friday22feb13: parmesan potato gnocci, truffle oil, catch of the day

This week the recipe comes from my amigo Diego, fellow chef. We'll be experimenting with the dish over the next few days in Mangawhai, in a great kitchen at my mother's farm. Basically, the way Diego just described it, sounds pretty damn good, a definite dinnerbox contender.

Potato gnocci with a simple truffle oil dressing, shaved parmesan, he's hoping to catch some snapper to have with it, me I've brought lamb, & we'll find some greens at the market. It may change a little by Friday, but thats the fun part.

til then...

Your part is simple: get in touch by thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.

Drop-offs from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.

To order, contact me by txt or email:

txt: 021 676 123

email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)

& I’ll confirm your order when received.

talk to you soon…

cheers - Pablo

recipe: beef & mushroom pie

There's something about a pie...could it be our national dish? This week's beef & mushroom pie, my version. I've decided I really do like the pastry lid option, having bought some good sized pie dishes a little while ago for the purpose. Puff pastry rolled & cut out for the lids, brushed with egg-wash, baked golden, couldn't be a more simple matter.

In many ways the pie this week is classical in method, a simple process but one which requires care & attention to detail to get the most out of each component to the dish. Classical method aside however, a touch of my own is the use of Javanese comet tail peppercorns & Balinese long peppers, ground in the mortar & pestle.

Parts to the dish:

1) the jus/sauce/gravy 2) the filling 3) the pastry

& then you put 'em all together = pie

Ingredients: the Jus:

beef stock 1l

onion/garlic/butter/

tomato paste/marsala/cornflour

mushrooms button flat shitake oyster, for me, but whatever is local is worth a look

loose quantites, a splash here & there a spoonful there, as long as the result is a rich & slightly thickened glossy smooth sauce

Method:

*start with a litre of hot beef stock, following this recipe (archives August 2011 'Kitchen Basics')

*separately in a small bowl or glass, mix a little stock with a heaped spoonful of cornflour til smooth; 

*in a saucepan, saute an onion & a few wegdes of garlic, season, then add a dollop of tomato paste;

*let the tomato cook out a little, then add a splash of marsala to deglaze the pan, forming a paste;

*add a little hot stock, & gradually more, stirring in & making sure there are no lumps!

*add the stock thickened with cornflour & stir in, then simmer gently to cook out the flour.

>in case of emergency, the sauce can be passed through a sieve to remove lumpy bits & if it gets too thick, just add a splash or two of water. Otherwise, the sauce will quite happily simmer away, reducing gradually, until needed)

*once the sauce is simmering nicely away, I add my chopped mushrooms: lots & lots & lots

Ingredients: the Filling:

1 each carrot/onion/celery stick/baby leek, chopped evenly & small

a bay leaf/some sprigs of thyme/peppercorns

beef fillet, cut into tornedos/steaks

Method:

*element on 50% heat, warm the pan, lid near by...sweat the chopped veg in butter, salt;

*cover & allow to soften, 5-10 minutes;

"meanwhile, on another element heat a fry pan til smoking hot;

*dice the beef fillet into small pieces, season & toss with oil;

*when the pan is hot add the died beef, in batches, not too much at a time;

combine diced beef with vegetables & correct seasoning to taste;

*pour hot sauce over the meat mixture 

>don't constantly move or shake the pan, just allow the meat to brown quickly on the outside, & toss

   

Ingredients: Puff Pastry:

butter/flour/water

Method: 

this will be the subject of a 'Kitchen Basics' post later this week...

having made that comment, there are some good packet options in the supermarket freezers, but nothing beats making your own in my opinion.

