Marin eatery owners are paying it forward
The popular takeout counter at Insalata’s would have been a natural fit for today’s carryout norm, but co-owners Heidi and Mark Krahling made the early decision to close their San Anselmo restaurant.
Instead, the kitchen is preparing 150 nutritious meals a day, five days a week, and donating them to local nonprofit ExtraFood for distribution to food-insecure children, seniors and families, for the next two months. This week’s inaugural menu is roasted yogurt chicken with salsa verde, pasta Bolognese, broccoli with lemon and fruit salad.
“It’s hard to be closed but harder not to do something,” says Heidi Krahling, a founding board member of ExtraFood.
The Krahlings set up the Insalata’s Relief Fund on GoFundMe to provide financial assistance to employees and put the kitchen back in action to serve those in need.
“But, I couldn’t ask if I didn’t give,” she says explaining that the restaurant covers the overhead required to operate.
Search for Insalata’s at gofundme.com to find out more or make a donation.
Chelsea Hutchinson at BOL Superfood Café in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard is putting her food is medicine mission into action. She established a Pay It Forward campaign on her website to cover ingredient costs
(the cafepays for labor and delivery) for custom, pre-ordered supermeals being delivered to local hospitals, sheriffs’ offices and other first responders. Donations start at $15.
If the cafe is able to hit 600 meal donations by Easter Sunday, neighboring Mon Rêve Chocolate Art Studio is sweetening the meal with handmade Valrhona milk chocolate eggs. Go to boloflove.com/merch-mv/ pay-it-forward-meal for more information or to donate.
San Rafael’s Moonlight Deli provides healthcare workers and first responders with a free lunch (sandwich, chips and drink), as does World Wrapps in Corte Madera.
Produce pickups
Although farmers markets remain open, and with increasingly strict social distancing protocols, shoppers can now order and pay online for small ($25) and large ($45) seasonal fruit and veggie Bounty Boxes. Beginning Thursday, order ahead and pick your produce up at the curb at the weekly Thursday Civic Center Market. Find ordering information at agriculturalinstitute.org/bounty-box. AIM continues to accept CalFresh/EBT and provides a market match of $10 a day.
Star Route Farms in Bolinas has farm fresh produce boxes ready for pickup at M.H. Bread and Butter in San Anselmo on Thursdays or at the Sunday Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael. Go to starroutefarms.org for ordering information.
Fast Food Français in Sausalito is putting together hefty boxes of supplies for curbside
Wise Sons Deli’s really good matzo
Makes 12 matzos
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ cup room-temperature water
Fine sea salt for sprinkling Put a pizza stone on an oven rack (a large baking sheet will do, in a pinch) and heat the oven to 500 degrees for about 45minutes.
Flour a wooden pizza peel or the back of a cold baking sheet generously.
Combine the flour, oil and salt in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add the water. The dough will come together into a soft ball. If it is sticky at all, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide the dough into 12 portions. Using a floured rolling pin, roll one portion at a time on a well-floured work surface into a round about 8 inches in diameter and just thin enough to see through. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and press in the salt as desired, with your hands.
Prick the dough all over with a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up too much).
Carefully place the dough on the pizza peel or cold baking sheet. Gently slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone and bake until the matzo is a light golden color, crisp on each side, and a bit darker at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once with a wide spatula for even cooking.
