Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Autumn, with its crisp sunny days and frosty nights, such as we have had this past week, is my favorite time of year. Watching the leaves change color, donning cozy sweaters, and tending bubbling pots of soup, are how I celebrate this season. Of all the ingredients used in the fall kitchen, winter squash is probably the most versatile. Sweet or savory, there are countless ways to enjoy the many shapes and colors of the squash family. Here the squash is roasted before being pureed into a silky...
This past summer, with its long dry heatwave, was difficult on several plants in our kitchen garden. I had lost all hope for our row of basil plants in August, as they looked quite sad and limp. Now, after a month of less severe temperatures, the garden has rebounded and we have a giant crop of perfectly fragrant basil, just in time to coincide with the abundance of late season ripe tomatoes that have piled up. Though summer is technically over, the season has been extended in our house with all...
Summer is over and after what felt like forever, our tomatoes have finally ripened. To celebrate, this week ripe tomatoes have made an appearance at every meal, in salads, on sandwiches, tossed in pastas, or simply sprinkled with salt as an afternoon snack. We have bowls of tomatoes set aside to be turned into sauce, jars of which will add some sunshine in the kitchen through winter. When tomatoes are fresh, ripe and in-season, I find it best to pair them with just a few choice ingredients, to...
At the age of twelve, I attempted my first risotto. I stirred and stirred, carefully following the instructions in a copy of Bon Appétit magazine. Slightly panicked that it wasn't looking right, I darted back and forth between staring at the stove and rereading the recipe, until magically I had a sumptuous pot of creamy, savory rice. That stressful half-hour taught me a little bit about culinary science, and a lot about perseverance in the kitchen. Ingredients: 2 pounds acorn or butternut...
When I lived in Seattle, one of my favorite spots for relaxed dining was Le Pichet on First Avenue, just up the hill from Pike Place Market. Watching traffic pass by, while enjoying refined bistro fare, I felt transported to a Parisian sidewalk café. This time of year, as late summer moves into fall, I would anticipate the return of a favorite menu item, their French Onion Soup. With sweet, caramelized onions melded into a rich stock topped with country bread and melted cheese, this comforting...
Last week, we were gifted a bountiful bowl of fresh local peaches. Few summer treats are as special as the first juicy bite of a perfectly ripe peach at peak season. With a family birthday coming up, I wanted to create a special dessert to highlight the beautiful plump stone fruit. This tart combines French sugar crust (pâte sablée) and a pastry cream (crème pâtissière) with a hint of cardamom to create a delicate backdrop for the vibrant fresh fruit. Ingredients: For the crust: 1 ⅓ cups all-pur...
Kohlrabi, with its funny name and alien appearance, is the type of overlooked vegetable that can seem intimidating to most home cooks. Originating from northern Europe, kohlrabi is in the brassica family, related to kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Both the bulbous stem and the sprouting leaves are edible, with a sweet crisp flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. This past week, the first kohlrabi of the season was ready to pick in our garden, a welcomed change from the recent endless bounty of z...
Often, my kitchen inspiration is based on what is ripe and ready for picking in the garden. Our backyard has provided an abundance of tomatillos and chili peppers this week, which instantly had me thinking about Salsa Verde. A versatile sauce that blends the piquant brightness of the tomatillos with cilantro and fresh green chilis, Salsa Verde is wonderful served cold or hot. Here, I have used it as a braising liquid for chicken, which is then finished in the oven with cheese. A satisfying dish...
America has a love affair with cheeseburgers. From fast-food to fine dining, there are different versions of this national favorite in every region. Inspired by the bounty of green chilis ready for picking in my back yard, I found myself craving a burger with flavors of the desert Southwest. Opting for flavorful ground bison spiced with garlic and coriander, I created a green chili "special sauce" to compliment with just the right amount of heat. Creamy pepper jack cheese and smokey bacon were...
Every summer, without fail, I am surprised by how productive the zucchini plants are in our garden. With new zucchini sprouting up every night, there is always an abundance of the striped, green summer bounty in our kitchen. This leads to my annual exploration of creative ways to use this prolific garden ingredient. With options ranging from bread, fritters, pasta, and casseroles, the recipes, thankfully, seem endless. Last week, I looked for zucchini inspiration and found it in southern...
Living in wheat country, I feel a deep connection to the fields of grain that surround me, even though I'm not a farmer myself. The rolling hills give us a colorful reminder of the changing seasons: from vibrant spring green to the golden hues of summer. Watching the combines and grain trucks during the busy harvest season, I am always reminded that our farmers, with the help of modern machinery, are continuing an agricultural tradition started many millennia ago. According to the...
My two favorite things about summer are enjoying home-grown produce and that time of day when the sun sets, and the temperatures finally start to cool down. The back porch is my favorite setting for dining al fresco, where I can watch swallows zip across the yard as the sky erupts into electric golds and pinks. This pasta, full of my favorite summer vegetables, is creamy without being heavy, and perfect for elegant backyard entertaining. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more 1 small...
As a child in Los Angeles, I often spent weekends with my father who lived a block from Echo Park Lake, many years before it became the gentrified hipster neighborhood of today. We would walk around the park people watching, feeding the ducks, while searching for the perfect bench to sit and draw. As a future foodie, these visits to the park were full of gastronomic discoveries. On top of the omnipresent taco trucks parked around the perimeter, there was always an array of food carts to choose f...
