Arancini

I was in Edmonton recently and was fortunate enough to have dinner at Corso 32. The food was excellent, very nicely cooked. The braised dishes we tried were nicely done, very tender and tasty. One of the appetizers we shared was Arancini. Great little breaded deep fried balls of risotto. Nice and crisp on the outside and really light, gooey and tasty  on the inside. So, of course, when I came home, I had to try to duplicate them. I used my leftover mushroom risotto, stuffing it with a little ball of goat cheese giving them a light breadcrumb coating. I didn’t quite get the fluffy texture of the Corso rice balls but they were very tasty! Next time I’ll match them!

Mushroom Arancini

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    ¼ cup onion, finely chopped

    1 clove garlic, minced

    1 cup Arborio rice

    1/2 cup dry white wine

    2 1/2 cups boiling vegetable stock

    ½ oz dried mushrooms

    salt and pepper to taste

    1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

    ¼ cup celery leaves, chopped fine

    2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Breading

    1 egg

    1 tablespoon milk

    4 ounces goat cheese,

    1/2 cup all-purpose flour

    1 cup dry bread crumbs

    vegetable oil for deep frying

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and pour enough boiling water over them to cover. Let them stand until soft. Drain the liquid from the mushrooms and set aside. Chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until onion is soft but not browned. Pour in the rice, and cook stirring for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine, and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has evaporated.
3. Add enough hot vegetable stock to the reserved mushroom liquid to make 2 ½ cups. Add the stock to the rice 1/3 cup at a time, stirring and cooking until the liquid has evaporated before adding more. (Keep the stock hot on medium heat while cooking the rice)
4. Add the chopped, dried mushrooms when half of the stock has been added to the rice.
5. When the vegetable stock has all been added, and the liquid has evaporated, the rice should soft but not mushy. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese, celery leaves and thyme. Taste the risotto and season with salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the risotto to a bowl, and allow to cool slightly, or cool overnight.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk with a fork. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the risotto into a ball. Press a piece of goat cheese into the center, and roll to enclose. Coat lightly with flour, dip into the milk mixture, then roll in bread crumbs to coat.
7. Heat oil for frying in a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan to 350 degrees F. Fry the balls in small batches until evenly golden, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while the rest are frying.

Note: You can also make this with fresh mushrooms. Use about 2 – 3 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopping them fine and sautéing them with the onions and garlic.

Osso Bucco

The Market at Granville

When I visited Vancouver last month, I had the chance to visit Granville Island. Well actually, I went a few times. I mean, how can you visit Vancouver without shopping for great food at Granville Island? Anyway, my last day there I picked up some fresh veal. I bought some loin, a little bit of tenderloin and eight large pieces of veal shank. I rushed the meat home to my sons’ apartment, wrapped it in a couple layers of newspaper and stored it in the coldest part of the fridge. The next morning when I packed my bag for my trip home, in went the chilled meat, surrounded by my clothes and whatever else I picked up this trip. When you live in Yellowknife, you learn a few tricks about what to buy and transport safely back to the great white north.

Veal in the bag, waiting to turn into Osso Bucco

 One of my favourite dishes of all time is Osso Bucco. I think I first had it when I worked at Waldens way back when I was still an apprentice. I was so impressed with how soft and rich the meat was after it’s long braise in the oven. And the flavour the sauce picks up from the meat and bones is simply incredible. I thought perhaps I would try some radical new flavour blend for this Osso Bucco but in the end I went with the traditional recipe and served it with Braised Fennel and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes. Simple sides for a very rustic and homey dish. Some cooks leave the sauce just as it is when it comes out of the pan but I chose to puree the sauce to make a nice smooth gravy. The fennel seed I added to it gave it a nice touch and went well with the braised fennel.

Full meal deal.

