buddha contemplating the magnificence of this bradley tomato. no suffering here…

one of the pluses about living in the south in the summer is that i get tomatoes before all the other yankees do. by june we begin seeing a few beauties at the farmers market and by july, well it’s bounty season. (and yes, i’m well aware that there will be times when this very fact will give me little to no consolation, but right now i’m pretty happy about it.)

i’ve not been home much over the last months but now that i’m here my shopping is done exclusively at the farmers market with hardly a trip anywhere else to buy anything foodlike. i live mostly off of eggs, berries, melons, zucchini, corn, greens, tomatoes, some grass fed beef and pastured chickens and this one particular whole grain seedy bread that i’ve grown to love. between us, i’m trying to lay low on the pork right now out of the desperate need to fit back into my clothes AGAIN.

oh but how i digress… the tomatoes. they are delectable. nearly magical. sprinkled just barely with just some maldon salt, and i am entranced. add a rub of garlic to some toasted bread, a hit of olive oil and some basil and it’s dinner. some buffalo mozzarella and it’s pure decadence. then put all of that on a bowl of pasta and it could fall into ‘my last supper’ category.

these salad tomatoes were grown by delvin farms and really, they’re more like candy than anything else. i keep them in this bowl and i just pop a few in my mouth whenever i go by, too well aware that soon this luxury will be behind me.

a few weeks ago in preparation for a dinner with some friends, the tomatoes were scored, blanched, shocked and peeled – about 4 lbs of these little gems – and then i seeded them and went on to make my favorite marinara of all time. we served the dish with some beautiful swordfish that was cooked to perfection with a warm bagna cauda of sorts served on top. but alas, there were no photos taken… and for this i am sad because it was quite a lovely dinner.

so dear readers, allow me to give you this repeat recipe from nearly a year ago. it’s just that good.

tomato and basil spaghetti
by scott conant of scarpetta

about 20 ripe plum tomatoes (ours were quite small so we doubled the amount)
about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish the dish
a pinch of crushed red pepper
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce parmigiano, freshly grated (about 1/2 cup)
about 7 fresh basil leaves, well washed and dried, stacked and rolled into a cylinder and cut thinly crosswise into a chiffonade
1 pound spaghetti, either high-quality dry or homemade

to peel the tomatoes: bring a large pot of water to a boil. have a large bowl of ice water nearby. cut a small x on the bottom of each tomato. ease about five tomatoes in the pot and cook, let boil for about 15 seconds, and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water. (do this with the remaining tomatoes.) pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. if the skin sticks, try a vegetable peeler using a gentle sawing motion. cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds.

to cook the tomatoes: In a wide pan, heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until quite hot. add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and season lightly with the salt and pepper. (i always start with a light hand with the salt and pepper because as the tomatoes reduce, the salt will become concentrated.) Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. (you can make the sauce, which yields about 3 cups, ahead of time. refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.)

to serve: bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive. (if the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta cooking liquid to adjust it.) take the pan off of the heat and toss the butter, basil, and cheese with the pasta in the same manner (the pasta should take on an orange hue) and serve immediately.

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and yes. there is no garlic, there is no black pepper. just let it be, people.

just. let. it. be…

it’s been awhile, i’m well aware. and to make matters even worse, this post is merely a placeholder, a reminder that yes, I KNOW it’s been over 2 months since we last gathered but that i am still very much alive and i suppose one could say, perhaps even more alive than i’ve been in some time. but my god, so much has happened since then that i’ve just not been focusing on ceF.

you see… i’ve fallen in love.

so i ask you to please excuse my time off. i hope i haven’t lost you forever. i am here and i’ve so much to tell you but the weekend is upon us and i have walks to take and wine to drink and the most wonderful man in the entire world to share it all with.

oh, and then there’s all the food…

a wonderful dinner cooked for me by my guy.

now there’s a change…

the back story to this salad is so incredibly bizarre that i’ve hesitated to even tell you about it. but i’ve never been much for keeping things on the down low, so let me share with you the abridged version. this was the audition for masterchef, a new reality show coming up with gordon ramsey. and it got me to the next round. which got me to the next round. which had me filling out the 30 page background check, shooting a home video, and writing the requested 3rd person bio. then came the call from the casting director, "claudia, it’s looking really good for you."

then 3 days later i was out.

but hey, that’s show biz!

i have another songwriter seminar happening in my home where i do all the food for 3 days for 15 people.. i’m busier than i’ve been in a long time and there’s just a lot going on in my life right now. but still, i wanted to share with you this salad. mostly just because it was truly excellent.

i had been on the fence about even bothering to audition for the show and made the decision that i was going to do it at 3 pm the day before. this meant i had to get up at 6 am and drive the 3.5 hours to atlanta to be at the viking store ontime. so i used what i had in the house. romaine, eggs, fresh bread, celery, lemon zest and juice, good green olive oil, chili flakes and garlic. the orange strips are bottarga – of course.

the croutons were from the innards of a baguette toasted in olive oil and butter with sliced garlic. when the garlic lightly browned i removed it and used the now chips as another garnish. the leaves were arranged, the lightly boiled eggs were roughly chopped, the dressing of olive oil, zest, juice, fresh minced garlic, chili flake and salt was emulsified and drizzled, and the bottarga was shaved with a vegetable peeler. thinly sliced celery gets added along with the garlic chips and croutons. i’m stressing the obvious here because it’s SO SIMPLE that there’s not much else to say!

i would like to add that bottarga has made my world a better place. i’m quite enamoured with the stuff.

gordon would have loved this salad. oh well…

i’ve not been able to get into inner workings of my blog for awhile now. i’ve been somehow mysteriously locked out of wordpress and it’s been – well kind of bizarre. but i am temporarily ‘in’ so i thought at the very least i could give you these small and dainty sponge cakes that i made 2 weeks ago. i had seen these madeleines posted on james beard’s site and was drawn to them immediately. they come from chef nicolas elmi of le bec-fin in philadelphia.

i’ve only made madeleines once before. a browned butter and lemon version that were nothing short of spectacular, rich and fragrant. but – one needs the pan before one can make a madeleine, non?. and it took me awhile before i decided to take the plunge and make the commitment to baking madeleines on occasion. and so now i definitely think that you too should indulge in a madeleine pan and consider making these – right away.

this recipe is wonderful. a lot of fresh rosemary, orange and lemon zest along with just a bit of a salt bite that somehow takes them over the edge into a very grown up taste sensation.

rosemary madeleines

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. sift together the flour and baking powder. alternate mixing the eggs and sifted dry ingredients into the butter mixture. mix in the rosemary, lemon zest,  and orange zest. cover the bowl and chill the batter for about an hour.

preheat the oven to 375º F. butter and flour the madeleine pan. fill the molds about two thirds full with the batter. bake for 6 to 7 minutes, until the madeleines spring back to form when poked in their centers.

