The Five Course Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2011 by ezealot

I’m just scraping myself up off the floor. Literally. Last night I slept on my couch, in my bed, on my ottoman, on a storage bench and, yes, on the floor. You see, I think I’ve been very vocal about our Thanksgiving tequila tradition. Last night was no exception. In fact, it was epic. There were loving, heated discussions at decibels that can crack ear drums. There were torrid hookups and meltdowns, singing, crying and vomiting. There was also a lot of love. My family and friends came together and weren’t shy about expressing their feelings. Aided by the tequila, it was a true love fest. And I got shitty drunk.

Now, as a look back on the day, which began at noon and ended around 10:30pm, I can’t recall any stress from cooking or the flow of the night. Everything went nearly perfectly. I’ll blame the tequila for the slightly overcooked bread puddings and definitely for the full-on-burnt-croutons. Imagine how I could fuck up BOTH dishes with Tartine Country Bread? Oy.

So, I’m standing by my previous post. My preparations were spot-on and the food exceeded my expectations. Which leads me to another topic on Thanksgiving that is post-worthy. How do you plan a day of food, with a lot of attendees without suffering from cacophonous plate syndrome? Typical Thanksgiving just doesn’t work. Sweet potatoes AND mashed potatoes on the same place? Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, vegetables, bread rolls side by side? Sorry – it’s just doesn’t work. Yeah, I know, it’s your tradition – you look forward to it every year. But from a foodist perspective, it’s just plain wrong.

So, for the past ten years or so, I’ve been doing Thanksgiving in courses. Start early, plan to include some of the typical flavors in the starter courses, but eliminate some of the clutter from the main course. All tolled, I probably cook 3-4 starter dishes, small plates, lots of flavor. Then comes the main course, typically with Turkey, potato, stuffing, veggie. It’s still a lot, but works a lot cleaner than the norm. Then we have two or three dessert options.

I typically reinterpret sweet potatoes. This is a food that can have many faces and has shown up as Sweet Potato Risotto, Sweet Potato Tortilla Espanola, Sweet Potato Gnocchi and this year’s Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Browned Butter Sage Cream. I used a Thomas Keller Recipe ‘to the letter’ and it was drop-dead amazing.

This year, the menu looked like this:

Guests arrive at noon. Cousin Amy rocked a charcuterie ensemble for the ages. AND she made Gougères, straight outta Julia Child. They were stunning.

1. (1:00pm) Crab-Cake-Style Shrimp Cakes with Poblano Greek Yogurt Puree
2. (2:00pm) Sliky Celery Root Soup with Black Forest Bacon
3. (3:00pm) Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Browned Butter Sage Cream
4. (5:00pm) Cider Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy
Savory Bread Puddings with Green Onion, Sage Sausage and Goat Cheese
Marsha’s Mashed Potatoes
Dirty Girl Farm’s Radicchio Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
5. (8:00pm) Amy’s Pear Crisp with Bourbon Cream
Tartine Coconut Cream Tart and Assorted Cookies
“Baked” Red Velvet Layered Cake

The timing went off without a hitch. Because everything was prepped, it was just a matter of minor finishes and assembly for each dish. After we finished a dish it gave us a chance to clean up and mingle. It feels like you really get to catch up with people this way.

I’m happy to share most of these recipes, but frankly, you can google or search foodandwine.com to uncover many of them (my crab cake recipe is on this site). I do a lot of interpretation and adaptation of the base recipes, but it’s a good start. Some day I should share the soup recipe – I kinda rocked it.

So ditch the traditional nonsense. Go for Thanksgiving in courses. Your guests will appreciate it and soon forget the messy plate piles of portions past.

* Note: Crab season didn’t happen this year. The fisherman are in dispute with the buyers over $.50 per pound. It’s a shame, as this is our favorite tradition each year. The substitution of shrimp was a game-saver (they were quite good), but it just isn’t the same. A big shout out to Tom Borden for paddling his surfboard out in epic swells to drop traps. Unfortunately he on came up with two crabs (he believes the traps were poached).

The Four Days of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 23, 2011 by ezealot

By choosing atheism I have taken the wind out of a lot of holidays. I could easily get bogged down in a defensive posture to rally against the inconsistencies and fairytales that comprise the pandemic delusions we call religion. Ebenezer Scrooge ain’t got nothing on an atheist. With all of our crazy ‘logic’ and silly ‘reason’ we approach the holidays with skepticism and sensitivity that can suck out the joy and the merry.

Some could argue that we don’t deserve to celebrate many holidays and we should just leave the praising parties to the pious. Historically, I call foul. Atheists love to point out that many of the holidays celebrated today are actually poached from pagan traditions. Your Christmas was really winter solstice. Your easter was a fertility festival. And we all know that Hanukah is just an excuse for Jews to give presents, not to be outdone by their Christian neighbors.

