Vegetable Soup Beats Back the Cold

Fall's brilliantly colored leaves are nature's consolation prize. Summer's warmth becomes a fond memory as the air cools and days grow shorter. Then when we "fall back," gaining an hour--another consolation prize--we're faced with ever encroaching darkness.

Fall is accompanied by a sense of loss and regret as we move inexorably towards winter. For cooks, however, this moment of sad transition is a happy time because we open our cookbooks and pull out recipes for roasts, braised meats, baked squash, and, of course, soups.

For Zesterdaily I posted a vegetarian soup to warm you when the sun disappears at 4:30PM and you feel that chill in the air.

San Jose del Cabo's Tequila Shrimp

On a recent trip to the southern tip of Baja California, I heard about Tequila Restaurant in San Jose del Cabo, twenty minutes east of its better known cousin, Cabo San Lucas.  Enrique Silva, co-owner and chef, introduced me to one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, Camarones al Tequila.

He serves the shrimp with sides of black beans and fried plantains, which were great, but a bit impractical for my kitchen so I’ve adapted the recipe.

For a side, I think rice, pasta, or steamed spinach works just as well. The tequila-garlic sauce gives plenty of flavor.  Add a green salad and you have the perfect, easy-to-prepare meal.

The tequila should be white and inexpensive. Save the good stuff for your guests.

Recipe: Tequila-Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients

24 large, raw shrimp, washed, shells removed, deveined

4 garlic cloves, skins removed, finely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro or Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon onion or shallot, finely chopped

4 oz tequila

2 tablespoons sweet butter

1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the rice, make the pasta, or steam the spinach ahead so the side dish and shrimp are ready at the same time.

2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan on a medium flame. Add the garlic, cilantro (or parsley) and onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Add the shrimp. Stir well to coat. Cook 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the tequila, butter and lime juice. Use a match to flame off the alcohol. 

5. Raise the heat to medium-high. Keep stirring to mix well.  The sauce should thicken in 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

6. Taste and adjust flavors with sea salt and pepper.  For heat, dust with a little cayenne.

Serve hot with the side of your choice.

Cabo San Lucas on Dwellable

Day-Tripping in Amsterdam

A city on a uniquely human-scale, there's so much to see in Amsterdam, focusing day trips in a single area will help you enjoy the city at a leisurely pace.   

MUSEUMPLEIN AND DE PIJP

Amsterdam is home to dozens of great museums, not the least of which are the Amsterdam Historical Museum (Kalverstraat 92) , the inspiring Dutch Resistance Museum (Plantage Kerklaan 61), the Filmmuseum (Vondelpark 3), the Foam-Fotografiemuseum (Keizersgracht 609), the Royal Palace (Dam), and the remarkable Hermitage Amsterdam (Amstel 51). 

For a day trip, three of Amsterdam's best museums are conveniently within a block of one another in the Museum Plaza (Museumplein) just south of the city center.  

Ongoing renovation has temporarily closed the Stedelijk Museum (Museumplein 10) which houses an impressive collection of modern art. The national art museum, the Rijksmuseum (Jan Luijkenstraat 1), is also undergoing renovations, but part of the museum is still open. Even though you can't see all the collection, the oil paintings by the Old Masters are on display and well-worth the visit. Don't overlook the decorative arts collection, especially Room 3 with the amazingly detailed dolls' houses of Petronella Oortman.

Half a block away, the Van Gogh Museum (Paulus Potterstraat 7) awaits you.  The collection is the most comprehensive in the world, as you would expect, given that this is Van Gogh's home.  What is unexpected is the building itself. Light, airy, and spacious, a walk through the exhibit space is invigorating. The museum is one of Amsterdam's most popular.

Having spent several hours in the museums, you're probably hungry.  In the spacious park behind the museums you can have a snack or relaxing lunch at the small stands, like the Kiosk Rembrandt Van Gogh, that serve sandwiches, salads, coffee, and dessert. 

Or, stretch your legs and walk a couple of blocks to the popular Heineken Experience (Stadhouderskade 78) and take a tour of the old brewery.  Because of the crowds, it is recommended to make an on line reservation. The price of admission includes two glasses of beer.  

For dessert, De Taart Van M'n Tante (Ferdinand Bolstraat 10) is around the corner.  The cozy tea shop is famous for its elaborately decorated cakes.  

