It was 82 degrees yesterday. Blazing sunshine, singing birds, leaves budding on the trees, grass green on the lawns (well, not so much our lawn). I was inspired to cook something very spring-ish. Given the temperature, I'm surprised I wanted to fire up the cooktop, but I had the ingredients on hand for a yummy spring risotto, so I went ahead and did it.
Green screams spring, so some fresh zucchini was in order. We can't get proper, fresh peas in Colorado (or at least not quickly enough to use them before they lose their sweetness), so I dug some frozen peas out of the icebox, as well as some frozen fava beans as I haven't seen fresh in my market yet.
A moment on fava beans. Despite the fact that they are EXTREMELY labor intensive to cook fresh, they are worth it. You can find a zillion recipes on the web, but I would pick up a vegetable cookbook from the library such as Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop and experiment with the recipes therein. Or, be lazy and buy them frozen, or just order them anytime you see them on the menu in a restaurant in the springtime. They are delicious and different and extremely fleeting. Enjoy them in their short and delectable season.
I had a handful of shrimp in the freezer and some grains in the pantry. I decided to use barley for a change and a little healthful kick. There's always butter and parmesan in the fridge and stock in the pantry, so I was set to cook. I made enough for 2-3 servings.
I followed the typical risotto methodology. I put about 6 cups of chicken (or vegetable) broth on the back burner over low heat. I melted a knob of butter over medium heat and lightly sauteed two small cut up zucchini for about 8 minutes then removed with a slotted spoon. Next, I sauteed the thawed shrimp (about 4 per person will do) in the same non-stick pan until pink and cooked through, then removed with the same slotted spoon.
I diced a small onion and put it in the same pan with a little oil. After it softened over low heat (took about 5 min), I raised the heat back to medium and added 3/4 cup of rinsed barley. I let it toast over the heat for about 3 minutes, then added 1/3 cup of dry Vermouth (or white wine or whatever you feel like/have on hand). Stirring with some frequency, I waited for the vermouth to cook in.
Once the vermouth is in, it's risotto time. Add broth, one cup (or large ladleful) at a time and stir it in/then stir occasionally until it is absorbed. Do this again and again (for about 30 minutes) until the grain has released its starch and become creamy. Start tasting after 30 minutes and continue to add liquid until it reaches your desired consistency. I keep the kettle full of water (it's electric) so I can add water if I run out of broth.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it's not. You don't have to stand directly over the stove the entire time (though you do need to be close by). You can have a conversation with guests and do this 30 minute part through the end. And there's great satisfaction to making something slowly, bringing it along by hand and having an amazing result. Try it once. Just try it!
Once you've hit creamy and delicious, add the sauteed zucchini and shrimp, the thawed peas and fava beans (or whatever veg you're in the mood for) and sautee/warm through for 2-3 min. Then, remove the pan from heat, add a knob of butter and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, stir it in, then put on a lid and wait for 2 minutes. Lift the lid, give it another stir and serve immediately, garnished with a bit more cheese or fresh herbs (chives would be great here) if you wish.
Voila and yum!
Italian to die for...
We went to Il Posto for the second time recently. Our first visit was fantastic, but a bit hazy due to a wait to be seated (our fault for showing up late for our reservation) and a subsequent deep exploration of the wine list (it was our second destination that evening and the first involved cocktails). This time, it was just two of us and we were on time.
We were seated at a decent two top. It's a small room with high ceilings and Friday night it was (almost) warm enough to have the garage doors which make up the front of the restaurant thrown wide open. The high ceilings make for crap acoustics, so you do have to yell a bit to have a conversation, but ultimately it's worth it. There can't be seating for more than 50 people, but it's loud enough that it sounds like 100.
How is it 'worth it'? I'd sit in just about any room to eat the food that comes out of this kitchen. The menu changes daily; it's posted up on chalkboards high up on the walls. The focus is on fresh, seasonal ingredients melded together into a perfect representation of the foods that Italians are so passionate about. There is an ever changing selection of starters, primi and secondi. It all looked so good, we had to have a bit of everything.
