TasteFood

Kitchen Table Philosophy: Macaroni, Cauliflower and Cheese

 

What do you do when you've had a bad day? We all have them, and today was my daughter's turn: Difficult math test, monotonous swimming lesson, lots of homework, and a bumpy day with friends on the playground. All in all, a tough day for a ten year-old.

I had a busy day, too. I was researching sources for sustainably-raised meat and drove out to West Marin. I returned home with a list of sources as well as a cooler full of grass-fed meat from Marin Sun Farms for our freezer, including 4 beautiful lamb loin chops I planned to cook for dinner. I spent the afternoon busy at the computer writing and researching a new article and in a meeting.  All in all, a busy day for a grown-up. 

Then my daughter arrived home, tired, overwhelmed and teary from her day.  Her first request was if I would make her favorite dish - Macaroni, Cauliflower and Cheese - for dinner.  My immediate response was negative; I had all this lamb, after all.  She then pulled a chair up to my desk and began to recount her day to me, while I continued typing at my computer, half listening to the news on the radio in the background and half listening to her experiences.

Suddenly, I had a moment of clarity:  Sometimes you have to stop all your busy-ness, let go of your preconceived plans and just sit down at the kitchen table, fully present. I wasn't fully present anywhere at that moment. So, I shut down the computer, turned off the radio, and sat down at our kitchen table with my daughter.  Together, we prioritized her homework so the seemingly mountainous pile became approachable tasks; we worked out those fractions and  proofread her Spanish.  All the while, I fully listened to the news of her day, the dramas, frustrations and thoughts, remembering that at one point I was also there and and how the world felt to a 10 year-old after a long day.

And dinner?  The lamb will wait a day.  Tonight we are having Macaroni, Caulliflower and Cheese.

 
 

Macaroni, Cauliflower and Cheese
Serves 4-6

1 medium head of cauliflower, divided into 1" florets

1 lb. (500 grams) penne
Salt

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup bread crumbs (panko)

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Steam cauliflower until tender but firm. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta. Cook until just tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain. Return to pot. Stir in cauliflower.
Combine cheese in a small bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Add 2/3 of the cheese. Stir until smooth. Add mustard, salt and pepper.  Combine cheese mixture with pasta and cauliflower. Pour into a buttered rectangular baking dish. 
Toast breadcrumbs over medium-low heat in a dry skillet until golden. Remove from heat and toss with remaining cheese. Spread breadcrumb mixture over pasta.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in oven until top is golden and crusty, about 40 minutes.

Tip:
Try substituting broccoli for the cauliflower, or combining the two.
Alternatively, you can omit the pasta, and use only vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, rutabaga, parsnip) for a delicious gratin. 

My Big Fat Greek Dinner

 Grilled Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Tsatsiki

When it's hot outside, the food I crave is Greek. These Greek-inspired Lamb Kebabs are packed with herbs, spices and the heat of cayenne.  They are positively addictive and perfect for a party and easy entertaining.  Nearly everything can be prepared in advance, and a barbeque is required.  What more could you ask for?  Oh, yes: Good friends, great wine and perhaps a little Ouzo.

To complete the menu, serve these spicy, more-ish kebabs with smoky, Middle-Eastern Harissa and creamy, garlicky Tsatsiki.  Accompany with a Greek Salad brimming with garden fresh vegetables, feta cheese and kalamata olives and Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Mint.  By the end of the meal your tastebuds will be singing, and your guests will be begging for more.

 

Grilled Spiced Lamb Kebabs
Makes 16

16 small bamboo skewers

2 lbs./1 kg. ground lamb
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne

Exta-virgin olive oil
Fresh mint or basil leaves
Pita bread
Tsatsiki
Harissa

Soak bamboo skewers in warm water 30 minutes before assembling kebabs.  Drain.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Gather a small handful of the meat in your hand and form it lengthwise around a skewer so that the meat is covering 3/4 of the skewer.  Place on plate or tray.
Repeat with remaining meat and skewers.  Lightly brush the kebabs with olive oil.  (Kebabs can be prepared to this point up to 6 hours in advance.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.)
Grill on barbeque or in oven, turning to brown all sides, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Arrange on plates or serving platter and garnish with fresh mint or basil leaves.  Serve with pita bread, tsatsiki and harissa.

