MULTI-STEP/MULTI-COMPONENT/OBNOXIOUSLY-COMPOSED OMNIVORE DISH

Now that's a goddamn title.

Smoked tomato puree

Slice a pound of campari tomatoes into 8 wedges each. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and broil for 12-15 minutes or until skins are blackening and tomatoes have collapsed and reduced significantly.

Over high heat, saute the sliced white/light green parts of a bunch of scallions in olive oil along with 2 smashed garlic cloves. After 5 min or so, grate in a couple of passes of lime zest, squeeze a shot of lime juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, white wine, small fistful of flat parsley. Let cook for another 5 minutes on high, then add 3/4 cup of olive oil and reduce to med. Stir, cook for another 7 min or so. Add wine or water if it begins to stick. Add a few drops of blood orange olive oil and puree with immersion blender.

Corn Puree

Cut kernels from 4 ears sweet corn. Rub cobs with olive oil and roast until beginning to blacken/smoke (turn every 4 min or so).

Saute kernels in dry cast iron skillet until browned. Set aside 3/4 cup kernels. Add drizzle olive oil, half chopped onion, several cloves garlic to skillet. Cook 5 minutes or so, then add dash chipotle powder, salt, pepper, flat parsley. Cook to combine flavor, rest.

In stock pot, saute 1 sliced onion in olive oil. Add a clove garlic, roasted corn cobs and several whole rosemary stems. Cook until onion is beginning to soften. Add water to almost cover cobs. Add sauteed kernel mixture. Boil until liquid is reduced by 1/2. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, then puree with immersion blender, season with salt/pepper. When seasoning is correct, add 3 tbsp very thinly sliced green onion.

Roast Shiitake mushrooms

Thinly slice 4-6 shiitake mushroom caps. Toss with scant olive oil and roast for a few min until chewy. While hot, splash grapefruit white balsamic, salt, pepper. Toss, shuffle, mix, etc.

Herbed red skin potato "chips"

Thinly slice (1/8-1/16") several med red skin potatoes. Rub with olive oil. Arrange in single spaced layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with generous finely minced rosemary, thyme and parsley. Broil until beginning to brown. Grate on scant parmesan. Roast another minute or so to crisp tops. While hot, salt, pepper, sumac. Rest.

Marinated purple asparagus

Steam quartered asparagus spears until tender/crisp. Toss with splash grapefruit white balsamic, blood orange olive oil, thin sliced green onion, salt, pepper.

Pan sear 4-5 oz filet and 3 large sea scallops; season.

To serve, puddle of tomato puree, then roast potato, shiitake, then thin fan of thin sliced filet. Lay stack/fenceline of asparagus to divide plate. On other side of plate, puddle of corn puree, roast potato slices, scallops on top. Drizzle of corn puree across beef, tomato puree across scallops. Garnish both sides with roast corn kernels, thin sliced green onion, finely minced italian parsley stems.

Pork Roast???!!!!!

Yeah, so I just don't want to forget this one. Big hit, used a cool technique.

In cast iron, brown 3.5 lb pork roast on all sides. Salt, pepper, rest 15 minutes.

Pressure cooker braise...1/2 head garlic smashed, 2 small tart apples, onion-heavy mirepoix. Braising liquid is 3-1 chicken broth/dry vermouth (could also use dry white wine). PEPPER, sea salt, hint cloves, hint allspice, strong hint chipotle powder, 1.5 tsp mustard seeds, bay leaves, fistful of flat parsley stems bound with twine. Total braise time @ 1.25 hr.

Remove roast, cover with foil, rest until ready to serve.

Remove bay leaves and parsley bundle from braising liquid. Add 3 smashed garlic cloves and boil until reduced by 1/3. Add splash cider vinegar, 1/8 tsp liquid smoke. Puree until smooth with stick blender. Whisk in 1/2 stick cold butter cut into chunks. Season and maintain simmer.

Slice loin and chunk the rest of the roast. Dunk each piece in sauce, then arrange on serving platter. Serve sauce on side.

Served with: Roast root/autumn veggies, spaetzle, smoked apple/sage veggie sausage and sour cream.

Sunchoke soup

Ok, so first of all, sunchoke (not jerusalem artichoke) only because it's easier/quicker to type.

Divide 3 lb sunchokes in half. Roast half in very hot oven after tossing with olive oil, salt & pepper. About 45 minutes. Should be dark, crispy outside with soft inside. Set aside to cool.

Slice remaining sunchokes 1/2" thick.

In stock pot over med high heat, heat splash of olive oil. Add 6 smashed/rough chopped garlic cloves and 2 chopped red onions. Saute 5 min and add sunchokes and a tied bundle of 12-15 thyme stems. Cook 7 min then add 6 1/2 cups veg broth/stock and a cup and a half of dry vermouth. When back at a simmer, cook for 20 min or so until sunchokes are tender. Roughly whack up the roast sunchokes and add them to the soup.

At this point, taste and season with sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne. With stick blender, pulse until soup is a thick puree with plentiful chunks. Add 2cups half & half and pulse just until color is homogenous.

Add 2 tbsp stripped fresh thyme leaves and several generous splashes of cream sherry or spanish sherry.

Allow to rest for at least 30 min before serving to allow flavors to develop. Serve hot with a splash of sherry and a dusting of smoked paprika.

(Note: this was made with sunchokes only hours out of the dirt in our front yard and thyme I snipped out back. I can't guarantee it would be the same with older/store bought sunchokes. And I wouldn't recommend it at all with dried thyme.)