I started with a warm baby red chard salad. It would not even occur to me to use chard in a salad as it typically requires a bit of heat and love to make it delicious, which doesn't make me think 'salad', but after eating this, I need to broaden my definition. The chard was slightly wilted, then tossed with trumpet mushrooms and some soft, creamy Italian cheese that melts so completely that it turns into a lush, silken dressing. I was stupefied by the marriage of flavors and textures and tried to eat it slowly to savor every delicious bite. I'm afraid I'll never have a salad this good again.
My husband had a stuffed calamari dish. He's a guy that dearly loves your classic fried calamari when it's done right; crispy batter and tender inside, maybe with a bit of lemon. Well, this isn't like that at all. It's a big calamari steak stuffed with all manner of things; breadcrumbs, parsley, capers...I have no idea what else, then sliced into perfect rings, heaving with goodies. Suffice it to say, the dish really works. The calamari was cooked perfectly and the tang of the capers added a nice element of interest to the stuffing. The portion would have easily fed three or four.
A great start, so on to the primi. I would eat risotto any day of the week, but my husband was up for pasta and he chose one that looked very delectable. It was a homemade orichette, cooked al dente. None of that thumb-sized dried pasta here. These were substantial; nearly silver dollar sized, with a slightly chewy texture. It was tossed with a light tomato and arugula sauce that worked perfectly. Thank heavens we split it or we couldn't have eaten our secondi.
We split the secondi as well. It was a perfectly grilled hangar steak, sliced and fanned out on our plate. It was gorgeously red with a charred exterior and a tremendously flavorful, chewy interior. Hangar steak is a cut that's gaining popularity in restaurants; I'm guessing because it's still a bit cheap and it's lean and very delicious. It was served with a milk braised baby fennel. I'm not mad for anise, but fennel has taken root and grown on me like a weed. Braising is one of the best ways to prepare it. It makes it soft and creamy, and mellows out the sharpness of the licorice flavor. It's a lovely, simple dish to accompany something rich like a steak.
The wine we chose was a serviceable, though not inexpensive Valpolicella. The wine list is heavily if not entirely Italian and getting a recommendation from the sommelier or your waiter is probably a good idea unless you are a real Italian wine buff. The service is excellent and subtle, which is what I want when I'm enjoying a meal as much as I did this one. We were allowed to take our time and enjoy every minute of the evening.
I know I've somehow missed a few delicious details of this meal; but that's what happens when you don't sit down to write about it immediately. I was just too busy basking in the glow of Il Posto's food to be bothered with capturing the finer points in writing. Perhaps I'll do a better job next time. Or the time after that. Or the time after that. Or the time after that...
We were seated at a decent two top. It's a small room with high ceilings and Friday night it was (almost) warm enough to have the garage doors which make up the front of the restaurant thrown wide open. The high ceilings make for crap acoustics, so you do have to yell a bit to have a conversation, but ultimately it's worth it. There can't be seating for more than 50 people, but it's loud enough that it sounds like 100.
How is it 'worth it'? I'd sit in just about any room to eat the food that comes out of this kitchen. The menu changes daily; it's posted up on chalkboards high up on the walls. The focus is on fresh, seasonal ingredients melded together into a perfect representation of the foods that Italians are so passionate about. There is an ever changing selection of starters, primi and secondi. It all looked so good, we had to have a bit of everything.
I started with a warm baby red chard salad. It would not even occur to me to use chard in a salad as it typically requires a bit of heat and love to make it delicious, which doesn't make me think 'salad', but after eating this, I need to broaden my definition. The chard was slightly wilted, then tossed with trumpet mushrooms and some soft, creamy Italian cheese that melts so completely that it turns into a lush, silken dressing. I was stupefied by the marriage of flavors and textures and tried to eat it slowly to savor every delicious bite. I'm afraid I'll never have a salad this good again.
My husband had a stuffed calamari dish. He's a guy that dearly loves your classic fried calamari when it's done right; crispy batter and tender inside, maybe with a bit of lemon. Well, this isn't like that at all. It's a big calamari steak stuffed with all manner of things; breadcrumbs, parsley, capers...I have no idea what else, then sliced into perfect rings, heaving with goodies. Suffice it to say, the dish really works. The calamari was cooked perfectly and the tang of the capers added a nice element of interest to the stuffing. The portion would have easily fed three or four.
