"Cinco de Mayo... on May 6!"

Yesterday afternoon was hot and humid: perfect weather for spicy foods, some chips and salsa, and anything else that might remind you of a classic Mexican feast. With the Mexican theme in mind I headed for the Market District to prepare a few Mexican dishes.

Keep in mind that most of these dishes are a product of working in the kitchen side by side with all my Mexican counterparts. As a Spanish chef I had never before encountered these flavors in Europe until I came to the U.S. and worked with South Americans and Mexicans. These experiences and flavors have greatly enriched my life and menus.

I prepared a traditional refried bean dip. Also a grilled pineapple and red onion salsa and Arroz con Pollo. This chicken and rice dish is probably one of my favorite South American meals.

Alba Flamenca was also there at the Market District. They provided Flamenco music and dance. So we celebrated a Mexican holiday weekend with a Spanish chef, Spanish musicians, and Spanish dancers, but hey–just like everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, I guess everybody is Mexican on Cinco de Mayo.

It was great fun!

I do some of my best work behind a plexiglass shield

tapas class at The Giant Eagle Market District

This past weekend I stopped by the Market District cooking school to teach a class on tapas.

I have taught many classes at this location and it’s always fun to see the old crew at the cooking school, and the many friendly Market District members I have come to know in my experiences there.

strawberries and goat cheese

On the menu we had:

• Chorizo and potatoes with Allioli
• Strawberries with goat cheese and basil
• Cod mousse and red pesto
• Beef tenderloin with strawberries and chocolate
• Pork tenderloin with dates and couscous
• Coconut flan

We all had a great time. I can’t wait until the next time. Thank you for everything Market District.

Buen Provecho!

We go through a lot of milk at our house. (Babies are staying incognito!)

Of course I have always been interested in food, and as a chef it is a professional necessity to recognize and use quality ingredients. But becoming a parent gives you a whole new level of interest in food quality, especially nutritional value.

My girls have been eating “big kid” food for a long time, but each of them still drinks at least a pint of milk per day, so the quality of the milk they drink is very important. After a lot of research and discussion, we decided to feed them organic raw milk–milk that has not been pasteurized. Maybe you’re wondering–is this safe? I could say a lot about this, but the short answer is yes. We get our milk from Your Family Cow, a certified organic farm in Chambersburg, PA that’s run by Dawn and Edwin Shank. We trust the Shank family to keep our family safe and healthy.

We pick up our milk once every two weeks at one of Your Family Cow’s drop off points. We could also pick it up at the East End Food Co-Op if we wanted. This week, we heard that 3 new stores will be carrying Your Family Cow’s raw cow’s milk along with cheese, butter, cream, eggs, honey, and so on. This is good news. If you are interested in raw milk, one of these new retailers might make it easier for you to try it and see what you think:

Nature’s Pickins
464 Connellsville Street, Uniontown, PA 15401
724-438-4211

Nature’s Way Market
796 Highland Ave. Greensburg, PA 15601
724-836-3524

Eichner’s Farm Market
285 Richard Road, Wexford, PA 15090
724-935-2131

Congratulations to the Shanks on expanding their network of partners in organic food.

Buen provecho!

We finally found a dripless olive oil can that meets my exacting standards! Here you can see the detail of the spout that lets air in while you pour the oil. This, along with the funnel design of the spout, prevents any drips from getting on your countertop.

Olive oil is always present in my kitchen. This liquid gold is part of my heritage and I couldn’t do without. But at times it can be messy and that I could do without. Most oil dispensers are messy. The glass ones are pretty, but they never look clean and can get slippery with oil. The metal dispensers aren’t as fragile, but they typically drip and get oily. And those classic cans with the elongated spouts, they look pretty but the spout can get in your way–even break. As you see I am a bit finicky about my olive oil dispensers, but I think it’s worth being picky because it’s something we use every day.

So we’ve been on the lookout for a new oil dispenser to keep by the stove. My wife found this great dispenser at La Paella. They call it a “No-Drip Olive Oil Dispenser” and let me tell you it works great. It’s not just because it’s made in Spain like me . It’s because the clever design lets air in while you pour and keeps the oil from running down the side or splashing. Having the right tool for the job makes an ordinary task a pleasure.

Buen Provecho!

