Welcome Back

Robert and Darryl had just returned from London and we decided to have them over for dinner, figuring they would be too tired to cook.

We started with drinks in the front yard on a beautiful Los Angeles summer night.

For a first course we served Turkey and Sweet Corn meatballs with Roasted Pepper Sauce from Ottolenghi the Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi Otttolenghi The Cookbook. We all loved these meatballs. It is a great recipe!

We cooked a Herb-Crusted Roast Pork Loin from a recipe in License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.  We had purchased the pork at McCall’s Meat and Fish. This is a great recipe to cook on the egg. It turned out perfectly! You can get the recipe from our blog of July 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the Pork we served another recipe from Ottolenghi The Cookbook. This is really a great cookbook. We are really getting into it. We made a Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin. This is a tasty recipe. I really liked it and will definitely make it again. I like the contrast of the fennel and the sweetness of the crumble.

Fennel, cherry tomato and crumble gratin

Ottolenghi The Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi Sami Tamimi

Considering the colossal amounts of food coming out of our kitchen in Notting Hill, visitors are always astonished to see how small it is. Sharing such small quarters can lead to extraordinary kinds of personal interaction, with the occasional tense moment between the savoury chefs and the pastry department.

On a culinary level, this yields some unusual hybrids. Using the pastry department's crumble mix for this gratin was originally Sami's revenge for some freshly squeezed lemon juice that was 'stolen' by a pastry chef to make curd. It turned out that the creamy sweetness of the crumble offsets the dominant savoury tones of the fennel and the acidity of the tomato to create a most comforting experience.

You can have this ready well in advance and put it in the oven at the last minute.

Preheat the oven to 400. Trim off the fennel stalks and cut each bulb lengthways in half. Cut each half into slices 1.5 cm thick, Place in a large bowl with the olive oil, thyme leaves, garlic, salt and pepper and toss together. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and pour the cream over the fennel. Mix the crumble with the grated Parmesan and scatter evenly on top.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and arrange the tomatoes on top. You can leave some on the vine and scatter some loose. Scatter a few thyme sprigs on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. By now the fennel should feel soft when poked with a knife and the gratin should have a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over and serve hot or warm.

Crumble mix with your hands or an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment to work it to a uniform breadcrumb consistency. Make sure there are no lumps of butter left. If using a mixer, watch it carefully. Within a few seconds, a crumble can turn into a cookie dough. (If this unpleasant scenario happens, roll it out thinly, cut out cookies, bake them and half dip in melted chocolate.)

2            Transfer the crumble to a plastic container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or for ages in the freezer.

300g plain flour

100g caster sugar

200g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1            Put the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and

Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce

Ottolenghi the Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Now you see them, now you don't. That's the fate of these meatballs in our Ledbury Road branch. As soon as we bring them out to the shop they disappear, as if by command of a magician's wand. They are that good!

serves 4

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)

3            slices of stale white bread, crusts removed

500g minced free-range or organic turkey breast

1            free-range egg

4            spring onions, finely chopped

2            tbsp finely chopped parsley
2-1/2            tsp ground cumin

1-1/2            tsp salt Vz tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed sunflower oil for frying

Roasted pepper sauce 4 red peppers

3            tbsp olive oil
1            tsp salt

25g            coriander, leaves and stalks

1            garlic clove, peeled

small mild chilli, deseeded

tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2            tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce

1.    1.            Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. To prepare the peppers for the sauce, quarter them with a sharp knife and shave off the white parts and the seeds. Put them in a roasting tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, then roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until soft. Transfer the hot peppers to a bowl and cover it with cling film. Once they have cooled down a little, you can peel them, although it isn't essential for this sauce. In any case, place them in a blender or food processor with their roasting juices and add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Process until smooth, then tasteand adjust the salt if necessary. Set aside.

1.    2.            For the meatballs, place a heavy, non-stick frying pan over a high heat and throw in the corn kernels. Toss them in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes, until lightly blackened. Remove and leave to cool.

1.    3.            Soak the bread in cold water for a minute, then squeeze well and crumble it into a large bowl. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the sunflower oil and mix well with your hands.

