Red Pepper Jelly Pork Chops

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Juicy pork chops with sticky red pepper jelly.

With a couple of jars of red pepper jelly in hand, I couldn’t help but dollop some over soft cream cheese for the old-school cracker spread we all adore.

But I wanted to do something beyond that with the rest, something a little more out of the norm.

I found what I was looking for in this wonderful recipe for “Pepper Jelly-Glazed Boneless Pork Chops with Steamed Baby Bok Choy.” The recipe is by Sara Foster of North Carolina’s Foster’s Market and can be found in the cookbook, “A Twist of the Wrist” (Alfred A. Knopf) by Los Angeles Chef Nancy Silverton of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.

We all know how pork takes to sweet, spicy and fruity in great Southern barbecue. It marries as beautifully with pepper jelly’s sticky goodness.

Good on almost anything.

I got my pepper jelly as a parting gift at the conclusion of a cookbook party at San Francisco’s Town Hall. But you can find pepper jelly in most well-stocked supermarkets.

The pork chops are marinated in pepper jelly whisked with red wine, rosemary, red wine vinegar, garlic, orange zest and orange juice. You can marinate the chops for an hour just before cooking them. But to do them real justice, marinate them overnight for a bigger boost of flavor.

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“Plates on Fire”: Coming to Your TV Screens Soon If All Goes According to Plan

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Yours truly, with the most makeup I've ever worn, and flanked by Vincent Pastore and Stephen Baldwin. Not a bad way to spend a day, hey?

I spent all last Sunday working alongside actors Stephen Baldwin and Vincent Pastore.

Get out!

I kid you not.

Of course, you know the former as the youngest Baldwin brother who has starred in such flicks as “The Usual Suspects,” “The Young Riders,” and “Fourth of July.” You know the latter as the unforgettable Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos.”

And with luck, some day soon you might know them and yours truly as the judges on the pilot episode of “Plates on Fire,” which was filmed last Sunday at San Jose Fire Dept. Station #2 on Alum Rock Avenue.

It’s the brain-child of Santa Clara County Fire Capt. Joe Viramontez, who retired from his job only eight months ago. Instead of devoting time to improving his golf swing now, he decided to bankroll an idea for a reality cooking show he came up with three years ago involving firefighters battling it out in a series of culinary challenges in a fire station kitchen. The winner gets bragging rights, the title of champion and $10,000 for his/her favorite charity. The show is intended to travel around to showcase the cooking prowess of firefighters at stations all around the country.

“The charity component was important to me,” Viramontez says. “I didn’t want it to be just another cooking competition. I wanted to do something to give back.”

So, he hired producer Galley Molina, who splits his time between Los Angeles and San Jose, and whom Viramontez met at church. Molina, a reformed, convicted drug trafficker started his own independent production company, Reverence Gospel Media. He wrote and produced the film, “I’m in Love with a Church Girl,” which is expected to be released in 2012. The film, shot in San Jose last year, stars rapper Ja Rule, as well as both Baldwin and Pastore, which is how those two actors got involved with “Plates on Fire.” Michael K. Race, another producer on “I’m in Love with a Church Girl,” also was brought on board for this project.

A helmet covers the secret ingredients of the mystery basket.

Just how did the Food Gal, who has zilch acting experience, get asked to work alongside these Hollywood heavyweights? I’m told that someone who knew someone who knew someone recommended me as a good choice to round out the culinary know-how of the judging panel. I’m guessing it didn’t hurt that I don’t live too far away from Station #2, either. Or that I happen to be female — the only one in the cast, as it turns out.

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Fun Chefs Calendar, Salute to Foie Gras Dinner & More

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Pastry Chef and "Top Chef Just Desserts'' winner, Yigit Pura of Toot Sweet in San Francisco is the cover boy for December.

Twelve Months of Chefs

Foodies won’t be able to resist this new calendar that spotlights a different Bay Area chef each month.

