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Pig's feet and head
cheese follow-up. A couple of weeks ago, old friend Myles Williams
was looking for some chicken livers, and head cheese. After I printed
the hog's head cheese recipe, I decided to make some and let me tell
you, it was so good that I made it twice! The only difference was that I
used pig's feet instead of pig's head because it needed the gelatin
extracted from the bone and cartilage. Myles, if you hurry, I'll save
some for you.
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If I ever go to the jungle, I know
who I would want as the safari leader. Her name is "Bwana" Chris Howard.
Folks, this is one tough lady. Last Friday morning, she heard her tiny
dog (about the size of a slipper) outside barking like crazy. Out she
ran to check it out and there was the dog ready to attack a large skunk.
Without hesitation, she quickly scooped up her dog but, before she could
escape, POOF! went the skunk. She said it was like a big mist enveloping
her from head
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to toe. This was no Pepé Le Pew
perfume. This story was told during dinner
prepared by Chris, Bobby V., wife Stalee and Sandra Silvestri (wife of
composer and vineyard owner Allan Silvestri). Everyone wanted to know
what the skunk spray was like. Chris compared it to the scent of driving
by a road-kill skunk - times 10! Fortunately, a quick shower took care
of it. Man, that dog owes her big time. I'd still be running.
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Q). Dear Chef,
I recently visited a Greek restaurant in San Jose. I tried Gyros for the
first time and it was delicious. The menu also offered "Babaghanoush".
What is it?
Big Steve in Marina
Via E-mail
A). It's what you call your girlfriend "hey, you little
babaghanoush" - isn't it a great word? The first time I tasted a real
Gyro was on the island of Santorini. The authentic ones are made with
thinly sliced marinated pieces of lamb. Using a large double skewer, the
meat is put on until it's 2 to 3 high, all packed real tight. The
skewered meat is placed on a vertical |
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rotisserie and cooked. When they have an
order they slice downward very thinly and stuff the meat into a pita
bread. Next are added sweet tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, hot peppers,
a bit of olive oil, some oregano and a dollop of Greek yogurt and boy,
oh boy! Now for the baba: Babaghanoush is a delicious eggplant
dish, eaten all over the Middle East. Start with a whole eggplant. Stab
it a few times and burn it over a fire until it is soft and
black. Let it cool, then split and scoop out the pulp (squeezing
out the excess water) and whip in some lemon juice, salt, pepper, extra
virgin olive oil, a bit of chopped garlic and chopped parsley. Finally,
add some Tahini (sesame seed |
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sauce). For every eggplant use 1 1/2
tablespoons of Tahini. Serve on triangles of grilled pita bread!
Speaking of tablespoons, when following a recipe, like my olive curing
story last week, "tablespoon" may be represented by the capital letter
"T" and "teaspoon" by a lower-case "t". Beware mixing up your spoons.
More mushrooming news: David Arora is still accepting participants for
his upcoming mushroom foray. This is the very best class available and
it's fun. For information, check with Debbie. Her e-mail address is
amanitagirl@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there! |
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Q). Dear John,
Barbara is looking for
any good grocery stores or delis who sell good Italian sausage. Any help
is greatly appreciated.
Via e-mail
A). At this time I find it real hard to recommend any good
Italian market, with the exception of Monte Vista Market. Talk to John
in the meat department. He makes a pretty good basic Sicilian sausage.
He also is experimenting with some other recipes from Sicily that
feature tomatoes, Pecorino and mozzarella that are made real skinny,
just like they are made in Sicily. The secret of good Sicilian sausage
is the size of the grind, the fat content and the fennel seed.
Got a call from Mike in New York, who wanted
to know what the green stuff is inside clams and mussels? The green
stuff he saw was probably the stomach and, after talking a bit with him,
we figured out that he was not cooking them long enough. Rule of |
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thumb - cook clams, mussels and oysters only until they are free of the shell - and don't
go beyond that.
Q). I'd like to know if you have a store
there on Wave St. where we can buy your products. My wife is a fan of
your "Sensational Seasoning" since she bought some at Bruno's in Carmel
- read the review. We'll be back in January on the Peninsula and could
shop then. P.S. - just in Croatia last month, great seafood.
Thomas Wilbur
Via e-mail
A). Isn't Croatia great! Worthy of another trip. You can purchase my
seasonings online at
www.pisto.com and we will ship
to you. Also, you can purchase them at any of my restaurants: Blue Moon
on Cannery Row, Whaling Station on Wave Street, Domenico's and
Abalonetti's on Fisherman's Wharf. You can also find them at Star Market
in Salinas, Monte Vista Market in Monterey, Nielson's Market in Carmel,
Bruno's Market Carmel, The Garlic Shoppe on Cannery Row and Troia's
Market in
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Monterey. As for Croatia, I'm remembering one special day spent on a farm
and a giant welcome of 25 people and a 6-piece band.
Local red and white wines, pickled beets and tomatoes, celery root,
cheese like tofu, home made bread, kale and potatoes, bell peppers,
baked noodles, thick sliced bacon, polenta, roast chicken and small
smoked sausages, all served on a grill over the fire to keep it warm.
The band played, and the men sang as they cooked a stew of lamb, veal
and pork simmered in a sauce of onions, bell peppers, garlic, water and
wine over an open fire. We were seated outside under an open shed with a
long table, kept warm by the fires, music and
wines - bravo Slovonia! By the way, their wines are available in the
U.S. under the name "FeraVino." Check them out on the web at
www.ceuropa.com/FeraVino.htm. Five hours later the party
really got going. The music was great, they kept playing faster and
faster - just great. As the music goes, so goes the wine - Opah! Oh,
that's Greek.
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