In my kitchen at home a different transformation begins to take place and it all starts with the ‘PANTRY’.  As the end of the summer approached I began home canning of tomatoes, peppers, fruits and vegetables to use as staples during the winter months ahead.  The shelves in my pantry once lined with a bounty of canned goods now looks barren and in desperate needs of rejuvenation that will allow me to take advantage of the new fruits, vegetable and other produce finding their way to local markets.

A well-stocked pantry is essential for saving time in the kitchen and allows for inspiration and depth of new dishes.  There are certainly the basics that always should be on hand; these are the items that should be considered the foundation or building blocks of your cooking repertoire.  Here is my list of important ingredients that must always be on hand:

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil for the Pantry

1.    Oils are one of the items where you just can’t get away with one style.  I am a firm believer there is a reason for a couple different types in the pantry.  First a quality extra-virgin olive oil to fulfill all your day to day cooking needs.  Next a high quality unfiltered extra-virgin olive to be used for finishing dishes with a burst of flavor.
2.    Salt is on of those items you just can’t do without.  Sea salt or Gray salt container is always full right next to the stove.  Today’s marketplace there seems to be an endless supply of flavored salts, citrus and savory such as roasted garlic make for great secret ingredients to a dish.
3.    You know the old saying, “Man can not live on bread alone”, agreed that’s why I always have a battery of dried pastas on the shelf.  You can never go wrong with a bowl of pasta, extra-virgin olive oil and garlic or Italian chilies.
4.    Home canned tomatoes are something that I make more and more of each year as the end of the summer draws near.  Their diversity in recipe never ceases to amaze me and these are always a great gift to family and friends.
5.    Balsamic vinegar is another one of those where having one just won’t do. I keep any everyday high quality balsamic to use for dressings, marinades and seasoning dishes.  The other is a Traditional Aceto Balsamico that has been aged for no less than twelve years.  This has syrup like consistency and is wonderful final addition to bruschetta, risotto, soups and even ice cream.
6.    Fresh herbs are a must in any kitchen.  My favorites to keep on hand are thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano.
7.    Parmiggiano-Reggiano is a gift from the culinary gods.  It is the essential finishing ingredient to pasta, antipasto, soups and risotto.  Even just by itself the salty, nutty flavor never fails to deliver a smile.
8.    Prosciutto and Pancetta are a couple essential charcuteries you should not be without.  The diversity of these two items seems to be endless.  Starting with antipasto or foundation for soups or pastas they always deliver that great extra layer of flavor.

It is time for everyone to take one of your weekend days and wipe the dust off the shelves in your pantry, make a trip to your favorite grocery or specialty food store and go crazy buying to fill the shelves at home.  It is time to shake off the winter blues and get inspired and excited about food!

Grazie mille,

Michael

Chanterelles

The fall and winter months of the year around SF bay area provide for ideal conditions necessary to stimulate mushroom growth.  Rain, cooler temperatures and a few days of sunshine added to the mix set the foundation for explosion and abundance that we look forward to each year.  I enjoyed the day catching up with old friends, talking food and wine – but of course and by the end of the day we had collected almost 40 pounds of Chanterelles.  I remembered on the way home there was one last piece of home-made pancetta stashed in the back of the refrigerator and new supply of Pappardelle in the pantry.  With that being said, I would like to share this recipe with you…

PAPPARDELLE with CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS and VOLPI PANCETTA

Ingredients:

1 pound       Chanterelle Mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thickness
½ pound     Volpi Pancetta
1 small          Onion, julienne sliced
2 tsp              Garlic, fresh minced
½ cup           Chicken or Vegetable Stock
2 Tbsp           Butter, unsalted
3 Tbsp           Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp              Thyme, fresh chopped
To taste        Sea Salt
To taste        Black Pepper, fresh ground
¾ – 1 cup     Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1 Tbsp           Italian parsley, fresh chopped fine

