Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji and Guacamole

When I heard that we had a very special visitor coming in town, I wanted to show some San Francisco hospitality and prepare a meal that we could share together. The catch was, the dinner was going to be late (around 9:30) and it was a Wednesday night which typically means, spin class until 8 PM. If Derek were left 100% in charge of the menu, we would likely not have a dinner on the table until after 10 PM because certainly the meal would take "longer than expected." So I took control of the menu and thought of a simple piece of meat that could be prepared ahead of time and cooked quickly.

This Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji and Guacamole seemed to perfectly fit the bill as I was craving some guacamole and wanted to incorporate it into the dish somehow.

I went and picked everything up at Berkeley Bowl - including the beautiful grass-fed beef that ended up living up to its $3.50/lb extra price tag. Then I got to cooking and, besides the guacamole, I made everything! Derek can take credit for the terrible butchering of my beautiful piece of meat as I asked him to score the steak as it calls for in the recipe. When I came into the kitchen post-Derek score...I was horrified! There, in front of me, was a piece of meat with scores so deep into the meat that you could see light through it if you held the piece up. Yes, Derek scored THROUGH the meat in many parts. He blamed it on the sharp knife, I blame it on carelessness. Regardless - I was a little peeved but I was told that it would work out - and I guess I couldn't do anything at that point but hope that was true!


Original recipe found here

Steak
1 1 1/2-pound grass-fed flank steak
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse kosher salt
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 3)
6-ounces dark beer
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Aji Sauce
Guacamole (homemade with tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, etc.)
Arugula

Using sharp knife, lightly score flank steak about 1/8 inch deep on both sides in a crisscross pattern at 1/2-inch intervals. Place steaks in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle steaks on both sides with oregano and cumin and generous amount of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of steaks, rubbing oil and spices into meat. Add green onions, beer, and Worcestershire sauce, turning steaks several times to coat both sides. Cover and chill at least 3 hours, turning occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. We marinated it overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Grill steaks to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes total per side for medium-rare, turning steaks 1/4 turn after 1 1/2 minutes to form crisscross grill marks, if desired. Transfer steaks to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks across grain. Transfer to platter and serve with Aji Sauce and Colombian Guacamole.

Aji Sauce
we did a half recipe - full recipe is below

1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded jalapeño chiles (about 4 large)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green onions (about 2 large)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I added more)
2 tablespoons (or more) red wine vinegar or fresh lime juice (I used a little white wine vinegar and more lime juice)
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine jalapeño chiles, green onions, sweet onion, and cilantro in processor; puree until paste forms, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula several times. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and process until mixture is blended but some texture still remains. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and more vinegar to taste, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

This recipe would have been great as a fajita, wrapped in tortillas. I opted for over a bed of arugula served with a little bit of corn tortilla on the side. That way I had some bites of "salad" and some bites of a wrapped up tortilla "taco." The meat was so tender and juicy - not always characteristic of flank! I could really pick out the grass-fed flavor profile as well as the beer - a dark German beer.

For company, this is a fantastic make-ahead meal that comes together in just minutes once it's time to cook!

Lemongrass-Coconut Broth Poached Yellowtail with Steamed Bok Choy

For once, Derek went all by himself to the Farmer's Market and selected a few inspirational ingredients for the next night's meal. It started with a trip to the seafood vendor who pointed to a California Yellowtail fillet which he described as "like Mahi-Mahi but sweeter." This description then set off the light bulb for "lemongrass" - which then led to the side pairing of "bok choy." With those three ingredients in hand - Derek came home, ready to turn them into his own masterpiece creation.

Lemongrass Coconut Broth Poached Yellowtail with Steamed Bok Choy

Ingredients

1 teaspoon EVOO
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, chopped
2 thai chiles, seeded and minced
1 can (10-oz) coconut water
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 lime, zested and juiced
1 star anise
2 (8-ounce) yellowtail snapper fillets

Garnish:
mango, peeled and diced
macadamia nuts, chopped and toasted
daikon radish sprouts
fleur de sel

Side Dish: Baby Bok Choy steamed in a bamboo steamer for 6 minutes

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add shallots, ginger, and lemongrass. Sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in next 8 ingredients to make stock; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Pour stock through a wire-mesh strainer into a large skillet, discarding solids.

Bring stock to a boil in skillet; add yellowtail to skillet. Reduce heat until stock just simmers. Cover and poach yellowtail 8 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork (if you do not have enough liquid, flip the fish half-way through and basted with the liquid).

