What I Cooked. What I Ate.

Chowdah

2011-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Five ingredients. Ok, six with the bacon. I suppose the parsley makes it seven...

The most difficult part of making fish chowder on the Other Coast is the lack of good chowder fish. Back in New England, I always used (Atlantic) cod or haddock. Out here, choices are limited. Alaskan cod doesn't have a good mouth feel and it's not as sweet as it's cousin from the Georges Bank. I've used catfish, but freshwater fish tastes too bland in a robust chowder. Chilean sea bass is great but, at $26 a pound, not for an inexpensive mid-week dinner. Salmon? That doesn't sing either.

Tonight, I'm trying some mahi-mahi per the suggestion of the fishmonger at Santa Monica Seafood. I've grilled it before and enjoy the flavor. I also like the way it's tender but doesn't fall apart on the grill. Let's see how it holds up under a layer of butter and creamy milk.

It makes me nuts to see the words "gourmet chowder" on the menu at restaurants. Chefs always want to throw stuff in the chowder that doesn't belong there (I'm looking at you, Manhattan). The simpler the chowder, the better. Just five ingredients: fish, milk, butter, potatoes and onions. OK, six ingredients if you want to toss a little bacon in there too. Everything should be super fresh, best quality. AND SKIP THE DAMN FLOUR. No one wants to eat a bowl of wallpaper paste mixed with fish (I'm looking at you, Legal Seafoods).

My recipe comes from my husband's cousin, Mary Jacobs. Mary lives not far from the docks in Portland, Maine and buys her haddock right off the boat when she has a hankering to make a bowl of her tasty chowdah. First, fry up a couple slices of bacon or salt pork in the bottom of a heavy pot. Remove the bacon and the fat and set aside. Melt a stick of buttah (I'm rocking the accent now) in the pot and add a couple cups of very thinly sliced onions. Add a little bit of salt to sweat the onions. Cook until wilted, about 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, cook about three cups of cubed potatoes in boiling, salted water. I like to use Yukon Golds because they hold up well and you don't have to peel them.

Add about a quart and a half of whole milk to the onions and bring just to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low. Add 1 1/2 pounds of the fish, cut in to large pieces and gently stir into the hot milk. Keep at a very low simmer, stirring gently so you don't break up the fish too much, until cooked through - about 20 minutes. Add cooked and drained potatoes. Crumble the bacon and stir in. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can add more fish or less milk or whatever you like. Maybe add a jolt heavy cream. I'll admit to the occasional dash of fresh parsley or thyme. No freaking tomatoes, please. One last tip: chowdah is one of those dishes that tastes best made the day before and then reheated. This gives it time to "cure" and let the flavors come together.

UPDATE: The mahi-mahi was an excellent substitution. Distinct and flavorful, it held its shape during the cooking process. It's no haddock, but it will do.

Wicked pissah good. And who knew chowdah has it's own theme song?

The Italian Sub: Accept No Substitutes

2011-09-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's not Piantedosi's, but it will have to do.

I'm very particular about bread, which is kind of funny given that I live in a city filled with people who are terrified of bread. Especially if it has gluten in it. Or is non-organic. And is filled with some sort of ground beef. But I digress...

L.A. has some excellent bakeries, many of which lie within reasonable driving distance. Most times though, I get the bread through a secondary source such as a restaurant, specialty food store or a farmer's market. When I want a crusty traditional french bread, I go to the French Market in Venice. Surfas in Culver City has a wonderful seeded rye that, if you arrive right at opening on Saturday morning, you'll find still warm and fragrant from the oven. Bob's Market in Santa Monica has rustic Italians from La Brea Bakery and superb brioche buns from Ca D'Oro. If I'm feeling ambitious on a cool West L.A. day, I might fire up my oven and do a little baking myself. My mother's Anadama bread or a simple foccacia are the first recipes I reach for - anything else needs a higher output oven than what I possess. Yeah, I know about that no-knead, bakery quality recipe from the New York Times that was an internet sensation a few years ago. I took their advice and torqued up my oven to the max (550 degrees) and it freaking ruined my $225 Le Creuset pan.

So, I stick with the bakery product.

However, here are two bread products I can't get in L.A.: the first is a decent New York style bagel (more on that some other time). The second is a tasty, not too heavy, yet not too mushy submarine roll.

