The Samantha Files

Braised red chile chicken with potatoes and winter greens

Recipe from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless

And a RT by Rick himself!!! http://twitter.com/Rick_Bayless/status/6948955781

Sunday night dinner at Dell'Anima

Bruschetta toppings - arugula pesto, lily confit, soft scrambled eggs with bottarga, sultana mostarda, and chickpeas.  Side note, I could live on the arugula pesto and the chickpea spread.

Another home run recommendation from Andrea Strong.

Tuesday dinner with Bittman

Roasted potatoes, red quinoa, mushrooms, and red peppers with cheddar; roasted cauliflower; and quick-glazed carrots with red flame raisins.  All from my new favorite cookbook.

Tomato sauce that will make you swoon! I swear!

Last night, Dave and I got home from work and I was beat.  We had some tomatillo salsa we made the night before in the fridge, and all the ingredients for a Mexican-inspired dinner.  But I wanted comfort food, so I turned to Marcella Hazan by way of Orangette.  Molly had made a nice, simple tomato sauce a few weeks back, and I was itching to give it a try.

I modified the recipe a bit, based on a few people who had commented on her post (and based on what I had in the cupboards).  I had a 14.5 oz. can of Muir Glen whole peeled tomatoes that I chopped up in the can with scissors.  And I had a 14.5 oz. can of Muir Glen fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.  I combined both cans of tomatoes in a pot, added 4 T. butter, a good pinch of salt, half of a big onion, and a whole peeled carrot.  Simmered for 45 minutes as per the original recipe, fished out the onion and carrot, and tossed with 12 oz. bucatini and a little freshly grated parmesan.  Enough for dinner last night and lunch today.

Ok, I know you're wondering how good could this sauce possibly be?  No garlic, no herbs, butter instead of olive oil?  People, this sauce means business.  Just these few ingredients combine to make a spectacular sauce, creamy, rich, sweet from the onions and the tomatoes.  I really liked the fire roasted tomatoes in this sauce, they added a hint of smoke that doesn't overwhelm. 

While the sauce was cooking, I sauteed some mushrooms in a little butter/olive oil and tossed in some thawed frozen broccoli at the end.  I also had a few eggplants in the fridge, so I sliced them into little wedges and roasted them at 450 degrees until tender.  I chopped it up and added it to the mushrooms and broccoli, and finished with lemon. 

I had also made some apple/pear sauce the night before, which I turned into individual crisps with my handy-dandy bag of crisp topping I had in the freezer.  Dinner and dessert done in a flash, with plenty of time to watch 2 episodes of House (I'm taping the current season, but we're watching Season 3 on dvd).   

So give butter and tomatoes a chance and make this sauce, it is deelicious! 

Weekend at Shaker Meadows

A weekend with friends, captured on film.  Thanks to all who came, looking forward to our next trip during the snowy season. 

Lunch at the CIA - American Bounty Restaurant

On the way up to our weekend getaway with friends, Susann, Dave and I stopped at our old school for lunch.  We wanted to try out the new Caterina, but since that was booked for a private party we chose American Bounty.

American Bounty has always been my favorite of the 4 restaurants, and it did not disappoint.  Dave and I were also pleased to see that Chef Phillips was in the kitchen.  We had both had him for Stage (a class that I'm not even sure still exists, the curriculum has been changed up quite a bit since we left).  Everytime I saute mushrooms I think of Chef Phillips, who always made sure we didn't stir them after putting them in the pan.  You let them cook undisturbed, which lets the water in the mushrooms evaporate so they will brown faster and not end up stewing in their own juices.  Chef Phillips always had some great vegetarian options, so I knew I'd be all set for lunch.

