Oysters!

Teaching Dave: A taste for oysters late in life

Sophie Brickman

Sunday, August 28, 2011

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Basic oyster protocol

Craig Lee

Fish's Barbecued Oysters. Styling by Sophie Brickman.

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-- Buy oysters with tightly closed shells. If open oysters don't close after a slight tap, toss them out.

-- Wash oysters under cold water before packing them over ice in the refrigerator. This will keep them at about the 45° recommended temperature for oyster storage. Eat them as soon as possible, although they can last for a few days, refrigerated over fresh ice.

-- To shuck an oyster, use an oyster shucker, not a normal kitchen knife or - gasp - a screwdriver.

-- To get a slurpable nugget of meat, cut through two adductor muscles, which keep the top and bottom shells closed. A ligament sits at the hinge. Find the "sweet spot" - where you can slide your knife inside at the hinge - then run the knife along the top shell to detach the top muscle. Wipe the shucker clean against a towel, then cut the bottom muscle by sliding the blade along the bottom shell.

-- If you get shell or dirt inside the oyster, no worries. Just use the knife to clean it up.

Mignonette With a Kick

Makes 1/2 cup

Classic mignonette is a mixture of shallots, cracked pepper and vinegar that brings out the flavor of raw oysters. Here, rice wine vinegar adds sweetness, and jalapeno gives a slight kick. Be sure to mince the jalapeno and shallots as finely as possible - no one wants a mouthful of either.

• 1/8 cup champagne vinegar
• 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon seeded, minced jalapeno
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Instructions: Combine all ingredients and serve immediately with raw oysters.

Fish's Barbecued Oysters

Makes 2 dozen

This recipe, adapted from Fish in Sausalito, can be prepared partially ahead - the sauce as much as a week in advance and the garlic butter up to three days in advance. You might not use all of the sauce or butter, but both go well on a hunk of sourdough.

• 1 teaspoon neutral-tasting olive oil
• 1/4 pound canned San Marzano tomatoes, drained
• 3 tablespoons minced white onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
• 1 squeeze sriracha sauce
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground horseradish
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) organic unsalted butter
• 2 dozen fresh oysters (see note)
• -- Sourdough bread

For the tomato sauce: Combine the olive oil, tomatoes, onion, 1 garlic clove, salt and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until you can smash the garlic clove against the pot with the back of a spoon, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and pass through fine food mill, or puree in a blender.

Return the sauce to the saucepan; add the vinegar, fish sauce and sriracha, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until thickened. You should have about 1 cup of sauce.

Strain out the tomato seeds, then let cool. Stir in grated horseradish; set aside or refrigerate.

For the garlic butter: Mince the remaining four cloves of garlic. Melt the butter, add the garlic, then refrigerate until solid.

For the oysters: Shuck oysters over a bowl, following the accompanying instructions and being sure to preserve all the oyster liquor. Try to keep all the liquor in the shell with the oyster meat; otherwise you can add it back to the shells from the bowl after you put the oysters on the grill.

To finish: Prepare and heat the grill to medium high. Carefully arrange the oysters on the grill to prevent loss of liquor and cook, uncovered, until done, about 2 minutes. If the grill slats are too wide, nestle the oysters into a bed of rock salt layered into a shallow pan, and set that on the grill; cover and cook for about 4 minutes, until done.

Spoon a dollop of garlic butter onto each cooked oyster while still on grill; once the butter melts, add a dime-size "hat" of horseradish sauce. Plate carefully to prevent loss of liquid, over rock salt if need be. Serve with warm sourdough.

Note: Fish recommends using Miyagi oysters, but any medium-size oyster with a deep "bowl" bottom shell will work. You want to prevent the garlic butter and tomato sauce from sloshing out of the shell once they heat.

Dry Braised Stuffed Okra

Dry-braised stuffed okra makes for a tender dish

Lynne Char Bennett

Sunday, August 28, 2011

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Craig Lee / Special to The Chronicle

Stuffed Dry-Braised Okra. Styling by Marisa Lindquist.

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Stuffed Dry-Braised Okra

Serves 4 to 6 as a starter

Dry-braising okra does away with the mucilaginous texture frequently associated with this oft-maligned vegetable. Try to select similarly-sized pods, about the size of your finger, which will allow even cooking. Don't worry if the pods darken during cooking; they'll be fine.

• 1 pound medium-size okra pods
• 6 to 8 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• -- Olive, corn or canola oil, as needed
• -- Fine sea salt

Instructions: Rinse okra, drain and dry well. You can place the rinsed pods into a towel-covered colander and refrigerate overnight, which also helps the drying process.

Trim both ends of the okra, cutting the bottom end even with the cap to prevent exposing the seeds. Slash the pods lengthwise deeply enough to expose the seeds but avoid cutting through the other side.

Combine the minced anchovy and the paprikas, then stuff into the slit. Use a butter knife to distribute the stuffing as best you can, but do not overstuff since the filling can fall out and into the pan and burn. Press the opening together to help seal in the stuffing. If needed, scrape or brush away any stuffing stuck to the outside of the pods. The okra can be stuffed a few hours ahead.

When ready to cook, add enough oil to amply coat the bottom of a large skillet; set over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the okra without crowding the pan. Brown all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Do not be alarmed if the pod turns black. The okra will not taste burned.

If cooked in batches, return all the okra to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and dry-braise until the okra is tender, about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of the pods.

Blot on paper towels, sprinkle with fine sea salt to taste and serve immediately.

Note: Try other stuffing combos such as 1/4 cup chopped bonito flakes, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds and 1 1/2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi for an Asian twist. You can also use packaged spice blends such as dukkah (an Egyptian blend of toasted nuts, seeds and spices) and zaatar (thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and sumac).

Per serving: 50 calories, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (g saturated), 3 mg cholesterol, 152 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Wine pairing: Bubblies are perfect even for everyday, so pour the NV Gruet New Mexico Brut Rose or Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine ($15; 12% alcohol) or a light red such as the Domaine des Nugues Beaujolais Villages from Gerard Gelin.

Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 5 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 large)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice (about 10 ounces)
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh Italian parsley leaves (for garnish)
• Additional finely grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Preparation

• Bring large skillet of water just to simmer over medium-low heat. Sprinkle water with salt. Working with 1 egg at a time, crack into small bowl and slide egg into simmering water. Cook eggs until whites are cooked through but yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer poached eggs to medium bowl filled with ice water. DO AHEAD Eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate in same bowl of ice water.
• Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan; cover to keep warm. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks to drippings in pan; cook until soft but not brown, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer 2 generous tablespoonfuls leeks to small bowl; reserve for garnish. Add rice to pan; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1D2 cup warm broth to saucepan; stir until broth is absorbed. Repeat adding broth and stirring until rice is tender but still firm to bite and sauce is creamy, stirring almost constantly, about 23 minutes total. Add bacon, chopped parsley, butter, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat poached eggs in medium skillet of simmering water just until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Divide risotto among 6 bowls. Top risotto in each bowl with poached egg. Sprinkle egg with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley leaves, additional cheese, and reserved leeks.