Rosemary Flamed Lamb

Wine:

Vin Du Gugey-Cerdon “La Cueille”
Preludia alla notte Circeo Rosso 2004
Chateau Ste Michelle Syrah 2000
Marina Cvetic Montepulcano 2003


Billy and Kevin had returned from Hawaii and it was our first time to get together, eat, drink and play mahjong. We wanted to have a dinner that would be easy to make and we did that by making the main course and purchasing some great dishes to serve with it.

We started with Cheese and Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We followed that with Toasted Pita Chips and Humus from the expanded http://www.joansonthird.com/http://www.joansonthird.com/. The Pita Chips and Humus are both the best in the city!

We heard that the Alsatian Pizza from Traders Joe was great, so we then served it. It was good.

For a side dish we ordered Pommes Anna from Corina at Canale restaurant in Atwater Village. It is a great potato dish and I got to see Bea Gold who was dinning at the restaurant when I picked up the potatoes.

I then drove to Marroush, a wonderful Lebanese Restaurant where I picked up Babaganoosh that is the best in the city.

Finally we cooked something: Leg of Lamb which I had purchased from Harvey Gus Meats. The garlic studded Lamb is cooked in the oven completely surrounded by rosemary twigs that we picked from our backyard. When done the roasting pan with the lamb is taken outside and the rosemary is set on fire. When flaming and smoking the lid is placed on the roasting pan, smoking the lamb with rosemary flavor. The recipe can be found in the cook book: Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton at Home. We plated the sliced lamb on the Babaganoosh and then sprinkled Feta Cheese on top of the lamb.

Finally for dessert we had a fabulous Apple Pie from Joan’s on 3rd St.

Kevin and Billy had brought us a box of chocolate candies from Hawaii called: Taste of Hawaii Dark Chocolate Whole Macadamia Nuts. The candies are amazingly rich! Yum!

Then on to mahjong!

See a Video of the Flames by clicking the picture below!

Pork Stew with Polenta

Wine: Le Deveze 66 – 2005 Cotes du Roussillon

We started with a Peach Salad. We made it with fresh peaches and Mache from The Hollywood Farmer's Market. We used Almonds, Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silver Lake and dressed the salad with Saba. The peaches are at their sweetest and the salad was excellent.

For the main course we made a fabulous dish: Pork Stew with Prunes and Onions. It is from the cookbook: The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. The dish can be made days in advance, it only taste better when re-heated. The book calls for it to be served over baked Polenta.

We use a different recipe, the recipe for Polenta from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is made on the stove top and is much easier and just as good.

The dinner was just great. The stew is extremely rich, all of the sauces in it are reduced to be very thick and tasty! We butter a casserole and placed the excess polenta in it. We will bake it when we have leftovers.


Pork Stew with Prunes and Onions
===========================
From: The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen – Paula Woldfert

This winter dish from southwest France has a lot going for it: well-caramelized cubes of pork; a deglazing that provides deep flavor; an embellishment of lush, sweet dried plums joined with glazed sweet-and-sour onions. The result is a rich flavorful stew that isn't the east bit cloying and that reheats beautifully

I suggest you serve this dish over Polenta.
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of excess fat

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil mixed with a pinch each of ground cinnamon, black pepper, crumbled rosemary, and thyme

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ cups dry white wine

3 garlic cloves

2 medium carrots, halved crosswise

1 bay leaf

Salt

1 ¾ cups unsalted chicken stock

12 small white onions

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sugar

8 dried large pitted prunes (dried plums), soaked in hot water to soften

Chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Cut the pork into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss the pieces with the spiced oil and leave in a cool place or at least 3 to 4 hours.

2. In a large; heavy flameproof casserole, cook the pork, covered, without the addition of any fat, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and sauté, stirring frequently, until the moisture las evaporated and the pork is thoroughly browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove the pork to a side dish, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion. Cook until soft and beginning to brown. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and add to the pork.

