croquetas

Creamy bechemel, breaded and deep fried. It does not get much better than that...oh yeah, it does, when eaten with a nice glass of white or sparkling wine.

I love bechemel. Im all about that creamy texture thing: ice cream, custard, bechemel... And although I usually stay away form deep fried food, there is something irresistible about that crispy/creamy contrast. 

I did not grow up with Kraft macaroni and cheese.  (I must admit, my mom would regularly buy packaged Lipton creamy fettucini that my sister and I would scarf down as an after school snack, followed by a Little Debbie's Nutty Bars®.) The memory I have of "mac and cheese" is my mom's penne with bechemel, baked in the oven until brown and crispy on top.  Unfortunately, it was also her way of getting rid of leftover ham. A bite of cheesy, creamy noodles would be interrupted by a salty piece of chewy ham.  Life could be worse I suppose, I just picked it out.

I first heard of croquetas when my mother talked about an early food memory of having her mother's croquetas; particularly one that involved a lamb chop coated in bechemel, bread crumbs and fried. Two of my favorite things together, coated with crispiness! Sounds good, but also like a heart attack waiting to happen.  Surprisingly, despite speaking fondly of these croqueta memories, she never made one. It wasnt until I went to Spain in 2006 that I actually had one. That kind with lamb continues to elude me.

They can be horrible, pastey, gooey messes. But when made well, they are delightful! Usually, they have jamon in them, which I do not mind like I did the ham in my baked penne, because the jamon doesnt disrupt the texture. There is a vegetarian version made with 'roquefort', which in Spain is the generic name for blue cheese. My last night in Madrid I had really good ones with ground morcilla sausage mixed into the bechemel. Talk about cholesterol!

Anyway, when I came back, croquetas were the food that I missed the most. So, naturally, I made them. The first recipe I found, is actually a keeper! I got lucky. I am also lucky that I brought back this really good chorizo salami from a recommended store in Madrid. I love the smoked paprika (pimentón) flavor that comes from using this chorizo in the croquetas.

 

The recipe is adapted from a recipe by lisa and tony sierra.

Olive oil is used for almost everything in Spain. Where butter or vegetable oil would be used by other cultures, in Spain, its olive oil. Not sure why that is. Here, olive oil is used for deep frying and to make the bechemel (butter is the 'traditional' ingredient). Olive oil has a lower boiling point, so it burns and breaks down at higher temperatures, so I would rather use a light vegetable oil, like grapeseed or something. The bechemel can be made with butter of course instead of the olive oil, but I dont know what the proportions would be and it doesnt make much of a difference in taste I dont think.

• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup (107 gr) flour
• 1/2 cup (100ml) chicken broth, warm
• 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) milk, warm
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• dash of ground pepper
• 1/2 cup finely minced prosciutto or jamon serrano or chorizo
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• bread crumbs for coating
• vegetable oil for frying

Makes about 20-30 croquetas.

Heat the 8 Tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is incorporated and cooked, but not brown.

Gradually add the warmed milk and the chicken broth, stirring with a whisk without stopping.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and smooth.You may need to add more liquid (2-4 Tbsp) if it looks too stiff. It should not be quite as thick as mashed potatoes, but not loose like a sauce. It will get harder when chilled.
Add the minced ham and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes on low heat, continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

 Spread out on a dish or another flat surface and refrigerate until it is cold.

When ready, use two spoons to make cylindrical 'logs' with the bechemel. Coat the 'logs' with the egg/water by dipping them in a bowl of the egg/water mixture. I found using a fork is easiest. Then coat them with bread crumbs. I put them in a bowl of breadcrumbs and roll them around with another fork to coat them.








(Once coated with breadcrumbs, they can be frozen on a tray, in a sealed bag if doing this ahead. If using them frozen, you would want to defrost them a bit before frying them. Defrost just enough that they are still holding their shape and chilled, but no longer frozen.)

To fry: Heat enough vegetable oil in a medium frying pan --just high enough to barely cover the croquetas.

Heat the olive oil for frying to about 355F degrees.  Now, I dont have a thermometer, so i heat over medium heat and use a crumb to test it. If the bubbles from and it crackles right away, but does not burn or smoke the crumb, then its ready. Try with one croqueta first, to test the temperature. It should bubble and turn brown quickly. Turn it once or so until brown. Cooking time is maybe a minute or two. Dont cook too many at once, you want them to have enough room to move around and get brown. Definitely do not overlap them in the pan.

