Holiday Favourites with the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

 

One of my fondest Christmas memories takes me back to a Christmas Eve dinner I was invited to share with Italian friends.  I never refuse an invitation that gives me an opportunity to share cultural traditions that are foreign to me.  I was invited to a Feast of the Seven Fishes, the typical meatless meal served by many Christian cultures.  I was fascinated - by the symbolism of the seven sacraments and also the care with which this fish and seafood dinner is prepared and presented.

Cioppino is a wonderful seafood dish often associated with San Francisco and has as many variations as it does cooks who prepare it. Dead simple to make, cioppino is both impressive and delicious and needs only a slice of good sourdough bread to help sop up the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup prechopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

• 8 ounces sea scallops
• 8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to pan; sauté for 2 minutes. Add mussels, scallops, and shrimp to pan; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup clam juice, parsley, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mussels open, and discard any unopened shells.

Pimenton

A chef is a most interesting breed indeed.  You simply engage a chef in a conversation and you get an outpouring of passion that's unmistakable.  This shot of Chef Jose Arato has passion written all over it - it's unmistakable.  Chef Jose is the driving force of Pimenton (the name is Spanish paprika), a gourmet and specialty Spanish and Mediterranean food store.  Also offered are classes in one of Jose's specialties - Spanish Paella.


I'd been wanting to take this class for quite a while and finally all the stars were aligned and I attended a class in the Art of Making Spanish Paella.  This dish is not so intuitive; there's a process to making an incredible paella.  


I expected to learn something.  That was my only expectation.  What I got was a full package.  When I arrived, I was greeted by a very warm and hospitable man in a green and red chef's garb.  At first I thought - Oh..it's Santa Clause, but then I figured out that the colours are a theme of the colours of peppers.    Jose (as he's preferred to be called; as opposed to Chef) had a full table of appetizers ready for us;

We learned about the different sizes of paella pans; the configuration and the importance of having even heat when cooking your paella.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped coarsely
Pinch saffron, infused
4 chicken breasts cut up
2 squid, cleaned, cut into rings
16 small clams, soaked to remove sand
16 shrimp, shelled and deveined
Spanish Oil as needed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
Sofrito * see recipe below
3 cups Bomba rice
6 1/2 cup Chicken or Fish broth, hot
1 tablespoon salt (or more as needed)
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 lemon
2 sweet roasted red peppers
2 dozen mussels, steamed
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Place 1/2 cup of stock in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, and add the saffron and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. This step is only necessary if your saffron is not dried enough.

2. In a mortar and pestle or small food processor, mash the garlic, parsley and some course salt to a paste. Set aside

3. Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in a paella pan and add the shrimp. Cook briefly and then add the clams and squid. Remove from paella pan. Add more oil if necessary, as dry paella can result if there isn't enough oil. Add the onions, pepper and when these are soft but not brown. It’s time to add the sofrito, and the garlic/parsley & saffron mixtures. Add enough stock to come up the rivets of the paella pan. Bring to a boil. Squeeze the lemon and season the paella at this point.

I asked about the rice used for paella and was quickly met with the answer "Bomba rice is the ONLY rice for good paella".  The reason - this rice, grown without pesticides absorbs 30% more of the broth while having a lower starch content.

Just before adding the rice, chef seasoned the paella with a goodly amount of salt.  It's what makes the flavour pop.  This is probably the one area we didn't agree on.  The amount of sodium can be a killer and my preference would be to use a whole lot less salt.  I found the flavour as rich before the addition of salt.

Add the rice in one line and then stir to mix with the stock. Allow to boil hard for 8 minutes.

Boil overs are part of cooking, right?  Jose seems totally unaffected and takes it all in good humour.

4. After 8 minutes, add the green beans, peas and nestle the shrimp on top. DO NOT STIR, as this releases the starch in the rice. Continue cooking at a high roll for another 2-3 minutes or until the rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue to cook the rice. Now, turn the heat to low. Place the mussels on the top of the rice and arrange strips of roasted red peppers on top of paella. If your paella bottom does not fit properly on the stove burner, continue cooking in a pre-heated 350F oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when the rice still looks a bit wet. Cover with foil and let the paella rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley and serve from paella pan.

Sofrito (an aromatic tomato based sauce that forms the base of many Spanish dishes)

1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil; add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry gently until fragrant, about 6 minutes.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt. Cook at medium heat until some of the liquids has evaporated. Blend with a hand blender. Freezes well.

The sofrito base, along with the infused saffron and lemon take this dish to a whole new level of taste.

How Gorgeous is This???

   

and lets not forget about this delicious gluten free almond cake.  The dessert was for sure above and beyond but absolutely appreciated.  Chef Jose began his culinary journey as a pastry chef and he certainly keeps himself in shape.  This was the second pastry I've tasted from Pimenton.  So good and I wouldn't think about picking up one of his cakes or pies, particularly for those with special food needs.

