Memorial Day Meals

Memorial Day weekend kind of snuck up on me, and I discovered that most of my friends were either out of town or busy (teeth extractions, couple stuff, visitors). I found myself with lots of time, or as I described, "great voids of nothingness". Which meant it was time to cook.

Two vidalia onions. My first thought was some sort of onion tart. Carrie makes a excellent tart, but alas, she was chasing DILF's in Hawaii and not available for recipe sharing. I scanned a few cookbooks, but couldn't find a recipe that I liked. Then it dawned on me: pissaladiere from Cook's Illustrated. Basically a fancy French pizza, the dough was slightly chewier and flatter than a regular pizza. Sans cheese and sauce, it was topped with nicoise olives, anchovies, thyme, a few sprinkles of truffle salt (my addition) and caramelized onions. The pissaladiere was absolutely delicious - chewy crust, the saltiness of the anchovies and olives offset nicely by the thick layer of sweet vidalias. I shared with a few neighbors at the Park Rose Terrace; someone else contributed bbq spareribs. Weird combination, but delicious.

While looking for onion recipes, I stumbled across a recipe for ginger duck in Amanda Hesser's very excellent Cooking for Mr. Latte (there's a story behind that cookbook that maybe some day I'll share on this blog). In December, Dad gave me a duck and two breasts (he's a duck hunter). The dish required two days, I was inspired, had time and had always had good luck with recipes from the book.

Alas, so much about the recipe was right. The flavors - the duck stuffed with celery and shallots, cooked gently in a broth of ginger and soy - were right. The broth was delicious, rich, gingery, slightly salty. After resting for a day, the duck was roasted, basted in the broth. And, the broth was also used to cook some of the most delicious rice pilaf I have ever tasted.

While I loved the rice, the duck, on the other hand, the poor, poor duck. I'm sure the duck lived a good life, and sadly, I just didn't cook it right in death. It was overcooked and dry. I hadn't realized until later that the recipe was intended for a farm-raised duck, versus the wild duck that I cooked. With the winged migration (exercise and all), my duck was much leaner, and in the butchering process, it's fatty skin was removed. Which meant not only less fat, but no skin to turn into crackling goodness during the final roasting stage.

Regardless the dinner wasn't a waste. Have I mentioned how fabulous the rice tasted? I also made zucchini fritters, which were not only delicious, but fresh and bright and cut the richness of the duck broth enhanced rice. Oh, and I drank a 2003 Stama Cabernet with.

PS: Pete, Capitol Hill and Venus Cafe miss you.

Not Beating the Bridge

I did not beat the bridge.

It's not really a bad thing, in the course of things. I ran the 5-mile "Beat the Bridge" race on Sunday. Being in the third wave, also know as the "jogger" wave and what I half jokingly call the "loser" wave, I would have had to run two ten-minute miles in order to make it to the University bridge before it went up at exactly 9AM. By the time I arrived, people were removing the countdown clock and the bridge was up. All in all, though, the forced break was good. I had a few minutes to rest, drink some water, setting me up nicely for the rest of the race. And, the rain that started around mile 4 was a nice push, "I have to pick up the pace and finish this damn race!"

In the end, I finished at the 1 hour and 12 minute mark. Since I started 10 minutes after the clock, I actually clocked in at slightly more than an hour, or about 12 minutes a mile. Incrementally, I'm improving with this whole running thing.

That same day, for the first time in seeming forever, I actually made a real meal, vegetable curry, with potatoes, cauliflower and chickpeas. This required a great deal of chopping, multiple spices (curry, coriandor, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, pepper) and cooking. I even made two chutneys: sweet onion (yeah for the vidalia!) and cilantro-mint. The meal was absolutely delicious, hearty, spicy and perfect for the end of a rainy and chilly May race day.

In a year, I want to beat the bridge.

The Vertigo

Since moving to Capitol Hill, I've wandered past the Vertigo Building, a building distinctive enough to stand out and make me wonder about the inside. I probably would have missed it, except that it's located next to the Cap Hill Library, where I get books and admire the architecture.

