Category Archives: Dinner

  • Roasted Dungeness Crab

    December 4, 2012

    18 Comments

    crab1

    Roasted Dungeness Crab. Yum.

    Here on the west coast we get a special treat every holiday season, Dungeness crab. Starting in November and running through the winter, good fish markets will have chill cases full of big, bright red, cooked crabs. And they don’t go to waste, people out here love their crabs. And Dungeness crab is a truly lovely dish. The flesh is white, tender and sweet. And while it does take some work to get at all the meat, the cracking and picking is all part of the fun.

    crab7crab8Most folks out here simply serve the crab with some lemon and mayonnaise. But roasting crab with herbs and spices is a popular way to add some flavor and develop a quick “sauce”. There are many good recipes for roasting crab with homemade curry sauce (so good, recipe soon) but that takes a little extra shopping and work. For a quick, but tasty, roast crab we use a marinade of oil, herbs, garlic and red pepper. Combine these flavors with a quick roast and some lemons and you have a very fun, flavorful meal.

    crab9crab10To say the crab in the recipe is “roasted” is a bit of a misnomer. You really marinate the crab in the herb and oil mixture for a few hours and then warm the crab and sauce in the oven for about ten minutes. The marinade and extra heat bring out more flavor from the crab. With the added flavor and rich texture of the oil, this dish feels more like a main dish than appetizer, so it is a perfect family meal. And you do get the bonus of a great smelling kitchen while you roast the crab. This dish smells as good as it tastes.

    crabSo if you have a chance to get your hands on Dungeness crab, we suggest you buy a few. Have them cracked and cleaned and bring ’em home. You can certainly serve the crab by itself, but you can make a true meal of the crabs with a tiny bit of extra work. And the extra work, which really isn’t much, is certainly worth it. Few dishes give you so much flavor for so little effort.

    Roasted Dungeness Crab:

    Notes Before You Start:

    • Cooking and cleaning Dungeness crabs yourself isn’t fun. Most good fish mongers have quality, freshly cooked crabs they will crack and clean for you. We are all for DIY projects, but  this isn’t one of them. Have your fish monger do the work.
    • Dungeness crab is pretty specific to the west coast of the US. But this basic recipe will work with any meaty, cooked crab.

    What You Get: Dungeness crab with some extra flavor. A fun, messy meal.

    What You Need: Assuming you have the fish monger clean and crack the crabs, no special equipment required.

    How Long? About 2 and a half hours, but only 5 minutes of active time, most of the time is spent marinating the crab.

    Ingredients:

    (Serves 4-6)

    • 1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon tarragon, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup good olive oil
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste, but we suggest you season liberally)
    • 2,  2-pound. Dungeness crabs, cooked, cleaned and cracked
    • 2 lemons, quartered

    Assemble:

    1. Combine parsley, thyme, tarragon, garlic, red pepper flakes and oil and then finely chop using an immersion blender or food processor.

    2. Place the crab pieces in a shallow baking pan, pour marinade over crabs and toss, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

    3. Preheat oven to 400°. Roast crabs, uncovered, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with lemon quarters (squeeze some lemon over the crab, if you like). Serve

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  • Miso Cod Hand Rolls

    November 29, 2012

    21 Comments

    Miso Cod Hand Rolls

    One of our favorite all-time restaurant dishes is Nobu Matsuhisa’s Black Cod with Miso, a simple but delectable appetizer that has been knocked off (and with some success) by chefs and home cooks all over the world. If you visit one of the Nobu restaurants, you should order the dish, it is still excellent. The delicate, sweet and flaky cod with a light crust of funky, salty, umami-rich miso is a perfectly balanced bite.

    Matsuhisa’s version of the dish uses black cod and marinates the fish for 2-3 days. And while we know it’s great, it is hard for even food bloggers to plan that far ahead, and we don’t have easy access to black cod. We also needed to beef up the dish a bit to be a main course. But since we have very tasty local rock cod here in Norcal, and we make lots of sushi and/or coconut rice, we adapted a quick version of miso cod (from Food and Wine) for use in rice bowls or hand rolls. And what we get is a very flavorful, easy and healthy meal. The kids even like it (hand rolls are fun).

    And making this dish is very easy, the only variable is time. It only takes a few minutes to mix a marinade of white “shiro” miso, mirin (Japanese cooking wine), sake and sugar. Then you marinate the fish. A half hour marinade time does work, but a full day or overnight is even better. The longer the marinate, the deeper and sweeter the miso flavor. Otherwise, simply make some white rice (we like Japanese medium-grain rice), cut up some nori, dice some veggies like carrots, radish and arugula, saute some shiitake mushrooms, slice up an avocado and break out the pickled ginger, soy sauce and Sriracha.