I grew up in the Northeast, where the sub sandwich is the King of Lunchtime and the Italian sub is the King of Kings. Salami, mortadella, capicola and provolone. Pickles, tomatoes, onions and peppers. Oil - never mayonnaise. Oregano, garlic salt, pepper. Maybe some hot peppers if you're feeling brave. All of this on a soft, fresh roll from Piantedosi's or Fantini's Bakery (if you lived in the Haverhill, MA area). These rolls were hefty enough to hold all of that delicious Italian bounty but they never overwhelmed the contents. There was enough crumb to stand up to the oil and the juices from the tomatoes and pickles, but it was still light enough so you didn't feel bloated and heavy at the end. Good to the last bite. Sigh. I miss those subs.

Lacking the right sub roll in L.A., I've taken to filling pita bread or a broad piece of lavash with the Italian stuff. Not quite the same, but it will do until my next trip back east. Then maybe I'll grab some extras to bring back with me, using the Jimmy Fallon method.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-06-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm always leery of taking a traditional recipe and making wholesale substitutions, yet I often find I'm asked to do just that: folks have dietary restriction, allergies and other culinary quirks that require attention. Sometimes I'll surf around to different websites that specialize in these kinds of recipes, but often I find the taste and quality of ingredients isn't on a level with the original. I'm of the school of thought that if you can't eat the "real thing" then don't mess with a substitute. Just find yourself something completely different to satisfy your hunger.

Saturday night I catered a party for Santa Monica Yoga and I wanted to make sure they had a selection of healthy, fresh food that was also a little on the decadent side. Vegan and gluten-free foods tend to take themselves seriously, so I was looking forward to having a little fun. I took my all time favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, the one that has lived on the inside of the Quaker Oats lid since way back and sexed it up a bit for the vegans.

First, the substitutions:

for the eggs, I used Ener-G Egg Replacer and followed the substitution directions on the box (3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons water).
For the butter, I substituted 3/4 cup of softened coconut oil (put the jar in a pan of warm water and it will soften it up enough to work with easily). You could add another 1/4 cup of the oil if you want, but I thought that proportion made the cookies just chewy enough and keeping the fat down a bit.
I also added a couple of teaspoons of water to the finished dough to keep it moist enough to handle.
Finally, I use a 1/4 cup less of each kind of sugar and it's still sweet enough for me.

Now, the directions:

Mix everything as directed, drop onto the sheet in 1 tsp portions
I like to use parchment paper on the cookie sheet - easier clean-up and less chance of scorching.
Increase the cooking time: I found they took a little longer to get brown - more like 15-17 minutes.

Note: for those looking for a gluten-free finish, try Uncle Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour instead of the regular AP flour. Works just fine.

That's it. Chewy goodness that will delight the vegan in your life. I have a feeling it will delight cookie enthusiasts as well.

Linguine con Vongole con Amore

2011-04-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Another week, another book. This time, it's a re-read of the fascinating food memoir Heat, by Bill Buford.

Buford was a writer and editor for The New Yorker who, as an amateur cook, was invited to apprentice in the kitchen of the seminal New York Italian restaurant, Babbo. Babbo's legendary chef/owner, Mario Batali, befriended Buford at a dinner party and, on a whim, allowed Buford access to the tiny kitchen where Buford studied and absorbed (and documented) his travails as a kitchen "bitch" and the work of a line cook, grill chef and pasta maker over the course of fifteen months. Tough work if you can get it. The result is an extraordinary account of working the front line in a wildly popular eating establishment, followed by apprenticeships in Italy learning pasta-making, butchering, and dealing with Larger Than Life Italian Personalities.

Buford explains the complicated relationships within and without the kitchen and the simple, classic recipes which resulted . My favorite is this breakdown of a classic Italian seafood dish, linguine con volgole. Clams, olive oil, butter, garlic, pancetta... So damn tasty.

I made it tonight for the myself and the hubby and it was delectable in its simple deliciousness. Don't try to overdo the ingredients. A pinch of garlic, a pinch of onions... Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Clean plate. That's amore.

Veggie Porn

2011-04-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Like way too many people nowadays, I like to post imtimate pictures on the web. Sometimes I text them as well, though I'm careful not to reveal too much. I've taken pictures in public, on planes, many (many) in restaurants and, most of all, in the privacy of my own kitchen. By the stove, to be exact.

I'm talking about food porn, people.

Wednesday's Los Angeles Times had a great story about Sarah Gim, proprietress and leading proponent of food porn on the Web. Her site, TasteSpotting, is a rich lode of gorgeous amateur food photography. Along with other sites like foodgawker, Serious Eats' Photograzing and Food Porn Daily, Gim has home chefs all over the country cooking, styling and snapping away in their kitchens, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame in the food blogosphere.

