Scrumptious Street

Corn and Porcini Mushroom Chowder

The cold weather is here and if you're anything like me, it's time to Get Your Soup On.  I love a hot bowl of soup after a brisk, sometimes bracing walk home and this is a recent favorite.  So much a winner, that I actually served it as the opener for my Thanksgiving dinner this year.  It's lush, hearty, delicious and wholly satisfying.  Here's my "Corn and Porcini Mushroom Chowder".

It's perfectly acceptable to use dried porcini mushrooms in this soup, since you can't find them fresh anyway this time of year.  Just make sure they are pale light brown and beige, not dark brown or black.  Also for the corn fresh tastes best but frozen is also good.  I can find it still with fresh cobs here in New York and you can in most places with Whole Foods or gourmet stores.  Make sure that there's no other additives or preservatives if you're using frozen corn.  You just want pure, natural and simple corn and we'll jazz it up with other ingredients.  It's simple and hearty and one that made both Mr. Scrumptious and our friend mmmm and ahhhh.  Matter of fact, this is one of those excellent soups that tastes even better the next day so make sure you have plenty for leftovers!

Ingredients
Serves 2

1 oz. dried Porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, washed and finely sliced
2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 small yellow onion, diced small, about 1/4 cup
1/2 rib celery, diced small, about 1/4 cup
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 - 2 c. homemade chicken or vegetable stock, heated
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 c. corn kernels (fresh or thawed frozen) 1 cup whole, 1 cup pureed
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 fresh bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper

Method:

1. Put the porcini in a medium bowl and pour hot nearly boiling water over them until covered.  Stir lightly to make sure all mushrooms are getting wet and set aside to steep.  Heat the stock on a low simmer in a small saucepan.

2. In a large saucepan or medium stock pot melt the butter and add the onions and celery and cook on medium-low, sweating the onions until tender and translucent making sure they don't brown, about 6-8 minutes.  

3. Add the flour to the saucepan with onions, butter and celery and stir to incorporate fully.  Cook about 10 minutes, until a light blond roux is formed and the flour is no longer raw.  Gradually add the stock and whisk to remove all lumps.  Add the salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes. 

4. Meanwhile strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving and straining half the liquid.  Rinse the mushrooms and pat them dry, slice into thin long strips.  Puree half of the corn in a food processor or immersion blender.  Add the pureed corn, whole corn kernels, potatoes, bay leaf, porcini mushrooms, mushroom water and thyme.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

5. Combine the cream and milk and add to the soup. Add the Worchestershire sauce and cayenne pepper.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve immediately.

Scrumptious Friends Paella

Last week I hostessed a Girls' Night In and lovingly prepared a Spanish feast for my best NYC girlfriends.  I roasted Marcona almonds, had lovely olives, make a classic Spanish tortilla and had a gorgeous platter of Serrano Ham, Ahumado di Pria and Quince paste (Membrillo).  Also, I'd been researching paella all summer and wanted to make it for a lovely crowd rather than just two of us.  My friends are awesomely fantastic, and I wanted to make sure the dish was worthy of them. Everyone was happy with the food and I was pretty pleased too.  Family style, eating with both hands and utensils, delicious flavors and color/texture combination.  I'd put this up for any party with those one loves best!  Here's my "Chicken and Seafood Paella".

Paella is intended to be cooked over an open flame or wood fire with a grill on top so the whole huge pan cooks evenly.  It's a little trickier doing it indoors on a regular gas burner and you have to rotate the pan around the warmest spots every 15 minutes or so.  Nevertheless, we all ate it and it was the perfect meal to share in our convivial atmosphere.  Also, there is no "traditional" Paella.  There are traditional paella from specific regions in Spain.  Some of those truly authentic recipes are not easy to duplicate outside the locale of their origin.  So for you purists, I know this is a hybrid.  I tried to use authentic ideas and techniques but have mixed some of the ingredients.  Often, seafood and meat are never mixed and I have seen loads of "Paella is not surf & turf" arguments.  Alas, I used what I love best in my paella, what I really throw my culinary gusto behind.  So, no rabbit and yes, I mixed chicken and chorizo and seafood and no beans or peas (primarily due to dear friend's allergy).  So, here's my own version, closest to a "Paella Mixta" just the way my friends and I like it! And thanks to my fantastic local store in SoHo for providing many of these ingredients!

