See Ya, 2015!

As we say so long to 2015, there are close to a dozen local chefs whom I'd like to thank for welcoming me into their kitchens and teaching me some of their best and favorite dishes, which I, in turn, shared with you here. These kitchen experiences are my favorite part of my food writing. I learn not just a recipe, but about the chefs themselves. These are people who love to share their passion. I get family stories, lessons in technique, a lot of laughs, and delicious food. It's also a way for me to gather knowledge about chefs, restaurants, and dishes that help me write stories for media like The San Diego Union-Tribune and Edible San Diego. It's a rich way to live and I truly am appreciative.

So, thank you to Chef Ozvaldo Blackaller of Cueva Bar on Adams Ave., who taught me how to make beautiful empanadas wrapped in house-made flour tortillas: chicken with gorgonzola, brisket and sautéed onions, and chorizo with smashed potatoes.

Many thanks to Rodnia Novarro and her talented mom, Rosario Sotello of El Borrego, for introducing me to their stunning green pork pozole, or Pozole Verde Guerrerense. As I write this on Sunday morning, it's a surprising 35 degrees outside and I could use a steaming bowl about now.

Ryan Studebaker, not only did you teach me how to make your beautiful Raviolini with Seasonal Vegetables, Pistachio Pesto, and Parmesan, you offered me some truly useful tips for how to sauté vegetables more effectively. Cheers to you and MIHO Experience! 

Nick Brune of Eco Caters and formerly with the now closed Local Habit is one of those cool guys who is passionate about collaborating with and promoting San Diego's culinary and musical talent. Local Habit hosted a fried chicken competition earlier this year and Nick travels around town with his Soundbite dinners, for which he brings in musicians to play songs with a connection to each dish. His Asian-influenced Cali-Creole cuisine resulted in this decadent Creole Noodle Soup. You could say in this bowl gumbo meets ramen. I love his dark roux noodles! And, I loved the sweet finish to the meal: Nick's take on classic Southern Buttermilk Pie. Thanks, Nick!

Thank you, Kurt Metzger! We miss Kitchen 4140 and are looking forward to your next venture. I appreciate your teaching me how to make this stunning Seared Day Boat Scallops with Grilled Peaches, Candied Bacon, and Micro Salad. I could not believe how many flavors could pop in one bite! 

Mille grazie to Fabrizio Cavallini of Monello and Bencotto for introducing me to your traditional Milanese technique for making pasta. It was beautiful to watch and not hard to replicate--with a lot of practice! Love your imported organic pastas, too!

Accursio Lota of Solare taught me the Sicilian style of making risotto--two ways. My friend Robin Ross of Cupcakes Squared and I learned how to prepare both his Risotto with Sardinian Saffron and his Risotto with Summer Truffles. Plus, Accursio schooled us on the difference between rice varieties and its importance in making this creamy dish. Thank you!

The following month, I took a virtual trip to the Philippines, courtesy of chef Evan Cruz of Arterra and his family, who run JNC Pinoy Food Mart in Chula Vista. His delightful grandmother, Rosario Cruz, demonstrated how she prepares a childhood favorite, Turon. Think sweet lumpia--with plantain, jack fruit, and sugar rolled in a lumpia wrapped, fried, then drenched in caramel. Oy! Thank you, Evan and Rosario!

Thank you, Vince Schofield, for introducing me to the wild and wacky world of gooseneck barnacles. You've got to go to Catania in La Jolla to try his Sautéed Gooseneck Barnacles when they're on the menu--or make them at home with this recipe. They're so unusual--and so tasty!

Bradrick Cooper, you just rock! I love your food at Coop's West Texas Barbecue in Lemon Grove and can't wait for you to open your fried chicken eatery! In the meantime, thank you for teaching me how to make your oh-so-crispy buttermilk fried chicken, which made you the winner of this year's inaugural Fried Chicken Challenge at Local Habit. It's totally addictive!