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they’re quite simple to make and nothing short of impressive. not so much a dessert as perhaps a 4:00 pm intermission to your day…

a few months ago i bought some locally produced lamb shanks at the nashville farmers market and then tucked them away in my freezer for just the right day. and then yesterday, on a whim i sat them out to defrost and began snooping around the interwebs for some inspiration. i wound up on food52′s site and glanced at 2 different recipes – and then i was off. within a minute i had found just what i needed, and based on what was in the pantry and the refrigerator i got to cooking.

the shanks got salted and peppered and well-browned in olive oil. the meat was removed from the pot and in went a dice of onion, garlic, carrots and fennel. when it was all softened and just barely starting to color i added some pimenton, red chile flakes and fennel pollen. after a minute or so i added some of my chicken stock along with about 2/3′s of a bottle of decent zinfandel. i let that simmer for about 2 hours.

when the meat was easily removed from the bone, into the pot went the flesh of one navel orange and 3 tangerines along with some of the grated zest. and then to finish i added some diced up dates, preserved meyer lemons and green olives.

then i called it a night and everything went into the refrigerator.

and tonight it was dinner. and really, a stew such as this does well with an overnight rest. everything melds together and somehow the flavors deepen. it’s a given. we all know it, and we all do it. right?

a few months ago i also bought a package of yellow grits. it was an impulse buy. i liked the look of the labeling and i am a huge polenta lover and i just figured, why not? grits are pretty standard fare down around these parts but i never really make them. no reason. i’ve just not hit a ‘grits phase’ yet. for those of you who may have wondered, the difference between grits and polenta is twofold. the grind and the type of corn used. the following is taken from the anson mills site:

Dent or Flint?

i know… more seafood. but really, there’s just never too much seafood – at least not in my life. especially when it’s supremely fresh.

you know what i mean, the good stuff… the kind of fish that gets sent to the best restaurants. because this product isn’t coming to me from a middle man via atlanta – it’s coming direct from the source. and you can taste it.

so here i go once more – and not only is it seafood i’m preparing, but it’s once again from these guys. and the recipe? you guessed it. it’s from my latest chef crush, efisio farris. i’m concerned that perhaps i’m becoming predictable. and i know you expect more from me than that. but give me a brand new inspiring book and a great ingredient source to go with it, and well, i’m all over those seafood recipes. it’s the next best thing to being in sardinia.

plus i get to have MORE BOTTARGA. and when has that ever been a bad thing?

(enter: the lobsters)

these living, breathing, moving, feeling creatures were in the box along with the fish. and it did NOT go well. i tried to do the whole knife in the brain thing…

and I FUCKING MISSED.

by probably about 1/2 inch.
and i couldn’t get the knife out.
and it was still moving.
and i was shrieking like a little girl.
just awful.
horrifically gruesome
i even considered vegetarianism…

and then i got over it. but damn. JUST DAMN. i was traumatized.

so the lobsters got thrown into a pot of rolling boiling water for about 3 minutes to partially cook the tails so i could then remove the meat from the shells and prepare them for an olive oil poaching bath. poaching lobster tails in olive oil or butter is truly a must do. it has to be experienced. the meat becomes surprisingly tender. the taste, exquisite. it’s a bonafide wow.

the sea bass was skinned, deboned and then carefully sliced and pounded thin between dampened plastic wrap. then i combined the following:

saffron, chives, lemon zest, lime zest, salt and pepper

this gets sprinkled evenly all over the fish. then lemon and lime juice combined with olive oil is drizzled onto the seasoned fish, coating evenly and thoroughly. you cover this with plastic wrap making sure to remove all the air bubbles and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

plate with greens and lobster medallions and drizzle the remaining marinade along with some of your good olive oil.

then invite over some friends.

get them to being the wine…

the scallops arrived at my door on a dreary winter’s morning, overnighted from catalina seafood in san diego. they were the huge dry diver scallops – 6 to a lb. and just as beautiful as i’d ever seen. i had decided upon another sardinian recipe by my new bff chef efisio farris (i’m currently on a roll). you see, i’ve been in a bit of a scallop rut. i buy them. i sear them. and then usually just throw them on top of a salad. if i’m feeling semi ambitious i might puree a well steamed head of cauliflower with some fresh thyme and olive oil and plop a few scallops on that. because to me, scallops usually mean a cook-free, no fuss dinner. they are just SO EASY. and the best ones are perfectly delicious with just a good sear.

but this recipe spoke to me. i had both fregola, a small toasted pasta and some saffron in the cupboard along with some freshly made chicken stock in the fridge, so all i had to do was make a quick produce run.

if you want to know how to perfectly sear a scallop, the secret is to begin with some of these beauties… never frozen, firm and plump and HUGE. just get the pan very hot, add some butter or olive oil – or both, and sear away until nicely caramelized. if they look white as snow and ooze liquid, chances are they’ve been soaked in phosphates making it nearly impossible for them to brown without overcooking. they’ll also shrink up and not have much flavor. something to perhaps ask your fishmonger before you buy. of course here in nashville the closest thing we have to a fishmonger is the guy behind the counter at whole foods. oh, the cost of living landlocked…

it’s a beautiful presentation. the sear of the scallops with the saffron and bits of tomato and arugula. pretty food. but the sweetness of the honey against the salt of the scallops and the peppery arugula are what will make you fall…

pan-seared scallops with fregula and roasted vegetables
adapted from sweet myrtle and bitter honey by efisio farris

1 cup chicken stock
1 cup fregola (you could substitute israeli couscous if you had to)
1 bay leaf
1 pinch saffron
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches sea salt
2 green onions, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
12 diver scallops
1 bunch of arugula, chopped
1 tablespoon abbamele (i used honey)

 in a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. add fregula, bay leaf, saffron, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. cook covered for 8 to 10 minutes. all liquid should be absorbed by the fregula.

heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. saute green onions, shallot and celery for 2 to 3 minutes. add zucchini, squash and tomato and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. combine fregula and vegetables and cook on low heat for another minute. add additional stock or hot water if it seems too dry.

in another skillet heat remaing 2 tablesppons of oil and cook scallops until golden and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. turn and brown the other side.

divide fregola mixture among 4 plates and top with the arugula, or you can use the arugula as a bed for the fregula. top each with 3 scallops.

finish by drizzling honey and some good olive oil.

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again, it’s the ingredients. everything that went into this dish was at its best. the scallops from catalina ocean products were truly beyond wonderful.

and you see? it’s a 20 minute dinner. just add some good bread and a bottle of wine, and you’re amazing!

but i knew that already… 

sea urchin. i’m enamored. and i have been for quite some time although it’s usually called uni and served to me over a slab of rice. well ok, not necessarily – at least not anymore. not since i had it served on a piece of lightly toasted bread, draped with the thinnest, barely warmed slice of lardo at marea in nyc. thank you chef michael white. because that right there was a most memorable bite, one that set the tone for one of my top 3 meals of ’09.

and sure, there have been a few pastas with sea urchin ordered at various restaurants (a voce, esca and marea come to mind…). and then there was that whole bourdain/ripert food porn spectacle at le bernardin… i watched that and yearned… deeply… (for both tony and the taglietelle.)

but just 3 days ago i was lucky enough to find myself in possession of two 80 gram trays of the freshest most lovely sea urchin that one might ever come across – overnighted via fedex from san diego. i nearly made that eric ripert version which is pretty much a butter sauce fortified with pureed sea urchin and then embellished with chives, espelette, parmigiano and a touch of lemon – not to mention the generous dollop of osetra… but it just seemed TOO rich. TOO heavy. not that i’m knocking it. i’m quite sure that it’s an experience unto itself and one that i plan on having at some point, but right now i’m trying to keep it light – so i begrudgingly shied away from that.

and then i found it. right in the ny times. the perfect dish…

a close up for you of one of the most wonderful things i’ve made perhaps ever… but then again i’d not eaten any pasta for nearly a solid month so it’s hard to know. regardless, i highly – but highly recommend this dish.

it blew me away.

spicy spaghettini with sea urchin and tomatoes
adapted from chef beatrice tosti of il posto accanto in nyc

makes 4 small plates

8 ounces dry spaghettini
sea salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
6 cloves garlic, peeled
a scant 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
12 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, preferably organic, halved
about 2 1/2 ounces sea urchin – one standard tray
freshly grated zest of an organic lemon
small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, freshly chopped.

bring a medium pot of well salted water to a boil over high heat. meanwhile, in a skillet large enough to later hold all the pasta, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add garlic, reduce heat to low, and slowly cook on all sides, turning often, until cloves are lightly browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes.

raise heat under skillet to medium, add chili flakes and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 2 minutes. add tomatoes and cook, turning gently, just until wilted.

when water boils, add the pasta. stir well. when pasta is cooked through but still firm, drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

turn heat under skillet to low. add about 3/4 of the sea urchin to skillet with a splash of pasta cooking water. add pasta to skillet and toss thoroughly but gently over low heat, adding pasta cooking water and more oil to taste if mixture is dry. taste for salt and toss in lemon zest and parsley.

serve hot, decorating each serving with remaining sea urchin.

