Viva Italia: Melograno

They say travel changes you. When I traveled to Italy last year, it left a permanent impression that will no doubt last a lifetime. Sometimes I’ll get on the computer just to flip through my photographs from that vacation; with just one glance, I’m immediately transported back to the smells, flavors and spirit of Italia.

My friends and I would spend our days trekking around the cobblestone streets of various medieval villages and end up at little hole-in-the-wall trattorias where we’d feast on some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. Wild hare ragu with parpardelle, bistecca alla fioretina, pomegranates straight off the tree – it was heaven. While I know I will return one day, the hope has been to find an Italian restaurant that captures the essence and heart of those I visited on that amazing vacation. On Friday night, I found one, and in the most unlikely of places: Hollywood Boulevard.

Melograno, while situated right smack in the middle of one of the busiest parts of the boulevard, is quiet and relaxed and rustic. We sat on the patio, which wasn’t anything fancy but perfect nonetheless. Candles flickered on the tables and a slight olive tree leaned in near our table. The wait staff? Italian.

We started with the Paloma cocktail, a light and refreshing drink made of Prosecco, pomegranate juice and liquor. The sparkling drink was an ideal way to start off the meal; afterward, I switched to red wine while my friend stuck with the Paloma.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Stracci di salmerino e limone ai capperi – the house-cured Chinook salmon with preserved lemons, capers, caviar and a light salad. The salmon was bold; it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill gravlox. The flavor was very intense and the lush oil of the salmon really hit the palate with a punch; it was balanced nicely by the acid of the lemons and capers. I loved the concentration of the flavors. We also shared an appetizer from the specials list, a duck carpaccio that was truly a revelation. It was also cured, cut paper thin and served with greens dressed in a light vinaigrette. The duck was rich and flavorful, and not at all gamey. We both loved this dish.

Melograno offers actual pasta-sized pasta portions. In Italy, pasta is typically served between the appetizer and dinner courses, so you won’t see any Olive Garden-sized portions there. Think of the size of a dinner salad plate – that’s about the right amount. However, if you want to make the pasta your main course, Melograno gives diners this option for an additional $5. We chose to get the smaller portion of the Taglierini al brasato de leper e melograno, which was an angel hair pasta with a Barolo wine braised Hare and pomegranate reduction sauce. With the first bite, I was utterly transported back to a tiny outdoor café in Monteriggioni, where I had a very similar dish. The rosemary flavor, the richness of the hare with the sweetness of the olive oil – it was magical. The conversation ceased with our first bites and didn’t resume until our plates were clean. Yes, it was that good.

We then shared a main course, which was also on the specials: Braised oxtail with white beans. Another perfect dish. The beans were creamy and savory and the oxtail fell right off the bone. So tender, perfectly seasoned and reminiscent of some truly great dishes I had in Italy. Melograno gets it. There are no thoughtless dishes or even sides here. It’s simple, rustic, authentic Italian food that celebrates fresh ingredients.

In a word? Perfecto.

Curried Sweet Potato Hash for One

1 sweet potato, cut up into cubes
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 orange bell pepper, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 avocado, cut up into cubes
salt and pepper to taste

Put sweet potato cubes into a microwave-safe container and microwave for 3-4 minutes on high or until potato cubes are tender but not soft. In the meantime, saute onions and bell pepper in a pan (spray with cooking spray first) for 2 minutes, and then add curry and turmeric powders. Cook for an additional few minutes. Add sweet potato cubes, salt and pepper and saute for 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat. Throw in chopped cilantro and mix together. Put hash into a bowl, and top with diced avocado. Enjoy!

Kale, Transformed.

Often times, an especially impressive restaurant meal will inspire me to recreate something similar at home. This was the case with the kale salad at Cru, a raw food restaurant in Silverlake. Kale, which most people associate with cooked collards, often gets stuck in a rut. I've never really used it for much beyond a sauteed or braised side dish. It can be quite tough and chewy raw, so I'd never considered it for a salad. Until now.

