The Sassy Omnivore

kalechardbrusselsprouts

2009-10-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

october 24 and i can not keep up with the goodies from my garden
broccoli needs cutting
chard and kale rein
tomatoes rot on the vine

i have a field of arugala
i let the arugala go to seed in august and i now have a small field of it for
salad and sandwiches and maybe a pesto

did i mention all the brussel sprouts? - i have so many
roasted at a high heat in the oven with garlic is my favorite way to cook them

and I still have two heads of lettuce to harvest. carumba....gardening in seattle gets better every year.

Caloric Intake

2009-04-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Recent news on vegetables is that they are very high in carbohydrates and work more efficiently in the body -, say for instance, processed wheat products - like the famous "pasta" the night before a long bike ride and the traditional bagels along the way or the "recovery" baked potato.

Recent goals of mine are to slim down, firm up and eat more vegetables and fruit. Go lighter. I do not plan to eliminate anything from my omnivore diet but experience a different balance. Yada yada. This morning I woke up and wrote down what I ate yesterday and I am somewhat off track.

6:30 a.m.
2 cups of black coffee
1 plain low-fat yogurt smoothie with blueberries, pomegranate juice, cod liver oil, vitamin D.

A cold day outside - at noon I was hungry and made Huevos Rancherous, The Seward Cafe way - layered with two corn tortillas, two fried eggs, salsa and sharp cheddar cheese, not too much.

I swam laps for 30 minutes and hungry again, a few hours later, ate a handful of almonds and raisins.

At 6 p.m. I drank a pint of beer with a friend who lived in London for 20 years and loves a pint. We shared a moderately sized salsa and chips, fresh and homemade they were and not greasy but MAN things are adding up if I were adding them up...and now, here comes the birthday party at Pair...

Shared between 4 adults

Bread and butter delivered to the table, with a bottle of wine. (I prefer the traditional bowl of olives many restaurants in Barcelona start you are with.)

Followed by
Pakora vegetables with yogurt sauce
Some insane cheese fondue with apple and bread
Mussels and Frites all piled in a bowl with a delicious broth
Halibut and asparagus
Potato Gratin
An apple tart with ice cream
A cup of coffee chocolate something with whip cream on top.
And another bottle of wine somewhere along the way.
All delicious and jolly but .... today it seems a tad over the top.
Happy Birthday to all.

My Spanish Booty

2009-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Feast your eyes on my booty - go ahead - zoom on it with a magnifying glass to read the labels, take notes take notes; then book a flight to Barcelona.

A month ago today (May 2nd) I landed in Barcelona at 8 a.m, (11 p.m Seattle time) took the bus to Placa Catalunya and walked to my hotel in the rain. Unable to check in until noon, I set out on foot joining the sea of umbrellas, humming Porsche taxis and the Barcelona vibs. I picked up on the Roman vibrations and noticed - whatever my pleasure for breakfast - I was never far from it.
Cafe cortado, cerveca cortado - eggs with squid calms or potatoes pastries meat cheese and bread. Along the narrow streets of stone, Bars and Cafes are tucked in seemingly everywhere.

I headed to Las Ramblas and beelined it to the Bar Pinotxo in the Mercat de La Boqueria. Yes I'd watched Anthony Bourdain pig out at this bar and knew it was my kind of place.

Still a tad early for the throng that frequents the place I landed a seat and pulled up between two locals. The guys on my left were drinking Cava and the man next to me, Estrella Damm, the popular Spanish lager.
I piped in with a "cerveca por favor" just as a steaming plate of meat and potatoes landed in front of my beer drinking neighbor.

"Looks good" I said and ordered the same.

Man was I content - drinking my beer - taking in the sites and sounds and wow, here's my steaming hot stew. Taking my first bite I realized I was about to eat something I'd never eaten before and ahhh I am not an adventuresome eater.

This was not pork stew and the potatoes - weren't .... rather they were cubes of fat or an animal part unknown to me AND it was all sticky, a sticky Catalan stew...perhaps wild boar but I didn't ask because I feared I'd hear the dreaded "tongue".
And I truly do respect the practice of eating the whole animal but I am not used to it and don't like certain textures. - It's true, the Sassy Omnivore is texture sassy so my food adventures in Spain are not a rich and educational tale.

I did so want to eat the stew to warm my body and soul but slink-ed away to another bar, Kiosko Univeral, for a plate of roasted vegetables swimming in olive oil oil oil olive oil and topped with salt, lots of salt. Baby artichokes, mushrooms of all kinds - asparagus onions and crusty bread. "Welcome to Spain", I shouted as I toasted the market with my Estrella Damm and called for ham and cheese. I passed on the after-meal coffee and liqueur and made my way back to the hotel to dry off warm up and sleep.

The next day I went back to Bar Pinxoto and ordered what turned out to be my favorite market meal - baby clams tossed in a wok-like pan with a lot of olive oil. It went like this and was a quick cook - once the clams opened the cook poured in a couple of eggs, flipped and stirred it around to cook the eggs, plated it, salted it and served it to me. Delicious. Here they and I - are.

And a few other Market dishes

Razor Calms

Look here I am with Scampi.

And back at Bar Pinxoto for a lentil seafood salad with, yes, olive oil and salt.

Now back to my Spanish Booty...the chocolate bar from the Museu de la Xocolata delighted me soon after my return with it's rich dark flavor and creamy dreamy texture. Tasted exactly like the hot chocolat I'd had in the Museu lobby. God was it good. And what a place !!! This neighborhood in Barcelona, La Ribera, on a Sunny Sunday Morning!

More on The Booty...
one bottle of olive oil is gone, the Cortijo De Suerte Alta and it went fast, for good reason, we were drinking it by the shot. Well, some of us ... Those lost in their senses.
After generations of production, this family business began Organic Farming in 1996 and in 2006 they built an award winning mill, recognized for it's environmental design.

My booty my booty I just can't stop thinking about my Spanish booty which has not been recognized for it's environmental design but it has been recognized.

I'm taking this safari...

2009-03-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy traveling and eating - a lot .. check out Paul Croughton's Tapas Safari.

Yes I am going to Spain and have signed up for his tour! He is a hoot and I learned a new word... "There’s always one that packs unprovoked heat, stinging the gums and making you gurn".

Pho Binh in Lake City

2009-03-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Vietnam.
Vietnamese food at Pho Binh in Lake City Way Washington is pretty darn good and as close to the real thing as you can get, from my house. From my house it's a four mile journey for a delicious bowl of Pho, a juicy Banh Mi sandwich or a lovely bowl of Bun with fresh basil and crisped shallots on top.

The restaurant is a couple of blocks north of Fred Meyers, on the same side of the street. It comes up fast and sits next to a used car lot. Nothing fancy about the place but lot's of good ju ju ambiance...bamboo and potted plants - lots of ceramic stuff...a big ship with dragons at the bow, and a big big Buddha. They've done it right...been there for 6 years and I thank them. So does my friend who yesterday ate TWO pork Banh Mi sandwiches...one right after the other.