    We serve the cod two ways. The first is a simple bowl with the rice topped with miso cod, mushrooms, avocado, veggies and slivers of nori. But the real fun is making the hand-rolls.  Just cut the nori sheets into 2×2 inch squares, add in a tablespoon of cooked rice and then layer in the fish and other garnishes. The hand rolls make for a perfect bite. These are great as dinner, but also fun to serve as a snack at parties. But be sure to enjoy a hand roll before you share them, these tend to go fast.

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  • Simple Garden Recipes: Leek And Potato Soup

    November 27, 2012

    20 Comments

    Leek and Potato soup.

    Sometimes food recipes are like cocktails. If you get a good recipe, the ratios just work, even if you make variations on the edges. The flavors evolve, but everything stays in balance and tastes great. For cocktails, the “New Orleans Sours” with the 2-1-1 (two parts spirit, one part sweet, one part sour) ratio of the Margarita and Sidecar come to mind. Add some salt, a little sugar and/or some bitters or a new liqueur, the drink will change, but still be good. When we look for savory dishes with “perfect” ratios, there are few better ratios than 4-4-6, the ratio for leek and potato soup. If you want an easy, flavorful, and almost foolproof dish, this is it.

    And, not surprisingly, this recipe comes from Julia Child. We won’t wax poetic (it has been done, and done better than we will ever do), but it is safe to say that Billions (with a capital B) of meals have been, and will be, better because of her work. And many of her recipes, along with the recipes of her sometimes cooking partner Jacques Pepin, remain the standard for simple, classic cooking. For every seemingly overwrought, complex and overly “French” recipe, Julia (and Jacques) have dozens of simple country dishes that just rock. This is one of those recipes. And it’s a good one.

    At the most basic level, all you need is four cups of diced Russet potatoes, four cups of sliced leeks and six cups of salted water. Cook for twenty to thirty minutes and you’re done. And it will be good, and very stick to your ribs satisfying. But maybe you want to use chicken stock, maybe add a touch of cream, maybe garnish with chopped chives, ground black pepper or some smoked paprika? Perhaps you want to purée the soup (we think you should). Maybe you want to serve the soup chilled? Vichyssoise is just a step away. And if you want to sprinkle on some crispy bacon or pancetta, you are a kindred spirit, live long and prosper.

    Hopefully, you get the idea. If you make this soup, follow the general recipe and then adapt it to your tastes. We use chicken stock, purée with an immersion blender, stir in a touch of cream and garnish with what we have.  Do what you like, as you will build from a solid foundation. And one last note, eat this dish and you will be full. This dish isn’t all that fattening, but it is filling. But as winter sets in, and you need a warm and tasty dish (and a nap) at the end of the day, this will do the trick. Thanks Julia.

    Leek and Potato Soup:

    (Adapted from Julia Child)

    Notes Before You Start:

    • Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes will work best for this recipe. Waxy potatoes will not break down as well when boiled or add enough starch to the broth.
    • Garnishes for this dish are endless. If you have left over proteins, just dice and brown them and add to the soup. Then you have a complete dinner.

    What You Get: A very flavorful and filling soup that’s easy to make.

    What You Need: No special equipment required. If you want to purée the soup and immersion blender, food processor or blender will work.

    How Long? About 40 minutes with 10 minutes of active time, mostly peeling and chopping veggies. Anytime dish.

    Ingredients:

    (Serves 6 – 8)

    • 4 cups sliced leeks
    • 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
    • 6 cups water or chicken stock (add another cup for a thinner consistency)
    • 1 tablespoon salt (if using water, or to taste if using chicken stock)
    • 1/2 cup (or more) heavy cream, sour cream or crème fraîche (optional)
    • Chopped chives, freshly ground black pepper, bacon bits or smoked paprika for garnish (optional)

    Assemble:

    1. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch dice. Clean the leeks of all sand and dirt (see photos) and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Add the potatoes and leeks to a large lidded pot and add the water and salt or chicken stock.
    2. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the soup, partially covered, until the potatoes and leeks are very tender, about 25 – 30 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Garnish and serve.
    3. Or remove the soup from the heat and  purée the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor or standing blender. Stir in the cream. Garnish and serve.
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  • Beef Tri-Tip Roast: A Good Meal For A Small Thanksgiving

    November 20, 2012

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    Kobe Beef Tri-Tip Roast. A special treat.

    It may seem like sacrilege, but we don’t serve turkey at Thanksgiving. No ham either. Nope, we serve a version of our slow-roasted pork with apples and fall herbs and some kind of roast beef. If we have a big crowd, we roast a whole Tenderloin, but if we have a small crowd, we roast a Tri-Tip. And if we want to splurge, a Kobe Tri-Tip is one of our favorite roasts.

