Q). Dear Dad (Chef), I recently saw a notice at Whole Foods
warning about lead levels in balsamic vinegar. Have you heard about
this?
Gia Pisto, Monterey
A). That’s my girl! This is an interesting dispute.
Balsamic vinegar
has been made in Modena, Italy since the middle ages. It is produced
from the juice of white grapes (typically,
trebbiano
grapes) boiled down to about half of its original volume to |
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create a concentrated must, which is
then fermented with a slow aging process which concentrates the flavors.
The flavor intensifies over decades, with the vinegar being kept in
different kinds of wooden casks, becoming sweet, viscous and very
concentrated. Having found traces of lead in some balsamic vinegars,
there is now an ongoing lawsuit intended to require labeling under
proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and
Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. The group that brought the lawsuit claims
that, since there |
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are balsamic vinegars that do not contain
lead, it must be happening during processing. The wine vinegar
manufacturers and importers in the suit, said that lead occurs naturally
in the soil, is taken up by the grapes used to make the wine vinegar
and, therefore, is not regulated by Prop. 65. They say lead levels are
not affected by the manufacturing process and that the trace levels
found are harmless. Stay tuned… |
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Q). Dear Chef Pisto, I tried sand
dabs for the first time at Domenico’s and they were delicious, light and
delicate. What exactly are sand dabs and how do you prepare them?
Kaitlyn M.
Marina
Via e-mailA).
Sand Dabs – a real local specialty. For those of you that don’t
know, the sand dab is a small flatfish (imagine a 6 – 8-inch halibut).
Dabs caught by hook and line are the best but hard to come by these
days. What we see now are troll-caught. Although not as good they are
still very acceptable. Sand dabs have a lot of bones, but the real fish
eater knows how to eat them. Unfortunately, most Americans only want
filets with no bones. Fish tastes so much better on the bone – just like
bone-in steaks. I remember the first time watching my brother-in-law
Jean |
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eat the whole fish (bones and all). The
secret is to bite with your front teeth so that any bones will be felt
there first. Then all you have to do is spit them out. Well folks, I
talked to some of my suppliers, and they tell me that whole sand dabs
are available with only the side bones trimmed. All that’s left is the
main bone, which is easily removed after cooking. Kaitlyn, I will
guarantee that these will taste three times as good as the filets – I
promise! To prepare your sand dabs, simply dredge them in well-seasoned
flour and grill in a hot pan with butter or olive oil until done – but
not overdone. Don’t flip-out if you find a bone – just remember to bite
with your front teeth. Q). I
love fresh, raw oysters. Why do they cost so much?
Nicholas M.,
Clearwater, Fla
Via e-mail |
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A). My oyster expert, Jon Rowley of
Seattle, Washington, says most of our oysters are now farm-raised rather
than wild. The labor-intensive process of raising oysters from seed to
final product is all hand-done and expensive. We should however,
appreciate the fact that the quality has never been better and they have
never been safer to eat. According to Jon, when you look at an oyster on
the half-shell, it should look beautiful with light dancing over the
meat and juices. It should never look dull (hmm, nice visual there
Jon!). By the way, good oysters really need nothing on them - I mean
nothing. That way you can enjoy the ice-cold, salty, sweet, flinty,
creamy, smooth, slightly tangy natural flavors. It think it’s time for
oysters, folks - see ya! |
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Readers, Mac and the Boys are back!
Folks, in case you don’t know, my office, at 786 Wave St., is next door
to the original Palace Flophouse as described in Steinbeck's two novels
about Cannery Row. It is now, and has been for quite a while, an empty
lot. It has this magnificent Cypress tree, a large pine tree and lots of
wild fennel. Seems that about four colorful Steinbeck-type characters
have moved in. They are quiet, polite and generally keep to themselves,
saying "hello" whenever we meet. The difference now is that instead of
eating frogs and canned sardines, I see them eating from Nob Hill
take-out containers and large bottles of beer or wine depending on the
immediate fortunes. However, the other day I saw them making something
out of the wild fennel, gathering it and putting it into a |
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small pot. I asked them for a recipe and,
just in case you ever want to make an interesting pot of tea, here it
is: Fill a small pan with chopped wild fennel, using only the top
branches as they are the cleanest. Fill with water and heat until
boiling and remove from fire. Cover, let it sit a while (about the time
it takes to drink a large beer) and enjoy. John Steinbeck would be proud
- the old Row lives on! Q).
Dear Chef Pisto, In one of your recent columns, you mentioned preparing
eggplant Parmesan for singer Michael Bolton. I love eggplant Parmesan -
will you share your recipe?
Mary "Babe" H.,
Carmel
A). Thanks, Babe. Folks, I just
have to share this recipe for eggplant |
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with you. It is so good that I made it three
days in a row! This one is actually called "Eggplant Romano." Use medium
sized eggplants, washed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Cut some cross slits into both sides of the slices and season with salt
& pepper. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium to high heat.
Brown well, then turn over and fry the other side a bit. Place eggplant
slices in a baking dish. Pour about a quart of simple marinara sauce
over the top. This should be enough for 6-8 slices. Sprinkle with some
pine nuts, raisins and finally with a generous amount of grated Romano
cheese. Bake until eggplant is soft - 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut
into portions and serve. Incredibly simple and delicious. |
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