Category Archives: cook

Feeding you until you’re full.

Scott’s Famous Paella Recipe on the BBQ

Let me start by saying, Scott is the paella master.  I’ve had a lot of paella and his is definitely the best.  Check it out.

First you’ll want to prepare the ingredients for the Sofrito:

  • garlic – 4 whole, 1 chopped
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 1 big tomato, diced

Chop your chorizo and cook it.  I like to use real Spanish Chorizo from Spain.  It’s ridiculously tasty.

chopped chorizo and bell pepper

chopped chorizo and bell pepper

Next, use whatever stock that matches the kind of paella you’re making (if you’re making meat paella, use chicken stock, if you’re making fish paella, use fish stock).  Pour about 6 cups into a pot, about enough to fill your paella pan.  Heat the stock and add saffron and some smoked Spanish paprika.  Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer.  If you’re using mussels, add them to the stock and let them cook until they open and then remove and set them aside.  Add some salt and pepper to broth while its simmering.

cook the sofrito in the oil to begin the paella

cook the sofrito in the oil to begin the paella

Put the paella pan on your barbeque, cover the bottom with oil and heat.  Add the Sofrito and cook until its caramelized and mushy.  Add the cooked chorizo.

Paella rice - Arroz Bomba Cebolla

Paella rice - Arroz Bomba Cebolla

After a few minutes, add the hot stock mixture and fill until the broth comes to within about a centimeter of the top of the pan.  Heat the broth until its close to boiling.  Add the rice (see the picture for the best brand).  You want to add just enough so that it fills the bottom of the pan.  Less is better because it will absorb more of the liquid.  Don’t stir once you’ve added the rice.  Cook until all the liquid is absorbed.  You can add more hot water if it dries out and the rice isn’t finished cooking.

add the shrimp when the rice is about 4 minutes from being done

add the shrimp when the rice is about 4 minutes from being done

Add the shrimp when you think the rice is about 4 minutes from being done.  You can also add some sliced red bell pepper as well.  Serve it right out of the pan!  Thanks to Mr. Lerner for this recipe.

paella!

paella!

Blackberry and Tobacco Cream

Scott and I decided to continue our experimentation with molecular gastronomy.  It has (apparently) been proven that blackberries and tobacco compliment each other very well.  So we made this with cream, half and half, a broken down cigar, blackberries and sugar.  It took two hours to make and the recipe can be found in the Alinea Cookbook.

pre-cut blackberry and tobacco cream

pre-cut blackberry and tobacco cream

blackberry tobacco cream

blackberry tobacco cream

Poached Eggs on Polenta with Heirloom Tomato, Bacon and Mozarella

Here’s a sweet little breakfast I made.  Poached eggs on top of applewood smoked bacon, beefsteak heirloom tomatoes and pan fried polenta served on a bed of spinach with green figs.  I also used a touch of my cousin’s signature hot sauce… coming soon.

poached eggs with tomato, bacon, heirloom tomato and polenta on spinach

poached eggs with tomato, bacon, heirloom tomato and polenta on spinach

closeup

Melon Spherification – Our First Molecular Gastronomy Experiment

Scott and I decided to try something new, real new.  Spherification, part of the modern Spanish culinary art called Molecular Gastronomy.  We settled on melon caviar for our first attempt.  They call it caviar because it looks like the large fish roe you get on sushi with a similar consistency.  A kind of thin skin surrounds a liquid inside that tastes like whatever you are spherificating – in our case, melon.

sodium alginate and calcium chloride

sodium alginate and calcium chloride

We started by blending the melon into a fine puree and then straining out the pulp.  We then mixed it with Sodium Alginate.  We prepared a mixture of water and Calcium Chloride that we injected droplets of the melon mixture into using a large syringe.  The proportions for everything are very precise and require a scale.  The amount of each chemical to use depends on the pH of the substance you are using.  I will soon have an algorithm and hopefully a website that will help to calculate the proportions for common substances.

pureeing the melon to prepare for spherification

pureeing the melon to prepare for spherification

straining out the pulp

straining out the pulp

the caviar bath

the caviar bath

Our first attempt was a success: the little caviar balls tasted just like melon and the consistency was pretty cool.  It’s kind of like boba except the inside is liquid.  The possibilities with these things are endless.  Stay tuned.

spherification: melon caviar!

spherification: melon caviar!

Spaghetti Alla Vongole

This was very quick and easy to make.  I would have liked to use smaller clams but this is all Whole Foods had to offer.  Check the recipe after the pics.

making the vongole sauce

making the vongole sauce

To make the sauce you will need the following ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound mussels
  • 1/2 pound little neck clams – preferably as small as they have
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • about 10 cherry tomatoes or 2 larger tomatoes, diced
  • a handful of italian parsley
  • a handful or basil, chopped
  • a cup of dry white wine
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper
  • hot pepper flakes (like the kind you put on pizza)
  • 4 shallots, diced

Soak the mussels and clams in salt water for 10 minutes and rub them together to get the dirt and gunk off.  Heat the oil and saute the shallots.  Drop spaghetti into salted, boiling water.  Add the garlic and tomatoes to the oil and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon, let cook on medium high heat for about 6 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Add the parsley, basil and mussels and clams and cover and continue cooking on medium high heat until they all open.  Remove from heat.  When spaghetti is ready (about 7-10 minutes) drain water and add sauce and toss together.  Garnish with a little parsley.

