April 22, 2015 · 12:42 pm

FRIED GOAT-CHEESE-STUFFED GREEN OLIVES

The other night we dropped by the bar at Staab House in La Posada Resort and Spa. That was where we had the reception for our younger daughter’s wedding some years ago, so we went back for a bit of nostalgia. It was Happy Hour, so we got their house cocktails. I got Julia’s Manhattan. The drink is named after the resident ghost of the Staab House. (Doesn’t very bar of any age have its own ghost?) and the drink included elderberry liqueur. It was delicious.

We also got some of their bar foods. A standout was the fried green olives stuffed with goat cheese and served with fried Marcona almonds. The olives were so delicious and so unique, that I determined to try them at home. I found some giant olives at the store along with goat cheese. I just bought things off the shelf, but you could get fancy and use olives from the olive bar and artisanal goat cheese.  The major challenge was to figure out how to get the breadcrumbs to stick to the olives. The bread crumbs on the original looked like panko, so that was a place to start.

I tried xanthan gum as the glue, but all I got was a sticky blob of clumped xanthan. Then I tried egg wash made from egg white diluted with a little water. That didn’t work any better than the xanthan gum. I checked my cookbooks to no avail, so I was finally forced to turn to the internet. There, mirabile dictu, were at least ten recipes for fried olives stuffed with all sorts of things including Italian sausage. They all described the dish as “easy”. What was the secret of all of these recipes? The answer seemed to be using classic breading technique – dry the olives, dredge them in flour, coat them in egg, and then dip them in bread crumbs. Regular bread crumbs work, but if you want to use panko, you need to grind them a little finer in a spice mill or with a rolling pin. I tried these suggestions and wound up with this recipe. After all my scouting efforts, I opened my new (May, 2015) cop of Saveur magazine to find yet another recipe for olives stuffed with ground beef and pork (page 57)

Shamelessly, I am posting my own recipe in the face of all of that professional competition. It might be easier just to go back to the Staab House.

Pitted colossal Spanish queen olives
Olives rinsed, dried, and ready for stuffing
Goat cheese from the supermarket
Pastry bag with ½ inch plain tip
Olives stuffed, wiped clean, and ready for breading
Breaded olives drying for 30 minutes before frying
Fried and ready to eat

RECIPE

Fried Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Green Olives

Ingredients

  • 24 colossal pitted green olives
  • 4 ounces mild goat cheese, softened at room temperature
  • all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten until smooth
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • dry bread crumbs or crushed panko
  • peanut oil for frying

Method

  1. Drain and dry the olives
  2. Place the softened goat cheese in a pastry sleeve fitted with a ½ inch plain tip. ( Alternatively, you can use a 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon or your fingers to stuff the olives._
  3. Fill the pitted olives with the goat cheese.
  4. In a pie plate, mix the flour and salt. In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg and water. Sprinkle bread crumbs in a second pie plate.
  5. Dredge the filled olives in a shallow dish filled with flour mixture. Individually, toss the olives in your open hand to remove any extra flour.
  6. Dip the floured olives one by one in the bowl with the beaten egg mixture. Transfer to the pie plate of bread crumbs and toss lightly to coat the olives with bread crumbs. Make sure the cheese stuffing is well-coated.
  7. Dry the olives for 30 minutes on a rack. You can prepare the olives ahead up to this point.
  8. When you are ready to fry the olives, heat enough of the peanut oil in a heavy, high-sided pan to submerge the olives. Heat the oil to 350°F. Use a thermometer to check the temperature.. In batches, fry the olives for just a few minutes, turning occasionally until the crust is golden brown. Drain on layers of paper towels. Keep warm until all of the olives are fried.
  9. Serve while still warm.

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April 17, 2015 · 3:59 pm

SAUTÉED ASPARAGUS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS

We just returned from a visit with family in Texas, Susan’s sister and her husband. My sister-in-law has quit cooking because of some health problems, and my brother-in-law doesn’t like or know how to cook. For a while they have been living on frozen dinners and things you can make with a can opener.

