A Leftover Supper

Last night I was in the mood for leftovers. Not in the traditional sense of the word which connotes reheated bowls of past suppers. I wanted pantry and refrigerator leftovers or the odds and ends that I had lying around just dying to be cooked with. I love improvising on the fly whether in music, writing, or cooking and last night’s dinner with Valerie was no exception. I threw together a couple of dishes that came out well and we ended up eating a mighty fine meal. We started out with some pita bread and leftover raita which I made earlier in the week to accompany my Tandoori chicken. I still cannot get over how well that one turned out. I then made a simple salad of Boston lettuce with grapefruit vinaigrette and chopped hazelnuts. There was some grapefruit mustard left over that I concocted last weekend for a dinner party with my sister Emma. I mixed the mustard with good olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar to make a fresh and zesty citrus vinaigrette which went smashingly with the greens and crunchy hazelnuts. The main course was vegetable fried rice with lots of broccoli and various odds and ends from the refrigerator. I recommend trying this Chinese classic which is incredibly versatile; just substitute your favorite ingredients and follow the recipe with your protein or vegetables of choice. This one happens to be vegetable but I have also made fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and myriad other things. A well-seasoned wok is preferred for making really tasty fried rice with a crisp texture but I guess you could use a large skillet or two depending on the quantity. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Vegetable Fried Rice
Serves 4

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger
2 Large Garlic Cloves, finely minced or pressed
4 Scallions, cut into 1/4 in. rounds, separated white from green
1 1/2 Cups Broccoli Florets
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, cut into 1/4 in. cubes
2 Eggs, beaten
3 Cups Cold Rice, preferably a day or two old
1 Tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tsp. Sesame Oil

1. Set a wok over medium-high heat and wait until slightly smoking. Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and the white part of scallions and heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir constantly throughout cooking.
2. Add broccoli and bell pepper, adding oil if necessary along the cooking process, and cook 2-3 minutes. Move the contents of the pan to the sides of the wok, opening up the middle area, and cook the eggs until scrambled.
3. Incorporate the other ingredients in the wok, adding oil if necessary. Add the cold rice and cook stirring constantly for another 2-3 minutes. Add the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the wok making sure the rice is well coated. Serve immediately topped with remaining scallions.

Homemade Tandoori Chicken?!

That’s right, homemade Tandoori chicken. I never thought it possible to recreate the delectable Indian treat at home without the aid of an extremely heavy and costly Tandoor clay oven. These ovens are made to withstand temperatures up to 900 degrees which imbue foods with their characteristic smokiness and charred exterior, two key components of good Tandoori chicken. I have a penchant for Indian food from all regions, or the ones I have had the pleasure to taste for that matter, and have for as long as I can remember. My mother used to wow dinner guests with a spread of countless Indian dishes from samosas and sag paneer to popadums and baingan bharta. Little did our guests realize that she had spent four days solid on the preparation of ingredients, sauces, spices, and condiments. I discovered a method for making Tandoori chicken at home from a recent issue of Cooks Illustrated. My brother and his girlfriend gave me a two-year subscription as a gift this past Christmas and I have just begun to get into it. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I rarely cook directly from recipes and mainly use them to draw inspiration in the development of my own culinary identity. I am a realist however and realized there was no way to throw together a plate of Tandoori chicken without some expert advice. I knew there were spices like cardamom and garam masala involved with some yogurt thrown in at some stage but apart from that I was at a loss. Cooks Illustrated stepped in with a detailed explanation and I was off cooking from there. This was far and away one of the best chickens I have ever made which the shoddy photography simply cannot convey.

