Jim Haughwout's Odyssey

Google’s Recipe View lets you search for recipes, then filter by cooking time or ingredients (inclusions and exclusions). It will be interesting to see how this does vs. searching sites like Food Network. More at http://www.google.com/landing/recipes/

PS - If you want people to search for your recipes, use this Mark-up: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=173379

The food is excellent. The atmosphere fun. The waitstaff friendly.

Cambio de Tercio is in Kensington. Their website is not cut-and-paste friendly. However it gives you their address: Cambio de Tercio website

I posted this as an easy recipe that a friend could use to impress her in-laws.

It is actually really easy to make (I promise). You will likely memorize it after the second try. The mint-pistachio combo is both a classic and a uncommon standout.

The Salmon prep is from Napa Valley (I forget the restaurant). The Pesto is adapted from Frankies Spuntino in NYC.

Makes four servings.

For the fish

• 4 6-ounce Salmon filets (wild, not farmed and never “previously frozen”, the redder the better)
• 4 Tbsp of Ghee at room temperature (Clarified Butter, regular butter will do but will smoke more so I hope you have an exhaust fan)
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

That’s it for the fish…

For the Pesto

• 1/2 cup of shelled, roasted and salted Pistachios*
• 1 very large garlic clove, chopped is coarse pieces
• 4 Tbps of fresh mint leaves (smoosh them into the measuring spoon so you have enough–BTW “smoosh” is a very technical cooking term)
• 1/3 cup of very extra virgin olive oil (preferably made with Tuscan or Sicilian olives only (here is another commercial for Pasolivo, check out http://delicious.com/haughwout/PasoRobles)
• 1/4 cup of shredded (not grated) Pecorino cheese (Parmesan will do in a pinch)
• 1/4 Tsp of Kosher Salt (plus additional to taste)
• 1/3 Tsp of coarsely-ground Black Pepper (plus additional to taste)

*The Sicilian variation on the pesto is to replace the Pine Nuts with Pistachios. This rules out the Basil. Mint is a refreshing pairing that goes well with the Pistachio. If you cannot get roasted Pistachios, then do it yourself (heat a non-stick skillet over medium, toss the pistachios in and agitate every 10 seconds until you smell them roast. Put aside to cool.)

For the Garnish

• Two scallions, cut very thin cross-wise

• Food mill or food processor (I do not recommend a blender)
• Two black iron skillets (1 for every two servings)
• Meat thermometer (we ARE dealing with fish)
• Mario Batali makes a great set of synthetic pot mittens that have saved my hands a few times with something this hot

1. Put out the Salmon and dry off with a paper towel. Lightly season with Kosher Salt and Pepper. Remember to Season the Skin Side with Kosher Salt. This will help prevent sticking to the pan.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 425F
3. Put the Pistachios in the food processor, pulse until they are coarsely chopped
4. Put the black iron skillets on burners and heat at rather high (not the ultra top of the burner, kill organic matter setting but something around 425-475). Wait seven minutes for the pans to fully hear (iron is dense and has low conductivity)

1. While waiting for the pans to heat, add the Mint, Salt (texture will help here) and Pepper to the food processer. Pulse until blended at a nice pesto-like texture (actually more like a Gremolata texture as you do not have oil in it yet)
2. When the skillet heat, add 2 Tbsp of Ghee to each, let it fully melt and heat to a shimmer.
3. Drop the Salmon into the skillet flesh side done (two fillets per skillet). The high density of the skillet will prevent it from cooling
4. Turn off the stove and put the skillets in the oven, set a timer to 3-4 min (depending on how “done” you like your Salmon and how thick it is)
5. While you are waiting, pour the EVO into the food processor and add the garlic and pulse until blended.
6. When the timer goes off, remove the skillets from the oven, flip the salmon and return them for 2-3 minutes
7. Run back to the pesto and add the Pecorino, pulse to mix (be gentle). Taste it with a spoon. Add salt or pepper and pulse again to taste.
8. At 2 min, check the Salmon temperature. Remove it when it hits 130F in the very center.
9. Plate the Salmon, put 1/4 of the pesto on each, then garnish with the scallions. The fish will cook to 135F while you are garnishing. (Try not to lick out the rest of the pesto from the food processor in front of the in-laws.)

Now you are done…

I recommend the following accompaniments

• Salad of Arugula, Pecorino with Lemon and EVO dressing
• Pair with a strong, non-buttery white (the acid will balance the pesto): Cloudy Bay Chardonnay, Lynmar Quail Hill Chardonnay or Tenuta Rapitala
• Remember to hyrdate with San Pelligrino

Follow with cardio the next day (lots of calories here ; )

Originally posted on Facebook in December 2008

Last week over a wonderful dinner in South Beach I got into a discussion over lamb dishes. It inspired me to write this one down. It is adapted from Tom Colicchio (and offers a little splurge–for those who care nothing about calories–from Mario Batalli). It is actually a rather easy, simple dish whose major trick is execution. Once you get it down you will understand what they mean on “Top Chef” when they pan-roast a nice cut of meat.

