July 2, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

July 2, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: Dear Chef, I was going to make Luau meatballs as an appetizer. It calls for pork, brown sugar, pineapple, etc, and crystallized ginger. When I saw the cost of the ginger, I almost passed out. What can I substitute for this ingredient?

B, Via e-mail

A: Hey B, don’t get your grass skirt in a bunch! How about some Italian or Swedish meat balls; or just get some fresh ginger and peel & finely dice it, along with some chopped green onion. Aloha!

Peaches! The finest peaches in the world! I found them, bonanza! They’re from Frog Hollow Farms. Farmer Al is the boss and he brings his fruit to the Santa Cruz Farmers Market, at Cedar and Lincoln, every Wednesday from 2:30 to 6:00. My buddy Jon Rowley turned me on to this incredible grower. Jon, you may recall, is the oyster king of Seattle (actually he’s

the fish king also). This guy knows more about oysters and fish than St. Peter. These peaches must have found their way from fruit heaven because they are about the most intensely sweet and juiciest fruit I have ever tasted. How do we get Farmer Al down here? Jon tells me Chez Pannise in Berkeley serves a peach and a knife for dessert, nothing else, just the perfectly ripe peach. I’m sold on them and Jon left me 6 slightly unripe ones and told me to give them a few days when they will have just a nice, soft feel. Folks, these peaches are perfuming my entire kitchen, I kid you not. Frog Hollow Farms is a thriving 120-acre organic farm located in Brentwood, California. The farm produces 25 varieties of peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, pluots, plums, Asian and European pears, and table grapes.

The perfect 4th of July weekend, “Pisto Style” a beach party, of course.

Prepare everything at home and bring it to the beach. Just warm it up with the exception of steamed mussels and clams. Here’s the low down: fried chicken; watermelon; steamed clams and mussels; lots of garlic bread and a little wine - ice cold - and beer.

In a very large pot, put clams, mussels, a handful of chopped garlic, a can whole tomatoes, crushed black pepper, chopped linguica, a good shot of white wine (not too much), a handful of chopped parsley, and a shot of extra-virgin olive oil.

Some other options include: a pinch of saffron, a shot of Ricard, cumin, cut up fresh corn, boiled baby potatoes, cracked crab, squid, chunks of cooked salmon laid on top gently, shrimp or whatever you want, it’s your party, get creative! A fun game to play: Beach bocce - you don’t roll ‘em, you lob ‘em.

My pick for fish of the year is Shad roe (not to be confused with Wade vs. Roe.) Fisherman Roy called the other day and said, “Are you ready? I’m going shad fishing. I catch ‘em you cook ‘em.” It’s a deal. Folks, fisherman Roy is as dependable as our fastest in the world meter maids, and he produced. Shad is one of over a hundred varieties of herring and the roe, or egg sac, is a real delicacy. I prepared my favorite - Shad roe with bacon.

Separate the lobes of the egg sacs and rinse. Season with salt and pepper and lightly poach in water with lemon and shallots for 3

minutes. Don’t cook it through. Rinse and dry. Season again with salt and pepper, roll in flour then lightly fry in butter for 10 minutes until just cooked through. Outside will be browned a bit crisp, yet the inside will be crunchy and unbelievably sweet. In the same pan, sauté a handful of chopped bacon, shallots, and parsley. When the bacon is crisp, splash a bit of sherry and finish with butter and lemon. Pour this over the roe and watch out! Folks, without a doubt this is one of the tastiest treats in the world. Never, I mean never, refuse shad roe if given the opportunity folks. Now for the fish itself. Shad has more bones than

Carter has pills. Here’s how to eat the meat without killing the participants - run it through a food processor. It gets fillets, bones all, cut into small pieces. Process with a little fresh ginger, garlic, salt and pepper, an egg and heavy cream. Remember the fish is the predominate flavor here. So just add small amounts of flavoring agents. Make a nice stiff mixture and chill it well for 1 hour. In a non-stick pan, gently fry patties about the size of a hamburger in butter until cooked. Served with just lemon this is absolutely delicious. Please try this fabulous dish if you are lucky enough to get it. Thanks again Roy!

Smells? Did I ever tell you about the time I called the fire department at 7 am? I smelled something very bad and thought it may be a propane gas leak or something gassy. I quickly checked around the back yard and found nothing leaking, but the smell persisted. I became very concerned and decided to call the fire department. I asked them to please not respond with sirens, but they came in full glory, lights, sirens, and what seemed like 10 trucks. Oh my what have I done? I let them in the gate, they sniffed around and decided it was coming from my neighbor Joe Cricchio. While some of the firemen went to check Joe’s, I remained

with the main contingents of about 15 of Monterey’s finest and nobody could find identify the smell. Some thought natural gas; some thought propane. Well, wouldn’t you know the hand held radio started to crack and the boys at Joe’s said they found the problem and would be right over. Guess what it was? Chef Joe was frying some fresh squid that he had just got from boats that were unloading down on the Wharf. He apparently forgot them and they started to burn. He caught it in time and placed the pan outside his back door and the fumes drifted over the hedges into my back yard. The gentle early morning breeze stirred it just right sending them to

my sensitive nose. The firemen were a bit amused to say the least - but Joe was not. The firemen scared the bejusus out of him and his lovely wife Frances. Joe thought it didn’t smell that bad and wondered what all the fuss was about. Like they say, one man’s breakfast is another man’s call to the fire department. Joe how about the recipe? Not the well done one though.

What does a nice Italian boy do for his Mom's 90th birthday? He cooks for her, with all the relatives. A non-stop feast for 3 days. Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you enjoyed it.

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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