Ají de gallina (yellow pepper poached chicken)

Ají de gallina is one of the Peruvian traditional dishes: Poached chicken in a spicy and creamy nut-based sauce is served over white rice and boiled potatoes. Bright yellow—amarillo—in color, thanks to the famous aji Amarillo and rich from the unusual sauce of ground walnuts, this dish is hearty, filling, and delicious.

It's a mild, creamy chicken dish that was delicious over rice and definitely soul-warming, especially on a cold night. You will find aji Amarillo on Amazon as a bright yellow powder. This pepper is 30k-50k scoville units making as hot as the scotch bonnet pepper.

4 yellow potatoes, boiled until fork tender

4 slices white bread

3/4 cup evaporated milk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

4 cups low sodium chicken bone stock, reduced by half

1 tablespoon ají Amarillo ground peppers

1 teaspoon peanut oil

2 Pattie’s sweet butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

3 cups cooked jasmine white rice

2 large hard boiled eggs, quartered

10 black pitted olives, halved

Soak the bread in milk, add cheese , garlic and puree.  This will be use to thicken the sauce. Set aside

Poach in the stock on simmer chicken and onion til just done, 15 min or more.

Add the onion, chicken stock, oil, walnuts, oil, butter, and the purée and aji Amarillo , blend until smooth. Heat until warm, pour over the rice and chicken.

Garnish with eggs, potatoes quartered, and olives. I like a bit of green so I recommend diagonally cut scallions.

Egg Foo Young II

This version adds protein to a otherwise egg dish.

Corn starch to coat vegetables

4 eggs, fresh

1 handful Carrots cut into threads

1 handful Red cabbage cut into threads

1 handful Green cabbage  cut into threads

1 handful Onions cut into threads

1 handful Bean sprouts

Oil

Protein

Shrimp

Red and green peppers

Sauce

Oil for cooking

Ginger and garlic minced, sautéed

1 Tbls. Dark soy

1 1/2 shouxing wine

1 tsp. Oyster sauce

1 tsp. Hosin sauce

2 Tbls. Chicken stock

White pepper

Water and corn starch slurry to thicken

More dark soy, if needed for taste

 

Make three pancakes out of vegetables. Cook in hot oil until crisp.

Stir fry shrimp, then bell peppers.

Stir fry ginger and garlic for a brief minute. Add dark soy, Chinese wine, chicken stock. Then add hosin and oyster sauce. Season with white pepper. Thicken sauce with corn starch slurry, add more soy if needed for taste. Pour over vegetable and shrimp.

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)

This is a recipe for the Chinese Broccoli dish that is one of the most popular vegetable dishes at  Dim Sum: Steamed Chinese Broccoli with a fabulous Ginger-Garlic-Oyster Sauce.

Buy fresh greens that have no flowers as is younger. Before cooking, trim off the bottom ends roughly half to one-inch. For thicker stems, you can slit the stem horizontally or slice on diagonal. The stems require longer cook time than the leafy parts.

Cook the broccoli cut into two equal lengths. For good results, sprinkle with water, then microwave to steam or blanch until tender. I trim a little off the leafy sides.

1 bunch Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli), trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in  1 tablespoons of water

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or black vinegar
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 tabespoon Shouxing wine

Make a sauce by cooking the garlic with the ginger in the oil. Add the rest of the sauce ingredient til thickened. Drizzle sauce over broccoli.

Serve.

MARINATED GRILLED VEGETABLES Ala CIA

This is as I remember it, I do the best I can. The fat chef of the CIA was on the TV showing us this recipe. It’s wonderful. 

Lemon juice, olive  oil, Parmesan Cheese, salt, and black pepper

Pre heat the grill to hot.

Portabella mushroom  caps, skewered
Slices of eggplant cut to about 1/8th inch
Cooked potatoes but still firm, cut into 1/2 slices then skewered
Onions,  cut into 1/2 slices, skewered
Zucchini

Asparagus, cut off tough stems 
Scallions, cleanened, and roots removed
Red, yellow, orange bell pepper, cur into squares, and skewered

Oil everything.

