asparagus, goat cheese, and rhubarb salad

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GITK_Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Rhubarb Salad (2)chicago’s green city market has continued to grow over the years with the support of many local chefs, who not only shop there for their restaurants, but also do cooking demonstrations throughout the season highlighting local ingredients. a few years ago i did one of these cooking demos in the spring, when asparagus and rhubarb were both flooding the market, so i decided to combine them into this very simple, refreshing salad. rhubarb can be a bit tricky, as it has such a strong bitter taste to it, so i do a sort of quick pickle to bring out the natural sweetness and tenderize it just a bit. the sweet-and-sour rhubarb, the tart and creamy goat cheese, the crunch of the almonds, and the beautiful asparagus all come together so well, you’ll wish it was spring all year.

asparagus, goat cheese, and rhubarb salad
serves 6

1 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 pounds fresh asparagus

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 cups baby arugula

1 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

 

1. combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. pour the hot liquid over the rhubarb in a medium bowl and let it sit until the liquid has cooled and the rhubarb is slightly tender.

2. strain the liquid from the rhubarb, reserving both. make a vinaigrette by whisking 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid with ¼ cup of the oil in a small bowl. refrigerate the remaining liquid for another use.

3. preheat the grill to medium-high or the oven to 350°f. trim off the woody ends of the asparagus, discard, and toss the spears with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. season lightly with salt and pepper.

4. set the asparagus spears horizontally across the hot, oiled grill grates and grill until tender, 5 to 7 minutes, turning once or twice. let the asparagus cool slightly, then cut the spears into 2-inch pieces. (if grilling isn’t an option, roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.)

5. in a large bowl, combine the asparagus with the arugula, goat cheese, almonds, and reserved rhubarb slices. drizzle in the vinaigrette, toss to coat, and serve.

 

drink tip: rhubarb is pretty tart on its own; throw goat cheese into the mix and you have some serious tang going on. so when you think of countering this with a sweeter wine, you’re on the right track. just don’t go too far—try an austrian riesling, which tends to be a little less cloying than a german riesling.

 

rosemary aioli

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rosemary aioli
yields about 3 cups

1 sprig rosemary
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ sherry vinegar
1 tablespoons water
1.5 cups canola oil
1 tablespoon tamari
1 ½ teaspoon sambal
1 ½ teaspoon honey
salt
pepper

in a spice grinder, add the rosemary leaves and grind to a course powder.

in a blender, add the ground rosemary, egg yolks, dijon, vinegar, and water. process until combined. with the machine running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. mix in the tamari, sambal and honey. season with salt and pepper.

Miso Hungry!

yesterday, @mjwilliams334 (a.k.a. mike) asked me on twitter: “I bought miso yesterday to make your mixed mushroom ragout (which was fantastic). What else can I do with the miso?”

that’s a good question mike… so to answer your good question, here are some recipes that use miso!

MISO RECIPES

tomato-miso vinaigrette
yield: 1 qt.

4 ea. roma tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

½ cup lime juice

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. miso

1 tbsp. sambal chili sauce

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

salt

-in a blender, add all ingredients besides oil.

-slowly drizzle in oil while blending in order to emulsify. season with salt.

 

sloppy goat
you can also use regular ground beef for this!

servings: 10

vegetable oil

3.5 cups roughly chopped onions

1/3 cup tomato paste

8 cloves roughly chopped garlic

2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 ½ teaspoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons malt vinegar

2 ¼ teaspoons soy sauce

2 ½ pounds canned diced tomatoes with juice

3 tablespoons miso

a splash of hot sauce

5 lb ground goat (or beef!)

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup rosemary aioli

10 dinner rolls

-in a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-low heat. add onions and cook them until soft and translucent, taken care not to brown them, about 10 minutes.

-add garlic and tomato paste and cook for two minutes.

-add the tamarind, yellow mustard, dark brown sugar, malt vinegar, soy sauce, tomatoes, miso and hot sauce and simmer for 60 minutes.

-in batches, transfer mixture to a blender and process until very smooth.

-working in batches, brown the goat meat in a large skillet. transfer goat meat to a pot and cover with the sauce. Heat over medium low heat and keep warm.

-mix the cabbage and aioli in a bowl and season with salt. toast the buns. scoop 8oz of sloppy goat into the bottom buns. top with a handful of the rosemary cabbage slaw and cover with the top bun.

 

miso butterscotch budino
(this is on the menu at girl & the goat right now!)

2 cups dark brown sugar

6 1/2 cups heavy cream

8 sheets gelatin

8 ounces butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons white miso paste

-bloom the gelatin sheets in ice water for 10 minutes. remove them from the water and let them drain on paper towels for a few minutes.

