The Sin-less Seven

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Lamb7

Alspice…Black Pepper…Cinnamon…Clove…Fenugreek…Nutmeg…Ginger, a lively group of ‘friends’ hailing from Lebanon that I picked up at Seattle’s Spanish Table recently.  They made the perfect addition to my pre-Christmas ‘exotic culinary adventures’.

This is a cozy meal using roast lamb, butternut squash, spinach, onion, cilantro, a teaspoon of tomato paste, toasted pine nuts, chicken stock and plenty of Lebanese Seven Spice.  I served it over brown rice that I steamed with some bits of orange rind.  Quick and easy.  Now back to wrapping those Christmas gifts!

 

 

The Cow and The Toy Shop

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UrfaSteak

It was probably a steer, but it didn’t seem overly important at the time.  Long story, short, I got a hella deal on a smallish whole New York.  Perfect for home!  I cleaned it up and cut ten beautiful thick steaks.  Ummmmmhmmmmmm!

As to the Toy Shop, I discovered a new, to me, spice shop at the entrance to Alderwood mall.  I’m not much of a mall shopper, but thought it might be amusing to wander amongst the suburban Christmas shoppers for an afternoon.  Yeah, I know I’m fairly strange… LOL

To a Chef, an unexplored spice shop is the ultimate ‘Toy’ experience!  “Savory Spice Shop” was all kinds of fun!  So many pretty jars of tantalizing smells, tastes and colors!!

My basket of goodies included some lovely fresh, moist, crushed Urfa peppers.  These delights hail from Turkey.  They are a beautiful nearly black color.  The heat isn’t massive; more the sneak up on you, variety.  A wonderful ingredient to cook with!  I simply rubbed a couple of steaks down with the Urfa and some salt.

To make the dish pictured, allow the steaks to come up to room temperature, then sear them in a hot cast iron skillet and place them in a 400 degree oven.  When they are close to the desired temp, remove them to a plate to rest.  Use the pan to make a beautiful mushroom sauce.

My steaks were fairly lean, so I added a touch more olive oil and sauteed minced onion and sliced crimini mushrooms.  Other mushrooms would be excellent, too.  When my mushrooms were close to done, I added some minced garlic, browned that a bit and deglazed with some red wine.  Once that reduced I added chicken stock, a teaspoon of organic tomato paste, fresh dried oregano and salt.  You can reduce this quickly, if you have time to watch it, or slowly, if you are busy with other tasks.  Once it has reduced down to a fairly thick consistency, remove from the heat and begin ‘mounting’ with unsalted butter, stirring in each pat before adding another, until you have a glossy sauce.  The butter, not only makes the sauce pretty, it is also mellowing the acid of the wine and heat from the peppers.  This allows the full flavor of the meat and peppers to balance.

Enjoy!

 

Sacrifices

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MayanPork

World Spice’s Mayan Cocoa always makes me think of sacrifices.  Not MINE, thank you very much!  Chocolate…sacrifice… Nope!  I feel the Mayans of old sacrificed enough.  It’s covered.

I ran across a small package of this delectable combo while cleaning out my spice cupboard.  Dreary December evenings call for interesting dishes with bold exotic elements.  With a bite of this crazy good dish in your mouth, you will simply no longer care what the weather is doing outside!

Mayan Cocoa is a blend of deep chocolate, mellow chile, true cinnamon and allspice from World Market in Seattle.  https://www.worldspice.com/blends/mayan-cocoa  If you aren’t nearby, they definitely ship all their lovely wares.  Check out the website.  If you’re in town, wander down there.  The heavenly smell of the shop, alone, is worth the parking and hills.

Mayan Cocoa Encrusted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin, trimmed of waste.  Cut into portions.  Each one will serve 2-3 guests

Mayan Cocoa

Salt

Oil for searing the pork.  I like coconut oil for this, but olive is always a great choice

Chicken stock

Rum

Fresh lime

Simply rub the portions with the cocoa and salt liberally.  When your oil is heated, add the pork.  Brown lightly on all sides then put the pan into the oven at 350 degrees.  It will take roughly 15 minutes to finish cooking.  Since the tenderloin size can vary, you will want to keep a close eye on them.  Over cooked pork is so dry and flavorless.

When it’s close to done, remove from the oven and place the pork on a plate to rest while you make the sauce.  Now place the pan on the stove top.  Bring the temperature up, if it has cooled down.  Add a round of rum, preferably a spice rum with vanilla notes.  If you are using gas, this will flame up.  Stir to deglaze any bits from the pan, add stock and a squeeze of fresh lime.  Reduce most of the way.  Season.

