Tay Marinara Sauce

A fresh, simple 20 minute Marinara Sauce requiring little more than ripe, high flavor tomatoes such as Roma, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and a dab of butter adds a nice gloss.
Saute 3 cloves minced garlic in 2 Tablespoons olive oil until golden, add 4 chopped tomatoes and simmer 15-20 minutes, sea salt to taste, finish with 1 Tablespoon butter, remove from heat.
A few drops of mild honey or a pinch of sugar may be added if sauce is too acidic

Dress it up:
Crimini(baby bellas, brown button) mushrooms, onions, tomato paste, a splash of red wine if you have it, and fresh Oregano or Basil are a yummy addition,( but it's no longer a Marinara)...saute chopped onions and sliced mushrooms in olive oil over high heat in small batches, add mushrooms/onions and chopped Basil/Oregano to Marinara sauce during final 5 minutes of simmer.
Carnivores may add a one or two sweet and hot Italian Sausage, cooked and drained, added to Marinara during last 10 minutes of simmer

Ferran Adria: Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen

Warm Calamari on a bed of Mixed Greens, with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Calamari is one of the few seafoods not in any danger of over fishing.

Delicious, inexpensive, versatile and cooks in only 1-2 minutes.


Safe Squid: U.S. wild squid, Atlantic trap or net-caught longfin, Pacific market ("California")

Salad is a simple mix of greens, tomatoes,
red onion, red potato, and avocado

Calamari steaks are scored, briefly (10min)marinated in Lime juice,

soy sauce, garlic, cilantro, and a few drops of honey.
Heat saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil,
saute Calamari steaks 1 min on each side, white wine may be used to de-glaze pan.

Monastery Mustard

Monastery Mustard

Mark Bittman, food Matters

.



Mark Bittman.com

Bottega Louie Inspired, Stuffed Cherry Stone Clams, Green Lip Mussels, and Conch

Bottega Louie Baked Clams

Om Chef Stuffed Mussels, Conch and Clam
Basic: flat leaf parsley, bread crumbs, garlic, white wine, onion, butter, optional: crab, bacon, or spinach

Italian: flat leaf parsley, bread crumbs, garlic, onion, white wine, olive oil,
Parmigiano Reggiano fresh oregano, basil, optional hot or sweet Italian sausage
Turkish: rice, pine nuts, currants, white wine, flat leaf parsley, pinch of allspice

Bottega Louie, 'Let them eat cupcakes!'

Bottega Louie .com
Brockman Building
700 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles
(213) 802-1470

Sai Sai Sushi, Downtown Los Angeles

Sai Sai

More than just exceptional sushi, Sai Sai offers up inspiring Asian fusion at its best.
Too beautiful to eat Bento boxes are a Downtown lunch hour favorite,

Shrimp Tempura is best enjoyed as a single perfect piece, eating more than one dulls the palate

Shown: traditional sushi platter

Sai Sai real claim to fame is its innovative and unique flavor and texture combinations

Cherry, orange, lychee
Sai Sai also infuses it's own shochu with seasonal fresh fruits.
The luscious mixtures are lovingly displayed along the back wall doubling as art
Sai Sai
Sai Sai : located in the sumptuous Biltmore Millennium

Reservations: 213 624 1100
Manager: Jan Hovmoeller ext. 1666
Chef : David Bartnes

Om Chef Enlightened Eggs Benedict

Yes! you can have little extravagance without killing yourselfEliminating the Canadian Bacon, no butter on English muffins, no added butter to poached eggs, replacing extra large eggs with the dainty small egg,
adding salad and fruit as sides, and absolutely not scrimping on the Hollandaise, is an example of controlled, but delicious indulgence. The star of eggs Benedict is the Hollandaise. Don't scrimp on the star, and for gods sake don't substitute with fake ingredients...please ;)
Save the egg whites for penance breakfast scramble the following morning, or freeze in a ziplock for up to 4mos.

