Taglio di Costata di Manzo

The Tuscans have marked their place in Italian cuisine and have done so in many ways. However, one truly unique way in which they have done so surrounds a particular type of cattle. It is the large, white Chianina. This particular animal served important functions, both in the Tuscan economy and society. For centuries, Chianina cattle provided the means of power in agriculture (until replaced by mechanized means). Twice a year, every year, Chianina cattle pull the Carroccio, the cart that carries the banner for the Palio, the horse race that takes place in the center of Siena.

The meat produced by the Chianina is prized and even has its own special designation, IGP Vitellone Bianco dell'appenino Centrale. That meat features prominently in the most Tuscan of dishes: Bistecca Fiorentina. That dish features a porterhouse steak, whose thickness cannot be less than two human fingers in measurement, that is grilled simply with salt until it is a bloody rare. If you cook it beyond rare, you will offend every Tuscan everywhere.

Yet, Tuscans use Chianina beef to prepare other dishes, like Tagliata di Manzo. That dish often uses an entrecote or strip steak cut in its preparation. Tuscans like that preparation to be rare as well, but Tagliata does not have the same place in the heart -- or cuisine -- as Bistecca Fiorentina. I say that to say that there may be some room for forgiveness if the Tagliata comes out medium rare, instead of rare.

I decided to prepare a rib roast in the fashion of a Tagliata, which gave me some more leeway to work with this rather large piece of meat. I prepared a rub using garlic, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. I then prepared the roast like I would for any prime rib. (If it had been a little warmer outside, I may have tried to grill it to bring the dish closer to a Tagliata at least with respect to preparation.) Still, a couple of hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit ("F") got me to where I needed to be: around 125 degrees F internal temperature. 

There is something about Tuscan preparations of meat that lift them above many other meat-centric cuisines. For years, I have been preparing turkeys in the style of Tuscan pork roasts (arista-style). Now, I may simply use the Tuscan Tagliata style for all of my beef recipes, especially prime rib roasts. There will always be one exception: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which can only be prepared one way. 

TAGLIO DI COSTATA DI MANZO

Recipe adapted from several sources

Serves at least 6

Ingredients:

• One prime rib roast with 2-3 ribs, about 5-6 pounds
• 16 ounces of arugula
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Rosemary, chopped 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
• Olive oil
• Parmigiano Reggiano or other hard cheese

Directions:

1.    Prepare the rib roast. Lightly brush the roast with olive oil. Season the roast on all sides with first with the minced garlic, then the salt and pepper and finally with the rosemary. Place the roast in a roasting pan and let the roast stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Cook the roast. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in the oven and cook for approximately 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature of the roast reaches at least 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the roast from the oven, cover loosely with foil and it rest for 30 minutes. The internal temperature should rise to 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be medium rare. 

3. Prepare the arugula. Place the arugula in a bowl. Dress the arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and the lemon juice.

4. Slice the roast. Slice the roast to remove the bones by placing the roast on its side and cutting along the bones at the bottom of the roast. Cut between the bones and set aside. Place the roast upright and slice at the desired thickness.

5.    Finish the dish. Place a slice of roast on the plate, add a handful of arugula salad, and garnish the salad with tomatoes and thin slices of Parmigiana Reggiano.

PEACE.

Catfish Milanese

If you want to trace the impact of a cuisine upon the world, then all you have to do is pick a recipe.  For example, take the dish known as Milanesa (or Milanese in English). Originating in Milan, Italy, a Milanesa is a breaded veal cutlet. The original recipe required a cutlet from a milk-fed veal, bone-in, and fried in clarified butter in the manner that one would fry Weiner Schnitzel. It is known as Cotoletta alla Milanesa. 

During the Italian diaspora in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, many emigrants took this dish to their new homes, many of which were in the Western Hemisphere.  The breaded cutlet dish found a new home in restaurants, especially in South America.  The dish evolved over the years and decades, with cooks breading much more than veal.  They breaded chicken cutlets and beef cutlets.  Cooks in different countries also made their own mark on the dish.  For example, in Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay, cooks prepared the cutlets with potatoes, calling it Milanesa con papas frites.  Milanesa has become so common, particularly in Latin American countries, that one could think that the dish originated in the New World, as opposed to restaurants and homes half a world away.