Grill all, removing ones than become cooked to a large oval platter. When vegetables are done, add a bit more oil, about 1/3 cup lemon juice, sprinkle all with cheese, and salt and pepper. 

That’s it.

Hog Island Oyster Farm and restaurant

This is one of California treasure to be sure. The Hog Island oyster, among many others, serve their own oysters which are raised in beds in the sweet waters of Tomales bay, California.  The restaurant serve a seafood banquet at their restaurant.

 Hog Island Hog Wash

• ¼ cup shallot, peeled and finely diced 
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced 
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves 
• ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar 
• ¼ cup natural rice vinegar 
• Juice of 1 juicy lime

• 
  

  Mix all, except the cilantro, in a small (preferably glass) bowl. Refrigerate for one hour. Shuck oysters, keeping as much liquid in the shell as possible. Place the oysters, in their shells, on a bed of ice on a deep-sided plate. Add the cilantro to the Hog Wash and serve in a small bowl alongside the oysters. A small amount should be spooned over each oyster just before eating.

  NOTE: If you like a sweeter sauce, you may add a teaspoon of sugar to the recipe. Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York City substitutes 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons mirin and 1 teaspoon of sugar for the two rice vinegars.

• 

  
  

  
  

  THE BOAT OYSTER BAR

  Hog Island Oyster Farm

  415-663-9218 

  Friday-Monday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm (reservation only)
  Thursday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (walk-in only)

  
  

                    (closed Thanksgiving ,Christmas , New Year’s Day)

  
  

About Sauces and Gravy

Sauces are to cuisine as color is to painting. Sauces bring variety to mundane, moisture to dry, fla- vor to bland, another interest layer to flat, color in contrast, and variety to the menu. One of my all time favorite restaurants was Jacks on Sacramento Street in San Francisco. As it turns out, it was also a favorite of my father’s in the 1940’s. Had my grand father been from the region, it could have been a favorite of his, as Jack’s was founded before the turn of the century. Absolutely the greatest free form menu I had ever seen. They are no longer around as the original restaurant much to my regret but the Ala Carte menu was incredible. A patron could assemble a menu right down to the sauces. The following is a list of some of my favorite sauces on their ample daily menu:

Brown Sauce (Espanole) White Sauce (Bechamel) Hollandaise sauce

Demi glace
Roberts Sauce
Madeira sauce
Mornay Sauce
Marrow Sauce
Béarnaise sauce
Piquant Sauce
Mousseline Sauce
Bordelaise Sauce (Marrow Wine Sauce) Marchand de vin (Mushroom Wine Sauce) Lemon or Mustard Beurre Blanc

I grouped the first four of these together as “mother sauces” that are launching sauces of many other variations not mentioned here.

Is gravy a sauce?

I would have to say it is. To make an argument to the contrary, one would have to find an easy way to differentiate gravy making from sauce making which could be a daunting task. In mak- ing gravy, the desired color and consistency are important factors in determining the approach to how it is made.

Lighter gravies may be a clarified stock that in simply reduced to concentrate it flavor. Reduc- tion is a key to concentrating the flavors rendered into a liquid be it water, milk, wine, or a stock. To accelerate the process, use a frying pan or a wide Dutch oven where steam can readily be expunged.

Brown gravies are often improved by browned or caramelized ingredients. This is where meats and vegetable are pre-browned by broiling, roasting and frying to deepen both their fla- vors and color. This is an extra step, and, if you don’t have the time for this step, there are sev- eral things that can be done:

• Use a demi-glace to increase the flavor
• Start with a stock or broth instead of water
• Add flavored brandies, wines, sherries, ports
• Use a coloring agent like caramel color, dark soy, or Kitchen Bouquet
• Include flavorful ingredient like dried porcini or other mushrooms
• Add fish sauce or even mashed anchovies
• Some combination of these things

 Kitchen Bouquet, a brand name product, for browning and seasoning sauce for meats, gravies, and stews who’s ingredients include caramel coloring, mixed vegetable stock, salt and parsley. Mushroom soy also is very dark and adds pungent soy flavor.