IMG_1043

A Tapas Feast

At some point we got the crazy idea to make tapas.  I think we were just craving a little bit of everything.  So we went for it.  The menu consisted of figs with prosciutto, roasted beets with basil and buffalo mozzarella, pan fried baby artichokes, deep fried cauliflower, fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with anchovy and mozzarella, mussels in a white sauce, tortilla Espanola, and cheese and olives.

Everything was pretty easy to make.  We used a little Cuisinart deep fryer for the cauliflower.  Just break a full head into pieces and toss them into light canola oil at around 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until they turn golden brown.  For the baby artichokes, remove a few layers of the outer leaves and then steam them for about 12 minutes and then fry them in oil until they get crispy.  The other recipes were a bit more involved.

Baked Beets with Basil and Burrata

  • 4 medium sized red beets, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
  • olive oil
  • vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Place the beets on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Sprinkle generously with olive oil, vinegar, salt and fresh ground pepper.  Cover tightly with another sheet of aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove the top foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes, depending on how juicy or crispy you want them.  I like ‘em juicy so less time is better.

Mussels in a White Sauce

  • 1 lb black mussels
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup cheap dry white wine
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 shallots, diced
  • italian parsley, cleaned and torn

Soak the mussels in salt water for ten minutes and scrub them together to clean.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and let them brown for about 4 minutes.  Add the white wine and let it reduce by about half (maybe 2 minutes)  Add the mussels and italian parsley, cover and cook on medium until the mussels open.  Remove from heat so you don’t over-cook the mussels.  Serve with bread to soak up the sauce.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

  • zucchini blossoms, cleaned with stamens removed
  • 1 cup flower
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • pinch of salt
  • olive oil
  • anchovy
  • mozzarella cheese, cut into strips

To make the batter, mix the flower and salt together and then add the water and egg and mix until the consistency is very thin.  Stuff the blossoms with a small half inch piece of anchovy and a chunk of cheese.  Heat about a quarter inch of oil in a pan.  Dip the blossoms and cover completely in the batter and place into hot oil.  Fry until light brown and crispy and then flip and repeat.  Dry on a paper towel.

Scott’s Tortilla Espanola recipe coming soon….

Chicken Milanese: An Adventure into Italian Cuisine

I decided to take Scott on a little trip to Italy, through food: Chicken Milanese, to be exact.  He made his famous Spanish potatoes.  Corn was there for emotional support.  Grant provided mediation and character reinforcement and refinement.

The eating crew

The eating crew

Chicken Milanese is pretty easy to make.  The hardest part is pounding it flat to about a quarter to a half inch thick.  Here’s my special recipe (inspired by Dr/Chef Bordow):

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • about 3 cups breadcrumbs – you want about 3/4 cup for each breast, I just bought mine pre-made at Whole Foods but you can make your own from bread that’s a few days old or with a new baguette that’s been baked at low temperature for about an hour until its real hard
  • 2 large lemons
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp. italian seasoning – pre-made or use oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc. to taste
  • 4 large shallots
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup cheap white wine
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • italian parsley
  • 2 eggs (2 eggs per 3 pieces of chicken) beaten in a small bowl

Breadcrumbs:  In a food processor or blender add baked baguette or pre-made breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, teaspoons of salt and pepper, lemon zest of 2 lemon and italian seasonings.  You can also add a little lemon juice if you like citrus, lord knows I do.  Blend until very fine and then pour out into large mixing bowl.

The Chicken: Marinade the breasts in a sealable container with the olive oil, salt and italian seasoning (and fresh spices if you have them) for at least 30 minutes, an hour is better.  Place the chicken on a cutting board and place a sheet of wax paper over it to prevent splattering.  With a mallet or a pan or something hard, pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thick.  Dip the pounded chicken into the egg and make sure to cover it completely.  Then put the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and cover it completely, patting it and making sure not to leave any open spots.  Place the chicken in a lightly oiled oven pan, like a cookie sheet (see pics below).  For a little extra flavor, put a little slice of butter on each piece.  And how.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 450° depending on the thickness of your chicken.

Loads and loads of chicken milanese

Loads and loads of chicken milanese

The Sauce:  Dump the rest of the chicken marinade into a large pan and heat.  Add diced shallots once the oil gets hot.  Add crushed garlic (I use precrushed frozen garlic from Trader Joes… it’s easier).  Squeeze in the lemon juice from the lemons and then dice up the lemons and add them in as well.  Once they’ve sauteed for about 5 minutes, add in the wine and let it reduce on medium heat until the chicken is ready.

Chicken milanese sauce

Chicken milanese sauce

Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with italian parsley.  Mmm mm good.  The potato recipe will be coming soon courtesy of Mr. Scott.

Chicken Milanese