Monthly Archives: June 2009

A Platter of Figs

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A good friend of mine calls David Tanis the only real genius he knows personally. Apparently Mr. Tanis operates on another plane of existence when it comes to the culinary arts. As my friend described “David could look at a stack of books and figure out how to realign it’s structure and turn it into something tasty”.

A Platter of Figs - Click to Purchase

A Platter of Figs - Click to Purchase

David’s cookbook, A Platter of Figs – And Other Recipes, may not stand up to “genius” masterworks in literature, but it is a damn good cookbook. You might not be surprised to learn that I enjoy reading cookbooks cover-to-cover. I don’t often follow recipes strictly, but I relish the idea of the influence gained from studying recipes and applying the theories to my existing skill-set. For that reason alone, Platter is worth owning. More traditional cookbook users, who follow recipes, won’t be disappointed either.

I was really struck by the forward by Alice Waters and the introduction by Mr. Tanis. She provides a glowing and humorous introduction to how he became her chosen-one to run the prestigious kitchen at Chez Panisse many years ago. He speaks of his proclivity towards home cooking and speaks frankly about the impersonal nature of restaurant dining. I found it refreshing from someone who makes a living cooking in a restaurant. I have also come to prefer the intimate dinner party with an appreciative group of friends, spending a day immersed in food from market to table, versus the quick fix and mixed bag of dining out.

This weekend I dove into Platter of Figs by recreating one of his summer menus (pictures below). While his structure was there for guidance, it was wonderful to make interpretations at the market that would result in personalizing the ultimate results. I think my guests would agree it was one of the tastiest meals we’ve served in a while. With that, I give a hearty Zealot recommendation for “A Platter of Figs”.

The menu:

- Acme ciabatta crostini with bellweather farms sheep’ ricotta, the-sweetest-cherry-tomatoes-ever, basil chiffonade.

- Braised dirty girl romano beans with lemon, garlic and chili.

- Long-grilled fennel.

- Radicchio hearts wrapped in pancetta with balsamic.

- Porchetta-style grilled pork loin, rubbed in fennel fronds, rosemary and insanely fresh garlic.

- Macedonia of blueberries and apricots with grappa.

- Brown turkey figs!

Caccio e Pepe

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When I read books I tend to read every title by a particular author in sequence. Perhaps this is an OCD condition or perhaps there is virtue in fully absorbing the life’s work of a talented scribe. Whatever the case, it feels very rewarding to have a theme to guide me. In food, it is not much different. For many years I was a pasta whore (and continue to be an enthusiast). I sought out every possible recipe and ate pasta night after night. Thank goodness for my metabolism and genes. I couldn’t pull that off today!

Spaghetti

Spaghetti

There may be no other venue that inspires chefs as much as pasta. The myriad of variations and interpretations is staggering. One could easily make a life’s mission out of studying pasta in all of its forms. That person would likely be obese. Yet, for all of the variations and interpretations, it is often the simplest creations that elicit my awe. I’ve given you my perfect spaghetti with tomato sauce which uses subtle techniques but is ultimately incredibly simple . I’m gonna drop some super easy ricotta gnocchi on you before the summer is up. But today we’re going really lo-fi: Roman-style Caccio e Pepe.

One of my favorite non sequitors of all time came from the documentary “When We Were Kings”, which chronicled the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. George Plimpton was musing about Ali’s genius as a poet and said:

Here he was delivering a lecture, senior class day with these 1,000, 2,000 Harvard graduates, and…he had these little cards in front of him. He gave this wonderful speech about he hadn’t had the opportunity but they had and they should use that to make the world a better place. It was moving and funny, and a great roar of appreciation at the end. Then someone shouted out, “Give us a poem!” And everybody quieted down. Now, the shortest poem according to Bartlett’s Quotations is called ”On the Antiquity of Microbes” and the poem is “Adam had ‘em.” Pretty short. But Muhammad Ali’s poem was ”Me, whee.” Two words. I wrote Bartlett’s Quotations and I said, “Look, that’s shorter.” It stands for something more than the poem itself. ”Me, whee.” What a fighter he was. And what a man.

Ali and Plimpton

Ali and Plimpton

What I love about this tidbit is how much punch comes from such a small package. It says so much about Ali, his character and his fierce intellect. To me, Caccio e Pepe pays homage to the “Me, whee” mentality. In it’s simplest form, it says look, I am pasta, but what a pasta I am!

I may be painfully repetitive, but I must restate for my new readers that my recipes are concepts versus strict directions. As you get familiar with the ingredients and objectives, you may find there are better paths to the results. Luckily, this is as easy as it gets.

Boil some spaghetti, spaghettini or bucatini (with a hole in the middle to absorb sauce) in a large pot of heavily salted water. Don’t be shy, salt in water = flavor in pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente. This means don’t be afraid of a little bite or crunch. It’s hard to express what al dente means to a neophyte, but there really is no other way to enjoy pasta. The crunch provides a textural contrast to the sauce. It’s just proper. Don’t dump your water, as we’ll need a little.

When the pasta is ready, transfer it to a saute pan with a little butter and / or olive oil. Here is a point of interpretation. I like the blend of both. You can have all of either / or depending on your preference. Just use quality product in either case. Fruity olive oil or a European-style butter will make a great difference.

