The Gourmet Club Strikes Oil

t'll be a gusher this week when we welcome Thom Curry, owner of the fabulous Temecula Olive Oil Company. Thom will be in studio with Robert and me (Maureen is off to some amazing location again) to talk about the art of making olive oil. Okay, and vinegars too.

If you're not familiar with Temecula Olive Oil Company you should be. Thom is certified by the International Olive Oil Council as a Master Taster and sits on the California Olive Oil Council's Taste Panel. They have about 100 acres northeast of San Diego County, where they farm their own groves sustainably, harvest the olives from October through March and hand blend the oils.


I'm a big fan of their late harvest, more mellow Mission Olive Oil and Roasted Garlic Reserve Olive Oil, but I'm eager to try the younger, stronger grassy Rotture di Oro, or "tears of gold." The oils are easy to pick up, either at their shop at Old Town's Plaza del Pasado or Old Town Temecula. Or you can order them, along with olives, soap, vinegars and more, online.

And, as long as we're talking oils, I'm bringing in some bottles of other edible oils I've been discovering. Such as Stony Brook's Butternut Squash Seed Oil.

I got a sample of the oil recently from the company, Stony Brook Cookie Company. It comes out of the Finger Lakes region in Geneva, New York, from seeds leftover from nearby Martin Farms in Brockport. They're the processing remains of the farm's squash for a ready-to-cook preparation sold to grocery stores. The seeds are roasted in Stony Brook's ovens and then cold pressed. The oil is then lightly filtered. They claim that each 375 ml bottle of oil contains the seeds of 10 butternut squash.

The oil is astoundingly flavorful -- very rich and nutty, like sipping roasted pumpkin seeds. I've used it in vinaigrettes, drizzled it on squash soup and over roasted vegetables. You can cook with it, even at high heat, but you will lose some of that gorgeous flavor. You can order it online from Stony Brook Cookie Company.

I'm also going to bring in some avocado oils. Bella Vado is a local avocado oil produced by Corrinne and Cid da Silva. The couple bought their 40-acre Valley Center avocado grove several years ago. With no dedicated machine for avocados, they do the job using an olive mill and press. Currently they have two varieties of oil, regular and lemon flavored (the lemons are pressed with the avocados to extract the oil, not infused into it).

A good avocado oil is rich and buttery tasting, like a good avocado, of course. And the most remarkable green color. I'm especially fond of the Bella Vado lemon-flavored oil, which I recently tried with a new favorite recipe, roasted Swiss chard, which I got from the wonderful Chef Jennifer Goldman Carden of Todder Cafe. Just roughly chop up the chard, toss it with a few tablespoons of the oil, along with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and roast it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Watch it so it doesn't burn. It comes out very crispy and, with the lemon-flavored avocado oil, has a hint of citrus to it.

You can buy Bella Vado oils at both Whole Foods stores in San Diego, as well as at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturdays, At Home on Main Street in Fallbrook and The Temecula Valley Cheese Co. in Temecula. Cid just told me that at some point before Christmas, you'll also be able to order it online.

I also like the Pacifica Culinaria line of avocado oils. My favorite is the blood orange, which is delightful on salads and in preparing fish, like salmon or cod, as well as shrimp. I also like the roasted chili oil. The company is local, based in Temecula, but I believe they bring these oils in from Mexico and then infuse them with flavors. So, it's a different process than what the da Silvas and Thom Curry do. I've bought the Pacifica Culinaria oils at the Ocean Beach and La Jolla farmers markets from the Peggy's Pasta stand. And I just bought a bottle at Whole Foods.


We'll sample all these oils, which I think will end up making you pretty hungry. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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The Gourmet Club Talks Turkey

Robert, Maureen and I could probably fill an entire hour chatting about our Thanksgiving traditions, but we've enlisted three people to call in whom we think you'll enjoy even more: Matt Gordon, executive chef and co-owner of Urban Solace; Matt Rimel, co-owner of the La Jolla Butcher Shop and owner of Zenbu and Rimel's Rotisserie; and Karen Krasne, owner of Extraordinary Desserts.