Thanksgiving, while decidedly non-religious, isn’t without exception. In my twenties and thirties I would call it “the rape and pillage of the Native American homeland day”. Today, that just seems douchey. In my forties life is all about acceptance, awareness and balance. Moreover, I’d rather focus my energies on being a foodist and a hedonist. A Holiday centered around food. Sign me up!

Plus there’s this whole idea of giving thanks – what a novel concept! In the past few years I’ve undergone a deep exploration of the nature of appreciation, giving and receiving. A dear old friend and mentor, Jim Freedom recently told me “If you ask yourself what you really want from life, would that not include what we call the ‘light’; appreciation, joy, love, gratitude? And that comes with practice. The quality of our life experience is reflected in how we emotionally react to what life is offering.” Damn, that’s some good juice!

So what better way for me, the zealous epicurean, to offer thanks & appreciate to my community – to the universe, than through food! Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for me and mine. As a child I loved visiting my relatives in Boston for Thanksgiving, who now live out here in California. We’ve re-dedicated a tradition to celebrate together with my friends and extended family here. Through college and beyond I developed many of my current Thanksgiving practices (tequila, in particular) with the Colorado contingent of my family. I miss celebrating with them and hope someday we can join forces again. And, for the past decade, I’ve become the host. I own Thanksgiving. It’s my hold-it-now. It’s my rhyme.

I hear many people get nervous about preparing the annual meal-of-meals. Like New Year’s Eve is for partying, Thanksgiving is amateur night for cooking. It’s the one time a year many people will host a dozen-twenty people and they’re stymied. The problem is in the preparation. Many people don’t allow themselves the time to tackle turkey-day tenderly. It’s a four-day event, people. No more, no less. You don’t need full days, just a few hours each to get in stride for cooking on Wed.

DAY 1 – Monday
You should have planned a menu a while ago. In my next post I will share with you my 2011 menu. I like to reinvent traditional dishes and sometimes tackle a theme. With the right preparation you can actually get creative. Go to foodandwine.com or saveur.com or epicurious.com – narrow down your choices and print out a stack of options. Plan to enter Monday with recipes in hand, raring to go.

Create your shopping list today. I find the best way is to take all of the recipes and go through them one by one, listing the ingredients on a spreadsheet. Then put the amounts of each item in the row (for example butter might have 8tbs + 2 sticks + 4tbs for multiple recipes). Then I’ll add up the amounts and round them up to cover my butt. I’ll add a column to identify which store to obtain the item (I often hit 3-4 stores for Thanksgiving). You could even break it down by sections within the store (produce, dairy). This makes it easy to tackle the shopping tomorrow.

Day 2 – Tuesday
Get your shopping done today. Everyone else is going to be clambering at the stores on Wed. go early when the shelves are stocked and the staff aren’t burnt out.

I also use Tuesday to do my most advance preparations. Anything I can cut, prep, chop or prepare and freeze today, knock it out. The more you finish today, the easier tomorrow will be.

Day 3 – Wednesday
This is your big day. If you want to actually enjoy Thanksgiving, get it done today. It is important to think about execution tomorrow and how you can utilize the available oven and stovetop space effectively. Remember, the turkey is going to take up the entire oven for most of the day. If you can prepare the other oven dishes to near finality, you can heat them up while the turkey is resting. We often plan our meals in multiple courses to avoid the major crush of turkey time. It allows us to space out the day and relax a little bit, enjoying each dish on it’s own (of course you want to have your turkey and it’s sides together, but try to keep the plate piling to a minimum).

Prepare everything so that the dishes that must be cooked tomorrow (turkey and mashed potatoes are the only ones I leave for Thursday) can be done with ease and focus. Brine or season your turkey and put it aside. Start your gravy with the neck and giblets and put it aside to add turkey juices tomorrow. Get all of your side dishes completely done and ready to finish a la minute. Your fridge should be stacked high with everything labeled and a schedule in hand of how you will execute. Moreover, you should prepare your serving dishes (with labels) and serving utensils. Don’t leave anything to chance.

Day 4 – Thursday
I put my turkey in the oven early. I cook it low and slow. Real slow. Potatoes go along side. Everyone else is busying setting the tables and decorating so I can focus on basting the bird, pulling things in an out of the oven and executing dish after dish with minimal effort. When my guests arrive (we start at noon), I want to be able to mix and mingle and only return to the kitchen to put the final touches on something before it is served.

So, on this day of Thanks – I wish my best to you and yours. Many of my readers are part of my family, my community. We’re all connected in one way or another. I revel in the glory of connection. I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life and for the opportunity to share my views and be heard. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, hopefully with some organized calm. If not, next year. Now you know.

Hand-Crafting Pasta with the Epicurean Zealot

Posted on April 16, 2011 by ezealot

I’m taking it to the streets… that’s right. Time for the Zealot to put up or shut up. In the coming weeks and months you will see real live food-related activity coming from this direction. Perhaps some surprises too. But for now, I’ve got a hot one that’s gonna sell out fast….

