingredients until combined; season with salt and pepper.

BLISTERED SERRANO HOT SAUCE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine onions and serranos in a small sauté pan, toss with 2 tablespoons of canola oil and season with salt. Roast in the oven until onions are soft and serranos are golden brown and blistered, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Transfer onions and serranos to a blender, add the vinegar, cilantro, honey and salt and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of oil and blend until emulsified.

AVOCADO RELISH
Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Turkey Quesadillas with Sesame-Sweet Potato Mole Sauce

2009-12-30T12:44:00.003Z

Normally, a good mole (pronounced 'MO-lay') takes a good hour or so to throw together. This came from a cookbook about pairing wine with food and the author cites Rick Bayless (god of Mexican cooking in America) as being the actual author of the mole recipe.

Aside from roasting the potatoes (which took 45 minutes at 440F), this is incredibly easy and quick to put together and the taste was out of this world. I seared off the turkey after having seasoned them with some salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne.

The fresh cilantro on top REALLY makes a difference and when I do this next time, I'll be sure to put a little more on it.

½ cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling the pans and brushing the tortillas
2 medium onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, fresh or canned, roughly chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, plus more if necessary
2 large sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)
kosher salt
12 flour tortillas
1 ½ cups turkey pieces (cooked chicken or pork may be substituted), cooked, bite-sized pieces
5 ounces Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded

Place the sesame seeds in a small, heavy skillet and heat on medium, stirring, until browned and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. Reserve 2 teaspoons of seeds for garnish.

In the same skillet, heat the oil on medium. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until the onions are just soft, about 7 minutes.

Combine the sesame seeds minus the 2 reserved teaspoons, the onion mixture, cilantro, parsley, and 1 cup broth in a blender. Puree until very smooth. This may take several minutes. To test, rub a drop between two fingers. The mixture should be smooth, not gritty.

Add the cooked sweet potatoes and blend until the mixture is the consistency of applesauce, adding more broth if necessary. Add salt to taste. (The mole will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days.)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the mole in a medium saucepan over low heat and gently warm while you prepare the quesadillas.

Lightly oil 2 baking sheets, and place 3 tortillas on each. Distribute the turkey pieces and cheese evenly on the 6 tortillas, and top with the remaining 6 tortillas. Brush the tops lightly with oil and cover with foil. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove the foil, press down on the tops of the tortillas with the back of a spatula to compact the melting cheese, and bake until the tortillas begin to brown slightly, about 4 minutes longer. Serve immediately, topped with the warm mole sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

A Mexican Christmas

2009-12-26T13:42:00.003Z

Vanessa's mom spent three days or so producing DOZENS of homemade tamales, which were wonderful. I made a traditional soup called menudo (no, not the hit boy band from Puerto Rico!), which is made with tripe, hominy and spices. It all went down really well.

Mama Trevino's Tamales

TAMALE MEAT MIXTURE
6-8 pound pork roast
5 pound chicken

SPICES AND SEASONINGS
½ cup corn oil
6 tablespoons Gibhartds chili powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons salt

MASA
2 lbs. masa
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons Gibhardts Chili Powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder

CORN SHUCKS
several corn shucks

COOK THE MEATS
Start with the pork roast. Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (save the broth, you will need it for the masa!)
After the roast chunks are cool enough to handle easily, shred them with your fingers. Try to remove and discard the fat as you go. There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales. If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.

Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred them into very small filaments. Discard any large chunks of fat.

Combine both meats in very large pan, and mix together. Make sure that the meats are thoroughly combined and mixed well. Add the spices and seasonings by mixing the oil and seasonings in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.

When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.

The meat is now finished. You should put the meat in the refrigerator covered until ready to make the tamales. Put both the chicken broth and roast broth into the refrigerator as well. You will need the broths when you make the masa.

