Author: AJ

Vegas And Some New Recipe Categories

by A.J. Coltrane

I’ve added three new subcategories as children to the “Recipes” tag:  Breads, Pizza & Flatbreads, and Asst Doughs. Most of the existing “dough” recipes fit reasonably cleanly into one of those subcategories. (The Grissini recipe wound up categorized as “Breads”, which I guess is ok.)

The Vegas gambling went fairly well last week, I won over 62% of my college basketball bets. The most interesting “miss” was a fun three-team parlay, combining Wisconsin to beat Syracuse (+150), Florida to beat Marquette (+110), and Louisville to beat Michigan State (+190). I bet $20 to win $324. Wisconsin lost by 1, which killed the parlay. The other two teams won. On the bright side, most of the games from the weekend seemed to follow the “script”, so that’s reassuring for next year. (Exceptions:  Baylor down 20 at the half against Kentucky. That, and Florida shooting 8-11 from 3 point range in the first half, then going 0-9 in the second half to lose to Louisville. I was feeling good about my Florida bets at halftime…)

Three fun MLB prop bets that we put a little money on before leaving town:

More Combined Hits, Homers, and RBIs:  Evan Longoria over Adrian Beltre. (Pick em). Beltre officially turns 33 on April 7. Longoria is 26. I’ll take the 7+ year age difference, thank you.

More Wins:  Jered Weaver over Cliff Lee. (Giving 1/2 win).

More Strikeouts:  Felix Hernandez over Tim Lincecum. (And Lincecum’s inconsistent velocity over the last couple of years.)

Risotto Made Easy(er)

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Making risotto seems like a daunting task for someone who has never done it before and there is always the potential for doing something incorrectly and ending up with a big pile of mushy rice. I was lucky growing up in an Italian household – risotto was a staple for special meals and from a very early age, I was lucky enough to watch my dad make it, so I was able to lean by doing it without ever having to use a recipe. Over the years, I have had a number of people ask me for the “recipe”, and they have always been disappointed that there isn’t one. My standard response has always been, come over and I will show you how to make it. Over the years, as I have increased my knowledge of the science of cooking, I have made changes to the way that I make my risotto. I learned that you don’t need to constantly stir it and with a little tweaking, risotto went from something that I made only on weekends to something that I can make for a weeknight dinner. Below is an attempt to put together a repeatable recipe. While I did measure everything out, so much of this is by feel, that it may take you a couple of tries to get it right. Of course, you can always come over and I can show you how to make it…

The Software
3/4 cup Arborio Rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup grated parmegiano reggiano
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch of saffron, steeped in 1/4 cup hot water
salt
pepper

The Recipe

Steep the saffron in hot water for 10 minutes

Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. You are looking for it to be warm before you use it (around 120 degrees), so bring it up to temperature and hold on the stove over low heat to keep warm. Add the saffron and water to the pot.

In a saucier or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften and become translucent (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown the onions; so if they start to brown, lower the heat.

Add the rice to the onions (yes, you read this right). Toast the rice in the pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP; IT IS CRITICAL TO THE RICE TURNING OUT PROPERLY.

Add the white wine to the pan to deglaze and stir.

Once the liquid is absorbed lower the heat slightly and add 1/4 of the chicken stock to the rice. Stir. It doesn’t have to be 1/4 exactly, so don’t worry about measuring it, just guess. It won’t hurt you to put more or less in. Cook for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Repeat this process with the remaining liquid, adding it in 3 more times and stirring after the liquid is added. If the rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot badly, lower the heat.

Once you have added the last batch of stock to the rice, add the water to the pot that contained the stock and heat it. This is necessary in case more liquid needs to be added to the rice.

After MOST of the last addition of stock is added, you are going to check for doneness. The only way to check is by tasting it. The rice should be soft with just a hint of toothiness – if it is at all crunchy, it is not done. If you are at that stage, add 1/3 of the water and continue cooking the same way as with the stock until you are done.

When the rice is fully cooked and there is still a small amount of liquid in the rice, reduce heat to medium low and add the cheese and butter, stirring constantly until both are incorporated. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Notes
There are several critical components to this dish. The rice you use is important – you need to use Arborio rice that mentions superfino on the package. If you don’t use Arborio rice, you will not get the creamy texture that is the trademark of risotto and superfino indicated that the rice is a high grade. Using rice that is not superfino grade can lead to a mushy meal. Chicken or veggie stock are my recommendations, but you can use any stock you would like (or even just water) – just be warned beef stock will impart a very strong flavor to the rice. The saffron really is optional, but it does impart a golden color and earthiness to the rice. This recipe will feed 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entrée with some leftovers for seconds. This is really a base recipe. I will be posting a few of my favorite variations, but once you get this one down, feel free to experiment to your hearts content.