During our visit, I was assigned the responsibility of preparing meals. I chose to make old family favorites and some new comfort foods. A new dish for them was spaghetti all’Amatriciana from a cookbook by one of my blogging friends, La Tavola Italiana by Dianne Darrow and her husband, Tom Maresca. The meal was a big hit. Other favorites included shepherd’s pie and sautéed ham, Southern style. The vegetable dish that scored was asparagus sautéed with sugar snap peas. The best dessert was an apple pie whipped up by Susan, the family pie baker.

There is not much to sautéed asparagus and snap peas, but since both vegetables are in season – or almost so – throughout the USA, the dish might make a good addition to your springtime repertoire.

Sautéed asparagus and sugar snap peas

Sautéed asparagus and sugar snap peas

Susan's apple pie

Susan’s apple pie

RECIPE

Sautéed Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound fresh asparagus
  • 1 pound sugar snap peas
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Trim the asparagus by cutting off the woody ends and, if the stalks are thick, peeling the root ends with a vegetable peeler
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and butter until melted and shimmering
  3. Add the asparagus and sauté for a few minutes until the stalks are nearly cooked through but still bright green
  4. Stir in the sugar snap peas and continue to sauté until the peas are softened, about 5 minutes. A little bit of char is nice.
  5. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and then transfer the vegetables to a serving dish.
  6. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

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April 11, 2015 · 3:41 pm

ELOISA – A NEW RESTAURANT STAR IN SANTA FE

For many years, our local hospital was housed in a 1920s-1930s style building just off the Plaza and directly behind the cathedral. It had fallen on hard times, and most Santa Feans preferred driving to Albuquerque for their hospital care. Some time ago, the hospital relocated to a beautiful facility near the outskirts of the city. The old building fell into continuing disrepair and decline. From time to time some venture – like an oxygen bar where you could get a quick puff of pure oxygen to pick you up – rented some of the space. Mostly, though, the very large building became increasingly derelict until Drury Hotels bought the property. They have spent years renovating the building so that now it is a handsome addition to the landscape and a very desirable place to stay.

Locals wondered and hoped that the hotel would have a restaurant, but until recently there was no certainty about that.

The wait and wonder are behind us now as Chef John Rivera Sedlar has opened the restaurant, Eloisa, named after his grandmother who gave him his first cooking lessons.  Since then, Rivera has received many recognitions for his cooking, and  he has cooked in Spain, France, the Bay Area, and most recently in Los Angeles. In LA, he opened several popular restaurants including his acclaimed Rivers, which he will close as he moves back to his home town of Santa Fe.

Eloisa is still in its shake-down cruise, having been open only a few days. But it seems to have arrived under full sail.. We went the other night and saw practically every noteworthy local chef at one or another table. As well, the place was packed. Reservations are definitely recommended.

The space is beautiful with huge windows and contemporary touches that are completely new to the local restaurant scene.  One wall is filled with video screens that exhibit a constantly changing series of lovely light pictures. It is hard to take your eyes away from the display.  There is a gorgeous bar and an attractive fireplace. In the warmer months, there is an inviting patio. The open kitchen is enormous with gleaming equipment of every description and an army of cooks and kitchen assistants.

But the food is the star. The menu is divided into small plates and large plates; both sections are reasonably priced.  The night we were there, the small plates included Tortillas Florales, tortillas made from nixtamalized corn and set with an array of edible flowers along with Indian butter, a creamy, beautifully seasoned avocado spread; Maize Budino was a smooth corn pudding set in a corn husk boat and topped with corn, black quinoa, and red amaranth. Next to it was a whimsical replica of an ancient pictograph done in paprika; Pastrami Taco, blue corn tortillas, pastrami, sauerkraut, pickled serranos, and ballpark mustard; Nopal Paillard,  grilled cactus pad with mushroom stuffing. You get the idea.

The large plates were every bit as creative. I ordered Duck Enfrijolada, duck confit snuggled with crema between blue corn tortillas and napped with a mole-like cabernet chile sauce. Susan ordered the Salmon Painted Desert. The salmon was perfectly prepared, but the highlight of the dish was a delicate tamal filled with a light-as-air salmon mousse.

It was hard to choose dessert, but we settled on white chocolate with piñon nuts and dark chocolate with mescal. I must admit that I am not a fan of the flavor of mescal, but it is a trendy beverage, and the dish was beautifully prepared.