Demi Glace

When a stock is reduced to the mere essence of itself, what is left over is a few tablespoons of intensely flavored and rich stock. Today’s purveyor of fine foods now routinely sell a whole vari- ety of these for the serious chef including classic reduced veal and beef stock, venison stock, roasted lamb stock, roasted chicken demi-glace, classic roasted duck and chicken stock, rendered duck fat, and roasted vegetable demi-glace to name but some of the most popular offerings. These are fabulous time savers and allow the busy chef easy access to incredible flavor enhancing meth- ods. In practical use, a tablespoon or two is generally all that is required for a stew, sauce, reduc- tion, risotto, or gravy. For more information see http://www.morethangourmet.com/

If making demi-glace at home, do not salt your stock. Patience is the order of the day. The process must be low and slow. Demi-glace may NOT be made from fish stock alone. You must add gelatin to a fish stock. If a quart is to reduce to four tablespoons, then 1 packet of gelatin is plenty. A demi-glace made from fish stock should be used within a few days as it is best fresh.

White Sauce (Bechamel)

The easily prepared sauce is purportedly named after the bon vivant 17th century Louis de Bechameil then the economic advisor and honorary chief steward to King Louis 14th most likely as a form of flattery by Louis’ court chef Francois Pierre de la Varenne. As you might well imagine, the Italians, who “invented fine cuisine” and taught the French the meaning of cooking, claim that the sauce originated in the kitchens of Catherine de Medici and became imported to the French court when she married the French Duke of Orleans, in an arranged marriage, who later ruled as King Henri II.

In a stock pot, add: 1 cup of milk
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
pinch of white pepper 1⁄2 chopped onion,
5 dried bay leaves

5 cloves

Simmer for ten minutes. Strain and reserve liquid. Over medium heat melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter to which is added 3 tablespoons of flour, stir constantly with a wooden spoon , and optionally a little Kitchen Bouquet, a brand name product, for browning and seasoning sauce for meats, gravies, and stews who’s ingredients include caramel coloring, mixed vegetable stock, salt and parsley. Mushroom soy also is very dark and adds pungent soy flavor.

Demi Glace

When a stock is reduced to the mere essence of itself, what is left over is a few tablespoons of intensely flavored and rich stock. Today’s purveyor of fine foods now routinely sell a whole vari- ety of these for the serious chef including classic reduced veal and beef stock, venison stock, roasted lamb stock, roasted chicken demi-glace, classic roasted duck and chicken stock, rendered duck fat, and roasted vegetable demi-glace to name but some of the most popular offerings. These are fabulous time savers and allow the busy chef easy access to incredible flavor enhancing meth- ods. In practical use, a tablespoon or two is generally all that is required for a stew, sauce, reduc- tion, risotto, or gravy. For more information see http://www.morethangourmet.com/

If making demi-glace at home, do not salt your stock. Patience is the order of the day. The process must be low and slow. Demi-glace may NOT be made from fish stock alone. You must add gelatin to a fish stock. If a quart is to reduce to four tablespoons, then 1 packet of gelatin is plenty. A demi-glace made from fish stock should be used within a few days as it is best fresh.

White Sauce (Bechamel)

The easily prepared sauce is purportedly named after the bon vivant 17th century Louis de Becha-

meil then the economic advisor and honorary chief steward to King Louis 14th most likely as a form of flattery by Louis’ court chef Francois Pierre de la Varenne. As you might well imagine, the Italians, who “invented fine cuisine” and taught the French the meaning of cooking, claim that the sauce originated in the kitchens of Catherine de Medici and became imported to the French court when she married the French Duke of Orleans, in an arranged marriage, who later ruled as King Henri II.