This giant turnip from last year was almost as big as my head

The weekends have had nice weather lately, and I spent some time in the garden getting it ready for the growing season. Look what I found from last year! I told my wife I was cooking it for dinner just to see her face. I think I should save it for fall and carve it instead of a pumpkin for Halloween!

I enjoy growing turnips more than I enjoy eating them. They can have a strong flavor, sometimes bitter. David Bulman over at Bite Bistro suggested that I try some Tokyo turnips this year. They’re smaller than the turnips I’ve grown in the past, more like the size of a radish. They’re supposed to be sweeter when cooked, with greens that are good for eating, too. I’m looking forward to trying them–the seeds are on my order list for this year.

25 gallons of compost, a beautiful sight!

Composting is one of my hobbies. I think I can call it a hobby. I find it very rewarding and relaxing. Yes, making “dirt” can be fun! In one year, our household–a family of four and a dog–produces about 25 gallons of compost. This compost get mixed into our garden soil and we benefit from this “garbage” once again as it feeds our crops. This cycle gives me great satisfaction.

The current situation of our farms worries me, especially when I hear that farming production must increase by 70% in order to feed the world’s population by 2050. This is an issue we all should be working on right now. This makes me want to work on my garden a little harder, maybe as a way to do my part to feed the world, maybe as a new year’s resolution (even though I don’t make new year’s resolutions). If nothing else, knowing where our produce comes from and how it was grown is a great advantage.

I’m a little late, but happy 2012.

Buen provecho!

I have to admit I was a little dubious about any hard cider that comes with the suggestion to "serve over ice!"

I was born and raised in Asturias, a region of northern Spain that is very similar to where I live now in western Pennsylvania. Apple orchards are a common sight in both of these landscapes. In Asturias, hard cider is one of the most popular and commonly enjoyed alcoholic beverages, but not in Pennsylvania, nor (as far as I know) anywhere in the U.S.

Hard cider is starting to develop a following in this country, but is still viewed by many as an inferior choice to beer. Maybe because of different marketing strategies, I find that many hard ciders in this country have many other ingredients other than just fermented apple juice, which is basically the main ingredient in fine European hard ciders. A good example is Crispin Hard Cider, which offers the suggestion of serving over ice–a bizarre idea bordering on sacrilege for someone raised on Asturian sidra! This beverage contains hard cider, filtered water, apple juice concentrate and natural apple essence. As a sweet apple flavored drink, well, it’s not bad. It’s probably a drink that would be enjoyed by many, but it’s not hard cider, not my kind of hard cider that you would drink as you would a beer. This Crispin cider beverage reminds me of an appletini or dessert drink–something like granny smith sorbet, not hard cider. But who knows–maybe it’s an encouraging sign to see more ciders on the market, even if they don’t necessarily match my idea of what hard cider should be.

Farnum Hill semi-dry hard cider, a great choice for our Thanksgiving feast!

Now, a good American hard cider is made in New Hampshire at Farnum Hill. Farnum Hill ciders are–in my modest opinion–great hard ciders. I have much to say about Farnum Hill, but for this entry, I will just say that Farnum Hill Semi-dry cider was my choice for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a great pairing to our harvest feast.

Buen provecho!

David Bulman in the Bite Bistro kitchen preparing a salad of brussels sprouts for the Late Harvest Tasting Dinner

Since Vivo Kitchen moved to Sewickley, the younger DiBatista generation, Danina and Martina, have taken over the old Bellevue space with a new restaurant–Bite Bistro. Just like Vivo, Bite Bistro pleases hardcore foodies and everyday diners alike.

David Bulman is the chef. David is classically trained in culinary arts and the man running the show behind the line. I have had the pleasure to teach culinary classes and cook with David. He’s very passionate about his work. David is a strong supporter of local and sustainable products, and it shows in his menu choices.

Last week, Bite Bistro had a late harvest dinner. A prix fixe menu–seven courses. Bite Bistro has a tasting menu once a week and a special prix fixe dinner like the one I attended once per month. These dinner events are a great opportunity for anyone to get a good understanding of what chefs are working with for the season and maybe get to know the chef’s style as well.

David’s style is about using good, local ingredients (when possible) and using preparations that feature those ingredients in uncomplicated ways. David tells me that dishes like these are what keep people coming back. And I have to agree, simple, well prepared choices are definite winners.