Once I realized that the food pornographers in question had serious photographic equipment and my seven year old 6.0 megapixel Olympus was completely outclassed, I decided not to share my photos with anyone beyond the readers of "What I Cooked, What I Ate". Besides, in a world of exotic and erotic brownie baking and cookie frosting, who wants to look at a bunch of grilled veggies?

On second thought, maybe I should start a new photo blog Steaming Vegan Porn, featuring the romantic sound stylings of that famous (300 pound) vegan himself, Mr Barry White.

Late Night Breakfast

2011-04-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the excellent memoir Townie by Andre Dubus III and I'm flooded with memories of Haverhill, MA back in the 80's: the whirlwind nights at Ronnie D's pub with the gang and the desperate 2 a.m. post-bar search for someplace to fill our bellies.

I aspired to be a cook who could conjure a meal in five minutes, but in those days my culinary skills were, as yet, unhoned and the best I could do at closing time was point my big Oldsmobile to the nearest Greek sub shop. If I were still that party animal today, I would so invite my besties back to my place for a late night breakfast.

Garlic? Check. Olive oil? Check. Fresh spinach? Check. Eggs? Check. Salt, pepper and nutmeg? Check. Impress your friends with this little concoction at a late night, post bar-hopping, not-quite-ready-for-Taco-Bell, impromptu party at your place.

After you've stuffed yourself, break out the ciggies, a deck of cards, a bottle of Jamesons and piss off the neighbors with ...

Ricotta Abondanza!

2011-03-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Great food is all about fresh ingredients. You could have only five ingredients in a dish, but if you make those five ingredients the Best They Can Be, there is no way any permutation of said recipe can trump yours.

Case in point: home made ricotta. Here is the recipe - take a quart of quality whole milk and a pint of quality heavy cream. Bring to a boil. Take off heat and stir in three tablespoons of quality white wine vinegar. Watch it curdle (about three to five minutes). Pour mixture into cheescloth lined strainer over large bowl and let drain for up to thirty minutes. Enjoy (yeah, you can add some fresh herbs and salt and pepper if you'd like) with toasted French bread.

This will kick your butt, it's so good. You'll never buy store bought ricotta again.

It's not Jose Carreras good. It's not Placido Domingo good. We're talking Luciano Pavarotti here.

Penne and Chanterelles

2011-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

Pickings at the Farmer's Market are a little slim this time of year, even in sunny SoCal. Lots of winter veggies (kale, lettuces, roots) and the first of the year's citrus, but that's about it. The Mushroom Guy, however, has a prolific selection of funghi nearly year-round. Hubby and I hit the Culver City Farmer's Market Tuesday afternoon and got a small paper bag filled with chanterelles, bound for a marriage to some bacon and pasta.

Like most everyone else of "a certain age", I have to be careful about fat, cholesterol and all those other tasty things that can kill you. Having worked in the restaurant business for many years, I can assure you that their pasta recipe tastes better than yours because it has a helluva lot more butter, salt, sugar and what-have-you than you would ever dream of adding yourself. So I'll let you in on a delicious secret: add just a bit of the good stuff at the end of the recipe. In other words, instead of sauteeing the mushrooms in a half stick of butter, use a small amount olive oil instead. Then just before serving, add just a bit of some butter to finish and voila! there's that nice buttery taste you were hoping for, without the Lipitor chaser.

For this simple pasta dish, I started with one strip of lean bacon (Pancetta works just as well), chopped and sauteed in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until it starts to brown and then add some chopped onion and garlic. Salt and pepper. Brown it up. While all of this is going on, bring some salted water to a boil and cook your 4 oz. penne until al dente (10-ish minutes).

Add the sliced chanterelles to the saute and cook those up until golden, add a splash of dry white wine if you like. Maybe some fresh tarragon. Add the cooked penne to the pan and toss that around until everything's coated. Remove from the heat and now add the butter (tablespoon at the most), some grated parmesan, and fresh chopped parsley. Light some candles, open a Pinot Grigio and lull your partner into a sense of complacency before you suggest that he should clean out the garage this weekend. Let me know how that goes.

Here's another restaurant secret: the cooks make all the best food for themselves..

Snowed In

2011-01-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

While I'm sitting here at my desk complaining about the rain, my Eastern friends are preparing once again to be bombarded with the white stuff. It's been a tough winter for those in the Northeast and I'm reminded how lucky The Hubby and I are to be in Southern California, where the thermometer plummets to 50 degrees at night in January but the sun will soon bring it back up to 75 where it belongs.

