Chef, Roberto Cortez www.robertocortez.com was recently back in town before he relocates permanently from Santa Barbara to Berlin (imagine that!). I first got to know Roberto thru his private cooking classes in Santa Barbara. I was inspired by his elaborate inventiveness, knowledge and artistry. I will never forget when two years back, he cooked an amazing multi-coursed birthday dinner for me, complete with one of a kind, only to be made for me, ever, Valerie Coconut Cake.

I thought it would be fun to fashion a “bon voyage” party of sorts. I invited a few girlfriends over for a private farewell cooking class. The plan was to create a menu inspired from my garden, drink some wine and watch his magic in my kitchen. Well, six innovative recipes and five bottle of wine later…our mission was accomplished!

Roberto has an incredible career of culinary pursuits, mainly private “chefing” for stars and musicians such as Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Paul Allen (yes, he is a musician, as well as Micorsoft co-founder), the Rolling Stones, the Eurhythmics, the list goes on…. He has attended four cooking schools in France, including the famed Le Cordon Blue and Ritz Escoffier School in Paris. If that wasn’t enough, he photographs gorgeous images of his food, is a pastry chef and a molecular whiz in the kitchen. He is featured in the current issue of Santa Barbara Magazine, in the food and wine section – check it out! Roberto is truly an artist, a gourmand…this blog entry is a labor of love for a man I hold dear. Enjoy.

Before the class began that night, I asked Roberto a few questions.

What is your favorite regional cuisine?

It is a tie between Rustic French and Interior Mexican. I love them both the same.

Name three of your favorite ingredients to cook.

Foie Gras

Fish

Seasonal Vegetables

What are three of your favorite local ingredients?

Santa Barbara prawns

Summer strawberries

Walnuts

What is your favorite resource on the web…

for recipes? Epicurious.com

for kitchen supplies? JB Prince.com

for specialty items? Le Sanctuaire.com

Our favorite recipes from the night.

A couple months back, I had lettuce soup in at Joel Robuchon in Vegas. I wanted Roberto to show us how it’s done. With the weather turning colder it’s a nice way to turn crisp greens into a warm soup.

Lettuce Soup

(Serves 6)

6 6oz heads of Boston lettuce, trimmed

1 1/4 c chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 tbsp crème fraîche

2 tbsp cold unsalted butter

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

To begin, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp. of salt and the heads of lettuce and blanch, stirring gently for 3 minutes. Drain the lettuce and rinse under cold water. Lightly squeeze out excess water. Transfer the lettuce to a blender and puree until smooth. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring stock to a boil. Whisk in the lettuce puree and simmer over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Strain and add back into the saucepan. Blend in the crème fraîche and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually blend in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter with a hand blender. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg if desired.

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Broccoli is prolific in my garden and I quickly grow tired of steaming it at all the time. This following dish is flavorful and delicious. Additionally, the way it is trimmed and sliced makes it really pretty on the plate. Here is Roberto’s take on broccoli from the garden.

Broccoli Stems

3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 heads of broccoli, stems peeled and heads halved lengthwise

1/2c water

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

2tbsp fresh lemon juice

In a large, deep sauté pan, heat 2tbsp of olive oil. Add the broccoli, cut side down, cover and cook over moderate heat until golden brown on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Add the water, cover and cook until the broccoli is just tender and the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining 1tbsp of olive oil with the garlic and the crushed red pepper. Cook uncovered until the garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Season the broccoli with salt and black pepper, drizzle with the lemon juice and serve.

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This chicken is simply amazing. We devoured it at class that night and I just made it again for my daughter’s sixth birthday party and it was a huge hit. All in attendance wanted the recipe. The easiest way to remove the backbone is with kitchen shears.

Ideal internal temperature for chicken is160F (71C)-170F (76C).

New Style Roasted Chicken:

1 3-4lb. roasting chicken

1 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. fresh ground pepper, roughly cracked

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 500F.

Remove the wishbone and backbone of the chicken and make an incision in each of the chicken’s thighs. Next, tuck the legs into the incision. Dry thoroughly and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, breasts side down and then immediately place in the oven. After 12 minutes, flip the chicken over and continue to roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Roberto Cortez and his New Year’s Eve menu are featured in the Food + Wine section of the December/January 2010 issue of  Santa Barbara Magazine. You can take a peek at the article by clicking on the PDF link, below.

Read the Article | 240 kb Acrobat PDF

Tuesdays and Fridays are harvest days at our house. Any vegetables remaining from Tuesday’s pickings I throw into a coop for Friday lunch. We made this one today and it was delicious.

