Bamboo Rice, Bok Choy and Scottish Salmon

I love sunny Saturdays in spring. The garden is bursting with apple blossoms and cornflowers and tulips and roses {yes, already!} and mustard greens and the fig tree is just giving birth to tiny, green figlets.



It is one of my favorite times of the year. The neighborhood is bustling and Piedmont Park is packed with throngs of people gathering on blankets to soak up the weekend sun.

Today is the perfect day for lunch in the garden. I head to the farmer' s market for provisions, but alas, my procrastination is too late and the last of the farmer's is putting away her goods. It's off to the local farmstand, then. A co-op where a few farmer's bring their produce for those of us who haven't planned well enough in advance. Even there, the selection is on near empty. I manage a bunch of baby turnips from Crystal Organic Farms and a handful of still earth-clod golden beets from Love is Love farm {who could resist a name like that?!}.

Next door, Star Provisions will surely inspire a menu for lunch. And indeed, it never lets me down.
Two fillets of scottish salmon. A few thin slices of serrano ham {maybe not on today's menu, but always good to have in the pantry}. A bottle of pinot grigio.

Back home, I find a bag of beautiful baby bok choy that needs to be cooked. And Organic Jade Pearl Rice, a bamboo rice, one of the many varieties stocked in the pantry thanks to our friends Caryl and Ken of Lotus Foods. Bamboo is infused into sushi style rice from China. When it cooks, it keeps a beautiful green hue- it will be a perfect color compliment to the salmon .

When a day like this is on the menu, how can life be anything but good?



BAMBOO RICE, BOK CHOY AND SCOTTISH SALMON

To make the rice, follow directions on the package {Lotus Foods recommend 1 part rice to1.5 parts water}. Add a dash of olive oil or pat of butter just before covering to cook.

To make the bok choy, Cut two bunches in half lengthwise.
Heat 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan. Over medium heat, warm the oil. Add two cloves of crushed garlic. When the oil starts simmering around the garlic cloves, add the the bok choy face down. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, just until you see some caramelization on the greens, but they are not yet browned. Turn them over in the pan. Add about 1/4 cup water to the pan. Simmer, covered, until tender. About 7-10 minutes. Turn off the heat when done and keep covered until ready to serve.

To cook the salmon, heat a small saute pan over medium high heat. Add a Tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle about a tsp. of Citrus Fennel Salt on each fillet. Saute the salmon skin side down until the skin is crispy and golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the salmon over {if the skin sticks, simply cook it separately} and cook salmon on the other side just until browned, about 1-2 minutes. The salmon may still be bright pink in the center, but it will continue to cook.

Remove the salmon from the pan.
Spoon the rice onto the plate. Gently place the bok choy on the plate. Place the salmon and salmon skin {if seperate}, on the plate. Spoon the liquid from the bok choy around the plate. Pour you and your guest a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.
Enjoy the day!


Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Quail eggs from the farm

It may be difficult to find quail eggs., but if you do, it will be a treat.
I bought these fresh, little jewels at one of my favorite food stores in town, Star Provisions. The Chef/owners, Annie Quatrano & Clifford Harrison, have a farm just south of Atlanta and sometimes have enough from their harvest to share with those of us who aren't dining in one of their several award-winning restaurants.

They need barely 3 minutes of cooking, with a quick running bath of cold water to cool them down. Peel them carefully. I crack them gently all around, then start peeling at the bottom , where there is a natural air pocket. It's almost like peeling an orange....round and round and the winner gets it all in one strip!

I imagined a petite deviled egg with specks of fresh basil pesto mayonaise, but the reality of it is, it would require a delicate hand and I simply do not have the patience or the petite hands. If it were breakfast, I might poach them alongside a rasher of maple laced sausage bits on a bed of farmhouse sugo.
In the end, and because I was hungry for something light and lunch-like, I put together my next best favorite- a simple salad with fresh greens, Olivada Olive Pesto, and a splash of lemon. Thanks, Annie.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

The Local Farmstand

My next best favorite place to shop after the neighborhood organic farmer's market is The Local Farmstand.
It is a quaint little corner store nestled in front of my favorite upscale food store, Star Provisions. I had already bought fresh Georgia shrimp earlier in the day, so when I spotted the stone ground grits, the southern dish of shrimp and grits came to mind.



The grits are locally milled by Riverview Farms and have such a colorful mix of coarse, stone-ground blue and white corn. Grits are a staple in the Southern food pyramid.
Of course, not being a Southern girl, I had to put my Mediterrean twist on the dish.

I laced the grits with a handful of Italian Polenta and cooked them in half water and milk, for a richer, denser texture. A few tablespoons of my seasonally inspired Vidalia Onion Pesto added easy and instant flavor to the dish without a chop or a dice!



As the grits were happily slow cooking on the stovetop, I had to think of some sort of sauce or marinade for the shrimp.
I had ancho chili peppers in the pantry, and I thought they would be a perfect condiment for a sweet and hot sauce for the dish.



A bit of roasted ancho cili and Preserved Oranges {scented with orange flower water} makes a smokey, slightly spicy and sweet, floral marinade for the shrimp.


