"True" Tuscan Kale Salad

If you've been on my San Diego Foodstuff Facebook page, you probably saw a post I wrote just over a week ago: "I think my current favorite flavor combination is lemon, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Made the best kale salad with that as dressing, plus grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. I thank Nathan Coulon for that..."

Nathan Coulon, of course, is the chef and member of Cooks Confab who had been at Modus, at Quarter Kitchen, and, of course, long ago, at his mother's pastry shop, Michele Coulon Dessertier. A San Diego native, he'd departed for awhile to join True Food Kitchen--and now he's back and opening San Diego's  True Food Kitchen this week in Fashion Valley.

Nathan, Michael, Mike Bragg, and me--refusing to relinquish the salad

Nathan, and his boss, former San Diego chef Michael Stebner (Region, Nine-Ten, Azzura Point), recently were guests on the radio show I had hosted, Wine & Dine San Diego Radio, to talk about True Food Kitchen. They stayed afterwards to do a video demo of one of the restaurant's dishes. And that's how I was introduced to this fabulous kale salad, which, Nathan acknowledges, is a recipe originally created by Dr. Andrew Weil, a partner in the restaurant.

There's nothing fancy or complicated about it, but the flavors are perfection. Raw kale can be tough and bitter, but the lemon juice in the dressing "cooks" the kale and tenderizes it. The olive oil (use a great one), the cheese (again, use the best you can afford), the red pepper flakes, and the bread crumbs give it a richness of flavor and texture that makes this salad wonderful not just when it's freshly made but also the day after. In fact, it may be the only leafy green salad I enjoy when it's wilted a bit.

This will be my summer go to. When I made it this week, I topped it with toasted walnuts. It's perfection on its own, but you can add nuts, dried fruit, other vegetables, roasted shrimp, fish, or other proteins to it for a more filling meal. Or enjoy it in all its splendid simplicity.

Thanks, Nathan! I'm looking forward to True Food Kitchen's opening this week!

True Food Kitchen Tuscan Kale Salad
From Nathan Coulon
(printable recipe)

Ingredients
4-6 cups kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves of Italian black (Lacinato, “dinosaur,” cavolo nero), midribs removed
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
Salt & pepper, to taste
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan)
½ cup freshly made bread crumbs from lightly toasted bread

Directions
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes.

Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.

Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

My home version...

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June Gloom Be Gone With These Food Events

My head is spinning from all the food-related goings on this coming weekend. This is one of those weekends that you just have to start the stopwatch and, on your mark, get set, go! Here are my three top picks!

Let's start with The Taste of Little Saigon, along El Cajon Blvd. this Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. For $15 (pre-sale, $18, day of), you'll discover the variety of Vietnamese food in the area, including Maxims Seafood, A Chau, Song Huong Food to Go, Pho King, Hoai Hue, Minh Hoa Supermarket, Thuan Kieu, Cali Baguette, and Vinh Long Food to Go. You'll also have an opportunity to go on a guided tour highlighting the neighborhood's history and enjoy performances by local singers and a live painting by San Diego artist Leah Younker.

Tickets can be purchased pre-sale at Hoai Hue Restaurant at 4660 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 102.

Also on Saturday, but up the coast, is the Encinitas Foodie Fest at Pacific Station, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event celebrates sustainable foods and products and is promoting the Coastal Community Foundation's Healthy Day Fund. Six local chefs will be featured doing demos: Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room, Kaitlin Ramos of St. Germain's Bistro, Dennis Horton of Whole Foods, John Gonzales of Bottaro Wood Fired Pizza, and Jason Gethin of Union Kitchen & Tap. Draft beer and white sangria will be sold by Solace & the Moonlight Lounge. Vendors who focus on sustainable and artisanal products, including Millie's Gelato, Sea Salt Candy Company, Majestic Garlic, Sadie Rose Baking Company, Viva Pops, and Praline Patisserie will be there with their delicious wares. And, there will be plenty of musical performances. And, it's a free event!

Get a good night's sleep because the next day you'll want to head over to Normal Heights and Kensington for a Taste of Adams Avenue. Always a great splash of deliciousness, The 12th Annual Taste event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Adams Avenue and feature the area's top restaurants, including Bleu Boheme, Blind Lady Ale House, Burger Lounge, Cafe Cabaret, Cantina Mayahuel, El Zarape, Farm House Cafe, Tao, and many others. Tool around by foot or take the complimentary trolley while you eat and shop.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the event. For advance purchase, you can buy your tickets online here.

