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Tonight we dined on one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s favorite recipes…fried apples and onions. I have it on good authority that Almonzo’s mother used to make them.  Why haven’t we eaten them more often?  What an excellent combination, served tonight with Uli’s apple chicken sausages, which we love.  All you have to do is to slice approximately equal quantities of apples and onions and saute in butter (or a butter/olive oil mix) until soft.   Nice thin, uniform slices are more important than the variety of apple.  Place on a plate next to a grilled sausage and dinner is served.  So easy.  So delicious.  So perfect.

The main course tonight was accompanied by one of our favorite potatoes, the Kinnebec.  This versitile Maine potato is good in any preparation…mashed, roasted, boiled, baked.  We enjoyed some left-over mashed plus some freshly roasted (cubed, tossed with olive oil to coat and salt in a bowl, baked on a cookie sheet at 425′) to fill things out.  I preferred the mashed, the Wilder fan (okay, the bigger Wilder fan) preferred hers roasted.  Fortunately we had both.

You might think the left over mashed potatoes were from our Christmas dinner, but they were not.  The starch for that meal was Yorkshire pudding.  This simple yet magical combination of 3 eggs and 1 1/2 cup milk (whisked together) combined with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cup flour (whisked together) is all one needs to sop up au jus or gravy from the roast beef.  The keys to Yorkshire pudding are to use room temperature ingredients and to let the batter rest for an hour before baking.  Whisk in a tablespoon of hot grease or butter, pour into smoking hot and greased muffin tins or a 9 x 13 pan, and bake at 450′ for 20 min.  Without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 350′ for another 10 minutes or so until golden brown. 

Whether you use individual muffin tins or make one big pan, you know you’ve done things correctly when they poof up like crazy in the oven.  Don’t touch that oven door!!!  Pierce the raised tops promptly after removing them from the oven and they won’t deflate.

The “pudding” is cooked in the oven after the roast is removed.  The meat needs to sit for a bit before slicing, so it works out well.  We were lucky enough to enjoy a prime rib roast from Clark Farms this year, our first grass-fed prime rib ever.  The flavor was absolutely outstanding, and once again I feel compelled to recognize and thank the Clarks for all of the effort and love they put into their operation. 

After separating the raw meat from the bones and rubbing it with oil, salt and pepper, I sear it in a skillet, turning so that all sides but the bone side are browned.  Then I let it cool for a few minutes so that I can re-attach the browned meat to the bones with twine, place in a roasting pan and bake at 250′ along with large slices of onion and prepared oxtails.  Stock bones were used in this case as oxtails were not available to us.  Either way, to “prepare” rub with tomato paste and roast with sliced onion in a 425 degree oven until brown, maybe an hour or so.  The purpose of this step is to provide a good flavor base for your au jus, if making one. 

The au jus is made by adding about a cup of red wine to the roasting pan over high heat on the stovetop after the meat has been removed.  Just pour it in right over the onions and oxtails.  When it has been reduced by about half, add 3 cups of stock (a combination of beef and chicken works best) and a few sprigs of thyme, plus the rib bones once you remove them from the roast.  Simmer the whole thing for at least 20 minutes, add any reserved juices from the roast, and strain.

The heavy meat and pudding were accompanied by a simple salad of mixed greens.  What a lovely meal, and a perfect once-a-year celebration.  Both Lisa and I grew up with this traditional English holiday meal, and I continue that tradition by preparing this every year for our Christmas dinner.

We’ll cook again…but what, I don’t know.

Tonight we are celebrating a great day at the store with a piece of fresh steelhead, thanks to our friend Preston (Wild West Seafood) who procures amazing fish for us at The Red Rooster.

But first I must mention last night’s dinner, a basic beef stir fry.  Stir fry is an easy meal, but also one in which it is easy to get in ruts.  The same basic veggies and same basic sauce – you know, that one that was so good the first time – every time.  Last night’s stir fry tasted special because we used a couple of new vegetable ingredients.  Just a little change to make a big difference.

We began with a package of Clark Farms fajita meat (pre-sliced thin) and marinated it in a jar of Judy Fu’s black bean sauce.  The veggies were a delicata squash that had been sitting on the counter for two weeks, celery, ginger, garlic and crimini mushrooms.  Oh yeah, and an entire yellow onion because you can never have too much onion.  We began by adding the ginger and garlic to the oil in the wok.  Next we added the onions and celery, and then after a few minutes the mushrooms.  I should have added them just a bit sooner, like maybe a minute after the onions.

