Bailey’s Backyard Watermelon Gazpacho

In this blog I do not review restaurants, but I will make an exception here in light of an interesting dinner I had recently. Planning to meet a friend for evening repast in Ridgefield, I found a new (to me) place with a very diverse menu. It’s called Bailey’s Backyard and I think you will find the ambience and food to be very inviting. What intrigued me about the menu were the creative combinations of ingredients in many of their dishes. I love to try new mixtures and the chef at Bailey’s seems to agree.

          I started the meal with a “watermelon Gazpacho.” Their dish combined three types of melon and no tomatoes, the latter of which are found in most gazpacho dishes. I asked my waiter if the chef would share his recipe and, sure enough, I received an e-mail with his “secret.” My first attempt was a failure because I used a whole lime instead of just the juice. Their recipe did not give quantities, so I had to experiment to get it just right. I finally succeeded in making a reasonable facsimile.

          Their recipe was a smooth, cooling soup. But my wife insisted on a bit more spice and texture in mine, so I made my version of watermelon gazpacho, which is a bit different, but quite nice. Both versions make a nice watermelon gazpacho shooter—perfect for a summer cocktail party or soup starter. (By the way, in between the time I requested the recipe and the few days that elapsed before the chef e-mailed me, I was eager to find a workable recipe and Googled watermelon gazpacho recipes. The result was 324,000 entries!)

          I have asked restaurants several times for their recipes and it has led to some interesting and amusing responses. Some years ago, I asked the chef at the Inn on Lake Waramaug (for those of you who remember that wonderful gathering place) for his recipe for a particularly tasty Indian Pudding. He shared his “secret.” And I quote, “you’ll find it on page 1024 of the Joy of Cooking.” So much for being unique.

          And now I will share with you

Bailey’s Backyard Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

·        Seedless watermelon

·        Ripe cantaloupe melon

·        Ripe honeydew melon

·        Juice of 2 limes

·        Handful of mint (optional)

·        Note—While they did not give amounts, I found that a combination of half a watermelon, half a cantaloupe and half a honeydew melon is about right.

·        This will serve 4-6 as a starter soup.

Directions:

·        Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds. Do this in batches if necessary.

·        Chill for several hours before serving.

Chef Rick’s Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

·        8 cups seedless watermelon

·        1 medium sized cucumber peeled and seeded

·        ½ red pepper, seeded

·        ¼ cup parsley (I prefer the Italian variety)

·        3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

·        2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·        ¾ tsp. salt

Note—The amount of watermelon is not exact. You can add/substitute cantaloupe and/or honeydew, but do not exceed 10 cups.

Directions:

·        Cut melon, cucumber and pepper into medium chunks.

·        Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender for 30 seconds until all ingredients are smooth. (I use a blender.)

·        Chill for a few hours before serving.

Let me know which version you prefer. Write to chefricklevy@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Stay cool.

Mediterreanean Lamb Stew

I often read a recipe while visualizing how it might taste (and look) if I just “tweaked” it a bit. Sometimes, a little experimenting makes a good dish REALLY good. You should not be handcuffed to exact measurements given but adapt according to your tastes, substituting ingredients for a new twist or adding or subtracting measurements. Other than baking, exact measurements are not as crucial in making dishes such as this marvelous lamb stew.

It started with a recipe from the New York Times (full disclosure here) and after three or four tries, I came up with this version, which, I believe, is even better. You can call it “Lamb Stew—My Way” and if you have a better version, please let me know so I can try yours.

Here is my “Mediterranean Lamb Stew” with notes on some changes I made from the original.

Ingredients:

·        2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb (The New York Times called for lamb shoulder, but I found it to be too fatty and less meat per dollar)

·        1 tbsp. unsalted butter + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (NYT called for 2 tbsp. butter but my goal is to use less fat in my diet—more on that later)

·        1 small onion, grated

·        6 cloves minced garlic (NYT called for 4 cloves, but I find garlic becomes very mild when used in stews)

·        1 tsp. each salt, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin (Note: these were amounts in original recipe, but I used two tsp. cinnamon and one heaping tsp. garam masala to give the dish that unique Mediterranean flavor)

·        ½ tsp. red pepper flakes—use a bit more if you like a bit more bite

·        ¼ cup apricot preserves (I tried orange marmalade and it works well, too!)

