Coconut & Honey

Panfried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pickled Roasted Beets

2011-03-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Most of us don't have the money to drop at least a hundred bucks on a truffle (who would think that the fruiting body of an underground mushroom would be so expensive?), but have no fear! You too can taste this highly prized and delectable treat, because you can buy a jar of truffle butter, which is basically butter with bits of truffle mixed into it. A worthwhile purchase, if you ask me because truffles have a very distinctive, strong, earthy flavor and a little of that stuff goes a long way - and man oh man is it delicious. Here I've breaded chicken breasts with oatmeal, then stuffed them with black truffle butter and paired them with pickled red and golden beets and fresh spinach (or try watercress, if you can find it). This is one of my favorite ways to use truffle butter, for sure, although I also like to use truffle butter to top baked potatoes or yams with or spread on bread or fry eggs in. This recipe wasn't very work intensive either, so it could make for a wonderful weeknight meal. Yum!

Pan-fried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pickled Roasted Beets
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
Panfried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts
• 5 tablespoons of truffle butter, softened
• Salt and pepper
• 6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups oats (I used thick rolled oats) or brown rice cereal
• Olive oil (for frying)

Pickled Roasted Beets
• 12 small beets, Chioagga, red or golden
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the tops and the ends of the beets, then wash them. Roast them with a splash of water in a tightly covered baking pan for 45 minutes to an hour until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Allow the beets to cool slightly, then peel and cut them into quarters or round. Gently toss the beets with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Allow the beets to marinate in the vinegar, then dress them with olive oil.
2. Lay the chicken breasts flat on a clean work surface. With a sharp paring knife, cut a pocket about ½ inch wide and 2 inches deep in the thicker end of each breast. Divide the truffle butter into 6 equal pieces and insert each piece into the pocket of each breast. Season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper.
3. Dredge each breast into the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them into the beaten eggs, and roll them in oats. Put the breasts on a baking sheet in one layer, and sprinkle both sides of the breasts with more oats and make sure they're evenly coated. Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to 4 hours before frying.
4. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet (although I used a non stick fry pan) over medium heat. Fry the chicken breasts in the olive oil for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip them over and cook for another 3-5 minutes. The internal temperature should read 165°F. Serve immediately.

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts

2011-02-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

Most people have never heard of skate, a cousin to the stingray, but its wing-like pectoral fins have a delicious, extremely delicate flesh that is slightly sweet and reminiscent of crab or lobster meat. It's one of my favorite types of seafood but isn't very common, so if you do find it at the fish market or your local grocery store, snatch it up and try it - I doubt you will regret it! Just be sure to have the cartilage, which is tough and inedible, removed before you prepare it. (Trust me, removing it yourself is a pain in the ass.)

Skate, being a mild fish, tastes best when it is prepared with somewhat rich or strong tasting ingredients, whereas a fish that is stronger tasting to begin with such as salmon ought to be prepared more simply - even with just extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper - in order to allow the natural flavor, which can stand on its own, to shine.

I've prepared skate the traditional way before - a la Grenobloise (in the style of Grenobole in the Dauphine region of France), with brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon juice, diced lemon, and tiny croutons.

But I prefer the version in the following recipe (slightly adapted from a recipe by the very talented Daniel Boulud), which marries the rich, earthy flavors of the shiitake mushrooms and crunchy roasted hazelnuts sautéed in butter with the tender, mild flesh of the skate. The richness of the dish was cut with the acidity of fresh lemon, which provided a wonderful tang. What an incredible combination of tastes and textures!

FYI, Hazelnuts are rich in protein, dietary fiber, iron, calcium and vitamin E. Like all nuts, they contain a lot of fat but over 80% of the total fat in hazelnuts is monounsaturated (healthy fat).

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts
Adapted from Daniel Boulud's Food and Wine recipe

Ingredients:
• ½ cup hazelnuts
• 3 medium shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ½ pound shiitake mushrooms
• leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1½ - 2 pounds skate wing fillets, cleaned and cut into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each portion)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon, peeled, sectioned and diced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate or baking pan and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You can also roast the hazelnuts at a higher temperature, if your oven's settings don't go as low as 170°F, but you do risk destroying the healthy fats. I roasted mine at 300°F - the lowest temperature setting on my oven - for about 10 minutes.) Let cool for about 10 minutes, then place them on a kitchen towel and rub them together to remove the skins. Some of the bits of skin may remain. Coarsely chop them and set aside.
2. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, then dry them with another paper towel (washing them will cause them to become soggy). Remove the stems from the mushrooms, then cut the caps into 1-inch pieces.
3. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderately low heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until softened, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and thyme. Reserve a third of the mixture. Purée the remaining mushroom mixture.
4. Cut each skate wing in half crosswise and season with salt and pepper. Spread 4 of the skate pieces with a quarter of the mushroom puree. Cover with the remaining skate wing, pressing the packets together.
5. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the skate packets and cook over high heat until browned and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the packets, lower the heat to moderate and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the reserved mushroom mixture, the hazelnuts, diced lemon and lemon juice. Cook until the skate is just white throughout, 4 minutes. Transfer the skate to plates, and top with the mushrooms, nuts and lemon and serve.

Tomato Basil Soup

2011-02-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

I've made this soup more than half a dozen times but I never get sick of it, and neither does my man♥. The sweetness of the honey pairs so well with the sourness of the balsamic vinegar, and let's not forget the numerous spices - cumin, fennel seed, and paprika - that make this soup much more than your average tomato basil soup. Very important is the fresh basil (so much better than dried basil), but if you can't find fresh basil, I highly recommend the dried basil made by Morton & Bassett. It's a San Francisco-based company that makes very high quality herbs that are all-natural, non-irradiated and contain no preservatives or additives.

For a tasty non-vegetarian version, add meatballs (pictured below), although I love the vegetarian version just as much! For the version with meatballs, simply season about 3 pounds of ground beef with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then form 1½-inch meatballs, and sauté them in butter or extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat until browned. Add the meatballs along with honey and balsamic vinegar.

Also, without the chicken stock, this makes a wonderful pasta sauce, especially with grated parmesan cheese.

Btw, cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene (the antioxidant that gives tomatoes its red hue and has twice as much antioxidant power than vitamin E) than raw tomatoes. There is also evidence that cooking tomatoes in extra-virgin olive oil seems to increase the body's ability to absorb lycopene.

Tomato Basil Soup
Adapted from Gourmet Nutrition

Ingredients:
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1½ teaspoon black pepper
• 8-9 medium tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup fresh basil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground fennel seed
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat a large pot on medium-high heat. Add oil and onions, and sauté until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic, cumin, fennel, paprika, 4 tablespoons of broth, and sauté for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Now add the remaining broth, balsamic vinegar, honey, and simmer for 30 minutes, continue stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, and basil and remove from heat.

Mango, Cucumber, and Red Onion Salad

2010-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is quite possibly the simplest salad you can make. The ripe mango is especially delicious and is one of my favorite fruits, and mango, cucumber, and red onion go superbly together. I would definitely make this salad again!

Mango, Cucumber, and Red Onion Salad
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables

Ingredients:
• 2 mangoes
• 1 red onion, peeled and top and bottom removed
• 1 large cucumber, washed
• juice of 1 lime
• Salt
• Cilantro (optional)

1. Place the mango with one flat side resting on the cutting board. Slice the mango lengthwise along the flat side next to the seed. Turn mango over and repeat on the other side. You should have two halves of mango pulp in the skin. Carefully cut a cross-hatch pattern through the mango pulp down to the skin, being careful not to cut through the skin. Pick up the cross-cut mango half. Place your thumbs gently on either end. Place your fingers underneath in the center and gently push upward with your fingers while pressing down with your thumbs to turn the diced pulp inside out in the skin. Carefully slice out the diced pulp by cutting between the cubed mango pulp and the skin. Repeat with each mango half until you are done.
2. Dice the onion and cucumber. Combine the cucumbers, mango and sweet red onion in a bowl - about the same proportions of each, but exact proportions don't matter. Season to taste with freshly squeezed lime juice and salt, and garnish generously with cilantro leaves, if you wish.

Arugula Salad with Raw Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes

2010-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

For health reasons, I went on a raw vegan diet recently. I know it doesn't sound too enjoyable, but on the contrary, I've actually discovered lots of delicious raw foods and I am also rediscovering how much I love salads! Plus, my digestion has improved greatly and I'm feeling more energetic lately, among a lot of different signs that my health is improving. I even found out a few days ago that red meat passes so slowly through your digestive system that often it ends up rotting in your intestines before it's fully digested (though much of this can be prevented by adding more fiber via fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet). That's not to mention a fact well known by now that regular consumption of red meat significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and even cancer. I also found out that fresh fruits and vegetables have natural enzymes in them that aid your body in digesting them efficiently, whereas cooked fruits and vegetables have had much of their nutrition cooked out of them. Suffice it to say, now that I've learned all this, I will probably be eating much less red meat after the raw vegan diet is over, despite the fact that I love red meat and used to eat it all the time (at least once a day). And although meat does contain protein, which is important to a balanced diet, nuts are a healthier source of protein since they don't contain the high levels of unhealthy saturated fats found in red meat and instead contain high levels of healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids.

There are actually certain foods I prefer raw and other foods I prefer cooked, but corn is definitely one of those foods I prefer raw. Corn is so flavorful in its raw state that I prefer to eat it raw than eat corn on the cob the traditional way. Cherry tomatoes are also incredibly flavorful in its raw state and lose much of its flavor once cooked. Remember not to refrigerate the cherry tomatoes since it will lose its flavor quickly and the flesh will turn mealy and unappetizing; just store them in a cool place. The original recipe called for Sweet 100 tomatoes, a type of cherry tomatoes, but any type of cherry tomatoes will do. The combination of sweet raw corn and sweet cherry tomatoes is bliss!

Arugula Salad with Raw Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
From The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 4-5 ounces Sweet 100 or other small, ripe cherry tomatoes (or about 1 cup or 25 tomatoes)
• 2 very young, small ears white corn (or about ½ cup kernels)
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• 4 ounces arugula, carefully washed and dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Stem, wash, and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. (The serrated bread knife is especially good for cutting tomatoes, so if you eat tomatoes frequently, it's a worthwhile investment.)
2. Shuck the ears from the corn and remove all the silk. Trim the tip from each cob but don't remove the stalk as it makes a convenient handle. Holding the cob at an angle, use a sharp knife (such as a chef's knife) to slice off the kernels, placing the blade flat against the ear and sliding it smoothly down the length of the ear. You'll want to remove the kernels at their bases without removing any of the actual cob itself. Rotate the ear after each slice, until all the kernels have been removed. Crumble the kernels between your fingers so as to separate any clusters.
2. Combine the oil, vinegar, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the arugula in a salad bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves well. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and corn kernels over the arugula, add the remaining vinaigrette, and lightly mix. Taste, and correct the oil, vinegar or salt. The vinaigrette shouldn't be too acidic so as to overpower the sweetness of the corn and cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme

2010-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Another winner from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook! You can use black bass, turbot, or any type of sea bass, though I used striped sea bass from the Union Square Greenmarket. Since the fillet needs to be 1-1½ inches thick in order to cook properly, avoid the tail pieces. The chunky stew of leeks and potatoes pairs extremely well with the mild, sweet flavor and firm, flaky texture of the sea bass I used - I would definitely make this dish again!

Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme
From The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 4 pieces sea bass fillet, about 6 ounces each and 1-1½ inches thick
• sea salt, to taste
• About ¾ pound peeled yellow-fleshed potatoes, preferably yellow Finnish, Bintje, or German Butterballs, cut into irregular bite-sized chunks (I used fingerling potatoes)
• 1-1½ cups diced or thinkly sliced leeks (including a little bit of the green part)
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme
• About 1¼ cups chicken stock
• A splash or two of dry white vermouth
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced and chilled
• A trickle of Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar, if needed

Directions:
1. Season the fish lightly and evenly with salt. Cover loosely and refrigerate. For best flavor, do this a few hours in advance.
2. Preheat the broiler. Position the rack so that it's about 6 inches from the heating element. Place the potatoes in the saucepan, add cold water to cover, and turn the heat to medium. Season liberally with salt, stir, and taste - the water should be as seasoned as you'd like the potatoes to be. Cook the potatoes at a gentle simmer until tender and soft on the edges, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain the potatoes well and place them, still steaming, in a 12 or 14-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the leeks, thyme, about 1 cup of the chicken stock, and a splash of vermouth. Set the heat at medium and swirl as the broth starts to simmer. Add about 4 tablespoons of butter, and swirl until it melts. Taste for salt.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish. Swirl and tilt the pan to baste the surface of the fish with the buttery broth. The liquid level should rise as the bass releases its juices into the broth, but if it doesn't, add more chicken stock. Make sure no bits of leek are stuck to the sides of the pan or on top of the fish, and place the pan under the broiler. Cook until the surface of the fish and potatoes is lightly gratinéed (browned), about 5-6 minutes. The liquid should be bubbling vigorously at this point.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 500°F and cook until the fish is medium-rare, another 1-5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the stovetop and using a spatula and tongs, lift the fish, and place on a platter side by side (don't stack the fish on top of one another). The fish will finish cooking as it rests.
6. Swirl the pan gently over medium heat so that the sauce thickens as it simmers. Taste, and add the remaining butter and adjust the salt. Drain any liquid on the platter of fish into the simmering sauce in the pan. Allow the sauce to reduce until it is somewhat thick. Taste, and add a splah of vermouth or a few drops of vinegar, if it tastes flat. Transfer the fish to plates, and spoon and potato-leek sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised with Grapes

2010-09-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

I love doing unconventional things with conventional ingredients, and while grapes are usually eaten in their fresh state, they are delicious baked into tarts or in this case, fried (yes, fried) and reduced into a sauce that compliment the spicy sausages in this dish perfectly. The idea came from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, where there is a recipe for quail and sausage braised with grapes, a modern take on the traditional Umbrian dish called Salsiccia all’Uva. I couldn't find any quail at the Union Square Greenmarket today, so I chose another game bird instead - pheasant. And although the original recipe called for cooking the quail on a stovetop, I roasted the pheasant since whole pheasant is much larger than quail and cooking it on a stovetop would have been impossible. I also used spicy pheasant sausage, though Rodgers did suggest fennel sausage (which is usually pork). In fact, so much was changed from the original recipe, I can't really say that my recipe was adapted from hers; 'inspired by' is probably a more appropriate term in this case.

Choosing the right type of grapes is important to this dish. It is traditionally made with wine grapes (not seedless) and is supposed to result in something a bit crunchy due to the seeds, but at the Zuni Cafe, they use mostly seedless grapes, such as Black Emerald or Red Flame grapes. I chose small red and black seedless grapes at the farmer's market (I don't know what varieties they were), but whatever variety or varieties of grapes you choose, you want to make sure they aren't too sweet because it will result in sauce so sweet that it's cloying. Small grapes cook down the quickest and produce the best flavor and texture.

Another important note about this dish is that it's best eaten immediately because the grape sauce loses its flavor and the pheasant and pheasant sausages may dry out.

I really enjoyed this dish, although the roast pheasant came out a bit dry but probably because I wasn't diligent enough in basting it frequently. It's actually not a difficult recipe to follow at all, however, so I'll have to try this recipe again but with quail next time and see what results. I've only had quail a handful of times in my life but what a treat it was when I got to have it!

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised in Grapes
Inspired by The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 2 whole pheasants, about 2½-2¾ pounds each
• About 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt, to taste
• a few pinches of fennel seeds, barely crushed
• 4 fresh pheasant sausages (3-4 ounces each)
• About 2 pounds (or 5-6 cups) small, red or black seedless grapes
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse and dry the pheasant thoroughly. Rub it all over with salt and crushed fennel seeds. Also pour olive oil all over.
2. Place the pheasant in a shallow roasting pan, just large enough to hold it comfortably, and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pheasant from the oven and baste the pheasant with its own juices. Cover it loosely with foil, and continue roasting for l½ hour, turning it every 15 minutes and basting it with the pan juices.
3. Cover a non-stick pan with olive oil and place a few pinches of crushed fennel seeds, then add the grapes. Stir regularly, until the skins split and release the grape juices. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes. If the grapes are too sweet, add a pinch of salt and/or a little vinegar. Place the sausages in a large skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook sausages for about 15 minutes, about 3-4 minutes on each of the 4 sides. When they are brown all over, reduce the heat and pour off most of the excess fat. Then add the grapes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes or so, or until the sauce has been reduced to a rich jam.
4. When the pheasant is done cooking, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes so that the juices have time to settle. Use poultry shears to cut the pheasant into serving pieces. Stir the pheasant in with the sausage and grapes. Serve immediately, as the pheasant and pheasant sausage will become dry if reheated.

Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Rabbit

2010-08-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Rabbit is one of those meats that when people have for the first time, they say "hey it tastes just like chicken". Although it does taste similar to chicken and is cooked in the same way, it actually has a milder flavor and is more tender. The rabbit is best roasted and eaten almost immediately, since it's a particularly lean meat and therefore dries out easily. It has the highest percentage of protein and lowest percentage of fat compared to chicken, veal, turkey, lamb, beef, and pork at 20.8% protein and 4.5% fat. It's a very healthy and delicious meat, though difficult to find - I chanced upon mine at the Union Square Greenmarket last Friday when John Fazio Farms was there selling rabbits and ducks, but as far as I know, they're only there in the summertime. By the way, as with chicken, you'll want to choose a smaller size rabbit since the younger the rabbit was when it was killed, the more tender and succulent the meat will be.

Since this was my first time cooking rabbit, I was a little nervous, but I'm glad I gave it a shot because I was pleased with the results! The Zuni Cafe Cookbook has a recipe for rabbit sausage which I may just have to try making (that is, if I can actually find lamb casings.)

Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Rabbit

Ingredients:
• 2½-2¾ pound whole rabbit
• 10 small garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1-1½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse and dry the rabbit thoroughly. Rub it all over - both the inside and the outside - with the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
2. Place the rabbit in a shallow roasting pan, just large enough to hold it comfortably, and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the rabbit from the oven and pour the wine and lemon juice over it, if you desired. Also, baste the rabbit with its own juices (it helps if you have a baster). Cover it loosely with foil, and continue roasting for l hour, turning it every 15 minutes and basting it with the pan juices.
3. After an hour, increase the oven temperature to 450°F and uncover rabbit. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Baste often with the pan juices to keep meat succulent, turning once or twice for even coloring.
4. Use poultry shears to cut rabbit into serving pieces. Arrange on the platter with sprigs of rosemary, and drizzle the rabbit with its pan juices, if desired.

Ribeye Steak with Salmorigano and Haricot Yaune

2010-08-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when the Zuni Cafe Cookbook arrived in the mail yesterday because it's won the James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year award and IACP Cookbook of the Year award. Also, the restaurant won the James Beard Foundation Restaurant of the Year, and Judy Rodgers (who founded Zuni Cafe and wrote the book) won the James Beard Foundation Best Chef of the Year award. Not only do the recipes look delicious, the cookbook is very well-written and include many helpful details for the home cook, a glossary for ingredients, and even wine pairings for each main course (a nice touch for those who drink alcohol, though I currently can't). It's also a natural transition from the Alice Waters style cooking that I've been doing for the past year or so - French and Italian influenced Californian cuisine with a focus on fresh, seasonal, and organic/natural ingredients. Judy Rodgers actually interned at Chez Panisse at one time before she started Zuni Cafe.

The first recipe I decided to make was salmorigano, which is a salsa-marinade that can be used for marinating meat, or as a sauce for cooked food, such as fish or roasted or grilled vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, onions, eggplant, etc), or even as a sauce for grilled bread. It's traditionally made with fresh oregano, but this version of it uses dried oregano. I used salmorigano to marinate pieces of ribeye (one of my favorite cuts of meat) overnight - it definitely didn't disappoint! I paired the ribeye with haricot yaune (the yellow version of haricot vert) which was sauteed with onions and lavendar peppers.

Black and lavendar peppers from the Union Square Greenmarket

A few tips when buying steak: a) Look for lots of marbling (thin threads of fat throughout the meat) - marbling means fat which means flavor b) It should be about 1-1½ inches thick so that it doesn't dry out while it's being cooked c) Grass fed, naturally raised beef is your best quality meat, but if not, go for USDA Prime; and if not Prime, then Choice (one level below Prime). d) The best cuts are filet mignon or tenderloin (the most tender and expensive cut, though not the most flavorful), ribeye (well marbled, one of the juiciest and most flavorful cuts), New York Strip (best cut for grilling), Porterhouse (a combination of New York Strip steak on one side and tender filet on the other), and T-bone (very similar to a Porterhouse steak, except with less of the tenderloin muscle.)

Ribeye Steak with Salmorigano and Haricot Yaune
Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 4 ribeye steaks, 1-1½ inches thick, about 10 ounces each

• 1 pound haricot yaune, washed and stems trimmed (or if you can't find them, substitute haricot vert)
• 1 bell pepper, washed diced (I used lavender pepper, but you can use any color - preferably red, orange, or yellow, as green ones lend a bitter rather than sweet flavor)
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced

Salmorigano
• 12 small garlic cloves
• About 1½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or chili pepper flakes\
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1½ lemons, halved
• 6 tablespoons simmering water

Directions:
1. Remove your steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook it and allow it to come to room temperature, since a cold steak will contract when it hits the heat and cause it to toughen. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Salmorigano: Peel and crush the garlic in a garlic press. Add a pinch of salt, then add the oregano, oil, and black pepper or dried chili. Stir the mixture to combine. Just before using, add the simmering water, squeeze in the lemon juice, whisk, and taste. The sauce shouldn't be too tart or sour so as to overwhelm the other flavors. If you're using it as a marinade, allow each piece of steak to soak in the mixture for up to 1 hour.
3. Haricot Yaune: Sauté the onion in a non stick pan on medium high heat for about 10 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Then add the haricot yaune and sauté for 10 minutes more until they are soft. (I prefer them a bit on the softer side, so sauté for 6 or 7 minutes if you prefer them a little crunchy.)
4. Preheat a skillet to medium high heat. When it's hot, drop the steak in the skillet and sear each side for 30-45 seconds, depending on its thickness. Then place the steak in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, again depending on its thickness - this will produce a medium rare steak, so leave the steak in for longer if you prefer a steak that's more well done. Remove the steak and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes to let the juices settle before serving with a side of haricot yaune and caramelized onions.

Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce

2010-08-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hello hello! So if you've been following along in my blog, I'm sure you've noticed that many of my most recent entries are of seafood - however, surprisingly, I still haven't done an entry on any type of small shellfish, such as clams, mussels, shrimp, and oysters. Nothing beats the taste of fresh shellfish, so it's about time for this simple but yummy recipe for wild mussels! You do have to be careful in the summer months to make sure these sea creatures remain as fresh as possible though. When I buy them at the local farmer's market, I always remember to ask them to give me a bag of ice, just to make absolute sure that the seafood stays fresh on my way home. And they really have to be eaten within 2 days max; the sooner you eat them, the better. I had bad mussels once (past 2 days of purchase) and my stomach complained about it for hours afterwards; that was NOT fun. Oh and one other thing, mussels are always sold live and they need to breathe. So when you get home, whatever you do, don't put them in an airtight container or the vegetable drawer or they will all suffocate, and a dead mussel is not a mussel you want to eat.

The sauce is a riff of the simple tomato sauce I'd posted earlier except this time, I stirred in some fresh basil a couple minutes before I turned off the heat. I also used the most delicious heirloom tomatoes from the Union Square farmer's market - look at all the variety (there's even purple tomatoes)!

