First of all, let me apologize for the long time since I posted, but I have a good excuse: I was busy!!
(Busy eating food, drinking wine, riding my bike around, cooking at Omnivore, and generally enjoying life!!)
So I hope you will forgive me, and I’m sure you will, when you hear about the surreal, unexpected, and excellent FRIDAY AFTERNOON FISH CLUB which I was privileged enough to have been invited to a few weeks ago-

It happened that (as usual, on Fridays) I was sitting at Gabe’s, surrounded by the incomparable companionship of about 50 sabras, geezers, hipsters, artists, drunks, arsim, and other upstanding members of society, all half-smashed on cheap arak and beer at 1pm in the afternoon- and one of these citizens happened to be Shlomi- the architect of the Friday Fish Club…

And the conversation went something like this:
Shlomi and Entourage: “Hey- you’re Gabe’s friend, right? The chef?? You like to eat fish??”
Rima “You’re kidding, right?! I LIVE to eat fish!!”
Shlomi and Crew: “Ok!!  then come to xxxxxx car garage, at xxxx st, in Holon, next Friday!”

And so I went.
With a few pals, and Alon, who, like me, is not one to let a fish of any size, be the one that got away.

First of all- This place happened to be in an actual car-repair garage, in Holon. Which if you will excuse me for saying so, is not exactly the place I would expect to go to if I were looking for a great fish eating experience.
But never mind!!
As a matter of fact, some of the best food I have ever eaten, in places all over the world, has been found in unexpected places like these-
so take a word of advice, and never miss an opportunity to discover some hidden treasures in secret places…
You might discover something amazing,  as I did that day, such as:
Home- made Bottarga, smoked baby sardines, fried tiny barbunia, cooked in an empty oil- drum, over a fire of wood scraps from the wood shop next door,

cured mackerel in allspice and vinegar,  fresh salted anchovies, and a madly tasty rice and fried liver pilaf made by a Georgian (Former Soviet Republic Georgia- not Georgia, the state in USA) !!!

Oh , not to mention, a whole fresh salmon fillet with sage and almonds crust. (made by ME)
here’s how to do it:

(I like to make this with a whole salmon fillet, leave the skin on, but de-bone, spread the pesto on top, but also good on salmon steaks or other fish too)

take 1 bunch fresh sage (leaves only) put in food processor w/
juice from 1-2 big lemons
splash of rice vinegar
some hot green chiles, like jalapenos, to taste
coarse sea salt  to taste
black pepper
demerara- pale brown sugar crystals (“sugar in the raw”) (or light brown sugar-)about 4 big spoons

fresh garlic- about 4 cloves
handful of fresh parsley leaves, about 1/2 bunch, leaves only
splash olive oil, plus about 1/3 cup canola oil
Blend all to paste.
Add:
about 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds
Pulse to blend nuts into the paste.
Adjust balance with sugar, salt, lemon juice.
Spread a thick layer of this mix on salmon steaks or fillets, roast in oven at hottest temp til golden on top.. a whole large side of salmon will take about 25 mins. Steaks or individual fillet pieces, about 7 mins.

Well, back to the Fish Club:

When we arrived, we saw the doors to the car-repair garage open, and a huge table set up inside- covered with paper, big bottles of cola, beer, and arak-

And about 15 tough-looking guys all sitting around both the table, and standing around outside, next to the oil- drum fish fryer and grill, shouting, drinking, playing music, cleaning and cooking fish, and in general, having a hella good time.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1agsx_louis-jordan-saturday-night-fish-fr_music