Belgian Beef Carbonnade

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I really love things that are braised. Tender chunks of meat, rich unctuous sauces, loads of flavor, the ideal comfort food on a cold day. Braising’s dirty little secret is that you really should make it one day in advance and reheat it the next day. It gives the sauce a chance to infuse itself and increase the flavor.

One of my favorite braises is a classic Belgian dish, Beef Carbonnade. It uses an inexpensive cut of meat, a handful of ingredients and very little prep to produce what I think is the perfect example of what beef stew is. It also combines two of my favorite things – meat and beer. The below recipe was originally taken from Cook’s Illustrated and I have made a few modifications, most notably the amount of liquid used in the dish. My biggest problem with the recipe is that there was not enough sauce, so I took care of that. Also, the original recipe calls for equal parts of chicken stock and beef stock. I replaced that with only chicken stock and I think it actually turned out better. Then again, I was using my homemade stock, which is about 1000 times better than anything that you can get in a store.

Serve over rice, potatoes, pasta, frites or just in a bowl with some bread on the side. The leftovers will freeze nicely for 3-6 months.

The Software
3 1/2 pounds blade steaks, 1-inch-thick, trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds yellow onions (about 3 medium), halved and sliced about 1/4-inch-thick (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups Belgian brown beer
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, tied with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves

The Recipe
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees.
Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; add about one-third of beef to pot.
Cook without moving pieces until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes; using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until second side is well browned, about 5 minutes longer.
Transfer browned beef to medium bowl.
Repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil and half of remaining beef. (If drippings in bottom of pot are very dark, add about 1/2 cup of above-listed chicken or beef broth and scrape pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; pour liquid into bowl with browned beef, then proceed.)
Repeat once more with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty Dutch oven; reduce heat to medium-low.
Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until onions have released some moisture, about 5 minutes.
Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Stir in stock, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits;
Stir in beer, thyme, bay, browned beef with any accumulated juices.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full simmer, stirring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot in oven.
Cook until fork inserted into beef meets little resistance, about 2 – 3 hours.
Discard thyme and bay.
Remove about 2 1/2 cups of the sauce to a saucepan and reduce over medium heat by 1/2.
Add the reduced sauce back to the pot with the beef.
Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve to a grateful public. (Can be cooled and refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat over medium-low heat.)

Notes
You can probably use any low hop beer for this recipe, but I prefer to use either the Belgian beer Duval (about $8 for a 750 ML bottle) or the Trader Joe’s Vintage Brown Ale (about $4.50 for a 750 ML bottle). The Belgian beers are malty and sweet and will really enhance the sauce. You won’t use the entire thing, so drink with the meal. I have been contemplating trying this recipe with skipping the searing step for 2/3 of the beef. The meat that is above the liquid will brown during the braise, so it might actually save some time that would be used for searing. I would still want to sear 1/3 of it to build the fond in the bottom of the pan (the browned bits), because there is a ton of flavor in that. The recipe also originally called for 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar. I removed it since I didn’t think it really added anything to the braise.

The Mariners Rotation – the 2012 Edition

By Blaidd Drwg

It wasn’t too long ago that Eric Wedge announced that Danny Hultzen, he of 0 minor league innings, was going to get a shot at the rotation, along with the other Mariners pitching prospects (or if you prefer, the Mariners TNSTAAPP – There’s no such thing as a pitching prospect). Well, with the exception of Ersamo Ramirez, who appears still has a shot of making the team out of spring training, Hultzen, Walker and Paxton all have been sent to the minor league camp. It makes sense, considering all that has happened since Wedge made the announcement that the prospects were going to compete in November:

  • The M’s retained Hernandez, Pineda and Vargas, so there were really only 2 spots in the rotation open
  • The M’s retained Beavan and Furbush, so there were already 2 competitors for those rotation slots.
  • M’s trade Michael Pineda for Hector Noesi.
  • The M’s sign Kevin Millwood and Hishahi Iwakuma.

