Terra : Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley (9780307815323)
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TO SERVE, preheat the oven to 500°. Add the croutons to the soup and bring to a boil, shaking the pan gently so that all the croutons are moistened. Carefully place 4 hot ovenproof serving bowls on a baking sheet pan. Divide the soup among the 4 bowls. Break an egg into the center of each dish. Gently spoon a tablespoon of the soup over each egg. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the white of the egg turns opaque but the yolk is still runny. Remove from the oven, place on a plate, and sprinkle with the chives.
Soup au Pistou with Goat Cheese Ravioli
Serves 6
We think this is the perfect spring soup. The pistou, France’s answer to pesto (but don’t substitute pesto here), is added at the last minute for intense fresh-herb flavor. Keep the pistou recipe handy. You’ll find it’s a great condiment in its own right, drizzled over grilled vegetables or served alongside chicken, fish, or steak. The ravioli couldn’t be easier to make, thanks to a secret shortcut: They’re made with wonton wrappers.
Goat Cheese Ravioli
1 cup fresh goat cheese without a rind
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
½ teaspoon water
18 wonton wrappers
Pistou
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped tomato
Pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup ¼-inch-diced onion
¼ cup ¼-inch-diced celery
¼ cup ¼-inch-diced carrot
¼ cup ¼-inch-diced peeled turnip
⅓ cup ¼-inch-diced zucchini
½ cup ¼-inch-diced eggplant
⅓ cup ¼-inch-diced leek (white part only)
½ teaspoon dried basil
7 cups chicken stock
½ cup tomato concassée
½ cup tomato puree
⅔ cup cooked white beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
TO MAKE THE FILLING, combine the goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 of the egg yolks, and the pepper in a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining egg yolk and water to make an egg wash for the wonton wrappers. To assemble the ravioli, follow the directions. Use a scant tablespoon of the filling for each ravioli.
TO MAKE THE PISTOU, grind all the ingredients together in a mortar with a pestle until smooth. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a small food processor.
TO MAKE THE SOUP BASE, heat the olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Increase the heat to high and sauté, stirring often with a wooden spatula, until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the turnip, zucchini, eggplant, leek, and basil, and sauté 5 minutes longer. Add the stock, concassée, and tomato purée. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam that develops, and lower the heat to a very low simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the white beans and cook 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
TO COOK THE RAVIOLI, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the ravioli and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli and divide them among 6 warmed serving bowls. Add the pistou to the soup and simmer for 5 seconds. Ladle the soup over the ravioli and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
Browning Garlic
MANY OF OUR RECIPES BEGIN WITH BROWNING GARLIC. THIS IMPARTS A NUTTY, TOASTY FLAVOR TO A DISH AND MELLOWS THE FLAVOR OF THE GARLIC. IN MOST CASES, WE START WITH EVERYTHING AT ROOM TEMPERATURE—GARLIC, FAT, AND PAN. MANY COOKBOOKS RECOMMEND ADDING THE GARLIC TO A HOT PAN, BUT WE FEEL THAT STARTING THE PROCESS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND STIRRING CONSTANTLY ALLOWS THE GARLIC TO COOK MORE GRADUALLY, RELEASING MORE OF ITS FLAVOR. IT ALSO HELPS YOU AVOID BURNING THE GARLIC. WHEN A RECIPE DOES CALL FOR ADDING GARLIC TO A HOT PAN, IT’S IMPORTANT TO STIR CONTINUOUSLY AND TO ADD THE LIQUID (WINE, WATER, OR STOCK) OR VEGETABLE THE MOMENT THE GARLIC TURNS LIGHT BROWN, TO STOP IT FROM CARAMELIZING TOO MUCH. IF GARLIC GETS TOO BROWN OR BURNS, THROW IT AND THE OIL OR BUTTER AWAY, AND START OVER. THERE’S NO WAY TO SAVE BURNT GARLIC AND IT WILL GIVE THE DISH A STRONG BITTER FLAVOR.