We of course jumped right in, and although my salmon was looked at suspiciously at first, as it was brought on a “fancy” Moroccan platter, and not an aluminum disposable baking tray, but as soon as they took a bite, it was deemed acceptable, and everyone dug in! In fact, they even asked me how to make it!
Arak was flowing like water! Fish bones were flying! handmade Bottarga, which costs about 100 dollars+ a pound in a shop, was being passed around like chips!!
(Bottarga is either made from tuna or grey mullet caviar, salted, pressed, and considered by connoisseurs of really good caviar products and fish, to be one of the world’s great delicacies. And I agree.
(Make some spaghetti- AL DENTE of course!! – add a load of fresh garlic, olive oil, cracked pepper, fresh chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon, and grate Bottarga over the top- and you will  cry tears of joy!!!)
ok.. ok…  this pic (which is not mine) has fresh oysters also, which is also excellent.. but not necessary…

Piles of delicate fried baby barbunia ( Mediterranean red mullet) were being dumped on the table!
My cute single girl friend was getting phone numbers right and left from the guys!
I had a whole bottarga in one hand, and a water glass full of arak in the other! Heaven!!

Well, listen. This sort of thing isn’t for everyone.
I mean, certain people I know, in fact one of them happens to be one of my best friends, and their first name begins with an O and their family name begins with an A,

might  prefer to sit at Montefiore, sipping a martini and eating frozen shrimp for 200 shekels a dish, and you know what?? I myself don’t mind that myself once in a while
Well, I mean, I mind the frozen shrimp, but they make a pretty good martini over there.
But still!! He just doesn’t know what he’s missing by never setting his foot at a place like the Fish Club, or Gabe’s!!

And this was THE REAL THING!!!! “Without Salt” as they say around here! Hardcore!!
Shlomi and the boys were perfect hosts, and the fish was sublime.
I just wish I would have brought my salmon in an aluminum disposable tray.  Next time.

So call me if you want a recommendation to get into this exclusive club!!!!
And bring arak.  After all, I will definitely be there, and I don’t drink beer.
So be warned.
See you over there one of these Fridays soon. (it’s once every few weeks. Gabe’s otherwise!!)

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I can hear it already- a deafening roar of outrage and offense, at the very mention of the dreaded word- “Anise” !!
Well, sorry guys, but I am compelled to try to clear the wrongly slandered name of the sublime Anise!!

First of all, you might not be aware of this, but “All Anise Is Not Created Equal”- what I mean is, people have a tendency to say,  ‘I despise anise!” across the board, as if fennel, liquorice, star anise, aniseed, etc are all the same thing…

Well- they are not.
Most of you have heard of, if not taken a drink of, the legendary French liqueur Pernod, or Pastis- which admittedly, to a novice, or a hater, is, well, let’s just say “hardcore!!”.

Not everyone feels the same desire as I do to sit in a market in Provence at 6am, with the, ahem, “Rustic” companionship of the men of the woods and farms who have come to the market to sell their exquisite treasures, and after unpacking, sit in the market cafe, smoking non-stop, arguing over the day’s upcoming sporting matches, and of course drinking Pastis-

And you know what?
I don’t blame you!! However- I do blame anyone who refuses even to try Anise in food, or as an accent, in certain preparations.
You are really going to miss one of the more ethereal  sensory delights on the planet!!

Pastis is a subject which afficionados can spend hours discussing..
Suffice it to say, I do not have all day to spend on this topic-
Because, if I did, I would be late for cocktails, and my evening “Arak” (a Middle-Eastern anise liqueur of varying degrees of sophistication- from the highly refined and elegant arak of Lebanon and Syria, to the somewhat more proletariat versions produced in Israel.. “elite” (as pictured here, is cheap as chips (aprox. 5 dollars per bottle, and although blue-collar, delicious nonetheless!!!)

All of them potent, intense, and absolutely delicious mixed either with ice-cold water, or fresh squeezed red grapefruit juice- or  superb as a sherbert on a hot day! (or, at my beloved “Gabe’s”-mixed with cheap, artificial, grapefruit soda!! Yikes!!!)