There is no reason to be intimidated by Hollandaise, it is a simple emulsion of egg yolks, butter (traditionally clarified), lemon juice or vinegar and a flavor agent such as herbs . It can be made over a campfire, all it requires is your complete attention......but only for a few minutes.....commit to that, and it will be great! This a an excellent meditation, and practice of mindfulness...become one with your art

This is a Master recipe that can be practiced and fine tuned very inexpensively, and becomes Bernaise by replacing wine vinegar for the lemon and the addition of Tarragon, or Zabaglione by replacing lemon juice with Marsala or Proseco and adding sugar.....or Lemon Curd by adding sugar and increasing the lemon, and many more

below is an eggceptionaly easy version of how to make a Hollandaise

Play it safe, skip the salmonela, and use
Safe Eggs, Pasturized eggs from Davidson's

Eggs may also be home pasturized, Danilo Alfaro's How To

James Beard Foundation

James Beard Foundation

Bottega Louie, 'Let them Eat Cake!'

Spacious, sophisticated, seductive,
and very much in the spirit of
Dean & Deluca and Balducci's, Bottega Louie
is a new gourmet market,
restaurant and patisserie in the beautiful (1921) Beaux Arts, Brockman Building at 7th and Grand

20 types of bread baked daily, including a fab olive bread,

assorted gorgeous pastries,
cupcakes and tarts, cakes made to order

delivered in beautiful pastel boxes, elegantly trimmed with ribbon ties....very Marie Antoinette..

culinary fantasy continues with mustards, tapenades,

marinated artichokes, olives, preserves, jams and other tempting delicacies waiting to be matched with fresh bread and all manner of delectable cheeses,

a perfect picnic just looking for a location..

20' ceilings, 10,000 sq ft of marble, brass,
the antique Regency style bar, dramatic floor to ceiling windows

and french molding play up the delicious Joie de vivre energy ....

you could almost forget we are in a recession.

Happy culinary artists are very auspicious for fabulous food, and delicious experiences! The spirit of the chef will linger in his dishes, and by the looks of these two, I would say some very happy, fun food is about to happen

Louie is an awesome addition to downtown, and we can all afford the occasional indulgence or decadent addition to our pantries....even those on an ultra tight budget can splurge on the weekly, exceptional loaf of bread, or a lovely Pommery or Bavarian mustard that will infuse many meals with a little extravagance,
and for under $10



Downtown deserves its own Dean & Deluca, and it's here



Bottega Louie .com
Brockman Building
700 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles
(213) 802-1470

BBC

Alcohol: Is it really good for you?

By Sue Nelson
Writer and Broadcaster

...................."It's an absolute myth that red wine is good for you," says Professor Valerie Beral from the University of Oxford and lead author of the Million Women study."The evidence is not there."Professor Roger Corder, author of The Red Wine Diet, would disagree."Our research identified a group of chemicals called procyanadins which are polyphenols, and the key component in terms of protecting from heart disease."Polyphenols, such as the antioxidant resveratrol, are found in the skins of red wine grapes."In high doses it does seem to enhance the lifespan of mice. But," he adds crucially, "you need huge doses."......more from BBC..

Where would Alice Waters Shop?

Gelson's, the Southern Cal Market for all Things Gourmet

You get what you pay for, and Gelson's delivers the goods. Not only ultra clean, and well stocked, but a knowledgeable staff that seem genuinely happy. An abundance of organic, hormone free meats and poultry, fin and shellfish, and produce displays worthy of a close up from Mr. Cecil B. DeMille himself.
I have been visiting Gelson's since I was a child, being lucky enough to be born into a family of foodies, my grandmother seldom shopped anywhere else. I attribute much of my foodie passions to those pristine aisles, exotic gourmet goodies, and delectable smells wafting from the bakery. With 18 stores in Southern California, including some of my favorite places, Pacific Palisades, Los Feliz, Santa Barbara, and Dana Point, why would I go anywhere else? Okay, okay, Vicente Foods in Brentwood and a handful of other independent grocers are available in So Cal, see the side bar for a list of Om Chef favorites.