Don't Get Complacent: Ca Ri Ga revisited

One of my favorite things about cooking is finding new, better ways to do things. Whether it's technique or improvements to a favorite recipe, the discovery part is always fun. Case in point is the classic Vietnamese curry dish Ca Ri Ga. I've had a version locked and loaded in my repertoire for a few years now (see original post here). It was always delicious, had been made many times before for friends to much praise, and seemed perfect. The lesson here is one should never get complacent, because when I was in a curry-ish mood with a bit of starch craving on the side yesterday morning I entered three words into the awesome epicurious recipe search app: "sweet potato curry". Up popped this recipe, and a few hours later the results appeared as pictured.

This was almost a whole new curry from my previous ca ri ga. Slightly more pungently flavored and definitely brothier. In fact it was the broth that made the whole dish better. Equal parts chicken stock and coconut milk, it had a silky texture yet was not too thick and not too liquidy. Just right. In her notes below recipe author Mai Pham suggests having it with a baguette which I will definitely do next time (although our rice side was excellent). It could also be made vegetarian style by leaving out the chicken, maybe throw in some cauliflower and broccoli or whatever plant based needs you have. The prep was straightforward and simple, and the dish comes together ridiculously easy (both of which always score huge in my book and make this a perfect after work dinner). My mind was opened to a new possibility, my palate was extremely happy, and as much as I loved my old ca ri ga, I have just found a new, better way to edible satisfaction!
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Ca ri ga

from epicurious: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" by Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year.

"True to the Vietnamese style of curry-making, this recipe is milder and lighter than Indian or Thai curries. You can make this with chicken stock, but the coconut milk adds body and enhances the overall flavor. Depending on my mood and the time of year, I sometimes serve this with a warmed baguette (a French influence) instead of steamed rice. Other times, I just make the curry with more broth and serve it with rice noodles. Like other curries, it's delicious the next day."

yield: Makes 4 Servings

ingredients:
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground chili
paste or dried chili flakes, or to taste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into 3 slices and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 1/2 cups fresh chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
3 carrots, peeled, cut on the diagonal into 2/3-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Garnish (feel free to use any/all):
1/2 cup Asian basil leaves, cut in half
8 sprigs cilantro, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 scallions, chopped

method:
1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat the meat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chili paste and the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder, and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges of the pieces are golden, 3 to 4
minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken stock. Bring
to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add
the coconut milk, onion and sweet potato and cook until the vegetables are
tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with Asian basil,
cilantro and scallions, and serve.

Spaghetti and meatballs: take that grandma!!

I'm not going to say these are best spaghetti and meatballs ever (even though they are) because I don't want the Italian grandmother mafia to put the hit on me. Spaghetti and meatballs, an iconic thing if ever there was one with deep familial connections. Kind of like potato salad, or a history of mental illness (not my family mind you...we're FINE!). So I don't make that "best ever" claim lightly. But the truth is the truth, so I have to go with it.

My great claim to food shame is that in all these years of cooking at home I have never made spaghetti and meatballs, where the meatballs and sauce are made lovingly from scratch. The other day I got the bug, even though the middle of summer in our defiantly non-A/C house doesn't usually put me in the mind of "Man, something that cooks for hours on the stove sounds perfect!" Stuck in my mind it was, though, so I had to rid my brain of the demon and hopefully end up with something completely kickass in the process. I did and it was! I looked at many versions and got this recipe off of the iPhone epicurious app (the unholy tech-child of Steve jobs and Ruth Reichl). Never mind that the recipe said it would feed 12-16 and it was just w and I for dinner. Ever hear of leftovers (as in three 48 ounce Tupperware tubs) for Christ's sake? When I decided to put this to the test, I somehow missed the part that said to roll out 70 meatballs. 70 freaking meatballs?? Maybe it's because my hands are big and the meaty orbs were a bit, um, large, but I ended up with 52 (a few of which can be seen awaiting their simmery fate at left), which sorely tested my patience. If I would of had to roll out 18 more I might've chucked the whole fucking lot. With the sauce simmering happily in the background (above right), I browned off the meatballs, which after a few fell victim to careless turning left me with 48. Which was plenty. After the whole lot was combined and cooked together, the bowl of luscious Italian comfort food that resulted was incredible. The sauce was light and fresh, not that dark, heavy, too-sweet slop that often passes for "rich" spaghetti sauce (note how simple the sauce is, and NO tomato paste needed, thank you). As expected, the next day the sauce was even better because of that 24 hour food miracle called "flavor melding". And I am quite content to know that sitting in my freezer are three more big dinners to come. To all Italian grandmothers: I am ready to throw down!!
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Spaghetti and Meatballs
from Gourmet | January 2009
Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings
Active Time: 2 hr
Total Time: 3 hr

ingredients:
For tomato sauce:
6 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

For meatballs:
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups torn day-old Italian bread
3 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 pound)
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 pounds ground veal
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (not lean)
1 cup olive or vegetable oil

For pasta:
2 pounds dried spaghetti

Accompaniment: grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Equipment: a 12-to 16-quart nonreactive heavy pot or 2 smaller nonreactive pots; a 6-to 8-quart pasta pot with a pasta/steamer insert for cooking spaghetti in 2 batches.

method:
Make sauce:
Drain tomatoes, reserving juice in a large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands and add to juice.