Anyhow, as my 5th grade teacher used to say before lunch (funny how I still remember this but I'll forget stuff that happened yesterday)... Bon appetit, time to eat! :)

Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce

Ingredients:
• 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Simple Tomato Sauce
• 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh basil
• Fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:
1. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt.
4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary. Stir in the fresh basil and turn off the heat after a couple minutes.
6. Hold each mussel under cold running water. Use a brush with stiff bristles to thoroughly scrub the mussel and remove grit, sand, and mud from the shell's exterior. Wild mussels usually have a dark, shaggy beard extending from each shell. After scrubbing each mussel, pull the beard away from the shell until taut, and then pull the beard down sharply toward the dark hinge. It should snap away easily. Removing its beard will kill the mussel, so perform this step just before cooking them.
7. Add the mussels, cover, and stream until they are open, about 5-7 minutes. Shake the pot, holding down the lid with a kitchen towel, to redistribute the mussels. Discard any mussels that do not open because this indicates that they have died. Place the mussels in a plate, then pour the warm tomato basil sauce over them. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you wish.

Wild Mahi Mahi with Artichoke Mashed Potatoes

2010-07-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Wild Mahi Mahi with Artichoke Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 4 6-8 ounce wild mahi-mahi fillets, preferably premium center-cut
• 3 large artichokes
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• Thyme sprigs
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 2½ pounds Russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter or duck fat (you can substitute extra-virgin olive oil if you're trying to be healthy)
• ¼ cup half-and-half (optional; or you can substitute nut milk or other non-dairy milk if you're lactose intolerant)
• White wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Pull off the outer leaves of the artichokes until you reach the tender yellow central leaves. Cut crosswise through the leaves about 1½ inches above the base, and cut off all but an inch of each stem. With a paring knife, cut away all the deep green, down to the heart. Scoop out the chokes with a teaspoon. Drop the trimmed artichokes into water acidulated with lemon juice as you work. If you're still confused about how to prepare artichokes, Here is an extremely helpful step-by-step guide to how to prepare them, including photos for each step.
2. Cut the artichokes lengthwise into slices about ½ inch thick. Peel and smash the garlic. Put the artichokes, garlic, and a few thyme sprigs in a sauté pan with a generous amount of olive oil and season with salt. Stew over medium heat until quite tender; the artichokes should brown slightly. Drain and save the oil. Remove the thyme sprigs. Roughly chop the artichokes and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Boil in generously salted water until soft. Put the potatoes through a ricer or food mill with the butter or duck fat, reserving the cooking water if you like. While the potatoes are boiling, bake the mahi mahi fillets for 20 minutes or until flaky.
4. Stir in the artichokes, the reserved oil, the half-and-half, and a splash of vinegar. Taste for seasoning and correct with salt and freshly milled black pepper. To adjust the consistency, add more half-and-half or a little of the potato cooking water.

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat

2010-07-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Roasting a whole chicken has got to be one of the best ways to cook it, producing tender, juicy, and flavorful meat. It's really the ultimate comfort food! There are countless variations of roasted chicken, but this time, I decided to stick to the tried-and-true classic flavorings of extra-virgin olive oil, rosemary, lemon, and garlic because it brings back fond memories of the lemon-garlic-rosemary rotisserie chicken that my mom used to buy for dinner. I paired it with two equally mouthwatering sides, which worked incredibly well with the chicken: sautéed string beans with caramelized onions (recipe too simple and intuitive to include), and garlic-rosemary potatoes roasted in duck fat. Yum... duck fat. In the culinary world, it's seen as liquid gold - it makes the outside of the potatoes crispy and imparts a rich, savory, out-of-this-world flavor to them that is even better than butter. It's how French fries are traditionally made! Hey, did you know that duck fat is actually lower in saturated fat and higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (ie. the good fats) than butter? Although I only mentioned that so I could feel less guilty about eating duck fat... *hangs head*.

A few tips to remember when roasting a chicken:
1. Pick a free-range, organic chicken. It will make a significant difference. Watch 'Food, Inc.' (a documentary about how our food is now being produced), if you haven't already, and you'll be enlightened about the unhealthy conditions that regular mass-produced chickens are raised under! Most of the chickens we consume have been caged inside tiny, overcrowded coops filled with their own feces, fed hormones, antibiotics, and animal by-products (instead of grains, their natural food), and frequently become sick (is it any wonder why that happens?). And horror of horrors, even the sick birds get sent to the factory to be processed - disgusting! These conditions produce chickens that are less moist, less flavorful, and less healthy.
2. Season it ahead of time. If you neglected to buy a free-range/kosher/organic bird, make sure to brine the bird so the meat will remain juicy as it cooks. Otherwise, brining is probably an unnecessary step so just season it and refrigerate for at least an hour. Brining is basically soaking the chicken for several hours or overnight in enough salted water to cover the entire bird and whatever other herbs you decide to toss in for extra flavor. If you care to know how the scientific process of brining works, it basically forces water into the muscle tissues, and when that water flows out, salt flows in and begins to break down some of the proteins in the cells, which in turn creates more room for more water to flow in.
3. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking. A cold bird straight from the fridge won't roast evenly; the outside will cook but the interior will be underdone.
4. Choose the right pan for the job. Roast the chicken in an ovenproof dish or pan that's about the same size as the chicken. If you use a pan that's too large, the juices that accumulate while the chicken is roasting will start to burn and smoke.. unless of course, you're roasting potatoes or other vegetables alongside the chicken in the same pan (I used a separate pan to roast my potatoes).

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
• 1 whole 3-3½ pound baby chicken
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• a few sprigs rosemary, minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon
For brine:
• ¼ cup sea salt
• a few sprigs rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:
1. Remove any organs from the cavity and reserve for another use. Cut off the wishbone and trim the fat around the edges. If you are brining the bird, skip to step 1a. If not: Rinse the bird with cold water and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper the entire bird, both inside the cavity and all over the outside surface, including the back, wings, and inner and outer thighs. Carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, using kitchen scissors if necessary, but take care not to cut through the skin. Pull the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and mince them. Combine the minced garlic, minced rosemary, and salt to form a paste. Spread about 1½ teaspoons of paste in cavity of chicken. Slip half of remaining paste under skin on each side of breast, then, using fingers, distribute paste over breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
1a. Combine salt, crushed garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs in 2 cups hot tap water, and let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1½ quarts cold water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. NOTE: Keep in mind that the longer you soak the bird in the brine, the saltier the surface will be when you roast it. I soaked it overnight once, and it was way too salty for my taste!
2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the chicken, breast up, in a roasting pan or earthenware baking dish, and roast for 10 minutes. Brush the outside of the bird with olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cook for another 45 minutes, using tongs to turn the bird twice during the cooking. This will circulate the juices and fat and keep the meat moist. The chicken is done roasting when it has turned a medium golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thigh registers about 165 - 175 degrees, respectively. NOTE: You can prepare the vegetables while the chicken is roasting.
3. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, at least 15 minutes. The juices will settle, the internal temperature will stabilize, and the chicken will be much more succulent than if you carve it immediately. Remove the strings tying the drumsticks together and discard the lemons inside. NOTE: The fat from the juices left in the pan can be converted into a sauce or a gravy.
4. To carve the roasted chicken, slice through the skin between the thigh and breast. Place the bird back in the roasting pan to do this because this will release a lot of juices. Tip the bird forward to drain the juices and then remove it from the pan. Bend or pull the leg out from the body and locate the hip joint with your knife, slicing down firmly through the joint to remove the leg. To remove the drumstick, hold the knob of the drumstick and cut through the joint from the inside. To carve the breast, start at the wishbone at the top of the breast. Slide the point of your knife down each side of the breastbone. Then cut down along the wishbone towards the wings. Slide your knife under the meat, lifting it off the rib cage. Last, holding the meat away from the bird cut down through the wing joint, removing the breast and wing in one piece. Either carve the breast into slices or cut it in half diagonally, making the half with the wing attached slightly smaller. The carcass can be reserved to make chicken stock.

Garlic-rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds potatoes, quartered (I like Yukon Gold, but any waxy variety will do; Russet potatoes or other baking potatoes usually fall apart when cooked in duck fat, so they should probably be avoided in this recipe)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 sprigs rosemary, minced
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons duck fat

Directions:
1. Wash and chunk potatoes. While they're draining in a colander, generously salt the potatoes and shake the colander to evenly distribute the salt. Place the potato chunks into an oven-safe pan and pour the duck fat on top of the potatoes, mixing the potatoes by hand to evenly cover the potatoes. Add the pepper and minced rosemary.
2. Roast them in the oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes so that the potatoes are evenly browned and the duck fat coats all the potatoes.

Wild Nettle Frittata

2010-06-26T01:35:00.000-07:00

After picking up wild stinging nettles from the Union Square farmer's market this past Saturday, I couldn't help but post another delicious frittata I made. I was surprised at how much I liked the flavor of nettles, and how well they worked with the rest of the ingredients in my frittata. I also stir fried it with diced potatoes, filet mignon tips, and garlic - another simple, yet delicious combination. I love the unique, herby, slightly nutty flavor of nettle, and I'll definitely be back for more!

A bit of background on nettles: Stinging nettles are actually another one of those ignored super veggies, containing the most chlorophyll of any vegetable, 40 percent protein, and higher amounts of vitamins A, C and D, potassium and calcium than spinach. Unfortunately, when handled, they emit formic acid, which causes a painful sting when in contact with bare flesh that can last from a few minutes to 24 hours. So be sure to wear gloves or use tongs when handling raw nettles; once they’re cooked the stinging effect disappears. Also, only use the nettle tops, the stems are so stringy they are sometimes woven into a fiber.

Wild Nettle Frittata
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 1 pound nettles
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used about 10 garlic scapes)
• ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• ¼ cup young pecorino or Sardo cheese
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Wash the nettles thoroughly with gloves on. Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic. Season with salt and cook another minute.
2. Add the nettles and turn the heat to high, cooking until nettles are wilted and most of the water they release has evaporated. Drain in a colander and then when cool, chop coarsely.
3. Mix the chopped nettles in a bowl with the cheese and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the eggs, then salt and pepper to taste.
4. Warm the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pour in the eggs and nettles mixture, cooking over medium-low until just set and starting to turn brown.
5. Slide the frittata onto a plate and then invert back into the pan. Cook about 13 more minutes until done. Or alternatively, pop it into a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce

2010-06-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

It's soft shell crab season, and I couldn't be more excited! Since Father's Day is tomorrow, I'm sure that Papa would have loved this dish, being a huge seafood lover like myself. In fact, maybe that's where I get it from? This guy even eats the green stuff inside large crabs that no one else in the family wants - we leave it for him because we know he will clean that baby out like nobody's business. Anyway, if I were back in California, I would've made this dish for him, but since I'm not, I'm just glad that he got to enjoy not one but three delicious Father's Day meals on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. Boy was he excited to tell me about all the delicious things he ate, such as live rock cod and ox tail in Japanese pumpkin and red wine sauce (except he spelled it "source" in the email - hahaha sometimes Papa has NO idea how funny he is!).

Soft shell crab is a bit harder to find than shrimp, prawns, and even lobster, but if you do find them, you MUST get the live version because the frozen kind isn't nearly as flavorful. Thankfully, there were live soft shell crabs at the Union Square Farmer's Market today! I paired this version of panfried soft shell crab, with a simple tomato sauce that is thick, sweet, and packed with tomato flavor. It's a versatile tomato sauce that can go equally well with other kinds of seafood such as mussels, with pasta dishes, for a pizza sauce, or for a dipping sauce for fried calamari. If you do use it for pizza, use the sauce cold or the crust will be compromised. You can also add chopped capers, olives, hot pepper, and anchovies at the end of cooking to give it a special twist. This time I only added arugula, because sometimes simple foods are the most delicious, don't you think? You get to appreciate the purity and flavor of each of the ingredients that way.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
Soft Shell Crabs
• 6 live soft shell crabs
• extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 6 tablespoons hot brown rice cereal

Simple Tomato Sauce
• 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and basil sprigs

Directions:
1. Remove the carapace and lungs of each soft shell crab and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and squeeze out excess water (soft shell crabs are water heavy). Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot brown rice cereal evenly on each crab.
2. Pan fry each crab in extra-virgin olive oil over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping them over once to make sure they brown on both sides.
3. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb sprigs.
4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary.

