Want to buy a pig?

These are Berkshire pigs, eating organic acorns in a pasture outside Dyersville, Iowa.  And if you have $3,285 burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy one of them from the prosciutto makers at La Quercia.  Your very own pig will yield about 35 pounds of organic fresh pork ribs, trim for sausage and tenderloin, plus 100 pounds of La Quercia-cured guanciale (cured jowl), pancetta, lardo (Italian-style fatback), coppa, spallacia (front leg, cured prosciutto-style) and bone-in whole-leg prosciutto -- which will arrive on your doorstep after the year and a half (approximately) it takes to cure it.  Whether you know what to do with it or not, you also get leaf lard, caul fat and offal.  Among the serious foodies who have already bought their pigs are wine critic Robert Parker, chefs Daniel Boulud, Chris Bianco, Paul Kahan and Mario Batali -- who, wouldn't you know it, bought two.  There are still some pigs left (there were 50 total), so if you want one, hurry.

The pigs are the first group raised by La Quercia and organic pig farmer Jude Becker, who raises the Berkshires that La Quercia uses for its La Quercia Rossa prosciutto. Last summer when I went to Iowa to profile prosciutto makers Herb and Kathy Eckhouse, they told me about their plan to start finishing the Berkshires' feeding with acorns, the way it's done in Spain to produce the famed jamón ibérico.  Herb says the pigs are happily munching on acorns; harvest date is set for Dec. 5.  So that means acorn-finished Berkshire prosciutto sometime in the summer of 2009.   

La Quercia, 400 Hakes Drive, Norwalk, Iowa.  (515) 981-1625. www.laquercia.us.

-- Amy Scattergood

Photo by Jude Becker

Paperfish -- fish in paper

If you were wondering what Joachim Splichal's Patina Restaurant Group had in store for the former Maple Drive space in Beverly Hills, they've just announced plans to open seafood-themed Paperfish next month. And taking the helm is executive chef Yianni Koufodontis (pictured), who was executive chef of Greek restaurant Petros in Manhattan Beach.

Paperfish is the name of a small rare tropical fish; it seems unlikely that it will be on the menu -- but there will be fish baked en papillote (in paper) and served tableside. The menu features starters separated into "raw," "warm" and "chilled" and entrees separated into "shell fish," "round fish," "flat fish" (and then there's "weird fish," "funny fish" ... just kidding) and "from the farm" (farmed fish?). Starters include oysters on the half shell with pomegranate-ginger granita, and entrees include steamed turbot with dried fruit couscous and eggplant-oxtail tagine and sautéed skatewing with sunchoke purée, white wine, golden raisins, pine nuts and preserved lemon.

The restaurant will be open for lunch and private parties only until early January, when dinner service is scheduled to begin. 

Paperfish, 345 N. Maple Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 858-6030.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo by Ken Hively

A wonderful 'Last Supper'

Melanie Dunea certainly gets this year’s “Silk Purse From a Sow’s Ear Award.” In fact, maybe they just ought to retire the thing in her honor. Dunea’s book “My Last Supper” takes one of the most hackneyed ideas possible — asking 50 great chefs from around the world what they'd like for their last meal — and turns it into a coffee table book that is not just gorgeously photographed but smart, funny and touching. This is a book that everyone who is fascinated by chefs and restaurants ought to own.

Most of the credit, it must be said, goes to Dunea’s photos, which are uncommonly sensitive. Somehow, she manages to capture the essence of the cooks, giving us real insight into their personalities. I love the picture of Jacques Pepin at a table of simple ingredients, looking like an elder statesman. And Gary Danko on a fainting couch surrounded by caviar and what appear to be drag queens. British chef Giorgio Locatelli looks like he’s in an ad for Prada’s mackerel store, and Daniel Boulud seems right at home on the steps of Versailles.

Some of the shots will even make you gasp. Gabrielle Hamilton was photographed nearly nude, breast-feeding her child — as primal an act of cooking as you can imagine. Anthony Bourdain is nude too, completely revealed but for one outsized, strategically placed beef bone. What makes this photo really work, though, is the slightly sheepish expression on his face — Bourdain is revealed as the smart kid who knows he can’t stop himself from being the class clown.

The text is based on a simple Q&A, which mainly shows what absolute control freaks most chefs are —they’ve got the last meal planned course by course with accompanying wines, where they’ll be held, who they’ll eat with, who’ll do the cooking and even what music will be playing. But some of them are nearly poetic. Michel Richard, captured in moody black and white, wants no music at his last supper: “Just the sound of the rain. When I was a kid, we used to play inside a big box carton, like it was a tent, until the rain destroyed the box.”

