Though I’ve been a professional chef for over 15 years, I haven’t worked in restaurants for the last 10. Most people don’t understand how I can earn a living as a chef but not in a restaurant. To assuage their desire to define my career, I tell them that if I did have a restaurant, the food I’d serve would be just like Peter McCarthy at EVOO.
Peter cooks clean, simple food with interesting flavor combinations. He focuses on seasonal, local ingredients and draws inspiration from around the globe. He writes his menus with a flair for whimsy: “Fried Green Monsters” a dish that evokes Fenway Park and my summertime favorite soft shell crabs. The monster crabs are green from a basil batter. “Duck Duck Goose” combines duck foie gras, duck confit and sautéed goose breast.
But the dish that keeps me coming back is the Smoked Rabbit Confit, Eva's Organic Wild Greens, Port Soaked Cherries and Toasted Pecan Salad with Shaved Vermont Cheddar and Grain Mustard – Rosemary Vinaigrette.Eva has been selling herbs and greens to Boston area restaurants for as long as I’ve been here. And her salad greens – each leaf has a unique flavor and texture. They taste tart, spicy, sweet and hardy, as they should, unlike the generic “mesclun” lettuces coming out of California.
The salad masterfully combines the full spectrum of flavor: sweet (dried cherries) with tart (balsamic vinegar) tangy and rich (cheddar cheese) earthy salad greens, smoky and rich (rabbit confit) with a well balanced mustard vinaigrette. I’m sure the pecans add a wonderful crunch if you do nuts, I do not.
One of my most impressive hors d’oeuvre is also the easiest: Baby Potato Skins. I usually fill them with truffle Carpaccio and tallegio cheese, but they would also be delicious with a more traditional filling of cheddar, bacon and scallions.
Start with tiny yellow potatoes, less than an inch in diameter. I pick through the supermarket bins of new potatoes to find the smaller. Cut the potatoes in half. Scoop out the center with a melon-baller. Toss the potatoes with olive oil, garlic and salt. Roast at 425F, cut side down, until the potatoes are browned on the bottom and tender. Flip the potatoes over. Fill with truffles slices and tallegio. Put them back in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot and gooey.
I'm submitting this recipe to this month's potato ho down, a monthly round-up of recipes from around the blogosphere featuring this illustrious tuber. This month's ho-down is sponsored by the fine women at Where's My Damn Answer?
My fall growing season was cut short by a long frost in the middle of November. The temperatures didn't rise above freezing for almost a week. After the first overnight frost I thought to myself, "Terrific, the brussels sprouts need this to sweeten them up." And I know from talking with Brett that the lettuces can withstand an overnight of below freezing temperatures as long as they during the daylight hours.
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. The broccoli raab began making valiant efforts to recover, but with the first dusting of snow followed by another bout of freezing temperatures, I think I will need to wait until spring.
Throughout the summer, I enjoyed stalks of celery. I never did harvest a full head. Flacid celery is unattractive, but the flavor is fine. So I continue to harvest stalks when I want the celery boost. The leaves on the brussels sprouts are droopy but the flavor is sweet and bright. The sprouts continue to grow and been enjoying them a handful at a time. The scallions seem to be content and sturdy despite the snow and frost. And surprise, surprise… the sage still looks full and lush. A few sprigs made a wonderful accompaniment to Dina's braised duck legs with lentils.
Marinades serve many purposes. Often they are used to tenderize tough cuts of meat, others just to add flavor. In Chinese recipes, they are designed to add texture in addition to flavor.
I recall a meal in Montepulciano, Italy, in Tuscany: red wine braised rabbit over creamy polenta. What made this dish so memorable was that the meat was bursting with flavor straight through to the bone, a rare occurrence in many US restaurants. When preparing dense cuts of meat (leg of lamb, whole beef tenderloin, short ribs or veal shanks), I like to begin marination the night before cooking. This gives the marinade ample time to penetrate the meat and ensure that every bite is flavorful. [[As a side note, I was quite impressed to see cook eat FRET does this too, as she describes in this post]]
For my style of cooking, I’m more concerned with adding flavor than tenderizing meat. I add salt, pooh-poohing the notion that it will draw out the moisture. And just in case I’m wrong, I add olive oil… so what the salt taketh away, the olive oil giveth.
