i'll admit, i'm not the biggest fan of the food network's iron chef america series. compared to the original japanese version, the american version just isn't as exotic in ingredient choice, inspiring in creative dish, nor as dramatic in action. i'm sure the fact that the japanese series being dubbed from a foreign language and the humor inherently "lost" in translation contributes to my love of the this version. but from what i've seen, the american version just doesn't measure up. it just turns out hokey. that, and i really don't care for bobby flay.
sitting here at home, flipping through the channels, i came across iron chef america - battle garlic, with iron chef mario battali versus san francisco's chris cosintino of incanto fame in noe valley. i put down the remote because i do respect batali and a recent trip to incanto over the holidays yielded an amazing holiday meal with christien. i was pretty curious how this battle would turn out.
the secret ingredient was garlic and the chefs were presented with a fantastic variety of them. 60 minutes and a flurry of activity later, here is what the chefs presented to the panel of judges (and i've tried to capture everything hereas accurately as possible):
chef chris cosentino's platings
crositini of ricotta w/baby rapini and rubbed garlic
sea scallop crudo with garlic
garlic pasta with sliced snails
garlic roasted squab with sauce royale and garlic flan (includes squab brain and other offals)
eighty clove braised pork belly and tripe chips
garlic infused honey mousse with garlic brittle
iron chef battali's platings
garlic bruschetta with lomo, branade stuffed picadillo pepper and tortilla espanola
garlic stuffed langostine wrapped in caul fat
cod with green garlic emulsion
hot sopa de ajo and cold gazpacho garlic soup with shaved lily bulb and orange
lamb chop with escalvida and garlic mojo zuchini blossom
both chefs put on a pretty good show, exhibiting some techniques i hadn't seen before. cosentino was definitely more rushed and seemed a little flustered with his sous chefs. baatali was just more comfortable and relaxed. understandable, given an unfamiliar kitchen. and 60 minutes goes by SO fast in the kitchen. at the end, even though cosentino garnered high originality points, iron chef batali won in taste and plating, 46 to 44.
i would've eaten any of those dishes. yum.
4.24.2008
4.23.2008
spaghetti and meatballs
with all the fancy ethnic recipes i've featured here on wednesday nite dinner, i decided to do something very traditional and familiar to many, if not all, of us. may i present, spaghetti and meatballs! this recipe for italian meatballs is taken directly from the bible of all cookbooks, the joy of cooking, and is followed to the t.
i first prepped a batch of "quick tomato sauce" found on page 562, which includes softening a small minced onion in olive oil and then simmering 1 can of 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 t sugar, 1 t salt, and 2 t dried basil and oregano.
while that was simmering, i combined the following in a large mixing bowl: 1 pound ground beef, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 c chopped parsley, 1/2 c grated parmesan, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 c bread crumbs, 1 beaten egg, 2 T tomato paste, 1 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, 1/2 t dried oregano.
careful not to overwork the mixture, as handling and compacting the meat too much makes for tough, chewy meatballs, i delicately formed eight 2" meatballs.
the meatballs were then dredged in flour and browned on all sides in olive oil. what i do recommend here is watching your heat level as the excess flour in the pan started to burn by the time the 2nd batch of meat balls were added.
once browned, the meatballs went into the tomato sauce to simmer and cook through. be careful when transferring the meatballs as they are quite heavy and have a tendancy to break apart in the process.
a pound of barilla spaghetti, drizzled with some good olive oil, make the base and 2 meatballs with with a scoopful of tomato sauce make the topper. for veggies, i halved a romaine heart and topped that with feta, balsamic, and olive oil.
this joy of cooking recipe yielded incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs and was surprisingly easy to make. there is a bit of prep time due to all the chopped ingredients, but you could easily cut down on time if you're okay with bottled pasta sauce. and considering we are all a bit short on time during the weeknights, that is a very good idea. just doctor up the sauce with some fresh italian parsley and chopped garlic. the flavorful, chunky meatballs will do the rest.
i first prepped a batch of "quick tomato sauce" found on page 562, which includes softening a small minced onion in olive oil and then simmering 1 can of 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 t sugar, 1 t salt, and 2 t dried basil and oregano.
