Northwest Local

Holiday Treats

2012-01-19T20:01:00.001-08:00

I made these S'Mores Kits for my staff this year as a sweet treat for the season. I found both the recipes for the Marshmallows and the Graham Crackers at Smitten Kitchen and packaged them up with some dark and milk chocolate (relabeled to look cute - I do love a cute little basket like that).

The Marshmallows are great fun to make, so long as you are comfortable with both your kitchen and yourself begin completely covered in confectioner's sugar. The process is full of those magical cooking moments when liquid transforms to solid and abstract ingredients become food stuffs, and you find yourself perched over the mixer oohing and aahing at the contents within. The resulting texture is wonderful, and I found myself repeatedly exclaiming "They taste just like the real thing!", when of course they are the real thing. In fact, more so.

The Graham Crackers weren't quite as exciting, but that's mostly because I haven't the patience to roll out dough properly. They were very tasty though if a bit sweeter than I expected. I probably wouldn't sprinkle on the additional cinnamon-sugar topping next time, and I would probably also make my husband roll them out or hire someone in or something because really, rolling dough is so tedious.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This (And Last) Week in Our CSA

2010-06-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have a whole weather post I want to write, but I need to think about that a bit more first. In the meantime, here's an update on our CSA share so far this season. I forgot to post last week, so this is two weeks work of veggies:

2 bunches of radishes
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 heads of concept lettuce
2 heads of green leaf lettuce
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 bunch of salad turnips
1 bunch of kohlrabi

We're keeping up with the lettuce and greens, but the kohrabi is still haunting the crisper. I may have to make some slaw, but I'm stil looking for a killer app for it. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Cook Your Lettuce

2010-06-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

I've been able to make a big dent in our CSA share by cooking our lettuce (thanks to this recommendation).

As a side dish to some Field Roast Grain Sausages I sauteed a whole head of Cabbage-Lettuce in butter with caraway seed. It reduced so much that I was left with barely a cup of greens to share between the two of us. To bulk up, I threw in some turnip greens as well, and the results were very tasty.

Butter does make everything better, so I turned to it again to dispose of some Bok Choy, Turnip and Radish Greens:

Shrimp and Greens

1 tbls. butter
1 bunch of scallions, both green and white parts thinly sliced
2 1/2 lbs. of mixed greens, washed and chopped
1 lb. shrimp
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 tbls. soy sauce

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Saute the scallions until beginning to soften (1-2 minutes) then add the chopped greens. Toss in butter until slightly wilted and bright green. Add shrimp, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Continue tossing around the hot pan until the shrimp are opaque. Serve over rice or noodles.

The butter isn't exactly authentically Asian, but just the little bit in this recipe added a lot of flavor. One caution, I used frozen shrimp and because I was in a hurry I failed to defrost. While that's usually not an issue with a lot of my "stir-fry" style recipes, the added moisture of the greens and the shrimp together resulted in too much liquid. Next time, I will fully defrost the shrimp and drain before adding them to the recipe.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-06-04T00:42:00.000-07:00

It's CSA time again, and on Wednesday I joyfully made my way to the Root Connection Farm to pick up the first crops of the season. It's spring, and the pickings are slim, but its so nice to be back. This week we started things off with:

1 bunch of salad turnips
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 head of green leaf lettuce
1 head of cabbage lettuce

Doesn't sound like much, but it's a good strategy to ease yourself into the season. Otherwise you end up with a lot of rotten produce in the crisper. I did find this article which offers up some fantastic approaches to managing the CSA abundance. I'll be taking advantage of some of these ideas, especially the idea of cooking lettuce.

So far we've just had cold salad - not terribly original, but tasty - and we've been racing to use up last year's freezer hoard including pesto, shredded zucchini and gold tomatoes, to make room for what's ahead. We also used up the beet puree in a very useful application - stirring the frozen puree mixture into boiling vegetable broth (we prefer mushroom) to make a very rich and yummy soup. Add some crusty bread and a CSA salad and you have dinner.

Moving Meal

2009-11-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

When we planned for the move we assumed that we would be going out to eat for most of our meals this weekend. This was something of a disappointment as we've been budgeting for the move by limiting our restaurant meals in the first place. But to my surprise and pleasure, I actually had time to cook today despite having to navigate through boxes just to get to the kitchen.

Dinner was cooked in our 2-quart dutch over which turns out to be ideal for a moving meal. All you need is a knife for prep, a 1/2 cup measure, and some kind of serving dishes (we hadn't yet packed our bowls and spoons so we had plenty to work with) so you can pack up most of the kitchen and still be successful. The following recipe made almost too much food for the two of us, and could easily feed three or even four.

Moving Meal (Polenta with Faux Sausage, Peppers and Tomatos)

olive oil spray
1/2 cup polenta
1 1/2 cup water
4 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausages, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray the inside of a two-quart dutch oven with olive oil. Pour the polenta and water into the bottom of the dutch oven and stir to form an even layer. Add a layer of faux sausage on top of the polenta and water, then the peppers and then the tomatoes. These particular sausages are very flavorful so no further seasoning is required, however if you are using a different variety or brand you could use any seasoning you like such as garlic, onion, herbs and spices. Cover with the dutch oven lid, creating a tight seal, and bake for 40 minutes.

NaBloPoMo and the Art of Backing Out Gracefully

2009-11-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of November I decided to participate in National Blog Posting Month as a personal challenge and an excuse to kick-start my long neglected blog. NaBloPoMo is a take off of NaNoWriMo but rather than writing a novel, you simply have to post to your blog every day for 30 days. So far I've been keeping the commitment and enjoying the process. So far that is...

What I didn't know when I opted in to this project was that we would end up moving half-way through the month. This is proving an obstacle on my NaBloPoMo path particularly since it seems we will be sans internets for at least a week at our new place. Also, apparently I neglected to read all the fine print when I registered for NaBloPoMo, and I'm not really signed up after all - hooray for loopholes!

I'm not tapping out quite yet. I might be able to pull this off after all and finish out my month as intended. I'm certainly going to try. I have decided not to kill myself trying though, and to accept a setback if necessary. There's always next month after all. I just thought it best to put this explanation in writing before I wandered off the web page... I prefer my defeats to be well documented.

Carrot Top Soup

2009-11-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Do you know what these are?

These are carrot tops, the leafy greenage that comes along with your carrot bottoms when you are fortunate to have fresh carrots rather than the usual bagged. Not only are they edible but they are quite tasty with a lovely pepperiness to them. This was a new discovery for me despite all of my years of carrot enjoyment and I can't help but feel a pang of regret when I think of all the tops I've wasted out of ignorance.

Specifically you want to get to the little leaves towards the ends of your carrot greens. The stems get tough rather quickly, so you have to do a bit of trimming. I was inspired to use them by Deborah Madison, a favorite cookbook author of mine. So far my favorite application is the Carrot Top Soup from Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmer's Markets, but I've also seen her use them in salads and a pasta sauce, which I'll have to try next. I certainly won't be letting them go to waste in the future.

Everybody Out of the Crisper

2009-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

We're moving this weekend so I'm trying to clean out the fridge and pantry ahead of time. Fortunately we're only headed a few miles down the road so we can pack up most stuff, but as I prefer fewer boxes to more boxes, I'm doing my best to lighten the load.

I made stir fry tonight with this in mind and managed to get rid of the following:

1 bunch of scallions
1 carrot
1 1/2 cups leftover broccoli
1/2 pint of mushrooms
2 small heads of bok choy
3 small zucchini

Not bad for one dish. I learned my stir fry method from Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book which is a fantastic resource that I return to again and again. Pam and her daughters have a new blog that's great reading and once we're happily habituated in the new place I'll have to try some of recipes from the site.

Breakfast Bulgur

2009-11-10T23:17:00.000-08:00

This is a super simple cereal concoction that is very tasty, very simple, and a very welcome stand-in for more complicated things such as toast. The recipe below is just a general guide. All matter of nuts and dried fruits could be used, as could fresh fruits like berries or chopped apple or pear. You could even sub the grain - leftover brown rice or quinoa would be great. The following will make about 4 servings.

Breakfast Bulgur

1 cup bulgur
3-4 cups water
pinch of salt
1/3 cup organic raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1-2 tbls maple syrup

Bring the water to a boil either in a kettle or in the microwave. Place the dry bulgur and salt into a heat safe bowl, and pour the boiling water over the top. Let the bulgur steep for about 20 minutes then drain the excess water and fluff with a fork.

Toss the bulgur with the raisins and almonds, and add maple syrup to taste- a little goes a long way. This is great warm or cold and is even better the next day after the flavors have melded together.

Winter CSA Share

2009-11-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

We've been enjoying our CSA winter share this past week. Winter shares at the Root Connection include both fruit and vegetables. Some storage crops such as onions, squash and beets come straight from the farm, but most of the produce is purchased like a co-op from organic farms farther south. It helps the local farm make some money in the winter months and it keeps us in plenty of fresh foodstuffs.

A weekly share is just over $40.00 and this week included apples, bananas, beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, oranges, pears, potatoes red leaf lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini. It was actually packed in alphabetical order which was quite impressive. Okay that's a lie, but the food is good.

Pickles

2009-11-08T18:37:00.001-08:00

A few weeks back we took on a culinary project of astounding proportions. We made pickles. From scratch. It was so much fun.

I had never been called to pickle anything before. In fact, I've never even liked pickles. But this experience changed me from a pickle-hater to a pickle-appreciator as only a homemade pickle can.

For inspiration we looked to our favorite fount of food geekery - Alton Brown. We own several DVDs of his episodes, including "American Pickle" which you can see an excerpt from here.

Now doesn't that make you want to run out and pickle something? And so we did. We were fortunate to have a bunch of CSA cucumbers on hand, and we only had to pick up a couple of spices, as most of the ingredients were already in our pantry. In fact the only challenge in the whole process was finding the jars. We eventually found some at the World Market, but if this all develops into a regular pickle thing I'm going to have find a better source for canning supplies.

We made both the Sours and Sweets from the video, using Alton Brown's recipes. The recipes are well written and having a process to watch made it all incredibly simple. Our two pickles jars are still happily marinating away in the fridge, though the pickle supply significantly reduced at this point. Dear husband is partial to the Sweets while I've developed a fondness for the Sours. It was a very successful project and I'm looking forward to trying other pickle procedures posthaste.

Broccoli Pizza

2009-11-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite approach to broccoli. It's not a recipe so much as a method and it completely depends on the quantity of broccoli you have on hand. Tonight we had one medium head and one slightly smaller head from our winter CSA share.

Please ignore the stains on my countertop. Someday I will go back and photoshop everything pristine, but today is not that day. Put a large pot of water on to boil and start prepping you broccoli. Chop the florets into big chunks. Peel the stems and and slice into sticks. The florets are going to cook faster than the tougher stems, so proportion accordingly like so:

Salt your boiling water and toss the broccoli in. Set a lid on top of your pot and bring the heat up to it gets back to a boil as soon as possible. You want to cook the broccoli until it's tender, but still bright green. I would love to give you a good time for this, but it completely depends on how much veg you are cooking. Just keep an eye on things and periodically stab the broccoli with a fork. When the fork doesn't meet much resistant, you are set.

Drain the broccoli and rinse with cool water to bring down the temperature. You could also use a ice bath, but we just want things cool enough so you can easily handle it. While cooling, put a large skillet on medium heat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil (again, depends on how much veg you are working with). Chop all of the cooled broccoli into small pieces - approximately a 1/4 in dice if you're into measuring such things but there is no need for uniformity.

Once your is olive oil is heated in the skillet, add some minced garlic to the olive oil. For this evenings portion I used four cloves, but we are big garlic fans. Cook the garlic briefly, then add the chopped broccoli and a generous helping of red pepper flakes. Cook until the flavors are melded and the broccoli is heated through, correcting the seasoning with salt as needed.

As is, this would be a great dish. It could be a side to something splendid, or it could top rice or pasta. But our favorite application is a pizza topping. For the pizza, we usually use a purchased whole wheat dough because we are lazy, but homemade would be fantastic, and I do have a great homemade recipe if you have the time.

Roll out your dough. Sprinkle with olive oil (or not), top with the broccoli and some cheese (we're partial to mozzarella and lots of it, with a little parmesan for added flavor), add a few grinds of black pepper and bake in a 450 degree oven until browned and bubbly. That's it.

Oh, and enjoy!

Stormy Weather

2009-11-06T15:17:00.001-08:00

Last night we were surpised by an impressive lightning and thunder show here at the house, a real rarity in the area. There's a massive storm off the coast, and its causing all kinds of havoc - thunderstorms, hail, giant waves - though the fun was largely over by morning and this afternoon the sun is out. It's a testament to how mellow the weather is here that such an event requires commentary. When the sky lit up and the windows began to shake, I turned as ever to my favorite local meteorologist Cliff Mass and his trusty weather blog - a great resource for northwest weather.