The key to getting kale soft enough to eat raw is salt. Simply rub the leafs with a bit of salt and let sit for 30 minutes or so. This will "wilt" the leaves and soften them up a bit. For this salad, I chopped the kale into very small pieces and added corn, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage and Persian cucumbers. I made a simple dressing out of white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and olive oil along with salt and pepper to taste. After tossing the salad with the dressing, I let it sit for another 20 minutes. This ensures that the vegetables really soak up the dressing.

Thanks to Cru for an inspired salad!

Time to Celebrate Sweet Freedom!

My dad has worked for many, many years. So when he retired last Friday, we wanted to throw him a surprise party that would be worthy of all the hard work he's put into his job over the last few decades. So my sister, mom and I schemed and plotted for a few weeks and decided to have it at my house, since I have a relatively large patio perfect for a big gathering.

We looked into catering companies, and while some of the menus looked impressive, we were hesitant. There is nothing WORSE than paying for mediocre food, which has happened to all of us at one point or another. What if the chicken was dry? Or the salad was overdressed?

So we followed the old adage of, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." We planned our own menu, dividing up the work between the three of us, rented tables and chairs from a party company, and my mom worked on decorations including the incredible flower arrangements for each table. My bro-in-law's brother donated the wine from his winery, and I hit BevMo for liquor and mixers. You know what? It wasn't even that hard, and I think we all enjoyed doing the work for the party.

The party was a huge success. The guests all arrived on time. My dad was completely taken by surprise. And the food? Everything turned out great. The whole party, including the food, drinks, rentals, extra platters, ice buckets, etc., cost less than the price of a caterer's quote on JUST the food/service. Not to pat ourselves on the back, but I think the food wouldn't have been any better had we hired someone else to do it. Judge for yourselves....

We started off with an appetizer buffet which included the most popular app of the evening: tuna tartar and salmon tartar in wonton cups. We got the tartars from our favorite local sushi chef, and I made the cups myself. Using a cookie cutter, I simply cut out rounds from square wonton skins, pressed them into a mini muffin tin, sprayed with cooking oil and baked at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.

My sister made these delectable goat cheese and prosciutto crostini with fig jam. The sweet jam was the perfect compliment to the salty prosciutto and the tangy goat cheese.

She also made this fresh crab salad in endive cup appetizer. It was light and healthy and delicious.

Always a party favorite, I put together these caprese skewers using marinated mozzarella balls, fresh basil leaves and sweet plum tomatoes.

Here's a snap of everyone enjoying appetizers and drinks during the early portion of the evening.

Now on to the dinner: We also did a buffet for the main courses, which included my sister's summer squash gratin. I think many of our guests didn't realize they liked squash until they ate this!

She also made a polenta-crusted shrimp with a roasted tomato dipping sauce, which I believe she got from one of Giada DeLaurentis' cookbooks.

I made this easy salmon wrapped in puff pastry with dill and honey mustard. The last time I made this, at a birthday party for my dad, we didn't get to eat it because for some unknown reason, I stuck both of my BARE hands in the oven to pull out the baking sheet with the salmon. Needless to say, I dropped it onto the floor as soon as I felt the searing heat of the molten hot metal on my hands and the salmon ended up in a hundred flaky pieces on the floor. This time I remembered to put on oven mits.

I also made another one of my favorites, Michael Chiarello's Pea Panzanella salad. It's an Italian bread salad coated with a pea and cream puree, served over spring mix.

My sister made Wolfgang Puck's Chinois Chicken Salad. But she substituted almonds for the crispy wontons, fearing that they wouldn't stay crispy. Good call. The toasted almonds added a nice crunch and flavor to the salad.

The big hit of the evening was her simple but perfect beef tenderloin with a port wine reduction. The meat was wonderfully tender and flavorful.

There's the guest of honor, taking a little sample at the buffet table. He had a very good time!

We had a lovely group at the party, including Steve and Jeff, who we've known forever. My older sister Joy and her husband Rick came down from San Jose, and my sister's in-laws drove all the way down from Marin.

For dessert, we ordered a lemon and lemon cream cheese cake from Violet's in Pasadena. It was pretty good, though it was a bit dry for my taste.

The party went on well into the night, with a few of us taking the extra step to go into the early morning (you know who you are!). I think it's safe to say that everyone left full and happy, including my dad. Thanks again to everyone who came out for this very special event!