groove food

gallo & gloves

let me start this off with a horror story. during a restaurant apprenticeship i spent many an afternoon cleaning box upon box of half-sedated softshell crabs. it is a memory that causes me to flinch every time i see them listed on a menu. while i've done away with softies, i welcomed one important thing to my kitchen after my time spent in the restaurant: gloves. this was a lesson learned after a night in which i peeled a quarter hotel pan of chipotles with my bare hands. about half way through my hands began to feel as though i was dipping them deep within the pulse of vesuvius. after a sympathetic dishwasher instructed me to drown my forearms in a bucket of buttermilk (to no avail), i was sent home, completely useless, for a night that could only be described as heartbreak of the hands. i've since kept a trusty box of gloves near me at all times when i cook. without further ado, here are two recipes for salsa. gloves not required, but highly recommended.

pico de gallo

a classic! here is the best recipe and method i've tried, based on the salsa served at street stands in baja california. adapted from deborah m. schneider.

(makes about 2.5 cups)

5 large ripe tomatoes, preferably roma

8 cilantro sprigs, stemmed

1 small to medium white onion

2 fresh serrano chiles

juice of 1 or 2 limes, or mexican limon

sea salt

on a large cutting board, core the tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly slice. push them to one side of the cutting board. roughly chop the cilantro and push it up next to the tomatoes. dice the onion as small as you can manage, and push it alongside the cilantro and tomatoes. mince the serranos (seed them if you don't like your salsa too hot).

pull the onions back on top of the chiles. chop by holding the tip of your knife down with one hand and pivoting the blade back and forth. sweep the pile back into the center from time to time. do this until the onions are even more finely diced.

scoop up the tomatoes and cilantro and put them on top of the onions. continue chopping back and forth, until all the ingredients are finely chopped and blended together. when everything is rose-colored and juicy, scoop everything into a bowl and season with salt and lime juice. let the salsa sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

tomatillo salsa with poblanos & pumpkin seeds

because tomatoes are not always delicious in all parts of the world this time of the year, here is the best fall salsa recipe i've found. smoky, slightly crunchy, and subtly spicy on the finish. i spooned it over butternut squash enchiladas.

fine cooking - poblano-pepita salsa

 

some like it hot

france has long had a reputation for being the nation of the finest sauciers. its terroir, it seems, is not only ideal for producing venerable wines, but breeding grounds for sauce-makers as intuitive and exacting as glass blowers. i hate to throw a branch in the world's steadily moving culinary cogs, but i think mexico is overlooked in terms of greatness. its salsas, of which there are endless regional varieties and innovations, bring meals to life. some even say there are a handful that can cure the lousiest of hangovers. then there is mole, perhaps one of the most beautiful things to come of one of history's ugliest moments--an inspired blending of indigenous and spanish missionary ingredients and methods, a tobacco-hued, cinnamon-scented, chile-riddled gift that is sorrowful, haunting, and delicious. france's sauce bordelaise is refined, but pico de gallo is a celebration. tomorrow i will share two salsas that will hopefully incite you to dance.

farro with edamame & arugula

lately, all i can think about is the recipe for "variations on caramel" in eric ripert's le bernadin cookbook. its introduction warns you against making it. there are three pages of ingredients followed by 17 steps, each a paragraph long. it requires shaping caramel snowballs and piping caramel mousse into brittle, translucent caramel cups.  i must (must, must, must!) make it. when it comes to recipes, i go straight for the proust. unless it has six ingredients which are farro, edamame, arugula, tomatoes, aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. and three steps, one of which is boiling water. and is almost as seductive as, say, a caramel snowball when you spoon it on the plate, glistening, bright, lazily co-mingling.

farro with edamame, arugula & tomato vinaigrette

(serves 6 as a side dish or salad)

2 cups farro

1 pound fresh or frozen shelled edamame

5 - 6 ounces arugula

2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cored and chopped into 1/4 - 1/2 inch chunks