Drawing from the New-World inspiration, I decided to make a variation of a Milanesa.  This variation did away with the meat, and relied upon fish.  In particular, I used blue catfish for this dish.  The blue catfish originated in the Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio river basins; however, the fish were introduced into rivers in nearby Virginia.  The blue catfish are a very sturdy species and have made their way into the Chesapeake Bay.  The blue catfish has done so well, that it is considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay, threatening the Bay's iconic residents, most notably, the blue crab. 

While the blue catfish may not have many natural predators in the water, it has a very big predator outside of the water.  Given its designation as an invasive species, and its threat to native species, it is always open season to catch blue catfish and cook them around here.  Indeed, unlike the iconic rockfish (which has a 1 to 2 fish catch limit), the State of Maryland does not place any limit on catfish.

When I came across blue catfish fillets in my local grocery store, I thought that these fillets were perfect for a Milanese recipe.  The fillets were just thick enough that they could be breaded and fried like a chicken or veal cutlet.  The fillets also appeared hardy enough to serve as an adequate substitute for meat.  My initial thoughts proved accurate, as the blue catfish worked extremely well in a Milanese recipe.  The only hitch is that, unlike veal or chicken, one cannot pound catfish to get the desired thickness.  Therefore, it is very important to purchase fillets that are even in thickness and just thick enough to stand up to about six or eight minutes of cooking.

CATFISH MILANESE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
4 catfish fillets, about 6-8 ounces each 

2 large eggs 

1 1/2 cups of panko breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons of butter

1 lemon, juiced

6 tablespoons of olive oil

3 cups of arugula, lightly packed

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bread the catfish.  Place the panko bread crumbs on one dish.  Beat the eggs in a separate dish. Dip each filet in the beaten eggs and then into the bread crumbs.  Make sure the fillets are completely coated and press gently to adhere the coating the fillets.

2.  Fry the catfish. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add 2 fillets and fry until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.  Flip the fillets and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel and place in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat the process with the remaining fillets.

3.  Prepare the arugula.  Whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon juice.  Toss the oil and juice with the arugula, shallots, and tomatoes.

4.  Plate the dish.   Place the catfish in the center of the dish.  Add the arugula mixture over the catfish.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Grilled Apricots, Burrata and Arugula Salad

Recently, I had the honor and privilege of cooking a multiple course dinner for my parents.  I wanted to prepare a three course meal focused upon the grill.  The three courses were a salad, an appetizer and a main course.  Moreover, I decided that I would strive to obtain all of the ingredients from the West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio.  The combination of really fresh ingredients, the grill, and the opportunity to cook for my parents motivated me to create a great dining experience.

For the salad, I decided to go with a fruit that is in season ... apricots.  I found a recipe that combined grilled apricots with some of my favorite ingredients, such as burrata cheese and arugula.  The recipe also called for the use of radicchio, which, unlike the apricots, was not in season.  (Radicchio is a late winter, early spring vegetable, while apricots are an early summer fruit.) Given it was out of season, I had to get the radicchio from a local grocery store.  Finally, the recipe calls for the use of "country ham."  I omitted that ingredient from the salad because my beautiful Angel does not like to eat ham.  However, if you want to include it, use about 1/3 to 1/2 of a pound of prosciutto or iberico ham, rather than "country ham."  Personally, I would use prosciutto, because the use of arugula, burrata and radicchio (along with the balsamic vinegar) clearly suggests an Italian influence to this dish.

Overall, this dish is very delicious.  The grilling of the apricots softened them just a little, contributing a sweetness that, with the balsamic vinegar, offsets the tartness of the radicchio and the pepper of the arugula.  The burrata cheese added a luxuriousness to the dish that helped to elevate the dish.

Finally, I want to thank my beautiful Angel, Clare, who helped with the preparation of this dish while I frantically worked on the other course.  Together, we make a great cooking team!

