Dinner Diaries

Ah Delfina. It is the most reasonable of places. And Italian food might be the most reasonable of cuisines. Not that Italian food isn't passionate, or that the restaurant isn't attentive to detail. They are, but with an attitude that doesn't feel obsessive. Here, things just make sense. And that, in spite of the noise and the crowded tables, makes this one of the most romantic dinners in San Francisco.
We started off sharing carpaccio. Interestingly, it wasn't all about the beef. If anything, I'd say it was a dish about the radicchio and salt packed capers. I have to buy some of those latter the next time I buy my anchovies... The beef was mainly a textural contrast to the radicchio, and it's mellow meaty flavor a baseline to the capers and radicchio. Now, I know that carpaccio isn't something I'd try at home. But capers and radicchio, though - that's an invaluable combination.
We passed over the salads. Prosecco (a darn sight cheaper than on the Piazza San Marco) and Peach bellini with the appetizer. Both were a bit sweet as apertifs - though the bellini was a lot less sweet than it could have been, nicely restrained.
Connie had, as her primi the Spinach fazzoletti with Bolognese sauce, with a glass of Da Vero "Pollo Rosso", a fruity red. The fazzoletti had me envious - thick sheets of (I think fresh?) spinach pasta, with a luscious chew, thick enough to stand up to the meat sauce and melted cheese. I ordered the tripe - alla Fiorentina - intense in both texture and flavor. This is one dish I regretted not trying in Florence, and based on how beautifully it went with my Montepulciano I'd say this is exactly the way it should be. This dish had the smallest of croutons - or the largest of breadcrumbs, toasted crisp (probably in a pan) for just the most delicate contrast to the texture of the tripe.
Connie's secondi - Tuscan spare ribs. These had a delicate, smoky rub (smoky in part from a long stint in an oven, I'm sure) and had just the right bite. The polenta with it was just a bit too cheese, in my opinion, but that's an easy thing to forgive. I had the Maine merluzzo in brodo with Sicilian cous cous. The cous cous was a most interesting thing. It consisted of rather large "grain" which had a texture more like tapioca balls than cous cous. The fish was star here - with a salty fennel rub that cooked to a crust while protecting the juicy pearly white flesh. A glass of Friulano (Bastianich, Tocai 'Plus' 2000) managed to enhance the fish without clashing with the tomato based brodo, which was quite artful.
And at last, dessert. Quince Spice Cake, for Connie - rustic in texture, chewy edges, soft warm quince in the middle. I had cheese, as I usually do in this sort of situation - a blue. On the menu this time was Moncensio, a Piemontese cow's milk blue that had more substance than the standard Gorgonzola, cut to reveal beautiful blue/green striations. Over it was strewn a vin santo gelatina - a jello, basically - that almost rendered the vin santo we were drinking superfluous. Almost but not quite.
The bread, even, was perfect - a country loaf from Tartine - chewy crust, moist and incredibly open crumb, along with a bit of Acme baquette.
Thoughts - tripe - no, can I? really? at home? Moncenisio, the next time I want an interesting blue... got to look into that Sicilian cous cous...
But mostly - Delfina is just a wonderful little place. A neighborhood eatery worth the trip from almost any other in the Bay Area. Trust me, it'll seem reasonable.

i was inspired by the discussion of the zojirushi on the egullet forums to try something different. i usually cook aged basmati rice. my usual method is to wash thoroughly, add water to rice in a ratio of 1.8 to 1, crank heat to maximum possible, bring to boil, add salt, then turn heat down to a gentle simmer for exactly 15 minutes. it's key not to lift the lid at all during the entire cooking and for at least 10 minutes after the rice is done - the water and steam are still working their magic with the rice. then i fluff the rice, mostly to enjoy the basmati fragrance.

the breakthrough? let the rice soak in the water for about 15 minutes before switching heat on, then bringing the rice to a boil over medium heat. this adds around 25 minutes to the whole cook time, for a total of 40 minutes, plus 10 minutes of rest after the cooking's done.

almost every bag of rice needs to be understood - the differences between brands of the same kind of rice can be quite considerable, and i would definitely expect to experiment a bit with this formula before expecting to get it right for jasmine rice, for example. in my experience average priced jasmine (and younger rice in general) requires less water, so i'd start without the soak and with maybe 1.6 cups of water for every cup of rice. figure out your experiment and go with it - don't try to fix it with a few minutes left on the clock, because therein lies the way of complete disaster...

