THE MERRION HOTEL

Upper Merrion Street, Dublin

One would think that 142 well-appointed guest rooms, a spa, swimming pool and fitness center, an impressive collection of Irish art, two gardens, two bars, two restaurants (one being Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, a Michelin two-star), and a superb location in Dublin’s city center would be enough attributes for The Merrion Hotel, but the list doesn’t begin to touch the magic of this five-star property.

Dublin is considered one of the greatest Georgian cities in the world, and The Merrion occupies four historic, red-brick Georgian townhouses dating from 1760.  Scrupulous restoration preserves the original integrity of the architecture and  thoughtful interior design helps the hotel radiate an ambiance of gracious gentility. Peat fires burn in drawing room fireplaces. Antique chandeliers light public rooms. Period furniture provides a feel of ancestral hominess.

But don’t think the Merrion is wedded to the past. The lovely guest rooms include every contemporary toy, such as Wi-Fi, flat screen TVs and multi-line phones with voicemail.

Located opposite from Government buildings and an easy stroll to restaurants, pubs, shopping, museums and a variety of sight seeing options, The Merrion provides top quality stays along with an opportunity to experience the best of Georgian Dublin from the inside out.

THE G HOTEL

Wallpark, Dublin Road, Galway

Perhaps the “g” in the g Hotel stands for Galway, the city of its location, or maybe g refers to glamour, glitz and glitter, as this five-star boutique hotel bursts with pumped-up, star-studded style.

Design director Philip Treacy used supermodels and Hollywood divas for inspiration when creating the hotel. Public rooms positively compete with each other for the spotlight. The hotel’s three themed lounges—the Grand Salon, a silver-and-cream-movie-fantasy set with a 300 dazzling mirrored balls hanging from the ceiling; the Pink Salon, a flamboyant maze of hot-flash pink and dizzy black and white stripes; and the darkly dramatic Blue Lounge—totter on the edge of kitsch. And the hotel’s restaurant is only a tad more subdued with mood lighting bringing out the brilliance of white tablecloths and neon-colored seating.

Restraint and tranquility comes into play with the spa (an oasis of quiet) and the 101 guest rooms.

Designed with a nod to Mother Nature,  guest rooms feature restful neutral colors and seaside decorations as well as all of the amenities expected in a five-star hotel.

Located overlooking Lough Atalia, and a few minutes drive from Galway’s city center, the hotel offers easy access to both city and regional exploring. The g will please those seeking both extravagant style and extraordinary substance.

ASHFORD CASTLE

Cong

Co Mayo

“A man’s home is his castle,” is not just a proverb.  In Ireland it’s a literal truth. Ashford Castle has been a home since the Anglo-Norman de Burgo family laid the first stones in 1228. Other notables calling Ashford home include Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, who bought the estate in 1852, adding acreage, roads and two large Victoria-styled extensions and his son, Lord Ardilaun, who took over in 1868, extending the gardens and rebuilding the entire west wing.

The property has traded owners happily ever after, being turned into a luxury hotel in 1939 as it remains to this day (under several different owners).

As one would expect from a true-blue castle, public rooms are no less than baronial, reflecting centuries of care in the rich oak paneling, period pieces and treasured objects de art.

In addition to the 83 classy and classic guest rooms , which differ greatly in size and configuration, Ashford Castle hosts a variety of places to eat and drink, a business center, a boutique and a health centre.

Bordered by Lough Corrib and the River Cong, and isolated on 350 acres filled with gardens, forests and glorious green land (where much of The Quiet Man was filmed), the grounds of Ashford Castle provide opportunity for a number of outdoor pursuits, including golf, fishing, archery, horse-back riding, clay-pigeon shooting and the darling of Medieval European nobles, falconry.

BELLINTER HOUSE HOTEL 

Navan, Co. Meath

Staying at Bellinter House is like staying with a quirky friend who owns a baronial country estate, employs a wonderful chef, and welcomes you to share the bounty.

The Palladian style-mansion, originally built in 1750, was renovated in 2004 and opened as a four-star spa hotel. Guest rooms fill various buildings over the rambling property and differ greatly as to size and décor, yet all contain plasma screen TV, WiFi, and an individually controlled “mood” lighting system.

