Atlanta Food & Wine Festival 2014 Inspires

Cooking is as much about food and technique as it is about experiences. Atlanta's Food & Wine Festival 2014 in Midtown provided memorable lessons that I had to apply quickly or risk forgetting.

Sous vide, pickled seaweed, escabeche, thin fillets of fish cured in a sugar/salt mixture . . . the topics intrigued and inspired immediate imitation.

Corvina Escabeche with Spring Vegetables, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Let's start with the escabeche, (es-kah-BECH-ay), a classic Spanish preparation often paired with oily fish such as mackerel, corvina, or bonito. Its Mediterranean at its essence. Add olive oil to a saucepan at medium heat and the following:

• 3 - 4 tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/5 inch thick 
• 1large onions, thinly sliced into half moons
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• bay leaf (remove when finished) 
• 2 Ts of combined basil, oregano, 
• 1 t. of cumin, coriander each 
• salt, pepper
• carrots or turnips (optional, cubed into bite sizes)
• 2 Ts of Espelette Basque Vinegar (or something unique from Whole Foods)

and cook very slowly (3 - 4 hours), covered, over lower heat (I use a 2 out of 10 setting on my induction range so that it cooks caramelized from the inside out vs. fried and charred from the outside in).  At the very end a splash of your best Spanish vinegar tops it off. This makes enough for 6 people.

Prep for fish:

• Portion the fish into 4 - 5oz pieces, 3/4 inch thick (no more) - ask fishmonger for 30oz if serving 6.
• Mix a 1/4 cup of equal parts salt and sugar. Use a tablespoon to spread the mix on a flat dish upon which you'll place the fish. This is now considered face down. If there is a skin on the fish, it is now facing you. Leave face down for 15 minutes.
• Either sous vide the fish at 53 degrees C for 20 minutes or you can prep a pan with medium-hot olive oil and sear with the skin side down for 3 minutes before completely removing from heat.
• If your fish has no skin, make your own! I use sheets of dried seaweed you can get at Trader Joe's and place 1 or 2 on what I designate the skin side. Continue as in the previous step. Delicious.

The whole thing, escabeche and fish, are served cold or at room temperature on a hot day.

It'd be a shame to not eat this al fresco.

This dish and the recipe is what I derived from notes taken during the Food & Wine demonstration and conversation with Asheville NC's Katie Button who is the talented Executive Chef of Cúrate, the authentic Spanish tapas restaurant continually earning rave reviews since its open in March 2011. Many thanks Katie!

Here is an image of the gazpacho I made to introduce the fish:

Tomato & Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Swiss Chard Dolma, Carrot Halva Over Avocado Aioli, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

So long as they don't start patenting food recipes, imitation is the highest form of flattery. How else are you going to learn? Let me hear how you fare and what you choose to pair with the fish!

Chicken White Chili: Terrific 3 Ways

Chicken White Chili, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Lunch today was last night's dinner. Like any homemade soup, it tastes even better when the flavors rest overnight.  Muss & Turner's here in Atlanta actually lists their offerings on the menu under the header, "Yesterday's Soup".

Serve this as a game-day feast or a winter warming weeknight meal.  The key ingredient is actually a leftover item: a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store or your own.  Eat what you like one night and save about 1 and 1/2 cups of meat for the soup.  It is the best use of what's left from a roasted chicken other than using the bones to make chicken stock.  Adding great chicken sausage from a local butcher like Atlanta's Spotted Trotter is a bonus.  It adds even more layers of flavor.

The first time I came across this recipe it had a Texas twist to it and called for a chopped jalapeno pepper to add some kick.  I modified the recipe by substituting butter and milk items for light coconut milk (though almond milk could also work).  Additionally I finish the soup with slices of avocado and widges of lime and lime zest to give the dish a Thai flavor profile (a dash of Sriracha at the finish would be great).  There's alot of ways to make this goodness all your own.

So the 3 ways are: as rotisserie chicken, as Chicken White Chili for dinner, and then as leftovers for lunch.  Each time it gets better.  I'd love to hear how you vary things.

Chicken White Chili

1 medium onion, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped kale or cilantro
1 tbsp margarine or canola oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 (15.5-ounce) cans Goya small white beans or cannellini beans (or consider 1 cup quinoa)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles (use Hatch chiles if you can find them)
1 1/2 cups pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, chopped
3 links of chicken sausage, sliced or left whole
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk (Whole Foods or Trader Joes have it) or almond milk
2 tbsp cornstarch

Sliced avocado (slightly salted) and cilantro or spring onions for garnish before serving.


Combine onion, shallot, garlic, a pinch of salt, and canola oil in a large pot. Saute for several minutes until the onion starts to soften. Sprinkle cumin on top to release the flavor. Add beans, green chiles, chopped chicken, chicken sausage, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Once chili is heated through, bring back down to just above simmer, and stir in coconut milk and kale (if using cilantro - hold until serving as a garnish). Put cornstarch into a small bowl. Carefully ladle some liquid from the chili onto the cornstarch, and mix to form a thin paste. Pour the paste into the chili and allow several minutes to thicken slightly.  Salt and pepper to taste.