More Dinner Details...

Ok, so dinner is looking like this:

We will probably seat about 30, depending on the location.  All locations will be at various legitimate restaurants.  Menu will change nightly.

Ala carte pricing will be from about $8-$16.  Most likely figure about $30 per person, to have a nice time, maybe more.

Communal table price will be a flat $50 per person.  Most likely seat 12.  Dinner will consist of lots of dishes, all served family style.  Essentially "all you can eat" without being insane.  Again, guests are encouraged to bring yummy things and or hop up and help.  Very interactive.

Booze: Will depend on the liquor license of the space.  It will either be BYOB or normal wine/beer service.  I am not going to get arrested again, so I will err on the side of caution.  If it is BYOB, there will be a $5/bottle service charge.  This will cover the costs of renting the glasses.

Tip: Normal tip rules apply.

Make sense?  Writing menus now and securing spaces.  For reservations, please email me.

Dinner Dates-Come and Join us!!

Bringing people together around the table is what I love.  Eating, drinking, singing, loving, these are the things that make life worth living.  I can't stay away...

A new concept:

Alchemy Dinners 

Alchemy Dinners are a completely new style of Dinner Series/Omakase/Pop-up Restaurant.  A roving feast, moving from location to location.  Both singular tables for a traditional ala carte style experience with exciting inexpensive dishes, newly created for the evening.  And featuring a large communal table where the food is served family style and guest participation is requested.  Guests are encouraged to bring yummy things to share, maybe an awesome cheese, a bag of greens from the market, this or that... And communal table guests can get up and help cook.  The Table's meal will continue to be chef's choice until everyone is full. 

The spirit of Alchemy Dinners will be that of fun and experimentation.  New ideas will flow and frequently be attempted on the spot.  Embrace Change.  

Join us for the kick off dinner: Saturday, October 9!!!  email to get your name on the list, this will sell out quickly.

Other nights on the books: 

• Sunday Oct 10
• Saturday Oct 30
• Saturday Nov 6
• Sunday Nov 21
• Sunday Nov 28   

New dates will be added as locations manifest... know a place with a legal kitchen that isn't being utilized all the time?  Call me! 206.551.2598

Announcing a new kind of Dinner!

Manifesto of a Non Restaurant

We live in a day where we measure ourselves not by the quality of the friends we have, the times we share, or even the content of our personality, but by the efficiency of our work habits and the money we make. 

This is going to change.

The revolution is coming. Not a revolution of guns and politics, but a revolution of spirit; of ideals. Like all true revolutions, this one will start humbly. This one starts with the stomach, the table, and the fork.

We spend our days in our cubicles staring at the screen. We go home in ones and twos. Family is synonymous with a long-distance phone call- no longer with a 6’oclock supper.  Instead we get our sustenance from “gourmet” microwave meals. To break the monotony we go to a crowded restaurant to eat alone. 

Not anymore.

The winds of change are blowing. Soon, very soon, we will sit down to eat with perfect strangers and get up as friends—as family, a new kind of family.  We will eat from the same pot, drink from the same bottles, sing the same songs, and together wash away the isolation. 

This is the beginning of the paradigm shift we have been waiting for. 

The Revolution of the Table!

For what the heck that just meant, and for announcements of dinner dates, read on!!!!

A bit of sexy food writing

So not to change the nature of this blog, but to introduce an element that was always meant to be here.  Food is good.  It is yummy.  It has the ability to change people, to inspire them, to shake them to their cores.  It is also frackin sexy as hell.

Let's all be honest,  show me the person who never used their culinary powers to seduce the girl/boy and I will show you either a liar or someone who doesn't deserve to cook.

Just reread this in Julie&Julia ( I know, we have all read it, but damn, the girl can really write):

         "Now, this is going to be a stretch for some people, but I believe that calves' liver is the single sexiest food that there is.  This is a conclusion I've come to relatively recently, because like almost everyone else on the planet, I've spent most of my life hating and despising liver.  The reason people despise liver is that to eat it you must submit to it-- just like you must submit to a really stratospheric fuck.  Remember when you were nineteen and you went at it like it was a sporting event?  Well liver is the opposite of that.  With liver you've got to will yourself to slow down. You've got to give yourself over to everything that's a little repulsive, a little scary, a little just TOO MUCH about it.
When you buy it from the butcher, when you cook it in a pan, when you eat it, slowly, you never can get away from the feral fleshiness of it.  Liver forces you to access taste buds you didn't know you had, and it's hard to open yourself to it.  Just like really good sex. "

So this is what is on my mind.  Now I just need to meet someone who agrees!!!

