Great Chefs: Alice Waters and Chef Skip

Those of us who adore food owe a debt of gratitude to great chefs like Julia Child who brought fine cuisine to the ordinary household with wit and congeniality. (See more below on the amazing Julia Child from her friend Chef Skip of Santa Barbara) Our copy of "Mastering The Art Of French Cooking" has been gone through cover to cover, but I can't eat classic French food every day.  Don't get me wrong--I love butter! But, I've always struggled to keep my weight down and her sauce recipes are so delicious that I have trouble eating small portions. Fortunately, I LOVE homegrown organic vegetables and my Japanese heritage genetically hardwires me to love seafood and fresh ingredients. I turn to Alice Waters for the synthesis of my passion for growing my own food, supporting local farmer's markets and optimizing my nutrition. Alice Waters dedicates herself to teaching people about  food sourced locally and grown in an environmentally sustainable way. She is the co-creator of California Cuisine and is the Vice President of Slow Food which envisions "a world in which all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet." Over the years Alice has garnered countless awards and accolades, including James Beard Foundation awards for Best Chef and Best Restaurant, lifetime achievement awards from Bon Appetit, plus she is listed is as one of the top 10 chefs in the world by Cuisine et Vins de France. Read the excellent 60 Minutes article on her philosophy and achievements.
I used an Alice Waters recipe as a springboard for a salad to include handpicked fennel and avocados from my garden and fresh red leaf lettuce from the farmer's market. I also like my salads a bit tarter, so increased the vinegar and lemon juice. Alice Waters is the co-creator of California Cuisine and co-founder of the Slow Food movement promoting homegrown and locally sourced organic food, so I think she would approve. This avo, grapefruit and fennel salad turned out to be mouthwateringly good, full of wonderful contrasts in texture and flavor.

(see here for a description of Alice Water's Chez Panisse Cafe and a recipe for Halibut Tartare or here for a recipe for Alice Waters beef stew)
AVOCADO, GRAPEFRUIT AND FENNEL SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING:
1 ruby red grapefruit
1/2 head of red leaf lettuce
1 green onion
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 avocado
2" fennel stalk
fresh ground pepper
Peel the grapefruit and separate in half. Peel down the side membrane of an end segment. Then using a sharp paring knife, cut the base of the grapefruit segment away from the outside membrane. Continue with the rest of the grapefruit, then set aside. Wash and spin lettuce and tear into bite sized pieces into large salad bowl. Cut the avocado lengthwise in half and remove the pit. Cut lengthwise slices inside the skin, then carefully remove the skin so the pieces are free. Slice the fennel stalk very thinly. Set the avocado and fennel aside. Slice the green part of the green onion into 1/4" pieces and put into a mortar with the vinegar. Grind the green onion into the vinegar and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Mix well. Spoon some of the dressing onto the lettuce and toss, using the amount of dressing to your preference (I used half). Taste and sprinkle with additional salt if desired. Plate the salad, then place the grapefruit and avocado slices on top. Sprinkle with the fennel slices, then spoon a bit more of the dressing over the top. Grate fresh black pepper as the final touch. Serves 2 as an entree salad. Pair with a chilled glass of the 2008 Vina Ventisquero Yali Winemaker's Select Sauvignon Blanc.

AVOCADO, GRAPEFRUIT, AND CURLY ENDIVE SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING
:
From Chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse—Berkeley, CA
 Published online by StarChefs
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
    •    6 small heads curly endive
    •    1 large shallot
    •    2 Tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
    •    1 lemon
    •    1 orange
    •    Pinch of salt
    •    2 grapefruit
    •    3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    •    3 avocados
Method:
Wash and spin dry the curly endive. For this salad, use only the blanched hearts and save the green leaves for cooking greens. Peel the shallot and dice it fine. Macerate it with the vinegar, 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and orange juice, and a pinch of salt.
Cut away the grapefruit peel, all the pith below, and the membrane around the grapefruit flesh. Then cut the sections free, carefully slicing along the membranes. Peel a little lemon and orange zest and finely chop enough to make about 1/4 teaspoon of each. When you are ready to assemble the salad, whisk the olive oil into the shallot mixture. Add the orange and lemon zest and taste. Add more olive oil or lemon juice if necessary. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pits. Using a sharp knife, cut the avocados into lengthwise slices about the same size as the grapefruit sections, keeping the skin on. Scoop out the slices with a large spoon. Toss the curly endive and grapefruit sections in a bowl with about two thirds of the dressing. Taste the salad and add more salt if necessary. Arrange on a platter or individual dishes. Distribute the avocado alongside the endive and grapefruit, season them with a pinch of salt, and drizzle the rest of the dressing over them.

WEEK #10 Culinary Arts Class:

In a gorgeous bend of the road in Santa Barbara's hills, Chef Skip--Don Skipworth--and his partner have built an oasis of Asian beauty. The grounds are laced with stone paths, lined by towering bamboo, that weave through through a compound of Japanese ryokan inspired buildings. Julia Child's cat was at the top of one of the Japanese gates, meowing and accepting head rubs; Chef Skip inherited the kitty when his dear friend Julia Child passed away. He is a chef, consultant, educator, and writer with a generous heart who has welcomed Culinary Arts students to his home for the last five years to share his vast knowledge and regale them with his stories. Inside the main residence is a cook's dream--a palatial kitchen with two islands and miles of counter space. Outside is a barbeque grill large enough to cook a side of beef. We were awestruck, but Chef Skip immediately made us feel at home--providing us with refreshments and bringing us to his table to ask each student in turn about their background and their dreams. He could have been speaking about himself when he described Julia Child as being totally without pretense or egotism and having a great sense of humor. His passion is for Asian food and we soon were busy chopping and cooking ribs, chicken thighs, drumstick "popsicles" and stir-fry. We learned so much that it isn't possible to detail everything within this post, but his knowledge of cuisine and technique is so vast that he had tips on technique for every detail of prep and cooking.

For example, he showed us how to read the bubbles that come out of the end of wood chopsticks when they're plunged into cooking oil in order to gauge the temperature and how to skin a chicken but leave the wing and breast intact by using only five quick cuts. I had heard of a "mother sauce"--a broth flavored with the Chinese 5 spices, which include all five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty. It is made with Chinese cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger and ground cloves and used over and over--storing in the refrigerator or freezing between uses--and accumulating the flavors of the foods cooked in it. We had chicken thighs simmered for an hour and the taste was wonderfully complex and unique! I've often noted that the best indicator of a good meal is complete silence as the diners are absorbed in the experience of savoring a meal. That was definitely the case here, our chatty group of twelve became suddenly quiet when we sat down to consume our meal; our senses were completely engaged. I hope to obtain some recipes, including the chicken "popsicles" which involve a deft method of preparing wings similar to frenching but better, then frying them in a light tempura-like Chinese batter and dipping them in flavorful sauce.  I will post them if I can. I'll end with an anecdote: Chef Skip remarked to Julia Child one day on her fame as a cultural icon. She replied, "Well, I don't know about being an icon--but it's great to get the good table at restaurants!".