MAKE THE MASA
Start with 2 pounds of the masa flour. Now, skim the fat off the broth that you saved from the pork and chicken we made earlier. Throw the fat away, and save the broth. Warm the broth from the pork and chicken up. Don't get it hot, just nice and warm. Now put the masa in a large bowl. Add the dry spices to the masa and mix until it is completely incorporated. Mix well, as you don't want a clump of spices in a tamale. Now add 2 cups of corn oil to the masa mixture. After adding the oil, begin to slowly work in 2 quarts of the warm chicken/pork broth, about a cup at a time. Work the mixture with your hands to make dough. If it is too dry, add enough warm water to get it right for spreading. It should be about like thick peanut butter. If it is too thin add more masa; if it is too thick, add more broth or warm water. Thick peanut butter is the consistency you are trying for.

Soak the shucks in a sink full of warm water for about 2 hours. You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft. Try to not tear or damage the corn shucks. It is easier to make the tamales if the shucks are in one piece.

ASSEMBLE THE TAMALES
After the corn shucks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake the water off, lay them on the counter on a towel.

Pick up a shuck, lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. scoop up about 1/2 cup of the masa dough with a spatula, and then smear it on the shuck. Cover about left 2/3 of the shuck with masa, leave 1/3 on the right uncovered. Similarly, cover the bottom 2/3 of the shuck, and leave the top 1/3 uncovered. You need to leave the top and side uncovered so you can fold it up later. Now, go to the next shuck and do the same, laying them out on the counter as you put the masa on them. When you have covered 5-10 of the shucks with masa, it is time to add the meat. Take about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture, and lay it on the masa about 1 in from the left edge.

Starting on the left side (the side where the Masa dough goes all the way to the edge), roll the tamale all the way to the right edge. Now, fold the top of the shuck over like an envelope and lay tamale on the counter with the fold on the under side. Roll the next one the same until all your shucks with masa on them are rolled. Keep repeating this entire process until all the tamales are built. You will have about 4 dozen or more.

COOK THE TAMALES
You need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam. Add about 3 pints of water to the pot, then start stacking the tamales upright until full. The envelope end of the tamale will be on the bottom, the open end of the tamale should be on top. Continue to fill the pot. The tamales need to pack tight enough that they do not fall over and begin to unfold. Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it is getting low, you DON’T want to boil it dry; add more water as you need to.

When done, take one tamale out and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to test. Unwrap it and it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter, then put in bags for the freezer. If eating right away, serve hot with some hot sauce.
Red Chile Tripe Soup with Fresh Garnishes (Menudo Rojo)

MENUDO
2 lbs. beef tripe
1 tablespoon salt
1 large lime, juiced
1 medium pig's foot, split lengthwise (see Ingredients in Cook's Notes)
1 lb. marrow bones, cut in 1-inch cross sections
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 medium chiles cascabeles nortenos or California/New Mexico chiles, dried, stemmed, seeded and deveined
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE CONDIMENTS
2 small limes, quartered
½ cup onion, chopped
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

TRIPE

Wash the tripe thoroughly in several changes of warm water. Place it in a large bowl, sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon salt and the lime juice; vigorously work the salt and lime into the tripe with a scrubbing motion. Let stand 30 minutes, then wash the tripe again in several changes of warm water. Slice the tripe into small pieces about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place in a large kettle or stockpot, cover with several quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Pour into a colander set in the sink, let drain a minute, then return to the pan.

SIMMERING THE TRIPE
Add the cow's or pig's foot, the marrow bones and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and skim off the foam that rises during the first few minutes of cooking. Add half the garlic to the pot along with the onion and oregano; partially cover and simmer until the tripe is very tender, 2 to 3 hours.

CHILE FLAVORING AND FINAL PREPARATION
When the tripe is nearly tender, heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium. Tear the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time by laying them on the hot surface, pressing them flat with a metal spatula for several seconds, until they blister and color a little, then flipping them over and pressing down for a few seconds more. Place them in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and soak 30 minutes.

