Potential Gold

A Feast from 1001 Nights: Chreime

(This post was written by my friend Benjamin Rosendahl.  This first appeared in a German Internet Newspaper)

Spicy Moroccan Fish is also known as "Chreime" (and tastes a LOT better then it's name!)

This is one of my favorite dishes: A feast for the senses that can be prepared quickly and without muych effort.  And it's healthy too!

The ingredients:

-300g Fish

-Olive or Canola Oil

-1Onion

-2 to 3 Garlic cloves

-a few Jalapenos, according to spice tolerance

-2 cups tomato paste

-Lemon (important!)

-1 cup steaming hot water

-Challah bread (or, alternatively, rolls)

First, the onions, garlic cloves and jalapenos are cut into small cubes (professionals do it like the Goodfellas).  The lemon is cut into two halves.  Then the onions are seuteed in a deep pan or a pot until golden.  Afterward, the garlic cloves and jalapenos are added.  After a few minutes, the tomato paste and the glass of steaming hot water is added.  

Now we add the fish.  Here it is important to make sure not to overcook it:15 minutes is the absolute MAXIMUM!  (It is always possible to reheat, but it is impossible to reverse overcooking).  The best idea is to cook it for 5 minutes on the hot flame and then to squeeze out the lemon.  The lemon adds very much to the taste.  (The other half can also be squeezed on the fish or alternatively, used to wash the hands after the meal).  Now, the flame should be turned to "low" and possibly covered.  10 minutes later the "Chreime" is ready...

Spain & The World Table - Bocadillos (Ready to Eat)

The two posts below show you how to work up to the place we are at now.  In this post we will be putting together our two different types of Bocadillos.

The recipes I followed were taken from Spain and The World Table.

The photo below shows the Bocadillo set up with the Anchovy and Pisto Bocadillos.  You take a toasted slice of bread and add some of the prepared Pisto.  Above the Pisto you add a slice of anchovy and a drizzle of GOOD balsamic vinegar.  These are delicious.

Moving onto the second Bocadillo, the Anchovy and Pepper Bocadillos are made by placing some of the sauteed green peppers on top of some toasted bread.  The add the sauteed red peppers with garlic.  On top of that add some anchovy (here I used a slice of each type).  For added crunch and perfect flavor marriage, add a potato chip to the top.  This is magical!

Spain & The World Table - Anchovy & Pepper Bocadillos

In this recipe, adapted from the book Spain & The World Table (which I am working on for this section of Potential Gold), we will be continuing the work on Tapas.  The post below this is the starting point.

This post will be focusing on making an Anchovy and Pepper Bocadillo as well as the preparation of the anchovies for both posts.

Below - Limor is prepping the ingredients for a vinaigrette which will season this Anchovy & Pepper Bocadillo - NOT TO BE CONFUSED w/ the Anchovy & PISTO Bocadillo below.

Any fine vinaigrette will work.  Focus on the use of Sherry Vinegar and lemon juice as your acid.  You can see that there is a good amount of shallot and garlic in this particular vinaigrette.

Below you can see the ingredients needed for this Bocadillo (which I translated to toast point or crostini).

You will need some fire-roasted red peppers, fresh green peppers, a lot of chopped garlic and a bag of Lays Classic potato chips.

Mince the garlic and cut both peppers into strips.  

In a saute pan, add two to three tablespoons of good olive oil and start sauteing the garlic.  Add the roasted red peppers.  When an amazing aroma develops, remove the garlic and red peppers and add the green peppers to the now-seasoned oil.  Saute the green peppers until they have cooked down, reducing the heat of the pan so nothing burns.  Once cooked, remove the peppers from the pan into a bowl, saving the oil that the peppers were cooked with in the same bowl as the green peppers.

ANCHOVIES -

Below are the two types of anchovies I used for these Bocadillos.  Directly below are the salted anchovies and below that are the Boquerones.

For the salted anchovy, I just washed them gently in cold water and then let them sit in a bowl of half water and half sherry vinegar.

I purchased these Boquerones from Whole Foods Market but they are easy to make if you have your hands on fresh anchovy.  To make them, just clean the anchovy and fillet it.  Let the anchovy soak in half water and half white wine vinegar over night.  Remove the liquids the next day, taste a piece and if salt is needed (not always), add salt and cover with olive oil, fresh sliced garlic and fresh chopped parsley.

For these that I bought, I just rinse them and pat them dry.  I did sprinkle a touch of Sherry Vinegar on these as well.

Look for the post above this in the next few days for how all these yummy ingredients finally come together...

Spain & The World Table - Anchovy and Pisto Bocadillos

In this recipe, adapted from the book Spain & The World Table (which I am working on for this section of Potential Gold), we will be focusing on Tapas.  Two more posts will be part of this Tapas section...

Follow the pictures on this post for a simple and tasty treat!

We're going to make toast points with anchovie and sauteed vegetables which in Spain is called Pisto and resembles a small diced ratatouille - almost... 

