VEAL RICOTTA MEATBALLS FROM CRAFTBAR, NYC -- CHEF, INTERRUPTED

Melissa Clark is the author of Chef, Interrupted. She's coauthored several cookbooks, and knows better than anyone how the recipes in some of these famous chefs' cookbooks can be not only nearly impossible to make at home because of all the impossible to find ingredients, crazy garnishes and sauces, but when they are made, they often don't turn out well. Geez, don't we all know how that goes. What a pisser it is when you spend money on ingredients and time on a recipe that in the end, doesn't turn out right. 

Chef Interrupted is basically a compilation of recipes she's collected from famous chefs and restaurants that she has deconstructed so that you can actually make them at home. In fact, I had a hard time picking a recipe for this post because they all looked so good and SO simple!  What I like about the recipes here is that a lot of them are familiar items that are twisted for a unique taste, so that you can have an old favorite that is also something completely new. There are recipes from so many places -- a couple examples are Babbo, NY and Commanders Palace, new Orleans. 

I finally settled on chef Akhtar Nawab's Veal Ricotta Meatballs from Craftbar, New York. They look good, no?

So the ingredients. Nothing outrageous. The only thing I had to shop for was the ground veal. 

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So, when you add the 1.5lb ground veal to the 4 CUPS of ricotta - whoa. That's a wholelottaricotta! 

They're sticky, as you'd expect with all that ricotta and tender veal, so it's recommended that you flour your hands to roll them. 

While the meatballs are browning in the skillet, you put the Marzano tomatoes in a pan, then add the butter (an entire stick! sheesh Paula Deen!) and the garlic and chopped basil. This sauce was so delicious!

This makes a lot of meatballs, and if I did it again, I'd probably use only half the ricotta. Veal is very tender, and the ricotta sort of drowns out the veal. They're good, I'm not saying that they're not, but there just doesn't have to be that much ricotta. Now, as mentioned before, I've never met a recipe I didn't find something to change in, so you don't have to listen to me. 

I had to do these in batches so I didn't overcrowd the pan, but take note - the ricotta will burn eventually, so you will need to change the oil so that you don't get black specks on your meatballs like I did. Truth be told though, they tasted just fine. 

What a mess. 

After the meatballs are done, put them with the sauce -- I used a casserole instead of just tossing all these super-delicate meatballs into the pan I cooked the sauce in -- and then into a 325 oven for around 45 minutes. 

They go great with bread, but noodles would have also been great. Served with a side of broccoli & roasted red pepper and it was complete.  Very rich, very delicate, very good!

A TRIP TO AUTHENTIC 1950'S CUBA - PICADILLO

I have always had a fascination with Cuba. I don't know where it comes from, but it's definitely there. I can't wait until Castro is dead. I feel that once he is gone, the relationship between our countries might be able to be repaired and then someday I can finally visit. It's my hope anyway. I know there are ways around it, but as an American, I wouldn't feel comfortable going until it's legit.

I originally bought this book because I love Cuban food. I got it on Amazon, and after reading reviews, I just blindly picked this one. I had no idea it would be so full of soul and would make me want to sit down and just read it like a book -- forgetting that it was originally intended to be a cookbook.  

I love the romantic stories of Cuba back in the day -- when it was in it's prime. Bright lights, that Afro-Cuban music, Ernest Hemingway, fancy hotels, nightclubs filled with movie stars and packed sidewalk cafes. Things are much different now.  The author of this book was born in Cuba into a well to do family. She's a great storyteller, and makes you feel as if you were in Cuba with her, in the 50's. In the summertime they had a break from boarding school, and her Aunt would often take her and her cousins into town with her; Buying couture dresses and having American style chicken salad sandwiches on white bread at the Woolworth's lunch counter. She talks about the restaurants, the shops, the people and the parties. Then there are stories of their family life and daily life in Cuba, and of course, the food!  The stories she tells of her family, and their life in Cuba have a bit of magic to them -- the memories you have as a child are often storybook like, and this is no exception. It pulls you in, and you feel connected. It definitely makes the food seem that much more special, and this is one time I had no trouble making a recipe exactly as it was written.  She wrote the book with her mother's and aunt's original recipes. It is the food that was made in every home in Cuba. Authentic as it gets. 

In June of 1958 they made one stop during their busy day that would forever change the life of the author and her family -- the American Embassy in Havana. She thought they were going on a vacation. She never saw Cuba again.  She was 10 years old, and she loved Cuba and was heartbroken. Her perception of Cuba is nonpolitical; A child's memories of family, food, a beautiful country, and a city full of magic. Those are my fantasies too ... so I am really enjoying reading this book. Some day, I will visit Cuba. Until then, I will just have to go there via my imagination, and through the picture books I have, and of course ... Cuban food. :) 

Today we are making Picadillo, from Memories of a Cuban Kitchen.

 

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My ingredients are simple things most kitchens have stocked. I bought the grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid and ground the beef fresh at home, and it was excellent.  

The setup; The book and a cocktail. Baby was in the high-chair having her dinner, and I prepared the "grown up dinner" for us to have later. Earlier today I had bought some sweet lemons at the Farmers Market. I had never heard of them before, and they were quite tasteless honestly, but mixed with blueberry vodka and some seltzer water, it made a pretty refreshing cocktail!  

First, you saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper.  

I wasn't paying attention and burnt mine, so I had to toss it and start over. Ugh. 

After about 10 minutes, add the ground beef and cook until brown.  

Add the tomatoes, sherry, salt, and if you like -- Tobasco and Worcestershire.  She mentioned that the traditional recipe did not have Tobasco or Worcestershire, so I left it out. IMO, it would be good with the Tobasco, but the Worcestershire would change the taste of the dish too much. Just my opinion. 