A great start, so on to the primi. I would eat risotto any day of the week, but my husband was up for pasta and he chose one that looked very delectable. It was a homemade orichette, cooked al dente. None of that thumb-sized dried pasta here. These were substantial; nearly silver dollar sized, with a slightly chewy texture. It was tossed with a light tomato and arugula sauce that worked perfectly. Thank heavens we split it or we couldn't have eaten our secondi.
We split the secondi as well. It was a perfectly grilled hangar steak, sliced and fanned out on our plate. It was gorgeously red with a charred exterior and a tremendously flavorful, chewy interior. Hangar steak is a cut that's gaining popularity in restaurants; I'm guessing because it's still a bit cheap and it's lean and very delicious. It was served with a milk braised baby fennel. I'm not mad for anise, but fennel has taken root and grown on me like a weed. Braising is one of the best ways to prepare it. It makes it soft and creamy, and mellows out the sharpness of the licorice flavor. It's a lovely, simple dish to accompany something rich like a steak.
The wine we chose was a serviceable, though not inexpensive Valpolicella. The wine list is heavily if not entirely Italian and getting a recommendation from the sommelier or your waiter is probably a good idea unless you are a real Italian wine buff. The service is excellent and subtle, which is what I want when I'm enjoying a meal as much as I did this one. We were allowed to take our time and enjoy every minute of the evening.
I know I've somehow missed a few delicious details of this meal; but that's what happens when you don't sit down to write about it immediately. I was just too busy basking in the glow of Il Posto's food to be bothered with capturing the finer points in writing. Perhaps I'll do a better job next time. Or the time after that. Or the time after that. Or the time after that...
North Restaurant
Last night we went to North in Cherry Creek at the behest of some friends. We met our friends and their two kids for an early dinner that ended up stretching for about three hours. The impetus was their half price wine on Monday nights deal, however we made up for the savings in quantity.
Upon arrival, I was instantly blinded by the unfortunate angle of the sun into the foyer, but soon found our friends and joined them at a sleek booth near the bustling kitchen. We asked our waiter for a white wine suggestion that wasn't too acidic and wasn't Chardonnay, as the list was heavily Italian and didn't have many familiar vintners. He immediately suggested the most expensive white wine on the list ($59) that was in fact a Chardonnay. Last time we ask his opinion on that subject.
We settled on an '05 Groth Sauvignon Blanc ($38 - but remember all the wine is 1/2 off so suddenly it's a smokin' hot deal) and were quite satisfied. By the time we shut up long enough to order starters, we were ready for some red wine and ordered (our first) bottle of '04 Mauro Molino Nebbiolo ($52 pre discount). It was just right for the evening; a bit light, not too complex, but the right amount of flavor to keep you interested and not overwhelm your food.
The starters showed up and we dug in. A tossed caprese-esque salad and the fried calamari were both good choices. The tomato and mozzarella salad came tossed with smoky grilled bread, super fresh basil, and an eye opening drizzle of rich, aged basalmic vinegar that brought all of the flavors together. The calamari was served essentially in a salad of fresh spinich and arugula in a citrusy dressing, topped with grilled lemons (which later were eaten by one of the kids - yum!).
We split salads (which I didn't even know you could do!). Our caesar showed up without anchovies (despite my husband's specific request that his have some) and it took until he was nearly finished before a small bowl of them arrived. The salad was perfectly dressed, by which I mean not drowning in dressing, but a very light coating on each leaf. The greens were crisp and refreshing.
For entrees, I ordered the fresh fish of the day, which was some sort of Canadian snapper (which I hope to God was sustainably harvested - I'm fairly certain our waiter didn't have a clue. He tried telling me that the sea bass was Canadian, too). I should know better than to order something that had been described by the waiter as 'a bit oily', as that's really not my kind of fish, but he swayed me when he said how nicely the fish flaked. He also had steered me away from the sea bass, saying it wasn't a very successful dish. The fish came and I realized that my waiter needed a lesson in what 'flakiness' means when referring to fish. It was well prepared and very flavorful, but as I said, not my cup of tea. It was served over a bed of mushroom orzo, which was positively heavenly. The pasta was slick with a lemony oil and was peppered with rich, earthy mushrooms. I frankly could have had that and the fennel shavings atop the fish and been perfectly satisfied.