It's been almost sixteen years since I've woken up early in the morning to scrape off the car before heading out to work and I find I don't miss it at all. Snow is fabulous and fun if you have no place to go (School's cancelled! Woooo!) but for the working stiffs who have to drive thirty-odd miles down Route 95 to Boston in a raging blizzard...not so much. I do, however, remember fondly the hype and hysteria which seemed to lead every snowy weather forecast, followed by the mad dash to the Stop n Shop for milk and bread (or, in my case, beer). Making sure there's plenty of gas in the snowblower and bags of salt in the garage. Sharing stories of The Great Blizzard of '78 and how we were out of school for a week. A week! Good times.

During our years as newlyweds back in New Hampshire, I always made sure to keep the kitchen stocked with staples in the event of an approaching Snowmageddon. Plenty of soup in the freezer, cans of Italian tomatoes and pasta in the cupboard, a hunk of aged Parmesan in the fridge. A couple of snow days were always a handy way to clean out the leftovers and one of my favorite meals was Everything Pasta. Take all the veggies out of the fridge, chop 'em up, saute in olive oil, dump in a can of tomatoes (or, even better, fresh) and a handful of herbs from my windowsill garden.

Pour yourself a nice barolo, kick up some Elliot Smith on the iPod, and wait for the pasta water to boil while you watch the snow fall. No shoveling required.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

2011-01-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

"How good is that?"

The Hubby and I been on a Food Network bender lately. I love watching these home chefs (Ina Garten, Paula Deen, et al) who, in their unabashed heftiness and total disregard for LDL levels, begin each recipe with a pound of butter and a pint of heavy cream. They make liberal use of the salt cellar as well and (like I) feel a scattering of bacon enhances most any dish. Yahoo! Enjoying these shows are a guilty pleasure, like opening that bottle of pinot noir at 3 pm and watching a repeat of this week's episode of Downton Abbey. Ah, the life of the gainfully unemployed.

In particular, we've been loading up on late afternoon episodes of The Barefoot Contessa hosted by the aforementioned Ms. Garten. For a half hour, we hang out in her breezy kitchen in the Hamptons or follow her to the local farm stand or cheese shop where she buys a three pound wedge of Stilton for a "late night snack" to enjoy with a friend. (I have to think the L.I.F.D. must hang out in her driveway, defrib at hand, waiting for each episode's Special Guest to keel over in the garden.)

Ms. Garten is casual in the kitchen, her recipes basic and un-fussy. However, as I follow her through the preparation of a dish, I find myself mentally editing the amount of fats and sugar therein. One recent episode brought forth a tasty looking cream of wild mushroom soup and as I followed along I made notes, cutting the butter and cream almost in half. Sure enough, when I tried the recipe a few days later, I found the recipe just as delicious as if I had piled in the dairy. The homemade stock gave the soup a heft and roundness that might otherwise be obscured with too much cream. I put in about one third of the butter the recipe called for and a half pint of half-and-half, total.

It's the perfect soup for this rainy California Sunday.

Pies? You Can Get Anything You Want.

2010-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm....Pumpkin pie!

After a seven or eight year hiatus, I've decided to jump back into the holiday pie business this year. I have fond memories of Thanksgivings past, churning out apple, pumpkin, pecan and blueberry pies and thought it might be fun to do it again this year. OK, it's a nice way to supplement my income as well.

Having been out of the Pie Game for a while, I thought it best to do a little research before I put up a menu and price list. My first stop on the web was the Urth Caffe in Santa Monica. They seem to be the neighborhood go-to place when it comes to holiday pies. They have a reputation for tasty pies with fresh ingredients and, having sampled their pies in the past, I would agree their reputation is well-deserved. They also have a reputation for being expensive. $45 for an apple pie??? Holy Hell. It's a good pie but I don't think it's $45 worth of good.

Next stop was Mani's Bakery (also Santa Monica). Their pies are sugar-free and (sometimes) vegan. Prices were in the low to mid twenties for a standard nine inch pie (Urth's pies are twelve inches). Now, I'm thinking about charging $50 for my fabulous, award-winning (more on that later) pies! Then I'm thinking that would be ridiculous.

I worked out the expenses and I think $40 for a twelve-inch, home-made, award-winning, super-fresh pie delivered right to your door is a good deal.

