Author Archive for bernarduskitchen

Chef Cal Stamenov recently appeared on “The View from the Bay” delighting hosts Janelle Wang and Spencer Christian with his California Ratatouille Gratin. The recipe is one of Chef Cal’s favorites – and certainly features the best ingredients coming out his garden; onions, fennel, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant.

RATATOUILLE GRATIN
6 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds zucchini, sliced into rounds (sized to have same diameter as tomatoes)
2 pounds tomatoes, sliced (sized to have same diameter as zucchini)
6 tablespoons California extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 eggplants, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 pinches of savory and thyme, mixed
1 bunch basil – chopped
1 bulb fennel – sliced
3-4 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Optional: ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or fine breadcrumbs

Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat (3) tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick bottomed pot. Add the onions, garlic, peppers and fennel. Sweat out slowly over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 45 minutes. Add the eggplant and basil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Place the cooked vegetables in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Arrange the zucchini and tomato slices on top, overlapping in rows. Sprinkle with savory and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with (2) tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. If using breadcrumbs or grated parmesan, sprinkle over the top of the gratin. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden.

Click here to see the full cooking demonstration which aired live on June 18, 2009.

Chef Cal Stamenov has introduced a new a la carte menu for Marinus Restaurant. Chef Cal’s California Natural Cuisine is built on three central pillars: the relationship between food and terroir, the superiority of handcrafted, artisanal products over mass-produced, and the common sense of glorifying food when its flavor is at its peak. The Central Coast provides him the access to an inspiring range of ingredients whose terroir is appreciable in every bite. These come to him by way of the relationships he has forged with the local growers, fisherman and foragers. With a treasure trove of impeccable products, Chef Cal is able to cook with the seasons and rarely has to look further than his own backyard for inspiration.

Featured items include:Local Chanterelles with celery root agnolotti and black truffle sauce; Wild Black Bass with yukon gold potato, leek royale and oyster velouté; Colorado Lamb Rib-eye with flageolet beans, garden onion and garlic jus; and Citrus finale with orange-almond tart, candied buddah’s hand, grapefruit and bergamot ice cream.

Chef Cal will continue to offer his guests custom seasonal tasting menus such as the 5-course Garden Tasting Menu and the 8-course Truffle Tasting Menu.