Next, add a little of the pasta water, a small ladle or so. If you want a more creamy dish, you could substitute milk or cream here. I prefer the water, as the nature gluten in the pasta shines through and blends well with the fats. Add about half of the planned fresh cracked pepper and a little cheese. Here is another point of preference. Pecorino Romano is the tradition in Rome, but might be a little sharp for some. You could easily substitute Parmigiano Reggiano or create a mix of both. The objective is to get some nuttiness and creaminess, that plays right against the spicy pepper.

Caccio e Pepe

Caccio e Pepe

Take a warm dish and swirl a pile of the spaghetti nice and high. Grate a nice pile of cheese on top and then top that with a good shot of more cracked pepper. That’s it! As you can see it’s really all about the cheese, the pepper and the pasta. If done properly, you’ll get a balance of flavors that all play well together but each brings a distinct present to the party. Nutty, spicy, creamy, bitey, rich, yet light – it’s an everyman dish. Simple, yet complex. Me, whee!

Just for shits and grins, I’m gonna send you off with my favorite Ali poem:

I done wrassled with an aligator, tussled with a whale,
handcuffed lightening, thrown thunder in jail,
Just last week I  murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean I make medicine sick.

Locavore iPhone App

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Locavore AppAdmittedly, I am a little behind the curve on this one. I believe the Locavore application hit the iTunes store in March or so. As the maven of both technology and food, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t get wind of it until recently. I’m certain that many of you are in the same boat, so I’m posting it now anyway.

As I ranted about with the Local Food Wheel, the Locavor app gives you a rundown of what is in season for any given location. There is a clock icon that gives you a general idea of when a season ends. They also have a preview of what is about to come into season (Figs are starting to appear!!) Outside of the Bay Area or a few other large cities, the information becomes scant but I assume it is only a matter of time before the Slow Food mentality reaches the heartland. (I’m waiting for your complaint “blintz69″ that the LA offerings fall short).

Moreover, Locavore also has Farmer’s Market listings (proximity to you generated by the GPS) so you can easily find one close to you. I’d like to see them add searchable schedules, rather than just pull up the LocalHarvest web page. It would help to be able to look at a calendar and know where the closet market is on any given day.

There is also a community section where you can share feedback on produce in a 150 mile radius, 500 mile radius or The World. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to get out of it, but everyone is about social networking these days.

I think they’ve done an excellent job on the application and can’t wait to see future releases. It’s well worth the $4. You can click here or click on any of the images for the iTunes link to the application.

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Hair of the Dog

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Oh Charles! Why oh why, Charles?

In the late 90s I lived on 18th and Valencia. Regularly, on my way home from work I would stop off at the Slanted Door for some Shaking Beef, Fresh Spring Rolls or Clay Pot Chicken. The energy of the first SD location was the epitome of the boom days of the .com era. Mission hipsters lined up down the block, the music was loud, the food was innovative and unique, the vibe was perfect.

Charles Phan at Heavens Dog

Charles Phan at Heaven's Dog

Perfect, so much so, the rest is the tale of San Francisco restaurant legend. First there was the temporary location in South Beach (never made it, sorry). Then the big Ferry Building gamble that paid off in spades (Slanted Door is one of the top grossing restaurants in the city). Next, another gamble on Out the Door, which I think the jury is still out-the-door on (man, I’m just kicking the puns this week!). They certainly seem consistently busy there and overcame a massive ceiling water burst, which closed them for a few weeks. Then there was the cafeteria at the Academy of Arts and Sciences, which I am guessing was an ego venture.

And now we have Heaven’s Dog, the latest venture from the Phan family located on the ground floor of the Soma Grand on Mission Street at 7th Street. I met my pal Tony for lunch, despite his protestations. It seems the “Dog” wasn’t getting good reviews. But, how could that be possible? At the least, with Charles’ influence, there had to be a sensible menu with a handful of well-executed gems. Right? Charles? Right?

Unfortunately this isn’t one of those happy endings. In fact, everything we ate (and we both agreed, so this isn’t my jaded view) was just plain bad. I know that this my second negative restaurant review in a row (see Gialina) but I can’t say a single positive thing about the food at Heaven’s Dog. Here’s the rundown:

Upon our server’s recommendation we had the pork belly & bun appetizer. This was probably the best dish, but it just came up dry. The meat was juicy and would have been fine in another vessel, but the bun was dry and needed some sort of sauce. Just a simple hit of a plum-type sauce would have done the trick. Or maybe an innovative fiery broth from the mind of Charles. But no.

Pork Belly Bun

Pork Belly Bun

Next were house-special dumplings, again upon recommendation. The skins were mushy, the broth inside wasn’t terribly tasty and the meat was just a lump of ground pork. They served it with a soy sauce and ginger – neither added anything. I kept thinking of the comparable dumpling at Yank Sing, which is on another planet by comparison. Everything about the Yang Sing dumpling screams exceptional. I don’t understand why Charles wouldn’t aspire to do better.

For mains we went with more suggestions (maybe our waitress wanted to torture us?) – Salt and Pepper Squid and Braised Kale. We expected the squid to be fresh and tender. What we got was greasy, chewy and salty fried calamari. Absolutely nothing innovative about it. We couldn’t even finish it. The Kale looked promising. It was bright green and seemed to be cooked perfectly. But then we tasted the sauce. It was essentially soy sauce. I tasted nothing but soy. So, I was eating bad calamari and kale soaked in soy.

