Panzanella

Panzanella

With Summer really in full swing and the produce overflowing my house I knew I wanted a great salad with dinner tonight. I had a phase of my life in the 90's where I was convinced I was part Italian (maybe I had been kidnapped by Gypsy's). I cooked peasant Italian, regional Italian, American-Italian, et al. It took me about five minutes of navel gazing for the light bulb to finally come on, but when it lit it really shown brightly.
Panzanella is a rustic Tuscan (peasant....I am guessing) salad. The ingredients are probably in your kitchen right now. Stale bread, fresh tomatoes, capers, olive, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, etc. The variations are wide and I have seen recipes with the addition of tuna, hard boiled eggs and the like. Here is my version of this Italian classic.

Panzanella
Ingredients:
1 loaf of Italian bread (stale, and cut into 1" cubes)
1 lb. Tomatoes (plum, cherry, pear or what ever is fresh) course chop
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Red Onion, sliced razor thin
1 handful Fresh Basil, chiffonade
2 Tbsp. Capers
1/4 cup Olives (assorted)
1/2 handful of Italian Parsley, course chopped

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Combine all the above in a large bowl and toss. I personally like my bread a little firm, but I like when the bread acts like a small sponge and absorbs the oil and vinegar. This salad is best if you can toss it and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
Buon Appetito-

The Jerk

The Jerk

When I hear a mention of "The Jerk" I get visions of Steve Martin and his character Navin R. Johnson.

Waiter: Would monsieur care for another bottle of the Chateau Latour?

Steve: Ah yes - but no more 1966. Let's splurge! Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you've got - this year! No more of this old stuff.

Waiter: Oui monsieur.

The other night I was watching the Food Network and Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" program. Truth be told I watch that program like most people watch "South Park" or the "Simpson's".
If you haven't seen it, the premise of "Throwndown" is that Bobby is given a Mission Impossible-like assignment at the beginning of the show. Every episode gives an outline of a specific food , cuisine or regional favorite. These items showcase a single person who is recognized as the "expert" in that category. From that, Bobby's challenge is to come up with a recipe to challenge the showcased favorite and at the end of the program the recipes are blind tasted by impartial judges to determine a favorite.
Bobby has taken on a couple of little old ladies who bake awesome pies, he has BBQ'd against a woman, had an ice cream challenge and this last week I saw him go up against a Jamaican born, CIA trained chef who was supposed to have the best Jerk seasoned Ribeye anywhere.
The bitch of these shows is that though they produce Bobby's recipes they don't include the recipes of the people he challenges. I could tell that the rub/marinade that Nigel Spence was noted for was a recipe I had to have.
Thank god for the "Internets". It took me about a minute to track down the recipe for both the Jerk and the sauce Nigel topped the steak with.

A big fat full credit goes to Nigel and his restaurant called "Ripe" for the recipe below.

Jerk Marinated Ribeye w/Chadon Beni Sauce, Grilled Ratatoullie & Garlic Toast

RECIPE FOR RIPE RESTAURANT'S "BIG ASS" JERK RUBBED RIBEYE STEAK

At the restaurant, we use the "Choice" Grade Cut.
Feel free to use "Select" or "Prime" for this recipe,
or any other cut from beef, pork or chicken. This Jerk Rub is very versatile.

1 16oz cut of boneless or bone-in Rib-Eye Steak.

Ingredients for Jerk Rub:

1tsp Nutmeg
2tsp White Pepper
¼ C Black Pepper
½ C Kosher salt
¾ C freshly ground Allspice
¾ C Brown Sugar
¾ C Orange Juice
1 whole Scotch Bonnet pepper
1 bunch Jamaican Thyme(about 10 stalks, picked from hard stems)
8 whole Garlic cloves
¾ C chopped Scallions (green onions)
2 cups whole Ajicito pepper (flavorful but not hot)

METHOD:

Put ajicito peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic cloves, thyme and scallions in food processor and pulse until it forms a paste. Then add the remaining ingredients except for the orange juice and blend. Slowly stream OJ into the processor until all is incorporated. You may adjust the amount of Orange Juice used depending on how dry or wet you prefer the rub to be. We like it be the consisency of a chutney.

Smear paste over one side of steak and season the other side with salt and pepper. Marinate for 1 hour or up to 48 hours. Place steak on a hot grill and cook to just before desired doneness.

Allow steak to rest (off the heat) for 10 minutes after cooking to redistribute juices and the carry-over cooking will bring it to your desired doneness. Then bite into that baby and lose your marbles!

This Jerk Rub Recipe should make enough for at least 10 large Rib-Eye Steaks.