Exotic Egg Frittata with Lobster, Corn, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

2010-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Until last Saturday, I thought green eggs were just a figment of imagination in Dr. Seuss's book 'Green Eggs and Ham' but they really do exist! Apparently, they're from Araucana hens that were bred in South America by the Araucana Indians, and no one knows why eggs from Araucana hens are green. Originally, the eggs from these hens were actually blue but the pure strain of chickens then became adulterated by other strains of chickens as time went on, and now there are a whole range of blue to green colored eggs. Anyhow, I fried up some of the green eggs sunny-side up, my favorite way of making eggs... and WOW, way better than chicken eggs! It's hard to describe the difference, but the eggs had a distinct, richer flavor. Delicious, and I'll definitely be going back for more, though they are quite expensive for eggs ($5 for half-a-dozen).

Green eggs

This Saturday, I went back to look for more green eggs, but they had sold out. Instead, I bought a dozen pheasant eggs (slightly sweet and more delicate than chicken eggs) and a dozen wild turkey eggs (richer in flavor than chicken eggs though not as rich as duck eggs). Other times, at the same market, I've purchased pullet eggs (eggs from adolescent hens, which had a lighter, more fluffy texture than eggs from older hens) and duck eggs. I love that there's all these exotic eggs at the Union Square farmer's market!

Wild turkey eggs

Pheasant eggs

The Union Square farmer's market also had live lobsters available this time - just my luck! I decided to steam the lobsters, though you could also boil them. And since I currently can't have any heavy cream, butter, or mayonnaise, the usual pairings for any lobster recipe, I decided why not make an exotic frittata with the either the green eggs, pheasant eggs, or wild turkey eggs and pair it with corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and shallots (all ingredients that pair excellently with lobster)? This is not your typical frittata! And unlike other recipes I've had on this site so far, I decided to create my own recipe entirely, so I guarantee you won't find this recipe anywhere else.

A live lobster - he's looking a little irritated right now, but I knew just the solution! I promised to treat him to a nice, relaxing bath... ;)

See? I knew it would work! He had such a nice time, he didn't even want to leave - muahahaha!

Exotic Egg Frittata with Lobster, Corn, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:
• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• 5 shallots, minced
• 5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears corn)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths
• 2 medium live lobsters, about 1½ pound each, or 1½ pounds cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks, at room temperature
• 12 eggs

Directions:
1. To prepare the live lobster, there are two methods -
To boil:
Fill a large lobster pot three-quarters full of salted water (use 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water). Bring the water to a rolling boil. Put the lobsters in the pot, making sure they're completely submerged. Cover the pot and begin timing, maintaining the boil, as follows:
1 - 2 pound lobsters: approximately 18 minutes
2 pound or larger lobsters: 22 - 25 minutes

To steam:
Put about 2 inches of salted water in a large pot (use 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water). Put the lobsters in the pot, and cover tightly. Begin timing, and boil for the times listed above. When the lobsters are done cooking, use tongs to remove them and let them rest in the sink to cool. Let the water continue to boil. When the lobsters are sufficiently cool enough to touch, take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors (they kind that you use to cut whole chickens up) to cut the shell and remove the meat. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
2. While you are waiting for the lobsters to cool, wash the skin of the potatoes and place them in the boiling water. Allow about 10-15 minutes for smaller potatoes, about 20 minutes for medium potatoes, and more for larger potatoes to cook thoroughly. When they are done cooking, peel the skin with a vegetable peel and cut them into chunks.
3. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; a minute later, add shallot or onion and garlic; cook for a minute, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until corn begins to brown and tastes cooked; season with salt and pepper.
4. Crack 3 eggs into a large bowl. Add salt to taste, 2 teaspoons olive oil, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if desired). Beat lightly. Stir the eggs with tomatoes, lobster, shallots, garlic, and corn. I also added a handful of spinach, in this case, but that's optional.
5. Thoroughly preheat a 10-inch oven proof pan over medium-low heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. After a few seconds, pour in the egg mixture. As the eggs set on the bottom, lift the edges to allow the uncooked egg to flow underneath. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then put the pan in the oven until the frittata is set on top, about 7 to 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Daring Cook's Challenge: Stacked Green Chile & Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tomatillos from the farmer's market

Having grown up in California, with a large Mexican population, Mexican cuisine is one of my most loved cuisines. And let me tell you - Mexican cuisine is far more diverse than burritos and tacos. After eating authentic Mexican food, I can't go back to the bastardized-"Mexican" food you would find at places like Taco Bell. Chipotle is not considered that authentic either, although it's clearly a significant step above Taco Bell, and as far as chain restaurants go, I think it's pretty decent. There used to be a Mexican restaurant near where I previously lived called Maz Mezcal that made fresh, homemade tortillas, fantastic shrimp enchiladas, and mouthwatering tamales. You could just tell that their dishes were authentic because some of the dishes I had never even heard of - they actually serve a baby cactus salad there, which previously I didn't know could even be eaten (was decent, as far as I can recall, but I don't know if I feel that I'd have to have it again). And they gave you big portions also. Maz Mezcal was almost always packed, even if it wasn't a Friday or a Saturday, which tells you just how popular the restaurant was; the noise inside it seriously reached deafening proportions, and whenever I ate with someone there, we'd both have to shout to hear each other (a bit annoying). But I still miss that place because there aren't too many good, authentic Mexican restaurants near where I live now, at least not that I know of. Long story short, I haven't had Mexican food in awhile so I was very excited about this month's Daring Cook's Challenge!

At first, I was worried that I wouldn't find some of the ingredients I was looking for, such as Anaheim chiles and tomatillos. But apparently, Anaheim chiles aren't that hard to find, and even if you can't find them, you can substitute some other type of green chile such as Poblano chiles or you can order canned varieties online. And you can find fresh tomatillos at Fairway's on the Upper West Side (74th & Broadway), Garden of Eden markets, Western Beef markets, or occasionally, at the Union Square farmer's market. I also found masa harina, but it wasn't organic, and nowadays I prefer to eat organic foods as much as possible. However, you can order organic masa harina from http://goldminenaturalfoods.com - they carry white, yellow, AND blue corn masa varieties in 1 pound bags (and also other hard-to-find grains and products, such as black quinoa.)

A note about masa harina: it is a must when making corn tortillas from scratch. Any other type of corn flour will not produce the same results at all due to the special way that masa harina is made. To give you a bit of background on masa harina, it's made when corn is dried and then treated in a solution of lime and water, called slaked lime. This does two things: 1) it loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn, and 2) the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin can be digested. The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough called masa. When this fresh masa is dried and powdered, it becomes masa harina. I read that fresh masa is even better than masa harina but far more difficult to find.

Anyway, yay for another successful Daring Cook's challenge recipe! Makes me want to try my hand at other chile sauces, tamales, and the famous Mexican mole sauce.

Stacked Green Chile & Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
• 1½ pounds or about eight 6 to 8 inch fresh Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped coarsely*
• 7-8 ounces or about 4-5 medium tomatillos, peeled, stems removed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water for thickening
• Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce (optional)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 12 small corn tortillas, 5-6 inches in diameter, or if you making your own, 1¾ cups masa harina
• 6 ounces grated Monterrey Jack or other cheese such as cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses, as long as they melt well and complement the filling (Note: This is not really an optional ingredient, but I omitted it this time due to current dietary restrictions)

*Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size! Anaheim chiles have a heat score of 2500 (Scoville Heat Units) about 2-3/10. Jalapeños have a heat score of 5000 (Scoville Heat Units) about 4-5/10. Thai chiles have a score 150,000 (Scoville Heat Units) 8-9/10 and Habanero chiles have a score of 325,000 to 570,000 9+/10. Anaheim chiles are therefore considered very mild.

Roasted Fresh Chiles
Directions:
1. Put on a pair of disposable latex gloves so as to protect your skin from the chiles - and protect your eyes, in case you accidentally rub them after handling the chiles. (Anaheim chiles are mild in heat, but it's good to wear gloves just to be careful.) Coat each chile with a little olive oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered. If you do all the chiles at once on a grill or using the broiler, it will take 15-30 minutes, plus time to steam (10 minutes) and time to peel and remove seeds (20 minutes).
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

How to roast Anaheim chiles:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5106125_roast-anaheim-peppers.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4437304_roast-anaheim-green-chiles-grill.html

Green Chile Sauce
Directions:
1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, about 5-10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft, about 2-5 minutes. You could also broil them, for about 8-12 minutes. This can be done the same time the chiles are roasting.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor for a few seconds.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas
Directions:
1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side for boneless chicken breasts and longer for bone-in chicken pieces. If you roast your chicken, a bone-in breast takes about 30 minutes (depending on size). Be sure chicken is done but not overcooked, since it will be in the oven in the last stage of the recipe.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and a third of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

For how to make juicy grilled chicken:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-make-juicy-grilled-chicken.html

Corn Tortillas
From Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen

Ingredients:
• 1¾ cups masa harina, makes about 15 tortillas
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:
1. Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high.
3. Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic. If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6 inch circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly.

For how to make corn tortillas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDegTyqL55o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6_iAZ-CCA&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFn3GKVLHnM&NR=1
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_corn_tortillas/

For how to make flour tortillas:
http://www.mangiodasola.com/2009/09/tortillas-de-harinaflour-tortillas.html
http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipe.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEz0puaKNTk
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=207
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html

Minestra Verdissima (A Very Green Soup) With Chicken

2010-04-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking - another chicken soup?? But this version of chicken soup is different from the Brunswick stew I made recently. The thing about chicken is that it's a very versatile meat and pairs well with all kinds of flavors. This time, I put 8 different varieties of green vegetables in the chicken soup, whereas the Brunswick stew has 3 different varieties of meats. It's also not spicy, whereas Brunswick stew is. By the way, you can pretty much use any leftover green vegetables you have lying around.

Get ready for a lot of chopping action with your knife when preparing this soup! This is one of those times I'm really glad I invested in a good chef's knife - the Wüsthof Stainless Steel Classic Chef's Knife. That bad boy can cut through anything (I know because I've gotten some pretty nasty cuts in my fingers from chopping vegetables a little too hastily or from neglecting to curl my fingers in) and is definitely worth the investment because if it weren't for a good quality knife like that one, it would probably take me twice as long to chop all those vegetables.

The original recipe did not call for chicken or meat of any kind, but I decided to add it in there just to have a source of protein. I also added brown rice for a source of whole grains. This is a very hearty, tasty soup that's also healthy for you!

Minestra Verdissima (A Very Green Soup) With Chicken
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 5 ounces spinach, washed
• 5 ounces arugula, washed
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic bulb, peeled and diced or minced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 leek, well washed and diced
• ½ pound shelled fresh English peas (or frozen peas, if you cannot find fresh ones)
• 1 whole fennel, including stems and bulb, diced
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, preferably free range/organic, diced (optional)
• 8 cups chicken stock (I recommend Imagine Free Range Organic Chicken Stock)
• 1 cup of short grain brown rice, washed in filtered water
• bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf
• a few drops lemon juice or vinegar
• pepper

1. Wilt the spinach and arugula briefly in a sauté pan over medium-high heat with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Drain in a colander. When they cool down, squeeze out the excess moisture and chop them roughly. Put aside.
2. Sauté the onion, garlic, and celery in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan. When they are just tender, add the leek and fennel. Season with salt and sauté briefly.
3. Add the chicken stock, brown rice, chicken breast, and the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning, if desired. When the leek and fennel are about half cooked, add the peas.
4. Turn off the heat when the chicken is just cooked, about 45 min. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Stir in the spinach and arugula, and check the seasoning once more. Add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish each bowl with extra-virgin olive oil.

