quinoa

Quinoa scares me. Or, to be more accurate, it scared me until recently. I avoided it. Not because it wasn't tasty, but because it wreaked absolute havoc on my digestive tract. If you'd asked me, whomever was making up songs about beans, should have been singing about quinoa. Maybe it didn't rhyme as well?

I tried quinoa for the first time several years back, and have always liked the taste of it. Both red and yellow quinoa are delicious, and a great addition to any substantial salad. But every time I ate the little, harmless looking grain, I regretted it. I stopped buying it, and started substituting in other grains in recipes (cous cous works well!).

But then, a few months back, my friend Brenna needed to clean out her pantry, and I reaped the benefits. Which included a 5-pound bag of organic quinoa. I couldn't let it go to waste.

Turns out, there was a very easy solution to my problem. A solution that is written as plain as day on all bags of quinoa and most recipes that call for the grain. RINSE WELL before cooking.

I'm not sure why I always thought I was exempt from this step. Apparently I thought I was above rinsing? Pretty sure I was just lazy. Or I didn't know why rinsing was necessary. My quinoa always looked pretty clean. Turns out, rinsing removes the saponins, which aids digestion. Well there ya go!

Needless to say, armed with this newfound trick up my sleeve, I've been cooking up a storm of quinoa the past few weeks. I've listed some of my favorite recipes below. I recommend you try one. Just don't forget to rinse!

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans, and Cumin (Epicurious) This recipe incorporates lots of healthy foods, from the quinoa and chickpeas to the turmeric and cumin. We only have a little Weber grill that requires too much effort for just grilling some squash, so when I make this I chop the zucchini and saute it in my Le Creuset with spices before adding to the salad.

Double Broccoli Quinoa (101 Cookbooks) This salad is heartier than expected, and tasty of course. However, I significantly cut the garlic in the pesto, or I find it much too overpowering. But to each their own!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Quinoa (Cookie + Kate) This recipe is from one of my new favorite blogs, Cookie + Kate. It's a perfect salad for an early summer night when strawberries are in season.

P.S. - Quinoa is gluten-free.

anchovies

Months ago, I was flipping through Jamie's Italy, and I came upon a recipe that called for "salt-packed anchovies." Oliver said these were what they used in Sicily, but I knew I hadn't seen them at Whole Foods. What were they exactly? Every anchovy I'd ever seen had come packed in a small tin immersed in oil. But then, a sigh later, my mind and mouth were transported back to July 2010 in Italy's Cinque Terre when I sat in an oceanside restaurant devouring bread topped with anchovies, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and capers, all washed down with a dessert sambuca. Whatever these "more authentic" anchovies were, I needed them.

With just a little Google-ing, I found them on Amazon, and also at DeLaurenti, a fantastic European food store in Pike Place Market.

In November, around my birthday, a few friends asked what I'd like as a gift, and my thoughtful husband responded, "salt-packed anchovies." Not surprisingly, no one got them for me. But then, at Christmas, "Italian Santa" brought me a giant can! I am a notoriously bad present-opener, but I couldn't contain my excitement for my newly acquired culinary ingredient.

Back in Seattle, I pulled out the anchovies and Oliver's recipe for pasta con acciuche e pomodoro. The recipe is full of approximations: "a big handful of raisins," "a large wineglass of red wine." Whose handful? A gigantic American red wine glass? And on top of that, I had to tackle the anchovies. They were kind of scary. Whole, headless, fish.

Once I got over my squeamishness, they weren't too hard to prepare. Chop off the tail, slice down the belly to open them up, and pull out the bones. (If you miss a few bones it's not the end of the world because they're so small that most will disintegrate when they're cooked.) The lack of specifics in the recipe, combined with my inexperience with salt-packed 'chovies, resulted in a dish that was not very good at all. The proportions were off. But the taste was there. Somewhere in there, through the intense saltyness that would have gotten me kicked off Top Chef immediately, there was a hint of an amazing dish.

A few attempts later, I think I've finally got it. The proportions are now quite different from Oliver's, but it's to my liking. And I hope to yours too.

