Foodatista

I'm a Wiener!

2006-04-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

My beautiful aeron chair perched on top of the desk, crowding my beautiful aluminum Apple 23 inch LCD monitor and my beautiful nearfield audio monitors. And all these in turn were hidden behind floor to ceiling puffy panels. So you see, I really wanted to update Foodatista, but literally couldn't reach my computer. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our professions. But I really missed you all, and thought of you happily bustling about in your kitchens while L. and I made do with our fried eggs and quinoa dinners while we worked around the clock to complete our latest studio project.

Re-entering the blogosphere, I find I have just squeaked in by an asparagus tip into the winners circle of this month's Does My Blog Look Good in This. I'm thrilled!

Big Thank You to the judges, Ilva of Lucullian Delights, who posts gorgeous shots of Tuscany along side her food shots, and to Georgia of Caribbean Free Radio, journalist, editor and media producer based in the Caribbean. And Big Thanks to Melissa, the fabulous Cooking Diva for an absolutely charming job hosting the event.

According to the DMBLGIT founders, this event/contest is to give everyone a chance to enjoy some of the best pictures of the month posted on food blogs. I encourage you all to participate - it's great fun and the pictures seem to get better and better. Still plenty of time for next month's contest. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.
Ciao,
Heidi

Spring Garden Market in San Jose

2006-03-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

The melody flows inside my head like the rain streaming through our bermuda grass. And you may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful spring. And you make ask yourself, well, how did I get here? Letting the days go by/water flowing underground*. And overground, and down the driveway and into the tiniest gap between my raincoat collar and my momentarily exposed neck. This is not my beautiful California.

For weeks in a row I repeat my mantra, Rain Is Good, with an early morning peek at the grey clouds, bustling and sniffling about in a cold sky and weeping on and off through the day and night. Today I am happy. I have just seen the notice for the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara 12th Annual Spring Garden Market. And it is this Saturday, April 1, 2006. No April Fool's joke, there really will be a spring market, rain or shine. And the way I look at it, a beautiful spring can't be far off.

The market will thrill tomato fans - 70 varieties of heirlooms for your perusal. And I eagerly anticipate debating amongst the cinammon basil, the cardinal basil, the lemon basil, Italian pesto basil, spicy saber basil and the other 9 varieties of my favorite summer herb. Eight varieties of eggplant will be vying for attention. And no doubt you will find friends with which to compare the merits of the flashy troutback and the emerald oakleaf lettuces among the herbs and greens and flowers.

This event is put on by the Master gardeners, University of California Cooperative Extension. Here's a link to the event. And here's a quiz to test your master gardener yearnings.

The event runs from 9AM to 2PM at Mercury News Facility , 750 Ridder Park Dr., San Jose (West Parking Lot).

Looking forward to Spring, same as it ever was.

*adapted from Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime"

Tilapia with Oyster Mushrooms and Turmeric Cream Sauce

2006-03-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure I want to admit how fast it is to make. After all, I subscribe to the slow cooking (and shopping and eating, etc.) habit and can not shed lingering suspicion that meals cooked in less than 30 minutes must not be quite that tasty. Unfortunately, this dish takes much less than 30 minutes to cook, so I'm afraid you won't believe how good it is. Until you try it for yourself. Well, it qualifies for the Is My Blog Burning event, Make it in 30 Minutes, hosted by Too Many Chefs. But you won't have to breath a word about that.

The cream sauce is made with a reduction of white wine vinegar which keeps it from tasting too rich. And the turmeric, while adding a cheerful yellow, also adds a delicate, faintly exotic flavor that further cuts the cream. It's a wonderful foil for this moist fish.

Turmeric Cream Sauce

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 shallot
3 sprigs parsley
3 black peppercorns, crushed

In a small sauce pan, combine vinegar and water and bring to boil. Meanwhile, mince shallot, tear off parsley leaves and crush the peppercorns. Add to mixture and reduce until there is about 1 tablespoon left. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
Strain out the parsley and shallots and return liquid to pan.
Add the heavy cream and tumeric. Stir and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Salt to taste.

Tilapia with Oyster Mushrooms and Turmeric Cream Sauce
Serves 2

2 tilapia filets
6 ounces baby spinach
1 shallot
6-8 oyster mushrooms
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

Saute the mushrooms in a dab of olive oil until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Set aside.
In large saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium flame until just smoking. Add the minced shallots and saute until just translucent, about 1 minute.
Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Add more olive oil into pan if required.
Rub the filet with salt and pepper. Saute the tilapia, about 3 minutes each side, depending on thickness of the filet or until completely opaque all the way through.
Make a mound of spinach on plate. Drape the filet over the spinach. Add 3 little mushrooms surrounding the fish. Spoon sauce over fish and between the mushrooms.

Le me know how you like it!

Tagged with: IMBB24 + 30Minutes

Olive Blogging

2006-03-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

It's still raining outside, but not for me. I am imagining what it was like in the place we call southern Italy, but before the Italians, the Romans, even before the Greeks graced the spot sporting the latest in leather sandals. Then there were the Enotrians, the wine lovers, as the Greeks came to call them. It is 1000 BC. Wind rustles the leaves of the olive trees. I gaze at a cloudless blue sky. The air is quiet and still except for a few birds challenging territories through song. The squeak of a potter's wheel in the distance. A splash of wine poured into a glass. The leathery wheeze of an olive press. Maybe I amble over to fill my bronze vessel with a little olive oil for skin pampering later. Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

Now you might ask what inspired this bit of daydreaming? A rare example of a pre-greek site is going to be excavated in southern Italy, a happening place even before the Greeks arrived. And I discovered this news by way of the fabulously interesting web site, the olive blog.

This is a site singularly devoted to the Olive. There are always fascinating tidbits of information offered. If you aren't reading the Olive blog, you might overlook the auction notice for the entire the village of Peccioli located in the hills between Pisa and Florence, and miss your chance to live the Tuscan lifestyle amid the olive trees - there's great inspiration for a daydream! Perhaps you have more modest dreams - simply to admire Roman mosaics from the Bardo museum in Tunisia. Or to make olive oil ice cream. Interested in olive commerce? This is the place to learn why Spanish olive oil will be more expensive. Want to learn the latest on olive oil nutrition? Or explore some olive festivals? This is the spot.

So stop on by and say hello to the olive blog. You will find something to dream about, even if it's just a molten chocolate plate doused in extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Celtic sea salt.

Two Minute Calamari

2006-03-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

Two minute calamari. She thought that sounded excellent since she didn't have much free time. And she hated it when people said, as they often do, that they just don't have time to cook and that's why they use packaged food. No, she wasn't going to surrender to "convenience" food.

Hightail it to Whole Foods for ingredients

Scallions - check. Examine 25 boxes of couscous - none say Israeli. Head for the bins. Pine nuts, currants - check. Proudly displayed next to the barley is - Israeli couscous - check. This is going to be easy. Still missing calamari and caperberries.

Approximately 30 minutes.

Jam over to Lunardi's.

Trip up and down all the aisles looking for capers. Find them in the last aisle. Beautiful fat caperberries from Spain. No calamari.

Approximately 25 minutes.

Decide to seek the calamari at the gigantic Chinese grocery store, 99 Ranch Market 13 miles away. Not sure which of 2 streets it is on. Choose the wrong one. Head back. Finally locate the store.

Rush to the fish counter. Yes! They have baby squid, but they aren't nice and white and cleaned like she remembered them. Oh well, buy them anyway.

Approximately 1 hour.

