Citrus Season

I had meant to write this post for some time now.  Mostly to coincide with the airing of a show I was a producer on, ‘Chef Hunter’ that airs on Food Network.  On this show, I had the responsibility (if you can even call it that) of tracking down restaurants from across the country that were in search of an Executive Chef for their location; learning the inner workings of the restaurant and interviewing potential chefs.  Along the way, I met and worked with a terrific crew and real-life chef hunter and show host, Carrie McCully.  Today, I can’t resist a peek at the line in the kitchen, or breaking down a menu whenever I eat out.

I am one lucky girl.  My work has taken me from one end of the country (New York) to the other (Hawaii) and several spots in between.   I’ve had the great privilege to work with chefs and restaurants and I had the opportunity to learn so much from these rising culinary stars.  And as time has passed, I am realizing how much the show’s impacted my food life.  Just today I purchased a calamansi tree.  I became obsessed with this little fruit that tastes like part lime and part sweet mandarin orange when I was in Kauai.  We actually picked the fruit, vegetables and herbs from a field overlooking the ocean, a few yards from the restaurant.

Paradise...

The herbs and spices grown at the farm reminded me of my childhood years in Thailand.  Only back then, it was the backyard.  Who didn’t have a mangosteen tree?  I’ve been able to get my hands on fresh lemongrass and kaffir limes in California (and even manage to grow a kaffir lime tree–it bore 2 limes one year and now, just leaves).  But walking around picking tropical fruits like bananas, star fruit, taro, and even durian was an amazing treat.  This was beyond farm to table–this was farm to fork–literally.  Even the fish was caught that morning–a grey snapper called uku, that tastes like chicken–for real; and a steak-like white fish (my new favorite), opah!

Back to my own famer’s market–with citrus season in full swing, it was exciting to find those little known fruit–limequats!  limes that have an edible kumquat-like skin.  And then there’s a fruit I learned about in Kauai–the calamansi.  I love the way the sweetness tempers the sour, so the flavors balance without any added sugar.  While working on the show, I learned to make ceviche.  I really love ceviche and order it when I can–little did I know how easy it was to make at home.  This is kind of a mash-up of ingredients and techniques I noticed from across the country…Chef Mary Sue Milliken, of Border Cafe uses a Peruvian chili–aji amarillo paste in her ceviche; Chef Cory Vitiello from Toronto quickly sears his fish, Chef Marc Briones of Hawaii utilizes calamansi, and Chef Cara Thompson from New York keeps it simple with only 4 ingredients to create maximum taste.

And my version below:

Ceviche made with Opah!

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And then there was the boullabaisse that I had at French bistro, Les Halles  It was a traditional French fish bisque, but Chef Ken who grew up in France, was able to figure out a quick boullabaisse that took him only 40 minutes to make for dinner service; and Chef Marc from Hawaii adding his own Asian flair to his recipes by using Asian ingredients, including sriracha to and calamansi.

Laksa Boullabaisse

I’d had curried mussels (in a green curry) at David Chang’s Ma Peche in New York.  It was beyond delish.  It included fried Thai basil as garnish, giving the dish an additional delectable aroma.  But I wanted to figure out how to add spices to seafood without making a typical Thai curry, that was a but heavy and seemed to need something to sop it up–either bread or rice.  I didn’t need or want the carbs, so I set out to make more of a soupy curry, though I did wind up adding some noodles.  You can leave those out if you want.

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Mushroom season is in full swing at the farmers market and I found some black trumpet and maitake mushrooms, along with truffles last week.  So I decided to try them as a meat substitute with a whole grain, I’ve come to love, farro.  Once upon a time, I used to love a mushroom risotto, but I wanted to try to make something that didn’t have as much starch or use butter, and paired well with the umami mushrooms.  Farro is as easy to cook as rice, but tastes like rice’s nuttier and chewier cousin.  It doesn’t release a creamy sauce like risotto, but it does easily take on different flavors.

