eeeeks! Are you cringing right now? Has your mouth just gone dry looking at this image? If so then good… I’ve done my job. The reason I’m writing this post is to address the misuse of salt. We’re a salt crazy nation that has done a terrific job at masking good, pure, delicious food with salt, fat and sugar. It’s out of control! Don’t get me wrong, salt is a wonderful seasoning and helps accentuate many dishes but it can be your worst enemy as well! I can’t begin to tell you how many sauces I’ve destroyed because I didn’t listen to my acute (ha) senses and simply leave a sauce, soup or ragout alone. A perfect example is tomato sauce. For some reason the acidity and sweetness in tomatoes covers salt while it’s still hot. When it cools down the sodium levels really come through and there is NOTHING you can do but weep if over salted.

Restaurants are the biggest offenders and are notorious for heavy salty hands. If you ask most professional cooks to name the one ingredient that is used the most in kitchens it’s SALT! It goes like this “Hey Kev, could you taste the sauce that I made for the chicken and see if it needs anything?” “sure Bob… (finger in pot and inserted in mouth) hmmm, tastes good but needs some acid and… salt!” and then when you order the chicken dish later that night you might feel that Bob should have left the finger lickin chicken sauce alone!

To get the bottom of the salt lick and uncover the why; we need to get a little scientific. Your mouth and tongue has all kinds of receptor cells that basically get stimulated when it comes into contact with certain foods and seasoning. Taste is the function that your mouth performs when recognizing these chemical properties. Taste is composed of sweet, salty, sour and bitter and most recently umami that defines certain taste components that are barely perceptible (I’m not getting into this right now.. too long)…. But basically the more you have of one taste component, like salt, it makes a dish off balanced.. and then the tongue and mouth send signals to the brain that something is off.

Not to get side tracked here… the absolute main point that I want to address is how to approach a dish that you are making. You really want to taste the sweetness in corn and tomatoes or the vegetative properties in asparagus or even the flesh in a cut of meat. It’s all a balancing act and really important to realize that salt only plays a supporting role. If fava beans with shaved pecorino and olive oil are the lead actors then salt is cop #3. Just there to add to the story… that’s it! Below is a recipe for un-salted tomato sauce. The thing to realize here is that it uses canned tomatoes that already has added salt and sugar; as so many packaged products do. Think about it, it already contains trace amounts of sodium and sugar and has sweet (tomato), bitter (eggplant) and fennel (flavor booster) with heaps of other aromatic properties. It’s loaded like a gun with flavor, so why add more salt? You try the recipe and let me know… in the mean time use salt with a delicate hand and enjoy more genuine flavors from your food.

This is Chef Stephen from the HOG laboratory

Un-salted Tomato Sauce with Fennel and Fried Eggplant
Serves 6 people

Ingredients
3 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 medium size yellow onion, diced
1 bulb of fennel, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
6 cloves garlic
4 cups canned San Marzano plum tomatoes or canned Italian tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 small Italian eggplants
1/2 bunch of fresh basil
pepper

Instructions
In a medium to large sauce pot add the pure olive oil and bring up to medium low. Add the onions, carrots and fennel and cook until soft (approx 15 minutes). Add tomato paste and stir into veggies. Cook mixture for 5 minutes, constantly stirring so that you don’t burn the paste. Add wine and reduce until liquid has disappeared. Take off the heat and set aside.

Poach the garlic cloves in the olive oil over low heat until the garlic begins to lightly brown. Add the tomatoes, the onion fennel mixture and 1/2 of the basil. Simmer for about one hour, adding a few tablespoons of water at a time to prevent the sauce from drying out. Continue to stir as the sauce simmers.

Throw a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat and add 1/4 cup pure olive oil. When it starts to lightly smoke add the eggplant. Cook on each side until it gets dark brown and crispy (approx 1 minute per each side). Remove and drain eggplant on paper towel; then chop. Fold into sauce.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Chop the remaining basil and add to the sauce. DO-NOT season with salt! Only some fresh ground pepper.

Eat with pasta or spoon over toasted baguette.

