Southern Italiano

Cooking on Sundays was hosted this week by Jacey and Lee in their most excellently kitted out kitchen. Roberto had a cold and couldn't join us, but we had a good crowd nonetheless with Fred and Yvette and newcomers Asher and Brian. As for themes, we didn't take Asher's ambitious recommendations: "A Tantalizing Taste of Tuscany" or "A White Trash Foie Gras Tasting" or "Sparkle: a Jazz Hands Supper." We'll archive these themes (ahem) for later use. Tonight was Southern Italian so Mangia! Mangia everyone!

It all started with mozzarella, smoked in the backyard in the new Bradley Smoker with flavor Bisquettes. Served with slices of french bread and tomatoes, it was a most admirable baptism by fire (or rather smoke) for Lee and Jacey.

Next we had Asher's Arancine, fried rice balls that put all other rice balls to shame. We spit on Lil Dom's and all other pretenders! Arancine means "little oranges," which gives the false impression that these treats might be healthful. They're not. The workload boggles the mind -- this dish required help from the neighbors. Make a 45 minute risotto, roll the arborio rice into balls around truffles, wrap them in bread crumbs and fry fry fry. With this, Asher made a most impressive debut. We all held up cards that read 9.5 (no 10s, since we wanted to leave room for growth).

After taking our seats, Robert served up a homemade pasta -- Wine Pasta Tortelloni with Artichoke and Mascarpone. Very light and subtle in a reduction of homemade broth and butter. Along with his cold, Roberto caught the following behind the scenes action:

We moved on to the main course. Jacey's Braised Oxtails cooked down to a shimmering glistening moist and tender falling off the bone goodness.

They were perfectly balanced by Brian's delicious sides. A dish of delicately braised fennel in oil and wine (shown above) and a baked carrot puree with gorgonzola. Unbelievable.

Yvette showed up with an enormous bouquet of Swiss Chard that she sauteed with onions and other ingredients and sprinkled with cheese. It was a deconstructed tart recipe and it was crisp to the bite and fresh and flavorful.

Fred killed it with the desserts one more time with his Semi-Freddo (we all asked how he chose the recipe and none of us realized it was because it had the name Fred in it). Cream and eggwhites whipped with pistachio nuts and almond extract. Frothy and not ice cold. Half cold one could say.

Cute little Barnaby pulled a Jeffrey Dahmer on his toy and created a mess, which we all found amusing. Somehow Brian looks so calm in his clutches.

So all in all a nice visit to Italy. . .

Are we now worthy to be called food aficionados? Here's an excerpt a recent study:

"Food offers much more than nourishment. It offers a framework through which they can build relationships, make new friends, explore the world and even examine which behaviors are ethical. They use food to define who they are in greater society. The term foodie, which first appeared in the early 1980s, has entered the English language to describe this new type of food lover and a surrounding new culture of food. Foodies are distinct from gourmets in that their interests tend to be more wide ranging. Foodies enjoy high-end gourmet food, to be sure, but they also seek out hole-in-the-wall BBQ shacks, taco trucks and Chinatown markets. Foodies enjoy the thrill of the hunt and being the first to catch on to new food trends, and food outlets considered “authentic” carry the most prestige in the foodie world. As authenticity frequently equates to a degree of separation from big food conglomerates and corporate marketing campaigns, foodies can be an elusive target for marketers. At the same time, foodies are a desirable demographic, as they are avid, tech-savvy consumers who embrace all sorts of trends, not just those that are food-related, and who introduce these trends to their communities and peers. Through an analysis of selected lifestyle statements in Simmons Market Research Bureau’s national consumer survey, Packaged Facts has determined that 14% of U.S. adults—or 31 million—are foodies. There are five distinct foodie cohorts—foreign/spicy foodies, restaurant foodies, foodie cooks, gourmet foodies and organic/natural foodies—pinpointing the unique characteristics of each across areas including demographics and attitudes, media responsiveness, shopping habits and restaurant behavior."