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Beyond Kimchee: Exploring K-town's Galleria Market

I was up in L.A. last weekend on assignment for Sunset Magazine to take in Koreatown's restaurant scene with chef Debbie Lee of Next Food Network Star, Season 5 fame and owner of the Glendale pub grub eatery Ahn-Joo. Before meeting her Saturday night I tooled around the neighborhood on my own, stopping at the large Galleria Plaza on Olympic and Western. This plaza, along with the Koreatown Plaza on Western at 9th, is known for its splendid food court. And the Galleria Plaza is home to the expansive Galleria Market on the ground floor. Well, I'm not about to skip a market opportunity...

In San Diego, I've been a regular shopper at two Korean markets, Zion and First Korean. But having read Lee's cookbook, Seoultown Kitchen, and gotten more familiar with ingredients, I was more directed than aimless with this market visit. And, it didn't hurt that on a Saturday afternoon, there are free samples galore. So, let me point out several highlights of the market that can translate (to some extent) to our local Korean markets, understanding that I'm just skimming the surface.

One of the ingredients I was looking for was Korean peppers. This is most certainly a staple of Korean cuisine and while they are longer (about four inches), thicker, and smooth, not wrinkled--like a shishito or padron--they have a similar flavor. So, we're not talking crazy heat but great flavor. While you could certainly grill them, my experience with them that day at lunch was raw, sliced, and mixed with a sweetish chile sauce.

In the produce section, there was a lady surrounded by customers getting free samples of half-dried persimmons. Sweet and chewy, they are a wonderful snack even if they're a bit odd looking. And, according to the customers I spoke with, that's all they're meant for.

Around the corner from the produce was a display of bags filled with two kind of unusual crackers. One was peanut rice crackers, which were sweet and crunchy with a touch of salt from the slivers of peanuts, and the other darker crackers were made with beans, and also sweet and crunchy. Again, these are just meant for snacking, perhaps with a cup of coffee.

The seafood section is one of those fabulously classic Asian displays, filled with live crabs, a variety of unusual whole fish, shrimp, and, something I hadn't seen in a supermarket, a case of live abalone. They also had refrigerated packages filled with seafood and other ingredients to make different kinds of stews. So, for instance, if you wanted a no-brainer spicy crab stew, you could pick up this package which not only has crab, but clams, shrimp, sliced peppers, onions, green onions, jalapeños, squash, enoki mushrooms, soy bean paste, and hot pepper paste.

Behind me as I was eying the seafood counter was the scent of something fragrant cooking. I turned around to find a woman working over a saute pan, creating a seafood pancake made with shrimp, mussels, squid, and clams. Also there for tasting were plates filled with cooked mackerel and razor clams with peppers.

That sight eased me into an aisle filled like a cafeteria with banchan--a row of at least 30 prepared side dishes ranging from stir-fried radish stalk and marinated sand lances to fried fishcake, salted octopus, various kimchees, pickled perillar leaves, and seasoned fresh cucumber. This is when I wished I still lived in L.A. and could buy an assortment of these to take home.

I love condiments and the aisles devoted to condiments at Galleria Market were stunning. Sea salt is big in Korean cooking and there were a variety of brands and sizes, up to five pound bags, of sea salt--fine, coarse, roasted, flavored. Something I'll be picking up at a local Korean market to have on hand is a package of red pepper powder. Spicier than paprika, it turns dishes like those cukes above a vibrant red. It's also used with glutinous rice, flour, corn syrup, and salt to make hot pepper paste, which is added to meats, soups, stews, marinades or used on its own as a spicy dip or relish.

Then there are the toasted sesame seeds, both white and black. Put them in marinades, sauces, and add to vegetable sides. They are plentiful on Galleria Market's shelves.

I'll end with dessert. The bakery here has a crazy array of savory and sweet breads and pastries. Lee tells me there's heavy competition for the donuts on a Sunday morning. What I saw, though, led me to believe that there's heavy competition for everything there. The Korean white bread, which reminds me of Japanese white bread, is square and smooth and would be terrific for French toast.