Daring Cook's Monthly Challenge: Brunswick Stew

2010-04-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

I recently joined the Daring Cooks, a group of cooks/food bloggers that cook a certain recipe chosen by the host of the month. The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Since the recipe calls for rabbit, I knew I would need to head down to the local farmer's market at Union Square, where you can find all sorts of uncommon foods not normally found in grocery stores. Unfortunately, I didn't find rabbit and was told at the manager's station that "the rabbit guy" comes in the early summer. So instead, I bought turkey thighs, which I was told had a similar flavor and texture as rabbit once it's cooked in a stew. I also substituted smoked turkey bacon for bacon and frozen corn for fresh corn. It took quite a bit of work to make this stew, but it was worth it - delicious served over brown rice with a side of cornbread!

Brunswick Stew
From Matt Lee and Ted Lee's The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners

Ingredients:
• ¼ pound or 4 ounces slab bacon, rough diced (I used turkey bacon)
• 2 Serrano, Thai or other dried red chiles, stems trimmed, sliced, seeded, flattened (I used Jalapeño chiles)
• 1 pound rabbit, quartered, skinned (I used turkey thighs, as I could not find rabbit)
• 1 4-5 pound chicken, quartered, skinned, and most of the fat removed
• 1 tablespoon sea salt for seasoning, plus extra to taste
• 2-3 quarts or 8-12 cups Sunday Chicken Broth (I substituted canned chicken broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 large celery stalks
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy type potatoes, peeled, rough diced
• 1½ cups or about 5 small carrots, chopped
• 3½ cups or about 4 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cups or about 4 ears fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
• 3 cups butterbeans, preferably fresh (1¼ pounds) or defrosted frozen
• 1 35-ounce can or 4 cups whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Tabasco sauce to taste

Directions:
1. In the largest stockpot you have, preferably a 10-12 quart or even a Dutch Oven if you’re lucky enough to have one, fry the bacon over medium high heat until it just starts to crisp. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Reserve most of the bacon fat in your pan, and with the pan on the burner, add in the chiles. Toast the chiles until they just start to smell good, or make your nose tingle, about a minute tops. Remove to bowl with the bacon.
2. Season liberally both sides of the rabbit and chicken pieces with sea salt and pepper. Place the rabbit pieces in the pot and sear off all sides possible. You just want to brown them, not cook them completely. Remove to bowl with bacon and chiles, add more bacon fat if needed, or olive oil, or other oil of your choice, then add in chicken pieces, again, browning all sides nicely. Remember not to crowd your pieces, especially if you have a narrow bottomed pot. Put the chicken in the bowl with the bacon, chiles and rabbit. Set it aside.
3. Add 2 cups of your chicken broth or stock, if you prefer, to the pan and basically deglaze the pan, making sure to get all the goodness cooked onto the bottom. The stock will become a nice rich dark color and start smelling good. Bring it up to a boil and let it boil away until reduced by at least half. Add your remaining stock, the bay leaves, celery, potatoes, chicken, rabbit, bacon, chiles and any liquid that may have gathered at the bottom of the bowl they were resting in. Bring the pot back up to a low boil/high simmer, over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, remember to stir every 15 minutes, give or take, to thoroughly meld the flavors. Simmer, on low, for approximately 1½ hours. Supposedly, the stock may become a yellow tinge with pieces of chicken or rabbit floating up, the celery will be very limp, as will the chiles. Taste the stock, according to the recipe, it “should taste like the best chicken soup you’ve ever had”.
4. With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and rabbit pieces to a colander over the bowl you used earlier. Be careful, as by this time, the meats will be very tender and may start falling apart. Remove the bay leaf, celery, chiles, bacon and discard. (I didn't remove the bacon, as I thought it was a waste of bacon.) After you’ve allowed the meat to cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the meat from the bones, shredding it as you go. Return the meat to the pot, throwing away the bones. Add in your carrots, and stir gently, allowing it to come back to a slow simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes, or until the carrots have started to soften.
5. Add in your onion, butterbeans, corn and tomatoes. As you add the tomatoes, crush them up. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the stew has reduced slightly, and onions, corn and butterbeans are tender. Remove from heat and add in vinegar, lemon juice, stir to blend in well. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce if desired.
6. You can either serve immediately or refrigerate for 24 hours, which makes the flavors meld more and makes the overall stew even better. Serve hot, either on its own, or with a side of corn bread, over steamed rice, with any braised greens as a side.

Mixed Microgreens Salad with Soft Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and Poached Duck Egg

2010-03-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Poaching eggs is a lot more difficult than it seems. There are numerous different methods: with or without salt, with or without vinegar, in plastic wrap (as shown here ) or dropped into water that has been stirred creating a "tornado". It will take some practice before I get good at poaching eggs because you have to get the timing exactly right and make sure that the egg keeps together when it cooks. However, I'm very pleased with the flavor of duck eggs - it's stronger than that of chicken eggs, just as duck meat is stronger in flavor than chicken meat (at least the white meat). The other difference is that duck eggs are larger in size. So far, I have been poaching the duck eggs, but in the future, I plan to experiment with baking with them in cookies or cakes, or using them in other recipes that require eggs. But first, I want to get poaching them down - I feel like it's one of those basic skills that a chef or a good home cook has to master.

Mixed Microgreens Salad with Soft Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and Poached Duck Egg

Ingredients:
• 1 pound mixed microgreens (pea shoots, micro mesclun, etc)
• ½ cup soft white cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup toasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 free-range duck eggs
• a pinch of paprika

Directions:
1. Wash and spin the microgreens to get rid of excess water.
2. Bring a pan of cold water to a boil and stir the water, creating a "tornado". Drop an egg into the center of the tornado and cook for 4-6 minutes, depending on how running you want the yolk to be. Remove the egg from the heat and drop it into a bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking.
3. Dress the microgreens with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with almonds. Place a poached duck egg on each salad, and add a pinch of paprika. Season the entire salad with salt and pepper, according to taste.

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans

2010-03-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

I love love love French food. The French have definitely earned their place as one of the world's most delicious cuisines. They are huge fans of duck, one of my favorite meats, if you couldn't already tell (I have a relative who started a successful duck farm, knowing he would make good business among the French)... and duck confit is one of my favorite preparations of duck (another favorite is the famous Chinese dish of Peking duck). It's also one of my man♥'s favorite meals, of all the meals I've prepared for him. Anyhow, the leftover duck fat keeps for at least 6 months in the refrigerator, provided that you strain it properly after cooking with it, and is wonderful for frying vegetables, potatoes, and steak with. Another thing I love about duck confit: The confit process takes about two days, but once prepared, the duck will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks! I paired the duck confit with creamy white beans. Any leftover beans can be used as a spread for toast!

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Duck Confit
Ingredients:
• 6 duck legs (drumsticks and thighs, attached)
• 6 bay leaves, crumbled
• 4 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 6 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
• 3 quarts rendered duck fat or homemade lard

Directions:
1. Trim the duck legs of excess fat, leaving the skin intact. Make a small incision at the base of each leg, severing the tendon and cutting through the skin all around the bone. Combine the salt, bay leaves, juniper berries, thyme and pepper, and season each leg generously with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, melt the duck fat over medium heat in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Gently slip the duck legs into the fat, making sure they're completely submerged. Raise the heat slightly. Stir with a wooden spoon as the fat comes up to temperature. Adjust the flame to maintain the barest simmer the fat should never boil, but should swirl lightly sending up the occasional small bubble.
3. Cook the duck legs, uncovered, for about 1½ hours. Test a leg for doneness by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the drumstick; they should be almost falling apart. Carefully transfer the duck legs to a dish. Ladle the duck fat over the legs, making certain they are covered by an inch of fat. Cool the legs in the fat, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
4. When you are ready to eat the duck legs, heat a cast=iron skillet over medium heat. Add the duck legs in one layer, skin side down, and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the legs and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

Creamy White Beans
Ingredients:
• 3 cups cannellini beans
• bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf
• 2 medium onions, diced fine
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (optional)
• salt
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, finely powdered
• 2 teaspoons rosemary, chipped fine

Directions:
1. Soak the beans overnight in water to cover. The next day, drain the beans and put them into a large heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Add the bouquet garni, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and skim any foam that has risen to the surface. When the beans begin to soften, after an hour or so, add a generous amount of salt and continue to cook gently until they are very tender. When they are fully cooked, remove from the heat.
3. While the beans are cooking, heat a sauté pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and carrot, season with salt, and cook over medium heat until tender. Set aside.
4. Purée 1 cup of the cooked beans in a blender with a little of their cooking liquid. Drain the remaining beans, reserving the liquid, but discarding the bouquet garni. Heat a large sauté pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the garlic and a pinch of red pepper, and warm briefly before adding the diced onion and carrot, the bean purée, beans, powdered fennel seed, and rosemary, if you wish. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot. If the consistency seems too thick, thin with some of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Taste and season with salt as necessary. Finish with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Warm Duck Breast Salad with Olive Relish

2010-03-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

I've been eating salads as well as raw fruits more often lately, after learning that heating food above a temperature of 114°F destroys the live enzymes found in raw fruits and vegetables. Apparently, these live enzymes act as catalysts for the chemical reactions that take place throughout our bodies and are essential for our digestion and absorption of food, for its conversion into body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level. Sure enough, my digestion has been pretty good lately. Being a big fan of duck and garlic, I found this salad delicious and a great way to eat those raw vegetables!

Warm Duck Breast Salad with Olive Relish
From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 2 large whole boneless duck breasts, skin on
• Salt and pepper
• 10-12 cloves garlic, or more according to preference
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
• ¾ cup green (picholines or Lucques) olives or black olives
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 oz small mixed young greens (rocket, cress, spinach, and mustard)

Directions:
1. Lay the duck breasts skin side down on a cutting board. Pull off the tenderloins and save for another purpose. With a sharp knife divide each heart-shaped breast into 2 pieces along the natural division in the center. Trim any extra skin protruding from the edges, then turn the breast skin side up. Score the skin, making 1/8 inch deep slices in long diagonal lines, first in one direction and then at an opposing 45 degree angle, to create a checkerboard crosshatch. This helps the fat to render on both sides with salt and freshly milled pepper. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
2. To make the olive relish, macerate the diced shallots in the champagne vinegar with a pinch of salt and freshly milled pepper. Rinse the olives, pit them, and chop medium-fine. In a small bowl, combine the chopped olives, lemon zest, thyme, and parsley with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add the macerated shallot to the olives no more than 15 minutes before serving. Make a vinaigrette by pressing the garlic through a garlic press and adding a little salt. Add the red wine and balsamic vinegars, black pepper to taste, and 6 tablespoons olive oil. Taste and correct for salt and acid.
3. Wash and dry the greens. Put the breasts skin side down on a pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes. When the skin is nicely browned, pour the fat from the pan and reserve for another use (potatoes and other vegetables sautéed in duck fat are delicious); then turn the breast, add the minced garlic, and cook for 3-4 more minutes. The breasts whould now be medium rare. Remove them from the pan and let them rest on a platter, covered loosely with aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
4. While the duck is resting, finish the olive relish, taste for acidity, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Dress the greens with the vinaigrette in a stainless steel bowl. Slice the duck breast in thin diagonal slices, pouring any juices from the carving board into the bowl with the greens. Divide the greens among warmed plates and arrange the sliced duck breast over them. Spoon olive relish over each salad and serve.

Slow-Cooked Wild King Salmon with Shallots-Basil Topping

2010-02-25T04:01:00.000-08:00

My favorite way to cook to wild salmon is to slow cook it - this is by far, the most moist, tender version of salmon I've ever had! It's also really easy to make, and you just pop it into the oven and let the oven do all the work. This salmon is so delicious, it doesn't even really need any fancy sauces or toppings; it's wonderful just by itself with some olive oil drizzled on top and good ol' salt and pepper. You don't want to overwhelm the beautiful flavor of wild salmon, so if you do make a topping, you want to go easy!