GRILLED APRICOTS, BURRATA AND ARUGULA SALAD

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds apricots, halved and pitted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 small head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
5 ounces baby arugula
1/2 pound of burrata cheese, shredded or cubed
1 tablespoon, aged balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces shaved country ham or proscuitto

Directions:
1.  Grill the apricots.  Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the apricots with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, cut sides down, just until lightly charred, 5 minutes. Let cool.

2.  Make the salad.  In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss in the apricots, radicchio and arugula. Transfer to a platter and top with the burrata, ham and vinegar. Serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Portobellos with Arugula and Parmigiano

According to Mario Batali, this dish -- Portobellos with Arugula and Parmigiano -- was one of the first dishes that he put on the menu at his restaurant, Pó, in New York City.  The recipe can still be found on the menu.  

This dish was the first dish in a three-course dinner featuring recipes by Mario Batali.  The common theme was that all of the recipes feature the use of the grill.  This recipe comes from Mario Batali's book Italian Grill.

The recipe itself is very versatile.  For example, the recipe calls for the use of anchovy paste, which I did not have when I made this dish.  I still think that the recipe worked out well even without the paste.  The combination of the grilled mushroom, the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and the lettuce makes for a light and tasty salad.  The addition of Parmigiano Reggiano completes the dish.  If you do not have any Parmigiano Reggiano, you can substitute Parmesan cheese, which will work just as well.

PORTOBELLOS WITH ARUGULA AND PARMIGIANO

Recipe from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, at p. 28

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of anchovy paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

Generous 4 cups trimmed arugula, washed 

    and spun dry

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Coarse sea salt

Ground black pepper

Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved

Directions:

1.  Grill the mushrooms.  Preheat the gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.  Place the portobellos on the grill and cook, turning two or three times, until slightly softened, 5 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to a platter, arranging the mushrooms gill side up.

2.  Prepare the mixture.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the oil oil, the anchovy paste, vinegar and thyme.  Spoon the mixture evenly over the portobellos and let stand for 30 minutes. 

3.  Prepare the arugula.  In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice.  Season with coarse see salt and pepper.

4.  Plate the dish.  Divide the arugula among six plates and top each with a mushroom.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmigiano Reggiano over the salads.  Serve immediately.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

At our wine dinner, this dish was paired with the Sobon Estate Roussanne (2011).  The wine has floral aromas, with elements of butterscotch and pear. While the wine is normally paired with seafood and poultry dishes, it worked very well with the salad.  The richness of the wine worked well with the extra virgin olive oil in the dish, along with the mushroom and Parmesan cheese. 

ENJOY!

Grilled Beef Heart with Herbed Viniagrette

As I continue my culinary journeys, there are a few people who I follow.  One of those individuals is Michael Ruhlman. Michael is an author, food writer and blogger.  He is one of the writers behind Thomas Keller's cookbooks.  However, Michael has several cookbooks of his own, including Ruhlman's Twenty.  The fact that Ruhlman is from and promotes Cleveland, where I grew up, is just another reason to listen to what he has to say.

One (of many) Ruhlman's recipes that I have wanted to make is his Grilled Beef Heart with Herbed Vinaigrette.  As I continue to expand my cooking knowledge and skills, I have become particularly interested in cooking with ingredients that are a little out of the ordinary. Offal constitutes a category of such ingredients.  Brains, hearts, kidneys, livers and more.  I recently discovered that a local grocery store carried beef hearts, so I bought a two and one-half pound heart, pulled up Ruhlman's recipe and began to cook with this ingredient for the first time.

Beef heart is a relatively healthy choice for someone looking to cook beef.  It has less fat than most other cuts of beef, and it is packed with protein.  Beef heart contains several B vitamins, lycopene, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, selenium and zinc.  Beef heart also has Coenzyme Q10, which is said to boost energy levels, help improve the immune system and act as an antioxidant.  Coenzyme Q10 is also believed to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease.  That's right, eating beef heart may help improve your heart ... or so they say.  It is important to note that beef heart, like other organ meat, does have a lot amount of cholesterol.  (I tried to figure out the levels of good and bad cholesterol in beef heart; however, I was not successful in that endeavor.)

Overall, this is a great recipe.  The grilled beef heart was delicious, but the vinaigrette really put the dish over the top. 