I was charmed by the displays of cakes and these cupcakes. Like Japanese-style French pastries, Korean-style French pastries are less sweet, making it much easier to over-indulge. These are adorable.

Then there are the croissants and other more adult pastries. I was put off by the prepackaging, but in the back of the retail part of the bakery you can see that baked goods are made on site. So, I'm hoping these are fresh. With all the planned dining ahead of me, I didn't buy any to try; you go, and tell me what you think.

I am looking forward to Lee's visiting San Diego so we can hit not just the Korean restaurants along Convoy, but Zion Market. I wonder how it will compare.

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Blueberry Ginger Granita

You can't have too many blueberries. Until you do. I was at Trader Joe's late last week and was overcome by the ginormous, 24-ounce containers for sale of plump berries for about $6. Of course, I bought one but even by the end of the weekend, I barely made a dent in it just by snacking. By Monday I saw the faintest beginnings of shriveling so I had to make a quick decision about their future. Since I rarely bake anymore (oh, do I miss that!), I opted for making a blueberry granita. And, since I had a big knob of ginger, a jar of local honey, limes on my little tree, and cinnamon, I figured this was an easy call.

Now, it may (unofficially) be summer, but the weather isn't cooperating. San Diego has been blanketed with June gloom. Nevertheless, a bite of icy, crunchiness with the sweet-tart flavors of blueberries is irresistible. And, this is one of those desserts that's both pretty healthy and just ridiculously easy to make -- just combine everything in the food processor or blender and whrrrr -- that's it. I think it took me longer to wash the food processor pieces and measuring spoons than it did to actually put it together for the freezer. So, it's also a perfect summer dinner party dessert for the stressed out cook.

We'll have a heat wave soon enough, so now you're prepared, right?

Blueberry Ginger Granita
(printable recipe)
Makes four servings

2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and stem-free
1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for just a hint of spice)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade (or in a blender). Blend until smooth with just specks of blueberries. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish.

Cover and place in the freezer. After an hour, pull it out and scrape the mixture with a fork.

Return it to the freezer and repeat every half hour or so to get that grainy granita texture. It's ready when all the liquid has frozen and it's like a hard slush.

Garnish with more fresh, whole blueberries or small pieces of mango, pineapple, or other tropical fruit -- or with a big dollop of whipped cream and sprig of mint. Store in the freezer and eat within a couple of days while the flavor is still popping.

P.S. Hey, what are you up to next Tuesday evening (that would be June 12th)? How about heading over to Alchemy for a fun evening that supports the new Front Burner Fund? A group of local chefs, including Julie Darling, Flor Franco, and Maria Sparks, decided to launch a foundation that will provide financial support for back-of-the-house restaurant workers with healthcare emergencies. The first beneficiary will be Alchemy's executive chef Ricardo Heredia, who needs critical corrective eye surgery. No money? No health care? No surgery. So, this fund will enable that and get rid of his pirate's eye patch.

The event is from 5:30 to midnight at Alchemy, where chefs Hanis Cavin, Tommy Fraioli, Tina Luu, Miguel Valdez, Chad White, Ron Oliver, Cruz Caudillo and others will prepare tastes. Then come the food trucks! Plus wine! Plus beer! And, you can enjoy all this for all of $25. Buy your tickets here. See you there!

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Dine on the Dock to Support Local Fishermen

At one time, San Diego had a bustling fishing industry, luring immigrants from Italy, China, Japan, and Portugal. Canneries came and our local fishermen sold to them. We were the "Tuna Capital of the World." But as price competition encouraged canneries to buy from other countries, the local industry began to wane. At one time we had thousands of commercial fishermen in San Diego. Now there are 121 commercial licenses issued and, according to Catalina Offshore Products' Tommy Gomes, only 85 of those holding the licenses are working--and 65 percent of them are over the age of 55.

I'll be working on that story soon for Edible San Diego, but in the meantime, the San Diego Italian Film Festival is presenting a culinary event this week to highlight the contributions of local fishermen like Mitch Hobron, Mike Flynn, Cliff Hawk, and Zack Roach--and promote the use of local fish of all sizes and species caught by local fishermen to supply San Diego chefs, according to Catt White of San Diego Weekly Markets. She is producing the event with the San Diego Italian Food Festival, Slow Food Urban San Diego, and the San Diego Fishermen's Working Group.

