Rooftop Gourmet

Now that there’s less than six months to our wedding, we jumped on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon and started our “wedding diets” in order to shed some of the holiday flab. Our goal is to cook healthy, protein-rich, intensely flavorful dishes that won’t turn our weeknight meals into boring routines. There’s nothing worse than eating “health food” that doesn’t taste good. It makes you feel as though you’re eating just to stay alive as opposed to eating for pleasure.

Thankfully, the nutritional value of one of my favorite foods is off the charts.

 Broccoli contains a cancer-blocking compound called sulforaphane that works at it’s highest ability when the vegetable is steamed. It is also high in Vitamin C as well as dietary fiber. These tightly packed, bouquets of dark green florets not only block Cancer forming cells, they also taste great!

One of my all time favorite side dishes and flavor combinations in general is broccolini with crushed red pepper flakes, crispy, paper thin wafers of toasted garlic, and a squirt of lemon.

The rich, bitter greens are beautifully balanced by the spicy chilies, pungent garlic, and the acidity from the lemon. It was this flavor profile that I used to create this super healthy dish for Day One of the “walking down the aisle diet”.

I started off by butchering six massive heads of broccoli which I decided to cook three separate ways.

The majority of the florets were blanched, dunked in an ice bath and then transferred to the blender to which I added some lemon juice, salt, and a few spoonfuls of fat free, Greek yogurt. I let the machine rip and after a few moments I had a broccoli puree that was a pastel green straight out of a Vineyard Vines catalog.

I refrigerated the puree to retain the bright color while I prepped the rest of the meal. I spread some of leftover florets on a baking sheet and roasted them at 420 degrees along with an entire head of garlic. I have to admit, this is my favorite way to prepare broccoli.

The stalks get so sweet and caramelized and the florets get nice and crispy burnt. Most people discard the handlebar stalks but try peeling them and eating them raw. The bitterness is toned down and they contain a lot more moisture than the rest of the vegetable. It almost tastes as if a broccoli and a cucumber had a baby.

As for the chicken, I simply sprinkled it with crushed red pepper flakes and a little salt. I am usually “that guy” at the table that takes the crushed red pepper flake jar and violently performs my ShakeWeight impression over my plate. I love fire and I’m not afraid to burn my tongue to some extent. I went easy on Siobhan’s chicken breast but covered mine to capacity before searing them in a cast iron skillet. Simply standing in the kitchen made my nostrils burn and my taste buds salivate.

I finished the chicken in the oven and made a quick aioli in the blender with the eight mushy cloves of sweet roasted garlic. I tossed only two tablespoons of the creamy sauce with my julienned broccoli stalks and used it to garnish the plate. I placed the fiery breast on the cool broccoli puree and adorned it with the “slaw” and crispy roasted florets. The entire dish was hodge podge of flavors, textures, and temperatures.

The cool, yogurt-laced puree and the raw stalks cooled down my mouth from the crushed red pepper flakes and Siracha border. The bird was so crispy on the outside, I didn’t even miss the fatty skin. I opened up a bottle of off-dry Riesling from Down Under to compliment my creation. The 2009 Yalumba Riesling from South Australia is impeccably aromatic. It exudes waves of citrus, lime zest in particular with interesting notes of metal and perfum-ey jasmine. Sip after sip wipes the palate clean of all flavors but leaves a semi-sweet tropical fruit note with lavender undertones.

This wine is really intriguing and I think that it works really well with this spicy dish. The citrus flavors add to the flavor profile and the sweetness plays with the bitterness of the broccoli nicely.

This was a great start to 2011 and a great, flavorful meal that was easy on the waistline. Even Siobhan (the only person I know that doesn’t like chicken), cleaned her plate… probably because she knew that “no ice cream sundaes” was in the New Year’s Resolution clause.

The holidays are such a busy time for me, as you all have probably noticed due to the significant increase in time in between blog posts. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to return to my frequent posting schedule because it keeps things interesting, and I have a million new ideas for recipes and a lot of great wines to taste.