When not running Pimenton, you can find Jose cooking at Evergreen Brick Works Farmer's Market , catering large and small events and participating in community events.  You can see the joy of feeding people on his face.  This has to be a labour of love; why else would you get up at the crack of dawn, cook and bake in the shop all day, teach a class at night until 10 or 11 p.m. and then cater  and attend events on weekends.  Only a labour of love could motivate one to work so many hours and still keep that warmth and humour alive.

If you're in the Toronto area and are looking for fine specialty foods, a good caterer or a really fun Paella cooking class - give Chef Jose a call.  You'll walk away having learned something new and feeling like you got your money's worth.

Thai Seafood Salad for Canada Day and the Cooking Light Supper Club

HAPPY CANADA DAY

Canada Day, also known as Canada's Birthday is known as a day of celebration by Canadians at home and abroad.  Equally as significant on this day is the Oath of Citizenship ceremony that takes place welcoming immigrants as new Canadians (officially).  I was once one who took that oath and feel very proud to be called a Canadian.  A country of diversity, what could be more appropriate to prepare than an ethnic dish that speaks to an immigrant group that has brought us their culture and their cuisine.

My contribution to the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is a Thai Seafood Salad.  All the elements of typical Thai cuisine come through in this dish with a depth of texture that makes my mouth extremely happy.

• 1/4 cup water
• 8 ounces sea scallops
• 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
• 1 cup red bell pepper strips
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 8 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced (I omitted this)
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Bring 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a large skillet. Add scallops to pan; cover and cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove scallops from pan with a slotted spoon; pat scallops dry with paper towels. Place scallops in a large bowl. Add shrimp to simmering water in pan; cover and cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain well; add to scallops.

2. While scallops and shrimp cook, combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chile paste; stir to dissolve sugar.

3. Add juice mixture, bell pepper, and remaining ingredients to scallop mixture; toss gently to combine.

What are the others in the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club doing?

Val from More Than Burnt Toast made a salad of Marinated Mozzarella and Pepper (like the red and white theme going on here)

Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch with a main of Lobster Rolls

Sandi from The Whistlestop Cafe Cooking made Grilled Zucchini with Caprese Salad.

Helene of  La Cuisine Helene.com/ made Fresh Squeezed Limonade

Jerry from  Jerry's Thoughts Musings and Rants  brought Strawberry Parfaits for dessert.

I'd say we've got quite the picnic - wouldn't you?

Maple Grilled Jumbo Shrimp

Dinner parties are generally when we like to wow with an appetizer that intrigues people enough to think about what's coming next. Sometimes one can get a little carried away with the appetizer and find out that it could have been a complete meal in itself.

A friend's birthday party is cause for celebration. This particular friend was turning a big number and we wanted him to feel particularly special on his big day. We picked up some jumbo shrimp. We should have known right? The mere size of these jumbo shrimp could be a full meal. I guess I'm not great at reading the signs.

6 jumbo shrimp
1 8 oz package smoked salmon
1 cup maple syrup



Step 2: Take the individual strips from a small package of smoked salmon and soak them in maple syrup. Use as flavourful a maple syrup as possible.





Step 3: Wrap the shrimp with the soaked smoked salmon



Step 4: Grill shrimp approximately 3-5 minutes per side and serve



Verdict: I initially didn't believe this would be as tasty as it is and that for a second, I was mistaking the smoked salmon for bacon.

Eating Out in San Francisco

My favourite trips are ones where we have access to kitchen facilities.  That's a big part of the reason why we often opt to stay in hostels.  

There's part of me that feels that, as a food blogger (and someone that enjoys food, in general), I should be exploring as many restaurants as possible while travelling.  But, the truth is that I generally prefer cooking my own food.  Without fail, my most memorable meals are ones that use simple, fresh ingredients.

Case in point.  Let me start with my favourite meal while travelling in San Francisco.

This meal was actually from a small cafe in Sausalito.  We took a day trip to Muir Woods, to see some massive Redwoods.  On the way back, we had about an hour in Sausalito to explore.  We didn't know where to go to eat, but took our chances on the Sausalito Bakery & Cafe.

Fresh fruit, fresh Greek salad and a blueberry bread pudding that is to die for!  I think I need to add bread pudding to my list of recipes to try.   

This is the stuff that long-lasting cravings are made of.

I also really enjoyed San Francisco Fish Company's fish and chips at the Ferry Building.  Maybe I'm easily impressed, but I've never been served take out fish and chips with both tartar and fish sauce.  Not to mention that the fish was really fresh.  I'll vote this meal as my 2nd favourite.     

Continuing on, my third favourite meal came from The Grove on Mission Street.  We went for an early breakfast and both liked our food and the energy in the tree-filled space.

