Family Reunion

Wine
Washington State Syrah courtesy of Hope and Arnie
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille” Sparkling Red Wine NV
Bugey Cerdon Elabore par elie et Alain Renardat NV


We had met Michael and Tamara in Santa Fe where we went to the Opera and enjoyed the city. We then all flew back to Los Angeles. On Sunday we had my Sister Mina and Sharon and Cousins Hope and Arnie over for a dinner.

We asked Chris at The Cheese Store of Silverlake to make up a cheese platter for us. When we picked it up it was beautiful, with many cheeses, sausage, fruits, bread and olives. When we went to pay, he told us it was a gift to a loyal customer. It was very un-expected and appreciated by us. It tasted great and was delicious.

Earlier that day we had purchased fresh white nectarines from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and made a salad of: Nectarines, Almonds, Lettuce, and Prosciutto dressed with Saba.

For the main course, I had purchased Aged Porterhouse Steaks from Harvey Gus Meats. The steaks are always delicious! They were extremely tender and tasty with both the taste of the grill and the aging making them wonderful. I tried a different idea for the doneness of the steaks. There were a lot of different requests from blood rare to medium well done. Usually I grill the more done steaks longer, taking the rarer ones off first. This time I put the more well done steak on first grilled it on both sides for a few minutes then added the other steaks. The advantage was that all steaks were done at the same time. It is an easier way to do it. Always learning!

Corina owns the best restaurant in the Silver Lake area: Canele. We asked her if she could make Pommes Anna for us to serve. It is on her menu and is a favorite side dish of ours. She prepared them and we picked them up, they only needed to be reheated.

For dessert we served Apple Pie that we had purchased from Clementine.

It was a dinner that was relatively easy to present because we had purchased so many of the items. The trick was to select only the best, and be able to serve it. It was great having all of the family over. We also have some great leftovers -always an extra bonus.

Birthday Tomato-a-Thon

Wine:

La Dive Du Pape 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2006 Estate Rose from Pinot Noir
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille” Sparkling Red Wine NV
Bugey Cerdon Elabore par elie et Alain Renardat NV


Tomatoes finally arrived at the market! We decided to make a tomato based dinner. Kevin and Bill wanted to play Mah Jong, so we decided to cook a dinner at our house and then play. Saturday was Cliff’s birthday and we had made reservations at Matsuhisa to celebrate, however we canceled and decided to cook.

For a first course we made a Salmon Spread we really like. It is very simple, Smoked Salmon, cut in small pieces, chopped onion, chopped capers, some lemon juice and crème fraiche to bind. I went to India Sweet and Spice and bought some Naan that we heated to serve with it.

We have found the perfect summer wine. Bugey Cedon. It is a bubbly rose wine. We served two different bottles with the dinner. The “La Cueille” is sweeter. They both are great fun, and with a low alcohol content. If you have never had a bottle of Bugey you should try it. We were first introduced to it last year at Campanile.

It was a very warm day and we had the salmon on the patio as we drank the Bugey ad watched the sun set.

We then had one of my favorite soups: Pappa al Pomodoro from a recipe from Italian Country Cookbook by Rogers and Gray. A great thick tomato based soup!

We then had a second dish from the same cookbook: Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar. It is very rich pasta and just great. You would swear it had a meat sauce. A perfect vegetarian pasta!

For desert we made a Fig Upside Down Cake. Figs are in season and this is a wonderful cake. This recipe was given to us by our friends in Napa: Joy and Brenda.

We then played Mah Jong and had a great night.

Below are 3 great recipes! Perfect for summer!


Pappa al Pomodoro
=================
From: Rogers and Gray: Italian Country Cookbook

Serves 10 (but leftovers are so good, serves 2 - 5 times)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
¼ cup Olive Oil
9 pounds ripe sweep tomatoes, peeled and seeded, or 4 ½ pounds canned plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 loaves stale bread, we use La Brea loaves
1 large bunch fresh basil
extra-virgin olive oil

Put the garlic and olive oil into a heavy saucepan and cook gently for a few minutes. Just before the garlic turns brown, add the tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes become concentrated. Season with salt and pepper, then add 2 ½ cups water and bring to a boil.

Day before, cut most of the crust off of the bread and break or cube in large chunks to allow it to get stale.

When soup is ready, Put the bread into the tomatoes mixture and stir until the bread absorbs most of the liquid, adding more boiling water if the soup is too thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. If the basil leaves are large, tear into pieces. Stir into the soup with ½ to ¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil. Let the soup sit before serving to allow the bread to absorb the flavor of the basil and oil.

