Sea Urchin Bottarga Spaghetti

A recipe from the friendly Brit chef at Cepe in Beijing. He kindly explained his method of making seafood pasta. The trick for him is using crushed shallots and garlic marinated in EVOO overnight. When this hits the hot pan, it simply melts. It also helps to emulsify the sauce being prepared. Love it.

crushed garlic
crushed shallots
minced anchovies
clam broth
fish broth
fresh sea urchin
fresh bottarga

1. prepare home-made clam and fish broth ahead of time; note that the clam broth is made with white wine
2. boil spaghetti
3. saute garlic, shallots and anchovies, add clam broth to emulsify; add just a bit of fish sauce to taste
4. drain pasta when done, reserving a bit of pasta water
5. add pasta to pan, along with pasta water
6. stir on high heat until pasta is well coated
7. grate bottarga over pasta, stir very quickly and serve into heated bowls
8. put a spoonful of sea urchin atop each serving

Chicken, Mayo & Anchovies

From Ben O'Donaghue. These are the flavors I love and I'd like to make this as soon as I can. He calls it poached chicken and tuna mayo salad, but it's basically a chicken tonnato. I've had veal and squid tonnato, so why not chicken too?

1 whole best quality chicken
2 spare ribs or pork bones
handful parsley stalks
4 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
1 tsp black peppercorn
maldon sea salt
500 gr new potatoes
8 anchovy fillets
2 tbls tiny capers
celery leaves
parsley leaves
tarragon vinegar

Tonnato
1 tin Italian tuna
3 egg yolks
1 lemon
500 ml EVOO
ground black pepper
maldon sea salt

1. wash & trim chicken of excess fat, place in pot; cover with cold water then add pork bones, parsley stalks, shallots, garlic, pricked chilli, salt and peppercorns
2. bring to simmer for five minutes, turn off
3. let stand one hour
4. remove chicken from pot and plunge into ice water to cool (reserve chicken stock for another dish)
5. make tonnato; make mayo first using eggs, EVOO and lemon; blend tuna and EVOO, fold in mayo
6. cook potatoes in salted water until tender, drain immediately and cut in half
7. dress with EVOO, splash of tarragon vinegar, add capers; keep salad warm
8. when salad ready to serve, toss the potatoes with parsley and celery leaves
9. to serve, pick the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin
10. arrange breast and thigh meat on a large white plate with the potato salad, dress with lashings of tuna mayo
11. garnish with anchovy fillets and more parsley and celery leaves

Hazelnut Torte & Zabaione

I don't have the recipe at hand, but will make a River Cafe hazelnut torte, and have Michelle make her zabaione, with a dash of white wine.

hazelnut torte
zabaione

1. make the hazelnut torte
2. when still relatively warm, make the zabaione and drizzle over the torte before serving

Crisp Apple & Bagna Cauda

Watching a Gary Rhodes in Italy re-run, in Piedmonte. They were eating bagna cauda with cardoon, but then finished it off with a nice crisp Golden Delicious. Just sounds wonderful.

Golden Delicious

Bagna Cauda

1. make a bagna cauda with oil, garlic and anchovies
2. keep apples cool, then when needed peel, core and quarter
3. put a bowl of apples on the table, with a bowl of bagna cauda and dip in

Oxtail & Membrillo

From Bilbao in Barcelona. Haven't been there but reading about it in the Nicolas Lander column. I can easily use my oxtail recipe here, and adorn it with best quality membrillo.

oxtail recipe (see Braised Whole Oxtail, November 2009)
membrillo

1. make oxtail
2. roughly scoop some membrillo onto a plate with oxtail

Green Olives & Anchovies

The amazing appetizer that awaits you upon arrival at Sense Pressa in Barcelona. Actually never been there but this is what I read. Can you think of anything more simple or beautiful? Preferably on a white plate, with anchovies laid on top of the olives. And a glass of cold white wine, and some crisp baguette.

best quality chilled brined green olives
best quality chilled anchovies

1. put olives on a white plate
2. lay anchovies on top
3. serve
4. this wasn't really a recipe

Non-Chinese HK Picks

A few non-Chinese places that I like in Hong Kong, to be updated regularly.

