Sea Urchin & Burrata

From Son of a Gun in West LA. The food there tasted so good, perhaps because of the mediocrity of my preceding couple of meals. But I do recall murmuring to myself that this was the best dish I had had in a while. I'd make sure that the ingredients are at the same temperature. The chef must have been thinking, what are two deliciously creamy ingredients that I could pair? This recipe serves one.

1 sea urchin

a sliver of burrata

champignons de Paris

yuzu juice

grapeseed oil

maldon sea salt

1. mix yuzu and grapeseed oil so that they emulsify, add maldon sea salt to taste
2. slice mushroom buttons very thinly on a mandolin
3. spoon a piece of burrata about the size of the sea urchin
4. place the burrata on a small white, chilled plate; then the sea urchin neatly on top
5. place the mushroom slivers on the side of the burrata, encircling it like tiles (should only be about three slivers on each side)
6. spoon the yuzu vinaigrette around the burrata/sea urchin and serve immediately

Salt Crust Sea Bass

Thank you Ugo for delivering this seabass to my doorstep. I put it to proper use. One of our all-time favorites, served with some pressed spinach and home-made mayonnaise.

seabass (in this case, was 800 gr)
2 kg rock salt
4 tblsp water
2 eggs
juice an zest of 1 lemon
fennel seed
basil, parsley (any herb you like)
EVOO

1. put oven on max temperature
2. gut fish, remove gills, snip off fins (keep scales on for this recipe, as they help to insulate heat for this method of cooking), clean thoroughly with running water
3. stuff cavity with herbs
4. mix together salt, water, lemon zest, fennel seed
5. in a pan, layer some salt about 1.5 cm thick on bottom of a pan; place fish on top and cover with rest of salt (can leave head and tail exposed for presentation)
6. generally, need 15 minutes of cooking for every 500 gr of fish; in this case we cooked 25 minutes, but 20-22 minutes would have been slightly better.
7. when done cooking, take out of oven and let rest ten minutes
8. tap the salt crust near tail to break; if you're lucky the whole thing should come off neatly
9. wipe the rest of the fish, making sure salt doesn't enter the cavity; remove herbs from cavity
10. butterfly the fish, remove flesh and place prettily on a nice oval white platter
11. serve with condiments on the side: EVOO, lemon, mayonnaise and of course the spinach

Pulpo Gallego

A perfectly delicious octopus prepared tonight. Important to note that it was frozen and defrosted. Weighed 750 grams, simmered for an hour and was wonderfully tender. This is the recipe from my Barrafina cookbook. Serve hot because they don't taste as great lukewarm

double tentacle octopus
onion
bay leaf
EVOO
Spanish paprika
parsley with stems
ground black pepper
maldon sea salt

1. remove beak and ink sack if fishmonger hasn't already
2. bring salted water to boil
3. when boiling dip octopus in water three times, 3 seconds each time
4. simmer for an hour; add a half hour for a bigger guy
5. poke with a knife, you'll be able to tell if tender
6. drain, let cool a bit
7. cut the head off, slice the tentacles into bite-size pieces
8. saute in a pan with EVOO for three minutes at high heat; try to get some caramelization
9. when done, put on paper towel to eliminate excess oil
10. place on a rustic wooden platter, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then paprika and finally chopped parsley

New York Observations

A few more discoveries from a recent trip, centered on Brooklyn! The more things I sample and see, the more I believe that London's St John will have been the key trend setter for the  noughties.

• Marlow & Sons (Williamsburg): part of the mini empire that also includes Reynard, Diner and Achilles Heel, this is cozy little place serves a half dozen dishes du jour. I had grilled cheese and peach sandwich, followed by lively green bean salad.
• Takashi (West Village): currently or was Anthony Bourdain's favorite NY restaurant. Had to give it a try. All about beef from a fourth generation Korean immigrant born in Osaka. The result is bold Korean flavors with the finesse of Japanese cuisine. The signature dish --which I adored--was a Niku-Uni, or seaweed topped with a shisu leaf, chuck flap with sea urchin and fresh wasabi. Pick it up like a taco and dippity-do in some soy sauce. Sally is your aunt!!

