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A Cooking Class at The Wine Artist

If you want to taste something heavenly, make the crostini in the photo. They're perfect party food, and easy too.

I got the recipe in a cooking class at The Wine Artist in Lake Forest. I had never heard of this place, but put it on your radar for a cooking class/party with your friends.

Transitioning out of corporate work,  M.J. Hong set up The Wine Artist as a facility for corporate events, team-building and private parties, which means you could reserve it for anything from a wedding to a fun class designed around one of Hong's themes, which pretty much cover the world's cuisines. Walking in, you think you're in a classy wine bar (above).

You'll each have your own work station (above) with cutting board and knife. Other tools, portable cooking units and ingredients are within easy reach. Afterward, you'll dump all your equipment into big grey pans behind you--washing dishes isn't part of the class.

Hong organizes so well that it wasn't work at all as my group ran through an arugula, pear and candied pecan salad, lobster bisque, the crostini, polenta squares topped with sausage and mushrooms, stuffed eggplant and grilled lamb skewers with tzatziki sauce.

And we did it all ourselves. Hong hadn't pre-prepared anything. But she gave us lots of cooking tips as we worked. Here's she's telling us about different types of polenta.

"I love to entertain," she said. "My passion is entertaining." And so we were warmly greeted with pitchers of sangria loaded with fruit (the recipe is on her website) and platters of ham, sausage, cheeses, crackers, olives, fruit and dates stuffed with almonds.

After a few nibbles, we put on aprons and set to work.  Hong had chosen the dishes to match wines brought by the leader of my group--we were all serious wine tasters. The 2009 La Rochelle Pinor Noir, Donum Estate, Carneros, went with the crostini. 

Two La Rochelle Chardonnays from 2010 accompanied the salad and bisque (above). The grapes for one came from Dutton Ranch, Russian River; the other wine was from Ferrington Vineyard in the Anderson Valley. 

Another 2009 La Rochelle Pinot, this one from the Santa Lucia Highlands, was paired with the polenta squares (above). 

Then we switched from La Rochelle to Steven Kent Winery in Livermore for a small lot Cabernet Franc 2010 for the lamb with tzatziki (above).

A Steven Kent small-lot Merlot 2010 went with the eggplant halves (hollowing these out was one of my jobs).

Like a good hostess, Hong added something extra, a dessert that wasn't on our menu. This was mixed berries topped with sweetened mascarpone mixed with marsala and a sprinkling of crumbled cookies. And she brought out a sweet black raspberry Merlot that she had made at The Wine Artist.

It was a nice finish that carried out her philosophy: "I want you to be a guest at your own event."

RICOTTA, GORGONZOLA & MUSHROOM CROSTINI
From The Wine Artist 

1 baguette
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for the bread
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Gorgonzola cheese 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Slice the baguette crosswise about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in rows on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil and toast until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons oil and the butter. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and stir to deglaze. Remove from heat and add the ricotta and parsley and stir.

Spoon the mushroom mixture onto the crostini and top with Gorgonzola. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

 

A Mystery Squash Invades My Yard

Help! I've been invaded--by a squash vine so vigorous that it climbed over a 7-foot wall into my yard.

Its offspring, hanging there for me to pick, was a 6-pound green-skinned squash.

I've not seen anything like this squash at the market. It's like a winter squash, with pale golden flesh, big seeds stuffed in the center, and so tender you don't need to peel it.

Before I realized that it wasn't like zucchini, I'd decided to use it in a zucchini casserole from an Armenian cookbook.

The recipe worked beautifully, even though I was using the wrong squash. With a few alterations, I had a great casserole.

Published in 1968, the book is "Favorite Recipes" by  Daughters of Vartan, Los Angeles. It's my go-to book for Armenian food, given to me by the woman who helped compile it. The original recipe was contributed by Virginia Kidian.

Later, I saw similar squash, although smaller, in a Korean market, where it was labeled "Korean squash." And I have planted Korean squash myself to use in the dish. But the squash that the vine produces is more like ordinary zucchini, which is fine, because that's what the cookbook intended.  

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE
Adapted from "Favorite Recipes" by Daughters of Vartan, Los Angeles

1 1/2 pounds zucchini or Korean squash
2 medium eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk 
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound Jack cheese
1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the squash into 1/2-inch cubes and cook in boiling salted water 5 minutes. Drain and cool.

Beat the eggs with 1/2 cup of milk. Place the flour and baking powder in a small cup. Stir in the 1 tablespoon milk until smooth, then gradually stir in some of the egg mixture until well blended. Add to the remaining egg mixture.

Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish with some of the butter, then dot half of what is left over the bottom of the dish.

Place the zucchini in the dish, then top with an even layer of Jack cheese cut into small cubes or slices.

Sprinkle the cheese with the green pepper, dill and parsley. Pour in the egg mixture. Season with salt to taste. Dot the top with the remaining butter.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the top is lightly browned.

Makes 4 main dish servings.

Down on the Farm--in Irvine

Who could resist a watermelon that is just your size?

Certainly not the little fellow in the photo. And certainly not me.