Oh...about that award? 1997 Beverly Hills Farmer's Market Pie Contest. Yankee Apple Pie.

First Place.

Me and judge/celebrity chef Mario Antinoli

I won a whole fifty bucks and had to make a pie for the next city council meeting. That's the big time, folks. Big time.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I know it's a little early for this....but enjoy anyways...

UPDATE: Originally I thought Urth's pies were nine inches - they are in fact twelve inches. I adjusted the size of my pies accordingly. Now bring on your size jokes.

Potato Leek Soup, Rain and Busy Being Free

2010-10-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

I've been on my own the last few months and happily so. Freelancing can be scary during the best of times and downright terrifying in this recession/depression/whatever we're having right now. Strangely, I've managed to keep working and cooking. People still want me to feed them and I oblige. Lots of puttering around, too. The backyard looks amazing and I've managed not to kill the morning glories this year. Lots of free time means Joe and I take long drives to Los Olivos and Mendocino, with bags full of tomato sandwiches and wine bottles rattling in the trunk.

We got a healthy dose of rain a few days ago. I really enjoyed the dreary weather - it reminded me of home - and when I awoke Wednesday morning, I immediately set about to make some soup. Earlier in the week, I had lunch with some friends at Tender Greens, a delicious organic soup/salad/sandwich spot in Culver City. I had a hearty Potato Leek Soup which, though thick and creamy, seemed to be without any actual cream. A quick check with the kitchen verified that it was, indeed, vegan. Though I appreciated the light touch, I prefer a more traditional version that benefits from chicken stock and pancetta. Here's a version from my fellow Mass-chef, Emeril, that was just right.

Serve with a salad and a light pinot grigio. Joni will serenade...

Quinoa Pasta with Arugula

2010-07-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

You've all heard my dissertation on quinoa before so I won't bore you with a recap , however...

I had to share with everyone my latest find from Whole Foods: quinoa pasta (elbows) sold in bulk. Cheap (for Whole Foods), tasty, and packed with protein. As an added bonus, the pasta doesn't fall apart if you want to cook it a little past al dente. Last night it got tossed with arugula, olive oil and garlic. Delicious.

PS People are beginning to think I've gone all vegetarian here but I promise you, it being July 4th weekend, there's sure to be meat being eaten at Casa Paquette real soon.

PPS I'm becoming obsessed with making that Nectarine Almond Frangipane Tart. Nectarine season needs to end before I pack on twenty pounds.

The California Dagwood

2010-07-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Joe is on a sprouting kick again and every few days I find another old yogurt container stuffed with fresh sprouts in our refrigerator. Alfalfa, broccoli, peas, etc. Excellent nutrients.

Though they are at their optimum nutritional value that first day, there's only so much you can eat at one sitting. I've never been a big fan of overloading a salad with sprouts, so Joe started making sandwiches with them. I've taken his basic recipe and added a lot of my favorite things.

We start with two slices of sprouted Ezekial bread slathered with some delicious Vegenaise. Don't scoff, mayo lovers: this stuff is a thousand times tastier - and healthier - than your average "light" mayo and has zero cholesterol as well (no eggs). Add the aforementioned sprouts, thick slices of heirloom tomatoes and onions, avocadoes, cukes and romaine. Salt and pepper. Smush it down before eating.

Give in to the urge to align your chakras and hug a tree. Dude!

Summer Veggies on the Grill

2010-06-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

With summer in Southern California comes the promise of lush, beautiful vegetables from the farmer's market. My favorite is the famous Wednesday morning market in Santa Monica, where many well-known chefs hunt for that day's produce to feature in their restaurants.

I try to get there early before all of the good stuff is picked over. I also try to limit myself to a $25 budget but fail miserably every time (usually a visit to the mushroom guy puts me in the red). Even when I spend lightly, I find myself at home with a fridge stuffed with produce and a week's menu to plan before everything starts to wilt. What to do?

After a few days, I usually get the grill fired up and take care of what's left. Anything that isn't nailed down gets tossed in olive oil and salt and thrown on the grill. Those squash blossoms I meant to fry up and toss with spaghetti? The fava beans that may be a little old? The corn on the cob starting to go starchy? It all tastes better after a few turns on the open fire.

Makes a wonderful lunch and the leftovers can stay in the fridge for a few days to brighten up a salad or a frittata. Meat? We don't need no stinkin' meat!

