I've run dry the last two weeks or so, and sadly it's due to lack of time rather than material. The good news is I have at least two more posts on tap this week. This one will be short before bed.
So two weeks back we're having a nice family dinner with stir-fried veggies-- snow peas, broccoli, and cauliflower, and maybe carrots. Alex, our 3-year-old, isn't so into them so we get the brilliant idea that the snow peas are green, alien tongues and the carrots are alien fingers, which makes her laugh and gets her more interested. She starts putting snow peas in her mouth and wiggling them on her lips like a tongue then slurping them up and a similar story with the "fingers." Now this is certainly not the path to perfect Miss Manners table etiquette, but given the choice between her eating healthy vegetables and gaining the approval of high society matrons, I'm going with the veggies. High society can kiss green, alien booty...
And I wish you all a fine evening...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Birthday
So one of the reasons I didn't post for a couple of days was Monday was my birthday. My wonderful family kept me well fed and feted from Saturday through Monday. Saturday night was an intimate, just-the-three-of-us dinner at Le P'tit Paris, a bistro just off Prospect Park on the Windsor Terrace/Park Slope edge in the old Da Vincenzo space, which I was sad but not heartbroken to see close. (Da Vincenzo had excellent pizza and Italian comfort food, but there's little shortage of that in Brooklyn.) We'd been there once before, where I'd enjoyed a lovely rendition of Coq au Vin, but we had not back for quite a while. Saturday the regular special is Boeuf Bourguignon. Braised short ribs are one of life's great comfort foods, and I've experimented with beer and wine on a number of occasions, and the results were tasty. Having classic Boeuf Bourg at LPP left me wondering why I bothered trying to improve on the formula. As is often the case, the French set a culinary standard that bears little room for improvement no matter what fancy techniques or exotic ingredients are employed. That's not to say I won't keep trying nor should you, but every once in a while it's good to go back to basics to remind ourselves of the benchmark. The preparation is normally over pasta, but the waiter happily substituted a mushroom risotto, for me a much preferable choice. (But then risotto is always a winner with me.) I had no prayer of finishing the whole meal, but short ribs and risotto only get better sitting overnight.
I also enjoyed a glass of 2006 Domaine de Beausejour from Chinon in the Loire Valley. Chinon red wines are based on Cabernet Franc, called Breton there I have learned. (The Internet knows everything.) I am by no means an expert in Loire wines, but I enjoyed it and would happily drink it again. A rich dish like BB could have used a stronger pairing though, and I would probably try something a little more assertive from their impressive list by the glass. (It's on the bottom of the menu at the above link.) There are even two selections from Languedoc, a region with which I have no experience at all. Even though it is the largest wine region in France and grows both Cabernet and Pinot Noir, probably scandalizing both the Bordelais and the Bourgognois simultaneously, as well as the Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre traditional to the bordering Rhone region. You do not commonly find Languedoc appellation wines in most wine shops or wine lists in the U.S., or at least I don't, but then an authentic French bistro run by two guys named Olivier and Matthieu can be expected to dig deeper. I highly recommend a visit if French comfort food done perfectly sounds remotely appealing. (If it doesn't, I'm not sure how I can help you.)
I also enjoyed a glass of 2006 Domaine de Beausejour from Chinon in the Loire Valley. Chinon red wines are based on Cabernet Franc, called Breton there I have learned. (The Internet knows everything.) I am by no means an expert in Loire wines, but I enjoyed it and would happily drink it again. A rich dish like BB could have used a stronger pairing though, and I would probably try something a little more assertive from their impressive list by the glass. (It's on the bottom of the menu at the above link.) There are even two selections from Languedoc, a region with which I have no experience at all. Even though it is the largest wine region in France and grows both Cabernet and Pinot Noir, probably scandalizing both the Bordelais and the Bourgognois simultaneously, as well as the Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre traditional to the bordering Rhone region. You do not commonly find Languedoc appellation wines in most wine shops or wine lists in the U.S., or at least I don't, but then an authentic French bistro run by two guys named Olivier and Matthieu can be expected to dig deeper. I highly recommend a visit if French comfort food done perfectly sounds remotely appealing. (If it doesn't, I'm not sure how I can help you.)
