Zuni Chicken

Shumon and Tom joined us for dinner. We made my ALL-TIME Number 1 chicken dish: Zuni Chicken. If you are ever in San Francisco go to Zuni Cafe and eat it! If you are in Los Angeles try to convince us to make it for you! It is that good. It is a combination of the smoky chicken served over a warm bread salad that is so inspiring. Even writing about it, I can taste it! Yum!

You can get the recipe by clicking this link: Zuni Chicken.

We started with drinks on the patio followed by a Nectarine Salad with Burrata and Hazelnuts. We had Chocolate Cake from Proof Bakery (naturally) for dessert. It was a great dinner!

Bangla Food

Tom came over while Scott was away in Taiwan. Shumon cooked Bengali food for us. He cooked my favorite Indian food: Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower) , Raita and Chicken Curry. No recipes, all from his mom through his heart and memories. It was delicious!

Grilled Scallops

Bacon is my favorite seasoning. We made this delicious recipe from the Grilled Scallops with Warm Leek, and Bacon  Salad from The Food of Campanile by Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton. This was a great preparation of scallops. I want to make this dish again. As long as I was grilling I grilled some peppers and made: Signora Bimbi's Peppers. This was a great side to serve with the scallops. It is from The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Once the peppers are made they can stay in the refrigerator for several weeks. The recipe can be found in our blog of: May 19, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Grilled Scallops with Warm Leek, and Bacon Salad

The Food of Campanile

Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton

Serves   4

The smokey flavor of the bacon and the sweetness of the leeks are the perfect complement to the flavor of grilled fresh scallops. The textures of the chewy bacon and the soft scallops contrast wonderfully as well. Fresh scallops should be firm, translucent, and have the distinct scent of the sea. If the scallops are parchment white, flabby, and lacking any scent, they have been soaked in a chemical bath, which adds to the weight and shelf life, but not the quality.

1-1/2 pounds sea scallops

1         tablespoon vegetable oil Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1         tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces bacon, thick-cut slices cut into lardons

2       large leeks, well washed and trimmed, split, and cut into julienne

¼      cup Chicken Stock

2         tablespoons whole grain mustard Fresh lemon juice

Have   ready

The Chicken Stock, warm, in a small saucepan over low heat

Soak twelve 6-inch wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes.

Start a fire in the grill and allow it to burn to medium-high temperature.

Clean the scallops, removing the small ligament on the side of each scallop. The scallops should be skewered through the sides, so the flat surfaces line up and come in even contact with the grill. You need to use two 6-inch wooden skewers to hold each group of 5 or 6 scallops, to prevent them from rotating on the skewer. Brush both sides of the scallops with vegetable oil, and season them lightly with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a large saute pan, over low heat, render the fat from the bacon lardons, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and * remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, discarding all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Drain the bacon on absorbent paper and reserve.

Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the tablespoon of bacon fat in the large saute pan, and preheat over medium heat, but not to smoking. Add the leeks, season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper, and saute about 2 to 3 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, stir, and continue to saute for 2 minutes longer. Add the Chicken Stock, stir, and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the mustard, and stir to mix thoroughly. Correct the seasoning to taste with kosher salt, black pepper, and fresh lemon juice, and keep warm.

Grill the skewered scallops over medium-high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Divide the warm leeks and bacon evenly among 4 large, warm plates. Remove the scallops from the skewers, place them on the leeks and bacon, and serve immediately.

Strange Lettuce

We ran into Robert and Darryl at the Hollywood Farmer's Market. They pointed out a lettuce that I have never seen before. They said it was delicious. I think it was hilarious to look at. It was perfectly round in shape with leaves that were identical in size. It reminded me of a green wig for Curly in the Three Stooges. We bought it and made a Salad with Tomato, Burrata Cheese, and Prosciutto. The salad was delicious. Thanks to Robert and Darryl for the tip!

Haricots Verts Salad and Mushroom Risotto

There is a short time in the market when Haricots Verts are in season. These thin green beans are delicious. We always make Haricots Verts Salad with Prosciutto, Walnuts, and  Mustard  Vinaigrette from The Food of Campanile

By Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton. God we miss the restaurant. It was the seen of many, many memorable dinners. I love mustard based salad dressing and this one has a kick!

