Restaurant Owners Beware!

AVOID US Foods New Mexico, especially those out of the El Paso office- particularly the rep named Jeremy Wolff- my whole experience has been my being ripped off! Call the restaurant for details.

Special Event Planning

Today we put together the menu for our "Oktoberfest in August" on Friday the 31st. Most people don't seem to know the the Germans' actually celebrate it in September so we'll be a day early this year.

We also scheduled a North African Tasting Dinner featuring wines from the Mediterranean region to match each dish. This will be on September 21st instead of our usual last Friday in the month since we will be closed that week to have water damage in the bathroom and the alcove outside it repaired. We are hoping the contractors succeed in their one week estimate to complete the job.

Finally, we will be posting for those who like us on Facebook only a special event on the exact date of our Lucky 11th Anniversary- which is Saturday September 8th. Join us for complimentary wine and appetizers. That day we will not only have something special for those folks but we will be drawing a Facebook only gift certificate for Cooking Classes, as well as a drawing for all guests who are submitted in the drawing for a Complete Dinner for 2 minus gratuity.

With all that- Be well and Dine well.

New Menu and Other Musings

Friday 8/10 is the beginning of a new menu. I've added 7 new items as well as brought back summer favorites. It takes us about five days to get the new menu in place- between prep and computer work. Its a process, but we have it down to a science as long as I don't make too many last minute changes. This cycle it was three minor ones, two of which was only an elaborated description for the menu. The last was a change in a cheese which means a scramble to change the prep only slightly.

Business has begun to pick back up again- between the national news scaring people about NM's biggest fire ever by Silver City- when it was the next county over- and the normal drop of spending the summer before a presidential election and the temporary loss of local business as 3 new places opened or were under new ownership and everyone had to check them out. The recession is far from over in Silver City. Historically they linger much longer in small towns and at 11,000 pop. we ARE small, though not tiny. We are also 45 minutes to an hour of of Interstate 10 which makes us a distinctive destination. Personally I'm very tired of it and being broke due to lack of business. We are surviving, but at 58 I no longer want to be just getting by- I'd like to be making it and this depression/recession is keeping that from happening. Next week I will share my plans here on how we are going to try to change that. It's very big news and I know we can make it happen. So until then- be well and dine well.

A Common Complaint

The most common complaint those of us in the restaurant business have is simple- guests who have a reservation, don't show and don't call to let you know. Last night's no show was hostile when called if they planned on arriving. Yes, it's one reason why we get a phone number.

Several businesses work on appointments/reservations. A hairdresser who has a client who doesn't show might not be able to fill that time slot and losses financially. A restaurant is the same. And unlike your doctor or dentist who will charge you or your insurance for a no show restaurants, hairdressers, massage therapists and many others have just got to hope that someone last minute calls or shows up to fill the gap.

PLEASE- if you are not going to make it, call and cancel as soon as you know. We all thank you for doing so. Be well and dine well.

Life Has Changes

After a my laptop and best computer died in June I was stuck with my desktop- an old Pentium 90 that had been rebuilt 4 times. It was ssssllooooooowww! And frustrating. And made doing anything nearly impossible. For less than 24 hours, I now have a state of the art laptop that is a joy to use. So a new look on the blog and a (hopefully) a new commitment to keep to post. Life often gets in the way of blogging, but at least now it won't be a chore to do so.

Last night we had a wine tasting dinner- A Taste of Italy. it was well attended for this time of year and was our best Friday night dinner in the last month. The fires in the state- especially the one more than 45 miles away from us, but that the national media kept saying was near Silver City- has kept tourists away from our town. 50% of our business comes from tourism so we, like every other restaurant in town, have been off for our summer figures. Its been picking back up but hasn't gotten back to normal levels. The problems of living in a small town- population 11,000- includes the fact that the locals leave during the hotter months, though we are cooler and greener than Tucson, El Paso, Phoenix and other southwestern cities in our area that we draw a large percentage of our out-of-town guests from. So if tourism is down because of perceived smoke in the air and the locals are on vacation business slows.

