Now I know I say this all the time… but I’m saying it again: I feel so fortunate to live in Seattle where we have easy access to fresh seafood.  Fresh, delicious fish like Pacific Sole, which has the benefit of being a sustainable and plentiful fish, unlike the overfished Atlantic Sole – if you are interested in keeping up to date on which fish are better choices for long term sustainability you should check out the up to date list over at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Plus… it tastes great! 

The other lovely bonus about eating Pacific Sole is that it is inexpensive.  I purchased fresh fillets and got 4 in a package for only $3.00, so it goes to show that you can have an exquisite seafood feast on the cheap.

Once I got these beautiful fillets of white flat fish home I was contemplating the myriad of ways in which to prepare them.  I really wanted fresh flavors so I opted to marinate the Sole with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon slices, thinly shaved garlic, salt capers and a teeny hit of white wine, I let this marinate covered in the fridge for about an hour.

After the fillets finished marinating I slid them on to my parchment paper… where they would be cooking away in their own juices being steamed to perfection.

I ended up deciding on making a parchment pouch to bake them “en papillote”.  “En Papillote” is a French term for “in parchment”.  The technique is basically lay down a sheet of parchment, put your food and spices in the parchment, lay another sheet on top and then start rolling up the edges (similar to rolling up the edges of a pie crust) until you have made a pouch and then cooking your meal “en papillote”.

An alternative way is to take one big sheet of parchment paper and make an envelope by bringing the sides together – similar to wrapping a present except you will bring those edges together, start folding to seal and then repeat with the open ends.  You don’t need to use parchment paper for this technique to work – you can use aluminum foil too.  It’s just like camping as a kid and doing a Foil Dinner Pouch around the campfire.  I bet you didn’t realize you were using some fancy French cooking techniques as a youngster ;)  Go young little You!

Once the pouch is all closed up – you pop it in to a pre-heated 350 degree oven.  The amount of time depends on how much fish and how thick that fish is.  For my 4 fillets I kept it cooking for about 20 minutes and the fish came out perfect.

Now I don’t really have a recipe for this – as you see it’s simply a process of throwing some stuff in to a pouch and baking it in it’s own steam until done.  You can get totally creative with this, and you can even get the family in on the fun.  Let the kids pick some healthy veggies to throw in to the pouch – trust me when kids get to help make their food and it feels fun they will eagerly eat what they made.  This was a technique I employed quite a bit with my niece when she was a little tot and a picky eater.  As a teen she now has an expanded and well rounded palate that I like to think I helped contribute to just a little.

So let’s wrap up the details here for you to knock this out for your family:

1. 350 degree Pre-Heated Oven

2. Fish, Meat, Tofu and/or Veggies

3. Salt & Pepper

4. Your favorite flavorings: spices, garlic, peppers, capers, citrus, honey, soy, uzu… go crazy

5. Splash of White Wine or Water or Beer

6. Parchment Paper or Foil

Stuff it all in the Parchment Paper, make it in to a pouch, put it in the oven and there ya go.  Dinner is served.

You can make these “En Papillote” dinners a day ahead, put them in the fridge and when you come home from work you will have a delicious meal ready to go without any fuss (and without a baking pan to clean up!)

You can also make these dinners vegan and gluten free – let your imagination take you on a delectable journey!

This is one of those rare posts where the food was so delicious that I totally forgot to stop and take a picture of the finished dish to share with you all.  It looked beautiful, perfectly steamed fish and aromatics and we served it with a lovely side salad with a simple vinaigrette.

Summer time is Tomato time! Specifically…Heirloom Tomatoes!
I grew up with these kinds of tomatoes as a kid.  Striped tomatoes, odd shaped tomatoes, tomatoes in nearly every color of the rainbow and then somewhere along the way tomatoes became standardized, boring and tasteless.  Thank goodness that Heirloom Produce is making a comeback, because you haven’t tasted a tomato until you’ve tasted a REAL tomato like an Heirloom variety.

I have been making one particular salad with fresh Heirloom Tomatoes now for over a decade.  In fact I feel like stepping back to Summer in the year 2006 just to show you a picture of this salad that has been my Summer signature and how it has remained virtually unchanged after all these years.

There isn’t really a recipe for how I make this salad.  It’s more of a process and a combination of ingredients and you add them all together to make this stunning little tomato stack that explodes with the tastes of Summer all over your tongue.

