BGE Update

Having great results with the Big Green Egg as the experimentation continues. Had a smoked filet of salmon that was really nice. A whole filet of Coho salmon from The Fishery about 16 in. long and 3/4 in. thick, slashed with diagonals to help even cooking, rubbed with salt and pepper and brushed lightly with olive oil. Midway through its 45 to 55 min. smoking, mopped with a dill butter (12 Tbl butter, 1/4 c. minced dill, clarify the butter). It was supposed to get another coat of dill butter at end, but I skipped that part. Served as an hors d'oeuvres on wonderful small corncakes with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chives.

For a special occasion, splurged on a lovely standing rib roast ordered through Broad Branch that got a heavy duty salt and pepper rub the night before. Smoked at about 240 degrees for 4 hours, using apple and oak chips, to an internal temperature of 125 degrees, mopping every half hour with a mixture of A1 Steak Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce with 2 Tbl of butter melted into it, kept warm for mopping. These were real Flintstone ribs when carved and were tender and delicious. Yabbadabbado. I would probably go up to 130 internal temperature next time to get closer to medium rare. Also, though this was delicious, would probably try grill roasting -- 450 degrees for an hour and a half without the smoke or mopping -- next time to get more of that restaurant prime rib taste. I was trying this time for wonderful flavor of the beef rib roast I had at Jack Stack in Kansas City summer before last. This was somewhat different but equally delicious.

I also tried the chicken on a throne, including injection, but found it a lot of trouble for what in the end tasted a lot like roast chicken. Think I'll just try a simple roast next time.

The real test will be ribs, and that will come later this fall. The recipes, btw, are from my bible/primer for all things barbecue -- The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining by Bill and Cheryl Jamison, which has been 100 percent reliable as well as remarkably clear and comprehensive. I took a class from them when I was in Santa Fe summer before last, which was not great, but they really know their outdoor cooking.

Beanpot

It's hard to strike the right balance between furnishing your kitchen with special equipment and avoiding clutter. It's been easy to resist a pannini grill, but I bought a cazuela from La Tienda and regret to say I've gotten little use out of it.

But a recent Epicurious recipe for Tuscan beans included a whole discussion about the merits of a terracotta beanpot. Though the beans tasted great cooked our Le Creuset dutch oven, I took the plunge and got a 5-quart Piral beanpot from La Cuisine in Alexandria. We've been getting these nice heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo and we really like bean dishes. Plus, the plain terracotta version I got is decorative enough to sit out of the way on the top shelf of the hutch.

Seasoning consisted of simply immersing it in water for three hours. So the maiden dish for the new beanpot was Red beans Basque style from Janet Mendel's My Kitchen in Spain. I used the Santa Maria Piquito beans from Rancho Gordon -- little pink beans that are supposed to hold their shape well.

RG's beans in general do not have to have an overnight soak. Putting them in to soak the same morning and leaving them for four or five hours will generally cut the cooking time to an hour or so. As with the Tuscan bean recipe, though, this one just suggested putting the beans on a slow simmer for two or three hours.

For this recipe, you put 1 lb or rinsed beans into the pot with 6 c. of water, add an optional ham bone (which I didn't have), 1 large carrot cut into chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small green pepper chopped, and a half onion chopped. You bring the water to a boil and add a Tbl of olive oil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for an hour.

You then add a cup of cold water to "shock" the beans and cook for another half an hour. Then add another cup of cold water and 1 leek white and tender parts chopped, 1 lb potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, 1 Tbl salt and 4 oz of chorizo or any pork link sausage (I used hot Italian sausage from Broad Branch). You cook for another hour or so until the beans are tender. Three optional condiments to serve with it are cooked cabbage, sauteed red onion slices, or mild pickled green chiles (I opted for the red onion).

The stew was delicious. The spicy sausage added just the right amount of heat, but I would probably add a bit more sweet sausage, especially in the abscence of the ham bone. I'd love to try it another time with the ham bone, though, if anyone can tell me where to get one. I got several meals from it over the week and never tired of it. We sauteed more sausage one time and more red onion. Another time for lunch I just sprinkled cubes of feta cheese on top and that worked.

Did I have to have a beanpot to cook this recipe. Probably not, but it certainly came out nicely and was fun this way.

Mini-bite bargains

Grazing is not the right word for our efforts to escape the high cost of going out by sampling places in a less expensive way than a full meal. Restaurateurs have recognized this need, and the vast array of small plates, medium-sized plates and gourmet hamburgers is designed to give customers the choice of small bites or large.

This past weekend we ducked into Palena for one of our favorite "bargain" meals -- Frank Ruta's gourmet hamburger, which has to be pure ground sirloin and which is so perfectly seasoned and grilled it remains as my favorite burger in Washington. It comes on homemade buns with a slice of melted cheese.

At the newly increased price of $12, it may not seem like a bargain for a burger, especially since you have to order any sides separately. We split an order of the Palena fries -- French fries, onion rings, "dauphine" potatoes, and some lovely deep-fried marinated lemon slices.

The burger and other less expensive dishes are available in the front of the restaurant, with the back dining room reserved for the prix fixe menus.

Another day, we stopped in at Bistrot Lepic's Wine Bar, upstairs from the restaurant that offers some of the most authentic French cuisine in the city. The decor upstairs is an odd but strangely tasteful mix of Tiki and French provincial, with a humorous series of wall paintings playing on a Bistrot Le Pig pun. I had the Bistrot Le Pig cocktail, a variation on a Planter's punch, and we split a small appetizer of fried goat cheese on a bed of greens. It was a pleasant, relatively inexpensive interlude on the way to a family meal.

Other bargain favorites are Lia's generous happy hour -- which features a great $5 burger and $8 pizzas and is all evening on Mondays and Wednesdays -- and just sitting at the bar at Dino, which has great drinks, free snacks and Dino's assortment of small and large plates if you want to eat.