cooksome

summerfest 2010

 

We had a great class yesterday.  mostly new folks and a couple of my favorite regulars.  we went around the table afterwords commenting on what we like best.  i think everyone was really impressed with what brining can do to your meats. that was pretty unanimous.  lots of comments on the watermelon salad and the lima beans and corn with miso dressing.  i myself was gaga over the tuna confit with tomatoes, cukes and bread and the cantaloupe and watermelon pickles were startlingly good 

 best of all it was a really nice group of people.  it's nice when everyone meshes.  Joel did a great job grilling in the rain.  i guess i should check those weather forecasts

Here's the menu:

Watermelon Salad

Sweet Corn and Lima Bean Salad with walnut miso dressing

Variation on Caprese using Basil Oil and Chipotle Vinegar

Tuna Confit with Heirloom Tomatoes and Capers.

Pasta with summer tomato sauce

Basil Pesto

Brining:  Pork tenderloins and chicken

Assorted quick pickles

 and as always, thanks to carol for being the greatest support/wine guru/photographer/maitre d/dishwasher anyone could ever ask for! 

january dinners

well with my oven on the fritz and the weather not cooperating, my january cooking classes took a hit.  thankfully a couple of dinner parties dropped into my lap.  braised with cabernet and served with carmelized brussels these short ribs were perfect for the bone chilling weather we'd been having.

short ribs are now kinda gucci.  it's weird really.  i remember serving short ribs a bunch of years ago as a cheap meal with tons of flavor.  it has happened with lots of things.  pancetta was 3.50 at an expensive italian deli now it's 10.99 at giant.  skirt steak was so cheap.  now all this stuff is pretty expensive.  I'm not talking all that long ago really.  Maybe 10 years or so.  just before the tech bust.   and way before the housing bubble.  so when's the food bubble gonna burst?

 

cauliflower bleu cheese soup

during the big storm we had last week i was in a soup craving mood.  i made a batch of cauliflower bleu cheese soup.  i love fresh thyme in my soups but mine was buried under 20 inches of snow.  there was something really exciting about digging up fresh thyme in the middle of a blizzard.  i found it under a big mound of snow looking fresh and happy as ever.  a great addition of flavor.

cauliflower bleu cheese soup

1 onion diced

4 cloves garlic sliced

1 head of cauliflower

5 cups chicken stock

4-6 oz bleu cheese

salt and pepper

fresh thyme

sweat the onion and 2 cloves of garlic in some olive oil until onions begin to soften.  add 1/2 the head of cauliflower roughly chopped.  saute 3 or 4 minutes over low heat.  season with salt and pepper.  add the chicken stock and thyme, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is completely cooked.  remove from heat, remove thyme and puree soup with an immersion blender.  crumble the blue cheese and add. return to heat until the cheese is melted.

take the remaining two cloves of garlic and 2 cups of cauliflower cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  saute over low heat with a small amount of butter and equal amount of olive oil.  season with salt and pepper. cook, stirring frequently so that the cauliflower turns a lovely golden all over and is cooked through.  Use as a garnish on top of soup or simply stir into soup and serve

If the soup is too thick you may thin with a little chicken stock.  If fat is of no concern to you cream may also be added.

 

purely vegetarian butternut squash chili

recently i saw a recipe for butternut squash chili with beef brisket.  i happen to love both of those things so it peaked my interest.  but i have been working on vegetarian options for my upcoming class so i opted to make a butternut squash chili without the meat or the beans.  here's how it went

2 green peppers diced 

1 red pepper diced 

2 small onions diced

2 cloves garlic smashed

2 chipotle chilis in adobo minced

season liberally with salt and pepper

saute briefly until peppers start to soften

add 4-6 oz of beer and reduce until 1/2 the beer is gone

add 

1 cup vegetarian stock

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp bittersweet smoked paprika

1 28 oz can roasted tomatoes chopped

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

simmer for 10 to 15 minutes

add 4 cups diced butternut squash

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar

simmer over low heat until squash is tender

taste and reseason if necessary

it may need cumin, salt, chipotle, brown sugar, or cinnamon 

before serving stir in chopped cilantro

dalat aw taw kaw market

quite simply, i loved this place.  this was the coolest market ever.  cooler than the baltimore farmers market, more real than the market at the ferry building in san francisco certainly a different selection than the boulder market.  the widest selection of the most beautiful foods i had ever seen.  and honestly, i didn't know what half of them were.  i did however know what these babies were.  giant prawns with green chili sauce.  they were delicious.  the sauce was green from lime juice, cilantro and green chilies.

this is hoi tod or mussel pancake.  served with a slightly spicy sirracha style sauce.  the mussels were plump and sweet.  it was of course delicious

i tasted lots of stuff that day.  i had one of those coconuts drinks, i had a bright green drink in a bag that i know was something from my childhood but i can't remember what.  i had tamarind juice, some pad thai and my favorite of the day, duck soup noodles

this was what i went to thailand for.  i have read that there are better places to have lunch in bangkok but i didn't find them.  