In this hands-on course at the lovely Cookhouse Kitchen you will first learn how to make a silky 7-yolk pasta dough, the gold-standard for fresh pasta. While the dough sets we’ll cook simple, yet flavorful sauce pairings to match our pastas. Then, we’ll craft a few shapes including flat and stuffed varieties.

The menu will be driven by what’s available at the farmers market. Here is an example of a recent menu (4/15/11):

Hand-cut papardelle with fatted calf toulouse sausage and saffron sugo
Spring pea and pecorino agnolotti
Fresh ricotta triangoli with tomatoes, fatted-calf pancetta and asparagus

Following the class, we’ll enjoy a family-style meal of our creations.

This course is designed for beginner to expert home chefs and focuses on the world of fresh pasta. You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to craft unique fresh pastas that exceed the quality in most restaurants. You’ll learn about what flavors and textures enhance the shapes and styles of pasta.

We’ll work in small groups so everyone can get their hands dirty and really learn the ‘touch’ associated with every aspect of the process.

Taste of Potrero

Posted on March 24, 2011 by ezealot

I’ve been a busy bee. Unfortunately I’ve neglected you. It’s not that I don’t love you. I do. Very much. It’s just that something suddenly came up (props for getting the Brady reference).

Well, lots of things came up. Divorce. Hanging with my son. Lots. And loving it. Single life. Working for the man after selling my business. Scheming and planning the next great business things (more to come on this soon, I promise). And…trying to flip the script on our neighborhood school as the PTA fundraising chairman.

That’s right, the Zealot has a warm fuzzy center and is a big community guy. I live in Potrero Hill (actually I am in the Dogpatch now, but we still own our house on the Hill). Back in the day when my little’man was a nubbin, we struggled to find a preschool. When all hope was lost and we nearly ended up in a corporate droid factory, we stumbled upon a group of parents who were saving an Elementary School slated for closure. They had a mission to create a Spanish Immersion program at Daniel Webster Elementary and open a bi-lingual preschool to act as a feeder. While we weren’t certain we wanted to be guinea pigs, the people associated with the project seemed to be determined and competent. With few options, we jumped in feet first.

The first year was rough. Teachers got sorted out. The partner organization proved to be incompetent and we decided to go independent. Our son was frustrated by having teachers come and go. But, at the same time, we were part of a community of people experiencing the same frustrations and working together, and hard, to change things. In fact, this group transformed from meetings, dropoffs and playdates to real friendships and a deep connected bond. We created a real neighborhood vibe, unlike anything I’ve seen in an urban setting. The school improved drastically in year-two and we got into a groove.

Then it was time to find a kindergarten. We were warned that getting into a San Francisco preschool was harder than getting into college. If that’s the case, then getting into a private K program is like getting into the Ivy League. Getting into your public K of choice is like…well, winning the lottery. Well hike my skirt and call me Shirley. The process just sucked. We went on interviews with all of the elite schools and made friends with the admission directors. We put on the best face possible and sought out any conditions that might help us get one of the coveted spots. But we weren’t gay, ethnic of any sort, newsworthy, notable or needy enough to pass muster. We got ‘waitlisted’. As for the publics, we were put in our neighborhood Starr King General Ed program. Ugh.

Then, in the second round of lottery in the public system we received the good news that we were accepted into Daniel Webster Elementary’s Spanish Immersion program, the very project that our preschool was built to feed. And so it was fed. Now, you might think we were ecstatic about this, but DW is no peach. Remember, the school was slated for closure and this dog has fleas. I’ve heard of schools turning around due to parental involvement, but DW was at the start of its turnaround. It looked like we were going to be guinea pigs again. But this time, I decided to step up and get involved. I volunteered to be the fundraising chair.

So, here were are, a year has nearly gone by. My son speaks Spanish, well. He’s getting awards at school and I’m the proudest dad alive. Our teacher is dedicated to her students and while there is chaos around them, the Kinders are in a warm nest of support, nurturing and learning (who knew that there was homework in K? lot’s of it. in Spanish). We’ve raised more money so far this year, than all of last year and our big event is yet to come. And so it comes…

TASTE OF POTRERO was the brainchild of a few of the parents in the school who wanted to up the ante of the bakesale fundraisers. We’re real people, with real jobs and real connections. Why can’t we have a real food event that would make the city stand up and notice. We’ve got event planners, winemakers, restauranteurs, admen and adwomen, pr types and on and on… So, on May 12th, we’re going for it. We’ve got the recently Beard nominated Flour + Water and Bar Agricole. We’ve got neighborhood gems Contigo, Piccino, Skool, Grand Pu Bah, Serpentine and Slow Club. And…we’ve got the exciting stylings of Kitchenette, Tacolicious and Hapa Ramen. Clearly not your average bakesale. Click the logo for the official website:

There will be a dozen wineries, including Spain’s best from Potrero’s own Vinos Unicos and wine with a cause Greater Purpose Wines. Batiste Rhum Agricole is going to be pouring hand-crafted cocktails.

