You Say Oyster and I say Erster - Conchigli y Crema Ostrica

It's the middle of Winter.   OK, not exactly "the middle" but with the 24 degree temperature and 30 mile an hour winds creating a wind chill of 8 degrees, it sure as heck FEELS like the middle of winter.

Some strange part of my brain always makes me hungry for things that are out of season.  Thus it is that I am completely obsessed with all things of the Oyster persuasion.  And while I also realize that oysters are in season with now, the "fresh" Oysters out there, like the ones at "Whole Paycheck", are expensive.  Consequently, I have deemed it necessary to break into my "emergency stores" and go with the canned variety for this particular dish... at least this time.

I have to admit that I actually kind of like the canned oysters.  I got use to having to use them while living in San Diego for 14 years.  Simply because I could never find any fresh oysters that didn't smell kind of funky, and I am really picky about my shellfish.  If it's questionable in ANY way... Forget about it.

The trick with canned oysters is making sure you do not cook them again.  The canned oysters simply need to be warmed, or they will turn into little super balls bouncing around your kitchen.  Not tasty.

Conchigli y Crema Ostrica

(Shells in Oyster Cream)

16 oz Medium Shells, Elbow Macaroni or other medium pasta shape
1 TB olive oil
1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 Shallot, minced
2 8-oz (227g) cans Oysters, juice reserved (or, 18-24 fresh petite "olympia" oysters, shucked with liquor reserved)
3 oz Pinot Grigio or other white wine
optional - Clam juice – Enough mixed with oyster liquor to make 6 oz (You only need this if using fresh oysters)
4 oz Heavy Cream
10 oz fresh Arugula, washed, hard stems removed
Kosher Salt
White pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Open the Oyster cans and reserve 6 ounces of the juice.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a Sauté pan.

When the oil is hot, sweat the shallots and garlic being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add wine and bring just to a boil.

Add Oysters, Oyster juice and heavy cream,

bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. (Just enough to warm the oysters through)

Then season with Kosher Salt and White Pepper.

Place the Arugula in a large pasta bowl.

When pasta is done, remove about 1/4 cup of the water and set it aside....

Then drain the pasta and pour it into the bowl over the Arugula, let set for a couple minutes, then toss briefly.

Pour the Oyster Cream sauce over the Pasta and Arugula.

Toss until the heat from the Oyster sauce and the pasta wilts the Arugula slightly.

If the Oyster cream sauce seems a little thick, add the reserved pasta water and toss again.

Serve immediately.

Mangia!!
~~

Chanterelle, My Belle...

You and pasta go together well,
My Chanterelle.

Ah, Chanterelle Mushrooms.... the scent of apricots, forest floor, and black pepper waft through the kitchen, making my mouth water as I try to prepare dinner.

The Chanterelle is an important mushroom here in western Oregon, for there aren't a lot of sunny days here.  Especially some the Fall.  Thus we all tend to run a little low in vitamin D.  Granted most milk is artificially fortified with it, but it's a minuscule amount and there are those of use who do not drink milk.  When ones diet is lacking in copious amounts of "moo juice" and the sun spends most of its time hiding behind cumulonimbus, we turn to other sources of the elusive "Sun Vitamin".  Enter the Chanterelle....  with up to 2500 IU per 100 grams of weight. 

This is an important consideration, since Vitamin D production in the skin only occurs when the UV factor is above a 3.  Why is Vitamin D so important?  That is a good question, considering that this fat soluble substance isn't really even a vitamin.

Nope, it's a secosteroid hormone.  I am not going to get in the full metabolism that is necessary to create the "Active" form your body actually uses, but suffice it to say that it is the most active hormone in the body.  Active D is responsible for unlocking the binding sites on the human genome (there are 2,700 sites) as well as controlling the calcium level in your blood.  There has even been research into your own cells' ability to utilize D in fighting some 17 types of cancer.  Pretty darned impressive I'd say. 

Sadly, if you are not out in the sun absorbing UVB for at least 30 minutes a day, then you are deficient in D.  You can take a supplement, but most are sorely lacking in the amount of viable D that one needs.  Thus, most of us are running around with a significant shortage of this vital vitamin (5,000 IU per day).  To get enough, per day, from milk, you would have to imbibe somewhere around 50 glasses and most multi-vitamins would require the consumption of up to 10 pills before you have replenished your D stores. 

