Salmon Tartare

Salmon Tartar

½ pound sashimi grade salmon (belly if possible)
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Lemon zest and juice (1 lemon)
Black Pepper
Capers
Sambal
Serrano chili deseeded fine dice
Chives
Salmon Roe
Shallot
Salt


The key to good tartar is the texture of the protein you are using. Too large of a dice and the mouth feel is all wrong – chunky not silky smooth. Then again using a food processor will turn the flesh gummy and sticky. Take your time when dicing the salmon use a very sharp knife and make long thin strips across the fatty grain of the flesh and then turn to make small almost bruinoise like (small ¼ inch dice).
Place diced salmon in a chilled stainless steel or glass bowl and add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and pepper (hold off on the salt for now). Place in fridge for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

While salmon is resting in the refrigerator prepare condiments and place in a bowl:
Lightly chop 1 tablespoon capers
Dice Chili
Chop Chives
Dice Shallot (small dice)
½ teaspoon sambal
Mix all together

Remove salmon from refrigerator and add above mixture and add salt to taste. Mix in one tablespoon of the salmon row and mix gently. Use ring mold to plate and top with remaining salmon row. Serve with a small smear of crème fraiche on the plate so guests may take as little or as much as they like to mix into each bit of tartar.

Char Siu (a sino porcine experiment)

The first thing you will find as you research this dish on the web and in cookbooks is that this dish is impossible to duplicate at home. Well I for one saw that as a challenge. Can't duplicate at home my ass.........well as much as I hate to spoil the outcome for you I have to say most of those cautionary tales were correct......it is impossible to completely duplicate the sweet, salty, sticky deliciousness that is char siu but you can get pretty damn close.

I found two of the biggest challenges were the cooking technique and one elusive ingredient called maltose. The cooking technique that is normally employed in Chinese restaraunts that make their own char siu (you know the ones I am talking about that have red glistening pieces of pork and whole ducks haning in the window) is done in a large oven in which you hang the pieces of meat or fowl. Most home ovens of course are not large enought to allow you to hang meat in this manner. Most recipes suggest that you lay your pieces of meat on a racked baking sheet. While this will give you a decent finished product it does fall a bit short. I employed a gas grill and wood chips for smokiness and I came up with a pretty good appoximatuion of the Char Siu I have had in Chinese eateries.

Char Siu

5 pounds pork butt trimmed of fat and cut into 3 equal pieces slicing with the grain.

Marinade:

1/2 cup honey

2-1/2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon five-spice powder

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 ounce (about 1 cube) wet bean curd (see note)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 teaspoon red food coloring

Marinate pork pieces overnight or up to 48 hours. Remove from marinade and truss into cylindrical shapes (see picture above). Soak wood ships for 30 minutes and preheat grill on high. Place disposable aluminum pan under one side of grill grate to catch the fat from the meat. If three burners turn of the 2 closest to drip pan and leave the third on high. Place meat away from high flame and near cool side. Monitor heat (should stay around 250 F) until pork is cooked through - 2 hours or so. Remove prok let cool and remove string and slice thinly serve with steamed rice and a cool cucumber salad.

Note: Wet bean curd is fermented tofu sometimes call Chinese Cheese. Can be found in most asian makrets. Has strong flavor not unlike ripe blue cheese.

Bleu Cheese and Garlic Hamburgers

American fast food chains have done more to lower the culinary level of the hamburger than any other food. I don't care if you pan fry your burger in a cast iron skillet or if you grill your burger on a wood or gas BBQ but please oh please follow a couple of simple rules.

1. Grind your own meat or find a butcher that will grind your choice of cuts for you on the spot (only if you plan to use it that day).

2. Don't muck it up with a bunch of "stuff" mixed in with the meat. Such as breadcrumbs, eggs or other ingredients that mask the real beef flavor....after all that is what we are after - the umami that is beef.

Recipe:

Makes 4 1/2 pound burgers

1 pound chuck steak and 1 pound sirloin steak (ideally you want about 15% fat)Cut steaks into cubes and feed into meat grinder (I have an old fashioned hand crank model). Put a chilled stainless steel bowl under the output area and when finished grinding place bowl in fridge (uncovered) until ready for use.

To add to burger mix:

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

4 garlic Cloves put thru garlic press

Salt and Pepper

Burger toppings: (these are up to your taste and this is a recipe for bleu cheese and garlic but take the basic burger mix and use it as you like).

Sliced good quality dill pickle

2 Hard boiled eggs sliced

1 head of garlic roasted for 1 hour and made into a paste with a little olive oil

Bleu Cheese - I used a nice Stilton for this recipe

1 thinly sliced Shallot or red onion

2 sliced Roma tomatoes

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Ketchup

Prepare grill on high for 15 minutes and clean grill grates. Take ground beef out of fridge and add 1 tablespoon fish sauce - yes I know I said don't muck this up by adding stuff but trust me fish sauce in a burger will be subtle and truly enhances the beef flavor. Add 4 cloves of garlic pressed thru a garlic press and fresh ground black pepper (I tend to go heavy on the pepper but that is a matter of preference). Do not add salt at this point (beyond what is naturally in the fish sauce). Salting your meat now will cause it too expel it's juices and turn out dry. Mix meat gently (don't over mix) using your hands until ingredients are incorporated into beef. Form into 1/2 pound balls and press between two hands to form patties (Slightly thin and flat is what we are looking for). Lay on chilled plate. Once BBQ is up to temp and clean - oil grates with a little veg oil using a paper towel dipped in the oil rubbed onto the rates using tongs to keep your hands away from the heat and the inevitable flare up. At this point sprinkle salt on both sides of the patties and place them on the grill. Shut the lid and let grill for 2 to 3 minutes. Using spatula flip burgers over. If they are sticking wait another 30 seconds the meat will release from the grill once it has a chance to relax in the warmth! Once flipped over close grill lid for 2 minutes. Flip one more time and add bleu cheese (a little goes along way so cover top of patty in one layer but don't pile it on). Close lid and grill 1 more minute. Remove from grill onto fresh plate and let rest 5 minutes. In the meantime lightly toast the hamburger buns (I am lucky enough to have a bakery near by that makes fresh hamburger buns every day but use what you have available or make your own!).