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

5 T. extra virgin Spanish olive oil
1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and cut into large chunks
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 large non-spicy Chorizo, chopped
1 whole extra large vine-ripened tomato, diced
2 cups Bomba Cebolla rice (use short-grained rice always)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp. saffron
about 6-8 cups of your best homemade chicken stock
1/2 tsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika (Pimenton)
20 fresh mussels
18 fresh clams (Littleneck variety for me)
18 fresh prawns, peeled and de-veinedsalt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges for garnish

Method:

1. Prep all the ingredients first, chop the vegetables, cut the meat and scrub the mussels and clams.  Store the shellfish in the fridge on ice.  Rinse and dry the shrimp. 

2. Place the paella pan or very large, flat and wide skillet over your largest burner.  Turn on medium-high heat and add the olive oil to the bottom, generously coating the bottom's surface.  When the oil is hot add the onion and garlic and saute for a couple minutes, until the onion begins to soften.  Next add the chicken and cook until it's white on all sides.  Add the chorizo and peppers and stir to mix and get everything cooking.  Push everything to the edges and put the tomato in the middle and saute another 1-2 minutes.

3. Make space in the middle again and add the rice, toast it gently like you would for risotto for about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir to incorporate.  Let the alcohol evaporate for two minutes and then add half the stock, the saffron and paprika. Stir everything together well, reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes.

4. Taste for seasoning and add some salt and pepper.  Add the mussels and clams, nestling them at even intervals around the pan.  Add another cup or two of stock.  Make sure that you press the shellfish down in toward the bottom, so the simmering liquid is over the top of the shells at least halfway.  Now leave the dish alone for at least 40 minutes, do not stir.  If you stir too much, it will get gummy.  Check on the pan every 10-15 minutes, rotating so that it all cooks evenly and to make sure all the shellfish get equal flame-time.  The rice will and should look very wet during the cooking process.  If it begins to look dry before 45 minutes have elapsed, add more stock.

5. Close to the 40-45 minute mark, taste a bit of the rice from different areas in the pan to see if it is done and check for seasoning.  The rice should be soft but still have just the slightest bite to it, like al dente pasta and most of the liquid should be absorbed in the rice.   Make sure all the mussels and clams are beginning to open. Lastly, add the shrimp and any more stock or seasoning to finish cooking the rice.  If a little begins to stick to the bottom, that's great, it's actually desired to have a little crispy crunch on the bottom.  You just need to go slowly enough to make sure all the rice itself gets cooked properly (al dente) and the shellfish all open.

6. Once cooked, remove the paella from the heat, cover it to let it rest for about 5 minutes. Remove any mussels or clams that didn't open.  Slice some lemon wedges and garnish.  Serve family style on the table using a trivet or hot-pad underneath.  Enjoy!

Fresh Summer Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a wonderful dish that somehow, people tend to forget when they make Italian dinners.  I love it because of its diversity, heartiness and versatility.  More than pasta, it really absorbs the flavors you use with it.  If you can make it fresh yourself, all the better.  But if not, make sure to buy a quality fresh Italian brand.  I like vacuum-packed and fresh, instead of frozen.  The difference between "good" and "bad" is immense and comes down to gummy/pasty or light and pillowy.  This was a fantastic spontaneous gnocchi dish, celebrating the best of summer Italian flavors.  Here's my  "Summer Gnocchi with Fresh Caprino Tomato Sauce and Pistachios".

A few touches were crucial to this dish, and they truly were not only scrumptious but also sumptuous. The fresh Caprino cheese was the star for this sauce.  It is a mild, delicate and very creamy goat's milk cheese that made this sauce light but decadent-tasting.  the pistachios I used were fresh Sicilian with an intense flavor and gorgeous color.  The basil I used is from my balcony planter, and it's my favorite Bush Basil.  I love how it's more fragrant and flavorful than Italian basil and easier to grow in containers.    The fresh fennel too, is a very important component.  Instead of onions I used it to create a summery and fresh taste for the base of the sauce.  The green curlycue you see is a garlic scape and I love its soft and subtle garlic taste. 