Edmonds

2009-11-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Edmonds, WA is our default weekend. When we haven't planned ahead but want to get away, we just have to drive down 212th. Coming up over the hill the Sound is revealed in all its glory and I'm startled by it's beauty every time. There are little shops to explore, good restaurants and the beach, and all just a few minutes from home. I found this article online today and I'm happy to say we've managed to check pretty much everything off of this suggested list. Check the article for pictures of the town. All of mine seem to point out to sea...

Ridiculous

2009-11-04T12:46:00.001-08:00

I've been cleaning out cupboards in preparation for a move we have planned later this month and I came across some cocoa we had brought back from our Belgium trip. That's my excuse for making these. See... virtuous. I was cleaning!

Quick Scratch Brownies

2 cups sugar
3/4 cups of unsalted butter (1 and 1/2 stick) melted
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup AP flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9 in baking pan very well (these will stick to anything and everything). In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter and salt. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the cocoa powder and flour. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool. Do not eat them all in one sitting.

Tolt Macdonald Park

2009-11-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

We don't get out much. That can be interpreted in all sorts of ways, most of which would be true, but for the benefit of this particular post I'll clarify by saying we don't get out in the woods much.

It's a shame really since when we do get out we enjoy ourselves immensely and are terribly grateful for living in the natural splendor that is the Pacific Northwest. For instance, this short trip to Tolt Macdonald Park in Carnation, WA. We only spent a couple of hours exploring on a summer Saturday afternoon, but we had a fine time in the sunshine.

The serene Snoqualmie River.

Family portrait.

Smooch!

Fettuccine with Sweet Corn

2009-11-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

I had seen several recipes for corn/pasta dishes before trying this dish, and I found the combination intriguing. Most of the recipes called for heavy cream, but I thought the dish would be rich enough with the starch on starch goodness of sweet corn and egg pasta, so I opted for something a little more reasonable. It's still a very rich dish and I wouldn't want to calculate the calories on this one, but if you were looking for a heavy summer dish (yes, yes, I appreciate the contradiction) this would be a tasty one.

Fettuccine with Sweet Corn

1 tbls butter
2 shallots, minced
3 cups of corn (cut from 5 - 6 ears)
1/4- 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of fresh basil, sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)
salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. of fettuccine (preferably a fresh egg pasta)

Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the butter on medium, then saute the shallot until translucent. Add the corn, sprinkle with salt, and continue to saute until the corn turns bright yellow and is just tender.

Remove 1/2 of the corn and shallot to a food processor or blender. Add the broth to the corn mixture in the food processor, starting with 1/4 cup then adding more as necessary, and blend. The result should be a creamy sauce, but not a puree. Pour the sauce back into the skillet with the whole corn. Add the basil and increase the heat slightly to bring to a boil.

Salt the water for your pasta and cook according to the package directions. Fresh pasta will take just a couple of minutes to cook, while dried pasta will take much longer. Drain when just al dente and toss with the corn sauce mixture in your skillet. The pasta should absorb some of the liquid from the corn sauce. Season with salt as needed and several grinds of black pepper.

CSA Slaw

2009-11-01T18:34:00.000-08:00

So 2009 was the summer of slaw - who knew? Give me a bunch of CSA veggies and a shredder disc and I could have lunch ready in a near instant. While I did get a little fancy with dressings from time to time, this simple slaw was the most frequent guest in our pic-a-nic basket - versatile and delicious as an alternative to green salad or as a topping on sardine sandwiches.

CSA Slaw

Approximately 2 lbs of tender root vegetables (ex. beets, carrots and salad turnips)
3-4 scallions, sliced thin
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
salt

Grate the root vegetables using the shredder disc on a food processor (or by hand if you are really committed to the whole journey of the thing). Toss grated veggies with the scallions, lime juice and sesame oil. Salt to tasted.

And that's it. Not so much a recipe as a method, but a darn tasty method at that. If you are intending to keep this for a while, or if you are real particular, you might consider salting the veggies and then letting them drain in a colander before mixing with the citrus and oil in order to avoid a bunch of extra liquid in the bottom of your serving bowl. We did just fine without the extra step.

Kohlrabi Slaw with Tahini Dressing

2009-07-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Our CSA share always has kohlrabi, and I'm never quite sure what to do with it. It has a subtle but distinctive cabbage-iness that makes it difficult. I've tried it in curries and braised, but nothing has really worked for me. This application however has made me an enthusiastic kohlrabi eater - which says a lot considering how much of it has rotted in the crisper over the last couple of years.

I made this whole thing in the food processor since I have a new toy to play with, but you can grate the kohrabi by hand and mix the dressing the old fashioned way if you must. I found the tahini dressing here, but ignored the instructions. It would be worth a second look though, as sauteing the garlic first is an excellent idea.

Kohlrabi Slaw with Tahini Dressing

2 tbls olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup tahini

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup cold water

2 lbs of kohlrabi, tough stems and root end removed

2 tbls sesame seeds

Start with the chopping blade in your food processor, and put the olive oil, garlic, tahini, vinegar, salt lemon, paprika and parsley into the bowl. Blend on high speed until mixture is pureed, then stream in the cold water to emulsify into a dressing. Carefully remove the chopping blade, and insert the grating blade. Grate the kohrabi directly into the food processor bowl right on top of your dressing.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over low to medium heat, gently toast the sesame seeds being careful not to burn them. Transfer the kohrabi and dressing from the food processor to a serving bowl. Top with the toasted sesame seeds then gently toss until evenly dressed.

Rack of Fennel

2009-07-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Does this look like antlers to you too?

Green Things

2009-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

CSA season started the first week of June. It's also performance season at the studio, which is why I haven't posted until now. Our weekly bag of green things has been a welcome herald of a sunnier and saner season, and we've been enjoying our salads so far.

It's too early for much variety - lettuces, salad turnips, kohlrabi were pretty much it for the first three weeks. This last week brought some carrots and beets (and their greens) and we need to get a jump on the U-pick options (chard, basil, etc.). I've been too busy to be creative in the kitchen, but I'm hoping to start cooking again soon and sharing some of the results.

Happy Summer!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-03-01T22:22:00.001-08:00

I still have a freezer full of pumpkin puree from our CSA squash, and so this morning I decided to incorporate it into our usual Sunday morning fare. Actually, I didn't do anything, as Dear Husband is the pancake maker in the house, but he was sweet enough to not only make me pancakes, but to let me direct said pancake making from my comfy perch on the couch. What a guy!

I did find a pumpkin pancake recipe online to serve as a model, but it was mysteriously missing any leavening agents. We added our own and were well pleased with the results, but our measurements were fully improvised, not scientific. The pancakes were delicious, so we'll be making them again.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1/2 c. AP flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbls. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
2 tbls. melted butter

Sift together the dry ingredients. Lightly beat the egg, then whisk with the buttermilk and pumpkin puree, adding the melted butter last (so as not to cook the egg). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and combine into a smooth batter. Have your husband cook the batter into pancakes. I'd be more specific with my instructions but frankly, I have't cooked a pancake in years. I know it involves a griddle and a spatula, but I'm a little hazy on the rest. I do know that pancakes are best eaten covered in syrup while still in pajamas (that is, you should be in pajamas, and the pancakes should be covered in syrup, otherwise...well nevermind) Enjoy!

Gimme an A! Gimme a C!

2009-02-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

Just the right recipe for a dreary winter's day- Braised Butternut Squash bursting with Vitamin A and C goodness. This is a simple recipe and oh so good. You just have to love that color- bright red peppers, glowing orange squash, just enough spice to tickle the tongue and hominy of all things. Who knew hominy? I love it.

This recipe is from Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way by Leanne Ely. Work has kept us so busy lately we've been struggling to stay creative in the kitchen. We had gotten into quite a rotation of Chipotle, Pizza and Spaghetti and Meatballs, and thought this book might offer us a way out. We've really enjoyed the recipes and the suggestions so far. It's a pretty good match to our practical way of cooking and while some of the recipes are a little bland for our tastes, we've found quite a few favorites. Using the grocery lists at the beginning of the week keeps us organized, and it takes the pressure off of coming up with something wonderful to make after a long day at work/in the studio. The recipes in the book serve 6, so we either halve everything, or make the whole lot and either pack the leftovers for lunch or freeze them for later.

Saving Dinner is a brand unto itself with a whole series of books and a weekly subscription program. It's worth a look if you need a little inspiration in your daily dinner.

Braised Butternut Squash

1 tbls olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 in. chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp flour
salt and pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 (15 oz) can hominy
2 1/2 cups water
3 tbls fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large skillet, saute the onion, squash, red pepper, paprika and cumin until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring so the vegetables are well coated. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Stir in the remaining ingredients (hominy, water, parsley, tomato paste and garlic). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until the squash is tender. You can add more water if the vegetables get dry.

Serve as is or over brown rice.

Spicy

2009-02-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

Each Valentine's Day, dear husband and I share what's become a traditional Valentine's Meal. We start with a robust Spicy Spaghetti featuring cumin, garlic and anchovy, followed by Poached Pears with cardamon, cinnamon and vanilla. Paired with a good bottle of wine, it makes for a very spicy evening.

I'd share the recipes, but it feels a bit personal.

Now don't be shocked, but these pears are naked.

Chickpea and Kale Soup

2009-02-20T17:06:00.000-08:00

With my spices organized, I'm inspired to use them, and I found a great application in a North African Chickpea and Kale Soup courtesy of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I'm really enjoying this site. The recipes are health conscious and imaginative, but most importantly they are accessible. The ingredient list is familiar, which isn't always the case in Vegan cooking. Plus she had a good search function and printable recipes. I have blog envy.

Old Spice

2009-02-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

I've been up to my elbows in work since January, so I've had to be really innovative in my approach to procrastination. I've dutifully reorganized the sock drawers, sorted the loose change, and culled my magazine collection, and now it's on to the kitchen. This week, I cleaned out my spice cupboard. There were some really intriguing things in there.

First the old spice. It was time to say goodbye to the last of the old McCormicks containers I inherited from my Dad. I shudder to think how old the ginger and ground cloves were. Used but once a year in scant quarter teaspons for holiday baking, I'm thinking these were well into a decade. I should know better, but I'm really, really cheap.

These jars are keepers though. We received a Penzey's gift box as a Christmas gift and fell deeply in love. The quality is great, and I can spend hours with their catalog. I wish they had a Washington store, but I'm fine ordering by mail. They use bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg as packing materials. Bonus.

That's it for the jars. Everything else is bulk. I only discovered bulk spices a couple of years ago when I started hanging out at what used to be called "health food" stores, and I'm a big fan. The high turnover insures the spices are fresh and flavorful, and you don't have to commit to a big bottle of something random when you're trying a new recipe. Plus the itty bitty bags are much easier to store.

And because I'm deeply committed to my procrastion via organization, I included an inventory listing which I keep pinned to the inside of the cabinet door. I've actually done this for a while and it's very useful, especially when you have to cram everything into a deep cupboard. It saves a lot of hunting around, and it's easy to refer to when you're making a shopping list. And now to reshelve my cookbooks by jacket color and size...

Pierogies with Peppers and Brussel Sprouts

2008-12-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Are leftover brussel sprouts ever a problem for people? If so, this recipe might be a solution. I don't know. I just think it's tasty (though not particularly photogenic) and pretty simple if you're lazy and use packaged pierogi like I do. Pierogi, for the uninitiated are little potato dumplings with onions or cheese. They're a starch lover's dream, and perfect for a heavy winter meal. The sauteed peppers and sprouts lighten things up a bit, but not much. Be sure to use butter for flavor and extra calories. It's winter time after all, and we have to keep up that fine layer of blubber to keep us warm.

Pierogies with Peppers and Brussel Sprouts

1-2 tbls. butter

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 lb. brussel sprouts, shredded

1 pint mini-bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 tsp. caraway seed

salt and pepper

1 16 oz. box of frozen Potato and Onion Pierogies

Bring a pot of salted water to low boil.

Prepare the brussel sprouts by either shredding them in food processor, or by slicing them through from top to bottom, then thinly slicing them crosswise into shreds. Thinly slice the peppers to a similar width, discarding the stems. Baby bells have few seeds and membranes, so you don't need to worry about them.

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium and saute the shallot until just starting to soften. Add the brussel sprouts, peppers and caraway seed. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the sprouts are a bright green and only just starting to brown. You want to maintain a little crunchiness in the vegetables.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook your pierogi in the boiling water according to the package directions. This should only take a few minutes.

Once the pierogies are cooked, drain, then toss with the vegetable mixture. If you need more of a sauce, just add more butter.

Let it Snow!

2008-12-17T17:03:00.001-08:00

Hooray for snow! We had a dusting a few days ago and this afternoon it's really coming down. I don't think it's in the city yet, but here in South Snohomish County at the edge of the convergence zone we are well on our way to a Winter Wonderland. Right now its that lovely dampened quiet outside, with snowflakes silhouetted in the street lights and dusted sidewalks that have yet to see a footprint. I'm happy to be home with a big stack of library books and nothing to do for the evening except some cookie baking. Dear husband, who still has a commute home from work, may not be quite as appreciative of the weather.

