Hold the Belly and Give Me a Breast

Pork belly may be all the rage these days, but it's time that everyone give veal breast a chance.  It's impossible not to compare the two cuts of meat: both are extremely fatty, economical cuts of meat best suited to braising.  Thanks to the David Changs and Mario Batalis of the world-- not too mention those whose idea of Sunday brunch is dim sum-- pork belly is the sexier of the two; people are probably more apt to have memories of their grandmothers cooking veal breast than they are of seeing it on a restaurant menu.  I urge you to give veal breast a try for a few reasons, not the least of which being that it's darn tasty. 

For one, it's a good bit less expensive than pork belly.  Thanks to pork belly's rising popularity, it has become a pricier cut.  The lowly veal breast, on the other hand, can be found in New York City for less than $2 a pound. 

Second, I have found veal breast much easier to find at stores than pork belly.  Pork belly may be trendy among professional and amateur cooks, but the rest of America doesn't seem to be up for cooking it.  In New York, a recipe with pork belly usually requires a trip to Chinatown or a very good butcher.  Veal breast, while ignored by the food-obsessed, must be popular enough among the rest of the population, for I have found it to be stocked at most grocery stores.  

Best of all, veal breast is a cinch to cook.  Veal breast has so much melt-in-your-mouth fat, that there's really not much you need to do with it other than season it and pop it in the oven.  The other night, I sauteed a bone-in veal breast on both sides until it was a very deep brown, then rubbed it all over with a mixture of parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and lots of crushed garlic.  I put the veal breast in a Dutch oven, surrounded it with a mixture of reduced white wine and stock, then covered the pan and put it in the oven at 300F for about two and a half hours.  Served with plenty of creamy polenta, the total price of the meal came out to be about $2 per serving and only a small amount of my time.  No pork belly can beat that!

Coq au Vin

 Coq au vin is one of those classic dishes that I have wanted to add to my cooking repertoire for some time but have avoided out of fear that it would be a pain in the you know what to make.  I think I read about someone painstakingly peeling tiny pearl onions for coq au vin and it nearly put me off the dish for good; my fingers are not nearly nimble enough to easily peel pearl onions, nor do I have the patience to do so.  Fortunately, I recently discovered that supermarkets carry peeled, frozen pearl onions  for lazy and clumsy cooks like myself.  I decided to finally give coq au vin a try, and it really wasn't any more difficult than any other braises.  Feeling a bit lame for my use of frozen pearl onions, I've even decided to use fresh onions the next time I make the dish; and the next time will be soon because coq au vin is about the tastiest thing you can possibly do with plain old chicken.  Like most things when it comes to cooking, coq au vin taught me that there are few things that are beyond the home cook's reach (except maybe pheasant, but that's a whole 'nother story).  The below recipe is a mish mash of coq au vin recipes from Cook's Illustrated and Molly Stevens' All About Braising. 

Coq au Vin

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, wings, legs, thighs, and breasts separated, giblets wing tips and back bone reserved 
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 lb bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• flour for dredging
• 5 1/2 tbsp tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 bottle dry red wine, such as Beaujolais Villages
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 4 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 10 oz frozen pearl onions (or blanched and peeled)
• 3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and quartered

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 325F. 
2. Wash the chicken pieces and thoroughly dry them with paper towels.  Season them with salt and pepper and set aside.
   
