SPAGHETTI PRIMAVERA viva Le CIRQUE

Spaghetti Primavera

After my jaunt to the Farmers Market the other day and having an abundance of leftover zucchini, squash, carrots and fresh ears of corn, I decided to make a vegetable and pasta--or spaghetti--dish

As always, or once in a while, an "old faithful" popped into mind:  Pasta Primavera--or Spaghetti Primavera, as it was called back in the day.

Spaghetti Primavera is one of those recipes that is synonymous with Sirio Maccioni and his flagship place, Le Cirque. It was popularized in the late 1970s and touted by then New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne and his partner Pierre Franey.  Back then, it was one of the most talked-about dishes in the City.  For a dish of different vegetables, cooked separately, then added to cream and butter and served over pasta, it became a battle between French and Italian cuisines. The dish was so controversial in a formal French restaurant in 1977 that it was served only on request.

Mr. Maccioni invented the dish and it was the only one at Le Cirque that the chefs were forbidden to touch.  The popularity it gained at Le Cirque helped move American cooks beyond spaghetti and meatballs; and as the dish thrived, it was soon offered on the menu of virtually every Italian restaurant.  However, the authentic is Le Cirque's version.

So with the veggies in the fridge, peas in the freezer, San Marzano tomatoes in the cabinet, along with spaghetti in the dry goods storage, all I needed was fresh mushrooms, heavy cream, and broccoli spears.  Although the authentic Spaghetti Primavera recipe calls for fresh asparagus tips, at $4.99 per rubber-band wrapped pack and weighing less than a pound, I opted to omit the asparagus.  Besides, I had the fresh carrots and corn in lieu of the costly green.  Sorry, Sirio, it's not the "authentic Spaghetti Primavera" from Le Cirque of the 70's, but pretty close.

Here goes...my take on Spaghetti Primavara, viva Le Cirque.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups plum tomatoes, chopped, peeled, and seeded (or whole canned San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz), chopped, seeded, and drained)
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided, about 2 Tablespoons
Kosher Salt
2 cups porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped
Black Pepper
Vegetables:  Each should be blanched, separately, in boiling water (time varies), shocked in an ice-water bath, drained, patted dry and set aside:
  1 cup broccoli florets (2 minutes)
  1 medium zucchini, quartered, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 minutes)
  1 medium yellow squash, quartered, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 minutes)
  1 1/2 cups carrots, halved and cut into 1" lengths (4-6 minutes)
  2 cups corn kernels from fresh ears of corn (1 minute)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed in boiling salted water.  Drained and set aside
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 Tablespoons basil, cut into chiffonade

Directions:

Prep all vegetables and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add tomatoes, half of the garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until tomatoes have rendered their juice and have begun to color, stirring or tossing occasionally, about 4 to 8 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat and sauté the mushrooms with half of the remaining garlic and a pinch of salt until they have given off most of their water and are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.  Season to taste and keep warm.

Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan.  Add remaining garlic and the blanched vegetables and cook the blanched vegetables until they've taken on a little color but are still firm, about 5 minutes. Set aside.  Season to taste and keep warm.

Meanwhile, reduce the cream by half in a pan large enough to hold the cooked spaghetti.  Stir in the Parmesan and butter and turn the heat to low.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the spaghetti. When the spaghetti is almost al dente, drain and transfer it to the pan with the reduced cream to finish cooking.

To Finish:
First, fold in the reserved tomato sauce into the pan containing the spaghetti and cream.  Then, add the mushrooms;  and, finally, the sautéed vegetables.  Let set for about one minute, then plate each dish and garnish with basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Toasted pine nuts could also be added as a garnish.  Serves 4.

RATATOUILLE or CONFIT BYALDI

Ratatouille or Confit Byaldi

After a visit to my local Farmers Market, I couldn't resist and purchased a bunch of various vegetables.  The first dish that came to mind was Ratatouille, or Confit Byaldi.  


Veggies From Market

While the "original" ratatouille recipes tell us to fry the vegetables before baking, the Confit Byaldi version does not fry them. The vegetables are baked slowly in the oven for several hours to steam.  Sauces, cheese or vinaigrettes could be then added to the final baked/steamed vegetables.

Many recipes for Ratatouille are featured on the Net, including Chef Thomas Keller's version of Byaldi which was published in his 1999 cookbook, The French Laundry Cookbook.  In Chef Keller's recipe, he added two sauces.  One is a tomato and pepper sauce called piperade, which is made of reduced and finely chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and herbs, then spread thinly at the bottom of the vegetable bed.  The other is an herbed balsamic vinaigrette that is served atop the vegetables.  