Another note about this dish: rather than make my sauce with olive oil, which is usually my choice, I used good unsalted butter here.  I wanted the velvety texture of butter and since gnocchi is made from potatoes, I usually prefer butter-based sauces with it.  It's your choice, but if you're wanting the silkiest texture, use good butter in this one.

Here's my recipe

Ingredients
Serves 2

1 lb. fresh gnocchi
2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 bulb (about 1 cup) fresh fennel, diced
1 garlic scape or clove, minced
2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
3/4 oz. Caprino Fresco cheese or other fresh delicate goat's milk cheese
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/4 c. Sicilian pistachios, chopped
2 T. fresh bush basil, minced

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boiling and salt lightly. 

2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic scape and saute until the fennel turns transluscent.  Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften.

3. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook just until the gnocchi floats to the surface, about 3 minutes.

4. Stir the Caprino cheese into the sauce gently, melting and incorporating it thoroughly.  When the gnocchi is finished cooking, skim it from the boiling water and add directly to the sauce.  You may need to use a ladle of water as well if the tomatoes are not too juicy.  Toss the gnocchi and sauce well, until thick and creamy.  Add the pistachios and basil, toss again and serve immediately.

This is my favorite dish of the summer so far.  Enjoy! Try to find the Caprino, it's incredible!

"Spring Chicken" with Asparagus and Morels

I know that sometimes we cooks, chefs and bloggers get predictable.  But, every year there are certain foods or ingredients that really get our juices flowing, our kitchens humming, our hearts buzzing. Typically, they are items that are only at their peak a short time each year and we wait all year long for them.  For me, one such example is my penultimate Spring combination of baby asparagus and fresh morel mushrooms.  EVERY YEAR, I feel like Spring hasn't begun until I've successfully hunted them out in the Farmer's Markets, reminisced about my Dad gathering morels in the woods when I was young (he can smell them 1/4 mile away I swear) and cooked up the first batch of the year!  Here's this year's creation, my "Braised Chicken Thighs with Asparagus Tips, Green Garlic and Crispy Morels."

This was wonderful, Spring on a plate.  Healthy, light, earthy and succulent. This dish really exemplifies how cooking with the simplest and freshest ingredients is so fulfilling and delicious.  Pay attention to textures here and it'll be perfect.  You want juicy and tender chicken with soft yet still firm asparagus.  You want peas just the other side of raw, so they pop in your mouth but are still tender.  You want the morels to be like well-seared meat: moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Rather than following exact times in my recipe, keep your focus on getting these combination of textures, taste as you go and don't let anything go past done into the land of soft of mushy. (Oven temps and equipment make it vary anyway,)  If you put care and attention into this dish and focus on flavor and texture, you'll be thrilled with the delicious result! Next year, I'm hunting my own morels because even what you get in the Farmer's Market don't compare with what you find in forests!

Ingredients

Serves 2

4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. dry white wine, such as Pinot Gris

1 fresh bay leaf

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. Herbes de Provence

1 small shallot

2 T. fresh green garlic, minced

2 c. fresh baby asparagus tips

1 c. fresh morel mushrooms

1/2 c. fresh English peas, shelled

1/2 lemon, juiced

Method:

1. In a small bowl add 2 T. kosher salt and 2 c. water and stir to dissolve.  Slice the morels in half lengthwise and add to the salt water.  This helps remove any small bugs that may be in the mushrooms.  (Yes, they could be there but this gets them out.) Soak the mushrooms for 20 minutes.  Gently skim the mushrooms off the surface and rinse thoroughly with cold water.  Squeeze dry with paper towels and let the mushrooms continue to dry on a plate.

2. Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with the kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Take out a oven-proof skillet or braising pan with lid and place on medium-high heat on the stove.  Add 1T. of the olive oil.

