TableConversation.com

An East L.A. Salsa

Papaya and mango salsas may be interesting, colorful and tasty. But give me a genuine  East Los Angeles salsa any day. This one is modeled on a fresh green salsa that I tasted at Tacos Clarita, a traditional Mexican restaurant just east of downtown Los Angeles. 

The salsa was delicious spooned over a mulita, a gooey sandwich of melted Jack cheese and carne al pastor inside two large handmade corn tortillas.  It’s easy and quick to make—just grind jalapenos, tomatillos, cilantro, onion and garlic in a food processor, pour into a bowl and accompany with chips.

JALAPENO SALSA 

½ pound tomatillos
2 jalapeno chiles
2/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
½ cup coarsely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, halved
½ teaspoon salt

Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and wash them well. Discard the husks. Cut the tomatillos in quarters. Cut the jalapenos in halves lengthwise. Remove and discard the stems and seeds.

Combine the tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro, onion, garlic and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until pureed. Serve with chips.

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Faith's Easy Italian Food

“I write recipes that anyone can make,” said Faith Heller Willinger. It was a relief to hear this, because I had just bought her latest book, “Adventures of an Italian Food Lover” (Clarkson Potter 2007; $32.50). And I detest recipes that that involve impossibly complex procedures and long lists of obscure, unaffordable ingredients. 

“I can put together a three-course lunch in five minutes,” she said as we chatted during a book signing at the home of mutual friends “If you have a few basics on hand, like good olive oil, Parmigiano and pasta, you’re ready to go.”

Willinger was in Los Angeles for a few days to promote the book. She is married to an Italian and has lived in Italy for 35 years.

Scanning the recipes, I found many I would try, including a spaghetti dish that calls for only five ingredients, two of which are salt and pepper. I could see that Willinger meant what she said.

The book is subtitled “With Recipes from 254 of My Very Best Friends.”  Willinger’s friends are chefs and restaurant owners, innkeepers, wine and grappa makers, tableware designers, a butcher, artisanal food producers and farmers.

Along with the recipes, she tells what and where to eat in the  regions into which the book is divided: northern and central Italy, Tuscany, southern Italy and the islands. The nicely done watercolor illustrations are by Willinger’s sister, Suzanne Heller, who lives near her in Florence.

The recipes are practical and clearly written. Willinger allows reasonable substitutions when a key ingredient is not available. For example, if you don’t have expensive, aged balsamic vinegar, you can boil regular balsamic with sugar until reduced and syrupy.

Sometimes valuable tips are embedded in the stories rather than in the recipes.  Cesare Benelli, chef/owner of Al Covo in Venice, explains that to make great risotto, one should cook  the rice in extra virgin olive oil over high heat until it makes whistling sounds, then add wine to “shock” the mixture and then broth. That advice accompanies a recipe for pear cake with grappa sauce, not risotto.

Recipes that tempt me include leek and sausage orzotto, which is risotto based on barley rather than rice; spaghetti with a spicy onion and tomato sauce, and lamb with an ancient Roman-inspired marinade that includes wine, orange juice, honey and cumin—simple to make, but sumptuous. .

I did try sweet and sour chicken bites from Valeria Piccini who, with her husband, Maurizio Menichetti, owns Da Caino restaurant in southern Tuscany. Although the bites are suggested as an appetizer, I served them as a main dish. My verdict: Easy, fast and delicious, like so much of Willinger’s food.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN BITES
From “Adventures of an Italian Food Lover” by Faith Heller Willinger

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons mild honey
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces. Mince the garlic, sage and rosemary together, and combine with the salt and pepper. Mix the chicken pieces with the herb mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more.

Combine the honey and vinegar in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring to combine. (You can also heat them in a microwave and stir to combine.). Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet, add the chicken pieces, and sauté over high heat to brown lightly. Add the white wine, and when it’s evaporated, add the vinegar-honey mixture. Cook over highest heat to evaporate the liquid, until the sauce is shiny and coats the chicken pieces. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Spicy Pork in Koreatown

I had heard that Koreatown Plaza was a good place to eat, so I toured the food court there the other day looking for a likely spot for lunch.

So many people were ordering at Gamjabawi that it seemed the place to try.  The women behind the counter were setting out trays as fast as they could, and dishes were emerging from the kitchen at great speed.

One of them looked so delicious I had to try it. “What is that?” I asked the woman at the cash register. “Broiled pork slices, number 7,” she said, busy with a handful of orders.

Illuminated photos overhead show each of the 26 dishes on Gamjabawi’s menu.  The names are in English and Korean, making it easy for anyone to order, unlike one stall, where the menu is only in Korean.

Luckily I had chosen a table close by. My tray was so loaded with bowls and dishes that I could hardly carry it, even a short distance. The heavy iron plate with the pork was sizzling hot, adding peril to the trip.

Spicy and a little sweet, the meat was mixed with glistening strands of onion, green onions, shredded cabbage and a fragrant soft green that I think was sesame leaf. Sesame seeds were sprinkled over the top. And, yes, it was as delicious as I had anticipated.

A plate of banchan, the side dishes that always accompany a Korean meal, held cabbage kimchi, marinated bean sprouts and crisp chile-hot cucumber slices. Sticky, short-grained rice was packed to the brim of a shiny metal bowl, far more than I could eat.

There was soup--clear fish broth with seaweed slices, making this a sort of surf and turf meal.  In another bowl, chunks of daikon floated in a cold, clear, tangy-sweet liquid that helped cool my mouth between bites of spicy meat.

The big room bustled with shoppers taking a break for lunch.  Next to my table, parents and kids tackled a spread of food; a young couple pulled up shiny brown noodles from black stone bowls, and women gossiped over cups of hot barley tea.

Prices are low, servings are generous, and the food, at least what I had, is as good as my Korean friends had told me.

Broiled pork slices with steamed rice and side dishes (No. 7) is $7.99 at Gamjabawi Korean Restaurant, No. 128 in the International Food Court of Koreatown Plaza, 928 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles CA 90006. Tel: (213) 387-5581.