Last night we ended up at Incanto and had a delicious meal. We started off with their Antipasto Platter for 2, which had a selection of salamis, a head cheese, and a country pate, many of which you can purchase from Boccalone in the Ferry Building. Then we had Marinated Local Sardines and the Beef Heart. YUUUM-MMMMY! I wasn't sure what to expect from the heart, but it tasted like a rare, moist, piece of beef. It was seared on the outside and served with a little salad. After that, I am more than willing to try more offal, especially at Incanto. We followed that with the Pork Ragu, always delicious, and the Pastrami-ed Cornish Hen... SO GOOD! The Cornish hen was perfectly cooked, juicy and full of flavor, with a hint of citrus in the marinade. It was even delicious when I reheated the leftovers the next day.
If you haven't been to Incanto, I highly recommend it. Chef, Chris Cosentino, is almost always there. You will see him in his signature, striped apron. He also has a website Offal Good where you can read his blog and learn more about offal.
Whether you like offal or not, the food at Incanto is always delicious, organic, locally sourced and sustainable. Check it out....
Incanto, Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar
http://incanto.biz/
1550 Church Street at Duncan
415-641-4500
Rating: 9.5/10
Cost: $$$ (out of $$$$$)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Always a hit - Appetizer
Last year, I took the Basics 3 class at Tante Marie every Tuesday for 4 hours. It lasted 6 weeks and at the end of every meal we had a family dinner with wine. In each class we made 10-12 dishes including appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Each class focused on a different region, and I ended up with a healthy stack of recipes for any occasion. I have used my Tante Marie recipes over and over again, and have found that my favorite dish to make (because it's always a hit) is the Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Tart.
The recipe I was given is for a large tart which I cut into individual servings and is served with an herb salad, which I have served once for a dinner party. The next time I made the tart, I decided to cut the dough into quarters and make individual sized tarts. The more I made it, the smaller I went. Finally, I made them bite-sized.... When making them bite-sized, I skipped the egg-wash. It's not needed. The bite sized tarts are VERY time consuming. Beware....
The last time I made them, I used a biscuit cutter and made them round. This is my favorite method. They were neat and beautiful. Going forward, I will make them round and cut them into quarters if I want them as a hors d'oeuvres
The key to the recipe is the mushroom mixture. Definitely try this before putting the tart together.
Enjoy!!
The recipe I was given is for a large tart which I cut into individual servings and is served with an herb salad, which I have served once for a dinner party. The next time I made the tart, I decided to cut the dough into quarters and make individual sized tarts. The more I made it, the smaller I went. Finally, I made them bite-sized.... When making them bite-sized, I skipped the egg-wash. It's not needed. The bite sized tarts are VERY time consuming. Beware....
The last time I made them, I used a biscuit cutter and made them round. This is my favorite method. They were neat and beautiful. Going forward, I will make them round and cut them into quarters if I want them as a hors d'oeuvres
The key to the recipe is the mushroom mixture. Definitely try this before putting the tart together.
Enjoy!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Saturday night dinner
The first time we went to Babbo's 4 years ago, I fell in love with wild boar ragu. The richness of the sauce, the gaminess of the meat, it was heaven. I'm not sure what convinced me to try making it for the first time, but I end up buying both the Babbo cookbook and Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, both of which had recipes for wild boar ragu. I followed the Molto Italiano recipe to a tee and found that it tasted a lot more like the wine I used than I would have liked. Then I started to blend the 2 recipes and found that it tasted too much like tomato sauce. After many iterations, some better than others, I finally have a recipe that I like.
Disclaimer: I have only made this version of the ragu once and I am writing down the recipe by memory. A lot of the measurements are approximations. I highly recommend tasting at the various stages to make sure everything is seasons properly.
And with that, here it is...
