By David Landis–
For the last issue of the San Francisco Bay Times I interviewed San Francisco-based chef Joanne Weir, who authors cookbooks, conducts culinary/travel tours, creates tantalizing new recipes, writes for numerous publications, oversees the hot Mexican restaurant Copita in Sausalito, and hosts one of the most popular cooking shows on PBS. Previously she was a chef at Berkeley’s famed Chez Panisse and more.
Weir generously shared several of her recipes. Two ran with the prior article. Here are six more!
Grilled Bread with Tomato Tapenade & Prosciutto di Parma
6 slices rustic country-style bread, ½ to 3/4-inch thick
½ cup Tomato Tapenade
1 large garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 paper-thin slices Prosciutto di Parma
Cured olives as a garnish
Preheat an outdoor grill over medium heat.
Slice two of the tomatoes into thin slices and reserve.
Grill the bread on an outdoor grill, toast in the toaster or under a broiler until golden on each side.
Holding the garlic clove, lightly grate or rub the garlic on one side of the toasted bread. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Spread one heaping tablespoon tomato tapenade on each slice of bread. Twist and curl a slice of prosciutto and place it onto the top of the tomatoes.
Serve immediately garnished with olives alongside.
Serves 6
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Garlicky-Almond Sauce
1 head cauliflower, outside leaves removed
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Garlicy-Almond Sauce
Set the oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Core the cauliflower, leaving the head intact and discard the core. Place the cauliflower in the oiled pan. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over top of cauliflower and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake until tender and golden on top, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
To serve, cut the cauliflower into wedges, place a wedge on each individual plate and serve with a spoon of the Garlicy-Almond Sauce around the side.
Paella with Chicken, Shell Beans and Green Beans
10 cups homemade chicken stock
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 small yellow onion, peeled
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon sweet pimenton
½ teaspoon sweet smoked pimenton
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cups short grain Bomba rice from Valencia, Spain
1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 ½-inch lengths, blanched
2 cups cooked kidney or other large white beans
Kosher salt
Lemon slices as a garnish
Heat the stock, 2 teaspoons salt, saffron and the halved onion over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and discard. Turn off the heat, cover and keep warm.
Preheat an oven to 400°F.
In a paella pan with about a 15″ base, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over high heat until rippling. Add the chicken pieces, season with salt and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and make a well in the center of the chicken and fry the sofrito, sweet and smoked pimenton and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the rice to the pan and stir for 1 minute to coat the rice with the oil.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil again and add it to the paella pan along with the green beans and shell beans and simmer briskly over high heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. The paella should be boiling very hard. Continue to simmer briskly until the green beans are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt as needed.
Sprinkle the peas onto the top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a spiral pattern over the top of the paella. Increase the heat to high and cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes to form a light golden crust on the bottom of the pan. To check, use a spatula to see that it is sticking slightly and golden brown on the bottom.
Place a piece of parchment over the paella. Let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
To serve, garnish with lemon wedges.
Serves 8 to 10
Tomato Tapenade
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced red onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 anchovies, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and pat dry
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup water and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is gone, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan, place in a bowl to a food processor and let cool.
Add the anchovies, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice and pulse to make a rough paste. Season with pepper.
Carlicy-Almond Sauce
3 whole salt-packed anchovies, or 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1/3 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons aged red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
If you are using salt-packed anchovies, fillet the anchovies and remove the bones. For both types of anchovies, soak the fillets in cold water, rinse, and pat the anchovies dry with paper towels.
In a food processor, combine the anchovies, almonds, garlic, and butter and pulse until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and gradually whisk in olive oil and vinegar. Add the parsley and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.
Serves 6
Sofrito
3 Roma or Italian tomatoes, halved
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat an oven to 400F. Place the tomatoes cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Remove the skin and discard. Mince the tomato.
Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a paste, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a PR executive. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF, on Twitter @david_landis, email him at: david@landispr.com or visit him online at
www.gaygourmetsf.com
Published on February 11, 2021
Recent Comments