Dine on the Dock, will be held this Thursday, May 31 at 6 p.m. at Driscoll's Wharf/Pier 4 (4918 N. Harbor Dr. in Point Loma). It will feature the catch by these local fisherman who have been paired with chefs Chad White (Gabardine), Amy DiBiase (The Shores), Andrew Spurgin (Campine), Melissa Mayer (Martini Media), Craig Jimenez (Craft & Commerce), Pete Balistreri (Tender Greens), Trey Foshee (Georges at the Cove), Lhasa Landry (Lion's Share), and Peter McCall (Whisknladle). Specialty Produce will be providing the chefs with fruits and veggies. The pressure will be on for the chefs, who won't know until the last minute what the catch of the day will be, but it could be anything from sea urchin, local black gill rockfish, and octopus to sand dabs and spider crab. I don't think they're at all worried.

Local Octopus Salad by Trey Foshee

Chad White's Grilled Sardines at Sea Rocket Bistro

The event also is serving another purpose, to introduce San Diegans to the idea of having a local fisherman's farmers market on Driscoll's Wharf, run, of course, by White.

"The idea is that we'd start with a weekly Friday market with fishermen, farmers, and artisan food along the long walkway in from of American Fish, on the water where the fishermen unload," she explains. "Then it would morph into a [San Francisco] Ferry Building type scenario."  

Chef Chad White is enthusiastic about the idea. "How cool would it be to have a co-op on the dock where people can come up and buy their fish fresh! It's important for our fishing community to grow and for us to be known again as a great fishing town."

Victor Laruccia of the San Diego Italian Film Festival notes that they've been involved for awhile now with Slow Food Urban San Diego in their CineCucina event, so a food event wasn't a stretch for a film organization. Then he and Pete Halmay of the San Diego Fishermen's Working Group were introduced and the two saw a nexus between the Italian community and the fishing community.

"We saw a common cause immediately and asked what could we do to pull that together. So we came up with an event of local food cooked Italian style," explains Halmay. "The idea was to show the people of San Diego that there's a vast rich history of fishing in San Diego."

Laruccia agrees. "Italian cuisine makes use of the kinds of fish caught here, so what would happen if we began to introduce dishes that incorporate the kind of fish we have here? And, for the Italian Film Festival, it represents our culture, so we're interested in that. It's education and exposure, but in a way that appeals to the senses."

Throughout the evening Laruccia will also be airing three short documentaries by director Vittoria De Seta. Originally from Calabria, but an immigrant to Sicily, the director went out with a camera himself, making films that preserved the culture of the 1950s, including three about fishing.

 
Tickets for the event are $85 and available for purchase online at www.dineonthedock.com.



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Vivace at the Aviara: When Brunch is a Long, Leisurely Lunch

There was a time when I would drool at the prospect of an expansive hotel Sunday brunch. I'd hit the omelet station for big gooey cheesy guac-packed egginess. Then I'd load up on oysters, pile lox on mini bagels with cream cheese, surreptitiously shove slices of bacon in my mouth while canvassing the rest of the offerings. It was bad. And now, of course, I don't even desire it.

So when I learned about the new Sunday meal that Vivace at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort launched last month--essentially brunch that isn't brunch--I was intrigued. They call it pranzo, which means lunch in Italian and what they have in mind is a leisurely, family-style midday meal, Italian style.

Mozzarella and Antipasti Bar

There are only three all-you-can-eat stations. Well, four if you count the house-made desserts.

When you first walk in through the breezeway there's the crudo bar with Carlsbad Aqua Farm oysters, Caledonian prawns, shrimp, Octopus salad, and Skuna Bay salmon.

 

Then there's the Burrata Bar, where chef de cuisine Jesse Paul makes mozzarella and burrata using warm salty water held in an induction burner into which he adds cheese curd. The curd melts and Paul removes it, stretching the curd until it forms a shiny mass. He folds it into a ball, tucking it into itself from the bottom, then shocks it in ice water to set, even as the inside remains nice and warm. Yes, he does all this in front of diners, explaining the process throughout. 

Accompanying the cheese was a tangy teardrop tomato salad, olives, a red pepper salad, a beautiful fennel and orange salad, mushroom Parmesan salad, roasted asparagus, pickled garlic cloves, and a selection of breads.