1 pound       Pappardelle pasta

Method:

Fill a large sauce pot with water, cover and place over high heat.  Bring to a rolling boil, add salt and follow manufacturer’s directions for cooking pasta.  Time the pasta cooking with finishing the sauce so all is ready at the same time.  Reserve 1 cups of pasta water to finish dish.  Chef note:  Cooking “al dente” is always preferred cooking method of pasta.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat; add 2 teaspoons olive oil and Volpi pancetta.  Cook slowly to render fat from pancetta and allow to caramelize.  Remove for pan and place on paper towel to drain.  Approximate 8 -1 minutes cooking time.

Place the same sauté pan used for pancetta over high heat.  Add remaining olive oil and allow pan to get hot.  Add mushrooms to pan only enough to create a single layer.  Toss once, then LET SIT – this will allow proper cooking and caramelizing of the mushrooms.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.  As mushrooms cook and shrink their size, the remaining mushrooms may be added to the pan.  Approximately 8-10 minutes cooking time.

Once all mushrooms are caramelized, add onion cooking until translucent and soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic cook for 1 minute.  Add thyme to sauté pan, and cooked pancetta.  Toss to mix well.  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Use the reserved pasta water to maintain proper sauce consistency.  Reduce heat to low, add butter to sauté pan and incorporate to finish sauce.

Add the Pappardelle to the sauté pan, toss to incorporate.  Divide evenly between serving plates.  Garnish with Italian parsley and Parmesan Cheese.

Serves 4 – 6

Slow Roasted Pork Oven Ready

Besides the fact this is one of my favorite dishes on the planet, a home filled with the aromas of slowly roasted pork and caramelized root vegetables never fails to bring a smile to everyone’s face.  That being said, this is one of those MUST make recipes I am happy to pass along – Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 -5 pounds       Pork Shoulder
2 pounds            Pork Bones
6 each                  Sweet Onions, large (1/4 inch julienne cut)
8 ribs                   Celery (1/4 inch bias cut)
6 ea                      Carrots, large (peeled, ¼ inch bias cut)
5 sprigs              Rosemary, fresh (whole stem)
7 sprigs             Thyme, fresh (whole stem)
1 bulb                 Garlic, fresh (cut in half, crosswise separate cloves)
1 qt.                    Vegetable or Chicken broth
4 Tbs.                 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To taste             Sea Salt
To taste           Black Pepper, fresh ground

Method:
Bring pork to room temperature by removing it from refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.  Preheat the oven to 225° F.
Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium and cook until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove caramelized onions from roasting pan and place on half sheet pan to cool.  Add two tablespoons olive oil to roasting pan, place over medium high heat until hot.  Add the pork bones, and cook until they are caramelized, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Add the carrots and celery, stir to mix well.  Cook until the carrots and celery are caramelized, light golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.  Stir this mixture during the cooking process.  Once vegetables are golden brown, add one quart of broth, bring to a simmer and turn off heat. Add 50% of the caramelized onions, garlic bulb / cloves, remaining sprigs of rosemary and thyme.

Prepped pan for Slow Roasted Pork

While the pork bones and vegetable are cooking, the pork shoulder needs preparation.  Peel back the top third of the pork shoulder where it naturally separates from the bone.  Keep top flap attached and fold backwards.  Season both sides of the shoulder with sea salt and black pepper.  Place 30% of the caramelized onions on the bottom portion of the pork shoulder.  Add two sprigs of rosemary and three sprigs of thyme.  Fold the top flap of the pork shoulder back to cover onions.  Once the roasting pan cooking steps are completed, transfer pork shoulder to pan resting on top of pork bones and caramelized vegetables.  Place the remaining caramelized onions on top of the pork shoulder and spread evenly to cover.

