Spring Pea Green Curry with Black Cod and Strawberry – Channeling My Inner Spa Chef

I’ve always loved green curries, but until a recent visit to Al’s Place, I’d never thought of using fresh, sweet peas as the base. It was amazing, and after only a few bites I knew I'd steal this idea and make it my own. Sorry, Al.

Their version featured pickled strawberries, but I decided to try a different approach, and used diced, fresh berries instead. I didn’t use any palm sugar or coconut milk, so the sweetness they provided paired perfectly with the brightly seasoned sauce.

As I mentioned in the video, I used a jarred curry paste, Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, to be exact, and it works just fine. It contains green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, shallot, pepper, coriander, cumin, and kaffir lime, which is pretty much what you’d grind up to make a fresh green curry.

Next time I’ll make the paste from scratch just to see how much better it is, but I have to admit, the trade-off in time and effort is pretty attractive. Speaking of attractive, this lovely bowl of spring goodness sure would look good on your table, so I hope you give this spring pea green curry a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 appetizer-sized portions:

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons green curry paste, plus more to taste

2 cups chicken broth

1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas, snow peas, or English peas

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 pound boneless black cod (aka butterfish or sablefish), but into eight 2-oz pieces, skin scored 1/8^th inch deep

4 tablespoons diced strawberry

2 teaspoons mint chiffonade

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Tonnato Sauce – Not Just for Cold Veal Anymore

Some things sound really amazing the first time you hear about them, and other things, like this tonnato sauce, really don’t. I was probably in my early twenties when this first appeared on my culinary radar as, “vitello tonnato.” At the time, a plate of cold, thinly-sliced poached veal dressed with a chilled, runny tuna sauce didn’t make a lot of sense, but I tried it anyway, and have been a fan ever since.

I don’t often serve it with the traditional veal, as in never, but ironically that’s the only thing I don’t serve it with. It’s tremendous as a spread, and equally impressive as an all-purpose, all-world dip. You can also turn any basic potato salad into the stuff of legends...well, at least picnic legends.

I have to give credit where credit's due, and admit I stole the idea for my "tonnato tartare tartine" from one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants, Bar Tartine. They do it much better, but even my primitive version was incredible, so if you're into that kind of thing, I highly recommend it.

As I said in the clip, there are only a few ingredients, and they're all “to taste,” so you should expect to adjust. I like mine with lots of everything, plus some garlic and cayenne, but that’s just me. By the way, in keeping with the spirit of the original dish, if you do happen to have some cold, leftover roast chicken, turkey, or pork, slice it thin, and slather this stuff all over it, and enjoy one of the best cold plates ever. I really hope you give this tonnato sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups tonnato sauce:

1 (7-ounce) jar olive oil-packed tuna, plus reserved olive oil

6 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets

2 tablespoons capers, drained

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

For the spring vegetable topping:
equal parts shaved raw carrot and thinly sliced raw sugar snap peas or snow peas, tossed with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves.

For the raw beef topping:
ice cold diced lean beef (I used eye of round), tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves.

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Next Up: Tuna Smoothie

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Chicken Tinola with Zucchini

Here is another ingredient you can add when you want to cook Chicken Tinola.  This time it is not the usual Chicken Tinola with Papaya and Malunggay Leaves, I replaced Green Papaya and Malunggay Leaves with Zucchini.  (Here is a link to learn more about Zucchinis).

Here are the Ingredients:

* 1 chicken (1/2 Kg) 

* 5 pieces of Zucchini, these are the light green ones 

* 1 medium onion cut in slice 

* 4 cloves garlic, crushed 

* 2 tbsp. ginger strips 

* 2 tbsp. of Fish Sauce

* 2 green chili's, these are not that hot though

* Few leaves of Onion leaves (a personal favorite) 

Cooking Procedures: 

- Clean and cut chicken into small serving pieces. 

- Saute' garlic and ginger until light brown. Add onion. 

- Then, add chicken. Stir for 3 minutes or until it's almost tender, pour in the fish sauce.    Cook for another 3 minutes. Cover and let simmer. 

- When chicken is almost cooked, add Zucchini and Chili's. 

- Cover and simmer until chicken it's cooked. 

- Lastly, turn the cooker off then add Onion leaves.  You do not want the onion leaves to be very soft.



Voila!  It is ready to serve.



Now, please follow my page and share it on your wall status.  It won't hurt :-)



FB Page Link: https://www.facebook.com/FilipinoFoodRecipe

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Chef John is on Vacation

Just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be on vacation this week. I'm looking forward to a great Spring break, where I plan on doing absolutely nothing. 

We’ll continue to publish your comments and questions, but fortunately I won’t be around to respond to them, so that means you’ll have to rely on your fellow foodwishers for the answers. I’m sure everything will be fine. Thank you, and we’ll see you next week!

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Spelt Pizza – Read All About It

I could go into detail about all the great reasons you should maybe consider including some organic sprouted spelt flour in your pantry, but since I’m just about to head out for a little Easter break, it would be a lot easier for me if you could just Google it. 

Very briefly, this “ancient grain” is related to modern wheat, but it’s actually an entirely different species. From what I hear, it's easier to digest, higher in protein and fiber, and to me at least, has a much better flavor and texture than other whole-wheat flours.

Besides the simple and effective dough recipe, I’m also showing off a cast-iron pan technique that does a heck of a job getting the same type of browned, crispy crust you enjoy at your favorite pizzeria. Just keep it on the flame until the bottom starts to brown, and then finish in a hot oven, and/or under a broiler until your toppings are done.  

If you make it ahead, simply take it out of the fridge a few hours before you want pizza, and let it warm up on the counter. It actually gets an even better texture. I hope you give this delicious alternative a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 eight-inch pizzas:

1 package dry active yeast

2 teaspoons honey

1 cup warm water (105 degrees F)

about 3 cups organic sprouted spelt flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

toppings of your choice

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Snail-less-cargo – April Fools?

In case you’re wondering if I thought of the name first, and then developed the recipe, I think we both know the answer to that question. That said, I really thought I could pull it off.

The old cliché when it comes escargot is that it’s really just an excuse to eat garlic butter, and that the snail is just some sort of flavorless delivery system. Turns out that’s not the case. This suffered from a lack of meaty earthiness the escargot provides.

Like I said in video, if I make this again, I will caramelize the mushrooms in a pan, which I’m sure would help.  Or, maybe I’ll just use snails. Speaking of which, feel free to use this exact technique with actual escargot, as everything other than the mushroom was spot on. You can find those online, along with the other special items you’ll need, such as the shells, the pan, the tongs, and the forks.

So, whether you use mushrooms or snails, and please don’t use mushrooms, I really hope you give this classic French appetizer a try soon. No joke. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 40 shells:

20 large brown mushrooms, halved

3 cups water

few pieces of nori seaweed

1 teaspoon miso

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt to taste
40 extra-large escargot shells

For the butter:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

4-6 cloves finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 or 2 teaspoons Pernod

- Bake at 450 F. for 10-12 minutes

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