To serve, place steamed bok choy in the center of a shallow bowl; top with poached snapper. Pour broth over the fish, and sprinkle diced mango around fish. Garnish the fish, with toasted macadamia nuts, fleur de sel, and sprouts.

Beautiful! I loved the combination of colors on this dish. The preparation was delicate yet inviting.

Now with critiquing this dish - I have to comment on the recipe and not necessarily the fish. In all, this was a fantastic dish. I could have had just a big bowl of that broth. It was slightly sweet and spicy with just the right amount of richness, balanced with the fresh flavors of the lemongrass, lime, and cilantro. I could see this being served as a soup with some shrimp and avocado in it. Yum.

The fish itself was OK - Derek's piece was better than mine. We attribute the variation to the fact that my piece feel alongside the bloodline of the fish and therefore, had a distinctly fishy flavor that I wasn't too fond of. His piece, however, tasted just fine! We both agreed that a wetter more large-flake fish such as grouper or black cod would probably have been better in the dish and that the firmer texture of a yellowtail is more suitable for pan-searing and grilling. That being said - the toasted macadamia nuts and the mango were the perfect compliments to the broth and fish.

In all, this was a really well composed dish - best suited for a different variety of fish!

Chicken with Smoked Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Mushrooms with Lemon Roasted Broccoli

A stuffed/rolled chicken breast is a fabulous way to use a combination of ingredients left lying around in the refrigerator. Our classic is probably a prosciutto with roasted red pepper and goat cheese. This time around - we opted for a smoky theme with prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, and sauteed mushrooms.

Preparation is quite simple and can be open to interpretation.

The basic steps that we took were:

1) Make sure chicken is not straight out of the refrigerator - it should sit out at least 15 minutes before preparing the meal.

2) Place chicken on a flat surface and cover with saran wrap or wax paper. Pound meat with a mallet or other heavy tool so that the meat is thin (but not broken) and even throughout.

3) Season both sides with salt and pepper.

4) Meanwhile, saute sliced mushrooms (we used cremini) with a little bit of butter and thyme (if you have white wine, that would be a good addition as well) until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are tender. Set aside.

5) On the inner 2/3rds of each piece of chicken, lay a piece (or two) of prosciutto. Top with a layer of mushrooms. Sprinkle liberally with grated smoked mozzarella.

6) Carefully roll the chicken breast from top to bottom (versus length-wise) and secure the ends with toothpicks. Alternatively, if you do not have toothpicks (we did not) use kitchen twine to wrap the chicken so that it is secure and will not fall apart during cooking.

7) Dip chicken pieces in flour and pat of excess flour so that there is a light coating around the entire chicken breast.

8) In a skillet, heat some EVOO and add the chicken pieces to brown each side but not cook through - about 1.5 minutes on each side.

9) Place chicken (either in the same skillet or on a baking sheet) in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees to finish cooking the chicken so that the internal temperature reads around 160 degrees (accepted temp is 165 - but the chicken will rest and likely continue to heat).

10) Let the chicken sit for about 5-7 minutes before serving.

Best presentation would have been to slice the chicken in 3-4 pieces - but clearly, we did not do that for the photo.

We served the chicken with some roasted broccoli that we blanched for 2 minutes and then dried and roasted, coated in EVOO and salt and pepper, until it started to turn brown. Then I added some lemon zest and lemon juice to finish it off.

not the best foodie picture, I know. oh well.

The smokiness of the chicken was stellar. The prosciutto with the smoked mozzarella was a perfect pairing - and then the mushrooms added a nice extra burst of texture. And I can't forget the broccoli (which was my task) that was so fabulous with the lemon. It adds a fantastic bright element that really brings out the best in the vegetable.

Halibut en Persillade with Asparagus Coins and Carrots from Ad Hoc at Home

This Wednesday was another instance of Derek coming up with a "quick" meal that ends up taking quite some time. When I had already suggested heating up leftover curried cauliflower soup and and making grilled cheese, Derek felt inclined to put on his chef's hat and make something "simple" from Ad Hoc. I told him "fine" (though on Wednesday post-spin class nights, I prefer something quick and easy) as long as I didn't have to do anything.

The original recipe called for cod and we were a bit disappointed when we got to the store and there was no cod to be found. Luckily, sitting there in the case were a couple beautiful pieces of halibut - a fine substitute.

The basic recipe seems very straightforward - breadcrumb/herb/mustard crusted fish served over cooked asparagus and carrot. It was the technique and preparation, however, that ended up making this a bit more difficult. I'm sure you could simply boil, saute, or steam up some cut up asparagus and carrots and serve them alongside a simply breaded and pan-fried fish, and it would be delicious. But the great thing about Ad Hoc is that it has relatively simple dishes and teaches you how to prepare them to perfection - often involving a few more steps than a standard quick dish - but worth it.