Of course, nothing matches Guy Savoy’s last words: “Dear Madam, I thank you for your note, and I am touched by your admiration. Nevertheless, I have a phobic rapport with death, and because of this, will never discuss my last meal! This returns me to my life’s philosophy: I talk about openings, not closings.”

"My Last Supper," by Melanie Dunea, Bloomsbury USA, $39.95, will be published Nov. 6.

-- Russ Parsons

Photo courtesy of Melanie Dunea / CPi / Bloomsbury USA

'Bald' peanuts

The Food staff was just treated to an unexpected taste delight a few minutes ago when The Times' Health section editor, Tami Dennis, let us sample the boiled peanuts she made last night. It all started when Deputy Food Editor Susan LaTempa brought Tami back some green (i.e., uncooked) peanuts she found at the City Hall farmers market yesterday afternoon, at one of the stands selling Thai greens. Tami's from southeast Georgia, so Susan thought she might like to have her way with the peanuts.

Tami did indeed. She put about a pound of them in a big pot, added a half a cup of salt and a lot of water, boiled them (covered) for about two and a half hours, then let them sit in the water for another half an hour. Southerners say they're an "acquired taste," at least according to a "What's Cooking America" link Tami sent us, which includes history, a recipe and lore (like they're pronounced "bald" peanuts in the South). But if that's the case, we Food staffers acquired it immediately. They're fantastic! They have wonderful, gentle peanut flavor and a texture like a cooked garbanzo bean. Watch out! They squirt when you open them, and the shells are squishy.

Tami says it's hard to predict how long they'll need to boil; it depends on the size of the peanuts and how fresh they are. Just keep tasting them, she counsels, till you're happy with them.

-- Leslie Brenner

Photo by Leslie Brenner

Blog roll please . . .

Yes, yes, we know -- our blog roll up till now has been, well, kind of pathetic. Thank you to those bloggers who have taken us to task for it. You were right! So we at the L.A. Times Food section have put our heads together and compiled a much more comprehensive one. Certainly it just scratches the surface of the incredible wealth of terrific L.A.-centric food blogs. Blogs like the Delicious Life, spotlighting Sarah Gim's wonderful writing. Or Monster Munching, focusing with verve on dining and cooking in Orange County. Or Rameniac, where you'll want to go for all things ramen. (Did you know there are 22 popular ramen styles in Japan? Rameniac parses them all.)

It all starts with the beginning of our roll of L.A. food blogs (it's on the right rail; scroll down to find it). That's the place to find important must-check blogs such as Eater L.A., the Knife and more. Click on "More delicious links" and you'll find the rest of that list (we're still tweaking -- we're missing a couple of category headers), then L.A. food sites; more food blogs, such as Epi-blog (Epicurious' group blog), the Grinder (Chow's food media blog) and the Wednesday Chef. Then L.A. Food sites, including resources such as Yelp, Slow Food L.A. and the county Department of Public Health site for restaurant grades.

We hope our expanded links list will make it easy for you to find all things delicious in one spot. If we missed a blog or site you love or rely on, please let us know by posting a comment. We may be slow in getting it up (the L.A. Times has a very busy tech department!) but we'll do our best.

Whew!

-- Leslie Brenner

Go ask Russ

Well, these dishes look pretty good. But cooking through Alice Waters' new book, "The Art of Simple Cooking," posed a few problems for Russ Parsons, the California Cook. Oh, Russ ... ? What's the deal? That's Alice Waters you're talking about. Join Russ for a live chat today at 1 p.m. at latimes.com, and get it straight from the Parsons' mouth. He'll be happy to explain what snagged him up in the recipes, what he was expecting, why he was disappointed and which Chez Panisse cookbooks he prefers. If you ask him real nice, he might even tell you about some of his favorite Chez Panisse recipes, and talk you through making them.

-- Leslie Brenner

Photos by Carlos Chavez

The Katsuya empire

Katsuya Hollywood officially opens tomorrow, though last night Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was already bobbing his head to taiko drummers and extolling the praises of SBE Entertainment mogul Sam Nazarian and chef Katsuya Uechi at the opening party.

