Memorial Day 2008

Wine

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top Champagne Brut
Dao Cabriz Portugal White Wine 2007
Whispering Dove 2002 Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (2 bottles)
Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Domaine La Bastide Syrah 2005



We started with a great new (to us) Champagne that Bea brought. It was delicious. At The Cheese Store of Silverlake we picked up a Roasted Cashew Pesto that we served as an appetizer. We also had some delicious Almonds.

For a first course we made Asparagus Pasta. We love this pasta in the spring when Asparagus is young. Asparagus, Brown Butter, Parmesan Cheese – what could be simpler?

We decided to grill steaks for Memorial Day. Once again we purchased Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steaks from Harvey Guss. After much discussion of how best to grill them, I proceeded to use the Webber Grill. I started the fire with Mesquite Wood and then added mesquite charcoal and spread them evenly across the bottom of the grill. I singed the steaks on one side and then cooked them with the Webber cover on to smoke them. I then flipped them and returned the cover. The steaks when served, were cooked rare and were not only delicious but extremely tender. Sometimes the grilling Gods are with you! They were this time! Bea had brought two bottles of Whispering Dove that we drank with the steak.

We made a Fava Bean Hash. Corina who has a wonderful neighborhood restaurant, Canele, had shared the recipe with us. It is a delicious recipe.

For dessert we had Lemon Bars from L.A. Bread. We know it is one of Kevin’s favorite.

We drank a lot of great wine with this dinner. Thanks to all!

Fava Bean Hash
=============
From Corina at Canele

Portions according to taste

Potatoes Quarter then Slice
Green Garlic – Confit it
Cipollini onions
Salt
Sauté all in ¼ olive oil

Add to Pan
========

Double shucked Fava beans
Chopped mint leaves
Cracked Picholine olives
Warm through and serve

The Termite Dinner

"Click" the arrow above to hear Shelley talk about cookies!

Wine:

Tobin James Liquid Love 2004 Late Harvest Zinfandel
Bourgogne Chardonnay 2005
Leal Merlot 2004 San Benito
Kosta Browne 2007 Pinot Noir
Domaine Laurens Brut
Guerila 2006 Pinela


Our neighbors Shelley and Dave love good food. They also have made their house be a great dinner for lots of termites. Talk about being eaten out of house and home! At any rate, they had to get their house tented and fumigated to kill the little buggers and we invited them to stay with us.

Shelley said she would like to cook us a dinner. She is great cook and we immediately took her up on it. I think it is the first time that anyone has come into our house and cooked a dinner for us. Cathy and I were sous-cheifs.

Billy and Kevin joined us for dinner. Billy, also a great cook promising to cook us Dungeness Crab, on his outdoor wok in the future. Just a subtle reminder.

Shelley started with a Cold and Creamy Avocado Soup with Crayfish. There was lots of dry Sherry in it! In fact there was lots of wine with this meal!

We then had Roasted Herb-crusted Salmon. There was a lot and we only left a tad. It was delicious. With the Salmon she served: Roasted Potato Wedges with Olive Oil, Rosemary and Bacon (my favorite seasoning) and Roasted Medley of Vegetables: Asparagus, Broccollini and Baby Carrots. There was an Orange-Dill Mayonnaise and a Parsley-Scallion Herbed Butter as toppings.

The next course was a Cheese Course of 4 cheeses: a 5 year aged Gouda, Morbier, Creamy Goat Cheese and a Potted and Pungent Triple Cream.

We then had Chocolate Chip Cookies that Shelley had made.

Finally we had a Dessert Wine.

It was an amazing night and luckily I didn’t have a hangover the next day!

Indian Food via Courtney

Wine: Orcella Orsus 2001 Garnacha

Courtney had brought us several Indian Sauces by Maya Kaimal. We decided to try two of them. They are great and make it possible to just open a jar add some ingredients and cook a fast easy meal. It reminds us of Nancy Silverton’s book: Twist of the Wrist. Easy / fast dinners with fresh ingredients and canned sauces.