Caramelized Onions for Pork Shoulder

Place in preheated oven and allow cooking for 10 – 12 hours until the meat is very tender.  The meat will be ‘fork tender’ and easily pull apart when it is ready.  Due to the slow and lengthy cooking time, I like to start first thing in the morning to time perfectly with dinner hour.

Chef note – If there is a concern with leaving the oven on all day, this dish works well in slow cooker.
Serves: 6 – 8

My first adventure into this world happened just over a month ago when family and friends made the trip to Napa, CA for a long weekend.  The first notable ‘food truck’ here in Napa, CA is actually an upgraded and refurbished Air-stream trailer which is now known as – Dim Sum Charlie’s.  It rests in the owner’s back yard, near the train tracks and a couple blocks away from downtown.  It has developed a small cult following with locals and word on the street draws in tourists visiting downtown Napa and the Oxbow Marketplace.

Full House at Dim Sum Charlie's

This excitement in the food business has stirred up more than a handful of entrepreneurs and restaurateurs that are jumping on-board of this fast moving trend.  For example, the first Friday of each month there is now a gathering of food trucks creating a street fair atmosphere that draws easily 300 people for the evening’s food and wine social hour – simply known as Food Truck Friday.  This month 10 food trucks in all ranging from BBQ, Artisan Pizzas, Cupcakes, Burgers, Rotisserie Chicken, Hot Dogs, Salads and even a recently famous food truck ‘Spencer on the Go’ from San Francisco who appeared on Food Networks – The Great Food Truck Race.

Thanks to social media all of the food trucks communicate via twitter, facebook and You Tube to keep loyal followers in the loop as to the daily menus and locations, sign up for email and menus arrive each day.  In these food trucks you find great dynamics between husbands and wives, friends and families each bringing their own character, flair for food and enthusiasm that deliver great moments and memories.

Flying Pig

As for me, next month I’m traveling to Boulder Colorado to visit a company that builds mobile wood fired pizza ovens.  I am planning on helping a very good friend who happens to be my brother in-law get setup and broaden the reach of his restaurant with our own rolling kitchen.  I’ll be sure to take plenty of pictures and write about my experience so keep an eye out for my follow up in mid February.

It is just about lunchtime and time for a little research and development work, so I’m off to visit the new pizza wagon and try their – Burrata, Wild Arugula and Prosciutto.  Time to find a food truck in your home town…..

Ciao,

Michael

In the recent SF Chronicle food section, the ‘Taster’s Choice’ column selected pancetta for the panel to evaluate.  Of course this peaked my interest and I was even more excited to see one of the chosen brands evaluated was produced by Volpi.

Here’s what they had to say….
With holiday cooking in full swing, we thought it would be a good time to explore the world of pancetta. Similar to American bacon, but usually unsmoked, pancetta – or more precisely, its rendered fat – is mostly used to lend a potent, porky flavor to all sorts of savory dishes.
The Taster’s Choice panelists tasted seven brands of packaged pancetta. Two were already diced; five came sliced thin and rolled – we cut these into small strips.
All were cooked on a stovetop until they reached roughly the same level of color and crispiness. We also reserved the resulting oil so that our panelists could see how much fat was rendered.
In the top spot was Volpi ($4.99 for 4 ounces at Mollie Stone’s). This pancetta had an “excellent pork flavor” and a “great balance of meat, salt and fat.” It was “crispy,” “chewy” and “full-flavored,” though a few panelists thought it was too salty. Three would buy this brand, while two might.
Second place went to Columbus ($5.99 for 3 ounces at Cala Foods). Showing “nice pork-y overtones,” this “very lean” pancetta was “crispy, but not distinctive.” “Tastes like bacon, with a stale finish,” said one panelist. A second noticed a “slight oxidized note.” Three would buy and two would not.
La Quercia ($8.99 for 3 ounces at Mollie Stone’s) took third with its “very crispy and salty” pieces. But its “faint herbal flavor” threw some panelists off. “A bit too much rosemary,” said one, while another noted that the herb was “overwhelming other flavors.” Three would buy, one might, and one would not.
Citterio ($2.99 for 4 ounces at Trader Joe’s) finished fourth. The only diced pancetta to crack the top five, this brand suffered from a “lack of flavor” and a “flat, porky aftertaste.” Some found the pre-cubed bits to be “a bit too chewy,” while others liked the “nice bite” it provided. One taster would buy this brand, two might and two would not.
Rounding out the top five was Wellshire ($4.99 for 6 ounces at Whole Foods). This brand “looks like cooked ham” and “tastes like bacon – in this case, not a good thing.” The pancetta had only a “vague meat flavor” and “tastes mostly of salt.” One would buy, one might and three would not.
Pancetta
Volpi 76
Columbus 70
La Quercia 65
Citterio 59
Wellshire 49
Primo Taglio 33
Fiorucci . 20
Panelists were John Carroll, cookbook author, San Francisco; Marc Halperin, culinary director, Center for Culinary Development, San Francisco; Shelley Handler, consultant, San Francisco; Rosemary Mark, recipe developer, Walnut Creek; and Roland Passot, chef-owner of La Folie in San Francisco and three Left Banks. All products are tasted blind; a perfect score would be 100. Prices listed are the lowest found, but products may be available at other stores.
Janny Hu is a Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at jhu@sfchronicle.com.

