Q:
Dear John, whenever you Italian chefs are preparing
seafood pasta you all say that putting cheese on the seafood is a no-no,
but you never explain why. Why the taboo? Thank you, Raedee e-mail
A: Great question! I have always
been told that, so I say it automatically.
Come to think of it, the French team up seafood with cheese and so have
I (lobster Thermidor comes to mind), and it works. However, the French
use it with cream and the cheese is usually very mild. Italian homes
traditionally use very strong cheeses. Pecorino for example, would
definitely take over the flavor of a delicate seafood dish. In Sicily
they use seasoned breadcrumbs on fish dishes and that works really well.
Lets be realistic here, if you like cheese on your clams and |
|
|
linguine, go for it. No one
is going to jump over the table and say it's not right. It may be a big
deal in Italy, but this is America! Put cheese wherever you want and
while you're at it have some red wine with it too.
Q:
Hello all in beautiful Monterey. A friend of mine has
recently given me a wild boar ham. It is a beautiful thing, about 3
pounds. Could you provide any suggestions on
how to prepare this piece of meat? I've considered braising the outside
and finishing it up in a deep pot with various vegetables, herbs, stock
and a little wine. This technique works for various roasts - do you
think this would work for the boar?
BJ Moody e-mail
A:
Absolutely! Wild boar
is very lean (you ever see the legs on |
|
|
those rascals, they look
like race horses). My favorite way is to make a stew using dried wild
mushrooms. A goulash-style stew is the best. Try this one, Moody.
Marinate the boar meat, cut up into one-inch pieces, in red wine, 2 bay
leaves, cracked black pepper, fresh thyme and a bit of rosemary in the
fridge overnight. The next day, drain the meat and save the marinade.
Brown the meat in butter with a little salt and pepper and place in a
pot with lots of onions sliced very thin. Cook down, then add some sweet
Hungarian paprika. Cook a few more minutes then add the marinade and a
handful of reconstituted wild mushrooms. Cover and cook slowly until the
meat is very tender (about 1 1/2 hours - more or less). Serve over
mashed potatoes - oh man!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|