3. Place the bacon in a large Dutch oven and cook it over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is browned on the outside but not completely crispy.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate.
4. Dredge each chicken piece in flour, shaking off the excess.  
5. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the bacon fat.  Once the butter has melted and has stopped foaming, add as many of the chicken pieces as will comfortably fit in the pan without overcrowding. Cook the chicken pieces until well browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Remove the chicken to a plate and brown the remaining batches.
6. Add another tbsp of butter to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium.  Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste to the Dutch oven and stir well to so that it is well incorporated into the vegetables and fat. 
8. Pour in the brandy and bring it to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to stir up any brown bits.  Continue to boil until almost all of the liquid has evaporate, about 2 minutes.
9. Add the wine, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and 2 tbsp parsley to the Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 12 to 15 minutes.  
10. Return the bacon to the pan and pour in the stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Ladle out a half cup of the liquid into a cup for cooking the mushrooms and onions.  
11. Add the chicken pieces, including the back, wing tips, and giblets, to the pan.  Add the pieces in layers.  
12. Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the lower third of the oven. Braise it until the it is tender and cooked through, about an hour.  Flip the chicken pieces once or twice as they cook. 
13. While the chicken braises, cook the onions and mushrooms.  Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions  and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the half cup of reserved braising liquid and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover the skillet and cook the onions, stirring them periodically, until they are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 tbsp of butter to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high.  Once the butter stops foaming, add the mushrooms and season them with salt and pepper.  Cook the mushrooms and onions, stirring periodically, until they are browned and glazed with the braising liquid, about 10 minutes.  Remove them from the heat and set aside.
14. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken pieces from the Dutch oven and set them aside on a plate.  Discard the back, wing tips, and giblets.  
15. Skim some of the fat from the braising liquid.  Bring the braising liquid to a boil and reduce it until it is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to a simmer. 
16. Stir the onion and mushroom mixture into the braising liquid.  Let the liquid simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.  Taste for salt and pepper.
17. Spoon the braising liquid over the chicken pieces and garnish them with the remaining chopped parsley.  Serve immediately. 

A Quick Bite at Faustina

The Significant Eater and I took advantage of canceled reservations caused by this winter's latest snowstorm and booked a same day reservation at Faustina, Scott Conant's recently opened restaurant in the Cooper Square Hotel that has replaced the short-lived Table 8.  I adored Conant's other restaurant, Scarpetta-- I have been dreaming of its duck and foie gras ravioli ever since my visit-- and had high hopes for Faustina, imagining it to be Scarpetta in trendier clothing.  As it turns out, Faustina is nothing like Scarpetta in concept, looks, and from what we were served, quality.

Following the small plates trend, Faustina's menu is a collection of "tapas-style" dishes that are meant for sharing.  There are sections for bread and olives, cheese and charcuterie, salads, raw bar selections, hot small plates, pastas and risottos, and side dishes.  There are also two pricier large plates, a seared sirloin and a veal "porterhouse."  If anything, the menu can be faulted for trying too hard to please the trendsetters who no doubt will descend upon the restaurant the moment the its PR flack pings the press release to Urban Daddy.  Take note of all the buzzwords on the menu: there are three "truffled" dishes, a dish with duck egg (which was terrific), oysters in a mojito gelee, the ubiquitous pork belly, and, of course, a fried chicken dish lest anyone forget about Faustina in these fried chicken-obsessed times.  Simply put, the menu is a fashionista's wet dream (and all in small plates!).  In all fairness, I'm very much a truffle hound, I admire Conant's cooking, and I imagine most of these dishes are very nicely executed, but menu did make me chuckle as I read it.  

The dishes that the Significant Eater and I tried were hit or miss.  The restaurant is very new and its lack of publicity tells me that it is still working out its kinks before it ramps up its PR.  My hope is that it will fix some of its faults because Scott Conant can do much better that what we were served at Faustina.  Here is what we ate:

Grilled Ciabatta with Poached Duck Egg and Fonduta: It's hard to screw up a dish like this, but this was an excellent starter to satiate our appetites as we perused the rest of the menu.  As I dipped a toast point into the creamy duck egg and cheese, I couldn't help but think of how great a finger food it would be if I was sitting on my couch watching a ballgame.

Black Truffle Risotto with Egg and Sea Urchin: This dish reads so well on paper.  Unfortunately, it let me down.  The risotto is soupy rather than creamy; it felt as if the kitchen took an ill-fated shortcut so as to not have to stir the risotto continuously.  A huge disappointment.

Oxtail with Semolina Dumplings and Bone Marrow: This was the clear winner of the night.  The hearty braised oxtail set atop bite-size pillows of semolina was pure comfort to eat during a snowstorm.  As if it the rich oxtail was not enough, each dumpling was topped with a dollop of heavenly bone marrow.

Slow Roasted Escolar and Saba: The kitchen may want to rethink their method of slow roasting.  The fish might as well have been a wool sweater as it was overcooked to the point of being dry and stringy.  The slightly sweet saba (a condiment made of reduced grape must) was nice, but could not redeem the failure of the overcooked fish.

