So long, complex tropical fish dishes and Southwestern-spiced steaks. The hottest trend in Denver-area cooking right now has nothing to do with culinary inventiveness or unexplored flavors-it’s a re-wind to the simple, savory, all-American and pan-Mediterranean flavors we know, love and just can’t seem to get enough of.
Simple pasta dishes. Seventeen-ingredient lasagna and curry-and-mango-flavored gnocchi are things of the past; it’s all about simple, straightforward pastas made with familiar, but exquisite, ingredients. Think perfectly al-dente spaghetti with plum tomatoes and garlic (Montecito), tagliatelle with salt and pepper (Radda), and pasta carbonara with cured pork belly and cracked pepper (Fruition).
Eat it: Montecito (1120 E. Sixth Ave., 303-777-8222), Radda (1265 Alpine Ave., Boulder, 303-442-6100), Fruition (1313 E. Sixth Ave., 303-831-1962)
Seafood soups. Had it with seared tuna and plain old mussels? Good news: Fish soups and stews are the name of the seafood game these days. Fleshy filets are layered with shellfish and bivalves in smooth, savory broths. Think classic cioppinos (Alto), bouillabaisses (Café Mondo), and chowders (The Black Cat), all perfect winter meals.
Eat it: Alto (1320 15th St., 303-893-2586), Café Mondo (3301 Tejon St., 303-433-4626), The Black Cat (1964 13th St., Boulder, 303-444-9110)
Saltimbocca. If there’s a better flavor combination than crispy pancetta, brown butter and sage, we sure don’t know what it is. Traditionally, the saltimbocca combo was reserved for veal, but lately it’s been showing up at local tables on things like diver scallops (Vita) and chicken breasts (Via).
Eat it: Vita (1575 Boulder St., 303-477-4600), Via (1801 Wynkoop St., 303-295-1488)
Apples. Enough with crème brûlée and molten chocolate cake! Following in the fabulous footsteps of Denver’s reigning queen of the apple tart (Duo’s Yasmin Lozada-Hissom), restaurants are looking to good-old fashioned apples to salve area sweet-tooths. Think feuilletes of caramelized apples with gorgonzola (Rioja), apple crostada (Enzio’s), and warm apple crisp (Restaurant Kevin Taylor) with homemade ice cream.
Eat it: Rioja (1431 Larimer St., 303-820-2282), Enzio’s (126 W. Mountain, Fort Collins, 970-484-8466, Restaurant Kevin Taylor (1106 14th St., 303-820-2600)
Classic cocktails. In a city overrun with cockamamie martinis, it’s reassuring to see a committed return to good old-school mixed drinks like sidecars (Steuben’s) and Negronis (Summit). These timeless concoctions competently quenched generations past and are still the best things at the bar. Welcome back.
Drink it: Steuben’s (523 E. 17th Ave., 303-830-1001), Summit (19 Lake Circle, Colorado Springs, 719-577-5896)
Black Cat’s Chowder
Chef Eric Skokan of Boulder’s Black Cat Bistro Métropolitan, calls this hearty soup “roasted Barraqueta grouper served as a chowder.” This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients
1 large carrot, cut into small dice
3 ribs celery, cut into small dice
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
1 bulb fresh fennel, cut into small dice
1 pound gold potatoes, cut into large dice
Grapeseed oil
One pinch saffron
1 quart vegetable or fish stock
1 cup cream
1/2 cup chardonnay
Salt to taste
1 1/2 pounds Barraqueta grouper
1 pound mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
1/2 pound bay scallops
Flat leaf parsley to garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, combine carrot, celery, onion, fennel and potato with 3 tablespoons oil, cooking until mixture just begins to pick up color. Add saffron, stock, cream and wine. Continue cooking, allowing the liquid to come to a gentle simmer. Cook until potatoes are just tender. Season the chowder with salt to taste. Reserve warm.
Cut grouper into manageable pieces (3 or so ounces each) season lightly with salt. In a hot sauté pan, cook grouper with a little grapeseed oil until golden. Transfer fish to an ovenproof baking dish and reserve.
Return chowder to the stove on high heat. When it returns to a boil add the mussels and bay scallops and remove from heat immediately.
Meanwhile, place fish in oven for 2-3 minutes to cook through.
To serve, ladle chowder among four large soup plate or bowls concentrating the vegetables and seafood into the center to make an island. Divide the grouper among the bowls, placing the pieces atop the vegetable-seafood mixture. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Montecito Spaghetti
Chef Adam Mali of the new Montecito says “the best (and potentially worst) thing about this dish is its simplicity: if any of the components are slightly off, it could get ugly.” Emulate the chef, and seek out the best ingredients you can afford. Makes 4-6 large servings.
Ingredients
2 16-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferrably with no salt added
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, such as Olio Verde, or Badia Coltibuono
Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds spaghetti (we use DeCecco)
5 cloves garlic, sliced as thin as possible (as in the prison scene in “GoodFellas” where Paul Sorvino slices the garlic with a razor blade so it melts in the pan)
8 leaves basil, chiffonade (sliced very finely)
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional
Directions
Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Scrape the seeds out of the tomatoes with your hands. With a masher, mash up the tomatoes, so they’re soft, but still have texture.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1/2 the olive oil. To that, add the garlic, cook until translucent, with little or no browning.
