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, Executive Chef—Ponti Seafood Grill
, The Chef In The Hat
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Josh Green, Executive Chef at Ponti, is a Seattle native and graduate of Seattle Central Community College’s culinary program. Prior to becoming the executive chef at Ponti in June of 2004, he spent three years in multiple positions at Ponti Seafood Grill. Josh includes in his repertoire an apprenticeship under Ludger Szmania of Szmania’s restaurant in Magnolia.
Josh, who grew up on Vashon Island in the small fishing town of Dockton, honed his fishing, trolling, digging, diving, trapping, netting and foraging skills from an early age. Pairing his passion for the freshest of ingredients with his enthusiasm for world-roaming flavors, Josh is intent on providing Ponti’s guests with a feast both for the eyes and the palate.
Josh leads the culinary crew at Ponti in creating a modern mosaic-- blending his intimate knowledge of Northwest bounty, the classical culinary techniques of Europe and palate pleasing flavors, scents and spices of Asia.
Chef Green energetically shares Ponti’s cuisine and his support of the local community through his participation in Taste Washington, SOS/Taste the Nation, Juvenile Diabetes Dream, Seattle Cooks, and Farestart, as well as cooking classes food and wine events at the restaurant.
Ponti, was opened in 1991 by Richard Malia, and is styled after a Mediterranean villa. Located on Seattle’s Ship Canal, each of Ponti’s three dining rooms and two outdoor patios have showcase vistas of the water, the Fremont and Aurora bridges.
Ponti is lauded in the Zagat Guide as “a gorgeous spot at the south side of the Fremont Bridge. A serene, elegant seafooder with a well-deserved reputation”. Ponti, located at 3014 3rd Avenue North, is open for dinner seven nights a week. Reservations may be made by calling Ponti Seafood Grill at 206-284-300 or on the website at www.PontiGrill.com.
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is the chef/owner of Rover's Restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Rover's is internationally recognized as one of the premier dining destinations in the Pacific Northwest. For almost 21 years, Rover's has offered cuisine that Rautureau describes as Northwest contemporary with a French accent. Rautureau was born in the town of Saint Hilaire de Clisson in the Muscadet region of France. At fourteen, he started a cooking apprenticeship in Anjou, France and at sixteen went on a Regional Tour de France and trained in the cities of Le Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, Chamonix in the French Alps, and Hendaye in the Pays Basque. At twenty, he moved to the United States and worked at various fine restaurants including La Fontaine in Chicago, the Regency Club with Joachim Splichal in LA, and the Seventh Street Bistro with Laurent Quenioux, also in LA. Rautureau has won various awards including the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest, and has been awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre Du Merite Agricole by the French government. Rautureau'd cuisine can best be described as whimsical. Heavily influenced by the ingredients of the Pacific Northwest, Rautureau uses a global palate rich with Mediterranean overtones and surprising Asian elements. His style is a very personal culinary statement. This statement was transformed into a recently published cookbook entitled Rover's: Recipes from Seattle's Chef in the Hat by Chef Rautureau and Cynthia Nims. The cookbook is filled with over one hundred recipes accompanied by stunning photographs.
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Recipe by Joshua Green, Executive Chef, Ponti Seafood Grill
1lb King Crab Meat
2 Mango's
1 Bundle of Green Onions
1 Bundle of Cilantro
2 Medium Carrots
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Honey
2 Teaspoons of Sambal
2 Teaspoons of Sesame Oil
1 package of Rice Paper Fresh wrappers 12 ea
Preparation
Drain the Crab meat of any excess water and reserve. Peel and slice the mango, green onions, and carrots into thin 1 inch strips and place them into a mixing bowl. Mince the cilantro and add to it the sesame oil, sambal, honey and soy sauce and toss with the sliced vegetables, and crab meat. Heat a bowl of water to 110 F and soak one wrapper at a time in the water about 45 seconds. Remove from the water and dry with a paper towel. Place 2 Tablespoons of the mixture onto the middle of the wrapper and roll into a tight log. Allow the roll to sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator and serve with your favorite condiments.
