A Season’s Send-Off

With a smaller, more intimate group at KCH&G’s August Cooking School, Chef Renee Kelly fired up Kitchen Studio: Kansas City’s all-Viking kitchen, wafting delicious aromas throughout the studio and sending the summer season out in style.

With bottles of NV Cristalino Brut Cava on hand (and then some) from Off the Vine Design & Cellar and platters of Weston-based Green Dirt Farm cheeses, guests found their seats around the range top island and surrounding kitchen vignettes for yet another hands-on demonstration with dinner and wine. Finding free-alliance fish isn’t as easy these days, but Chef Renee searched it out, prepared it then shared the appetizer with the “class.” As a bonus, guest Shannon Hoffmann, also owner of GreenAcres Market in Briarcliff, talked about what free alliance means, which is supporting sustainable fishery and responsible aquaculture practices.

Adding to the fresh and local theme that Chef Renee is passionate about, she passed around watermelon and tomato gazpacho with basil oil, along with Vita Craft stainless steel cookware she used throughout the cooking demonstrations. She also handed out a dish of sorbet to tide the group over while patiently awaiting the entrée, which really got the taste buds jumping. The handmade gnocchi with braised pork shank topped with sautéed mushrooms and zucchini didn’t leave a clean plate in the house. The herbs and spices from the main dish brought out the vanilla, raspberry and blackberry flavors in the ruby red-colored Boroli Quattro Fratelli Barbera from Italy — fantastico! The night concluded with a dessert wine and panna cotta with roasted figs and plums. 
     
The Evening’s Menu:
• Green Dirt Farm cheeses
• Free-Alliance Fish with Mango-Cucumber Salad
• Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho with Basil Oil
• Gnocchi with Braised and Roasted Pork Shanks with Veggies
• Panna Cotta with Roasted Figs and Plums

Wine Pairings:
• Green Dirt Farm Cheeses: NV Cristalino Brut Cava, Spain
• Free-Alliance Fish: 2008 Seven Terraces Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho: 2009 Chateau Routas Rouviere Rosé, Provence, France
• Gnocchi with Pork Shank: 2006 Boroli Quattro Fratelli Barbera, Piedmont, Italy
• Panna Cotta: NV Campbell’s Tokay, Rutherglen, Australia

Free-Alliance Fish with Mango-Cucumber Salad
Fish: serves 6, 6-oz. portions

2 ¼ lbs  free-alliance fish of your choice
1           clove garlic, chopped
¼ C       onion, minced
¼ C       olive oil
sea salt
1 stalk lemon grass, crushed

1.     Mix together the garlic, onion and olive oil. Brush mixture over fish, lay fish on the crushed lemon grass stalks and let marinate for 30 minutes. Season fish with sea salt. 
2.     Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat. Remove fish from the marinade, reserving the lemon grass stalks. Sear fish on one side for about 1-2 minutes depending upon size of fish. Flip to the other side and sear for another 1-2 minutes.
3.     Place seared fish in an oven-safe pan on top of the remaining lemon grass stalks. Finish cooking in oven until desired temperature is reached.

This salad has a fresh crunch and spicy kick. Prep Time: 20 minutes.

Mango-Cucumber Salad
serves 6

1 T    seasoned rice wine vinegar
1       garlic clove, minced
1 t     Thai green curry paste
1       English (seedless) cucumber, peeled and chopped
1       small mango, chopped
¾ C   red radish, chopped
¼ C   sweet onion, chopped
1 T    fresh basil, chopped
1 T    fresh mint, chopped
½ t    black sesame seeds

1.     In a small bowl, mix vinegar, garlic and curry paste.
2.     Put cucumber, mango, radish, onion, basil and mint in a medium bowl then toss with vinegar mixture to coat.
3.     Garnish with black sesame seeds.

Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho with Basil Oil
serves 12, 8-oz. portions

1         heirloom tomato or a ripe yellow tomato or heirloom tomatoes for garnish
3         large tomatoes (red, ripe), roasted and peeled
2         hot house cucumbers, peeled, seeded and burnoise
1 lb     ripe watermelon, peeled and large diced
2         red bell peppers, roasted, seeded and peeled
1         shallot, peeled and diced
¼ C     sherry vinegar
2 T      lime juice
1½ T   ginger, freshly grated
½        jalapeño, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
4         sprigs fresh basil
4         sprigs fresh mint
1/3 C  olive oil
dash of salt and pepper

Tomato gazpacho:
1. After seeding the cucumbers, lay flat in a pan and sprinkle with salt to remove the excess moisture for about 30 minutes then wash, pat dry and burnoise half of the cucumber and set aside. The other half goes into
the purée.
2. Dice roughly the large tomatoes, remaining cucumbers, red bell peppers, melon and shallot, ginger and
jalapeño and marinate with the sherry, olive oil, salt and pepper. Reserve one yellow tomato and cucumber for the garnish.
3. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Purée all marinated ingredients in a blender on high speed until smooth texture. Season to taste with salt
and pepper.

