Hello America...you are all doing wrong for years...oodles of noodles !!!

I never experienced American collage life and my food history is not that full of Ramen or Spaghetti with Ragu ...!! After Reading famous Momofuku book I really wanted to try the real deal Ramen and pork buns. I was so glad I did, because after soooo much work ...yeas even for me with shopping and cooking in my home kitchen it took whole day. Oh well its a labor of love. But it was so much worth it . It was real true comforting food I love, but which I have never experienced before. Steamed asian buns, with slow roast pork shoulder , rich broth made with aromatic spices , beef bones, chicken and pork neck bones...noodles condiments ..pickles...was so good I should do this more often. Inspiration came from Momofuku book...but I did everything my way...Radish Kim Chi ...scallion ginger sauce..asian fresh cucumber pickles..pork buns with fat skimmed from the broth..only thing I did not make was a noodles, I picked those up from local Asian store...glad I did ! But Will try to make those in a future for sure.

I assembled ramen with roasted pork shoulder which was braised with some orange juice, ginger, star anise, coriander, until tender and pulled ( I used same meat for pork buns as well )

pulled chicken, bamboo shoots, swiss chard, tofu, shitakie mushrooms and egg. I was haven in a bowl, sliding down with some nice wine and toped with porky bun, slathered with hoisin and radish and cuc pickles. Sorry too bad ...no fully assebled pork bun pix...was in a big hurry to eat them...and had no time for pickure taking . I will , in a future, promise !

Love to cook and eat good ramen and pork buns !

V

P.s. I heard in Clevelend we are going to have Ramen and pork bun shop...looking forward to that !

returning to classics !!

Winter depression ??? I have to say this is the most miserable time of the year...no matter which way you will look...when it comes to food...mood..flu or driving..!! Thank god is almost over !

Was really nice to get inspired and cook some classics at home for a family ...like best eve quiche and classic beef Bourguingnon, which I cheated and cooked in a pressure cooker. It has been a long time when I was so pleased with output . Takes time, passion and being patient is a key. Secret of good braise...season your meat ahead of time...and dont over do with a braising liquid.

When it comes ti quiche...oh my good ...why we dont make them to aften....and why we make bad ones...First Quiche is not overcooked eggs in a grocery store pie shell. Classic french quiche is a savory custard with some type of filling, which in my case was mushrooms, asparagus, onions and local smoked bacon. It is sooooo good that I have no words to describe ...imagine savory creme brule type a texture with earthy mushrooms...sweet onions , freshness asparagus and smoky bacon...wow !

Beef Bourgingion , not the best I ever tasted ...but the best I ever made too... I have to say there is something really satisfying to make beef and red wine stew on a day of , pour bottle of wine in a pot...brown the meat and sip glass of wine...while you wait until your stew is ready...! wow..I really need inspiration lately and this was a good one to give me a push forward my culinary creations ! Returning to classics !! Also perfect way way to be inspired for amazing todays french wine dinner we doing at Americano this evening !

http://www.americanocleveland.com

Love to cook classics, specially when they turn out that good, makes me think....there is a reason that they are classics and we should re- visit them more often !

great wine, great food , great people !

I must say , when it comes to food and wine Italian theme is always my first choice . It was a lot of work , but worth it every single minute of it. There is something about cooking for people who enjoys and appreciates good wine pairing and having good time. I was very happy with food coming out of Americano kitchen. Iwas way too busy take picktures ...as usual .. but here are few of them !!!

Very exiting Tuscan wine dinner at Americano

Monday, September 27 we are going to have Giancarlo Guariere of the Lanciola winery at Americano.

He is a professional chef who trained under Ferran Adria at El Bulli (one of the most famous restaurants and chefs in the world). His family owns the Lanciola Winery in Tuscany, wines which Giancarlo sells as he travels the globe. Giancarlo also operates a restaurant with a 600 bottle wine list in Florence

Wine – Moturra Orvieto (Umbria) – An organic white with that is crisp, delicate and lingering, the producer is a friend of Giancarlo.

Goat cheese and tomato bruschetta

Wine – Villa Calcinia “Comitale” (Tuscany) – a fuller bodied, richer white blended using Vernaccia and Grechetto grapes. Comitale means “from the Count”, a new release from Count Sebastiano Capone from Villa Calcinia, another friend of Giancarlo.

Arugula salad with market fresh fruit and spiced walnuts

Wine – Lanciola Chianti Fiorentini 2006 (Tuscany) – A Chianti from the Fiorentini region (one of the seven districts of Chianti) with a lovely red hue, ripe red fruits and hints of chocolate, spices and minerals.