Paella Party on the Deck

So I have a new "secret" fantasy... I am going to become "Gabe, the Paella Guy".  Yes, you heard it here, I am going to go from being a one-trick-bacon-pony to a one-trick-paella-pony.  Cause, Paella is more fun than bacon.  I mean really, bacon touches more of a nerve and has semi-orgasmic properties but Paella is very cool and really brings people together.  Case in point:

A week or so ago, I was invited to help a dear friend have a Paella party for 50 people for his birthday.  Alan has done this every year for 3 years now, but this year he decided/was told that he needed to spend more time with the guests.  A party for 50 in your home is not an insignificant amount of work, not counting the food.

I love Paella.  We used to do it all the time at CC and also as an in home class.  Usually I would do it with several different Tapas options to start, we would drink Sangria and we would all pitch in.  One time we had one in Provence with one of the groups and it was awesome, all though they put white beans in it (coco beans) which was odd.  (They just had to be all French on it!).  Still it was great.

There is something about tending the paella that also gets everybody pumped.  It is really actually quite boring, you don't even stir the damn thing.  But it inspires people to gather around and offer opinions and swap stories and lies and drink wine.  Perfect, yes?

Alan's brick oven

So, at Alan's I was in charge of doing all of the prep for the dinner, plus actually cooking it.  We also added on a mustard crusted prime rib done in the wood fired oven... just cause. Alan traditionally uses a recipe from Bobby Flay, but he said I didn't have to follow it. Which was good, because anyone who knows me, knows I am not much of a recipe follower.

Here is the vaguest approximation of the recipe I did do: Then below are pics and variations.

Gabe's Classic Paella serves 10

sofrito

2 # Chicken, cut in small pieces                             1# onion chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced                                           4 T Olive oil     

1 ea red, green pepper, small dice                          1 T paprika

Broth

6 C hot chicken stock                                             large pinch saffron

1 T Kosher salt

Rice                                                                                                          

2 C Spanish rice (Bomba)                                       8 oz tomato concassé

8 oz Chorizo, thinly sliced                                      1 sprig rosemary

Seafood garnish

20 clams, cleaned                                                  20 ea mussels, cleaned

20 shrimp, peeled, deveined                                 4 oz garden peas

Kosher salt and pepper to taste                            ¼ C sliced scallions

                                         

Heat Broth: Heat the chicken stock up with the saffron and the salt.  The broth should be very well flavored.  Keep hot.

browning the chicken

Make sofrito: Sauté the Chicken pieces in the olive oil until nicely browned.  Add the garlic, onions, peppers, and paprika.  Sauté for about 5 minutes.

parching the rice

Parch the rice: Add the rice and a pinch of salt.  Stir until the rice is well coated with oil.   Sauté 2 minutes to parch. 

Add liquid: Add the tomatoes, stock, chorizo, and rosemary.  Cover and bring to a boil for 8-10 minutes. 

adding the liquid

Garnish and simmer: Add the seafood and peas to the top of the rice.  Do not stir.  Cover and turn down heat and simmer 10 minutes or until rice is tender, seafood is cooked, and liquid is absorbed.  Keep covered and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Garnish with scallions and lemon wedges.  Serve

Kitchen Notes: 

So the nice part was we were doing it up sexy-tempo for this party.  Alan got 2 live Maine lobsters, live spots, wild caught gulf prawns, clams, squid, halibut, chicken, chorizo, and andouille.  


First things first: Good Stock: Because of all of these goodies I got to really make a good stock.  If you think about it, the stock is really the most important part.  A good Spanish rice like Valencia or better yet, Bomba, will absorb 4:1 in the case of Valencia or 5:1 in the case of Bomba.  Now why is this important you ask?  If the rice is done when it absorbs 3:1, why waste the stock?  Cause stock is where all of the flavor is.  If you create a bomb-diggity stock and then use Bomba, OMG it is stunning.  But it will require a lot of liquid.  