Start by small dicing some zucchini, red and green bell pepper and onion.

 

Once your ingredients are ready, heat some good olive oil in a pan and start sauteeing the vegetables.  I add the onion first, followed by the peppers and finally the zucchini.  I did this on high heat to allow for good flavor development and some caramelization.

- Season to taste with salt & pepper

Once you taste that it is ready - take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature or just warm.

Lemongrass Thai Restaurant - Tarzana

Welcome to Lemongrass - I Loved The Flower On The Tip Of My Straw...

Crispy Fried Springrolls - Just OK - Great Dipping Sauce

Soup - My Father's FAVE - Tom Yum something - He Asks For It The Way He Gets It In Thailand
 It's Good

Step by Step - Fresh Pasta

Flour - Farina di Grano Tenero tipo 00

Scale it out - 200 Grams

Mastro's Steakhouse - Beverly Hills

I finally made it to another steakhouse.  This opportunity was a gift from a family friend for our recent engagement.  Fun...

Our friend ordered wine and an appetizer and we chose our protein of choice.  Limor ordered the petite filet and I had the bone-in rib eye.

Our appetizer was a shrimp cocktail which was incredible.  These shrimp were so large that it was more like biting on lobster tail.  I highly recommend this as an appetizer as it's not everyday you stumble across these huge creatures.

The presentation of the shrimp rocked - as the plate approached our table, some water was poured into the bowl holding dry ice, which oozed CO2 across our table - cool!

Our meat was next up, along with our second bottle of Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our side dishes were sauteed spinach and sauteed mushrooms.  Both were nothing special - just run-of-the-house side dishes as expected of any steakhouse these days.

Some Notes:

Tunisian Tomato "Salsa"

The smell of this dish brings me straight back to my childhood.  At first sniff, I recall fun summers in the small neighborhood of Malcha, in the city of Jerusalem.  I remember my mom and her sisters making a feast of fried fish and 'chips'.

This tomato sauce was always there.  With the 'black' bread to soak up all the flavors, my favorite part was eating the crispy fish skin.  Dredged in flour and fried, the white flesh of the fish was always tasty and sweet.

For the sauce:

• Vegetable Oil for the pan
• Onion - 1 Cup
• Garlic - 1 Tablespoon, minced
• Tomato Paste - 1 Can
• Crushed Tomato - 2 Large Cans (not #10 large, just large)

Method:

In your pan, start by heating oil and sauteing the onion (don't be cheap on the oil...this is a rustic sauce!).  Once off to a good start and almost cooked through, add the garlic.  At this point, pay special attention to the garlic.  At first sign of color, add the can of tomato paste. 

Tri-Tip and Meritage

When you put it all together - this is what comes out!

Trader Joes Cooked Tri-Tip

Yes - it really is pre-cooked meat on my blog...

WHY?   Because sometimes I just don't want to think...JUST EAT!  (and its not all the bad, too)

Microwave for a few moments, let rest and slice thin.

So - the next time you're at the Traders, take a peak at some of the offerings of pre-cooked options.  I really like the shredded bbq chicken and I want to try the baby back ribs they have.

Napa Valley Meritage - Kirkland

Yes, it's from Costco!

I found these last four bottles at my local Costco a couple of weeks ago.  I thought it was interesting that there were only four left and that they were almost hidden out of view.

What's funny is that when we went to ring up that days purchases, these wouldn't scan so they gave them to me for about $10 each.

I found a good amount of info on the DF Flynt MW site which is who produces and bottles this wine (so says the label above.  GO HERE TO SEE THAT INFO...

Omer's Mojito Magic

For my brother's 24th Birthday we celebrated by making a large batch of Mojito.  Well - for the true Mojitoists, this may be a bastardized version but it sure resembles a Mojito and tastes like one too.

To the bottom of the large jar we added about 6 limes and four lemons that were rinsed well.

Add some fresh mint - about 1/2 a bunch or so and start pounding with a wooden dowel or other too of choice.

Bossa Nova

One of our all time favorite restaurants in the LA area, Bossa Nova is a must try if you've never been.

 

Now - don't expect fine dining at this place but do know that until 4 AM they crank out delicious pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and Brazilian favorites.

Tonight we were at the Bossa Nova off of Pico Blvd. There is also one on Sunset Blvd. right next door to Falcon.  If you are local to the establishments, they offer a delivery service too.

I 

These little yummy morsels are resemble gougieres and are delicious - I think they're called "cheese bread" on the menu.

One of the tastiest treats was this delicious soft drink called Guarana Antarctica.  This one was a diet offering as that is all they had available and it was delicious.  Served with an orange slice, I could easily be a fan of this drink for a long, long time.  I wonder what kind of cocktails are made with this drink?

Culatello Tasting at BLD

Friends from Italy brought over a Culatello for me.  Below are some shots of a dinner we had at BLD to celebrate the arrival of Culatello to Los Angeles!  I believe that Tad and Russell had a good time and I am looking forward to the next Culatello festival!

