Growing Sideways » recipes

Lamb Chop’s Play Along

Varun — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 04:04:18 +0000

So I’ve cooked a few chops in the last year, and I love them. Lamb chops can make a man melt. My favorite method, unsurprisingly, is roasting them. Wether in an oven or on a grill, it requires some careful technique and skill, but the end result is always worth it. I prefer the oven as it allows for a controlled temperature throughout cooking. I’ve also seen a prior marination does wonders for buying some insurance during cooking.

Rubbed with herbs, roasted in the oven.

Gordon Ramasy knows lamb too. Had these beauties at his restaurant in the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas…”Duet of Lamb” was outstanding! Shepard’s pie, chops, peas and carrots was an amazing dish.

At Gordon Ramsay, Paris Hotel, Las Vegas.

I’m going to recap three recipes I’ve recently tried and what I’ve learned. First was a roasted rack of New Zealand chops, frenched by the butcher. I rubbed them with some oil/herbs and roasted the rack in the oven at 375F for 10 minutes per pound. In a Good Eats episode, Alton mentions how little a marinade matters in penetrating the meat, and I agree; however, roasting allows for a nice crispy crust and adding a marinade gives the exterior time to absorb the flavor. If you use a citrus, or as I’ll talk about later some yogurt, then the meat will more tender. If you are marinating chops that are pre-sliced, the effectiveness of the marinade will be much stronger (more surface area) so be careful how much you use and how strong it is.

Roasted rack

I’ve also become a big fan of Indian lamb chops, tandoor style. As acquiring an actual tandoor is not in my scope, using the flavors and roasting in the oven or grilling them in the summer is an awesome comparison. The keys for this recipe are high heat and a long pre-marination. Typically, the chops are separated and marinated for 3 days in a yogurt-based marinade along with a host of spices (cardamom, cumin, corriander, chili powder, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, green chiles, cinnamon, mace, and whatever other tweaks you like). The combination of yogurt, lemon and long marination makes for a super tender chop when cooked at a high heat for 6-10 minutes depending on your heat source/level.

Lamb chop dish at Tulsi, served with masala potatoes and a cranberry chutney.

This past Thanksgiving I decided to try a twist on the traditional crown roast and combine the Indian tandoor marinade on two racks and forming a Raja’s Roast! As the marinade had less surface area than if the chops were separated, the flavor wasn’t as deep, but they still turned out fantastic–leftovers were even better! I may try slicing the ribs pretty deeply before marinading next time to deepen the flavor but still pull off the shape. I used Alton Brown’s idea to use an angel food cake pan as the mold because of the spigot in the center (a bundt cake pan would have been ideal, but we didn’t have one). Since I frenched these myself, I minced the meat and made stuffing out of it, which was pretty good, although quite gamey. Next time I would try using the finger bits for stew.

Thanksgiving Indian/tandoor crown roast

I also would try braising next. Since there is a decent amount of tissue around the bones and not that much fat, a quick sear in a pan of sliced chops followed by a beef bourguignon style braise (red wine, thyme, rosemary) followed by a reduction of the liquid with dried fruits herbs and mounted with butter should be a show stopper. I loved seeing this recipe done in the Good Eats episode Fermentation Nation.

Mother’s Day Weekend

Varun — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:14:13 +0000

What a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend. It has been a while since I have been to my parents’ house, and even longer since I have been able to cook all weekend. Friday night, after coming home from NY, my mother made some exotic Indian fare — millet wheat roti, okra and yellow lentil soup. Very delicious. I learned how to make roti as well, although my mother is considerably better at it than I.

Almond Cake
While cleaning the dishes, she was telling me about an Almond cake she made earlier in the week that had no flour and no (explicit) sugar. But she said it came out a bit flat (later I learned it was because she got lazy and didn’t whip the egg whites! =P). I decided to whip up a batch then and there. The recipe is here at Anja’s Food 4 Thought. I think it turned out wonderfully. I only made a few small changes: added 1/4 tsp of vanilla essence and orange essence and instead of toasting and grinding almonds, I used almond powder which resulted in a finer (cake-like) texture, but no toasted almond flavor.