By far the most fun and dramatic guests rooms are located in the Main House, as are the public rooms, which include the well-known Eden Restaurant (recipe follows), a bar, a games room and a library stocked not only with books, but also wellingtons (boots) for guests to borrow when tramping through the countryside. Well-worn wood floors, retro lighting, vintage and hand-made furniture, and some odd decorating touches (cow motifs—go figure) add to the Main House’s casual, lived-in character.

Bellinter House sits on the bank of river Boyne, in the lushly green parkland sweeps of County Meath and activities include hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding, golf and sightseeing (important prehistoric sites as well as Trim castle, where Mel Gibson filmed Braveheart, are nearby).

BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW

(Adapted from a recipe supplied by Eden Restaurant, Bellinter house.)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

About 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into large chucks

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon paprika

About 2 cups Guinness, divided

2 sprigs rosemary, divided

2 sprigs thyme, divided

Oil

1 large onion, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

3 stalks celery, cubed

About 4-1/4 cups jus (see note) or very rich flavorful beef stock

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces mushrooms, halved or quartered

Cooked green beans

Mashed potatoes

Marinate beef for one or two days before making the stew.

TO MARINATE THE BEEF: Put beef in a glass bowl (or a plastic bag). Sprinkle garlic and paprika over beef and toss well. Add about 3/4 cup Guinness, one sprig thyme and one sprig rosemary; stir gently. Cover bowl or secure bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days, adjusting ingredients occasionally, if necessary to redistribute marinade.

TO COOK

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Drain and discard marinade from beef. Dry beef with paper towels. Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy ovenproof pan and brown beef cubes on all sides. Remove beef from pan and set aside.

Add onion, carrot and celery to pan and sauté until onion just begins to brown. Add jus to pan and stir. Add beef, remaining Guinness, rosemary and thyme. Stir gently. Bring liquid just to a boil.

Cover pan and place in a preheated 400°F oven until beef is very tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet and sauté mushrooms until brown. Just before serving, add mushrooms to stew.

Serve stew in bowls, topped with green beans and mashed potatoes.

NOTE: Eden Restaurant makes jus by slowly simmering rich beef stock with red wine until the liquid is reduced significantly.  For this recipe you can simmer 2 quarts of rich flavorful beef stock with about 1 cup red wine until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups.

Imagine being in Phuket (Southern Thailand), boarding a yacht equipped with six luxury en-suit cabins and an attentive staff that includes a gifted cook.

Perhaps you will head off to the clear waters of the Andaman Sea—or the Indian Ocean—or the Gulf of Thailand; whatever the itinerary, it will be tailored as you desire, as will your activities. You might ask to stop for swimming, diving, snorkeling, fishing, or beachcombing on a slew of virtually virginal tropical islands, or perhaps you prefer to lounge on one of the decks and soak up the sun and then chase the sunset, always surrounded by ever-changing, spectacular scenery.

Too good to be true? No, indeed. The Siam Junk is yours for the charter.

Built in 2007, of Burmese teak and ironwood, The Siam Junk is designed to resemble the ancient sailing vessels used for centuries to carry goods between Thailand and Myanmar. The Junk’s Asian decor reinforces the ships exotic exterior providing a perfect marriage of function and style. At 113-feet long and 23-feet wide, the Junk is large enough to accommodate 12 to 18 overnight guests or up to 60 day trippers in comfort—and it is small enough to squeeze into tight passages unavailable to larger ships.

Charter The Siam Junk for the day, a week, a month or two—but once you taste the food, you will want to stay forever (that’s a promise—see sample recipe below).

In addition to charters, The Junk offers a few set cruises, many designed for photography groups and all satisfying to food lovers.

Unique, delightful, relaxing, fun—oops, as I said, I really shouldn’t talk about it too much.

THE SIAM JUNK’S

YELLOW CURRY WITH CHICKEN AND SQUASH 

Yield 2 to 4 servings.

