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.