I have a feeling that Noesi is considered a guaranteed slot in the rotation, so there are still only 2 slots open. I believe Iwakuma was effectively guaranteed a spot in the rotation so that leaves one open spot. Millwood is on a MiLB deal, so he is competing for the final spot in the rotation.

Based on that you have 4 prospects, 2 returning starters and a free agent competing for the last spot in the rotation. This means it shouldn’t be a real surprise that Hultzen, Walker and Paxton were all sent down after pitching just one MLB game this spring. I fully expect to see Ramirez sent down soon and ultimately Millwood named the 5th starter with Furbush and Beavan the first two candidates to replace anyone in the rotation. I really don’t see any of the young arms cracking the rotation until at least mid-2013, if not 2014 at the earliest.

Note – I wrote this before Wedge announced that the M’s rotation would be Felix, Vargas, Noesi, Beavan and Millwood. I would also be willing to bet that Millwood will be out of the rotation by June and replaced by Iwakuma. Either way, barring some major trade or catastrophe, I think you won’t see Hultzen in a Mariners uniform until 2013 at the earliest.

Altura – A Review

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Altura is fairly new to the Seattle restaurant scene, having opened less than a year ago, and already, the tiny Capitol Hill eatery is getting a ton of attention locally and nationally, including being recently named a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant in the country by the James Beard Foundation.

Altura has fairly small and ever changing menu. The menu is broken out into an appetizer/salad section, a pasta section an entrée section and a desert section, each containing about 6 choices. Altura does things a little differently: you can pick 3 choices from anywhere off the menu for $49, any 4 items for $59 and any 5 for $69. So if you go in there and want to order 3 main courses, you can do that. The portion sizes are not overly large but they are rich and packed with flavors and the kitchen will adjust them depending on how much you have actually ordered. There is an optional wine pairing for each dish and they also have a tasting menu, which is the chef’s choice. When Mrs. Iron Chef and I were in, we both had 4 courses (I had 4 savory courses and Mrs. Iron Chef went with 3 savory and the desert) and I could barely move after the meal.

My menu choices were the sweetbreads with a lobster reduction, spicy grilled octopus (both off the appetizer section), the tripe and oxtail parpadelle, and the pork shoulder. Mrs. Iron Chef went with the beef carpaccio, the stinging nettle ravioli, the roasted chicken and the flan for dessert.

Overall the dishes were stellar. I was very skeptical about the sweetbreads with a lobster reduction, but it worked – a well-cooked pillow of meat sitting on top of an intensely flavored smear of the lobster, which was reduced to a syrup consistency. I found myself tempted to ask for a bowl of that with some bread and make that my meal. The carpaccio was well seasoned and reminiscent of a tartare and came with a brioche parmeggiano crouton, which was a symphony of, salty and buttery while still being crispy and chewy. The crouton may have been the best thing to come out in a fantastic meal and I could have been happy with just a plate of those. Heck, I would probably go back and order whatever dish it appeared with just to have it again. The parpadelle was a well cooked, house made pasta with an intense ragu of tripe and braised oxtail, bringing back fond memories of the tripe soup my dad made when I was growing up; personally this was my pick for the best thing I had in the meal. The nettle ravioli were a toothsome trio of wonderfully earthy pasta pockets, enhanced with a brown butter sauce – simple and delicious allowing the nettles to shine without overpowering the dish with a lot of complex flavor. The roast chicken was delicious and perfectly cooked, but was probably the least adventurous dish we ordered. The pork shoulder was a model of perfection of pork wrapped pork – crispy prosciutto surrounding a fall apart tender and fatty medallion of shoulder – very reminiscent of porchetta. The desert was well thought out and a nice compliment the richness of the meal.

The only dish that I would say did not come out to my expectations was the octopus. Flavor wise, the dish was great – a classic combination of white beans and chili peppers with a broth and grilled octopus. It had a nice heat without being too overpowering and the beans were cooked al dente to allow for some contrasting textures in the dish. The octopus was just a touch overcooked, causing it to be slightly chewy instead of completely tender and could have used a bit of char to lend some smokiness to the dish. It was not that this dish was a disaster; it was just that it was not nearly as well executed as everything else we had that night.

Altura has a small but well laid out wine list, both by the glass and bottle, with glass selections ranging from 8 – 16 dollars and bottles starting at around 30. The wine pairings come with a generous pour, so be aware if you go that route when you order. They also have a small cocktail menu available.