Here is how to make a arak or pastis sherbert to die for!!
-take 1 cup half- and –half (1/2 cup each, heavy cream, half milk)
Scald in a pan with 1/3 cup sugar. (note: i do not think this sherbert should be too sweet. in fact i prefer it on the sour side. If you disagree, add more sugar, but remember not to add to much or your sherbert will not freeze completely)
Let cool to room temp.
Mix with 2 cups fresh-squeezed fresh pink grapefruit juice, and 2 shots of Arak, Ouzo, Raki, or Sambuca  (do not use Pastis or Pernod for this as it is too strong!!)
Chill thoroughly, then freeze in an ice-cream machine. Either serve immediately, or put in freezer til later, then scoop out and serve in highball glass with additional shot of Pastis poured over plus pink grapefruit segments and chopped fresh mint… Anyway, as usual, I digress:
Pastis (which by the way, is distilled from the Asian herb “Star Anise”) first appeared in France in the 1930’s,

following the ban on Absinthe, which was made from the totally different tasting European herb “Green Anise”- distilled to a dangerous 74% alcohol content, and made even more lethal by the addition of Wormwood,( “Artemisia Absinthia”which is a powerful soporific and hallucinogenic compound, with addictive qualities as well! However, in it’s defense, it was used in the middle ages as a water purifier and antibacterial!! 
Now that’s some Good Medicine!! Hardcore!!

Some of the paintings of Van Gogh, Manet, and Picasso, were done under the influence of Absinthe, and their increasingly erratic behavior now can be attributed to the brain-altering effects of Absinthe- otherwise known as “Le Fee Verte”- or “the Green Fairy”-

 
In any case, things got so out of control in the late 1800’s, that a total ban on the drink was ordered, and it took a while, 17 years to be exact, for  Paul Ricard, to formulate a drink which tasted similar, without using wormwood, and without the sky-high alcohol content of the forbidden, and sorely missed, Absinthe..

Today, 130 milllion liters of Pastis are sold in France alone- and this is not mentioning the enormous popularity of other Mediterranean anise liqueurs such as Greek Ouzo, Turkish Raki, Italian Sambuca, and my beloved Middle-Eastern Arak! 

By the way, everyone has their own favorite brands-  In France, the most popular being “51”, Ricard, or Pernod- and always served with a carafe of
ice-cold water to mix it with (usually 4-5 parts water to 1 part pastis-) The effect of it turning from clear yellow or clear, to milky white is the result of the decreasing alcohol level, due to diluting with water, and some of the components becoming insoluble- This is known as the Ouzo Effect..and it is beautiful..Like looking at a liquid Opal glowing with it’s own internal light…

Here are some excellent drinks to make with Pastis:

Mauresque: (“Moorish”) 2 shots Pastis, 1 shot Orgeat Almond Syrup, 1 drop Orange Flower Water, mix, pour over ice cubes in tall glass, top with soda water

Marie la Sanguine: replace vodka with Pernod or Pastis in a Bloody Mary

“Tomate”: Pastis with a splash of grenadine, with an orange twist and soda

One of the more delicious examples of anise I can remember was last year when we were shooting “Duet” in Istanbul.. 
Alon and I went after I finished for the day to an amazing small fish restaurant in the Taksim (the main promenade through the center of Istanbul) where there was not a tourist to be seen, only dozens of Turks, dressed to the nines, eating huge, outlandish platters of all kinds of fresh fish and seafood, and washing it down with bottles of ice-cold “Tekirdag Gold” Raki!!

Of course, we followed suit- and finished a whole bottle with our 2-kilo “Kalkan”- the mighty and aristocratic Bosporus Turbot!!

I still have half a bottle of that stuff which I carried home with me, and I treat it like gold!! Smooth as silk! Powerful as a upper left hook punch encased in a velvet glove!! Divine!!!!

by the way- the best way to enjoy  Raki is with chilled green melons, green or red plums, and Turkish Feta cheese -“”Yufka”- the very best Feta in the world.  Heaven!!!!!
 

