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David Arora's mushroom foray
was a great one. The Mendocino coast was flushing like crazy. Plenty of
coccora (amanita calyptroderma), tons of white chanterelles, some king
boletes and lots of pig's ear (gomphus clavatus). Everyone went home
with some shrooms - great event.
Q). Dear John, Do you know of any places in the area where I can
pick my own olives?
Josie
A). Try the exit on 101 going North in Gilroy where it changes
from two lanes to three lanes. The
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gas station on the left is loaded as is the
whole highway. Olive trees are all over the place, so keep an eye open.
As for the toxicity of the highway olives - that is your own risk.
Local crab season is now (finally!) open. I just talked to Buster
(Crab) at Monterey Fish Company. They've got 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound San
Francisco crabs for $4.00 per pound. According to Buster, they'll get
bigger later in the season. Folks, have you ever enjoyed the pleasure of
picking the meat from a freshly cooked crab and preparing a simple crab
Louis? No one knows |
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for sure whether the first
Louis was served in San Francisco or Seattle, but the Swan Oyster Depot
in S.F. makes an easy version. It's just hand-picked crab on a bed of
chopped Iceberg lettuce with their Louis dressing.
1 cup of Best Food's mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Stir it all up and you got it. Other Louis options include quartered
hard-boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes and chilled asparagus spears.
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Q). I made gnocchi's for the first
time the other day. I started to boil them and they seemed to be fine,
but then I turned away for a second and they disappeared! The recipe
called for potatoes, flour, salt and a dash of paprika. Has this ever
happened to you? What do you think I did wrong?
Thanks for your help!
Via e-mail
A). Ah, the disappearing gnocchi's. Are you sure you didn't eat
them? Eggs can be added as a binder and you need to make sure that the
potatoes are dry and you should use either Russets or baking potatoes.
Next time try this recipe and let me know how it turns out.
Gnocchi Recipe
3 large baking (Idaho) potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), scrubbed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
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Place the potatoes in a large pot with
enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook,
partially covered, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a skewer
but the skins are not split, about 35 minutes. Drain the potatoes and
let them cool enough to handle. Scrape the skin from the potatoes with a
knife then press them through a potato ricer. Spread the riced potatoes
into a thin layer (don't press them) and let them cool completely. In a
small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together.
Form the potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center.
Pour the egg mixture into the well. Knead the potato and egg mixtures
together; gradually add the grated cheese and about 1 1/2 cups of the
flour, to form a smooth dough. The longer the dough is kneaded, the more
flour it will need and the heavier it will
become. Wash and dry your hands. Dust the dough, your hands, and the
surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut the dough into six
pieces and set off to the side. Get one piece of dough and pat it into
an oblong. Roll the dough into a 1/2 inch-thick rope, using flour as
needed to keep it from sticking. Slice the ropes into 1/2-inch-thick
rounds. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll |
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each piece quickly between your palms into a
rough ball, flour the dough and your hands to prevent sticking. Use a
fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up.
Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one
ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly
against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of
the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form
into a dumpling with an indentation on one side and a ridges on the
other. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and
continue forming gnocchi. Repeat the whole process with the remaining
pieces of dough. The gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen. Bring
six quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop
about half the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring
gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring
gently, until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface.
Remove the gnocchi from the water with a
slotted spoon, draining them well, and transfer into a saucepan with
some of the sauce to be used. Cook the remaining gnocchi. |
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Gnocchi Recipe
(cont'd):
Any good bottled sauce that you like will work
fine. If you want to try something special, here is my "Pisto's
Marinara" recipe from my first cookbook: |
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Pisto's Marinara
Recipe
Makes about one quart.
8 garlic cloves
1 medium yellow onion
olive oil
1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 bunch fresh basil
2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. sugar
salt and black pepper
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Coarsely chop garlic and onion. Remember,
the finer the chop, the more powerful the flavor. In a large skillet,
lightly brown garlic and onion in olive oil. Remove stems from parsley
and basil and chop coarsely. Add to skillet. Squeeze in tomatoes with
juice. Add red pepper. Add sugar to balance the tomato acid. Salt and
pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer
until sauce thickens, approximately 20-30 minutes.
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