Assembling the pie involves:

* rolling out the pastry to an even thickness, not too thin, cutting rings out of the pastry, 

*applying eggwash to the underside which, layen over the dish to form the lid & pressed closed, 

*put into a hot oven, approximately 220° or something close

>when in the oven,the egg on the underside will act like an adhesive between pastry & crockery pie dish  - glue in other words, where as the egg brushed on the top of the pastry will go a lovely golden brown

>you may notice the oven temperature in my photos is lower than 220°; on but this is because my oven burns too hot. With any luck the pastry lid will be sealed & as the gravy heats up inside it will start to steam, quickly cooking he beef

Wearing the hat of chief QC officer & Taste Tester, I snuck into the garden to scoff at a discrete moment, only to be caught red handed - Watties Tomato Sauce? How did that get there!

fri15feb2013: peppered beef & mushroom pie

cook-a-cow, continued 

this week's cut: eye fillet/tenderloin

#'1: the eye fillet/tenderloin is cut from the loin, is the beef cut of the highest quality, with a price per kilo to match. Sitting under the ribs, next to the backbone, this muscle does very little work & is the most tender part of the animal as a result. Faster cooking methods such as grilling & frying suit the fillet. 

 

While these lovely long summer days keep coming, the slightest of chills has begun to sneak into the night air. I felt it for the first time the other night, in my mind the cry 'nooooooooooo' & then I  thought: it's time for a pie. 

In a dish, pie crust on top? pastry top & pastry bottom? Not sure yet. What I can say is that there will be beef, it will be beef eye fillet, there will be mushrooms, perhaps other vegetables too, there will be gravy (how could there not be!) & then of course there'll be pastry. Golden, flakey, delicious pastry. Puff.

Looking after the player's meals at the recent ASB & Heineken Tennis Opens here in Auckland, I had plenty of opportunity to practice the cookery of this cut, both as whole fillets & cut into steaks. Using off cuts & left overs I came up with a classically simple little mix that started with a slow cooked mire-poix of vegetables, adding to this mushrooms & a beef jus. I separately flashed a dice of seasoned fillet, adding this to the wet mix. It was really tasty. A pastry lid over the top & that's what I call a pie worthy of fridaynightdinnerbox. 

A paragraph all to itself? Why not. Along with the peppered beef & mushroom pie, mention must be made of the veg & salad which, as always, is part of dinner. Potatoes, most probably mashed, & a salad of greens & sprouts & seeds & things.

Your part is simple: get in touch by thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.

Drop-offs from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.

To order, contact me by txt or email:

txt: 021 676 123

email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)

& I’ll confirm your order when received.
talk to you soon…

 'Sausage John' English butcher in Gourdon, S/W France, cutting a single t-bone steak for a customer (me)

recipe: jambalaya, prawntails&pepperoni

The beauty of this dish is that it is so easy & fast to cook, the only real work involved is making sure all the components to the dish are prepared & stored waiting in the fridge. The three steps for this dish:

> in the rice cooker, brown rice cooked > prep the veg, the meat, the sauce > bring it all together

Ingredients: the rice:

1 cup brown rice

2 1/2 cups liquid - stock &/or H2O

Method:

*if you have a rice cooker you are in good company. If not, follow the instructions on the packet & buy a rice cooker!

Ingredients: Vegetables:

olive oil & butter

capsicums x4

garlic/onions x4

a few sprigs of thyme/2 bay leaves

Method:

*set the oven to 220 C

*rub oil over the capsicums & set on the oven rack

*slice onions/garlic, cook in olive oil & butter, & the herbs, covered in the oven 30 minutes or until beginning to caramelise, this completes their cooking

*when the peppers are blackening, remove from the oven & put in a bowl covered with gladwrap/

*the skin of the peppers will loosen & can easily be peeled from the flesh, after which slice into strips

 

Ingredients: Proscuito/Prawn/Pepperoni

*the prawn tails re rinsed under cold water to thaw, then kept in the fridge til ready

*sausage is sliced on the slant into thin pieces

*proscuito is rolled up & sliced into thin strips which then unravel

Ingredients: Coriander Cream:

1Tsp coriander seeds mortar & pestle, with 1tsp white pepper corns

300ml cream

Method:

*infuse together in a saucepan over a low heat til reduced by 1/2

Bringing it all together:

*in a hot pan, a little olive oil, a few strands of saffron to infuse

*meanwhile, in a bowl on the side place some caramelised onion & roast capsicum strips

*flash the pepperoni slices, tossing them occasionally, then remove & add to the bowl

*same pan, toss the prawns with a little bruised garlic, till they turn pink, salt, taste test, add to the bowl

* same pan, add the cooked rice, toss before adding a little coriander cream, add to the bowl

*sprinkle some chopped herbs over the mixture in the bowl, tossing all once or twice

*ready to serve 

fri08feb2013: jambalaya, prawntails&pepperoni

...& peppers, yellow & red, roasted slowly, peeled & tossed as strips alongside caramelised onion & grilled pepperoni sausage. As a base, my Jambalaya will be made using brown rice this time.

As a fridaynightdinnerbox favourite, this dish reappears from time to time. I've used different rices, bulghur wheat & couscous as a base, brown rice with its nutty flavour & extra body is my first choice, & what I plan to use for this week's jambalaya. Together with pepperoni will be khulen, a Croation spicy dried sausage, similar to Italian chorizo or Hungarian csabai. &, of course, prawn tails. Saffron cream sauce binds the dish, a coriander mint & lemon gremolata sprinkle on top.

Your part is simple: get in touch by thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.

Drop-offs from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.

To order, contact me by txt or email:

txt: 021 676 123

email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)

& I’ll confirm your order when received.

talk to you soon…

cheers - Pablo

recipe: chicken parmigiana, with saltimbocca potatoes & red cabbage summer coleslaw

A classic Italian dish, Chicken Parmigiana is another old favourite of mine. This version is similar to that on chef Kurt Sampson's menu at the Windsor Castle, a gastro pub in Melbourne a few years back. An essential item appearing on every Melbourne menu, competition is fierce for where to get the best & reputations are garnered by those known for cooking a quality Chicken Parmigiana. Prepping for a regular weekend at the Windsor over the summer months, knowing the garden bar will be cranking, part of my Friday mis-en-plus included the butchering batoning & crumbing of 120 breasts, sometimes more. Either way, I'd often find myself running out late Sunday arvo.

It is important to be aware that not all Chicken Parmigianas are created equal. I am often asked to hold cooking classes & Chicken Parmigiana is a popular dish that students often choose to learn. As for myself, I can never resist to give it a try when I get the chance & have ordered it off menus in establishments ranging from a truck stop diner in outback WA; a tourist restaurant in Pisa, Italy; a municipal albergue in Estella, Nth Spain, along the Camino de Santiago;  I've even dined on Chicken Parmigiana during an overnight ferry crossing from Ostend to Dover, many years ago. Easily adapted to different types of occasions, this is just as suitable a dish to serve in the garden bar of a Melbourne pub as in a fancy Italian restaurant. I laughed when I watched the movie Mr Deeds, with Adam Sandler, in which he plays a character who unexpectedly inherits 80 billion dollars &, in a scene where he is trying his best to impress his date, played by Winona Ryder, having made reservations at New York's finest establishment, what is the dish he orders them both for dinner? Chicken Parmigiana! So, it follows, that there are many versions of Chicken Parmigiana.

It's a great dish for dinner at home & preparing it is a simple matter of following just a few easy steps. There are three main points of difference in preparing this version of Chicken Parmigiana that I'd like to draw attention to. Firstly, preparing the breast itself; secondly, details in making the sauce; thirdly, the replacement of wheat based ingredients with gluten free alternatives. 