So I started with 1 gallon of homemade chicken stock, very rich and gelatinous.  Then I added all of the heads of the live spots, the shells of everybody, the lobster bodies and all of the shells and coral, the halibut skin, and 2 TABLESPOONS of Saffron.  


Understanding solubility:  so a little science is important here.  Ever had saffron oil?  It sucks.  big waste of money.  Why? Most foods are either fat-soluble or water-soluble not both.  Paprika for instance if very firmly fat-soluble, not water.  This is why most Americans think of paprika as food coloring.  We keep adding it after we have added a liquid component.  Paprika MUST be fried in oil at the beginning of the cooking in order to bring out the flavor, otherwise it is just red.  (the whole capiscum family is like this, try sauteing cayenne)


Saffron on the other hand is water-soluble not fat.  If we fry it in the beginning of the sofrito, it doesn't do anything.  You need to add it to the stock and let it simmer a long time to get the maximum flavor.  


Side not about saffron: it is unfortunate that we don't like Iran right now.  They have some amazing stuff.  Saffron originally came from Persia and went to Spain with the Moors.  The only good stuff comes from either Spain or Iran.  the difference is the price.  Spain has quite a marketing team driving up that price.  Iran on the other hand... umm... let's just say it is cheaper.  The thing is, I feel the Iranian stuff is better.  Spanish stuff taste metallic if you use to much, where Persian saffron tastes great no matter what.  Go to Pars market in Bellevue by the Skateking and pick up a dime bag of Saffron.  Literally like a quarter cup for $10!!!!

sauteeing the sofrito

What is a sofrito? Every culture has its basic way to start a dish.  We are very french focused, so we all know our Mirepoix.  Carrots, onions, and celery.  However, the other cuisines have their own.  Sofrito is the Spanish version.  It is onions, garlic, tomato/pepper, and a lot of extra virgin olive oil.  Saute, add salt, and now proceed with your dish.  This when translated through the lens of the bayou has become Sofregit (Trinity) onions, green bell, and celery.  


So once you have all of your ingredients prepped and you have a very full flavored, heavily seasoned stock (Rice doesn't like to take salt at the end of the cooking, make sure to over season your stock), it is time to cook.


So Alan has a toy that I want for Christmas sooooooooo bad!  It is from Spanish Table and it is a 35person Paella pan with a 3 burner ring that is run by independent valves off of one propane tank.  So if it is cooking to fast on the rim of the pan you can turn it down, etc.  I was like a kid in the candy store!!  Only like $250!  Anyway, super fun event, and I can't wait to do it again.  I will come to your house! Just make sure to have lots of wine for me.  and perhaps a band?

They were good!!!

What I learned/taught from JMB and Michael Ruhlman

9:45AM
I call Roy.  This conversation is going to suck.  I really hate disappointing people in general, but especially like this.
I forgot how mellow and California he is. "No problem, the event isn't for 2 hours and we have lots of tomatoes here.  Come on down, we have staff who can help you.  It's all good..."

Subtext: "Cooks get there".

Yes we do.  I forgot.  FUCKING HELL.  yup.  Be there soon.

So... simple is good yes?  How about Panzanella?  My favorite thing of the summer. That is easy.

Roll in at 10:15.  Just my apron and one bavarian so we can all see how much of a tool I am.

Roy's Kitchen/Chef Mark's kitchen is a mellow place filled with happy confident people.  They make me glad I took the time to shave.  This isn't a disaster morning, just merely a new culinary opportunity.

Diced tomatoes, toasted bread, pickled red onions, herbs etc

So, Alan (cook, nice guy) and I start making a panzanella.  Easy stuff. We get the whole thing done in around an hour, leaving me plenty of time to mingle.

Everybody loves panzanella.  Toasted ciabatta, large dice heirloom tomatoes, arugula, thinly sliced onions (in this case lightly pickled), EVOO, herbs, salt. Thats pretty much it.  a touch of vinegar to balance.  The tomatoes need to be the stars.  And they are.  The dish was fantastically successful and no one called me an idiot (at least not to my face ;)

Many people came back for 3rds, even fourths!!!

finished product

So what did I learn today?  hmmm?

