Oliveto Oceanic Dinners
Wednesday through Saturday
June 13 through 16, 2007
Chef Paul Canales and great good friend Tom Worthington of Monterey Fish (see the website at www.montereyfish.com) have convened their 2007 Oceanic Dinner conversations now that we're getting close to the event. Tom has a good idea of which fish, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, cephalopods, and seaweeds will be plentiful come June 13. And the picture this year is rosy, under the circumstances: Tom's list comprises 70+ items. Those fishermen who are practicing sustainable fishing methods have had no major problems with their fish populations so far this season, and good weather has kept catch accessible. (There has been much dire news about our oceans and rivers generally, but improvements in certain fisheries, such as that of the Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River basin, is good news that seldom makes the front page.)
Each year Paul likes to have a few "anchor" dishes on the menu--items that are rare and really special, classics which, when executed well, are out of this world and true to the spirit of Oliveto. Last year one such dish was a fish choucroute. This year, Paul had a longing for the cioppino he had in his youth in Oakville. Every Sunday the Italian chef there would make the trip to San Francisco and buy crabs especially, and whatever else was in season. Then he replicated the dish that had been invented by fishermen in San Francisco for his guests at the restaurant. As Tom says, "Cioppino should be without all that extra stuff." That is, a real cioppino has only the clean flavors of garlic, bay leaves, tomatoes, red wine, fish stock, and crab and other fish. Period. With two long pieces of sourdough garlic toasts sticking out of the bowl about a foot.
Some other ideas that were tossed around: a cassoulet with a rich fish sausage, octopus, salt cod, possibly fresh cranberry beans, and breadcrumbs with lemon zest; a "grand aļoli" on a big platter with different poached and boiled fish, shellfish, and salt cod, potatoes, beans, and a big bowl of green old-school aļoli in the middle; Sicilian mussels over chips; potato-artichoke gratin with filets of butterfish baked on top; black cod in vin santo sauce with shaved tuna roe; chilled gelatina with rockfish on top; sixty-pound-rockfish filets served with wild fennel fritters; "soppressata" of octopus; and by popular demand, Paul's famous lobster bisque. (You should hear the recipe--it's revelatory.)
Wines for Oceanic Dinners
From our new old-wine Wine In Time program
In search of the perfect wines for our Oceanic Dinners, Oliveto's wine buyer, Seth Corr, found an aged Italian malvasia di Candia (described by Eric Asimov in the New York Times as usually a workmanlike grape for Italian table wines) that is dry and fresh, with aromas of flowers, honey, and minerals, and another aged Italian white, sémillon (the white grape of Bordeaux, not of Italy), with the lively mineral flavor of a fine Puligny-Montrachet. Both were astonishing. And they came with an even more astonishing story:
"The Fiorano estate is located on the outskirts of Rome, near the ancient Appian Way. When Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi, prince of Verosa, inherited the estate in 1946, he replanted its vineyard with Malvasia and Semillon grapes, practiced organic agriculture long before it was in vogue, kept his yields extremely low, aged the wine in numbered barrels that he reused year after year, and never filtered. A fine white mold he believed to be beneficial grew naturally in the cellar. In 1995, without explanation, he tore out all but a few parcels of his vineyards.
With age, the youthful acidity of the wines had given way to mineral, earthy flavors and, unaccountably, in contrast to most white wines which get darker, the golden colors of the young wines turned pale as they got older. These wines are truly a phenomenon in their ability to age. "
--Library Collections, New York
At the age of 86, the prince finally sold all 14,000 bottles in his cellar to a trusted Italian wine writer who had long written about the wines with admiration, if not reverence. Notes on these wines from Burton Anderson, Eric Asimov, and our own Seth Corr reflect the opinion that the wines are exceptional and unique. And they will never be produced again. As far as we know, we have the only Fiorano on the West Coast. Our very limited supply will be available for Oceanic Dinners by the glass and half-glass.
Our aged Italian wine project is full of surprises, but this one has been hands down the best one so far.
For the whole story, see
www.italianwinemerchant.com/Press12_22_04_NY_Times.htm
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Oliveto Oceanic Dinners 2007
June 13 -16
Appetizers and Salads
Crudo of Wild Striped Bass <trap> with prosecco and herb gelatina
Grand aioli: Classic Provencal Fish, Shellfish, and Vegetable Platter with Garlic Mayonnaise
Platter of Various Salted, Marinated, and Smoked Fish ((king salmon <trawl>, skate <trawl>, tombo <long line>, swordfish <long line>, sea scallops <trawl>, blue fish <trap>)
Seaweed Salads (red and green limu, red and green tosaka <all farmed>)
Chilled Octopus <trap> soppressata with Castelvetrano Olives, Celery Heart, and Monte Iblei Olive Oil
Crostoni of Spicy Monkfish Liver <trap> pate with Knoll Farm Arugula
Charcoal Grilled Chatham Haddock in salmoriglio di Volpaia
Mediterranean Mussels <farmed> alla Siciliana with polenta crostini
Fritto misto: Softshell Crab <trap>, Monterey Bay Anchovies <purse seine>, and Grass Shrimp <trawl> with 'Cecil Brunner' Rose Vinegar Sauce
Pizzetta frolla: Fried Neapolitan-style pizzetta stuffed with Monterey Bay Sardines <purse seine> & Basil
Soup and Pasta
Consommé of Northern Halibut <long line> with White Beans, Artichokes, and Asparagus with bottarga di tonno
Maine Lobster <trap> bisque
Trompetti with Sea Robin <hook & line> and Dried Octopus <trap> ragu
Cannelloni neri of Cuttlefish <trap>, Breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and Lemon
Tagliatelle with Lobster Corral <trap> and porcini Mushrooms
Panzerotti of Scorpion Fish <hook & line> alla Livornese
Spelt fettucine with Salted and Dried Swordfish <long line> Belly
Wild Nettle Tagliolini with Geoduck Clams <farmed>
Grilled, Roasted, Sautéed, and Fried Fish
Cioppino: Classic San Francisco Fisherman's Stew of Local Rockfish <long line>, Manila Clams <farmed>, and Dungeness Crab <trap> with Garlic crostone
Cassoulet of Monkfish <gillnet>, Swordfish <long line) confit, and Shellfish Sausages
Grilled Trap-caught Green Eel, Umbrian-style salsa verde
Gratinata of Butterfish <trap>, New Potatoes, and Artichokes, salsa Vasca
Triglia <trawl> with ceci Beans, Spinach, and Amatranth al diavolo
Tramezzini of Sand Dabs <Scottish seine> and Greens, Tomales Bay Clam <farmed> salsa
Whole Fish in bella vista
Golden Sea Bream <trap> in risotto bianco with Old balsamico
Wood Oven Roasted Petrale Sole <Scottish seine> with Artichoke Sauce
Charcoal Grilled Boston Mackerel <hook & line> remolacha
Black Bass <hook & line> Stuffed with Morel Mushrooms
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