Ribiolita, tusan white bean stew with pancetta , tomatoes and leafy greens

Wine – Lanciola Chianti Riserva “Le Massa de Greve” 2004 (Tuscany) - From the heart and original region of Chianti, a red with an intense ruby hue with spicy red fruit, medium structure and a persistent finish.

Local Butternut squash and Anson Mills Carolian Gold Rice Risotto and seared diver scallop, fresh bacon, Chianti syrup

Wine – Lanciola “Terrice” (Tuscany) – A “Super Tuscan” blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with intense color, a full and complex bouquet of oak, vanilla and hints of cinnamon with a rich and silky texture and long finish.

Grilled Long Bone pork chop with garlic ,rosemery and sage , Anson Mills Blue corn polenta, spinach

To Finish !

Shaved Pecorino Toscano with fresh fruit !

I'm very exited , please join us to meat a master and taste pair from haven. Simple rustic italian foods , with local ingredients to ma a wines shine !!!

Love to cook !

V

Dream Kitchen ...Finally happy !!!

Years ago...since I came to US and back when I was dating my wife, since we lived in small apartments and rentals, from the first house....finally I'm happy ...we just moved in in our new house where I have my dream kitchen . Kitchen I was dreaming to cook in and give me future inspirations to create my new food concoctions. I don't have my Tuscan wood burning oven for pizza in a inside , but oh well , it just came in all the way from california and already resting in my back yard waiting for the first Neapolitan pizza party. Oven curing process sux , takes 5-6 days ..who can wait that long...I want my pizza right now ! well... I waited very long time for this, so I thing I can wait just couple more days longer ! don't worry , pizza and it's pictures coming up soon.....

Once again....I really hope so that my new surroundings will inspire me for new creations , the once I can explore at my restaurant and share with all of you. Please Stay tuned....next monday we have verry exiting tuscan wine dinner coming up at Americano....where famous wine maker and chef from Italy will enter my kitchen ...and all of you will be able to taste 5 wines with 5 food pairings... by the way this guy worked at super famous Al bulli in Spain, on of the best...or many people would say the best restaurant in a world ...so I'm nervous too...

Final thoughts ......set is complete...got wife, kids, dog, wood burning oven and the kitchen ! Finally Happy ! It took only 36 years ! Life is Good !

Love to cook !

V

It's a live .....

Everyone who knows me already know that one of my favorite things to cook is Pizza.... artisanal Pizza I mean . Several years ago I ve got some sour dough starters from internet www.sourdo.com for my pizza and breads. But if you don't use them everyday becomes a little pain, because you have to babysit them all the time. So slowly I killed them ....oh well...

At Americano we make fresh bread daily...we ferment dough overnight to develop right flafor and then we just simply bake them. Couple week ago I decided to start my own sourdough starter from pineapple juice ( I read about that in a one of my favorite bread books from Peter Reinheirt ) ...well it totally works ...you take can of pineapple juice, mix it with good quality ( I like King Arthurs ) flour ...wait couple days....create seed culture, then slowly by feeding it with flour create sour dough starter and use that instead of commercial east. Simple as that.... but when to comes to sour dough starter simple sometimes becomes complicated ...the thing is wold east lives in a specific regions. Sometimes when you trying to create you sourdough starter it could be good...it could be ok...or could be terrible, when it comes to a flavor...thats why so many people prefers to buy it from trusted online sources ...specifically starters the ones hundreds of years old...from specific bakeries ... I would love to have sour dough starter from, Lithuania for a rye bread ...I just love that sour complex Rye bread taste ...which I can not develop over here in US . Also, I have an idea to use Russian sour dough starter from sourdo.com some day to see if its any close in flavor to my liking would be, in a memories of my Lithuanian rye which I love .

Anyways... Americano sour dough starter it's a live and now we use that to make our bread everyday..it has complex not too sour flavor which everyone seemed to like it..It s just very dangerous not to eat whole loaf of bread with a stick of butter at once as soon when it comes out out the oven...

Love to cook !

V

making pasta

Sometime , when I feel " empty " in a inside, and I need more influence in cooking , I like to make something simple and satisfying . Making pasta may seem like a lot of work, but its really satisfying process for people who likes simply fresh delicious food. At Americano we just made really simply delicious Ravioli to represent this time of the year. Local fresh ricotta, sweet peas pure, mint and chopped spinach. Amazing. When I make fresh pasta I like to use equal amounts whole eggs and egg yolks, touch of milk, white whine and dash of vinegar, food processor until comes together and ready to go. Here is my secret for good pasta, step which you will never find in a italian books...have room temperature eggs..for a better flour absorption ....is very important , I just like to speed up the process by filling warm tap water and add eggs ti it until gets little warm. Or...and I use equal amounts AP and bread flour and I like King Arthurs, for all my flour needs the best . Love to make , eat and serve pasta, specially with a glass of Chianti !

V