As we finished up I looked around the room and started wondering where the name came from. Waiting for the check, the kale sat in front of me and I started to think that it smelled like a wet dog. It all made sense.

I still believe Charles is a superstar. Whenever we have guests in town I take them to the Ferry Building and brave the crowds for a nostalgic Shaking Beef or Imperial Roll. But if this meal was any example of what’s cooking at Heaven’s Dog, and other reviewers seem to confirm, Charles may be spread too thin. We have the right to expect more.

Ice Cream is the New Cupcake

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Last year we had cupcakes. Way way too many cupcakes for my waistline. So what hot trend comes just in time for the summer of aught-nine? Carrot sticks? Brussel Sprouts? No, it’s fatty-ass, fatty-fat-fat ice cream. And I’m psyched. Here’s a run down on the hotspots for getting creamed-up this summer.

BiRite Creamery – Who would have thunk that this is already the old-hat in the new trend of scoop shops in the city? BiRite has developed a cult following and is the perfect pairing with a day at Dolores Park topped off with Pizzeria Delfina (my son’s favorite playdate). Standout flavors are Roasted Banana (in fact, get a roasted banana pie with graham crust and meringue topping for your next party – oh oh oh). Salted Caramel, Balsamic Strawberry and Honey Lavender are also some favorites. You really can’t go wrong with anything here.

Humphry Slocombe – With decidedly more attitude, sass and panache, HS opened a few months ago down the street from me. Their Salt & Pepper is nucking futs! Other standouts are the Secret Breakfast (with Bourbon and Cornflakes), Olive Oil, Blue-Bottle Vietnamese Coffee. They take things to a new level (Government Cheese? Pistachio Bacon!). Aside from ice cream you can also grab things like Bacon Peanut Brittle and Shortbread Cookies made with Lardo. I give HS the nod for coolest kid on the block. Follow Jake’s twitter feed @humphryslocombe to keep up with flavors.

Humphry Slocombe Is Cool!

Humphry Slocombe Is Cool!

Xanath - Brand spanking new in the Mission, with some straightforward flavors, centered around the vanilla bean (they import vanilla and saffron as another business). Mixed reviews on yelp so far and I haven’t bean (get it, bean, like vanilla). Don’t see a web site. Missionites like dem some ice cream, eh? Mitchells ain’t the only game in town.

Ici – The East Bay is not exempt from the trends. Ici is a project by yet another Chez Panisse disciple. Alice breeds them, doesn’t she? Ice cream is good, with some innovative flavors, but not over the top. What I really love is their homemade cones. They’re like crispy pancakes with a dollop of chocolate at the bottom to prevent dripping. Check them out at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market in addition to their scoop shop.

Ici in Berkeley

Ici in Berkeley

Tara’s Organic – There’s a battle brewing in them thar hills! If you check out the Yelp! pages for Tara’s, it seems that there ain’t room enough for two organic queens of Berkeley. Tara’s was established in 2005 by Tara Esperanza in Santa Fe, NM. In August of 2008 Tara’s moved to Berkeley (naturally). She’s got a boatload of creative ingredient (Pink Peppercorn, Stout with Fudge, Plum Ginger to name a few) and has every organic certification under the sun!

Three Twins – This Height Store is a branch of a Marin and Napa mini-chain. They offer very straightforward flavors and appear to be seeking to dethrone Ben & Jerrys for the gen-next Ice Cream empire.

With this bounty of new places, the one company that is really raking in the $$$ is Straus dairy. As I’ve recently learned, almost all of these places use the Straus base to avoid complications in pasteurization. Good for you Straus!

Look out for a new scoop shop in your neighborhood soon. Maybe it’ll be in that old cupcake shop from last year.

Pastured Eggs: Why Are They So Damn Good?

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I’m here to help you live a better life. No, really, I am! As I’ve described in previous posts, I am a true hedonist and I love to indulge in the pleasures of this wonderful life. I travel all over the world and relishing in the experience of a new culture and the amazing people that populate this planet. I love the arts – theater, music, cinema and will often be caught sitting in my parked car singing at the top of my lungs pounding my dashboard to The Raconteurs, Radiohead or the like. I’ll spend days planning a meal and enter a zen-like state while prepping and cooking. There is nothing that gives me more pleasure.

So, to help you get your hedonism on, I am going to share one of my greatest pleasures. It requires a subtle shift in thinking and a sensibility to appreciate something so simple, so perfect. We’re gonna have some pastured eggs. Now some of you are saying “been there, done that, I get’cha”. I’ll ask you to comment and share your praise and perhaps take a stroll down memory lane to the first time you remember experiencing the revelation. For those who are new to the concept, first a little explanation, courtesy of localharvest.org:

Pasture Raised Chickens

Pasture Raised Chickens

Grass-fed/pastured hens are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept in confinement and fed primarily grains. Eggs from pastured hens contain up to 20 times more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than those their less fortunate cousins, factory hens.