Hours: Monday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

13310 Lake City Way NE Seattle WA 98125
206-361-5144

The Revolution

2009-03-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

Two good articles. What do you think?

And on the topic of getting you thinking...check out Pecha Kucha's. People present their ideas by showing 20 slides in 20 seconds. They have 6 minutes and 40 seconds to put on a show. I loved the one I attended at the Green Festival..the topic...Green. Very creative - I was introduced to new ideas. For instance, "Green is over"... (that wasn't too hard to see coming). What is green? What you eat? Where you shop...what you wear or drive?
How you vacation? ......The presenter was Gabriel Scheer, the found of Green Drinks.

And the articles - are from todays NYT's ... Is A Food Revolution Now In Season?

And Eating That's Better For You, Organic Or Not.

Happy Spring.

Dinner For Eight at Fascione's

2009-03-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

We started the day cooking for 14 and we are down to 8. We agree to eat like Romans.

Our first course, mussels (purchased at the University Farmers Market from Bill of Taylor Shellfish).

But before the mussels get going, seemingly out of know where, a plate of kippered salmon from Mutual Fish appears.

Living in or visiting Seattle? Plan a trip to Mutual Fish. In the young city of Seattle, the Mutual qualifies as an old gem - founded in 1947. My favorite, the miso marinated Black Cod. Check out recipes on their web site. (I plan on trying the Tuna curry).

Cooking the mussels was a group affair...we used ingredients from the cupboard and damn they were good.

First we sauteed (garden grown) shallots, then added a curry powder Fascione picked up in Zanzibar.
Next we tossed the mussels in and around, threw in some chopped parsley and topped it off with a cup of drinking sherry - covered and waited for the sea goodness. Five pounds of mussels, 7 people, yes we were only 7 at this point! A feast? Yes. Man were those mussels perfect.

What's next...a roasted rolled leg of lamb with spinach and a macadamia nut anchovy paste...served with a cilantro salsa and yogurt.

Patti made a couscous dish with garbanzo beans, dates, cardamon, green onions, chopped almonds, lemon juice and a dash of olive oil. This she made early in the day and served it at room temperature. Really good.

Vegetables - we had brussel sprouts topped with a fig dressing and a plater piled high with roasted Nash root vegetables...beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips and onions. Oh my.

And for dessert? I can't recall. (Seems like there had to have been a dessert at Fasciones place).
Help. I ate too much.

99 Bottles of Beer

2009-02-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

I know Seattlites, I know you think the beer store on 45th Street in Wallingford, Bottleworks, has it all, all the time - it's going on and it is BUT the next time you are in Federal Way, which could be never, check out 99 Bottles...they have it going on with 900 different beers.

I Swear, it was the best dinner of my life.

2009-02-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

Meatballs. Made with ground pork from the farm.

Rice and Beans

2009-02-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

Black beans with onion, sweet red pepper, garlic, cumin, jalapenos, salt and pepper. I am generally in awe when eating black beans. They are a completely satisfying food.

Last night I served them next to jasmine rice, a hearty green salad, a slice of a whole wheat cheese quesadilla and a glass of beer.

When I lived in Montana a group of friends and I formed a buying club and bought bulk dried black beans, rice and canned Muri Glen whole tomatoes. For the next year or so we had each-other-over for dinners and lunches serving some form of black beans rice and salsa. I never got tired of it.

Cilantro, capsicums, raw onion, corn tortillas, avocado, creme frishe at Erin's...some kind of white cheese at Dicks. We were producing theater together and hung as a gang. Family. I roasted chicken. Erin baked salmon. I made Spanish omelets and soup. David hunted elk and I made elk ragu. These were our main meals.
Nutritious and affordable.

The chickens were raised by the Hutterite colony over in Martinsdale. They were fresh, free range and large.

Full and happy

2009-02-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here full and happy - just having finished a dinner of chicken soup and a green salad. (I've been making the best salads lately, hardy salads with escarole and romaine, red onion, chopped celery, Nash carrots, which seem to be the sweetest carrots ever..(must be the soil)..and a dressing heavy on mustard, lemon and Parmesan cheese. Bow wow.

The soup came about from a chicken I roasted six days ago or so..did what Mark Bittman told me to do for a classic quick french roast. I heated the oven to 450 and on a low rack placed a roasting pan to heat. I smeared the bird with butter, salt and pepper, placed it in the hot pan and roasted it for close to an hour. I did not open the oven. The result - a perfectly roasted bird.

Following the initial chicken dinner, I made a Thai chicken green curry, constructed several chicken sandwiches and then the soup, making of course a rich broth from the stripped down bird. To this I added onions, garlic, carrot, celery and at the last minute, sweet potato gnocci from Italy, a gift from Philadelphia. Made me happy...as did the Panzanella Grissioni and glass of Red Rhone.

Lacinata Kale

2009-01-29T17:45:00.001-08:00

There was a point this past summer when I had so much kale in my garden I could not eat it fast enough so I picked several bunches, cut it coarsely, bagged it up and froze it.

Today un-thawed, the kale appears fresh and ready to cook.

TONIGHT, A WHOLE WHEAT PENNE PASTA TOSSED WITH A RAW EGG AND THE KALE. DON'T FORGET THE BACON.

My last few slices of bacon from the Fall farm pork will go nicely with the kale. I fry up the bacon, set it aside and saute chopped onion in a little bacon grease. A few minutes later I add the kale and cook it down with some chicken broth. After 20 minutes minimum, I sprinkle the kale with vinegar...your choice ... balsamic, red wine, sherry...cook it off and mix in the chopped bacon bites - top with black pepper and salt to taste.

Meanwhile I've boiled up some whole wheat penne pasta from Trader Joes. (It's good)
In a bowl large enough to hold the pasta and the kale, I've beaten an egg and now add the hot pasta and toss, then the kale, a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Simple and unforgettable, it will come around again and again.

I am aware of the fact that I am not a recipe writer. Think balance. I was cooking for two so I boiled up half a pound of pasta. Consider how much kale you have - I like an even balance of vegetable to pasta. Take it and run. There are endless possibilities with veggies and pasta and olive oil and egg. It is healthy and delicious. Have confidence because you can not go wrong.

After years of insisting on white semolina pasta from Italy, I have returned to my 1970's diet of whole wheat pasta. It reheats nicely, is high in fiber and flavor. Drain it when very al dente.

Man o Man have I been cooking lately. My husband, a macho macho man, is a fabulous grill cook. He can grill perfect fish - grew up on Long Island Sound and has lived on the Puget Sound for thirty some years. He is friends with many fisherman. Me {if you have been reading this blog} - I came into cooking meat late in life and since purchasing the meat from the farm I have come into my own as THE meat grill cook.