While the sauce is finishing, slice the pork into rounds and plate.  The cocoa will have added a touch of pink to the cooked meat.  Don’t be alarmed.   Drizzle with the sauce immediately and serve.

I accompanied my dish with a combo of sweet potato and yam sauteed with onion and seeded jalapeno.

This splendid meal is free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Corn, Nuts and Eggs.

Winter Wonderland

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BeachMargarita

Snow, rain, cold…or sunshine and ocean breezes…?  Rushing about, dodging frantic Christmas shoppers or sipping this lovely margarita on a Mexican beach with sand between your toes?

If you’re planning a trip to your own version of Winter Wonderland, with food allergies and sensitivities you need to be thinking about a lot more then what brand of sunscreen to pack.

I love to travel.  Dining out is a favorite hobby.  As a Chef, I also especially enjoy the opportunity to cook when I am in exotic locales.  The ingredients indigenous to each region tempt me like a siren song.

To achieve my need to cook, I always rent a house or condo, so I have a kitchen.  With my ever present food allergies to consider, this makes it safer for me to travel.  Surprises still lurk in the most unlikely places, when you are in a foreign country, though.  You  need to do your homework.

I was thrilled to discover that the restaurants in Puerto Vallarta are actually grasping the significance of food allergies.  Some menus even stated, in large print, to discuss these with your server.  A trip to Isla Mujeres , four years ago, would have been a dining disaster if we hadn’t had my friend, Maria, a native Spanish speaker, along.

When dining out in a foreign country, you must know how to say the words in their native tongue.  Never expect to find that your server, even though he may have enough English to take your order, will be able to understand what you are trying to explain regarding these ingredients, you must avoid, without your ability to communicate in his language.

This recent trip did teach me some new problems, though.  Mexico does not have the same standards regarding food additives.  Even cooking at home, we encountered one that caused both of us some serious discomfort.  According to the link I have included, Mexican beef suppliers are voluntarily discontinuing the usage of Clenbuterol.  I wish that were as true as the report states.  Immediately, after ingesting some grilled New York steaks, we were both showing all the signs linked to this additive, so I started doing some serious research to determine what we had gotten a hold of.  Considering we had purchased the meat from a store owned by a large US corporation, this is especially troubling.

http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Industry-Markets/Mexico-looks-to-free-beef-from-additive

To avoid the oils we are allergic to, we generally try to only order foods that can’t possibly be contaminated.  Ceviche style dishes are our favorite.  Some of the beach side restaurants are producing absolutely stunning arrays of this culinary treat.  Unfortunately, we discovered, they also like to dust them with MSG and additives to preserve freshness.  Without the chemical analysis, I wasn’t able to determine exactly what they were using, but we certainly knew it was happening, despite requests to the contrary.

If all else fails, the margaritas and daiquiri’s are ‘safe’!  The beauty above was a very tasty ‘Cadillac’ prepared at the table by our favorite server, Freddie, at The Blue Shrimp Restaurant.  Afternoons were made for siestas, right?  Enjoy!

 

Gonners

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PumpkinSeedMole

The game is on.  The ‘fans’ are working up an appetite. You are frightened to open the fridge.  That left over Thanksgiving turkey awaits.  Every creative cell in your body is screaming NOOOOOO!!!  You can’t even consider looking at another bite of the sacrificial beast, or worse, the accusatory glare of your family, should you consider it, but…

Heck, just make some Gonners, Turkey Tacos with Pumpkin Seed Mole!  You know you want to…  Besides, it’s easy and it’s good for your ‘fans’!  No gluten, soy or tree nuts and only optional dairy

Pumpkin Seed Mole

Poblano and serrano peppers, oil roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped

Jalpeno, seeded and minced

Yellow onion, chopped

Garlic, fresh, minced

Oil to cook vegetables   note:  a true mole is best with lard, but olive oil will work fine in this

Pumpkin seeds

Coriander, ground

Chicken stock,  note:  if you are making a vegetarian dish with the mole, vegetable stock is a great option

Cilantro, chopped

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Fresh lime

Using a cast iron pan, dry roast the pumpkin seeds over moderately high heat.  When they are nearly done, add the coriander.  Keep the pan moving, shake it gently, so the spice doesn’t burn.  You need it toasted to release it’s best flavors.  Add lard/oil and onion.  Cook until it begins to soften, add the garlic, do not brown this.  Add the chopped peppers and cook for a bit.  Add enough stock to moisten.  Keep cooking, adding more stock as needed.   You want to get the peppers and onion to begin breaking down.  You can do this ‘green’ mole fast, over higher heat then most brown moles that need time to develop their complex flavors.  If you aren’t in a hurry, turn the burner all the way down and let it do it’s thing.