Halibut en Persillade
Adapted from Tom Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home

Note: For those who do not know what "Persillade" is (I'm included) - Wikipedia defines it as "a sauce or seasoning mixture of parsley chopped together with seasonings including garlic, herbs, oil, and vinegar"

2 pieces of halibut fillet
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs (we had panko)
1 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher Salt
Canola oil
Fleur de sel

Remove the halibut from the refrigerator and let stand for 15 minutes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

Cut the halibut crosswise into 6 pieces (3 per person). Combine the breadcrumbs and parsley in a shallow bowl. Put the mustard in a small bowl and fill a second small bowl with cold water.

Season the fillets on both sides with salt. Dip a brush into the water and then into the mustard (this small amount of water will thin the mustard slightly, making it easy to brush only a thin coating on the fish). Brush the top of each fillet with a light coating of mustard, then dip the mustard side of the fish into the bread crumb mixture to make an even coating; shake the bowl of crumbs slightly before coating each piece so that the crumbs are in an even layer.

Pour some canola oil into an ovenproof frying pan that will hold the pieces of cod without them touching and heat over medium-high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Lower the heat to medium, put the fish crumb side down on the pan, and cook until the crust is golden brown, about 1 minute.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the fish just begins to flake when prodded with a fork, 8 to 9 minutes.

Arrange the fish on a platter and serve over top of the Asparagus Coins and Carrots.

Asparagus Coins
3/4 lbs. pencil-thin asparagus
1 Tbsp EVOO
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup Parsley Water

Divide the asparagus in half and bundle each with a rubber band. Snap off the bottom of 1 stalk of asparagus to see where it breaks naturally. Cut across the bunches to trim all of the spears to the same length.

Slice the asparagus with a sharp chef’s knife.

Put the tips in a large frying pan, add the chive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, swirling the ingredients together, until the tips are coated with oil and begin to sizzle, 1 ½ - 2 minutes. Add the asparagus rounds and cook until the edges look cooked but the centers are still raw. Add 3 tablespoons of the parsley water, stir to coat, and cook until the asparagus is tender, 1 ½ - 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining parsley water, and stir to coat.

Parsley Water
3 Tbs water
1/2 tsp canola oil
1.5 tsp honey
1.5 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, washed and patted thoroughly dry

Pour the water into a small bowl and freeze until the water is ice-cold.

Heat a medium frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the honey and heat to melt and lightly caramelize it for a few seconds. Add the parsley with the honey and wilt it, about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents of the pan to the ice-cold water to chill the parsley leaves.

Transfer the parsley and liquid to a Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh basket strainer into a storage container. The parsley water can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Makes a scant 1/4 cup

Carrots

3 carrots
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
pinch of Yellow Curry Powder

1. Peel the carrots and cut them into oblique shapes.

2. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the carrots, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until the carrots begin to give off their juices, about 7 minutes. Lower the heat as necessary to keep the carrots from browning. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and curry powder and cook, swirling the pan, for 2 more minutes, or until the carrots are just tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to a bowl.

I love it when I feel good after a meal. This was jam packed with delicate flavors, lots of vegetables, and a pure piece of fantastic fish. I loved how the vegetables were prepared - they were done just perfectly - not cooked to death and not raw. Cooked just enough to bring out the bright flavors and slightly tenderize the vegetable. What I thought was so unique was the parsley water. It really added a nice subtle brightness to the asparagus (and, mixed in with the carrots, to those too). It also made the green asparagus even greener. What a great way to add in the bright herb flavor without adding chopped up herbs.

Those chopped up herbs were left for the fish which was completely melt-in-your-mouth. Literally. My breadcrumb crust could have been a little crispier which Derek attributed the slight sogginess to overcrowding the pan with the fish juices seeping into the different pieces. Regardless, the flavor was fantastic. I think the cod may have held up slightly more than the halibut so I'd be interested to try that instead. But I thought the tenderness of the fish was just out of this world.

What I loved about the components of this dish - and how Derek prepared it - was that the seasonings were very mild, allowing the flavors of the base ingredients to star. By restraining the salt and pepper on the fish and instead, sprinkling the cooked fish with some fleur de sel, you get a pure piece of fish, accented by smalls bursts of salt.

It was worth the wait - though I'd be happiest if the grocery shopping and prep would be done BEFORE spin class so that the actually cooking process would be a cinch. Since I truly didn't have to do anything (except for dishes), I guess I can't complain!