Transfer the matzo to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
The matzo will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Wise Sons Deli’s brisket
Serves 8(with plenty of leftovers)
1⁄3 cup spicy brown deli mustard (any mustard will work in a pinch), plus more as needed
4½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 pound beef brisket 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3cups homemade stock, low-sodium chicken, beef or vegetable broth, or water 12-ounce bottle of beer (something dark and sweet, like a porter) or ½ bottle dry red wine (such as cabernet or zinfandel)
5whole pitted prunes 2dried bay leaves 1tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
8garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
2to 3tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
In a small bowl, mix the mustard, salt, and pepper. Slather all over the brisket and place it on a baking sheet. Let sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight for maximum moistness.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavybottomed, ovenproof pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the brisket and sear until browned on both sides, 5to 8minutes per side. You want a nice golden crust. Transfer to a platter and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the stock to the pot and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the beer, prunes, bay leaves and brown sugar. Cook until the sugar has dissolved, stirring if necessary. Remove from the heat. Return the brisket to the pot, fat-side up, and scatter the carrots around the meat. Blanket the meat with the onions and garlic. Cover the pot tightly with a lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Transfer to the oven and braise the brisket for about 3 hours, flipping the brisket every hour. Cook until a fork inserted into the center rotates easily, with just a little resistance, but without tearing the meat to shreds.
Remove the brisket from the pot and use a large, sharp knife to cut the brisket against the grain into ¼ inch-thick slices. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard.
Using an immersion blender directly in the pot, puree the jus and the remaining tender vegetables — this will give the gravy a sweet taste and enough body to slick over the brisket.
At this point, the brisket and gravy can be transferred to a roasting pan, ready to reheat, with the brisket fanned out and smothered by the gravy. (Or store in separate containers.) Let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, heat the oven to 300degrees. Use a spoon to skim off any fat on the surface of the gravy. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and warm for about 30minutes, or until heated through.
Note: In the deli, we like a thicker gravy. To achieve this, transfer half of it to a small heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a medium simmer. (Meanwhile, keep the sliced brisket and remaining gravy warm on the lowest setting.) Cook the gravy in the small pot until reduced by half, 30to 40minutes, stirring as needed so it doesn’t burn. If you like, whisk in the butter for extra sheen, body and richness, and add a bit more mustard to taste. Transfer the brisket to a platter, spoon the thickened gravy over the meat and serve.
Matzah tiramisu cake 2.0
Yields 12-16 servings Ganache batch 1: 15ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream 1¼ teaspoons instant espresso powder 4 teaspoons Kahlúa liqueur Mascarpone filling:
24 ounces (about 3 cups) Italian mascarpone cheese, softened
2¼ cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt Tiramisu assembly: 20ounces cooled espresso, strong coffee or cold-brew coffee
5matzahs (7-inch squares), plus a few extras in case some fall apart during soaking
Ganache batch 2:
6ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ teaspoons Kahlúa liqueur
To prepare the cake mold, line a quarter-sheet pan or small platter with parchment paper: Line the interior of a 7-inch square cake mold with a strip of acetate that is about 4 inches high. Try to push it into the corners as much as possible; tape it to the metal from the outside all the way around, and secure the ends of the acetate to each other, using tape on the outside of the acetate (between the acetate and the metal). Do not tape the acetate to the inside of the metal square — you will not be able to remove the cake with its acetate wrapper when unmolding the tiramisu.
Place the cake mold on the parchment-lined pan.
For batch 1 of ganache: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in the espresso powder until it has dissolved. Slowly pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 1to 2minutes. Gently whisk the chocolate until it is melted, smooth and homogenous, starting in the center and working your way outward. Add the Kahlúa and whisk until incorporated. Let the ganache cool to room temperature or until thicken enough to spread. For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mash the mascarpone with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and add the 2¼ cups heavy cream; beat on medium speed until the mixture starts to thicken and the whisk draws lines through it. Stop the mixer, add the powdered sugar and salt, and whip to medium-firm peaks — do not overbeat. To assemble the tiramisu, retrieve the prepared cake mold. Pour the coffee into a shallow dish — such as a rimmed quarter-sheet pan — with enough room to lay the matzahs flat. Soak 1 matzah, flipping it a few times, for 1to 2minutes, so it is fully hydrated on both sides and nearly falling apart. Carefully lift it out of the coffee, letting the excess drip back into the pan. Place the matzah into the bottom of the acetate-lined square. If it starts to tear, soak a new piece of matzah. You’ll want an intact piece on the bottom.
Scoop about 1 cup mas