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a huge shout out to catalina offshore products for supplying me with this incredible seafood. they dive for the sea urchin when the weather permits and then ship it directly to your door. it was just excellent and as fresh as it gets.

it arrives in this small, slim box surrounded by ice packs

and this right here is the beautiful golden sea urchin.
which by the way is not actually roe, they’re the gonads of both the males and females..

as in testicles and ovaries.

and dear readers after all we’ve meant to each other
i wouldn’t kid you about a thing like this…

there’s a pretty amusing backstory as to why i created this dish, but that’s for another day. what i will say is that it was quite fabulous. the sauce wound up taking on a life if its own, as at one point a bad flick of the wrist had rendered it nearly inedible and it needed to be somehow fixed. luckily the culinary gods were with me and i had on hand just the very thing to bring it back home with grace. honestly, this was a serious sauce… and having no formal training whatsoever, i was really pleased that not only was it saved, but it was enhanced tenfold.

veal shanks. a beautiful cut of meat. perfect for a winter’s braise. osso buco. something i love to cook that hadn’t seen rotation in awhile. i don’t use the typical ingredients so perhaps this particular treatment of the shanks can no longer be considered ‘osso buco’, translated as ‘pierced bone’. but regardless of its proper name, it was superb.

i’m avoiding the recipe format because this dish just came along on its own. i urge you to make this – and to wing it. keep tasting. then adjust. i posted about this awhile back and there you’ll find a similar recipe for reference.

flour, salt and pepper the meat and brown in olive oil. remove from the pan and set aside. add about 5 oz of finely minced pancetta until it’s rendered and browned. next add about 4 finely minced anchovies (the good ones that need to be filleted). when they melt away, next to go in is about 3 cloves of finely minced garlic. after about a minute pour about 10 oz of white wine – i used a pinot grigio – and reduce. return the veal to the pan and add veal stock (chicken will do…) about halfway up the sides of the meat.

braise for about 90 minutes, basting often. the remaining liquid was strained through a chinois and put back on the stove. i added about 3 oz (maybe more) of butter in pieces until it was glassy and coated the spoon. then i tasted. too salty. damn. DAMN. anchovies are salty little buggers and i threw in a healthy pinch of salt not long after i added them. silly girl. not good. what to do? slight panic. think, claudia, think.

i spy a bottle on the shelf under my kitchen work table. it’s port. so i grab it and add some to a small espresso cup of the sauce. EXCELLENT. then i added about 5 oz of port – incrementally – to the rest. FREAKIN UNREAL. did i just make this? yes? high five!

the polenta was made the good old fashioned way. water, salt and the polenta stirred for about 15 minutes and then left alone to do its thing. when it was done it was hit with a sizable amount of mascarpone. the brussels sprouts were simply caramelized in oil, butter and salt.

definitely rich. definitely a winter dish. wonderful nuanced home cooking, layered with great flavors.

you go girl.

in my ongoing hunt for new ways to prepare bottarga, by far one of my most favorite things to eat, i googled ‘bottarga and cream’ wondering what i might find. after all, one eats good caviar with creme fraiche so i felt i might be on to something. and once again the interwebs provided me with what was just yesterday completely unknown, and now will never be forgotten. thank you al gore.

the martha. you come for the guests (she has the best) and you leave – well, often because of martha. case in point. enter eficio farris. a dallas based chef from sardinia and writer of ‘sweet myrtle and bitter honey – flavors of sardinia‘. i’d never heard of him and now he’s my latest italian chef crush. move over michael white (of alto, convivio and my new most favorite restaurant marea)… because i’ve got sardinia to explore and eficio is taking me there.

yes, i love bottarga. it’s rich and deep and sings of the ocean at its sexiest, you know, the one below the rocky cliffs of any given country on the mediterranean sea. or in this case just off the coast of tampa where my dear friend RK catches these mullet each autumn, carefully packs the roes in salt and lets the floridian sun do the rest. in another preparation, he also gently smokes the roes, rendering them ever so slightly crisp on the outside and soft and smoky beyond measure on the inside, but that’s for another time…

when i saw the dish being put together on this video, it reminded me of burrata and how the cream fortifies the fresh mozzarella transforming it into something other worldly. i knew that i wanted to use sheep’s milk ricotta – impossible to procure in nashville, so it was back to pastacheese.com, once again flying in 3 lbs, which comes to them directly from italy. being a highly perishable product it becomes an exercise in timing and willingness to pay the price. dare i say it’s the most exercise i’ve had all year…

i did the sheep’s milk ricotta shuffle once before when i made the uovo raviolo’s, a specialty of the then san domenico’s chef odette fada. odette moved with the owners of san domenico’s to the new and wonderful restaurant SD26 off madison ave in nyc. when i was there a few months ago they brought me one of these raviolo’s, and really they’re a revelation…

this pasta is everything i love about italian cooking. it’s got but a few flawless ingredients.

so find them. and make this.

malloreddus with sheep’s milk ricotta and bottarga
adapted from eficio farris ‘sweet myrtle and bitter honey – flavors of sardinia’

chef farris uses dry bottarga in the video. i’m not nearly as much of a fan of that powdery substance. i think the fresh is a much better product and worked wonderfully in the dish.

1 pound short tubular pasta, such as malloreddus
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
about half a cup of grated bottarga – i used the fresh on the large side of a box grater
freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta
meanwhile, heat heavy cream in a large saucepan over medium heat.
add ricotta and stir until well combined.
cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and well combined, about 5 minutes.
stir in about 2/3′s of the bottarga and season with freshly ground black pepper.
drain pasta and add to ricotta mixture.
add parsley and toss until well combined
stir in olive oil.
transfer pasta to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining bottarga.
serve immediately.

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the sardinians say that malloreddus pasta is shaped like a tear but really that is nothing but delusional. they look very much like larvae. but regardless, they fill up beautifully with this creamy sauce which has been somehow infused with the ocean.

again, if you are willing to track down the ingredients, you’ll be thrilled and delighted.

i made a fair few things new year’s eve, but two of them in particular were really wonderful. this, a bruschetta made from a whole wheat la brea baguette with a gremolata of parsley, lemon zest, tuscan olive oil and garlic, topped with two paper thin slightly pan warmed slices of guanciale – was quite simply, delicious.

alas, the idea was once again gently borrowed from ‘city house‘ here in nashville. chef tandy wilson’s version was slightly different, but the basic elements were much the same.

nearly every dish has a story, and this one begins at lazzaroli’s here in the germantown neighborhood of nashville. tom is my savior in this town, a purveyor of all good things italian. i cannot stress highly enough how excellent his shop is. if you live in the nashville area and haven’t yet been, add it to your list of resolutions to go and check out this alluring little market. the guanciale he carries is from the renowned salumi in seattle. nashville may be culturally backwards and lacking in way too many things food related, but let me ask you this? can you get artisan cured meats in your little corner of the universe? because hey, guess what? I CAN!

