The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Indian Smashed Potatoes

Just a quick recipe I made a few weeks ago that is a great side dish. I served it with a simple grilled steak. 

1 tsp. Coriander Seed

1/2 tsp. Cumin Seed

1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed

1# Red or Yukon Gold New Potatoes

1/2 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 Tbsp. oil

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

Salt

Pepper

1/4 tsp. Garam Masala

 

Steam potatoes for 20-25 min until soft enough to smash. Let rest while you make the Tadka (spice and oil mix)

 

Heat oil and add Coriander, Cumin, Fennel seeds and sauté until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add butter

 

With the palm of your hand, gently smash down the potatoes on a cutting board and place each in the pan carefully.

Toss gently with the spicy butter mixture

Cook one side until lightly browned

flip to other side and brown lightly

Toss with Cilantro and Garam Masala

Salt, pepper, to taste

Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

I've been tweaking this recipe I found in the SF Chronicle way back in 1994 and have adapted it to get rid of the white sugar and make it a bit healthier. They're great on a rainy Sunday morning, like today. Drop me a comment if you try them!

Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Dry ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unrefined coconut sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Fruit:
2 granny smith apples, peeled and grated
1 cup shredded carrots (always use organic!)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates (from whole dates)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened organic)

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup corn oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 small or 18 large muffin cups with canola spray.
Sift together the dry ingredients. Add the fruit and stir very thoroughly, making sure there are no big clumps of fruit.
Beat the eggs until combined and add to it the rest of the wet ingredients, stir until well incorporated.
Add to the dry ingredients and stir until there are no visible dry spots.
Spoon into muffin cups. Bake 22-26 minutes until the muffins are brown and a tester comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the cups before moving them to cooling rack.

Recipe: Miso-glazed Salmon in Broth with Spinach and Marble Potatoes

I made this last night after being inspired by a dish at Yoshi's in Oakland the other night. I was there to see Nik Bartsch's Ronin, the amazing Swiss minimalist jazz band, and had dinner there first. For those in the Bay Area that don't know the system at Yoshi's, here's the trick...if you buy a standard ticket, you pay a $2.00 service charge and it's open seating, it's $11.50 for service charge if you want a reserved seat. But...if you eat there that evening, you arrive early after paying only for a standard ticket, and they reserve a seat for you when you check in. The food is excellent and there are 2 good sake flights, one of them for only $10.00. I would recommend skipping the sushi, or just getting a piece or two, then diving into their more modern cooked Japanese cuisine. It's well worth it. I had a 6:45 reservation and the timing was perfect. I got a nice relaxed meal and a perfect seat 3 rows from the front in the center.

Miso-glazed Salmon in Broth with Spinach and Marble Potatoes (sorry no photo!)

Serves 2.

for the salmon:
2 seven-ounce Salmon Filets
1 Tbs. best-quality Miso (I used Organic White: "Maruman" Mutenka Nama-Miso AKA from Japan -very dark)
1-1/2 tsp. Corn Oil
1/2 tsp. low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce
cooking spray

For the broth:
2 cups Dashi (see note** below)
1 tsp. Soy Sauce (low sodium Kikkoman)
2 Tbsp. Mirin (I used Morita Yuki)
2 Tbsp. Memmi Noodle Soup Base (also Kikkoman)
1/2 lb. Marble potatoes
3 oz. tiny wild mushrooms with long stems and tiny tops
2 small handfuls of cleaned baby spinach leaves

2 Large Soup Bowls (I used big serving bowls from Heath Ceramics)

Preheat the oven to 450°

Cook the marble potatoes for 10 minutes, or until completely tender in salted boiling water. Drain and set aside in a warm spot.

Rinse and dry salmon well.
Combine miso, oil, and 1/2 tsp. soy in small bowl.
Brush 1/2 of the glaze onto each filet and set aside.

Warm up the Dashi to a simmer. Add soy and the soup base. The soup base adds body and complexity. Keep at a simmer while the salmon cooks and you warm up your soup bowls.  Add potatoes and mushrooms when you put the salmon in the oven so they get hot, but not overcooked.

Spray your baking dish with the cooking spray. Add the salmon filets. Bake the salmon 3 minutes or so, then put under a broiler for 4 minutes or so until the miso browns a bit. The fish shouldn't cook more than 7 minutes or so total .

When you have a minute or so to go on the fish, put a handful of spinach in each bowl and divide the broth between the two bowls. When the salmon is done, gently place on top of the broth and vegetables. Serve at once. We use chopsticks and spoons for this dish. Best served with cold Sake.

 

 

**Dashi note: Dashi is the universal broth base of all Japanese cooking. It only takes a few minutes to make from scratch and it's way better than using instant. Buy small 1/2 oz. packages of dried bonito flakes to keep on hand as well as some dried Konbu seaweed.

