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brussels sprouts sautéed with garlic, lemon zest + tarragon

February 15, 2012 //
4

this is a stupid simple way to make brussels sprouts for a side dish, and is much quicker than roasting them in the oven.

serves 2

ingredients:

  • brussels sprouts, about 2 cups sliced thin
  • 1 large clove of garlic, sliced thin
  • 1 lemon, zest and a wedge reserved for squeezing over the top
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
  • s+p
  • olive oil

heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan over medium-high until hot.

add the brussels sprouts and garlic to the pan, and sauté until soft and browning a bit, about 3-5 minutes.

add zest and tarragon, and toss to combine. add s+p to taste.

plate and squeeze lemon wedge over the top.

the lemon and tarragon brighten this winter vegetable up without losing it’s heartiness.

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wild boar + lentil stew with kale + fennel

February 6, 2012 //
1

this could be another episode of ‘cleanin’ out my fridge.’ i found myself with a bunch of winter veggies, and because i will soon be leaving town i needed to use them up. this time i made a stew.

what i had in my fridge:

  • 2 wild boar italian sausage, about 6 oz each, casings removed
  • 3 small carrots
  • 5 stalks celery
  • 3 small fennel bulbs
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 bunch kale
  • a little garlic + shallot mix, minced (less than a tbsp)
  • 4 cups homemade turkey stock (which is likely more concentrated, flavorful and healthier than store bought, so take that into consideration when you add additional water, and seasoning.)

plus a few things from the pantry:

heat about a tbsp of oil to a large pot, and add sausage breaking apart with wooden spoon while cooking.

add carrots, celery, fennel, leeks, kale, garlic and shallot, with additional oil if needed. add a sprinkle of salt. let cook down until a bit soft, about 5-10 minutes. add several cranks from a peppermill.

add lentils and stock, plus 4 cups of water. bring to a boil. add kale and reduce to a simmer until the lentils are cooked, about 20-30 minutes depending on how tender you like your lentils.

s+p to taste. add a good splash of dry sherry, and mix in for a few minutes.

note: honestly before i added the sherry, i felt it needed some sort of acid, tang or just another level, and the sherry did it. i was thinking of even a citrus like lemon juice, or a vinegar, or maybe even brandy, but i think sherry was the right choice.

makes about 8-10 cups.

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delicious devilish deviled eggs

February 6, 2012 //
0

ingredients:

  • 8 hardboiled eggs, halved lengthwise, yolks removed and set aside
  • 3-4 tbsp mayo
  • 1 tsp sweet relish
  • 1 tsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp horseradish
  • 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • dash of cayenne
  • s+p
  • paprika for dusting on eggs
  • 1 cornichon, sliced thin, for garnish
  • dill or fennel sprigs for garnish

use a fork and mash the yolks in a medium bowl. add mayo, relish, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, cayenne, salt + pepper and whisk together until combined well. dust egg whites with a little paprika. i just used my fingers with pinches dusting high over the eggs to make it uniform, and i still didn’t get it how i wanted. note: my first go around at this was a disaster, which i did so after i had put the filling in the whites. there was paprika everywhere! i ended up scooping out the filling, washing the whites with cold water and starting a new. 

i used a pastry bag with a flower type tip to distribute the filling, but i’m sure using a small spoon works just as well, it’s just not as pretty. i topped mine with a cornichon slice and a sprig of fennel top.

transporting them in my vehicle turned into disaster number two. note: just putting them in a pie dish and covering them with tinfoil just doesn’t work, plain and simple. i wish i would have taken the advice in cook’s illustrated’s the new best recipe cookbook:

“cut a clean piece of rubberized shelf or drawer liner to the size of the dish…with relatively high sides- a square plastic storage container with a lid is perfect. place the fitted liner on the bottom…the liner keeps the eggs from sliding.”

or i might need to invest in something like this:

this was my first attempt at making deviled eggs, and though i had major paprika and transport snafus, they still turned out delicious. regardless how devilish my eggs act next time, i will be prepared.

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lobster stock: what to do with it?

