Better Then The Hot New Restaurant

Wine:

De Fontsainte Gris de Gris Rose 2006

We love all things Indian and when we read in the LA Times of a great new Indian Restaurant we quickly made reservations and went. We were very disappointed. We had planed to cook an Indian dinner and the very next night after our disappointing dinner we cooked our own food. Ours was better! No doubt about it!

We started with a non-Indian Salad, but a real winner! I strongly suggest you try it when tomatoes are in season. It is called: Feta Salad with Anise Bread, tomatoes and Oregano from the Casa Moro Cookbook. We purchased the tomatoes at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. The Feta, olives and the La Panzanella Croccantini (Fennel) were from The Cheese Store of Silver Lake. We modified the recipe to use Croccantini crackers rather than Anise Brea.

We made Cauliflower Vindaloo and a Chicken Coconut Curry. For both of these dishes we used Maya Kaimal Sauces available at your Grocery Store. Check first. The sauces are great, the recipes are on the sauce. It will be found in a refrigerated part of the store if they have it.

We made Breyani Rice imported from South Africa by Spice and all things nice. This is available at the Cheese Store of Silver Lake.

FETA SALAD WITH ANISE BREAD, TOMATOES AND OREGANO
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Modified from Casa Moro Cookbook
This salad is a cross between the Tuscan bread salad panzanella, and Greek salad. When tomatoes are in season, it is definitely worth making and can be done a little in advance.
Serves 6-8 as a mezze, 4 for a starter or light meal
6 x 1.5cm thick slices Anise Bread, broken into bite-sized pieces We subtituted Croccantini.
400g sweet vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped 150g feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh or dried oregano leaves
2 handfuls oily black olives
DRESSING
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
1-l/2 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
100 g tomatoes, sliced and pureed to juice in a food processor
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

For the dressing, whisk the garlic, vinegar, tomato juice and olive oil together, then season with salt and pepper.

Place the anise bread croutons in a large bowl, pour on half the dressing, toss well and leave for 10 minutes. Now add the tomatoes and chopped onion, crumble on the feta, then add the oregano and olives. Add the rest of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Summer Pasta

Wine:
Santomas Koper Malvasia Slovenija 2004
Vin Du Gugey-Cerdon “La Cueille”
Muga Rioja Rose 2006



We started with a simple salad: lots of greens - Mint, Basil, Arugula, Black Mission Figs, Almonds, Prosciutto and dressed with Saba. We love salads like this just great ingredients!

For the main course we made Italian Lentil Pasta. We first had this pasta at Locanda Veneta in Los Angeles. It is very rich and you would swear it was made with meat sauce. It isn’t. One day the recipe was in the Los Angeles Times food section. We have continued to make and enjoy it! We altered it one way. In summer when tomatoes are at their peak, we used the recipe from for Candied Tomatoes from The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It is a great improvement and easy to prepare.

Oven Candied Summer Tomatoes
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From: The Italian Country Table (Lynne Rossetto Kasper – one of our favorite cookbooks)

2 to 2 ½ lb. delicious ripe medium sized tomatoes
1 cup robust extra-virgin olive oil
salt

Use only the ripe, delicious summer tomatoes. Be sure to “ripen” the roasted tomatoes at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours before eating. Store them covered in the refrigerator up to 6 days. They freeze beautifully for 3 months – they sometimes even taste better for it.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes and halve vertically. Do not seed. Leave small tomatoes in halves, cut slightly larger tomatoes into 4 wedges, medium ones into 6ths, and large ones into 8. In a half-sheet baking pan, or two 2 ½ quart shallow metal baking pans (not glass or enameled metal), arrange the tomato wedges cut side up, about ½ to 1 inch apart. Coat the tomatoes with oil. Sprinkle with salt.

2. Bake 30 minutes then, lower the heat to 350 degrees. Bake another 30 minutes and turn oven to 300 degrees and bake 30 minutes more, or until the edges of the tomatoes are slightly darkened. If the edges are not yet colored, turn the heat down to 250 degrees and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven. Cool 20 minutes. Transfer them to a shallow glass or china bowl and pour the oil from the pan over them. Let mellow, uncovered, at room temperature 4 to 6 hours.

3. Layer the tomatoes in a storage container, pouring in their oil, and refrigerate or freeze in their oil in sealed plastic container up to 3 months.

4. Serve at room temperature.


Italian Lentil Pasta from Locanda Veneta in Los Angeles
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¾ cups lentils
water
bunch spinach
Oven-Candied Summer Tomatoes
Salt, pepper
1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Dried Oregano
Olive Oil
1 small carrot, minced
1 red onion, minced
1 stalk celery minced
1 lb. Spaghetti
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Rinse lentils, then cover with water and soak 2 hours drain

2. Rinse spinach and remove stems, keeping some water on the leaves. Saute spinach in skillet over medium heat until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

3. Heat 1/3 cup oil in in large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and celery, and sauté until vegetables are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add lentils and enough water to come to 2 to 3 inches above lentils. Cook over low heat until lentils are al dente, 30 to 35 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return reserved water to lentils and set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over high heat. Add spinach and tomatoes, breaking them up with wooden spoon. Saute 1 minute. Add lentil mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.

5. Cook Spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Strain and pour spaghetti into saucepan with the lentil sauce. Cook 1 minute over high heat, adding butter and Parmesan cheese while tossing.

6. Serve with additional cheese

Family Reunion

Wine
Washington State Syrah courtesy of Hope and Arnie
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille” Sparkling Red Wine NV
Bugey Cerdon Elabore par elie et Alain Renardat NV


We had met Michael and Tamara in Santa Fe where we went to the Opera and enjoyed the city. We then all flew back to Los Angeles. On Sunday we had my Sister Mina and Sharon and Cousins Hope and Arnie over for a dinner.

