michael tuohy's

Spring in Northern California

even though, it is technically spring, most of us in northern california feel like it is still winter. we have been experiencing large amounts of rain and record snow fall in the sierra. concerns for our crops in the valley and elsewhere are mounting. the good news, we are supposed to have a good local king salmon season! being someone that only eats wild salmon when it is in season, i always look forward to various preparations. below, you will find one of my favorite recipes for spring with salmon. for now, try it with some delicious halibut or steelhead if you can't wait for salmon season to open. enjoy!

Wild Salmon Ragout from Grange

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Kristina Hjelsand

Grange’s Executive Chef Michael Tuohy

One of our favorite parts of spring at Grange is that it’s wild salmon season. We prefer to cook only wild salmon in season, as wild-caught salmon is more environmentally sustainable and is just generally way more flavorful. We source salmon that is as local as we can get, wild from California when it’s available, or from the Columbia River in Washington or from Alaska. This recipe for Columbia River Salmon with Spring Vegetable Ragout requires some prep work, but is the essence of spring. Enjoy!

Columbia River Salmon with Spring Vegetable Ragout
From Grange Executive Chef Michael Tuohy

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of the freshest wild salmon available cut into 5-oz. filets
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed, peeled & blanched
4 spring onion bulbs, slow-roasted
1 cup fava beans, blanched and shelled
3 cloves garlic, shaved very thin
3 artichokes, trimmed to the bottom, blanched
1 cup English peas
1 cup fingerling potatoes, blanched split lengthwise or sliced into coins
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon
1 T tarragon, chopped
1 T chives, sliced
1 T parsley, chopped or chervil (save some leaves for garnish)
Kosher salt, to taste
White pepper if desired to taste
Fleur de sel (garnish)

Spring Vegetable Ragout:

1). Heat a heavy bottom sauté pan on medium heat with butter and a splash of olive oil.
2). Add garlic slivers.
3). Add white wine & lemon juice.
4). Add onions, artichokes carrots, potatoes, English peas & favas.
5). Allow to simmer for a few moments to heat thoroughly.
6). Add herbs, salt & pepper to taste.

Note: this should have some liquid (broth) in the pan and can be served as part of the ragout.

Assembly:

1). on a serving plate, spoon ragout along with some of the cooking liquid.
2). place salmon filet on top of vegetables and spoon some of the braising liquid over the top, drizzle with a little meyer lemon oil, sprinkle fleur de sel, and scatter herbs. serve immediately.

Wine pairing: serve with crisp white such as a sauvignon blanc from Dry Creek or Central Coast or a luscious Chardonnay from Carneros or Santa Ynez.

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Cochon 555 Napa 2011

yesterday at the culinary institute of america at greystone in st. helena, was a very special event known as cochon 555. the event, founded by Brady Lowe, is a friendly competition amongst 5 chefs that compete by preparing dishes each using a 175# plus heritage breed hog. in just 3 short years, cochon 555 has grown into a national tour with chefs competing in different cities around the country. the whole mission of the event is to preserve and promote small farms and producers of heritage breed pork. breeds such as berkshire, mangalitza, yorkshire, red wattle, duroc & glouster spot to name a few. there were 5 small production wineries in the mix, paired with chefs as well as other local wine producers, craft beers and templelton rye.

i was very fortunate, to be one of the 20 judges that were the recipients of some truly amazing craftsmanship in the art of charcuterie and various pork preparations. each of the 5 chefs presented 7 to 8 different preparations to us. then, we judged each chef on a 15 point scale in 3 categories each with a potential weight of 5 pts. a "555" =15 the highest possible,would be a perfect score! the categories were: presentation/flavor/utilization. event photos may be found in my photo stream on flickr.

The winners  were husband & wife team Duskie Estes & John Stewart, of restaurants Bovolo & Zazu in Sonoma. the competing chefs were: Duskie Estes & John Stewart – Zazu, Sonoma
Curtis de Fede & Tyler Rodde – Oenotri, Napa
Charlie Parker – Plum, Oakland
Dave Cruz – ad hoc, Yountville
Brandon Sharp – Solbar, Calistoga

everyone really did an amazing job unfortunately, there could only be one winner. Congratulations to Duskie & John!