Then there is the Presidential Election. Every 4 years in the summer retail/restaurant business slows down and doesn't recover again until a few weeks after the election- around Thanksgiving. Studies show that people slow spending due to the "uncertainty's" as to who will be the next president. This cycle has, unfortunately, never failed to materialize. In a small town one feels it stronger.

We will survive this as we survived 9/11 being our fourth day open, the lack of spending as we entered each of the wars, the loss folks felt after the Enron/World Comm debacle and every other circumstance of economic downturn thrown in our path. But it will be nice when the recession/depression ends and people start spending again after the election.

On a more fun note, we are adding Rauchbier to our menu- a traditional Bavarian style that almost was lost. the hops are smoked over beech wood, which gives the lager an almost smoked meat taste that goes well with sausage and barbecue- both of which will be on our August/September menu.

Be well and dine well.

Recipe: Moroccan Date & Orange Salad

I promised a guest I would post this recipe, but the marriage and several other things have happened since then. Sorry, but here it finally is. There are several steps to this recipe which makes it very moderately difficult, though not one step is particularly hard. Mildly sweet and tart with the notes of toasted almonds and orange water makes this salad a cooling and refreshing summer treat. My take on a classic, this recipe can also be eaten as dessert due to its natural sweetness. Orange water can be found in specialty and gourmet food shops. Try it over ice cream, in custards and in baklava.

2 cans (15 oz) mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained
2 each carrots, peeled and julienned or large grated
1/2 cup almonds, slivered and toasted
10 large dates, pitted and sliced
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 Tbs orange water
1/2 rounded tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 ounces mixed salad greens or spring mix
As needed fresh lemon zest

Mix the lemon juice, orange water, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Add all the other ingredients EXCEPT the greens and zest. Gently stir and marinate for at least 2 hours.
Serve over the greens and garnish with the lemon zest

Yield is 4 to 6 portions.
Preparation time is about 20 mints plus the marinating time of 2 hours.

To toast the almonds bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F for approximately 8 minutes.
Buying pitted dates makes life easier. If the large dates are unavailable just slice more.

Amberwind & I Got Married & Other News

On June 5th, 2012 at about 3;30 Pm East Coast Time at the Staten Island Borough Hall in NYC with my parents as witnesses, Amberwind and I got married on our 20th Anniversary! we finished our cross country trip as broke as any 2 newly weds could be, so we had the full experience.

Since we got back business has been slow for this time of year- the national news stories on the fire in the area scared off the tourists! Its been over for a while and was actually 46 miles or more from Silver City but the news made it sound like it was next door- since we are the nearest town of any significant size or reputation.

I've also not posted since I have taken on a major project in an attempt to guarantee the future viability of the restaurant- more on this as it gets closer. Until then, be well and dine well!

New News

We had a fun and reasonably attended Beer Tasting dinner on Friday night. This was only our second Beer Tasting Dinner ever and unlike the first was not themed. The first one was well attended and had a Halloween theme in food and beer. Next one will be themed. Though our next Tasting Dinner will be in June and will be an as of yet undecided Wine tasting dinner- cuisine choice to follow.

Starting on Friday April 6th we will be introducing a new menu. From now on we will be on a 6 times a year menu cycle instead of 4. Also, we will be changing all our meats and poultry to a slightly more expensive but healthier alternatives. For the first time all our chicken shall be humanely and sustainably raised, cage free, antibiotic and hormone free. I found a source that is affordable, since most are not. Our beef will be all grass fed/grass finished for the same reason. The veal will not only be milk fed but the mother is grass fed and on an organic farm! Finely, we will be serving pork that is sustainably and humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone free- all from Heirloom Berkshire Pigs, also known by the presently more popular Japanese name for the breed, Kurobuta. Our lamb will still be from Mountainaire, NM from Talus Wind Ranch which also only provides heirloom breeds that are raised healthily and properly. all our seafood will continue to be items that fit in with sustainable choices via the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch List.

