Adventures in Limoncello. pt1

So I have a lemon tree in my backyard that is sprouting some bountiful lemons.....hence I gotta use them. I thought: hey, I enjoy some refreshing limoncello, I have all the stuff needed, why the hell not? Bear with me, this is my first batch ever, so I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Limoncello recipe:

1 750 mL bottle of clear grain alcohol (for this batch, I am trying a mid-grade vodka)

* side note, if you are flavoring a vodka or mixed drink, don't waste your money on top shelf liquor because you will be masking the flavor in the end

Zest of 12 lemons

- So you will be combining the alcohol and zest in a bottle, where the flavors will blend over time. And trust me, patience is a virtue when it comes to this beverage. Allow to sit in a place with minimal sunlight, such as your pantry or fridge for 45 days. I know (and this is only half the process). Occassionally shake the well sealed bottle to mix the zest up.

After 45 days, you will take about 1 c simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water reduced to a syrup), and add it to the blend. Reseal, shake thouroughly, and wait another 45 days! Filter and enjoy.

....so far I'm still in the first 45 days so updates will follow.

Ravioli carbonara

So this is a combination of two classic Italian recipes to make a twist on a classic dish. Carbonara pasta, is a dish consisting of bacon (preferably pancetta), egg yolk, pasta, cream, and parmesean. Aside from the fact that I work in a Spanish restaurant,( so I will be substituting pancetta for jamon Serrano, and aged Parmesan for aged manchego), the elements are still true to the classic. The twist is using a egg yolk ravioli to incorporate the egg aspect of the sauce.

Ingredients:

Pasta dough: 1:1 ratio of egg yolks to flour

2c All purpose flour

2 egg yolks

1 ts salt

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

water.

Sauce:

1 egg yolk per ravioli (if you are serving 12 ravioli, you need 12 egg yolk-it's the filling)

2tbl mashed garlic

1/2 cup cream

2 tbl small diced jamon serrano

grated manchego

1tsp crushed chili flake

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

For the pasta dough, combine all ingredients, except water in a food processor and turn on. The Ingredients will form into a pasta dough ball, if too floury or dry, slowly add a bit of water to get desired consistency-which is firm, and a bit moist). *side note: this is the easier and less time consuming way to make the dough. If you do not have a food processor, place all flour on a work surface and make a "well". Add the egg yolks, and remaining ingredients to the well, and knead until pasta dough is formed.

If you have a pasta machine, run the dough through that until super thin. If you don't have one of these machines, take a rolling pin, lightly flour the surface you will be working on (and the rolling pin), and roll the crap out of the dough until it is long, thin and about 6 inches wide.

Place egg yolks, spaced apart on the dough. and fold the dough over, so that the yolks are covered, spaced apart, do not break, and are sealed in the dough. Cut the dough so that each piece has a sealed, egg yolk per portion. You have just made ravioli!

To cook, drop into a pot of boiling, salted water. How salted should the water be? There are some that have it down to an exact science of parts per million, but realistically your water should, as one Italian chef I worked for would say, "like the ocean cuz". They should take 3-5 minutes to cook, but when they float, they are done.

While the pasta is cooking in a saute pan, sweat the minced jamon, in a little bit of olive oil with the garlic, once the garlic is sweat, and the jamon is browned, add the cream and grated manchego, allow the cream to reduce slightly, fold in the parsley for color.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss in the sauce. Plate as you see fit.

Orange Mustard Chicken with Simple Salad

Firstly I would like to update some recent posts and inform everyone that this recipe, along with the ceviche, tartare, and steak with tomato salad recipes are all friendly to those with celiac disease. I have a few family members affected by this, so naturally my interest in creating recipes that don't exclude those with this issue has increased. Here's another one.

Orange-Mustard Chicken with Simple Salad
serves 3-4


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved and butterfly cut
2 oranges, supremed with scrap and juice reserved
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
2 pints plain yogurt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp stone ground mustard
4 handfuls mixed greens
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
2oz lemon juice
6oz olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Firstly, a butterfly cut (for the chicken) is when the piece is sliced lengthwise in half, but not all the way through, so the piece folds open and looks similar to a butterfly's wings. I didn't make up the name, but it makes sense. Also supreme cuts (in reference to the oranges) is when the orange is peeled and cut into segments.

In a pot, combine the con starch and orange juice. Add the yogurt and mustards. Simmer and stir until the sauce reduces to a thicker consistency. Add the orange segments and set aside.

In a separate pan, on medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and sear the chicken breasts after seasoning them with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side, or until cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

For the salad, combine the mixed greens, red onion, cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

To serve place handful of tossed salad on the plate. Next to it stack the chicken breast and pour the orange-mustard sauce over the chicken. Enjoy!

Making Lemons out of Lemonade

So every night, at the end of dinner service, my restaurant is one of the few that I have worked in that participates in a restaurant tradition called family meal. We provide a meal at the end of the night for those that have worked so hard for us, while using up product that otherwise would go to waste. You do it at home too; it's called using leftovers. This is a key example: at the end of a night, when our roasted vialea onion dish did not sell too well, (we cook in small daily batches on a lot of our items), I took our leftover onions, and pieces of filet that were beyond too small to create a portion with worthy of selling, and made a classic dish, with a Spanish twist........I do work in a Spanish restaurant after all.