Vegetarian "Sushi" Hand Rolls

2010-06-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm married to the Sushi Wimp. The man will not eat raw fish of any kind, which surprises me since he's usually a fairly adventurous eater (I guess he's adventurous up to the point of consuming raw flesh). I, on the other hand, would happily eat unagi and tekka don every day of my life. Given this culinary impasse in our household, I have to go out to a sushi restaurant to get my fix instead of pursuing fresher (and cheaper) options in my own kitchen. But recently a breakthrough has been made. Hallelujah!

It's easier to learn to make sushi while watching someone else do it (photographs don't always properly convey the subtleties of technique). I've been trying to watch sushi chefs from the other side of the counter for years, but found that the traditional sushi set-up at restaurants is restrictive. You can sort of see what they're doing back there, but there's usually a refrigerator case of fish between you and the chef, impeding your view. Plus, they always look a little secretive of their craft. They don't want you to crib their style. Instead, they want you should go spend six large at the Sushi Academy and learn to sharpen your knives correctly.

A delightful young lady by the name of Rose showed me how to do a simply hand roll the other day. A vegetarian hand roll. With brown rice. All of the elements that should appeal to my hubby and you know what? It did! The brown rice is cooked (1 cup rice to 2 1/4 cup water) then a little rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame seeds and honey is added at the end (honey helps create a little stickiness). After you spread the warm rice on a half sheet of nori paper,

lay a pencil thin piece of cucumber, some shaved carrot, onion, avocado and sprouts or whatever have you, on the nori/rice. Roll it up like a cone. Dip in some shoyu and wasabi.

Next time I'll sneak in a little cooked shrimp. Kampai!

Vegetable Omelet with Artisanal Bacon

2010-06-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm.......BACON!

Bacon makes everything taste good. The Italians are right to start every dish with a little diced pancetta. Then, of course, there's the classic American BLT. Nowadays you can find bacon donuts, candied bacon, and my favorite, Mo's Bacon Bar (though it needs a little more of the pork, if you ask me).

The artisanal food movement has brought bacon back to its humble beginnings via the farm smokehouse. Most farmer's markets here in LA have some ex-stockbroker who has given up the fast lane and gone back to the land, raising his own pigs, smoking his own bacon. At $9 a pound, it's a special occasion bit of pork but....oh, so worth it.

And if you're going that route why not go whole hog (ha!) and cook your eggs in bacon fat (aka The Meal That Killed My Parents). This is my once-a-year campfire special: Fresh air, bacon and eggs on the fire, percolated coffee with a Lipitor chaser and a ten mile hike.

Farro Salad

2010-06-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

In the course of my career as a chef I've discovered many wonderful recipes courtesy of my clients. Some prefer to leave menu planning in my capable hands. Others prefer to take a more proactive approach, carefully planning special meals, gathering recipes, and hiring Yours Truly to execute.

One recipe I've enjoyed time and time again is a Farro Salad recipe I acquired a few years back from one of my regulars. Farro is a lovely grain, in the spelt/barley family, usually imported from Italy. It has a nuttier flavor and is more "toothsome" than its American cousins, so it holds up very well to tomatoes, vinaigrettes and the like. This is a pretty simple recipe: cook farro and cool, add chopped tomatoes, onions garlic and parsley, toss with olive oil and balsamic (if you want the specific recipe, email me and I'll shoot it your way). It's a light but satisfying meal and sure to be a crowd-pleaser now that the summer tomato season has begun.

Molto bene!

Paella Night

2010-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and thoughts turn to the grill and the many ways in which it's charms might be utilized. We've already had a couple of BBQ-fests on the Kamado and, now that I've figured out how to regulate it's temperature, I've been hankering to try a wood-fired paella.

When I first acquired the Kamado grill, it was set up for gas grilling - not really the most efficient use of this magnificent beast. Luckily, conversion to wood/charcoal grilling simply meant sliding out the gas element and replacing it with a damper door (Kamado furnishes both with your grill purchase). The first couple of times I used it, I went completely old school and started a wood fire from scratch. It took hours to get the coals at the right temp and then, of course, you have to keep feeding it. Great results with the smokiness but major babysitting was required. Lacking the time and the patience to regulate a full-on wood fire, I started to cheat and use charcoal chunks with some extra (soaked) wood chips thrown on the hot coals. Nice and easy. Temp stays steady and allows a little extra time for trying to unplug a stopped up sink and chasing a mouse out of the apron drawer (a short synopsis of yesterday afternoon).

