Osteria

This food blog was originally intended to be about my cooking, as is evidenced by the subject matter of all but one post so far. However, no one lives - or cooks - in a vacuum. I never once pretended to be a culinary genius, merely an enthusiast, and as such, I am often awed and inspired by great meals out. Tonight was one of those occasions about which I am eager to share.

I ate tonight at "Osteria" in Philadelphia on Broad (not Broadway) Street with one of the best guys I know, Scott Kozin. Scott was born close by and except for school/training, he has never lived away from Philly. He both loves and knows good food, as our previous meal together was also phenomenal (too bad this blog didn't exist then so I could enjoy the memory with better information). When he heard I was coming back tonight, he clearly was excited to take me to this place, who's name translates to "meeting place in the center.". True to this name, even though it was a Sunday night, Osteria was packed and alive. However, our waiter certainly was not stretched to thin; our service was exemplary.

Speaking of said waiter, since they only have Italian wines, we needed his help on that front. He came through by picking a bottle based on my confession that we mostly drink domestic pinor noir at my house. He brought a bottle from Pecchenino Vineyards that was soft and fruity and so drinkable. I could tell this was going to good night right away.

Next, we shared a Roman style pizza (crispy thin crust) with arugula, shaved Parmesan cheese and prosciutto. It was salty and spicy and light and perfect. We agreed it was the perfect example of the current (almost cliche) mantra heard everywhere in food these days: pick great ingredients and then stay out of the way. This "pizza" had nothing in common with Domino's (which I do like), but it was so very good (and I suspect authentic).

We turned down the suggested "sweetbreads" salad (after all, it was just one bottle of wine that we weren't half way through at this point) for the salad with "grilled octopus with cured lemon and potato". Again, simple ingredients done delicately. It was light and perfect.

The pastas came family style and thus we had both ravioli with trumpet mushrooms and thyme and the boar bolognese. The boar was hearty - the ravioli flavorful and light. Both were great.

To finish, we had the polenta chocolate mouse with candied hazelnuts. It was sweet and creamy and just right.

While everything was great and I can't think of a criticism, my biggest impression was that the experience was better than the sum of its parts. I am fond of Scott and my time with him is limited, so I expect this played a role in my overall joy. Still, I am very aware that although we finished everything they brought us, I still feel good enough to write this entry instead of being in my normal post-big-meal coma. Real food is better on so many levels.

Carne Asada

There admittedly isn't much art in taking a beef tenderloin and making a great meal. In fact, it is easier to get in the way and mess it up. However, taking a more humble (read "cheaper") cut with less marbling (which means less fat and flavor making it much healthier) takes so work and some knowledge. As Mexican is our favorite genre of food, we most often accomplish this goal by turning flank steak into carne asada (which translates to "roasted meat", although that isn't perfectly descriptive). I am confident this will work with any protein, and thus for game cuts, this would be ideal.

The key to my method is to first cook the meat in the refrigerator overnight, using chemistry and not heat. This is exactly how cerviche is made with seafood (scallops, shrimp, fish). I do like cerviche, but I will confess I have to be in the right mood, because the texture is so odd. For my purposes, I use lime juice and lots of it. About 8 limes will usually produce enough juice, to which I only add a few squirts of olive oil, a generous amount of salt and freshly minced garlic. In a freezer bag with your steak overnight, this caustic acid and salt brine will literally cook your steak, turning it an ugly gray. Then flash grill it (see my previous post) to seal in the juices and caramelize the outside, let it rest, cut it against the grain and enjoy. The options for how to serve it are limitless (nachos, quesadilla, over rice, burritos, etc).

Bistro Chicken

This is our family's go-to weeknight dinner. It is quick, easy, satisfying and not so bad for you. Plus, we pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand. Because of these factors, we have probably had this twice a month for the last ten years, which means in my kitchen, I am pretty sure I could make it in mammoth-cave like darkness with only my left hand (and I am the least ambidextrous person on Earth). It can be doubled or tripled easily and the left-overs heat up well for lunch the next day. We also love it because it cooks in stages, so you can easily clean up as you go, meaning there is no mess to deal with after you eat. That's huge, because if you make this, you'll be so full and content, the couch will be calling.

First, start some rice. As I have mentioned before, unless you actually physically labor for a living (like as a lumberjack maybe), I suggest brown rice. My steamer takes about 45 minutes to make rice, which is about how long the chicken will need. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Next, squirt roughly 3 tbs of olive oil into a very large, oven-proof saute pain, preferably a deep one with high sides (we're going to fill this pan up later; also, you do keep olive oil in a squirt bottle right? everyone does, right - so convenient). You will also need to toss in a little butter to drop the smoke point. Raise the heat to high and wait until the butter is melted and the pan is literally screaming. This is so key. Flop in two seasoned (lots of salt/pepper) and room temperature (so it cooks evenly) boneless chicken breasts and sear both sides. It has to sizzle LOUDLY when it hits the pan and you have to leave it alone until it really browns before you flip it. We are creating flavor with heat here, so don't chicken out (pun intended) or get bored and end this stage before the chicken is well-browned. However, do not try to cook it through; as odd as this seems, for now, I want it raw in the middle. When it is beautifully browned on both sides, remove the breasts and set them in a bowl (not a plate - they are going to leak and you want to catch the juices). Please not on a paper towel.

To the pan and fond (which means "base" in French and describes the caramelized bits left stuck to the pan that add a tremendous depth of flavor), add one diced onion and cook it down. You can turn down the heat a little if you are nervous or need to step away so you can't scrape/stir constantly (better - pour a glass of wine and hang out of the stove - we're pretending to be French tonight). If you skimped on the fat (butter/oil) in the beginning, you may need to re-dose here. If you scrape out the fond to clean the pan, I will come to your house.

Once the onions are soft and brown, pour in one can of diced tomatoes with all the juices and cook this down about 5 minutes, until it looks thick and bubbly. Then (please forgive me) add a can of french onion soup. Yes, this is cheating. Yes, you don't really know what is in it. Yes, I could make it with salt, onions and beef broth in about 10 minutes and it would be better. But in my defense, this is a "weeknight" dinner and it's one can of soup. I am an idealist, not an extremist. Using this shortcut does not mean we are practically having McDonald's.

Again, reduce your bubbly mixture about 10 minutes until it thickens. Invite someone to smell it at this stage - waiting after this tease enhances dinner. Then place the chicken back in this pan on top of the sauce and cover the chicken (and as much sauce as you want) with Swiss cheese. White cheeses are better for you than yellow ones (generally), but you can go light here without much sacrifice. However, if work was typical, I'll confess I usually use a whole stinkin' bag. Food is comfort. Also pour back in whatever accumulated in the bottom of the bowl where your seared but rare chicken breasts were hanging out and resting. Why pour flavor down the drain?

Pop the pan in the oven for 20 minutes so the soft oven heat can finish the chicken gently with the steam from our sauce while it melts the cheese. Then take it out and place a chicken breast over some rice on top of which you ladle on the sauce. Stop eating out so much.