The Rub can be stored in a tightly covered container in the refridgerator for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE:

Ajicito peppers can be found in most Latin markets. It is also called "seasoning peppers" in Caribbean circles. It looks and smells just like a Scotch Bonnet pepper, but without the heat. It is used in the recipe to increase that scotch bonnet flavor, but can be substituted by adding a bit more green onions and scotch bonnet (if you can handle the additional heat). After letting this rub sit for a couple of days, the heat mellows out significantly anyway, so make a large batch by doubling or tripling the recipe. You won't be disappointed, and it lasts for weeks in the fridge.

Jamaican thyme is a little more "earthy" than the regular stuff found in grocery stores, but can readily be substituted with any thyme available.

Kitchen Secret: Add a 1/2 teaspoon of the Rub at the last minute, to any curry dish you are preparing, to send your "foodie" friends into a "Question & Answer" session at your table!

Chadon Beni Sauce
(As Seen on "Throwdown" with Bobby Flay)

Chadon Beni (also called Shadow Benny in Trinidad & Culantro in Latin markets)

has a broad, flat green leaf. Its a cousin of Cilantro

which can be used as a substitute in the recipe.

1 cup densely packed Chandon Beni leaves.

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat italian parsley leaves

1 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed if available)

1/2 fresh scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero)

1/4 cup chopped scallions

6 whole peeled garlic cloves

1 tablespoon salt

Put all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth-add a little extra lime juice if puree is too thick

Culantro is VERY similar to cilantro in flavor, just a bit more powerful. Cilantro is a great substitute.

The Jerk rub/marinade was EXTREMELY flavorful and even with only an hour of marinade time the flavors were jumping in my mouth. I used this rub a couple of days later and the heat had cooled enough that I thought you could almost double the Scotch Bonnet peppers (I like heat though and these peppers are like putting a lit match into your mouth). So, use your judgement, but do give this a whirl.
The Chadon Beni Sauce is well worth the effort too. It is a Chimichurri, but with a serious Island attitude.

Bridgeport Brewery Hop Czar-If you don't like hoppy beer, then leave this to us who do.

Typically I have wine with dinner but I knew that it was going to take something massive to battle the spice and heat of this meal. Since I live in Portland, Oregon (also know as "Munich on the Willamette") I decided to go with a local ale for my adult beverage match. Portland has more breweries per capita and possibly just by sheer number than any city in the USA. Tonights selection of a Bridgeport Brewer's Hop Czar Imperial India Pale Ale was just about right. The ale has big alcohol of around 8% and also about 100 IBU's (international bitterness units.....this mean HOPPY!!!) Hop Czar is a strong blend of Nugget, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops." If you are an avowed "Hophead" this is for you. Unfortunately this is pretty much a local phenomenen, so if you don't live in the Northwest ( it sucks to be you), then your chances of getting and drinking this ale is pretty slim.

Grilled Ratatoullie

Grilled Ratatoullie

The longer I cook the more I am reminded that what is most important is the ingredients. Sometimes the most simple, clean and minimally prepared ingredients lead to a dish that is transcendental.

Does it get any simpler?

Sunday at my house I always cook a restaurant quality meal and tonight it was pretty simple. Here was the lineup.

Menu

House Cured Olives

Antipasti

Grilled Rib Eye w/ Gorgonzola Compound Butter

Grilled Ratatoullie
&
Grilled Garlic Bread

Grilled Rib Eye Steak, Grilled Ratatoullie & Grilled Garlic Bread

I paired this with a 2005 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon that I had made myself. I had gone out to the Columbia Gorge on Friday to wine taste and hit four wineries during the day. I was surprised that the Cabernet I had made beat the pants off of anything I sampled during the day. My friends and I had sourced fruit from Ash Hollow Vineyards in 2005 and the Cabernet Sauvignon we made with their grapes was definitely a $30-45 dollar quality wine (props to us!).

Anyway, enough of the wine talk and on to the dinner menu. Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis (the tens of you who do) know I am the Bobby Flay of my "Hood". I love to grill and I BBQ/grill 200 days a year. Tonight the grilled ratatoullie I made was absolutely transcendental. The flavors of all the ingredients were perfect and and I could taste each and every individual vegetable as it crossed my palate. It amazes me still that a dish of simply prepared vegetables can taste this good. The steak and the grilled bread was stellar, but the vegetables deserve an encore. Here is the recipe:

Grilled Ratatoullie
Ingredients
1/2 lb. Pear or Cherry Tomatoes
1 Eggplant
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Onion
1/2 Red Onion
3 Garlic Cloves (mince)
Salt
Pepper
Thyme (3-4 sprigs, leaves only)
Parsley (use your judgement)
Olive Oil (a splash)

Bobby Flay is in the House

Preparation:
Cut the pepper in half and stem and seed. Cut the zucchini in half and do the same with the onions. Brush the vegetables with olive oil and place the pepper, onion, eggplant and zucchini on a medium hot grill and roast for 4-5 minutes on each side. After you pull all the vegetables go ahead and toss on the tomatoes for about 2 minutes...just plump these small tomatoes up and toss with the rest of the veggies.
When the veggies are charred, go ahead and pull them aside.
After the veggies have cooled to the touch, go ahead and course chop and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic,thyme and parsley. Serve this dish slightly warm (right off the grill) or at room temperature.