More deliciousness after the jump!

Scallops
Truly delicious scallops…possibly the best I’ve eaten (and most probably the quality of Whole Foods fresh bay scallops and a lucky perfect sear than anything else). Pretty standard preparation for the scallops…Quick rinse, patted dry with paper towels. Seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides. Non-stick pan with canola oil (I would have used grapeseed if I had it on hand) heated on medium-high until the oil starts shimmering. Then I took a tablespoon of butter and cubed it and tossed the cubes into the pan. Right after the butter stopped foaming I added the scallops. Since they were medium sized (9 scallops in a pound), they took about 3-4 minutes on the first side and then 2 minutes on the second side and voila! The fun in this dish was making the spice oil…I will have to add the recipe later, but basically it was grinding some fresh spices (black peppercorns, cumin, salt, paprika), then heating them in oil until it just starts to bubble for 2 minutes, then removing it from the heat and pouring it over some fresh lemon zest and minced garlic. After cooling add some lemon juice and salt to taste. Served on a bed of chopped flat leaf parsely and cilantro, this dish was sublime.

Fresh fettucini with roasted heirloom tomato rustic pasta sauce
I’d like to think my cooking has become more refined over time. I think my strongest case would be making homemade pasta. After traveling to Italy last spring and taking a cooking class, I was hooked to fresh pasta. You just CANNOT compare fresh pasta with dried pasta. I was shopping with the family this weekend and we walked into a Williams-Sonoma (overpriced, I know, but whatever) and I finally just paid up and bought a pasta machine. The pasta was easy enough to make…I’ll go into detail in another post, but the sauce was a lot of fun. I bought a carton of heirloom tomatoes, halved them, drizzled with some nice EVOO and some basil chiffonade and threw them into a 225F oven for 3 hours. Yes 3 hours. Seriously? Yes. Trust me, it was worth it. I took everything off the baking sheet (even the drippings) and lightly crushed the tomatoes with a spoon before adding more fresh basil and a little salt/pepper. Tossing the fresh fettucini in this sauce and topping with fresh chunks of mozzarella was heaven. MUST try this a lot more in the summer.

Homemade ravioli
We had a few extra hands in the house, so we made another batch of pasta dough and used the ravioli press we bought in Italy last spring to push out some fresh ravioli. We didn’t really feel like going to the store and buying ricotta since making these was an afterthought, so my mother had a great idea to just throw random stuff inside. We ended up using some finely chopped spinach, arugula, parmesan, pecorino, mozzarella, nutmeg, salt, pepper, egg and a touch of sour cream to help bind the filling. Topped with some fresh olive oil, parmesan and pepper.

Scalini Fedeli

Varun — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:47:48 +0000

SO many pastas were harmed at this dinner at Scalini Fedeli in NYC. This was a complementary mushroom ravioli with truffle cream sauce.

Next up was a Soft Egg Yolk Raviolo with ricotta and spinach covered with truffle butter.

Now starts the pastas, which were arranged in trios. First up were the
Ecuadorian Shrimp Over Squid Ink Spaghetti with roasted peppers and broccoli di rapa in a shellfish sauce with calabrian chilis, Butternut Agnolotti with a sage brown butter topped with amaretti and buffalo mozzarella, and Pappardelle In A Game Sauce with venison and hare finished with barolo wine and bitter chocolate.

The next three were Orecchiette In A Spicy Garlic And Olive Oil Sauce with escarole, sausage, cherry pepper and anchovy finished with caramelized pecorino romano; Spaghettini “Arrabbiata” with mushrooms, black olives and minced spanish anchovy in a spicy tomato sauce; and Sauteed Ricotta Gnocchi In An Arugula And Sundried Tomato Sauce finished with grated goat cheese.

A wonderful 8th pasta followed but was not photographed…Rigatoni with pancetta, onions and pepperoncini in a light tomato and basil sauce finished with mascarpone. Then came a palette cleanser — mascarpone gelato with a drizzle of sweet balsamic reduction served on a chilled strawberry “soup”. Incredible, but we needed more!

