The foie gras at Momofuku was divine with a pineapple foam, in a pool of brown butter with a miso and celeryroot purée!
The pork belly buns were as puffy as a cherub’s butt with the crisp pop in your mouth pickles, meltingly fatty pork belly…
The photos:
top photo: “OMG!” (the pork bun)
second photo from top: Momofuku kitchen
third photo from top: “Fingerling potatoes didn’t stand a chance!” (empty plate)
bottom photo: roasted foie gras
Part 1: A post about Tuscan kale by Regina Schrambling (one of my favorite food writers, by the way) on the Epicurious blog, epi-log, has had me thinking about the technique of prepping greens by cutting them into ribbons. Regina links to a raw kale salad recipe from Lupa, that she refers to as “peasant Caesar. Which is a high compliment.” To make the Tuscan kale salad, you tear out the stems, then cut the kale leaves into ribbons, then dress the raw leaves with lemon juice and olive oil and toss with ricotta salata.
Robyn and I shared a salad from the Serious Pie menu recently that was very similar to this, and we were both surprised by how delicious and tender raw Tuscan kale could be in a salad. In fact, our comment at first bite, similar to Regina’s, was: “this tastes a lot like a Caesar!” The Serious Pie kale salad was showered with Parmigiano, and it had a good, brightly acidic dressing that stood right up to the kale. So I put the thought in the back of my head that you can use julienned Tuscan kale raw in a salad, though I haven’t tried it at home yet.
Part 2: I bought a bunch of collard greens at the supermarket last week because they looked so big-leafed, fresh, and nice. Often I buy chard and kale for dinner - always Tuscan kale, which is also called black or Lacinato kale- and most often I pass up the collard greens because I think it will be a long project to braise them slowly with a ham hock to make them really tasty and tender, and I don’t want to put the time into a weeknight dinner. So, now the collards are sitting in the vegetable drawer of my reefer at home, looking at me somewhat reproachfully, when I flash on this Sam Sifton recipe for rabbit legs, red peas and collards from the New York Times Magazine, which I thought sounded mighty tasty when I read it on Sunday. I had noticed that the collard greens in the Sifton recipe were cut into ribbons and added toward the end of cooking the rabbit dish, and it reminded me that I had seen this technique before. Cut collard greens into ribbons and you cut the cooking time.
So, this is what I did: I stripped the stems from the collard greens, then julienned the leaves. The restaurant trick is to stack the leaves into piles, roll them up, and cut crosswise into thin ribbons. If you do it this way, the whole process only takes 5 minutes or so for a big bunch of greens, I promise! Then I sauteed some diced tasso ham in a little olive oil. (Ok, the tasso ham was leftover from a giant pot of gumbo I had prepared for my annual Aquarian group-birthday party earlier this month, but that’s another story. You could use bacon, or regular ham instead of the tasso, or just use a good splash of olive oil and no meat), threw in the collards and tossed them around in the pan. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Added a little water- maybe 1/3 or 1/2 cup. Put on the lid and let them braise 8 to 10 minutes (yes, that’s all. For collard greens!) Then I took off the lid and let most of the liquid cook off for another few minutes. Tabasco bottle and lemon wedges on the table. The collard greens were delicious and tender for almost no time and only a little effort.
Despite the warm weather we’ve having, it’s still winter. Don’t even think about asparagus yet. This is a great time to enjoy plenty of locally grown kale, chard, and collard greens!
In the interview, Tom explains the difference between eating at Applebees and eating at Palace Kitchen, predicts the next restaurant trend (modern Indian), and, though a self-described “broccoli hound,” disses broccolini (he hates the name.) Also, Tom reveals that he likes blogs better than Twitter (aw shucks, thanks, Tom!)
Finding out that someone regularly cooks and loves a recipe from one of our Tom Douglas cookbooks is a sure thing to put a big smile on my face. So I was thrilled to find our Five Spice Chicken recipe from Big Dinners mentioned today in Nancy Leson’s post about her favorite all time chicken recipes. The link to her original post about Tom’s Five Spice Roast Chicken is here, (Scroll down til you find the photo of our roast chicken). Nancy also gives a shout out to the cornmeal rosemary cake, also in Big Dinners, and says it’s her favorite cake recipe! Thanks, Nancy!
A glimmer of good news for the hardest working folks of all, small farmers, in a Seattle Times article called “Small Farms Sprout in State.”
On the plus side:
The numbers of farms in Washington rose 6% between 2000 and 2008 (though total acreage in farming has shrunk.)
90% of farms are owned by individuals or families.
Net farm income is higher than it’s been in nearly 20 years.
The number of farmers markets has more than doubled since 1998.
The increased interest in local foods among consumers is credited with helping some small farms survive.
On the other hand, in most farm families, at least one member of the family works another job for income and benefits that farming doesn’t provide. Also the average age of farmers is increasing, and when farmers retire their children are often not interested in taking over the farm.
Make or buy tomato sauce.