Promised tuna
So I promised my seared tuna and sauteed spinach recipe from two Sundays back. Really easy. The key is good quality, fresh yellowfin or other meaty tuna in a nice thick fillet. If you're in NY, Fairway usually has reliable fish, or find Blue Moon Fish at one of several Greenmarkets. (Get there early, as they sell out fast!) If you're elsewhere and financially flush, Whole Foods is usually a good bet as well.
Combine 4 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice, and some cracked black pepper in a dish, and microwave just slightly to melt the honey so it all dissolves together. Rinse and dry the tuna and marinate for 30 minutes in the soy-honey sauce. Heat oil (grapeseed or olive is fine) in a cast iron skillet (where would I be without mine?) over high heat until it starts to smoke. Drop the tuna in the pan and sear for about 2-1/2 minutes, turn and sear the other side for 2 minutes. The fish should have a nice seared glaze about 1/4 deep and still be rare in the middle. Or better yet use an instant read thermometer to 120 degrees for rare, 125 for medium-rare.
The spinach is similar to last time, but in this case I toasted almonds, added spinach and some other mixed greens and finished with sweet lime juice. I always finish sauteed spinach with vinegar or citrus-- the last post explained about chelating agents which help capture iron. In this case the acid in vinegar or citrus helps your body absorb more iron from the spinach. And lime juice and balsamic vinegar both taste great anyway so it's a win-win.
As I mentioned, this paired well with a 2003 Val di Suga Brunello. Brunello di Montalcino, to use its full name, is one of the various "super Tuscan" wines, often with super (high) prices. But I found it several months back on wtso.com for about $30 a bottle. It's a bargain at that price-- luscious with dark cherry, soft, ripe tannin structure and some balanced acidity (hence the fish pairing), with coffee and more cherry in the finish. It normally retails for $57, which would be less of a value.
Combine 4 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice, and some cracked black pepper in a dish, and microwave just slightly to melt the honey so it all dissolves together. Rinse and dry the tuna and marinate for 30 minutes in the soy-honey sauce. Heat oil (grapeseed or olive is fine) in a cast iron skillet (where would I be without mine?) over high heat until it starts to smoke. Drop the tuna in the pan and sear for about 2-1/2 minutes, turn and sear the other side for 2 minutes. The fish should have a nice seared glaze about 1/4 deep and still be rare in the middle. Or better yet use an instant read thermometer to 120 degrees for rare, 125 for medium-rare.
The spinach is similar to last time, but in this case I toasted almonds, added spinach and some other mixed greens and finished with sweet lime juice. I always finish sauteed spinach with vinegar or citrus-- the last post explained about chelating agents which help capture iron. In this case the acid in vinegar or citrus helps your body absorb more iron from the spinach. And lime juice and balsamic vinegar both taste great anyway so it's a win-win.
As I mentioned, this paired well with a 2003 Val di Suga Brunello. Brunello di Montalcino, to use its full name, is one of the various "super Tuscan" wines, often with super (high) prices. But I found it several months back on wtso.com for about $30 a bottle. It's a bargain at that price-- luscious with dark cherry, soft, ripe tannin structure and some balanced acidity (hence the fish pairing), with coffee and more cherry in the finish. It normally retails for $57, which would be less of a value.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sunday Sauce
So I promised my Sunday sauce recipe. Everyone and his grandmother (usually literally the grandmother) says they make the best tomato sauce, and really who's going to argue with a nice old Italian grandma? The wonderful thing about sauce though is that you can experiment with just about anything in the kitchen and have fun with it.