Along with Culatello, we had some salads and a nice fish tasting that night.  It was a lot of fun.

Spain & The World Table - Classic Sangria & White Sangria

My first real experience of Spanish sangria was at a bar in the Spanish island of Ibiza.  I remember my eyes jumping at the pitcher of blood-colored liquid love.

I now am trying to recall the taste of what I experienced in Ibiza to the Sangria I've made here, in Los Angeles.  I remember the Sangria being tannic from the red wine but I also remember it being very strong on the citrus peel notes - I remember blood oranges and apple - so roughly chopped up that there were seeds, pith and peel floating around as well (probably adding to the authenticity of the pitcher).

Metaxa

Friends of mine brought over this tasty bottle of Metaxa from their recent trip to Greece.  With many similarities to Brandy, this beverage is tasty both neat or on the rocks.

There are lots of interesting flavors in this bottle - some of which include the oak casks in which it is aged, rose petal, lavender, nutmeg, and other spices and herbs.

The amount of stars on the bottle represent how many years the Metaxa has been aged.  This bottle has five stars so it has been aged for five years. 

There are other varieties which include a three star version which is younger, winey and sweet.  A seven star, a twelve star, a sixteen star and a thirty star (grand reserve) also are available.

They say that Fidel Castro shared a glass of Metaxa with the inventor, Spyros Metaxas, onboard a ship to Cuba.  Good times!

Fried Chicken at BLD

Every Tuesday night at BLD in Los Angeles you can try some of the best Fried Chicken.  Mike and the rest of the chefs at BLD make one of the best Fried Chicken dinners I have ever had.  It will cost you about $25 for the meal + bev, tax and tip but it is WELL WORTH IT.

I can't say how long the special Tuesday Night fried chicken will last and I'm not sure if it's permanent, so try it while its still there.

"Hlalem" a Jewish/Tunisian Dish

For Jews, Tisha B'Av is a holiday in which prohibitions are usually observed.  My family and I are not very religious but one thing that has stuck around is that we don't eat meat around the three weeks prior to Tisha B'Av.

One dish that I can remember my grandmother making is called Hlalem.  This dish is my brother's favorite out of all the dishes my mother and her family makes.

The Hlalem is the chickpea and pasta stew that you see above, on the right side of the plate.

I remember my grandmother hand-rolling pieces of dough into a large strainer for a few days prior to making the Hlalem.  She'd sit out on the balcony, overlooking beautiful Malha, a suburb of Jerusalem.

When it was time, the chickpeas would soak, then the stew would magically come together. 

The closest western dish this resembles is refried beans with favas, chickpeas, and cavatelli.  Stew that for a couple of hours with the right spice combo and it will be very close to my family's version of Hlalem!

Recipe is available upon demand!

(clearly these are leftovers as there's a nice lamb chop on my plate and meat isn't eaten during the Tisha B'Av period)

Spain and The World Table

In the next few couple of weeks months, I will be posting about my experiences cooking through the book Spain and The World Table.  This fantastic book is full of beautiful photographs and recipes that will get you cooking Spanish quickly.

Spain and The World Table

My plan is to go through almost all of the recipes.  At first I thought to go from the front to the back but that means that one night we'll be enjoying many types of tapas and one night we'll be stuffed with many varieties of paella.

Since then, I have changed my view and the plan is to go through the book at my own pace.  I won't be cooking any pork recipes at my house but I do hope to get to those recipes too.  For all those disappointed with that, Jamon Serrano, Jamon Iberico and the beloved Pata Negra do not count as pork to me, so those should get on Potential Gold sooner or later (also some chorizo).

Stay tuned and keep a look out for the Spain & The World Table link on the right to jump straight to those posts.

BLD for Brunch - Los Angeles

Another stop on Justinians quick weekend tour was Sunday Brunch - actually - it may have been Saturday Breakfast at BLD on Beverly Boulevard near Fairfax.

We arrived at BLD around noon and found a nice table ready for us on the sidewalk, just what we wanted.  The restaurant was busy as all the tables in the dining room were full of people devouring their salads, pancakes and egg dishes.

(Wow...look at all those Fra' Mani offerings - I really had such a great experience there...)

Another look at the menu and I decided on the Huevos Rancheros.  Limor chose a Frittata and Justin, the poach.

Justin is a true fan of poached eggs and a true fan of pork and luckily for him they put it together on a menu!

These eggs were really good but the only shitty thing about this dish was that the bread or brioche used was days old and hard as a rock.  Not something I would expect and not something of the norm for BLD so it may have just been Justin's bad luck.  The Pork was braised very well and the Potatoes BLD does with the Spanish Chorizo is simply amazing.

Father's Office - Los Angeles - Best Burger & Sweet Potato Fries

Father's Office!

My friend Justin was in town the other week - he was visiting from Minneapolis and needed to get some real, good food into him FAST.  One of our stops on that weekend was to Father's Office in Santa Monica.  After hearing all the hype and rave reviews, we had to try it for ourselves.