4. Add the vinegar, mustard, and Vi cup of the white wine to the casserole. Heat to boiling, scraping up any brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced to a glaze. Add another 1/2 cup wine and reduce again. Repeat until all the wine has been reduced to a glaze. Add the garlic, carrots, and bay leaf and let them sizzle for a minute; return the pork and onions and any accumulated juices to the pan. Pour in the stock and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook very slowly for about 45 minutes.

5. Cut an X in the root end of each small onion. Blanch in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel the onions. Combine the onions with 1/4 cup water, the butter, and the sugar in a medium skillet. Simmer, covered, until the water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Cook, uncovered, over low heat until tender and well browned, about 8 minutes. Set aside

6. When the meat has cooked a total of 45 minutes, add the prunes and browned onions. Cover the casserole and continue cooking until the pork is soft, about 15 minutes. From time to time, swirl the casserole to keep the meat, onions, and prunes from sticking. Remove the casserole from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and correct the seasoning. Garnish with chopped parsley

Smoked Black Cod Salad and Corn Pasta

Wine: Marina Cvetic Montepulciano – 2003

We started with a Salad that we made with Smoked Black Cod and Hazelnuts, We made a dressing from sour cream, lemon, Molton Sea Salt, Horseradish, and olive oil.

Corn is at its sweetest at the Farmer’s Market. We decided to make Corn Pasta. We used the recipe from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is very easy.

Corn Pasta
==========

2 to 3 ounces of pancetta, minced (1/3 to ½ cup)
Up to ½ pound butter
Trickle of water
6 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 pound fettuccine
Salt
2 ½ cups freshly scraped corn kernels and their milky juice (5 – 10 ears)
Grated Parmigano-Reggiano

Cook the Pancetta in a few tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat
When it is browned slightly, turn off heat a few drops of water to cool the pan, and stir, then add another tablespoon of butter, the sage and a few grinds of black pepper.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water.
Turn the heat up under the skillet and add another 6 to 8 tablespoons butter, sliced. Swirl the pan. When the butter is nearly melted, add the corn, and cook until heated through. Taste for salt. If the corn seams dry, add a trickle of pasta water and some or all of the remaining butter.

Drain the pasta, stir into the corn mixture. Serve with the grated cheese.

What a Steak and Salad!

Wine:
Santa Duc Domaine Santa Duc Les Quatre Terres Cotes du Rhone 2005
Lupicaia Toscana 1999 (courtesy of Bea)

Bea joined us for dinner. It was a warm night and we started with Wine and Cheese on the deck. The cheese was from The Cheese Store of Silver Lake, it was very good: Cow Girl Creamery Cheese: Red Hawk.

For a first course we made a Salad of Cherry Tomatoes, Oregano and Feta from the Casa Moro Cookbook. We have made this salad several times this summer and really like it. It is a cross between a Greek Salad and a Panzanella Salad. The recipe can be found in the Blog Entry of Aug 28, 2007.

We were talking to Matt Molina of Mozza about a dish on the menu we had never eaten: Grilled Beef Tagliata with Arugula Salad. He suggested that we try making it at home, the recipe was in the Los Angeles Times. It requires a very good Balsamic and Bea had brought up some from her recent trip to Italy. I purchased some porterhouse steaks from Harvey Gus Meats: Always the best! This is a great way to serve steak. Try it!

For dessert we had Scharffenberger Chocolate Dipped Figs. It was a wonderful meal!


Grilled Beef Tagliata with Arugula Salad
========================================
(Matt Molina – LA Times) August 29, 2007

Total time: 40 minutes, plus marinating time

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: Adapted from Matt Molina of Osteria Mozza.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons chopped rosemary

4 (7- to 8-ounce) hanger steaks or 1 (2 1/4 -pound) flank steak

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon minced shallots

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound arugula

Small wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano

Aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Best-quality olive oil for drizzling

1. Stir together the one-third cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the rosemary. Place the steaks in a sealable plastic bag and pour in the liquid mixture. Squeeze out the air, seal tightly and move the steaks around to make sure they are all well-coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.

2. Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, make a vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, Champagne vinegar and shallots, then whisking in the three-fourths cup olive oil. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Taste and add more salt if necessary, then set aside.

3. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Cook until well-seared on both sides and medium rare, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a plate and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a sharp knife, carve the steak diagonally into 1-inch strips across the grain.

4. Rinse and dry the arugula and place it in a large bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette briefly, then pour it over the arugula and toss gently to coat lightly. Divide the sliced steaks among 6 to 8 dinner plates and place a mound of salad beside each. Using a vegetable peeler, shave a few shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the arugula. Drizzle the steak lightly with aged balsamic vinegar and olive oil and serve.

Each of 8 servings: 379 calories; 26 grams protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 grams fiber; 29 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 50 mg. cholesterol; 424 mg. sodium.

Melon Figs and Chicken

We had a great Melon Salad at Campanile and Brett gave us the recipe. Cube melon, create a marinade of: Red Wine Vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped mint. Toss the salad in the marinade and serve, it was just great! I never would have thought to make a marinade for melon.

For the main course we made Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey and Vinegar. The recipe is from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook.
We served it with cous-cous. It is a great recipe.

CHICKEN BRAISED with FIGS, HONEY & VINEGAR
==========================================
Learning to identify good figs is an annual ritual at Zuni. As each year's fig crop appears, I always ask the new cooks if they have eaten many before. Often, particularly from those new to California, the answer is, "Not really," and I envy them the pleasure of what lies ahead.
"Look at them. Feel them. Plump can be good, but not unless they are really heavy for their size and they need to be tender." A tentative squeeze.
"Taste it. How is it? And that cracked one. It's kind of light, but check any¬way. How about that one, it looks flawless, and it's heavy, but it is kind of hard. Taste it."
After a wary nibble, "It's not that great."
"Now look at that one. Shrunken and wrinkled is actually good, as long as it is heavy. 'Pristine' isn't usually a good sign. If you look for pretty, you may miss the best ones. Just keep tasting until you can tell. And then try to remember how 'that look' and 'that feel' taste."
This last applies to all produce, all meat, all fish, all cooking.
We use a lot of figs at Zuni, in every course. This dish is Greek in inspiration, and it is a crowd pleaser. We use fleshy Kadota figs, syrupy and with a blush of pink in the center when ripe, though you can use Smyrnas {re-christened "Calmyrna" or "Calimyrna" when grown in California}, Excel, Adriatic, or plump-ripe Black Mission figs as well. Use wildflower or chestnut honey. The fla¬vor of lavender honey is too persuasive.
We sometimes serve this dish with a salad of raw fennel ribbons and frisee or arugula, with wedges of fried pizza dough to sop up the sauce. Grilled bread is a fine and practical alternative.
for 4 servings:
4 chicken legs (8 to 9 ounces each)
Salt
About 2 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
1 medium yellow onion {about 8ounces), root end trimmed flat, peeled, and cut into 8 wedges
About 1/2 cup dry white wine
About 2 tablespoons dry white vermouth
A few black peppercorns, barely cracked in a mortar
About 2 tablespoons cider vinegar


About 1/2 cup Chicken stock
1 bay leaf
A sprig of fresh thyme
About 1 tablespoon honey
8 to 10 ripe fresh figs - Kadota, Smyrna, Excel, Adriatic, or Black Mission