Cook onions in oil in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, 4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt.

Make meatballs while sauce simmers:
Cook onions in extra-virgin olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Soak bread in milk in another bowl until soft, about 5 minutes. Firmly squeeze bread to remove excess milk, discarding milk.

Stir together cooled onion mixture, bread, eggs, parmesan, parsley, oregano, lemon zest, 51/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper until combined. Add meats to bread mixture, gently mixing with your hands until just combined (do not overmix).

Form meat mixture into about 70 (1 1/2-inch) balls with dampened hands, arranging meatballs on 2 large baking sheets or in shallow baking pans.

Heat olive or vegetable oil (1 cup) in a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meatballs in 4 or 5 batches (without crowding), turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Return to baking sheets.

Add meatballs to sauce and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. (If pot is not large enough, divide meatballs and sauce between 2 pots.)

Prepare pasta:

Cook spaghetti in 2 batches in pasta insert in boiling salted water (3 tablespoon salt for 6 qt water) until just al dente, draining and tossing each batch with some of sauce in a large serving dish.

Serve with meatballs, remaining sauce, and grated cheese.

Cooks' notes:
•Meatballs can be made and simmered in sauce 5 days ahead and chilled (covered once cool).
•Meatballs with sauce can be frozen in an airtight container or heavy-duty sealable bags up to 3 months.◊

Grilled Halibut with grilled red pepper harissa: you need to get this fish on!!

Just so you know, if the recipe appears in the column to the left under the "Recipe" heading, then it is something I am pretty confident you'll like. Believe me there are plenty of things that, to put it kindly, didn't quite make the list. The recipe at the top of the heap right now, and printed below, would most definitely not fall into the "kitchen disappointment" category. In fact both w and I thought it was a spectacular success. I was putzing around home yesterday and playing with my new favorite iPhone app, the free epicurious download, and entered "grilled halibut" into the search. Thankfully this delish dish, which has immediately been added to our regular rotation, was one of the top 3 search results.

I had never made harissa, that pungent North African condiment, before this. I've had it plenty of times, but I don't know if I've ever had it better. The smokiness imparted by the grilled peppers, jalapeno, and garlic was incredible when combined with the cumin, coriander, and olive oil. Traditionally served with couscous, it went unbelievably well with the grilled halibut and would be a fabulous condiment with a grilled steak, veggies, eggs, and any other place your hungry imagination takes you. It is so easy to make that there isn't any excuse not to have a container of this in your fridge. Plus, using grilled lemon halves for their juice to squeeze onto the fish was inspired, the juice slightly smoky with a sweet caramelized flavor. This is absolutely a "wow" dish to serve to guests at your next 'que function!

Wine pick: I had a leftover bottle of 2007 J. Christopher Pinot Noir we shared that worked surprisingly well. I also think an ice cold bottle of dry rosé would be stellar.
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Grilled Halibut with Grilled Red Pepper Harissa
from Bon Appétit

yield: Makes 4 servings

ingredients:
1 red jalapeño chile
1 garlic clove, peeled
4 5- to 6-ounce halibut or mahi-mahi fillets
2 large red bell peppers, quartered lengthwise, seeded
Olive oil for brushing plus 1/4 cup
2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
2 teaspoons ground coriander, divided
1 lemon, halved

when the peppers are almost done, the fish goes on

method:
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Thread jalapeño and garlic clove onto metal skewer. Brush jalapeño, garlic, fish, and red bell peppers with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fish with 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon coriander. Grill fish, bell peppers,jalapeño, and garlic until vegetables are tender and charred and fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side for fish and 6 minutes per side for vegetables. Grill lemon, cut side down, until charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer fish to plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Peel charred parts of skin from bell peppers and cut stem from jalapeño, and transfer to blender, discarding peel and stem. Add garlic clove, remaining 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander to blender. Process until coarse puree forms. Season sauce generously to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 1 fish fillet on each of 4 plates. Squeeze grilled lemon over. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

bb’s note:: The time it takes to grill the veggies will vary with the heat of your fire. Mine took much less time, maybe 5 or 6 minutes per side. If the seem to getting too done too quickly, move them slightly off the direct heat.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: hunting wild mushrooms at the farmer's market!