13 to 14 ounces coconut milk

2 tablespoons yellow Thai curry paste

10 ounces skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

10 ounces butternut, acorn or pumpkin squash flesh, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon or more sugar

1 tablespoon or more of good quality fish sauce

Thai basil or mint leaves, optional garnish

Put coconut milk in a heavy wok or frying pan, set wok over moderate heat and bring milk to a simmer.  Add the curry paste and stir well. Once the curry paste has been thoroughly incorporated, bring mixture back to the simmer. Add the chicken and squash and stir well.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add sugar and fish sauce until the taste is good to you.

Serve immediately garnished with basil or mint leaves if desired.

From the center of Durbuy, Belgium

is large enough to have a restaurant serving what my traveling companions claim is one of the biggest taste treats in all of Belgium. Considering the nature of our trip, this is super-size praise for any size town.

I was traveling with four fellow food writers through Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, enjoying a luscious sneak preview of the up-and-coming Belgian 2012 Year of Gastronomy.

Local beer---good accompaniment to local food.

The day we landed in Durbuy for lunch (day three of our trip), we had already devoured a huge breakfast at the Auberge du Sabotier in Awenne (our previous night’s stop), followed by a generous beer and charcuterie tasting in Rochefort.

By the time we settled into Le Victoria Restaurant and Grill, I had so overindulged that I could only manage to order a small salad. My colleagues had more fortitude; they ordered grilled chicken.

Le Victoria is a pretty place with several dining areas. We chose an indoor table, near the open grill, and from my seat, I could hear the sizzle when chef Koen Timmerman put the chickens on to cook. Lured by the sound and scent, I stood to watch.

Koen Timmerman grilling chicken at Le Victoria's open grill.

One half chicken constituted an order and Koen grilled the halves, over a medium high flame, basting and turning them often, until the skins were nicely browned and crispy. He then transferred the halves to a large bowl, tossed them for a few moments in what he called a “marinade.” and sent them to the table hot, fragrant and chin-dripping juicy. The whole process took about 20 minutes.

My colleagues raved. They raved after the first bite. They raved when they finished eating. They raved the following day. And they raved at the end of the trip when asked to remember their favorite meal.

They raved so much, that as soon as I returned home, I adapted Koen’s recipe (which he had given to me in restaurant proportions and European measurements), and made the chicken for a casual dinner party. My guests raved. My husband raved. Chances are you’ll rave too.

GRILLED CHICKEN

(Adapted from a recipe from Koen Timmerman. Le Victoria Restaurant and Grill)

Yield: 4 large servings.

2 frying chickens, halved

Basting ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 bay leaf

Finishing ingredients “marinade”:

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

3/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put basting ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined; set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add remaining finishing ingredients and stir well. Set aside. If necessary reheat mixture to melt butter before using.

Set chicken halves on a grill over hot coals. Grill, brushing often with basting mixture and turning as necessary, until halves are cooked through, but not dry, and skin is well browned and crispy.

Transfer chicken from the grill to a large dish. Pour finishing mixture over chicken and turn halves over several times to coat with mixture. Serve immediately.

Chef Jason Greene

husband and wife team, Jason and Lauren Greene, the property is part restaurant, part coffee house (great espresso) and part shop (selling artisan food products, culinary gifts, table-top items and books). It is open only part of the day (breakfast and lunch) and part of the week (closed on Monday).

Even the Café menu breaks with tradition. In a city where chiles dominate and food specialties lean to the Native American and Hispanic, The Grove’s food inclines towards the French. But only part of the menu wears French names, and even that part deviates from traditional classics, as Chef Jason likes to add personal twists to his repertoire.

All and all, the sum of The Grove’s parts equals a whole lot to admire, not the least being wholesome food (based on locally grown, organic and natural ingredients) that is wholeheartedly delicious. Perfect example: The Grove Café’s Croque Madame.

CROQUE MADAME

Yield: 1 serving.

1 large slice whole-wheat sourdough bread

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Black pepper aioli (recipe follows)

3 thin slices Black Forest ham

3 thin slices heirloom tomatoes

1 ounce shredded Cheddar cheese

3 thin slices French Gruyere cheese

1 egg

Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set in oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Spread a thin layer of black pepper aioli on one side of toasted bread. Add slices of ham. Top with tomato slices. Lightly salt and pepper tomato. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar over tomatoes and top with slices of Gruyere.  Set sandwich in oven until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a small skillet, set skillet over medium heat and fry egg, sunny side up.

