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Hi John,
Here's a recipe for
fresh sardines. I'm kind of surprised brother in law, Jean, hasn't given
it to you. I used to use it a lot when I was fishing. Get you some fresh
sardines and filet them. Take the rib bones out and soak the filets in
wine vinegar for a couple of hours. Let them drain a little then roll in
seasoned flour made up of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Fry until
browned. I'm sure you'll enjoy them. I saw your show about southeast
Alaska and enjoyed watching the whales eating herring.
Good eating.
Sal Lucido
Monterey |
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Folks, Sal used to own a restaurant called
Slats of Fisherman's Wharf, which he eventually moved to Pacific Grove
where the Bath House is now. Holy mackerel, Sal, how old are you anyway?
I thought you were old when you were on the wharf (40's or 50"s?). God
bless you Mr. Lucido, and thanks for the letter. I also cook sardines
this way and you're right, they're delicious. The only difference is, I
omit the wine and just use vinegar.
Q). Please help my boyfriend and me with this debate: I say that
when the pasta is cooked you should rinse it quickly under cool water to
stop the cooking process |
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and to rinse off any excess starch. He says
there's no such thing as excess starch and that it only makes the pasta
cold and watery. Who's right?
Kris & George
Moss Landing
A). He's right, as usual (just kidding). Maybe once upon a time
it was true, but not anymore. You get heavy starch build up from
boiling
pasta in too little water, making it taste gummy and thick. You'll
notice that the pasta water is actually thick and cloudy. So, boil your
pasta in plenty of water - 4 quarts of water to 1 pound of pasta. |
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Q). I watched one of your cooking
shows on cable and you prepared a seafood stew using shellfish, fresh
fish and coconut milk. I joined the telecast near the end and did not
get all of the ingredients that you used to prepare the stock other than
the coconut milk. Can you provide the recipe to me by e-mail? I live on
the east coast and, unfortunately, cannot make it in to one of your
restaurants. Also can you provide me with a source to purchase abalone
to have it shipped to me? Thank you so much in advance. By the way, the
French Dip roast beef sandwich you prepared at the end of the show
looked GREAT!!! I will be watching any future shows of yours that airs.
Anthony
Via e-mail
A). Hey Anthony how's it going? We're now on two times a day on |
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AmericanLife TV Monday through Friday. For
abalone, Monterey Abalone Company (831)
646-0350 can ship some to you direct. Now for the stew that came from
traveling in Thailand. These days, all of the ingredients are available
to all of us and it's not that hard to make. Here's the recipe:
Rock Fish in Coconut Milk
Recipe
Serves 4-6
6 boned rockfish fillets
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. curry powder
1 lg. yellow onion
2 green onions
1 tsp Chinese red hot
2 lg. carrots
3 lg. garlic cloves
hot chili sauce
1 tsp. fresh ginger
3 tbsp peanut oil
2 lemons (juice only)
3 jalapeno peppers |
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2 6-oz. cans coconut milk
salt & black pepper
1/2 bunch fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups white rice
Dice yellow onion, carrots, ginger and
peppers. Chop basil, parsley, green onions and garlic coarsely. Pour
peanut oil into large pot over high heat. Sauté yellow onions and garlic
in pot for 3-5 minutes. Add coconut milk and stir. Add 2 cups of chicken
broth, basil, parsley, green onions, carrots, ginger and peppers. Stir
in curry powder, hot chili sauce and then add remaining chicken broth.
Drop in fish fillets. Cover and poach for 3-5 minutes. Add the juice
from lemons, sprinkle with salt and black pepper and simmer for 6-10
minutes. Steam rice and scoop into serving bowls. With a spatula, remove
fish fillets from pot and place over rice. Pour coconut sauce over fish
and serve. |
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READERS: Hot Wine Tip - Now available
- Monterey Peninsula's own (Carmel Valley) Alan Silvestri (Academy
award-nominated composer - "Polar Express")
is also a very talented winemaker and has two knock-out wines -
chardonnay and pinot noir - now served in all of my restaurants. Alan,
you should be very proud. Great job!
This past weekend my best friend and I were vacationing in Pacific
Grove. One of the owners of Mrs. Trawick's Gifts recommended your
restaurant, Blue Moon. I ordered the Chicken with garlic mashed
potatoes, wild mushrooms and greens. The service was very good, and when
our server brought our entrees, my chicken dish appeared to be a large
mound of mashed potatoes with mushrooms and greens. I started eating and
poking around in the potatoes, and |
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found to my surprise, that the chicken was
not there. Now the story of "where's the chicken?" is funny, and
everyone we have relayed it to has laughed. Lydia Martinez
Via e-mail
Chef's response: Hi Lydia, I was once doing a cooking demo for
300 people. I was using a giant paella pan and a canoe paddle to stir
the risotto. The recipe was enormous, 40 plus lbs. of rice, 42 liters of
stock - you get the picture. Half way through the demo, someone yells
out, "Where's the rice?" Stuff happens. Thanks for having a great
attitude.
Now John, are you sure you weren't the chef that night? LOL. I have been
having so much fun relating this experience! My friend and I visit
Pacific Grove every year at the same time. Leave the husbands, |
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dogs, kids, etc. at home - a girls-only
weekend. We stay at different B&B's each time. This year it was the
Gosby House (loved it). We also like to try different restaurants. Any
chance of getting your recipe for the Chicken? I really did enjoy it. Of
course, I will use the first version (chicken-less) for all my
vegetarian friends!!
A). Maybe it was me, but I can't remember. The chicken is
semi-boned, browned in a frying pan, then finished in the oven. For the
sauce, combine assorted domestic wild mushrooms, garlic and white wine
and reduce. Then add a bit of rich chicken stock and reduce to a semi
thick sauce. The greens are a mixture of spinach and Swiss chard and the
mashed potatoes are made with pureed roasted garlic folded in. |
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