I also tried to heighten the flavour of the meat by marinating it under a vacuum seal overnight. I’m not sure if it helped the dish but it sure didn’t hurt it! (I’ll be using the vacuum seal technique in the future as I explore cooking ‘sous vide’) I cooked the Osso Bucco one day then served it the next. This also helped intensify the flavour by allowing the veal to rest in its braising liquid over night.

Overall, this was a great meal. A great warming meal for those cold, 40 below nights in Yellowknife. Surprisingly enough, it did have a little veal leftover. I have the perfect idea for it though and you’ll see that coming up in a future blog.

Osso Bucco

Osso Bucco

Zest of 1 orange

1 onion, julienne

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp thyme, fresh

1 tsp cracked peppercorn

1 cup olive oil

8 large pieces veal shank

3 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp northern smoke spice (or any seasoning salt)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup white wine

1cup diced tomato

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp fennel seeds

2 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper

Mix the zest, the onion, garlic, thyme and peppercorn with the olive oil. (for the zest in this recipe, peel the orange with a peeler, trying to take only the top layer of skin, then cut them in very thin julienne strips)

Spread the mixture all over the veal shank and place them in a zip lock bag. Remove as much air as possible and store in the fridge overnight.

Remove the marinated veal shanks from the bag, scraping off as much of the marinade as possible. Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken stock, place it on medium heat and bring it to a simmer.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Mix the seasoning salt and flour together. Dry the veal shanks then dip them in the flour. Add the floured veal to the hot pan and cook until they are brown. Turn the veal over and repeat on the other side. Remove the veal from the pan and place in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them.

Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan and sauté until slightly cooked. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and bring that to a simmer. Add the tomatoes, fennel seeds and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and wine to the veal. Pour the chicken stock mixture over the veal, straining out the onion and zest.

Cover the pan with foil and place it in the oven. Cook for about 2 hours, just until the meat becomes tender and pulls away from the bone.

Remove the cooked veal shanks from the pan and puree the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, top with Gremolata, below, and serve.

Gremolata

½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup fennel fronds

1 clove garlic, minced

Zest from 1 orange and 1 lemon, minced fine

Mince the parsley, fennel fronds, garlic and lemon and orange zest, mixing them together. Sprinkle this mixture over the finished Osso Bucco.

Going Molecular

So what’s with this molecular gastronomy anyway? Is it a new way off cooking? A trend or just a fad? Will it fade out tomorrow or remain with us as we continue to push the boundaries of the traditional kitchen? Is it passé already, or are we just seeing the tip of the iceberg?

I’ve been watching chef’s work their molecular magic on TV for some time now. Homaro Cantu and Wylie Dufresne showed us some amazing new dishes on Iron Chef America (Cantu won, Dufresne lost) Cantu and Grant Achatz were featured on At The Table With, a show that devotes an entire episode to one chef which really gives great insight into why these chefs cook the way they do, and how they got to where they are today.

And how about Heston Blumenthal? Chef of one of the best restaurants in the world, The Fat Duck, Heston had a show called In Search of Perfection, in which he recreated classic dishes by first analyzing the original recipe then creating a new one by using preparation methods more in tune with this new way of cooking, ultimately making a new and better version of the classic. Very interesting show, to say the least.

I’ve read a few cookbooks as well, including Alinea, by Grant Achatz and A Day at elBulli by Ferran Adria. These are two beautiful books that show what can be done when chefs push all the boundaries. The food is so beautiful to look at, and must surely taste amazing, right?

Well, I’ve found all this fascinating so far and would like to learn more about it. I went to a molecular gastronomy workshop in Edmonton last month and now I’ve purchased a few supplies to start me off. My initial experiments have been successful and I hope for more in the future. What I’m hoping is that I come away with a few things that will compliment my style of cooking. I want these new items to be beautiful with amazing taste. I want people to eat them and say ‘wow! That was great!’ But then, I’ve always striven for that!

 

So here are a couple pics of my first attempt at this new way of preparing food. White Chocolate Spaghetti with Raspberry Ravioli and Mint Foam. I’ll keep working on it and post others as I learn and progress.