GRILLED BEEF HEART WITH HERBED VINIAGRETTE

Recipe adapted from one by Michael Ruhlman

Serves 6

Ingredients (for the beef heart):

1 beef heart, trimmed and cut into slices or chunks

1/2 large shallot, chopped or diced

Salt, as needed

Black pepper, as needed

Olive oil, as needed

Arugula or Spinach, one handful per serving

Ingredients (for the herbed vinaigrette):

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1/2 large shallot, minced

1 tablespoon of oregano, parsley, chives or 

     1 tablespoon of basil, parsley and rosemary

1/4 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1.  Marinate the beef heart.  Liberally salt and pepper the beef heart, add the shallot and oil.  Toss the ingredients to combine.  Refrigerate the beef for at least one hour and up to overnight.

2.  Prepare the vinaigrette. Combine the vinegar, shallot and salt.  Let sit for five to ten minutes.  Stir in the herbs.

3.  Cook the beef heart.  Grill the beef over hot coals or over high heat on a gas grill.  Thread the pieces on water-soaked skewers.   Grill the beef heart for two to three minutes on each side for medium rare (maybe one to two minutes if the pieces are smaller).

4.  Plate the dish.  Arrange the arugula or spinach on a plate, top with the beef heart and spoon some of the vinaigrette over the beef heart. 

PAIRING THIS DISH

There is not a lot out there about pairing beef heart with either wine or beer.  And, I have to admit that when I ate this dish, I did not drink a beer or wine with it.  So, it is fairly hard for me to suggest a pairing.  Nevertheless, I think that there are a couple of obvious suggestions. Just as red wine pairs well with beef, a red wine -- such as a Pinot Noir or a Chianti -- could pair well with this dish.

ENJOY!

Grilled Calamari Salad

When I looking for frog legs to make Grenouille à la Provençale, I saw something that I had never seen before in a grocery store ... large, whole squid.  I am not talking about the little white cones and small tentacles that one usually sees  in the seafood section of most grocery stores.  Those are baby squid.  This particular grocery store had much larger squid, measuring nearly a foot long.  And, while I recognize that squid can grow to as large as forty-three feet long, these foot-long specimens were the largest that I had ever seen in a grocery store.  So, of course, I had to cook with them.

The first question that came to mind is how to prepare the squid.  Fry, saute, or grill.  I settled on the last option, primarily because of the size of the squid.  The only issues with respect to grilling the squid are (1) to ensure that the squid does not become to tough to eat; and (2) to ensure that the squid remains flat during grilling to guarantee even cooking.  The first issue is resolved by the technique recommended for cooking large squid generally ... scoring the inside of the bodies.  Small squid are popular because they are tender.  As a squid grows in side, the meat becomes tougher and more chewy.  By scoring the inside of the bodies, it makes the large squid a little more tender.  As for the second issue, the use of skewers would keep the squid flat as they were grilled. 

The next question was how to serve the squid.  I answered that question with a salad.  It is a healthy option so long as you are mindful of what you add to the salad.  In this instance, I added some diced, roasted bell pepper, some red onions marinated in balsamic vinegar and some tomatoes.  The effort was definitely a success, both with respect to the squid and the salad. 

GRILLED CALAMARI SALAD

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

3 whole squid bodies

Juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Juice from 1 lime

1 teaspoon of lime zest

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Pinch of dried thyme

Ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 bell pepper

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

2-4 cups of baby arugula

Skewers

Directions:

1.  Prepare the squid. Clean the squid.  Using a small sharp knife carefully cut to separate the innards from the back of the body.  Pull out the head and the innards carefully, making sure not to break any of the insides.  Wash the inside and outside of the squid thoroughly.  Using a sharp, thin knife, fine the seam of the squid body (where the backbone/cartilage was) and slice through to open the squid body until it lays flat.  Score the inside of the squid body carefully, making sure that you do not pierce the meat.  

2.  Marinate the squid.  Combine the juice of the lemon and lime, along with the zest, sea salt, sugar, crushed red pepper, thyme, black pepper and olive oil.  Stir well.  Add the bodies and tentacles to the marinade.  Marinate the squid for no more than thirty minutes.  

