6 Courses of Food & Wine: Cooking for the Cause Lineup

It's time once again for my food and work worlds to collide--I'm cooking for the Social Capital Inc. (SCI) cause again Thursday night! By day, I run SCI, which connects neighbors and engages citizens in Eastern Mass. communities. This time, I'll be teaming up with several other foodie friends who are serious home cooks to provide the food side of a wine & food pairing fundraiser to support SCI's community building work. David Boyle, Vice President at Martignetti's, is kindly providing the wine for this occasion. Below is the food menu we've come up with; David will be providing a different wine for each course, designed to complement the food.  I'll update it with some photos and the wine served post event. Meanwhile, we've got a couple slots still open if you're in the area and would like to join us! (leave your info in the comments).

Pairing #1: Starters

Pesto Crostini

Oysters Rockefeller

Pairing #2: Chicken tenders

Chicken Tenders marinated and cooked in spicy cherry mix, with a dry rub finish.

Pairing #3: Duck Risotto and Green Salad

Truffle Orange Duck Confit Risotto 

Mixed Green Salad with Homemade Dressing 

Pairing #4: Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes

Cilantro Lime Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle Cream

served with Sweet Potatoes Smashed with Cumin Sage Butter

Pairing 5: Lamb Two Ways

Lamb Dumplings 

Rack of Lamb with Dijon Basil Glaze 

Pairing 6: Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes

Beef Tenderloin with a Red Wine Sauce and Decadent Mashed Potatoes 

These will be tapas size portions...but with six hearty tapas plates, I doubt anyone will leave there hungry!

Spicy Red Lentil and Chard Soup

Continuing the New Year focus on frugal cooking that is still healthy and tasty, I spied half a bag of red lentils languishing toward the back of a pantry shelf. Time for some soup! I enjoy a variety of lentil soups, but hadn't made one yet this winter. I started by looking at a Food & Wine recipe, but pretty quickly set off on my own direction. Chard was on sale, so I added that to add nutrition and turned the soup greenish. I think the photo looks a bit better above than the pureed version I served, but I prefer the consistency of the latter. The spice blend was just the right mix to create an interesting flavor without being overwhelming. Definitely a soup worth trying in your kitchen! This is a good option for vegans.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stock, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 bunch chard (reserve 2 leaves for future use if you have a big bunch)
bay leaf
couple handfuls baby spinach
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
good pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot on medium medium heat. Add the onion, cook for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add the carrots and celery, followed by the garlic. Cook for another minute or two, then stir in the lentils with the other tbsp of olive oil. Add the dried spices at this time, including a bit of salt to taste.

Stir the lentils with the onion and spice mixture for a few minutes until the lentils are well coated. Add the broth and water bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add the bay leaf, and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes until lentils just begin to soften. Stir in the chard, and simmer until the chard is well softened, about 15 minutes more.

When the chard is cooked, remove the soup from the heat and puree--ideally with your handheld blender! Alternatively, puree in batches in a food processor. Return soup to the stove, heat gently and stir in the spinach leaves until they begin to wilt. The spinach isn't essential to the taste, but it does add a nice consistency. You're now ready to enjoy your flavorful soup!

Greens with Bacon & Gruyere

The first post here of 2013 definitely fits the New Year theme! It's another tasty way to serve healthy greens. And it is inspired by the spirit of frugality I tend to find myself in after holiday stretch with its gifts and splurges on the food and wine budget. I had most of the ingredients here on hand--bacon, cabbage, gruyere, and a partially used container of beef broth. And the kale was on sale. As I suspected, these ingredients combined for a flavorful side dish!

1 or 2 strips bacon
5 cups kale, coarsely chopped
3 cups cabbage
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/3 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
3 tbsp olive oil
salt pepper

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium high in a large pot. Add the bacon and cook til crispy. Remove bacon from pan when done, set on a plate covered with a paper towel to cool. Drain the excess cooking fat (but leave a bit for flavor) and return pot to stove.

Add another tbsp olive oil to the pot, return heat to medium. Add the bell pepper, saute for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then gradually stir in the kale and cabbage along with another tbsp oil. Raise heat to medium high, and continue cooking stirring until the kale begins to wilt a bit, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the broth and red wine, and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer the greens, covered, for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. A few minutes before the end of cooking time, stir the bacon pieces into the green, allowing a chance for the bacon to add flavor while remaining a bit crisp. When the greens are tender and ready to serve, top with the grated gruyere. Serve and enjoy!

Stir-Fried Steak and Cabbage with a Nice Zin

Necessity is the mother of invention. The phrase is a bit shopworn but it certainly is fitting for our latest kitchen creation. I'd planned to make one of our go-to recipes, Skillet Pork and Cabbage, with the pork chops I thought we had in the freezer. Guess you might know where this is headed...right, no pork other than bacon in the freezer! But we did have some steak, so I thought I'd essentially mashup two recipes, the veggies from the pork and cabbage along with the steak marinade, tweaked a bit, from Bee Bim Bop. The result was an easy and tasty new dish!

