Our fruit bowl:
This weekend was a cooking marathon. I wanted to get a few meals made in advance for our trip out to the islands with Sarah, Jeff & Marco next weekend. Working in my galley is not a chore, I think it's a treat. I have a beautiful view of the marina and Ventura hills, my neighbors stop and talk to me through the open door as they walk down the dock - I love it!
This weekend was a cooking marathon. I wanted to get a few meals made in advance for our trip out to the islands with Sarah, Jeff & Marco next weekend. Working in my galley is not a chore, I think it's a treat. I have a beautiful view of the marina and Ventura hills, my neighbors stop and talk to me through the open door as they walk down the dock - I love it!First, I made a brine for the turkey breast we were having for tonight's dinner. Next I started roasting vegetables for the chile verde (recipe below), oh boy, the boat is starting to smell really good. I browned pieces of pork, added the sauce and started simmering (for a couple of hours). That's when Suzi & Brian stopped at our door and said the smells were reaching the parking lot and driving everyone crazy.
I rubbed a beef brisket with Chinese Five Spice, put it in the oven for an hour, topped it with BBQ sauce, covered with foil and baked for another couple of hours. When it cools, I'll slice it and it will make great sandwiches for lunch one day at the islands.
Time for a lunch break. Our Saturday lunches are usually something we've brought home from the market. Today, sliced heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and fresh hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with sea salt. So simple and so delicious!
Back to the stove to work on tomorrow's lunch-Ropa Viejo (pictures and recipe on next blog). Once that was simmering away, I made the onion confit for tonight's mushroom tarts. Cook thinly sliced onions in olive oil for about 30 minutes, until very soft but not brown. Add chicken stock, white wine vinegar and cook until the pan is dry and the onions are golden, about another 30 minutes:
I'm ready to sit and have a glass of wine while we watch the USA men's volleyball win the gold!
To make the Caramelized Mushroom Tarts (Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef) cook mushrooms in olive oil for a couple of minutes, add some minced shallots, garlic, fresh thyme and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Make a caramel sauce by boiling sugar and a small amount of water. When the sugar is dissolved, swirl in a little sherry vinegar. Pour the caramel into ramekins and cool for about a minute. Add the sauteed mushrooms and top with the onion confit. Top with a circle of puff pastry and bake for about 20 minutes:
Cool for a couple of minutes and then unmold on plate:
These were delicious, but John & I both agreed the caramel was a little too sweet. To make the Chile Verde, roast and peel pasilla chiles:
In the oven, roast tomatillos, onions, jalapenos and garlic:
Put all the roasted vegetables in a food processor, add oregano, cumin and ground coriander. Brown 1" pieces of pork shoulder in olive oil. Add the pureed vegetables to the pork with chicken stock and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. I'm picturing this yummy pork in enchiladas next week.
1 comment:
Go Linda go!
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