I had so much fun making this dish, stretching my flavor ideas and my usual techniques of cooking. I hope you will enjoy it too!

ROASTED ANCHO CHILI ORANGE SHRIMP WITH VIDALIA ONION GRITS

For the Marinade and Sauce:
1 Ancho Chili
3 Slices Preserved Oranges plus 3 Tablespoons syrup
Zest and juice of one lime
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons Cilantro
1 Cup water
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 pounds fresh, shelled shrimp, talls on. Reserved the shrimp shells.

Remove the seed from the chili pepper. Sear over high heat on a grill pan, burner or saute pan for a few minutes on each side.
Break chili up into pieces and add to blender with the rest of the ingredients. Process until mixture has a texture of a thick, smooth paste. Toss half of the mixture with the shrimp. Refrigerate until ready to use. Set aside the remaining marinade.

To make the shrimp shell sauce {which will be added to the reserved marinade for a sauce}, heat a saute pan over high heat. Add a Tablespoon of oil and saute the shells until pink and well cooked. Add 1 cup of water, bay leaf, a few peppercorns and a few sprigs of celery or Italian parsley leaves. Bring water to a gentle boil, turn down heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain off liquid and add to remaining marinade. Reserve until ready to use.

To make the polenta grits:
1 cup polenta
1 cup grits
2 cups milk
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons Vidalia Onion Pesto
1 cup cheese of your choice- I like freshly grated Parmesan or a toma from our local dairy, Sweet Grass Dairy

Heat water and milk with butter just until boiling. Add the polenta, grits and vidalia onion. Simmer over low heat, covered, for about an hour, or until creamy and thick. Stir occassionally to avoid sticking on bottom of pan. Add cheese and blend. Serve immediately.

For the Shrimp:

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with 2 Tablespoons oil. Add the shrimp and saute just until both side are pink. Add the sauce and simmer just until sauce is warmed and shrimp are cooked.
Serve over steaming hot grits. Top with a few fresh cilantro leaves and a wedge of lime.

Oops! I forgot to take pictures of the rest.....too busy enjoying the meal, I guess!


Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

Piatti Perfetto

Rome is one of my favorite places on earth. When I am lucky enough to visit this ancient city, it feels like returning home. For most people, it might be the vatican or the ancient aqueducts that draws them near, but for me, it is the food. I love the way the Italians eat. Simplicita. Simplicity. They don't pile things on a plate. Instead, each course is plated seperately and served a delicious chapters to be savored bite by bite, dish by dish. Although my appetite is not always hearty enough to sample all courses, I usually have a piatti, or main course. One of my favorite dishes I first tasted in Rome is Rucola e manzo con limone. Fresh, tender argula leaves with seared beef and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It is the most perfect, most flavorful meal.

It is a mild winter here in my hometown, the perfect time to grow tender, young arugula greens. It is also Meyer lemon season. Grown primarily in California, Meyer lemons are one of my most favorite winter fruits. They are said to be a cross of tangerines and lemons, sweet yet floral and aromatic, with a milder flavor. Greens need only a squeeze of fresh Meyer lemons and a good extra virgin olive with a pinch of sea salt. Top that with another of my favorite seasonal fruits, pomegranate seeds. When I am not eating them in wedges over the kitchen sink, I add the crimson jewels to champagne cocktails, fresh greek yoghurt with chicken and salads. Their tangy sweetness and crunch is the perfect condiment to liven any dish.

And the beef. I recently tried Kobe beef for the first time. Our local specialty grocer, Star Provisions {www.starprovisions.com} carries only the finest, freshest and most innovative ingredients. Whether fresh meats from the butcher or gourmet staples for the pantry, I know I can always count on Star to cater to my every whim. Tonight, they recommended kobe beef. It was incredible! Kobe beef refers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. . Wagyu ("Japanese Cattle") are renowned for flavour, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture, qualities enhanced by the traditional methods of raising Kobe beef. Today, most kobe beef we buy is now procured from cattle raised in the United States. Niman Ranch is the favored artisan purveyor. They will deliver this delicious beef right to your door {www.nimanranch.com}.

Cooking the beef to tender perfection only requires a simple searing with sea salt and fresh herbs and a quick cook in a 350 degree oven, and you have the most tender, flavorful beef I have ever had.

So, whether you are in Rome, Japan, or cooking in your own kitchen, enjoy a seemingly decadent meal made easy.

Seared Kobe Beef with Arugula Salad

1# Kobe beef
1 Tbsp. Savory Salts*
fresh cracked pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Cups tender, baby arugula leaves, washed and dried
2 Tbsp. meyer lemon juice
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive OIl
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 fresh pomegranate seeds

Sprinkle the beef with savory salts {a mixture of 1 part dried or fresh herbs and 2 parts sea salt}. Heat the oil in a saute pan until smoking. Add the beef and sear on each side until brown and carmelized, about 1 minute. Place pan in oven and cook until cooked to the touch, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness. Remove from the oven to rest.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, toss the arugula leaves with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with pomegranate seeds.

Slice the beef against the grain and lay slices on the arugula greens.

mangia! Serves two.

Buon appetito!

Copyright 2007 Alisa Barry