The interesting light wall
A huge open kitchen
Tortillas Florales with Indian butter
Maize budino with paprika pictograph
Duck Enfrijolada
Salmon Painted Desert
White chocolate with piñon nuts
Dark chocolate with mezcal

My final report: The meal was very special, and this new kid on the block is definitely worth more visits.

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April 7, 2015 · 9:24 am

ROAST PORK AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I celebrated my 77th birthday the other day. For some reason it seemed momentous even though it wasn’t one of those that we all remember – 21st, 30th, 40th, and 65th. I guess by this time, I’m just glad to be celebrating yet another. Susan came up with some nice gifts: cooking classes the next time we get to the Bay Area and pickles from our local Barrio Brinery (I wonder if she was trying to tell me something about my disposition?) All of the children gave me a telephone call, so it was a complete and special day.

But after a big breakfast at one of our favorite French bistros, Clafoutis, an outing in town, and shopping for the fixings, including duck fat,  for a birthday dinner, we didn’t feel like eating.

We – I – finally got around to cooking the other night and had a great menu of roasted pork tenderloin, oven-roasted potatoes, asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce. It was all fairly easy, and it wound up being tasty.

Mirepoix
Pork tenderloin ready for duck fat, rosemary, salt and pepper
Pork roast sliced and ready to serve
A birthday dinner

RECIPES

Rosemary-Crusted Roast Pork Tenderloin

It is getting harder and harder to find a traditional bone-in pork roast or a boneless pork roast. Most commonly one finds pre-packaged pork tenderloins. They have several advantages: they cook quickly and they are very tender. The main disadvantage is that they have little or no fat, so if you want to make pork gravy, you have to add some extra fat. I chose to use duck fat, which you can often buy frozen in a little bucket at a well supplied butcher shop, but you can use your favorite.

Ingredients

  • whole pork tenderloin (about 2½ pounds)
  • duck fat
  • salt and pepper
  • rosemary powder
  • 3 stalks celery, cut in half with half diced
  • large carrot, diced
  • ½ large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • chicken stock
  • dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Method

  1. Dry the tenderloin and tie it with several lengths of butcher’s twine so that it holds its shape
  2. With a basting brush, coat the tenderloin with duck fat and sprinkle it generously with salt, pepper, and rosemary powder
  3. Arrange the three halved celery stocks as a sort of rack in the bottom of a roasting pan just large enough to hold the tenderloin without crowding
  4. Combine the remaining diced celery, carrot, onion, and minced garlic as a mirepoix. Set aside.
  5. Place the tenderloin on the roasting pan in the middle of the oven pre-heated to 425°F.
  6. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the mirepoix and enough chicken stock to fill the bottom of the roasting pan to about ½ inches. At this point you may also wish to baste the tenderloin with more duck fat. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F and return the roasting pan to the oven for about 40 minutes. Put the potatoes (see below) in the oven at the same time. .
  7. When the tenderloin is roasted (145°F with an instant-read thermometer), remove from the oven. Transfer to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil, and let rest while you complete the rest of the meal. The temperature will continue to rise a few degrees while the meat rests.
  8. Remove the vegetables from the roasting pan with a slotted spoon. Deglaze the pan over a medium flame with the white wine.
  9. Combine the corn starch with about 2 cups of chicken stock and add to the pan, stirring constantly until you bring it to the boil and the sauce begins to thicken. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

You can use any oil or fat that you prefer to roast the potatoes. A flavorless cooking oil with high smoke point, like canola would work , as would clarified butter. But duck fat gives a very nice flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 3-inch Yukon gold potatoes for each diner
  • salt and pepper
  • duck fat