Revisited: Tofu and Collard Greens with Peanut Vinaigrette

I realize that I just made this last month but it was good, very good. And it fell within my greens + meatless protein cooking trend. My changes this time around were:

- More carrots (they make it beautiful and add a great texture variation)
- Added all the dressing while cooking
- Used grilled tofu instead of a fried egg, and marinated the tofu in the vinaigrette
- Used shallot instead of red onion (what the original recipe called for)

Otherwise, the recipe stayed the same. When it's not broken, why fix it? As a reminder, here's the fabulous recipe...a true keeper.

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw or lightly salted peanuts
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. hickory smoked salt
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced into a paste
1 shallot, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
2 medium carrots, peeled and shaved lengthwise into thin ribbon using a peeler
1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise
1⁄4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 block of firm tofu, pressed

1. Heat oven to 325˚. Toss together peanuts, 2 tsp. oil, paprika, and salt on a baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer peanuts to a rack and let cool. Coarsely crush peanuts and divide between two bowls; set one bowl aside. To one bowl of peanuts, add remaining oil, vinegar,
garlic, and shallots and whisk to combine; add cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Add pressed tofu block to the vinaigrette and let marinate for about 30 minutes.

2. Remove the tofu from the vinaigrette and set the vinaigrette aside. Grill the tofu for about 3 minutes on each side (though I used a George Foreman so that got both sides at once). Remove from grill and let cool slightly. Slice for serving.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat about 1 tsp EVOO over medium heat. Add the collard greens and carrots. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, just long enough to heat the mixture and slightly wilt the collard greens. Add dressing and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with addition hickory smoked salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two. Remove the collard greens and carrots from the heat and plate. Garnish with reserved peanuts and cilantro. Top with tofu slices sprinkled with some hickory salt.


heavenly

Italian Cream Cake

Only a few times a year do I make a full blown cake (as opposed to cupcakes which are a bit more common in my kitchen). The driver of these occasions is almost always a birthday. The time, it was the birthday of our very own Derek. Historically, I have made three cakes for Derek:

1. German Chocolate (probably the most difficult)
2. Rum
3. Pineapple Upside Down

Next up - one to feed his love for coconut - Italian Cream Cake.

Now I hadn't really heard of this before I came across it. It differs from a standard Coconut Cake in that it typically uses more eggs, buttermilk, and has a cream cheese frosting. Since I'm a sucker for cream cheese frosting and don't really care for standard buttercream, I was excited to bake this into reality.

ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

Cake
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature, yolks and whites separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut

Icing
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

garnish: 1+ cup unsweetened coconut, toasted

1. Beat shortening and butter and sugar until creamy. Blend in egg yolks into mixture.

2. Add baking soda to buttermilk. Mix in buttermilk and flour, alternately into egg mixture.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff; add vanilla. Fold stiff egg whites into batter, and then fold in coconut.

4. Divide batter into 3 8 or 9” cake pans that are greased and floured. Bake at 350° for about 23-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

5. For Icing: Mix butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla. Divide frosting into two bowls, about 1/2 and 1/2 (enough for frosting the inside layers and then for frosting the top and sides of the cake). Add the chopped pecans to the frosting reserved for the filling layers.

6. Make sure cake layers are even and easily stackable. If one is slightly uneven, use a long bread knife to shave off part of the cake in order to make it even (you don't want a topsy cake).

7. Place one layer down on a serving platter. Spread half of the reserved pecan frosting evenly on the layer. Top with second layer and spread on the rest of the pecan frosting. Top with final layer and frost the top and sides with the reserved plain frosting.

8. Cover sides of cake with toasted coconut.

It was quite a production to keep this hidden from Derek before his birthday. I had made it on Sunday white he was still away in Tahoe as there is certainly no secrecy in baking a cake when you are both in the same apartment at the same time. I then had to hide this in our standard size refrigerator until Tuesday night when I would finally reveal it. Mind you, this is not a small cake and I was scared of any "refrigerator smell" seeping into the cake. To protect it, I placed a large all-clad pot over the cake and then wrapped it all up in saran wrap - and then hid that behind a big bag of leafy greens - I knew Derek would probably not be grabbing for that. Luckily - it all worked out and at 1 AM, when we finally got home from a night of dinner and a Lady Gaga concert, I pulled my creation out of the refrigerator, stuck a candle in the middle and gave the birthday boy his cake.

Though 1 AM isn't necessarily my ideal time for serving a dessert, it was a special occasion and I couldn't just wait until the next day - what's a birthday without a candle and cake?