bangkok

so after years of wishing and dreaming i finally embarked on a new journey.  i planted my feet in southeast asia.  sitting here now, i can close my eyes and still hear the sounds of the hasseling tuk tuk drivers, the choking smell of emission free vehicles and then finally, the tastes and flavors that filled me with profound amazement and had me begging for more.  

a country of deep contrasts.  lush tropical beauty countered by crippling poverty.  there were moments when i had a tough time wrapping my american sensibilities around the very questionable hygiene of the street.  i wonder how long it would take for my mind and body to transition to a place where it all seemed commonplace?

i went to see and experience first hand the origin of the food which has captivated me.  i left wishing i had more time to see and experience...  just a little more time.  

i imagine it will always be that way.

pasta pasta and more pasta

i have not been good about documenting my classes for the last month but here is a quick recap of the pasta primer.

a break in the action to savor the fruits of our labor...........

here we are enjoying our antipasti.  we prepared 4.  first, home made ricotta cheese which went on some grilled bruschetta along with some pesto.  second was simply roasted red and yellow peppers with capers, olive oil and balsamic syrup. next up, roasted shiitakes with basil oil and lastly, grilled shrimp.  

we washed all this down with banear proseco.  the lightly fruity flavors paired well with our starters.

next up we finished rolling out our fresh black pepper pasta

 we did 3 pastas, a pennette with tomato, basil and home made ricotta.  a penne with grape tomatoes, olives and capers and the star was our fresh black pepper pasta with bolognese ragu.  the silkiness of the egg enriched pasta and the richness of the sauce...wow  those italians know what they are doing and now, so do my students.

we enjoyed a pear and blue cheese salad with baby arugula and candied walnuts.  a great day, a lot of fun and some really great people.  boun appetito e grazie miele!

farmers market special

our farmers market special cooking class yesterday turned out to be sensational.  one of the things i like best about these classes is seeing how a diverse group of folks come together and really enjoy each other.  it happens almost instantly.  they walk in the door, there is a smile, an introduction and suddenly a joint purpose.  food does that.  it brings people togther.   

the menu for yestereday's class was based on using the very best of what was available at the farmers market. our menu was:

classic gazpacho

panzanella

nicoise salad with basic vinaigrette

caprese with a flavored vinegar and a flavored oil

pesto

 we brined two chickens and two pork tenderloins and later some shrimp.  i think everyone walked away from the class that day with a complete understanding and appreciation for that technique.  we put the pesto under the skin of the chicken and then we grilled everything.  the beauty of this menu was that everything could be mixed and matched.  you could serve any of the protiens with any of the dishes.  we tasted some great wines, my absolute favorite being the Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs.  it's a still cava.  it matched well with all the dishes.

lamb sausage with pistachio and mint

if you ned a picture, please  see the previous post.  this is crazy easy

start out with lamb shoulder.  trim some of the excess fat, cut into chunks and grind it.  for every pound of lamb shoulder also grind 4 oz of salt pork.  If you don't have a grinding attachment have it done by the butcher.

because you are using salt pork, it eliminates the need to use any further salt

for each pound of ground meat add 4 oz of pistachios and 3 tbl of chopped fresh mint

mix 

at this point it can be stuffed into casings, made into patties or rolled into logs in either aluminum foil or clear wrap.

This would make great burgers or be terrific with pasta tossed with some smoked tomato sauce.

crispy potatoes and smoked tomato sauce

currently one of my favorite cook books is The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen.  it's an amazing book filled with the kinds of food i love to cook.  not fussy or pretentious but simple fresh and full of flavor.  i tell you this to give credit to two of the recipes i am about to divulge.  both are based on recipes from this book.

in spain they are called patatas bravas and are considered the quintessential tapas.  done simply and precisely they are fantastic.

12 or so small yukon gold potatoes

salt

really you can cook as many as you like here i promise they won't go uneaten.

cook the potatoes in salted water until just done.  it is important not to over cook them.

drain, cool and slice into wedges.

toss the potatoes in olive oil and salt

spread out onto a sheet pan and place in a 450 degree oven

roast 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crispy

at a wine tasting i recently catered i ran into some good fortune. One of the guests showed with a smoked duck breast from a small smokehouse in Connecticut.  after searing it off i was left with some delicious duck fat which i then used in place of the olive oil on my potatoes.  needless to say they were fantastic.

accompanying these potatoes was a smokey tomato sauce

olive oil

1 cup diced onions

3 or 4 clove garlic sliced

saute the onions and garlic until cooked but not browned

season with 

1 tsp cumin

 2 tsp smoked paprika

a crushed dried chili pepper

saute briefly then add 1  28 oz can of diced tomatoes.  (juice and all)  i use nature's promise  or muir glen brands.

simmer for a half an hour or so and season with 

1 tb sugar

splash of vinegar

puree in a blender until smooth

taste and re-season if necessary.

in spain these potatoes are classically served with allioli which i did as well.  mine was a version made with roasted garlic.  ms brezem gives several recipes as well as several variations in her book.

what else was on the plate?  pistachio mint sausage but that's for next time