A Taste of Rays – Feb 2021 Newsletter

Raid Our Cellar for Valentines Weekend Enjoy a Ray’s Classic Dish At Home

 

Loyal guests, teammates, and alumni,

We are all very excited to see the regionwide healthcare metrics slowly improving. Our most vulnerable populations are receiving vaccines, children are slowly starting to return to school campuses, and the days are getting longer as the sun starts its march northward along the Olympic Mountains. These are all indicators that we are moving closer to the beginning of a new chapter. We are all anxious to start doing what we love again, but still don’t know when that will be. At this point Rays will re-open when we are allowed to have at least 50% inside capacity or consistent deck-dining weather. So for now that means that we are in advanced planning stages for what should be a very busy spring and summer.

As we continue to be patient and do the right thing, my craving for some of the classic Ray’s dishes grows stronger. I was recently asked if we could share the recipe for our signature Thai Mussels. This dish has been on our menu since at least 1983. The freshest ocean flavors of the mussels, combined with the aromatics of Thai curry, are a surefire way to lift your spirits. We hope you have as much fun making it at home as we have serving it here to you.

Thai Mussels Recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce
2/3 cup sake
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
2 pounds Penn Cove mussels, cleaned and debearded

Garnish
2-4 springs fresh basil

In a large bowl whisk together a broth made using the coconut milk, lime juice, curry paste, fish sauce, sake, garlic, ginger, and chopped basil. Heat a heavy saucepan over high heat for about 30 seconds. Add mussels and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until mussels are fully open. Discard any mussels that do not open. Divide the mussels into bowls, spoon over the broth, garnish with basil sprigs, and serve with plenty of crusty bread for broth-sopping.

Pick Up Valentine’s Bubbles
While we are known for our treasured waterfront location, we are also renowned for our vast premium wine collection. For the approaching Valentine’s weekend, while we are not serving dinner for this occasion, we are opening our virtual cellar for special orders of extremely limited selections of Champagne and Sparkling Wines by the bottle, from near and far. Cava, Cremant, Champagne and Sparkling Wines are all available! Examples on offer:

  • Bollinger Grand Année Brut Aÿ 2008 – $300
  • Cristal by Louis Roderer, Brut, Montagne de Reims 2008 – $445
  • Domaine Huet Pétillant Brut Réserve, Vouvray 2009 – $90
  • Ruinart Brut Rosé Reims, France NV – $135
  • Sea Smoke ‘Sea Spray’ Blanc de Noirs Santa Barbara, Calif. 2014 – $155

All it takes is a click and your fast-acting decision to get your hands on something you won’t find just anywhere. Simply click, peruse, purchase and schedule your pickup time starting now. Items must be picked up no later than Thursday, Feb. 11. Not to burst your bubble, but these bubbles will go quickly, so don’t delay!  Shop here.

Ray’s Black Lentil Soup & Pasta Fagiole Recipe

Executive Chef Paul Duncan shares an easy two-in-one recipe to make any night of the week. Then enjoy it a different way the next night!

Black Lentil Soup & Pasta Fagiole Recipe
(makes 4 portions of soup and 4 portions of pasta fagiole)

*Note: this recipe makes 8 portions of lentil soup total – soup gets divided in half so 4 portions are served as soup and 4 portions are reserved to make sauce for pasta fagiole.

Ingredients for Black Lentil Soup

  • 1 pound dried black lentils (soaked in room temperature water for 1.5 hours)
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium white onion (small dice)
  • 1 medium red onion (small dice)
  • 4 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
  • 5 ribs of celery (small dice)
  • 1 fennel bulb (core removed and discarded, remaining bulb diced)
  • 10 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
  • 1 Serrano pepper (small dice, seeds removed and discarded)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 Tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (may substitute fresh tomatoes – if so, score and blanch 5 large tomatoes to remove skin, rough chop skinned tomatoes)
  • 6 cups chicken stock (can substitute vegetable stock or water)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (stems removed, washed and chopped)
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (we prefer full fat, make sure it is unsweetened)

Ingredients for Pasta Fagiole

  • 1 14 oz. can cannellini beans (drained)
  • 1 lb. dry spaghetti or linguine noodles (can substitute any pasta shape of choice)
  • 1 bunch black kale (rinsed, de-stemmed and chopped)
  • 2 cups chicken stock, if necessary (can substitute vegetable stock or water)
  • 1/4 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (stems removed, washed and chopped)

To make soup:

  1. Once lentils have soaked, drain and rinse thoroughly
  2. In a heavy bottom soup pot (we use a 5 1/2 qt. Le Creuset dutch oven) heat olive oil over medium-high heat
  3. Add white onion, red onion, carrots, celery, fennel and garlic to heated oil and sauté for 5 minutes
  4. Add Serrano pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil, cumin and a nice pinch of Kosher salt and until aromatic (about 2-3 minutes)
  5. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and chicken stock and stir together thoroughly
  6. Bring mixture to just below a simmer and add drained lentils and stir to combine
  7. Bring soup to a brief boil and turn to a low heat so soup is barely simmering
  8. Cook uncovered for 1-1.5 hours until soup thickens slightly and lentils are fully cooked but still intact
  9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper
  10. To serve, portion half of the lentil soup into 4 bowls and top each portion with chopped fresh cilantro and plain Greek yogurt
  11. Chill remaining half of lentil soup to be used for pasta fagiole (see below)

To make pasta fagiole with leftover soup:

  1. Combine leftover lentil soup and cannellini beans in heavy bottom soup pot and reheat
  2. In a separate pot, bring 3 qt. water to a boil and season generously with Kosher salt
  3. Add dry pasta to boiling salted water and cook until done according to directions on package
  4. While pasta is cooking, add rinsed, chopped black kale to reheating soup
  5. Once kale has begun to wilt, add butter to soup
  6. Add chicken stock, if needed, to thin the soup to a sauce consistency
  7. Drain pasta and add directly to pot with lentil/bean/kale sauce
  8. Remove pasta from heat, fold in parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly to combine
  9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper
  10. To serve, divide pasta equally into 4 bowls and garnish each portion with fresh chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese