Kat on Thyme

Not Just a Dab

They’re small. You’ll need more than a dab. You might want a couple of dabs, and I’d recommend them pan fried. Sand Dabs that is. After deciding that a pound of salmon should cost LESS than an entire tank full of gas, I asked the fish guy at Whole Foods for another recommendation. He asked if I had tried the sand dabs. I remember eating sand dabs as a kid on the California Coast, but I hadn’t ever cooked them. And at $3.99 a pound, I considered filling my car with them. Sold.

So, as I do whenever I experiment with new seafood, I checked into both the environmental and health concerns about the little dabs. They seem to be abundant off of the West Coast and they are caught by a method called Danish Seine netting which is supposed to be very targeted, preventing by-catch, and habitat damage. Good news there. And as for the health concerns of mercury or toxins, I simply didn’t find any information. I’m going with “no news is good news” on this one, since the little guys are so darned tasty.

So what the heck is a sand dab? Sand dabs are flatfish -- the relatives of flounders, sole, plaice, and turbot. And they are extremely talented. First, they are chameleons. Like a brown dog sleeping in the dirt, they blend into their surroundings. But unlike a brown dog sleeping in the snow, they can change their color to suit their habitat. The other interesting little tidbit about sand dabs is that they are born with one eye on each side of their heads, “bilaterally symmetrical.” (I had to think about that one.) But soon after birth, one eye migrates over to hang out with the other one. So they spend most of their adult lives resting on their sides with their eyes up, blending into the background. I wonder if they turn over to sleep? I actually found some cool sand dab action video. You can check it out if you’re interested. Sand Dabs in Action

As far as eating goes, sand dabs are very mild and sweet. And spring is supposed to be the best season for them. Also, sand dabs that live in actual sand are supposed to be better eating than those that live in mud. “Mud Dabs” just doesn’t have the same appeal.

Since this is such a delicately flavored fish, simple preparation suits it best. A simple pan fry is the way to go.

Panko Crusted Sand Dabs

½ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper (taste it!)
1 egg beaten
2 Tablespoons milk or buttermilk
1 pound pan-dressed Sand Dabs
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
Lemon wedges

Beat the milk and egg together in a pie plate. Line up three pie plates (or shallow baking pans) with the flour mixture in the first one, the milk mixture in the second and the panko in the third. Dredge each fish in the flour, then dip them into the egg-milk mixture then roll in the panko until thoroughly coated. Place on a parchment covered sheet.

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook over a lively but not smoking hot fire for three to four minutes on a side until nicely golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately, accompanied with lemon wedges.

You can quickly de-bone the fish at the table. Insert two forks beneath the upper filet and lift the entire filet away, leaving the bottom filet and the bones in place. Then, remove the skeleton, from the tail end, which should come away in one piece. You’ll have the other filet left on the plate.

This is great with lemon or as I served them, with a simple onion pickle made from thinly sliced red onion left to macerate in white wine vinegar, salt, and sugar until soft and sweet, about an hour.

1 pound feeds 2 to 3 people.

Dinner Pancakes

Pancakes for dinner! What could be a better follow-up to brownies for breakfast?

I’ll have to admit, I’m in a side dish rut. And I’m a true appreciator of side dishes. For me, the measure of a great restaurant meal is often what comes along side the protein, rather than the protein itself. I like vegetable sides to be fresh, seasonal, and minimally prepared, but I have no opposition to finessing the carbs. And upon perusal of my rather large cookbook collection, I came across a book on pancakes that has some great savory recipes. (Pancakes: From Morning to Midnight by Dorie Greenspan) And so it went that I decided to make pancakes for dinner.

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about the pancake for dinner- think potato pancakes, applesauce, and roasted meat. Very traditional, and always delicious. I was thinking of barbecuing salmon for dinner so I thought about the natural flavor pairings of dill and sour cream. And voila, a recipe for a sour cream pancake with dill. I make a few changes on the recipe, adding lemon zest to compliment the fish, and whole wheat pastry flour to improve the nutritional value. My original plan was to slow roast the salmon on the grill, on a cedar plank, but was foiled in that attempt by bad weather and amazingly expensive salmon. You’d think the Copper River flowed gold. So for about 1/10th of the price, the fish guy at Whole Foods recommended the sand dabs. A bargain at $3.99 since there is almost no waste and the fish are lovely and mild. But that’s another story! Back to the pancakes…

These pancakes are great as a dinner side but would also make a fabulous brunch, especially if served with lox, sliced tomatoes, red onions… you get the picture. They also can be made very small and used as appetizers with a dabble of sour cream, a slice of smoked salmon and a sprig of dill.

Sour Cream Pancakes with Dill and Lemon

½ cup flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or another ½ cup all-purpose)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¾ cup milk (plus a tad more if batter is too thick)
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 shallot, minced
Grated zest of ½ lemon (more if you’d like)
¼ cup dill, chopped

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the milk, sour cream, egg, and butter. Add the shallot, lemon zest, and dill.
Preheat your griddle to 350 to 400 degrees.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don’t worry if it’s lumpy. If it’s too thick to drop nicely onto the griddle, add a touch more milk.
Spray the griddle with non-stick spray and spoon ¼ cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Smooth the batter into nice rounds. With the bottoms are golden brown, flip the cakes and cook the other side until they are light brown as well.

Makes about 12 medium sized cakes, enough for 3 people, generously.

Summer Barbecue Challenge Wrap-up Round Up

Lex Culinaria, a fellow food blogger, put out the call to cyber food junkies for fabulous summer barbecue recipes. So, last weekend I responded with a few blog entries on grilling and was excited to see links to them on her website. I was also excited to see what fabulous recipes and blog sites that other folks submitted. So, not to let a wrap-up go unappreciated, I decided to make five of the recipes at work today. Unfortunately, time got away from me and I didn’t get a chance to make the grilled pita bread (and there was tons of bread in the house already screaming to be grilled) but I did manage to make the other four, and they were all wonderful. Kudos to all who submitted recipes!

The first recipe I made was Helen’s Grilled Asparagus, Tomato, and Feta Salad. Whole Foods didn’t have organic cherry tomatoes today so I opted for Romas which I quartered, seeded, and then sliced lengthwise. I used more olive oil (I’ve never had a delicate hand with the olive oil) and a bit more balsamic vinegar than the recipe called for. I also took Helen’s suggestions of adding some basil, so I did a combination of basil and mint for the dressing. Very delicious indeed!

