Food and Wine

01/05/2018

Veal Marsala with Risotto al Funghi and Truffles 2012 Ruffino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ducale Oro

Risotto

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped into large dice
  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped finely
  • 1 tablespoon white truffle butter
  • 1 ½ cups Arborio rice 
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • ½ tablespoon white truffle butter
  • 1 white truffle

Heat your 4 quart Fagor LUX Multi-Cooker (you have gotten one, haven't you?) using the browning function. When the light stops flashing, add oil and allow to heat until it begins to shimmer. Add shallots and sauté for about a minute or until they become translucent. (If they start to brown, switch the multi-cooker to the sauté function.) Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and, if you have not already done so, switch the multi-cooker to the sauté function. Cook mushrooms for about 8 minutes or until they are brown and have softened but are still meaty to the taste. Add the white truffle butter and rice. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes. Add wine and switch the multi-cooker back to browning. After wine comes to a boil, allow to reduce for about a minute. Add stock and seal the multi-cooker (making sure the valve is set to pressure). Select the risotto function. When cycle is complete, unplug the multi-cooker and do a 10-minute natural release. Release any remaining pressure and stir rice. Add cheese. Add second bit of butter. Season t taste with salt and pepper. Plate the risotto and grate white truffle over it.

Veal

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon white truffle butter
  • 4 veal scallops
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped into large dice
  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped finely
  • Big pinch dried thyme
  • ½ tablespoon tomato paste
  • ⅔ cup dry Marsala wine
  • 1 tablespoon demi-glace and 1 tablespoon Wonder flour dissolved in 1 cup hot low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon white truffle butter

Dust scallops with Wonder flour and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Pound both sides in both directions with your 48-blade tenderizer.

Preheat skillet over medium-high heat, which I define as 330°. (I check the temperature using my infrared thermometer, but I'm a kitchen geek.)

Add oil and butter. When butter stops foaming, add veal and cook for about a minute per side. Transfer veal to a plate and shallots and sauté for about a minute or until they become translucent. Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme. Cook for about 8 minutes or until they are brown and have softened but are still meaty to the taste. Add tomato paste and sauté about a minute. Add Marsala, increase heat to full and reduce by half. Add stock and cook until it reaches sauce consistency. Add butter. Add veal and toss in sauce. Serve.

Chianti

The wine was a brilliant match for the veal and risotto. Big bouquet of red and black berries with some warm spices. Well-balanced. Good acidity. Easy to drink and easy to like, albeit not terribly profound. Grade: 87

 

Posted at 12:56 PM in Food and Wine |

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12/31/2017

New Years Eve Eve

Posted at 12:17 AM in Food and Wine |

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12/13/2017

Get your favorite cook a Fagor LUX 6 quart Multi-Cooker for Christmas

In the November 2017 issue, Cook's Illustrated ranked multi-cookers. it's top finisher was the Fagor Lux LCD Multicooker. In second place was the slightly older and less expensive Fagor Lux Multicooker, of which they wrote:

We still liked our old winner; it made great pressure-cooked food. And though, like other models, it tended to cook less efficiently than a traditional slow cooker because of its shape, we were able to tweak our recipes to get good food. It had a comparatively simple and navigable interface and we really liked the clear “locked” and “unlocked” symbols, which made it easier to attach the lid. It has a lot of buttons and its interface isn’t quite as streamlined as our new winner, but it’s still a good option.

I love mine so much I also bought a 4 quart model. And, yes, I frequently use both of them while cooking the same meal. It's my favorite kitchen gadget of 2017 and my highest recommended Christmas gift for your favorite cook. By the way, Cook's Illustrated is the only food magazine with subscribing to. The magazine, its website, and cookbooks are my cooking bible.

Posted at 04:18 PM in Food and Wine |

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12/10/2017

Rack of lamb with short cut risotto & white truffles and a 1997 Ridge Montebello

IMG_3157Although my birthday (59 if you're keeping score at home) isn't until Monday (so there's still a few hours for shopping), we had my birthday dinner last night. The centerpiece was my birthday present to myself--an Italian white truffle.

