April 7, 2004 Ask the Chef Article

April 7, 2004 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Great news folks - Remember those fabulous bone-in hams? Well, Carmel Meat Company now stocks them. Ask for the "Pisto" ham, that's right, Pisto ham. Here's what you do - Mix prepared mustard with brown sugar and form a paste. Trim the skin and excess fat off the ham leaving an even layer. Next, run a knife across the ham about 1/2- inch deep, then cross over and run the knife again to produce a diamond design. Apply the paste and bake for 4 hours at 275 to 300 degrees. Keep basting with the drippings and during the last half-hour, apply some buttered bread crumbs and cook until brown and slightly burned. Remove from the oven, let rest 1 hour and watch out! When

you serve this beauty, remember to slice it thin. Have some apple slices fried in butter and sautéed rapini as side dishes and you'll be a hero, even to your mother-in-law, I guarantee it! And so does Big Bob at Carmel Meat Company. Carmel Meat 883-3555. Next comes ham and eggs and the BEST EVER ham sandwiches!

Pickled Shallots Recipe Croatian Style. The other day while talking with Pete Jaekle at Del Monte Produce, I noticed they had some beautiful shallots in a sack. Immediately I thought of the pickled ones we had with a priest who cooked for us while in Croatia. They were sweet as sugar and we ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I remember how

he said he prepared them. Clean shallots as necessary and place in a large container of red wine vinegar and let soak for 4-6 weeks. After about 4 weeks, taste one - they only get better with time. They are done when they soften and the vinegar has cured them. You won't believe how good they are, try it - it's the easiest thing to do. I used a one-gallon container with a tight lid. To 4 lbs. of shallots I just added the vinegar until it was two inches above the shallots and that's it. These will go like wildfire. Serve with a sandwich, like a pickle or with tomato mozzarella, tuna, and salami. You get the picture! How about in a martini instead of an olive? Del Monte Produce (831) 373-5800.

It's wild fennel time again! Want to try something really good? First, you must like salted anchovies, if not, go to the next paragraph. Okay, let's gather some wild fennel (or "finocchio" as we Italians call it). It's that green feathery plant that grows in vacant lots and along the road. Rule #1: pick high up on the bush (dogs love to lift their leg on these green plants - maybe it's the licorice smell that attracts them, who knows). Fill a grocery bag with some tops and stems. Now for the cooking: For 1lb. of linguine, place some finocchio in boiling water for 30 seconds then remove and place in cold water for about a minute. Squeeze dry and chop fine. In a large frying pan, put 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil on low heat. Add 1 can of salted anchovies and dissolve. Add 3/4 cup of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon of hot crushed pepper and some cracked black pepper to

taste. Now add at least 2 cups of your chopped fennel. Finally, add cooked linguine and toss well. Make sure you serve this with freshly grated Romano cheese. Try this dish with any fried fish.

Q). Saw you on Turner TV and would like your directions for cooking skate wings. I live on the gulf coast of Alabama, where skate and sting-rays are considered trash fish. I have cleaned them and tried to cook them for 40+ years. Please send me your instructions. Thanks.
Via e-mail
Roy Sisco, Gulf Shores, Alabama.

A). Boy, oh Boy, Roy are you in for a treat! First I'm curious how have you been cooking them for the last 40 years? There are a few secrets about them that I have learned over the years. Skate Wings Recipe
First, place the wings in salted boiling water (low boil) and poach for

about 10 minutes - just enough time to get the skin off of both sides. Gently remove from the pot and plunge into cold water. Now skin gently and remove the two pieces of meat from the top and bottom. If cooked enough, they will come out in two nice filets. From this point you cook them in a little salted water with garlic and lemon, then shred and use as you would crab meat - salads, sandwiches and crab cakes. The classic way is to dredge the poached filets into seasoned flour and sauté over high heat till just brown. Remove fish, wipe out the pan and add 4 tablespoons of sweet butter. When it starts to foam, add 2 tablespoons of capers and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Cook until brown - for about 15 seconds. Pour this over the filets and garnish with chopped parsley. This is a great dish that most Americans have not wised up to yet!

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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