Last week I cooked a perfect butterflied leg of lamb for my departing step-son. Served it with a cilantro salsa and plain yogurt. Simple, healthy and delicious.

Step aside honey, I am in my stride. SAVE ME FRIENDS, I sound like Helen Whats Her Name.

The Pig Gods

2009-01-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

I don't believe in one god, but many and the pig gods delivered unto me thy bacon which I was instructed to fry up, while home alone, and eat.

As James Brown says, "Good god almighty."

The bacon I bought from a farmer in Mount Vernon and had thawed out days ago to share with house guests. We never got around to eating it and after they'd gone, every time I opened the refrigerator, the bacon called my name. "Jenise". I've never fried and eaten bacon alone. It's a weekend family food.

To accompany my bacon, a glass of red Cote Du Rhone, a $5.99 bottle from Trader Joes and not bad.

A Taste of Summer

2009-01-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

A raspberry from the garden, frozen in July and eaten in January.

Where Did The Apples Go?

2008-12-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Diane coming over late this fall to cut up the not so perfect apples from our diseased tree, we each gleefully put half a gallon of applesauce into our freezers and coincidentally in recent days, thawed some out and made use of it in two very different and delightful ways.

A delicious apple cake at her house for Seattle's cold holiday week -
And over at my place - the chunky sauce heated up with jalapeno peppers, fresh ginger, cinnamon and cardamon to accompany grilled pork chops. Very good and luckily so because the grilled pork chops it accompanied - although delicious - were a tad charred.

In the past I've composted the apples from the little diseased tree - they have scabs, the flesh mushy and speckled brown.
This year my goal was to glean everything from the garden...and applesauce was the perfect calling and darn easy.

Put the peeled chunks of apple in a pan..add an inch or two of water so the apples don't stick and cook them down on low heat. We choose not to add sugar or spice, just the juice of a lemon.

Apple cake on a Winters day...
Apples and pork on a cold and windy night.

I bought the pork directly from the Hidden Meadow Ranch in Mount Vernon, just north of Seattle. Well worth the hours drive north on I-5 - the pork is some of the best I've eaten, particularly the bacon!

WHERE DID THE BACON GO?

Closing out the tomatoes

2008-10-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 18th of October in Seattle - the sun is out - the air warm and the blueberry bushes beautiful shades of red and orange.

Time to clean up the garden and plant garlic.

I gleaned a large bowl of rather edgy apples and plan on making apple sauce to accompany the pork I have on order from a farm north of Seattle. No recipe for that yet but like the sounds of apple, ginger and serrano peppers.

I harvested long island cheese squash early because of the wet soil factor and the leaves were dusty with mold.

I sure wish I'd taken a picture or two of last nights dinner and tonight's leftovers cause I swear, it was the greatest meal I have ever eaten, bar none.

Four dishes....

My orange cauliflower, see March 20ith 2008 for recipe...steamed cauliflower with sauce of olive oil, anchovy, garlic, bread crumbs...with the addition of serrano peppers that I grew..oh my goddess...orange cauliflower the color of orange sherbet with serrano olive oil garlic bread crumb topping....it sent me.

So did the french wine a house guest bought for me...Chateau Mont-Redon 2005, Cotes Du Rhone.

Back to the goddess fall meal...the cauliflower...orange mind you, the usual kale dish (and I say usual because I have 8 large kale plants growing and here in Seattle that means kale until next summer when it goes to seed) of sauteed onions, once softened add chopped kale, saute briefly then add 1/2 cup or so of water, cover and cook. Continue water and cooking it off for close to 40 minutes and then add vinegar, cook off for a few minutes and serve.

The next dish started with an idea, which Mark Bittman had thought through and published, but ended with my own addition of a few chopped kalamata olives for flavor.

Pasta with canned Tuna.

Sauteed onion and garlic, sweet tomatoes from our garden, capers, red pepper flakes, the kalamata olives and finally canned tuna packed in olive oil. This dish was IT although one diner did grate a fresh assiago cheese on top.

All this plus a green romaine salad with toasted walnuts, red onion and gorgonzola cheese from Rogue Artisan Cheeses...tossed lightly with grape seed oil and red wine vinegar.

I could eat this way every day, over and over again..the Mediterranean diet.

Stomy Saturday Morning

2008-10-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Apples are still on the trees and a big wind is heading in this October 4th.

The name of the restaurant with the wicked Banh Mi sandwich is,Cafe Pho, 823 3rd Ave #201, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 447-7100.

Cafe Pho buys their baguettes from Le Panier, in the Pike Place Market. I've always enjoyed shopping and eating at Le Panier. Open and lovely it's a reliable place to lift your spirits on a rainy day in the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer.

Back to the Banh Mi, a fresh baguette, grilled pork, cilantro, mayonnaise, jalapeno pepper, radish and carrots. The cooks at Cafe Pho do it right balancing the meat and veggies. I squirt Sirachi sauce down the middle. The Banh Mi is wicked because it is rich. Although a blast of white flour, pork grease and mayonnaise, it is not an unhealthy lunch, but indeed a midday delight. And good people watching. Things get busy at Cafe Pho. I've only ordered to go and never waited longer than 5 6 minutes.

sassy sassy Oh

2008-09-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

It has been some months since I have blogged on. I miss spreading the word on good local food, greens from the garden and cauliflower, the color of orange sherbet.

Jenise's Restaurant Radar...working downtown Seattle now...9 2 5 and loving going out for lunch and catching a bite after work.

Today had a lamb curry at the Zum Zum Cafe, on third and Marion. Good flavor but know nothing about their ingredients...for instance ... what kind of oil do they use? I suppose it is ghee. The curry had a nice edge of rich oil. Gotta ask.

Ate the best Vietnamese sandwich ever, but don't know the name of the place...catch up with that soon.

Oyster Green Curry Stew

2008-07-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Can't stop thinking about the oyster stew. Why, cause I'd never had it before I suppose AND I'd do it up Thai style. Green curry oyster stew. Good god all mighty. Some jasmine rice, a cold white, some veggies in the stew....

Local Banter

2008-07-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

I met up with a few women from my book group, met under the I5 park and ride on 65th to cruise north together in Eliza's Champagne Lady, a V6 Camry Toyota, compliments of an older relative. We got out of our three cars and immediately began asking about the newest member of the club, whom I'd just meet the month before, Karen, a wiry biker. Crunch...she was broad-sided a couple of weeks ago and is still laid up in the hospital.... "She'll be back".

Then the stories just rolled out of us fast and furious about this accident and that high blood pressure and the two week coma and car accidents and cars hitting pedestrians and cars and cars drove over our heads and then we popped into the Lady and hit the over head up to Edmonds where food and wine awaited. We never know what the book club host has prepared for us and this July evening it was fresh salmon !!! A full on dinner with appys...app's, how ever you spell it...appetizers.

