Dallas Drinks: The Harris

Dallas Drinks is a co-creation with Dallas Decoder, honoring the characters of the TNT drama Dallas, which continues the Ewing family saga. See all of the Dallas Drinks here.

In their history, the Ewings have had no shortage of formidable adversaries: Cliff Barnes and his father Digger instantly come to mind, as well as Katherine Wentworth and Jeremy Wendell. Of course, this is Dallas, so these foes often have tangled, intimate histories with the Ewings: Cliff is Pamela Ewing's brother, Digger was once attached to Ellie Ewing, Katherine is Cliff and Pam's half sister, etc.

Harris Ryland was introduced on TNT's new Dallas last season and has comfortably slipped into this mold: attempting to con Sue Ellen into laundering money for him, joining forces with Cliff Barnes to take down Ewing Energies, scheming against his daughter's efforts to reconnect with her mother Ann Ewing, whom Harris was once married to.

The Harris cocktail is appropriately potent: it's almost all alcohol, but despite this, it's a rather smooth and delicious drink. The trick is in the ice: using crushed helps quickly chill and dilute the drink until it is just right. I like all the Dallas Drinks, but this just might be my favorite.

Grapefruit, which appeared as shrub in The Judith and soda in The Emma completes the Ryland drink trio as bitters in The Harris (he is a rather bitter man after all). The three also share London dry gin, and Harris and Emma both contain Galliano, nodding to their special father-daughter bond. The walnut liqueur represents Harris' particular brand of enmity for the Ewings, recalling the scene in the episode "Let Me In"where Harris munches on nuts while describing for Governor Sam McConaughey--another Ewing foe--how his plot to take down the Ewings is like a komodo dragon patiently waiting for just the right moment to strike its victim.

Cocktail: The Cloister

This refreshing cocktail strikes me as a good accompaniment to any of the vegetarian dishes I've written about this week with its bright citrus flavors and the herbal notes of Chartreuse. It's another recipe from The PDT Cocktail Book, one of the best sources for cocktail ideas.

The Cloister
From The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan, adapted from a recipe by Thomas Mario that appeared in Playboy's Host & Bar Book, 1971

1 1/2 oz. gin (recipe calls for Tanqueray, I used Bombay Sapphire)
1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
1/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
Grapefruit twist garnish (I used a lemon twist, since the grapefruit twist I cut didn't look very good)

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with twist.

Multi-Grain Risotto with Broccolini and Brussels Sprouts

The Washington Post recently ran this beautiful recipe for Five-Grain Risotto with Broccolini and Brussels Sprouts. Although I've had fun experimenting with different vegetables in risotto, until now I'd never tried making it with grains other than rice. The results were fantastic. I loved the combination of flavors. For those who think making risotto is too labor-intensive, this one is much easier: only occasional stirring is needed.

The original recipe called for using five grains: farro, wheat berries, pearled barley, buckwheat groats and bulgur. Not having them on hand, I omitted the buckwheat and bulgur, substituting greater amounts of farro and barley. I bet other grains would also work in this. Be interesting to try it with quinoa or steel-cut oats (if you experiment, I'd love to hear about the results).

The dish originated as part of the Food section's recent all-vegetarian coverage on March 6. Food section editor Joe Yonan and restaurant critic Tom Sietsema visited several well-known D.C. restaurants and ate only vegetarian dishes, in some cases challenging the chefs to come up with something more inventive than the usual fare. At Mintwood Place, chef Cedric Maupillar constructed a vegetable napolean that's an architectural feat: made with planks of onion tart, structured with beans, eggplant and Brussels sprouts and topped with a mix of greens. While there, The Food writers also sampled the multi-grain risotto, which is a usual vegetarian item on the menu.

Multi-Grain Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Five-Grain Risotto with Brussels Sprouts and Broccolini by Joe Yonan for the Washington Post as adapted from a recipe by Cedric Maupillar, chef of Mintwood Place in Washington, D.C.

5 cups low-sodium (or if you make it yourself, no sodium) vegetable broth
1/4 cup white miso
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup farro
1/4 cup wheat berries
1/2 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup amontillado sherry (I substituted this for the 1/4 cup mirin in the original recipe)
1 lb. broccolini (2 small bunches), stem ends cut
8 oz. Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed, cut in half
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt (optional)

1. Heat broth in 4-quart saucepan over medium heat (or in a large glass measuring cup in the microwave) until simmering.

2. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the hot broth with the miso and pour half this mixture back into the hot broth (reserve the remaining 1/4 cup of broth-miso mixture for later). Cover the hot broth and keep warm.

3. Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, but not browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add the farro, wheat berries and barley, stirring to coat evenly. Stir in the sherry (or mirin) and cook until it has evaporated. Add all of the warm broth (but not the reserved 1/4 cup of broth and miso) and stir to combine. Once the mixture is bubbling, cook, stirring occasionally, until the grains are tender and the mixture is creamy, about 40 to 45 minutes.

4. While the risotto cooks, preheat the oven to 450 F. Toss the broccolini and Brussels sprouts with the remaining tbsp. of oil and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast vegetables until tender and lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit then chop the broccolini into large pieces.

5. Stir the reserved broth-miso mixture into the risotto then add the roasted vegetables and parmesan.

The Feed: April 3, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Been There, Eaten That: “Food Is Love…The Inn at Little Washington,” by Lori Gardner.
D.C. restaurant blogger Lori Gardner celebrates her and her husband’s 30th anniversary at the D.C. area’s most renowned establishment: the famed Inn at Little Washington. She recaps the meal with mouth-watering detail (and great photos too). I’m particularly intrigued by the Caesar Salad Ice Cream as part of a Baby Lamb Loin Carpaccio starter.

Slate: “Consider the Oyster,” by Christopher Cox
Self-professed vegan makes an argument that vegans should consider it OK to eat oysters, which he argues are not harmed by farming (and their farming is not harmful to the environment), cannot move and feel nothing. Although not a vegan myself, it seems to me that an oyster is an animal, which is what vegans do not eat. Period. However, it’s interesting to read the comments the story has received, particular those that discuss the worth of living under a label like “vegan” vs. not labeling oneself by making conscious, informed decisions about food.

Washington Post: “Tom Sietsema shares the secrets of Washington’s top bartenders,” by Tom Sietsema.
Taking a break from dining, Sietsema profiles five of the Washington area’s hottest mixologists: Adam Bernbach (Estadio), Derek Brown (Columbia Room), Gina Chersevani (Eddy Bar at Hank’s Oyster Bar), Jeff Faile (Fiola) and Todd Thrasher (PX and Restaurant Eve).

New York Times: “A Childhood Favorite, Now Sophisticated,” A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark.
Clark makes humble tomato soup more sophisticated with fennel and pernod, a recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Ross and Sheila Lukins, the sequel to one of my favorite cookbooks, The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Bon Appétit: “Indian Takout, Taken In,” by Alison Roman. 
Roman shares all the recipes for a delicious homemade Indian dinner of Chicken Tikka Masala, Spicy Sautéed Spinach, Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce and even Onion Naan. Most of the dishes include ghee, an Indian butter preparation that’s very similar to clarified butter.

Scientific American: “Fact or Fiction? You Must Drink 8 Glasses of Water Daily,” by Karen Bellenir.
In what will surely be a liability to companies like Nalgene and Deer Park, Bellenir reports on evidence finding that drinking eight 8 oz. glasses (i.e. 8 x 8) of water a day is actually unnecessary for most healthy people. Instead, let thirst be your guide, which seems pretty sensible really.

Food & Wine: “Asparagus: 1 Ingredient, 5 Ways,” by Kay Chun. 
Chef Chun takes one of spring’s favorite vegetables and offers it five ways: roasted, pickled, vinaigrette, pesto and tabbouleh.

Pasta Primavera with Asparagus Pesto

Yesterday I had my asparagus raw. Today I’m cooking it. Two ways!

Pasta primavera is one of the simplest, most versatile ways to celebrate the arrival of spring produce. You can put any combination of vegetables in it you want. Last year, I made a version based on the recipe from The New Basics Cookbook with bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, onion and celery.

I didn’t set out to make primavera with this dish, it just sort of happened. I had asparagus on hand and wanted to try making pesto with it. But I wanted other vegetables for the pasta too. Looking for good suggestions, I put it to the Washington Post Food section staff during a recent Free Range chat. Editor Joe Yonan suggested reserving some of the asparagus and broiling the spears for some “asparagus-squared action.” He also suggested peas and scallions as additional vegetables. Whole Foods didn’t yet have fresh English peas, but they did have sugar snap peas. Perfect!

I decided some roasted red pepper would be good in there too. While you can buy little jars of roasted red pepper, it’s so easy to make that it’s hardly worth the cost of store-bought. Just cut a red pepper flat, broil it, seal it in foil to self-steam a bit, then peel off the skin. Quick and easy.