Jane Wiedlin from the GoGos, who is always up to support a good cause is going to spin a DJ set. Some of the kids from Top Chef will be stopping by to shake hands and share some insights. There’s even an aerialist acrobat scheduled to perform.

Tickets are $50 for general admission from 7-10pm and $100 for VIP, which gets you extra tastes and exclusive access from 6-7pm. A silent auction will feature city-wide treasures so bring your credit card or check book. Buy your tickets here:

There are only 400 tickets and they’re selling quickly. Come join us for a night in support of better education. The San Francisco Unified School District projects massive deficits next year. That means already bare bones budgets will be even tighter; “non-essential”/ non-classroom teachers will be the first to go and students are the ones who will suffer most. Without outside funding from donors like you there will be:

No Art, No Music, No Dance, No Physical Education, No Computer Specialists, No Field Trips, No Literacy Specialists, No Nurses, No Librarians, No Learning Support Professionals.

We hope to see you there. And I promise I’m coming back strong, soon. You can’t keep a good zealot down.

Superhero Party + Italian Torta Recipe!

Posted on April 25, 2010 by ezealot

Today was my son’s 5th birthday party. Yeah, the Zealot is a dad. And I love birthday parties. In the same way I like to shake things up for holidays, like Thanksgiving, I relish the chance to pull out something unique for my kid’s parties. Frankly, it’s mostly about feeding the adults, but occasionally I get into the kid food too.

Captain America Birthday Boy

The first year we had a May-day celebration with pizza-on-the-grill. Everyone got to make their own with crazy toppings. The hot fire on the weber was perfect for smokey crisp crusts.

Pizza on the Grill Toppings

Years two and three we embraced cinco de mayo, one year with cochinita pibil – a yucutan pit-pork concoction that can knock socks. The other year we did carne asada, flank style.

Little Man and His Pinata

Last year I grilled some Fatted Calf sausages for a Pirate party in Ft. Mason, complete with a cannon and real live pirate actor guy.

Real Live Pirate Actor Guy

This year it was superheroes. Lots and lots of superheroes. Thirty of em. Plus their parents. The food was a challenge because we were at Potrero Del Sol Park with no grilling and blazing sun. So, for the kids we decided on simple sandwiches. But since my son was going to be Captain America, I decided to use his shield for inspiration and viola, a fucking Martha Stewart moment:

Captain America Sandwiches

For the adults, I threw together a faro, pasta, cherry tomato, ricotta salata and baby arugula salad. It was quick, simple and tasty. It also held up surprisingly well to the heat:

Salad with Faro, Pasta, Arugula and Ricotta Salata

But the real winner, at least in my opinion was a Torta I made on a whim hoping to find something that would work well at room temperature or sweatier. Since I had never made one, I was concerned. While it didn’t rock my world, it was really quite good and I now have a better understanding of the form, to improve in subsequent tries. I’ll share with you my experience and a recipe below.

Torta with Bellweather Farms Ricotta and Boccolone Meats

So a torta is typically an Easter dish, that can include any combination of stuffings, like artichokes, cured meats, spinach, cheeses, etc. It’s baked in a double pie crust and served room temperature or cold. It sort of resembles a quiche, except that the center is denser than a custard, especially when cold.

For mine, I scoured a number of recipes and determined to go at it freestyle. For the crust, I used Food & Wine’s Flakey Double-Crust Pastry Recipe [click for link] but substituted the shortening with Boccalone Lard. I’ve been told that lard is actually better for you than the hydrogenated shortening and gives you better texture and flavor. I’ll have to try both to give my opinion, but I liked the crust with the lard and it was definitely a conversation piece.

For the fillings I took Boccalone mortadella, prosciutto cotto (cooked ham) and capicola and pulsed them a few times in the food processor. This gave a nice ham salad sort of texture. I mixed it all with an egg to bind. Next I grabbed some stellar Bellweather Farm’s Jersey basket ricotta. It has low moisture so it won’t ruin the crust. I mixed it with some aged provolone and pecorino fresco. Lastly I sauteed some baby spinach, drained and dried it and tossed it with some reggiano and a couple of eggs to bind.

The assembly was simple. After laying in the pie crust I alternated meat, cheese, spinach then cheese, meat crust. Base it in a 375 oven for an hour or so, until the crust is golden then refrigerate over night.

I think the whole thing could have used more salt. But the earthiness of the lardo crust played really well with the meats and the cheeses added some sweetness with a little sharp kick from the provolone. The spinach was sort of prosaic and I’d love to give artichokes, chard or broccoli rabe a try. But most importantly it help up amazingly well in direct sun for a couple of hours. It didn’t sweat or break down in the least.

Street Food Fiasco

Posted on August 24, 2009 by ezealot

I promised my friends I would rant about the San Francisco Street Food Festival, so here it is. You know you love when the Zealot gets angry.

Regarding the recent Street Food Festival – I get that the cause is altruistic. Very nice to be promoting something for La Cocina. I appreciate that and am hesitant to be so down on the planners because their intentions were good. But…..