"The Greatest Meeting Of Land And Sea"

Even under steel gray clouds, Highway 1 between Monterey and Cambria is still one of the most stunningly beautiful drives in the world. Big Sur is pristine with just the narrow ribbon of highway tracing its circuitous route to intrude on nature. I craned my neck to peer at the few glass houses perched impossibly at the top of rocky precipices, windows opening to the awesome expanse of blue sea. The sense of vast time is palpable in a place where the landscape has molded by time so long in duration that human history is just a recent blip and the human footprint so faint. I craned my neck to look at the homes with their panoramic views and imagined that being in one would be what Kate Winslet experienced at the prow of the Titanic--heading into the power and immensity of the ocean, face to the salty wind, with every cell vibrantly alive from the experience!

We stopped at Nepenthe to browse their gift shop of books, organic lotions, shiny Indian sari throws, pottery and jewel-tone, drapy, Northern-California-style clothes--and to have lunch. Their roasted beet salad was served on a crunchy breadcrumb/nut base and the crostinis with baked goat cheese were fabulous dipped in their tomato/smoked cheddar soup.
We'd been to Santa Cruz, had a nice Italian meal at Cafe Mare and made our usual visit to Shadowbrook where the meat eaters had prime rib and I had the scallops with sherry mushroom sauce and spinach.

I appreciate that all their seafood is sustainably harvested! If you haven't been to Shadowbrook, make a point to go in the evening when strands of twinkly lights illuminate the hillside garden. It's a romantic spot, but kid and teen friendly. The prices are high--$20-$30 per entree, but one can eat in the convivial "Rock Room" with a reasonably priced menu of sandwiches and salads. We shared a great half bottle of the Seghesio Vineyard Zinfandel with our dinner. I wish more restaurants served half bottles--one glass of wine with dinner for each of us is perfect. When eating out, we usually order by the glass which is ok in restaurants with a decent wine list, but in many, the wines by the glass are noticeably inferior to the ones by the bottle. We stopped at Moonstone Beach in Cambria on the way down to have our Easter egg hunt in the chilly wind. It was a happy Easter--hope yours was too!

Here are two recipes from the Shadowbrook website:
Sauté of Chicken Breast with pancetta, artichoke, sun-dried tomato and sherry vinegar.
8 Half Chicken Breasts
Flour
Olive Oil
6 Oz. Pancetta, diced & cooked
1/4 Cup Sun-Dried Tomato, julienned
6 Baby Artichokes, cooked, trimmed and halved
1/2 Bunch Mustard Greens, stems removed, leaves torn in bite-sized pieces
6 Oz. Chicken Stock
1 Oz. Sherry Vinegar
2 Oz. Butter
Directions: Dredge chicken breasts in flour. Shake off excess. Heat oil in pan. Sauté chicken until brown at edges. Turn, sauté one minute more. Pour off excess oil, add pancetta, sun-dried tomato, artichokes and greens. Add stock and vinegar and reduce by half. Remove chicken, add butter and swirl until incorporated into sauce. Divide sauce among plates and place breasts on top. Serves 4.


Coffee Mousse A delightful dessert from Shadowbrook
2 Whole Egg Whites
1 Tbsp. Instant Coffee
1/8 Tsp. Salt
9 Tbsp. White Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/8 Tsp. Cinnamon
2 3/4 Tbsp. Toasted Almonds
Directions: Chill mixing bowl and whip in freezer for least 1/2 hour. When chilled, mix egg whites on high until well blended and slightly stiff or peaked. Add sugar, instant coffee, vanilla and salt. Blend thoroughly, then add whipping cream slowly until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overmix or the mousse will become grainy. Pip mousse into champagne glasses and top with toasted almonds and cinnamon. Freeze until 1/2 hour before serving.

My last post described stuffed acorn squash from the Dushanbe Tea House. I created a recipe based on their stuffed acorn squash, using dried fruit instead of raisins and leaving out the eggplant and walnuts. It looks and tastes like an elaborate recipe, but is easy to make. It makes a tasty accompaniment to lamb or pork chops, or can be made with vegetable broth and served as a vegetarian entree.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed With Couscous And Dried Fruit:

1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter


2 Tbsp.  olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup celery, chopped fine
1/4 cup carrots, chopped fine

1/4 cup sliced button mushrooms

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained

1/4 cup dried fruit, chopped fine or 1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt 

1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup uncooked couscous

1/8 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put squash halves cut side down on a piece of tin foil on a baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, or until tender. (I used my solar oven and baked the squash for about 3 hours). Put brown sugar and butter in a small glass dish and microwave briefly to melt the butter, or put into a small saucepan and heat briefly until butter melts. Stir the mixture with a brush and brush it over the meat of the squash. Wrap the squash halves in tin foil and set back in the still warm oven to keep the squash warm. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan (with a tight fitting lid for steaming the couscous later). Stir in the garlic, celery, mushrooms and carrots, and cook 5 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Mix in the cumin, chickpeas and dried fruit; cook another 2 minutes. Add the broth and mix well. Add the couscous and stir; then cover the saucepan tightly and turn off the heat. Let sit for ten minutes, then stir the couscous. Stuff squash halves with the couscous mixture and top with slivered almonds. Serve with lamb or pork chops if you like, and the 2003 Glass Mountain Syrah.
Serves 4.

Insider Travel Tips To Boulder, Colorado

Spring break! No culinary class this week. We're in bustling Boulder, Colorado. The former scrappy gold miner's town is perched on the edge of the prairie--on the last flat space heading west--before the front range raises its snowy peaks to glower back towards the rolling hills of eastern Colorado,  Kansas, and Nebraska. Beginning in 1858, those eastern states disgorged straggly streams of covered wagons to mine the Rockies for ore. Boulder began as a supply town for miners; a place to stock up on provisions, visit a house of ill repute and throw back a few shots of whiskey in one of the saloons. When I grew up in Boulder, it was a cow town where my friends went home to feed chickens and chase heifers into barns. In the 60's, the town was hit broadside with an influx of hippies who brought love-ins, drugs, organic food, anti-war demonstrations, and civil rights marches. As a young child, I held hands in the demonstrations and marches with my parents and stared wide-eyed at the flower children tripping on acid and stripping naked in city parks. It was a tumultuous time, especially in Boulder due to the sudden clash of cultures. Gradually, the town assimilated the hippies, absorbed and changed them as they grew into adults, turned them into environmental activists and owners of natural food venues and sports equipment and apparel companies.

In the last twenty years, Boulder has been gentrified and latte-fied with immigrants from California and New York who brought their wealth and their cowboy aspirations. They didn't want to get their Ariats actually soiled by manure, instead they built mansions with neatly fenced pastures for their thoroughbreds to be managed by ranch hands, and decorated their ample square footage with Fountain Formation flagstone and distressed timber. Boulder is a fun place to visit, close enough to drive to world class skiing, hiking and backpacking, filled with good restaurants, laced with bike trails and abuzz with the cultural and artistic events and nightlife of a college town. It's a brainy city, one of the top aerospace centers in the country and judged "Most Educated City In America" by Forbes magazine. It's liberal (nickname: The People's Republic of Boulder), home to the Buddhist Naropa Institute and a thriving community of Tibetan refugees.
If you travel to Boulder, here are some insider travel tips:

-first, a map of downtown

-For lunch and for a close view of the Flatirons and a nice stroll after a good meal: Chautauqua

-For breakfast or dinner: delicious Creole cooking and fluffy buttermilk biscuits: Lucile's 

-Fine dining in Boulder's most historic hotel (at least go and take a look inside): Q's at the Boulderado

-Nice owners of Indian restaurant at the foot of Baseline: Taj Indian food

-Not fancy,  just the best homemade egg pasta noodles anywhere: the Gondolier

-An absolute must-see, an authentic teahouse shipped from Tajikistan with gourmet teas and nice meals: The Dushanbe Teahouse We had butternut squash and ricotta ravioli in sage sauce and roasted acorn squash stuffed with cous cous, garbanzo beans, carrots, walnuts, roasted eggplant, and golden raisins, served with a lemon mint vinaigrette--highly recommended!