Lamb

  • One rack of lamb, frenched. 
  • sale
  • pepper

Score the fat layer over the meat. Season the rack heavily with salt and pepper, rubbing them into the fat and meat.

Let the rack come up to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 450°. Put a cast iron pan in the oven to heat. When the oven is fully heated put the rack in the pan fat-side down. After 5 minutes, flip the rack so the fat side is facing up. At the 10 minute mark, reduce the oven temperature to 325°. After 10 more minutes (for a total of 20) take the lamb out of the oven and check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. If it's below 125°, put the rack back in the oven for a couple of minutes. If it's the right temperature, put it on a cutting board to rest.

Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon shallots
  • ¼ tawny port
  • ¼ white wine
  • ¼ low sodium chicken stock
  • green peppercorns (I like a lot but suit your own taste)
  • pinch salt
  • teaspoon Dijon mustard

Put butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. When it stops foaming, add shallots and cook for a couple of minutes until they are translucent. Add port, wine, chicken stock, peppercorns, and salt. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Reduce liquids to a couple of tablespoons. Take pan off the heat. Add mustard and stir to combine. 

Cut the rack of lamb into 4 2-bone pieces and top each with a spoonful of sauce.

Short cut risotto with white truffles

I love risotto but I hate slaving over a pot stirring while adding dribs of stock. Hence, short cuts.

IMG_3167Combine all your ingredients in your 4-quart Fagor LUX Multi-Cooker (you have bought one haven't you?). Using the browning feature bring mix to a boil. Install lid (making sure pressure valve is closed) and select the risotto function on the multi-cooker. When the risotto is done, unplug the multi-cooker and let rice rest for a few minutes before releasing pressure.

Using a mandoline or a truffle slicer (be sure to protect your hand with a kevlar glove) slice your white truffle over the risotto immediately before serving.

 

Ridge Monte Bello 1997

IMG_3166This is a gorgeous wine. Deep ruby despite having thrown a lot of sediment. Big bouquet of blackberries, blackcurrants, leather, tobacco, and cedar. Smooth tannins and good acidity make it very food friendly. Fully mature but may hold a while. Grade: 97

Posted at 07:27 PM in Food and Wine |

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12/04/2017

Cooking on Milk Street

Milk Street is Christopher Kimball's new project. Having left his old outfit, America's Test Kitchen, which long has been my go to source for cooking ideas, taste tests, equipment reviews, etc..., Kimball is now launched on a project of bringing global fusion food to the home kitchen.

"Bound to cause his fans to rejoice... even though its production values may be in the coffee-table league--a full-color image appears opposite every recipe--this book is designed for hard, occasionally sloppy, countertop duty. Recipes and accompanying photographs are contained on a single two-page spread, meaning that there isno frustrating flipping back and forth... The book fulfills its promise of sourcing the world's cuisines in search of flavor bombs that are made easy to produce in American kitchens."―The Wall Street Journal

"Overall gold... You already know and trust him from his years leading the way on America's Test Kitchen. Now, he's adding a different kind of spice to life... through his recipes and his research, he aims to connect us all."―Tasting Table

"This approachable book compiles an array of global recipes that are bold in flavor, yet simple enough for the home cook. Try the mouth-watering soups, such as Spicy Red Lentil Stew and Spanish Garlic. And be sure to pay attention to the technical tips along the way."―RealSimple

"All the recipes offer the reliability that Kimball is famous for, and there are lists of pantry staples and cooking tips included with some recipes to help readers get dinner on the table with ease...Egg dishes go from a simple scramble cooked in olive oil to curry braised eggs that promise to reinvent breakfast, and possibly dinner. Vegetable recipes are particularly interesting... [and] Kimball's fans will be pleased with this latest cookbook."―Publishers Weekly

On the weekend just passed, I made two recipes from Milk Street:

  1. Gemelli Pasta with Chèvre, Arugula, and Walnuts. Despite substituting penne for the Gemelli pasta and spinach for the arugula, the dish was a triumph. Very straightforward with clear directions.
  2. No sear beef and chickpea stew. I tweaked the recipe every so slightly so as to use my Fagor multicooker. Came out great with a broth that you could drink by the cupful.

