I just returned from a lovely, 2 week holiday in Vietnam. I had grand hopes of live-blogging through-out my trip. But I never found enough time to sit down at an internet cafe and write everything down. And I would not have been able to upload any photos.
So the upcoming posts are on a two-week time delay. I'm excited to be able to share my food experiences with you.
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.
The basil plants are spindily and the leaves small. But the fragrance is pure summer! With the white and purple buds, they make a beautiful bouquet for the kitchen counter.
Time to think of another tag line. It is not Shameless Self Promotion. It is keeping your family and friends informed. Shameless self-promotion has a negative connotation.
The best way to be supportive when friends have challenging times is to bring a meal. Challenges can be positive or negative, but they are always disruptive to peoples' daily lives. This month, one friend of mine was challenged with a new baby, and another was challenged by chemotherapy. Food provides both literal and spiritual nourishment.
For the friend who just had a baby, her days (and nights) are consumed with feedings and diapers changes. If she’s lucky, she’ll sneak in a nap or a shower. The last thing on her mind is cooking. And yet, a proper meal is probably in the top three things that will help her get through the challenging first weeks and months. Sleep and exercise are the other two, but I couldn't bring them over in a pyrex dish. Pasta salad with corn, chanterelles, chicken and bacon is an easy meal to heat and eat. She can hold the baby in one arm and eat with the other. And should she have a few moments of quiet, Portobello-Eggplant Napoleons with Fred Flintstone Tomato Sauce and Seared Chicken can add a little festivity to the day.
As for the friend going through chemo, she just needs a distraction. During the three weeks between treatments, she has a small window of time of feeling semi-normal with energy and an appetite. The dinner I brought was an occasion to invite friends over, celebrate life, and for a few hours, forget about her troubles or talk them through.
I had wanted to make Lemon-Ricotta Ravioli with Osso Buco for a long time, and was waiting for the occasion (and the time) to do it. When I saw veal shanks on sale at Whole Foods last week, I heard my calling. This rich dish also seemed like a great meal for Kath, as I’m sure she’s trying to keep weight through the chemo. In case this was too rich, I also made a platter of vegetables — a veritable antipasto – which would be nutritious and easy to digest if she was still feeling nauseated.
Taking my cue from friend Dina, I gave special treatment to each item on the platter:
Zucchini was grilled and tossed with bacon, mint and lemon
Thin slices of Portobellos marinated in garlic, shallots and thyme.
…and
Grilled Bread, sliced mozzarella and fresh tomatoes from my garden filled the platter.
Kath had warned me that she probably wouldn’t eat much, so I was thrilled when she took seconds of the vegetables, and extra ravioli!
Here’s to healthy and joyous times with friends! ………………………………. A few years ago, I contributed to a cookbook called “Great Chefs Cooking for Great Friends.” The book was published by Dana-Farber and all proceeds go to support cancer research. You can buy the book by clicking here
Or… according to the Jimmy Fund website: Great Chefs Cooking for Great Friends features 140 recipes from 70 of Boston's most celebrated chefs, including Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger, Jasper White of Summer Shack, Laura Brenna of Caffe Umbra, and Ken Oringer of Clio. The book costs $35, and is on sale at the Friends' Corner Gift Shop in the Dana-Farber lobby, or call (617) 632-3307.
For much of my culinary career, I prepared elaborate dishes, often with more garnishes than there were components: Seared Sea Scallop Appetizers were garnished with (1) balsamic sauce, (2) arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, (3) fried capers, and (4) fried parsley leaves. It was a running joke in my kitchen when a server would try and take a seemingly complete plate to the diners… “Wait wait, not yet” as I placed more garnishes. All the different garnishes offer color and flavor contrasts.
Now when I entertain at home, I try to simplify as much as possible. I’d rather spend time with my guests than embellishing a dish with layers of flavors. I prepare each dish in advance thinking about interesting flavors, colors and textures that complement the other dishes.
The other night I hosted colleagues at my house. Since I knew we’d be talking business it was especially important that everything be prepared in advance. I had to balance the fact that they all knew I used to cook professionally, so they were expecting an impressive meal.
Hors d’œuvres – Instead of preparing labour intensive canapés, I served a trio of dips: Homemade ricotta with garden fresh basil, green goddess dip with tarragon, parsley, scallion and arugula (also from the garden) and smoked chicken salad. For scooping and dipping, I laid out carrots, cucumbers and crostini. All could be assembled in advance and set out when the guests arrived.
For the main meal, I opted for simple, quintessential spring. I brushed salmon with the green goddess and roasted it, roasted new potatoes with fresh thyme and lemon zest, steamed fresh shelled peas with butter and mint, sautéed morels with sherry and thyme, and roasted asparagus and fiddleheads with garlic and olive oil.
Everything was cooked in advance. By cooking during the relaxed hours before the guests arrived, each vegetable received proper attention: all were bright green and well-seasoned. The salmon roasted to a perfect medium rare. Too often with last minute cooking, we get hurried and forget to taste for seasoning. For this dinner, I threw all the sheet pans the food was resting on into the oven. The salmon cooked a little more to medium and the vegetables warmed through while maintaining their color.
Lucky for me, one of the guests offered to bring dessert — the quintessential spring strawberry-rhubarb pie. With a beautiful lattice top this epitomizes elegant, do-ahead dishes.
