Ferran Adrià & The Family Meal

Ferran Adrià, his translator & props. Photo credit: Sabrina Modelle
Ferran Adrià is considered one of the best chefs in the world. His food at elBulli was wildly creative and influential. For better, and in some camps, for worse, he is best known as a leading proponent of the cutting edge cuisine associated with the much reviled term "molecular gastronomy." Operating like a mad scientist, he closed his restaurant for a good part of the year so he could create 150 new recipes each season. But while diners at the esteemed elBulli marveled at food made into foam and paper, the staff ate relatively simple meals.

At a sold-out lecture earlier this month, Adrià a man inextricably tied to creativity said the very word "creativity" was pretentious. Cuisine he said, can be a social tool, an instrument for peace and can change the world. In introducing his book The Family Meal about the staff meals at the restaurant, he said what he has done with this book is as avant-garde as anything in the restaurant. In person Ferran Adrià is funny, charismatic, fascinating, and frankly a bundle of contradictions. He seems to make a point of being down to earth but at times says things that are fairly outrageous.

He claimed elBulli was not just about eating but about creating "an experience" for diners. But after coming to the conclusion that "if you eat well you will cook well" Adrià focused on the meals that the staff ate at the restaurant. The goal was to serve 3 courses for a budget of 3-4 euros that were as varied as possible. His new cookbook, The Family Meal, is uniquely formatted to show you how family meals were created at elBulli. It is a guidebook for restaurants but also for home cooks. The pictorial layout of the book is brilliant and better than a lot of other books that attempt to simplify menu planning and cooking but end up complicating such as Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes.

I like the book. A lot. Perhaps surprisingly, there are plenty of good ideas for a creative cook without a thermal immersion circulator or liquid nitrogen. But if there is a weakness it is that the recipes were photographed for larger yields. Sometimes the photographs may be confusing for a home cook who does not use things like hotel pans. And while siphons and chargers may be standard equipment at elBulli, they are not likely to be found in most American households. Not yet anyway.

So what recipes inspired me? I love the simple fruit desserts, oranges with honey, olive oil and salt, pineapple with molasses and lime, strawberries in vinegar. The bread and garlic soup and the grilled lettuce hearts with mint and whole grain mustard vinaigrette both look divine. I have already made my own variation on the chicken wings with mushrooms and the barbecue spareribs. Is any of it reminiscent of what you'd eat at elBulli? No. But it's infinitely more practical (and if you really want to cook like they did at elBulli you can plunk down $49.95 for A Day at elBulli).

Chocolate Orange Muffins

It is always a pleasant surprise when you encounter unexpected, harmonious flavor combinations.  I remember the first time I had chocolate-coated candied orange peel – it was a revelation! Chocolate’s silky, creamy taste meets the sweet and sour citrus notes of orange to create a culinary symphony.  These muffins capture that chocolaty orange combination. 

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 ounces dark chocolate chunks
2 eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¾ cup fresh orange juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
orange zest from 2 oranges

Instructions
Heat oven to 350.  Grease muffin tin.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, beat sugar and butter.  Add eggs and combine.  Add orange juice and orange zest, yogurt, and vanilla until combined.  Slowly mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients.  Pour batter into muffin cups.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

To change these up a bit, I will sometimes coat them with a chocolate ganache.  When I do that, I heat three tablespoons of milk or cream in the microwave and then mix in 1/3 cup of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips.  Just dip the muffins in the ganache and enjoy.

Chile Cheddar Bacon Waffle recipe

Dining out is one of the best favorite forms of culinary inspiration. Last weekend I went out for brunch at "Eats" on Clement Street and ordered the Waffle Bacon which was described as bacon pressed in a waffle, cheddar, Hungarian peppers and a sunny up egg. It was a wonderful combination of gooey, chewy and crisp and had many classic flavors associated with breakfast. It was definitely the sauteed peppers that tied the bacon, egg, cheese and waffle together and took the dish to the next level. I knew this was something I had to order again or better yet, try to duplicate at home.