Seasoning the chicken {for the best flavor and succulence, do this step 12 to 24 hours in advance}:
Trim the excess fat, then season the chicken evenly all over with salt {we use a scant 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
Cooking the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Pat the chicken legs dry; this will make them less likely to stick. Heat a scant
2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, then add the
chicken legs, skin side down. The oil should sizzle, not pop explosively, when
you add chicken. Adjusting the heat as necessary, cook until the skin is evenly
golden, about 8 minutes. Turn the legs over and color only slightly on the other
side, about 4 minutes. Pour off the fat.
If your skillet is ovenproof, arrange the onion wedges in the spaces between the chicken legs; otherwise, transfer the chicken to a shallow flameproof braising dish that will easily hold the chicken and onions in a single layer, and add the onions. Add the wine, the vermouth, and enough stock to come to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Bring to a simmer and add-the bay-leaf , thyme, and cracked black peppercorns.
Place, uncovered, in the oven, and cook until the meat is tender but not quite falling off the bone, about 40 minutes. The exposed skin will have turned golden and crispy; the liquid ought to have reduced by about half. Remove from the oven and set on a slight tilt so the fat will collect at one side of the pan.
Combine the vinegar and honey and warm slightly. Taste. The vinegar should dominate, but without making you squint. Trim the stems and cut the figs in half.

Skim as much fat as possible from the braising liquid, then set the pan over
medium heat. Bring to a boil and swirl as you reduce the liquid to a syrupy con¬sistency. Distribute the figs evenly around the pan, add about 2 tablespoons of the vinegar-honey syrup, and swirl the pan to diffuse the bubbling, amber syrup without smashing the tender fruit. The sauce will be glossy. Taste - it should be rich and vibrantly sour-sweet. Add more, or all of the syrup, to taste. The vinegar adds a bright but unstable note of acidity, which will fade with boiling, so sim¬mer for only a minute or less.
Serve each chicken leg with 2 wedges of sweet, soft onion and 4 or 5 fig halves, bathed in a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

Labor Day 2007

Billy and Kevin came over on Labor Day to have dinner and play Mahjong.
We picked up some Indian Salmon and Creamed Herring and Smoked Mussels from Santa Monica Sea Food. I expected that the Creamed Herring wouldn’t go over very well, but in fact they really liked it.

For the first course we served a wonderful Chilled Tomato Gazpacho. The recipe is from Sunday Supper at Lucques. It is one of our favorite cookbooks.

Because it is the height of tomato season, we repeated the Lentil Pasta recipe that I posted on August 21, 2007.

For dessert we made a Fig and Raspberry Crisp.


Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
======================


This recipe was developed by Julie Robles, longtime Lucques cook, then sous-chef, then chef de cuisine. It's one of those magical recipes in which you combine few simple ingredients and end up with an unexpectedly dramatic result. It's a foolproof recipe, but, tasting it, you'd never know how easy it is to make. As long s you have a blender (it doesn't work as well in a food processor) and really great tomatoes, this refreshing gazpacho is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.


2-1/4 pounds ripe yellow tomatoes
3 Persian cucumbers, or 1 hot-house cucumber
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and cut in half
4 sprigs cilantro, plus 12 cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons diced red or orange sweet pepper
3 tablespoons diced red onion
18 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Super-good extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the yellow tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Cool the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water a few minutes, and then use your fingers to slip off their skins. Remove the cores, and chop the tomatoes coarsely, saving all the ice. Reserve the ice water.

Seed and dice three tablespoons' worth of unpeeled cucumber, as prettily as you can manage, for the garnish. Set aside. Peel and coarsely chop the remaining cucumbers.
You will need to make the soup in batches. Place half the yellow tomatoes, parsley chopped cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro sprigs, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil a blender with 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper. Process at the lowest speed until broken down. Turn the speed up to high, and puree until the soup is completely smooth. If the soup is too thick, add a little of the reserved ice water. Strain soup and taste for seasoning. Repeat with the rest of the soup ingredients, chill the soup in the refrigerator; it should be served very cold.

Toss the diced pepper, diced onion, and diced cucumber together in a small our the gazpacho into six chilled soup bowls, and scatter the pepper mix-e over the soup. Season the cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper and place cherry tomato halves and two cilantro leaves at the center of each bowl. Fin-each soup with a drizzle of super-good olive oil. To serve family-style, place soup in a chilled tureen or pretty pitcher and garnish with the tomato halves and cilantro; pass the diced vegetables on the side.