• Mandarin Grill (modern European)*
• The Principal (modern European)*
• St Betty's (modern European)
• Domani (modern Italian)
• Brickhouse (authentic Mexican)
• Mesa 15 (Spanish tapas)
• Joel Rebouchon (modern French)***
• Amber (modern European)**
• L'Altro (modern Italian)*
• 22 Ships (Spanish tapas)
• Wagyu Kaiseki (Japanese)*
• 208 (Pizza)
• The Chinnery (Gastropub)
• Yardbird (modern Japanese)

Top Picks for Champagne

Hoping to update this periodically as I come across the irresistible bubbly.

• Vve Fourny & Fils (Vertus): Blanc de Blancs, Premier Cru. Minerally with a long and refreshing finish. The Champagne of choice at the 2011 Nobel Prize dinner!

Maria Nava's Risi

I had the pleasure of meeting Maria Nava Rondolino from Acquerello at the Hong Kong Wine & Dine festival. Since she is arguably Italy's rice queen, I asked how she best likes to eat the 7-year aged rice for which they are famous. The un-hulled rice, immediately after harvest, is stored in temperature-controlled silos and aged from at least 1 year and up to 7 years. This allows the starch in the grain to completely mature while improving its taste and ability to retain starch, absorbing more cooking liquids, giving it an excellent al dente texture. She said that in order to appreciate the taste and integrity of the rice, to follow th following recipe (alternatively she said combine the boiled rice in a bowl of gorgonzola, season, stir and eat).

1 cup of rice
butter
parmesan
lemon rind
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper

1. cook the rice as you would pasta, i.e., boil water adding salt only once it's boiling
2. add rice and cook for 13 minutes
3. put some butter, parmesan and lemon rind in a bowl
4. drain rice and put into bowl with other ingredients, stir
5. season with more salt and pepper if you like

Tonight's Dinner

A dinner into the wee hours with the Mendelsohns. I had fun with the retro aperitivo.

• mortadella, scamorza and olive on a toothpick
• baby squid & persillade crostini with aioli
• san daniele and apple salad
• ossobuco and risotto Milanese, gremolata
• mozzarella & fennel salad
• Michelle's prune & oloroso sherry ice cream

Foie Gras & Hazelnut Sauce

From Hong Kong's 3-star Italian restaurant, Otto e Mezzo (I believe the only 3-star Italian restaurant outside of Italy). Nice establishment and people although in my humble opinion the food certainly isn't 3-star. But this dish was fab. Talking to the amiable chef Bomba, he nicely spelled out the recipe for me, proudly proclaiming what a match in heaven foie gras and hazelnuts is, and I couldn't agree more.

foie gras du canard
light chicken stock
dark chicken stock
reduced marsala
balsamic vinegar
hazelnuts

1. toast hazelnuts, remove a few and chop finely
2. warm the stocks, combine with other ingredients except the balsamic
3. blitz and pass through a sieve
4. warm gently, add just a bit of balsamic vinegar to taste
5. the sauce shouldn't be like a puree nor should it be runny
6. pour sauce into small warmed bowl
7. sautee the foie gras, place in sauce, and sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts around 

Tonight's Dinner

Actually not tonight's but last week's dinner in London with Etroys, Maurins, Letondots and Anne-Emmanuelle. Casual and relaxed, including some current favorites.

• Carottes Rapees & Speck
• Celeri Remoulade & Smoked Salmon Filet
• Buffalo Mozarella & Marinated Fennel Salad
• Haricots Vert and Shredded Ham Hock Salad
• Boudin Blanc, Pommes Flambees & Mustardy Vinaigrette
• Jerusalem Artichoke Puree, Seared Scallops & Morcilla
• Cheese & Caramelized Onions
• Chocolate Cake, Orange Salad & Single Cream (from the ladies)