3. Brown the chicken on all sides, starting skin-side down until a dark golden brown, about 5-8 minutes.  Add the bay leaf, herbes de Provence and shallot and saute until the shallots begin to soften, about 4 minutes more.  Pour in the white wine, add the green garlic and asparagus and toss to combine.  Cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven.  Bake for 35 minutes.

5. At 30 minutes, take out another small skillet and heat the remaining 1 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Add the cleaned and dried morels when the oil is smoking hot.  Fry the morels until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. 

6. When the chicken has baked 35 minutes, quickly remove the pan from the oven and add in the fresh peas and toss.  Return the pan to the oven without the lid and braise another 5 minutes.  Finish frying the morels to crispy brown and set aside.

7. Remove the pan from the oven and spoon the chicken and vegetables onto plates or a large serving platter.  Squeeze half a lemon over the chicken and vegetables.  Lastly, top with the crispy fried morels and serve immediately.

Oyster Mushroom, Asparagus and Fontina Quiche

The Spring vegetables are looking fantastic here in the Bay Area and on a recent trip to the Farmer's Market I discovered these gorgeous Oyster Mushrooms.  Also finding beautiful tender asparagus there, a simple dish to boast the vegetables was in order.  I think egg dishes are wonderful ways to show off delicate vegetables and this time a beautiful quiche was my canvas.

I often go for a frittata for speed, but a quiche is perfect when you want simplicity yet a sense of elegance and sophistication.  A flaky, buttery crust adds so much texture to an airy custard studded with crisp and delicious tender vegetables.  Here's the final "Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche".

The great thing about egg dishes is that you can honestly just hunt in the markets for whatever looks beautiful, fresh, perfect and tasty and then whip one up depending on the time you have.  An omelette, a frittata, a quiche, a tart... you name it.  Actually, a quiche is a savory tart.  Did you know that?

Here's my very simple recipe with spectacular and scrumptious results.  It'd be perfect for brunch this weekend!

Ingredients

Serves about 4, makes 1 quiche

1 9" pie crust, rolled flat to 1/4" thickness

1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed, and chopped using tips and tender parts of stalks

6 oz. fresh oyster mushrooms, wiped with damp towel and chopped

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 medium eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. grated Fontina cheese

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped

1/4 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  After dough is rolled out, press the dough into a quiche pan or tart pan with removable bottom.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to rest after pressing into the pan.  Line the dough with aluminum foil with enough to cover the top and sides of the dough and fill with dried beans to weight the dough.  I use dried chick peas, see photo here.   This process is called "blind baking" and helps make sure your crust will be fully cooked and is not soggy. Bake the crust for 20 minutes and then remove from oven and cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

2. In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat and  saute the asparagus and mushrooms until tender.  Season with the salt and white pepper and set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.  I'd recommend whole milk here, don't go with skim.  Stir in the Fontina cheese and chopped herbs.  Sprinkle with a little more ground white pepper.

4.  Over the quiche crust has cooled, remove the beans and foil and spread the sauteed mushrooms and asparagus into an even layer on the crust.  Pour in the egg custard mixture and distribute evenly with a fork or rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top.

5.  Gently place the entire quiche pan onto a rimmed baking sheet.  This will catch any possible leaks or spills.  Bake in the oven about 40-45 minutes or until the quiche is golden brown and knife comes out cleanly.  After baking, remove from the oven and cool another 10 minutes.  Then, if using a tart pan with two pieces, take out the bottom from the rim and slide the quiche onto a cutting board.  Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Most Amazing Roasted Whole Chicken

I have been experimenting all Winter with roasted chicken and have finally settled on what I consider the ultimate, most spectacular variation I've tried.  The recipe couldn't be simpler, but there are three things that make it truly extraordinary.  If you make sure your recipe entails all three of these, I guarantee you will love this roasted chicken.  The first secret is to find the best free-range organic whole bird you can buy.  Do not get a frozen chicken from Safeway.  Go to a specialty or gourmet market and even better, get one from a farmer or a farmer's market.  The best possible chicken itself will yield a final result that will astound you.  The next secret is the herbs.  You must use Herbes de Provence.  There are all kinds of mixes of this herb blend but make sure to use one that has plenty of lavender.  Yes, the lavender is secret number two.  And, the third secret goes along with the lavender -- it's honey.  Again, go with something unique, flowery and upscale.  Not the honey bear here.  I like Bee Raw Star Thistle honey but really just use any honey that has special depth of flavor and floral notes.In this combination, you will be amazed to discover (if you didn't know already) that lavender and poultry are made for each other as are honey and lavender.  Put them all together and you'll be completely blown away.

