Wicked Haute

Rabbit is one of my favorite animals to cook. They're environmentally friendly to raise, versatile for cooking, and tasty. They take a little finesse to cook, but that's usually a rewarding attribute. Plus, you can usually buy the whole animal, which is good garde manger experience.

If you have a fairly well stocked pantry, this shouldn't require any extra fancy ingredients required to purchase just for this recipe.

1 Rabbit
2 cloves garlic crushed
Herbs de Provence (see note to follow)
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover)

Section the rabbit, reserving the giblets. Remove the rear legs, fore legs, and the loin with the rib meat flap from the carcass. Save the bones for stock. Season the rabbit with salt, pepper, and the herbs (reserving some of the herbs to add later). Brown on all sides in a heavy bottomed skillet (in either EVO or Butter) After the rabbit is browned, toss in the garlic to soften. Once the garlic is cooked a little bit, deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce the wine by half and then cover with Chicken stock. Remove the loins, and simmer for 35 mins. Return the loins for the last 10 mins to finish cooking, but don't over cook them. Remove the rabbit, add any remaining herbs de provence, and reduce the sauce.

Serve with seasonal side dishes.

The foreshanks can be chilled and kept for other dishes.


Herbs de Provence:
Everyone has their own mix and balance of herbs, but the traditional blend includes rosemary, chives, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and lavender. Add any bay leaves whole, don't grind them into the mix. For the rest, I start with the lavender flowers in a mortar and pestle, mixing them up to get the fragrence out. Then I add the rest (fresh or dried) and mix a little more just to bruise them a little.

I had a coconut sitting around in my kitchen for a few days while I tried to think of something to do with it. Impulse buys can become good motivation for experimentation.

Starting with the idea of coconut shrimp, I decided to improve on the idea. Generally, coconut shrimp in restaurants come individually frozen, already battered, and ready to be dropped in the deep fryer. I wanted none of those.

The challenge was finding a way to get the coconut to stick to the fish, without burning, and getting as much of the flavor across.

Here's the process:
Pop two holes in the top of the coconut, and reserve the coconut water. Strain and set aside after tasting some of course. (Needs rum.) Brake the coconut into several pieces, and roasted them in the oven for about 10 mins. This helps to separate the husk from the meat. Grate some of the coconut, about 1/2 cup for the amount of fish here.

Place the Snapper Fillets skin side up on a cutting board. Using the sharp edge of a knife, scrape the skin in the direction of the scales, to remove moisture. Wipe the knife off inbetween each pass. The more moisture you get off the skin now, the crispier the skin will be after it's cooked. Score the skin so it doesn't curl when cooked, and season with Sea Salt.

In a copper mixing bowl (or regular one) whip 1 egg white into very soft peaks. Add a squeeze lime juice, some of the coconut water, and the grated coconut and fold gently.

Preheat a sautee pan and use an oil with a very high smoke point, I used Grapeseed oil. Place the fish in the pan skin side down. Press each fillet lightly into the pan with a spatula to keep the skin side flat. Cook the fish 75% of the way through without flipping. Generously spread the coconut meringue about an inch thick. Very gently flip the fish over, so the meringue can cook. (I used a fish spatula and a spoon together to accomplish this) Once the coconut meringue is nicely browned, the fish should be finished.

The hardest part of this dish is choosing between presenting the crispy skin, or the beautiful coconut meringue.

Enjoy.

So, I was reading through Cooking Light last night as I was preparing to make some dinner and there was an article about the 4/5 tastes; Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter and (debated) Umami.  So I had this freshly running about in my brain as I created my dinner - and whoa - Umami turned my eh vinaigrette into something I could seriously drink.  So good in fact that I decided to add a dash of anticipation to the recipe by waiting until today to have it with my salad. A salad, mind you, which would have been BORING otherwise. Just some unsalted Tongol from TJ's and old romaine hearts, but with this dressing... so yummy! If only there were a glass of Vinho Verde to go with it... and sunshine, and beach... but I digress

3 tablespoons good extra Virgin Olive Oil ( I use Artisan, sort of floral, but really tasty!)
2+ tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon French Whole Grain Mustard (Maille, moutarde a l'Ancienne is a good choice)
~1/4 tsp truffle salt
~1/4 tsp Herbes de Provence
~1/2 tsp Six Cheese Blend from Sessa's (It's basically a blend of three cow and three sheep cheeses... Very sharp and salty - This was the Umami bit that pushed this from eh to wow! ... so you may have to experiment if you don't live near Sessa's)

Whisk and serve as you see fit. I like it best at room temp.