 

The first time I made this dish was in 2007, not long after the movie, Ratatioulle, was released.  I admit it.  I did go to the movies to see it back then, only after I learned that Chef Keller served as a food consultant for the Pixar film and allowed its producer to intern at his restaurant.  It was a really good movie.  And a good recipe, nonetheless.

 

Circa 2007

So I revisited the recipe (and watched the movie) again.  And after several hours of prep, below is my adaption of Chef Keller's version of Byaldi, or Ratatioulle, using  all of the vegetables that I purchased at the Market.

INGREDIENTS

For Piperade:
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1 lime green pepper, seeds removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt

For Vegetables:
1 zucchini sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 Italian eggplant sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 white eggplant sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves, fresh
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

For Piperade:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.

Cut an X on the bottom of each tomato.  Add tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for about 45 seconds to one minute.  Remove tomatoes and quickly submerge into an ice water bath.  This will loosen the skins and make it easier to peel the tomatoes.  When cooled, remove tomatoes from ice water.  Peel, remove seeds and dice tomatoes while reserving as much juice as possible.  Strain tomato juice through a very fine sieve to extract seeds.  Set juice aside.

Diced Tomatoes

Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft. Add peppers and simmer to soften them.  

Tomato and Pepper Mixture

Season to taste with salt.  Discard herbs. Reserve a tablespoon of mixture. Spread the remaining piperade mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch skillet.

For Vegetables:

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Repeat until pan is filled.

Pre-Oven

Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover pan with lid (alternatively, use parchment paper or foil crimping edges to seal well).  Bake until vegetables are tender about 2 hours.  When done, remove from oven.

For Vinaigrette:
Combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

To Serve:

Spoon vegetables onto individual serving plates. Cheese, such as parmesan, feta, or mozzarella, may be added to the roasted vegetables.  Then Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

EPIGRAMS de SOLE

Epigrams de Sole

This is another favorite recipe of mine from Chef Michel Roux Jnr of the two-star Michelin restaurant Le Gavroche in London.  Chef Roux demonstrated this on the Master Chef UK series.  He said that it is such an intricate dish that his "Chefs hate it when it is on the menu at the restaurant."  Of course, I had to give it a try.  It is simply sole fillets stuffed with a lobster and tarragon mixture, then covered in a pane', and sautéed in plenty of butter and oil.  Not a dish for every day but once in a while a nice treat.  Chef Roux garnishes the dish with the lobster head and tail and adds baby carrots and baby turnips.  A very nice presentation.   Although my lobster head fell apart, everything else was perfect for the first time making it.  However, I did "cheat" and purchased fillets--not a whole fish.  As with several of Chef Roux's other dishes, this was fun and not as challenging as the show portrays.

For the Stuffed Sole:

2 Fillets of soul, about 3-4 ounce portions each
1 1-1/4 # lobster; cooked; lobster meat removed; shells reserved for sauce
1/2 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
1 cup AP flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs, unflavored
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 oz unsalted butter

For the Sauce:

Reserved lobster body
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup chopped celery
4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup Brandy
1/2 cup White Wine
1 Roma tomato chopped; about 4 ounces
1 cup fish stock



Lobster Stock

To Make the Sauce:
Add shallots, carrots and celery to pan.  Add lobster shells and butter. Break lobster shells while stirring.  Add bay leaf, garlic and tomato paste.  Stir to cook paste slightly for about one minute.  Add brandy then add and the white wine.  Let alcohol reduce for about 2-3 minutes.  Then add the fish stock.  Simmer until stock is intensified and reduced by half, about 35-40 minutes. When done, pass sauce into a sieve.  Set sauce aside.

To Make the Stuffed Sole:

For the Filling:
Mix the chopped lobster meat with the tarragon.  Set aside.



Lobster/Tarragon Mixture

For the Sole:
On a flat surface, score fillets with a knife.  Then pound between film (clear plastic wrap) concentrating on the thickest part of the fillets to make them uniform in thickness (sort of like pounding on a chicken breast to make it uniform).  Remove film.  Place lobster/tarragon mixture on the lower portion of the fillet and fold the top portion of fillet over.  Trim sides and bottom of fillets to form a "triangle".  (Set scraps aside for another use.)  Press on folded fillet (epigram) to seal.  Dip epigrams in flour, and then dredge in egg yolk mixture, then coat in the unflavored bread crumbs.  Chill in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes so the epigram will seal and not fall apart during cooking.

To Finish:

Heat a sauté' pan with a combination of butter and oil mixture--not too hot.  Sauté' epigrams in pan and continue to spoon the mixture over fish while they are cooking.  When one side turns brown, turn epigrams over and continue to spoon the butter over the other side.  When epigrams turn golden, remove from pan and set on a plate lined with paper towels.  Let epigrams drain, then plate.

Add a dollop of the leftover lobster/tarragon mixture on top to garnish.  Serves 2.

