Iron Chef: Octopus

If memory serves me right, it has been a long time since I have stepped foot in Savage Bolek Kitchen Stadium.  My last challenger -- Radish Sprouts -- got the better of me.  While the three dishes each highlighted a certain creativity (for who would have ever thought of a radish sprout broth), the execution fell short of the expectations that I had set for myself. 

After that challenge, I decided to take a sabbatical from the Iron Chef battles. I needed to work on my creativity, my skills and my dishes.  As the days, weeks and months passed, I spent my time trying new foods, cooking with new ingredients, and honing my skills. 

But, as helpful as this time away from Savage Bolek Kitchen Stadium has been, the Iron Chef must return to face another challenger.  A challenger who could be as creative and crafty as the Iron Chef.  Coming from far away, this challenger will present the Iron Chef with many more opportunities to express not only his creativity, but his love for cuisines around the world.

Allow me to introduce the challenger ... OCTOPUS. 

FIRST COURSE

The first course is a nod to Japanese cuisine, with Taku Su, a cold salad that combines octopus with cucumbers and seaweed.  All of the ingredients are tied together with a vinaigrette of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar with sugar and salt to round out the taste .

TAKO SU (OCTOPUS SALAD)

Recipe from Just One Cookbook

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the octopus):

1/4 pound octopus cooked, sliced thinly

1/2 English Cucumber

1/2 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed

1/2 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

Ingredients (for the vinaigrette):

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds

Directions:

1.  Prepare the octopus. Slice the octopus very thinly.  

2. Prepare the cucumber.  Alternatively peel a 1/2 inch side strip lengthwise, leaving a strip intact.  With this method, the cucumber slices have some decorative dark green accents and a little bit of extra crunchiness.  Cut the cucumber into small pieces using the cutting technique Rangiri.

3.  Prepare the seaweed.  In a small bowl, soak the dried seaweed in warm water.  Let it soak for 15 minutes.  Drain and squeeze the liquid out.  Set aside.

4.  Prepare the vinaigrette.  In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.

5.  Finish the dish.  Add the cucumber, octopus, seaweed and sesame seeds and toss all together.  Chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.  Serve immediately.  

SECOND COURSE

The second course takes its inspiration from Mexican cuisine, with the octopus being served with a sauce featuring the smoky heat of ancho chiles and the sweetness of honey.  Much like the Tako Su, the mild flavors of the octopus work as a tableau upon which the flavors of the sauce can show themselves.  The hardest part is making sure that the octopus itself, as the secret ingredient, is not eclipsed by that sauce. 

GRILLED OCTOPUS WITH ANCHO HONEY SAUCE

Recipe adapted from Tom Colicchio

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the octopus):

1/2 pound octopus tentacle, cooked

Ingredients (for the sauce):

2 dried ancho chiles
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons of honey
1/8 cup of grapeseed oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  Prepare the sauce.  Toast the chiles over moderate heat, turning, until fragrant and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the vinegar, honey and garlic and bring just to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and let stand until the chiles are softened, about 20 minutes.  transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  With the machine on, add the grapeseed or vegetable oil until incorporated.  Season the sauce with salt.

2.  Prepare the grill or broiler.  Heart the grill or broiler.  Grill the cooked tentacle until the suckers start to crisp and brown around all of the edges, about 4 minutes.

THIRD COURSE

For the final dish, I draw upon Hawaiian cuisine.  This is a play on the popular dish of Ahi Poke; however, instead of the rare tuna being the star of the poke, it is octopus.  The avocado, tomato and onions in this dish, combined with the lemon juice, provide a very bright background that allows the octopus to take the center stage.  The fish sauce provides that salty, umami flavor that rounds out the dish . 