Remove sandwich from oven. Cut sandwich in half and stack one half over the other. Top with egg. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

The Grove is located at 600 Central Ave

BLACK PEPPER AIOLI

Yield: 1 cup.

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Combine all ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

WHAT: barbecue

WHEN: summer

WHERE: backyard

WHY: great food, good times

HOW: keep it easy by preparing some dishes ahead, buying some and grilling only quick-cooking meats such as hot dogs, bratwurst and other sausages.

MENU

Assorted dips and casual appetizers

Barbecue beef sandwiches

Grilled sausages

Potato salad

Corn pudding, corn on the cob or baked beans

Cole slaw

Sliced watermelon

Brownies, cookies and cupcakes

BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

1 (5 to 6 pounds) beef brisket, well trimmed

1-1/2 cups chili sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce

2 (12 ounces each) beers

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 cup barbecue sauce (optional)

Hamburger buns

Put brisket in a roasting pan. Combine chili sauce, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, hot-pepper sauce, beer and liquid smoke in a medium-size mixing bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over beef. Cover pan, refrigerate and let beef marinate several hours to overnight, turning occasionally. Set pan in a preheated 300°F oven and roast until beef easily pulls apart in shreds, about 4 hours.

Remove pan from oven. Remove beef from pan. Drain sauce in pan into a 3-quart saucepan. Skim fat from sauce. Set saucepan over high heat and bring sauce to a boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3 cups. Taste sauce and, if desired, add 1 cup commercial barbecue sauce.

While sauce reduces, cut all fat from beef (discard fat). Pull beef into shreds with a fork.

Mix beef shreds and with sauce.

You can serve the beef immediately, or you can cool the beef at room temperature and refrigerated it in a covered container for several days. It also freezes well (thaw before reheating).

Re-heat in covered roasting pan, in a 350°F oven until hot.

Serve beef hot on hamburger buns.

Chef Jim Leonardo

So my favorite winter recipe is turning out to work magic on summer grills.

I’m talking about a coffee rub recipe from Jim Leonardo, chef of Vinology, the spiffy wine-bar and restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chef Leonardo uses the rub to season bison sliders that he puts on Vinology’s late-night menu and serves at receptions and parties that Vinology caters. Topped with an onion marmalade and boursin spread, the sliders are nothing short of fabulous (you can find the full recipe in an article that I wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if you click HERE ). Take away the toppings and the sliders would still be terrific, thanks to the coffee rub.

Last winter, I used the seasoning to perk up stews and slow-cooking roasts (both pork and beef) and I gamely slathered it on game.

This summer, when unusually hot weather provides grounds for not cooking indoors, I’ve use the coffee seasoning to beef up the flavor of hamburgers, steaks and ribs cooked on the outdoor grill. Trust me, the coffee seasoning is no grind to make and renders grilled beef, pork and other fatty meats pig-out delicious!

COFFEE RUB SEASONING MIX

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

1/2 cup finely ground decaffeinated dark-roast coffee

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons granulated onion

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup salt

Combine all ingredients and store , at room temperature, in an airtight container.

Not that I expected the contemporary cruise to channel the namesake’s adventure. At least I hoped it wouldn’t.

I was certain that with 75 cabins, a swimming pool, fitness center, two lounges, tiny spa, well-stocked bar and graceful dining room, my cruise ship, the MV Reef Endeavour, would have more comfort than the HMS Endeavour, the navel ship Cook commanded on his first voyage to the area.

MV Reef Endeavour

Also the original Captain Cook described Fijians as ferocious cannibals, and, of course, I was eager not to follow in his footsteps and run into an old-timer who relished historical tradition.

Not to worry on either account.

As its captain Brian Larcombe is fond of saying, “The Reef Endeavour is a 3-1/2 star ship offering a 5-star experience.” Although the ship showed a bit of wear, it was perfectly comfortable and the cruise was terrific, as the smallish ship took us to remote reefs, shallow bays and tiny islands inaccessible to larger ships.