Pastured hens’ diets are naturally complemented with bugs, earthworms, and other such critters that give their eggs a huge nutritious oomph. Although not necessarilly organic, pastured hens are usually much healthier and happier than their space-restricted and antibiotic-pumped industrial cousins.

Pasturing is the traditional method of raising egg-laying hens and other poultry. It is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the tastiest, most nutritious eggs. Pastured eggs also have 10 percent less fat, 40 percent more vitamin A, and 34 percent less cholesterol than eggs obtained from factory farms.

Pastured Eggs

Pastured Eggs

What this means to the egg itself comes twofold: (1) the yolks are nearly orange! Not only does this mean they taste amazing, but they are actually healthier. Research shows that an orange-colored yolk is higher in disease-fighting carotenes. (2) the albumen has more heft. The white will literally stand up in the pan rather than spill out all over the place. Again, it makes for better tasting and more nutritious eggs.

So, here’s the your homework. Everyone should do this. Buy a dozen pastured eggs. This doesn’t mean “cage free” or “free range” or “organic”. These are terms used by the farming industry to fool us into thinking chickens are treated nicely or fed proper diets. Often times there is just a strip of grass outside the coop that the hens will never see. Bullshit! Go to a farmer’s market and ask a farmer for some eggs. Look him in the eye and say “are these going to be the best eggs I’ve ever had?”. If he doesn’t say yes, don’t buy them. Every farmer I’ve ever met thinks he has the best eggs.

Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up

For this exercise, I’m not concerned about how you prefer your eggs – trust me.  For the first batch make some fried, sunny side up eggs. Take a nice piece of toast and sop up the yolk. Don’t be afraid if it’s farm fresh. Runny is ok. On the next day, scramble them with a little milk. Keep scrambling in the pan until they start to set. Then use your spatula. With the remaining eggs (you should have 4 left if you cooked for your sig-o) make deviled eggs. I’ll post a recipe another time. Try out your favorite here.

If you’re not convinced after this exercise, we might have to break up and no longer be blogger, bloggee. The pastured egg is simply a gift. One worth treasuring. One worth savoring. I’d like to think there are hoards of little zealots out there, hovering over their counter tops, gently handling their eggs, anticipating the first bite, frying, scrambling, boiling.

Hanger Steak: You Need to Know

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There is no question that the hanger steak is my favorite cut of meat. I discovered it a number of years ago and have kept it in my back pocket to wow dinner party guests. The texture and flavor of the hanger is unlike any other cut of meat. It is just as flavorful as a ribeye but significantly less expensive. It’s not commonly available in a lot of markets, so you’ll need to track down your own source (I’m not giving mine up, cause I don’t want to be fighting to get my meat). Check out the wiki on hanger for a solid description:

Hanger Steak

Hanger Steak

A hanger steak is a cut of beef steak which is said to “hang” from the diaphragm of the steer. (Anatomically the diaphragm is one muscle, but it is commonly cut into two separate cuts of meat: the “hanger steak” traditionally considered more flavorful due to its proximity to the kidneys, and the outer skirt steak which is composed of tougher muscle within the diaphragm.) The hanger is attached to the last rib and the spine near the kidneys. It resembles flank steak, and is a vaguely V-shaped pair of muscles with a long, inedible membrane down the middle. The hanger steak is not particularly tender, but has a lot of flavor, and is best marinated and cooked quickly over high heat (grilled or broiled) and served rare or medium-rare, to avoid toughness. Chefs with experience preparing beef kidneys report that the hanger steak’s aroma preserves a trace of kidney.

There is only one hanger steak per animal, and the entire cut typically weighs about 1 to 1.5 lbs (450 to 675g). It is prized for its flavor, and was sometimes known as “butcher’s steak” because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale.

Grilled Hanger Steak

Grilled Hanger Steak

There area a million marinades that would work for a hanger. It really grabs flavor. If you don’t have time, a dry rub will also work well – I love my lavender salt or just a mix of garlic, onion, salt and pepper would work. Fresh herbs make a great rub as well. I’ll often take a bunch of rosemary, thyme, some garlic and onions and wrap the meat up overnight. Get your grill really hot (charcoal is ALWAYS preferred) and turn four times, about 3-4 minutes each time to get char on the whole steak. Use your thumb to check doneness – it should be about as dense as the palm of your hand, underneath your pinky. The crust should be glistening.

To avoid dryness, the trick is to take the meat off the grill and wrap it in foil tightly for 10 minutes to rest. Then slice it with the grain widthwise into medallions (don’t cut it on the diagonal like flank steak or it will be tough). Drizzle some olive oil or butter on the meat and pour the juices that accumulated in the foil. Sprinkle some granular salt and hit it with a shot of pepper.

Hangers do very well at parties, family style. Serve up a few with some cherry tomatoes and watch people ignore their utensils – finger food at its best. Don’t forget to invite me.

The Local Foods Wheel

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I was at an event last week where Jessica Prentice spoke. In passing she mentioned her Local Foods Wheel, which immediately struck me as brilliant. Since I am not originally from California and don’t have a farmer’s sense, this tool is very helpful to guide my market visits.

Local Foods Wheel

Local Foods Wheel

The wheel is currently available in San Francisco and New York varieties (links on the site for where to purchase). The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. I give it a big zealot seal of approval! Go get yours (link on image to visit the site).