When making this roasted chicken, I always put lots of chopped vegetables in the pan halfway through the roasting.  Always the same methodology: I toss the vegetables with olive oil, white wine, kosher salt and black pepper and scatter them around the bird halfway through the roasting.  Use whatever you like, but make sure to include with your vegetables some more herbs, some chopped garlic and onion.  My favorite variation of vegetables includes fennel, turnips and winter squashes.  Experiment here and use whatever is in season, making sure to always have aromatics (herbs and onions), acid (wine or lemon juice), olive oil, salt and pepper.  

For the chicken, it's also incredibly simple.  Here's how I do it:

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 T. unsalted butter

1 1/2 T. Herbes de Provence (make sure it's one with lavender)

1 T. good quality floral honey

1 4 lb. whole free-range chicken

1 lemon

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 bunch thyme

4 sprigs tarragon

Vegetables, wine, herbes, onions that are in season

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Heat oven to 375˚F.  Melt the butter and herbes de provence in a small saucepan over low heat.  Remove from heat when melted and whisk the honey into the butter and herbs de provence.  Cover and let it steep for 20 minutes.

2. Remove giblets from inside chicken if they're there.  Season the chicken inside the cavity and all over the outside with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Peel rind from the lemon using a vegetable peeler, and make long strips.  Cut the lemon in half and slice one half and leave the other save the other half for later.  Put the lemon rind, sliced lemon half, crushed garlic cloves, thyme and tarragon into the body cavity of the chicken.  Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and set the chicken on a roasting rack placed inside a roasting pan.  Brush the chicken all over with half of the herb -honey-butter.  Pour about 1 c. water into the bottom of the roasting pan, making sure not to get the chicken wet.

3. Roast the chicken uncovered for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.  If the pan begins to go dry, add more water.  After 45 minutes, quickly remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the vegetables you've prepared all around the bottom of the pan.  Add a little more water if the pan is completely dry.  Brush the chicken with the remaining herb-honey-butter mixture.  Place the chicken back into the oven and continue roasting another 40-45 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the internal temperature of the chicken's thigh is 165˚F.

4. Remove the chicken and set on a cutting board to rest, cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Serve the vegetables into a dish and if you'd like, make a nice sauce from the leftover juices in the pan.  After the chicken has rested about 10 minutes, carve it and gently squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the chicken and vegetables.  Serve immediately.

Spice-Crusted Roasted Pork Loin

As the seasons have turned from long, warm and summery days to cool, mist-studded, early-sunset evenings our meals at Scrumptious Street have become warmer, spicier and heartier.  This is the time of year when Farmer's Markets bring us incredible autumnal goodies, loaded with flavor and depth.  I love this time of year and even though Northern California is much milder than what I'm used to, I enjoy the transitions in my cooking too.

This dish is a fantastic Autumn special-occasion entree, or will work well even through the holiday seasons.  It is very special, yet so easy to prepare.  Here's my recent creation "Spice-Crusted Roasted Pork Loin."

The dish is full of flavor, tender and succulent and has a little bit of spicy-zip and a little bit of gently-sweet fruit.  It was a real crowd pleaser both times I made the dish and is absolutely excellent days later using any leftovers for thinly-sliced pork sandwiches.  The first time I made this, it marinated about 5 hours in the refrigerator.  The second time, 22 hours.  The longer, the better.  Go for nearly a day and you'll love the way the dish turns out! It's important to have a bulb baster and a proper roasting pan for this recipe, one with a rack on which the meat sits elevated off the floor of the pan.  You roast the meat but continually baste it with the sauce that accumulates underneath.  This creates a lovely, crispy outer shell on the meat.  If it were sitting in the liquid in the bottom of a pan, then it would be braising and steaming, which leads to an entirely different texture. (Still tender, but more stringy.) Think of this being pork's equivalent of a prime rib preparation -- you'll love it!