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce:

olive oil/butter

garlic/onion/tomatoes

tomato puree  

thyme/s'n'p

Method: Tomato Sauce

*an onion, whole garlic, whole tomatoes & a squeeze of tomato puree in a covered pan with olive oil

*pan roast in the oven til just starting to caramelize

*peel & scoop seeds out, blitz together (stick blender works for me here) 

Ingredients: Saltimbocca Potatoes:

gormet potatoes, jersey benneies, pearlas, agrias all work well

whole fresh sage leaves/strips of streaky bacon or proscuito, one per potatio

olive oil, s'n'p

toothpicks

     

Method: Saltimbocca Potatoes

*3 or 4 per person, same size, clean & wash potatoes

* peel a strip of skin around the middle of each potato, drop into pot of boiling water & cook til the hardness is just giving way to being cooked - about 2/3 cooked

*remove from water, wrap each with a sage leaf, then again with bacon or proscuito, securing with a tooth pick

*in a hot pan with olive oil, toss the potatoes gently to brown, season, then into the oven for 5-10 minutes

*serve immediately

Ingredients: Chicken Parmigiana:

chicken breast -1 whole, skinned

chicpea flour/milk&egg/ gluten free bread crumbs -a cup of each

glad wrap

enough tomato sauce/parmesan cheese to cover the breast generously

 Method:Chicken Parmigiana:

* remove breast from chicken frame

*place the breast between two sheets of glad wrap & with a flat object, the bottom of a fry pan works if you dont have a meat tenderising hammer, baton flat a little, so its all even

^in seasoned flour, then egg, then crumbs coat the flattened chicken breast

*pan fry on one side, turn, season

*cover  fillet with tomato sauce, then with cheese

*place in hot oven, 5-10 mins, til the cheese starts to brown

Ingredients: Coleslaw:

red cabbage/bok choy/spinach/spring onions, cut to a fine chiffonade

carrot/celery, cut to a fine julienne

pumpkin&sesame seeds/almond&walnut pieces, toasted

alfalfa shoots

to dress, a light mayonnaise or, in this case, a honey vinaigrette  

 

Method: Coleslaw:

*in a bowl, combine all the ingredients in turn, tossing together & dressing only at the last moment

Vegetarians! substituting a nice slice of aubergine for the chicken works here, following the exact same proceedure, to give you Milanzano Parmigiano, equally as famous, not to mention equally as delicious. I even used some of the left over cooked gormet potatoes, cut them into discs, tomato'n'cheesed them & grilled myself some little Baby Potato Parimgianas, little canape style bite-sized mouthfuls for when I was cleaning the kitchen down afterwards. Delicioso!

-ciao!

fri01feb2013: chicken parmigiana, saltimbocca potato, red summer slaw

This week's fridaynightdinnerbox dish, Chicken Parmigiana, basically crumbed breast meets tomato & cheese gratin, served alongside saltimbocca potatoes,  little baby ones wrapped in sage & proscuito, brushed with olive oil & garlic, then pan roasted. There'll be some chutney for the potatoes & a coleslaw style salad.

Your part is simple: get in touch by thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.

Drop-offs from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.

To order, contact me by txt or email:

txt: 021 676 123

email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)

& I’ll confirm your order when received.

talk to you soon…

cheers - Pablo

recipe: risotto, goat's cheese & proscuito

fridaynightdinnerbox 

main item + accompaniment + salad = three noodle boxes; a meal in three parts

The idea is simple enough, the meal packed in carry bags, paper towels for wiping fingers, no dishes required, dropped at your door on Friday afternoon to take the hassle of coming home to cook dinner, just pick up a bottle of vino on the way home, choose a good movie, & curl up on the couch. Job done.

In sitting down to type up the recipe, I thought I'd write about this aspect of fridaynightdinnerbox, the make-up I mean, because a lot of thought goes into choosing three items that can be regarded as separate dishes which also work in combination. Also, this week's combination was particularly good, so deserved mention because it was so tasty. The main item I like to serve plain, in this case the risotto. Delicious on its own anyway, the other ingredients are there to be added as required. The result is still a meal of your own making, but all the pieces are there for you to simply reheat & bring together the way you like them.