Instead of using Hungarian peppers I took the easy route and used diced green chiles from a can. The result? Oh my. It was delicious! The truth is, a bacon waffle topped with chiles and cheese is actually quite good without the egg as well, though you can imagine how the yolk forms a lovely sauce for the bacon waffle. Sometimes more is better, and it's the excess of this recipe that makes it so satisfying. Who doesn't love bacon, cheddar or green chiles? They are my go to ingredients for making everything from eggs to soups or stews taste better.

I'm not a huge proponent of packaged foods like pancake and waffle mix, but in this case it's a good shortcut. While I often make pancakes or waffles from scratch, having a mix on hand is worthwhile. You can even make your own mix if you like. What restaurant dish will inspire my next recipe? I can't wait to find out...

Chile Cheddar Bacon Waffle
Makes one serving (multiply to serve as many as you like)

Ingredients

Waffle batter, homemade or from a mix
2 strips bacon, cooked and cut into 4 pieces
2 Tablespoons cheddar, shredded
2 Tablespoons fire roasted green chiles (such as Ortega brand)

Optional:
1 teaspoon butter or oil
1 egg

Instructions

Heat waffle iron and grease as directed. Pour in the batter and lay a piece of bacon in each quadrant. Close cover and cook until done. Meanwhile heat a small nonstick pan. Add the butter or oil and fry the egg. Meanwhile place the chiles in a microwave safe container and gently heat in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Place the waffle on a plate, top with the chiles, cheese and egg, if desired.

Enjoy!

Brown Butter and Sage Ravioli

Brown butter is a handy tool to have at your disposal.  Within just a few minutes, a simple, yet versatile, sauce is born.   You can use brown butter to coat everything from vegetables to veal, and it adds unexpected notes of flavor to baked goods such as brownies and cookies.  Infusing a nutty brown butter with broken leaves of sage and a bit of nutmeg makes a lovely meal when tossed with some cheese ravioli.

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
12 sage leaves, torn
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice from half a lemon
¾ cup parmesan
9 ounces fresh cheese ravioli

Instructions
Cook ravioli according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add sage leaves and let the butter brown, about two minutes.  You will see brown specks that have formed on the bottom of the pan.  Be careful to not burn the butter, otherwise the taste will be altered.  Add ground pepper, salt and nutmeg.  Take off heat and add lemon juice.  Once ravioli is cooked, add pasta to the brown butter mixture and toss with cheese.

Day 166! Somalia Maraq Bilaash (Cherry Tomato Sauce) and Muufo Baraawe (Somali Bread) - Up Next, Spain

Tonight's meal comes from a Somali cookbook, Somali Cuisine.  All of the recipes in the book are authentic and have been passed orally through generations of women. Some of the cooking methods have been modified for today's modern kitchens, but the dishes remain representative of traditional Somali cuisine. And, while it seems a little ironic to be cooking in my well stocked kitchen given that Somalia is currently experiencing a drought and cholera epidemic so extreme that 4 million people, roughly 1/2 the population, are starving or sick, this simple meal reflects the country's diverse warm culture, culinary influences and customs.

Officially the Somali Republic, Somalia lies in the eastern most part of Africa. Bordered by Djibouti, Kenya, the Gulf of Alden, Yemen, the Indian Ocean and Ethiopia. With the longest coast-line on the continent, the country's terrain is primarily one of plateaus, plains and highlands. The climate is hot all year long except for a distinctive monsoon season. Once the center of commerce, powerful Somali empires dominated trade. In the 19th century, British and Italians took over control of parts of Somalia's coast, while other parts of the country were controlled by various powers. In 1991, Somalia's government collapsed, and civil war erupted.  In 2006, an insurgency led by the Al Ahabaad Islamist group took control of the southern part of the country, while the Transitional Federal Government maintained control of parts of the capital and some territories. It is hoped that the elections in 2012 will restore peace and stability to the country.

Somalia's culinary influences vary greatly by region, blending indigenous, Ethiopian, Yemini, Persian, Turkish, Indian and Italian traditions. Rice, beef, chicken, fish, beans, bananas, okra, tomatoes, pasta and bread are all commonly eaten, with cumin, garlic, hot peppers and cardamom flavoring many dishes. Canjeero, a spongy bread, is a staple and accompanies many dishes. During Ramadan, dinner is generally eaten late after Tarawith prayers have been said.

Local cherry tomatoes...the last of the season. And, one very hot jalapeno!