-bring the sugar and cream to a simmer. whisk in the butter, vanilla, salt, and miso. strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth. chill over an ice bath until cool to the touch. ladle or pour into serving dishes and chill in the fridge until set.

-serve with sweetened whipped cream.

to make it more like the way we serve it at girl and the goat, cook chopped pineapple with a little brown sugar. make your favorite vanilla cake and top it with the pineapple, and serve it on top of the budino. Sprinkle with chopped, toasted cashew.

the chee kimchi (little goat style)

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the chee kimchi (little goat style)

6 cups napa cabbage, halved, cut into 2in pieces, washed and drained
4 cups bok choy (or baby bok choy), halved, cut into 2in pieces, washed and drained
3 tbs salt
2/3 c scallions, sliced into 2in pieces
2 tbsp (about 16 cloves) garlic, grated on a microplane
2 tbsp ginger, grated on a microplane
1 tbsp korean chili flake
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup (half a bottle) the chee

place cabbage and bok choy in a glass mixing bowl and toss with salt. cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature overnight.

drain the vegetables in a colander and wipe out the mixing bowl. return the vegetables to the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. toss to combine. cover with plastic wrap and let sit out at room temperature overnight.

place kimchi in a storage container in the refrigerator.

water crackers

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water crackers

6 cups ap flour
2 cups water
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350f

place the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. mix until well combined and a cohesive dough forms. remove dough from mixer bowl and form into 4 equal portions. wrap tightly with plastic. if baking right away, rest dough at room temperature for 30 minutes. you can place dough in the freezer for up to 4 months.

while working in batches, cut a piece of dough in half. on a large, clean and unfloured work surface, roll out the first half of dough as thin as possible. using your fingers, very carefully stretch the sheet of dough to make the dough even thinner. make sure that the entire piece of dough is the same thickness to avoid uneven banking. place on a silicone lined baking tray. repeat with the second piece of dough.

bake both trays in the upper thirds of the oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and back to front once.

remove the trays from the oven and let cool. break the crackers into the desired size and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

“crepes” with vinaigrette

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“crepes” with vinaigrette
yields 24 crepes

1 cup rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup corn starch
2 ¼ cup water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup the chee

to make batter:
thoroughly mix the first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl. let batter rest for at least 2 hours.

to make the “crepes”::
set a 8-inch non-stick skillet over low heat.  pour about ¼ cup on to the skillet. pick the skillet up and turn it to evenly distribute batter across the entire surface. cover with another pan to steam the crepe, about 30 seconds – 1 minute. when ready flip on to a plate and keep warm. continue with the rest of the batter.

fill the “crepes” with any filling of your choosing, steph likes mashed potatoes, pork rillete or even goat cheese.

crisp the rolled crepes by cooking them in a little bit of vegetable in a skillet set over medium heat for about 45 seconds a side.

to make the vinaigrette:
in a bowl whisk together the lemon juice and the chee. slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. season with salt and pepper.

dress your favorite spring vegetables with the vinaigrette and use as a filling for the crepes.

Roasted Cauliflower + Crunch Butter and Pickled Peppers

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Roasted Cauliflower

roasted cauliflower

serves: 4 people

 

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 head cauliflower, quartered, outer leaves and core removed and cut into 1/4″ slices
2 tsp salt

3 tbsp. “crunch butter,”* room temp

1/4 c mint, torn into pieces + 1 tbsp set aside

1/4 c pine nuts, toasted + 1 tbsp. set aside

1/2 c parmesan, grated + 1 tbsp. set aside

1/3 c pickled peppers**

 

- heat oil in a large skillet. add cauliflower and cook over high heat until carmalized and soft, 6 minutes

- season with salt and cook an additional 2-3 minutes

- add crunch butter. when melted toss in mint, peppers, pine nuts, and parmesan. cook an additional 2 minutes.

- plate in a bowl and sprinkle with additional mint, pine nuts, and parmesan.

 

* crunch butter

yield: 1.5 cups

 

5 oz butter, room temp.

2 ea. garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

6 tbsp panko bread crumbs

 

-in a bowl, mash the butter until softened with a fork (or potato masher). add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

 

**pickled peppers

yield: 1 qt.

 

*3 ea. banana peppers, seeds removed, sliced into thin rings on a mandolin

*3 ea. hungarian peppers, seeds removed, sliced into thin rings on a mandolin

2 c champagne vinegar

4 tbsp salt

3/4 c sugar

 

- in a pot, bring vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil.

- while still hot, pour the pickling liquid over the peppers.

- let cool to room temperature, keeping the peppers submerged in the liquid.

- when cool, cover and refrigerate.

 

*in the restaurant we use a crumber to remove all of the seeds from the peppers to ensure that we can keep them whole and not pierce the flesh. you can use a long spoon or a pairing knife.

