Organics

We received our first shipment from Eden's Organics on Saturday. We signed up to have a bin of organic fruits and vegetables delivered to our house weekly. Eden's Organics is a local Seattle company that delivers fresh, organic produce weekly or bi-weekly to the area. Eden's tries to use as much local produce as possible, but they also partner with organic farms as far away as California and Mexico. Most of the organic farms are family owned and less than 100 acres.

This week our bin had broccoli, carrots, romaine, tomatoes, garlic, pears, apples, blood oranges, cabbage raab, bananas, kiwis, and strawberries.

I had heard of cabbage raab (or cabbage rabe), but had never cooked it or eaten it. Apparently all parts of it are edible and tasty (stem, roots, flowers, leaves, and seeds). It's the sprouted tops of the cabbage plant after it has gone to seed and sprouted over the winter. Nutrient-rich is how I've seen it described. Many people (myself included, until now) don't realize that once it's flowered it's not only still edible, but also highly nutritious and tasty. I decided to make it for dinner with grilled shrimp and creamy portobello mushroom risotto.

After I marinated the shrimp and set it aside, I cleaned the raab thoroughly, dried it, and chopped it into bite sized pieces. I began making the risotto, as it takes the most time. When it was about half way done, I began sauteing some chopped onions and diced garlic in olive oil. I then dumped the raab into the skillet and turned it until it was wilted, then put the lid on to let it steam/saute for a bit. (I wanted to get the full taste of the raab, so I didn't use bacon or lard, but I probably will next time - just to kick it up one more notch.)

I put the shrimp skewers on the grill and continued with the risotto.

When the raab was tender, the shrimp cooked and the risotto finished off with melted Havarti cheese we were ready for dinner. Delish!



The raab was really good. Very similar to wild greens (mustard or collard) but not as bitter. Stacie thought the stems were a bit too fibrous for her taste, but I loved them. I might par-boil just the stems for a bit before sauteing next time to soften them.

Can't wait to see what's in this week's shipment.

KJT - Seattle (2010)

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Braised Pork Belly

Took Sennet to his first Farmer's Market this past weekend. There are only a couple that are open year round. We went to the one in the University District, just to see what they had this early in the season.

Ended up picking up some fresh bread, fresh organic greens, farm fresh organic eggs, some herbed goat cheese, and the true find: a nice, thick pork belly.

Pork belly is the cut of meat that bacon comes from. The belly is sold in a block, before being cut, cured, or dried & aged for bacon. Fatty & beautiful.

The pork belly we bought came from Wooly Pigs, a company that pasture-raises Mangalitsa pigs very near Seattle. Mangalitsa are an eastern European breed of pig known particularly for it's good lard. They are directly descended from wild boars. The owner of the company imported a heard of the Mangalitsa, and uses the Austrian techniques for raising and finishing the pigs. They are the only breeder of Mangalitsa in North or South America, and they are a member of the Mangalitsa Pig Breeder's Association of Austria. Wooly Pigs' Mangalitsa have been served in such restaurants as The French Laundry, The Herbfarm, and Michael Mina and The Four Seasons of San Francisco.

I learned all of this over the weekend. But what I really learned was that the Mangalitsa tastes great!

I rubbed some fresh garlic and spices & herbs onto the belly and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. I then braised it in the oven with some onions & red potatoes for several hours. When it was almost finished I braised the wild greens on the stovetop. Dinner was excellent - the pork belly savory with a lot of beautiful, clean, white fat. Almost had a foie gras flavor & texture. With a couple glasses of wine, it was wonderful.


Praise the Lard!

P.S. Sennet was already asleep when we ate, so didn't get to partake. But he does seem to be an adventurous eater, at least for now (we hear this will change). Over the last few days he's had tilapia, chicken, mac & cheese, scrambled egg, okra, sweet potato, broccoli, kidney beans, avocado, beets, peas, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, apples, peaches, bananas, strawberries, oatmeal w/ blueberries & Greek yogurt, cottage cheese w/ raspberries, and Cheerios. Right now we are trying to make almost all of his food - no little jars. Mostly steaming (if necessary) and then blending and saving in the freezer. Other things we just cut into bite size pieces and he chows them down.

KJT - Seattle (2010)

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Bacon Nirvana!

"Mmm ... bacon"
- Homer Simpson, Nuclear Safety Inspector, bacon lover


I wasn't sure it could get any better than the BACON ROLL, 

but this may be the top of the mountain!

Granted, I haven't tried it yet. But I will... oh, yes... I will!!

