RECIPES:
Heirloom Tomato Bisque
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs of heirloom tomato
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 bulbs of fennel
- 2 large carrots
- ¼ cup of oregano
- ¼ cup of thyme
- Handful of basil leaves
- 2 cups white wine
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a baking dish, drizzle w/ olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 45 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are in the oven, julienne the onion and fennel bulbs and chop the carrots.
- Pick the oregano leaves, thyme leaves and basil leaves off their stems. Reserve for later.
- Heat 4 tablsps of olive oil in a stockpot over low to medium heat, add the onions, garlic and fennel and caramelize in the pan, season with salt and pepper.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine and vegetable stock.
- Add the tomatoes from the oven to the stockpot.
- Add the uncooked rice and herbs to the pot, simmer for 45 minutes and puree in a blender.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs mussels
- 2 cipolinni onions
- 1 large carrot
- 2 stalks of celery
- 4 cloves of garlic
- ½ bunch of thyme
- ¼ cup of flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup white wine
- ½ cup clam juice
- Olive oil for sautéing
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Clean and rinse the mussels in cold water. Reserve in a bowl and refrigerate with a cold damp cloth covering the mussels.
- Julienne the cipolinni onions, peel and dice the carrot, dice the celery and slice the garlic fairly thin as best you can.
- Pick the leaves off the thyme, chop and reserve, pick the leaves off the parsley, chop and reserve separately from the thyme.
- Heat about 4 Tblsp of olive oil over medium heat in a pan large enough to hold 2 lbs of mussels.
- When the oil is hot, add the garlic and brown slightly. Then add the carrots, celery, onion and chopped thyme. Cook until the carrot is soft but has texture -about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium high and add the mussels, stir the mussels into the pot.
- Add your white wine and clam juice, cover for about 5 minutes.
- When the mussels open - they are ready.
- Sprinkle the parsley over the mussels and serve immediately.
- To finish, drizzle with a good extra virgin olive oil and maldon salt.
- Serve w/ crème fraiche goat cheese crostini or a grassy olive oil.
Jason passion for all things culinary blossomed while growing up in Connecticut. Many of his earliest memories involve food & Family. He remembers family dinners at his grandmother's house almost every Sunday during his childhood and walks with his parents to farms ½ mile from his house to buy local summer crops of corn & potatoes. Smith's true love of food began while working as a cook at Oliva Café in Connecticut with chef and mentor Riad Aamar who introduced him to Arthur avenue in Bronx, New York to pick up provisions for the week. " That was the time in my career when I began to understand the connections between the land, the people and the profession I was in". Smith's passion for food has taken him from the East Coast to the West Coast. Arriving on the West Coast at 22, Smith graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 2003 and was introduced to the San Francisco culinary world by the likes of Annie Gingrass, Loretta Keller and Rick Hackett. All of these chefs have been a critical in developing his philosophy of food and helping him attain the position of Executive Chef at Florio. Prior to Florio, Smith spent his early years after the Academy at Bizou (now Coco 500) and moved on to Market Bar Café as Sous Chef. Smith has been reviewed by Patricia Unterman of the San Francisco Examiner where she exclaimed, " Florio, Fabulous as Ever! He has the confidence to do the truly simple!" Smith continues to explore all things culinary by traveling abroad to places like Phuket, Thailand; Hong Kong, China; London, England; Paris, France; and Perth, Australia.
Florio Restaurant & Bar
1915 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Event: Taste of Fillmore event is Saturday, October 3, from noon to 5:00 pm.
Fillmore Street's celebration of the superb neighborhood restaurants and boutiques. We are closing one block of Fillmore Street between Pine Street and California Street in San Francisco and will be offering "Tastes" of Fillmore Street.
The event will include food sampling, wine tasting and jazz. In addition, we will have a cooking demonstration stage with chefs from Fillmore Street restaurants and a fashion show to showcase Fillmore Street boutiques.
The event is free to the public. If the attendees would like to participate in the sampling program they can purchase a $20 "Tasting Wristband" prior to the event or on-site.