• Cooks get there
• Simple really is better
• you need a powerful kitchen to pull of complex garde manger for a crowd
• Jello does suck.   

The Next Morning: AKA Why French Chefs occasionally kill themselves

Sunday Morning: 7am.  Day of the TomatoFest

After all that drama and tedium of last night, I permit myself to sleep in a bit.  While probably not my best work, the bavarians are done.  Just going to go there, unmold the the little bastards and call it a day. I stumble downstairs and happily notice that they are all set.  Yay!!! Time for a shower and coffee.

Upon getting out of the shower, it occurs to me to unmold one and give it a taste.  Also to see how they will come out of the mold.  Since they are plastic, I can't use the blow torch, which is a heck of a lot easier to work with.  I will have to carefully set the mold in hot water and hope that it will all melt just right, enough to free them, but not enough to melt them all together.

ummmm...

OH DEAR GOD! While yes, they do slip effortlessly out of their molds, slipping easily onto the plate, they do it not as a sexy French seductress with a green thumb, but more akin to a teenager who just threw up on herself and doesn't know it.  That thing on the plate is the ugliest thing I have ever made.  I have for sure seen that before after a night of lasagna and drinking.  YUCK!!!

And now for the big realization... I don't have a back up plan.  It is now 9:15.  The event for 200 people at Cedarbrook starts in 2hours and 45 minutes.  Did I mention how nice Cedarbrook is?  How much I respect Roy?  and how a very large number of Big Kid Chefs will be there?  I can not serve this vomit on a plate.  

yeah... not gonna happen

So what do you do? In a normal restaurant, we create a back up plan.  We have other ingredients, other staff to bust out something while maybe not as amazing, still servable.  I have nothing here.  

So options: 

1. Pull a Vatel.  (Historical French Chef, killed himself when the seafood didn't arrive for the King's banquet.  It arrived shortly thereafter).  A bit icky, but desperate to save face.  
2. Call Roy and act sick.  I hate this option.  While the easiest, and technically "no one can fault you if you are sick"... yes they can.  Cooks don't get sick.  It has bitten me in the ass enough times when I actually was VERY sick and still they don't forgive me.  Arghhh.
3. Invent a death in the family... I feel like I am in high school suddenly.  
4. Or tell the truth.  I have been really working hard in 2010 on telling the truth.  As anyone who has read the press lately, my interviews have been disturbingly truthful.  I really don't like the idea of backsliding into bullshit.  So option 4 it is.  This is going to suck and I will not be invited back, that is for damn sure.  

Heirloom Tomato Bavarois... I think

Big Gnarley Tomato

So the tomatofest is coming up this Sunday at Cedarbrook.  Overall a very cool event, run by an extremely hep kat of a chef Roy Breiman.  He invited me (via text ;) to be one of the chefs about four months ago, but honestly I didn't really think much about it.  Do you want to do a tomato themed event in August?  Ummm.... sure.  cool.

But of course, that was back when I was at the Swinery, with a kitchen, and tools, and a crew.  Now, I am sitting in my kitchen at home wondering... WTF?  Sexy bites for 160?  Sure, I can do this, but what?  The essence of this event is to make the tomato sing, not to hide it.  We each get 30# of crazy good mixed heirlooms and need to make something to fuel the 6 hour long event.  I have been pulling my hair out for weeks trying to think of what to do.

I don't want to cook them, cause why bother using heirlooms if you are going to cook them down; I don't want to really mess with them anyway at all frankly.  BLTs? ;)  Now that my cheap bacon source is gone, that seems a little silly.  Besides, talk about being type cast.

So thanks in part to a conversation with KT, I decided to do a cold terrine of layered heirlooms and goat cheese, held together with tomato aspic.  But now this has evolved into a bavarois of sorts.  (Honestly I am rereading Julie/Julia project and was annoyed about how big of a deal that she made out of the orange bavarian).