Method

  1. Wash and dry the potatoes.
  2. Heat about 3 tablespoons of duck fat in a cast iron frying pan just large enough to hold the potatoes. Add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour more duck fat over the potatoes, and place in the oven with the pork roast for the last 40 minutes of cooking. During roasting, shake the pan from time to time to keep the potatoes coated with fat.
  3. After about 40 minutes, test the potatoes for doneness with a kitchen fork. When they are cooked, remove from the oven and from the cast iron pan. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Grilled Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Probably everyone has a recipe for fool-proof, quick Hollandaise made in a blender. There are a couple of pointers that get left out of most recipes. First, the butter is very important. It should be unsalted rather than salted, and you should take your time in clarifying it. Most recipes just tell you to melt the butter and skim off the foam and pour off the liquid at the bottom. Remember that the foam is actually milk solids and the liquid at the bottom is water (fat is lighter than water, so water and stuff dissolved in the water sink to the bottom). If you heat the melted butter over a very low heat for an hour or so, the foamy milk solids will become firmer and more granular so that it is easy to skim them off, in contrast to the foam that has not yet become denatured.. Second, the sauce will be thicker if you make the emulsion with egg yolks and clarified butter and then add the lemon juice, rather than adding the lemon juice at the beginning.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh asparagus
  • olive oil
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • salt
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted over very low heat for 1 hour or until the milk solids have firmed up and can be removed with a small spoon
  • juice of ½ lemon

Method

  1. Wash the asparagus and remove the woody ends
  2. Sauté for about 5 minutes in a hot pan drizzled with olive oil. Turn frequently to make sure that all spears cook. Be careful not to overcook
  3. In the meantime, place the egg yolks, salt to taste, and cayenne in the bowl of a blender. Blend. Then, with the blender still running, gradually pour in the warm – not hot – clarified butter, being careful not to pour in the water at the bottom. Add the butter through the smaller stopper in the lid rather without the lid, as the butter will splatter.
  4. Blend in the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning if you wish.

Final Assembly

  • Slice the pork roast in half-inch slices. Arrange on the serving plates and top with a tablespoon or so of the gravy.
  • Add the potatoes to the plate.
  • Place asparagus spears on the plate. Nap with Hollandaise, and serve immediately.

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April 2, 2015 · 11:58 am

FOLLOWING FAMILY ADVENTURES

Over the years, I have often written about the food adventures of my various family members. In particular, you have read about our daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Evan Rich, as they have gone from working in the restaurants of others to trying out a pop-up in a borrowed restaurant, Radius, in the Folsom Street area of San Francisco, to opening their own restaurant, not knowing if anyone would show up.

Since then Sarah and Evan and their restaurant, Rich Table have become successful. The restaurant is busy, and Sarah and Evan have had the opportunity to create some delicious food like their sardine chips, porcini donuts, deconstructed ice box pies, and tagliatelle with strawberry-braised pork Bolognese.

Along the way, they have been recognized by the San Francisco food scene along with Star Chefs magazine, Food and Wine, the James Beard Foundation and others. They have been invited to cook in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Shreveport, Louisiana, Mumbai, Hawaii, Mexico, and Yosemite.

If you watch Top Chef, Iron Chef, or Chopped, you know that professional cooking has become a competitive sport. Not surprisingly, Sarah and Evan are in the competition. Right now, they are competing in Food and Wine magazine’s annual competition, in contention for People’s Choice for Best New Chef, 2015. If you want to read about the contenders (or even vote) check out the web site. Voting ends April 8.

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March 31, 2015 · 10:40 am

COCONUT MACAROONS

It is the perfect season for coconut macaroons. They have no leavening. They have no gluten.  If you are lactose intolerant and can drink goat’s milk, they may work if you use Mexican cajeta instead of sweetened condensed milk. I wish I could say they have no calories. Ah well, you can’t have everything.

Traditional macaroons are usually made from almonds, and some say that coconut is the poor person’s almond. I don’t know where that comment originally came from. As for me, I think I prefer coconut.

It is also said that macaroons were first created by the Sephardim. I don’t know whether that is true, either, but before becoming ubiquitous, macaroons were considered to be a North African/Southern European delicacy.

Shredded coconut
Sweetened condensed milk
Ready for baking
Macaroons cooling on the baking rack
A snack for morning coffee

RECIPE

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk or Mexican cajeta
  • 2 egg whites

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, almond extract and salt.
  2. Stir in the condensed milk to make a thick paste.
  3. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Then fold into the coconut mixture.
  4. Using a #50 food scoop or a tablespoon, drop the mixture into mounds about 2 inches apart on baking sheets either lined with Silpat or parchment or greased aluminum foil.
  5. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the top third of an oven preheated to 325°F. until very lightly browned on the edges.
  6. Cool on a baking rack. Peel from the Silpat or the greased aluminum foil.
  7. Makes about 2½ dozen. Serve immediately or store in a container with a tight lid. (If there are any left.)