Molly has been making these cookies for years. This year however the cookies were over the top scrumptious!! They would have won multiple green clover trophy’s at any 4-H county fair.. Bessy watch out! So to mend your curiosity I’ll fill you in why I’m calling them “adult pop tarts”… you remember when you were a kid and how pop tarts, especially right out of the toaster, were so damn good?! The sweet sugar glaze, tender dough and tart jam made any kid do back flips until dad came home. I took one bite of these cookies and was transpotred to 1436 Pickering Place, where I spent many mornings in my winnie the pooh jammies watching huckle berry finn and eating warm pop tarts.. In this application, Molly used a garden variety Italian sour cherry jam instead of a more rounded softer fruit and along with the floral lavender made for the best pop tarts I’ve ever experienced.. try them and you too will giggle with happiness!

Lavender Cookies with Sour Cherry Jam
These delicate sandwich cookies are like sophisticated adult pop tarts. Tender, sweet and tart.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
1 cup sour cherry jam
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup lavender syrup
1/2 teaspoon (or more) water

Instructions
Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture just to combine. Stir in lavender blossoms. Beat dough until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 4 portions; flatten each into disk. Wrap disks in plastic; refrigerate overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather scraps and roll out on lightly floured surface; cut out more cookies. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake cookies until light golden, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet.

Spread about 1 teaspoon jam on flat side of 1 cookie; top with flat side of another cookie, forming sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and jam.

Whisk powdered sugar, lavender syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon water in medium bowl to blend, adding more water as needed by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to form spreadable icing. Spread thin layer of icing atop each sandwich cookie. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. (Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in single layer at room temperature.)

Why do we eat out? I was inspired to write this article after reading a post from one of my favorite blogs called Whipped. Caroline had a dining experience that was over the moon because of the ridiculously good service; from the valet to the host, waiter and ending with the bus boy smiling as she and her hubby walked out the door. Could they have fluff her pillow before she took her avo nap? I think yes! sounds like a United ad…Of course quality of food and cost is an issue but the service is what really drives a restaurant’s experience!

A couple of weeks ago Molly, Molly’s father, Jim, and I went to a high end restaurant for dinner…(and the reason that I’m not giving names is because it was a random experience at a consistently good place)…. We were greeted at the door with warmth and promptly seated but the experience took a quick down turn when our waiter arrived with an unhealthy sniffle and upside down smile. It was apparent that she wasn’t 100 percent “on” that night and subsequently didn’t give us the spark that was needed at such a glorious place. The food while still being delicious fell flat for me because of the ho-hum delivery. I wanted to whisked away on a magic carpet ride; I expected the world to rotate around ME! and when you’re spending $100 a head this is what you expect, right? Caroline had eggs and pastries and I had magnificently prepared abalone and squab dishes… her experience topped mine? why?? simply because all of her planets were in alignment and my sun had an eclipse that night. bummer!

Now some of you might disagree, some of you might be OK with poor service if the food is good. The other side to consider is that not all of our dining experiences cost over $50 per person.. what about the burrito joint? or the crab shack? yup, it would be nice if the counter person had a big toothy smile and a cheery hello but we only are looking for some good simple nourishment when we patronize these places. hmmmm, I think I’ll cover cheap eats in an up-coming post.. so stay tuned..

At the end of the day eating out is both social and experimental. so just do it and get er done out there on the Flavor Highway..

The image from above is from a new space in our neighborhood called Serpentine and it has all the pistons firing while driving down flavor highway. Environment, food and especially SERVICE.

Eat much and laugh out loud!

Here’s one scenario that could lead up to said tragedy: You get home from a long day of work and think to yourself, “boy I’d love a big robust glass of wine to help me wind down” … but just one glass. It’s a school night remember, and any more might have you picking cobwebs out of your head the next day… so you do what a lot of people do and cork the bottle with anticipation of finishing it off the next day. Well, next day comes and you forgot that you had to go to your niece’s school play after work and then go out to dinner with your sister. You have two Sapporos with sushi and call it a night. You get home, eye the bottle from across the room and promise that you’ll finish it off the next day. Well, that next day never comes and then the liquid eventually turns into paint thinner.