I’ve been told to soak farro for at least an hour before cooking, but I thought I’d take my chances and just make it as I would rice.  The ratio is 2x liquid to farro.  I like to cook it with this ratio and without soaking for a bit of a bite.  I know others who will boil in a 3 to 1 ratio for 20 minutes and strain to lower cooking time.  Whatever works best for you.  Bring the water to a boil, add the farro, lower the heat and cover for about 45 minutes.

So a few words about farro.  As my friend said, ‘sounds like something Dr Oz would recommend.’.  It’s a whole grain, which means that it hasn’t been processed, with machines taking off the hull, like wheat.  Its a complex carb, so a little goes a long way.  You don’t need to eat a lot of it to benefit from the loads of energy it provides.  And its about 100 calories a serving.  It has twice the fiber and protein than wheat. It’s not gluten-free, but it is lower in gluten than wheat and is easier to digest.

I was inspired by this recipe by food52.com founder, Merrill Stubbs.  Pretty much the only difference is that I added broccoli rabe and omitted parsley.  I also roast my mushrooms, broccoli rabe and garlic on a grill–just because I can living in sunny LA–and I have a Emile Henri grill stone (thats also great for pizza on the grill.).   Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast ‘em.  The stove works too…but the grill is so easy and chars the veggies perfectly.

Fire-roasted veggies

I don’t really use measurements, and there are so few ingredients, so I’ve taken to just listing out the ingredients.  Use what tastes right to you (note:  for a serving of 4-6, I used one bunch of broccoli rabe, 4 garlic cloves, and almost a pound of maitake and black trumpet mushrooms).

Farro with Roasted Maitake, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Broccoli Rabe

And then there’s more kale.  So many people are still cooking kale–I am a big fan of fresh kale salads.  Baby kale is a bit more tender and doesn’t require much prep (no rib removal necessary).

Baby Kale with Beets Salad

And what’s an Edamame-Eats blog post without a DIY.  This week–kimchi.  I’m letting it sit in air-tight jars for about 3 days before moving them into the fridge.  I don’t have a clay jar or proper grounds to bury them.  Hopefully, they’ll work out.  They worked out well the last time I made them, but I used a bit of a safer method and let them ferment in the fridge.

Quick Kimchi

Eat as local as possible.  Garden to table is the best…farm to table a must.

What I had for lunch Monday...Local Nopales Salad

Instead of Meatless Mondays…do ‘Meat Mondays’–enjoy less red meat.

Couscous & Calamari

Eat More Kale (OK, I stole that from the Chick-fil-A brouhaha…ha ha ha).  I’ve always been on the kale bandwagon, so expect more kale recipes than ever this winter…

Clams & Kale

Eat Seasonally…and preserve as much as possible for when its not in season

Preserved Meyer Lemons and Pickled Peppers

And can you tell that I’m learning a new graphics program?

The Apple Crisp Prep

I got just a tiny bit carried away this Thanksgiving at the Farmer’s Market.  8am in Santa Monica the day before Thanksgiving at the market–it was a mad house.  I snagged the last of the romanesco (those tree looking things above), and purple cauliflower.  I can’t resist brussel sprouts still on the stalk and those purple carrots with the yellow center.

A Cornucopia of Veggies

So I roasted them…and this winter is now the Winter of Vegetable Roasting.

Roasty Goodness

Thats it–the go-to dinner almost every night.  And another great thing about it is that you can do all the roasting over the weekend and have the veggies available throughout the week.  I can’t say enough about this roasting thing.  I must be the last to know…

But this post is really about my boy who is becoming quite a little baker.  Which is kind of funny, since I can’t bake.  Last year, his cousins gave him a book of experiments.  We’ve been trying to get through the book–most of the experiments are making bird whistles, jars with varying amounts of water that can make music, and a yeast experiment–where yeast in a bottle is able to blow up a balloon.

And the experiments kind of took on a life of their own–we’ve made bread, butter, and now this apple dessert his great-grandmother has been making for years.  Good to know its being passed down through the generations.

A Generations Old Apple Dessert Recipe (click below for video)

Watch the video here.