Your standard Bavarois/Bavarian is a creme anglais custard, set with gelatin, then with whip cream folded in, just before the whole thing sets up.  So it is light, airy, and moussey.  The goal here is going to be make it with goat cheese, tomato aspic, and whipped cream. Then top it with a tomato "petal" then set the whole thing into a mold that is lined with a layer of tomato aspic.  Except I want basil in there somehow, and I can decide how.  (Do I make a basil puree and fold it into the goat cheese, thus making a green cloud in the middle, or do I put whole leaves in the middle, or a chiffonade in the aspic?)

Dunno, but I only have 4 hours on Saturday night to finish and set up the bloody things.  which is no where near enough.

Step 1: Blanch the tomatoes... quickly in boiling water, shock, peel.

Tomato Petals draining

Step 2: Concasse: Cut the tomatoes in quarters, carefully removing the center flesh and seeds.  Save these for the aspic.  Salt remaining flesh "petals" lightly and set aside to drain overnight.

Step 3: Make tomato water: Mash all of the pulp with a potato masher or pulse in a food processor.  Set aside to drain in a cheesecloth lined colander.  The water should be more or less clear.  Repeat if desired.  This step will take about 4 hours.

drip drip drip

Step 4: Set the tomato water... ok, so here is the first pseudo tricky part.  First off, having to use powdered gelatin, which is in itself annoying.  But how set do we want it here?  Hmm, I vote sliceable gel.  So I just turn to my handy-dandy Garde Manger book... DOH!  At the Swinery.  grrr.  Thank God for the internet!  I looked up gelatin gel strength and found the exact same table stolen from the CIA garde manger book! http://bit.ly/cqvrZ6 .  Ok, it says I need to use 1 oz of gelatin per pint of tomato water for a sliceable gel.  Gelatin first needs to be bloomed in cold liquid (until it looks grainy) then heated gently to 120F and it clears.  Then it can be added to the main batch and the whole thing sets up.  Later, I will melt some and reset it in the molds.

Stupid plastic bowl thingies
The Trailer Park equivalent of a Bavarian Mold!!

Step 5: Line the molds.  Ok, so what the heck am I going to use for molds.  I don't have the room, time, resources, or molds to actually make 160 of these buggers and the tomato petals are too big for that.  (yes, I know they could be cut down, bite me).  So, with my very very limited budget, I ran off to Cash and Carry and pick up little plastic rice bowls.  They should work nicely and each finished product can be sliced into wedges and serves 6.  Sweet.  I only hope the gelatin doesn't pick up the recycle logo!

OK, take your warm but not hot, tomato aspic and pour about an ounce into each one.  We want a nice layer to hold the tomato petal.  Dammit, come to think of it, I should really cut the petals with cutters.  grrr. It will look nicer. ok.  I am in.

As an aside: Why I owe my life to Colin Aleveras (But why I hate him too) by Gabriel Claycamp.

When I first graduated CIA, I worked at an amazing restaurant in NYC called the Tasting Room.  Colin and Renee were young punk rock kids who opened their little dream wine bar in the East Village.  Colin shaved his mohawk and took out most of the piercings.  They went to France and staged at Arpege (God's own Michelin 3-star) and came back and rounded up some investors.  I was their first sous chef right after they opened in the fall of '99.

Fresh out of "the best culinary school in the world" (hahah) I thought I was the shit.  Until you go to NY and realize, CIA grads are a dime a dozen.  We are very similar to the Puerto Rican illegals doing the dishes, other than often the latinos are better cooks.  Colin wasted no time in breaking me of my cocky attitude and showed me how good a chef can be. 

I learned a lot from Colin (who became kind of my big brother) but the most important lesson I took away from him was this: IF YOU THINK OF A WAY TO MAKE IT BETTER, AND YOU CHOOSE NOT TO, YOU ARE THE WORST KIND OF HACK.  You can not look something in the eye and not improve it.  Better to turn a blind eye to something, then identify how to fix it and not.  This has carried over into all aspects of my life.  Tis a very frustrating rule.  Anyway, back to the bavarians.

9pm Saturday Night: Alright, back from my other gig and truly not too excited about this whole process.  The Aspic is set nicely, tastes fine.  Now I need to melt it down and pour a little in each mold.  There are 50 of them to do and it takes my whole dining room table.  Then a round cut out of each tomato petal in each one.  The catch is, you have to wait till the gel sets up again, at least mostly, or the tomato will sink down to the bottom and will be poking out when the bavarian gets unmolded.  add 30 minutes.  Did I mention that I hate jello?

