Japanese Plates Part 2

Wine: Marina Cvetic Montepulciano S. Martino Rosso – 2003

This was the first dinner where we got to use our new Shigaraki dinner plates.

We started with a salad made from the last of the fresh Blenheim Apricots of this season. Besides being great tasting they are easy to pit!. To the salad we added Prosciutto and Almonds. We used Saba as the dressing.

We made a great vegetarian pasta. It is very easy and good. It is from a cookbook by Mark Bittman, The Minimalist Cooks at Home. He names the recipe: Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon). We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and bought some great fresh zucchini. The Parmesan cheese was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

Here is the recipe for the pasta.

Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon)
=====================================================

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 or 4 or more small zucchini washed, trimmed, and cut into slices 1/8 to ¼ inch thick
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
½ cup roughly chopped mint, parsley or basil (we use fresh basil)


1. Salt water and bring to boil

2. Place olive oil in 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium high heat.
Add zucchini, cook stirring occasionally, until very tender and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper.

3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and ½ cup of the Parmesan together.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender but firm. When it is done, drain it and combine it immediately with the egg-cheese mixture, tossing until the egg appears cooked. Taste add more salt or pepper if necessary.

4. Toss in the herb and serve immediately, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.

Very easy! Very Good!

New Japanese Plates Part 1

Wine: Marina Cvetic Montepulciano S. Martino Rosso – 2003

When in Japan we went to a region near Kyoto called Shiaraki where there are lots of potters. They make a special kind of pottery also called: Shigaraki. We went to the studio of Otani Shiro. We saw a climbing kiln, which is made of several kilns that are connected running up a hill. Thus the heat from one is transferred to the next. A potter named Satoshi Arakawa showed us some plates that we liked and we decided to order them. They arrived and this was our first dinner we made using them. For this dinner we only used the salad plates, dinner plates will be used for the next dinner we cook. We really like the look and feel of the plates. It makes it very special to have met the artist and visited the kiln where they were made.

For a first course we made Zuni Caesar Salad from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is a great Caesar. One of the nice aspects of the Zuni salad is that you get to eat the salad with your fingers. Yum.

For the main course we make Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. We love the taste of Moroccan Food, especially the olives and preserved lemons. The chicken was delicious.

We made Moroccan Rice with Bell Peppers from the same South African company that we used in the last couple of dinners. This is the first time we tried this Rice. We didn’t like the consistency of the rice and won’t be using it again.

Corn Pasta

Wine

Cambria Rose Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2005
Chateau Rayssac 1804 Cabardes

It is very warm in Los Angeles and we decided to eat on the deck. It was a very clear day and we could see to the ocean.

We started with Melon and Prosciutto. We had purchased the melon at the Hollywood Farmer’s market. Finally the were starting to get some good ones! Once again the prosciutto was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We then made one of our favorite summer treats: Corn Pasta. It is from The Zuni Café Cookbook. This is about as easy as it gets, and is very delicious. The trick is to have good fresh sweet ears of corn. We used 12 ears. This will serve at least 8, lots of leftovers for us!

Corn Pasta
==========
12 Ears of Corn – peel the corn and using a sharp knife cut off the kernels into a bowl
2 – 3 oz pancetta minced
2 sticks unsalted butter
A trickle of water
6 fresh sage leaves chopped
1 pound fettuccine
Freshly grated black pepper
Salt
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook the pancetta in a few tablespoons of butter over medium low heat
When it has browned slightly on the edges, and is starting to sizzle turn off the heat.
Add a few drops of water to cool the pan and stir, then add a few more tablespoons of butter, the sage and a few grinds of black pepper. Swirl the pan, then leave the aromatics to infuse the melting butter.

Cook the pasta.
While pasta is cooking turn heat under pan with pancetta to medium add 6 to 8 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is nearly melted add the uncooked corn, stir, and cook until heated thru. Taste for salt.

If the corn seams dry add a trickle of the water the pasta was heated in. Add some or all of the remaining butter to taste. Reduce to low.

When the pasta is cooked, drain well then toss with the corn. Serve with the grated Parmigianino.

We always save a cup or so of the water the pasta cooked in, to add to the mixture as required, when we re-heat the pasta.