3.  Roast the bell pepper and marinate the onions.  If you have a gas range, place the bell pepper over one element on high heat.  Blacken the skin, use tongs to rotate the pepper and continue to roast until the pepper is blackened on all sides.  Let the pepper cool down.  Once you can handle the pepper, peel off all of the black skin under a little running water.  Dice the bell pepper.  Also, place the sliced red onions in the balsamic vinegar.  Toss and let sit for about twenty minutes. 

4.  Grill the squid. Soak some skewers in water.  Thread the squid bodies with the skewers so that they will lie flat when grilled.  Also wrap the tentacles around skewers.   Heat the grill on high heat. 

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

Generally speaking, squid is the type of seafood that pairs best with a white wine.  The grilling of the squid opens up options both for light, fruity whites -- such as a Pinot Grigio -- as well as more rounded whites like a Chardonnay.  Both Clare and I paired this recipe with the following Chardonnay:

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard -- Chardonnay (2010)

100% Chardonnay grapes

Comus, Maryland, USA

Flavors of pears and apples

ENJOY!

Saffron Infused Lobster, Roasted Peppers, Arugula

Recently, my beautiful Angel, Clare, wanted me to make her a salad.  I wanted to try something different.  The result is this dish.  It is an experiment with different ingredients ... saffron, lobster, peppers, onions, arugula and pecorino romano.  I decided to combine the first two, using the saffron to flavor the lobster.  With respect to onions, I decided to let them soak in some red wine vinegar.  The peppers were roasted.  The arugula and pecorino romano were left alone.

As with most Chef Bolek originals, I posted this dish after the first attempt at making it.  I think it is visually appealing, with a good contrast in colors .. the yellow, saffron-infused lobster, the orange roasted peppers, the pinkish onions, and the green arugula.  The dish tasted good as well.  The saffron obviously flavored the lobster, which contrasted well with the peppery arugula and the roasted flavors of the peppers.

Although I have a hard time getting back to making dishes a second time (there is so many recipes and so little time), I will revisit this recipe and work on this dish. I will also update the recipe based upon what I learn and how I improve it. 

SAFFRON INFUSED LOBSTER, ROASTED PEPPERS, ARUGULA

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 to 4 four ounce lobster tails, shelled and cut into 

     bite sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, roasted and diced

1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced

1 medium shallot, finely diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

3 cups of baby arugula

1 pinch of saffron

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pecorino Toscano or Pecorino Romao, shaved

Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Marinate the lobster and onions.  Rehydrate the saffron in warm water for fifteen minutes in a medium sized bowl.  Once the water has cooled, add the lobster and let it sit for about four to five minutes.  In a separate bowl, pour 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Remove the lobster from the saffron water and place the lobster (with as many saffron threads as possible, in the separate bowl.  Refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes.  In a separate bowl, add the red onions and the red wine vinegar.  Mix to make sure that the vinegar covers all of the onions.

2.  Saute the shallots.  Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shallots and saute until translucent.  

3.  Saute the lobster.  Add the lobster and saute the lobster until opaque, about eight minutes.  Make sure to stir the lobster and make sure that all sides of the lobster are cooked.  Add the roasted peppers to warm them again.

4.  Plate the dish.  Plate the arugula in the center of the dish.  Add some of the onions on top of the arugula.  Add some of the lobster on top of the onions, along with some shaved Pecorino.

PAIRING THIS DISH

This dish is best paired with a white wine.  A range of white wines could work, although I would stick with a lighter, fruiter white wine.  A wine such as a Pinot Gris or Sémillon would work well, such as one of these:

Lemelson Vineyards -- Tikka's Run Pinot Gris
100% Pinot Gris
Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Flavors of apricot, melon and fennel

L'Ecole No. 41 -- Columbia Valley Sémillon
100% Sémillon
 Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Flavors of pear and apple

Although white wines would work with this dish, I would steer clear from Chardonnays, especially oaked wines.

ENJOY!

Warm Mushroom Salad with Parmesan and Mixed Greens

This dish is another recipe by Pierre Gagnaire; however, for this recipe, I made some of my own tweaks.  These were not tweaks of creativity so much as they were changes based upon necessity.  The original recipe is Warm Mushroom Salad with Parmesan and Arugula.  I did not have any arugula and, because both Clare and I would be traveling, it did not make sense to buy arugula and then have to throw away some because it went bad while we were gone.  However, we did have some mixed greens or herb salad, so I decided to use those greens in place of the arugula.