HAWAIIAN OCTOPUS POKE

Recipe adapted from Cookpad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 pound octopus tentacle, cooked

1 avocado
1/2 tomato
1/4 onion
1 bunch green onions
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 clove grated garlic
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:
1. Prepare the avocado. Pit the avocado, peel and dice.  Put the diced avocado into a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

2.  Prepare the onion.  Cut the onion in half and slice thinly along the grain.

3.  Prepare the octopus.  Slice the octopus.  Put it in a bowl and mix with the fish sauce and garlic.

4.  Prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Cut the tomato roughly and chop a generous amount of green onions.

5.  Combine ingredients: Put the avocado, onion, tomato, green onions, sesame oil and white sesame seeds in a bowl and mix.  Chill in the refrigerator.

6.  Plate the dish.  Just before plating, add the octopus and mix well.  

Iron Chef Night -- RADISH SPROUTS

It has been more than five years since I submitted myself to an Iron Chef challenge.  The challenge is just what the name suggests (assuming you watched either the original Iron Chef show or the American version).  I would give myself one ingredient -- the not so secret ingredient (after all, I have to decide what to use) -- and then come up with three to four dishes that feature the ingredient in some way.  

To date, I have posted five such challenges.  The secret ingredients for these events were corn, mussels, beef bone marrow, mushrooms and Vidalia onions.  With each challenge, the goal was to make dishes based on my thoughts and ideas, with little to no help from recipes.  Some challenges were successful.  Other challenges were less so.  Still, it was a chance for me to enjoy my hobby in a way that I enjoyed watching the Iron Chef show (the original version, as well as the American version, at least for a while).  

Iron chef challenges take a lot of work, both with respect to formulating ideas and the actual execution.  If you watched either show, you would know that the chefs have 1 hour to make their dishes. In reality, if I recall correctly, the chefs are given a few ingredients ahead of time to start the mental process of coming up with dishes.  

For my most recent challenge, I had a little advanced notice of the ingredient.  I received a Back to the Roots Water Garden, which is an aquarium on top of which you can grow herbs and small plants.  The kit came with seeds for radish sprouts and wheatgrass, which I used to plant my first "crop."  The planting went very well and I ended up with a lot of radish sprouts and wheatgrass.  The question was what to do with all of that.  

Hence, the first Iron Chef challenge in more than five years.  Given the fact that I had never cooked with radish sprouts before, I had to rely a little more on recipes than in the past. 

FIRST COURSE

The first dish is a watermelon salad with cilantro, radish sprouts and feta cheese.  This dish is based on a recipe from Saveur.  That recipe called for the use of Cotija, a Spanish cheese.  I could not find any of that cheese at my local store, so I went with an ingredient that I thought would come somewhat close in at least texture ... feta cheese.  Overall, this was probably the best dish of the night. 

WATERMELON SALAD WITH CILANTRO, 

RADISH SPROUTS AND FETA CHEESE

Recipe adapted from Saveur

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 small seedless watermelon (3-4 pounds), rind removed,

     cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon red chile powder

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt, to taste

6 ounces of Feta cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

2 1/2 ounces radish sprouts

Directions:

Place watermelon pieces in a large bowl.  Whisk olive oil, sugar, chile powder, lime zest, and juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Pour over watermelon.  Add remaining ingredients, tossing to coat.  Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

SECOND COURSE

The second course (and the third one) tested my challenge to adjust recipes on the fly.  The second dish was supposed to be Mexican Avocado Spread Sandwiches.  To make a sandwich, you need bread.  I thought I had bread at home so I did not buy any at the store.  Turns out, no bread at home.  However, Clare bought a flatbread from Costco, which meant that we had a lot of flatbread.  So, I went with a flatbread concept, rather than a sandwich.

MEXICAN AVOCADO SPREAD FLATBREAD 

WITH SPROUTS

 Recipe adapted from Foodfaithfitness

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/4 cup avocado, mashed, about 1/2 small avocado

2 tablespoons of salsa

1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, plus additional for serving

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon chile powder

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 flatbread pieces, toasted

1 large tomato, sliced

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 cups sprouts
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:

1.  Prepare the avocados.  In a medium bowl, mash together the avocado, salsa, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chile powder and a pinch of salt and pepper.

