Keep Calm & Carry On

I can never turn away a hungry person.

Largely, the joy in cooking comes from seeing others enjoy my food, and while it's a rare gift to always be able to satisfy an appetite, I've learned to use it well.

I've also made it a habit to always have something available in my fridge, so that I can put together a meal quickly and easily, because often, there isn't time to go to the store when I have surprise guests.

By far, my most outstanding meal, was a dinner that I prepared for 6 people (myself included), with about 5 minute notice. I had some friends stop by, and invited them to dinner - so it was originally just 3 people at the last minute. Then, friends of friends showed up, and within minutes, the dinner table had expanded 100% to 6 people.

The initial dinner plan for 3 people was a light & casual gnocchi dish with bacon and peas, tossed in that awesome Pesto a le Monde. However, with this extended guest list, I had to think of something more appropriate (That would severely undermine my talent as a chef). The bacon and peas were already in the pan cooking, and so I decided to extend this and make a creamy pesto sauce, and toss it with spaghetti instead.

Pancetta and Peas is always super successful, so I brought the technique of mixing in egg yolk and cream into the sauce to stretch out that last bit of pesto that I had left.



In line with my philosophy to always store something in the fridge, I quick braised some frozen OMG meatballs in a half bottle of red wine that I also had left from spaghetti & meatballs a week ago.



Now that I had the entree and side protein sorted out - the only thing that was missing was a salad. My cheese drawer had some fresh bocconcini, so I tossed that with some fresh avocado, good olive oil (a must have in anyone's pantry), and ripe apricots, which are of course in season right now.



To much surprise, it really wasn't that difficult to pull off, and really, I could never turn strangers away, for without knowing, some have entertained angels in disguise.



Pesto, Peas, and Pasta

Serves 6

8 oz Bacon Rashers, diced
12 oz Frozen Peas
1 cup Pesto

1 cup Half & half
4 ea Egg Yolks

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

6 portions Noodle Pasta, like linguine, fettucine, or spaghetti


1. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil, and add the noodles
2. In a smaller pot, add scald the half and half, and reduce by about half
3. Heat a heavy sautepan, and add the bacon rashers, until browned
4. Remove most of the bacon drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons
5. Add the frozen peas, and cover, cooking till peas are thawed out and hot
6. Quickly whisk the egg yolks and slowly temper in the hot half and half
7. Strain pasta, and then toss egg mixture, peas, bacon, and parmesan together
8. Season with freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Did a Mother's Day lunch for a special family over the weekend, and as usual, everything was fabulous, but I got the most props on my famous meatballs, so I'm posting it here!

The secret to making great tasting meatballs? Just use ingredients that you're familiar with, and always, always, do a taste test before you roll them out! If you can let the flavors marinate overnight before rolling them out, even better.

The other great thing about this is that it freezes really well, and you can always have a stash for a quick appetizer, or something to throw into a red pasta sauce for spaghetti & meatballs; but that's only if it lasts that long!

Enjoy ~


Chef Laura's OMG Meatballs
Makes 36, 1 oz meatballs

1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 each Onion, sliced into half moons
1/4 cup Sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Feta, Crumbled
2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbs Breadcrumbs
1 tsp Paprika

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan
2. Add the onion slices, and caramelize on medium until golden brown, about 20 minutes (keep stirring or this burns)
3. Remove from heat, and let cool; chop into a rough paste
4. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl
5. Use your hands to mix well, season with salt & pepper
6. Do a taste test by frying up a small portion of the mixture
7. Divide mixture into 1 oz portions, and roll into balls
8. Arrange meatballs on metal tray and freeze
9. Once frozen, store in airtight container or zip lock bags for up to 3 months
10. When ready to use, arrange meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet at bake at 400F for 10 minutes


Spinach Yogurt Sauce

2 cups Spinach leaves
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Greek Yogurt
2 cloves Garlic, sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan, and cook the spinach until wilted
2. Using a food processor, combine all ingredients, and pulse till spinach is finely chopped
3. Store in an airtight container overnight before using, this allows the flavor to develop

Seasons of Spring

Been missing the blog recently since things have been hectic in the other (under?) world, but so far April has seen come pretty culinary colors, with my favorite season for produce!



First, there was a tea party with the girls up in San Francisco, and I'm not sure how other people do tea, but we do it with lamb riblets, a cheese selection, and Chef Laura's all-time famous scones. I'm not sure where the tea was at tea, but there was some pretty good wine!





Not to mention Easter, where I contributed with an unforgettable marinade of green onion and fennel for the roasted lamb, and my signature Mediterranean quinoa salad with sundried tomatoes, green onion, squash, feta and a host of other delicious stuff.