Mussel Saffron Soup with Caramelized Onions and Garlic Croutons
Mussel Saffron Soup with Caramelized Onions and Garlic Croutons
Serves 6
When Hiro created this soup, he was melding two culinary ideas: traditional French onion soup, with its slow-cooked onions and slab of toast, and Provençal shellfish cooked with saffron and cream. The result is a very sexy soup with the soulful flavors of saffron, onions, and the sea, which brings to mind the great fish soups of France.
Garlic Croutons
12 baguette slices, about ¼ inch thick and 3 inches long
½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 clove garlic
Caramelized Onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
Mussel Saffron Soup
40 black mussels (about 3 pounds), scrubbed and debearded
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup tomato puree
2½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
TO MAKE THE GARLIC CROUTONS, preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet pan and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence. Bake until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Rub each crouton with the garlic clove. Set aside.
TO CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS, melt the butter in a medium sauté pan or skillet over low heat. Add the onions and sauté until caramel brown, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
TO MAKE THE SOUP, combine the mussels and wine in a large, heavy nonreactive pot over high heat. Cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Drain, reserving the mussel liquor. Shell the mussels. Strain the reserved mussel liquor through a fine-mesh sieve.
In a large, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes, and sauté until the garlic is light brown. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved mussel liquor, the tomato puree, cream, and stock. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that develops. Lower the heat, add the saffron, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE, add the shelled mussels and caramelized onions to the soup and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat. Place 2 garlic croutons in each of 6 warmed soup bowls. Divide the hot soup and mussels among the bowls and sprinkle with chives.
Spring Garlic and Potato Soup with Morel Mushroom Croutons
Serves 4
There are certain foods that awaken us to the arrival of a new season. Morels and spring garlic are two of them, and this spring soup brings out the best in both. If it’s not spring try the version with leek and garlic, and experiment with other kinds of wild mushrooms. You’ll have an entirely different soup—one that tastes more like a hot Vichyssoise—but that’s the beauty of seasonal cooking.
Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup coarsely sliced spring garlic, including the green stem, or 1 cup sliced leek and
1 clove garlic
1 russet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
Morel Croutons
4 baguette slices, ¼ inch thick and 3 inches long
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 ounce morels, cleaned and halved if larger than ½ inch in diameter
2 tablespoons brown chicken stock or chicken stock
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
TO MAKE THE SOUP, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the spring garlic, and sauté until soft. Add the potato and sauté until the outside of the potato is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potato is very soft, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Puree in a blender until smooth. Strain through a medium-fine-mesh sieve. Rinse the pan and return the soup to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE CROUTONS, preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the baguette slices on a rimmed baking sheet pan and bake until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Keep warm. Heat the butter and shallot in a medium sauté pan over high heat, and sauté the shallot until it starts to caramelize. Add the morels and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then add the parsley and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE, divide the soup among 4 warmed bowls, mound the morels on the croutons, and place 1 crouton in the center of each bowl of soup. Drizzle the morel pan juices over the soup and croutons.
Potage of Sweet Corn and Masa with Fried Soft-Shell Crab
Serves 4
This velvety soup gets its mysterious flavor from the addition of a corn tortilla. Corn, masa, and soft-shell crabs share a natural, earthy sweetness that makes them wonderfully complementary. If you can’t find fresh soft-shell crabs, ask your fishmonger for frozen ones. Or, you can omit the crab entirely and simply garnish the soup with a little homemade salsa.
Potage
3 ears sweet corn
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ onion, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
½ carrot, peeled and sliced
1 (6-inch) corn tortilla, coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Red Bell Pepper Coulis
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
½ cup chicken stock
⅛ teaspoon chopped jalapeño
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Crab Batter
1 egg
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
½ cup fine cornmeal
8 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
TO MAKE THE POTAGE, cut the kernels from the corn and reserve 2 tablespoons. With the back of the knife, scrape down the length of the ears, catching the milk from the corn in a bowl. Set this aside with the corn kernels.
In a large, heavy saucepan over high heat, melt the butter, add the onion, garlic, and carrot, and sauté until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the corn (except for the reserved 2 tablespoons), corn milk, tortilla, stock, and cream. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth. Strain the soup through a medium-fine-mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Rinse the pan and return the soup to the pan. Set aside and keep warm.
TO MAKE THE COULIS, combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a small sauce-pan. Cover, bring to boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the pepper is very soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 250°.