2.  Prepare the sandwiches.  Divide the avocado mixture evenly between two slices of bread, spreading evenly.  Divide the tomato slices between 2 slices of bread, followed by the cucumbers and sprouts.  Squeeze fresh lime juice over the sprouts and top each slice of bread with chopped cilantro.  Add more salt and pepper, to taste.  Cover with remaining slices of bread, cut, and serve.

THIRD COURSE

For my last course, I wanted to do something a little "fancy."  Unfortunately, it was a little flat.  The dish was supposed to be Sesame Marinated Salmon with a Radish Sprout Relish.   I wanted to incorporate the wheatgrass into the relish, so I decided to juice the wheatgrass with some radish sprouts and ginger.  It was at this point that the relish went out the door quickly. I still can't tell you what exactly I was thinking but I quickly had to turn the relish into a broth.  And that really did not work because the broth got lost in the rice, leaving only the bits of wheatgrass and radish sprouts along the edges. 

SESAME MARINATED SALMON

WITH RADISH SPROUT BROTH

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/8 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

1 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon minced green onions

3/4 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 six-ounce fillets of Sockeye Salmon

1/2 cup of radish sprouts

1/2 cup wheatgrass

1/4 cup sweet onion, minced 

1/4 tomato, minced

Directions:

1.  Prepare the marinade.  Whisk the mirin, rice vinegar, green onions, ginger and sesame seed oil together.  Add salmon, turn to coat.  Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Prepare the broth.  Put wheatgrass, a small amount of sprouts and ginger in a blender.  Add 1/4 cup of water.  Liquify the ingredients and transfer to a small pot.  Add a little more water to make the amount of broth that you need and turn the oven on to medium to heat.  

3.  Cook the salmon.  Preheat broiler.  Line baking sheet with foil, spray with non-stick spray.  Line up fillets, skin side up.  Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat source until skin is crisp, about 2 minutes.  Use metal spatula, turn salmon over.  Broil until salmon is just cooked through and golden brown on top, about 4 minutes.

4.  Plate the dish.  Place some rice in the middle of the dish.  Place the salmon over the rice and pour the broth gently around the edges of the rice.

*        *         *

With the cooking at an end, it reminded me that I am a little rusty when it comes to the Iron Chef Challenge.  Some of the difficulty could be due to the ingredient.  It is hard to think of dishes that use radish sprouts.  However, I also need to work on my flexibility when it comes to cooking on the fly.  I used to be fairly good at it, but just like anything else, it becomes a little rigid when not properly exercised. So, I hope that I will be able to do another Iron Chef Night soon.  And with an ingredient that is more in my wheelhouse ... like porterhouse steaks.

ENJOY!

Iron Chef Night -- VIDALIA ONIONS

If memory serves me right, I did a blog post just after the Christmas holiday in which I extolled the virtues of the Vidalia onion.  I gave due respect to the history of this vegetable, noting its humble beginnings on Georgia farms and its rise to become a protected treasure of a State known more for its peaches.  The Vidalia onion is by far the sweetest of the onions.  Its fresh and gratifying flavors are born out of soil that that lacks the influences of chemicals such as sulfur, whose noxious odor and corrupting tastes ruin vegetables. The relative purity of the soil produces a sweet onion that I believe is best for all forms of cooking, including my French Onion Soup.

Alas, in my post, I lamented that Vidalia onions are available only during the spring and summer months, and, that they were unavailable for me when I wanted to make my soup during the holidays.  I had to settle for sweet onions from other parts of the country, such as Texas and California.  

However, I now have organic Vidalia Onions from Antioch Farms, in Claxton, Georgia.  So, it is time for me to use my creativity to take recipes beyond where they have gone and to showcase the truly exceptional sweetness of this onion.

ALLEZ CUISINE ...