This past weekends Crab fest was a huge success on many accounts, first providing the opportunity to gather with old friends and catch up on the year that will soon be behind us.  New faces to the group allow for the circle of friends to grow just a little bigger, the chance for new stories of family traditions celebrated during the holidays to be heard.

During our ‘Crab Fest’ each of us contributed to the menu and offered up personal favorite recipes to prepare and enjoy fresh Dungeness crab.  A few that highlighted the menu and created the biggest buzz:  Crab Louie Salad, Black Bean Miso and Ginger Crab, Old Bay Boiled Crab with Remoulade Sauce and Oven Roasted Crab with Volpi Calabrese Salame.

While each dish delivered simplicity and focused on the hero ingredient – Dungeness crab, the favorite of the crowd this year hands down was the ‘Oven Roasted’ dish.  That being said, here is the recipe that won us over.

Oven Roasted Dungeness Crab Volpi Salame

OVEN ROASTED DUNGENESS CRAB with VOLPI CALABRESE SALAME

Ingredients:

3 Dungeness crabs, about 1 ½ – 2 pounds each, cleaned
6 ounces Volpi Calabrese Salame, medium dice
10 garlic cloves (2 ½  Tbs), thinly sliced
3 lemons, whole
2 Tbs Italian Parsley, finely minced
1 Tbs Sea Salt
1 ½  tsp Black Pepper, fresh ground
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:
Chef note:  To save some prep work and time you can have the local fishmonger clean the live crab.  Ask to have the shell and gills removed, rinsed well with water, saving the shell.
Once in the kitchen, use a chef’s knife and cut the bodies into quarters.  Place in a large mixing bowl; add olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper.  Toss well to ensure all crab is coated evenly.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the crab shell surface, rub to coat shell ensuring entire shell is covered.   Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place large sauté pan or roasting pan over medium-high heat until hot. Once pan is hot, add the crab and Calabrese salame to pan, stir well.  Place the crab shells on top of the quartered bodies then move to preheated oven.   Allow crab to cook for 10-12 minutes, then and garlic to the pan and toss well. Cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven, squeeze fresh lemon juice over crab, add Italian parsley and toss well.  Transfer to serving platter, place crab shells over top as part of the presentation and serve.  Fresh warm artisan bread adds the finishing touch.

Around the table we all rolled up our sleeves, armed with crab crackers, picks and a big stack of napkins raised a glass to cheer another family successful gathering.  From our family to yours, best wish to a joyous holiday season – Merry Christmas, Buon Natale!!!