These three each have a unique take on Thanksgiving and you'll want to hear what they're preparing and how they're celebrating. And, we'll ask them for the best ideas they have for the inevitable leftovers.

Getting hungry? Well, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Has a Sweet Tooth

I don't know about my co-hosts but I'm sitting here absolutely giddy celebrating our new president-elect. But it's time to get back to business and I'm looking forward to chatting with Michele Coulon of Michele Coulon Dessertier in La Jolla. We'll talk about her organic baking, trends in wedding cakes, some of the desserts we'll be seeing for the holidays this season and perhaps some Bridezilla stories.

And, our friend Mike Mitchell will join us at the top of the hour. He's got a new position as general manager of Cafe Coyote, which he has just started after a much-deserved vacation in Hawaii. I think he's got some island restaurants to recommend to us.

So, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Robert Whitley is off traveling through Spain for the next couple of weeks so join Maureen Clancy and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

P.S. My Q&A with Jesus Gonzalez, creative chef and chief instructor at Rancho La Puerta's La Cocina Que Canta cooking school has just been posted on the wonderful food site, culinate.com. Take a look.



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The Gourmet Club Gets Bloggie

I'm so excited about this show since our guests are familiar as friends not just to me but to most of you food blog lovers and Twitter participants.

First, we're opening with Jeff Jackson, executive chef at The Lodge at Torrey Pines' fabulous restaurant A. R. Valentien. He'll be filling us in on the events at the sixth annual Celebrate the Craft event taking place at The Lodge at Torrey Pines this weekend (Oct. 30 - Nov. 2). I've already posted about the event, which includes the Picnic in the Park on Sat., Nov. 1 and the Picnic on the Arroyo Terrace with a host of food stations featuring local area growers, vintners and suppliers. (I'll be there!). Chef Jackson will give us a preview of who will be participating and what will be happening over the weekend. For tickets and room packages, go online here.

We'll also catch up with co-host Maureen Clancy and hear about her recent stint in Vienna.

Then we'll have what I expect will be a really fun chat with three of San Diego's premier food bloggers, Alice Robertson (Alice Q. Foodie), Nicole Hamaker (Pinch My Salt) and Amanda Simpson (What We're Eating and FoodPornDaily.com). We'll find out just how they got into food blogging, what inspires them, how they've each developed such a following and what they think of the San Diego food scene. Have questions for them? Drop a comment below before 9:30 a.m. PT tomorrow, tweet me @carondg or give the show a call at 866.818.6384 while we're on live.

So, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Robert Whitley is off traveling through Spain for the next couple of weeks so join Maureen Clancy and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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San Diego Foodstuff Miscellany

• Celebrate the Craft: The Sixth Annual Celebrate the Craft, held at The Lodge at Torrey Pines from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, brings together chefs, vintners, food producers and artists to celebrate the bounty of California. Celebrate the Chef events include a Picnic in the Park, Reception and Art Auction and Picnic on the Arroyo Terrace. Featured chefs include Jeff Jackson, Daniel Boling, Antonio Friscia, Christian Graves, Amiko Gubbins, Javier Plascencia, Andrew Spurgin and Carl Schroeder. You'll also find Brandt Beef, The Aniata Cheese Co., Bread & Cie, Catalina Offshore Products, Crows Pass Farms, La Milpa Organica Farm and Jack Fischer Confections. Tickets for Celebrate the Craft are $65. Tickets for The Torrey Pines Plein Air Invitational are $125. You can order them online here.
• Want local beef? Yesterday, when I was on These Days a caller told us that his daughter and other kids who participate in the Future Farmers of America show their cows, pigs and other farm animals at the San Diego County Fair. According to the caller, the meat from animals that are slaughtered is available for purchase. Keep that in mind next summer when the Fair opens.
• For those who missed Maddie's comment on my Too Many Farmers Markets entry: Hello, From the other side of the fence. We are a small family farm in Alpine Ca. We have an awesome array of fruits and vegetables, herbs and eggs. I am considering having a mailing list of consumers who are interested in getting an email from us, saying what we have this week and letting them have a choice. Right now we have lettuces, tomato, peas, green beans, apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, gourds, pumpkins, eggs. What do you think? Maddie Ridgeline Farms, www.ridgelinefarms.com
  Certification# 3709CC81
• The Gourmet Club will be dark next Wednesday. Both Robert and Maureen are out of town. We'll return Wednesday, Oct. 22 with some great guests. Stay tuned!
  

