When I was 8 years old I baked my first loaf of bread. 30 years later I opened my fourth restaurant. Regardless of time, the recipe is still the same: love what you do, take care with the ingredients, be patient while it bakes and always save the heel for yourself.
-- Cali Bergold
BIG IDEAS ABOUT LITTLE THINGS
Welcome to the world of ChefCali, my very own culinary service. I am a private chef who specializes in creative catering, informative and fun cooking classes and extraordinary private chef services. Now, more than ever, people are really into cooking and entertaining … if you’ve always wanted to have a dinner party or treat yourself to a private chef service this is the time! More and more I see people wanting to spend quality time with their family and friends in their homes eating, gathering and enjoying the comforts of good food and good times. This season the trend is “comfortably chic” and “relaxed and retro” … Decadent appetizer and dessert parties are popular… Fondue parties are HOT, HOT, HOT! Office parties with theme buffet stations (custom-made smoothie bars, create-your-own stir-fry, specialty tossed gourmet salads …) are the trend … and in general, we’re getting back to basics … good food, good friends, good times. I am dedicated to working with you on a very personal level so you receive the results you want … consider me your very own personal chef. I look forward to talking with you and Happy New Year! – Chef Cali
CHEF CALI’S FAVORITE RECIPE FOR JANUARY
Whitefish Provence with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Capers, Olives and Eggplant
INGREDIENTS (Serves: 6-8)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more to “grease” the baking dish)
3 small-medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly slivered
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 small or ½ large eggplant, sliced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, chopped OR 3 cups diced and drained canned tomatoes
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 ½ pounds white fish, cut into 1” pieces
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons olives, pitted and chopped (preferably kalamatas)
¼ cup red wine
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Topping (optional):
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts, finely chopped
½ cup panko flakes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
PROCEDURE
Soak sun-dried tomatoes in warm/hot water until tender (15-20 minutes).Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic, fennel, eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes until soft but not brown. Add the capers and parsley and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Lightly oil a baking dish (3 quart) with olive oil and spread half the onion mixture in the bottom of the dish. Scatter half the tomatoes on top and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the fish evenly on top of the tomatoes and scatter the basil and olives on top. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with red wine. Layer with the remaining onion mixture followed by the tomatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
To make the topping:
Finely crumble the feta and drain on paper towels. Combine the feta, pine nuts, breadcrumbs, thyme and olive oil together to form a loose topping. Scatter evenly on top of casserole before baking. Bake for 45 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
CHEF CALI’S BOOK RECOMMENDATION FOR JANUARY
Spain – A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow published by HaperCollins Publishers is the companion book to the prime-time public television series Spain … On the Road Again. This cookbook is a visual scrapbook of the travels of Mario and Gwyneth through Spain and contains more than 70 recipes plus tons of gorgeous photographs. The cookbook is designed in a sort of “scrapbook” layout and is a definite must for your cookbook collection. Visit spainontheroadagain.com for more recipes, anecdotes and great pics of the team as they travel through my most beloved country.
CHEF’S CALI’S FAVORITE NEW INGREDIENT / PRODUCT
I’m in love with all of these cool and interesting sauces, chutneys, spices and pastes from Patak’s Original –made with all-natural ingredients these products are really fun to work with … brush on grilled chicken, marinate shrimp, blend with heavy cream to make some “semi” homemade sauces … Visit pataks.com for product information, recipes and even cooking videos
“I CAN’T BE IN THE KITCHEN WITHOUT MY …” CALI’S UTENSIL OF THE MONTH
Everyone knows I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE anything Le Creuset (for my birthday, I’d love the Goose Pot in red, please … hint, hint) – not only do I adore cooking in my big pots but the jumbo slotted spatula is one of my “must-have” kitchen utensils. Made to Le Creuset’s exacting standards, these silicone super-utensils are heat resistant to 800º F. They will not scratch or damage cookware and cleanly scrape both flat and curved surfaces. The silicone heads are removable for easy cleaning. The ergonomic wood handles offer a firm grip and a great look.