Wild Boar Ragu
approx. 8 servings
active cooking time: 1-1.5 hours
inactive cooking time: 3-4 hours
2.5-3 lbs of wild boar shoulder, divide in 2
.25 - .5 lb pancetta, chopped
1 carrot, fine dice
1 stalk celery, fine dice
1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
1-1.5 cups dry white wine
3 cups of tomato sauce (see Pizza Post)
1 16 oz. can of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 qt. brown chicken stock
1 tablespoon beef bullion
1 bay leaf
Pinch of sugar as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
2-3 TBS olive oil
Trim some of the fat off of the boar. Cut half of the wild boar shoulder [boar] into 1/2" cubes, slightly smaller than if you were making stew. The pieces do not need to be the same size. Mince the other half of the boar in the food processor and set aside.
In a large dutch oven heat 2-3 TBS of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) on medium/high heat.
On a plate mix flour and 2-3 TBS of salt and 1-2 TBS of pepper. Coat cubed boar in flour mixture. Brown the meat. To determine when to turn the meat, you will notice that it has stopped sticking to the bottom of the pan. This is the point when there is a good crust built on the outside. If it is continues to stick, continue to cook it longer on that side. This method can be applied to any piece of meat. If the pan starts to get crowded, brown the boar in as many batches as it takes. Once the cubed boar is finished browning, set aside.
Do not turn the heat off on the pan. There will be bits from the browning stuck to the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry about it, that’s normal. Add 1/3 of the chopped pancetta to the pan. Saute on medium to low heat, allowing the fat to render, 4-5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium/high and add minced boar to the pan. Salt and pepper lightly (the pancetta is already salty). This will add flavor to the minced meat. Cook the meat about 80% of the way through. It will have extra time to cook later. If you accidentally cook it all the way through, don’t fret, it won’t ruin anything. Once the minced boar is finished, take out of the pan and set aside.
You’ll notice at this point that the majority of the bits are gone from the bottom of the pan. Turn heat down to medium/low. Add the rest of the chopped pancetta, and let the fat render, 4-5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, 4-5 minutes, then add garlic. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Taste. You want to make sure the base flavors are well seasoned or they will lack flavor in the final product. Season as needed.
Add the cubed boar to the pan with the vegetables and mix well. Add wine. Bring to boil and simmer until evaporated. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ½ of the chicken broth, ½ of the beef bouillon, oregano and bay leaf. Mix well, bring to a boil and simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Taste.
What does it taste like?
Too tart? Add a pinch of sugar.
Tomato-ey? Add more chicken stock. (This may require a longer cooking time)
Too much wine? Add tomato sauce or paste.
Lacks richness? Add tsp of beef bullion (remember, beef bullion is super salty)
Add in small amounts. You can always add, but it’s hard to take away.
Simmer for another 2-3 hours. Stir every 30-45 minutes. If the sauce starts to thicken too much, add chicken broth. If you don’t have another 3 hours, another hour will do, just don’t add as much chicken stock. Keep in mind, the longer you cook the sauce, periodically adding chicken broth, the richer the sauce will taste and the softer the meat will be. You can over cook the meat, so I wouldn't recommend cooking it for longer than 4-5 hours. Taste periodically, it’ll make all the difference.
This is best served over fresh tagliatelle or other wide pasta.
Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: I have only made this version of the ragu once and I am writing down the recipe by memory. A lot of the measurements are approximations. I highly recommend tasting at the various stages to make sure everything is seasons properly.
And with that, here it is...
Wild Boar Ragu
approx. 8 servings
active cooking time: 1-1.5 hours
inactive cooking time: 3-4 hours
2.5-3 lbs of wild boar shoulder, divide in 2
.25 - .5 lb pancetta, chopped
1 carrot, fine dice
1 stalk celery, fine dice
1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
1-1.5 cups dry white wine
3 cups of tomato sauce (see Pizza Post)
1 16 oz. can of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 qt. brown chicken stock
1 tablespoon beef bullion
1 bay leaf
Pinch of sugar as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
2-3 TBS olive oil
Trim some of the fat off of the boar. Cut half of the wild boar shoulder [boar] into 1/2" cubes, slightly smaller than if you were making stew. The pieces do not need to be the same size. Mince the other half of the boar in the food processor and set aside.
In a large dutch oven heat 2-3 TBS of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) on medium/high heat.
