Summer is here and so are all the wonderful and beautiful melons one comes to look forward to every summer: Ambrosia, Canary, Cantaloupes, Casaba, Sharlyn and of course my favorite Watermelon (follow this link for a nice description with pictures of these and more melons).
I love eating ripe melons over the sink with the juice dripping everywhere. In fact when it comes to watermelon I can make a whole meal out of one. I like it so much that a few years ago I started making a Gazpacho with it, using the juice and flesh, and adding diced red onions, peppers and a little lime juice. It has become a favorite of friends and customers alike.
I also love making Granita with watermelon. Granita is that wonderful Sicilian treat of shaved flavored ices. It’s simple to make and any number of fruits can be used, but since I’m all gaga over watermelons right now, I’m going to give you my watermelon recipe.
Start with a half of a medium sized watermelon. Peel it and turn the flesh into juice with a blender or food processor. It’s best to use seedless watermelon for this. Pass the pureed flesh through a strainer so that all you have is the juice. To this add as much or as little sugar as you like. Now in to a 2 inch deep baking pan pour the liquid. Place the pan in the freezer and set your timer for 1 hour. After one hour check the granita as it starts freezing start shaving it with a fork. Return to the freezer and wait another hour and repeat the shaving. Return to the freezer and start shaving the ice every 45 minutes. Keep doing this until it is frozen and the texture is like snow. Transfer to a container and store in the freezer. Enjoy
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Roasted Artichokes
A few years back during a very good spring for Artichokes I found myself with more than I knew what to do with. I had my crew clean, slice and cook two cases of the small loose ones. As I was looking at them in the walk-in refrigerator and thinking what was I going to do with all of them, a customer’s remark came back to me. He had said that artichokes were not wine friendly, and his view is shared by many wine enthusiasts. I didn’t buy into that school of thinking, and set out to create a preparation that would make these tasty thistles marry well with wine. That’s how the following recipe came about. By the way I think this preparation of artichokes goes very well with a light acidity white wine, and the customer that made the remark agreed with the pairing I suggested: a nice bottle of Vernaccia.
These Artichokes are great as a condiment for pasta, or as a vegetable to serve with Lamb or fish. Start with 4lbs of small loose baby artichokes (the fresher the better). Clean the artichokes by tearing off the tough outer leaves. In other words clean them until the tender inner yellow leaves are showing. When the artichokes are all cleaned, cut off the stem and the tops (about 1inch).
Prepare a pot large enough to hold the artichokes and add water and a 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Slice the artichokes thinly and add to the water and lemon, place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook the artichokes until just tender. Drain the chokes and cool under running cold water. Place the cooled chokes in a shallow roasting pan, large enough to spread out the chokes into a thin layer.
While you have the oven pre-heating to 400 degrees, peel 2 small red onions and cut in half. Slice the onion very thinly and layer over the chokes. Next take 4 TBS of sliced garlic and sprinkle over the mixture. Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the whole mixture (about 2 TBS) and pour 1/2 cup of good olive oil over the artichoke mixture, and add salt to taste. Mix the whole mixture very well coating everything with the oil. Place the artichokes in the pre heated oven and set the timer for 35 mins. After 35 mins remove the pan and stir the mixture so that the bottom artichokes are now on top. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 20 to 30 mins checking often and stirring each time you check. When the artichokes are slightly browned and the edges a bit crispy, they are done. Remove from the oven and let cool. To reheat, simply warm in a saute pan with a tsp of olive oil, or serve right out of the oven. I like to let them cool and then place a whole Branzino fish over the artichokes and roast the fish with the artichokes.
California artichokes are available year-round, with peak harvests in the spring and fall. Enjoy.
These Artichokes are great as a condiment for pasta, or as a vegetable to serve with Lamb or fish. Start with 4lbs of small loose baby artichokes (the fresher the better). Clean the artichokes by tearing off the tough outer leaves. In other words clean them until the tender inner yellow leaves are showing. When the artichokes are all cleaned, cut off the stem and the tops (about 1inch).
Prepare a pot large enough to hold the artichokes and add water and a 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Slice the artichokes thinly and add to the water and lemon, place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook the artichokes until just tender. Drain the chokes and cool under running cold water. Place the cooled chokes in a shallow roasting pan, large enough to spread out the chokes into a thin layer.
