Pasta Mash-Up

One of the recipes that compelled me to learn to make my own pasta is in Plenty. It’s Saffron Tagliatelle with Spiced Butter which sounds so awesome, but when it came time to make it, I couldn’t muster the courage to sauce a plate of pasta with nothing but a cup of melted butter (and some seasonings). Instead, I made the pasta as instructed and then used a healthy recipe from Food & Wine for Spaghetti with Mushroom Bolognese. The result is...

Saffron Tagliatelle with Mushroom Bolognese

I can’t say it’s a huge success because the butter would have nicely accentuated the fancy homemade pasta, while porcini and shiitake mushrooms overwhelm it, plus the soft homemade pasta texture is similar to the cooked down mushrooms, whereas perfect al dente cooked spaghetti would have balanced much more nicely. It was still a great experiment and it sure SOUNDS good, and the mushroom bolognese is so delicious you completely forget you’re missing meat.

Here are fun pics of the process. The idea of draping pasta over a chair to dry just a bit was from Plenty as well (yes it was thoroughly cleaned before and after).

 

2016 Cookbooks III: Gjelina

Gjelina was given to me as a house-warming gift (thanks, Jeremy). It’s a restaurant cookbook from a trendy spot on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. Their menu is heavily inspired by Italian cuisine. I’ve eaten there a couple times and they’re famous for their pizzas (a couple of which I’ve already made), but they’re really about fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, focusing on vegetables, and not wasting anything, especially animal parts (they use EVERYTHING). As a home cook, I can’t fully keep up with all their restaurant recipes, but I gave some of them my best this past week...

Squid Ink Chitarra with Anchovies

This is my greatest achievement from the book. Kara got me a pasta attachment for my stand mixer and this was my first try at making pasta from scratch, and man, was it amazing. The texture is like nothing else- I was very pleasantly surprised. Of course, leave it to me to do hand-cut squid ink pasta on my first time out, but it worked. The squid ink really does nothing but add a striking color here, by the way, no taste or smell.

“Chitarra” is the name given to this pasta for the instrument that is traditionally used to cut this pasta shape (from the Italian word for guitar), but Gjelina suggests a knife for home cooks and to enjoy the uneven rustic appearance (nailed THAT). The sauce here is light, but bold in flavor. Anchovies and tomatoes melt down into white wine and pasta water to create a creamy, briny, and slightly sweet sauce. Homemade chunky, crispy crouton crumbs are tossed in for texture. Topped with Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Mushroom Toast

Sounds a bit boring, but tastes anything but that. Grilled ciabatta topped with five types of mushrooms slathered in a white wine-crème fraîche sauce with fresh herbs. Crème fraîche is basically a thicker, French version of sour cream that doesn’t break as easily when heated. I almost served this as an appetizer, but I’m so glad I didn’t. This thing eats like a meal- a side salad with fresh mixed greens is all it needs and you’re stuffed. 

Spaghetti Pomodoro

Gjelina is big on saucing pasta lightly, as done in this dish. The pomodoro sauce is used sparingly and it’s super fresh- lots of tomatoes cooked down with nothing but sea salt, olive oil, and fresh basil. Even though I worked hard to make the sauce, the pasta is not covered with it, just lightly coated. Simple and delicious.

Mixed Lettuces with Yogurt Dressing & Warm Croutons

The dressing is quite complex, with mint, chives, parsley, shallots, and garlic, all mixed with white wine vinegar and Greek yogurt. The croutons are crisped in a pan with oil from garlic confit used in other dishes. And for the salad, I just used every mix of herbs and lettuces I could find. The salad is certainly not lacking depth of flavor.

Meatballs Braised in Red Wine and Tomato

This is one of their “most requested recipes” and I can see why. Pork shoulder and pork belly freshly ground at home by yours truly with a mixture of herbs, Pecorino Romano, cream, and day old bread cubes, made into perfect meatballs. They’re heavily seared before being braised in a red wine and pomodoro sauce to finish the cooking. Served with grilled bread and the above salad. You can imagine; rich, filling, and delectable.

Sinful

This was for Valentine’s...

Lobster Carbonara

For a refresher, carbonara is basically a super creamy, Parmesan-cheesy sauce, infused with pancetta (or bacon). I kind of invented this particular recipe based on others and used three lobster tails for the two of us, and fettuccine rather than the classic spaghetti. It came out perfectly, bordering on too rich. Served with a side salad with homemade vinaigrette, butter and garlic ciabatta bread, and chocolate brownie pudding- one of the very few desserts I make (but always a winner).

* In case you didn’t receive my carbonara email from a couple years back, I still think the origin and history/etymology of the dish is interesting: Wikipedia on Carbonara

2016 Cookbooks II: Momofuku

There will be a follow up email about this cookbook at some point because the quintessential recipes are really for ramen and pork buns and I have not (BUT WILL) make those. In the meantime, I made this Korean meal for our Super Bowl party because the introduction in the book suggests it for exactly that. A bonus was that the day also kicked off traditional celebrations of the lunar new year for most of East Asia. Everything was delicious.

