Downtown San Francisco was once a favorite place for us to visit, even for just a few days. We could shop and dine, all walking distance from our hotel. But the national problem of homelessness, compounded by the pandemic, has changed the area dramatically. My son was working in Oakland recently and wanted to check out downtown San Francisco when he had some time off. He was advised not to go as it would be dangerous with the homeless situation and not the same as he remembered.
I celebrated my birthday with family and friends several years ago at Kuleto’s Italian Restaurant in the Villa Florence Hotel on Powell Street. I was sad to find out that it is no longer there.
Kuleto’s was named after the designer of the restaurant, Pat Kuleto and was a great place to grab some breakfast, an appetizer or dinner. This souffle was served as an appetizer but would be great as a vegetarian main dish served with a green salad.
Polenta Souffle with Golden Chanterelles
Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
3 cups milk
1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup cornmeal
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
Chanterelle Ragout:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces golden chanterelle mushrooms
2 teaspoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons Madeira
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
Fonduta:
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 ounces Cambozola cheese, rind scraped, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-cup souffle dish or baking dish. In a large saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Stir in the polenta and cornmeal and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the egg yolks, butter, salt, and baking powder into the polenta mixture until blended. In a large bowl, heat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold half of the egg whites into the polenta (this will lighten the mixture), then fold in the remaining egg whites just until blended. Pour the polenta mixture into the prepared dish and bake until golden brown and firm on top, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the mushrooms and shallot until the mushrooms soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in the Madeira and broth. Cook until the liquid is reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter, salt, pepper, and oregano. Set aside and keep warm.
In a small saucepan, cook the cream over medium heat until reduced by half. Whisk in the Cambozola until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.
Spoon the ragout onto the warmed individual plates. Spoon out the souffle on top of the ragout. Drizzle the fonduta on top of the souffle and serve at once.
Another great restaurant in that district was Postrio in another small, boutique hotel, Prescott Hotel on Post Street. Restaurant designer Pat Kuleto created a dramatic and stunning restaurant for Chef Wolfgang Puck.
The Italian “cacciucco,” or fisherman’s soup, evolved into cioppiono in San Francisco.
Italian Fish Soup
Serves 4 as a first course or 2 as a main course
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
16 small mussels, scrubbed debearded
8 ounces large rock shrimp in the shell
6 ounces bay scallops or halved sea scallops
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups lobster stock (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Garnish:
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic until lightly browned. Add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and white wine and cover immediately. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid, add the stock, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink, the scallops are opaque, and the mussels have opened (discard any that do not open). Stir in the oregano. Ladle the soup into warmed shallow soup bowls. Garnish with parsley and drizzle with olive oil.
Lobster Stock
Makes 6 cups
8 cups water
1-1/2 pounds lobster shell, rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 leek, white part only, chopped
2 fresh parsley sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
4 peppercorns
1 tablespoons tomato paste
In a stockpot, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the stock has a good flavor, about 45 minutes. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the solids with the back of a large spoon. Let the stock cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To keep longer, bring to a boil every 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Substitute with fish or shrimp stock with fish bones or shrimp shells for the lobster shells. If making fish stock, delete the tomato paste.
