June 2, 2004 Ask the Chef Article

June 2, 2004 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Readers: Any interest in a cooking class in Sicily? How about three days with me exploring, eating, tasting and cooking. Make this part of a week-long or two week package and we can arrange everything. This will be during the month of September.

Q). Do you have any recipes for abalone? We have had it at your restaurant (Whaling Station) years ago. A friend is giving us one that he dived for.
Thanks, Richard
Via e-mail

A). Yes I do and here it is. I presume it is all trimmed out. You must trim both sides of the foot. Do this part very thin because it is pretty tough. Next carefully slice your abalone about 1/2" thick - no thinner. Place on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic. With a wooden mallet, begin to pound the abalone. The abalone's muscles will give and you can kind of feel it tenderizing. Dip it in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then in an egg wash and finally

some cracker meal. Fry in sweet butter until just slightly brown. Then turn to the other side and cook until you see some milk appear on the surface. Take it off the fire, put on a plate and serve with lemon. This is the classic method. By the way 1 serving is worth probably about $75.00 so eat it slow and savor every bite! If you need someone to cook it for (and share it with you), give me a call.

Q). What is the best way to fry up a mess of mushrooms? Egg, flour, batter or what?
Jones
Via e-mail

For me I think risotto shows off mushrooms the best. But let me list some of my favorite ways.
1. Side dish of sautéed mushrooms with garlic, olive oil, a bit of shallots, salt, pepper and dried oregano.
2. In a large omelet in which you sauté the mushrooms and lighten it up with some heavy cream and veal stock. To serve you cut into chunks and serve it.

3. Best recipe for frying up mushrooms as a main course.
Sauteed Mushrooms Recipe Figure 3/4 lb. per person, using white and brown portabellas with all of the gills scraped out and oyster mushrooms cut them into large pieces. Add a bit of olive oil to a frying pan and start cooking over medium high heat and keep shaking the pan. The shrooms will let out water, so keep cooking until the water evaporates. Now add some dry Marsala to the pan and watch out because it will flame up. Keep shaking the pan and when the flame subsides add a handful of chopped parsley and garlic, 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 or 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Cook until garlic is barley cooked, add a bit of crushed red pepper, salt, cracked black pepper and you've got it! This one is best served with fresh bread and a nice salad of assorted greens and every crunchy thing you can think of (bell peppers, carrots, sprouts, nuts, onions and bacon for example) Use a simple oil and vinegar dressing and add some sliced hard boiled eggs and berries.

Q). I saw your show where you were cooking oxtail and short rib stew. Can you please send me a copy of the recipes?
Thanks, Charles Vick
Via e-mail

A). Yo Chuck, to make things easy, just use the same recipe for both - Oxtail or Short Rib Stew Recipe
Trim excess fat off of meat and brown in large pot with 1/2 butter, 1/2 olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove from pot. Now add 1 large chopped onion, 6 chopped celery, 10 chopped garlic cloves, 1 head chopped parsley and sauté slowly, scraping bottom of the pan. When these ingredients soften, add 2 cups of red wine and continue scraping the bottom. Add another 2 cups of wine and 1 quart of beef stock. Next add one bay leaf salt, pepper 1 bundle of finely chopped thyme and 3 tablespoons of honey. Place the meat back in the pot, cover and cook until very tender (medium low) 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When it reaches this point, remove meat and reduce the sauce until it is nice and thick about 1/2 hour. To serve, spoon the sauce on a plate and place the meat on top. Finish off with a sprinkling of minced garlic, parsley and lemon

zest, all mixed together. What else goes with this you ask? How about polenta, mashed potatoes, rice or pastina? Note: you could also add dried chestnuts, tomatoes, died figs or raisins to introduce some interesting elements to the sauce.

Special hi to all the folks at Hacienda Carmel! I had the pleasure of meeting a real nice lady from down your way this past Monday by the name of Ruth Eastwood (95 years young). Oh, by the way do any of you at the Hacienda have any recipes that you want to share? We also had a chance to see and hear Johnny Rivers play his guitar and sing some songs. What talent, man, oh man, can that boy sing! Hey Johnny, we need you to do a concert somewhere here on the peninsula. You are without a doubt one of the best. Bravo! And last but not least, local talent Aurazio Aiello. This guy will blow your socks off! Opera at its best - Italian of course! Special congratulations to Dr. Lindsey Clark for climbing Mount Everest!

BBQ sardines this Sunday! Want to taste some real Sicilian-style barbecued sardines? Well just come on down to the Commercial Wharf on Saturday, June 5 from 11PM to 4PM. Come by, say hi and eat a sardine or two. Commercial fisherman Jean Mercurio is giving a demonstration on how to eat barbecued sardines.

Q). Dear John, I read where you serve pig feet at the Whaling Station. What days are they served? I would like very much to order them. It has been a while since we have gone to the Whaling Station. Usually we are at one of your other restaurants. We miss it.
Tastefully yours,
Kathryne Burwell
Via e-mail

A). You asked for it, you got it! Every Thursday from now on, will be pasta and pig's feet - $14.95 - how's that! "I'll be saving a table for you"!

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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