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The Gourmet Club Goes Dark

Well, I really have put off writing this, but we got the news that The Gourmet Club and all other live programming on signonradio.com is indefinitely suspended. So, instead of going to the studio this morning for a fun discussion with Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and guests, I've got a conference call, a phone interview and a story to work on. You tell me which sounds like more fun!

We may go back on. Who knows? But, regardless, I want to thank Robert and Maureen, who know everything about food and wine in San Diego and beyond, for being so generous and such great partners. We had a great time and were really getting into a groove together. Robert's assistant, Felicia Forbes, is the coolest lady and always such a help in getting us prepped for the show. Our guests made it all so interesting, especially our friend, Mike Mitchell, who regularly introduced us to new and exciting restaurants around town. Thank you very much! And, I want to thank my friend Ron James for bringing me on board last year. Of course, my really big thanks go out to those of you who actually took the time to listen and even call in periodically.

It was a great run and I hope against hope that the mikes go back on soon.

Meanwhile, you can listen to me monthly on KPBS radio's These Days with Tom Fudge. My next appearance will be on Monday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.

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The Gourmet Club Takes to the Backstreet

I'm back--no pun intended. I was laid up watching the Olympics 24/7 while my back was spasming and otherwise creating misery. But that was last week. This week, I'll be rejoining Robert and Maureen at the table and meeting our guest, Cindy Pawlcyn.


Pawlcyn, owner of Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, as well as Mustards Grill and Go Fish, is a Napa Valley icon. From the fresh organic ingredients she's committed to using in her restaurants to her experiential food research, Pawlcyn creates delicious, heartfelt food that has earned her a devoted local and national following. We'll be talking with her about her new cookbook Big Small Plates, her restaurants and her travels to San Sebastian, Spain and Oaxaca, Mexico to try new restaurants and cuisines for inspiration.

We'll also spend some time talking about last weekend's Taste of Slow Food San Diego, the Temecula Olive Oil Company and what sounds like the ultimate birthday dinner, enjoyed by Maureen last Saturday (think Carl Schroeder and Michele Coulon).

So, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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The Gourmet Club is Telling Fish Tales

What's your passion? For Chef Andrew Spurgin it's fish. In fact, he's a co-founder of the educational organization Passionfish, which addresses seafood sustainability issues.

Chef Spurgin, who is executive director and chef of Waters Fine Catering, will be on The Gourmet Club with equally ardent fish lovers Christian Graves, executive chef at Jsix, and Dan Nattrass, principal fish buyer of Catalina Offshore Products. With these three in studio as guests, we'll spend the hour talking about seafood sustainability, mercury in fish, techniques for preparing fish to keep it both safe and tasty -- well, basically all things fish. Actually, all things food -- because both chefs are champions of handcrafted, organic, regional cuisine, even if it doesn't have fins or gills.

So, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club is Homegrown

One of the most enjoyable of all culinary pairings is wine and cheese -- once you figure out what goes with what. We're going to have a guest who can help: Dan Pilkey, the sommelier with Addison at the Grand Del Mar. At 27, he's the youngest to have attained the level of advanced sommelier from the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers -- and only the second in San Diego. There are only several hundred who have reached this rank in the U.S.

Pilkey, who grew up in the wine business, will give us some tips on how to mix and match wines and cheeses. And, we'll try to emphasize some more summery wines so that you can go out and try some of his suggestions now, whether it be at a picnic dinner during an outdoor concert or as a special course of its own at your summer dinner party.

