Hail To the Chef

Magickal Recipes of Ron Miller

reprinted from the Compost NewsLetter

[These recipes appeared in the Compost NewsLetter during 1990-92, while Ron was the executive chef of the Ristorante Donatello in San Francisco. All Magickal interpretations and comments are by Valerie Walker.]

The Yule Feast

[Tired of the same old turkey? Here's Ron's Italianate take on the Yule feast, first featured in Wine Country Magazine. I think you can figure out the Magickal purposes for each of the dishes: celebration of the sun's return, hopes of spring, and getting together to enjoy the feast with those you love. A somewhat classier version of Food, Folks & Fun, in other words. All recipes serve six people except for the dessert by Marianne Young, which serves ten. Bon appetit and Blessed Be!--vw]

 •  Baby Beet and String Bean Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette
 •  Quadrucci with Parsley in Lobster Broth
 •  Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Caponata in Black Olive Sauce
 •  Chocolate Caramel Pine Nut Tureen with Bitter Chocolate
Sauce (recipe by Marianne Young, former pastry chef, Ristorante Donatello)

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Quadrucci with Parsley in Lobster Broth
To cook the lobster:

2 live Maine lobsters, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
1 small leek, roughly chopped
12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 quarts water

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot with the onion, celery, leek, herbs and vinegar. Let it cook for 15 minutes. With the court bouillon at a high boil, plunge the live lobsters into it. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then remove the lobsters to a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Discard the court bouillon. When the lobsters are cool, separate the tails and claws from the head, reserving the juices from the lobster. Remove the meat from the claws and split 3 claws lengthwise so there are 6 halves resembling a whole claw. Remove the shell from the tails and slice the tails across into 6 medallions each. Dice the fourth claw. Wrap the lobster meat and refrigerate until later. Reserve the heads and shells for the broth.

For the broth:
1 onion, quartered
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small leek, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato, quartered
6 sprigs tarragon
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
1 oz. fresh chervil
6 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 cups white wine
1 cup brandy
3 egg whites
1 quart chicken stock, chilled
the reserved heads, tails and juice from the lobsters

With a large chef's knife chop the lobster heads and shells into 5 or 6 pieces. Place them in a food processor with all the juices, the vegetables, herbs and egg whites. Process until the mixture is liquid and the vegetables and lobster pieces are quite small, approximately 1 minute. Put this mixture into a large heavy pot with the wine, brandy and chilled chicken stock. Put the pot over a medium flame and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring often during this time to prevent the egg whites from settling to the bottom of the pot and burning. When the broth has come to a simmer, punch a hole in the raft that has formed on the surface to allow the broth to breathe. Cook at a slow simmer for 45 minutes, ladling a little of the broth over the raft every once in a while so that it will filter through and increase the flavor. When it has finished cooking, strain carefully through cheesecloth and set aside. The resulting broth will be crystal clear and quite aromatic.

For the quadrucci:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
3 whole eggs
1 bunch flat leaf italian parsley

Mix the all-purpose and semolina flour together in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour, break in the eggs and begin mixing the eggs and flour together. When the dough comes together in a mass, knead it until the texture is smooth and silky. Roll the dough with a pasta machine in progressively thinner settings until the thinnest setting is reached. Divide the dough in half. Place parsley leaves on one half, place the other half on top and roll once more through the machine at the thinnest setting. Cut the quadrucci into approximately 1 3/4 inch to 2 inch squares. Allow two quadrucci per serving. Refrigerate in a single layer on a floured sheetpan until ready to cook.

To assemble the dish:
Peel seed and cut into a tiny dice 1 small tomato. Bring the broth to a boil, season with salt and white pepper then add the diced tomato. Warm the lobster medallions and claws separately in a little of the broth. Cook the quadrucci in a large quantity of water until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. When the quadrucci are cooked drain them and place one into the bottom of a shallow soup plate, off center. Place two lobster medallions and a little of the chopped claw into the center of the quadrucci, then cover with the second quadrucci. Put the half claw toward one side of the plate, then ladle in just enough of the hot broth to cover the claw and quadrucci and serve.

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Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Caponata in Black Olive Sauce


For the caponata:
1 green zucchini
1 yellow zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 Japanese eggplants
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper

Make a fine dice of the green and yellow zucchini, mix together and set aside. Make a fine dice of the red and yellow bell pepper, mix together and set aside. Make a fine dice of the japanese eggplant. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Saute the eggplant in the olive oil with 1/3 of the garlic and salt and pepper until just cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes. Put the eggplant into a colander over a bowl to drain the excess liquid. Repeat this process with the zucchini and bell peppers adding each to the eggplant in the colander. When all the vegetables have been sauteed, add the toasted pine nuts and mix together to marry the flavors; adjust the seasoning, then set aside to cool.