(i’ve tried la quercia numerous times via mail order, but salumi gets my vote – hands down and for half the price.)

so i bought a piece of the guanciale but then had to deal with the business of getting it sliced paper thin. luckily, my local deli counter at ‘the fresh market’ was willing to do it for me in exchange for a taste – the quintessential win/win.

the fresh bread options in this town are at best, ok. i find myself prefering the ‘la brea’ offerings from the harris teeter grocery store. i like it better than most any of the other local options. it’s made in california and then baked in store. i probably wouldn’t have chosen the whole wheat version, but it’s all that was left at 6 pm on new year’s eve and somehow it was just right. the carbon footprint? major fail. i’m sorry planet earth. love you, mean it.

i got a bit lazy and didn’t even bother to toast the bread slices. i just schmeared on some of the gremolata, quasi-artfully placed the pork – and, ecco!

happy new year… it’s a brand new decade. i’m ready.

i know… we’re in the throes of the holidays and here i am giving you the kind of post you might more be expecting in january. this modest, even unassuming soup is a fine example of the simple comfort food that everyone craves after all the excess and extravaganza that will ring out the year. but for me, even amidst all the decadence, there would be few things on my list that could ever equal the magnificence that is this soup.

imagine. if you had a cold and then you crossed my beloved jewish grandma julia with someone else’s italian nonna, i’m thinking that whatever she’d be cooking for you might look a little something like what you see here.

and really, all i’m saying is that sometimes, sniffles or not, in between all the festivity, undoubtedly filled with an array of benton’s bacon wrapped dates, hudson valley foie gras on pain de mie toast points, baked wheels of brie with fig jam on top, wine braised lamb shanks and slow roasted loins of meat – possibly followed up with a very beloved christmas eve lasagna = not to mention what you may have on the menu for your new year’s celebration… well, you might just want soup.

and of them all, to me this one reigns supreme.

i threw a whole chicken in the pot along with a rough chopped onion, some carrots, bay leaves, cracked peppercorns and salt. after about 90 minutes i removed most of the meat from the carcass and put it off to the side, putting all the bones back in and letting it go for about another 3 hours at barely a simmer. then i added some parsley, thyme and garlic for the last 40 minutes or so.

i strained the broth through a damp towel lined chinois, discarding everything solid and when the liquid was cooled i defatted the stock by about 90%. about 30 minutes before serving i warmed the broth and chopped up some fresh fennel, collard greens and carrots, adding back the all the shredded chicken and lastly i made trofie pasta, keeping it al dente so as not to soften up too much in the soup.

i loved it. deeply…

(a special thanks to chef bob del grosso for his willingness to both coach and reassure me when i am clueless…which is often.)

my mom just sent me keller’s latest book ‘ad hoc’. she knew i wanted this one and sure enough it showed up at my door – a heavy box from barnes & noble with a gift wrapped package inside bearing a little note that said, "because i love you". i’d recently surprised her in nyc for her 75th birthday and this was a delightful thank you. i suppose it could have been a ‘first night of (c)hanukah’ gift, but those days of a-gift-a-night for 8 nights, long the envy of my goyim friends – are long behind me, now replaced by one signed check. which funny enough, always fits me perfectly.

she also knows i’m a big fan of thomas keller. as i’m sure you’re well aware, the man is quite simply an extraordinary chef. i’ve eaten at per se only twice, but both times were sublime. and when i next find myself in napa, it won’t be french laundry that i first run to – it will be ad hoc. the restaurant with no menu. you come. you sit. and you’re served whatever 4 courses they’ve prepared for that evening. perfect.

if you’ve ever dined out with me, you’ll know that i rarely care what’s ordered. feel free to choose what you’d like for me to have so that we can share. i may narrow it down or make suggestions, but there’s nothing i don’t eat. nothing that will make me cringe. nothing that will disappoint me. my one request is just to make it damn good. i’m easy to feed.

(ok, eyeballs. i don’t do eyeballs. that squicks me out. and insects. but after that you’re relatively safe to serve me whatever you’d like.)

as my first foray into the book i decided on this particular dish because – it was easy. it was thomas keller’s food, it was going to be a cinch to make and i had all but 3 ingredients. so i ran out to get the chicken thighs, the olives and the fennel bulbs (3 for $15 – i was mortified). and then suddenly i began to feel as though i was relapsing into the miserable head cold that had taken me down earlier in the week. except now it was moving south into my chest, my voice dropping 2 definite octaves leaving me feeling wiped out, with the thought of cooking anything, incredibly unappealing..

ENTER: chris widick.

i love a man with tongs in his hand…

chris was coming by to pick up a big wooden crate that had transported 6 amazing mies van der rohe chairs that i’d recently scored on ebay. he has big plans of turning the thing into a huge smoker and i wanted it cleared out of my driveway asap. yet another example of one woman’s box being another man’s meat locker. sorry. that was just TOO DAMN GOOD TO RESIST. anyway, before i digress any further, chris regularly butchers whole animals in his garage and makes things such as venison pate, guanciale and pancetta and i am proud to know him.

but now i had to cook dinner for some friends. and i was spiraling into chest cold oblivion. and well, let me explain the chris ‘thing’. besides going on about how chris widick is a prince of a man and that i appreciate his innate kindness and goodness, NOT TO MENTION his teflon resilience when i get all up and down his shit while he’s cooking in my kitchen… he’s been a good friend to me in the 2 or so years that i’ve known him. he was one of my early ceF readers and we met at a food related event here in town which i love to relentlessly tease him about because he acted all star struck and wouldn’t stop talking out of nervousness and obviously thought i was WAY COOLER AND MORE IMPORTANT than he now knows i really am. which was totally adorable. these days he comes over and i’m usually half dressed, somewhat disheveled but always in my kitchen, and we inevitably get to cooking and chatting and generally having a pretty nice time together.

but this is what’s key. and readers…this is my big secret. and look, it’s just the truth. i make no excuses. i’m a home cook who fancies herself an executive chef. because ALL I WANT TO DO is have you do nearly all the work while i watch carefully and make every decision. BECAUSE I AM REALLY GOOD AT THAT <sigh> I REALLY AM. i just want to be in charge. but only in the kitchen. after that i’m all about fairness and democracy and relinquishing control. no really. i am. i’m better now. honest…

so chris assumed the position, knife in hand, towel over his shoulder and i sat there and said things like, "browner…" and "more wine…" and "but thomas says to do it this way…" and "not enough salt…" and "the farro is done and needs to be drained now…". and he was sweet and cheerful and always did as i asked.

women, LISTEN UP. he’s single, 39, and he’d make a wonderful partner. especially if you love fine human beings as much as fine food. i mean, THE GUY KILLS THE PIG, CURES THE BELLY AND MAKES HIS OWN BACON FOR GOD’S SAKE plus he has a very good steady day job. chris widick… i am telling you…

oh, i did take some pictures. but that i did for YOU.

after the chicken gets seared, it gets removed from the pan and in goes the onions, garlic and fennel…

next, the wine gets reduced, then add bay leaves, zest, red flakes of pepper, thyme, olives, stock…

then a short braise in the oven

then a minute or two under the broiler

the reason you make 12? leftovers…

it really is an excellent dish. everyone raved. i considered serving it over polenta but went with farro which i think was a good choice but any grain would work nicely.

