SHOW & RECIPE FOR APRIL 26

NEW LIFE FOR THE LANCASTER
Kicking off a show with more chefs per square inch than a typical Houston charity fundraiser, young executive chef Jamie Zelko joins us in the studio to talk about cooking in the busy downtown Theater District. A few months into her tenure at Bistro Lancaster, with the Alley Theatre out one set of windows and Jones Hall out another, Jamie has learned encyclopedias about feeding people in a hurry to get to their seats. And she’s come up with some phenomenal fresh dishes while she’s busy doing it.

SHARING OUR STRENGTH
Of the several interlocking charities helping feed hungry people in the Houston area, none does a better job of getting its message out there than Share Our Strength. A national concern that donates 100% of the money raised to hunger relief (covering costs through donations and sponsorships), SOS has a long history of making sense to the very people who keep us fed every day, the chefs of Houston. Randy Evans of Brennan’s stops in to talk about this year’s Taste of the Nation event, taking place May 4 at the Houston Hotel, Club and Spa.

CLIMBING THE GLASS WALL
What does every chef want when he’s got a busy kitchen full of talented cooks pumping out hundreds of great meals each night? To not have that, of course – and to run a kitchen so small with a dining room so limited that he can personally prepare or at least finish every dish that goes out. That’s what Lance Fegen, long of Zula and Trevisio, wished for – and that’s what he got at the high-spirited Glass Wall. Lance and managing partner-”wine dude” Shepard Ross catch us up on all their news.

FLAVORS OF MAK THE KNIFE
David Yeo is executive chef and partner at a hip Pan-Asian place cleverly marketed as Mak Chin’s, on Shepherd just a spring roll’s throw from I-10. While most folks assume the menu is Chinese, the many surprises point to a different origin that of necessity embraced fusion before fusion was cool – and long before, naturally, fusion was not cool anymore. The food and flavors of Mak Chin take us to Indonesia and Malaysia often as not, where the Chinese, Thai, Indian and a host other worlds collide.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
KOFTA IN SOUTH AFRICAN CURRY SAUCE

1 ½ pound lean boneless lamb, finely ground
16 whole blanched almonds
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
3 tablespoon besan (chick-pea flour)
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup clarified butter
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil for frying
½ cup finely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon chilies powder
1 ½ cup unflavored yogurt
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Place the almonds in boiling water and soak them for two hours. Remove the almonds and discard the water. In a deep bowl, combine the ground lamb, egg, 3 tablespoon chickpea flour, salt, black pepper, and breadcrumbs. Knead vigorously with both hands, and then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Divide the lamb into 16 equal portions and shape each one into a meatball. Pat the meatballs into a flat circle, place an almond in the center, and close the ball completely.

Pour the vegetable oil into deep fry pot and heat to 375°F, fry 4 meatballs at a time for about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a fireproof ceramic dish. In a 4 quart saucepan, heat the clarified butter, add onions, garlic, ginger, and simmer for 2 minutes, then add coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilies powder. Stirring constantly, cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes until the onions are golden brown, add the yogurt and bring to al boil. Spoon the sauce over the meatballs, cover the ceramic dish and place in the over for 20 minutes at 350°F. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with steamed rice. Serves 4.

RECIPE & SHOW FOR APRIL 19

FINE DINING BY THE POOL
We’re just beginning to remember how steamy summer can be here in Houston, and along comes our own Four Seasons with a great new definition of “dining out.” Chefs from the downtown luxury property join us in the studio to talk about the terrific new items they’ve created to be served by the swimming pool. We’ll be sure to ask them what (besides margaritas, of course) might be the best drink to enjoy as well.

TASTING CLOS DU VAL
When French winemaker Bernard Portet was sent to California to look at the dirt in 1970, Napa Valley had only a handful of wineries – and most of those were dismissed global, by no one as much as the French. Still, the winery he founded called Clos du Val remains a standout even among the many great ones now littering the valley – as Rhodesia-born, former London accountant John Clews explains as we taste.