We had purchased a large cauliflower at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market so that we could make Cauliflower Tandoori. The recipe that we used was very easy. Cut the Cauliflower up into little florets and stir in 1/4 cup Maya Kaimal Tandoori Paste and 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, salt and pepper. Place in a 500 degree oven for 10 to 25 minutes until tender. That’s it!

We used the Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala Sauce to make Chicken Tikki Masala. Cut up boneless / skinless chicken in 1 inch cubes. Saute in 1 tablespoon oil until lightly browned, add the full bottle of Tikka Masala and simmer for 30 minutes.

We made Saffron Rice to go with the two dishes.

At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market we tasted lots of different cherries. We finally found a seller that had cherries that we really liked. We decided to make Sautéed Cherries. I pitted them and then Cathy made a sauce from: Butter, Brown Sugar and Cognac. We added the cherries. Not the healthiest way to eat fruit, but boy was it good!

Thanks Courtney, the sauces were great!

Asparagus and Mango - Tastes of Spring

Wine: Cuilleron Vignier 2005

We made a very simple appetizer of Fresh Indian Alphonso Mango and Prosciutto. Our local Indian Market had received a shipment of Mangoes from India and they quickly ran out. Luckily I was able to buy some before they were all gone. We had purchased a hunk of Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake and I hand sliced some to go with the Mango - it was a great first course.


At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market I tried to buy some morel mushrooms. They were very hard to find this year and they only sold us a small bag. Cathy made a great butter and shallot sauce with the morels and we served them over asparagus. David at the market said that the area where they pick them is still covered with snow. Makes you wish for global warming so the snow would melt and we could get our mushrooms. Just kidding!

We made one of the great easy favorites: Asparagus Pasta. This is as simple as it gets and is delicious. I sure sign of spring. It reheats easily for quick leftovers! I really suggest you try this one.

For dessert we had Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. They are the best!

Asparagus Pasta
===============

1. Break Asparagus stalks where they naturally break towards the stem end
2. Wash and shave the stalks lightly if you wish
3. Cook the Asparagus for about 3 minutes in boiling water till just tender
4. Meanwhile brown butter in a small pan till bubbling and brown
5. Cook Pasta, we use a cork-screw pasta
6. Rinse Asparagus in cool water to stop cooking, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
7. Combine Asparagus, Brown Butter and Pasta in dish mix well
8. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese

Fava Bean Pasta

Wine:
Stefano Farina Barolo 2001
Saracina Mendocino Blanc Sauvignon Blanc 2003

Bea came over for dinner. At Lucques Restaurant we had a great salad and decided to make one like it for a starter. The Salad was made from Belgium Endive, We couldn’t decide on the correct Feta Cheese to use, so we used two different Feta cheeses (goat and sheep - both French) we added Pitted Black Olives and Pixie Orange slices. We made a lemon and olive oil dressing. It was great!

The main course was Fava Bean Pasta. This particular version was exceptionally good. Cathy sautéed the onions for an extra long time and they were extra sweet. Fava beans are best in spring when they are young. You have to buy a lot (4 to 5 pounds) then remove the beans from their pod. This can take an hour to do and is best done on the patio while drinking wine. The beans are then par boiled for a minute or so and given a second peeling to remove the skin. This is really an easy and extremely delicious pasta.

For dessert we had German Chocolate Cake.


Bacon and Fava Bean Pasta
========================

1 lb. Linguini
1 ½ Onions
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Pounds fresh Fava Beans (start with about 5 pounds pods)
½ Cup White Wine
½ Pound Bacon
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Hand full of fresh chopped sage

1. Prepare the fava beans by removing all beans from the pod. Then blanch beans for 1 minute. Then peel the skin from the blanched beans. Discard the skin.
2. Chop bacon and sauté but not too crisp
3. Remove bacon from pan, pour off bacon fat
4. Add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic till soft and translucent
5. Add wine, boil till almost all evaporates leaving ¼ cup of liquid left in pan
6. Using wooden spoon scrape and deglaze the pan retaining the brown bits from the bottom of the pan in the liquid
7. Add chopped sage, peeled beans, and bacon and sauté until hot
8. Toss with cooked pasta and add grated parmesan cheese

Serve and enjoy

Grilled Asparagus, Lentil Pasta

Wine:

Kosta Browne 2007 Rose of Pinot Noir
Newton 2002 Unfiltered Chardonnay

Bea joined us for dinner.