Palermo Pasta with Anchovies, Raisins, and Pine Nuts
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's "pasta con acciughe e pomodoro"

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ raisins
3 Tablespoons tomato purée
2 ounces red wine
6 salt-packed anchovy fillets (or 8 from an oil tin)
½ pound dried pasta (in this case you really do want to splurge on a "fancier" pasta but the type is less important - margarita, bucatini, spaghetti, fettuccine all work well)
homemade breadcrumbs

Heat oil in large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Fry garlic slowly. Once garlic is golden brown, add raisins, pine nuts, and anchovies. Continue frying, stiring regularly, for 2 minutes. Add tomato purée and wine and stir well until combined.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Try to time it so the pasta is done at about the same time as the sauce. (Serious Italian cooks tell you that rinsing pasta in cold water ruins it, but I've been known to do it quite frequently. I'm working on my timing.) Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until incorporated. Serve garnished with breadcrumbs (they're missing in the picture below, but the crunch they add is really essential!).

Serves 2-3.

book club

Last week, I was the host for my book club's monthly meeting. I really like the set up we have: each month, one member is the "host." This means they pick the book, hosts the event at their place, and provides all the food and drinks. If someone feels they don't have enough room for all the ladies, another member can offer up their home, but the "host" still provides the food and libations. I'm a huge fan of this kind of reciprocal hosting set up because I often find it stressful when I'm heading over to a friends house for a party or casual occasion and I have to contemplate what I'm supposed to bring. I always more than happy to provide snacks or wine or whatever, but I'm a planner. I like to plan ahead. Plan out the menu. Picking up a random bottle of wine on the way to someone's place feels a bit lackluster. The point is, I was excited to host all the lovely ladies in my book club for an evening of food and conversation. I had extra time to plan this gathering because it was actually supposed to be a week earlier but we postponed due to the snow and freezing rain. The extra time was key, because I ended up being happy with the food I made. I don't mean to sound braggy at all, because quite often, despite my best efforts to plan out a menu, the food I serve guests is a big flop. Last time I hosted book club I think all I served was a red pepper dip and everyone left hungry I'm sure. Another one of my blunders is that I misjudge what my guests will want to eat; just a few weeks ago I thought about making a raw kale salad for a dinner party. Luckily my husband kindly guided me away from that plan.

Long story short, if you're hosting a book club or any other dinner gathering, I highly recommend the recipes below! And if you don't belong to a book club, you should create one. They're really great.

APPETIZERS
Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic (Trader Joe's)
Hummus (TJ's)
Pitas - regular & whole wheat, cut up into triangles (TJ's)

DINNER
Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard(Bon Appétit) I added extra chard (the whole bunch I bought, I didn't measure) and an extra 4 ounces of pasta. I also didn't parboil the chard, but instead I finely chopped it before washing and then added it to the cheese sauce as the same time as the pasta. This caused it to wilt slightly and mix well throughout the whole dish. I didn't make any changes to the cheese sauce, but it still ended up cheesy enough!

Arugula, raisin, dried cranberry, and peacan salad with balsamic vinaigrette I stumbled upon this balsamic vinaigrette recipe a few months ago, and it's quickly become a staple in my fridge. It comes together so easily and stores beautifully in a jar in the fridge.

DESSERT
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles(our little bee hive) These took work. I'd never made truffles before, and thought I should try. Well, dipping truffles is no easy task, I learned. I perfected my technique as I went along, finding out the best way was leave a little opening at the top of the truffle so I could push it off the fork, and then fill in that hole immediately (before the chocolate started to dry) with a dab of chocolate from a spoon. Time intensive for sure, but worth it. Yum.

specialty items

Last month, I was at Pike Place Market with my dear friend Katie. It was her first visit to Seattle, and after showing her the flying fish, the first Starbucks, and all the amazing food vendors, I paused on the cobblestone street and said, "I just need to grab something from this Indian grocer." I quickly strode into The Souk and found what I was looking for: black mustard seeds. After paying a couple dollars, I reconvened with Katie outside the store, and she commented, "I don't think I'll ever cook anything that calls for a spice that's not available at a regular supermarket." Katie's comment got me thinking. Trips to multiple markets = delightful or aggravating? Certainly it depends on the person. But me? I've never met a market I didn't love. Just yesterday I went to three groceries before noon (no way am I buying romaine hearts at Fred Meyer for $2.99 when they're $1.99 at Trader Joe's!). And markets that carry specialty items are the best. Many agree with me, obviously. But several fall into the other camp, usually sticking to the standard spices and ingredients. And then there's actually a third camp, which I sometimes fall into. This is those of us who love using special ingredients, but often don't have what we need on hand and decide to make the recipe anyway, hoping it'll turn out okay. Sometimes it does, but often it doesn't. So from the me who went into The Souk that day to get the mustard seeds, here's my reccomendation:

Step 1: Find a recipe that calls for something you've never heard of. Step 2: Google the ingredient so you understand how it's sold in the U.S. and what you're looking for once you get to the store. (Be sure to check if it has any alternate names in English.) Step 3: Find a store. Step 4: Make the trip, even if it takes some effort. Step 5: Cook the recipe and be prepared to have your taste buds amazed.

