A Presentation of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

SATURDAY: One of the best unsung dining destinations in America has got to be Kansas City, famous above and beyond for its barbecue and the handful of family dynasties that prepare it, but also for surprising variations on fine dining. We taste it all with you at our side, and interview the people who make it happen. In our Grape & Grain segment, we chat with the Texas couple who bring us the great new tequilas of Izkali.

SUNDAY: When it comes to cuisine, whether you think you love French cuisine or not, French cooking techniques have a lot to do with almost everything any chef puts on your plate. We sit down with executive chef Jacques Lolliot of the Omni Galleria in Houston (yes, he would be French) and chat about the hotel’s current promotion, A Taste of France. And as always, we taste a series of intriguing wines on our Grape and Grain segment.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe

LEFTOVER TURKEY CHILI

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 pound finely chopped cooked turkey

2 cups water

1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes

1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until tender. Add the turkey and stir briefly. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Serves 8.

A Presentation of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

SATURDAY: Visiting New Orleans this week, we check in with one of our favorite chefs, Dominique Macquet. While awaiting the new iteration of his highly awarded Dominique’s on Magazine, Macquet is launching a restaurant called Tamarind that celebrates the oh-so-French flavors of colonial Vietnam. Or is it vice versa? We also spend quality time with Randy Fertel, whose mother founded Ruth’s Chris Steak House, about his just-published New Orleans family memoir. 

SUNDAY: When the weather turns cool, we think of Charivari in Midtown Houston – it’s just a cool-weather kind of place, with a French-techniqued German chef who grew up in Transylvania. Even so, chef Johann Schuster always has a few surprises coming out of the pan. We also taste (and talk about) the wines from one of our favorite American actors of all time, the late-great Fess Parker of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone fame.

AUSTIN Saturdays 10-11 a.m., Talk 1370

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe

AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE PHO

5 pounds beef knuckle, with meat

2 pounds beef oxtail

1 white (daikon) radish, sliced

2 onions, chopped

2 ounces whole star anise pods

1/2 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 slice fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 1/2 pounds dried flat rice noodles

1/2 pound frozen beef sirloin

TOPPINGS:

Sriracha hot pepper sauce

Hoisin sauce

Thinly sliced onion

Chopped fresh cilantro

Bean sprouts (mung beans)

Sweet Thai basil

Thinly sliced green onion

Limes, quartered

Place the beef knuckle in a very large (9 quart or more) pot. Season with salt, and fill pot with 2 gallons of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 hours. Skim fat from the surface of the soup, and add the oxtail, radish and onions. Tie the anise pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and ginger in a cheesecloth or place in a spice bag; add to the soup. Stir in sugar, salt and fish sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for at least 4 more hours (the longer, the better).

At the end of cooking, taste, and add salt as needed. Strain broth, and return to the pot to keep at a simmer. Discard spices and bones. Reserve meat from the beef knuckle for other uses if desired. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Soak the rice noodles in water for about 20 minutes, then cook in boiling water until soft, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Slice the frozen beef paper thin. The meat must be thin enough to cook instantly. Place some noodles into each bowl, and top with a few raw beef slices. Ladle boiling broth over the beef and noodles in the bowl. Serve with hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce on the side. Set onion, cilantro, bean sprouts, basil, green onions, and lime out at the table for individuals to add toppings as desired. Serves 6.

A Presentation of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

SATURDAY: This week we pay one of our periodic visits to what must be the most exotic corner of Far West Texas, the artsy town of Marfa, pop. 1,980. We check out some new dining options there, including one chef-driven place colorfully named Miniature Rooster. In our Grape & Grain segment, we taste and talk about the latest wine project from the wonderful Zuccardi family of Argentina’s Mendosa Valley.

SUNDAY: We haven’t checked in with chef Michael Kramer in a while; but typical of him, the guy’s been busy. He has recently opened Felix 55 in Rice Village, where the offerings lean toward Italian cuisine but are by no means limited to or by it. In our Grape & Grain segment, we head out to the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville for our first-ever tasting of the ancient alcoholic beverage called mead. Also known as: Honey, I’m home!

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe

SPINACH SALAD WITH GORGONZOLA AND TOASTED PECANS

This past week we paid a visit to our good friends in Fredericksburg, Case Fischer and Mark Wieser – yes, the two flavor-crazed guys behind Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods. And we came back with a recipe using one of their great products we never thought of before.