Serve in bowls and add a dollop of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top.




Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar
======================================
From: Rogers and Gray: Italian Country Cookbook

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
1 handful fresh basil
1 – 28 ounce can peeled plum tomatoes (we used fresh heirloom tomatoes, of course!)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces penne pasta
8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, at least 10 years old
6 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
1 heaped cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in large pan and gently sauté the garlic slivers until lightly browned.
Add a few of the basil leaves and then the tomatoes. Stir and cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes, until reduced to a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the remaining basil.

Cook the pene in salted water, drain thoroughly, and return the pasta to the sauce pan along with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the balsamic vinegar and toss over gentle hear for a few seconds until the penne has turned brown in color.

The in a handful of grated cheese, and finally stir in the tomato sauce. Serve with more cheese.


Fig Upside-Down Cake
====================

---------
1/3 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
5 – 6 (or more) ripe figs cut lengthwise into ½ inch slices
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
----------
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons backing powder
½ teaspoon salt
----------
1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 egg

Pour melted butter into bottom of 8-inch-square baking pan.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over bottom of pan
Arrange fig slices in single layer over bottom of pan (cut side down!)..
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons pine nuts into spaces around figs pressing into brown sugar.
Set aside.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Add softened butter, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping side of bowl. Stir in remaining pine nuts.
Pour over figs in baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until cake tests done in center.
Cool in pan about 5 minutes.
Loosen cake around edges of pan.
Place serving platter over cake and turn over.
Shake gently, then remove pan.

We modified the recipe by mixing all pine nuts into batter. Also, instead of slicing figs in slices, we simply sliced in half.

Japanese Plates Part 2

Wine: Marina Cvetic Montepulciano S. Martino Rosso – 2003

This was the first dinner where we got to use our new Shigaraki dinner plates.

We started with a salad made from the last of the fresh Blenheim Apricots of this season. Besides being great tasting they are easy to pit!. To the salad we added Prosciutto and Almonds. We used Saba as the dressing.

We made a great vegetarian pasta. It is very easy and good. It is from a cookbook by Mark Bittman, The Minimalist Cooks at Home. He names the recipe: Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon). We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and bought some great fresh zucchini. The Parmesan cheese was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

Here is the recipe for the pasta.

Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon)
=====================================================

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 or 4 or more small zucchini washed, trimmed, and cut into slices 1/8 to ¼ inch thick
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
½ cup roughly chopped mint, parsley or basil (we use fresh basil)


1. Salt water and bring to boil

2. Place olive oil in 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium high heat.
Add zucchini, cook stirring occasionally, until very tender and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper.

3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and ½ cup of the Parmesan together.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender but firm. When it is done, drain it and combine it immediately with the egg-cheese mixture, tossing until the egg appears cooked. Taste add more salt or pepper if necessary.

4. Toss in the herb and serve immediately, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.

Very easy! Very Good!

New Japanese Plates Part 1

Wine: Marina Cvetic Montepulciano S. Martino Rosso – 2003

When in Japan we went to a region near Kyoto called Shiaraki where there are lots of potters. They make a special kind of pottery also called: Shigaraki. We went to the studio of Otani Shiro. We saw a climbing kiln, which is made of several kilns that are connected running up a hill. Thus the heat from one is transferred to the next. A potter named Satoshi Arakawa showed us some plates that we liked and we decided to order them. They arrived and this was our first dinner we made using them. For this dinner we only used the salad plates, dinner plates will be used for the next dinner we cook. We really like the look and feel of the plates. It makes it very special to have met the artist and visited the kiln where they were made.

For a first course we made Zuni Caesar Salad from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is a great Caesar. One of the nice aspects of the Zuni salad is that you get to eat the salad with your fingers. Yum.

For the main course we make Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. We love the taste of Moroccan Food, especially the olives and preserved lemons. The chicken was delicious.

We made Moroccan Rice with Bell Peppers from the same South African company that we used in the last couple of dinners. This is the first time we tried this Rice. We didn’t like the consistency of the rice and won’t be using it again.

Corn Pasta

Wine

Cambria Rose Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2005
Chateau Rayssac 1804 Cabardes

It is very warm in Los Angeles and we decided to eat on the deck. It was a very clear day and we could see to the ocean.

