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Q). I saw a show
where you made a pork stew, but I can't find the recipe on your web
site. Could you please send it to me?
Via e-mail
A). Pork stew, huh? I bet it was the one I made with the dried
chestnuts. Well, it is sure is the right weather for it (usually, this
time of year anyway).
Pork Stew Recipe with Dried
Chestnuts
2 lbs. of cubed pork
1 cup soaked dried chestnuts
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup celery
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2 cups chopped onions
10 garlic cloves
1 bunch chopped parsley
Brown the pork in butter, olive oil, salt and pepper. Flame with grappa
(be careful). Next add 2 cups of dry red wine. Add all of the vegetables
and 8 cups of beef stock. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1
hour. The meat should be very tender. Cook up some soft polenta
according to the directions on the box and serve the stew on top.
Q). Do you have the Monterey
sardines, featured on your show, called Bono? Message left on Pisto
hotline. |
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A). Bono is the Monterey Fish
Company's brand name for their sardines. Sadly, they are no longer
canning sardines although they are still catching them. These silver
beauties are frozen and shipped all over the world. Anthony Tringali
tells me they may revive the brand name Bono using fish canned in
Mexico. By the way folks, if you are the type of person who would turn
up their nose at the thought of eating a sardine, you owe it to yourself
to try the fish that made Monterey famous. We are grilling them every
day in my restaurants and they are guaranteed delicious.
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Annual AT&T party. Once again I was asked
to prepare a private dinner for a select group of celebrities, looking
for a little relaxation away from the spotlight of the tournament
activities. Dr. Dave and, firecracker wife Terice Clark, are the
organizers and, as in past years, this was one great evening. In
addition to regulars, Mr. & Mrs. Clint Eastwood, Ray Romano, George
Lopez, Huey Lewis, Andy Garcia, Kenny G. and Michael Bolton, we were
joined by newcomers Justin Timberlake, Chris O'Donnell, James Woods and
Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey. Everyone couldn't have been nicer and, as
usual, we learned a couple of things about serving a group like this.
For instance, there are two things you can leave off of the menu - bread
and red meat. These folks really seemed to have a good time, especially
after dinner, when they got up to the
microphone to tell stories and teased each other |
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(including me). George Lopez
shouted out, "This lettuce came from Salinas, but I know that guy
in the beard (me) didn't pick it!" The evening ended as usual, with Mr.
Eastwood standing up and telling everyone, "GET OUT!" in his best Dirty
Harry voice. After all, this was Friday evening and they were all
supposed to go out and try to make the cut the next day. Which, by the
way, good friend Michael Bolton did and he went on to nearly win the
pro-am. Congratulations Michael! Special thanks to Tawni, Gia, Dana and
my lovely wife Cheryle, who pitched in to help me out.
Hamming it up. Good news folks, you can now order the best smoked
hams direct at
www.primesmoked.com
(510)-832-7167. I recommend that you always buy the biggest ones because
they make the best ham sandwiches you have ever tasted! But the real
bonus is making baked beans. This is why |
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you want ham like this that comes on the bone. Make sure to leave some
meat on the bone and save the fat. Place half of the bone in a large pot
and fill with cold water and beans. The ratio is 3 cups of beans to 12
cups of water. I use a Peruvian bean, because it cooks up creamy and
fast - no soaking required (find them at La Morenita Tortilleria Market
on Fremont Street in Seaside). Next add half bottle of strong black
molasses, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, salt, 1 cup chunks of fat, 2
tablespoons dry mustard, 3 large onions cut into 6ths and a few garlic
cloves. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. If it's too
watery, continue to boil it off without the lid. If it's too thick, just
add a little water. Once it's all cooked, place it into a casserole dish
and sprinkle with soft bread crumbs that have been moistened with a
little melted butter. Bake until brown - and watch out! |
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Q). My spouse saw a recipe in Gourmet magazine that calls for two 2 lb.
boneless Moulard duck breast halves with skin. She asked me to get the
ingredients quickly "because it looks great and I want to try it next
week". I live in Arlington, MA. (a close suburb of Boston) and have
tried in vain to find this duck in the area. Get lots of odd looks from
super-market butcher counter types. I have
also tried a few of the local specialty food shops but have found much
the same response. I did find it on-line, but my wife is very anxious
and because there's often no one at home during the |
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day, she's not real keen on mail-order, front-porch delivery of
perishable items. Do you by any chance know
anywhere in the Boston area where I might be able to find this fresh? (Yes, I checked
the late Julia Childs' Savenor's Market -- now relocated since she has
departed -- and they don't have it). We used to have a small local
market down the street from us where I could go talk to the owner and he
would track things down for me but, alas, the current economy has made
single owner stores like that more and more sparse.
Bill Whitney
Via e-mail
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A). Now, Billy, take it easy and let's see what we can do for you. Pour
yourself a glass of wine and relax. Moulard ducks are used for the
production of foie gras (fat liver), one of the world's most delicious
foods (boy, am I laying myself out there for the food police again with
this one). To learn more about Moulard ducks, foie gras, confit and
other unbelievable duck products, call Dottie at Hudson Valley Farms
(845)-292-2500.
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