Rooftop Gourmet

You either love them or you hate them. A great Bloody Mary will either make you barf, or prevent you from puking up last night’s bar tab. This classic drink, said to have been created at Harry’s Bar in the 1920’s, is famous for curing the dreaded hangover. The basic combination of equal parts vodka and tomato juice has been put through years of makeovers by bartenders everywhere, claiming their own “signature” Bloody Mary.

 As a Bloody Mary aficionado (I’m not always hungover I swear) I have seen everything from smoked green tomato puree to a tall Bloody garnished with a handful of Slim Jims. My two all-time favorite places to wash one down is in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium, pre-Patriots game, and at the make-your-own Bloody Mary bar at East Coast Grill in Cambridge, MA. Both are amazing in their own way. Making your own batch the night before, so thick that you can leave the straws at home, and standing in your snow boots at 9am talking football, or hovering over 40 different condiments with a pint glass full of ice, preparing for the best brunch in town.

The best thing about a Bloody Mary is that all of the ingredients, no matter what they are, are so bold in flavor that it awakes not only your tastebuds, but all of your senses too; Spicy, salty, sweet, bitter… and boozy.

Last night, I took some of the most popular Bloody Mary staples and created a fish dish to pay homage to my favorite Sunday morning beverage. I bought a thick and meaty piece of fresh Halibut to serve as the canvas for my Bloody Mary Halibut. I started off preparing my tomato sauce by toasting some sliced garlic and crushed chile flakes to give the dish some heat.

After the sauce simmered away on the stovetop for about twenty minutes, I added a few dashes of Tabasco to give it that tangy, vinegar kick to it. The sauce wasn’t meant to be a huge part of the dish, so I had a heavy hand when kicking up the heat. My goal was to make my forehead start to perspire as it does while lurched over a tall Bloody Mary at the bar. The next thing I did was wash off a few stalks of celery, which are typically served as a garnish. I thinly shaved them on a bias and tossed them in a bowl with parsley, lemon juice and a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Celery adds a bitter, freshness to the classic recipe as well as a powerful crunch. A gremolata is an Italian “condiment” that is usually sprinkled over braised dishes to liven them up, such as Veal Osso Bucco.

 It normally consists of anchovies, lemon zest, and fresh parsley that is ground in a mortar and pestle. I decided to make a gremolata with lemon zest, fresh parsley and chopped green olives because all of those flavors are tied into a Bloody Mary. Most drinks are usually garnished with a lemon wedge and a few green olives that are usually fished out of the bottom of the ice with your celery stalk.

 I peeled the nasty layer off of the fresh horseradish root and revealed its ivory, white flesh. Immediately, I could smell the pungent zip that closely resembles the flavor of wasabi. Horseradish has a specific type of heat that is totally different than the heat in the tomato sauce. Unlike the Capsaicin that comes from chilie peppers and punches you in the tastebuds and numbs your tongue, the heat from horseradish root clears your sinuses by sending a rush of sneeze-inducing fumes through your nose. Sounds painful but I am a sucker for punishment and absolutely love it.

 I grated the fresh root and crusted the top of the halibut filet with the coconut-like shavings before baking it in the oven until the flesh was opaque. The crust toasted into a delicious golden brown color and I sprinkled the fresh gremolata on top. I placed the fish on a streak of the fiery tomato sauce and plated some refreshing, shaved celery salad on the side. One of the main components in your typical Bloody Mary mix was not left out.

Worcestershire Sauce is usually added to give the mix a little more depth and character. I made a sticky, Worcestershire Sauce reduction and drizzled it in the corner of the plate. When you ran your fork through every component on the plate, the flavors of a classic Bloody Mary all came together in an elegant seafood dish. The crispy horseradish crust protected the moist, flaky fish. The heat from the tomato sauce was tamed by the cool, celery salad, and the reduction and gremolata side-swiped your palate with rich and salty flavors. I paired this deconstructed cocktail dish with an intriguing wine from Salento, Italy.

The 2008 Li Veli Primonero is a unique blend (kind of like vodka and tomato juice) of Primitivo and Negromaro grapes. The Primitivo (Italian Zinfandel) is picked in early August and produces fresh, ripe fruit flavors, while the Negromaro is picked in late September, producing dark fruit and earthy flavors. The stark difference in picking times, and styles of the grapes combine to make a very well balanced, food-friendly wine. The color is deep ruby purple, with fresh berries on the nose and a velvety mouthfeel. The wine is medium bodied and rich with a finish that Italians would say is, “full of finesse”. This is a one of a kind blend that shows that new and innovative winemaking in an Old World wine country is on the rise. After a meal like this, I am anxiously looking forward to football season or at least maybe some more 10am World Cup Soccer matches, where Bloody Mary will be in attendance.