1.    4.            Pour a 5mm depth of sunflower oil into your heavy frying pan. Allow it to heat up well and then fry about a teaspoonful of the mince mix in it. Remove, let cool a little and then taste. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper in the uncooked mixture to your liking.

1.    5.            With wet hands, shape the mince mix into balls, about the size of golf balls. Cook them in small batches in the hot oil, turning them around in the pan until they are golden brown all over. Transfer to an oven tray, place in the oven at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and cook for about 5 minutes. When you press one with your finger, the meat should bounce back. If unsure, break one open to check that it is cooked inside. Serve hot or warm, with the pepper sauce on the side.

My Kind of Eggplant!

The eggplants at the market are beautiful right now. We found this recipe for Baked Eggplants with Tomatoes, Tarragon, and Creme Fraiche in A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell.

It is a great version and reheats wonderfully. We really liked the richness of the tomato sauce.

We started with a Tomato Salad. It made a perfect vegetarian dinner.

I love this dish because it sings of summer. Served just warm with nutty brown rice, garlicky yogurt, and an arugula salad on the side, it makes a lovely vegetarian supper. It also works well with broiled or barbecued lamb.

Serves 4 to 6

3          globe eggplants, about

1          pound each, trimmed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil, to pan-fry

4          tbsp unsalted butter

2-1/4   pounds ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

4          cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

¾         cups creme fraiche

2          tbsp tarragon leaves, minced

2          tbsp chopped Italian parsley, plus extra to finish

½         tbsp chopped thyme leaves (ideally, lemon thyme), plus sprigs to garnish

1          tbsp minced chives

2          ounces Parmesan, freshly grated

extta virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch circles. Lay in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Let degorge the bitter juices for about 30 minutes—beads of moisture will appear on the eggplant flesh. Before cooking, pat each eggplant slice dry with paper towels.

Heat a 1/2-inch depth of olive oil in a large, fairly deep skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the eggplant slices, a few at a time, until golden brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Melt the butter in another pan. Add the tomatoes and garlic and season with a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, put the creme fraiche into a small pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let bubble until reduced by a third, then remove from the heat and add the tarragon, parsley, thyme, and chives. Add half of the Parmesan and taste for seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (convection oven to 350°F). Line the bottom of a large, shallow ovenproof baking dish with a layer of eggplant slices. Follow with a thin coating of the tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining Parmesan. Continue layering in this way, finishing with tomato sauce. Pour over the creme fraiche mixture and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Let the dish sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to get acquainted with each other.

Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, 16 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes or so. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Scatter over some minced parsley and thyme sprigs to garnish and serve ... but not too hot!

The British are Coming!

We love our two new cookbooks be Ottolenghi and Tamimi. This recipe is from Ottolenghi The Cookbook. We are very sorry we didn’t eat at his restaurants last time we were in London. The recipe for Buttered Prawns with Tomato, Olives and Arak is a winner! It isn’t hard, it is huge in flavor and we loved it! I hope you try it soon!

We had a second course by another English Cookbook author: Skye Gyngell (what a great name!) the book is called: A Year In My Kitchen. We made Chanterelles with Fried Egg and Sourdough Bread Crumbs. We have a split opinion of the recipe. I liked it more than Cathy did. I am a sucker for breadcrumbs so, of course I liked it. Cathy less so. If the ingredients appeal to you give it a try. I had lots of left over very tasty breadcrumbs that a served on subsequent tomato salads.

Buttered prawns with tomato, olives and Arak

Otttolenghi The Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi

This is another one of Etti's masterpieces. There is no other way to describe it. Two of our recipe testers for this book, Claudine Boulstridge and Philippa Shepherd, both said that it is now their favourite, because it is dead easy and utterly delicious. The flavour of the Arak, a Middle Eastern liquor made from aniseed and distilled grapes, complements but also mellows the intensity of the tomato and olives, coating the prawns in a heavenly buttery sauce.

