The country of the month for January

[Susann]

Well, it is a state again. This month, dh chose California. I am going through my Alice Waters cookbook and have found a lot of California-ish chicken salad recipes. But, as always, I am hoping for suggestions from my wise friends in BB land! Thanks for helping!

[kwormann]

Dont forget mexican..so cal eats lots of it...just dont make it Tex-Mex style...unhealthy w/ a lot of grease..use fresh ingredients...peppers, beans, tomatoes, chicken, cilantro, homemade salsa...YUM!

Kim http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gwenniver]

My Best of America cookbook (a personal favorite) devotes a whole section to California, with stuff like Gazpacho, Individual Goat Cheese Tarts, Turkey and Avocado Pita Pizzas, Goat Cheese Salad, Zucchini-Cheese Casserole, San Francisco Chicken Wings, Tangerine-Soy Marinated Salmon, Cioppino, Shrimp Kabobs with Plum Sauce, Lemon Chicken with Guacamole Sauce, Beef-and-Eggplant Stir-Fry with Ginger, Zinfandel Poached Pears, Baked Peaches with Raspberry Sauce, and a few others (those were some of the ones that sounded good to me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

Let me know if you want me to post any of them. I'm pretty sure the cookbook's back in print too, and I've never had a bad recipe from it. None of it is light, though...

[jjf]

Gwenniver - could you please post the recipes for the individual goat cheese tarts and the shrimp kabobs w/ plum sauce - thanks!

jen

[Susann]

Gwenniver-could you let me know the author of that cookbook? I am going to try to check it out at the library. Thanks!

[BetsyF]

Just a thought, but the Gilroy, CA Garlic Festival has published a cookbook. I know a former director of the Garlic Festival, and he has provided me with some of the most spectacular recipes in my repertoire.

Also, the SF Junior Leaque has some great cookbooks. Plus lots from Wine Country.

[venus]

YUM. This sounds like a great one Susann.

How about California rolls? (giggle--somebody had to say it)

Joanna Weir has a cookbook entirely dedicated to California cooking. I read a review of it on Amazon and it looked delicious.

I saw a California salad on FoodTV. It was actually on Iron Chef, but the man who made it was the head chef of a San Francisco restaurant. It looked soooo good. I think the ingredients were tomatoes, avocado, lobster, truffles, frisee and a basil oil.

[Gail]

We have a "cuisine??" Maybe it's easier to identify on the outside looking in, 'cause speaking as a California native, I'm honestly not sure what California style is. (Something flaky maybe?? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif )

Back in the seventies, the big joke was adding avocado or sprouts to anything and making it "California style." Avocado gets added to sandwiches like BLTs, club, seafood (not tuna) or salads, or you toss some alfalfa sprouts into sandwiches instead of lettuce. What about the mesquite grilling thing I'm always yapping about for making fish? Is that done in other parts of the country? A lot of places serve mesquite-grilled fish, cole slaw, cheese potatoes (have recipe for that) or pilav-- standard Southern California way to eat your fish. We cook with California wines, of course, and make some of the most incredible sour dough bread. Someone once wrote there was an imaginary line somewhere north of San Luis Obispo (not quite half-way between LA and San Francisco) above which all bread is crusty and wonderful-- in other words, DON'T buy sourdough in Southern CA, but in Northern CA, they've got it nailed. Got anyone with authentic San Francisco sourdough recipes? THAT'S something uniquely Californian...

What else is big here? Goat cheese, artichokes, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, exotic combinations of ingredients, lots of sushi and other Japanese, Mexican, various kinds of Chinese, Indian, French, Greek, Moroccan, Cuban, Cajun, Salvadoran, Chilean... seems we eat everyone else's food-- one reason why I'm hard-pressed to indentify exactly what "California-style" is.

I've got some "California" cookbooks from the seventies, as well as an old issue of a cookbook from the aforementioned Gilroy. Maybe if you folks told me your idea of Californian, I can dig up the appropriate dish.

By the way, Happy New Year!



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 01-02-2001).]

[shoyski]

If you can find a book at your library titled, "Savoring the Wine Country" I think you'll be pleased, if you'd like to make some fancier dishes. This book had recipes from some of the finest restaurants in the wine region of Northern California.

It had all courses from different restaurants and recommended a type of wine to drink with each. Also, a little blurb on the restaurant...atmosphere and typical fare.

[Gail]

Surely you didn't think I'd abandoned you.
After all, I have a reputation to maintain. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

So, sit back, this is another long one.

Since I am honestly stymied by the notion of California Cuisine, I decided to give you something else-- namely food from California with a history, which after all should render things about as indigenous as they get.

