Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [48]
Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Make the toasts: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Brush both sides of the bread slices with the melted butter, place them on a cookie sheet, and toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons minced chives
3 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
FOR THE SOURDOUGH TOASTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 slices sourdough bread, cut ½ inch thick
To finish the chowder, pour the creamless base into the pot you cooked the shellfish in, add the pancetta and the cooked vegetables, and warm the mixture over high heat. Stir in the parsley, chives, and scallions, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the warm chowder over the shellfish, and serve with the slices of toasted country bread.
Fish Stock
INGREDIENTS
1 leek
5 pounds whitefish bones (such as halibut)
2 flat-leaf parsley stems, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
½ cup chopped white button mushrooms
1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut in half
2 cups dry white wine
Makes 4 quarts
Cut off the dark green end of the leek, leaving behind its white bulb and the beginnings of its green stem. Then roughly slice the halves, and thoroughly wash the slices in a bowl of cold water. Drain off the water, wash them again, and drain.
Rinse the fish bones thoroughly under cold running water. Place the leeks, the fish bones, and all the remaining ingredients in a large pot. Add 4 quarts water, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook for 40 minutes, skimming the surface with a spoon or a ladle every once in a while to remove the foam that forms.
Strain the stock into a large plastic container, and discard the solid ingredients. Cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Photographs by Sara Remington
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Fresh Garbanzo-Bean Stew
Tender fresh garbanzo beans, fingerling potato confit, sautéed onions, and roasted red bell peppers come together in this colorful, textured stew. It tastes so good because of the combination of cooking techniques—each adds to the stew’s richness. It might be tempting to use dried or canned garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas), but this recipe calls for beans fresh off the vine, which are available during warmer months at some farmers’ markets or grocery stores with good produce sections. When no fresh garbanzos are available, use dried garbanzo beans—but be aware that dried beans take more than twice as long to cook.
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INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil
3 small yellow onions: 1 roughly chopped, 2 sliced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups shelled fresh garbanzo beans or 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked in water overnight and drained
2 flat-leaf parsley stems
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
3 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fingerling potato confit, potatoes cut in half lengthwise
Minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Serves 6
Start with the garbanzo beans: Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle 3 tablespoons of the oil into it. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and brown the vegetables slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, garbanzo beans, parsley stems, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the beans are tender, 10 to 15 minutes (fresh beans cook considerably faster than dried; if using dried garbanzo beans, cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour).
Remove the pot from the heat, strain the liquid into a bowl, and reserve the beans separately (discard the bay leaf and