1 lb or steak tips or other lean cut, sliced thin (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Marinade
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp chopped cilantro
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
dash black pepper

Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the steak, and toss to thoroughly coat the meat. Put in fridge to marinade as you make the other ingredients, or for up to an hour or so. This is a quicker marinade, I suspect a long marinade would make the meat too salty.

Heat 1 tbsp oil on high in a wok or large skillet. Add the onion, stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots, stir fry for 3 or 4 minutes until the cabbage just begins to soften. Remove the veggies from the pan and set-aside in a large bowl. Return the wok to the stove on high heat with a tbsp of oil. Add the steak, and stir fry for a few minutes until the outside of the steak has gotten brown.

When the steak has been browned, stir the veggies back into the pan, combining with the steak. Stir fry them all together for another minute or two. Then lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. This isn't classic stir fry method, but I like the way it gets the flavors to meld and finishes cooking the steak. Cut into a couple pieces of the steak to check for doneness. You want this lean cut to be medium rare, or medium at most. When done, serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Wine pairing: A fruit forward Zinfandel is the perfect choice for the sweetness in the dish. This was a good excuse to dip into the gifts of Christmas wine we'd received. We had the 2009 La Storia Zinfandel from Trentadue, hailing from Sonoma's Alexander Valley. The wine had nice fruitiness but enough heft as well to stand up to the steak. A happy pairing!

Muhammara: Spicy Red Pepper Dip [updated]

Muhammara served with chips and another dip

I found myself making this tasty and spicy dip, Muhammara, yet again for Christmas yesterday. I figured it was time to take some took some spruce up the original posting of this recipe. I originally tried this at Pairings Wine and Food, and they provided me the recipes and allowed me to share on Cooking Chat. This dishes includes pomegranate molasses, a somewhat unusual ingredient, that works well with Pinot Noir. I was reminded of how nicely this pairs with pinot yesterday, and would encourage you to try the pairing for yourself the next time you need an appetizer for company!

7 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
2 to 4 garlic cloves (I vote for 4!) mashed to a paste w a tsp of salt (I tend to skip this part and just toss the garlic into the food processor as is)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
toasted pita triangles or other scooper as an accompaniment.

In a food processor blend together the peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth. With the motor running, add the oil gradually. Transfer the dip to a bowl and serve it at room temperature with the pita triangles.

The final product!

Risotto with Fresh Black Truffles

Much of my cooking favors frugality. But the holidays certainly provide a good time to do something special, perhaps splurge a bit. I had my first experience with fresh truffles at Craigie Street, and have since welcomed a chance to enjoy the truffle flavor more accessible ways such as truffle butter and oil. So I was very excited when I heard that Whole Foods Woburn was offering the opportunity to order fresh, highly prized truffles that get flown in directly from Italy, something only professional chefs typically get to do.

But how to make the most of this opportunity? I tend to be spontaneous and trust my instincts with much of my cooking, but the truffle delivery seemed to warrant some serious research. It was clear from my studies that something fairly plain and starchy like rice, pasta or potatoes is the best way to feature fresh truffles, and that they benefit from being prepared with some fat. So I quickly landed upon risotto.

My dilemma was whether to prepare it a a straight up truffle risotto or add some mushrooms. I had a modest amount of truffle coming, and wasn't sure it would be enough to pack good flavor, so I thought I'd get some mushrooms too. As a public service to loyal readers, I thought I'd make the truffle risotto first, and also prepare some mushrooms as I did for this mushroom risotto and see which was better.

Going into this experiment I was uncertain as to which option would be preferable, but we had a very clear result from our testing: you don't need to add mushrooms to enjoy a great truffle risotto! The flavor of the "basic" truffle risotto was delicate yet intensely flavorful at the same time, the musky scent and rich taste making for quite a treat.

This recipe can serve three comfortably as an entree or could be a first course for 6 or so. It would be the perfect dish to feature if you're entertaining and looking to impress for New Year's!

clean w toothbrush (unused!)

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
7 cups vegetable broth
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/2 cup good quality Parmesan cheese, grated right before you get cooking (I had some top notch stuff from Whole Foods that smelled almost as good as the truffles!)
3 tbsp butter, diced
between 1/2 oz and 1 oz fresh black Perigord truffles
2 tbsp olive oil

First, finely grate about 2/3 of the truffles into a small bowl. There are truffle slicers, but we had success with a good sharp cheese grater, using the blade with the smallest holes. Enjoy those smells wafting in! Set aside the remaining truffle to shave over the dish...make sure you leave enough for this step. Next, grate the cheese into the same bowl, then stir in the butter to combine. Set aside as you begin to make the risotto. I looked at a lot of recipes for ideas, this method of combining the truffle with cheese and butter, and much of the procedure here, draws on upon an Epicurious recipe.