Last night I dipped veggie bits in it as I pan fried lightly breaded local Zucchini and tomatoes and then had it over the aforementioned 'BORING' salad today. MMM... there will be more soon!

I'd like to think that if this was a remotely traditional Chinese recipe, this is how it would appear on the menu. :) It makes use of both your typical North American red cabbage and bok choy, sometimes called Chinese cabbage. I can't say I've ever done much stir-frying of cabbage before this (though I occasionally put a bit of shredded cabbage in my fried rice), but now I'm converted. The wine and the touch of cinnamon are borrowed from Lombard-style sweet-and-sour braised cabbage, one of my favorite Northern Italian recipes...the rest was made up on the fly. It was inspired by what we had on hand, and what a chef I used to know called the "Marco Polo principle"--a fusion of Chinese and Italian ingredients and cooking techniques (it often works surprisingly well!).  

SAUCE:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine (I used Sangiovese)
2 t ginger root, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 T Mae Ploy or similar sweet Thai chili sauce, according to taste
2 T cornstarch

STIR FRY
1/4 c vegetable oil (grapeseed oil is an ideal stir-frying oil--it's relatively healthy, and has a light flavor and a high smoke point)
2 c coarsely chopped red cabbage
2 heads baby bok choy leaves
1 c sliced mushrooms (I used button mushrooms, but shiitake or oyster mushrooms would probably be even better)
2 oz chopped walnuts
1 t cinnamon 

Whisk the liquid ingredients of the sauce together, then add garlic and ginger. Whisk in cornstarch until completely blended. Heat oil in a wok or pan for a few minutes over high heat, then add red cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes, sprinkling with cinnamon halfway through. Add bok choy leaves and cook for an additional minute or two, then add mushrooms and walnuts. Cook for an additional two minutes or until mushrooms have begun to soften (but before they become limp); add a bit more oil if necessary. Add sauce to pan and turn all ingredients well to coat. When sauce has reduced and coated vegetables, remove from heat. Serve over rice.

Tonight C brought home some beautiful scallops from Savenors. I had already started the grill and put on some homemade Italian Sausage and eggplant. The full dish I put together was pretty impressive, with everything cooked in a different way. Here's a list of the parts from simplest to most complex.

Radish Greens: and a few turnip greens too.
Salt greens liberally and let sit for about 20 mins. Sautee in EVO quickly and add a few drops of Banyuls vinegar.

Sausage:
Home made italian sausage, smoke over charcoal slowly until cooked.

Eggplant:
Cut in half lengthwise, score deeply, season liberally with Salt and Pepper and a little EVO. Grill over coals used to cook the sausage:

Mashed Potatoes:
Peel and cut the potatoes into even sized pieces, Simmer in salted water until thoroughly cooked. Drain and return to the pot. Add melted butter and warmed milk and mash till mostly smooth. Add Roasted Garlic, caramelized onions, and a huge amount of fresh chopped herbs.

Turnips and Parsnips:
Peel and cut into Rustic size pieces. In a sauce pan, simmer the veggies along with 1/2 Tbl butter, 1/2 tsp salt, wine or beer (I used the Lavender Menace) and a little water to cover. Simmer until cooked and reduce the liquid to a glaze. Finish by adding some Truffle Honey and toss to coat. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs.

Scallops:
In a sautee pan with clarified butter, sear scallops hard on one side. Flip them over and cook them about half way done. Add 1 Tbl Beurre Badass. (Proprietary recipe) and spoon the melted butter over the scallops till they're done.

Borrowed this one from Jamie Oliver, via Orangette (how meta is that?)...I haven't even tried it yet, but I know it has to be awesome. Thank you, Jamie and Molly...