We made a Mushroom Risotto to go with the salad. We love the earthiness of this dish and have made it many times. You can get the recipe from our blog of April 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Haricots Verts  Salad  with  Prosciutto, Walnuts,  and  Mustard  Vinaigrette

The Food of Campanile

Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton

Serves   4

Little green beans are so very French, especially mixed with walnuts and a Dijon vinaigrette. The prosciutto could be replaced with jambon depays for a truly authentic French experience. This would be a perfect salad to lead into a dinner of roasted chicken, or it could be ideal for lunch with a lightly chilled rose.

1         pound haricots verts

1         cup walnut halves

3         large shallots, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced (3 tablespoons)

½         cup Mustard Vinaigrette

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper 8 to 12 very thin slices prosciutto (4 ounces)

Have  ready

The Mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Trim the haricots verts at the stem end only, retaining the finely pointed tips. In a large stockpot, bring approximately 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water.

Blanch the trimmed haricots verts in a fine-mesh, stainless-steel strainer in the boiling water for 8 to-10 minutes. They should be cooked through, but still firm. Remove the strainer of blanched haricots verts from the stockpot and plunge it into the ice water for about 2 minutes; allow it to drain, and pat the beans dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Spread the walnut halves on a baking pan and toast in the oven about 5 minutes, stirring with a spatula halfway through. Take care not to brown the walnuts, as it will produce a bitter flavor. Remove the walnuts from the oven and set aside.

Combine the cooked green beans, toasted walnuts, and the sliced shallots in a large mixing bowl. Add the Mustard Vinaigrette and toss gently but thoroughly. Correct the seasoning to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.

Divide the salad equally among 4 large salad plates. Arrange 2 or 3 slices of prosciutto around the beans and serve immediately.

Mustard Vinaigrette

Yields 1-1/2 cups

This is more forceful than a basic red wine vinaigrette. The mustard and the garlic give it extra vibrancy, and the lemon adds a clean, fruity element that contrasts with the zest of the mustard. At Campanile we use both extra-virgin olive oil and simple vegetable oil, such as almond or safflower oil, to produce a lighter flavor than if we were to use olive oil exclusively. For some reason that has never been fully clear to us, plain vegetable oil emulsifies better than extra-virgin olive oil. Incorporating the vegetable oil before the olive oil will reduce the likelihood that this, and all emulsified vinaigrettes, will separate. Vinaigrettes such as this are better suited to salads made of greens with a hearty structure, such as romaine, or a sharp flavor, such as arugula. Delicate greens, like mache or mesclun, would be overwhelmed by this dressing. The vinaigrette will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

1         extra-large egg yolk at room temperature

1         large garlic clove, peeled and minced (1 teaspoon)

¼         cup whole grain mustard

Juice from 1 lemon (4 tablespoons)

1/3         cup red wine vinegar

½         cup vegetable oil

½         cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Add the vegetable oil in a slow trickle, whisking continuously until all the oil is incorporated. Repeat the procedure with the olive oil. Correct the seasoning to taste. To taste for the correct seasoning, spoon a little of the dressing over a few greens. Taste the greens and adjust the seasoning as necessary, with kosher salt and black pepper. Refrigerate, covered, and use as needed.

Roast Chicken

What is better than a roasted chicken? This is a great recipe for a roasted chicken with a Singapore twist. We met the author in Bali and bought her cookbook. The recipe is called: Whole Roasted Chicken in Tamarind Butter Sauce, it is from The Spice Merchant’s Daughter by Christina Arokiasamy.

We started with some Leftover Pasta and then had a Tomato and Burrata Salad. I, probably not wisely, but intensely love Chicken Skin. This one was perfectly crusty and delicious!

