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Q). We love fried
chicken and have a hard time finding restaurants that make it right, so
we mostly cook it at home. Can you tell us anything about how you like
to prepare and serve fried chicken?
Allen Jenkins
Via e-mail
A). Al, the secret to good fried chicken, I have found, is to use
only small birds. All I fry now is small chickens and I prefer to cook
legs more than breast meat. Wash and rinse your chicken pieces, then pat
dry and season with salt and pepper. Dip in buttermilk and then in flour
that has been seasoned with salt,
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pepper, Sensational Seasoning® and sage.
Fry pieces in three inches of extra virgin olive oil at 350 degrees
until done (check by seeing if blood comes out at the bone) and don't
overcrowd the pan. For a classic side dish I like to make a simple
potato salad.
Potato Salad Recipe
Combine 2 pounds of sliced boiled potatoes, 2 bunches of
chopped green onions, 2 tablespoons of dill relish, 4 sliced hard boiled
eggs, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and enough Best Foods mayonnaise to
coat. Don't forget some water melon and corn on the cob.
I recently did a show about roasting marrow bones. I served them as an |
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appetizer and it was fantastic - and
so primeval. Sometimes you've got to howl,
folks and roasted marrow with toast and a glass of pinot noir does it
for me! Here's what you do - as for marrow bones, have them cut into 1
1/2" long pieces. Allow 3 per person. Season with salt, pepper and a dab
of roasted garlic puree. Place in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes and
you're done. Serve with crusty bread cut like fingers. As for going in
after the marrow, teaspoons work okay, but if they are still available,
use marrow spoons especially made for this purpose. There are many
recipes for marrow, but this one is simple and elegant.
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~~~~~ |
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Yep, that was Dr. David Clark in People
Magazine last week in his trunks and vest posing with Michael Bolton and
Nicolette Sheridan. Two comments from me, Dave: First, where's your
wife? Second, slow down on working out you're starting to look like a
Navy Seal Buddy!
Sicilian barbecued mackerel - I'm told the bay is loaded with Spanish
and Blue Mackerel. Fishing phenom, Nels Wiegand of Monterey asked me for
a recipe. These fish are a blast to catch because they fight like a
tiger. For those of you who don't have a fisherman friend, call our
local guys at Monterey Fish Company (375-3511), Royal Seafood (655-8326)
or Sea Harvest (646-0547), to see if they have them available. |
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Lucky
for all of us that my sister Jo (who by the way is one of Monterey's
best Sicilian-style cooks) is willing to share her recipe with us. Keep
in mind that everyone's recipes are a little different. L'aghiata is the
type of sauce that works with all barbequed fish. You will need a mortar
& pestle (a food processor won't produce the right consistency, so don't
use one for this).
Sicilian Barbecue Mackerel Recipe
Start with 2 tomatoes chopped fine, about 6 to 8 cloves of
chopped garlic, salt and pepper, 6 fresh basil leaves (optional), 2 oz.
of red wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Combine all of
this in the mortar and start crushing it all with the pestle. The flavor
should be hot from the garlic. |
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Using a grill pan or a Webber barbecue,
split the fish and brush with oil and season
with salt and pepper. Next, dip the fish into seasoned bread crumbs and
kind of pat the crumbs into the fish. Lay the fish on the grill over
medium to medium-low fire. It's okay for the crumbs to toast up -
charring is okay! Baste with the sauce (using a bunch of parsley as a
mop) and don't overcook the fish. Serve with more sauce on the side,
some olives, some Sicilian vinegar, a chunk of cheese, some crusty bread
and you've got it! You can also just fry some fillets in olive oil using
the same sauce. Good luck - your house may smell of fish for a few days,
but what the heck, it's worth it! |
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~~~~~ |
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Cruise update: There is still some space available on our cruise
to Spain in April but you'll have to hurry up and call Michael
Mastrocola (831) 659-0151.
As of today, for the first time, Monterey's Cookin' Pisto Style
TV Show will be
aired as a 1-hour block of two different shows every night on channel 34
from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. (Monterey, Salinas and Santa Cruz). I'll be saving
a time for you!
Q). I would like to have a good recipe for Cioppino and hoping
you have one that I can get. We were at your Blue Moon restaurant last
Saturday and enjoyed it tremendously. What can you tell us about it?
Via e-mail |
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A). I'm glad you enjoyed our style of Cioppino. Try this recipe -
I think you'll enjoy it. The word "Cioppino" was coined by Italian
fishermen in San Francisco during the early 1900's. As the story goes,
they would get together and "chip-in" ingredients for this fisherman's
stew prepared while their boats were tied up at the wharf.
Cioppino Recipe
Begin with 1/2 to 2 lbs of fresh fish (use a variety of what is in
season; i.e., shrimp, white fish, salmon and shellfish). Now you'll need
2 T. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic,1 bunch chopped parsley, minced1/2
medium onion, minced 3/4 lb canned plum tomatoes, 2 T. vinegar, 3/4 cup
fish stock (if not available, use water), 1 T. crushed red pepper and
Seasoning mix. To make your own
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mix use a small coffee grinder and blend the following: 1 T. salt, 1 T.
black peppercorns, 1 T. fennel seeds, 1 T. fresh or dried rosemary
leaves, 2 T. dried oregano and 2 T. dried basil. To cook, start by
sautéing the onion, parsley and garlic in olive oil in a deep pot. Once
the onion is fully cooked (it will be translucent), stir in the
tomatoes, the seasoning mix and the crushed red pepper. While the
tomatoes are cooking, dilute the vinegar in fish stock and stir in.
Simmer for a few more minutes and remove the garlic. Next, the fish will
be added to the tomatoes (any smaller fish, like shrimp, can be left
whole, but larger fish fillets will need to be cut into pieces). Simmer
for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the fish is done and serve with warm
Italian bread.
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