Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Tom's Kick-Ass Chili
   
   
   
   1. Seed ~12 dried Guajillo/New Mexico chiles and add to pot of water.
      Bring to a low boil & cook for about 15 minutes to soften.
      Strain & peel flesh from tough skins.
   
   
   2. Cube 2.5-3lb Tri-tip roast and season with salt & pepper.
   
   
   3. Brown beef in batches (in pressure cooker) and offload.
   
   
   4. Blend chile flesh with diluted chicken stock (frozen)
   
   
   5. Mince salt pork & saute (in pressure cooker).
   
   
   6. Add 1/2 diced white onion, minced garlic, and 3 minced jalapenos.
   
   
   7. Add cumin, cayenne, oregano, bay leaf, a small amount of flour, and crystal sauce to taste.
   
   
   8. Add 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 1 8 oz can of "chiltomate" (El Pato Brand Mexican Hot Style Tomato Sauce).
   
   
   9. Add 1 beer, browned beef, chile puree, and cilantro.
   
   
   10. Pressure cook for ~25 minutes.
   
   
   11. Reduce to desired consistency, season to taste (salt, pepper, crystal sauce), and add kidney beans.
   
   
   12. Serve with minced onion and grated cheddar, garnish with chopped cilantro.
   
   
   
   Back to the tri-tip instead of chuck--it's just so darn good. Execution is really important here--browning the beef first makes a huge difference in the end product. Adding acid is key when you're pressure cooking--in this case, the crystal sauce fills the bill nicely. The dried chiles add a lot of flavor, but not a lot of heat. The fresh jalapenos boost both the flavor and the heat--but seeding them lets you add a flavor punch without making it incendiary. You can control the heat by adjusting how much cayenne and crystal sauce you use.

Wine:

1. Torbreck 2003 Cuvee Juveniles (apertif)


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Monday Food

Food:

1. Corned Beef & Cabbage Two Ways
   
   
   
   1. Pressure-cook corned-beef until tender--an hour and a half?
   
   
   2. Shred cabbage for "slaw", dress with mayo-based horseradish dressing (mayo, mustard seed, vinegar, crystal sauce, prepared horseradish)
   
   
   3. Cook fresh cabbage in liquid from corned-beef
   
   
   4. To serve, place sliced corned beef on top of cooked cabbage and top with slaw.
   
   
   
   
   This was a repeat of our St. Pat's day dinner. Yum.
   
   

Wine:

1. Joel Gott 2003 California Zinfandel


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Sunday Food

Food:

1. Faux Rabbit Stew
   
   
   
   1. Season quartered chicken with salt, pepper, spanish paprika, and brown in heavy iron (le Creuset) pot.
   
   
   2. Offload chicken & add stock, white wine, dijon mustard, olives, caperberries, chopped piquillo peppers, savory, bay leaf, and a little flour to make sauce.
   
   
   3. Add chicken back, add chicken broth to almost cover.
   
   
   4. Cover & bring to a boil, then bake at 425 for 1 hour.
   
   
   5. Remove to stove & reduce until sauce is right consistency. Finish with Parsley.
   
   
   
   This dish started out as a rabbit stew for Easter dinner, but we decided that we really like chicken better.
   

Wine:

1. Palacio de Menade 2003 Cuevas de Castilla Cuvee R.S.

Friday Food

Food:

1. Mesquite Grilled Prime Rib Steaks with Chimayo Chile Rub


2. Grilled Poblano Chiles with Pepper Jack, Garlic, and Cilantro

Wine:

1. Martin Ray 2000 Diamond Mountain Cabernet

Thursday Food

Food:

1. Bad Bird in a Pot
   
   
   
   1. Season chicken legs & thighs with salt, pepper, pimenton
   
   
   2. Brown chicken in clay pot, remove.
   
   
   3. Add chorizo, onion, & garlic to pot.
   
   
   4. Add Savory, Bay Leaves, season with salt & pepper.
   
   
   5. Deglaze with red wine.
   
   
   6. Add chicken back to pot, almost cover with water.
   
   
   7. Bring to a boil, cover & transfer to 425 degree oven & bake for 45-50 minutes.
   
   
   
   Variations: Add celery, green garlic. Substitute green chile for piquillos.
   

Wine:

1. Campion 2001 Edna Valley Pinot Noir Firepeak Vineyard
   Typical California Pinot. Very good, but not really that much better than the
   Martin Ray we got for 1/3 the price.