Here's what we all ordered:

• A sampling of three soups: Butternut Squash Apple Cider Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Oil, Minnesota Smoked Wild Rice Soup and New England Clam and Seafood Chowder. (pictured above)
• A sampling of three salads:  Spring Greens - Tiny Greens with Spring Herbs, Shaved Fennel and Truffles, Lemon Vinaigrette.  McEnroe Organic Beefsteak Tomato Salad with Pine Nuts, Arugula and Spinach, Southern Corn Dressing with Lime and Fresh Thyme.  Mixed Greens with Plums, Macadamia and Aged Coach Farm Goat Cheese Plum Dressing.
• McEnroe Organic Beefsteak Tomato Salad with Pine Nuts, Arugula and Spinach, Southern Corn Dressing with Lime and Fresh Thyme. (pictured above)
• Seared Wild Pacific King Salmon on a Syrah Blackberry Reduction - Crispy Polenta with Aged Coach Farm Goat Cheese and Glazed Baby Carrots. (pictured above)
• Native American Sampler - Corn Flautas filled with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese on Red Chili Sauce.  Black Bean Masa Crepe with Quinoa, Herbs and Cheeses, Mango Salsa, on Black Bean Sauce. (pictured above)
• Grilled Pork Chop with a Plum Gastrique, Butternut Squash, Corn Pudding, Pickled Peaches and Pecan Butter.  (Susann, did I get that mostly right, no description online... how rude of them!)
• Chocolate Piñon Bombe on Prickly Pear Sauce and Ancho Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream. (pictured above)
• Pineapple Bundt Cake on Mango Sauce with Coconut Ice Cream.
• A bottle of Miner Viognier (will see if I can find the vintage).

Between our entrees and dessert, Chef Phillips came out to say hi and we chatted for a bit about other school chefs, the new curriculum and all of the new buildings on the grounds now.  And another reason why 'It's a small world'... the student who waited on our table is from the city right next to my hometown, the city where my mom grew up and where I spent many an hour skating at the local rink.

After lunch we walked around and showed Susann our old classrooms, the library, the bookstore and the new cafe.  We saw another one of our chefs, Chef Griffiths and Dora, who Dave worked for while at school.  Of course we bought a few treats at the cafe for the weekend, including challah and a semolina bread, delicious cookies (chocolate chunk, peanut butter and mudslide) and my personal favorite - chocolate caramel apples with pecans.  Yum! 

Gobo

I'd like to introduce you to Gobo.  No, not this Gobo...

This Gobo.  I had my hair cut and colored on Sunday, and asked Theresa (my fabulous stylist, I can't say enough good things about her!  Book now) where Dave and I should go to get something to eat, and she recommended Gobo.  She said her friend Darryn was working, so we should ask for him when we got there (he'd be wearing a cool hat). 

Sounded good to us, so we walked over there and secured a nice two-top.  Our waitress, Carrie, helped us decide how much to order, as the dinner menu is divided into quick bites, small plates and large plates, as well as soups, salads and side dishes (and yes, dessert, but you'll have to wait for that).  We saw Darryn, or who we assumed was Darryn (yes, it was a cool hat) but figured we'd order dinner first and say hi later on.

Now, what we ordered:

• Crispy spinach and soy cheese wontons
• Avocado tartare with wasabi lime sauce
• Kale, seaweed and beet salad with toasted walnuts
• Southern style seitan strips over organic quinoa and vegetables

I also got a zing juice (apple, carrot and ginger), which was one of the best values for fresh juice ever.  Love that already.  Carrie brought over some cranberry nut bread and a multigrain bread with what seemed like a butternut squash spread. 

We decided to have everything arrive when it was ready, as opposed to having 2 separate courses.  The spinach wontons, which Dave was wary of because of their soy cheese component, were so good.  Just crispy enough, but not greasy in any way.  And the dipping sauce they came with?  Perfection.  We were told it is a mango chili sauce, but it was not spicy at all.  It had a mellowness that makes me think that there might be some miso in there too.  If I was on a desert island, I would want this sauce with me.

The avocado tartare was also really good, topped with crunchy barley pops and surrounded by a wasabi lime sauce.  Presentation was spot on, with the avocado molded in a ring mold, topped with the little barley pops.  A perfect 'asian' guacamole.

We both have mixed feelings about the salad.  Presentation was fine, and we liked the beets, the seaweed and the walnuts.  But the kale had this slightly 'earthy' aftertaste which we didn't really care for. 

The southern style seitan was the best seitan I've ever had.  Seitan is a meat substitute made of wheat gluten.  There are lots of recipes online, and it is possible to find Seitan in a good natural foods store.  It has a great chewy texture, really absorbs flavors (even better than tofu), and is a great protein-rich meat substitute.  Gobo serves many seitan dishes, and the one we had was breaded seitan strips served over quinoa pilaf filled with vegetables.  The strips were perfectly fried just like the wontons, and their quinoa I could eat everyday. 

