Pasta And Pork On The Plate

Every week, The Saturday Early Show challenges a chef to create a three-course meal for four on our $30 budget.

Brad Steelman is the latest Chef on a Shoestring to use our $30 budget to create a meal for four that includes a main course, a side dish and a dessert.

Steelman is the executive chef at The River Cafe located in Brooklyn, New York. The restaurant is known not only for its amazing food, but for the awe-inspiring view of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.

As our Chef on a Shoestring, Steelman made salmon steamed in Swiss chard; cavatelli pasta with braised pork; and cranberry tart.

Terminology:

Cavatelli (kah-vah-TEHL-lee): A short, narrow, ripple-edged shell pasta. Steelman incorporates riccotta cheese in his cavatelli dough.

Caramel: This is a mixture produced when sugar is cooked (caramelized) until it melts and becomes a thick, clear liquid that can range in color from golden to deep brown depending on how long it's cooked (from 320 degrees F to 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer). You can add water to thin the mixture. You can also create a softer caramel by adding butter, milk, or cream. Steelman added cream to his caramel mixture in the dessert recipe.

Cockles (KAHK-uhls): Cockles are a type of shellfish similar to clams. Cockles tend to be gritty and must be washed thoroughly to rid them of sand. As with clams and oysters, cockles can be eaten raw or cooked.

Steaming: Using steam to cook food, usually by placing the food to be cooked on a rack or in a special steamer basket over boiling or simmering water in a covered pan. Steelman used a bamboo steamer basket on the show. Steaming generally does a better job than boiling or poaching of retaining flavor, shape, texture and many of the nutrients.

Blind baking: Baking an empty pie shell in its pan. Spread dried beans or pie weights in the bottom of the shell to keep the pastry flat as it cooks.

The Recipes:

Salmon Steamed in Swiss Chard with Cockle Clams and Basil
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/4 pound large Swiss chard leaves, washed
12 ounce salmon fillet
zest if 1 lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 pound cockle clams, washed
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped finely (chiffonade)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch Swiss chard leaves for 1 minute. Refresh in ice water, drain well and lay out on paper towels.
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon zest. Wrap salmon with Swiss chard and then seal in plastic wrap. Place in a steamer basket. The basket should sit on top of a pot containing boiling water, but the water should not touch the basket. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden. Add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the cockles and broth, bring to a simmer and cook until cockles open, approximately 5 minutes. You do not need to cover the pot because the cockles open pretty quickly. Swirl in butter, add basil and adjust seasoning.

To Serve:

In four warm bowls divide the cockles and the broth. Remove the plastic wrap from the salmon. Using a sharp slicing knife, cut the salmon into four pieces and place in bowls. Serve immediately.

Fresh Cavatelli Pasta with Tender Braised Pork
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pork:

2 pounds fresh pork butt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 strips smoky bacon, optional (Steelman likes the pork to have a smoky finish)
2 celery ribs
1 large onion
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
1 small leek, washed
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 bay leaf
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cinnamon stick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Season the pork, dust in flour and sear on all sides until well browned. Remove from pan and hold.
2. Add bacon, celery, onion, fennel and garlic to the pot and cook until well-browned and caramelized. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook 5 more minutes. Add the sugar and the red wine vinegar. Cook until reduced by half. (Chef Steelman says 1 1/2 cups of red wine can be used in place of the red wine vinegar and sugar, but it was too expensive for our $30 budget.)
3. Return meat to pot, add beef broth and cinnamon stick. Cover pot and place in preheated 325 degree F oven for approximately 2 hours until very tender.
4. Remove meat to a work surface, trim and discard the fat, and coarsely dice the meat. Pass the sauce through a strainer, pressing the liquid from the vegetables. Skim the surface of the sauce to remove excess fat. Place the meat back into the sauce. This can be done up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

For the Cavatelli Pasta:
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 pound all-purpose flour
10 ounces durum flour (semolina flour)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, place all ingredients and mix until well incorporated and dough forms a ball. Take care not to over mix the dough. Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into strips twice the thickness of a pencil. Slice them into 1-inch long pieces and dimple them with the tines of a fork. Place the cavatelli in a single layer on a baking sheet. If you don't want to make the cavatelli by hand, you can use a cavatelli machine. Chef Steelman's cavatelli machine is available through E. Rossi Company Inc.,
   New York, NY, 212-226-9254.

To Serve:
1 table fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
grated parmesan cheese (to garnish)

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom pot over medium heat, place the diced pork to re-heat. Adjust seasoning.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cavatelli for 5 minutes, drain and toss in butter. Place on a warm serving platter, top with the pork, and sprinkle with the cheese and parsley.

Cranberry Tart

Ingredients:
For the Almond dough:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 ounces, or approximately 2 tablespoons, powdered (10x) sugar
1 egg
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 ounces (approx. 1/2 cup) almond flour
pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as it's incorporated.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough forms a ball. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator, roll out and place in a buttered 9 inch tart ring and blind bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly golden (approximately 10 minutes).

For the caramel:
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
water

Method:

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, place sugar and add enough water to reach the consistency of wet sand then add the corn syrup.
   
2. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pot to help keep the sugar from crystallizing. Place over medium high flame.
   
3. In a separate pot, heat the cream and hold.
   
4. When the sugar mixture begins to turn dark amber, slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Please note: Be very careful as you add the cream - the caramel will boil and rise up in the pot.

For the Tart:
1 1/2 pounds fresh cranberries, washed and dried
2 cups sliced almonds, toasted

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, toss almonds, cranberries and 3/4 of the caramel.
   
2. Place in a partially baked pie shell and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cranberries are just about to burst (approximately 20 minutes). Allow to cool and drizzle with the remaining caramel.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.