Now let’s step in to the present day, actually yesterday to be exact.  My guy knows that I am not one for jewelry and that I’d rather have a bottle of Truffle Oil over a bouquet of roses.  So he got me bags of some absolutely beautiful produce to play around with yesterday.  In those bags were gorgeous Heirloom Tomatoes – and this is what I did with them yesterday:

As you can see… not a whole lot has changed over the years, which just goes to show how this recipe has been a favored Summertime staple in our house.

Go check out Pike Place Market or your local Farmer’s Market right now, chances are the first Heirlooms of the season are making an appearance!

It’s Copper River Salmon time of year again!  This is one of my all time favorite fish and I look forward to its return every year.  The folks at the Alaskan Department of Fish & Game have taken great care to manage the runs each year to ensure that this delicious fish remains sustainable for a long time to come, so you can eat and feel good about the fact that you are supporting sustainable seafood.

All that field management comes at a cost for the consumer.  Limited runs means a higher price tag at the register, but when you think of the long term, it is worth it to pay a little more to support sustainable practices.  It’s an investment in not only our culinary future but the future of the wild life itself.  This type of management is something that makes sure that we have this delicious wild caught fish to enjoy for generations to come.

So this year I went out and picked myself up a whole Copper River Salmon and butchered it down to two gorgeous ruby red filets.  This left me with quite a bit of  “trim scrap” and bones.  I do not like wasting food, especially when it is as special as this salmon.  I took the trim scraps and sealed them for freezing for a later use.  Which left me with the bones.

Lately, I have been getting really inspired by a friend of mine who goes by the name of Lovely Lanvin.  She teaches Asian cooking classes and currently has an upcoming class at Williams Sonoma on June 11th.  When I looked at my bones I thought I should make a fish stock.  Then I looked at them again, and in a fleeting moment her wonderful inspirations of late made me shout out DASHI!

Dashi is a beautiful Japanese soup base.  If you’ve had Miso Soup then you have had Dashi.  There are several kinds of Dashi – some of which depend on the ingredients and some of them depend on if those ingredients were already used to prepare a Dashi.  This particular recipe is my own version of this traditional soup.

Having made Kombu and Katsuo Dashi many times in the past, I figured I would start off there.  I really wanted multiple layers of flavor for this broth so I decided to use Kombu, Bonito flakes, Dried Shrimp and toasted Salmon bones.  Something that celebrated using and respecting every part of this beautiful piece of Salmon.

After preparing and straining it I put it in a clear jar.  When I first looked at it, a pale golden broth that was perfectly clear, I got a little worried thinking that perhaps it might be weak in flavor.  Then I took a taste.  It was so rich and flavorful, the Kombu lent it’s salinity for a slight taste of the sea as a solid foundation to the Dashi.  This was followed up by the richness given by the layer of flavor from the Bonito and Dried Shrimp… and finally the bold, savory, toasty finish of the Salmon.  As satisfying a Dashi as I have ever made.

Now I know for some, this sound exotic and daunting, but Dashi really is one of the easiest soups that you can make and it is extremely versatile.  It is a good recipe to have in your culinary repertoire, as it is a base to so many beautiful Japanese soups and sauces.

For serving my Dashi I chose to go with fresh Herbs, little Golden Enoki Mushrooms and some glass noodles to let the broth really shine.  I hope that my little culinary experiment, born of not wanting to waste a beautiful ingredient, is something that you will try for yourself.  And I hope that I made Lovely Lanvin proud with this one!

The first time that I tasted Chimichurri sauce was 6 years ago, almost to the day.  I had taken my guy out to the Buenos Aires Grill for his birthday, where we feasted on delicious steaks slathered in this herby, zesty green sauce.  At first glance I thought it was just another pesto, but then I tasted it.  It tasted fresh and green, like an herb garden is dancing all over your tongue, followed by a little kick of heat to remind you that you are alive and finally a slight tangy kiss of vinegar.  Love at first bite.

Memorial Day is just around the corner – grills are coming out of winter hibernation and getting ready to receive the first choice cuts of meat or the first fresh veggie kebabs of the season.  Instead of regular old Barbecue Sauce like every other year, you should give my tasty friend, Chimichurri a turn at the grill.

Last week my Father-in-Law was up for a visit.  For his last night with us I wanted to make him a special dinner, something where he could taste the love.  I headed up to Bill the Butcher to take a peek at their selection and finally get a chance to meet the voice of their Twitter, Teri.  As some may remember, there was an article about Bill the Butcher quite a while ago. That article did not say the nicest of things.  Admittedly, I had made it a point to stay away based on what I read… until recently.

