Aglio e Olio a la Brad’s Swingside Cafe

I highly recommend Brad’s Swingside Cafe – it’s the small, homestyle Italian restaurant across and down Fremont a bit from Paseo.  I had their aglio e olio on my only visit, and it’s fantastic.  It is very unique – it has roasted peppers, anchovies, and hazlenuts.  This was my attempt at it, and it came out pretty good.  I didn’t add the anchovies, but maybe next time.

Aglio e Olio with Peppers and Hazlenuts

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1/2 c. roasted red peppers, diced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 c. lightly toasted hazlenuts, finely chopped

3 Tbs olive oil

Heat the oil on medium low and add the garlic.  Saute for about 1 minute and add the shallot.  Turn the heat to low and saute for about 5-10 minutes, until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is a nice golden color.  Add the peppers and red pepper flakes and cook for at least 5 minutes, and just leave on very low heat until ready to use.  Add the toasted hazelnuts a couple of minutes before using.  The sauce is good tossed with small pasta and some Parmesan cheese.  It would go great with some sausage, salami, or CasCiappo Brothers pepperoni (if only it still existed…).

Salad Dressings

Happy Holidays!

After a nice Christmas break I’d like to start posting recipes again, especially since the run from fall dishes to spring and summer ones is always great.  Dressings are a good place to start.  The general base is equal parts acid (vinegar, lemon juice) and oil, plus salt, herbs and spices, and condiments (mustard, horseradish).  Diane and I usually use the recipe below on beet salad.  The horseradish rounds out the lemon juice extremely well.

Lemon-Horseradish Dressing

juice of a lemon

equal quantity of olive oil

1/2 to 1-1/2 teaspoons horseradish

healthy dash of salt

dash of garlic or garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Some crumbled feta mixed in works well.  The proper way (so I hear) to make a dressing is to mix everything but the oil together, then whisk in the oil in a slow stream to create an emulsification.  Alternatively, just mix everything together vigorously – we have a bottle to store dressing, and it works great.

Homemade Eggnog

This recipe was pinched more or less from somewhere on the internet, but I forgot to write the source down.  This homemade eggnog is quite good–smoother and not nearly as cloying as store-bought stuff. The catch is, unless you buy pasteurized eggs, there’s a small (1/20,000 supposedly) chance of drinking some salmonella from the raw eggs.  But you eat cookie dough, right?

For the liquor, I prefer a second-tier-from-the-bottom brandy.  Whiskey doesn’t meld well and I’m not a big fan of rum.

Calorie Estimate (not that we should be paying attention): 2300

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, separated
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 6-8 oz brandy
• 3 C whole milk
• 1 C heavy cream
• 1/2 t cinnamon, adjust to taste
• 1/2 t nutmeg, adjust to taste

Preparation

1. Separate the yolks from the whites, being careful not to break the yolks.  Put the yolks in a large mixing bowl.  Put the whites aside in another bowl.
2. Whisk the sugar into the yolks until it’s thoroughly dissolved and the yolks take on a touch of air (1-2 minutes).  Add the sugar slowly and whisk as you go.
3. Whisk in the booze.  Start with 6 oz or so, and a little more can be added later if necessary.  The idea is to put enough liquor into to contribute flavor but not so much that you overpower everything else (and risk curdling the dairy).
4. Add the milk, cream, and spice.  Whisk together until thoroughly homogenized.  Put in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.
5. While the eggnog is cooling, whisk the whites to stiff peaks.  When ready, folds the egg whites gently in the egg nog and serve.

Pot roast

Went to Cascioppo for some smoked salmon and saw some of the most beautiful roasts I’ve ever seen in my life: grass-fed, nice marbling, bright red, dry.  All of a sudden, pot roast seemed like a great idea.  The nice roast also cooked to a perfect texture quicker than expected (only 3 hours, whereas supermarket beef will usually take longer).

Here’s a simple and effective one pot dish (well, almost, gravy is easier to make in a second saucepan).  I make this on the stove top, only because I don’t have an over-ready enameled cast iron dutch oven, and I probably won’t have one until after I move from Seattle because who wants to transport a 20-pound pot?

Calorie estimate: 4000

Ingredients

• 1/2 T olive oil
• 2.5 – 3 lb roast
• 1-2 cups red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, more tannic Pinot Noir, Syrah)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 very large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges
• 1 carrot, sliced into rounds
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and coarsely cubed
• 1.25 lbs red potatoes, quartered
• salt and pepper
• cornstarch or flour
• dash of nutmeg
• pinch of fennel seeds
• maybe 1 T butter

Preparation

1. Salt and pepper the roast.  One the stove top, in your gorgeous enameled dutch oven (or your roommate’s large non-stick soup pot), brown the roast on all sides over high heat in a splash of oil.  4-5 minutes per surface, including the sides.  For the sides, you may have to hold it there with tongs.
2. While browning, prep the vegetables.
3. After the browning, bring the heat down to low and add the wine and beef broth.  You want enough liquid to go up the side of the roast a little less than half way.
4. Add in the onion, fennel, carrots, and celery.  Cover and simmer for 1.5 hours.  Put the aromatics in now to infuse the meat and the broth, but the parsnips and potatoes should wait so they still have texture when everything is done.
5. Flip the roast.  You’ll probably notice there’s a lot more liquid now from the vegetables.  Add in the parsnips and potatoes, trying to get them into the liquid.  If you’ve got too much liquid (the roast is covered completely), leave the lid cracked.  Simmer gently for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Check to make sure the roast isn’t getting overcooked–there is such a thing as too tender.
6. When the meat and potatoes are just about done, drain off most of the excess liquid with a ladle and place it in a sauce pot.  Turn the heat off on the roast, cover lightly with vegetables, put the lid on, and let it rest.  A little of the liquid should remain in the pot so that the meat doesn’t start to dry out.
7. Boil down the liquid in the sauce pot until you have less than 2 cups left.  Adjust the seasoning if required.  A nice touch is a dash (1/4 t ish) of nutmeg and maybe a little more fennel flavor from some fennel seeds,  The subtle touch of nutmeg goes well with the fennel and parsnips.
8. If the roast is fatty, try to skim off the excess from the reduction.  If it is lean, as mine was, add up to 1 T of butter to give the sauce a little more body.
9. Thicken the gravy with corn starch (follow the directions on the corn starch box).  1 T of cornstarch left the gravy a little thin, but I like to err on the side of too thin instead of too starchy and slimy feeling.
10. Plate a bit of the roast with the veggies, pour the gravy on and enjoy.

