Docsconz- The Blog

Goose Cassoulet - An Idea in Food

Goose was the one constant going in to the weekend. Knowing that Alex and Aki would be visiting and having had the good experiences that I have had with Mary Pratt's Elihu Farm geese, I thought it would be fun to cook one together. I was right.

The defrosted goose was left to dry uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. I then took it apart to Alex's specifications, separating the wings from the shoulder sockets and the hind quarters from the rest of the carcass while leaving sufficient skin behind to keep the breasts fully covered. I then cut out the neck and the rest of the spine and back, leaving the breasts on the sternum. 

While getting ready to cut the spine into smaller pieces for easier cooking to make a stock, I identified the iliopsoas muscles running along the internal spine and dissected them out. Otherwise known as the tenderloins, these lovely strips of muscle were too small to do anything with other than quickly pan sear them and share the bites as cook's treats. Tasty!

In the meantime, Alex and Aki had set smoked bacon bits to cook on the stove, chopped onion and fennel, cooked the wings and hind quarters of the goose and began their initial cooking of the Rancho Gordo cannelini beans in the pressure cooker. Submerged in water they were cooked on low pressure for 5 minutes in the Cuisinart electric pressure cooker with the pressure allowed to dissipate naturally. The water was drained from the beans and the rest of the ingredients including a large can of LaValle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, the onion, fennel, cooked bacon, picked goose meat from the wings and hind quarters and herbs and seasonings were put back in the pressure cooker with the beans. These were cooked at high pressure for 25 minutes and once again the pressure was allowed to drain naturally.

The goose breast was cooked in it's own fat along with some olive oil and seasonings that included fennel fronds and juniper berries. This was cooked in the CVap at 125ºF for about three hours then seared skin side down in a hot cast iron skillet. Alex then deboned the breasts and sliced them adding three or four slices atop each plated bowl of cassoulet. The result was rich, complex and delicious with plump, creamy beans - a perfect finale for a cold winter night's savory dinner.

Braised Bok Choy with Blood Sausage, Horseradish and an Onsen Egg - An Idea in Food

When Alex Talbot saw the blood sausage in the deli case at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, he couldn't resist it. We had already bought the bok choy and eggs earlier that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm and had previously planned on cooking the goose that my wife and I had purchased from Elihu Farm. The dish came together rather easily and quickly in Alex's ever-whirring mind and became the second course at this dinner.

Alex peeled the sauseage and cut it into small chunks.

Goose bones were browned and made into a quick stock using the pressure cooker.

The bok choy was cooked with the goose jus from the pressure cooker along with horseradish and the blood sausage.

The eggs were cooked in a water bath at 75ºC for 13 minutes and peeled.

Chef Kevin London of Farm House at Top of the World in Lake George, a dinner guest, was enlisted to help plate the dish.

Perhaps my favorite dish of the night, this dish had it all. The bok choy was well braised, but still vibrant with enough horseradish to provide a little zing but not so much as to make it over assertive. It played a great supporting role. The jus was rich and warming and the blood sausage added spice, flavor and texture to the dish, which was unified by the silken coating of the perfectly cooked whites and the oozing European orange yolk of the egg. The dish was greater than the sum of its parts, but the ingredient that set it apart from other similar dishes I have had was the inspired use of the fortuitously found blood sausage. Later in the weekend, per a suggestion from Alex, I cooked some more blood sausage along with fresh eastern L.I.clams, parsley, onions, garlic and white wine served over linguine - another Ideas in Food winner!

Smoked Trout Brandade - an Idea in Food

Not every idea that comes out of Alex and Aki, the couple behind the blog and book, both called Ideas in Food is cutting edge. They are both as well versed with traditional cooking techniques and dishes as they are with the ultramodern. Their idea for the first course  of our Friday night dinner was just such a tradition based idea - a brandade, but instead of using salt cod, they would use smoked trout. I must admit, this was not an idea that I found initially appealing when Alex first proposed it, but I've learned to trust his judgement and skill. I'm glad I did. As with any dish, the quality of the ingredients is important. Here the key element was the smoked trout itself. Purchased that afternoon at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, N.Y., it was of pristine quality.

The first step was breaking up the fish. Aki did that, reserving the skin and the head.