while that was simmering, i combined the following in a large mixing bowl: 1 pound ground beef, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 c chopped parsley, 1/2 c grated parmesan, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 c bread crumbs, 1 beaten egg, 2 T tomato paste, 1 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, 1/2 t dried oregano.
careful not to overwork the mixture, as handling and compacting the meat too much makes for tough, chewy meatballs, i delicately formed eight 2" meatballs.
the meatballs were then dredged in flour and browned on all sides in olive oil. what i do recommend here is watching your heat level as the excess flour in the pan started to burn by the time the 2nd batch of meat balls were added.
once browned, the meatballs went into the tomato sauce to simmer and cook through. be careful when transferring the meatballs as they are quite heavy and have a tendancy to break apart in the process.
a pound of barilla spaghetti, drizzled with some good olive oil, make the base and 2 meatballs with with a scoopful of tomato sauce make the topper. for veggies, i halved a romaine heart and topped that with feta, balsamic, and olive oil.
this joy of cooking recipe yielded incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs and was surprisingly easy to make. there is a bit of prep time due to all the chopped ingredients, but you could easily cut down on time if you're okay with bottled pasta sauce. and considering we are all a bit short on time during the weeknights, that is a very good idea. just doctor up the sauce with some fresh italian parsley and chopped garlic. the flavorful, chunky meatballs will do the rest.
4.10.2008
mango-tamarind baby back ribs
there are few things more carnivorously satisfying than ripping tender, moist flesh from a rack of delicious ribs sucked dry of dark red bbq sauce. i'm sorry if you're pro-animal and for this graphic simile, but for the rest of us, nothing quiets that animalistic craving for red meat except for, well, red meat, and in this case, fresh off the bone.
take a look at the plethora of dedicated cookbooks, competitive showdowns on the food network, and the number of local smokehouse establishments in your area and you realize modern man has worked hard to emulate that perfect carnivoristic moment of gnawing tasty meat from bone through countless recipes and techniques for roasting those perfect, fall-off-the-bone barbequed ribs.
i love ribs like any other carnivore and yes, i'm the guy at the table next to you dipping the once-twice-cleaned bones in whatever bbq sauce is left on my plate only to suck it dry thrice. i've had many a good succulent rib as chewy, stuck-in-your-teeth ribs in my day and know the difference between the good and bad. the chef in me long ago decided to try my hand at the perfect rack of ribs but lacking a smoker and giant bbq in the backyard, i've only recently succeeded in finding techniques appropriate to the average kitchen in creating something closer to perfection.
while my first inclination is to keep my secrets to myself, i've decided i should share my developing recipe with you all. if you have any tips to improve my slightly less than perfect ribs, please post and we'll share in the millions we'll make when we sell the recipe to trader joe's.
i start my recipe with a dry rub vs. wet marinade. i know others use everything from soy sauce to beer and wine, but there's merit in the power of ground spices seasoning meat that is so successful in other cuisines like indian food. so here's my mix as it is now:
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 t ground coriander
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t cinnamon
mix this well and you have enough to season one rack of ribs.
the ribs are thoroughly rubbed with the spice mix and this sits in the fridge for a while to let the spices permeate the meat.
meanwhile, i start up the bbq sauce which requires extracting fresh pulp from a tamarind pod.
for those that have never encountered this before, you first crack and discard the shell (which is similar to a peanut shell) and place the solid pulp into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. simmering the pulp for 10-15 min will allow you to scrape the softened pulp from the stringy, root-like structure and its seeds (which you both discard) and then disintegrate into the water creating a sweet and sour starter for the sauce.
i then add ketchup, unsweetened mango pulp, dark brown sugar, worcestshire, cayenne, and honey to the pot and simmer for 20-30 min to really develop the flavor and consistency.
the ribs themselves are popped into a 350* pre-heated oven, tightly covered with foil, and baked undisturbed until super tender for a couple of hours. i then fire up my propane grill, brush the ribs generously with the bbq sauce, and grill on both sides with several coats of sauce.
doing so develops a beautiful, crusty caramelization on the ribs.
