Shishito Peppers, A Real Japanese Treat

I was Introduced to these amazing peppers only recently and now crave them when ever I see them. The look of these mild green chillies are small and narrow with thin skinned flesh, great to simply roast and eat before a meal with your favorite drink. Don't be worried the peppers are very mild with a good peppery chili flavor. I roasted these on a very hot cast iron pan with a splash of olive oil and a clove of garlic. They can be found found in markets with a good produce section or ask for them.

Now In Season at Your Local Markets

Parsnips and lots of Squash

A Mountain of Beans

Fresh Chick Peas in the Pod, Hummus Maybe?

Bing Cherries

It seems that now the rain has finally gone for the year and with the much better weather brings the start of the Summer harvest of fruits and vegetables. Right now I am seeing cherries everywhere from roadside stands to the many stalls at farmers markets.  The quality is really good and they are sweet too. Last of the the season fava beans, asparagus, artichokes are available for a little while longer. Stone fruits are also beginning to show up in time for the many fruit cobblers that are a Summer time tradition. Get out there and buy it now; we only have a few more months 'till fall begins.

Fathers Day Grilled Chicken

Grilling Salsa Ingredients

Marinated Chicken Thighs Grilling

Spicy Grilled Chicken with Charred Salsa

On this American holiday of honoring fathers I think it's a tradition to do the cooking for dads, but for me I would rather be in front of the stove. The weather today was simply flawless and after a afternoon sail on San Francisco Bay with the kids, it was time to get cooking. Yesterday planning ahead I marinated chicken thighs in garlic and dry chili peppers. First on the list besides a rum and pineapple juice drink, is to start a hard wood charcoal fire. Next when the fire was ready, I char grilled white onions, jalapenos and tomatillos, then I blended them with cilantro and lime juice. Salsa's ready. Next the chicken goes on the grill and slowly cooks using indirect heat so the dripping fat will not flare up and burn the chicken. When done, the chicken is served with pinto beans and grilled onions, very nice!

Freshly Made Mexican Street Food

I passed a small weekend farmers market nearby and I stopped to see what it is like. It is in a business development called The Marin Country Mart and it had a good range of different food vendors for being small market. I wanted to grab a bite from one of the food stalls and the Mexican food sparked my interest. It was a stall from El Huarache Loco featuring a few different combo plates and tacos with different meats. The price was kind of pricey but then I saw everything being made fresh to order from the tortillas to the salsas. I bought a Gordita which was a thick corn tortilla stuffed with crispy diced pork, crema, chopped cilantro and Cotija cheese, hot sauce on the side. It was really good and you could taste pure quality.

Bacon Wrapped Peppers

Grilled "Maui Style" Peppers

Ready for the grill with a Rum close by

Ayala Cove, Angel Island, Marin County

Poor versions of this recipe may be found in some national chain restaurants, but I made a simple less processed recipe this weekend while on my boat. My memory of this dish comes from grilling them on my Cousins boat in Maui last fall, yes they were good and a very good memory. My cousin helped inspire my love of sailing and now its a good recipe.

After a windy sail around San Francisco bay and the boat safely moored for the night at Angel Island it was time to fire up the grill for a pre-dinner bite with a few Rum infused "sun downers". To make the peppers they were cleaned of the super hot seeds and membranes by making a slit down the side and scooping them out (note: seagulls do not like pepper seeds either) then fill the cavity with cream cheese or other filling (sausage would be good) next tightly wrap with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Ready for the grill!

Just cook till the bacon is crisp while moving around so the dripping bacon fat does not flare up, they are done when the bacon is crisp, warning its a whole pepper that you are eating and it could be spicy hot, but you will want another one for sure.

Smoakville BBQ in the Napa valley

I have a Chef friend that just recently opened a take out BBQ place in the California town of Napa, yes that famous wine valley. He is doing a really cool idea of smoking his BBQ meats with used Oak barrel staves, not only getting the flavor of the wood, but of the wine that was stored in the barrels. Having BBQ in the Valley is a good idea especially in the Summer when you and a group of friends are sitting in a grassy field enjoying a bottle of wine surrounded by vines. Give it a try when you are in the Valley.


