November 19, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

November 19, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: Hi John: My husband and I moved from Monterey to Las Vegas four years ago (don't ask). While living in Monterey we watched your show faithfully. A couple of years ago around Thanksgiving, you introduced your audience to a turkey recipe where you butterflied the turkey and put olive oil and your Sensational Seasoning(tm) on it. That's all I can remember about the recipe. We tried it and loved it and have told many of our friends about it. We are having a house full of guests this Thanksgiving and want to make it again. If it's not too much trouble will you please send us the recipe for your butterflied turkey? We keep looking for your show in Las Vegas but unfortunately we haven't found you. Are you here? Hoping to get back to Monterey soon.
Mary Pinocchio
Las Vegas, Nevada

A: Hi there Mary. We are in parts of Las Vegas, it all depends on the cable package you have. You can request your cable company to carry us. Ask for the GoodLife TV Network. We are on 2 times a day. Ok now down to business. 15 lb. Turkey- butterflied turkey Recipe (or was it brick turkey?), either way I'll give you butterflied turkey. Start on an outside broiler - Weber equipment is fine. Split down the back on both sides of the spine and remove the backbone. Pound the opened turkey to make it lay flat making little cuts in the meat to help facilitate this. Wash the bird and trim away excess fat and skin. Cut out the breast bone and wish bone (figure it out Mary, it's not that hard). Dry well then lightly rub down with olive oil and add Sensational Seasoning(tm), salt and pepper. Have your fire going. Make a small fire. This could be tricky - too high and it will burn everything and you, too small and the bird wouldn't cook. In a large Weber, put a 5 lb bag of briquettes. Start the turkey skin side up and

with the lid on. Have the damper on half-closed, you can adjust it to be hotter or cooler. The bird should be cooked in 3 to 4 hours. It really depends on how hot the fire is. Another thing you can do is start it on the barbecue and finish it in the oven at 325 degrees. Again you must check for doneness. This bird will taste like an old-fashioned BBQ chicken, nice and crispy and a bit charred here and there. Good luck, If you need help, call me at (831) 373-3778. See ya.

Readers: Boy did I break down over the weekend, pasta 3 times in a row! All using angel hair pasta. It has texture, it has bite, plus it has great mouth-feel. When using angel hair, make sure to use a thinner type sauce folks. Hey folks, how about telling me about your favorite pasta and sauce. E-mail me john@pisto.com. So much for the low-carb revolution. The secret is to limit yourself to about 1 cup.

Q: Are there any domestic cheeses that are similar or have the same taste as Parmesan Reggiano?
Thanks, John Villella
Via e-mail

A: You know they make kind of similar cheese in Argentina (I don't recommend it). Instead, try Vella Cheese Co., which is a California original for grating. For grating, use their dry whole milk cheese. For out of hand eating, go with the Mezzo Secco. Call Lillian, Kent, or Mike at the Cheese Shop in Carmel (831)625-2272.

Readers: Great new food item from Italy. Cherry tomatoes packed in water (Monte Vista Market has them). For 1/2 lb. of pasta, use 1 bottle. Sauté 10 cloves of garlic, 1 tin anchovy filets (6 or so) in 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add a good amount of crushed red pepper (should be hot!), and fresh black pepper. Brown the garlic, add anchovies and mash them up.

Then add tomatoes and mash again - cook for 10 minutes. Cook angel hair pasta until it's very al dente. Drain, add to sauce, serve with freshly grated Pecorino and watch out!

Q: John, I just watched your show and you cooked pasta with sardines. Could you please give me the recipe to that dish?
Thank you
Sam Schnaible e-mail

A: Way to go, Sammy - here you go!

Pasta with Sardines Recipe
Serves 2
10oz. can of sardines
Olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup chopped onions
Half-cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
Half-cup fresh basil (optional if no available)
1 can (1lb. 12 oz.) whole tomatoes - broken up

1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. Sugar (not necessary if using vine-ripened tomatoes)
half-pound of thin pasta
2 cups fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Start the salted boiling water for pasta. Preheat a large frying pan with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, on high heat. Begin to cook the pasta following the directions on the package. In the frying pan, combine the garlic, onions, parsley, basil, red pepper and tomatoes and sauté a few minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the sardines and stir. Add the pasta directly into the Sardine/tomato sauce then stir to coat the pasta. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese.

Q: Dear Chef Pisto,
Where I grew up in New York, around Christmas-time my Polish/Lithuanian family would get together for a large party called a Swahtiwetcha (I'm spelling phonetically because I'm not even sure it's a word). Fun was had by all, for weeks ahead of time, my mom and aunts would make pierogies (potato/cheese, sauerkraut, and also prune). We would have fresh kielbasa, a ham, and a loaf of babka bread, which looks kinds of like a large brown mushroom on the outside and is yellow and sweet with raisins on the inside. Ok, my family has unfortunately grown apart, but I would very much like to continue this tradition with my own children. The pierogies I think can handle,

but my question is: where can I find authentic "fresh" Polish kielbasa and babka bread in the Monterey Peninsula? Thank you for your assistance and for listening to my rambling question. Joe, Via e-mail

A: Hi Joe,
Your chances of finding babka bread on the Peninsula is about as remote as finding a Sicilian in Antarctica. Now if you call Lisa at Mecca Deli (831)384-7821 she will make those babies for you. For the bread, have you tried Panettone? It's also a holiday bread. It's yellow with raisins and looks like a mushroom. Monte Vista Market (831) 373-3737. Who knows? It's worth a try.

Reply back to Chef Pisto:
Hi Chef Pisto,
My kids are really jazzed about making progress on our Swahtiwetcha and wanted to say "thank you" for your help (see attached picture).
Thanks again, Joe

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