Remove the cow's or pig's foot and all the marrow bones from the broth, then skim off any fat floating on top. If you wish, let the foot cool a little, then cut out and discard all the bone and cartilage, chop what remains into small pieces and return it to the pot.

Drain the chiles and place them in a blender jar with the remaining garlic and the ground cumin. Add 1/3 cup of the menudo broth, blend until smooth, then strain through a medium-mesh sieve into the pot. Season with salt, partially cover and simmer 30 minutes.

SERVING THE SOUP
When you are ready to serve, place the condiments in small bowls on the table. Serve large bowls of the steaming soup and pass the condiments for each guest to add to his or her liking.

VARIATION
Menudo with Hominy

Prepare (3/4 cup) dried field corn as Half-Cooked Hominy (or use a large can of hominy, drained, and you won't need to cook it beforehand). It using raw, simmer in 3 quarts water until nearly tender, about 3 hours. Add the blanched tripe, foot and bones, skim, add the flavorings, then cook slowly until the tripe is tender. Finish the soup as directed.

Spanish-Style Potato Omelette (Tortilla Espanola)

2009-12-25T15:11:00.002Z

I would normally wait to post a blog until at least a few hours after making something. I have things to do, such as clearing the table off or doing dishes. Eventually, I'll get around to making the post...

Not so today. I have forsaken everything else to get this message out to the masses. This is the best Spanish tortilla I have ever made. It is also the best one I have ever eaten. In Spain, or wherever. If you have olive oil, eggs, a potato and an onion you can be off to the races with this one.

I will add my normal Spanish food disclaimer and say that, yes, some smoked Spanish paprika brings this to a whole new level. MAKE THIS NOW.

2 ¼ cups Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. Idaho potatoes, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1 Spanish onion, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
6 large eggs

Heat 2 cups of the olive oil in a saute pan over a medium flame. You'll know the oil is hot enough for frying (275 degrees) when a chunk of potato dropped in the oil jumps a little. Once the oil is hot enough, add the potato slices and fry on both sides until they are lightly browned and the edges are slightly crisp. This should take 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the potatoes, reserving the oil. Season the potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.

In another saute pan, heat all but 3 tablespoons of the reserved potato-cooking oil over a medium-low flame. Add the onion slices and cook until slightly browned, being careful not to burn them, around 8 minutes. Strain the onions and reserve.

Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk them vigorously 3 or 4 times. The eggs should still keep much of their thick, gelatinous consistency. Add the potatoes and onions, plus the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and whisk together. Add the 3 tablespoons of reserved potato-cooking oil to a 6-inch saute pan, and place over a medium flame. When the oil begins to smoke slightly, add the egg mixture to the pan. As you pour in the eggs, shake the pan vigorously for 10 or 15 seconds to make sure the-eggs come together. Then cook for 30 seconds without shaking. Lower the heat and continue to cook for a few minutes. Flip the tortilla when the edges are cooked but the center is still wobbly. Place a plate over the pan and invert the pan and plate together so the tortilla winds up on the plate, raw side down. If the pan looks dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup of fresh oil. Return the tortilla to the pan by sliding it back in, raw side down. Continue cooking for another 60 seconds. Serve immediately.

Spanish Tapas

2009-12-25T13:33:00.004Z

We decided to keep it low-key for Christmas Eve, since it was just Vanessa, her mom and I for dinner. I had spent all day making a traditional Mexican classic (menudo) which we will be having Christmas day.

The great thing about tapas is that they aren't terribly complicated, you can make a bunch of them (so you have a lot of different flavors working) and they're amazing and delicious.

We went with garlic prawns (gambas al ajillo) using some fresh, raw gulf shrimp. Don't even DREAM of making this with out the smoked Spanish paprika, which brings a nifty smokiness to anything it is used it. Also, do NOT use frozen or, God forbid, pre-cooked shrimp. This dish really deserves the freshest shrimp you can find.

Also, we did Catalan-Style Tomato Bread (pan con tomate), which can be found on any menu in Spain, in any region, at any restaurant. You could also melt a strip of manchego cheese on top when you bake it (as the recipe implies), but this time we did it without.