Here are some ideas for salmon flavorings:
-add honey or fresh fruit for some sweetness: honey, turmeric, and powdered fennel seed is a possibility, or you could go for a tropical fruit salsa with finely diced mango, strawberries, pineapple, tomato, and apple (or whatever fresh fruits are in season; a great summertime version would be avocado, peach, and plum), a dash of salt and pepper, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
-a bit of spiciness: chili powder or cayenne
-a savory herb topping: shallots and fresh chiffonade basil (a personal favorite)
-a citrus topping: fresh dill and freshly squeezed lemon, for example
-a crunchy topping: brown rice cereal, crushed almonds or other nuts, etc
-aioli (a garlic-infused mayonnaise): to be spread on the salmon after it is done cooking

In the pictured version, I went with wild king salmon seasoned with salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil drizzled on top with a side of tomatoes, green beans, and brown rice. However, other types of salmon are delicious too. Here is a summary of the different wild salmon types I've tried: Alaskan king (Chinook) salmon has a firm flesh, a red color, and are high in oil content, resulting in an extra-rich flavor, which is highly prized among salmon-lovers. I've also tried Copper River king salmon, which was absolutely delicious but ridiculously expensive. Sockeye (red) salmon also has a rich flavor due to its high concentration of oils and a rich red, firm flesh that maintains its color throughout cooking, as you can see in the photo. Coho (silver) salmon has a mild and sweet taste, slightly milder than that of the Sockeye, and the flesh is leaner, firmer, and has a more delicate texture than other salmon. Steelhead Trout (which is technically a type of Rainbow Trout, rather than a type of salmon, but is so similar in color, taste and texture to salmon that it is often categorized as salmon) has a tender flesh and a mild, somewhat nutty flavor. I personally tend to prefer the oilier, richer-tasting types of salmon.

Slow-Cooked Wild King Salmon with Shallots-Basil Topping
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 1 king salmon fillet, 0.3-0.4 lb
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• for the salmon topping: finely sliced shallots and fresh chiffonade basil (chiffonade means "to shred", where you slice an herb into long, thin strips), or any other topping you prefer

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F, and place a pan of water on the lowest rack in the oven, which will create a humid environment to keep the salmon moist.

2. Lightly brush or spray a baking pan with olive oil, or alternatively, wrap a baking pan with aluminum foil (good for you lazy dish washers...) Brush the salmon with olive oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and place the topping of your choice on the salmon. Place the salmon in the baking dish and put it in the oven for about 30 min. The salmon is cooked when the juices are beginning to collect on top of the fillet and fat is starting to ooze out of its sides; the color was remain essentially the same, so don't judge by the color!

3. Let the salmon rest for at least 10 min at room temperature.

Heirloom and Cherry Tomato Salad

2010-02-21T12:35:00.001-08:00

Tomatoes are one of those vegetables that I enjoy both raw and cooked, probably because they're naturally sweet. And who doesn't like tomatoes? I've never heard anyone say they don't like tomatoes, whereas other vegetables have their fair share of fans as well as non-fans. This tomato salad takes advantage of the many different varieties of tomatoes, including -- mini heirloom tomatoes of all different colors; large heirloom tomatoes on the vine, and cherry tomatoes.

Heirloom and Cherry Tomato Salad
From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 1 (½-pint) basket assorted cherry tomatoes
• 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, different colors and sizes
• 1 shallot, diced fine
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar instead)
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• Salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Pepper
• Green and purple basil leaves, chopped
• Lemon cucumbers and torpedo onions (optional)

Directions:
1. Stem the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Core the larger tomatoes and cut them into slices or wedges.
2. For the vinaigrette, macerate the shallot in the vinegar with the garlic and a little salt. Whisk in the oil. Taste and adjust the acidity and salt as necessary. Put the tomatoes in a shallow salad bowl or on a platter. Season with salt and pepper, strew on the chopped basil leaves, and carefully dress with the vinaigrette.
3. (optional) Thin slices of peeled lemon cucumber and torpedo onion are wonderful additions to the salad.
4. For a more elegant tomato salad, slice perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes and arrange them on a platter. Season with salt and pepper, a splash of good Champagne, and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Butternut Squash, White Bean, and Kale Chicken Soup

2010-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's another great way to prepare a winter squash. This soup recipe is so simple, yet flavorful, hearty, and satisfying, it's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day in New York City! And it is definitely still winter time over here. I seriously can't believe spring officially starts in 9 days. Just last week (on Wednesday, February 10th), all NYC public schools and Catholic elementary and middle schools were closed due to the snow. By the way, maybe only New Yorkers will know what I'm talking about, but you know those patches of snow that look deceivingly stable, yet when you step on them, your feet are instantly plunged into this freezing, nasty, dirty, black water that the snow was just floating on top of? Yeaaa, I stepped on a couple of those. $%$%@#$$#@$! Oh well, nothing a hot shower and a bowl of chicken soup can't cure...

Butternut Squash, White Bean, and Kale Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
• 1 cup dried cannellini beans or 2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans (possible substitutions: navy beans or Great Northern Beans)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2½ pounds chicken breast or thighs (bone-in chicken has more flavor, just remove the bones later, but boneless chicken is obviously more convenient to use; or alternatively, you could use some other type of meat - spicy Italian sausage would work well)
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 5 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade chicken stock
• 6 ounces white wine (optional)
• 2 inch piece kombu seaweed (I used canned cannellini beans that already contained kombu seaweed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 sage leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme or rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large butternut squash, about 4½ pounds, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes (Helpful tip: butternut squash can be peeled using a normal swivel-headed vegetable peeler)
• ½ cup garlicky kale, or ¾ pound lacinato kale before cooked
• slices of country-style bread with garlic and olive oil spread (optional)

Instructions:
1. If you are using dry cannellini beans, soak the 2 cups of cannellini beans overnight in water, or alternatively, quick-soak the cannellini beans using the following method: First pick through the beans to remove small stones and other foreign materials. Place them in a large stock pot and add water (6 - 8 cups of water per pound of beans.) Boil vigorously for 3 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for at least an hour, which will usually be enough time to soften the beans sufficiently. Soaking the beans allows shorter cooking times, which preserves the most nutrients, and also allows for the beans to cook more evenly and completely.
2. After the beans are soaked, drain them and put them in a large stock pot along with the chicken stock. (Never cook with the same water that you soaked the beans in because this soaking liquid is dirty.) Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender. Start checking after 45 minutes. Taste, and if necessary, adjust the seasonings.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add chicken and brown about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken to the stock pot and add the onion, sage leaves, rosemary/thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to the sauté pan. Sauté on medium heat about 10 minutes. Add butternut squash and garlic, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove the vegetables and herbs to the stock pot, and add wine, kombu seaweed, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil; simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the squash gets very soft.
6. (optional) Stir in garlicky kale. Serve hot soup over thickly sliced country-style bread that has been brushed with minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil and toasted in the oven until crisp and golden brown.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dried Apricots

2010-02-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I didn't crawl my way up the evolutionary ladder so I could eat nothing but brussel sprouts and artichokes - hell no! I really don't know how I could go through life without eating meat. I do love vegetables, but I like them best paired with juicy, succulent, and tender meat - like in this lamb stew. Here I've braised lamb shoulder in a traditional Moroccan stew called a tagine (or tajine), which are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures that result in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. The meats are usually either lamb or chicken, and these meats are often combined with a medley of ingredients or seasonings, such as: olives, quinces, apples, pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, nuts, fresh or preserved lemons, honey, and/or various spices like ground cinnamon, saffron, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, pepper, and Ras el hanout (a blend of spices). Some famous tagine dishes are mqualli or mshermel (both are pairings of chicken, olives and citrus fruits, though preparation methods differ), kefta (meatballs in an egg and tomato sauce), and mrouzia (lamb, raisins and almonds).

The name tagine actually comes from the special pot in which it is cooked, which is a pretty neat piece of kitchen equipment, if you ask me. The traditional tagine pot has a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking and is designed so that all the steam that condenses on the lid returns to the bottom of the pot. It also has a knob-like handle at its top so that the cover can be lifted off without using a mitten, which allows the cook to test the lamb for tenderness, add vegetables, mix the contents, or add additional braising liquid. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. Cool, huh? Too bad they're hard to find in Western parts of the world, so if you don't have a tagine pot (I don't), you can use a Dutch oven, the All-Clad Stainless Braiser Pan, or a heavy stockpot with a good lid (I used my trusty stainless steel All-Clad Saute Pan with a lid).

In this version of tagine, I hope you'll love the complex flavors and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the rich lamb shoulder meat (grass-fed lamb is recommended), intoxicating, fragrant aroma of the exotic spices (cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and ginger), and the sweet flavor of the dried Turkish apricots (which tempers the gameyness of the lamb) as much as I do. Yes, lamb shoulder is a little fatty, so this is probably not an everyday meal. The stew is wonderful garnished with toasted sliced almonds and served with steamed couscous. (I mixed steamed quinoa into the stew afterwards, though that isn't exactly traditional.)

By the way, my friend and I had a debate about how the word apricot is pronounced. I pronounce it as "ape-ricot" while he pronounces it as "app-ricot" - maybe it has to do with where you're from (I'm originally from California, he's from NY)?

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dried Apricots

Ingredients:
• ½ pound dried Turkish apricots
• 2½ pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 cups beef stock or water
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled, trimmed, and chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon coriander, preferably freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
• toasted sliced almonds, as a garnish (optional)
• steamed couscous, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1. Soak the apricots in warm water for an hour or so while you prepare the rest of the stew. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat - enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the lamb and brown it on all sides, working in batches if necessary and taking care not to crowd the meat.
3. Remove the meat to a plate and discard most of the fat/oil in the pan, leaving just a thin veil of oil.
4. Add the onions and tomatoes and cook them until soft over medium high heat, about 7 minutes. Add the seared lamb cubes back in, stir in the spices and mix well, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn and turn bitter.
5. Add just enough beef stock to come to the top of the meat and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook for half an hour.
6. Meanwhile, drain the apricots, reserving the liquid. Chop the apricots coarsely and add them to the lamb. Now keep the pan partially covered and continue to simmer for about another hour or until the lamb is fork-tender. Stir occasionally, and if the liquid gets too low, add some of the reserved apricot liquid.
7. When the lamb is tender, skim any fat off the top, taste for salt and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add rose water and sliced almonds and serve with a side of steamed couscous, if desired.

Red Wine Tomato Quinoa & Garlic Ground Beef Stuffed Winter Squash

2010-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Aren't these stuffed winter squashes just adorable?! Well, they're not just pretty to look at, they're easy to make, very nutritious, store for many weeks or even months in a cool, dry place (unlike summer squashes), and taste great when stuffed and baked - or roasted and pureed, made into soups, cut into chunks, baked into souffles, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods, made into pancakes, and so on and so forth. They're so versatile, they can be made into both sweet and savory dishes; the possibilities are endless!

I went a little crazy and purchased 5 different varieties this week:

clockwise from the right: butternut squash (the light-orange colored squash with the long neck), kabocha squash (large, dark green), delicata squash (small, yellow, and striped), acorn squash (small, dark green), and small dumpling squash (small, light orange)

I'll prepare them in different ways because the different tastes, textures, and sizes of each variety make them suitable for different ways of cooking. With the butternut squash, I plan to make a white bean & butternut squash soup with chicken, and with the kabocha squash, I'll make pancakes two different ways - as "ho bak jeon" (Korean-style squash pancakes made with julienned strips of squash) and as regular American-style pancakes. I may also make squash muffins if I have leftover squash - we'll see. Delicata, sweet dumpling, and acorn squash are small and therefore the most suitable winter squashes for stuffing, so I stuffed all three.

My favorite of the three is definitely the delicata squash (pictured above), which tastes somewhat like sweet potatoes. Sweet dumpling squash is mildly sweet and has a bit of a dry texture. I definitely liked it more than acorn squash, which has a creamy, slightly fibrous texture and a mild, nutty taste that I found to be slightly bitter also - and not the kind of slight bitterness that I love in other vegetables, such as kale, but the kind that reminded me of yellow summer squash and zucchini, neither of which I'm too fond of. (Growing up, I used to pick out all the individual yellow squash and zucchini from my plate.) However, with the great varieties of squash out there (and they don't all taste the same), pretty much everyone can find varieties that they love! I myself love pumpkin, butternut squash, and delicata squash - yup, all the orange-fleshed sweet flavored squashes.