Sometimes, after a long night serving $200 dinners (see my article about tasting menus on page 12) I would stop at the Aladdin Gyro-cery, in Seattle's University District, for a cheap late-night meal. Inside, the aroma of heavily spiced chicken shawarma or beef gyros, are instantly enticing, however, the menu item I've ordered the most is the falafel. Crispy on the outside, fragrant and soft inside, stuffed in fluffy pita bread with a zingy tahini sauce, these vegetarian delights always...
Sometimes, on a rare day off, I am known to binge episodes of the Food Network classic, Chopped. As contestant chefs brainstorm dishes on the fly, using the surprise "basket ingredients," I play along imagining what I would create. I am often moved to shout at the screen when chefs make a doomed decision. NO, there is never enough time for risotto! This past weekend, I had my own Chopped experience when my aunt called to invite me to a family dinner. She offered wild caught Alaskan sockeye...
As we move into the summer months, my culinary inspirations become increasingly influenced by what is ready to be picked in the garden. Compared to years past, the strawberry plant that runs along the east side of our house has been extra bountiful lately. With a big bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries on hand, I set out to make a special dessert this week, researching recipes for cakes, soufflés, trifles, and crisps. Then, inspiration hit me when I remembered the robust rhubarb we have...
It's the season of backyard barbeques and neighborhood potlucks, a time when small gatherings can quickly turn into large parties. Amongst the various salads and grilled meats of your summer spreads, there is always room for a crowd pleaser casserole. And perhaps none pleases a crowd quite like the American classic, macaroni and cheese. As with any national favorite, there are countless variations and regionally specific recipes for this cheesy comfort, all of which are a million times better th...
Julia Child is famous for noting that the quality of a cook can always be judged by how well they roast a chicken. In my quest for poultry perfection, I have tried countless variations and recipes over the years. I've stuffed herbs under the skin, dry rubbed with elaborate spice blends, or simply stuck with salt and pepper. I've brined, yogurt-marinated, and wrapped in pancetta. I've meticulously followed the advice of Alice Waters, Jacques Pépin, Ina Garten, and of course Julia. With each...
In our garden, the nightshades have gone into the ground, and the countdown to tomato season has officially begun. There are few things about summer that I look forward to more than the first backyard tomato harvest. In the meantime, I will continue to make great use out of a much-loved pantry staple, canned tomatoes. From slow cooked Bolognese to zesty puttanesca, there are countless sauces that start by opening a can of perfectly ripe tomatoes. One such recipe that has garnered a cult...
Too often, uninspired versions of this dish are slapped on restaurant menus, overdressed with bland mass-produced dressing. Originally created in 1924, by an Italian immigrant at his namesake restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, Caesar salads quickly became a hit with Hollywood trendsetters. Here, I have a lively and fresh homemade Caesar dressing that will change how you look at those that come in a bottle. Adding seasoned grilled chicken turns this into a satisfying warm-weather entrée. Ingredients:...
Truth be told, I have always been one who craves savory over sweet. So perhaps it is of little surprise that my favorite desserts are those that include ingredients which act as a counterbalance to the sweet, like chili with chocolate, sea salt with caramel, and bitter coffee with vanilla ice cream. This beautiful cake features the richness of olive oil and toasted almonds, with the brightness of lemon to balance the sweetness of dried figs. The resulting flavor plays tribute to the culinary...
As a transplant from the west side of the state, I am often overwhelmed by a strong craving for ocean air and fresh seafood. This past weekend, I made an escape to the coast to satisfy such a hankering. At Klipsan Beach, on the Long Beach Peninsula, we stay in a beloved little cabin full of family history. It's a place to slow down, listen to the waves, and for me, cook seafood feasts. On the north end of the peninsula, in a town appropriately named Oysterville, there is an amazing shellfish...
As the days are warming up and getting longer, grilling season is officially here. Concurrently, our edible garden is coming alive and ushering in the season of fresh herbs in everything we cook. We plant a lot of herbs, and we eat a lot of herbs. These chicken skewers, which make a great centerpiece to backyard entertaining, are exuberantly flavored thanks to the abundance of chopped fresh herbs. Served with a cool and zesty tzatziki sauce, this dish will transport you to an ocean-cliff villa...
While I am firmly an omnivore, there have been moments, albeit brief moments, when I have dabbled in vegetarianism. Blame it on my childhood, surrounded by West Coast hippies and artists, but I have always had a soft spot for brown rice, granola, kale, and yes, even tofu. Originating in China some 2,000 years ago, tofu, also known as bean curd, is made from soy milk and is an important part of the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. Rich in protein, as well as plant-based calcium and...
Over the years, certain spices have become such well-loved staples in my kitchen that I have learned to make great use of buying in bulk. Housed in neatly labeled mason jars, and taking up several shelves, my collection reflects several millennia of global spice trade. Among my favorites is paprika, whose bright red color and sweet warm spice, adds a distinctive flavor to popular dishes from many cultures. Originating in central Mexico, the peppers used to make paprika made their way to Spain...