Decide it is now too late to make this dish since, upon closer examination of the recipe, they realize that one of the ingredients takes 45 minutes to make ( the tomato sauce). L. makes whole wheat fettucine with baby spinach and black olives and capers instead.

22 hours later.

Prepare tomato sauce.

Grate carrot. Gather from garden and chop 3 Tblsp fresh thyme, garlic, onion. Sauce thickens as savory aroma wafts through the house.

Approximately 1 hour 5 minutes.

Gradually sinks in that squid needs to be cleaned. Research how to clean squid. Find great directions in Professional Chef, the Culinary Institute of America.

Approximately 8 minutes.

Clean and prepare one and one half pounds of baby squid.

Approximately 20 minutes including time spent staring at them, not really wanting to pull the heads off and then bravely stepping up to the task.

Prepare the Israeli couscous.

Easy except for the ice bath. Our bagged ice is one solid lump. Attempt to pound this diamond-like substance into smaller chunks. Warm up smarting hands under hot water and perch pan on top of bag and hope for the best.

Approximately 15 minutes.

Assemble and cook pine nuts, currants and red pepper flakes. Slice scallions.

Approximately 4 minutes.

Cook calamari.

Stir in the prepared squid.

Exactly TWO MINUTES.

Total time for 2 minute Calamari : 25 hours 49 minutes.

But it was worth it. Delicate calamari rings backstroking through a sweet, sour, hot, nutty dish. Now that she is an expert at cleaning squid, she can't wait to make it again.

Recipe from Mario Batali's Babbo Cookbook.

Basic Tomato Sauce
Makes 4 cups

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 spanish onion ( I substituted a yellow onion)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 28 oz. cans peeled whole tomatoes
Kosher salt to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 3 quart sauce pan. Add onion and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic slices.

Add the thyme and carrot and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

With your hands, crush the tomatoes and add them with their juices. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then lower the heat and simmer from 30 minutes.

Add salt to taste.

This sauce holds for 1 week in the fridge and for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Two Minute Calamari

1 cup Israeli couscous
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons currants
1/2 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes (Batali calls for 1 T pepper flakes, which makes it Very Hot)
1/4 cup caperberries
2 cups Mario's Basic Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 pounds cleaned calamari, tubes cut into 1/4 inch rounds, tentacles halved
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat olive oil in medium saute pan until just smoking. Add the pine nuts, currants, and red pepper flakes and saute until the nuts are just golden brown, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully - this can happen very quickly.
Add the caperberries, tomato sauce, and couscous and bring to a boil.
Add the calamari. Stir to mix and simmer for 2 minutes or so, until the calamari is just cooked and completely opaque.
Season with salt, plate and sprinkle with scallions.

Class acts in the South Bay

2006-03-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

Sur La Table in Los Gatos teaches us some international tricks...

World Cuisine: Moroccan Tagine
Tuesday, March 21, $55
Demo - Learn the sublime secrets of fantastic, flavor-filled Moroccan tagine cooking. Featuring a caravan of exotic spices, hearty tagine stews will transform your kitchen into a delicious desert oasis.
MENU: Eggplant and Lentil Zaalouk Spreads with Moroccan Flatbread - Orange and Olive Salad - Monkfish Tagine - Couscous-Stuffed Chicken with Sweet Almonds - Caramelized Carrots - Rice Pudding with Pistachios, Raisins and Saffron

Saveur Spain
Wednesday, March 29, $75
Hands-On - Join Saveur magazine and Sur La Table as we savor the authentic regional cuisines Spain. From Valencia, rich with the aroma of spicy paella, to the crowded tapas bars of Andalucia, you'll learn some of the most valuable secrets of Spanish cooking. Each participant will receive a one-year subscription to Saveur and a complimentary gift bag.
MENU: Tortilla Espanola - Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach with Chickpeas) - Alcachofas en su Salsa (Artichokes in Their Own Sauce) - Paella de Marisco (Shellfish Paella) - Patatas a la Riojana (Potatoes Stewed with Paprika and Chorizo) - Gelat de Creama Catalana (Burnt Cream Ice Cream)

Paillard of Chicken with Orange and Cardamom

2006-03-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

It seems the busier L. and I get in the studio, the more our kitchen becomes a source of mental nourishment. Sometimes it's a visit with an old friend, when we make something we prepare frequently. Or a trip home when we cook a family recipe. Sometimes we are artists, improvising a new creation.

Palliard of chicken with orange and cardamom is a weekend getaway.

Not the relaxing getaway where you loll around contemplating the sounds of the ocean, but the reinvigorating vacation where one afternoon you are absorbing Caravaggio's chiaroscuro lighting, the next, shopping for earrings on an old bridge, then waving to Tuscan sheep as you zip by on a moped.

You see, when you make this dish, there's lots of different and deliciously brief activities. Pounding, squeezing, beating, slicing, playing with fire. You even get a 30 minute orange and cardamom aromatherapy siesta if all that activity proves too much.

There are two steps that I enjoyed immensely. The first is pounding the chicken. You might think that this is a good way to work out your frustrations, but if you pound too hard, you will tear the chicken breast. This requires pounding with love, with a motion that starts in the center of the breast and moves outward. You can pound hard at first, but then you must do it tenderly, till the breast is a fragile 1/8 inch thick. This is not impossible, although I too had my suspicions as my 2 inch thick Rosie organic chicken breast called me into the ring.

And then there's the requirement for previously flamed cognac. We tried lighting it with matches, but they simply fizzled out. So out came the blow torch usually reserved for creme brulee. Seconds later, blue flames dancing in a white bowl in the dark kitchen were mesmerizing. Turn off the lights to fully appreciate the show.

By the end, you have totally escaped your working world and are also rewarded with a tasty dinner. The chicken is tender, subtly voicing a spiced flavor. But the marinade sauce sings a bold aria to the orange cardamom combination. Wonderful!

Paillard of Chicken with Orange and Cardamom slightly adapted from Paula Wolfert's World of Food.

Serves 2

1 whole chicken breast, deboned, skinned, and sliced in half
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup fine-ground breadcrumbs (optional - it would be great with just a dusting of flour instead of the crumbs - that's how I am going to make it next time)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
12 julienne strips of orange rind, blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove bitterness

Marinade
1/2 cup fresh orange juice - that was 1 1/2 oranges but of course it depends on the size and juiciness of your oranges.
3 tablespoons Cognac, previously flamed
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Salt and Pepper

My favorite step : Flame the Cognac
Place the breast pieces skinned side down on a plastic cutting board or Silpat and pound with a smooth meat pounder to 1/8 inch thickness. If the meat gets too sticky, you can cover it with plastic wrap, and then pound.
Combine the marinade ingredients - the orange juice, Cognac, orange rind and cardamom in a bowl and add the chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Ms. Wolfert warns that over-marinating will make the flesh mushy.)
Drain the chicken, season with salt and pepper and dust it with flour. Optionally you can dip it in the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Leave it on a rack to allow the coating to set, at least 5 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 of olive oil to a saute pan and heat until sizzling and just beginning to brown. Add the chicken and cook until golden on the first side, about 2 minutes, and then flip and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove the chicken breast from the pan.
If any fat remains, pour it off. Add the marinade and the rest of the butter to the pan and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
Plate the chicken and pour sauce over the breast or pour the sauce on the plate and place the chicken on top. Decorate with the julienned orange strips and serve at once.

Answer to our Contest

2006-03-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

We must be really good at uncovering secrets because we did not get any correct answers to our question. Oh well, L. and I will just have to enjoy the rest of the Valpolicella ourselves.

