February 26, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

February 26, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: J. Mercurio asked me on the street: What is the difference between Swiss cheese and Gruyere?

A: What we call "Swiss" is actually Emmental. This is an enormous cheese usually 175 pounds to 220 pounds. The interior is famous for its "eyes" or holes. These holes are formed during the aging process, produced by bacteria giving off carbon dioxide (sounds like a fart to me). The Swiss are very demanding of the quality of their cheeses and their standards are the highest in the world. Imitators are Norwegian Jarlsberg and Wisconsin Alpine Lace, which have helped reduce the status of this fine cheese. To get the real thing, always look for the red lettering displaying the Switzerland Cheese Union.

Gruyere has no holes and is higher in fat, which means it will melt a lot quicker. This is truly one of the finest cheeses in the world and its flavor is much more assertive. Folks, with all the selections you have nowadays, it can be confusing to know exactly what you're getting. Those of you that have been to France know what real "boutique" cheeses taste like. The French also take their cheeses very seriously. Fine artisan cheese after a great dinner, served with a good red wine (or even champagne), is the highlight of any dinner when I serve it to my guests - please try it sometime. The friendly folks at the Cheese Shop in Carmel Plaza will give you the help you need.

Q: Chef, What is a true Reuben sandwich? Should it be served hot? R. Lobonte, Santa Clara

A: Reuben Sandwich Recipe. First you must have good, fresh rye bread, some hot and thinly sliced corned beef and some good quality sauerkraut (rinsed and squeezed dry). Next make a Russian dressing, which is one part mayo to 1/4 part chili sauce, a bit fresh horseradish, a dash of Worcestershire, chopped parsley, a bit of grated onions and salt and pepper to taste. Now put some dressing on both sides of the bread, pile on the corned beef (at least 2 inches high), add real Swiss cheese and the sauerkraut. Butter the bread and grill it until it's nicely browned on both sides. Cut it in half; serve with crispy new pickles, potato salad or coleslaw and lots of napkins!

Q: Dear Chef Pisto,

Well John I'm not a Monterey Pisano but I've been here since 1950 and one of my fondest memories is of eating the simple but tasty food at Al's Good Eats. Do you think you could duplicate his stew, meatloaf (with bell peppers inside and catsup on top), navy beans and ham, hamburgers, and, last but not least, his roast beef with brown gravy? Note: with no exotic spices or mushrooms.

Let me know at least your version of the meat loaf, which was my favorite. I enjoy your column even though many of your recipes are too complex for this amateur.

Roy Hubbard
e-mail

A: Ah, the good old days! Roy, when I started eating at Good Eats, it was toward the end of Al's career. Al was a very quiet man who always wore a white t-shirt and a white apron. He was rather gruff and could have been a Navy cook because I recall him also wearing an old white beret cap. I do remember his burger very well. When ordered, he would open a fridge door, grab a handful of hamburger and slap it on his worktable. He added chopped raw onion to it then, with the spatula, he would form a hamburger patty and then slap it on the grill. He would also butter the bun and throw it on the grill. When finished he would add shredded iceberg lettuce and mustard. That's it - not bad! Sorry, I don't know about the other stuff, but here's my recipe for:

Meat Loaf Recipe Using a Bread Loaf Pan

2 pounds Italian sausage

1 egg (whole)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 cup fresh grated Romano cheese

4 slices of bread, soaked in milk then squeezed and broken up very fine. It should be very wet.

Salt

Pepper

2 chopped green bell peppers

Mix all ingredients well by hand. Put into a bread loaf pan and cook at 350 degrees for maybe an hour or so. Make some mashed potatoes, with lots of butter, and make a simple gravy, but add a few raisins to it and lot's of sliced onions. Add a bit of vinegar and a bit of sugar. Serve it over the meat loaf. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Readers: I received this response regarding last week's column about caper bushes in Monterey:

Dear John, The caper bush is listed in Sunset Western Garden Book as "Capparis Spinosa". It's native to the Mediterranean, so no surprise it grows here. Sometimes it grows as a vine, sometimes as more of a shrub. A pretty flower grows on a long stem from each leaf base. Sunset says the pickled, unopened buds are commercial capers. You can propagate from cuttings, so you might be able to get a clone of your mother's plant. Best of luck with the Blue Moon on Cannery Row. Stan Rowe

Thanks for the comeback Stan. My gardener tried getting the cuttings started but it didn't work. I am still puzzled by this one.

Readers: What do chefs do when they get together? During last week's Masters of Food and Wine event, my lovely wife and I were joined by old buddy Joho from Chicago (Everest), Jose from Washington D.C., Monterey's own master pastry chef Gerard Bechler and mushroom great David Arora. If you guessed EAT, you're absolutely right. Monterey calamari was what they wanted so it was off to Abalonetti. It was fun introducing the Eastern guys to Kumamoto oysters. These tiny fresh oysters are so sweet they don't need anything on them. We had squid prepared every which way, Dungeness crab with garlic, olive oil and vinegar and - the showstopper - sautéed Monterey prawns. They wanted to check out Domenico's, so we stopped in for some fresh abalone cooked two ways (they

inhaled it). Next, home? No way, they wanted meat and gnocchi with truffles. David just happened to have a pocket full of organic black truffles, so it was Kobe beef and gnocchi with black truffles at the Station. By the way, we did taste a bottle of wine or two. What a blast eating with these guys laughing and joking and talking about food. We even talked about rabbit but, to tell you the truth, due to the nasty and even threatening tone of some of the letters I've received, I'm off the rabbits for now. Imagine being so harshly criticized for eating a food source that is regularly consumed around the world. So, forget the bunnies, It's frog season! In the spirit of Mac and the Boys, bring in 10 genuine Cannery Row frogs for a complimentary cocktail at either Blue Moon or The Station.

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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