Also for lunch I made a salad with the Teriyaki Grilled Tempeh from McAuliflower's site.  I have to admit, I fudged a bit on this one because I didn’t want to buy both mirin and sake, and I knew I could make it work with what I had. So I substituted crisp white wine for the sake and dry sherry for the mirin. And since mirin is sweet, I upped the sugar slightly on the sauce. This recipe turned out so nicely I wondered why I don’t cook with tempeh more often! To make this into a salad, I made a simple dressing of rice vinegar and a bit of the warm sauce and tossed it with some spinach and baby Russian kale from the garden. Then I sliced mangos and fanned them on top of the greens. And then above that went the sliced tempeh, a healthy drizzle of the sauce, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Very easy and so tasty. Thanks, McAuliflower, for the recipe, and the reminder that tempeh is delicious.

And of course, to honor the host of the Barbecue Challenge, I made Lex’s recipe for Char Sui Beef Bundles. And to accompany them, I also prepared Haalo’s Grilled Potato Skewers. The people for whom I cook don’t eat much beef so I opted for pork loin that had been butterflied, pounded, and then cut in strips. Trent, my man at Whole Foods, did the butterflying for me but when it came time for pounding, it was naptime at the casa, so I skipped that step. I made the marinade as written except that I left out the Five Spice because, well, because I don’t like it. It was delicious without. I mixed up the marinade with an immersion blender which worked great. For vegetables I chose red bell pepper and snap peas, and instead of tying with green onions, I used big chives. It turned out very nicely but I think I would have preferred to use Lex’s thinly sliced beef. Next time!

And the potatoes. YUM! I chose tiny red creamer potatoes and for seasonings, I went with fennel seeds and a few sage leaves skewered between the potatoes. I didn’t want to go too Mediterranean since the bundles were decidedly Asian. I thought fennel was a nice meet in the middle. I started the bundles in the oven (400 degrees) since it was raining out and then moved them to the grill when I put the bundles on. You could do the whole thing in the oven, in fact, since they cook over indirect heat. I experimented with putting more than one skewer in a bundle, to save on foil, and that worked just fine too. The potatoes were creamy and delicious and the garlic added a nice touch, both for it’s scent and flavor. Next time, I might like to open the bundles and put them over the direct heat, once they’re cooked through. That would provide the nice grill marks and a bit of barbecue flavor as well. No complaints, however- it’s a recipe I’ll surely make again!

Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful input to my day at work! And thank you Lex for your inspiration.

All Grill, All Day

83 degrees in Seattle, in May. The tomatoes are planted, the lettuce seeds are sprouting, the Spanish lavender is blooming, and the grapes vines are taking off. It feels like summer already. I couldn’t resist cooking al fresco today at work, so I prepared my menus almost entirely on the grill. And for me, it was a day to celebrate. We’ve passed the midway point of Nick’s deployment. It’s a downward slide through summer from here, if all goes as planned, and he returns in mid-August. Nick is my boyfriend, who is an officer in the Marine Corps, currently stationed somewhere in the Persian Gulf. I really don’t know where he is or where he is going, since plans seem to change on an hourly basis. And of course, their plans are so top secret even they don’t know where they’re going. Unless they accidentally post the secret plans on their website, which is what happened last time they were doing something interesting. But regardless of where he is, we’re over half way to his homecoming, and that is something to commemorate with a burger.

I never eat fast food and rarely eat pub food, so for me, a burger is celebratory. I usually opt for the healthfulness of a turkey burger, rather than a ground beef one. Turkey burgers can dry out on the grill, but I’ve discovered a few techniques that keep them juicy. I've found that by adding moist ingredients to the ground turkey mixture, and by using dark meat turkey, the burgers come off the grill tender and juicy. And another trick to making sure I get the flavor I’m after--  I make one tiny test patty of the mix, after putting in all of the ingredients, and cook it in a small skillet with some olive oil. That way I can taste for the seasoning level before making up all of the burgers.

I got the idea for these burgers from an old friend of mine, Tim, who used to make Salsa Eggs when we went camping. Perhaps I’ll write about Salsa Eggs one of these days…

Salsa Burgers

2 pounds ground dark meat turkey
½ cup fresh salsa (not the cooked kind), scooped into the measuring cup with a slotted spoon to avoid getting too much liquid
¾ cup finely grated hard cheese, like pecorino or parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs, if you’d like (cilantro is great here, oregano would be good, as would chives or parsley)

Preheat the grill on medium-high until the temperature reaches about 450. Mix up the ingredients with your hands. I use latex gloves for this. Make one small test patty and cook it over medium-low heat in a skillet, in about a teaspoon of olive oil. Cook both sides, until the meat is cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasonings. More salt? More salsa? Pepper? Put the final touches on your meat mixture and make it into 6 patties about ½ inch thick. When the grill is hot, scrape and oil the grates. Place your patties on the grill, cover, and cook about 5 minutes. Check for browning. If the burgers are browned to your liking, flip them over and do the other side the same way. At this point the burgers might be done inside but most likely they will need to cook a bit more. Place them all on one side of the grill and turn off the heat directly below them. Without the direct heat, they will not burn on the outside. And the heat from the other burner will keep the grill hot. When the burgers reach 160 on an instant read thermometer, they’re ready to go!

Great Accompaniments to the Salsa Burger

Avocado or guacamole
Tomato
Lettuce
Grilled onions
Condiments, including salsa
Cheese, pepper jack would be delicious (you could put this on the burger just before you take it off the grill so the cheese melts)
Toasted buns (put these on the grill a few minutes before the burgers are finished)

Makes 6 big burgers.

Friday Night Skate

Not since about 7th grade have my Friday nights included skating. After checking out the Roller Derby at Magnuson Park last fall, I’ve been trying to talk my ultimate Frisbee team into a skate night. No luck on that front, so yesterday I decided to shift my efforts and try skate, the noun. If I can’t go skate I may as well eat skate.

Skate, long popular in Europe as bistro fare, is a relative of rays and sharks. The wings are the only edible part of the fish, and the fillet of one skate wing makes a generous serving. The meat is firm textured with fan-like flakes, and the taste is slightly sweet, perhaps a little like scallops. The downside of a skate wing is that it has a piece of cartilage that runs down the wing towards the wing tip. Once you fillet the meat off of that cartilage, the fillet is boneless and easy to cook. There is just a lot of waste, per pound. The upside is that even at Whole Foods, the wings cost between 4 and 5 dollars a pound, and they will do the filleting for you. I asked if the fish guy could show me that procedure of filleting, which I assumed would be complicated. It wasn’t complicated at all- in fact it looked quite easy. And the underside of the wing has small fillets which can also be removed, although they are not beautiful like the ones on top. I asked for the cartilage pieces (I had paid for them, after all) and with those, I made a simple stock that I used to cook the toasted Israeli cous cous that we had with our fish. (I toast it in olive oil and then cook it like risotto, adding a ladleful of stock as the cous cous absorbs it.) One tidbit that I read about skate wings is that they can have an ammonia like odor and flavor, much like shark, if not soaked in acidulated water for several hours before cooking. I’m guessing that the fish guy at Whole Foods had already done that for me, since the skate smelled fresh and briny, like ocean water.