The chicken - an unassuming 3.5 pound Rosie, organic, free range. I chopped some onion, an apple (Jonagold) a turnip, some pancetta, seasoned them, and stuffed it in the cavity. I rubbed some lime and cayenne on the outside. Then onto the grill it went, under which there were around 3 cups of hickory chips, smouldering heavily in the heat of charcoal. Actually, the fire wasn't directly under it - rather, there was a pan under the chicken, and the coals (and Hickory) were banked on the sides of the Weber kettle.
The positives - the chicken was brilliantly tender. The stuffing was - quite nice. The negative - the skin was an inedible combination of smoky and spicy, a searingly bad combination. The fact that the meat was still edible at all points to the resilience of the technique...
I'll have to try it again. And remember, that hickory is a lot stronger than cherry.

We set up the grill, a cute little Weber Gold Black unit with funky ash sweeping blades. Bought the requisite grilling additions - chimney, brush (Grill Wizard, as per suggestion of Cooks Illustrated) coal (lump charcoal, which is looks less like a lump than regular charcoal) and wood chips.
For the first use, and my first real chargrilling experience ever, we decided on hamburgers. So we bought meat - organic ground beef, chuck (85% fat). Tomatoes - these late summer deep red spheres that taste almost as concentrated as ketchup. And red onions.
5oz is supposed to be the perfect size for a hamburger patty. We ended up with close to that, 4.9 oz each. Into the meat went some salt and pepper.
I started up the coals. Tried 1 sheet of newspaper under the chimney - not strong enough. 2 sheets was perfect, and in 20 minutes the chimney was glowing red, the coals inside had the requisite fine layer of white ash. During those same 20 minutes I soaked 2-3 cups of cherry woodchips in water. First I spread the coals on the bottom rack of the grill, then I added the woodchips. I was somewhat concerned that the chips would put out the fire - they didn't. Then I was concerned that the chips would burn - they're supposed to just smoulder - but the Weber lid took care of that.
I rolled the burger patties in a little seasalt, flattened them to 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch thick, made a little indentation in the middle to reduce the bulging (as per trick related in Cooks Illustrated) and laid them on the grill). 3 minutes later, I turned them over. I had the lid off for a while, and the woodchips started to catch on fire. Putting the lid back on immediately brought the flames back under control. 4 minutes later, burgers were done.
Condiments - I liked the tomatoes being small, I got 4 bite sized slices in each bun. The onion I actually cut in half before I sliced fine - an accident really, but when biting into the burger I realized that while whole onion slices photograph really well, I really don't like it when you take your second bite into burger (the first one where you really get into the meat and condiments) and you get the entire slice of onion or tomato into your mouth. You're forced into either eating the whole thing or makeing a gentle sawing motion to try to get only the part of onion that is proportioned to your bite. Halve your rings, or better yet, quarter them - and that is a thing of the past. The buns - we tried these Acme Bread buns, which were rather like flat round foccacia. Not the best, but better than the usual squishy burger bun, which was clearly inadequate for these burgers.
7 minutes is all it took to grill the burgers. This got them to 140F medium state. They were a beautiful orange brown coming off the grill, which I attributed to the cherry. They weren't marked especially well from the grill - they were nicely seared from the heat of the coals, though. I let them rest for a few minutes, then we dug into the burgers.
Results, thoughts - these burgers were so good I can't imagine what was going on in the burger experiences I've had in the past. Having the coals really hot, and using the lid appear to be keys to the perfect burger. Also, the smoke seems really awry, but it is key to the flavor of the burgers. This means that if we ever have a BBQ party I'm going to have to really control access to the grill... worse yet, with the smoke pouring out, everyone's going to think it's out of control. Most every place I've been to had an open grill with people constantly futzing with whatever they had an interest in - none of that. Fortunately, the burgers will be worth it.

Bengali food. I'd be hard pressed to complain even if it weren't good - I've been whining long enough for more regional Indian food in restaurants in the US - but oh, it is good. We went for the special lunch buffet, which had a full complement of vegetables and meat, fish and eggs. I'd guess that the lunch buffet is very similar, except it is on weekdays. Though the dishes do have that thing that happens to good food when it meets a chafing dish, the meal still evoked a lot of the flavors of the meals I invited myself to at my Bengali friends places... Love the fact that all the meat and fish is cooked "bone in"... it's diner beware here, and that's for the best. Is there any other way to eat catfish cooked in mustard oil? The real winners are the vegetables - a good half dozen varieties, each cooked specifically in the Bengali style. Topped off with rasgullas, of course.