i’ll do this one again and again…

capitol hill/12th avenue in seattle

this shot was taken on our short stroll from having cocktails at the very cool tavern law, to dinner down the street at lark.
the photo is 100% untouched and to me, it’s ever so slightly unexpected, and perhaps even a little bit beautiful…

it’s been over 2 months and i’ve not said a word about seattle which is just wrong of me for two reasons because, well, i really liked that city – and i can honestly say that i’m glad i flew the entire 47,001 miles to see it. oh, it wasn’t that far? really? because it kind of felt that way. i’m telling you… seattle? it is way the hell across and up there. all the while i just kept thinking, man, i could have flown to portugal…

so there was the distance thing – that, and who can remember where i went and what i did 8+ weeks ago? but in the name of blogging and my own personal sanity, i am going to try and recreate the 5 days. it may be a struggle, but as of late i’ve taken to doing brain-challenger exercises so that i can perhaps put off the alzheimers for a little while longer. i even went so far as to download a few of the ‘brain apps’ on my iphone, and now i sit around trying to exercise my brain – which on the upside only requires sitting, even laying down! all this to say, that between google, credit card records and my newly toned brain – i’m going to seriously try and figure out where i went…

i worked the rate at the W to where they were almost paying us to stay there… i’m such a good jew

our first day, we walked from our hotel way up to stumptown on capitol hill and had a pretty exquisite cup of coffee. i realize stumptown hails from portland, but regardless of seattle’s own coffee reputation – we were highly impressed with this place. from there we hopped on the bus to the international district and went to green leaf vietnamese restaurant.

one of a few of the stumptown’s in seattle. great coffee. seriously. go there if you can…

iphone camera alert !!! spring rolls along with a cabbage chicken salad – excellent…

pho – best i’ve ever had

the owner, a tall, handsome chinese guy, sent out these banana fritters in a pool of rich sweet coconut milk. we bonded as we’re both batali fans.

and from there the trip looked just like this…

friday – pike place market, a prius rental car, and a tour of the boeing plant, then dinner at monsoon

saturday – belle epicurean for croissants, café presse for lunch, gehry’s experience music project, vivace espresso, zig zag cafe for cocktails, nishino for dinner

sunday – pizza at serious pie, ferry to bainbridge island, tavern law for drinks and dinner at lark where i met nancy silverton, crashed her party and gushed all over her. she could not have been lovelier.

monday – lunch at long provincial vietnamese and then we flew home

below are a bunch of random shots. i didn’t take many, but as you know i’ve never been afraid to post a poor photograph on ceF – because i am a maverick.

just some of the flowers at pike place market

the seafood and produce were memorable…

an exceptionally good almond croissant from belle epicurean, just a block from the W

my other car is a llama

yasuko’s flaunts their world famous ‘extra pork’ dish – who knew?

serious pie – yukon gold potato, rosemary and olive oil

pesto, something and something

no idea – but it was great pizza…

in the bathroom at lark, ever so slightly wasted – garnering up the nerve to meet…

my new bff nancy silverton!

and lastly, out on the water on a clear blue sky seattle kinda day.

a huge thank you to brittany, the pie lady, for her various and sundry thoughtful recommendations. and to dolce & nutella who i FINALLY got to meet! and well, she is very cool, really pretty and smart and overall extremely impressive… and i wish she didn’t live on the other side of the continent/universe.

but especially a huge thanks to our wonderful friends joanna and brad who schlepped us all over town and then some. i dearly love and adore you both.

…seattle is far.

i’m not exactly known for being a fan of the nashville restaurant scene. and that statement right there is one that gets me in a world of trouble around these parts. but it’s the very statement that launched ceF – and in 2 1/2 years i still stand by it firmly. dining out in this town has been – with few exceptions, relatively painful for me. and then tandy wilson came along…

city house opened two years ago and by now i suppose you could call me somewhat of a regular. it’s way on the other side of town from me, but if i’m going out to dinner, that’s the only place i want to spend my money. ok, sushi. there’s the exception. and savarino’s because i love corrado and his family and it’s a wonderful place to be on any given afternoon. oh, and patterson house. i really like that place too – serious cocktails and some decent small plates… and sure, there are a handful of others, and sometimes they surprise me. but overall there’s just not that much to speak of. and dropping a wad of cash on something that strives for mediocrity? i’d rather make myself a bowl of cacio e pepe ANYDAY.

but tandy cooks with a sensibility that speaks to me. even if a random dish misses the mark, i always appreciate where he was going with it. because i ‘get’ the food at city house in a big way. and if i had a restaurant, it’d feel very much like this place. but i will never have a restaurant. and so i eat here. and the fact that stephanie mixes me a fine, fine aviation, which is a rarity in almost any town – or city, delights me to no end.

the wood fired ovens reach a solid 750 degrees and the pizza dough undergoes a solid three day age. the roast chicken is consistently damn good and chef knows his way around a pig. tandy’s a snout to tail kinda guy that supports local farmers, sourcing his meat and produce to within any locavore’s comfort zone.

but it’s often the antipasti and the interesting salads that surprise me. and the one pictured above is a version of the one i had there this past friday night.. i roasted red and golden beets, sliced a still firm fuyu persimmon, mint, toasted walnuts, chili flakes and a drizzle of olive oil finished with a thoughtful placement of crunchy salt. all that and some ricotta salata. just beautiful.

it’s thoughtful plates like this one that excite me. i would never have put beets with persimmons yet somehow they are wonderful together. a dish like this is why city house continues to be both an inspiration and an oasis for me here in nashville.

and for the record, a bad dinner at a restaurant never makes me irritable or outraged. after all, it’s just one meal that i’m even lucky enough to get to eat. and really, when you’re out at a restaurant it’s more about the people, the evening – the memory.

but at home in my kitchen? a bad dinner? now that could really piss me off…

i realize that this is old news. i mean, any tomato such as the one i used in september is sadly unattainable until three more seasons are behind us. but with all the summer clamor to make the ultimate blt from total scratch – all the while knowing that i was not in the mood to cure my locally sourced pork belly, or grow anything other than my sweet 100′s… i started to get a hefty craving for what is my second favorite sandwich.

and i did it my way – and with a clean conscience. ruhlman inspires me like no other, but as passionate as i am about my food – sometimes i can make do…

a pretty decent loaf of bread, a farmers market tomato, salty smoky benton’s bacon from right here in tennessee, some crisp romaine and my beloved hellman’s mayo.

go here to see how it’s done by the professionals. but damn if mine wasn’t just plain excellent…

(anyone care to guess what my #1 sandwich could possibly be?)

and if you think that sounds ordinary, then boy are you wrong. you’re even so wrong that you’ve got no idea just how wrong you really are. because this is scott conant’s recipe from scarpetta – and it is beyond wonderful. this plate of food along with a glass of something very worthwhile – and i am telling you, there could be nothing better. different? perhaps. but better? impossible.

the entire dish consists of 9 ingredients. including the pasta, oil, salt and pepper… the other 5 are tomatoes, basil leaves, crushed red pepper, a bit of parmigiano – and a bit of butter. but it’s the way it’s done – the simple technique that makes it superior. of course, at the end of the day it’s all in the excellence of the ingredients along with impeccable execution. thank you and good night.

and then i did something that i never do. something i’ve steadily refused to do. but i went ahead and i did it. because scott said to – and i knew there was no way around it…

i know. CRAZY right? i skinned those fuckers. despite all past declarations i went there. and i must tell you that for this dish there is just no getting around it. boil the damn water that you’ll later use for the pasta, blanch your tomatoes and then plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water. it’s not even a deal breaker. who knew?

scarpetta’s tomato and basil spaghetti
by scott conant via ‘good morning america’

about 20 ripe plum tomatoes
about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish the dish
a pinch of crushed red pepper
# Kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce parmigiano, freshly grated (about 1/2 cup)
about 7 fresh basil leaves, well washed and dried, stacked and rolled into a cylinder and cut thinly crosswise into a chiffonade
1 pound spaghetti, either high-quality dry or homemade

to peel the tomatoes: bring a large pot of water to a boil. have a large bowl of ice water nearby. cut a small x on the bottom of each tomato. ease about five tomatoes in the pot and cook, let boil for about 15 seconds, and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water. (do this with the remaining tomatoes.) pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. if the skin sticks, try a vegetable peeler using a gentle sawing motion. cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds.

