Bucatini & Bottarga

I was intrigued by the combo of oven-dried tomatoes and bottarga.

maldon sea salt
EVOO
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
2 cups oven-dried tomatoes, tomatoes cut into thirds
bucatini
bottarga

1. saute garlic and chile in EVOO, stir in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, taste and add salt if necessary
2. add pasta to boiling water and cook, drain reserving some pasta water
3. put pasta in pan with EVOO and toss
4. serve pasta, grate bottarga over the top to finish

Short Ribs Genovese

According to A16, this is actually a traditional Neapolitan recipe that predates the arrival of tomatoes to the region. No one has been able to explain the connection to Genoa as there is no similar sauce there. "Maybe it was made for visiting Genovese merchants as both Naples and Genoa have long boasted bustling ports." Remember to use the thicker, meatier cuts that come from the chuck end. This dish is even better if cooled down completely, refrigerated and served the following day. 

5 ibs short ribs (about 6 total)

maldon sea salt

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery stock

1 anchovy

2 cloves garlic

5 black peppercorns

4 red onions, thinly sliced

3 tblsp red wine vinegar

1 sprig rosemary

1. trim some of the fat from the ribs, leaving the tough outer sinew and silver skin intact; season the ribs evenly with 2 tblsp salt; cover and refrigerate up to three days (at least overnight)
2. preheat oven 275 degrees f
3. in a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tblsp; working in 2 batches brown the ribs on all sides
4. transfer to a plate and set aside
5. pour out fat and check pot for burnt pieces of meat
6. if the pan looks scorched, deglaze with 1/4 cup water; strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and taste it (if it tastes appealing, reserve and add to braising liquid, if not discard it)
7. in a small pot, reduce wine over medium-high heat to about 1/2 cup, set aside
8. to make sauce, add remaining 2 tblsp EVOO and sweat the carrot and celery then the garlic, anchovy and peppercorns until soft.
9. add onions with a pinch of salt, cook until translucent; stir in the vinegar and the reduced wine and remove from the heat
10. return the short ribs to the pot with the rosemary sprig and cover tightly with aluminum foil + lid
11. braise for about 2.5 hours or until the ribs are tender when pierced with a fork
12. cool in the fridge overnight; before re-heating, scrape off and discard some of the fat that has risen to the surface; to reheat, preheat oven to 400 degrees f, remove the ribs from the braising liquid, bring to room temperature, place on  a rimmed banking sheet and roast in the oven 25 minutes or until the outside sizzles and the inside is heated through
13. heat the sauce, remove the rosemary; place ribs on a serving platter, ladle the sauce on top and finish with a drizzle of EVOO

Tonight's Dinner

A nice dinner for three couples, finishing at 2 am! There were a couple of setbacks, including my tortillas and some bland crab but you can't win them all.

• lardo colonnata & rosemary bruschetta
• blini, soy-mirin salmon eggs, dill creme fraiche
• polenta, home-made pesto, smoked haddock
• bresaola bombs
• dressed crab, grapefruit, grapefruit jelly, truffle vinaigrette
• carottes rapes, smoked eel, horseradish cream, coriander oil
• beet carpachio, hazelnut vinaigrette, roasted hazelnuts
• chestnut veloute & canard confit
• boudin noir, apple chutney, buratta
• celeriac, pomegranate & parmesan, truffle vinaigrette
• cauliflower risotto, anchovy breadcrumbs
• gorgonzola, amareno cherry & lemon zest
• hazelnut ice cream

Tonight's Dinner

Actually, not really a dinner but drinks with finger food all around. A fun approach that I will consider more often for larger gatherings. A few old ones, but also some fun new stuff.

• porcini & chestnut veloute shot
• mortadella cube, smoked scamorza, green olive on toothpick
• celery stick & roquefort dip
• grilled polenta, garlicky wild mushrooms, lardo colonnata
• red pepper, fennel, carrot & tonnato sauce
• bresaola bombs
• roast potatoes & coriander dressing
• speck & fontina cigarillos, truffle vinaigrette
• cannellini & chorizo stew
• cauliflower risotto & anchovy breadcrumbs

Steak au Poivre

There are 101 recipes for this classic but I think Rowley Leigh's is top notch. As he says, some people prefer white peppercorns but agree black is the way to go. Key is to only break the peppercorn rather than ground. Probably a good idea to limit this meal to 2-4 people, using two frying pans simultaneously if necessary.

2 fillet steaks, each weighing 225 gr
2 tblsp black peppercorns
40 gr unsalted butter
30 ml brandy
50 ml white wine
100 ml strong beef stock
50 ml double cream
squeeze of lemon

1. take meat out of fridge and let rest an hour
2. pound the peppercorns in a mortar until they are broken, then sieve out the dust saving for other use
3. salt one side of the fillets and then place this side down into the peppercorns, pushing down well so that the pepper adheres to the meat
4. melt the butter in 2-3 tblsp of oil in a frying pan
5. let the meat color well and do not be tempted to move it around for a couple of minutes
6. once nicely browned, salt the exposed side of the steak, turn them and color the reverse
7. once they are rare, just over blood heat (42 c) if tested with a skewer drawn from the middle of the meat, remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest on a plate in a warm place, ideally a warming oven
8. pour the fat from the pan and return it to high heat
9. pour in the brandy and set alight
10. pour in the wine immediately and scrape any caramelized juices with a wooden spoon
11. allow the alcohol to evaporate to a syrupy glaze and then pour in the stock
12. reduce this quickly by half before adding the cream
13. whisk the cream into the sauce and reduce slightly
14. salt to taste, add a squeeze of lemon
15. whisk in the remainder of the butter and any juices from the resting steaks
16. serve the steaks with plenty of sauce, green beans and some good chips

Ramsay Roast Chicken

A Ramsay roast chicken recipe that I could not resist jotting down before I forget. Serve with a nice laitue.

1 2 kg chicken, giblets removed
chopped tarragon
200 gr butter (room temperature)
3 heads of garlic, halved
EVOO
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
400 gr cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 red chillies, sliced
1 lemon, zested
3 thyme sprigs, leaves only

dressing
laitue
balsamic vinegar
runny honey
maille mustard

1. pre-heat oven to 22 C, season inside of chicken
2. whip up tarragon and butter until combined, season with salt and pepper
3. loosen the skin over both chicken breasts, shove butter in
4. in a bowl, mix chickpeas, chillies, lemon zest, thyme and a dash of EVOO, mix well
5. spoon mixture into the chicken cavity and place the whole lemon at the entrance
6. place the garlic heads, cut side down, in a roasting tin
7. put the chicken on top and drizzle with EVOO
8. season the outside of the chicken with maldon sea salt and pepper, roast for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and beginning to crisp up
9. reduce heat to 180 C, continue roasting for 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours until cooked through and golden all over
10. extract lemon from the cavity and spoon the stuffing into a large bowl; place the chicken on a warm platter, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 10-15 minutes
11. spoon the garlic out of the pan, squeeze the pulp into a sieve place over the bowl of the stuffing
12. slice the roasted lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the garlic; push the garlic and lemon juice through the sieve with the back of the spoon
13. mash the contents of the bowl with a potato masher, then add 1 tblsp of dressing; mix well then transfer to a serving bowl with a little more EVOO
14. serve alongside the chicken 

Avocado, Kiwi & Pineapple

My favorite smoothie from Sign in Daikanyama.  I'm not too sure about the proportions, particularly as the avocado can get quite thick from blending. Perhaps some pineapple juice instead of the fruit itself would thin it out.

1 avocado
some pineapple chunks to taste
half kiwi
1 ice cube