Here's my recipe

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

2 T. ground cumin
1 T. ground black pepper
2 T. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 T. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
1 boneless pork loin or tenderloin, 3-4 lbs.
1 c. freshly-squeezed orange juice
1/2 c. freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 8 oz. tin canned pineapple chunks with juice reserved
1/4 c. pineapple juice
2 shallots, chopped
1 sweet-tangy apple such as Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp, washed, cored and chopped
water, as necessary

1. In a small food processor or mortar and pestle (my tool of choice), grind the cumin, peppercorn, oregano, cayenne, garlic and 1 T. salt into a paste.  Remove the pork from its wrapping, leave the string from the butcher intact, and cut a few slits in the pork on each side.  Rub the garlic and spice paste all over the pork, pressing some into the slits as well.   Set the pork loin into a large ceramic dish or baker with a lid and set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, pineapple juice and 1 tsp. salt.  Pour it over the pork in the dish.  Cover the dish and refrigerate the pork in the marinade for 18-24 hours, turning occasionally.

3. Remove the pork from the refrigerator 2 hours before you are ready to cook, to allow it to come to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 325˚F.  Cut the apple and shallots and place them in the bottom of a roasting pan.  Add the pineapple chunks and spread evenly amongst the apples and shallots throughout the pan.  Clear space in the middle of the pan and set the roasting rack in the pan.  Place a meat thermometer in the thickest end of the loin and set the loin on top of the rack and place the pan in the center of your oven.

4. Roast the pork, basting every 30 minutes with the juices in the pan, until the thermometer registers 160˚F.  This will likely take about 2 hours or more.  If the liquid begins to evaporate, add water to the pan as necessary to keep making basting sauce.  I used 1-1 1/2 c. water.  When the meat has reached temperature and the outside is a rich, deep brown, remove from the oven and set on a cutting board.  Let the pork loin rest 15 minutes.

5. While the pork is resting, place the roasting pan with the fruit and juices on the stove top and turn on low-heat, stirring and evaporating the rest of the liquid until a thick, rich sauce begins to form.  Add 2 T. butter to the pan and swirl to melt.  Remove the sauce from the heat.  Carve the pork loin and serve with the sauce spooned on top.

Your entire house will smell incredible while the pork is roasting and be prepared for neighbors showing up hungry and curious at your door.  Try this one out, it's really scrumptious indeed!

Packaged Asparagus and Red Snapper

I spend so much time waiting for Spring asparagus every year that I love doing many things with it for the peak weeks.  Sometimes, it's simply steamed and wrapped with Prosciutto or Jamón Ibérico (thank you, Gam, it's stunning!!) and covered with a two-minute poached egg.  Other times, they become the very important supporting ingredient in a wonderful main course like this "Red Snapper and Asparagus en Papillote" that I created recently.

I don't know which is more succulent; the fish or the asparagus.  But, they were both delicious.

If you haven't tried cooking fish in parchment paper before, it is honestly very simple and one of the tastiest, juiciest results for your fish.  You use at least some kind of acid, some kind of oil, some aromatics and some seasoning to get great flavor into the fish.  I also put various kinds of tender and flavorful vegetables with the fish.  Then you toss liquids, aromatics and veggies together and put the vegetables down first and the fish on top.  Drizzle with more liquids, season and a couple thin pats of butter.  Wrap it up like a package and then bake it.  The technique is steaming the food inside the paper and it comes out perfectly cooked, moist and full of whatever lovely flavors are inside the package.  If you like doing fish at home, this is a must-try technique!

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients
Serves 2

2 Red Snapper fillets or any white or pink delicate fish fillet
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 bunch tender spring asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/2 ripe tomato cut into paper-thin slices
1 lemon; 1/2 juiced and 1/2 cut into paper-thin slices
2 chives, minced
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 fennel fronds
2 tarragon stems
1/2 T. tarragon leaves, minced
1 T. butter, thinly sliced
2 T. dry white wine

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Season the fish with salt, pepper and Chinese 5-Spice powder on all sides. 