To the bar we went because there aren't any servers to take your order.  After a short line, we were helped by one of the friendly bartenders.  For a beverage, Justin was ok with water as the night before we visited Tokyo Delves and anyone who is familiar with Tokyo Delves knows that you can't leave that place sober unless you're the DD.

The bartender helped me choose a glass of Great White from Lost Coast Brewery.  This beer resembled the Hoegaarden which I like so much.

For a snack we ordered the amazing sweet potato fries which are served in a mini shopping cart with a small side of strong blue cheese dipping sauce.  My beer went really well with this.  As we waited for our burger, we took in the atmosphere and had a few laughs.

We arrived at Father's Office at around 5 PM on a Saturday so in my opinion there weren't too many people there, and it wasn't a problem to order and get your food.  It's pretty simple - you order at the bar and get a plastic number - your food magically appears at your seat in a few minutes.

I didn't get the vibe that they don't want you there or that it's a foodie only type of place.  Its much more of a neighborhood bar type of place.  Simple and easy.  If we had bigger appetites, we would have ordered much more food.  Although the prices or above market average, it seems like you really get quality stuff.

Our burger arrived and it looked so good.  It was not what I was expecting.  The oval shaped burger was already cut in half which made it much easier to share.  The meat was cooked medium just the way we ordered it and after the first bite, it was very very good.

I can see how people say that this is the most amazing burger and bla bla bla but in my opinion, the burger was very very good - executed to the dot and I'm sure its exactly what the chef is trying to put out.  The bun was fresh and tasty - it was more bread then a bun - the meat was juicy and well seasoned.  The arugula was tatsty and added the right flavors that worked overall.  The blue cheese was on the money - not too much or overbearing and not too little - all of it was just right.

I can't wait to get back to Father's Office.  I want to go more hungry, and with more friends as it seems like a really fun place to let loose and have a good time with great beers and very tasty food.

Pizza Research Institute (Eugene, Oregon)

On my short visit to Eugene, this was one of the most memorable spots I stopped in at.  The PRI is truly a one-of-a-kind establishment.  The person I was in contact with whom I assumed is the owner, was wearing flip-flops and a pair of jeans with a t-shirt and an apron - happier then hell about making and selling great pizza.

I went in just to take a quick taste and the stay lasted about an hour.  From the handwritten menu on the wall I had a choice of about four or five pizzas available that day.

Jo Federigo's Restaurant & Jazz Club (Eugene)

On a recent trip to Eugene, one of the most memorable dishes I enjoyed was the Seared Scallops with Miso and Cucumber Salad prepared by the chefs over at Jo Federigo's Restaurant and Jazz Club in Eugene, Oregon.

The scallops were sweet and buttery and the miso with cucumber was fresh and appetizing - I would have stayed for more but the Lakers were playing and I had to go watch the game...

XLB - the eating guide & Mei Long Village

One of my favorite foods in the whole wide world is Xiao Long Bao aka XLB.  XLB is a dumpling which literally translates to "little basket bun". 

These are commonly found in the areas of Shanghai and Wuxi, China.  Here in the US, XLB are also referred to as Soup Dumplings. 

These little pockets of love are worldly.  A thin, slightly translucent, unleavened dough surrounds meat which has been steamed.  In preparation, the meat includes a good amount of gelatin that once steamed, turns into soup within the wrapper of the dumpling. 

Most commonly served with vinegar and slivers of ginger, I love to eat my XLB in the following way:

Summerland, Gainey and Santa Barbara

So the other week some friends and I went wine tasting up in the Santa Barbara area.  We started with a nice tasting at Summerland Winery's tasting room in Summerland, CA, just south of Montecito on the 101 freeway.

We tasted a great Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, some great Petite Sirah and I really also enjoyed the Trio from Summerland.  The staff there was knowledgeable, friendly and warm. 

Friday Night Bites

Friday nights are always fun.  Often times it is spent with my family and friends.  The food is always great and there is always a great mood to the evening. 

On this particular Friday night, Limor & I decided to host.  We haven't hosted yet and it was a good challenge.  There were fourteen guests confirmed and by the time it was over, I think a few more trickled in.

We started to prep on Wednesday for a Friday night meal.  The menu consisted of:

• Tuna Carpaccio alla CIA for anyone who's been to Caterina...
• Arugula & Mixed Green Salad with Cherry Tomatoes
• Ossobuco served with Risotto alla Milanese
• Chicken Cacciatore served with Roasted Pearl Barley
• Grilled Vegetables
• Misc. Cakes, Fruit Salad and other sweets

Overall I thought the dinner was a success.  Both the proteins came out very well.  The risotto had a few 'al dente' spots to it which I blame on the availability of proper cooking tools (I didn't use the right pot - too lazy to clean it). 

Everyone loved everything and the shocker for me was that almost everyone loved and ate the tuna.  Even Limor's grandfather enjoyed it and I wouldn't expect him to eat raw tuna!

Some didn't eat it though, but their portions were scarfed down by my mom...

