Archive for the 'Main Course' Category

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Rack of Pork Arista

Published June 14, 2010 Main Course , Pork Closed

Click here for a PDF of this recipe.

Sticking with the Thomas Keller theme, I made this dish for Sunday dinner.  As with the chicken, brining the meat for 10 hours or so before cooking is key.  After the pork reaches the target temperature and comes out of the oven, it needs to rest for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.  This provided the perfect window to roast some spring vegetables (baby carrots, new potatoes, pearl onions, radishes, and asparagus) and make a salad to serve with the pork.

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Catalan-style Chicken and Seafood

Published June 14, 2010 Chicken , Main Course , Rice , Sausage , Seafood , Spanish 1 Comment

Click here for a PDF of this recipe.

I’ve been on a Thomas Keller kick lately, so I decided to try this recipe from Ad Hoc at Home. It’s very similar to (and, in my opinion, not quite as good as) paella with one notable exception: the result of brining the chicken for 10 hours prior to cooking was the best chicken I’ve ever made.  I will be looking for opportunities to use this same chicken brine with other recipes in the very near future.

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Dinner for 70

Published June 7, 2010 Main Course 2 Comments

A few months ago, some friends of mine suggested that we put together a fundraiser for our church that would entail me cooking for a large number of people.  They asked me “what’s the largest number you could cook for?” I thought for a minute and answered “I don’t know, maybe 40.”  A date was selected, plans were made, and we began trying to sell 40 seats for the event (which was planned to be both a fundraiser and an occasion to honor our long-serving Treasurer).

Things began to evolve and the event took on a life of its own.  The list of attendees reached 70 people at one point, though I believe we ended-up serving 66.  We also raised several thousand dollars for the church and threw a great party.

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Shrimp and Grits, Momofuku-style

Published May 30, 2010 Bacon , Eggs , Main Course , Seafood 4 Comments

Click here for a PDF of this recipe without photos.

I’ve written before about how much I like David Chang’s food (see resources page and Bo Ssam post, for example), but it’s worth repeating – the guy is doing wonderful things.  He’s a classically-trained, Korean-American chef who grew up in Virginia, worked in Japan, and lives and works in New York.  He has three restaurants in New York and is unquestionably one of the hottest chefs in America right now.  While it was the significant amount of profanity in his cookbook that first caught my interest, the 100% success rate I’ve had on recipes from the book is the real reason I love it.  This dish basically takes standard low-country shrimp and grits and adds the Japanese touches of bacon dashi and usukuchi.  It’s absolutely worth a try.

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Thomas Keller’s “Dinner for Dad”

Published May 24, 2010 Chicken , Grilldome , Main Course , Potato 1 Comment

Click here to see a PDF of this recipe without photos.

This meal – barbecued chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, and strawberry shortcake – is really pretty basic.  The point of posting it here isn’t so much about grilling chicken as it is making this specific recipe from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home. In the book, Keller explains that his father lived next door for the last few years of his life.  This meal, which was his father’s favorite, also turned out to be his last.  The way he describes his feelings about cooking in this book (and in interviews I’ve read or seen on TV) describes my approach to cooking as well: “When we eat together, life is better.  Our lives are enriched when we share meals.”

In the book, Keller includes a number of  “lightbulb moments,” almost all of which are great kitchen tips.  Along with this recipe, he writes “the first lightbulb moment I want to offer is one I was lucky to realize in time, and hope that others will too.  It may seem obvious but it’s worth repeating: Take care of your parents.”  Hear, hear, Chef.

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Pappardelle with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs and Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Published May 21, 2010 Beef , Italian , Main Course , Pasta 74 Comments

Click here for a PDF of this recipe without photos.

There are a couple of ways you can make this (or any) pasta: by hand on your counter or in a food processor.  My mom has told me stories about her grandmother (Grandpa Julio’s mother) making it on the dining room table, starting with a mountain of flour and a little salt and gradually incorporating the eggs by hand.  I used a food processor which saves a significant amount of time, but means this post lacks the requisite iconic photo of a mountain of flour on my dining room table.  This is a great meal to make in advance, as all elements can be done well before mealtime.  The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, and the meatballs can be assembled and then frozen for much longer than that without sacrificing any quality.

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Paella

Published May 18, 2010 Chicken , Main Course , Rice , Sausage , Seafood , Spanish 1 Comment

Click here for a PDF of this recipe without photos.

I’ve been told that the preparation of Paella in Spain shares two characteristics with grilling in the US – first, it’s generally done outside, and second, it’s frequently done by men (including those with no other interest or skill in the kitchen).  I’ve made this dish outside over a fire in the past, but I seem to get better results when I cook it on the stove.  Because my paella pan is larger than my largest burner, I rotate it throughout cooking so it cooks evenly.  One important note on this preparation: once you add the rice, DO NOT STIR.  The rice on the bottom will get slightly burnt, forming the socarrat that makes this dish really work.

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Halibut with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Grilled Cornbread. Oh, and Bacon.

Published May 14, 2010 Bacon , Main Course , Seafood 5 Comments

Click here for a PDF of this recipe without photos.

This is one of those recipes that appears much more difficult than it really is.  At lunchtime today, I went to the kitchen, made the cornbread, put it in the oven, zested a lemon, seasoned the fish, put it in the fridge, made a sandwich, ate the sandwich, took the cornbread out, transferred it to a cooling rack, covered it, washed the pan, put it away, and went back to the office.  Total elapsed time = 45 minutes.  Once you’ve done that, the rest couldn’t be easier.

As I mention below, this can be done in three separate skillets if you really want everything to be piping hot.  Alternatively, you can make everything in one skillet.  I highly recommend this.  Once the fish is done, you can transfer it to a plate and allow it to rest for a few minutes while you clean, dry, and put-away the skillet you used.

Thanks to my uncle Jeff for sending this recipe along.

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Santa Maria-Style Tri Tip

Published April 25, 2010 Beef , Grilldome , Main Course Closed
When we first moved to California, I saw tri tip everywhere.  It wasn’t a cut I was accustomed to seeing in the other places I’d lived, and for some reason I didn’t pay much attention to it.  Eventually I had it cooked Santa Maria-style and loved it.  This has become the stand-by cut of beef I serve if I want to cook something on the grill.  Traditionally, Santa Maria-style barbecue is cooked over an oak wood fire, so adding a couple of chunks of oak to the coals makes all kinds of sense.

Momofuku Bo Ssam

Published April 25, 2010 Asian , Main Course , Pork , Rice 1 Comment

Click here for a PDF of this recipe without photos.

I received the Momofuku cookbook as a Christmas gift and quickly zeroed-in on this recipe.  It includes the words “pig candy,” so it’s pretty much a sure thing.  The list of ingredients (and this is true for most of the recipes in the book) includes several items that my usual grocery store doesn’t carry.  Fortunately there is a large Asian supermarket right across the street from where we live, so finding everything I need is no problem.

The whole idea of this recipe is to make all of the accompaniments and serve them on the side of a huge hunk of sweet, crispy, fatty pork shoulder.  People take a lettuce leaf, add some rice, add some pork, and add one of the sauces.  You’ll be surprised how much pork six adults can consume in this manner.

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