Happy December!

Tofurkey Sandwiches

2008-11-30T00:07:00.001-08:00

We're not really into the whole faux fowl thing at Thanksgiving, being content to weigh down our table with an excess of season side dishes instead. But for some reason I've had a taste for turkey lately. Not the roasted holiday bird or any facsimile there of, but the post-holiday sandwiches.

On Black Friday, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we ate Tofurkey Deli Slices with mayo and cranberry sauce on white bread. Genius. Sometimes only a sandwich will suffice, and this was more than satisfying. Yes, yes, I know it can't compare to the real thing, but whatever. I'm happy with my choice, and somewhere there's a living, breathing turkey whose pretty happy about it too. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese

2008-11-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

Unlike more elaborate preparations from Thanksgivings past, my portable potatoes were completely improvised this year from what I had on hand. I was thrilled with the results, so I wanted to share the recipe.

4-5 medium Russett potates, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup half and half
6 oz. crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Toss in at least a tablespoon of salt, and your peeled and cut potatoes. Turn the heat down slightly and boil until the potatoes are easily pierced by a fork.

Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, preferable one with a flat edge, coarsely chop at the potatoes until they are dry and fluffy looking. Return to the heat on low, and let all the water evaporate off.

Measure your half and half into a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave on high for 1 minute to heat. Remove the potatoes from the stove, and pour in the warmed half and half, and the goat cheese. Stir vigourously to combine. This should completely "mash" the potatoes, though there will still be some texture to the dish. Should you wanted a smooth puree, you could force the mash through a fine sieve or use a food mill. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with your favorite vegetarian gravy. Here's mine.

Best Thanksgiving Ever

2008-11-28T13:54:00.001-08:00

Jammies, football, some knitting, a comfy bed, my gorgeous husband, good beer, great food- what a glorious holiday.
Best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Prep

2008-11-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Our holiday is just a little different this year. We're going to a hotel just a few miles from the house and escaping from the office and the computer and the to-do list for a whole day of lazy gluttony in pajamas. It's not exactly traditional, but it's a welcome respite from a very busy season and I'm really looking forward to it.

While we may have jettisoned much of the tradition (family, turkey, travel, a table), there are a few things I just can't go without, so we're packing them up and taking them with us. I've cooked our entire dinner with all of our favorites: cranberry sauce with crackers and brie, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, maple roasted sweet potatoes with pecans and brussel sprouts with chestnuts. Toss in some store bought pies and a couple good bottles wine, and we have a picnic feast.

Fantastic.

Fall Cupcakes

2008-11-28T13:33:00.001-08:00

I was in Ballard the other day, and had to stop into Cupcake Royale for a fix, including a sample of two of the fall varieties Carmel Apple and Pumpkin. I can recommend both, but may need to eat several more to confirm my review.

Lovely

2008-11-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato - Lewis Grizzard

Reference

2008-11-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

Since we purchased our business in June, my priorities have shifted completely and updating the blog has been moved to the very bottom of the to-do list. I have been pleased to use it as a reference though, revisiting last year's recipes and meals to figure out just what I did with all that CSA produce. It turns out I made a lot of soup, just like this. I'm happy to repeat the experience.

First Winter Share

2008-11-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

Our CSA, The Root Connection in Woodinville, WA, offers a winter share program and this is our first year participating. The local growing season is over so apart from the odd winter squash or storage onion, the produce will be coming from more southern organic farms, preferably US grown with the exception of bananas. Winter shares contribute to our health allowing for fresh produce year round, and the health of our CSA farm by providing income during the winter months.

Shares are available weekly, but there is more flexibility in the winter schedule. For instance, we are only subscribing every other week, and we're taking the month of December off since we are traveling for the holidays. The cost of a share is $46 a week, and includes both fruit and vegetables. Our first share was delightful, and included: avocados, apples, bananas, beans, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumber, grapefruit, kale, oranges, pears, potatoes, red leaf lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes. The challenge will be to eat all of this before the next share arrives.

Yes We Did

2008-11-04T23:08:00.001-08:00

A toast to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

In the unlikely story of America, there's never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with

a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.

Yes we can.

Cheers.

Gleaning Sun-Golds

2008-10-29T00:14:00.001-07:00

Our fickle summer weather left the CSA's sun-gold cherry tomatoes languishing on the vine. They just couldn't ripen enough for a proper harvest, so they opened up the hoop houses to U-Pick and I managed to glean plenty for our little family. I roasted about five pounds worth and put them away in freezer bags. The cherries are good for a raw sauce, but I didn't think they were worth canning, at least not until I have a change to experiment a bit with a recipe. Until then, we'll put them to good use as a topping for pizza or add them into soups.

Re-use

2008-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

My alliums (that's fancy for onions, shallots, garlic and the like) tend to come home from the store in little plastic mesh baggies. This is great storage for this food group, as most onions and garlic prefer to breathe, but I've discovered that one the allium is eaten, the leftover baggies make great scrubbies for dishes. Because they are plastic, they will even work on non-stick pans, but do be careful. Remember that my pans are cheap. If yours are not, proceed with caution.

Beet Abundance

2008-10-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

Last year when I had time and creative energy to spare, I blogged about every week's CSA share. This year, not even once. What a difference a year makes. I can't make up for lost blog posts, but I can give a brief summary of this year's CSA bounty.

Beets.

And more beets.

The weather in Seattle this year was not kind to local produce. June was cold and rainy, which threw off everything's growing season by weeks. CSA staples that we had in abundance last year- basil, corn, collards and get this, zucchini- were hard to come by. Beans were scanty, as were the onions and leeks. We didn't even get much winter squash, and only one pumpkin. The only thing that grew with great success was beets. Beets, beets, beets. And guess who doesn't like beets? Lucky me.

I made do, and ate my share. I can't just throw away good produce, even if it's not my favorite. And I even came up with some great beet applications like beet sushi, beet and persimmon salad, beet greens and spaghetti and this recipe for an Apple Beet Puree from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol Constenbader.

It's a very simple recipe- butter, onions, apples, beets- but it comes together beautifully. The apples mellow out the, well "beet-i-ness" of the beets, and who could resist that color! Along side a gross of frozen beet greens, I now have several packets of fuschia puree waiting to be thawed some cold winter's night. According to the recipe it goes well with pork. I don't dig on swine so I wouldn't know about that, however I think this would be great along side brown rice and greens. Yeah beets!

Tomatoes from Another Planet

2008-09-30T13:11:00.001-07:00

There is something wonderfully weird about these tomatoes on the vine. I kept thinking they looked like alien eggs. We'll have to see what they ripen into.

Dahlias

2008-09-30T13:07:00.001-07:00

Our CSA grows Dahlias for U-Pick, but I can

never bring myself to cut them down.

These perfect sculptures seeking sun are best left to grow.

Fallen Fruit

2008-09-30T13:06:00.001-07:00

When I lived in Southern California, I was always amazed by the citrus growing freely around the neighborhood. Walking down Adams Ave. in our Normal Heights neighborhood, I found lemon, orange and even pomegranate trees full of fruit. So abundant were these backyard trees, most of their crop ended up rotting beneath them. I never took full advantage of these local trees (including the neglected orange tree in front of the house I rented that had the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted) and I was sort of shocked that teams of gleaners weren't canvassing the neighborhood in search of fruit finds. This is why I’m so happy to discover this site, and the folks who are taking advantage of an urban harvest.

We may not have the citrus California does, but the Northwest offers a lot of free fruit for the taking so long as you are partial to blackberries. Fortunately we are, but there are other things to discover. These apples aren't for eating, but I've got a good tip on an old orchard to explore and I'm on the lookout. I promise to post anything fallen I find.

Molly Moon Ice Cream

2008-09-30T12:52:00.001-07:00

It's probably for the best that we don't live any closer to the Wallingford neighborhood, otherwise we would be spending all of our time and money at Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream. Every time we've visited there has been a line out the door and for good reason. This is some seriously tasty ice cream. The quality of the ingredients is evident, and there's plenty of gourmet available, but the atmosphere is fun and festive. There's no pretention in these cones, and while I might be inclined to order a scoop of honey lavendar in a compostable cup drizzled with balsamic reduction, there's also a scoop of vanilla on a sugar cone for the kid next to me.

So far we've sampled the chocolate, cardamom, balsamic strawberry, vanilla and a very special Baracky Road (chocolate, hazelnuts, homemade marshmallows and political activism all in a waffle cone). But the salted caramel is what really knocked my socks off. I don't think I've ever polished off a cone so fast in my life. Salty, sweet, rich, cold, yum yum yum.... it haunts my dreams. I'll be back for more.

Carkeek Park

2008-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

We've spent entirely too much time this summer indoors. Regardless of whether we were in the office or the studio, there has been a definite sense of the season passing us by. What a delight it was then to escape to the park for a few hours in the sunshine and be met by not only exquisitely perfect weather, but a host of visual treats. Enjoy.

A Big Mess of a Salad

2008-09-30T12:08:00.001-07:00

When I lived in San Diego and fresh, cheap produce was an afterthought, this was my dinner salad of choice for most of the year. I would make a big bowl on the weekend and slowly eat away at it throughout the week. Now that we are in the Northwest, we are a little more hemmed by seasonality, but this us still a great way to use up summer veggies and to clean out the fridge.

The base of the salad is simple. So long as you have these ingredients you can do anything:

1/2 lb. orzo
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 onion (at least)
olive oil
6 oz. crumbled strong flavored cheese such as feta

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. On the stovetop, cook the orzo as directed on the package being sure to salt the water. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking. Set aside. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half (or leave them be if they're really small), toss with a little olive oil (spray works great) and salt, then bake on a cookie sheet or shallow dish. I usually use a shallow dish for the tomatoes as I want to make sure to reserve any of their juice as it binds the salad together. Roast until soft and brown. Slice the onion in long vertical strips, and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast the onion on a cookie sheet until soft and carmelized.

We've already made enough for a perfectly good salad. Just toss the roasted veggies with the orzo, mix in the cheese, season to taste and you are done. But what makes the salad great is all the other veggies you can mix in. For the salad pictured above I added the following:

2 medium zucchini, roasted
3 small yellow squash, roasted
1 bunch of spinach, shredded
1 small bunch of basil, shredded

So long as you roast the "harder" vegetables first (toss with oil and salt, roast until soft and browned) you can pretty much add anything in. I've had great success with roasted peppers, winter squashes, leeks, thinly sliced carrots and even whole bulbs of garlic. Raw ingredients can included shredded lettuces and sprouts. Olives and capers would be welcome. Whatever is in the fridge is fair game, and the tomato juice and cheese make for an effective "dressing". The best thing about this mess of a salad is that it's delicious warm or cold, so it makes great fodder for potlucks or picnics, or for foraging spoons in search of a midnight snack.

The Summer's First Salad

2008-06-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first CSA pick up of the season, and I'm so happy to welcome fresh vegetables back into our refrigerator. Our soggy spring hasn't yield much yet. Our bag only contained green leaf lettuce, cabbage lettuce, white turnips and bok choi, but that was plenty for a lovely salad. Nothing too exciting- greens and bottled dressing- but a great sign of things to come.

Tidepools

2008-06-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

The tides in the Puget Sound were extraordinarily low this weekend, so we took the opportunity to muck around in the intertidal zone on the look out for creatures of the not-so-deep. We were happy to discover Carkeek Park, which was new to us and offered a great beach to explore, gorgeous views of the sound and park space to run and play in. It would make for a great summer picnic spot, if only the weather would cooperate.

What's Cookin'?

2008-06-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

Well not much. It seems every blog has to have its obligatory apology for gaps in writing, and I suppose this will serve as mine. We’ve been immersed in a huge project- one of those life-altering, bank-account-draining, grey-hair-turning kind of projects- so our market forays and kitchen experiments have been somewhat limited. Hopefully that will change as all our work comes to fruition in the next few weeks. Plus CSA season is upon us, which provides plenty of posting fodder.

In the meantime, our focus of late has been on whole foods and cheap foods (see reference to bank-account-draining above). A lot of beans and a lot of grains have been appearing on our dinner plates, and have been well received. We’re particularly fond of these Quinoa Muffins from Everyday Food. They disappear as quickly as we can make them and they have the added benefit of being so moist and tender that they don’t crumb, making them ideal for snarfing down while perched over your laptop working furiously.

Another upside to the whole food emphasis is that it keeps us largely insulated from the rising food prices plaguing everyone else of late. Eating vegetarian keeps things cheap. A downside is the dishes. Cooking from scratch produces them in abundance, as my countertops attest. I promise to write more just as soon as I see the bottom of my sink.