So every time I experiment with a new ocean product, I have to think about the health of the fish, both for me, and for the fisheries that harvest it. I did a little research on skate, and the good news is that skate is one of the safer fish one can eat, in terms of mercury levels. They graze the bottom of the ocean floor eating worms, shrimp, clams, and a few small fish. So little chance of contamination there, since they are eating relatively safe prey. The problem with skate has more to do with the welfare of the fish themselves. They are slow growing, and don’t produce many off-spring. Because they are new fish to the American palate, regulation was slow to be enacted. And often, because they eat shrimp, they fall victim to the shrimper’s nets. There are many kinds of skate, however, and not all species face the danger of being over fished. Indeed, I’d like to chat with the fish guy about what kind of skate they are buying and from which ocean it comes.

The recipe I used for the skate came from Jamie Oliver’s book The Naked Chef. It’s a good one. (Both the book and the recipe.)

Skate Wings with Prosciutto, Radicchio, Capers, and Lemon

Four skate wings of at least 12 ounces each, before filleting
Salt and pepper
Flour
¼ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons butter
2-3 ounces of prosciutto (Whole Foods sells the ends when they get too small to slice and it’s much more economical to buy it that way) finely sliced or cut into tiny cubes
1 head of radicchio, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons of capers, soaked in water and drained
Juice of two lemons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the skate wings with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with flour. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Turn the heat down if the butter solids start to color too much. Place the skate into the pan and cook until nicely browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. (If the skate doesn’t fit into one pan, you’ll need to do two half batches, wiping the pan in between.) Place the skate on a baking sheet covered with parchment and bake for about 6 minutes or until the flesh begins to flake. While the fish cooks, in that same pan, add the prosciutto and fry until it’s crispy. (Add a touch more olive oil if the pan is too dry.) Add the garlic, radicchio, and capers. Reduce the heat and add the last tablespoon of butter. The radicchio should wilt. Add the lemon juice and pour over the skate wings. Lovely! (Jamie and I both think so.)

Serves 4.

PT on the Q

Beautiful sauce cannot hide poorly cooked pork. Part two on the tenderloin... Yesterday’s rhubarb sauce compliments tender, juicy pork tenderloin, like a splash of lemon freshens a grilled salmon. A little bright acidity works magic with succulent roasted meat flavors. But pigs nowadays are so skinny! Although pork tenderloin is a fabulous cut for the fat conscious, it can be a difficult cut to keep moist, especially on the grill. So some years back I started experimenting with brining, the soaking of meat in a salt water solution, to keep it moist and tasty during dry heat methods of cooking. Pork tenderloin is a perfect candidate for the salt water spa treatment, since it is so lean, and small enough to brine in a hurry. Brining not only keeps pork moist during cooking, but the salt and other ingredients added to the brine help to flavor it. I’ve experimented with all sorts of additions to brines, from herbs, to sweeteners, to spices, and alcohol- and I’ve had great success with them all. Where water is an ingredient, one can always substitute other flavored liquids, like wine, tea, herbal infusions, liquors, maple syrup, and extracts. Here is the basic recipe I use for pork brines:

Basic Brine for Pork

1 cup very hot or boiling water
¼ cup kosher salt (much less if using table salt)
¼ cup brown sugar (for pork, the sugar adds good flavor)
Ice cubes
Cold water to make the total liquid equal 4 ½ cups

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water. Add ice cubes to cool the liquid. Then add cold water to make a total of 4 ½ cups of liquid. Taste the liquid and adjust the ratio. If it seems too salty to you, add a bit more cold water. I find this ratio works well but it’s a matter of personal taste. Add the brine to a gallon sized Ziploc baggie and put the pork inside. Place the bag on a pie plate or baking dish and refrigerate for about 3 hours.

Delicious Additions to Flavor Brines

1 teaspoon vanilla
Maple syrup instead of brown sugar
Bourbon, triple sec, or dark rum
Fruity white wine
Spices- fennel, black pepper, allspice- this one’s up to you!
Citrus Zest
The possibilities are limitless…just taste the brine BEFORE adding the raw pork.

* For yesterday's rhubarb pork, I added vanilla and triple sec to the brine. I also rubbed the pork with black pepper.

I find that 3 hours or so is a good amount of time for the pork tenderloin to brine. If you plan on brining longer, use a less concentrated solution and the opposite if you have less time. This is where experimentation comes in.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins- about 1 ¾ to 2 pounds total, brined
Olive oil
Herbs and spices for rubbing on the pork, if desired.
Sage and fennel are both good as is rosemary and orange zest
Black pepper

Take the tenderloins out of the brine and set on a baking rack covered with a double layer of paper towels. Blot the meat dry. Leave the meat at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat your grill on high. I use a gas grill. Coat the meat with olive oil and then rub any seasonings you might like onto the meat. Do not salt. When the grill reaches about 500 degrees, scrape it down and oil it. Place the tenderloins on the grill with the thickest parts over the hotter sections of the grill. Cover and cook until nicely browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side too. You can brown all 4 sides if you prop the tenderloins against one another. Once the meat is browned, check it for doneness. Poke it with your finger. If it’s still squishy, turn off the center burners and use only the outside burners to continue the cooking but without using direct heat. (The grill I use has 4 knobs- I turn off the center two while leaving the outer two on medium to high, depending on the heat. It should stay around 350 to 400.) Check the meat with a meat thermometer and take it off when the meat registers about 130 to 135. It will continue to cook as it rests so don’t overcook it. This is key! Take the pork off of the grill and put it onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Tent with foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Pour any juices that accumulate into the sauce you’ve made or just dribble them over the sliced meat. Even skinny pigs make juicy tenderloin!

Serves about 4.

Raise your hand if you like rhubarb.

Rhubarb. Just the name sounds dangerous. And as plants go, I suppose it is. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous, which is why when you see rhubarb on the produce aisle, you see only the naked stalks. So just how poisonous are rhubarb leaves, I wondered? To quell my curiosity, I did a little research and found out that rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which is used commercially in metal polishes, stain removers, and writing inks. Yikes. So my next question of course is, “So what happens if I eat them?” Included in the list of post-ingestion symptoms are ones I would expect- abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea. And thrown in for good measure is, “death from cardiovascular collapse.” I think I’ll stick to stalks.