And the recipe here–I’m not sure how long it’s been around, but we do know its at least as old as the apple farm, which has been in the family (his dad’s side) since the early 1800′s.

Tandoori Goat Stew

The best thing about cold weather is making stew–warm comforting bowls of tender meat, braised vegetables and a sauce so complex you can’t imagine being able to repeat such a masterpiece.  But that’s the beauty of a stew.    It can be easily duplicated and even better–little additions and changes can make a new stew.  Yum yum!

The basics for this stew include about a pound of meat pieces–in this stew, goat.  But you can use lamb or beef.

I always start with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  For this stew, I added tandoori spice (spice mix recipe here) and let it sit in about 2 Tablespoons of Greek Yogurt to keep it moist overnight.

I like to roast lots of veggies at once...to enjoy throughout the week

Roasted vegetables–I roasted heirloom tomatoes (4 medium sized tomatoes) along with garlic cloves.  Lay them on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil; salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  You could just as easily throw them into the pot, but I love the taste of roasted tomatoes–they have a concentrated fresh sweet taste that you just don’t get from canned or regular store-bought tomatoes.

While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, I dredge the meat pieces in flour, heat up a bit of grape seed oil and brown the meat on all sides.

I remove the meat and add onions–I used pearl onions today just because I had them left over from Thanksgiving–and brown them for a bit.  Then I deglaze the pot with about a cup of red wine, scraping the brown bits.

Throw the meat back in, along with the tomatoes and whole garlic cloves (I’ll get to the reason for whole cloves later), thyme and parsley.  I added some crushed tomato–just enough to cover the meat and into the oven it goes for 3 hours.  For my braising liquid, I have a mix of tomato and wine.  You could use soup stock and any combination of wine and tomato.

When it’s about 3 hours, check the meat to see if its tender (it should be by this time), add lemon zest and a generous squeeze of lemon, mix and its ready to serve.

I toast some rustic whole grain bread to sop up the sauce and spread those sweet roasted and braised garlic cloves on the bread.

There are so many wonderful stew combinations–but I’ve found that the best tasting ones, regardless of the meat/veggie/spice combos always begins with a braise.

skillet made naan bread

And the next day for left-overs, my 8-year old son and I made our own naan bread to eat with the goat stew.  Since I am no baker, I decided to try aarti sequeira’s naan bread recipe I heard about on NPR.  And it turned out to be pretty delicious.

Watch the video of my son making it here.

Baby Kale with Toasted Chickpeas Salad

I’m beginning to realize that I’m a total food nerd.  I love learning about ways to cook food; to combine flavors; the best techniques to get the most out of ingredients.  My little Moleskine books read like a scientist’s lab notes.  If I could doodle, there would likely be some in the margins of the dog-eared pages.

My little Zen shrine

And…the playlist is back.  Click here to listen to it.

This year I discovered kale–I know…so last year’s superfood, huh?  But really–I can’t get enough.  The obvious preparation is to saute with garlic and lemon, which I did and enjoyed.

Then I made kale chips.  And that was my very first post on this blog…almost 2 years ago.

And then I did more research on the stuff and wrote a somewhat preachy rant about kale.

Needless to say, I am loving fresh kale.  As a hearty salad.  It’s so filling, easy to make, and just makes you feel so healthy.  The big trick to preparing kale (in my opinion) is to remove the leaves from the rib.  The rib can be tough and chewy and sometimes take away from the pure pleasure of leafy goodness.  So just remove the kale from the rib.  Cut up the kale and massage those leaves.  I really believe that sprinkling with some salt and then massaging the kale and letting it sit for about an hour basically tenderizes the leaves so that you don’t need to cook them.

So that’s how the kale process starts.  From there, delicious salad combos ensue.  Like this one with ingredients that were in season at my local farmers market:

 I found lovely baby kale leaves at the market last week and created a salad using these leaves, but you could also use the Tuscan kale.  Because these were baby kale leaves, I didn’t think they needed the ‘tenderizing’ treatment and used them as I would any other hearty green.  I bet this would be equally delicious with baby romaine.