Smoakville, 1755 Industrial Way, Suite 28, Napa, California 707 363 3447

Cochon 555 in San Francisco

A Variety of Cured Pork Products

Whole Hog Butchery Demo

Packed House Enjoying Lots of Pork

A Big Hog Before Carving

After I attended and helped cook at Cochon 555 Napa Valley I jumped at the chance to attend the San Francisco stop of the nationwide tour. High up in a elegant downtown building gathered a huge crowd of pork lovers ready to eat and drink while promoting sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs. Whats not to love about five chefs from great local restaurants paired up with five different breeds of pigs and five wineries pouring there best. I was helping The Whole Beast Catering Company prepare food to be served at the after party while the Chef/Owner John Fink helped judge the chefs food. It was a good event and the crowd walked away happy and with a few extra pounds.

Plantain Chips

Plantains are the 'other' bananas; same family of fruit, but with a different texture and sweetness. Common bananas can be eaten raw and are considered sweet where a plantain needs to be cooked and is more starchy, which makes it good to fry for chips. One form of Plantain chip that can be found in Latin restaurants is the popular Tostones from Cuba, which are fried, pounded and fried again 'till crisp. This is good chip that you can make at home by slicing long thin strips and frying in hot vegetable oil. You will need firm, green plantains which after peeling have to be sliced thinly with a mandolin or other slicer. Next they go into hot 350F oil to fry 'till crisp, simply drained, salted and you are ready to eat a good alternative to potato chips.

Boat Cooking: Part two

Today was one of those days that I debated going out on the San Francisco Bay, due to the forecast of higher then normal winds.  It's not really a problem but lots more work and lower air temperatures, so I cooked lunch on the boat while I thought more about it. With the wind blowing outside I chose to cook sausages on the indoor galley stove, slowly simmered in quality beer with sliced yellow onions. After the onions became softened, a split bun was placed on top of the pan to steam and get soft. The warm bun filled with a smoked pork sausage and the onions needed just a thick drizzle of Jack Daniels Horseradish Mustard to complete the masterpiece. With one sausage quickly eaten, maybe I need another one as a wind gust shakes the mast.

Sopes

The flavors of corn tortillas but with a different shape, a thick shallow bowl for your favorite fillings. Tonight it's slow simmered black beans, shredded chicken, chopped cilantro, queso fresco, avocado and with lots of hot sauce. Maybe Pork for tomorrow?

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

Getting into the summer mood inspired me to make a gratin using Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes layered with Fontina cheese, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. It turned out good but in a few months when these vegetables are full into season it will be amazing.

Yukon River King Salmon

I found myself surrounded by fellow chefs, fish vendor's and the vast Pacific ocean at a recent Monterey food event. The talk was all fish and it was not long before I was approached by a fish vendor from Emmonak, Alaska, he is involved with a company that catches and processes King Salmon into various forms of cured and smoked products. The company is formed by a group of Yupik Eskimos from six local villages who catch Yukon River Salmon. After seeing and tasting some samples of the products its clear that its quality stuff. I thought about doing a blini with the Salmon drizzled with sour cream but it was morning and I could not wait to eat it, so I made hash with a fried egg, Delicious.

Kwik' Pak Fisheries 1 800 509 3332

Cooking For Solutions 2011

My dish of Black Cod and Halibut Bacala with Tomato Relish

Our crew of chefs after six days of cooking thousands of tastes

(Me second from left)

Cooking For Solutions 2011 is all over for this year and it was a good experience. It benefits a really good cause, helping save the world's fish from over fishing by promoting good choices when buying fish and seafood. Besides cooking and presenting my fish to over 400 people, I assisted many other Chefs from around the country in presenting their dishes which gave me a opportunity to see and talk to them about different cooking styles. Me and my fellow Chefs had a blast and I hope to be back next year.

Lazy Sunday Noodle Soup with Chicken

This quick soup made is with chicken leftovers from a night ago, first the carcass goes into a pot to make a nice flavorful stock with the addition of bonito flakes, soy sauce, mirin and shredded ginger. While the stock simmers Somen noodles are cooked in another pot, the drained and placed in a bowl with cooked sliced chicken on top, the broth is strained and poured over the noodles. For a flavor punch I added some diced fatty bacon and fresh chopped cilantro. Please pass me the chili sauce and a pair of chop sticks so I can dig in.

Fennel Seed Rub Chicken

The start of my weekend included a good simple dinner of roast chicken with a fennel seed rub, roasted fingerling potatoes and sauteed kale.
Simple flavors and not too heavy.