to cook the tomatoes: In a wide pan, heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until quite hot. add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and season lightly with the salt and pepper. (i always start with a light hand with the salt and pepper because as the tomatoes reduce, the salt will become concentrated.) Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. (you can make the sauce, which yields about 3 cups, ahead of time. refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.)

to serve: bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive. (if the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta cooking liquid to adjust it.) take the pan off of the heat and toss the butter, basil, and cheese with the pasta in the same manner (the pasta should take on an orange hue) and serve immediately.

do not adapt. do not adjust. can i ask you to just follow this one AS IS? the reason being that it is simply and truly exceptional. because i know you. YES YOU. so do not omit the pepper flakes or even think of adding garlic. just let it be, people. just let it be…

scott says that ‘the key is in the finish’ so just do what the man says and you will be loved by the masses. trust me on this one. when you can make something so incredibly simple taste SO MUCH BETTER than the next guy’s tomato sauce on pasta…

that right there is totally cool. i don’t care who you are…

as an afterthought, i thought i’d share with you the dorkiest of food blogger photos that i took with my own two hands.

and then i woke up and got a life.

i mean, is that precious or what?

the duck breasts had been in my freezer since last november. they were vacuum sealed by d’artagnan, wrapped in freezer paper and although shoved to the back of a bin, i hadn’t forgotten. i just hadn’t heard them calling. until the figs…

the figs came from texas via an eccentric friend who pulled up to my front door in a hummer loaded down with gifts and stories – and as this one goes there’s a very old woman way out in the back woods just a few hours out of dallas with a little home canning operation. and she’s got fig trees and so, i scored a few jars of spectacular preserves. but even better, i got some of the most beautiful fresh brown figs which delighted me to no end. most of them were eaten just plain. no goat cheese or prosciutto, no speck, mascarpone, bacon or gorgonzola. 15 naked figs became lunch, with none of the aforementioned accoutremonts necessary. because to me, figs are absolutely exquisite just on their own. and then what couldn’t get eaten, got cooked.

i cut them up into quarters discarding the stems and threw them in a small saucepan. i added sugar, sherry vinegar, a lot of minced fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. after 15 minutes or so it was good, but i needed a bottom note, so on a whim i added a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder – and there it was. beautiful. i opted to puree it all up and the finished product was somehow pretty spectacular.

the magret moulard breasts were large – nearly a pound each. they cross breed a muscovy and pekin and feed them a lot of corn and you get what i suppose are very large ducks which are in turn favored for their very large livers and well, it’s a foie gras thing. the less details the better… and the breasts become kind of steak like – rich and juicy. but although they are quite good, i still find myself missing the gamey flavor of duck from years gone by.

and this is my problem with duck. but these are the good problems to have in life, right? and believe me, i’ve had this conversation before with various purveyors, and all in all i think the only answer may be to buy a rifle and shoot my own wild game. but being that this is highly, but highly unlikely, i suppose i just need keep my memories in the past and remain forever grateful for the present. afterall, duck is good, regardless.

but hey. does anyone else remember when duck was great?

ok. a little story for you… when i was a kid growing up in nyc, we dined out a fair amount. WHENEVER there was duck on the menu, i ordered it. it was my thing. my favorite. and if it was a l’orange, well that was even better. somehow this made my father crazy. so much so that one day at a lovely inn in connecticut on new years’s eve, i happily ordered my duck, handed the waiter my menu and my father looked at me sternly and loudly exclaimed, "this is not your last meal. order something else." the rest of the details are sketchy but i never forgot that. it’s become a bit if a joke with me and my kid.

regardless, duck breasts are quite simple to cook. i heated up my large cast iron pan, and after a liberal seasoning on all sides, the skin and fat are gently scored (not too deep) in two directions and the breasts are placed skin side down. cook over a medium flame until most of the fat is rendered and skin color is a deep golden. then you brown the meaty side and after they are done, i hold the breasts on their edges with my tongs while the sides cook through. it’s not a long process and the edge of the pan comes in handy as a good assist – just lean it up there. usually, this is about all it takes to get the breasts cooked leaving the centers nice and pink. the whole process is about as simple as one could wish for.

some chard was cooked down in just a bit of the duck fat and seasoned. the meat was sliced and it was all plated in no time flat.

and now a question. does anybody out there remember a restaurant in nyc, many years ago on the upper east side that served ONLY DUCK? my mother took me there when i was a kid and it must have been 35 years ago…if anyone can name it, you win something. i’m not sure what – but it’ll be fabulous…

gina depalma would’ve been proud of my rendition. especially after my last fiasco. and mario batali would have happily served this at babbo with a scoop of their mascarpone gelato…

this cake was decided upon for a few reasons. but mainly it was the result of a "compromise". you see, the 13 year old, wanted chocolate. as in cake. or brownies. or perhaps a carrot cake. with cream cheese icing. and well, i didn’t. i wanted to make a galette. something rustic and simple with maybe some of the beautiful nectarines i’ve been seeing around. but she, the 13 year old, was so not interested. she was all like, "no thanks". so i seized the moment, approaching it as a learning opportunity and explained to her that seasonal mattered to me and that we could compromise. and when she looked at me quizically, i explained that a compromise basically would mean that neither one of us would get what we wanted… and she was all like "whatever", and went to watch the 12th season of the simpsons, now available on dvd.

and then while flipping through a few books i saw this. and it felt right. a perfect summer into fall cake. the tail end of the almost never ending zucchini, the brightness of lemon, along with the depth of toasted walnuts, cinnamon, ginger and clove – and olive oil – the clincher. i’m a big fan of cakes made with olive oil. the concept unleashes my inner italian-ness.

so i got right to it. and after the batter was prepared i called the 13 year old into the kitchen to lick the paddle, warning her it wouldn’t be your typical cakey/buttery/smooth batter – and she gave me the thumbs up. a good sign. but then i found myself looking down at the bowl and thinking, "there’s no way that this cake is going to set up", because the mixture appeared oddly thin. and yet through the nagic of HEAT, somehow after 45 minutes or so in the convection oven – suddenly i had perfection. and it was exactly as it should have been. and believe me when i tell you that no one is ever more surprised than i am when the cake turns out smashing… because the whole baking process ‘thing’ is always questionable around here. i’m not much of a baker, but i often bake very good things. and you know why? BECAUSE I CAREFULLY FOLLOW THE RECIPE. i know. imagine that…

but we’re talking bundt cake. and the glaze was nothing more than fresh lemon squeezed into sugar and whisked with a fork. so sure, this was easy as can be. but the final result was truly great. and the undeniable reason is merely the list of ingredients… thanks gina…

zucchini olive oil cake with lemon crunch glaze

dolce italiano – desserts from the babbo kitchen
by gina depalma

1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teasppon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teasppons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup GOOD extra virgin olive oil (i’m liking the ‘murray’s cheese’ oil a lot these days)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)

for the glaze

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar

preheat oven to 350 and position rack in the center.grease a bundt pan and then flour and tap out excess. you can also use that bakers spray that i always forget to buy.

place walnuts in a single layer and toast until golden brown and aromatic, 12-14 minutes. cool completely and finely chop in the food processor and set aside.

sift the flour baking soda, baking powder and salt and spices into a medium bowl. in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (have you seen these?), beat the eggs, sugar and olive oil until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla. scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition (unless you have one of these). beat in the dry ingredients all at once until thoroughly combined, then switch to medium and beat 30 seconds. beat in the zucchini and walnuts on low speed until completely incorporated.

pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. the cake is done when a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides have begun to pull away from the pan.

when the cake is baking, prepare the glaze: in a medium bowl whisk together the lemon juice and granualted sugar, then whisk in the confectioner’s sugar until the glaze is completely smooth.

