Q). On a vacation in Monterey,
we had the immense pleasure of dining at the Whaling Station - we hope
Alfredo is still there and send our best, as he was a wonderful server
our first trip and host on the next day’s visit. Our then 10 year old
son enjoyed feasting on “whatever he wanted”, and consequently our bill
was about, well, worth it totally! He had chosen the veal and porcini
ravioli (I’m Italiano) in the brown butter–rosemary sauce. I would love
this recipe if it could be available. When we book our next vacation to
California, you will definitely get our reservations in advance. Please
open a restaurant in Chicago! And send Alfredo, if he’ll come. P.S. Next
time, I’m having the live lobster because I deserve it!
Sheryl Ford and Family
Via e-mail |
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A). Indeed you do. Life is too
short not to over-indulge oneself once in a while. Get a little crazy –
it’s fun. As for my ravioli recipe, if you are a regular reader, you
probably know the story about my grandmother’s requests for some of my
favorite recipes while on her death-bed. The point of the story, Sheryl,
is you’re not getting that ravioli recipe. But, because of your kind
words, try making a brown butter sauce. It is delicious, pretty easy to
make and works great on meat, fish, poultry and pasta. French in origin,
where it’s called “beurre noisette" the name refers
to the hazelnut color butter turns when
browned on the stovetop. By the way, according to the California Milk
Advisory Board, California is
the largest butter producing state in the U.S., with almost 400 millions
pounds last year. That’s a lot of churning. |
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Brown Butter Sauce
Recipe
½ Cup butter (salted works best)
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or sage
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut the butter into pieces and melt in a large, heavy skillet over
medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, cook and stir for 2 to 3
minutes until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Swirl the
pan to avoid scorching and remove from the heat to stir in the herbs,
garlic and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. As an option, adding
chopped walnuts increases the nuttiness of your sauce. |
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Q). Someone sent us some smoked
Finnan Haddie. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Via e-mail
A). Finnan Haddie is haddock (“haddies”)
from the Aberdeen fishing village of Findon (pronounced locally as "Finnan")
in Scotland, where references to smoked fish go back to the 1500’s.
Haddock is a very lean and delicious fish, but because it doesn’t salt
well, other than fresh it is either dried or smoked. Originally smoked
over peat, it is commonly poached in milk and served for breakfast. I
used to make a chowder with smoked haddock at The Whaling Station with
potatoes, onions and bacon - it was fantastic.
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Smoked Haddock Chowder
Recipe
Sauté chopped parsley, onions, potatoes and bacon in a heavy pan. When
it starts to brown, add cream or half and half (or both). Bring to a low
boil and cook until the potatoes are soft. Now, flake in the pieces of
fish and stir gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve in
a large bowl, topped off with a pad of butter.
Promoting Monterey in San Francisco. Folks, I
recently was asked to tape a CBS show called “Eye on the Bay” that runs
weekly in the bay area. The episode was about visiting Monterey and I
gave them a tour of OUR Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a lot of fun and is
scheduled to air this Friday, September 22, at 7 pm. |
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Reader response. I’m referring
to a recent inquiry by one of your readers about where to find bottarga.
I have two sources for it: 1) Deananddeluca.com
(800-221-7714) - French “boutargue”, red mullet only; and
2)
Beatrice.u@gustiamo.com
(718-860-2949) – Italian bottarga, muggine and tuna. I’m sure you are
familiar with Dean and Deluca, and Beatrice is worth checking out.
Giulio Via e-mail Thanks for the comeback, Giulio (now that’s Italian).
And don’t forget Nick (831-760-6246). This time of year it’s a little
grated bottarga over some sliced heirloom tomatoes with a drizzle of
extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper. Don’t forget the dried
oregano! |
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OK John, I'm
a long time Redhead and I think I have the drink for you. By the way
some people think I make the best Waborita this side of Cabo...LOL
CaboPete, Pete Cambianica Merced, CA,
Via e-mail
Prickly Pear Waborita Recipe
1 1/4 oz. of Cabo Wabo Resposado
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Margarita Mix
1/2 oz. Prickly Pear Juice
Shake it up with Crushed ice and pour into a chilled Martini Glass and
Garnish with a lime wedge.Q). Dear
Chef, explain canned anchovies – I don’t understand why people eat them,
they are so salty and fishy strong.
Jo Anne Jorgenson
Via e-mail |
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A). The canned ones are first gutted
and heads cut off, brined and then layered in salt. The salted fish is
then topped off with fresh brine and is left to cure for 3 to 4 months.
While it’s curing, the smell is unbelievably delicious, tangy, sweet,
nutty, salty, sharp and a little fishy - in a good way. After curing,
when you have a need for some anchovy filets (we use them as
appetizers), they are removed from the salt, split and de-boned then
briefly soaked in vinegar for 10-15 minutes to remove excess salt. Then
they are dressed in olive oil, lemon, black pepper and crushed red
pepper. The champ of anchovy eaters is a former Argentinean soccer star
(now coach Carlos Volpini). He’s good for 3 to 4 tins. Man, oh man, can
that boy eat anchovies. The one in the tins are the product of 1st the
salting and |
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curing process, de-boned,
filleted and packed in olive oil. European and South Americans all love
salted anchovies. Give them a real try, I have convinced a lot of
people.
Anchovy Uses - just to name a few:
1) on top of fresh sliced tomatoes
2) on a steak
3) mixed with butter and parsley and melt on a steak or fish
4) sprinkle of coarse salt
5) sandwiches with vegetables or meat
6) a vegetable dip, mix with garlic olive oil and a lot of raw
vegetables (ask Terice and Dave Clark about this one)
7) in salad dressings |
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