So a little more research reveals that rhubarb is a vegetable from Asia that is related to buckwheat and garden sorrel. It’s high in Vitamin C and fiber, and was cultivated originally for medicinal purposes. When the Brits and Americans got their hands on the tart veggie, they decided that with a healthy glop of sugar it made a fabulous pie. And because rhubarb thrives in the spring, it has a natural affinity to strawberries and raspberries. Apples and pears also compliment rhubarb’s tart flavor, much like they compliment fall’s cranberries.

I’ve been experimenting with ways to use rhubarb in more savory than sweet applications. It is a vegetable after all. I’ve found, though, that even in savory dishes, rhubarb needs some sugar to round out its sharp flavors. Its tartness adds great zest to sauces, and when paired with sweet fruits, rhubarb’s bite balances the sugar’s tendency to cloy. Today I had a glut of apples and pears that were ripe so I decided to concoct some sort of sweet and tart compote for a grilled pork tenderloin. Here’s what I came up with.

This sauce would also be great with grilled chicken or a meaty grilled fish.

Rhubarb, Apple & Pear Savory Compote

2 Tablespoons butter
3 stalks rhubarb, split down the middle and diced
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
1 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup tawny port
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (more if you’d like)
Salt and pepper to taste
The meat drippings that collect after the meat has rested.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and when it’s foamy, add the rhubarb, apple, pear, and shallot. Stir only occasionally, as you want the fruit sugars to caramelize. When the fruit is golden brown, add the port and simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add salt and pepper, ginger, and the brown sugar and simmer until the saucy part of the mixture is a warm brownish red color and is glaze-like. Taste again and adjust the seasonings. When your meat is rested after grilling, pour any accumulated juices into the sauce just before serving.

Makes enough for 4 portions.

The pork and sauce were served with Leek, Lemongrass, and Chèvre Risotto, and Cider Glazed Grilled Carrots.

Pantry Puttanesca

If you can’t make pasta from what you have in your pantry, you need to go shopping. My friend, Geoffrey, from the health department caught a ride into Seattle with me after work this evening, to hang out with old Baci dog and me, and have a bite to eat. We couldn’t decide whether we should go out or just fix something at my place, so we agreed that we’d let the contents of my refrigerator dictate our dinner plans. What’s amazing about my refrigerator is that it’s always packed and it rarely contains anything to eat. It’s a palette for creating a meal, but never the meal in itself. And the top shelf is devoted to culinary inspiration, in 750 ml bottles.

A half of a cucumber, a few carrots, an avocado… not much in the way of dinner was presenting itself. But no matter what’s in the house, there’s always a pasta dish waiting to be concocted. Geoffrey’s a big fan of Pasta alla Puttanesca, so I checked the pantry for salty stuff and tomatoes, turned on the red light, and got cooking. There is controversy in the culinary world over how the pasta dish got such a shady name- Pasta in the style of the Prostitute- but I’ve heard that got its name from being quick to prepare with ingredients you’d always have around. If you’re a busy Neapolitan prostitute, that is. And regardless of reputation, I would recommend the prostitute’s pantry to anyone who likes to make quick and delicious pasta meals on the fly.

Pantry Puttanesca

12 ounces spaghetti or long skinny noodles

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tin of anchovies in oil, drained
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1- 28 ounce can whole peeled plum or Roma tomatoes, unsalted, pulsed in the food processor until rustically chopped
½ of a 12 ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (capers are traditional but I didn’t have any)
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
3 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 or more teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
3 large sprigs (or more) freshly chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground pepper
A healthy splash of olive oil
Salt if it needs it (all of the ingredients are pretty salty so only salt at the end if it needs it)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the anchovies and mash them, cooking until they disintegrate into the oil. Lower the heat if it’s splattering too much. Add the garlic and cook it until it is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and maintain the heat to simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens some.

Meanwhile put a large pot of water on to boil. When the water comes to a boil, add a generous tablespoon of salt and bring to another boil. Add your pasta and cook until al dente- check the package for directions.

Then to the sauce, add the artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, pepper flakes, and rosemary. If you like the consistency of the sauce, turn off the heat until the pasta is done cooking. If it’s a bit runny, continue to gently simmer the sauce while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander and then toss it in with the sauce, along with the parsley, black pepper, and a healthy splash of olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and divide onto pasta plates. Cheese is not traditional with this dish but it is good with a hard grating cheese.

Serves 3 to 4.

Along with the pasta, I made a simple salad of sliced avocado and cucumber with carrot ribbons. I sprinkled it with a quick vinaigrette of olive oil, Dijon mustard, and balsamic, salt and pepper, and some freshly chopped dill.

Thursday Night at the Olive Bar

Truly, the more I learn about food, the more I recognize how much more there is to know. I think that’s the attraction. So I was on one of my regular runs down the olive bar at Whole Foods (they should just get me a bar stool) looking for savory additions to the tuna and white bean salad I was  making for lunch. The selection changes often so there’s always something new to try. One of my favorite olive bar treats is the grilled cipollini that are marinated in balsamic vinegar. They have a wonderfully crunchy texture for being grilled and they’re sweet and tart and full of deliciousness. I use them often in panini and tossed into pasta salads.
But getting back to the part about learning something new, when I went to type out the recipe, I checked the spelling for cipollini in the Food Lover’s Companion (great reference and fascinating to peruse) I came across its definition as well. It goes like this:

cipollini [chihp-oh-LEE-nee]
These bittersweet bulbs of the grape hyacinth taste and look like small onions, which is why they're also called wild onions . Fresh cipollini are hard to find in the United States but do make an appearance in some Italian markets during the fall. Jars of cipollini preserved in oil are also sometimes available. For peak flavor, fresh cipollini  should be slowly simmered or braised. They can be served as an appetizer or vegetable.

Who knew! I see grape hyacinth growing in ditches all over Seattle! It’s likely the beautiful purple flowers are done blooming for the season, but if the cipollini are a fall crop, I’m going to start carrying a trowel in the trunk of my car come about mid-August.

But in the mean time, I’ll have to get my cipollini the less adventurous way, at the grocery store.

Olive Bar Tuna and White Bean Salad

  1 can white beans, rinsed
2 cans tuna, in water, drained
1 Tablespoon pickled red peppers, minced (the spicy ones are good!)
3 grilled and marinated cipollini, chopped
2 Tablespoons oil cured olives, chopped
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
3 French cornichons, chopped
1 sprig fresh mint, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, thinly sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Zest and juice of one lemon
¼ cup olive oil (more if it seems dry)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the previous ingredients and taste. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. Add more olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper, or fresh herbs to balance the seasonings. Serve with toasted bread or crackers, or as a sandwich filling.