At this point, we were pretty full, but I can never pass up looking over the dessert menu.  When Carrie came over with the menus, I asked if the man in the hat was Darryn.  She said yes, and I said thanks, a friend just sent us here and told us to say hi to him.  He came over, and was so nice.  He introduced himself, was delighted that Theresa had sent us over, chastised us for not saying hi when we first came in (sorry Darryn, won't happen again I promise), and asked us if we liked everything so far (which we did, and told him so).  I asked if he had any recommendations for dessert, so he said he did but wanted to check with the kitchen to make sure they still had some. 

He recommended a hazelnut napoleon with raspberry sauce that we had seen but might not have ordered.  Delish.  And it was vegan... wow!

Darryn also gave us a 'friends' discount, which was so sweet.  We were already ready to sing the praises of Gobo, and the discount was a pleasant surprise.  We told him we'd be back soon, and we'd be sure to say hello again.  Turns out Darryn and his brother opened Gobo, their parents founded Zen Palate.  I think it's about time to eat there too.

So if you're in the neighborhood, stop by Gobo and say hi to Darryn, tell him Samantha sent you. 

Craft and other adventures

Hey all,

Yes, I know... I haven't talked about my amazing dinner at Craft yet.  I promise I will, though it might be a few days still.  I will say though, do go if you have the chance.  We're going to try Craftbar and 'wichcraft, which I'm sure will be just as good as Craft.

Tomorrow is the special advanced screening of Serenity.  I am very excited!  I went out last night and got a brown t-shirt and a pack of iron-on transfer sheets and printed out a design.  Will try the whole iron-on process tonight after the gym, hope it comes out 'shiny' (using a little of the lingo from the Firefly 'verse).

Gearing up for a weekend in Atlanta, the weather is much nicer there (thank goodness... it's mid 40's here.  I broke out a sweater and my puffy down coat this morning!).  We're going to an Atlanta Braves game on Sunday - I do hope it doesn't rain.  I love Atlanta, so I'm looking forward to visiting some old haunts.

Need to put together my mix cd's for the swap... I got another spindle of cd's and some envelopes last night (big Staples trip).  I think I'm going to send out 2 cd's to everyone, I have 2 recent mixes that I really like.  I want to introduce them all to Peter and the gang. (Note to self, get tickets for the Boston Folk Fest to see lots of great folks, including Redbird!)

Ok, that's all for now... we'll chat some more later.

Cold soup season begins... Buttermilk Vichyssoise with Spinach

The weather here has been warm and humid, so I decided to make a nice cold soup for dinner last night. The original recipe, which was on Martha Stewart Living, used watercress instead of spinach. But my local grocery store was out of watercress, so I used a small bag of baby spinach instead. I love the addition of buttermilk instead of the usual heavy cream, buttermilk doesn't overwhelm the delicate flavors of the soup. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Vichyssoise with Spinach

Serves 6


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 leeks, white and light-green parts only,
halved lengthwise then thinly sliced into half-moons, washed well and drained
3 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 1/2 cups homemade or low sodium canned chicken stock
3 cups cleaned spinach (or watercress leaves), loosely packed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups buttermilk

1. Melt butter in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Add leeks, and cook, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Add potatoes, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Cool completely; stir in spinach (or watercress).

3. Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth. Or, once soup is slightly cooler, use a hand blender. Transfer puréed soup to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 1 hour. Add buttermilk just before serving. Adjust seasoning as needed. If necessary, thin the soup with a bit more chicken stock or water to achieve desired consistency.

Additional tips:

I started this late in the day, and wanted to make sure that it would have enough time to cool. So I actually omitted the water in step 2, puréed the soup in step 3, then added 1 1/2 c. cold water to start the chilling process. Of course, you can always place the warm soup in a bowl and place the bowl in an ice bath to chill quickly.

If you don't have buttermilk, thin some sour cream or yogurt with a bit of water and stir that into the soup.

Garnish with croutons, julienne of spinach or watercress sprigs (depending on what you used) or a swirl of sour cream or creme fraiche. You could also grill some shrimp and serve with the soup, rounding out with some bread and a nice white wine.

