This past Friday, we had a little potluck at the K's abode. Though we often go to potluck dinners - mainly with the S's on Wilhemina Rise, I was a sukoshi bit anticipating Friday's dinner since E usually does all of the cooking if you're fortunate enough to be invited to their house. And he usually doesn't let anyone in the kitchen. Since C was was out of town, I guess E loosened and decided on the potluck dinner. However since a chef's kitchen is their personal domain, I prepped everything ahead of time with last minute prep just after getting home on Friday.That meant constant cooking or shopping during the preceding week.
Monday
Stop at Marukai after work to pick up several trays of pork belly for slow braised shoyu pork belly or rafute. Berkshire pork just about to hit pull date and only 2 trays left. Grab 4 trays of local pork belly. A couple frozen lobster tails for the salad. Leeks for the foir gras tartlet.. none. I'll just go with various onions.Crimini for the pasta... the trays look pretty bad. Only 2 trays look ok, I'll grab those. One hand of ginger for the pork belly. Reduced for quick sale fried rice (hey, it's 20% off and I wasn't planning on cooking when I got home). One bottle of Dewazakura Oka sake... why? Because I'm already here (it wasn't specifically needed for any recipe).
Next stop, Foodland in Kailua. Why not stop in Kaneohe? Kailua has produce not found in Kaneohe and I need some frozen foie gras from R Field anyway. Radicchio, 2 heads. Fennel, 2 large bulbs. More crimini mushrooms. One tray of ground veal - any red veal from the Big Island? Nope, I'll just grab the mainland stuff in the tray. One can of beef broth. Fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme and dill from Nalo Farms. Refrigerated pie crust. Onions - red, white and yellow since leeks aren't available. And don't forget the frozen foie gras from R Field.
Tuesday
Chop the onions after work then saute until caramelization starts occuring. Salt and pepper then some fresh thyme and a touch of good balsamic vinegar to finish. Refrigerate.
Wednesday
Brown the skin on the pork belly then simmer for 1 hour reserving the pork stock.
Thursday
Slice the pork belly to 3 inch squares then slow braise for another 2 hours in shoyu, sugar, Awamori, fresh ginger and garlic. The extra pork stock wasn't actually needed but I'll keep it anyway. The Mrs already sliced my mushrooms and found endive (Thursday was her day off). Cook the ground veal in olive oil then add chopped garlic, minced fresh rosemary, crimini, salt and pepper then add red wine, beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Finally, lightly poach the 3 lobster tails (the Mrs also picked up some large shrimp but I'll poach those tomorrow). Blind bake the tartlet shells, cool and refrigerate. Chill the Nicholas Feuillatte Rose and the 2003 Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey.
Friday
Reheat the veal ragu, boil the pappardelle then combine. One down. Chop the endive, radicchio and thinly slice the fennel and set aside. Mix the dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and Metaxa... I don't have 7 Star so I'll have to "sacrifice" Grand Fine Metaxa. Salt and pepper. Poach the shrimp, toss the Metaxa vinaigrette with the veggies then top with the poached shellfish (good thing C is in Idaho since she's allergic to shellfish). Two down. Reheat the shoyu pork belly with a little mirin. Three down. Reheat the triple onions, add to the bottom of the tartlets, Cube and brown the foie gras (saving the drippings for popcorn of course) then place a cube on the onions and re-bake slightly until warmed. Pack everything and go making it exactly at 7:00pm. The Mrs made her Orange Olive Oil Cake topped with Sea Salt the day before.
I neglected to photograph every dish... mainly because of the prep involved and I was just glad to finally sit down to enjoy dinner. E roasted some local Big Island steaks and made a cool mixed salad along with assorted salumi and pate while J made lomi salmon on a stick and G made a crostini with rare beef and horseradish sauce.
The Gochiso Gourmet's menu looked like this:
Endive, Radicchio and Fennel Salad with Poached Lobster & Shrimp and a Metaxa Vinaigrette
NV Nicholas Feuillatte Rose (the photo is E's Rose, not mine)
Triple Onion and Foir Gras Tartlets
2003 Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes
Slow Braised Shoyu Pork Belly
2008 Aubert UV Vineyard Pinot Noir
Veal and Crimini with Red Wine Sauce and Rosemary with Pappardelle
2001 Cavallotto Vigna San Guiseppe Riserva Barolo
Orange & Olive Oil Cake with Sea Salt
Whew! That's a lot of prep work during the work week. But you know what? It was TOTALLY WORTH IT! Food, wine and music with good company is what life is all about!
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