Le Pain Quotidien

This gem sits on the busy Ventura Blvd. just a few steps from Il Tramezzino.  With eleven franchises in the Los Angeles area and fifteen in New York, this little shop is on the move.  Although the company is large, with franchises all over the world, the feel inside is that of a well run, privately held cafe. 

On my first visit the cheese plate was disappointing but what I really loved is the coffee.  Served similar to the fashion that Cafe Fanny serves their coffee, in a bowl, the rich cream and great brew just lit up my face.  Add a touch of sweet agave nectar (instead of sugar) and I'm a happy 'yamper'. 

Il Tramezzino

Il Tramezzino - a place I first went to in Beverly Hills is now opening in Tarzana.  The photos above were taken at the location in Sherman Oaks on Ventura Boulevard just west of Coldwater Canyon.

"Il Tram," as everyone calls it, is well known for its light and quick bites and also as a place to see and be seen.  For some reason unclear to me, this place is very IN at the moment.  I remember going there late one night and enjoying a hot croissant filled with Nutella and sliced Bananas. 

Pahlmeyer 2002

Not a bad bottle of wine.  This photo was taken at a friends house.

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles

(Please excuse the "red" pictures - you'll understand if you've been to Roscoe's before)

Roscoe's is a legendary establishment.  Being around for many years, they are obviously doing something right!

Yes, this was my first visit to Roscoe's in my 18+ years living in Los Angeles.  I will definitely return and I actually look forward to the next visit. 

What I really crave is the waffle.  I thought the waffle was made very well.  There was a good spiceiness to the batter made with cinnamon and a few other ingredients for sure.  The syrup seemed standard issue Sysco but that was good too. 

The chicken was fried very well and the seasoning of the fry was great.  The meat was nice and moist.  I ordered a dark meat plate with two waffles.  It was a good choice.  Omer and Limor both ordered the classic Breast and Waffle plate. 

The Best Baguettes in Paris (2008)

The verdict is in...

The two bakeshops below scored highest in a blind tasting at the Chambre Professionnelle des Artisans Boulangers-Pâtissiers, located on Quai d’Anjou (on Île Saint-Louis), in Paris, France.  On February 12th, 143 artisans brought their freshly baked baguette to the contest.

A few were automatically rejected due to size and weight conflicts between what was allowed and what wasn't.

The winner this year, from a Tunisian background, is Anis Bouabsa, 28, who won the Grand Prix de la Meilleure Baguette de Paris 2008.

He can be found at:
Au Duc de la Chapelle

32, rue Tristan Tzara

75018 Paris

Tel: 01 40 38 18 98

In second place this year was Fabrice Pottier; another young baker who supplies Alain Passard's restaurant, L’Arpège - daily!

Blue Corn Tamales

At the farmer's market there are always lots of pretty good booths that offer an array of flavors.  This past weekend we tried the Tamale vendor.  With many flavors of Masa and different fillings, we chose the Blue Corn filled with Jack Cheese and Roasted Green Peppers. 

The combination was great and the Tamale was very well seasoned and delicious. 

For more info about Tamales, click here!

Pasta, Haricots Verts, Wine

At the farmer's market the other day I found some great mushrooms.

Seared them on HIGH - added them to a rich stock flavored with Porcini that I brought back from Italy - Perfect.  A touch of butter and some cream just took it to another level.  A touch of chopped parsley to end.

At Costco they have a great product - Haricots Verts nicely packaged and ready to use.  Some of those - blanched in water as salty as the sea - topped with butter roasted thinly sliced almonds - just great.

The wine was brought over by my friend Yaniv.  He has a colleague in Italy who sends over some bottles and this time we enjoyed a nice Brunello di Montalcino as well as an Amarone della Valpolicella.

Seared Scallops

The dinner at Providence inspired me to take a closer look at scallops. 

At the Farmer's Market I picked up some beautiful scallops. 

I seared them on one side with salt and pepper and I served them over a bed of roasted squash.

Deglazing with a touch of wine. I then mounted the liquor with some butter as a sauce.  Yum!

Ethiopian Food

Ethiopian food is just outstanding.  Some of my friends took me to this great spot along Los Angeles' well known "Little Ethiopia", also known as "Ethiopian Row".

Found on Fairfax Avenue, just south of Olympic Boulevard, this area is rich with Ethiopian Restaurants in Los Angeles.  Our particular destination, Meals By Genet is a star.  From what I observed, Genet, the Chef, cooks alone in her kitchen.  There are two servers to take care of the twenty-or-so diners.

The food is great.  From what I understood, the bread is made across the street and Genet serves some stews that take longer then 24 hours to cook.

I hope to try the rest of Ethiopian Row and see which is really supreme.

Providence

It was finally time to enjoy a nice meal in my hometown, Los Angeles.  A great excuse to splurge on a fantastic meal, and take Limor out for a night on the town, Providence was a great choice.

Providence came very highly recommended by many chef friends as well as some well known professional 'eaters'.