THE FIRST COURSE

For the first course, I served a Shrimp and Vidalia Onion in White Wine Marinade.  The Vidalia Onion is sliced thinly, and then marinated with other vegetables in white wine and lemon for a couple of hours.   The onion is served with freshly steamed shrimp on fresh spinach. 

SHRIMP AND VIDALIA ONION IN WHITE WINE MARINADE

Adapted from a recipe by the Vidalia Committee

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimp
2 Vidalia onions, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 carrot
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 celery stalks
1 teaspoon of basil
6 teaspoons of white wine, like Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc
Spinach leaves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Ingredients:
1. Steam the shrimp.  Salt and pepper the shrimp to taste.  Slice all of the vegetables and separate the onion slices into rings.

2.  Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the vegetables.  Marinate for 2-3 hours.  Add the steamed shrimp to the vegetables about five to ten minutes before serving and toss.

3.  Place the spinach leaves on a plate.  Top with with the vegetables and shrimp.

THE SECOND COURSE

For the second course, I served a Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Roasted Garlic Bisque.  I sauteed Vidalia onions with leeks for nearly an hour, while a whole head of garlic roasted in the oven.  The soup is created using vegetable stock, milk and white wine.  The onions and garlic are blended with the liquid, creating the bisque soup.  The sauteed onion and roasted garlic flavors complement each other.  These flavors create an earthy dish that still preserves some of the sweetness of the onion. A few pink peppercorns are sprinkled over the soup, providing a spicy contrast for some spoonfuls.

CARAMELIZED VIDALIA ONION AND ROASTED GARLIC BISQUE

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, Jan. 1997
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 whole garlic head

1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil

9 cups of thinly sliced Vidalia onions (about 4 large onions)

2 1/2 cups leek, thinly sliced (about 2 medium sized leeks)

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1/3 cup of dry white wine

4 cups of vegetable broth or vegetable stock

2 cups of 2% low-fat milk

6 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream

Toasted caraway seeds (optional)
Pink peppercorns (optional)

Directions:

1.  Remove the white papery skin from the garlic head but do not separate or peel the cloves.  Rub oil over the garlic head and wrap in foil.  Bake in an oven heated to 350 degrees for one hour.  Let cook for 10 minutes.  Separate cloves, squeeze out the garlic pulp and discard the skins.  the garlic aside. 

2.  Heat the 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or large pot.  Add the onion and leek.  Cook the vegetables for about thirty minutes, stirring often.  Add the thyme and 1/2 of salt.  Continue to cook for an additional thirty minutes or until the onions have become golden, stirring occasionally.  Once the onions have become golden, stir in the flour, add the wine and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. 

3. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it simmer for thirty minutes.  Add the garlic pulp, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the milk.  Continue to simmer for about eight minutes or until the mixture is thoroughly heated.

4.  Pour half of the mixture into a blender and process until smooth.  Pour the pureed mixture into a bowl.  Repeat with the remaining mixture. 

5.  Garnish with sour cream, caraway seeds or pink peppercorns if you desire.

THIRD COURSE

For the third course, I prepared Soft Shell Crabs with a Tomato Onion Salsa. This dish presents raw Vidalia onions in a fresh salsa with tomatoes, parsley and pine nuts.  The freshness of the salsa and the raw onion is contrasted with the richness of the sauteed soft shell crab.

SOFT SHELL CRAB WITH TOMATO ONION SALSA

Adapted from Chef 2 Chef

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the soft shell crabs):
2 soft shell crabs, cleaned
1 cup of flour
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients (for the salsa):
1/4 pound of cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup of Vidalia onions, chopped
1/8 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil
Handful of toasted pine nuts
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Prepare the salsa.  Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan.  Dredge the soft shell crabs in the flour . Shake off the loose flour.  When the butter is melted and the oil hot, add the soft shell crabs carefully to the pan.  Let the soft shell crabs cook four about four minutes and then flip them.  Cook for about another four minutes and the crabs should be finished.

