Akamiso, mint and Thai basil marinated black cod

This dish is as simple as it sounds. Simply marinate 4 black cod skin-on fillets with 1 heap tablespoon of akamiso (red miso), one teaspoon of a light extra-virgin olive oil and a few whole leaves of Thai basil and mint (not peppermint). Gently rub the fish fillets with the miso/oil paste, add the leaves (whole) and put them for a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge. I kept them two days but even after three, they were still well balanced and not overpowered in flavors. After the fish has marinated, let it come to room temperature and quickly grill it (2 minutes per side, skin side first) on a non-stick grill pan. A light side of fragrant jasmine rice and you’re set.

Pizza!

Thanks very much to Marco for hosting a terrific convivium at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Besides the inventive pizzas that many participants have created, I had the chance to refresh my palate with flavors such as gorgonzola and pears and Italian wild arugula (the pointy one) on top of an awesome focaccia di Recco (with Bellwether crescenza) and superb eclaires (recipe for the choux pastry from Sherry Yard).

My pizza was OK…I was light handed with salt and the dough came out bland in flavor althoug it has huge potential. A different take on the classic Gorgonzola and pears combination where the silky texture and the truffley flavors of goat cheese are contrasted by the tart crunchiness of green apples. For this pizza I always use an aged goat cheese like a Laura Chenel‘s taupiniere (very reasonably priced at Rainbow grocery).
Walnuts are also very welcome too as an additional topping.

Here is the recipe for my fail-proof dough (and it only takes 2-3 hours to have it).

• 500 g strong flour (W250 like the Ultimate performer from Whole Foods)
• 1 tsp of barley malt
• 1 tsp of gluten flour
• 4 good pinches of kosher salt
• 2 good pinches of sugar
• one little piece of fresh yeast (1 x 1 x 0.5 inches) diluted in a glass of lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar

I do normally work the dough a lot, something like 10-15 minutes, until silky and elastic. I let the ball of dough rise in the oven for an hour (with the light on, or just turn it on for 30 seconds to generate a gentle heat) then punch it down, let it rise another hour or so and then it’s ready to use.
The wood-fire oven created beautiful blister and the dough was perfectly crusty and soft at the bite….I love it like that….

Tomini elettrici

Soft cow’s milk cheese with herbs and crushed red peppers preserved under oil: most probably the most soul-touching food I miss from Piemonte (after truffled cacciatorini). The tragedy is that there’s no close relative being sold in the US and even fresh cheeses like farmer’s cheese are too grainy and lacking the twang of a real tomino from Piemonte. Needless to say, I undertook the challenge and started from scratch.
I followed the recipe of Dr. Fankhauser for Neufchatel cheese and made some tweakings.
I used ½ tablet rennet, got 2 pounds of cheese out of 1 gallon of Clover Stornetta Organic Vitamin D milk and mixed with 3 tsp of salt.

I molded the cheeses into logs and sprinkled the surface with kosher salt.
Wrapped the logs into cheese cloth and sprinkled the cloth with salt too. I aged the cheeses for one week in the upper part of the fridge into a tupperware for herbs (the ones with a grid on the bottom and some apertures on the sides to keep the right amount of moisture).

I finally cut the logs into rounds, sprinkled them with crushed red pepper and dried oregano and parsley and covered them with safflower oil. Now they are in the fridge and they just taste phenomenal.
Considering the amount of handling that the cheese has underwent I won’t keep these more than two weeks in the fridge.

Limoncello math

My limoncello has won many blind tastings even when compared to some bottlings imported from Italy.
I’m not bragging here…
Basic recipe:

• 10 lemons (the most healthy, organic and unsprayed you can think…the thicker the skin, the better)
• 1 L 95º alcohol (Everclear in the US….only 75º)
• 400 g sugar
• ½ L filtered and purified water

Zest the lemons with a microplane and soak the zests in alcohol for 4 weeks in a sealed jar.
Filter the flavored spirit twice and add to the syrup prepared from sugar and water over a gentle heat.
Shaky shaky and you’re done.
Store in the fridge for up to one year and in the freezer for better results.

Aperitivo sessions

One of my little dreams is to open an aperitivo spot, a little shack with finger food, great wine and Italian aperitifs.
Just to remember the pairings I’ve been experimenting with great success:

• Toasted english muffin (sliced in 2 and then 4 sectors)
• homemade ricotta (thinned with milk and blended with freshly grated horseradish and ¼ tsp of mustard)
• thyme/garlic marinated grilled red pepper
• sprinkle with fennel seeds.

• Torino-Milano (½ Campari, ½ Punt e Mes, a splash of soda, orange wedge, two ice cubes).

Bagna cauda

A favorite from Piemonte.
We topped some polenta cakes and red peppers with this earthy and dense sauce.

• 6 garlic heads, peeled and core removed
• 12 oz of salted anchovies, deboned and washed with red wine
• 4 cups of milk
• 2+ cups of oil
• 1 cup of whipping cream

Open garlic heads, separate cloves, peel them and cut longitudinally to remove the core.
Place in a bowl, cover completely with milk and let stand in a fresh spot for the night having care to cover the pot with a lid or plastic wrap.
Drain the garlic and discard the milk.
Place the pot on a stove, cover completely with milk again and let slowly simmer until the garlic begins to melt.
Let the mixture cook slowly until a creamy texture is obtained.
It requires slow simmering and continuous care to prevent the sauce from drying up.
Add the anchovies and simmer until completely melted and blended in the garlic mixture.
Slowly add oil as needed to create a smooth cream, about 2 cups.
When the mixture comes to a slow boil again, pour the whipping cream and bring back to a slow boil/simmering.
Divide in small portions and serve on butter warmers to help the sauce keep the temperature.
The Bagna Cauda can be eaten with many different vegetables (raw, parboiled or boiled), such as: celery stalks, roasted bell pepper, fennel, boiled fingerling potatoes and jerusalem artichokes or parboiled green cabbage, red radicchio, onion, turnips, parsnips, and white cardoon.