The skin and head was used to infuse a quarter pound of melted Cabot 83% butter.

The next step was cooking the potatoes (yellow potatoes bought that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm) along with the peeled garlic cloves. My son, Michael peeled the garlic. The potatoes and garlic were boiled in water in a standard fashion. Once cooked they were riced together in a warm pan and mixed with the trout, the trout=skin infused butter, cream and some minced parsley.

The end result was magic. I may not have found the idea all that appealing, but the actuality was wonderful - silky smooth potatoes, moist, smoky meat and sheer pleasure.

Dinner with Friends - Alex and Aki Come to Visit

TV shows like Iron Chef America, Top Chef and Chopped all riff on a theme of spontaneous cooking to varying degrees. Iron Chef America specifies a specific ingredient that must be showcased, Top Chef offers surprise scenarios that must be adhered to and Chopped supplies baskets of disparate ingredients that must all be utilized in a single dish. All of the shows incorporate time limits in their challenges as well. These elements often lead to some fun television, but what is really compelling is the opportunity to take part when true professionals create a delicious meal spontaneously based on what is available.

 

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food have, over the years become very good friends of my wife and I. With a presentation and signing of their new book, Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work at Red Fox Books, Alex & Aki along with their daughter and pup paid us an all-too-brief visit, a highlight of which was an informal dinner they cooked for us and a few friends on Friday night.

Blood Sausage

This delicious blood sausage came from Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburgh, N.Y. We ate it last night in a dish prepared by Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food. More detail's on the dish along with the rest of the dinner coming soon.

Identitá Golose 2011 - Part 2: Sat Bains and Paolo Lopriore

The British chef, Sat Bains from his eponymous restaurant in Nottingham, UK followed the charismatic Scabin, speaking of his difficult upbringing and how cooking gave him a life when his parents kicked him out of the house at age 18. Bains' goal at his restaurant to bring something familiar, to do it in a modern way, but without having "lost its soul." The most important thing for him is the ability to still taste the original ingredients of a dish.  He says, "The most important word in my gastronomy is flavor and I will sacrifice presentation to get flavor." Bains figures that in his kitchen, he doesn't try to "reinvent" things Rather, his effort is to "re-introduce." Bains talked about sustainability and demonstrated a dish built around mackerel, a "a very under-rated" fish  found "in abundance" in the British Isles and a "perfect antidote" to the problems of overfishing as it is a "a beautiful fish with great flavor." Crafting a vibrantly colorful dish, as an homage to Italy, Bains first removed the skin from the fish by brushing it with vinegar. This caused the skin to come off easily after about 15 seconds. He then sears the base of the skin leaving the top raw.He then uses acid from a beet ketchup to counterbalance the oily fat of the mackerel. He covered the mackeral with Lardo di Colonnata. The beet ketchup is layered on the bottom of the plate and topped with several slices of salt-baked beet and fresh, wild horseradish mixed with parsley oil and the lardo topped mackerel. To "add a little bit of luxury" he added some caviar and some croutons "for texture." The idea is to get "some soft, salt, fat, earth and acidity from the whole dish."  His second dish was one that he considered to be pure Nottingham, though some of its essential components are also seen in other cultures. For this dish, he "nurtured" beef cheeks by marinating them in Guiness to break down the fibers to make it tender. he paired the cheeks with oysters, reworking a traditional dish for a modern palate. The beef is served with an oyster emulsion, like a raw oyster mayonnaise to get a real flavor of the sea. He took this further by serving it with seaweed from the Kent coast. The dish is meant to be eaten by dragging the beef through the oyster puree combining freshness of vinegar from pickled onions with bitterness of beer. Bains invited a member of the audience up to sample the dish. His final dish showcased the strongly flavored mutton. He braised a salted  aged shoulder of mutton in a pressure cooker. He used capers to provide acidity, a combination that has been used in the UK since the 17th century. Playing around with leftover fat, bains made candles from pure mutton fat and lights them while serving the mutton dish so that the diner gets a sense of roasting mutton even before tasting the dish and then they pour the drippings from the candle into the sauce (made with capers and brown butter) to augment the flavor of the dish. The dish is finished with deep-fried capers, shallots and an onion powder, which adds depth and flavor to the dish.

