Happy 16th Anniversary!

My Birthday & Our Anniversary Weekend

We decided to celebrate this year's birthday/anniversary weekend in Santa Monica and also decided the weekend should be all about food. First on our list was the Farmer's Market at the Promenade. We were excited to find Jerusalem Artichokes, something I've never tried but only because we have never been able to find them. They look a lot like ginger, but are actually a Sunflower tuber. I'm going to experiment with these little beauties and hope to have some recipes to share soon.

Time for lunch at The Lobster, located across the street from the Santa Monica Pier. I started with a mimosa and John with a glass of Tattinger champagne. John had the "Lobster stuffed avocado served with a Romaine salad in champagne vinaigrette". I chose the "Three Peppercorn Seared Rare Pacific Yellowfin Tuna, served with a hearts of palm & shrimp salad, spicy sesame vinaigrette and tobiko wasabi (wasabi flavored flying fish roe). The salad also had tomatoes, asparagus and avocado. It was so good and look how beautiful:

After lunch, we set off to explore a couple of Italian groceries I had found online hoping to find some tasty treasures. Our first stop was Bay Cities Italian Deli. The deli must be pretty good because the place was packed and we had to park several blocks away. They also had a great grocery section. We picked up a new olive oil to try, Olorosso sherry, arborio rice and salame.

What a surprise we had at our next stop, Guidi Marcello Italian Importing. The store is located in an industrial area with just a small sign outside that says Italian Importing, so we almost didn't stop. The owner, Marco Guidi, was standing behind a marble counter covered with cheese, salami and bread. First he gave us a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano drizzled with a tiny bit of aged balsamic vinegar - it was incredible. Next he drizzled some white truffle honey on a piece of cheese - out of this world. Then he forced some salami and bread on us - oh yes, we bought everything he served us plus some of his imported wines. Well of course, John started speaking Italian with Marco and Marco asked where his family was from. John tells him his father was from a small town between Lucca & Pisa. Marco tells us his family is from Lucca and in fact he still has a home there. Marco - where were you born? John - Africa. Marco - No! I was born in Africa. Where in Africa? John - Eritrea. Marco - No! I was born in Eritrea. Where in Eritrea? John - Asmara. Marco - No! I was born in Asmara (two years before John). You'll just have to imagine all the handwaving that was going on. So, Marco invited us into his office to share pictures and stories. What a fun afternoon. Before we left he gave us a bottle of wine for my birthday - great guy!

And for dinner we ate (and ate and ate and ate for 4 hours) at Melisse, one of the top rated restaurants in the country. We ordered the Carte Blanche Menu, the chef's special tasting menu paired with wines. Here's our menu:

• Champagne Trolley - we chose Lallier Rose Champagne


• A red grape encased in goat cheese and rolled in chopped pistachios.


• Our bread choices - brioche, focaccia w/bacon and mini-ciabatta


• Ahi Tuna with Yuzu Emulsion (with tiny cucumber pearls that popped in your teeth like fish eggs).


• Fennel Flan, Mandarine Orange Gelee and Truffle Mousse (layered in a small glass). Wine-Sancerre, "Chateau de Maimbray", Georges Roblin, Loire
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  Artichoke Soup with Parmesean Croquette and Lemon Essence (after the dish was placed in front of us another waiter came to the table with a beautiful lacquered box - he opened the lid and lifted out an incredible black truffle that he shaved on top of our soup!) Wine-2005 Bandol Rose, Chateau Pradeaux, Provence



• Egg Caviar with Lemon Creme Fraiche and American Osetra Caviar (served in an eggshell with a cauliflower puree and a piece of brioche). This may have been my favorite dish of the night. Wine-Delamotte Pere & Fils, Brut Champagne, Les Mesnils:

• Duo of Melisse Foie Gras with Apple, Broccoli and Truffle Essence (Seared foie gras served over lentils and topped with preserved lemon, foie gras terrine style served with slice of brioche, also a small piece of apple and pear with honey). Wine-2002 Coteaux du Layon, Chateaux Soucherie, Loire, France:

• Lobster Duo (one dish was lobster capellini bolognese with truffle foam and the other was a deconstructed lobster thermidor). Wine-2006 Savennieres, 'La Croix Picot', Jo Pithon, Loire Valley:

• Truffle Crusted Dover Sole with Eringi (a mushroom), Potato Gnocchi and Jus de Cuisson. I'm starting to get full! Wine-2005 Condrieu, 'Les Mandouls', Ferrraton Pere et Fils, Rhone Valley:

• Trio Berkshire Pork with Cabbage, Dates and Sauce Aigre Deux (the menu says trio but I only recall the pork cooked two ways-pork belly and pork loin both cooked sous vide. The pork loin was served on braised lettuce, the pork belly served with turnip puree and garnished with glazed grapefruit. Wine-2000 Mas de la Dame, "Le Stele", Provence:

• Prime Beef Filet Wellington with Potato Pave, Swiss Chard and Perigordine Sauce (served on wilted greens with carrots 3-ways, a spring onion and a beef cheek and short rib ravioli). Okay I'm stuffed, but the waiter encourages me to keep going!! Wine-2003 Mas Jullien, Languedoc:

• Fromage (the cheese trolley - we chose an English blue stilton, a goat cheese, a nevart, a roquefort, and Amstedam gouda and something else that I forgot - also served with figs, walnuts and a date bread). Wine-2004 Meursault, Francois Mikulski.


• On to the desserts - first course- Vanilla Yogurt and Strawberry Sorbet (oh, so refreshing):

Passion Fruit Parfait with coconut panna cotta in a lemongrass tapioca served with a coconut macaroon:

• And the final dessert course - Chocolate Chocolate (Chocolate souffle - that was injected table side with warm chocolate, coffee mousse with mascarpone, chocolate peanut butter bar and a white chocolate bon bon on a stick). Wine-1997 Rivesaltes, Banyuls:

• And to top it all off - a small tray with little cookies and candies.

What a great experience, I can't tell you how much we both enjoyed the evening. The waiters and Sommelier were so attentive, explaining every dish and every wine. We were lucky and were seated in a semi-private room, only 4 tables, a fireplace and curtained off from the main restaurant. Very happy that we were spending the night in Santa Monica and also that we had taken a cab! It was just an absolutely perfect night.

Well, it's Sunday morning (Happy Birthday to me!) and our food adventure continues. We started by going to another Farmer's Market. Besides produce this market had lots of prepared food booths and live music. John and & shared a Crepes Suzette. I know, hard to believe we're already eating again - but we're on a mission!

Next we went to a restaurant supply store, Surfas, in Culver City. Jeff, it was like the store you took us to in Oakland, except not as big, but had a great bonus-gourmet foods! We bought some rendered duck fat, veal stock and a small proofing tub.

Time for lunch at Ford's Filling Station, the chef/owner is Harrison Ford's son.

John's lunch - Porchetta Sandwich on toasted flatbread with fontina cheese and caramelized onions:

And mine - Pub Burger, coleman organic hand ground chuck, maytag blue cheese and caramelized onions served with red onion rings. Jeff, Joe and Dave - look how cool the bun (very soft) is with the very finely shaved onion baked into the top:


And with that, our "Foodie Weekend" comes to an end. Burp! Excuse me.

Shrimp "Ceviche" Cocktail

It's "Friday Night Cocktail Hour" and I decided to bring out this great recipe that we made for Sarah & Jeff's wedding cocktail party aboard Poseidon.

Bring orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, ketchup and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Add shrimp (cut into large pieces), reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp through a sieve over a bowl, reserving the citrus mixture. Chill the shrimp on a plate. Chill the citrus juice. Combine chopped tomato, chopped red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, olive oil, salt, hot sauce and citrus mixture. Add shrimp, toss well to coat and chill for at least 15 minutes. Stir in chopped avocado and serve in a salt rimmed glass with tortilla chips.