Drum roll. Envelope please.... the new chef/partner coming to Los Gatos is Donato Scotti of La Strada in Palo Alto fame. Go to La Strada, close your eyes.... you are in Venice, newly purchased Prada pumps in a felt shopping bag under the table, happily enjoying your Baccala' in Forno - Salt Cod baked in a wood-burning oven, a treat that practically melts in your mouth. The northern Italian flavors, the sound of Italian spoken all around you. On second thought, you needn't close your eyes, because it even looks like Italy. Here's a review.

The new restaurant's name isn't chosen yet. Have any suggestions for Mr. Scotti?

Guess who is coming with dinner ... to Los Gatos

2006-03-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

Guess who is coming to Los Gatos. To the site of previous occupant Pigalle Restaurant (or was it Le Pigalle? sigh, how soon we forget...) at 27 North Santa Cruz Avenue. Foodatista has a scoop on the future proprietor and we are behaving like Pavlov's dog just hearing the dinner bell.

If you can tell me the name of the new chef coming to town, or the name of his current restaurant, you will win a barely opened bottle of Valpolicella. In case you want to make this. Ok, we'll make it an unopened bottle.

Here's a big hint. He has an 83 year old Berkel meat slicer.

Tagged with: Food + Restaurants

Chocolate and Valpolicella Crema

2006-02-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras! Hey - just because we aren't shimmying down the streets of Rio boa'd and beaded and feathered and masked doesn't mean we can't celebrate, right?

Normally, I am not into celebrating impending deprivation (Lent) or worse, mortality. Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is followed by Ash Wednesday's dust to dust, ashes to ashes, in which sinners spend the day sporting an ashen reminder of mortality on their foreheads. Such contemplation no doubt intensifies repenting. Picture fire and brimstone, etc.

According to Herodotus, considered the first Greek historian, the Egyptians had a similar tradition. "At rich men's banquets, after dinner a man carries around a wooden image of a corpse in a coffin.... This he shows to each man saying 'Drink and make merry, but look on this; for such shalt thou be when thou art dead.' Such is the custom at their drinking bouts."

Now I'm not recommending you try this at your next dinner party, but somewhere in the back of your mind, isn't this one reason why every meal counts? Can you come up with a more elaborate justification for this sinfully rich dessert?

One of my favorite desserts when I was a kid, was chocolate pudding. I loved the thick skin that covered the milky pudding. Ah, the privilege of adulthood. Now I can whip up a dessert that has this intensity all the way through, not just on the top.

This chocolate crema elevates the pudding by adding a little wine and a lot of richness. This is not a mousse, whose joy consists of lightness. No, in contrast, this is a thick and velvet smoothness that effortlessly melts in your mouth. An intense chocolate experience. The recipe suggests that this serves 4 - 6. It is so rich, I suggest that it serves at least 8, preferably 1o. For this toast to the sweet life, you only need a spoonful or two to savor.

So put this on the turntable, and Carpe Diem and Carne Vale!

Chocolate and Valpolicella Crema from the Babbo cookbook

1/2 cup red wine, preferably Valpolicella or another medium body fruity red wine
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp plus 1 Tblsp sugar
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Combine the red wine and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to a third, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Heat both chocolates in a a large bowl ( I use a big pyrex bowl) over the bottom half of a double boiler until melted. Turn off the heat. Leave the bowl sitting over the hot pan and whisk in the reduced red wine. Then whisk in the egg yolks.
In a medium saucepan, scald the milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Whisk quickly into the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the butter.
Portion into wine glasses or desert cups and chill until set.
Prior to serving, whip the half cup of cream into soft peaks, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and whip until stiff peaks develop.
Serve each crema with a topping of cream. Enjoy!

Tagged with: Food + Dessert
Herodotus translation from Choice Cuts

Salmon Fillet with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crust

2006-02-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

At least the color scheme would be minimalist. Brilliant orange red pepper coulis. Alternating pink and pale salmon. Crusty orange crumble dotted with deep pink. But so many different flavors in one dish. Was it a little too fussy? After all, L. and I loved our salmon simply butterflied, sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse Hawaiian sea salt.

The lure of the ingredients was powerful. Fresh squeezed lime, grated horseradish, minced shallots, garlic. I couldn't resist the siren song (not that I'm into resisting food anyway).

Perfect for a dinner party, you can prepare much in advance, so you can shower your friends, not the fish, with attention. First I made the prepared horseradish. Then the red pepper coulis. Finally I was ready for the salmon. Actually it's easy to prepare. Only 20 minutes to crumb the bread, mince the shallots and garlic, squeeze the lime, crush the pepper and warm up the oven. Then bake.

You will be rewarded with a savory, complex dish. Complementary flavors. Textures from firm salmon, to crusty topping to velvety coulis. Delicious!

Salmon Fillet with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crust - adapted from The Professional Chef, the Culinary Institute of America
Serves 6

1 1/2 to 2 pound wild salmon fillet
Marinade:
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp shallots, minced
1 tsp peppercorns, crushed

Crumb mixture:
1/8 tsp shallots, minced
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted (organic)
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (2 1/2 oz)
2 1/2 oz smoked salmon
2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish, recipe here

10 fluid oz. red pepper coulis, recipe here

Combine marinade ingredients - lime juice, garlic, shallots, peppercorns. Cut the salmon into 5 oz portions. Rub With the marinade.
Saute the shallots and garlic in the butter until aromatic. Combine all the ingredients for the crumb mixture in a food processor and process to a fine consistency.
Portion the crumb mixture onto the salmon fillets and place on a rack on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so, until the salmon is opaque and firm, and the topping browned and slightly crispy.
Portion the pepper coulis on the plates, and place a fillet on top.

Eggplant with Poblano Chiles

2006-02-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Do you remember Woody Allen's Zelig? Leonard Zelig, the human chameleon? Zelig wants to be liked, so much so that he can morph into the people that happen to surround him at any given time. With a group of fat men, Leonard blows up to twice his size. In a jazz club, he effortlessly transforms into a black Jazz musician. Then a chinese restaurant owner, a doctor, a rabbi and so on.

Well, when I consider an eggplant, I can't help but remember Leonard. You see, this lovely vegetable must feel compelled to be accepted by everyone, for it also takes on the characteristics (flavors) of whatever groups in which it is cooking.

And perhaps insecurity causes this poor vegetable to be a little bitter, so you must make it weep, a salty cathartic experience that exorcises the bitterness.

L. and I hadn't made an eggplant dish for a long time, so when we spied a lonesome lavender lovely nestled next to the peppers, we knew we had to adopt it. And why not some peppers to go with it?

This makes an aromatic, flavorful dish that tastes wonderful the next day too. Poblano chiles are mild but they spice the eggplant up beautifully. It's tasty enough for Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen.

Eggplant with Poblano Chiles and Yogurt

1 or 2 eggplants, about 2 lbs
2 poblano chiles
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup plain yogurt
Chopped fresh parsely for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes and place in a colander. Sprinkle with at least a tablespoon of salt and let it sit over the sink for 30 minutes to an hour. It will weep. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can and then rinse, pat dry.
Add oil into medium skillet over medium heat. Add all but 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the eggplant and cook, stirring until the eggplant is slightly tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the peppers and cook about 15 more minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, crush the remaining minced garlic in a mortar with kosher salt and a Tablespoon of olive oil. This way, the oil completely incorporates the garlic flavor. Then stir this mixture into the yogurt.
When eggplant is done, remove from heat. Plate the eggplant and peppers and add the yogurt sauce on top.
Garnish with the parsley and serve it with quinoa or rice.