Brined the pork chops in salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar and water, spiced with chiles and dried thyme.
Placed the chops after rinsing in a hot skillet. 2 minutes later, flipped to the other side, added sliced apples, then placed under a broiler (4 inches from flame) to finish.
That's a mistake right there - what I accomplished was to broil the side I'd already cooked, letting the uncooked surface just warm on the pan. So then I had to flip it to the other side and get it browned... overall, it got slightly overcooked before it looked right, and the apples were slightly blackened at the edges.
Plan for next time - drop the chops in the pan, sear for 3 minutes, add apples, then add directly to the over for 6 minutes and call it done. Perhaps a little calvados too? Must... resist... tinkering...

Connie made her Cauliflower dish, based on the recipe in Madhur Jaffrey - she has it down now. I had some problems with the turkey. I was trying a somewhat improvised dish. Started with a whole garam masala - a cinnamon stick, a couple cardamons pods, a couple of cloves, a couple of white peppers sauted in ghee. Then I added the onions, sauted them till translucent, then green chiles and the turkey, expecting that after a quick saute it would start to brown, then I could add other things. It never happened. The turkey managed to release copious quantities of water through the entire time I was cooking it, ceasing only at the end.
Thoughts - 1. use real garlic and ginger, rather than the pastes, to marinate the turkey
2. cook on a flat saute pan, rather than a kadhai
3. stick with mutton/beef?

Sometimes, you don't want flash baking, you don't want fancy lattice work, you don't want King Arthur's fancy techniques. You want a simple, old fashioned, high in the middle pie with a bunch of delicious apple. Connie's apple pie, based on the Cooks Illustrated she made with Jonagold and Fuji apples, with a Gala thrown in for good measure. Copious apple (8 cups) sliced thick (1/2 inch slices), copious crust, generously buttery (1/2 butter 1/2 shortening). 425 F oven.
The bottom crust ended up actually being nice and flaky on the outside in spite of the lack of flash baking. The inside formed a cooked but slightly soggy comforting addition to the pie. We couldn't wait the requested 4 hours, and dug into the hot pie right away... and of course, had to deal with all the juices rushing out. Connie bailed out the liquid and that tactic was very successful - the pie kept it's flaky texture till well over 48 hours later.

The gnocchi -
1 russet potato, boiled (and still warm)
200 g all purpose flour.
About 2 tbsp olive oil.
Mix together, knead gently for a couple of minutes till just even in consistency. Roll into 1/2 inch dowels, slice 1/4 inch thick coins off the end, and use your thumb or finger to create a little sauce catching dimple in each one.
The sauce - saute one small onion, in large dice and 2 whole garlic cloves for a few minutes, then add 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes. Add a handful of fresh herbs - basil, oregano, thyme - and let cook for 30 min. Then run through a food mill, medium disk and return to the pan - the texture of the milled sauce is remarkable.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt like you would for pasta, then add gnocchi. Gnocchi are done about 30 seconds after they rise to the top of the water... scoop them out and add to the sauce. Garnish with more herbs (basil, if you have it) and serve.
Thoughts - a different kind of gnocchi, a touch firmer without the egg. With deep dimples they really do carry a lot of the sauce... so the longer you can simmer the sauce, the better. The sauce on this is very loose, though.
Recipe based on "Mario Eats Italy" - episode "Come to Sorrento".

The meatballs -
1 lb ground beef
2 salt packed anchovies, soaked in water, filleted and chopped.
2 garlic cloves
1 sourdough roll, sliced and soaked in milk
1 egg
Season the beef with salt and pepper, then add the anchovies, sliced garlic, and shred the bread into the mixture. Work for about a minute to get a fairly uniform mixture.
Pan fry in a skillet, making sure to brown all sides thoroughly. Remove from skillet, refresh the oil, and use an onion in fine dice to pick up the browned bits of the meatballs. Add 28 oz tomatoes, from can, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add the meatballs back in and braise for 20-30 minutes.
Serve over spaghetti.
Thoughts - there were still some bits of kind of milky bread in the meatballs - should probably shred finer. And the garlic could be finely chopped too... But as it was, the meatballs had a rustic charm. Of course, in Italy you wouldn't serve meatballs with spaghetti... There are many different nostalgias that this recipe draws on...

And it was good.

Connie was chef for the night. She was somewhat disappointed in the fried chicken - she marinated it overnight, in yoghurt, which made for it to be very tender. But she changed her spice tactic, this time following AB and sprinkling it on right before frying. We both preferred the spice the marinade approach... The cornmeal in the flour was a good idea though, gave the final product a pleasant crunch.
The corn muffins were from Cooks Illustrated - excellent, as usual. Connie was a touch unhappy with them, since this time she'd changed the way she measured ingredients (this time she weighed them). They weren't quite as good as the previous recipe... but then, it's hard to replicate that first time magic.

