Rooftop Gourmet

Whenever I have trouble thinking of something new and creative to make for dinner, my Irish heritage shines through and I typically fall back on a meat and potatoes dish. As beautiful as the simplicity of a great steak and a fresh spud can be, I needed to spruce up last night’s dinner with a little last minute flair.

My wife called me to suggest picking up sushi take-out for dinner while I was already in the checkout line at Whole Foods. I wasn’t planning on blogging, rather slapping two strips on the grill and calling it a night  but sitting in traffic with sushi on my mind got me thinking creatively.

I knew that I had a few sheets of Nori at home, burning a hole in my cupboard so I figured that I would incorporate a sushi ingredient into a rather boring meat and potato, weeknight meal.

Nori is the dried seaweed wrap that is typically used to hold together a Maki roll. They come in rather large sheets and when they receive moisture they loosen up and become incredibly pliable. On a nutrition level, Nori is incredibly good for you. The seaweed is ridiculously high in protein (44g. per 100 grams of Nori), and dietary fiber (36g. per 100 grams of Nori), not to mention healthy levels of potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, and vitamins A, B, and C.

In terms of flavor profile, like many Asian ingredients, Nori is a whopping mouthful of the fifth, sensory taste, Umami.

Other Umami-rich ingredients include soy sauce, fish sauce, mushrooms, fermented soybeans, and especially heavily marbled red meats. So what better way to pack a punch of Umami than to wrap an entire NY Strip in Nori? It was my own little play on “Maki”, which is the term for a sushi roll that is wrapped in Nori.

Technically, my dish has nothing to do with sushi, but the concept of wrapping, or coating my protein in seaweed was enough for me to borrow the term. I sliced three sheets of the dried Nori which looked like glossy alligator skin, into small squares and put them into my spice grinder along with a handful of whole black peppercorns.

I roughly pulsed the mixture and “dusted” my strips with the jet-black powder creating a not-so-classic, classic Steak Au Poive, or in this case, Au Nori-Poive.

The crystal-like shards of seaweed gripped and clung to the fat-laced protein and glistened in the overhead light.

While the steaks came to room temperature on the countertop and took some time getting to know their new rub, I prepped the potatoes. I freaking love potatoes. I can’t live without them. My wife is a rice girl and doesn’t understand my potato infatuation.

Although rice probably would have been more appropriate “sticking”with the sushi theme, like I said, I had already purchased some baby, Yukon Golds. I started fooling around with one of them on the cutting board, slicing them paper-thin, while considering maybe a classic baked Au Gratin, when suddenly my knife stopped about 1/16th of an inch before the base of the spud.

I continued this procedure until the entire potato kept its round shape, with hundreds of little “slits” running throughout the whole. When I fanned out the wafers with my thumb, the potato looked like a baby armadillo.

I decided to dowse them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast them whole, the way that I would if I were making a simple roasted potato. About halfway through the cooking process, after the slits opened up a touch wider, I topped each with a pat of butter so that it slowly dripped into each and every nook and cranny.

When the grill was hot, I tossed my black steaks on the grates and eagerly watched what would happen to the previously roasted seaweed. One thing that I noticed is that it formed an incredibly crispy crust and kept the inside of the steak impeccably juicy. The Nori seemed to lock arms with each other and encapsulate all of the beef flavor inside the strip.

I also grilled some halved, spring onions that served as a base for my beef. The charred, bright green stalks are one of my favorite accompaniments to steak. I happened to have a few jumbo shrimp in the fridge as well, so I opted for a surf and turf meal. After all, it was a sushi-themed meat and potatoes dish.

I just sautéed the shrimp in a fiery chili oil and used the langoustines to garnish my Steak Au Nori. When all was plated and devoured, I didn’t know which aspect I should rave about more… the Nori steak or the armadillo potatoes?

Both were so amazing! The steak was perfectly cooked and when I sliced it thin, the rich crust gave a beautiful texture and the juicy beef literally melted on my tongue. The Nori was subtle but completely enhanced the beef flavor without any threat of overpowering. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft and buttery towards the middle.

In an attempt to prolong the enjoyment, I slowly sliced each wafer off one by one and ate them individually like saving the last couple potato chips in the bag because you just don’t want it to end. The spicy shrimp was simply an over-indulgence but enjoyed nonetheless.

I paired this dish with the “hot-off-the-press”, 2010 vintage of the St. Cosme Cotes du Rhone; one of my favorite producers in the Rhone Valley because the winemaker is not afraid to bump up the levels of Syrah. In fact, I believe that this vintage is pretty close to 100% Syrah. To me, Syrah gives off an almost Umami-like flavor, with notes of roasted red meat char, bacon fat, and Balsamic vinegar reduction. These elements are exactly what I taste in this wine.