When the veggies were nearly done I added the meat into the wok.  It cooked quickly because it was sliced ”wafer thin.”  We served over rice and viola!  A great dinner.  The squash and celery were perfect additions, and an easy way to make an old meal new.  The tasty black bean sauce made it all really easy.

And now, back to the steelhead.  We cooked it on the stovetop in a covered pan, with a touch of salt and pepper, plus fresh chives and lemon slices.  I added some white wine to the pan about halfway through cooking to help provide a subtle flavor and some steam.

The side dish was a rice pilaf, something I don’t think I’ve ever made and something we never eat.  We were inspired by a dish at a friend’s house earlier in the week.

We began by cooking a fun new blend of dark and wild rices in the rice cooker.  When the rice was a few minutes from being finished, I sauteed chopped onion and crimini mushrooms in a large pan until just tender.  Then, I added the cooked rice and a little chicken broth for lubrication.  I also tossed in some dried cranberries at this point, and then let it cook together for a few minutes with the occasional stir.

The pilaf, paired with the fresh, succulent fish, made for an excellent meal.  Both dishes were simple, yet elegant, delicious and complimentary.

Today is Christmas Day, and I am making my traditional roast prime rib of beef and Yorkshire pudding.  I’ll keep you posted…

I looked down and the Chirstmas cookies were gone – taken away. Just like that. The first Christmas cookies of the year. How heartless. How cruel. But at least there will be some for tomorrow.

Tonight’s dinner was stuffed portabella mushroom, two ways. The first was leftover pasta sauce, mixed with bread crumbs and cheese (fromage blanc, mozarella and parmesean) while the second was sausage (thank you Uli) mixed with bread crumbs, fromage blanc, pickled peppers and seasoning.

We didn’t marinate the “italian” mushrooms but tried to re-create a marinade we watched on Jamie Oliver’s show last night for the sausage stuffed mushrooms. We juiced a pomegranite, added apple cider vinegar, squeezed a lemon and a lime, whirled in soy sauce (OK, Bragg Liquid Aminos) and a touch of salt. And olive oil…lots of olive oil.

It turned out well, and though it pooled in the mushrooms none spilled out when we added the stuffing. Amazing.

Both were really tasty, though we should have baked them longer.  Note to self…don’t rush the mush(rooms.)

Tonight’s movie is the latest Harry Potter on DVD – book 6. JK Rowling brilliant – the characters, the story, the vision, the complexity…it is the whole deal.  Harry’s “Why yes, I am the chosen one.”  Hermionie smashing the birds against the wall in a fit of angst.  Is Snape a force for good or for evil?  Neither Lisa nor I have ever cared about characters in a book like we care about these three.  They are great books to read aloud, and the movies are rare in how successfully they capture the novels.  Thank you Ms. Rowling!

Last night was as much about the movie as about the meal.  “Who is Harry Nilsson?” tells the story of one of America’s greatest voices and songwriters that I’d wager most people haven’t heard of.  He influenced the Beatles - Ringo was the best man at his wedding and he had an enduring and provacative friendship with John.  He wrote great original music and did an album of standards with the London Royal Philharmonic before it was the cool thing to do.  His voice had more range and beauty than any other singer of his generation and his lyrics were quirky, orginal, fun and often sad all at the same time.  What a life he led, and what a body of work he left behind.

The meal that accompanied our movie-watching was straightforward easy comfort food, prepared by Lisa – spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread.  It isn’t hard to put a couple of special touches on basic food to really make it taste great, and those little cooking touches are one of Lisa’s specialties.  Tonight she began with quality grass-fed ground beef which has so much more flavor than typical grocery-store, factory-farmed meat.  The beefy flavor really comes through in the sauce, and this flavor becomes integral to the finished dish.  Tasteless grocery store burger meat simply adds bulk and protein.  She added minced garlic and some italian spices to the meat as it was cooking, then added the sauce (Organicville Marinara) and simmered while the pasta cooked.  Always salt your pasta water!

The garlic bread was prepared  by pressing fresh garlic through a garlic press into soft, salted butter and then spreading the mixture onto a Bell Street Bakery Ciabatta Loaf.  Fresh garlic, rather than garlic salt, is so easy to use and elevates your bread to “really yummy” status.  We prefer to toast ours under the broiler so it is crispy on top and soft on the bottom.

