Just checked in for this week's Weekly Geeks assignment, and am thrilled with the timing and subject matter - cookbooks. Last week's announcement of the International Association of Culinary Professionals cookbook award winners put two additions on my biblio wishlist - A16: Food + Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren and Chanterelle: The Stories and Recipes of a Restaurant Classic by Dave Waltuck and Andrew Friedman.
Many cookbooks I read are checked out of the library because it would be difficult for me to justify the expense of all those I want to peruse especially as my taste in cookbooks runs in the lofty price range. Restaurant inspired cookbooks make me absolutely purr. Many so beautiful, so well-produced as to replicate that feeling of fantasy that makes dining out so magical given the right environment and food. I am not even sure that I want to replicate all of these recipes at home so much as vicariously live (or re-live in the most fortunate circumstances) that dining out experience.
"At San Francisco's acclaimed A16 restaurant (named for the highway that cuts across southern Italy), diners pack the house for chef Nate Appleman's house-cured salumi, textbook Naples-style pizzas, and gutsy slow-cooked meat dishes. Wine director Shelley Lindgren is renowned in the business for her expeditionary commitment to handcrafted southern Italian wines. In A16: FOOD + WINE, Appleman and Lindgren share the source of their inspiration--the bold flavors of Campania. From chile-spiked seafood stews and savory roasts to delicate antipasti and vegetable sides, the recipes are beguilingly rustic and approachable. Lindgren's vivid profiles of the key grapes and producers of southern Italy provide vital context for appreciating and pairing the wines. Stunning photography captures the wood-fired ambiance of the restaurant and the Campania countryside it celebrates." (from the publisher)
Meatball Mondays is a popular weekly event at the restaurant that originated from a need to put meat trimmings to good use. Fantastic weekend comfort food. The home-friendly recipe:
10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor
10 ounces beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor
6 ounces day-old country bread, torn into chunks and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces prosciutto (4 to 5 slices), cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
1 cup loosely packed, fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Block of grana for grating
Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 tablespoon of the salt, oregano, fennel seeds, and chile flakes and mix with your hands just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta. Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky. Pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten it into a disk, and cook it in a small sauté pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt if needed. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls each weighing about 2 ounces, and place on the prepared baking sheets. You should have about 30 meatballs.
Bake, rotating the sheets once from front to back, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300°F.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl, don an apron and then squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands.
Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.
Pull the pans out of the oven and uncover. Distribute the basil leaves throughout the sauce.
For each serving, ladle the meatballs with some of the sauce into a warmed bowl. Grate the grana over the top, drizzle with olive oil to finish, and serve immediately.
And the other object of my desire. Have only viewed this one online. Must hold soon.
"Chef David Waltuck calls
Chanterelle "a fantasy of a restaurant, dreamed up by a little, food-loving kid, that somehow, magically, came true." For over 28 years and from two different New York City locations,
Chanterelle has broken the boundaries of French cooking, winning over such fans as Gael Greene, Richard Avedon, Keith Haring, and Malcolm Forbes along the way. Now, co-owner and co-founder Waltuck invites you into his bustling kitchen with a sumptuously illustrated cookbook chock-full of the recipes that have made Chanterelle a destination restaurant of international stature. From their signature Seafood Sausage and other fish and shellfish creations to salads and first courses, poultry and rabbit, meat and game, side dishes, and desserts, the book simply overflows with nouvelle cuisine classics. A must for anyone who has ever had the pleasure of dining there -- and perfect for professionals and the armchair market -- Chanterelle is a cookbook to savor." (from the publisher)
So much more to say and share, but, my god, I think I would spill over on to page 2. What cookbooks do you covet?
