Moroccan Carrot Soup (serves 4)

The motion picture 'Casablanca' was the theme for the meals served the last week of August and that meant an all-Moroccan day. The soup served at this day's brunch, Moroccan Carrot Soup, brought the best attributes of this hearty root vegetable... from the earthy tones of the root to the enigmatic notes of roasted cumin and finishing with the bright flavors brought by the yogurt. Give this soup a try.

- Chez

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 2/3 cups)
• 2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Preperation:

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes.
3. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Stir cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; cool.
6. Finely grind in spice mill.
7. Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth.
8. Return to same pan. Whisk in honey, lemon juice,sour cream and allspice.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over; sprinkle generously with cumin.

Beef and Guinness Pie (Serves 4)

The anniversary of the English Civil War provided Chez with an opportunity to look for fine culinary offerings from England… and this is no mean feat!

Despite the reputation that English food has, several potential Stars did in the end, show bright… but it was the Beef and Guinness Pie that won the day.

Unique, pleasing to both eye and palette and hearty as the day is long … what else is there to say!

Enjoy,

- Chez

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• puff pastry dough
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon water

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.


2. Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate.


3. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.


4. Add onion, garlic, and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, broth, beer,


5. Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.


6. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard thyme and cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.)


7. Put a shallow baking pan on middle rack of oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.


8. Divide cooled stew among bowls (they won't be completely full). Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges and cut dough into quarters.


9. Stir together egg and water and brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around each square. Invert 1 square over each bowl and drape, pressing sides lightly to help adhere.


10. Brush pastry tops with some of remaining egg wash and freeze 15 minutes to thoroughly chill dough.


11. Bake pies in preheated shallow baking pan until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.


12. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake 5 minutes more to fully cook dough.

Tinga Pueblana (Pulled Pork)

August 15 is the anniversary of the completion of the Panama Canal so as expected, Chez did an all Panamanian Day, and while the day gave us many surprises (all of then good) like yucca root, plantains and Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)... it was the Tinga Pueblana that won the Star for today.

Viva la pig!

- Chez

• 3 medium or 2 large russet potatoes to equal about a pound, peeled and diced
• 1 (2 to 3-pound) pork loin
• 1/2 yellow onion, whole, plus 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 ounces raw chorizo, casing removed and crumbled
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped (seeded and ribbed for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• salt
  

For serving:

• 16 corn or flour tortillas
• Lime wedges
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 serrano peppers, chopped
  

Directions:
Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Add the salt, bring to a boil and cook until tender, 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Place the pork in a large pot of cold water. Add the onion half, the garlic, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently until the pork is cooked through and is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove the pork from the water and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle (discard the cooking liquid). Using your fingers or 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute crumbled chorizo until completely cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper towel lined plate. Add the chopped onions to the chorizo skillet and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shredded pork, the tomatoes, and the chipotle chiles. Cook until the tomatoes break down and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Return the potatoes and cooked chorizo to the pan. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, marjoram and salt, to taste. Continue to cook over medium heat until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

While the pork cooks, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the tortilla over and continue to warm until the tortilla is pliable and heated through, another 10 to 20 seconds. Place warm tortillas in a tortilla warmer or on a plate, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside; repeat with the remaining tortillas (or warm the tortillas in the microwave: stack them on a plate and cover with a damp cloth; microwave for 30 seconds and keep them covered until you're ready to serve).

To Serve:
Place the pulled pork in a serving bowl or bring to the table in the cooking pot. Arrange the limes, avocado, and cilantro on a platter. Scatter the serrano on top of the pork. Pass warm tortillas so each diner can fill a tortilla with some of the meat and accompaniments. Squeeze lime juice over each serving.

Kyoto Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, Crystal Lake, IL

So, there we were in north-east Illinois on the second weekend of August in preparation to attend the second-helping of the Woodstock Mozart Festival. (Editor’s note: This is a MUST ATTEND for all Chamber Music aficionados out there.) With the pangs of hunger gnawing at our innards, we ventured to the Crystal Lake Region of Illinois to try out Kyoto Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. Sheb had had a hankering for Asian food for quite a few weeks and this place seemed like a safe place to sate those needs.

The décor was standard Japanese Steakhouse and nothing to get too excited about. The faux Japanese artwork, hibachi tables and shoji screens were in abundance but we hadn’t come to appreciate the furniture. Tonight it was about the food… so bring it on!

Round 1 –The Sake Martini: This one was a bit of a disappointment. Well, it actually was a bit more than ‘a bit’. When you order a sake martini you kind of expect sake to be the predominant tone but not in this case. Even on their second attempt, the sake was only a fleeting memory.

Round 2 –House Salad with Creamy Ginger Dressing: We were very glad that this was included in the cost of our main course because if we had been forced to pay for this we both would have been irate. Now in vegetal matters I tend to be more gracious than Sheb, but this salad was not good at all. The lettuce was wilted and flecked with brown age-spots that the chef had hoped to hide under a soupy abundance of cloy ginger dressing. So as my wife so aptly put it, “Ick!”

Round 3 –Sushi Appetizer Plate and Harumaki Plate: I refuse to go to a sushi house and not order sushi, even if it is just for an appetizer. Sheb on the other hand can refuse sushi 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Faced with this conundrum we each ordered our own appetizer, with Sheb going for the Haru-maki (Japanese Spring roll) and I venturing into Sushiville. Sheb was happy with her order and found the dish to be light, fresh and a good opening course. For her, it was the first ‘thumbs up’ of the day.

I found my choice as ‘just acceptable’. Why? Well one of the fine points of sushi is the artistry of the dish and in my view this was lacking. It appeared that the items were just piled on the plate… no flair, no eye for the dramatic. It was just raw fish and rice.

Round 4 –Miso Soup: Since it was not Miso Soup, I guess that this one doesn’t qualify for a grade in the Miso Soup course. Instead we were given an anemic version of Chinese Egg Drop Soup, which we both found tasty… however what that had to do with a Japanese restaurant still has us baffled.

Round 5 (Her) – Hibachi Chicken Teriyaki: Sheb thoroughly enjoyed the dish, while I thought the chicken was a bit dry… no doubt a function of the excessive cook-time that she had requested of our chef. Moresthepity, but it was her meal and she can have it any way she likes.

Round 5 (Him) –Hibachi Steak and White Tuna: I was disappointed that this was done with a ‘white’ Albacore tuna rather than a ‘red’ Yellow fin tuna. The subtle flavor of yellow fin would have complemented the steak portion of the dish better but alas, it was not offered, and while the steak was cooked to perfection I did find the dish in it’s entirety to be ‘only average’.

Honorable Mention: Bar none, the brightest spot of the evening was our chef… a Masaharu Morimoto look-alike who was also quite the comedian. We have seen the ‘standard show’ at Japanese steakhouses many times in our travels so the ‘initial flame-on, onion volcano and smoking choo-choos’ don’t hold our attention as much as they once did. Our chef, on the other hand, seemed to sense this and pulled out all the stops to make the dinner preparation the centerpiece of our evening. From his amalgamation of Spanish and Japanese to his self deprecation to his bumbling antics, he managed to salvage a mediocre evening and bump it up to ‘enjoyable status’. Thank you sir for a great show!

As for the restaurant as a whole… well, I am going to have to give this one a ‘Thumbs Down’. The food wasn’t special, the décor was cliché and I have to ask myself, “Is a Benihana-look-alike really the best we could have done?”

- Chez