We asked Chris at The Cheese Store of Silverlake to make up a cheese platter for us. When we picked it up it was beautiful, with many cheeses, sausage, fruits, bread and olives. When we went to pay, he told us it was a gift to a loyal customer. It was very un-expected and appreciated by us. It tasted great and was delicious.

Earlier that day we had purchased fresh white nectarines from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and made a salad of: Nectarines, Almonds, Lettuce, and Prosciutto dressed with Saba.

For the main course, I had purchased Aged Porterhouse Steaks from Harvey Gus Meats. The steaks are always delicious! They were extremely tender and tasty with both the taste of the grill and the aging making them wonderful. I tried a different idea for the doneness of the steaks. There were a lot of different requests from blood rare to medium well done. Usually I grill the more done steaks longer, taking the rarer ones off first. This time I put the more well done steak on first grilled it on both sides for a few minutes then added the other steaks. The advantage was that all steaks were done at the same time. It is an easier way to do it. Always learning!

Corina owns the best restaurant in the Silver Lake area: Canele. We asked her if she could make Pommes Anna for us to serve. It is on her menu and is a favorite side dish of ours. She prepared them and we picked them up, they only needed to be reheated.

For dessert we served Apple Pie that we had purchased from Clementine.

It was a dinner that was relatively easy to present because we had purchased so many of the items. The trick was to select only the best, and be able to serve it. It was great having all of the family over. We also have some great leftovers -always an extra bonus.

Birthday Tomato-a-Thon

Wine:

La Dive Du Pape 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2006 Estate Rose from Pinot Noir
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille” Sparkling Red Wine NV
Bugey Cerdon Elabore par elie et Alain Renardat NV


Tomatoes finally arrived at the market! We decided to make a tomato based dinner. Kevin and Bill wanted to play Mah Jong, so we decided to cook a dinner at our house and then play. Saturday was Cliff’s birthday and we had made reservations at Matsuhisa to celebrate, however we canceled and decided to cook.

For a first course we made a Salmon Spread we really like. It is very simple, Smoked Salmon, cut in small pieces, chopped onion, chopped capers, some lemon juice and crème fraiche to bind. I went to India Sweet and Spice and bought some Naan that we heated to serve with it.

We have found the perfect summer wine. Bugey Cedon. It is a bubbly rose wine. We served two different bottles with the dinner. The “La Cueille” is sweeter. They both are great fun, and with a low alcohol content. If you have never had a bottle of Bugey you should try it. We were first introduced to it last year at Campanile.

It was a very warm day and we had the salmon on the patio as we drank the Bugey ad watched the sun set.

We then had one of my favorite soups: Pappa al Pomodoro from a recipe from Italian Country Cookbook by Rogers and Gray. A great thick tomato based soup!

We then had a second dish from the same cookbook: Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar. It is very rich pasta and just great. You would swear it had a meat sauce. A perfect vegetarian pasta!

For desert we made a Fig Upside Down Cake. Figs are in season and this is a wonderful cake. This recipe was given to us by our friends in Napa: Joy and Brenda.

We then played Mah Jong and had a great night.

Below are 3 great recipes! Perfect for summer!


Pappa al Pomodoro
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From: Rogers and Gray: Italian Country Cookbook

Serves 10 (but leftovers are so good, serves 2 - 5 times)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
¼ cup Olive Oil
9 pounds ripe sweep tomatoes, peeled and seeded, or 4 ½ pounds canned plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 loaves stale bread, we use La Brea loaves
1 large bunch fresh basil
extra-virgin olive oil

Put the garlic and olive oil into a heavy saucepan and cook gently for a few minutes. Just before the garlic turns brown, add the tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes become concentrated. Season with salt and pepper, then add 2 ½ cups water and bring to a boil.

Day before, cut most of the crust off of the bread and break or cube in large chunks to allow it to get stale.

When soup is ready, Put the bread into the tomatoes mixture and stir until the bread absorbs most of the liquid, adding more boiling water if the soup is too thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. If the basil leaves are large, tear into pieces. Stir into the soup with ½ to ¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil. Let the soup sit before serving to allow the bread to absorb the flavor of the basil and oil.

Serve in bowls and add a dollop of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top.




Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar
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From: Rogers and Gray: Italian Country Cookbook

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
1 handful fresh basil
1 – 28 ounce can peeled plum tomatoes (we used fresh heirloom tomatoes, of course!)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces penne pasta
8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, at least 10 years old
6 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
1 heaped cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in large pan and gently sauté the garlic slivers until lightly browned.
Add a few of the basil leaves and then the tomatoes. Stir and cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes, until reduced to a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the remaining basil.

Cook the pene in salted water, drain thoroughly, and return the pasta to the sauce pan along with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the balsamic vinegar and toss over gentle hear for a few seconds until the penne has turned brown in color.

The in a handful of grated cheese, and finally stir in the tomato sauce. Serve with more cheese.


Fig Upside-Down Cake
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1/3 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
5 – 6 (or more) ripe figs cut lengthwise into ½ inch slices
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
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1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons backing powder
½ teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 egg

Pour melted butter into bottom of 8-inch-square baking pan.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over bottom of pan
Arrange fig slices in single layer over bottom of pan (cut side down!)..
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons pine nuts into spaces around figs pressing into brown sugar.
Set aside.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Add softened butter, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping side of bowl. Stir in remaining pine nuts.
Pour over figs in baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until cake tests done in center.
Cool in pan about 5 minutes.
Loosen cake around edges of pan.
Place serving platter over cake and turn over.
Shake gently, then remove pan.

We modified the recipe by mixing all pine nuts into batter. Also, instead of slicing figs in slices, we simply sliced in half.