For those who haven’t yet discovered the importance of seasonality and eating local, it goes something like this:

Since the dawn of agriculture humankind has operated on a schedule of seasonality. We ate food when the earth could produce it, relative to the location where it was produced. It’s a simple cycle that we’ve broken with our greed for convenience. And……local food just tastes better. It’s fresher and smaller, which means it wasn’t engineered to be bigger and full of water = flavorless.

Purchasing your food out of season means that it must be grown in far off places. The environmental impact of transporting these foods gobbles up unnecessary natural resources. On a planet with a global climate crisis, it is best to try to minimize our impact. Moreover, by eating local you support small farmers and build community relationships, which goes a long way in knowing where your food really comes from. The era of industrialized farming has done a lot to make corporate profits, but very little to support farmers. Plus, pesticides and chemicals are necessary to support the monoculture mentality of the modern agri-business, which does no good for the soil or the people who consume them.

There are many books, blogs and a few movies (including Food Inc – have you seen it??) available to provide more information, if you’re interested.

The Perfect Spaghetti Recipe

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Alright bitches. Time to earn my keep. If there is one recipe I can convey to provide you pleasure, this is it.

First, a little backstory. When I was living in Rome in 1990 I had an apartment near Piazzale degli Eroi. During our afternoon break I would walk home from school, stopping at the outdoor market on Via Andrea Doria to pick up fixings. It was here where I received my first introduction to the farm-to-table lifestyle. Despite being in a massive city, the goods were artisanal, fresh and downright enviable. Maybe I am romantic, but my memory of the goods was epic – pasta, produce, meats, cheeses – I can still smell the place now.

Andrea Doria Market, Rome

Andrea Doria Market, Rome

The apartment complex had maid service. On occasion a grandmotherly maid would be cleaning when I returned with my market goodies and prepared my lunch (get your head of the gutter people, this isn’t going to end that way).  One day I was making a tomato sauce in my usual fashion. Frankly, I was quite inconsistent back then. It was always too sweet or too garlicky, too bitter or too acidic. I didn’t have control. The maid had clearly been frustrated by how I tortured those poor tomatoes because she stepped in. She showed me that I needn’t chop any onions or garlic in the sauce. Rather, sauté them whole in olive oil to impart flavor and then take them out. She showed me how to finish the pasta in the sauce to absorb more flavor.

The next day she brought me a proper can of San Marzano tomatoes. She said she was impressed that I was cooking, as her son was lazy (and clearly still lived with her). Now, I’m not gonna get all “Tuesdays with Morrie” on you here. She did show me some other tricks during that time, and I felt a kinship with her, but the situation was far from any romantic notion of good storytelling. Basically she found me a curious oddity and shared some common sense that everyone in Italy is probably taught in preschool. And what I took home was a damn good start to my spaghetti.

This is NOT My Maid

The next stage of this recipe came courtesy of Craig Stoll at Delfina. Despite the fact that I was eating there from Day 1 (literally, i was there on the first public day) Craig wouldn’t know me from Adam, aside from an occasional nod. But I really loved his spaghetti. Clean, simple, true flavors. Imagine my surprise when I was handed a card at the farmer’s market with his recipe. I’ve always been impressed at how freely he shares them (the brandade is another of my favorites). What I discovered is that Craig was following most of the principles that my maid friend had taught me. I tried his, I tried mine, I compared details and ultimately came to a happy medium.

So here it is. I first wrote this down as part of a wedding present for my cousin and included all of the ingredients and some cooking equipment to make it. As with all of my recipes, it’s about touch and feel and concepts. You’ll have to play around with quantities and do a lot of tasting.

San Marzano Roma Tomatoes

San Marzano Roma Tomatoes

First and foremost, you must use high-quality San Marzano Roma tomatoes, imported from Italy. Look for “D.O.P” on the lable. This means that they are certified. These are going to cost between $4-6 per can. Don’t be fooled by any other brand. Sure they MIGHT be similar, but why take a chance? I know this flies in the face of the locavore ideal, but there are exceptions to every rule. Italian tomatoes are just better.

In a deep-sided saucepan heat a substantial amount of EV olive oil. Not too hot. Add whole, smashed garlic (or two halves of a small onion, both will work and provide slightly different results). If you want heat and a little smokiness, you can also add some whole chilies. Cook low and slow, covered. Do not brown. You’re trying to get the flavor into the oil. This takes some time. At least 20 minutes, possibly longer.

Cooking Garlic and Chilies

Cooking Garlic and Chilies

In the case of garlic, you can remove it now. With the onion and the chilies, I’ll often leave them in the pan with the sauce until it’s ready to serve. Now add your tomatoes right into the oil. There are two ways I approach this. The maid taught me to pour them through my hand, grinding them up before adding them to the sauce. Craig uses a food mill after the tomatoes are cooked. I actually prefer Craig’s method here. The texture is a little smoother, which I like. Let the sauce cook until the oil is incorporated. Depending on how much time you’ve left yourself, you can get away with anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. The longer the better.

