Eating to Win; A Slice of Heaven; Gourmet Screams for Ice Cream; The Pig is King; Salt City

Laura Avery spoke with David Karp, the fruit detective, about California strawberries. She also spoke with the folks from the Weiser Family Farms about green almonds. Crazy Legs Conti, of the film Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating told us about the pitfalls of being a gastronomic athlete.

---

Ed Levine talks about his book, Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. He says the best pizza is in Phoenix, Arizona at Pizzeria Bianco (602-258-8300), at 623 E. Adams St.

---

John Willoughby, Executive Editor of Gourmet magazine told us about the best ice cream makers to purchase for home use. For slightly icy ice cream he liked the Cusinart gel canister maker or Cusinart self-cooling machine. For a more creamy gelato-like consistency, Gelato, Gelato Pro and Delonghi have excellent self-cooling machines. The KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment also showed well and makes ice cream in 15 minutes.

---

Pamela Sheldon Johns, who's written the fabulous , Prosciutto, Pancetta, Salame, shares some recipes with us.

Mozzarella, Tomato, and Salame Stacks
Serves 4

• 8 ozs fresh Mozzarella cheese (2-inch diameter balls or a braid)
• 8 slices salame
• 1 cup shredded red leaf lettuce
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 8 small basil leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Slice the mozzarella into 8 slices, each 1/2 inch thick. Place the cheese on a paper towel to drain for 10 minutes. Put a Mozzarella slice on top of each slice of salame. Place one-fourth of the lettuce on each plate. Top with 2 mozzarella-salame stacks.

Split the cherry tomatoes, not quite cutting all the way through. Stick the basil leaf in the slit and place 1 tomato on top of each stack. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and serve at once.
Copyright- 2004 by Pamela Sheldon Johns.

Bucatini all- Amatriciana
Serves 6.

• - cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ozs pancetta, diced
• 1 onion, diced (optional)
• 1 peperoncino (small dried red pepper), or red pepper flakes to taste
• - cup dry white wine
• 4 ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 lb bucatini pasta
• Grated Pecorino Romano for serving

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, onion, and peperoncino and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the onion is golden. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the wine until evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss with the sauce over medium-high heat to heat through. Serve at once, with the cheese on the side.
Copyright- 2004 by Pamela Sheldon Johns.

---

Sam Marvin, chef of Le Dome restaurant, uses a wide variety of salts to finish his dishes. He spoke about Maldon salts.