Q:
Dear John, When I read
your recent article about edamame (9/4/02), the Japanese soybean (one of
my favorite snacks) it made me hungry for sushi. Since I have never seen
you prepare it on your show, do you like sushi and if so, where do you
go when you get that craving? Kim
R. - Marina
A: I was just visited by my
good friend Soney, from Chaya Japanese Restaurant in Monterey's American
Tin Cannery, possibly the worst restaurant location in California (on a
one-way street, going the wrong way). He prepares sushi items that I
have never seen anywhere else. They are not only different but also,
very good. He brought me these new items: The Soney Special - rolled in
paper-thin cucumber; The Rising Sun Roll - house-cured salmon with
lemon; The Crunch Roll - fried Japanese Cuttlefish. Soney recently hired
a new sushi chef from San Jose, so go check him out 642-0151.
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Photo by
Cheryl Pisto |
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Photo by
Cheryl Pisto |
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Q:
Dear Chef Pisto, I have
seen some of your recipes for pasta (tomato) sauce. I was wondering,
what is the rule for how long to cook it once it has been assembled?
Brad Smith - via e-mail
A: Great question, Brad.
Everyone seems to have the misconception that the sauce must be cooked
for hours to be good - wrong! The only reason to cook a
sauce for a long time is if you are cooking a meat sauce. In that
case, you must cook it until the meat is tender. For a quick, normal
everyday pasta sauce, it usually takes from 12 - 20 minutes, depending
on how watery your tomatoes are. The more water, the more cooking time
in order for it to evaporate. Also, cooking the sauce too long brings on
that scourge of all Italian men, that's right - "acido" - better known
as heartburn. Check my web site for easy sauce recipes or write to me
and I'll send you some. By the way, the newsletter area of my web site
now features an alphabetical listing of all previous Ask the Chef
subjects for easy reference.
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Q:
John, I'm making my
so-called famous vegetable soup this week for some friends and neighbors
(2 gallons). I use chicken broth (home made) base with an assortment of
ten to fifteen vegetables. I use the common spices but the soup seems to
lack some flavor. Should I use a wine for flavor, maybe Sherry?
Jim Hink - e-mail
A: Try browning your
chicken and cut back on the veggies. Too many
can muck things up. Add more salt, but don't use wine. Also, try
something like garlic or anise seed. Fresh
dill also works well. A little pesto on
top of the finished soup is terrific - they do this in the Mediterranean
where each country has its own version. Here's my take on a
Classic Italian Pesto
Recipe:
In a food processor
2 cups fresh basil
1 cup parsley
4 garlic cloves
½ cup fresh Romano cheese (grated)
½ cup almonds
Grind to a paste then add some good extra-virgin olive oil.
A tablespoon or two of pesto will do wonders in a bowl of soup or just
on top of a fresh sliced tomatoes. Your pesto can also be put in ice
trays and frozen for future use.
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