3.  Plate the soft shells and spoon the salsa over the crabs.

THE FOURTH COURSE

Although served with the third course, this dish presents the Vidalia onion in a slightly different way.  Rather than contrasting the onion to the rich taste of the soft shell crab, the Vidalia onion is contrasted with the rich texture of the avocado.  The fresh Vidalia onions are sliced thinly and served over fresh avocado.  A drizzle of red wine vinegar and olive oil completes the dish.

AVOCADO ONION SALAD

Adapted from Delish.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 Avocado, sliced
1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions:
1. Arrange the avocado slices and top them with the sliced onion.

2.  Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the avocados and onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Iron Chef Night: MUSHROOMS!

Clare asked me to cook for a couple of her friends who were visiting here and she wanted me to do an "Iron Chef" night.  The question was what would be the secret ingredient.  Two out of the three people I would be cooking for were pescatarians, they ate only vegetables and fish.  I am not a big fan of the "seasonal" vegetables, such as squash and pumpkins, and I do not have enough experience cooking with them to make dishes comfortably. After whittling down the possible ingredients (all meats, seasonal vegetables, etc.), the secret ingredient was MUSHROOMS.

THE APPETIZER

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of mushrooms out there.  I decided to go a little outside of the comfort zone with some of the dishes.  I made three dishes: one soup, one risotto, and one main dish.

For the soup, I saw a recipe for a Basque-style creamy mushroom soup.  I used the recipe as a guide but modified it to accommodate our guests.  The recipe calls for beef stock, which I could not use, so I substituted vegetable stock.  I also added the garnish of a basil leave and pink peppercorns, the latter of which provided a peppery taste that was not really there based on the recipe.

BASQUE-STYLE CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
Recipe adapted from one submitted by Paul Chapin to the Linguist List Cookbook
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1/4 pound of butter
2 scallions (white part only)
1/2 pound of mushrooms (I used cremini and portabello), sliced
4 cups of unsalted vegetable stock
1 cup of heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter on medium high in a pot.  Saute the mushrooms for about 10 minutes.   Add the scallions and saute for about two or three minutes more.  Reserve about 1/4 to 1/3 of the mushrooms for later.

2.  Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 20 minutes.

3.  Remove from the heat and let it cool.  Pour into a blender and liquefy it.  Return the liquefied mixture to the pot.

4.  Add the heavy cream and stir.  Add the remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking the butter into the soup and making sure that each tablespoon is fully melted and blended in to the soup before adding another tablespoon.

5.  Divide the reserved mushrooms between the bowls. Pour in the soup and garnish with whatever you like.  I used a basil leaf and 5 pink peppercorns.

THE FIRST COURSE

The next dish is a Wild Mushroom Risotto.  Once again, I had to make some substitutions.  Just like the soup calls for the use of beef stock, I would have used beef stock (or maybe chicken stock) to make this risotto.  I substituted vegetable stock in this recipe and the reserved liquid from re-hydrating the mushrooms.  And, as for the mushrooms, I used a couple of dried "wild mushroom" packs that had morels, chanterelles, oysters, and other mushrooms.  You can use any mushrooms, dried or fresh, although I like to use dried mushrooms so that I have the reserved liquid to flavor the stock used to make the risotto.

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 4  

Ingredients:
1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms
4 cups of unsalted vegetable stock
Liquid from re-hydrating mushrooms (optional)
4 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of toasted onion
1 cup of white wine
Handful of basil leaves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  In a pot, heat the vegetable stock and the reserved mushroom liquid to a simmer.  Add the toasted onion and three large basil leaves.  Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and keep the stock warm.

2.  In another pot, heat four tablespoons of butter on medium heat.  Saute the mushrooms for about ten minutes.  Add the rice and mix with the mushrooms and butter.  Add the wine and stir.  Cook until the wine is almost absorbed, stirring often.