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March 28, 2015 · 9:06 am

STRAWBERRY GALETTE

It’s beginning to be the season for fresh strawberries in California, but not here in New Mexico where we still anticipate at least one more hard freeze. Even though the grocery store versions of strawberries lack the sweetness and flavor of those at San Francisco’s Ferry Building, they have the advantage of being available year around. That is good, because this beautiful dessert is worth the effort any time of year. If you prefer, you can substitute your choice of other berries or any combination of berries.

Although I have tweaked it a bit, the original recipe comes from one of Deborah Madison’s excellent cookbooks: Seasonal Fruit Desserts From Orchard, Farm, and Market (Broadway Books, New York, 2010, p. 119). Deborah Madison now lives in Santa Fe and is viewed as the doyenne of the local food-writing community  even though she is not nearly old enough for such a title. She began her cooking career in the Bay Area, working at Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse and then eventually serving as the founding chef of what has been called the first high-end vegetarian restaurant, Greens. The restaurant is still popular and definitely worth a visit at its beautiful site on the edge of San Francisco Bay. Since then her cookbooks, including Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, have won many awards including the James Beard Foundation Book Award.

This dessert fulfills that well-earned reputation.

Just a few minute last-minute pointers: Resist the temptation to overfill the galette with fresh fruit. Make certain that the edges of the dough are well-sealed. Otherwise, it may leak, and you could face a major oven cleanup.

Fresh strawberries
Roll the crust dough into a 13-14 inch circle
Edges of dough folded over the filling
Dough painted with cream and sprinkled with turbinado sugar
Baked strawberry galette
Served with ice cream

RECIPES

Pastry for Galette

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup pastry flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut in pieces
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 5-6 tablespoons ice water

Method

  1. In a bowl large enough that you will be able to mix the dough with your hands, mix together the flours, salt and sugar.
  2. With a pastry blender, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. The crust will be flakier if some larger pieces of fat are left unblended.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons ice water. Pour over the dough mixture and work in with your hands.
  4. Add remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. It should not be sticky. Knead lightly; divide into two equal balls. Pat into discs about an inch thick, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Strawberry Galette

Ingredients

  • 4 cups strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ pastry recipe (above)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the halved strawberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.
  2. On a well-floured work surface, roll out one of the chilled discs of dough into a circle at least 13 inches in diameter.
  3. Arrange the rolled-out crust on a rimmed 13 x 18 inch baking pan lined with parchment. Top the crust with the strawberry mixture, leaving a 2-inch margin around the filling.
  4. Fold the edge of the crust over the filling so that it drapes over the filling and any folds are sealed.
  5. Sprinkle the melted butter over the filling.
  6. Brush the crust with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  7. Bake in the middle of an oven preheated to 425°F for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden.
  8. Serve warm or cold with heavy cream, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

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March 23, 2015 · 11:44 am

SANTA FE-STYLE SODA BREAD

For most people, the Spanish word “mañana” means “morning” or “tomorrow”. But around here, we know the real meaning: “not today”. So here it is, several days late, my effort at a Southwestern version of Irish soda bread. This way I don’t have to make apologies for missing Saint Patrick’s Day.

There are several differences between this recipe and classic Irish soda bread:

First, the predominant flour is whole wheat. There are some soda bread recipes that use whole whet flour, but our family recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

Second, blue corn meal has been substituted for some of the whole wheat flour. These days you should be able to buy it locally. Bob’s Red Mill has unusual flours in most grocery stores, but a local mill, Talon de Gato Farm, takes email orders.

Third, I have added gluten. Corn meal has no gluten, so the additional gluten gives some extra lift in the oven; but if you are leery of gluten, you can certainly omit it. Still, the loaf will not be gluten-free because of the other flours.

Fourth, there is a little bit of baking powder; again to give some extra rising power. Most “authentic” recipes use only baking soda and buttermilk for leavening.

Finally, I have added green chiles and a good melting cheese. I used 4 ounces of canned chopped mild chiles, but you may want more and hotter. Swiss, Cheddar, Monterey jack, and asadero are all good cheese choices. Again, you can add more if you like.

