GEORGE'S RECIPE of THE MONTH.
 George has had a love of all things culinary from a very young age, and throughout his career, has worked with renowned chefs and food technologists. He discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five after spending time in his grandmother's restaurant. From then on, under his mother's guidance (who is a talented cook of her own accord) George recalls cooking anything his mother would let him, starting out with scrambled eggs and hamburgers and quickly moving on to fine Italian and French dishes.
After many years of honing and perfecting his culinary craft, George still enjoys what he humbly considers: "complimenting my family culinary experience," by taking courses in regional cuisines pertaining to the vegetable ingredient products his family specializes in, namely: Asian, French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Tex Mex.
Because of George's extensive knowledge and passion for food, he is a great resource to customers in helping them find the right ingredients for their recipe needs. "I need to understand what's happening in the kitchen," he explained. "If my client has an unfavorable flavor note, I need to be able to assess the situation to understand why." That extra level of service and care undoubtedly stems from his love of food and his work alike, which fortunately for George, go hand and hand.
|
1kg clams
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 150ml dry white wine 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 250g fregola 200g passata sea salt freshly ground black pepper |
  1 - Place the clams in a cold salted bath for an hour to flush out. Next, drain and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water.
2 - Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet set over a medium heat. When hot, add the clams; pour in the wine, cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes, shaking the skillet to help the clams open up. Shell ¾ of the clams and leave the rest in the shell for garnishing. Strain the cooking liquid through a muslin or a fine sieve and reserve it for later.
3 - Place the remaining oil with the garlic in a large saucepan. Add the parsley and let it infuse the oil for a couple of minutes, then stir in the fregola. Toast it for one minute, stirring often, then pour over the tomato sauce and the clam juice. Carry on cooking the fregola, adding water as needed, until soft but al dente. Season to taste.
4 - At the very end, stir in the shelled clams. Cook the clams with the fregola for a minute or two before serving. Serve the fregola right away topped with the clams in their shells.
|
ARCHIVES
                             JUN 2020
                                                                                                                                   |