In March 2016, we celebrated Chris’ Mormon upbringing with a classic menu from a Mormon wedding. And we got into costume!
Chris and Diana
Angel of Moroni Potatoes with Temple Square Fry Sauce
Sweet Apple Ham with Joseph Smith’s Accompaniments
Golden Plate Spinach Florentine and Nauvoo Chicken Casserole
Lamanite Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes o’Nephite
Provo’s Favorite Jello Shot
Jack Mormon Jack Daniels Chocolate Cake
Orrin’s Cider Poached Apples with Sabayon le Pere Jules
Last year, life/culinary school got in the way, and we fell behind on preserving our delicious memories of Spicebox Supperclub. Now it’s time to catch up.
Back in September 2016, Nalin and Heather hosted a lovely meal on the theme of “Local.” While we don’t have any photographs of the amazing meal, here are the recipes, many from the Gjelina cookbook, and a partial list of local purveyors.
LOCAL: Menu and Recipes
Amuse Bouche
Watermelon cubes with balsalmic reduction.
Roasted beet cubes with goat cheese.
Ingredients
watermelon
basalmic vinegar
honey
3 medium beets (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
goat cheese
Directions
Cube watermelon, about 3/4” in size, core small depression
Reduce basalmic vinegar in half by heating slowly
Add gently to depression in watermelon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the leafy stems and roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks.
Place the cut beets on the prepared baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Roast for until the beets are tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife, 35 to 40 minutes, tossing once with a spatula midway through.
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and maple syrup in a small skillet. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half (if should lightly coat the back of a metal spoon). Pay close attention and be sure not to over-reduce it; it goes from sweet and syrupy to burnt and hard very quickly.
Toss the glaze with the roasted beets and chill until ready to serve.
Andulusian Gazpacho
(from Serious Eats)
Preparation
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pepper, garlic, and salt in a large bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain juices into a large bowl and add the bread. Transfer the drained vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet and place in freezer until vegetables are frozen, about 60 minute.
Remove vegetables from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature until mostly thawed, about 30 minutes. Transfer vegetables and all their juices from the pan to bowl with soaked bread.
Working in two batches as necessary, blend vegetables, juice, and bread at high speed, slowly drizzling olive oil and sherry vinegar into blender as it blends. Strain soup through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve, drizzling each bowl with olive oil, a few sprinkles of sherry vinegar, extra cracked black pepper, and chives. Gazpacho can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ceviche
(from Serious Eats)
Procedures
Combine fish, juice, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño in a large bowl and gently fold with your hands to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least 5 minutes, folding occasionally. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with boiled corn and sweet potatoes, if desired.
Timing
Tomato, Beet and Carrot Soup
(from Gjelina)
Yield 6-8
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
Kosher salt
3 peeled carrots, chopped
7 red beets, peeled, chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1.5 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp Harissa
2 cups beef stock
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf, bruised
3/4 cup (120 ml) pomodoro sauce
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (60 ml) spiced yogurt
2 tbsp snipped chives
olive oil
Procedures
In a large soup pot over medium high heat, warm the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 2 mins. Season with salt. Add the carrots and beets and turn the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked through and slightly carmelized, 20-30 mins. Stir in the garlic, and cook until just fragrant, about 2 mins longer. Stir in the tomato paste and harissa until aromatic and beginning to brown, about 3 mins. Add the beef and vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaf and simmer until the beets are very tender, about 20 mins. Add the pomodoro sauce.
Remove from heat and with an immersion blender, puree until relatively smooth. (Or puree in batches in blender.) Return to medium-high heat and cook until warmed through. (Add more stock if the soup is too thick.) Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and top with spiced yogurt. Sprinkle with chives, dizzle with best quality olive oil and a few rounds of pepper.
Spiced Yogurt
Toast 1/4 tsp coriander and 1/4 tsp cumin seeds in a small frying pan, about 3 mins. Remove from heat, cool and then grind. In a food processor, combine yogurt (1 cup Greek style), coriander and cumin seeds, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro and 1 tbsp chopped mint and process briefly, about 5 seconds. Add olive oil (2 tbsp), white wine vinegar (2 tsp) and juice from 1/2 lemon and pulse briefly. Taste and season with salt. Stir in 3 tbsp water until yogurt is thin enough to drizzle with spoon.
Arugula and Radicchio Salad with Crispy Shallots
(from Gjelina)
Ingredients
Crispy shallots and shallot oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
kosher salt
1 bunch arugula
1 head radicchio
chunk of parmesan
Procedures
Pour 1 1/2 cups of shallot oil into a small bowl, whisk in the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar and honey and season with salt/pepper.
Crispy Shallots
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add 5 shallots and cook, stirring until deep golden brown and temperature of oil is 230 degree F, 10-15 mins. Using slotted spoon or strainer, transfer shallots to a paper-lined dish and drain. Allow shallots to come to room temperature.
The key to frying shallots is to add them to warm oil and raise the temperature gradually while moving the shallots briskly. The bubbling action of the shallots will tell you when the temperature is right.
