|
This past week, I was
criticized for a recipe that appeared in this column. The dish, a dip
called bagna calda, is an age-old Mediterranean-diet item regarded by
many as one of their favorite Sicilian recipes. This person questioned
the nutritional value of bagna calda (a combination of extra-virgin
olive oil, pure butter and anchovies) and advised me to leave the
recommendation of daring to eat something with fat and calories to the
"experts". While I always welcome comments, I
have come to realize that these critics usually have some other agenda.
Folks, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't relish the thought of
living strictly in a low-fat, low-calorie
world. I
|
|
|
|
|
remember recently our government's food
pyramid was completely upside down, along with recommending pasta,
bread, rice and grains to diabetics. These experts have now mostly
reversed themselves. And how about the general health of our population?
What's being fed to our kids in school? The danger of the occasional
enjoyment of a classic Italian dish made with real food is nothing
compared with the over-abundant availability of simple carbohydrates,
and packaged foods loaded with sodium and preserva-tives.
I suggest that these self-appointed members of the food police crow from
their soap box about something meaningful. After all, bagna calda is a
dip, not a soup. |
|
|
|
|
Q). Are your steaks dry or wet aged?
Rich, Via e-mail
A). Our steaks are wet-aged to our specifications. We have tried
to sell dry-aged, but Western folks are not as familiar with the earthy
taste of dry-aged beef, it is really different. Also when beef is
dry-aged, on open racks in temp-erature and
humidity controlled rooms, it dehydrates and shrinks, making it more
expensive. Wet-aging takes place in sealed plastic wrapping for a period
of 28 days, resulting in incredibly tender and fresh tasting steaks. If
you want some dry-aged prepared for you, give a call to 373-3778 and
we'll see what we can do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
~~~~~ |
|
wondering if you have abalone this time
of year? My grandfather is going to be visiting from Omaha, Nebraska at
the end of February and would be seriously excited if I could take him
to a place with abalone. Please let me know. Thanks!
Via e-mail
A). We manage to have abalone available all year long. Just call
ahead to make sure we have them when you come. Along with a limited
supply of the classic abalone steak cuts, we also carry live farm-raised
local red abalone produced by the Monterey |
|
|
|
Abalone Company. These
folks are doing a tremendous job supplying us with a high-quality
product, while maintaining a somewhat reasonable cost, compared with
wild abalone that can run upwards of $90 per pound.
Another great year for mustard greens! Start checking out your
favorite spots, folks. If you like natural bitter greens with a kick,
wild mustard is just the thing. What is it? Well you know that bright
yellow flower that floods the Salinas Valley every year? That's wild
mustard. To collect it, you pick only the un-opened bud before it |
|
|
flowers. Par-boil, then drain well. Chop it
up then briefly fry it up with lots of chopped garlic and crushed red
pepper with a few salted anchovy filets mixed in. The best way to eat
your fried greens is to buy a loaf of French or Italian bread, split and
scoop out the middle then fill with mustard greens and olive oil. Chow
down and let that olive oil drip all over the place. Man, is that good!
If you don't want to do the mustard picking, pick up some broccoli rabe
from the market, it's almost as good. |
|
|
~~~~~ |
|
Q). Please announce in your "Ask the Chef" column, that people
can now order "beet tops" that I call baby beet greens, from Del Monte
Produce and have them delivered from San Juan Batista. They are
incredibly delicious! Just cook them in a tiny bit of water for a short
time, put a little butter on them and they almost melt with yuminess in
your mouth! Home history: when I was very young in Massachusetts, my Dad
had a WWII garden, and my favorite day was the one day of summer when he
would cull the beets, and that was the only day in the year that we
could eat baby beet greens. Years later, I bought beet seeds |
|
|
|
only to grow young beet tops to harvest and eat. The first time we ate
them, my husband said that when he was little his grandpa had a garden
out back and his favorite vegetables were baby
beet greens and that he only had them once per season, the day the beet
plants were weeded to make room for a select few and that was the only
time all summer that they could enjoy baby beet greens! We were married
for 20 years before we learned we had the same favorite vegetable! You
can get them at Del Monte Produce! Will you give them a try? They are
out of this world!
Judy Therrien,
Monterey
|
|
|
Response: Thanks for the info. You are absolutely right. The top
of the beets are one of the best! I rank it number 4. Number 1 is wild
mustard; number 2 it's rapini; number 3 salted escarole and number 4 is
beet tops. Of course they are all finished off by frying in olive oil,
garlic, anchovies and red pepper. Number 5 on my list would be dandelion
and don't forget good old spinach and Swiss chard. Any of these are all
really good. For ordering, Del Monte Produce needs a 24-hour notice
(831) 373-5800 - ask for Jeanie Balini.
|
|