For inspiration, here are a few of my favorite recipes that call for ingredients not available at most "regular" stores.

Cucumber Peanut Salad 101 Cookbooks This is the salad that calls for black mustard seeds. It's very easy to make, minus the chopping of the cukes, and the cheapness of the ingredients makes up for the effort you have to make to get the mustard seeds!

Pasta with Mustard Greens Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Smoked Mozzarella Bon Appétit This recipe is borderline. It's very possible to find all the ingredients in a standard grocery, and definitely at Whole Foods, but there are still some specialty ingredients that are necessary to make this recipe as written. And if you're not going to try it as written, you shouldn't bother. The smoked mozzarella and shiitake mushrooms are a must.

Palak Daal 101 Cookbooks The first few times I made this I couldn't find urad dal anywhere, so I substituted chana dal and brown lentils. And the dal was good. But when I finally found urad dal at an Indian grocer, I was delighted by how improved this dish was.

Laarb (Thai chicken "salad") Mark Bittman's "The Best Recipes in the World" Laarb (Laab, Larb) could very well be my favorite dish in the entire world. It's a Laotian dish made with meat, fresh herbs, fish sauce, and lime juice. It's usually served with cabbage and other fresh vegetables. Ground toasted rice is an important component of the dish. It's not too hard to make, but you do need to stock your pantry with some specific ingredients from Asian grocery stores.

Salmon in Bengali Mustard Sauce  Saveur Shout out to Rachel who told me I had to try this recipe. It fit well with a weekend trip to Pike Place, where we picked up salmon and mustard powder. I think it would work well with other fish besides salmon. Serve with some yummy basmati rice.

spring drinks

Today is my sister’s birthday. Some might know today as Cinco de Mayo, but seriously people, how many of you can tell me the meaning of the holiday? Googling it today taught me it's an American Civil War holiday, but I'm still not convinced it's a necessary festivity. But I might just be being stubborn since I have more important things to celebrate on May 5th. But either way, today does come at a time of the year when everyone is anxious to throw off the winter blues and bust out with some spring cheer. In most some parts of the country, the sun has peaked out and temperatures have risen. Here in Seattle, we have some glimmers of spring, but not much yet. It’s coming though. We can taste it. I plan to be fully prepared for evenings on the deck celebrating a multitude of events, big and small. There are several drinks I look forward to having in my glass as I raise it for a toast, and one of them just might be enjoyed tonight. To wish my sister a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

SPRING DRINKS
tried and true & some to try

Gimlet Soda.
4 oz. vodka
2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
~1/2t agave nectar
top with seltzer or club soda

Vinho Verde.
Traditionally (always?) from Portugal, Vinho Verde wine is light and refreshing, with a lower alcohol content than many other white wines. It’s usually relatively cheap – I like the Broadbent Vihno Verde which is less than $10.

Skinnygirl margarita.
For a long time I thought I hated margaritas. Turns out I just hate José Cuervo margarita mix. And all other mixes for that matter. But, Skinnygirl, the brainchild of BravoTV star Bethenny Frankel, is different. It’s a classy margarita in a wine bottle – really just tequila with some lime juice and agave. A bit hard to find in Seattle, but it’s readily available on the east coast, and absolutely delicious. (I have some on hand because my sister sent it to me. Have I mentioned she's the greatest?)

Boozy Cucumber Cooler.
Shutterbean created a boozed-up verison of a drink from Heidi Swanson’s new cookbook Super Natural Everyday.

Salud. ; )

june

As far as I'm concerned, there are two types of full. There's the "oh my god I feel terrible why on earth did I eat that fourth slice of mediocre pizza followed by two nondescript brownies?" full. And then there's the "holy cow I feel pretty ill right now but it was completely and utterly worth it because the food I just consumed was out-of-this-world delicious." This past weekend, I experienced the latter.

