Simple Supper: Ginger Turkey Lettuce Wraps

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a nice family restaurant. It has an approachable menu with things like Sweet & Sour Pork. It looks fancy. Great place to take a date or a mother-in-law. People like it there. I don't. Okay, well maybe with a little arm twisting I'd saddle up for a plate of lettuce wraps.

Ginger Turkey Lettuce Wraps, for 4 - 6
1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium nub of ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small shallots, minced & divided
1 tbsp. soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. garlic sriracha sauce (or other chili sauce)
salt to taste
2 carrots, shaved
1 green onion, slivered
1 small head of iceberg or bibb lettuce

In a medium bowl, mix the ground turkey with the garlic, ginger, half of the shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha sauce & sesame oil. Brown in a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, shave slivers of carrot with a vegetable peeler or mandolin & set aside. Peel off whole lettuce leave from the head & use each leave as a "wrap." Fill each "wrap" with a bit of turkey & top with shallot, green onion & carrots.

Kitchen to table time: 15 - 20 minutes

One year ago today: Cornbread Stuffing Meatloaf with Honey Glaze & Checca Penne

Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

Vacations were rather limited this summer. Quick trips back home & a weekend get away or two were about it. So, for now I'll have to live vicariously though my parents little vacation to New Orleans. Though I haven't heard much about their trip other than their meal at the infamous Commander's Palace. An institution since 1880, their menu zeros in on Creole & American favorites. Apparently this particular meal changed my dad's life. More times than I can count, my dad has proclaimed he's just eaten the "best meal of his life." He remembers them all. Homemade gnocchi & wood fired pizza in Little Italy. Street tacos in San Miguel. Chuck wagon style Sunday brunches of fried chicken & biscuits in Buffalo Gap, TX. Oysters on the half-shell & martinis on the Gulf. He means it too, so when he came back from New Orleans touting his latest "best meal of his life" I was sure it was good. Singularly the best meal of his life, who knows, but certainly among them. Something of a somber hush comes over him & his eyes get starry when discussing this dish. Without hyperbole he emphasizes that this, Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc, was truly the best meal he'd ever had. And, after painstakingly recreating it at home, deveining shrimp, chopping tasso ham & mincing a mountain of pepper into tiny bits, to the tune of seriously pepper burned hands, I might ad, I believe him. I might even be the best meal I've ever had. Burns be damned.

Shrimp & Tasso, serves 6 - 8

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace

36 jumbo shrimp, shelled & deveined

6 oz. spicy tasso, julienne into 1" strips (can be found in speciality meat markets)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. vegetable oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Make a 1/4" incision down the back of each shrimp & place one strip of tasso in each incision. Secure with a toothpick. Lightly dust each shrimp with seasoned flour & fry in oil until golden (about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side).

Five Pepper Jelly

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
1 each red, yellow & green bell peppers, finely diced
1 jalapeño

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 oz. karo light syrup
6 oz. white vinegar

salt to taste

Put light syrup and vinegar in a pot and reduce until sticky (about 2 - 4 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and cook until the peppers are soft (about 5 minutes). Add salt to taste.

Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
5 oz. Crystal hot sauce (or similar hot sauce, such as tabasco)

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 oz. heavy cream
1 1/2 lb. butter
Saute garlic and shallots in a pan with a little butter until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add crystal hot sauce and reduce by 75% (about 4 minutes). Add cream and reduce again by 50% (about 3 minutes). Slowly whip in softened butter a little at a time until all butter is mixed in (5 minutes more).

Placed cooked shrimp in a bowl with Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc sauce and toss until well coated. Serve over a bed of white rice (I prefer Basmati) & drizzle with Five Pepper Jelly.

Camping: Italian Dogs

Hot dogs are, of course, a must when you're camping. Sitting around the fire with coat hanger skewered meat dangling over the flames feels so primal. Kind of. It's fun anyway. Plus, hot dogs are quick to cook (precooked technically), easy to pack, agreeable to even the most finicky eaters & all in all, pretty yummy stuff, but sometimes they can be a bit blah. Meat, ketchup, bun ... yawn. So, in an effort to dress up our dogs I decided a quick wrap of pancetta would do nicely. Over a crackling fire it crisps right up. Topped with spicy arugula these "Italian" dogs have a sharp bite to them. Serve 'em up with a big can of baked beans. Are they Italian? No. Are they perfect camping food? Yes.