Tagged with: Food + Weekend Herb blogging

Red Pepper Coulis

2006-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

You catch a stack out of the corner of your eye. The deep red accented with a crooked green stem beckoning. It fits well in your hand. Perfectly smooth, firm. Sophisticated, despite the fact that bell peppers are the most popular pepper in the US. Rather like finding Ralph Fiennes' photo in People magazine.

Unlike during your high school days, you can be best friends with this popular hottie. (Actually, it's more sweet than hot, since bell peppers lack capsaicin, the "hot" in chili peppers.) How often do you find a sauce that tastes great, adds beautiful color, is easy to make and is very healthy too? And it complements tons of dishes - baked fish, over omelets, as a soup garnish, with quinoa, crab cakes, and well, let me know how you use it.

Many recipes instruct you to peel the peppers. And they might only suggest that you strain the puree. Well, this is very backwards thinking. After all, coulis (vegetable puree) is a French word derived from "strained liquid" which in turn came from Latin, "to strain". When you strain the puree, you not only get a much smoother texture, but then you don't have to do any boring old peeling - yey!

If you use a chinois, you will get the wow factor from your friends - a coulis smoother than velvet. If you don't have one, then use the finest strainer you can borrow. (And if you like Nose to Tail cooking for vegetables too, spread the remaining veggie "offal" on toast and enjoy an exotic bruschetta.)

Red Pepper Coulis

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons minced shallots
3 the most beautiful organic red bell peppers, seeded, deribbed and chopped (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock

Makes about 2 cups.

Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Add the shallots, cover, but also take care to stir them frequently as they sweat, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the peppers, cover, and cook over medium heat until the peppers are very tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste as they sweat.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and let the wine reduce until nearly cooked away, about 6-7 minutes. Add the stock. Simmer until reduced by half, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Puree the sauce in a food processor until very smooth. Strain the coulis through a chinois or other fine strainer to get a silky texture.

You can store this for up to 3 days in the fridge. It's even better the next day.

p.s. This red pepper coulis is going in the same dish as the prepared horseradish. Is the suspense building?

Preparing Horseradish

2006-02-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

The young man plunged his shovel into the garden loam, unearthing a long thick brown root. After several more shovels and some grunting, he wrenched it out of the earth. It seemed a fitting metaphor for the community garden in which we stood. The oldest community garden in San Jose too was to be uprooted, paved over. With the September sun dipping behind the sunflowers, he wrestled more roots from the warm soil.

Gradually curiosity displaced the poetry of the moment, and I asked him what he had been growing and was he pulling it out of the ground because the garden was going to be destroyed. He laughed. No, at summers end, it is time to harvest the horseradish.

Til then, horseradish had only been something from a little glass jar. I investigated. A perennial plant from the mustard and cabbage family. Mostly grown and harvested by hand. Known and used in antiquity. Strong bite and aroma. Yes, these facts sent Cupid's arrow into my heart.

Plus the oracle of Delphi herself proclaimed, "The radish is worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, the horseradish its weight in gold."

You can make your own prepared horseradish - all it takes is grating and adding vinegar to preserve it. You won't experience the bite or aroma of horseradish until it's grated. Crushing the root cells releases the volatile oils and the smaller you grate it, the sharper your final result. Use the smallest shredder on the food processor, then follow that with a few pulses with the metal blade and you will have a finely grated and dangerously aromatic condiment. While I initially dismissed the cautions about inhaling freshly grated root, I quickly learned respect for plant also known as "stingnose" in some part of the U.S. I did have to open the window. Add a 1/2 tsp salt for each cup of horseradish while processing.

If you don't use it immediately you must add vinegar to keep it from turning brown and bitter. I added 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar to about a cup of grated horseradish. If you want a milder preparation, add the vinegar within the first minute of grating. If you want sinus cleaning, then add the vinegar at the 3 minute timeout. That's all there is to it.

You might be wondering what I am going to do with this lovely condiment. All will be revealed in time! There, have I left you in suspense now?

The community garden is gone now - apricot trees and sunflowers and juicy Russian tomatoes and all. But the California immigrant harvesting his roots, roots that extended beyond the San Jose plot, all the way to Russia was an inspiration.

San Jose Wine Bar teaches how to Unwined

2006-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Does learning about wine increase your enjoyment of a good glass of pinot noir? Well, I'm not going to get into the old debate of cerebral vs sensory pleasures because, after all, you can enjoy both - even (gasp) simultaneously. And now you can take a class right here in San Jose.

The Unwined Wine Bar and Shop is giving monthly wine education classes. This month's class:

Tuesday, Feb. 28 7:30 - 9:00 PM $30
This class will involve a component tasting designed to help one develop a better understanding of the oak, acid, malolactic fermentation and sweetness levels of wines. The $30 fee per class includes all wine and/or food provided for the class. Space is limited so please email or call for more details.

UNWINED Wine Bar and Shop - 408-323-9463 (WINE)
6946 Almaden Expressway
San Jose, CA 95120

Valentine's Day Dessert

2006-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Many of you will be shunning Valentine's day commercialism and creating a personal Xanadu with the candles, the music, the cute dog under the table (or cat on). And a sumptuous dinner.

But do you want an authentically Romantic Valentine's Day? Then buy out a tiny dessert and share it with your lover. No, not two tiny desserts, not a box of Vosges chocolates. Do not bake a red velvet cake. Just acquire one exquisite small treasure to share.

Lest you think some mad mistral has blown the lemons out of my tree, consider what recipe romantic poet John Keats might have chosen were he to cook for his beloved.

1. One cup, delight in mystery (do not "unweave the rainbow")

We like to flex our culinary muscles. Cooking a pleasurable experience for others can make us feel powerful. But the transformation of ingredients to repast looses magic if we're the cook. Discover something exquisite together. Enjoy the suspense opening the little box with a beautiful pastry hidden inside. Taste it together. Wonder at its flavor. Bond with your partner by sharing this experience. Very romantic.

2. Tablespoon, intense experience ("O for a life of sensation...")

Remember Thomas Keller's law of diminishing returns in which pleasure from a dish decreases with each additional bite? Maintain that intense first impression. Think small, and share it.

3. Pinch, melancholy ("And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips Bidding adieu")

Experience life fully by acknowledging that you can't have joy without pain. Bliss out on sweet flavor, and deepen the experience knowing that everything, including your dessert must end.

And if perhaps you accidently consume more than your share, follow Keat's advice...

"...if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave,
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes..."

Happy Valentine's Day!

p.s. the lovely Satin pictured above comes from La Fleur de Cocoa, a charming patisserie in Los Gatos. Satin composed of ladyfinger sponge soaked in raspberry brandy, layered with white chocolate mousse and topped with Italian meringue.

Tagged with: Food + Valentine's Day + Romantic

Dining Out - Coco500 in SF

2006-02-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

The piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna confit arrived playfully arranged amid a few capers and many dots of chive oil. This is one of the starters at Coco500 on Brannon and 4th in SF, and just the looks of it put L. and I in a great mood for the rest of our meal. Well, that and the staff who were delightful and efficient despite the large crowd on Friday night.

L. and I were in SF to see Julian Barnes read from his new novel "Arthur and George". Did you know that Barnes wrote a cooking column for the Guardian Unlimited for a few weeks ( "And as with sex, politics, and religion, so with cooking; by the time I began finding out about it for myself, it was too late to ask my parents. They had failed to instruct me, and I would punish them by not asking now." )? One of my favorite authors, we stooped so low as to actually take pictures of him signing my (his) book. Very uncool. You'll have to wait until I know you better to see those photos.

