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Folks, we still have
chestnuts ($4.00 lb. - 5 lb. minimum), and I've discovered a new a
way to cook them. Just score each one with a knife and boil until soft,
about 15 minutes - much better than roasting. Make sure to have some red
wine to go with them. My friend Pierre said in France they would boil
them, add milk and sugar and have them for breakfast - not with red wine
I hope! Also, I received a call from someone wanting to keep their fresh
chestnuts around for another week. It is very important to get them out
of the bag and spread out in one layer, preferably on a sheet pan. Just
don't stack them because if they don't have some air around them, they
will begin to ferment.
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Hot movie tip - The Polar Express,
we were invited to the premier showing at the Embassy Suites by Sandy
and Alan Silvestri, along with their son's 6th grade class. Guess what,
this was so unbelievable, there was not a peep out of any kid
throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it left my mouth wide open in
astonishment. It is brilliant and the music was incredible. "Just a kid
from Jersey" Alan Silvestri calls himself. He's the genius behind the
movie's musical score.
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Q). Hi
John,
Much of my family came from Sitka, Alaska and originally from Finland.
One summer while visiting Sitka, I was treated to salmon cheeks - the
plump disks from the "face" of the salmon. As I work for a local
caterer, I had the opportunity to ask the guys at Monterey Fish about
such an item. All they could say was "too much labor involved". Makes
sense, but what a wonderful treat, lost. Could you pull some strings? I
look forward to your future columns about Alaska.
Claudia McHenry
Monterey A). Great idea for
sure, Claudia. It is a lot of work and probably not commercially viable.
This past
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summer, during the Fisherman's
Festival on Wharf #2, we ate some cheeks while barbecuing fresh
Monterey sardines for the public. The cheeks, along with some bellies,
were the remains of salmon that had been filleted. Instead of throwing
them out, they were put on sheet pans and popped into the oven - nothing
else needed. I can still taste those little nuggets of fatty meat. As
for Alaska, I have about 15 new shows coming in next month all about
Ketchikan, Petersburg and Admiralty Island - fish, fish and more fish!
Check out this weeks show on "Monterey's
Cookin' Pisto Style" featuring the great Michael Bolton, the local Clark
girls as kitchen helpers and David Clark as |
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entertainment producer. We cooked and so did
Michael! The show airs everyday locally on Comcast Channel 20 at 10am,
2pm, 8pm and 9:30pm. Also on Channel 34 in Santa Cruz daily at 9am, 12
noon, 5:30pm and 8pm.
Q). Dear Chef Pisto,
How do you cut your tri-tip beef?
Art
Via e-mail
A). Always across the grain otherwise it will be stringy and
tough. And it must always be sliced thin. Personally I think tri-tip is
both over priced and over rated. The only way I would consider eating it
would be roasted and then sliced thin on an electric slicer.
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Q). Dear John, Your
recipe for "Ultimate Meat Sauce" (12/3/03) is one I ran across today and
it sounds wonderful. I do have a couple of questions. At the end of the
column you stated to serve the pasta first and then the meat with a
salad. Do I understand that after you cook the meat for hours then you
use just the plain sauce over the pasta and then the meat from the sauce
is served as a second course with salad? Have a large group to cook for
very soon....You use the Pecorino instead of Parmesan? A person at an
Italian deli in San Francisco told me Italian mamas use Pecorino because
it is saltier, has more flavor and is less expensive by far! Thanks,
John
Nancy Skager
Via e-mail
A). You got the first part exactly right - the meat is the second
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course. As far as using Pecorino, money has
nothing to do with it. The name of the game is flavor baby, that's what
I'm talking about - flavor! Taste-test the difference
yourself. Also,
there are some Pecorinos that are not as salty.
Q). Chef Pisto,
My husband goes to New Orleans every year and has turtle soup when
there. He would like me to make turtle soup but I can find no turtles in
Pacific Grove. All the old recipes call for doing disgusting things to
the turtle, if you can find one. Can you help?
Gloria Parnie
Pacific Grove
A). Gloria how can you make turtle soup without turtle? I've got
the answer for you, Mock Turtle Soup Recipe made with oxtails. Good Luck! Start
by making a stock using carrots, celery, onions, and salt and pepper. |
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Add well trimmed oxtails dusted with flour,
salt and pepper. Brown well, then add dry sherry, reduce and then add
some water. Bring to a boil, skim the fat and cook until the meat falls
off the bone (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours), with the pot partially covered.
In another pot, sauté leeks, carrots, parsley (all chopped fine), until
soft. Add some flour and continue cooking another 15 minutes (med low).
Strain the stock and add to vegetable mixture, then stir and blend well.
It should become thick. Now add the meat from the oxtail, but first
remove it from the bone making it into shreds. Add a bit of cayenne
pepper, thyme, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and salt
and pepper. Now for the most important part, serve in a bowl with a
beaker of dry sherry on the side. |
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