Heather darling topped the salmon with brown sugar and paprika. Very tasty! and different. I am sold on it. We talked salmon for awhile. I shared a favorite I gleaned from Secky Fascione - salmon served with a side of caramelized onions. Yikes, a knock out. Love it, but then anything served with caramelized onions I swoon over.

Heather's four year old has a cowlick...a cow tongue and hair. A cowlick.

I drank the Australian Chardonnay, the big bottle Costco put on the map, two kangaroos, very "drinkable". The wine lingo. My nephew manages the wine and beer department at The Roadhouse, in Ann Arbor Michigan. The Roadhouse is one of the Zingerman Deli businesses. Super nice community. A good place to work, a small giant, as Bo Burlington refers to it in his book titled the same, Small Giants. Anyway, the news is - nephew Kevin has accepted an invitation to attend Pinot Noir camp next summer. Pinot Noir camp in the Willamette valley. Good times.

Heather served us strawberries and blueberries for dessert under the Edmonds sky. And the light, white to the North with a spectrum of blue trailing south, a sublime end to a gorgeous day on the Puget Sound.

Oyster Stew and the Fourth of July Garden

2008-07-04T12:26:00.001-07:00

The Fourth of July holiday brought oyster madness to my house. Sister-in-law Diane bid high on a 5 gallon bucket of fresh picked oysters, delivered, at a fund raising auction. On July 3rd all at the table gorged out on grilled oysters.

Here is how we cooked them:
The gas grill on high, place the oysters oyster down, if you can figure that out...actually doesn't really matter because you can turn them while they cook. They are done when they bubble water, which means their tight shell has opened..takes around 5 minutes on a high grill and they get HOT so grab them with a glove, get them on a platter and to the table! They open easily, with a little prying. We used a flat nosed screw driver. Don't have a gas grill ? Any heat will do...a fire, charcoal, lid up or down...look for the bubbles.

Diane prepared three dips ...

A cocktail sauce of ketchup, horse radish, lemon and Tabasco

A champagne vinegar, shallot, champagne blend

And a soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic sauce. I don't have exact recipes but the three made a nice variety as we worked our way through half the oysters.

July fifth and we were back around the table for the remaining mollusks in an oyster stew....a New Orleans speciality of Diane's. Delicious. Here's her recipe:

Celery
green onion
butter

cook together until soft.

Add 1 qt. milk
Tabasco
bay leaf
cook diced potatoes if you want hearty
bit of sherry

bring to simmer, add

oysters & juice

on serving, add crisp pancetta or bacon
and parsley

Here's another recipe for Oyster Stew by "Emeril". I have not tried it, yet.

Phil Harris' Oyster Stew

1/2 cup diced peeled boiling potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 pints freshly shucked oysters (drain their liquor and reserve)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy cream
2 green onions or scallions, finely minced

In 3 cups of boiling water, cook the potatoes until firm-tender (al dente).Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the reserved oyster liquor and cook 30 seconds more. Add the parsley, garlic, potatoes, salt, white pepper, and 20 turns of the black-pepper mill, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the hot sauce and Worcestershire and simmer for 1 minute. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes.

Fold in the green onions and the oysters and cook just until the edges of the oysters start to curl, about 2 minutes. Stay with it to be sure the oysters don't overcook.

To serve, ladle 1-1/2 cups of the stew into each of 4 shallow soup bowls and top each with 2 turns black pepper.

Makes 6 cups, or 4 first-course servings.

From "Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking," by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch (William Morrow & Co., 354 pages, $25 hardcover)

THE GARDEN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY

The salad in the picture, way back at the beginning of this blog, is made of greens from my garden. Everyone agreed - greens from the garden have gobs more flavor than anything you can buy anywhere.

My garden chard and kale, gone to seed; both planted from starts in early April.
The garlic is curling, yellow, over with seeds. The squash is slowly taking off.

Thursday Blog

2008-06-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Uninspired to cook or get take out - HECK - I don't even want to go out for dinner. Do you know this head space? The dinner hour approaches and the hard working hungry folks are hungry.

Ahhhh .... frozen Mac and Cheese? No, I can't. Although I have in the past served The Beecher's frozen Mac and Cheese. Made here in Seattle with penne pasta and Beecher's cheeses, this is one expensive and delicious quick dish. Served up with steamed broccoli carrots or other vegetables, it's a fine dinner. Or include it as a side to fish, or a nice hot out-of-the oven garbanzo bean loaf.

The old garbanzo bean loaf.

A "Goodness Shows Deli" recipe from the early 80's, another Terry Inzerillo invention. I've got it here, makes two loafs. It goes a long way...you can make a sandwich out of it...you can freeze a loaf.

2 chopped onions
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 grated carrots

Saute the vegetables in olive oil until soft, pour into a bowl large enough to add all the other ingredients

and add

1 1/2 teaspoons of thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch of chopped parsley

5 cups of cooked garbanzo beans, pureed with 2 eggs
1 cup of sesame meal
6 tablespoons of tamari

4 cups bread crumbs

Mix it together (add water if the mixture is too stiff) and form a loaf in a greased bread pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until shrinking from sides of pan and nicely brown.

It's tasty and healthy. I made it for a river trip once, without the eggs for the vegans (added more tahini) and it was a big hit.

Back to my dinner dilemma..the grill, cook something on the grill with a salad and bread. Easy.

Back to the garbanzo bean loaf....I am wearing my new Missoula Community Coop tee shirt. Yes there is a new coop in Missoula, member driven. It is based on the Park Slope Food Coop model, a 35 year old food cooperative in Brooklyn, New York, where all members work and only members can shop - in exchange for a 20-40% savings in groceries.

Great timing with our food costs soaring and incomes stalling.

Montana

2008-06-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Vacationing in Montana means cooking with friends and drinking the local beer.

Bayern Brewing Company for the unfiltered Pilsner, Big Sky Brewing for a glass of Moose Drowl, Flathead Lake Brewing for the beer and the view, Kettlehouse Brewing, and Bitter Root Brewing, my favorite. There is a new pub, the Tamarack Brewing Company up in Lakeside on the west side of Flathead Lake, that I have yet to visit.

Last nights dinner - "Uncle Bill's Sausage" made in Missoula and his "Sweet German Mustard" with a glass of Bitter Root IPA - sauted chard and a green salad from the garden ... sitting on the edge of the Mission Mountain foothills. Man o man I am a lucky one.

Support your local brewing company, please, if you like beer.

World Spice Merchant in Seattle

2008-06-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

I am off to World Spice for a bag of Black Assam Tea and a bag of Irish Breakfast Tea. I love my tea. I do not however have the palate for the subtleties.

I'll undoubtedly buy a bag of curry powder, one of the many house blends that suck you through the door as you inhale the world.

This small shop is on Western Avenue right behind the Pike Place Market.

Actually, I am going to get my list together online before I go. This MAY keep me from buying more spices than I have plans for.

