Hmmmm...food for thought...or a good reminder

http://blog.bedbathandbeyond.com/2015/11/avoid-10-table-manners-mishaps/?mcid=DA_Kepler_PR_HolidayBlog_BBBY

It seems like everyone forgets about number 9, and I disagree with number 10....doggy bags are ok!

Debunking the Cooking Myths

Debunking the Cooking Myths

It seems to me that there are four widely accepted rules about cooking, but last night’s dinner proved that rules are for breaking.  In fact, what many consider “cooking rules” are really more like “cooking myths”.

Four Myths About Cooking… all proven wrong by last night’s dinner:

Myth 1:  If you are a good cook, you get it right the first time.

Myth 2:  You should always follow the recipe.

Myth 3:  Cooking a great meal takes hours of prep and labor.

Myth 4:  It is all about taste.

Myths 1 and 2:  In my life outside of the kitchen, I spend a lot of time coaching.  One of my favorite mantras in coaching is that failure is underrated.  Some of the most successful people I know have also failed more than less successful counterparts.  I think the same holds true in the kitchen.  What makes someone super successful in or out of the kitchen is a willingness to try, and keep trying even after it does not work out.

Last night’s dinner is a perfect example.  I had pulled out a rack of lamb earlier in the day to do something with.  Instead of the very common herb crusted rack of lamb, I decided on mustard crusted rack of lamb.  This is only after surfing the internet some, and thumbing through a few cookbooks. My main inspiration came from the William and Sonoma website http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/rack-lamb-herb-mustard-crust.html  (I like to think that maybe part of my inspiration came from the fact that Chuck Williams of William and Sonoma died this last December 5th at 100 years of age).

 

I lined up my potential ingredients that included:  Bread Crumbs, Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, olive oil, and a Mediterranean meat rub, and started combining in a mixing bowl…too salty!  The combination and the fact that the rub had a very high salt content, made it just too salty.  Instead of trying to work the salt out of it by adding other ingredients, I opted to pour it down the sink and start all over.

Jacque, my wife, is with me quite often in the kitchen. While she does cook, when we are together her role is primarily cleaning up after me, keeping me company, and most importantly - (well maybe not more important than cleaning up after me) - is tasting along the way.  When I tasted the first batch, I thought “Oh a little salty”, (confirmation bias, knowing I had combined several salt laden ingredients together); Jacque corrected me that it was more then a little and that is when I tossed it.  Again, don’t be afraid of failure, and when you are in a hole, stop digging.  In this case had I tried to add things, I could have just screwed it up more, and it was easier to start over.

So my second attempt included:

2 ½ tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons Olive Oil – (next time closer to 3, I will decide based on texture…you want a paste not a mortar)

1 ½ cup bread crumbs (next time I will go with at least 2 ½ cups)

1 – 2 teaspoons of the Mediterranean Meat Rub – (Next time I will start with one and taste and add more as Jacque tells me to)

I roasted at 450 degrees for approx. 20 minutes.

 

Myth 3: Jacque and I found a bottle of Tsillan Cellars 2013 Syrah in our wine cellar, and entered the kitchen at about 6:20 p.m. not knowing exactly what we were going to have for dinner. We were seated at our table enjoying before 7:00 p.m.  I immediately pre-heated the oven to 450 degrees – I like cooking certain meats at higher temperatures.  I then went to work making the rub, and upon getting it where I wanted it to be the second time around, began massaging it into my rack of lamb.  I opted to cut the rack into four pieces before roasting, and opted to not trim it in the traditional rack style.  If I were preparing this meal for company, or if Jacque and I were super hungry, I would have left the rack whole – This takes me to Myth 4. 

Our side dishes where simple.  I cleaned some Brussels sprouts by cutting the stems off and removing any loose leaves, and placed them in a sauté pan of steaming beef broth.  I finished them with just a little garlic salt and pepper.  I made a couscous and kalamata olives.

 

I combined the following in a saucepan:

1 cup boiling water

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup Kalamata Olives

¾ Teaspoon Mediterranean rub

I love couscous; it is simple to make, you can doctor it up many different ways, and it tastes good while not being unhealthy.  When I decided to add the rub to the couscous, I contemplated the non-empirical question every cook goes through at different points in formulating recipes regarding contrasting, complimenting, or highlighting different tastes.  I considered dropping the rub and maybe adding just a little feta cheese crumbles at the end to the couscous, or even raisins and almonds instead of the olives.  Anyone of those would had ‘plated’ very differently.