Manava Cay, a Reef Endeavour stop.

As to the Fijians, as if to overcompensate for the bad cannibal rap, they were all exceedingly friendly, warm and welcoming (I am sure Kava had a lot to do with it, but more about Kava later).

Reaching the ship was the most difficult part of the journey. I left LAX with fellow travel writers on a Thursday night at 11:30 p.m. flying Air Pacific for 10-1/2 hours and landing at Nadi International Airport (on Viti Levu, the largest of the 330 Fiji islands and the gateway for air travelers) on a Saturday morning. You will note that Friday disappeared. Losing a day is disconcerting under any circumstances, but losing a day in gorgeous Fiji is almost unbearable. Blame it on crossing the International Date Line. Everyone said you’ll make up a day on the way home. But I ask you, would you rather have an extra day in paradise or sitting on a plane returning from a heavenly trip? No contest.

From Nadi, we jumped on a tiny Pacific Sun plane for an hour’s flight over emerald-colored islands and sapphire-tinted water to Matei Airport (recently upgraded from a gravel runway to a paved one—yippee) on Taveuni, the fourth largest island in the archipelago and so lush and green it is known as the Garden Island.

View from a window of a Pacific Sun flight.

We were picked up in a van, driven to a small beach, where we took a glass bottom boat to the Reef Endeavor and settled into cabins.

Nicest cabin (not mine) on the Reef Endeavour, a suite with a bedroom and attached sitting room.

From then on it was smooth sailing. We cruised making frequent excursions, reaching shore by glass-bottom boat and traveling through paved as well as unpaved roads on an open-air bus.

We drove to the Bouma National Heritage Park’s waterfall for swimming and a picnic

And joined locals for a service at the Wairiki Catholic Church on Taveuni.

We stopped at the International Date Line (or where it used to be) for a photo op.

Standing between today and tomorrow.

And visited a Village for a dinner feast.

Kava welcoming ceremony at Naselesele Village

Now I’ll tell you about Kava

Kava, a drink the color of the Mississippi after a mudslide, is narcotic, not alcoholic, and said by Wikipedia to have “sedative” and “anesthetic”  properties. It is the ceremonial drink of Fiji, and guests to villages are expected to bring gifts of Kava root and participate in Kava-drinking ceremonies.

On board we drank, slept, had massages, read, attended  lectures, danced, mingled, took the glass bottom boat for snorkeling and diving, and watched the ever-changing scenery as we cruised by various islands.

We picked up new words, such as BULA, the most commonly heard word on the islands with a variety of meanings ranging from “good morning” to “have a wonderful happy life.”

Ate the freshest of all possible seafood.

Prawns served on the Reef Endeavour

And learned that  Fiji Women dress modestly with knees and top of shoulders covered. Women do not wear pants. Visitors are expected to dress similarly in villages and frequently don sulus (sarongs) to meet the modesty requirements.

Women wear sulus made of colorful fabrics.

All too soon, the cruise was over leaving us with not only great memories, but also new friends of fellow passengers (mostly from Australia and New Zealand), sunburns, seashells and some super recipes.

Which brings me to a particularly delicious rice and fettuccini stuffed pumpkin. I first sampled the pumpkin at a village lovo dinner. As is the tradition, dishes at a lovo feast are wrapped in foil and native plant leaves and buried to bake in an earth-covered “oven.”

Although villagers cooked the pumpkin, the recipe came from the Reef Endeavour’s hospitality manager, Florian Haber. Florian  said that the dish could be baked in a regular oven as well as in an earth oven and that although pumpkins growing on Fiji differ from those in the United States, any edible pumpkin would work in the recipe.

Florian Haber serving Stuffed Pumpkin

STUFFED PUMPKIN

How to make rice and fettuccini stuffed pumpkin according to Florian Haber:

Get a smallish pumpkin and cut a star-shaped a hole in the top, but save the top as you’ll want to bake the pumpkin with the top on. Hollow the pumpkin, removing all seeds and fibers.