For 1 whole beef tenderloin: 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped shallots 1/4 cup chopped garlic 2 tbs. chopped fresh sage 1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme 2 scallions, cut into rounds 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. coriander 1 tbs. salt 1 tsp. pepper
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and simmer until the shallots are soft and translucent
2. Add the herbs and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the spices are aromatic. Remove from heat.
My friend Benny opened The Savant Project in Mission Hill last year. We met in business school, both coming from the hospitality industry (he was a bartender, I was a chef), and became fast friends. Though I knew I didn't want to be in the restaurant business anymore, I was intrigued by his vision of restaurants and lounges (a "lounge empire" he modestly called it).
Benny has succeeded in creating a lounge: the vibe is hip and funky, blending perfectly with this fringe neighborhood — on the edge of the prominent Longwood Medical Center and the up-and-coming Mission Hill. Hospital employees mingle with young hipsters. The tiny kitchen produces fun and funky dishes, variations on the typical bar food… a steak frite with yuca fries instead of the typical potato, quesadillas trios with homemade mango salsa, and a home-made veggie burger. They have received props from Boston Magazine (Where to Dine and Best of Boston Awards), the Phantom Gourmet, the Boston Globe and Chronicle.
When Benny asked if I could help streamline the menu, I had to say yes. How fun to be part of his exciting venture! Benny's two big challenges: the food costs were too high and the kitchen could not execute the menu fast enough on busy nights. We made a few adjustments with the current recipes (like slicing the pork tenderloins into medallions before cooking — yielding more yummy 5-spice crust and cooking faster). We also removed some of the slow selling items and replaced them with new dishes that cook quickly and have a lower food cost – we were even able to reduce the prices on some of the menu items!
The general approach to the menu was to simplify. The menu consisted of numerous items some of which did not move as quickly as we would have liked. As opposed to having numerous options all the time (which kills labor costs from excessive prep, and food costs due to waste and spoilage) the menu is focusing on its strengths. Now, the menu will switch out about 30% of the items every two months in order to provide the clientele with the options they so desire!
The most popular addition: Beer Battered Fish Tacos with a Chipotle Slaw and Guacamole. Although intended for the dinner menu (where it thrives) it also does quite well on the lunch menu. Priced at $15 it is cheaper than the traditional dinner entrees. It is priced higher than the veggie burger or the stuffed burger, however. These were the two most popular (and most affordable) dinner entrees. When a customer switches to the fish tacos from the burger, that means an extra $1.50 of revenue per entree or an 11% increase in food sales!
This month Benny is going on an all out promotions spree with the new changes to the menu. With the new menu in place, the restaurant now does three full turns for dinner with comfort and ease, and Benny plans to fully take advantage of this! Some of the promotions include 2 entrees and a bottle of wine for $50 any Sunday, Monday. In addition there is a 3 course NYE Dinner with a champagne toast and a glass of wine for $33.09 (designed by my friend and former co-worker Estuart Rojas) and he is even beginning a late night menu Thursday through Saturday till close with all items under $5. Enjoy some music and get some quality grub….in Mission Hill! (who knew?)
He is also happy to offer anyone who says the code words "we love Hoolia" (his idea, not mine) a complementary tapa with your meal or even just a drink! And Benny insisted I add his little blurb, "If you read Julia's blog and come on in, please ask for me! I'm here all the time and Julia has helped out so much (often just for bottles of wine…) that I owe her friends and fans the best of times."
And for those of you not in Boston, here's the recipe for the famed Fish Tacos.
Fish Tacos
¼ cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup sour cream ½ tsp. ground cumin 1 chipotle (or more to taste)
½ cup shredded red cabbage or lettuce 2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped ¼ cup finely sliced red onion 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced ¼ cup chopped cilantro salt and lime to taste
1 cup flour 1/3 cup cornmeal 1 tsp. salt, or more to taste 1 cup beer 1 egg 12 6-in soft, white corn tortillas Canola for frying 1 lb. fluke, cod or any firm white fleshed fish, cut into strips 1 inch wide and 2 -3 inches long
2 limes, cut into wedges
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cumin and chipotle salsa. Toss in cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and lime juice.
2. In a large bowl, make a beer batter: whisk together 2/3 cup flour, cornmeal, salt, egg and beer.
3. Preheat oven to warm, or its lowest setting. Spread tortillas on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Place in oven.