to accompany this grrrrrrrreat meal, i whipped up some fluffy mashed red potatoes and christien sauteed some great mixed dark greens for those vitamins and omnivores in us.
the ribs are tender, juicy, and the meat slides right off the bone as you bite into it. the bbq sauce is tangy, tropical and spicy, with just the right amount of sweetness.
and to celebrate a fantastic meal, we broke open a bottle of montes alpha cab i recently scored, perfect to wash down bold bbq flavors leaving no trace of tongue-sticking tannins behind.
traditionalists may say ribs should be slow-cooked in a smoker or over fiery charcoal for hours. i'm sorry. i don't have that much time. a dual-step process in which you bake the ribs to tenderness in the oven, then fire up with sauce on an easy-to-use propane grill saves time and effort and mimics event the best tender and succulent but crackly flavorful and caramelized recipes out there.
anyone know someone in the trader joe's buying department?
take a look at the plethora of dedicated cookbooks, competitive showdowns on the food network, and the number of local smokehouse establishments in your area and you realize modern man has worked hard to emulate that perfect carnivoristic moment of gnawing tasty meat from bone through countless recipes and techniques for roasting those perfect, fall-off-the-bone barbequed ribs.
i love ribs like any other carnivore and yes, i'm the guy at the table next to you dipping the once-twice-cleaned bones in whatever bbq sauce is left on my plate only to suck it dry thrice. i've had many a good succulent rib as chewy, stuck-in-your-teeth ribs in my day and know the difference between the good and bad. the chef in me long ago decided to try my hand at the perfect rack of ribs but lacking a smoker and giant bbq in the backyard, i've only recently succeeded in finding techniques appropriate to the average kitchen in creating something closer to perfection.
while my first inclination is to keep my secrets to myself, i've decided i should share my developing recipe with you all. if you have any tips to improve my slightly less than perfect ribs, please post and we'll share in the millions we'll make when we sell the recipe to trader joe's.
i start my recipe with a dry rub vs. wet marinade. i know others use everything from soy sauce to beer and wine, but there's merit in the power of ground spices seasoning meat that is so successful in other cuisines like indian food. so here's my mix as it is now:
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 t ground coriander
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t cinnamon
mix this well and you have enough to season one rack of ribs.
the ribs are thoroughly rubbed with the spice mix and this sits in the fridge for a while to let the spices permeate the meat.
meanwhile, i start up the bbq sauce which requires extracting fresh pulp from a tamarind pod.
for those that have never encountered this before, you first crack and discard the shell (which is similar to a peanut shell) and place the solid pulp into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. simmering the pulp for 10-15 min will allow you to scrape the softened pulp from the stringy, root-like structure and its seeds (which you both discard) and then disintegrate into the water creating a sweet and sour starter for the sauce.
i then add ketchup, unsweetened mango pulp, dark brown sugar, worcestshire, cayenne, and honey to the pot and simmer for 20-30 min to really develop the flavor and consistency.
the ribs themselves are popped into a 350* pre-heated oven, tightly covered with foil, and baked undisturbed until super tender for a couple of hours. i then fire up my propane grill, brush the ribs generously with the bbq sauce, and grill on both sides with several coats of sauce.
doing so develops a beautiful, crusty caramelization on the ribs.
to accompany this grrrrrrrreat meal, i whipped up some fluffy mashed red potatoes and christien sauteed some great mixed dark greens for those vitamins and omnivores in us.
the ribs are tender, juicy, and the meat slides right off the bone as you bite into it. the bbq sauce is tangy, tropical and spicy, with just the right amount of sweetness.
and to celebrate a fantastic meal, we broke open a bottle of montes alpha cab i recently scored, perfect to wash down bold bbq flavors leaving no trace of tongue-sticking tannins behind.
traditionalists may say ribs should be slow-cooked in a smoker or over fiery charcoal for hours. i'm sorry. i don't have that much time. a dual-step process in which you bake the ribs to tenderness in the oven, then fire up with sauce on an easy-to-use propane grill saves time and effort and mimics event the best tender and succulent but crackly flavorful and caramelized recipes out there.
anyone know someone in the trader joe's buying department?
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