More Recipes from A16

Last week I made the A16 cauliflower and potato recipe, which I had previously done with broccoli, and it turned out great. I used about a half pound each of potatoes and cauliflower, since I was only cooking for two. I love the way capers change character when they are fried. I think it looked attractive with a mix of red, white, and purple potatoes (all unpeeled), but a bit of parsley may have been a nice addition. I may make it again tonight, with red potatoes. Here's what you need for 6:

1 lb. yukon gold, red or purple potatoes (or a mix, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets about the same size as the potatoes
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried chile flakes
1/4 cup anchovies, rinsed well
3 tsp. red wine vinegar
salt and ground pepper

Combine the potatoes in a bowl with 2 Tb. olive oil and about 1 tsp. salt. Toss well to coat and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for about 35-40 minutes, until cooked through. Use the same bowl to coat the cauliflower in about 1/4 cup of olive oil with additional salt. Then brown them briefly in a large frying pan until lightly browned. Add them to the potatoes for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

In the remaining olive oil, fry the capers for about two minutes, until they become crispy. Stir in the pepper flakes and onion until the onion softens. Stir in the vinegar and remove from heat. When the potatoes and cauliflower are done, combine them with the onion mixture. Add additional seasoning or vinegar if needed, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Swordfish with Fennel and Tomato
The other night we tried another recipe from A16, this one for grilled swordfish. But if you’re not eating swordfish right now, this would work equally well another firm fish or with chicken or pork (or goat!). Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture.

First season the swordfish with salt and pepper and coat it lightly with olive oil. The topping, which can be made ahead and reheated is a mixture of onion, fresh fennel and cherry tomatoes, seasoned with crushed whole allspice (a first for me in a savory dish) and fennel seeds. For a pound of swordfish you will need the following:

c cup olive oil or more
½ red or yellow onion, finely chopped
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
½ tsp. crushed fennel seeds
2 or 3 whole allspice, coarsely crushed
½ pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half, if large)
2 Tb. red or white wine vinegar
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Sauté the onion fennel, fennel seeds and allspice in 2 Tb. of the olive oil for 7-8 minutes over low heat until the vegetables are softened, but not browned. Raise the heat and add the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Add the tomatoes, season, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes skins begin to split and the tomatoes release their juices. Set aside until ready to use; this sauce may be served hot or at room temperature.

Goat!

As I was walking through the farmer's market last Saturday, I noticed that Mr. Bledsoe, the pork and lamb guy, had goat advertised on his board, so I bought a package--a bit less than two pounds. It was cut up as stew meat, with some small bones, so I decided to use the recipe in my new A16 cookbook. The recipe was very simple, the result was quite delicious, and it did not even require browning the meat first! I used mixed cherry tomatoes and regular canned ones (for some extra juice), but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. If you can find some goat, I'd highly recommend this preparation; we served it with a faro pilaf.

A16 Food and Wine

Summer really is over now, but with temperatures in the 90’s today, and more than 100 yesterday, we are still eating dinner on the patio most nights—now in the dark. Our daughter Laura visited two weeks ago, along with her boyfriend Weston, and after they returned to NY, Weston sent us the cookbook A16 Food and Wine, by the restaurant of the same name in San Francisco (unfortunately closed, when they tried to dine there).

Last night I tried out a couple of the recipes, one for sardines and the other for a salad. I had most of the ingredients for the sardine recipe (“Roasted Sardines with Bread Crumbs, Green Garlic, and Mint”), but substituted green onions for the green garlic, which is not in season. They turned out great, though the bread crumbs on top were a bit small (and not as orange as in the picture). I had to improvise a bit more with the second recipe, since it called for cauliflower and I had only broccoli. But “Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli (instead of cauliflower) with Red Onion, Capers, and Chiles” also turned out well—and it may have been more attractive, with the green broccoli. I will be cooking some more things from this terrific new cookbook, as soon as I do a bit of shopping.

We made another tian a few nights after the first one, this time with potatoes, eggplant, onions, herbs and some feta cheese, as well as parmesan. It was good too! I really recommend this method of vegetable-cooking.