What to Drink? 
A full bodied, fruity red such as Shiraz/Syrah or Zinfandel. 
And don't forget the Ouzo.

 

 

Pesce al Sale - Whole Fish Baked in Sea Salt

 

The first time I tasted Pesce al Sale was at the restaurant Molo 13 in Milan.  It was a memorable meal after a long journey involving a disgruntled border guard, Italian shoes, finicky headlights and the vortex of controlled chaos found driving on Milan's ringroad at rush hour.  Read on here to appreciate just how welcome our arrival and meal at Molo 13 was within this context.

Many years later, sadly not in Europe and missing the Italian language, I often prepare a Whole Fish Baked in Sea Salt when we are entertaining with friends.  This is a dish that is surprisingly easy to prepare despite its dramatic presentation.  The entire fish is encased in sea salt, baked in the oven and presented whole at the table. Its hardened crust of sea salt and egg white is cracked open to reveal a succulent, steaming and aromatic fish.  Have your fishmonger clean and descale the fish when you purchase it.  The fish can be baked simply as is, or stuffed with a combination of lemon slices, garlic and fennel fronds. Serve the fillets drizzled with good quality extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. 

 

Whole Fish Baked in Sea Salt - Pesce al Sale

Serves 6-8

One whole fish, 5-6 lbs./2.5-3 kg., such as snapper, rock cod or sea bass, cleaned, gutted and scaled
Lemon slices
Optional:  Fennel fronds, 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 egg whites 
4 pounds coarse sea salt

Extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon wedges

Parsley Gremolata (see below)

Preheat oven to 450 F. (225 C.)
Place lemon slices, fennel and garlic (if using) in cavity of the fish.
Combine egg whites and sea salt in a bowl. Mix well to moisten salt.
Spread 1/3 salt mixture on bottom of an oven-proof baking dish. Lay fish on top. Pour remaining salt over fish, covering completely. If needed, tail can remain exposed.
Bake in oven 30 - 40 minutes.  (If the fish is stuffed with lemon and fennel, it will require additional cooking time, approximately 10 minutes.)
Remove fish from oven and crack crust open with a small hammer or knife.  Remove and discard crust.
Fillet the fish. Arrange fish on warm plates, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.   

Serve garnished with additional lemon wedges and Parsley Gremolata.

*This recipe was chosen as the winner in a competition hosted by Food52 and will be published in their upcoming cookbook.  You can find this recipe and many other delicious recipes on their site, and have a chance to cast your votes for favorite recipes.
 

 

Parsley Gremolata:

Combine 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, 1 minced large garlic clove and the finely grated zest of one untreated lemon in a bowl.  Season to taste with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with fish, meat, pasta.


Accompany this dish with:

 Steamed or Roasted Asparagus 

Steamed New Potatoes with Parsley and Olive Oil






What to Drink? 
Try a white Burgundy or Sauvignon Blanc, dry French rosé (Côtes du Rhône, Bandol) or Pinot Noir.

Easy Entertaining: Grilled Salmon and Halibut Skewers

It's mid-April, Easter vacation, and when it rains it pours - luckily and figuratively - in the houseguest department.  Who needs to go away during a school vacation, when you live in the San Francisco Bay area?  There is no shortage of beaches and nature to explore, food and wine to taste, museums and city to walk, and it can't get any better than with the streak of brilliant weather we have had this week.  Besides, if we don't go away, then those who do go away, come to us.  

We are reaching the end of a week of playing tourist in our own backyard, hiking Pacific coastal trails, tasting Napa wine, window shopping in Union Square, and having our senses titillated in Chinatown.  My brother and his family have come and gone and return again this evening after visiting Yosemite National Park for a 3 day excursion. While they were gone, the kids have had friends sleep over, and a good friend from our Geneva days came round for a dinner - she was in town for business and we had the chance to catch up after 10 years over good wine and food.  Next week when we are back to our usual routine I will rest.

As you might imagine, the kitchen chez nous has been busy and continually re-stocked.  And for last night's dinner I prepared these lovely fish kabobs for easy, elegant entertaining.  

