Lemon-Coriander Lamb Tagine

I cook in part because I love to travel.  They say the sense of smell is our most powerful sensory perception, and there is nothing like the smell of an international dish to take you to that place you would like to go.  One of my favorite countries is Morocco.  The people, the architecture, the decorative arts, it is a wonderful experience of sights, smells and sounds.   Morocco's hallmark preparation style is the tagine.  What makes tagines special is the cookware and its conical lid, which circulates the steam back into the broth of a cooking stew.  Most frequently, I cook a chicken tagine such as chicken with apricots and almonds.  Famously, a true Moroccan cook can list a hundred different ways to prepare chicken, but tonight I went with lamb instead, another Middle-Eastern favorite.  
At the same time, I love to buy cook books, and when I am thinking about menu planning, I pull out one of my cookbooks for inspiration.  Today was Bistro Laurent Tourondel, or BLT, as the small chain of French-American bistros is called.  Tourondel was raised in France, and his recipes include a number based on old family favorites, but also incorporating tastes from Asia, the Mediterranean, and North America.  His cookbook is as sumptuous as his food.  What more is needed when Eric Ripert of the famed New York City icon Le Bernadin begins his Foreward with "Laurent Tourondel is an inspired chef."
Tonight, I prepared his recipe for Lemon-Coriander Lamb Tagine.  It caught me by surprise.  Maybe that was mostly because of the way I went into the dish, with a Moroccan bent, by I came out on an even higher plane, quite possibly in Asia somewhere.  The magical place was inspired by the cumin and coriander I love, but also layered with delicate flavors of star anise and lemon.  It left me sitting back and searching my experience, reliving the different facets I tasted.  What more could one ask from a night's culinary experience? 
The recipe below is my version of the BLT dish, flavored to my preference, which is not overbearing in the anise and lemon, but those flavors still come through in these proportions.  If you love those flavors especially more, by all means make this recipe yours through your own changes.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds boneless lamb, trimmed and cubed
salt/pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin   
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
1 oninon, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 cardamon pod
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in the bottom of tagine or Dutch oven.  Season the lamb with salt and pepper.  When the oil begins to smoke, add half of the lamb.  Brown on one side, approximately 4 minutes, stir and brown on the other side a few minutes more.  Remove the browned lamb to a plate and repeat with remaining meat, adding the remaining olive oil if necessary.
Add the spices and garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the onion, carrot and onion and soften the vegetables for 15 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to avoid burning.  Add the vinegar and simmer until the liquid evaporates.  Add the flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the stock and stir, scraping up the browned bits.  Add the browned lamb, tomatoes, lemon zest and cardamon pod.  Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour or more, stirring occasionally.  Prepare rice if desired, uncover and reduce liquid if further thickening is desired.  To serve, stir in cilantro, sprinkle with toasted almonds if desired, and spoon over rice.

Milk-Braised Pork Sholder

Bacon is my favorite food. It combines a savory and saltiness I think is programmed into our DNA. I touched an even deeper place with this braised pork recipe. Any braised recipe, whether it is an Italian ragout or a French stew, takes meat to a higher place with a multi-hour tenderizing. They say the best stews are allowed to sit and enjoy on the second day. Maybe that is true, because this recipe took three days to prepare, but it was well worth the trouble.
A few months ago, I clipped this recipe from Bon Appetit. It comes from the restaurant Olivia in Austin, TX where apparently there is only one thing on the walls: a Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings concert poster that the chef’s grandfather gave to him. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that when I tried his recipe last month for my friends at a tail-gating party I received rave reviews and requests for its posting. So, here it is and enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs 1-inch cubes trimmed pork shoulder
1 tbsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick butter
½ cup flour
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/4 lb bacon, chopped
2 cups dry white wine
4 cups whole milk
2 28-once cans of pureed tomatoes

