Springtime Artichokes

I have driven past Castroville more times then I can count and with each trip brings visions of the vast fields of artichokes all growing within sight of Monterey bay. These are one of my favorite vegetables but strangely are just a unopened flower bud. Simple is always the best option for eating most foods and these nice big artichokes were cooked that way, trimmed of the thorny leaf tips and then steamed till tender. To finish they were grilled for a charred smoky flavor. Citrus is in season now so I made a tangy Meyer lemon aioli for a dipping sauce. I am going to have to buy more real soon.

Asparagus with Olive Vinaigrette

Spring Asparagus Asparagus on Crostini with Olive Vinaigrette

After a long rainy Winter I am really ready for spring produce and I trip to the local farmers market was where I found it. Its still early in the season but Spring asparagus was everywhere along artichokes and they were even starting to sell tomato plants. My market strategy is to walk the whole place first and see what I might what to buy noting the prices at each stall, then I go back and buy the best looking produce with good prices, I even better deal is buying in bulk where you can save a dollar or two. I had to get a few bunches of asparagus which I planned to cook then dress with a chopped olive vinaigrette served on grilled country bread. Awesome and so simple.

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, ends peeled and trimmed

2 T extra virgin olive oil plus more for the bread

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 T Pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup olives, pitted and rough chopped

3 rustic country bread slices, thick sliced and grilled

Method:

1. Quickly blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water, drain, rapid cool in ice water.

2. Brush bread slices with olive oil, grill or toast till golden.

3. Make a vinaigrette with vinegar, olive oil, pepper, olives and parsley.

4. Divide the drained asparagus on the crostini, spoon olive vinaigrette over.

5. Sprinkle pine nuts on top.

Yield=3

Indian Burrito's

Indian burritos? Yes and at Avatars Punjabi Burrito it's a fusion that works. Combine traditional Indian food flavors rolled up burrito style using a thin naan style of flat bread, it's very good! In addtion to vegetarian there are meats such as lamb, salmon, shrimp, chicken and Jamican jerk chicken. I chose the basic burritto with creamy curried chick peas, saffron rice, pickled vegetables, potatoes, chutney, plain yogurt and tamarind sauce all for about $7 dollars. If this great concept, and if it has not been done with a mobile food truck, then it should be. The location of this tiny mostly take away restaurant is in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais in the Marin County town of Mill Valley, California.

Avatars Punjabi Burrito 15 Madrona Street, Mill Valley, California 94941

Cochon 555, Napa Valley, California

This was a true Pork festival using only heritage breed pigs showcased in a culinary competition with local chefs and restaurants. The setting was at the amazing Culinary Institute of America Greystone campus in Napa Valley, California. The basic goal was to have five chefs prepare pork inspired dishes from five different pigs and yes they even used them in desserts. My Chef buddy John Fink of The Whole Beast Catering Company was given the challenge of cooking two whole 55-60 pound heritage pigs from St-Canut Farms, Quebec, Canada. The were a Yorkshire breed called Porcelets de Lait. The pigs were both brined, one with Chardonnay wine and apples and the other with Zinfandel wine and Tangerines. Chef John used a borrowed a rotisserie smoker from a friend and with the addition of Almond wood and old wine barrel stakes cooked them slowly all afternoon. I really think these fine pigs stole the show when they were wheeled through the room and the crowd went crazy. 30 minutes later they were craved and served to crowd.

My Roast Chicken

Flawless Roast Chicken

My Basic Herb & Lemon Marinade

They say you can tell a lot about a cooks skill when he or she cooks a chicken, this how I do it. The very tricky part is how to cook both the breast and legs perfectly without over or under cooking both of them, the best way is to butcher them so they are the same size and will cook evenly. I first remove the breasts from the bone leaving the wing on then remove the whole legs. The carcass goes into a pot with vegetables to be made into a stock for other uses. I then completely debone the legs so they are not so big and dense, this will give them the same cooking time as the breasts because they are the same thickness. My standard chicken marinade is crushed garlic, lemons, fresh garden rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, fresh pepper and kosher salt. The longer it sits chilled and the marinade penetrates the better. To cook first bring the chicken to room temperature, next I will preheat the oven to a hot 400-450F and also heat a large saute pan on top of the stove with a dash of oil, then the chicken parts go in skin side down, after about ten minutes the chicken is flipped and the pan goes into the oven. Only about 15-20 minutes and its done or when it reaches 160 degrees. Golden brown and crispy with lots of great flavor.

