Kalio and Rendang

The rain is enveloping us and even if I tell myself every day that it is  wonderful to receive water from the sky, I do miss the sun and the happiness it brings to the day. At this time of the year, the end of the rainy season, I always feel like cooking long simmered dishes and spending time in the kitchen. 

Of course, the first thought I have is to cook a daube, maybe a coq au vin or a blanquette; all  dishes of my childhood. The daube and the coq au vin require wine, plentiful in Bordeaux but expensive in Bali, and the blanquette requires veal, unheard of here since Sapi, the cow, is too precious to kill at a young age and I do not want to buy expensive imported meat for a stew, which principle is to transform cheap cuts into tender and flavorful morsels.

We live in a coconut grove and we do have an abundance of coconuts though and there is a stall in the nearby market of Amlapura where I like to buy local beef. I love Rendang, a traditional long simmered dish from West Sumatra, cooked in spices and coconut milk.
The process is interesting in the sense that, instead of sauteing the meat first and adding a liquid as in traditional western stews, the meat, the spices and the coconut milk are all cooked together until the coconut milk reduces into oil and the meat slowly fries in it. The result is a very rich dish, subtly spiced and redolent of coconut sweetness.
The downside, for me at least, is there is not much sauce left in the finished dish and I love sauces. Kalio is simply Rendang which hasn't been cooked all the way. If the cooking is stopped before the coconut milk turns into oil and starts to fry the meat, you have Kalio, a delicious soupy dish where there is plenty of sauce for the rice or bread (or for mashing the potatoes cooked in it along the meat).
And this is what we will have for dinner tonight!

Beef Kalio

serve 6

2lbs, about 1kg of stewing beef, rump, brisket or top round

1 quart 1/2 of fresh coconut milk or good canned coconut milk

6 small potatoes, cut into chunks and parboiled 5 minutes

For the spice paste:

8 shallots, peeled and chopped

7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, inner part, sliced

2in/5cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

3in/8cm fresh galangal, peeled and chopped

2in/5cm fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped

8 long red chilies, chopped

1tsp black peppercorns

3 cloves

4 or 5 gratings of nutmeg

Flavorings for the Coconut Milk:

2 salam leaves
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 turmeric leaves, tied in a knot
1 cinnamon stick
2 lemongrass stems, bruised with the flat blade of a heavy knife
1 Tbs palm sugar, chopped
1tsp sea salt
Place all the ingredients for the spice paste with 2 Tbs of coconut milk in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.
Place in a shallow pan the coconut milk, the spice paste and the meat.

Stir and start cooking on a medium heat. As soon as the coconut milk is about to boil, lower the heat (otherwise it will curdle), add the potatoes and let the stew bubble gently for 1 1/2 hour, maybe a little more. 
The coconut milk should have reduced and the sauce should be thick.

At that point, you have Kalio. If you let the milk reduce to the point it starts to turn into oil oil, you are making rendang and you should watch carefully and stir to avoid scorching. It will take another hour or so, until the meat has absorbed most of the coconut oil and turns brown.
Either way, Kalio or Rendang, serve hot with bread or rice, topped with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and fried shallots.

My dinner with Loulou, a French Feast in Boston

Louise Marie-Eléonore, "Loulou"

Louise is the eldest of my children. Recently, she moved to Boston to attend college. On my way up to visit her, I was daydreaming and thinking about how much I have missed her these past five months. I was so excited to see her in her first apartment.

Louise is a wondeful artist. She has the talent to turn the most mundane objects into things of beauty. The world she creates and surrounds around herself with is truly full of wonders.

Louise is soft and gentle like a deer, passionate and fiery like a wild horse.

She has an old soul, deep and wise.

She is thoughtful and kind, she always surprises me...

She loves birds, nests and feathers...

Sometimes, when I look at her work, it is as if I could get a glimpse into her soft soul

Her art always touches my heart.

Louise has always loved to cook and is very good at it. When we are together, we like to plan for dinner while having our morning cup of coffee. And of course, with Louise, what has been bought and brought back home must be drawn first.

During the time I was in Boston, it was very cold. We decided to make a Bouillabaisse-like fish stew one night to escape the dreadful weather and a Veal Blanquette the next one to comfort ourselves.

