Thursday, July 28, 2011

MAIN - DUCK BREASTS with Black Olives, on a bed of Risotto

Clean Sink is not about the fancy. It's not about the expensive. But sometimes a girl has got to treat herself. So we celebrated Wednesday night with this:


Be sure to render off the duck fat; the fat is terrible if chewy. But if you can get it right it's amazing. It's tender and red-fleshed, like steak, but with a rich yet delicate flavor. The sauce in the duck dish has immense flavor, too.

4 ounces (about 3 slices) thick-sliced slab bacon, cut crosswise into pieces
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup medium-dry red wine... something spanish or portuguese
3/4 to 1 cup oil-cured black olives: pitted, halved,
l duck breast halves per person
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the fat begins to render, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir in the rosemary and thyme, simmer until fragrant (a few minutes). pour in the stock and port, and bring to a boil. Cook for a minute, then add the olives and remove the pan from the heat.

2. With a knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern, being mindful not to cut into the flesh. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add the breasts skin side down and sear until crisp, allowing the fat to render slowly, 10 to 15 minutes. Don't rush this or it'll go chewy. Flip and sear the other side for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring the sauce back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Nestle in the breasts, skin side up, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. Slice the breasts on an angle, arrange on plates, and spoon the sauce and olives on top.

We served it atop a mound of risotto. perhaps we'll share how to make that tomorrow.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Stuffed Lemons


If you're down to work with your hands and get dirty, these things are so fun to make. The result is delicious--the lemons do nothing but flavor the buffalo mozzarella as the cheese melts around, and the rest of the ingredients are very light and nice. You feel like your in the Mediterranean or something. And yes, these have anchovies, but be not scared. I've served this to people who claim to hate the lil' guys and they love it. Of course I didn't tell them this had anchovies when I served. So get to it:

First get a lot of lemons. See the photo above? That's what you're going to want to make. Slice them into 3/4" or 1" rounds, then use a spoon to core out the lemon insides (you can save the inside for another use... maybe a cocktail to go with these things). Also make sure to gather as many lemon leaves as you make rounds. As seen in the photo, these are the bottom of the lemons, holding the bottom from falling out.

Once you have your lemon rounds (about 4 per person, you make the call) and leaves, prep your filling. See here:
Left to right: buffalo mozzarella (sliced, two pieces per lemon), cherry tomato, anchovie fillet, basil leaf).

Next get to stacking. First a cheese slice, then tomato then anchovie then basil leaf and finish with another piece of cheese. See the photo above for what it should look like.

Arrange these all on a baking sheet with a lip and pop in a preheated 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and somewhat bubbly. It won't get brown, but make sure the whole thing gets oozy.

Serve right away with crustini.... and a spoon per person to scoop out the filling and place on the bread.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

MEAT - Grilled Whole fish with salt, lemon, and fire


it's summer and when it's flat it's good to fish for your dinner after work. it makes you feel like a human: catching your food and gilling it and gutting it and cooking it up within the hour.

but sometimes the fish don't bit, so you have to go to the store after fishing and buy a fish. that's what we did here, with bronzino, a fish from Greece that tastes like a less-oily sardine. this is the most simple way to cook a fish, and probably the best for this type of thing.

Start with cleaning your bronzino (but any bass or sardine will be fine... as long as the skin is on and the head is on and the eyes are clear). if you don't know how, ask a dad or have the fish guy do it for you. rub the fish down with olive oil, and if you like stuff some herbs in the body cavity. place fish on a really hot grill for a few minutes per side... i think that if you over cook it you're blowing it. You won't get sick, the fish just came out of the ocean. when done, the skin will have some nice char marks. remove with a spatula, sprinkle liberally with sea salt, and squeeze a lemon over the top. Serve.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

APP - Anchovie and Sage Fritters

From Jamie Oliver:

12 anchovy fillets in olive oil
a small glass of sweet white wine OR juice and zest of 1 lemon
24 largish fresh sage leaves
flour for dusting
sunflower oil

for the batter:

255g/9oz strong flour
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
155ml/5.5fl oz water
200ml/7fl oz fizzy mineral water
55ml/2fl oz olive oil
pinch of salt

marinate the anchovy fillets in the wine or lemon juice on a flat plate for at least an hour.

Make the batter by whisking the flour, salt, egg yolk and water until it is a thick custard consistency. Add the fizzy water a little at a time, then add the olive oil and stand for around 30 mins.

Moisten all the sage leaves with a little water and dust both sides with a little flour. Take 2 sage leaves and put an anchovy fillet between them to make a sandwich. Squeeze together firmly so a little moisture comes out of the anchovy to bind the sandwich.

Heat the sunflower oil on high in a sturdy frying pan up to frying temperature, then turn heat down to medium. While the oil is heating whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then fold into the batter until smooth.

Dip the sage/anchovy sandwich in the batter and lower into the hot oil, fry around 6 at a time for a minute until golden and crisp,then drain on kitchen paper. Serve straight away before they go soggy.

Monday, July 18, 2011

DRINK - Fancy Beers


Ah, the beers at the San Diego beer Festival. the event saw 50 beers in 3 hours where you were encouraged to drink as much as you can. We tried to have em all. We made it half way. Here, some reviews of beers that had short wating lines:

Eel river Brewing Co, Acai Wheat- dry fruit, light on the palette. Summer! Easy drinking. Overtones of sour acia, and undertones of dry roasted hops.