Paolo Lopriore, chef of Il Canto in the Hotel Certosa di Maggiano just outside of Siena, took the Congress theme of "The Luxury of Simplicity" to heart. e preparec two dishes, both based upon few ingredients and presented very simply. The first was a torn piece of freshly made, crusty bread with a bit of butter and an immaculate raspberry while the second dish was a version of shabu shabu using raw saddle of goat and a broth made with tea roses. The presentation was simple but effective and well received by the audience.

Identitá Golose 2011 - Part 1: From Alajmo to Scabin

From pizza to pasta and risotto to radicchio, the latest edition of Identitá Golose in Milan covered the latest in the Italian food scene and then some. Laden with top Italian toques such as Massimo Bottura, Davide Scabin, Gennaro Esposito, the Brothers Alajmo, Corrado Assenza, Paolo Lopriore and International stars like Paul Liebrandt, Inaki Aizpitarte, Mauro Colagreco, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Nuno Mendes, Sat Bains, Mehmet Guhrs, Josean Martinez Alja and Magnus Nilsson amongst others, there was plenty for Italophiles as well as those just interested in good food. I will present the main stage presentations from the first two days of the Congress in several parts over the next couple of weeks. By virtue of English being my principle language, the discussions from the presenters who spoke in English will be a bit more detailed than those who did not. While I speak some Spanish, Italian and French (in that order), my abilities are not sufficient to provide the same level of detail. As such, I hope to provide a reasonably accurate gist of those presentations. My apologies if I missed nuance.

 

The Congress opened with Raffaele and Massimiliano Alajmo. Massimiliano, who at age 28 was the youngest chef ever to receive three Michelin stars at his restaurant Le Calandre, followed the theme of "the luxury of simplicity" to demonstrate a single dish, a black squid risotto. The squid,cooked sous vide at low temperature is paired with a rice cooked with a vegetable broth and in the "Venetian way" with very little cheese. Of course, the squid's ink is used for color and the flavors are accented with soy, sugar cane and star anise (none typically Italian). However, in a more Italian vein, the dish is finished with oil, some Parmesan and lemon for a touch of acidity. In what was a portent of upcoming presentations, the Alajmos showed a video entitled "EachCook - Il Diletto Imperfetto (the Imperfect Crime), which, I believe, was a call to removing the superfluous and the baroque from cooking and returning to simplicity. The Alajmos were also the first to send out samples of their cooking to the audience. No, they didn't send out the risotto, but they did send out a delectable olive oil cake with saffron and licorice oil.

Lyon is for Lovers: Chocolate Heaven

 

Valentine's Day is a day that celebrates love, both of the romantic kind as well as the Platonic. The holiday has a few specific icons associated with it including Cupid, red roses and not least amongst them, chocolate. I happen to love chocolate and it is my favorite icon of all those associated with Valentine's Day.

 

Ideas in Food Comes North

I am so very looking forward to a visit this coming weekend from my good friends Alex and Aki of Ideas in Food. For anyone in Northeastern New York who may be interested, you can meet them this Thursday evening, February 17th from 7-9PM in Glens Falls, New York at Red Fox Books where they will be signing copies of and discussing their outstanding new book also called Ideas in Food. If you can't make it to Red Fox Books for the signing or to your own local independent bookstore you can order it from Amazon via the link below.

 

Brodo - Villa Gaidello 11/11/2003

Having just returned from Italy and a quick visit to Modena, I was reminded of an earlier visit there with my son Andrew, then 12 years old, back in November of 2003. We stayed at the lovely agriturismo Villa Gaidello just outside the city. Like now, there was a chill in the air. This simmering brodo eventually made its way into our bowls and our stomachs along with some wonderful tortellini. I could go for some of this right now.

Finger Limes

I first noticed these wonderful little Australian citrus fruits in L.A. in early December. They appeared in dishes at a Wolvesmouth dinner, in cocktails at The Library Bar at The Roosevelt Hollywood Hotel and again at Providence, all to great effect, working like a burst of lime caviar to accent the dishes with both flavor and texture. Since then, I've noticed them n a number of menus and had them at Roberta's in Brooklyn. I bought some at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The limes in the photo are some of the last remaining from my purchase. They held up well as I used them yesterday in a dish of piquillo peppers stuffed with turkey, chevre, saffron, peas and citrus and covered with Hollandaise. I would not be in the least surprised to see finger limes become the hot ingredient of 2011 much like hay and pine were in 2010.