First, how can you have a “street food” festival without street food vendors? I talked about this last week and kinda hoped they just didn’t list the real vendors on the invitation. But no….just the creme brulee guy was there. Apparently, in a twist of irony, an actual street food vendor was detained for operating without a license. Newcomer “Don’t Forget Your Lunch” showed up without registering to bring some real street food cred and wound up in the slammer (so to speak).

It looks like next week’s EAT REAL FEST [LINK] Oakland actually has some real street food in the lineup. Perhaps they might be organized enough to keep lines manageable?

That’s the other gripe. Wandering down 24th street with my son at 3pm, we were excited to meet some friends and chomp some street bites. As we neared Folsom, the crowd started to thicken. Texts started bouncing around: “It’s a Zoo, We didn’t Even Go In. Too many people. Long lines” from my friend Sarah. From Alan: “Drinking at Homestead and making our way down” and 17 minutes later: “Yeah. We are officially out. Heading to Roosevelt Tamale Parlor”. As we arrived, it was clear that if we wanted any food we would have to wait in multiple long lines (I heard anywhere from 20-45 minutes each) just to pay for something I can get in their restaurants. I started waiting in the ticket line and was 15 minutes in before getting any food. Try that with a 4-year old in tow.

We wound up at Casa Sanchez because they had a big space out back with an open table (that seemingly hadn’t been bussed in hours). Roosevelt was pretty packed. It turns out that Casa Sanchez (and the other mission businesses that got slammed) didn’t know about the festival nor the resultant overflow of people who were fed up with waiting. Lines wrapped around the block at Humphrey Slocombe and other nearby favorites. Casa Sanchez was deep deep in the weeds. We felt sorry for them, but even worse for ourselves as we suffered through some pretty poor dishes that were slapped together. At least they had beer.

So what is to be learned? Planners of San Francisco outdoor festivals take heed: Stay true to your purpose. If you are going to promote street food, in support of street food vendors, include street food vendors. Only street food vendors. We appreciate that Delfina and Absinthe are capable of preparing street-like foods, but they miss the mark in authenticity when they can prepare everything in their full kitchens. Also, plan for crowds. We are a big city and people like food here. If we have to wait for more than 5 minutes max to get anything at a festival, you have failed. Plain and simple. Think ahead.

Street Food Festival Tomorrow!

Posted on August 21, 2009 by ezealot

The fad that’s sweeping the city, that swept the world since Roman times, is sweeping Folsom Street, between 25th and 26th this Saturday. The first annual San Francisco Street Food Festival [LINK] will occur this Saturday, August 22 from 11am to 7pm in front of La Cocina.

Some of the touted vendors include:

Absinthe: Cheddar-cheese corn nut brittle, Jamie’s famous hot dog, Peach and sage shrub

Aziza: Squid salad with maras pepper, preserved lemon, cabbage, mint and cilantro, Moroccan “taco”: flatbread with harissa and braised beef cheeks (as well as a vegetarian version)

Bi-Rite Creamery: Strawberry Popsicle, Ice Cream Sundae

Chaac Mool: Handmade organic corn tortillas with slow-roasted and achiote rubbed pork shoulder, Yucatecan sandwiches with milk and cinnamon braised pork, Agua de Jamaica

Delfina/Pizzeria Delfina: Zeppole: fried pizza dough with mascarpone pastry cream, Pizza Fritta: fried calzone filled with escarole, pine nuts and olives, Limonciata

El Buen Comer: Tacos de Guisados; Rajas con Crema, Torta con Mole Verde, Agua de Horchata

El Huarache Loco: Tacos Alhambre: Mexico-City style tacos with carne asada, longaniza, bacon, grilled onions and peppers, Huarache con Nopales; Corn masa cake with cactus salad or steak, Watermelon Agua Fresca

Endless Summer Sweets: Clairesquares: Deep Fried Clairesquares, Funnel cake with strawberries and cream

Estrellita’s Snacks: Salvadoran Plantain Cake, Pupusa Loca (or mixed vegetarian pupusa), Ensalada Salvadorena (Mixed Tropical Drink)

Heaven’s Dog/Slanted Door: Vegetarian Steamed Bun, Lemongrass pork vermicelli bowl, Lychee-infused iced tea and las palmalitas ranch organic lemonade

Kasa Indian Eatery: Pav Bhaji; Spicy potato on grilled white buns with crunchy red onions, Kati Roll; Flaky buttery roti wrapped around charbroiled chicken or spicy cauliflower, Mango Lassi

Laiola: Gypsy pepper gazpacho with almonds, grapes & tarragon, Heirloom tomato “tomàquet” with grilled bread, Summer melon agua fresca

La Mar Cebicheria: Sanguche de Jamon Norteno: Slow-roasted pork leg served on an acme roll with salsa criolla, Ceviche Clasico; Mahi-Mahi served in a lime juice marinade with habanero, nectarines and sweet potato, Chicha Morada

