Whining About Pasta

Wine:
Altamura Napa Valley San Giovese 2000
Champagne Bonville Prestige Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

It was the start of Bea’s birthday week. It was a warm sun set and we started with Champagne to celebrate on the deck.

For the first course we had a Salad made with Walnut Oil, Jamon Iberico, a cured ham from Spain, Olives and Balsamic, Burrata Cheese from Italy and Walnut Pesto. We purchased all of the ingredients (except the herbs) at The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

Jamon Iberico, until recently was impossible to find in the United States because of federal food guidelines. Produced from acorn-fed wild boar, the meat is aged 36 months, then thinly sliced. It is amazing.

We made a Pasta Bolognese from a recipe in The New York Times Magazine. It did not turn out as great as we expected. We aren’t sure why, sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn’t. Oh well the wine was great!

For desert we had brownies from Joan’s on 3rd.

Biriyani Dinner

Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2005
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Napa Valley

We decided to cook another Indian dish from the cookbook: Indian Home Cooking. We love rice dishes and especially biriyani. Biriyani is a dish where the rice is cooked and then mixed with vegetables or meats and then baked in the oven. We decided to make Chicken Biriyani with Cream and Garam Masala. The dish is a Mogul dish. The Moguls were the Muslim rulers of Northern India. The dish has a lot of different spices that added at different times. We cooked the chicken on Sunday and let it marinate till Wed. On Wednesday we cooked the rice and layered the chicken mixture with the rice and baked the dish.

Kevin and Billy joined us. We all loved the dish! It was delicious. Definitely we will make it again. We have now made several dishes from the cookbook and they are all wonderful. We will make more. When we return to New York City we will definitely eat at the authors restaurant: Devi.

For the first course we once again made the Roasted Squash Puree on Toasted Bread. We followed a suggestion from Bea they she had observed at when Nancy Silverton was cooking at Silverlake Wine. We previously used to cut the bread in thin slices and toast under the broiler in the oven. She suggested that we brush the bread with olive oil and grill on the Panini maker. It was much better that way. We topped the puree with bacon that we had been give from Canale. Canale is now open for weekend brunch. We had their homemade bacon, it was delicious. Try the brunch!

We started with a great Salad with Jamon Iberico, Black Olives, Spring Herbs, Walnut Oil, Burrata, Balsamic Vinegar. The Jamon (ham from Spain) is exceptional. We purchased it at The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

For dessert we had Oatmeal and Date bars that we had baked. We all felt it was a great dinner with great wine and friends.

Pork Ragu and Squash Toast Points

Wine:
Kosta Browne 2007 Rose of Pinot Noir
Kosta Browne 2005 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Bea received a new shipment of Kosta Browne wine. She had been sick and finally was able to come to dinner. She brought some new and old Kosta Browne wine for us to drink.

The New York Times had a recipe for Pork Ragu. We had never made a pork ragu and we were eager to try it. It is a great pasta sauce! We will definitely add it to our list of recipes to repeat!

We went to Mozza Pizzer1a and had a delicious appetizer: Butternut Squash Purée with Bacon on Toast. We asked and they said it was fairly simple, split the squash and roast for about an hour with butter, salt and pepper, until soft. Scoop out the pulp and blend with brown butter to smooth. We added an extra Kabocha Squash along with the Butternut Squash. We Spread mixture on toast points and top with crispy bacon. It worked and was wonderful.

For dessert we had Brownies from Clementine.

Pork Ragu
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2 pounds ground pork shoulder
1/2 pound pancetta, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 heads fennel, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine, like Sangiovese
1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes and their juices
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon roughly chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
Ravioli or rigatoni, cooked to al dente
Grated Parmesan cheese.
1. Season the meats all over with salt and pepper.
2. In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, celery, fennel, carrot, thyme and 2 large pinches of salt. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the ground meat and brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Deglaze the pan with red wine and cook at a lively simmer to reduce the wine, about 5 minutes. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them and the bay leaves. Simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
3. To serve, toss the ragu, parsley and oregano with al dente pasta. Divide among warm pasta bowls. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and serve immediately with Parmesan cheese. Serves 6 to 8. Adapted from Incanto in San Francisco.

Back from India

Wine:
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne 2004 Cotes du Rhone
Podere Casale Cutturnio Riserva 2003


We are now back from our wonderful trip to Southern India. It has taken two weeks to get back on schedule and over the jet lag.

For our first dinner, Cathy modified a recipe for Chicken and Potatoes and it turned out great. It was a perfect one dish meal. It was from the Simply French cookbook by Patricia Wells. The whole chicken is cooked directly on top of cut up potatoes. She made a herbed butter and stuffed it under the chicken skin. The drippings from the chicken and the butter flowed over the chicken. It made for a delicious meal.

We saw a recipe in the New York Times for a Shrimp Curry from Goa. We had just purchased a new cookbook: Indian Home Cooking by the owner of Devi Indian Restaurant in New York. This recipe is not in the book. But it inspires us to try the recipes and eat in his New York Restaurant! Goa is a small state in Southern India along the Arabian Sea. It is famous for its beaches and is similar to Hawaii. We made the curry it was fantastic. For the rest of the meal we decided to get some to go Indian food from our local Indian Restaurant: Agra. We added Naan (flat Indian Breads), Vegetable Curry and Vegetable Biryani (Mixed Rice) to our dinner. We look forward to leftovers! No Bea, she is allergic to Shrimp.

For dessert we had Carrot Cake from LA Bread.

Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
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Adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, Devi Restaurant in NYC.
Time: 25 minutes
1 1/3pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.
2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro. If desired, serve with rice.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings.