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Q). I saw your show today, here
in Utah. You made a seafood soup. I think you called it Caribbean
chowder, but I came into the show late and didn’t get the recipe. I’ve
never before heard of Monterey, Ca. but some time in the future I would
love to take my wife for our anniversary there to eat. In the mean time,
can you provide the recipe for the soup? Doug Gordon Via e-mail
A). This is one of my favorites having spent
time in many places where coconut milk, curry and lemon grass is
combined with seafood (the Caribbean, Thailand, Fiji, etc.). Caribbean
chowder |
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might also include conch, the giant marine
snail, but I prefer to make it using squid instead.
Caribbean
Chowder Recipe
Serves 4
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 # firm white fish cut into 2-inch cubes
24 whole live clams
24 whole live mussels
1 lb. squid in 1–inch pieces
Open 4 cans of coconut milk (unsweetened)
and carefully remove the hard parts of the contents of each can,
reserving the cream. Place the hard parts in a 4 quart pot and, using
this as an oil, sauté |
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1 large chopped onion and 1 bunch of finely
chopped lemon grass (using only the white part) with 2 tablespoons of
red curry paste. Continue to sauté for 10 minutes on medium then add the
rest of the coconut milk along with 4 cups of clam juice and the juice
of 4 limes and cook covered on medium for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to
medium-low and add all of the seafood. Cover and cook until the clams
and mussels are opened. Stir gently and don’t overcook (10 - 12
minutes). Finish with sprigs of cilantro and serve with jasmine rice and
some cold beer or a crisp, dry rosé. |
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Q). I have seen several of your
recipes featuring polenta. Can I use grits or cornmeal in place of
polenta? Is there a major difference? Jason Forbush Via e-mail
A). Polenta, cornmeal and grits are all
variations of the same thing: hulled, dried and ground corn kernels.
Polenta is a slightly finer grind than cornmeal, but not by much. For
most applications, the two are interchangeable. Both result in a soft,
grainy texture when cooked and require less cooking time than grits.
Grits have a coarser grind and therefore, a chunkier texture and so it
takes a bit longer to cook than polenta or cornmeal. The good news for
you,
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Jason, is that polenta has become popular
enough that it is available packaged along
with easy to follow instructions. Believe me, as seasons change into
fall and winter, warm soft polenta, as one of the great Italian comfort
foods, is a proven winner topped with your favorite stew or some braised
short ribs.
Stand by for a new Cabo Wabo Cocktail. Here’s the deal:
Sammy Hagar said if we could invent a new cocktail using his Cabo Wabo
Resposato tequila and prickly pear nectar, he would reward us with an
autographed guitar. How about a prickly Cabo? Sammy recently endorsed a
Red Rocker custom-made chopper (valued in excess of $60,000), to be raffled off to benefit
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S.I.D.S. research
(Sudden Infant
Death
Syndrome). Tickets are $10.00 and the bike will be displayed on
Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf October 6th, 7th & 8th. Contact Margaret
D’Arrigo or Steve Martin for more information 753-5416
Just returned from showing French guests around San
Francisco. Along the way we stopped to pick up fresh fruit from Andy’s
Orchard in Morgan Hill (6 kinds of peaches and 3 kinds of plums). The
fruit right now is unbelievable. Then a fast trip to see Toto (Sal) at
Sicilia in Bocca Restaurant. Had some stuffed shrooms, tomato mozzarella
and pasta with eggplant. That restaurant is a little jewel. |
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Q). Please clear up the issue
of purchasing fresh fish from local markets. We need to be educated
regarding this topic. Please give us the facts. I have purchased fish
from various supermarkets in the area and have had such bad luck…awful.
Please address this issue of supermarkets versus fish markets. Help is
needed. Maxine Pebble Beach A). Great
topic – it really isn’t about supermarkets vs. fish markets, it really
is about the quality of the product. We all know that fish is very
perishable. The old saying goes: after 3 days fish starts to stink. I’m
sure that saying has been around for quite a while. Now adays fish that
has been iced as soon as it is caught then delivered to a market that
also keeps it iced down properly, can last at least 7 days. How do we
know if it’s good? The nose knows. I never buy fish that is wrapped in
cellophane and neither should you. These days we have |
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fish from all over the world. It is
caught today and tomorrow you can be serving it. How is it all done?
“Proper handling”. Nobody is in business to
sell stinky fish. The consumer should be better informed. So what do you
do? Smell the fish. If it smells good, go for it. If it doesn’t smell
good, don’t buy it. If you have time go and check out Monterey Fish
Company (373-3511). See how they handle the product, they have respect
for it. Fish is kept iced down and in a refrigerator. Sal or Pete would
love to show you around. We are blessed with a lot of good independent
fish markets in our area. Talk to the boys,
look them in the eye and ask them direct questions like: “Is this
fresh?” and “What would you eat tonight”? Give it a try Maxine!
Q). Where do you find gooseberries? What is
the best recipe using them? Eleanor Lehaney Via e-mail |
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A). As I recall, gooseberries are
oblong, green and taste pretty good. While Oregon is one of the leading
producers of gooseberries, did you know that San Francisco has the
climate to grow goose-berries especially in the coolest parts? The most
common use is in pie. How about making a chutney served as a condiment
with lamb. Here’s one from Gingerich Farms in Canby, Oregon:
Gooseberry Chutney Recipe
3 lb gooseberries 1/2 lb onions 1 lb sugar 1/2 pint water 1/2 oz salt 1
tbsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 pint vinegar Top and tail
the berries, and chop roughly. Chop the onions finely and cook with the
berries in the water until they are well softened. Add the other
ingredients, and simmer until the chutney becomes thick, stirring
occasionally. Bottle while hot and cover immediately. This chutney,
yielding about 4.5 lbs becomes more mellow in flavor the longer it is
kept. |
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