Directions:
Place pork in a large bowl. Mix 1 tbsp salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over pork, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350○F. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2 minutes, whisking often to not allow roux to brown. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until ready to use.
Blend onions, carrot, and celery in processor until finely chopped. Cook bacon in large ovenproof pot over medium heat until beginning to brown and fat is rendered, about 6 minutes. Add vegetables to pot and saute until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add pork and saute until brown, about 7 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil, stirring up browned bits. Add milk and bring to simmer. Add tomato puree, then whisk in roux. Simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover pot. Place in oven and braise pork until very tender, about 2 hours. Uncover, let pork cool, recover and chill overnight.
Rewarm pork over low heat, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

J & G Steakhouse Reviewed

Here in D.C., we have the newest creation from Jean-Georges. Located in the newly renovated Hotel Washington now a W Hotel, J-G bills J&G as a collection of his favorite dishes from his New York restaurants, as well as an inspired steakhouse menu with composed and simply grilled items. Premium meats and a global selection of fresh fish will be the backbone of the menu, including the highest quality raw items from East and West Coasts, uniquely creative appetizers, as well as prime cuts of meat char grilled to perfection with side dishes, including vegetables and potatoes.


With all of that, I fell into risotto and snapper, but more about that later. The hotel and lobby do make an attempt at modern hotel chic. However, the bones of the old Hotel Washington are neo-classical with columns, marble and soaring ceilings. So, I'm not sure if the décor works in the space.

Neither do I think the suffocating service works. They are certainly trying hard. Wait staff is constantly checking on the status of the meal and diners, as are additional floor managers and assorted persons. However, I think really good service isn't asking me if I need more water or diet coke (at lunch), but anticipating my need and fulfilling it without question. Similarly, I found the multiple intrusions during a business lunch distracting. This is Washington - we are either talking policy/politics, checking our Blackberry's or engrossed in our friends. We don't want to talk to the staff. That said, they were all nice people. Maybe they will just tone it down a little.

As for the meal, I chose the lunch-time tasting menu, which in this recession I suppose can be called a value meal although it checks in at $28. I started with the mushroom risotto. It was different than a traditional risotto, lighter and color and less in saltines, no parmeggiano I imagine. The forest mushrooms on top were fine. More inspired was the snapper. I don't even remember what it was over, but I remember the sauce had some heat to it, which I found interesting and fun. Maybe my mind remains transfixed on the desert. I chose the chocolate cake with melted chocolate in the center and a small dollop of ice cream. Modestly portioned (a good thing) and extremely tastey. All in all, a good lunch which I would recommend.

Lobster Corn Chowder

Chowder is one of my favorite hearty meals to warm up a cold day.  Of course, any recipe that starts with rendering bacon is good in my book, but chowder fits the bill to drive away the winter's winds.  However, sometimes a less hearty alternative is inspired, either for something more delicate, or through ingredients more refined.  I have whole cookbooks of traditional chowders, but some years back I clipped this recipe from Wine Spectator for a lighter alternative.  I finally tried it last weekend and enjoyed it greatly, although lost on the kids was my fancy tableside pouring.  At least I pretended to be taken away to a fine restaurant...  Try it and tell me if you like it.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups leeks, white parts finely chopped
3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup onions
salt/pepper
2 cups corn kernels
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups light fish stock (fumet)
4 sprigs each tarragon and thyme, tied into a bundle
1/4 lb chanterelle mushrooms
1/2 lb cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks
1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

Directions:
Start the soup by melting 2 tbsp butter in a heavy saucepan.  Add 2 cups leeks, 2 cups potatoes, onions and salt.  Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the corn kernels and cook 2 munites.  Add the cream, bring to a simmer.  Add the stock and herbs, season, and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, up to 20 minutes.  Remove the herbs, and blend with a handheld blender or in batches in a food processor, pureeing until smooth.  Cover and let stand until ready to serve.
For the garnish, melt 1 tbsp butter over medim-low heat in a large sautee pan.  Add potatoes and soften for 5 minutes.  Add the chanterelles and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the leaks and a pinch of salt and soften, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the lobster meat and the remaining stock.  Cover to warm the lobster and further soften the potatoes a few minutes.  Remove from heat, add the chives. 
Bring the soup back to a boil.  Divide the garnish evenly between bowls and ladle the soup over the garnish.  Serve with a chardonnay.

Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi with Cilantro Lime Rice

Another of my go-to fish dishes is Mahi-Mahi.  I find that Mahi-Mahi, like Red Snapper, has a more interesting flavor than a pure white fish, but is still mild.  I buy the steaks frozen, individually sealed and keep them in the freezer until desired.  I pair this with a rice dish I came across from Bon Appetit, 2006.  Caribbean inspired, I add lime to freshen it up even more.  Tonight I paired it with a tangy lemon, dijon, butter sauce from Food & Wine, 2007, which they called a Salmoriglio sauce from Sicily.  All of the recipes are quick, tastey, and perfect for mid-week healthy eating.  A note on the rice, my favorite is Basmati and I like to by the big, burlap bags full of it you can find from Pakistan at Shoppers Food Warehouse.  My ultimate rice will come out of the pot with each grain fluffed and separate with none sticking together or to the bottom of the pot.  Finding the perfect setting and time on your stove is key, along with soaking the rice beforehand.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup basmati rice
4 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp softened butter
2 Mahi-Mahi steaks
salt/pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 scallions, white and light green portions chopped
1 tsp lime juice

Directions:
In a medium pot, soak the rice in a cup or two of water for 10 minutes.  Drain the rice into a mesh strainer and run under cold water to wash off the starch.
Dry out the pot and add 1 tbsp of oil and low heat.  Add the onion and soften for a few minutes.  Add the garlic for a minute more.  Add the chicken stock and rice, stir and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and leave covered.
Meanwhile, combine the thyme leaves, lemon juice, and mustard.  Stir in the softened butter, and then whisk in 1 tbsp of oil until fully incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Uncover the rice and fluff with a fork.
Add 2 tbsp of oil to a medium saute pan and heat over medium until smoking.  Season the Mahi-Mahi with salt and pepper and place in the pan.  Sear 3 to 5 minutes until browned and turn, searing the other side until also browned, a further 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix in the cilantro, scallions and lime juice.
Plate by spooning a portion of rice onto a plate, place a Mahi-Mahi filet on top, spoon out some sauce onto the Mahi-Mahi and around the edge of the plate.  Serve with a clean white; my favorite is an Orvieto from Umbria.

Roast Pork Loin with a Cherry Sauce

Fall is a time for me to roast meats.  A pork loin is a quick and easy way to roast a meat, but the question remains on how to sauce it up.  Many times I make a jus from the pan drippings and bits, but today I am inspired by dried cherries.  The picture above from a Williams-Sonoma recipe shows a cherry-port sauce with roast duck breast, a delicious combination.  But, you can also easily make this for roast pork, an easier and cheaper alternative.  I like to pair roast pork loin with polenta, cutting the pork into medallions and spooning the sauce over both.  Pinot noir is the usual wine pairing, but try to remember to decant in advance of the meal.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pork loins
salt/pepper
2 tbsp herbes de provence
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup port wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cherries
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.  Begin cooking the polenta as recommended, which can simmer gently as the pork and sauce is prepared.  Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until smoking.  Meanwhile, season the pork loins with salt and peper and the Herbes de Provence.  Add the loins to the pan and brown on each side, approximately 3-5 minutes per side.  When browned, roast the loins in the oven until a thermometer in the center reads 150 degrees, perhaps 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat to a platter and cover.
Drain the fat from the pan down to 1 tbsp remaining and return to the stove top over medium low heat.  Add the shallot and soften for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for a minute further.  Deglaze the pan with the port, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Turn the heat up to medium high to boil down the port by half.  Add the cherries and chicken stock and boil down by half again.  Turn off the heat, add the balsamic vinegar, and swirl in the butter.  Cut the pork loins into 3/4" medallions.  Plate a portion of the polenta first, arrange 1/4 of the medallions on top of the polenta, and spoon the sauce over the pork and polenta.