3.  Add 1 cup of the stock to the rice and continue to stir until that cup is almost absorbed.  Add another cup of stock and repeat.  Once that cup is almost absorbed, add another.  You will have to add about four cups.  Everyone once in a while, taste the risotto to determine how much it is cooked.  Keep adding stock until the rice is almost al dente.

4.  Remove the risotto from the heat.  Portion the risotto in bowls and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

THE MAIN COURSE

Finally, I decided to make a fish dish, inspired by a recipe from Morimoto, but with Italian influences rather than Japanese flavors.  The fish is basically steamed in the a covered saute pan with a broth made from the reserved liquid from the re-hydrated mushrooms and white wine.  Whenever I make a fish dish, I always try to buy sustainable fish.  A good guide is Seafood Watch, which is a program of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.  Seafood Watch provides you with information about whether a particular fish has been over-fished or fished in a manner that harms the environment.  For example, I initially thought of using cod for this dish.  However, cod is very over-fished.  Seafood Watch recommends cobia or striped bass as alternatives.  I ultimately decided to use halibut, which is a fish that I love to eat. 

STEAMED HALIBUT WITH MUSHROOMS
A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound of halibut, sliced into four pieces

1/2 ounces of dried wild mushrooms

2 cups of white wine

3 large basil leaves, chopped

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Rehydrate the mushrooms in warm water.  Strain the mushrooms using cheesecloth and keep the strained liquid.

2.  In a pot, add the reserved liquid and the wine. Add the basil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat the liquid on medium high.

3.  Once the liquid is warmed, ladle some of the liquid into a saute pan.  Place the halibut pieces in the pan and cover it.  Heat the pan to medium high.  Once the liquid begins to boil and steam, ladle another cup over the fish and cover.  Add the mushrooms.  Cover.

4.  After a minute or two, ladle some more of the liquid over the fish and mushrooms and cover.  Repeat as necessary while the fish cooks, making sure that you don't add too much liquid. When the fish begins to flake, you are just about finished.  

5.  Remove from heat and plate the fish.  Top with some of the mushrooms.

For a side, I had a side of baby arugula, with some olive oil and ground pepper. 

ENJOY!

Iron Chef: BEEF BONE MARROW

I decided to do an Iron Chef night and, this time, use an ingredient that I do not believe ever appeared on either the Japanese or American versions of the Iron Chef show.  The secret ingredient was ... BEEF BONE MARROW.  There are many recipes on the Internet for roasting bone marrow, which is the primary way of preparing it.  Given it was my first time using bone marrow, I stuck to the traditional approach, roasting the marrow at 475 degrees for about 30 minutes (some recipes say 450 degrees for 15 minutes, but I wanted to be safe, but I watched to make sure that the marrow did not become liquid). I then tried to think of different ways to incorporate the roasted marrow into dishes.  This is truly an experiment and I have included these recipes only to show some of the more "oddball" things I try to make every once in a while.  These are original recipes and I would only recommend them to the truly adventurous.

BEEF BONE MARROW CROSTINI WITH CILANTRO SALAD

Serves many

Ingredients:
Crostini
2-3 beef bones
Bunch of cilantro, chopped well.
1 shallot sliced thin
1 lemon, juiced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Roast the bones for 30 minutes at 450 or 475 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2.  Heat the croutons.  Mix the cilantro and scallions, adding the lemon juice from half of the lemon.  Place the cilantro/scallion mix on the crostini.  Once the bones are done (you can tell when the marrow begins to separate from the bones), scoop out the marrow and divide amongst the crostini.  Drizzle the lemon juice from the second half of the lemon over the crostini.

MASHED POTATOES WITH ROASTED BONE MARROW AND TALEGGIO CHEESE
Serves 2 people


Ingredients:
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into even shaped pieces
1/2 pound Taleggio cheese, cut into small cubes and pads (like butter)
Milk
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, diced
1 teaspoon fresh sage, diced
2-3 beef bones

Directions:
1.  Roast the bones for 30 minutes at 450 or 475 degrees Fahrenheit. 


