Holiday Weekend Dinner

Its the holiday weekend and the official kick off to the summer season, Fire up the grill right? No this year its cloudy and cold with rain and fresh snow in the mountains. With the last breath of winter I decided on cold weather comfort food. Slow braised chicken legs with tomatoes and garlic over a pool of creamy soft polenta.

For the chicken:

2 organic whole chicken legs

1 t chopped rosemary

1 t chopped thyme

3 Roma tomatoes, large dice

5 cloves garlic

1 small onion, sliced

1 dash white wine

1 cup chicken stock

Kosher salt

fresh pepper

1. Season the chicken legs with salt/pepper and herbs, brown the legs in a pan with a dash of olive oil, add chopped tomatoes, garlic, stock and wine.

2. Cover pan and simmer for 45 minutes till tender.

3. Remove cover and reduce liquid till slightly thickened.

For the polenta:

3 cups chicken stock or water

Salt/pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring liquid to a simmer and slowly stir in polenta with a wire whisk to prevent lumps.

2. Slowly cook while stirring occasionally (about 20-30 minutes)

3. Stir in the cheese and check for proper seasoning, the cheese might give enough salt.

To serve: Spoon soft polenta on to plate, place one leg on top and spoon sauce over, can be garished with fresh chopped parsley.

Note: There is a lot of options to this recipe, try adding any of the following: chili flakes, capers, olives, fennel bulb, brocolini, wilted spinach, etc.... Any remaining polenta will get firm when cool and can be cut and grilled for other dishes.

Greek Style Eggplant

Did the common weeknight market stroll wondering what to make for dinner, when a perfect eggplant stood out and become the center piece of what was going on the plate. Olive oil drenched eggplant with green olives, feta cheese, fresh oregano and tomato was the plan. First the eggplant is sliced thick and salted with kosher salt to draw out what can be bitter juices. Next a quick saute with olive oil, then a scattering of olives, Greek feta cheese, parsley, oregano from the garden and a touch of Italian tomato paste. Served warm at room temperature all the flavors come through and its amazing! love this stuff. Give it a try as a side dish with grilled fish on a warm summer night.

Slovakia

Slovakia is a very common food in Greece and its neighboring countries, normally it is made up of chunks of marinated lamb that is skewered and grilled. I did a verison of this with large chunks of pork called "Souvlakia Hirina"marinated with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, cumin, garlic, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, this was allowed to marinade for a few hours then threaded onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water to prevent burning. It was faster for me to broil these instead of firing up the grill. Basted with marinade as it cooked to a crispy brown. In addition to the meat I rolled out some bread dough and cooked these small rounds on the pizza stone to resemble pita bread, a simple Greek style cucumber and cherry tomato salad was made also. To go with the skewers a simple plain yogurt sauce was made with shredded cucumber, lemon juice and ground cumin. It all came together and was Delicious.

For the Souvlakia:

1 pound large diced pork

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 T dried oregano

1 T ground cumin

1 dash kosher salt

1 t ground cinnamon

4 crushed garlic cloves

Yogurt sauce:

1 cucumber, shredded

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped parsley

dash lemon juice

1 crushed garlic clove

ground pepper

Citrus Trees

It is always good to have a few citrus trees in your backyard. The juice and zest from orange, lemon and limes is very usefull in cooking as while as in making a varity of drinks. I have a meyer lemon and a kaffir lime tree in my back yard, its great to be able to go outside and grab citrus when you need it. The kaffir lime is not very common here in California, but it grows well because of the warm weather. Its use is mainly the leafs of the tree. The leaves are very fragrant and used in Southeast Asian cuisine. If you ever had a Thai coconut curry then you will have tasted it, it is a addicting flavor and I'm glad I have a tree close by. Look for the leaves in the frozen section of good Asian markets.

