Nate’s Hearty Cioppino ------------ Nathan Phillips

Nathan Phillips  

Seattle Area

Age – 50-ish

Marital Status – Single, in a relationship with my wonderful friend Molly.

Q:What you do for a living?

A: Currently with Bon Appétit Management.  Our company specializes in Sustainable, In-House food service solutions for businesses, private colleges and specialty venues.  My role is regional operations and finance oversight for the NW Region.

Hobbies
Skiing, Riding my bicycle, Cooking, Fine wines and Sharing with friends!

Q: How would you define your culinary style?

A:  Always learning.  I listen and observe and comment and test and find new ways to do things.  I am currently learning about low-carb diets, alternative flours and gluten free products.  I have adapted several traditional recipes to protein flours and other alternative products.

Q: What do you enjoy most about cooking?

A:  Trying new things and sharing with friends and family!!

Q: At what age did you start cooking?  Who inspired you?

A:  I was 6 years old when I baked my Mom a birthday cake.  She has always been an inspiration.  Later, I met a friend of my Father’s through Scouting, George Mardikian, who encouraged me to learn, teach and enjoy the food industry.

A: What culinary training have you received? Where have you learned more, in class or by experimenting?

A:  I have worked with great chefs, have studied the business and have done much research on sustainability and food.  I find that education is best coupled with hands on work, with talented and passionate people, such as artisan growers, chefs, and vintners.

Q: Who cooks in your home?

A:  We all do.  I cook, the kids cook (when they’re home) and Molly rocks in the kitchen.  We have fun!

Q:  If any chef in the world could prepare a meal for you, who would it be?  Why?

A:  If I could go back in time and enjoy a meal at Mardikian’s famous restaurant, Omar Khayyam’s in San Francisco I would.  Today, I’d like to join with my friends Bob Neroni and Steve Doyle and prepare something together.

Q: Do you select and buy the ingredients yourself? Where?

A:  Many times Molly and I will go to the farmers market or the coop and just browse for what is fresh and inspiring.  I see an increasing tendency where the fresh and seasonal local produce is the center of the plate and the proteins are coupled with them to produce a great meal that is healthy and wonderful.  Then set me up with a nice wine to compliment.

Q: Is there a website or blog where we can see something about you and your cooking and/or wine?

A: Currently I am doing more support than preparation.  Our company’s web site is http://www.bamco.com

It is an incredible opportunity to work with so many wonderful and committed people.

Q: Cooking Experience – Novice, Intermediate, Experienced, Pro ?

A:  Experienced. 

Q: What would you say to a novice in the kitchen to help them get over their fear of cooking?

A:  Start with great raw ingredients and a desire to do great things for your family, friends or others.  Invite experienced cooks to share things they’re doing.  Pay attention when you go out; ask the chef or sommelier to talk with you about their menu or wine list. 

Then experiment, have some fun.  Start simple with easy dishes such as omelets or simple soups or roasted meats.  Place them with artisan cheeses, nice wines and fresh veggies.  Then as your confidence and experience increase, try some new recipes and learn how things work together.  Sure, you may make some mistakes, but you may also create something amazing.  The kitchen is a science zone where creativity and artistry are rewarded, enjoy it!

Q: What is your favorite cooking gadget?

A:  Stock your kitchen with basics, a sharp knife, a French whip, a wooden spoon.  These things coupled with a pan or two, a good mixing bowl and a measuring cup can produce nearly anything in any cookbook.  A lemon zester is always good if I want a martini!

Q: Do you have a signature dish?

A:  I have been known to be quite the Barbeque guy, love to BBQ and grill throughout the year and pair up my ribs and other favs with great Northwest wines. 

My Cioppino has also always been a favorite.

Q: Who are your biggest fans?

A:  Probably Molly and my kids and my Mom (although I rarely will get a decline when I entertain).

Q: Do you clean up after yourself? 

A:  Clean as you go is a paramount rule!  …and keeps people out of the kitchen when we should be spending time together.  I always appreciate it when people pick up the dish cloth and help!!

Recipe - Hearty Cioppino.

What's the story behind the recipe – who you make it for,  who inspired it, when you serve it, etc. ?

I started making my Cioppino for family, to introduce my children to the wonderful marriage of fresh, local herbs and vegetables and seafood.  This is a simple and wonderful dish to bring friends and family together, much of which can be done ahead, with a quick final touch prior to serving.

In old San Francisco the fishermen would make a hearty Italian style stew with the catch of the day.  This tomato based soup became a staple on the docks of San Francisco and throughout the coastal towns of the West, never exactly the same as the last batch due to the catch changing with the seasons. 

Best served beside a Toscana or Chianti or local Sangiovese. 

 Enjoy!!

What wine would you pair with your recipe?

I serve this with an earthy, old world style Cab or Sangiovese, either a wonderful Montalcino or Toscana from Italy or perhaps one of the fine NW wines, such as Yellowhawk’s Barbera or Lachini’s La Bestia.

WINE

Q: Favorite type of wine to use for cooking?  Why?

A:  Earth and character are important, so the wine leaves something special.  Old world chiantis and NW sangiovese, also crisp whites like a stoney, unoaked Chardonnay.

As Julia Child would say:

“Only cook with a wine you would drink…”

 “I enjoy cooking with wine, and sometimes I put it in the food.”

Q:  Wine Experience?

A: Experienced, educated.

