Massaman Beef Curry

  

  
Massaman curry is a sweeter curry from muslim southern Thailand.  That's not to say that it is sweet, and indeed it is based upon red chilis like its red and yellow curry cousins.  But it does use many of the spice that came to it through Muslim traders from India, the Middle East and the Spice Islands.  Thus, massaman curry includes red chilis, lemon grass, garlic and ginger, but also includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and cloves.  A massaman curry dish will also usually include peanuts and potatoes not traditionally found in other Thai dishes.  The other evening out at a local restaurant I had a lamb massman curry and the flavors paired wonderfully.  For my home version with the recipe below from The Food of Thailand: A Journey for Food Lovers I paired beef strips, which is the traditional serving.  I used fajita strips already cut and packaged from the store.  Pair with rice for a stimulating  change of pace.  Serves 2.
   
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp massaman curry paste
1 lb beef strips  
1 can coconut milk
1 cup beef stock
2 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 piece of ginger, shredded
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp palm (or brown) sugar
1/2 cup peanuts
3 tbsp tamarind puree
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
10 cardamon seeds (if available)
    
Directions:
In a deep saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Stir-fry the curry paste a couple of minutes to release the flavors.  Add the beef to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, stock, potatoes, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, peanuts, tamarind puree and spices.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes.  Uncover and cook down further if a thicker consistency is desired.  Serve over rice.
    

Salmon with Morels, Leeks and Peas

  

  
Last December, on a trip to Copenhagen, I visited the critically acclaimed restaurant Fiskebar or Fish Bar restaurant.  The New York Times described it as "perhaps Copenhagen's hottest new restaurant, drawing raves both for its chic interiors and loyally Danish seafood creations like tartare of Jutland trout and blue mussels from Holbaek Fjord, steamed in apple cider."  A meal I had at Fiskebar was similar to the above recipe I found perusing for Spring dishes.  It combined a cut of fish on a bed of leeks and other vegetables, paired with mushrooms and a sauce.  Fiskebar's of course kicked things up several notches with poached halibut instead of salmon, mushroom mouse dollops around the plate, and the leeks rolled in black truffle flakes.  Paired with a wonderful clean burgundy, the results were sublime.  Seeing the recipe below in Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook made me think of my Fiskebar experience and so I gave it a try.  Needless to say I did not replicate Fiskebar's truffle flakes, or attempt a mushroom mouse, but I did merge Fiskebar's poaching of the fish with Portale's pan searing on one side to give a nice crust.  I also prefer white fish to salmon, and so I substituted a nice piece of cod.  Also, Portale calls for ramps, which are a kind of onion seasonal in the Spring.  Those were not available at my local store, but I did find baby vidalia onions which have a similar bulbous leek look and a mild taste.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh peas
2 baby vidalia onions, white and a little bit of green parts, cut in half lengthwise
2 leeks, white and a little bit of green parts, cut into 1/2 inch lengths and rings separated
4 fingerling or baby gold potatoes 
4 tbsp butter
4 morel mushrooms (if desired), ends trimmed and caps halved lengthwise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 salmon, cod or halibut filets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced chives
pinch of chervil
     
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from heat and cover to keep warm in the cooking liquid.  Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add the peas and cook for 4 minutes.  Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process.  Repeat with the onions and leeks.  Drain the vegetables and set them aside, reserving 1 cup of the remaining cooking liquid.  If including the morels, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  
In the saucepan used for the vegetables, bring the reserved vegetable cooking liquid to a boil.  Add the cream and cook for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to prevent it from boiling over.  Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper.  In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not quite smoking.  Add the fish (skin side down if salmon) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to brown one side.  Remove the fish and place in the broth in the saute pan with the uncooked side down.  Cover and poach a few more minutes to complete the cooking process.  Remove the cooked fish to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, stirring to incorporate.  Drain the potatoes and slice them into 1/2 inch rounds.  Add the potatoes, peas, onions, leeks, mushrooms and any juice to the sauce and heat, stirring gently to heat through.  Turn off the heat.  Stir in the lemon juice, chives and chervil.  Spoon the mixture out to plates or bowls.  Top with the fish.  Spoon out more sauce if desired.  Serve.
     

Madeira Sauce

  

    
Many recipes are something you might not make, but some may include a component such as a sauce which you can pair with something else.  For example, the photo above portrays Tournedos Rossini, Beef Filets with Foie Gras and Truffles.  Appearing in the magazine Saveur in a piece about Cafe Anglais in Paris, the odds that I would make this at home are low.  However, the sauce looked luscious and the recipe for it was simple, so I clipped it and saved it for a later day.  That evening came last night when I felt like a steak and wanted an easy sauce to pair with it and the polenta and broccolini I planned.  I keep a bottle of madeira in the cabinet along with port, cooking sherry and marsala.  I recommend you do the same since they will keep for a long time. Similarly, I keep frozen or concentrated demi-glace in addition to chicken, beef, vegetable and seafood stocks.  So, when the time came, a sauce from a fine restaurant in Paris is only 10 minutes away.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1/4 cup madeira
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup demi-glace
4 tbsp butter
    
Directions:
After you've cooked your cut of meat and removed it to a plate to rest, poor out any cooking fat and deglaze the pan with the madeira, scraping up and mixing in any bits.  Over medium-high heat, reduce the madeira slightly, about 2 minutes.  Add the stock and demi-glace, increase heat to high, and cook down approx. 8 minutes until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.  Whisk in the butter if desired, a piece at a time, until the butter is melted.  Serve.
    

Pan Seared Halibut with Tomatoes and Capers

    

    
Quick and easy is often a requirement for mid-week meals.  Searing a cut of fish is almost always a quick meal.  The challenge comes in the support - how to make that fish interesting.  Sometimes that can mean a sauce, remoulade or a chutney.  I enjoy this Mediterranean-inspired recipe from Bon Appetit.  The sauce is quick, simple and satisfying.  Even cooking couscous is quick.  Give it a try and make it part of your work night retinue.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
2 halibut filets
salt/pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallot or 1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp capers
1/3 cup bottled clam juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup cooked couscous
     
Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.  Season the halibut with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot, add the filets and cook until browned on each side and the middle is just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.  Transfer the fish to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.  Turn down the heat to low and add the onions, softening for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and allow the flavor to release for a few moments.  Add the tomatoes, basil, capers, clam juice and wine.  Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer a few minutes to thicken.  Plate the couscous first, putting the filet on top and spooning the sauce over the fish.