Next you’ll want to remove any remaining items (onions or chilies) and salt to taste. You can also add basil here if you’re into it. I personally don’t like the shock of basil in a bite of pasta, so I’ll chiffonade it to distribute it more evenly, if I use it at all. If you’ve used the right tomatoes, the sauce should be flavorful enough to inspire gobbling. There really isn’t much to it, is there? But you’re not done yet. Cook your pasta in a big honking pot of water SALTED WELL. Don’t skimp on the salt in your pasta water, it imparts flavor. Cook the spaghetti until it is just starts to limp, but has a deep chew or crunch when you bite it. Not al-dente here, more like half done.

Rustichella Pasta

Rustichella Pasta

A note about spaghetti. For this dish, you’ll want to use dry. Fresh pasta will absorb too much sauce and go limp. You also need the bite of al-dente pasta to nail the texture. Start with a De Cecco quality spaghetti and work your way up from there. Don’t go with the generic supermarket brands. A quality pasta is worth the extra expense. I love Rustichella D’Abruzzo. There are also a lot of artisanal, designer brands out there. Live a little and try them.

Take another sauté pan and add some of your tomato sauce on medium high heat. Using tongs, remove the spaghetti from the water, directly into the pan. Don’t be afraid of getting water in the pan – you’ll want some. Add enough sauce and water to just cover your spaghetti (I use about 2/3 sauce to 1/3 water). Continue cooking until the sauce reduces down and the pasta is perfectly al-dente. Transfer the spaghetti to a warm plate and serve with parmigiano reggiano cheese (don’t you dare put anything but the finest aged parmigiano on this pasta or stop reading my blog now, you hear me?).

The End Result, Perfect Spaghetti

The End Result, Perfect Spaghetti

I’m expecting this post to garner me some traffic on this blog. Go ahead and share it. Comment if you try the recipe. I can assure you that you’ll love this sauce.

RSS Readers, An Intro

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Some of you reading this food blog might not be so savvy in the tech realm. I happen to straddle both worlds. To make your life a little more enjoyable and easier, I’d like to offer a quick intro to the world of RSS and how it relates to Blogs. Let’s start with an abridged wikipedia definition:

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a “feed”, “web feed”,or “channel”) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an “RSS reader”, “feed reader”, or “aggregator”, which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed’s URI – often referred to informally as a “URL” (uniform resource locator), or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

What this means to you is that if you read any blogs, you need to have an RSS reader. Rather than having to remember to check a blog occasionally to see if there are new posts, the articles are pushed to your reader when the author publishes them.

I treat blog posts like emails. In fact, Apple’s mail application has seamless integration with RSS. All I do is click on the RSS icon (see image) in my browser and the feed is added to my mail application. You can even have the posts delivered directly to your inbox by clicking the arrow next to the feed in mail.app. Personally, I like to group my feeds into subfolders by topic (technology, food, friends) and I can read all of the posts aggregated into one list.

Many people praise the gmail reader. If you are a gmail user, it seems natural to take advantage of this feature. In fact, any web service, like Yahoo or Hotmail should have some component of RSS integration. Click here to learn more about using the gmail reader.

Another popular option is to use a standalone application. This requires you open or keep open the application to receive your feeds, but still aggregates them for convenience. Here are links to the top applications for your platform:

About.com top Mac reader applications

About.com top PC reader applications

I hope you will take advantage of this superior method of access blogs and news.

Food Inc. – Please Go Now.

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I’m not the most polite person. But I am asking you please, please go see Food Inc. now.

It’s not that the movie has any revelations beyond Omnivore’s Dilemma or Fast Food Nation. It’s also not the most exciting movie you will see this year. In fact, you may gasp now and then.

But it could be the most important movie you see this year.

The reason is that the topic of sustainability in our food system is reaching a tipping point. The mainstream media has not caught on, but a few shooting stars are getting seen. Alice Waters has been everywhere in the past year. Michael Pollan is starting to be everywhere (did you catch him on Bill Mahr?).

By seeing this movie, you will help to get it distributed to more theaters. That’s how small films move. The money has to be there for the distributor to open up more markets. The buzz created can send it national and receive the attention it deserves.

So, even if you have read the books and already know your local farmers by name, or, if you’re remotely interested in learning more about corporate agri-business, processed foods, feedlot conditions, or, you’d like to put a face to the names like Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms (what a character!) – go see the film.

A brief review: unfortunately the film suffers to comparison with Omnivore’s Dilemma, which is much more thorough on the subject. At times it felt like I was only getting a window into the massive problem. Still, the window that Food Inc. opens it incredibly important for reaching a greater mass of people who are completely unaware of what they are putting into their bodies and the resulting effects.

The film was beautifully shot and is supplemented with some of the best graphics I’ve seen in documentary filmmaking. The story holds up but gets a little jumpy here and there. There are plenty of impact moments, particularly with the story of Kevin’s law (I won’t give it away). You cannot walk away from this film feeling good about eating processed foods or corn-fed animals.

At the least, I hope this film inspires people to read the books for a more detailed understanding of the problem. It’s not that I am so compassionate towards others. I’ve often felt that if people want to wallow in their ignorance and gorge themselves on Pepsi and MacDonalds, so be it. But there are two issues with that. (1) People are unaware because there is deception. If our government produces food guidelines that benefit giant corporations, there is something very wrong. (2) The only way that my son will have better chance in the future is if there is a mass demand for sustainably produced food.

