The Vintage Cafe

.The Vintage Cafe is a great little French bistro in Whittier California, just east of downtown Los Angeles. Its cozy, intimate and warm.  Redundant I know, but it takes all three words to really describe this great little restaurant.  They have a full bar and an extensive wine and beer list.  And really what makes The Vintage so special is the 1940's deco atmosphere.  My favorite time.  The Vintage could easily be something you might find in Shanghai or Paris and maybe Hemingway might be holding forth at a table in the back.  Of course that would put it in the 30's, but the feeling is the same!

   Some of my favorite places are little neighborhood restaurants that some people walk to on a spring night.  The Vintage is one of those places.  Here is their web-site.  Drop in if you're ever in town.  

http://uptownvintagecafe.com/vintage-cafe-whittier-restaurant.aspx

Italian Seafood Stew

I made this the other night and it was so simple and so delicious that I just had to post it so you can enjoy it as well!  Most everybody loves seafood and my heart goes out to those who are allergic to it. Now for my version of this classic dish I used shrimp, clams and mussels.  You can also add fish such as cod, tuna or whitefish cut in chunks and scallops.  Here's how its done:

1/2 cup tomato sauce

3 tablespoons white wine

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

1/4 cup pine-nuts

1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb clams, small or large shell

1 lb mussels, washed and de-bearded

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

    Stir the tomato sauce, wine and vinegar together in a small bowl

   Sauté the garlic, pine-nuts and pepper flakes in the oil in a 12" skillet over medium high heat, turning garlic, until it is pale golden brown.  Don't burn! 

   Add the clams and mussels and toss briefly.  Put the shrimp etc on top, then pour tomato sauce/wine mixture over and cook, covered, until clams and mussels just open.  You might want to remove lid at that time and stir the shrimp to make sure they are cooked on both sides.  

   Transfer seafood with a slotted spoon to a serving dish, then boil the sauce until its thickened slightly and pour over the seafood.  Garnish with chopped Italian parsley 

   I served mine over polenta, mmmmm, but you can use crusty French bread as well or even pasta.  

   Pairs will with either an Italian red wine like a Dolcetto or Sangiovese or a white like a Gavi di Gavi Montessora.  Delissimo!

Garden Herbs

I don't know if you're like me, but I go though fazes.  Suddenly I get interested in things and they become a passion.  Years ago it was reptiles.  I"d visit every pet store I came across and was fascinated with iguanas.  That is until my pet 5' godzilla bit me and I needed 10 stitches, but that's another story.  Its been cigars.  I read about them, got a subscription to Cigar Aficionado Magazine, knew all the shops and the difference between Cuban seed and real Cubans, Nicaraguan and Dominican, Maduro and plain wrap.  Its been books, its been musical instruments.  I wish it had been money but there you go.  For a while now, its been herbs.  Dumb I know.  But maybe not.

    Herbs are fascinating little plants.  They almost have a personality.  Each one infuses a difference fragrance, each one lends its special magic to meats and vegetables that can transform a standard bland dish into a work of art   They are the little darts that explode your taste buds and make you go 'wow, what's in that??"

   When you plant them in your garden, like in a classic herb box, they make that garden special.  I know that vegetables have been immortalized in song- you say potato, I say potato....but everyone's been hooked by the haunting line, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.  And of course, those 4 herbs are essential in good cooking.  Now in my video I didn't mention sage because I live near the Whittier Hills above Los Angeles, and I pick sage that grows wild there.  And as a little reminder, sage is NOT sage brush which my son used when cooking me a steak one night-he thought it was the same thing- trust me, it isn't! Sagebrush in cooking tastes more like poison than parsley!

   Now you can dry the herbs and bottle them, and dried have their own uses.  But I prefer them fresh which when chopped or bruised (bending them with your fingers) add their special freshness and brighten up so many dishes.  And some sauces are actually built upon the herb like classic Béarnaise sauce.

   One thing about herbs is that when you add them to your flower garden, they add a classic European ambience.  An herb box is a very simple thing to make.  Any box will do, but if you can find an old crate with some aging, the better.  Make sure that there is proper drainage in the bottom and put about 2" loose gravel or sand in first.  Then fill the rest with high grade potting soil than you can buy at any nursery, or at a Home Depot.  Do not crowd them, plant them about 5" apart, taller ones such as Rosemary or Parsely on the side or back, Thyme, Tarragon, Marjoram and Oregano in the middle. Parsely will grow like a weed, so you must cut it regularly.  Also, remember, that when they flower, their season is over, so you should pinch off any flowers.  Basil is another herb that is wonderful in Italian food. However, it is a bit more 'high strung' shall we say, so I plant mine in a separate pot.  Herbs don't need too much water, so be sparingly however, do not let them wilt.  Basil needs more water than the rest and will let you know by wilting leaves when its time to give them a drink.  Also, herbs don't need or like too much hot summer sun, so a bit of shade is acceptable.

   One last benifit about planting fresh herbs. If you live the Urban life in a big city apartment, you can plant them indoors.  Just put them near a window where they can get some sun. I add herbs to many recipes.  Cooking with fresh herbs brightens up a dish, but remember that unlike dried herbs, the fresh variety wilts quickly in a hot pan and so should be added last.  You can add herbs to olive oil to infuse it with a special fragrance and you can dry them as well.