Whole Roasted Chicken in Tamarind Butter Sauce

From The Spice Merchant’s Daughter by Christina Arokiasamy

My mother was celebrated for her roasted chicken, which was tender and flavorful right to the bone. She first made this recipe for one of our regular customers at our spice stall and soon enough could hardly keep up with the orders. I enjoyed standing beside her as she made it, watching the palm sugar, butter, and tamarind as they caramelized. In this recipe, we never used the reserved juices from the pan as the tamarind sauce was so delicious on its own. However, you may serve the reserved sauce on the side if you wish. Just before
serving, my mother would sprinkle in a handful of fried chiles for an extra kiss of flavor. serves 6         »

Chicken

2 TEASPOONS CORIANDER SEEDS

4 STAR ANISE

ONE 4-INCH CINNAMON STICK

2 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED

'A CUP SOY SAUCE

ONE 41/2- TO 5-POUND WHOLE CHICKEN

Sauce

1 TABLESPOON UNSALTED BUTTER

1/2 CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS TAMARIND LIQUID

2 TABLESPOONS FISH SAUCE
1/4 CUP SOY SAUCE

½  CUP PALM SUGAR SYRUP (OR BROWN SUGAR

1/2 TEASPOON CAYENNE

Tammarind Liquid

MAKES 2 CUPS

Put half of a 14-ounce block of tamarind in a medium bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups hot water and allow the tamarind to sit for 10 minutes to soften. Using your fingers, squeeze the tamarind block (like you would squeeze a sponge) until the pulp separates from the seeds and dissolves in the water. Strain the tamarind liquid into a medium bowl. Discard any seeds and pulp that have not dissolved. The strained tamarind liquid should be reddish brown. Store tamarind liquid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Palm Sugar Syrup

MAKES 1 CUP

To facilitate using a small amount of palm sugar at a time, make liquid palm sugar by cooking an 8-ounce block of palm sugar in 1 ½ cups water over medium heat until melted, without stirring. The syrup is ready when large bubbles appear on the surface. Let it cool before pouring it into a glass jar. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. You may substitute Lyle 's Golden Syrup (available at gourmet markets) or brown sugar for palm sugar, although the taste will not be as mellow

To prepare the marinade, put the coriander, star anise, and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Set aside to cool.

Put the toasted spices, garlic, and soy sauce in a food processor or mini-chopper. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over the chicken, rubbing inside and out with the spices. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours,
preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the chicken on a rack, reserving the marinade, and then place the rack on top of a baking pan. Fill the pan with 1/2 inch of water.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting the chicken with the reserved marinade every 20 minutes.

Roast for 30 minutes longer without basting, until the juices run clear when you prick the thigh with a fork. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

While the chicken is resting, put a saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, tamarind liquid, fish sauce, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the palm sugar syrup and cayenne, stirring gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, until the sauce is deep reddish brown in color and slightly thickened.

Carve the chicken, arrange the pieces on a platter, and pour the sauce over them.

Skate

McCall’sMeat and Fish was selling skate. Cathy especially likes it. We used the recipe for Sauteed Skate with Brown Butter, Haricots Verts, and Hazelnuts from TheBalthazar Cookbook by McNally, Nasr, Hanson. We really like this cookbook. The recipes are all excellent. We have made a lot of them. The most wonderful thing about this dish to me was that the final serving of the skate looked absolutely identical to the picture in the book. I definitely want to make this again!

The bottom-feeding skate is a humble fish with a clean taste and sturdy flesh. This recipe calls for a classic brown-butter sauce, as well as a sprinkling of hazelnuts, which enhances the already nutty flavor of the dish. As always when buying fish, seek out firm flesh with no ammonia-like odor.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/3      cup hazelnuts

1         pound haricots verts, stemmed

6         tablespoons olive oil

12       shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1-1/4   teaspoons salt

1/3      cup Wondra flour

6  skate fillets

12       teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12       tablespoons (1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2         tablespoons sherry vinegar

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Spread the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or just until the nuts give off a pleasant aroma. Remove from the oven, roughly chop, and set aside.

Prepare an ice-water bath in a large howl and bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender. Strain, then submerge the beans in the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Strain again and set aside in the pot used to cook them.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over a low flame. Add the shallots and cook, without browning, for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft. Remove from the heat and add to the reserved haricots verts. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and toss.