We had recently eaten at Osteria Mozza and had a wonderful starter that we wanted to replicate. It was Grilled Asparagus with Burrata Cheese, Brown Butter and Hazelnuts.

The interesting thing for us is that Nancy grilled the asparagus on her Panini Maker. We had never used it to grill vegetables. She said that you coat the asparagus in olive oil before grilling. We tried it and it worked! Make brown butter and add the hazelnuts to warm. The asparagus grilled with beautiful hash marks. It was very easy. Place the grilled asparagus on the serving plate, top with the Burrata brown butter with hazelnuts and sprinkle some sea salt. Delicious!

For the next course we had a lentil pasta that we love. We had picked up a large hunk of the end of a prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake and have been using pieces of it. We made a Pasta with Lentils and Prosciutto Sauce. It is delicious. It is from Cucina Simpatica by Johanne Killeen & George Germon. We highly recommend this dish!

For dessert we had Little Cakes from the Cake Monkey Bakery.

Pasta with Lentil and Prosciutto Sauce
================================

Ask your butcher for an end piece of prosciutto. Usually these pieces are less expensive, and they are fine for this sauce.

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1 large onion (4 to 5 ounces), peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
One 3-ounce piece prosciutto or pancetta, chopped (1/2 cup packed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (1 heaping cup) lentils ^
1 red onion
11/2 pounds imported spaghettini or linguine fini
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up

1. Heat the olive oil in a small heavy stockpot and add the celery, carrot, diced onion, garlic, jalapeno, red pepper, prosciutto, and salt. Gently saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and aromatic, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Add the lentils and 5 cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the lentils are soft but not mushy and falling apart, 18 to 22 minutes. The sauce may be completed to this point and chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. If you have refrigerated the sauce, heat it slowly over a low flame. Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in another large pot, and chop the red onion for garnish.
4. When the lentil sauce is hot, drop the pasta in the water and boil until it is still quite firm, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Drain the spaghettini in a colander, then add it to the sauce with the butter. Toss the pasta in the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes until al dente. Serve very hot, topped with the chopped red onion.
SERVES 6 AS A MAIN COURSE

Going Green

Wine:

Little James’ Basket Press Gigondas

We continue on our exploration of recipes from Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness. It is a very good cookbook. We really are enjoying the dishes. We hope to eat at Saran’s restaurant in New York City: Devi.

We made two new dishes. The first dish was Ground Turkey with Spinach and Whole Spices (Turkey-paalak ka keema). It is amazing we had never cooked with ground turkey before. I was surprised at our local market they actually sell two varieties of ground turkey: Ground Dark Meat, Ground White Meat. We of course, bought one of each! The dish has lots of spices, yogurt, spinach and dried fenugreek leaves (thank god for our local Indian Market). The fenugreek and spinach gives the dish a green color. It is very good, not hard to make and easily reheats.

For the second dish, we made Cardamon-Roasted Cauliflower adapted from American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen by Raquel Pelzel.
The cauliflower flowerets are roasted with lots of spices and onions. It is a very tasty dish! We had purchased a new mortar and pestle from American Masala. It is specially crafted to grind spices. It has a very wide Pestle that keeps the spices from popping out of the mortar. This was our first time to use it. It works!

We made rice to go with the dishes.

We really like the idea of learning how to cook a whole new cuisine.

We will make both of these dishes again.

For dessert we had Banana Cream Pie from Clementine. The bananas are appropriate for an Indian Dinner and the Cream was soothing after the spice of the Indian Cooking.