On a plate mix flour and 2-3 TBS of salt and 1-2 TBS of pepper. Coat cubed boar in flour mixture. Brown the meat. To determine when to turn the meat, you will notice that it has stopped sticking to the bottom of the pan. This is the point when there is a good crust built on the outside. If it is continues to stick, continue to cook it longer on that side. This method can be applied to any piece of meat. If the pan starts to get crowded, brown the boar in as many batches as it takes. Once the cubed boar is finished browning, set aside.
Do not turn the heat off on the pan. There will be bits from the browning stuck to the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry about it, that’s normal. Add 1/3 of the chopped pancetta to the pan. Saute on medium to low heat, allowing the fat to render, 4-5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium/high and add minced boar to the pan. Salt and pepper lightly (the pancetta is already salty). This will add flavor to the minced meat. Cook the meat about 80% of the way through. It will have extra time to cook later. If you accidentally cook it all the way through, don’t fret, it won’t ruin anything. Once the minced boar is finished, take out of the pan and set aside.
You’ll notice at this point that the majority of the bits are gone from the bottom of the pan. Turn heat down to medium/low. Add the rest of the chopped pancetta, and let the fat render, 4-5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, 4-5 minutes, then add garlic. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Taste. You want to make sure the base flavors are well seasoned or they will lack flavor in the final product. Season as needed.
Add the cubed boar to the pan with the vegetables and mix well. Add wine. Bring to boil and simmer until evaporated. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ½ of the chicken broth, ½ of the beef bouillon, oregano and bay leaf. Mix well, bring to a boil and simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Taste.
What does it taste like?
Too tart? Add a pinch of sugar.
Tomato-ey? Add more chicken stock. (This may require a longer cooking time)
Too much wine? Add tomato sauce or paste.
Lacks richness? Add tsp of beef bullion (remember, beef bullion is super salty)
Add in small amounts. You can always add, but it’s hard to take away.
Simmer for another 2-3 hours. Stir every 30-45 minutes. If the sauce starts to thicken too much, add chicken broth. If you don’t have another 3 hours, another hour will do, just don’t add as much chicken stock. Keep in mind, the longer you cook the sauce, periodically adding chicken broth, the richer the sauce will taste and the softer the meat will be. You can over cook the meat, so I wouldn't recommend cooking it for longer than 4-5 hours. Taste periodically, it’ll make all the difference.
This is best served over fresh tagliatelle or other wide pasta.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Lunchtime Reading
How to Make, Cure, and Smoke Homemade Bacon - YUM! imafoodblog.com, may have just become a new favorite. I love knowing how to make things from scratch (note: gravlax) and they have all kinds of delicious recipes on the site. If I make the bacon, I'll let you know how it goes.
The winners of the James Beard Awards were announced last night. Nate Appleman from A16 won for Rising Start Chef and Douglas Keane of Cyrus won for Best Chef - Pacific Region. Congratulations!!
Have you noticed all of the changes on OpenTable lately, customer reviews, restaurants mapped by location, etc... Well, it looks like this could all be part of their plan to IPO this year. Sounds like this has been in the works since January and should it happen, the influx of capital could add some interesting new features to the site. We shall see.
Ever wondered what a ramp is? Check out norecipes.com ingredients tab. They have a description and picture of the item, they tell you where you can get it and how best to use it (including recipes). They even have nutrition information. I'm loving it right now.
The winners of the James Beard Awards were announced last night. Nate Appleman from A16 won for Rising Start Chef and Douglas Keane of Cyrus won for Best Chef - Pacific Region. Congratulations!!
Have you noticed all of the changes on OpenTable lately, customer reviews, restaurants mapped by location, etc... Well, it looks like this could all be part of their plan to IPO this year. Sounds like this has been in the works since January and should it happen, the influx of capital could add some interesting new features to the site. We shall see.
Ever wondered what a ramp is? Check out norecipes.com ingredients tab. They have a description and picture of the item, they tell you where you can get it and how best to use it (including recipes). They even have nutrition information. I'm loving it right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
