Dinner With The Nonnas

This morning I felt the urge to cook and cook up a storm. I studied my selection of cookbooks, particularly a new book from my father featuring the Italian recipes of “Italy’s Grandmothers.” Every recipe comes complete with a small photograph of a white haired Italian nonna. After spending a half hour with the nonnas, I switched gears to Alice Water’s Chez Panisse cookbook. My taste buds and mind were soon reeling from the possibilities and I was ready to hit the gourmet grocer. I decided on an aged Rib Eye steak, beautifully marbled with a deep brick color. I also bought a large can of imported Italian Cannellini beans and Belgian endives for side dishes.

Steak is one of the more glorious staples of the animal protein world, especially cooked rare with freshly ground black pepper and nice crust. I always prepare my steaks the same way, cooked in a cast iron pan and finished in the oven. After rubbing both sides of the steak with a generous helping of salt and black pepper, let it rest until room temperature. Heat the pan and melt equal parts butter and olive oil until just smoking and sear the steak for 2-3 minutes a side. The pan will smoke and spatter so be sure to have adequate ventilation. Finish the steak in a 350-degree oven for 3-7 minutes depending on how you like your steak. I am a rare, or bleu, person, which I attribute to the periods of my life spent in France. Wrap the steak in foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing, serving, eating, or whatever it is you plan to do with perfectly cooked and flavorful meat. Deglazing is the first step to any good pan sauce and any alcohol or vinegar at hand will work though something that one would drink paired with the meal is best. I would normally use wine or cognac to deglaze but I only had bourbon on hand so I added about a shot to the hot pan and stirred like crazy to loosen the drippings. To create a sort of steak au poivre variation I sautéed minced shallots in the pan and added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, about a quarter cup of heavy cream, and salt and pepper. Simmer for five minutes to thicken the sauce, marry the ingredients and serve on the side or drizzle over sliced steak.

To round out the meal I sautéed the Cannellini beans with garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, rosemary, and tons of lemon zest, a recipe inspired by Alice Waters and the memorable meals I have had at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. The beans are wonderful as is but I suggest roughing them up a bit with the back of a wooden spoon, smashing the ingredients coarsely into a flavorful puree. I served them in a small bowl topped with a bit of lemon zest, good olive oil, and fresh parsley. This is a very Italian side dish and goes well with just about anything, though it goes best with beef, lamb, or oily fish like Monkfish. I improvised with the endive trying something I have had in France on a number of occasions though my version turned out a bit bitter, drawing out the natural flavor of endive a bit too sharply. I grilled them plain until nicely caramelized and topped them with a light mustard vinaigrette. I succeed in shaking off the rust of a week without cooking, creating a delicious and complete meal in about an hour. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Scallops and Squash?

I have already sung the praises of butternut squash, a winter vegetable that graces the tables of countless restaurants during the holidays. A few days ago I wanted to make a dinner for my sister and our friend Robin that would showcase my talents in the kitchen. I decided to recreate a dish I had several months ago at a French/New American restaurant in Los Angeles consisting of seared scallops with butternut squash, dried cranberries, and pistachio nuts. I know it sounds like a wild and wacky combination but it was really very good. The sweetness of the berries, the silky smooth flesh of the scallop, and the nutty flavor of the squash complimented each other perfectly though pairing it with wine was tricky. I made a variation of the dish with plump sea scallops from my fishmonger at Joon's Westside Fish Market, which has consistently fantastic fresh seafood. I peeled and diced the butternut squash into small uniform cubes and sautéed the pieces in olive oil until browned and crispy on all sides. I poached the scallops in more butter than I would like to admit and served them over the squash cubes. I topped the dish with a drizzle of sauce made with white wine, butter, and maple syrup to bring out the sweetness and butteriness of the scallops. The dish was a big hit and I made my sister very proud. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

You Thai Now

Thai food is delicious and intriguing, full of unique flavors, textures, and ingredients. There is a phenomenal Thai restaurant around the corner from my apartment that makes just about the best Tom Yum soup imaginable. The spicy and slightly sour soup with galangal and lemongrass running throughout is a perfect starter or dish on its own. I often order a large soup for take out and eat while reading or watching a movie on lazy nights home alone when I do not feel like cooking. I have a plethora of Asian ingredients in my pantry and have been experimenting with Thai cooking recently. Nigella Lawson has a great recipe for Thai peanut noodles with watercress, bell pepper, and snow peas which I have made a few times. Tom Yum is on my list though it seems like a lot of work and also requires a trip down to Chinatown for ingredients.