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Recipe by Joshua Green, Executive Chef, Ponti Seafood Grill
1lb King Crab Meat
2 Cups of Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup of Roasted Garlic
1 Medium Onion
3/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons ofd Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Add Salt and Pepper to Taste
8 Cups of Water/Stock
Preparation
Risotto is one of the easiest dishes to prepare with little attention to detail. Arborio is rice that is traditionally grown in Italy, however there are many fine Arborio products that come from Spain, France and America. Do not think that risotto is an overly labor-intensive dish, you only need to pay close attention to detail during a few steps. The first thing that you have to do is assemble the pieces. Small dice the onion so it resembles the size of the Arborio kernel, and roast one medium sized head of garlic in a preheated 350 F oven for about a half hour, that should yield ½ C. Grate the Parmesan and measure out the water depending on how creamy or how al dente you want the risotto. It might take 1 more or less cup. Sweat the onions in a heavy bottomed pan large enough to hold the final product on medium low heat until they are translucent. This is one of the steps that are important to the flavor of the finished product. If the onions burn, or become caramelized the risotto will not come out clean and the sweet flavor of the garlic will be hidden. Three tablespoons of oil will seem like a lot compared to the onions but it is important because the rice needs to be toasted in the extra oil. The Arborio should be toasted until the kernels are hot to the touch and become fragrant (once again not burnt). It is important here more that later that you constantly stir the rice this begins to cook and peel off the first couple layers of starch on the kernel that will make your risotto creamy. Once the rice is toasted add 1 C of water and stir to combine. Continue adding the water until half of the water is gone, add the roasted garlic (pureed or whole cloves) and continue to cook until al dente. At this point the King Crab should be added to the rice and allow to coo for another 2-3 minutes or till the crab is hot. The whole process should not take but 45 minutes and right before serving the risotto stir in the cheese and enjoy
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Recipe by Joshua Green, Executive Chef, Ponti Seafood Grill
1lb King Crab Meat
3-4 Heirloom Tomatoes
Pesto
1/4lb Sweet basil
2 Cups of Olive oil
2 Cloves of Garlic
Lemons 1each
Panzenella
2 Cups of Diced bread
Walla Walla onions: 1 each
1 Cup of Arugula
Preparation
Heirloom tomatoes come in numerous varieties and during the late summer here in the northwest are very easy to find. An heirloom tomato is a tomato that has not been engineered to produce perfect sized easily packaged tomatoes fit for mass production. Rather they are strands of tomatoes that have not been altered to protect against frost, or certain molds they are all different sizes, tastes and colors. The key to this salad is picking out the tomatoes that are at their peak of perfection. The flavor of a perfectly ripe tomato is different for each variety out there. The Brandy Wine tomato has a rich tomato flavor with a deep sweetness where the Marvel Stripe has a thinner sweetness with a mild acidity. The shapes of the tomatoes are also unique ranging from large and round like the Orange Jubilee to small and wrinkled like the German Red. Many different areas offer different types of heirloom tomatoes, which make trying and eating them fun and exciting. The tomatoes are an easy prep requiring a good wash with water, cored and sliced thin. The tomatoes should be seasoned with salt and fresh cracked pepper, but not too much just enough. With three or four different colors it is an easy presentation on the plate. To make the pesto place the basil, garlic, lemon juice and water in a blender and pureeing while adding the oil slowly. This type of pesto will brown in a day or so. To make it last longer simple blanch the basil in heavily salted boiling water for 10 seconds and chill in an ice water bath then proceed to puree. With a grilled panzenella the almost burnt bread adds a heavy almost bitter flavor to the tomatoes accenting the sweetness. Grill or broil 2 C of diced bread, slice the onion thinly and toss the arugula, bread, and onions with half of the pesto and place on top of the tomatoes. Place the drained crab meat in the middle of the tomatoes and garnish the remaining plate with the pesto and enjoy.
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