What I'm Making For Christmas Eve

My Mother's Crab Sauce

Goose Prosciutto

Duck prosciutto is not uncommon, but I'd never seen or tried goose prosciutto before. The reality is that ducks and geese are really very similar birds, so why not goose prosciutto? When I butchered the bird I got from Elihu Farm (that also happens to be where Carlo Mirarchi sources his geese for Roberta's as I discovered this past weekend after dining at Roberta's), I cut out the breasts as well as the thighs and legs. The latter were confited, while one of the breasts was low-temp roasted. For the remaining breast, I decided to try my hand at making it into a prosciutto. Using Michael Ruhlman's approach for duck prosciutto as a guide, I salt-cured the breast, rinsed and dried it, wrapped and tied it in cheese cloth and hung it for 8 days from a pipe in my basement. It was surprisingly easy and the glistening, silky result is pretty tasty. I plan to share it with my family on Christmas Eve.

Top 5 Dishes of 2010

I already posted my Top Pasta Dishes of the Year here. At this point, I'm pretty much done dining out for the year, so I think it is reasonable to post this now, even though the year is not quite over yet. I ate extremely well in 2010 with a number of exceptional dishes. Here are the most memorable. I did not select more than one dish from any particular meal.

1. Mackerel Pickled in Hay with Green Tomatoes - Restaurant AOC - Copenhagen, DK - this dish was simply stunning on every level. Mackerel is not my favorite fish, in general, but this was made with perfect specimens and treated in such a way that it achieved perfect balance, deep rich and wonderful flavor. In addition, the plating was spectacular, using a limited but pure color spectrum and subtle, but supremely beautiful plating.
2. Chilled Vegetable Minestrone - Town House - Chilhowie, Virginia: Another extraordinarily beautiful dish, Chef John Shields provided deep and total flavor, coaxing every last bit of wonderfulness from these gorgeous, multicolored vegetables. I wrote, "Consisting of 19 different vegetables sliced into thin ribbons, rolled into cylinders and stood on end in a bowl with a vegetable consommé poured around it table side, the dish was equally impressive on the palate combining a myriad of flavors playing off each other. This was a home run on the first pitch, one of the more spectacular courses I've had anywhere."
3. Beet Salad - The Oval Room - Washington, D.C.: How can a beet salad make my top 5 dishes of the year? When it is this beautiful, colorful, original and absolutely delicious it can. I wrote, Chef Tony "Conte's salad, 'roasted organic baby beets, passion fruit gelee, horseradish, Minus 8 (vinegar) shallot dressing & micro arugula,' blended brilliant color with brilliant flavor. The passion fruit and minus 8 provided a nice acid kick, while the horseradish added a bit of spice."
4. Walnut and Blackberries, Cream and Powder - noma/Corton- Copenhagen, DK/NY, NY: I had a slew of wonderful dishes at noma, but this one stood out the most for me, taking ingredients that I could normally not care less about and turning them into one of the most delicious desserts that I have ever had. I wrote, "I'm not sure that I have ever tasted a better dessert than Walnut and Blackberries, Cream and Powder, despite the fact that I am generally not terribly enthusiastic about either walnuts or blackberries. Walnut is incorporated into an ice cream and a powder. The powder is made using walnut oil and maltodextrin. The dish includes frozen cream and dried blackberry. Minimalist in appearance, the flavors are anything but, achieving great depth and perfect balance. I loved this when I had it in NY at the Corton dinner and I loved it no less here."
5. Roasted Parsnip - Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Pocantico Hills, N.Y. Sometimes, apparent simplicity can be deceptive. This dish was simply delicious, but all the more mind-boggling to come from an ordinarily non-descript parsnip. I wrote, "We were presented with an item that appeared to be some sort of meat or ham, though it was unlike any meat or ham I had ever seen before. Flattened and slightly elongated, clearly roasted with beautiful exterior browning, we were told that it was a parsnip, a very, very large parsnip that had just been harvested after having been planted the previous March. Almost one year in the ground, this massive parsnip was left in the cold ground to encourage the root to convert its natural starches into sugar to help prevent freezing. To assist even further development of the root's sugars and their caramelization, Barber roasted the parsnips under the weight of bricks. Once presented to us, the roasted parsnips were returned to the kitchen to emerge just a short time later fully transformed. Furthering their pork-like impression, the parsnips re-emerged in a form that, to me, resembled a strip of suckling pig meat under a rich porcine gravy. Served alongside the parsnip was a red cabbage ketchup. As sweet as the parsnip was, the dish, thanks largely to the "gravy" was very much a savory dish. Unfortunately, I never did get what the "gravy" was comprised of. It tasted of pork or even turkey, rich and meaty with plenty of umami, but could this dish really have been served with anything but vegetable components? To me, this dish was a sterling example of a trompe l'oiel style of cooking. It was a veritable faux pork dish. This parsnip was superlative in every way - delicious, beautiful and down right mind-boggling and fun. It was Barber at his absolute best, taking an ordinarily mundane ingredient and without any overt tricks transforming it into something truly remarkable. I could not imagine a parsnip being presented as a parsnip being any more enjoyable than this was." 

