Superstar chefs Giada De Laurentiis, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse mixed with restaurateurs, wine sellers, food publicists and plain folks willing to shell out $975 for three days of unlimited wine tasting and food sampling at the 24th annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic, plus seminars and cooking demonstrations by luminaries like Andrea Immer Robinson and Jacques Pepin.
We scoured the exhibits, listened hard at the seminars, and attended our fair share of cocktail parties and gala dinners to see and hear what resonated with other attendees. We were eager to see what trends promised to color the upcoming year – the good, the bad and the inexplicable.
Food, like fashion, is fickle. Only time will tell if these trends will last until the Classic’s 25th year. Meanwhile, these recipes will bring a little of that star power to your table.
MARIO BATALI
Spaghetti with Crab and Jalapenos
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 jalapeños, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch dice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound Dungeness crabmeat
- 1 pound spaghettini
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 watermelon
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 3 tablespoon Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Chopped pistachios
- Micro greens (cilantro, mint, arugula)
- 2 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1 large mango, finely diced
- 1 Hass avocado, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons snipped chives
- Peppercress or watercress sprigs, for garnish
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 anchovy fillets, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons pure olive oil
- Six 6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 quart canned pineapple juice
- 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sweet, smoky barbecue sauce (such as KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce)
- 12 large (long and meaty) beef ribs
- 4 cups hickory or other hardwood chips or chunks, soaked in water to cover for 1 hour, then drained
- 2 1/2 pounds ripe yellow tomatoes
- 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 hothouse cucumber
- 1/8 jalapeno, seeded and cut in half
- 4 cilantro sprigs, plus 12 cilantro leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons diced red or orange sweet pepper
- 3 tablespoons diced red onion
- 18 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Super-good extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 heads Belgian endive, halved lengthwise
- 1 large head radicchio, cut into 6 wedges
- 1 head romaine lettuce, quartered
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 ounces trumpet royal or oyster mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons jarred tapenade
- 4 slices toasted sourdough bread
- 1/2 cup sliced red grapes
- 6 ounces sliced mortadella
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
4 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
In a large skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add jalapeños and wine and bring to a boil. Stir in the crabmeat and remove from the heat.
In the pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghettini until al dente. Add spaghettini to crab mixture and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a warm bowl and serve.
Wine ideas: Mario Batali is known for robust flavors in his cooking, and this combo of sweet crab and hot peppers is no exception. And it just so happens that his restaurant partner, Joe Bastianich, makes wines that fit Batali’s cuisine to a T at his eponymous winery in Italy’s Friuli region. Check out Bastianich Tocai Friulano in particular: it’s ripe but savory with an almondlike richness.
-Tara Q. Thomas
JOSE ANDRES
Grilled Watermelon Steak with Pistachios and Micro Greens
4 servings
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the ends off the watermelon. Peel the green skin off along the white “frontier.” Cut 4 slices 2 inches thick from the peeled watermelon. Trim each slice into a 2-by-4-inch steak.
Cut a small “X” in the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 20 seconds. Drain and submerge the tomatoes in ice water. Peel and seed the tomatoes. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch dice. Toss the diced tomato with the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt.
In a skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the watermelon steaks and cook for a few minutes on each side until caramelized around the edges. Place the steaks on plates. Top each with a bit of the tomato mixture, the pistachios and the micro greens. Season with a little Maldon salt and serve.
Wine ideas: Any summer day is a good day for a cool glass of fino herry; this nut-enriched dish just further encourages drinking it. La Ina is the standard bearer, and for good reason: Its salty, bracingly zingy flavors are capable of transporting land-locked drinkers to the seashore.
-Tara Q. Thomas
Crab Salad with Avocado and Mango
Dieterle’s cool and fruity crab salad is garnished with lacy fried eggs. He learned to prepare eggs this way by watching street cooks in Thailand. From the July 2006 Food & Wine, serves 4.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium bowl, vigorously beat eggs; season with salt and pepper. Strain eggs and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a blender, combine shallot, ginger, lime juice and fish sauce, and purée. With the machine on, add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil in a thin stream and blend until emulsified. Transfer dressing to a medium bowl. Add crab, mango, avocado and chives to the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Fold gently and refrigerate salad.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 cup oil until shimmering. Using your fingertips, drizzle half of the beaten eggs into the hot oil in a lacy pattern; spoon some of the hot oil over the eggs so they puff and sizzle. Cook until set and golden, about 1 minute. Carefully transfer the lacy eggs to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining beaten eggs.
On a small plate, pack one-fourth of the crab salad into a 4-inch ring mold; lift off the ring. Repeat for the remaining 3 servings. Drape some of the lacy eggs over the crab and garnish with the peppercress.
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
Tilapia with Citrus Bagna Cauda
Bagna cauda literally means “warm bath.” It’s a warm garlicky sauce that, in the Piedmont region of Italy, is used for dipping vegetables. Orange juice and lemon zest lighten the flavors and make it perfect for pouring over flaky tilapia fillets. Use leftovers to brighten the flavor of steamed cauliflower or simple boiled potatoes. Adapted from “Giada’s Family Dinners,” by Giada De Laurentiis (above), makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt butter in extra-
virgin olive oil over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Add the anchovies and stir until they dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Stir in the orange juice, basil and lemon and orange zests. Season sauce to taste with salt.