I did make a Christmas themed meal the week before the holiday but I was too busy to post it and my laptop was acting funny as usual. Thankfully, the day that I tried to post my “Christmas Present” blog I received a brand new laptop as my Christmas present. What I’ve noticed over the years of celebrating, is that everyone opens presents differently.

 I like to open Christmas presents early because I have zero patience, and even though I love surprising people, I can’t hold in the suspense. If I can’t make them open presents early, I will most likely tell them what I got them. \

Siobhan is a neat freak and slowly peels off the tape, and folds the wrapping paper into neat little rectangles, driving everyone crazy who is watching her. My brother rips through everything like the Tasmanian Devil, crinkling, tossing, and destroying everything in sight, sometimes cards included.

I decided to make a Christmas present themed dish by blanching some giant swiss chard leaves and using them as wrapping paper for some fresh trout filets.

I seasoned the white trout pieces and wrapped them in the dark green leaves, tying them with a bow of nori seaweed. I steamed the gifts in my three-tiered bamboo steamer, gently cooking the fish inside of the leaves, which ensured a moist piece of fish. I plated the tiny packages atop a slice of roasted eggplant and finished the dish with a “festive slaw”, made of julienned radish and Granny Smith apples. The combination of the spicy radish and the sweet, and juicy apple was a refreshing garnish for my delicate fish.

The earthy egglplant was a great base for the trout, especially with the dash of salty, umami-rich soy sauce that I drizzled on top. I opened a really cool wine called Jack, which is a French Chablis style wine made from California Chardonnay.

Only 100 cases of this wine is made per year. It’s a lightly oaked, high acidity, white wine with tremendous minerality and structure. The nose is filled with roasted pears, wet limestone, and citrus and the palate is round and fat with flavors ranging from apple sorbet to creamy Zabaglione.

 Now that 2011 is approaching quickly, I will have much more time to experiment more in the kitchen and update the blog on a more regular basis. Enjoy the holiday season and I wish for a healthy, happy, and hungry New Year for everyone! Cheers!

Winter is officially here and with the holiday season approaching, our free time is limited. After long, grueling days of work and returning home under the pitch black sky, our weekly dinners slowly transform from meticulous and drawn out to quick and rustic. There’s something comforting about hearty peasant fare (as long as the ingredients are fresh and of great quality) this time of year that makes you forget that it feels like six degrees outside. Let the flavors of the ingredients speak for themselves, leave the ring molds and squeeze bottles in the cabinet, and garnish your plate with nothing more than a torn piece of crusty bread…and maybe a big glass of red wine.

Last night I opened a bottle of Barbera d’Alba, arguably one of my favorite varietals since I fell in love with it on my last trip to Piedmont, and because of its versatility when it comes to food pairing. The wine is stellar on its own, but the intense fruit, high acidity, and soft tannins makes it a perfect match for a wide variety of dishes from roasted pork loin to spicy seafood stew.

The specific Barbera that I decided to pop comes from an “unknown” producer under the label, 90+ Cellars, the hottest beverage brand since Four Loko got the boot.

90+ Cellars is the essentially the T.J Maxx of the wine world. They buy high quality, surplus wine from vineyards all over the globe and offer it to you at a fraction of the cost.

Wineries haven’t slowed production even though the economy has been shaky, leaving them with excess product that 90+ is more than willing to pay cash for. Now that customers have had the chance to sample numerous “Lots” over the past year, they now taste the quality, understand the value, and the frenzy has begun. Certain Lots are becoming everyday staples in households everywhere, only to disappear months, sometimes even weeks later when the batch runs out. Customers who call me looking to purchase previous Lots often react as though they lost the family pet.

This whole “you may never see me again”, philosophy has led to an enormous boost in bulk wine buying. I now have some sympathy when Siobhan comes home from the T.J Maxx Runway Collection with Prada shoes for $125 because she just had to have them. I get it. They’re normally ten times that amount. I still think that the twelve bottles that come in a case of wine will get more use than the shoes that kill your feet but who cares? You get the concept.

