Tortilla de Patata!

Tortilla de Patata! Kit says to me one night at a bar while we celebrate the end of a busy work week. He wants to make a Potato Omelet Spanish style. This is one of my favorite dishes if not for it's simplicity and frugality.

The Tortilla de Patatas or Tortilla Espanola is a cross between a french omelette and an Italian fritatta. It's a dish popular in Spain and is served as both a main dish and as a tapa or appetizer. It can be served warm or cold and eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to eat it in the early afternoon with a bottle of wine and a salad. Upon researching, reading, and watching a multitude of badly produced, executed, overcooked, and and generally misinformed variations, I humble present my definitive version of what a Tortilla de Patatas is. Lol

I'll make a full instructional video to follow the trailer. Yay...

Ingredients:
3-4 medium potatoes
1 small yellow onion
11 large eggs
1 cup of good olive oil
Salt to taste

Basic Instructions:
Peel and slice the potatoes. I first quarter the potatoes length-wise then slice them thinly. Cutting them about an eighth of an inch thick. (NOTE: I have seen some people cutting them thicker and I just don't agree!)

Soak the potatoes and rinse them in cold water to get rid of some starch.  You can let them soak in the cold water while you cut the onion.

Slice up your onion.  I like to french them, but you can cut them how ever you like.

Drain and thoroughly dry the potato slices.  Let me say this again. THOROUGHLY DRY the potatoes.

I used a wok for the frying because it was what Kit had hanging around the kitchen. Fry using olive oil at a moderate-high temperature until they are golden brown and crunchy.  Watch them carefully as they can get burnt fast. Drain them well and season them with your salt.  Fry your onions.

While the potatoes and onions are still hot, mix them into the well beaten eggs.

In a good pan (I brought my own) cook on medium heat gently moving the pan around and working the Tortilla. After about 3-4 minutes when the top is still gooey and the eggs are  a little less runny, turn the tortilla over to cook on its other side.  I say turn, but what I really mean is flip it!

This is where it gets fancy.  A good way to do it is to slide it on to another pan, placing your original back on top and quickly flipping it over.  In the video, Kit got a little excited and didn't frame the shot so well, but I think you can still get a good idea. Lol

After about a minute back on the heat, your Tortilla is done.  The center should still be nice a saucy when you cut it open.

Try this basic recipe for Tortilla de Patatas yourself and let me know what you think. It’s a great dish for brunch with friends and can be enjoyed by everyone. It is especially good with chorizo sausages on the side, some bread, olives and a glass of red wine. Once you’ve perfected the classic version you can experiment with adding various other ingredients, some of my favorites such as butter roasted chestnuts, saffron and sea urchin roe, white truffles from Alba, or simply a few slices of seared foie gras. But that's just me. ENJOY!!!

Chicken with a Mustard Sauce

Last night, while me and my good friend Daryck were discussing plans and choreography for a new dance production, the conversation (as it usually does with me) turned to the topic of food and what was for dinner. I was getting hungry and he had just informed me that his groceries had just been delivered. He had some chicken breast he wanted to cook and Daryck felt like having tarragon and a mustard sauce with the chicken. He asked me what we should serve with the chicken as a side. Lucky for him, the farmers market at the park just across from my block had some nice parsnips and beautiful little French green beans.

This was my first time to see his kitchen and cook in it. I found it rather exciting. But I’m strange like that. Lol. Here’s what we came up with.

Tarragon Roasted Chicken
Dijon and Caper Berry Sauce, Parsnip, Haricot Vert

Ingredients

Chicken-
4 Chicken Brest
2 Cloves of garlic
6 Sprigs of Tarragon
4 Tbls of butter
Olive Oil

Mustard Sauce-

1 Medium Shallot, Miniced
2 Cloves Garlic, Pasted
½ Cup Champagne (or Cava, or any white wine)
2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 or 3 Tbls Dijon Mustard
4 Caper Berries Chopped
2 Tbls chopped Tarragon
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbls Butter

Parsnip Purée-

3 Cups Parsnips, Cubes
3 Tbls Butter
Salt & Pepper

First, place the parsnips in a pot of salted boiling water. Preheat oven to 450F. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breast. In a very hot oven-safe pan on

medium-high heat, put in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter has melted, introduce the chicken into the pan. Crush the garlic and add it to the chicken. Get a good sear on the chicken, about 2.5 Minutes, and flip. Add the rest of the butter and baste the chicken as it melts. Place the Sprigs of tarragon in the pan on top and underneath the chicken and continue to baste for 1 minute.

Check your parsnips for doneness. When they are tender and soft, take them out of the water and let them drain for 30 seconds. Put into a processor or blender, purée. Add butter and blend. Season. Put in a bowl and set aside in a warm place.

Back to the chicken, baste and transfer to hot oven covered with some foil.

Sauce time! In a saucepan on high heat, sweat the shallots and the garlic in some olive oil just until translucent and not browned. About 1 minute or so. Add the champagne. Bring to a boil and reduce to about a third. Add half the chicken stock, bring back to a boil and reduce to about a third again. Add the rest of the chicken stock, bring back to the boil again and reduce to about a half. Add cream, mustard, and caper berries. Cook for 2-3 more minutes continually mixing.

Back to the chicken! Check for doneness. Take out of the oven, baste and let rest under the foil.

Back to the sauce! Take off heat, add the butter and whisk until the butter is completely melted and combined into the sauce. Put aside in a warm place.