This dish needs to be served as soon as it is made, accompanied by pieces of wholesome bread to soak up the sauce.

serves 4 as a starter

4 plum tomatoes

12 tiger or king prawns'

2 oz softened unsalted butter

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

50g Kalamata olives, stoned

20ml Arak (or Pernod)

3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

coarse sea salt

Buttered prawns with tomato, olives and Arak

1.     Start by preparing the tomatoes. Make a tiny shallow cross with a sharp knife at the bottom of each one and put them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, refresh under plenty of cold water, then drain. Now peel the skin away and cut each tomato into 4-6 wedges. Set aside.

2.    To prepare the prawns, peel the shells away from the bodies, keeping the tail segment of the shell on. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the dark vein using the tip of a small knife.

3.    Place a frying pan over a high heat. When very hot, add 2og of the butter and saute the prawns quickly for 2 minutes, shaking the pan as you go. Add the tomatoes, chilli and olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the prawns are nearly cooked through. Add the Arak carefully (it tends to catch fire!). Let the alcohol evaporate for a minute before quickly adding the remaining butter plus the garlic, parsley and some salt. Toss for a second for everything to come together in a runny sauce, then serve immediately, with bread.

Chanterelles with fried egg and sourdough bread crumbs

A year in my kitchen

Skye Gyngell

I use mushrooms as often as I possibly can from late September through to mid-December. I adore their pungent earthy flavor and meaty texture. Quick, hot cooking, with as little adornment as possible, works best for me. Here, I serve them simply with fried eggs and the contrasting crunch of toasted bread crumbs. Fall salad greens—dressed with a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and walnut oil—are the perfect complement.

Serves 2

1          pound 2 ounces fresh chanterelles

4 tbsp unsalted butter sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 organic eggs

2          tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3          tbsp Sourdough Bread Crumbs

few fresh thyme or roughly chopped rosemary leaves

1          clove garlic, peeled and minced

lemon juice

1          bsp minced curly parsley

1          sp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

grated zest of 1 lemon, or to taste

Pick over the chanterelles with your fingers, removing any bits of grass, then wipe gently with a clean, damp cloth. Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until melted and foaming, then add the mushrooms and season generously with salt and pepper. Increase the heat a little and leave the mushrooms to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender, tossing them just once or twice during cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Place a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to your preference (I like a firm white with a soft yolk center). Scatter over the bread crumbs and thyme and allow them to just warm through.

When the mushrooms are ready, add the garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, and half of the minced parsley. Pile onto two warm plates and slide the eggs and bread crumbs on top. Add the vinegar to the warm mushroom pan, stirring to deglaze, then pour over the eggs. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and the remaining parsley and serve at once, while piping hot!

Bye Bye Shu

Shummon was leaving for a vacation in Italy and we decided to invite him and Tim over for a bon voyage party. We were all worried about the closing of the freeway and if he would be able to get to the airport. It turned out to be no big deal, people avoided the west side and the traffic flowed (except on the 405).

We started with a Salad of White Nectarines, Prosciutto, and Almonds, dressed with Saba. I love fruit based salads in summer when the fruit is at peak flavor.

For the main course we made Oven-Steamed Salmon with Chive Oil from Paula Wolfert’s World of Food. This is an absolutely delicious fish preparation that is tasty, not difficult to make and has a very high wow factor. When presented you think you are being served food from a very fancy French Restaurant. Yet the food is not fussy or complex, just bright flavors. We got our salmon, of course, from McCall's Meat and Fish. You can find the recipe on our blog of: June 4, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe. Try this one, it is great!

For dessert we had a selection of Tarts from Proof, our favorite neighborhood bakery. We love it! They are all excellent!

Lentils and Braised Black Sea Bass with Olives

We purchased a new cookbook, Ottolenghi The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. We first saw it Robert and Darrell’s house. We have marked lots of recipes that we want to make.

The first recipe that we have made from the book was absolutely great: Puy Lentils with Sour Cherries, Bacon and Gorgonzola. We love lentils and bacon is my favorite seasoning. The addition of the sour cherries, spinach and Gorgonzola really brightened the dish. This is a keeper! We had leftovers, and the next night we served the lentils (without the Gorgonzola) with a delicious recipe from the LA Times: Braised Sea Bass with Black Olive Vinaigrette. If Bacon is my favorite seasoning (and it is) olives are number two for me. I love the briny flavor and how olives can blend with various other flavors. This is an easy recipe, and if you can get fantastic fish like we do at McCall’s Meat and Fish, you will love it!