Grilled Salmon and Halibut Skewers
Serves 6

For the marinade:
1/4 cup (60 ml.) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml.) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 medium yellow onion, grated, with juices
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 lbs. salmon fillet and halibut filet (thick pieces), cut in 1" chunks
1 large red onion, cut in 1" pieces
1 large red pepper, cut in 1" pieces
1 large yellow pepper, cut in 1" pieces

Italian flat leaf parsley for garnish

Soak 12 wooden skewers in hot water 30 minutes before using.

In a large bowl combine marinade ingredients.  Whisk together.  Add fish to marinade and toss gently to coat.  Refrigerate at least one hour and up to 4 hours.
Preheat grill or oven grill.
Remove skewers from water.  Thread 4-5 pieces of fish on each skewer, alternating with pepper and onion pieces.  Grill, turning, until fish is brown and just cooked through, 6-8 minutes. 
Arrange on a platter, salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Serving suggestions:

Serve skewers on a bed of Pearl Couscous Salad






Accompany with Asparagus, Lemon and Olive Oil










Finish with Strawberry and Mascarpone Cream Parfaits for dessert










What to Drink?
For red wine, serve a Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy
For white wine, serve a buttery California Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

In Bed with Bouchon

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.  I am home sick, and I have spent a quiet morning in bed reading my Bouchon cookbook cover to cover.  It makes for good reading.  Not only are the recipes spot on and authentically French bistro cuisine, but the essays wonderfully articulate the essence, philosophy, and ambience of bistro cooking.  It makes me very happy.

Actually, bistro food should make all of us happy. It's comforting, generous, convivial, and unpretentiously rooted in French tradition. Interestingly, the excellence of Bouchon Restaurant has made it a destination of sorts requiring advance reservation, but typical bistro dining is accessible, local and immediate throughout France. Found in every neighborhood, soothing in its predictability, comfortably well worn in its ambience, and satisfying in its timelessness, the French bistro is a home away from home.

 

I became familiar with bistros when I lived in Paris and then Geneva.  The bistro was the go-to restaurant for consistent, delicious, and fun food.  Welcoming, bustling, and casually elegant, I knew what I could get - whether it was a date night or a group dinner, whether I was pregnant or with young children in tow.  Now, years later, there isn't a bistro in my neighborhood, and I don't have a standing reservation at Bouchon, but I do cook bistro fare at home.  It's perfect for entertaining and families, and since my family was raised eating bistro food in Europe, it's one of our preferred cuisines  for home cooking.

 

Roast chicken is a staple in bistro cuisine.  Inspired by recipes in both the Bouchon and Zuni Café Cookbooks, I roast the chicken in an oven-proof skillet in a very hot oven.  Nearly an oven to table dish, all it requires is resting before carving and capturing the delicious juices from the bird for basting and serving.  Save the bones to make chicken stock after the meal. 

 

Roast Chicken
Serves 2-4

 

One organic chicken, 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lbs. (1- 1.5 kg.)
4 thyme, sage or rosemary sprigs
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Salt the chicken: 
Rinse the chicken and pat dry thoroghly with kitchen towels outside and inside the cavity.  Sprinkle all over with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate up to 24 hours before continuing. 

 

Preheat the oven to 450 F. (225 C.)
Slide your finger under the skin of each breast.  Insert an herb sprig in the pocket.  Repeat with the skin at the thighs.

Place chicken breast-side up in an oven-proof skillet or shallow roasting pan.  Place the chicken in the oven.  Roast 30 minutes, then turn chicken over breast-side down.  Roast additional 20 minutes.  Turn chicken over, breast-side up.  Roast 10 minutes more or until done. 
Remove from oven, baste chicken with juices.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 15 minutes. 

Pour fat from skillet, leaving drippings in pan.  Pour any juices from resting chicken into pan.  Add 1-2 tablespoons water or chicken stock into pan and deglaze.  Keep warm.

Carve chicken and arrange on warm serving platter.  Spoon juices over chicken.

Garnish with additional herb sprigs.

 

Serve with  a green salad and roasted potatoes.

 

Six Words - A New Year's Wish

For New Year's, we were invited to a dinner party at our friends' home in Sausalito.  Perched high on a hill, their house has a stunning view of the San Francisco bay and skyline.  As luck would have it, mid-way through the evening, the winter fog that had shrouded the city lifted, and we were blessed with a spectacular view of the skyline and Bay bridge.  We feasted on a 5 course dinner, and as we tucked into our cheese course the clock neared midnight. In typical fashion, the fickle bay weather suddenly decided to play a now-you-see-it-now-you-don't trick on us, and another wall of fog rolled in over the city, enveloping the twinkling lights of the Embarcadero, Nob Hill and the Presidio in a soup of inky black darkness. Undeterred, we lit off fireworks on the terrace as the clock struck midnight and toasted the New Year as we looked down on the more immediate and dependable lights of Sausalito.  

One of the party games we enjoyed during the evening was a request by our hostess, Giselle.  She had created a journal that cheerily greeted the year 2009 (I won't share what her words were regarding 2008).  We were then asked to come up with a six word "book" or phrase akin to Ernest Hemingway's legendary memoir that he was challenged to write in six words.  The idea is that the six words should sum up either your life, the year, or a personal wisdom you wished to share.  Not surprisingly, some of the phrases that were put forth touched on politics (A black President in our lifetime), the economy (the end of the American empire), and lighter pursuits (fish, fish, reel in, fish more).  

As for me, I came up with a list rather than a phrase that pretty much sums up life to me: Eat, Drink, Love, Laugh, Family, Friends.  With that, I wish all of you an abundance of these 6 words in 2009.

Kitchen Table Philosophy: Thanksgiving

The more the merrier - 
especially on Thanksgiving.

For 17 years I celebrated Thanksgiving abroad in three different countries.  Naturally, this could have been a lonely experience, as this is uniquely a North American holiday. However, these were the best Thanksgivings in my memory.  Each year I would host the Thanksgiving meal, and I invited any American or Canadian I knew and their partners, spouses and families.  These would be friends, friends of friends, family of friends, colleagues of friends - anyone seeking a Thanksgiving celebration and finding themselves far from home.  

I would make the turkey, and everyone was invited to bring a favorite dish from their traditional Thanksgiving table.  The meal would be held in the evening on Thanksgiving as the day was not a recognized holiday in other countries.  Guests would arrive - alone, with friends, significant others, and with children in tow. I don't think there was ever fewer than 20 people at our table any given year. And what a feast we would have:  brined turkey and gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, wild rice, beans, carrots, collard greens, salsas, casseroles, carrots, beans, brussel sprouts, cranberries, compotes, pumpkin pies and cheesecakes, pecan pies, apple crisps.  It was a rainbow of Thanksgiving traditions spanning the North American continent, each year different from the next.  

These moments were to me the best of Thanksgiving:  connecting with others, opening a home and table to friends and strangers, celebrating traditions and giving thanks for friends and family.   I wish all my North American readers - everywhere - a very happy Thanksgiving.

A Cook's Diary - Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

Some people like to keep diaries.  I keep recipes and menus.  I have a big white box where I put magazine clippings, recipe printouts, and notes I have made when I am planning a dinner or a party or traveling to a new place and exploring restaurants and food specialties.  Every so often, once or twice a year at best, I will dig through my box and read my recipes and notes that span over 15 years.  I will remember parties and dinners I have held, I will remember countries I have lived in and traveled to, and I will note similarities, differences and trends in food I have used or been drawn to over time.  Since I have been seriously cooking all this time, sometimes for work and often for pleasure, this is the best way for me to remember friends, events, places, experiences and meals from long ago.

Tonight I am making a recipe I pulled out of my white box that is an adaptation of a recipe I made from Sainsbury's Magazine, published by the U.K. supermarket giant.  This particular issue was published in January 2000, so it is a wintry, comforting dish, perfect for an autumn weeknight.  When I bought the magazine, we were living in our renovated barn in the countryside on the south coast of England.  We lived by the sea and had distant views to the Isle of Wight.  The landscape was pastoral and windswept by the weather that blew in from the English channel. In January, the weather was particularly brutal.  At night we could hear the wind as it whistled down our chimneys, while it gathered up any loose items in our garden and tossed them about like party favors, and we kept our cat in at night for fear she would be blown away like Dorothy and Toto. 