2. In a bowl, toss together the asparagus, tomato, chives, 2 T. olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and juice from half a lemon.

3. Tear off two large pieces of parchment paper and fold in half, creasing well.  Make sure one fillet will fit completely inside the paper when folded.  Brush the paper with 1 T. olive oil per paper.  Spoon the asparagus and tomatoes onto the middle of one side of the paper. Next, place the fennel fronds and tarragon stems on top of the vegetables.   Lay one fish fillet on top of each pile of vegetables, lengthwise so that the fish is parallel to the crease in your paper.  Sprinkle minced tarragon on top of the fish, place the lemon and butter slices on top of that and sprinkle both fillets with the white wine, 1 T. per fillet.

4. Fold the top half of the paper over your pile of vegetables and fish and begin rolling and crimping the paper so that it will hold together and make a nice half-moon or heart-shaped package.  I've got a photo of that from a previous post.

5. Place the packages on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and thickness of fillets.  Remove the packages from the oven and slit them with a knife to let the steam escape.  Serve immediately from the package or remove and plate. One note: remove the fennel and tarragon stems before eating.  They're only there for flavor and are too tough to eat.

Have fun and enjoy the flavors of Spring at their most tender and moist!

Grilled (for real) Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers

For the first time in my adult life, a real gas grill is sitting outside on my first-ever backyard deck.  Since it was +85˚F in the Bay Area this weekend, Mr. Scrumptious and I decided to commit to making the ultimate Summer cooking purchase.  Up to this point I've been using my terrific grill pan with no complaints.  While the "real grill" is large and somewhat intimidating to my urban conditioning, I must say I'm thrilled about the variety and quality of tastes we can now produce.  Mr. Scrumptious is the Master Grill Chef, and I'm the Sous-Chef, Saucier and Line Cook.  I don't mind a bit.  This weekend we did these delectable "Grilled Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers" and they blew my mind and thrilled my tastebuds!

My marinade was really delicious and the combination of these specific vegetables with the rosemary, citrus and fish was a true winner.  If you haven't used kumquats before hear this: they are pure gold.  Their flavor is so sweet, bright and fresh and when grilled they nearly turn to marmalade inside their skins.  You eat the whole fruit, skins and all, and they're a perfect match for swordfish.  Also, make sure to use white pepper; it's better than black for fish.  If you like grilling, explosions of flavor, and the hefty satisfaction of smoky swordfish, try this out!

Ingredients
Serves 2

For the marinade:
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon thyme, minced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lime zest
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. tangelo (or tangerine) zest
1 tangelo (or tangerine), juiced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3 T. dry white wine
1/4 c. plus 2 T. extra virgin olive oil

For the skewers:
4 long and thick rosemary branches, leaves removed 3/4 way up
2 8 oz. swordfish steaks, skinned and cut into 1/2" chunks
12 kumquats (3 per skewer)
12 tomatillos (3 per skewer) husked
12 cremini mushrooms ( 3 per skewer), cleaned and stem sliced short
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks

Method:

1. Make the marinade by combining all its ingredients into a bowl and whisking together.  Cut the swordfish into chunks and place into a air-tight plastic bag.  Pour in the marinade, zip the bag closed and turn and shake several seconds to coat all the fish.  Place the bag into the refrigerator and let marinate 4-6 hours.

2. Take the rosemary skewers and wash thoroughly.  Strip the leaves off the bottom 3/4 of the branch, leaving just a tuft at the top.  Save the rosemary leaves.  Place the rosemary branches in a deep, large pan and cover with water.  Let the branches sit for several hours in the water so they don't burst into flames on the grill.

3. Clean and prepare the kumquats, tomatillos, mushrooms and onions.  Keep everything whole except the onions.  About an hour before you're ready to grill, add the fruit and vegetables to the bag with the swordfish.  Shake the bag to mix together and get the marinade running over everything.  Let stand at room temperature at least 30-45 minutes.

4.  Get the grill preheating to between 475˚ and 500˚F.  While that's working, thread the fish, fruit and vegetables onto the skewers.  I found it easiest to cut the bottom of the branch into a sharp point so I didn't tear my food getting it onto the skewer. Place the skewers on a baking sheet and drizzle the marinade over everything.