Onigilly: Onigilly; Savory Japanese Rice Balls with Either Teriyaki Chicken or Marinated Eggplant, A Sweet! Handmade Kika’s Treats S’mores. Green Tea

Poleng Lounge: Balinese lamb and pork satay sampi on lemongrass skewer, Vietnamese style BBQ oysters with rendered bacon-scallion oil and lemon pepper sauce, Calamantea (Mactan Island iced tea with pineapple and calamansi)

Sabores del Sur: Chilean Beef or Vegetarian Empanadas, Anticuchos Chilenos; Marinated New York Strip and Beef Heart with Potatoes (or no heart if you please), Chicha

Zella’s Soulful Kitchen: Local Corn with Homemade Honey Butter, Pulled BBQ Chicken Sammie with Spicy Slaw, Southern Sweet Tea

Every dish is going to cost under $8. There is no charge for admission. I plan to attend with a posse, but I have to say that I’m a little skeptical about this whole thing. There are a lot of restaurants featured in that list, but where are the real street food vendors? Where’s El Tonayense? How about Little Skillet? Any of the Thursday farmer’s market superstars, like 4505 Meats, Pizza Politana, RoliRoti, Tacolicious? I’m just saying…..seems like it’d be a different vibe if we could actually get the street food vendors to a street food festival!

Top Chef Orgy Tonight!!

Posted on August 19, 2009 by ezealot

Oh Bravo thank you, thank you, thank you….tonight you will return Padma Lakshmi and whisk the bobble-headed Kelly Choi off to oblivion. What were you thinking anyway? I actually look forward to bringing back Tom Colicchio and even Gail Simmons (Toby Young I could do without) because Gael Greene, Jay Rayner and James Oseland were pretty much a snorefest! And the so-called ‘Masters’? I don’t think I’m the only one who finds the regular, hungry, innovative Top Chef competitors, and format, are far more intriguing.

What began as an interesting concept, Top Chef Masters, devolved into a poor facsimile of an enjoyable TV institution. The food was hardly “Master” caliber (perhaps due to the limitations of the challenges) and the personalities were all simply too cordial. The contestants were just too nice and too far along in their careers to make interesting TV. Really, the most difficult obstacle for them was overcoming the fact that none have prepped or produced in years. Hubert Keller outclassed everyone. Win or lose, he has gained immense respect in my book as a talented chef and personality.

Bravo must have anticipated a falloff in appreciation of their Top Franchise because tonight they are pouncing on the heels of Masters with a regular season kick-off. Back-to-back. Padma. Sigh. Check it out starting with the Top Chef Las Vegas premier at 9pm Comcast (6pm DirecTV) followed by the Masters Finale at 10:15pm Comcast (7:15pm DirecTV).

What can we expect from Season 6? From the Bay Area, there are few entrants:

Preeti Mistry: Executive Chef, Google, Bon Appetit Management Company
Mattin Noblia: Owner, Iluna Basque
Laurine Wickett: Chef / Owner Left Coast Catering

I think Vegas will be an interesting backdrop for the competition. I suppose there won’t be much mention of sustainability! My guess is that Vegas courted Bravo because they Vegas is hurting….big time. But what a setting: lots of restaurants, big kitchens, tons of celebrities (did I hear Natalie Portman??) and celebrity chefs (please no more Rocco).

No Reservations San Francisco Tonight

Posted on August 10, 2009 by ezealot

I saw Tony at the Farmer’s Market when he was here in March to film tonight’s episode of No Reservations (airs on the Travel Channel at 10pm Comcast, 7pm DirecTV). I was with my son and it was one of those moments I immediately regretted.

You know how sometimes you see a celebrity and immediately react like they are someone you know? This alone proves to me that it would suck being a celeb.

I threw my boy onto my shoulders and walked over, saying to him loudly enough for Tony to here, “look buddy, it’s Uncle Tony” (incidentally, that is what I call him to my son when he sees AB on TV). Tony sort of snarled and looked me in the eye while he continued his ongoing conversation. I knew it was not cool. I stopped dead in my tracks and popped my boy down to his feet. We hovered for a moment and then ducked out. Even my four-year old was wise enough to see the screw up as he said “daddy, what was that?!”.

This is exactly where I nearly accosted the man.

Lot’s of rumors abound about what Tony will cover tonight, but I’m sure it will feature old-salty haunts of San Francisco yesteryear mixed with the cutting edge that makes our city the epicenter of the sustainable movement. I know he has a love-hate relationship with the locavore ideals, mostly because many of the people espousing it are hypocrites in his eyes.

Lastly, my apologies for the sporadic posts lately. I’m finally one of the casualties of the economy and have had to bust my ass lately (and take work I would have avoided like the plague). I’m headed off to Colorado for some backpacking on Wed, but hope to get on a better schedule soon. I’ll try to come up with some posts on the trail and will likely review Jax in Boulder, home of Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

Posted on July 6, 2009 by ezealot

For my friend Gabriela, who wasn’t going to ask for the recipe because it seemed complicated, I offer this simple interpretation of the improvised potato salad we enjoyed this weekend. Thank you for your continual hosting panache at your spectacular Santa Cruz digs on the perfect beach with an outstanding cadre of cohorts.

