Category Archives: General

Blathering about Bouillabaisse Balls

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Fish is the main ingredient in these meatballs. But where, oh where, is the sauce?

This is a case of: Do as I say; don’t do as I do.

What I mean by that is if you make this recipe for “Bouillabaisse Balls” found in “The Meatball Shop Cookbook” (Ballantine Books) exactly as printed — as I did — you may find it lacking. Just as I did.

First, it looks nothing like the photo in the book by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, founders of New York City’s The Meatball Shop, of which I received a review copy. The photo in the book shows a frying pan filled to the brim with meatballs bobbing in a thick tomato sauce. Only problem? The meatballs in the recipe are cooked in a rectangular baking dish, not a frying pan. And there’s no sauce anywhere to be found in the recipe. Uh, hello?

OK, fine, I thought. I’ll just try making the recipe as is, thinking the fish balls, seasoned to mimic the famous Provencal seafood stew, will be flavorful enough all on their own.

Not quite.

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Lend Support to Introducing Ethiopian Crops to the United States

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Highland kale, a staple in Ethiopia, now grown by Baia Nicchia Farm of Sunol.

You may know Baia Nicchia Farm of Sunol for its glorious array of heirloom and one-of-a-kind tomatoes it sells at the Menlo Park farmers market in the summers.

Now, geneticist-turned-farmer Fred Hempel wants you to know his small farm also for its efforts to introduce Ethiopian specialty crops to this country.

As such, he’s asking for your support for his Ethiopian seeds project that he’s hoping to launch through the funding platform, KickStarter. He has until March 10 to get $22,000 pledged for the project, which aims to introduce five Ethiopian vegetable varieties nationally this year.

Hempel got interested in the project when he met Ethiopian native, Menkir Tamrat, a former Silicon Valley tech worker who started growing the peppers of his homeland that he missed after he got laid off. Hempel offered Tamrat some space at his 9.5-acre farm to grow peppers that Hempel then sold at farmers markets.

The result is a partnership set to blossom even more. Hempel hopes to release Ethiopian varieties through his new seed company, Artisan Seeds, which also will sell some of his tomato seeds.

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Taming the Bitter

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Roasting makes endive downright sweet.

I love radicchio and Belgian endive for their color and crunch.

But I know quite a few folks who are turned off by their bitterness.

In a world of candy, sodas and high-fructose corn syrup lurking in most everything processed, the flavor of bitter does become a difficult pill to swallow for some palates.

But here’s a way to have your sweet and eat your endive, too.

The secret is high-heat roasting, which caramelizes this variety of chicory until it’s tender and mellows the bitterness until it’s barely there, leaving a natural sweetness behind.

The recipe is from the new “All About Roasting” (W.W. Norton & Company) by one of my favorite cookbook authors, Molly Stevens. Her “All About Braising” book (W.W. Norton & Company) is one I reach for all the time in fall and winter.

Her newest cookbook, of which I received a review copy, includes more than 150 recipes showcasing high-, low- and moderate-heat roasting techniques on everything from veggies, fruit, shellfish and meat.

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Lafitte’s School Fund-Raiser; Burgers, Brownies, Beer & Wine for Leap Year; and More

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See what Chef Russell Jackson creates with ranch dressing. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Lunch Break for Schools at Lafitte

How many of you are ranch dressing fans? Everyone? I thought as much.

Then, you’ll want to head to Lafitte in San Francisco at lunchtime on March 1 for the fun “Lunch Break for Schools” fund-raiser.

The event, organized by Hidden Valley Salad Dressings and the American Culinary Federation, will raise funds for Chefs Move to Schools initiative, which promotes proper nutrition and healthful eating habits among kids.

Russell Jackson, chef-proprietor of Lafitte, will be creating a slew of dishes and beverages that day, all using Hidden Valley Ranch in some way, including in ice cream and cocktails. I kid you not. Think Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream in cold carrot broth; Hidden Valley Ranch Leopold Navy Strength gin cocktail; cassoulet of duck, sausage and brioche with Hidden Valley Ranch crumbs; and Hidden Valley Ranch rubbed roast pork loin sandwich with spicy Hidden Valley Ranch “Russian dressing.”

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Lights, Camera, Action — and Chef Bradley Ogden

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Chef Bradley Ogden's sliders.

The chef who co-founded Lark Creek Restaurant Group in the Bay Area and made farm-to-table cooking his mantra long before it was fashionable, has returned to the Bay Area after being gone for eight years.

Bradley Ogden, who most recently opened Root 246 restaurant in Solvang, moved to San Jose’s Evergreen district in January to start a new phase in his culinary career. It includes a new multimedia company with partner Chris Kelly, Facebook’s first general consul.

Ogden and his son, Bryan, greet guests on Super Bowl Sunday.

A film crew was on hand to capture the cooking.

In the works is a new cooking show, “Real Food with Chef Bradley Ogden,” which will be shopped around to various TV networks. I got a sneak peek on Super Bowl Sunday, when Ogden invited me and a host of friends to his home for a cooking extravaganza, which was filmed in part for his show.

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