·        1/3 cup red wine vinegar

·        1 20-oz can. drained and rinsed chick peas (I tried garbanzo beans once—not bad)

·        1 ½ cups chicken stock (NYT called for two cups, but I found this made the dish too watery)

·        1/3 cup dark raisins (NYT called for ¼ cup—I also added a handful of dried cranberries, which was a nice touch)

·        ¼ cup chopped parsley

·        2 tbsp. lemon juice

·        Cooked cous cous for serving (I tried orzo and it’s good, too. Rice is another consideration.)

Directions:

A)      Now that you have all of your ingredients ready, here comes the most difficult part—trimming the meat. Open the boneless leg of lamb and cut into large, manageable pieces. Using a sharp, smallish knife, trim all of the fat you can see and cut the meat into bite-size pieces (1-1 ½” each).

B)      In a large, heavy bottom pot, melt the butter, add the oil and the lamb, onion, garlic, pepper, salt, spices, preserves and vinegar. Keep stirring (6 minutes or so) until the aroma is strong.

C)      Add the chick peas and stock. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce heat to just a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes. If you have less than two pounds of meat, cook for an hour.

D)      Add raisins and craisins and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon juice and you are almost finished.

E)      Make the stew the day before and you will be ready to serve. After cooking, place dish in the lowest shelf of the fridge. When ready to re-heat, remove from fridge and scoop out the congealed fat that has risen to the top with a slotted spoon. After removing the fat, you will be left with a healthy, delicious dish fit for the nicest occasion.

Let me know how it works for you or what changes you have made to enhance the recipe. I can be reached at chefricklevy@hotmail.com.

Frozen Yogurt Layered Cake

Having just returned from three weeks in England and France and heading off to New Orleans tomorrow for a few days, I am a bit behind in my blog. As such, I have asked my wife, Leslie, to step in for me to share with you her simple-to-assemble ice cream cake. Here’s Leslie…

For several years, a group of our friends have been gathering once a month to share a potluck dinner, rotating among our various homes. Each host gets to pick the theme of the dinner and make various assignments—appetizers, salad, side dish and dessert. The host always prepares the main dish. We’ve exhausted many cuisines—Italian, French, Indian—seasonal such as Spring, Harvest, etc.—and single ingredients such as maple syrup. Last night our host chose yogurt. I was assigned dessert, always my favorite.

So I started thinking about and researching frozen yogurt cake, similar to ice cream cakes. Most of the recipe I developed is culled from reading various approaches to ice cream cake assemblages.

I decided to use a chocolate wafer bottom crust, followed by chocolate chip cookie dough frozen yogurt, over laid with a thin layer of cooled melted bittersweet chocolate, followed by a layer of vanilla bean frozen yogurt and finished off with my own chocolate chip cookies, which I put through a blender.

I used an eight-inch spring form cake pan, which yielded enough to feed 10 of us with two portions left over. You can use any flavor ice cream or frozen yogurt, whatever appeals to you. While I used a thin layer of melted chocolate, you could also use a layer of chopped nut, dried fruit or mini marshmallows. You are only limited by your imagination.

Ingredients:

20-24 chocolate wafers, pulverized

5 tbsp. melted butter, divided

1 or 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet or a combination of both, melted

24 oz. or ¾ qt chocolate chip cookie dough frozen yogurt

24 oz. or ¾ qt vanilla bean frozen yogurt

6 chocolate chip cookies pulverized

Directions:

1.     Butter bottom and sides of 8-inch spring form (releasable bottom) cake pan.

2.     Pulverize 20-24 chocolate wafers in blender or place them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Add 2 tbsp. granulated sugar and mix well. Remove to small bowl.

3.     Melt 2 tbsp. butter. Pour butter into chocolate wafers and mix well until all of the crumbs have been wetted.

4.     Pour crumb mixture into bottom of spring form. With the bottom of a glass or using your hands, pat the crumb mixture into place—flat and even. Place the spring form in the freezer for 15 minutes.

5.     Remove the first container of frozen yogurt and let it start to soften. In the meantime, in a double boiler, melt 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate and 3 tbsp. butter, mixing until incorporated. Remove top sauce pan from boiling water and set aside to cool. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop out 24 oz. of the first container of frozen yogurt, in this case, chocolate chip cookie dough into a medium size bowl. The frozen yogurt should still be somewhat stiff. Use a large spoon to push all of the scoops together.