Red White and Blue Potatoes

Originally, I planned to do an Ahi Poke. Hawaii is part of the USA that probably doesn’t get much love from the mainland on this holiday. It seems to be all about the heartland, when it comes to the food of the fourth. Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob – you get the gist. But when I went to the store, I faced the conundrum over choosing seafood these days. The Ahi was “sustainably” farmed according to Whole Foods, but the fine print mentioned Fiji and the guy behind the counter said he thought it probably came from Indonesia. I couldn’t do it – too much traveling.

So, I wandered the aisles looking for some inspiration. There were going to be some heavy weight culinairesses in attendance. I couldn’t slack. Then it hit me. In the produce section, lined up in a row there were some local tiny white potatoes, red potatoes and glorious purple potatoes. Close enough to red, white and blue for my sensibility. Smaller is always better with potatoes, in my opinion. Some sweet corn, english peas, local spring onions and dill all were screaming to jump in my bag. For added measure I grabbed some of those TLC Ranch pastured eggs heralded by Rebecca T. in the comments of my previous egg post. Here’s how easy it was, Gaby:

Red White and Blue Potato Salad

In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes, shucked corn and eggs. I would add the red potatoes at least 10 minutes after the others. They are softer and will fall apart if they go as long as the white and purple (which mine did). Pull the corn out once the water boils and cut the kernels off. Pull the eggs out a few minutes after the pot boils. The objective is to get them soft-hard cooked. Cool them in ice water. After you de-pod your peas, put them in the strainer in the water for a moment to blanch them. Take all of the veggies / eggs and put them in the fridge to cool.

When the potatoes are just fork tender remove them from the boiling water and transfer them to ice water to cool them down quickly and stop the cooking. Slice your onions finely and put them in a large bowl. Add some dijon mustard, champagne vinegar (or comparable) and whisk in olive oil to emulsify.

When your potatoes are cool, dry them, slice them into bite-size pieces and add them to the dressing. Toss in the peas, corn and break up some dill. Gently toss the whole thing together to get everything coated well with the dressing and onions. Salt and pepper to taste and then slice the eggs on top.

I enjoy this simple type of potato salad. There is a little bite from the vinegar but no heaviness from mayo. The flavors of the fresh peas, corn and onions pop to compliment the richness of a good potato. And Rebecca was right, her TLC Ranch eggs were outstanding!! Click on the image to visit her website.

I hope all of your 4ths were as enjoyable as mine. Great time with the family and friends. We are truly fortunate.

Meatpaper at Camino [Fight for your Corndog!]

Posted on May 1, 2009 by ezealot

The other night I was invited by my friend Yaella to join her for round three of my birthday celebrations at an event sponsored by Meatpaper magazine. The main draw for me was an opportunity to enjoy a growing trend of the whole-animal movement. Creative chefs find ways to utilize the entire animal in their cuisine, saving waste and pushing the limits of their skills. Pork was to be butchered and served. I was excited as there simply is no better animal to dissect and consume as a whole.

Upon arriving we were greeted and told there was liquor in the front, meat in the back. We queued up for some fancy cocktails that went down way too easily. I immediately noticed that there were way way too many people for my liking. When it comes to food events you’ve got to have a lot of passed nibbles or I’ll start to get surly. It seemed like everybody was well on their way to being surly.

There were buffet tables set up that had scant traces of pork, by means of Fatted Calf terrine, which was rustic and earthy – they never disappoint. Further down the table there was a curious vegetarian offering of potato salad next to a snap pea and asparagus salad. They were tasty and plentiful, but not why anyone had come. Lastly there were unidentified slices of Perbaco salumi of various hues and a bacon marshmallow that Yaella and I agreed would be best served on top of a sweet potato or root vegetable soup. I kept thinking to myself, if this is all we’re eating the natives will get restless.

Camino has a kicking kitchen. I’ve yet to eat off their regular menu, but I suspect I’ll return just to witness their use of the screaming fire pit. Apparently there was some butchering at one point in the evening. That would have been nice to see. Now, there was only a sea of people jostling, reaching and scavenging. It wasn’t pretty. At one point I saw a tray of five corn dogs sneak over the counter and a fight nearly broke out. A massive guy lunged over a spritely hippy chick as she slid the last dog from the tray and darted into the crowd. He looked like he was going to hit her.

This went on for another hour or so until I gave up hope that we would eat at all. I did manage to try some of the pork loin crostini (I think) and some lard-laced cookies. One benefit of everyone hovering at the kitchen was that the bar remained relatively empty. I got shitfaced.

Ultimately we toughed it out and enjoy some solid East-Bay people. But in the end we were still hungry so we slogged across the bridge and ended the night at Beretta!

