Eating at Tyler's House

On a trip to San Francisco a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to dine at Wayfare Tavern, the new restaurant opened by famed chef Tyler Florence.  I have eaten at eateries by chefs such as Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse, both great dining experiences.  This was something entirely different, first off we had to make reservations a month in advance to eat at 5:30 on a Wednesday.

Once we arrived we were greeted by a packed house and no sight of Tyler.  The menu was a collection of favorites you could find in any Tyler Florence cookbook.  We started with a round of drinks, heavy on exotic juices and obscure ingredients.  Next up came an order of poutine which was described as Canadian junk food.  Braised short ribs placed on top of french fries with cheese and veal jus.  If you think that sounds good, and rich, you have no idea.  This was one of the most decadent things to ever pass my lips.  

I ordered the chicken palliard, thinly pounded chicken breast fried in pancetta infused oil topped with greens.  It was excellent if not the safe choice.  My peers opted for the fried chicken and the salmon.  The chicken was the best I have ever had... hands down.  It was so good we finished off the leftovers over Chimay at Bob's Chop House several hours later.  The salmon looked dry, but hey, you can't win them all.

I have eaten at a few dozen restaurants in the city and the Wayfare is easily one of the best.  I would recommend it to locals and visitors alike. 

~Down the Hatch.

Happy Beer Day: Heater Allen

A beer gaining notoriety in the Pacific Northwest is Heater Allen which is brewed in McMinnville, Oregon.  The "beer guy" at the local New Seasons suggested I try their Pils when he saw my cart full of Bavarian and Czech lagers.  He was so very right, since then I have loaded up on their Pils, Coastal, Dunkel, and Bobtoberfest. 

The latter named after the brother of the founder, who sparked his interest in brewing.  While I typically prefer a lighter lager, I have thoroughly enjoyed  everything I have tried.  This includes the Dunkel which is a wonderful malty caramelish beer that is far cleaner than it's hue would imply. 

If you would like give Heater Allen a try for yourself you can find it at New Seasons, Whole Foods, Market of Choice, and Belmont Station.  If you truly lucky you may even stumble upon HR at a local restaurant such as Nostrana, Gruner, or Firehouse.

~Cheers.

It's a Family Thing: Mostaccioli

There are several dishes my family holds dear, but none of them holds a candle to Mostaccioli.  Mostaccioli is a penne like pasta, the word itself means mustache in Italian.  For the purpose of this recipe the term refers more to the rich ragu than the noodle itself.  Ironically the noodle is not a vital piece of this equation.  You could certainly use bow tie, rigatoni, or any penne with similar results.

What does matter are the other ingredients, there is a recipe passed down from my grandfather.  But everyone in my family has found ways to tweak the recipe to their liking.  What follows is the basic recipe I have been using to cook Mostaccioli for the last 15 years or so. 

You will need:

• 6 - medium size onions
• 3 - 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 1 - 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 6 - cloves garlic
• 6 - bay leaves
• 3 - cups dry red wine
• 2 - pounds mushrooms
• 1.5 - cup fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 - pounds ground beef (80/20)
• 2 - pounds oxtail, roast, etc. (optional)
• olive oil
• 2 - boxes of your favorite pasta
• 1 - wedge fresh Parmesan cheese

Serves 12 -

In a large stock pot brown your ox tail or roast in a generous helping of olive oil over medium heat.  This is an optional step, but I think it gives the sauce a nice flavor with the browned bits of the meat.  Chop six onions and your garlic cloves and add to the pot, cook until translucent.  You can do this in the food processor but it will not turn out the same as hand chopping them, so bring on the tears.  Add chopped herbs and salt and pepper.   

Add wine, I use a whole bottle but 3 cups is the minimum.  Open and add tomato sauce, tomatoes and bay leaves.  Once again add salt and pepper and increase heat to medium high to burn off the alcohol in the wine.  After 20 minutes of a steady boil reduce heat to medium low for an hour or so.

At this point you will want to remove your ox tails or roast and add the mushrooms and ground beef.  Add salt and pepper once again and cook for an additional 90 minutes.  With 30 minutes to go you will want to bring your water to a boil to get the pasta ready.