Along with some dark blackberry and blueberry fruit, balanced with some sharp acidity and silky tannin. Big enough to hold up to a grilled NY Strip, but still delicate enough to let the subtle Nori flavors shine through. There is even an intriguing taste entwined in the myriad of flavor during the finish that I couldn’t quite put my finger on; almost mushroomy, or of roasted seaweed-like but hey… my head was elsewhere. After tonight, I have a new appreciation for the intricate complexity of Nori, sushi, and a whole jar of Nori-Peppercorn dust that I’m ready to sprinkle the magic on whatever protein makes its way into my kitchen. Possibly even a late-night popcorn snack for starters. It’s good for me right?

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!

Back in June we planted a bunch of vegetables and herbs, and adorned our roofdeck with the potted produce. The jalapenos started budding and became targets for sea gulls and other critters that climbed their way up three stories. We started to notice that these hungry animals would bite the baby chilies off the vine but then drop them on the deck because they didn’t like how spicy they were. Finally, the other day we walked upstairs and noticed that one of the full-sized jalapenos was left on the vine, unharmed so we picked it.

There’s something extremely gratifying about cooking with produce that you grow yourself. I took a tiny nibble into the flesh to check out the flavor and was blown away. These were the spiciest jalapenos I have ever tasted!

The heat was pushing Habanero levels, and I hadn’t even eaten a seed yet (the seeds are where all the Capsaisin is stored). I knew that Siobhan was in for a surprise because she isn’t quite as adventurous when it comes to the Scoville Heat Scale (a man named Scoville invented a scale that measures the Capsaisin or heat in different chilies). I decided on making a Thai-Japanese fusion dish because I had a can of coconut milk that would help balance some of the fire in the chilies.

A traditional red curry is made in a mortar in pestle, where tons of different ingredients are ground up into a paste before adding them to coconut milk and other meats. I took a shortcut and used the dried red curry spice, adding it to my sauteing, minced jalapeno and shallot. I waited until the vegetables got soft and then cooked them with the dried red curry until most of the aromatic oils started to release.

You’ll notice all of the liquid and oils start to run a deep, golden yellow and that’s when you know to add your coconut milk. Red curry is a little bit spicier and a little bit richer than the Yellow Madras curry.

I really love the combination of sweet, smoky, spicy, and savory flavors that the powder adds to any dish. Canned coconut milk is rather thick and gloppy, and a touch sweet, so in order to thin it out, I squeeze in the juice of a fresh lime. Normally, you would never think about adding an acid to a dairy product, but in this case it makes sense. The sauce is actually enhanced by the sharp acidity and it helps bring out all of the flavors in the curry.

 I let my creamy, straw colored sauce simmer away while I prepared my fish. Haddock is very similar to Cod, or as they say here in Boston “Scrod”. It’s a firm (when fresh), white fish that is relatively mild, which makes it a great blank canvas for all sorts of flavors. I hate overcooked fish, and one way that I avoid it when preparing a delicate fish like this is only cooking one side.

 I dab the filet with a paper towel in order to remove all the moisture from the exterior so that the fish won’t steam in the pan. Then I simply sear it on high heat in a frying pan with just a drop of oil. After about two minutes, I turn the heat down to low and slowly let the rest of the fish cook through. This technique took me a long time to get good at but once you get the feel for judging when to take the fish off, it’s quite easy.

 I gave this Thai dish, a Japanese twist by adding some Nori, or roasted seaweed. I love sushi, but I have to admit, I have never attempted to make it at home. Nori is the seaweed that is used to roll Maki. It’s firm and crunchy until it’s introduced to some heat or moisture. Then it softens up and tends to melt on your tongue. I plated to pan seared Haddock on top of a lime wedge in the center of a bowl and sprinkled some julienned Nori over the top. As soon as the seaweed hit the flesh of the fish, it wilted, curled and draped over the side of the filet. In no time, the Haddock looked like it was wearing a Howard Stern wig.

I ladled the warm red curry into the bowl and the aromas were mesmerizing. The spice from the curry and the sweetness of the coconut met the zest from the lime and the roasted ocean flavor in the Nori. The flaky fish gently fell apart into the rich broth and ever so elegantly dissolved in your mouth, leaving your palate with a whirlwind of different flavors… heat being the last to leave. Spicy Thai dishes are ruined by dry wines, and vice versa. I called upon Austria’s signature grape, the Gruner Veltliner which is usually dry, but the particular one I had was made in the Smaragad style.

It is harvested a tad bit later in the season, and has a touch of residual sugar. The 2008 Loimer Gruner Veltliner is medium bodied but still quite refreshing. It’s a pale straw color but has a hint of green in it when it shimmers. The flavor profile is quite simple, a touch of apple, flat Sprite, and a hint of white pepper. The sugary, lemon-lime flavors work beautifully with the heat from my ridiculously intense jalapeno. Between the coconut milk and the touch of residual sugar in the wine, the dish calmed down enough for Siobhan, to the point that she ended up licking her bowl clean. I don’t know what she’s putting in the soil up on the deck, but everyone seems to enjoy the fruits of her labor… even the annoying squirrels.