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, cook the fish until just opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a platter. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while cooking the second batch of fish. Drizzle the bagna cauda over and around the fish and serve.
Make ahead: The bagna cauda sauce can be made up to one day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.
STEVEN RAICHLEN
Dinosaur Ribs (Pineapple-Marinated Smoked Beef Ribs)
Method: smoking/indirect grilling. Grill: smoker/charcoal grill. 4 servings.
Ingredients
MARINADE:
RIBS:
Directions
Marinade: In a large nonreactive saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil over moderate heat. Add sugar, dry mustard and salt and simmer until dry ingredients are dissolved, whisking well. Add pineapple juice, Worcestershire sauce, onion, oil and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce; whisk to mix. Remove pan from heat and cool to room temperature; refrigerate until cold.
Prepare ribs: Remove thin, papery membrane from back of each rib. Insert a sharp implement, such as the tip of a meat thermometer, under membrane (the best place to start is at the end of the bone). Using a dishcloth or pliers to gain a secure grip, pull off membrane. Whisk marinade again, add beef ribs. They should be completely covered by marinade. Cover pan and refrigerate ribs overnight, stirring once or twice.
Set up smoker and preheat to 250. Drain ribs, discarding marinade. Arrange ribs in smoker, bone side down, and toss 1 cup wood chips on coals. Cook until darkly browned and very tender, 3-6 hours (depending on size). Replenish charcoal and wood chips every hour. (There is no need to add wood chips after 4 hours.) When ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/2-inch. Transfer ribs to a platter, baste with remaining barbecue sauce and serve.
Wine ideas: As Raichlen points out in “Ribs, Ribs, Outrageous Ribs” (Workman 2006), sweet tea is the traditional accompaniment to barbecue. It makes sense: It’s cold, it’s sweet and it’s cheap. Apply this to wine, and you get … white zinfandel. So those who love white zinfandel should drink it with gusto when it comes to barbecue. Those who can’t handle the thought should try the red version of the grape. It’s a completely different effect, but its black flavors and burly texture will handle the sweet-sauced meat with aplomb. -Tara Q. Thomas
SUZANNE GOIN
Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
This recipe was developed by Julie Robles, longtime cook, sous chef, then chef de cuisine at Lucques, Goin’s Los Angeles restaurant. It’s one of those magical recipes in which you combine a few simple ingredients and end up with an unexpected dramatic result. As long as you have a blender (it doesn’t work as well in a food processor) and really great tomatoes, this refreshing gazpacho is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. 6 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Blanch yellow tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Cool tomatoes in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. Use your fingers to slip off their skins. Remove cores and coarsely chop the tomatoes, saving all the juice. Reserve the ice water.
Seed and dice 3 tablespoons of unpeeled cucumber, as prettily as you can manage, for the garnish. Peel and coarsely chop remaining cucumbers.
Place half the yellow tomatoes, coarsely chopped cucumbers, jalapeños, cilantro sprigs, garlic, vinegar and olive oil in a blender with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper. Process at the lowest speed until broken down. Turn the speed up to high and purée until the soup is completely smooth. If the soup is too think, add a little of the reserved ice water. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Taste for seasoning. Repeat with the rest of the soup ingredients. Chill the soup in refrigerator until it’s very cold.
Toss diced sweet pepper, onion and cucumber together in a small bowl. Put gazpacho into 6 chilled soup bowls and scatter pepper mixture over soup. Season cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper and place 6 cherry tomato halves and 2 cilantro leaves at the center of each bowl. Finish each soup with a drizzle of super-good olive oil. To serve family-style, place the soup in a chilled tureen or pretty pitcher and garnish with the cherry tomato halves and cilantro; pass the diced vegetables on the side.
Wine ideas: You don’t want anything to get in the way of the fresh flavors of a good gazpacho, so if you’re going to drink anything besides the soup in your bowl, make it the lightest, brightest white wine you can find. My vote goes to Vinho Verde, which has a spritzy lightness and clear, citrusy mineral flavors. And few will set you back more than $12.-Tara Q. Thomas
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
Grilled Lettuces
Surprisingly, lettuce is fabulous grilled! If you’re bored with the same old salads, try this one.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for moderately high heat or preheat a ridged gill pan over moderately high heat. Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the endives, radicchio and romaine, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill the lettuces, turning occasionally, until they are crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 6 minutes.
Coarsely chop the lettuces. In a large bowl, toss the lettuces with the vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
HAROLD DIETERLE
Mortadella Sandwiches with Grapes, Mushrooms and Tapenade
Dieterle came up with this combination as part of a challenge on “Top Chef.” It won the contest and a place on the menu at Tom Colicchio’s new Witchcraft, opening in San Francisco in September. From the July 2006 issue of Food & Wine, makes 2 sandwiches.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms in olive oil until tender; season with salt and pepper. Mix mayonnaise with tapenade and spread on toasted sourdough. Top half of the slices with mushrooms, grapes, mortadella and parsley. Close the sandwiches, halve and serve.