Sliced Mushrooms with Fresh Mozzarella and Thyme
Adapted from Jamie’s Italy, by Jamie Oliver

This is one of those recipes where exact measurements are totally unnecessary. But to give you an idea of proportions, when Brandon and I made this yesterday, we used two medium porcini mushrooms – each two or three inches tall – and topped them with about ¾ of a standard-size ball of fresh mozzarella and the leaves from one sprig of thyme. It was just about perfect as a light lunch for two, with a glass of rosé, some bread, and fruit for dessert. And today I made it again - this time with some crimini mushrooms and half a ball of mozzarella - and ate the whole thing. I plan to do it again tomorrow.

Fresh mushrooms, such as porcini, crimini, shiitake, or portobello
Fresh mozzarella
Olive oil
Fresh thyme, leaves removed and stem discarded
Sea salt

Preheat the broiler.

Clean the mushrooms with a pastry brush or damp paper towel, and then slice them thinly. (Ideally, aim for slices that are no thicker than ¼ inch.) Arrange them in a single layer on a large ovenproof platter. Tear the mozzarella into coarse bits – each about the size of a nickel – and scatter them over the mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the thyme leaves over the top, along with a good pinch or two of salt.

Slide the platter under the broiler, and cook, checking frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden in spots. Serve with bread for mopping up the platter.

 An excellent use of fresh spinach or other green leafy veg, popular as a side dish in sushi bars and elsewhere. My version's a bit different from the traditional one.

1 head spinach or other similar leafy green
Dark soy sauce
Mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
Japanese mayonnaise
black sesame seeds
white sesame seed powder
Sriracha (chili sauce)

Blanch spinach quickly (45 sec - 1 min) and shock with ice water. Mix 1/4c dark soy sauce with a couple of tablespoons of mirin and set aside. Squeeze excess water out of spinach; using your hands, compress half the spinach into a long cylinder about 1 1/2 in. in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut off 2 in. sections of spinach roll; set sections upright on a plate (they should be about the size of large sushi maki, though a bit taller). Toast black sesame seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until they begin to pop; take off heat. Pour a spoonful of soy/mirin mixture over each roll, then sprinkle with sesame seed powder. Top with a small dollop of Japanese mayonnaise, then sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds; finish with a small dot of sriracha in the center of the mayonnaise. Repeat process with other half of spinach, and serve immediately with good sake.

My slightly healthier twist on a classic Peruvian potato dish (the more traditional version uses cream and boiled eggs)

2 lbs. potatoes (Yukon Gold are ideal for this)
1/4c olive oil (a fruity Spanish olive oil is a good choice)
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, diced
2-4 Serrano chiles (depending on how spicy you like it), seeded and diced
2/3c green olives, pitted and chopped
8 oz queso fresco, chopped (found in Central/South American groceries, or pretty much anywhere in Boston)
1c milk

Chop the potatotes into approx 1 1/2 in cubes, and boil in salted water until just tender. Drain. Heat olive oil in a skillet; add onions and sweat for a couple of minutes, then add serrano chiles. Saute for five minutes more, then add garlic and a few pinches of salt. Once garlic is golden, add potatoes to pan, turning well to coat with oil and sofrito mixture. Pan-fry potatoes for five minutes or so, until slightly crispy on the outside. Add milk and turn potates to coat as milk reduces. Once milk has reduced and coated potatoes, turn down heat to med and add queso fresco and olives, mixing well and turning potates frequently as cheese melts and binds potatoes together. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken salad.

1 Left over smoked chicken breast from RedBones. (Or freshly cooked)
6 cornichons
6 kalamata olives
3 Scallions
1 tsp really good mustard
2 Tbl Japanese Mayo
2 stems Asparagus, sliced and sauteed in Roasted Garlic Tomato Oil
Sauteed Spinach, in RGTO
6 or so Roasted Tomatoes


Roasted Garlic Tomato Oil
1/2 c grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
6 Tbl EVO
1 sprig thyme or oregano

Combine in a small sauce pan and cook very slowly till they're thoroughly roasted and the garlic is deep brown (but not burned)

Assemble on good bread, enjoy.

Boblet Baked Beans

Most traditional New England baked bean recipes are fairly sweet, but we like our beans a bit more savory. These beans still have a touch of sugar from the maple syrup, but overall they have a sharper, smokier tomato flavor (especially if you have a good smoked salt around), with a slightly astringent bite from the sumac (a nod to Bobbie's heavily Armenian/Greek neighborhood). You can add the traditional bacon or salt pork if you like, but we think these are just fine without it.

