Estia Blog – Page 3 – Recipes & Stories by Chef Colin Ambrose

Chili Rellenos

July 13, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Recipes, Sauces

We cooked this recipe alongside the Au Sable river in Michigan | Read about the adventure on American Rivers Tour 2017!

Inspired by chef Matt Haley, Gates Au Sable Lodge, Grayling, Michigan.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 poblano peppers
1 pound fresh chorizo, cooked and drained
12 oz Mexican melting cheese, (shredded Cotija or Monterey Jack)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Roast peppers over open flame until skin is charred and blistering. Rest in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic until cool enough to handle. Chop or crumble chorizo into thumbnail sized pieces and combine with remaining ingredients. Read More »

Colin Ambrose’s From Seed to Plate Series 3: GARLIC

July 11, 2017 — Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Videos

Lamb Taquitos

June 16, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Mexican inspired, Recipes

This is a great doahead party dish appetizer that can be prepared long in advance and quickly cooked and assembled day of.

Makes 40 finger food hors d’oeuvres.

For the lamb filling:

3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder
Salt and pepper
¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Spanish onions, chopped
2 tbsp fennel seed
2 chopped Mexican dried Guajillo chilis, seeds and stems removed
2 cups chopped canned plum tomatoes
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped parsley
1 small bunch thyme

For the taquitos:

20 six inch soft corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 package sweet pea sprouts
Reserved shredded lamb
2 cups Mexican slaw (recipe below)

Brooklyn Fish Tacos

June 15, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish

Makes 8 bite sized appetizers
Porgy is a plentiful, sustainable, inexpensive fish that is usually found whole in most fish markets in sizes ranging from one to three pounds. Firm but flaky and slightly oily (adds richness and gets absorbed in the dish), it makes the perfect base for these soft tacos.

Ingredients:

4 small porgy fillets, approximately 58 ounces each
8 4 ½ inch soft corn tortillas
3 tbsp jalapeno, finely diced with seeds and membranes removed
2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced
2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Mexican slaw

Paloma

June 14, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Beverages, Recipes

Delicious Cocktail Recipe for 2

Ingredients:

3 oz tequila blanco
2 ounces cranberry juice
4 ounces grapefruit juice
12 oz club soda
1/2 lime
Blood orange slice to garnish
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup kosher salt
lots of ice cubes

Simple Grilled Oysters

June 13, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Recipes

Simple grilled oyster recipe by chef Anita Lo

We cooked this recipe after fishing Moriches Bay in New York | Read about the our fishing trip on American Rivers Tour 2017!

Inspired by chef Anita Lo
Serves 4

Ingredients:

20 medium oysters (Bluepoint or other local varieties)
1 pound butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp. chives, minced
zest of 1 1/2 lemons
2 Calabrian Chili Peppers (or other jarred small hot peppers)
2 cups kosher salt
fine sea salt to taste
Large stainless steel bowl or aluminum roasting pan, large enough to place over 20 oysters on grill

Porgy & Clams

April 27, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Recipes

This is a recipe we cooked at the Hudon River in New York | Read the full story on American Rivers Tour 2017

Inspired by chef Kerry Heffernan, Grand Banks, New York, New York

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 dozen Little Neck clams, washed and scrubbed
2 whole Porgy (Scup) (1 1/2 to 2 lb. each, cleaned with head on), filleted & cut into 4 portions
12 ramps or scallions, chopped fine
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Braised Lamb & Spring Vegetable “Hobo Skillet”

April 12, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Recipes

Braised Lamb and vegetables "Hobo Skillet"

This is a recipe we cooked near the Chagrin River in Ohio | Read the full story about this fishing adventure on American Rivers Tour 2017.

Inspired by a dish from chef Tim Bando of the Grove Hill Restaurant, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Serves 4

This one skillet dinner involves a day before preparation of the ingredients so it is an easy assemble and cook after a long day outside.

For the Lamb:

3 lb boneless lamb shoulder
salt and pepper
¼ vegetable or olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Spanish onions, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 cups chopped canned plum tomatoes
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 small bunch thyme

Paella

November 16, 2016 — Posted in: Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes

This recipe serves 18

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken sausage (diced)
1 lb Andouille sausage (diced)
1 quart jasmine rice
1 quart mirepoix (diced carrots, celery and onion)
8 oz Sofrito (finely diced red and green pepper, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and olive oil)
750 ml white wine mixed with clam sauce (50:50) and one tablespoon of saffron threads (allow to set for one hour before using)
16 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (juice removed, roughly chopped)
2 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Sea salt and ground pepper to your liking
3 cull (2+ pound) lobsters (steamed and removed from shell)
2 lb scallops (10/20 size) cleaned and lightly seared
4 lb fresh fish (skin and bones removed, cut into 2-inch pieces)
3 dozen little neck clams (rinsed and lightly scrubbed in cold water)
2 cups snap peas (chopping into pieces) of fresh shucking peas
1 cup cleaned and chopped fresh oregano, parsley and mint – mixed

Apple Oatmeal Bars for the kids at the Hayground School

November 4, 2016 — Posted in: Desserts, Recipes

Apple Oatmeal Bars for the Hayground School

Yield: 90 cookies

Ingredients for oatmeal cookie mix:

3 cups butter (soft)
2 cups white sugar
4 cups brown sugar
8 eggs
4 tablespoons vanilla
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
8 cups a/p flour
12 cups rolled oats

Cream the butter, eggs and sugars until smooth

Add vanilla, warm water, salt & baking soda

Add flour and mix completely

Add oats gently Read More »

Quail Hill Farm Common Table Lunch

September 17, 2016 — Posted in: Stories

Estia's chef Colin Ambrose with the most amazing fresh pasta lasagna we have ever tasted. — at Quail Hill Farm. Photo by Phill Lehans

The Annual Quail Hill Farm Common table event has become a ritual that I’ve enjoyed for as long as I can remember. This year, for the first time it was a lunch.

I read the memo wrong and arrived at 11am, lunch to me means sometime in the early afternoon. Upon arrival I found the set up crew just getting underway, tables bare, no other chefs, just Julie Resnick with her clipboard. My dish, the Inside Out Lasagna was made (14 10 inch springform pans) and ready to go into the pizza oven.

Happy to know that I wasn’t running late I took the opportunity to go home and spend two quiet hours with my wife watching a movie.

Thank you Quail Hill! That never happens.

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My Photos taken at the Common Table

Inside Out Lasagna

September 15, 2016 — Posted in: Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian

Makes one 9 inch lasagna
Serves 4 as a main course with salad
Use a 9 inch springform cheesecake pan

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes (roast at 350°F on a well oiled sheet pan, 20 minutes) reserve all oil and remove the skin after roasting
1 yellow summer squash, 6 inches long
1 large eggplant, medium size
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 sweet yellow pepper
1 sweet red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Slow Food / ALS Ride for life Benefit : Gala in the Garden at Estia’s LK

September 12, 2016 — Posted in: News

Last fall I was honored by Slow Food’s Long Island chapter with an award, The “Snail of Approval”. Slow Food is a relatively young organization, at least on Long Island, and I was aware of the work they were doing through my contact with Ted Conklin from the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. More Importantly I was at an event a few years ago at The Kontokosta Winery on the North Fork when my friend Gerry Hayden was honored with the first Long Island “Snail of Approval” recognition.

John Delucie, Claudia Flemming, Jim Botsacos

View all photos of this event in our Little Kitchen Gallery !

Mexican Chimichurri

July 28, 2016 — Posted in: Mexican inspired, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
handful oregano sprigs, chopped
½ cup finely diced fresh garlic
4 tsp dried chili powder
2 tbsp finely diced fresh ginger
1 cup finely diced jalapeno
½ cup finely diced red onion or shallots
½ cup lemon juice
3 cups oil
½ cup white vinegar
salt

Argentinian Chimichurri

July 28, 2016 — Posted in: Mexican inspired, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh parsley leaves
Handful fresh basil leaves
Handful fresh oregano sprigs
10 garlic cloves
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 red bell pepper
salt
1 cup oil

Traditional & Corn Empanadas

July 27, 2016 — Posted in: Mexican inspired, Recipes

Empanadas with Chorizo, onion, pepper filling

Make your Empanada filling first and let it rest over night to enhance flavors.

