每餐都要有魚的家庭
我們家的好爺與小鬼無海鮮不歡。每一天至少一餐要有魚。和別人家無"肉"不歡是相同的道理。對於廚藝不佳的我,最擅長的海鮮料理方式就是"清蒸"料理。關鍵便是要使用新鮮食材,和船長買遠洋急速冷凍的魚蝦貝類。只要食材新鮮,我這個廚藝不佳的媽媽都可以蒙騙我們的一口之家。將洋蔥、甜椒放入一起蒸。20分鐘後就是香噴噴的料理。(切記: 魚不可以解凍。直接放入蒸煮。要不然會有魚腥味。壞了原本買急速冷凍的美意)
"混"煮海鮮料理秘訣
這樣蒙騙多年,但是最近開始感到自己可能需要進修廚藝。畢竟,海鮮再多種類,煮了幾年便開始覺得口感有點麻痺了。馬上想到當年在歐洲結交的好友- Rosemary。他來自葡萄牙里斯本。提到這裡...有去過葡萄牙的人大概就能體會為什麼我會去找他救援了。
里斯本食計
里斯本也是個容易找到海鮮的城市。葡萄牙人以烹煮海鮮自豪。夏天最應景的一道菜便是"沙丁魚"
Yikes!
很多人可能馬上聯想到腥味超重,需要大量使用鹽巴去腥的口感。你答對一半了。但是其實,祕訣一樣:要新鮮!
我曾經在2012的暑假因為出差在里斯本待了一個星期,我天天去旅館樓下轉角那間"魚"餐廳。其實他們賣的不只有魚,menu上有需多觀光客必點的葡萄牙菜。但是說是"魚"餐廳一點也不為過,因為每次我進去屁股一坐,就是選在吧檯可以看到廚師料理的那個位置。因為那個位置可以將餐廳當天進的新鮮食材一覽無遺。
第一天去餐廳的服務生立刻遞給我一份ˇ觀光客版的menu。我隨意挑選了一道,天啊!如果我沒有運氣不錯那天剛好座位區已滿,索性坐上吧檯,我可能就再也不會光顧這家餐廳。廚師可能看我一名亞洲女生這麼晚了才來吃飯,就遞給我一盤下久的現醃透抽。
驚!
我這個不需配酒吃飯的人,當那口透抽放入口中。淡淡的酸中帶辣簡直把我一天的疲勞全部喚走。其實,我那時候因為工作的關係,常常會被招待去星級的餐廳。已經對一些分子料理吃到有點無感。但是這種新鮮食材的口感是任何一種人工無法取而代之的。第二天開始,葡萄牙人的熱情就出現了,每天我一走進去,師傅就送我一盤當日進的海產配酒小菜。與其說我是去那裏吃魚,有點成分是為了那一盤道地的小菜而前往。我去的五天,每天都吃不同的漁產,烹煮方式也一都是同一種 - grilled fish。 到現在寫這篇文章時,都味覺彷彿開始飄香。
紐約的葡萄牙餐廳 - Aldea
anyway這可能是我對葡萄牙菜獻上我的忠誠的緣由。因此,我立馬想到找我的好友,相約到Aldea吃葡萄牙菜。Aldea比較是屬於fusion的餐廳,和一般大家所熟悉傳統的萄萄牙菜較不一樣。就放上我們點的pre fixed給大家聞香囉!
主廚招待開胃菜 MARCONA ALMONDS
FIRST COURSES
SHRIMP ALHINHO 20
garlic, pimenton, red bell pepper juice,
pressed shrimp jus
主菜
CHARCOAL-GRILLED SWORDFISH 29
wild spinach, pear-parsnip puree, coriander-clam jus
點心
CARAMELIZED BANANA CUSTARD 11
hazelnut cake, passion fruit curd, hazelnut crumble
dark chocolate ice cream
星級主廚出食譜 My Portugal Receipts and Stories
可能是我們對每一道菜都有著求知的熱誠。所以當場經理告訴我們Aldea餐廳的主廚George Mendes今年10月份會出一本cook book。就是這個簡單的理由,請朋友的獨立書店幫我們訂了Aldea Chef - George Mendes的My Portugal Receipts and Stories一書。其實才翻開序頁,我就深受George Mendes其中的一個告白所感動 -
"I was struggling with giving up life outside of the kitechn. Even after I decided to leave home and to give up a normal life of free nights and weekends and time with fmaily and friends, I still wondered if I'd made the right decision. Bouley assured me I had. He told me, "Everything I have in my life is because of this restaurant. Put 100 percent of your life into being a chef, and a life will be created for you, too. Just cook and everything will come to you."
其實,這句話應用在人生其他事情也是一樣。任何事情都需要百分百的心力,才可以有所獲得。我以他在書序中的一段話介紹這本書。裡面的食譜是來自這樣努力過來的廚師娓娓道來。我保留書中內文食譜的部分作為對他在廚藝這個領域鑽研應有的報酬。當然有了這本cook book,我們一口之家吃海鮮的興趣得以以更多元的方式繼續延續下去。
開飯囉!
Brief Bios
George Mendes is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Aldea in New York City. Named one of Food & Wine magazine's ten "Best New Chefs" in 2011, Mendes is regularly featured in national newspapers, magazines and websites, along with television appearances, including a run on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters."
Francis Lam is Editor-at-Large at Clarkson Potter and a judge on "Top Chef Masters." Previously, he served as the Features Editor at Gilt Taste, which was awarded six IACP awards and four James Beard award nominations in its first two years. His own writing has been nominated for three James Beard awards and four IACP awards, winning three, but he knows all this talk of awards is a little tacky. In past lives, he was a commentator on the Cooking Channel's "Food(ography)," a contributing editor at Gourmet magazine (RIP) and his work has appeared in the 2006-2013 editions of Best Food Writing. He believes that, in professional football, that would count as a dynasty; in ancient China, not so much. Lam resides in New York City and tweets at @francis_lam.
精裝;56頁
ISBN: 9781617691263
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