In mid-March, I noticed a sign in front of the Vertigo building announcing that the building had turned condo, using the clever tagline "If the City is Your Game of Tag, This is Your Base". I wandered inside, took a look at a few of the units and instantly fell in love. A few weeks later, after many discussions, hours spent at the building and friends/family drug along to look, I made an offer, on April 14, to be exact. The offer was accepted. Not only am I moving once again (number six in slightly less than nine years), but taking a huge life step.

On July 11, after an extended escrow period, I am going to be homeowner.

Exciting, fabulous, terrifying and just plain "wow" can only capture my myriad of emotions.

The Vertigo isn't exactly what I thought I wanted. Originally, I described my perfect home in terms of old warm charm, built from the 1900s through the 1920s, with a brick exterior, creaking wood floors, high ceilings, built-in glass cabinets and other characteristics of that era. The Vertigo is none of that, rather a hulking mass of concrete circa 1961, but still with character. However, in this case, it's reminiscent of shag and kitsch and modern, before that era turned cheap and tacky and Sputnik modern.

I've always loved that early 60s feel, even driving a car that smacks squarely within that era. As I thought about my life, particuarly having hit my one year mark in Seattle, I realized that since 2001, I've lived in old warm charm houses and apartments, some nicer than others. And decided that it was time for a change.

Even though I haven't yet moved, and July 11 is only a fixed date that can easily change (in the process of condoizing the building, units have been gutted and completely remodeled, so yes, I will have granite counter tops and dishwasher and washing machine), I've already begun to think about the housewarming party. Food from the 1950s era will be served, although in my fashion, updated for 2007. Already, I'm thinking martinis, deviled eggs, onion dip, meatballs. Any other ideas?


The most important room, the soon-to-be kitchen.

A Few Notes From the Road

I took one of those seemingly forever trips, bookmarking a business trip with a few days of fun on both ends. I started in New York (site of Gabe,Aeos tube themed dinner), then to Boston, Chicago, Champaign-Urbana, back to Chicago, back to Boston and finally, home. The trip worked out well, for so many reasons. I was able to stay with Gabe and Jason (plus CC!), Asra was in New York at the same time (although for an unexpected extra day, thanks to the Nor,AeoEaster), I business traveled with a co-worker (the company was excllent) and spent a few days with my two nephews, happily bonding with the newest one.

So, highlights include:

--Billy,Aeos. Gabe steered me away from the venerable Magnolia Cupcakes to Billy,Aeos, the place ,Aeuwhere all the locals and a few stars go,Ae?. Have I mentioned that when it comes to food, Gabe is almost never wrong? Thus, Billy,Aeos was an excellent choice, one enjoyed with Asra between shopping. A tiny little bakery, smelling of fresh baked goodness, with several different kinds of cupcakes, cakes and pies. I opted for my standby vanilla cake and frosting ,Aei both were good, although I think the structure of the cake is slightly better (as in moister and with a bit more air) at Trophy Cupcakes. Regardless, Billy,Aeos was still excellent and worthwhile. I also brought home a slice of coconut cake (almost as good as what I made for Tony,Aeos birthday a few years ago) and banana cake (which I didn,Aeot touch but went over very well with Gabe, Jason and Chris). While I didn,Aeot see any celebrities and their accompanying handlers, my heart did skip a few beats when two guys delivered six brand new Kitchen Aid mixers.

--Cuban Food. Gabe and Jason found a hole in the wall Cuban place somewhere in Chelsea. Delicious and cheap. Pan fried cubes of pork with rings of saut/(c)ed onions, shredded beef in some type of nourishing sace, sweet plantains, and white rice and black beans. So amazingly good. Gabe and I ate too much, then took a long walk after. The Cuban place reminded me of my favorite taquerias in Mountain View and Indian places in London - kind of sketchy on the outside, super clean with amazing food and friendly people on the inside.

--Bouchon. Gabe and Jason live within sight of Columbus Circle, which houses a few establlishments capable of bringing me to my knees, including Thomas Keller,Aeos Per Se and Bouchon. We had an excellent lunch at Bouchon,Aeos take-out caf/(c), tuna nicoise sandwiches and ham and cheddar quiche, and I also picked up freshly baked croissants and other pastries on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, after running in Central Park. The next time I,Aeom in New York, I will plan my restaurant schedule to include meals at either Per Se or the sit down Bouchon, or both.