Santceloni Veal Shin

From the great Santi Santceloni. I will always remember this truly special dish that Michelle and I had at his famed Restaurante Santceloni in Madrid circa 2005. The great chef has since passed on, so one only hopes that his family is sustaining its great culinary tradition. This is literally the entire veal shin that is cooked and braised over several hours. So simple yet so terrifyingly good.

1 knuckle (or shin) of suckling veal (1.5 kg)
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sprigs thyme
1 head garlic
250 ml white wine
1 liter veal stock
3 tblsp EVOO
half leg of veal bone
100 gr butter
maldon sea salt
pepper

1. tie the knuckle of veal and season with salt and pepper; brown in an ovenproof dish (creuset perfect)
2. add chopped onions, carrots, garlic and herbs and leave to sweat; prevent the onion from burning
3. pour over the white wine and reduce; add 2 liters of veal stock
4. cover and bake in the oven at 80 degrees centigrade for 7-8 hours, checking that the liquid does not evaporate; remove when the meat is tender
5. cut the leg of veal into pieces and brown in the oven; reduce 1 liter of veal stock with the leg of veal; flavor with thyme. The reduction should end up very thick so that it can be used to glaze the meat.
6. remove the knuckle meat from its cooking juices, dry and brown in oil and butter; place in the oven at 220 degrees centigrade to give it a better color and a crisper texture; remove the string
7. glaze with the reduced veal stock and return to oven; repeat this operation until the veal is well glazed all over
8. strain the cooking juices, reduce to the desired consistency, bind with a little butter and season with salt and pepper 

Los Angeles Observations

Digging deeper into this fun city with every trip. Santa Monica's Viceroy hotel was my choice this time, and recommended heartily. Bikes on tap for rides up and down the coast to Venice and Malibu.

• Son of a Gun (West Hollywood): an offshoot from the people at Animal; my best eating in several months. Again, pure and simple stuff, all about combining the fewest possible ingredients and creating something wonderful.  The dish for me was a small plate of burratta and sea urchin, and the crab, daikon and melon dish. Excellent, home-made sodas also on hand, including a ginger beer.
• Tar & Roses (Santa Monica): a fun casual eatery, food isn't refined but perfectly good and rustic.  
• Trois Mec (Melrose): from Ludovic Lefebvre of Ludotrucks fame. Was on my list, but next time. Just 26 seats. Look for Rafallo's pizza sign in the strip mall behind the gas station on the corner of Highland and Melrose. 

Sydney Observations

Some new casual eating discoveries in sunny Sydney from a trip a few months back. 

• Three Blue Ducks: over in Bronte, had a great summer vibe. The chef is ex-Tetsuya; judging by his innovative and delicious but not OTT dishes, this is a man that yearned to branch out and try something new. Farm to plate is the theme. Lunch is casual, the dinner menu more elaborate, but all good. The beet and haloumi salad for lunch was an explosion of fresh flavors, using not just beets but beet puree as a dressing. 
• Hartsyard: a young Brooklyn chef in Sydney; great American comfort food done with a refined palate. The oyster po' boy on an English muffin comes to mind, washed down with a great local red ale. I didn't have the pulled pork, but it was recommended.
• Bodega: an offshoot of Porteno, doing more modern fare and tapping into the tapas/small plates craze. The steamed milk bun, BBQ tongue and crab was lovely. The pork, octopus and cabbage/green apple salad was as intriguing as it sounds. 
• Pendolino: less casual, and good for a business lunch in the CBD if you're craving Italian food. The very low lighting is a plus for some reason.
• Shady Pines Saloon: there's always a line in front of this place after 10 pm; an earlier arrival means immediate entry. Fun ambiance, loud and quirky music.