We started our night by taking some photos.  Our back-waiter was very joyful and enjoyed having fun with us.  So much so that he actually became our front-waiter for the night.  I think the original server didn't feel up to having fun that night (he looked way to serious in the funny costumes they wear!).

We ordered the five course tasting menu which I was warned takes about three hours to enjoy (it did).  I opted for the wine pairing. 

From the kitchen we first received a great plate of fresh butter and salt to go along with a great piece of bread (unfortunately, it was the only bread they gave us all night, except for some brioche as part of a dish).

Next out as teases was a "Gin & Tonic" in gelatinous cubes and a "Mojito" in spherical form.

Porto's Bakery - Burbank

Porto's is a true phenomenon.  Upon arrival to this magical place, you get awestruck by how many people are in line and how massive of a project this really is.

How Porto's Started

It's always nice to walk into a place and watch it run, and this place sure does run like a well oiled machine.  There is plenty of staff and the long lines pass quickly - try it if you're in the area.

We often stop there on the way to the Burbank Airport (Bob Hope) as it's right on the way.

Make sure to try the Cuban influenced snacks and save room for some sweets.

Smothered Zucchini

I picked up some really great Zucchini from the Farmer's Market.  The farmer said they were similar to the 'Zucchini Bolognese' variety but that they were from Mexican origin.  I am not gonna chase the tail but they were very tasty.

This recipe is super simple and the results are always grand.

Spiced Apple Sauce

For the holiday, I made some Potato Latkes - I made them with a mixture of Russet and Sweet Potatoes and I added a touch of flour and a few eggs to hold everything together.

I love eating latkes either with Sour Cream or Apple Sauce.  I prefer the Apple Sauce when the latkes or fresh and right out of the oil.  The sauce cools down the bite and adds the perfect contrast to the salty, crispy potato.

For this Apple Sauce, I decided to spice it up a bit with some winter flavors - flavors that have more to do with Christmas or Thanksgiving then Chanukah, but it worked out really well - flavors that just work well with apple and its pairing with savory ingredients.

Fra' Mani Sausage

Fra' Mani has developed a line of premium cooked sausages.  I had the opportunity to taste a sample of the Classic & Spicy Sausage.

Both were incredibly delicious.  The fact that these sausages are cooked will make it more likely that all of America will be able to enjoy the great work that Paul Bertolli is doing out of Berkeley, CA. 

I simply pan grilled my sausages at home one night, along with a hearty tomato sauce and some fresh made pasta - the flavors of the sausages were spot on. 

Fra' Mani has been offering fresh sausage since they started and I was hopeful that the new cooked sausages would be very similar to the fresh sausage.

I was glad to see that it was. 

The spicy sausage has a really great flavor of red pepper and the classic sausage has a bold fennel flavor. 

Th casings were a bit tough when I cooked them but that may have been my luck.

The new packaging is great and on the inside cover you have some of Paul's famous recipes.

Good luck to everyone at Fra' Mani, especially Jasmine and Paul for making such great products.

Caviar & New Years 2007

To celebrate the new year and to bring it in with a nice kick, my friends T & E invited me for a bit of caviar.

A few days before, PB and M were over at T & E's and really had the gourmet tasting.

A trial was set up with three different producers of caviar.  One was from California, one from Germany and one from Italy.  Because I was not in attendance, I heard that the Italian caviar won top scores from the three producers.

I was able to 'taste' the Californian product which was great.

Some Wonder Bread toasts, Bellwether Farms Creme Fraiche and Grey Goose vodka accompanied the Sterling caviar produced by Stolt Sea Farm in Elverta, California.

Not too shabby and a great way to start 2007!

Thanks for reading!

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano

One of the Supreme Cheeses of the world, the true Parmigiano is nothing to phuk with. The chance finally came around for me to open up one of these beautiful wheels of cheese and I attacked the opportunity head on.

Here, at Al Vedel, we go through about forty wheels of Parmigiano a year. Being closed the whole month of July and a few weeks here and there, that is about a wheel of cheese a week. Hopefully this wont be the last wheel I open (my technique can use some help!!).

On eG, I posted about my visit to a family who makes Parmigiano – check that out. 

So – on with the process…How to get into the cheez:

The tools – what we use to open up the wheel is a cheese scoring knife – the one at the bottom with the beaked tip.

Then, the two chisel-like tools are used to shimmy there way into the cheese. Not much force is necessary in the entire process, although the cheese is damn heavy.

Once the cheese is scored with the knife, you jab the rounded knife into the cheese, rock back and forth till the knife enters the cheese, then insert the squared knife in to hold the cheese open. The squared knife is tapered and gets wider further up.  Here is a photo of the cheese scored and open in the center.

This photo shows the bottom half of the cheese, not yet scored, but open at the center.

As you can see, this particular cheese was aged well, with no defects of trapped gasses (holes) or off colors. You can also see the deposits of calcium in the cheese; that white ‘crunch’ that grana gets its name for. Yes, here they also call Parmigiano ‘grana’ – for its texture more than for respect for the other cheese; although, check this out as a rebuttal.

