March 5, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

March 5, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: I've been reading the food sections of newspapers wherever I have lived, and your is one of the most entertaining! I have seen a lot of recipes in Italian cookbooks that call for oil-packed canned tuna. Having been raised in calorie-conscious California, I have only had water-packed tuna all my life. Fresh is not always an option for family cooking, both cost-wise and convenience. What do you use? If oil-packed tuna will indeed make a difference in some recipes, what brand do you recommend (even if it means going to a specialty store)? Lastly, while on the subject of tuna, do you have a recipe for Salad Niçoise - especially a recommended dressing? Jan S., e-mail

A: Great questions Jan! As for tuna, I recommend Genoa brand or any Spanish or Italian tuna packed in olive oil. I have also seen one sold in a jar also packed in extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil, as we all now know, is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. If you have not tasted tuna in olive oil, you're in for a treat. Just open a can or jar in

a medium bowl and break it up a bit with a fork. Add diced tomatoes, a bit of diced green or red onion, some cracked black pepper, and a splash of vinegar (some chopped hard-boiled egg also works). Try it piled on some French bread - I'll bet you won't share it with anyone!

The classic Salad Niçoise Recipe, named for the city of Nice in southern France, is made up of tuna (in olive oil}, green beans, sliced boiled potatoes, tiny Niçoise olives (Kalamata olives will do), hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, and anchovies on a bed of hearts of butter lettuce. Use the larger outside leaves as garnish.

Now for the dressing:
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Small amount of dry mustard
A good shot of fresh lemon juice
Small amount of sugar (mix well)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh chopped garlic (optional)

Combine all ingredients (except olive oil) in a mixing bowl and whisk together. While continuing to whisk, slowly add olive oil so that it emulsifies (combines with the vinegar). You should use approximately two-parts olive oil, to one-part vinegar.

Toss the hearts of butter lettuce with the dressing. Position the dressed lettuce on a large plate, distribute potatoes, green beans, and tomatoes (cubed or sliced) and place the tuna in the middle.

Decorate with olives, radishes, and a few capers. Drizzle with a bit more of the stirred dressing, add cracked pepper, and garnish with salted anchovies.

Now, find a balcony overlooking the ocean, a good dry rosé, some crunchy bread, a beautiful woman (or whatever) and enjoy!

Q: I never got to try abalone when I lived out there. What does it resemble in taste and texture? Also, no one is able to convey what truffles taste like. I can't spend money like that on the unknown??? Can you answer these two questions?

Thanks, Father Nicholas Palun
e-mail

A: The taste of abalone? Let's see, I know it doesn't taste like chicken. It actually tastes more like a firm scallop. Oceany, sea breezy sweet, cool and clean, not fishy at all, no hint of fish. The farm-raised abs have a different texture than the wild. Try it raw with wasabi and soy sauce, sliced very thin. The texture is snappy and crunchy. When cooked, the texture is a bit softer, but still has a bite to it. Black truffles: French, Italian, or Oregonian, are deeply earthy, very pleasant and intriguing.

White truffles: Italian or Croatian - smell of leeks, garlic, onions and shallots. Its heaven in scrambled eggs, perfuming them to the highest of culinary bliss. White truffles from Oregon are much different from the Italian white truffles. Slightly earthy, with a light leek aroma, they are sweet, delicate and very pleasant. They go well with cream and butter, making both of them taste better.

Readers: Local fireball Terice C., asked for help feeding some celebrities during the AT&T. These folks didn't want to go out to another formal event - they just wanted some good old-fashioned food. So I went to work: stuffed artichokes, capalonata, roasted chicken with potatoes, grilled shrimp with garlic, roasted fresh grouper with garlic and bread crumbs, eggplant parmesan, assorted real olives, fennel and orange salad, greens fried with

anchovy and olive oil, an assortment of tri-colored bell peppers and eggplant all stuffed with vegetarian filling, Buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad (a total of eighteen dishes), plus wines, cannoli and carrot cake. Oh, who were the celebrities? First to arrive was singer Huey Lewis, Golf Pro (leader as of that day) and wife Mr. & Mrs. James Furyk and William Devane; then Sportscaster and hall of fame football star Lynn Swann, comedians Ray Romano, Kevin James and Tommy Dreesen (who told some great jokes after dinner), Dr. Clark, Michael Bolton and Nancy O'Dell (host of Access Hollywood); then finally, Clint Eastwood and the lovely Dina. Terice Clark (who organized it all) said she hoped it wasn't too much pressure. No problem folks - just fun. This was quite an interesting night - hope we can do it again next year. Check out my web site for photos.

Q: Dear John, We recently had dinner at a friend's house and, among other guests were and English couple John and Wendy (owners of Bullwhacker's Pub - Cannery Row). They swore there is a dessert back home called "spotted dick." Help me out, John, is this for real? Bobby V. and Sherrif, e-mail

A: Guys, if your letter gets printed you'll know for sure! Yes, there is such a thing as spotted dick. I called John and Wendy and got the following recipe, which sounds pretty good:

Spotted Dick Recipe

6 oz. Self-raising flour

2 oz. Suet (remember mincemeat?)

6 oz. Currants

4 oz. Water

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the water and mix to form a firm dough. Shape into a cylinder, about 6 inches long on a lightly floured board. Wrap in lightly buttered kitchen foil, allowing room for the "pudding" to expand during cooking. Secure the ends before placing in a steamer. Stand the steamer over a pan of boiling water and cook for 75 minutes, adding more boiling water if necessary. Remove the wrapping carefully, turn-out onto a hot plate and serve while still hot.

Readers: I received a lot of mail regarding the cooking shows featuring Sammy Hagar. Well, if you're a fan of the Red Rocker, the newest show with Sammy is running all this week. Tune-in weeknights to channel 2 at 5:30 PM or 8 PM, or on Saturday and Sunday at 9 AM, 10 AM or noon.

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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