Out of the oven to cool completely
The crusty top with melted cheese and green chiles
Wrap the cooled loaf in a slightly dampened kitchen towel for a few hours.
Cut the loaf in thin slices
Ready for butter and any other topping you choose.

RECIPE

Santa Fe-Style Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 1 cup blue corn meal (yellow or white will work if you can’t find blue)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon powdered gluten
  • 4 ounces canned, chopped green chiles, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup grated cheese (Swiss, Cheddar, Monterey jack, or asadero)
  • 2 cups buttermilk

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: whole-wheat flour, corn meal, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and gluten.
  2. Stir in the green chiles and grated cheese. Then stir in the buttermilk and mix until well-combined and the dough has begun to come together.
  3. Turn the dough out on a well-floured work surface. Knead for only a minute or two to bring everything together. If the dough is a little sticky, sprinkle sparingly with more flour and fold in.
  4. Shape the dough into a round and place it in a heavily buttered 8-inch cake pan. With a sharp knife, cut a ½-inch deep X in the top of the loaf.
  5. Bake in the middle of an oven preheated to 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until it is lightly browned and sounds like a drum when thumped on the bottom with a knuckle.
  6. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
  7. Wrap loosely in a barely damp clean kitchen towel for 6 hours. This will help the loaf to firm up so that it can be cut more easily.
  8. For serving, cut very thin slices and serve with soft butter. Jam or other toppings your option.

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March 20, 2015 · 5:00 pm

ALCATRAZ AND AI WEI WEI

I had meant to post something on Saint Patrick’s Day – for certain NOT corned beef and cabbage, but maybe something about Irish soda bread. But we were traveling back from San Francisco, and then my friend and fellow blogger, Jim Hastings, the Gringo Gourmet, wrote about his mother’s recipe for soda bread.  I still haven’t given up on a southwestern version of soda bread, but I’ve been so busy since we got home that I haven’t had time to cook, and anyway I am once again on a diet. Susan assures me that the reason I can’t lose any weight is that I wind up eating whatever it is that I’ve cooked for my blog postings.

So, needing something to write about, I thought of our trip the other day to Alcatraz. I couldn’t think of any prison food to go with the text, especially anything that would interest folks who like to read about food. That’s the reason that this is just a travelogue.

If you have never been to Alcatraz during a visit to San Francisco, it is something that you should do. Be advised that same-day tickets are usually impossible to get, so you should make reservations ahead. The ferry leaves Pier 33 about every half hour during the day, and  takes about 15 minutes. You should plan at least 2 hours on “the Rock” before you catch the return boat. You may also be able to plan your trip around a meal at the nearby Fog City Diner.

Alcatraz – “The Rock”
View of the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco skyline
View from the ferry of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headland

A special feature right now  through part of April is an exhibit of the work of Ai Wei Wei, the dissident Chinese artist who has spent much of his life in a Chinese prisons. It seems appropriate that Alcatraz is the site of the exhibit.

A centerpiece of the exhibition is a massive Chinese dragon that stretches surely over a hundred feet in one of the main exhibit halls – part of the old Laundry Building. Another of the key displays includes portraits of political prisoners from throughout the world. The portraits are arranged across the floor reminiscent of the AIDS quilt. The most amazing thing about the portraits is that they are all made of Legos carefully pieced together but with remarkable detail.

Visitors admiring the Chinese dragon
Dragon panels
Detail from the dragon.
Dragon head
An intricate kite
View through a broken window pane of the display of Lego portraits of political prisoners

Alcatraz is pretty much a ruin. It was a military prison for many decades before it became the federal high-security prison. Then it was abandoned on  March 21, 1963. 1963. It was briefly occupied in 1964 by a small group of Sioux Indians. Then, from 1969 to 1971 it was occupied by a group known as Indians of All Tribes. Subsequently it has just sat, crumbling into ruins. Now the place is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and many of the buildings are being restored. Still, the ruins are very interesting and also very photogenic. One could easily spend many hours with a camera.

