fire, he need but go out to Coppa's
and while he will not have his eyes regaled by the
quaint drawings with which the old-time artists decor-
ated the walls, nor the hurrying footsteps along the
ceiling to the famous center table where sat some of the
world's most notable Bohemians on their visits to San
Francisco, nor the frieze of black cats around the cor-
nice, nor the Bohemian verse, written under inspiration
of "Dago red," he will find the same old cooking, done
by Coppa himself.
We asked Coppa what he considered his best dish
and he gave us the Irishman's reply by asking another
question:
"What do you think of it?"
There are so many to choose from that our answer
was difiicult but we finally stopped at "Chicken Por-
tola." It was then that the old smile came back to
Coppa's face.
"Ah! Chicken Portola. That is my own idea. It is
the most delicious way chicken was ever cooked."
This is the recipe as Coppa gave it to us, his little
wife standing at his side and giving, now and then, a
suggestion as Coppa's memory halted :
/MjuM/rv Take a fresh cocoanut and cut off the
POHTOI A ''' •'t'"i"^''"fi nearly all of the meat. Put
\I \('()PP\ together three tablespoonfuls of chopped
cocoanut meat and two ears of fresh, green
corn, taken from the cob. Slice two onions into four tablespoon-
fuls of olive oil, together with a tablespoonful of diced bacon
fried in olive oil, add one chopped green pepper, half a dozen
toniat(K's stewed with salt and pepper, one clove of garlic, and
cook all together until it thickens. Strain this into the corn and
38
SAN FRANCISCO
cocoanut and add one spring chicken cut in four pieces✪ Chicken Portola. Put
the mixture into the shell of the cocoanut, using the cut-otf
top as a cover, and close tightly with a
covering of paste around the jointure to QAXTr"
keep in the flavors. Put the cocoanut into oAISLt
a pan with water in it and set in the oven, THE SWAN
well heated, for one hour, basting fre- SONG
quently to prevent the cocoanut's burning.
A bare recital of the terms of the recipe cannot bring
to the uninitiated even a suspicion of the delightful
aroma that comes from the cocoanut when its top is
lifted, nor can it give the slightest idea of the delicacy
of the savor arising from the combination of the cocoa-
nut with young chicken. It is not a difficult dish to pre-
pare, and if you cannot get it at any of the restaurants,
and we are sure you cannot, try it at home some time
and surprise your friends with a dish to be found in
only one restaurant in the world. If you desire it at
Coppa's on your visit to San Francisco you will have to
telephone out to him in advance (unless he has suc-
ceeded in getting back to the city, which he contem-
plates) so that he can prepare it for j^ou, and, take our
word for it, you will never regret doing so.
Coppa has many wonderful dishes to serve, and he
delights so much in your appreciation that he is always
fearful something is wrong if you fail to do full justice
to his meal. He showed this one evening when he had
filled a little party of us to repletion by his lavish
provision for our entertainment, and nature rebelled
against anything more. To us came Coppa in tears.
"What is the matter with the chicken. Doctor? Is it
not cooked just right?"
Page 20 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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fire, he need but go out to Coppa's
and while he will not have his eyes regaled by the
quaint drawings with which the old-time artists decor-
ated the walls, nor the hurrying footsteps along the
ceiling to the famous center table where sat some of the
world's most notable Bohemians on their visits to San
Francisco, nor the frieze of black cats around the cor-
nice, nor the Bohemian verse, written under inspiration
of "Dago red," he will find the same old cooking, done
by Coppa himself.
We asked Coppa what he considered his best dish
and he gave us the Irishman's reply by asking another
question:
"What do you think of it?"
There are so many to choose from that our answer
was difiicult but we finally stopped at "Chicken Por-
tola." It was then that the old smile came back to
Coppa's face.
"Ah! Chicken Portola. That is my own idea. It is
the most delicious way chicken was ever cooked."
This is the recipe as Coppa gave it to us, his little
wife standing at his side and giving, now and then, a
suggestion as Coppa's memory halted :
/MjuM/rv Take a fresh cocoanut and cut off the
POHTOI A ''' •'t'"i"^''"fi nearly all of the meat. Put
\I \('()PP\ together three tablespoonfuls of chopped
cocoanut meat and two ears of fresh, green
corn, taken from the cob. Slice two onions into four tablespoon-
fuls of olive oil, together with a tablespoonful of diced bacon
fried in olive oil, add one chopped green pepper, half a dozen
toniat(K's stewed with salt and pepper, one clove of garlic, and
cook all together until it thickens. Strain this into the corn and
38
SAN FRANCISCO
cocoanut and add one spring chicken cut in four pieces. Put
the mixture into the shell of the cocoanut, using the cut-otf
top as a cover, and close tightly with a
covering of paste around the jointure to QAXTr"
keep in the flavors. Put the cocoanut into oAISLt
a pan with water in it and set in the oven, THE SWAN
well heated, for one hour, basting fre- SONG
quently to prevent the cocoanut's burning.
A bare recital of the terms of the recipe cannot bring
to the uninitiated even a suspicion of the delightful
aroma that comes from the cocoanut when its top is
lifted, nor can it give the slightest idea of the delicacy
of the savor arising from the combination of the cocoa-
nut with young chicken. It is not a difficult dish to pre-
pare, and if you cannot get it at any of the restaurants,
and we are sure you cannot, try it at home some time
and surprise your friends with a dish to be found in
only one restaurant in the world. If you desire it at
Coppa's on your visit to San Francisco you will have to
telephone out to him in advance (unless he has suc-
ceeded in getting back to the city, which he contem-
plates) so that he can prepare it for j^ou, and, take our
word for it, you will never regret doing so.
Coppa has many wonderful dishes to serve, and he
delights so much in your appreciation that he is always
fearful something is wrong if you fail to do full justice
to his meal. He showed this one evening when he had
filled a little party of us to repletion by his lavish
provision for our entertainment, and nature rebelled
against anything more. To us came Coppa in tears.
"What is the matter with the chicken. Doctor? Is it
not cooked just right?"