To stuff the lamb:
Bone 1 saddle of lamb and trim the silver skin and membranes completely from each loin. With a long thin knife, cut a pocket in each loin, starting from the thin end of the loin. The pocket should be cut the entire length of the loin and extend from one edge to the other without cutting through. Put the cooled caponata into the a pastry bag without a tip and pipe the caponata into the pocket of each loin, working it down with the fingers When the pocket is filled, secure the open end with a wooden toothpick or short skewer.

For the fried risotto timbales:
Cook two cups of arborio rice according to package directions for risotto, finishing with butter and parmesan cheese. Coat six 8 oz. custard cups with olive oil and fill each half full with the hot risotto. Cool and refrigerate until ready.

For the sauce:
the bone from the saddle, chopped into 2 inch pieces
meat scraps from the flaps of the saddle
4 shallots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat of a knife
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 small jar nicoise olives
2 cups madeira
1 quart lamb or veal stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Pit and cut in half 36 olives and set aside to garnish the dish. Drain the rest of the olives; reserve the brine. Roast the lamb bones 40 to 50 minutes until they are nicely browned. Brown the meat scraps in a sauce pot large enough to hold both the stock and bones together. When the meat is well browned turn down the flame, add the shallots, garlic and herbs and continue cooking until the shallots are golden brown. Add the drained olives to the pot and deglaze with the madeira. Reduce the madeira by two thirds, then add the stock and the browned bones. Bring the sauce to a simmer, skim well and set to cook at a very slow simmer for 1 hour or more, skimming often, until the sauce has reduced and the flavor has developed sufficiently. Toward the end of the reduction, adjust the flavor of the sauce if necessary by adding a little of the olive brine to heighten the flavor. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and add just enough to thicken the sauce to make a light jus. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, adjust the seasoning and keep the sauce warm until it is time to serve.

To assemble the dish:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet until it is very hot. Season the lamb loins and brown on each side about 2 minutes. Put the loins in the preheated oven to cook for 8 to 10 minutes. The meat should be pink and the caponata just warmed through. Meanwhile, unmold the risotto timbales. Heat two tablespoons butter in an ovenproof skillet until the butter is light brown. Place the risotto timbales, smooth side down, into the skillet, cover and cook in the oven for 10 minutes until the risotto is heated through and the bottom surface is golden brown. Warm the olive halves in the sauce. Place the fried risotto timbales in the center of warm dinner plates, golden side up. Slice each loin across into 18 thin slices placing six slices on each plate radiating from the center out and slightly atop the risotto. Spoon the sauce around the lamb, garnish with the olives and serve.

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Chocolate Caramel Pine Nut Tureen with a Bitter Chocolate Sauce
recipe thanks to Marianne Young, former pastry chef, Ristorante Donatello

For the caramel pine nuts:
1 1/2 pound sugar
1 pound toasted pine nuts
6 drops lemon juice
3/4 cup water

Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a very clean, heavy saucepan. There must be no residue of any kind in the pan. Gently stir the mixture together so it resembles wet sand. Using a brush. wash down the sides of the pan with water and put covered, over medium high heat. Leave on the fire for 5 minutes, untouched. Carefully check the sugar, and when it reaches a golden color remove from the heat. Immediately place the pot in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Fold in toasted pine nuts and pour onto oiled parchment paper. Let cool until hard. Break the ûbrittleÉ into pieces, reserve 1/4 for decoration and process the rest in a food processor until it is finely chopped. Set aside.

For the terrine:
2 oz. creme de cacao liquor
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. butter
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 oz. sugar
1 cup cream

Melt the chocolate, butter and liquor over a double boiler that is just simmering. While the chocolate is melting whip the cream and set aside. Combine the eggs and sugar together in a mixer and whip until it is very light and foamy and has tripled in volume. Continually stir the chocolate until all of the pieces have melted. This mixture should just be warm If it is too hot, stir to cool. Fold the chocolate into the egg mixture. Combine thoroughly, then fold in the whipped cream and crushed caramel pine nuts. Place the mixture into a terrine mold or parchment lined loaf pan. Place in a freezer to set overnight.

For the bitter chocolate sauce:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Bring the milk to a boil, stir it into the cocoa, then add the melted chocolate. Blend well and strain through a fine sieve. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To assemble the dessert:
Unmold the terrine. Slice the terrine to the desired width with a knife dipped in hot water and place the slice on a chilled dessert plate. Spoon the bitter chocolate sauce over one corner of the terrine. Make a rosette of whipped cream and place a piece of the reserved caramel pinenut brittle on the top for decoration.

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