This creamy soup is rich and satisfying and is perfect for a brisk fall day! I was tempted to add ½ and ½ at the end of the recipe, but after I blended and tasted the soup I realized it wasn’t necessary. The crumbled feta for garnish is so yummy and adds a salty component so remember to keep that in mind when you are seasoning.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

½ onion chopped

½ lb of broccoli

1 leek chopped

½ lb bok choy

3 + 1 large garlic cloves chopped (save the last clove for the end of the recipe)

3 + 1 green onion (chop 3 and julienne 1 for garnish)

½ juice of one lemon

1 1/2 + 1 tablespoon chopped mint

3 tablespoons crumbled feta

Sauté onion and three cloves of chopped garlic in butter and olive oil for about ten minutes. Add the leeks and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, bok choy and chopped green onions and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir. Next comes the chicken stock and one tablespoon of mint, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the broccoli and bok choy are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Just before it is finished add one chopped clove of garlic and ½ tablespoon fresh mint. Puree. Garnish with remaining mint, julienne green onions, and crumbled feta.

Rica has worked for us for us for 15 years and is one of my most favorite people in the entire world…she has become a second mom to me. Originally from Durango, Mexico her food is clean, fresh, and so tasty. Every time she cooks I am excited. Here is Rica’s wonderful and easy tortilla soup. It is delicious!

Serves 4

Soup:

2 cups homemade or good quality chicken stock

3 tomatoes quartered

1 jalapeno chili (including seeds)

1⁄4 white onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Tortilla Strips:

1/2 cup grape seed oil

4 small corn tortillas

Garnish:

1/2 avocado cut in large dice

4 sprigs cilantro

1/2 cup jack cheese (grated)

In a blender puree stock, tomatoes, chili with stem removed, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour into a pot and heat on medium until it bubbles…then cover and simmer until tortilla strips are done.

With soup simmering, heat oil in a skillet and slice tortillas into strips about 1/2 inch thick. When oil begins to ripple, add 1/2 of the strips and fry until golden brown.

Remove from pan with tongs onto a plate lined with paper towels and repeat with next batch.

Ladle soup into a bowls. Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, cheese and serve.

Wine note: I prefer a clean tasting white wine with this soup. Like a Gruner Veltliner from the Wachau region of Austria or a Chardonnay that is made in stainless steel rather than oak.

Borscht is such a refreshing and healthy summer soup that often gets overlooked. This recipe was taken from David Tanis’s A Platter of Figs (a great cookbook for those looking to buy another for your collection). I made this as a starter for 70 guests at my daughter’s end of the school year appreciation luncheon. The beets were just popping out of my garden, and I thought it would be so fun to use them in a non-traditional sort of a way. I prefer yellow beets for this soup instead of red ones, because I think the color makes the soup a more appetizing shade than the typical bright-pink borscht. To make the soup an even more vibrant golden color (because the beets lose some of their intensity after cooking) I added a dash of ground turmeric. Additionally, I used Greek yogurt thinned slightly with whole milk, and a nasturtium pesto (below) to garnish in lieu of the herb garnish David Tanis suggests.

Golden Beet Borscht

1 ½ pound beets

8 cups water

2 large shallots, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 or 3 cloves

½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons red wine, or to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup whole-milk yogurt

chopped dill or chives

Peal and slice the beets and put them in a large saucepan. Cover with the water and add the garlic, shallots, cayenne, sugar, vinegar and olive oil. In cheese-cloth, wrap up bay leaf, coriander, and cloves and place in with the beets. Add a good spoonful of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Check the seasoning of the broth – it should be distinctly sweet-sour, peppery, and flavorful. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and cayenne if necessary and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the cheese-cloth filled with spices and puree the soup well in a blender, then strain into a large bowl. Chill in the refrigerator or over ice.

Just before serving, whisk in the yogurt. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a splash of vinegar if necessary. Thin with a little water to achieve the correct thickness – like a thin milk shake.

To serve, pour into small water glasses. Garnish with freshly ground pepper, and if desired, fresh dill or chives.

For the Nasturtium pesto: combine a few cloves of garlic, Parmesan Reggiano, olive oil, and salt and pepper with nasturtium blossoms in an electric mixer fitted with a steel blade.

Note: After the soup chilled, I adjusted the seasoning, added turmeric and lemon, then spooned the yogurt and pesto on top. It’s wonderful to use as a dip with your favorite raw veggies, too.