 

Braised Pork Shanks

serves 12

for the brine:
½ tablespoon black peppercorn
½ tablespoon fennel seed
½ tablespoon mustard seed
½ tablespoon coriander seed
½ tablespoon red chili flake
4 quarts water
1½ cups salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 apples, quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 sprig tarragon
1 small piece ginger, smashed
4 pork shanks (about 1½lb each)
4 quarts icefor the braise:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 bulb funnel, quartered and sliced
5 dried shitake mushrooms
¼ cup coconut milk plus additional ½ cup
¼ cup worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 dried thai chilies
8 cups chicken stockbrining the pork shanks:
  1. in a small dry skillet set over medium heat, toast spices while stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  2. in a large stockpot combine water, salt, sugar, toasted spices, and aromatics. bring to a boil. once the brine begins to boil remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  3. place the pork shanks and ice in a large pot or storage container. pour cooled brine over and cover. refrigerate for 12 hours.
braising the pork shanks:
  1. preheat the oven to 300°F
  2. remove pork shanks from the brine. rinse under cold water, removing any of the spices and aromatics. pat dry with paper towels and allow them to air-dry for an additional 20 minutes.
  3. meanwhile, in a roasting pan set over two burners, heat the olive oil. sweat the carrot, onion and fennel over medium-low heat until they begin to release liquid and soften, about 5 minutes. add dried shitakes, ¼ cup coconut milk, worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, thai chilies and chicken stock. bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer.  nestle shanks into simmering liquid, adding more stock and coconut milk if necessary. wrap the pan with foil and roast in the oven until tender, 3 ½ – 4 hours.
  4. when the shanks are tender, remove the pan from the oven and cool to room temperature. remove shanks from braising liquid and strain, disregarding the solids. either place the shanks and liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or preheat the oven to 375°F.
  5. place the shanks on a sheet tray or roasting dish and cook until the skin is crispy, about 30 minutes. (if using shanks that have been refrigerated, allow them to come to room temperature.)
  6. meanwhile, return the liquid to a medium saucepan and bring to a steady boil. reduce the liquid by half. add coconut milk and butter to reach desired consistency. season with salt.
  7. remove the shanks from the oven and place on a serving platter. drizzle the shanks with the sauce and serve, passing more sauce at the table.
  8. note: for added texture and flavor, toss in some sautéed mushrooms to the finished sauce.

butternut squash kimchee & dressing

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ok, i know this may be repetitive with the shaved raw squash, but this quick little kimchee recipe is simple, tasty and is a great way to jazz up a simple pork chop or roasted chicken…  or fish…  or whatever else you are enjoying for dinner.
butternut squash kimchee
yield 4 servings
4 cups butternut squash, shaved
½ cup kimchee dressing
10 leaves basil, torntoss the butternut squash, kimchee dressing & basil leaves together.

kimchee marinade & dressing
yield 1 cup
1 tbl ginger, fresh, minced
2 oz Gochijong (fermented red chili paste)
2 oz Doenjong (fermented soybean paste)
3 tbl fish sauce
2/3 tbl garlic, minced
3 tbl malt vinegarwhisk all ingredients together.

we love this dressing on grilled spring onions, but you can put it on just about any vegetable. toss your veggies in the marinade & grill.
**chili & bean pastes can be found at your local korean market

butternut squash & kohlrabi salad

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serves four people

one of my favorite dishes here at the goat is our kohlrabi salad with ginger dressing. it is sort of an homage to the classic salad you can get at sushi restaurants, but with yummy nuts and cheese and olives and mint and….in this version- shaved butternut squash (it is just darn tasty when raw.)

2 heads red oak lettuce, cut into 2 inch strips, cleaned and washed
1 head kohlrabi, peeled, quartered and shaved very thin on a mandolin
1 small head fennel, halved, core cut out and shaved thin on a mandolin
12 ea. shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, tops cut in half
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup evalon cheese, shaved
2 tbsp mint, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup nicoise olives, finely chopped
1 ea. (approximately one cup) small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and peeled into shavings
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 ea. pear, shaved on a mandolin
1/8 cup ginger dressing (recipe below)
salt and pepper

1) toss mushrooms in oil, salt and pepper. roast at 300 degrees until wilted and slightly colored, about 15 minutes. set aside and let cool.
2) mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. top with ginger dressing, plate and serve.

ginger dressing

1/2 cup minced peeled fresh ginger (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup grapeseed or blended oil (half vegetable, half olive oil)
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1) in a blender, combine the ginger, shallot, mustard, vinegar, yolk, soy sauce, and syrup. on low speed, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil until the dressing is smooth and thickened. season with salt and pepper. cover and refrigerate until needed.