I've been making paella since my first trip to Barcelona some twenty years ago. At first, I used a Mexican cazuela but found I couldn't get that crisp bottom layer of crispy rice or socarrat. I switched to a conventional steel paella pan a couple of years ago and have had much better luck. I'm always futzing with the recipe, too. This time around, I used some suggestions put forth in a recent Saveur article (blooming the saffron in hot water, cooking the sofrito longer) and fired up the Kamado. The smoky flavor was spot-on, though the socarrat was a little weak (too far away from the flame, I think). No complaints from the guests, however.

Dessert? It's nectarine season here in SoCal so I whipped up my favorite Nectarine Almond Frangipane Tart. Enjoy the leftovers, Eric!

Flashback: Biz & Eric's Wedding

2010-06-12T16:08:00.001-07:00

Biz and Eric are coming to dinner tonight which got me thinking of their wedding. Which got me thinking of their wedding cake. Which got me thinking that was the last time I made a wedding cake (2007). Which got me thinking that, hopefully, it will be a while before I have to make one again.

I made that cake all the time when I was the pastry chef for my sister's catering business. After that, the only time I made that cake was for my own wedding, my stepdaughter's wedding and my best friend's wedding. The recipe came from a 1977 "Cuisine" magazine article, which I lost many years ago and have been unable to find on the internet. This Raspberry Waltz Wedding Cake has layers of white cake, almond pastry, raspberry buttercream and pureed fresh raspberries. I always mean to take a photo of a slice but never get around to it at a wedding (champagne = foggy brain). I'll take one next time. Which hopefully won't be for a while.

That was a fun wedding. I think there's still some cake left.

Mussel Stew

2010-06-12T07:29:00.001-07:00

Anytime I ask Joe what he wants for dinner on a Friday night, he answers "Mussel Stew!". Given both our traditional Catholic childhoods, Friday always seems to mean fish and, in adulthood, it points specifically to Mussel Stew. I don't think it will keep either of us from the firey gates of purgatory, but...what the heck.

New England traditionalists will use linguica or chorizo (a nod to our Portuguese heritage) in their mussel stew - a tasty addition, indeed. We like a lighter stew. Start with a base of onions, garlic and peppers sauteed in olive oil/bacon fat in a heavy pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add a cup of water and a cup of medium-bodied white wine. Bring this to a simmer, then add about a pound/pound and a quarter of scrubbed, de-bearded black mussels. Steam about 5-8 minutes until the mussels open. Melt in a few pats of butter and toss in some chopped parsley and a chopped fresh tomato. Serve with a crusty loaf and a bottle of sauv blanc or pinot grigio.

Say five Our Fathers and two Hail Marys. You're good for the week.

The "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" Salad

2010-06-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, after a long day of cooking for other people, all I want is a salad. I don't want to go shopping for ingredients, either. I just want to be able to open my fridge, dump the vegetable crisper on the cutting board, and salvage whatever looks good for a "kitchen sink" salad.

Last night I found a nice head of romaine, lots of broccoli sprouts courtesy of the hubby (he has his own little sprouting factory out in the laundry room), some snap peas which I blanched for a few minutes, a couple of leftover avocadoes from last weekend's farmer's market, and a big sweet onion. Oh, and the rest of that $7 tomato.

Sometimes I'm able to forage a couple of olives and the occasional leftover grilled carrot or two. No luck on that last night, but we had a tasty concoction just the same. Bonus: I found half a chocolate bar for dessert. Score!

Coq au Vin

2010-06-08T22:28:00.001-07:00

The best meal in a pot EVAH. Chicken, veggies and wine. How can you go wrong with that combination?

Poached Egg on Heirloom Tomatoes

2010-06-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, when the world falls in love ... with tomatoes. Big, juicy heirloom tomatoes. Big, juicy, $5.50/lb heirloom tomatoes. Joe and I went to the Sunday morning farmer's market in Santa Monica and came back with a (very pricey) tomato, fresh eggs, and a bag of basil.

Just think caprese salad, but substitute a fresh egg for the cheese. You'll eat every bite, not only because it's delicious but because you don't want to waste one bit of a freaking $7 tomato.

Chili Glazed Salmon with Snap Peas and Spinach

2010-06-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

This was on the cover of a recent Bon Appetit. Read the recipe and then did my own thing. A one-stop Trader Joe's extravaganza!

Dropped Eggs and Hash

2010-06-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

When life hands you corned beef, make hash. Then run two miles.