La Chouffe Houblon- Mmm. It's hoppy. It makes ya hoppy, like a warm spring day. It's mid July and it feels like we're drinking a long, smooth May 5, full of herbal notes and sweet underlayment.

Doubel Iron Fist- oooo! Like my first time drinking beer. Full and chocolaty. Drips of caramel ooze past the fierce hot hops. What a blast!

Pyramid Apricot- Exceedingly apricoty. A lil' sprinkle of cinnamon and you've got yerself a pie.

Lhasa beer- Well, it tastes like Tibetan spring water... That a Tibetan goat pissed in. Nicki has never poured out a beer, until just now.

Cosmic Ales Brown- yeah man! To the moon! Chew on that thing, it'll stay with ya for a long while. 2 hours later, it may still be stickin' to yer teeth.

Lagunitas IPA- caprese! Looks like our friend Basil grew up and dropped his balls. Is that Italian green basil I sense? Why yes, it is! Broad leafed and full, ready for some soft cheese and fine crackers. That is, if you're into that whole sort of thing.

Julian Hard Cider- this stuff makes you hard. I punched a guy. For real. I was writing this review whist my beer was on the ground, a dude walked by and nearly kicked it over. A light tap to protect the grounded cider. Do you like natural, irie apple pie? Then dig on this, man. It's out of sight.

Fox Bar Pear Cider- I don't drink pear cider, but bitches do! If I were a girl, I'd drink this stuff all night. For real! It's like a mix between fizzy water and alizee. Oh wow, fellas, you're never gonna understand this: just buy it and stock it in you're bar and you'll be happy.

Yella Pils- does your mom rock? Does she wear a fanny pack and pour beer and wear sun glasses at 7 PM? Then drink this. Drink it or else you won't get your grilled cheese or dessert. Stomach it and be rewarded.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

DEAN

APP - Crustini of white anchovie and smashed cherry tomatoes


toast some bread in the oven. halve a tomato, and smear it all over the top of the toasted bread. lay over an anchovie fillet while the toast is still warm. perfect for summer and perfect with a cocktail before dinner. maybe a martini--just sayin.

DRINK - Martini


Gin, swirl vermouth.

Friday, July 8, 2011

THAI Clam Steamers


how good are clams. pretty good. we've been experimenting with different flavors and sauces to give them a different spin. here's a pretty nice one that you'll see in restaurants sometimes:

In a skillet that you have a lid for, saute some onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes in some olive oil and a big pat of butter. once the veggies are fragrant, throw in some scrubbed clams (or mussels) and some lemon grass stalks. give the pan a shake like you mean it, then after a minute pour in a glass full of white wine. then pour in half a can of coconut milk. reduce heat to a high simmer, cover, and stir every so often until the clams are open. if they don't open, they're bad and will make ya sick. toss em.

taste the sauce. Does it need salt or pepper? add it. finish with a generous sprinkle of cilantro and serve with some crusty bread.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

SALAD - Fresh Light Potato salad sans mayo


been seeing a lot of these around lately. by that i mean potato salads that are not heavy or filled with fatty mayo. sometimes they have bleu cheese. sometimes they have bacon. they're all great. i like this one the best. it's got this fresh vinaigrette dressing instead of mayo.
  • potatoes--i used these cool multicolored ones, which apparently are really good for you and have tons of different nutrients. but you can use any potatoes i guess. put them raw in some boiling water until fork tender. that means stick the potato with a fork to tell if it's done. if the fork slips and slides in and out easy-like, then it's done. drain and let cool. then cut into bit size pieces.
  • make the dressing--smashed garlic stirred with red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, capers, salt, pepper, and then whisk in olive oil till it tastes balanced.
  • mix the the two things above in a big bowl. if the potatoes are still warm, then that's really great. gently stir in chopped parsley and some sliced onion.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

SALAD - Bloody Mary Tomato Salad


here's a free recipe. it's everything good about a bloody mary except the vodka. that might sound like a bloody shame, but give it a go....

mix all this in a big bowl:
  • cherry or small tomatoes, halved.
  • chopped celery
  • chopped green olives
  • chopped pepperochini pepper
  • a splash of Worcestershire sauce
  • a small scoop of horseradish
  • some parsley
  • some sliced onion
  • (anything else you like in bloody marys, add here)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • a few glugs of olive oil
  • some squeeze lime and lemon
  • a splash of red wine vinegar

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

TEQUILA - Spicy


you wanna have yourself a damn fine margi? try this spicy little tequila as the main ingredient. after each sip there's a heat that lingers, and the only way to fix it is to drink more!

Tequila with grilled jalepenos and grilled pineapple.
1. grill pineapple slices and whole jalepenos on a real hot grill. get some good grill marks but don't cook till they're soft.
2. put pineapples, jalepenos, and some reposado tequila in a jar. let it sit for a day or two and it's spicy, and longer if you want it real spicy. You get the idea.


For our margaritas, we stirred together ice, spicy tequila, pure lime juice, and triple sec in a salt-rimmed glass.

TOPPING - Carrot and Kale Slaw with Bleu Cheese


this is awful nice as a topping on a burger.

- a few carrots, shredded.
- a big handful of kale, chopped.
- some bleu cheese, crumbled.
- bleu cheese dressing.
- a lemon, squeezed.
- salt and pepper

mix all this in a bowl. apply liberally to you burger or sandwich. enjoy.