This is a very good dish, because of the difference textures provided by the cooked mushrooms, the cheese shavings and the crisp greens.  It is also a very easy recipe to make.  The only cooking involved is the sauteing of the mushrooms.  So, this is a great recipe to make on the fly or at the last minute (so long as you have all of the ingredients).

The only other change I made was that I plated the mushrooms, cheese and lettuce side-by-side, rather than with the mushrooms on the bottom and then topped with the cheese and lettuce.  This was more for the pictures that I am posting on this blog than anything else.  Chef Gagnaire plates the dish with the mushrooms on bottom, topped with the cheese and greens because he wants the heat fro the mushrooms to begin to melt the cheese and wilt the greens.  I will do that the next time I make this dish, because I will not need to take any pictures.

WARM MUSHROOM SALAD WITH PARMESAN AND MIXED GREENS

Adapted from a recipe by Pierre Gagnaire, available at Food and Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of mixed mushrooms, cut into large pieces
1/4 cup vegetable stock (or veal/chicken demiglace)
Sea salt
2 ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano, thinly shaved
6 ounces of mixed greens (or arugula)

Directions:

1.  Saute the Mushrooms.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring until tender and lightly browned, about five minutes. Add the vegetable stock and cook over moderate heat for three minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt.

2.  Plate the Dish.  Mound the mushrooms on warmed plates and top with Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.  In a bowl, toss the mixed greens with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Pile the greens on top of the mushrooms and serve.

PAIRING THIS DISH

For this dish, the key ingredients are mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano and greens, all of which would seem to call for a white wine.  Indeed, you could serve this with just about any white wine.  However, for me, the mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano seem to call for a Lambrusco.  Winemakers in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna produce the best Lambrusco wines in the world, including this one:

Cleto Chiarli -- Vecchia Modena Premium.
100% Lambrusco di Sorbara
Reggio-Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Sour cherry tastes, with lightness and carbonation

If you are looking for a beer to pair with this dish, you could go with any pilsner or pale ale.  The light hop taste of these beers would go well with the mushrooms and the greens.  However, if you want to be a little more adventurous or experimental, then you might want to try a saison, such as this one:

Birrificio del Ducato -- Nuova Mattina.
Italian-style Saison
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Flavors of chamomile, green peppers, ginger, and coriander. 

ENJOY!

Barbecued Octopus with Arugula and Mint

While I was on my vacation, I was standing at the seafood counter at a local grocery store when something caught my eye ... a whole octopus.  I've cooked with octopus before, as part of an Iron Chef challenge involving the "secret" ingredient of mussels.  However, this was a big octopus, weighing in at about one and one half pounds.

I must have walked by the seafood counter at least three times, with my cell phone in hand, googling recipes for a whole octopus.  This was a little daunting for me.  I scrolled down, page after page, looking for a recipe that I could do.  I was just about to give up when I came across a recipe from the one person who is probably my most favorite and admired chef ... Mario Batali.  Feeling safe with the knowledge that Chef Batali knows a lot more about cooking than me, I looked at his recipe for Barbecued Octopus with Escarole and Mint and decided that I would give it a try.

I immediately encountered a problem. The store did not have any escarole.  However, I decided to substitute arugula because I thought the peppery taste of arugula would be paired well with the mint.  After adjusting some of the recipe to take into account that the octopus I bought (which was one and one-half pounds) was much less than the three to five pound octopus called for in the recipe. 

BARBECUED OCTOPUS WITH ARUGULA AND MINT

Adapted from Mario Batali's recipe on Food Network's website
Serves 3-4

A big octopus, about 3' in length

Ingredients:

1 octopus (about 1 and 1/2 pounds, cleaned)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced and zest

1/2 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 bunch of fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of ground sea salt

1 bunch of arugula

1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Simmer the octopus.  Place octopus in cold water with a cork and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about fifteen to eighteen minutes.  Remove, rinse and cut into four pieces.