Teri took me through the shop, introduced me to their butcher, Zach – super nice guy. They put the questions I had to rest with full disclosure about the types of meat they offered and from where they all came from.  They have their customers best interests at heart and are moving forward with lessons learned.  I’m really glad that I gave them a shot because the Painted Hills New York Strips that I picked up ended up being that special dinner I was looking for.

When I got my haul of beef goodness home, I started brainstorming ways to prepare the steaks.  One of my favorite places to mull things over is in my Herb Garden, so I headed out to collect a few snips of this and a few snips of that when inspiration hit me.  Chimichurri!!!  I have everything I need right here!  So I set to work gathering up the rest of the herbs I needed to make that magical green sauce of the Gods.

Now my Chimichurri recipe may not be your Argentinian Grandmother’s traditional recipe, but it is absolutely divine in its own right.  It also doubles as a magnificent marinade for meat and vegetables, and I’ve also used it as a base for a vinaigrette.  It’s versatile, it’s delicious, it’s super easy and I am so pleased with it I want to share it with you.

Spring has sprung!  If I had to chose a favorite season I think I would choose Spring, everything is waking up in vibrant green sheets, invigorated by the spring rain, stretching out on bough and bramble to take advantage of our first peeks of sun.

Delicate baby lettuces and radishes are some early risers in the garden, but there is a world out there beyond the garden.  A delicious world filled with things like Nettles, Ramps, Fiddleheads, Mushrooms and more.  While I sincerely love our local harvest, I also adore the wild flavors of the other regions of our country.  Obviously, as much as I would love to, I can not always go travelling half way across the country for say… a taste of Ramps – but I know a guy who knows a guy and that’s where I turn to get my fix of these gorgeous Wild Leeks.  The season is nearing it’s end for my beloved Ramps, but if you get over to Earthy Delights you can get a taste for yourself before the season is over… otherwise you’ll have to wait until next year.

The cool thing about the folks over at Earthy Delights is that they also carry other wild and exotic foods.  So while I was placing an order for some Ramps I spied that they also carried Fiddleheads and Baby White Asparagus. I would love to be out in the wild RIGHT NOW picking my own fiddles, but our family has gone through a pretty tough and painful ordeal recently with a significant loss.  It is hard to have my heart in the wild when it is needed at home.  This is where the incredible folks over at Earthy have come to my rescue, providing me with the tastes I crave when I can’t get out to get them myself.

Because of everything that has been going on, we have been eating at odd hours and not eating the best food that we can.  There are times when we have gone most of the day without eating, just simply forgetting or the large intake of grab and go food.. and not the healthiest kind either.  I really wanted to slow things down and take a little time to create something that not only satiated our hunger but comforted the soul as well.

I had a plethora of local ingredients on hand: bacon, eggs, herbs from my garden and Beecher’s Cheese Curds.  I had a look at my Earthy delivery and what I had on hand and set to work making this Frittata.  It tastes of Springtime.  Herbaceous, hearty, sustaining and most of all comforting.  It was a beautiful mix of ingredients both local and beyond and I really wanted to share it with you.  So here we go!

Sometimes I like to add a teeny little pinch of nutmeg to my egg dishes, I also topped this one off with some shaved black truffle before baking and finished it with a light drizzle of White Truffle Oil (that I picked up from the folks at Earthy Delights as well) for a little something extra special.
This recipe is so delicious served up for Brunch, but also is hearty enough for a dinner.  It keeps well overnight and makes great leftovers the next day.  It really does taste like Springtime on a plate and celebrates all the deliciousness that the season has to offer.  I hope you enjoy!

Full disclosure: I have received no compensation from any business or organization mentioned for this article. However, an odd sample of some new exciting ingredient sometimes tends to find it’s way in to my order on occasion.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yesterday I was talking with my gal pal, Cristie.  She’s the Master Mixologist responsible for my favorite cocktail blog ThirstQuest.  She was sharing with me her ideas for her “Perfect Pair” Valentine’s drinks.  Chocolate Raspberry Truffle and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle… doesn’t that sound amazing?!?!

So I was telling her about this beautiful martini that I’ve been making since I first discovered Blood Oranges 6 years ago.  Blood Oranges are oranges with a deep crimson flesh, citrusy orange flavor with a little berry finish.  These crimson beauties are in season right now.  Blood Oranges are super high in antioxidants and dang it… they are pretty!