Kitchen Literacy

2008-05-31T20:45:00.001-07:00

When I began writing this blog, I envisioned it at a bridge between my understanding of nutrition, diet and the comforts of the table, the physical world around me and the community I lived in. I had learned to cook later than some. I gradually acquired kitchen technique once I left home and started living on my own, but it wasn’t until later in my twenties that I truly gained an understanding of how to nourish myself and others. That was when I first realized that I literally was what I ate. That my body- tissue, bone and soul- is made from the very materials I put into my body. As such the provenance of those materials- the purity, the nutritive capacity and the ethics of those materials- matters. It sounds so obvious, but it was something of a mental leap for me, and it profoundly changed the way I approached my kitchen and my table.

Since I began thinking about these things and sharing them in writing and conversation, I have marveled at how difficult it is nourish oneself in the modern food system. Feed yes, and in abundance. But to nourish oneself by building and rebuilding the body with quality, natural ingredients is a challenge. To do that we must ask the questions of where our food is grown, how the animals we consume are treated, and what are the consequences both environmental and cultural for our appetites. The modern food system is not designed to answer these questions. In fact, most of us wouldn’t know to ask these questions in the first place.

Food is something we touch everyday of our lives. It is integral to our existence, but beyond its very necessity for our survival we have further endowed it cultural meaning and given it social and historical significance. Is it not surprising then that we are not more curious about where our food comes from or how it is produced? Is it not strange to be indifferent to that which might sustain or poison us?

Ann Vileisis’ book Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and

Why We Need To Get It Back focuses on this disconnect, and how our understanding of and relationship to nourishment has changed so profoundly in the last two centuries. The eighteenth century American was on intimate terms with her food sources, having produced much of it herself. The limits of transportation in turn limited the size of the foodshed. If food was not produced independently, then it was procured within the community.

Technology and urbanization brought change. As the cities expanded, so did the foodshed required to feed the growing populations, and the urban affluence of the nineteenth century changed the culture of the kitchen from the province of the housewife to that of her hired domestics. Purchased foods were a greater part of the urban diet, but many were uneasy about the change. The cookery books of the 1800’s admonished the urban housewife not to forgo her rural knowledge and to account for touch, taste, smell and season when marketing. There remained a general suspicion of food that did not originate at home, something unthinkable today.

The tin can, originally developed for war rations, allowed for the long term storage and transport, but it didn’t allow the experience of seeing, smelling and tasting the product in determining its quality. Instead, tin cans had labels and brand names, and so as a culture we learned to judge food by its advertisement rather than relying on our own senses. Tapping into the disconnect, food companies began using the natural world as a staple of its advertising, with pictures of golden waves of grain adorning cereal boxes, fresh peas on the vine for the tinned variety and the ubiquitous description of “natural” for every product despite it genuine source, a cover for the very “unnatural” state of many foods in production.

The twentieth century’s obsession with better living through science further distanced people from their food. The choices of the table were now left to “experts” with the home cook taught to rely on the recommendations of home economists and nutritionists rather than their own experience and tradition. This emphasis on scientific principle in the kitchen did lead to some progress, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and a growing awareness of the dangers of additives in processed food and pesticide use on fresh foods. But it also changed the relationship between man and his supper, elevating nutrition to something beyond the ken of the average cook and emphasizing the new and improved over the tried and tested.

“Homemakers would have to abandon their reservations and relinquish their traditional expectations about flavors, textures, and cooking practices in favor the cleaner, more uniform, easier to prepare, factory-manufactured foods. Home economists’ confident articles made this suspension of old ways easier. In place of customary ways of learning about foods and cooking, they suggested new ways: by taking classes, by consulting with nutrition tables and menu plans, by reading ads and magazine articles to keep up to date about the latest products, and by learning brand names. In using terms such as calorie, protein and carbohydrate, they promoted an entirely new and more abstract way of thinking about what to eat. In promoting the values of uniformity, cleanliness, and efficiency over taste and tradition, home economists also helped to construct a wholly new aesthetic of food quality.”- Kitchen Literacy, Ann Vileisis

In just a few generations we have radically changed our relationship with food, cooking and ultimately ourselves. While our seventeenth century counterparts were intimately tied to the production of their own foodstuffs, we rarely know where our food comes from beyond the supermarket, and are most often ignorant of the ingredients, production process and costs of what we serve on our table. To question these things is a major philosophical departure from the status quo. Raised and provided for in the modern food system, it never occurs to us to question that same system. Reclaiming the kitchen literacy of our foremothers and reconnecting to that which nourishes us body and soul is a challenge, but a worthy effort.

Not sure I know the answer to that...

2008-05-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

A cool treat in Fremont this holiday weekend inspired dear husband to ask:

"Is there anything more American than listening to AC/DC while

eating Gelato next to a giant statue of Lenin?"

Zucchini Bread

2008-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Our CSA announced a date of June 11th for our first pick-up of the season. That gives me a little less than a month to finish off the old CSA produce in order to make way for the new. Luckily stocks have dwindled away- all that's left are a few lonely cubes of pesto, beets and some of their greens, a couple of packets of collards destined for Africa Greens and a little corn. The last of the shredded zucchini was applied to this morning's zucchini bread. I was highly intrigued by this version, but I ended up just used my carrot bread recipe, subbing one veggie for the other and swapping the cornmeal for more whole wheat flour. Throw in a big handful of chopped walnuts and you're eating vegetables for breakfast. That's healthy, right?

The View From Our Front Window

2008-05-19T13:30:00.001-07:00

Spring...

...has...
...sprung!

Asparagus

2008-05-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

I do love asparagus, a highlight of the spring season. After eyeing the conventional Californian for a couple of weeks now, I was thrilled to find Northwest grown in the produce section this week, and certified organic to boot. Pricey? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely, but I may have to temper my asparagus habit a bit. During its short season we will happily go through a pound a day, and I don't want to break the bank with my vegetable love. Despite my passion for these spring stalks, I'm not terribly creative with it. I might be tempted by a stir-fry or risotto, but for the most part I'm happy to turn the oven up to 400, slather the washed stalks in olive oil and sea salt and roast the heck out of it. When its crisp and browned, I serve it over grains with a little parmesan cheese. Delicious.

Moveable Feasts

2008-04-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I recently finished Sarah Murray's delightful book, Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat. Long before the term "food mile" was in common usage, or even the measurement of "mile" was used, the transport of food for our tables has been a matter of great technological and cultural import. The transportation of Spanish olive oil to ancient Rome literally changed the physical landscape of modern Italy, and the 20th century cultivation of the banana has in turn shaped the political landscape in much of the modern Southern hemisphere. Following a typical shopping list, Ms Murray's book escorts us through the local market, across history and around the world. Looking beyond the shelves and sales, she tells the story of British tea clippers racing across the open seas, the military science of tinned tomatoes, strawberries in space and more. From yogurt pots, to archeological amphora, shipping containers to silos, this captivating book explores how our moveable feasts have changed the world in all delicious detail.

Pizza Weekend

2008-04-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

Through a series of fortuitous events (or not fortuitous if you are thinking of our waistlines), we had pizza not once, not twice, but for four of our meals over the weekend. It all began on Friday night with Pizza No. 1, made in the warmth and comfort of our own home. For this pizza we used the Easy Pizza Dough recipe from SmittenKitchen, topped it with homemade pesto from the freezer as a base and followed with spinach, ricotta and parmesan. We hoovered up the results in minutes, so I don’t want to imply it was anything but delicious- but it did lack a certain je ne sais quoi. We suspected that the dough, while simple and wholesome, might be trading convenience for flavor.

We left Pizza No. 2 to the professionals. Saturday night we walked down the street The Rock: Wood Fired Pizza Grill, a mini-chain in the Seattle area. It’s rare to find any restaurants in our neck of the woods that aren’t national chains, so The Rock is our default dinner when we’re too lazy to drive into the city. The restaurant’s classic rock theme is not without its charms, and they do have some interesting pizzas- primarily thin crusted with a sweeter tomato sauce. If you are feeling creative, the build-your-own ingredient list is quite intriguing with the options of roasted pecans, capers and whole roasted garlic along with the more typical mushrooms, peppers, and onions. This night we opted for a simple cheese and carmelized onion, to good effect. Dear husband studied the dough carefully to determine what might be lacking from our own. In his words, “Bubbles.”

Pizza No. 3 was another pro-attempt, this time at Pagliacci’s, another local mini-chain. Like The Rock, Pagliacci’s favors a sweet tomato sauce and thin crust, but the pizzas tend to be a little more traditional, and by that I mean greasy. Please understand I do mean that as a compliment. We had stopped by the Mercer Pagliacci’s after enjoying a Sunday afternoon matinee at the Seattle Rep, and while munching away on our slices (goat cheese and veggie) our conversation again turned to the puzzle of pizza dough, and what our home efforts could be lacking. Obviously we don’t have a commercial oven and its attendant high heat, nor do we have a pizza stone, or a peel, or specialty flours, or anything really, but we remained convinced that we could do better.

After carefully washing our hands, we set out from Pagliacci’s to Twice Sold Tales in order to further our research. Dear husband headed right to the cookbook section and studied the Italian titles. I wandered around and petted the kitties. Fueled with new knowledge and a new plan of attack we head home to attempt Pizza No. 4. With a few tweaks of technique and recipe we came much closer to what we were looking for. We’re far from perfection, but what follows made for great dough. Topped with sautéed anchovies, ricotta and defrosted CSA roasted tomatoes, it made for the weekend’s favorite. We’ll have to try it again…next weekend.

Second Round Pizza Dough

1 tbls. yeast
1/2 cup of very warm water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tbls. olive oil + more for coating dough and pan

Whisk together the warm water and yeast, then let sit for 3 minutes. Combine the sugar, salt, and flour, mixing well. Pour the combined water and yeast on top of the flour mixture, then add the olive oil. Knead together into a sticky dough. Form into a ball, and coat with additional olive oil. Let the dough sit, covered in a warm place until it doubles in size (approximately 45min.). Punch the dough down, kneading back into a ball, then cover and let sit for a second rise (approximately 30min.) Top with your favorite flavors, and bake in a 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Crust will have "bubbles" and all will be right with the world.

Broccoli Stir-Fry

2008-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time preparing and freezing our CSA harvest, and I'm amazed at how long our stores have lasted. The back of the freezer has only recently reappeared and our preservation efforts were well worth it. Frozen vegetables can keep about eight months before they start losing their quality, but even though we're well past that point so far we've been happy with everything we've defrosted. We might have just enough beats, beans and pesto to make it through to the first CSA pick-up of the year in June.

Tonight we had a broccoli stir-fry using some of our frozen assets (defrosted in the fridge overnight). The meal comes together very quickly, with the majority of the time spent prepping the vegetables. My frozen broccoli is chopped into bite size pieces and blanched for 2 minutes before freezing. If you are using fresh broccoli for this recipe, I would recommend blanching or steaming it a little first (even in the microwave will work) so it's not too tough in the final dish.

Broccoli Stir-Fry

For the sauce:

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1 tbls. peanut oil

1 tbls. cornstarch

pinch of red pepper flakes

For the stir-fry:

about 4 cups of frozen broccoli, thawed

1/2 of an onion, sliced vertically into wedges

1 bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 cup of seitan, sliced into strips

Thinly coat the bottom of a wok or a large open skillet with peanut oil, and set the heat halfway between medium and high. While your pan is heating, prep your vegetables and seitan. You are going to be cooking them seperately, but you want to have them on hand and ready to go.

Combine the sauce ingredients- garlic, tamari, water, honey, oil, cornstarch and pepper flakes- in a small jar. Tighten the lid, and shake vigorously to combine. Dance around the kitchen with it. It makes it more fun. Set aside.

Cook the onions in the hot skillet or wok, tossing with tongs until brown, but still maintaining their shape. Remove the onions to a plate, and carefully add a little more peanut oil to your pan. Stir-fry the peppers, then remove to the plate with the onions, and then stir-fry the broccoli in the same manner. Be careful with both of these vegetables as they have a higher water content and can splatter a bit when they hit the heat and oil. All of the veggies should end up browned, but still crunchy. Stir-fry the seitan last, being careful to keep it from sticking too much to the pan. When the seitan is browned, pour the reserved onions, peppers and broccoli back into the pan and toss to combine and heat through.

Give the jar of sauce one last shake to combine, then pour it into the pan with your vegetables and seitan. Stir until well coated. The sauce with thicken as it heats, glazing your ingredients. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy.

Africa Greens

2008-04-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

Our CSA share includes access to some U-Pick crops including basil and other herbs, chard, kale, mustard and collards. The heartier winter greens were new to me this year, and I've enjoyed experimenting with them. We've grown particularly fond of the collard greens, a good thing since we blanched and froze bags and bags of them. My previous exposure to collard greens had been the traditional southern recipe with ham hocks, but since we no longer eat pork this approach wouldn't work. I was looking for something beyond a simple greens saute when I came across this recipe for "african style" greens. I was a little dubious about the peanut butter at first, but oh so happy with the results. The recipe quickly became a weeknight staple in our house served over rice or udon noodles. As written, it makes more than enough for two as a main course and is very filling. We usually use an unsalted peanut butter, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Africa Greens

(recipe attributed to Karen Baker)

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 onion

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

pinch of cayenne

Large bunch of collard greens, tough stems removed and chopped

4 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 chopped tomato (or 1/2 can of diced tomato)

squeeze of lemon juice

Saute the garlic, onion and spices together in the olive oil. Add the chopped greens and 2 Tbsp. of the water then cover and steam until the greens are wilted and tender. Add the peanut butter and 2 more Tbsp. of water, stirring until the peanut butter has melted and coated the greens. Add the tomato, and cook until heated through, then squeeze lemon juice over the top before serving.