The always crowded Albert Cuypmarkt in de Pijp (the Pipe) is also nearby.  Part country fair, flea market, farmers' market, and food bazaar, the market stretches for blocks with stalls selling an amazing variety of goods, including freshly squeezed fruit juices, farm fresh produce, meat, poultry, cut flowers, ready to eat food--including freshly made stroopwafels (crispy waffles with a caramelized sugar filling) and frites served the Dutch way with mayonnaise--clothing, fabric, sundries, cell phone accessories, thread and buttons, household goods, furniture, and jewelry.  

After you've checked out all the bargains, you might need some peace and quiet.  Walk over to Vondelpark with its expansive meadows and network of ponds. You can picnic with the food you bought at the Albert Cuypmarkt or stop at one of the two outdoor cafes to have a coffee, beer, or sandwich.

THE JORDAAN

Another full day can be focused around the Anne Frank House (Prinsengracht 267) in the Jordaan.  Bordered by the Prinsengracht and Lijnbaansgracht canals on the western side of the city, the small streets of the Jordaan, originally a working class area, now a favorite home of young professionals and artists, has a unique charm.  

A visit to the Saturday Northern Market (Noordermarkt) is an absolute must.  The market on the northern side of the Northern Church (Noorderkerk) stretches for several blocks and resembles an outdoor supermarket as much as anything else.  Long refrigerated cases are filled with a great variety of meats, cheeses and poultry.  But it is the market on the southern side of the church that you want.

The organic or biologic, open air market on the south side fills the area in front of the church much in the way markets have done in Europe since the Middle Ages.  If the weather is sunny and warm, you're likely to encounter young musicians playing in the courtyard.  For a picnic, you can buy a loaf of just-baked bread, a kilo of ham, and a piece of delicious Dutch gouda.  Or if shellfish is your passion, freshly shucked oysters plucked that morning from the Wadden Sea are offered for €1.50 each.  

Dozens of vendors sell fresh produce, cheese, baked goods, meat, poultry, and seafood alongside others who offer antiques, jewelry, handmade articles, clothing, paintings, drawings, and used cds and vinyl records.

There are treasures to be found at the market.  Not the least of which are the hand-fashioned wool animals made by Josche Mooyman (Beeldend Kunstenaar, Klassiek Portret, Maskers en Dierfiguren, 020/671 21 47) who sits quietly on a stool, making her wonderfully empathetic miniature animals that sell for as little as 1 Euro each.    

The Jordaan is home to many cafes.  If you want to eat authentic Dutch pancakes, which are more like French crepes than the American version, the Pancake Bakery (Prinsengracht 191) is several blocks north of the Anne Frank House.  Dutch pancakes can be savory or sweet, the choice is yours.  You can feast on pancakes, giant omelets or poffertjes, another local treat, soft little pillows of sweet dough, flavored with butter and powdered sugar.

Cafe Winkel (Noordermarkt 43), across the street from the Northern Church (Noorderkerk), is a favorite of locals who flock to the intimate cafe for slices of apple cake with raisins, topped with a generous portion of whipped cream. The bar menu offers soups, omelets and sandwiches, including one with a "filet Americain," a finely ground beef patty with herbs, kind of a fancy hamburger.

Because this is Holland, there is a Tulip Museum (Prinsengracht 112).  Not one of Amsterdam's major museums but a delightful one, none the less.  Fortunes were made and lost in the 17th century tulip trade and the Dutch passion for tulips spawned an important, modern industry.

Although the floating Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt) is not in the Jordaan, if you love tulips, you owe it to yourself to follow the Singel canal south to Koningsplein, where you will find stall after stall of vendors selling an amazing variety of tulip bulbs.

The centerpiece of a day excursion in the Jordaan is, of course, the Anne Frank House. There is usually a line to enter the museum, so bring something to read and an umbrella because there is always a chance of rain, even in summer.

Visitors take a self-guided tour through the beautifully preserved house.  Moving together in small groups, sharing the small spaces, ducking under the low threshold of the hidden doorway, and climbing the impossibly steep staircases, it is easy to feel the claustrophobia that the Frank and Van Pels families experienced.  

Walking through the house is an emotional experience shared with Anne Frank herself. Her words are etched into the walls and her diary, with its delicate, precise handwriting, is displayed for all to see.

In an attic section of the annex, portions of a 1967 interview with Otto Frank are projected on the wall.  He talks about reading Anne's diary for the first time after the war and being surprised by her deep thoughts and self-criticism.  The Anne he read in the diary was "quite a different Anne than the one I knew."  From that fact he comes to a realization felt by most parents who have lived far more ordinary lives, "My conclusion is that parents don't know really their children."