When you are ready to finish your sauce, add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.  Cook just until herbs are heated thru.  Using an immersion blender, carefully emulsify your mole.  Don’t get burned!  Add fresh lime juice to taste and serve with warm shredded turkey and finely shredded romaine lettuce or napa cabbage,  in corn tortillas – preferably fresh ones, you just made, if possible (it’s pretty easy!)  For those that can enjoy dairy, some cotija would be lovely!

Twas The Night Before Turkey

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rancheroshell2

There are those days…  just before a big feast holiday, when it’s difficult to get excited about cooking, let alone being creative.  The kitchen is ready.  The fridge is stuffed to the gills with all the necessities your upcoming throng expects.  Unfortunately, you are hungry TODAY!  Others that occupy your home are giving you ‘the look’.  The phone is right there.  Pizza would be so easy, but you are going to feel so miserable after you eat all that gluten and dairy and…  Yeah.  I know you realize this.  It happens in every well meaning kitchen.

Mariscos Ranchero

Roma tomatoes, quartered

Yellow onion, 1/2 inch slices

Poblano peppers

Optional additional hotter peppers

Garlic, minced

Stock

Prawns, shelled, cleaned

Hard shell clams, cleaned

Mussels, debearded, clean

Cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

I like to make the sauce ahead, then finish cooking the shellfish right before serving.

Place tomatoes, onions and peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler.  Keep an eye on the peppers.  You just want to blister the skins.  Keep turning them until you have blistered the entire surface.  Wrap them in a paper towel.  Finish cooking the tomatoes and onion until they begin to blacken.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them and discard the seeds and membrane.  Rough chop.

Rough chop the onions and cook in a small amount of oil.  Add the garlic when they are nearly done.  Cook quickly and add the chopped peppers and the tomatoes.  Cook on medium until the vegetables begin to break down a bit.  Add enough stock to moisten.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set sauce aside unless you are cooking the shellfish to serve now.

To finish, increase the stock to a just visible level.  Bring the sauce to a simmer.  Add all the shellfish.  Place a lid over the pan.  It will only take a few minutes for everything to cook.  The clams and mussels will be open when they are done.  Toss with fresh cilantro and put into individual serving bowls.

Serve with some warm gluten free bread.

racheroshell

Pretty Pair

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stuffedchicken

Such a pretty pair of Organic chicken breasts!  With thoughts of the holiday frenzy swirling about my brain, I was inspired to do a little preliminary stuffing!

Dried cherries, walnuts and cream cheese went into the pocket I cut, after a couple hours in an apple studded brine to guarantee these beauties would live up to their destiny.

Fresh sage and butter under the skin.  A quick brown to crisp, then into the oven!

Julienne carrots and yellow squash, red onion, and minced seeded jalapeno were sauteed quickly with a dash of cinnamon and titch of cardamom to create an extra layer of flavor when paired with the chicken and stuffing.

While the breasts enjoyed a moment of leisure, I made a sauce from the dripping; sauteing finely minced onion and garlic, deglazed with stock and finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Simple, beautiful and wonderful!  One of the dishes that you can put together in under thirty minutes, with a little pre-planning.  Keep it in mind when your anticipated Elf duties start to seriously encroach on your time.

Like all the recipes I post of Fearless Feast

gluten free

soy free

This one does contain nuts and dairy.  For a non dairy approach consider mixing prepared quinoa with the cherries for a wonderful stuffing.

Black Sheep Chili

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blacksheepchili

Don’t you just hate realizing you have on an outfit just like someone else?  Well, I’m the same way with my cooking.  I simply do not possess the “do it just like everyone else always has” gene.  I gotta do my own thing; be the ‘black sheep’!

Honestly, my greatest fantasy is to never cook the exact same dish twice.  Yes, I realize this doesn’t work in restaurant cuisine.  But, I’m at home, so NO RULES!!

Black Sheep Chili features, yeah you know it, lamb!  Ground lamb is something I love to experiment with.  Years back, I served a lamb burger at my Seattle restaurant, 94 Stewart that got a write up in New York, alongside the burger from Daniel, of four star fame.

You will find ground lamb to have all the flavor you are looking for in ground beef.  You know, that tantalizing meaty scent that makes your mouth water?  But, when you taste the beef, it simply does not follow thru with the flavor.  More then a let down; don’t you feel totally cheated?!?!