Though the cake was a bit cold after having been sitting in the refrigerator for a few days, I was really pleased with the final product. I loved the toasted pecans and coconut, two details that were not included in the original recipe. I was a bit nervous because I used unsweetened coconut which, on its own, it's amazing. However, I'm glad I did. The cake was already sweet enough and when mixed in with the other ingredients, it added the perfect burst of coconut without adding more sweetness.

My only critique was that it was not quite as moist as I would have like it. It was far from dry - and I would be happy to be served it anywhere - but with a name like Italian Cream Cake, one would expect it to be incredibly moist. I would have liked to try it right after I had made it because I suspect the product would have been a bit different. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat Derek's birthday cake before he did :)

Curried Cauliflower Soup

In my attempt to use up a head of cauliflower that had been sitting in my refrigerator, I came across this recipe (modified slightly from the original found HERE and was anxious to try it out. I'm always a big fan of making soups because you are pretty much guaranteed to have leftovers which are perfect for and easy future lunch or dinner.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 10 cups)
1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 large carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tablespoons EVOO, divided
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped (stems and all)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (the recipe didn't call for this but a nice addition)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 cups vegetable stock

Yogurt Garnish
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
chopped cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Reserve 1 cup mixture of onion, leeks and carrots for garnish.

2. In a large pot, warm 2 Tbsp. of the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the remaining onion, leek and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10 minutes longer (I had to add a little bit of water and covered the lid so the cauliflower steamed a bit, it helped the cooking process without burning the other ingredients).

3. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, combine the coriander and cumin seeds and toast until they are fragrant and slightly browned, about 2 minutes. In a square of cheesecloth, combine the toasted seeds and the cilantro and tie into a bundle, securing it with a piece of kitchen twine. Add the spice bundle, turmeric, curry powder and garlic to the vegetables in the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add the vegetable stock, bring a simmer and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth bundle, then puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the puree to the pot and keep warm.

5. In a large skillet, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the reserved cauliflower, onion, leek and carrots and cook until the vegetables are just tender and lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reserve.

6. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Divide the hot soup among 6 deep bowls, garnish with the reserved vegetables and drizzle with the yogurt mixture (don't skimp, it is so good). Serve immediately.

A thick and near creamy soup without any cream or potatoes! I am a sucker for Indian spices so naturally, I enjoyed this soup. I was really surprised how much the cilantro flavor infused into the soup. My only criticism was that it could have been a little thinner - but that is a taste preference. No harm in adding a little more liquid.

The vegetable and yogurt garnishes really added some extra excitement to the soup - with a crunch from the vegetables and cool tanginess with the yogurt - I could have just eaten the yogurt plain - I can't get enough of my Fage (that is the only brand of Greek yogurt - or any yogurt really - that I would recommend).

Warm Spinach Salad with Poached Egg

Another simple but delightful meal that fits the bill for Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. And perhaps you can now see a strong trend in my meal choices when Derek is out of town - greens and simple meatless protein (eggs or tofu). I think I could eat that combination every night - but then my foodie side gets excited when something new and creative is on the table.

For this combination I chose spinach as my greens and egg as my protein. This is truly so simply that an entry is not necessary, but I like the memory of the tasty successes that I concoct.

The ingredient list for the salad is simply:

1/2 yellow onion, sliced into thin but stable rings
EVOO/Butter
pinch salt
pinch sugar
1/2 carrot, grated
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
3 handfuls spinach
1 poached egg

Heat a mix of EVOO and butter in a pan over medium low heat. Add the onion slices and a pinch of salt and sugar and cook until caramelized, about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the grated carrot and vinaigrette and cook for about 1 minute until the vinaigrette is warmed.

Add in the spinach and toss until it is coated with the vinaigrette and slightly warmed but not wilted.

Remove from heat and plate. Top with a poached egg sprinkled with salt and pepper.

I also had some tomato soup leftover so that and a nice piece of toasted crusty bread topped off the simple meal.

Cioppino

After we made the poached sea bass the other night and had a fantastic tomato broth that we cooked and served the fish in, we simply could not bear to throw the rest of the liquid down the drain. Certainly not. So we reserved it and attempted to find another use for the flavorful broth. Then it came to me - Cioppino! I've been wanting to have this for such a long time now. Being in San Francisco, it seems like an injustice that I have not had this dish since I moved here over a year and a half ago. As the dish is typically made with a crab (along with a variety of other fish and shellfish), it has never been on Derek's must-order list given his allergy to crab and shrimp and fear of combining multiple sea creatures. That's not to say I can't order it, but perhaps it is the typically hefty price tag that deters me from doing so or maybe we just haven't been going to the restaurants that have this San Francisco treat on the menu! So I brought it home - at a price of $20 for the seafood with a $3 crusty ciabatta loaf - a big savings from the typical restaurant offering.