Folks, here’s what you can do to save both wine and money. Buy one of these: it’s called vacuvin and is a magnificent device that extracts the excess air out of the bottle. It helps preserve the wine a couple of days longer and lets you not feel pressured to consume the wine in two to three days. It’s cheap and something you simply can’t live without. Buy one today and start feeling better about not wasting wine.

Not long ago, I struck up a conversation with this lady while standing in line at the grocery store. I looked at her purchases and spotted vanilla wafers and cottage cheese. I asked who it was for and she said that it was for her kids. Man oh man, I used to go goobers over nilla wafers with chocolate milk AND cottage cheese with liberal amounts of salt and pepper! well as the story of life goes.. you move on, try new foods but never forget things that you’ve enjoyed. In my odd mind, I consider foods that I haven’t eaten in a while as old friends.

The two canapes that I’m featuring here are from my past and strike up fond memories. We made the bastilla for our HOG events two season ago; and I used to make 50 orders a day of the spring rolls over 10 years ago for a restaurant I worked at..It’s as easy and comforting to make a dish from your past as it is to slip into conversation with a long forgotten chum.

Chef Stephen from HOG nation.. happy cooking!

For the recipe of the Shrimp and Lemongrass Spring Rolls (photo on the right), click here.

“Bastilla”
Chicken, Phyllo, Saffron, Ginger, Cilantro, Almonds and Cinnamon
Makes 30 bastilla

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups water
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 stick cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
¼ teaspoon fresh black pepper
3 eggs
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅔ cup chopped blanched almonds

For the Garnish
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Special Equipment
sheet pans
fine mesh strainer
parchment paper
pastry brush

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large stock pot, add the chicken, water, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon stick, ginger, black pepper and saffron. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool enough to handle. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Strain the stock, discarding solids left in the strainer, then bring it to a boil over medium heat. Lightly beat eggs and pour slowly into the stock, stirring until curds form, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, add the chicken and almonds to the stock/egg mixture.
In a small bowl, mix the white sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Remove the phyllo from its box, unwrapping the plastic and unfolding the sheets. Keep the sheets covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying out. Brush one sheet of dough with butter, then place another sheet on top of it. Lay 4 sheets one on top of the other, with butter in between each layer. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the top sheet of phyllo.
With a sharp knife, cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds and cut each length crosswise into fifths, making 15 sections, each approximately 4 x 3 ½ inches in size.
Place a level teaspoon of the filling in the center of each phyllo section. Working with one section at a time, gather the corners of the phyllo over the filling and twist them gently to create a purse-like shape. Transfer the pastries to a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake the pastries in the lower third of a preheated 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden.
Sift the powdered sugar-cinnamon mixture over the baked pastries. Serve while still warm.

Instead of a recipe, I wanted to take this time to talk about how to break down a whole fish. It’s super easy and lowers the cost when you do the work. I advise making friends with your local seafood monger and having them call when a fresh catch hits their ice beds… eat much and laugh often!

How to Fillet a Fish

1- Place the fish on a cutting-board with the head of the fish toward you. Using a thin, sharp flexible knife, cut down through the back of the head (just below the gills) and let the knife rest on the backbone. Then angle the knife flat so that it’s ready to slide down the backbone towards the tail.

2- With your non cutting hand hold the fish by the head. Run the knife all the way down the backbone using a back and forth sawing motion. As the knife runs down the backbone pull the fillet away from the body of the fish (you want to gently scrape the backbone with your knife being careful not to get stuck on the bone). Set the fillet to the side and repeat the process on the other side of the fish.

3- Cut off the belly and any fins that might be attached to the fillet. On some fish you want to remove the tail and a part of the connective bone because it can be bitter and/or tough.With your fingers and clean tweezers, feel for any pin bones and pull them out of the fillets.

So what’s the hot young gun doing these days? He’s currently head Chef of a Ritz Carlton property called Angle in Palm beach … and Man oh man his food is both thoughtful and beautiful..the Da Vinci, the Frank Lloyd Wright of modern day cuisine!! Molly and I had the opportunity to dine there last December and both of us were simply speechless after eating his tasting menu. Arctic Char with lamb belly rocked the boat BUT the big stand out for me was the slow cooked octopus. The execution was flawless and the flavor profile was subtle yet complex. Dave graciously gave me the recipe to share with all of you out there on Flavor Highway. Big thanks Dave!! Great eating your food and can’t wait for you to come home to SF and open your new space!

aloha from me and gang at H.O.G.