Well, after all this excitement (embarrassment), we headed to Coco500 for its welcoming atmosphere. You can read a great restaurant review by Sam of Becks & Posh.

Later that evening, L. asked me what had been my favorite flavor from the dinner. The julienned lemon peel from the chicken tagine was my choice. Just the white of the peel, blanched, cut into elegant slender strips and distributed generously amongst the couscous, chickpeas and chicken.

L.'s pick was the chive oil that dotted the plate of tuna confit. It had been delicious. After a moment's consideration, I changed my vote to the chive oil. And it's very easy to make.

Chive Oil

Blanch a bunch of fresh chives in boiling water for 10 seconds. Cool in ice water for a moment, and then thoroughly pat the chives dry with paper towels. In a food processor, pulse the chives till they are minced. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. With the processor running, slowly add in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and process until smooth. Refrigerate for a day.

Some recipes call for straining the oil. My preference is leaving the tiny green dots of chive suspended in the olive oil - they add drama don't you think?

Exploring the Silver Spoon

2006-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of The Silver Spoon cookbook? It's an English translation of the book to which Italian cooks refer when they haven't got a family recipe from Mamma. It's often compared to our Joy of Cooking in its completeness (2000 recipes!) and status as a classic (first published in 1950).

As is often the case with cookbooks translated from one language to another, there are apparently some failures to communicate (see editorial reviews on Amazon).

And this is why you will love the new blog Exploring the Silver Spoon. Sara, who I met at a Commonwealth Club food event this past week, is working her way through this cookbook and giving the rest of us excellent explanations and photos of her findings. Plus, she assigns grades to each recipe for taste and ease of preparation.

Being a risotto fan, I'm going to try the carrot risotto which she has awarded an A- in tastiness.

Grazie mille, Sara!

Class acts in the South Bay

2006-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Classes at Williams Sonoma Los Gatos store are coming up.

Touring France
Tuesday, February 21, $50
A tour of the Mediterranean with a stop in France. French cuisine offers rich tastes and velvety textures with every bite. Menu includes classic dishes as well as a decadent dessert.
MENU: Salad Nicoise, Cheese Fondue, Coq au Vin, Petits Pots de Creme au Chocolate

Weeknight Vegetarian Meal
Tuesday, March 14, $50
MENU: Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Fettuccine with Asparagus and Morels, Moroccan-spiced Vegetarian chili, Garden-style Eggplant Parmesan.

Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon

2006-02-04T23:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have flirtations with others. Sexy swiss chard flaunting its dark green leaves and ferrari red stems. Ride with me baby and I'll take you to culinary heights. And for one whole autumn I had a crush on kale. Oh lacinato kale, strong and mysterious, the tall, dark and handsome Italian heirloom set my gastronomic heart aflame.

But despite these adventures, it is the boy next door, enduring patiently my flings with those other leafy greens, that captures my heart. Spinach - wholesome, available, and willing to please in so many ways. Maybe it's just that we grew up together. Or that spinach was there when I had my first quiche. But it will always have a special place in my heart.

And so it seemed right to choose the Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, Recipes for the Passionate Cook by Paula Wolfert, to let loose my feelings for what the Chinese called the "herb of Persia".

Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon is a thick puree of several types of leafy greens and herbs, but mostly spinach. First steamed, then fried in a skillet, then mixed with chopped olives and olive oil and then refrigerated for 1 to 4 days. When you bring it back up to room temperature the jam glistens and spreads like warm butter on bread. Combine that with subtle smoky flavors from the Spanish pimenton de la Vera, livened with lemon and you have a delicious and healthy jam.

With parsley, cilantro, and celery leaves, it also happens to work just great for Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen. Serve it on toasted pita bread or on bell pepper slices.

Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon adapted from Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, Recipes for the Passionate Cook by Paula Wolfert. (We add more pimenton and lemon.)

Ingredients

4 large garlic cloves, halved
1 pound baby spinach leaves
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley (about 4 oz), stems discarded
1/2 cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, stemmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 oil-cured black olives (about 1 ounce), pitted, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons Spanish sweet smoked paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
pinch of cayenne
pinch of ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or more to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the garlic cloves in a large steamer basket in a pan of simmering water and top with the spinach, parsley, celery, and cilantro. Cover and steam until the garlic is soft and the greens tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the greens dry, chop finely and set aside. Mash the garlic cloves.
In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mashed garlic, olives, and spices and stir over moderately high heat for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the greens and cook, mashing and stirring, until soft and dry and somewhat smooth, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the remaining olive oil. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 day and up to 4 days.
To serve, return to room temperature. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers, pita bread pieces, or vegetables.

Tagged with: Food + Weekend Herb blogging

Olive Oil Soap

2006-02-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of my best purchases ever was the pure olive oil soap at the market in Aix-en-Provence. Despite the impatience of the tall, thin man shifting his weight from leg to leg behind the table, I hesitated among the dozens of colorful, aromatic soaps (of course without touching them and thereby eliciting a scolding). Then, there it was - the most pure, unscented, lovely green olive oil treasure.

Yes, olive oil is rich in vitamin E and makes an excellent moisturizer and is gentle on your skin but that's only part of the story. You probably figured out by now that I have a soft spot in my heart for things done in the traditional manner, by hand and with a long history. Olive oil soap has been around for a thousand years - why, just wash your face with it and you may catch a resonant glimmer in the mirror of the thousands, maybe millions of soap users from the murky (yet clean) past.

The vendor brusquely packaged the soaps as though scrambling to satisfy long lines of customers. Of course, it was just me and my sister at his stand.

At home I conserved my soaps carefully, making sure they never melted in a pool of bath water. Pure olive oil soap is rare here, and mighty expensive if you do find it. Still, only one bar left - and Aix so far from California.

Then, last week, making my way through the International Food Bazaar's narrow aisles, hunting for Pimenton de la Vera, I saw familiar green bars crowded next to the natural henna. The bag matter of factly announced its contents - Natural Green Olive Oil Soap. (Obviously from a place untouched by marketing hype.) And it's a bargain. It's made by Said Saifan Est., a company that has been making soap since 1939 with hand-picked olives from the Koura valley in Lebanon. Their ancient process is described here.

I'm happy to tell you that it's just as pure and sweet as Savon de Marseille.

Find it at the International Food Bazaar, 2052 Curtner, San Jose.

Dining Out

2006-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Since L. and I found ourselves in Oakland last evening, we decided to check out Pizzaiolo on Telegraph Avenue.

The chef, Charlie Hallowell, was written up in last Sunday's SF Chronicle as a Rising Star. And the restaurant has a glowing review here. What this means is that you will likely find all the seats taken (yes, even on Tuesdays) and have to wait for your table. But in the meantime you can enjoy the people watching. Last night we sat next to actor Delroy Lindo. And we also saw a well known San Francisco-based food blogger enjoying her meal there.

L. and I loved all our dishes, but especially the moroccan salad composed of beets, carrots and celeriac with its delicate mix of flavors. Well, ok, L. really loved his polenta with gorgonzola too.

A delightful evening and on the way back to Los Gatos, zooming down 880, I was amused to spy the Wedding Gown Superstore. Does that strike you as funny?