We started with Melon and Prosciutto. We had purchased the melon at the Hollywood Farmer’s market. Finally the were starting to get some good ones! Once again the prosciutto was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We then made one of our favorite summer treats: Corn Pasta. It is from The Zuni Café Cookbook. This is about as easy as it gets, and is very delicious. The trick is to have good fresh sweet ears of corn. We used 12 ears. This will serve at least 8, lots of leftovers for us!

Corn Pasta
==========
12 Ears of Corn – peel the corn and using a sharp knife cut off the kernels into a bowl
2 – 3 oz pancetta minced
2 sticks unsalted butter
A trickle of water
6 fresh sage leaves chopped
1 pound fettuccine
Freshly grated black pepper
Salt
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook the pancetta in a few tablespoons of butter over medium low heat
When it has browned slightly on the edges, and is starting to sizzle turn off the heat.
Add a few drops of water to cool the pan and stir, then add a few more tablespoons of butter, the sage and a few grinds of black pepper. Swirl the pan, then leave the aromatics to infuse the melting butter.

Cook the pasta.
While pasta is cooking turn heat under pan with pancetta to medium add 6 to 8 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is nearly melted add the uncooked corn, stir, and cook until heated thru. Taste for salt.

If the corn seams dry add a trickle of the water the pasta was heated in. Add some or all of the remaining butter to taste. Reduce to low.

When the pasta is cooked, drain well then toss with the corn. Serve with the grated Parmigianino.

We always save a cup or so of the water the pasta cooked in, to add to the mixture as required, when we re-heat the pasta.

Indian Night with Fireworks

Wine:

Santomas Koper Malvasia Slovinia2004
Bugey Cerdon Rose Sparkling Wine NV
Amber Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Karly 2005 Amador County Orange Muscat


We decided to cook another Indian dinner. We are reading lots of Indian novels and watching loads of Bollywood movies. In addition we are trying to learn to speak Hindi from Pimsler Language CD's. All of this is in preparation for our trip to India next year.

If you want read some great novels about India (all available from Amazon), we really have enjoyed:

A Suitable Boy
Shantaram
Sacred Games

For Bollywood Movies from Netflix try:

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Rang De Basanti
Dil Se
Fanaa

Billy had hurt him self hiking so we haven’t been playing Mah Jong for a few weeks. We decided to invite Billy and Kevin over hoping he would be well enough to play. After all, building a Tile wall takes a lot of work. In addition, Billy alerted us that there were fireworks at Echo Park in honor of The Lotus Festival. We figured we could eat first and then drive over and watch the fireworks.

It was a warm night and we ate outside. We started with appetizers of a great
Date Fig Nut Bar we purchased from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. In addition we hade some Sausage we had purchased from them. They were selling a new (at least to us) Blue Cheese Spread from the Farmstead Cheese Company of Point Reyes. It was very tangy and nice. We will definitely get it again.

For the main course we made 3 different dishes that were all easy to make, in-fact we started cooking at 5:30 and were ready to serve at 6:30. From The Cheese Store we picked up a great rice from South Africa. They have several different flavors and we used the Sun-Dried Tomato Breyani Rice from Cape Malay. The brand is called Spice and all things nice.

At Gelson’s Market they have Indian Sauces in the cold deli. The company is named: Maya Kaimal. We bought the Vindeloo and the Tikka Masala. We made Chicken Vindeloo by simply cutting fresh chicken breasts and sauting in Clarified Butter then adding the Vindeloo sauce! Nothing else! We had a cauliflower, we broke it into small floret’s and steamed for a few minutes, not letting them get to soft. We then added them to the Tikka Masala sauce and heated creating a great Tikka Masala Cauliflower. It was all delicious and spicy! We served it with the rice. It proves if you have good ingredients you can assemble a dinner quite fast!

It was a great easy Indian dinner! We also had several different importedChutney’s and Pickles from India Sweet and Spice that we served with the dinner. In addition, while we were at IS&S we purchased Nan Flat Bread that was in their cold deli. We reheated the Nan and it was wonderful. Better than pita bread.

In addition to the Indian food, Billy had made Bar-b-q ribs! He brought them over and we served them with the dinner. They were great!

We drove over to the fireworks, got there just in time and watched the show. We then returned to our house.

For desert we had a Coconut Cake from Lark Bakery that just opened in Silver Lake. I am sure they will improve in time. Kevin and Bill had brought a great dessert wine.

Billy was by then feeling ready to play some Mah Jong, which of course he won!

India Rising

Wine: Chateau St Jean de la Gineste 2006 Corbieres Rose de la St Jean


We apparently are in our “Lets Make Indian Food” phase. We started with a non-Indian Salad made with Blenheim Apricots, Saba, Prosciutto, Pistachios. It is a very easy salad to make.