Grilled Ratatoullie-this will make you forget the movie-

τζατζίκι

Tzatziki (pronounced: dza-DZEE-kee) is a traditional Greek dip that is made up of yogurt, cucumber and garlic. This dip is fantastic on artisan bread or as a condiment for a Gyro sandwich.

Technically, this is not a Monkey, it is actually a Chimpanzee

When I see the spelling for Tzatziki it always looks like a typo or a word generated by the use of the "Infinite Monkey Theorem".
Anyway, this is a great way to add something a little exotic to a party and it could not be easier to make. If you love garlic, this is the dip for you.

Tzatziki
Ingredients:
2 cups of thick Greek yogurt
4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of diced or grated cucumber
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dill (fresh or dried)

Use Greek yogurt or you can use plain yogurt and strain out the whey with a yogurt strainer (yes, there is such a thing).Grate the cucumber and place it in a strainer for 2 hours to remove some moisture. At the end of 2 hours pick up the shredded mass with your hands and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can.
Toss the yogurt and the cucumber with the other ingredients together and give a stir.
This dip is better if you can let the flavors meld for an hour or so in the refrigerator.

Sunday Dinner

Porchetta Romana, Fresh Summer Salad & Roasted New Red Potatoes w/ Garlic-Lemon Aioli & Parsley

I was having company over for dinner and I wanted something fresh, seasonal and sexy. I have been playing with salads all Spring and Summer. I think this last weekend I had a "simple" salad that ended up with at least 10 ingredients. With all the produce available right now I seem to eyes bigger than my stomach and I hate seeing anything go to waste. The cool thing with these salads is you can get creative with using raw, grilled or even blanched veggies (like green beans or asparagus).
The other thing I like about these salads is it doesn't take a recipe.
The Entree for dinner ended up being an Italian Pork Roast.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder w/Garlic, Fennel and Rosemary

This pork shoulder roast has been stuffed with garlic slivers then coated with olive oil, fresh rosemary and a liberal dose of fennel seeds. Anyone who needs a little more detail can see my detailed recipe of "Porchetta Romana". I have really developed a fondness for this slow cooked roast. The lean meat is well marbled with pork fat and this roast literally self bastes as it cooks. This roast is so fabulous that the only pork product that could top it would be a Heather Arndt Anderson's whole pig roast (hey, when are you doing that again?).

With a great roast and a fresh salad all I needed were some carbs to balance the plate. Since I had the grill already fired up for some of the salad ingredients I decided to grill some new red potatoes and then toss with a lemon aioli.

Grilled New Red Potatoes w/ Lemon-Garlic Aioli & Parsley
Recipe is courtesy of my alter-ego Bobby Flay
Ingredients:
3 pounds small new potatoes
1 1/2 cups best-quality mayonnaise. For the record, I can, and have made aioli before-this is just quicker (Heather, don't roll your eyes at me...)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Place the potatoes in a stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, season the water with salt, and cook until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and when cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half.
Preheat the grill to medium. Add the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and zest to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Brush the potatoes with oil on all sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, cut side down, until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove the potatoes to a platter. Drizzle the aioli over the potatoes and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Patricia Green 2005-Ribbon Ridge-Bonshaw Vineyard

Since I was having company I thought I could pull out a nice bottle of Pinot Noir. Patricia Green is one of my favorite Oregon producers and I have been buying her wine for the past 5-6 years. Patricia is one of the second wave of wine pioneers in the Willamette Valley and she is a self taught winemaker. Pinot Noir is very expressive as to where it is grown, but I firmly believe that the personality of the winemaker shows.

To me these wines are much like Patricia (Patty), approachable, enjoyable, with levels of complexity and sophistication that start to show over time.

Patricia Green 2005-Ribbon Ridge-Bonshaw Vineyard
Dark purple color (heck, it is still a baby!), some earthiness, a bit of spice, mushroom/forest floor, concentrated cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose and palate. Tart cherry shows in the mid-palate (which makes this a fantastic food wine). Some good silky tannins on the back palate and a long finish. To me the fascinating thing about Pinot Noir is their ability to change in the glass. This wine showed a new scent every time I lifted my nose to the glass. Later in the evening this wine had a much more floral nose. This will be a great bottle to try again in 3-4 years.