Last came a nice dolci, Panino Of Crispy Pistachio And Hazelnut Caramel Wafers filled with hazelnut gelato. The meal was enjoyed over some Napa Silver Oak 2006.

Salads

Varun — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:22:22 +0000

Just some thoughts on salads…

If you wouldn’t eat it raw and by itself, don’t put it in! I meticulously filter out bad parts of veggies and salad leaves while preparing the ingredients for the salad. It goes without saying that the fresher the ingredients the better salad.
Bite sized pieces only. No salad should require a knife (unless you’re making some special “salad” that is served in a plate and not a bowl…I’m referring to normal everyday salads.
Wash and dry ingredients. Regardless of mixes claiming they are prewashed, I still wash and dry all my ingredients before using them in a salad.
Use a large mixing bowl and gently toss the vinaigrette with the mix right before serving. You get better coverage that way, and excess liquid stays in the bowl.
Beware of salt. It brings out moisture and will lead to liquid at the bottom of your bowl…I often add salty items instead such as cheese, olives, pickled items, nuts, dry fruits (many indian versions have salt added to them).
Don’t mess with your palette. Chose a few select ingredients and try to have some taste in mind before choosing. Often the downfall of salad is to many unharmonious ingredients.
Fresh herbs are a great addition and bring a lot of clean favors and freshness to salads. Roughly chopped basil, mint, tarragon, and dill are all great choices.
Avocados and sprouts make a great “glue” to hold different favors together without taxing the palette.
A vinaigrette should be simple and binding. I think it should have balanced elements of all the tastes. Keeping in mind your ingredients, a vinaigrette should cater and match those ingredients. Finding your perfect vinaigrette will take time but a good overall vinaigrette I’ve listed below.

Dijon mustard
Red wine vinegar (balsamic can be used, but I often find that it is too overpowering)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Jelley (strawberry is a good choice)
Lemon or lime juice

Goat Biriyani

Varun — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:16:57 +0000

Goat Biriyani, a special dish, which when properly made, takes many hours to prepare. It is a layered rice casserole and features braised goat meat and saffron as its main flavor points. Slivered nuts are also added. The vessel is then sealed with dough around the edges to lock in the moisture as it is slowly cooked over the heat.

As an aside I now have an iPhone and I’m attempting to make shorter, quicker posts more frequently. I hope you enjoy this new style and the content to come!

Flank Steak

Varun — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:06:52 +0000

Bobby Flay knew what he was doing when he concocted this crazy sauce de coeur. Although I didn’t do the cheesy bread in the recipe (trying to cut down on carbs :-/), the steak was great! Juicy and flavorful; chewey and meaty for a brotherly pairing with a bold cabernet. I used to not be a huge fan of flank because of how tough it is, but if you either pound it out or just accentuate the natural flavor with a great sear and a sauce, it’s an absolutely fantastic budget cut that will be sure to bring some smiles your way. Enjoy!

Searing the steak is fairly easy: I seared a 1-lb steak (1/2 what the recipe calls for, so I cut my sauce amount in half) for a few minutes on each side, then basted it until I was happy with a meaty medium (my family enjoys a more thorough cook than would be called for on a tenderloin for tougher cuts). The sauce recipe was a pretty epic adventure, but worth the experience:

3 cups balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon molasses
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

Put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to 1 cup. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the reduced vinegar and the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

Bacon Onion Camembert Rosemary Galette

Varun — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:38:51 +0000

This recipe was quite decadent. Next time I may cut down on the butter in the crust…It was seriously good though: the onions added some sweet earthiness, the bacon and butter created this mouth-filling richness, theÂ Camembert added some sophisticated notes of salt and grass, and the rosemary tied it all together with this cleansing, yet rich herbal goodness. Try this one out!!!