Note: When ever possible buy fresh, local and organic, the quality really makes a difference.

Banh Mi, the Vietnamese Sandwich

This lunch time favorite in Vietnam is also very popular in here San Francisco. We are lucky to have many good Vietnamese cafes and restaurants in town and most of them feature the inexpensive, but very good Banh Mi sandwich. Its basically a sub-type sandwich made with French baguette, sliced meat and lots of crunchy pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and daikon. The meats can be roasted or grilled chicken, pork, ham or a combination. The sandwich is so good and only about $3-4 U.S. dollars.  If you can find it, try it.

Toast & Eggs My Way

Nothing like a runny fried egg on toast for breakfast or any time. My version includes a quick saute of Castroville Artichokes and spinach cooked with local Briani olive oil and a dollop of spicy harissa sauce all served on toasted sourdough bread. Another good addition is a sprinkling of crispy chopped pancetta for all you pork lovers.

Pickles

Spicy Pickled Cucumbers

I have played around with pickling different vegetables but have never done a pickled cucumber, When I spotted pickling cucumbers at road side food stall I instantly had the idea to try it. The history of pickling to preserve food is very old right next to salting. The food is placed either in a brine (salt liquid) or acid (vinegar) this lowers the PH to less then 4.6 which creates a environment that will kill most bacteria and makes the food safe to eat. There are different forms of pickles and fermented vegetables found in just about every country in the world. The recipe I am trying is what is called Refrigerator Pickles, a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar and spices. I washed and cut deep slits in the whole cucumbers then placed them in a jar large enough so they aren't crowded, the vinegar and spice mixture is brought to a boil then poured over the cucumbers to completely cover. Place the covered jar in the refrigerator and the pickles will be ready to eat after about a week. Keeping the pickle refrigerated during this whole process will ensure they do not spoil if your vinegar, salt and water ratios are not perfect enough to kill all the bacteria. I like mine spicy, so I used a lot of dry chilies and garlic cloves in my batch. After a week they can be cut into spears, chips or left whole to serve with your favorite sandwich or burger.

Farmers Market, Sacramento, California

Hidden in a parking lot under a major freeway in Downtown Sacramento is a busy and crowded Farmers market. Not a normal setting for fresh fruits and vegetables but its sheltered from Winter rains. Sacramento's location in the middle of Northern California's growing region gives this market a huge assortment of reasonable priced produce displayed and sold by the farmers that grow it. This market is all local produce with some fish and meat products available. Open Sunday mornings from 7AM to 1PM all year at 8th and W streets, lots of free parking.

Kumquats

Visiting my family this last weekend, they gave me a huge quantity of Kumquats from their tree. This fruit has origins in South Asia and was introduced to Europe in 1846 and then North America a short time later. In Asia the plant symbolizes good luck and it is given as a gift during the Lunar new year. What to do with all these small olive size citrus fruits? Not much juice or edible flesh either. They are prized for their intensely flavored rinds which are good in marinades, marmalades and chutneys. Raw they can be quite bitter and tough, so cooking in water for 15-20 minutes will soften them and leech out the bitter juices. I decided on making a chutney with some of the fruit and I'm thinking of serving it with pork.


Kumquat Chutney


Ingredients:
2 cups whole washed Kumquats
1 cup White Vinegar
1 cup light Brown Sugar
1 cup Golden Raisins
1 teaspoon Mustard seed
1 teaspoon Coriander seed
1 teaspoon Cracked Peppercorns
Pinch of Kosher salt

Method:
1. Cut the kumquats in half, remove any seeds and place in a pot of simmering water.
2. After about 15 minutes, drain the fruit and puree in a food processor or blender.
3. Place puree in a heavy pot with the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes.
5. Transfer to glass jars, cover and refrigerate.


Great served with Roast Pork or Duck

Bariani Olive Oil Company

California is known for having a Mediterranean climate and with that warm weather comes a abundance of olive trees growing in the hills and valleys of the state.

Angelo Bariani (photo) started his family olive oil company in the Sacramento valley in the year 1990; he arrived from Northern Italy a year before. His four sons are involved in different areas of the business after obtaining various degrees in higher education. The Bariani family produces amazing cold-pressed unfiltered flavorful olive oils that I use it in all my cooking. Like fine wine, the bottles are dated when the olives are harvested, pressed and bottled. They harvest and press twice in the year, early Fall with green olives only and a month or two later with more mature olives. This fine extra virgin olive oil is avaiable in fine Northern California markets, mail order and selected farmers markets in Sacramento and San Francisco.