6.     Remove the spring form pan from the freezer. Spoon the frozen yogurt over the cookie wafer layer. Be sure to smooth this layer. Return to the freezer for 15 minutes.

7.     Take the spring form from the freezer and spoon the cooled chocolate mixture over the frozen yogurt. Return the spring form to the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the second yogurt from the freezer and let it begin to soften. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop out 24 oz. of the second container of frozen yogurt, in this case, vanilla bean into a medium size bowl.

8.     Take 6 chocolate chip cookies and pulverize them in an electric blender or place them in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Spread this mixture over the second layer of frozen yogurt. Press the crumbs in with the bottom of a glass or use the back of your fingers.

9.     Cover with plastic wrap and return spring form to the freezer. Keep frozen until ready to serve.

10.  Serving suggestions: remove spring form from freezer. Take a sharp knife, dip it into a glass of hot water and wipe the blade with a towel. Run the knife around the perimeter of the spring form between the metal and the frozen yogurt. This step will make it easier to release the cake from the pan. Release the form and voila! You will have an impressive multi-layered frozen yogurt cake. To serve, continue to dip the knife into a glass of hot water and wipe the blade before cutting each slice. I put a chocolate chip cookie on each plate along with the frozen yogurt slice. You can also garnish with chocolate sauce or whipped cream or chocolate shavings.

11. You can adjust this recipe to assemble the cake into a loaf pan. In this case, you will need to line the pan with either tin foil or plastic wrap.

12. Enjoy! You’ll receive accolades.

Barbeque 101—Basic Steak

Summer is the season where much of the cooking moves outdoors to the grill. Men who couldn’t find their way in the kitchen during winter now find themselves “masters of their domain” on the porch or in the back yard. Cooking meat outdoors must reach back to our caveman heritage because food cooked this way not only seems to taste better, but it feels good, too!

I know everyone has his own “tricks of the trade,” but I would like to share some of my basic tips for those who are novices and those who would like to improve a little.

Gas or Charcoal?

Purists insist charcoal makes food taste better and go through the ritual of lighting the coals—please no lighter fluids—stacking them properly, adding more coals as necessary, washing dirty hands and spending much time with a water pistol to keep the flames down. I changed over to a gas grill many years ago for the convenience, versatility and lack of stress. I only use my charcoal grill when smoking a turkey or roast. (See “wood chips” below.)

Getting Started

First, make sure you have enough propane gas to finish your cooking. The gauges on most gas grills are not very accurate, and, when in doubt, check the weight of the propane tank and refill when it seem light. Some locations that sell propane will only charge for the amount they re-fill. Check around.

Start with clean grates. Good cleaning tools are available everywhere and should be used immediately after you have finished cooking a meal while the grates are hot. I have stainless steel grates and find them worth the extra cost as I can clean them in my self cleaning oven at the same time. While this method will discolor the grates, they will come out clean and will last longer.

Before turning on the gas, oil the grates with either a spray can or a paper towel soaked with a tablespoon of cooking oil and wiped over the surface.

Wood Chips

I love the taste of food that has been exposed to smoldering wood chips. I use hickory most of the time, but apple, cherry or mesquite are also good and can also be used. You can find them in the hardware store or any place that sells Weber grills. Soak a handful or so of wood chips in a cup or two of water for at least an hour before starting to cook so that they smolder and do not flame. On charcoal grills, the chips are spread right on the coals.  But on gas grills, the chips must be put in a metal container placed on the lower left corner under the grate.

Pre-heat

With a clean, oiled grill and soaked wood chips in place, we are now ready to light up. Turn all burners to “high.” Close the lid and give it at least 15 minutes to reach 500°. The wood chips should just begin to smoke. This is a good time to prepare the salad, boil water for corn and have a glass of wine.

Great Steak Recipe

First, when buying steak, look for well-marbled meat as the fat flakes provide much of the flavor. Most important is that the meat be at least 1 ¼ inches thick. I try to buy meat that is 1 ¼” to 1 ¾” thick. Ask the butcher to cut it. If this results in too much meat, I cut the portion in half and freeze the rest. Grilling calls for thicker cuts, so don’t compromise.