For two people I selected:

2 squid
6 clams
4 dayboat scallops
1/2 lb. grouper

This seems to be a good amount - though I should have bought more clams just in case some either opened prematurely (which one did) or did not open at all. In both cases, the clams should be thrown away so Derek was kind and fore fitted his third clam and claimed a larger piece of the grouper.

The preparation for this meal was relatively simple given that we already had prepared the fantastic tomato broth base. However, given that the broth was, well just that, we decided to add some ingredients to beef it up a little bit and make it a little more substantive as a typical cioppino broth/liquid would be. This beefing up process involved the addition of the following (in various unknown quantities - but I'm doing my best guess):

3 tomatoes, skins removed by blanching and peeling, diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
EVOO
leftover tomato broth (about 4 cups)

We sauteed the onion and garlic until the onion was translucent and then added in the rest of the ingredient. Brought it to a boil and then turned down the heat, covered the pot, and let the flavors meld for 30 minutes.

Before adding the fish to the broth for cooking, we pan seared the scallops, just enough to brown each side, maybe 1 minute on each side. We didn't want to completely cook them since they would be going into the hot broth.

The cooking process for the various seafood is a bit tricky - something we didn't quite perfectly accomplish. At a rolling simmer, we added the clams, which took about 3 minutes to cook - a bit less time than we anticipated so we removed them from the liquid so that they didn't overcook. Next we put in the grouper (6 min), followed by the scallops and squid (1 min) - approximately. We overcooked the grouper - and the squid wasn't super tender - but the scallops were perfect and clams were fine.

We served this with a nice slab of garlic ciabatta bread made by heating the garlic cloves in a little bit of water to tenderize them. Then I mashed it up and added EVOO and salt and brushed that on the bread. Then I baked the bread in the oven at 400 degrees until it began to brown - it was a great compliment to the soup.

Poached Sea Bass with Orange Braised Kale

He's back! As you can see, the list of March posts are, well, almost non-existent. Derek was in LA and then had his parents here for a week so the little cooking that was done in our kitchen during that time was hardly worthy of a blog post. The peasant meals that I was throwing together were nothing to complain about, but gosh, I had missed some seriously good home cooking.

And this one was healthy as an added bonus!

The main component of the meal, the poached sea bass in a tomato broth, was Derek's brainchild. I was left in charge of the Orange Braised Kale.

Poached Sea Bass in a Tomato Broth

Ingredient list only - Derek was in charge:

White wine
Bay leaves
Thyme
Canned diced tomatoes
Ouzo
Absinthe
EVOO
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Onion
Water
Carrot
Celery

Seabass
Capers
Fennel
EVOO
White Pepper
Fleur de Sel
EVOO (optional)

Make a tomato broth (you can use any recipe - this one looks very good: Roasted Tomato Broth). Be sure to strain the sauce for this dish. You are looking for a rich yet delicate broth.

For the crispy fennel, add a generous amount of EVOO (about 1 T.) to the bottom of a pan. Add sliced fennel and cook until crispy (but not burnt).

Add fish to poaching liquid and keep liquid at a constant simmer temperature (not boiling) for about 5-7 minutes, until the internal temperature of the fish reaches about 115-120 (our fish was extremely fresh, no need to kill it with cooking). Remove from poaching liquid.

To plate - place a spoonful of capers in the bottom of each serving dish (a shallow, wide bowl works best). Place the fish on top of the capers. Pour in tomato broth until it reaches about 2/3 up the side of the fish. Sprinkle top of fish with some white pepper and fleur de sel. Top fish with crispy fennel and, if desired, drizzle with some EVOO. Serve immediately.

Yes, yes, yes. This was crazy good. The key is to use a really good piece of fish (for $29 a pound - it better be) and be aware of the flavors going into the broth. We didn't have any additional fennel and wanted to use it as a garnish, so rather than putting fennel in the broth, we added the absinthe and ouzo. Less absinthe because it has a bit more of a bite, a bit more of the ouzo - but not a lot of either...a little goes a long way. The flavor of the broth was enhanced even further after cooking the fish in it. It picked up a delicate fish flavor that was so great, I could have eaten the broth just on its own. Because it was that good, we saved the leftover broth and used it in the next night's meal - cioppino (see future post for how we used it).