The Mother of All Grains

2009-01-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not a vegetarian, nor do I plan to become one. My hubby and I eat meat at least once a week and, when I'm feeling flush, I might spring for some dry-aged beef at Whole Foods. I feel no guilt eating Little Lamb Chop or Baby Veal Marsala as long as they are raised without confinement and with compassion. Foie gras? I have to draw the line there, but I'm not going to throw up a picket outside of Spago, either. Geese are mean little f*ckers (those of you who grew up on a farm know what I'm talking about) and I'd happily cook them more often if I could effectively dispatch some of their greasiness. That being said, when I tell people that my intake of protein comes mainly from nuts and the South American grain, quinoa, they automatically assume I'm a tree-hugging, patchouli-scented, hemp-wearing vegan. Nope. I just like quinoa. From the Wiki:

The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as "chisaya mama" or "mother of all grains", and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as "food for Indians," and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies.

That's all well and interesting, but here's the real kicker about quinoa.

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Screw the Tang - we've got quinoa!

I first discovered quinoa about six or seven years ago in the course of my work as a personal chef for my current boss. He's a health-conscious guy, follows the LA food trends (I'll be happy if I never have to prepare a "raw" meal ever again) and when he heard about quinoa's healthy profile from one of his yogi friends, he requested it as part of his menu.

Quinoa is an amazingly versatile grain. It's a great substitute for rice or pasta but without the starch and without the fill. Cooks up the same, too: 2 cups of water (or broth) to one cup of grain, though if I'm throwing it into a saute, I usually cut the water down by a quarter cup to keep it from getting mushy. It's a fairly neutral grain and absorbs flavors, savory or sweet, quite nicely (Note: the Andeans eat it for breakfast, too, by mixing in fruit, nuts and syrups). Finally, there's all that great protein to be had. It's often the main dish at our evening meals, so...you want a recipe or what?

Begin with:

one whole butternut or acorn squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a couple cups of water to boil in a pan or teakettle. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a glass pyrex dish. Pour about an inch of boiling water in the dish. Bake in oven for anywhere from a half hour (acorn) to an hour (butternut), or until a fork slides easily into the thickest part of the squash. Remove from oven and pour off water. Flip squash so the cut side is now facing up and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare:

one cup dry quinoa

1 3/4 cups of water
pinch of salt

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan, add pinch of salt and quinoa. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Uncover and remove from heat. Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside.

In a frypan or wok, melt:

a tablespoon of butter or olive oil (sesame oil is a nice flavor, too)

Add:

sliced onion
dash of salt and pepper

Cook onion until soft. Remove from heat and add cooked quinoa. Toss in some:

chopped apple
a handful of chopped nuts
dash of nutmeg

Mix it up and add salt as needed. Now, carefully spoon the quinoa mixture into the bowl of the cooked squash. Drizzle with a bit of:

maple syrup
maybe a little more melted butter

Return to the oven for 10 minutes then remove and let cool slightly. Serve with a mixed baby green salad and a nice pinot noir. Feel good about yourself. Open a second bottle. Feel really good. Search your purse for that Mo's Bacon Chocolate Bar you bought at Whole Foods last week. Realize you ate it for lunch the day before. Make a note never to open a bottle of pinot again without having chocolate in the house. Have a cognac instead.

Next week: Paella!

I'm Hungry

2009-01-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

I'll let Betty Comden and Adolph Green get the party started here...

Oh, I can cook, too, on top of the rest, My seafood's the best in the town.
And I can cook, too. My fish can't be beat, My sugar's the sweetest around.
I'm a man's ideal of a perfect meal
Right down to the demi-tasse.
I'm a pot of joy for a hungry boy,
Baby, I'm cookin' with gas.
Oh, I'm a gumdrop, A sweet lollipop, A brook trout right out of the brook,
And what's more, baby, I can cook!

Some girls make magazine covers, Some girls keep house on a dime,
Some girls make wonderful lovers, But what a lucky find I'm.
I'd make a magazine cover, I do keep house on a dime,
I make a wonderful lover, I should be paid overtime!

'Cause I can bake, too, on top of the lot, My oven's the hottest you'll find.
Yes, I can roast too, My chickens just ooze, My gravy will lose you your mind.
I'm a brand new note
On a table d'hôte,
But just try me à la carte.
With a single course You can choke a horse.
Baby, you won't know where to start!
Oh, I'm an hors d'oeuvre, A jelly preserve,
Not in the recipe book,
And what's more, baby, I can cook!

~from On the Town (1944), music Leonard Bernstein, lyrics Betty Comden and Adolph Green