The second floor museum cafe has a simple menu of sandwiches, pastries, and beverages.  What is remarkable about the cafe is not the food but the view.  

In one of the quotes from her diary, Anne talks about how she longs to ride her bicycle and walk the streets of Amsterdam without fear.  The cafe's wrap-around glass wall looks out onto Prinsengracht and the pretty houseboats below, exactly the view that was blocked from Anne's view by the blackout curtains that covered their windows.  We can enjoy the view that she was denied.

For other articles about Amsterdam, please see:

Amsterdam's Upscale Restaurants

Eating in Amsterdam: Dutch Food & the Amsterdam Restaurant Scene

The Dollar's Up, the Euro's Down, a Perfect Time to Visit Amsterdam

In Holland There are Long Lines at the Herring Shacks

Why Eat Out?

The obvious reason why we eat outside our homes is we are hungry and want someone else to do the work of cooking and cleaning up afterwards.  But there other reasons, ones that will enrich our lives back in our own kitchens.

For Zesterdaily, I wrote about a memorable meal at a restaurant that led to one of my favorite meals at home.

A Labor Day Meal: Salmon with a Citrus Glaze Tangos with Mango Salsa

On holidays like Labor Day, the best dishes to serve friends and family are the ones that take very little effort to prepare.  That way you can spend your time enjoying the day not laboring in a hot kitchen.

Versatile salmon can be grilled, sauteed, baked, and braised. More often than not the preferred approach is to simply grill the fish--whole or filleted--with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, the Italian way. But there are times when a little more seasoning accents salmon's natural flavors.

Spanish style preparations saute the fish with fresh tomatoes, pitted olives, peppers, onions, and parsley. American barbecue relies on sweet-heat. Another approach, one borrowing from South American and Caribbean recipes, marries citrus with honey and garlic in a simple sauce.

Serve the roasted fish with a side of reserved pan drippings and a mango-grilled corn salsa and you'll have the perfect summer meal to be enjoyed with a glass of chardonnay or an ice cold beer.

Mango Salsa

Make the salsa ahead and keep refrigerated in a sealed container

Serves 4

Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 ear corn, husks and silks removed, washed
1 large mango, washed, skin removed, meat cut into small pieces, pit discarded
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, skin on, charred in an open flame
1 tablespoon olive or safflower oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Grill or oven roast the corn in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and remove the kernels. Discard the cob. Clean off the charred skin from the garlic, finely chop, add to a bowl with the corn kernels, mango, onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss well. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper.

Roast Salmon with a Citrus Glaze

Buy a fillet that has skin but not bones for easy serving.  The fresher, the better.

Serves 4

Time 45-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet with skin on, washed, pat dried
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, skin removed, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes or cayenne
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped


Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cutting across the fillet, score deeply into the flesh about half way. Place the salmon on a Silpat or other non-stick material like parchment paper placed on a rimmed baking sheet.

Mix together the juices, honey, garlic, olive oil, cayenne, and parsley until the honey is well dissolved. Pour over the fillet.  Roast in the oven 30 minutes.  Remove and clean away and discard any pink solids.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 500 F. Baste the fillet with the pan drippings. Return the salmon to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste, bake another 5 minutes being careful to brown but not burn the skin.

Transfer the salmon to a serving plate. Use a rubber spatula to collect all the pan drippings and place in a small bowl.

Serve the salmon with the pan drippings, mango salsa, and a green salad or freshly steamed rice.

