Category: Bali

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Taste-Driving Boyfriends

This weekend, The Boston Globe published a story about my dating trials and tribulations. Yes, it’s more amusing than Fred Flintstone. And all true. I don’t want to give away the punch-line, you should read the story.

Due to space limitations, they could not publish the accompanying recipes.

Dinner for Boyfriend No. 2
Perhaps this dish should be a litmus test for future boyfriends. I don’t think any of the old boyfriends would eat this as it was served in the story… The original recipe, which was written for elk loin, is quite adaptable. I’ve substituted tuna, duck and beef with equal success.

Chamomile Scented Tuna with Blackberry Sage Chutney and Crispy Polenta

Spice Rub:

1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. cumin seed, roasted
1 tbs. chamomile, whole
1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Polenta
½ onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
1 tbs. butter
3 cups liquid (any combination of chicken broth, milk or water)
3/4 cup polenta,
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Plain oil

Blackberry-Sage Chutney:
3/4 cup diced shallots
2 strips smoked bacon, finely chopped
4 tbs. black- or raspberry liqueur
3/4 cup blackberries, frozen
1 tbs. fresh sage, chopped
2 tbs. brown sugar
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

To prepare the Tuna:
3 lbs. tuna loin
¼ cup pomegranate molasses

For the Spice rub: In food processor, grind peppercorns and star anise until completely powdered. Add cumin seed and chamomile; grind until smooth and then add remaining ingredients. Set aside.

For the Polenta: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add onions and saute until soft. Add milk, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. When polenta is thick, pour onto a 9”x13” pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) then cut into fry shape. Heat plain oil in a large skillet. Cook polenta fries until crispy on all sides.

For the Blackberry Sage Chutney: Saute bacon in a skillet until lightly brown. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add liqueur and deglaze the pan. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to soften blackberries.

To prepare the tuna: Coat the tuna with the molasses. Dredge in spice mix and place in a very hot cast iron skillet. Sear tuna on both sides until dark in color, about 3 minutes per side.  At this point it should be medium rare.  If you like your fish more well done, continue cooking in a 400F oven.    Slice and serve with polenta and chutney.

Up next: Dinner for Ken………………

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Summer’s Workhorse (Recipe: Spicy Coconut Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Curried-kale2

Perusing the seeds display at the market last spring, I tossed into my cart a packet Tuscan Kale. I hadn’t thought much about the garden yet, but for $1.29, it seemed worth the potential. In March I planted them in the shadiest spot in the garden… primarily because I wanted to save the limited, but prime sunny locations for the cherished tomatoes. I also know that greens don’t like the heat, and I hoped that the cooler location would prevent the kale from going to seed in the summer – turning the plant bitter and grinding production to a halt.

I planted 4 rows and harvest my first bunch in June. Since then, I’ve been cooking up kale as a side dish for many meals… sautéed in all manner (with bacon, garlic and chile flakes, and mushrooms) and pureed in dumplings. I even froze 6 quart bags of wilted leaves. And now into the first week of fall, the plants show no sign of weakening. They survived the heat, the rains, the drought and the aphids.

You better believe it’s going in again next year! Talk about bang for your buck.

Last night I made a favorite dish that straddles fall and summer… a Balinese inspired curry with kale, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. The kale and tomatoes came from the garden (as well as the scallion garnish).

Coconut Curried Vegetables
I prefer sweet potatoes, kale and tomatoes in this recipe for the flavor, color and textural contrasts, but you could use any you like.

1 tbs. plain oil
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs. Lan Chi chili-garlic paste (more or less to taste)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 can coconut milk
1 bunch kale, washed and coarsely chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs. fried shallots or onions
Salt or fish sauce to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until they wilt and start to brown.
2. Add the chili paste and sweet potatoes and stir to evenly mix everything. Cook for 2 minutes to toast the chili paste and bring out its flavor.
3. Add the coconut milk and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt or fish sauce. Cook, covered, until the sweet potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the kale and tomatoes and cook until the kale is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes more. 5. Sprinkle fried shallots on top. Serve over steamed rice.

I’m submitting this recipe to Grow Your Own — a blogging event that celebrates home gardeners and foragers. It was started by Andrea and is being hosted this month by Dido. Check out Dido’s blog on October 1 to see what great things are being cooked up.
GYO-1BR-200

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Chicken Kiev via Bali

Ten years ago I traveled to Asia for the first time. I chose Bali because I heard wonderful things about the rustic beauty and the people. I knew nothing of the cuisine, but eagerly ate everything and took copious notes. On my first evening, after a 24 hour flight, I made my first foray in Balinese cuisine. This is what I wrote in my journal:

Fish shacks line the beach. You can pick your own fish: barracuda, squid, white snapper, red snapper, orange roughy, spiny lobster and head-on shrimp. They are grilled over a fire built with coconut shells with a spicy barbecue sauce, and served with steamed rice, vegetables (cooked with more chili sauce) and 3 sauces: soy sauce thickened with molasses, chili-garlic oil and garlic vinegar. The tables were on the beach overlooking the water. We had lobster, barracuda and squid. $30 USD.

It turns out that this feast for two which included plenty of beer was the most expensive meal.

When cleaning out my desk the other night, I came across notes from another spectacular meal… scribbled on the back of the program from a Balinese dance.

Ayam Goreng “Satika” – Fried Chicken with Sambal Matah (onions, chili, lemon grass, and lime). Chicken is stuffed and then fried.

It would seem from these notes that I would want to recreate this meal, but it took me 10 years…. By now, I have no idea was it tasted or looked like. So I had to improvise. This is what I came up with:

Ayam Goreng Satika

2 chicken breasts, butterflied.
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed and finely chopped
1 bird’s eye chili, finely chopped
¼ tsp. sugar
½ lime, juiced
½ cup flour
1 egg, whisked with 2 tablespoons water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Plain oil
2 tablespoons butter

1. Heat 1 tablespoon plain oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, lemon grass, and chili. Sauté until soft.

2. Season chicken with salt pepper and sugar. Fill with each breast with half of the shallot/chili mix and butter. Squeeze lime juice over the chicken. Fold over.


3. Bread the chicken: First dust in flour. Then dip in eggs. Finally, coat in panko crumbs.

4. Heat a large skillet over high flame. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add chicken. Cook until brown on both sides. Continue cooking in a 350F oven until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with green beans — visit the Perfect Pantry for the recipe.