4. Pour 1 inch of peanut oil into a deep saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When it is hot enough to brown a bread crumb, begin coating the fish. Dust fish with the flour, and then dip into the batter. Add the pieces, one by one, to the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary. Drain on plate lined with paper towel. Repeat process with remaining fish.
5. Fill each warm tortilla with 2-3 pieces of fish, a generous spoon of the cabbage slaw. Squeeze a wedge of lime and sprinkle a little salt over the filled tortilla. Fold in half and serve.
In a previous life, I must have been Chinese. My refrigerator shelves are loaded with different soy sauces, chili pastes, bean sauces and a host of other condiments necessary for many of my favorite recipes. I’m just as happy to whip up a spicy pork stir-fry as I am Chicken Picatta on an idle Tuesday. And I rarely tire of the flavors – even after three weeks in China eating “authentic” food 2 meals a day.
With a well stocked pantry, most Chinese recipes are easy to execute. The condiments I don’t have in the refrigerator, I have in the garden: ginger, scallions and celery.
Spicy Pork Tenderloin
1 pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices 1 egg white, beaten 1 tablespoon tapioca starch ½ teaspoon salt ¾ tsp. sugar
Sauce 2 tsp. double dark soy sauce 1tsp. sugar 1 tablespoon Shao-Hsing wine 2 tablespoons sweet bean sauce 1 tablespoon Lan Chi chili garlic paste (more or less to taste) 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tsp. vinegar
1. Marinate pork with egg white, tapioca, salt and sugar. 2. Combine ingredients for sauce. 3. Heat a large skillet or wok over high flame. Add pork slices and cook until golden brown. Add garlic, ginger, and celery and stir fry for 1 minute. 4. Add sauce and continue cooking until pork is cooked through. It maybe be necessary to add a tablespoon of water or chicken stock if the sauce gets too thick. Add scallions 5. Serve with steamed rice and sautéed mustard greens.
As a line-cook working in restaurants, I can tell you Saturday nights are ugly. As my old boss, Lydia Shire always said, this one’s for the house. With the majority of the restaurants’ business on one night, we worked at break-neck speed to serve as many dinners as possible. The specials were designed for speed not creativity. By contrast, Sunday nights were for the kitchen. With the head chefs taking the night off, this was my opportunity to try out my menu ideas as specials. It was also a chance to have fun with the staff. The spirit in the kitchen was lively and jovial, unwinding from the craziness of the previous night. Sunday nights we also got a little lazy.
On one Sunday night, I ran out of watercress on my station. I raced to the walk-in refrigerator to get another bunch. And as I ran back to my station, I tried to untwist the rubber-band that held the bunch together. I dressed the watercress, mounded it on the plate and put it in the window. Michael Murphy grabbed the plate to bring to the table. Not five minutes later, Michael returned with the plate and a rubber-band on top. Whoops! Apparently, I had not effectively untwisted the rubber band from the watercress.
To have a little fun, I ran back to the walk-in and pulled the rubber bands off of everything I could find: watercress, scallions, leeks and celery. I mounded them on a plate and garnished it with a sprig of watercress. Into the window, I called Michael back to the kitchen. With my apologies, I said, this is how the salad had meant to be presented.
Michael one-upped me, and served the “salad” to his customers. His guests were very good natured, and we all had a good laugh!
Braised Endive with Watercress and Apple Salad
2 large endive, cut in half lengthwise, or 4 small endive 1 bunch watercress 1 red apple 3/4 cup grated gruyere cheese 2 lemons, juiced 2 tbs. sugar 1 shallot, diced 1 tbs. cider vinegar 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to tastea
1. Put endive in pot with sugar and lemon juice. Cover with water. Season water to taste with salt and pepper, and additional lemon juice or sugar as necessary. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Let endive simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, Core and slice apple (do not peel). Toss apples and watercress with vinegar, olive oil and shallots. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and fresh thyme if you’d like).
3. When the endive is tender, remove from liquid. Put endive in an oven-proof dish. Cover with cheese. Melt cheese in oven (350) for 5 minutes.
