Monday was a day off from the tech rehearsals for our new adaptation of Comedy of Errors [Note: 4% Shakespeare by Volume], and I took the opportunity to relax a bit in the kitchen. To start, some shaved fennel in a small saucepan with butter to confit while the rest of the meal was cooked, and some of the raw fennel set aside as well. In another small saucepan went some pinot noir along with balsamic vinegar, whole cloves, a cinnamon stick, star anise, fresh thyme and pinch of salt, and over medium low heat to simmer and reduce. Some beautiful chard had the stalks removed and diced, then blanched in boiling salted water for a couple minutes, followed by the sliced greens for another minute or so, then off to cool in an ice bath. The quinoa was started in a chicken stock broth, while a pork tenderloin – previously rubbed with cumin, coriander, ancho chili powder, salt and pepper – was seared in a rocket-hot cast iron skillet. After a few minutes and a nice brown crust, the tenderloin and its skillet went into a 400° oven for 12 minutes, and another skillet got some olive oil, diced onion and a dash of salt. Once the onions were a bit translucent (but before they browned), some chopped crimini mushrooms joined them in the pan, to cook until they gave up all their liquid. Finally, another splash of olive oil, a couple cloves of smashed garlic, a few red chili flakes and the drained and dried chard ends up in the skillet to all cook down together. Quinoa done, veggies done, together they go in the quinoa pot to sit and rest, covered, while we finish the rest of the dinner. The tenderloin comes out to the cutting board, covered with a tent of foil to rest, and the scallops (fresh, dry packed) go into a skillet (the veggie skillet, wiped out) with a bit of butter that’s been allowed to brown. A good sear on each side, but just barely warm in the middle, and the scallops come out to get topped with some of the confit fennel, some of the raw fennel, a few batons of lemon zest and some slivers of red jalapeno from our garden. A little fennel frond and a squirt from a lemon to top it all off, and there’s your first course. Enjoying the scallops allowed the pork to rest, so it’s time to slice it thinly on the bias, and lay it across a nice pile of the quinoa and veggies. The now reduced pinot sauce (down to about ½ a cup) gets some pats of butter whisked in, and is drizzled over the top and around the plate. Delicious. A 30 minute meal? No, but less than an hour, for sure, start to finish. And a nice break from trying to figure out how to make a turban appear to be on fire and fine tuning the blow job song.
Wines with dinner: For the scallops, 08 Gilbert Picq Chablis – all that is right about Chardonnay, apples and citrus and minerals and bracing acidity, and none of the buttered popcorn and oak-vanilla that seems so prevalent these days. Probably the best sub-$20 Chardonnay I’ve had.
For the pork and quinoa, 08 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – straightforward pinot without too much extraction or candied fruit flavors, an easy pairing with the pinot sauce.
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