Bibiana, A Review

Today, a dear friend of mine and I ate at Bibiana, the newest DC creation of Ashok Bijaj, best known for The Oval Room, Bombay Club and Rasika.  It was a bitter sweet moment as Bibana takes the space of one of my sentimental favorites, Luigino's.  It was here I developed a passion for northern Italian food, wine, even the art of cooking itself, as one could sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen and watch the evenining's creations at work.  But, as life goes on, so does the ultra modern chic take over in style.  Bibiana is now transformed into a vitrual W of a restaurant.  Maybe it was the passing of my sentimental favorite which made me find the decor a bit much, but it was all qualty and tastefully done.

The food, however, was luscious on every level.  The menu relfected the season in ingredients and preparation.  I chose chestnut soup as my first course.  So often tinny and thin, this was full and savory.  Poured in the theatric style around a dollop of creme fresh and two medallions of duck sausage, I wanted no more than to lick the bowl clean.  For the second course, I delighted in a veal ravioli with a sage butter sauce.  Luigino's first introduced me to home-made veal pasta.  For them it was a large, v]paper thin ravioli that melted in your mouth.  Bibiana's was a thicker pasta with a bite.  The sage sauce included bits of crisped pancetta.  A few more sauteed sage leaves would have been nice, but all and all, excellent.  The reviews are high for Bibiana and I would recommend it too.  Check it out here at http://www.bibianadc.com/.

Pan-seared Tilapia with a Tomato Coulis over Toasted Lebanese Couscous

This is one of my go to recipes when I’m in the mood for white fish. The couscous cooked in a saffron stock provides a delicious starch, and the tomato coulis an easy vegetable and further sauce. My recipe combines inspiration from the Tribeca Grill and Jacque Pepin. The Tribeca Grill suggests a butter sauce of Buerre Blanc and Mariniere, which I find too fattening with its 2 sticks of butter. Instead, I substitute a tomato coulis inspired by one of Jacque Pepin’s cookbooks. While the picture above from the Tribeca Grill Cookbook shows the butter sauce spooned around the plate, usually spoon the coulis over the fish in place of the garnish. They also suggest making this with red snapper, which of course is nice, but tilapia is an adequate mid-week substitute. Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
1 cup Lebanese couscous
1/4 cup diced leek
2 cups chicken stock
½ tsp saffron threads
1 clove diced garlic
2 tsp dried parsley leaves
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup flour
4 tilapia filets
salt/pepper

Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low and soften half of the diced onion. After a few minutes stir in the leek and couscous. Allow the couscous to brown a few minutes and then add the chicken stock and saffron, stir, return to a simmer and cover, simmering for a further 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low and soften the remaining onion. After a few minutes add the diced garlic, and after a minute further add the parsley, thyme and diced tomatoes. Stir, return to a low-simmer and cover.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Season the tilapia filets to taste and dredge through the flour, shaking off any excess. When the oil in the pan begins to smoke, add the filets. Sear for 3 minutes or until gently browned, turn and sear for a further 3 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove the fish from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
To plate, spoon a portion of couscous onto the center of the plate. Place the fish on top of the couscous, and then spoon a small portion of the coulis on top of the fish. Serve with Chardonnay or a clean white such as an Orvieto from Italy.

Turkey Chili

Fall comfort food also brings fall football, and what better way to entertain the guys than big bowls of chili.  Turkey takes the fat off the wasteline, and this easy recipe saves time and effort.  This is a meat and kidney bean chili, but I like to add what I have and feel like at the time including green pepper, corn and black beans.  Serves six, pair with cold beer.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
2/3 lb ground turkey
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 pack McCormick's chili seasoning
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can kidney beans
1/2 15oz can black beans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen corn (optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in pot over medium heat, add turkey, break up into small pieces, cook turkey until browned.  Remove turkey to bowl and add 3/4 of the onions  and the green pepper (if desired) to pot and cook until softened.  Return turkey to pot and add contents of seasoning packet.  Stiry to mix and allow seasoning to cook into meat a minute or two.  Add sauce, diced tomatoes and kidney beans (and black beans, and corn if desired).  Stir, bring to simmer and cover.  The consistency of the chili should be fine, but if you want to add a small amount of water you may.  Simmer 15 minutes.  Serve into bowls, top with remaining onions and grated cheese.