Combine an equal amount (enough to almost fill the pumpkin) of cooked rice and cooked fettuccini (halve fettuccini strips). To boost flavor, add some cooked diced vegetables, such as cauliflower, red bell pepper, carrots and corn. Stir gently to combine ingredients. Put half of the mixture in the pumpkin. Pour a generous amount of coconut cream and dairy cream over mixture in pumpkin and stir gently to distribute the liquid. Add the remaining mixture to pumpkin and again pour in equal amounts of cream and coconut cream; stir gently. (The pumpkin should be filled to the top and ingredients should be quite moist but not soggy.)

Put the lid back on the pumpkin. Wrap the entire pumpkin in foil. Set pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 325°F until the pumpkin shell is soft and the rice/fettuccini mixture hot, 2 to 3 hours.

Yield depends on size of pumpkin, but plan on people having seconds and thirds—this dish is that good.

To learn more about Fiji see: http://www.fijime.tv/

Of course, business and first-class service includes perks, but bigger seats and attentive staff are not the only lures. Food counts. While food on most airlines is just one of those things, the satays on Malaysia Airlines are just too marvelous, too marvelous for words.

A classic dish of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, satays consist of tiny bites of marinated meat threaded on skewers and grilled. What makes Malaysia Airlines’ satays superior is the marinade for the meat and the sweet, spicy interaction of the peanut sauce served with the meat.

Passengers usually begin their meal with three beef satays and three chicken satays (along with a few chunks of cucumber). When the flight attendant asks, “May I serve you more?” the answer is always, “Yes, do it to me one more time.”

To keep up with passenger desire for more, the airline commissary makes satays in such large quantities that their recipe can’t be cut for home use. But don’t worry, be happy. I created a recipe to copy the fine flavor of the airline’s chicken satays and peanut sauce. Who could ask for anything more?

CHICKEN SATAY

Yield:  4 to 6 servings as an appetizer or 4 servings as a main dish.

1-1/2 pounds skinned, boned chicken

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

About 1/4 teaspoon salt

About 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Peanut sauce (recipe follows)

Cut the chicken into 3/4-inch cubes. Put cubes in a glass or other non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle sugar, cumin, coriander seeds, salt and cayenne over chicken. Add garlic, oil and lemon juice. Stir until ingredients are well mixed. Cover bowl and refrigerate 1 to 24 hours.

Before grilling: Cover about 16 bamboo skewers with cold water; let soak about 1 hour. Bring chicken to room temperature. Preheat an oven broiler or charcoal grill.

When ready to cook: Thread chicken pieces onto bamboo skewers, covering about 3 inches of the skewer with meat. Place filled skewers on a rack and broil or grill, about 4 inches from the heat source, turning with tongs, until the chicken has browned on all sides, 7 to 12 minutes.

Serve with Peanut Sauce.

PEANUT SAUCE

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 stalk lemon grass (see Notes)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons diced onion

1-1/3 cups weak tamarind juice (see Notes)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon Laos powder (see Notes)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend peanuts in a blender or food processor until finely ground; set aside.

Discard the outer leaf of lemon grass and cut off and discard root end tip. With a meat mallet or hammer, hit the base of lemon grass several times to break the fibers; set lemon grass aside.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and stir-fry until tender, about 2 minutes. Add tamarind juice, sugar, ginger, Laos powder, cayenne and salt. Stir mixture well with the hammered end of the lemon grass. Using lemon grass, stir in ground peanuts. Stirring with lemon grass, bring mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce heat so that mixture simmers. Remove lemon grass and simmer mixture, stirring often with a spoon, until the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.

Notes:

Lemon grass is a woody, slender grass that imparts a subtle but pungent citrus flavor to dishes.

Tamarind is a bean-like fruit generally sold packaged in a block or as a liquid concentrate. To make tamarind juice from the block, break off about 2 tablespoons tamarind from the block, tear the tamarind into small pieces, and put pieces in a small saucepan. Cover pieces with about 1 cup hot water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often. Pour mixture into a strainer over a mixing bowl and strain cooking liquid and as much tamarind as you can push through sieve with the back of the spoon. Put tamarind remaining in strainer back in the saucepan. Cover with water and stir well. Again strain. If necessary add enough water to tamarind juice to make 1-1/3 cups liquid.