4 cups cooked red or pink beans (soaked overnight, drained, and boiled until just tender)
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 bottle ale
2 T dijon or whole-grain mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 T maple syrup
2 t onion salt
1 t chili powder
2 t ground sumac
2 or 3 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drain beans and put into a beanpot or oven-safe saucepan. Mix well with tomato paste and ale, then add remaining ingredients and stir well to blend. Taste and correct for seasoning, adding more salt, etc. if necessary--we seasoned with some alderwood smoked sea salt from Savory Spice Shop in Denver, which added a very earthy, smoky note to the overall flavor. Cover saucepan or beanpot; bake for 1 to 2 hours until sauce has thickened and reduced. Serves 4-6.

 A QUICK, HEALTHY COLESLAW

1 head of green cabbage, or 1/2 head of green and 1/2 head of red
1 or 2 carrots, if desired
1/4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil (Ariston or similar)
2 T Dijon mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T mango chutney (Major Grey's, Patak's, or other brand)
Salt and coarse-ground black pepper to taste

Wash vegetables; chop or shred cabbage (I like to chop mine fairly coarsely); shred or grate carrots if you're using them. Mix vegetables together in a large bowl; in a separate bowl whisk together evoo, mustard, vinegar, chutney, and a few grindings of pepper. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss well, adding a bit more olive oil and vinegar if mixture seems too dry (cabbage should be lightly coated with dressing). Add several grindings of fresh pepper and salt to taste. For best results, cover and let rest in refrigerator for an hour in order for flavors to combine (you can also serve at once). Serves 6. 

I returned from Seattle a few days ago, after spending a week out there with my brother. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to have a lot of great meals and see some great parts of the country out there. I'll post the write ups here, and link to the pictures on my flickr account.

Day one, I'm up much earlier than Adam. Still on East Coast time. We set out to go to a place he had recommended, Brother Don's, but they didn't open till 11. Undeterred and still hungry, we stop for coffee in a non-starbucks coffee shop and ask them for a recommendation. The guy behind the counter recommends Hi-Lo cafe and gives us directions.

We pull up here and know we're in the right place. Coffee is self serve in the back of a VW bus. And it's good coffee. Not generic watered down diner coffee, and not hazelnut vanilla maple crunch flavored coffee.

Their menu has plenty of selections, and right away I ask what their specialty is. Without hesitation our server says it's the Moon biscuit. Biscuit dough, cooked on a waffle iron, topped with Gravy and served with hash browns and 2 eggs. This marks a new high spot for Biscuits and gravy for me. Delicious.

Heidi and Lowell are the owners, hence the name Hi-Lo. They run a cool joint. The decor is funky and comes across as genuine. The bathroom is decorated with vintage albums and a disco ball. Seriously.

Additionally they house the unofficial thermos museum. Thermoses line the walls and they have classic lunch boxes to match.

Check it out if you're in the area and definitely try the moon biscuit. If you get a chance to go twice, go for the meatloaf. Just don't try on Monday (like I did) because thats the day they're closed. Vegetarian? Check them out for Tofu Tuesdays, one of the few places that serves tofu in Bremerton.

Start with 4-6 people, and one fine looking leg of lamb. Make it delicious, and enjoy. Details to follow.

1 leg of lamb
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh rosemary and mint
Salt and Pepper
Charcoal
Red wine


De-bone the leg of lamb, reserving the bone to make something else with later. You're on your own with that for now.

Once you've removed all the connective tissue and trimmed some of the fat from the outside, butterfly the leg so it lays flat in one continuous piece. Sprinkle 4-6 cloves of chopped garlic evenly over the leg. Then, spread an even layer of chopped fresh rosemary and mint. Cover that with a fine dusting of freshly ground black pepper and a blanket of good salt. Roll up the leg and secure it with butchers twine.

Prepare a hot charcoal fire, or preheat the oven to 400. Roast or grill the leg of lamb, turning every 10-15 mins. Approx 45 mins for medium, depending on the size of lamb. If you prefer your lamb well done, go read someone else's recipes.

Rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Serve with spring vegetables, and plenty of good red wine.

Friday night, I'm looking through my fridge to see what I've got to use.