I enjoyed my meal at the Sears Fine Food, a San Francisco institution.  It was about as enjoyable as the meal at the Grove.  But, a bill for breakfast that was somewhere in the neighbourhood of $45.00 somehow affects the taste left my mouth.

I don't think they're hurting for customers, though.  This is the lineup out the door as we were leaving the restaurant:

I had the french toast, which was pretty standard.  I wish it included more strawberries on the side.  I think I had 2-3 little bits of strawberry/slice.  

I thought it was pretty funny that when I asked about the extra cost for syrup, the waitress explained that that's just for maple syrup.  She explained that syrup comes with the french toast and that it tastes totally fine and that it's not necessary to get the maple syrup, unless your from Canada.  I didn't know we were so particular about our syrup.     

R got Sears' World Famous 18 Swedish pancakes.    

I was a bit worried that these pancakes might, each, end up being the size of the plate.  But, the proportions turned out to be reasonable, given the number. 

Boudin is a prominent fixture in Fisherman's Wharf.  They have quite the operation going there.  Between a takeaway counter, specialty food shop area, bakery and full service restaurant, it's the kind of place you have to visit at least once.

They're known for their sourdough bread.  I thought it was quite cool to watch the baskets of bread travel around the store.

You can also spend some time watching the bakers making various shaped bread creations.

We also went for dinner at Bistro Boudin, a full service restaurant.  The service was very good, but the meal was mixed.  I order Angel Hair Pasta with Grilled Shrimp.  The menu indicated that it included vine-ripened tomato arrabiatta and garlic.  I liked the tomato sauce.  But it lacked the spiciness you would expect of an arrabiatta sauce.  I also wasn't keen on the spice on the shrimp.  It tasted like a cajun seasoning, which didn't really work with a simple tomato sauce.  After donating my shrimp to R and adding chilli peppers to the tomato sauce, I was content.

R ordered the Sourdough Gnocchi Al Pesto with Lobster.  I didn't really see the appeal in what appears to be a fried chive topping.  R enjoyed his meal, but was quite happy to be given half of my meal because he was still hungry after finishing his.

Near the end of our trip, we were getting tired.  It was raining for two days straight and I really didn't want to figure out three meals a day anymore.  We decided to just go out and find a place to eat, which was a mistake because we ended up getting soaked while walking to the Ferry Building.  We ended up going to Gott's Roadside

I got a grilled cheese sandwich, which is something I've never ordered at a restaurant before.  R is an expert grilled-cheese sandwich maker, so I haven't felt the need to order it elsewhere.  In general, the food was okay.  But, combined with being tired and wet, I just wanted to get back to the hotel, take a warm shower and go to bed.

I had the highest hopes for what turned out to be my least favourite restaurant experience.  Our friends raved about Fang Restaurant before we left for San Francisco.  So, we were eager to the try the place.  We made a reservation for 7:15 and showed up at that time.  We waited for 40 minutes for a table to become available.  I felt like I was in combination of Seinfeld episodes.  What is the point of taking reservations if you can't keep the reservation?

We also knew to expect the owner to come by and inquire about whether we had been at the restaurant before.  Since we hadn't, we knew there was a good chance that the owner would just say "ok, I'll take care of you."  I was pretty leery about this because I had a couple of dishes in mind, but Mr. Fang was gone before I could say anything.

The first dish, which was a pork sandwich, was decent.  But, not something I would have ordered.

The other dishes, a crunchy rice, creamy lobster soup and white fish were dishes that I would never order and didn't enjoy.  But, I guess what annoyed me more than anything is that I had to ask for a glass of water 5 times before someone actually brought one.  The last request was more of a minor freak out where I basically said, "what does a person need to do to get water in here?"  I know, not the best version of me...but I was hungry, disappointed with the food, still adjusting to a time difference (and hence eating at what seemed like 11:30pm) and very thirsty.

I would not go back to this restaurant.

Aside from eating out, we generally picked up food at grocery stores.  We quickly learned that having store membership cards can make a big difference in the price of the products.  This led to kind of an awkward, "we are the worst liars ever" situation.

Basically, we overheard a customer telling other tourists was his Safeway card number was.  When we went to check out, we said we have a membership, but didn't have our card.  So, the cashier said, "just enter your phone number into the typepad."

WHAT?  A phone number?  This was not part of our deception plan.  We explained that we just want to give our Safeway number.  She repeated that we should just enter our phone number.  I'm thinking "LOOK --- I don't know this guy's phone number, I just know his Safeway number."  She could tell we were utterly confused, so she explained that our phone number IS our Safeway number.

Oh...yes...of course.  What was I thinking.

The best part is when the cashier starting calling R this other guy's name: Thor.

Stay tuned for another San Francisco post sharing some of the sites we visited.