So, now that I’ve been converted to kale, and eat it at least once a week, I thought I could add another ‘superfood’ to my repertoire–beans.  I have really never prepared beans–I only knew them as canned items, so when I committed myself to purchasing only local, in season products; the beans got lost in the shuffle.  Then my friend told me that those BPA’s that I’d been trying to avoid in plastics were also found in canned foods.  Which pretty much put beans on my do not eat list.  That is, until I found a great recipe for falafel on food52.com that called for dried garbanzo beans–and after trying the recipe (now my go-to falafel recipe), learned how to soak the dried beans and estimate the amount to use.  It may seem like common sense, but I just didn’t know.  Now I do.  And I just soak beans over the weekend, and portion them out in baggies and freeze them until I want to use them during the week.

The same friend suggested doing ‘Meat Monday’; eating meat only on Mondays and substituting beans for proteins the remaining of the week.  That could be my new years resolution.  Because, as the food nerd, that I am–I looked up the benefits of garbanzo beans:

1.  Lowers cholesterol and has a high fiber content (which helps to make you feel full faster and helps rid the body of toxins).

2.  Better than carbs in providing energy.

3.  A good source of iron and folic acid (great for my pregnant friends and those of you who aren’t can benefit too).

I wanted to add garbanzos to my salad, but wanted the crunch that the almonds provided in the first salad, so I decided to roast them–which by the way; I think are also a yummy snack–better than potato chips!

Tandoori Toasted Chickpeas

You could probably just toast chickpeas the same way you roast vegetables–with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, but I thought I’d add a little Middle Eastern flavor to these beans.  I start by making a tandoori spice blend.  This recipe makes about 1/4 cup that you can save and use to spice up other roasted vegetables such as cauliflower or meats like lamb or goat.

And because I had some time on my hands did a quick pickle on some red onions by simmering thinly sliced red onion in vinegar and a bit of sugar.

Finally the dressing, which is a Tahini dressing made with some preserved Meyer lemons I made earlier this Spring.  I know, food NERD Alert!

So, basically, the salad is baby kale, toasted chickpeas, red onion, sliced persimmons, and pecorino cheese with a tahini dressing.  I know its not a ‘throw it together’ kind of salad, but you can prepare the chickpeas and dressing ahead of time and suddenly, it is a quick and simple healthy salad.  Oh, and did I mention how nutritious tahini is–its the inside of sesame seeds–loaded with Vitamin B and Calcium.

Roasted Vegetables

Another super great make-ahead time saver–roast vegetables over the weekend.  Maybe while you’re braising/roasting that Sunday night supper.   Then they’re ready for you during the week–as a meaty addition to greens, a side, with pasta or a pizza topping.  Endless options and combinations of delicious goodness.

Massamun Pot Pie

I’m not sure if I’m more enthralled with the anticipation or the food in these Grant Achatz restaurant trailers for NEXT.  Every three months, his prix fixe gastronomic theme changes.  At the opening, it was the Belle Epoch of Paris past; then a futuristic Thai street food menu.  And now…Childhood.  In the video, Chef channels his 8 year old self with kid friendly classics–mac n’ cheese, Ho-Ho’s. and chocolate milk.  Chef Achatz deconstructs these flavors and creates a show, much like a whimsical Cirque du Soleil performance, evoking these childhood food memories.

Working with food and chefs got me thinking about all the different memories that we, as adults draw from our childhood.  I realize now how influenced I’ve been by my parents’ cooking and how lucky I am to have such an appreciation for a variety of foods.   I recently went to a screening of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Hugo, and watched my son at the edge of his seat; mouth agape watching all his favorite things appear on the big screen before him–magic, inventions and movies.  The film was just another reminder to me that we, as parents create memories for our children.  I doubt he will remember that I didn’t spring for the Star Wars Death Star Lego set for his birthday, but he will remember building Legos with me.  And whether its reading a book, making videos or baking; it always begins with imagination.