allow the cake to cool in the oan for 10 minutes then carefully invert onto a wire rack. using a pastry brush, immediately brush the glaze over the entire surface of the warm cake, using all of the glaze. it will adhere to the cake and set as the cake cools. allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to dry completely.

transfer the cake to a stand or serving plate and if desired lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. any leftover cake may be wrapped in plastic and served the following day.

oh and hey, i garnished with some chopped up basil. i had some and well, i must tell you that the addition of fresh herbs to olive oil cakes? a natural…

heirloom tomato, zucchini, grilled louisiana shrimp, guanciale and torn basil with sauteed arugula

global cooling. or at least it feels that way. the weather here in nashville is struggling to hit 80, and that pretty much means that it’s just plain glorious. temperate and sunny, this including the days just past and the rest of the week to come. since on any other given year it could easily be 90+, this is what you wish – no, pray for – to the god of all things good.

and even though it’s the last days of august here in the deep south, the tomatoes are still extraordinary – and the zucchini is as overly prolific as usual. so i threw together a simple summer dinner using gulf shrimp and just a touch of la quercia guanciale, because i am a very enthusiastic fan of the jowl, choosing it over pancetta time and time again. it’s just well, porkier. AND WHEN HAS THAT EVER BEEN A BAD THING?

but there was a crisis… a culinary disaster of the very worst kind…

you know how when you decide to sprinkle a touch of red crushed chile peppers from the bottle and you’re talking to your friends and not paying close attention to what you’re doing and you unscrew the cap and shake… AND THE ENTIRE CONTENTS EMPTIES INTO YOUR PAN? well, i did that. but thankfully, my friend rick heard me scream and came flying to the rescue and was on it. we quickly removed as much of the pepper as we could. he carefully rinsed off the dangerously smothered zucchini and tomatoes while i chopped more vegetables to try and spread out the heat a bit… and really? perhaps in the end it was slightly warmer than i’d have wished for – but it wasn’t too bad at all – it was even kinda verydamngood. plus it was a cool evening, so, PERFECT!

i got lucky.

this is my kind of cooking. just winging it, using the best of what’s available. i thought about adding roasted peppers but it was just one more flavor that although would have worked, was unnecessary and i believe in the end would have detracted from the dish.

and so i am forever learning this… that if you have what is already perfect, do the least amount to it and then appreciate it for what it is. for awhile now the food i enjoy the most is an interesting combination of a small number of high quality ingredients.

amen.

a sampling of some fresh picked wine berries, huckleberries and wild blackberries – a gift from my friend jack on my birthday last month

it’s not that i’m not cooking. because i am. there are gatherings of friends and just plain hungriness resulting in well, dinner. i even sometimes whip out the nikon and snap a few lame shots but these days not so much. and i’m not sure what’s come over me. but just the thought of posting on ceF was beginning to feel like ‘work’ and god only knows we wouldn’t want that to happen to a nice woman like me… after all, my lack of ambition is my greatest luxury. (i stole that line from my friend emily and have been using it ad nauseum but only because it is SO TRUE.)

but we’ve been to chicago and then i went to cleveland. dallas is this week and seattle comes next. i’m doing the 4 day cooking gig again come the first of october and then i’m off to nyc…  and all i want is to go back to italy. is that asking so much? IS IT? but honestly, i’m not complaining. it’s a charmed life. the past week or so has pretty much revolved around trips to the park in much appreciated cooler than normal temps, so after a 9 week hiatus i’m back on the bike and fighting the fat (albeit somewhat of a losing battle).

but mostly – if i could just say, i’m so deeply grateful for this amazing life that i get to live that i could cry. for those of you that read the sunday ny times magazine section yesterday, we are the fortunate ones…

ok – back to food…

presenting… a summer dinner. grilled corn with flaky maldon salt and a squeeze of lime. grilled tomatoes with thyme and a farro salad with a slightly overcooked poached egg on top. i’ve got just a vague recollection of what was in the farro salad but i’m thinking it was pequillo peppers and goat cheese – and something else but remembering is difficult…

best beans ever. rancho gordo cannellini’s with grape tomatoes, basil, thyme, lemon zest and juice, some potlikker, finely minced anchovy, a very good olive oil, salt and pepper. i think that was it but i’ve no idea because i can’t recall a damn thing.

lamb meatballs with a cherry sauce over whole wheat couscous finished with mint leaves. a lot of ingredients went into that sauce until it was nicely balanced and pretty damn impressive tasting. but i’m not sure exactly what i did – because of my memory…

all cary ever really wants for his birthday are two (2) angel food cakes with his grandmother’s ’7 minute boiled icing’. the icing becomes slightly hard on the outside and then yields to a slightly marshmallow like goo on the inside. ruhlman’s angel food cake from his bestseller ‘ratio‘, takes this cake to where it needs to go – from spongy and boring to totally delicious. in my opinion it’s all in the weighing of the flour and then using both lemon juice and vanilla. for your viewing pleasure i give you 4 pictures as they were all so awful i just couldn’t choose… this is the whitest cake in america and despite the absence of any fats and the overabundance of sugar, somehow it just works.

my icing technique is legendary. obviously.

moving on…

i phone pics before i bought the 3Gs. but this is the wonderful donnie madia pictured at his flagship restaurant blackbird. for my money, he and eduard seitan are the best restaurateurs in chicago with blackbird, avec, the publican and the newest addition, a tacqueria opening very soon. donnie’s attention to every detail is second to none with a modern sensibility that slays me, as i am highly susceptible to such things. with executive chef and partner paul kahan at the helm of the kitchen, it continues to be a recipe for greatness. we were in chicago for only 4 nights and ate at avec, then publican and then blackbird – finishing up with an anniversary dinner at tru, a gift from my mother. and for a whopping $425 that included only one glass of wine, it paled in comparison by such a long shot that i can’t even begin to explain the differences in the food except to say that in the end, blackbird kicked tru’s ass – big time. tru is supremely elegant and the room is lovely. it’s quiet and serious and the servers are ON IT. but dinner at blackbird was once again phenomenal. oh AND best negroni ever – hands down.

so, a few things… and please again – forgive the poor photo quality.

salad of endives with crispy potatoes, basil, dijon, pancetta and poached egg = sheer perfection. not kidding. this salad was incredible in every way.

chilled cuttlefish noodles with green garlic, red onion jam, trout caviar, nasturtiums and buttermilk = amazingness. i loved it.

wood-grilled california sturgeon with english peas, braised peanuts, crispy bacon and bourbon caramel = seriously impressive.

cary had the organic pork belly and crispy sweet shrimp with chinese broccoli, preserved green tomato and black pepper. he started with the pistachio gazpacho with ahi, watermelon confit, sea beans and cocoa. both were smashing.

this was my idea. sorry.

desserts were wonderful. donnie brought us three and each one was greatness. ricotta fritters with compari, rhubarb and pine nut ice cream, pistachio panna cotta with a raspberry consommé and brown butter ice cream and a torn black sesame cake with pineapple that looked a little something like this that was  – out. of. this. world…

avec, a bit more down to earth, is my favorite restaurant in all the land. and at the publican, albeit a bit on the loud side, we had an abundance of seriously excellent food. beer, oysters, fish and pork. just splendid.

chicago is such an extraordinary food town… thank you donnie.

south west of chicago. mies van der rohe’s masterpiece – the farnsworth house. i wept in its presence. it is genius if not impractical.