In a stock pot, add: 1 cup of milk

1⁄2 cup heavy cream

5 cloves

pinch of white pepper 1⁄2 chopped onion,

5 dried bay leaves

Simmer for ten minutes. Strain and reserve liquid. Over medium heat melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter to which is added 3 tablespoons of flour, stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk. When the mixture just begins to color a pale brown, remove from heat, briefly allow to cool a minute, add the warm flavored milk, and heat with out boiling until the sauce thickens. Correct for salt. Add more white pepper if necessary and optionally flavor the sauce with one or more of any the following depending on what the sauce is being served with:

Finely chopped chives Finely chopped Tarragon Finely chopped Marjoram Finely chopped Chervil Finely chopped Sage Finely chopped parsley Nutmeg or Mace

Ground Cloves Ground Coriander Ground Ginger Ground dried onions Tomato Paste Lemon juice Mustard

Chile Powder
Sherry
Port
Marasala wine
Dry white wine
Meat or fish stock demi glace
Your brother’s old socks (hey you are paying attention)

White Sauce is the basis for many cheese sauces. A veloute sauce starts just like the white sauce except, instead of all milk or cream, it uses a clear stock from veal, fish, chicken or veg- etables which may or may not also include wine, sherry, Madeira, or champagne. A veloute sauce may or may not also include cream. To deepen the flavor of the veloute, I often use a chicken or veal demi-glace and that will take that sauce down the corner and around the block. The ratio of butter/flour to liquid determines the sauce’s thickness. The following ratios are good starting points:

Thick Sauce consists of 3-butter/flour per unit of liquid Medium Sauce consists of 2-butter/flour per unit of liquid Thin Sauce consists of 1-butter/flour per unit of liquid

The addition of cheese to a white sauce will thicken it so start with a medium sauce if making a cheese sauce. If it is still too thick, add more liquid. Most starch-thickened-sauces reach their thickest after they begin to boil. After the heat has been removed, the residual heat may continue to thicken the sauce. A sauce that sits on a stove top may form a thin “crust”. You may “float” some milk or other liquid on top of the sauce to help prevent a crust. A sure method for achieving consistent results in a white sauce is to strain it with a wire basket just before its use. If the sauce is thick, use the back of a spoon to help press it through the strainer.

White sauce and veloute find their way into many uses including pastas, casseroles, fish, fowl, shell fish, and vegetable dishes. Harmonization of a veloute sauce often calls from the juice run off of the cooking process or the broth the vegetables cooked in.

Thickeners

Forms of starch are particularly suited as thickening agents. Popular choices are flour, flour-butter mixtures, corn or potato starch, arrowroot, bread. Some non-starch thickeners include filè, egg yolks, cream, butter, ground nuts, and puree of vegetables

Filé powder, also called gumbo filé, is a spicy herb made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree and is used throughout the South part of the USA.

Pork and Green Beans with hosin Sauce

Pork shoulder, leftover cut into bite size pieces
Steamed green beans, cut to 2 inches. ( or boil, cooks quicker)
Ginger, minced
Garlic, minced
Scallions, chopped into same size as green beans
1 Onion, quartered or in narrow strips

1 Tsp. Crushed red pepper

2 Tbls. Dark soy

1 Tbls. Sugar

1-2 Tbls. Hosin sauce ( depends hot sweet you want it)
1 Tbls Shouting wine
1 Tbls. Oyster sauce *  ( omit if alegeric)
1/2 Tbls. Black vinegar

1 1/2 Tbls. Corn starch dissolved in a little water

Peanut oil

Green beans are pre-steamed and when tender, place them in ice water to halt cooking. Drain and set aside. Cut onion, and scallion, reserve.

Cut pork into bite size pieces, marinate in corn starch and oil. Heat wok over high heat, when smoking, stir fry meat. Set aside in a bowl. Heat the wok, add more oil, add the ginger, garlic, stir fry 1/2 minute, add onions, scallions, and reserved green beans. Break up onion. Stir fry, when tender, add rest of ingredients, stir fry briefly and toss until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

Lamb and Leek Stir Fry

1 lb. lean lamb stir-fry strips

3 asst. color peppers

2 leeks

1 sweet onion

1/2 lb. egg noodles

4-5 scallions, sliced into 2” pieces

1 Tbsp coriander, chopped

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted *

Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 thumb size ginger, peeled and minced

2 Tbls. Dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vineger

1 Tbsp sesame seed oil

1 Tbsp corn starch

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add in the lamb strips and leave to marinate for 30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables and noodles.