And thank you to Steven Riemer of Oceana Coastal Kitchen at the Catamaran in Pacific Beach, who taught me not one or two ways to make ceviche, but three: shrimp, scallop, and seabass. And who also introduced me to the house-made tortilla chips that accompany them. Dangerous! I appreciate your ceviche techniques and advice. No more runny ceviche!

I also want to thank Bob Harrington and Specialty Produce for supporting my work both on San Diego Foodstuff and my Edible San Diego blog, Close to the Source. I so appreciate all you do in our food community and the larger San Diego community. You are a smart businessman with a big heart.

Thanks to Tommy Gomes and the Catalina Offshore Products crew for always inviting me in to try something new and encouraging my seafood forays. You, too, are community gems!

And, thank you to the market managers, farmers, and vendors I've visited with this year, who so graciously introduced me to what they make and sell--and so patiently answered my questions. You--and our chefs--are the folks who are shaping the ever-expanding and maturing food scene in San Diego. It's been inspiring to spend time with you this year!

Finally, thank you to my readers. I am grateful to have you check in weekly, subscribe to my e-newsletter, and follow me on social media. In February, San Diego Foodstuff will begin its ninth year. It's evolved from covering local markets to pretty much anything food-related in our region, including my kitchen experiences. If you have ideas for other news and information I can cover here, let me know! Please subscribe to the blog and newsletter--and leave feedback in the form of comments! I want to hear from you!

Here's to a delicious 2016! May you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!


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Ryan Studebaker's Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Raviolini

The first time I encountered Chef Ryan Studebaker was several years ago at a Collaboration Kitchen event. I can't remember who the main attraction was that evening, but there was a bit of time at the end and ringleader--much more accurate than ringmaster--Tommy Gomes spotted Studebaker in the audience and dragged him up to the cooking dais to have him do an impromptu cooking lesson in making, I believe, salmon fillets. Studebaker, at the time the chef at Gingham in La Mesa, was a great sport. Whatever fear he may have had in performing without notice in front of a crowd of 75 or so people was undetectable. He made a terrific dish and did himself proud. I wasn't the only one who was impressed with this young guy.

I also fell in love with his food. He invited me to dine at the posh Gaslamp restaurant Encore Champagne Bar and Dining Room, his next gig, and prepared some stunning dishes that clued me into his range. There was the New York Strip Carpaccio. The Potato Gnocchi with Lardon. Braised Pork Cheeks. And a lovely Scottish Salmon. Oh, and dessert? Yes, he does dessert. Like an Apple and Black Fig Tart.

But Encore didn't make it. Now, this Michigan native who learned to cook at his dad's restaurant and got his first job in San Diego at Mr. A's, is running the kitchen at MIHO. Originally a top food truck in San Diego, Studebaker explained that the business is branching out to events and catering. Weddings now make up 70 to 80 percent of their business, but they are also engaged in large events, like the upcoming Art Alive at the San Diego Museum of Art in April. So, MIHO Gastrotruck is transitioning to A MIHO Experience that includes The Vetted Table, the business' catering arm.

Studebaker is relishing this new gig. "There's so much more I get to do than in a restaurant," he says. "For instance, I get clients who want something they've seen somewhere else, like a slider. But I couldn't find any great slider buns, so I started experimenting with making my own. I tried four times and failed before finally succeeding. Now I'm the bread master! I love those opportunities we have when we're a little slow to do research and test recipes."

That includes making his own pastries, which is a pressure situation given that he's married to one of San Diego's premier pastry chefs, Rachel King of NINE-TEN. Friend him on Facebook or follow him on Instagram to watch his progress.

I finally got into the kitchen with him last week and he showed me his tricks for making a sublime roasted vegetable and goat cheese raviolini--a dish that will actually be a passed app at Art Alive.

