Fresh Family Recipes: Ellerbe Fine Foods, Clay Pigeon, and Del Frisco’s Grill

Our Fresh Family Recipes from our fourth issue (March/April 2018) feature recipes from Del Frisco’s Grill, Clay Pigeon, and Ellerbe Fine Foods. We hope you enjoy them!

Southwest Sofrito 

Chef Cody Lynch of Del Frisco’s Grill shares his favorite go-to sauce in his house. Based on a Spanish sofrito, this is delicious on scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. 

 Ingredients 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup diced sweet onion 

6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 

1 tablespoon sweet paprika 

1 tablespoon smoked paprika 

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste 

1 single chipotle in adobo sauce 

2 tablespoons sriracha sauce 

2 cups water 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar 

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed  

 Directions 

Over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil for approximately 5 minutes. Cook slowly as you don’t want them to burn but just develop a light brown color. Next add the chipotle, tomato paste, both sweet and smoked paprika, and sriracha. Keep stirring this for 3 to 4 minutes until you can really smell the tomato fragrance. Add the water and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir every couple of minutes. After approximately 10 minutes, the sauce will begin to darken slightly, and most of the water should be evaporated. At this point, it will have to consistency of mayonnaise. Turn off heat and let cool for 5 minutes. In a blender, combine the sherry vinegar, cilantro, and the tomato mixture you just created.  Blend until desired smoothness.  I like it super smooth. Enjoy! 

 

Savory Zucchini Soup with Parmesan and Lemon 

Chef Molly McCook of Ellerbe Fine Foods shares this delightfully light zucchini soup for spring. 

Ingredients  

For the soup:

1/3 cup olive oil  

1 large onion, diced  

7 zucchini, cut into rounds (approximately 2 ½ quarts)  

2 teaspoons kosher salt  

Pinch of black pepper  

½ bunch thyme sprigs, tied with a string  

1 ounce basil leaves, chopped  

1 ounce flat leaf parsley, chopped  

¼ ounce fresh garlic (approximately 2 cloves)  

1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth  

Garnish:

Zest of 1 lemon  

Grated parmesan cheese  

Extra virgin olive oil  

Directions 

In a medium size sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and thyme bouquet, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the zucchini, salt, pinch of pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic and continue to sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for 25 minutes or until the zucchini begins to break down. Remove from heat and discard the thyme bouquet.  

Puree the soup in small batches using a blender until completely smooth. Be careful not to fill the blender more than halfway so that the hot liquid does not explode onto you.  

Taste the soup for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.  

Garnish each bowl of soup with lemon zest, grated parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  

Serves 8 

 

Pistachio Cake 

Chef Marcus Paslay of Clay Pigeon and Piatello shared his recipe for luscious pistachio cupcake with a decadent chocolate frosting. 

Ingredients 

For the Cake 

2¼ cups granulated sugar 

1 1/3 cups flour 

8 ounces pistachios, shelled, roasted & chopped 

1 tablespoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

2 ½ cups buttermilk 

5 ounces unsalted butter, melted 

5 eggs 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  

For the Frosting 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate 

½ cup sour cream 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1 tablespoon, more or less, whole milk, room temperature  

Garnish 

Pistachios, shelled, toasted & chopped 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed 

Maldon sea salt, as needed 

Directions 

For the Cake 

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter. 

Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well. 

Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they are the size of gravel. 

Fold the pistachios into the cake batter. 

Pour the batter into a silicon muffin mold with straight sides until each is about two-thirds filled. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

For the Frosting 

In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate, butter, vanilla, and salt, making sure to mix well. 

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and slowly incorporate the sugar, sour cream, and milk. 

Once fully incorporated, run the mixer on high for about 30 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. 

To serve, smear the frosting over the top of the cupcake. Place a cupcake on a plate and sprinkle some pistachios and sea salt over the top. Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over the cake and around the plate. Yield: about 12 Servings 

If you have a favorite dish from a local restaurant, let our editor Lee Virden Geurkink know by emailing lee@madeworthymedia.com, and she’ll try to get it in a future issue!