Ruins of the Officers’ Club
View of one of the buildings in the Powerhouse complex
Another view of the abandoned powerhouse and the chimney
The Model Industries Building where prisoners worked on various manufacturing projects

At the very top of the hill sits the main cell block. The cells remain intact, and there are a few furnished to show the not-so-luxurious accommodations.  One stop on the tour is the dining hall along with the accompanying kitchen. The breakfast menu for the closing day is still posted on the wall. It includes choice of cereal, juice, coffee, fruit, eggs, and breakfast meat. Sounds ok, but my guess is that it was slung out of the kitchen where outlines of the terrifying knives used by the cooks still cover the walls.

Cell in the Main Cellhouse
San Francisco – so close and yet so far.

It is not for nothing that Alcatraz is nicknamed “the Rock”. That’s all that it was until soil was brought in to  make it a more pleasant place to live for the families of the guards and other prison employees. Now there are lots of flowers around the grounds, but they are all invasive species, and there are no native plants.

Flowers everywhere. Chain-link fences everywhere. Hard rock everywhere.
One of the many beautiful flowering plants, all of them invasive

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March 14, 2015 · 1:52 pm

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD – PLEASE

When our kids were growing up, I sometimes fussed at them at the dinner table, “Don’t play with your food!” That was usually when they didn’t want to eat the broccoli and so moved it back and forth on the plate.

We’ve been in the Bay Area (again) for the last several days. As usual, that has given us the opportunity to eat out a lot, as well as to do some cooking for our family. What I have taken away from all of this is that you want professional chefs to be creative while – even if the cook wants to experiment – home meals suggest not so much.

One night I made bucatini all’Amatriciana for my son’s family including 7- and 9-year old girls. The recipe was from Diane Darrow’s wonderful Italian cookbook, La Tavola Italia. I knew it was delicious because I had made it before. I also knew that the girls preferred very little to no tomato sauce, so I cut back on the tomatoes. At the same time, they both insisted that they loved pasta, so I felt reassured. When the dish arrived at the table (delicious, I might add) they both recoiled in horror. Bucatini was not pasta to them, and so they wound up eating something else.

The next experience was at a wonderful bistro, Cuisinett, in one of the towns of Silicon Valley. It is run by two French ex-pats, one of them a classically trained chef who simply grew tired of cooking in white-linen-tablecloth restaurants. The two owners take pride in offering French comfort food along with a big selection of French wines by the glass. They usually have croque monsieur on the lunch menu, but the day we visited, they did not. The waitress said that they did not have the appropriate ingredients. Instead, they had what they called a French-style grilled cheese sandwich. It turned out to be thick slices of crunchy French bread filled and topped with melted Brie. Lamb merguez on a bun was slathered with mustard. Salmon was served with a sauce Provencal. Delicious and creative! That’s what I call playing with your food.

French-style grilled cheese sandwich
Lamb merguez sandwich
Salmon with Sauce Provencal

Finally, we ate one evening at Rich Table. Everything was excellent, and everything was a play on old standards: the “carrot cake” was deconstructed and unlike any carrot cake I had ever tasted, topped with a carrot ribbon turned into fruit leather; the New York strip steak was topped with broccoli chimichurri , shaved crispy caramelized onions, and coriander flowers; their signature chocolate sable came with drops of chocolate ganache that looked like Hershey kisses; chicken liver mouse served on plancha bread with fruit preserves and micro greens did not taste like my mother’s chopped chicken livers; avocado and trout roe was delicious; sea urchin was almost too beautiful to eat. But perhaps the most creative dish was the “fish and chips”. The fish was a creamy brandade de morue made with cod and potato and seasoned beautifully. The chips were kale, but not your usual kale chips. The kale had been lightly steamed, then pureed and mixed with a tapioca binder, dehydrated on parchment, and seasoned with a dried malt-vinegar powder to capture all of the flavors of traditional English fish and chips. That I call playing with your food – all with a special outcome.

Fish and chips
Chicken liver mousse on plancha bread, fruit jam, micro greens
Sea urchin, brown rice, buttermilk
Avocado, onion jam, radishes, and trout roe
New York strip steak with broccoli chimichurri, crisp onions and coriander flowers
Deconstructed carrot cake with passion fruit

I think that all of this is well beyond my skills, but for the home cook, regular kale chips and brandade would likely be a delicious and worthwhile substitute.

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