-For a stroll, go to the City Library, have a latte and take the walking path along Boulder Creek--sometimes you see trout.

-If you have a day, drive to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, about 1 hour drive (40 miles up sinuous Big Thompson Canyon) to see herds of elk, beaver dams, maybe bears and breathe the thin, fresh mountain air.

THIS WEEK'S ONLINE GRAPEVINE WINE SALE:

Three small-lot, award-winning Napa Cabs, including the Corley "State Lane" which Wine Enthusiast rated 93 Points...read more!
And, Touring & Tasting has wine club sign-up incentives, like 1/2 off the first month's shipment and a free Italian-made wine tote...read about it here!

Eat your books!

The Edible Book contest was held today! From the SBCC website: "...the second annual “SBCC Edible Books Festival” competition on Wednesday, March 24 in the library. This international festival is held annually around April 1, the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food. The event is a way to have fun celebrating our love of books and to reflect on our attachment to food and in our culture. All SBCC faculty, staff and students are eligible to enter. Just create something EDIBLE that 1) Looks like a book or 2) Acts like a book or 3) Is a pun on a book."
There were many, many wonderful entries. My favorites:

Best In Show Winner!
"The Jungle Book"
cake created by Pegeen Soutar





"Banana Karenina"
--Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

"Jaws"
--novel, Peter Benchley










"War and Peeps" made from Easter chick Peeps
--"War and Peace", Leo Tolstoy

"Oh, The Places You'll Go"
--Dr. Seuss


There were so many more...an intricate cake for "Jungle Book", "Lord of the [Onion] Rings", "Out Of Africa" with an enormous cookie shaped like the continent with exit routes, a beautiful fondant "Mad Hatter" cake and a silver punchbowl with [blood] red punch surrounded by the mists of dry ice for "In Cold Blood". View the winning entries...See the 2009 entries..

Mine was a book of wonton sheets, covered with nori and bound with Chinese pea pod stems with the following tasty tidbits of "Edible Haiku":

*note: Dr. D. is our Food Safety class professor, teaching us to stay out of the kitchen when we're sick!


Pea pods crisp and green,
The bush bending from the weight.
Crunch, crunch, eat them up!


Mince, mash, julienne--
So many ways to cook food.
What a lot of pots!

Aspiring cooks wait,
Will the souffle fall?
Chefs' dreams float on air.

Sneezing and coughing,
A student still goes to class.
Doctor D. hates this.

Recipes and words,
Feed your hunger for knowledge:
The edible books.

BABY ARTICHOKE AND MUSHROOM QUICHE:


Cheddar Cheese Crust:

*use the recipe from 2/11/10 post. To roll out the dough, put the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a circle larger than your pie pan. You can invert the crust with the paper to put into the pie pan, pushing the dough into place, then peeling back the paper. Trim the crust to fit and save the dough  to make empanadas. Cover and store the pie crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill.


Filling:


Cut the pointed ends of the artichokes off and peel away any tough outer leaves. Quarter the artichokes. Slice the mushrooms. Spread the oil on the bottom of a frying pan, then add the artichokes, garlic, oregano and thyme and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes, the artichokes and mushrooms should be softened but not soft. Remove from heat to cool. Mix the eggs and half and half, then stir in the Gruyere, salt, pepper and artichoke mixture. Pour into the unbaked pie crust and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for around 45 minutes until the eggs are set and the crust is golden brown. Serve with a spinach salad and the 2004 Glass Mountain Syrah. Serves 8.

WEEK #8 CULINARY SCHOOL:
Not my best week, overall, either in class or in life! I baked the baklava too long--waiting for the phyllo to brown, the insides got too toasted. I covered them with a brandy sauce infused with mint and plated them with melon and whipped cream but they were NOT my best work. The rest of the class made beautiful food! And my roasted garlic and red pepper hummus turned out well--very easy, just pureed the roasted garlic and red pepper with chickpeas, lemon, salt and paprika, then stirred in some parsley. My favorite team table had bite sized mazza of shrimp with feta, tomato stuffed with couscous, excellent babba ghanoush on raw carrot slices (great contrast of textures) and baklava with carrot syrup. Sadly, to top off my low-performance week, none of the photos of their table turned out. Spring break--I need it!

The Sahel to Smash -- Africa!

ONLINE WINE WAREHOUSE SALE! Touring & Tasting is trying something new--a 4 hour online wine warehouse sale tomorrow, March 19th, from noon to 4 pm. Prices are unbelievably low--up to 70% off retail prices. You need to be an email subscriber (no obligation, get off the list any time) to be eligible--look at the details here.
This week's wine pairing recipe:

JAPANESE GRILLED TUNA AND PEA PODS WITH ROASTED SESAME SAUCE:

1 tuna steak 1 to 2 lb. (1/4 or 1/2 lb. per person depending on preference)

1/2 cup sake

1/2 cup Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 cup fresh Chinese pea pods

Sesame dressing ingredients:

4 Tbsp. red miso

4 Tbsp. white sesame seeds

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. Mirin

Mix the sake, 1/2 cup Mirin, soy sauce, ginger and lemon in a glass mixing bowl and add the tuna, turning to coat on all sides with the marinade. Cover and put in the refrigerator for half an hour, turning once in the middle of the marinating time.

Pull the string off the back of the pea pods and steam for just a few minutes, until they are bright green, softened but al dente. If you have a pea pod tendril to cook and use as garnish, steam this also. Rinse with cold water, drain, cover and put in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.

Spread the sesame seeds in a thin layer on an ungreased baking sheet and toast under the broiler, stirring, until they are golden brown. Remove to a spice grinder and grind them into a paste. Add the miso, sugar and Mirin and mix well. You can refrigerate this, or alternatively, warm it just before serving for a contrast with the cooled pea pods.

Put the tuna steak on the baking sheet and broil the tuna until the outside is browning and bubbly, then turn and cook the other side. Plate the tuna and the pea pods, pour the sesame sauce over the pea pods. Serve with Japanese white rice and a glass of the crisp 2007 Edward Sellers Blanc Du Rhone. Serves 4.

