Tomatillo Cilantro Chili

Its been a while since my last post. A lot has happened. Alycia and I relocated to the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. I will be starting up a mobile food truck to service the Durham area. Ideally, to be launched in September of 2011. In the meantime, ruminations on recipes and wine...

Tomatillo's are delicious. I didn't know how delicious until I found them in a grocery store for a salsa verde. I grilled pineapples, diced them, tossed in some cilantro sauteed onions and garlic. I then sauteed the Tomatillos and was instantly hooked. They are now an official obsession. Eggs in the morning with salsa verde, the above salsa on any meat (mostly pork) and now this chili. I was recently in White Salmon, WA watching my two cousins. One in particular is a classic growing boy that consumes food and milk with an insatiable appetite. He needed to be stopped. A big bowl of chili was in order; I could ladle this stuff endlessly. However, they expected more from me than just any old chili. It had to be different. Enter the tomatillo, this would be the substitute for the usual red chili they were used to. It was also Sunday and my uncle Frank had friends coming over; lots of mouths to feed. I also whipped up a homemade french onion dip that I remembered Jennifer Nelson making for a super bowl party. Perfect game day grub.

Recipe:
2 lbs. of Tomatillo's, diced
1 large Onion, diced
2 small Jalapenos, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Can White Navy Beans
1 Lbs. Ground Pork
1 Bunch of Cilantro, diced
1/2 Tbsp Ground Fennel
2 Tsp. of Dried Oregano
1/2 Tbsp of Ground Cumin
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth/Stock
Salt to taste

Grated Cheese for garnish (I used Parmesan since it was in the fridge, cheddar is obvious but great, monterey jack with red pepper flakes...)

Serves 6 healthy portions

Procedure:
1. The dicing is the bulk of the work. Use anyone close by to help. After that, drizzle some oil at the bottom of the pot and place the tomatillo's, onion, garlic, bell pepper, chx broth and jalapenos into large stock pot, creuset, sauce pan or other 3.5-5 quart pot.
2. Put the cover on and cook at medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Stir.
3. Add pork, navy beans and all the spices. Increase temperature to med-high and stir. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. When the Chili is finished, turn off the heat and add the cut cilantro. Always do this last. Cilantro cooks and wilts quickly and its best served fresh. The minute this herb hits heat the flavors start to dissipate. Top with grated cheese and go at it.

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower originated in Cyprus and was introduced to France from Italy in the middle of the 16th Century. Louis XIV's mistress, the Comtesse DuBarry, asked the king's chef to make it so much that he named all the dishes with cauliflower in it after her. Whenever you see "DuBarry" in the title of a french dish, you know which vegetable is the primary ingredient. It can be colorful, fractal (as the Romanesco, and always delicious. It also doesn't need anything fancy. I roast cauliflower at least once a week. Olive oil, salt and 2 pinches of curry. I have to roast it until the tiniest florets are brown and crispy. Its just that much tastier. The cauliflower will reduce in size by about half when you roast it hard. Which means if you like picking while you're cooking, the amount you end up with could be a lot less.

2 Heads of Cauliflower
Olive Oil
2 Tspn Salt
2 big pinches of curry (substitute lemon if you don't like curry)

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Pick apart the florets into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add enough olive oil to coat the florets, salt and curry.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the florets on it.
4. Roast for 25 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet and roast for another 5-10 minutes depending on how brown the florets are.

Pan-Seared Red Snapper with a Roasted Corn Succotash

“Succotash” comes from the Native American word “msikwatash” or “msickquatash”, which means "broken into bits" or "boiled corn kernels" and can refer to any cooked mix of vegetables with corn and beans in it. ‘Tis the season for fresh, local produce so be creative with your vegetable blends. The tart bite of arugula and the acid from the roasted red peppers soaked in vinegar add texture and depth of flavor to the roasted corn. Smoked Paprika is one of my favorite flavors; smoky, like bacon. This dish took a total of 30 minutes from start to finish.

2 pcs of Striped Bass Filets

4 Cobs of corn
2 Roasted Red Peppers
1 ½ Cups of Arugula
2 Tbls of Greek Yogurt
2 Tbls of Olive oil
2 pinches of Smoked Paprika
Salt & White Pepper

1. Husk all 4 cobs of corn. Boil two for 3-4 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Shave off the kernels of the other two cobs with a chefs knife in a vertical motion. Place the shaved kernels in a large mixing bowl. Add smoked paprika and olive oil. Mix together and spread out evenly in a roasting pan. Cook until the kernels start to brown – 10 minutes approximately.
3. Dice up the roasted red pepper and arugula. Set aside in a mixing bowl.
4. Shave off the kernels of the cooked corn and place in a food processor. Add yogurt and ¼ cup of water. Puree.
5. Combine corn puree, roasted kernels and yogurt into the red pepper/arugula mixture. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more paprika here if you like a strong smoky flavor.
6. The hard part is over. Just pan sear the fish. A crispy skin is always delicious and a great textural addition. Coat the fish with some vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with some oil until the oil begins to ripple. Sear skin side down for 6 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. Flip and sear for a 1-2 minutes. Plate.