Where would we be without contributions to the pasta book? New pasta creations include an Applewood smoked bacon and peas cappellini with poached eggs, a creamy Vegetarian peas and spinach risotto (c'mon, risotto falls under the the pasta category too), Gnocchi with bacon and spinach carbonara style (recipe below), and a special treat of red Italian sausage penne, where I didn't have to cook at all (Yes, I am still adding it to the book and claiming credit)!









A special friend came in from Portland, and I tried my best to align the menu with their health conscious goals. You can't have a special dinner without an appetizer or dessert, so a tomato and roasted garlic soup served up with some crunchy bread and creme brulee were a prelude and postlude to the entree of delicious slow roasted salmon, spicy corn salad, and a chile verde sauce.







Speaking of chile verde, Gigya had a chile competition to celebrate our Q1 close, and instead of Texas chile, I spiced it up with my contribution of oxtail chile verde, served up with some queso fresco, sour cream and corn bread, and I won!



More to come I'm sure - the rest of Spring awaits!

Carbonara Gnocchi

Serves 2

4 oz Bacon, diced
3 cups Spinach (anything except baby)
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup White Wine or vermouth
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 ea Egg Yolks

Salt and pepper to taste

Gnocchi for 2

Heat a heavy saute pan and add the bacon
Cook till browned and cripsy
Add the minced garlic and spinach, and saute till spinach wilts
Add the White wine and reduce by half
Add the heavy cream, and cook on high until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes
Season to taste
Temper the egg yolks with the hot sauce, and then gradually combine the yolk mixture and bacon spinach cream sauce
Toss with freshly cooked gnocchi

Vongole on Steroids!

Following my attempt towards the 101 ways with Pasta, I stopped for clams and pappardelle at the market before heading home one evening. Unfortunately, it turned out that the pappa was not the right noodle for the dish, but it was a very good dish nonetheless. A thicker, rounder pasta like spaghetti or linguine would probably have worked out better, because thin pastas like pappa tend to absorb all the sauce. With a thin sauce like this one, you don't want to dry the dish out.

I usually go all out with my staple white wine & clam juice base plus a bunch of other stuff (recipe here), but I wanted this pasta to be ready in 20 minutes, and just plainly delicious. I could have gone with the classic vongole, but with the pancetta in my fridge, I thought I would just kick it up a notch, (as well as saving it from going bad)! Plus, I also made a quick green pea soup, and thought that a sprinkling of pancetta would go very well!

The result? And overwhelming medley of flavor - this is one dish that does not go by the nickname "Bland"! Because it's such a bold pasta with plenty of layers, this is not the clam pasta that goes with a crisp white wine! Serve with a nice pale ale, and all will be well!



Vongole on Steroids

5 cloves Garlic, thinly slices
2 oz Pancetta, diced
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Crisp white wine, like a Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, (no chardonnay)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/5 Lbs Clams, fresh
4 oz Baby Spinach Leaves
2 Tbs Butter, Cold
2 Tbs Parsley, Minced
2 ea Anchovy fillets, mashed

1/3 cup Grated hard cheese

Cooked Noodle Pasta for two - Linguine, Fettucine or Spaghetti works well

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saute pan
2. Add the diced pancetta, and cook till nicely browned. Remove from pan and reserve
3. Add the garlic slivers to the pancetta drippings and saute until just cooked, but not browned
4. Add the White wine and Chicken stock, and bring to a boil
5. Reduce white wine mixture until about 1/3 cup
4. Add the clams and spinach to the liquid, and cover
5. Steam clams for about 5-7 minutes, or until the open up
6. Take the saute pan off the heat, and swirl in the cold butter, parsley and anchovies
7. Toss with pasta and cheese
8. Garnish with browned pancetta and serve immediately

Pretty Perfect Pancetta-Pea Pasta!

I had a craving for pancetta and peas (per my tweet about a week ago), and by chance had fallen upon some lovely pancetta from AG Ferrari!

It took me only 20 minutes to throw this together, and I think it qualifies as one of my signature pasta dishes now, along with Seafood & Carbonara, which has never failed to win praises :D

The traditional recipe isn't creamy like this, but I was in the mood for some comfort food, which in my mind equates to added lux (as in, more fat) - hence the addition of cream, & egg yolk.

The very last steps of the recipe are almost like a carbonara. Although there are not as many egg yolks, you will need to make sure that the pasta is hot enough to cook the yolks, but the sauce is not hot enough to curdle the yolks. To do this right, don't skip the tempering step (step 7), which heats the yolks slightly, so it doesn't shock when tossed with the pasta or sauce.