WEEK #7 CULINARY CLASS:
We took on the cuisine of the entire continent of Africa this week. Africa's 11,668,545 square miles makes it over 3 times the size of the US! The world’s largest desert, the Sahara, bisects the continent from east to west, cutting a wide swath across the top of the continent. It is fringed with the Sahel, a semi-arid savannah with a largely nomadic population, moving their cattle and goats as the growing season determines the availability of fodder. Central African food usually consists as of a stew or soup, cooked on a pot over a fire since cooking implements need to be simple for easy transport. There is some cultivation of crops despite poor growing conditions and corn is a staple food, with peanuts and beans added when possible.
    Northern Africa’s proximity to the Middle East and the Mediterranean fills their cuisine with aromatic herbs such as cumin, caraway, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, ginger, garlic and hot red pepper. North Africans like flower water, couscous, sweet tea and sweet deserts. Since many north Africans are Muslim, pork is avoided. Meals are lavish affairs with much care taken to provide numerous dishes with contrasting tastes, textures and aromas.

    East Africa is home to the largest tectonic plate rift system in the world, giving birth to both the Great Rift Valley and Mount Kilimanjaro. Though the base of the great mountains are still hot and dry, elevation brings a temperate climate and abundant rainfall. The conditions are much improved for agriculture, but sadly the politics of Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania have brought starvation to much of the population. During the time of English imperialism, the British presence was strongly felt, resulting in blander food. Many lakes and rivers, including the world’s longest, the Nile, provide fresh fish. When my father was in Africa one summer, he was served Nile perch from lake Victoria at every meal since they can grow to be larger than a VW bus and are not difficult to catch for such a large source of protein (much easier than bagging a rhino or gazelle!).
    The Dutch East India Company established a station at Cape Town, South Africa in 1652 and Malayasian slaves were brought in as laborers. In the 1820 Boers (Dutch, Flemish, German and French settlers) expanded the settlement. The discovery of diamonds and gold in the 19th century brought immigrants from around the globe, looking for mineral wealth. The international influences in South Africa is reflected in its national cuisine--see my blog post of March 4 10 for a South African recipe. Smash is not a crash, but a recipe made from tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard.
    Western Africa enjoys rain and humidity from moisture-laden clouds blowing in from the Atlantic, but unfortunately the soil is poor. Tropical fruits do thrive and the cuisine uses these amply, as well as chili pepper. Seafood is prevalent, both fresh and dried. Okra, yams and cassava are important ingredients in west African cuisine. The travesty of slavery brought many west Africans to the New World and the west African cuisine is reflected in the cuisines of former slave countries, including the US.
    My team won the gold medal this week! Jessica made scrumptious banana beignets beautifully plated with mounds of whipped cream and chips of brickle--yum. Kyle made a spicy fish stew and I made chicken and eggplant couscous with a crisp cucumber salad and dukka--a toasted nut, sesame seed and spice. I brought the remainder home and have been eating dukka with everything--on my eggs, with flatbread--just dip in olive oil, then in the dukka, and on a green salad--especially yummy on spinach and tomato with a Basalmic vinegrette. I didn't measure my ingredients, so the following dukka recipe is an approximation--but be creative! The local olive oil company il Fustino sells dukka made with roasted almonds, sesame seeds, sundried tomato, onion, garlic, salt and oregano.

TAMA'S DUKKA RECIPE--ROASTED NUTS AND SPICE:

1/2 cup white sesame seed

1/2 cup cashews

1 Tbsp. caraway seed

1 Tbsp. celery seed

1 Tbsp. coriander seed

1/2 tsp. hot chili pepper

Chop the cashews roughly into 1/4" across pieces. In a dry pan, add all the ingredients and toast over high heat, stirring continuously until the sesame is a toasty brown color. Easy!

La Cucina Italiana -- Cacciatore e Tiedla

This week's recipe is from our Culinary Arts class two weeks ago covering the cuisine of Italy.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE:

1 fryer chicken, cut into pieces
flour, for dredging
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. pancetta (or one strip bacon) minced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. button mushrooms
5 peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cooking sherry
Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge with flour. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lied (like Dutch oven) over medium and cook the pancetta or bacon for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, then add the onion, and garlic, cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the herbs, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and sherry. Bring to a boil, stir, then turn down to low, cover tightly and simmer for an hour, turning the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. You can leave the lid off for the last half hour for a thicker sauce. Serves 4. Serve with pasta or sop up with crusty French brea and pour the French Rhone: 2005 Domaine de Cristia Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau.

I frenched the chicken which gives a nicer presentation, here's a YouTube how-to:
Being on the subject of Italian cuisine, this is the perfect post for sharing a recipe from Mary in Omaha who learned how to make "Tiedla" from her Italian grandmother. This recipe will be great for anyone who wants to cook Italian food without garlic and onions; it has plenty of flavor from the fresh herbs. Mary prepared it with all fresh ingredients from her backyard garden; it's easy to make and goes with almost everything. It brings back happy memories of summer, and the sensations of harvesting vegetables from my garden: the aroma of fresh-cut basil, the heat of the sun warming my back and the tomatoes bursting with flavor, the cool undersides of zucchini plants and their prickly stalks, the buzz of bees and flashes of iridescence from hummingbirds and the bright reds, greens and yellows of glossy vegetables on my kitchen counter.

TIEDLA:
8 ripe Roma tomatoes

8 medium potatoes
1 large zucchini or 8 6" zucchinis
handful of parsley
2 sprigs of marjoram
2 sprigs of oregano
4 sprigs of basil
olive oil
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Boil a big pot of water and put in tomatoes, cook until the skin bursts (about 1 minute) then remove into a colander. Peel and slice the potatoes thin (1/8"), slice the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Remove the stems of the herbs and chop together. Remove skins from the cooled tomatoes. Put the tomatoes into a wide bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher, then add the chopped herbs (do not drain the tomatoes). Spread a layer of zucchini on the bottom of a large casserole, then a layer of sliced potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue this to fill the casserole, leaving an inch of space below the rim and ending the layering with a layer of zucchini rather than potato. Pour the tomato sauce over the vegetables, cover with tin foil and bake for the first hour. Remove tin foil and bake another hour. Check the casserole during the last hour--if it starts to look like it is getting too dry, replace the tin foil. When fully cooked, the potatoes should be soft. Top with grated Parmesan if desired. Pair this with a California Chardonnay or the creamy Edward Sellars Blanc du Rhone.

CULINARY CLASS WEEK #6: Russian food was on the menu, my team made a Stroganoff with hand-made herb noodles by Kyle, Kenny made blinis with sour cream and caviar and I made stuffed cabbage, molded like my post Dec. 9 09 but with a meat stuffing and served with traditional sweet/sour sauce. Here's the sauce recipe:

POLISH STUFFED CABBAGE ROLL SAUCE:
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and minced fine
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients except salt and pepper in a saucepan and simmer for 1/2 hour. Taste and add salt and pepper only if desired. You can puree the sauce for an even consistency. Serves 4. Click here for vegetarian cabbage roll recipe or here for meat filled cabbage rolls.

Wake up, America, your food may kill you!