In short, this is going to be very high in the rotation of the cookbooks I consult. Highly recommended.

Posted at 11:24 AM in Books, Food and Wine |

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11/24/2017

Thanksgiving Dinner

The star of the show was a Turducken Roll with wild rice and pecan stuffing from La Boucherie (Houston) via Louisiana Crawfish:

IMG_2760

The key supporting player was a 2014 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel:

PasoRobles2014A

Delicious. Deep purple. Great bouquet of ripe berries and black cherries. On the palate, there are soft and silky tannins and good acidity. Juicy blackberry fruit. Grade: 90

Posted at 02:31 PM in Food and Wine |

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11/20/2017

I'm trying to figure out which state I'm from based on my Thanksgiving preferences

From the Economist:

Screen Shot 2017-11-20 at 5.49.16 PM

Appetizer: Deviled eggs

Bread: Cornbread

Cranberry: Relish

Potato: Sweet with little marshmallows

Turkey: Brined

Stuffing: Cornbread

Side dish: Carrots

Pie: Pumpkin

I blame my lack of geographic identity on growing up in the army.

Posted at 05:54 PM in Food and Wine |

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Easy multi-cooker supermarket ingredient chili

The goal was to make a yummy chili--no beans--in about 30 minutes using only mega-mart ingredients.

The process began that morning by grinding one pound of assorted beef trimmings (chuck, sirloin, tenderloin, flank) using the coarse grind die of my KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment. I ran about half the meat through the grinder a second time to improve the mix.

When it was time to prepare dinner I mixed the meat with 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (I like Morton's), 1 teaspoon of chili powder (I like Morton & Basset), and 2 tablespoons of low sodium beef broth), and let it sit for 15 minutes.

I preheated my 6 quart Fagor LUX Multi-Cooker using the browning cycle. When the function light stopped blinking I browned the meat in two batches. I drained the meat on paper towels and dabbed up any excess fat in the cooking insert. 

I returned the meat to the insert and added 1 16-ounce jar of medium salsa (among the supermarket options, I like Tostitos Chunky Salsa). This is a great shortcut I picked up from Alton Brown of Good eats fame.

Next I added 1 cup of low sodium beef broth, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon law sodium soy sauce, 1 cup of Stahlbush Island Farms Frozen Sweet Potatoes, and 1 tablespoon chili powder.

I set the Fagor to the pressure cooker function, selecting high pressure and setting the timer for 7 minutes. When the pressure cooker time expired, I allowed it to do a natural release for ten minutes and then opened the pressure valve to vent the remaining steam.

The sauce was a little runny. So I finely crushed enough Doritos chips to make a ¼ cup, and stirred them into the pot. I brought the chili to a boil using the browning function and then switched the multi-cooker to simmer.

After about 10 minutes of simmering, the chili had thickened nicely. Given that I did basically no chopping or prep work, but instead just opened bags, cans, and jars, it nevertheless tasted great. In fact, it tasted better than the last chili I tried making from scratch.

Posted at 12:06 PM in Food and Wine |

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11/06/2017

Braised boneless beef short ribs with Ridge Carignane

DEP9BPpUSRmHUAEtdXNpGQ_thumb_37c2Dinner Saturday night was boneless beef short ribs braised in a pomegranate juice-based sauce. I got the recipe from Pressure Cooker Perfection. Excellent.

To drink we shared a 2015 Ridge Buchignani Ranch Carignane (Sonoma County). Excellent match. Plums and blackberries. Moderate alcohol (by Ridge standards). Well balanced. Not a wine for the cellar but pleasant short term drinking. Very food friendly. Grade: 89

 

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Posted at 03:46 PM in Food and Wine |

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11/04/2017

Smothered Pork Chops with Sea Smoke Pinot Noir

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Dinner last night was Smothered Pork Chops (with mashed potatoes and green beans) based on a recipe from Pressure Cooker Perfection. I tweaked the recipe to make it a bit more etouffee-like by seasoning the pork chops with a Cajun spice mixture. I also substituted beer for the chicken stock and added a tablespoon of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and two teaspoons of Tabasco to the beer. Yummy.