Chapis Empanada Filling:

1 pound fresh chorizo
½ pound potatoes
1 cup cooked corn
3 white onions diced
3 bell peppers diced
salt

Finding “{the} Lost Kitchen” in Freedom, Maine

July 15, 2016 — Posted in: Fish and Shellfish, Restaurant Visits, Salads, Soups

In late March, on a quiet Wednesday morning an Estia breakfast customer overheard me describing my daughters summer job in Maine. As I moved back toward the kitchen he quietly suggested I look into a far away dining room in Freedom, Maine called {the} Lost Kitchen, “it’ll be well worth the effort” he said.

If you passed the Post Office in Freedom, Main you missed the sign to the Lost Kitchen

So I did. That night, on the internet I read a story in Food & Wine about a sharp woman named Erin French who followed her dream back to the town she grew up in. A few weeks later my new breakfast customer was back, again as I passed him at the counter he whispered ” Time to call Lost Kitchen”, and I did. It was early April and Erin had started reserving seats for her 2016 season, after a few exchanged calls I secured a table for 3, Wednesday July 13. Planned in tandem with our visit to catch up with Mansell, our 19 year old camp counselor.

{the} Lost Kitchen

It’s not easy to find Freedom, Maine, GPS is strongly advised. After leaving our hotel in Camden we drove past gorgeous lakes, through pine forests and over hills that crested to views of farm fields that went on for miles. The nice thing about being on vacation in Maine is that you must slow down, in some ways I felt forced to. We didn’t need to hurry either as the reservation was set for 6pm. That is the time they start and there’s only one nightly seating at “Lost Kitchen”. Read More »

Woodfire Beets with fennel, currants, raisins and yogurt

July 4, 2016 — Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian

Woodfire Roasted Beets by chef Megan Huylo

Recipe by chef Megan Huylo of Amber Waves Farm Kitchen in Amagansett

Woodfire Roasted Beets w/ baby fennel, fresh currants, golden raisins & yogurt

Serves 2

6 medium red beets, ends trimmed
4 lemons, zested & juiced
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Greek yogurt, whipped with a fork
2 baby fennel, thinly sliced & fronds reserved
¼ cup fresh red currants
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons chopped, toasted walnuts

Beet Moussaka

July 3, 2016 — Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian

Recipe by chef Arie Pavlou of Bridgehampton Inn & Restaurant in Bridgehampton, NY

Beet Moussaka

makes 4 servings

1 lb beets, boiled until tender and peeled
3 oz. sweet butter
1 medium onion caramelized in 2 Tablespoons butter
8-10 cloves garlic confit, mashed
½ cup sweet sherry
1 cup stock of your choice, we use duck stock
1 tsp dried or 1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram
1 cup heavy cream
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into ½” discs
2 medium eggplant sliced into ½” discs
1 qt. béchamel
¼ cup grated gruyere cheese

Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad

July 2, 2016 — Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian

Recipe by chef Sam McCleland of The Bell & Anchor in Sag Harbor, NY

Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad

serves 4

16 baby beets, roasted and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
6 sprigs of thyme
1/2teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 bulb of fennel, cored and shaved thinly
4 cups baby arugula
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
2 oz cranberry vinaigrette (recipe to follow below)

For Beets:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, toss whole beets, olive oil, salt, pepper and whole thyme sprigs. Transfer to a sheet pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool and then gently remove skin with a dry towel (skin will slip off when gently rubbed). Read More »

Estia Blog | Recipes & Stories by Chef Colin Ambrose

Inspired by chef Matt Haley, Gates Au Sable Lodge, Grayling, Michigan.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the lamb filling:

For the taquitos:

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Inspired by chef Anita Lo Serves 4

Ingredients:

Inspired by chef Kerry Heffernan, Grand Banks, New York, New York

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Inspired by a dish from chef Tim Bando of the Grove Hill Restaurant, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Serves 4

For the Lamb:

Ingredients:

Ingredients for oatmeal cookie mix:

My Photos taken at the Common Table

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Chapis Empanada Filling:

Woodfire Roasted Beets w/ baby fennel, fresh currants, golden raisins & yogurt

Beet Moussaka

Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad

Inspired by chef Anita Lo
Serves 4