no tinkering with picassa was going to help this photo taken through the door of my oven. it was shredded zucchini and yellow squash with minced garlic, chiles and ricotta. i stole the idea from city house restaurant here in nashville. their’s was far better and i’m going to work on this because it was frustrating that i couldn’t replicate it. i need to call chef tandy wilson and ask for help. plus my chiles were so strong that they almost hurt. so, fail, although not in an epic way…

the project – buy 20 lbs of balaton cherries from earthy.com and use 10 to make some cherry bourbon hooch. i’ll get back to you in 6 weeks on how it turns out and if you’re on the short list, it’s what’s for christmas, so no surprises here. the other 10 lbs. became a salted cherry vanilla bean balsamic compote.

oh, and jack’s arm after blackberry picking. the things friends do for friends…

what i had wanted to do to mark the opening of this movie was make bouef bourguignon alla julia child – or at the very least whip up a quiche lorraine, the 4th dish that julie powell, the julie of ‘julia & julie‘ tackled on the third day of "the project" those 7 years ago…

but instead i drove 500+ miles due north while listening to the unabridged audio book of ‘my life in france‘, and now it’s somehow past 3 am and i’m back in my pricelined hilton hotel room in the midst of suburbia where tonight alone there were no less than: 2 family reunions, 2 weddings and a bat mitzvah – all happening simultaneously, thereby cementing the fact that cleveland is clearly a happening place.

and already i’ve eaten well. tonight, dinner began with a jumbo shrimp cocktail on ice and then out came a beautifully composed plate – a simply summer salad of sugary corn, crisp green beans, new potatoes, roasted red peppers all placed over some various lettuces. and as if that wasn’t splendid enough, it was daintily topped with strips of crunchy pig ears. the salad was lightly dressed with shallots, olive oil and homemade red wine vinegar accompanied by a thick slice of homebaked bread that had been brushed with olive oil and perfectly grilled. all that, dining al fresco on a not-too-hot summer night in the backyard of people that i truly adore. i’m quite sure julia would have heartily approved – if only for the entire bottle of wine that i managed to consume…

and now, as much as i want to crash, i can’t. because i made a commitment to talk about this movie tonight, and here’s what i want to say…

go see it.

i’ve made it a point to not formally review anything on ceF. it’s a strict policy. but i did want to point you to a few articles that i thought were really well written regarding j & j.

newsweek

ny times

nashville scene/village voice

the atlantic

we all deeply love and admire julia child, and for all the right reasons. admittedly, i’m old enough to remember watching her show with my mom. i own ‘mastering the art of french cooking’ although i rarely if ever crack it. as you may know, ceF leans heavily towards the italian. yet julia child’s ‘the way to cook‘ is a book i go back to often and i have learned more about cooking from that book alone than perhaps any other.

julia did for cooking in america what garth brooks did for country music. they both brought what they were destined to do, to the masses – and in turn the people embraced them. and if you think that an odd analogy, remember that i’m living in music city, usa…

and julie powell? i love julie powell. i devoured her book 2 years ago. i received it as a gift back when i was brand new to blogging and i found it to be not only thoroughly entertaining but nicely written. she’s got a new book coming out in early december about her apprenticeship at a butcher shop. i’m looking forward to it.

i will tell you that my mom loved this movie. LOVED it. and she’s the toughest critic i know… that’s all i’m saying.

well that, and i really need to go to bed right now.

so – buon appetit!

<— i don’t know how to load this onto my sidebar because i am a techno-loser.

(thanks to sony and the powers that be for making ceF the food blog of the day on the official ‘julia and julie’ site. love you. mean it.)

when you make something that has only 4 ingredients, that all get crushed together, with no heat applied whatsoever, what can possibly make your dish stand apart?

using pesto in your cooking, if only on occasion – is pretty much obligatory. it’s a flavor bomb. a crowd pleaser. pesto works on nearly everything one might imagine. we all like it. we all make it.

and i am here to tell you why mine is better…

1. olive oil – use ligurian. why? ligurian olive oil is not looking to overpower. it is light and fruity, unlike the more powerful tuscan and sicilian oils – and if you use a stronger, heavier, spicier oil, it’ll kill the flavor of your pesto. better to buy the light bertolli from your supermarket that tastes neutral. come to think of it, a spanish oil might work well here due to the gentler, buttery nature of those olives. regardless – think light. or just pick up some ligurian oil.

2. basil – fresh from the garden, picked minutes before using and soaked in water for a few minutes – otherwise it is too strong.

3. pine nuts – mediterranean. not chinese. these are long and slender. not the squat triangular version. they are lower in fat and higher in flavor. and they’re hard to find. and wildly expensive. but then, you’ve come to expect this of me…

4. cheese – i use mostly parmigiano, sometimes mixed with a little pecorino

this time around, i didn’t use a mortar and pestle, but i wish i had, if only to get the creamier texture. and i added some garlic – although not too much – that this saturday when i make it again, i won’t. and the pasta, the shape is called casareccia – a curving twisted tube that holds the pesto beautifully. although it’s a stellar italian dried pasta, this will be replaced with freshly home-rolled thin sheets made with a blend of ap flour, 00 flour, seriously farm fresh eggs and white wine.

the black tomatoes bought at my local farmers market the day before, were roughly chopped and thrown in raw, right on top. the pesto was thinned with some of the hot pasta water and then it all got tossed together. i regret not taking an ‘after’ shot. this dish is my kind of rustic, beautiful food.

all in all it was a perfect lunch on a sunday summer afternoon, accompanied by a wonderful bastianich rosé.

but this coming saturday night’s pesto? it might just kick this one’s proverbial ass.

stay tuned…

(the perfect pesto) <— for your viewing pleasure

oh lobel’s. how do i love thee? let me count the ways…

i’ve reached a point in my life where if i’m going to buy a slab of meat it’s going to have to be of serious quality. luckily in the nashville area we have some really good farmers raising the kind of meat i feel good about eating. i’ve felt this way for quite some time making it almost impossible for me to go to my local supermarket and just ‘pick up’ a chicken or a steak. michael pollan pretty much changed my thinking on all of this and now in the wake of ‘food, inc.’ – a movie that pretty much spells out the truth in undeniable facts about what has happened to our food supply and our nations declining health… well, in my home it’s either local meat from the farmers market where i can ask questions, or it’s ordered online from a trusted source.

i’m a full fledged omnivore, but given a choice, i’d take a bowl of pasta any day over a factory farmed piece of meat. and so i usually do. this way when i cook up a chop or roast a bird, it may cost more than one might be used to paying, but the usual meals of beans, grains and yes – my beloved pasta, seem to balance it all out. fyi – the above chop was about $1 an ounce. and my steaks can sometimes be as high as $4 an ounce, but this varies.

oh and just one more thing. a dear friend sent me this link and i am definitely making my next big thick steak using this method. this technique got my attention in a big way and quite frankly, i can’t stop thinking about it…

but before i hit you wth yet another bowl of linguini, i think the time is right to present to you this really beautiful and juicy 12 oz berkshire pork shop. it was simply seasoned and then pan grilled and served over some polenta that had been studded with italian sausage, mozzarella, roasted garlic and both red and green bell peppers. as a terrine it was lovely served beside some roast chicken, but there was quite a bit leftover so it was then frozen and now thawed and pan fried in the same pan as the pork had been while the chop was done and resting.

just now while i was writing this post i became a bit peckish and went outside and began to literally graze on my quasi-garden that resides in pots on my patio. some little ripe and very sweet cherry tomatoes were popped in my mouth accompanied with some basil and chive. i tasted the fennel fronds and the parsley and the french thyme too, just picking away as though i was a rabbit or a raccoon or a deer – or whatever usually ravages your garden…

some of the thyme was brought back in the house to go into tonights farro risotto, but on a whim i grabbed a few leftover water crackers, some fresh mozzarella and some calabrian fig molasses that i had just received as a gift and garnished it generously with the fresh thyme. when i took a bite i declared it absolutely wonderful.

the above picture is deceiving. i ate five of them…