    The Tri-Tip is a triangular 2 to 2 and 1/2 pound cut of beef from the bottom sirloin primal of the cow. It has strong beefy flavor and, if cooked and sliced properly, is quite tender. Out here in California, “Santa Maria Style” Tri-tip, lightly seasoned and slowly cooked over red oak to medium-rare, is a very tasty regional specialty. And if you go into most butcher shops here in Norcal, you will find many custom Tri-Tip preparations and marinades (the black, ugly, but incredibly tasty “Fred Steak” is a local specialty). And as a special treat, most butchers feature a Kobe Tri-Tip. And this is a very special treat.

    While it’s expensive, the Kobe Tri-Tip is a great intro to Kobe beef. Kobe beef is a special type of beef with extra marbling of fat (fat is flavor) and very tender meat. Kobe is expensive, but the Tri-Tip is one of the more affordable cuts and is easy to prepare. The beefy flavor of the Tri-Tip doesn’t need much help, so we simply prepare a quick rub of olive oil, salt and pepper and let the steak marinate for at least four hours or overnight. Then you simply sear the outside of the meat for flavor and then slowly roast until the internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare.

    We use our sous-vide machine for the Kobe Tri-Tip, as we can exactly control the internal temperature (we target 131). We then sear in a cast iron pan, slice and serve. But you can grill Tri-Tip using a two-level fire, or roast in a hot oven. We include cooking instructions for each method. The key to any Tri-Tip recipe is to avoid overcooking, so regardless of method, be sure to pull the roast from the heat before it reaches the target temperature (it will still gain five to ten degrees) and allow the roast to rest at least ten minutes before you slice and serve. And be sure to slice across the grain for a more tender bite. And now you have a very tasty roast that is the perfect size for four to six guests.

    So if you have a small group of guests for Thanksgiving, we have a suggestion. Make all the traditional sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, stuffing, cranberries and pie. Pop open a good bottle of wine or cider, maybe make some punch. But save yourself a lot of time and cook up a Tri-Tip. And if you are feeling flush, try out a Kobe Tri-Tip. You won’t have to struggle with a turkey and you will have very happy guests. And if you just can’t bear the thought of beef at Thanksgiving, Tri-Tips are just as good for a casual weekend roast. Tri-Tip makes a good meal any time.

    Beef Tri-Tip Roast:

    Notes Before You Start:

    • Tri-Tip is sometimes called “triangle steak”. If you can’t find Kobe Tri-Tip, ask your butcher, it is a popular cut and usually can be ordered.
    • Tri-Tip does not have a lot of intra-muscular fat and is not a good roast to cook past medium rare. If you need to cook a roast past medium, other cuts will do better.

    What You Get: A quick, easy, tasty and tender beef roast.

    What You Need: No special equipment required. But a digital thermometer, or meat thermometer reduces the risk of overcooking. We cook this roast sous-vide, but the grill or oven also work well.

    How Long? If grilling or oven-roasting this dish takes about 20-30 minutes. Sous-vide cooking will take 4-8 hours and then 2-3 minutes of searing the meat. The beef benefits from an overnight marinade.

    Ingredients:

    (Serves 4 – 6)

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1, 2 and 1/2 pound Tri-Tip roast, trimmed (Kobe, if you like)
    • Vegetable oil or bacon fat, for searing (if cooking sous-vide)

    Assemble:

    1. Combine the oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Dry off the Tri-Tip and coat with the oil mixture. Put the roast in a container or plastic bag and then place in the fridge for 4 -12 hours.
    2. If charcoal grilling: Build a two-level fire. Sear the roast for 2-3 minutes on each side, on the hot side of the grill. Then move the roast to the cooler side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook the roast, turning occasionally, until you reach an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees, about 20 minutes. Remove the roast from the heat and let it rest at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
    3. If gas grilling: Set up the grill for high heat. Sear the roast for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then move the heat to low, cover the grill and cook the roast, turning occasionally, until you reach an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees, about 20 minutes. Remove the roast from the heat and let it rest at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
    4. If oven roasting: Preheat the oven to 425. Place the roast in a roasting pan (with a rack, if possible) and put the pan in the oven. Cook for 5 minutes and then lower the heat to 350. Cook cook the roast, turning occasionally, until you reach an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees, about 20 – 30 minutes. Remove the roast from the heat and let it rest at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
    5. If using sous-vide: Set the sous-vide temperature to 131 degrees (or your desired temperature). Remove excess oil from the roast and seal in a vacuum bag. Cook sous-vide for at least 4 hours, 6 – 8 is preferred. When the roast is done, heat vegetable oil or bacon fat in a skillet over very high heat. Sear the roast 1 – 2 minutes on each side, or until well browned. Slice and serve.
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