Chef Toys

Some things I want to log in the back of my head.

• Rocket evaporator: extracts water from anything without boiling
• Hotmix pro: probably a competitor for Thermomix
• Food dehydrator: all I need is a small one...
• PolyScience smoking gun: for cold smoking
• Rotary evaporator: uses a distillation process

Risotto di Go

This tiny fish --the lagoon goby--provides the basic ingredient for one of the most celebrated Venetian dishes. Above all, it is on the island of Burano where the art of fishing and cooking have merged, with the little trattoria of Gato Nero setting the standard. The skilled cook honors the tradition of keeping the cooking of the risotto moist, or all'onda, to prevent complete absorption of the stock made with the addition of sea water when possible.

400 gr vialone nano rice
1 kg goby
1 onion, 1 stick of celery
1 carrot, 1 tomato,
1/2 lemon, 3 bay leaves
EVOO
1/2 glass white wine
50 gr butter
parmesan cheese
malden sea salt
ground black pepper
chopped parsley

1. put the gobies in a pot with all the veggies, cover with four fingers of water and boil until cooked
2. sieve and mash everything to obtain a stock condiment in which to cook the rice
3. put six tblsp of EVOO in a pot, add a few slices of onion and remove when golden
4. put in a paste of celery and parsley, a good quantity of goby stock and add the rice mixing constantly
5. pour in a little stock at a time and towards the end of cooking add the wine, butter, parmesan, parsley and seasoning

Ragusian Arancini

A nice orange peel recipe from a local newspaper in Dubrovnik. They know how to do them there! Local orange peels are said to have originated from Sicily hence the name. According to Ragusians (people from Dubrovnik), the secret of the taste lies in the thickness of the orange peel, i.e. the thicker the peel the tastier.

1kg orange peel
water for soaking
sugar, equivalent to weight of orange peel

1. cut the peel into long strips, following the curve of the fruit, slice off the ends
2. soak the peel in water for 6 days keeping in mind that water should be changed every day
3. strain the peel and weigh it, cover with water, leave to boil about 10 minutes until peel becomes  tender
4. when half soft, add the equivalent weight in sugar
5. boil until it turns translucent and syrup thickens (around 8-10 minutes)
6. if you want a tender candied peel, cook until perhaps 3 tbsp of syrup is left, and drain the peels
7. if you want medium firm, leave only a spoonful of syrup then drain
8. for a candy-like crisp peel, watch closely until the syrup is at the point of hardening and has almost disappeared
9. arrange the peel on a bed of sugar on a pan once you've stopped cooking them
10. straighten the tips while hot if you want them symmetrical
11. while hot, roll them in crystal sugar and leave them on a plate to dry for several days, exposed to plenty of air

Sea Bass & Rosemary Fusilli

I think one of my favorite dishes from a recent trip to Veneto, from All'Antico Portico in Treviso.

sea bass filet
fresh rosemary
capers
home-made fish broth
malden sea salt
ground black pepper

EVOO

1. poach the sea bass in the broth, breaking up fish when done
2. put some EVOO in a pan to sauté capers, add finely-chopped fresh rosemary
3. cook the pasta, drain, add to pan
4. mix in still hot sea bass
5. dress with more EVOO and seasoning, serve

Courgette Flower Ravioli

Very unusual indeed to see courgette flowers in Hong Kong, so I took them! Was feeling like a ravioli, so here's what I came up with.

courgette flower
fresh ricotta
grated parmesan
mozzarella
malden sea salt
ground black pepper
anchovy
sweet cherry tomatoes
garlic
basil
olive oil

1. mix ricotta, parmesan, chopped mozzarella and courgette flowers in a bowl, season and put in fridge for half hour; make sure to put enough parmesan to absorb any moisture in the ricotta
2. melt off anchovies in a pan with olive oil, let cool
3. make pasta dough, fill with cheese mixture, add a dab of anchovy (optional) and make ravioli
4. cut tomatoes in half, saute garlic, add tomatoes with salt and pepper, make a quick tomato sauce using wilted tomatoes; add ripped basil only at the end
5. gently boil raviolis, add to pan with tomato sauce, season with more olive oil 
6. serve on a heated, white platter, sprinkling more parmesan on top

Tonight's Dinner

A lovely time with our new Mexican neighbors Aurora and Martin, and Cyrille. It's always satisfying when your guests love food and love to eat.

• radish, butter, maldon sea salt
• truffled brandade de morue on toasted polenta
• octopus tentacle, steamed baby potatoes with lemon dressing, pesto
• mozzarella, anchovy, dressed sweet green peppers
• tuna carpaccio & foie gras, lemon & chive dressing
• porto-braised beef short rib, horseradish creme  fraiche, Robuchon mash, kale, caramelized pearl onions
• young compte, fig confiture, herby frisee
• Michelle's chocolate nemesis, vanilla ice cream

Lardo-Roasted Potatoes

Hadn't thought of this one. Just sounds like a winner.

good roasting potatoes
rosemary
maldon sea salt
EVOO
ground black pepper
lardo colonnata

1. cut up potatoes in even size pieces
2. scatter on a roasting tray with olive oil, salt and pepper
3. 15 minutes before finished, add sprigs of rosemary and lardo