2.  Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.  Add potatoes and boil for fifteen minutes.  When the potatoes are soft to the fork, drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add milk gradually while you mash the potatoes.  Continue to mash until you get your desired smoothness, adding milk if the potatoes seem dry.  In addition, add some of the taleggio cubes and mix them into the potatoes.


3.  Add the bone marrow and mix well.  Plate and sprinkle the rosemary and sage over the potatoes.

GRASS FED NEW YORK STRIP STEAK WITH ROASTED BONE MARROW AND REUNION PINK PEPPERCORNS
Serves four


Ingredients:
1 pound of grass-fed N.Y. Strip Steak
3-4 beef bones
2 teaspoons Reunion pink peppercorns
1 teaspoon of whole thyme leaves
3 tablespoons rosemary, diced finely
3 tablespoons sage, diced finely
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Roast the bones for 30 minutes at 450 or 475 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2.  Spread the olive oil over the strip steak.  Sprinkle the rosemary and sage over the steak.  Salt and pepper the steak. Cook the steak in the broiler.  Flip the steak after about 6 minutes and cook for 6 minutes more.  You want the temperature to be medium rare.  After the steak is done, wrap it in foil and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

3.  Slice the steak.  Spoon the roasted bone over the steak and drizzle the peppercorns and thyme leaves over the marrow.

ENJOY!

Iron Chef Night: MUSSELS!

After reading an article about mussels in the food section of the Washington Post, I decided that I would have another Iron Chef night, with the secret ingredient of MUSSELS!  I made three dishes, with no recipes as a guide.  These plates were solely from my imagination and, to a certain extent, they suffered from my lack of a formal education and/or experience as a chef.  I hesitate to post these recipes, but, anyways, here they are...

ASIAN-STYLE MUSSEL CROSTINI
Serves several

Ingredients:

A small baguette cut into 12-16 thin slices
Butter for each slice of the baguette plus 2 tablespoons of butter
12-16 fresh mussels, cleaned by rinsing mussels under cold water
3 stalks lemongrass, sliced lengthwise
6 bunches Thai basil (3 bunches chopped)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cups white wine
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the baguette slices on a tray and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter each of the baguette slices, somewhat liberally.  Bake the slices for about 5 to 8 minutes, until they become crisp but before they brown.

2.  In a deep pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, then add the garlic, red onion and 3 basil sprigs.  Saute the ingredients for about 5 minutes.  Add the wine, increase to high and cover.  One the wine begins to boil, add the mussels and cover.  Wait about 5 minutes and check the mussels.  When they are open, they are done.

3.  Arrange the crostini and place one mussel on each crostini.  Sprinkle onions over the crostini and the chopped Thai basil.

4.  You can take the broth in which you cooked the mussels and dip the remaining baguette slices in it.  It is very good.

GRILLED OCTOPUS AND MUSSEL SALAD WITHIN AN HERB SALAD

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the Grilled Octopus and Mussel Salad):

2/3 pounds of baby octopus (about 4 octopi)
1 bag of mussels
2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
4 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bunches Genovese basil, chopped

Ingredients (for the Herb Salad):
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 small tomatoes, sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Package herb salad or other salad

Directions:

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the octopi.  Boil for 10 minutes and remove. The octopi will have shrunk to about 1/3 of their size.  Place in a plastic bag, add the olive oil and smoked paprika.  Mix the ingredients and let it marinate for 1 to 2 hours at least (preferably longer).

2.  Heat the grill to medium-high heat, add the octopi and grill for about 3-4 minutes. Flip and grill for about 3 minutes more. Remove and slice the octopi.  While the octopi is grilling, grill the mussels using a stone or griddle (so the smaller mussels don't fall through the grates).  The mussels will open after a couple of minutes.  

3.  Mix the octopus and mussels together, sprinkle the chopped basil over the mixture and place in the middle of the herb salad.