While you have the oven pre-heating to 400 degrees, peel 2 small red onions and cut in half. Slice the onion very thinly and layer over the chokes. Next take 4 TBS of sliced garlic and sprinkle over the mixture. Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the whole mixture (about 2 TBS) and pour 1/2 cup of good olive oil over the artichoke mixture, and add salt to taste. Mix the whole mixture very well coating everything with the oil. Place the artichokes in the pre heated oven and set the timer for 35 mins. After 35 mins remove the pan and stir the mixture so that the bottom artichokes are now on top. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 20 to 30 mins checking often and stirring each time you check. When the artichokes are slightly browned and the edges a bit crispy, they are done. Remove from the oven and let cool. To reheat, simply warm in a saute pan with a tsp of olive oil, or serve right out of the oven. I like to let them cool and then place a whole Branzino fish over the artichokes and roast the fish with the artichokes.
California artichokes are available year-round, with peak harvests in the spring and fall. Enjoy.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Amatriciana
Two years ago, while I was visiting Italy (the Piemonte area to be exact), we dined in a restaurant in the city of Alba. We had been to this restaurant on past visits and had become friends with the chef owner Bruno. He was kind enough to set up visits at wineries, and other restaurants. We always looked forward to dining at Bruno’s restaurant whenever we were in Piemonte, because he is a man of size both physically and in personality. We’ve shared many a great meal and many many bottles of great Piemontese wines there. On the last night of our stay in Italy we again ate at Bruno’s restaurant. The meal was multi coursed with a lot of Alba white Truffles being shaved over many of the courses. As we were leaving he handed us gifts he had made, one of which was a bottle of his Amatriciana sauce.
Amatriciana is a southern Italian condiment from Rome, so I asked Bruno why he was making this in a northern Italian restaurant. He said he loved this sauce on pasta and used it a lot in his restaurant. I then asked him how he made his, and he went into great detail explaining the sauce to me. Well I liked his so much that it has become the recipe I now use.
Amatriciana sauce is very simple to make so that’s why I’ve decided to share it with you. There are very few ingredients but cooking time is rather long so plan ahead. Take 1 lb of good Guanciale (dry cured pork jowls) and chop into very small pieces. Finely mince one small white onion. Puree one 6lb can of whole tomatoes in juice until very smooth. have on hand 750 ml of white wine, lots of red pepper flakes, a TBS of sugar, and 2 bay leaves. In a thick bottomed pan large enough to hold all the ingredients, start heating a1/4 cup of olive oil. Add to this the chopped Guanciale, and cook slowly to render the fat from the jowls. As the fat starts to render, add the minced onion. Stirring the whole time, turn the heat down and let the onion slowly melt into the rendering fat. When the onions have melted then add the white wine, and turn up the heat. While the white wine is reducing add the bay leaves, the sugar and as much pepper flakes as you desire (I like mine very spicy so I add a lot). When the wine has reduced by half add the pureed tomato and again turn the heat down, and let the sauce come to a simmer. Stirring often let the sauce simmer for 1 1/2 hours. When the sauce is done toss it with your favorite pasta and you have a very tasty pasta course that will please all. Store the left over sauce in the refrigerator for up to one week. I recommend using Bucatini pasta for this sauce. Enjoy.
Amatriciana is a southern Italian condiment from Rome, so I asked Bruno why he was making this in a northern Italian restaurant. He said he loved this sauce on pasta and used it a lot in his restaurant. I then asked him how he made his, and he went into great detail explaining the sauce to me. Well I liked his so much that it has become the recipe I now use.
Amatriciana sauce is very simple to make so that’s why I’ve decided to share it with you. There are very few ingredients but cooking time is rather long so plan ahead. Take 1 lb of good Guanciale (dry cured pork jowls) and chop into very small pieces. Finely mince one small white onion. Puree one 6lb can of whole tomatoes in juice until very smooth. have on hand 750 ml of white wine, lots of red pepper flakes, a TBS of sugar, and 2 bay leaves. In a thick bottomed pan large enough to hold all the ingredients, start heating a1/4 cup of olive oil. Add to this the chopped Guanciale, and cook slowly to render the fat from the jowls. As the fat starts to render, add the minced onion. Stirring the whole time, turn the heat down and let the onion slowly melt into the rendering fat. When the onions have melted then add the white wine, and turn up the heat. While the white wine is reducing add the bay leaves, the sugar and as much pepper flakes as you desire (I like mine very spicy so I add a lot). When the wine has reduced by half add the pureed tomato and again turn the heat down, and let the sauce come to a simmer. Stirring often let the sauce simmer for 1 1/2 hours. When the sauce is done toss it with your favorite pasta and you have a very tasty pasta course that will please all. Store the left over sauce in the refrigerator for up to one week. I recommend using Bucatini pasta for this sauce. Enjoy.
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