Dave’s Slow-Cooked Octopus with Green Tomato Sofrito and Tasso Ham
Serves 4 people

For the octopus
8 oz octopus (or 4 tentacles)
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
6 stems of fresh thyme
6 peppercorns
Pinch salt

For the sofrito
10 green tomatoes, core removed (you can use small red tomatoes if green is not available)
½ Anaheim chili or habanera, stem and seeds removed
½ red onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic
Pinch sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Salt to taste

For the frisee salad
1 small bunch frisee, end removed, torn apart with hand and washed
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, chives and tarragon)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

For the garnish
4 each Piquillo peppers (these are sweet Spanish peppers that you buy in the can)
.3 ounces Spicy Tasso Ham (You can buy Tasso ham from most specialty stores and butchers)

Instructions

For the octopus
Cover octopus with olive oil, add garlic, thyme, peppercorns and cook at 220 degrees until tender (approx 5-6 hours). When done take out and let rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving.

For the sofrito
Turn on broiler in oven to high.Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place in a cast iron skillet or pan that can take high heat.Put pan under the broiler and cook ingredients until lightly caramelized (not burnt).Puree in blender until smooth and season with salt, pepper, sugar and rice wine vinegar.

For the Frisee Salad
Toss all the ingredients in a bowl and set to the side.

For the garnish
Chop the ham into medium size pieces, sauté and cook until brown.

To Serve
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of sauce in the center of a nice plate. Place one tentacle over sauce. Place a few pieces of ham around the octopus. Place the pepper to one side of the octopus. And lastly put a small hand full of greens over top.

Here’s a nice simple dish that’s a little bit country and a little bit swing.. happy cooking from HOG!

Shrimp with Sausage, Chicken, Chili and Grits
Serves 10 people

For the shrimp broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Shells from shrimp, rinsed and dried
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
Splash dry white wine
2 quarts chicken broth, low salt

For the chicken
3 skin on chicken thighs, fat removed
2 cups wood chips, soaked in water

For the grits
2 cups chicken broth, low salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup grits
Salt and pepper

For the base
2 lbs wild shrimp, 31 to 40 per pound, peeled, veins removed and tails off (shells reserved)
1 pound, andouille sausage, diced
2 small yellow onions, medium chopped
4 stalks celery, ribbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 Anaheim chilies stem and seeds removed and medium chopped
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
½ cup green onions, chopped

Instructions

For the shrimp broth
Place one large pot on high heat. Let it get hot for a minute and then add the oil. When it starts to smoke add the shells and stir letting them “roast” for a minute or until they turn crimson red. Add the tomato paste and stir the pot coating the shells. Turn down heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and cook until liquid evaporates. Cover the shells with broth and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 45 minutes and then take off the heat. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and/or cheesecloth. Set liquid aside.

For the chicken
Light up a small hibachi grill and clean the grill bars. Drain the wood chips, place in a tinfoil cup (that you make) and set in the grill away from any direct flame. Close the grill and let the chips heat up until they start to smoke, approx 3.8 minutes. Add the chicken skin side down and let cook for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and let cook for roughly 10 minutes more. Take off of heat, let cool, and slice.

For the grits
Combine the stock, milk and cream in the medium pot and bring to an easy boil. Whisk in the grits and turn down the heat to a simmer. Slowly cook the grits (20 minutes) while stirring constantly. If they still seem grainy at the end then add more liquid and continue cooking until they are firm and creamy.

For the base
Place another large pot on medium heat and add the sausage. Cook until somewhat crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel; leave fat in the pot. Add the next four ingredients. Stir and let cook for about 30 minutes. Cook slow and low allowing some of the natural sugars to develop, then add the tomatoes.Pour shrimp broth over base to cover and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add sausage, chicken and shrimp. Stir the pot, cover and turn off the heat.*you don’t want to cook the shrimp for too long!