So, please, go see the movie. Put your thinking caps on. Read the books. There’s gonna be a lot more of this to come from me.

Pal’s Takeaway is the Real Deal

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Here’s a novel concept. Take over the sandwich counter at a crappy corner store. Bring your farmer’s market sensibility, solid culinary skills and a sense of humor. Make kick-ass sandwiches and salads.

That’s what’s going down in the Mission these days. Tucked inside Tony’s Market on the corner of 24th Street and Hamphshire, Pal’s Takeaway should be on everyone’s short list of destination lunches.

The menu changes daily. They tend to feature three or four sandwiches (like Grilled, marinated ranch beef banh mi w/ cucumber, cilantro, carrot-daikon, jalapeno,
herbed canola mayo), a side salad (like Riverdog mountain rose potato salad w/ corn, radish, broccoli sprout, fresh herbs) and 4505 Meats Chicharrones.

4505 Meats Hot Dog at Pal's Take Away

4505 Meats Hot Dog at Pal's Take Away

On Friday I tried a 4505 Meats Hot Dog with corn relish. It was really an experience, as Ryan Farr, the owner of 4505 clearly knows what he is doing with pork. The combination of this heritage hot dog with the sweet corn and a house made chili (just a schmear for flavor) worked very well. I downed the thing in a few bites. Then I dug into a version of potato salad that looked like it might be dry and flavorless. Rather, it popped with spring peas, fresh dill, a little acidity and perfect seasoning. I couldn’t wait for a fork so I dug in with my fingers while driving.

I’m quite excited by the new breed of sustainable food businesses and Pal’s scores big with their innovative entry. I’m guessing they’ll be buying Tony out or moving into their own space soon enough….

Gialina Review: I Ain’t Buying It!

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Gialina Menu

Gialina Menu

Here comes a rant…… I ain’t buying it! When I read Alan Richman’s article “American Pie” I was floored  to learn that there was a pizza place in San Francisco that made his top 25 IN THE COUNTRY (YES ALL CAPS) and I haven’t been there! How could it be? If anyone knows the pizza of San Francisco, especially Neapolitan style, it’s me, right? You read my blog, you know.

I dug further. Michael Bauer raved in his “Pizza Friday” blurb in 2007. Then he did it again in 2009. I searched my back-issues of Tablehopper and found mentions on Sep 18 2007, Nov 13 2007, Mar 4 2008, Aug 12 2008, Mar 31 2009 and May 26 2009. Marcia calls it “one of her favs”. I started to think that if I was ever going to do this blog justice, I might have to abandon my business and search for pizza night and day.

Of course I had to go. I took one of my pizza compadres, BH, and our lady-folk along and journeyed to exotic Glen Park. I was gonna have great pizza! But I didn’t. Sorry, no intent to offend. No disrespect to Marcia, Michael or Alan – but you’re all crazy. The pizza at Gialina simply doesn’t hold up.

Given, the place is very charming, especially for Glen Park. It’s modern, clean and bustling. There are lots of windows and it feels very inviting. The clientele seems generally proud and excited to eat there. We had a number of people tell us we were in for a treat. It felt cultish, which furthered my embarrassment that Gialina was off my radar.

Gialina Wall Photograph

Gialina Wall Photograph

We started with meatballs, covered with provolone. I found the balls to be tasty enough, but they were drowned in sauce and cheese. Lose the sauce, lose the cheese. If you’re making good meat, showcase the meat. Which brings me to their antipasti plate, filled with Boccalone goods. I’ve said it before –  I’m just not bowled over by Boccalone. For some reason it worked better at Beretta, but here the accouterments and presentation just lacked. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that good.

The best app they served was “Long Cooked Romano Beans w/ preserved lemon”. I commented that it reminded me of Italy. Seriously, it was one of those experiences that transports you straight to the heart of a Roman trattoria. I can’t say the same of the “Leaf Lettuces w/ cherries, goat cheese & pistachios”. All I could muster was ‘meh’. The little gems looks infiinitely better and I was sorry for taking the waitress’s suggestion.

Gialina Margarita

Gialina Margarita

But this was about pizza. I was going to have one of the best 25 pizzas in America. All is forgiven. Bring on the pie. We ordered the margarita, which is my reference point pie, despite the waitress’s comment that it wasn’t her favorite. We did try her favorite and the reason for the GQ kudos, “Wild Nettles w/ Boccalone pancetta, mushrooms, red onions & provolone”.

I must preface my comments with some information. In 2004 the Italian government drew up a series of laws to protect the integrity of pure Neapolitan pizza making. You can read an article from the BBC here. This is the standard for which I base my opinions of this style of pizza. It comes as a result of generations of tradition and they really got it right. Everything from acidity and sweetness in the tomatoes to fat content of the cheese, the temperature of the oven and the resulting smokiness and pliability of the crust are all considered. If you’re interested in learning more, a school is opening in North Beach by America’s premier Pizzaiolo, Tony Gemignani, called the International School of Pizza. I’m signing up for a class. I’m building a wood-fired oven in my backyard.

So, back to Gialina. The crust was the most troubling element. It was yeasty, dense and a little chewy. I’ve had this happen to me when I pick up a Trader Joe’s dough that was from an off-batch. So, perhaps tonight they were working with sub par goods? It just wasn’t right. Still, neither the sauce or the cheese worked (look at the photo). It seems that pizzerias are skimping more and more on the cheese. Bad move. Not too much, but NEVER too little.