Chicken del Sol

Yesterday I was supposed to have been at a wedding (yes, on a Monday). In some peculiar fit of altruism I had volunteered to cook chicken for the wedding guests, of which I was one. When I offered my culinary services, the guest list was fairly small but by wedding day, it had blossomed to almost 200. Holy chicken! And yesterday morning, I awoke after ten and a half hours of sleep, to find that the cold I had been chasing off with Emergen-C and orange juice had settled right in. Lousy timing for sure, as I was supposed to be catching a ferry to Whidby Island in short order to begin the chicken cooking fiesta. After leaving a rueful phone message for the groom, his mom called me back to get the complete course on chicken cooking, which would be handed off to some unfortunate relative.

Anyhow, I started feeling much better after making the call not to cook chicken for a gazillion people on my day off. I was super sorry to have missed the festivities, but no one needed my snotty nose in the wedding kitchen. Here’s a version of the recipe that I recommended to the wedding couple- the original recipe is called Chicken Marbella and it’s from the Silver Palate Cookbook. This is an adaptation that we’ll call Chicken del Sol.

This recipe is great for serving a crowd. It is good hot or at room temperature, and needs to be made ahead, so it’s a great dish for entertaining. It’s fabulous with polenta, but rice or egg noodles are good too.

Chicken del Sol

4 chicken breast halves, with bones & skin
6 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
8 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, loosely torn apart
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
4 dried figs, quartered
8 dried apricots, halved
¼ cup oil cured olives, pitted
¼ cup capers, with a bit of juice
2-3 small pickled cherry peppers, sliced
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup white wine
Fresh herbs for garnish

Put the chicken into a 7 x 11 inch (or 9 x 13 if the chickens are big) baking pan. Mix all ingredients from the garlic through the bay leaves in a bowl and whisk to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour this mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Try to rub the marinade under the skin of the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the marinate around the chicken to coat. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and white wine and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear when you cut into the meat. Look for about 160 on a meat thermometer.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and arrange the goodies around it. Garnish with fresh herbs (parsley and rosemary are nice). If there is a lot of liquid sauce, you can put it in a sauce boat to serve with the chicken. If time permits, join in the chicken dance.

May Day, May Day

May Day, May Day. It’s raining and I have a cold. I thought I had made it through cold season unscathed, but alas, just days after making that remark to myself, here I am with a runny nose and no energy…

Thankfully, though, the fridge is not empty. I can’t remember whether it’s feed a cold, starve a fever, or starve a cold, feed a fever (when I was little I was so slight, whatever the ailment, it was a feeder) but I haven’t lost my appetite quite yet. Last Friday I worked from home, and saved out some soup for myself for the weekend, before delivering the rest of soup, and the other dishes, to the family for whom I cook. And it’s been soup for every other meal since then.

I find it almost impossible to make a small pot of soup. And silly, really, since most kinds of soup freeze well. The problem is getting the soup cool enough to store if most of it isn’t getting eaten right away. At work there is an empty fridge in the garage, so I put thick soups in a very large metal sheet pan and cool them in a thin layer, uncovered in the fridge. At home, however, there isn’t room inside the refrigerator for large trays of food and I don’t want a flat of soup steaming it up anyhow. So, to get the soup cool fast, I use an ice bath. I usually transfer the soup into a cool stock pot and then submerge the pot into a sink full of ice water. Stirring occasionally helps get it cooler faster.

So here you go- a large recipe for a weekend’s worth of soup! It’s wonderful with some toasted Rosemary Bread sprinkled with green olive oil and kosher salt.

Minestrone with Spanish Smoked Paprika and Orzo

½ head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/3 pound of thick sliced apple wood smoked bacon, cut into small strips
2 small onions, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced in ¼ inch slices
4 stalks of celery, sliced in ¼ inch slices
1 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 small bunch collard greens, stems removed and sliced into ribbons
1 Tablespoon Spanish Smoked Paprika (sold in small cans on the spice aisle)
½ cup dry sherry
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart water (more if soup seems too thick)
1- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice
1- large can (28 ounce?) kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup orzo (you’ll cook it separately)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Italian parsley, to garnish, minced

Place the cabbage in a colander and salt liberally. Toss the cabbage to coat it with the salt and set aside.

Heat a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. If there is more than a thin coating of fat on the bottom of the stock pot, pour off the extra fat and discard. In the remaining fat, sauté the onions, carrots, celery until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and continue to sauté for another few minutes. Add the collard greens and paprika and sauté until the greens are wilted. Add the sherry and scrape up any bits of paprika that may have stuck to the bottom. Cook until the sherry is almost evaporated. Add the stock, water, tomatoes with their juice, and the drained kidney beans and bring the soup to a boil. Rinse the cabbage with water and add to the soup. It should be wilty. Turn down the heat and simmer to blend the flavors. While the soup is simmering, cook the orzo in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse. Add the orzo and the reserved bacon back to the soup and let simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It will certainly need salt and pepper. Once you are happy with the seasonings, add the parsley and serve.

Makes one full stockpot of soup- over a gallon.

Ricotta Salata Frittata

Ricotta Salata Frittata. It’s so much fun to say. I could have chosen just about any cheese to top the frittata I included in this morning’s Mother’s Day Brunch class, but I couldn’t resist the combination of words.

When I was planning the recipes for the class, I had intended to include a savory tart that could also be made into tartlets for an afternoon tea. But I thought about what my mother does when confronted with a deliciously flaky pie crust. She eats around it. Too fattening. And as if the butter pastry crust doesn’t add enough fat calories to the tart, the cream or half & half added to the egg custard piles on another not so healthy dose. Would moms enjoy a savory tart? Most likely. Would they make one at home? Not likely. And why do people take cooking classes, but to learn techniques that they can take home to embellish their culinary repertoires. And for entertainment, of course. The savory tart was definitely out.

In came the frittata, the thick, Italian omelet that can change with the seasons, and that has no crust and no custard, just eggs, beautiful vegetables, fresh herbs, and a sprinkling of cheese. Truly any vegetable, once it’s been cooked, can be added to a frittata, as well as meats, and cheese. For the spring, I chose leeks and asparagus. It just as easily could have been fava beans, artichokes, and spinach, or shell peas, smoked bacon, and chèvre. And besides being amazingly versatile, the frittata can be made ahead and served at any temperature- piping hot from the oven or at room temperature with a salad. It can be made thickly as a pie like dinner dish, or thinner as a sandwich filling. It can be cut into small squares and garnished for an appetizer. My sister is a vegetarian and she makes frittatas for dinner in countless creative ways. Fridge frittata. Just use what you got-ta.