Thanks for dinner, Lisa, and thank you Harry Nilsson for sharing your brilliant talent with the world.  I recommend “Nilsson Schmilsson” to anybody who would like to hear some of his best work on one album.

Tonight we stuck to the stuffing theme – only this time in a Red Kuri Winter Squash rather than a Portabella Mushroom.

But first I have to say a little something about our appetizer. A number of years ago we were lucky enough to travel to France and upon advice from Rick Steves we ate at Relais de la Madeleine in Beaune Lisa ordered an avocado salad and was surprised to be presented with a perfect avocado half, filled with toasted walnuts and drizzled with what tasted like a honey mustard dressing. We have worked to duplicate that little piece of heaven ever since. So simple, so perfect. Tonight we had no walnuts nor pre-made honey mustard dressing, but we did have a perfectly ripe avocado. We missed the toasted walnuts, but decided to focus on the dressing. I made a simple mixture of olive oil, Dijon mustard and local honey. I can’t believe I’ve been so lazy all these years and never made this key condiment from scratch. Now I know better.

On to dinner. We enjoyed last night’s stuffing so much that tonight we created a variation on the theme. We had no more pre-made marinade, so after par cooking the squash in the microwave I filled the halves with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar/salt mixture. We didn’t begin cooking until 8:00, so I didn’t let the squash actually “marinade” at all- I just filled the halves right away with the stuffing. The stuffing contained bread crumbs, sweet onion, pepperoni (pre-sautéed until nearly crisp) Fromage Blanc, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, salt and pepper. We had no parmesan! Ha…so much for the perfect cheese trio I spoke of last night. As it turns out, the sweet onion and sharp cheddar complimented each other nicely.

Tonight’s first movie was “What Happens in Vegas” with Ashton and Cameron. I knew what was going to happen, even though Lisa had no idea how it was going to end. Right, Lisa? Seriously, we enjoyed it and we always like watching Ashton.
Tonight’s second movie- which we will not see the end of – is “Superman Returns” and it mostly makes me think of John Williams, the composer of the original score. He always seems to write the perfect music for the mood and the movie. It also makes me think of how much I enjoy watching Kevin Spacey play smarmy jerks – a role he clearly relishes.

Until the next time I cook…

The Portabella mushroom. Overgrown Crimini? Vegetarian staple? Stuffable? I say “yes” to all three.

While the Portabella is no Morel when it comes to stuffable mushrooms, we shouldn’t hold it against the poor ‘shroom because no other mushroom is a Morel either, and no other mushroom is as easily stuffed as the Portabella.

There are as many recipies for stuffing these as there are vegetarians, so we went with our tried and true method of using a mixture of ingredients we had on hand and needed to use up.

The stuffing was bread crumbs with three cheeses. Tonight we opted for Parmesean, Mozzerella, and Fromage Blanc from Mt. Townsend Creamery. To these I added a small egg from one of our newest hens, who have surprised us by beginning to lay eggs prior to the solstice, for binding.  The finish was some carribean spice blend from Botanical Touch (our favorite herb and tea store) and ground salt and pepper over the top.

I cleaned the mushrooms, trimmed their stems and scraped out the gills.  Next I rubbed the mushrooms in olive oil, basted them with a garlic/olive oil/chardonnay marinade (same as used with the chicken last week) and piled the stuffing on top.  A layer of parmesean cheese on top finished things off, and then into the oven at 350′ they went.

The marinade totally made the dish.  This was a much better application of the marinade than last week’s chicken – the wine was a perfect compliment to the mushroom and the stuffing.

To accompany the main course we are having Nash’s organic brussels sprouts – the best ever – in a simple preparation.  We slice them in half, saute in walnut oil until brown, then dust with sea salt.  We’ve been preparing our brussels sprouts with peanut oil lately rather than walnut oil, but walnut oil is definitely the best choice.  Do yourself a favor and make these brussels sprouts.  It drives me crazy that nobody knows how good these are.

That’s tonight’s dinner.  The movie?  “The January Man” with Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Danny Aiello, Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, Alan Rickman and Harvey Keitel.  What a great cast!  Susan Sarandon plays a cold bitch and sexy seductress better than anybody.  Harvey Keitel is, well, awesome…an underrated actor for sure.  I always enjoy watching Danny Aiello for some reason, and I kind of feel the same way about Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio.  Alan Rickman was great in Die Hard and IS Severaus  Snape.  Kevin Kline is always great, but unfortunately he was so perfect in “A Fish Called Wanda” that now I often imagine him in that role when I see him in other movies.  Not bad, “The January Man.”  Sometimes you just enjoy watching a good cast.