Frozen okra - I couldn't find fresh in the grocery store today

Onions and garlic for the sauce

Cherry tomatoes and okra make the sauce sweet, and jalapeno gives it heat

Semolina flour for the Muufo bread

Salt, sugar, yeast and minced onion flavor the bread

Maraq Bilassh (Cherry Tomato Sauce) - Recipe Courtesy of somalitreats.com

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium size onion, chopped
4 cups cherry tomatoes, whole
1 jalapeno, cut into medium size
3-4 small okra, cut or whole
Salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lemon juice
5 basil leaves

Heat the oil; add the onions and saute. Add the cherry tomatoes (whole), jalapeno and okra, and cook over medium heat. When the tomatoes being to wrinkle, stir delicately and cook 10-20 minutes more. When the tomato skins start to crack, add the salt, garlic and lemon juice, then mash the contents with a wood spoon. Add the basil leaves and cover for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with bread, muufo, anjeero, crackers or bagels.

Muufo Baraawe (Somali Bread) - Recipe Courtesy of somalitreats.com

2 cups of white semolina or farina flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1-1/4 cup lukewarm water
Salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients (except water) together and mix them well in a bowl. Add the water and knead to make to dough. Cover the bowl tightly, put in a warm place (such as the kitchen) for several hours or until the dough doubles in bulk; then work the dough gently with your hands. Cover and let it rise again. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When the dough has risen a second time, pick about half a handful with wet fingers and drop them on an oiled baking pan,, spacing them 2-3 inches apart. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the lower rack of the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottom side of the muufo is golden color. When done, the top of the muufo will stay white. If you want the top side to be golden, flip the muffo over and bake for 3-4 minutes more. Serve with Maraq Bilaash.

Final Assessment: Delicious! I love a simple tomato sauce, and the addition of okra and jalapeno gave the sauce such great texture and zip. We dipped the chewy muufo bread in the sauce and lapped it up. This is a lovely vegetarian meal!

© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Curried Chicken Salad

Nobody could blame you if you thought of chicken salad as boring.  Quite frankly, it often is.  But bring in a bit of Eastern influence, and chicken salad can become something else, something very not-boring.  Something fresh, something exciting, something that activates your taste buds.  This curried chicken salad brings together a variety of flavors and textures – crunchy and sweet apples, spicy red onions, buttery chunks of melt-in-your mouth chicken, and a cacophony of peppery, earthy, fiery, savory, sweet seasonings.

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless chicken breast
turmeric
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
paprika
cumin
butter
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 granny smith apple, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 scallions
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon spice mix, recipe below

Spice Mix:
1 ½  teaspoons coriander, crushed
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ancho chile powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
Mix all the spices together in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   Cover each piece of chicken with a pat of butter and sprinkle a bit of turmeric, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin on each.  Bake for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Turn the pieces over about half way through baking so both sides can get browned.  When cooked, let the chicken cool then shred or cut into chunks.  In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, apple pieces, red onion, and scallions.  In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and spice mix.  Add the mayonnaise mixture to the ingredients in the large bowl and mix together.  Refrigerate.

I Love Thai Cooking

Sometimes the recipes I try from food blogs work, other times they don't. On rare occasions they are so good they become "keepers" that I know I will cook again and again. The other night I made the Stir Fried Shanghai Noodles with Beef recipe from I Love Thai Cooking/Pranee's Thai Kitchen. It was very quick, easy and inexpensive to make and absolutely delicious! If you are looking for the way to make one steak serve two people, this is it.

The recipe uses some staple ingredients you probably already have on hand like soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. I found fresh Shanghai noodles in a two pound bag at a local Asian grocery store. I used a flat iron steak instead of flank steak and Mirin in place of the rice wine or sake so I didn't add the sugar. I also added one slivered green onion at the end of cooking. I followed the instructions pretty closely so I am not going to reprint the recipe but suggest you head to Pranee's blog to find it.

Pranee's blog has mostly Thai recipes, ingredient guides and travel posts. Learn about exotic fruit like durian and vegetables like bitter melon, find recipes for unusual dishes such as Sunflower Sprout Salad with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette. It's definitely worthy of a bookmark.