Next week, I'll be coming out with a listing of my Top 25 Restaurant Meals of 2010.

My Top Five Restaurant Pasta Dishes of 2010

It's in my blood that I love pasta. To me, pasta is one of the most satisfying dishes that I can have. I cook it a lot and I eat it a lot in restaurants. I had plenty of outstanding pasta in restaurants this year, traditional and creative. The three most memorable and most sensationally delicious pasta dishes I had in 2010 were:

1. Trofie, Squab & White Truffle - Roberta's - Brooklyn, N.Y. Pure decadence. Forget the freshly shaved white truffles for just a moment. This dish would have been killer without them. Carlo Mirarchi takes squab that he ages himself and minces the meat and the organs using the whole squab and then makes a Bolognese type sauce, which he uses to flavor immaculately cooked, perfectly al dente trofie to create an umami rich, textural tour de force of pasta. Now add an intoxicating, freshly shaved snow of white Alba truffle and the transport to heaven is complete. (No post yet).
2. Roasted Potato and Parmesan Gnocchi with Iberico Bellota Ham, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans and Local Scallions - Stella! - New Orleans, LA.  More decadence. Perfect, light and fluffy gnocchi, some of the finest ham in the world, fresh favas, Parmiggiano and incredible morels all executed without a flaw by Scott Boswell and his crack kitchen team - this dish simply rocked.(see here for the whole dinner)
3. Baby Goat Agnolotti, sweet carrot and spicy paprika - Brooks Headley (Del Posto) - Pastry Chefs at Aldea Dinner - NY, NY. If the pastry chef at Del Posto is making pasta this wonderful, what must the Chef Mark Ladner be doing? I must find out! (see here for the whole dinner)
4. Whole Wheat Pici, Shaved Matsutakes, Toasted Hazelnut & Rosemary - The Oval Room - Washington, D.C. Tony Conte's perfectly cooked and seasoned pasta supported the terrific, savory sweetness of the shaved mushrooms leaving the rosemary and hazelnut to play accent notes. (see here for the whole dinner)
5. Miso & Yuzu Kosho Casarecce with Crab - Alex Talbot & Aki Kamozawa (Ideas in Food) - The Alchemy of Taste and Smell Dinner at The Astor Center - N.Y., N.Y. Served with chopsticks that had been twice sprayed with a scent of coffee, black pepper and nutmeg, the combination of the perfectly ala-minute-cooked, bright tasting pasta, the lusciously rich crab and the pepper-rich scent made for an impeccably balanced, deeply delicious and soulfully satisfying dish. (see here for the whole dinner)

Goose, Sour Cherry, Juniper

I don't understand why goose is not more popular than it is on American dining tables whether it be at home or in restaurants. Like duck and ostrich, these are very meaty, beefy birds. The breast meat is every bit as red as beef or lamb and the fat is simply the best. If one considers the rich deliciousness of a goose egg too, I would think they would be amongst the most popular menu items out there. Somehow, that just isn't the case, though.