The fish will be cooked in three batches, using a nonstick saute pan. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Season the whiter side of the skate fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then dredge that side in the flour, tapping off the excess. Over a high flame, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the saute pan until it smokes. Add 2 skate wings to the pan, floured side down, and shake the pan so that the hot oil spreads and surrounds the fish (the oil will pool in the pan). Cook for 1-1/2 minutes, turn, and cook the second side for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set the cooked fish aside on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining fish, adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan each time before adding the next fillets. Begin to reheat the haricots verts and shallots over a low flame.

When all the fish is cooked, keep the flame high and add the butter to the pan. The butter will melt, foam, then begin to brown. When it does, add the vinegar, reserved toasted hazelnuts, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool for 1 minute and remove from the heat.

Serve the skate over the haricots verts and spoon 2 tablespoons of brown butter over each fillet.

Thai Scallops in Yellow Curry

When we were recently in Bangkok Thailand we stayed at the Sukhothai Hotel. It is a wonderful luxury hotel - our official go to hotel in Bangkok. The food there was so exceptional that we never left the hotel to eat! One night we had Lobster in Red Curry, then next night we had Lobster in Yellow Curry. We loved them both. I wanted to eat those dishes in Los Angeles. Interestingly we realized that with all of the Thai restaurants in Los Angeles there isn’t a high-end Thai Restaurant in Los Angeles that could make the recipes we wanted.

We finally found a recipe in the book: Thai Food by David Thompson. Unfortunately there was a major problem: the recipe calls for Coriander (Cilantro) Root. When you buy Cilantro in a market you purchased the snipped off leaves, you don’t get the root. We asked Preech the Thai chef at Jar Restaurant about cilantro root, and he said it isn’t available fresh but can be found in some Thai Market’s freezer. I went to a couple of Thai markets, and finally found the frozen roots. We were good to go. It got better! We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and at an Asian stall we actual found fresh Cilantro, roots and all. We were ready to cook.

Thais often use Red Rice. It is very crunchy. We had never cooked it before. When I washed the rice I noticed that it has very little starch. We cooked it in our Rice Cooker I used the appropriate amount of water for brown rice. The rice was a little dry and we added additional water at the end to get the correct consistency. I now know exactly how much to use. We substituted scallops for lobster for this first attempt at yellow curry. It was great! We will make it again, we also plan to make Red Curry from the same cookbook.

SOUTHERN-STYLE CURRY OF MUD CRAB

gengguwa malayu

Thai Food

David Thompson

This curry is quite common in the south of Thailand, and shares many qualities with Malaysian curries.

Any fish - especially the long, silver-skinned ribbon fish - is used there, but scallops or clams are also very good. Although traditionally there is no vegetable garnish in this curry, I think 'betel' leaves, pickled mustard greens or some sour fruit, like santol or langsart, are delicious inclusions.

1     large live mud crab - about (2-3 lb)

1     cup coconut milk

2     cups stock or water

1     tablespoons white sugar

3     tablespoons fish sauce

2     tablespoons tamarind water handful of torn 'betel' leaves – optional

1     cup coconut cream

5     kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

paste

6     dried long red chillies, deseeded, soaked and drained

large pinch of salt

2     teaspoons scraped and chopped coriander root

5     tablespoons chopped lemongrass

3     tablespoons chopped red shallot 3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1     tablespoon chopped red turmeric

1     tablespoon shrimp paste (gapi)

First, make the paste

Kill the crab humanely, and rinse off any mud or dirt. Then remove the top of its shell, scrape out any tomalley or roe and chop the crab into bite-size pieces.

Bring coconut milk and stock to the boil and simmer until the liquid has slightly separated - only a matter of moments. Season with sugar, fish sauce and tamarind water, and add 3 tablespoons of the paste. Simmer for a minute before adding the crab and 'betel' leaves. Continue to simmer until cooked. Check seasoning: it should be salty and sour. Finish with coconut cream and serve sprinkled with lime leaves.

