Tonight's Dinner

Actually dinner from this past weekend for the Alizios.

• bresaola bombs 
• parmesan polenta & foie gras
• lasagnette pesto
• osso buco & risotto Milanese, gremolata
• mooli, red radish, celeriac carpaccio, pomegranate & truffle vinaigrette
• eclairs aux chocolats

Tonight's Dinner

A quick dinner tonight for the Alizios before their flight back to San Francisco.

• left-over Nebraska steak & cheese rosemary/garlic-rubbed crostini 
• mini shells with pancetta, tomato & cream sauce
• ham, fontina and truffle toasties
• treviso radicchio & toasted hazelnuts 

David's Italian Reds

To be updated regularly, consisting mainly of lighter Italian reds.

• Tenuta Mazzolino Pinot Nero Oltrepo Pavese Terrazze (Lombardia): from Pavia, a pinot nero that I absolutely love. Right up my ally with nice fruit and smooth.
• Ticino (Lugano): technically a swiss red; delicious Merlot.
• Aglianico (Campagna): a fun fizzy red for pizza from the Naples area
• Cenito (Campagna): Luigi Maffini's top red wine made from low yielding Aglianico, single block of older vines; a big wine that ages well, but doesn't feel full of sun. 

Tagliatelle, Sausage & Porcini

Andrea Fraire from Hong Kong's Grissini gave me this recipe verbally at the table. A couple week's later I see that it is in Crave, highlighted as one of its favorite dishes.

home-made tagliatelle
200 gr fresh porcini mushrooms
150 gr pork sausage
150 gr best quality cherry tomatoes
1 tblsp fond de veau
2 tblsp home-made chicken stock
1 clove garlic
1 sprig rosemary
2 tblsp white wine
grated parmesan
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper

1. peel the skin from porcini stems and wipe clean with a damp towel; cut the porcini into cubes 
2. chop rosemary
3. in a pan, lightly fry the garlic; add porcini and fry some more
4. add white wine and saute for three minutes
5. cut the cherry tomatoes in half and saute with the pork sausage in another pan
6. add the porcini and cook for 3-4 minutes
7. cook the tagliatelle
8. add chicken stock and tagliatelle to pan with sauce and saute one minute
9. add fond de veau, chopped rosemary and parmesan

The Barcelona List

Places to go in Barcelona, soon!

• Dos Palillos: ex-El Bulli Albert Raurich for Asian-Iberian small plates
• Rias de Galicia: higher end food, retro ambiance, but the best Galician seafood; lots of unusual shellfish, Tokyo-style!

The New York List

Places I need to go to in NY. Will keep updated per discoveries made.

• 15 East: modern Japanese, sushi master Shimizu-san apprenticed under Rikio Kugo in Tokyo
• Blue Ribbon Brasserie: been around, but haven't gone
• Benu: Corey Lee from the French Laundry; sounds like a bit too much gels and foams but curious

Scallops, Borlotti & Polenta

Another recipe from Ruth Rogers, who got it (as well as crab & artichoke recipe below) from Tuscan restaurant Da Ivo in Venice. Below portions could be reduced by half.

200 gr dried borlotti beans
3 fresh chillies
2 garlic cloves
16 scallops
4 lemons
250 gr polenta flour
3 tblsp EVOO

1. soak beans overnight; rinse then put them into a pan with one chilli and the garlic
2. bring to a boil, skim and simmer for 45 minutes; drain, season and add EVOO
3. keep beans warm
4. bring 1.2 liters of water and 1 tsp of salt to a boil; reduce to simmer and make polenta; reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes stirring occasionally; stir in EVOO
5. heat frying pan, season scallops and sear; remove and add a tablespoon of EVOO as well as two remaining chillies, sliced
6. squeeze over the juice of one lemon, shake the pan for a minute then add the beans
7. divide the polenta between plates, place scallops, beans and any sauce from the pan on top
8. serve with lemon