Family Business

Josh Ziskin, chef and owner of La Morra in Brookline, and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of three young, active boys. Josh, 34, has been working in restaurants since the age of 15, when he got a job as a dishwasher while still at Brookline High School. He links the birth of each son to where he was cooking at the time: "I was at Galleria Italiana when Julian was born and Tuscan Grill for Lucas. I got the call that Jen was in labor with Miles while I was cleaning the hoods at La Morra, just before it opened," late in 2003.

Josh and Jennifer, who is also 34 and a native of Plymouth, knew that La Morra would keep him away from home most evenings; Jennifer also works three nights a week at the 72-seat restaurant. While Josh says that "we didn't want to wait to have kids until we could afford them," he adds that not many chefs he worked for had children - and now he understands why. "If your kids wake up at 6, and you go to bed at 2, it's hard."

He can see them before he goes to work, and every week he takes two days off in a row to spend time at home. Twice a month, Jennifer brings the boys to La Morra for supper - a very early supper. "On the way in the car, we have a long talk and go over what is expected of them," she says. The boys' temperaments are complementry. "We have mellow Miles," says Josh, "and Lucas is our comedian. Julian is a sweetheart and rule follower."

All three appreciate their father's cooking. "They love polenta," says Josh. "When I make it at home, I pour the hot polenta on the table as soon as it's ready and smooth it out just like they do in Italy." The chef folds sauteed carrots and peas into the warm cornmeal porridge, and the boys eat it right off the table.

At the restaurant, with the boys in for a visit, Josh serves one of his specialties, a flattened grilled hen, accompanied by polenta. He pours the golden mixture into a shallow bowl and sets it in the center of the table. With a spoonful of polenta in one hand, Miles works deftly with the other to pick out the vegetables and pop them in his mouth.

Josh studied food and hotel management at the University of Denver, then attended Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. After stints at the former Providence restaurant in Brookline and Chez Henri in Cambridge, he married Jennifer. "We met when we were teenagers. Our mothers were friendly," says Josh. After they wed, the couple went to Italy, to the town of La Morra, to cook for six months.

They've managed to carve out a life together, raising a family and making a living in a business that they love. As the boys climb on chairs and dig into the polenta, Dad smiles. "It's a lot easier to run a restaurant than it is to raise three boys," he says. There is one thing that helps a lot, he adds thoughtfully. "Have a great wife."

PRESSED CHICKEN
SERVES 4
One of the most popular dishes on La Morra's menu, this is made with Cornish hens from which the backbones have been removed. They are cooked on a grill, each covered with a pie tin that is weighted with a brick wrapped in foil. The birds cook quickly and evenly.
Olive oil (for the grill)
4 Cornish hens
Salt and pepper, to taste
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. If using charcoal, let the coals burn down a little, so they're gray. If your grill rack isn't well-seasoned, oil it lightly.
Place a hen on a cutting board, breast side down. With kitchen shears, cut along each side of the backbone; lift it out and freeze for making stock another time. Use paper towels to wipe the inside of the hen, removing any brown bits. Wash the hen and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Place the bird breast side up. With the heel of your hand, press down on the middle of the breast to snap the bone and flatten the bird. Repeat with the remaining birds.
Place the birds skin side down on the grill. Cover each with a metal pie pan. Put a foil-wrapped brick on top of each pan. Cook the hens without moving them for 10 to 15 minutes or until the skin is golden and the bird almost cooked through. You can move the hens when they release easily from the grill rack; don't tug them. With an instant-read meat thermometer, test the birds in the thickest part of the thigh. If they do not register 165 degrees, set the birds on top of the pans (without the bricks) and continue cooking until they are done. Serve at once.

CREAMY POLENTA
SERVES 4
At home, Josh Ziskin makes this creamy polenta with sauteed carrots and peas. However, this version of the recipe calls for adding only peas to the cornmeal porridge.
1 pound fresh peas, shelled
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup cornmeal for polenta
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Have on hand a bowl of ice water. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peas and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are tender but still have some bite. Drain the peas and put them in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again.
In a skillet, heat the oil and add the peas, salt, and pepper. Cook them, shaking the pan, for 1 minute; set them aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a boil. With a wooden spoon, gradually beat in the cornmeal, stirring constantly, until all of it has been added. Cook the polenta, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes or until the spoon stands up on its own in the mixture.
Stir in the peas, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the cheese, salt, and pepper. When the cheese melts, spoon the polenta onto plates and serve at once.

PANZANELLA
SERVES 4
The classic Italian salad panzanella combines toasted bread, ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and basil, which make an ideal summer dish.
4 thick slices crusty Italian bread,
cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
4 ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely
chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 pickling cucumbers, peeled, seeded,
and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata or other black olives,
pitted and halved
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 handful basil leaves, stemmed and
torn coarsely
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast them in the oven, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the bread is dried out. Let the bread cubes cool to room temperature. Transfer them to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar and water. Sprinkle the mixture over the bread and toss well.
Add the tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, and olives. Toss again.
Sprinkle the mixture with oil, salt, and pepper. Add the basil leaves and toss again. Serve at once.

Ask the Cooks: The Garlic Blues

Whenever I make shrimp scampi, the garlic turns blue. Why is this, and how can I prevent it?
A.G. /// Framingham

This question is quite common. A variety of sources, from foodies to chemists, yielded nearly identical answers. Garlic contains chemicals called anthocyanins, the source of many of garlic's nutritional benefits. They react by changing color when they come in contact with acids such as the wine and lemon juice often found in scampi.

Last time we checked, there was a lively online discussion about blue-green garlic at forum.epicurean.com. Questions directed to whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bluegarlic and thegarlicstore.com were concerned with blue garlic in the process of pickling, which, of course, involves vinegar. Sources agreed that garlic used too soon after harvesting, and thus not adequately dried, will change color more readily than mature cloves.

Garlic also contains natural sulfur compounds that will combine with copper to form copper sulfate, which is bluish green. Many public water supplies contain enough copper to cause this reaction; tin-lined pans, utensils, and even butter may also do this. The good news is that while the color changes, flavor and safety are not affected. However, garlic stored in the sun will slowly turn green, as it begins to manufacture chlorophyll. This will make the garlic bitter.

This week's answer is by Peter J. Kelly, chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales University.