Also, the new menus will be smaller- 31 vs 44 items per menu- and each item will have 2 suggested wine pairings and 1 suggested beer pairing. I will be introducing a new menu category- "Beans & Grains"- that will be mostly , but not exclusively, vegetarian. In fact, most items throughout the year shall be vegan. This is my response to "Meatless Mondays" now popular in some big city restaurants. We shall have increase one's ability to have meatless meals everyday without the slightest loss of flavor. One nice thing about Mediterranean cuisines is the abundance of rich tasting vegetarian dishes!

Other news is simple, Amberwind and I continue our planning for a NYC marriage on June 5th- our 20th anniversary.

Sephardic Night and the Recipes I Cooked

On Tuesday night we had a special dinner featuring all Sephardic (Spanish, Arabic, Turkish Jews) foods. This was part of a local Adult Continuing Ed class and was great fun not only to cook but to serve. We had 6 folks join us who were not part of the class and they said they enjoyed themselves as well.

"Why Sephardic food?" you might well ask. I and the other 2 restaurants also participating were asked to use the fact that this is New Mexico's Centennial Year as a state as our theme. Many Jews faked converting to Catholicism to escape the Spanish Inquisition and then fled Spain for the New World when the church began to suspect that the conversions might not have been real. When the Inquisition came to Mexico City these Conversios fled north into the territories that became New Mexico and southern Colorado. So the Sephardi have been part of New Mexico's history since the start of Europeans settling here. The food I cook at the restaurant is pan-Mediterranean and Sephardic cooking is part of this tradition as well as an distinct influence on the North African, Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisines; as well as being a minor influence in the dishes of the other countries in the Mediterranean basin. It was the logical fit.

The dinner included a discussion of the history of the Sephardi being thrown out of and needing to flee Spain and parts of the history of their arrival here. We also discussed each dish's influences since the Moorish (Moroccan) Caliphate- under which Jewish culture thrived- influenced Sephardic cuisine; as well the spices and traditions of all the other countries the Sephardi settled in. As an Ashkenazi Jew (Eastern European) I not only had friends and family who were Sephardi but lived and visited Sephardic communities when I lived in the Mediterranean region back what feels like a hundred years ago.

People loved the food so much they asked for the recipes. Here we go, the in some cases I don't guarantee 100% (I'll warn you when) the proportions since I'm used to doing it by eye, taste and smell. When I have time I will update these recipes with exact spice amounts.

ENJOY!

FATTOUSH: Serves 4
I ate this originally with my Syrian Jewish relatives. I learned how to make it living in Lebanon. Its fast, easy and extremely refreshing on a hot day.

Traditionally this dish is made with old dry pita bread, but toasted works just as well.

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut in 1/2 moons
• 1 pint tomato, cherry or grape
• 3 each scallions or Green Onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbs fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp roasted garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp sumac, ground
• 1 each  pita bread, toasted lightly and broken into pieces

1. Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the pita bread into a bowl and toss. refrigerate for an hour.
2. While the salad is chilling, toast the pita and then let sit out until you are ready to serve the salad. At that time, break the pita into approximately 1/2 " pieces.
3. SERVE: Quickly toss the pita pieces into the salad and serve immediately on lettuce leaf or over mixed greens.

Tips: Refrigerate in a covered container WITHOUT having adding the pita. Consume all the salad within 2- 3 days for the best flavor. Day 1 is the best! You can substitute a large fresh ripe tomato cut into bite sized chunks. In the restaurant we use heirloom tomatoes of any form for this salad. 

MUJADRAH: Serves 8


This is a sort of Lentil & Rice Pie with the rice substituting for the "crust" due to the fact that it's a popular dish for Passover- when we Jews avoid all leavened bread like products. It can be made the easy way by just by cooking all in a pot together or by separating it out and putting the rice on the bottom of a casserole dish and using it as the crust the lentils tare filling.