My basic sauce is fresh plum tomatoes (10-20) often plus a can of San Marzano tomatoes if I don't have enough fresh. Blanche the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes until the skins start to split then douse in cold water. At this point if you have a food mill you can run the tomatoes through it to remove the seeds, peels and stems, but unless you're making a lot more than I do (family of three in NYC house = not that much storage and only so much sauce we can eat) peeling and cutting the stems by hand is not too hard. I don't bother taking seeds out myself, but cut the tomatoes in half and scoop them out if you feel so inclined.
I then in a large pot (dutch oven or gallon+ saucepan) heat a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and then sweat a cup of chopped onions (I like cippolinis, sometimes sweet onions, and I've been known to add shallots too) and a quarter cup of minced garlic (unless I've roasted garlic) for several minutes until they glisten and start to yellow (not brown). Toss in several twists of fresh ground pepper, a pinch or two of sea salt, and stir up. Add a healthy splash of red wine (open a bottle to serve with dinner or leftover wine is generally okay too but absolutely not cooking wine, never cook with anything that started out unsuitable for drinking) to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes and reduce to medium low heat. Let simmer and crush up the tomatoes using a wooden spoon or other nonreactive implement. Add a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves and roasted garlic (mash that up too). Let simmer for a couple of hours and season to taste.
For controversy, discuss sweetening sauce. Tomatoes are acidic so there's nothing wrong with adding a bit of sugar or other sweetener if you think it necessary. Riper tomatoes are sweeter and will need less sweetening. Personally I'll use a touch of honey if I want it sweeter, but last Sunday's batch needed none.
Enjoy the sauce with the rest of the wine. I used Val di Suga Brunello, and drank more of it with the seared tuna I made the same night. Val di Suga is wonderful like most Brunello, and they do not even have a website that I can find. If pairing red wine with fish sounds like blasphemy, it is not entirely. Received wisdom is that red wine and fish creates an unpleasant aftertaste, but it isn't always true. The truth is more subtle, and the chemistry is now understood to be a reaction of iron with fish oils. Red wines without iron can be drunk with fish, and chelating agents will reduce the iron content and the fishy aftertaste regardless. Organic acids like citrus and vinegar are chelating agents, which explains why lemon or beurre blanc (butter blended with vinegar) make fish taste better, and why acidic white wines pair well.
Finally, I've found some practical use for that biochemical engineering degree that cost me so much time and money!
My basic sauce is fresh plum tomatoes (10-20) often plus a can of San Marzano tomatoes if I don't have enough fresh. Blanche the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes until the skins start to split then douse in cold water. At this point if you have a food mill you can run the tomatoes through it to remove the seeds, peels and stems, but unless you're making a lot more than I do (family of three in NYC house = not that much storage and only so much sauce we can eat) peeling and cutting the stems by hand is not too hard. I don't bother taking seeds out myself, but cut the tomatoes in half and scoop them out if you feel so inclined.
I then in a large pot (dutch oven or gallon+ saucepan) heat a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and then sweat a cup of chopped onions (I like cippolinis, sometimes sweet onions, and I've been known to add shallots too) and a quarter cup of minced garlic (unless I've roasted garlic) for several minutes until they glisten and start to yellow (not brown). Toss in several twists of fresh ground pepper, a pinch or two of sea salt, and stir up. Add a healthy splash of red wine (open a bottle to serve with dinner or leftover wine is generally okay too but absolutely not cooking wine, never cook with anything that started out unsuitable for drinking) to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes and reduce to medium low heat. Let simmer and crush up the tomatoes using a wooden spoon or other nonreactive implement. Add a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves and roasted garlic (mash that up too). Let simmer for a couple of hours and season to taste.
For controversy, discuss sweetening sauce. Tomatoes are acidic so there's nothing wrong with adding a bit of sugar or other sweetener if you think it necessary. Riper tomatoes are sweeter and will need less sweetening. Personally I'll use a touch of honey if I want it sweeter, but last Sunday's batch needed none.