I rented "Food Inc." from Netflix and watched it last night. Every American should view this film! Or at least look at the trailer: www.foodincmovie.com/ and read the info on their website, in order to understand the travesty of industrial farming. The material covered by the film is supported by information from my Food Safety class and from our guest lecturer--a Santa Barbara Health Inspector. A brief list of some things I've learned between class and the film:

1. feed lot cattle are fed corn because it is cheap, but their stomachs are designed for grass; corn feed causes ecoli to proliferate leading to 71,000 illness and around 60 deaths per year, mostly of children under 15
2. feed lot cattle stand in fecal material and are coated with it when they go to the slaughterhouse where they are butchered without being cleansed, meaning the fecal matter is mixed with the meat
3.  scrap pieces of flesh are ground up and soaked in ammonia to kill pathogens, then pressed into meat filler called "pink slime" which goes into 75% of ground beef (read the NY Times article, including how the USDA allows 15% of this sludge in school lunch meat)
4. agricultural and chicken farmers have become serfs to the multinational corporations who can put out of business any farmers that don't want to use the inhumane livestock practices or use the pesticide and fertilizer dependent seed
5. there is no such thing as a "24 hour flu" or "48 hour flu", influenza is a 7-10 day illness, the others are due to food borne illness--what we used to call food poisoning. The Center for Disease Control says 76 million illness a year are due to food contamination with 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths
6. the FDA, which is supposed to safeguard our health, has been populated by former Monsanto executives and lobbyists--in both the Bush and Clinton administrations. Monsanto has created a monopoly in seed where the farmer cannot save seed from one year to the next without facing a lawsuit. Plus genetically modified crops are fertilizing nearby acreage, meaning we are all facing eating genetically modified food without knowing what the long term effects will be.
7. We can change things! I think the answer is to eat organic, eat local, eat humanely raised meat (Fox News video on difference between corn fed and grass fed), poultry (website on chicken farming) and eggs--or even better--eat vegetarian food. But, make up your own mind--just be informed in your choice by taking a look at what's happening to our food supply. Ignorance might be bliss in some instances, but not when ignorance can kill you or your kids.

(View Anderson Cooper's interview on CNN with the director of Food Inc.)

In case you think that I'm being unduly harsh with US food production practices, I want to point out that in general the US is far safer than many other countries, including China. You have probably read the headlines about thousands of US pets dying from contamination in pet food imported from China, thousands of babies and children in China poisoned by melamine in milk products and dangerous antibiotics and pesticide in seafood and farmed fish imported from China. If you haven't read the headlines and haven't avoided Chinese food products, you might want to read what the Washington Post article by Rick Weiss has to say, including: "For years, U.S. inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught -- many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry. Juices and fruits rejected as 'filthy.' Prunes tinted with chemical dyes not approved for human consumption. Frozen breaded shrimp preserved with nitrofuran, an antibacterial that can cause cancer. Swordfish rejected as 'poisonous.'" or the summary of the FDA report from 2009 which includes:"[problems with Chinese imports] 'filth', unsafe additives, inadequate labeling, and lack of proper manufacturer registrations—are typically introduced during food processing and handling. Another of the most common problems—potentially harmful veterinary drug residues in farm-raised fish and shrimp—is introduced at the farm." or from the full version of the FDA report: "Chinese authorities seek to control the safety of food exports by certifying exporters and the farms that supply them. [but] Certified exporters constitute a small fraction of China’s food industry. Most of China’s 200 million farms and food companies are, in theory, excluded from export supply chains." (Full version and summary found at this FDA link) Another informative article is a report on the last 10 years of problems from CNN and from WorldWatch on environmental pollution in China. For the opposing viewpoint, read the rebuttal to the New York Time's article on ammonia-treated beef by the producer Beef Products Inc.

Bobotie and Mulderbosch -- South African adventures

Stolpman Vineyards' Italian-Style Crackling Pork Roast:

2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
4 fresh bay leaves, whole
1 tablespoon sage, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, crushed
zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
3 tablespoons Stolpman Olive Oil
1 boned and rolled pork shoulder or leg, skin scored
olive oil
Kosher salt
*The key to “crackling” is to start roasting the pork in a very hot oven and
sprinkling the skin with lots of salt. The extra salt can be brushed off
before carving.
Mix together the chopped herbs, pepper, garlic, orange zest, crushed fennel seeds and
Stolpman Olive Oil. Rub mixture into the pink flesh of the pork, not on the skin.
Marinate overnight or for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 450º F. Remove pork from refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.
Rub the skin with the extra olive oil and sprinkle very generously with
kosher salt*. Rub the salt into the skin, place in a roasting dish and put in oven to cook for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º F. and continue to cook for 1 hour (or 30 minutes per pound). Pork is done when the internal temperature reaches 165º F. and
juices run clear.
To serve: Allow pork to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with rice pilaf, mixed green salad or fresh Spring peas with water chestnuts. This dish pairs nicely with the 2005 Stolpman Sangiovese for the perfect spring dinner.

CULINARY CLASS WEEK #5:
I was MIA this week, missing the food of Germany and Scandanavia, to help pour wine for Touring & Tasting at the Lobero supper club. T&T is a sponsor for the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and it's a sweet deal for me--pour wine for the pre-concert dinner guests, then enjoy an evening of fine music. Santa Barbara is blessed with generous art patrons like the Towbes who bring world class music to our small burg of less than 90,000. Maestro Heiichiro Ohyama seemed genuinely touched by being called back three times to a standing ovation to take his bows and, in typically Japanese fashion, tried to give his orchestra full credit. But, deserving as they are, our applause was for his masterful conducting of Beethoven's Symphony #7. The intensity and precision of the lively allegro con brio movement was breath-taking! Supper was good, too: pasta and salad from the good chef Renato at Via Maestra 42.

The best meal this week was at my neighbors Catherine and Jean Francois' house. They are part of a wine and dinner club that meets once a month to wine and dine around a theme. This meal was South African and Catherine and JF prepared a feast of interesting dishes for us. Snoeck Pate (a smoked fish spread with a base of tomato paste and cream cheese), Curried Cashews and Sultanas (white grapes), Bobotie (national dish of South Africa dish, spiced minced beef with egg topping), Baked Chicken and Stampkoring (chicken with wheat berries, onion, tomato, mushroom, paprika, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce) , Denninguleis (lamb stewed with garlic, allspice, cloves, tamarind, nutmeg, chili, rosemary) served with Fruit Chutney, Carrot Bredie (mashed carrots and potatoes), Yellow Rice (turmeric, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon, a staple of the South African diet), Green Bean Salad (with onions, vinegar and stuffed olives), and Soetkoedies (spiced wine cookies) served with Rooibus Tea  (which is Afrikaans for "red bush"). Wow. A lot of cooking for them and a taste treat for us!

Everyone brought a South African wine: Ken Forrester 2008 Petit Pinotage, Klein Constantia Vin de Constance and Chenin Blanc, 2008 Goats Do Roam (clever play on "Cotes du Rhone"), Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Kanoncop Kadette 2008, Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose', Southern Right 2007 Pinotage and Ataraxia 2006 Serenity.
My impression was that South African food is nuanced, not heavily spiced, but delicately so. The South African red wines are more in the French tradition--softer, less alcoholic and less fruit-forward than California wines. The South African whites were sweet without being cloying with nice aromatics. I normally don't like rose' but the Mulderbosch was very nice. The reds had more of a herbaceous flavor to them than fruit-forward--I envisioned the veld as the terroir.
Here's one of the recipes, courtesy of Catherine Almo, contact me if you would like any of the others. In 1954 Bobotie was declared the National Dish of South Africa by the United Nations Women’s Organization and today still is one of the most popular South African food recipes.