Grazie mille,
Michael

Dungeness crab

This year the official ‘opening day’ for the San Francisco Bay area began November 15th for California Dungeness crab.  The first few weeks of the season allows for individuals to brave the California coastline seeking out this amazing shellfish.  The commercial fisheries will have to wait patiently for a couple more weeks, spending this time prepping traps, boats and finalizing their game plan until official kick off of their season starting December 1st.  During the crabbing season only males with a minimum shell size of 6 ¼ inches may be harvested.  Females and the smaller males must be returned to the ocean in order to preserve healthy levels of crab population.

I prefer to search out live crabs allowing me to have more diversity in recipe direction; however crabs cooked and clean by your favorite fishmonger or market works just fine and will save some time in the kitchen.  A few key points to keep an eye out for and judge the quality of the Dungeness crabs:

1.    Live crabs should be lively, held in clean tanks.
2.    The shell should be hard and a crabs weight heavy for its size.
3.    For cooked crabs – make sure the legs are held tight and close to the body.  This is a sign the crab was alive before being cooked.
4.    Check where the legs meet the body, black discoloration in this area is a good indication of improper cooking time.

Family and friends have run out of patience and complaints are mounting as to when our traditional crab feed is going to take place.  This upcoming weekend is the party and I plan on delivering a surprise or two to this year’s menu.  So that being said, tomorrow I plan on being in the kitchen trying out a new recipe or two before the weekend festivities.  Check back for my latest Dungeness crab recipe and hopefully inspired to schedule your own party.

Grazie mille,
Michael

Chef note: Dungeness crabs in a crab trap (photo by Debra Hamilton)

Tamales Bay Oyster Company

This annual special event is a gathering of friends both old and new that represents for us an official close to Napa and Sonoma’s grape harvest, autumn’s seasonal crops are bountiful and remembrance that soon enough we will need to prepare for the winter months ahead.  The theme for this event is simple enough – “a night full of good food, conversation and relaxation.”

Behind the scenes is a well orchestrated event that unfolds as each guest arrives bringing one more piece of the puzzle, even cooperation with Mother Nature this year was very much welcomed.  A make shift outdoor kitchen is built, firewood stacked, pots and pans along with coolers ready to explode fill the picnic tables.  No tickets or secret hand shakes to gain entrance – everyone must buy a bag oysters harvested early this morning from the waters that set the scenery of our camp.  This year’s surprise oyster for me was named ‘Golden Nugget’ by the owners of TBOC.  This oyster is grown is shallow water allowing them to tumble with each tidal cycle.   This process accomplishes two tasks – all the oysters have an equal chance to feed and their shells develop deep pockets with smooth and rounded exterior. The oyster itself is no bigger than a 50-cent piece, very plump with clean rich taste of the bay waters.  I highly recommend having more than one of these little beauties should the opportunity present itself.  The menu for this years gathering captures the hard work of many local purveyors, plus a few of our favorites.

Golden Nugget Oysters

‘NOVEMBER OYSTER BBQ’

Tamales Bay Oysters – Fresh Shucked and BBQ

Steamed Tamales Bay Mussels with White Wine and Mirepoix Brodo

Tamales Bay Manila Clam Linguine with Volpi Calabrian Salame

Herb Marinated Hudson Ranch Leg of Lamb

‘JP’ Braised Rabbits with Dried ‘Back Yard’ Fig Compote

Hearts of Romaine with Crispy Volpi Pancetta Lardons and Point Reyes Blue Cheese Dressing

Midnight Snack – 5 Dot Ranch Rib Eye Steak Sandwiches

When it was all said and done a fantastic culinary event had taken place.  This gathering of friends is one that I can say I will probably never forget.  I am a veteran now with my first oyster BBQ under my belt and memories I look forward to share in the days ahead.

