[CH] Will Borgeson
Michael Bowers (mkbowers@wiley.gsm.ucdavis.edu)
Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:14:36 -0800
One of the first, though not recent, members of the Chile-Heads list, Will
passed away Feb 7th. His opinions on chiles, and food in general, like most
everything else in his life were passionate and intense. I wish I had the
archives up so others could share his messages at this time. I still use
many of the recipes he posted, see below.
For those in the area a memorial will be held Saturday, Feb 16th at Bodega
Marine Lab, where he worked for 28 years. The memorial service will be from
noon to 1pm, a reception to toast his life from 2pm to 5pm.
--------------------
Spicy Oysters
Here are a couple of excellent, IMO, garnish sauce recipes for raw
oysters, which are still in very good condition all around the US, in
fact all around the N. hemisphere.
#1:
1 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp chopped
cilantro 2 or 3 finely chopped firm, plump shallots finely chopped hot
chiles to taste (Thai bird, habanero, serrano)
Chill this down, and spoon a bit into shucked raw oysters before downing
them.
#2:
1 cup sake
2 or 3 scallions (cut the long way, then across fine, including most of
green tops)
3 or 4 tbsp tobiko (flying fish roe...find at Japanese markets) 1 or 2
tbsp purple pickled garlic (Japanese markets) finely chopped fresh
chiles to taste (Thai bird, habanero, serrano)
This sauce is an awesome rainbow of color and flavor. Again, chill the
sauce, then spoon into shucked raw oysters before slurping.
Some sushi bars will sell you tobiko and pickled garlic, if you have
trouble finding it in Japanese markets, or if there are none in your
area. If no sushi bars in your area, oh well...
Oh what the heck, one more for those who like their oysters cooked:
OYSTERS IN SPICY BLACK BEAN SAUCE
1. Shuck bite-sized oysters and set aside, retaining their "liquor"
after straining.
2. Saute some garlic in hot peanut or other hi-heat oil in a wok or
skillet. When blonde, add a tablespoon or so of prepared black bean
sauce (or mashed and soaked fermented black beans), and "heat" to taste.
This could be red pepper flakes, cayenne powder, or finely chopped hot
chiles of your choice. Saute a bit more to liberate/blend flavors.
3. Add oysters and their liquor. Simmer, stirring gently, until
oysters are as done as you like them. Serve over rice or noodles.
Will
Will Borgeson