You all know by now how much I adore cooking with friends.
Being in the food industry for as long as I have, I’ve become friendly with so many amazing chefs and have watched their careers begin from ground zero and then soar 20+ years later. One of those extraordinary chefs is Wayne Nish.
I ran into Wayne a few months ago at the 30th anniversary for De Gustibus, the cooking school at Macy’s Herald Square. We both taught at the school. I hadn’t seen him in a few years- since he closed his renowned restaurant March.
Wayne Nish has the distinct honor of having a total of 20 stars bestowed upon him by The New York Times over the past 20 years, as well as a Michelin star and countless other awards. An impressive feat for a man who created his own culinary education by tearing through Larousse Gastronomique, the culinary encyclopedia that taught him the nuances of pulling off a flawless béchamel and gloveboning his own poultry. Such was the foundation of Nish’s career, one which has spanned nearly three decades and a considerable range of cuisines.
He has been cooking in Singapore the last few years, at Prive and The Screening Room, but now he’s back in NYC and working on a new project. I asked him if he would come cook with me and catch up on our lives. Besides it was a good excuse for me to learn from a master chef!!!
It was more than pleasure cooking with Wayne….it was mind blowing exciting for me to be in my home kitchen with him. He taught me so many little tips and tricks. I had never made fregola before, and he showed me how easy it is to cook this Italian grain. (see recipe below).
We also slow roasted salmon, which I had never done before. The philosophy is that when you slow roast a fatty fish like salmon, the collagen melts at the same rate that the protein transforms from raw to cooked. It comes out very tender and fully cooked through. Wayne calls it sex in the mouth…. Oooh I like that phrase…and yes, that’s what it tasted like. You’ve got to try it!!!
FRICASSE OF OYSTERS AND CLAMS WITH SPINACH AND FREGOLA:
3/4 cup fregola
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb of clams and oysters
1 small onion, sliced into rounds
1 cup beer
1 bay leaf
½ lb spinach
Chives and chervil for garnish
Bring 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to a boil, then stir in 3/4 cups of fregola. Let it simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until done. Drain well and set aside in a bowl.
In a med sized pot with a lid, place shellfish, sliced onion, beer, and bay leaf. Add the fregola to the pot.
Let the seafood cook until the shells open (discard any that do not open).
Steam spinach in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Transfer the seafood and fregola to a bowl and garnish with the spinach, chives and chervil.
Serve with warm bread to soak up the sauce.