Basil oil:
1. Mix the basil, mint, olive oil in a blender and process for 5 seconds.
2. Bring the ingredients to boil in a medium pan, whisking constantly for 3 minutes.
3. Let cool to room temperature and strain through a café filter.
4. Serve in chilled glasses or bowls, garnish with diced heirloom tomato and a few drops of basil oil.

Braised and Roasted Pork Shanks with Capicola and Mushrooms
serves 4

This is perfect with mashed potatoes or gnocchi.
   
4        whole fresh pork shanks with rind (each 1¼ to 1 ½ lbs)
4 T     olive oil, divided
1        large onion, chopped
1 C    carrots, chopped
1 C    leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped
½ C   celery, chopped
½ lb   mushrooms, shitake, wood ear or your favorite, sliced
2 oz   capacola, chopped
6       garlic cloves, chopped
2 C    dry white wine
1 C    chicken broth or stock
3 t     fresh sage, divided and chopped
2 t     fresh rosemary, divided and chopped
fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1.     Preheat oven to 325F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 3 T oil in heavy, large-wide pot over medium-high heat. Add pork, in batches if necessary, and sauté until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to rimmed baking sheet.
2.     Spoon off and discard all but 2 T of fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots, leek, celery and  prosciutto. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft and beginning to color, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
3.     Mix in garlic and chopped mushrooms. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, leaving any sediment in bowl.
4.     Mix in 1 t sage and 1 t rosemary. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pot, arranging in single layer.
5.     Bring pork mixture to boil, cover pot and place in oven. Braise pork until very tender, turning over every 30 minutes, about 1 hour 30 minutes.     
    Note: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Simmer until just warm before continuing.
6.     Preheat oven to 425F. Transfer pork to rimmed baking sheet. Brush with remaining 1 T oil; sprinkle with remaining 2 t sage, 1 t rosemary and black pepper. Roast pork until browned, about 20 minutes.
7.     Meanwhile, tilt pan and spoon any fat from surface of sauce. Boil until sauce coats spoon lightly, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
8.     Spoon sauce onto large shallow platter or divide among 4 shallow bowls. Top sauce with pork, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Sautéed Mushrooms and Zucchini
serves 4

2 T   olive oil
1      shallot, minced
1      clove garlic, minced
2 C   mushrooms, sliced
1 C   zucchini, sliced
¼ C  stock or broth
season with salt and pepper

1.    Heat a sauté pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium high heat.
2.    Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until translucent then add the mushrooms and sauté until the moisture evaporates.
3.    Add the zucchini, stir a few times and add the stock to deglaze.
4.    Season with salt and pepper.
       Note: You can add chopped herbs like rosemary or thyme if you want. Or, even better, top with pecorino cheese or parmesan.

Gnocchi

3 lbs   russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 C     A.P. flour plus ¼ C
1        egg
pinch of salt
1/3 C  pecorino cheese, grated

1.     Boil the potatoes until they are soft.  Drain the potatoes and pass through a food mill while they are still warm.
2.     Heat a 6-8 quart pan with water and bring it to boil.
3.     Prepare an 8-quart container with ice and water and have next to the boiling pot of water.
4.    Sprinkle the potatoes with flour, reserving the ¼ C. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and add the egg, pinch of salt and pecorino cheese.
5.     Using your fingers and palms, mix the dough together.
6.     Once the egg is mixed in (you may need to add a little flour at the time), knead gently for another 3-5 minutes until the dough is dry to the touch.
7.     Cut the dough into 6 sections. Roll each section into a ¾-inch diameter dowel and cut the dowel into 1-inch- long pieces. Do this until no dough remains.
8.     Drop pieces into the boiling water and let them cook until gnocchi flat to the top about 1-2 minutes, remove from water and place into ice bath immediately. Let sit in water until completely cool, take out of the water, drain and toss with olive oil. Cover and store in refrigerator (up to 48 hours) until ready to use.

Panna Cotta

1/3 C     skim milk
1           (.25 ounce) envelope, unflavored gelatin
1 ½ C    heavy cream
1 C        buttermilk
½ C       white sugar
½           vanilla bean, split

1.     Pour milk into a small bowl, stir in the gelatin powder and set aside.
2.     In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, vanilla bean pod, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3.     Remove from heat, strain mixture and add buttermilk. Pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
4.     Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight before serving.

Roasted Figs and Plums
serves 6

6       figs cut in half
2       plums pitted and cut into 1/6
2 T    honey
1T     brown sugar
1 t     lemon juice
¼ C   dessert wine
¼ t     white pepper

1.     Mix together the honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, wine and pepper and pour over fruit and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
2.     Heat oven to 375F Place the fruit in an oven-safe pan and roast until soft and slightly brown, about 20 minutes.
3.     Remove from oven and let cool. Place on panna cotta with a bit more pepper if desired.    
        Note: You may want to reserve the liquid from the fruit. Cook it down and you will have wonderful syrup for pancakes.

Next Event:    October location TBD
Chef:               General Manager/Executive Chef Laurie Haney, Rumors Steakhouse rumorssteakhouse.com
Tickets:           $40, nonrefundable
To register:     e-mail bpearl@kc-hg.com

For more information about our partners, visit:
reneekellys.com
kitchenstudiokc.com
offthevinedesign.com
vitacraft.com