Maple-Glazed Tuna; Pear and Potato Salad

Chef Marcus Samuelsson is an interesting fellow. The Ethopian-born, Swedish-raised owner of four New York restaurants is known for "fusion" type recipes that blend all kinds of familiar flavors into something new and unique. I recently heard about him on the the NPR show Spendid Table. Wanting to learn more, I tracked down Samuelsson's New American Table at the local library and settled on this recipe. It turned out fine, but with an overwhelming number of "tastes." Sweet, sour, salty, spicy... this dish has it all. Not complicated to make; but to some it might be seem over complex to the taste buds.

Maple-Glazed Tuna
-1 tbsp dijon mustatd
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-Juice of one lemon
-4 tbsp olive oil
-4 six ounce tuna steaks
-salt and pepper
-cilantro sprigs for garnish

Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice and 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside; season tuna on both sides with salt and pepper; heat 3 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a non-stick pan; add tuna and cook for 1 minute on each side; remove from heat and brush both sides with the glaze; slice and serve over pear and potato salad

Pear and Potato Salad
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
-1 clove garlic minced
-2 bosc pears; cored and cut into cubes
-1/2 red onion thinly sliced
-1/4 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
-1 1/2 tsp curry powder
-1 cup shredded baby spinach 
-Juice of one lemon
-Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat, add potatoes and cook until golden, about 20-25 minutes; add pears, onions, garlic, almonds, and curry powder and cook for five minutes; remove from heat and stir in spinach and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

Smelts ala Plancha; Mushroom Leek Gratin; Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

In Spain, "a la plancha" translates to "on the grill." It's more a philosophy of life than a cooking technique. When you have the absolute best ingredients, there is no need for cooking complexity.

Fish + salt + pepper + lemon. That's it.

A couple of equally-simple side dishes rounded out a three-courser that came together in no time.

Smelts a la Plancha (use any small fish, sardines for instance work nicely)
-4 smelts, cleaned
-Salt, pepper
-Lemon wedges

Salt and pepper the smelts; grill over charcoal or on a grill pan, turning once, until fish is cooked and flaking, about 5-7 minutes.

Mushroom Gratin
-1 basket button mushrooms, sliced
-1 leek, rinsed and sliced
-2-3 sprigs thyme
-Chives cut into batons
-1 tbsp white wine
1/2 cup bread crumbs, homemade or panko, toasted
-2 tbsp Taleggio cheese, diced
-1 tbsp parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
-salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a 10 inch pan, cook onion in olive oil; add mushrooms, thyme, and chives and cook until mushrooms release their liquid; add white wine to pan slowly to prevent burning  before mushrooms release their juice; add pinch salt and peppe to taste; transfer mushroom leek mixture to two individual baking dishes; dot each with diced taleggio cheese and parmigiano reggiano; cover with breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Kale Salad
-1/2 bunch kale leaves, ribs removed and chopped
-2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
-1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano
-Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
-1/4 cup olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare leaves and toss with dressing made by emulsifying lemon juice, zest, olive oil, and salt and pepper; Prepare in advance and let sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight; add pine nuts and reggiano before serving; add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with Lentils and Arugula; Crostini with Smoked Salmon, Mascarpone, and Gerkins

Pasta with Lentils and Arugula

Everyday Food, March 2005

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
-Coarse salt and ground pepper
-12 ounces plum tomatoes, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
-3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
-12 ounces orecchiette pasta
-1 bunch (8 ounces) arugula, stemmed and coarsely chopped
-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover, and cook until onions wilt, about 20 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until onions are dark brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Add 1/4 cup water; stir to loosen any browned bits from pan. Stir in tomatoes; remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover lentils with water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; stir into onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.

Add lentil mixture, arugula, cheese, and reserved pasta water; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with more cheese, if desired.

Review: Peking Duck and Punk Rock

One of our favorite farm-to-table restaurants in Philadelphia is The Farm and Fisherman, a quaint, 30-seat BYOB that does a great seasonal menu. I have been wanting to go back from some time.

That said, a recent venture to Center City for a concert just didn't seem like the right opportunity. We were heading to the Electric Factory to catch the reunion tour of one of K's favorite punk rock bands - Hot Water Music. As luck would have it, their opening band happened to be one of my favorite upstart ones - The Menzingers.

We thought for a half-a-second about going to an upscale, semi-pretentious restaurant and then ambling over to the show.

But seriously, what would Joe Strummer say?

So instead we went to Chinatown, a few short blocks from the venue, to one of the absolute best cheap eats in the city - Sang Kee Duck House. The place is super inexpensive, attracts a varied clientele from Asian families to business suits to college students to hipsters, and is about as authentic as you can get. Though the menu, as is the case in most Chinese restaurants, is thirteen pages long, the item to order is the duck.

Schooled by one of my very best high school friends who is of Chinese descent and lived in Philly for many years, I always get the duck wonton noodle soup. It is simple - just a rich duck broth with wonton noodles, egg noodles, scallions, and sliced peking duck on top. But it is tasty, filling, and will only set you back six bucks. K got the sliced duck and roasted pork platter - equally excellent.

As was the show.