Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs. Doesn’t that sound good? Simple. Classic. Comforting. Makes me want to curl up on the couch with a big steaming bowl, a bottle of wine and some old movies. It’s the little things in life.

The inspiration for this comfort meal came from this recipe a friend sent me from Smitten Kitchen: Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion (from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking)

She positively raved about how good this tomato sauce is. And stupid easy. Literally, just three ingredients: canned tomatoes, onion, and butter. You don’t even need to chop the onion. Simply peel it and cut it in half. In it goes with the tomatoes and the secret ingredient to all things delicious (butter), and let it simmer. The result is really something phenomenal.

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Hi Friends! Today, LMS correspondent Adam Carr gives us the low down from the SF Street Food Festival!

Porchetta Sandwich from Roli Roti

The Mission has always been a mecca for cheap, delicious food, but The 2010 SF Street Food Festival took things to a different level.

Put on by La Cocina, an organization that aids low income food entrepreneurs, the SF Street Food Festival combined haute cuisine, Mission staples and popular San Francisco carts in an amalgamation of foodie goodness. Many of the La Cocina’s incubator program participants were dishing out snacks, including Azalina’s, Kika’s Treats, and El Huarache Loco.

The rules of the event were simple. Vendors were expected to offer a small bite for $3 that one could eat solely with their hands and larger item for $8 that could either be eaten with a fork or fingers, as long as no table was necessary. Vendors also offered a variety of beverages. After the massive turnout at last year’s event, La Cocina quadrupled the number of vendors from their inaugural event.

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Food. Wine. Golf. Spa. More Food. More Wine.

Life is good, no?

Special thanks to Outrigger for hosting us at the beautiful Maui Eldorado and gorgeous, uber-luxe Kapalua Villas – complete with private lanai, ocean views, sit-in shower, XL jacuzzi tub, washer/dryer, Moet and a gift basket full of Hawaiian munchies, and even a chilled pineapple waiting for us in the fridge! Man, a girl could get used to this kind of lifestyle…

Needless to say, it was tough extricating myself from this plush lap of luxury, and I can’t wait to visit again!

Well, that concludes our epic Lick My Spoon Maui Edition — hope it satisfied your island fever

While we’re on the island vibe…let’s talk about the ridiculous closing finale of the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival: the Seafood Festival.

Beachside Grilling

Sponsored by Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine, this beachside party was the perfect culmination to an amazing weekend. 13 of Maui’s top chefs prepared two dishes each, featuring the freshest seafood the island has to offer.

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Aloha, Paradise

There are many reasons I love living in the Bay Area. The climate, the food, the people…the proximity to Hawaii. Which brings me to the many reasons I’ve fallen so hard for Maui. The climate, the food, the people…

I had the good fortune to attend the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival not too long ago, and while I was in town, decided to treat myself to a few extra days of blue skies, ocean breeze, and of course, good eats. The food we discovered on Maui was an interesting mix of hearty no-frills home-cooking, and high-end fine dining.

Without further ado, here’s my guide to eating your way through paradise:

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Scallop Ceviche with Foie Gras and Pineapples (Parke Ulrich, Waterbar)

Closing out a weekend of indulgence at SF Chefs 2010 was a Grand Tasting of innovative creations that gave us a new perspective on familiar ingredients.

There were the usual suspects: Tomatoes, Corn, Dungeness crab, Vanilla and Salmon, but paired with novel flavors in unusual forms and consistencies. Like the Scallop Ceviche with Foie Gras and Pineapple (above) from Waterbar’s Parke Ulrich that was a mouthful of creamy, thick foie, sweet ocean notes and tangy citrus all at once.

And the Tomato Water Consommé with a sphere of Pickled Peach and Basil Oil from Dominique Crenn (Luce). The color of a crisp Chardonnay, a sip of this tomato concentrate evoked anything but white grapes, and was a welcome change from the countless gazpachos on offer.