After a little prodding to post the recipe (thanks Lamb!), my gal pal Cristie and I are hitting you with everything you need to romantically and deliciously sweeten up your evening with your special Valentine.  My martini is sweet-tart and as red as a box of Valentine’s chocolates, while Cristie’s drinks are rich and sweet just like the chocolates in that big red heart shaped box.
Check out ThirstQuest’s Perfect Pair Valentine’s Cocktails
And here’s my cocktail recipe:

Bloody Valentine Martini

• 2 shots Absolute Mandarin Vodka
• Juice of 3 Blood Oranges (about 1 cup)
• Splash of Campari
• 2 Slices of Blood Orange, for garnish
• White Sugar, to rim the glass

Equipment:

• Martini Shaker
• Muddler
• Ice
• Strainer
• 2 Martini Glasses

You can start by wetting the rim of your martini glass and dipping it into sugar to get a sweet little sugar rim on the glass.  Set aside.

Fill your martini shaker with ice, vodka, Blood Orange juice and Campari.  Put one of squeezed out juiced orange halves into the mix.  Using a muddler drive the rind down into the ice, when it gets to the bottom you can stop, you just want a quick muddle.  Put the top on the martini shaker and give it a few shakes.

Using a strainer pour the contents of the martini shaker in to you glasses.  Put one Blood Orange Slice on each glass and serve it to your Valentine.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Full Disclosure:  I have received no compensation for any brand or business listed in this article.

I love a condiment that you can use for many different applications.  Such is my Honey Ginger Glaze.  It works beautifully on meat, fish, veggies, fruit and Tofu.  It’s a perfect finish on anything grilled.  It takes an ordinary pork chop and turns it into an extraordinary glossy bite of gingery bliss.

I picked up some gorgeous boneless pork lion chops from the awesome guys over at The Swinery, in West Seattle and combined those with my glaze made with some Chamiso Honey that I ordered from the sweet folks at Grampa’s Honey.

Honey Ginger Glaze

• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Ginger, peeled and freshly grated
• 1/2 teaspoon Aji-Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
• 1/4 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• Juice of half a Lime

Combine everything together in a small bowl and simply whisk to combine.  Makes a little over 1/2 cup, and will keep for up to 1 week covered in the fridge.

Tips:
– Use a pastry brush to brush it on grill foods shortly before it finishes cooking.  If you put it on too early, flames and heat can cause the sugars in the glaze to burn.
– Try it on Fish, Tofu, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Duck, Fruits and Vegetables, it’s very versatile.
– You can use this glaze as a base for marinades and salad dressings.

Local food is delicious!
Everything, except the salt and pepper, in that photo is locally produced food.  Most of it came from my weekly Full Circle Farm CSA Box.

This week Full Circle Farm announced a fun little contest on their Facebook Page, for their members, to see how creative people can be with their CSA Delivery.  What a fun and challenging idea!  Even though I probably won’t officially enter the contest, I thought I’d play along anyway.  So I got inspired to see if I could create a dinner using the ingredients from my box, plus a couple  supplemental ingredients like locally produced Mama Lil’s Peppers, Hempler’s Slab Bacon, Wilcox Farms Organic Eggs, Salt and Pepper.  Opening that box today kind of made me feel like I was on an episode of Chopped.

A big bunch of fresh spinach jumped out at me from inside the box.  Then I spied some fresh herbs, onions and a little brown bag stuffed with crimini mushrooms with tight little caps.  Some bacon, pickled peppers and shaved Red Alder Toma from Mt Townsend Creamery, little salt and pepper from the pantry and I was set!

A while back  I was visiting my dear friend Kate, she fed me a delicious dish of kale and eggs with those Mama Lil’s peppers.   I have been hooked on the combination of greens, eggs and pickled peppers ever since.  So this recipe is my ongoing tribute to her and that humble, beautifully delicious little meal that was shared between friends.  I simply can not get enough of these flavors.  Thanks for sharing that beautiful taste, Kate!

Skillet Eggs

• 1 cup of Bacon, cut into lardons
• 1/2 Red Onion, diced
• 6 ounces of Crimini Mushrooms, cut in half or quarters for larger shrooms
• 3 Springs of Fresh Thyme
• 4 cups Spinach, washed and chopped into large pieces
• 4 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Mama Lil’s Pickled Peppers
• 1/8 cup Mt Townsend Creamery Red Alder Toma (you can sub Parmesan)
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Get your skillet or fry pan and put it on Medium High heat.  As soon as your pan is hot add in your Bacon and start rendering out the fat.  Once it begins to start crisping up a little and turning golden brown, add in your chopped Red Onion.  Sweat the Red Onion and then add in your mushrooms and fresh Thyme.  Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes and give it a quick stir and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes, stir again.