To Serve
Spoon some grits into a bowl and ladle some of the goodness over top. Serve with the green onion on the side for a condiment.

You usually have three types of cooks…cooks that are good at making desserts, ones that are not good at making desserts and those who can pull off a nice dessert from time to time, but nothing too difficult mind you….and I’m in definitely in that category! I LOVE components of desserts; like sauces, custards and fresh fruit but am not at all thrilled when I have to make a dough or cake. With savory cooking you can usually put it into 5th gear and get great results.. with MOST desserts you can not… a great pastry chef has the mind of a scientist and the touch of someone who works with plutonium (soft and quiet).. and brother, that ain’t me!

So, to start the new year off nice and sweet I thought I’d share one of my favorite EASY desserts that requires nothing more than a trip to the farmers market, a little melted sugar and a schmear of mildly sweet cheese.

I tripped on this dish when I was running the lounge for Virgin Atlantic Club House way back when. Originally, I used baby apples but since have used these magnificent Forelle pears that have an amazing pear flavor and are the perfect size for a single serving. They originally came from Germany and translated means “trout” due to their bright red and yellow colors.

Happy roasting!

Roast Forelle Pears with Salted Caramel and Mascarpone
Serves 10 people

For the pears
10 forelle pears, washed
Juice of one lemon
2 turns of fresh nutmeg
1 pound mascarpone cheese

For the caramel
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons orange juice (or 3 tablespoons whiskey *optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees and place pan in oven

For the pears
Toss with lemon and nutmeg. Roast in hot skillet for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the skin starts to bubble and turn brown. Take out of skillet and let cool a tinge.

For the caramel
Combine water and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Let mixture boil gently, without stirring! It will take about 10 minutes for a light amber color to start showing. As sugar darkens in color it is okay to swirl the pan, but do not use any utensils to stir the sugar. If crystals form on the side of the pan, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pan. When sugar is the desired caramel color, remove pan from heat and add salt and the OJ (whiskey). The mixture will boil vigorously. When it calms down add the cream and stir. Return to the heat and stir the sauce with a spoon. It will thicken a bit more and get slightly darker, and then it is done.

To Serve
On the base of a plate schmear a heaping tablespoon of mascarpone. Lay a pear directly on top and then ladle the slightly burnt salted caramel over top. Yum!

Below is Edna’s recipe. On New Years Day, we ate some with jam and clotted cream and others with grilled ham with stone ground mustard. Since grilling ham is a no-brainer, I thought I’d share the biscuit recipe along with some fun and easy jam. The clotted cream simply added to the decadence factor (and waistline). Oh heck, that’s what resolutions are made for. (Clotted cream can now be found at most specialty grocery stores or check with a cheese shop.)

Before I get the book thrown at me for using blueberries and blackberries in winter, I have to tell you that I was in Florida when I made the biscuits. The berries were from South America, the figs were from California and Florida tomatoes were in season. And no, I don’t like marmalade! nuff said..

Edna’s Biscuits with Fig Berry Jam and Clotted Cream
Makes 20-25 biscuits

For the biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 generous tablespoon single-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lard, cut in pieces
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing tops

For the jam
1 basket of fresh figs, tops removed and cut in half
1 pint blueberries*taste the berries to make sure that they are sweet
1 pint blackberries *taste the berries to make sure that they are not too tart
Juice of one lemon
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ pound clotted cream To schmear on biscuit

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees

For the jam
Simply add all the ingredients to a heavy stainless sauce pot and cook over medium low heat until thick and jammy. *Make sure you stir the pot frequently as the sugars can easily burn.

For the biscuits
Measure flour and sift with the baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the lard pieces and work gently into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until all is mixed together and the texture is fine and crumbly. Stir in the buttermilk with a spoon until well-mixed. (Do not overbeat or you’ll toughen the dough.) On a lightly floured board, turn out the dough and knead gently with your hands for about 2 minutes. Roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/2-inch thickness.
Using a 2-inch cutter, cut out the biscuits. Do not twist as you bring the cutter through the dough. Place about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Poke through each biscuit several times with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until risen and golden. Serve immediately with butter or preserves.

To Serve
Slather jam on the bottom and clotted cream on the top