--Luna Caf/(c). Compared to the college towns that I,Aeom used to (Berkeley, in particular, and a small private school in Palo Alto and of course, UW), Champaign-Urbana, home of the University of Illinois, is muted and quiet. Campus social life seems to rest within a large Greek system and on a small few blocks of restaurants and shops. Luckily, we found an amazing place in the three block span of fast food and chain restaurants: Luna Caf/(c). It was so delicious, after lunch, we returned for dinner (and overcame the puzzled looks on the waiter's face who recognized us. I wanted to scream, do you know what a food wasteland Champaign is? but of course, didn't because I was hungry and knew the food and wine list were both superior to anything else in the area). At lunch, we split the cheese platter, drowned goat, aged Wisconsin cheddar, a runny and smelly white cheese. I moved on to a bowl of sweet potato soup, decorated with truffle oil, and then to a seared tuna nicoise salad. Luna focused on tapas for dinner; we shared warmed brie, fried artichokes and beets and duck confit ravioli (a house specialty, and really, my favorite), among a few others succulent dishes.

--Running. Ok, while not related to food, I have to point out that both Saturdays of the trip were sunny and warm, a lucky strike considering that the weather was generally uninspiring and rainy (even experiencing what they call a ,Aeunor,Aeoeaster,Ae? on Sunday in New York). I was also lucky to be near great running pastures, Central Park in New York and the Charles River in Boston, and took advantage of both.

--Friday Night at the Olhava,Aeos. My brother encouraged me to arrive in Boston in time for dinner, saying ,AeuAlex insists on Friday night dinner,Ae?. I,Aeom not sure what that meant, considering Alex is 2 -Ohm, an age which I know almost nothing about. But knowing that my brother is an excellent cook, I made sure that I got from Chicago to Boston in time for dinner. Unfortunately, Alex is going through what many refer to as ,Aeuthe terrible twos,Ae?, so I ended up eating dinner by myself. But I have to say, dinner by myself was excellent ,Aei grilled lamb chops, baby potatoes with mint and steamed asparagus, and I was the only one in the household to enjoy a warm dinner. Sunday, before I left, I made Ed a chocolate cake for his birthday. He's not a baker, I am, and I realized, it had been a while since I'd baked.

And just as an FYI, even though it was very fun to hang out with Alex and the 3-month old Pete, who is absolutely adorable in his 3-month oldedness and seems to like me, I couldn,Aeot help reflecting on how different the two weekends were: partying a lot in New York, followed by staying home with two little people. The wonderfullness of life.

The Cuban Food...mmm...



Billy's Cupcakes. Obviously, the little cakes were slightly eaten by the time I took a picture.



The very excellent seared tuna nicoise salad at Luna Cafe.

Dinner From Tubes

Only Gabe would come up with the idea of creating a dinner in which every dish contained an ingredient that came from a tube. Luckily for me, he and friend Regina,Aeos idea and plans for dinner coincided with my trip to New York, so I was able to participate, and most importantly, enjoy the results.

I actually didn,Aeot realize how much food could be found in a tube, until Gabe showed me his collection, a huge container filled with tubes containing exotic ingredients. I have regularly bought tomato paste, ginger, garlic and cilantro (the last one was one of those first and last purchases) in tubes ,Aei easy to store and easy to use. But there is so much more ,Aei mustard, horseradish, fish paste type things, and in Europe, the selection is even more diverse (for example, I,Aeove regularly bought mustard in a tube in Finland which by the way, is one of my favorite mustards). And now I'm keeping my eyes open for new food in tubes.

Dinner started with deviled eggs, half of which contained black cod roe and half horseradish. I absolutely loved the fishy taste with the egg; I even bought a tube of smoked fish from Ikea and made my own a few weeks later (in the spirit of keeping my eyes open for new foods in tubes). From there, we moved to sweet pepper stew with chorizo. Sooo delicious, the stew contained a few ingredients from tubes, possibly paprika. For the main course, roasted chicken, saut/(c)ed brussel sprouts with white beans (garlic from a tube and courtesy of Chris), a spinach and feta cheese torta and mashed potatoes (with horseradish from a tube). I contributed a ginger cake, which of course, used an entire tube of minced ginger.