Italian Dogs, for 4 - 8

1 8 ct. package of beef hot dogs (I recommend Nathan's)

1 8 ct. package buns (whole wheat)

16 slices pancetta

1 1/2 c. arugula

8 slices muenster cheese

1 tsp. per dog dijon mustard

1 tsp. per dog mayonnaise

For Campers: Get your fire going steady. Open your can of beans & remove the paper. Nestle in the coals or set on top of a grill plate over the fire. They should be warmed through in 10 - 20 minutes depending on your can size.

Meanwhile, wrap all your hot dogs in pancetta (1 - 2 slices per dog). Skewer them with a wire coat hanger & hold them close to the flames until the pancetta begins to crisp up. The pancetta likes to unwind itself if you do this too quickly, so do this slowly, it will pay off! This should take about 8 - 10 minutes.

Once cooked through & crisp, tuck the dogs into a bun & dress as you like. I prefer dijon mustard, munster cheese & arugula.

For Home Cooks: Preheat your oven to 400F. Prepare your beans according to package directions (or skip 'em all together & serve the Italian dogs with a green salad or roasted potatoes).

Meanwhile, wrap your all your hot dogs in pancetta & place on a foil lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until the pancetta is crisp.

Once cooked through & crisp, tuck the dogs into a bun & dress as you like. I prefer dijon mustard, munster cheese & arugula.

Caballero Pizza

There's a righteous pizza joint in Austin, yeah, that's right, I said righteous. Curry, jerk chicken & roasted eggplant are all counted among their toppings, but my favorite one is avocado. Odd though it may sound, it's perfect on pizza. It gets warm & creamy & the avacadoyness is really coaxed out. The flavor is smooth, buttery & a bit nutty. So, last movie night (our Tuesday night tradition) I decided to give this unexpected topping a shot. Not your haughty sophisticated pie, I dubbed this experiment the caballero pizza for it's rustic meat 'n' potatoes goodness. It has a slight kick too as all good caballeros do.

Caballero Pizza

1 prepared crust (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat dough)
1/2 c. chorizo
4 - 5 spanish onions
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 large avocado, sliced
1 tbsp. minced pickled jalapeno (more or less to taste)
4 - 5 fingerling potatoes, boiled & sliced
1/4 c. salsa (your favorite kind)
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
1/2 c. grated manchego cheese
1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. + 1 tbsp. olive oil

Begin by rolling out your dough to roughly 8" x 12." Preheat the oven to 400F. Saute the onions & mushrooms in 1 tbsp. olive oil until they soften (about 3 minutes). Add the chorizo & saute a few minutes longer until it begins to brown. While the chorizo is cooking, spread your crust with salsa.

Once cooked, layer the crust with the chorizo/onion/mushroom mixture, then sliced potato & avocado, then a sprinkling of cilantro & finally, the cheeses, making sure to leave about a 1" border. Sprinkle the border with coarse salt & drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Jalapeño Poppers

During our visit to home, my dad, David, a veteran US history teacher, politico, expert gardener & food enthusiast made us a batch of his infamous knock-you-out poppers. Here's his take on the Texan treat:

"'Hot damn!' (pronounced hod-am in Texas), the appropriate verbal descriptor for this bacon-encrusted cheese-stuffed jalapeño flare, should be said right after the requisite pull on your Long Star longneck. The latter should be right at 33 degrees to make up for the sensation of the former being 1000 degrees.

Lying deep in the northeast corner of the state, north of the Sabine and south of the Red, is an area locals call Fredonia*. The area was named after the 1825 republic declared by filibuster (expansionist), Hayden Edwards, one year after the Monroe Doctrine was announced to a bemused Europe. Those early US adventurers (spies) like Edwards set the precedent for US intervention into other countries's territories (or more to the point, business). And how sadly fitting that that wrong turn early in our nation's foreign policy finds its genesis in an area now described as being "behind the pine curtain." Apparently the deep roots of our outlook are not only found in New England Puritans, but also in those proudly ignorant Texans. Watch Fox News, you'll get it....

But Fredonia is also an area that has progressive promise. The culture is beginning to heal itself. The region once claimed by Spain, then France, then Spain, then Mexico, then US southerners calling themselves Texians looking for more territory for their slave based economy, is now rediscovering its its heritage's admix of Mexican, Southern US, and French. There's a young local winery, Enoch's Stomp, in Harleton, Texas, using French viticulture, mixed in with our southern fried chicken and catfish restaurants of local legend and national fame. Now even the new Mexican taco stands are becoming ubiquitous, making this area fertile ground for cutting-edge locavores. In short, it's all here as far as food and drink.