Faustina
25 Cooper Square (at The Cooper Square Hotel)
New York, NY 

212.475.3400
 

Monkfish with Eggplant Allioli

Monkfish is one of my go to fish as it’s simple to cook and fairly economical.  Roasting is the easiest method of cooking monkfish, but I find roast monkfish to be somewhat boring in flavor and not at all aesthetically pleasing (think of an all-white blob on a plate).  Fortunately, this recipe for Roast Monkfish with Eggplant Allioli and Sautéed Yellow Peppers from Anya von Bremzen’s The New Spanish Table resolves many of the deficiencies I find with roast monkfish.  By browning the allioli, the fish takes on a leopard skin-like appearance that is much more pleasing to the eye than the usual white-on-white roast monkfish flavor.  Most importantly, the eggplant allioli gives the dish a smoky flavor that lends nuance to each bite. 

Monkfish with Eggplant Allioli

Adapted from The New Spanish Table

For the allioli:

• 1 Asian eggplant
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¾ cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste

For the fish:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 4 6 oz. monkfish fillets, gray membrane removed
• Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Make the allioli.  First, char the eggplant skin over the flame of a gas burner.  Frequently rotate the eggplant with thongs until the skin is completely charred, about 7 minutes.  Let the eggplant cool on a plate until it is cool enough to touch, then peel away and discard the skin.  Coarsely chop the eggplant and put it in the bowl of a food processor.  Add garlic, egg, and lemon juice to the food processor.  Run the food processor until the ingredients are pureed.  With the motor still running, slowly pour in ¾ cup olive oil and continue running the food processor until the mixture is well emulsified.  Season the allioli with salt and set aside for at least 30 minute to let the flavors meld.
2. Heat the oven to 450F. 
3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers soften, about 3 minutes.  Add the wine, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook the peppers until they are very soft, about 25 minutes.  Stir the peppers occasionally.
4. Season the fish fillets with salt and brush it all over with olive oil.  Let the fish sit for 10 minutes. 
5. Plan the fish on a baking sheet and roast until it is cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Remove the fish from the oven. 
6. Preheat the broiler.
7. Top each fillet with a few spoonfuls of the allioli.  Broil the fish until the allioli browns, about 3 minutes.  Set the fish over the peppers and the pepper cooking liquid and serve immediately. 

Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Curry

Although I love the flavor of curry powder, I find that it tends to overpower dishes.  I have made a number of recipes that use curry powder as the central flavoring component, and they all have tasted about the same regardless what other ingredients are used in the recipe.  My past results have made me avoid recipes with curry powder; what's the point of stressing over a new recipe if it will taste just like another one you have made before?

Fortunately, I let my prior experiences with Molly Stevens' recipes outweigh my experiences with curry powder and tried her recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Curry from All About Braising.  In this braise, the curry powder is noticeable, but plays a supporting role to the aromatics, lamb broth, and tomatoes that make up the slightly spicy braising liquid; a good baguette is a necessity for sopping up the last few spoonfuls of the liquid.  Lentils are a natural accompaniment to lamb and this dish is no exception.  Lamb, lentils, and a crunchy baguette and you have yourself perfection in a bowl. 

Lamb Shanks Braised with Lentils & Curry
Adapted from All About Braising 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 lamb shanks
• salt and pepper
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Madras curry powder
• 1 tbsp plus 1/2 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 cups lamb stock
• 1/2 lb French lentils
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• lemon wedges or red wine vinegar for serving