Friday Night Fish

New Zealand Snapper

Pan Seared Snapper Fillet with Tomatoes and Olives

After leaving work on a Friday afternoon I stopped at the well-stocked New May Wah Market on Clement Street in the inner Richmond district of San Francisco. Having fish was on my mind at the market and after walking back and forth inspecting their huge selection displayed on crushed ice, I decided on a wild caught whole New Zealand Snapper. Ten minutes later I was driving home across the Golden Gate Bridge thinking about how I was going to prepare this beautiful fish. I decided on cooking it my favorite way which is a pan saute with a quick pan sauce of tomatoes, olives, lemon and plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Wilted spinach was served under the crispy fillets. It was very good and exactly what I needed to start the weekend.

Pan Seared Snapper with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 6 ounce Snapper fillet, scaled/skin on/scored

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

1/4 small yellow Onion, fine dice
1 clove Garlic, fine diced
3 Olives, pitted and sliced
1 small Lemon, segmented
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil (for cooking)
Kosher Salt/fresh cracked Pepper

Method:

1. Gently saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until golden.

2. Add tomatoes, olives, pinch kosher salt, pepper, lemon segments and juice.

3. Cook a few minutes and turn off heat.

4. In a saute pan heat the vegetable oil 'till almost smoking, place the seasoned fillets in pan skin side down, and press down with a spatula to prevent fish from curling up.

5. Cook till you can see the edges starting to get brown and crispy, flip over and cook about a minute longer, keep warm.

6. While the fish is cooking quickly saute fresh spinach in olive oil until just wilted.
7. Place the filet on a bed of spinach and drizzle sauce over.

Note: Scoring the fish is making shallow slits in the skin to help prevent the fish from curling when cooked.

Rainy Night Pasta

For me comfort food is a big plate of steaming hot pasta, rich tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. Tonight being a cold and rainy night was a perfect occasion for me to make it. I started by making fresh wide cut herb pasta and then a long simmered beef sauce to go with it. A sprinkling of shaved Parmesan cheese to finish and I am all set to eat while watching the rain outside.

Another Day Another Squid Recipe

Next to squid with bold Mediterranean flavors, I really like Asian fish curries from Thailand and Malaysia. This recipe is my standard with all the classic sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors of Southeast Asia. The coconut milk gives it a smooth richness.





Coconut Curried Squid
Ingredients:
1 pound Fresh Squid, cut and cleaned 6 oz Coconut milk*
1 Carrot, peeled and sliced thick
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
1/4 Yellow Onion, sliced thin
Dash of Vegetable oil
1 small knob Ginger, grated
3 Kefir lime leaves*
1 Teaspoon Thai Yellow Curry paste*
1 Dash Fish Sauce*
1 Tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
1/2 Cup Water

Method:
1. Saute the carrot, onion, garlic and curry paste in the olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add the squid, lime leaf, water, fish sauce, coconut milk, bring to a low simmer, cover.
3. After about 20-30 minutes, remove lid and let the liquid cook till it reduces and becomes slightly thickened.
4. Remove the lime leaf and add the chopped cilantro, check for seasoning, it should be salty enough from the fish sauce.

Serving Note: Great with steamed Jasmine Rice and a squeeze of fresh lime.

* These products can be found out Asian or specialty markets.

Stuffed Squid with Polenta

I had a craving for squid and one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is stuffed and braised in tomatoes and garlic. One problem people have when cooking squid is it becomes very chewy like rubber, so there are only two ways to cook squid -either very quickly or very long. Stuffed squid is best when simmered for at least thirty minutes or longer. For the filling rice is a good choice but I used bread crumbs today because I had a nice loaf on hand. Chopped tentacles, parsley and garlic were mixed with the bread crumbs and carefully stuffed into the tubes then secured with a toothpick. I made a simple sauce to cook them in using diced yellow onion, tomatoes, garlic, green olives, anchovy paste and white wine. The stuffed tubes and tentacles go in with the lid on, 45 minutes of gentle simmering and they are ready for the creamy polenta made in a second pot. Toothpicks removed and a dusting of chopped parsley to finish.