By way of constructing a dish descriptor then, this week's fridaynightdinnerbox contained:

#1) plain risotto, made with onions & garlic, thyme, white wine & chicken stock

#2) goat's cheese & roasted garlic potatoes (hasselbach), spring onions, proscuito, cranberries

#3) salad of mixed lettuce, toasted pumpkin & sesame seeds, lemon zest & cracked peppercorns

While I ate my salad separately, I did pick out the baby spinach leaves & add some toasted pinenuts to my risotto, just cos I could, though in theory, all three boxes could be mixed together, the hot creamy texture & flavour of the rice, sweet meaty proscuito & salty goast's cheese, the crunch of toasted seeds & the bitter green of salad leaves, with the slight zing of lemon at the end. Just think about that for a moment. Imagine all those flavours & textures & colours one by one & side by side, in your mouth, as you munch...nice aye?

While combination ingredients for both accompanying dishes is simple enough, I mean you add more of the things you like, less of those you don't, the hasselbach potatoes do need a little instruction & the risotto, although simple, requires attention to make sure it comes out just right. 

Ingredients: Hasselbach potatoes:

agria (roasting) potatoes, 
garlic, salt, olive oil

Method:

*set oven to 220

*crush garlic & infuse with olive oil, warmed for a few minutes for example

*whole baby potatoes or slice in 1/2, cutting it a thinly ridged back, as with garlic bread

*liberally brush the potatoes with garlic oil, separating the cuts where possible & season

*roast for 15 minutes, then give the pan  shake & rebrush oil everywhere, putting back into the oven for more roasting, timing will depend on size, but keep an eye on them, they are ready when golden brown outside & soft & steamy inside

-I broke these down further once roasted & tossed with baby spinach, together with the chevre & proscuito, which in turn was combined with the risotto, a splash of cream, lemon; yummy

Ingredients: Risotto:

aborio rice 

garlic/onion

butter/olive oil

thyme/bay/salt

white wine/chicken stock

Method:

*bring white wine & chicken stock to the boil, reduce to a simmer

*sweat the onions & garlic in olive oil & butter, thyme & bay, be generous with your oil

*add the rice, stir until the rice goes a little translucent, give it a cpl of minutes

*pour in a cupful of simmering stock/wine, & stir the rice

*when it's absorbed, repeat the process, until whats left is a creamy, separating type rice

*make sure the rice is al dente firm to the bite

From here, at home, I like to throw together a sauce then combine the risotto, cooked blanc & left in the fridge. It's a quick dinner. For me, the quality of the risotto is all important.  If the plain old risotto is actually amazing all by itself, well that's the place to start, isn't it?.

fri25jan: risotto, goat's cheese with proscuito

This week's fridaynightdinnerbox dish, a risotto, with two of my favourite ingredients, proscuito & goat's cheese. The addition of parmesan, definitely, a little fresh parsley & mint, a squeeze of lemon. Broad beans would be nice, or peas, have to wait & see what turns up at market before making that call.

On the side, one of my favourite vegetable dishes: hasselbach's potatoes, some sauteed spinach >spinaci saltati, & roast red capsicum also, with a light vinaigrette.

Your part is simple: get in touch by thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.

Drop-offs from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.

To order, contact me by txt or email:

txt: 021 676 123

email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)

& I’ll confirm your order when received.

talk to you soon…

cheers - Pablo

recipe: chicken onion & olive pie

Beginning stage, when the dish takes form, a gathering of ideas, stream of consciousness:

Ok, if I relax & let my thoughts roam with the idea of,,,home. An overgrown garden>fruit trees full of yellow plums yellow honey flavoured apricots quince apples figs lemons>yellow flowers>bees>sun>long grass>hot muggy days & warm nights>the beach>the surf>sand between toes>pohutakawas>cold beers...