Join me for immediate salivation by clicking on "Spice blends" and scrolling down to the Indian Subcontinent to read the long list of Curry's. DO scroll back up and read the whole list. It's an inexpensive trip.

Remember Brewer's Yeast?

2008-06-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

The yellow powder that hippie's ate?

B Vitamins dudettes.

I first heard about it as a hangover cure. A tablespoon or two in a large glass of orange juice was popular. A shot of B Vitamins. And where does
Brewer's yeast grow? It is a bi product of brewing beer ...yeast that is dried and killed. (check out wikipedia)

The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook is available, still, today.

Just now I mixed up one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil with two teaspoons of yeast and crumbled it on dry toast. Tea and toast. Delicious. I crave more brewers yeast. It is like that, people get addicted to it fast.

Then there is Vegemite which I have never craved and avoid. It is concentrated yeast extract from Australia and the jar says -

"B the best you can B with Vegemite..." "One of the world's richest known sources of Vitamin B"

It is an excellent product but one I never developed a taste for. Besides yeast extract, Vegemite has salt, mineral salt, malt extract, colour, flavors, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin and folate. I am fond of the packaging, Kraft, because it reminds me of the 50's.

Yesterday, after swimming laps for half an hour, I was h u n g r y and whipped up a vegetable pasta dish topping it with a teaspoon of vinaigrette and a small hill of brewers yeast.

Leftover spaghetti, cauliflower, red pepper, red onion and garlic. I blanched the cauliflower in the microwave, something I rarely do but works nicely, tossed it in with the sauteing pepper, onion and garlic, added the pasta and heated it up. I topped it with yeast...it looked dry so I added the olive oil vinaigrette. Could have been rice and veggies with tamari and yeast.

My memory jogs to a friend who ate pasta tossed with red pepper flakes, garlic, yeast and olive oil every night for dinner. Sometimes with a dash of balsamic vinegar.

The ALL TIME FAVORITE, popcorn tamari and yeast.

Since reintroducing yeast into my diet I've put it on salads, rice, oatmeal - not. I recently added a layer of yeast on to my fried egg sandwich....egg from the farm and a big fat layer of greens from the garden, which is about all that is growing with this cold and wet weather.

I do have a full head of romaine to pick and I'm going to make a Cesar with it tonight. Egg from the farm, garlic, olive oil, lemon, a little anchovy and Brewer's Yeast? Why not. Save on the Parmesan cheese

Now I ask you this readers...do you know any men who are gluten intolerant? I have not dined with one but I have dined with many women who are and to you I say, try the new Mary's Gone Crackers - gluten free and tasty. Just had a sample of the black pepper. Mary's son Jeb is gluten intolerant so I guess it's not about testosterone.

That's all from the Sassy Omnivore today and hey, look for me on Thursdays cause now that I know you are out there reading this blog, a schedule is called for.

Ciao

Morel Gathering

2008-05-29T13:00:00.001-07:00

Memorial day weekend I traveled over the Cascade mountains to the Yakima Valley, to a secret location and gathered up these morel mushrooms.

How totally cool it was ... hunting down these babies.
A six and a three year old were along for the forage and thrilled to spot the hard to find mushrooms, tucked under fallen trees, poking up through branches of green needles.

Listen I found one look here's one and another one wow there's a bunch over here...

Back to the house we drove happy looking forward to cooking up our risotto of spring aspargus, morels and peas. The zest of lemon added a perennial spring pop. This dish was a ragu of veggies served on top of a traditional risotto of onions, white wine, rice, stock, cheese, salt and pepper.

Paris is so crazy beautiful. I watched the Frugal Traveler this morning on the New York Times homepage, watched Matt bop around Paris for a week. The short video ends with a trip to the market and a party at his 350 euro a week apartment.
Wednesday morning is Mark Bittman's video and he cooks up something good, almost always something good.

Stopped off at The Tasting Room - Wines of Washington on our way back to Seattle. From local mushrooms to local wine Cascadia sure is super fine.
Visiting wineries and tasting wine is not for everyone but if you do enjoy it I recommend a trip up the hill to this gorgeous cooperative tasting room overlooking the Yakima Valley. If I go again I'll order food and wine, sit in the sun and soak up the fertile grounds.

I picked up the 2008 Washington Wine Commission's catalog and am blown away by all the people making wine up and down the I-5 corridor, the Puget Sound west of the Cascades. Carumba....how did I get here...a need to move on from the Missoula Valley, where people are now making wine and selling wine !! There's a winery in Seeley Lake ! And one in Hamilton Montana and like three in Missoula.

I also picked up the Washington Health Foundation's pamphlet on why wine is good for us. The list of health benefits just keeps getting longer, benefits from the moderate drinking of wine. How to define this ????

Here is a tip from Paul Beveridge, Wilridge Winery, Seattle. Paul says, "One of the things I like about wine is that is tells you when you have had too much." (I love the voice of a good wine) "Wine, as preserved fruit, is good for you in moderation but like so many things, is toxic if you have too much. Getting tipsy is one of your body's ways of telling you it's time to stop."

So friends, Cheers to mushrooms and wine.

Blogging on a cool Seattle evening with moderate red wine.

Simple Syrup

2008-05-20T13:39:00.001-07:00

Saturday May 17th and the temperature was up up up there in the nineties so I made myself a bottle of simple syrup to sweeten my summer iced tea.

2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until thick like honey.

Keep in the frig to sweeten iced teas and Margaritas too.

After my recent trip to Northern California I tried to recreate the Margarita I enjoyed at the Bluegrass Bar and Grill and found out it is the simple syrup that most likely brought the other ingredients together so nicely...the tequila, lime, and in this case, the Grand Marnier.
For good eats ideas checkout the Bluegrass menu, it is unusual and creative and they execute it well.

Executed food...doesn't sound real tasty now does it. Hey have you heard of SCALLOPS? Now this could prove tasty ... and fun ... it stands for “Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound”.

I'm going to get involved to bring chickens to my hood, a community chicken coop, so I'm not responsible for all the shit.

Down on the Farm with Fried Rice

2008-05-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've started interning on a farm one day a week. It is a five acre spread with chickens, goats, ducks - until recently. In two weeks all four ducks were eaten by an eagle. Sad for everyone left behind..Ducky, the last to go, had been with them for six years. Recently Karen bought four new ducks and one goose to form a pack in hopes of deterring the eagle.

Not new to vegetable gardening I am learning a lot and I love being on the land. The animal husbandry is new to me and I'm hooked, actually I wrote that a couple of weeks ago and this past week - I was up to my ankles in chicken and goat shit and realized "it is all about managing the shit". Which in the long run enriches the soil and of course the fresh eggs are worth it and the goat cheese and milk and meat but in the day to day, you have to keep the shit moving.

Yes returning home from the farm with my eggs and other goodies is indeed my favorite part of the adventure.