Otto in NYC

Otto Pizzeria and Enoteca is another smash hit from the team of Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich. Dave and I are BIG fans of Lupa, having enjoyed a number of absolutely delicious meals there in the past. About a month ago, after eating lunch at Republic in Union Square, Dave and I happened upon Otto. Longingly looking at the menu, one of the front-of-the-house managers welcomed us in to the restaurant to take a look around. We sadly told him that we had already had lunch, to which he replied "How about dessert?" Oh, if we must suffer through some gelato. We took a seat at the bar, and enjoyed a dish of their perfect gelato: chocolate, coffee and hazelnut stracciatella. We took a look at the menu and the wine list as we sat there, and decided that we needed to try the restaurant out sooner than later.

Last Saturday we got our chance. Along with 3 friends, we got to Otto around 9pm, finding the bar area completely packed. Not deterred by crowds, we put our name on the list and settled ourselves at one of the thin rectangular bar tables. A waitress came by with some menus, and we decided on drinks and something to nosh on as we waited for our table. I decided on their bellini, always something different and delicious. Today it was prosecco with a blood orange puree, last time at Lupa the prosecco was paired with a concord grape puree. A perfect aperitif. We also ordered some olives, Gaeta I believe, which were large juicy green olives marinated with plenty of olive oil and lemon zest. We also picked two of the vegetable antipasti: asparagus and pecorino and roasted beets with saba. Let me just say that the vegetables at Otto are everything that you look for in a perfect vegetable dish: simple, fresh, clean flavors that would make a vegetable hater a convert. Soon after finishing the antipasti our table was ready.

Since there were 5 of us, we were able to order a number of items from the menu. We started with the grande meat platter which includes Prosciutto, Testa, Salumi, Soppressata and Coppa. Also ordered to start: cauliflower "alla siciliana", artichokes "alla romana", and my favorite of the night, panelle, the fritto del giorno. The best way to describe panelle is small triangles of a creamy chickpea flour polenta, fried and then dusted with gremolata (lemon zest, parsley and chili flakes). I had seen panelle being served in Italy on some cooking show ages ago, and when I saw it on the menu I knew we had to try it. The meats were fantastic, and both the cauliflower and artichokes were just as simple and delicious as the other antipasti we ordered at the bar. Then, our pizzas. Top one is what I ordered, and Dave ordered the lardo.

PANE FRATTAU TOM, PECORINO, EGG

OTTO LARDO
LARDO

POTATO, ANCHOVY & RICOTTA

MARGHERITA D.O.C.
TOM, BUFALA MOZZ, BASIL

FUNGHI & TALEGGIO
PORCINI, TALEGGIO

Lardo is house-cured pork fatback, and the lardo pizza is simply thinly sliced lardo on their pizza crust with a good bit of olive oil and some rosemary. My pizza was my favorite, as I do love a perfect sunny-side up egg on a pizza. Thankfully the pizzas are not too big, and we were all able to save some room for dessert.

The gelato is house-made, and is served in silver dessert dishes with silver 'paddles' as opposed to spoons. We ordered one dish with three flavors from the main gelato list: ricotta, hazelnut stracciatella and chocolate. I picked out a coppetta for the table, in laymans terms an italian version of a sundae. While I was tempted to order either the...

OLIVE OIL COPPETTA OLIVE OIL GELATO, STRAWBERRIES & MINT, CAPEZZANA OLIVE OIL & MALDON SALT

RICOTTA & FIG COPPETTA
RICOTTA GELATO, WINE POACHED FIGS & CANDIED WALNUTS

I settled on the...

AVOCADO COPPETTA AVOCADO GELATO, STRAWBERRY GELATO, LIME SORBET, PASSIONFRUIT CREMA & PINEAPPLE

how often do you see avocado gelato on a menu? And yes, it tastes just like you would expect, smooth and sweet avocado. I really liked the coppetta, all of the flavors worked surprisingly well together. And the lime sorbet - the best we've ever had. Somehow it tastes more like a lime than an actual lime itself. I think next time we'll try the olive oil coppetta.

All in all Otto met and exceeded our expectations. The service was perfect, the food was superb, and the restaurant itself manages to be busy and loud but at the same time warm and welcoming. We are sure to go back soon.