5. Grill the skewers about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on your grill.  Baste each side evenly with the marinade.  Turn the skewers 3 times for a total of 6-9 minutes cooking time.  Make sure the swordfish is opaque and slightly firm but not hard and that the veggies and fruit are delightfully tender and charred.

6. Remove the skewers from the grill and slide off the branch onto a plate using a large fork. 

Enjoy with a cold beer and some banana-mustard potato salad.  Dessert was simple but spectacular: sliced fresh strawberries drizzled with Meyer Memon juice, balsamic vinegar, a dusting of sugar and black pepper (yes, that's right, black pepper! It's amazing with balsamic vinegar if you haven't tried the combination) and Meyer Lemon zest.  This was our wonderful and quite possibly, perfect, first weekend of summer meal!

As for the grill, it's awesome. With porcelain grates, a side sauce flame, temperatures up to 700˚F and settings for sear, grill, barbecque and ability to add wood chips for smokiness, it's going to make my summer cooking and recipes that much more fun!

Red Wine Linguine with Broccolini and Chorizo

Cooking with alcohol has been a theme in the past at Scrumptious Street and it's a tried and true technique in my kitchen that I use very frequently.  But, every once in a while I come up with something so good and unique I must share it with all of you.  This one is a riff on a fairly known concept in Italian cooking, Risotto al Barolo, or cooking risotto in Barolo Italian red wine.  I asked myself "why stop at rice?" and tried it out with pasta.  The result was so scrumptious and wonderful, here is my "Red Wine Linguine with Broccolini, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chorizo." 

Yes, it's not classically Italian nor even purely Italian.  I borrowed an Italian-style idea and then just paired up the flavors that I knew my taste buds would love; broccolini for an earthy and somewhat bitter flavor, sun-dried tomatoes for a hearty and sweeter undertone and chorizo for a nice smoky and spicy kick. While it may seem a bizarre Mediterranean fusion dish, the point is that it just turned out damned good! Try it and you'll taste what I mean.

The wine for this dish really needs to be a big, bold, fruity and spicy wine. While the Barolo is the classic Italian vino to use here, I had a wonderful California Zinfandel on hand and it was awesome! It particularly engages well with the chorizo via their mutual spiciness.  Make sure you use a hearty wine you think is delicious, because its flavor will overtake the pasta and become the taste of the noodle.  That's what you want!

Here's how I pulled it together in my recipe:

Ingredients
Serves 2 as entreé, 4 as appetizer course

1/2 lb. linguine
1 1/2 c. zinfandel or other bold red wine
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. chorizo or other spicy and smoky sausage, removed from casings and finely crumbled
1 bunch tender broccolini
4 sun-dried tomatoes cured in olive oil, sliced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4-5 leaves fresh basil, minced
parmigiano reggiano cheese to taste

Method:

1. Bring a large stockpot  of water to boil and throw in a small handful of sea salt.  Add the linguine and boil the pasta for 6 minutes.

2. In a very large skillet or flat-bottom pan bring the red wine to steaming over medium-low heat.

3. In a third pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and then sauté the chorizo.  When just starting to cook, add the broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and sauté until the broccolini is tender and the chorizo is cooked to pink perfection, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with the salt, pepper and red chili flakes

4. At this point the pasta should have cooked 6 minutes, about half-done.  Drain it with a colander or the insert to a pasta stockpot.  Bring the wine in the large skillet to a high simmer and add the half-cooked linguine.  Keep it at a strong simmer, just below boiling and cook until the wine is nearly absorbed.  When the pasta is almost perfectly al dente, gently add the sauteéd veggies and sausage to the pasta and toss thoroughly.  Cook until the wine is all gone and the pasta is perfectly cooked. This should not be more than 5 or 6 minutes from the time you added the pasta to the wine.

5. Remove from heat and plate, garnishing with the fresh basil and parmigiano reggiano cheese.

You easily make this dish vegetarian by using one of the many fabulous spicy vegetarian chorizo substitutes. 

Hope you like it as much as I did!