Asparagus, Leek, and Ricotta Salata Frittata

This recipe can be adapted to the changing seasons by adding whichever cooked vegetables are fresh and seasonal. Just make sure to precook the veggies before adding them to the egg mixture.

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds asparagus, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces (compost the woody ends)
3 leeks, split down the middle, washed well, and sliced thinly
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt + more for vegetables
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup fresh herbs (mix of parsley, thyme, and lemon thyme)
10 large eggs
2 ounces of crumbled ricotta salata cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Next to the stove, prepare a large bowl of ice water. This will be for shocking the asparagus to stop the cooking process. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil on high heat. Salt the water generously when it comes to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook very briefly until it turns bright green. With a slotted spoon or strainer, scoop the asparagus from the boiling water and place it into the ice water. Let cool, drain, and set aside.

Preheat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and a shake of salt and cook until the leeks become soft. Try not to burn the edges. Scrape cooked leeks into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, the salt and pepper, and the fresh herbs. Stir in the leeks and asparagus.

Put the cast iron skillet back on the burner on medium high with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat until hot but not smoking. Add the egg mixture and distribute the vegetables with a heat proof rubber spatula. Sprinkle the cheese on top, or if you prefer, add the cheese as a topping after baking. Let cook for a few minutes to set the bottom and then pop the whole thing into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm and puffed on top. Allow the frittata to cool slightly before you try to slice it. This is just as yummy at room temperature.

Makes one 10-inch frittata.

Alternate method for appetizers or tea:

Instead of doing some of the cooking on the stove top and finishing the frittata in the oven, you can simply pour the filling into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake it that way. (A larger pan will make a thinner frittata.) Once the frittata is baked, you can cut it into triangles or if you want to get really fancy, use a small round biscuit cutter to make bite-sized circles.

To decorate, you can add thin strips of roasted pepper and crumbled cheese. (Put the cheese on after baking.)

Where's My Onglet?

My receipt from Whole Foods read, “Beef Onglet.” And of course, I thought to myself, what the heck is an onglet? It obviously comes from a cow, hence the beef part, but where on the cow would I look for an onglet? Should I look for an onglet? It sounds rather private. And of course, the next question that begs to be answered is, “Do I have an onglet?”

So let’s start with the first question of what the heck an onglet is. I know of an onglet as a hanger steak, which is one of my favorite cuts of meat. There’s only one per cow, and it hangs (aptly named) from the kidney, between the rib and the loin. It usually weighs about a pound and is the thick muscle which attaches to and supports the diaphragm. It can be a little hard to find (in the store, not on the cow), but is usually reasonably priced. Whole Foods carries hanger steaks but the stickers from their scales call them onglets.

I was originally attracted to the steaks because of their price ($8.99 per pound at W. F. which is about half the price of their premium steaks) but I am now a believer in the onglet. It is an extremely flavorful cut with a chewy texture, and it’s delicious marinated and grilled. Cooked to medium-rare (longer cooking dries it out) and sliced across the grain, it makes an amazingly tasty steak, great for stuffing burritos, topping a salad, or just eating on its own.

So the last question, which I can’t help but wondering, is do people have onglets? Webster wasn’t any help, so I called my neighbor Gretchen, who is a pharmacist and an expert on all things medical. I explained to her what an onglet is and where it is found on a cow. And her conclusion…”Kat, I think it’s safe to say, that people don’t have onglets.” So there you have it. If you want an onglet, you’ll just have to hit up Whole Foods. But not the one in Seattle, since there’s only one onglet per cow and I like them.

Grilled Onglet with Garlic, Lemon & Fresh Herb Rub

4 hanger steaks or onglets
Salt and pepper
5 cloves garlic
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one half lemon
2 large sprigs of rosemary or one small bunch of thyme
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Generously salt and pepper the steaks. In an immersion blender or small food processor, grind the rest of the ingredients into a loose paste. Put the paste into a Ziploc bag and add the meat. Squish the meat around in the bag to make sure all sides of each steak are covered with the herb paste. Let marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the grill on high until the temperature is at least 500 degrees. Remove the steaks from the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Scrape the grill and oil it. (I think pan spray works fine. Some say it’s dangerous.) Place the steaks at an angle to the grates and cook, covered for about 5-6 minutes. Turn and cook the other side, also covered, until the meat is medium rare, about 125 to 130 degrees. Remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest for 5-6 minutes before slicing. Slice across the grain and enjoy!

Makes 4 steaks.

Kat on Community

Sunshine in Seattle. Finally! It’s a glorious day and I’m feeling both the elation and the exhaustion of yesterday’s activities. It was a busy Easter Sunday.

Easter has always felt like a day of renewal, an optimistic day to think about the blessings of another spring. At Thanksgiving, we look back with gratitude at all of the things that make our lives abundant- family, friends, health, and prosperity. But on Easter this year, I just wanted to take time to really enjoy the people that make my world such a good one, and to look forward to the coming summer with hope and anticipation.

The phone rang in the morning while I was knee deep in little projects. I’ve got a lot going and it seems that there’s always so much that needs doing. It was my friend Amy and she was calling to see if I’d like to come have brunch with her and her husband, Matt. For a split second, I thought, “Well, I’m pretty busy, and don’t really feel like I have time,” but then I realized how silly that impulse was. Of course I have time and of course, I’d be honored to come. I’m embarrassed that I even thought twice.

And the day just spun out from there into a whirl of friends and family and festivity. After brunch, some friends from ultimate gathered for a game of hot box (ultimate with small boxes for goals instead of end zones). My brother-in-law and nephews came out to watch. And still in my Frisbee clothes, I made food for the Seder dinner at my sister’s, and for the Thai dinner that another friend was hosting. Three of us ate tapioca pudding from the bowl while I scrambled to get everything finished. With my sister’s family I celebrated the Seder, the ceremonial meal that commemorates the Israelites’ freedom from Egyptian slavery. Her father-in-law read the Haggadah and we tasted the foods symbolic of the bitter bondage of slavery, and the sweetness of hope. And then with tapioca in tow, Gretchen and I went to Lin’s house for a gathering of the ultimate team. One of our teammates, Angie, has been living in Thailand so everyone prepared a Thai dish to share. By the time we arrived, they were ready for round two of dessert, and I dished up the Coconut and Orange Scented Tapioca.

And to finish up an already lovely day, Nick called from Kuwait to wish me a happy Easter. And indeed, the only improvement that could have been made on yesterday would have been to have him there sharing in the fun.

Family, friends, and good food- a recipe for community and for happiness. And in this new springtime I feel amazingly blessed with an abundance of all three.