Matt Rimel's Homegrown Meats/La Jolla Butcher Shop opened last Saturday (see my previous post). Robert and I will talk about this new shop and what it means to have locally grown, grass-fed beef available to San Diegans for the first time.


The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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Out of the Water and Enjoying the Breeze: The Delights of the Air-Chilled Chicken

Americans love their chicken. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, in 2006, the average person consumed 88.2 pounds of chicken. To keep our appetites sated, there are some 200 chicken processing plants in the U.S. slaughtering and prepping chicken for consumption.

But, are we enjoying it? There’s a reason why so often you hear a comparison between the flavor of most every out-of-the-ordinary animal and chicken. Rattlesnake? Tastes like chicken. Rabbit? Tastes like chicken. Frog legs? The same. How can that be? Well, unfortunately, most mass-produced chicken has no flavor. It’s often just a bland delivery vehicle for the gorgeous, rich marinade or the barbecue sauce it carries. When something tastes like nothing, it apparently tastes like everything.

I’ve been trying to remedy that in my own household by buying organic chicken. Trying because I still haven’t felt the love. I’ll do a simple roasted chicken with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and… nothing. It tastes fine, but it’s nothing special. However, on Monday afternoon I was on my way back to my parents’ house with my mom and niece and my mom wanted us to make a quick stop at Bristol Farms to pick up some lemon sorbet. I decided as long as I was there to buy chicken for myself for dinner and got a couple of air-chilled whole legs.

I finally felt the love. All I did was thin a couple of tablespoons of Majestic Garlic’s sun-dried tomato/jalapeño blend with a little olive oil and spread it over the legs and thighs. Then I roasted them at 375 degrees for about an hour. What came out of the oven was a gorgeous red-toned chicken with crispy skin and tender, juicy, FLAVORFUL meat. It tasted like something. It tasted like chicken.

So, I thought I’d find out a little more about air-chilled processing compared to conventional processing.

Since the mid-1990’s after some major E.coli and salmonella scares, the USDA required that the carcass temperature of chickens be lowered within four hours after slaughtering to at least 40 degrees to retard bacteria growth. Processors have preferred to do this through immersion chilling, soaking the chickens en masse in a communal vat of chlorinated ice water for about an hour.

Now, the problem with this is that, depending on which study you read, the chickens may absorb anywhere from two to 12 percent of their body weight in added water which weeps out of the meat. That’s the liquid you find in fresh chicken packaging at the grocery store. And, you’re paying for that extra weight.

Air-chilling is done by only a handful of plants in the U.S., although it’s a technique that’s been around for about 20 years in Europe. Air chilling involves spraying the chickens inside and out after slaughtering with chlorinated water, and then moving them one by one along a track through chambers where they’re misted with cold air. It takes about two-and-a-half to three hours before they’re fully chilled.

MBA Smart Chicken of Nebraska was the first in the U.S. to air chill chickens, and that was 10 years ago. Two years ago, Pitman Farms of Fresno became the first on the West Coast. Another processor, Bell & Evans, claims it has an air chill system with a single chilling line that prevents cross contamination from birds on higher racks dripping on those underneath.

So, what are the benefits to air chilling chickens? Supporters claim that the slow chill process, which gets their birds to under 35 degrees, tenderizes the meat and that the chickens’ natural juices are not diluted in or replaced by the water in a conventional water chiller.

Food scientist Harold McGee has said that it makes the chicken taste more “chickeny” because the bird absorbs less liquid, leaving the real flavor of the chicken undiluted. Based on my Monday night experience, I agree.

It also produces a higher cooked-meat yield than immersed chickens because the immersed meat absorbs more water, which then cooks out. And, air chilling contributes to crispier cooked skin.