Cooking and eating fritatta's galor, the bright yellow color of the farm yolks and WOW an old recipe for fried rice popped into my head.

Fried brown rice with bean sprouts, green onion and eggs, seasoned with honey and tamari.

Talk about simple, fast, delicious and healthy....I've cooked it five times in two weeks and Scott man has cooked his own version up once. That is the beauty of this dish...a theme with room for creativity but the original recipe is the dope.

Back in the 70's at The Seward Cafe in Minneapolis, cook Terry Inzerillo put this dish on the menu...

Fried Rice
chopped scallions
mung bean sprouts
egg
brown rice
tamari
honey

Saute the veggies briefly
push to the side and add egg and scramble

Mix in the rice
add one teaspoon of honey and a couple teaspoons of tamari and fry it up (add more honey and tamari to taste)
eat with chop sticks

So easy healthy and versatile, I can't say it enough....satisfying !

Another quick and delicious fried rice is the Thai Fried Rice recipe in "Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

Thai Fried Rice
Serves 1

2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced (or even more if not using optional ingredients)
1 to 2 ounces of thinly sliced boneless pork (optional)
2 cups cooked rice (preferably Thai jasmine)
2 scallions, trimmed, slivered lengthwise, and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce, or to taste

Garnish and accompaniments

About 1/4 cup of coriander leaves
About 6 thin cucumber slices
1 small scallion, trimmed (optional)
2 lime wedges
1/4 cup Thai Fish Sauce with Hot Chiles

Notes: Once you've tossed the garlic into the hot oil, you can also add about 1/2 teaspoon Red Curry Paste or Thai Roasted Chile Paste (nam prik pao). It adds another layer of flavor and a little heat too.

YES it is another great and satisfying dish.

Below is a recent dinner party with several fabulous Asian flavored dishes and several tasty American cooks.

Just Back From Sonoma County

2008-04-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous drive through Washington, Oregon and down the coast of California on
highway one into Marin County. Only ate 5 meals out in 8 days and they were memorable, especially the tuna poached in olive oil ! New to me but not to certified chefs.

The restaurant, All Seasons Bistro, in Calistoga CA and the poached tuna...served with a red pepper sauce, cilantro rice and asparagus. The fish was cooked through, moist and incredibly delicious, a hint of olive oil in every bite.

Better yet was the unusual pizza I had at the Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland Oregon. The crust, baked in a wood fired oven, exceptional, thin and flavor full...looked like it had some whole wheat flour in it...

Topped with

whole roasted cloves of garlic
feta cheese
kalamata olives
thin slices of red onion

That's all.

SO good..light..and the garlic, sweet sweet sweet.

When it landed in front of me I was taken aback, expecting melted red grease and yes I knew what I ordered but it looked like no other pizza I'd been served. God it was good. Roasted whole cloves of garlic nestled in feta cheese along side kalamata olives and red onions.
Not a lot of any one ingredient.
Very light, satisfying and healthy.

A fun place too with a rack of magazines, a shelf of board games and boxes of kids toys. Located in a large old building you walk into a cozy bar which leads past the open kitchen into a grand room with two floors of seating, large windows and doors leading to patio dining.

They are open late.
We got in around 9:15 and the place was packed - people coming in for tables the whole time we were there. Ashland was out on a Thursday night and people were happy...it was a room full of talking laughing happy white people. And that's the way it was, this Thursday night in April.

I ate a lot of garlic in one sitting and plan on perfecting this dish to serve at home.

Speaking of garlic I just used up my last bulb from the 2007 summer harvest. This year I am planting more because I want enough to last until the next harvest.

Eat Local Ballard is this Tuesday night, 5th annual and I don't have a ticket !!!! Any one have an extra ??

Cucumber with Feta Cheese and Mint

2008-04-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Always a pot-luck hit this Greek salad is easy and swims in my favorite ingredient, olive oil.

The recipe is from the highly acclaimed cookbook
....The Foods Of Greece, by Aglaia Kremezi.

Simply...

Cut a cucumber into thin crosswise slices.
Place the slices around the edge of shallow wide bowl or plater.
Sprinkle with the feta cheese and mint.

Whisk the oil and lemon juice with salt and pepper to make a ladolemono (vinaigrette made with lemon juice.)

Pour over the cheese and toss, serving immediately.

1 large cucumber
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

I serve this with heated pita bread or Ak-mak crackers. It lasts a long time in the frig and goes nicely along side lamb, beef or chicken.

It is a hit. Eaters want the recipe ! The cookbook is absolutely gorgeous, photographs by Martin Brigdale.

Sheepnose Pimento

2008-04-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Elephant Heart Plum
Moon and Stars Watermelon
Marrowfat Bean
Gualjillo Honey

These may be a few of my favorite foods thanks to the Slow Food project, Ark of Taste which "aims to rediscover and catalogue forgotten flavors, documenting excellent food products that are in danger of disappearing." The list of endangered foods reads like poetry.

How about the Radiator Charlies Mortgage Lifter Tomato....the U.S.A. could use a bushel or two of those babies right about now.

I stumbled on the Ark of Taste while cruising the Local Harvest web site...a great resource for farmers and city folks alike .... it is all about connecting the eater with the source. Check it out, especially if you are planning a trip - the site has a great search engine that connects to restaurants cooking with locally produced foods, as well as a wealth of additional information about our country's food sources.

Hot for the local I have joined the Chefs Collaborative. Another educational and inspiring group. Look for a chapter in your region and consider joining.

A Guilty Pleasure

2008-03-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. Instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano on my pasta and red sauce tonight...I topped it with goat cheese. I blended it in and was in red and white sauce pasta heaven, and so healthy.

The sauce, thrown together by husband Scott

olive oil
onions
garlic
carrot
canned tomato's
Kalamata Olives
dried basil
dried red pepper
brown sugar

I got involved and added more brown sugar, red pepper and basil and then..

The Penne, cooked al'dente...I had a brain storm.

I am loving the River Valley Goat Cheese and I'd picked up a tube at the Ballard Farmers Market. I put some on a spoon, scooped up some red sauce and tasted it. Nice.

When the "serve yourself dinner bell" rang I grabbed my bowl, spooned in some penne, topped it with sauce and a few dollops of goat cheese.

Sat down, mixed it up, took a bite and thought, "WOW, you are on to something here." So satisfying.

2008-03-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Look what wintered over in my garden.

March 21st and it is ready to pick.

Surprised by the color, I read up on cauliflower and apparently the purple turns to green when cooked.

Let's find out by cooking up Cavalfiore All'Acciuga or Cauliflower with Anchovy Sauce.

A favorite at my house, here is the recipe -

One whole steam cauliflower topped with a sauce of olive oil anchovies garlic breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.
Eaters not fond of cauliflower tend to say "yum yum and more PLEASE" after they give this preparation a taste.

Steam cauliflower until tender, drain and transfer to serving dish.