Enjoy the sauce with the rest of the wine. I used Val di Suga Brunello, and drank more of it with the seared tuna I made the same night. Val di Suga is wonderful like most Brunello, and they do not even have a website that I can find. If pairing red wine with fish sounds like blasphemy, it is not entirely. Received wisdom is that red wine and fish creates an unpleasant aftertaste, but it isn't always true. The truth is more subtle, and the chemistry is now understood to be a reaction of iron with fish oils. Red wines without iron can be drunk with fish, and chelating agents will reduce the iron content and the fishy aftertaste regardless. Organic acids like citrus and vinegar are chelating agents, which explains why lemon or beurre blanc (butter blended with vinegar) make fish taste better, and why acidic white wines pair well.
Finally, I've found some practical use for that biochemical engineering degree that cost me so much time and money!
Hot dinner on a cold and dull Sunday
I've been failing to get this post written for nearly a week or actually a week by the time anyone reads it tomorrow. Better late than never I suppose.
So last Sunday was one of those rainy, cold, gray days that for me means cooking up a storm just to try to warm up the house and my soul. I made pesto and a big pot of homemade tomato sauce for later and pan seared tuna over sauteed spinach (different finish than last time) for dinner. A key common element to all three was roasted garlic, quite simply one of life's great culinary joys.
If you've never roasted garlic yourself, there's almost nothing simpler to do in the kitchen. Heat the oven to 375 F (that's 190 C for anyone reading outside the US), cut off the white end (the end where there are no roots) of a whole bulb of garlic and pour a tbsp or two of extra virgin olive oil in the open hole. Put the bulb in an oven safe dish (a small casserole works well) and roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. Take it out and let it cool then peel off the outer papery skin. The individual cloves will pull out of the stem, and you can squeeze them right out of their peel. They should be very soft like butter; in fact take a couple and spread them on good bread to eat while cooking.
Next time my basic tomato sauce recipe. (Recipe is probably overstating because I almost never make it the same way twice.)
So last Sunday was one of those rainy, cold, gray days that for me means cooking up a storm just to try to warm up the house and my soul. I made pesto and a big pot of homemade tomato sauce for later and pan seared tuna over sauteed spinach (different finish than last time) for dinner. A key common element to all three was roasted garlic, quite simply one of life's great culinary joys.
If you've never roasted garlic yourself, there's almost nothing simpler to do in the kitchen. Heat the oven to 375 F (that's 190 C for anyone reading outside the US), cut off the white end (the end where there are no roots) of a whole bulb of garlic and pour a tbsp or two of extra virgin olive oil in the open hole. Put the bulb in an oven safe dish (a small casserole works well) and roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. Take it out and let it cool then peel off the outer papery skin. The individual cloves will pull out of the stem, and you can squeeze them right out of their peel. They should be very soft like butter; in fact take a couple and spread them on good bread to eat while cooking.
Next time my basic tomato sauce recipe. (Recipe is probably overstating because I almost never make it the same way twice.)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Cooking at home (my mother-in-law's home but home nevertheless)
Per my previous post, there is great local fish available here in Sarasota year-round, and that means not just in restaurants but in the good supermarkets as well. We bought some wild mahi-mahi fillets at Publix, along with some pan-wilted Catalan-style spinach and ate dinner at home, which is nice even on vacation once in a while.
The recipe is easy:
Heat a grill.
Combine 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 2 tbsp. olive oil, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice in a non-reactive (that's fancy talk for plastic or ideally glass, metal reacts with acids in vinegar and lemon juice and will ruin the flavor) dish and let the mahi fillets marinate for 20 minutes.
Grill the fillets for about 5 minutes on one side then turn and grill 2 more minutes. The correct time will depend on the thickness, but err on the side of a little less, as fish will keep cooking a bit at rest. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with Catalan spinach below.
For the spinach, wash and drain it very well. Plump 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until it starts to shine. Toss in 2 tbsp. pine nuts and stir until the oil until toasted golden. Add spinach and stir well to saute until it starts to wilt. Add the raisins and stir 2 minutes more.
