Recipe: Red Beet Risotto by Chef Ray Garcia, FIG Restaurant

Los Angeles Magazine held another In The Kitchen event on June 16th at the Snyder Diamond showroom in Santa Monica, this time featuring cooking demonstration by Chef Ray Garcia of FIG restaurant.

I'll have a full report out soon, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the recipe for this delicious Red Beet Risotto from Chef Garcia!
It's made with vegetable stock too so it's healthier, lighter, and vegetarian friendly.


Red Beet Risotto

by
Chef Ray Garcia
FIG Restaurant
Santa Monica, CA







Beetroot Purée
2 red beets
1/2 medium onion
16 oz vegetable stock

Risotto
5 cups Carnaroli Rice
1 onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
7 oz red wine
2 cups vegetable stock
4 oz beetroot puree
3 oz unsalted butter
3 oz parmesan cheese
2 oz crème fraiche
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tbsp chives

Garnish
5 each: yellow & red baby carrots, white & green asparagus
10 pieces golden beetroot

1. Boil red beets and onion until soft. Transfer to blender or food processor and purée. Set aside for later.
2. In a new pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté onion until fragrant.
3. Add rice and bay leaf, cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour wine into pot and allow to reduce by 3/4.
5. Add stock, one ladle at a time (wait until previous stock boils off before adding more), and stir frequently until risotto achieves desired texture.
6. Add beet purée and stir to incorporate. Finish with butter, parmesan cheese, crème fraiche, herbs, salt and pepper.
7. Blanch vegetables for garnish in salted water. Sauté with butter and season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve risotto in a medium-sized bowl, topped with sautéed vegetables.

Ondal 2: Spicy Rib and Crab Soup Heaven

Ondal 2 is well known for their kkot gae tang a.k.a. Spicy Korean Crab Soup, a bubbling pot of crabs, vegetables, and sprouts in a spicy broth.
Once you're seated, they will have you wear a red apron (ok, bib). Things are going to get messy.

The banchan spread is pretty impressive here.
Besides the usual suspects, you'd also get a whole fried mackerel ...
... and a whole spicy crab.

Their soups aren't cheap - a medium order may run you $55, though it will feed 3 people. There were six of us so we got two medium orders of different soup.

Here's the Spicy Crab Soup (menu item #2).
Your server will empty the contents of the crab shells onto your bowls and fill the shells with white rice, continuing cook them in the pot.
Alternate between slurping spicy, crab-flavored broth and bean sprouts and cracking crab legs. That's bliss.

When you're done with your crab meat and rice, you're not done yet! Next they tear off some dough into the still boiling pot.



The other item the waitress had recommended was the spicy beef rib stew, mae-oon sohgalbi jjim (I think this was #12?), which turned out to be even better than the crab soup!
The soup is actually more flavorful than the crab soup, and filled with ribs so tender they wonderfully give way upon your first bite.
While the crab soup was good, it was this that stole our hearts. I'd definitely return for this rib stew.

No pasta here, but they will instead use the remaining broth for some fried rice! Always one of my favorite part of a Korean meal ... It's that concentrated broth that's absorbed by the rice, it's that crisped rice at the edge of the pot.

Some shikhae (rice drink) to cleanse our palates. I always like shikhae, I sometimes wish I can just order a whole glass.

If you have never tried korean spicy crab soup (kkot gae tang), Ondal 2 is definitely worth going to for that, but it's the spicy rib stew that I'll be returning again and again for.

Ondal 2
4566 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(323) 933-3228

Summer Tasting Event on July 24 + LA Street Food Fest Recap

The widely popular LA Street Food Fest will be back with a Summer Tasting Event on July 24th at The Rose Bowl!
This time it's not just street food though, it will also have popular restaurants like Mo Chica, Starry Kitchen, Malo and Pal Cabron participating, along with dozens and dozens of street food vendors.

Instead of a nominal entrance fee and pay-as-you-go format like last time, the upcoming Tasting Event will have a $45 entrance fee ($65 VIP) with unlimited food from over 60 vendors and drinks (yep, beer, cocktails, tequila and mezcal included - I'm talking major tequila/mezcal tasting here with 13 different brands!).

To get you even more interested, the event will also have live performances by two of our best local bans, The Deadly Syndrome and Warpaint (catch some of their music videos). There will also be photo booths for that photogenic you and a cook-off judged by Top Chef Master Susan Feniger and more.

Get the full detail here: http://lastreetfoodfest.com/info/

Now, the last event did meet with a lot of complaints because of the lines and crowd (it was really popular, what can you do?) but the $45 entrance fee and limit on ticket sales this time may mean smaller crowd, and instead of waiting for you to order, the vendors will just crank out the food they're serving that day, which should mean faster lines.

The first Street Food Fest back in February also marked the first appearance of the Ludo Fried Chicken truck, which will soon actually hit the streets.
Ludo's fried chicken, now affectionately known as "Ludo's Balls" probably gathered the longest line of people waiting for both food and photo+signature ops. At $5 per order, it was indeed the best and cheapest opportunity for these piping hot babies.
Will he be back this time? No official word on that yet, one can only hope.
We won't lack celebrity chefs though, as Susan Feniger will be on location leading a panel of judges for the cook-off competition.

Other vendors whose food I enjoyed last time and will be back for more this time around:
mini ice cream sammies from Coolhaus.

Kimchi and foie gras fries from Frysmith.