Heat a 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat
add
3 cloves of chopped garlic
6 anchovy fillets, mashed or use paste
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
heat and stir for 2 minutes then
pour over the warm cauliflower and serve with a knife and spoon.

I enjoy this dish warm, room temperature, re-warmed the next day with a baguette and right out of the fridge on a spoon and into my mouth.

There are many similar recipes out there, some call for cutting up the head but I like it whole and pretty.

This recipe is from "Italy The Beautiful Cookbook" by Lorenza De Medici. You most likely have seen the Beautiful Cookbook series; over-sized books with gorgeous photographs of a regions cuisine.

So, back to the purple cauliflower....I cooked it and the purple turned a bright blue-green. I'll have to post the photo later because of technical difficulty.

Tastes real good...a tad milder than the traditional white heads.

Enjoy. Ciao, Jenise

Meatballs....How About Bra-zhul !

2008-03-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Chicago friend Cathy "Cav's" is showing up in Seattle next week, for a drink. I learned to cook meatballs at her house when I was a young girl. No last names but she has an Italian one and although her mom did not have the blood of the boot, she learned how to serve it up right to keep papa Joe and all his brothers in garlic and tomato sauce.

Meatballs are one thing - it was the braciola, pronounced bra-zhul that curled my hair.
A piece of tenderized beef, stuffed with various goodies, tied off, browned - then simmered in tomato sauce for hours. Ambrosia.
The Cav's braciolas, stuffed with hard boiled eggs, were a special treat and the eggs, the prize.

"DINNERS READY".
We take our places at the table and wait for Joe, Mr. Cav's, to come home from the hardware store, wash his hands, sit down and serve himself. Then, we could eat.

First the rich tomato sauce, served over pasta, usually zitti.

So good so rich so much flavor so much beef fat...sometimes the sauce was made with meatballs and sausage and bra-zhul. These were the days before anyone had heard of cholesterol or gave two shits about their mid line.

Ok, next, remove the pasta from the table and bring on the braciola !!! An anxious air hung over the table...who gets the egg this week?

Damn.

I've never made a braciola but I've talked about it enough over the years and last year I cycled with an Italian guy from Jersey whose new girlfriend was pulling her hair out over how to make the perfect braciola so she could be accepted into the fold and win the heart of her man.

Well Honey, try the following recipe which is penned by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. http://www.thatsmyhome.com/venettos/lidsun.htm

This dish is truly an act of love. Check it out...it will take hours to prepare and that jives with my memory of Sunday braciola at Cathy's.

Good luck, enjoy and let me know how it turns out. Jenise

An Oyster Eating Shindig

2008-03-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

I epicurioused and came up with Bob Flays,

GRILLED OYSTERS WITH MANGO PICO DE GALLO AND RED CHILE HORSERADISH.

Hot, sweet, pretty and easy the recipe was a hit and so was Marin, the x of Deb's, who, turns out, is an x oyster shucking competitor.

Oyster shucking as a sport ? Not long after moving to Seattle in 1996 I met the Lance Armstrong of oyster shucking, Xinh Dwelley, a five time winner of the West Coast Oyster Shucking Championship.

Xinh operates a restaurant in Shelton WA, Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House. When travelling that way include a stop for dinner. Great seafood with an Asian flair and a good reason to take in the wilds of Shelton.

Another dish worth mentioning was the kale I made - before sauteing and steaming the kale I first browned a small amount of sweet Italian sausage, then added the kale, salt and pepper and it was excellent. Served it with a smoked salmon fettuccine.

Bought the oysters, salmon and kale at the farmers market earlier that day.

It's oyster time of year in the Northwest and I urge you not to miss out on the 2008 harvest. Slurp....until next time....Ciao

Breakfast ???

2008-03-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Today a cauliflower onion frittata for breakfast and tomorrow, a wedge of the same served with a glass of wine for dinner.

I love frittata's for their versatility and artfulness. So lovely is a piece of Spanish tortilla; a different name for a similar dish.

Such a perfect food. This a.m. my cupboard - bare -
What's in the frig? ....an aging head of cauliflower, half an onion, 6 eggs and a bottle of spicy olive oil.

You know the drill...saute the onion and cauliflower in the oil...add salt, cook until soft.

Beat the eggs with a tad more salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Turn the veggies up to medium heat and pour the eggs into the pan.

Cook the bottom half and then broil off the top (or flip and cook) then plate the gorgeous pie.

The perfect vehicle for olive oil. I love frittata's for their versatility, absolute beauty, their taste and nutritional value.

Crack the eggs, grab the wisk and start cooking.

A Fabulous Night Out

2008-02-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about the meal I recently enjoyed at The Art of The Table, a cozy super club on N 39th Street in Wallingford. For 65 dollars, including tax and tip, Dustin Ronspies, the chef and owner, paired five courses with seven different wines. Carumba…what a night!!! Here’s the story…

Once a month Vine Tales, a local wine club, hosts a meal at Art of The Table featuring a winery or region of winemaking. The owner of Vine Tales, Nancy Patterson, loves introducing new wines, wines at their best - served with food. The structure of food paired with the structure of wine. A lucky day, the day Nancy met Dustin, cause man can Dustin pair.

This evening’s collaboration featured Willis Hall Winery. Winemaker John Bell, a one man show up in Marysville, was on hand to expound on each varietal. We started with his sold-out 2006 Viognier. Viognier, a cutting edge grape for Washington, is a complex blend of fruit, spice and floral flavors. All Willis Hall wines are made from Washington grapes…yummy.

Served with a Smoked Trout, Poached Pear & Watercress Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette, the Viognier and salad played off each other perfectly. “Estoy satisfecho. Gracias.” But there was more.

The next course, Winter Vegetable Ravioli with Truffled Brown Butter arrived with another cutting edge wine, a 2005 Sangiovese. Hands down everyone’s favorite, the wine shone bright with cherry fruit, and a smooth medium body. Nancy loves John’s wines for their fruit forwardness. I love Winter Vegetable Ravioli for it is soooo good.

Three more courses to go and five more wines…a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon a 2003 Merlot a Pepper-crusted Pork Belly with Dried Cherry Sauce and Sunchoke Puree sent waves of delight though all the diners. To be honest people were squealing. I know, the pig the squeal but it is true, the dining room got noisy. Pork belly is the rage these days in Seattle, the whole pork deal. I recently watch a pig butchered and left rubbing my belly saying my bacon my bacon my belly my belly - one is cured and the other, fatty and tasty and man, Dustin has got the subtleties down with the flavor combos.

NEXT a Roast Leg of Lamb with Wilted Winter Greens and Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Demi Glaze and Dustin the Demi God and John the Willis Wizard poured a 2004 Cabernet Franc and a 2004 Syrah. Well. It was quite something and then the Dessert was announced, Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Dried Apricots and Carmel Sauce served with a 2006 Late Harvest Viognier. No one had ever had a cheesecake made with goat cheese and besides that, the cheese maker dined amongst us. (River Valley Cheese) It was a treat…so light and perfectly baked. The wine received massive applause. Fruity, slightly sweet but not thick, it rocked the goat.

