Text 10824, 105 rader
Skriven 2014-03-13 15:57:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BURTON FORD
Ärende: Asian 314
=================
 -=> Jim Weller said to Burton Ford <=-

 -=> Quoting Burton Ford to Nancy Backus <=-
 BF> I was raised on meat and potatoes.
 JW> Same here: meat and potatoes and 2 veg (usually boiled).

Funny, I wasn't. One good thing about my upbringing is
that I was introduced to many kinds of food - most
Chinese, granted, but other genres as well, including
pretty respectable versions of French.

 BF> I am so glad that somewhere in my conservative,
 BF> wishy-washy life I began eating almost anything I came across.
 JW> For me it started when I left home when I was 17, moved from the
 JW> country to the city and discovered pizza, and Chinese take out and
 JW> met ethnic groups other than Irish, Scottish and English.

My parents were an odd combo of conservative and
leap-in-the-dark, so I got interesting and of course
contradictory influences. 

 BF> My only regret is that I never seemed able to know and remember the
 BF> subtle nuances, as does Michael
 JW> None of us have his level of discerning taste buds and excellent
 JW> memory (or the dedication to maintain logs and journals to refer
 JW> back to).

It's like remembering your dreams - you have to practice and
take notes. Sad to say, wine has a built-in amnesifacient. I
used to scribble stuff down from the very first sip, but that
was when I was drinking to learn rather than for other purposes.
The other day I had a bottle of Aloxe-Corton from a rather bad
vintage and have only the haziest memories of it. I was going
to write down stuff, such as low concentration, gone dumb,
not much fruit, lots of acid, leather, tobacco, fair amount
of harsh tannin, shortish finish - all of these I actually do
recall, but what I don't remember is the actual taste of the
wine. Oddly, it went pretty well with fried squid, but I
ordered it on the strength of Lilli's lamb chops. The wine cost
3x what the lamb chops did.

Primehouse's duo of lamb
Categories: fancy, restaurant, main
Serves: 4

h - For the lamb
4 bone-in lamb loins (7 oz each)
12 lamb loin chops, frenched (2 oz each)
h - For the gnocchi and artichoke gratin
2 lb Idaho potatoes, peeled, large diced
3 lg eggs
2 c all-purpose flour (more as needed)
1 Tb olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 c artichoke hearts packed in olive oil
1/4 c kalamata olives, pitted, cut in half lengthwise
2 Tb chopped herbs (parsley, chives)
1/2 lb fresh goat cheese
4 Tb extra virgin olive oil infused with sage and chilies
Salt and pepper, to taste
Unsalted butter, as needed

Lamb chops and bone-in lamb loin with potato gnocchi
and artichoke gratin, olives and tomatoes

Over a hot grill, cook seasoned lamb loins to
desired temperature. When loins are almost done,
add the lamb chops to the grill (chops are thinner
and will take less time to cook).

Put the potatoes in salted cold water and place over
high heat; cook until tender. Drain the potatoes and
cool slightly. Process the potatoes through a ricer
into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper; add eggs
and half of the flour. Mix to create a dough, adding
flour if necessary. Set aside for 20 min.

Pull off a piece of potato dough and roll it into a
long tube, about 1/2" thick. Cut the tube into 1"
pieces. Blanch the pieces in salted, boiling water.
Shock in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Set aside.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, warm olive oil.
Add garlic and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes
and cook until soft and tender and flavor has
concentrated. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.
Add a small amount of butter to enrich.

Melt some butter in a saute pan. Add artichokes and
olives. Add gnocchi and warm through. Mix in herbs.

Place gnocchi in ovenproof dish and top with goat
cheese. Place in a 350F oven and bake until cheese
is slightly warm.

Place gnocchi on a plate. Top with tomatoes and
loin. Lean chop against the gnocchi. Drizzle with
the infused extra virgin olive oil.

Rick Gresh, David Burke's Primehouse, Chicago
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