Like primavera, pesto can also be made in many different ways. Traditionally, it has basil and pine nuts, but with pine nuts having become increasingly expensive, lately I like making it with walnuts. Since the flavor focus is on the other ingredients, this isn’t noticeably different—perhaps a little earthier, which is nice actually. Pesto isn’t a “cooked” food, but I did blanch the asparagus just briefly for this and plunged it into an ice water bath. This softened it while keeping its bright green color.

Pasta Primavera with Asparagus Pesto

1 lb. asparagus, tough ends removed
Olive oil spray
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/3 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped, plus a few other leaves cut into ribbons for garnish
1/4 cup walnuts
5 garlic cloves, minced (set aside half of one clove for the pesto, the rest goes in the pasta sauce)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus additional at the table, if desired
1 lb. dried pasta (I used orecchiette)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. sugar snap peas, cut in thirds (stem ends removed)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Italian Gavi Gavi made from Cortese grapes)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven broiler with rack about 4-5 inches from heating element. Divide the asparagus (half will be broiled in this step, the other half will be used below in the pesto). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the asparagus on one half of the baking sheet. Spray with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut the stem out out of a red bell pepper, then cut pepper in half. Remove any remaining ribs and seeds. Place on baking sheet skin-side up and push down to flatten. Put baking sheet in oven to broil asparagus and pepper for 4 minutes. Remove from oven, toss asparagus, rotate baking sheet and broil another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and wrap bell pepper in foil. Set foil-wrapped peppers and asparagus aside to cool. Remove skin from bell pepper (if should peel off pretty easily). Chop both vegetables roughly into pieces about 1 inch in size.

2. Heat a 4 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat fitted with a steamer insert and an appropriate amount of water (water level should be just below steamer). Bring to boil. Cut remaining uncooked asparagus into 2-inch pieces and add to pot. Cover and steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water while asparagus steams. Remove asparagus and plunge in ice water to cool. Drain asparagus.

3. To make the pesto, add basil and walnuts to food processor. Pulse a few times to chop ingredients. Add 1/2 clove minced garlic, the steamed asparagus, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pulse a few times until asparagus is ground up but still chunky. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add parmigiano-reggiano and stir to combine.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Drain, and set aside.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter; when melted, add onion and sauté until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add remaining minced garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and cook another 2 minutes. Add wine and vegetable broth, stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cut up broiled asparagus and roasted red pepper, stir to combine and heat through.

6. Combine vegetable sauce with cooked pasta. Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of pesto and a sprinkle of fresh basil. Serve additional parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table.

Spring Shaved Asparagus Salad

Nothing announces the arrival of spring vegetables like asparagus. Although available year-round, when you can get it fresh from a local source it's as good as it gets.

While I generally cook asparagus, it can be good raw too. For this salad I shaved the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler, very carefully from about an inch from the cut end up to the tip. I got about 5 or 6 shavings per spear. Since I was shaving the asparagus, I decided to shave several other ingredients into the salad, specifically fennel and apple.

Spring Asparagus Shaved Salad

1/4 cup walnuts
3/4 lb. raw asparagus, shaved with a peeler (see discussion above)
1 fennel bulb, shaved with a peeler, fronds reserved
1 apple, shaved with a peeler
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 tsp. fennel pollen
3 oz. soft goat cheese (chèvre)

Dressing:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

1. Heat a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the walnuts and toast until fragrant, being careful not to burn them, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

2. Combine asparagus, fennel, apple and arugula in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss dressing with salad to combine. Serve in bowls topped with a sprinkle of fennel pollen and a few pieces of goat cheese.

Dallas Drinks: The Emma

Dallas Drinks is a co-creation with Dallas Decoder, honoring the characters of the TNT drama Dallas, which continues the Ewing family saga. See all of the Dallas Drinks here.

Emma, daughter of Ewings foe Harris Ryland initially seems as icily cold to the Ewings as her grandmother Judith. But Ann eventually connects with her, and Emma leaves the controlling Ryland family to live with the Ewings at Southfork where she quickly develops a fondness for both John Ross and Drew. 

The Emma is appropriately tart and fiery, owing to the grapefruit flavor she shares with her grandmother and the habanero shrub, which represents her attraction to Drew. The bourbon is for her other potential love interest: John Ross. She shares the gin with her grandmother but it also represents England, where Emma learned to ride horses.

I made the grapefruit soda myself by carbonating fresh grapefruit juice in a siphon. But a commercial brand, such as Fresca, could also work.