Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House. Contact him at 692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His Web site is www.cafecollage.net.
Culinary Odyssey
- Kreatopita meat pie a Greek Easter tradition
- Greek Easter will be celebrated this coming Sunday. The seven weeks of Lent, in the Greek Orthodox Church tradition, are the preparation to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During this period, followers traditionally abstain fro... Full story
- Asparagus season has arrived
- While visiting Boulette's Larder in San Francisco last year, I made a great discovery. Traditionally, there is a farmer's market every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in front of the ferry building. There are often multiple stands selling fresh organ... Full story
- Culinary Odyssey: Meyers make lemon curd tarts more flavorful
- Throughout the years I have tasted a great many lemon tarts and my favorite is definitely the one that is served at Boulettes Larder restaurant in San Francisco at the Ferry Building. I personally recommend using Meyer lemons mainly because they are ... Full story
- Culinary Odyssey: Parchment packet highlights grouper’s flavor
- While visiting Florida and the Bahamas last week, I developed a great appreciation for the grouper fish. I decided to create a recipe that will pay tribute to the natural flavors of this fish. There are about 21 species of grouper found in the Carib... Full story
- Gateau adds versatility to mashed potatoes
- I have experimented with mashed potato gateau for quite a while, and it is only after a lucky occurrence that I discovered the richness and complexity of this dish. This potato gateau — which can be offered as a side dish or entree — is ... Full story
- Celebrate Valentine's Day with truffles
- The legend behind the Valentine's Day celebration is a bit inconsistent. According to various sources, Valentine's Day is named after an early Christian martyr named Valentine. He was persecuted as a Christian and sentenced to be executed under the R... Full story
- Timbale incorporates eggplant, ditalini pasta
- This dish could be baked in individual serving size tartlet molds or in a large pastry shell, according to the number of guests and the kind of effect you wish to create. When well done, it is a work of art, mainly because the process of putting it t... Full story
- Prawn risotto has light Asian flavor
- This week's recipe is more of a fusion between East and West. Risotto is traditionally a north Italian rice dish. Theoretically, the Arabs brought rice to Sicily and Andalusia in about the 14th century. Later on, the Po Valley, which runs from the w... Full story
- Simple lamb stew ideal for winter season
- Lamb stews are quite popular in the Mediterranean, and there are as many recipes as there are villages. In Morocco, lamb stews are often prepared with olives, nuts, plums or apricots, honey and exotic spices. In Greece and the Middle East, there is ... Full story
- Meyer lemons offer versatility
- Last week, I got a call from a dear friend of mine residing in Loma Rica who provides me with tomatoes in the summer and Meyer lemons in the winter. I went to visit her and collected the Meyer lemons. Interestingly, this citrus fruit is native to Ch... Full story
