Aboard Viaggio, I like to serve a 10 oz bone in center cut pork chop. I purchase these in Seattle from MacDonald Meat Company prior to heading north for the season. MacDonald Meats custom cuts our pork chops and steaks to any size, individually vacuum packs them, and freezes them so you can head out for a trip with a seasons worth of restaurant quality meat… which will save you time and money, especially in Alaska!
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggplants peeled and diced into about 1″ cubes
1 red onion diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup drained capers ( not pictured- I forgot to pull them out of the fridge in time for the picture)
2T minced garlic – I like to “mince” my garlic on a microplane grater (see photo below). My microplane is one of the tools I use most frequently in the galley. It is great for grating hard cheese, zesting citrus, mincing garlic and ginger, and grating nutmeg!
3T olive oil + a little extra to add at the end if desired
1/2 sugar
1/2 red wine vinegar
1-2 T crushed chili flakes (more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1T fennel seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pork chop per person
A microplane grater is recommended. It’s great for grating most anything!
METHOD:
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan and add the garlic. Stir the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. It is very important not to burn the garlic. Burnt garlic will ruin every dish, you can never get rid of the flavor, your only option is to throw it out and start over.
2. Once the garlic begins to brown add the onion and the eggplant and cook until they also begin to brown.
3. Add the sugar and the red wine vinegar and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Add the tomatoes, golden raisins, capers, chili flakes, and fennel seeds and cook until most of the liquid has cooked away.
5. Season with salt and pepper. At this point, when you taste the caponata it should be a pleasant combination of sweet, sour, and spicy. You can adjust the levels with a touch more vinegar, sugar, or chili flakes depending on your preferences. At this point I also like to add a tablespoon or so of an extra virgin olive oil to smooth out the texture and enrich the flavor.
About Chef Alisa:
Viaggio Charter is excited to introduce Chef Alisa Jestel, the newest member of the Viaggio team! Chef Tristin was offered an exciting land based opportunity in Seattle that was too good to pass up. With Tristin moving ashore, Captain Trig found himself in need of a new chef so he turned to his long time friend and prior co-worker Alisa.
Alisa has been cooking professionally around the Seattle area for the past fifteen years, the last six of which have been spent aboard a variety of luxury yachts cruising the Pacific Northwest! Alisa thrives on the abundance of local products available in the area and enjoys creating memorable dining experiences at every opportunity! She customizes each and every meal to the individual needs of VIAGGIO’s guests, and loves taking time to share her passion and knowledge for food with anyone that is interested. Alisa has been known for giving impromptu cooking classes on cooking what you catch, fresh pasta making, and seasonal cooking.
Alisa spends her free time during the off season traveling and exploring her love for food in other countries. She finds her self often revisiting Italy for more extensive training on pasta making and other old world culinary arts! Viaggio Charters is excited to welcome Alisa aboard and looks forward to sharing her culinary delights with you!
For more information visit: www.viaggiocharter.com
Seasoned Crew – Custom Designed Itinerary – Relaxation – Majestic Alaska Beauty