The 11-inch-by-17-inch, limited-edition “Chefs of the Bay Area” calendar features such top toques as David Bazirgan of the Fifth Floor in San Francisco, Mourad Lahlou of Aziza in San Francisco, Mark Dommen of One Market in San Francisco and Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. The calendar also features a recipe from each chef, such as salt & pepper ice cream from Jake Godby of Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco.

All proceeds from the $20 calendar will benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, which provides meals and services to home-bound seniors.

The calendar can be purchased online. Starting Oct. 19, they also will be sold at Macy’s Union Square Cellar in San Francisco and at the participating chefs’ restaurants. Beginning Oct. 16, the calendars will be available at Williams-Sonoma’s Union Square store in San Francisco.

Additionally, Macy’s Cellar in San Francisco will host a kick-off party, 6 p.m. Oct. 19. Guest will get to sample sweets from some of the participating chefs, as well as take home a calendar. Tickets to the party are $25 each, with proceeds going to Meals on Wheels of San Francisco.

Chef Pam Mazzola of Prospect and Boulevard restaurants poses with her pooch. (Photo courtesy of Meals on Wheels)

Free King Arthur Flour Baking Demos

King Arthur, America’s oldest flour company, is taking the show on the road by traveling across the country to host free baking demos, including ones in the Bay Area, Oct. 21-23.

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“A Wine & Food Affair” in Sonoma County and a Food Gal Giveaway

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Enjoy sips at more than 100 wineries stretching across Sonoma County at the 13th annual “A Wine & Food Affair,” Nov. 5-6.

Visit your favorite wineries and discover new ones in the Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander valleys. Many participating wineries also will be preparing recipes from the “Tasting Along the Wine Road” cookbook for you to sample.

You’ll receive a commemorative tasting glass and a copy of the cookbook to take home.

Tickets are $70 (for attending both days), $50 for tasting on Nov. 6 only, and $30 for designated drivers (attending both days).

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a pair of weekend tickets good for both Nov. 5 and Nov. 6. Entries, limited to those who can be in Sonoma County that weekend, will be accepted through midnight PST Oct. 15. Winner will be announced Oct. 17. Winner must provide his/her own transportation to Sonoma County.

How to win?

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Nick’s on Main — A Tiny Place With A Big Heart

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Ahi tartare tower with Asian flavors.

With only 35 seats — and each of them snuggled close together — Nick’s on Main in Los Gatos is small on space, but vast on charm and warmth.

I’m not the only one who thinks so, either, as evidenced by the crowds that can’t wait to get in each evening to enjoy Chef-Owner Nick Difu’s robust comfort food.

Difu, 40, is a Santa Clara County native with legions of fans in the South Bay, who have followed him as he’s cooked his way around Los Gatos from Cafe Marcella to the Wine Cellar and to 180 Restaurant.

As evidenced by the name, Nick’s on Main is the restaurant he can finally call his own. Opened three years ago, this intimate space is done up in classic black and white with framed old family photos adorning one large wall and the other decorated with a striking carving emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo.

Recently, I treated my friend Donna to dinner here for her birthday. It was her first time dining here, and she couldn’t help but remark how it felt like she was eating in someone’s home, rather than in a restaurant.

Chef-Proprietor Nick Difu.

That’s because Difu makes you feel welcome from the get-go. He’s out in the dining room a lot, serving courses to tables, greeting regulars and making sure the folks waiting outside to get in are comfortable.

I first met Difu eight years ago, when I wrote a profile story about him when I was the food writer at the San Jose Mercury News. With his infectious grin and gregarious nature, Difu is hard to miss.  But what you might not detect at first until he confidently extends his hand to shake yours is the fact that he has only three fingers — all on his left hand. Difu was born with all of his fingers, but when he was 6 months old, blood clots developed that caused his other fingers to fall off.

Despite that, he graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco,  and worked his way up through a series of Bay Area restaurants, always impressing the chefs who had hired him with his work ethic and good cheer.  Indeed, it was another fellow chef years ago who bestowed upon him the nickname of “chef3lefty,” which Difu still readily answers to with pride.

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