Our dining companions also had the fish and seemed to enjoy it (their plates were clean, anyway). My husband ordered the shrimp fettuccini. It was meant to be served with broccolini and a spicy garlic sugo. It came instead with broccoli and a very light sauce (which was not very spicy, nor very similar to what the waiter had described this sugo to be, nor did it taste as though many hours cooking effort had gone into it). Now, I'm the kind of person that gets extremely frustrated having an ingredient substituted without being told first. Broccolini and broccoli are damn different. If you're changing the dish because you're out of something, TELL ME. But frankly I don't think my husband gave a hoot (or perhaps even noticed). The dish was good, but for $21, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Overall, North was pretty good. It's a great location and has fabulous ambience. I think it's kind of expensive for decent but unremarkable food, and the service is average and not terribly knowledgable. But all that said, it was a really fun evening and the 1/2 price wine didn't hurt a bit.
Upon arrival, I was instantly blinded by the unfortunate angle of the sun into the foyer, but soon found our friends and joined them at a sleek booth near the bustling kitchen. We asked our waiter for a white wine suggestion that wasn't too acidic and wasn't Chardonnay, as the list was heavily Italian and didn't have many familiar vintners. He immediately suggested the most expensive white wine on the list ($59) that was in fact a Chardonnay. Last time we ask his opinion on that subject.
We settled on an '05 Groth Sauvignon Blanc ($38 - but remember all the wine is 1/2 off so suddenly it's a smokin' hot deal) and were quite satisfied. By the time we shut up long enough to order starters, we were ready for some red wine and ordered (our first) bottle of '04 Mauro Molino Nebbiolo ($52 pre discount). It was just right for the evening; a bit light, not too complex, but the right amount of flavor to keep you interested and not overwhelm your food.
The starters showed up and we dug in. A tossed caprese-esque salad and the fried calamari were both good choices. The tomato and mozzarella salad came tossed with smoky grilled bread, super fresh basil, and an eye opening drizzle of rich, aged basalmic vinegar that brought all of the flavors together. The calamari was served essentially in a salad of fresh spinich and arugula in a citrusy dressing, topped with grilled lemons (which later were eaten by one of the kids - yum!).
We split salads (which I didn't even know you could do!). Our caesar showed up without anchovies (despite my husband's specific request that his have some) and it took until he was nearly finished before a small bowl of them arrived. The salad was perfectly dressed, by which I mean not drowning in dressing, but a very light coating on each leaf. The greens were crisp and refreshing.
For entrees, I ordered the fresh fish of the day, which was some sort of Canadian snapper (which I hope to God was sustainably harvested - I'm fairly certain our waiter didn't have a clue. He tried telling me that the sea bass was Canadian, too). I should know better than to order something that had been described by the waiter as 'a bit oily', as that's really not my kind of fish, but he swayed me when he said how nicely the fish flaked. He also had steered me away from the sea bass, saying it wasn't a very successful dish. The fish came and I realized that my waiter needed a lesson in what 'flakiness' means when referring to fish. It was well prepared and very flavorful, but as I said, not my cup of tea. It was served over a bed of mushroom orzo, which was positively heavenly. The pasta was slick with a lemony oil and was peppered with rich, earthy mushrooms. I frankly could have had that and the fennel shavings atop the fish and been perfectly satisfied.
Our dining companions also had the fish and seemed to enjoy it (their plates were clean, anyway). My husband ordered the shrimp fettuccini. It was meant to be served with broccolini and a spicy garlic sugo. It came instead with broccoli and a very light sauce (which was not very spicy, nor very similar to what the waiter had described this sugo to be, nor did it taste as though many hours cooking effort had gone into it). Now, I'm the kind of person that gets extremely frustrated having an ingredient substituted without being told first. Broccolini and broccoli are damn different. If you're changing the dish because you're out of something, TELL ME. But frankly I don't think my husband gave a hoot (or perhaps even noticed). The dish was good, but for $21, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Overall, North was pretty good. It's a great location and has fabulous ambience. I think it's kind of expensive for decent but unremarkable food, and the service is average and not terribly knowledgable. But all that said, it was a really fun evening and the 1/2 price wine didn't hurt a bit.
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