Which cohort are you most associated with?

http://www.packagedfacts.com/Foodies-Cohorts-Foreign-1653977/

GERMAN NACHT

Achtung, everyone! It was German night this Sunday in Silverlake. Robert made pork loin and red cabbage inspired by Mark Peel from Campanile restaurant. The velvety pork was brined over night with juniper berries, allspice, and thyme then roasted and served with a ruby port wine sauce. The tangy red cabbage, was blanched and shocked in cold water, then sauteed with onions, garlic, sage, capers and balsamic vinegar. Beto scraped wet batter through the vegetable shredder into a pot of boiling water to make his extraordinary herbed spaetzle, sauteed with mushrooms and onions. New to the proceedings was Marlise who brought over a gorgeous sprig of orchids. The flowers were beautiful, but Yvette brought over the best thing of the night -- Fred -- who baked his fantastic peanut butter cookies from memory. We ate them with fake-German Haagen Dazs sprinkled with port. (Port-flavored ice cream -- our next experiment!) Best story of the night belonged to Marlise who told a woeful tale of buying a $2 bottle of port at a yard sale only to discover after she and her friend had polished it off that it was worth $1400.

Robert's perfectly smooth and juicy pork loin!

with the Ruby Port wine sauce....

Roasted Loin of Pork with Braised Red Cabbage and Port Wine Sauce
Yield: Serves 6 to 8

For a big, wintry dinner, a properly brined pork roast can rival the most tender, juicy prime rib of beef. Brined pork will come out more tender, juicy, and flavorful when cooked because the brine causes a change in the meat protein that makes it retain more moisture.

Port Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce)
unsalted butter
2 large shallots, trimmed,
peeled, and chopped (2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup ruby port
1 cup Brown Veal Stock

HAVE READY

Ingredients
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
1 tablespoons dried thyme
4 whole cloves
4 whole allspice, cracked
1 bay leaf
1 center-cut pork loin, rib bones left in (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
1 head (1 pound) red cabbage, cored, split and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 large onion (12 ounces), peeled and cut into1/2-inch-thick round slices
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped(1 teaspoon)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped fine
1 tablespoon drained capers

The Brown Veal StockCombine 2 quarts of water, 1/3 cup kosher salt, sugar, peppercorns, thyme, cloves, allspice, and bay leaf in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the stockpot from the heat, transfer the brine to a large mixing bowl, allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. When the brine is thoroughly chilled, add the pork loin, ensuring that it is completely immersed, and refrigerate, covered, for between 2 and 3 days. When ready to roast, remove the meat from the brine, and dry with kitchen towels.

In a large stockpot, bring approximately 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.

Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water. Using a fine-mesh, stainless-steel strainer. Blanch the red cabbage for about 30 seconds in the large stockpot of boiling water. (This will help the cabbage retain its color.) After blanching, plunge the strainer containing the cabbage in the ice water for about 30 seconds. Dry the cabbage with a kitchen towel and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the pork lightly with black pepper. It has enough already. In a large cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the pork loin on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. When properly browned, remove the pork loin to a platter and reserve.

Distribute the onion slices on the bottom of the cast-iron skillet and place the browned pork loin on top. Transfer to the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the pork is 150 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes.

While the pork is roasting, prepare the Port Wine Sauce. In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Sé the shallots until wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and cook until completely absorbed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the port and cook until 1/2 cup remains, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the stock and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 to 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh, stainless-steel strainer into a double boiler and keep warm.

Remove the cast-iron skillet from the oven, transfer the pork loin from the skillet to a platter and let it rest in a warm spot. Using a stainless-steel spatula, scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned particles. Remove an of the onions that are burned. Sé the remaining onions over medium heat until caramelized, about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and reserve.

In a large sé pan, over high heat, preheat the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and blanched cabbage. Sé until the cabbage is thoroughly heated through, but still crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and the caramelized onions from the cast-iron skillet, stir briefly, add the sage and capers, and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

To serve, cut the pork loin into 1/2-inch-to-2-inch-thick slices with one bone in each slice. Place the cooked cabbage on a large warm platter. Arrange the slices of pork on the cabbage, ladle the sauce over, and serve immediately.

Herbed Spaetzle
Gourmet November 2004

Spaetzle, tender little morsels that are like a cross between a noodle and a dumpling, are common to Austrian, German, and Swiss cuisine.
Yield: Makes 8 side-dish servings Active Time: 40 minTotal Time: 40 min

INGRIDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs\
1/2 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION
Bring a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot of salted water to a boil and keep at a bare simmer. Fill a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.

Whisk together flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and crème fraîche in another bowl, then whisk into flour until batter is smooth.
Working over barely simmering water, force half of batter through spaetzlemaker, food mill, or colander.

As spaetzle float to surface (after about 1 minute), transfer to bowl of cold water with a mesh skimmer or sieve, then into a large sieve to drain. Repeat with remaining batter. Toss drained spaetzle with oil.