Almond Encrusted Banana Corn Flake Cakes with Homemade Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream

I do not put many desserts on this website. I try, like the rest of the country not to eat many sweets. I had to come up with a dessert that worked quickly and was cooked on a grill. I cheated on the grill part (skillet on the grill) but this is one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever tasted. The majority of the people at the cook-off thought so too. I am sorry there is no picture. The cakes are pan-seared and hot so the ice-cream melted before I could take a good picture. These are pretty simple to make. I used store-bought Haagen-Daazs Vanilla; sometimes time and travel requirements just don’t allow you to make homemade ice cream. The Corn Flakes act as a thickening/binding agent to the bananas. The Corn Flakes were an improvisation, I originally wanted to use Almond Flour but its hard to find it at the average grocery. I feel like Corn Flakes is enjoying a Renaissance because of David Chang’s pastry chef, Christina Tosi. The trickle down effect is amazing; I see cornflakes at least once in every food magazine lately. SO here is one more to add to the tasty expanding pool. These banana cakes are a summer time treat not to be missed.

2 Bananas
2 Cups of Corn Flakes
1 ½ Cup Slivered Almonds
Olive Oil

1 cup of Sugar
½ cup of Cream
3 Tbls of Unsalted Butter

Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Add the bananas and corn flakes into a food processor. Puree. Roll into palm size balls. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Toast the slivered almonds, in a skillet, until golden brown. Set Aside.
3. Make the caramel. Pour the sugar into a skillet that is being heated on high. When the sugar starts to brown around the edges of the skillet, stir the sugar with a wooden spoon. Let the sugar brown a bit more evenly then slowly add in two tablespoons of cream and 1 tbls of butter. Stir vigorously. When the butter and cream are incorporated add the remaining amounts and stir. Keep warm.
4. Add vegetable oil to a large skillet and place over med-high heat.
5. In a mixing bowl add olive oil, banana balls and toasted almonds. Coat the banana cakes with the almonds. Place in the skillet, flatten into patties and brown on each side for about 4-5 minutes.
6. Plate: Drizzle the caramel on the plate in whatever fancy design comes to you. Plate the cake and add a dollop of ice cream to the top.

Cocktails for the Summer

These drinks were featured in the Summer 2009 issue of 'Elegant Bride.' The Jewel of the CondeNast bridal group.


“Remembrance”

Canton Ginger Spirit – 1 oz
Blood Orange Juice - 2 ozs
Rosemary Simple Syrup – ½ Tspn
Triple 8 Vodka – 1 oz
½ Lemon – juiced
Splash Club Soda


1. Rosemary simple syrup: add equal parts sugar to water. Dice up a long sprig of rosemary into ultra fine pieces. Add everything to a pan and heat up until all the sugar has dissolved. Let infuse for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve.
2. In a martini shaker combine all the ingredients, except club soda and shake. Pour into a martini glass and add club soda.

Garnish: Rosemary sprigs OR red sanding sugar

“Lavender Sweetheart”

Lavender Tea – 2 ozs
Beefeater Gin – 1 oz
St Germain – 1oz
Lime Zest
½ Lime – Juiced

1. Bring 4 ounces of water to a boil and infuse with 1 Tbsp. of lavender. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain. Let cool.
2. Zest half a lime and reserve.
3. Add all the ingredients except the zest into a highball glass, stir.
4. Sprinkle zest on top

Garnish: Oversize or Regular Lavender Ice cubes OR Lime Pinwheel

“French Cuffs”

6 Ozs.Champagne
½ Oz.Aperol
½ Oz. Elderberry

1. Pour Champagne into fluted glass.
2. Pour the elderberry over the bottom of a soup spoon slowly into the champagne. This will create the layers for the desired look.
3. Pour the Aperol over the spoon slowly.

Eyrie Vineyards

Eyrie Pinot Blanc, 2006
$20 or Under
Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Oregon

A Brief Introduction to Eyrie Vineyards
If you love Oregon Pinot’s then you need to know where the story began, with David & Diana Lett. Eyrie (Eye-ree) is an iconic American vineyard. David Lett or ‘Papa Pinot’ was the first person to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. He was the first to plant Pinot Gris in America. Eyrie’s 1975 Pinot Noir competed in the Paris and Beaune wine competitions and beat out the French Burgundies. Can you say ‘Upset’? Thanks to Ms. Wasserman who slipped David’s Pinot’s into the tasting panels, Oregon gained International acclaim as a place to grow Pinot Noir in the New World (I think only the Europeans still use this term to describe America).

So after the history lesson you should taste their wines. These should be easy to find, although not as prevalent as a Pinot like Erath, Eyrie’s wines are still very small production (15,000 cases total in 2007). The Pinot Blanc case production is 700 cases and in the words of Food & Wine “Eyrie doesn’t make a lot of pinot blanc, so buy it when you find it, and indulge in its lean, intense mineral and light pear flavors”

The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in stainless steel which gives the wine a full and round sensation in the mouth plus tasty citrus profiles. It’s a medium to full bodied white with tangerine peel and sour apple flavors. 2006 was an excellent vintage. Drink up!

Pair with Oysters, Cheeses, Fish…the Summer

Wines?

So I have been working with a wine importing & distribution company since November '08. I am always tasting wines from the portfolio and have decided to include a few of the wines on this blog. After all, I am sure many of you enjoy wine with your food and if you don't, you need to start. They are excellent compliments to each other.

Some wines will be from the portfolio I work with, others will not be. All of the wines reviewed here will be from family owned properties. Usually the wineries will be boutique operations with a small case production emphasizing a hand crafted sustainable approach to wine making.