Before we dive into the recipe, here are a few tips Studebaker shared for successfully making this dish:

• Anytime you roast or saute vegetables, get the color you want first before seasoning. Cooking pulls out the water from vegetables and your seasoning may get pulled out with it--and you won't get the color you're after.
• Studebaker oven roasts the vegetables for this dish, but for this small batch he sauteed them. Individually. "Saute vegetables one at a time because different vegetables cook at different rates," he says. "You can oven roast a variety of vegetables together as long as they have a similar density."
• To saute or roast the vegetables use a 75/25 blend of canola oil and olive oil. "Olive oil can be too strong a flavor and it will smoke once you reach a high heat. Canola oil creates a more neutral flavor for you to incorporate other herbs and spices and it has a higher smoke point."

Raviolini with Seasonal Vegetables, Pistachio Pesto, and Parmesan
from Ryan Studebaker
(printable recipe)

Serves 4 to 6

This dish is hugely flexible--in the type of vegetables you use and the pesto. For the pesto, use your favorite recipe and substitute traditional pine nuts with pistachios and you're good to go.

Filling
3 cups of seasonal vegetables (In our version, he used yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and red bell pepper), small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
75/25 blend of canola and extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Whatever herbs and/or spices you want to include
3/4 cup goat cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Toss the vegetables, garlic, and shallots in the oil mixture and spread onto a heavy baking sheet or pan. Roast until caramelized. Alternately, you can saute each of the vegetables, including the shallots and garlic, separately until they begin to brown and then mix together. Let cool and drain. Once the vegetables reach room temperature mix in the goat cheese. Set aside.

Egg Pasta Dough
Yield: About 1 pound

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Let's address making the pasta, which is the one issue many home cooks will find intimidating, although Studebaker calls it a labor of love. I videoed Studebaker in two crucial steps so that you can see how simple this actually is.

On a clean and dry table or counter, create a well with flour. (Studebaker suggests making the well wide so you have more room to move your hand and not break the wall.) Pour yolks, egg, olive oil, and milk into the center. Using your finger, break the yolks and begin swirling without spilling over the edge of the well.

Continue this motion while occasionally pushing small amounts of flour into the center, making sure you're slowly incorporating the flour to avoid lumpy dough.

Once the dough begins to pull away from the table, begin adding flour more quickly by sprinkling it over the top and kneading.

Continue kneading the dough until it has a nice sheen. The kneading process can take 10 to 15 minutes. The dough is ready when you can pull your finger through it and it snaps back into place. You cannot over-knead this dough.

Wrap in plastic and let rest at least one hour before rolling out. If refrigerated, let the dough come to room temperature before handling.

Now you're going to put it all together. Using a pasta machine or attachment, set the stop at number 1. Pull off a chunk of dough and flatten it so it fits into the opening and run it through. You'll do this four times, increasing the stop each time until you reach number 4.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add plenty of salt.

Make a wash with egg and water. Place about a tablespoon of filling in mounds along one piece of dough. Gently cover with a second piece of rolled out dough. Then gently push the top dough around the filling mounds and push out any air. Lightly brush with the egg wash.

Using a round 2-inch cookie cutter, cut each of the raviolini circles. Using a fork, press the tines gently around the edges to seal.

 
Boil the raviolini about two minutes and drain. Plate the raviolini, top with pesto and freshly grated parmesan.

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Food Truck Bash This Friday!

If you're a food truck aficionado you're going to want to head over to San Elijo Hills on Friday night, Dec. 3. The community is holding its annual Foodie Fest & Tree Lighting, and this year is featuring 20 gourmet food trucks from San Diego, OC, and Los Angeles.

San Diego favorites Joes on the Nose, Flippin Pizza, MIHO, Tabe BBQ, and Kal-bi-Q will be there. But so will a host of others, including Ludo Truck (fried chicken), Fishlips Sushi, Chomp Chomp Nation (Singapore street food), and Barcelona on the Go (Spanish tapas). The complete list is on the San Elijo Hills website. The dishes will range from $3 to $10 and you'll want to bring plenty of cash since these folks rarely take credit/debit cards.

The evening starts early -- at 4 p.m. -- for Happy Hour. At 5 p.m., the trucks open for business. At 7 p.m. there will be a tree lighting-- all at the San Elijo Towncenter at 1215 San Elijo Road in San Marcos. You can find directions here. There will be free parking in the town center at San Elijo School, San Elijo Hills Park, and at the Albertson's parking lot.