If you're not a fan of squash of any kind, the stuffing I made is delicious on its own and can serve as a main course. The red wine quinoa component also makes for a great side dish, and the garlic ground beef, red peppers, and red onions component also makes a fantastic topping for pizza when combined with pineapple chunks and grated cheese - in fact, it's one of my all-time favorite pizza toppings. By the way, quinoa is not only light, fluffy, and delicious, it's nature's perfect grain (though it's technically not a grain, but a seed)- it has a complete set of amino acids, is high in fiber, iron, and B-vitamins, and is also gluten-free for those who are sensitive to wheat products.

Garlic Ground Beef and Red Wine Tomato Quinoa Stuffed Winter Squash

Ingredients:
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 small winter squash (delicata, acorn, or small dumpling squashes are good choices), about 1-1¼ lb each

For red wine tomato quinoa
• 2½ cups quinoa
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup red wine (I substituted red grape juice, instead)
• 4½ cups chicken stock
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

For garlic ground beef
• 3 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt (sea salt is often saltier than regular table or kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 medium red onions, diced
• 3 red peppers, washed, seeded and diced
• 2 bulbs or about 20 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed through a garlic press
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano and 2 ounces Gruyere (optional)

Directions:
1. Rinse and drain the quinoa in a rice cooker pot. Add tomato, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, kosher salt and pepper, red wine, and chicken stock to the pot, and cook the quinoa.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut 1-inch off the top of each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds with a spoon or a melon baller. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom. Rub the insides of each squash with extra-virgin olive oil and set them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
3. Sauté the ground meat in a non-stick fry pan on medium heat until it is almost fully cooked, breaking the chunks apart with a spatula. Remove from the heat and drain the fat from the pan. Return the pan to the stove top and turn the heat on again to medium. Add the red peppers, onions, and garlic, and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa, stirring constantly and heating the mixture thoroughly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. (You may also begin baking the squash before you sauté the ground beef, as long as the total bake time is about 1 hour.)
6. Remove the lids and grate cheese (optional) on top of squash. Serve immediately.

Garlicky Kale

2010-01-27T19:36:00.001-08:00

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around although it has largely been overshadowed by broccoli and spinach in modern times. It is rich with essential nutrients such as calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as chlorophyll and fiber. In fact, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein! Researchers have also discovered that sulforaphane, a naturally occurring photochemical formed when kale is chopped or chewed, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, which help clear carcinogenic substances. In addition, it helps restore alkalinity in the typical American diet that is all too often overly acidic (too much sugar, too much red meat and not enough vegetables, etc).

Asides from its many health benefits, it also makes for a delicious side dish, particularly with other strong-flavored dishes, like garlic-thyme pollo al mattone (chicken cooked under a brick); in this version, the strong, slightly bitter flavor of kale pairs well with the garlic. There are many different varieties of kale, but this time, I used lacinato (or dinosaur) kale - a wonderful deep-green variety that I love.

Garlicky Kale
From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (kale already contains sodium so you won't need that much salt)
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• a splash of red wine vinegar

Directions:
1. Remove the stems from the kale. Wash and drain well, but do not dry.
2. Heat a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook over high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more kale as the leaves wilt. When all of the kale has been added, season with salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the maturity of the kale. Young kale will be tender after 4 or 5 minutes. It may be necessary to add a splash of water if the leaves begin to scorch. When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water to cook away.
3. Push the kale to one side of the pan and add an extra drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the bare spot. Just as you smell the aroma of the garlic, stir to combine it with the kale.
4. Turn off the heat, add a splash of vinegar, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve warm or room temperature.

Garlic-Thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Onion Rings and Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

2010-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Of all the ways you can cook chicken, this is my favorite recipe so far! It produces the perfect chicken with a moist and juicy meat on the inside and crispy skin on the outside. This Tuscan method of cooking chicken traditionally uses a whole young chicken, split down the back and flattened, and often, the chicken is brined or marinated overnight, but in this version, the technique has been simplified and adapted for boned chicken legs made in one day. However, if you feel like being extra ambitious, here are detailed instructions for preparing a whole young chicken for "pollo al mattone" (including some very helpful illustrations).

A few rules to keep in mind to get that crispy skin on the outside:
1. You'll need a large cast-iron skillet, or if you don't have one, a heavy stainless steel aluminum pan will work but not as well as the cast-iron skillet would. Non-stick pans won't work at all.
2. You want to have a clean brick, or if you don't have one, find something that's very heavy that you can use to press down on the chicken, like another heavy skillet. I improvised by using a rice cooker bowl with heavy objects inside to weigh it down.
3. You want to make sure you've cut up the chicken in such a way that it is flattened so that the skin will cook evenly.
4. Make sure the skin of the chicken is dry before cooking. Otherwise, the skin will basically steam and melt onto the pan, rather than become crispy.
5. The oil in the pan has to be hot before you put the chicken in.

Just remember: right pan, heavy brick, flat bird, dry skin, and hot pan.

Here I've flavored the chicken with extra-virgin olive oil, thyme, and garlic, and paired it with cherry tomatoes, broccoli and oven-baked onion rings. The onion rings could either be a side for a main course or eaten alone as a snack. Feel free to get creative -- chicken is one of those versatile meats that you can pair with all kinds of different flavors!

Some ideas for variations:
-Use different herbs, such as rosemary, sage, or tarragon
-Use different spices, such as paprika or dried chili peppers
-Add sweetness, such as honey or unrefined cane sugar
-Change the acidic component; instead of lemon, you could use orange, lime or a kind of vinegar, such as balsamic vinegar, Sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar, depending on the other flavorings in the dish
-Create an Asian combination of flavors: how about honey, soy sauce, and five spice powder? or peanut oil, minced garlic, ginger, and scallions? or sesame oil, minced ginger, five spice powder, and scallions?
-Pair the dish with different sides (grilled, sauteed, or roasted vegetables go especially well with this dish): garlic mashed potatoes, garlicky kale (one of my favorite pairings), spinach, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, escarole, green beans, or olives are just a few options

Garlic-thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, and Onion Rings
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Pollo al mattone
Ingredients:
• 4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs attached)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 branch thyme
• 16 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:
1. Pour olive oil into a small saucepan. Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and put the minced garlic into the pan, or alternatively, use a microplane zester to grate the cloves over the saucepan. Pull the tiny leaves off the thyme branch and drop them into the pan. Bring the oil to a simmer for about a minute - not too long, or the garlic will burn. Reduce the heat to low and stir the thyme and garlic very slowly until softened, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and strain the oil with a mesh strainer into a large cast-iron skillet or stainless steel aluminum skillet, reserving the garlic and thyme for the topping.
2. Bone the chicken legs, preferably with kitchen shears. (Don't throw away the bones! Reserve them to be used in homemade chicken stock.) Spread the legs out into large, flat pieces with the skin intact. Trim the excess fat and skin from the edges. At this point, you can rinse the legs, if that's your thing - there's actually an ongoing debate about whether or not you should rinse raw chicken before it's cooked, but I personally don't do it because 1) it can cross-contaminate your kitchen and 2) any bacteria should be destroyed if it's properly cooked. Whether or not you rinse the legs, pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the large skillet over medium heat (not to worry, extra virgin olive oil smokes at approximately 375°F, although it depends on how the olive oil was produced). When the pan is hot, add the chicken legs in one layer, skin side down. Lay a piece of parchment paper or foil over the chicken. Then weight the chicken with another cast-iron pan, skillet, brick, or another heavy object that can cover the chicken and weigh it down sufficiently. Cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally checking the chicken to make sure that the skin is browning evenly. Adjust the heat if the legs are cooking too quickly. Remove the weight and parchment paper or foil. Turn the legs over, and cook for 5 minutes more, uncovered. Test doneness either with a paring knife, making sure that the juices are running clear, or with an internal meat thermometer (the internal temperature should be at least 165°F). The skin should be crispy and golden, and the flesh moist and tender.
4. Reserve the garlic-thyme infused olive oil for later use, such as: drizzling over the chicken or other dishes , cooking other dishes, or simply spreading it on a piece of bread. The oil will solidify a bit when refrigerated, but this does not affect the quality of the oil.
5. Arrange the chicken and the sides you have chosen (in this version: broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and fried onion rings) on a platter, and top with reserved garlic-thyme topping. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
6. Optional: Add ½ cup dry white wine to the saute pan and using a spatula, scrape the excess fat from the bottom. Cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half, continuing to scrape the fat until it has completely dissolved (this is called deglazing the pan). Add 1 cup chicken stock, season with salt and again reduce by half.

Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
• 6 broccoli stalks, washed
• 1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, washed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Cut the stalk from the head of the broccoli, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Discard the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger individual florets in half through the base of the head with a knife, pulling the florets apart. Gather the two halves and cut into quarters. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
2. Sauté all the ingredients together in a sauté pan for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli becomes tender.

Oven-baked onion rings
Ingredients:
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 extra-large egg, beaten
• 1 cup of hot brown rice cereal
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Cut edges off onion, and remove the outer layer. Slice the onion into ¼ to ½ inch sections (width can be increased or decreased depending upon how large you want your rings to be). Separate the sliced sections into rings.
2. Fill a small bowl, just large enough for onion rings to fit in, with the beaten eggs. Pour the hot brown rice cereal and salt onto a small dish or into another small bowl. Stir the hot brown rice cereal and salt together so that the salt is evenly dispersed through the cereal. One by one, coat each ring in egg, shake off any excess egg, and then dip the ring into the brown rice cereal, making sure it is thoroughly coated.
3. Bake the rings on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick extra-virgin olive oil spray in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through.

Homemade Chicken Stock

2010-01-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

Homemade chicken stock is far more flavorful than the canned chicken stock you buy at the grocery store, and chefs say that the key to a great soup is homemade stock. It's also a great way to use up the leftover parts of a chicken, instead of throwing them away. You can store homemade chicken stock in fridge for 3-4 days (possibly 5-7 days if you store it in an airtight container and bring it to a boil prior to using/consuming) and in the freezer for up to 3 months, and it can be used in a variety of ways: to braise meats, to create stews, to sauté vegetables, or reduced to create glazes or sauces.

If, however, you're in a pinch and don't have the time to make homemade chicken stock (this version will take you about 4 hours), I recommend Imagine's Organic Free-range Chicken Broth. It's one of the best store-bought organic free-range chicken broths that I've tried and a far cry from most store-bought chicken broths, which tend to be nothing more than salty water.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 5 pounds of chicken parts, preferably with some meat left on them
• 3½ quarts cold water
• 1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, washed and quartered
• 2 parsley sprigs
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tomato, washed and halved (optional)

Directions:
1. (optional) Roast the chicken parts in a 450°F oven until nicely caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Put the chicken parts in a large stainless steel stockpot and cover it with 3½ quarts cold water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and once the stock comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer.
3. Add the carrot, onion, celery stalks, salt, black peppercorns, and tomato. Add the parsley and thyme sprigs and a bay leaf, in a sachet if possible (you can create a sachet by bundling the herbs inside a cheesecloth and tying the bundle up with kitchen string). Simmer gently for about 3 hours.
4. Skim off any grease that floats to the top. Strain the broth through a colander lined with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. If you are not using the broth immediately, allow it to cool completely, then promptly refrigerate or freeze. (Storing it while it is still warm will cause it to ferment.) After a few hours in the refrigerator or the next day, skim off any of the fat that has solidified on top of the broth.

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

2010-01-07T01:50:00.000-08:00

This was a healthy, delicious salad with a nice balance of flavors - the slight sweetness from the roasted beets, the bitter, tangy, and sweet taste of the grapefruit, the sour taste from the lemon and tangerine juices, slight bitterness from the mixed greens, the sharp flavor of the raw shallots (that taste like the love child of onion and garlic), and the sea salt. I also love the balance of textures - the soft texture of the beets, the crunchy shallots or the brown rice cake crumbs, and the creamy, buttery texture and taste of the avocado, also known as a "butter pear", which pairs very well with the other ingredients in the salad. Having grown up in California, where the avocado is commonly grown, I love avocado - it goes in my salads, or is made into a spread that I've put on brown rice cakes (you can spread it on toast too) or into guacamole, one of my favorite dips. In this salad, I used Hass avocadoes, which have a more subtle taste than some of the other avocadoes.

