Restaurant (Re)creation: Contigo's Calamars a la Planxa

Contigo's calamars a la planxa is a standout dish.  It's hands-down my favorite calamari dish in San Francisco, bar none. The preparation differs depending on what is in season, but it never ceases to impress.  This incarnation is served over seared brussels sprouts, capers, currants.  I was able to find chef Brett Emerson's calamari technique in The Bay Area Homegrown Cookbook and improvised with the rest.  Make sure to ask your seafood supplier to clean the squid in advance, as it will save you time and will minimize the gross factor ; )

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh squid, cleaned
• 1 1/2 lb brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp dried currants
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
-Wash the brussels sprouts, trim the ends, and cut them in half.
-Place them on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil.
-Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until crispy and tender and remove from heat.
-Meanwhile, slice the cleaned calamari bodies into rings and cut off the tentacles.
-Heat a large cast iron skillet on high heat.
-Once the skillet begins to steam, toss in a handful of kosher salt.
-Place the calamari on the skillet and drizzle with olive oil (the pan should sizzle).
-Cook the calamari for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
-Remove from heat and squeeze lemon juice over the calamari.
-Spoon the brussels sprouts into a dish, top with the calamari, and stir in the currants and capers.
-Drizzle with additional olive oil and add a dash of salt to taste.
-Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Contigo
1320 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-0250
www.contigosf.com

Restaurant (Re)creation: Beretta's Eggplant Caponatina

This antipasto is a MUST when dining at Beretta.  It is tangy, light, and nutty and is the perfect appetizer to share while you are waiting for your main.  They offer the option of adding burrata, which just makes the dish all that more amazing.  I found the actual restaurant recipe online in a 7x7 article and just made a few tweaks.  Rather than frying the eggplant, I roasted it to lighten the dish a bit.  I also topped the caponatina with burrata (a must) and a little squeeze of lemon.  Other than that, you can thank Chef Ruggero Gadaldi for this beautiful creation.  Plus, it was featured in 7x7's 100 Things To Try Before You Die- so you can check one more dish off your list.

Serves 4-6 (as an appetizer)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized Japanese eggplants
• 1 stalk celery
• 1/2 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh burrata (optional)
• 1/2 lemon wedge, squeezed
• Olive oil, for roasting
• Salt & pepper 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Meanwhile, peel eggplants, leaving some stripes and cut into 1 inch cubes.

Toss with olive oil and season with salt a pepper.

Roast the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, cut celery into 1/3 inch cubes and cook in boiling water for two minutes.

Remove celery, strain it, and let it cool.

Toss the eggplant, celery, tomatoes, capers, olives, and pine nuts together with with white balsamic vinegar.

Top with fresh burrata and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with toasted bread or simply eat it on its own!

Enjoy!


Beretta
1199 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 695-1199
http://berettasf.com/

Restaurant (Re)creation: Kokkari's Grilled Lamb Chops and Roasted Potatoes

~ From top: Lamb chops on the BBQ, Perfectly Grilled Chops,

(Re)creation plated and ready to be devoured ~

If you know kiwis (like my husband), you know they love their lamb.  I was racking my brain for the perfect dish to serve on Valentine's Day and then it came to me: grilled lamb and potatoes!  (I mean, what guy wouldn't love that combo?)  Kokkari is very well known for their lamb so I decided to use a recipe from the Kokkari Cookbook that I recently bought.  This recipe is simple and requires very little time.  While it may look like a lot of ingredients, many are repeated in each preparation, so you don't have to buy very many items.  Perfect for a weeknight Valentine's Day meal.  (And yes, the kiwi thoroughly enjoyed it).

Serves 4 (generously)

Ingredients for lamb: 

• 2 8-rib racks of lamb, trimmed and cut into single rib chops
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• 2 lemons, cut in wedges
• Fresh Oregano springs for garnish, optional

Ingredients for potatoes:

• 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, each peeled and cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt and ground pepper

Ingredients for Kokkari Dressing:

• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp capers, rinsed and minced
• 2 tsp minced shallets
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano 
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• (Optional: bunch of arugula)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  

Put the potatoes wedges in a large bowl and toss thoroughly with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  

Arrange the wedges in one layer a non-reactive baking dish.

Drizzle with lemon juice and 1/2 cup of water around (not on) the potatoes.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 20 minutes (or until potatoes are browned and the water has evaporated.  

Remove from heat and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat grill on high (for lamb).

Put the lamb chops on a work surface and pound with your fist until it is evenly thick.  

Combine the garlic powder, pepper, and oregano in a small bowl.  

Press the seasoning blend on both sides of the meat, including the meat on the bones.  

Before grilling, drizzle olive oil on the seasoned chops, using your fingers to coat the meat evenly.  Season with salt.

Grill the chops, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side (for medium rare). 

While the chops are cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Squeeze 2 lemon halves over the chops before taking them off the grill.

Serve the chops hot with a side of potatoes and a bunch of arugula (optional), all drizzled with dressing.

Garnish with lemon wedges and oregano sprigs.

Kali orexi (enjoy)

Kokkari

200 Jackson Street

San Francisco, CA

(415) 981-0983

www.kokkari.com

Restaurant (Re)creation: Delfina's Spicy Cauliflower

This dish is a favorite at Pizzeria Delfina.  Its unique, spicy, crunchy and satisfying.  I actually found the real recipe from an SFGate article online (which is totally delicious as is), but I decided to do a somewhat "lighter" version.  I used all the same ingredients as Delfina's version, but I omitted the Calabrese peppers and I roasted the cauliflower first to minimize "frying" time.  This may go against the goal of most of my (re)creations since it adds time to the preparation, but I would rather add minutes to the cook time than inches to the waistline!  (I mean seriously, if a girl is going to eat like this most nights, she needs to make a few tweaks here and there to keep her pants fitting ; ).  So, I roasted the cauliflower (rather than deep frying it) and then just finished it off on the stovetop.  It tastes almost exactly the same as the restaurant version and only takes a little more time.  Try the recipe either way- both are perfectly delicious and flavorful.

Serves 4 (as a side)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup drained capers, dried
2 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly (lengthwise)
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Separate the cauliflower into large uniformly-sized florets.

Place the cauliflower in an oven and stove-top safe pan and douse in olive oil and salt.  Mix the cauliflower around so that the salt and olive oil are evenly distributed.

Roast the cauliflower for 25-30 minutes or until it starts to soften and brown.

Once the cauliflower starts to brown, remove it from the oven and place it on the stovetop on medium heat.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.

Add a little more oil (as needed) and the capers, garlic, and breadcrumbs.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes, adding the chili flakes at the end.

Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!


Pizzeria Delfina (Mission)
3611 18th Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 437-6800

Pizzeria Delfina (Pacific Heights)
2406 California Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 440-1189
www.delfinasf.com