Also, we had a quickly assembled plate of manchego cheese, membrillo paste, some Spanish-style chorizo picante and some olives infused with chile.

To drink, Vanessa makes a wonderful Sangria which uses a bunch of berries. This is the sangria we keep coming back to and it has NEVER failed us. You could also dump a bottle of Spanish Cava in there to get the fizz going!

Manchego Cheese with Catalan Tomato Bread
2 large ripe tomatoes (about 1/4 pound)
4 slices rustic sourdough bread, toasted
Spanish extra-virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
4 slices (about 2 ounces) Manchego cheese

The traditional way
Cut the tomatoes in half. Rub the open face of the tomatoes into the toast until the flesh is absorbed. Throwaway the skin. Drizzle the tomato-rubbed bread with olive oil-be as liberal with the oil as you like. Season to taste with salt. Place a slice of cheese on top, drizzle with a little more oil, and serve.

The modern way
Cut the tomatoes in half. Place a grater over a large mixing bowl. Rub the open face of the tomatoes onto the grater until all the flesh is grated. Throwaway the skin. Add the olive oil to the grated tomato (be liberal). Season to taste with salt. Spoon the tomato-oil mixture onto the toast. Place a slice of cheese on top, drizzle with a little more oil, and serve.

Spanish Shrimp in Garlic Sauce (Gambas al Ajillo)
¾ lbs. fresh medium shrimp
coarse salt to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 small hot dried red chili pepper, seeded and crumbled
¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Devein the shrimp by cutting through the back with the shell still on. Spread them open, but leave the shell attached. Salt lightly and reserve.

Heat the oil in an 8-inch flameproof earthenware casserole over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, and chili pepper, and cook, stirring, until the garlic just begins to turn golden. Immediately add the shrimp, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are just cooked through, being careful not to overcook.

Taste for seasoning, and sprinkle shrimp with coarse salt if desired. Discard the bay leaf, sprinkle with parsley, and serve very hot in the earthenware casserole, with crusty bread on the side.

Sangria
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
4 strawberries, quartered
½ cup raspberries
½ cup blueberries
½ cup blackberries
8 slices peeled orange
2-½ cups dry red wine
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup Grand Marnier or Amaretto
¾ cup sparkling water (or a bottle of Cava!)

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool.

Combine the fruit in a bowl. In a large pitcher, combine the sugar-water, wine, orange juice, and Grand Marnier. Add the fruit and stir gently to combine. (The sangria can be prepared ahead to this point and held in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before serving.)

Just before serving, add the sparkling water to the pitcher. Serve the sangria in wineglasses.

Carrot and Cilantro Soup

2009-12-23T13:47:00.002Z

This is one of Vanessa's favorite soups, and one she prepares rather well. She had high hopes of throwing this together last night, but wound up feeling dramatically under the weather. I picked up the slack and brought it home. Lovely, warm spices running through this. A good substitute for the spice mixture in here would be garam masala or, as I used, hot Madras curry powder (about 2 tablespoons).

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
800 g carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1.25 liters chicken stock
½ cup yogurt, thick and natural
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and carrot and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

Add the bay leaf and spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, or until the carrot is tender. Cool slightly, then blend in batches in a food processor (or puree with a stick blender). Return to the saucepan and gently reheat. Season as necessary with salt and pepper.

Combine the coriander and yogurt in a bowl. Pour the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the yogurt mixture. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Catfish with Fennel and Orange Salad

2009-12-22T22:41:00.003Z

Vanessa and I went down to Edinburg, TX, which is about 15 minutes away from the Mexican border, to visit her Aunt Mary. Eventually, lunchtime came around and we really didn't have much of a plan together, so I offered to go grocery shopping to see what was good. We ran into some fresh Gulf catfish which looked suitable and I got to thinking about classic pairings with seafood: fennel and citrus.