To make Dashi the old fashioned way, put a 2" piece of Konbu in a 1-1/2 qt. saucepan and add 1 quart of water. Just before it boils, remove the Kombu and discard. When the water boils, add one packet of dried bonito flakes and boil for a minute, then turn off the heat. When the flakes settle to the bottom, pass through a fine sieve into a clean container. Keeps a day or so in the 'fridge.

 

 

Special Breakfast: Vegetarian Spanish Hash and Eggs

Just a quick recipe, as I haven't posted one in a while. I intended to make a nice Spanish-style omelette but I had too much filling. It dawned on me that it would make a really nice bed for poached eggs instead. I love Corned Beef Hash, but we're trying a vegetarian challenge until Thanksgiving. Wish me luck --so glad I had one of the best steaks ever at the Hitching Post II last week before we started!

Spanish-style Vegetarian Hash and Poached Eggs

Serves 2

4 large eggs
1 small zucchini - cut into small dice
1/2 med. red bell pepper - cut into small dice
3 large or 5 small scallions, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
big pinch of hot paprika
3/4 tsp. Spanish Piri-Piri Sauce
2 Tbsp. grated very sharp cheddar (I used 7 year old Wisconsin)
 Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
Cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Great buttered toast

Heat olive oil and butter until the butter foams up. Sauté zucchini, pepper, scallions, thyme, and parsley for 5 or 6 minutes over medium heat until pretty tender. Add paprika and Piri-piri sauce (or your favorite vinegary hot sauce). Adjust salt and Pepper and and set aside.

Bring small pan of water to a boil and add 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Adjust to a simmer. Start the toast!
Gently crack the eggs in to the pan and keep simmering 3 -1/2 or 4 minutes. Get your plates ready: Divide up the filling between the 2 plates. Sprinkle with cheese. Pull out the eggs, one-by-one, and rinse with hot water. Dry gently on a paper towel and place on top of the hash. Top with a nice grind of pepper.

A Brooklyn Breakfast Memory

I've been inspired by Lia over at This Little Piglet blog, to think about my previous eating life in Brooklyn, and this morning I woke up hungry thinking about Carroll Gardens breakfasts. I lived in Cobble Hill, which is between the Italian (at the time) neighborhood of Carroll Gardens and the old Brooklyn money neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. I lived a block from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway when I arrived  --barely 18 from a tiny New Hampshire town, on my own for the first time. 

I quickly discovered the old Italian flavor of Carroll Gardens soon after I arrived in Cobble Hill,  at the same time I quickly began my work in gourmet stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan to put myself through music school. There were stores right out of the old country and that is were all the folks from the neighborhood would shop.

A rare morning where I didn't have to wake at 5 to drive all over Manhattan picking up onion rolls at Ratners, Biales near Orchard Street, Bagels at Essa Bagels, and chewy-crusty breads at D&G in Little Italy, I would still rise early and go for an amazing shopping spree, that probably didn't cost me more than 5 or 6 dollars.

The first stop was D'Amico coffee for a pound of Italian roast. At times, the whole area around Court Street would smell of a burnt batch from D'Amico, but most of the time, they were roasting perfect oily beans, and most of the time the beans were still a little warm when I got them. Next stop, Episito's Pork Store where I would get a half a pound of pork links so fresh that they were still warm to the touch and still slick and shiny.  At home I had fresh eggs and the most amazing whipped Schaller & Weber unsalted butter waiting. The only thing missing was warm bread (catch a theme here?) from a little corner bakery called Cammerari's, which later became famous as Nick Cage's employer in Moonstruck.

Back at home, an hour later, the coffee would brew, the sausages were sizzling and eggs were getting beaten --all with my sweetie, still seven years from being my wife, would lay in bed listening to the sound of hot pork skin on cast iron, and smell of freshly roasted coffee.

OK to be nostalgic about this? After all, it was more than 25 years ago, and I can still taste it. A few google's later and I'm pleased to see that almost everything is still the same over there. I hope it stays that way.

Unusual White Wine Dinner

Montlouis Sur Loire "Les Tuffeaux" 2005, François Chidains (from Paul Marcus Wines)

This aromatic and viscous beauty is a "vin tendre" cuvée, which is the sweetness level between "sec" and "demi-sec". M. Chidains grows this organically, but prefers to classify that as the obvious way to grow, rather than something to crow about. The result is a very clean wine with a pleasantly off-dry sweetness that is a perfect aperitif. I served this with Grilled Squid stuffed with Spanish pinmenton peppers and harissa, and Sicilian Pecorino Pepato cheese. The slight sweetness was a great foil to the slighly spicy, earthy peppers inside the squid and the saltiness of the pecorino.