I’m working on one half at a time. The whole process took me about 20 minutes – I was having fun and took my time! 

The pile of cheese that comes from one wheel of Parmigiano is amazing. If each wheel weighs 30 kilos, then each wedge must weigh about two and a half kilos – or – five and a half pounds.

Each wedge then probably costs (in the US) from seventy to ninety (+) dollars. But then again, Parmigiano in the US is way overcharged – and minimally used compared to the amounts used here.

At the end, the pieces are wrapped in plastic and ready to use later. I look forward to doing this next week, although the sous chef made a comment about how “rustico” my wedges were. His come out perfectly straight and in line, then again he has been doing this for a long, long time!

Go Eat Cheese

La Mortadella

Some R&D work led to these amazing hanging Mortadella.

(prior to the oven)

Thanks to our neighbors for letting us use their oven!

(almost ready to eat!)

Sticky Rice & Mango

Sticky Rice & Mango at Ruen Pair on San Pablo...

The Cannard Farm

Fennel

Charcuterie Lives...

At work I help butcher all the meats that we use on the menu.  A lot of these meats have an immense amount of usable trim.  The most yielding item is the 'deconstructed' Kobe Rib-Eye.  This item is just the center eye of the rib, so all the parts around the eye are trimmed away.

In the beginning of August I decided to start saving the trim for sausages.  My plan sounded good to the chef (Eddy Shin) and so it was.  By then end of August I had the lower shelf in the freezer packed tight with little packages of trim.

I had Kurobuta Pork trim, Australian Lamb trim, Kobe Lean Meat, and Kobe Fat.

Last week it was finally time to get something going.  Chef ordered some Sheep and Pork casings and I was off.

The casings I rinsed well and let sit in a bath of vinegar, white wine and garlic.  We don't have a sausage stuffing machine at work so I used our 20 qt. Hobart to grind the meat, and then my small (home) Kitchen Aid sausage attachment on works Kitchen Aid.

The process was extremely slow and the result of my first run, a bit on the fatty side, but these sausages were practically free...

For the first run, I made three variations.
I made an Italian Style - I'm not calling it anything more than that.
I made a Merguez style &
I made a sausage with Dried Fruits and Nuts

My first taste was the Merguez style...of the three, my favorite.  The Lamb fat adds a great dimension to the mix.

My biggest problem was figuring out a safe way to cook and use these sausages at the restaurant.  We tried to straight grill one of the merguez and the thing basically exploded on the grill into a huge fire ball...you should have been there!

Yesterday I cut all the sausages into portioned links and individually froze the whole batch.  I am hoping to pull out a few per day and roast them in the oven until done.  That, I have noticed, is the safest way.

These are some Merguez style, in Sheep Casing.

Haggis

While in Edinburgh, a few months ago (time flies), I had the opportunity to enjoy me a great big (half portion) plate of the world famous Haggis.

In tasting this culinary question for me, I needed to make sure that the Haggis was made from scratch.  Finally, a day before leaving Edinburgh, I found a street pub who said that their Haggis was made from scratch.

I recall the ingredients being:

Sheep Stomach as the casing
Oats
Salt and Pepper
Onion
Liver, Lung and Heart (all of Mutton)
Flavorful Stock

For a pre-lunch snack, this plate hit the spot.  I recall the taste being a bit over peppery but the presence of such organ meat didn't come out too strongly in taste, more in smell.

The Haggis was served with Turnip and Potato...

This adventure went way back to my Culinary School days when a friend (A.B.) would mention Haggis as an item often served at special occasions at his home or when he would go on the road with his Bag-Pipe playing friends.  Since then it always stuck with me, and what better place for a tourist to try Haggis then Edinburgh - A trully Scotish experience!

Biondi Santi

At VinItaly, yesterday, I met with two old friends.  It's been two years since I last saw them, and they remembered me - Francesca and Jacopo Biondi Santi.  Once we (I and the sommelier from Al Vedel) arrived my first goal was to meet up with the Biondi Santis, catch up, and find out how I can get my bottle of Schidione '97 from Castello di Montepo to my house in LA!  That will need some more work but the meeting reminded me of what a good time I spent with the Tuscan family two years ago.

Badia a Coltibuono Part I

Yes...that's a 1965 you see there in the middle...and yes...it was very tasty!!

Monday morning poor Alex had to awaken to a day of pork bladders and tying whereas I was getting ready to head over to Chianti and drink wine for two days…another perk for being such a damn good stagist!!

Marco picked me up, with Andrea already in the car and we were off.  The three of us would return to

Parma

two days later with a great deal of wine behind us, still in us, and the knowledge that some old vintages lent us never to disappear.

Our first stop, and really the only stop for Day 1 was Badia a Coltibuono located in Gaiole in Chianti.  On arrival, the windy uphill road could only really lead to pleasure as the hills were pure beauty.