The wrinkle is that Aunt Mary's oven and stove don't work. All she has is one little plug-in electric hot plate burner, which produces a staggeringly low amount of heat.

Fans of the blog know of my recent trials in BOQ in Dahlgren (see previous post entitled: EXTREME Cooking) and know that I have been training up to make it work in less-than-ideal situations.

The pan simply did not get hot enough to put a good sear (or any real color at all) on the catfish. That said, it did cook through and tasted wonderful. The fennel + citrus + seafood combination overcame my equipment shortcomings just fine.

CATFISH WITH A FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD

CATFISH
3 fillets of catfish, skinned and boned
olive oil
salt
lemon pepper

SALAD
olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 bulbs fennel, cored, sliced very thinly, small handful of fronds reserved
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
2 oranges, peeled and segmented into supremes (google it!),
supremes set aside, juice squeezed out of what's left of the oranges and reserved

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. While it is getting hot, drizzle the catfish with olive oil, then season well with salt and lemon pepper.

Heat another skillet over medium heat. When hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and then the shallots and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened somewhat. Add the fennel and continue to saute until starting to soften up a bit. Reserve nine orange segments, and add the rest to the pan, along with the reserved orange juice, the parsley, some of the fennel fronds and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Saute for a few more minutes and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Take off the heat and set aside.

When you are ready to do the fish, put the fish in the other hot pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, until the fish has browned some. Watch the color of the fish change as it cooks from the bottom up. When the color has moved 2/3 the way up the fish, flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds or so, then remove from the heat.

Put some fennel and orange salad down on a plate. Top with the fish, then top each fish fillet with three orange segments and a bit of fennel fronds. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Chettiar Aubergine Curry

2009-12-16T12:02:00.003Z

I saw this made when I attended a masterclass at Benares in London. The thing that struck me most about it was that, in the end, we're just talking about eggplant and potato. You wouldn't normally associate these thing with creating a sexy dish. This was totally satisfying and a real testament to what can be done with humble ingredients.

8-10 baby aubergines (eegplant), or use 2 large ones, diced
3 medium potatoes
salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
5cm cassia bark or cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
8 curry leaves
2 large onions, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
10 dried red chillies, crushed
3 tablespoons toasted coriander seeds, crushed
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
400 milliliters coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Cut the baby aubergines in half lengthways. Cut the potatoes into wedges and par-boil in salted water for 8-10 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or kadhai and saute the cassia or cinnamon, fennel seeds and curry leaves for a minute or two until they crackle. Add the onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are softened and browned, then add the crushed chillies and coriander seeds and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add the aubergines and potatoes, and cook for few minutes until the aubergines soften. Add the tomato, coconut milk, 100ml water and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Scatter with chopped coriander leaves to serve.

Vanessa's Truck Stop Chili

2009-12-15T22:33:00.003Z

Vanessa normally handles the cocktails and wine selection. She does this VERY well, and it's the perfect compliment to my contribution, which is normally the cooking. Since being in Dahlgren, Vanessa has embraced the inner cook and yesterday, spent six hours making this chili. The topper was serving this to guests in our little room.

The chili was amazing! Smoky, rich and spicy... but not so spicy as to not taste everything in it. We were supposed to eat it again later in the week, but we ended up killing it. Chalk another one up for one-pot cooking!

¼ pound bacon
3 lbs. trimmed beef brisket, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 lb. onions, chopped
1-½ tablespoons ground cumin
3-½ tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika, smoked if available
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 can beef broth
1 can plum tomatoes in puree
1 dried chipotle chile

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve.

Over high heat, brown the beef in the bacon drippings left in the skillet and set the meat aside. Over medium heat, saute the onions in the remaining drippings for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Toast the cumin in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add the toasted cumin, chili powder, paprika, ancho chile powder, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt, and garlic to the cooked onions and saute for 1 minute. Crumble in the bacon, add the beef broth, 1 cup water, tomatoes, chiles, and the beef. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover partially, and simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender, adding water as needed to maintain the desired consistency.