Rooftop Gourmet

I always get excited when fresh corn starts to appear at the market because I know that summer is approaching quickly. Despite the gorgeous weather yesterday, I still had a craving for something warm and comforting. I grabbed a few ears of fresh corn and peeled back an inch of the husk to reveal the golden nuggets that were nice and plump even though it’s quite early for corn season.

I packed them up and set home to make a quick corn chowder. I started off by slicing the kernels off of the cob and boiling the cobs in milk.

This is essentially the same idea as making a stock. All of the corn flavor inside the cobs gets extracted and flavors the milk. After about an hour of simmering away, the milk tasted just like fresh corn.

In my chowder pot, I started off by rendering the fat out of some house cured pancetta until I was left with some crispy matchsticks of delicious pork belly.

I sweated some diced yellow onion, and tossed in the corn kernels and cubes of Yukon Gold potatoes before covering everything with the fresh corn flavored milk. I just let let it simmer away until the potatoes were cooked all the way through.

Lots of times, a flaky white fish is used in a fish chowder so I figured that a nice thick piece of Cod would be a perfect compliment to the corn chowder. I pan roasted it which creates a crispy crust on the top but leaves the inside moist and flaky. One touch from a fork and the Cod splits away into natural medallions that seem to melt on your tongue.

 The flavor was distinct yet delicate. I finished the dish with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a drizzle of really good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I opened a bottle of 2007 Dumol Russian River Valley Chardonnay, which is pretty rare for me to do because I am not a huge domestic Chardonnay fan.

I cannot get over how most of them are overly oaked, almost to the point that I have to chew the wine it’s so thick and creamy. In my opinion, most producers go so far over the top with their domestic Chardonnays, that they completely over power any dish you put infront of it. I figured I’d give it another shot, and thankfully I did because the Dumol was actually quite balanced and food friendly. There was just the right amount of oak, fruit, and acidity that made it very pleasing even though it was a very big wine.

 There is lots of stone fruits and lemongrass flavors up front followed but a rich finish with hints of nutmeg and allspice. The flavor of buttered brioche toast lingers on your palate for minutes after you swallow. It might have been a little bit too powerful for the dainty Cod, but all the less worked great with the rich chowder. Maybe… just maybe I’m starting to enjoy domestic Chardonnay.

Now that the holidays are almost over, I have started thinking about New Years resolutions and the one that always seems to pop up every year is once again at the top of my list; cooking and eating healthier. It seems like for the past two weeks, everywhere I went there were platters of food to be picked at and elaborate meals, and desserts prepared begging me to devour everything in sight; the cold weather doesn’t help. Last night I decided to get a fresh start, which is ironic because the base of my dish is a sofrito; the ‘starter’ for many dishes in all types of cuisine.

The only difference is that I used it as a starter and a finisher. In its simplest state, a sofrito is finely diced onions and tomatoes cooked for a long period of time in olive oil. Depending on what country you’re from, other ingredients are added such as bell peppers, chilies, garlic, olives, celery, etc. The sofrito is just a way to slowly develop and layer different flavors which will eventually become the base for  more elaborate dishes such as soups, stews, and braises. I figured it would be a great way to make a simple, healthy dish burst with flavor without tons of butter and fat.

Since I wasn’t planning on turning my sofrito into a hearty stew, I wanted to use colorful ingredients with a wide range of different flavors. I chose bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow), onions, jalapenos, garlic, and tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes.

The sweetness of the peppers balanced out the heat from the jalapeno and I added some fresh lime zest to liven it all up. This is such an easy meal  to make because once you get all of the prep work done, you just throw it all in a pot and let it cook slowly (about 30 minutes) in some extra virgin olive oil until everything gets soft.

I topped the sofrito with a pan roasted Cod that was light and flaky but still very moist on the inside. In Cuban cuisine, a sofrito is often used to start slow cooked bean dishes so I added some monster white beans and a tiny salad of micro basil dressed with lime juice.

 The whole dish was exploding with flavor and I didn’t feel guilty afterwards cleaning my plate. The age old saying is that white wine always goes with fish but I love finding different red varietals that work with seafood. Pinot Noir is the obvious red to turn to because its light and fruity but other reds such as Dolcetto and Grenache make fish come alive in my opinion. I paired this dish with the 2008 Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha from Spain; one of my all time favorite great value, everyday reds.

You notice that the wine is extremely young for a red wine (2008) and that’s a good thing because most grenache should be drunken fresh (there are some exceptions). It’s loaded with a ripe, red fruit and floral bouquet and extremely soft and seductive on your tongue. The finish lingers with hints of cracked black pepper and strawberry preserves. Even though it has a little bit more structure and body than a Pinot Noir, it didn’t overpower the fish one bit. Hopefully this uber healthy meal was a good kickstart to a nutritious 2010; and a good kick in the ass to get to the gym.  

Imagine a football field covered in 75,000 flowers. Now imagine having to pick the three prongs out of the center of every single blossom. That is how many flowers it requires to yield only one pound of saffron; talk about tedious. Each Crocus, is an autumn flowering perennial plant that produces three strands, or prongs in the center of each blossom that must be picked and dried before selling.

They look like tiny, red clown eyelashes but they pack a ton of distinctive flavor as well as adding a deep, golden color to sauces. I wanted to put a little spin on one of my favorite Spanish dishes; paella, which uses saffron flavored rice as its main component.

Instead of rice, I used black barley for the grain component and made a quick chowder that was laced with saffron. Instead of piling the other classical paella components into the dish, I decided to keep it simple and stick to two. I pan roasted a beautiful, thick piece of Black Cod (otherwise known as Butterfish) until the top was nice and crispy and the inside was moist and flaky.

Black Cod tends to be a little meatier than regular Cod and its flesh has a pink hue to it before cooking. I didn’t want to leave out my favorite component of paella, the pork, so I made some crispy Prosciutto chips to garnish the plate with.

 Chorizo is the typical meat in paella, but I just happened to have some paper-thin Prosciutto de San Danielle in the fridge. All I did was spread them out on a baking dish lined with parchment and threw them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I had some Chantrelle mushrooms on hand as well which I simply sauteed in butter and thyme to top the fish with.

I have been sitting infront of the computer now for hours and I still can’t figure out how to describe what saffron tastes like; saffron tastes like saffron. I have heard all sorts of things such as bitter hay, burnt flowers, earthy, and medicinal but there really is no definitive way to describe the most expensive spice in the world.

I paired this dish with the 2007 Graff Family Vineyards Pinot Blanc. This is a unique wine because not many people grow Pinot Blanc domestically, but the Graff Family does an exceptional job with it. This wine is very versatile and complex; it has great acidity and minerality from the limestone rich soil, with flavors of peach and melon fruit.

The juice is aged in French Oak barrels which gives it an underlying flavor and aroma of toasted hazelnuts. It worked extremely well with the dish because it didn’t overpower the cod and it allowed the saffron essence to shine.

 The acidity helped cut through the creamy chowder and the rich finish was pleasant with the earthy mushrooms. After every bite I took of the chowder I thought about the poor workers that have the patience to pluck the saffron prongs out of the flowers and I was incredibly thankful.