 

Myth 4:  Taste has to be at least 50% of any meal.  As a matter of fact I would contend that it does become 100% if it tastes awful.  But a meal can taste incredible and not be a perfect ten unless the presentation, ambiance, and of course the company all come into play.  Rather than looking at it as a pie, I would consider grading a meal more like a formula, reminding you that zero times anything is still zero.

By opting to cut the rack before roasting and not trimming the top of the rib bones, the presentation lacked.  Also, by cutting the rack into four pieces, I created substantially more surface area and ran short on the crust mixture.

About the wine: As I mentioned, tonight’s wine was a Tsillan Cellars 2013 Estate Syrah (http://www.tsillancellars.com).  We did not decant it, or really let it breath…opened it and drank it while cooking, eating dinner, and finished the last little bit while watching a movie together.  Very enjoyable wine. I want to say it had a hint of a woodsy taste to it, not a lot of tannins, and while we enjoyed it, I am disappointed that it was our only bottle of it, so I won’t be able to see what it would be like in two or three more years.

See note below about Tsillan Cellars Winemaker's Dinner this weekend.

While last night’s meal was by no means a failure, I did learn from several mistakes along the way.  This included, you don’t need to always have a recipe in front of you…just go for it!  It did not take hours of prep, and it is a blast cooking with the love of your life at the counter chatting with you, sipping wine, and helping along the way.  This meal’s score was carried by the taste, ambiance, and undoubtedly the company - (just the two of us). All in all, I consider that a success.  Just remember, rules? No. Myths. Trust your intuition in the kitchen, like anywhere else. In the kitchen, as in life, you are constrained only by the limitations you put on yourself.

It has been a while since I have blogged; hope to be back on it.  Your comments and conversation left on the blog whether positive, negative, critical, or suggestive, are all appreciated and inspire me to keep it up!

Jacque and I will be attending the the Winemaker's Dinner this Friday night with our friends Steve and Carol Palmbush at Tsillan Cellars (weather contingent), if you are not doing anything would love to see you there (reservations are required).  If you can't make it look for my blog early next week.  Here is the link to the menu: http://www.tsillancellars.com/events-2/winemakers-dinner/

Doug’s Inspired Mushroom Barley Soup with Italian Veal Meatballs

(Written a few weeks ago - just now getting it posted)

Sometimes an original dish starts with the concept and I hunt down the ingredients to bring the concept to fruition, and sometimes it’s the other way around. In the case of this enjoyable meal, I started with ingredients and waited for inspiration to strike.

“Hey Doug, what are you doing?”

“Taking out that ground veal I bought a while back for dinner tomorrow night.”

That is how it all started. With a package of ground veal and the knowledge that I needed to create from it. I waited for an inspiration.

Fast forward to late this afternoon: “Jacque, what do you think about mushroom barley soup with Italian veal meatballs for dinner?” This just sounded delicious, and it was.

Soup

3 cups sliced mushrooms

2 thin sliced carrots

½ diced yellow onion

1 32 ounce container of organic vegetable broth

1 splash of red wine

½ tablespoon garlic

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon oregano

Ground pepper – to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

1 cup washed pearl barley

When I got home I sliced up about three cups of mushrooms, diced ½ of an onion, and chopped the carrots into thin slices.  I added a stick of butter to a large soup pan and melted over medium heat.  When the butter was melted I added the vegetables and cooked over medium heat adding about a 1/8^-cup olive oil (really did not want more butter).  Once the vegetables were softened, I added in the pearl barley, and 32 ounces of store bought organic vegetable broth.  I keep a lot of different broths in my pantry just in case.  I cooked this over a medium heat after adding a splash of our wine choice for the night – any red or dry white will work in this case - while I went to work on the meatballs.