A BITE OF LAST CONCERT
Dawn Fudge isn’t your typical restaurateur – but that’s okay, since her Last Concert Café hidden among a tangle of warehouses, artist lofts and studio renovations isn’t your typical restaurant either. Dawn joins us to talk about the food she serves – primarily Mama’s Big Dinner of cheese enchiladas – as well as the live music she stages from every known musical genres and quite a few that aren’t.

This Week's Delicious Mischief Recipe...
FRESH MUSSELS IN GARLIC AND WINE SAUCE

4 pounds mussels
¼ cup minced shallots
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive
1 bay leaf
1½ cups dry white wine
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of carrots
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of leeks
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of root celery
3 tablespoons soft butter
3 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley

Scrub the mussels well under cold running water. In a kettle heat the olive oil over moderately low heat, add the shallots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, leeks, celery, and carrots. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes stirring the vegetable until crisp-tender. Add the wine, salt and ½ cup of water; bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cleaned mussels, cover the kettle and steam them in the vegetable-wine broth for 8 minutes, or until each mussel has opened. Discard any unopened mussels.

With a slotted spoon transfer the mussels and vegetables to a heated bowl, keep mussels covered. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into measuring cup, and if necessary add enough water to measure 4 cups of liquid. In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute to make a roux, do not brown the roux. Whisk the broth, a little at a time into the roux, whisking and bringing the sauce to a boil.

Simmer the sauce for two minute; add the lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and taste to your liking. Divide the mussels and vegetables into 4 heated soup plates, pour the sauce over each serving, and top with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crusty French bread. Serves 4.

SHOW & RECIPE FOR APRIL 12

NEW VOICE OF THE ICON
It’s a tough act to follow when the one before you had the name Jean-Georges. But at the Hotel Icon in downtown Houston, that’s exactly what chef Michael Kramer and his team at the new restaurant called Voice are intending to do. We’ll chat with Chef Michael about the joys and sorrows of following such a high-profile concept in a truly lovely piece of Houston real estate.

DESSERTS FOR PASSOVER
Within the Jewish faith, the heart of the Passover observance is the rather austere and highly symbolic meal called the seder. But as far as the folks at Dessert Gallery are concerned, that doesn’t rule out the celebration associated with any great holiday. In our studio, we sample a number of the special sweets Dessert Gallery is offering – and hear how they connect with Jewish tradition.

THE HEALTHY AUSSIE CHEF
In this month’s Healthy Chef segment, produced in cooperation with Houston’s Health and Fitness Magazine, Jason Gould of Gravitas talks about what he cooks for himself when he feels the need to eat healthy. And since his customers sometimes wish to do the same at Gravitas, he talks about what he likes to fix them.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
Cream of Celery Soup with Crisp Bacon

2 pounds celery, peeled and diced
1 medium size onion, diced very fine
½ cup diced green celery stalks
4 slices thick bacon
⅛ cup olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into juliennes
1 tablespoons flour
1 cup half and half cream
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
6 inner celery leaves for garnish
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into juliennes for garnish
½ cup sour cream for garnish

Place the celery roots in a stock pot, add bay leaves, salt, cover with water and cook over low heat for half hour, or until the roots are soft. Most of the water should evaporate. Discard the bay leaves and purée the celery knobs in a blender. Cook the bacon in a frying pan, stirring constantly over moderate heat until light brown and crisp. Separate the bacon from the fat, and transfer on paper towels, set the bacon grease aside.

In a heavy-duty casserole heat the olive oil and two tablespoons bacon grease, add the diced onions and cook over low heat until the onions are glazed but not brown. Dust the mixture with flour, add the chicken stock, pureed celery and bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the half and half, black pepper and heat, but do not boil. If the soup is too thick add a little water, then taste to your liking. Ladle the soup into heated individual soup plates. Place teaspoon of sour cream in the center, top with apple juliennes, crisp, crumbled bacon, garnish with a celery leaf, and serve at once. Serves 6.