Cardamom-Roasted Cauliflower
=======================
Adapted from American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen by Suvir Saran with Raquel Pelzel (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, October 2007)
Serves 8
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking dish
3 cardamom pods
3 dried red chiles (optional)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 head of cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cored and broken into medium florets
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or large gratin dish with olive oil and set aside.
Using mortar and pestle, grind the cardamom pods, chiles, coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fine. Transfer the spices to a large bowl and mix with the olive oil. Add the cauliflower and onions and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a baking dish and roast until they’re tender, about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Spring Peas are Here!

Wine: Little James Basket Press – Gigondas

One of the best indications of the arrival of spring is the appearance of young fresh peas at The Hollywood Farmers Market. When they appear we quickly decide to make Risi-E-Bisi. It is a wonderful Italian dish that is like a cross between a risotto and a very thick soup. The key to making the dish is great peas. We purchased the peas on Sunday and shelled them. We then prepared the stock that we would use on Tuesday. We use the recipe from Giuliano Bugialli: Bugialli’s Italy.

For the Salad we had Burrata Cheese and Jamon Iberico, a cured ham from Spain that we picked up from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. We dressed the salad with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.

We then had the Risi-E-Bisi made with pea stock.

For dessert we had a Ginger Snap Cookie that are available at The Cheese Store of Silverlake. They are chewy and delicious!

Spring is here!



RISI E BISI
=========

Rice and Teas Venetian Style
Makes 6 servings

FOR THE BROTH:
1 pound snow peas or, if using fresh peas for the dish, 1 pound of the pods of the peas
16 cups cold water 1 medium-size carrot, scraped and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium-size stalk celery, cut into large pieces
1 very small clove garlic, peeled
5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
Coarse-grained salt

FOR THE RICE:
4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, in one piece
1 medium-size cipollotto (Venetian white onion) or yellow onion, cleaned
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size clove garlic (optional), peeled
15 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaxas only
1 pound very small, sweet fresh peas or frozen "tiny tender" peas, not defrosted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups raw short-grain rice, preferably Vialone or Italian Arborio
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sweet butter
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Sprigs fresh Italian parsley

Wash the snow peas or pea pods very well under cold running water. In a large pot bring the cold water to a boil with the snow peas or pods, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley over medium heat. While boiling, add coarse salt to taste, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 50 min¬utes. Strain the broth and discard all the vegetables.

Finely grind the pancetta or prosciutto in a meat grinder and coarsely chop the onion on a cutting board. Place the butter and olive oil in a medium-size casserole set over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the pancetta or prosciutto, onion, and garlic clove, if used. Sauté slowly for about 15 minutes, then add the parsley and mix very well, then add the fresh or still frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium, add 1 cup of the vegetable broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Pour in 7 ½ - 8 cups of the broth and when it reaches a boil, add the rice. Mix very well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 18 minutes. Be sure to have enough broth in the casserole for the rice to absorb to cook completely, with a tiny amount of liquid left; the final texture should be something between a real risotto and i thick bean soup. Remove the casserole from the heat, add the butter and cheese, and mix very veil. (Mantecare—to churn—is the word used to describe the movement of absorbing the butter ind the cheese into the rice.) Serve with the Italian parsley.

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
=========
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
=======================
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.

Last Meal Before Vacation

Wine:
La Bastide Dauzac 2000 Margaux
Valle Dell’ Acate Zagra Sicilia 2006
Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese 1998

This will be our FINAL dinner before our trip to Japan and India. To follow a blog of our trip click here.

Bea came over and brought some wonderful wine. We made a salad of Smoked Trout. For the dressing we use Crème Fresh, Lemon, Walnut Oil, Salt Pepper and horseradish.

Knowing that we would NOT be eating a lot of meat on our trip we made one of our favorites: Tendrons de Veau Le Cameleon (Braised Veal with Fresh Pasta). It is from a great cookbook: Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. We serve it over pasta and it is very rich and good.

For dessert, Shelley had given us Chocolate Truffles that she had made. They were delicious.

Soup for a Winter Day

It had been cold and raining in Los Angeles and Cathy found a great soup recipe in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. She modified the recipe slightly and it turned out to be a wonderful thick soup. Perfect for a rainy winter day!