In terms of wine pairings, my best recommendation would be slightly off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling, preferably Finger Lakes or Alsace. My personal favorites are Salmon Run/Dr. Frank and Hermann Wiemer in the Finger Lakes and Trimbach and Hugel in Alsace. 2008 was a great year in Alsace, and 2004 Dr. Frank is a Gold Medal winner.
If you're in the NY metro area, shops that I know that stocks Wiemer wines include Red, White, and Bubbly in Park Slope, Astor Wines in Manhattan (which also stocks Salmon Run) and Zachy's in Westchester. Slope Cellars also has some Finger Lakes stock, but I don't remember which specifically. Dr. Frank is harder to find here, but they ship most places online or check their distributor list. If you really want to experience Finger Lakes wine, go visit and tour the wineries. The region is beautiful in late spring and summer, and there are many good wineries besides those two. I also recommend Standing Stone, Red Newt (eat lunch at the lovely bistro), and Lucas, and if you need a break from wine, try the fabulous Ithaca Beer or Finger Lakes Distilling, on which I can offer personal comment yet. As a proud Cornell alum, I have a special fondness for the area and its fine beverages.
Most reasonably stocked wine shops will have some selection of Alsatian whites, and Hugel and Trimbach are two of the biggest and best-known producers. I can also highly recommend a visit to Alsace. Strasbourg is a beautiful, old city in which I spent far too little time, and the countryside is the epitome of picturesque provincial France, albeit with Germanic names and efficiency.
Bon appetit et cheers.
The recipe is easy:
Heat a grill.
Combine 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 2 tbsp. olive oil, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice in a non-reactive (that's fancy talk for plastic or ideally glass, metal reacts with acids in vinegar and lemon juice and will ruin the flavor) dish and let the mahi fillets marinate for 20 minutes.
Grill the fillets for about 5 minutes on one side then turn and grill 2 more minutes. The correct time will depend on the thickness, but err on the side of a little less, as fish will keep cooking a bit at rest. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with Catalan spinach below.
For the spinach, wash and drain it very well. Plump 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until it starts to shine. Toss in 2 tbsp. pine nuts and stir until the oil until toasted golden. Add spinach and stir well to saute until it starts to wilt. Add the raisins and stir 2 minutes more.
In terms of wine pairings, my best recommendation would be slightly off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling, preferably Finger Lakes or Alsace. My personal favorites are Salmon Run/Dr. Frank and Hermann Wiemer in the Finger Lakes and Trimbach and Hugel in Alsace. 2008 was a great year in Alsace, and 2004 Dr. Frank is a Gold Medal winner.
If you're in the NY metro area, shops that I know that stocks Wiemer wines include Red, White, and Bubbly in Park Slope, Astor Wines in Manhattan (which also stocks Salmon Run) and Zachy's in Westchester. Slope Cellars also has some Finger Lakes stock, but I don't remember which specifically. Dr. Frank is harder to find here, but they ship most places online or check their distributor list. If you really want to experience Finger Lakes wine, go visit and tour the wineries. The region is beautiful in late spring and summer, and there are many good wineries besides those two. I also recommend Standing Stone, Red Newt (eat lunch at the lovely bistro), and Lucas, and if you need a break from wine, try the fabulous Ithaca Beer or Finger Lakes Distilling, on which I can offer personal comment yet. As a proud Cornell alum, I have a special fondness for the area and its fine beverages.
Most reasonably stocked wine shops will have some selection of Alsatian whites, and Hugel and Trimbach are two of the biggest and best-known producers. I can also highly recommend a visit to Alsace. Strasbourg is a beautiful, old city in which I spent far too little time, and the countryside is the epitome of picturesque provincial France, albeit with Germanic names and efficiency.
Bon appetit et cheers.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Sun, Seafood, and Sauvignon Blanc
I have been in sunny Sarasota, Florida on the West Coast since last Thursday, a major reason I haven't posted in several days. Since my lovely wife and daughter had been down here for a week and half without me already, I had other priorities than writing.