The Lot 27 Barbera d”Alba is awesome and cheap as hell…perfect for my hearty peasant dish. When creating this dish, I had the ingredients of Portuguese fisherman’s stew in mind, the heat from a San Fransisco Cioppino, and the consistency of a thin, Manhattan clam chowder.

I pulled out my Le Crusset and started layering flavors one by one to add tremendous depth to the stew. I started off by sauteing finely diced carrots, celery, and onion and then a huge handful of fennel bulb, sliced paper thin. I wanted to leave fennel in long strips and the mirepoix rather chunky to give the dish some character and texture.

Next, I tossed in some minced garlic, rosemary and a palmful of dried chili flakes, one of my favorite ingredients. Normally you see these red and yellow flakes crammed inside of a shaker next to the stale “Parmesan” cheese on the counter of your local pizza joint. If you buy fresh ones you’re taste buds will notice the difference. I tilted the pot so that most of the juices and olive oil ran down to one side and I held that corner of the vessel over the flame. This is a quick way to toast the garlic and chili to your desirable doneness as well as infusing the oils that will help cook the rest of the ingredients.

 I disrobed the hot Italian sausage from their casings and browned the meat in the pot before I deglazed everything with some white wine and clam juice.

The wine adds flavor and acidity and the clam juice adds a briny undertone that helps you realize that this is still a clam dish. Call it clam essence rather than clam juice if that helps you stomach the terrible name. I feel as though it is the most important ingredient because it knocks the pork sausage right back down to size and says, “this is our show”.

Next, I open two cans of whole, peeled tomatoes and mill them myself. You could buy the cans of tomato puree but your stew would be too thick and I don’t like to think about what the tomatoes looked like that were pureed for those cans. A jar of whole, peeled tomatoes confirms that you’re orbs are gorgeous and healthy. By this point, almost everything is into the cauldron, and I crank up the juice and let it simmer away. After fifteen minutes of a roaring integration of flavor, I add a huge bowl of fresh chopped clams.

Most grocery stores like Whole Foods will have these sitting out because they make chowder daily (just make sure that they weren’t previously frozen). While the little guys are cooking away, I rinse off some live littlenecks and toss them into the pot too. It’s always nice to have some clams in their own shells along with the hundreds of other guys. You know that the stew is ready to serve when the shells of the littlenecks open on their own.

I ladled the steaming, chunky soup into my conveniently shaped, clam bowls and drizzled some really good extra virgin olive oil on top. Siobhan and I each held one side of the chewy Italian loaf and pulled it apart as if it were a wishbone although our wishes was already granted in the fragrant bowls infront of us. Each spoonful was so simple but had so much depth of flavor.

The acidity from the tomato, the briny clams, the sweet pork, the woodsy rosemary, and the faint burn on the finish from the chili flakes. As expected, the juicy Barbera was a match made in heaven. The tannins were mellow and didn’t interfere with the spicy notes, rather the gobs of cherry and plum flavors counteracted them beautifully. The wine is round, medium-bodied, and has notes of brandy and syrupy balsamic reduction in its long, complex finish. 

Siobhan and I ditched the spoons after the first bite and started using the empty shells and loaves of bread as our utensils of choice. 90+ Cellars only purchased 554 cases of this gem, so stock up and experience the “wow-factor” for yourself. Experience a case of Lot 27 and maybe you’ll turn a blind eye the next time your wife comes home with a beautiful Alice+Olivia dress for a fraction of the suggested retail cost.

The past two years, Siobhan and I have split time between two Thanksgiving feasts. We travel to Bridgewater to her aunt and uncle’s house for lunch and then shoot down 95 to my parent’s house in Wellesley for dinner. The two meals are spaced out just enough, and we have learned to pace ourselves so that we can manage to enjoy both without gaining 500lbs. The two gatherings are so incredibly different, yet similar in so many ways. Siobhan’s family is huge…so huge that this was the first year that I actually remembered everyone’s name.

We walk into the house and we’re greeted by parents, aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins, grandparents, dogs, you name it… everyone’s there. All running around, eating, drinking, dancing and laughing. It’s like one big house filled with love and controlled chaos. The long, rectangular dining room table is always the center of attention (when the cousins aren’t singing) because of the hours and hours that Siobhan’s aunt puts into decorating it.