We headed to Seattle's Madrona neighborhood to try out June. It opened quietly last year, and has been on my list of places to try, but somehow Madrona rarely called for an evening out. New places in Cap Hill usually won out. But a few months back there was a Groupon for June, so that sealed the deal.

We had a reservation for 7pm but didn't need it; we had our choice of tables. We opted for a booth in the back which was cozy and private but a bit monochromatic. We were right near the increasingly lively bar, but couldn't see it due to the booth partition. The meal was tasty. Dessert was FANTASTIC. To start from the end, we had bioche bread-bitter chocolate bread pudding. It was, without a doubt, the best dessert I've had in Seattle to date. Heavenly. Just the right amount of chocolatey-ness, the perfect moistness and a generous dollop of crème fraîche on the side to compliment the caramel sauce. A few bites in I knew I was full but it didn't matter. I couldn't stop. I wouldn't.

Clearly, the bread pudding was the most memorable, but other dishes were great as well. We started with a dish off the "bites" menu: tempura brussel sprouts and asparagus. It was a generous serving and served piping hot. We favored the appetizer part of the menu, trying lamb and chickpea chili, nettle soup with pickled mushrooms, and a beet salad with hazelnuts and blue cheese. The chili was amazing, the soup was beautiful and quite balanced, and the beet salad was enjoyable although pretty predictable.

The only let down of the night was our entrée. Goat cheese ravioli with fresh peas and spring onions. It was way too salty for my liking and I'm a chronic oversalter. (I salt pizza. Excessively. This could be what leads to the first type of fullness...) Not only were the flavors off, but there were multiple lemon seeds in the broth. Nitpicky I know, but come on. I watch Top Chef. I know those are two mistakes that will cost you a challenge.

Thankfully, dessert came and the disappointment of the entrée was forgotten entirely. It was a superb dining experience. Followed by a relaxing evening on the couch feeling wonderfully full.

...

If you now find yourself craving bread pudding, I'd highly recommend my friend Rachel's recipe for Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding which was a winning dish over at food52. Another option, is my fall favorite pumpkin bread pudding (inspired by another restaurant dessert, this time from 1844 House).

salads

I've always loved salads. But never in that dainty "I'll just have a side salad" kind of way. I like big salads. Huge salads actually. Main dish salads. Hearty, filling, salads. Many people love their sandwiches, and I do like them too, but they just don't excite me like salads do. Salads can be so much bigger. A whole meal in a bowl. So many ingredients. Such options! I think, perhaps, the seed for salads-as-a-meal was planted when I was rather young. When my mom was out and my dad was left to fend for himself, he’d often make what he called “Boring Bob Salad.” It was always more or less the same thing – romaine or leaf lettuce, deli ham, tomatoes, and olives, topped with Italian dressing. I didn’t partake too often (I hated olives and ham wasn’t my favorite) but once in awhile he’d make me my own, slightly altered, salad.

As a college student, I had to learn to feed myself using the available items in the dining halls. My favorite dining hall, Proctor, had tons of ingredients to work with – I always felt like it was the best dining hall for “cooking.” I began making what I called “hot salads.” My general approcah was to select one or two hearty items from hot food line, mix in an array of vegetables from the salad bar, and top the whole thing with seasonings and oil from the spice rack. I remember eating hot salads almost every night, but no two salads were ever the same.

After undergrad, I worked at a boarding school with a less elaborate but still solid dining hall. Many more salads were eaten. But now, I no longer have a dining hall to lean on, and instead fend for myself in the salad-making department. The cooking style I've devloped has been profoundly influence by the cooking blog, 101 Cookbooks. Learning from Heidi Swanson, I've refined my salad-making skills. Her approach to cooking coincides almost exactly with the food I like to eat. All her recipes are great, but I favorite are obviously her inspiring and delicious salad creations.

Most recently, I’ve gained a reputation at work for being a consistent salad eater. Making a salad again today, Melissa? What’s in your salad today? My daily salads don’t really count as those Middlebury hot salads, and they're not usually as fancy as the ones from 101 Cookbooks, but I do try to make them delicious and satisfying. My colleagues often comment that it’s a lot of work for the lunch hour, but I would beg to differ. Salads are super easy to make. I bring in plastic tubs of greens, whole cucumbers, and any other ingredient that strikes my fancy. I keep seasonings and oil in my desk drawer, right alongside the pens and paper clips, and stash some nuts in there as well. I think you get the point. I like salads. And I think you should too. 