All that being said, there are other ways of getting D into your system, especially in the winter.  For in the temperate climates the Chanterelle mushroom is available from September to April.  AWESOME! 

So with that I present to you a dish that is High in D as well as C & potassium.  Granted, this is a little high in fat, but I am on a roll with the Mascarpone sauces.  This is a variation of the Spinach Mascarpone pasta that I made a week ago.  Earthy & spicy chanterelles and shallots, sauted in olive oil, deglaced with white wine, a touch of chicken stock to round out the flavors... a delicate hint of tarragon (cause mushrooms + cream + tarragon = bliss) all bound together with, that ever so unctuous, Mascarpone with a touch of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  It's heaven on a plate.

Torchiette with Chanterelle Mascarpone Cream

10-12 oz Chanterelle Mushrooms
3 TB Olive oil
2 medium Shallots, minced
1/2 cup White Wine (I chose Pinot Gris)
1 tsp fresh Tarragon, chopped fine (just a pinch if using dried) 
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Black Pepper, freshly ground
8 oz Mascarpone
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
optional fresh Chives
optional shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Clean the Chanterelles, then dry them with a paper towel.
Slice off the very bottoms; I usually leave the smaller ones whole and slice the larger ones in half.

Place a large stock pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil for the pasta, I like Torchiette (little torches) for this, cause the shape kind of reflects that of the mushrooms.

 

Meanwhile, heat Olive Oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

When hot, add the minced shallots and sweat until soft.

Add the Chanterelle mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. (They don't throw off water the way button mushrooms do)

Deglace the pan with 1/2 cup of White wine.

Stir in the tarragon. (It releases more flavor in acids like the wine)

Continue cooking until the wine has evaporated, then add the Chicken Stock.

Cook until the chicken stock has reduced by half and thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the Mascarpone, to create a nice cream sauce.

Season with Black Pepper.

Drain the pasta and place in a warm bowl.

Pour the mushroom mixture over the pasta and toss to coat evenly.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss again until incorporated.

 

Serve with clipped chives (kitchen sheers are excellent for this) and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

Mangia!!
~~

Oh, I Wish I Were An Oscar Meyer Lemon - Risotto Alla "Meyer" Limone

I love tweaking things to come up with something new. Some say it's because I just can't leave well enough alone. I like to think of it as being fearlessly creative. (read: Mad Scientist)

One of my favorite things to "tweak" is Risotto... In all honesty, risotti are one of the simplest dishes to prepare. True, they are a little time consuming, but all ya really gotta do is stand there and stir. The point is that, as I have stated before, risotto is more a method than a recipe. This leaves it open to infinite permutations of creamy goodness.

Thus it was this evening with my Lemon risotto recipe. Not that it wasn't good, but I just happened to have some of those ever coveted Meyer lemons. Which in and of itself is quite an amazing find, considering the time of year. So, armed with golden orbs of sweet lemon goodness, I embarked upon a risotto modification.

It was quite simple really, Meyer lemons are more delicate in flavor, being not as acidic and having more of a "floral" perfume than eureka lemons. So I increased the Lemon juice and zest to that of a whole Meyer Lemon to ensure it would not be lost. I also used Crème Fraîche instead of Mascarpone because I thought the lactic acid tang of the Crème Fraîche would augment the sweeter Lemon. Voila!! Meyer Lemon Risotto. Oh yeah, and I dropped the salt and white pepper by 1/4 tsp as well. After all I could not have them over shadowing my precious commodity.

Meyer Lemon Risotto

2 1/4 - 2 3/4 cups Chicken Stock
2 TB Unsalted butter, plus 1 TB for later
1 Medium shallot, minced
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice (Arborio is easier to find)
1/2 cup Pinot Grigio, room temperature
2 TB grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 TB Crème Fraîche
1 Meyer Lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp White Pepper

Bring the stock to a simmer in a small sauce pan over low heat.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 2 TB of the butter over medium heat.

Add the shallot and sweat until it begins to turn translucent;

then add the garlic and continue to sweat for another minute

Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

Add the room temperature wine and simmer until it has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of simmering stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Continue adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb and pull the starch out of the rice before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still al dente and the mixture is creamy, about 18 - 20 minutes. (Which is pretty standard for Risotto)

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining TB of Butter, the grated cheese, Crème Fraîche, the Lemon Zest and Juice, and the Salt and Pepper.

Cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes. (I really need to dry my lids a little better to prevent spotting)

Serves with a simple Lemon slice.

Mangia!!
~~