Going out for groceries...on foot

2008-04-16T21:47:00.001-07:00

This quote caught my attention today:

"The contribution of an increasingly mobile food supply to energy consumption, and the resulting emission of greenhouse gases, is not to be underestimated. Transportation, however, is only partly responsible for food's environmental footprint, and it is not always the biggest part...

The cars in which we drive to the supermarket can put more carbon into the atmosphere, per ton of produce carried, than the journeys of the food we buy there. A five-mile shopping trip in an average-size car to buy sixty-six pounds of food would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as shifting that food almost six hundred miles by truck and more than twenty-three miles by plane, according to Sustain's Eating Oil report. Singer and Mason reckon that driving an extra five miles to visit a local farm shop generates the same amount of emissions as shipping seventeen pounds of onions from New Zealand to London."

- from Moveable Feasts by Sarah Murray

So I guess I'll be walking to the grocery store. Bummer. It's always disappointing when you find out your small attempts at sustainability are just past minute and in shouting distance of futility. At least I won't have to walk far for most of my shopping. I'm a half a mile from a Fred Meyer, and 1.6 miles from a Trader Joes, both easily walkable if you aren't as lazy as I can be, particularly on a rainy day. My CSA is a little farther out at 13 miles, but the local drop off for our produce bags is a much more reasonable 2.5 miles from our front door, not that I'm looking forward to it. I won't even bother to calculate out my trips to the farmers market or any specialty shops so as not to depress myself further. Cheers!

Grounded in Place

2008-03-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

We've been living in the Northwest a little over two years now, and while we've developed a pretty good sense of the where of it all (we hardly ever get lost anymore), the why and the how are more challenging. To that end I've found a great resource in the Sightline Institute, a Seattle based think tank with an interest in sustainability and focused on the Pacific Northwest. They have all kinds of measures of liveability and progress for the region- from maps that show how walkable different neighborhoods are to information on climate change specific to our geography. It's a pretty neat way to look at the world around you on a scale you can appreciate. Plus I'm enamored with their mission:

"To bring about sustainability- a healthy, lasting prosperity grounded in place."

The Last of the Squash Pile

2008-03-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our little living room squash pile made it all the way to March. Score one for benign neglect. We enjoyed the last two squash (both acorn) using a recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza from Smitten Kitchen (adapted from Giada DeLaurentis). We'd intended to only use the one, but the results were so darn yummy we ended up making it two nights in a row. For the pizza dough, we also turned to Smitten Kitchen, using her recommended easy version to great result. I love the cooking blogosphere. There are great people out there making amazing food, and by their efforts I get to feel creative while being lazy at the same time!

If the full pizza production is not your thing, the recipe is worth it just for the glaze on the squash. Sweet and spicy, the baked squash would be a great side dish all it's own, something we'll be taking advantage of next fall when our squash pile is replenished.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza

1 1-lb acorn squash

2 tbls maple syrup

1 tbls olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 lb pizza dough

1 ball of whole milk mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola

1 cup of arugula (we used about three handfulls)

squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the over to 375 degrees.

(You will need to make a choice about how to handled the skin on your squash. You can peel the squash raw, or wait until the squash is baked to pull off the skin. We tried it both ways, and found both options to be a major aggravation. If you come up with something easier, please let me know, but in the meantime the recipe will proceed as if you left the skin on the squash to be removed after baking)

Slice the squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds, then slice the squash into half moons (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch) and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the maple syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until well coated. Place the squash in a small roasting dish and bake until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. (Stop here if you intend to eat the squash alone as a side dish. For the full dish, continue on.)

Keep the oven temperature at 375 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough to a 13-in diameter on a flour dusted piece of parchment paper. Place the pizza and parchment paper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella and gorgonzola over the dough and bake in the oven until the dough is baked through and the cheese is golden and bubbly (watch carefully!), about 25-30 minutes.

Peel the skins off the squash and distribute it over the top of the cooked pizza. Top with the arugula. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top of the arugula and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a turn of pepper. Slice and serve.

Monday Meals

2008-03-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

My Mondays are my longest days- five hours of teaching high energy to dance to high energy kids, plus my own ballet class and sometimes an aerobics class to boot. To stay adequately fueled for my day and avoid slumping into a low-blood sugar puddle, I have to plan my brown bag lunch pretty carefully. After much trial and error I've found the equation for my perfect Monday meal:

beans + rice + vegetables +vinaigrette = nutritious lunch that I actually want to eat

The beans provide the protein, the rice provides the carbs, the vegetables are the vitamin vehicles and the vinaigrette makes the whole thing taste good. The basic recipes is as follows, but it's sort of a thrown together thing so improvisation is encouraged:

1 cup rice, cooked

2 cups beans, cooked

1 cup vegetables, cooked or raw

vinaigrette

Mix it all together in a big bowl. Divide into two or three servings depending on how hungry you are and serve. I pack each serving in a Gladware container and eat on the road. If I have access to a microwave I will heat it up, but it's just as tasty cold.

I make my vinaigrette in a small jelly jar. I start with 1 shallot, minced then add 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/3 cup of olive oil. Put the lid on the jar (important) then shake until well combined. This makes just the right amount of dressing for this recipe. It's a little light on the oil for a vinaigrette, but the proportions work well given the other ingredients.

The fun part of these meals is coming up with the different combinations, and it keeps lunch from getting boring. So far we've tried:

chickpeas + winter squash + red wine vinaigrette

black beans + corn + chile-lime vinaigrette

white beans + spinach + red wine vinaigrette

All were very yummy, and I'm looking forward to trying more combinations.

One a Penny, Two a Penny...

2008-03-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Easter and the new season I made hot cross buns. I remember making them with my mom a few times when I was little, so for the recipe I turned to the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I always knew it as the "Red Book", and it was the cookbook of choice in my childhood kitchen. I'm not sure what edition we had growing up, but I received the 10th edition sometime in college as a housewarming present, and the most recent publication listed is the 14th edition.

In my own kitchen, I use my own "Red Book" primarily as a reference. The recipes aren't terribly imaginative, and there is a lot of emphasis on meat which isn't much help to me, but the book does contain a lot of solid cooking technique and handy things like weights and measures, nutrition charts and cooking times. And it's very helpful when nostalgia demands the preparation of a whole tray of sweet buns studded with raisins and crossed on top, even if its only for myself, dear husband and the chocolate bunny that's been lurking around our apartment.

Hot Cross Buns

(from BHG New Cook Book, 10th edition)

4 cups unbleached white all-purpose flour, divided

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil (mild)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup currants or raisens

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat and stir the milk, oil, sugar and salt until warm (120 to 130 degrees). Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixture until well incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the three eggs and beat on high for about three minutes. Using low speed or a spoon, stir in the currants or raisens, then start adding the rest of the flour. (Note: I used the dough hook on my Kitchenaid mixer to do almost all of the mixing and kneading, but if you have a less powerful machine you might need to incorporate the last of the flour by hand)

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead into a moderately soft dough. You might need to add more flour if things are too sticky. Shape into a ball in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).

Once doubled, punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divided into 20 equal portions and shape into smooth balles. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until nearly double (30 to 45 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make a criss-cross slash across each of the buns, then brush them with an egg wash if you like. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and drizzle with powdered sugar icing (the simplest recipe is to combine powdered sugar and milk or orange juice until drizzling consistency).

(Another note: Because I made my powdered sugar icing from my crunchy organic evaporated cane juice, the icing was delicious, but rather grey. As these were prepared for rather exclusive audience- me, hubby, bunny- I didn't really care, but if you were preparing these for wider distibution I would suggest buying real powdered sugar to pretty them up a bit.)

Garlic Soba Noodles

2008-03-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

One of our pantry stables is soba noodle, a Japanese noodle made with buckwheat flour. We usually use pastas as vehicles for sauces, but soba have a unique nutty flavor all their own and need little accompaniment. Usually we just eat them with a little soy sauce and some pickled ginger if we have it, but we were happy to discover a simple fusion-type recipe for soba using other pantry items like olive oil, parmesan, and garlic powder. Alas, soba are not particularly photogenic- grey noodles aren't all that appetizing on film. That is unless they are photographed by the talented Heidi Swanson from 101cookbooks.com where you will find a much better picture, and the recipe. Enjoy!

Please Learn From My Mistakes

2008-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dear husband recently forwarded along an article regarding the dangers of multitasking. I knew it was a bad idea to talk on the cell phone while driving, or to curl your eyelashes while performing brain surgery, but did you know that multitasking is a bad idea in the kitchen as well? Allow me to demonstrate.

This is my latest creation entitled "Blueberry Rock Cake". I made while checking my email, making lunch, listening to the news and in the process forgetting to include not one, but two ingredients in my usually easy and delicious "Blueberry and Buttermilk Cake". Swell. I don't recommend eating it, but chipping it out of the pan does provide quite a workout if you need to build some upper body strength.

This is my second attempt at breakfast this morning. I gave it my full attention and the results were much better. Naturally, I had used up all of my blueberries in round 1, so I subbed some sliced apples. I'll have to experiment with the apples a little more to keep them from drying out, but when you set your expectations for "edible", it is hard to disappoint.

The Frozen Zucchini Experiment

2008-03-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Last summer when our squash larder was overflowing, I shredded a bunch of zucchini using the grate plate on my trusty food processor, stuffed it into zippy bags and threw it in the back of the freezer for those cold, lonely, zucchiniless days that were bound to visit come winter. It was an experiment of sorts, as I did not parboil the zucchini like I do other vegetables before freezing, and I had hopes that the small size of the grate would keep some of the texture of the zucchini, rather than reducing it to a clump of squash mush. I am pleased to announce that my experiment was a success. I used a bag of frozen shredded zucchini to make Camille Kingsolver's "Disappearing Zucchini Orzo" and the results were identical to fresh. How delightful to know that you can get sick of eating zucchini any time of the year.

Holland and Belgium

2008-03-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

We're home again after eating and drinking our way through the low countries. Below are just a few of the highlights. We have 600 odd more pictures if you are interested, and many stories to tell. It was a wonderful trip with some wonderful people to share it with. Proost!

first stop...
canals and bicycles- the best way to travel...

the floating flower market...

near the Rijksmuseum...

at the La Trappe Brewery in the Southern Netherlands...

Mechelen, Belgium on a rainy morning....

the view from Gravensteen Castle...

Ghent, Belgium...

barrels destined for geuze...

Brussels, Belgium...

...sampling the local fare.

Perishables

2008-02-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we leave for 12 days in Holland and Belgium- a truly hedonistic holiday planned around beer and chocolate (I'll share pictures when we're back)- and the pre-trip planning and packing requires a thorough cleaning of the refrigerator (please see above). Because I abhor throwing away food, my challenge is to use all of this stuff before we go, and I think I'm doing well considering the restraints.

I had buttermilk on hand for my blueberry cakes, and its obvious destiny was to be incorporated into a Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread. The recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything and is often the bread of choice in our house (I will post the recipe later. In the meantime check out Bittman's book- one of my favorites).

I love yeast breads, but even my streamed down version of a classic loaf is time consuming. That's the genius of a quick bread. Mix, bake, done. Not only is this a snack loaf, but it holds up well as a sandwich and the rich molasses flavor pairs will with sharp cheddars.

The apples and cheese are easy to dispatch as they are the only ingredients in one of my favorite lunches. Eat as is, or make a sandwich with the molasses bread.

All of the veggies- fennel, red onion, carrot, celery, parsley, spinach, red pepper, garlic and the leftover spaghetti sauce- were cooked up with some olive oil, vegetable broth, canned tomatoes and egg noodles into an Improvised Vegetable Soup. Enjoy as is, or bulk up further with canned beans or meatless meatballs.

I sauted the scallions in a oven-safe pan, then beat together the eggs and a glug of half-n-half and poured it in over medium heat, seasoning with salt, pepper and a little tarragon. Once the eggs set, I put the pan under the broiler until the eggs were puffy and starting to brown. Sprinkled with some crumbled goat cheese I found lurking in the back of the fridge, the frittata made for a delicious, if not quite photogenic lunch, so here's a shot of some raw materials instead.

And now I'm off to pack. See you in a couple of weeks!

Salmon and Blood Oranges

2008-02-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

The produce department is full of great citrus this time of year, like these beautiful blood oranges we picked up the other day. The acidity of citrus pairs well will the fatty-richness of salmon, and I like to use oranges for a very simple salmon supper. Blood oranges are not only colorful, but more tart than other varieties, which makes for a more subtlely flavored dish.