Indian Night with Fireworks

Wine:

Santomas Koper Malvasia Slovinia2004
Bugey Cerdon Rose Sparkling Wine NV
Amber Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Karly 2005 Amador County Orange Muscat


We decided to cook another Indian dinner. We are reading lots of Indian novels and watching loads of Bollywood movies. In addition we are trying to learn to speak Hindi from Pimsler Language CD's. All of this is in preparation for our trip to India next year.

If you want read some great novels about India (all available from Amazon), we really have enjoyed:

A Suitable Boy
Shantaram
Sacred Games

For Bollywood Movies from Netflix try:

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Rang De Basanti
Dil Se
Fanaa

Billy had hurt him self hiking so we haven’t been playing Mah Jong for a few weeks. We decided to invite Billy and Kevin over hoping he would be well enough to play. After all, building a Tile wall takes a lot of work. In addition, Billy alerted us that there were fireworks at Echo Park in honor of The Lotus Festival. We figured we could eat first and then drive over and watch the fireworks.

It was a warm night and we ate outside. We started with appetizers of a great
Date Fig Nut Bar we purchased from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. In addition we hade some Sausage we had purchased from them. They were selling a new (at least to us) Blue Cheese Spread from the Farmstead Cheese Company of Point Reyes. It was very tangy and nice. We will definitely get it again.

For the main course we made 3 different dishes that were all easy to make, in-fact we started cooking at 5:30 and were ready to serve at 6:30. From The Cheese Store we picked up a great rice from South Africa. They have several different flavors and we used the Sun-Dried Tomato Breyani Rice from Cape Malay. The brand is called Spice and all things nice.

At Gelson’s Market they have Indian Sauces in the cold deli. The company is named: Maya Kaimal. We bought the Vindeloo and the Tikka Masala. We made Chicken Vindeloo by simply cutting fresh chicken breasts and sauting in Clarified Butter then adding the Vindeloo sauce! Nothing else! We had a cauliflower, we broke it into small floret’s and steamed for a few minutes, not letting them get to soft. We then added them to the Tikka Masala sauce and heated creating a great Tikka Masala Cauliflower. It was all delicious and spicy! We served it with the rice. It proves if you have good ingredients you can assemble a dinner quite fast!

It was a great easy Indian dinner! We also had several different importedChutney’s and Pickles from India Sweet and Spice that we served with the dinner. In addition, while we were at IS&S we purchased Nan Flat Bread that was in their cold deli. We reheated the Nan and it was wonderful. Better than pita bread.

In addition to the Indian food, Billy had made Bar-b-q ribs! He brought them over and we served them with the dinner. They were great!

We drove over to the fireworks, got there just in time and watched the show. We then returned to our house.

For desert we had a Coconut Cake from Lark Bakery that just opened in Silver Lake. I am sure they will improve in time. Kevin and Bill had brought a great dessert wine.

Billy was by then feeling ready to play some Mah Jong, which of course he won!

India Rising

Wine: Chateau St Jean de la Gineste 2006 Corbieres Rose de la St Jean


We apparently are in our “Lets Make Indian Food” phase. We started with a non-Indian Salad made with Blenheim Apricots, Saba, Prosciutto, Pistachios. It is a very easy salad to make.

For the main course we grilled a Tandoori Chicken. The breasts needed to be marinated in the Tandoori sauce for 24 a minimum of 24 hours. The sauce is easy to make. We purchased Nomu Indian Rub from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. Just add yogurt and apply to the chicken. The sauce is then scraped off and the chicken is grilled.

With the chicken we served Indian Rice with Cashews, Raisins. From The Cheese Store we picked up a great rice from South Africa. They have several different flavors and we used the Sun-Dried Tomato Breyani Rice. The brand is called Spice and all things nice.

After dinner we then watched a Bollywood Movie. The movie is a semi-historical about the Indian Uprising against the British Raj in the 1800’s. The revolt led to the end of the East Indian Company running India, the British Government took over direct control of India. It also led to the end of the Mughal control of Delhi and Northern India. The movie is engrossing. It is called: Mangal Pandey: The Rising. Mangal Pandey was a real Indian who has become a legend in the Indian independence movement.