Almost there!!

In a pan on high heat, introduce to hot almost smoking olive oil, the green beans crushed garlic, and a nob of butter. Sauté beans for about a minute. Add some lemon zest, and toss in a squirt of lemon juice. Garnish with lemon zest. Done.

Time to Plate!!!

Put a dollop of the purée off center at the 2 o’clock position. Grab some of the beans and place uniformly next to the purée. Cut the chicken in nice thick slices and fan onto the plate. Sauce over the chicken. Caper berries and tarragon in the center to garnish. Fin. Enjoy!!

Jerking Your Chicken

Back in December, a friend of mine reminisced about the 25 cent Jamaican Jerk wings deals every Wednesday when we were in college, and as we talked, I decided that I had not really known what Jamaican Jerk was all about.

As the New Year approached, I decided to find, and perhaps develop a Jerk recipe. On January 2 I left my wintery palace in the mountains of New Hampshire for the Jamaican jungle in search for the truth.

In the Jungle, my guide Henry, told me one of the major keys to Jerk is the Allspice, the other Scotch Bonnets. He showed me the tree and other plants in the jungle that were included. He gathered garlic, wild ginger, nutmeg, and we even stumbled on to a pepper plant. Here is a recipe that I put together when I go back to the Shire.

It’s a lot of ingredients, but typically they’re all sitting in your pantry already.

The flavors will surprise you! Try it!

Prep Time: 15 min + marinating time 
Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons dark rum

  
• 2 tablespoons water

  
• ½ cup malt vinegar

  
• 10 green onions, chopped

  
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped

  
• 3 tablespoons dried thyme

  
• 2 Scotch bonnet chiles or habanero chiles with seeds, chopped

  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  
• 5 teaspoons ground allspice

  
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger

  
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

  
• 2 teaspoons salt

  
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

  
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

  
• 1 cup ketchup

  
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  
• about 6 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts

  
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
  

1. Boil rum and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan for 3 minutes.

2. Transfer the rum mixture to a blender or processor; add the vinegar, green onions, garlic, thyme, chilies, oil, spices, salt, pepper, and sugar; blend until almost smooth. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the jerk seasoning to a small bowl; mix in the ketchup and soy sauce to make the sauce. (Jerk seasoning and sauce can be made 1 day ahead; cover separately and refrigerate.)

3. Place chicken in large zip bags and pour the lime juice over the chicken; turn to coat. Spoon the jerk over the chicken and massage passionately it into the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, turning and exciting the bag occasionally. Personally, I like to leave it in the fridge to think about it’s flavors overnight, but that’s just me!

So now comes the cooking part. Here, I like to do it one of two ways. We can either cook it more authentically by grilling it on some allspice limbs over some coals, or we can bake it in the oven for a couple of hours. Whatever your mood is, I find either way very flavorful and satisfying.

Oven Method
4a. Place chicken covered with jerk into a baking dish covered with foil. Bake on 300F for 2-3 hours. Remove foil and put under broiler to and some color. Done. Serve with the reserved jerk sauce.

Or…

Grill Method
4b. Prepare a grill (more coals on one side than the other). Place some allspice branches that you have soaked in water on the grill. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the hot side of the grill; grill to develop some color. Move to the cooler side of the grill and continue to cook, turning occasionally, for about 20-25 minutes, until the breasts measure 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer and the legs and thighs read 165 degrees. Done.
Serve with the reserved jerk sauce.

What I'm eating.

This is a flank stake I cooked a few hours ago. I served it with chimichurri, garlic puree, braised radish and garlic, blanched spring onion.

The chimichurri and the garlic puree really livened the whole dish up. 

For the puree, I braised garlic cloves in coconut milk until soft enough to make a silky sauce.

The chimichurri is a combo of fresh parsley, evoo, and other goodness. 

Chimichurri

Along with the basic ingredients, other things like cilantro, oregano, cumin, or even tomato may be used for different variations. Depending on your taste, the range of textures can go from a smooth pesto like consistency to chunky and broken salsa of sorts. Usually, Chimichurri is served with Grilled Meat & Fried Empanadas and makes a perfect marinade as well.  It's a healthy, herbaceous, and light spark that can add a new light on foods you love.

This is how I recently made it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves and stems
2. 6-8 garlic cloves, minced and pasted
   
3. some fresh oregano leaves
   
4. a little bit of cilantro
5. 2/3 cup olive oil
6. Coarse sea salt
7. Ground black pepper
8. Red pepper flakes
9. 1 Teaspoon pimentón 
10. 3 Tablespoons coconut vinegar
11. A splash of water

Preparation:

Mince garlic. Add Sea salt and crush into a fine paste. Add to finely chop the parsley, cilantro and oregano.

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir introduce the olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Add in the vinegar. I added a splash of water to make it a little lighter. 

I served the chimichurri immediately with some flank steak I cooked, however I like making mine ahead of time and allowing it to rests and deepen in flavor. 

This is just how I did it!

Pancit Canton

Noodles!!!!

On my recent trip to NYC, I stopped by Umi Nom, a Filipino restaurant in Brooklyn. I asked the chef to let me into his kitchen and show me his interpretation of the classic Pancit Canton. It was a grand time and it tasted great. Check out his restaurant next time you're in the Clinton Hill area. Enjoy!

Special Thanks:
Umi Nom Restaurant www.uminom.com