Tortilla Soup

2006-01-31T01:32:00.000-08:00

I am not a corn tortilla person. They remind me of corn chips that you absentmindedly put in your mouth when you wonder into the kitchen, still sleepy from last night's party and the bowl of corn chips is there, sitting on the counter and the chips are decidedly not crispy anymore and taste rather like cardboard. And probably I'm not a fan because they usually aren't fresh made corn tortillas. But sometimes you see a recipe and you think. Now is the time to try that. That sounds good.

We have to thank Brett of In Praise of Sardines for giving his wife's Tortilla soup recipe. And for the delightful story that accompanies it. Last night, L. and I cooked up our own occasion for memories.

So many recipes just use tortillas as a garnish. But in this one, the tortillas are cooked right in and thicken the broth while adding their distinct flavor. (Note to self - no need to fret about the right way to cut the tortillas.) And the cumin and chili powder will keep your taste buds thanking God they are alive.

L. and I like leftovers so we doubled Brett's recipe - well, almost, (not the chili powder, or the avocado or the chicken). Plus we cooked the chicken in the soup - it stays so tender when it's cooked in broth (like in this chicken soup recipe).

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, minced
4 corn tortillas (we used Whole Foods organic stone ground), cut in half and then into 1/4 inch strips
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder such as ancho chili powder
1 bay leaf
2 cups tomatoes, peeled and diced, fresh or canned (can't wait til summer to try fresh!)
6 cups chicken broth
1 heaping teaspoon Kosher salt
1 chicken breast , de-boned and sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips.
1 avocado
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Add the oil and onions into a stock pot and cook over medium-low heat until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and the jalapeno chili and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Go outside to empty your kitchen compost pail. Come back inside. Inhale. Isn't that the most wonderful aroma?

Add the tortilla strips and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the cumin, the chili powder and the bay leaf and stir for about a minute.
Add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and salt. Simmer for about 25 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces. Bring soup back to simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so.

Thanks Brett!

Class acts in the South Bay

2006-01-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of classes coming up at Sur La Table in Los Gatos.

Afternoon Tapas: Couples
Saturday, February 11, $60
Hands-on class - tapas creations perfect for parties. Spend the afternoon cooking these bite-sized wonders from Europe.
MENU: Manchego and Onion Tortilla, Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp Sauteed in Garlic and Wine) , Grilled Vegetables with Romesco Sauce , Pan y Tomate with Serrano Ham , Roasted Yukon Potatoes with Fried Herbs and Aioli

If you haven't had too many Valentines Day sweets....
One Baker's World View
Wednesday, February 15, $65
Nick Malgieri takes students on a tour from his latest cookbook, "A Baker's Tour, Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World"
MENU: "Melissa's Chocolate Pecan Cake: Fudgy Chocolate Cake Layers with Creamy Chocolate Pecan Filling (Cape Town), Gateau Praline: Classic French Genoise Filled and Covered with a Hazelnut Buttercream (Paris), Linzerschnitten: Individual Linzertorte Slices (Switzerland) , Pleyels: Delicate Individual Chocolate Cakes (Paris) , Vanillekipferl: Meltingly Delicate Crescent Cookies (Vienna)

Black Pepper Tagliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta

2006-01-27T23:09:00.000-08:00

L. and I spent a couple days in Siena a few years ago. No, we can't remember the name of the painter who created the Piccolomini Library murals anymore, but ask us what the local pasta is called. Pici. We loved the fat chewy strands. We tracked down a pici tool, a ribbed wooden rolling pin. We tried it out before our jet lag wore off. But the pici we made came out, not the size of slim pencils, more the size of a giant kiddie crayon and about as chewy as one too. Later, thanks to the Internet, I learned that we were supposed to roll the strings in our hands after cutting them with the roller.

But this is not about that.

This is about elegant, very thin egg noodles that surprise you with a strong peppery kick. For Amy's IMBB 22 Use Your Noodle, I wanted a pasta that bites back. Mario Batali's recipe for Black Pepper Tagliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta spoke to me.

This time, I checked the Internet for advice before diving in, and found several suggestions to substitute sage for parsley and that the parsnips needed 12 minutes cooking time instead of 5 - 6 minutes. And my own substitution: whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour and extra parsnips.

How did it turn out? One tablespoon of butter plus the pancetta fat was not sufficient sauce for the pound of pasta. And adding pasta cooking water to the tossing pasta didn't contribute to the flavor. Pancetta with parsnips is a sweet combination of flavors. The pasta was really peppery. Things I would do differently - slice the parsnips much thinner on a mandoline. They'd be easier to cook and distribute better through the noodles. Use less than 2 T pepper in the pasta ( unless I'm just making it for me in which case I really liked the spiciness). Add olive oil or more butter. It's definitely worth trying again.

Here's the recipe.

Back Pepper Tagliatelle (slightly) adapted from the Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali

3 1/2 to 4 cups whole wheat flour
4 extra large eggs
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons ground black pepper

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs, olive oil and black pepper. Using a fork, beat the egg mixture and then gradually incorporate the flour. When the dough has come together, knead it with the heels of your hand for 6 minutes more. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky.
Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Roll out the dough on a pasta machine to the thinnest setting and then cut into 1/4 inch wide noodles.
The hardest part follows - where to hang them in your kitchen. I put them on 3 large baking trays and then on sheets of parchment paper on the table.

Black Pepper Tagliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta

Serves 4

Kosher salt
1/4 pound Pancetta or slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon unsalted Butter
3/4 pound parsnips, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped
Parmigiano-reggiano, serving

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
In a 12-14 inch saute pan, cook the pancetta over high heat until browned, about 10 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
Add the butter and parsnips and saute over high heat until they are golden brown and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, add the sage and cook for 1 minute longer.
Cook the tagliatelle in the boiling water until al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan with the parsnips and pancetta. Toss over high heat, adding pasta cooking water if necessary to keep the sauce from getting too tight. Serve with grated parmesian cheese.

Here's a link to the final round up of noodle dishes.
Tagged with: IMBB # 22 + Noodle

Headlines

2006-01-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

Why you want to use superior cast iron pans instead of waiting 15 years.

South Bay a premiere dining experience? Try Milpitas.

So much for the new diet book "French Women don't get Fat"

Olive Oil and Fresh Rosemary Cake

2006-01-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

The clients were coming to our studio in the afternoon. Ever since I was a girl spilling chocolate on my little spiral bound Betty Crocker cookbook for kids (happily reissued in 2003, retro cover and all ), I look for excuses to exercise my oven skills. If you love to bake, sharing the bounty is key, or your future holds many shopping trips for new and ever bigger pairs of jeans. Clients in the studio are a perfect justification - and it's marketing right?

Apple cinnamon muffins are yummy, but muffins love mornings don't you think? Serving them in the afternoon seems vaguely embarrassing - like I have been caught wearing white shoes after Labor day.

After browsing a borrowed Babbo cookbook, I set my heart on making the Olive Oil and Fresh Rosemary cake. A cake baked in a loaf pan, without tons of sugar - a negotiation between a cake and a quick bread. Plus, and this is a big plus, it has ingredients that I always have on hand - eggs, olive oil, flour, sugar and rosemary from the front yard.

Just minutes after happy kitchen bustling began, "10 inch" loaf pan zoomed to my attention. I had a 9 inch pan. After a fleeting panic in which I considering stuffing it in anyway, I poured the extra batter into a second small pan and baked it for a shorter time. (The extra 1 inch high "cake" that resulted was a happy accident, tasting like dainty biscotti baked only once because you couldn't wait to eat them).