 Every year it is breathtaking. This year, the colorful china was set with miniature pumpkin name tags, and above our heads dangled hundreds or burnt orange leaves. The leaves were hand picked from her backyard and hung from the ceiling with invisible string, all floating in mid air at all different heights. Illuminated by the chandelier, the autumn leaves made it feel as though we were eating in the middle of the forest, or in a scene from a Harry Potter movie. When the food is ready, all twenty-five of us rush into the dining room and cram into our seats. Siobhan’s grandfather says grace, and everyone goes around the table reading a passage about giving thanks while the smells of roasted turkey, and sweet potato pie fill the air.

 When it’s “go time”, a whirlwind of serving bowls fly through the air, spoonfuls of stuffing are being tossed across the table, the wine is flowing, and for the first two bites of food, everything is quiet. All the hustle and bustle of passing, serving, and pouring comes to a halt to take that first chomp into the turkey. Then it all goes back to normal, and by normal I mean chaotic in a fun way.

Everyone is talking to everyone, and in order for them to hear one another, they talk louder. It was quite intimidating my first year but now I’ve accepted that I have to just yell to be heard. My favorite part of the meal is when the three different stuffings come out. They always serve a traditional oyster stuffing, an Italian stuffing, and a Portuguesse stuffing. All three are delicious and have something unique and special about them. I also always try to fulfill my dark meat craving in Bridgewater because I know that my mom has a turkey breast roulade in the oven and there won’t be any dark meat in sight.

I grab one of the legs and start to slice the succulent meat off the bone with my silverware before I give in and just pick it up with my hand as if I was at the Medieval Manor. The loud conversations at the table are pleasantly interrupted by clinking wine glasses and heartwarming speeches by certain family members. After everyone is stuffed, the men get up and watch football in the den while the women clear the table and do the dishes; after all it is a very traditional Italian family. I don’t complain.

Right before I start to doze off into a Tryptophan coma, we say our goodbyes and head to the car. I typically make it Braintree before I have to unbuckle my belt because I’m stuffed from the stuffing sampler.

The main difference between Siobhan’s Thanksgiving and the one at my house is numbers. This year we only had five at our table in Wellesley. Don’t be fooled though because it is equally as loud and chaotic, between my brother telling jokes, and me and my mom running around the kitchen.

This year, my mom tried out a new recipe where she butterflied, and deboned a massive turkey breast, and stuffed it with Italian sausage, pine nuts, dates, figs, and herbs. Siobhan and her rolled it up tight and tied it off with butchers twine, leaving the skin on the outside to get crispy. The result was by far the best turkey that she has ever made to date. As soon as the first slice fell onto the cutting board it was apparent how moist and juicy this bird was going to be.

 We carved it into thick slices and surrounded it with her famous mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and silky gravy. The combination of the crackling skin and the juicy turkey in every bite was amazing.

The roasted brussel sprouts are Siobhan and I’s favorite vegetable so we gobbled those up quickly. I was shocked to see that even my dad has some color on his plate, but later realized that the single green bean was being used as a divider to make sure that his potatoes didn’t touch his turkey.

We opened a bunch of different wines, but the highlight of the night was the 2005 Neely’s Picnic Block Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz, California. It was the ultimate Thanksgiving wine. Perfectly balanced fruit and earth, with a touch of oak in the background. It was pure velvet on my tongue. The singing and dancing still echoed in my ears from before, but at this table the only noises were “mmmmmssss”, and the clinks of serving spoons diving in for seconds. For dessert, we struggled to force down some pie and these bite-size fudgie pepperment patty bars that Siobhan made.

By the time I couldn’t physically eat anymore, I changed into sweatpants and we set off for our home in South Boston. We are so thankful to have such great families that take such different approaches to the holiday. In Bridgewater, it’s a party and a celebration, and in Wellesley it is a time of relaxation. We are so lucky to have the best of both worlds and that the main component in each home is love and thanks.