The dining room is small, with high ceilings, tables practically on top of each other, minimal lighting and an open kitchen, so the noise level can be pretty high. They do have 8 counter seats that overlook the kitchen, which might be a nice treat if you enjoy watching the kitchen churn out its product.

Overall, a visit to Altura is not an inexpensive meal, and will probably run you 75 –100 dollars per person, and can be difficult to get a reservation at based on its popularity and diminutive size, so not a place that you would want to hit every night, but definitely worth the trek to Capitol Hill for a special occasion.

Overall, Altura scores 4.5 bellissimos out of 5.

Seahawks Sign Matt Flynn

by A.J. Coltrane

The Seahawks signed Green Bay QB Matt Flynn to a 3-year, $26 million dollar deal on Sunday. I’ve been so wrapped up in the NCAA tournament that I didn’t notice until today.

The dollars and length seem about right.

The Whitehurst experiment didn’t work. Maybe Flynn will be a better answer.

I’m willing to consider about anything so that I don’t have to watch Tavaris Jackson.

What I’ll Be Watching, Saturday And Sunday

by A.J. Coltrane

A quick recap of the highlighed Thursday/Friday games and picks:

VCU/Wichita State (Pick Wichita):  Wrong! VCU won by 3 after leading by 10 for much of the 2nd half, 72-69.

West Virginia/ Gonzaga (Pick Gonzaga):  Wrong! Blowout by Gonzaga, 77-54.

Texas/ Cincinnati (Pick, pass):  Texas opened the game something like 1-10 from the floor and trailed by as much as 19, then came back to tie before losing by 6.

NC State/ San Diego State (Pick, NC State):  Correct. NC State was too physical for SDS and won by 14.

Virginia/ Florida (Pick Florida):  Correct. I have Florida as a Final Four team in one of my brackets. I had a rooting interest. Final score:  71-45. I was fine with a blowout.

Purdue/ St. Mary’s (Pick Purdue):  Correct. Purdue won by 3 in a game that was close at the end. 72-69.

Annie S. and I have three brackets each in the same ESPN Tournament Challenge group (77 participants). Annie is currently in 1st, 3rd, and 4th, with the top bracket in the 99.9 percentile. I’m 5th, 6th, and 14th. We’re going to take over the world! (Though right now I’m Pinky and she’s Brain.)

———-

Games to watch:

GP: Are you with me?

(8)Kansas St vs (1)Syracuse, 9:15 Saturday on CBS. (Pick, pass):  Just out of morbid curiosity. Kansas St is better (I think) than the general public perception. So is Syracuse.

(5) Vanderbilt vs (4)Wisconsin, 3:10 Saturday on TNT. (Pick Vandy):  Vanderbilt has a smart, veteran team that can really shoot. Wisconsin has their usual highly efficient and very slow setup. I’m rooting for Vanderbilt, they play an aesthetically attractive brand of basketball.

(12)VCU vs (4)Indiana, 4:10 Saturday on TBS. (Pick Indiana):  Can VCU do it again?

(5)New Mexico vs (4)Louisville, 6:40 Saturday on TNT. (Pick Louisville):  Louisville is fun to watch, and I have them as a Final Four team in one of my brackets. That aside, it should be an entertaining game.

Sunday looks like a bunch of dogs.

(13)Ohio vs (12)South Florida, 4:10 Sunday on TBS. (Pick USF):  USF smothered Cal in their play-in game, then smothered Temple — the halftime score was 19-15 Temple, then USF started making shots and it was over. USF is fun to watch and better than the public perception. If I were in Vegas this weekend I’d be riding USF like a rented mule, whatever that means.

I’ll be watching on Sunday, but I expect to see the favorites win most of the games. In the morning game NC State may be able to give Georgetown a challenge. The late game is Cincy/Florida State, which should be close, and ugly. Lehigh (they beat Duke)/ Xavier (defeated Notre Dame) should be competitive, if not easy on the eyes.

Happiness is a…

By Blaidd Drwg

…pint or 3 of Pliny the Elder on tap, a comfortable seat and 2 TV’s to watch Duke lose to Lehigh, Michigan Lose to Ohio and a hell of a finish between St. Louis and Purdue. Thanks to Noble Fir in Ballard for hosting and Mrs. Iron Chef for joining me.

Overall, this was one heck of a day of basketball!