Meatballs

1 lb. veal (you can use Italian sausage, pork, probably even ground turkey)

1 egg

2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon ‘generic Italian seasoning’

Little pepper

Little salt

½ cup diced onion

1/8 cup Parmesan grated cheese

Olive oil for cooking

I added all the ingredients into a large metal bowl and hand mixed.  I heated skillet on the oven at medium with a little olive oil, and formed my veal into medium sized meatballs.  I cooked them on the stove turning them as they browned on each side.  When the meatballs were cooked I added them to the soup using a slotted spoon, attempting to leave as much grease behind as possible.  I allowed them to cook and share their flavors with the soup for a few more minutes, and then served the mushroom barley soup with meatballs, garnished with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Our wine tonight was a delightful surprise.  Jacque and I picked out a bottle of 2007 Zanato Ripassa (http://www.zenato.it/scheda.asp?idprod=77&idpadrerif=66).  Cellartracker.com indicated that the suggested drinking window for this wine is 2010-2015.  It was silky smooth; Jacque described it as a chocolaty texture.  I tasted a lot of cherry in it, and I have to agree that it had kind of a barnyard taste in the beginning.  Note – this is by no means insulting to a wine; it is simply a common way of describing a certain taste.  This was a moderately intense wine with no noticeable tannins or lasting palate.  It was a very enjoyable bottle and a perfect pairing to a great meal!

Luna in Spokane on the South Hill...a MUST!!!

While in Spokane a few weekends ago dropping Greg off to return to college, Jacque and I decided to celebrate our freedom provided by an empty nest by enjoying dinner out with our dear and close friends Roger and Miriam Devaney.  Roger suggested Luna (www.lunaspokane.com) on the south hill in Spokane stating that they had been there recently and really enjoyed it.

Thank you Roger for a great recommendation.  Luna is not your typical Spokane restaurant and if you have not been there, make reservations and head there.  We started the night by sharing a bottle of VaPiano Vineyards Cabernet 2011.   The VaPiano (http://www.vapianovineyards.com) was leathery with tannins and legs that warranted a discussion about what the legs on wine indicate. 

Dinner could not get any better after my starter of their Ahi Tuna Tartar.  I was blessed by having a table that did not want to share in the abundance of raw fresh ahi tuna chopped into chunks sandwiching fresh avocado, on ripe tomatoes swimming is a wasabi sauce with fresh toasted bread on the side.  Ok, so let me tell you whatt I really think…it was awesome!

Jacque had the Lacinato Kale Salad.  Jacque is not a huge kale eater, and I was surprised when she ordered it, but she enjoyed the combination of pistachios and creamy vinaigrette.  Roger had the Caesar salad and seemed to enjoy it.

For dinner Roger had the Spaghetti and meatballs.  This really surprised me, until I was informed that Miriam had this the last time they were at Luna and she thought highly of it.  Roger enjoyed the Italian sausage meatballs and the simplicity of what was gourmet comfort food – I would add spaghetti and meatballs to my list of comfort foods.  

Miriam had a salad and the Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque with Dungeness Crab – again another Luna hit. 

Jacque had Scallops on a parsnip puree with Brussels spouts.  Her dish came with four very large scallops sitting on the parsnip puree surrounded by shaved Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon.  The scallops were large enough to supply Jacque with lunch next day, but it was the Brussels sprouts that she was raving about.

I had the Double R New York Steak.  Seeing Double R meat on the menu and knowing the quality job Rebholtz family did building this brand of meat raised right in Okanogan County (Loomis) I was sold.  Knowing this was a 12 ounce cut of meat I ordered it with a to go box to put half my steak in immediately – 12 ounces of meat is a lot of meat! 

I had no disappointment about the steak, and it was brought out at a perfect medium rare.  The bone marrow demi-glace was maybe a little lite in flavor, I expected it to be richer, and the Gorgonzola potatoes had me questioning that night if there was suppose to be Gorgonzola cheese in the potatoes because I could not tell if it was there or not.  With that said, my steak was awesome, and I look forward to returning to Luna in the future.  The big wide windows and patios make a second visit a requirement during warmer weather.

For dessert we had one butterscotch crème brule with four spoons.  It was served with strawberries on top and was just the right sweet ending to a great meal that Jacque and I finished with sharing a flight of port.  The flight of port in this case was three 1 ounce pours of three different port wines – I wish more restaurants would offer flights.

Again, Luna is a must and I can see Jacque and I returning more then just to see how much we might enjoy dining on their patio.