10PM: Make the actual Bavarian base: To start this, I  

dumped 2 # of goat cheese in the kitchen aid and paddle the hell out of it until smooth and creamy.  Meanwhile, I made a gelatin solution on the stove with a quart of half and half.  This is where things start to go wrong... 

Goat cheese, tomato guts, basil

Ok, so mix the warmed gelatin solution in with the goat cheese, then whip cream and fold it in, simple, yes?  It isn't going to yield enough however, so panic insues.  I decide (it is after 11pm at this point and I have been up since 6AM) to take the residual puree of the tomato seeds and fold that into the goat cheese.  Sounds good, right?  I adjust seasoning and dump it in.  Then add a chiffonade of basil for color.  Fold together and voila!  ...

Um sort of.  It is still too warm to start to set, and one of the catches of a bavarian is that you have to stir often as it begins to set otherwise it will SEPARATE (sounds ominous) This mean pull everything out of the refrigerator to make room for a giant bowl.  And stir every 10 minutes for then next 40 freaking minutes.  

An aside: Midnight: I have decided that now would be a good time to quit drinking for a while.  I need to purge a bit, and besides, there isn't anything to drink in the house other than an old bottle of tequila, which I swear is corked (didn't know that could happen).  I haven't been drinking all day, and well hell, I might as well keep it up for a few weeks. 

So, it is midnight, I am just pouring the bavarian batter into the molds and I am very sober.  It sucks.  This really should be done with a lot of bourbon. Oh well.  By 12:30 they are all poured and starting to set.  It is going to be ok.  I will find out in the morning. 

This is the kitchen right now:  I hate Jello and Tomatoes. 

Really Good Pickles for Jennifer Bartlett!

Damn Good Dills makes 5 lbs

8 C white distilled vinegar                         8 C water

1 C sugar                                                   1 C kosher salt

1 tsp turmeric, ground                               ½ C pickling spices

24 whole, small red chili peppers               32 garlic cloves

8 fresh dill heads                                      

5 lbs well-washed, small to medium pickling cucumbers, about 16 C

In a large non-aluminum stockpot, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, turmeric, and pickling spices to a simmer over medium heat.  Let cook while preparing the jarred cucumbers.

To each of 4 large 4-cup sterilized glass canning jars, and 2 dill sprigs, 8 garlic cloves, and 6 chilies.  Fill loosely to the shoulder of each jar with the cucumbers.  Fill each jar to the top of the shoulder with the hot pickle brine.  Clean the rims, screw the lids on snugly, and invert the jars for 3 hours.

Refrigerate for up to 2 months.  Use any left over pickling liquid to pickle other kinds of vegetables.   


(Learned these pickles from Chef Greg Higgins. Not sure if this is his exact recipe, but is certainly in the spirit, thanks Greg!!)

An Italian "al fresco" evening in the Tri-Cities

Finally, my weeks of sitting around trying to get something going are coming to an end.  On Monday, I am teaching my first class in quite a while, over in the Tri-Cities.  The wonderful Italy compatriot Sandralini is the hostess, along with other Italy trip veterans KT Wright and Mary Pat.
Since the class is full and I have to work up my shopping lists, I thought I might post some recipes of the delights we are to have.  Winemaker Neil Cooper will be there as well providing some libation, so it should be a great time!

Menu:

• Frascarelli with truffled grape tomatoes and parmigiano
• Antonio’s ricotta flan with pecorino fonduta
• Heirloom tomato panzanella
• Rosemary Spiedini (Pork tenderloin, bacon, chicken livers) grilled
• Saltimbocca, zucchini gratin, sautéed escarole, grilled polenta cakes
• Fresh ricotta with cinnamon and sugar, fresh peaches
• Espresso and grappa

The Story of Antonio: I first met Antonio years ago through a mutual friend.  Tall, handsome, and charming he is the dream of the Italian Chef.  He came to CC west Seattle in 2006 and taught a couple of cooking classes and then did an awesome Gypsy dinner.  In '08 we all went to Italy to visit him and have a wonderful Italian cooking adventure.  Debbie and I hosted/ran the trip and Antonio was the star.  He shared some of his own recipes like this Frascarelli and his Tortino.  