WARNING: This is a recipe I do without a recipe, so the spice amounts will NOT be accurate. Use as a guide and change to your taste.

• 1 cup Lentils, dry
• 4 cups stock or broth- vegetable or chicken, low fat and low sodium
• 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup white rice, dry
• 2 lg yellow onions, small diced
• 2 Tbs garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 Tbs fresh ground black pepper, semi coarse
• 1 tsp cumin seed, ground
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Cook the lentils in the stock until tender.
2. In a separate pot saute the onions in the oil until transparent. Add the rice and saute a minute more. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. IF you want the rice as a "crust" you will need to strain all the broth left from cooking the lentils BUT a 1/2 cup's worth into the rice pot. Cook the rice until done and layer into a casserole or baking dish. The lemon juice and spices will be added to the lentils and left over broth to be cooked together for 3- 4 minutes. Spoon the lentil mix over the rice and keep warm in an oven until serving.
4. IF you want them mixed, add all the lentils and broth into the rice pot or visa versa and cook until the rice is done. Add the lemon juice and spices and cook a couple of minutes more.
5. Adjust spices as well as the heat from the cayenne to taste. I prefer it spicier but I didn't use much more than what is in this recipe for the class. It should have a nice bright taste from the lemon and a distinct hit of cumin.

Tips: Can be made the day ahead of time and will taste great. This reheats nicely in the microwave and will last up to a week in a closed container under proper refrigeration.

CHICKEN "TAGINE" in a TOMATO & HONEY SAUCE: Serves 8

This is a traditional Tagine in flavor though not in cooking method. Tagines are cooked in a special pot- which would have made a Conversio look suspicious if they had used one of the heathen cooking impliments. Therefore a nontraditional cooking technique was devised. Its faster than a traditional tagine.

• 1 lg onion, thin sliced
• 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 lbs Chicken parts,skinless & boneless is easiest. Cut into bite sized pieces or larger.
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth, low fat low sodium
• 4 cups roasted tomatoes, diced- fresh or canned, drained
• 1/3 cup honey- orange honey is best and relatively easy to find, but clover will do
• 1 Tbs cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp ginger, ground
• 1 pinch nutmeg

1. Saute the onions in the oil until transparent.
2. Add the chicken and lightly color.
3. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
4. Lower to a simmer and add all the other ingredients.

GARNISH: With toasted slivered almonds- which i admit I had ready and forget to add at serving time during the class. (Even professional chefs have moments where they make mistakes.)

Tips: Serve with the Mujadrah or else over cous cous. Reheats nicely in a microwave and will last 5 days covered under proper refrigeration. Also, remember that thigh meat is nutritionally the same as breast, but less expensive and more flavorful. I like a mix of both white and dark meat.

PARVE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE: Serves 6

This reads like an inedible recipe but, as the class found out, this is a rich and silky, beautiful tasting mousse. 

Parve means that an item isn't dairy or meat under kosher law. Parve items are beans, vegetables, fruits, eggs and fish and these can be eaten alone or with a meal of dairy OR meat. Since if one keeps the kosher religious strictures you can't eat dairy as part of a meal with meat or poultry this is not only a wonderful substitute but left our guests amazed by its delicious flavor and texture. 

It's also a great recipe for those who are lactose intolerant!

• 6 ounces baker's chocolate, semi-sweet or darker
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbs coffee or espresso
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 Tbs granulated sugar

1. In a double boiler melt the chocolate in the oil and extract. Stir frequently.
2. As its melting beat together the 1/3 cup of sugar and the salt until the yolks turn a pale yellow. When the chocolate mixture has cooled to about 110F temper the yolks by slowly beating in the chocolate to warm the yolks without cooking them. When warmed add the yolk mix into the chocolate and quickly whip together.
3. As the chocolate- egg mix is cooling to room temperature, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Sprinkle the 2 Tbs of sugar over the top[ and beat to stiff peaks.
4. Gentle fold the beaten whites into the room temperature chocolate mix. Leave small ribbons of beaten white running through the chocolate- DO NOT mix completely!
5. Chill and serve.