It was so good, Mike & Linda Malloy and John & I gobbled it all down before anyone else arrived!!

Fritatta, Pork Roast & Torta di Riso

I have been sick with a terrible cold for the last two weeks, so I haven't been doing too much cooking. But there's only so much "feeling sick food" - soup, macaroni, scrambled eggs, etc. you can eat, so here are a few fun foods I did manage to cook.

Last Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market in the rain, probably not the smartest thing to do when you're sick. Two of things we brought home were fresh eggs and baby broccoli - sounds like a frittata to me! First I blanched the cut-up broccoli - which means I put the broccoli in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drained the pieces into ice water and then as soon as they were cool, drained on paper towels. This keeps the broccoli a nice bright green color when it is cooked. I sauteed the broccoli and some garlic in olive oil and butter, until almost tender. Next I poured eggs beaten with a little asiago cheese over the broccoli. A little fresh ground nutmeg is also good, but I left my nutmeg grinder with Sarah & Jeff at Thanksgiving and keep forgetting to pick up another one. Cook the eggs over medium-low heat, lifting the edges with a spatula to let the uncooked eggs move to the bottom of the pan until the eggs are almost set. You can finish the frittata under the broiler to brown the top, but what I like to do is put a plate over the top of the pan, flip the frittata over and slide it back into the skillet to brown the other side. Top with a little more freshly grated asiago cheese and cut into wedges. The frittata can be served warm or at room temperature. What a beautiful fresh lunch!

Sunday was a "stay inside, keep warm and cook something low and slow" kind of a day. I decided to make Michael Chiarello's Forever-Roasted Pork with Spice Rub. The spice rub is made with fennel seed, coriander seed, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, chili powder, kosher salt and cinnamon ground in a spice mill or coffee grinder.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add a few whole garlic cloves until they start to color. Add fresh sage leaves, sizzle for about 10 seconds and add thinly sliced onions. Cook the onions for a couple of minutes, add water, cover and cook until the onions are quite soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, do not let the onions color. Let cool to room temperature.

With a boning knife, cut between the muscles of a pork shoulder so that it lays flat like a book:Rub the surface with a little bit of the rub, then spread the cooled onions on top:Reshape the shoulder to enclose the onions and tie with kitchen string:Rub it all over with olive oil, then with the spice rub. Line a roasting pan with foil, I didn't and I was sorry when it came time to clean up! Put celery stalks, peeled carrots and onion halves in the bottom of the pan and top with the pork:Roast at 275 degrees until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 7 hours. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing the string. Discard the vegetables. To serve, pull the roast apart into large chunks with a meat fork rather than carving it into neat slices.

I thought twice about posting this picture, since it's not very attractive, but I wanted to show how tender and easy to pull apart it gets. Let me tell you, with that crispy spice rub on the outside and the the tender onions in the inside, this is delicious - and the leftovers make great tacos!

John has been craving a Torta di Riso (Rice Cake) that his grandmother used to make. I decided to surprise him and try a recipe I found in one of Biba Caggiano's cookbooks. The cake is supposed to be made in a springform pan, but when I went to get mine out from under the galley sink it kind of disintegrated into a pile of rust, so I ended up borrowing a square brownie pan from my neighbor Bonnie.

To make the cake, you combine milk and sugar in a saucepan until it comes to a gentle boil. Then add arborio rice (the rice you use in risotto) and cook, stirring, until the rice is tender and the milk is all reduced, about 40 minutes. Transfer the rice to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Add lightly beaten eggs, Grand Marnier, vanilla and orange zest. Fold in egg whites that have been beaten with sugar until stiff peaks form. Pour into the baking pan and cook until the top of the cake is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature, remove from the pan and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
John loved it - just like grandma used to make!!