Laos powder is dried powdered galangal, a highly aromatic rhizome greatly used in Malaysian cooking.

OpenSkies: business beds and great staff

Something new: the concept.

Something borrowed: a fine chef.

Something blue: the open skies that OpenSkies flies.

If ever there was a marriage made in heaven it’s OpenSkies airlines coupling all-business class service with low value pricing. Can’t beat the service or the deals.

Introduced in 2008, this airline, a subsidiary of British Airways, flies only from New York and Washington, D.C, to Paris. Its small and intimate approach—and its pricing—gives passengers much to love. Here, let me count the ways that OpenSkies rises above competition:

OpenSkies outfitted its fleet of four Boeing 757-200 planes to hold from 64 to 84 passengers. Each plane has only two cabins, both business class. One cabin sports business beds (luscious little pods that fully recline for sleeping), the other, business seats (wide leather seats reclining 140°). The small number of passengers allows

Washington Dulles International

for easy boarding and deplaning, as well as space, style and comfort throughout the flight.

The planes fly nonstop from Newark Liberty International airport and Washington Dulles International RT to Paris-Orly. Dulles and Orly are small and uncomplicated airports, easy to navigate and quick with check in and security. (Sorry, lack the experience to speak for Newark).

The airline offers plenty of perks, including pre-boarding access to airline lounges, truly accommodating staff and value pricing with occasional great bargains.

View from the window: an OpenSkies sunset

Oh, and of course, the food. Love is in the air for foodies, at least on the Dulles/Orly run where the airline hired Michel Richard, of renowned L.A. and D.C. fame, to dish up the catering.

I don’t say this lightly, but the best fish I have ever encountered on any airline was a Salmon with Eggplant served on Open Skies. After hunting literally high and low for a recipe that would allow me to enjoy the dish happily ever after, I found a home-cook’s facsimile in Michel Richard’s fabulous cookbook,

HAPPY IN THE KITCHEN (Artisan books, 2006, 352 pages, 151 recipes, good technique advice, and gorgeous photography. A must-have for the cookbook collector.).

The following recipe gives a taste of both OpenSkies and Michel Richard’s book. Both airline and book wed style to substance and offer much that is oh so easy to love….

EGGPLANT SALMON

(Recipe adapted from Michel Richard’s HAPPY IN THE KITCHEN)

Yield: 4 main course servings.

2 Japanese eggplants (4 to 5 ounces each)

About 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup (14-inch) diced fresh mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

1/4 cup cut (1-inch pieces) garlic chives (about 10 chives)

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 large ripe tomatoes (about 6 ounces each), chopped

Pinch granulated sugar

4 center-cut salmon fillets, (each 6 to 8 ounces and cut 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick), skin and any pinbones removed (If the belly, a thinner fattier section of salmon is still attached, cut it away and reserve for another use.)

10 basil leaves, cut into julienne

To make stuffing: halve each eggplant, lengthwise. Lay each half cut side down on a work surface and cut into thin half-moon slices, no thicker than 1/8 inch. You should have about 3 cups of eggplant. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant. Using a rasp grater, grate the garlic directly onto the eggplant (or mince garlic and add it). Cook, turning the eggplant frequently for about 5 minutes, until it is softened and the garlic is fragrant. Add the chicken stock and simmer for about 2 minutes to reduce the stock and glaze the eggplant. Season with soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the eggplant on a plate and let it cool to room temperature. When completely cool, scoop the eggplant into a bowl and gently stir in the mozzarella and chives. Taste and correct seasoning. Set aside until ready to use. (The stuffing can be held at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)

To make vinaigrette: heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer gently for 15 minutes.  Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325°F.

With a sharp knife, cut a vertical slit down the center of each salmon fillet, leaving the bottom 1/2-inch of salmon intact. With your hands or a spoon, pull the slits gently apart to make a pocket and stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the eggplant stuffing.

Place stuffed salmon on an oiled baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over top. Set salmon in the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the stuffing is hot throughout.

Stir basil into the vinaigrette. Spoon some vinaigrette into the center of each serving plate. Top with the salmon. Serve.