Amsterdam's Upscale Restaurants

You can tell by the number of articles I've written about Amsterdam, how much I enjoyed my trip. Here is another in a four-part series I wrote for Peter Greenberg. Amsterdam's Upscale Restaurants Last week, globe-trotting investigative gastronome David Latt investigated the local finds in Amsterdam’s surprisingly robust cafe scene. But can serious food-lovers find high-end and innovative restaurants to satisfy their cravings? Read on to find out what he discovered in the Dutch capital. Balthazar's Kitchen, a local favorite, is a small restaurant with a big reputation. On the few nights I was in Amsterdam I could never secure a reservation. The same was true of the French restaurant, Braque, where a friend and I were turned away two nights in a row. I had better luck at the Supperclub. The well-polished brass doorway downstairs hints at the grand setting upstairs. Begun two decades ago, the Supperclub has branches in London, Singapore, San Francisco, and Istanbul, with plans to open in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Art is served along with a prix fix meal as patrons share a comfortable cushion provocatively referred to as a bed. A different performance is offered every night of the week. Themes are varied, but usually touch on issues of personal liberation, emotional and literal enslavement, and sexual expression. On the day I attended, Andre d. Singleton, a New Yorker, presented an evening that consisted of short videos and musical performances, with the aim of "complicating gender." While the creative intentions were to stimulate and provoke, the prix fix menu was designed to put the diner at ease with comfort food: a mozzarella and scallops appetizer, a tenderloin with mushroom sauce, and a dessert of homemade ice creams. For an elegant meal in a quiet setting, try the upscale Bridges Bar in the remodeled Sofitel Amsterdam The Grand where you will rub elbows with Amsterdam's elite. The contemporary French-Asian menu focuses on seafood in an exclusive setting. For our main course during a late afternoon lunch, we had a delicate miso-marinated, grilled cod paired with a very nice Chardonnay from Chile (Veramonte 1997 Reserve, Casablanca Valley). The locavore movement, so widespread in the U.S., has had a slow acceptance in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, the leader in the field of organic, locally sourced ingredients is Restaurant De Kas, where I experienced the best of the best in my food tour of the city. Opened in 2000 in a renovated municipal greenhouse on the southern end of Park Frankendael, south-east from the city center, the restaurant has the homey feel of a neighborhood hangout, albeit one in an all-glass house. Learn more with: Dutch Food & the Amsterdam Restaurant Scene Serving a set menu of three starters, one entree, and a dessert, the only changes a diner can make is to add an aperitif, paired wines, and a cheese course. When seated, the diner is asked one question, "Tell me what you don't like or can't eat." Otherwise, the chef is in charge. Except that he isn't. The produce and herbs served at the restaurant come from the greenhouse next to the restaurant and from their farm in Ilpendam, 10 miles north of Amsterdam. As Xavier Giesen, the assistant maitre d', explains, "We are a restaurant but also growers. The chef tells the gardener what he wants, but the gardener tells the chef what's available." The menu changes weekly and seasonally. When I visited the restaurant, the menu was transitioning from spring to summer. The amuse-bouche that night was a crostini of a lively relish of baby artichoke heart, cauliflower, fennel, onions, carrots, gherkins, flat-cut parley, and an edible Begonia, seasoned with turmeric and mustard seed. Headed to Amsterdam? Don't miss Amsterdam for Americans: An In-Depth Amsterdam Travel Guide The three starters were presented at the same time and were all cleverly served at room temperature so the diner isn't compelled to eat one before the other. White and green asparagus topped with a Beurre noisette (brown butter) foam, lobster claw with leeks and beets served with a grapefruit juice reduction, and a deep-fried zucchini blossom and stem on top of cold potato soup with potato cubes, fried onions, parsley, and scallions. All were perfectly cooked and plated, the ingredients of the highest quality. If I had a favorite it was the potato soup with the zucchini blossom, although I ate every bit of the asparagus dish, even though I am not usually a fan of white asparagus, a Dutch favorite. The main course was a small piece of meltingly tender lamb shoulder topped with pickled onions and a delicious herb butter, accompanied by a scattering of gnocchi, dill, cauliflower, and freshly made pickled cucumbers. A green salad with a mild dressing was added as a palate cleanser. With all these dishes, the chef carefully balances flavors and textures, paying homage to the Dutch preference for pickled vegetables by including either pickling spices and/or lightly pickled vegetables. Panna cotta for dessert didn't sound very exciting, but each spoonful made me pause. The elements—vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb, strawberries, a scoop of lemon sorbet and a sheet of white chocolate—were so exquisite. The flavors of cold, smooth, creamy, sour, and sweet touched all the best dessert flavor notes. A set menu relieves the tension of debating what to order and the kitchen can focus on fewer dishes, thereby allowing for better execution and less waste. Without a question a win-win advantage, at least as practiced at De Kas.

Figs Tart Up

A chance encounter with a discounted flat of perfectly ripe figs led to a day of baking in pursuit of a great tasting fig tart for a recipe I wanted to contribute to Zesterdaily.  

Although it might look complicated, because there are a number of elements (tart dough, custard, roasted almonds, fig confit), each can be made several days ahead.  On the day you want to serve the tart, you'll only spend a few minutes putting everything together.  The tart goes in the oven while you're having drinks with your friends.  Easy.