2.  Marinate the octopus.  In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, red pepper, oregano and black pepper.  Marinate the octopus pieces for about ten minutes.  

3.  Grill the octopus.  Preheat the grill while the octopus is simmering in water.  Place the octopus pieces on the grill.  Cook for about five minutes per side.  Return the octopus to the marinade and cut into bite sized pieces.

4.  Plate the dish.  Arrange the arugula leaves a plate.  Arrange the octopus on the plate and sprinkle with the mint.  

ENJOY!

Insalata dell'Aragosta (Sardinian Lobster Salad)

Two recent events converged to make this dish possible.  Recently, while perusing the frozen seafood section of my local supermarket, I saw a bag of frozen lobster claws.  I began to think about what I could do with that lobster meat. The other event was the realization that I had a white wine from Sardinia that had to be served, because it was of the 2005 vintage.  What does one like me do when I have a Sardinian white wine and some lobster?  Make a Sardinian Lobster Salad

Seafood salads are common throughout Italy and are often made with whatever fish, shellfish or other seafood is readily available.  In the waters around Sardinia, there are spiny lobsters.  The spiny lobsters differ from the lobsters in the waters around the United States, because they do not have claws.  So, here I am, making a Sardinian lobster salad with lobster meat that would not be found on the lobsters around Sardinia.  It is kind of like watching a movie that is supposed to be set in Rome, Italy but all of the signs are in English and the White House is in the background.

Still, the recipe worked and the dish was very good.  The only problem was the lobster meat itself.  Frozen lobster meat is cooked and, in order to use it, you basically have to cook it again.  I steamed the lobster meat, which did the job, although some lobster meat ended up being dried out.  If you can afford live lobsters, it is probably best to use them for the dish.  

INSALATA DELL'ARAGOSTA

Adapted from About.com

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 pound of lobster meat, precooked

1/3 cup of high quality olive oil

3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 pound of heirloom tomatoes, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, sliced or chopped

Arugula

Ground, pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Make the dressing.   Buzz the lemon juice and garlic in a blender, then drizzle olive oil slowly so it emulsifies.  

2.  Plate the dish.  Arrange the arugula on the plate.  You can also add mint leaves and basil leaves.  Place the lobster meat on the arugula and add the vegetables.  Spoon the dressing over the salad.  Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper over the salad. 

ENJOY!

Gambero del Rosmarino con Insalata del Pomodoro

After viewing a couple of recipes for rosemary shrimp, I decided that I would try to make my own version of rosemary shrimp and work a little on my presentation. The recipe is very simple and the dish is very delicious. The key to the recipe is to get the largest shrimp possible, such as 8-10 count. Enjoy.

GAMBERO DEL ROSMARINO CON INSALATA DEL POMODORO
(ROSEMARY SHRIMP WITH A TOMATO SALAD) A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients (for the shrimp):
1/2 lb. Shrimp (largest count available)
12 sprigs of rosemary (approx)
2 cloves garlic
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
olive oil

Directions (for the shrimp):
1.  Take the rosemary sprigs and remove approximately 2/3s of the leaves from the lower part of the sprigs so that there is just a tuft of rosemary at the top. Dice the rosemary and the garlic. Clean the shrimp (de-vein and shell if necessary). Place the shrimp, olive oil, garlic and rosemary into a ziploc bag and season with salt and black pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let it marinate for about a half-hour to an hour.

2.  Take the sprigs and whittle the sprigs to remove some of the woody exterior. Then take one to two shrimp and skewer them onto the rosemary sprigs.

3.  Pour a small amount of olive oil in a grill pan. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Place the skewers on the grill pan. Grill on each side for a couple of minutes until the shrimp becomes opaque.

4.  For presentation, I took a small loaf of french bread, which was sliced into thirds. The olive oil and the rosemary will drip from the shrimp onto the bread, flavoring it.

Ingredients (for the tomato salad):
1/2 bag of arugula
12 heirloom tomatoes (approx), halved
balsamic vinegar
1/2 red onion, sliced.
Black pepper

Directions (for the tomato salad):
Arrange the arugula and onion around the bread. Season with black pepper and balsamic vinegar.