See you there!

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Slumber Party with Camp Confab at Suzie's Farm

Play in the dirt, take a hike, horseback ride on the beach, learn how to compost, hear scary ghost stories at a campfire. And eat! All these things are for you to enjoy at the upcoming Cook's Confab at Suzie's Farm in Imperial Beach.

“We often hear the words farm to table, but most people don’t really know what that means and how our food gets from the field to their kitchens and favorite restaurants,” said Andrew Spurgin, co-founder of Cooks Confab. “We want to bring San Diegans closer to their incredible local produce and to the lush setting from which it comes while giving them a fun experience that reminds the of childhood.”

 Lucila de Alejandra

Activities throughout the weekend will include tours of Suzie’s Farm with Head Weed Puller Lucila de Alejandra, Composting 101, Tijuana Estuary Tour, Riding Horses on the Beach and, of course a Camp Fire Program complete with talent show and ghost stories! Rolling in for lunch will be the talented team from MIHO Gastrotruck, who will incorporate Suzie’s Farm products into their already delicious local and sustainable hot-off-the-truck cuisine. Local Cheesemonger Gina Freize of Venissimo will also be teaching West Coast Cheeses 101, and providing some incredible artisan gems for dinner. To wash it all down, guests will choose from a selection of local craft beers provided by celebrated Master Brewer Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey. Tomme will also be teaching a class on craft beer for all beer lovers!

Then participants will join the chefs as they forage on the farm to select ingredients for a family-style  dinner. Mixologist Ian Ward of Snake Oil Cocktail Co. will create pre-dinner beverages. Produce will be accompanied by a barbacoa of locally raised goat and stick fire roasted locally caught fish. After dinner there will be a tasting of award-winning Casa Nobel Tequilas and a few words from the owner. Then it's off to the handmade Marshmallow S'Mores bar!

Campers will wake in the morning for a fascinating demonstration by Falconer Andrea Asbaugh as she clears the field and will enjoy a Cowbell Breakfast prepared by Cooks Confab Chefs.

Participating Confablieri include: Amy DiBiase – Cosmopolitan, Andrew Spurgin/Donald Coffman – Waters Fine Catering, Antonio Friscia – Stingaree, Christian Graves – Jsix, Ian Ward – Snake Oil Cocktail Co., Katie Grebow – Café Chloe, Melissa Mayer – Suzie’s Farm, Olivier Bioteau – Farm House Café, Paul McCabe – KITCHEN 1540.

Joining the Confablieri as guest chefs for this special occasion will be acclaimed Chefs Marc Ehler and Patrick Ponsaty of Mistral at Loews Coronado Bay.

Only 50 people can join in this sleepover at the farm Sept. 11 and 12. Tickets will be $225 and will sold on a first come, first served basis at www.cooksconfab.com. Tickets will go on sale at 9:00 A.M. September 1st and 100% percent of proceeds will be donated to Slow Food Urban San Diego.


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Summer Fest 2010: Week 2 -- Corn

 
Well, here we are at week 2 of the foodathon that is Summer Fest 2010! I was amazed at how many people posted recipes last week and such wonderful ones at that! Who knew you could do so many deliciously original things with cukesnzukes!

This week we tackle corn. Now I'm a big label reader and like many label readers I'm frustrated with the amount of high fructose corn syrup in packaged products. And I prefer the cattle I eat to dine on grass instead of -- corn. In fact, I'm generally ticked off that so much of our agriculture is centered around corn subsidies given to the mega-growers.

And then summer hits and all I want is to munch on corn on the cob. Or scrape it off the cob and eat it raw in salads. I especially love the way gorgeous red corn kernels visually ignite grains or pasta or other vegetables.

I'll slather cobs in softened butter and garlic, wrap them in foil and put them on the grill. Then roll them in Cotija cheese and sprinkle with Tajin or Tamarula sauce. In fact, I had something similar on the 4th of July made by the terrific MIHO gastro truck.