BOBOTIE (hoenderpastei):
•    2 Lbs lean ground beef

•    2 -3 Medium onions – peeled and chopped finely or sliced
•    1 Tablespoon oil (preferably olive oil)
•    1 Teaspoon crushed garlic
•    1 Teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
•    ½ Tablespoon curry powder (try a medium-strength curry to start off with)
•    1 Teaspoon turmeric
•    Pinch garam masala (optional)
•    2-3 slices bread with the crust removed; and soak in a ½ cup of milk. Remove from milk, squeeze out excess, mash with a fork to separate, and set aside
•    ½ Cup milk
•    2 Tablespoons lemon juice or 2 T vinegar
•    2 Tablespoons sugar
•    1 Tablespoon Chutney  (optional)
•    ½ Cup seedless raisins
•    1 apple peeled and finely chopped
•    25 grams blanched almonds, chopped
•    30 grams apricots, finely chopped
•    2 T apricot jam (optional)
•    Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Bobotie Ingredients – Topping
•    2 Eggs (medium) beaten
•    ½ Cup milk
•    Bay leaves (to garnish)
1.    Preheat the oven to 325°F
2.    Grease an oven-proof dish
3.    Heat the oil in deep frying pan; add the onions and sauté until clear
4.    Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric and mix quickly – don’t leave this on the heat for too long, as the garlic can burn. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5.    Saute the ground beef. keep stirring on med heat until brown. Drain fat, add back in the onion mixture.
6.    Add sugar, mashed bread (squeeze out excess milk), chutney, lemon juice and raisins to the mixture
7.    Season to taste with salt and pepper
8.    Spoon the mixture into the greased dish, and place into the oven for 35 minutes.
9.    Mix the eggs with ½ a cup of milk, and any milk that may remain from the bread
10.    Remove the dish from the oven, and spread the egg mixture evenly over the top
11.    Add the bay leaves as decoration, and put back into the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the topping has set
Serving Bobotie: Although South African winters are fairly mild, Bobotie is generally served with rice as comfort food in winter. The rice is generally cooked to be yellow in color (by adding a small amount of turmeric to it); and chutney and sliced bananas are often served as accompaniments. Alternatively, the Bobotie and rice can be served with a small side salad of tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce with a vinaigrette dressing.

COMING UP MARCH 20TH: A wine warehouse sale at Touring & Tasting! I've bought some great wine at these events at unbeatable prices. If you're in Southern California--make the drive to 125 Quarantina Street--there will also be complimentary Il Fustino olive oil and vinegar tastings.

Ratatouille With Spicy Harissa Sauce and 92 Point Matthews Syrah

RATATOUILLE (ZUCCHINI/TOMATO STEW) WITH SPICY HARISSA (CHILI SAUCE):
Ratatouille ingredients:
1 Japanese eggplant
salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 zucchini
1/2 red bell pepper
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. cumin
splash of red wine
1 bay leaf
Harissa ingredients:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground caraway seed
1/2 tsp. cumin
Plus:
2 slices bread
approximately 2 oz. grated Parmesan
Chop eggplant into rough 1" cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle on all sides with salt. Let sit for 1/2 hour so some of the liquid "sweats" out of the eggplant. Heat a pot of water until boiling then add the tomatoes (you can slit the skin of the tomatoes to help peel them). When the skin of the tomatoes begin to peel off, remove them to a bowl to cool, then peel and mash them. Heat the oil in a wide skillet or saucepan and cook the onions and garlic in it over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels and stir the eggplant into the skillet. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peeled tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, herbs and splash of wine. Adjust the heat to simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir the ratatouille occasionally and cook until the vegetables are soft but not mushy. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste (you will probably not need to add additional salt as the eggplant will retain some salt).
In a bowl, mix the harissa ingredients well and set aside. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan on the bread and toast them until golden brown. Cut into triangles for a nice presentation and use a squeeze bottle to apply lines of harissa to your plating of the ratatouille. Enjoy with the luscious 2006 Matthews Syrah given a 92 Point rating by Wine Spectator. Serves 2.

WEEK #4 CULINARY SCHOOL ADVENTURES: This week's country was Italy--land of fabulous food and wine. Just the thought of it brings back sensuous gustatory memories--the fecund, earthy aroma of the Tuscan land that is captured in each ruby glass of noble Brunello, the plates of fresh fish and risotto at Il Porticciolo with the waters of Lago Maggiore spangled with lights in the evening, and the magical summer festa in my Italian friend Luciana's garden with a feast of fresh produce and fish--which precipitated the birth of this blog. (see July 3, 2008 post for recipes) Even the snobbish French conceded in Larousse Gastronomique (the seminal encyclopedia of cuisine) that Italian food is the most imaginative in Europe and, in fact, the mother of European cuisine. We learned this from our textbook, along with the history of Catherine de Medici. She was married to Henry II of France in 1533 and brought her chefs with her, along with new foods such as broccoli, peas, artichokes, and the tradition of fine pastries and sauces. She also brought the Italian love of opulent table settings with embroidered linens, perfumes, sugar sculptures and luxurious silverware and glasses.

The teams' task was to prepare handmade Ravioli di Melanzane E Pomodori (Eggplant and Sundried Tomato Ravioli), Pizza, and Pollo Alla Cacciatora (Chicken Caccitore). Our team also made almond butter cookies. I frenched the chicken (see here for YouTube video) and gave it a splash of brandy.

Once again, there was amazing creativity--one team deep fried their ravioli and topped it with sugar, lemon zest and caramel sauce. Another made chicken scallopini as an extra dish--it was my favorite. Nestled on a bed of tender, hand-cut noodles, the chicken was crispy and topped with a line of sundried tomatoes and capers.

Coq au Vin and Week #3 Culinary School adventures

CULINARY SCHOOL: This week's Culinary School class covered French cuisine. Our teams had to make Coq au Vin, Ratatouille, and Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin in a little over two hours. The textbook recipes are just a springboard for us to dive into creative interpretations of the dishes. So, one team made their ratatouille in an innovative fashion--towers of the grilled vegetables that would normally go into a classic recipe, piled high and topped with a tasty tomato sauce. I made ratatoille cooked in butter and served with a harissa sauce of chili, garlic, salt and olive oil. (note: see Feb. 24, 2010 entry for recipe).
Teammate Kyle made his awesome Coq au Vin (the recipe below is my own tried and true home recipe) that wowed the other student judges. It's bit hectic getting one's dish prepared in the intricate dance of a commercial kitchen with a dozen chefs weaving past each other to get to the stoves, ovens and sinks, so there was no time for me to get his exact ingredients but the potatoes were braised in a separate cream sauce and the chicken was nice and juicy. Our team won a Gold Medal again this week! My favorite dish out of all the class dishes was Marguerita's version of the Tarte Tatin. She formed individual tarts with melt-in-your-mouth pastry and plated them with brandied whipped cream--top notch!