December 27, 2011 //
5

ever have a huge lobster dinner party with so many leftover shells it seems silly to just throw them away? probably not…or at least not very often. i was fortunate enough to be invited to such a party at my friend’s house this past fall. her husband caught the crustaceans himself, along with more uni (sea urchin) than i’d ever seen at any sushi bar. after gorging ourselves on so many of these california spinys we were bursting at the seams, there were a few leftover, and piles of shells. they sent me home with a bag of shells and a whole lobster! i had bisque on the brain…but first, the stock:

i had never made a lobster stock before, so i started with the fish stock recipe from the weston a. price foundation article ‘broth is beautiful’ and added in a few things of my own.

ingredients-

  • 4-6 lobster shells
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 onions
  • 4 carrots
  • 7 celery stalks
  • 1 cup fennel tops, chopped rough
  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 7 shiitake mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp thyme, several sprigs
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sherry
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 tbsp coarse hannapepe salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper

note: if your lobsters were grilled, clean the shells of any excessively charred parts.

melt the butter in a large stock pot with the onions, carrots, celery, and fennel. cook until softened a bit. add the tomatoes, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, bay, garlic and lobster shells. toss with softened veggies. add sherry and wine and let cook for about 5 minutes.

cover with cold filtered water, add salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to a simmer for 2-3 hours.

using a slotted spoon discard the largest pieces of shell.

then pour the rest through some cheese cloth lining a colander or mesh strainer. press down on the bits to exude any remaining juices.

chill overnight in the fridge. skim any fat off the top.

divide broth into different sized plastic containers in order to freeze and use in the future.

some ideas on how to use your hearty and flavorful lobster stock:

i did end up making lobster bisque, and it turned out fine…

…but since then i had the pleasure of having tom colicchio‘s version at craftsteak in las vegas, and i am now on a mission to recreate his. so, until then i’m not going to waste your time with my recipe when i know there is a better one out there…and by better, i mean absolute perfection and fantastic. i would be ashamed and embarrassed to post my meager recipe.

i did make a thai-style soup recently, inspired by my fellow food blogging friend spencer h. gray’s post on his blog omnivorous, using lobster stock, baby bok choy and shrimp, plus many of the ingredients he has listed.

considering i have never made a risotto, why not try a bivalve risotto made with lobster stock? i’m thinking mussels and clams from the oyster boys at the hollywood farmers market are in my near future.

note: since posting this i did make a wild mushroom risotto with lobster stock and it was lovely.

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kale + almonds sautéed in wine

November 19, 2011 //
0

this is the kind of recipe that amounts really vary and ultimately are to your own taste, but put them all together and it’s a winner, winner great with a chicken dinner…or fish…or steak…or…

ingredients:

  • slivered almonds, toasted
  • olive oil
  • kale, chopped
  • green onion, white and green parts, sliced thin
  • wine, red or white
  • wine vinegar, red or white
  • s+p

toast the slivered almonds until golden brown, and set aside. heat some olive oil in a pan that has a cover. add the kale and onion and sauté until just coated with the oil, and sprinkle with some salt. add a decent splash of wine (just use whatever is open and/or have on hand) and toss. let it steam for a few minutes covered, stirring occasionally until the liquid is evaporated and the kale has softened a bit. toss in the almonds and add fresh cracked pepper to taste. finish with a light splash of wine vinegar, type dependent on what type of wine used to steam the kale and onions. serve immediately.

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quinoa + roasted corn salad

October 17, 2011 //
0

i have always liked and known what quinoa is for a while now, but there is a certain recent video that i can’t quite say the word without singing the song…and laughing. granted not a bad thing…

last week i was working on a commercial, and they had to bring in a caterer last minute, because (shocker, i know) they didn’t finish by lunch like they had planned. well, this caterer had a salad that inspired this dish:

  • 3 ears of corn, roasted on a grill with oil and chili powder, then cut off the cob

  • 1 cup dry red quinoa, boiled in 2 cups of water, with a bit of salt for 10-15 minutes, drained
  • 1 cup red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped, stems included
  • 2 limes
  • olive oil
  • s+p

toss the corn, quinoa, onion, garlic and cilantro together. squeeze in the juice of 2 limes and drizzle some olive oil over the salad. toss to combine. add s+p to taste.

i am not often inspired by dishes from caterers that feed me on film/commercial/tv sets, but this one was really good.

note: all the above ingredients were purchased at a farmers market, with the exception of the quinoa and canola oil from trader joe’s and the spices from penzeys. i was nowhere near a whole foods parking lot during the creation of this dish.