Sous vide Beef Steaks
(from Serious Eats)
Procedures
Season steaks with salt and place in the fridge for 4 hours. After, coat generously with spice mixture (anardana, fennel, five spice, and thyme). Add to water bath (131 degrees) for 2 hours.
Heat cast iron skillet, add butter/canola oil mixture. Sear each side for 15-30 seconds, including sides. Slice.
Chimichurri
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 shallot
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
some sliced apple
Combine cilantro, parsley, oregano, paprika, shallot, olive oil and salt and stir. Blend until roughly combined
Red Wine Sauce
2 cups red wine, 4 shallots (chopped), 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 sprigs thyme, 1 fresh bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
2 cups concentrated veal stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter
Combine the wine, shallots, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently until the liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the veal stock and continue to boil gently until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard against the solids to extract all the liquid. The sauce can be stored for up to a day in the refrigerator.
Tomates a la Provencale
(from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)
Ingredients
6 firm, ripe tomatoes, all of the same size, about 2 inches in diameter
salt and pepper
olive oil
1-2 cloves mashed garlic
2 tbsp minced shallots
4 tbsp minced fresh basil and parsley
1/8 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
big pinch of pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup crumbs from fresh white bread with body
Procedures
Remove stems, cut top of tomatoes off, gently press out juice and seeds. Sprinkle halves with salt/pepper.
Blend ingredients in a mixing bowl, correct seasoning. Fill each tomato with mixture. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil. Bake in upper third of oven at 400 degrees 10-15 mins.
Beef Broth with Kale and Poached Egg
(from Gjelina)
8 cups beef broth
8 small eggs
two bunches of kale, 2 garlic cloves
Parmesan cheese or other firm cheese
green onion, thinly sliced
Saute garlic in a large non-stick pan, saute kale for about 2-3 mins, add to bowls. Heat broth in two pans until just boiling, drain and add eggs to pan and allow to poach for 3-4 mins, transfer to bowls. Add broth to bowls, top with olive oil and a sliced green onion
LOCAL: Purveyors
Fresh produce:
Fifth Crow Farms, Pescadero – Castro Farmer’s Market (beets & other fresh produce)
Dirty Girl Produce – Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market (tomatoes, beets, carrots)
Shelly’s Farm Fresh – Castro Farmer’s Market (pullet eggs)
Oysters:
Hog Island Oysters, Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market
Fresh fish:
H&H Fish (http://www.hhfreshfish.com), fresh snapper from Monterey Bay
Grass-fed beef:
Stemple Creek Ranch and Prather Ranch Meat Co (Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market)
The Supperclub, satisfied, after our feast at Mourad.
Sadly, we ate this dish too quickly to photograph! This is the home cook’s version of the magical beans which are served as one of the side dishes with the La’acha (family meal) at Mourad. In the restaurant, the feta which is rustically crumbled as a topping in this home version is molecular gastronomically transformed, elevated, into a light as air foam. The beans, though, are the same. These beans were one of Heather’s favorites when we dined together at the end of my brief tenure in the kitchen at Mourad.
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Mourad’s Loubya (Corona Beans, Tomato Sauce, Feta)
Adapted from Mourad: New Moroccan, Mourad Lahlou
Beans (can be cooked up to 3d in advance)
Ingredients
8 oz dried corona beans—soaked overnight at room temp with 2 inches water covering
1 lg carrot, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 celery stalk, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 garlic clove
2 T brown sugar
1 T kosher salt
Technique
Sauce: simmer below for about 1 hour until reduced to 2 ¾ cups; add onions below; can be made 3d in advance
11/2 c (375g) diced canned tomatoes, w juices
¾ cup (213g) tomato puree
2 ¼ cup water
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 T sugar
1 T minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
1 1/2tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
¾ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
Onions: caramelize for about 15mins, then add balsamic
1 T canola
1 ¾ cups thinly sliced onions
salt
1 tsp balsamic
Topping
4 oz dry packed feta, Mt Vikos or Redwood Hill, crumbled
1 c bread crumbs
3T evoo
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
To finish beans:
Nalin did an exceptional job pairing French wines with our meal, and extensive background as well. He chose wine from the Rhone valley:
Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2010
Domaine Alain Graillot Corzes Hermitage Blanc 2011
Domaine de la Jaufrette Gigondas 2009
and Provence:
Chateau Pradeaux Bandol 2015
Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol 2012
Paula Wolfert’s Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds
From The Food of Morocco, Paula Wolfert
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
3 lbs bone in lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 T evoo
2 T unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste w 1 tsp salt
1 T LaKama spice mixture: 1 tsp each ground ginger and turmeric, white pepper; ½ tsp cinnamon; pinch of grated nutmeg [good with fish, lamb, chicken, winter root veg)
2 T saffron water (1/2 tsp saffron crushed in 1 C hot water)
1 lb unpitted large prunes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 T orange flower water
3 T sugar
1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted
1 T toasted sesame seeds
Technique
Spicebox Supperclub 