TO MAKE THE BATTER, whisk together the egg, milk, flour, and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
TO DEEP-FRY THE CRAB, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Working with 1 crab at a time, dip a crab in the batter, dredge it in the cornmeal, and drop it in the oil. Cover and deep-fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. (Be sure to cover the pot, as the crabs have a lot of liquid in them and can explode, scattering the hot oil.) Using tongs, transfer the crab to paper towels to drain, then place on a baking sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining crabs.
TO SERVE, divide the potage among 4 warmed shallow bowls and place a crab in the center of each bowl. Drizzle the red bell pepper coulis around the crab, and sprinkle the coulis with the reserved corn kernels. Top each crab with 2 cilantro sprigs.
Cleaning Soft-Shell Crabs
BE SURE TO BUY CRABS THAT ARE ALIVE AND KICKING; THEY CAN’T REALLY MOVE TOO MUCH, BUT IF YOU PICK ONE UP, THE LEGS SHOULD MOVE. USE SCISSORS TO CUT OFF THE HEAD JUST BELOW THE FEELERS. LIFT THE SHELL ON THE TOP AND TO THE SIDE OF THE CRAB, AND YOU WILL SEE THE GILLS, LONG TAPERED PLASTIC-LOOKING TUBES. USING THE SCISSORS, CAREFULLY CUT THESE OUT FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE CRAB. PULL UP THE TAIL FLAPS—A LONG PIECE OF SHELL THAT FITS AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE—AND CUT IT OFF AT THE BASE.
PASTA, RISOTTO AND GNOCCHI
Bone Marrow Risotto with Braised Veal Shanks
Bone Marrow Risotto with Braised Veal Shanks
Serves 4
With a little planning, you can make ossobuco one night and then use the leftovers to make this very special risotto the next. If you don’t want to have both in such quick succession, just freeze some of the ossobuco meat and sauce. At Terra, we serve this dish with a tall roasted marrow bone in the center. It makes for quite an impressive presentation. If you’d like to try this, ask your butcher to cut 4 veal marrow bones, each 3 inches long, with large openings so you can get the marrow out. Season the bones with salt and freshly ground pepper, then roast them in a preheated 400° oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve them piping hot. Marrow can be quite unappealing when it’s cold.
2 cups Ossobuco sauce
2½ to 3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cups arborio rice
⅓ cup dry white wine
¾ cup diced meat from about 1 piece of cooked Ossobuco
2 tablespoons marrow from about 1 piece of cooked Ossobuco
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Gremolata, for garnish
IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN, heat the ossobuco sauce to a simmer. In another small saucepan, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the garlic and onion, and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until the outside of the rice becomes opaque. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Stir constantly, scraping the entire bottom of the pan until almost all the wine is absorbed by the rice. Add the simmering ossobuco sauce, meat, and bone marrow. Return to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir constantly until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Add ½ cup of the simmering chicken stock. The rice should be kept at a fast simmer and not a boil as you stir and add stock. Stir the rice constantly until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Repeat the process until the rice is tender but firm. (Total cooking time for the rice is 12 to 14 minutes after the ossobuco sauce is added.) Add the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE, divide the risotto among 4 warmed shallow bowls. Sprinkle with the g
remolata.
Goat Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
It’s no surprise that the secret of the barely cooked tomato sauce in this recipe is the tomatoes. If you can find them, use either heirloom or homegrown tomatoes. The combination of brilliant red and yellow tomatoes against the white ravioli looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Fresh Tomato Sauce
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced red heirloom tomato; reserve juice and seeds
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced yellow heirloom tomato; reserve juice and seeds
2 teaspoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 Goat Cheese Ravioli
Garnish
1 tablespoon chiffonade of fresh basil, plus 4 fresh basil sprigs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
TO MAKE THE SAUCE, strain the reserved tomato juice and seeds and combine with the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
TO FINISH THE DISH, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the ravioli and cook until they become translucent, about 3 minutes; drain. Heat the sauce in a large saucepan over high heat just until hot, and add the ravioli. Simmer for just 10 seconds; you don’t want to overcook the sauce, which should keep its fresh flavor and color.