I kept the preparation at two servings (still my favorite volume to cook)…

• 2 Saddles of Lamb (Loins) or–if not available–Lamb Steaks, about 6 oz. each, preferably about 1 1/2″ thick
• 5 or 6 whole sprigs of fresh Rosemary (if you do not have a garden, you can get these in the produce section of a good supermarket)
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper (preferably a Pepper Mill set to medium-coarse grind, my French Chef friend, Pascal highly endorses ones from Peugeot)
• Fleur de sel (also coarse, preferably from Brittany)
• 2 Tbsp of Refined Olive Oil (it has a higher smoke point)
• 3 Tbsp of Butter (preferably Ghee)

Extra, if you want to splurge: 2 Tsp of very good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I use Pasolivo, check out http://delicious.com/haughwout/PasoRobles)

1. Trim the lamb of visible fat and shape as into tournedos
2. If using lamb steaks, lightly pound then reform to tenderize (I use my knuckles–of course I have titanium inserts in my right hand)
3. Completely dry off the all surface moisture on the lamb with a paper towel
4. Set out the butter or ghee to soften, also set out the rosemary sprigs (keep them whole!) on a paper towel
5. Season the lamb to taste with kosher salt on all sides; allow to rest for 15 minutes to bring the amino acids to the surface to aid in caramelization)
6. After the rest, season to taste on all side with pepper mill
7. Let the lamb rest ten more minutes to (to come to room temperature)

The trick here is heat control. You want to roast slowly and let the flavors penetrate. It is much different than searing the hell of of the meat on the grill. I did not believe in this until I began to pan roast. The slow cooking really works well with lamb due to the richer flavor and lower density fat (tallow). To do this you will need the following tools…

• Really good digital meat thermometer
• Digital timer
• Metal tongs (not the tension-based ones but real ones with a hinge in the middle)
• A really good non-stick skillet (I love my Calphelon). You will need an aluminum pan (cast iron has too much density and too low conductivity and will hold too much heat–sorry for the MIT geekdom here but it is important)
• Optional: high-temperature contact or IR thermometer (Alton Brown could help you more)

Notice that you have no spatula here…you will see why soon.

1. Heat the pan to med/medium-high–essentially to 350-375 F (no more–you can use the contact thermometer to verify)
2. Put in the Refined Olive Oil, heat until it shimmers, slurring it around
3. Set your timer to 2min-45sec
4. Drop in the lamb–right on top of the oil and leave it alone. You can swirl the pan around to let oil get around all sides but do not touch the lamb (you will ruin the caramelization).
5. After 90 seconds, turn the heat down to medium (here is where the aluminum comes into place as the lamb now is warmer)
6. After the time goes off (1m-15sec seconds later), pick up the lamb with the tongs, re-swirl the oil and turn it over on the other side, turn the heat back up almost to where you started
7. After 90 seconds, turn the heat down to medium
8. When the the time goes off, QUICKLY turn the heat down to low/medium-low (225 F), turn the lamb on an uncooked side (tongs help here!) dump the oil, then dump in the butter or ghee (I mean QUICKLY)
9. Once the butter melts, dump in the rosemary spigs, now the reverse basting begins…
10. Re-start the timer, every 20 seconds, turn the lamb INTO the melted butter-rosemary combo (cooking all long and wide sides)–don’t try this with a spatula. After about three minutes of this begin to check the temperature of the lamb with the thermometer (if you are human, or by touching for “springiness” if you are Gordon Ramsey). You should be able to keep rotating for 2-3 more minutes (without going past medium rare). If it is too hot after 3 min you have been cooking at too high of a temperature (you will have to try again until you get it right ; )
11. Remove the lamb when it is 5-10F below your desired doneness. The trick here is continuously turning for a slow roast and baste in the butter and rosemary. This will give it time for the rosemary to penetrate the lamb (the butter will keep it moist).
12. After it is done, set the lamb on a plate, cover with the rosemary then with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 3 min

1. Cut the lamb into slices (on the bias) and lay out on a plate
2. If you are decadent (and a Batali fan), pour 1 Tsp of the EVO over the meat
3. Sprinkle to taste with Fleur de sel (Colicchio is a salt fiend–remember this next time he tells someone on the chopping block they under-seasoned their meat)
4. Lay the nice-and-crispy Rosemary sprigs on top. The rosemary should crush with a fork and mix nicely as you cut and eat the lamb (do not–I repeat, do not–say “yum-o”)

I recommend the following accompaniments:

• Scalloped potatoes on the side
• Nice dinner salad of mesclun greens topped with oil and vinegar (use the same brand of EVO as what you put on the lamb)
• Pair with a nice Cabernet or Rhone-style wine. If I am going with Pasolivo, I like to pair with a Justin wine (Isosceles, Justification or Savant). If not, you can go with a Super Tuscan or similar wine

I made this recipe up “on the fly” so the ratios may not be perfect. I have scaled it up to four servings. I encourage you to vary the ratios of spices and taste (before rubbing on the steaks) to suit your preference.