The cake? Delicious. Light and fluffy with a gentle rosemary fragrance and flavor. What did the clients think? Well, the two women liked it a lot - not too sweet, and extremely tasty they said. They took seconds. I looked expectantly at the guy, waiting for his glowing comments. Hey, he said. Did you put mary jane in this? I looked at him blankly. You know, marijuana.

Oh well. No accounting for taste. I think you'll love this cake. And I'm going to buy this cookbook.

From The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali pg. 287.

Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients

4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 10-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Using the whip attachment, beat the eggs in a mixer for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very foamy and pale in color. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Using a spatula, gently fold the rosemary into the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown, springs back when touched, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool briefly in the pan, then tip out onto a cake rack to continue cooling.

Whole Foods Animal Compassion Foundation

2006-01-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, maybe we are just a bit too fond of Whole Foods. I mean, the other day we were musing about places to live in this country, when we realized that actually, there are only 181 places we would consider because that's how many Whole Foods locations there are and we need to be within 3 miles of one. But honestly, you have to love a store that comes up with "Compassion Day".

If you shop at Whole Foods today, 5% of your purchases will be donated to the Animal Compassion Foundation, an association sponsored by the company to help producers evolve their practices for raising farm animals naturally and humanely.

It is an independent, non-profit organization for ranchers and farmers that will disseminate information about animal welfare husbandry. Whole Foods is also developing standards for enviroments that support the animal's physical, emotional and behavioral needs.

Maybe we will soon start to see "Animal Compassionate" along with "Organic" labels on our food.

Soy Better than Hotdogs

2006-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

The American Heart Association Heart finds few health benefits from soy. Now I know that some of you are big soy fans (and you know who you are ), but maybe we can cut down on the soy shakes. Their research indicates that eating a very large amount of soy protein, more than half the daily protein intake, may lower LDL cholesterol by a few percentage points when it replaces dairy protein or a mixture of animal proteins (my italics). Talk about damning with faint praise..... "Dieticians have agreed that soy may be beneficial when eaten instead of less nutritious foods such as hamburgers or hot dogs".

Belgian Waffles

2006-01-21T22:32:00.000-08:00

L. shot me a look as surprised as if I had said I wanted to buy a Soap Genie Automatic Soap and Lotion Dispenser with no-drip technology and a musical chime. But I had made up my mind. I was going to get one. A shiny new Belgian waffle maker.

Maybe L. associated waffles with 24 hour restaurants and formica tables sticky with blueberry syrup and pale wafers featuring an ice cream sized scoop of melting butter (margarine?). The kind of places you go to when you are thinking how good a waffle might be and then always end up ordering a spinach omelette instead. Or maybe it was the memory of fellow 4th of July celebrants struggling to get their mouths around fat sugary waffles topped with a few unripe strawberries and a mound of whipped cream from a can.

But I was thinking light and crispy. And wholesome. And how wonderful it would be to eat a hot and crispy waffle right out of the iron. I made my first batch as soon as I got my waffle iron home. It was good, but I was mildly dismayed to discover that waffles are not really a health food - as full of butter and eggs and sugar and white flour as any self-respecting cake.

And so it was that waffles helped me down the liberal path in the kitchen. I was the type of person as unlikely to alter a recipe as a conservative the constitution. But the waffles were so easy and fast to make that I made them often and and saw my way to take the first timid steps to messing with a recipe. A whole wheat flour here, a little less sugar there. And then I was substituting and evaluating like America's Test Kitchen.

So people, we have some good ingredients going here. Whole wheat flour. Buckwheat which tastes great and is good for your heart. Rice milk which makes the waffles beautifully crisp - you can use regular milk or skim milk or anything in between - the thinner the milk, the more crisp your waffles will be. And then I use safflower oil rather than butter. (You can use canola oil, but I just don't like anything really named rapeseed.) This is our favorite waffle.

Really Light and Airy and Crispy and Wholesome Belgian Waffles
Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups rice milk ( or other milk)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour ( I prefer the coarse milled flour)
1 cup whole buckwheat flour
1 Tblsp unrefined sugar
1/4 cup safflower oil (or canola)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 rounded teaspoon Kosher salt

Beat the egg yolks, stir in the milk and oil. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir just until large lumps disappear. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter. Pour into your waffle iron and bake.

I like to top them with blueberries and maple syrup. L. loves them with pears or bananas. Let me know how you like them.

Study of Two Pears

2006-01-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

STUDY OF TWO PEARS

1
Opusculum paedagogum.
The pears are not viols,
Nudes or bottles.
They resemble nothing else.

2
They are yellow forms
Composed of curves
Bulging toward the base.
They are touched red.

3
They are not flat surfaces
Having curved outlines.
They are round
Tapering toward the top.

4
In the way they are modelled
There are bits of blue
A hard dry leaf hangs
From the stem.

5
The yellow glistens.
It glistens with various yellows,
Citrons, oranges and greens
Flowering over the skin.

6
The shadow of the pears
Are blobs on the green cloth.
The pears are not seen
As the observer wills.

--------- Wallace Stevens -----

So, Mr. Stevens thinks it is impossible to adequately describe two pears. And he was just writing about the visual description. I can identify with this poem. How to describe a taste, a flavor.
A Study of Two Bosc Pears
1. juicy and sweet
2. aromatic, slightly grainy flesh that melts in the mouth when ripe.
3. soft and dense wetness with a sugary buttery flavor
4. not crisp like an apple. more delicate flavor.
5. slight spiciness
6. Like lying on soft grasses next to a lively creek watching a bumble bee visit meadow clovers.

How do you describe a pear?

Class acts in the South Bay

2006-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

Sur La Table in Los Gatos has a couple of classes coming up that look interesting.

Smart Cooking for Your New Year
Tuesday January 24 , $60
A hands on class - Start the new year off right with heart-friendly dishes from Charles Vollmar. Practice unique preparations that make vegetables the centerpiece of the meal and discuss the need for fresh, whole foods and complex carbohydrates in your diet.
MENU: Asian Slaw with Cilantro and Sesame Vinaigrette . Warmed Spinach and Escarole Salad with Portobellos and Parmesan . Blue Lake Beans with Almonds and Caramelized Shallots . Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Olives . Braised Bok Choy with Enoki Mushrooms and Ginger

Another class that looks promising -

David Peatrowski from Three Degrees Restaurant
Monday, January 30, $60
Chefs table format - MENU: Chef Peatrowski will select recipes depending on availability of ingredients at the time of his class. Signature dishes include: Roasted Duck Spring Roll with Fresh Fig Chutney - Grilled Asparagus Mimosa with Shaved Red Onion, Boiled Egg and Champagne Vinaigrette - Steamed Alaskan Halibut with Lobster-Chive Ravioli and Tomato Chive Broth - Pan Roasted Ribeye Steak with Cognac Cream, Roasted Potatoes and Lemon Baby Spinach

David beats Goliath

2006-01-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

"Our bullets were focaccia. And sausage. And bread. It was a peaceful war, without any spilling of blood."

Food Blues

2006-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little depressed lately? Paranoid? Maybe we should be a bit more paranoid about the food we are consuming.

A study from the Mental Health Foundation in the UK reports that "Changes to diets over the last 50 years may be playing a key role in the rise of mental illness, a study says." Less fresh food and more saturated fats and sugar is leading to depression and memory problems. And addressing mental health problems with diet changes is showing better results in some cases than drugs or counseling. Plus they warn that unless there is a radical overhaul of food and farming policies, there won't be healthy and nutritious foods available in the future for people to eat.

Eat those organic vegetables!