Bo Ssäm

This is essentially a build-your-own lettuce wrap kind of thing with a slow-cooked Boston pork butt coated with caramelized brown sugar as the star. I don’t want to undersell it though, as simple as it is, the dish required several days of prep and a trip to my unfortunately distant Asian market for ingredients.

So, you start with beautiful butter lettuce and then add components of your choosing: amazing fall-off-the-bone pork, Japanese rice, kimchi, puréed kimchi, a ginger-scallion mixture, ssäm sauce (sherry vinegar, and two types of Korean pastes made of bean and chiles), and finally, oysters (my first time shucking and I give myself a C, but not a fail). I also want to add that I love saying the Korean ingredients I’ve learned. It’s just fun to say kochukaru, ssämjang, and kochujang.

Kimchi, for those who might not be familiar, is one of the most common and traditional Korean dishes, usually a side. It’s essentially some type of vegetable, often napa cabbage, with Korean seasonings, mostly chile powder, and then fermented usually with a seafood component. Think spicy Asian sauerkraut. I made my own, but bought some good jarred stuff, and guests said they preferred mine- that was nice to hear. It’s supposed to get its famous flavor by fermenting for weeks, but mine just got a couple days. In fact, its been suggested that not completely fermented, still kinda crispy kimchi, led to the development of the dish, bo ssäm, because it so well complimented the tender pork.

This is a picture of one guest’s plate that I took, but the spread is actually impressive and I should have gotten that too. I’m including one from the book, just imagine it on our Mississippi pottery (it looked better).

Momofuku Chicken Wings

What’s a Super Bowl party without wings? These are basically chicken confit with bacon to make them smoky (the restaurant recipe is more elaborate) then seared and tossed in taré, which is like Japanese barbecue sauce; bony chicken parts cooked down with sake, mirin, and soy sauce. It’s hard to take a pretty picture of a pile of chicken wings when you’re trying to cook, eat, watch TV, and enjoy a party, but I think this looks pretty edible...

In case you’re still reading and care, the name of the book and restaurants, Momofuku, translates to “lucky peach” in Japanese. It is also the name of the man who invented instant ramen, and finally, the fact that it sounds a little like a certain English curse word is why the chef, David Chang chose it. I find that interesting and clever.

2016: Cookbooks I: Brunch at Bobby's

I got a whole bunch of cookbooks around Christmas. Most were gifted to me by people on this email list, so you know who you are and thanks!

However, I’ve noticed that my penchant for high end cookbooks is getting me into some hot water (cooking pun!). Almost all these books require mail order ingredients and/or a week or so of advance planning because they’re all restaurant recipes, where the restaurants can keep these things on hand, but no home cook has this stuff, or the time. But I plan to use them all extensively and will start with the recipes they’re either famous for or mention in the introduction, hence the beginning of this "2016 Cookbooks” series.

My dear mother-in-law always picks out cookbooks that are not that high end and usually less healthy than I prefer to cook. BUT, I do like Bobby Flay’s recipes, and this book she gave me, Brunch at Bobby’s, seemed the simplest to cook from at a busy time in my life when I still wanted to be in the kitchen. Of course I cooked all day and I bit off more than I could chew (what’s with these puns?). This weekend we had brunch for a late dinner of...

Crab Cakes Benedict with Old Bay Hollandaise and Johnny Cakes

This was delicious. A poached egg on top of a homemade crab cake on top of a Johnny Cake, all drizzled with spicy hollandaise. 

A Johnny Cake is basically a cornbread pancake, and one of the earliest truly American foods, attributed to Native Americans and quickly adopted by southern settlers and then some central and south Americans. There’s a chance its name comes from “Shawnee Cake” but its etymology actually has an elaborate and debatable history likely going back to a word from England in the 1500s that was changed over time, perhaps finally transformed by African American slaves.

The dish also pointed out one thing I struggle with as a cook- my emulsions almost always break. I’m awful at making mayonnaise, and hollandaise is no different. It tasted okay, but I broke it like I always do. Most likely because one of my greatest faults is lack of patience.

Cast-Iron Home Fries with Roasted Green Chiles and Creamy Garlic Dressing

Out of focus in the picture here, this was as delicious as it sounds. Crispy potatoes, roasted poblanos, and radicchio tossed in a very tasty garlicky dressing.

Maple-Mustard-Glazed Canadian Bacon

The glaze was simple and super tasty, but I don’t know where Flay gets Canadian bacon that crisps in the oven the way he instructs. Mine was tasty, but waaaay leathery. I kind of expected that while following the recipe, but did it anyway. Bad, Bobby Flay!