The popper is one symbol of this fusion. And although it has gained deep acceptance in 'Fredonia' with its lush summer shrubs of jalapeño plants bearing massive peppers, the origins of the 'popper' (the real one, not the ones you find in the freezer case at your local culinary/environmental/economic disasters like Walmart) are in Buffalo Gap, a little community south of Abilene named for the gap in the mesa ridges cutting south of Abilene. The Indians would hunt buffalo as they herded themselves through 'the gap.' Tom Perini, a local celebrated chuck-wagon cook, cum restaurateur, cum caterer to the prior president when he was entertaining the likes of Putin in Crawford, is credited with creating the popper. Although this version has been augmented with a few additional spices and chilies, the recipe is his and can be found in his important cookbook (at least to us Fredonians) with the sleepy name of 'Cowboy Cooking.'"

Jalapeño Poppers, makes 24

1 dzn. jalapeños, say 4-6 inches long
1 dzn. rashers (slices) of bacon
1 8 oz. packet of neufchatel or cream cheese
Worcestershire sauce or Vietnamese fish sauce if you want to have a secret cutting edge flavor to taste (both are the results of unpleasant things regarding fish remains, so what the hell..., right?)
Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning to taste (or your favorite "all purpose" seasoning)
dried chipotle peppers, very finely minced to taste (this can be found in large containers in large box stores, but it's against my religion to go in one of those places.... remember locavorism)
24 toothpicks for securing the bacon wrap

Preheat oven to 475F (hot as hell to get the bacon crispy). There are two things you cut in half. The peppers, horizontally, making a little boat for stuffing with cheese, and the bacon, vertically, for wrapping around this delight. After cutting the peppers open, remove the seeds and interior veins.**

Stuff each jalapeno with cheese so that is level full. Then, splash a dash of Worcestershire (or that secret fish sauce ingredient mentioned above). Now top that with the minced chipotle. Wrap each popper in the half strip of bacon, secure it with a toothpick, and sprinkle it with Cavenders All-Purpose Greek Seasoning.

Bake for about 20 or 30 minutes. Let these guys cool off a few minutes. Open that very cold beer, take a bite, a sip, and "Hot damn!"

* This Fredonian of the land "behind the pine curtain" mentioned above, wishes to clarify the fact that there is no relationship between our northeast Texas Fredonia and any so-called Fredonian of the separatist militia type that our governor, Rick "Good-hair" Perry, so recently encouraged with his remarkable remarks, demonstrating an embarrassing misunderstanding of the nature of the US Constitution and the historical implications of the last attempt at states leaving the Union. We true Fredonians, on the other hand, generally believe in locavorism, environmentalism, fine slow living, and minding our own business.

**A note on fresh juicy dangerous jalapenos, if you aren't over fifty with crab claw paws like mine you may want to wear rubber dishwashing gloves when de-seeding/de-veining them. I usually don't and have come to find that applying cold beer internally generally helps. By the way, these peppers are said to have originated in the area around Jalapa/Xalapa, the state capital of Veracruz, Mexico.

Last image, kill the gluten.

Pissaladière & Flammkuchen

We're finally settled back in sleepy Santa Barbara. It's always comforting to get back to your own bed, routines & kitchen, but I can't say that I don't miss Texas (already!). To soothe my Austin longings I decided to re-create a meal we had while tromping through Austin friends. Sure, we scarfed down tons of yummy tacos, Tex-Mex & the like but that's not the grub that sticks in my mind. A quiet dinner with friends at a (relatively) newly minted east side gastropub, The Good Knight, is what I find myself craving. This cozy little spot served up modest, rustic French fair & amazing old school cocktails. Most of us snacked on Flammkuchen, an Alsatian staple of rolled dough topped with crème fraîche, onions & bacon. I couldn't twist anyone's arm to share Pissaladière (a pairing of olives & anchovies on a crust). Apparently that 80's anchovy trope still holds true. 

When I recreated the two Provençal pizzas (for lack of a better term) at home I opted for blue cheese on the Pissaladière instead of my favorite salty little fish so I wouldn't be stuck eating an entire pizza & swapped raw onions for caramelized ones in the Flammkuchen to highlight the slaty bacon.