Cut 1 stick butter into pieces, then heat in a deep 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides and add spaetzle. (Skillet will be full.) Sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden on the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut remaining 1/2 stick butter into pieces and add to spaetzle along with parsley, chives, thyme, sage, nutmeg, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gently stir to coat.Cooks' note:Spaetzle can be cooked and tossed with oil 1 day ahead, then chilled, covered. Heat butter and proceed with recipe.

Fred's extraordinary Peanut Butter Cookies

SOVIET EVENING

This Sunday everyone donned fur hats and Valenki felt boots and dragged themselves over to our dacha to cook popular ethnic dishes from the land of Rus! We missed out on the Uzbek bread since PJ got stuck at work conducting research on problems more important and complicated than mixing the 5 simple ingredients for the flat loaves known as "Oi naani." But, oh yessy, Amanda came through in spectacular fashion with dumplings called Pelmeni -- literally "ear bread" -- pasta-auditory canals filled with the most delicious minced meat mixture this side of Siberia and topped with a tangy and gorgeous light mustard sauce. They complemented Beto's perfect porcini Pierogies -- vereniki dough stuffed with crimini mushrooms and porcinis and topped with onions sauteed in butter. Ron and Deena brought Russian Tea Cakes, a bottle of Stoli, and caviar. Deena's tea cakes were remarkable -- they had the most satisfying crunch in your mouth only to magically evaporate on your tongue a second later. Yvette effortlessly whipped up a batch of buckwheat blinis, topped with salmon, crème fraiche and caviar, and swilled down with shots of vodka. Amanda also made a Russian chicken salad called Salat Olivier. The salad was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, the chef of Moscow's celebrated Hermitage restaurant. But of course, we let Deena's two-year old son Oliver think the salad was named after him.

It was Oliver, after all, who generated the biggest food-related news of the night when he tasted his very first lollipop -- a grape tootsie pop.

As you can see from the photo, Oliver looks remarkably like the boy from the classic 70s commercial who asked, "How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?" See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2xMGI-QpZw


Being only two, Oliver didn't have the stamina to finish the tootsie pop and so that age-old question remained unanswered. . . ...................Спокойной ночи



Guest List

Ron
Deena
Oliver
Fred
Yvette
Amanda...sans PJ
Robert
Beto




Menu
- Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon (Yvette),Caviar and Crème Fraîche...shot of Stoli on the side (Caviar and
Stoli courtesy of Ron!)
- Wild Mushroom Pierogies - Polish Dumplings (Beto)
- Pelmeni - Siberian Dumplings (Amanda)
- Salat Olivier (Amanda)
- Persian Cucumber and Balsamic Salad (Beto)
- Russian Tea Cakes...aka Mexican Wedding Cookies (Oliver & Deena)
- Key Lime Sorbet

Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraîche
(Bon Appétit, October 2006)
yield: Makes 12

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Melted butter
Crème fraîche
1 (4-ounce) package thinly sliced smoked salmon
Caviar
Fresh dill sprigs

Preparation

• Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.
• Place milk and butter in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and thermometer registers 110°F (if mixture gets too warm, cool until temperature returns to 110°F). Pour warm milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Whisk buckwheat batter to deflate; then whisk in eggs. Do ahead Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Transfer to large bowl. Cover; chill (may increase in volume; rewhisk before using)
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with melted butter. Working in batches, pour 2 tablespoons batter for each blini onto griddle, spacing apart. Cook until bubbles form on top and begin to pop, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn blinis; cook until golden brown on bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Tent with foil and place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining blinis. Do ahead Blinis can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Brush blinis lightly with melted butter and rewarm on baking sheet in 350°F oven 5 minutes.
• Arrange warm blinis on platter. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon crème fraîche atop each. Top with smoked salmon. Garnish with caviar and dill sprigs and serve.
  

Wild Mushroom Pierogies (Gourmet, February 2001)

Ingredients
For filling
1 cup boiling water
2/3 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 medium onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pierogi and vareniki dough

For onion topping
1 lb onions, chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
Accompaniment: sour cream

Make filling:

• Pour boiling water over porcini in a small bowl and soak until softened,10 to 20 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and rinse well to remove any grit. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a bowl and reserve.
• Finely chop onion and garlic in a food processor, then add cremini and porcini and pulse until very finely chopped.
• Heat butter in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushroom mixture, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are dry and 1 shade darker, about 8 minutes. Add reserved soaking liquid and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick, dry, and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes (there will be about 1 cup filling). Stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely.