Antipasti

Frascarelli: Antonio's grandmother made this pasta up, technically translated, Frascarelli are the little goobers that stick to your hands when making pasta.  This pasta dish is supposed to be made with only one hand so "she could smack the little kids misbehaving and clinging to her skirts".  

Frascarelli serves 8

22 oz flour

4 eggs

1 tsp kosher salt

Make Pasta: Sprinkle flour in a fine layer on a cutting board.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl with the salt.  Using the whisk drizzle the eggs all over the flour.  Using your fingers squish the eggs into the flour to form little lumps.  Make sure to work all of the eggs in, but leave the lumps pretty big. 

Finish: Place pasta in a fine sieve and shake gently to get excess flour off. 

Cook: Cook in heavily salted boiling water for 1 minute.  Drain and add frascarelli to a pasta sauce, or toss with olive oil.  Serve with Parmigiano and halved grape tomatoes (warmed) and truffles.

2nd

         Our next course will be another Antonio creation. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I tend to think of pecorino as a garnish cheese, not a sauce.  But this works beautifully, melts smooth and delicious  

Tortino serves 6

flan

3C good fresh ricotta                                                         2 egg whites

1 T cornstarch                                                                    1 T heavy cream

Sauce

1 C grated pecorino romano                                              2 C heavy cream

Garnish

Nutmeg, freshly grated                                                      Marjoram sprigs                                  

Preheat oven to 375°F

Make Flan: Mix ricotta together with the egg whites in a small bowl.  In another small bowl, combine heavy cream and cornstarch until combined.  Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the ricotta mix.  Pack into buttered ramekins.  Bake for 25 minutes or until browned on top and risen slightly. 

Meanwhile make sauce: Place the cream in a small pot and over medium heat, reduce by half.  Add the grated cheese.  Simmer until just thickened.  Hold warm. 

Serve: Pool ½ C of warm sauce in the bottom of each bowl, and unmold the flans in the center of each bowl. Grate some nutmeg over each and serve with a sprig of marjoram.  

3rd- Salade

                There is nothing that says summer like a good heirloom tomato.  During the season, I try to make panzanella at least 20 times, and I never get tired of it.  It is fun and easy to quickly grill the bread to add more character.  

Grilled Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)          serves 8

10 oz coarse country bread, stale

3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 C torn basil leaves

2 T red wine vinegar

kosher salt and pepper to taste

⅓ C extra virgin olive oil

Prepare the Bread:  Rub the bread lightly with olive oil and then grill over on a hot grill, until well marked.  Cool.  Cut the bread into 2” chunks and combine with the tomatoes, onions, and basil. 

Toss salad: Dissolve salt and pepper in the vinegar.  Add the oil and mix well.  Drizzle with vinegar and toss well.  Allow to sit for 1 hour for flavors to meld.  Serve at room temp.

4th- Primi

             Livers (fegato) are something that has taken me a long time to get comfortable with.  I love me some pate, and make about a million types, but just straight up eating liver has been a challenge.  This dish is wonderful and so simple as to be comical.  It is literally cubes of bacon, chicken liver, and pork tenderloin, threaded on rosemary branches, and grilled.  Nothing could be easier! The only catch is make sure the coals are burned down low enough to prevent flare ups... or grill these guys over an indirect heat. 

Spiedini alla Florentine serves 8

8 pieces chicken liver                                           16 bay leaves (fresh if you can find them)

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 16 pieces                     8 strips bacon

16 sage leaves                                                      2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 sturdy rosemary branches                                  16 (2”) bread cubes, stale

kosher salt and pepper to taste                            Extra virgin olive oil

Build a fire in a charcoal grill and burn until the coals are covered in white ash

Marinate: In a large bowl, toss the liver, bacon, tenderloin pieces, garlic, sage, and bay together.  Add 1 C olive oil along with several large pinches of salt and lots of pepper.  Marinate 1 hour.

Skewer: Using the rosemary branches as skewers, thread 1 piece of liver, 2 pieces pork tenderloin, 1 strip of bacon, bay leaves, sage leaves, and 2 bread cubes (dip in the olive oil first).  Alternate all of the pieces, repeat to make 8 skewers.  Drizzle with all of the remaining marinade. 