The dish is relatively easy to make though it does require a lot of hands on work and some time. Score each piece of skinless bone-in chicken parts with small incisions using a sharp knife then rub each piece with a mixture of toasted chili powder, cumin, and garam masala, fresh garlic, and ginger combined with lime juice and salt. Let the pieces rest for a half hour at room temperature. In the meantime mix a second batch of the above mentioned spice mixture with a cup of plain yogurt. Preheat the oven to 300, toss chicken with the yogurt mixture, and roast scored side down for 20 mins. Remove chicken and set oven to broil. Turn chicken and broil scored side up for about 15 minutes until nicely charred and cooked through. The crispy charred exterior, red color, and exotic spiced flavors are spot on and will effectively remind you of authentic Tandoori chicken. I served the chicken alongside basmati rice tossed with lime zest and golden raisins, homemade raita, Old Major Greys mango chutney, and a basket of warm whole-wheat pita. Raita is a mixture of plain yogurt, cilantro, cayenne, and finely minced garlic served as a condiment to cool the palette when eating overly spiced foods. Most North African, Mediterranean, and Eastern cultures that thrive in hot or dry climates have a yogurt-based condiment of some sort. Whether Indian raita, Greek tsatsiki, or Middle Eastern tahini-yogurt sauce, yogurt is employed for the same purpose cross culturally. They ease the consumption of spicy foods intended to cool the body internally from arid weather. Food anthropologists have argued that the hotter the climate, the hotter the food prepared by the people living there due in part to the fact that capsaicin, the chemical in chilies and other spicy things, help the body feel cooler. Piquant spices also help stimulate appetite and digestion, which flag in hotter climates, and are commonly employed to prevent food spoilage. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Jamming On My Mandoline

I bought a mandoline yesterday and it has totally blown my mind. I am of course referring to the French kitchen tool not the small stringed instrument. I spared no expense in my purchase, going for the top of the line stainless steel French mandoline, la mandoline professionelle from the de Buyer company. There are certain things that can only be accomplished with the help of a mandoline able to rapidly process fruits and vegetables into myriad cuts from a 2mm slice to a tiny julienne. Vegetable carpaccios, paper-thin salads, and fancy French cuts require the mandolins magic touch. I was overly giddy when I got home and could not wait to get play with the impressive piece of hardware. It is amazing how quickly you can get uniform and precise slices; even the sharpest knives and months of practice cannot compete. I decided to make dinner for my sister Emma and a few other friends testing the mandoline’s abilities. Dinner turned into a sort of cooking demo as I explored the various blades and applications. The first thing I did was slice a few fennel bulbs for a crisp fennel and green apple salad. After a few practice runs I finally got my desired thickness and began churning out paper-thin slices like a pro. Mike jumped on, equally intrigued by the new kitchen tool, and julienned a green apple into uniform batons the size of matchsticks. I tossed the fennel and apple with olive oil, sherry vinegar, and a generous pinch of salt to accompany grilled pork chops. The first course of my mandoline-crazed meal was a mushroom soup, one of my sister’s all time favorite dishes. This woodsy soup is definite comfort food for our family. My father used to make it all the time when he would entertain and it grew into a Malle/Lyman classic. The mix of bread and mushrooms makes this a hearty soup that could just as easily be served as a main with a salad and piece of fruit.

Mushroom Soup

1/4 lb. Cremini Mushrooms
1/4 lb. Button Mushrooms
1 large Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
5 sprigs of Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sourdough Loaf
1/4 cup Milk
4 cups Chicken Stock

Chop the onion and cook in olive oil with a little salt in a Dutch oven or stew pot over medium heat. Slice the mushrooms and garlic about an 1/8 inch and add to the pot after the onions have become translucent. Add thyme leaves and a bay leaf and cook for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak three thick slices of bread in a large bowl with a cup of stock until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the bread and stock to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth but chunky with noticeable morsels of mushroom remaining. Return to the pot, add milk, and warm through. Serve topped with a sprig of thyme. Serves 4-6.

The main course, which sadly did not involve the mandoline, was grilled pork chops with grapefruit mustard sauce. I love pork products and treat myself to chops or tenderloin routinely. I know Emma has an affinity for pork chops, especially the thick double-cut ones, so I thought she would enjoy them. I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper and grilled them on a very hot cast iron grill pan for about 5 minutes a side, turning them a quarter turn for nice grill marks. I finished the chops in the oven at 400, to crisp the meat and cook it evenly for about 15 minutes depending on your choice of doneness. While the chops were resting I prepared the mustard sauce. This is a delicious sauce that works wonderfully with pork. Mix two tablespoons of whole grain mustard with a splash of grapefruit juice and a little good olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix until emulsified. I poured my batch into a plastic squeeze bottle for an elegant presentation. I drizzled two thick lines over each chop and made a little pool on the individual plates. Tasty time.