Thinly slice the red peppers, leeks and onion and set aside. Cook the noodles as per packed instructions. When they are cooked add in the scallions, coriander and soy sauce and stir well to combine.

Heat a little oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the peppers, leeks and onion for a couple of minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you cook the lamb. Add a little more oil to pan and when it is very hot stir-fry the lamb in batches. As it cooks remove it to a plate and keep warm.

Return the vegetables and lamb to the wok and mix well together. Remove to a serving dish and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Serve immediately with the noodles.

* To toast sesame seeds: Heat a small dry pan over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden. This will only take about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) ( Taste of Home)

3 cups coconut milk, full fat, canned(Temple of Thai brand)

2 cups chicken stock 

10-12 ounces chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 inch galangal piece, sliced into equal slices

1 stalk lemongrass, bruised with back of clever

1 medium onion, sliced into wedges

2 bell peppers in variety of colors, stemmed, seeded and cut into ½ inch chunks or thick strips

4-5 cherry tomatoes or 1 whole roma tomato, quartered

1/4 pound mushrooms (Baby portabella)

1-4 Thai chilies, stemmed and quartered

3-4 makrut (kaffir) leaves, rinsed and torn into smaller pieces

1-3 ounces palm sugar or brown sugar

2-3 teaspoons fish sauce

1 bunch cilantro, chop stems for broth, keep leaves for garnish

2-3 limes, cut into wedges, reserve half for serving

chili oil

Cooked jasmine rice or rice noodles

* palm sugar-Made from palm sap, this is the predominant sweetener in Thai cooking. 

Add coconut milk.

Simmer the coconut milk. Add the lemongrass, galangal and chicken. Do not over cook the coconut milk. Add remaining ingredients.

Finally, after the broth has been infused with herbs and the vegetables have softened, add 1 cup chicken stock or water, fish sauce, lime juice and mushrooms. Let this final addition to the soup simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Thai Basil Eggplant

Basil eggplant is a simple dish to make. 

In Thailand, the eggplants are green and long and unlike the big dark purple eggplants that you can find in the US. 

Purple Japanese eggplant is used in this recipe.

2 chili peppers

2 eggplants

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bunch leaves picked from the stem Thai basil.

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. 

Chop garlic and slice Chile peppers. Heat a pan or wok over high or medium high. Add oil and ingredients. Stir until the garlic turn golden brown. Add eggplant and stir. Add a cup of water and cover the wok with a lid. Keep the lid close until the eggplant is cooked. It should cook about 5-7 minutes before the done. The eggplant somewhat turns translucent when it is done. Almost all of the water should have been evaporated at this point. Add  fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add Basil, quickly stir , so that it retains it color.

Puntarelle alla Romana Salad

Puntarelli is typical of the region around Rome and is commonly used in a, anchovy-dressed Puntarelle alla Romana salad. The most tasty variety is Chicory Catalogna Puntarelle Brindisina. Puntarelle salad is a classic Roman dish.

The preparation of the chicory is to split the chicory into shreads. Then place the result into a bath of ice water for a least 1/2 hour to curl. A wire Tool will help do the job.

In Italy, Puntarelle is available most of the year except early spring when the stalks are not yet developed. The stalks of the puntarelle make a crisp refreshing salad.

When you buy the puntarelli, make sure they are fresh and that the outside leaves are strong and green. If you can’t find them in your gourmet market, you can grow them.

14 oz puntarelli or two heads of 

1 clove of minced Garlic

1oz. Anchovies in oil

1 Tsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tsp. White wine

Salt and pepper

The salt in the anchovies helps moderate the bitterness of the chicory.

Hard boiled eggs

Extremely fresh eggs will not peel easily so buy the eggs at least week or 10 days ahead of time and refrigerate. Hard boiled eggs that are overcooked have a green edge around the yolks and are excessively dry. To boil perfect eggs, allow them to come up to room temperature by placing them in room temperature water for 20 minutes else they may crack when lowered in the boiling water. You may also pin prick the rounded (non-pointy) end with a small pin which will allow excessive air pressure to relieve itself for the side of the egg that has an air pocket. 