Behold, the goodness that is, the BACON EXPLOSION:

Step 1: create the bacon weave; Step 2: season

Step 3: add sausage layer; Step 4: add second, cooked bacon layer w/ BBQ sauce

Step 5: roll sausage tightly; Step 6: roll bacon weave & season, place on grill

Step 7: grill till center is 165° (1 hour/inch thickness); Step 8: slather BBQ sauce

Step 9: enter heaven.

This unbelievable goodness comes from the geniuses at BBQ Addicts, 

I'm going to lobby Obama to give them a medal.
(And MUCH thanks to my friend & bacon comrade, BF, for the head's up...)

KJT - Seattle (2009)

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The Rapture

"Whenever I'm at a brunch buffet and they have that big metal tray filled with the 4000 pieces of bacon, I always think, 'If I was here by myself...I would eat only bacon. I would steal this tray, 

go lay down, and eat bacon all day.'"
- Jim Gaffigan, American comedian, bacon-lover (1966 — )

I think I've just died and gone to bacony-bacon heaven.

Behold, the beauty of the BACON-CHEESE ROLL.
Two great tastes, that taste great together!

I think my arteries are hardening just looking at the pictures...

Imagine that thing smothered in SAUSAGE GRAVY!!
That would surely produce the infamous Fat Roll!
The full, glorious story can be found here at: FoodProof.

YUM!!

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Lamb Souvlaki

"Show me another pleasure like dinner 

which comes every day and lasts an hour." 
- Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French diplomat (1754-1838)

This evening's repast: Lamb Souvlaki, Greek salad, fresh made tzatziki, fresh made tyrokavteri, Trader Joe's hummus, Retsina wine.

I'd been marinating the lamb cubes since yesterday afternoon: olive oil, diced red onion, crushed garlic, fresh rosemary & thyme, a bay leaf, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt, ground pepper. Skewered them and roasted them on the grill so that they had a bit of char on the outside but were still quite rare inside.

Bought some Greek yogurt and mixed it together with some lemon juice, crushed garlic, English cucumber, a bit of dill, pinch of salt to fold together for the tzatziki.

To make the tyrokavteri I put some roasted red peppers into the food processor along with fresh Feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, one jalapeno, and pureed until smooth & creamy. (I just realized I hadn't taken a picture of... which is fine, because it somewhat resembles pink hummus.)

The Trader Joe's hummus is so good, I decided not to concoct that particular dip tonight. They didn't let us down - a great hummus (for store-bought).

A fresh made Greek salad (a bit of Romaine, chopped green pepper, red pepper, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Kalamata olives, Feta, sea salt & ground pepper) and sesame pita rounded out the meal. 

Topped it off with a few glasses of Retsina - a special, resinated Greek wine that can only be made in certain areas of Greece, to the established recipe which goes back to the traditions of 5000 years ago. They used to store this wine in vessels sealed with pine resin. The wine picked up a bit of the distinctive flavor of the resin and voila, Retsina. A unique and wonderful taste addition to a great dinner. Takes me back to Ios... the only thing missing was dolmathes. Next time.

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Shrimp Scampi

"After a good dinner one can forgive anybody,

even one's own relations."

- Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, author, playwright, critic (1854-1900)

A good dinner: Angel hair pasta with caramelized onions & Chanterelle mushroom tomato sauce. Shrimp Scampi, fresh bread, fried eggplant, vino.

Began by caramelizing a whole onion for over an hour. Then dropped in the Chanterelles. Sauteéd for bit longer, then added crushed tomatoes, some tomato paste, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh basil, sugar, ground sea salt, ground black peppercorns, a bit of the wine. Simmered.

Meanwhile I had shrimp marinating in crushed garlic, finely diced red onion, olive oil, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne. Before cooking I added a dollop of real butter, a splash of dry vermouth, and a squeeze of lemon juice along with a bit of the zest.

Sliced the eggplant lengthwise into strips, salted, let sit in colander for an hour, rinsed, dried. Eggwash and breaded and fried in vegetable oil, sprinkled with Asiago. Served with some of the tomato sauce for dipping.

Quick-cooked the shrimp under the broiler.

Topped off with red wine and a loaf of fresh bread I bought at the bakery at the bottom of the hill on Madison (along with olive oil & balsamic vinegar). Stacie had to forgo the wine, for obvious reasons.

Delish.