It was a real politicos-amid-the-sushi evening, with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti in attendance, as well as State Controller John Chiang (all the way from Sacramento) and even an official or two from the city Planning Department. Interesting, as Nazarian's empire seems to be growing exponentially (expect more Katsuyas, hotels, nightclubs, etc.). And just a couple of weeks ago, Garcetti announced that he would push an initiative making it easier to build housing, offices and other real estate projects by cutting from 12 to two the number of government agencies that review any single development.

Meanwhile, the sushi bar was hyper-busy preparing sashimi, spicy tuna on crispy rice, California rolls, unagi (grilled eel) sushi and more for the hundreds who squeezed into the Philippe Starck-designed space (kimono and geta on the ceiling, the crying eyes of a geisha on the wall, sushi knives suspended in blocks of clear resin). There was sashimi draped over horizontal wooden poles that had been assembled all the way around the sushi bar, and it was a feeding frenzy, with people nabbing slices of yellowtail, salmon and tuna with their chopsticks. I asked Nazarian how much sushi was made for the night. He said, "With 14 sushi chefs, hopefully enough."

-- Betty Hallock

Photos by Betty Hallock

Katsuya, 6300 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 871-8777.

Alligator tastes like ... chicken

I stopped by the Gumbo Pot at the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax the other day, thinking I'd just have a cup of chicory cafe au lait and some beignets.  While I was waiting, I scanned the chalkboard menu and saw not just the usual Cajun suspects (jambalaya, po' boys) but alligator.  And how can you not order alligator when you see it on the menu?  Here's what the enormous plate looked like: The alligator "fillet," coated with coarse cornmeal and fried, is served with spicy tartar sauce, a corn muffin, red beans and rice and collard greens. 

It was surprisingly good, kind of like a cross between chicken and a mild white fish, and the cornmeal coating was fantastic. The alligator, which is always on the menu, is farm-raised in Texas. The guy in line behind me laughed out loud when I asked my server about sourcing.  "Orange County," I heard him mutter under his breath. The guy in line, that is, not the server. Yeah, OK; no Reggie jokes either, please. 

The Gumbo Pot, 6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; 323-933-0358. 

-- Amy Scattergood

Photo by Amy Scattergood

Matsusaka and Fan strike again

  While the Smashbox folks dine on miso-marinated black cod at Beacon, the harried parents navigating the carpool lines at Culver City's nearby Willows School can now pick up a dinner of chef Kazuto Matsusaka's meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Yup, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Or macaroni and cheese.  The Beacon chef -- a veteran of Ma Maison, Spago and Chinois -- and his partner and wife, Vicki Fan, opened their second restaurant today; there they're serving some decidedly homey fare.  The Point, located in the Hayden Tract area south of Venice Boulevard, is offering a mix of made-to-order dishes and prepared to-go meals, including breakfast, salads, panini, soups and "Mexican lasagna."  It's a great idea, and could well be a terrific addition to an increasingly foodie neighborhood. 

The Point, 8522 National Blvd; (310) 836-8400.  Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

-- Amy Scattergood

Photos by Myung J. Chun (Kazuto Matsusaka, left) and Stephen Osman (Vicki Fan, right)

Great Tastes in Brentwood

Stopped by the 20th annual Great Tastes in Brentwood festival yesterday. Lots of fun, lots of folks, lots of food. The Pecorino guys were there with porchetta, long-roasted pork that chef Raffaele Sabatini carved on the spot. (His twin brother, Mario, is center in the photo, and the third owner, Giorgio Pierangeli, is on the left.) They also had tiella di riso, a sloppy and delicious rice, potato and mussel dish from Puglia; and crisp fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta, basil and pecorino. Literati II was there with grilled corn on the cob with truffle butter, grilled hanger steaks and late-summer-fruit sundaes; Takao, the San Vicente Boulevard sushi bar, had some nice sushi.

Bakeries made a good showing too: Susie Cakes brought red velvet cupcakes, and La Provence Patisserie & Cafe had this gorgeous array of pastries and macarons. Proceeds are to benefit Brentwood's public schools.

Pecorino, 11604 San Vicente Blvd.; (310) 571-3800; Literati II, 12081 Wilshire Blvd.; (310) 479-3400; Takao, 11656 San Vicente Blvd.; (310) 207-8636; Susie Cakes, 11708 San Vicente Blvd.; (310) 442-2253; La Provence Patisserie & Cafe, 8950 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 888-8833.

-- Leslie Brenner

Photos by Leslie Brenner