Salmon with Blood Oranges

2 salmon fillets
1 blood orange
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets in a baking dish. Juice the orange, and pour the orange juice over the fish. Bake for about 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked through, but still rare in the center of the fillet. Remove from the oven and let rest about 10 minutes before serving (the fish will continue cooking as it rests).

That's it- so simple I don't know if its even fair to call it a recipe. While my salmon was baking, my other oven rack played host to a sheet pan of local grown baby yukon potatoes, quartered and tossed with olive oil, salt and cracked rosemary. Served together, the salmon and potatoes made for a great meal.

Salmon is not in season until spring, so this recipe relies on frozen fillets. Wild caught salmon is ideal when choosing the source of your fish. For information on wild vs. farmed check out this link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and while you're there download one of their excellent pocket guides to responsible seafood choices. My dear aunt sent me a link to a similar healthy choices guide from Real Simple that provides additional information regarding seafood and mercury contamination.

Also, be aware that there have been issues regarding mislabeling of farmed salmon as wild caught, thwarting your responsible choices. The solution is to know you fishmonger. Ask questions when you are buying fish whether at the grocery store or a specialty shop, and if you can't get satisfying answers, shop elsewhere.

So Nice I Made It Twice

2008-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

This morning I made another pan of the Blueberry and Buttermilk Cake. I was low on lemons, so this time I used orange zest to great success. It gives the cake a wonderful warm flavor. Just a warning, we are big wheat flour fans, and the chewy, nutty flavor it brings to baked goods. If you aren't as keen on whole grain goodness, or just not used to it, you might consider altering the proportions of the recipe to favor the white flour.

Baking the cake was an excuse not only to use up my cache of frozen blueberries, but also to play around with our new camera. I'm still pining away for my old one, but this will do nicely in the meantime.

Blueberry and Buttermilk Cake

2008-02-13T12:24:00.001-08:00

We still have some summer blueberries rattling around the freezer, and this morning I thought to use them in a cake. This recipe is adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros, a book I've been coveting. Actually, it is an adaptation of an adaptation (if such a thing is possible), as I first saw the recipe and book reviewed by Amanda Soule on her blog Soulemama. Wherever the credit lies, the cake is delicious- not to sweet and perfect for breakfast. I of course do prefer to eat cake for breakfast. If you haven't tried it you should.

Blueberry and Buttermilk Cake

1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tbls unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbls grated lemon zest
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 tbls brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the buttermilk, butter, maple syrup and lemon zest. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold gently until combined. The result is more like a muffin batter, as opposed to a thin cake batter, so there is no need to beat and overmix. Spread into a 12X8X2 in. pan. Sprinkle the blueberries on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Cool and serve.

Sweet Grass Farm Beef

2008-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

I don't eat mammal meat, but if I did I would want it to be beef from Sweet Grass Farm. I heard an interview with Scott Meyer from Lopez Island's Sweet Grass Farm today on KUOW, and I was moved to hear someone speak about their land and their cattle with such appreciation and humility. The interview was originally aired on Sound Focus, and you can find it during the last ten minutes of the audio.

My reasons for my almost vegetarianism (I do eat fin fish and shellfish) are varied and have evolved over the years, but one of my primary concerns is that animals consumed as food be respected in both life and death. That is, I don't necessarily have a problem with human consumption of animal products, but I believe we owe the animals in question good lives and good deaths. I stopped eating meat when I realized that I couldn't personally guarantee that what was on my plate met my own standards of integrity, and by and large most commercial meat in this country does not.

That's why I'm so pleased to find out about a farm like Sweet Grass where the animals are treated humanely in life and death. I'm still not going to eat mammal meat (due to the variation and evolution of my vegetarian philosophy referred to earlier) but I'm pleased to know these kind of options exist for those who do.

Ballard Farmers Market

2008-01-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

Sundays are pretty slow moving at our house, which explains why it's taken us so long to visit the Ballard Winter Market. I mean a 3:00pm closing time! Isn't that a bit early for a Sunday? We managed to drag ourselves away from our bed and books just in time today, and were well rewarded for our efforts bring home:

crisp local Cameo Apples
Trailhead cheese from Mt. Townsand Creamery
Fresh Mozzarella from River Valley Ranch
Quarry Stone Hard Apple Cider from Rockridge Orchards
hedgehog mushrooms from Foraged and Found Edibles

The apples, hard cider and Trailhead cheese are for tonight's dinner, along with some smoked salmon we have and homemade wheat bread. The mozzarella and mushrooms are destined for a pizza- some very good eating to look forward to.

Watch Your (Fo)odometer

2008-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Responsible Wine

2008-01-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Choosing local is often motivated by reducing your personal carbon footprint, but determining the impact of your choices isn't always easy. I was intrigued by this article at Salon.com regarding wine and its travels from the vineyard to the table, particularly the idea that east coast oenophiles are better off importing European wines than drinking Napa grown. With plenty of Washington wines to choose from, I don't have to make these kind of calculations to fill my glass, but it makes curious about the impact of other "non-local" produce and staples in my pantry.

Baking

2008-01-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Besides bread, which will be the subject of a future post, I don’t usually do a lot of baking beyond the holidays. Christmastime is cookie time, and my family has a collection of tried-and-trues that are as much a part of the season as evergreen and tinsel. This year is different, as I’ve apparently been bitten by the baking bug, and have continued to make cookies and cakes long past the traditional cookie calendar. I have even been (gasp!) trying out new recipes.

This leads to an examination of ingredients, and the baking goods corner of my pantry shelf. In years past, this has been an often neglected corner of the kitchen, where I admit ingredients have sat long past their prime. But given my recent frenzy, the stores are actually lowering and I’m having to the re-examine where I source all these goodies, as always looking for local, organic and responsible. Here’s what I have been able to find so far:

Flour- Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill in Bellingham, WA offers flours from organic Western grown grains. Not every variety is from Washington farmers, but the pastry flours are mostly local and their products are easy to find even in conventional grocery stores.

Eggs- This is the easy one, as there are local sources for both in the grocery as well as the farmers market. My obvious preference in eggs are for those provided by Dear Aunt and Uncles chickens in Bellingham, but when they aren’t readily available there are a lot of local and humane options such as Stiebrs Farms.

Dairy- Locally produced dairy is also easy to find on the grocery store shelf, as is organic, but you have to look closely to find a combination of the two. There is also some controversy regarding organic standards and dairy, particularly when it comes to pasture access. One avenue I haven’t explored, but intend to, is raw milk products. There are a number of suppliers locally, and that might prove to be the best source of humane and healthy dairy for us.

Sugar- Sweeteners other than honey are proving problematic in finding a local source. Maple syrup can be produced in the Pacific Northwest, but generally isn’t, and the production and politics of both beet and cane sugar are a bit overwhelming to me. From what I can determine, the most responsible approach to sweeteners is to make sure that they are Fair Trade Certified.

Chocolate- Theo Chocolates, located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, roasts organic and Fair Trade certified cocoa beans, and turns them into delectable chocolate bars and confections. I admit I haven’t used any of their products in baking yet, but I fully intend to, if only I can manage to get them home without eating them first.

Snoqualmie Wines

2008-01-18T16:12:00.000-08:00

If you have an interest in eating locally, the Pacific Northwest is a great place for it. The moderate climate hosts all matter of agriculture even in the dark days of winter, the seafood is abundant and well managed, and the wine flows freely. While there are some great wines on my side of the Cascades, most of what we have been drinking lately comes from Eastern Washington.

Snoqualmie Winery is in the Columbia Valley town of Prosser, about 200 miles from our own home. This is a ways from the defined "foodshed", but local compared to Chilean or Australian wines that share its shelf space. We like what we consider affordable wines- affordable meaning cheap to most people- and Snoqualmie has a number of great tasting bottles that fit into our very modest budget. Here are three that we have tried recently:

Snoqualmie 2004 Whistle Stop Red Cabernet Merlot

The label spoke of black fruits and chocolate notes, but we found these flavors hard to find. The blend made for a nice red, but we found it a little too bright or acidic, and would prefer a rounder flavor.

Snoqualmie 2005 Merlot

We don't usually favor merlots, but we both really liked this wine. It has a rich clove aroma and a medium body, with a lot of complexity to it. We usually associate spiciness with a syrah, but this wine made us rethink the merlot grape. The label refers to a "velvety mouthfeel" which is a pretty apt description. Of the two reds, this was the definite favorite.

Snoqualmie 2006 Nearly Naked Gewurztraminer

This was our favorite of the three, though we should check out some of their other whites by way of true comparison. Nearly Naked is Snoqualmie's certified organic line and the 2006 Gewurztraminer is well reviewed. The wine has sweet floral notes with a bright, clean finish, notable for a very forward grape flavor we both described as "juicy".

The move towards organic practice and process in the wine industry has had some controversy attached, with concern that motivation is marketing rather than sustainability. In the end, the quality of the product is what really counts, and we were happy to find this wine along with its responsible pedigree, and are looking forward to exploring the rest of the line.

Pretty Pictures

2008-01-17T11:24:00.001-08:00

My camera is still down for the count, something I find increasingly vexing. Since I started the blog project in July I have grown quite attached to my little camera, and I’m a bit bereft without it. It just doesn’t seem right to have a dinner go un-photographed and everywhere I go I’m constantly framing shots. Worst of all, it’s become an excuse not to write at all, and that’s just unacceptable to me. So please forgive me if over the next couple of weeks the pictures don’t quite match the subject matter. I hope to be back snapping and cropping soon.

Trellis and the Heathman Hotel- Kirkland

2008-01-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

On our honeymoon this summer, dear husband and I spent a wonderful night at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, OR. We had hoped to revisit the area and the hotel over New Year’s, but scheduling and weather prevented the drive. Luckily, the Heathman recently opened a property in nearby Kirkland, with the added benefit of the much praised Trellis Restaurant attached. Trellis and its executive chef Brian Scheehser are committed to sustainable agriculture and local produce, emphasizing seasonality on the menu. Scheehser even maintains a three acre garden in Woodinville, near the site of our own CSA, as a very local source for ingredients. Even though our first visit was in the lean cellar month of December, we were impressed with the diversity of offerings on the menu and very pleased with the food- well prepared and presented. Full bellies coupled with the romance of the hotel and a bottle of bubbly made for a very happy new year’s celebration.

Cheers!

2007-12-31T15:22:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

Trophy Cupcakes and Party

2007-12-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

We first visited Trophy Cupcakes and Party in Wallingford a couple of months ago, but I had hesitated to write about it until I had a second chance to visit. Trophy serves cupcakes and coffee, and offers a selection of classic and classy party goods and letterpress cards and wrapping papers.

First and foremost, the cakes. They are amazing. We sampled quite a few over the course of our two visits, and were impressed by every last one. In every flavor, the quality of the ingredients comes shining through. The frosting is buttery and perfectly proportioned to the cake, which is moist and flavorful every time. The selections we enjoyed included:

Triple Coconut- A coconut cake with coconut buttercream frosting and shaved coconut. (The cake is incredibly rich and full of shredded coconut.)

Lemon Coconut- A lemon butter cake with coconut buttercream frosting and shaved coconut. (The lemon is very powerful in this little cake so be prepared.)

Hummingbird- A banana, pineapple, coconut cake with cream cheese frosting. (Chunks of real fruit in the cake and a sweet cream cheese whipped to a delicate froth so as not to be overpowering)

Red Velvet- A traditional Southern buttermilk cake with a hint of cocoa topped with a cream cheese frosting. (The richness is in the cake not the frosting, which sort of inverts the usual cupcake paradigm. Plus its topped with an adorable red candy heart.)

Chai Cardamom- A chai spiced butter cake with cardamom butter cream . (Smells heavenly and is spiced just right).

Carrot Cake- An old fashioned carrot walnut cake with cream cheese frosting. (Again with the cream cheese frosting- fast becoming our favorite.)

These are available every week on a rotating schedule you can find on their website. We also enjoyed two seasonal selections:

Chocolate Candy Cane- A valrhona chocolate cupcake with peppermint buttercream and crushed candy cane on top. (So much can go wrong when you start adding candy canes, but they get this one right. The mint is a complement to the chocolate, not the main event.)

Candied Yam- A yam cupcake with pecans and traditional fall spices topped with a toasted marshmallow meringue. (I was really excited about this flavor combination and wasn’t disappointed. The marshmallow frosting is what makes the cake.)

With so much to recommend it, why would I hesitate to write about Trophy? The service. It was bad. Really bad. Our first visit left us wondering how working with cupcakes- the culinary equivalent to a hug- could provoke such hostility in the staff. Normally I wouldn’t be keen to return to a restaurant that disdains their paying customers, but the cupcakes were so good I had to give them a second chance. Luckily things were a lot better the second time around, but I’m not sold yet. If they can just apply the same genius to their customer service that they do to their baking, I’ll be their biggest fan.

UPDATE: I had a wonderful conversation with Maggie, the general manager at Trophy, and she assured me that they are hard at work developing their customer service capability. I have great confidence that they will soon be up to speed, and on their way to sweet success.