Baked Ziti

Fall brings the opportunity to cook comfort food without overheating the kitchen. One of my favorites is baked ziti. While this dish is more American than Italian, it is nonetheless a crowd favorite that will warm your heart and more. I like to use turkey Italian sausage as a way to reduce fat, and both tomato sauce and chicken stock in my sauce. Serves 4. 60 minutes total preparation and baking time. Serve with a green salad, garlic bread and red wine.

Ingredients:
½ pound ziti
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
3 links turkey or other Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into small pieces 4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
½ cup fresh mozzarella, small balls best

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin heating water in a pot to cook the pasta, eventually bringing to a rolling boil. Begin heating the chicken stock, white wine and tomato sauce in a medium pot, eventually bringing to a simmer. In a nonstick frypan, heat the oil to medium and brown the sausage pieces on all sides. Remove from heat. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flower to make a roue. Cook the roue 2 minutes longer to remove the flour taste. Add the roue to the sauce, whisking in and returning to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for a further 15 minutes to thicken. While the sauce is simmering, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes and strain. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Mix ½ the grated asiago cheese, egg, mozzarella, parsley, thyme and salt. Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss in the cheese mixture and sausage. Add the entire mixture to a 9 inch square baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, cover with the remaining cheese and bake a further 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Allow to cool somewhat and serve.

I Killed Gourmet

Today's news of Gourmet's imminent closure makes me wonder whether I killed Gourmet magazine? Was my newly-minted, modest little blog the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back? Was I the flap of the butterfly wings that eventually caused the hurricane that closed Gourmet? Hardly, but one does wonder whether the thousands of people like me sharing our cooking thoughts online, and the millions of people like you and me reading about cooking online drove one more stake into the heart of old media. Do we live in a better world if Gourmet can no longer exist? Certainly, food and cooking blogs, cooking shows and celebrity chefs, even movies about all of the above have spread a love of cooking far beyond what Gourmet will ever do. It is the sad, but inevitable progress spurred by technology and mass appeal. I am thankful for my present and future, but I do desperately hope that food magazines continue. There is something special about curling up with those glossy photos and feeling the flip of the pages on the fingertips. Meanwhile, last week I cooked straight from a recipe on my laptop on the kitchen counter. Gourmet, rest in peace.

Frittata for Dinner

Want the comfort of breakfast for dinner but something a little more interesting than bacon and eggs? Have an herb garden you need to use, or potatoes going soft? Have those last few pieces of prosciutto that didn’t get used? Whip it all together in a frittata for dinner! For me, it’s the basics: eggs, potatoes, herbs and a thin bacon. Some will go with a yellow or red bell pepper, it’s up to you, put in what you like, put in what you have. In 20 minutes you will have an interesting dinner for 2.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 slices thin prosciutto, chopped
1 golden potato, diced
½ tsp chives
½ tsp parsley
½ tsp thyme
4 eggs, beaten
salt/pepper

Diretions:
Add the oil to a small non-stick frying pan. Over low heat, soften the onions, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions to a plate, increase the heat to medium and add the prosciutto, cooking until crisp, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, peal and dice the potato. Remove the prosciutto to the onion plate, and add the potatoes to the pan, add salt and pepper, cover and brown, turning periodically. After approximately 8 minutes when the potatoes are nearly softened, add the herbs and stir. After a minute to release the herbs’ flavor, add the softened onion and crisped prosciutto. Add the beaten eggs and stir to mix. Cook a few minutes to harden the bottom, then transfer to a broiler on high to cook and brown the top, approximately 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler when the top of the eggs are cooked and browned. Place a place upside down over the pan and flip over to release the frittata onto the plate. Serve with a garnish of whole chives and a glass of chardonnay. Eat by yourself, or divide and serve with a green salad.