Once everything is ready I like to add the ragu directly to the pasta bowl and toss liberally, add salt and pepper, Parmesan and serve.  You could certainly keep them separate as well.  Serve with some sort of  salad and crusty bread.  The best part of all of this is that you will have tons left over to freeze for another day.

~Enjoy!

Cleaning Out the Garden, Scallion Edition

It is getting to be fall, the leaves are starting turn but don't tell my garden.  It is still cranking out veggies and herbs at an alarming rate.  My last pass left me with what you see below, what am I supposed to do with all those scallions?

Honestly I am not sure how anyone survived, much less cooked without the Internet.  A quick tour of the interwebs and I had a plan.  Scallion pesto and pickled scallions, since the pesto uses only the green parts of the vegetable and the pickles uses the white this would minimize waste.  I hate throwing something away that I have spent all spring/summer nurturing. 

The pesto:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Scallion-Pesto-Recipe

This is a great recipe, I omitted the salt and added a third more sunflower seeds, some fresh basil, and parsley.  I think you could do just about anything to this and it would turn out.  Next time I may try slivered almonds instead of the seeds.  Next time you are thinking about throwing out the green portion of your scallions you may want to think about whipping some of this up.

The pickles:

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Pickled%20scallions

This recipe is perfect, no measurements are given which is convenient as I never use them.  I am sure I used more sugar than needed but the end result is an excellent sweet and sour taste.  I was also able to use some of the chilies I pulled which was an added bonus. 

Next year I am planning on planting even more scallions, a packet from your local gardening center should yield about three times what you see in the above picture.  With that I bid you a good day, I am going to devour a loaf of bread with some scallion pesto. 

~Manja

Happy BeerDay!

When browsing the beer aisle of the local New Seasons my eye caught a bottle of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, that is Hefeweizen to you and I.  This comes from Germany's oldest brewery which has to be worth something, right?  While I am not a fan of the 'weizen I thought I would give it a try.  How could I not, the label shows a a fellow dressed like some cross between The Pope and Ben Kenobi enjoying a huge stein of the stuff.

Once I cracked the pint bottle I could tell this was not your average 'weizen.  Thick without being soupy you can smell tones of orange, clove, and all spice as you pour it into a glass.  The flavor is full without being overbearing, I would not drink a half dozen or anything but this makes a great beer to enjoy with an appetizer or a salad.  I think there is just too much going on here to drink over a main course.

Imported by Spaten, you should be able to find this Weizen at any fine food store.

~Prost!

Tadich Grill

Some years ago a dear friend surprised me with a lunch stop at Tadich Grill in downtown San Francisco.  She had been dying to see my reaction as it seemed so "me" at the time.  After all Tadich has great food served by grumpy Croatian men, I am a grumpy Croatian man, therefore it was a match made in heaven. 

In addition to great food Tadich also has the designation of being the oldest restaurant in California, open for 161 years.  The menu is a collection of pasta, fish, steak, and the occasional salad.  All I know is that the minute I step through the door I am transported back in time to my grandfather's house.  The smell of garlic, red wine, meat, and seafood making its way through my being.

I have been to Tadich several times and my goal is always to try something new.  They are known for their scampi, a dish they make to order.  Copious amounts of seafood piled high in a sauce of white wine, butter, and garlic.  Having already had that I opted for a Spanish based seafood dish with crab, shrimp, rice, and a ton of paprika.  It was wonderful, a great ending to the calamari and clams I inhaled as a starter. 

If you are in The City you have to go to Tadich.  Lunch time may be busier than dinner so plan accordingly.  They do not make reservations, so prepared to belly up to the bar and have a couple of drinks while you wait. 

~Salud

 

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Yeah, I am!

There are telltale signs that the end of summer is upon us.  There is a chill in the air, the leaves turn, and my freezer is empty.  My typical fall Sunday involves watching much football while cooking a huge meal, 90% of which is frozen to fight another day.

Opening day 2010 was no different, in a tribute to the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints I cooked up some gumbo and a root vegetable gratin.  Both were wonderful, try them for yourself.