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Lights Out

Yesterday afternoon the wind storm we were having knocked out the power to our neighborhood, and quite a bit of Seattle. I had planned on making a big, complicated dinner - but that had to be shelved. I ran up to Trader Joe's (who luckily still had the lights on) and picked up things for a simple, no-cook dinner. We had loaves of sourdough and olive bread with olive oil for dipping, Honeycrisp apples (the best, by far), almonds, cashews, prosciutto, Iberico hard Spanish cheese, double-cream Brie, Greek olives, artichoke/parmesan dip, and I picked up a bottle of inexpensive Amarone. The indoor pic-nic by candlelight was great. We both decided that we would have liked to have had some music on though. Later, the lights came back on while we were in the middle of a candlelit game of Scrabble...

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Hot Dogs & Apple Pie? I Think Not...

"Americans can eat garbage, provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup, mustard, chili sauce, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or any other condiment which destroys the original flavor of the dish."

- Henry Miller, American writer (1891-1980)

First off, let me say that my sister is awesome, for more ways than I care to list here. Thursday when I got home from work a package was waiting for me with the mail. In it were two wonderful presents from her: a bag of imported German Spaetzle, and the classic 1956 French short film "The Red Balloon" on DVD. She rocks.

Fast forward to the evening of the Fourth of July. Classic American holiday meal? Burger, hot dog, apple pie? Mais non, not at Chez Kevin. I made the Spaetzle with sautéed Chanterelle mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Then I added shredded Butterkäse (a mild German cheese) and a bit of cream cheese & real butter. Along with that I grilled a marinated Flat Iron steak (I had wanted to make Veal Milanese, but the local boucherie was out), and sautéed an eggplant in olive oil with herbs & garlic. Whilst cooking I had a Beck's beer and with the dinner a simple bottle of red table wine. Stacie made a lemon custard pie, of which I felt the need to have three pieces. We then watched Seattle's dueling fireworks shows from our back deck. Hands down, the South Lake Union fireworks owned the Space Needle's display. Happy Birthday America.

(I feel I must add a brief caveat here, regarding Miller's quote above. While I can't stand ketchup, and don't care much for yellow mustard, I must admit that I love Dijon or ground mustard, any kind of spicy chili sauce, and any kinds of peppers - but they need to be applied infrequently and in the correct amount.)

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Simple Pleasures

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, 

"what's the first thing you say to yourself?" 

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.

- A. A. Milne, "The House at Pooh Corner" (1928)

I received some duck eggs. Fresh duck eggs. A good friend 

(and photographer extraordinaire), Earl, raises chickens & ducks. He and his wife, Doreen, were gracious enough to gift us some eggs from both fowl. If you've never had fresh, real farm eggs, either from a chicken or a duck, you are truly missing out on one of life's simple pleasures. The taste is wholly incomparable to the eggs you buy in a grocery store. And the duck egg - that is in a different realm all together. Bigger, with a larger, creamier yolk, it is a gift befitting a king. I like eggs in any and all manner of preparation, but these fresh duck eggs I needed to eat simply. I poached two of them this morning and lightly dusted them with ground sea salt and fresh ground pepper. At the same time I made some grilled sourdough toast and a few pieces of bacon. I ate the eggs first, mopping up the yolk with the toast and finishing with the bacon. Simple, elegant, delicious. 

A finer breakfast I've not had in a long while. Rounding it out was a rich espresso prepared with a pinch of cardamom.

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Friday Farmer's Market

"Let the stoics say what they please, we do not eat for the good of living, but because the meat is savory and the appetite is keen."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher/poet (1803-1882)

"I am not a glutton – I am an explorer of food."

- Erma Bombeck, American humorist writer (1927-1996)

Stacie and I walked down the hill to our local farmer's market last night. We took Kaiser along to sniff and nose about. We browsed for something spectacular for dinner. We already had quite a full larder of vegetables, so unfortunately we had to bypass some wonderful offerings. We decided upon fresh homemade egg pasta: one package of Duck Ravioli (with carrot, onion, spinach, Parmesan & herbs) and one package of Goat Cheese and Veggie Ravioli (with bell peppers, zucchini, ricotta & bread crumbs). We also picked up some sourdough bread, some organic radishes to put on our salads, and a cup of fresh made marinara sauce. For a future lunch we also grabbed a package of homemade Jalapeno & Cream Cheese Tamales, and a small brick of Chile Chive Onion Gouda cheese.

Along with spinach salads we shared both pastas, the goat cheese & veggie ravioli with the marinara, and the duck ravioli with a tasty sauce of melted butter, sautéed garlic, lemon zest & lemon juice, oregano & basil. I caramelized a large onion to add to both dishes. Along with the fresh bread and a bottle of Dunham, it was truly a transcendent dinner.

KJT - Seattle (2008) 

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