July 4 2007 Jar-B-Que

Wine:

Flying Cloud Syrah Rose 2006 Paso Robles
L’Hortus Rose de Saignee Coteaux du Languedoc 2006
Arietta On the White Keys 2005
Charles B. Mitchell Grand Reserve Vintage Cuvee Estate Fair Play 2005
Batic Pinot Gris Reserve Vipava (Slovenia) 2004

Cliff / Cathy
Billy / Kevin
Ty / James

We invited our mah jong playing friends Billy and Kevin over for to watch fireworks and have dinner on our deck. We also invited James to join us. At the last minute we found out our neighbor Ty was home so we invited him also.

Our deck looks out over the City of Los Angeles and we can see fireworks all over. It is a great place to watch the July 4th madness. It had been very warm so we knew we would be eating outside on the deck.

Everyone brought great wine so it was a very good night for drinking!

Figs were still in season so we started with Figs and Prosciutto (from The Cheese Store of Silverlake) and Pistachios. Usually we have margaritas and guacamole but the figs were so good this year we decided to go with them.

For a first course we made Asian Noodles. This is a favorite of mine. It was one of those dishes that have a very high ratio of great taste to effort put in to make it. It is very easy to make. It is from Barbara Tropp’s great cookbook: The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. The recipe is called Orchid’s Tangy Cool Noodles! Yum! Although the recipe reads complicated, it isn’t! Barbara just has a way with words!

We served Pork Chops that we had marinated like they do at Jar Restaurant. It is a great recipe! We made Japanese Style Rice as a side dish.

For desert we made a White Nectarine Crisp. The nectarines are at their peak of sweetness. We love crisps, even more than pies. We topped it with Vanilla Ice Cream.

The fire works were fun to watch and we stayed on the deck talking, drinking the great wine and watching fireworks till 12:30 or so. How did such a great start of a country wind up with George Bush as president? Maybe we should suspend the holiday till he is out of office.




Orchid’s Tangy Cool Noodles

This is the quintessential Chinese cold noodle dish, a tangy northern-style blend of sweet, tart, and spicy tastes that has an astonishing popularity. It was the first Chinese dish I ever made, at a time when I had one tin pot in which to boil and store the noodles, and nothing big enough to toss them in but the kitchen sink. * For economy, portability, and adaptability to any number of people or settings, "Orchid's" cannot be surpassed. Make them in advance. The flavors merge and enlarge as the noodles sit.




TECHNIQUE NOTES:
Serves 6-8 as a luncheon'style dish with assorted "Little Dishes," 10-15 as part of a large buffet or multicourse meal.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound long, 1/16-inch thin Chinese egg noodles, fresh or frozen
Seasonings:
3 ½ tablespoons Chinese or Japanese sesame oil
3 ½ tablespoons black soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons well-aged Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar (we use balsamic)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
½ - 1 tablespoon hot chili oil
4 heaping tablespoons thin-cut green and white scallion rings
To garnish:
freshly cut scallion rings

Cooking the noodles:

Fluff fresh or defrosted noodles in a Colander to release any tangles. (Take care not to tear them. Long noodles in China are a metaphor for long life, and it is great fun to eat them that way.)

Bring a generous amount of unsalted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the noodles and swish with chopsticks to separate the strands. Put the colander in the sink. Cook the noodles until cooked but pleasantly firm to the bite, about 2-3 minutes for fresh store-bought noodles. Drain immediately in the colander and chill thoroughly under cold running water. Shake off excess water, then return the noodles to the clean dry pot or to a large bowl.

Saucing the noodles:

Blend the seasonings in a small bowl. Pour the sauce evenly over the noodles, using a handful of noodles to wipe the bowl clean so you don't lose any of the sugar. Toss gently with your hands to separate the noodles and distribute the sauce, then add the scallion rings and toss again to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary to achieve a tangy blend of sweet and hot flavors. Remember that the chili will grow more pronounced within a few hours, so err on the cautious side if you are not eating the noodles immediately.

For best flavor, cover and put aside for several hours at room temperature or store
overnight in the refrigerator. Toss before eating to redistribute the seasonings. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, heaped in a bowl and garnished with a fresh sprinkling of scallion rings.

Orchid's lasts 4-5 days, sealed airtight and refrigerated. Flavor peaks in spiciness on the second day.