Add tomatoes, stir until broken up. Add salt and pepper to taste, so the salt balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
Cook the spaghetti in a large amount of rapidly boiling, salted water (at least 12 quarts) until al dente. To check for al dente, take a strand of spaghetti out of the water, and either bite it, or cut it. It should be somewhat soft, but give a little resistance. It should also have a white “dot” in the center of the strand as you look at it cross-wise. The spaghetti will finish cooking with the sauce.
Add the spaghetti to the sauce, and toss to coat. Add the chili flakes at the very end, give one more toss. When plating the spaghetti, garnish with a drizzle of the extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of basil.
Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if you wish.
Perfect Ten Negroni
A classic cocktail from Summit Restaurant at The Broadmoor.
Ingredients
2 ounces Tanqueray No.Ten gin
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce Campari
Orange twist
Directions
Combine gin, vermouth and Campari in a glass over ice. Stir, strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with orange twist.
Rioja Apple Feuilleté
From Rioja’s pastry chef Eric Dale, makes 8 desserts.
Ingredients
SHELL:
2 1-pound packages puff pastry
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
WHITE WINE REDUCTION:
4 cups white wine (chablis)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
PORT WINE REDUCTION:
2 cups ruby port
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
FILLING:
6-8 large Granny Smith or other tart baking apples
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces high-quality gorgonzola cheese
(Dale uses Italian Mountain gorgonzola)
Directions
Divide each piece of puff pastry into thirds. Place one third of the pastry on work surface, brush with egg wash. Cut 4 large triangles with a cookie cutter and set aside. Place second third of pastry on work surface. Brush with egg wash and top with remaining third of pastry. Cut 4 large triangles from this double stack and cut out a smaller triangle from the middle. Place each of these double stacks onto reserved large triangles and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining pastry, for a total of eight shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Sauces: Place ingredients for white wine reduction in a small heavy sauce pan and ingredients for port wine in another pan. Bring each to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer until they have reduced by half.
Filling: Peel, core and dice apples. Place apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large sauté pan and cook over high heat until sugar caramelizes and apples are starting to soften. At the very end, before you serve, toss in the gorgonzola.
Divide apple mixture among eight shells, and drizzle with wine reductions. Serve warm and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprig of fresh mint.
Steuben’s Sidecar
A fitting drink for this retro restaurant/bar.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces brandy
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces sweet and sour mix
Splash soda
Directions
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake hard and serve up.
Vita’s Diver Scallops Saltimbocca
Saltimbocca is an Italian term that means “jumps in the mouth.” At Vita, the hot new restaurant in the Olinger building, executive chef Max McKissock’s version will jump in your mouth. The classic is made with veal, but Vita’s combines seared scallops, mostarda (a Northern Italian fruit condiment spiced with mustard, sold at specialty stores such as The Truffle, and on the Internet), baked prosciutto and fried sage. This recipe makes 2 servings.
Ingredients
2 thin slices prosciutto
Sage leaves
2 cups oil for frying
MOSTARDA AIOLI:
1/4 cup prepared mostarda
1 teaspoon Dijón-style mustard
1/4 cup prepared aioli
POTATO PANCAKES:
1 large Yukon gold potato
1 tablespoon chives
1 egg
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon white pepper
ARUGULA AND SCALLOPS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced very thin
1/2 pound arugula
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
8 diver scallops
Directions
Prosciutto: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place two thin slices of prosciutto on cookie sheet and cover with parchment paper. Place another cookie sheet on top and weigh it down with a stack of plates or other heavy heat-proof object. Bake prosciutto 8 minutes, then let it cool on a rack.
Fried sage: In a small, deep pot, heat 1 inch oil to 300 degrees. In small batches, fry the sage and reserve on a paper towel.
Mostarda aioli: Combine fruit, mustard and aioli.
Potato pancakes:
Grate potato and strain out excess liquid. Mix all ingredients and form into small cakes. Heat butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sear pancakes until golden brown, reserve on a paper towel.
Arugula and scallops: In a medium sauté pan over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and sweat a few seconds before adding arugula. Sauté, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and finish by deglazing with balsamic vinegar.
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil and butter in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper and sear for 90 seconds on each side.
To serve: Lay out arugula in an even layer on 2 plates. Place 4 potato pancakes on each plate of arugula and top each with a scallop, a dollop of mostarda aioli, a piece of fried sage, and a piece of baked prosciutto.
Enzio’s Apple Crostata with Dulseda Caramel Sauce
This shortcut to apple pie tastes like you slaved all day. At Enzio’s in Fort Collins, they serve it with cinnamon-vanilla gelato, whipped cream and caramel sauce.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 pound apples (preferably two types, such as Granny Smith and Pink Lady) peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
1/4 ounce dried cherries
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sheet fresh or frozen pie crust, or puff pastry (10 by 15 inches)
1/4 cup melted butter
Cinnamon-sugar mixture
DULSEDA CARAMEL SAUCE:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dulseda Dulce de Leche liqueur
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place butter, sugar, apples and cherries in large sauté pan, cook over medium heat until sugar caramelizes. Add brandy, cook until alcohol evaporates. Add cinnamon, stir gently, remove from heat and cool.
Cut crust into 6 5-inch circles, place in small tart pans or ramekins. Brush circles with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place equal amounts of apple mixture on crusts. Place dishes on sheet pan. Place in oven. Bake 30-35 minutes, until crust looks flaky and golden. While crostatas are baking, prepare the caramel: In a small pan, cook butter, sugar and cream until thick. Add liqueur, cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Can be served hot or warm. Reheat in microwave.
Remove pies from oven, cool slightly. Serve with ice cream and caramel.