I'll start with Madame Wu, who until 1998 was something of an institution in the Westside of Los Angeles, having been a successful Southern California restauranteur for 37 years-- first with the Wu's Garden, followed by the successful, pagoda-like Madame Wu's Garden. The way the legend goes is this: that one day Cary Grant showed up at her restaurant waxing enthusiastic over a chicken salad he'd had elsewhere, asking Madame Wu to duplicate it. She didn't; coming up instead with a creation he liked better, based upon her recollections of a dish she'd encountered in Shanghai. Madame Wu's soon became known for this Chinese Chicken Salad, now a staple of many a luncheon menu. The following, I'm told, is the proverbial grandaddy of 'em all.

MADAME WU'S CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Oil for deep frying
1/3 (6-ounce) package fine rice noodles
8 won ton wrappers, cut in 1/8 inch strips
2 chicken breasts, drumsticks or thighs
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon 5-spice powder, optional
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (Gail note: "light" is not to be confused with "lite.")
3 tablespoons toasted almonds, minced
1/2 cup thinkly sliced green onions, white parts only
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Heat oil for deep frying to 360 degrees in wok. Oil is ready when a few noodle strands dropped into oil rise to surface immediately upon contact.
Drop won ton strips into hot oil and fry until light tan, about 1 minute. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Divide noodles into three parts and deep-fry separately. Remove from hot oil with slotted spoon as soon as noodles pop to surface. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Deep-fry chicken pieces 5 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Cool. Remove meat from bones and cut into strips with or without skin. Set aside.
Place cooked chicken meat in large salad bowl. Add mustard, 5-spice powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, almonds, green onions and salt. Mix well.
Add crisp fried won ton strips and noodles. Mix thoroughly. Noodles will break into small bits when mixed. Pile salad over bed of lettuce. Do not toss or salad will become soggy.
Serves 4 to 6. Each of 6 servings:
229 calories; 277 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.39 gram fiber.

Another LA institution is El Cholo, a Mexican restaurant whose history goes way back before I do-- all the way to 1923. Although it moved to its present location in 1931, the food supposedly hasn't changed too much, and harkens back to a simpler time when no one had heard of fajitas or fish tacos, when people like Bing Crosby, Clark Gable and Irving Berlin used to drop by for an occasional enchilada. The following recipe is considered by many to be El Cholo's signature dish, served only between the months of June and September.

EL CHOLO GREEN CORN TAMALES

12 ears yellow corn
1/4 pound cornmeal
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup half and half or whipping cream
Salt
12 (1-ounce) strips Cheddar cheese, halved
1 (12-ounce) can green chiles, cut into strips

Cut both ends of ears of corn. Remove husks, reserving for wrapping. Cut corn kernels off cob. Grind kernels with cornmeal in food processor. Set aside.
Beat shortening and butter in mixing bowl until creamy. Add sugar, half and half and season to taste with salt. Add corn mixture and mix well.
For each tamale, overlap 2 corn husks lengthwise. Spread 1/4 cup layer of corn mixture onto husks to within 1 inch of edges. Place 1 cheese strip and 1 chile strip over filling. Top with 2 tablespoons corn mixture. Bring edges of corn husks over filling to cover completely.
Place husks on square of parchment paper. Fold ends of corn husks, then fold sides of parchment over tamale and fold up ends. Tie string around ends to hold in place. Continue until all tamales are prepared. Place tamales on steamer rack and steam 1 inch over simmering water about 35 to 45 minutes. Makes 24 tamales.

Each tamale contains about:

149 calories; 292 mg sodium; 21 grams cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; .4 grams fiber.

With less history and perhaps more of an interesting footnote, I chose this next for several reasons (1) Celestino Drago, owner of this restaurant and several other well-established and highly regarded L.A. restaurants, is considered one of L.A.'s top chefs (2) Coincidentally, his restaurant Drago just happens to be on the site of Madame Wu's original restaurant (3) It's very L.A., full of hip ingredients, and (4) the darn thing looks good!

From Celestino, in Beverly Hills comes:

CELESTINO'S WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Active work and total preparation time: 50 minutes plus 2 hours soaking

2 ounces dry porcini mushrooms
12 dry morel mushrooms
5 1/2 cups chicken broth
Butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
Salt, pepper
1 3/4 cups Arborio rice
1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Soak dry mushrooms in just enough chicken broth to cover for 2 hours. Remove mushrooms from broth and squeeze dry. Chop mushrooms and set aside. Reserve broth.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, chopped dry mushrooms and shiitake. Sauté 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. Add reserved broth and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Bring remaining broth to simmer in saucepan and keep hot.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet. Add rice and stir about 2 minutes to coat grains. Add 1/2 cup broth, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Add another 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring until rice becomes very dry. Repeat adding broth in increments, cooking and stirring until rice is tender and all broth is used, about 25 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, mascarpone cheese, 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and mix well. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
6 servings. Each serving: 436 calories; 885 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 4 grams fiber.

The next one I'm throwing in, well... just because I want to. Because I like Moustache Cafe and I've got of nice memories tied up with the place. It's a nifty little French bistro where you can eat al fresco on balmy nights, the kind of place where you can linger over a cup of coffee and a good dessert and nobody pressures you to move on. I've no idea how long the place has been there, easily twenty years, maybe more-- but in the end it was always dessert and that patio which kept bringing me back. Can't give you the patio, but...