Bring a lot of salted water to a rolling boil in a covered tall sauce pan. (The salt in the water will help seal an egg should it crack.) Lower eggs into water with a basket spoon which allows several eggs at once to be lowered. Set a timer for 9 minutes, cover and cook over low heat. 

After 11 minutes, remove from heat. Bring sauce pan to sink and allow cold running water from the tap to bring down the temperature halting the cooking process quickly. When the water runs cool, let the eggs rest in the cold water another 10 minutes then peel them under running water after cracking shell on all sides. Eggs cooked slowly on a simmer will also be hard to peel.

If you find that it’s is impossible to peel the eggs you don’t have to throw them away. Crack the egg around its center with the edge of a knife. Now cut the egg in half. Use a small spoon to scope out its interior. While you don’t get a perfect egg, half eggs this way are ok for a chef’s salad or for making egg salad.

I been told hard boiled eggs may easily peeled by putting the egg and a little water in a jar, then shaking the jar up and down with the lid on.

Spinach Gnocchi

 
1 pound ricotta, drained for a hour
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained, then finely chopped.
2 large farm eggs
1 1/2 cups A.P. flour
Salt, white pepper
nutmeg 1/8 tsp.

Combine all ingredient in a bowl. If still dough is stir too sticky, add more flour,  a little at a time. 

Roll the dough into 3/8 inch rolls, and cut into 1/2 long gnocchi.  Refrigerate 1 hour before cooking in lightly boiling a quarof water and a little salt. When gnocchi flout their almost done, drain on paper towels. Cook the remaking gnocchi until all are done.

Toss in melted browned butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve with a spig of tarragon.

Southern Smothered Fried Chicken

Gussy’s recipe was one of Gussy and Ethan’s favorites. They were from the deep south and care of the family children in our early youth. Gussy was the cook but this was Ethan favorite meal.

Truly the flavor of the deep south. This is a family favorite and the most requested dish because every loves it. It is also my wife favorite comfort food. Katherine browned the pieces in a fry pan then transferred all to a oven proof casserole with lid. Turn the chicken once half way through the cooking cycle. Thicken sauce at the end with additional flour with the casserole on a burner. (I use a Dutch oven pan for both operations and less mess.)

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

1 Free range chicken, whole, cut up (4 1⁄2 pounds) 

1⁄4 pound butter (1 stick)

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Whole milk ( comes half way up on the chicken, before cooking.)

1 cap full of Kitchen Bouquet (optional) to darken 

Cut up bird into pieces, dust each piece in flour, sauté at 350 in butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven equipped with a lid until each side is lightly colored. Add pepper and a little salt. Cover chicken at least 1/2 way up with milk and scrape bottom of pan to loosen bits. Reduce heat to sim- mer. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, transfer pan or Dutch-oven to a hot oven to bake. After 30 minutes remove chicken, turn chicken pieces over, scrape bottom of pan to prevent stick

ing. Recover and bake another 30 minutes until chicken is done. Place pan on a burner, remove lid, thicken gravy with additional flour as needed over medium heat (you may want to remove a few pieces of the chicken to a platter while you do this.) The sauce with be thickest once the additional flour has cooked a bit. Test the salt level and correct if needed. If you want to darken the sauce a bit use a half cap full of Kitchen Bouquet (1/4 teaspoon).

Serve over plain steamed rice with fresh green peas.

Maya Lobster and Shrimp

Maya in San Francisco is the second restaurant of its kind launched by Richard Sandoval, “the father of Modern Mexican cuisine”. “The restaurant re-interprets Mexican cuisine in a contemporary, yet authentic way. Coupling indigenous Mexican ingredients with European technique and sensibility, Sandoval succeeds in elevating timeless recipes to new heights. The results have changed our perception of Mexican cuisine in this country.”

