When Chefs Get Together
By Michael Safdiah

I love this time of year; the most perfect weather, the ferry schedule has not yet fallen over its end season cliff when suddenly getting a boat is like finding chicken lips. The sky turns the richest blue, young migratory birds are still learning to fly, the monarchs are fluttering through, the ocean has warmed up finally, the insufferable heat and Dog Days are done with, and my little garden is burgeoning with the best of its herbs: squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. But I have so much I haven’t been able to share with you, and alas, this is the last issue until next year.

I’m going to tell you some of the best recipes I’ve found all summer. These are meals cooked at Happy House with my chef friends who visited me here this autumn, when their Manhattan kitchens are less crazed, giving them time to chill out here in paradise. We share war stories, drink, cook, eat, drink and cook and eat some more.

I wish I could convey recipes with accurate measurements, but that’s just not the way I cook. I keep notes, but each time I make something, it’s a new adventure; I never know precisely how it will turn out, but I tend to be lucky. It’s more fun that way, and I never get bored with cooking. Most of us chefs share that little secret.

GRILLED CORN RELISH: grill corn in husks until they look burned (this sweetens the corn), peel away husks, cut corn off the cob, taking care to scrape all the corn from the cob with the back of your knife; it’s where the flavor is. Dice one red pepper, green pepper, maybe a few scallions. In a stainless pot, place 2/3 c. cider vinegar, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, mustard seed, pickling spice, allspice, crushed garlic, fresh ginger. Bring the spices, the vinegar and the sugar to a simmer for ten minutes, let stand half an hour. Reheat, strain while hot over the chopped vegetables, toss in fresh herbs: one heaping tablespoon each mixed fresh tarragon, mint, thyme, basil, skip the cilantro, I hate the stuff anyway, and chill for half an hour.

SQUASH AND CHEESE CASSEROLE: I got half a dozen yellow squash, roll-cut them Buddha style, sautéed a few onions, 2 cloves of garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and added them to a bowl which I had beaten 4 eggs, some nutmeg, thyme and some gruyere cheese. I also added some grated Parmesan, and a small handful of chopped flat parsley. Pam spray the casserole; nothing sticks. I baked it, if you can believe it, in the barbecue grill, covered with foil since John had the pork shoulders (for the pulled pork) in the oven.

Chef April Bloomfield grilled, marinated pork chops; they were incredible. Finely mince fresh sage, rosemary, orange and lemon zest, two fresh cloves of garlic, mashed to a paste with salt, black pepper, add some olive oil and red wine to moisten. Lemon juice went in, and the chops were left to rest for half an hour. They went on the hot grill with some mesquite chips on the coals to one side. She cooked them pink. You should never overcook pork, and they were well—the best I’ve ever had. We drank Corona Beer; sometimes beer is better than wine.

PERNIL: The Latino favorite, roast pork shoulder was a party style hit with us all. It’s rubbed with salt, poked all over with pockets of garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, allowed to marinate in the fridge overnight, then rubbed all over with more salt, and roasted until the meat is falling apart tender.

Trim off some fat from the bottom, leaving the top skin on. Poke slits everywhere and insert a mixture of: Crushed fresh garlic—use a lot; make a paste with: Salt, and freshly crushed black pepper, oregano, olive oil, and white vinegar, but not so much that it turns to liquid; you want it to stay inside of the slits.

Refrigerate for at least a day, but one more is better. Bring to room temp (important), rub with Adobo, coarse salt and pepper, roast medium 350 degrees (For Cuban style with lime and orange juice) also some chipotle sauce. You want the internal temperature to be 165 degrees.

The crisp skin is a delicacy, and is served on the side. Cut it away from the roast and remove it. Cut the meat away from the bone, slice and set onto a warm platter. Keep warm until serving. Deglaze the roasting pan with water, adjust with salt and pepper, and add lemon juice or orange juice concentrate. The Dominican tradition is slices of red onion “sautéed” with lemon juice (I used lime) and olive oil, sprinkled over the meat. I also used chopped fresh mint.

STEAMERS: You have got to get them fresh, and use only the ones with unbroken shells and which are tightly closed. Small ones are sweeter, but I take what I can get. First lay out your ingredients because the action will happen fast. Also have ready a slotted spoon or spider to LIFT out the clams; you do not want to dump them out. One and a half cups white wine, half cup water, pinch red pepper flakes, handful chopped flat parsley, a few sprigs fresh thyme, a pinch of oregano, two bay leaves, half a chopped medium onion, two cloves garlic, smashed, one chicken bouillon cube, 2 oz. sweet butter, a tablespoon good olive oil, and NO SALT. Have ready a baguette of good sourdough bread, bowls to serve the broth for dipping and drinking later. You need a pot on the table to throw the shells into also. Use the one you cooked in.

Okay, here goes: Into a large pot with a cover, add all the ingredients except the oil and butter, boil for 4 minutes, and add the clams. Cover tightly and boil until the clams open up. Do not use any clams which do not seem to have opened, as they may be bad, although if they have opened partially, you can use them. Gently lift them out and place in a large serving bowl in the center of the table. Add the butter and oil, swirl, and decant the hot broth into small bowls, one per guest. There will be sand left in the cooking pot you want to leave behind. Use your hands, and enjoy with a good acidy white wine such as a Sauvignon, a Tokai or a Mueller-Thurgau.

I toast you all to a wonderful winter and look forward to seeing you next spring.

Love,

Michael

As always, etc you can reach me at mymymichl@aol.com if you have any questions or comments on what I’ve written about, or anything else.