Gnocchi

I was watching a cooking show on cable with my daughter and the chef was making potato gnocchi, we looked at each other and said "lets make it". Gnocchi are small potato dumplings from Italy. The process is a lot like making pasta, but using cooked potato along with the flour and eggs. Start with whole unpeeled russet potatoes and simmered in water till tender about 45 minutes, remove and drain, while still hot, peel skins and pass through a potato ricer, allow to cool. Place potatoes on work surface and make a well in the center. Next add whole egg, salt and sprinkle the flour over the potatoes, gently knead the dough till it comes together into a ball. Cut into smaller chunks and roll these into long one inch thick pieces. Cut these into one inch pieces, dust with flour to keep them from sticking to each other. Using the back of a fork, press and roll to give it little ridges. These ridges will help hold the sauce. At this point you simply cook in simmering salted water til they float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and toss with your favorite sauce or cool down in ice water to save for later. Make a big batch because they freeze well too. Try adding fresh chopped herbs such as basil when making the dough.

Ingredients:

3 pounds russet potatoes

1 whole egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Yield = 4 entree or 8 appetizer

Quick & easy dinner for the kids

Me and my young daughter/Sous chef were thinking about what to make for dinner, I'm sure it would save time to plan and shop for the whole week, but we just buy and cook what we feel like having each day. A package of corn tortillas at home set the tone, next was a can of mild enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, black beans and ground turkey. We browned the turkey and layered all ingredients in a shallow pan. Covered and baked for about a hour and it was ready. With the look of lasagna and the taste of enchiladas, we liked it a lot. There are other options like choice of meat, beans and hotness of sauce. Garnish with cilantro, avocado and sour cream if you like.

So much cheese, so little time

I decided on a new cheese to try with dinner tonight. A soft ripened goat with a ash rind from Spain called Cana de Cabra. Its a small barrel shape that is creamy with a slight sharpness maybe from the ash coating? It was really good and great with crusty bread and a glass of Pinot Grigio. The price was good at $3.50 for a small four ounce wheel. Remember to eat all cheese at room temperature so it will soften and you will get the best flavor.

A trip to Joe's Taco Lounge

There is a lot of trial and error when searching for a good taco joint, one of my favorites is Joe's taco lounge in Mill Valley, California. Its a very funky little restaurant that I think used to be a diner. It is small with counter seating in the middle of the room, there is a narrow aile in the center for the waitstaff to serve. On one wall are shrines to deecated to Jesus and there is also a small narrow shelf that wraps around the restaurant filled with every kind of hot sauce bottle you can think of. Grab a few to try with your food, but if you want the real good stuff, ask the guys in the kitchen for the snakebite sauce (it will bite you and its deadly hot) The menu has all the usual tacos, burritos and enchiladas which are all really good.The desserts here are also good and are made with fruit sorbet served in there hollow fruit shells (mango, lemon, etc) For drinks go with a Mexican beer or sangria, skip the cheap box wine. For the kids there is a also good menu, have them try the "build your own" mini tostadas. A big plus to the location is the famous local dive bar next door (2AM Bar) watch a game on the big screens and then go next door to Joe's for lunch or a late night snack.
I give it 4 out of 5 points

Joe's Taco Lounge 382 Miller Ave, Mill Valley California

(415) 383 8164

Roasted Vegetables

Shopping for dinner and a bunch of jumbo Asparagus looked great also a basket of nice yellow tomatoes from Mexico, I chose to roast them with garlic, onion and fresh herbs from the garden. Roasting vegetables intensifies the flavor by removing moisture and the natural sugars in the vegetables caramelize bringing out the sweetness. Its a very healthy way to cook with out using a lot of oil or butter. I serve the vegetables by themselves or as a side to maybe a fillet of Halibut roasted along with the vegetables.

Eggrolls

Me and the girls were researching dinner options and pot stickers came up, we saw the bigger egg roll wrappers at the market and had the idea of doing the pot stickers with the much larger wrappers. Same filling recipe of saute cabbage, ginger, garlic and ground pork. After its cooked and cooled it is placed and rolled up into cigar shaped egg rolls. These rolls are sauteed in a little oil then a dash of water is added with a lid placed on the pan to finish cooking by steaming. Serve with soy sauce or hot sauce. This recipe can be made healthy by using just vegetables like shitake mushrooms, cabbage, sprouts instead of the ground pork.