Once brown and ready, take them out and drain on a cooling rack on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

The oil can be saved (once cooled) in the refrigerator until the next time you fry. Do not throw down the drain, instead put in a container and in the garbage (or compost).

Enjoy!

a day in the life of a restaurant

So a few months back, I was sitting in a very popular and busy tapas bar in Granada. I loved watching the bartenders dance around each other while they dashed from the service window to the customers. The staff joked with each other while still being on top of all their orders. After a while, I thought "I'd love to capture this activity and teamwork with my camera".

So, when I came back, I asked my friend Mike if he would let me come into the restaurant he manages to shoot the project. I went in twice, both on during Sunday brunch service. I got a tour of the kitchen from the chef, who seemed very happy to have someone interested in what he does. Mike gave me a tour of his 'front of the house' world, including the wine cellar, which is what he is most proud of as the wine buyer.  I met all the staff as well and they quickly got used to me following them around taking pictures of them.

So, this was the first time I ever did a photo essay like this. There are things I wish I would have captured more of (portraits of staff) and shots I wish were technically better, but in the end it was really fun and a great exercise. My intention was to make this like an editorial, so 10 pictures that tell a story (which is actually generous). I started with over 400 shots, narrowed them easily down to 120, then down to 40 and well I posted 33 to flickr as for the set. Three times over my goal. I have new found respect for editors.

But here, I want to try and get it down to 10 14. Again, the intention being behind the scenes of a restaurant, life during the shift. So here goes....

 

 

 

  

 

 

Trippa

Tripe.
Not the most popular cut of meat (in this country), I know, but I like the chewy texture and I love it in a stew. I really fell in love with it when I had the Trippa Napoletana at A16, a modern Italian restaurant in the Marina district of San Francisco. I haven't been there since the chef, Nate Appleman, left to open a pizza place in Manhattan, so I don't know how it is now, but I do know this dish is still on the menu. I was introduced to A16 by a date , back in the good 'ole days of online dating, before the economic crisis, when I could get invited to a nice meal! One of the VERY few perks of online dating (for a woman anyway).....

Okay, on to the tripe!

I have never made anything with tripe before and when I found the A16 recipe here (and you can find it here) I was excited to try it. After going to Whole Foods (only because it's across the street), Berkeley Bowl (best grocery store ever!) and a fancy meat market, I finally found the tripe at a Korean supermarket 2 blocks away. Figures you have to go to Asia to buy pieces parts. This is also where I found the pig trotters, which I added to the recipe based on mom's recommendation. Isn't the little hoof cute?

The changes I made to the A16 recipe are the following: reducing the initial cooking time of the tripe (because when I followed the instructions to cook until the fork punctured the flesh easily, it was only about 40-60 minutes), adding the meat from a pig's foot  and adding chickpeas.

The chickpeas I added because I liked them in the tripe dishes I had recently in Spain. They add a nice nutty crunch texture that contrasts nicely with the chewiness of the tripe. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, I cooked them  separately in water with carrots, celery, onion and quarter of a pigs foot until they were barely crunchy, about 2 hours.

The pig's foot that went into the tripe dish I boiled with the tripe, and left it cooking in the boiling water for an hour longer than the tripe.

Trippa Napoletana-- adapted from the A16 recipe that is referenced here.

2 pounds honeycomb tripe, cleaned and ready to cook
1 pig's foot/trotter
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
½ red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
⅔ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
¾ cup dry white wine
2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes with juice, coarsely chopped
2 cups water
1 cup garbanzo beans- reconstituted dry beans are the most yummy
1 egg
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Serves 8 as a first course, or 4 to 6 as a main course

The tripe sold in stores these days has already been cleaned and partially cooked. So, it does not need to be cooked for very long after you buy it. Ask the butcher how much it has been processed when you buy it.

Rinse the tripe under cold running water. Put it and the pig's foot in a large, heavy bottomed pot and add the vinegar, a few generous tablespoons of salt, and enough water to cover it by several inches. Bring slowly to a boil, adjust the heat so it simmers, and skim off any foam from the surface with a ladle. Boil the tripe until it can be easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Remove the tripe, but keep cooking the pig's foot for about 30-40 minutes more, until the flesh starts coming off the bone. Allow the tripe to cool in some of its liquid.