Air chilling also saves tens of thousands of gallons of water a day. USDA researchers say it takes an average of seven gallons of water to process a chicken through immersion processing and estimate that air chilling would save a minimum of half a gallon of water for each bird processed—not bad in drought areas. They estimate that processors could save about 4.5 billion gallons of water a year if all nine million birds processed annually in the U.S. were air chilled. (However, air chilling takes longer than immersion chilling so more energy is expended on air chilling.) Another sustainable benefit is being promoted by Bell & Evans. They says that since chickens aren’t weeping liquid, the company can use recyclable and reusable shipping containers.

As for the chlorine, the fact of the matter is that chemical disinfectants are have long been popular way to disinfect food products, and chlorine is used about 80 percent of the time. But the amount is limited to 50 ounces per 7,800 gallons of water. So, it shouldn’t be detectable to consumers, particularly after cooking. Chlorine is also used in treatment of other food products like seafood and produce.

Locally, air-chilled chickens are sold at Jonathans, Harvest Ranch, Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. Chickens sold by the latter are also anti-biotic and hormone free and free-ranging. Robert Whitley tells me he buys air-chilled chickens at Costco.

And, a note to Lou, The Gourmet Club’s wonderful engineer and rabid foodie, who asked me about Blue Foot chickens. Lou, these are an American variety of the French chicken breed, Poulet de Bresse, which is the only chicken to receive its own AOC, or Appellation d’origine contrôlée, which translates as “controlled term of origin.” It’s the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications (GI) for wines, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government's Institut National des Appellations d'Origine.

This is an elite chicken, selling at about 10 times the usual price of most other chicken. And it’s almost always sold—and served—with the head and feet still attached. That’s because it has a gorgeous red comb and white feathers, and it has unique steel-blue feet. It’s slaughtered later than usual chicken and it, too, is air-chilled, both of which apparently give it a stronger flavor and texture.

You can buy Blue Foot chicken through D’Artagnan.com and at Exotic Meats. And, yes, you’re right if you think you saw these chickens featured as the secret ingredient on Iron Chef America. There was a Battle Blue Foot Chicken on Iron Chef America in 2007 with Bobby Flay going against Jeffrey Ford.

And, here’s a link to a delicious sounding recipe at Food & Wine.com for Roasted Blue Foot Chickens with Glazed Parsnips and Carrots. And, if you are just mad about chickens, check out chickencrossing.org.

Have some thoughts about air-chilled chickens, Blue Foot chickens or markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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The Gourmet Club Takes It Slow

In one month, Labor Day weekend (that's August 29 to Sept. 1), Slow Food Nation will be foodie central in San Francisco. With a farmers market and urban "Victory" garden, Taste Pavilions showcasing the wares of producers across the nation, lectures, guided slow hikes, special slow dinners and even a Slow Food Rocks concert, Slow Food Nation will be an incomparable experience.


So, we're bringing in Anya Fernald, Slow Food Nation's executive director, to talk about what we can expect. Should San Diegans make the trek up to celebrate? You bet! I'll be among them and can't wait to share the experience.

We'll also be talking about summer puddings and the pros and cons of air-chilled chicken. Does it really taste better than the usual poultry found in the stores? I did a taste test and will let you know if it's worth the extra price.

The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes for Elegance (With Caviar)

This week on The Gourmet Club we bring you caviar. Dafne Engstrom, co-founder of boutique caviar house Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, will be joining us by phone to talk about the sturgeon they raise and harvest. The sustainable caviar they produce is served in restaurants such as The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's, Le Cirque and Wolfgang Puck, and can be found at Williams-Sonoma and Dean & Deluca. They also have a cafe at the San Francisco Ferry Building.


And tune in for another tippling tasting. This time it's Maureen who's bringing in the good stuff. She's loving the new liqueur VeeV, a vodka-like drink infused with açaí berries and acerola cherry that's filled with antioxidants.


She served it to great acclaim at a recent dinner party and thinks it's something we should all know about.

