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August 30, 2011

quinoa vegetable soup







ingredients:

beef marrow bones
pork bones
chicken bones
veal stock
chicken broth
kale
yukon gold potato
yellow onion
garlic
carrots
celery ribs
baby portabello mushrooms
corn
roma tomatoes
tomato paste
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
red chili flake (optional)

directions:

1.  boil all the soup bones with veal stock and water.  lightly season with salt and black pepper.

2.  cook the quinoa in the rice cooker the same way you would cook rice.  use chicken broth instead of water.

3.  prepare your mise en place.  chop the garlic, onions, carrots, celery ribs, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, and kale.  cut the kernels off the corn and dice the potatoes into chunks.

3.  remove the bones from the stock.  add in all the vegetables except for the kale.  season with salt, black pepper, and some tomato paste.  (chili flake optional if you like spice)

4.  remove the meat from the pork and beef bones, especially the tendons attached to the beef bones.  chop up the meat and add it into the vegetable soup.  discard the chicken bones.

5.  cook the soup until all the ingredients have time to develop flavor.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.  cook the kale for a minute or two in the soup before serving.

to plate:

1.  put some quinoa in the bottom of a bowl.  ladle soup over quinoa and finish with a few grinds of black pepper.  serve immediately.

August 25, 2011

cognac mushroom spaghetti



ingredients:

crimini mushrooms
yellow onion
garlic
parsley
thyme
dark veal stock
heavy cream
sour cream
hennessy cognac
extra virgin olive oil
thin spaghetti
kosher salt
cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  boil enough salted water to cook the spaghetti. 

2.  prepare your mise en place.  slice the onion and crimini mushrooms.  finely mince the garlic and chop the parsley.

3.  heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a medium flat saucepan.  caramelize the mushrooms in batches. do not crowd the pan.  after mushrooms are caramelized, add in the onions, some garlic, and some fresh thyme.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.

4.  after onions are translucent, remove the pan from the stove and deglaze with hennessy. (3-5 shots or enough to cover the bottom of the pan)  then put the pan back on the flame and continue cooking till the alcohol has cooked out.

5.  add the veal stock and heavy cream to the mushrooms.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.

6.  when the pasta is al dente, drain, and toss in the sauce.  finish cooking the pasta in the cognac cream sauce and top with chopped parsley.  serve immediately.  you can add a dallop of sour cream on top if desired.  (not shown in picture)

August 24, 2011

chicken katsu udon



























ingredients:

chicken katsu (see recipe in previous post)
dried wakame
thick seaweed
bonito flakes
shiitake mushroom
carrots
spinach
corn
scallions
soy sauce (or udon soup base)
hon dashi
mirin
canola oil

directions:

1.  prepare the udon broth by boiling thick seaweed chunks and bontio flakes with water.  add some soy sauce, mirin, and hon dashi.  throw in some carrots and shiitake mushrooms and keep warm.

2.  prepare your mise en place. blanch the spinach and set aside.  cut the corn from the cob and lightly saute in some canola oil. set aside.  (you can throw the corn cobs into the udon broth to give it more flavor if you like)  slice the scallions and reconstitute the dried wakame in water.

3.  in a separate pot, cook udon noodles and place into bowls.  do not wash the cooked udon in cold water.  top the hot udon with some spinach, corn, and wakame.  ladle piping hot udon broth into bowl.  be sure to get some carrots on shiitakes in the bowl as well.  top with chicken katsu, garnish with scallions, and serve immediately.

garlic chicken katsu, grilled spring onions



























ingredients:

chicken thigh meat
spring onions
chives
lemon
egg
flour
panko
kosher salt
maldon sea salt (the flaky kind)
freshly cracked black pepper
garlic powder
canola oil
tonkatsu sauce (optional)

directions:

1.  prepare three trays.  one with egg wash (by beating an egg with some water), one with flour, and one with panko.  season panko with salt and cracked black pepper.

2.  de-bone the chicken thigh meat and remove the skin.  lay flat and season both sides with salt, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper.  dredge chicken in a light coating of flour, then give it a bath in the egg wash, and lastly coat with panko.

3.  add enough canola oil to a heated flat pan so that bottom is completely covered.  pan-fry chicken pieces until both sides are golden and crispy.  set on a rack (as shown) to drain excess oil.  finish with sprinkle of maldon sea salt.  note: I don't recommend draining the chicken on a paper towel, as bottom gets soggy.

4.  slice the spring onions into quarters.  heat up a grill pan and grill spring onions over medium heat until nicely caramelized and slightly charred.

to plate:

1.  garnish chicken katsu with chives and plate grilled spring onions next to it. serve with a lemon wedge on the side and tonkatsu sauce.

spicy hamachi tartare, nori sheets




























ingredients:

hamachi (belly cut works best with this preparation)
orange tobiko
quail egg
miracle whip
mayonnaise
siracha hot sauce
lemon ponzu
crushed garlic
chives
sliced cucumber (optional)
nori sheets
shichimi
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  finely chop hamachi and refrigerate.
2.  in a bowl, mix equal portions of miracle whip and mayo together. then fold in shichimi, siracha hot sauce, crushed garlic, salt, and chives.  the spicy mayo should be orange-ish.
3.  gently stir the spicy mayo mixture into the hamachi, little by little, to taste.

to plate:

1.  put some of the spicy hamachi tartare into a bowl.  garnish with sliced cucumbers all around.  top with a bed of chopped chives, then some orange tobiko, and finally top with quail egg.  (yolk only) gently spoon some lemon ponzu around the tartare.  serve with nori sheets and extra shichimi on the side.

August 22, 2011

razor clam linguini, white wine butter sauce


ingredients:

razor clams in tin
baby razor clams in tin
anchovy fillets in olive oil
yellow onion
garlic
red chili flake
lemon
parsley
white wine
butter
olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
linguini pasta

directions:

1.  in a large pot, boil water for pasta. add a handful of kosher salt.

2.  heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan. meanwhile, julienne onion, finely mince garlic, chop parsley, and set aside. when oil is hot, saute onions and red chili flakes with a few anchovy fillets until the anchovy is broken down. (taste your anchovy first, if it's super salty, don't add as many. I got mine from Spain, they are not as salty, with a deep nutty flavor, so I used about 5 fillets to one onion.)  

3.  when onions are translucent, add in minced garlic, and saute for one minute.  

4.  then add the razor clams with the clam juice, butter, and white wine.  cook until alcohol from wine has evaporated. 

5.  using tongs, toss al dente linguini into the pan with the clams and sauce, and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.  season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt if needed.  squeeze some lemon, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.