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Dear reader…
The following recipes are from years of putting pen to paper, or today, fingertips on a keyboard (1-2 at a time). The recipes are not just a matter of measuring, but also small anecdotes of where, when and why they were cooked. Not all recipes are invented by me, but dishes that were cooked with care, and a passion for the trade. Many of the recipes to follow have seasonal inspirations, as well as daily challenges from awesome people like yourself who were craving a specific dish.
Enjoy….
Lobster Ravioli with Olives and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves 6
One might ask oneself, what is lobster doing with Syrah/Shiraz ? Well…
Good question. But this recipe is an excellent example of how a somewhat delicate protein can be accompanied by earthy flavors that already lend themselves to a big red wine, because of Syrah/Shiraz’ fruity profile that works great with brussels sprouts and briny olives.
The challenge is to “not” lose the lobster. I like to use Spiny/Florida lobster when making ravioli dishes, because the meat is meaty – raw, versus the translucent cousin from Maine. The meat from the spiny lobster will cook when the ravioli is cooked, if Maine lobster had been used, it would demand to be precooked, meaning the meat would have to be cooked twice, the 2nd time when the ravioli would be cooked, leaving the finished product grainy and unpleasant. I like to move a cooked ravioli into a “beurre fondue” as a holding pattern before service.
Brussels sprouts:
● 1 lbs. brussels sprouts
● 1/4 cup olive oil
● 4 oz pancetta, chopped
● 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
● 1 sprig rosemary
● 3 bay leaves
After roasting:
● 1/2 cup goat cheese
● 1/2 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped
Trim the core/root off the brussels sprouts, make a cross + in the root/core/stem.
Mix with remaining ingredients, and place in a small roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil, and roast in a preheated oven at 325 F. for 30 – 45 minutes until done, with a wooden skewer check for doneness (like a potato).
Once done, remove the aluminum foil and continue the roasting process for an additional 10 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes.
Cut brussels sprouts into 1/4 pieces or 1/2 depending on size, add the raisins and goat cheese and mix thoroughly until the cheese has coated the BS.
Season with salt and fresh pepper mill.
Arrange on the serving plates/bowls.
Lobster filling:
● 4 Spiny lobster tails (about 8 oz each) shell removed
● 1 onion, chopped, sauteed and cooled
● 1/2 cup goat cheese
● zest from 1 lemon
● 1/2 cup chopped parsley
● 1 cup grated Reggiano parmigiano
● pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
● 1 egg beaten (use 1/2)
● salt and pepper
With a knife, chop the lobster meat into small pieces, place in a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly.
Beurre fondue:
Beurre fondue, as the name states, is butter and stock. But a flavor needs to be added.
In this recipe, fresh lemon zest and finely chopped celery will complement the ravioli when served with the brussels sprouts.
● 2 sticks of butter
● 2 cup rich chicken stock
● zest from 1 lemon
● 1 cup finely chopped celery
Add all ingredients in a pan large enough to host the raviolis, bring to a simmer.
Make the ravioli:
● 40 wonton wrappers
● 2 whole eggs beaten
Separate the wrappers, lining them up in two rows, 20 in each row. Brush the egg gently onto the wrappers, from center out. Place one dollop of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Be generous, but leave a border around the filling. Lay the other wrapper on top of the filling. Crimp the sides of the ravioli, using your thumb and index finger, working your way around the entire ravioli, so the two sides are thoroughly sealed.
Finish with the remaining pasta, dusting each ravioli with corn meal as they’re finished. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Set aside.
When the water is boiling, gently drop the raviolis into the pot. Cook the raviolis for a minute after the water has returned to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the raviolis to the beurre fondue, move the raviolis lightly around, being careful not to break them. Let the sauce reach a light boil. Remove from heat and arrange the 3 raviolis on top of the brussels sprouts, spoon over the sauce. Serve immediately.
Cassoulet of Lamb
Serves 6-8
Cassoulet, a dish originally from the French region Languedoc that consists of white navy beans cooked in a stew pot with pork rinds and seasonings. A garnish of meats which varies from region to region and cook to cook.
The beans are the most important part of the dish, giving/creating the stew its creaminess and flavor.
Cassoulet is traditionally divided into 3 types/categories, labeled “Trinity” (the “Father,” “The Son” and “The Holy Ghost”). The first which is considered the oldest recipe contains pork (loin, sausage, ham, leg and rinds).
The “Son” will add and/or use lamb.
I like to use lamb when I make cassoulet, of course the leg, I also like to take advantage of my wood oven, especially when I cook the beans.
I also like to add chicken drums, fennel sausage and pancetta and a splash of bacon.
Start with the beans:
● 3 cup white navy beans
● 3 oz pancetta
● 1 bouquet garni
● 1 carrot
● 1 onion studded with 6 cloves
● 6 cloves of garlic
● 4 cup chicken stock
Soak the beans overnight in water, next day drain the beans and add them to a pot, add rest of ingredients, cover with chicken stock. Add more water if needed. Simmer the beans until done, not over cooked, but tender, about one and a half hours.