"Spanish Onion Soup"


serves 4-8






Ingredients:
1-1.5 vidalea onions, sliced & roasted
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 handfuls button mushrooms, halved
white wine
beef scrap
1 liter water
2C chicken broth
8 pieces bread, grilled
4 slices manchego cheese, sliced in half
S&P to taste
2 tbl smoked sweet paprika

Directions:
In a pot, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add garlic, mushrooms and carrots and saute on medium high head until the garlic becomes translucent and soft. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked sweet paprika. Turn up heat to high and add beef scrap. Allow beef to brown slightly and deglaze with a splash of white wine, chicken broth, and water. Allow
water to come to a boil, lower the heat to medium high, add the roasted onions and let reduce by half in volume. Adjust seasoning as needed.

With the grilled bread, place a piece of manchego cheese on each slice and pop in the oven(400F) until cheese is melted. To serve, place soup in a bowl and cover with cheesy bread.

So basically french onion soup is beef broth, with a ton of onions and a crouton with some type of swiss cheese (usually Gruyere). What did I do different? How did I make it Spanish? Outside of adding a more produce, the Spanish twist was the use of paprika and manchego cheese.

In the end, the point is to make use of what you have.

Ceviche: A Continuation of Cooking Without Heat

Ceviche, or seviche (depending on how you spell it), is a popular Latin American appetizer where you use citrus juice to "cook" raw fish. The citric acid in the juice "cooks" the fish by firming the flesh, and turning it opaque. It's awesome, it's delicious, it's easy to make. One other thing.......USE FRESH FISH! This should be something you strive for when cooking anyways, but I'm telling you that if you skimp out and try to use frozen fish to create this....it will taste terrible, and you will have wasted your time, money, and have done the opposite of impressing your guests. White fish tend to work best for this dish, I have done it with other types.

Halibut Ceviche

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh halibut, medium diced

2 lemons, juiced

2 limes, juiced

2 oranges, juiced

1/2 cup red onion, small diced

2 serrano chilis, minced(if you can find a chili to use 2 tbl crushed red chili flake is a decent substitution)

1 cup minced tomatoes (if possible, multiple colors make the dish pop)

6 leaves iceburg lettuce

2tbl cilantro, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

3 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

In a non-reactive bowl, place the halibut in with the citrus juices. Let it sit for atleast 3 hours (I prefer overnight). Once the fish is cooked, remove from the citrus juice and toss in a separate bowl with all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the lettuce.

With the lettuce, roll the lettuce into a cone shape. Take a spoon and place a spoonful or two, depending on the size of the cones, into each cone. Serve.

Tuna Tartare: It's Delicious

Ok, tuna tartare is something that is done on probably too many restaurant menus, but if you do this for guests at your house........ prepare to be complimented. And if not, your house guests are snobby people who just like to complain, or you messed this up. Either way, if done properly, the option that includes compliments with probably occur.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 oz ahi tuna, medium diced

2oz minced serrano peppers

8oz small diced avocado

2oz minced red onion

3oz chopped cilantro

1oz sesame seeds

3tbl soy sauce

2tbl sesame oil

2oz minced bell peppers, preferably red or orange to give a contrast in color

2 oz green onions, sliced thinly

1 lime-zest and juice

Take all ingredients, mix in a mixing bowl. Serve 3 oz portions. I recommend using a small cup to make a mold with each serving by placing 3 oz of the mixed tartare in the cup. Then place the cup upside down in the plate you want to serve it. If it is held firmly enough in the bowl, it will give a structured shape on you plate and not a big lump. You can garnish with some microgreens, serve with some wonton chips, or just enjoy with a fork.

The Glory That Is Risotto

Ah, risotto. It's not just a dish, but also a method for preparing rices and grains. It was one of the first "fancier" dishes that I taught myself how to make, and I'm sure if I had some lessons it would have gone a lot smoother. The uniqueness of risotto is the cooking method itself; instead of steaming or boiling the rice, it is quickly sauteed and then just enough liquid is added to cover the rice, while it is constantly stirred. As the liquid is absorbed, more liquid is cooked. But why go through all this trouble? Why not just throw the rice in a pot and call it a day? Because as the rice is stirred, the starch seperates and creates a more creamy texture in the finished product. Trust me it's worth the effort. How long does it take? That ultimately depends on the amount you are trying to make, but 20-30 minutes, give or take, is a good time frame.

Risotto

serves 8-10

2oz olive oil

1oz minced garlic

1oz diced onions

1 lb, Italian Abborio rice (this is the most common, traditional rice for this dish)

1 1/2qt Chicken Broth, hot

1oz dry vermouth/very dry white wine

1oz butter (unsalted)

4 oz Grated Parmesean cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat the oil on medium high in a large saute pan, and saute the onion and garlic with salt & pepper until translucent. Add the rice and stir for one minute to toast the rice. Add vermouth to degalze and add enough chicken broth to cover the rice and STIR!

Keep stirring until the rice absorbes the liquid, and add more repeating until all liquid is absorbed. Stop adding liquid when the rice is tender, but still firm. It should be moist and creamy, but not runny.

Remove from the heat, and add the butter and cheese and stir so it is evenly absorbed. Taste. If more salt/pepper is needed, add it. Enjoy and serve!

Keep in mind you can add items to your risotto or cook different grains using the "risotto method". More suggestions to be added later.