Lentil-Sweet Red Pepper Soup with Cumin & Black Pepper Soup
===================================================
Modified by Cathy

For about 4 cups

2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 to ½ cup diced sweet red pepper
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ cup teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ cup finely diced carrot
¼ cup finely diced celery
¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
1 to 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 bay sprig of fresh flat-leaf chopped (stem and leaf)
1 cup lentils, preferably black or dark green French, picked over
4 to 4 ½ cups chicken stock
¼ pound bacon

Cathy sautéed the bacon, then removed the bacon reserving the fat in the pan.

Crush the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a mortar.
Saute the peppers and cumin and black pepper about 5 minutes until the peppers are softened. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add all vegetables, bay leaf and parsley and sauté until soft.

Add the lentils and about 3 cups of the stock or water. Bring to a simmer. Stir, and taste the liquid for salt. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered, barely simmering, until the lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat cover, and leave 5 minutes for the lentils to soften.

If you are going to puree or partially crush the lentils, do so now – it is most efficient to do this while the mixture is thick and dense, before you add the last of the liquid. We use an emersion blender to puree, right in the pan.

Add more liquid, in ½ cup doses, to bring the soup to the desired texture.
Tear up the bacon and add to the soup.

Simmer, taste for seasonings and serve.

Pasta and Chicken

Wine: (from Bea)

Domaine Stirn Alsace Grand Cru Brand Riesling 2002
Veladora Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Bea came over for dinner and brought some great wines. For the first course we had some more of the Bucatini all’Amatriciana. It made a delicious first course. The recipe is posted in our previous blog.

We then made one of our favorite chicken dishes: Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Breadcrumbs. It is roasted over potatoes, onions and garlic. The chicken is vey moist and the breadcrumb preserved lemons go great with it!

For dessert we had German Chocolate Cake from Perfectly Sweet.

It was a great dinner on a cold drizzly night.

Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons
===================================
Adapted from Laurent Tourondel
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

1 6 1/2- to 7-pound chicken
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) soft butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons finely diced onions, plus 2 large onions, sliced
1/4 cup finely diced preserved lemons (available at Middle Eastern markets and specialty food stores)
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
3 pounds unpeeled fingerling potatoes, cut in two lengthwise
8 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/4 cup olive oil.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a cleaver, chop wings from chicken at joint closest to breast; reserve.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, one tablespoon rosemary, diced onions, lemons and bread crumbs to form a thick paste. Using your fingers, separate skin from breast of chicken, and slather mixture under skin about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle skin liberally with salt.
3. Place wings in a roasting pan, and place chicken on top. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining rosemary, the potatoes, garlic, sliced onions, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix well and add to pan around chicken. Roast, occasionally basting chicken and tossing potatoes, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife at joint of leg, about 1 1/2 hours. Carve and serve each portion with some seasoned skin and potatoes and onions.
Yield: 6 servings.

Coconut Bread Pudding
Adapted from Laurent Tourondel
Time: 45 minutes plus one hour's resting

6 large eggs
1 1/8 cups sugar, more for topping dish
2 cups heavy cream
1 13 1/2-ounce can coconut milk
2 tablespoons dark rum
10 slices challah or sliced brioche, 1/3.-inch thick.

1. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine eggs and 1 1/8 cups sugar. Mix until smooth. In a small pan, bring cream to a boil. With mixer running at medium-low speed, slowly add hot cream. Add coconut milk and rum, and mix again just until smooth. Allow mixture to rest at room temperature for one hour.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a kettle with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil. In an 8 1/2-by-12-inch baking dish, arrange challah slices so they overlap in two columns. Pour custard evenly over top, and press down lightly with a spatula. Place dish in a large, deep pan, like a roasting pan. Carefully pour in boiling water so that it comes about halfway up the sides of baking dish. Bake until custard is set but not too firm, 30 to 35 minutes.
3. Sprinkle liberally with sugar, and caramelize it with a kitchen torch or by placing it under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve, scooping out individual portions.
Yield: 8 servings.