There are plenty of post-Thanksgiving recipes for leftover turkey, but I haven’t seen much in the way of recipes for leftover matzoh meal. Here’s a simple fish recipe that’ll take care of a cup or so.

Matzoh and Herb Crusted White Fish

4-6 boneless and skinless fillets of thin white fish (I used catfish)
Salt and pepper
About 1 cup matzoh meal
About ¼ cup fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used tarragon and thyme), plus more for garnish
Olive oil spray
Lemons and oranges for garnish, sliced in half moons or in wedges

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the fish. Mix the matzoh and the herbs in a flat baking pan (an 8x8 Pyrex dish worked great). Place the pretty side of the fish into the matzoh meal and press down to coat the fish. Then place the fish, crumb side up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Do this with all of the fish. If you have lots of parchment exposed around the fish, trim it with scissors. Spray the tops of the fish with the olive oil spray and pop the sheet into the oven. Depending on the thickness of the fish it can take anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes to cook. When the fish is starting to firm on the edges but is still a touch soft in the middle, turn on the broiler in your oven and move the fish to the top rack to brown the crumbs. WATCH IT CAREFULLY ! When the crumbs start to turn golden, remove the fish from the oven. Transfer it to a platter and garnish with the fresh herbs and citrus. 

Makes enough for 4.

Always Faithful Rosemary

In folklore it is said that if you touch a lover with a sprig of rosemary, he’ll be faithful. My dog Baci has been tromping through my rosemary bushes daily and we’ve been together for more than 13 years. Perhaps it does work. Regardless of rosemary’s more romantic proclivities, it’s certainly been faithful to me in the kitchen. When all of the other herbs in my garden look twiggy and bare in the cold winter months, the rosemary bushes on either side of my front door stand tall and bushy and ready for action. And even in the summer months, when the rest of the herb garden is in full swing, the rosemary still finds itself comfortable mingling with warm weather foods, like eggplant and tomatoes. It is truly a versatile herb and can add a warm note of pine-like spice to dishes year round.

The weatherman’s forecasting rain for the rest of the week in Seattle, and my taste buds are still craving some warm, comforting foods from winter. Roasted pork tenderloin fits the bill exactly with it’s versatility to adapt to the season. I developed the recipe below to make use of the rosemary that’s taking over my doorway. And it is in bloom now, producing tiny lavender colored flowers that make a lovely garnish for all sorts of dishes. It’s about the easiest herb to grow in Seattle, its hardiness being more of a problem than its timidity. Its flavor is hardy as well, so a light hand with rosemary is essential. You can always add more.

This dish captures the early spring time with a little zip of citrus. It’s wonderful served on a bed of sautéed spinach, with  spring vegetables and roasted new potatoes.

Roasted Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Grapefruit, Ginger & Shallot Pan Sauce

2 small pork tenderloins
Salt and pepper
¼ cup finely chopped rosemary
Olive oil for rubbing tenderloins

2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon ginger, chopped
¾ cup white wine (I used a Washington Riesling)
1 cup chicken stock (you can buy 3 packs of one cup boxes at Whole Foods)
2 Tablespoons marmalade (grapefruit if you can find it, otherwise, orange)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Grapefruit, peeled with a knife and sectioned, each section cut in half
Rosemary for garnish

Trim up the tenderloins, taking off the silver skins with a sharp knife. Rub them with salt and pepper and then with the rosemary and olive oil. Let them come to room temperature for about ½ an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil and heat on medium heat until shimmering. Brown the pork thoroughly on all sides, trying not to move the pork until each side is brown. You can kind of prop them against one another to get the sides. I find that the oil on the sides of the pan often tends to smoke so I often put something in the pan to soak up the extra heat (like a potato cut in half, cut sides down). But, this is optional. Once the tenderloins are brown, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment (yes, another use for parchment!) and place the sheet in the preheated oven.

Now, back to the skillet. If there is no oil left in the pan you may need to add just a touch more. Then add the shallots and cook until they get a little soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until you smell them. Make sure not to burn the garlic! Then add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all of the browned bits. Reduce until you have only about ¼ cup wine left in the pan. Add the stock and again, scrape up any bits. Now strain the sauce into a small saucepan and continue to reduce until the sauce starts to look a bit thicker and is about ¾ cup. Add the marmalade and whisk to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings. It should be a bit sweet, very savory, and a bit tart from the grapefruit. It may need salt and pepper. Whisk in the butter and the grapefruit and taste again. Keep warm.

Check on the pork after about 8 minutes in the oven. Poke it with your finger. It should have some squish in the middle. If it is starting to firm up, check it with a thermometer. It’s ready when it reaches 135, as it will continue to rise once it comes out of the oven. It will probably take about 12- 15 minutes. Let the meat rest for a few minutes and then transfer to a cutting board. Pour any juices from the pan into the sauce. Slice the pork on a bias and arrange on a plate. Again, pour juices into the sauce. Spoon the sauce and grapefruit around the meat and garnish with the rosemary.

Serves 4.

Paninipalooza

You could call a panini a sandwich, but that would be like calling a Ferrari a car, or Da Vinci a painter. If the Italians are going to make something, it’s damn sure going to be stylish. That’s what Italians do best. And they’ve got a corner on the market for good taste as well. And so their sandwich, the glorious panini, with it’s grill marks and melty cheese, is the Puccini of the sandwich world. What’s not to like about a panini?

A few months ago the people for whom I cook bought a Cuisinart panini press. They looked at lots of different models but were sold on the Cuisinart Griddler because of two key features- the plates come off and go in the dishwasher (hurray!) and it comes with smooth plates as well. The press can be opened out flat for making pancakes on the smooth plates or doing one sided grilling on the lined plates. Yes, it was a tad expensive at $129.95, but it serves multiple purposes, all very well. And it’s cheaper than a Ferrari.

So after driving their panini press for couple of months, I had to get one myself. I didn’t even bother to test drive any other models- I was happy with the Griddler. So after a few weeks of practice paninis, I was off to the racetrack for some speed trials. Last night my ultimate Frisbee team came for Paninipalooza. They all brought ingredients and I made a couple of huge green salads and a few dozen panini. I cut them in half when they came off the press and we had all combinations of fancy sandwiches.

Some of the goodies we used…

• All sorts of gourmet spreads (Trader Joe’s has a delicious and well priced selection)- pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, tapenade, grilled vegetable spread, wasabi spread, artichoke antipasto,
• Cheeses- gruyere, havarti, pepper jack, mozzarella, aged cheddar
• Lunch meats- smoked turkey, ham, Calabrese salami, roast beef
• Fresh stuff- arugula, tomatoes, spinach, red onions, grilled portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers
• Assorted breads- green olive focaccia, Romano cheese bread, spelt bread, whole grain

And this is how it went...