Earl Grey Spritzer and Mojito Champagne Cocktail

I don’t usually do cocktails, but these were easy and befitting of a dinner-brunch. Champagne over simple syrups infused with Earl Grey tea and mint, respectively. The mojito one gets a small splash of rum too (thanks, Nora). Ironically, I made the Earl Grey for me and the mojito for Kara (she hates bergamot and loves mojitos) and she ended up trading drinks with me! Shrug. Cheers!

Pho

Before we get any further, this dish is pronounced FUH, not FOH or anything else. I’m a stickler for pronunciation, so please get this one right.

It’s currently an über trendy dish in America, but has been as common as a hamburger in Vietnam for almost a century. Pho is basically an Asian version of a classic noodle soup- chicken, pork, or beef, etc. It is eaten any time of day, but it’s actually most often served as breakfast in most of Vietnam. We had it for dinner tonight.

I recently got Charles Phan’s first book, Vietnamese Home Cooking, after all the success and fun I’ve had with The Slanted Door. We’re real busy (closing on a house and moving AGAIN), so I’ve only managed to cook this one classic recipe from it so far, and the timing was perfect because it’s been rainy and in the 30s here; perfect weather for a house to be filled with the heat and smells of chicken bones and ginger simmering all day. I’m sure I’ll do more complex stuff once things settle down.

Pho Gá

A simple but flavorful Asian chicken broth ladled over rice noodles, chicken, scallions, and cilantro, garnished with fried shallots. It’s served alongside fresh lime, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and basil, the idea being that you add the fresh herbs as you eat, so they never get soft or soggy. Comforting and delicious- light if you eat a little, filling if you eat a lot.

Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington

Kara went to DC this week with the entire 8th grade of Greenhill. So you know what that means… I cook forbidden food! Not really forbidden—Kara has a pretty flexible palette—but she is not a fan of lamb, is severely allergic to clams, and she probably would not be interested in seeing a whole quail on her plate. So I pulled out my favorite cookbooks and went to town.

Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini, and Sumac

This is the cover recipe for Jerusalem (their picture is prettier, but they cheated!—It’s heavily modified from the actual recipe). The book’s description is what interested me most: "This concoction is Jerusalem fusion food at it’s very best. It incorporates traditional elements that are purely Palestinian with ingredients characteristic of various Jewish cuisines, and puts them all together in a completely nontraditional way.” The flavors were AMAZING and perfectly balanced. Lamb, onions, garlic, pistachios, pine nuts, harissa paste (a red chile-based hot sauce with spices like caraway and cumin), topped with cooked tomatoes, cilantro, and a sauce made with Greek yogurt and tahini paste. It’s sprinkled with sumac, which is a delicious spice that is fairly mild with citrusy notes and is becoming very popular in the US, I suspect in part because of this chef. Truly a masterpiece recipe.

Chili-Lime Glazed Grilled Quail + Fire Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Hash

I noticed Texas quail at my favorite market, so I had to pick it up for this week, and I knew Jonathan would be the perfect person to share it with. He picked this chili-lime glazed recipe from a few options I gave him and I came up with the sweet potato hash side. Both were simple to make with few ingredients, and absolutely delicious.

Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango

The title pretty much says it all, but it’s dressed in a sauce similar to shari-zu (sushi dressing- rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt) and perked up with cilantro and red onion. Soba is the Japanese word for buckwheat, by the way, so that’s what the noodles are, and they are delicious. Another Ottolenghi recipe, this time from Plenty. That book’s difficult for me to cook from because the recipes are either very high in fat (which makes me a little uncomfortable), or loaded with veggies that Kara is not a fan of. She loves fruits and I love veggies, and the reverse is not true. No matter what, I have LOVED every recipe I’ve made from it. This one did not disappoint.

Clams with Butter-Lime Sauce + Hainan Chicken

Both of these are from The Slanted Door and, just as almost everything else I’ve made from that book, they are simple, subtle, but deep in flavor all at once. For this meal, I invited Nora over (very dear friend, walking distance from where we live now)- I know she likes Asian flavors.

The clams are an excellent illustration of the impact the French have on Vietnamese cuisine, thanks to French colonialism. It’s essentially a French dish using sake instead of chardonnay, with the addition of Thai chiles and fish sauce. I think the blend of French with Asian cuisine is one of the reasons I like Vietnamese food so much.

Hainan chicken is one that Charles Phan has always had on his menu even though he says it's never been a best seller. It’s boiled, so the skin is rubbery, not crispy, but his mentality is that that’s the best way to really experience chicken at it’s purest. A fair assessment, and tastier than it sounds. It IS really good. The ginger-chicken broth is then used to make a rice pilaf (rice cooked in flavored broth, often seared in fat first, as in this case). The dipping sauce served alongside the chicken is what seals the deal- Thai chiles, ginger, garlic, lime and fish sauce- pungent in a good way.