Sans alcohol but on the trend meter as well is Vivanno, the new 16-ounce fruit smoothie Starbucks introduced last week. Made with banana, milk, and an orange-mango-blend juice, along with whey protein and fiber powder, it will set back customers 350 calories and $3.75. We'll talk about whether this was a smart move for the struggling coffee megachain.
The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes Under the Sea

Matt Rimel joins The Gourmet Club this Wednesday. The owner of Zenbu, Rimel's Rotisserie and Mesquite will chat with us before the 4th of July holiday about fish (he catches much of what is served at all three venues) and maybe even give us some tips on favorite ways to prepare it for an outdoor fireworks bash.

Maureen has ravioli, raviolo and raviolini on her mind. Confused? Well, tune in and find out what the differences are between the three and what unique versions are so deliciously distracting her.

The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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Pata Negra: The Beautiful Black Pig of PB

Recently I had dinner at Costa Brava, the Spanish restaurant on Garnet in Pacific Beach. My friend Ines and I shared about half a dozen lovely little tapas dishes—briny aceitunas con anchoa (olives stuffed with anchovies), flaky empanadillas de Atún (tuna in pastry), sweet and salty dátiles con tocino (dates wrapped in bacon), a gorgeous tortilla Española (Spanish potato omelet with onion and egg) and a couple of other delicious plates.

So, I was looking forward to heading over to the little market, Pata Negra, that Costa Brava’s owner Javier Gonzalez also owns. It was closed by the time we had finished but I went there for a visit this week in anticipation of Javier being a guest on The Gourmet Club.

The shop is charming and filled with everything I’d imagine would make a homesick Spaniard melt in happiness. From cheeses and olive oils to wines and sausages, you could create some delicious meals from the products here with little effort. After all, much of what Gonzalez is importing comes already packaged. Of course, with some great effort, you also have the makings for traditional paella, from the rice and sausages to paelleras of every size—they have them from almost eight inches to 27 ½ inches in diameter, enough to feed 30 people.

Those mouth-watering olives stuffed with anchovies? You can buy a can of those as well as plain olives; mildly spicy long green pickled chili peppers (very similar in taste to pepperoncini), and tapeo Mediterraneo, a mix of pickled onions, carrots, capers, cornichons and peppers—all wonderfully crispy and briny.

Spain is known for its tuna fillets in olive oil and at Pata Negra you can buy them in a jar or a can. If you are looking for some other seafood in olive oil, there are also sardines, mussels and baby eels. I found cans of squid stuffed in their own ink—delicious with their soft flavors and chewy texture. You can also buy squid ink at the shop to color homemade pasta or rice—how about paella negra or black paella? I found this recipe on the Arizona Republic’s website:

Black Paella

2 cups Calasparra rice or bomba rice

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

5 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons paprika

2 cups fresh or canned snails

3 pound squid, cut into medium sized pieces

1 teaspoon squid ink

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Olive oil for brushing

1 lemon

Parsley for garnish

Add rice, garlic and tomato sauce to a 12-inch paella pan. In a medium stockpot, add chicken stock and paprika. Heat on medium until warm. Place paella pan on medium-hot burner, and add 2 cups of the chicken stock. Stir continuously until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add another 2 cups and repeat until liquid has been absorbed. Add the remaining liquid, the snails and squid. Continue cooking, stirring constantly almost all the liquid is gone. Add the squid ink, salt and the peas. Stir to get ink evenly through the rice. Transfer to 450-degree oven and bake for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Remove paella, brush with olive oil. Zest the lemon and place on top. Squeeze the juice of lemon over rice and garnish with parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

There must have been two dozen cheeses offered at Pata Negra. Certainly, the shop had a full range of Manchegos, a complex sheep’s milk cheese, but there also were the two Tetillas from Galicia—one a sweet and creamy cow’s milk formed in the shape of a breast, the other smoked in birch wood, also with its unique udder-ish shape. There was the semi-soft Don Wine goat’s milk, washed in red wine, and the Mahon from the Mediterranean island of Menorca, a very mild sheep’s milk cheese marinated in paprika. I picked up the Idiazabal, a sheep’s milk cheese similar to Manchego but sharper and about as close as it gets in Spain to a Parmesan.