Focus on the food! The food! ...crisp fresh simple hearty is what I want.

Starting point then, the veg: yellow & red & green are the colours of summer>carrot ribbons, curly corn on the cob, broccoli spears, asparagus discs...butter lemon salt & black pepper, blanched & tossed>shape flavour colour texture contrasts>veg sorted.

Hero of the dish: chicken. Slow cooked, initially covered & cooked as a braise, then finished uncovered to brown>caramelised onions>saltiness from olives...with...hmmm the Marabella the other week was pretty tasty...on a bed of onions with prunes & capers, olives, & a glass of white wine, bay & pepper, a splash of pomegranate molasses if you have it, & I'm adding a spoonful of quince paste, just cause I can.

So then, a chicken braised in its marinade, finished uncovered to caramelise>chicken sorted.

Pastry. Now I come to think of it, yes: absolutely.

A pastry lid over  proper pie dish>crimped whole>lattice cut>cooked with a pastry base>possible to finish cooking in oven at home say 15mins>think dishes>think bother factor>pie in a dish better>oven 5-10 mins o heat thru enough>chicken pie sorted.

Salad to start/finish/combine: something green & crisp>spinach, baby spinach, whole leaves>alfa sprouts>zest & segments of tangelo>juice to dress & olive oil>almonds toasted>salad sorted,

....

yea, that works for me.

For cookery of the chicken, refer to my earlier fridaynightdinnerbox recipe for Chicken Marbella, as I took the Marbella idea & cooked a very similar chicken this time around too.

Ingredients: the chicken

1 whole chicken, quartered, on the bone

2 onions/a carrot/3 or 4 garlic cloves

1 lemon, cut in half/handful of olives/capers/prunes

dollop of quince paste & a drizzle of pomegranate molasses

a glass of white wine & a pinch of salt

method:

*put all in a casserole dish, marinate for 2 hours/overnight

*set oven to 220°

*cover with foil & braise the chicken for 30 minutes

*lower oven to 180°

*uncover (discard foil), sit the casserole on a lower oven shelf , cook another 20-30 minutes

keeping an eye on the chicken to see it doesn't burn or dry out

*eat as is, Marbella style, or allow to cool before ripping the chicken from the bone, discarding the bones & the lemon

* what remains is mixed together & ready to be used as pie filling.

Ingredients: the pastry: rough puff

500g flour/500g cold butter/350ml iced water/pinch salt

Method:

*chop the butter in small cubes & place in a large mixing bowl with the flour & pinch of salt

*rub in for a moment or so, just to take the corners off really

*make a well in the middle, add the water, combine gently, without kneading

*roll out to a rectangle shape, roughly - it will be chunky & lumpy still, thats fine

*fold pastry rectangle into three, turn 90 clockwise, roll out again

*repeat twice more & rest the pastry for 1/2 an hour

*then repeat that stage another 2 times 

*rolled, folded & turned x3 in all, with a rest between each time

*this is called 3x3 book turns & creates layers of pastry which rise in the cooking stage.

*check out the link for more detail on making puff pastry, slightly different (mines a cheat)

Ingredients: assembling the pie

pastry/chicken filling

eggwash- 1egg & splash milk beaten in a cup with a fork

Method:

*roll out the pastry, not too thin, for the lids

*I experimented with different sizes & pastry lid types, whatever works for you is best, for me I chose  large round ramekin type dish & a flat lid, which I decorated with pastry bird cutout

*brush pasty disc cutouts with eggwash & the underside edge, then lay over pie dish (filled already)

*crimp or pinch the edges, the eggwash is like glue & creates a seal when baking

*bake at 200° for 15-20 minutes, pastry should be golden

In a bowl, steamed summer vegetables, crunchy, bursting & with flavour. Rip off the flakey pie lid & all the sweet wet loveliness of the chicken onions prunes & olives comes wafting out...was that.the sound of a cold beer being opened somewhere in the background??