As I was eating this meal, I was questioning, why is it that I get so sick of some fish and proteins that I only want small portions, and then there are some fish that I never want to end - this was one of them. Derek's answer to my conundrum was that I like oily fish but don't like cooked salmon (which is an oily fish) because it has such a strong flavor. I agreed, however, after doing some research, I found his answer to be wrong. My favorites, cod, seabass, halibut, are not in fact classified as "oily" - so instead I will just classify my favorites as the type of fish that have large flakes that just seem to fly off the fish and melt in your mouth. Good enough?

The capers with the fish and the roasted fennel proved to be an incredible combination - I couldn't get enough of it.

Orange Braised Kale

1/2 large onion, sliced into thin rounds and halved
2 tsp. EVOO
pinch sugar
pinch salt
1 bunch dinosaur kale, ribs removed and torn into 2 in. pieces
1/4 cup chicken Broth
1 Tangerine or Small Orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup blanched almonds, sliced
1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper

In a large pan over medium-low to medium heat, heat EVOO and add onion slices. Sprinkle on a pinch of sugar and salt. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, slowly until caramelized, being sure not to burn them. This should take about 20-25 minutes depending on the width of the onion slices. Add the kale and stir to mix. Add the chicken broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cover. After about 15 minutes, remove lid and add orange zest, almonds, and apple cider vinegar. Cook for another 5 minutes uncovered. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I have to admit that the timing and proportions listed in the recipe may not be exact as I was simply creating this dish as I was going along. When I started it, I had no intention of adding orange. I originally wanted Derek to add some orange with the fish dish since I think orange and fennel are such a fantastic pairing. However, when he was hesitant to make that addition to his own dish, I figured, fine, I'll add it to mine. BOY am I glad I did. It completely transformed the dish. The ending result was bright with deep flavors - richness with the caramelized onion, flavor burst with the orange, and texture with the almonds. I could have had a huge plate of this and been very happy. Derek agreed - it was awesome. Thanks.

It feels good to be back.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Rainy Sunday afternoons are the perfect occasion for baking so I was fortunate to come across one this past weekend. And though I looked at several recipes to use up sweet potatoes or tangerines, both of which are in full supply in our kitchen, I settled on an old favorite of mine, "healthier" chocolate chip cookies. My product this time really was pretty healthy! Let's do a side to side comparison with a the standard Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie vs. my Whole Wheat Chocolate Cherry Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour vs. 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda vs. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt vs. 3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter vs. 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar vs. 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar vs. 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract vs. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs vs. 1 large egg
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels vs. 1 cup Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips and 1 Trader Joe's dark chocolate bar
1 cup chopped nuts vs. 1/3 cup dried cherries
+ in my recipe, 1+ tablespoon ground flax seed, 1 teaspoon espresso powder

Quite a difference!!

For a simplified look at what I did:

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dried tart cherries, chopped

Servings: About 2 dozen


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the egg, vinegar, and vanilla, mix until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Slowly mix dry ingredients into butter mixture.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and dried cherries.

Drop cookie dough by rounded spoonfuls on a cookie sheet (best if lined with a silpat). Bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes or just until lightly browned. Remove from oven and after about two minutes, transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

The look and texture of these cookies is something that I have been trying to achieve for quite some time - and it's a completely wheat cookie? That seems absurd. I don't know what it was that made these so perfectly crisp on the outside, risen to a perfect level, and soft on the inside. Perhaps the addition of vinegar? I read that vinegar is like a super-leavener, pairing well with the characteristically dense wheat flour. I think wheat pastry flour is key as well - it is nowhere near as gritty as a standard whole wheat flour would be.

And then I have to confess. I had some "buttery sticks" in my refrigerator after a baking episode with a vegan friend of mine, and wanted to test them out in baking. So I used 4 T. of the "butter stick" and then 2 T. of real butter - and, well, it seemed to work! However, I can get a little bit of the buttery stick taste in the cookie so I don't think that will be my go-to for this recipe, next time I will try 100% butter and hope that it turns out the same. I also read that the buttery sticks have a higher melting point so the other ingredients in the cookie have a longer time to rise and cook up while in the oven - so this may have contributed to the great shape and texture of the cookie. When I do the butter I'm going to refrigerate the dough for a bit so that the dough starts out at a cooler temperature - we'll see.

With cookies, it's science waiting to be perfected and many, many batches of cookies and spoonfuls of raw dough in between.

A few final notes - I would either add more cherries or remove them altogether. They didn't really stand out - so may have been best soaked in some liquor or port...And the coffee flavoring in the dough was very mild - but that's the point. It's not totally necessary but adds some depth - I may try cinnamon next time - cinnamon is good with nearly everything in my opinion....

