| Readers:
Mac and the Boys are back! Folks, in case you don't know, my office, at
786 Wave St., is next door to the original Palace Flophouse as described in Steinbeck's
two novels about Cannery Row. It is now, and has been for quite a while, an empty
lot. It has this magnificent Cypress tree, a large pine tree and lots of wild fennel.
Seems that about four colorful Steinbeck-type characters have moved in. They are
quiet, polite and generally keep to themselves, saying "hello" whenever we meet.
The difference now is that instead of eating frogs and canned sardines, I see them eating
from Nob Hill take-out containers and large bottles of beer or wine depending on the
immediate fortunes. However, the other day I saw them making something out of the wild
fennel, gathering it and putting it into a small pot. I asked them for a recipe and,
just in case you ever want to make an interesting pot of tea, here it is: Fill a small pan
with chopped wild fennel, using only the top branches as they are the cleanest. |
|
Fill
with water and heat until boiling and remove from fire. Cover, let it sit a while (about
the time it takes to drink a large beer) and enjoy. John Steinbeck would be proud -
the old Row lives on!
Q: My boyfriend is a big fan of yours. I was thinking, for him to
watch you cook in person would be a great gift. Do you offer any type of classes?Christina DeGuzman - Monterey
A: Great
question, Christina. From time to time I do teach and I must say, I really enjoy sharing
my 35 years of cooking experience. I have been thinking about doing some classes of 4-6
people at a time. Please let me know if there is any interest. In the past, when I have
done these, it has always been a lot of fun. I've taken people shopping and then home for
cooking. Mushrooming is a natural, as is doing classes in variations of preparing one item
only, such as artichokes or salmon. |
|
Q: Dear
Chef Pisto, In one of your recent columns, you mentioned preparing eggplant Parmesan for
singer Michael Bolton. I love eggplant Parmesan - will you share your recipe?
Mary "Babe" H. - Carmel
A: Thanks, Babe. Folks, I just have to share this recipe for
eggplant with you. It is so good that I made it three days in a row! This one is actually
called Eggplant Romano Recipe. Use medium sized eggplants, washed and cut lengthwise
into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut some cross slits into both sides of the slices and season
with salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium to high heat. Brown
well, then turn over and fry the other side a bit. Place eggplant slices in a baking dish.
Pour about a quart of simple marinara sauce over the top. This should be enough for 6-8
slices. Sprinkle with some pine nuts, raisins and finally with a generous amount of grated
Romano cheese. Bake until eggplant is soft - 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into
portions and serve. Incredibly simple and delicious! |
|