Grazie mille,
Michael

Pikes Peak

It only seemed like yesterday my family was helping me stuff the car with my computer, suitcases of clothes and a few boxes full of the necessary culinary odds and ends.  The back seat reserved for my two dogs, Turbo and Indy who luckily didn’t have any idea of what they were getting themselves into.  The next chapter of my culinary career has brought me back to ‘Napa Valley’, the place that set my foundation as a young cook.  Family and friends have welcomed us back to California with open arms and at times feel like I never left, it is hard to believe how quickly two months have already passed since returning.

Timing couldn’t have been better, the 2010 harvest is just about wrapped up in the vineyards and luckily I was able to participate in some of the excitement before the last grapes came off the vines.  The best day by far started with the morning fog still clinging to the tops of the trees, I headed towards a friend’s vineyard in St. Helena.  A glow radiated from the tractor lights shining off in the distance between the rows of vines, today’s harvest is Cabernet Sauvignon.  Little did I know that this wasn’t going to be the best part of the day, at the winery a temporary kitchen was set up in the corner of the crush pad and I would soon be rolling up my sleeves to participate in their harvest tradition, ‘family meal’ for the entire crew.

Crush Pad Kitchen

The menu would be simple and straightforward, for breakfast it would be steak, eggs, potatoes and fresh bread from the local bakery. Lunch is  ‘Free Range’ chicken soup with homemade Orecchiette pasta.  As I look back on that morning, it is only now that I realize and can really appreciate the importance of that day.

This group of old and new friends all shared the passion to make the most of each day and live life to the fullest.  Majority of the food we prepared for the crew was either grown or raised locally, cooking techniques kept simple.  While we all took a short break to eat, each person shared stories with a connection to family, food, wine and life.

I can’t wait to share my further adventures here in Napa…..

Grazie mille,

Michael

Sweet 100's and Fresh Mozzarella 'Martini'

To keep a common thread with the theme of the party, this year everyone attending is required to bring a harvest basket of produce and herbs from their gardens, of course tomatoes will be the hero ingredient.  The plan for the day is to accomplish a few batches of home canned garden tomatoes so we all have ‘fresh packaged’ sauce in the pantry for the winter months ahead.  Pickling has been a hot topic of conversation lately and I’ve been testing a few new ‘quick’ methods.  The purpose of the ‘quick’ method is to provide a crisp vegetable with vibrant flavor profile.  Fresh pickled garden produce hardly ever makes it past a few days at home because they are wildly addictive.  I have marked a large basket of the squash and peppers for testing my latest pickling recipes.

End of the season Squash Blossoms

My Sunday gathering was a huge success and certainly plenty of fun for all those who attended.  I started early in the morning getting the kitchen ready with an array of pots, pans, canning equipment along with a cornucopia of salts and spices to fulfill everyone’s desires.  Here’s what a great day in the kitchen with family and friends brought about:

‘Tomatoes in All Their Glory’ – Group Project

Garden Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes – Home canning 4 cases of quart jars

Appetizers
Tomato Water Martini with Fresh Mozzarella and Sweet 100′s Cherry Tomatoes
Grilled Yellow Squash with ‘Garden’ Pico de Gallo
Fire Roasted Gazpacho with Crispy Pepper Rings
Crispy Prosciutto and Heirloom Tomato Panini’s with Olive Oil Mayo
‘Just Pickled’ Yellow Squash with Toasted Fennel Seed and Dill
“Bread and Butter’ Garden Jalapenos

Primi
Fettuccine with Crispy Pancetta Lardons, Sweet 100’s Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pesto

Insalate
Tomato Stacks with Fresh Burrata and Genova Basil

Dolce
Heirloom Tomato Tart with ‘Just-Made’ Ricotta and Drizzle of Tuscan Sulla Honey

At the end of the day we were all exhausted, full of joy from the quality time in the kitchen and great conversation.  Along with pictures that captured the days events, everyone took home a couple jars of tomato sauce for the pantry which is sure to rekindle the day’s memory…….

Grazie Mille,

Michael