In addition to the fennel and green apple salad, I fried Yukon gold potatoes in duck fat. The fat was leftover from a dinner party I hosted last weekend featuring duck breast with blueberries, mint, and watercress. Anytime you make duck there is usually quite a bit of fat rendered out of the skin which should be kept at all costs. Any scraps or leftover bits should be reused when cooking; stocks and fat are prime products best made at home. Mike sliced the potatoes on the mandoline in two seconds flat and we fried them up in the tasty duck fat which imparted a fantastic flavor. The fennel salad with its crunch and subtle anise flavor complimented the warm pork chops while the potatoes rounded out the meal. The mustard sauce paired well with all three components and I look forward to using the rest in a salad dressing for lunch. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Martinis And Marshmallows

The other night I hosted a dinner party for my good friend Matt and his girlfriend Bess who was visiting for the Valentine’s Day weekend. Matt and I grew up together in Los Angeles and seldom get the chance to hang out; sporadically meeting here or there depending on our respective travels and schedules. He recently moved to the city so hopefully we will get the chance to see each other more often. Matt, Bess, and I have a budding tradition of drinking martinis when in each other’s company and last Sunday was no exception. They arrived promptly at 8 o’clock and mixed up a round of ice cold gin martinis with two olives a piece, just the way I like them. I prepared a three course meal which turned into five with the unexpected addition of cheese courtesy of Bess and smore fixings care of Valerie. The first course was a bruschetta con zucca or butternut squash bruschetta. This was inspired by a dish I had on my sister’s birthday at Barbuto, Jonathan Waxman’s lovely restaurant in the west village. Their version is a crusty piece of bread topped with goat cheese, parmesan, and a coarse puree of squash, toasted almonds, and chives. I adapted the recipe by roasting butternut squash cubes in the oven with a little honey, chopped hazelnuts, chili flakes, cider vinegar, and sea salt for about 25 minutes on 400. I toasted thick slices of a crusty country loaf spread liberally with goat cheese and topped with the warm squash mixture. The sweet, spicy, and nutty flavor of the squash paired well with the warm bread and goat cheese, melting elegantly on the plate.

The second course, a seafood dish served in between the appetizer and main course in classic Italian or French fashion, was pan roasted sea scallops with corn and shrimp risotto. Mike and I had shrimp the night before and made a rich stock with the leftover shells along with onions, garlic, carrots, celery, lemon, and a bay leaf. I used the homemade stock as a base for the corn risotto, which was one of the best I have ever made. Homemade ingredients make such a difference and in this case it made the dish infinitely better by imparting a subtle shrimp flavor to the rice. I bought the sea scallops at my local fishmonger whose praises I have sung all to often but this time they let me down. The scallops were just not that good and had a sharp almost metallic after taste which all but ruined the course. I pan roasted the scallops on a cast iron pan and finished them in the oven before topping each one with a basil and shallot pesto. Thankfully the risotto came out well and the pesto added a bright herbal high note that made the dish sufferable. My guests were friendly and a little drunk at this point, sparing me any negative criticisms.

The third dish was my favorite and I feel like it came out the best. I was inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe from one of her cookbooks, duck with pomegranate and fresh mint. She recommends the usage of fresh herbs to top roasted meats and insists that mint and duck go well together, an idea that freaked me out at first. I seared a Muscovy duck breast skin side down to render some of the fat, turned it, and threw it in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The duck came out nicely browned with crisp skin and tender pink meat, just the way they cook it in France. I prepared a bed of watercress salad on a large circular platter and arranged the thinly sliced duck breast. I topped the duck with reconstituted blueberries soaked in English Breakfast tea and shredded fresh mint per Nigella’s suggestion. The duck was excellently cooked and the sweetness of the berries, herbal flavor of the mint, and spicy crunch of the watercress worked wonderfully in concert. I think this was the hit of the night and we managed to eat it all up in minutes flat before preparing another round of martinis.