I poured a 2014 Sea Smoke Botella Pinot Noir (Sea Rita Hills), which made a lovely match. This bottling from this vineyard is light by Sea Smoke standards with soft tannins. Very drinkable now. Raspberry. Minerals. A trace of smoke. Grade: 90

 

Posted at 01:51 PM in Food and Wine |

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10/29/2017

Ridge East Bench Zinfandel with Gordon Ramsay's NY Strip Steak & Fingerling Potatoes

Ridge East Bench Zin 2015Last night we has a 2015 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) with NY strip steaks and fingerling potatoes as inspired by a Gordon Ramsay video. The Zin was obviously very young, but nevertheless quite approachable. Lots of pepper, blackberries, and an interesting suggestion of chocolate that I rarely find in Zinfandels. Grade: 91

FYI: I used a standard Cajun spice rub. 

 

 

Posted at 04:21 PM in Food and Wine |

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10/28/2017

Butter Chicken cooked in a Fagor Lux Multi-cooker and served with with Firestone-Walker ‏IPAs

Last night, I made Butter Chicken in my Fagor4 Quart LUX Multi-Cooker using a recipe from Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook. The Fagor is an amazing multi-tasker and Urvashi Pitre's cookbook is an excellent resource for using multi-cookers. Lots of classic Indian recipes made easy for the home kitchen. I recommend both.

BTW, I generally don't try to match wine to Indian food. Instead, as we did last night, I usually opt for a Firestone-Walker IPA (I believe Union Jack in this instance).

Posted at 04:23 PM in Food and Wine |

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09/13/2017

Recent kitchen stuff recommendations

Posted at 11:05 PM in Food and Wine |

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07/21/2017

Fagor LUX Multi Cooker

I've wanted a pressure cooker for a long time but hadn't gotten around to getting one. When I finally decided to do so, I discovered the new wave of multi-cookers. In theory, they do it all: brown, sauce, simmer, slow cook, pressure cook, rice cooker, warm, etc. Research suggested that the Fagor LUX Multi Cooker was the one to get. It won the Cook's Illustrated test (albeit with a middling review), USA Today called it the one for the "organized home chef," and it won Good Housekeeping's test beating out the more popular Instant Pot:

It came up to pressure in less than 32 minutes (the fastest in our test), so even if you're busy, you can have a hearty meal on the table in under an hour. Then, using the quick-release mode, pressure drops in three minutes. Its Keep Warm function goes on automatically if you're running late, and the Lux, like only a few others, also works as a yogurt maker. It was one of the few models that excelled at making rice and was able to evenly brown a steak. When it's time for cleanup, you can pop the cooking insert in the dishwasher. Even with all the bells and whistles, this multi-cooker got top ratings in our ease-of-use tests, thanks to intuitive controls and a helpful manual.

So I bought the 6-quart model and used it to make various braises and stews. It works as advertised. When making a lamb stew, I spent more time on cutting vegetables and so on then the actual cooking required. I liked it so much I also bought the 4-quart model to make smaller meals, but I'll also use it to make (say) polenta while cooking braciola in the bigger one. In sum, highly recommended, especially for those with limited kitchen storage space. It really can replace multiple appliances and pots.

Some hints:

  • The browning function is your friend. In addition to its main purpose of browning meat, I find it useful in sautéing vegetables. I start the veggies on brown and then switch to sauté after a few minutes. Giving them that jump start significantly speeds the process.
  • I also use the brown function to reduce sauces as the simmer function doesn't get hot enough (according to my infrared temperature gun, simmer only brings the surface of a liquid up to about 185 °F or so).
  • Use natural release for meats, as quick release seemed to toughen meat.
  • The recommended Fagor accessory steamer basket is crap. Get the OXO one.
  • The lack of a handle is a pain. Literally. I avoid it by using my grilling gloves to handle the cooking insert.

Posted at 04:59 PM in Food and Wine |

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06/26/2017

Kitchen Gadgets

Posted at 08:06 AM in Food and Wine |

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