The menu ranged from beets, and brussels sprouts to a duck, quail, and chicken trio. I know how much David enjoys working with duck, so I was glad to see it in the menu.

Beets were in the opening course and then we enjoyed them for dessert. The beet gelato with Gorgonzola and walnuts was a big hit. David also sent to our table a granny smith gelato. This gelato is part of their current menu and was delicious, a great way to finish any meal year around. I know David just made more. Go try it, and you’ll tell me how good it was!

The third course was quail, duck, and chicken; red wine glace de poule; carrot, ginger, local kale, and turnips. Notice the delicious optional foie gras there at the back of the plate!

An alternate selection for the third course was "Vegetable Spaghetti"--zucchini and cauliflower artfully shredded and dressed with chanterelle mushrooms and truffled pecorino.

Beet gelato with walnut glace and goronzola cheese

Martina DiBatista in the dining room of Bite Bistro

Figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in jamon serrano

At a gathering earlier this fall some people were astonished to hear that I had a good fig harvest this year. A good harvest for my fig tree is around twenty to thirty figs. I now live in Pennsylvania–not the best climate for figs–but like many of my fellow “diegos” I have found a way to have our home grown figs. The fig tree makes a great addition to our patio in the summer. It’s about four feet high and confined to a large pot. Then, during the winter months, the fig tree hibernates in the garage.

Some people have their fig trees planted outside in an area protected from the weather and they wrap them when winter comes. I have also heard of people digging trenches and burying them during the winter (but that’s Paolo, the world’s only Italian redneck, so I’m not sure how common a practice this is). But for the most part, fig trees are easy to take care of and are fairly pest free. The only thing you’ll notice from time to time is a little damage from birds eating holes in the fruit, which is common with most fruit trees.

This year we had also had a chipmunk problem. A chipmunk discovered the figs and couldn’t get enough. One morning we saw this chipmunk carrying a fig in its mouth. The fig was almost as big as the rodent and loaded it down to where it was walking on its front legs only: the back legs were not touching the ground. I let the chipmunk get away since we had enjoyed so many figs this year, but I don’t know if I’ll let it happen again next year. Watch out, rodent.

Fethi whips up a Turkish specialty pizza at Giovanni's Pizza & Pasta in Dormont

Some might say that Pittsburgh has a lot to be desired when it comes to good food and places to find it. Hell, I catch myself complaining from time to time. But then I discover an out of the way place with delicious food, and I remember that Pittsburgh is the city of “hidden treasures.”

One of these culinary hidden treasures is Giovanni’s Pizza and Pasta in Dormont, owned and operated by Turkish engineer Fethi Turan. You might wonder what an engineer is doing cooking. Well, he engineers some tasty stuff.

Last Saturday morning I happened to stop by. He had friends visiting and he was busy making Turkish specialties for the guests. Right away I noticed the soujouk sausage on the counter. This is a traditional Turkish beef sausage, similar to a semi-cured chorizo sausage. He was in the process of making soujouk-sausage-and-eggs pide. Pide is a Turkish street food or a quick dish they might throw together at home for brunch, Fethi tells me.

Giovanni’s is a pizza shop and pide is like a pizza, Fethi says to me. See, Pi-zzzaaa—Pi—deeee, kind of similar, right? Hmm, I’m not arguing linguistics with you right now, Fethi, GIMME SOME PI–DE!

On the pizza dough that he has shaped like a canoe, he lays slices of soujouk and then runs it quickly through the pizza oven to get the dough and sausage going. When it comes out, butter and a little olive oil are added. Sometimes lard instead of butter, Fethi points out, but butter for this time. Then the eggs are cracked on top of the butter and back to the oven. When the pide comes out, the eggs are perfectly cooked. The dough and sausage are ready also. A drizzle of lemon oil for balance. “You better eat it while it’s hot!” Fethi instructs. A bite of this and you have all that is brunch in your mouth. Delicious and incredibly light tasting. Perfect addition to any brunch, or maybe a late night snack.

The delicious end result: pide! All the flavors of brunch in your mouth at once.

Giovanni’s and Fethi have many tasty surprises like this one. Give them a call, stop by, you won’t be disappointed.

Buen Provecho!

Giovanni’s Pizza & Pasta
3047 W Liberty Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15216
Phone: (412) 344-6622
Email: contact@eatgiovannis.com
Fax: (412) 344-7778