Pata Negra also has a couple of pates—cod with baked peppers and the other, which I bought, made of anchovies. It has that lusciously smooth texture you expect from a pate and a sweeter than expected flavor. For those who turn up their noses at anchovies in all of these products, this is a very different fishy beast than the salt-laden, dried out flecks on pizza that can turn people off. The Spanish treat anchovies with respect. They’re rich and plump and a pleasure on the palate.

In fact, when I accompanied Gonzalez to the restaurant for a sampling of tapas, he put out plate of three anchovies, naked to the world. They were delicious on their own, similar to pickled herring, actually, but he showed me how to wrap one around an olive (stuffed with anchovies, of course) and then pop into the mouth. Absolutely delicious.

A good Spanish kitchen needs olive oil and vinegar and you’ll find a nice variety of quality goods here. I bought a bottle of the Castillo de Tabernas single variety olive oil (there’s also a blend of three olives). At .1 percent in acidity, this is used only for flavor, not cooking. If you want to cook with olive oil, don’t use any olive oil over .4 percent acidity or you’re simply wasting good oil.

You’ll also want an assortment of paprikas—and, don’t mistake these for the stale stuff you find in the supermarket. These are highly charged, flavorful paprikas. They come in picante, dulce (mild), bittersweet and smoked. Use them singly or mix some together to layer flavors.

My favorite part of the shop is dedicated to the sausages and, of course, what Pata Negra is now known for locally, its Jamón Ibérico, or Spanish ham. The best place to learn more about this ham is on the Costa Brava website, but briefly, these hams, newly available to the U.S. market, come from black-hoofed Iberico pigs who feed freely on acorns and wild plants. The Jamón Ibérico has a gorgeous rich red color and is served paper thin. The nutty flavor is reminiscent of those acorns and yet very delicate. Because this is such a rare and expensive treat, even in Spain, Jamón Ibérico is reserved for special occasions and generally eaten simply on its own or perhaps as a wrapper for shrimp that had been sautéed in olive oil, garlic and paprika. Below store manager Fernando Hernandez shows it off on a jamonera and you can see the difference between the Jamón Ibérico and Serrano ham, which the shop also sells.

Serrano ham, often compared to Italian prosciutto, is a dry-cured Spanish ham, actually sweeter and sliced thicker than its Italian cousin. The majority of these hams are made from Landrace white pigs and are far more affordable than the Jamón Ibérico.

Pata Negra also carries blood sausage and a variety of chorizo, including the Basque region’s chorizo de Bilbao, one of Spain’s most popular cooking chorizos and made with garlic, pimenton and pepper. At Costa Brava, I enjoyed pieces of grilled chorizo de Bilbao, both unadulterated and nestled in a piece of steaming freshly baked roll. Buy a package and butterfly each one for grilling, then snuggle it in a hot roll and enjoy with a good cold beer.

You can also find bacalao, boneless salt cod, that in its dried state doesn’t look like much. But, soak it in fresh water for a couple of days to leach out the salt and you have the makings of some wonderful dishes, including cod balls, peppers stuffed with salt cod and cod croquettes, which I enjoyed at Costa Brava.

Finally, Pata Negra has an impressive wine selection in the back room, with Riojas and Tempranillos and many others. And the prices seemed reasonable.

Have some thoughts about Pata Negra or other ethnic markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:


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The Gourmet Club Goes to La Costa Brava

Well, actually, it comes to The Gourmet Club in the person of Javier Gonzalez, owner of the Pacific Beach tapas bar and restaurant, Costa Brava, and neighboring wine and cheese shop, Pata Negra. We'll be talking to Javier about the restaurant, of course, but more broadly about trends in Spanish cuisine and that gorgeous tasting Iberico ham that he's now importing. This is a first for San Diego and a really savory, if expensive, treat. I just spend a couple of hours with Javier and my new buddy Fernando Hernandez, who runs Pata Negra and will be writing about the shop later this week. In the meantime, enjoy the conversation we'll be having with Javier on The Gourmet Club.