Simple Soups for a Cold Winter's Night

2007-12-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

I grew up mostly in the Midwest, so my idea of winter weather is a little different than what's considered cold on the west coast. Never the less, when you are used to mild climes of the Pacific Northwest, a dip in temperatures and a skiff of snow can make for quite a shock, and send you scrambling for your fuzzy slippers, a pile of a blankets and the warming comforts of the soup pot. Here are a few of the simple soup combinations we've been making at home using ingredients on hand:

Sweet Potato Soup
Saute 1 small onion in olive oil, then add three cups of vegetable broth and 2 lbs of sweet potatos diced. Simmer until potato is tender, season with 1/4 tsp or so of ground cinnamon, salt and pepper, and then blend with an immersion blender.

Curry Carrot Soup
Saute 1 small onion in olive oil with 1/2 tsp of ground cumin. Add three cups of vegetable broth, a 1 lb bag of baby carrots, 4 oz of diced potato and 2 tsp of curry powder (or more to taste). Simmer until vegetables are tender and then blend with and immersion blender.

Swiss Chard and "Meatball" Soup
Begin with a mirepoix- saute a small onion, a medium carrot, and a stalk or so of celery (all in small dice) in a tbls of olive oil. When the vegetables are tender, pour in three cups of vegetable broth and a bunch of swiss chard (stalk removed and sliced into ribbons). When the chard is almost tender, add in some Meatless Meatballs (we like the Trader Joe's Brand) and a cup of cooked rice (leftover is perfect). When the meatballs are heated through, season to taste and serve.

Beets: Can You Beat Them?

2007-12-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

We received quite a few beets in our CSA share this year, which presented something of a challenge as I really had no experience cooking with them. I parboiled and bagged the greens for the freezer, and grated up the fresh root for salads, but still we were over run. That's why I was so happy to discover this recipe from the Hot Knives. Named Goul-Borscht, its an all vegan beet stew using the best of Eastern European flavors. The soup is rich and hearty, and perfectly seasoned- so much more than a simple vegetable stew. A perfect meal for a cold winter night and the perfect use for our beet bounty.

The finished stew is topped with chunks of sauteed seitan, which I hadn't cooked with before. Seitan, or wheat gluten, is protein substitute or faux meat from the Buddhist tradition. We found ours amoung the soy products and tofurky at the grocery store, but it can also be made at home. Sauteed and served as the "goulash" portion of the stew it adds a meaty heft to the meal, as well as a textural contrast to the finished dish.

The Hot Knives are kind enough to offer a beer pairing recommendation with each of their recipes, and the match with Goul-Borscht was Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout from Colorado's Great Divide Brewing Company. This is an intense dark beer, but the deep roasted malts pair well with the complexity of the paprikas and the hops cut through the sweet richness of the beet. We were very pleased with the match and the meal.

Link to the recipe here.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

2007-12-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

Our CSA bounty included an abundance of sugar pumpkin and while I could eat pumpkin pie all day everyday, in the interest of our waistlines we needed to find another application. Soup was the obvious use, and we were very happy to find this recipe for Black Bean Pumpkin Soup at Smitten Kitchen. For our table we omitted the ham and used mushroom broth instead of beef broth to make it vegetarian.

Most pumpkin soup recipes call for warm pie spices and cream, resulting in a sweet, almost dessert dish. This soup goes in a completely different direction, with an emphasis on the savory. Rather than being the main event, the pumpkin is only part of the whole with the depth of the black beans and the complexity of the sherry and sherry vinegar coming through.

If you have the option, The Essential Baking Company's Sweet Potato Pecan Bread is the perfect accompaniment to this soup. The subtle sweetness of the bread is a great counterpoint to the bold flavors of the soup, and paired together they make for a filling meal.

Farro and Roasted Winter Squash

2007-12-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

We are always trying to expand our whole grain repertoire, and after having a salad featuring farro at The Pink Door earlier this year, we wanted to add it into the mix. I found the ideal recipe for a first run on 101cookbooks.com and for lunch today prepared my own version of Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash. Instead of butternut, I opted to use acorn squash as that is what we had on hand in our CSA squash pile, and I adapted the recipe slightly to reduce the fat content, decreasing the amount of oil, walnuts and cheese. For the original recipe and beautiful photography of the finished product, please visit 101cookbooks.com.

Farro and Roasted Winter Squash

(makes four servings)

2 cups farro, rinsed and drained

2 tsp salt

5 cups water

3 cups winter squash cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 large red onion cut into 1/8's

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbls olive oil

1 tbls balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the farro, salt, and water in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour, or 30 minutes if you are using a pressure cooker. The farro should be tender, but with a firm bite. Drain and set aside.

While the farro is cooking toss the squash with the onion, the thyme, 1 tbls of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, along with a pinch or two of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet, and roast for about 20 minutes shaking the pan occasionally until the squash is browned and tender. Remove from the oven, and mince about 1/2 of the red onions.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked farro, the squash mixture, the walnuts and the remaining 1 tbls of olive oil. Season to taste. Top each serving with 1 tbls of the crumbled goat cheese, and enjoy.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving dinner this year was exclusive, the guest list only including myself, dear husband and dear brother who flew up from San Diego. That didn’t keep us from preparing and eating a mountain of food however, and three made for delightful company.

We started the meal with a cheese plate featuring soft camembert-like Cirrus from Mt. Townsend Creamery, water crackers and an amazing cardamom spiked Ginger Beer Cranberry Sauce inspired by the Hot Knives.

Thanksgiving can create a dilemma for mostly vegetarians like us who can feel pressured to create some “main dish” to replace the turkey. Tofurky and its vegetable counterparts are great, but we’ve found that the real tradition of Thanksgiving is largely in the side dishes. Taking away the turkey isn’t really so great a deprivation when the sideboard is covered with the “everything else” we all remember from childhood. (And the boys did get some bird when we visited Bellingham later in the week thanks to dear aunt and uncle). This year’s dishes included:

Brussel Sprouts- sliced in a chiffonade then sauted in olive oil with shallot, a little vegetable broth and sliced roasted chestnuts

Roasted Carrots- I have a great recipe for roasted carrots and cranberries, but I couldn’t find it anywhere this year, so I ended up improvising at the last minute tossing baby carrots with canola oil, orange juice, salt and pepper, cumin, cinnamon, a tiny bit of brown sugar, dried cranberries and chopped pecans. I have no idea what the quantities ended up being, but they turned out delicious so I must have got it right.

Dinner Rolls- from The Essential Baking Company. I prefer to leave my bread baking to the pros on holidays.

Sweet Potatoes- sliced thin, barely coated with canola oil and maple syrup then baked in a casserole until tender and topped with toasted pecans

Mushroom Gravy- I buy it in a box. I admit it. But the Pacific Brand is really tasty.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes- these were the talk of the table. The recipe is from Everyday Food, ridiculously easy and incredibly flavorful. The garlic is very potent- your kitchen, apartment and potentially your city block will be well protected from vampire attack- but thankfully it didn’t overwhelm the other flavors of the feast, but was a great compliment to all of the dishes presented.

Of course many glasses of wine were poured and many bottles of beer raised in Thanksgiving toast, and the meal was finished with the pumpkin pie and maple whipped cream I mentioned in an earlier post. The leftovers seemed excessive at first glance, but barely survived the weekend, and the result of all our culinary effort was a very successful holiday well celebrated.

Cranberry Bean Soup

2007-12-07T21:21:00.001-08:00

Dear husband is feeling under the weather, so the restorative power of soup was the order of the day. I used the locally grown cranberry beans I found earlier this year at the Phinney Farmers Market and with my last CSA onion and a few other items scavenged from the fridge I was able to improvise a Pasta e Fagioli based around my usual vegetable soup template. Alas, there are no pictures of the final product. My camera is not behaving itself today. But the results were delicious, and apparently just what the doctor order seeing as how dear husband managed to polish off two bowl fulls.

Ketchup...Catsup...Catch Up

2007-12-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting as much as I would hope to lately. In November I was participating in NANOWRIMO so most of my writing energy was devoted to that project. Now that December is here, and I'm an official NANOWRIMO winner, I can get back to my other projects, namely cooking yummy things and posting about them here.

I have a bit of catching up to do first. Thanksgiving is the official American cooking holiday, so I couldn't let it go by without some posting to celebrate. This year Puget Sound Fresh, a local advocacy of farmers markets and local producers, created a challenge to include a local food in holiday menus. I was more than happy to take that challenge, including local foods throughout our meal, but the best example was our Pumpkin Pie.

The pumpkin puree came from one of our CSA squash. Earlier in the fall I steamed said pumpkin, and ran the flesh through the food mill, freezing the result in a zippy bag for safekeeping until Thanksgiving. We used a recipe from Everyday Food and made three pies plus an extra dish of pumpkin custard, which has always been my favorite pre-Thanksgiving-dinner treat. Topped with some maple syrup flavored whipped cream, it was a perfect end to a lovely meal.

An Empty Refrigerator

2007-11-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

After a long summer of CSA vegetables, I was stunned this week to find an empty fridge. The freezer is another matter, packed to bursting with zip packs of blanched and frozen vegetables, but with the exception of two lonely beets and the last of an onion, the crisper was devoid of any fresh vegetables for the first time since June.

A sad state of affairs to be sure, but when I set out to correct things with a grocery list, I had a difficult time knowing what to write. I simply couldn’t decide what to get. All summer long the CSA dictated our menus. We engaged in reactionary cooking, working our way through the produce as quickly as we could to avoid waste and maximize our enjoyment of our highly perishable bounty. Without that kind of direction, for the first time in months I need inspiration to figure out what’s for dinner.

The good news is, without the ticking time bomb of wilting lettuce hanging over me, I have the leisure to explore my way through any kind of recipe that comes my way. I’m still interested in keeping seasonality in mind, and when I’m not using my frozen produce, I’m trying to source locally, but I’m able to take some time and seek new ideas in both my cookbook collection and online. Here are some of the food blogs and other resources I’ve been enjoying lately, and soon I’ll be posting some the recipes I’ve gleaned from these sites as soon as I manage to make a decision one which one to try first.

Smitten Kitchen
Deb Perelman's recipe intensive blog, offering exquisitely photographed examples of small kitchen triumphs and trials, shared with grace and humor.

Hot Knives
The vegetarian and vegan cooking of Alex Brown and Evan George is best summed up in their own words "We believe in cheap groceries, cooking with high alcohol content beer and free leisure. We hate weak sauces." Every recipe is paired with a beer choice and a soundtrack selection, welcome additions to any our dinners.

Delicious Days
Beautifully produced website featuring stories and recipes from a home kitchen, and tons of resources for the food obsessed including links to foodie articles, book review and music to cook by. You can spend all day on this site.

The Perfect Pantry
Food writer Lydia Walshin opens her pantry door and exposes all ingredient by ingredient. From the mundane (iodized salt) to the obscure (agave nectar), Lydia's blog offers a facinating mix of recipes, sources, history and more one pantry item at a time.

Re-cycled Vegetables

2007-11-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

This summer's CSA share resulted in an embarrassment of riches, complete with an embarrassment of scraps. Our family of two worked hard all summer long either eating or preserving our way through the vegetable bounty, with "waste not want not" as our mantra. Yet still the crisper bulged and strained, and we were nearly overrun with green things. All would have been lost save for our secret refrigerator cleaning weapon- homemade vegetable stock.

We made gallons and gallons of stock this summer. Some of it we used immediately as a base for light vegetable soups and pasta sauces (like our pesto). The rest we packed away in the freezer where it awaits incorporation into hearty bean stews and warm winter risottos. The pressure cooker makes it very easy to boil everything down, but the conventional stovetop approach works just as well, and most of the work is in the cleaning and prep. What I know about making stock I learned from trial and error, and while I'm generally pleased with the results of my efforts, a more classically trained cook may very well shudder at the suggestions that follow. My attitude is that homemade vegetable stock is a practical thing, not a precious thing, and the practical allows for both gifted improvisation and terrible mistakes.

To make a good vegetable stock, you need to start with good vegetables. This sounds obvious, but it's tempting to err on the frugal side and try to save every little scrap (hence the reference to “terrible mistakes” above). Your stock should not be the repository for slimy greens and moldy potatoes. A stock pot is no substitute for the compost bin.

Stock begins with mirepoix- onion, celery and carrot, and in my experience, these three components should make up at least half of your stock veggies, and are non-negotiable. The other consistent components in my stock are unpeeled garlic cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves. Beyond that, there’s a lot of room for variation.

A starchier vegetable will contribute to the body of the stock. Potatoes are a great choice, as are turnips and some of the milder squashes. Leek greens and scallions will join forces with the other aromatics, making a stock with a spicy bite, and mushroom stems add an earthy richness. Parsley, lettuces and other greens can be incorporated into a stock, but they should only make up a quarter or less of your veggie volume, or the stock will take on an unpleasant grassy flavor. You will want to avoid the cruciferous vegetables- broccoli, cabbage, et al will over power any other flavors in the stock- and I imagine beets would be a little obnoxious too, in color if not flavor. I don’t usually salt my stock, but depending on its potential, it might make sense to season at the beginning rather than adjusting for it later. You could also throw in a sachet of herbs, or a piece of ginger to add some complexity.