In my world, salsa suddenly needs corn. So does my gazpacho. I crave corn and scallion tamales from the farmers market. But, what I look forward to most of all is a visit to George's at the Cove for executive chef/partner Trey Foshee's sweet and creamy Chino Corn Risotto with Chanterelles and Burrata. It's the kind of dish you don't just want to eat, you want to dive into the bowl and eat your way out.

 
Awhile back I did a story on Trey and the restaurant. Trey gave me the recipe for his risotto, which I sent to my editor but for some reason it wasn't published. So, you get it here.

Chino Corn Risotto with Chanterelles and Burrata

Trey Foshee’s corn risotto celebrates the bounty of summer corn. It makes for a wonderful first course followed by grilled chicken or fish and lots of fresh summer vegetables. Be sure to use fresh corn, if possible on the day it was picked. Burrata, a fresh Italian cheese that combines mozzarella and cream, adds to the decadence of the dish.

Makes 6 appetizer-course servings.

Risotto Base

2 Tbs. butter

¼ cup onion, minced

8 oz. Carnaroli rice

½ cup white wine

1 ¾ cups hot chicken stock

In a large sauce pot heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat, do not brown. Add the rice and start a timer for 18 minutes. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until they start to sizzle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed. Add one quarter of the hot chicken stock, stir until absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pan when you stir. Add another quarter and follow procedure above, then another quarter more. After 18 minutes add the last quarter, and season. At this point you can either continue on to the to serve section or, pour into a hotel pan and chill. Stir after about 15 minutes. You can hold it at this point for up to 24 hours.

Corn Puree

2 cups very fresh corn kernels

1 ½ cups chicken stock or water

Combine in a small pot and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, pass through a fine mesh strainer, chill and reserve.

To Serve

2 Tbs. butter

1 cup corn kernels

2 cups risotto Base

1 cup corn puree

½ cup chicken stock, warm

1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed

1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbl. butter

6 slices burrata

In a medium sauce pot heat one tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, add the corn kernels and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add the risotto base, corn puree, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium low heat, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, add the other tablespoon of butter and stir.

Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the chanterelles and sauté until cooked and lightly browned, add the butter and remove to a warm place.

Spoon the risotto in a shallow bowl, place a slice of burrata on top and spoon the chanterelles around.

Let's see what everyone else is up to this week -- and don't forget to add your own corn recipes in the comments section below! Next up: herbs, greens, and beans...

Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Creamed Corn with Bacon and Rosemary
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Vintage corn Americana slideshow, and no-frills creamed corn
The FN Dish: Creamed Corn-Off: Battle of the Southern Cooks
Alison at Food2: Freezing Corn  
Toby at Healthy Eats: Candied Corn, and 4 more easy recipes
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Browsing Corn Porn   
Judy/Tuscan Diva: Fried Polenta Crostini with Porcini Ragu
Jennifer of Gilded Fork: Corn: Sweet Versatility (history, uses & recipes from cocktails to cornbread)
Chef Mark: Gettin' Corny! (Musings from childhood, tips & fresh-corn recipes)
Caroline at The Wright Recipes: Pickled Corn with Summer Onion and Basil
Paige Orloff of The Sister Project: Life-Changing Corn Pancakes
Tara at Tea and Cookies: Farro Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
Food Network UK blog: Talking Corn
Shauna at Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: Sweet Corn Risotto
Tigress at Tigress in a Jam: Cream Corn Scones

Now It's Your Turn!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy summer's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? Starting with our posts of Wednesday, July 28, for five Wednesdays through 8/25 and possibly longer, you can contribute in various ways, big or small.

• Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. The possibilities:

• Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas.

Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big red tomato Summer Fest 2010 badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #summerfood as our hashtag.

Here's the schedule:

• 7/28: cukesnzukes
• 8/4: corn
• 8/11: herbs, greens, and beans
• 8/18: stone fruit
• 8/25 tomatoes
• more to come if we all want it — stay tuned!

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