I got the inspiration when I went to Whole Foods and saw all the pumpkins outside and suddenly missed Autumn (we have permanent summer here in Naples, FL). It draws inspiration from multiple sources: the seasoning approach is from Grace Parisi; the seasoning combination from Bobby Flay; the cooking approach is one third Alton Brown, two-thirds Tom Colicchio.

Here it goes…

• 4 venison medallions, 6 oz each, 1.25” – 1.5” thick (if you cannot get medallions, try venison sirloin with all the visible fat trimmed off; if you cannot get venison, substitute bison as you want more “gaminess” than offered by beef)
• 6 Tablespoons of coarse-grained ancho chile poweder (you can make yourself by buying dried chiles, removing the seeds, processing in a spice mill and drying out for 8 hours)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon (to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon of dehydrated garlic flakes (not garlic powder, you want texture)
• Peanut Oil (offers higher smoke point and blends well with ancho chile flavor)
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper (whole corns in a pepper mile set to coarse ground)
• Fleur de sel (also coarse, preferably from Brittany – my friend Pascal Riaud can tell you why)
• 2 Ounces of earthy Red Wine (I used a 2005 Turkey Flats Butcher Block – 41% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 19% Mourvedre)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Butter (preferably Ghee)

1. Trim the medallions of visible fat and shape as necessary
2. Combine the following marinade in a non-reactive bowl: 3 ounces of peanut oil, the red wine, 1 Tsp of garlic, eight turns of the pepper mill, 1 Tsp of Kosher Salt.
3. Pour into a one-gallon zip lock bag. Place the medallions in the bag and zip carefully, removing all air. Squish the mead around to coat full and place the bag in the fridge (in a non-reactive bowl to prevent dripping) for 2-3 hours. (If you have time, take it out and squish around every 30 min to coat evenly)
4. After marinating is complete, remove the medallions and scrape off all the marinade. Pat completely dry with a paper towel and set aside for 20 minutes on a plate (to come to near room temperature)
5. Take our the butter and let it come to room temperature
6. Mix the dry ingredients: cinnamon, ancho chile powder. Taste the check balance of sweet and spicy, adjusting ratio as necessary. When you are happy, add the remaining garlic. Set aside
7. After the 20-minute wait, season the steaks on all sides with kosher salt (you can begin to see Colicchio’s influence here). Coat the medallions on all sides with the dry rub and set aside for 10 more minutes (will pull amino acids to the surface for nice caramelization)

I prefer to pan sear and roast my meats. I recommend a really good non-stick skillet (instead of a black iron skillet) as it gives you more control over raising and lowering the temperature (and lets you cook slower)

1. Heat the skillet on a burner at medium-high (to just below the peanut oil smoke point). When the skillet is heated, put 1 – 1 ½ Tbsp of Peanut oil into the pan and allow to heat (it will shimmer)
2. Place the medallions in the pan. Do not crowd as the pan will get cold. Swirl the pan the allow the oil to distrubute but DO NOT touch the meat while it cooks (Alton Brown here). Heat for 2 minutes. Turn the temperature down a little after 1 minute (when you see the oil start to smoke)
3. After two minutes, lift the meat, swirl the plan, and place the other side down to cook, swirling again to distribute the oil. Turn the heat back up a notch for one minute, turn it back down then cook on minute more. I recommend tongs instead of a spatula as you will be rotating the meat much
4. Immediately turn the burner down to low and stand the meat up on its uncooked sides. Put the butter into the pan to melt. When the butter has melted, flip the meat back down (on the original side) and flip every 15 seconds (top, bottom, and each side) This will let the meat baste and moisturize and cook slowly.
5. Continue to rotate until the meat reaches desired doneness (this will vary based on your stove). I usually baste for a total of 90 seconds to bring the interior to 95F (my father likes me to stop at 90F, many people like to stop at 100F). Remember that venison and bison do not like overcooking)
6. Put the steak on each plate and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for three minutes
7. After resting you have two options: either sprinkle with Fleur de sel or (if you like Mario Batali, carve into ¼” inch thick pieces, fan out, then spinkle on the salt). Add fresh cracked pepper if you like

I recommend the following accompaniments:

• Starter: Butternut squash soup – Pacific Natural foods is okay if you do not have time to make your own
• Side: Mixed Green salad with craisins, pumpkin seeds, and bleu cheese crumbles (with olive oil and balsamic dressing and touched up with fleur de sel and cracked pepper)
• Finish the bottle of wine to drink (of course) – remember to hydrate with San Pelegrino
• Jonah Gold Apple with local honey makes a good dessert