Finally, there's the Artisan Salumi Bar--a dangerous place for me what with Lonzo, Picante Salami, Coppa, and Prosciutto all available, along with cheeses such as the soft Robiola Tre Latti and Pecorino Toscano. I loved the pickled strawberries and candied walnuts, too. And the honeycomb was a nice touch.

This is the kind of food that's meant for sharing, which I did with my two friends. But it's just the prelude to a true family meal because they also have a menu for the main course and sides that are served family style on platters. Yes, they have ravioli and rigatoni, but we ordered the Waygu Flat-Iron steak with Red Wine Mostardo, the Wood Roasted Jidori Chicken with Fruit Mostardo, and the Roasted Sea Bass served with grilled Meyer lemon, capers, and brodo.

All three were light, juicy--even succulent. I especially enjoyed the sea bass, with its tender flesh and very crispy, decadent skin topped by the capers.

We had to order all the sides. There just wasn't one we could discard. So, out came caramalized cauliflower with anchony, currants, and pine nuts; creamy polenta, roasted peewee potatoes seasoned with rosemary and garlic; and a melange of English peas, asparagus, and spring garlic.

As you can see, the portions are modest. It's plenty for sharing, particularly after feasting at the appetizer tables. And, the food is fairly light. So, you don't leave feeling bloated and uncomfortable, even if--as we did--you linger over your Sunday meal for three hours.

When you dine with a pastry chef--in this case, Tina Luu--you sample all desserts. So between us, we, chef Amiko Gubbins, too, probably sampled everything. I recommend the Torta di Cioccolato e Nutella (chocolate Nutella tart), which was rich but not too sweet, the Zuppa Inglese, the Cannoli alla Ricotta, and the Panna Cotta alle Fragole.

Vivace uses local produce from Peterson, Crows Pass, and Valdivia Farms. The cheeses are imported from Italy, and the salamis are a mix of local (Angel Salumi based in Encinitas) and Italian imports.

With your meal, you're served glasses of Prosecco, but you also have a few cocktail choices. Altogether, it's $45 for the meal, which is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. And valet parking is free with validation. We sat indoors, but next time, I'd choose a table on the balcony with its splendid ocean view.

Vivace is located in the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort at 7100 Aviara Resort Dr.

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Strawberry, Sorrel and Burrata Salad

What did you do for Mother's Day? My parents and I went for our favorite kind of brunch: bagels, lox, and cream cheese. It's the food we're hardwired to eat. We drove over to Del Mar for deli at Milton's and afterwards I figured Mom would enjoy a trip to Chino Farms since we were already on Via de la Valle.

As we approached the farm, we could see the corn stalks in the fields, but they weren't towering very high yet, so we knew that corn wasn't going to be in the stands, but oh, my other Chino favorite was. Strawberries. Not just the large variety they grow, truly sweet and meaty with long stems still attached, but the smaller French variety, which just takes strawberry flavor to even sweeter heights.

These are strawberries meant to be eaten the day they are picked. We didn't even wait to get back to my parents' kitchen before digging in, remembering a similar experience over 30 years ago when we stopped at Rose Ave. in Oxnard on our way home to L.A. from visiting my sister at U.C. Santa Barbara. There was a stand there that sold strawberries by the flat. Huge, juicy, sweet berries with a  natural liqueur that made us feel drunk. Chino Farms brought those delightful memories back as we devoured their flawless berries.

I left three baskets with my folks and took the other three home but couldn't finish them that day. So, on Monday, with a ball of burrata from Taste Cheese in the fridge, sorrel in my garden, and new olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Baker & Olive in the pantry I realized I had a spring salad ready to be created.

Sometimes you just have to let the ingredients sing their own song and not fuss with them. So, all I did was wash the berries and the sorrel, toast some pine nuts, slice the burrata and a small red onion, and blend together the lemon-infused olive oil and violet balsamic--both so thick you don't need an emulsifying agent like mustard to make a dressing.

I tore up the sour sorrel leaves and sprinkled the rest of the ingredients over them. It doesn't get much easier--or fresher. Add a toasted sourdough roll to sop up the oil and vinegar left on the plate and that's lunch.

Here's to spring and here's to the Chinos, who never fail to thrill with their gorgeous produce!

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