Roll out dough and fill pierogies:

• Halve dough and roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 15-inch round, keeping remaining dough wrapped. Cut out rounds (about 24) with floured cutter. Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round. Working with 1 round at a time, moisten edges with water and fold in half to form a half-moon, pinching edges together to seal. Transfer pierogies as assembled to a flour-dusted kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining rounds, then make more pierogies with remaining dough and filling.

Cook onions and pierogies:

• Cook onions in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Cook pierogies in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with onions. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.

Pierogi and Vareniki Dough

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Preparation
Stir together flours in a bowl. Make a well in flour and add eggs, salt, and water, then stir together with a fork without touching flour. Continue stirring, gradually incorporating flour into well until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be soft.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Salat Olivier
Serves 4-6

For the Salad: For the dressing:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast 1/2 c mayonnaise
1 large boiled peeled potato, cut into 1/2 inch dice 1/3 c sour cream
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice 1 1/2 t dijon mustard
2/3 c green peas 1 T fresh lemon juice
1 med. red apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice 1/2 t vinegar
1 large dill pickle, cut into 1/2 inch dice grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 hard cooked eggs, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 T chopped fresh dill

poach chicken in water with garlic and bay leaf (about 15 minutes), allow to cool and dice mix chicken, potato, carrot, peas. add apple, pickle, eggs and dill. mix gently to combine in a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients pour over the chicken mixture and toss gently season with salt and pepper

Mexican Wedding Cookies / Russian Tea Cakes

• 2 sticks butter (room temperature)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup pecans – coarsely ground & toasted*
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and 1/2 cup powdered sugar; beat until well blended. Beat in flour (1/2 cup at a time), then beat in pecans. Divide dough in half: form each half into a ball. Wrap separately in plastic wrap or wax paper; chill aprox. 30 minutes – 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Wisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl to blend mixture – set aside.Working with half of the chilled dough at a time, roll into balls (aprox. 2 teaspoons each). Arrange balls on baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden brown on bottom and pale golden on the top, about 18 minutes

Partially cool (3-5 minutes) on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to cooling rack and repeat sugar coating.

Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.Sift remaining cinnamon sugar over cookies before serving

*To toast pecans: 10-15 minutes at 350 F in oven or in toaster oven. Toast until golden light brown.

and our favorite guest....Oliver!

First Sunday at our new home

A simple meal since we've only been in our new home a few days and not quite sure about how to use the oven or where cooking utensils happen to store themselves.

Guest List:
Yvette, Fred, Ron, Amanda, PJ, Maria (last week's neighbor), Gordon (this week's neighbor), Robert, Beto

Menu:

Ron's excellent onion Pizza as an appetizer

Robert's treasures from his first excursion to the Silver Lake Cheese Shop

Yvette's lovely and light summer salad with fresh greens, avocado, corn and peppers from the Mar Vista Farmer's Market (do they still qualify as local in Silver Lake?)

Linguini with....
Amanda's perfect first-time Bolognese
Beto's bright green and spicy Poblano sauce with toasted Pine Nuts

Sweets...
Fred's fluffy, yummy, sweet and DEEP FRIED, devine Italian Donuts (new recipe, yeast and no egg - better)
Assorted sweets from Porto's Cuban Bakery in Glendale (Napoleon, 3-Leches and Honey Cake will be memorable)

Beach Day...sans the usual suspects

A light, simple and summery dinner after tossing in the surf

Attendee's: Sarit, Arnold, Zachary, Olivia, Robert, Beto

Menu:
Spaghetti with fresh tomatoes from the balcony, chicken apple sausage, basil and olive oil (B)
Butter lettuce and Persian cucumber salad with Dijon/pinot grigio vinaigrette (R/B)

Whole-wheat pound cake with Nectarine/Blue Berry/Strawberry Compote (R)

Deutsch it was...July 19, 2009

A German meal inspired by our first timer Ginny who brought a German Chocolate Cake.

Guest List:
Fred, Yvette, Jim, Ginny, Robert and Beto

Menu:
Chips and Fresh Salsa Verde with homegrown Tomatoes (B)
Chicken Schnitzel (B)
Sauteed Chard from F&Y's garden (Y)
Herb Spaetzle (B) with Sauteed Farmers Market mixed Mushrooms (Y)
German Chocolate Cake (G)