Not to worry. I found it. Actually can’t miss it. Even with a try. It is in every home, in every food outlet, on

Cuts of Argentine beef decorate a dish towel

everyone’s lips and in everybody’s heart (both literally and figuratively), throughout Argentina.

Beef is not just a food in Argentina; it is a cultural treasure, a way of life, a beloved heritage well marbled in all strata of society.

Argentines boldly boast that their beef is the best in the world. The Buenos Aires taxi driver, in route from airport to hotel, says it’s because the cows walk every day to eat and they eat only grass. The gaucho (cowboy) you meet at a street fair credits the breeds of cattle. The nutritionist trying on coats at a leather shop claims the beef has health promoting properties, absent in beef from other countries. And the cook who invites you to an asado (barbecue) insists it’s impeccable grilling techniques that release the beef’s magnificent flavor.

I say it is all of the above. Praise be the total package.

That said, don’t cry for me Argentina. We North Americans have our own beef standards and may not agree with the Argentine  “best of the best” claim—that is until we become accustomed to the differences.

A Buenos Aires butcher proudly displays beef products

North Americans love long-aged, well marbled beef, served seared on the outside and bloody red inside. Argentines consider aged beef old and most order meat cooked medium well to well done. The marbling isn’t there either, as grass fed beef is much leaner than US feedlot counterparts. On the other hand, although we from the United States salivate at the thought of big, thick steaks, we find it virtually impossible to understand the gargantuan portions Argentines pack away in single sitting. Argentines eat a whopping 132 pounds of beef per person, per year, setting the world record.

Consider a typical meal in a Buenos Aires parrilla (steakhouse). Likely the meal will start with a sampling of Argentina’s favorite appetizers: beef empanadas; molleja (sweetbreads); chinchulines (intestines); rinones (kidneys); and assorted sausages, some finger thin coiled to cover the surface of a dinner plate and others as thick and succulent as any sausages on this planet. Next comes the entrée platter, which usually includes several different cuts of beef, the two most popular being bife de chorizo, a cut like a t-bone without the bone, and tira de asado, long,

Beef straight from the grill at a busy parrilla

narrow strips of bone-in short ribs. Of course, salads, potatoes and a variety of other vegetables can be ordered as side dishes. What never accompanies the beef is any sort of steak sauce, barbecue sauce or ketchup. Only salt flavors the meat. And the meat, unseasoned, not marinated, unsauced is simply irresistible.

So what really makes Argentine beef special?

Exercise, diet and living condition of the cattle play the major roles. Although Argentina does produce feedlot beef, the majority of cattle still wander freely over extensive plains, dining on rich grasses that thrive in the mild climate. A grass diet produces beef that contains less saturated fat, fewer calories, more omega 3 fatty acids and more vitamin E than other feeds. Grass-grazing, free-roaming cattle live in natural conditions and are generally free from hormone implants, stress and antibiotics.

Grass-fed beef is packed with flavor, but it can also be tough if not properly cooked and Argentines consider grilling an art form, associated with as many dos and don’ts as a religious ceremony.

Just in case you are lucky enough to get your hands on true Argentina beef and want to cook it as would an Argentine, here’s what you do:

Steak Argentine style

Barbecued Beef Argentine Style

or

RULES OF THE ASADO

1. Use a grill that is scrupulously clean.
2. Build a fire (coal or wood, with wood the preference as the embers last longer and perfume the meat). Let the fire burn to embers then push the embers aside, making sure you have enough embers to finish the cooking.
3. Spread a portion of embers on the floor of the grill.
4. When grill floor is hot, rub cooking grid with a piece of fat.
5. Salt the meat before cooking—or not (salting before will draw out juices; salting after doesn’t flavor as much). Add nothing but salt to the meat.
6. Place meat on grill and quickly sear the outside by lowering grill top or increasing amount of embers, then adjust grill or embers to cook the meat. Keep meat between six and four inches above the embers.
7. Do not move meat around on the grill; move embers.
8. Turn meat only once, with tongs; do not puncture with a fork or cut with a knife to check for doneness or you will lose juice and flavor.
9. Serve the moment the meat is cooked.
10. Enjoy.