My earliest childhood food making memory was baking coconut rice crispy cookies with my mom.  They tasted like coconut macaroons, only crunchy–note to self–I must ask my mom for that recipe!   I think my son would like them.  When I was his age, I always looked forward to the day before Winter Break.  That was the day my mom and I would have a holiday lunch at the Walnut Room.  I dressed extra nice to school that day, knowing that my mom would pick me up and we would take a train downtown.   To a 7 year old kid, it was a very fancy restaurant, worthy of leotard tights, boots, and my fuzzy angora sweater.  The restaurant was on the penthouse floor of the Chicago department store, Marshall Field’s.  Guests were seated at tables just above the pointed star of the store’s 7-story high Christmas tree, looking down at the shoppers on the floors below.

I ordered the exact same thing every year; for at least my entire elementary school years of dining at the Walnut Room.  The chicken pot pie wasn’t just an individual portion of cream of chicken soup with chicken, carrots and peas.  It wasn’t even a pie.  A puff pastry that covered the 11″ dinner plate, and was about 4″ high would appear at your table.   I would try to count the layers, the way you would rings on a tree stump, but like that tree, would lose count and never really guess its age.

A covered tureen of creamy sauce with pillowy chunks of chicken, biased cut slices of carrots and large English peas was set beside the pastry and uncovered at the table, allowing the steam and sage scent to escape.  Once you spooned the sauce onto the pastry, the layers would melt into each other.  I always tried to eat the bite before all the layers disappeared, but cutting the combination was easier once the sauce and pastry had melted together.  And I had a better chance of not getting puff pastry caught in my angora sweater if I let the layers fall.

I’ve been searching for that chicken pot pie ever since.   The Next Childhood video reminded me of that pot pie and holiday lunch with my mother.  And since its holiday season, I thought I’d share the pleasure of a pot pie with my own 8-year old.  He’s an only child, so the individual pot pie was a special treat for him–as though I made it just for him.  It’s also an easy way to re-invent left over roast chicken or even Thanksgiving turkey.

Chicken pot pie filling

Only Child Chicken Pot Pie

It was such an easy meal and a perfect way to utilize leftovers.  But I also thought the savory puff pastry could be a great compliment to another meat pie.  What if the pot pie was a curry?  Hmmm.  It would have to be a curry that wasn’t spicy, requiring rice to diffuse the fire.  So I tried a creamy rich massamun.  I make my own curry paste, but you could probably buy the sauce already made.  I’ve listed the paste recipe below–it makes 6 Tablespoons–you only need 2 Tablespoons of paste per pound of meat.  Just save the rest in the freezer.

Pumpkins Everywhere...

Around this time of year, I see pumpkins.  Everywhere.  Even though Halloween is over,  I can’t stop looking at the gourds.  Wondering if I’ll ever be able to carve one of those masterpieces I see around the neighborhood and think, next year…I will figure out that stencil thing.  While I can’t carve a pumpkin, I was able to try out a few pumpkin recipes that I think are scarily delicious.  And bonus–they’re gluten free!

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I like to use Kabocha pumpkin.  Mostly because you don’t have to deal with peeling the skin off.  For soup, it’s just cut and drop in the pot.  If you’d like to use sugar pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash; just roast it in the oven for about 45 minutes and scoop out the meat.

Last year, I made a Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup–it was pretty basic; and introduced me to squash in soup…and the lovely immersion blender gadget.  This year, I thought I would make my favorite Thai soup, Tom Kha Kai and replace the Kai (chicken) with pumpkin.  At first, the easy route was to make the soup and just add pieces of pumpkin; but then I wondered what it might taste like with the pumpkin and coconut and lime blended together.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I also thought I’d try a new spin on another traditional favorite–the potato latke.  I know its still a bit early to start the latke making, but who says you can only have latkes once a year?  If you actually had to shred the vegetables by hand, I could see why these would be served on special occasions, but a few whizzes with a food processor, and vegetable pancakes are a tasty treat anyday.