The next course was sautéed skate with brown butter and parsley, and braised artichokes and potatoes with lots of olive oil. I wanted something tart and aromatic to cut through the buttery sauce, so I chose the 2005 Nigl's  Kremser Freiheit Grüner Veltlliner. Its a simple Grüner, but has plenty of floral scents and a clean finish. I tend to pick things on the acidic side for buttery sauces to cut through the richness. My guest, A. also brought a winner for this course, a Syvaner from Alto Adige "Sudtrirol-Alto Adige Eisacktaler from Della Valle Isarco. This was remarkably similar to the Grüner, with a nice exotic scent, a nice tartness, and low alcohol.

After a simple salad of greens from the garden, it was time for dessert.  I made the year's first cherry clafoutis, (from the wonderful Chez Panisse Fruit book), and cracked open a 2001 Chateau de Malle Sauternes. De Malle makes a great, though under rated Sauternes, and since the 1970s, almost every bottle I've tasted had a prolific amount of tartrates in the bottle. Not the most powerful of the 2001s, but a nice balanced Sauternes with lots of character and flavor.

Elemental Wine Pairing: Old Bordeaux and Quail

I started this post almost a month ago, and put it aside thinking it was too boastful, having such great food and amazing wines, but it dawned on me that this is the forum for such writing, and there isn't much available on the web about the 1971 Ausone, so here it goes...

I thought it would interest my readers to deconstruct the planning of a great meal and great wine pairing. Here goes...

Once again, my  New Yorker friend O was in town to cook and eat and dine out in the Bay Area splendor last weekend. This is happening more often, as he is trying to gain a foothold in the Bay Area in the wine industry. He was coming with 2 lbs of chantrelles from Seattle as well --a perfect excuse for a bacchanal. We did parallel shopping - his at the SF Ferry Building, within an hour of landing, and mine at 4th street Berkeley. We knew we wanted to cook game and I had seen some nice looking squab at Cafe Rouge Meat Market the day before, so I headed there. They had perfect quail this day, so it was an easy decision. (And because squab are $9 apiece. eek.) The cell-calls started with "I'm thinking figs with the quail" "Me too." Just the week for perfect figs everywhere I turn.

A few more cell-calls and the dinner was settled. We would start with my grilled quail with figs with fig-balsamic glaze, then parpadelle with chanterelles and pumpkin cream, followed by a fresh nectarine galette I made earlier in the day.

The wine was a really tough choice. I was thinking about Pinot, so I had already set out a '99 Confuron Cotes du Nuit Village 2003, and a Foley 2000 Santa Maria. O was thinking Beaujolais. He had a 2005 Morgon. And as a special treat, the day before, I pulled out an old bottle from what was my Dad's cellar, a 1971 Chateau Ausone.  We quickly put back the 2 pinots, thinking the fruityness would overwhelm both the quail and pasta. Desert was going to be easy: 2001 Chateau Guirauld Sauternes. 2001 was a spectacular year, and the Guirauld is a nice bright bottle.

We needed someting to drink while we cooked, so I had a 2000 Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet chilled and ready to go. The bottle was in great shape, but perhaps a year past its prime. I would drink it if you have any around. Mine came from the Wine House, but I believe I bought the last bottle.

The bottle volume on the Ausone was good, with the liquid well into the neck of the bottle. For those who are buying old Bordeaux, make sure you proceed with caution with a bottle that looks like it's lost some volume, chances are that it is shot. Also, don't open a bottle like this until the last minute, and decant it only to avoid the sediment. Often, even with a premier-cru bottle like Ausone, it fades very quickly.  And always have a backup plan. More times than not, an old one like this in amusing, but totally without much life left.We decanted this one a half hour before the quail were to be served, but thought the fresh Morgon would be the perfect wine.

Turns out, the '71 was in great shape. There was still lots of fruit, matured into something balanced and lovely. This was probably a tough wine when it was put down, 35 years ago. This is not some cherry-fruit-bomb thing, but a floral, heady wine with old cigar box, licorice, cocoa and blackberry aromas. Drink this up. It's great now and won't get any better sitting around your cellar.

Grilled Quail with Figs and Fig-Balsamic glaze
Serve a whole quail per person as an appetizer, 2 for an entrée.

Each boneless quail half needs 1 large sage leaf, 2 perfect slices of procuitto, salt & pepper.
You can make this ahead of time.
Lay a piece of prociutto on the work surface and put a large sage leaf on it. The place a half quail on top. Season with salt & pepper and wrap each quail tightly in the prosciutto and set aside. A leg or two sticking out is no problem.

Light a good wood fire - I use mesquite. When the coals are white and the flames tamed, grill the quail for 4 minutes a side. On the first turn, baste the top with a little fig-balsamic. You can get this from LuLu's Mail Order. You can serve the quail on some nice greens as a wonderful appetizer.