Chicken Soup for the... Body

2006-01-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

Everyone was talking about the new chips. No, I don't mean organic blue corn and tomato salsa kind of chips, but the Intel chips that the brand new Apple Imac Duos were sporting. L. and I made our annual pilgrimage to Macworld, at which our inner geeks emerged fully formed and eager to discuss GHz, mbits, and PCIe and debate the merits of various cases for the nano ipod which neither of us own. It was fun, but after a few hours I regretted ignoring that advice that mothers give about not skipping breakfast as I scouted the SF Moscone Center for some lunch. The convention food wasn't very appetizing and we only managed to scrounge a small pack of gumbys from the booths. (Giving out candies seems to have gone out of fashion. The big giveaway this year seems to be buttons. Tell me, who besides the people working the show would pierce their clothing with advertising for some company's products? I'd never wear one, well ok, maybe if it said Neal's Yard Dairy Colston Bassett Stilton.)

After a day and evening of high tech adventure, we were eager for a counterbalancing organic experience - and one that would keep us healthy in spite of all the Macworld in January coughs and sneezes we heard. The choice? Our favorite chicken soup.

This is another excellent creation by L. This tastes wonderful and I swear, it really does cure the common cold.

By all means, get organic ingredients, if possible. The list below is right off of my shopping list receipt.
2x cartons chicken broth 8 cups
1 bundle of Soba noodles
2x cups loose spinach .25 lbs
15-20 Crimini mushrooms (small) .25 lbs
1x jalapeno pepper large .07 lbs minced
1x yam or sweet potato 1.5 lbs peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces - we use garnet or jewel or Japanese yams
2x leeks 1.5 lbs
1x carrot .25 lbs peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1x chicken breast bone-In
1x celery stalk with leaves chopped
2x garlic cloves minced
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch all spice
7x - 12x fresh cranberries (optional)
1 tblsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
2x tblsp olive oil

Recipe: Chicken soup
Microwave the carrot and sweet potato for 15 minutes. This jump starts the cooking process for the soup, but if you don't have or don't want to use a microwave, then just put them in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Cook Soba noodles in a separate pot according to package directions.

Meanwhile, clean and cut leek into 1/2 inch rings
Heat olive oil in large pot.
Add leek and saute until softened - about 6 minutes
Skin chicken breast, separate bone from meat, cut meat into 2 inch long thin stripes
Add chicken breast to leek
Add Jalapeno pepper, garlic , celery, and mushrooms and saute for an additional 6 minutes.

Add chicken broth, yam, carrot, spices, salt and pepper to taste and bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Mix in the spinach and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Mix in the Soba noodles and enjoy. L. likes to add in the soba noodles in the individual bowls, but you can add them to the pot too. Let us know if you make this, how you like it or how you improved it!

2006-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

There's a sale going on at Williams Sonoma. Lots of goodies at reasonable prices. Check it out!
I'm off to Macworld today so I'll post more later.

2006-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

J.K. Rowling misplaced one of her notebooks. As she writes in her on-line diary, she remembered the notebook as containing essential ideas so imaginative that she would never be able to duplicate them, leading to the mournful result of an impoverished next book. Well, maybe our lost pea soup won't affect as many people as those devoted to the Harry Potter books, but we are upset all the same.

Now this isn't just a misplaced recipe. This was a heavenly creation that L. improvised last Sunday night. As dusk painted the clouds a pink grey and temperatures fell, the split peas beckoned to us. Within a couple of hours, we were congratulating ourselves on such a perfect split pea soup - one that captured the very essence of peas. We enjoyed it so much that we decide to make it again the following day, only this time taking note of quantities and procedures so we could write it up for Foodatista.

This pea soup has now taken on mythic proportions in our minds, for the following day's soup tasted nothing like the one on Sunday night. It's like in the film business, when the rehearsal is the best performance, but you didn't get it on film. And every subsequent take is compared to it and the memory of that rehearsal is magnified into the Oscar winning performance that can never be recaptured.

So what are we to do? Well, we will try it again and report back to you how it goes. Have you cooking improvisers ever had this happen to you?

By the way, J. K. Rowling found her notebook, but discovered that it contained few of the brilliant ideas that she had imagined. But I'm sure our pea soup was exceptional.

Rombauer Jam Cake

2006-01-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

We decided to make a cake for L's birthday. After browsing my favorite food blogs, I ended up making the Rombauer Jam Cake from my tattered and stained Joy of Cooking cookbook. We used dark brown sugar and raspberry jam. After chasing around town for a 7 inch bundt cake pan (which doesn't exist in space or time - apparently only 6 1/2 and 8 inch versions are available), I noted that the old cookbook refers to a tube pan. Of course I don't have one of those either, so after much internal debate and anxiety ( I know you pedantic cooks like me will relate to this), I went with the large bundt pan that I had in the cupboard. I cooked it a bit less than the 30 minutes it called for and the cake came out perfectly. Lovely spicy flavor, the moistness and flavor of the raspberry jam is subtly declared. Nice change from our standard chocolate cake(s). Happy Birthday L!

Recipe for Rombauer Jam Cake from the Joy of Cooking (1975 edition)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons cultured sour cream
1 cup raspberry or blackberry jam
(1/2 cup chopped nuts)

The ingredients should be at room temperature. This usually means setting the wrapped butter on the counter a half hour or more before you need it. The warmer your house, the faster it will warm up to the 68 degrees that's best for creaming. Putting it on top of the pre-heating oven to warm it up faster does not work - it will melt and definitely not ever become light - and yes, I have tried this.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the first 6 ingredients.
Cream the butter and 1 cup of the brown sugar. If you are not familiar with creaming technique, baking 911 has an excellent explanation complete with photos.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Beat in the sour cream.
Add the flour mixture into the butter and stir until barely mixed.
Add the cup of jam and stir.
Pour the batter into a buttered tube or bundt pan and bake about 30 minutes.

Icing : Quick Brown Sugar
This icing is very fast and easy.
1 1/2 cups brown sugar - you can use either dark or golden brown sugar. Dark will give it more of a molasses flavor.
5 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the first 4 ingredients into a saucepan and heat while stirring occasionally on medium flame until it just reaches the boiling point. Remove from heat, wait a minute and then add the vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until thick enough to spread - about 2 minutes.

Satsumas with Rosemary Honey

2005-12-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I remember hearing stories about children receiving an orange as a Christmas gift. Now that always seemed to me like a terrible present, wanting as I did, a pair of walkie talkies. I always figured it was the way my parents had of lowering my expectations for Christmas gifts. But this year I tried mandarin oranges - specifically satsuma oranges. I love them - I mean really love them. They are so sweet and juicy. They are available in November through January. I get the organic ones at Whole Foods and I can't stop eating them. The old Christmas stories about oranges in stockings make much more sense to me now.

But I never did get my walkie talkies. Here's another delightful way to enjoy them.

Mandarins with rosemary honey - from the LA Times
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

1/2 cup wildflower honey
1 1/4 teaspoons minced rosemary leaves
1 1/2 pounds mandarins (about 9)
Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Heat the honey and the rosemary in a small saucepan until liquid and set aside to steep at least 15 minutes.
Peel the mandarins and break them into bite-sized sections of roughly 2 segments each. Carefully remove as much of the white pith and string as you can. Notice that there is a central string that runs down the back of almost every segment; remove this and much of the pith will come with it.
Arrange the mandarins in a low mound on a serving platter and spoon the rosemary honey over top. Each piece of mandarin should be touched, though not coated, by the honey. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary, or even better, sprigs with some of the blue flowers still attached.