June 4, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

June 4, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Readers: Went to visit my buddy David Arora, mushroom expert and author of Mushrooms Demystified. He just bought a 100-acre spread in Mendocino and has many types of mushrooms on his property. Next year he will begin giving classes so stay tuned this is big! He is also looking for a female companion, but she must be able to run a tractor, backhoe and chain saw, like long hikes, eat mostly mushrooms and like to cook on an open fire (which we did, takes a long time). Anyone interested give us a call (831) 373-3778, The Mendocino Coast is still a pretty wild place. Where men are men and women are men - just kidding. Menu that day, all cooked

in the fireplace consisted of barbecued lamb shoulder chops with Sensational Seasoning®, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, potatoes (all roasted in the ashes), lots of garlic, a big green salad and finished off with strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar.

Q: Dear John,

Now that salmon season has opened, do you have any salmon recipes that you can share with us?

Via e-mail

A: That’s right salmon season is open folks. I think blackened salmon is one of the best ways to prepare this fish. To do this you need a cast iron pan or a stovetop grill. Rub the fish with butter and dust with your favorite blackening spice. Caution, this will smoke up your room, folks! Don’t despair, just open the windows. If your smoke alarm goes off use a water gun to turn it off. Another way would be just brown the outside and finish the fish in the oven. Serve with fresh lemon.

Q: John, I would like the recipe for your Caesar salad. Via e-mail, Wilson in Garden Grove, CA

Classic Caesar Salad Recipe

(from my cookbook)

Serves 4-6

Croutons:

1 loaf of day-old Italian bread

3/4 cup butter

6 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. fresh-cracked black pepper

2 eggs

Salad:

6 heads of romaine lettuce

6 anchovies

2 tblsp kosher salt

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 lemons (juice only)

3 tsp. dry mustard

2 tblsp Worcestershire sauce

6 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

To make croutons, cut bread into bite-sized cubes and place in mixing bowl. Melt butter in small saucepan. Press 4 cloves of garlic into butter, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of black pepper and stir. Spoon butter mixture over bread. Grate cheese and sprinkle 1/4 cup over bread. Pre-heat oven to broil. Place bread on baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes (check frequently so as not to burn), turn and broil for another 2-3 minutes (croutons are done when they are nicely browned). Remove from oven and let cool.

Choose a wooden bowl exclusively for this salad. Rub the bowl with one clove of garlic. The clove will dissolve into the bowl, which will forever retain this flavor. Remove dark green leaves from lettuce until you reach the heart (leaves are tight and yellow). Submerge eggs

in a pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside in cold water. Place anchovies in wooden bowl. Add vinegar and crush anchovies into a paste using a wooden spoon. Add kosher salt and continue making paste. Press remaining garlic clove and add to mixture. Add lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Crack eggs and discard egg whites. Add yokes to mixture and stir. Slowly pour in olive oil, stirring continuously. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in bowl. With tongs, gently mix lettuce with dressing until no residue is found on the bottom of bowl. Mix in croutons and sprinkle with remaining cheese and fresh cracked pepper. By the way, did you know that regular salt is twice as salty as kosher salt. That’s right!

Q: Dear Chef,

My question concerns eggs. What does the date stamped on the carton indicate? Is that the “pull” date? What is the shelf life on eggs? How long are they considered fresh after purchased? Everyone I have asked (grocery store employees) have given me a different answer. Please advise.

Letter sent, H.R.H. Catnip

A: Hi Catnip,

I’ve done the research and now I’ll give you some hard boiled facts.

Carton dates: Egg cartons from USDA-inspected plants must display a “Julian” date - the date the eggs were packed. Although not required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond which the eggs should not be sold. In USDA-inspected plants, this date cannot exceed 30 days after the pack date. It may be less through choice of the packer or quantity purchaser such as your local supermarket chain. Plants not under USDA inspection are governed by the laws of their respective state.

Julian dates: Starting with January 1 as number 1 and ending with December 31 as 365, these numbers represent the consecutive days of the year. This numbering system is sometimes used on egg cartons to denote the day the eggs are packed. Fresh shell eggs can be stored in their cartons in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 weeks beyond this date with insignificant quality loss. Added information: White chickens lay white eggs, red or brown chickens lay brown eggs. I remember being told and believing that light cows give white milk and dark cows give chocolate milk. My sister told me that when I was a little rascal.

Q: Dear Chef John,
Do you have a recipe for fried chicken? Please share it with us.
Pam in Marina

A: You bet I will. There are a couple of things you must know first. Never, never, use big birds - 2 1/2 lbs. is the limit. I know it’s cheaper to buy the whole bird and cut it up, but my favorite is just the legs. There’s just something about eating drumsticks. Some markets sell legs and thighs. This will also work providing they are from small birds. My best luck so far has been from supermarkets. Recently I bought 28 legs for about $8. Now that’s a bargain folks. So let’s cook!
Fried Chicken Recipe.
Wash and trim legs or other parts. Salt and pepper them (don’t dry them). Put in a large plastic bag or sheet pan add regular flour, salt, white pepper, black pepper, a bit of sage, a shot of granulated onion and garlic, some celery seed,

and cayenne pepper. Next heat some virgin olive oil (about ½ deep) in a cast iron frying pan, or a Dutch oven. Now comes the hard part, if you don’t have a thermometer you have to have the temperature at about 350 degrees. If it’s too cold it will get greasy, if it’s too hot you burn the outside and the inside is raw. Please be careful as you add the floured chicken to the pan of hot oil. You want these babies to cook for about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn them a couple of times. You can kind of tell when they're done because the oil will stop sizzling. Keep them warm in a 200-degree oven until you cook them all and it’s ok to try one for yourself. Figure 4 to 6 persons. Serve with corn on the cob, coleslaw, and watermelon. Oh, and don’t forget the potato or macaroni salad. Summer is here, enjoy it folks!

Subject: Italian cookies. Who makes the best? For years the rumor was that Nana (grandmother)

Nancy Mangiapane was #1 for Italian cookies. Recently at her grandson’s wedding, I encountered her dancing with her grandson Mark and exchanged pleasantries. I told her that I heard she was the cookie champ and she promised to send me some. Well, low and behold Saturday morning at 9:00 am I got a delivery of 4 large bags of homemade Italian cookies. Hand delivered by a family friend, Dr Stark no less. Well let me tell you folks, these are the real Italian cookies! Sesame seeded ones; biscotti; fondant coated ones, I’m sure they all have names but we Italian boys only recognize them by their shapes and flavors. These cookies were absolutely delicious. Thank you so very much, Mrs. Mangiapane! What a wonderful lady you are, God bless you! Now if I could get you to share a couple of the recipes with all of us, I would be more than happy to have you for dinner, deal?

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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