Tips: Don't tell anyone the secrete of this mousse until after they rave about the quality of it's taste and texture. Will last up to a week in a closed container under proper refrigeration.

Changes

With George gone I'm actually going to make drastic changes that I believe will make the restaurant better.

In April we are changing from a 4 times/year menu to one 6 times/year. The new menus will be smaller by ten items. It will include more of my own creations- now there are 5 to 8 per menu, but that will increase. I will be emphasizing more street and peasant food, which i have always loved. We will be going to an aged New York Strip steak that is also grass fed. I will be adding a new category on to the menu: Beans & Grains. Though mostly vegetarian there will be some dishes that will include dairy, poultry, seafood or meat. Finally, for the first time we will be including wine and beer pairing suggestions after each dish.

We have also just introduced a new beer and wine menu. A fantastic all organic  English style "Scrumpy" Hard Apple Cider has been added. It not only changes slightly according to the taste of a given year's harvest but is one of the few ciders available in this country that is strictly made with ONLY juice and yeast. We added 4 new wines and 2 new beers as well. On April's First Friday we will be tasting them: try any 5 of the new items for $8.

Talking of First Friday, the April one we are sponsors of "Get Mugged Downtown". This is a fundraiser for the Silver City Museum. Buy a mug and support the museum; then stop by to get it filled with our Vegan Minestrone Soup and a slice of our scratch French bread made with organic stone ground whole wheat. Several other businesses are also offering to fill your mug. When you fill at Shevek & Co. we will NOT be receiving $3 back from the museum, but they get to keep your entire purchase price for their worthy cause. Then join us for the new item tasting or dinner and the tasting.

Finally, starting in June we will be making scratch, nitrate/nitrite free, sustainably and/or organic sourced sausages. This will be featured on the menu. There will be all vegetarian sausage also available on some of the menus.

P.S.: My health is great, though I am tired due to not having a sous chef. Brain shows no sign of anything so they are calling what happened to me, "Transient Global Amnesia". There are distinct symptoms and it has no diagnostic or prognostic significance. The Mayo Clinic website says that the worst part is the fear that it might happen again. See their site if you want details.
P.P.S.:Business has been up this year by about 8% over 2011. The fact that we are now closed Wednesdays & Thursdays- unless its a holiday or the Tour of the Gila Bicycle Race- doesn't seem to have hurt us and it's giving me time to create and bring the restaurant into new directions. Who knows, maybe in the future I'll start making cheese once again.

Goodbye to Sous Chef George

He has left us due to family issues and he will be sorely missed.

George's easy going personality, his willingness to help in any way necessary, to learn and to teach all that he has learned and just be a complete part of the business made him a real part of Amberwind and my life. He was the closest thing to a son of my heart that I've had, since we never adopted children. We wish him and his family well in all his future endeavors.

So my new excuse for not blogging much is my needing to do his work as well as my own. Hopefully, as usual, I will keep this up more often despite myself. I have recipes I want to share as well as other information.

Also, until things change economically or I find a new sous chef, the restaurant will be CLOSED on Wednesdays and now Thursdays. This will also be good for my  health at this time. 'Til the next post....

Health; Mine

Well my brain is apparently fine. The CTScans, the MRI, EEG & MRA all came back clear. So I have something called Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). What they means is that they can find no known cause of what happened to me, though it fits a particular pattern: I knew who I was during the time it was happening, I could think and string thoughts together, I could NOT access any memory except for real long term stuff (i.e.: I knew our address, the landline phone number we got 11 years ago- though we gave it up a year and a half ago- and though I had Amberwind's cell phone number memorized and he has had it for five and a half years I could not remember it or my 2 year old cell number) and I was not recording new memories throughout most of an hour and a half time period. In fact, as I thought about it carefully, I realized that I remembered 6 incidents from that night adding up to about 3 minutes worth of memories. And then suddenly I began recording new memories again and could remember everything up until the point that i told Amberwind that I had a headache at the start of the TGA.