Gialina Nettle Pizza

Gialina Nettle Pizza

Then we tried the famed nettle creation. Same problem with the dough. The nettles were fine and tasty. The pancetta was nice. I didn’t really get the addition of mushroom and all-combined it was an acceptable pie. But best in the country? Not even close. Maybe best in Glen Park. Maybe best South of Piccino. But not even close to best in the city. Nate Appleman could dance circles around this pie. Craig Stoll makes better dough in his sleep (which may be also when he is awake because I don’t get much personality there – ouch).

I know I am a snob. But that’s what makes me a zealot. I have to have an opinion, and unfortunately today I’m not a fan of Gialina. No harm, no foul. Ok, I’m done. Rant over. Back to Mr. Nice Guy. Have a nice day.

Top Chef Masters, Tonight!

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Top Chef Masters

Top Chef Masters

At first I thought Bravo was pulling out a cop-out mini-special with Rocco DiSpirito to boost their summer numbers. But upon digging deeper I discovered that “Top Chef Masters” is not only a full season of my favorite culinary show, but they’ve got some serious talent. Michael Chiarello? Wylie Dufresne? Hubert Keller? In fact, they gathered twenty accomplished chefs from around the country to compete.

They’ve got a new host, Kelly Choi (I might miss Padme) and new judges: Gael Green of New York Magazine, Jay Rayner of Britain’s The Observer and James Oseland, editor of Saveur. I suspect that Gail Simmons was out of her league? Other notable chefs include Elizabeth Falkner, Art Smith (Oprah’s Chef), Rick Bayless and a bunch of other James Beard winners. There’s heavy representation from the Bay Area.

Check it out tonight 7pm pacific on DirecTV and Dish or 10pm pacific on cable, 10pm eastern on Bravo.

Greece Revisited

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Hosted a dinner party on Saturday night. The objective was to recreate some of the flavors of our Greece trip. While everyone was effusive with their compliments, I’d give the performance mixed reviews. Here was the menu:

Babaganouj
Tzatziki
Greek Salad
Grilled, Herb-Rubbed Leg of Lamb
Grilled Fennel
Grilled Yellow Potatoes
Petite Strawberries with Yogurt and Honey

I made the baba a few days in advance with an eggplant from our planet organics box. Real simple, tahini, lemon, garlic, parsely. Tzatziki is also pretty simple. Peel and seed a cucumber, puree with lemon juice, clove of garlic and some dill. Mix with 1.5 cups of greek yogurt. Both served with an Acme sweet batard, nice and warm.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad

For the salad, you can refer to the previous post where I spell out rules. Two farmers market visits scored me some vine tomatoes, sweet red onion, green peppers and cucumbers. I assembled the salad in two layers since I was feeding nine. I piled fresh dill in between the layers and put some slabs of feta on top. A simple splash of olive oil and citrus vinegar was all that was necessary to coax the best from the veggies.

Fennel Before Grilling

Fennel Before Grilling

Everything was going smoothly. For the mains, I purchased five pounds of a pastured, grass-fed leg of lamb. I figured I’d try out Avedano’s, an oft-mentioned butcher in Bernal (on Cortland). I rubbed the sucker in rosemary, thyme and shopped garlic and let it sit for four hours. I prepped the fennel by trimming and quartering the bulbs and tossing them in olive oil, salt and pepper. For the potatoes, which were small and lovely, I par-boiled them until al-dente, halved them and tossed them in olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Potatoes Before Grilling

Potatoes Before Grilling

Once the grill was hot I put the fennel on and got some lovely char going. From previous experiences I learned that fennel needs to be cooked through and takes a long time. Crunchy fennel doesn’t work. Once browned I moved them to the edges of the grill, away from the direct heat. I then did the same for the lamb, getting some char on and then moving the legs away from the direct coals (which I only put on half of my Weber).

Leg of Lamb, Marinating

Leg of Lamb, Marinating

I cooked the lamb to 135 degrees, medium rare. Pulled it off, let it rest. Off come the fennel, tossed in the remaining oil, salted and served. Put the potatoes on the direct heat to crisp up for a few minutes while I sliced the lamb. I found the meat to have a confusing maze of fat and tissue. There was plenty of meat, but I think the next time I would trim up the sections better to eliminate the unnecessary stuff. Pulled the potatoes off, cut them into quarters and tossed them back in the rosemary oil.

The fennel was sublime. Really. Best dish of the night. I can’t imagine a better preparation. The potatoes were good, but were made even better as my friend David and I dredged them into the oil. The trick is to make sure these guys are well coated. Everyone complimented the meat, but I wasn’t sold. I found it to lack lambiness. I hope this isn’t a symptom of the grass-fed. Perhaps it was the cut or the preparation – I’ll own it if it’s me. The only way to tell is to give it another shot. It’s a long summer.

Julie flexed her culinary muscle by taking over the strawberry dessert. I didn’t leave much yogurt so she dished out a dollop over some sweet, petite farmer’s market strawberries and a little dash of honey. Really, a perfect ending to the meal. Simple, sweet and small.