Humans,
I hope you're having your best summer yet! Mine is going just swimmingly, and certainly better than the summer of '29 when Hemingway's infatuation with bears reached a boiling point causing me to flee Paris for Milan.
My artist friends from France connected me with FT Marinetti, founder of Italy's Futurist movement. Two decades earlier he'd caused ripples with his Futurist Manifesto, and he was looking to shake things up again. I suggested the culinary world was ripe for harvest. We locked ourselves in a room at the Casa Galimberti and emerged two weeks later with the Manifesto of Futurist Cuisine.
Much of the manifesto I now find silly (absolutely NO pasta!) but I was religious about it back then. And I must say many of the outrageous quirks we created for our dinner parties in Italy directly influenced what ultimately became Cow by Bear. Come and experience it for yourself!
I'm so excited to bring you a taste of my time in Italy with the newest installment of our dinner series - Food by Bear: Italy!
This series will run in San Diego on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm during September and October only. As usual it is a 5-course meal with fine wine pairings. Price per person is $175. We look forward to spending an evening with you!
Tutti Frutti Di Mare
serves 6
for the shrimp:
20 shrimp (shell on)
2 lemons, halved
3 bay leaves
3 fresh thyme leaves
1/4 c seafood seasoning
16 oz lump crab meat (shells removed)
2 lemons
24 yellow grape tomatoes, halved
12 red tomato wedges
25 cucumber slices, lengthwise
for the sauce:
10 oz. mayonnaise
2 tbsp brandy
1/4 c ketchup
2 tbsp horseradish
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tbsp chopped fresh fennel
salt & pepper
for the shrimp:
1. Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water. Add the salt and squeeze in the juice of two lemons (go ahead and toss the halves into the water). Add the herbs and seasoning. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and simmer for about five minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and add shrimp. Simmer uncovered for about five minutes, until tails begin to curl. Remove shrimp from water and chill thoroughly before peeling.
for the sauce:
1. Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl with whisk.
for the crab:
1. Mix crab with juice from two lemons and just enough sauce to incorporate the crab.
to assemble:
1. Spread a dollop of sauce on each plate and spread. Roll cucumber slices into little tubes and line in a row over the sauce.
2. Divide crab into six. Place one scoop in the center next to cucumber on each plate.
3. On opposite side of cucumber, place tomatoes. Then place shrimp in between cucumber and tomatoes. Garnish with micro herbs if desired.
Milan-Turin
1 oz campari bitter
1 oz sweet vermouth
soda
ice
lemon twist
orange slice
This cocktail is now better known as the Americano, but I still like to call it by the name I first knew it by. It was originally named after the two cities that produced the primary ingredients: Campari and sweet vermouth.
1. Fill a tumbler with ice and pour in the Campari and sweet vermouth. Top off with a splash of soda and stir ten times. Garnish with a lemon twist and orange slice. Enjoy the rest of summer.