Gnocchi with Boar Ragu

Funny thing. I suggested the boar ragu. My-oh-my, how things have changed!! Derek's parents were in town and we wanted to cook at least one decent meal during their stay (the rest of the cooking was left to the wonderful San Francisco restaurants). For some reason, a trip to the Ferry Building meat market to pick up some "exotic" meat sounded like a fun experience for all - and boar was the first meat that came to mind. Along with it, I was thinking a great ribbon-like pappardelle pasta - but Derek had another idea - homemade gnocchi!

After watching numerous episodes of Top Chef - seeing the judges cite gnocchi as being the critical flaw that sends chefs packing - I was a bit weary of having Derek take on this challenge, one that he nor I had ever attempted before. We all know that a dense gnocchi is like a heavy dumpling that falls straight to the pit of your stomach. And then there's the other end of the spectrum where the gnocchi is mushy and blends into the sauce. My comment to Derek: Good Luck!

I figured I'd help with the boar ragu and leave the rest to him since I didn't want to get blamed for anything that didn't work out - quite the partnership we have :)

For starters, Derek made the Broccolini Salad from Ad Hoc that he had previously made. Simply blanched broccolini, ends peeled and trimed, with some EVOO, salt and pepper. Garnished with thinly sliced mushrooms and red onion. Topped with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette and served alongside a mound of fresh mozzarella with some EVOO and salt on top. A good way to start the evening off.

Emeril supplied us with the fantastic boar ragu recipe that we tweaked ever so slightly.

Emeril's Boar Ragu

original recipe HERE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into small dice
1 1/2 pounds wild boar shoulder, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons Emeril's Essence (this should be a staple in every kitchen!)
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 pound portobello mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dark chicken stock, or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is light brown and crispy, 2 minutes (we cooked it for a bit longer - our pancetta chunks were probably a little bit larger than what the recipe calls for, on purpose). Season the boar with the Essence, and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until very soft and starting to caramelize, 10 to 12 minutes (note: we had a lot of liquid in the pan at this point - from the meat and mushrooms...therefore, there wasn't much "caramelization" on the onions). Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Deglaze (again, not much "deglazing" to do as there was still liquid in the pan) the pan with the white wine and reduce until nearly evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes (...and it didn't totally reduce). Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, salt, pepper, sage and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick and fragrant, about 1 1/2 hours. (NOTE: Here the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of cream to be added, we omitted this ingredient, the sauce was rich enough!). Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm while preparing the pasta.


Homemade Gnocchi
original recipe HERE

Gnocchi dough:
3 pounds russet potatoes (we used 2 lb)
2 cups all-purpose flour (scaled to 1 1/3 cup - but we then added more)
1 extra large egg (minus a little bit of yolk and white)
Pinch kosher salt

Directions
Place the potatoes in a large pot and just cover with cold water. Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a food mill onto a clean pasta board (we don't have a food mill so I grated them on a stand-up food grater, not on the largest setting).

Make a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle with the flour. Place the egg and salt in the center of the well and, using a fork, stir the egg into the flour and potatoes. Bring the dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed, and continue to knead for another 4 minutes, until the dough is dry to the touch. Cut a tennis-ball sized hunk of dough off the main ball and roll it into a dowel about 3/4-inch thick. Cut across the dowel to form pellets about 1 inch long. Flick each pellet down the tines of a fork to form the traditional gnocchi shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.

When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until floating aggressively, 4 to 5 minutes.

Drain and serve with boar ragu. Top with parsley and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

So how did Derek do? For a first try, I'll give him a B for the gnocchi - I think that's pretty fair - perhaps a little on the soft side as we could tell that the dough simply needed more flour than the recipe called for. The second batch deserved a B+, it was cooked for a little bit longer I believe, and really yielded a nice texture. Soft, pillowy, a perfect partner to the killer boar ragu - that one gets an A. It was awesome. I nearly licked the bowl clean before I washed it...the boar was tender (not always characteristic of boar - Derek's first boar attempt back when we were living in NYC was less than successful and pretty tough), and the mushrooms added another meaty layer in addition to the pancetta.

I really understand and appreciate now how gnocchi is such an art - the success of the little potato dumplings relies on several factors that all need to align to produce a perfect product. I read in one article that they recommend baking the potato rather than boiling it - this reduces any excess moisture that would seep into the potato, throwing off the flour-potato ration. I think I'll try that next time, and then I may take a stab at sweet potato gnocchi as well...