Fresh Black Perigord Truffle shavings

Now, it's time to get going on the risotto making. Bring the broth to a gentle boil and lower a bit to keep it warm, on burner handy to where you'll be cooking the risotto. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in sturdy pot for making the risotto. Add the onion, saute on medium heat until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, saute for another minute or two. Pour in the rice, and stir to get it all well coated with the onions and oil. Cook for about one minute, then stir in the wine. Stir frequently, and cook until the wine is pretty well absorbed.

Once the wine is absorbed, it's time to begin gradually adding the stock to to pot. Add one cup, stir frequently. I keep it around medium heat, but go a bit higher if things seem to be going very slow, then lower the heat if it starts boiling. When the first cup of broth is absorbed, add another. This process continues until the stock is used or mostly used, and the rice is getting tender. You need to be stirring frequently...it's OK to briefly leave the pot to do other kitchen tasks, but stay nearby as it needs to get stirred every minute or two. Many recipes say this takes 15 to 20 minutes, but I usually find it takes more like 40...and my risotto always tastes great, if I do say so myself.

After the stock has been absorbed is tender (but don't let it get mushy!), gently stir in the truffle cheese mixture, and add the extra tbsp of oil to help it all come together nicely. Plate the risotto, and top with super thinly sliced shavings of risotto. Enjoy this delicate yet savory treat!

Serving ideas: We enjoyed this as a vegetarian main course, with a mixed green salad. I added some radicchio to the salad to add to the Italian flavor. This dish would also be a great first course for a New Year's dinner party, and could also be a nice side dish for a hearty meat entree. In fact, the little bit we have leftover will be enjoyed tonight with some Tuscan style steaks!

Wine pairing: File this under the "wine and foods meant to go together" department! Our truffles were from Italy. Truffle risotto is a common dish in Italy's Piedmont region, so serving it with a Barolo made perfect sense. We had the 2007 Cantine San Silvestro Patres Barolo. More accessible than many Barolos at about $30/bottle, this one opened up nicely after a bit of decanting, and made for a perfect match for this earthy dish!

Ordering your truffles: The fresh truffles can be ordered through New Year's, and it's roughly a two day turnaround. Stop by your local Whole Foods specialty department to order. It's market pricing, varying I suppose based on how many the truffle finding pigs manage to dig up! They are available through New Year's at Whole Foods markets in the North Atlantic region. They have black, white and burgundy truffles available. I'd say one ounce would be a good amount to serve 4 with an entree version or 6 as a first course or side.

Full disclosure: Whole Foods Woburn provided me with the ingredients for the meal to help spread word about this opportunity to enjoy fresh truffles. I developed  the recipe, and the results are fully my own!

Pesto Crostini [updated for the holidays & Super Bowl!]

UPDATE: I reposted this in December as a good holiday party option. Now, guess what I'm bringing for the Super Bowl?!? That's right, pesto crostini again! Made a huge batch of pesto while "Cooking for the Cause" the other day, plenty left to bring a batch of these for the Superbowl. If you're still looking for inspiration, this is quick & tasty!
***
Need to bring an appetizer to a holiday party that is easy, tasty and features Christmas colors in the presentation? I've had this recipe for pesto crostini on my blog and in my repertoire for years. After bringing it to a recent holiday party, I realized I should update it with a photo and some pointers.

The original recipe had goat cheese as a standard ingredient, but I've now made it many times without goat cheese and it is still well-received. Now I use some goat cheese if I have it on hand, but wouldn't go out of my way to add it. Though the tomatoes are optional, for aesthetic reasons, they are really a must if you're making this for a Christmas party!

1 batch of pesto (click for my recipe)
1 baguette, sliced into rounds 3/4 inch thick
4 ozs. goat cheese grape tomatoes (optional), quartered
olive oil spray

Set oven to broil. Spread aluminum foil over baking tray. Spread baguette rounds on the tray (depending on size of baguette you should have enough for 2 or 3 trays). Spray with olive oil to lightly coat. Put tray in oven AND DON'T GO ANYWHERE. Turn that oven light on and keep an eye on things, it only takes a few minutes for the crostini to begin to brown, at which point you should remove them from oven. (alternatively, you can go off and do something else, and expect a visit from your friendly local fire people).

Let the crostini cool for a few minutes. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese (if using) over the crostini, then spread the pesto over the goat cheese. Top with the optional tomatoes if using.

Helpful Tips
-Based on my taste, I go light on the goat cheese and heavy on the pesto. For a crowd, it's a good idea to vary how much of each you put on in the first batch--see which get eaten up and take into consideration when making round 2!
-Topping half of the crostini with the tomatoes, and intermingling them on the serving tray with the ones that just have the pesto, makes for a nice presentation for a Christmas party. If you're serving a finicky crowd, you might want to make a few without the goat cheese. For some reason, not everyone likes chevre!
-I recommend the grape tomatoes as they tend to be pretty good through the fall and winter. Other types of tomato or roasted red peppers also work nicely.