Using lamb in a chili is definitely a bold move, though.  The slow cooking of the meat with onions, sweet and hot pepper, garlic, and tomatoes will result in an increase to the true earthy lamb flavor.  As a burger, the fast sear doesn’t accentuate those qualities like braising does.  That said, I chose to play up the spices a little differently.  Really, using cumin, cinnamon, coriander and oregano don’t sound like such unusual choices, but changing the ratios of one to another, with lamb and they become a Middle Eastern olfactory bizarre.

Add some of your favorite beans, salt to taste, a titch of sherry vinegar to balance the flavors and top with fresh cilantro and sheep milk feta cheese.  Welcome to my world as a well adjusted Black Sheep!

Painless Pasta

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CapresePasta

Using one of the many Gluten Free pastas on the market these days, you can create impressive dishes for your guests.  It’s up to you, whether you tell them they are better for them!

The pretty Caprese Pasta, pictured here, is a dish I served at my last restaurant.

All you need, besides gluten free pasta, are tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, mire poix, fresh lemon juice and fresh egg.

For the tomato you can use some of the beautiful roasted tomatoes I featured in an earlier post, sun dried tomatoes, or even good quality canned fire roasted tomato.  You can use fresh, but during the Winter months they have so little flavor all they add is color.

The pictured dish features micro-basil.  If those aren’t available, you can chiffinade fresh leaves.

You will want fresh mozzarella, not drier pizza mozzarella for this dish.  If you get lucky and find some di bufala mozzarella, do a full on HAPPY DANCE!!  This is an incredible treat.

To make the dish, simply saute your mire poix in a small amount of olive oil.  Add the tomatoes to heat thru.  Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to boost the fresh flavors of the dish.  At the last moment of cooking, drop in your chopped mozzarella.  Do not cook it; just get it to begin warming so it will melt. Turn off the burner and add cooked Gluten Free pasta, directly from the boiling water.* Immediately add a raw egg yolk.  Toss it thru the hot pasta to cook it.  Do NOT let it sit!  Visible pieces of cooked egg will create a very unappetizing  looking dish.  Toss in salt and pepper, as desired.  If the dish isn’t ‘saucy’ enough, spoon some of the pasta cooking water in and toss.  Add the fresh basil, folding it in.  Serve immediately.

note:  Yes, you can make the dish without the egg, if this concerns you.  It does create the richness you are looking for in the finished dish, though.  You could add a small amount of organic cream, instead.  If you are allergic to eggs, be aware that most fresh pasta is made with egg.  Look at dried pastas, carefully reading the ingredients, to find another option.

* Do not over drain your pasta.  You want some of the liquid.  When pasta is over drained it begins soaking up any moisture available in the dish.  You end up with a dish that seems under sauced and dry.

Gluten: East v West

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TavGreen

This was my second trip to New York.  The first, six years ago, was an eye opening experience regarding many aspects of the culinary world.  The ‘City’ was so much more and so much less then I anticipated.

I am thrilled to have found a definite improvement to general attitudes regarding food allergies and sensitivities.  From tiny cafes to old guard, star studded venues, my discussions with servers about the ingredients and how food was prepared was met with respect and a smile.  Considering I was shown the door in both Portland and Canon Beach, Oregon in September, due to my special preparation needs, this was a refreshing change.

My dining experiences almost always involve ‘staff education’, regardless what city I am in.  I’m never surprised when my server, and the kitchen aren’t aware of the hidden soy in many dishes.  As a Chef and someone with a severe soy allergy, I must know.  I was a bit flabbergasted, though, when a server in Manhattan asked me, “What is this, uh… “gluten”?  He was serious!

I like to carry simple cards with my allergy/sensitivities printed on them.  I can give this to the server, who in turn should give it to the kitchen.  When I’m cooking for the public, I love getting these from my guests.  This method is so much simpler then depending on the information to be given verbally, especially when the list is extensive or contain truly severe allergies.

Do please be aware that providing the card is still not a guarantee that you will be able to eat safely.  If you have a serious allergy, you need to understand where it can be found on a menu.  You need to politely ask questions and make specific requests for further information.  Please always respect that the staff is going out of their way to help you.  Sincere Thank You’s are a must.  When the kitchen must extensively customize to create food for you, tip those hard working people, as well.  The people working the hardest to keep you safe are seldom rewarded or acknowledged.  A few dollars in recognition go a long ways toward keeping the next guest with an allergy safe, too.

By the way, the pretty kitchen above is Tavern On The Green.  If you can consume dairy, order the Lobster Soup.