Both of us were touring Tanaka Farms in Irvine, where hundreds of kids get to taste produce right out of the field. They come in groups from school or with their parents, ride around in a wagon pulled by a tractor and snack on carrots just out of the ground, crisp green beans, freshly plucked cherry tomatoes, and corn on the cob so sweet you could serve it for dessert.

Well, maybe some are little doubtful (above). But it's so much fun, who cares?

Tanaka Farms has turned its 25 acres into a family destination place, a sort of produce Disneyland with dressed up scarecrows instead of Disney Characters. Tours include a cookout, where you pick and season vegetables and the staff grills them for you. Strawberry tours take place in spring, and a pumpkin patch opens up in the fall. Right now, watermelon tours are the big draw.

After the tours, you can shop at Tanaka's produce stand and sign up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes delivered to your home. Tanaka is also supplying produce to Winder Farms, which has just launched home food deliveries in California.

Along with produce, Winder sends meats, artisan breads, dairy products, prepared foods and more to your home. Right now, deliveries are only in Orange County and from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes, but Los Angeles proper is on the horizon. 

At Tanaka's produce stand I bought the liveliest, freshest organic kale imaginable, on sale for 99 cents for a big bunch. And I took home a CSA box (above) that included more kale as well as green beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, a huge Maui onion and a couple of melons.

I've turned half the kale into chips, and part of the watermelon went into the most refreshing drink you could have on a hot day--Agua de Sandía, a Mexican watermelon cooler. Here is how to make it.  

AGUA DE SANDÍA
Mexican Watermelon Cooler 

1 cup seedless watermelon chunks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes (about 4)
2 tablespoons agave syrup

Combine the watermelon chunks, water, ice cubes and agave syrup in a blender container and blend until foamy and most of the ice is dissolved. Pour into a tall glass and drink at once.

Makes 1 serving. 

Try Another Indian Cuisine--Bengali

The food at the top looks nothing like chicken tikka masala, lamb korma or any other of the northern Indian dishes you usually get at restaurants in this country. 

That's because it's Bengali, from eastern India. And that extraordinary cuisine is little known here, except among Bengali expats like Rinku Bhattacharya.

Born in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and transplanted to Westchester, New York, Bhattacharya teaches cooking and writes a delightful blog called Cooking in Westchester.

Now, thank heavens, she has produced a cookbook,"The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles" (Hippocrene Books).

It's the only Bengali cookbook I have that wasn't published in India. And it's better than those I bought in India, because it discusses the Bengali lifestyle along with the food. Although the dishes may seem different, they're so clearly explained that anyone could make them. 

The photo at the top shows Macher Patla Jhol, or Fish Stew with Vegetables in a Light Broth. This "is probably as good as everyday Bengali cooking gets," Bhattacharya says in the book.

The photo is my rendition of her recipe. Although nowhere near as accomplished as what she would prepare, it exemplifies the lightness of Bengali cuisine and the emphasis on fish that is typical of the region.

Signature Bengali seasonings include mustard oil and the five-spice blend called panch phoron, which gives the book its title.

The fish stew includes panch phoron, which you can find in Indian markets here. Or you can make it yourself by combining equal amounts of fennel, cumin, nigella, black mustard and fenugreek seeds. 

Also in the stew are boris (above), tiny dried lentil cakes that I hadn't come across before. In the Indian market where I bought them, they were labeled vadi. They boost the protein in Bengali vegetarian dishes as well as the stew. 

I'm slowly making my way through the book, flagging must-try recipes. One I really liked was rice finished off with an aromatic broth made by simmering bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon with water. The fragrance is heavenly. No wonder it's called "festive rice" and served at weddings and other celebrations.

FISH STEW WITH VEGETABLES IN A LIGHT SAUCE
Macher Patla Jhol
From "The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles"

2 pounds catfish or halibut, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil, plus more for frying boris
1 teaspoon panch phoron (Bengali five spice blend)
2 dried red chiles
2 tablespoons ginger-cumin-coriander paste (recipe below)
1 onion, ground into a paste
2 or 3 green chiles, slit lengthwise
2 long thin eggplants, quartered
1/4 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 potato, peeled and cut into 16 thin slices
15 to 20 boris (lentil nuggets)
1 cup water 

Place the fish in a mixing bowl. Rub with 1 teaspoon turmeric and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Place the fish under the broiler and broil for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat. Add the panch phoron and red chiles. When this splutters, add the ginger-cumin-coriander paste, onion paste, green chiles and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Rub the remaining 1 teaspoon turmeric on the eggplants, cauliflower and potato and add to the pan. Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is fragrant and the vegetables are beginning to brown.

Heat oil for frying the boris in a separate pan. Add the boris and fry until pale golden. Add the boris and the water to the vegetable mixture. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, until very soft.

Lightly stir in the fish and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Check the seasonings and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings. 

GINGER-CUMIN-CORIANDER PASTE

1 (2-inch piece) ginger root, peeled
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 or 2 green chiles
1/4 cup warm water

Combine the ginger, cumin and coriander seeds, chiles and water in a blender and blend until smooth, pulsing and blending at intervals to form a paste. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator. 

Makes 1/2 cup.