It seems ridiculously dangerous and more than a little reckless in retrospect but after dinner and a few minutes of clean up we gathered around the stove to roast marshmallows. That’s right. After three rounds of martinis and four courses, our bellies full and minds a little hazy, we lit sugary clouds on fire at close proximity to an open flame. I must admit that despite the blatant fire hazard the smores were exceptionally good. The smoky, chocolaty, indescribable flavor reminiscent of naïve youth and playground-skinned knees was fully encapsulated by the smores. It was great to see Matt and Bess, especially over an opulent meal. The five of us got along smashingly and the conversation flowed like the gin over one too many rounds of martinis and roasted marshmallows. I hope to do it again soon and will certainly suggest that we incorporate smores into our burgeoning martini night tradition. Cheers to that. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!

Halve Your Lemon And Eat It Too

I love shrimp. I will eat them prepared in any fashion, at any time, and nearly at any place. This personal declaration comes after much deliberation on my part, reminiscing about dishes I have made over the past several months and recent meals ordered in and around the gastronomic mecca that is New York City. I realized that over the past year or so I have garnered an affinity for Penaeus, the genus of prawns encompassing all the shrimp species we know and love. Whether pink, red, brown, grey, or pale white, these tasty crustaceans are most definitely good eats. I particularly love the sweet rock shrimps served in high-end Japanese restaurants and the bite-size grey shrimps found at any portside fish market in Northern France. I had a craving for my preferred shellfish a few days ago and needed to ease my crustaceous jonesing with a home cooked meal. Mike and I skimmed a few cookbooks for potential dishes before we hit an intriguing recipe in Alice Water’s chez Panisse book. The pan roasted scallops with Meyer lemon relish was to good to pass up even though I was craving shrimp and not scallops however delicious they may be. I often use recipes as a starting point just to get my ideas and flavors in order before improvising in the kitchen. I simply substituted grilled shrimp for the roasted scallops and served the relish as an accompanying sauce alongside a watercress salad tossed with olive oil.

Meyer Lemon Relish

1 Shallot, finely diced
1 tbls. Meyer lemon juice
1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup Quality olive oil
Parsley
Salt & Pepper

Dice the shallot into uniform cubes and marinate in a small bowl with Meyer lemon juice and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Cut the Meyer lemon into manageable wedges, removing seeds and the white pith holding each wedge together. Slice the wedges into long strips and dice, peel and all, into uniform cubes mirroring the shallots. Combine the diced lemon with the shallot mixture and add the olive oil, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve immediately with shellfish, fish, or roast chicken. Makes about a cup.

Whenever I grill shrimp I like to leave them unpeeled in order to crisp the shell on high heat without overly cooking the tender flesh within. This is ideal for infusing the shrimp with a smoky flavor and also allows you to marinate them with a little acid without running the risk of cooking them. I marinated fresh gulf shrimp in olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, thyme, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper for about a half hour. I then grilled them on high heat for about 2 minutes per side; nicely charred on the outside with firm tender interiors. They are fun to pick apart on the plate because after all it is always nice to get messy with your food at the table. The Meyer lemon relish added a citrusy bite to the dish and goes perfectly with other shellfish. Meyer lemons grow all over California and I have a number of friends with trees in their backyards next to swimming pools. They are much sweeter and more flavorful than ordinary lemons and are becoming increasingly available at fancy grocers in the city. Unfortunately this dish cannot be substituted for with regular lemons, the flavor just isn’t there. I also sautéed some fresh greens to nibble on as a side dish. Spicy broccoli rapini is a snap to make, a delicious vegetable side dish that could be tossed with pasta for a quick dinner. Just sauté the greens in a little olive oil on medium heat until wilted, remove from the pan and sauté some sliced garlic and chili flakes. Toss the rapini back in the pan when the garlic has browned slightly and mix together for about a minute before serving. This was truly a wonderful and fairly quick meal, just one of many shrimp inspired posts to come. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals with yourself and others!