Panini Party Panini

Panini ingredients of your choice
Olive oil spray or olive oil in a bowl with a pastry brush

Preheat the press on high for about 6 minutes while you assemble a couple of sandwiches. Putting small amounts of cheese on both sides of the sandwich will help it all stay together when the cheese melts. When the green light comes on, you’re ready for action. Spray the top side of the bread with the olive oil spray or brush it with olive oil. Place the oiled side down on the press. Spray or brush the top side with oil and close the press adjusting the angle of the top press to suit the thickness of your panini. In about 5 minutes, check the sandwiches. They should be crispy with light brown lines on top. The cheese should be melty. Use a heat-proof plastic spatula to remove the sandwich to a cutting board. Cut in half, add a green salad, and you have dinner! Buon appetito.

These kinds of sandwiches can also be made in a cast iron skillet. Make sure to use a low heat to avoid burning the bread before the cheese is melted.

The Dressing Makes the Meal

The first thing my neighbor, Gretchen, said when I mentioned that I was going to write a food blog was, “You have to write about salad dressing!” Gretchen lives next door and so we eat together often. It’s no more difficult to cook for two than for one, and many nights I wouldn’t cook for myself at all if Gretchen weren’t around to share dinner with me. It’s the blessing and the curse of being a chef- I know how to make good food, yet after cooking all day, I don’t feel like cooking for myself. I eat a lot of toast, unless Gretchen is around.

But back to the salad dressing! With the invention of bagged salad greens (hallelujah, mixed baby organic lettuces all washed and in a bag) there is no excuse for not having a beautiful salad with dinner, or as dinner for that matter. Some lovely greens with something from the grill, say grilled chicken and vegetables, and anything else from the fridge or pantry that sounds good, nuts, dried fruit, canned beans (rinsed and drained), cheese, olives, makes a fabulous dinner. Add a loaf of fresh bakery bread and arrange the salad artfully and you’ve got one fast, easy, and elegant dinner. And what makes the salad truly delicious, is the addition of homemade dressing. I use a hand blender, or immersion blender, for mixing dressings to create an emulsion which keeps the oil and vinegar together and works to thicken the dressing. A regular blender works just fine as well. You can also go old school and whisk the oil into the dressing, but unless you’re a whiz with a whisk, the dressing won’t be as thick, and you’ll also have to mince your herbs and shallot before adding them to the dressing.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette with Tarragon

4 ounces balsamic vinegar (I like Whole Foods brand Aged Balsamic)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (again the Whole Foods brand is good)
1 good sized sprig tarragon or other fresh herb, use the leaves only (more if you’re using parsley)
½ shallot or 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped into a few pieces
1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 ounces good olive oil

Put everything but the olive oil in the cup that comes with a hand blender, or in the jar of a regular blender. Blend to mix ingredients. With the motor running, poor the oil very slowly into the vinegar mixture to create an emulsion. Taste and adjust to suit your preferences.

Makes about 10 ounces of dressing.

1000 Sheets to the Wind

When I was in college, I bought my first 1000 sheets of parchment paper at the restaurant supply store. I thought that I, and several generations of little Albianis, would have parchment for our lifetimes. I thought I could wallpaper half of Santa Cruz, bake a million cookies, and paper mache the Taj Mahal before I ever ran out of those 1000 sheets. That was countless boxes ago, and I am still discovering new uses for parchment. It seems that others have discovered the wonders of easy clean up and non-stick cookies- even Safeway carries rolls of parchment! But I would encourage you to get to the restaurant supply store, shell out the thirty bucks, and buy the 1000 sheet package. Go in with a neighbor or two. It keeps. And those 1000 sheets are large- exactly twice the size of the sheet pans we use at home as cookie sheets. The down side is that you have to cut the sheets in half for most uses. The up side is that you now have 2000 sheets!

So what to do with those 2000 sheets….

• Pan liners- use them to line cookie sheets- easy clean up, no sticking!
• Cake pan liners- run a knife around the edge and the cake comes right out
• Brownie pan liners- just lift out the brownies and cut on a board- you won’t get knife marks in your pan
• Pastry bag- ok this requires a little know how but you can make pastry bags that will hold metal tips
• Counter saver- use a piece on your countertop when you are drizzling glazes over cakes, or otherwise making messes
• For baking foods- you can prepare any manner of beautiful dishes that are baked right in the parchment. Very elegant, very easy.
• 101 other uses- be creative. I’ve even made wrapping paper out of parchment. Add to my list! Fill in the blanks! And I’ll be adding more as time goes on…

And to use up your first two sheets, here’s an easy dinner recipe that goes together quickly and cleans up beautifully.

Rock Fish Baked in Parchment with Spinach, Ginger, Thyme, and Lemon

1 large fillet of rock fish, skinless ( or salmon, red snapper, sea bass)
Sesame oil
Salt and pepper

About 4 cups of spinach (enough to make a generous bed of spinach for the fish)
1 lemon or lime, sliced thinly, plus more for serving
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
4 scallions, sliced on a diagonal
Sprigs of thyme- enough to go across the top of the fish- 12 or so, plus more for garnish
Sprinkling of dry sherry (a few tablespoons)

2 large sheets of parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lay a piece of parchment across a baking sheet. Make a bed of spinach about the size of the fish fillet and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Rub the fish with the sesame oil to coat and sprinkle it with salt and pepper as well. Place it on the bed of spinach, tucking the tail under if it is very thin, to make a uniform thickness. Over the fish spread the lemon slices, then the ginger and scallions, and then the thyme over the top. Salt and pepper again. Then sprinkle with the sherry. Place another sheet of parchment on top and fold up one side, making creases and folding over at least three times. You can use a clothes pin to hold it if you need to while you fold the other sides. Do the ends last and tuck them under the fish to hold. See the picture. What you’re aiming for is a packet that won’t leak and that has enough room inside for steam to make it puff up. When you get it secure, remove any clothes pins and pop it into the oven. It will take about 12 minutes to cook. What you’ll look for is a toasty brown wrapper that has puffed up. When it’s done, remove it from the oven and cut the paper open carefully. Slide the fish onto a platter and remove the thyme sprigs. Garnish with new sprigs and fresh lemon and serve with rice and a salad for a great dinner! 998 sheets to go...

And another little note on parchment procurement…
Sometimes grocery store bakeries will sell you parchment by the sheet if you can’t imagine what you’d do with 1000 sheets. I usually get 10 or so for a buck (which makes 20 cookie sheet liners).