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The recipes that follow is from my recently published cookbook, “A Cook’s Table” Food and Wine Together (co-authored with Todd Wernstrom). The recipes are designed to lean against a specific grape varietal. And each Recipe will suggest a wine profile to compliment the dish… I have always labelled my style of cooking as wine friendly. And it was clear that each chapter in the book should be headlined by a grape varietal. So, enjoy classical as well as new dishes, that have, and will stand the test of time. They allow the wines to show what is best and most compelling about them rather that overwhelm what is in your glass.
For a deeper look, find, “A Cook’s Table” respectively at Amazon.com Barnes&Noble.com and at Two Chefs Restaurant. I urge you to find a proper glass, dig out your favorite pot or pan, Start slicing and dicing and enjoy.
Jan Jorgensen.
Pan-Roasted Soft Shell Crab with Fermented Black Beans
Serves 4
Soft shell crab (called just “soft crabs” in Maryland and Virginia’s Eastern Shore areas), much sought after come springtime, is always a harbinger of summer fun. Soft shells can be cooked a number of ways, generally all hot and fast.
The blue crab—the beautiful swimmer—is the animal associated with this delicacy. It is harvested after having recently molted its hard shell. They are caught during the time it takes for the new shell to harden, hence the “soft shell.” Blues are most closely associated with the Chesapeake Bay, but they are found all along the East Coast.
Ingredients:
4 large soft-shell crabs
1 cup flour
1 cup corn starch
salt and pepper
olive oil or peanut oil for sautéing
First clean the crabs. The squeamish should look away! With a pair of scissors, cut off the tail flap, then the gills hidden under the side flaps, then the “face” (the eyes).
Mix the flour, corn starch, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, bring the oil to medium-hot. Dredge the crabs one by one in the flour mix, shake off excess flour, and gently place crab top side down into the hot oil. (Do two at the time if the skillet is not large enough to host all four crabs at once.) Once crispy and brown on the first side, flip each and repeat. Remove from oil, and let drain on a paper towel.
The black bean mix:
1 cup fermented black beans, washed thoroughly, drained of their water
4 oz freshly peeled ginger root
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 soup spoons of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
pinch of Thai chili flakes
On a cutting board, finely chop the beans with a knife and remove to a bowl. In a blender, pulse the rest of ingredients until chopped and mixed, then combine with the beans. Set aside.
The black bean sauce:
5 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
olive oil
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
juice from 1 lemon
1 cup tomato concasse
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
salt and pepper
In a pan, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and toast until light brown, then add a soup spoon of black bean mix, then the chicken stock and lemon juice. Check seasoning. Add more black bean mix if needed after checking the seasoning. Add the butter and tomato concasse and stir. Add chopped cilantro and check seasoning again.
Place crabs on individual serving plates, spoon over the fermented black bean sauce. Serve with basmati rice on the side or a salad.
Kitchen Wisdom:
When placing the crabs into the hot oil, be very careful as the juice from the cleaned crabs can splatter a bit upon hitting the oil.
What to drink:
This is also a recipe with a lot of salty sweetness but with some heat. An off-dry German Riesling would provide some palate cooling and mimic sweet elements of the dish. It also will play nicely with the crab’s inherent delicacy.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Tuna Loin with Spinach Spaetzle
Serves 4
I’m a big fan of wrapping things in “flavors,” prosciutto being one (bacon and pancetta are also favorites of mine). Tuna, which really doesn’t have much inherent flavor (it’s really a color and texture protein), is a great ingredient to apply this technique. More importantly, it’s a great way to season and protect the protein.
Ingredients:
1 lb. tuna loin or 1 long piece, about 8 inches, cut into 4-oz pieces
4 slices of prosciutto di Parma
peanut or olive oil
Wrap the tuna loin or pieces in the prosciutto slices, set aside. In a hot sauté pan, add the oil and bring to a medium-high temperature. Add the tuna loins two at a time, searing them on all sides (the prosciutto, not the tuna). Then set aside.
The Spaetzle:
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
salt
2 cups flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
olive oil
In a bowl, beat the eggs until the yolks are just broken, add milk, mustard, salt and nutmeg, then stir in the flour. If the dough seems runny, add a little more flour, and if too thick add a little milk.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place a spaetzle maker on top of the pot, then pour half of the batter into the cup of the device. Quickly slide the cup back and forth to allow the batter to drop through. Repeat with the second half of the batter, working quickly, until all the batter is cooking in the pot.
Give the spaetzle a good stir and let them simmer for about two minutes, then remove from water and let drain on a sheet tray. Drizzle a little olive oil on top, and stir them around so they don’t stick together. Set aside.
Spinach purée:
1/2 lb. baby spinach
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
juice from 1 lemon
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/4 cup toasted and then cooled almonds
1 anchovy filet
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 roasted carrot, cut in 1/4-inch pieces
Place all ingredients in a blender except the 1/2 cup grated cheese and purée together until smooth. Season. Transfer to a storage container.