Fish Stew in the manner of a Bouillabaisse

Serve 8

For the broth:
2 lbs of Mussels, scrubbed
8 Littleneck Clams, scrubbed
5 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 branches od Italian parsley
2 branches of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup of dry white wine (we used Tariquet from Bordeaux)
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste


For the fish and Seafood marinade:
3/4 lb very fresh Monkfish in one thick piece
3/4 lb very fresh Cod in one thick piece
3/4 lb very fresh Swordfish
1/2 lb very fresh Sea Scallops
1/2 lb large raw Shrimps shells on 
1 tsp Fennel seeds
Fennel fronds from 1 fennel bulb
The zest and slices of 1 orange
1/4 tsp Spanish Saffron
1/4 cup Lillet (optional)
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Stew:

1 large Onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium Fennel bulb, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 can San Marzano wholeTomatoes( crushed roughly)
2 cups of dried white wine
8 new baby potatoes, washed and cut in half
1 Bay leaf
2 branches fresh thyme
Sea salt to taste,
Freshly ground pepper to taste


For the Rouille:

I very fresh egg yolk

1/2 Tsp of French mustard (not French's)

3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed with 1/4 tsp sea salt

Vegetable oil or light olive oil

2 Tsp fresh white bread crumbs, barely moistened with milk

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

In a pan, place over medium heat the mussels, clams, shallots, salt, pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Cook until the mussels and clams start to open, add the wine and cook until all the mussels and clams are open, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat, let cool a little. Leave the clams whole but prepare the mussels on the half shell. Strain the broth in a bowl, reserve.

Cut all the fish in managable pieces to eat in a bite but not so small as to fall apart while cooking (we like 2 inches pieces), place them in a large non reactive dish (like Pyrex) with the shrimps and scallops. Add all the marinade ingredients: the fennel seeds and fronds, orange, saffron, Lillet if using, wine, salt and pepper. Marinate in a cool place for 1 hour, if longer, place in the refrigerator). After that time, drain and reserve the marinade.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottom pan ( wider than high), sweat the onion, fennel and carrot. When cooked but not colored, add the tomatoes, the reserved marinade,the wine, the bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender. Add the fish, shrimps and scallops, cook 5 minutes without boiling. Add the clams and mussels, taste for seasoning.

Make the rouille; in a bowl, put the egg yolk, mustard, salt and garlic. Whisk drop by drop the oil until emulsified, add the bread and cayenne.
Whisk some of the rouille into the stew, do not let boil.

Serve in soup bowls with a spoon of rouille and thinly sliced toasted baguette.

This stew is even better reheated the day after, it is easier to make it in a large quantity but since it is so good, you won't have to worry about it sitting in the refrigerator for too long!

Blanquette de Veau (Veal Blanquette)

Blanquette comes from the word "blanc" which means white in French. Traditionally, this is a very pale dish, the veal, turnips, mushrooms, onions and broth with the egg yolk and lemon mixed in at the end result in a monochromatic dish, very mild in flavor. I like to add blanched haricots verts and young carrots and in the spring I often add peas and asparagus because I like the bite they give to the dish and I love the colors as well . It's up to you to follow tradtion and omit these or give a try to this variation.

Serve 4

For the mushrooms:

1 lb assorted mushrooms (white mushrooms are traditional but I like baby Portobella, chanterelles and morels; one kind is fine), brushed and quartered

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Sea salt to taste

For the onions:

16 very small white onions

1 Tbs unsalted butter

2 tsp sugar

For the broth:

1 1/2 lb of veal cut in medium pieces

1 leek washed and cut in 4 pieces

1 branch of celery, washed and chopped

1 onion, peeled and studded with 3 cloves
The zest of 1/2 lemon in 1 or 2 pieces
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 Tbs of Lillet (not traditional but nice, and I had bought a bottle for the fish stew, so I figure out, why not use it)

Sea salt to taste

1 tsp of peppercorns

For the vegetables:

1/4 lb haricots verts or very small green beans, blanched

2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2 small turnips, peeled and quartered

In a large pot, place all the ingredients for the broth, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for an hour without boiling but bubbling gently, taste for seasonings. 

Drain the broth in another pan. Discard the vegetables and return the meat to the pot with the broth. place over medium/low heat, add the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes, do not let boil.

In another pan, sauté over medium/high heat the mushrooms with butter and a pinch od fresh thyme until nicely brown, deglaze with 2Tbs of the broth, add salt and pepper. Reserve.

Cook the onions in a covered pan with the butter, sugar, salt and pepper, cover with water and cook over medium/low heat until light brown, caramelized and fragrant about 10/15 minutes. Be careful they do not burn!

Add the mushrooms and onions to the broth, let the stew cook gently for 2 minutes longer.

In a small bowl, mix an egg yolk with 2 tsp of cornstarch, 1Tbs butter and the juice of half lemon, add some broth, mix again and pour in the pot (this is called a liaison), mix gently, heat for 2 more minutes and serve with plain rice.