For the main course we grilled a Tandoori Chicken. The breasts needed to be marinated in the Tandoori sauce for 24 a minimum of 24 hours. The sauce is easy to make. We purchased Nomu Indian Rub from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. Just add yogurt and apply to the chicken. The sauce is then scraped off and the chicken is grilled.

With the chicken we served Indian Rice with Cashews, Raisins. From The Cheese Store we picked up a great rice from South Africa. They have several different flavors and we used the Sun-Dried Tomato Breyani Rice. The brand is called Spice and all things nice.

After dinner we then watched a Bollywood Movie. The movie is a semi-historical about the Indian Uprising against the British Raj in the 1800’s. The revolt led to the end of the East Indian Company running India, the British Government took over direct control of India. It also led to the end of the Mughal control of Delhi and Northern India. The movie is engrossing. It is called: Mangal Pandey: The Rising. Mangal Pandey was a real Indian who has become a legend in the Indian independence movement.

July 4 2007 Jar-B-Que

Wine:

Flying Cloud Syrah Rose 2006 Paso Robles
L’Hortus Rose de Saignee Coteaux du Languedoc 2006
Arietta On the White Keys 2005
Charles B. Mitchell Grand Reserve Vintage Cuvee Estate Fair Play 2005
Batic Pinot Gris Reserve Vipava (Slovenia) 2004

Cliff / Cathy
Billy / Kevin
Ty / James

We invited our mah jong playing friends Billy and Kevin over for to watch fireworks and have dinner on our deck. We also invited James to join us. At the last minute we found out our neighbor Ty was home so we invited him also.

Our deck looks out over the City of Los Angeles and we can see fireworks all over. It is a great place to watch the July 4th madness. It had been very warm so we knew we would be eating outside on the deck.

Everyone brought great wine so it was a very good night for drinking!

Figs were still in season so we started with Figs and Prosciutto (from The Cheese Store of Silverlake) and Pistachios. Usually we have margaritas and guacamole but the figs were so good this year we decided to go with them.

For a first course we made Asian Noodles. This is a favorite of mine. It was one of those dishes that have a very high ratio of great taste to effort put in to make it. It is very easy to make. It is from Barbara Tropp’s great cookbook: The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. The recipe is called Orchid’s Tangy Cool Noodles! Yum! Although the recipe reads complicated, it isn’t! Barbara just has a way with words!

We served Pork Chops that we had marinated like they do at Jar Restaurant. It is a great recipe! We made Japanese Style Rice as a side dish.

For desert we made a White Nectarine Crisp. The nectarines are at their peak of sweetness. We love crisps, even more than pies. We topped it with Vanilla Ice Cream.

The fire works were fun to watch and we stayed on the deck talking, drinking the great wine and watching fireworks till 12:30 or so. How did such a great start of a country wind up with George Bush as president? Maybe we should suspend the holiday till he is out of office.




Orchid’s Tangy Cool Noodles

This is the quintessential Chinese cold noodle dish, a tangy northern-style blend of sweet, tart, and spicy tastes that has an astonishing popularity. It was the first Chinese dish I ever made, at a time when I had one tin pot in which to boil and store the noodles, and nothing big enough to toss them in but the kitchen sink. * For economy, portability, and adaptability to any number of people or settings, "Orchid's" cannot be surpassed. Make them in advance. The flavors merge and enlarge as the noodles sit.




TECHNIQUE NOTES:
Serves 6-8 as a luncheon'style dish with assorted "Little Dishes," 10-15 as part of a large buffet or multicourse meal.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound long, 1/16-inch thin Chinese egg noodles, fresh or frozen
Seasonings:
3 ½ tablespoons Chinese or Japanese sesame oil
3 ½ tablespoons black soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons well-aged Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar (we use balsamic)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
½ - 1 tablespoon hot chili oil
4 heaping tablespoons thin-cut green and white scallion rings
To garnish:
freshly cut scallion rings

Cooking the noodles:

Fluff fresh or defrosted noodles in a Colander to release any tangles. (Take care not to tear them. Long noodles in China are a metaphor for long life, and it is great fun to eat them that way.)

Bring a generous amount of unsalted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the noodles and swish with chopsticks to separate the strands. Put the colander in the sink. Cook the noodles until cooked but pleasantly firm to the bite, about 2-3 minutes for fresh store-bought noodles. Drain immediately in the colander and chill thoroughly under cold running water. Shake off excess water, then return the noodles to the clean dry pot or to a large bowl.