Gumbo:

Gratin:

These are really a starting point.  On the gumbo I made my own stock, buying stock is a waste of money.  I also added some thick cut pepper bacon to give the whole thing some more pork goodness.  Be sure to not add the frozen okra too soon as it will turn to mush.  Likewise, do not add the celery too late as it will be so crunchy that it will overtake the entire dish.

You can really use anything for the gratin, I opted for zucchini, potatoes, carrots, and leeks.  Just be ready for much slicing, a mandolin is a must for this dish.  Adjust cooking time for the thickness of your slices and the depth of your dish.

~Enjoy.

Friday is Beerday!

I just had a lovely conversation with a gentleman who recently opened a beer and wine shop in a nearby dodgy part of town.  I frequent this area often going from my home to any worthwhile eating establishment in Portland.  As we drove by my wife caught the sign on the outside of his store, it read "99 beers."

He had me at 99.

We walked in and browsed the local micro-brews and whatever else he had lying around.  I am a bit of a beer geek so there was not much to get excited about.  We got to talking with the owner and my wife and I realized he really did not know much about beer.  He pulled out his order sheet and we started making recommendations and circling beers that we would like to see there.  We purchased a few, and promised to come back to purchase what we encouraged him to order.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Which brings me to one of my favorite beers.  What is lacks in complexity it more than makes up in obscurity.  Karlovacko, Croatia's version of Miller Genuine Draft.  A smooth lager with a little bite, a great beer to enjoy with a variety of foods as it is so darn agreeable.  Those of you on the west coast can find this fine Pivo at your local Bevmo.  You Oregonian's can now find Karlo at Belmont Station and perhaps at my new BFF's beer store.

Stay tuned on that, and  Zivjeli!

Building the Perfect Salad

Somewhere around the new year my wife and I decided it was time to decrease our caloric intake at dinner in the hope of shrinking our waistlines.  In short, this meant less charcuterie and more salads.  At some point our evening meals became a collection of cured meats, cheese, nuts, and the occasional vegetable for added texture. 

Fat, fat, more fat, and brocollini... how I miss those days.

Salad was going to have to be the new salumi and this was only going to work if I could find a way to make it more interesting.  After much trail and error I settled on some variation of the following salad. 

The title of this post is a bit misleading, there is no "perfect salad."  Food is a highly subjective thing, what may be perfection for me may taste like Alpo to someone else.  Please keep that in mind and tweak to your own taste. 

What I am going to show you is a recipe for a salad that can be tweaked to work in a variety of situations.

This salad consists of three parts:

• The dressing
• Roasted bits
• Your lettuce of choice along with other uncooked fruits/veggies

The dressing consists of one part fresh lemon juice to three parts olive oil.  Regardless of size this ratio will remain constant.  Take 6-7 passes across the recently squeezed lemon with a zester.  Add salt liberally to taste, I tend to add quite a bit as it adds a great deal of flavor.  Wisk with a fork until the mixture turns translucent.  Poor the dressing in your salad bowl and let sit, be stingy as you can always add more later. 

I think roasting adds a great deal of texture to any dish, especially a salad.  Preheat the oven and pour some combination of walnuts, pecans, sweet or red onions, peppers, or maybe even a little pancetta.  You can even rough cut some day old bread and make rustic croutons.  Toss with olive oil and kosher salt, roast until the nuts have turned dark, the onions and peppers have caramelized, or the croutons are crispy.  Remove from the oven and let cool. 

From here chop your lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, or anything else that strikes your fancy.  Since we are entering the end of the growing season in the Pacific Northwest this ends up being whatever looks ripe in my garden.  Just before dinner is served combine all ingredients and toss until the dressing you have placed in the bottom of the bowl is evenly dispersed throughout.  It is important to not build the salad too early as the lemon juice will break down the lettuce and the whole operation will turn mushy.     

Viola!

You can tweak this recipe to suit the type of food you are serving.  With pasta add fresh oregeno, thyme, and a splash of balsamic to the dressing to give it more of an italian feel.  With tacos add cumin, fresh cilantro, and substitute lime for lemon which adds the right amount of spice for Mexican food dishes. 

The best part of all this is I have done away with the dozen bottles of dressing that took up space in my fridge at any given time. 

~Aaron.