 

 

Squid Stuffed With Wild Rice, or Calamars Farcis aux Riz Sauvage

This is my interpretation of Chef Michel Roux Jnr's Calamars Farcis aux Riz Sauvage, or Squid Stuffed with Wild Rice.  I've never made or eaten squid stuffed with rice--let alone a wild rice--so it was an interesting dish to try and replicate, sans written instructions.  The accompaniment is mussels that are first cooked in white wine, then shocked in an ice water bath and later warmed in butter, garlic and parsley.  Although it looked complicated on the BBC's Master Chef Professionals episode, it wasn't.  However, I did "cheat" and purchased squid bodies that were already cleaned by my fish monger.  I opted not to make the fried tentacles that were a part of Chef Roux's dish; but, nonetheless, it was very good and the flavours were prominent.. All in all...a very good dish and one that I would definitely recreate again...and again...and again.  Chef Roux Jnr would be proud.  I hope. 

For the Squid and Wild Rice Stuffing:
4 oz. white onions, chopped
6 oz. red pepper, chopped
pinch saffron threads, or 0.25 grams
4 oz wild rice
1 quart of lobster stock (32 Volume ounces), preferably home-made
2 egg yolks
3 squid bodies, cleaned

 

For the Mussels:
12-15 mussels, PEI of course
1 1/2 cups White Wine (I always use Mondavi Chardonnay)
1/2 quart lobster stock (or 16 Volume ounces)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sliced garlic
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley

For the Squid/Wild Rice Stuffing:
First, we make the wild rice--like a pilaf, according to Chef Roux.  Rinse the wild rice, then drain.  Take the chopped onions and red peppers and sweat them for about 5 minutes.  Add to this, the saffron, the rinsed wild rice and the lobster stock..  Let the mixture cook, covered, in the oven at 350 degrees.  Check every 1/2 hour. It does require at least 1 1/2 hours.  When the rice is done, remove from oven and add the egg yolks. Stir.  Now the stuffing is ready.

Fill the squid bodies with stuffing.  Then secure each with a bamboo or stainless steel toothpick. 

For the Mussels:
Steam mussels in the white wine with some garlic (about 1 Tablespoon). After mussels open, remove mussels from pan and purge them into an ice water bath to stop them from cooking.  When cool enough to handle, remove mussel meat from their shells.  Set aside. Add the lobster stock to the pan containing the broth that the mussels were steamed in.  This is now the mixture to steam the stuffed calamari.
To Finish:
For the calamari:  Add stuffed calamari to the mussel/lobster broth combination and let cook for about ten minutes, or until the calamari is soft and the egg in the stuffing mixture is cooked through.   After stuffed calamari is cooked, remove from pan and let rest for a few minutes (about 3-5); then slice the stuffed calamari into 1/2 inch thickness.

For the mussels:  Warm the melted butter, garlic and parsley mixture.  Add the mussel meat to this and warm through.  This is the added garnish to the dish.

To Plate:  Slice the cooked/stuffed calamari..  Add a dollop of mussel mixture and that's it. 

 

 

DUCK, DUCK, DUCK




Duck, Duck, Duck at Morimoto NYC

One of the most famous recipes at Morimoto's restaurant is Duck, Duck, Duck.  It is a dish which consists of the leg and thigh of a duck, a "sandwich" which is sliced duck breast meat and scallions inside a Foie Gras Croissant, and a sunny-side-up duck egg. It is served with a Port Wine Reduction and an earthy Red Miso Sauce for dipping.  I've had the dish several times and it is, by far, a winner.


Since I have Morimoto's cookbook, Morimoto, the New Art of Japanese Cooking which publishes the Duck, Duck, Duck recipe, I have always wanted to try making it.
http://www.amazon.com/Morimoto-New-Art-Japanese-Cooking/dp/0756631238/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368533450&sr=1-1&keywords=morimoto+the+new+art+of+japanese+cooking
One morning after visiting a newly-discovered Asian market close-by, I saw that they were selling fresh duck eggs and fresh ducks.  Only one dish entered my mind:  Duck, Duck, Duck.  And since I had the medallion of D'Artagnan's Duck Foie Gras in my fridge, all I needed was the croissants and a few other produce items.  Also, in lieu of just serving a sunny-side-up duck egg by itself, I opted to make garlic and ginger fried rice with the sunny-side-up duck egg on top.  http://www.cece-corner.blogspot.com/2012/02/ginger-and-garlic-fried-rice-with-egg.html

Here is my own version of Morimoto's Duck, Duck, Duck:

Duck, Duck, Duck My Way

Morimoto's recipe calls for letting the duck sit overnight in the fridge with a dusting of five-spice powder.  The next day it is dipped in steaming water, then sits overnight again for another 24 hours before it is finally roasted.  Since I only had 24-hours, I rubbed the duck with five-spice powder and steamed it for 50 minutes.  I then let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight.  The next day I roasted the duck at 400 degrees on a rack in the roasting pan for about one hour.   I made both sauces, the Port Wine Reduction and the Red Miso. The Foie Gras Croissants were store-bought croissants with the medallion of foie gras as mentioned above.
For the duck One duck, preferably fresh, about 4 1/2 pounds
6 Tbs. Five-Spice Powder
Port Wine Reduction Sauce (recipe follows)
Red Miso Sauce (recipe follows)
Foie Gras Croissants (recipe follows)
Garlic and Ginger fried rice
Duck egg, fried sunny-side-up

Wash duck and pat dry.  Rub five-spice powder all over the inside and outside of the duck.  Let duck rest for about 30 minutes.  Place duck on rack in a pan filled with about three inches of water.  Cover duck with aluminum foil.  Bring water to a boil and steam the duck for about 50 minutes.  After duck cools down, remove duck and rack from pan and place duck and rack on a sheet pan.  Refrigerate duck, uncovered, overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove duck from fridge about an hour prior to cooking.  Lightly coat the duck with olive oil before placing in oven.  Roast the duck on a rack in a roasting pan in the center of the oven until the juices at the thigh run clear when pierced, about one hour. 

Roasted Duck

Remove the duck from oven and let it stand for 15 minutes.  Carve, reserving duck breast for the sandwiches. 
 

Port Wine Reduction Sauce

I used plum wine in lieu of red wine for this and home-made turkey stock which I had in my freezer.  Also, I added some pink peppercorns.

2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup chopped shallots

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups ruby port

1/2 cup plum wine

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1/4 tsp black peppercorns

1/4 tsp pink peppercorns

2 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots soften, about two minutes.  Add the port, plum wine, thyme sprig and peppercorns.  Bring to a boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.

Add the stock and boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.  Strain sauce and set aside.  Keep warm.

 

Miso Sauce

Red Miso Sauce

This sauce was thick and sweet; thicker than I recall what the restaurant serves but it was very good and a nice complement to the entire dish.

 

1 cup red miso

3 Tbs. mirin

6 Tbs. sugar

1 egg yolk

In a stainless steel bowl, combine the miso, mirin, sugar, and egg yolk.  Wisk together until well combined.  Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

 

Foie Gras Croissants

2 store bought (or home-made) croissants

Medallion of D'Artagnan's Duck Foie Gras (duck pate)

2 slices of roasted duck breast

1/2 Japanese seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

1 scallion cut into strips

 

Warm the croissants in the oven, about 5 minutes.  Slice them crosswise with a serrated knife.  Layer a slice of cucumber on each croissant bottom; spread on the duck pate and top with a slice of duck breast.  Top with the scallions and cover with croissant tops.

 

To Finish

Arrange pieces of duck on dinner plates; add a Foie Gras Croissant to each plate and serve with ginger and garlic rice topped with a duck egg and sides of Port Wine Reduction and Red Miso Sauce for dipping.

 

 

  

CALAMARI STUFFED WITH SHRIMPS AND SPINACH

Stuffed Calamari

The first time I made stuffed calamari was several years ago for some friends who make the dish all the time.  It was perfect and since then, I've been making stuffed calamari from time to time.  I like this dish, which is adapted from Chef Anne Burrell's book, Cook Like a Rock Star.  I only use shrimps and fresh spinach for the stuffing.  I then make a light tomato sauce topping and serve the stuffed calamari with pasta. I like to serve it with a black and white spaghetti combination or just plain pasta. Today, I made it with a side of black penne.

Something about calamari and black pasta just does it for me.  I love black pasta, which is made with the ink of the calamari, so the dish works well together.  Back in the day, it was not as available as it is now where it is found in virtually every specialty store.

For the Stuffed Calamari:
1pound clean medium calamari tubes, about 5 to 6 inches long
1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimps
4 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (no stems)
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
0.125 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Stainless steel cocktail picks (or toothpicks)

Shrimps and Spinach Stuffing

For the sauce:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup onions, finely diced
0.125 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
0.125 tsp Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
3/4 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes



Stuffed Calamari in Sauce

To make the stuffed calamari:
Roughly chop the shrimps and garlic. Add to food processor and pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, egg, panko, cheese, and red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Divide the stuffing among the 4 calamari bodies.  Stuff bodies and secure closed with stainless steel cocktail or toothpicks.

To make the sauce:

Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and the crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are soft, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor and add them and 1 cup of water to the pan. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

Add calamari to the pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the pan and remove the picks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, about ten minutes. Arrange the calamari on a plate and cover with sauce.  Serve with pasta.

 

Black Penne and Stuffed Calamari