Q). I bought a beautiful salmon
today! Yum! Any suggestions as to what I can make (edible!) with the
head and bones? The recipes for fish stock don’t recommend using salmon.
Francesca, Via e-mail
A). The other night we had dinner
with our friends the Clarks at their house and Terice slow-baked some
fresh salmon – boy was that good.
Slow-Baked Salmon Recipe
Try this: make a simple stock of half water and half chicken
stock. Add chopped tomatoes, basil, olive oil, fresh tarragon, a half
cup of white wine and salt and pepper. |
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Simmer stock for 30 minutes. Place salmon steaks or filets in a casserole dish,
pour the stock over them and put into a 250-degree oven. Check the fish
after 25 minutes and serve when it is opaque. As for the bones, scrape
off the meat with a teaspoon. You will end up with a lot, which can be
used for salmon balls, salmon burgers or quenelles. |
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Q). Dear Chef, Many years ago, you
had a restaurant in North Canton, Ohio. It was my favorite restaurant.
They served a dish called the “San Franciscan”, a sesame coated halibut
baked with banana. Is there any way to get the recipe? There are no
Whaling Stations anywhere near here.
Jack G., Bradford, Pennsylvania
Via e-mailA). Let’s see
Jack, I have never been anywhere near North Canton, and…baked bananas
with fish? I’ve never heard of it and cannot imagine why it would be
named after Frisco. Let’s all just pass on this one. |
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Readers: Broccoli rabe (pronounced
“rob”) is a great, under-appreciated vegetable. So many people don’t
know what it is. Also known as rapini, it is highly nutritious and
contains chemicals that are proving to protect against cancer. With a
flavor that is a little on the bitter side, it is delicious steamed or
sautéed with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. According to “Mr. Rabe”
(Andy D’Arrigo of Castroville), the D’Arrigo Brothers developed the
seeds from the wild mustard plant, seen growing all over the place. I
remember picking the wild stuff with my grandmother back in the 1940’s.
Andy told me his company would buy from pickers during the depression,
ice it and send it back east to the Italian market. By the way, my
sister Jo was the fastest at picking wild greens. Man could that girl
pick! Q). I have never been
able to make a good lemon-butter sauce to compliment petrale sole or
sand dabs. Do you have a recipe for someone like me?
Cheryle A., Via e-mail |
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A). After sautéing your fish (any
thin fish or filet will work), drain excess cooking oil and, if pan is
dirty, wipe it out. Add a bit of chopped garlic and chopped parsley.
Deglaze with an ounce or two of dry vermouth (or any dry white wine),
reduce to a tablespoon then start adding sweet butter in small pieces, a
bit at a time, whisking it until you have enough to spoon over your fish
(2 or 3 tablespoons per order). Finish with a few squirts of fresh
lemon. If this sounds difficult, it really isn’t. You may omit garlic
and/or throw in a few capers – it will taste really good.
Q). I sure enjoy your weekly
column in the Herald and get good tips from it.
You have probably received many ideas on how to cook a whole
abalone, I’ll enclose my copy anyhow. I used to live in the Carmel
Highlands and my husband would go down into a
cave on our rocks at low tide and bring a whole abalone up for me to
make abalone pot roast. He would clean and pound it and I would
cook it. Cooked this way was so tender you could cut it with a fork. The
recipe was out of a 1946 Sunset |
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Magazine.
Keep those ideas coming.
Bernice Pratt (a.k.a. Bunny)The
wine helps to point up the true abalone flavor. Chablis is preferred,
but any dry white wine may be used.
Abalone Pot Roast
Recipe
Serves 6
2 or 3 whole abalone (larger ones are available from Monterey Abalone
Co.)
2 T. Cooking oil or shortening
2 cups dry white table wine
½ t. salt
1/8 t. paprika
1 T. Lemon juice
1 t. onion juice
In Dutch oven, brown the abalone lightly
on both sides in heated oil. If a casserole dish is used, brown the
abalone in a heavy pan first, and then place it in a casserole dish. Add
remaining ingredients. Cover tightly and bake in a slow oven (300°)
about 1½ hours, or until tender. Try it you’ll like it! |
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The other day a very nice couple from
Jamestown, New York walked into my office just to say hello. Geno and
Patricia Micciche are regular viewers of Monterey’s Cookin’ on
AmericanLife TV (2 times daily 5 days a week). Geno left me
some very nice risotto recipes, they look very
good. One is with butter nut squash and the other is with dried porcini.