Salmon Patties

Shumon joined us for dinner. We started with a wonderful salad: little gem lettuce with dates, red onion, and gorgonzola dolce from TheMozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina. We served it on a platter and ate every last leaf. It is a great salad. This is the first year we have used little gem lettuce. The lettuce is crispy and reminds me of a dwarf romaine lettuce.

For the main course we made Salmon Patties out of the salmon that I had previously smoked. You can find the recipe for the Salmon and Dill Fish Cakes from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater on our blog of: June 4, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

little gem lettuce with dates, red onion, and gorgonzola dolce

The Mozza Cookbook

Silverton Molina

for the dressing

10         ounces Gorgonzola dolce

2         tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Spanish sherry vinegar

2         cups strained whole-milk

Greek yogurt

¼         cup buttermilk

2         teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

2         teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

4         large garlic cloves, grated

1         tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

½         teaspoon fresh coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste

for the salad

12 to 18 1/2-inch-thin slices of red onion

3         heads Little Gem lettuce or 1 head iceberg lettuce, quartered, or 3 small hearts of romaine

3         Medjool dates, pits removed

1         teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Fresh coarsely ground black pepper

My two favorite salads in the world are a properly prepared Caesar salad and an iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing, neither of which have any place in an Italian restaurant. Just as I sneaked the Caesar salad in under the guise of a tricolore, here I disguised the iceberg wedge sufficiently so that my customers don't realize that I'm serving a wedge salad, an American classic, in a Pizzeria. I don't know where I got the idea to throw the dates on the salad, but the contrast of their sweetness with the pungent Gorgonzola really makes this.

SERVES 4 T6 6

To make the dressing, combine 6 ounces of the Gorgonzola and the vinegar in a medium bowl and mash them together with a whisk until the cheese is smooth. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper, and use the whisk to stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt, or pepper, if desired. Break the remaining Gorgonzola into small pieces into the bowl and stir gently with a rubber spatula to incorporate the chunks into the dressing but not so much that they become smooth.

To prepare the salad, place the onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Remove the rough outer leaves from the lettuce and cut off and discard the rough caps at the bottom of the cores, leaving the heads intact. Starting at the core, cut each head of lettuce in half lengthwise. If you are making four individual salads, spoon 1/4 cup of the dressing on each of four plates; otherwise, spoon 1 cup of the dressing in the center of a long platter and use the back of a spoon to spread the dressing along the length of the platter. One by one, spoon 2 tablespoons of the dressing over each half head, using the back of the spoon to spread it along the cut sides of the lettuce halves, leaving the edges of the heads visible. As you dress the halves, place them face up on the dressed plates, as the dressing on the plates will help keep the lettuce in place. For individual salads, place one lettuce head half, cut side up, on each plate. To build the salad on a platter, place the lettuce head halves along the length of the platter backgammon style, with one fac­ing one direction and the one next to it facing the other direction. Tear the dates into thin strips and scatter the strips over the salad(s). Drain the onion slices, pat them dry with paper towels, and scatter over the salad(s). Sprinkle the thyme and coarsely grind pepper over the salad(s), and serve.

Smoked Salmon

We hadn’t used the Egg for awhile and decided to smoke a salmon in it. We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon in Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz. You can get the recipe in our blog of: January 15, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the smoked salmon we served another favorite: Fennel, cherry tomato and crumble gratin from Ottolenghi The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi Sami Tamimi. We love this dish! The sweetness of the crust combined with the fragrance of the fennel is magic! You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 24, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.

We also made Roast potato salad with rosemary and garlic from Tender by Nigel Slater. I love the taste of the mustard vignette on the roasted potatoes. It really shows through and gives the crunchy potatoes an extra kick. You can get the recipe on our blog of: June 2, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Chicken and Fig

When figs come into the market, we often make Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey & Vinegar. The recipe is from The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. We always serve it with Couscous. It is absolutely a great recipe. We love it! You can find the recipe in our blog of: June 27, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a salad of Prosciutto, Nectarines and Almonds.