If you were to peek into my fridge, you’d see the typical kitchen staples; milk, eggs, butter, and cheese. Then if you looked on the top shelf, you’d encounter a vast array of tubs and jars filled with not so ordinary ingredients that I impulsively grabbed during trips to the market. You never know what you’re going to find up there. My most recent adventure has been into the world of miso. Miso is amazing and trust me, it’s not like the complimentary, cloudy, dishwater soup that you get at cheap sushi joints, with floating cubes of tofu in it. Miso comes in the form of a thick, flavorful paste used for sauces, stocks, or marinades.

This traditional Japanese seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley, and soybeans with salt and a special fungus called kojikin. The fermenting process, and the decisions made during this process are very similar to wine making. Hundreds of contributing factors create different tastes and aromas to the final product. I chose a red miso that has been aged for one year in four ton wood vats. The result is an earthier taste with some dried fruit aromas. I dissolved a few tablespoons of the red miso paste into  some white wine and sugar to create my marinade that had a texture of cake batter (you don’t need any salt because the miso paste itself is relatively salty).

Hake is a fish that is very similar to Cod and is native of Ireland. Some say that it followed the immigrants over and is now most abundant off the coasts of Cape Cod. The texture is almost identical but it has a slightly sweeter taste to the flesh.

This fish was the perfect choice to suck up all of the flavors in the marinade in roughly forty-five minutes. While the Hake was enjoying its Miso spa treatment, I started making my cucumber-horseradish sauce. Fresh horseradish is one of my favorite roots because of its sweet taste that lures you in before it tomahawks you with nasal cleansing heat. Its similar to wasabi, in that it can be eaten raw or more typically grated into a paste (or into an awesome Bloody Mary).

 I peeled and seeded the cucumbers before I tossed them into a food processor with organic Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and tons of lemon zest. The yogurt loses some of its thickness but turns a beautiful pastel green color.

 I then grated in some of the fresh horseradish, giving it some fire which is quickly cooled down by the cucumber-beautifully balanced. Marinaded meat and fish make it hard to obtain a nice sear, so I decided to broil the fish with some black sesame seeds on top. The extra sugar in the marinade created a sticky crust on the fish, protecting the inside from drying out. I had a dream the other night about this cold salad that I wanted to create, and this was my chance to test it out.

 I thinly diced up three bunches of broccolini (the broccoli with thelong stems resembling asparagus, and the tiny florets) and tossed them in a bowl with some sliced, red jalapeno for some heat. I dressed the raw salad with rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a splash of soy and lemon juice. The combination of flavors were intense… the heat from the jalapeno, and the nutty flavors in the oil and seeds, paired nicely with the bitter, raw broccoli.

 I had plenty leftover to which I added 2 cans of tuna for tuna sandwiches the next day (the sandwich was gold medal worthy, if sandwich making was an Olympic sport). When the fish was ready, I plated it with the cold sauce and cold salad which was a nice contrast in temperature.

 I chose an interesting wine to serve with this meal, with a back label that resembles the top shelf of my refrigerator. The 2008 Clayhouse Adobe White is a blend of seven different grapes; 22% Viognier, 18% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Grenache Blanc, 16% Roussanne, 6% Chardonnay, and 5% Chenin Blanc. That only equals 84% you say…. what is the last 16% of juice in this hodge podge bottle? A grape that is named after Super Mario’s crush. 16% of Princess is the final blending grape that technically is not allowed to be listed on the label because it is not yet an approved varietal by the federal government.

This wine has so much going on, from orange blossom aromas to pumpkin pie spice in the finish. It’s medium in body and has a beautiful golden color to it. Tons of apple and stone fruit fill your mouth, followed by a creamy finish with a hint of residual sugar. The wine reminded me of the miso paste…. rich and concentrated with boatloads of different layers of flavors.

The red miso gave the fish a unique sweet and earthy flavor without over powering it. The hake was still moist and flaky in the center, but every bite  of the crust added a new sensation with a little Asian flair to it. The chilled sauce was refreshing and kept the meal light and healthy. If miso paste is too adventurous for you, at the very least, try this spicy broccolini tuna salad or the Clayhouse Adobe White… the Princess is worth it.