 

I had a can of diced tomatoes, but since it called for crushed, I used my food mill to puree the tomatoes because I wanted the texture to be consistent with the written recipe. I love my food mill, it makes killer tomato sauce, and gives a texture you can't get from a food processor. 

I had fried the diced potatoes earlier (not pictured) and set them aside. After you add the tomatoes and sherry and it has time to cook down a bit, add the cooked potatoes, the olives, and raisins. Correct seasoning if needed, and let cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

To finish -- add the chopped eggs, and peas. 

Picadillo is a traditional filling for Empanadas. Layer it with mashed potatoes and it becomes Tambor de Picadillo. Top it with a sweet plantain crust and you have Tambor de Picadilla y Plantano.  

In prosperous, postwar Cuba the nightclubs were jumping with locals and tourists alike and the author was lucky enough to come across an old bar book from the most famous bar in Cuba, La Floridita. I thumbed through the drink section, and there are definitely some unique things in there.

I chose the HAVANA BEACH: 2 oz pineapple juice, 2 oz Bacardi light rum, 1 tsp sugar and crushed ice. Shake, and pour. It's interesting. Obviously it's just a Pina Colada without the coconut, but it tastes so unique.  

GOURMET IN PARIS - AND THE NEW COQ AU VIN

I actually laughed -- several times -- while reading the Editor's letter in the September edition of Gourmet. The theme of the issue is exploring Paris on a budget, so I found it laughable that she considers a 40-euro lunch a real bargain. Apparently her version of poor and my version are not the same.  

Aside from Ruth's distorted version of living on the cheap, the issue is very good. I'm not sure there are too many people out there who have been to Paris and don't miss it, at least culinarily. 

Today we will be making a recipe from this issue of Gourmet Magazine. 

I'm the kind of cook that just sees something that looks good, then I make my own version. I rarely follow recipes and when I do, I admit I improvise way more than I should. But I'm changing. I read something once on a favorite blog of mine, French Laundry at Home, where the author addresses those who feel certain types of food, like that found at the French Laundry, is fussy. And to the uneducated, it does seem fussy ... but she explains very convincingly how in reality, fussy implies that there are unnecessary processes that are  being carried out by someone lacking expertise. And that simply isn't the case. 

And she should know, having now made almost every recipe in the French Laundry cookbook! She simply puts it "If the chef/owner of 2 of the best restaurants in the land is recommending a certain way to do something to yield the best result, then damn skippy I'm gonna try it. I've gotten an incredible education from cooking my way through it. It's cracked open so many "Oh, NOW I get it" moments that have changed the way I make a sandwich, pull together a last-minute salad dressing, or cook a steak. And, it's actually made me smarter, faster, and more creative in the kitchen. Now, I can pull together a really great dinner for 6 in 20-30 minutes, and truly blow my friends away. "   

I've never looked at recipes the same since. You're never too old to change, and never too old to learn something new. So today marks the beginning of a new blog. I will still do posts of my own concoctions, but I think I'm going to do away with the restaurant review posts, because no one really cares anyway since there are people from all over reading this, not just Orange County, and instead replace them with recipes I pull from popular magazines and out of my giant collection of cookbooks. And I will make them as close to the way they are written as possible. We'll see how these translate from book to real life. 

First up:  NEW COQ AU VIN, courtesy Gourmet, Sept/08

 

I spot this recipe in the new issue of Gourmet. The "New Coq Au Vin."  What makes it new? I wonder. Oh ... I see; It takes less than an hour from start to finish! Excellent. Let's do it! I'll go get a chicken from the freezer. 

First up, peel and chop the celery, 3 stalks. It didn't exactly say to peel it, but I like to take a few of the strings off. No big deal. I also peeled and cut in half 8 cloves of garlic. 

 

The recipe actually called for thighs only, but I didn't see that until after I had thawed my chicken, and besides, I wouldn't have had the time to run to the store to get a big package of chicken thighs anyway, especially when I had a perfectly good whole chicken ready to go. So. I cut the chicken into pieces that were all relatively the same size. Now we have a variety. No harm, right? It's still mostly in line with the original recipe. Hey, I'm trying. 

Brown the chicken in batches, skin side down (do not turn), and transfer to a plate. 

Saute the celery and garlic until it starts to soften. 

Add 1 cup of  wine, reduce by half. Then add 1 cup of water.

Put the chicken back into the pan. Now, in the recipe it suggests a stovetop method - to cover lightly and cook for about 30 minutes. I just put mine in the oven, at 350, for around 55 minutes. At my house, the oven is safer because I have a child who likes to turn knobs on the stove, and often will turn  your burners off and you don't realize it! 

The suggest side - Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes. Easy enough. 

I decide to put in a dash of truffle oil with the potatoes. Not exactly called for in the recipe, but so what -- they're just mashed potatoes. 

Ever use a ricer? I've actually never had a ricer until just recently ... but I love it! And it makes mashed potatoes perfectly! You don't even need to peel them, you just cook the potatoes, then cut in half, and plop them in and squeeze. It all comes out like fluffy clouds, skins left behind. Now just add your warm milk/cream and whatever else. Like velvet - guaranteed, and no more chewy over-worked taters. 

 

Potatoes done - check. 

Chicken done - check. 

Throw together a quick spinach salad - check.  

Tender chicken, rich sauce, small bites of sweet garlic. Celery doesn't always make people jump for joy, but it offers such a wonderful and unique flavor, so don't leave it out! Along with the fluffy potatoes (with just a slight hint of truffle) this was a delicious dinner. And although I didn't make mine on the stovetop as the original recipe called for, I really think putting it the oven was a good decision because it came out fantastic.