Another Taqueria and burrito without sour cream!

Went to a small local taqueria for a quick burrito before my girls softball practice, the small restaurant called burritoville Cafe is popular with the locals and all the school kids. Its menu is pretty basic with all the usual things including a small fresh salsa bar, that's hot sauce not dancing. I had a basic Carne asada (steak) burrito which was filled with a lot of plain rice then beans and a few chunks of meat, nothing to write home about, drown it in bottled hot sauce and get it over with. The plus is a clean dining area with a open kitchen to watch and the prices are fairly cheap. Its a good place to bring the kids. I give it 2.5 out of 5 points

Burritoville Cafe, 531 Magnolia street, Larkspur, Ca

La Tur Cheese

I stopped by the cheese counter the other day to look over the selection, they often have samples which is a good way of trying different cheeses with buying a big wedge. The counter was featuring a Italian cheese called La Tur which translates to "three milks" cow, sheep and goat. It is a small round washed rind cheese similar to a crusty brie. My eleven year old daughter tried it and liked it, so into the shopping basket it went. We later served it at room temperture with sliced crusty french bread, the cheese is tangy and creamy, we recommend it.

Warm Artichoke, Oyster Mushroom & Arugula Salad

Trimmed Artichokes cooking and the tossed warm Artichoke & Mushroom Salad

I had the idea of throwing together some items from my recent farmers market trip, artichokes, oyster mushrooms and young wild arugula. I started by trimming the artichokes and quickly blanching them in simmering salted water, then cutting them into quarters. Next I sauteed the artichokes with a small amount of Oyster mushrooms, sliced garlic and a splash of olive oil, after a few minutes I added a dash of Sherry vinegar and kosher salt and pepper, a handful of arugula goes in and after a quick toss its ready for the plate, fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and its dinner time. It tastes great and the only thing I would do different next time is to add some crispy thick cut smoky bacon.

Farmers Market Rock Snapper

Red Rock Pacific Snapper

Sunday farmers market is the biggest one of the week in Marin County, half of the people are serious shoppers that have come for a weeks worth of fruits and vegetables, the other half come for the social aspect and will bring all the kids, lattes for the adults and maybe sweet filled crepes for the kids in between pony rides and going on the huge inflatable jumpers. My kids were not with me today at the market so I was in and out. First step is to walk up and down every row to get a idea on what is available while noting the different prices, next is to go back and get what I want from the vendors that had the lowest price for that item. The best trick is to go at closing time where prices are slashed because the farmers would rather sell it cheap then pack it up, the only risk is some popular items might be gone. Seafood stalls at the market are getting bigger now with a lot of variety, there is one that stocks more fish then the best markets in town, the red rock snappers were telling me to take me home, so I picked the nicest looking one. I have a idea of stuffing it with citrus and herbs and roasting it whole. First I scaled and gutted the fish, then made deep cuts into the flesh to aid in cooking and allowing flavors to penetrate, I seasoned inside and out with kosher salt, black pepper and fennel seeds, then stuffed the cavity with fresh picked parsley, oregano, sliced lemon and garlic. Next a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and into a preheated 400F oven for about 20 minutes. The meat will just flake off the bones and will be very flavorful and moist.

Stuffed with Herbs and ready to Roast and the finished Snapper right out of the oven

Biscotti Cookies

I was at the market doing some shopping for dinner with the kids and ran across a huge assortment of different plain and flavored biscotti, a idea of making some popped into my head. I was thinking doing a traditional one of citrus zest and almonds. I had just about everything except the almonds so this was going to be easy. Biscotti translates into "twice baked" the cookie is shaped into a long flat log that is cooked, then it is cut into long thin slices that are cooked again till golden and slightly crisp which is perfect for dunking into coffee or hot chocolate which the kids are going to do.