Vine Tales Nancy, throughout the meal, informative and fun, her knowledge of wine vast.

Lucky for me I’ve eaten at Art of The Table six or seven times since it opened last July 2007 and I’ve always walked away a tad stunned by Dustin’s finely tuned palette and seemingly endless repertoire of unusual recipes. John Bell mentioned over and over Dustin’s ability to understand the pairing of the food with the wine and Nancy of Vine Tales, she’s a believer.

Check it out when you can. They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for a $48 prix-fixe dinner and Monday nights starting at 5 for Happy Monday Happy Hour and yes it is happy. I’ve taken the book club, had the volunteer appreciation party there, snacked on I mean with my man, and also had my birthday party at Art of The Table. Good times, cutting edge and local….Dustin buys directly from the producer more often than not. www.artofthetable.net

Enjoy…Ciao….Cheers to local food and fun.

Inspiration

2008-02-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Suddenly I am all things food and want to inspire it in you. The perfect protein salad is an endless opportunity for creative combinations. A bean and grain salad with lots of vegetables and a dressing, it lasts for close to a week and never fails to satisfy. Perfect.

This salad is perhaps a familiar one for those who purchase deli items at the Seattle PCC coops, where it has been featured for 20 years. I know this because my friend Terry arrived from Minneapolis with the recipe.

History

Back in 1980, Terry, a woman I’d worked with at The Seward Café in Minneapolis, (which was run by the “Sunshine Collective”…. hippies, yes I made trays of granola) Terry split the Café and started The Goodness Shows Deli where she developed the salad, later bringing it to the Kirkland PCC in 1987.

Teresa, the dark skinned Sicilan girl from Brooklyn who grew with her mother constantly calling for her to “get out of the sun” for fear she would darken and be mistaken for a, god forbid, Puerto Rican.

The Salad

Today I whipped up a batch, from memory - I too left the Seward Café for Goodness Shows but first cooked a stint at the “Real Good Karma” in San Francisco. THESE business names, ”It’s all good”.

The Recipe

2 cups of cooked garbonzo beans
3 cups of cooked wheatberries
1 diced red onion
1 diced green pepper and ½ red pepper
1 diced cucumber
1 diced carrot
1 stalk celery
1 bunch of chopped parsley

½ cup of mayo
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
3 teaspoons of dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried dill
salt
makes around 8 cups

Creativity

Although delicious, I love the chewy wheat berries and all the veggies diced small like the beans and the berries, this salad could be dressed in oil and vinegar - made with rice instead of wheat, black beans white beans kidney beans fresh beans fresh herbs chard cilantro jalepanos olives pickles....it is an open palette. Need I say more?

Just this -

I highly recommend the classic grain bean and vegetable combo. Cheers to the plants, now start chopping.

P.S. Cooking wheat berries takes a long time. I pressure cook them for 45 minutes. They don't absorb all the water - drain and rinse.

The Holiday is over

2008-02-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Woke up February the 13th to Mark Bittman making short ribs as a gift of love for Valentines Day. Mr. Bittman is a food columnist for the New York Times and once a week or so he cooks something up on the Times home page video spot.

I could not wait for the big 14th love day and cooked up the ribs that night. Indeed just as he said - they were “rico” …sensual and tasty.

Brown the ribs on at least four sides, remove from pan, sauté an onion and some garlic, add one large cup of strong coffee, a glug of wine and a dried chili of some kind…I used guaillo...put the ribs back in the pan and cook at low low simmer for at least 3 hours…beef falls of the bone. Thank you Mark Bittman. I love you. Be mine.

Now it really was Valentines day and no reservations have been made. Why? I’ve never embraced the Hallmark holiday. Heard on the radio today that 17 billion dollars was shelled out of pocket for love. As dinner time approached though I got in the spirit and stopped into whole paycheck, which I have renamed, more than whole paycheck and here is what I bought.

Fresh pappardelle pasta and a fresh tomato vodka sauce, both produced by Cucina Fresca which is located in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Not cheap but easy, and, as I've thought of myself as such, it was fitting for the day.

Steamed up an artichoke, which is love food to me.....especially when it comes out of my garden.
Did the spinach salad again but this time with the poppy seed dressing and a fresh tangerine and it was much better than the raspberry dressing. When I find something I like I eat it again.

So the pasta, the salad, the artichoke..oh yes, picked up a small bagette from “The Baked Fresh” La Brea bakery in Los Angeles.
So "French". So delicious. Next time I am in Los Angeles La Brea is on the list. The owner Nancy Silverton goes way back in the artisonal American bread revival.

Thank you Nancy and yes WE have ton's of locally baked fabulous bread. I do love and eat them all - to name a few
Essential, Tall Grass, Macrina, Grand Central, Columbia City.....check them out and look for others at a grocery store near you.

There were two left over short ribs if I needed extra and for the day of hearts I opened a bottle of Pinot Noir I’d bought for Thanksgiving but never drank. A Domaine Serene, Yamhill Cuvee from the awe inspiring Willamette Valley. A splurge for me, I rarely spend 36.00 on a bottle of wine. And lastly, a special drink for Carson, seventeen,....Dry Soda, made in Seattle. Rhubarb.

Good lord I also bought a bag of Doctor Kracker, which is not local but organic from Texas. Very whole grain. I feel nourished eating them. A flatbread. HAD to pick up a smoked salmon spread to go on top for an appetizer.

No calorie counting going on for Valentines day. No budget either. Guess I did dive right on into the Hallmark card.

patti pan squash cook off - fall 2007

2008-02-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

My first time posting.

2008-02-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

My book group took a weekend holiday out to the Oregon Coast.
Home today I threw together the leftover salad makings and relived the yummy and healthy salad I chowed down on Saturday night for my late lunch.

Talk about fast cheap and health, here it is.

A classic spinach salad.

Organic Baby spinach out of a bag from Trader Joes, sliced red onion from my garden, Trader Joes sweet and spicy pecans, blobs of goat cheese all mixed up with Brianna’s Raspberry dressing. The original was dressed with Brianna’s Poppy Seed and frankly the two dressings taste almost the same which worked for me. For a bottled dressing Brianna’s is not bad.

I like eating greens and this salad is a good one. Greens, nuts, goat cheese, onion and spices. Add orange slices or apples for fruit and or throw on leftover chicken. Don’t over dress it and don’t eat five servings and it is a sublime and happy lunch. It does incite the desire for wine though…so still better at dinner when one can more acceptably indulge in the mighty red.

February in Seattle and it is almost time to plant spinach seeds. I do have a bed of arugala that wintered over and I certainly could have made a similar salad with it. Next time.