These are both great recipes! Try them!

Puy lentils with sour cherries, bacon and Gorgonzola

Sweet, sour and musky-salty, there are many contrasting flavours in this dish, yet it still ends up harmoniously synchronised - the sweet and acid hitting first, followed by a mellowing savoury taste. It makes a heady starter.

serves 2-4 as a starter

125g  Puy lentils

2        bay leaves

2-3     shallots, finely chopped

3         tbsp olive oil
3         tbsp water

1         tsp caster sugar

60g     dried sour cherries

70ml   red wine vinegar

8         streaky bacon rashers

80g     baby spinach

120g   creamy Gorgonzola cheese

salt and black pepper

1.    Wash the lentils under cold running water and then drain. Transfer to a saucepan and add enough water to cover them by 3 times their height. Add the bay leaves, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are al dente.

2.    Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place the shallots in a pan with tablespoons of the olive oil and saute over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until golden. Add the water, sugar, cherries and vinegar and continue simmering over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until you get a thick sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

3.    Drain the lentils well and immediately add them to the sauce so they can soak up all the flavours. Stir together, taste and adjust the salt again. It will need quite a lot, but remember you are adding bacon and Gorgonzola later, which are salty. Set aside to cool down.

4.    Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon in it for minutes on each side, until it turns quite crisp. Transfer to a piece of kitchen paper to cool. Tear the bacon into large pieces and add to the lentils, then add the spinach and stir well. Taste and see if the salad needs any more oil, salt or pepper.

5.    Transfer to serving plates and dot with broken chunks of Gorgonzola.

Braised sea bass with black olive vinaigrette - latimes.com

Braised sea bass with black olive vinaigrette

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Black olive vinaigrette

1 tablespoon minced black olives

3 tablespoons black olive juice

1/4 cup Champagne vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grape seed oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the minced black olives, olive juice and vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil and grape seed oil in a slow, gentle stream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Braised sea bass and assembly

1 pound sea bass fillet (skin on)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

About 1 cup black olive vinaigrette

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Wash and dry the sea bass fillet thoroughly with paper towels, then cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Season the fish with a liberal pinch each of salt and pepper.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the fish, skin side down, and cook until the skin crisps, about 3 minutes. Remove the fish to a clean plate, skin side up. Wipe out the skillet, and let it cool.

3. Add enough vinaigrette to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the fish, skin side up (it should be surrounded by, not covered by, the vinaigrette). Bring the vinaigrette to a simmer over medium heat and cook, basting the fish frequently, until it flakes easily, about 3 minutes.

4. Remove the fish to a plate, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Each serving: 268 calories; 22 grams protein; 1 gram carbohydrate; 0 fiber; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 49 mg cholesterol; 0 sugar; 91 mg sodium.

July 4th Effortless BBQ

We were leaving for Santa Fe on July 5^th, yet we wanted to invite friends over to watch the fireworks from our deck overlooking Los Angeles. We have a great view of the city and we can watch the fireworks: both legal and illegal that illuminates the sky. If the weather cooperates it is always a grand show.

To add to the experience I created a mix of patriotic and protest songs from the 60’s on my iPhone, which I played as background music for the spectacular.

We didn’t want to cook, because we were busy packing and getting ready for the trip. We decided to bring in Bludso’s BBQ. For my money it is the best BBQ in LA. We purchased a lot: Ribs, Brisket, Pork Shoulder, Hot Links, Cole Slaw, Corn Bread, Potato Salad. It was quite a feast. If you want a big time Cholesterol hit, you can’t do any better. We had lots of leftovers that we send home with our guests.

Bea cooked! She brought (besides some wine) the ingredients for a salad made with strawberries. It was perfect with the BBQ. Darryl / Robert brought a Peach Cobbler with Homemade Ice Cream. What an ending for the 4^th!

Our Tai Chi teacher Michael and his wife and daughter came for the show, Judi joined us with all the booz-news we could use.

I think the Bludso’s BBQ will become a July 4^th tradition!