Grill: Grill over hot coals until done, serve with a nice chianti.  

5th-Secundi

                  Our main course will combine lots of elements to round out the class and because I really want to have something "jump in my mouth" ;)

Saltimbocca alla Romana serves 4

4 pieces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in half crosswise

1# pork scalloppine, cut into 8 pieces

8 large sage leaves

¼ C extra virgin olive oil

¼ C dry white wine

1 C Veal stock

4 T butter, in small pieces

Prepare the pork:  Pound the pork very thin.  Place 1 slice of prosciutto on top of each slice of pork, center a sage leaf on top of the prosciutto, then thread a wooden toothpick through the sage, prosciutto, and pork to hold all three in place.  Set aside.

Cook the meat: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.  Add meat to skillet, prosciutto side down, in a single layer, (work in batches if necessary) and sauté until prosciutto is lightly browned and crisp on the edges and pork is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  As meat is cooked, transfer to a warm platter. 

Make sauce: Pour off and discard fat from skillet.  Return skillet to medium high heat, add wine, and cook, scraping browned bits up, until alcohol has evaporated, about 1 minute.  Add stock and accumulated juices from platter, and reduce by ¾, about 10 minutes, then whisk in the butter.

Return meat to skillet to warm through, then transfer to a serving platter, prosciutto side up, and spoon sauce around.  Remove toothpicks before serving.  

Garlicky Lemon Escarole serves 4-6

2 large bunches escarole                           ½ C olive oil                

15 cloves garlic, sliced                               1 T balsamic vinegar

kosher salt and pepper to taste                1 tsp chili flakes

Juice of 2 lemons

Blanch: Blanch the escarole in heavily salted rapidly boiling water and shock in ice water to cool. 

Sauté: n a large sauté pan heat olive oil and sauté the garlic and chili flakes.  When starting to brown add the escarole and the lemon all at once.  Cook 5 minutes.  Sauté until everything is hot and saucy.  Season and serve.  

Simple Polenta Cakes

2 C Polenta                                    1 T Kosher Salt

2 C Light Chicken Stock                 ½ C Parmigiano Reggiano

2 C 2% Milk                                    1 stick Butter

2 C water                                       1 T roasted garlic paste

Bring to a boil: Combine all ingredients except cheese and butter in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer, slowly, over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.  Make sure to get all lumps out—there should be none to start. 

Reduce to a simmer: When simmering, stir frequently with a wooden spoon and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, until each grain of polenta is tender, not gritty.  Stir in butter and cheese. 

Cool, set, fry: Pack into a buttered 9x13 pan.  Using plastic wrap, smooth the top; cover and refrigerate.  Cut into desired shapes and pan-fry.  

Zucchini Gratin  serves 4

1# zucchini

2 C highly seasoned tomato sauce

Kosher salt

1 C grated parmigiano

2 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F

Prep eggplant: Trim zucchini and cut them in very thin slices, lengthwise. Salt the slices and set them aside for 30 minutes to drain. Drain well, and dry with a cloth.

Assemble: Oil a heatproof dish. Make a layer of zucchini in the bottom, then a layer of thick, highly seasoned tomato sauce. Top with another layer of zucchini and finish with sauce. Top generously with grated cheese, sprinkle lightly with olive oil.

Bake: Bake for 25 minutes to until hot and bubbly.  Let stand for 5 minutes to set up.  Serve. 

6th Dolci

       This one brings back memories for me.  When I was 15 years old I started having regular dinner parties (parents gave me money for food and then skipped town for long travel) and I had a very interesting friend who was an opera singer and a world traveler, and very loud and flamboyant and very gay.  For a 15 year old in Centralia WA, Stephan was a trip.  This was his favorite "Italian" Dessert.  

Peaches with Ricotta and Grappa serves 6

2 peaches, thinly sliced                                                     

2 C very good, sheep’s milk ricotta

2 T cinnamon sugar

1 T grappa

                             

On each of 6 dessert plates, place a scoop of the ricotta.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Place peaches around and drizzle with the grappa.  Serve.  

Gonna be a great night!

Vin Santo of Course!!