Slice 1 pound mozzarella cheese.
Put flour in a small paper bag.
Peel eggplant.
Slice eggplant thin but not too thin.
Put slices in cold salty water for 10 minutes, then drain.
Working a few slices at a time: shake in paper bag with flour. Dip in egg. Fry in oil until brown.
Layer in a casserole dish, putting mozzarella slices between eggplant slices.
Pour tomato sauce on top.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
(Editor’s note: Stephanie is the last winner in our “family recipe” staff blog contest.)
Photo shoot for Seattle Restaurant Week with Seagals, Jay Buhner, Mariner Moose, and our cute chefs!
(Editor’s note: toward the back of the crowd you can see Dahlia Chef Brock Johnson, Lola Chef Liam Spence, and Etta’s Chef Ron Anderson all wearing black shirts and white aprons.)
Frank and I celebrated our 20th anniversary at Cafe Juanita, in Kirkland, last night. Holly Smith, chef-owner, is a Tom Douglas alumna and friend, but unfortunately she was sick at home and we missed our chance to visit with her. However, the mark of a great chef is great team, and even though Holly was not in the restaurant, our dinner was pretty much flawless.
For starters, I had the beet salad (photo top) and Frank ordered Blackmore Wagyu with Parmigiano Reggiano and crostini (photo second from top, right). I always love a good beet salad, but Holly’s is unusually inventive. Nicely dressed, brightly colored disks of beet are topped with a single bombolino, a round fritter filled with La Tur cheese, which is a very soft cheese made in Piedmonte. The whole thing is set on a thin pool of almond butter. Earthy beets, fried dough filled with melty cheese, and a smooth nut butter merge into one of the best beet salads imaginable.
But Frank’s starter might have been even better. We were told by our very young and very professional server that the Blackmore Waygu from Australia is the only authentic Waygu beef raised outside of Japan. I’m not sure I understand all the Kobe and Waygu issues, and I don’t know if this crudo carne was splendid because of the beef itself or the way it was seasoned, but I’m pretty sure it was the best steak tartare I’ve ever tasted. On a crisp crostini topped with a sweet, mellow shard of cheese, the flavor was mouth filling and magical. I stole as many little bites from Frank’s dish as I could get away with, though not as many as I wanted. Read the rest of this entry »
The Local Store is a bakery by day (photo top) and a bar by night! Local ingredients, baked and made all on site! Great menu both day and eve. So yummy!! The “wine tasting focus” for that week was on the “Wines of Washington,” which made me laugh!
At the Redhead Restaurant: Breakfast egg casserole (photo middle right) with roasted cauliflower, leek, gruyere, and a good Bloody Mary- the Redhead Bloody! Cool cocktail list. Also at the Redhead, for dessert (photo middle left): Hot chocolate car bomb= hot chocolate, Guinness, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s marshmallows and housemade old fashioned doughnuts with root beer glaze.
The next day, Northern Spy Food Co to begin the day with blood orange mimosas and polenta with kale and sunny side up eggs along with housemade biscuits and jam.
Need to walk…
Errand on the way to Union Square Cafe to visit Kevin Selmo and have Campari with San Pelligrino Aranciata and orange zest plus spaghettini. So yummy!
After another errand we are at the Breslin in the bar surrounded by great decor and a very nice bartender with a very good Bloody Mary and a 3 cheese grilled cheese sandwich (photo bottom). Delish!
I should visit my sister more often in Manhattan!!
I have been craving a stir fry lately, and today I finally decided to do it. I have to say, I make a mean stir fry, and some of the things I love about them is that they are so versatile, can be very healthy, and hold over for leftovers.
Tonight I made a pork, shiitake mushroom, garlic, and chili stir fry. I took pork loin roast and sliced it super thin and then combined it in a light marinade of sesame seed oil, canola oil, fish sauce, tamari, lots of paper thin slices of garlic, and a generous amount of chili paste. I let it set on the counter for about an hour or so.
Next I made my mise en place of slivered ginger, scallions, carrots, Japanese eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, white onion, savoy cabbage, and cilantro.
I made a delicious aromatic broth by sauteeing the mushrooms in a touch of the oils and then adding chicken broth and a pinch of the ginger, and then reducing the liquid to about a third. It was marvelous to use to braise the vegetables once I had sauteed them. I also used it to dress the meal once it was all set upon the plate.
I think it is important to cook the meat separate from the vegetables and broth. This way you have more control over the integrity of each component, texture, and flavor profile. I like the meat to marinate in something spicy, rich, and bold. I prefer my vegetables treated lightly and add a hint of ginger and fish sauce. This time I also made a Thai jasmine rice with just a little piece of star anise to add another layer. Giving the plate a liberal sprinkling of sriracha kicks it up a notch or two! Having decent, heavy cookware helps to cook efficiently and I love my kitchen tools. I have had my bamboo spatula for almost 17 years and I use it for everything.
What’s also really exciting is that I get to have this tomorrow before I go to work!
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