STRATEGY I always pick a genre for my salads. I think to myself, “Italian,” “Sweet,” “Mexican,” “Asian,” etc. It keeps the ingredients cohesive so things taste good. (For example, don’t eat arugula in a Mexican salad. It’s not good.)

COMPONENTSGreens.My greens of choice are arugula. It’s delicious, and also keeps in the fridge much longer than other lettuce greens. Spinach is a good second choice. Sliced napa cabbage is good for an Asian salad.

Veggies or fruit. I like cucumber in almost all my salads. It goes with everything. I buy English cukes, and a big one will last me almost a week. I also often add tomatoes. But sometimes slicing them is more trouble than it’s worth since our office doesn’t specialize in top of the line knives.I often include avocado in my salad because it’s a great, somewhat filling, addition. Adds a nice creamy texture too. Once in awhile I’ll make sweet salad, and add apple or pear.

Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts…

Cheese. I usually buy a tub of crumbled feta and sprinkle it on top. Shaved manchego and parmesan are also delicious. Mozzarella too. I like the little pearled mozzarella balls you can buy in the deli department .

Tofu or legumes. Black beans are good with avocado and tomato, while white beans and chickpeas are delicious with tuna and arugula. I like adding puy lentils cooked in red wine too.

Grains. Farro, pasta, and bread crumbs are delicious additions to Italian salads, while tortillas are great with a more Mexican themed one, and soba noodles are delicious in an Asian salad.

Tuna. This is my back up when I’m out of other hearty options. If I only have arugula and cucumber, I’ll add tuna for some substance. It’s easy since I usually have cans hiding in my cupboard. The best kind is olive oil packed tuna (cheap at Whole Foods) because then you get your dressing as well!

MY FAVORITE FANCIER SALAD RECIPES
Orzo Super Salad
Cucumber, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Farro Salad
Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Grilled Tuna Niçoise Salad

cabbage

[This post orginally appeared exactly one year ago (1/10/10) in one of my previous blogs. One of the ones that lacked focus. It was about anything and everything, but this pitch for cabbage fits here. I love cabbage. I'm actually craving some right now. Which is why I'm adding this post. And the one year thing is a nice added reason for posting today. Enjoy.] ~

My family likes to say that I’m a food snob. I suppose it’s true that I’m….well, particular. I have strong opinions about food, from what to buy to which restaurants are worth the money. More than anything I hate spending money on food that is a) not very good or b) I could have made myself. And don’t even get me started on bottled water. Such a waste of money. In China, I drank the boiled stuff from the machine on our hall. I put it in my nalgene and put it outside on my windowsill until it cooled off. It didn’t take very long. I was in Harbin after all.

When lovingly criticized by my family for being a food snob, I have one argument: greens. I love cheap greens. Iceberg lettuce and plain old green cabbage. YUM. Love the crunch. (I must admit, however, I do enjoy buying these organic when I can, because it makes me feel less guilty about not washing before eating.) Lettuce is my standby for lunches, and cabbage is my go-to veggie for dinners (I think Dan may be getting sick of it). but I can’t really put into words how happy it makes me to purchase a nice big head of cabbage for 49 cents a pound (39 when it’s on sale!) and store it in the fridge for as long as I like before pulling it out, and copping it into those clean, crisp ribbons. Depending on my recipe, I throw it in the electric wok or my le creuset and in no time I have a delicious, nutritious meal.

So, I’m thinking not everyone eats enough cabbage. And I think that if you’re one of those people, you’re missing out. So to make things easy for you, here are some of my favorite cabbage recipes:

Cabbage and Hot Sauce (Orangette) - Make sure you have it with a fried egg, so good! (Also, Orangette apparently has a similar affinity for cabbage, as she just replaced her photo of orangettes on her blog with a gorgeous shot of savoy cabbage. But therein lies the difference. Savoy is fancy. It’s more than 49 cents a pound. But then again, she is Orangette after all. And I’m…well, not.)

Stir-fried Cabbage (Bon Appétit) - Great with rice and tofu, or a fried egg!!

Red Lentils with Cabbage (Smitten Kitchen) - A much more involved recipe, but so delicious. And keeps with the cheap theme!

Try one. I promise you’ll like it. And if you don’t, you’ll only be out $2.

(Thanks JO, for prompting this post - I hope you’ve enjoyed some cabbage dishes recently!)