2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

2 small garlic cloves, minced (optional)

1/3 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt + cracked black pepper

boil three quarts of water in a large pot. generously salt the water and add the farro. cook for 20-35 minutes, tasting periodically for doneness. when the farro is just almost al dente, add the edamame and cook for three minutes more. drain in a colander and allow to cool to room temperature.

combine the tomatoes, aged balsamic vinegar, and 1/3 cup olive oil in a bowl. season with salt and pepper to taste.

toss the farro, edamame, and tomato vinaigrette together in a large salad bowl. fold in the arugula. add additional oilve oil if needed to coat. taste again and adjust seasonings. serve immediately.

notes

* there are still plenty of heirloom tomatoes with personality here in san diego. if tomatoes have vanished from your city (i am so sorry), this dish would also work deliciously with citrus dressing or substituting 1/2 cup of caramelized onions for the tomatoes.

 

halftime show

if kitchens had weather reports, mine would be tagged for an impending storm. the next several days will be arduous and messy, but i promise to emerge with a bevy of new recipes. in the meantime, here is a bit of edible entertainment for your thursday.

guess what i wear as a hat? a lentil.

 

favorite julia moment, just the way phil likes it...

 

when will everyone forget about this one so i can add it to my repetoire?

 

 

new york times chocolate chip cookies

i know what you are thinking. "say what! this girl's blog is supposed to be original. what is she doing re-posting someone else's recipe from two years ago?" well, two things:

1. today is crazy! the tomatillo salsa with poblanos & pumpkin seeds is just not ready to share with you yet.

2. chocolate chip cookies are incredibly important! i have yet to find a better method for making them than david leite's recipe from the july 9, 2008 issue of the new york times. they are a bit of heaven in every bite. his method calls for overnight marination of the cookie dough, resulting in an immensely flavorful cookie, golden and crisp at the edges and gooey, warm perfection in the middle. the only thing i vary is the type of sea salt i sprinkle on top before baking (the addition of which is a stroke of genius, mr. leite). other than that, i have no desire to alter this recipe one single bit. happy baking.

notes

* if you'd like the full story on the development of this recipe, you can read it here

 

the dangerous dance

what, pray tell, is that bizarre blip from a photobooth strip? why, that is me voguing my hottest cooking wound to date, in the style of flava flav revealing bling. it was a gift bestowed to me by a barbecue lid. i was really, really eager to get those ribeyes on the grill. it strikes me that when someone says "chef" there is an echo of glamour and precision, freshly starched coats and neatly pleated toques. to me, the word elicits a vision of thomas keller's kitchen at the french laundry, where the staff prepare gastriques and foams atop white linen (yes, it's true, they plate on white linen in yountville). that is why i will aways assert that i am a cook. a scarred-up, greased-up tornado in the kitchen.

don't get me wrong, i am an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to a finished product, but my road there can be a messy one. if i was sent back to the days of georges auguste escoffier i believe i'd be right at home in the grueling underground kitchens, poorly plumbed and all. i like the labor of cooking. i'm a junkie for the heat, the mess, the dangerous dance of multiple pans. one of cooking's most alluring qualities is the constant threat of total failure, meeting it with a devilish smile, and throwing yourself up to the flames.

notes

* the photo comes courtesy of the jennifer day & jeremy robinson nuptials. no one else was burned in the taking of this photograph.

a fall salad

for every season, a salad. this one, brimming with all manner of things crunchy and fresh, is my choice for fall. i discovered it while flipping through urban italian, trying desperately to talk myself out of beelining for citrus tiramisu. andrew carmellini calls it "fall insalata"--a man who agrees with my theory on seasons and salads and does so in italian! i scanned over the ingredients: tart apples (yum), plump raisins (yum), fennel (yum), salty slivers of parmesan (yum), toasty marcona almonds and breadcrumbs (yum), torn basil (yum). i concluded YUM and got to work. a great salad requires attention. carefully select your ingredients, treat them kindly, and go easy on the dressing (you can always add more later but rescuing an overdressed salad is as easy as unsalting your stock). your diligence will be repaid in the form of a salad that barely makes it to the plate. i ate half of it straight out of a battered stainless steel mixing bowl and it fully exceeded my expectations of yum. buon appetito.

