Archive for July, 2006
This is a new dish I concocted the other night. I took wild Dover Sole, rolled it and then steamed it (over boiling water, nothing more).
Then I took a tablespoon of butter and sauteed a finely chopped torpedo onion until soft and translucent (not browned). Next I added the leaves from my basket of little squash blossoms and sauteed another 2-3 minutes until the leaves were completely wilted. I took the whole mixture and added to a food processor with about 3/4 cup of cream. Once blended together I put back into a sauce pan and brought to a simmer over low heat.
Finally, I fried the rest of my blossoms whole (minus the stamen in the center which I removed) in a small pot of grapeseed oil.
To plate, I spooned a dollop of my puree into the center of a large, warmed plate. I carefully placed my rolled Dover Sole on top and then spooned more of the sauce on top and around the fish. I garnished with the baby fried squash blossoms. I found this to be a very tasty dish–since the sole is not heavily seasoned you can really taste the freshness of the fish itself–and I love the presentation. This will definitely have a place on my dinner party menus.
-James
July 23rd, 2006
This is a dish I recently experimented with and it turned out great. In fact, it will likely go onto this Saturday’s dinner menu at CookWithJames. You start out by taking a bunch of goat cheese and combining it with milk and chopped sage and thyme (this becomes the filling for the tortelloni).
Then you make your pasta dough, roll it out to the thinnest setting, cut, add the goat cheese and form the tortelloni shape.
Then you take a bunch of orange zest and cut into strips. Dry it out in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Then I add it to a sautee pan of melted butter, orange zest, fennel fronds and some of the pasta water to create an emulsification. Beautiful and simple.
Full recipe coming soon.
July 14th, 2006
We put together an extensive menu for our guests, as always based on seasonal and organic ingredients. I started out with champagne, roasted cashews with Kaffir lime leaves (Kaffir lime leaves are divine), and wok-seared Pimientos del Padron.
I just so happened to find Kaffir lime leaves at the Greek market at 22nd and Irving in San Francisco. I chopped them very finely and added to the roasted cashews. Delicious.
First course was the Gioia Burrata cheese with roasted beets and water cress.
I added a bit of fleur de sal, olive oil and balsamic to round out this plate. Next I served my own version of sweet tomatoe summer gazpacho. I took several pounds of cherry tomatoes and pureed them in a food processor with olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of red wine vinegar. Next I strained them and refrigerated to cool. Perfect for the summer and very healthy!
For our third course I served my famous pasta puttanesca with Spanish olives, currants, pine nuts and capers (recipe coming soon). Here is my puttanesca under-way…
The main course consisted of braised short-ribs from the Vitellone or young calf. The calf came from a humane farm in Oregon called Knee Deep Cattle Company. The flavor was incredible. I served the short-ribs with some braised oxtails, yellow fin mashed potatoes, broccoli di cecco (wok-seared with garlic and hot peppers, Roman style) and some sweet corn cooked in the fireplace and seasoned with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Dessert was of course cheese (including some amazing goat cheese from Spain) and a Spanish dessert called Turron Yema Tostada. I paired this with some Black Mission Figs and a bit of honey and freshly made whipped cream. Check out all the photos here.
July 13th, 2006
Here’s a favorite simple dish of mine. Works for lunch or dinner. Assemble the following ingredients:
Wild King Salmon, Fresh Snap Peas or Broccoli Rabe, Tagliatelle noodles (hand-made or high quality store-bought), Red Pepper Flakes, Clove of Garlic, Salt, Extra Virgen Olive Oil.
Take your clove of garlic and slice into several thin pieces. Heat a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and a tablespoon of red pepper flakes. Sautee for 1-2 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is soft, not brown. Then add your chopped up broccoli or snap peas and sautee until tender (4-8 minutes). Set aside and keep warm.
Season your King Salmon with sea salt and olive oil and either grill outdoors or on a grill pan on the stove. Cook to your desired doneness (this is just a simple grill).
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add your tagliatelle. Cook until al dente. Next add your pasta and a tablespoon of the pasta water to your sautee pan with the vegetables. Toss the pasta over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes and combine well with the other ingredients. When finished place your pasta and vegetables on a plate and lay the grilled salmon over the top.
Buon appetito!
July 13th, 2006
This time, our good friend Sara from Cadiz, SPAIN returned and also brought her friend Alvaro from Madrid. They enjoyed authentic Pimientos del Padron thanks to Mariquita Farms.
We also served a roasted beets salad, squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese over a puree of tomato gazpacho. In fact, the tomato puree was so delicious that everyone asked for more and so I served the remainder in espresso cups (above).
For the main course it was braised beef short ribs with house-made tagliatelle noodles and Fairview Farms French beans. The ribs were exceptionally succulent. I shall definitely return to Prather Ranch for more of these wonderful Vitellone short ribs. They hail from a farm in Oregon called Knee Deep Ranch.
Buon appetito!
July 8th, 2006