TAMA'S COQ AU VIN WITH ROASTED POTATOES:   
2 small roasting chickens cut into eighths
approximately 1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. thyme, in two parts
1 tsp. marjoram, in two parts
1/2 Tbsp. garlic salt
1/4 lb. butter
3 Tbsp. cognac
1 dozen pearl onions, peeled
1 dozen button mushrooms
2 cups dry red wine
1 bay leaf
ROASTED POTATOES:
1 dozen fingerling potatoes of approximately the same size
spray olive oil
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. ground rosemary
Arrange your oven racks so you can accommodate a baking sheet and a heavy, lidded pot (like a Dutch oven). Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Mix the flour with 1/4 tsp. of the thyme, 1/2 tsp. of the marjoram and the garlic salt. Dredge the chicken parts in the flour (discard any leftover flour mixture). Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat then brown the chicken on all sides. Pour the cognac into a separate bowl, then into the pot (not directly from the bottle to the pot) and flame it by lighting it with a long handled match or bbq lighter--be careful not to get burned as the cognac will suddenly flare up for a few seconds. Add the pearl onions, button mushrooms, red wine and bay leaf, then stir, cover tighly and put in the oven.  To make the potatoes: peel and tourne them, if you want a more French presentation, or leave the skins on for the vitamins and mineral nutrition. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley and rosemary. Place on an oiled baking sheet and put in the oven an hour after the Coq au Vin went into the oven. Turn the meat over in the Coq au Vin pot so the meat is braised in the juices evenly. Continue baking the coq au vin for another 45 minutes, turning over the Coq au Vin once more and the potatoes once during that time. Remove the potatoes when they are cooked through and lightly browned. Serves 6-8 people. Pair with the 2005 Curtis Heritage Cuvée.
For a more elaborate recipe using mirepoix and no flour--see 10/18/11 post.

FOOD POISONING AND FOOD SAFETY:
To take the "Modern Food: Design and Theory Class",  I'm required to take Food Safety which is everything you didn't want to know about food borne pathogens. (it would be so much easier to still believe in the "ten second rule")
Test your knowledge:
1. what is FAT TOM?
2. can you safely eat a baked potato that has been on the counter all day?
3. if you cook fish thoroughly, does that mean it can't make you sick?
Basically, there are bacteria and viruses everywhere--in the air we breathe, the water, the soil. They normally don't cause problems because our immune systems can destroy them if they enter our body, but when our immune systems are weakened or the pathogen population has proliferated, then we get sick. FAT TOM is an acronym for: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen and Moisture. Pathogens thrive when the PH balance is neither too alkaline nor too acid (PH between 4.6 to 7.5); when the temperature is between 41 degrees (refrigerators are below this) and 135 degrees;  when there is sufficient moisture (over 85% is optimal for growth) and when there is oxygen (though botulism can grow without oxygen in food such as garlic/oil mixtures and improperly canned food). Time is a huge factor. For instance, Salmonella won't grow much for the first two hours poultry or dairy is at room temperature, but after that, Salmonella growth is explosive and the population will be doubling every 20 minutes. After four hours, foods sensitive to Time and Temperature pathogen growth should be thrown out! Not all foods fall into this time and temperature sensitive category--for instance, crackers are alkaline in PH and low in moisture, so they don't foster pathogen growth. Uncooked rice is similar--but cook rice (adding moisture and changing the PH) and it becomes vulnerable. Fish, ground meat and chicken are particularly dangerous if handled or cooked improperly because their meat is porous, allowing bacteria to move into the center parts. Slabs of beef, such as steaks, are dense. If the outside is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill bacteria (as on a grill) then the inside can safely remain rare (ground beef has to be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees).

Fish is doubly problematic because it can harbor parasites. I think of the years when I used to go out fishing with my boyfriend and make ceviche from our fresh catch. Even the lime juice and salt won't kill the parasites on the interior parts of the fish pieces. I'm so relieved I never had the symptom mentioned in the textbook: coughing up worms! One interesting bit of information is that Japanese sushi fish is always flash frozen then rethawed to avoid parasites. Sushi bars in the US are often owned and run by non-Japanese who have not been trained well. I'm half Japanese so I recognize Korean sushi chefs (most Americans can't tell the difference). I've even seen a Hispanic sushi chef and when I queried him, heard what I was sure of from the outset--that he was never trained in the Japanese method. In Japan it takes years of training, sometimes ten years, before an apprentice can move up to making sushi--in the meantime he makes the rice and learns from the master how to inspect and treat all the ingredients so no one contracts a parasite or illlness. I never eat sushi unless it's from a Japanese chef I trust. Anyway, toxins in seafood cause illnesses like Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. They're not bacteria or viruses but substances created by bacteria or by the fish themselves or by the algae they have been eating--they can't be smelled or tasted or cooked out. The only way to avoid these toxins is to buy fresh fish from reputable sources who buy from fishermen working in unpolluted water, something becoming more difficult in this stressed planet. Buy good quality food from reputable sources, keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. And never pick up food from the floor--your shoes could have stepped in dog doo outside and tracked a trace of it onto the floor that's too small to be seen by the naked eye--drop something that picks up the Hepatitis A and pop it into your mouth? I don't think so!
Links:
Center For Disease Control: Food borne illness
USDA Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill
*the most complete and organized site for Food Safety: TLC Food: Food Safety Tips

Roasted Vegetable Tart and Week 2 Culinary School

ROAST VEGETABLE TART WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE CRUST:
For the crust:
3 cups flour
7 oz. cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp. salt +
6 Tbsp. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
about 3/4 cup ice cold water
For the filling:
1 medium beet, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Japanese eggplants, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 Tbsp. rosemary
1/2 Tbsp. thyme
1/2 Tbsp. oregano
spray olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg yolk
4 Tbsp. milk
8 oz. goat cheese at room temperature
6 oz. whipped cream cheese at room temperature
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Spread the cubed eggplant onto a double thickness of paper towel and sprinkle all over with salt, turning the cubes to coat all sides lightly. (This drains some of the water from the eggplant) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
MAKE THE CRUST:
Process the flour and butter together in a food processor until they are mixed and crumbly. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Add the salt, cheese and the smallest amount of the cold water needed for the the dough to just come together in a rough ball. Put the ball of dough into plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Continue preparing the Vegetables:
Spray a baking pan with olive oil and spread the cubed beets on one part, spray with oil, then sprinkle with the rosemary. Spread the cauliflower florets on another part of the sheet and spray with oil. Roll the eggplant up in the paper towel and gently press to remove any liquid that has "sweated" out, then spread the eggplant cubes on the remaining area of the pan and spray with oil. Sprinkle the cauliflower and eggplant with the thyme and oregano. Put in the oven and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, until beets can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove the baking sheet and set aside to cool. Roll out the dough into a circle on a piece of parchment. Slide the parchment onto a clean baking sheet. Mix 4 oz. of the goat cheese, the cream cheese and Parmesan in a bowl with a spatula. Spread the cheese mixture onto the circle of dough, leaving an inch space around the edge. Place the vegetables onto the cheese in stripes for a decorative effect. Turn up the edges of the dough and pinch together (see photo). Taste a bit of vegetable with the cheese mixture and sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper if desired. Separate the remaining 2 oz. of the goat cheese into small bits and sprinkle on top of the tart. Mix the egg yolk and milk together.  Use a pastry brush to coat the exposed areas of the dough with the egg mixture. Place the tart into the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Serves 6.