For a relatively small city, Sarasota has a fantastic arts, culture, and food scene. We had the pleasure of eating at the Lido Beach Grill, which has great food and stunning views to both west and east across Sarasota Bay to the mainland. We enjoyed both the sunset over the Gulf and then the lights coming on along the shore. On the eighth floor it's one of the highest spots on Lido Key so the views are unobstructed in the whole dining room. Oh, and the food was excellent. The bread is delicious and served with mango jalapeno butter. Trust me, it works. We shared the crab roll, a take on maki but fried on the outside. (Apparently that's a common touch with sushi preparations down here. Purists would probably cringe, but it's hard to argue with anything so tasty.) The lovely Allison had the broiled lobster tail (local Floridian lobster), almost perfectly cooked and served with more of that butter and mashed sweet potatoes. I had the grilled mangrove snapper (fish here, as expected, is fresh and also local) with lobster crab cake, Florida citrus jus with passionfruit, and mango avocado salsa. You have to love a restaurant that takes maximal advantage of the local bounty of seafood and fruit. I was told the best Florida strawberries and beef (Florida still has cattle ranches though many have been converted to golf courses and condos, including the enormous Lakewood Ranch development here) get shipped north to big cities, but it seems a top restaurant is able to keep some top-quality local produce.
The wine pairing was New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, my never fail go-to for seafood. Marlboro is by far the largest and best-known wine region in NZ, and Sauvignon Blanc is king there. The long growing season makes for distinct flavors you might not find in Sav Blanc from California or Bordeaux, and I enjoyed three different Marlboros this past week. Our party shared a bottle of Wairau River Estate SB (I think the 2008) one night, and it was fresh and pleasing with citrus notes, green and grassy on the palate and nose, and just a tinge of sweetness from the aromatics, although it was fermented dry. At $15 a bottle on the Web (look around), it's the sort of white I would buy by the case to drink all the time. At least I would if I didn't have two wine fridges already full with several bottles overflow already.
For a relatively small city, Sarasota has a fantastic arts, culture, and food scene. We had the pleasure of eating at the Lido Beach Grill, which has great food and stunning views to both west and east across Sarasota Bay to the mainland. We enjoyed both the sunset over the Gulf and then the lights coming on along the shore. On the eighth floor it's one of the highest spots on Lido Key so the views are unobstructed in the whole dining room. Oh, and the food was excellent. The bread is delicious and served with mango jalapeno butter. Trust me, it works. We shared the crab roll, a take on maki but fried on the outside. (Apparently that's a common touch with sushi preparations down here. Purists would probably cringe, but it's hard to argue with anything so tasty.) The lovely Allison had the broiled lobster tail (local Floridian lobster), almost perfectly cooked and served with more of that butter and mashed sweet potatoes. I had the grilled mangrove snapper (fish here, as expected, is fresh and also local) with lobster crab cake, Florida citrus jus with passionfruit, and mango avocado salsa. You have to love a restaurant that takes maximal advantage of the local bounty of seafood and fruit. I was told the best Florida strawberries and beef (Florida still has cattle ranches though many have been converted to golf courses and condos, including the enormous Lakewood Ranch development here) get shipped north to big cities, but it seems a top restaurant is able to keep some top-quality local produce.
The wine pairing was New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, my never fail go-to for seafood. Marlboro is by far the largest and best-known wine region in NZ, and Sauvignon Blanc is king there. The long growing season makes for distinct flavors you might not find in Sav Blanc from California or Bordeaux, and I enjoyed three different Marlboros this past week. Our party shared a bottle of Wairau River Estate SB (I think the 2008) one night, and it was fresh and pleasing with citrus notes, green and grassy on the palate and nose, and just a tinge of sweetness from the aromatics, although it was fermented dry. At $15 a bottle on the Web (look around), it's the sort of white I would buy by the case to drink all the time. At least I would if I didn't have two wine fridges already full with several bottles overflow already.
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