apple & fennel salad with greens, marcona almonds & parmesan

(serves 6 as a starter)

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 lemon, finely zested and juiced

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup panko breadcrumbs (or fresh breadcrumbs)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

8 ounces arugula

8 ounces watercress

10 basil leaves, torn

1 sweet-tart apple, such as honeycrisp or fuji, cored and sliced into thin slivers

1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced into thin slivers

1 celery stalk, sliced into thin slivers

1/2 cup marcona almonds, roasted and salted

1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler)

sea salt & cracked black pepper

soak the raisins in 1 cup boiling water for 20-30 minutes to reconstitute. drain and dry on paper towels.

make the salad dressing: whisk together the lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl. slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking, to emulsify.

make the breadcrumbs: heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. add the breadcrumbs and thyme and toast until golden, 5-10 minutes. remove to a plate to cool.

combine the arugula, watercress, torn basil, raisins, apples, fennel, celery, and marcona almonds in a large salad bowl. drizzle a bit of the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. add more dressing if needed to lightly coat the contents. add salt and pepper to taste. plate individual salads and top each with slivers of parmesan and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs.

notes

* this recipe was barely adapted from andrew carmellini's recipe in his book urban italian

* you will have leftover breadcrumbs--they will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge or even longer in the freezer

* if you cannot find marcona almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts work well

ten bites: susan sbicca

it is hard not to start this post with a flood of zeal. i literally jump up and down whenever i see susan sbicca. she brings out my inner trampoline. and, here she is, at the top of my blog, wrapped in a pink boa! you can see why i am having a hard time typing. if you've eaten at sbicca bistro in del mar, you know susan's food. you've probably pondered, like i often have, as to how a meal could be so wildly creative and simultaneously like coming home. friends, i have an answer. susan is magic! her venture into raw food territory proved she could make a crumble of macadamia nut cheese taste as exciting and lovely as maple roasted pork prime rib with vanilla scented yams. if you're wondering how this is possible, it is because susan is behind it. the california restaurant association understands--susan received the well-deserved honor of chef of the year in 2006. for her boundless energy and quiet, steadfast selflessness, for the way i witnessed her drink jalapeno honey from her cupped hand, i like to think of her as most admired chef of my lifetime.

comfort food?

cooked: the first thing that comes to mind is wine braised short ribs- with truffle mashed potatoes- maybe some tart blue cheese in there somewhere.

raw:  a ripe avocado halved, sprinkled with fleur de sel (thanks to the author of this blog) and drizzled with fresh red serrano salsa (eaten with a spoon right out of its skin)

restaurant?

cooked:  boulevard in san francisco. nancy oakes is my hero.

raw: pure food and wine in NYC--to eat and see what they are doing

farmers market find?

a basket of black figs that burst when bitten ☺

utensil or piece of equipment?

cooked:  my old heavy steel one piece 2 oz ladel. sauces just taste better when I use it.

raw:  my new vitamix blender for velvety purees

cookbook?

the elements of taste by gray kunz and peter kaminsky. it changed everything about the way i looked at putting things together.  the idea that tastes push, pull and punctuate put into words the dance that occurs in every bite.

