Hot Dish Review

Usually, I don’t blog about my interviews with chefs or cookbook authors. But really, I should. I’ve had the pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be) of interviewing some of the most talented, witty, and downright notorious folks involved in the food industry: Ted Turner, Bill Kurtis, Richard Blais, Jeffrey Chodorow, Scott Serpas, and Chris Kinjo to name a few.

Recently I was asked to do a review of a new cookbook by chef David Tanis called The Heart of the Artichoke. He’s not the kind of chef that has a show on The Food Network or has an international food empire like Wolfgang Puck. No, chef Tanis is flying under the radar, creating singularly perfect meals at Chez Panisse in Berkeley half the year, living in a flat in Paris the other.

The Heart of the Artichoke is the follow-up to his New York Times best seller A Platter of Figs. In both, Tanis gives readers more than just recipes to follow, he offers a glimpse into his passions and personal kitchen rituals….you know, the quirky things we cook for ourselves when there is no one else to impress. Sometimes it is those private moments we spend in the kitchen that can be almost meditative, therapeutic.

In the foreword the author says of his book’s title “The artichoke is ripe with metaphor and parable possibilities. Getting past the thorns to the sweet center…not at all like reaching up and harvesting a sweet peach, eating an artichoke requires a bit of work.”

Tanis gives readers great ideas for simple meals for each season, twenty menus in all, from Spring lamb to Wintery duck confit, all of them artfully photographed. There are recipes for larger groups too, perfect for festive celebrations.

When I asked Tanis which season was his favorite, his reply was “It’s always the season that’s coming! After the harvest you’re up to your neck in tomatoes, so you’re ready for squash. It’s normal and natural, until we started getting raspberries from Peru.” Tanis was an advocate of cooking seasonally long before it was trendy.

He was thoughtful, introspective, and witty with an edge, selecting his words as carefully as ingredients for a complex stew.

The Heart of the Artichoke is much more than a recipe book, it is an invitation to slow down and enjoy the process of cooking, to savor the journey.

I’m trying to kick my sugar habit. For the time being, no caramel corn, mocha popsicles, Clif Bars, or even fruit. Instead of berries with breakfast I add in veggies, making a delicious Southwest omelette this morning, with avocado, tomato, cilantro, and pepperjack cheese.

As with any change in diet, ya gotta keep it interesting or you’ll quickly slip back into old habits. I went nuts in the produce department on my last visit to Whole Foods, buying organic squash, zucchini, a poblano pepper, cippolinis, the avocado, hericot vert, tomatoes, and a bag of Brussels sprouts.

I love Brussels sprouts, usually cutting them in half and sauteing them with some onion and lots of fresh black pepper. But this time I wanted to try roasting them with the cippolinis and some shallots.

Here is my experimental recipe:

16 oz. baby Brussels sprouts
2 shallots
2 cippolini onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tblsp. olive oil
Nature’s Seasoning, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Salt, use common sense

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with oil. Wash the Brussels sprouts, trimming off the ends and cutting the larger ones in half. Peel the shallots and cippolinis, cutting them in half. Mince the garlic with a press and add. Drizzle with olive oil (could easily use 2 tblsp.) and seasonings, and toss to coat the veggies evenly.

Roast for about 35-45 minutes, depending on desired tenderness. I took them out and stirred them around a few times, adding additional seasoning, and continued putting them back in the oven for a total of 45 minutes. Next time I may increase the heat to 425 and see if that shortens the roasting time.

They were delicious! I served them with tilapia for dinner and divided the remainder into two servings, one for lunch the next day and the other didn’t make it past midnight….they were that good.

Aha! Now I have confirmation that my guacamole recipe is authentic!

Before B and I arrived at Capella Pedregal, I emailed my grocery list to the personal assistant of the residences. In addition to groceries, guests could also request snacks to be made by the assistant in their residence, including guacamole.

Naturally, I was curious to see if they used the same ingredients and method as my now-famous kickass guacamole, the recipe given to me by a Mexican cleaning lady twenty years ago.

When we arrived our refrigerator was stocked with goodies….eggs, queso, strawberries, Corona Light! The assistant explained that, due to the residences being nearly fully occupied, they would be unable to make the guacamole. They did, however, provide the ingredients: ripe avocadoes, tomatoes, a white onion, cilantro, jalapenos and limes. No garlic or mayo, honey!

I made a big batch on our third day after lounging around the pool. Chips and salsa to-go from Don Manuel’s completed our afternoon snack on our balcony, overlooking the breathtaking resort.

Heaven.