CULINARY CLASS WEEK #2: Lots of fun! Each week, we cook recipes from a different country (or group of countries). Week #1 was Great Britain: England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales--so our dishes were Cornish Pasties, Cod Cakes and Scones. This week covered Spain and Portugal: empanadas, gazpacho, and paella. There were 12 students--perfect for four teams of three. I formed our empanadas like the rustic tart above--with cumin seed in the dough, stuffed with pork loin cubes cooked in orange juice, garlic and cumin, and plated it with an olive tapenade made with capers and garlic. One of my team members Marguerita, made a beautiful gazpacho, nicely presented with crispy pastry triangles topped with various gaspacho condiments, such as thin sliced pepper. Each team presents their dishes with a description of the ingredients and cooking techniques, we taste all the dishes, then vote on the best team effort (voting for our own not allowed). Our team won Gold Medals! (just like the Olympics) Chef Van Hecke posted photos here.

Post Zinfandel Weekend and School Of Culinary Arts

Last weekend at ZAP, someone told me it is the single largest wine event in the world with 9,000 attendees.

I don't know how to verify that, but I can tell you that the Saturday event had a convention-like hum during the press/trade hours, but when the Zinfandel afficionados were let in there was a roar and din for the rest of the afternoon that made it impossible to hear anyone who wasn't shouting in your ear. It was crazy! But fun! Zinfandel has grown up and is a far cry from the insipid factory produced white Zinfandel that gave the grape a bad name. Now small-lot, Estate winemakers with vineyards in prime Sonoma, Napa, Lodi and Mendocino real estate are making wonderful, complex, jammy, structured wines.

Saturday I was working the Touring and Tasting table giving away magazines,
so only had the chance to scurry off and have a few sips, but was impressed, especially with all the Seghesio Zins: the 2008 Sonoma, the 2007 Old Vine and the 2007 Cortina, Dry Creek Valley. Many of the best Zins came from the Dry Creek appellation (just north of the Russian River), like the 2006 Dry Creek Old Vine (their 2007 Heritage and 2007 Summer's Ranch also good). Speaking of Old Vine, I wonder if that may be one reason some Zins are so delicious. Zinfandel has been planted in California for almost 200 years and not only are there very old vines yielding highly extracted wines but Zinfandel has become identified so much with California that some call it "America's vine and wine".  A benefit for those of us watching our budgets is that the Zin price points are lower than Cab, and an extra benefit (or so I experienced) is that the Zin "audience" seems to be friendly and unpretentious. Anyway, I hope to be at ZAP again next year!

On another note, I'm taking cooking classes at the School of Culinary Arts at Santa Barbara City College. I'm not taking the full course, but petitioned to take the Modern Food: Design, Style, Theory with Vincent Van Hecke, chef at the Valley Club of Montecito. Each week we cook dishes from a different country. Next week is Spain and Portugal, so I came up with my version of the favorite empanada with a sauce that's essentially a thick gazpacho with Manchego cheese:

CHICKEN EMPANADAS WITH MANCHEGO-TOMATO DIPPING SAUCE:
Dough:
1 /12 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
 1  egg, stirred, in two parts
1/8 cup ice water
3/4  Tbsp. white vinegar
Sift flour with salt into a large bowl, then quickly cut in the butter until the lumps are the size of peas. Use a pastry blender or two dinner knives-- with one in each hand and the knives crossed in the middle of their blades, cut the butter by closing the blades together so they act like a pair of scissors. Whisk together 1/2 the egg, water, and vinegar in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing or being slow and letting the butter melt, otherwise the dough will be tough and not flaky. With floured hands, gather the dough together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour along with the bowl containing the rest of the egg.
Filling:
1 half chicken breast with rib and skin
1 bay leaf
1 baking potato, quartered
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Put potato, chicken and bay leaf into pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and put it in a bowl inside a larger bowl of ice to cool the chicken so you can remove the meat. Chop into 1" pieces. When the potatoes are just done (don't overcook), remove them to a bowl to cool inside the ice bowl. When cool, remove the peel and cut into 1" cubes. In a pan, saute the onions until translucent. Mix the chicken, potatoes, onion mixture, garlic, and cumin in a bowl. Taste and add the salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough and egg out of the refrigerator and divide the dough in two. Roll out each part of the dough into a long oval on a floured board. Mound half of the chicken mixture on one half of the dough, dip a finger in water and run it around the edge of the dough, then fold the empty side over the chicken mixture and press the edges together. Poke the empanada with the end of a sharp knife to make holes where steam will escape. Repeat for the other empanada and brush the remaining egg on the tops. Put the empanadas on a cookie sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper in the oven and cook 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Optional Manchego-Tomato Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 lemon
2 Tbsp. parsley leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup finely grated Manchego
Mix all the ingredients, except the parsley and Manchego cheese, in a blender on "liquefy" until smooth. Add the parsley and pulse until it is cut into small bits but not blended completely--you will see flecks of the green parsley. Use a spatula to transfer into a saucepan and add the Manchego. Heat over medium flame until warm and serve with the empanadas along with the French-oaked 2007 Greenwood Ridge Chardonnay. Serves 2.

CULINARY ARTS CLASS WEEK #1: This week was our first class cooking in the School of Culinary Arts commercial kitchen and I have to say I was nervous! I'm used to cooking in my kitchen alone with ample time; the class is run like "Top Chef" where each team cooks three recipes in an alloted amount of time and is judged by the class. Luckily Chef Van Hecke gave me a break since I didn't know where anything was or how to fit in--I was an extra member for one of the teams and had to make something supplemental to the three dishes, which were a Scottish pastie (last week's region was the British Isles), cod cakes and scones. My team made some lovely pasties with flaky crust that I garnished with a parsley/tomato relish (more on this later),  scones that Jesse plated beautifully with a spiced tea and my pineapple/raisin compote, and cod cakes with aioli. When I first started, I let my nervousness get the best of me, at one point, I looked down at my cutting board which was a mess of parsley and tomato for the garnish. Chef looked over my should just at that moment and pointedly asked how I was doing. "I've gotten off on the wrong foot", I gasped. "Well, we learn from our mistakes." he replied and it prompted me to take a deep breath, say my prayers and get myself organized.  Fortunately, the class liked what I prepared, so I felt like I'd passed the initial test, though I still managed to do something dumb out of ignorance. Not knowing the protocol for washing dishes, I put a dirty dish with food scraps into the rinse basin and was reprimanded by one of the students, and rightly so, for as I realized, with thirteen cooks running around a kitchen with hot pots, sharing the equipment and facilities under time constraint, anyone getting in the way or messing up the system takes away from the efficiency of everyone else. There's plenty of opportunity for me to make a mistake in the future, so I'm determined to think things through in the future and remember mise en place: to get all my ingredients assembled and prepped before starting to cook so my workspace can be clean and neat. Anyway, the class is nerve-wracking but exhilarating. I definitely feel in my element being with others who are crazy about good food. Yesterday morning my daughter found me at the computer looking at pictures of food. She rolled her teenage eyes at me and said "Mom, only YOU would be looking at food at 6 in the morning." I haven't been able to confirm this yet as I don't really know the other students in my class, but I'm sure there are kindred spirits who are thinking about and researching food in their free time as well!