Also, I would recommend tossing the pasta with the sauce first, then pouring the yolk mixture over and re-tossing with parm.

You could use any kind of pasta, but I chose conchiglie (shells), because the bits of peas and pancetta fit nicely into their pockets. You can also substitute bacon for pancetta, but COME ON!

Enjoy!

Pancetta & Peas Pasta Recipe

1 cup Frozen Peas
4 oz Pancetta, diced
1/4 ea Yellow onion, brunoise
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 ea Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Pasta shells for two

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta to al dente
2. Heat a heavy saucepan and fry the pancetta until crisp on the outside
3. Remove pancetta from pan and reserve
4. In rendered pancetta fat, add the yellow onion and saute till lightly browned and translucent
5. Add the heavy cream and chicken stock and bring to a boil
6. Reduce sauce until about 1/3 cup
7. Whisk the egg yolks until thick in a separate bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce, quickly whisking to prevent curdling
8. Add frozen peas to the cream sauce and cover until liquid comes to a boil again
9. Add the reserved pancetta and toss pasta into the saucepan coating with cream sauce
10. Add egg yolk mixture and cheese and toss until sauce thickens
11. Serve immediately

When life gives you vodka, make a sauce!

Every good cook needs to be able to make a good tomato based meat sauce. It's the base of many dishes - spaghetti, lasagna, chili, and even meat loaf, so the classic recipe needs to be extremely easy to put together, and made with ingredients that are always within pantry reach.

I've made numerous changes to the recipe over the years (check this one out from last year here), but the recipe will always have the following ingredients: A beef & pork mix (pork for texture and flavor), tomatoes (canned when you are in a pinch), tomato paste (not always bad for you), onions. The secret ingredient is always an alcohol, and I think this recipe tops the lot with the alcohol of choice - Vodka!

Here's the recipe!

Vodka Meat Ragu

2 lbs Pork & Beef, Hand Ground
1 lbs Mixed Tomatoes,diced, preferably Roma, cherry, sweet 100s
1 ea Carrot, Brunoise
1 ea Celery, Brunoise
1/4 ea Onion, Bruinoise
1 cup Vodka
2 tbs Tomato Paste
2 tbs Fresh Herb, minced - parsley, oregano, basil & thyme recommended
4 tbs Olive Oil

Salt, pepper & sugar to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan & brown meat, working in batches if necessary
2. Removed meat into a saucepot and add the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes
3. Add the tomatoes to the saucepot and leave to simmer
4. In the browned saute pan, add the onions to brown lightly, adding a little more oil if necessary
5. Add the carrots and celery and saute, then add the vodka to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits
6. Keep the vodka mixture boiling until all the alcohol burns off - be careful, vapor might ignite, but it's nothing to worry about
7. Add the vodka liquid and vegtables into the saucepot with the meat, stir in the minced herb
8. Simmer until tomatoes cook down and sauce has a thick consistency
9. Season to taste with salt, pepper & sugar

Leave to cool, and best served after the sauce is left to sit for about 2 days in the fridge

Jeju Surf & Turf - Chef Laura in Korea Part 3

Off the southern coast of Korea lies Jeju (Cheju) Island, home to South Korea's highest mountain, Hallasan. With stretches of sandy coastline, lava formed beaches, and volcanic landscape, Jeju has been coined as Korea's Hawaii, and is often a destination for local honeymooners, especially when overseas travel has become so expensive.

It's varied ecology makes for tons to see and do - scuba diving, mountain climbing, lava-tube exploring, sun bathing, museums, waterfalls, gardens, and while the list goes on, we mustn't forget to include Jejudo's cuisine, which is so unique to the island it is almost impossible to find elsewhere in Korea.

We started out culinary adventure on Jeju at a restaurant just across the street from the Lotte Resort, and ordered Samyetang (Chicken and Ginseng Soup), but with an Abalone twist! Abalone is so ubiquitous in Jeju cuisine, as traditional Hanyeo (women divers) would bring back copious amounts in their catch. It is now so highly prized through Korea, Japan & China, that the locals say you hard get any in your meals. However, it was plenty compared to what we would get either in the states or Singapore, and exploited the situation by eating as much Abalone as we could in two days. Abalone rice porridge (chopped), Abalone Seafood Soup (2), Grilled Abalone (12)...