Once buns are toasted take bottom of bun and put some mayo and a little Dijon mustard in a thin layer. Lay sliced eggs and tomatoes and sliced pickles. Place rested burger patty on the bottom bun. Spread on teaspoon of roasted garlic paste on top bun and place sliced onions on top of burger and add ketchup if desired. Place bun on top and serve. I normally slice my burger in half for easier eating but that is your call.

Enjoy!

Shrimp fra Diablo Primevera

Okay probably not a traditional pasta dish from Italy but a piquant, spicy tomato sauce with shrimp and roasted vegetables sounds great for a Sunday evening meal........

Spicy Tomato Sauce
1/2 onion diced
1 stalk celery small dice
1 carrot small dice
3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large can whole plum tomatoes pulsed 4 times in food processor
1 teaspoon pepperincino (red chili flakes)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 Bay Leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
couple of pinches of sugar
1 cup dry white wine

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or saucepan. add onion and saute until translucent. Add smashed garlic and carrots and celery. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until limp. We are not looking to brown the vegetables. Add chili flakes, tomato paste, thyme and oregano. Allow tomato paste to turn a slight rust color about 3 minutes then add sugar. Turn heat to high and add white wine (don't let sugar burn). Cook until all the wine is evaporated. Add the pulsed tomatoes and the bay leaves. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Roasted Vegetables
Large dice of the following:
1/2 onion
2 courgette
6-8 stalks asparagus
1 cup broccoli florets
1 yellow diced pepper
1 tomato seeded
Mix all in a bowl with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place onto a baking sheet and into 425 F oven for 15 minutes or until the edges of the veg start to brown. Remove from Oven and set aside.

Shrimp and Pasta
A dozen 21 to 30 count shrimp peeled and deveined
toss in a bowl with a little olive oil, chili flake and salt.

Saute in a saute pan 1 to 2 minutes per side and pull

off heat and place on plate. Set aside.

In same pan saute a little spinach (this is optional) set aside

Cook pasta per directions on package. I suggest Spaghetti or Farfalle.

In pot where pasta was cooked and drained add some sauce (1 cup) the roasted veg and the shrimp. Bring to temperature and add pasta stirring to coat and add spinach. Serve with fresh basil or parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Technically you should not put cheese on a seafood pasta but what the hell I like what I like.

Trip to Koreatown and Koreatown Galleria Market

Recently my closest and dearest food buddy and I took a trip to Koreatown in Los Angeles to vist the well known Koreatown Galleria. The Koreatown Galleria is a multi level shopping mall with all things Korean and an upscale Korean grocery store in the baesment. Los Angeles has the largest Korean born population outside of Seoul so there are lots of Korean food markets in this area of LA but this is probably the best known and probably the most expensve! Here are a few pictures from my recent trip. Lots of fun and interesting food finds........

Kim Chi, Kim Chi and more Kim Chi

One of my favorite areas in any market is the seafood counter and the counter at the Galleria did not dispaoint!!

The fish all looked fresh and tasty......but the squid were truly spectaclular the sashimi looked great as well.

Wow this Uni looked amazing and how many times do you get a chance to buy live abalone! The image below is a sea squirt (think sea sponge). Typically pickled or stewed but still researching their culinary uses.

Some Korean rice wine and Korean beer.......perfect pairings with spicy Korean foods. All in all a pretty interesting trip to the land of the morning calm.

Grilled Short Ribs Agentine Style

I love braised short ribs but I also love beef galbi (the sweet/salty grilled Korean style ribs). My intent was to make beef galbi when I bought my ribs home from the butcher but somehow the cooking muse took over and I ended up with this impromptu recipe with South American flair. The first step to this recipe is preparing the ribs for grilling. As you can see by the photo the ribs come with a section of bone with a relatively thick slab of meat along the top. While this is great for long slow braising it does not bode well for the grill. First step is to butterfly the ribs so they lay flat and are relatively thin for quick searing. It should look something like this:

Now to get some flavor into the meat. The meat itself has a nice meaty flavor and is a bit chewy but I like the slight bounce you get when you bite into the charred crispy goodness of beef short ribs.

I worked with a simple marinade of red wine vinegar, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and one roughly chopped jalapeno. Marinate for 3 hours or overnight if you have the time.

Now for the Argentine part......Chimichurri sauce! One of my all time favorite meat condiments.

Mix the following together (by hand a blender or processor will not give you the right consistency.

1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1 Serrano Chili thinly sliced seeds intact
1 small bunch flat leaf-parsley; chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion; finely chopped
4 cloves garlic; finely minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper; seeded and finely diced
1 tomato; peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried oregano (I like Mexican Oregano)
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon coarse salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

In the end it looks like this:


Once the ribs are done marinating wipe off the marinade and bring to room temperature (30 minutes ought to do it). Preheat your grill to around 400 F. If gas grill lower flames to medium setting. If wood grill make sure there are no direct flames under the meat. Place ribs on grill and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side. The is not really a dish served rare but it should not be too well done.






I served my ribs with tiny new potatoes cooked in a little duck fat and salt and a simple cucumber, radish and arugula salad with a bit of the chimichurri sauce as dressing.