Saucing the noodles:

Blend the seasonings in a small bowl. Pour the sauce evenly over the noodles, using a handful of noodles to wipe the bowl clean so you don't lose any of the sugar. Toss gently with your hands to separate the noodles and distribute the sauce, then add the scallion rings and toss again to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary to achieve a tangy blend of sweet and hot flavors. Remember that the chili will grow more pronounced within a few hours, so err on the cautious side if you are not eating the noodles immediately.

For best flavor, cover and put aside for several hours at room temperature or store
overnight in the refrigerator. Toss before eating to redistribute the seasonings. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, heaped in a bowl and garnished with a fresh sprinkling of scallion rings.

Orchid's lasts 4-5 days, sealed airtight and refrigerated. Flavor peaks in spiciness on the second day.

Chicken and Figs

Wine: petite rousse 2005

Fig Season is very short. We purchased figs for the last couple of weeks and usually ate them with prosciutto.

We decided to make one of favorite recipes from The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers: Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey & Vinegar. The recipe is straight forward, although like most cooking the better the ingredients used the better the result. I went to the Santa Monica Farmer’s market and purchased some figs that we added to a few we had purchased over the weekend at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. The main reason I went there was because I wanted to go to Vicenti Market to purchase Smart Chicken. We think it is the only market that currently sells Smart Chickens in Los Angeles. I don’t know if the smart refers to the Chicken, the butcher or the owner of the company, but the chickens are good!

We started with a salad made from Fresh Apricots (stone fruit is in the market now). We made a sauce of Mexican Crema and Saba. To the salad we added Prosciutto and Almonds that we bought from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.


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
About 1/2 cup Chicken stock
1 bay leaf
A sprig of fresh thyme
A few black peppercorns, barely cracked in a mortar
About 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
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.

Eating in Support of Amnesty for Immigrants

We decided to have a cook and re-create a Mexican dinner that we often ate at The Border Grill. I am sure almost all of the staff are illegal immigrants. The recipes are from: Mesa Mexicana by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

We started with a Fresh Summer Salad.

We made Grilled Turkey Breasts with Vinegar and Cracked Pepper. The breast is sliced very thin like a scaloppini and quickly grilled. It served on a bed of Seared Greens.

We made Baked Yams with Lime and Honey to accompany. Mexican Crema is poured over the Yams as a garnish.

It is a great meal and re-heats well!

Slow Cooked Copper River Salmon

We went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and purchased lots of vegetables. Just before we left we noticed the fish monger was featuring Copper River Salmon. It would be the last week it would be available. We changed our dinner plans (we had plan to go out) and purchased the salmon so that we could enjoy it one last time this year. We again used the slow cooking method, cooking it at a very low temperature on a bed of onions. We seasoned it with the Okinawa Salt that we had purchased in Japan. It is the best salt!

We grilled Corn on the Cob, and Asparagus as side dishes. It was a warm summer night and we started on the deck with a great plate: Fresh Black Mission Figs, Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake, and Cheese. We had a bottle of Les Arnevels Rose Cotes de Provence - 2006.

For desert, we had purchased a box of Cherries at the Hollywood Farmer's Market, we pitted them and baked them with butter and a little sugar. We then served them over a Brownie from La Brea Bakery. Decadent but delicious!

Steaks: 2, 3, 4 & India Mango

We had three more steaks from Harvey to eat. One steak was previously cooked. We grilled the final two. We made some great salads. One was made with Corn, another with Almonds, Saba, White Nectarines and Prosciutto. For dessert we had the Fresh Mangoes we had purchased at the Indian Market. They are fabulous. If you like mangoes go to an Indian Market! You can read about them here.

1st of 4 Steaks

Wine: Notari Micodemi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – 2004

Cathy is extremely busy with a rush project at work. We wanted to make an easy dinner. Grilling steaks sounded like the best plan. I went on Monday to our favorite butcher: Harvey Gussman. I arrived just as he was closing, but had pre-ordered 4 aged porterhouse steaks. Sorry Brett, know you wanted them, but I ordered them on Friday!

We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market on Sunday, for the first time since our return from Japan. It was loaded with early summer vegetables. We bought a wide variety of tomatoes, potatoes, porcini mushrooms, corn, etc. The plan is to serve the steak in four different ways on four different nights. One steak each night.