And, since it's the first time in awhile that Robert, Maureen and I have been in studio together in awhile, we'll be doing some catching up on where we've been eating and what we've been cooking -- including my cooking classes at Rancho La Puerta's La Cocina Que Canta.

The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes Baja

We've got great flavors to talk about this week on The Gourmet Club. Chef/owner Javier Plascencia of Romesco in Bonita will be with Robert Whitley and me in studio to talk about Baja Mediterranean-style cooking, which you'll find not only at Romesco, but at one of the family's other restaurants in Tijuana, Villa Saverios.

Maureen Clancy will be calling in from New York, where she attended this year's James Beard Foundation Awards at Lincoln Center. Apparently, Kim Cattrall and Bobby Flay got down and dirty with their hosting duties. And, a former San Diego chef, Gavin Kaysen, now of Cafe Boulud in New York, won the rising star award. Maureen will tell all!

And, we'll have Mike Mitchell from Oceanaire on to talk about the new places he's been trying out. We'll also ask him how the restaurants in town are doing sans tomatoes.

It's going to be a busy meeting of The Gourmet Club. Join Robert Whitley and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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The Gourmet Club Gets Great News!

As in, Allison Sherwood, director of the cooking school at Great News in Pacific Beach. This Wednesday, Allison will join Robert and me in studio to talk about the school, what makes for a great cooking class and how those instructors we've come to love and rely on for innovative technique and delicious recipes are selected.

Mike Mitchell, general manager of The Oceanaire, will call in with his Mitchell Report. Who knows what happening new restaurant he's been to this last week... We'll find out tomorrow.

Join Robert Whitley and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club on signonradio.com on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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The Gourmet Club Takes The Foodie View

Robert's back from Italy. Maureen's just back from Germany. All is right with the world of The Gourmet Club.

This week we'll have Howie Wang, host of foodieview.com, in studio with us to talk about this cool website where you can search for recipes and restaurants, read great food bloggers and get the lowdown on the latest cookbooks on the bookstore shelves.

Mike Mitchell of Oceanaire, of course, will call in to report on his latest new restaurant experience.

And, we'll find out what's on the menu right now in Germany. Rumor has it that it's asparagus morning, noon and night.

Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club on signonradio.com on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes from Farm to Table

Well, after a week's hiatus, we're back--and this week The Gourmet Club welcomes Jay Porter, owner of The Linkery and a terrific food blogger. Jay's a big believer in creating meals that take advantage of local produce and The Linkery's ever-changing menus reflect that farm-to-table philosophy. This week The Linkery is moving up the street on 30th to a larger location, so we'll talk about what this move means and the market-driven movement in the restaurant scene.

We'll also have Mike Mitchell from The Oceanaire calling in to fill us in on some new restaurants he's been trying.

And, Robert is just back from Italy. I'm sure he'll have lots to report.

Join Robert Whitley and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club this Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific on signonradio.com or podcast it to listen later at your convenience.


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Doubling Down on Dining in Vegas

Do you have to be a high roller to eat well in Las Vegas? San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Peter Rowe just returned from cruising celebrity chef dining rooms on the Strip--everyone from Charlie Trotter's Restaurant Charlie to Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's Carnevino. He'll be in studio with us on The Gourmet Club to give us an idea of how much of your winnings you need to fork over for a "name" dinner.

Carnevino

Also joining us this week is food writer Maureen Clancy to chat about asparagus, everyone's favorite spring veggie.

And, we'll chat about Bravo's Top Chef with Brian Malarkey. Who bit the culinary dust this week? Well, let's just say our first Top Chef couple is now reunited. Brian, who is executive chef at Oceanaire, will give us his take on what happened, which you can also find on his Bravo blog. And, Mike Mitchell, Oceanaire's general manager, will be on to talk about new restaurants with us.

Join The Gourmet Club online on Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. Pacific on signonradio.com. Or podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

NOTE: AS OF NEXT WEEK, THE GOURMET CLUB MOVES TO WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.


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