Q:  What is your Favorite Winery -  Why?

A: I have a list of NW wineries that I love.  There are many more…  I love the NW wine industry, as so many great craftsman have come on scene.  They share their passion and help each other to grow in their art.

Forgeron Cellars (Walla Walla, WA), http://www.forgeroncellars.com Marie’s wines bring Bordeaux to the NW.  Her Syrahs and Zins are approachable and great with food.  Her Chardonnay will have you believing you are sitting beside a quiet little brook in France, just enjoying the day.

Lachini Vineyards (Newberg, OR), http://www.lachinivineyards.com  Ron and Marianne produce amazing Pinot Noir, earthy reds and a wonderful Pinot Gris.  It has been a great experience to see them bring this dream to life and to do it with world class wines.

Efeste Winery (Woodinville, WA), http://www.efeste.com Brennan and Daniel and their team have come a long way in a few years.  Amazing Syrahs such as the Jolie  Bouche and the Ceidleigh are now along side the cabs and an array of whites that will please everyone at your table.  And a friendlier bunch you won’t find…

DaMa wines (Walla Walla, WA), http://www.damawines.com Dawn and Mary bring incredible experience to the blending and to the tasting room, with an array of outstanding red and some nice surprises.  If you choose not to take a peak, that’s okay, you’ll leave more for the rest of us.

Chateau Ste Michelle (Woodinville, WA), http://www.chateaustemichelle.com  What can I say? this is the winery that started it all in the NW.  Incredible wines produced year after year by passionate people who teach others and have a legacy of developing some of the best wine and wine producers in the region.  Don’t miss it!

Castillo de Feliciana (near Walla Walla, WA), http://www.castillodefeliciana/   You have got to like a dentist who makes great wine and great music.  This Tempranillo will have you looking for paella and a flaminco!  Located south of Walla Walla, this is a winery that produces Riojas that will take you to Spain.

Q:  Are you affliliated with wine industry in any way? 

A:  Our restaurants and catering operations offer local wines on many of our menus.  We like to focus on vintners and wineries from the area, and are especially fond of producers who are working with organic fruit or use bio-dynamic method.

Our TASTE restaurant http://www.tastesam.com/ at the Seattle Art Museum has a house wine that was created by the staff and a NW vintner.

Q.  How did you get interested in wine? Where did you learn about wine?



A:  Friends and I in college got tired of the binge drinking and started looking for things that were more interesting.  While in college I got serious about cooking and began to pair up wines with my experiments as well as the BBQ’s that I threw.

Q: For Wineries - What is the best way for our readers to find a local retailer who sells your wine?

A:The wineries noted above all have products being distributed in the NW,  five of the six wineries are small producers, their distribution may be limited.  Chateau Ste Michelle is distributed throughout the US.  All six of the wineries listed have web-sites with information about their wine clubs and their products.  The tasting rooms are located in Woodinville or near Walla Walla, and they will gladly tell you all about their craft.

Q:  Anything else you’d like to share with us?

A:  The best way to learn about wine is to experiment, share with friends and compare notes.  Keeping a wine journal can be a big help, and keep tasting because some wines change dramatically in a short period of time.

Then, put your favorites beside great food.  And always remember…    

Drink what you like!

 

Nate’s Hearty Cioppino
 (serves 6 with left overs)

Crab boil

1 T cracked pepper corns

4 stalks celery

1 stalk fennel

3 large carrots

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

8 crab legs or claws

 

Method:

Boil crab in 2 quarts of water prepared with spices and coarsely chopped or whole vegetables floating, for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and ice crab.  Retain liquid for stew.

Stew

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion

3 T olive oil

1 dash sea salt

1 ½ cub red wine

   (old world style, fruity not too big)

4 large sea scallops

1 T butter

2 cups crab boil liquid

1 bottle (8oz) Clam juice

2 cups V-8 style vegetable juice

½ t oregano (fresh is best)

¼ t chopped rosemary (fresh)

¼ t thyme leaves

¼ t chopped basil

3 whole carrots chopped fine or grated

1 stalk celery chopped fine

1 green bell pepper chopped

8 mussels cleaned

8 clams cleaned

½ lb shrimp (20 count, veined, no tails)

½ lb white fish (true cod, etc)

½ lb salmon

8 crab legs or claws (from boil)

4 to 6 portions egg noodles or

    Fettuccini verde

4 to 6 pieces garlic toast or bruschetta

Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil with salt over medium heat in a large stew pot or braiser until onion is clear (do not scorch the garlic).  Deglaze with ¼ cup red wine and then add butter and scallops.  Braise scallops in the red wine mixture for about 1 minute on each side.  Remove scallops and hold (cold (40*) if working ahead, hot (140*) if service is soon.  Remove heat.

Add remaining wine and all liquids and return to heat.  Add spices and bring to just below boiling.  Add all vegetables and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool if working ahead.  If service is soon cover and keep hot, prepare to add seafood.

15 minutes prior to service add mussels and clams to hot stew for 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove mussels and clams and hold hot for service.  In a separate pot or steamer re-therm crab in remaining crab boil.

10 minutes prior to service add shrimp and fish.  Re-therm noodles or fettuccini.

Serve stew and fish over a small bed of noodles (if desired). 

Add portion of hot mussels and clams to stew.

Garnish bowl with one scallop and a hot crab claw or leg. 

Serve with garlic toast and a beverage.