This is my interpretation of this wonderful dish. Because there are quite a few ingredients one would do well to read the recipe it its entirety ahead of time.

This is a description of the dish.

Grilled lobster and shrimp marinated in achiote paste sitting on top of roasted corn puree

adorned with a salad of watercress, small bits of avocado, and a tomatoes in a chile de arbol2

(arbor peppers) vinaigrette3 with a chile habanero-chive rouille (thick roasted red pepper sauce made from garlic, oil, bread crumbs and in this case, habanero peppers and chives.)

The roasted corn puree gives this a slight sweet flavor and is left slightly chunky to give both some smoothness and some underlying texture. The corn is done ahead of time and will be reheated when the dish comes together. The shellfish is marinated in an Achiote - Yucatan- style red sauce prepared several hours ahead. The Rouille and the Vinaigrette are prepared ahead of time. The water cress is washed, and the tomato is peeled, seeded, chopped but the avocado must be combined in the salad just before assembly as it will otherwise discolor.

Rouille

1 or more seeded and de-ribbed fresh habanero peppers
2 cloves garlic
1⁄4 cup finely chopped chives

1/2 cup olive

Handful of bread

1⁄2 tablespoon rock salt

Trim, de-seed and remove all traces of white ribs and finely chop habanero pepper(s). (If you have latex gloves you may want to wear them other wise remember to wash your hand very well with lots of soap after handling habanero peppers. In a mortar, crush the pepper(s), garlic, rock salt and olive oil together to obtain a thick paste. You can make this in a small food processor. Avoid getting your eyes near any vapors. Crumble the bread, moisten it with hot water and press it into a tight lump, squeezing out the water. Add the bread lump to the paste and beat, adding olive oil, until you've made a smooth sauce.. If the sauce separates, add another lump of bread and beat vigorously. Now added finely chopped chives. Place rouille in a squeeze bottle for easy application.

Roasted Corn Puree:

Shuck 2 ears of fresh yellow corn, wash well and dry with paper towels. Place directly in a very hot barbecue or hot grill. Turn ears constantly to prevent ears from burning. If you have a second tier shelf in the grill, place ears on it and close the lid. Inspect constantly. A few black specks are ok, but don’t burn these. Check with you finger nail, kernels are soft when fully cooked but better these are under done than burnt. Allow ear to cool. Cut kernels loose by placing the ears in a large bowl allowing room for your hands. Use a sharp knife but stay shallow and cut away the kernels from the ears. Now take a spoon and scrape the ears of its milk. Transfer kernels to a small food processor bowl, add a little salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon sweet butter and pulse until about 90 percent smooth but leave some texture. Turn out the mixture into a microwave safe bowl for later reheating.

Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon olive

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth (remove fat) 1⁄2 teaspoon or less of ground arbol (aka arbor) peppers pepper to taste

salt to taste

Salad

One large seeded and peeled fresh firm hot house or garden raised tomato, chopped

1⁄2 cup baby watercress, well washed

 Main Course

1⁄2 finely chopped ripe avocado. (firm but not unripe)

Achiote - Yucatan-style Red Sauce

Achiote is made with ground annatto seeds, spices and tomatoes. Delicious achiote, also known as “Recado Rojo” and is readily available online or in a Mexican grocer.

1 ounce of Achiote paste

1/4 cup of vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

Cut lobster pieces same size as the shrimp so every thing cooks at the same rate. Marinate lobster pieces and shrimp in this mixture in a bowl. Refrigerate for several hours. Before grilling, skewer pieces so they are easy to grill.

An hour before serving, take salad ingredients from the refrigerator, along with

the vinaigrette, the marinated shell fish. Have the avocado handy. Turn on the grill.

Grilled lobster and shrimp on each side for 3~4 minutes until done. Heat the corn mixture in microwave until hot. Line individual bowls with a thin coating of hot corn puree. Chop half an avocado and add to tomatoes and water cress. Add vinaigrette – toss well and top the corn mixture with the salad mixture. Squeeze out circle swirls of the rouille and top off with the grilled shellfish. Serve hot.