I like the themed dinner idea. Gabe,Aeos went beyond the general cuisine categories that usually mark a themed dinner (such as Mexican, Indian, Thai, bbq, etc.) and forced us to be creative in ways that cooks are not normally challenged. I imagine it was like Iron Chef, only without the really weird ingredients and snarky comments from judges. I,Aeove already discussed the idea with a few of my Seattle foodie friends and we,Aeove thinking of new themes for dinner parties (and those of you I haven,Aeot discussed with, don,Aeot worry, we,Aeoll discuss).

Themes ,AeP all good.

Below: the deviled eggs with a few tubes. Jason and I were being artistic.



The stew, with the tube of paprika (at least, I hope that's paprika).



Main course!


Ginger cake, slightly blurry. A lot of wine and food had been consumed by the time dessert was served.

The Easter Bunny Cometh: Family, Coke and Ovens on Fire

Easter 2007 will also go down as perhaps my greatest kitchen disaster yet, of which there are many. This time, the oven caught on fire. Yes, you read that statement correctly: the oven caught on fire. Technically, Pete caught my oven on fire, but since I,Aeom a nice person, I won,Aeot blame him (even though he later ate my Easter bunny). And, really, the gruyere cheese that bubbled onto the bottom of the oven from the potato gratin is what caught on fire, but it happened to coincide with Pete placing the apple pie in the oven.

In retrospect, the flames shooting up from the bottom of the oven were kind of cool. And terrifying. And the giant puffs of black smoke hovering throughout my apartment were decidedly unpleasant, something noticed by a few neighbors (,AeuOh, that was you that caused that smell,Ae?). Thoughts ran through my mind, including ,AeuEaster dinner is cancelled,AePwhat am I going to do with 10 pounds of pig brining in the fridge,AePI,Aeom going to burn down the Park Rose Terrace,AeP,Ae? After running around like little girls, grabbing a fire extinguisher, wondering if we should call 911, the oven door closed and the fire went out. Dinner was not ruined. And in fact, dinner was pretty good.

I brined a pork shank in coca cola, salt and herbs, not exactly the most traditional brine, but one that resulted in tender, moist pork. Before roasting, I rubbed an herb paste on the skin, then basted Porky while he was cooking with an apple cider glaze. The skin and layer of fat was flavorful and chewy, the meat fabulous. Plus potato gratin with gruyere, arugula and bacon, mashed potatoes (from Simon), green beans (from Tracy), roasted asparagus with tomato basil vinaigrette and salad (from Lee Dicks). And we started with cheese courtesy of Gavin and Elaine and artichoke dip. For dessert, Pete made an apple pie and Richard a lemon tart.






Easter dinner had once been a Bay Area Olhava tradition. We would gather to celebrate with dinner on Saturday night, generally bacchanalian affairs marked by too much wine and food and traditional Polish breakfast Sunday morning. I haven,Aeot celebrated Easter in several years, but decided that dinner was in order when I found out that Ed was going to be in Seattle for a wedding over the weekend.

Because my brother was in town, a good selection of wine was required, most of which was from the Washington area. A 2006 Columbia Winery Gewurtz (which went the best with the pork, in my opinion), a 2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay, a 2004 Hogue Merlot (also from Columbia Valley), my stand-by Rex Goliath Pinot and of course, because it was a celebration, a Lucien Albrecht Cremant Brut de Blancs.

Just as an aside, Ed, Pete and I hit Salume for lunch on Good Friday. I can only describe the place as amazing ,Aei a closet sized restaurant dedicated to perfectly cured meats. I decided to go with the basics, choosing a prosciutto sandwich. Paper-thin slices of prosciutto, salty and smokey, and creamy fresh mozzarella, sandwiched between perfectly greasy focaccia. Ed had the pork cheeks sandwich, giant chunks of tender braised pork in a baguette with peppers and onions. Lunch at Salume also coincided with a warm Seattle spring day, actually the nicest day in six months, so we went to the Seattle Library (light shining through the windows) and the Space Needle for views.