Turn your heat down to Low, add a little splash (a couple Tablespoons worth) of water or stock to the pan and add in your Spinach, give it a quick toss.  Now make 4 little egg sized “wells” of space in the spinach mixture by simply pushing it aside.  Crack each egg and empty the contents of the shell in to those little wells.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, add your Peppers and Cheese to the whole mix.

Cover the pan tightly and let it simmer until the whites are set and the egg yolks reach your desired doneness.  For a firmer yolk let them cook longer, for a softer runnier yolk cook them shorter.

****Vegetarian Option: Omit the Bacon & Cheese and replace with a little Olive Oil.

Support your local Farmer’s, Food Producers and Farmer’s Market!!!

Full disclosure: I have received no compensation from any business or organization mentioned for this article. I’m telling you about them because I like what they are doing.

So how about that Superbowl?  Did you inhale a few too many snacks during the big game and are looking for some dietary redemption?  Fear not, I am here to help you with something sweet, crunchy and delicious.  

I love a good Waldorf Salad, but many of the traditional recipes often are loaded with fatty dressings that drown out the delicious flavors of the ingredients.  It negates the healthful benefits of eating a salad by being overly dressed with fat.  I have my own version of a healthier Waldorf Salad that is really delicious and isn’t going to turn you into a Fatty McFatsauce.

Waldorf Salad

Salad:

• 3 Apples, cored and cut into 1/2″ chunks (I like Gala & Granny Smiths from Full Circle Farms)
• 1 cup Red Grapes, cut in half
• 1/3 cup Walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup Golden Raisins (you can sub Dried Cranberries or Currants)
• 1/2 cup Celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Dressing:

• 1/4 Plain Yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• Juice of Half a Lemon
• Teeny Pinch of Salt

Garnish:

• Butter Lettuce Leaves

Combine the first 6 ingredients and toss well, set aside.  This will be your salad.
In a separate bowl, combine the Yogurt, Honey, Lemon & Salt.  Stir with a fork or a whisk to thoroughly combine.  This will be your dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat evenly.

To serve, place a leaf of Butter Lettuce on the plate, then spoon the salad into the lettuce leaf and serve. Enjoy your tasty salad!

Tips:
If you are making this salad ahead of time, do not add the dressing until right before you serve it.  If you dress it too early and it sits around too long your fruits will leak out liquid and you’ll end up with a soupy mess.

Those Butter Lettuce leaves also make a tasty lettuce wrap for eating this healthy salad on the go!

Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest things.  Like this recipe.

On those days when life keeps you running around like crazy, there just does not seem to be enough hours in the day and you want something tasty to snack on but don’t have the energy to fuss around with a complicated recipe.  Well, this is an elegant and simple little recipe that goes together in a snap, keeps well when stored in the fridge and has big flavor that is sure to impress even when you’re pinched for time.

There are a few ingredients that I always keep on hand, because of their versatility and the big flavors they bring to the table.  Goat cheese and Oil Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes are two of those items.  They can be added separately or together from salads, to pastas to appetizers making them a favorite in my kitchen when I’m looking for a little extra punch of flavor.

This recipe is the perfect thing to make when you have unexpected drop-in guests because it goes together in 5 minutes.  Get your ingredients together, add them to a food processor, whip it up, scoop it in to a bowl and throw some crackers or herb toast points on the side.  Done.

Aside from using this as a spread on crackers, it’s also an amazing condiment for burgers and sandwiches too!

Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Spread

• 1 1/2 cups Goat Cheese
• 1/2 clove of crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup Oil Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon  Fresh Thyme or Parsley
• Squeeze of Lemon Juice
• Salt to Taste

Put all the ingredients in to a food processor and pulse until smooth and well blended.  Place in a serving bowl and serve with crackers or toast.  Makes about 2 cups and will keep up to 1 week, covered in the fridge.

Additional Serving Suggestions:
– Topping for crackers, pita chips, melba toast, herbed toast
– Condiment for Sandwiches and Burgers
– Quick way to dress up some Penne Pasta by tossing it together.  Great Hot or Cold!