Dishdash is the sort of restaurant where the waitress is willing to let you know when you're choosing something you might not like. It's a good thing because there's a lot there is to like. The appetizer - warm pita with an oily spicy green mess - actually does whet the appetite. The lamb shank with okra was braised to falling off the bone perfection. Fact is - I'm a sucker for lamb shank, but this was really good. Add that to the list of dishes to learn to cook... The cardamon loaded Turkish coffee is a good way to end the meal, I certainly recommend it. It's not the sort of coffee you can have dessert with, so I'd go for it last. Or as we did today, instead of... it's certainly sweet/spicy enough to be a fitting end for a satisfying meal.

We got a pizza that was supposed to be half bell pepper/onion, half sausage. They made it mostly veggie, and just sprinkled a little sausage on one half. Whoever did that knew what they were doing - the sausage is a disappointment. Much rather get one of these hefty beauties with just the veggies... the spinach slice I had at the Solano Stroll was excellent as well. These pies are certainly pies - I don't know if the dough is even yeasted, I don't think it is. But they certainly testify to the fact that you don't have to be DOCG to be good.

It's a bit of a hike to Tiburon, but it's almost worth it just for the duck sopes. The chalupas are terrific too. I have to try my hand at deep fried masa one of these days... These chalupas are rich in white - sour cream, chicken, onion. The sopes are richly flavored, though still quite light in their feel. Both went well with my Tequila which I sipped (I just don't believe in shots, unless you're drinking something too awful to savor. At $8 a pop, I savor). Then the tamales - I had just bite of one, a banana tamale, and it was just luscious. Why just one bite? because I ordered the grilled seafood platter, which though probably authentic (going by Diana Kennedy's snarky remark on the subject) was rather too overdone for my taste. So ignore all the chatter about Guaymas being a fishing town... stick to the tamales.

Pasta - handmade tagliatelle with eggplant and anchovies. I broiled a large Japanese eggplant for around 20 minutes, and scraped out the flesh and sauted it with chopped anchovies in olive oil, then added in the cooked pasta. Thought the sauce was good, but subtle. Unfortunately I added too much pasta, and the pasta was slightly overcooked to boot. Oh well.
The Pizza - standard Margherita. The dough was left over from Sunday... the retardation in the fridge added to the flavor. I experimented with kneading the dough from the fridge and just putting it to rise directly - the latter turned out better. Also, tried to leave it in longer to get a more browned flavor... sadly, my oven just doesn't get hot enough to color it properly without converting the pizza into a cracker...
Dessert - Connie made chocolate cupcakes. The dough was a tad watery because she sifted the flour - what kind of cake doesn't require sifting flour? Interestingly, this lead to the cupcakes getting a little tough. Must remember that for next time.

Pasta - Penne, this time without the ridges. The sauce - a small cauliflower, florets quartered. Flavored with salt packed anchovies, soaked in water for a bit (15 min is fine) to extract the salt.
I fillet the anchovies, and chop.
When there was around 6 min left on the pasta timer, I started heating the pan. 4 min to go - some olive oil goes in, along with the anchovies. Keep the heat on medium, cook the anchovies in oil for about a minutes, then add cauliflower. Stir thoroughly, then add some water or wine - just a splash, to steam cook the cauliflower before the pasta is done. Mix the two together, and you're ready to go...

Authentically Italian, they say, and it's not bad, for sure... they have the local Amici's beat in terms of the sauce and cheese, but the crust edges just aren't high enough, and the overall feel just isn't hearty and elemental enough to warrant the trip to Santana Row. If you're already there? Sure, stop by. Of course, we ate the margherita pizza, which is the standard by which all pizza avowedly in the neopolitan style must be judged.
And if you are there anyway, get your cafe fix across the street at Cocola. The croissants aren't worth your while, but the mini cake/mousse things are a pleasant trifle.

Saba Shioyaki - three enormous luscious pieces of grilled mackarel. Correctly cooked fragrant japanese rice. A little salad, a little dressing. So the dressing is a bit too sweet. Altogether, a very reasonably priced lunch.

These are beef short ribs, of course, and cut lengthwise rather than across the bone. Connie roasts them for several hours, initially dry, with just a rub of garam masala and some spices over carrots and onions, later adding wine/stock/water, and finally, for the last hour adding beets and turnips. The ribs end up a deep deep brown, almost black with the wine. Given enough time it's delicious...