I call rogairedubh and flaxenlenape and we decide to do something Irish-ish. While they were on their way over here I changed my mind, and went in a slightly more French direction. Surprise surprise.

Here's what I did.

1 Pork shoulder, to cut the steaks off.
4 Tbs Butter (1 T softened and mixed with 1 T flour)
Salt & Pepper
Dried thyme and Oregano
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 c Riesling
1 c Chicken stock

Start by cutting fairly thin slices off a pork shoulder, across the grain, to make some thin steaks. Season them with salt, pepper, and dried thyme and oregano. In a pan over low heat, slowly seal them in butter, flipping them over every few mins until they were throughly cooked through. Try not to get too much color on them, but some caramelization is inevitable and is not a problem. Once the steaks are throughly cooked through, remove them from the pan and add thinly sliced red onion. Cook slowly until very soft. Deglaze with Riesling, add back in the steaks, and reduce by half. Once you've cooked off most of the wine, add chicken stock to cover and simmer for about 45 mins. After the chops are tender, remove them to plates, and add 1 Tbl Burre Manier. Stir and cook for about 2 mins and then dress the plate with the sauce.

I've been meaning to make this since I first read the post. I even went so far as to go out and buy the TJ's beans Brandon likes to use, but one thing or another came up and I never quite got around to it. Well, last night I just wanted something quick but comforting and warm, betwixt library musicology/analysis session and torturing Maddie with my vocal meanderings... So, beans just seemed the thing. However, I'm not a fan of spicy things and I wanted to use what I had in the house, so I did a bit of my own doctoring... and boy was that a tasty dinner! Rich, but not too heavy, a dash of chocolate (you're not really surprised are you?), a few sprigs of Cilantro, Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage (also TJ's) some Fage yogurt and some crusty Viennese Bread. Nearly a hobo's dinner, but a hobo with foodie leanings. The presentation was even pretty! I took a picture, but I ran out of batteries (and time) so I'll have to post that later.

Oh! you want the recipe? Silly me... Here you are Beans a la Orangette a la Boblette.

Olive Oil
1/2 a medium red onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, crush and coarsely chopped
1 Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Sausage
1 Can Trader Joe's Organic Black Beans with juices
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Cumin
2-3 Tbs Roasted Garlic Salsa, medium
~1/4 cup dark chocolate. (I used 72% Ghiradelli Fondue chips -it's what I had...)
2 tsp Fresh Cilantro chopped
Fage 2% Plain Greek Yogurt

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until a bit browned and tender. Add Garlic and sausage a few minutes before the onion is done. Next add the whole can of beans, juices and all. Toss in spices, salsa and chocolate. Let that get 'bubbly' , then reduce to simmer for a few, stirring occasionally,  while you chop up the Cilantro and slice up some bread and cheese to serve along side. Make sure the chocolate is all melted, remove the pot from heat , transfer to your dish of choice (I went with the classic Campbell's Soup mug) and top with a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of Cilantro (to taste). Serve with the bread and cheese. This would, of course, be great with a beer too, or a nice deep red.

Eh "Voyla"! Enjoy.

Welcome! If you don't already know us (pretty unlikely, if you're here, but hey, this is the internet), we're a group of mostly amateur cooks and professional musicans (though in some cases and under some circumstances the qualifiers are reversed), doing our best to get by in the giant financial sausage-grinder that is Boston. We decided a long time ago that being poor didn't have to mean eating poorly, and over the past four or five years we've been experiementing with how far we can stretch our budgets and our imaginations.  We've learned a few things along the way:

- Even the smoker has its limits
- No santoku lasts forever
- Evangelical Brazilian dudes have the best charcoal
- Prosciutto cracklins are not a good idea
- Nobody cares how perfect your brunoise is when it's 10:30 and they're all drunk anyway
- Nothing is safe from the cats
- Goose fat is the gift that keeps on giving
- The Korean market is open on Thanksgiving, and they have beer
- The only thing better than pumpkin pie is lots of tiny pumpkin pies
- Flemish sour ales are even better when drunk out of a paper bag on the T

The list goes on. We have many flashes of inspiration, and then forget to write down the recipes, but now we can immortalize them on the intarwebs. Feel free to praise or criticize as appropriate.

Bon Appetit!