For the second holiday season in a row, I bought a freshly killed goose from Mary & Bob Pratt of Washington County's Elihu Farm (more information below *) at the Saratoga Farmers Market this past Saturday. Last year, I roasted it whole in my CVap. It was delicious. This year, I decided I would try something different. I butchered it to cut out the boneless breasts from the carcass and separated the wings and the thighs with the legs  as well. I took the skin and most of the fat to render the fat and make goose cracklings.  I used the fat to confit the thighs and legs and am making a prosciutto from one of the breasts. The carcass and neck are being saved to make a goose stock.

For the remaining breast, I cooked it in my CVap Cook and Hold for 2.5 hours at 135ºF on a cedar plank with browning off. I then finished it on the cooktop searing it in a little butter. The meat was perfect! To complement the rich goose I made a sauce using Red Sour Cherry Preserves & Topping from Chukar Cherries. The cherry preserves were too sweet to use on their own, but with the addition of a generous helping of freshly ground juniper berries, salt and the juice of half a lemon, they made an excellent sweet and sour sauce to complement the meaty goose.

Yes, when I eat something as delicious and reasonably easy to make (I realize that there are few CVaps outside of restaurant kitchens. The breast with skin and fat attached can be seared just like a duck breast to the same wonderful end), I don't understand why it isn't more popular. Is it just a question of opportunity? If so, then I suggest that opportunities be found or made. goose is that good!

*From Elihu Farm:

Raising the Geese. The goslings, all gray and white Toulouse (a heritage breed), arrived onelovely morning in May as day-olds, peeping away in four large boxes at our local Post Office. Right away,we dipped their bills in fresh water as we counted and transferred to larger containers. Then it was off tothe sheep barn for “goose starter,’ grain mix, and lights for warmth, and more water, water, water.

They soon learned we were t-h-e meal ticket, and chattered away when we were nearby. As theygrew, their pen grew, until they were large enough to explore the grass near the barn. Geese love grass,and are excellent lawn mowers.

In a short time, we ‘weaned’ from the brooder, and soon put them to pasture all the time,surrounded by electric netting for protection. Vigorous healthy birds, they love their grass, and love theirwater and more water and more water. They still eat some grain for carbohydrates to keep them warm.

Goose for Dinner. There’s nothing quite like the flavorful dark meat from goose, which is lower infat than beef or lamb. The fat is semi-solid, containing over 50% of the beneficial monounsaturated oleicfatty acid, an Omega-3. Rendered goose fat is excellent for sautéing vegetables or roasting potatoes. Weexpect our geese to be leaner than conventionally raised birds.

Ordering. The geese run from about 7-1/2 to 10 pounds, dressed, and cost $7.95/lb. Pick up onthe farm or at the Saratoga Springs Farmers’ Market. Delivery to Albany may be available. Contact Maryand Bob Pratt, [email protected], 518-753-7838, 518-744-3947.

Seared Scallops Over Parmesan Creamed Spinach

I have been reveling in the quality of both the sea and bay scallops that I have been getting at Pura Vida Seafood from Suffolk County, Log Island at the Troy Farmers Market. I made this as an appetizer course recently to celebrate my eldest son's being home from college.This would do well on a holiday menu.

Ingredients:

Sea Scallops (preferably diver) 1lb

Spinach  8oz cleaned

Parmiggiano-Reggiano 4oz in small chunks

Heavy Cream 2oz

Pine Nuts 2oz toasted

Pimentón 0.4oz

garlic 2 large cloves roasted or pan-fried until just brown

Butter 1oz

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Wilt the spinach over medium heat then combine with all the other ingredients except scallops and butter in a narrow container and puree with a stick blender or use a food processer to achieve a nice smooth blend.

Spoon the mixture into 8 small ramekins making sure that it is evenly apportioned.

Place the filled ramekins in the hot oven for 5 minutes.

While the ramekins are baking, pan-sear the scallops in the brown butter so that both sides are nicely seared and sprinkle with fleur de sel or other high quality salt and fresh ground pepper per your preference.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and portion the scallops evenly amongst them. For additional holiday cheer, halved grape tomatoes or julienned piquillo peppers can be added on top along with the scallops.