I peeled and cut the beets into approximately 1 inch cubes, before roasting them, since I had purchased large beets and figured that the beets would roast much faster this way. Roasting the beets causes it to caramelized all over from the intense heat, resulting in beets that are sweeter than the raw version (which are already naturally sweet). I do tend to have a sweet tooth, and I loved the sweetness of the roasted beets.

Obviously, you don't want to wear anything white when preparing this salad. The beets definitely stained the other vegetables in the salad and a small section of my cutting board. That said, the fuchsia juice from the raw beets didn’t stain my fingers the way cooked beet juice is known to do and washed off fairly easily - so there's no need to worry about wearing disposable gloves. It will however stain your pee... so don't freak out if your pee turns pink - no, you're not internally bleeding and it's not one of Aunt Flo's monthly visits either (if you're a lady)!

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
• 6 medium or 3 large red or golden beets
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, diced fine
• 1 grapefruit, skin and pith removed
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tangerine juice
• ¼ teaspoon chopped lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon chopped tangerine zest
• 2 firm ripe avocados
• 5 oz mixed greens
• parsley
• 1 brown rice cake, crumbled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and cut the beets into cubes. Arrange the beets in a single layer on a roasting pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (optional), and toss, making sure the beets are evenly covered. Roast the beets for about 45 min, until they are soft and caramelized all over.

2. Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, mix together white wine vinegar (optional), tangerine juice, lemon juice, shallot, parsley, tangerine zest and lemon zest, and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cut the avocados in half, removing the skin and seeds. Slice the avocado lengthwise into ¼-inch sections, and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon. Peel the grapefruit, removing the skin and pith. Next, carefully peel off the thin skin of each grapefruit segment, making sure the segment stays intact.

4. Toss the beets gently with the vinaigrette. Arrange the beets on a plate with some mixed greens, the sliced avocado, and grapefruit segments. You can use pretty much any kind of mixed greens. I used a 5 oz package of Earthbound Farm's organic baby mixed greens that came pre-washed and contained some or all of the following greens: organic baby lettuces (red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa, tango), organic red and green chard, organic mizuna, organic arugula, organic frisée, and organic radicchio. Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette. Top with crumbled brown rice cakes as "croutons" - like so:

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata

2009-12-28T01:48:00.000-08:00

MMM.. these slow braised short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy, with a ton of flavor (read: fatty). I highly recommend using grass fed beef short ribs, and I just can't emphasize enough how much more delicious and flavorful grass fed beef is compared to regular beef. However, any kind of beef short ribs do have a high fat content, which is why I won't be making this dish regularly, only once in awhile. Don't say I didn't warn you - you might have to bust out your sweatpants!

The sauce that is paired with the short ribs was absolutely delicious. The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of red wine to be added to the braising liquid (later turned into sauce), but since I didn't want to drink any alcohol and I knew that only some of the alcohol would have cooked off had I included it, I substituted blueberries and raspberries instead. When pureed, the blueberries and raspberries produced about 1 cup of juice and gave the sauce a nice sweetness that balanced out the saltiness. Other options could have been red seedless grapes, cranberries, blackberries, etc, or their respective juices.

The only part about this dish I could have done without was the gremolata. This was my first time making and tasting gremolata, which is traditionally made with lemon or orange zest, garlic, and fresh parsley, and honestly, it was a bit too strong for my preference (partly because of the raw garlic - whew!).

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata
Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients:
Beef short ribs
• 3.5 pounds beef short ribs - cut 2" thick
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, roughly chopped
• 1 small to medium carrot, peeled, and roughly chopped
• 5 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 4 cups beef stock

Gremolata
*¼ cup chopped parsley
*Zest of ½ lemon, minced
*1 large garlic clove, minced

Directions:
1. For the ribs: Preheat oven to 475°F. Cut the ribs into squares, so that each piece includes a bone. Season the ribs with salt and pepper; be generous. Arrange ribs bone-side down in a roasting pan and roast until lightly browned. This should take about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add onions, and saute until onions are starting to soften, 6 to 7 minutes. Add leeks and carrot, and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and saute 2 minutes more.
3. Spread vegetables into a roasting pan, and arrange ribs on top of vegetables, bone-side up. Puree blueberries and raspberries together in a blender. Add the puree and enough beef stock to barely cover ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and place in oven.
4. When braise begins to simmer, after about 20 minutes, loosen foil and reduce heat to 350°F.
5. Turn ribs about once an hour. After 1½ to 2 hours, test meat with a fork; meat should be tender, nearly falling from bone. Raise heat to 450°F and return ribs to oven for a final browning.
6. After about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Pour off and strain braising juices into a large skillet, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all their juices. Discard vegetables. Allow liquid to rest for five minutes, then skim off grease from surface. Bring strained and skimmed liquid to a boil, and reduce to about half. Pour liquid back over ribs and reheat if serving immediately. (Or alternatively, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and skim solidified grease off the surface. Then, reheat sauce, and serve next day with gremolata.)
7. For the gremolata: Just before serving, mix chopped parsley, fresh lemon zest and minced garlic and sprinkle over short ribs.

The intro

2009-12-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

I am a self-professed foodie. I love to eat and can eat like nobody's business. Once, during a cruise with a few of my high school friends and their families, the guys started an eating contest. I came in at 2nd place with 16 1/2 lobster tails. They were just the tails, not an entire lobster, but that's still a shitload of food. I obviously don't make a habit of eating like that on a regular basis. It's neither healthy nor enjoyable to overeat, but it just goes to show you how much I love to eat, to the point that I have definitely overindulged. I've also never been a picky eater, and I will try just about anything. I would love to travel around the world and try different ethnic foods.

And I love to cook and bake. I document my cooking/baking experiences - which recipes worked out and which didn't, what mistakes I might have made, what variations or improvements I plan to make the next time around I make the dish again, etc.

I don't know where this obsession with food comes from. All I know is that I love food. All kinds of food. Which is why I decided to start this blog - so that I could share my passion and love for food with others. After all, to me, food is about sharing. Sure, I can enjoy food alone, but to what extent would I be able to enjoy it without anyone to share the experience of eating with, or without anyone to cook for? Cooking is one of the ways I show my love.

But there's another reason why I made the decision to start this blog.

The typical American diet (high in sugar, high in unhealthy fats and carbs, and not enough fresh fruits, vegetables or whole grains) is one of the main factors contributing to why 2/3rds of Americans are now overweight and one third obese, with a whole host of other health problems aside from weight problems. And that's on top of the fact that the majority of American foods found in supermarkets and restaurants now contain pesticides, preservatives, additives, antibiotics, growth hormones, or are in some way, chemically processed (like hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, and other foods containing trans fats, etc). In fact, many of the refined sugars are carcinogenic! Obesity already puts people at a higher risk for developing cancer later in life, but the way our foods have been processed put people at an even greater risk; and along with obesity, cancer has also reached epidemic proportions in America. The American Cancer Society estimates that half the men and one-third of the women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetimes.

However, the majority of cases of cancer, obesity, and other health problems are absolutely preventable. John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market, stated in a WSJ article a few months ago: "Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices."

So what's stopping us from making these choices that we know are good for us? Well, I think part of the reason is that people often have this misconception that healthy food tastes like shit. And that mostly only unhealthy food tastes delicious. People often just can't picture themselves eating healthy food and actually enjoying it. Perhaps people are afraid that they won't be able to enjoy their favorite foods that they grew up eating, or that they might have to make some significant changes in their dietary habits and that they won't have the discipline and self-control to stick to those changes - or maybe they don't know where to even begin. I don't want to be judgmental or preachy though, because after all, I used to be one of those people myself. But fear not! It took me some time to make dietary changes and some time to educate myself and learn about nutrition, but once I realized that healthy food can be delicious, even more delicious than the artificial foods I was used to, it wasn't difficult to change my dietary habits. Trust me, it's a far better motivator than fear of cancer, heart stroke, etc - because when you use fear as a motivator, then basically sometimes fear that something will taste awful or fear of trying something new takes over all the other fears.

I think another factor that is preventing people from making healthy dietary changes is that there's a lot of misinformation out there about what exactly is healthy for you and what isn't, which complicates the problem even further because people don't know what to believe about healthy food, when there's so much conflicting information around. In fact, the term "healthy" has been so utterly abused and misused that it's almost lost meaning. For example, I was recently browsing through the food blog of a cook from the South who said she "omitted the use of lard in exchange for vegetable shortening, vegetable oils or olive oil" because "this way of cooking.. is more nutritious." Ummm.. just because something has the word "vegetable" in it doesn't make it healthy. Vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are possibly less healthy than lard is, because at least lard doesn't contain trans fats, which are cancer-causing! Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil might as well as be called "cancer oil". Of course, obesity also increases the risk of cancer, so which is the lesser of the two evils when it comes to the probability of getting cancer? I don't know, but either way, I don't plan to find out from personal experience! (Side note: yes, olive oil is very healthy, but that's only 1 out of 3)

Anyway, now that I eat mostly healthy and organic foods, I am here to say that in my experience, it is absolutely not true that healthy food tastes like shit! (And yes, taste is extremely important to me.) In fact, organic food tastes better overall than non-organic food. Organic beef, especially grass-feed beef, tastes way better than non-organic beef. Organic free-range chicken is juicier, more tender, and tastier too. Try a fresh piece of wild Alaskan salmon and you'll never want to go back to farm raised salmon again. And organic steel cut oats are by far the best oatmeal I've ever had. The supermarket tomato doesn't hold a candle to the heirloom tomatoes or other tomatoes found at farmer's markets, like Shushan Farms' hydroponic tomatoes at the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC in terms of flavor and nutritional value. I could give dozens more examples but you get the point.

As far as all those unhealthy, refined white breads people usually eat that have been all but pretty much stripped of any nutritional value, I've personally found quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, rye, and other healthy whole grains to be very tasty alternatives. I'm not saying that would be the case for everyone, but only that if people opened their minds to the idea that many healthy foods are tasty, they may be very pleasantly surprised, just as I was! Quinoa is one example of this because it's both incredibly healthy for you (not only does it contain all 9 essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete source of protein, it is also high in fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and riboflavin/vitamin B2 as well as being gluten free) and has great flavor with a light, fluffy texture that I love. Yet, most people have never even heard of it, let alone tried it, but if they did, I'm sure many of them would like it. As far as refined sugar goes, there are many alternate sweeteners out there on the market now that are far healthier for you than refined sugar and taste just as good: agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, etc... just to name a few. And any hydrogenated vegetable oil pales in comparison to the flavor of a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Point is - there are TONS of foods out there that are both nutritious AND delicious)! And that's what this blog will be focused on - I hope to open people's minds to some of the other delicious alternatives to the foods that they currently eat, so that they can become healthier, while at the same time still be able to enjoy eating food. These recipes won't necessarily be fat free and may not be the absolute healthiest possible options out there, but at least, they will be healthier than what most people normally eat. All of my recipes will be made from as many local, seasonal, organic, or natural ingredients as possible.

There will also be many dairy-free recipes for those of us whose genetic makeup prevents them tolerating these products well. I, along with many of my friends, am to some extent, lactose intolerant. In fact, the majority of the world's population is. I also ran into severe health problems partly due to a high intake of sugar and had to temporarily cut all sources of sugar out of my diet, except for fresh fruit.

[Note: I chose the name Coconut & Honey because they're both healthy and tasty and some of my favorite foods. I often use coconut oil in my cooking - it's one of the healthiest oils, lends itself well to both cooking and baking, and has a wonderful, unique flavor. Coconut is also a common ingredient in Asian cuisines, and being that I am Chinese, I felt it reflected my heritage; I also like the flavor of many other tropical fruits, such as mango, pineapple, bananas, lychee, and guava. As for honey, it's one of the healthiest natural sugars and a personal favorite of mine. It's also nearly universally liked, and people of many diverse cultures have been cultivating and consuming various types of honey for thousands of years.)