June 30, 2013

Part II: Bagels

Now that we have our gravlax, we need the perfect vessel to deliver it to our mouths.  And what better vessel than a nice, chewy bagel?  One thing that DC is desperately lacking is a good bagel shop, so we thought we'd try our hand at making our own.  Bagels have a reputation as being challenging to make, but they aren't too tough--they just require some planning and patience.  The dough needs to rest overnight, so you need to mix it the night or two before you want to enjoy them.  My mom recommended this recipe, which was easy to follow.

Start by mixing your quick acting yeast, water, salt and honey in a bowl.  Add that to your bowl of bread flour, and start mixing.  Our dough came together in a matter of minutes.  Let it rest for about 5 minutes, and then give it another spin in the mixer for 3 minutes.
Lightly flour your surface, and knead the dough for about 3 minutes.  Then just place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise for an hour.
Then it's time to shape your bagels.  Break of 6-8 balls of dough, or in our case, 5 balls.  Rolls them into balls, and then poke a hole in the middle.  Shape it into a bagel shape, and then place on a baking sheet that's covered with some lightly oiled parchment paper.  Once you have your bagels shaped, cover them with plastic wrap and stick them in the refrigerator overnight.
You'll need to pull your bagels out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you're ready to cook them.  So we pulled them out of the fridge and then went for a run!  Get your poaching liquid ready on the stove by boiling a pot of water that's at least 4 inches deep.  Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat, and stir in your salt, baking soda and honey.  You'll notice it starts to smell like delicious bagels!  While the water is coming up to a boil, you can test your bagels.  In a bowl of cold water, drop in one of your bagels.  If it floats to the top, you're ready to go.

Once your poaching liquid is ready, carefully drop in as many bagels as will fit in your pot without overcrowding it.  They should float right on top of the liquid.  After 1 minute, flip the bagels, and let them poach for another 30 seconds.  Then pull them out of the liquid with a slotted spoon, and place back on the oiled parchment paper, domed side up.  Continue poaching until all your bagels have touched the liquid.


Now it's time to add your toppings!  If you want to use dried onion or garlic, be sure to rehydrate them so they don't burn in the oven.  We made 2 roasted garlic salt and onion bagels, 2 poppy and sesame seed bagels, and 1 everything bagel.

Then just pop them into a 450 degree oven for about 8 minutes.  Then rotate your pan, and cook for another 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  Place them on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before you cut into them.  This is probably the hardest part...waiting.

And now...how to build the perfect bagel.  This comes from years of practice!  Start with your cream cheese.  We both like whipped cream cheese because it's so light and fluffy.  Then put your capers on.  They add a nice brininess, and since they're right on top of the cream cheese, they won't roll away.
Then add your red onion and tomatoes.  I like to slice the tomatoes in half-moon shapes so they fit onto the bagel a little better.
Then top with your gravlax or smoked salmon.  This way, everything should stay on top of your bagel when you bite into it, and you get a bit of everything in every bite.
Now for the most important step--take a big delicious bite into chewy, salty, rich, pillowy deliciousness!

June 28, 2013

Osteria di Kara

During college I was able to study abroad and spend a semester in Venice.  I was spoiled, living in a huge house on the Grand Canal, next to the Guggenheim Museum.  We had a little produce shop a few doors down from our house, run by Bruno, an Italian Mr. Rogers, who would wake up before the crack of dawn to gather produce off the boats.  You were always better off visiting Bruno in the morning because you never knew if he was going to reopen in the afternoons.
It was here that I really first started cooking for myself.  I couldn't just go out to eat every night, and there wasn't a cafeteria to rely on.  One of the dishes I learned to make during this semester was an Italian flag pasta.  Our Italian professor, Paolo, came over one night with his friend, Alex, and taught us how to make it, though I think Alex may have just drank wine while we all cooked!

It's really simple, and a great summer dish when tomatoes are in season.  Start by scoring the bottoms of your tomatoes and blanching them in hot water for about 90 seconds.  You'll see the skin start to peel away, and that's when you want to pull them out of the water.  Once they're cool enough to handle, peel the skin off.  It should come off quite easily.  You'll want to reserve the skin so you can squeeze the juice out of them for your sauce.
Then just dice up your tomatoes into whatever size chunks you like.  Just make sure to save all the juices and add them to your sauce.  
To the tomatoes, you'll add chopped garlic, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, some dried Italian seasoning, red chili flake, and the secret ingredient...a splash of soy sauce!
Once your pasta is ready, toss it into the bowl and let the hot pasta "cook" your sauce.  You'll also want to add a bit of the starchy pasta water to help your sauce stick to the pasta.  Top with some parmesan cheese, and you're good to go!
It's quick, tasty, and only requires turning on 1 burner.  So on those hot summer days, you won't be heating up the kitchen too much.