Parsnip and Pumpkin Pancake--how pretty is that?

Parsnip & Pumpkin Pancake

For a real Fall taste, serve with applesauce mixed with a bit of cranberry.  Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt.

I didn’t know when I wrote this post that there was a blog hop this month featuring #squashlove, until my Twitter friend, @thedailypalette invited me to join.  Of course, she must’ve known that nearly every food blogger would have a scrumptious take on pumpkins this fall.  My pumpkin pancakes look very much like her Filipino Ukoy dish; but I’m learning that nearly every culture has their spin on the shredded and fried vegetable.  From potato latkes to cabbage okonomiyaki to Annapet’s Ukoy, they’re all delicious variations on a traditional recipe.

If you want to join in on the #squashlove, just link your squashy post to thedailypalette.com.

Salmon Rillette

Mrs. Wheelbarrow has already posted the final challenge for the Year of Meat that has been Charcutepalooza.  I’m just now posting my October Challenge.   With each passing month the challenges have become progressively more difficult, in skill level and a challenge in time management as well.

Charcutepalooza did more than just teach me how to impress friends and family; who initially skeptical, now volunteer as taste testers for my meaty creations.  I found myself looking forward to each month’s challenge; often attempting both the Apprentice and Charcutiere challenges in a month (pssst, do I get extra credit for this?).   Lately, the Charcutiere challenges have turned into disasters; but satisfied that I’d learned from each failed experiment.

It’s been a long time since I’ve set out to do something and actually followed through.   Charcutepalooza has been one of those things.  I had a base of knowledge and experience in cooking, so Charcuterie didn’t seem intimidating at first, but the more I had to push myself to understand and attempt to make these dishes, my ignorance began to reveal itself.  I was forced to break down each step like a math problem, building from the simplest equation to taking great leaps of faith.

It has been an incredibly empowering and rewarding experience.  So much so that it’s helped me channel my passion and curiosity to re-direct my own career in television production.  And it’s paid off.   I have been traveling a lot for work; but it doesn’t feel like work because I had the opportunity to write about, and work with amazing chefs in some of the finest restaurant kitchens throughout the country.  It’s been amazing.  But it’s been difficult to keep up with my Charcutepalooza posts, since the W Hotel has a strict no meat hanging policy in their rooms.  Its in the fine print, right under the no smoking sign.  The show I was a producer on is called ‘Chef Hunter‘ (@ChefHunterTV on Twitter) and premieres on the Food Network this November 6.

For this month’s challenge; I asked for some help.  My friend, Chef Brad Miller, is an executive chef, who is not only gifted, knowledgeable in butchery, knows his way around a sous vide machine, but he’s also hilarious and entertaining.  You’ll be hearing a lot about him in the near future.  You can keep up with him at his Twitter, @BMillsTime.

We had dinner (to discuss top secret TV stuff) a few weeks ago, and he ordered a salmon rillette.  The combination of the rillette and the various toppings was light, flavorful and addicting.  The next day, I found myself hungry for more, but all I had in my fridge was the remaining half of the smoked salmon I made for my son a week earlier.  So, Chef Brad came to the rescue with his quick and easy rillette recipe (which you could make even without curing and smoking your own salmon).

My son and I enjoyed it as an after school snack one day with rye bread crisps, pappadew peppers, caper berries, cornichons, and cucumbers.

 Earlier this month, I also tried making a confit from a lovely lamb belly I purchased from my local farmers market.  I spiced it with my own ras el hanout blend and topped a pizza with it.  My son loved the lamb confit as a snack on its own.

I owe Chef Brad an assist on this one as well–he had made a similar dish at his restaurant; using a sous vide.  I don’t have such a device, so I went the poor man’s route, tying it up; searing it off, wrapping in plastic wrap; securing the ends and wrapping again in aluminum foil and letting it low boil for 6 hours.

Ras el Hanout Lamb Belly Confit

I let it cool, and sliced it up on a flat bread pizza with heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese and roasted red peppers.

Lamb Belly Confit Pizza