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Categories meatless monday, recipes

…and for my next pie: pumpkin

October 16, 2011 //
3

obviously we are coming up to pumpkin pie season being that thanksgiving is around the corner. honestly, i have never been one to choose pumpkin pie over other options during this season, but i found myself going to a dinner party, and wanting to bring a pie. i happened to have a pumpkin on hand with which i intended to make soup, but thought i’d try my hand at a pie instead.

my biggest problem with pumpkin pies is that they are way too sweet, so i researched a few different recipes. they all had similar ingredients and spices: pumpkin, egg, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg etc… most called for canned pumpkin, and a few recipes even called for sweetened condensed milk, which makes me think that was the type of pie i was used to.

i made three changes that i think made the difference; i used a real pumpkin, i substituted the sugar with a mix of brown sugar and honey, and i replaced the cream with coconut milk. the result was a not too sweet, very flavorful, real pumpkin pie.

filling:

  • 1 pie pumpkin, about 6-8 inches in diameter, cut in half horizontal, cored and seeds removed (reserved to roast)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground clove
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground all spice

crust:

  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp butter, cold and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp cold shortening
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 2-3 tbsp cold vodka

instructions:

roast the pumpkin halves skin side up at 350º for 1 1/2 hours on a foil lined pan and covered with foil.

the skin should come off easily, and then pureé.

let the pumpkin pureé come to room temperature while you make the dough for the crust. you can also make the pumpkin pureé ahead of time and refrigerate until this point. if so, take it out of the fridge and let come to room temperature while making the dough.

put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor, and pulse quickly to mix. add the shortening and process for 10 seconds. add the butter and pulse 10 times. pour into a bowl and add 2 tbsp of cold water and 2 tbsp of cold vodka. with a rubber spatula using a folding mixing motion, press down with the broad side of the spatula as you turn the dough letting it stick together. add an additional tbsp of vodka if the dough doesn’t come together. form the dough into a 4-inch disk and wrap in plastic. refrigerate the dough for an hour.

pre-heat the oven to 425º about 10-15 minutes before taking your dough out of the refrigerator.

just before rolling your dough out, mix the all ingredients for the filling together very well with a hand mixer.

roll out and form the dough into the pie dish.

pour the filling into the uncooked pie crust.

bake at 425º for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º until a knife comes out of the center clean, about 60-75 minutes.

i must say that my first pie after the disaster of the steve jobs pie incident was a complete success. i guess he was right…just move on after a mistake and ‘get on with improving your other innovations.’ pie and technology may not match up in your eyes as innovative, but it does in my mind.

note: i cleaned and roasted the pumpkin seeds with a little oil and salt, and topped the pie with several as a garnish. i also added a bit of cut out pie crust in the shape of a pumpkin and fall leaf and sprinkled it with salt.

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Categories pie, recipes

red kuri squash + tomato soup

September 9, 2011 //
4

summer meets fall by combining delicious sweet tomatoes and vibrant red kuri squash. i’ve also added a bit of madras curry to give it a little bit of heat. i know it was a bit crazy to make soup on a hot so-cal september day, but the colors of these beauties inspired me.

ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 onion, diced small, about 2 1/2 cups
  • 3/4 cup carrots, diced small
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 1/2 to 3 lbs red kuri squash, skin removed, seeded, and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
  • 2 tsp of madras curry powder
  • 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian)
  • 6-7 medium tomatoes, seeded (reserve juices, strained of seeds), roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp of thyme, plus extra for garnish
  • pinch of cayenne
  • s+p to taste (i ended up using about 2 tbsp of coarse hanapepe salt and at least a dozen grinds of a pepper mill)
  • crème fraîche, as garnish
  • 1 cup half + half (optional)

yield: 8 cups, 4-6 servings

directions:

melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed pan, such as a dutch oven.

add onions and carrots, and a touch of salt. let cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. then add the squash and stir to combine. cook, stirring occasionally, until a slight brown fond starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.

add the curry and cayenne. stir to combine.

add the reserved tomato juice and stock. use a wooden spoon to remove any fond from the bottom of the pan. add some s+p. i added about 1 tbsp of hanapepe salt and several cranks on the pepper mill at this point.

bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer. add the tomatoes and thyme. let cook about 20 minutes, or until the squash is soft.

purée until smooth. i use a hand blender for sheer ease, but a regular blender will work, just make sure you do it in batches and don’t over fill.

taste and add any additional s+p at this point. i added another few cranks on the pepper mill and probably another tbsp of hanapepe salt. then i allowed the spices to meld a little while longer on low heat.

there are a few finishing options. add a dollop of crème fraîche, and a pinch of thyme for garnish.

to add creaminess all the way through, turn off the heat and add 1 cup of half + half. if saving some for the next day, or freezing it, hold off on adding the cream until slowly reheating it.

also, one of my favorite things is grilled cheese and tomato soup, and this makes a wonderful alternative to a mainstay meal.

enjoy!

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Categories meatless monday, recipes

duo of summer salads

September 7, 2011 //
0

as the end of summer nears, i feel the need to stock up on all my favorites (avocados, peppers, tomatoes, corn etc), because it just seems like it is going to be so long before these fresh summer fruits and vegetables will be back again. here are two wonderful salads that highlight everything wonderful about summer:

recipes by-

mark bittman: corn + avocado salad (bottom left)

kalyn’s kitchen: mango salad with black beans, avocado, mint + chile-lime vinaigrette (upper right)

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halibut with sweet corn curry + pickled chanterelles

September 5, 2011 //
2

this recipe was adapted by tasting table from steven brown, chef and owner of tilia in minneapolis, mn. i also made a few adjustment to my taste, and frankly my pocket book. for instance, i am not too big on salt, so i reduced it in a few places, and chanterelles are just fucking expensive (not to mention halibut), so i easily cut the mushroom amount in half. unless i missunderstood my mushroom vendor’s math, they were selling chanterelles for $30/lb, and they had $5 bags ready to go, which means that would equal 1/6lb. it was a perfect amount for 2 servings, anymore seemed like it would be overkill and take away from the rest of the dish. the original recipe was for 4 and i made it for 2, so i have made all my adjustments above and a few others below. there are a lot of spices and ingredients in general, but this is actually a quite easy dish to make. i even made my own madras-style curry from spices i already had on hand.

ingredients:
halibut-

  • 2 halibut fillets, 1/4 lb each
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp anise seeds
  • 1/4 cup mirin (japanese sweet rice wine)
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar

sweet corn curry-

  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • zest of 2 limes (or 3 kaffir-lime leaves, if you can find them)
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup sweet corn, cut from a fresh ear
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 1 1/2 tsp madras-style curry powder
  • 1/2 cup light coconut milk (it’s what i had on hand, regular would be fine too)
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock

pickled chanterelles-

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp anise seeds
  • 1 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/6 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned
  • 1/8 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 small carrot, thinly sliced into 2-inch-long slices

directions:
prepare the halibut: season the fish on all sides with the salt and anise seeds and set aside for 1 hour, allowing to come to room temperature. this is also a good time to collect and prep the rest of the ingredients. after an hour, in a medium bowl, combine the mirin and rice vinegar and dip the fillets in the mixture. remove and pat dry. set aside while you make the rest of the dish.

make the corn curry: in a medium saucepot set over medium heat, sweat the butter, garlic, lime zest, onion, corn, jalapeño and curry powder until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer.

simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and purée in a blender. keep warm.

make the pickled chanterelles: in a medium saucepot set over medium heat, combine the water, rice vinegar, sugar, sea salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, chile flakes, anise seeds and garlic. bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. place the mushrooms, onion and carrot in a medium bowl and pour the water-vinegar mixture over the vegetables. let sit to soak and marinate.

preheat oven to 375º. place the fish on a lightly oiled glass baking dish and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is opaque and warm all the way through. i used a glass pyrex pie dish with a bit of coconut oil smeared on the bottom.

divide the curried-corn sauce among 2 bowls, or deep plates, and top each with a halibut fillet. use a slotted spoon or fork to take the mushroom mixture out of the liquid and place on top of the fish. serve immediately.

well done steven brown. this is one of the best dishes i have ever made. although every single ingredient is a favorite of mine, i just wasn’t sure how it would all fit together in the end. the creamy coconut corn and the tangy earthiness of the mushrooms worked perfectly together with the light flaky halibut and the slight tinge from the anise.

cheers!

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