2. Domaine Andre Brunel 2003 Cotes du Rhone
   Grenache & Syrah blend--nice fruit, almost honey-like finish. "Staff favorite" from Vin Vino Wine in Palo Alto & at `$14 a bottle, I can definitely see why.

Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Spicy Beef & Bamboo Shoots


2. Snow Peas in White Wine Garlic Sauce

Wine:

1. Nora 2003 Albarino

Tuesday Food

Food:

1. Tom's Tapas Del Dia
   
   
   
   1. Chorizo & White Beans with sliced baby corn for a little extra texture.
   
   
   2. Lemon Piccata Filet of Solecov Season & dust in flour, saute in butter, set aside & cover.
      Add minced garlic to pan & deglaze w/white wine, lemon juice & chicken broth. Add capers.
      Reduce & finish with butter. Serve over fish.
   
   
   3. Spring Asparagus
      Slice into 2-3 inch pieces & blanch. Drain & saute with green garlic, green chile, and chorizo.
   
   
   
   

Wine:

1. Laurona 2001 Monstant
   A Priorat blend of Garnacha, Carinena, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Typical Spanish wine,
   a little funky (farty?) on the nose to start with, but nice fruit, fairly balanced.
   

Sunday Food

Food:

1. Dungeness Crab thrown into a Pot of Boiling Water

Wine:

1. Hippolyte Reverdy 2003 Sancerre

Saturday Food

Food:

1. Pollo Parmigiana with Green Chile Sauce
   A variation on chicken parmigiana that replaces the tomato
   sauce with a green chile and onion sauce. To make sauce:
   
   
   
   1. Dice 1/2 onion
   
   
   2. Mince 1 jalapeno
   
   
   3. Chop 4 fire-roasted green chiles
   
   
   4. Saute onion & jalapeno in olive oil
   
   
   5. Add green chile, white wine, chicken broth, bay leaf, minced cilantro
   
   
   6. Season with salt & ground pepper and simmer
   
   
   
   Prepare chicken breasts as for chicken parmigiana--pound chicken breast, season with
   salt & pepper, dust with flour, and brown in saute pan. Put chicken breasts in individual
   baking dishes. Cover with sauce, sprinkle with grated parmigiana, cover with grated
   mozzarella, finish with cilantro. Bake covered for 5 minutes at 425, remove covers & bake
   until browned.
   

Wine:

1. Three Thieves 2003 Zinfandel


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Friday Food

Food:

1. Tom's Kick-Ass Chile

Wine:

1. Tobin James 2002 James Gang Reserve Zinfandel (Apertif)


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Thursday Food

Food:

1. Corned Beef & Cabbage two ways
   
   
   
   1. Pressure-cook corned-beef until tender--an hour and a half?
   
   
   2. Shred cabbage for "slaw", dress with mayo-based horseradish dressing (mayo, mustard seed, vinegar, crystal sauce, prepared horseradish)
   
   
   3. Cook fresh cabbage in liquid from corned-beef
   
   
   4. To serve, place sliced corned beef on top of cooked cabbage and top with slaw.
   
   
   
   
   

Wine:

1. Roderer Estate Sparkling Wine (apertif)


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Tapas Night, Revisited




• Pocha Beans and Chorizo


• Chicken & Mushrooms with Broccolli
  
  
  
  1. Saute mushrooms & offload (keep warm)
  
  
  2. Season Chicken with salt, pepper, ground chile & brown
  
  
  3. Offload & bake Chicken at 425 for 8 minutes
  
  
  4. Cook broccoli (add to boiling water, cover, & let sit for 3-4 minutes. Drain.
  
  
  5. Deglaze pan with chicken broth & add garlic, minced cornichons, wine
  
  
  6. Whisk in Dijon Mustard, add minced parsley
  
  
  7. To serve, slice chicken & plate with broccoli, mushrooms, and sauce
  
  
  8. 
     
     
  
  

Wine:

1. Lo Piot 2000 Priorat Garnacha

Tuesday Food

Food:

1. Tapas Night
   
   
   
   • Raw Cauliflower & Dip
   
   
   • Queso
   
   
   • Chicken & Mushrooms
   
   
   
   

Wine:

1. M. Cosentino 2003 California Zinfandel, The Zin


2. Syrah de Fayel 2003 Vin de Pays
   

Monday Food

Food:

1. Rajas Poblanas
   
   
   
   1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, & chimayo, brown, and pressure cook with onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, a little crystal sauce, & cumin. (30 minutes).
   
