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The best roast on the
Pacific Coast: 11-hour roasted lamb. I’ve been working on this recipe
for a while and the hard part is finding a small lamb shoulder. I found
the perfect one at Whole Foods, about 5 pounds. Ask for Tim Kemp,
Associate Meat Team Leader, and have him leave the shank on, like he did
for me. This is as good as it gets for lamb. I discovered this during
our recent visit to Spain and couldn’t believe how delicious their
version of roasted lamb was (“cordaro” a term which refers to the lamb
meat, not the live lamb). My method comes pretty close. Rub the lamb
with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set your oven to 205 degrees and place the lamb on a small saucer
in a roasting pan and fill the bottom of the pan
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(1/8th inch) with water, wine and a good
handful of garlic cloves. Keep adding the water during roasting so it
doesn’t dry out. After 11 hours, pull it out and let it sit loosely
covered with foil. I had prepared a dimple stock using some lamb bones
from the butcher and combined it with the salvaged juices from the
roasting pan to make an almost thick natural jus. To serve, wiggle the
bones loose and cut pieces into serving sizes. Serve with au jus,
roasted potatoes, braised fresh peas and some red Spanish wine.
Finally tasted a real Spanish paella.
Where else? In Spain, by a lake near the city of Valencia. Cooked over a
lemon-wood fire, this one featured rabbit, snails, green beans, sweet
paprika, grated
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tomatoes, wine and, get this,
no stock. The cook made his own stock from
garlic, rabbit, vegetables and saffron. One pointer I picked up; only
put down one layer of rice. Their giant pan served 25 people. The cooks
were half in the bag, drinking shots of sweet anis and Muscatel wine
they called “bombas”. If you are interested in my recipe please e-mail:
john@pisto.com. I was amazed to find that,
with few exceptions, most of the fish served in restaurants and sold in
markets in Spain were frozen. I’ve got a photo of myself and Bill Rice
from Chicago standing in front of 10 or more frozen swordfish including
one that must have weighed about 350 lbs. in Cadiz, Spain.
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Q). I am beginning to cook
and barbecue. A few weeks ago on your show, you showed all of the cuts
(Spencer steak, etc.) one can get out of what I think you called a
tri-tip. You started with a triangular piece of beef and made a few
steaks and zigzagged a piece, then mashed it to become a grilled steak.
Only in California have I seen a Spencer steak. What was the piece of
meat you started with? I was so impressed that I want to try to butcher
it myself but need to know what to buy.
Ed,
Via e-mail |
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A). You heard right Eddy, it is
called tri-tip, also known as a triangle roast or bottom sirloin.
Tri-tip has sometimes been difficult to find as there are only two per
animal. Most people know that it can be grilled or roasted whole and
sliced for sandwiches, however as I demonstrated, tri-tips can be
carved into a variety of steak cuts. If you don’t find it in your
market’s meat case, be sure and ask for it. It’s always a good buy, so
good luck. Hot Food Tip –
Goose neck barnacles. They taste just like clams. Just boil in salted water for 2 minutes, twist and
eat. Make sure |
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they are not against the law to
harvest. Low tides are the best time and you must be positive that the
water is 100% clean or you risk getting the squirts.
The salmon are coming! I’m talking about our
wonderful, local wild salmon. The commercial season opened this week and
you can find Monterey Bay Kings at select local restaurants and markets.
Accept no substitutes (or deceptions) and make
them swear it is the real deal, if advertised. So far the catch has been
pretty limited, more to follow… |
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Q). I love veal chops and,
since it seems hard to find in restaurants these days, I wanted to try
and cook some at home. Can you share a recipe?
Jason M.
Via e-mailA). No question, veal has
fallen out of favor, another victim of the food police. Here’s one
called Veal Chops
Recipe
with 20 garlic cloves.
Using a stainless steel pan, sauté two veal chops
in olive oil over medium-heat. Add garlic cloves cut in half and remove
the chops when they are cooked medium. |
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Let the garlic brown while shaking the pan,
there should be brown bits. Now add 1 cup of dry Marsala wine and scrape
the pan a bit to get the brown bits loose. Reduce and make sure the
garlic is nice and brown. Adjust the seasoning and pour over the chops.
Don’t forget some crusty bread for the juices and watch out!
Just heard that old friend, singer Johnny
Rivers, will be performing a free concert on the 4th of July at
Monterey’s City Hall. This is not to be missed. If you have never heard
him live before, boy you are in for a great, great afternoon of music!
Thanks Kay-Kay.
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Another friend lending a helping hand
is Sammy Hagar who agreed to help out the First Candle/SIDS Alliance.
Board member Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin of D’ Arrigo Brothers, asked him
to help design a custom motorcycle built to his taste and then donated
to their fund raising efforts. What a guy! Catch him at Shoreline
Amphitheater on August 4th. See you there!
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