Spotlight on Scallops

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Did you know that a scallop is the only bivalve that swims?

Indeed, its flesh is almost entirely one tender muscle, which is why it’s such a favorite to eat.

To find out more interesting info on scallops, including how to choose the best ones, pick up a copy of the March issue of Coastal Living magazine for my story all about scallops.

You’ll also find my recipe for “Curry-Citrus Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops and Crispy Shallots,” as well as another for “Scallop Skillet with Bacon, Edamame, Basil, and Creamy Grits” by contributor, David Bonom.

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One Thick, Rich Chocolate Drink and Winners of the Veggie Seeds Give-Away

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Just how thick is Taza to Go, a new chocolate beverage drink?

Put it this way: To call it hot chocolate or hot cocoa would be an injustice.

Take a sip and it’s almost like pudding in your mouth.

Just look at the thick streaks it leaves on the rim of the mug above.

Super gooey, incredibly rich and with a deep, concentrated chocolate flavor, this drinking chocolate comes in an aseptic pouch ready to be enjoyed. Serve it warm or chilled over ice. You can even drizzle it over ice cream or cake.

The pouch serves two, but after trying a sample, I’d say you could easily get more servings out of it. It’s so filling that an espresso cup-full would more than satisfy most chocoholics.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping hot chocolate in Spain with churros to dunk into, you’re familiar with this souped-up version of liquid chocolate. Appropriately enough, Tazo to Go is made by Valor Chocolates, a chocolatier in Spain since 1881.

A 14-ounce pouch is about $5.75, and a 32-ounce pouch is about $11.99. A 3/4 cup has 200 calories. Purchase at the Valor Chocolate site or Tienda.com.

Now, without further adieu, the winners of the Food Gal veggie seeds give-away contest, in which I asked you all to pick a fruit, vegetable or herb that was most like your personality.

I can’t tell you how many of these responses just made me chuckle in delight. But I could only pick three winners, who will each receive a load of seeds to grow lettuces and tomatoes, as well as a beautiful oval wooden cutting board — all courtesy of Cook’s Garden, a gourmet retailer of seeds. Thanks to everyone who participated in the fun. Here are the winners:

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Pie for Pi Day

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Don’t forget to reset your clocks tomorrow for springing ahead with Daylight Saving Time.

And absolutely, positively, do not forget your pie, either.

That’s because Sunday is also National Pi Day. Yes, a day to celebrate the number which is “a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter in Euclidean space; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius.” Or so defines Wikipedia. Frankly, it’s been so long since my days of high school geometry that this is enough to make my head spin.

I’d much rather remember that pi equals 3.14. Or March 14 — get it?

Morton’s the Steakhouse wants to put you in the pi mode with, well, pie, of course. And Key Lime, to be exact.

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Meet the Food Gal at “Silicon Valley Reads”

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For the past two months, a flurry of activities have been held throughout Silicon Valley, all surrounding that most illuminating, must-read book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan.

March 19, noon to 1:30 p.m., you’re invited to sit in on a free panel discussion about this eye-opening book that outlines just how detrimental our industrialized Western diets are to our health. This event, one of many by “Silicon Valley Reads,” is designed to help promote reading and literacy in our communities.

Yours truly will be on the March 19 panel, along with Chef Charlie Ayers of Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto, and noted author and peach grower extraordinaire, Mas Masumoto. The event will be moderated by my former San Jose Mercury News colleague, Leigh Weimers.

It will take place at Adobe Systems Park conference room in the East Tower lobby, 321 Park Ave. in San Jose.

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Betelnut — An Oldie But Goodie That Tantalizes and Surprises

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Chef Alex Ong tells an amusing story about just how much he missed Chinese food when he was living in Florida, working for the Ritz-Carlton, way back when.

On his rare days off then, he and his wife would hop into the car to drive to the only Chinese restaurant in sight — Panda Express.

“There was no other Chinese food around,” Ong says in almost disbelief. “I told my wife, ‘We gotta get out of here!’ ”

Fortunately for all of us, the Malaysia-born Ong did get out of there and ended up here — at the venerable Betelnut in San Francisco, a short drive from the Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square. At the popular restaurant, which was turning out Asian street food before that turned into a mega new trend, Ong has been in the kitchen 10 of its 14 years.

Sure, you’ll find the likes of everyone’s favorite minced chicken lettuce cups, Shanghai soup dumplings, fried cauliflower with curry leaves, and green papaya-shrimp salad.

But Ong and his chef de cuisine, Michael Siegel, like to push the envelope, too. Their more daring takes on street food are not always an easy sell to their upper-crust Union Street clientele. If you go, though, you should definitely seek them out.

One of Siegel’s favorite dishes of late is his grilled venison with maitake mushrooms and butternut squash. I had a chance to enjoy this dish of tender, juicy meat when Ong and Siegel invited me to come in with my buddy,  local cookbook author, Andrea Nguyen. The servers often tell hesitant customers that if they order the venison and don’t like it, they won’t have to pay for it. So far, none has been inclined to send back this amazing dish.

Each night, the restaurant also makes a dish that’s not on the official menu: Beggar’s Chicken. Few restaurants dare to offer this classic dish because of all the work involved. A soy-marinated whole chicken is stuffed with mushrooms, pork belly and Chinese sausages, then the whole thing is first wrapped in lotus leaves, then inside a mass of soft, gray clay. It cooks in the oven for one and a half hours, then rests for an equal amount of time.

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