The meat:
● 1 small leg of lamb 4-5 lbs.
● 2 oz of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
● 8 large chicken drumettes
● 4 fennel sausages
● 2 onions chopped
● 6 garlic cloves, crushed
● bouquet garni
● 3 tomatoes, blanched. No skin and seeds, cut into chunks
● 4 cup veal stock
● 3 oz duck fat
● 2 cup panko breadcrumbs
● 1 stick of butter, cut into small squares
Prepare the ingredients:
Cut the leg of lamb into large chunks (separating each large piece where major sinew serves as guidelines for cutting)
Cut the onion into 1/4-inch dice.
In a cast iron pan, brown the lamb pieces, sausage, chicken and bacon.
Transfer the fat to a braising pan, sauté the onion and garlic, add the meat, sausage, bacon and drums, add to the pan, add the veal stock, bouquet garni and crushed tomatoes, cover and cook/braise in the oven for two to two and a half hours.
When lamb meat is tender and cooked remove all meats from the stew. Remove the vegetables, bouquet garni from the cooked beans, drain the beans and add them to the meat stew/soup/pot.
Cut the lamb into 1/4-inch cubes, sausage into 1/4 pieces and add them to the bean stew.
Simmer the stew for one more hour in the oven. Do NOT cover the stew.
Let the liquid/soup evaporate.
Place chicken drumettes, a ladle full of beans and meats, cover and moisten the dish with some sauce, sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs on top, add a few pads of butter, place back in the oven at 300 F. and bake until breadcrumbs have turned brown and crusty.
Stew of Veal with Anchovies and Fennel
Serves 6
Butchering meat has always been a great joy for me, any animal that needed to be “broken down.”
I guess, butchering class in chefs’ school is where it all started.
It began with a cow, yes, literally with a cow, I’ll spare you with the beginning part of the process, but eventually large cuts were summoned to the cutting board to become anything from hamburgers to tenderloin and roasts…blah blah blah.
Later in my career I found pleasure in being a good craftsman while thinking like an accountant. The tenderloin became “chateaubriand,” “filet mignon,” “tournedos” and “beef Stroganoff.”
Veal was received mostly as a leg, racks and or the breast. The leg was mostly parted into smaller pieces, schnitzels were pounded etc. Racks became chops.
The point is that obviously these animals also produced wonderful pockets of stew meat, meat that needed longer cooking time than a steak, cutlet or chop. Meat that had fat and sinew that demanded time on the stove.
These cuts found their way into (in the old days) peasants’ diet, where the tender and leaner cuts were kept for those with deeper pockets.
Words like cassoulet, stew, daube and braise became in fashion.
The flavor part is left to either tradition, culture, zip codes or one’s imagination.
I like this recipe a lot. The braising part is traditional and straight forward, but it’s the salty anchovies and licorice fennel that makes it suitable for a glass of Shiraz/Syrah.
Ingredients:
● 2 lbs. veal stew meat, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
● olive oil
● 2 tablespoon flour
● 1/4 stick butter
● 1 bouquet garni with a tbsp of fennel seeds added
● 2 star anise
● 5 cloves
● 3 garlic cloves
● 1 tbsp tomato puree
● 1 qt veal stock
● 1 onion cut in 1/4
In a pot heat olive oil, toss the meat in the flour to lightly coat it. Brown the meat and set aside. In the same pot, add butter and sauté onion, add garlic and tomato puree, add veal stock and bouquet garni along with star anise and cloves.
Add the veal meat back into the pot, bring to a light boil, soignee the sauce, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 1 hour.
The fennel:
● 10 whole shallots, peeled
● 3 fennel bulbs, top removed and added to the veal stew
● 1/4 stick of butter
● 1/2 cup white wine
● zest from 1 lemon
● 10 olives, no seeds
● 6 anchovy filets
● chopped parsley
Cut the fennel in 1/4’s, trim the core, do not allow the leaves to break off, leave a little core to keep the 1/4 bulb together.
In a saucepan/pot, melt the butter and let it reach a light froth and light brown temperature, add the fennel and shallots, turn heat to less than simmer, add the white wine, cover with a lid and let it steam/simmer until the shallot and fennel are tender.
With a spoon remove the fennel and shallots, add the lemon zest, olives and anchovies, bring the mix to a simmer and reduce to a tight glaze.
Place the veal pieces into the mix, strain the veal sauce into the pot, bring to a simmer, soignee and taste for salt and pepper.
Add the fennel and shallots, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve family style.
I hope I have inspired you to have a bit of fun, maybe challenge a dusty pot and pan to return to the stove. Otherwise, call 305-663-2100 for reservations.
Jan Jorgensen, Two Chefs Restaurant
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