The Windswept One

I call Peter Huck "The Windswept One", on account of his man-of -action good looks and fiery coif. Peter is a man of action though, a journalist, international traveler, bon vivant and superb raconteur, and we gave him dinner last night. Matt made one of his own amazing risottos, devoting a half hour after chop-prep, to the labor intensive ebb and flow of successive reductions which results in the soft and creamy, but never mushy, dish of rice; every kernel retaining its firm interior. This is perennially a dish to die for. Matt usually makes risotto with shrimp, but, last night he made it with triangles of portobello mushroom that released their flavorful moistness in the mouth, and garnished with mildly smoked bavarian ham. The risotto was finally confettied with flat leaf parsley and topped with parmesan cheese. A simple salad provided fresh greens. Peter always brings food for thought to his dinner conversation, and, by midnight, we had chewed much fat off the world. Hopefully today it is a better place as a result.

I have a great time when I commune with Peter and - or Barbara Drake (his other half). Barbara is enduring 150kph winds in New Zealand at the moment or she would have further polished the evening. Recently, the two of them took a vegetarian Indian cooking class with a luminary of the cuisine. A couple of weeks ago they shared some of the fruits of that occasion with friends, me in attendance, at a dinner in their luxuriously appointed pied a terre located Hollywood proper.

Here is that menu sans dessert courtesy of Peter:
* Dahl.
* Palak Paneer which is spinach combined with paneer. Paneer is a milk-based protein made from curd after it has been separated from the whey somewhat similar to tofu in texture and appearance but actually a cousin of cheese. They boiled the milk, added buttermilk and goat's yogurt.
* Gobhi, which is cauliflower in a sauce made with jalapeno, cumin, mustard seeds and ginger.
* Basmati rice.
* Chapatis, which Barbara bought at a shop on Venice Blvd (the only pre-bought item with the relishes below).
* Coriander chutney
* Mango chutney

They made this feast completely from scratch, including the paneer (see pic above) which is an elaborate process in itself. Palak paneer is a favorite of mine at Indian restaurants and such establishments often make it in advance to keep it on hand but I have never eaten it in total fresh. The difference is immense partly because the spinach retains its rich viridian color and correspondingly clean flavor, and the paneer its own mildness, whereas in restaurants the spinach is often browned from age, and the paneer is too, having soaked up that same brown "flavor" with time. The whole thing usually tastes, texturally or flavorly, like bad risotto: a mush. Not the case this night.

A prep heavy dinner in itself, The Huck and The Drake must have been slaving for half a day or more to put it all together and the results were obviously special and delicious. Their Dahl, anyplace a favorite of mine, could easily have been a meal in itself with a couple of dabs of their piquant chutneys on the side. I would advise them to look into the possibility of packaging the Dahl. I'll negotiate my cut for the suggestion later.