To make stock in the pressure cooker, I wash and inspect my vegetable and trimming first, than rough cut them so everything approximately the same size. Once everything is in the pot, I cover it with water, turn up the heat and bring the cooker to high pressure. After 10 minutes at high pressure I take it off the heat, let it release on its own, then pour the resulting liquid through a fine colander, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon, and store. I would recommend that you process it immediately after the pressure has come back down and not let it set too long. Like tea, if the vegetable steep for too long the broth with become bitter. Once the stock has been stored, the solid mush left behind would be perfect for compost, or a fine meal for a hungry garbage disposal.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, again wash and inspect your vegetables and trimmings, then rough cut them to approximately the same size. In a large stock pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so your stock is at a simmer. Simmer for about an hour, but no more than that. You want the vegetables cooked, but not falling apart to mush. Strain as above and store in the fridge or the freezer. And experiment a little. Homemade vegetable stock is better for its imperfections, so try and err and try again.

Potato and Leek Soup

2007-11-11T16:36:00.001-08:00

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces-

just good food from fresh ingredients."

- Julia Child

Julia Child wrote about Potato and Leek Soup first in her famed Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and again in other publications, but rather than emphasize the precision of a recipe, she wrote about simplicity in flavor and in technique and how they can combine into something remarkable.

With all do respect to Julia, I chose to ignore even the simple instructions she had provided, my goal being to cleaning out of the refrigerator rather than the creation of the culinary sublime. And yet, I made something wonderful in spite of myself. Below is her recipe. My humble variation on the original only differed in my failure to measure any of the ingredients, the sauteing of the leeks in a tablespoon or so of butter, and the addition of some 2% milk after pureeing with the immersion blender.

Chilled Leek and Potato Soup from The Way to Cook

Yield: 6-8 servings, about 2 1/2 quarts

"Here is the mother of the family in all her simplicity. You'll note there's no chicken stock here, just water, leeks, potatoes, and salt in the soup base. However, you may include chicken stock if you wish, and you may certainly include milk. A bit of cream at the end is a nourishing touch, but by no means necessary." -- Julia Child

Note: If you are not puréeing the soup, cut the vegetables rather neatly.

4 cups sliced leeks, white part only
4 cups diced potatoes, old or baking potatoes recommended
6 to 7 cups water
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/2 cup or more sour cream, heavy cream, or crème fraîche, optional
1 Tablespoon fresh chives or parsley, minced

Special Equipment Suggested : A heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan with cover

Simmering the soup . Bring the leeks, potatoes and water to the boil in the saucepan. Salt lightly, cover partially, and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Purée the soup if you wish. Taste, and correct seasoning. After chilling the soup, you may wish to stir in a little more cream. Taste carefully again, and correct the seasoning. Top each serving with a sprinkle of chives or parsley.

How to Roast an Acorn Squash

2007-11-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

It's the easiest thing in the world to do, but for some reason I have to look it up every time. To roast an acorn squash, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds and place face down in a roasting pan. Roast for thirty minutes, then flip cut side up. No accoutrements are necessary, but if your intention is to stuff the squash, or add butter and brown sugar, now would be the time. Roast another twenty minutes or so until the flesh is soft and the tops are lightly browned. Enjoy.

A New Cuisine

2007-11-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

It's rare that I would refuse a bargain on a book, which is how I came to own Marcus Samuelsson's The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Food and Flavors of Africa (also published under the title Discovery of a Continent: Foods, Flavors, and Inspirations From Africa). I found it on clearance at my Starbucks store and combined with my discount, I couldn't resist, figuring I would find some use for it. Far exceeding my expectations, I was delighted by what I discovered in its pages: A well written guide to a continent's cuisine, relevant and accessible to the average cook.

I've recently been doing some research on Africa for another project, and what I keep coming back to again and again is how misunderstood the peoples and history of Africa are in the West. Our relationship with the continent is defined by a consistent underestimation of potentials. We rarely appreciate how vast the landscape, how varied the people and how rich the history is of this place. Having some inkling of the subject's breadth, I was intrigued by Samuelsson's trying to write an "All Africa" cookbook in less than 200 pages, and was pleased to find him remarkably successful in his attempt.

It succeeds because it provides not a compendium, but a taste. From the start it acknowledges the very size of Africa, and the diversity of its culinary traditions. The material is roughly divided into North, South, East and West and regional similarities in produce and techniques are discussed, without dismissing the greater diversity of culinary tradition in any given area. Samuelsson shares stories from his own travels on the continent, and the photography is beautiful, giving context to the recipes by featuring the people who enjoy them in their own communities more often than the food itself.

Captivating photos and stirring anecdotes bring a lot to the table, but the real appeal of a cookbook is the food, and here again Samuelsson does not disappoint. The recipes are simple and easily communicated to the home cook which I found impressive given the chef's fine cuisine credentials. More exotic ingredients are defined and sourced, and substitutions are provided, but there is no need to upend the pantry in order to make great use of the book. The economic reality of the continent means that African food is the food of the farmer and the working family, and it translates well to typical kitchen table.

In our own kitchen, we made the "Two-Alarm Pumpkin Chili", a recipe contributed to the book by Dorothy Saucier and incorporating the flavors of West Africa with the inspiration of the diaspora. It made for a great introduction to the cuisine of the continent, and we'll be turning to this book again for inspiration.

TWO ALARM PUMPKIN CHILI

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (8 ounces) dried black-eyed peas, picked over
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 hot peppers, such as jalapeno, Scotch bonnet, or habanero, or to taste, seed and minced
2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

For serving:
Plain yogurt
Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse the black-eyed peas. Soak them in the beer for 4 to 6 hours, until they have plumped.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and bell pepper until the onion is translucent. Add the corn and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn up the heat, add the last tablespoon of oil and stir in the peppers and pumpkin. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cubes start to brown.

Pour the peas and beer into the pot. Add the water, coffee, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the pumpkin and beans are tender.

To serve, ladle into bowls. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and liberal sprinkling of pepitas.

Serves 6 to 8.

Comforts

2007-11-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

We are losing someone this week. Someone we love is dying and we are keeping vigil and keeping busy- contesting our uselessness by immersing ourselves in household tasks and logistical planning for the mourning rituals that are coming too soon. I want to help, to be helpful, to make an effort in some direction that might possibly be meaningful. But instead, I'm cooking and cleaning and stocking the pantry in the hope that from this peripheral vantage, I can support my family, who will in turn be supporting those closest to loss. I want to comfort and aid, and the only way I can think to do this is by the smallest measures- offering a place to rest and a meal.

A few years ago, a friend of ours was involved in a serious accident and in a quick note with the usual get-well-soon sentiment, I jokingly offered to provide what I called "the traditional food of healing- a casserole." To my delight, he accepted my offer and I happily buzzed about the kitchen concocting what I could remember of "hot dishes" from my youth- lasagne, tuna casserole, something with cream of mushroom soup as a base and potato chips on top. The food was received in the spirit it was given. It was a welcome comfort and it made me so happy to provide something tangible, literally touchible and tastible in response to his injury and as evidence of my concern.

Today, I'm longing to recreate that evidence. To provide in some way tangible. I'm not alone in this. Earlier this evening when I suggested I might bring something by, the offer was politely refused. The cupboard is stocked to overflowing. Friends and relatives have been leaving offerings of food and drink for weeks.

It's appropriate that this week I would read Sara Miles Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion. My theology is an ever changing landscape, far beyond the scope of this blog, but this spoke to me in its discussion of communion in the sense that the spiritual feeds us, and in feeding each other we can touch the spiritual. To attend to the most basic needs of others, is to witness and to celebrate the bonds of humanity. It is to love.

My instincts in this time of crisis and pain are correct. To attend to each other, to comfort, to offer rest, to offer food. This how we touch each other. This is the evidence of how we care.

I wrote the paragraphs above last week, as we were awaiting the passing of my dear aunt. In the days since, family has gathered here in Seattle from all over the country, to mourn her death and celebrate her life. Painful as it was, I was heartened to hear laughter rival the tears. There was a lot of joy in her life, and even in her passing we couldn't deny it. We laughed until we cried, then laughed again, and in the embrace of our closet kin sang praises to this life lived in abundant graces.

A note on photography: Walking the beach in Vancouver earlier this year we came upon an artist building memorial cairns on the shore. He had written a small artist's statement, asking that we respect his own anonymity but acknowledge the names of loved ones he had incorporated into the memorials, a physical rememberance of those he had lost.

Splendid Table Sustainability Survey

2007-11-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

We enjoy listening to American Public Media's The Splendid Table on our local KUOW, and I've recently subscribed to the podcast in case I'm otherwise engaged on Sunday afternoons. In addition to sharing recipes and great stories about farmers, vintners and epicures, The Splendid Table often produces features on sustainability issues, local food and seasonality.

Right now, the website is featuring a listener survey regarding these values. Not only are the questions food for thought, but participants will be entered to win a copy of Alice Waters' new book, The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution.

Beyond this survey, The Splendid Table is taking on a longer project in which families "who will attempt to purchase at least 80 percent of their food items locally, within a five-state region, in season and organic and sustainably grown". It sounds like a very exciting project, and this survey is laying the groundwork for it.

The link to survey is here, and the larger site offers a lot of resources including archived shows, recipes and links to more great resources.

Martian Mushrooms

2007-11-02T15:27:00.001-07:00

"Are these from Mars?" dear husband asked when we stumbled upon some chanterelles. Granted they were massed in a bin at the Central Market, rather then peaking out of the leaf litter on a forest floor, but I still felt the thrill of discovery. "I don't know Mandi, I'm pretty sure these are from Mars." Dear husband wasn't quite convinced when I bagged them and brought them home, but that may have had more to do with their astronomical price per pound rather than their extraterrestrial appearance.

Whatever their origin, sauteed along side their cheaper cremini cousins and finished with a little butter, they were exquisite. (I know you thought I would say they were "out of this world" but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.) Served over a couscous and grain mix prepared with mushroom broth, the end result was a dish suffused with the earthy flavors of fall. A walk in the woods in the comfort of your own dining room.

Breakfast Cupcakes

2007-10-30T20:57:00.001-07:00

I had an early appointment in Ballard this morning which meant breakfast at Cupcake Royale. We opted to have cupcakes instead of traditional cake at our wedding this summer, and after that we felt we could officially declare ourselves "cupcake aficionados". We've sought out these sweet treats ever since, comparing such obscure metrics as "crumbley messiness" and "frosting excellentness".
Cupcake Royale was Seattle's first cupcake oriented establishment and they are still holding their own against the cupcake competition with three locations in the city. They have a regular selection of about eight varieties (not counting for chocolate and vanilla variations) plus an assortment of seasonal treats. The size is just right for a snack- nothing ostentatious- and the frosting is thick but not overpowering. The cake can be a little dry, but it depends on the flavor and so far I haven't discovered any rhyme or reason to it.
This morning we had a couple of seasonal cupcakes- pumpkin with a cream cheese frosting and caramel apple. I also had a chocolate lavendar cake. The base cake was a standard bittersweet chocolate and again a little on the dry side, but the frosting made up for it. Very herbal, and almost minty with real lavendar leaves and lovely color. I'll take cupcakes over corn flakes for breakfast any day.

Fun Fact

2007-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2006 there were 4,385 Farmer's Markets in the US, up from 1,755 in 1994- an increase of 150%.

Season's End

2007-10-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

I made one last trip to The Root Connection Farm this afternoon to get a few more U-Pick greens and herbs before everything shuts down for the winter. The day was impossibly bright and sunny for Seattle, and I had difficulty reconciling the cloudless blue with the mood of the place. The whole riot of green growth has been pulled up, turned over, and tucked away for its long winter's nap. Even the flower fields are gone. I found it a little sad, and had to remind myself that this is all a part of the cycle, and change is necessary for renewal. We'll all be back soon.

All Good Things Come to an End

2007-10-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

This weeked marked the end of the season for our CSA regular share and the last pick-up included:

beets
carrots
leeks
chinese broccoli
onions
green leaf lettuces
winter squash

We'll miss our weekly "goody bags" but with a freezer full to bursting we'll be well supplied with farm fresh, organic vegetables far into the winter. We've already signed up for next year's share and the planting at the Root Connection Farm will begin just ninety days from now, so winter isn't such a fallow time after all.

The biggest challenge over the next few weeks will be taking responsibility for our own local sourcing. The CSA share made things easy for us- a huge bag of local, seasonally appropriate produce was all but dropped on our doorstep each week, and we just had to react to the bounty. Now we'll have to do some thinking on our own, and seek out seasonal ingredients to supplement our frozen wares. Fortunately, I have some great leads I'm looking forward to persuing shortly as we continue to explore our greater home.