Season the meat with seasoning salt. (I use Jane’s Crazy Mixed Up Salt or a special formula I get from The Salty Chef, Web site in development.) Add little pepper and tenderize the meat by poking lots of holes with a four-pronged fork. Slosh on Worcestershire Sauce. Turn the steak over and repeat. Let the steak marinate for up to a half hour. You can use this method for strip steak, rib eye, Porterhouse or sirloin. Don’t forget to tenderize both sides well.

With the oven at 500°, the chips beginning to smoke, put the steak on, shut the middle burner off, and close the lid. I give each side about six minutes or so for dark on the outside and rare in the middle. If you are unsure, use a digital meat thermometer –140^o for rare, 160° for medium, 170° for well done. Use tongs to turn the meat—not forks! Keep the lid closed to maximize the smoke flavor and keep the temperature up.

I love using my grill almost all year. Please let me know how this recipe works for you. Happy cooking! 

Chef Rick Levy

chefricklevy@hotmail.com

7-6-5 Grilled Pork Tenderloin

If the weather cooperates, in a few weeks it will be time to get out your grill. This master grilling recipe works perfectly, no matter how you flavor the pork. Choose one of the glazes I suggest for a beautiful crust or use your own favorite dry rub, as long as it’s low in salt. Be sure to buy pork tenderloins that haven’t been treated or soaked in any kind of solution by the producer.

Serves four to five.

·        2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lbs. total) brined.

·        1 recipe concentrated fruit glaze (use Rosemary-Orange Glaze) or one of your own creations or other seasoning.

·        Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Brine the 2 tenderloins – in a medium bowl, mix ½ cup kosher salt and ½ cup kosher salt and ½ cup sugar with 1 quart cool water until dissolved. Trim the tenderloins of excess fat and silverskin and submerge them in the brine; let stand about 45 minutes. Remove the pork from brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry.

Season and grill – Rub the brined tenderloins all over with the glaze and then season with the pepper. Or, season to taste with another flavoring of your choice.

Heat a gas grill, turning all the burners to high until the grill is fully heated, 10 to 15 minutes.

Put the pork on the hot grill grate. Close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork over, close the lid, and grill for another 6 minutes. Turn off the heat (keep the lid closed) and continue to cook the pork for another 5 minutes. At this point, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the thickest end of the tenderloin should read 145° to 150°F. (If not, close the lid and let the pork continue to roast in the residual grill heat.) Remove the pork from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before carving. Cut across the grain into ½ inch slices and serve immediately.

Rosemary-Orange Glaze

This glaze is equally good made with 2 tsps. dried rubbed sage instead of the rosemary.  Yield enough to glaze two pork tenderloins.

·        ¼ cup frozen OJ concentrate, thawed

·        1 teaspoon brown sugar

·        4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

In a small saucepan, bring the concentrate, brown sugar and rosemary to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture reduces to about 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool slightly.

Aunt Pauline's Honey Cake

My favorite aunt, my mother’s youngest sister and the last of  five siblings,  passed away last month leaving behind her children, grandkids, a few nieces and nephews and her favorite nephew – me! She was a simple woman whose life revolved around her family. She was far more interested in giving than in getting.  At one point in my childhood, I lived with my grandparents and Aunt Pauline, who was 13 years my senior. We spent quality time together. Growing up with Aunt Pauline, we shared a mutual love for cooking. Over the years, she would send me recipes I asked for which were the “family” recipes that many of us remember.  These recipes were usually quite simple with just a few ingredients. The measures were approximate since measuring spoons and cups were a luxury.

          Among Aunt Pauline earthly possessions were the usual pictures, some letters and cards we saved, a piece of jewelry that had special meaning to her daughter and in my case a few recipes written in her hand with personal commentary in the instructions.

          So today, in memory of this wonderful woman, I made her version of honey cake, one of my favorites. Since it is close to Passover, I substituted Matzoh flour instead of all-purpose flour, an act which changed the taste and texture significantly. But as the cake baked in the oven and the aroma filled my kitchen, my dear Aunt Pauline was with me once again.

          Be sure to gather and save those family recipes to hand down to future generations. It is said that the sense of smell is the best to recall memories. When you think about it, you will detect a scent which will immediately evoke a memory, be it perfume or food. 

          Please say “thanks” to my Aunt Pauline as you try this recipe.

