Wednesday March 31, 2010

Geraldo Mendoza is the cook at Scrimshaw who is in charge of all the appetizers and first courses. He does a great job and is also highly valued for his staff meals. Last week he made a crazy delicious hearty quesadilla that went way beyond the melted cheese version my kids like. He served it with a Napa cabbage slaw, dressed with lime vinaigrette. So good.

Geraldo's Quesadilla

Saute small amount of ground beef, maybe a 1/4 lb, with onions. Add diced chorizo, a few handfuls of baby spinach, sliced hot peppers like jalapenos if you like the heat. In another pan quickly simmer pink beans or black beans in olive oil and garlic and gently mash them with the back of a spoon. Sandwich all this plus crumbled queso blanco between two tortillas. You can toast the quesadilla on a griddle or in a pan or in the oven. Cut in quarters and serve. This is a knife and fork quesadilla.

Napa Cabbage Slaw

Tossed in lime vinaigrette.

I am a good home cook. But my mother is a genius chef with her very own restaurant, Scrimshaw, and when she calls I don my sous chef's hat and get on the Jitney to Greenport, NY. I am lucky to be able to work in her professional kitchen sometimes. (All the time would kill me.) I firmly believe that home cooking is for home and restaurant food belongs in a restaurant. But I always bring so much back from Scrimshaw that I can translate to my own kitchen, my kitchen with a staff of one and only four burners. This week we served a lot of cassoulet at the restaurant. The beans in a cassoulet owe a huge debt to their oven romance with confit, duck fat and sausage. But they can be delicious when prepared on their own with some of the other components of a cassoulet. Their savory richness is so good with lamb chops or roast chicken or a duck breast.

Shoulder Lamb Chops

Seared and finished in the Oven, or grilled.

Sublime White Beans

If you have duck or goose fat lying around (David, I'm thinking of you) this would be a good time to use it, but olive oil is great too. Saute a lot of garlic in a lot of olive oil or other fat then add a couple of cans of white beans, sprigs of rosemary, tomato paste and water or stock. Oh, and a little white wine. Simmer briefly, maybe 15 mins, and serve. Any pan juices from the chops should be added at the end too.

A nice green veg like steamed green beans would be nice.

Monday March 29, 2010

Beef Stew

I have to come clean here and tell you that I have a pressure cooker. I swear by it and I personally think everyone should have one. It is the only reason that I can blithely say "beef stew" on a Monday morning. You can make any version you like in an hour and it will taste like it sat on the back of the stove all day. And you will have leftovers.

A Big Salad

Sorry, I just love salad and never seem to get bored with it and it cleanses the palate, as my mother used to say.

Red wine of course.

Sunday March 28, 2010

Spaghetti Carbonara

This is the hands down favorite pasta dish in my house and we often have it on Sunday nights. It's the pasta that manages to be comforting and sophisticated at once. I feel cared for when I eat it, but in an I'm dining al fresco in Rome kind of way. Which is a really good way to feel sometimes.

I always follow Marcella Hazan's recipe. It's what I was raised on, but many good recipes can be found on Epicurious.

A Big Crispy Arugula Salad

Dressed with vinegar, not lemon.

Fresh Fruit

Saturday March 27, 2010

Sloppy Joes

Is it wrong to serve Sloppy Joes the night after you've done nothing more than open a couple of cans and made toast? No it's not. Sloppy Joes are delicious and your kids, if you have them, can make them. That leaves plenty of time for a Wii tournament.

I'll make a salad because I feel guilty if I don't serve a veg.

Ice Cream Sundaes.

Someone served me an ice cream sundae recently which had been garnished with chocolate malted milk powder. It too it to another level. Just thought I'd mention it.

Friday March 26, 2010

It's Friday. I've had it.

Sardines on Hot Buttered Toast and Tomato Soup

The sardines should be King Oscar Brisling Sardines in olive oil.

The soup should be Campbell's but if you want to show off and make homemade, go ahead.

I am craving the Campbell's taste from childhood.

The beer should be cold.

Sleep tight.

Thursday March 25, 2010

Pork Chops

How about breaded and lightly fried pork chops. Season the chops and the bread crumbs and of course dip the chops in beaten egg before breading.

And sauteed apples.

And a green veg like sauteed chard or spinach.