MOUSTACHE CAFE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

7 ounces dark unsweetened Baker's chocolate
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites
Butter
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Whipped cream, optional

Combine unsweetened chocolate, milk and 7 tablespoons sugar in top of double boiler over simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and sugar are melted. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
Drop egg yolks into chocolate mixture. Using wire whisk mix until blended.
Beat egg whites with mixer until stiff. Add remaining 1 tablespooon sugar and continue beating until blended. Using wire whisk, add 1/3 of egg white mixture to chocolate and whip until blended. Gently fold egg whites into mixture.
Butter 6 individual souffle dishes covering entire inside surface and rim. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Fill each souffle dish to rim with chocolate mixture. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve at once with dollop of whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.
Each serving, without whipped cream, contains about:

347 calories; 66 mg sodium; 183 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.00 grams fiber; 53 % calories from fat.

By now, everyone in the world knows Wolfgang Puck and is probably sick to death of him. At least I am. The following recipe from him falls somewhere between his first and second restaurant, I think-- back in 1983-- and strikes me as kind of an interesting "California-ish" kind of dish, full of those chichi foodie ingredients people seem to readily associate with LA. Personally, I'd kill to get my hands on an abalone to the point of considering jumping into the tank with one of the otters at Sea World.

ABALONE SALAD

2 small or 1 large head red leaf lettuce
1 bunch arugula or watercress
1 small head radicchio or red cabbage
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms
24 Chinese pea pods
4 fresh medium abalone
Juice of 2 to 3 limes
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Lime or lemon wedges, for garnish, optional

Wash and dry the lettuce, arugula, and radicchio. Discard the mushroom stems and slice the tops in thin vertical slices. Rinse and dry the pea pods.
Remove the abalone from their shells, using the handle of a heavy spoon to break the muscle attachments. Reserve the shells. Clean the abalone well, discarding undesirable parts. Clean the shells thoroughly, dry, and set aside. Using a meat slicer, slice the abalone muscle crosswise into tissue-thin pieces. if the abalone can't be slice tissue-thin, slice as thin as possible and pound each slice on a flat surface with a mallet or the flat end of a cleaver until tender and almost transparent but not shredded.
Combine the juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and a grind or two of fresh pepper in a bowl. Add the abalone slices and toss to coat well. Marinate 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine the remaining lime juice, remaining ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Tear the lettuce, arugula, and radicchio into coarse pieces and place in a alrge bowl; toss with the lime juice-olive oil dressing. Arrange the greens in the abalone shells or on serving plates. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet or sauté pan, add the mushrooms and pea pods, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir-fry briefly, just until the pods turn bright green. Remove from heat and toss to mix well. Pile hot mixture on top of greens in abalone shells. Top with the abalone slices. Garnish with lime or lemon wedges if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Note: If abalone is not available, substitute sea scallops cut into paper-thin slices.

In closing, I've elected to leave the goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes to you and the cookbooks. I really didn't find anything in that genre which struck my fancy. There are other California dishes to be sure: Cobb salad and cioppino come to mind, or those silly Romano potatoes they serve down in San Diego with the mesquite-grilled seafood. If you want to have a look, give a holler. Oh, and since the subject of Gilroy and their wonderful garlic-laden recipes came up, it occurs to me that I've posted a couple already which you could hunt for: one was the scampi which appeared on a long-ago thread, "Ideas for a special seafood dinner," the other was on a thread having to do with ideas for stuffed mushrooms, posted sometime in the last month or so.

I'm pooped.

Bon Appétit and good luck!




[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 01-09-2001).]

[Susann]

Gail-I told DH that we may have to rename The Country or the Month to Gail's kick-(*^(*^& recipes of the month! Thanks for all the info!

[Veronica]

When in San Francisco, we often get a sour dough boule that's been hollowed out (to make a bowl) and filled with vegetarian chili or clam chowder. Place the "removed bread" around the bowl for dipping. It's delicious!

Sardines, if you like them, would also be a great way to commemorate California and its now defunct canning industry in Monterey (Cannery Row).

For dessert, Ghirardelli chocolates or something made with them is a must.

[MaryH]

Gail,

Steve Martin does a whole routine on "california cuisine" in LA Story. (Of course you may already know that!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

But if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, esp for someone in SoCal - very amusing!

[Susann]

It is me again, tardy, but with my review of our first California dinner. My local library did not have any of the recommended cookbooks, but I did get an L.A Times cookbook and I ended up making a lentil soup w/a bunch of vegies (which was great, but I love lentil soup) and a mellow chicken saute, which was probably about a 6 or 7 out of 10. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will post.

[Susann]

I just want to thank everyone for all the generous and interesting recipes. You guys are great!