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Four nights of Fabio! Yes THAT Fabio, who
turned up last Thursday night at the Whaling Station while attending the
motorcycle races at Laguna Seca. Looking just like you’d imagine, with
flowing blonde hair and shirt buttoned down, the world’s most famous
Italian model (native of Milan) was recognized immediately by everyone
in the restaurant, particularly the ladies. Fabio dined on a New York
steak done medium-well (those Italians…) and cranberry juice - he does
not drink alcohol, believing it ruins the hair. Friday night he was back
for another steak and juice. |
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Saturday night, he requested an entrée
portion of crab cakes, which he once again ordered on Sunday night
before leaving town. This is a guy who
obviously enjoys being who he is, graciously posing for photos and
talking with fans.
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Bravo Fabio, the original Italian stallion! |
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My Chippino, your cioppino. In memory
of the recent passing of Olive Hyler, a great person and a great cook,
here is one of her favorite recipes for what she called “My Chippino”.
Thanks to the Hyler family, who sent me a copy of her original recipe
card. My Chippino Recipe
Sauté in olive oil until lightly browned: 4 chopped
cloves of garlic 2 chopped bunches of parsley 2 large onions chopped
Next, add and simmer one hour: 1 teaspoon each of oregano and sweet
basil ½ bottle of sauterne wine 2 large cans pureed tomatoes 1 12 oz.
can of tomato paste salt and pepper to taste Finally add and simmer for
20 minutes: 24 raw prawns 24 raw clams 2 crabs with crab butter Serve
with lots of good bread, lost of wine and lots of wine. |
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Hot dog time. For those of you who have my
cast iron stove top grill, I have discovered a great way to grill hot
dogs. Just place them between the grills and cook. There will be extra
room to brown the buns and bingo – you’ve got it. Make sure you use good
quality dogs like Vienna or Nathan’s all beef. Taste’s just like summer!
Hi John, just wanted to let you know that I
went out huckleberry picking with my daughter in Pebble Beach this week
and we picked enough berries in 45 minutes to make a small pie.
Huckleberries are just ripening now and will be abundant in about two
weeks and throughout August and early
September. They taste like blueberries, only better. Sweet, tart,
earthy, with a hint of pine. Make pies, add them to oatmeal,
eat them by the handful. Beware of poison oak. It's EVERYWHERE!
Wear long pants |
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and long sleeves. Scrub with Tecnu
soap afterwards. Poison oak oil will get on your shoes, so be careful if
you're sensitive to it. Happy picking.
Heidi, Pacific Grove Via e-mail
Thanks Heidi! With all this good sunshine, the fruit
will be extra sweet. Folks, just make sure you are going with someone
who knows. The huckleberries grow all over the peninsula, but make sure
what you are picking and know what poison oak is.
FORE! When is a birdie a bootie? Recently my wife
and I took up golf. On our 3rd lesson, standing side by side, I managed
to wing her in the bootie twice. Now that’s a hard shot (the ball is
going not down the fairway, but to the hard right). The instructor and I
just scratched our heads – hm! How did you do that? |
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Q). I came across your article
about Spanish style lamb shoulder from the Monterey County Herald (May
3, 2006) and it sounds so terrific that I am planning to make it this
weekend when a bunch of friends are coming over after rafting down a local
river. I would also like to make the paella you mentioned in the same
article and you had instructed readers to e-mail you for the recipe so
here I am. Thanks for a well-written article. I have bookmarked your Web
site for future visits and will continue to look out for your excellent
articles. Pauline Wong, Calgary, Alberta
Canada Thank you so much Pauline, you live
in a very beautiful place. Recently, while passing through Alberta, my
daughter Gia and I enjoyed one of your fabulous Alberta steaks. Here’s
your paella recipe:
Paella Recipe (serves 4)
1/8 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 chopped medium onion
4 chopped cloves of garlic
3-5 T. minced fresh parsley
1 t. saffron |
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1 T. Spanish paprika
2 T. of chicken bouillon
3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper roasted, skinned and sliced
1 chopped ripe tomato
1 cup of rice
1/2 cup Spanish dry sherry
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 cups mild white fish stock
Lobster tail, cut
lengthwise
1/2 lb. - 1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lb. scallops
1/2 lb. Spanish chorizo
salt and pepper
Sauté onions, parsley, and garlic in olive oil until the onions begin to
become transparent. Add chicken and fry until golden (remove and set
aside). Add chorizo to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Add
shrimp, lobster and scallops and sauté for about 3 minutes (remove and
set aside with the chicken). Add the rice and stir coating well with the
oil. Stir in the stock, wine, peas, saffron, paprika, chicken bouillon,
roasted pepper, tomato and bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper to
taste. Boil 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the shrimp, |
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lobster, scallops, chorizo
and chicken and boil for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Simmer 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. If the rice appears to
be getting too dry during the last 10 minutes, add some water. If the
rice has too much moisture, uncover and evaporate the liquid.
Q). Dear Chef, I was just in Sicily for 2
weeks and I enjoyed granita di mandorla with brioche every morning and,
of course, espresso. Do you happen to have a recipe for this? Gina,
Via e-mail
A). Gina is talking about a classic of
Sicilian cuisine granita di mandorla or “almond ice” (as in lemon ice).
Did you by chance bring back some blocks of mandorla paste? It is sold
in 3”X3” blocks. This is the base for a refreshing drink also. But let’s
see what we can do about the granita. Place 2 lbs. of dried almonds in a
processor and grind very fine. Place in a pot, add 2 quarts milk and
barely simmer for 20 minutes (on low heat). Using this liquid as your
base, proceed with any sorbet recipe. |
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