For this first night we grilled two of the Porterhouse Steaks. We will only eat one, on Tuesday night we will serve the second steak room temperature. We Grilled Corn on the grill, much more than we would eat, because we plan to make a salad with the grilled corn and tomatoes on a subsequent night.

On Sunday night we went to Mozza, and they were jammed as usual. Matt helped us score some food to go. We watched the second to last Sopranos and had Italian food. How great is that? Will Tony get wacked in the finale? We only ate half of the chopped salad.

For a first course we had the other half of Mozza Chopped Salad.

We grilled the corn by smothering the corn in butter, salting then wrapping individually in aluminum foil. When the steak is almost done we throw the corn cobs on the grill. We remove the steak and tent. When you hear the corn begin to sizzle, with tongs we remove the aluminum foil and grill directly to finish.

We also made Corina’s Potato / Fava Bean Hash. It is served at her restaurant: Canele, the best restaurant in the Silverlake area by far! We have previously described the recipe (look at post of April 2, 2007 for recipe). It is great. The recipe calls for fresh mint, the one thing we didn’t have. I went to our local Indian market: India Sweets & Spices to pick up some mint. The United States has never allowed India Mangos to be imported. They just changed the law. The market had fresh Mangos from India. They had just arrived. They are supposed to be the best. I bought one, will report soon!

For desert we had Budino, which is a butterscotch like pudding from Mozza. It was great!

Munch Munch is Cooking Again!

Wine: Fili Di Seta 2003 – Rosso Di Toscana

We have returned from Japan and because we were still Jet Lagged we decided to cook an easy dinner.

We made a salad and followed it with a simple chicken recipe from the River Café. This recipe is fast to make and delicious.

Roast Chicken Vermentino
2 1/2 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) dried porcini mushrooms, or mixed dried mushrooms
1/4 up extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 4 1/2 -pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 pounds waxy boiling potatoes, like Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 cup Vermentino, or other crisp, citrusy white wine, like Pinot Grigio.
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring 1 2/3 cups water to a simmer, and stir in the porcini; soak for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving both mushrooms and broth. Roughly chop the mushrooms.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushroom broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, so that it reduces by 1/3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Trim off excess fat from the chicken pieces. Rinse and pat dry. Place the chicken, skin-side down, in one layer, in a large roasting pan. Tuck the potatoes and mushrooms around the chicken. Sprinkle with the rosemary, wine and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over, season with more salt and pepper and continue cooking until the chicken and potatoes are lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes more. Serve with the vegetables and the juices from the pan. Serves 4. Adapted from ''Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes From the London River Cafe,'' by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.

Off to Japan and Okinawa

Cathy and I have left for a vacation in Japan and Okinawa you can follow our journey here.

Spring Lamb

Wine: Pago Florentino Tinto 2004

We started with a Baby Artichoke Salad with Lemon Arugula and Pine Nuts based upon a recipe from Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. It is easy and very tasty.

For the main course we made the Rosemary Leg of Lamb recipe from Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton at Home. The lamb is often on the menu at Campanile. We purchased a large leg from Harvey Gus Meats. The recipe calls for a lot of rosemary twigs. Luckly we have several rosemary bushes in our backyard. I picked at least 30 large twigs.

After the meat is browned, you remove the lamb from the roasting pan line then line the pan with rosemary. Replace the lamb on top of the rosemary and completely cover the lamb with additional rosemary. You cook the lamb uncovered in the oven. When the lamb is done you take it outdoors, and light the rosemary surrounding the lamb. It quickly ignites in a blaze. Once the fire is going you put the lid on trapping the smoke in the pan with the lamb, giving it a great taste. Be sure not to burn the house down, or light it indoors!

As a side we once again made the great Fava Bean Potato Hash from Canale Restaurant.

Great dinner! Lots of leftovers.

Shaved Artichoke Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese
Adapted from Zuni Café

10 small artichokes
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons pine nuts
½ radicchio thinly sliced
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black Pepper
¼ cup thin shavings of Parmesan Cheese

1. One artichoke at a time, peel away outer tough leaves
2. Cut off stem and spiny tops of leaves
3. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise a remove fibrous choke
4. Slice artichokes as thinly as possible place in bowl
5. Squeeze some lemon juice over the cut artichokes and toss well
6. Repeat process for all artichokes
7. Add parsley, pine nuts and radicchio to bowl.
8. Pour olive oil over mixture, and sprinkle with salt, pepper.
9. Toss to coat salad
10. Add cheese and gently toss



Click below for a quick movie with sound, of the fire!