Ingredients:

·        3 eggs

·        2 tsp baking powder

·        1 tsp baking soda

·        Grated rind from one orange

·        1 cup sugar

·        1 cup honey

·        2/3 cup strong coffee

·        ½ cup oil (vegetable or canola)

·        3 cups flour

·        ½ cup plump raisins (optional)

Directions:

1.     Grease and flour a loaf pan.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.     Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda.  Set aside.

3.     Beat sugar and oil and add eggs one at a time.  Beat well.

4.     Add grated orange rind.  Add honey and coffee.

5.     Add flour mixture and mix well.

6.     Pour batter in loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.

7.     Let cake cool in the pan!!! (Emphasis by Aunt Pauline)

8.     Enjoy.

Scaloppini al Marsala

Let’s face it – sometimes we don’t have the exact ingredients called for in a recipe. There are those who only feel comfortable following directions exactly and they miss a lot of fun in cooking. There are many recipes that can be modified with just some handy substitutes. Don’t shy away from recipes that call for hard-to-find ingredients or ingredients that your family doesn’t like. I don’t care for foods like cabbage, brussel sprouts or cooked green peppers. So I eliminate these when called for in a recipe and find substitutes. Red, yellow or orange peppers work just as well as green ones and add interesting colors and flavor which appeal to me. And there are many easy substitutes for ingredients that you may not have on hand or prefer to limit due to dietary needs. Here are some examples: 

       Original Ingredient          Substitute

           1 cup butter milk          1 cup yogurt

                   1 cup butter          7/8 cup corn oil or vegetable shortening

                            Cream          Ice cream (vanilla)

                Crème Fraiche          Equal sour cream

        Orange peel, grated          Equal amount of orange marmalade

                      Fish stock          ½ cup bottled clam juice & ½ cup water

   Tomato paste (1tbsp)          1tbsp ketchup & ½ cup tomato sauce

     Dried mustard (1tsp)          1 tbsp prepared mustard

                          Shallots          ½ clove garlic & equal amt minced onion

                        Molasses          ¾ cup brown or white sugar + ¼ cup water

          Here’s a nice recipe that allows for some creative substitutes and gives your pantry a chance to help.

Scaloppini al Marsala

          Normally, scaloppini, a thinly sliced cut of meat, served in a restaurant will use veal. This is an expensive meat and the thought of killing those sweet baby calves is not very appetizing to me.

Ingredients

·        1 lb meat scallops – I use turkey or chicken breast pounded thin to 3/8”.  Use veal if you choose.

·        1 tsp salt

·        1 tsp pepper

·        1 cup flour – if you only have cake flour, use 1 cup plus 2 tbsp

·        2 tbsp butter or 1 ½ tbsp corn oil or vegetable shortening or equal amount of margarine

·        3 tbsp olive oil

·        1 small box mushrooms, sliced (8 ounces)

·        1 cup Marsala wine or substitute 1 cup dry white wine plus 4 tbsp brandy

·        1 cup chicken stock or equal amount of beef stock or bullion cubes dissolved in hot water

·        2 tbsp butter

To Prepare:

1.     Pound chicken breasts to 3/8” thickness. Put breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with mallet (or large empty soda bottle).

2.     Season with salt and pepper.

3.     Dredge in flour and shake off excess.

4.     Heat 2 tbsp butter and oil (or substitute) in heavy 10-12” skillet.

5.     When butter foam subsides, sauté meat, 3-4 slices at a time, about three minutes per side. Don’t crowd the meat.

6.     Transfer to a warm plate or keep warm in oven.

7.     Add mushrooms to pan and sauté until brown (about 5 minutes); add Marsala wine and ½ cup stock. Boil over high heat for 2-3 minutes.

8.     Return meat to skillet, cover and cook over low heat for an additional 2-4 minutes.

9.     Remove meat scallops and mushrooms and keep warm.

10. Add 1/3 cup stock to empty sauté pan and boil over high heat, scraping brown bits from bottom the pan.

11.   When sauce becomes a syrupy glaze, add last 2 tbsp butter. Stir and spoon over scallops.

Remember, most good chefs are creative in their cooking, using unusual ingredients and substitutes to change the usual to the unusual. If you have any questions or comments, please write to me at chefricklevy@hotmail.com. I hope to hear from you.