Our closest neighbors lived one mile down the road from us, and in the first weeks following our move there, I was home alone with our infant daughter and toddler son, while my husband was away on a business trip. One evening the wind was blowing so hard, I wondered if we might lose our roof.  I called our neighbors, whom we had yet to meet, introduced myself and asked if this wind was normal or should I be worried.  I was assured that it was quite normal and then invited to dinner.  I arrived with my tired children in tow, put them to bed in a guest bedroom, and officially met our neighbors over a meal they cooked for me in their Aga oven.  This meal was the beginning of a long friendship.  We spent many evenings after that, sharing food and enjoying wine, cooking for eachother on our Agas (no rural English home would be complete without one) in the West Sussex countryside.  One evening when they came to our home for a casual dinner, I made a version of a recipe I had torn out of Sainsbury's Magazine.  Tonight I will make it again and think of our friends back in  southeast England. 


Braised Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms
adapted from a recipe published in Sainsbury's Magazine, January 2000

Serves 4

8 chicken thighs with bones or 4 large chicken breasts with ribs or a combination of both
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 1/2 lb. (approx. 700 grams) large white and chestnut mushrooms, quartered (halved if medium-sized)
1/2 oz. (15 grams) dried porcini, or 3/4 lb. (350 grams) fresh porcini, sliced
1 cup (240 ml.) dry white wine
1 cup (240 ml.) chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Prepare:
Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a deep oven-proof skillet or dutch-oven over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the chicken pieces.  Add chicken skin-side down in one layer in skillet (in 2 batches).  Cover skillet with a spatter-guard and sauté chicken until browned, turning once, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate, and repeat with remaining chicken.

Drain off fat from skillet.  Return skillet to stove and add one tablespoon olive oil and shallots.  Sauté until shallots soften, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and fresh mushrooms.  Sauté 2 minutes.  
Return chicken to skillet.  Add chicken stock, white wine, dried porcini mushrooms (if using), sage and thyme. Take care to submerge dried mushrooms in liquid.  The chicken will not be completely covered by the liquid.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for 2 minutes.  Baste tops of chicken with some of the cooking liquid.  Place pan, uncovered, in pre-heated 375 F. (190 C.) oven.  Bake, basting 1-2 times, until chicken is golden and crispy where exposed and cooked through. 
Remove from oven.  Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.
Serve with rice.

Note:
You may notice some leeks in the photo above.  Yes, I had a lonely leek in the refrigerator that was begging to be used, so I included it in this dish when I made it.  If you also have a leek you would like to use, trim green ends and discard, and slice the cleaned white end thinly.  Add to the skillet when you add the shallots.

The Tip Jar:  Can't get enough Chicken Stew?
                    Try this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore at Simply Recipes
                    Try this recipe for Georgian Chicken Stew at Nami-Nami 
                    Try this recipe for Chicken Stew with Pesto at  Dinner with Julie

 

Comfort Food

On this beautiful sunny day, I am enjoying a coffee on our terrace while reading the morning newspaper.  The news is not good these days.  As the world bumps along in these interesting times, and events feel frustratingly out of our control, I will purposely find peace and balance in the immediacy and pleasure of my environment with family and friends.  Tonight we will have a comforting meal with vegetables harvested from our garden. I cannot change events, but I can gratefully make a small difference in the lives of those who are close to me. 

Baked Penne with Aubergine, Tomato and Basil
Serves 4

1 medium-sized firm eggplant, about 1 lb.
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 - 28 oz. (800 grams) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb. penne pasta

1 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded basil leaves

Quarter eggplant lengthwise.  Slice quarters 1/4" thick.
In an oven-proof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot.  Add half of eggplant.  Sauté until brown and soft, about 5 minutes.  Transfer eggplant to a plate lined with a paper towel.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet.  Add remaining eggplant.  Sauté until brown and soft.  Return drained eggplant to skillet.  Add oregano and garlic.  Saute until garlic is fragrant but not brown and eggplant softens further, about 4 minutes. (Add additional olive oil, if skillet becomes dry.)
Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add penne and cook until just tender but still firm, 5 minutes.  Drain.  Add pasta to eggplant mixture.  Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese.  Add half of the basil.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.  Bake in pre-heated 350 F. oven until cheese is melted and brown, about 40 minutes.

Serve garnished with remaining basil leaves.