Once cooled off, cut the tripe into 2-inch-wide ribbons, then slice the ribbons crosswise into thin ¼-inch-wide strips. When the pig's foot is ready, take it out and cut off meat and cartilage and set aside with the tripe. Dispose of the liquid that the tripe and foot were cooking in.




In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, parsley, garlic, chile flakes, and a teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has turned opaque.

Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, like this:

Pour in the wine and stir, making sure to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom and reduce the mixture until it is almost dry. Add the tripe, pig's foot, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and water and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the tripe has absorbed the flavor from the sauce and is tender, but not too soft or mushy.

At this point, it should be the consistency of a thick soup or stew. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up. Keep in mind that it thickens a little more once you add the egg and the cheese. 

With a fork, beat together the egg and the Parmesan until blended. Stir the mixture into the tripe stew and heat, stirring just until the stew thickens. Serve warm with crusty bread. It might also be good served on creamy polenta.

I can not emphasize enough what a difference it makes when a drizzle of olive oil is added at the very end, or on top of the individual servings. Also, I found that it was a little too acidic on my first taste, but that the flavors really came together after it rested for a bit. This is definitely a dish I will add to my winter repertoire! 

arancini

One of my favorite bars in Oakland is Adesso. It is a simple bar opened by the Dopo people ('now' and 'after', respectively) and it has a nice modern decor, but still manages to have a warm feeling to it--maybe the lighting or the fuz (fooz?) ball table in the corner? The crowd is definitely from the neighborhood, although there are also people that come down from or over the hills to try the great charcuterie plates. Adesso serves fancy (and tasty) cocktails, pretty decent wine and snacky kind of food--a can't call it a restaurant. They specialize in charcuterie and patés, which are all home made and artisanal. Adesso also serves nice salads and raw oysters (which has always seemed random to me).  The salumi and paté that I have had is always good and the salami in particular is nicely inventive. I ordered the lamb prosciutto once too and loved it--you have to love lamb though! The wines by the glass list changes regularly  I have my own little complaints about the place, one being that it's just too dang expensive! Im always shocked at my bill when I walk out of there. I do like their 'free' aperitivi happy hours--twice daily! I guess if one is smart and a teetotaler, one could leave there satiated and happy spending less than 10$.  Well, not I. Especially since Im addicted to their arancini and a sucker for a good cocktail.

Arancini are Sicilian deep fried rice balls. I dont think that makes them sound as good as they are, so trust me. Anyway, a couple weeks ago one of the nice bartenders explained to me how to make them in detail and even showed me one that hadn't been fried yet so I could really check it out. Im not much of a deep fryer, but these and croquetas have won me over.

So I went home and I tried it. Take a ball of cheesy risotto, stuff it with ragú (mine was left over from the lasagne), roll it around in some bread crumbs and drop in a pan of hot olive oil and deep fry until golden--a kind of orangey color actually, which is where they get their name. At Adesso, they are little, like the about an inch and a half in diameter. I dont know whose little hands can make them that size, not my paws though.  The verdict? Well, not nearly as hard as I thought and pretty darn good! They werent as cheesy as Adesso's, next time I will have to add more parmesan to the risotto. I had added what I consider to be a 'normal' amount, about ¼ cup and put a small slice in with the ragú, but next time Ill put more. Also, their ragú is different...I have to investigate some more. The crust on mine was nice and crispy though and they were very flavorful. The secret is to have everything cold, or else the balls will come apart. I even chilled the balls again after I breaded them. Here's what they look like inside:

Lasagne e Bologna

Lasagne alla Bolognese, as the name indicates, is from Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, not far from where my father was born and raised. It is a beautiful medieval city known for its food (ragú, tortellini, lasagna) and university- the oldest existing in Europe. When people go on about how great Florence is, my response is typically, "yeah, well, I prefer Bologna". They usually have not been there (except to the train station to change trains on their way to Florence from either Milan or Venice), so they can't argue with me. I like that the sidewalks are in colonnades away from the street, so you dont have Vespas or cars zooming by you and you don't have to negotiate passing other pedestrians walking in the other directions like you do in Florence. I love the color of the buildings and architecture.

There is a food market area, of the kind where certain streets specialize in selling particular foods- fish, produce, pasta, etc.

I also like that it is a university town, so there is a young, edgy, artsy feel to it and there's some good graffiti as well--especially by the train tracks which I didnt capture last time I was there unfortunately. But here is an example of a mural and more that I took in 2005. 

On to the lasagne....