Directions:
Heat the oven to 300F.
Dry the lamb shanks with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper. 
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large braising dish.  Add as many lamb shanks as will comfortably fit in the pan and cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes.  Set the shanks on a plate and brown the remaining batches.
Discard all but 2 tbsp of fat from the braising dish.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. 
Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder, 1 tbsp of the thyme, and 1 bay leaf.  Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the tomatoes and stock.  Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.  Let the liquid boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon a few times to dislodge the brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and nestle in the lamb shanks.  Let the liquid return to a simmer then cover the braising dish and add it to the oven.  Braise for 2.5 hours, flipping the lamb shanks once as they cook.  
Meanwhile, parcook the lentils while the lamb cooks.  Add the lentils, 6 cups of water,  a 1/2 tbsp of thyme, and 1 bay leaf to a large pot and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook the lentils for 30 minutes.  Drain the lentils and set them aside to cool on a large plate.
Once the lamb shanks have braised for 2.5 hours, remove the braising dish from the oven.  Set the lamb shanks on a plate.  Stir the lentils into the braising liquid and add the lamb shanks back to the braising dish and cover the dish.  Continue to braise the lamb in the oven until the lamb is falling off the bone and then lentils are tender, approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the lamb shanks from the braising dish and set them on a plate.  Taste the braising liquid for salt and pepper.  Spoon the lentils with the braising liquid into serving bowls and top each bowl with a lamb shank.  Garnish the bowls with the chopped parsley.  Serve immediately, allowing your guests to sprinkle a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice over their bowl if desired.

Momofuku's Noodles with Ginger and Scallion Sauce

 

My latest Momofuku recreation, Ginger Scallion Sauce, is one of the easiest recipes in the book. Try it and you will understand why David Chang calls the sauce one of Momofuku's "mother sauces" that makes appearances in many of the restaurant empire's dishes.  The sauce will go with just about anything from meat to seafood to vegetables.  Replicating one of the dishes on the menu at Momofuku Noodle Bar, I served the sauce with soba noodles.  As Chang suggests, I topped the dish with the book's quick-pickled cucumbers (2 Kirby cukes tossed with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt).  To make a complete meal of it, I also added pieces of sauteed chicken breast.  Served chilled, the dish would be an excellent dish for a picnic in the summer, but it was plenty tasty in the dead of winter.  

Ginger Scallions Sauce
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 scallion bunches, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 1/2 tsp usukichi (light soy sauce)
• 3/4 tsp Sherry vinegar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.   

Lamb Ragu

 

If you need to give yourself something to look forward to this winter, make like an Italian grandmother and whip up a big pot of ragu.  Just don’t tell your Italian grandmother you're making lamb ragu, and a recipe from a fancy-pants New York chef at that.  So maybe it’s not all that authentic, but you have to try Andrew Carmellini’s recipe for lamb ragu from Urban Italian.  All it takes is about 15 minutes of effort, and then you can sit on your couch for a few hours watching Seinfeld re-runs as your kitchen emanates aromas that will warm your entire home.  Try your best to pick up lamb meat from the shoulder—grind your own or ask your butcher to grind it— as the leaner cuts of meat will not be as tender.  It's also worth the effort to scrounge around for canned cherry tomatoes which have a sweet quality that complements lamb nicely.  

Lamb Ragu 

Adapted from Urban Italian

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1.5 lbs ground lamb, preferably from the shoulder
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1.5 cups  dry red wine
• 1 cup canned cherry or San Marzano tomatoes 
• 3 cups chicken brother
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground fennel
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lb fresh pappardelle
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped
• sheep-milk ricotta cheese, for serving 

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the lamb to the pot.  As the lamb cooks, break it apart with the back of a wooden spoon.  Stir the lamb occasionally until it is browned, about 5 minutes.   If necessary, pour out any excess liquid that accumulates the pot as you cook the lamb; the liquid will steam, rather than brown, the lamb. 
3. Add the carrot, celery, and onion to the pot.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir well for 1 minute.
5. Pour the red wine into the pot.  Use a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.  Bring the wine to a boil and cook until the wine evaporates completely, about 5 minutes.  
6. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, cumin, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, and rosemary to the pot.  Stir well to incorporate the ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.
7. Bring the ragu to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.  Cook the sauce until the ingredients are well incorporated and the excess liquid has evaporated, about 2 hours.  Taste the ragu for salt and pepper and keep warm over low heat.
8. Cook the pappardelle in boiling salted water until it is al dente.  Drain the pasta and add it to the ragu.
9. Add the butter and mint to the pasta and stir it well until the ragu clings to the noodles.  Serve the pasta immediately, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, the grated pecorino, and a dollop of ricotta cheese.