November 5, 2003 Ask the Chef Article

November 5, 2003 ... Ask the Chef ... John Pisto

Q: John,

I met you at Drew and Myra Goodman’s house, along with Dr. Weil, and we were discussing Italian basil vs. American basil. As we speak, I’m having some seeds sent here from Cinque Terre and my brother is going to send them to his seed specialist to analyze and see if indeed it’s the variety of basil that is the difference. I’ll keep you updated. It was a pleasure meeting you and your lovely wife. On another note, years ago my husband had a chicken, pheasant and olives dish that he still raves about. Any ideas on the recipe? I look forward to your column every week.

Ciao, Laurie Massa

A: Nice meeting you too Laurie! Folks, let’s talk basil. I have noticed while talking to Italians in the Genoa area, that their pesto does not turn brown. Ours does! You can stop that from happening if you add a few parsley or spinach leaves in with the basil. The Italians swear up and down that their pesto is 100% basil. They say it stays green because of the variety of basil. Soon we will see once and for all. Now for the chicken and pheasant dish. I remember this as a game dish fixed cacciatore style (a.k.a. hunters style) and it is a great autumn dish. If using pheasant, just make sure you cook it long enough because the meat is lean and needs the longer stewing time. The best pheasant or chicken cacciatore I ever had was made by my mom. It takes a little time, but if you like slow simmered

stews with rich flavor, this one is for you. Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Brown cut-up chicken in 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 butter. Season it well and salt & pepper. Remove and set aside. Now sauté 6 chopped garlic cloves, 4 cups chopped celery, 1 onion, 1 cup green olives (Sicilian style), 1 bunch chopped parsley, 3 medium potatoes cut in large (1-inch) cubes. Sauté all of this for 15 min. Add back the chicken (or pheasant); add 1 cup dry marsala or dry sherry, cover and lower the heat to medium low. Have some of chicken stock on hand if it dries out. You want to end up with just enough sauce but not soupy. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour. Check the salt & pepper. Chicken should fall off the bone. Hope this works!

Q: How can I find the recipe for the Pisto’s sardine dip sauce?
Via e-mail

A: Using a mortar and pestle, mash up two peeled, chopped lemons and ten cloves of garlic and then mix well with some salt and pepper. Dip pieces of grilled sardines in mixture, pucker up and enjoy!

Readers: Remember I talked about the zucchini bread from Nancy Mangiapane? Well here is the actual famous recipe for her spicy pineapple zucchini bread:

Zucchini Bread Recipe

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple well drained

1 cup salad oil

3 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup carrots

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. Baking soda

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

With a rotary mixer, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until mixture is thick and creamy. Stir in zucchini and drained pineapple. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients together. Stir gently into zucchini mixture just until well blended. Divide the batter equally between two greased and floured 9X5 inch loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees oven 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Thanks again Nancy!

Q: John, I live in the San Francisco Bay area and visit the Monterey area quite frequently. I recently learned of your cooking show and will have to watch it sometime. My wife and I also visit Abalonetti’s from time to time as well. I found your website while doing a web search on David Arora (world-renowned mushroom expert). I saw that you have gone mushroom foraging in the Monterey area and am wondering if you would be willing to share some sites that are accessible to the public. If you

know of any locations that are in the Bay area those would be appreciated too. I have been unsuccessful in finding any public lands that allow access for mushroom picking for personal use. I am most interested in the Bolete (Porcini) as this is the variety that I am very familiar with. Thanks very much and am looking forward to seeing your show.

Best regards,

Frank Vaccarezza

A: Hi Frank,

The best place for mushroom hunting is the Mendocino area. David Arora has a 3-day hunt on Thanksgiving weekend. It’s a great way to learn about mushrooms and includes room, board, and mushroom guides. Call David at (831) 425-0188.

Q: Dear John,

I received the cast iron stove top grill on Wednesday and promptly followed the directions on seasoning it. On Thursday my wife informed me that she had to go to a meeting and that I’d be on my own for dinner. I said “no problem” and went to the refrigerator and removed two 3/4” bone-in lamb chops that we had purchased last week from

the butcher. I immediately opened the Monterey’s Cookin’ Pisto Style Cookbook and found a recipe for roundbone shoulder lamb chops and followed the directions. The only modification that I made was I used your cast iron stove top grill instead of firing up the outdoor grill. I made a baked potato, cut up a red pepper and an orange pepper and grilled that alongside the lamb chops. I also used the left over

marinade to baste the chops and the peppers. It was awesome! I can’t remember ever having such great lamb chops. I’m going to suggest to my wife that we experiment more with your cookbook. Thank you.

Brecksville, Ohio

A: Now you know why I sell them, Johnny Boy!

For more info about John Pisto's fine restaurants

in Monterey, California, click here.

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