1-1/2 cups medium chopped pecans

8 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry

12 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled into small bits

1/2 to 2/3 cup Fischer & Wieser The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette

Arrange the chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Place in preheated 350° oven and toast until aromatic, about 7-10 minutes. Take care not to overcook; they will taste bitter. Set aside to cool. Arrange the spinach leaves on four salad plates. Scatter a portion of the cheese and pecans over the spinach. Top with the Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette and serve. Serves 4-6.

A Presentation of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

SATURDAY: We pay a visit to Brasserie 19, a remarkably creative spin on the old-fashioned French brasserie debuted recently by Charles Clark and Grant Cooper of Ibiza fame. In our Grape & Grain segment, we chat with a member of the legendary Boutari family that imports all those wines from Greece. They, like many of the wines in this ancient land, have improved mightily in recent years.

SUNDAY: Indian food has found an enthusiastic audience in this country in recent years, and particularly around Houston. We chat with one of the most impressive chef we know in any cuisine, Kiran Verma, about how her traditional Indian flavors break new ground all the same. We also pay a visit to some of the food and drink experts at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe

INDIAN VEGETARIAN ALOO GOBI

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed

1 small onion, quartered then sliced

2 serrano chile peppers, minced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 teaspoons lemon juice
 
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Fry the cumin seeds for a few seconds until they turn golden brown and begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium, stir in the onion, and cook until lightly browned. Stir in serrano pepper and ginger, fry for 1 minute. Season with coriander, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and garam masala; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in potatoes and salt, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cauliflower, cover, and cook until the cauliflower steams in it's own juices until it's tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, then pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil around the edges of the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and fry for 3 to 5 minutes to brown, stirring gently to avoid mashing the cauliflower. Serves 6.

A Presentation of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

SATURDAY: We’ve always loved a good burger – and will probably still enjoy a not-so-good one too – so we’ve been intrigued in recent years by the so-called “better burger” movement. A milestone in this trend is Counter Burger on Houston’s hip Washington Avenue, and we get comfy with the ownership to taste and hear all about why. In our Grape & Grain segment, we sample the many-splendored tequilas of Casa Noble.

SUNDAY: One of the biggest hits in local restaurant history was Catalan, so a lot of Houstonians were curious what would happen when owners Charles Clark and Grant Cooper shut that place down to open a contemporary Italian eatery called Coppa. We do a tasting with chef Brandi Key and manager Brad Busenius to see what all the fresh excitement is about. We also taste and talk about the remarkable wines of Vision Cellars in our Grape & Grain segment.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe

JOHN’S HOT AND SOUR SOUP

I hate to break this news to you, but Paul Prudhomme is not Chinese. Still, the other night I prepared Chinese hot and sour soup using as many lessons as I could remember learning from Chef Paul many years ago in New Orleans. Why use one kind of pepper, he’d ask, when it’s better to use several? Why use one form of garlic, he’d ask, when it’s better to use several? The result is more and better flavors that stroke different taste buds on a different schedule. In fact, that’s always the result when we let the Cajun master power how we think about and make our food.

¼ pound pork tenderloin or chop, sliced into thin 1-inch boneless strips

1 teaspoon dry sherry

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dried black cloud/wood’s ear mushrooms

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon shiracha chile garlic paste (more if desired)

1 cup Asian mushrooms, such as straw or shiitake, or mixed

½ cup sliced bamboo shoots

1 quart chicken broth

1 square firm tofu, cut into strips

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar 

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in water

1 egg, beaten

Chopped green onions

Marinate the pork in sherry and 1 tablespoon soy sauce for about 30 minutes. Combine dried mushrooms in a bowl with water to rehydrate, then drain and slice. Heat the oil in a large pan or pot and stirfry the strips till lightly browned. Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, onion and garlic powders, crushed red pepper and shiracha. Add the two kinds of mushrooms to heat through, along with the bamboo shoots. Pour in the broth, followed by the tofu, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the vinegars. Add more vinegar if desired. Bring to a low boil and add the cornstarch, bubbling until soup thickens. Add beaten egg, stirring gently once. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve. Serves 6.