Perhaps Escoffier might smile, at least a little, at this humble amateur.

Red Cabbage and Lemon Juice

This was Jeney’s idea, and I like it quite a bit, although it’s not something everyone will get excited about.

Ribbon some red cabbage, squeeze lemon juice on it, let it sit a bit, and enjoy.  The correct ratio is about the juice of one whole lemon per half-head of cabbage.

The taste is clean and, for me, far better than a reasonable person would expect.

Spanish Rice

In a stroke of genius, my friend Benji decided we should combine experimental culinary forces and cook a lunch together.  He made a tasty chicken molé which I can say very little about, other than that it was tasty, and I took my first shot at spanish rice, and it came out quite good, with a little of his help on the seasoning.  All spice amounts are estimated–start small and add slowly until things seem about right.  Useful tip–taste and smell often, adjusting seasoning as you go.

Calorie estimate: 2000

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb prosciutto end (or other fatty pork), diced as finely as you have patience for
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1 C long grain white rice
• 1 medium onion, diced rather finely
• 1 big clove of garlic, minced
• 3/4 can diced tomatoes, slightly drained
• 1.5 C frozen peas and carrots
• 1.5 C chicken broth
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1.5 t salt
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ancho chili powder

Preparation

1. Get a large skillet with a cover (or find something that can cover your largest skillet).  Over medium-high heat, warm the oil and render the prosciutto bits for 5-7 minutes.  The pork fat should disappear into the oil and the meaty bits should darken and start to get crispy.
2. Add in the rice and the cumin, coat it with the oil, and toast it for 5-8 minutes, until it browns a bit.  Stir occasionally.
3. Add in the onion and garlic, stir around, and cook for 2 or so minutes more.
4. Add in the tomatoes, veggies, and broth.  If you use fresh peas and carrots, steam them in the microwave first.  Stir thoroughly, cover, and lower the heat to let it simmer for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, taste, add in the other spices and salt, slowly and always tasting and smelling.  When you think you’ve got it about right, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, ideally covered although we didn’t have that sort of restraint.

Beef, potato, and spinach stew

Due to a lack of planning, I accidentally bought the ingredients for half of 2 recipes today (this and this). Now, to improvise!  Let’s throw together what I did buy, merge the meat and the starches by way of tangy canned jalapeno and canned tomatoes, and spice in the general ballpark of a curry.  This was a winner, and looked so nice in the pot that I had to take a picture.

Calories: 2600

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• large onion, diced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb stew beef
• 2 baking potatoes (1.75 lbs), 1/2 inch dice
• 1 lb spinach
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 can diced chilis
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 T black pepper
• 1/2 T hot mirchi ground pepper (or 1 T cayenne)
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t celery salt
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t coriander
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Make a soup.  By that I mean, look at any other soup recipe on this website and do that.

Sausage and Tortellini soup

Calorie Estimate: 1800

Ingredients

• 1 lb italian sausage meat, broken into bite-sized pieces
• 9 oz package tortellini
• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2-1/3 lb mushrooms, brown/portobello, bite-sized pieces
• 1 zucchini, 1/3 inch dice
• 1 carrot, 1/3 inch dice
• 1 green bell pepper, 1/3 inch dice
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 T olive oil, if needed
• salt, pepper, italian seasonings to taste
• splash of balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat a deep soup pan over medium heat.  Dump the sausage meat in and break it up into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon.  Brown for a few minutes.
2. Dice all the veggies while the sausage is browning.  Add in onion and garlic, and extra oil if needed.  Cook for a few minutes.
3. Add in the mushrooms, the rest of the veggies, the canned tomatoes, and the broth.
4. Season a bit.  About 1 T dried basil, 1/2 T oregano, 1/2 T black pepper, etc.  Don’t overdo it now, tweak it later.
5. Cook for about 3o minutes until veggies are tender.
6. Add in tortellini and cook for 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning during this time.
7. Take it off the heat and let it rest.  Perhaps in the bowl, add in a little fresh parmesan or pecorino cheese.  Also add in a splash of balsamic vinegar for a special touch of sweetness and tang.

Radish Chips

Food shopping while blind with hunger is never a great idea.  For dinner tonight, I came home with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, a loaf of crusty bread, and radishes?!  When did I last eat a radish? Never.  Anyway, having already eaten my portion of bread and chicken, tamping down the fury, what to do with the radishes?

The internet turns up an idea from caloriecount.about.com, of all places. Tweaked slightly to my taste:

Calorie Estimate: 120

Ingredients

14	radishes
1 1	tsp cayenne t olive oil
1/2	tsp garlic salt
1/2	tsp paprika

Directions

1. Thinly slice radishes
2. Steam in microwave for 5 minutes
3. Put in bowl with spices and oil; stir
4. Spread on foil on a baking sheet.  Rub a few drops of oil on the foil to help prevent sticking.  Spread the radish rounds evenly across the sheet, so none are touching. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flip the chips, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crispy.