June 26, 2013

The Red Hen

With the plethora of restaurants opening around the city, it's hard to keep up.  It feels like as soon as we try one place, five more have opened.  But we do what we can without having to crack open the piggy bank (well we crack it open sometimes and patch it back together!).  So on a beautiful Saturday night, with a looming super moon overhead, we found ourselves at The Red Hen, the newest spot in the up-and-coming Bloomingdale neighborhood.
As we walked up the block we noticed the giant red hen on the side of the building, and knew immediately this must be the place.  For all the skeptics out there thinking, "exactly what DC needs, another Italian-influenced seasonal, farm to table, hip restaurant", The Red Hen is the real deal.
Source

From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by friendly staff.  We weren't sure what to expect since it is kind of a hot-spot at the moment, but the vibe is extremely laid back.  The large inviting bar in the center of the restaurant is certainly a focal point.  This is a place where you want to hang out.  The decor is a really rustic cool, from hanging potted herbs and art on the wall, to interesting light fixtures and tons of exposed brick.  While these are nice accents, the real star of the show is the open kitchen.  You see the line at work, preparing food on the signature wood-fired hearth.

And that's all before our drink order even came.  Speaking about libations, The Red Hen has a very cool cocktail program that puts some new spins on classic cocktails.  Even the names are great.  I had the "Take the Easy Way and Give In", consisting of gin, cherry shrub, lime, and soda.  If you're not familiar with shrub, it's a sweetened, vinegar-based syrup, becoming more prevalent on cocktail menus these days.  Justin got exactly what he asked for, the aptly named,"You Get What You Ask For", a mix that will turn the heads of cocktail buffs, consisting of grappa, limoncello, and the bitter, spicy, somewhat uncommon, cocchi americano.  While we enjoyed the first few sips of our cocktails, we were presented with some bread brushed with olive oil and a delicious olive tapenade.  The bread could've used a quick toast, but the savory tapenade was a delicious topping, not overpowered by salt.

Next, it was on to the appetizers.  By now you are probably aware of Justin's affinity towards anything with truffles, so the crostini of smoked ricotta, balsamic brown butter & truffle honey was a no-brainer.  The smokiness was subtle, but just right, and was nicely balanced by the savory sweetness of the truffle honey.  We also enjoyed grilled octopus served with pesto and a potato puree.  The octopus had a nice char on it, and was incredibly tender.  I was surprised that they mixed the pesto and potatoes together; it had lost some of its flavor, but it was a nice complement to octopus.

Source
Are you drooling yet?  We haven't even touched on our entrees!  So let's dive in.  I went with the roasted lamb leg sandwich, served with grilled rapini, smoked onion, and a saffron aioli.  There was also some pickled fennel on the side, which was a nice acidic bite.  The lamb was cooked perfectly, and sliced thin on a nice, chewy roll. The aioli was awesome, and the saffron stood up to the richness of the aioli.  It was a smoky, savory, and delightful topping that brought all of the components together.  Justin opted for the veal sweetbreads. Sweetbreads are glands including the thymus, pancreas, and sometimes parts of the neck, and cheeks.  They are a protein that take quite a bit of finesse to perfect.  So did The Red Hen miss the mark?  Absolutely not--they were delectable.  Not a tinge of iron taste, they were cooked perfectly, not to sticky or fatty, and they had a delightful crispness.  The dish was rounded out with pea shoots, hearty bacon, a perfectly fried egg, and some extremely creamy and well-seasoned polenta.  Justin stuck with breakfast notes and ordered himself an imperial stout to act as the cup-o-joe to go with his bacon, eggs, and grits.

Somehow we managed to save room for dessert.  The basil panna cotta jumped right out at us, and we knew we had to order it.  It's not a flavor you typically see, and it certainly lived up to our expectations.  The panna cotta had a nice, refreshing basil flavor, really highlighting the herb itself.  It was accompanied by strawberry preserves, giving the dish a bit of sweetness and a delicious jammy texture to go with the creamy panna cotta.  The other dessert that we couldn't resist was the egg cream.  For those not in the know, an egg cream is a local favorite from Brooklyn that utilizes neither egg or cream.  Our server assured us that this recipe used Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup.  So what's better than an egg cream? One with a lump of malted chocolate gelato in it!

If you couldn't tell, we love the place!  We plan to go back on another Saturday to take advantage of their Saturday night special; any crostini, pasta, and a glass of wine for only $22.  We've read rave reviews about the pastas, and if they're anything like the dishes we've already tasted, we're in for quite a treat!

June 24, 2013

It's the Greatest of all Time (G.O.A.T)

I've only eaten goat once before, at my graduation dinner last year at Komi.  It was a slow-roasted goat shoulder, served with pita, tzatziki, and a few other condiments.  So when we got ground goat in last week's share, we drew inspiration from that meal to make Greek-style goat meatballs with tzatziki.

For the meatballs, we found this recipe by one of our Food Network favorites, Michael Symon.  As always,we took a few liberties with the recipe, and made our own tweaks.  To start, we chopped (rather than grated) half an onion and a couple cloves of garlic, and tossed them into a pan to sweat down.  After 8-10 minutes, the onions will be translucent.  You'll want to set them aside and let them cool before you add them.