Note:

1. chile de arbol (“are-bowl”) are a fairly hot pepper usually available dried and remain bright red even after drying. The fresh peppers goes by the same name. The word “Arbol” means “tree-like” in Spanish, which the chile resembles in its woody stems and upright properties. Arbol chiles add a smoky, earthy flavor to any dish. Heat is 6-7 out of 10 on the Scoville heat scale so use in moderation.

Lobster Thermidor

Lobster Thermidor is a French dish consisting of a creamy mustard cheese cream sauce with mushrooms, cooked lobster, and brandy, sherry, stuffed into lobster shell, and oven-browned cheese crust. Lobster Thermidor was created in 1894 by Marie's, a Paris restaurant near the the- atre Comédie Française, to honour the opening of the play Thermidor by Victorien Sardou. Vicki and I used to order this when we were first dating at Branding Room Steak House in Santa Monica in the ‘60s. This was one of my wife’s favorites.

Court bouillon as needed (see recipe)
2 live large California rock lobsters
1/3 pound sliced fresh cremini mushrooms 1 tablespoon sweet butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
Pinch or two cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons cream sherry
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour

1 cup or more sweet heavy whipping cream 
1 tablespoon fresh or dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon or more white pepper
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Plunge the lobsters, head first in a large stock pot filled 2/3 full with boiling court bouillon. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove lobsters with thongs to a colander to drain. When lobsters have cooled sufficiently, slit each of the lobster through their bodies perfectly in half with a very sharp chef’s knife. Be careful not to mangle the shells as the lobster in its sauce will be returned to the split shells for baking. Remove the lobster tail meat and cut into 3⁄4 inch chunks and place in bowl.

Saute cremini mushrooms in a hot pan with a tablespoon sweet butter. When cooked add a bit of lemon juice and salt to taste. Add the mushrooms to the cooked lobster.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Create a bechamel sauce using 4 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour in a sauce pan. Stir flour for three minutes on high, do not let it brown. Remove pan from heat. Using a whisk, whisk in pinch of salt, mustard and cayenne pepper, brandy, sherry and 1⁄4 cup of the court bouillon the lobsters were cooked in. Return pan to heat. Whisk in 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Add tarragon, white pepper and bring to a boil while whisking all the while. Add finely grated Parmesan cheese. 

Taste and correct the seasoning. If the sauce is too thick, Whisk in additional cream and or court bouillon. Pour 3⁄4 of the sauce over the lobster meat and mushrooms. Stir well then fill the split lobster shells. Fill any voids with the remain cream. Place filled lobsters on a flat baking pan. Bake ten to 15 minutes until the are bubbling hot and golden brown. 

Garnish with finely chopped chives and a sprig of fresh tarragon.

Lamb Riblets with Curry (Starving Student)

 

As a starving student, breast of lamb was often as low as ten cents a pound. You can imagine I worked on ways to make my meager funds fed me. I confess I even poached deer in the hills of Malibu, ate the local rabbits despite warning from the health department. Inexpensive lamb was a real treat. My roommates also ate with relish.

2-3 pounds lamb riblets 

1 Large yellow onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 small can tomato paste 

1 cup sherry
1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder 

1/8 teaspoon cumin

3 cloves of crushed garlic

Pinch of dry parsley

1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander

Bay Leaves

2 cups beef stock (Chicken Stock)

Bring a large pot of water to a high boil. Boil riblets for 4 minutes to remove excess fat. Drain and pat dry. Broil riblets 10 minutes with cut up vegetables turning as necessary to give color and flavor to  the meat. Process the vegetables in a food processor. Add to stock pot along with lamb riblets, beef stock, sherry, tomato paste, bay leaves, pepper, coriander, cumin, curry powder and garlic. Cover and cook 1 hour on low. Remove lid; cook another hour until almost fall off the bone tender.  Spoon out meat with a slotted spoon. Spoon off excess oil on top. Bring to high heat to thicken stirring to prevent burning. (Optional thickened with flour.) Taste and correct seasoning.

Fish out and discard bay leaves. Serve over wide noodles.