Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House. Contact him at 692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His Web site is www.cafecollage.net.
Culinary Odyssey
- Take advantage of asparagus season
- Asparagus is in season. Use this opportunity to shop for the freshest local asparagus. California has three asparagus-producing areas: the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley. There is an annual asparagus... Full story
- Ossobuco originated in northern Italy
- I developed this Ossobuco recipe mainly because I am able to use natural grass-fed beef from High Sierra farm in Oregon House. Originally, Ossobuco (from northern Italy, Milan area) was a cross-cut veal shank. The name means "bone in the hole" if tra... Full story
- Share this chocolate soufflé with your valentine
- For several years, I have not served chocolate soufflé at Café Collage because of the timing involved. Even as simple as any soufflé recipe could be, it is crucial to serve this delicacy right when it puffs up and comes out of th... Full story
- Savor the exotic flavors of Chicken Tagine
- Throughout my years of traveling in Morocco and Spain, I have collected several clay tagine pots and until last week, occasionally used them for special occasions. A few days ago, I found the most amazing store, Bram, in Sonoma, filled with rustic h... Full story
- Fresh pasta dish offers complex flavors
- It is unusual sometimes how recipes develop out of unpredictable situations. Last week, I got a request for a cooking lesson — specifically, for a blue cheese sauce. Naturally, I enjoyed having a bit of a challenge. This recipe for fresh papp... Full story
- Jambalaya recipe adds baking to the mix
- I recently ordered jambalaya in two different restaurants during my visit to Alaska, which inspired me to experiment with this dish. Originally, jambalaya derives from a French-Spanish influence that settled in Louisiana. There are several ways to p... Full story
- Taking Chicken Milanese beyond comfort food
- A few weeks ago at a catering event, a few diners said my Chicken Milanese was the best they ever had. I was pleasantly surprised because I often considered this dish as an easy comfort food and did not develop it to its true potential. So I played a... Full story
- Start the new year with Chicken-Lemon Soup
- After a festive holiday, I suppose everyone is thinking of adjusting their diet for the next few weeks. I am starting the new year with a delicious, nutritive Chicken-Lemon Soup. Surprisingly enough, every nation on the planet has its own version of... Full story
- A perfect 3-course menu for New Year's Eve
- My tradition is to devote my last column of the year to a New Year's Eve feast. The menu is composed of an assortment of the best recipes I developed during 2011. Be prepared for a marathon day working on all these recipes. Ideally, you should have ... Full story
- Sweet potato dish offers delicious variety
- This inspiring recipe is like no other. It has been developed throughout the years and is a result of different experiments. What differentiates this dish is the balance attained between sourness and sweetness. Its versatility makes it an ideal acco... Full story