The weather was perfect for these two days.  We were first greeted by two young but beautiful cows grazing in the pasture just in front of the abbey. 

Enoteca Pinchiorri - Part II

The Continuation...

The next bottle of wine, our fifth, and not on our tasting, more a gift, was a bottle of Griotte-Chamber tin 2000, a Grand Cru from Domaine Ponsot.

I am not a true lover of the Pinot Noir but this Burgundy wine was great. It was soft and earthy yet the fruit tones were all present. A nice ‘gift’ from our Sommelier.

The fifth course was a quick taste for me. In an oversized bowl with just a tiny center laid a perfectly poached quail egg, sitting in a black truffle soup with a tiny piece of gold leaf as garnish.   

This plate was nice, the quail egg was perfectly poached with a runny yolk and the black truffle soup was just that. It was as if the chef put a few black truffles in a blender with a small amount of liquid and this black truffle milkshake was the result. Although at the end of the season, the soup was still rich and the perfume was pungent and strong.

The next wine up was the Castello del Rampolla 1995 vintage Sammarco. If you haven’t yet, you should!

Course six was a Braised Ox-Tail - the only plate that escaped the lens of my camera – so, no photo. Basically, it was the same bowl as the black truffle soup. Underneath a Black Pepper Tuille rested three forkfuls of perfectly braised tail meat. The braise was excellent and so was the rest of the dish – very nice.

The seventh wine, second to last on our tasting was the 1988 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – Poggio al Vento from Tenuta Col d’Orcia. That was an amazing wine!!!!!!!

The final savory course for the night was my favorite from the whole night. Pigeon was the theme here and it went like this…Roasted Pigeon Foot (Thigh, leg and toes) resting on the Seared Breast, Pigeon Liver enriched Reduction Sauce, Potato Tart and Toast with Red Jam.

Like I said, my favorite dish of the night, this plate was good! The pigeon was perfectly cooked, I picked up the leg with my hands and sucked all the meat, skin and sauce right off – it was amazing. The breast was perfect and so was the sauce. The toast was sweet and went will with the potato tart and the sauce. A truly yummy plate, how about seconds!?!

After the main course, the cheeses were brought out. There were three large cutting boards full of Tuscan-only cheeses.

My plate consisted of Crema di Capra, a very soft and liquidy goat’s cheese; Ambro; Stracchino Stagionato, another soft cheese that is normally eaten fresh as this was an aged version; Pecorino Buccia di Rospo, a sheep’s milk cheese; and finally, Toma della Valsassine. All were amazing but my favorites were the super soft Stracchino and Crema.

With dessert on its way, the sommelier brought over our dessert wine, just for a peak as it went right back into the iced water to continue its cooling down. We drank a bottle of Picolit made by Rocca Bernarda from the 1997 vintage. A very tasty wine made from a special grape, Picolit, which is a late harvest style. Very tasty and if available, get it!

Okay, the desserts basically all came out in a grand orchestra of a mess. First out was a plate consisting of a Chocolate Cream cube with Honey, Roasted Pear topped with Semi-Freddo, a Chocolate Tuille and an Orange Sauce.

The chocolate cube t asted much like a tootsie roll, the semifreddo was the most amazing semifreddo I have ever eaten, the orange sauce wasn’t very good and the chocolate tuille was great. The semifreddo, truly an exceptional experience here at Enoteca Pinchiorri.

Then, from all angles, plate after plate of more sweets was brought to us.

There was a sorbetto – two flavors, each in their own tuille as a base. We had roasted pineapple as one flavor, and mascarpone and goat cheese as another flavor. Both were great.

Then there was the Chocolate Cream with Irish Whisky which was presented as a foam – very tasty with a heavy coffee flavor, not much whisky though. On the same plate there was also a Triangle of soft Spiced Bread with Licorice, and a Pudding of Lavender and Jasmine with a garnish of Rhubarb. All these tastes were good, with the lavender and jasmine combo the ‘weirdest’ of them all. The small Chocolate Coffee Cups were nice, as well as the Tangerine Gelatins. Small chocolates followed and that was our meal.

Throughout the night, I had a great time. At first, I felt like a putz with the borrowed jacket, but after the first few glasses of wine, I mellowed out. The staff that took care of us for the five and a half hours we were there were great.

At one point I remember a young guy coming up with our Japanese server. Our server introduced him as Italy ’s youngest Sommelier and this sommelier tried speaking his ‘dirty’ English with us. It was a great time. Followed was a tour of the wine cellar, one of three I may add, and then back up to pay the bill.

The tasting menu we ordered, the grander of the two offered, was 225 euros per person. The wine tasting was 170 per person. Total – 395 euro per person – the most expensive meal to date for me!!!

With the wines, the sommelier offered the next wine, if we still had wine from the previous bottle, he asked if we would like the glass refilled, or if we would like both glasses for the same course. It was very friendly and relaxed – not as rigid as at Dal Pescatore, where I dined the week after!

Well, as usual, feel free to ask away!