|
Readers:
I received some interesting responses to last week's column
regarding canned salmon as a substitute for a finicky eater's tuna
obsession. Dear John,
I read your column today and in my opinion, the
lady with the finicky daughter does not have dietary issues but
parenting issues. She should have sent that letter to Dr. Phil instead.
Your advice is well meant but if the mother has to pick out "dark" tuna
meat, the brat won't eat "pink" either. The mother needs to give the
child a choice; eat what we eat or go hungry. The girl may grow out of
eating "only" tuna, but she will not grow out of
|
|
|
manipulating. P.S. I eat ONLY sandabs
at Abalonetti's.
Jan Valtr,
Via e-mail
A). Hey, Jan, don't
you think that's a bit "old-school"? I mean, if the kid is healthy isn't
that what's most "important"? I still think the answer is a salmon salad
sandwich served in a dimly-lit room. I can, however, understand your
sandab obsession, Jan. After they weren't available for a couple of
months earlier this summer, the demand (and price of course) went out of
sight! Do yourself a favor and pick some up at Monterey Fish on Wharf #2
(tell Buster Crab that John sent you), and cook them up. Here's my
simple method:
|
|
|
Grilled Sandabs Recipe: |
|
Serves 2 |
|
2 eight-ounce Sandab filets |
|
1 cup flour |
|
salt and pepper to taste |
|
olive oil |
|
1 lb. baby
salad greens |
|
lemon wedges |
|
|
Season filets with salt and pepper,
then coat generously with flour. Cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet
with olive oil and pre-heat over a medium-high flame until hot.
Carefully place fish filets in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on
each side, turning only once. Remove fish from skillet and place on
towels to remove excess oil. Serve on a bed of baby greens with lemon
garnish.
|
|
|
|
|
~~~~~ |
|
Dear Chef,
The mother of the finicky eater might try substituting canned
chicken breast for tuna. Costco's Kirkland signature water packed is the
best. Miss "Finicky" will love it! Warm
Regards, Betty Bergerac,
Via e-mail
A). Thanks Betty, that's a bit more
constructive. I checked, and as it turns out, she also eats chicken - as
long as it's skinless chicken breast. So we have to continue to look
elsewhere for some variety. By the way folks, I don't eat chicken
breast. I love the dark portions. To me, there is no comparison. Legs
and thighs are not only much more juicy and flavorful, but they are a
remarkable bargain. Next time you're at the market, check out a big
package of thighs or quarters, and compare price-wise to a package of
breasts. Then put them both on a hot grill and you'll never look at the
old yard-bird the same way again.
Dear Chef,
Here are some more recipes for your file.
Margaret, Soledad, CA |
|
A). What Maggie sent me was a
recipe for Swiss sausage. Many people were interested in Swiss sausage
after it appeared in this column and this recipe if for 100 pounds. Now
that's a lot of sausage! So, in case you are going into the sausage
business, or know several dozen hungry Swiss, here it is:
|
|
Swiss Sausage Recipe |
|
60 pounds of meat (lean beef, deer, elk,
etc.) |
|
40 pounds of pork trimmings (50% meat, 50%
fat) |
|
2 1/2 pounds salt |
|
1 1/4 pounds sugar |
|
1 1/2 ounces allspice |
|
1 1/2 ounces cloves |
|
1 ounce sodium nitrate |
|
8 ounces ground black pepper |
|
Pinch of cinnamon |
|
Two heads of garlic, crushed |
|
One-half gallon of red wine |
|
|
|
Mix all dry seasonings together. Grind meat
with a course (1/4 inch) cutter, then fine (1/8 inch). Cut pork
trimmings into 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch squares. Mix cut pork trimmings and
dry seasonings with meat, |
|
|
adding the crushed garlic and wine in the
process. MIX THOROUGHLY. Grind the completed mix with the coarse cutter.
Stuff the ground mix into sausage casing and tie off links using two or
three ply linen twine. I'm sure this recipe can be converted to say
maybe 10 pounds. In the mean time, she also sent a recipe for dried
salami - this is getting interesting. Check out the last part about
"inducing white mold growth". |
|
Dried Salami Recipe |
|
Use the same proportions of meat and
pork trimmings and seasonings as the Swiss sausage. Grind the meat
coarse, mix all the seasoning, wine and garlic with the cut pork
trimmings. Grind with the fine cutter. Add whole black pepper to maker's
taste. Stuff mixture in salami casings and tie with linen twine. Hang to
cure and dry for at least 28 days in a cool, moist and even-temperature
location, preferably a cellar. Induce white mold growth by wiping from
cured salami to new salami by hand. Salami should occasionally be hand
rubbed to remove green mold and obtain desired white mold. |
|
|
~~~~~ |
|
Q). Dear Chef Pisto,
We are avid fans of your TV show and your column.
Last week we couldn't find your cooking show until a friend told us that
you had moved to channel 20. Why the change and what else is different
about your schedule?
Tina F., Pacific
Grove, Via e-mail
|
|
A). Thanks for asking Tina. This
change to channel 20 (from channel 2) has been in the works for the past
few years. The show (on channel 2) was often pre-empted
(a fancy word meaning that it wasn't on) by baseball and
infomercials from
the San Francisco station. We
had to wait until channel 20 was available throughout the peninsula
before we made the switch. Now
|
|
|
that it is, I am told that my shows will be
on, at the scheduled time 100% of the time. It is now on 7 days a week
at 10AM, 2 PM, 8PM and 9:30PM. So please tune in and, if I'm not there,
please let me know! |
|