I was craving curry a couple of nights ago and decided to make a wok full of green curry with chicken. I cheated a bit by using a small jar of green curry paste from the gourmet grocer, an authentic blend of green chilies, ginger, garlic, and kaffir lime leaves. I sautéed the chicken in minced garlic, ginger, and onions in a piping hot and well seasoned wok then set it aside before frying up broccoli, bell pepper, string beans, and scallions. Before returning all ingredients to the wok, I sautéed the green curry paste thickened sauce to toss with the chicken and vegetables. I would say the dish rivaled my favorite Thai place around the corner though they still have the Tom Yum on me. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Turkey Day!

Everybody claims that their family Thanksgiving meal is the best and that all others pale in comparison. That ubiquitous comment may in fact be a truism in the case of the feast and a half I consumed last week chez ma mere at her farmhouse in upstate New York. It was cold and snowy with about an inch or so of fresh powder lining the walk to the front door on Wednesday and the cooking was already in high gear. The kitchen and those permanently installed in it for the preparation were amid a whirlwind of slicing, dicing, sautéing, and pureeing all things turkey and side dish related.

This post is a bit different from others because I in fact did very little cooking, content to be a spectator with a healthy appetite and volunteer dishwasher. Our Thanksgiving dinner is always traditional in the sense of the dishes served, the usual suspects always make it to the table though variations of the classics show up as well with hints of Asian and European flavors.

We started Thursday morning with a round of Bloody Mary’s. My good friend Beau makes them strong, spicy, and limey, a perfect compliment to the lazy day. My mother made a terrine served with country bread and a batch of 1950’s deviled eggs that ran the risk of ruining everyone’s appetite. For the past two years my mother and her friend Claudia have been avid supporters of the brine, lauding the moist and flavorful turkey the result of a 24 hour dip in a witches brew of cider, chopped apples, garlic, and tons of other things. It was really a delicious bird especially nice and crispy, which is how every slice should be if well carved, with hints of apple flavor running throughout.

Our side dishes included Brussels sprouts with parmesan, sweet and sour pearl onions, two types of smashed sweet potatoes, green beans cooked with soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic, corn and wheat bread stuffing, and two types of homemade cranberry sauce to compliment the bird. Every single element was delicious on its own but the gastronomic unity was completed by a full plate housing a taste of each as evidenced by the picture of Beau’s plate…I am still impressed by that smorgasbord of Thanksgiving goodness. Though I must admit that I think the pearl onions are my favorite, besides the turkey of course. I also love a crisp Brussels sprout here and there especially if bacon is involved but that is another story.

For dessert we had a Bosc pear and Bing cherry cobbler with cornbread biscuits made lovingly by Claudia and two pies, pumpkin and pecan, made by my mother. They are two classics that are always welcome at my table no matter the season or holiday. It was really a fun, memorable, and tasty repast that was shared by all and my mouth is already watering as I look at these photos. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends and family and as always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Italian Schmatalian

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I have an infatuation with Italian food to the point where I could eat it almost everyday of the week…almost. I love all things pasta, one of the most versatile culinary products on earth easily adapted to myriad gastronomic contexts. Although I am French, and hold steadfast to my culinary heritage, I have a secret love affair with Italian cuisine. I rarely cook Italian with the exception of a lazy single course meal of spaghetti carbonara or ravioli pomodoro after work or a long day at the library. I have recently been experimenting with Italian dishes that I typically reserve for Italian restaurants like gnocchi, carciofi (fritti or crudo), and lasagna. The last dish, that creamy, cheesy, tomatoey delight really gets my motor running. Lasagna is one of those things that seems so easy to make though I have had my fair share of disappoints especially those falsely advertising a mamma or grandmamma connection to Italy. Although I should not judge because I happen to think that my mamma makes the best lasagna and one day about seven or eight years ago I asked her for her secret recipe. It turns out that the tasty treat I looked forward to once or twice a month was none other than the recipe printed on the box of de Cecco lasagna noodles. I had a craving recently for something cheesy and nostalgic and lasagna seemed to fit both criteria perfectly. This version was made with kale and chard as a filling, a vegetarian alternative to go with all that delicious ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino, and parmesan. I simply sautéed chopped kale and chard with a little thinly sliced garlic in olive oil before blending it with the four cheeses. To accompany the noodles and filling I prepared a rustic tomato sauce with chopped onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, and chili flakes. It was a really good dish and I am proud to say that I totally winged it even though I was cooking with the insights garnered from my childhood. I would go as far as to say it is seasonal, with the usage of kale and chard, nutritious, despite the pound and a half of cheese, and above all mouthwateringly good. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!