 

food memory?

a tie between two opposites--lunch at la grenoise restaurant in new york city and chocolate chunk cookies just out of the oven

cuisine to explore?

raw food- a new lens to explore old favorites

moment that influenced your decision to become a chef?

opening fat red anaheim chilies to stuff with guacamole for my first party… 1981

three people (living or deceased) to invite to dinner?

mick jagger, rudolf nureyev, and condoleezza rice

dessert?

warm chocolate chunk cookies or oozy epoisse cheese with fat, juicy figs

notes

* sbicca bistro is located at 215 15th street in del mar, california

* boulevard is located at 1 mission street in san francisco, california

* pure food & wine is located at 54 irving place, nyc, new york

 

vegan mushroom soup

my first impulse upon meeting a mushroom is to drown it in a river of cream, fino sherry, and butter. i got to thinking that this was not the friendliest approach on my part, tucking them away before i even got to know them, using them merely as an excuse to consume excessive quantities of spanish booze and dairy fat. given proper attention, mushrooms are very lovely in their own right. this soup is my ode to them. but for a bit of herbs, onion, and garlic, the rest of it is entirely mushroom--earthy and warm with the mysterious ability to open up with each spoonful. it was hard to resist adding a five second pour of cream at the end, but i was surprised to find the texture already quite creamy and full. the taste followed suit. dearest funghi--what a pleasure it has been to meet you. let's do this again.

vegan mushroom soup

(serves 6 - 8)

2 ounces dried mushrooms (porcini or morels work well)

2 springs rosemary

2 springs sage

1/2 cup olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound white button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced

1 pound shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced

2 quarts mushroom broth or stock (i use pacific brand)

almond milk, crushed walnuts, thyme for garnish (optional)

place the dried mushrooms in a medium bowl. bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil and pour it over the mushrooms. let the mushrooms sit for 20 - 30 minutes, until reconstituted. strain the muhrooms through a paper towel lined strainer or a coffee filter to remove any grit, reserving the mushroom soaking water. coarsely chop the reconstituted mushrooms.

pour the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. when the oil shimmers, add the rosemary and sage, pressing against the pot to release their flavor into the oil. cook for 1 - 2 minutes. add the onion and cook until softened, 7-10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook a minute more. add the shiitake mushrooms and button mushrooms to the pot and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and shrink in size, about 7-10 minutes. add the reconstituted mushrooms, reserved water, and mushroom broth. bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

remove the rosemary and sage sprigs from the soup. using a blender, puree the soup in batches. you may want to reserve 1 - 2 cups of unpureed mushrooms to add to the soup for texture. re-warm the soup, if needed, over low heat. serve hot, garnished with a drizzle of almond milk, walnuts, and thyme leaves.

 

fall bucket list

these are the first days of fall.

a borrowed line, from stephen dobyn's poem "how to like it." there is a point every year when that sentence becomes soundtrack for everything. i look out the window and sense the sunlight is not the warming kind, but the kind that points toward all there is worth looking at: the substantial, handsome pumpkins as strange and remarkable as stonehenge in an otherwise silent field. a blue soup pot that has seen me through the best and worst and vesseled broth in between. i look upon it like a friend. these days make it hard to ignore the pulse within everything, sometimes with hummingbird speed, sometimes as slow and as hushed as leaf, upon leaf, upon leaf.

10 things to have & do while it's fall

1. making the annual pilgrimage to bate's nut farm (aka nate's butt farm) in valley center, california for cinderella pumpkins and funnel cake

2. toasted hazelnuts, crushed and sprinkled on nearly eveything

3. cave aged gruyere melted on wholegrain bread

4. tailgating & drinking cocoa with a touch of ground chipotle from a thermos in the bleechers

5. oeufs en meurette--eggs poached in winey, rich sauce bordelaise--on a late sunday morning

6. making molly wizenberg's cranberry chutney with crystallized ginger and dried cherries from her book a homemade life.

7. picking apples in julian, california. returning home to stew stockpot quantities of cinnamon-cardamom applesauce.

8. making vegan mushroom soup--the essence of earth. recipe to follow tomorrow.

9. listening to sad, beautiful songs like this one: charlot webster - whisky & wine

10. earl grey supreme. if not in sienna-hued new england, imagining it there