   
   2. Roast, peel, and slice poblano chiles.
   
   
   3. Strain and shred chicken, reserving liquid. Add shredded chicken back to broth.
   
   
   4. Make sauce:
      
      
      
      1. Simmer poblanos in butter
      
      
      2. Add ~2 cups of reserved broth
      
      
      3. Reduce
      
      
      4. Season to taste with Crystal Sauce
      
      
      5. Remove from heat & stir in Sour Cream
      
      
      
      
   
   
   5. Fold shredded chicken into sauce
   
   
   6. Serve & finish with minced cilantro
   
   
   
   

Wine:

1. Fuedo Arancio 2002 Syrah Sicilia (Apertif)


2. DAB Low Carb Beer

Sunday Food

Food:

1. Bay shrimp salad with onion, bell pepper, jalapeno in sherry wine vinagrette


2. Grün Kohl with Polish Sausages
   A slight variation on our usual kale dish, which traditionally has smoked bratwurst. We decided we like it better with brats.

Wine:

1. Clos Du Prieur 2000 Coteaux du Languedoc


2. Segura Viudas Brut Reserva

Friday Food

Dinner at the Wilson's

Food:

1. Grilled chili-rubbed filet mignon


2. Sauteed asparagus, onions, & peppers

Wine:

1. Chateau Bellevue 1999 St. Emillion

This was a really nice bottle of wine. Very food-friendly and ready to drink.

Thursday Food

Food:

1. Raw Cauliflower


2. Mesquite-grilled Rib-eye


3. Broccoli tossed with garlic & butter

Wine:

1. Roderer Estate Brut


2. Martin Rey 2000 Diamond Mountain Cabernet

Roger picked up the Martin Rey on sale for about $25. It was a really nice bottle of wine--not overly oaked or overly tannic, lots of fruit. Not one to hold on to--definitely ready now. (Which is probably why it was so heavily discounted.) 88 Points, Wine Spectator.

Wednesday Food

Dinner @ Zibibbo in Palo Alto, CA

Food:

1. Antipasti Selection with:
   
   
   
   • Marinated mushrooms with garlic, parsley, and sherry vinegar
   
   
   • Fresh Pulled Bocconcini with chiles and basil
   
   
   • Halibut Escabeche with orange and piquillo peppers
   
   
   
   


2. Asparagus Soup with lemon (oil?)


3. Iron Skillet Roasted Mussels


4. Cumin and Orange Pork Osso Buco

Wine:

1. D'Arendberg "The Custodian"

Tuesday Food

Food:

1. Mesquite-grilled Chimayo Rib-eye


2. BBQ Poblanos stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese

Wine:

1. Alvaro Palacios 1999 Les Terrasses

   This is good stuff from Priorat. Will be great for Paella for the price.

Monday Food

Food:

1. Chef Toe's Chicken

Stir-fried chicken with snow peas and baby corn in a spicy chili sauce. Served stir-fried chicken over sauce.

Wine:

1. 2003 Sula Chenin Blanc (Nashik)

This is a great slightly off-dry chenin blanc from India.

Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Raw Cauliflower


2. Devil Shrimp

Tom's fusion: Southwest Meet the East

A new spin on one of my favorite dishes, Camerones a la Diabla. A few Tom tricks going on here: steeping the shrimp shells in chicken stock to make a rich shrimp stock; boiling and then peeling the chiles to get rid of the tough skin, and homemade garlic/cilantro aioli. Here's what we did:

1. Tom's mayo: 2 egg yolks, 1 white, whisked over low heat. Cool & whisk in canola oil, then add champagne vinegar and salt & pepper to taste.


2. Tom's chile base: peeled guajillo or New Mexico chiles, "shrimp" stock, chiltomate, blended & simmered. Seasoned to taste with cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro, crystal sauce.


3. Cilantro Oil: blend oil & cilantro in cuisinart until smooth.
   
4. Shrimp sauteed in olive oil with garlic.

To plate:

1. Dice avocado & lay around edge of plate.


2. Pour a pool of chile sauce in center of plate.


3. Sprinkle chopped onion over sauce.


4. Toss shrimp in aioli & place on top of sauce


5. Garnish with chopped cilantro and cilantro oil.

Wine:

1. Yves Boyer-Martenot 2002 Bourgogne Blanc Cuvee Unique

Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Raw Cauliflower with dip


2. Camarones a la Diabla

Wine:

1. Boyer-Martenot 2002 Bourgogne Blanc