Another thing I really love about anise liqueurs, besides the decadent buzz, and overall euphoria- and never with the aggression or melancholy that may strike you as when you are drinking gin, or vodka, I might add- is it’s absolute irreplaceable benefit to cooking- especially in dishes involving fish or seafood.

My mom, (who as all of you know, is world-famous for being one of the most exquisitely horrible cooks on the planet-)  hates and despises anise, fennel, and all it’s cousins with an almost religious intensity bordering on fanaticism..
Just the insinuation that anise may be lurking in a dish she is about to eat is enough to drive her into a rage, or tears!!
Nonetheless, this does not prevent me from slipping liberal splashes of Pernod into a Bouillabaisse,  or on top of a grilled lobster, and if she eats it, she proclaims it delicious!  If she only knew what she had just eaten, she would disown me!!

Just this week I made a strange, bizarre, and completely delicious confiture of forest mushrooms, in a star-anise gelee, which I served with a lamb “Pastilla”, for Omnivore….. Which was duly devoured by one of my best friends,
pronounced “delectable”, and then when confronted with a written menu mentioning the star-anise- he turned a ghastly shade of green and asked me, voice quivering with horror -“But you didn’t actually use star anise in that dish, did you?!”

The same folks who claim to despise garlic, yet when confronted with a bowl of perfectly made, delicate, melting garlic Confit, will eat it all and ask for more, are usually the same ones who will love a creamy, nutty, delicate, and gentle soup, made with nothing more than fresh fennel bulbs braised in olive oil, pureed, mixed with fish stock, some tangerine zest, a splash of cream, and some fresh mussels, and toped with a slice of Pan Levain fried in olive oil..  and chances are, they won’t even notice it is fennel unless you tell them!
Fennel, like garlic, loses all of it’s harshness and aggression when made into confit, or braised, grilled, or roasted..

Me and my old Hippy Dad used to collect wild fennel and use it to grill fresh chanterelles and porcinis from the woods, and to make tea from it’s flowers- which by the way, is extremely healthy and cleans the blood and liver and removes toxins from the body..

In short-  What I am trying to say here, is- “Give Anise a Chance”!!”
It may indeed be a stretch to think that everyone should be downing tall glasses of Pastis or Pernod..  And I’m not recommending that you do! or, maybe I am!!

What I am recommending is that those of you who hate and fear the stuff, try to be a little open minded, and use it in a way that you would use, say, saffron, or vanilla, or bay leaves.. All delicious, unique, and amazing flavours when used carefully and with restraint- which will bring out all the delicacy and potential of the dish it is in…. and yet, if overused, will overpower, and destroy it.

Here, to prove my good intentions, are directions for how to make a sublime Lebanese style Tabbouleh Beef Tartare..
And please! Trust me and add the arak/raki/pastis… you won’t feel it, but the complexity it adds to the dish is incredible..

First- soak 1/2 cup Bulghur Wheat in cold water til al-dente, drain, set aside.

Hand chop about 400 grams (about 1 lb)  fresh beef filet, finely.

brunoise 1/3 red onion

chiffonade 1/2 cup (packed- about 1 bunch) fresh mint leaves

chiffonade 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

finely grate 1 clove garlic

juice plus zest from 1-2 big lemons

1 hot green chile (or to taste- can leave out if you want, but i think it’s better with..) minced

Mix all of these ingredients, kneading well with your hands, add sea salt/atlantic salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper to taste, plenty of extra-virgin olive oil, plus a big handful toasted pine nuts..

Form into a “patty” shape on a platter, score with a diamond pattern, then pour 1 shot  Arak, Raki, Ouzo, or Pastis over top, garnish with whole mint leaves, more pine-nuts, generous drizzle of olive oil and some edible flowers plus grilled Pita or toasts….

So til next time…I hope you will have taken the plunge and overcome your Anise Fears.. and don’t forget to thank me next time you are sitting around eating a huge plate of grilled fennel with orange and fennel seed vinaigrette, and Crottin goats’s cheese!!!

A’Sante!!!

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