Lamb, Skordalia and Spinach

We are continuing to cook from: A Year In The Kitchen by Skye Gyngell. Her cooking is very much our style. We decided to make Lamb Chops With Skordalia And Spinach. I have never had the Greek dish: Skordalia. It is basically Mashed Potatoes with the addition of Roasted Garlic and Blanched Almonds and Lemon. It is a find! Mashed potatoes have, of course a smooth texture. These potatoes have the crunch of almonds in them. The Lemon, and Garlic punch them up. You can also serve them cold. We had lots of leftovers so we even sauted them into Potato Pancakes! They will appear in lots of future recipes, I am sure.

The Spinach taste is driven by the intensity of the Chili Pepper. In our case, although the pepper was red and other peppers from the same bag we purchased at our Southeast Asian grocer were hot, turned out to be mild. We decided to add some Red Wine Vinegar to intensify the flavor when we ate it as leftovers. Finally we made a Gratin from the spinach by adding Cream and Cheese! It had 3 lives!

We had purchased 12 Colorado Lamb Chops from McCalls Meat and Fish and with our 2 leftover meals simply ate the lamb at room temperature. We like cooking where we have lots of delicious leftovers! Try those Potatoes!

Lamb Chops With Skordalia And Spinach

A Year In The Kitchen

Skye Gyngell

Serves 4

·       12 lamb rib chops

·       sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·       vegetable oil, if needed

Skordalia

·       5 cloves garlic (unpeeled)

·       2/3 cup blanched almonds

·       3 small-medium round waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn

·       finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

·       sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·       scant 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

To serve

Spinach with Garlic, Lemon, and Chile

All nuts need warming gently in the oven to release their flavor—just 3 to 4 minutes is all it takes in a preheated moderate oven to bring out their natural flavor and aroma.

Little lamb rib chops are delicious griddled or barbecued and served with skordalia—a Greek-style mashed potato, only much more. A good skordalia is garlicky, sharp, and tangy, with a texture that is slightly crunchy and creamy all at the same time. It tastes best at room temperature. Ask your butcher for French-trimmed chops.

First, make the skordalia. Preheat the oven to 325T (convection oven to 300°F). Put the garlic cloves on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven until soft and caramelized, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn up the oven up to 375°F (convection oven to 35o°F). Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool, then grind very coarsely using a mortar and pestle, or by pulsing in a blender.

In the meantime, peel and chop the potatoes and cook in salted boiling water until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Squeeze the soft garlic flesh out of the skins and add to the potato. Mash together until really smooth. Add the ground almonds, lemon zest and juice, a good pinch of salt, and a grinding of pepper. Stir to combine, then slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking as you do so. Check the seasoning.

To cook the lamb chops, preheat your grill, broiler, or griddle pan (oiling it lightly if necessary). Season the lamb chops generously on both sides. When hot, place the chops on the grill or griddle pan (or under the broiler) and cook for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2 minutes.

Place the lamb chops on warm plates and serve with the warm spinach and skordalia.

Spinach With Garlic, Lemon, And Chile

A Year In The Kitchen

Skye Gyngell

I love all vegetables (with the possible exception of okra), but spinach is the one that I am totally devoted to. To me, it is equally appealing eaten hot or at room temperature, and I often crave a

mouthful of its inky goodness. This side dish goes with many things, but I particularly like it with simple broiled white fish and pan-fried veal or chicken.

Serves 4

2 - 1/4 pounds spinach (preferably young leaves)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

½ medium fresh red chile, seeded and finely sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

juice of ¼ lemon

Wash your spinach really well in a couple of changes of cold water. If using young spinach, there is no need to remove the stems. If using bigger spinach leaves, cut out the slightly tough central stem. Shake the leaves dry.

Cook the spinach in several batches in a large saute pan over medium-high heat with just the water clinging to the leaves after washing until only just wilted, then drain in a colander to remove excess liquid. Wipe the pan dry.

Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium-high heat and add the garlic and chile. Tip the spinach into the pan and add a generous pinch of salt. Toss to mix—the spinach will look vibrant and glossy with its coating of olive oil.

Squeeze over the lemon juice and add a grinding or two of pepper. Serve immediately.