Food Pairing with Champagne

When I visited Sam's site today to see her hosting-posting for WBW #25, French Fizz, I realized I shoud share the recipe that I made up to accompany the Champagne. I too, shunned the blinis and caviar, and went with something I thought would be more imaginative. The trick for this recipe is not too go overboard on any of the aromatics. Keep it subtle and it won't kill the nuances of the fine champagne.

Thai Scented Sea Bass

For 2 servings

for 2-6 oz. Sea Bass Fillets
Prep the white parts from 2 leeks, small julienne, around 3" long by 1/16th" set aside
Prep 1 celery stem the same size julienne as the leeks and set aside.
Peel (don't roast and peel, use a peeler) 1/2 of a nice organic Red Pepper. Julienne like the other vegs.
Prep 1 clove garlic smashed a thumb-sized knob of ginger, peeled and julienned very fine.

In a small saucepan, cook the smashed white ends of 2 lemongrass stems and a tablespoon or so of julienned ginger with 1 cup of white wine. Simmer this for 20 minutes or so gently, as if you're making a strong scented tea. This is your braising liquid.

Fire up your rice cooker and make some nice Jasmine Rice with a little butter and salt. 1-1/2 cups of raw rice is good for 2 with leftovers.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the leeks in some butter/olive oil with generous salt until very soft. Remove from pan set aside. On a medium flame, cook the celery and peppers until soft, around 5 minutes in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.

Add the 2 6-oz. fillets of Sea Bass to the pan and roll them around in the vegs and oil/butter until covered. Pass the braising liquid through a sieve into the pan and bring to a boil. Top the fish with a parchment paper "hat" or maybe some foil over the pan. Braise in the oven for 10-12 minutes. For service, place a cup or so of jasmine rice in generous soup bowls and divide the fish, broth and veggies between the bowls.

If you have a little shichimi pepper (Japanese pepper) that's great on the rice to give it a little kick.

Email me at thecorkdork (at symbol) gmail.com if you make this. I would love to hear from someone who actually tried my recipes!  CD

Pick of the Season: Wild Aparagus

This weekend at Berkeley Bowl they had Wild Asparagus. Not only have I never seen this before, but never even heard of it. It resembles green lavender plants, with tiny stalks and a little bud at the top. Not going to say how much they were a pound! Ouch!

The best way I could think of serving them was like this, as a lunch with some crusty Acme baguette and a bottle of French Cider.

Wild Asparagus Fritatta
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer

1/3 Cup of Wild Asparagus
4 eggs beaten with Salt and Pepper
3 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 cup Gruyere, grated fine
1/2 of a small onion, sliced thin

In a small frying pan, put the Wild Asparagus in with a few tablespoons of water and some salt. Have it ready to steam for 2 minutes or so when the eggs are almost set.

Preheat broiler to High
In a large non-stick fry pan, melt the butter and olive oil and sweat the onion until quite soft. Beat the eggs with the cheese and when the onion is done, add the eggs and turn the heat down to pretty low. It should take a few minutes to get the eggs halfway set. When they are, steam the asparagus for no more than 2 minutes or so, until the stalks are just tender. Drain and carefully press the asparagus into the egg mixture. Cook for another minute or so, then run under the broiler to set the top. When the top is set and browned, as above, remove from broiler and slide the fritatta onto a cutting board. Cut like a pizza and serve.

Recipe: Spicy Confetti Corn

Spicy Confetti Corn

This is a recipe that my family likes, provided I don't make it too spicy (which I did last night--too bad! more for me!)

Tips: After shucking the corn, break the ears in half before you cut the kernels off, because they don't fly around the kitchen as much. Also, use a small serrated knife instead of a flat one. Again, it makes a neater job. Scrape a little of the cob with the back of the knife and draw a little of the creamy corn bits leftover and add it to the corn --it makes it a little sweeter.

For this recipe, I usually use ground chipotle and a little bit of ground habanero. (I buy all my spices from Penzeys and I know you can get the chipotle there. You can get both at Chile Today Hot Tamale) One oz. of Habanero powder will last 100 years it's so hot -go easy!

If you don't have dried chiles, use a finely diced jalepeno instead and add it with the celery and peppers.

6 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut off the cob.
1 small bunch of scallions, trimmed and finely sliced.
1 small sweet red pepper, finely diced
1 large rib celery, finely diced
1/4 tsp. Chipotle powder
small shake of Habanero powder
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Tbs. butter
Salt to taste

Warm olive oil in 12" non-stick skillet and add butter. When foaming subsides, add the scallions and cook briefly until they sweat a little. Add the celery, red pepper, and saute until vegetables are getting soft but not brown. Salt to taste.
Add Corn, mix well, and raise heat to medium. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the chile powders.Continue cooking until kernels are bright and have lost their starchy taste, about 10 minutes total. Salt to taste again and serve.

I often serve this with grilled salmon and a nice Pinot. Don't make it too hot or the kids won't eat it and it will kill the wine!