So what happens now. Well, it has no diagnostic significance for the future. It doesn't foreshadow a stroke or TGI, nor dementia nor Alzheimer's. It can happen again, without warning, but statistically it usually only happens once in a person's life time. Its also more common then most people know.! If it happens again, go to the hospital and treat it as if it's a stroke, until proven otherwise. And the triggers can be a migraine or sinus headache- my Neurologist considers them the same type of headache- sex or a great swing in barometric pressure. Certain drugs can cause this, but since I don't use them it won't be from that cause. The Mayo Clinic's website says that the worst side effect of TGA is the fear it will happen again, especially if that it might be triggered from the cause of the original incident. Well, being in our fifties, Amberwind and I aren't planning on giving up sex any time soon. (Sorry if that was TMI.)

So I live with it and go on with life, paranoid but unwilling to give up any part of normality. But every headache gets me a little bit worried. But with the support of my dear husband we will both survive this and the other traumas of life. This coming June is our 20th anniversary and we expect many more. Only this June we make it legal while back east visiting my folks in the greater NYC area. Now if only Christie will wise up we won't even need to drive into the city to make it happen.

Hope ya'll are doing well.

Wine Tasting Dinner- Mezze Madness

We're doing a 6 course Tasting dinner of North African Cuisines (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) this Friday night- 01/27- at 6:30pm with or without matching international wines. Come join us. My cooking skills are intact- was so even when my sleep apnea was at it's worst- and so we promise an evening of great food and wines. Reservations highly recommended.

As an aside: a 'tapa' is Spanish fora small plate of food- which is what we use it for at the restaurant, since more and more Americans know the word. In English speaking countries an 'entre' is the large main dish of the meal, though in France it's the small dish at the start or entrance into the meal. 'Mezze' or 'meze' is Greek, Turkish, Arabic and Hebrew for a small plate of food or tapa, though we use it for our medium size on our regular menu. It's a silly multi-language joke. For this tasting dinner all the courses are tapa sized.

Personal Update

Waiting on MRI and blood test results. I hope I would have heard by now if it was bad. But if its minor and a potential long term problem the doctor might not call and wait and tell me when I have my next appointment. Oy!

My doctor suspects we might never find an answer to way I'm missing 2 hours of memory. In fact he believes it might have been temporary amnesia, which is apparently more common than most of us suspect. I'm coming to believe that its tied to my sleep apnea- when it was at it's worst, before I got my CPAP machine, I was having dementia like memory slips. It stopped once I started sleeping with my CPAP each night, but could this have been some residual something or other left over? We might never find out. My doctor doesn't believe it will happen again if the MRI is clear. But then again, he can't guarantee it. Oy!

Why No posts for a While

Well, we're still trying to find out if i had a bout of amnesia or a TIA- kind of a short term stroke. I'll keep folks posted.
Meanwhile, I'm working.
We had a good time with Amberwind's dad and step-mom, who we hadn't seen in nearly 18 years.
The newest menu is in play for January.
An North African Wine tasting Dinner is scheduled for Friday, January 27.
Still plugging away at the cookbook.
We're fighting our business insurance company over losses that they don't- like all such companies- want to pay out; Michael Moore should have said it applies to the entire industry.
I think it should be, "We are the 99.9%," since most of the problems are with the .1%- who earn on average $27 million a year and the laws and tax laws are actually strongly tilted in their favor; versus the next .9% who are fluid with the people in that group changing yearly. Personally, I wouldn't mind being in the the next .9% group and hope to make it there someday.
There is a video up at youtube of the Thanksgiving Holiday Cooking Class and I'll post the address as soon as I figure it out.
Otherwise, a belated Happy Healthy and Prosperous New Year to All!