Taste of San Francisco

Basmati Rice- A- Roni 3 Star Tested The original has a strong chicken bouillon cube taste. You can, however, use vegetable stock along with or instead of some of the chicken stock. I bought a bag of Streit’s brand noodles; they are short, thin and used in soup. 2 tbsp butter 2/3 cup basmati rice, rinsed 1/ 3 cup fine egg noodles crumbled in 1/ 2- inch lengths 2 cups chicken stock 1 tbsp extra- virgin olive oil 1/ 4 cup each: finely chopped onion, finely chopped leek ( white and light green parts), finely chopped celery 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp slivered almonds 1/ 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp brown sugar 1/ 2 tsp dried parsley 1/ 8 tsp turmeric Salt to taste PREPARATION: Melt butter in medium pan on medium heat. Add rice and noodles. Cook, stirring frequently, until moisture evaporates and noodles turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in stock. Turn heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in small skillet on medium. Stir in onion, leek, celery and garlic. Turn heat to medium- low. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds. When rice is done, stir in onion mixture. Cover and let sit 5 minutes.

Stir in soy sauce, sugar, parsley and turmeric. Add salt. Makes 4 servings. Tomato & Truffle Panini 3 Star Tested Adapted from a tomato platter by executive chef Jean-Pierre Dubray of the Ritz- Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. I used dense potato bread in a sandwich loaf. I bought a 25- gram jar of water- packed truffles at House of Spice in Kensington Market. It also sells truffle oil. An alternative to truffles would be to lightly smear truffle paste on the bread. Buffalo mozzarella is fresh mozzarella made from buffalo milk; it is sold in cheese shops. 8plum tomatoes ( about 2 lb/ 900 g), peeled, tops trimmed, each cut lengthwise in 4 slices, seeded Granulated sugar to taste Kosher salt to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste 8 slices firm white bread 1 clove garlic, peeled, halved Truffle oil to taste 1 tbsp each: chopped chervil, chopped tarragon, chopped chives, chopped mint 2 truffles, chopped 1/ 4 lb ( 120 g) buffalo mozzarella, sliced PREPARATION: Place tomato slices on baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 225F oven, turning once, 3 to 4 hours, until shrivelled but not brown or leathery. Remove pieces as they are ready ( according to size).

Toast bread until golden. Rub 1 side of each slice with cut side of garlic. Discard garlic. Arrange in pairs and trim crusts. Lightly drizzle garlicky sides of bread with truffle oil. Arrange tomatoes on top of garlicky sides of 4 slices bread. In small bowl, toss herbs to mix. Sprinkle over tomatoes. Sprinkle truffles on top. Top with mozzarella. Top with remaining 4 slices bread. Press down on each sandwich. Cut each in half lengthwise. Makes 4 servings. Lemongrass & Caramelized Pork Vermicelli 3 Star Tested Adapted from a recipe by San Francisco chef Charles Phan. At The Slanted Door restaurant, Phan has made an international name for himself by mating fresh ingredients with classic Vietnamese cooking techniques. CARAMEL SAUCE: 1 cup brown sugar 1/ 2 cup fish sauce ( nam pla) GREEN ONION OIL: 1/ 2 cup thinly sliced green onion ( white and green parts) 1 tsp each: granulated sugar, salt 1/ 2 cup canola oil PICKLED CARROTS: 1/ 2 cup white vinegar 1/ 2 cup granulated sugar 1/ 2 tsp salt 2 cups carrots cut in matchsticks VERMICELLI: 1/ 2 lb ( 225 g) rice vermicelli noodles 1 head red leaf lettuce, cut in 1/ 2- inch- wide shreds 1 English cucumber, split lengthwise, thinly sliced 2 cups bean sprouts 20 leaves mint, shredded 1/ 4 cup canola oil 1- 1/2 lb (700 g) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat, cut in strips 1/ 2- inch wide and 1/ 4- inch thick 2/3 cup thinly sliced shallots ( 4 to 5) 1/ 2 cup finely chopped lemongrass ( about 2 stalks) 4dried red chilies 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp finely grated ginger 1/ 4 cup chicken stock 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, finely chopped PREPARATION: For caramel sauce, stir together brown sugar and fish sauce in small pan. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Reserve.

For green onion oil, stir together onions, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Heat oil in microwave until very hot, about 1 minute. Pour over onion mixture. Stir. Reserve.

For carrots, stir together vinegar, sugar and salt in medium bowl until clear. Add carrots. Cover and refrigerate. Pickle at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week. Reserve.

For vermicelli, bring large pot of water to boil. Cook vermicelli until tender but firm, about 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse briefly with cold water to stop cooking process. Drain well. Toss with green onion oil. Reserve.

Toss lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts and mint in large bowl. Reserve. Heat oil in wide pan on mediumhigh. Sear half of pork on both sides until browned. Using tongs, remove to bowl. Repeat with remaining pork. Add shallots, lemongrass, chilies, garlic and ginger to pan. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, until softened. Stir in stock and scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. Return meat to pan. Add caramel sauce. Cook until most of liquid evaporates and sticky sauce clings to pork, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Divide lettuce mixture among 6 to 8 serving plates. Top with vermicelli mixture. Drain pickled carrots, discarding liquid. Place on top of vermicelli. Top with pork. Garnish each portion with peanuts. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Espresso Granita Parfait 3 Star Tested Atreat for coffee lovers, adapted from The Zuni Café Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes & Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved Restaurant ( 2002, $ 52.50) by Judy Rodgers. “ Fiercely rich espresso” is recommended. 1 cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar 2 cups warm, dark-roast, strong, brewed espresso 3 tbsp water 1- 1/ 4 cups whipping cream PREPARATION: In medium bowl, stir all but 2 tablespoons of the 1 cup sugar into espresso until dissolved. It should taste too sweet. If not, gradually add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir in water. Pour into 8- inch square dish so that it pools about 1- inch deep. Cool to room temperature. Cover and freeze overnight. Also place empty 3- cup glass or plastic storage container with tightfitting lid in freezer. Working on cool surface, remove frozen espresso in chunks and chop into granules. ( A steel pastry scraper works well.) Place granules in storage container from freezer.

Fifteen minutes before serving, turn container upside down in case some espresso syrup has drained from crystals.

Meanwhile, whip cream with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. To serve, chop granita quickly in container. Divide half of granita among 6 glasses. Top with half of cream. Top with remaining granita. Top with remaining cream. Makes 6 servings. Email: ssampson@thestar.ca.