They are very nice people and they loved Monterey.
Here are their recipes:.
Risotto Elegante
Recipe
Serves 4 to 6
persons
1/2 lb rice (Arborio)
6 cups water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp chopped white onions
2 tbsp chopped carrots (fine)
1/2 oz. dry porcini mushrooms (soaked in warm water for 1/2 hour)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt
& pepper to taste
Preparation: In a
medium sized pan add water over medium high heat,
at the boiling point add rice follow with salt. Cooking time 10 |
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minutes (make sure not
overcooked, aldente). Remove from the stove,
strain rice – save water.
In a medium large non-stick frying pan, over medium high heat add olive
oil follow with carrots and rosemary, cook for 2 minutes. Lower heat to
medium, at this time add onions and the mushrooms after they have been
removed from its water and washed and chopped. Cook for another 3
minutes, at this time add rice pre-cooked
with the mushrooms water after it has been strained very well. Cook for
another 2 minutes if rice gets dry use the rice water. Turn heat off add
butter stir well add cheese stir again and serve immediately while its
creamy.
Risotto Lombardo
Recipe
Serves 4 to 6 persons
Ingredients & preparation
2 quarts of water
1/2 pound of Arborio rice
1 medium size butternut squash, peeled
Remove seeds and cut up in cubes. Cook into
a quart of boiling water (medium high heat) for ten minutes, drain and
mash. This can be done |
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the day before. At same
time in a medium large pot add water, turn heat medium high, at boiling
time add 1 tablespoon of sea salt and Arborio rice. Cook for 12 minutes,
remove from stove strain the rice and
save the water. At the same time in a large non-stick frying pan on
medium heat add the following:
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium carrot chopped very fine
1 small white onion chopped fine
1 white celery stalk chopped fine
4 medium size white mushrooms, cleaned sliced thin
1 thick slice of pancetta (about 1/8 of a pound) diced in very small
cubes
Stir well for 16
minutes add salt & pepper to taste and sprinkle a little of nutmeg, when
these are well cooked, add squash, stir well follow it with pre-cooked
rice, stir well cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, if necessary use rice
water. Rice must not be over-cooked serve aldente.
Remove from stove add 1/2 stick of butter, stir well add parmesan cheese
about 1/2 cup. At this time rice should be hot and creamy, ready to
serve. |
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Here’s a great idea for the consumer –
recently I was in San Remo, Italy at a produce market. Purple artichokes
ready to go at 1/2 euro each (about 65 cents). These chokes seem to be
more tender and sweet. They are eaten raw, sliced very thin, and dressed
with lemon and olive oil - very good. Why aren’t purple chokes produced
here?
While on the subject of unusual
vegetables, how about white asparagus – It’s a whole different veggie.
And what about those tomatoes called Heart of the Bull – I have seen
these in farmer's markets,
but very few.
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Spring Mushroom Alert! Wanted to let
you all know Charmoon still has a few openings left for his June 2-3
Sierra Nevada mushroom weekend. It has been advertised as a King Bolete
(porcini) foray, but they may be going for morels instead. Fee of $150
includes campsite, Saturday dinner feast, Sunday breakfast, and all
guidance and instruction. For registration info, or other questions,
please give Charmoon a call, or drop an email. Charmoon Richardson
Wild About Mushrooms Co. 707-829-2063
www.wildaboutmushrooms.net |
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E-mail to the Chef: Thanks for the
recipes for favas. I will take them back to Brooklyn and the Hamptons in
June. Sounds like you have a source of favas but if you would like some
already double-peeled, blanched and just recently frozen, let me know
where to drop them off. If you would prefer some in the pods, I think I
can do that too. My second planting should be just about ready to pick.
Not too many fava fans here in Salinas to share them with.
Joe Pitta, Via e-mail
Chef response: People don’t know what
they’re missing. Thank you Joe, but I really enjoy the process – I think
it makes them sweeter. Thanks again, Jo-Jo! |
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