While the onions and garlic are cooking, you can start mixing up your meatball mixture.  Cumin, coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg went into a bowl with our goat.
To that we added an egg to help bind the meatballs, the zest of a lemon, some oregano and mint.  Once your onions and garlic have cooled, toss them in with the meat mixture, and combine everything thoroughly.  Just be careful not to overwork the meat.  Form the meat into balls, roll them through some flour, and toss them into a hot pan to cook.  We got a nice sear on the outside of the meatballs, and then tossed them into the oven to cook through.
To accompany our meatballs, we cooked up some romanesco.  It is a variant of cauliflower, and almost looks like some kind of medieval torture device.  We decided to treat it as we would cauliflower, and roast it with brown butter, mint, red onion and lemon juice.  Since we didn't have any cheese, and we still wanted a salty, umami component, we shaved a little bottarga on top.

To finish off our meatballs, we whipped up some tzatziki, sliced up some red onions and tomatoes, and toasted up some pita.  Slather your pita with some of your tzatziki, line with red onion and tomato, and then toss in your meatballs.  We used some extra mint as garnish.  To help your meatballs fit into your pita, give them a little smash with a fork.  I learned this trick from eating lots of falafel!  And there you have it...Greek-style, goat meatballs!

June 22, 2013

Part I: Gravlax

Back in December, I caught Chuck Hughes' Christmas special on The Cooking Channel, and I watched him make gravlax.  It seemed simple enough, and we had the many of the components on hand (aside from the salmon), so why not try it out?

We put my mortar & pestle to use to crush the szechuan peppercorns, and to mix up the salt, dill and brown sugar.  I only had Kosher salt on hand, rather than coarse salt, so if that is the case for you, I'd recommend using a bit less salt than the recipe calls for.
For your salmon, either buy 2 filets, or buy 1 that you'll cut in half.  You want to have 2 pieces of salmon that are mirror images of each other so you can sandwich them, one on top of the other.  Take your salt/sugar/dill mixture and crust both pieces of salmon.  The thicker parts should get more salt/sugar/dill.
Sandwich the salmon together with the salt/sugar/dill mixture in the middle.  Tightly wrap your salmon sandwich in plastic wrap, and place on a cookie sheet.  You'll want to place another cookie sheet on top, then place it in the fridge with about 1lb. of weight on top.
Let it sit in the fridge for 24hrs.  You'll notice a lot of liquid will seep out, and the flesh of the salmon will darken and lose its translucence.  When that's happened, your gravlax is ready!  Just remove all of the salt/sugar/dill, rinse off the flesh with water, and pat it dry.  When you're ready to eat it, just slice off pieces on the bias.
Now we know what you're thinking...what do I do with a couple hunks of cured salmon?  Well, for part II of this post, we'll show you we made our own bagels, and how to build the perfect breakfast bagel.  You should "Like" our Facebook page to get instant updates too.  Stay tuned!

June 19, 2013

MXDC

Last night we had the opportunity to attend the grand opening event for MXDC, Todd English's newest restaurant in DC.  We couldn't turn down a chance to try out their food and drink offerings, and get a glimpse of the former Galileo III space.
So let's dive right into the deliciousness!  We were greeted at the door by margaritas.  Not a bad way to start the night.  Justin went for their classic, house marg while I opted for the hibiscus.  I was a little worried it'd be too floral and sweet, but there was some smokiness to the drink that balanced it out.  The house margarita was tasty, but nothing to write home about either.  The 3rd cocktail they were featuring was their "Cocoa Picante" - cocoa flavored tequila, jalepeno, and lime (though it was garnished with a grapefruit wedge).  It was...interesting.  Let's just leave it at that.  I guess they were trying to go for some mole flavors...it just didn't work.

tuna tartar sopes
Onto the food!  There was plenty of it.  Servers roamed the dining room with plates of tacos and ceviches.  We sampled huitlacoche (it may have been mushroom and corn), mahi mahi, crispy chicken, and carne asada tacos.  The hands-down favorites were the chicken and carne asada.  The chicken was grilled with a nice char and some crunch to it, but still remained juicy.  It was topped with pico de gallo and some avocado cream.  The carne asada was packed with flavor too.

beet ceviche
The tuna tartar sopes were also a favorite.  The fluffy, masa sopes were a perfect vehicle for the fresh fish that was lightly topped with a spicy chili sauce.  The beet ceviche was a bit of a miss.  The citrus overpowered the sweetness of the beets, and just made for an overly acidic bite.  And the tomato gazpacho was sweet and light, but missing any hint of spice I was expecting since they mentioned there were habaneros in it.

There are 4 different guacamoles on the menu, and we were able to sample 2 of them.  Both the crab and lobster guacamoles were tasty, though I think I prefer the lobster guac since it was topped with queso fresco.  We may have parked ourselves in front of a big bowl of it towards the end of the night...

Overall, the food was pretty tasty.  I would definitely consider heading back once the restaurant opens to try out some of the entrees, and the duck carnitas tacos.  Those sound amazing!