4. Serve half a large endive, or 1 whole small endive with a small watercress and apple salad.
Entertaining season is upon us. When I have guests over, I like to make a special cocktail in addition to wine and beer. I don’t have the capacity of serving a full bar, but with one special drink, I can find the balance.
Tamarind Sours taste like Hawaiian Punch with a boozy kick. This recipe is adapted from Douglas Rodriguez’s Nuevo Latino. I use Pom Pomegranate Juice instead of his suggested grenadine syrup. You can adjust the sugar and lime to your taste. Tamarind Juice is available at both Asian and Latin markets.
For 4 cocktails: 4 oz. Southern Comfort 1 lime juiced 2 tbs. sugar 2 oz. Pom pomegranate juice 1 cup tamarind juice
Combine ingredients, shake vigorously and serve over crushed ice.
While we think of sweet potatoes as a winter vegetable, they are actually grown in the summer. Shooting up green vines from the earth, each plant will yield up to 5 pounds of this sweet tuber. They last for months if stored properly in a root cellar. Two months after harvest, I'm still enjoying my stash that I brought back with me to Cambridge.
An interesting factoid about sweet potatoes: they actually get sweeter after they've been harvested. Once the plant is cut away, a chemical reaction occurs turning the starches into sugars. As such,the sweet potatoes need to cure for at least one week after harvesting before eating or cooking.
There are dozens of varieties of sweet potatoes — both white and orange. Typically, in New England, you'll find jewel. To hear Brett describe them, they are pure sugar. His favorite varieties are white hamon and beauregard. These offer sweet, nuanced and balanced flavor.
Here are some more thoughts from Brett about sweet potatoes:
Very large sweet potatoes are unjustly scorned by novices, but old-time Southern cooks treasure the mammoths for ease of use. They also know that a slowly grown but big sweet potato is more flavorful than a typical conventionally grown, smaller sweet potato whose growth was rushed and babied with agricultural chemicals. Different sweet potato cultivars have markedly different flesh colors and flavors. The white types (actually beige, to my eye) usually have a nuttier, nuanced suite of flavors, and often a less creamy and more stringy texture, than the orange types. White Hamon is an exception, being both very sweet and creamy and with a unique beige-pale green flesh when cooked in certain ways. We will let you know the names of the types you are receiving. I personally prefer the white kinds for savory roasted uses and the orange types for pies, but there is naught more subjective than palate opinions.
Sweet Potato Vichyssoise is a fantastic summer-time chilled soup, but can also be served hot on a cold winter evening. 3 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, peeled and chopped 1 celery stalk 4 garlic clove 1/4 cup white wine 2 medium large sweet potatoes 4 cups water 2 leek — washed 1/4 cup cream
1. Heat pot over medium heat. Add 2 tbs. butter. Add onions, garlic, leeks and celery. Sweat for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine 2. Add potatoes and water. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3. Puree soup. Add cream. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice
4. Chill soup.
5. While soup is chillin', heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add remaining butter, corn, shallots and garlic. Sauté without shaking the pan, for 3 minutes, or until the corn becomes sweetly aromatic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Puree chipotle peppers with 1/4 cup water and 1 tbs. red wine vinegar
7. When soup is chilled, garnish with a- corn and a drizzle of the chipotle puree, or b- spicy sausage and scallions
Brussels sprouts are the number one underrated vegetables, with beets coming in a close second. Of course, I love them both, perhaps because they are perfect vehicles for bacon. Or that they are both nutritional powerhouses. It wouldn’t be beyond me to love them because they are both beautiful: brussel sprout plants are so fun, and beet puree – how can you not love that color??
This year, I planted 4 stalks. All survived the aphid attacks on the brassicas, though one plant’s growth was stunted because it was sowed into what became a rather shady spot. The sprouts grow just above the leaves. You can harvest the sprouts when they are just ¼ inch in diameter or you can wait until they are larger. Since the sprouts don’t uniformly grow at the same rate, its best to harvest just the ones that are the desired size. While the whole stalk makes an impressive presentation at the Farmer’s market, it’s not the most practical.
My favorite preparation is roasted with bacon and horseradish, though the olive oil roasted brussels sprouts at Toro fall into a close second. Blanch the sprouts first in salted boiling water and toss with rendered bacon. Roast the brussel sprouts with the bacon in a 450 oven until the sprouts are tender. Toss with prepared horseradish.