Samyetang with a Abalone

Abalone Soup

Grilled Abalone

Another specialty of Jeju is the Black Pig (Heukdwaji) native to Jeju Island. Black pork is tastier, and supposedly healthier than the regular pig, except that since we ate almost 1 kg of belly meat (bacon in you were wondering), I'm not sure the latter applies. We ordered it stir fried at our first meal, in the traditional Buta Kimchee style, but later the idea of Barbecued Pork Belly overcame us, and that's when we headed to Han Young, the best Black Pork joint on the Island.

Kuro-Buta Kimchee

In mandarin, belly pork is known as "5-flower-meat", because of the five alternating layers of fat and meat. Notice that if you look closely, there are three layers of fat, and only two of meat.

A Closer Look

On the charcoal grill, the fat caramelizes and brings out a lovely smokey flavor, while the meat cooks slowly with the melted lard coating it. Feeling sick just by looking at all the fat? Close your eyes while you eat it, and I promise, there will be no looking back! We loved it so much, we went back for dinner the second night!!

On the Grill

Slowly Caramelizing Bacon

Down to the last few bites

As far as the island seafood goes, we sampled sea urchin soup (Seonggeguk) and grilled Galchi or Hairtail (usually called Belt Fish in other parts of the world), at a restaurant neighboring Han Young, and owned by the same folks as well (surprise). It seems that world-wide, all cultures have discovered that the best way to serve mackerel is salted, sun dried, and then broiled, which is exactly what we at Jeju, another traditional dish. It was the best broiled mackerel I had since we were in Naxos, where we had exactly the same thing as the proprietor convinces us that the dish was "Naxos Specialty". Crispy skin, oily flesh, salty flavor - need I say more?

Salted Mackerel

I survived the whole eating experience by doing other not-quite-as-interesting stuff, that I will mention anyway for the sake of hopeful travelers. This is a food blog ok? Daryl and I climbed Mt Halla mid way, which was about a 9 km round trip, and took about 4 hours, and as if that climbing wasn't enough, we visited went up and down more stairs to visit Cheonjiyeon Waterfall (Pokpo), which has 3 gorges, and is the only waterfall in Asia to fall directly into the sea.

No where near the top

Daryl was there too!

First Pond with weird turquoise water

Second Falls

Third Falls - I think they don't let you go down because there's a giant eel that lives in the pond. It's even certified!

We also hung out a bit at Jungmun, checking out tide pools, mussels and trying to go into the water (that was me, and I made it half way). I also managed to do some running, where I got lost and ended up running on the beach back to the Hyatt, which I will never do again (beach running, not getting lost).

Daryl tired after his year's worth of exercise

Steaming I think, works best

The beach!

It was a great side trip to take from the city, but I'm pretty sure that 2 days is about all my cholesterol can handle. I think I'll wait to recover a couple of years before going back again!

Sneak Preview of More Seoul Culinary Adventures: Hanu, Toro (??!!!), and Hanjeongsik
(Imperial Cuisine)

Second City Bistro

What I had for lunch:

Pork tenderloin spinach salad, with roasted beets, gorgonzola, granny smith apples & carmelized apple vinagrette from Second City Bistro in El Segundo.

What I would have done differently:

1. Cook the pork a la minute - Pork just isn't good cold. Especially the tenderloin that can dry out pretty easily. It isn't like beef that can be served rare, marinating in it's juices while it cools.

Let rest for 10 minutes at least before slicing

2. Use golden & red beets for livelier presentation - Golden beets also turn slightly pink when their flesh comes in contact with the red beets, so a combination varieties always makes for such pretty amalgamation of colors. I would also have sliced them with a mandolin instead of cutting them up with quarters for easier eating.

3. Same with the Granny smith apples - a julienned cut after being sliced from the mandolin would make piercing the food with a fork easier, instead of having larger, chunkier slices.

4. Crush the roasted hazelnuts, to sprinkle over salad - have you ever tried to pierce a whole roasted hazelnut? This brings me back to point 2 & 3, where I firmly believe a well composed dish not only contains elements that come together well, but that are able to be savored together in one bite. The thing that annoyed me most about this salad was that I would take my fork and stick it into the salad, and all i would get was spinach leaves. Then, I'd have to knife a slice of beets, or scope a hazelnut into my fork to eat them separately.

Why force a deconstruction from a composed dish?

5. Since I also suggested serving the pork a la minute, I'd say to also say to serve the apples & beets at room temperature

Overall, it was a good salad - the flavors were well thought out and married well. Would I make it? Yes - with all the changes above!

Second City Bistro is located in El Segundo's Old Town, just outside LAX, and is open for Lunch Mon-Fru from 11:30am - 2:00pm, and for Dinner Mon-Sat from 5pm.