Passover with the Gentiles [In Defense of Gefilte Fish]

Posted on April 12, 2009 by ezealot

How can you explain the wonders of chopped liver, gefilte fish and charoset to newcomers? For Jews, we’ve spent a lifetime in the presence of such culinary treats. We’ve acquired the acquired-tastes. Sure, matzoh ball soup and brisket are easy. They cross into the familiar. They are inherently good for any culinary tradition. But the exotic staples of passover are not so easy. Such is the dilemma I faced when cooking Passover for my in-laws for the first time.

My in-laws are originally from the Ohio and were lucky to spot a Jew in the wild for most of their lives. I am an anomaly. They are very polite. On my first visit many years ago they spent a great deal of energy trying to make me feel comfortable at Christmas. It took a while to convey the fact that I eat bacon, shellfish and have my Friday nights and Saturdays free to do as I please. Ten years later, I am still a curiosity with my strong opinions and curly hair.

Imagine my hesitation and concern when my sister-in-law Bev and I decided to take on passover during our visit to Winnetka (Just outside of Chicago, where a segment of the clan now lives). The Ohioans would be driving up on Friday, just in time for our mock-seder. Since I would be the only Jew, we forewent any formal traditions in favor of simple explanations and talk of Charlton Heston. Lucky for me there is a wondrous and mystical land called Highland Park that exists just north of Winnetka. Apparently this heavily Jewish community is quite proud of their Max’s deli.

We started with Max’s chopped liver, which was a solid version with just enough eggs, schmaltz and onions to satisfy me. Surprisingly the paté was scooped up and passed around and everyone seemed to enjoy the odd crackers with which it was served.

Max’s has exceptional house-made gefilte fish, which was subtle and a little sweet. Some of the finest I’ve had. The adults all took a sample but were generally soft on the experience. No amount of horseradish can mask the oddity of a poached fish ball.

Now to the good stuff. I am known for my Matzoh Ball soup. When it is on, it is often lauded as the ‘best I’ve had’. Sadly, a slight measurement gaff rendered my balls dense on this occasion, so the goys didn’t get my A-game. But, for the sake of blogginess, I’m giving up the recipe…..

For the soup: In a large stock pot place a whole-cut-up-organic-chicken. Cover with water to twice the height of the chicken. Simmer. DO NOT BOIL – this will break down the bones and cloud your broth. Skim foam. When the water turns slightly golden add a stalk of celery, a peeled parsnip, a peeled rutabaga, an onion with the skin on (will help with golden color). Continue to simmer for another hour. Add in 8-10 peeled whole carrots and a bunch of dill. Simmer for another hour or until the carrots are fork tender. At this point the broth should be pretty golden in color and have the aroma of perfection. Remove all of the meat and vegetables, discarding everything except the chicken and carrots. Strain the broth a couple of times (I use cheesecloth or a coffee filter). Season with salt. This is probably the most important flavor step. Don’t be shy with the salt. Your guests will appreciate your sense of taste. Cool the broth overnight and remove the rendered fat layer from the top (reserve to use a schmaltz in the matzoh balls).

For matzoh balls: I use the Second Avenue Deli recipe as a base: CLICK HERE I’ve massaged it a little over time and add chopped parsley. The trick is to find the balance of wet and dry. The texture should be firm but a little moist. The size of your eggs will play a big part in getting the right balance. I also let it sit for multiple hours, not the 30 minutes they suggest. Experiment, make it your own. The bottom line here is that the baking powder is the best fluffer in the business. Forget seltzer.

To assemble my soup I put the maztoh balls in the soup pot to keep them hot. I tear apart some of the chicken meat, slice the carrots and then ladle the broth and balls over top. I’ll often sprinkle some chopped parsley too.

Needless to say the crew universally enjoyed the soup, despite the fact that I was a tablespoon short on the baking powder. Even this kids gobbled it up.

But the real star of the evening was a brisket recipe I’ve adapted from a Food and Wine recipe for “Grandma Selma’s Brisket”, which is made with coca-cola: CLICK HERE. I’m guessing the coke works as a tenderizer and adds a little sweetness to the sauce. I add fingerling potatoes, scale back the tomatoes a bit and am generous with the coke. You can also add some english peas right at the end for a little color. Everyone raved that it was their favorite dish by far. It just goes to show that midwesterners love their meat and potatoes. For me, this is a departure from my mother’s [wonderful] traditional brisket, which is much sweeter from ketchup and brown sugar.

So generally I feel that our Passover dinner was a great success. I love to see the children squirm at the thought of trying a new strange dish. And I was pleasantly surprised by how, for the most part, my in-laws enjoyed themselves. In fact, the next day, they were all over the leftovers. My mother-in-law was picking apart the brisket remains, just like my bubby used to do. But next year, I think I’m going to return to hosting my Hebrew homies. I like the idea of not having to stand in defense of Gefilte fish.

The Epicurean Zealot

An opinion-laden guide to San Francisco's culinary culture.

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