   I think this passion will last a long time.  One thing I have found, though herbs can be bought at Home Depot, Lowes, etc, the best ones I've found are at little private nurserys, plus I like giving them my business.  So enjoy!  Use fresh herbs, they give back much more than they take!

Moules et Frites

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Whenever I am in Paris I always visit a little bistro called Moules et Frites, Leon de Bruxelles, 63 Champs-Élysées, or the other one at 131 Boulevard Saint-Germain.  In Paris is the first time I had ever heard of moules et frites, which is mussels and fries.  French fries, freedom fries, chips, whatever you want to call them, NO ONE makes better frites than the French and though Leons is a, hold your nose, chain, and of course there's always snobby elites that will testify that there are much better places in Paris to have mussels and fries, I like restaurant Moules et Frites.  Its fun, loud, cozy and full of beer and good wine.  So years ago I decided to make them myself and though the frites are a bit of trouble, I still do.  Now the way the Parisians do it is after you eat the first mussel, you use the shell as a pincher, like a tiny tong, and you very neatly, pick up a golden crisp fry, dip it into the delicious mussel nectar and pop it into your mouth!  You apply a classic pincher maneuver and it works every time.  You can also make any number of dipping sauces like my garlic aioli, which I have given the recipe for on another article, but for my money, I just like the juice of the mussels themselves.  So here is the recipe.  Make it, pour yourself a glass of white Burgandy and transport yourself to the Champs-Élysées on a warm Spring night in Paris! 

A note about mussels.  I buy mine at the Farmer's Market where I know they are fresh. I have bought them at fish markets and also at upscale supermarets such as Whole Foods or Molly Stones in San Francisco.  If you buy them at a regular supermarket, be sure to smell them and make sure they smell fresh.  Discard any mussels that have opened or any presenting an unpleasent odor.  

4 lbs mussels

3/4  bottle dry white wine

1 large shallot

3 cloves garlic

3tbsp crème fraîche 

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

   Heat the oil in a large saucepan, saucier, or stainless pot which I show in the photograph, and saute the chopped shallots and garlic for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and parsley, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, add the mussels and put the lid on. Steam for about 5 minutes until they have opened. Remove the mussels then strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Lower the heat, stir in the crème fraîche and season with sea salt and coarse pepper.  

4 large russet potatos

Canola oil to cover a large pan by 1 inch

   Peel and cut potatos into aprox 1/4" slices.  Now, the secret of good frites is to cook them twice.  Heat the oil to about 325 degrees or until it begins to sizzle.  Add only a few of the fries, enough to cover the bottom of the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.  This is blanching.  They won't be golden or crisp. Remove them carefully and place on a paper bag or paper towels.  Raise the heat to about 375.  If you don't have a thermometer, just turn the heat up and wait for a bit until the oil is hotter!  Then re-add the fries and cook until golden. 

   To serve, place the mussels with the liquid into 4 deep bowls (serves 4) and sprinkle with more chopped parsley.  Serve the frites on plates.  Make sure you have a big bowl or plate to place the used shells and serve with a chilled minerally white wine like a Chablis or a white Burgandy.  Bon Appetit!

Farmers Market King Salmon

I love the farmers markets as I've said before.  I go there every Friday to my local one and pick up the ingredients that I'm going to use for my weekend table.  Today I've chosen King salmon.  Now this is fresh Pacific salmon shipped in from Canada and it is always exquisite, fresh and the right cuts.  As a matter of fact, I've actually eaten it raw 2 days after I've bought it! That's how fresh it is.  Tonight I've sauted it in extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lime and some capers.  Now of course I always use salt packed capers which are a huge cut above the ones preserved in vinegar, and I've also made a delicious sauce fresca, which I pour cold over the sizzling medium rare salmon.

   Now in buying salmon, I always chose the belly cut.  The belly is always thicker, it contains the precious omega fats that are so good for you and they are juicer and more flavorful.  As a matter of fact, towards the end of the salmon run, when the Grizzlies have glutted themselves on fish, they eat only the bellies, stripping it off and throwing away the rest.  Now you and I aren't bears, however I will defer to their expertise, professionals that they are!  

   I honestly think that salmon is my favorite food and by far my favorite protein.  And when you include my delicious dill sauce (which is very simple to make and the how-to is shown on the video), spooned over it, you would be hard pressed to believe you are not in heaven! I use an immersion blender, but you can use a food processor or a plain blender as well.   

   I have served tonight's dinner with basmati rice which is in my opinion, the most flavorful rice and reminds me of Nepal.  You can find it at Trader Joes.  The blanched green beans top it off.  

   I would suggest for this meal a bottle of Herve Azo Petit Chablis, one of my favorites, or any mineraly white such as a French white burgandy or Chablis.  In my video, I drank a great Pino Grigio which is more fruity than the others I mentioned but I like it just the same.  Mezzacorona which I have mentioned before.  As for the Herve Azo Petit Chablis, this is one of my all time favorite wines and for the money, $17.95, you would be hard pressed to find, well, a better find.  And you can FIND it at The Wine Country in Signal Hill CA.  Here is the link and you can order it online.  

  http://thewinecountry.com/p/3436805300415/Herve+Azo+2008+Petit+Chablis.html  

  As for the salmon, if you live in Southern Cal, it can be found at the Dry Dock Fish Company, Fullerton CA.  

 http://www.drydockfish.com/

   So, do try tonight's dinner, I promise you, you will sleep happy!!