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Gary Danko and Joanne Weir

Gary Danko and Joanne Weir are best friends in the kitchen and in real life too. Their great dynamic made for a fantastic, fun cooking demo at the Williams Sonoma test kitchen last Saturday during SF Chefs. Weir and Danko took a controlled chaos approach to the flow of their demo, as they helped with cooking each other’s dishes during their demonstration and socializing with the audience. The demo showcased teamwork at its best.

When brainstorming what to present for their demo, they both agreed showcasing a seasonal summer ingredient was a must. They decided to focus their demo on seasonal summer berries, with raspberries being the star of the show.

The demo began with them describing how make a raspberry vinegar or Raspberry Shrub, as Weir and Danko called it. They combined beautifully ripe raspberries to make a raspberry vinegar reduction, which was used as an ingredient in each of their dishes. Before they added the shrub to anything they passed around a bowl of it for the audience to try. We all passed it around and dipped our little spoons into the deliciously sweet and slightly tart reduction and I think we all could have been content just eating it straight from the bowl the whole demo.

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Beverages galore at SF Chefs' Spice Party

Beyond the headline events at SF Chefs were two smaller tastings held at the Westin St Francis for the hotel’s VIP guests, KGO contest winners and event sponsors. Featuring seven to eight chefs, the parties offered a chance to sample the creations focused around a theme. Thursday evening’s event was all about Spices, showcasing a range of similar spices across varied, culturally-driven dishes.

The highlights of the evening were Dosa’s Lamb and Potato Croquettes with Avocado and Tamarind salsa. Employing traditional South Indian spices, these croquettes were crunchy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside and packed a heat that only intensified with each bite – characteristic of Anjan Mitra’s approach to his food, and one that I definitely appreciate.

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Charles Phan (Slanted Door), Michael Mina (Restaurant Michael Mina), Cindy Pawlcyn (Mustards Grill) at View from the Top

What happens when you get some of the best chefs in San Francisco together under one roof for a panel discussion? Great conversation, a mutual love for food, and energy in the room that screams, “I’m in love with what I do.”

After the indulgences of Friday’s events, guests at SF Chefs were greeted with a fresh start Saturday morning atop the Westin St. Francis Hotel for a panel discussion about the ins and outs of the industry. Culinary rock stars Michael Mina (Restaurant Michael Mina), Cindy Pawlcyn (Mustards Grill, Go Fish, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen) and Charles Phan (Slanted Door, Out the Door), Perry Hoffman (étoile) and his grandmother, French Laundry legend, Sally Schmitt, all joined together to share their legacy.

The main focus? Advice on how to start your own restaurant, have it stay afloat, and how to stay happy in the process. Each chef shared the obstacles, joys and wisdoms of how to create a successful restaurant in the city.

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Jennifer Biesty and Chris Cosentino observing the available lamb cuts

Early birds that ventured across Powell Street were treated to a two-on-two battle Sunday morning at the Anolon Chef Challenge: As Seen On TV, as Tyler Florence (Wayfare Tavern) and Elizabeth Falkner (Orson, Citizen Cake) squared off against Jennifer Biesty (Scala’s Bistro) and Chris Cosentino (Incanto) in an Iron Chef-esque competition. Each team had an hour to create three dishes with the secret ingredient: American lamb. Each dish was judged on presentation, taste, and creativity on a scale from one to ten. The winning team received a ten piece cookware set from Anolon, the event sponsor.

Over the course of the hour, emcee and potential Ricky Gervais stand-in, Liam Mayclem charmed the crowd while poking fun at the chefs, particularly Chris Cosentino (apparently they’re neighbors). He even threw a jab my way for using a laptop during the contest. When he wasn’t cracking jokes at the chefs’ expense he handed the microphone over to audience members for questions.

» Continue Reading “SF Chefs 2010: Anolon Chef Challenge – As Seen On TV”…