June 18, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

June 18, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: Dear Chef Pisto,

I’m looking for an artichoke bisque recipe. I made one the other day, but the bisque I wanted had a red look to it, this one didn’t. So I was wondering if you had a good recipe.

Via e-mail, Jessika, Salinas

A: Hi Jessika,

If I’m not mistaken, artichokes are green or a pale green. If you use a green vegetable you should end up with a green finished product. But if yours came out red I’m thinking you used tomatoes or tomato paste. Did you use a shrimp or lobster bisque recipe and add the pulp of an artichoke? That sounds

pretty good. Did you know that artichokes make everything taste better? Next time you eat an artichoke try a glass of cold white wine or a glass of cold milk. That’s why for an important food and wine pairing, artichokes are never served. If you want to make a true artichoke bisque, omit tomatoes, shrimp, and lobster. So let’s start from the beginning, Jessie girl! Bisque is a soup of creamy consistency using butter, cream, and stock as main ingredients. Try this easy recipe for artichoke bisque.

Artichoke Bisque Recipe

3 med artichokes boiled (scrape out the pulp from the leaves and clean the heart)

1 chopped medium onion

3 garlic cloves

fresh thyme

1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock

1/2 cube sweet butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 quart heavy cream

Tablespoon flour

Saute garlic and onions in butter with salt and pepper. Add a little flour and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock to mixture. Now add the pulp of artichoke leaves and the bottoms to the liquid and cook a few minutes. Place in food processor and then strain out most of the particles. Finish with heavy cream and a chunk of sweet butter and let it simmer. Garnish with bits of shrimp or crab meat if you like.

Q: Chef Pisto,

About four or five years ago you did a show with Sammy Hagar and cooked a sea bass, I believe using Sammy’s Cabo Wabo Tequila. I no longer live in California and would really like to get a hold of that recipe. Could you send it to me?

Thanks, B. Johnson, Via e-mail

A: Hi Beau,

I believe you are talking about the time we cooked the whole fish. This is a great dish, and you can use any saltwater fish, providing it’s not gigantic.
Whole Fish Recipe
Figure about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of raw fish per person. I suggest using Pacific rockfish, whole petrale sole or tilapia. Phil’s in Moss Landing has some beautiful whole red

snapper from various places around the world. Have them scale, gut and remove the gills but leave on the head, tail and, yes, the eyes. Get over it folks, it’s no big deal. Coat your fish with olive oil, salt and pepper including the cavity and placer in a large flat oven-proof pan. Stud the fish with small pieces of garlic (just like a roast) then stuff the cavity with whole parsley, fresh thyme and slices of lemon. Cut slits down the bone every 2 inches (don’t cut through it) down the length of the fish. Add some water and some white wine to the bottom of the pan (3/4 “) along with some sliced carrots, sprigs of parsley, chopped garlic, fresh thyme, and fresh tarragon. Bake at 350 degrees until done. Fish is cooked when the flesh is opaque in color at the thickest part of the fish behind the eye. 5 lbs. of fish takes approximately 45 minutes.

To serve: use the slits as a portion control. First do the top then remove the main bone and keep going (save the head for my nephew, John Mercurio, it’s his favorite part). Use the pan juices and fresh lemon to make a mayonnaise or bring out your best extra virgin olive oil and drizzle it on the white, succulent, herb-perfumed fish. Roasted potatoes and baked zucchini go well with this. Go for it Be-Beau!

Whole Tilapia

Readers: This past Friday the 13th, I spoke to “Mushroom King” David Arora. He says they’re poppin’ in the Lake Shasta area, near the town of McCloud. In an hour and a half he collected 70 pounds of incredible red cap butter boletes, also known as springtime boletes.

If you are lucky enough to get hold of some of these, here are a couple of my favorite bolete recipes:

Sautéed Boletes Recipe - simple & quick. Serves 3-4 as an appetizer

From my “Cooking with Mushrooms” cookbook

3-4 large bolete mushrooms, vertically sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 tblsp butter, unsalted 2 tblsp balsamic vinegar

4 tblsp olive oil, extra virgin 3 tblsp thyme, fresh chopped

2 tblsp garlic, chopped salt and pepper to taste

In a preheated (medium heat), medium-sized skillet, add butter

and one-tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté on each side about 5 to 6 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove from skillet and allow to cool. Arrange mushrooms on serving platter. In the same skillet, carefully add remaining olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and thyme. Sauté ingredients about 3 minutes at medium heat. Pour over mushrooms and enjoy!

Filet Mignon Recipe in Porcini Sauce

The perfect combination of meat and mushrooms - serves 2

2 (12 oz) filet mignon

2 cups porcini (or your other favorite assorted mushrooms), thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin 2 Tbsp brandy

1 Tbsp shallot, chopped 1/4 cup heavy cream

4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste

In a large preheated (medium heat) saucepan, add olive oil and sliced mushrooms: sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. About half way through add shallot and garlic to saucepan, stirring well. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, lightly season with salt and black pepper, then simmer ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes and set aside. Preheat a cast iron stovetop grill or skillet well coated with olive oil to medium-high heat. Season filets with sensational seasonings and immediately place on grill. Grill steaks according to your preference, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side for rare to medium rare. When steaks are done, remove and set aside.

Deglaze grill or skillet with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and brandy; then add ingredients to standing saucepan. Bring saucepan to a gentle simmer. Stir in cream and Dijon mustard, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Place filets on plates, and smother steaks with shallots and mushrooms. Pour sauce over mushrooms and serve.

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

Last "Ask the Chef" Article ♦ Index of "Ask the Chef" Articles