In a hot, non-stick skillet, heat a splash of olive oil to medium, add the cooked spaetzle, and sauté to a golden brown (the spaetzle will puff a little like popcorn). Add the roasted carrot pieces, then a generous spoonful of the spinach purée. Mix well with the spaetzle, then add the remaining grated cheese.
Spoon a serving of the spinach spaetzle onto a plate. Slice each tuna package into thirds and place on top of spaetzle.
Kitchen Wisdom:
When slicing the tuna, take the last end cut, turn it around and place underneath the first end cut. It will make for a nicer presentation. If possible, garnish with fresh pea tendrils for a little sweetness.
What to drink:
There is an interesting salty sweetness in this dish. A ripe Alsace Riesling would work nicely and also match the texture. You could opt for an off-dry Riesling from anywhere as long as it’s just off dry and not much more.
Monkfish with Leeks, Bacon and New Potatoes in Parsley Butter
Serves 4
Monkfish, one of the ugliest fish in our food chain (challenged, perhaps only by Chilean sea bass, a/k/a Patagonian Toothfish), happens to be among the best eating. Also called “poor man’s lobster” because it feeds on lobster and shrimp, thus imparting silken, sweet texture and flavor, but was historically less expensive. Its anatomy is interesting. Besides the huge, ugly head that looks like a monkey on steroids, it has a large carcass, comparable on land to a saddle of lamb. It produces two beautiful loins when butchered, and once the sinew is removed, you’re left with a loin that tapers from the head to the tail.
If the fish is large, the loins can be halved and then cut into two for four good-sized pieces. I have also cut the loin into medallions, drenched them in flour, then sautéing them, but my favorite technique is to cook the loin whole, and then slice before serving.
It’s tricky to cook regardless of presentation because, like lobster, if it is overcooked, it becomes dull and rubbery. Nowadays, despite its “poor man” reputation, it usually fetches more than Maine lobster at the fishmonger.
The new potatoes are at their very best in early summer. If you can keep a little garden, by all means, grow potatoes. Once they start reaching golf-ball size, dig them up and cook them soon after they are unearthed.
The Monkfish:
2 1-lb. monkfish loins, cleaned of sinew
1/2 lb. applewood-smoked bacon
2 medium leeks, white and some green part
1 cup pearl onions, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon each of chopped thyme and rosemary
2 garlic cloves, sliced
olive oil
2 oz butter
zest from 1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped parsley
EVOO
First, cut the bacon into 1/8-inch slices, then into 1/8-inch pieces and set aside. Clean the leeks, and cut on the bias in the opposite direction on every cut (i.e., left, right, left, right) and set aside.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil, then brown the monkfish loin to golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan, set aside and discard any oil remaining in the pan. On medium heat, add the butter and bacon, let the bacon render a bit, until it browns, being careful not to let the butter burn. Add the garlic and chopped herbs, then add the leeks, pearl onions, chicken stock and finally the lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the monkfish loins and let them braise in the stew for six-eight minutes while flipping them every two. Remove the fish from the stew. Add parsley to the stew and check the seasoning. Spoon the bacon and leek stew into four deep serving bowls. Place the monkfish loins on a cutting board, slice 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange between the 4 serving bowls. Drizzle a little EVOO on top of the fish.
The potatoes:
1 1/2 lb. of new potatoes
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
bouquet garni
Scrub the new potatoes, cleaning off any dirt. Cover them with slightly salted water in a pot. Add the bouquet garni, bring to a boil and let cook for five minutes. Turn off the pot, and let sit for 45 minutes. Drain water. Add the butter to a pan and let it melt, then add the potatoes, chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Serve family style.
Kitchen Wisdom:
When cooking the monkfish, the control of its cooking process is most important, and unfortunately a lot of “rubbery” monkfish have landed on dinner tables. The easiest way to check the doneness is to stab the loin at its thickest point with a wooden skewer, the juices must run clear and the center of the inserted part of the skewer should feel warm. I usually check the temperature by bringing the skewer to my lips.
What to drink:
Aside from its inherent sweetness and texture, monkfish—like lobster—is really a blank slate. The wine pairing can come down to the ingredients used to enhance the monkfish. If, for example, your recipe called for lots of exotic spices or maybe heat, you would peg the match to that. In this case, while certainly a delicious recipe, it’s a pretty straight ahead and lip-smacking preparation. You could go a bit lean in order to provide a bit of respite from the richness of the dish, so dry. Or, better still, go full on rich to rich with a big, juicy, ripe Alsace Grand Cru Riesling. Off-dry German-style versions from anywhere would work equally well. But don’t go much beyond just off dry.
If it all goes wrong. Make a reservation.
305-663-2100
Two Chefs Restaurant
8287 South Dixie Highway, Miami
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