Pissaladière, for 4 - 6

1/2 c. kalamata olives

1/2 c. green olives

1 c. ricotta cheese

1/4 c. blue cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

coarse salt

1 prepared crust*

Preheat the oven to 400F. Stretch the crust to fit a large cookie sheet (9" x 13" or so). Drizzle the crust with olive oil. Spread the crust with ricotta cheese leaving about a 1" border. Top with both olives & blue cheese. Salt & oil the crust. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the crust is

golden.

Flammkuchen, for 4 - 6

3/4 c. crème fraîche

4 strips bacon, sliced

2 large onions, sliced & caramelized

3 tbsp. olive oil

coarse salt

1 prepared crust*

Preheat the oven to 400F. Caramelize the onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stretch the crust to fit a large cookie sheet (9" x 13" or so). Drizzle the crust with olive oil. Spread the crust with crème fraîche leaving about a 1" border. Top with both bacon & onions. Once topped, drizzle with a bit more crème fraîche. Salt & oil the crust. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Kitchen to table time (not including the dough): 45 - 55 minutes

*Homemade is best & takes little time, but if you're in a hurry you can pick up store-bought dough at most grocery stores.

Simple Supper: Humboldt Capellini with Egg, Bacon & English Peas

Before heading out of town I always try to use up odds & ins left in the fridge. Typically, you wind up with lots of sandwiches, cereal & snack nights. This pasta came to be under such conditions. With exhausted food options, a carton of eggs still on hand & a new Nancy Silverton cookbook staring me down I decided to give "egg pasta" a whirl. Less of a recipe & more of a concept, this pasta, topped with a gooey fried egg, is surprisingly comforting. Like early morning breakfasts whipped up by mom, Humboldt Capellini just hits the spot.

Humboldt Capellini, for four

3/4 - 1 lb. capellini pasta (whole wheat if you can get it)

3 tbsp. humboldt fog cheese (or another blue variety)

1 c. frozen green peas, thawed

4 - 6 cooked bacon strips, crumbled

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. pasta water, plus 1 more tbsp.

4 eggs

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Bring a salted pot of water to boil & cook the pasta until al dente (about 7 - 8 minutes). Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until very crisp. Set aside. In the drippings saute the garlic until fragrant (if you don't have enough drippings to cook the bacon, supplement with 1/2 - 1 tbsp. olive oil).

Drain the pasta (reserving 3 tbsp.) & return to the pot. Crumble the cheese & bacon. Toss the pasta with the peas, cheese, bacon, olive oil, pasta water & garlic.

In the skillet, cook the eggs to your liking (sunny side up, over easy, etc.) then nestle them on top of the pasta to serve.

Kitchen to table time: 25 minutes.

Simple Supper: Polenta Chicken Tartlets

Last week I found myself catering an anniversary party with only 3 days notice. I had to think of lots of simple little bites -- & quick! After racking my brain for a bit I remembered these little treats that I caught on my favorite guilty pleasure. Perfect for a snack-night supper or an impromptu cocktail party, these polenta chicken tartlets pack such visual punch no one would ever guess that they only took a few minutes to whip up. Oh, they taste pretty good too!

Polenta Chicken Tartlets, makes 24+ tartlets

recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

2 c. roasted, shredded chicken

1 c. pesto

1 "tube" prepared polenta, cut in 3/4" thick rounds

1/4 c. dried cranberries

In a bowl combine the pesto & shredded chicken. Top each polenta round with 1 tbsp. of the chicken pesto mixture. Top the chicken with a few dried cranberries. Serve at room temperature.

Kogi

I've been hearing lots of murmurs about Korean tacos as of late. After a happy encounter with pork belly kimchi my interest was perked. The briny Korean classic pair brilliantly with salty pork, so why not in a taco? As luck would have it, we stumbled upon an elusive Kogi truck in Venice this weekend. So, late to the revolution, we filed in line. Well worth the wait, 45 minutes later, we tacos in hand. 47 minutes later we were stuffed. Despite our sushi dinner a mere 2 hours prior we scarfed down $2 spicy pork & short rib tacos in a flash. Modestly sized, these little botañas were stuffed with tangy kimchi, perfectly caramelized pork or short ribs, then doused with spicy sriracha sauce. The result was an incredibly flavorful little taco deserving of its halo of hype. If you find yourself wandering the streets of LA, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this modest food mecca -- or at least the winding line. Daunting though it may seem, stick it out, it's worth it.

Last image, Kogi BBQ