First of all… I want to apologize for the long delay. This is probably the longest I’ve gone in between posts since my start in September of 2009. As you can imagine, running a retail, full-service wine shop this time of year is pretty ridiculous. I have been so busy selling wine and working longer hours that I am usually sound asleep (snoring) on the couch by 9pm. After the Thanksgiving rush died down this weekend, I got the chance to make my way back into the kitchen.

I decided to take a classic recipe from my idol, Julia Child, and put my own spin on it. Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon recipe has to be the most searched for recipe on the Internet. It just has to be… especially after the popularity of the Julie & Julia movie. Her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is up there with The Scarlett Letter, The Great Gatsby, and The Bible.

The classic French dish is a perfect example of how simple, peasant cooking has been transformed into haute cuisine. Instead of sticking to the classics and braising my beef in red Burgundy wine, I decided to break the rules again and take a trip “down under”.

The Barossa Valley, Austrailia produces some of the most powerful, extracted, fruit forward wines on earth. I wanted to intensify the flavor in my stew by reducing the jammy, dark berry flavors in a Barossa Valley Shiraz opposed to a lighter Pinot Noir from Burgundy.

 I started off my recipe by searing the cubes of fatty, beef chuck, stew meat followed by sauteing some diced red onion, tons of garlic, and some meaty portobello mushrooms. The pungent flavors in the garlic and red onion were a lot less delicate than the flavors in the traditional dish. As the aromatics were sweating in the Le Crusset, I spent the majority of the morning hands-deep in pearl onions. These little bastards are the biggest pain in the ass!

I boiled them to loosen their skins, but then trying to peel them is hands-down the most annoying task in the kitchen… period! It’s even worse than peeling and deveining shrimp. Not to mention, my eyes are so sensitive to onions that I was peeling these golf balls blind, dripping unnecessary tears all over my cutting board.

I dumped one and a half bottles of Australian, Barossa Shiraz into the pot and cranked up the heat to reduce the liquid by at least half. The high alcohol levels burn off and the flavors of blackberry and chocolate reduce into a thick, syrupy braising liquid. I returned my seared meat to the pot and let it simmer at around 325 degrees for about an hour, until it was getting nice and tender. For the final half hour, I added my Yukon Gold potatoes and pearl onions to the pot to tenderize and cook in the braising liquid.

What wine should you serve with Beef Barossa? A wine from the Barossa Valley of course! I chose the 2007 Molly Dooker “Two Left Feet” Red Blend. This is just one of the brain childs of Sarah & Sparky Marquis that continuously gets amazing press and high accolades. This wine is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot… a “Super Barossa” if you will.

Have you ever gotten unnecessary headaches from drinking wine? Sometimes these cranial throbs are due to the histamines inside of the oak aging barrels, but other times they are from the sulfates that are added to wines to preserve them on long trips overseas. Even though the emergence of sulfates are a natural occurring process in winemaking, the people at Molly Dooker have created a way to eliminate the excess of added sulfates to a wine.

 Instead of adding these migraine inducing chemicals, they have found a way to inject an inert Nitrogen gas during the bottling process that hovers over the level of the wine. This layer of gas protects and preserves the wine but has a tendency to prevent the full flavor profile open up when the screw cap is popped. Introducing the Molly Dooker Shake… a new dance move that will maximize the flavor of all Molly Dooker wines in one simple booty shake. By opening the screw cap, letting the wine breath for a few seconds, returning the cap to the bottle, and shaking the living hell out of the bottle, the roundness of the wine will expand, and maximize the flavor potential the the red blend has to offer.

With melt-in-your mouth cubes of beef, tender pearl onions, and starchy potatoes, the full-bodied red is a perfect match. The bold flavors in the stew went head to head with bold flavors in the wine. Mouthfuls of blue and black fruit, so thick you could cut them with a knife, bombarded my palate but soothed my tongue from the hot stew. After a bottle of this wine, one would clearly be dancing as though they had two left feet. It wasn’t elegant, it wasn’t French, it surely wasn’t your typical Beef Bourguignon. It was awkward as hell and somewhere, Chef Julia Child was turning in her massive grave.