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. sugar 3 to 4 Tbsp. nonfat milk or very cold water	Combine flour, butter, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse 6 to 8 times until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Remove dough and shape into a 5-inch disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3 Tbsp. olive oil 4 Spanish onions , cut into 1/2-inch strips 4 strips bacon , cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper	Meanwhile, prepare filling: In 2 large sautÃ© pans (or in batches), divide oil and onions, and cook slowly over medium-low heat until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Add bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in rosemary, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and cool in pan.
oven dough	Preheat oven to 375Â°. Unwrap dough and let sit on floured parchment paper until just pliable, 10 to 15 minutes. Roll dough with a floured rolling pin only in forward and backward motions; rotate dough a quarter turn with every roll, making sure dough is not sticking, until it is 1/4- to 1/8-inch thick and 11 inches in diameter.
8 ounces Camembert cheese , cut into 1/4-inch strips	Place half of Camembert cheese in center of dough in a pattern resembling spokes of a wheel. Top with cooled onion mixture, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Place remaining cheese strips on onions in the same pattern, and carefully fold up edges of crust, pleating slightly. Slide tart with parchment onto a large, rimless baking sheet; place on the center rack of the oven. Bake until crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. If onions are browning too quickly, cover them with foil (don’t cover crust). Remove tart from oven; cool at least 20 minutes before moving off baking sheet or serving.

Crazy French Toast

Varun — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:32:55 +0000

Again, I’ve been slacking, but I’m gonna try to knock these all out of the park today. A while back my lovely mother woke us up in the morning with some “crazy” french toast. Why was it crazy? It may have been the ricotta. We also used some amazing chocolate chips (60% Ghiradelli), which truly made everything very velvety. Enjoy the pictures! (more after the jump)

Zucchini Lasagna

Varun — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:15:46 +0000

The problem with delaying a post is that you forget how you prepared a dish…even if you have pictures of the process :-/ I suppose that’s a jab at my memory! In any case, I have a good “excuse” — I had ACL surgery in early March, so most of my mind was occupied with that. Today (3/20/2010), I was finally “recovered” enough to take a trip to Whole Foods and cook up some damn fine grub. But this post isn’t about that. This post is about a different fine meal that I prepared at home on Jan 30, 2010 (Yes…almost 2 months ago!!! ). Btw, I also finally set up my own website =D –> www.varundube.com, which seems to be off to a good start. We’ll see how it goes.

And finally on to the food! I was watching some fine knife-carving by Japanese chefs and was inspired to use a big-ass knife to make thin sheets of zucchini and make manicotti with it. Two things foiled my plan: I was not skilled enough and I did not have a big-ass-enough knife. So I ended up cutting thin strips and reverting to looking for a zucchini lasagna recipe. Giada had a recipe that looked fantastic, but I ended up modifying it to suit my inner desire for a comfort food. It turned out great! The zucchini was cooked through and left no taste, it was light but satisfying, it was crispy and cheesy enough for everyone, and adding red pepper flakes and pasta sauce gave it two kicks in the right direction.

Some notable things we did to ensure bliss:

after arranging each layer, we decided to broil it in the oven so that the breadcrumbs and cheese would loose a little moisture and crunch up
adding sauce was an afterthought as we found a small lack of depth with just the cheese and zucchini
we used ricotta, parmesan andÂ mozzarellaÂ cheeses mixed with some dried herbs, a lot of black pepper and a little salt
used panko bread crumbs on top of cheese for extra crispy crunch

Oh Lazy Me

Varun — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:03:48 +0000

I’ve been pretty lazy about writing the past 2 weeks, but I’ve been cooking even more, so when I get around to it (I have at least 2 posts to be written), it will be worth the wait…hopefully. I think we had 3 dinner parties and 1 ‘nice’ dinner since I last wrote. Let’s see if I can remember what was made:

Dinner Party 1:
zucchini lasagna (post worthy), chocolate ?foam? muffins (semi post-worthy…although I don’t have pictures of the final thing since we ate them all), spicy chicken with american raita

‘Nice’ Dinner (2/4):
mom made thai noodles with chicken and shrimp, I made manchego mashed potatoes and spinach artichoke dip

Dinner Party 2 (2/5):
senegalese chicken peanut soup, chocolate mousse part 1, chole, thai rice veggie wraps

Dinner Party 3 (2/6):
cheese dip, chocolate mousse part 2, chicken salad