EASY MUSSELS WITH FINGERLING POTATO "FRITES"
Serves 2-4

Ingredients (for the Mussels):
1 bag of mussels
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 bottle of white wine 

Ingredients (for the Potatoes):

1 bag of fingerling potatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
Salt, to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Start with the potatoes.  Skin the potatoes (I leave some skin on them at the ends to mimic fries).  Wash the potatoes.  Place a sheet of aluminum on a metal tray, place the potatoes and garlic on the tray, and salt and pepper liberally.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 1 hour.

2.  When the potatoes are almost done, heat the wine and in a deep pan to a boil.  When it begins to boil, add the mussels and cover.  After about five minutes and after the mussels have opened, remove them.  Divid ethe mussels into bowls, divide the fries and serve.

ENJOY!

Iron Chef Night: CORN!

Every once in a while, I like to do an "Iron Chef" night, when I pick an ingredient and try to make two or three dishes featuring that ingredient.  For the latest Iron Chef Night, the secret ingredient was ... CORN.  I skimmed the Internet for recipes, which I use for ideas as to what dishes I could make.  After a quick review, I decided on three dishes: Chilled Corn Soup with Tarragon and Sun-Dried Tomatoes; Blue Crab and Corn Salad; and Grilled Black Sea Bass with a Roasted Corn Salsa.  Each of these dishes was made on the spot, from ideas in my head.  I tried to keep it as simple as possible.  I used recipes only as guides, not really following them.  The measurements are sketchy and even if I made these again, they would probably come out different.  Still, it is an exercise in creativity.

CHILLED CORN SOUP WITH TARRAGON AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES
Serves 4

This is a great chilled soup for the summer.  The key is the colder the soup, the better.  So let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving it.

Ingredients: 
3 cups of corn (about four ears of corn)
4 green onions (white part only), diced
1 small red chile, seeded and diced
Juice from half a lemon
2-3 teaspoons of tarragon, chopped finely
3 cups of milk
1 cup of yogurt
Sun-dried tomatoes for garnish
A few tarragon leaves for garnish

Directions:
1.  Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the kernels off of the cobs and put into a bowl.  In the food processor, add about 1/2 of the corn, the chopped tarragon and the onions.  Blend until smooth.  Add lemon juice and continue blending.

2.  In a separate bowl, add the milk and yogurt, and whisk until smooth.  Add one cup of the blended milk and yogurt to the corn mixture in the food processor, while the processor is running.  Pour the mixture into a clean bowl.  Whisk in the remaining milk and yogurt mixture.  Add the red peppers.  Chill the soup for a couple of hours.  Garnish with sun-dried tomatoes and a few tarragon leaves.

BLUE CRAB AND CORN SALAD
Serves 4

Ingredients:
16 ounces of jumbo lump crab (pasteurized only)
4 ears of corn
Juice from 1 lemon
4 leaves of basil, chopped finely
A handful of sun-dried tomatoes
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Rub the corn with butter, salt and pepper.  You may also add some red pepper flake.  Wrap the corn in foil with two pads of butter.  Heat grill on high.  Placed the wrapped corn on the grill for 5 minutes and turn.  Cook for another two to three minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Using a serrated knife, remove the kernels from the cobs.

2.  Mix the corn, crab, chile, basil, sun dried tomatoes, and lemon juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.

GRILLED CORN-TOMATO SALSA
Serves 4


Ingredients:
4 ears of corn
1 red chile, seeded and diced finely
Juice from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lime
1 small red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 small bunch of cilantro, diced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions: 
1.  Rub the corn with butter, salt and pepper.  You may also add some red pepper flake.  Wrap the corn in foil with two pads of butter.  Heat grill on high.  Placed the wrapped corn on the grill for 5 minutes and turn.  Cook for another two to three minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Using a serrated knife, remove the kernels from the cobs.


2.  Mix the corn, chile, tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado, lemon juice and lime juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.

I served this with grilled black sea bass.

ENJOY!