If one isn't comfortable using the cream, good olive oil can be substituted to make a variation of a spinach pesto. Both work well.

Bucatini with Tuna (Yellowfin) Sauce

It has been a few years since I had made this dish, mostly because it is difficult to get good tuna here and I used to make it with bluefin when that was relatively plentiful and cheap (I know, I'm dating myself). While I love where I live, one of the area's biggest negatives has been that it has been relatively difficult to get top quality fresh seafood at a reasonable price. That recently changed, though, when I discovered at the beginning of November that Pura Vida Seafood, fishermen from Suffolk County in Long Island, are now making the trek up to the Saturday Farmers Market in Troy, N.Y. Though that market has always been one of the best in the area, I have generally stayed closer to home, shopping at the Glens Falls and Saratoga Markets. With Pura Vida and their fantastic variety of wonderfully fresh seafood, I have started making the drive down to Troy more regularly. This past Saturday I loaded up on sea scallops, grey sole, clams, oysters and some gorgeous yellowfin tuna.

This dish was one of my mother's Friday staples as I was growing up. It couldn't be simpler, however, the quality of the fish is critical.

Ingredients:

FRESH yellowfin tuna      1.5 pounds

500g good Italian Bucatini pasta

1 large can of whole tomatoes preferably San Marzano DOP

1 large red onion cut in half and sliced 1mm thick on a mandoline (diced is fine)

2 large cloves of garlic sliced thin or minced.

1 clump of fresh basil chiffonaded

1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)

salt and pepper

4 tablespoons good olive oil

Procedure:

1. Cook the onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil on low medium heat until translucent then add the garlic and cook lightly.

2. Add the can of tomatoes and a half a can of water and heat through. Once heated, I took a stick blender and pureed everything together. Add the chili powder at this point if desired.

3. In a separate pan cook the tuna in a tablespoon of olive oil to sear it.

4. Add the tuna to the tomato sauce and simmer for several hours with a lid on and kept just ajar. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula.

5. Cook the pasta al dente then transfer to a large pasta bowl.

6. Once the pasta is done add the chiffonaded basil and remaining olive oil to the sauce and stir.

7. Add the sauce to the pasta, breaking up the tuna as you do. Toss and serve hot.

Oakland - A Bit of Brooklyn Out West

James Syhabout's newish restaurant, Commis, already has a Michelin star. It is a small, minimalist space with a central open kitchen, reasonable prices and intense, creative cooking. With the loss of Chez Panisse's star, Commis currently boasts the only Michelin star in the entire East Bay Area. That, however, doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of good cooking going on there.

With a noon arrival at the Oakland airport I was met by my host, one of my very best friends who goes all the way back to Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. and who was also the best man at my wedding. Now an Oakland resident for over twenty years, he is well versed in all aspects of that city. After loading my bags in his car, we made a beeline for Pho 84, located in downtown Oakland and named for the year it opened. I started with the Goi Cuon or shrimp rolls - shrimp with iceberg lettuce, bean sprouts and cilantro rolled in rice paper and served with peanut sauce, a refreshing and tasty welcome back to the Bay Area. With a name like Pho 84, the pho better be good and what I had was quite good and quite satisfying. The Pho 84 House Special was replete with rare done steak, well done flank, tendons and meatballs in a rich beef broth topped with cilantro and onions. My visit was off to a great start.

A Golden Dinner - The Alchemy of Taste and Smell

 

Alchemy - Definition from  Dictionary.com

1. a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced inthe Middle Ages and the Renaissance

 and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and 

 with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life.

2. any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a 

 substance of great value.

The Dinner at The Alchemy of Taste and Smell event at The Astor Center clearly did not live up to the first definition above. Try as many have, those goals remain elusive. Definition 2, however, is another story. Though the substances used to prepare the dishes assembled for the lucky 45 diners assembled were not of particularly little value in and of themselves, they were transformed by the magical powers of the chefs, mixologists and natural perfumer, Mandy Aftel, into a dinner of value well beyond the sum of its parts. It was a very special evening of food, drink, wine and extraordinary culinary camaraderie that was the culmination of two days programs examining and exploring  the art of combining elements of taste and smell by some of the very best in the business.