Dessert (dessert has two “s’s” because it is so good you need them both) was a piece of Iranian baklava which a friend shared with us.  It was fun to compare with Greek Baklava, such as the tasty pastry made by our local honey producer, Rarely Bee-Haven.  The Iranian version is great – less honey and a touch of citris.  We are so lucky!

Thanks for reading (mom!)…until the next meal.

Cheeseburgers in Paradise!  With apologies (and thanks) to Jimmy Buffett, tonight’s meal is that old American standby, the cheeseburger.  And more than a few people think of Sequim as a paradise on earth, so we’re not that far off.

Of course, after learning about factory farming and feedlot beef we don’t eat too many cheeseburgers these days.  We are however, fortunate to have access to grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free beef from a local farm, and that is what we will be enjoying this evening.  Tom and Holly Clark work incredibly hard, despite insane regulations and giant obstacles, to provide a high-quality and trustworthy product.  Thank you Clark family – your efforts and your dedication are appreciated.

But first a quick word about the appetizer.  We tried a soon-to-be-released new cheese from the Whiskey Hill Goat Dairy called “Bliss,” a raw goats milk cheese bathed in red wine.  Yum…available to the general public in April.  How did so many talented food producers end up on the North Olympic Peninsula?

Back to the main course. ” I like mine with lettuce and tomato, (organic) Heinz ketchup and french fried potatoes.  A big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer…” but tomatoes are out of season and we don’t have any fries.  Tonight I’ll have mine with a fat slice of sweet onion, served on a baguette (we don’t have any buns either) and accompanied by roasted potatoes.  The cold draft beer is a golden ale, just right for this burger.  The burger is rectangularer rather than round; all the better to fit on the baguette.  So much for convention!

If you’ve never roasted potatoes, I highly recommend it.  Some potatoes (like fingerlings) roast better than others but roasting is about the easiest, and in my opinion, almost always the most delicious method of cooking potatoes.  Cut into cubes or “coins” (round slices) then toss with your favorite oil and salt.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450, checking occasionally, until done.  Uniformity is nice, but if some cubes or coins smaller and thinner, they will get crispy while the rest achieve that perfect golden brown.  A little something for everybody.

Tonight’s movie is (ahem) “Battle of the Nutcrackers” on Ovation.  We had to watch it because it is the Bolshoi Ballet production, which is pretty amazing and always seems superior to the other companies’ efforts.  Sorry Berlin, Seattle and all the rest.  Even someone who knows nothing of ballet and only somewhat enjoys the music can be mesmorized by their talent.  The costumes are spot-on.  The energy of the dancers, and their beauty and precision, is perfect.  They don’t mess with tradition…they are the tradition, and for good reason. 

To come full circle we must come back to Jimmy, one of the greatest songwriters and musicians in American history.  Truth be told, I used to loath the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”  I don’t know when I gave in and began to enjoy it, but now it is one of my favorites.  It perfectly captures the cheeseburger, that delicious and quintessentially American meal, and it’s role in life.  Sometimes nothing beats a great burger and you crave nothing else.

To dinner!

Tonight was a simple meal after a long day. Penne with pesto, Italian chicken sausage, garlic toast and greens. Not so much cooking as putting ingredients together.

But what about these ingredients? I’ve got to recognize one of our local farmers we feel incredibly fortunate to have on the Peninsula, Maureen Wall. Maureen is responsible for both the pesto and the greens we enjoyed this evening.

The pesto was made a couple of months ago, at the very end of fresh basil season in the Pacific Northwest. What to do when you’ve got a bunch of fresh green basil and the weather turns cold? Add olive oil & pine nuts, give it a ride in the food processor and freeze. Viola – a little taste of summer preserved.

And how about those greens? Only one farmer we know has dedicated herself to growing exceptional greens this winter. Our mix this evening included everything from spinach leaves and radicchio to lettuces and cress. Cress! It surprised even me, and I’ve been eating her greens for months.  If you only knew how hard it is to do what she is doing.  Sure, anyone can grow lettuce in the Pacific Northwest in the spring and anybody with the right space and well-chosen varieties can grow greens in the heat of summer.  Anyone who hasn’t moved on to different pursuits can grow a fair amount of greens in the maritime Northwest fall.  But it takes a very special someone to grow such exceptional greens, full of flavor and bursting with vitality, when the days are short and the temperature struggles to break 38 degrees.

But the most interesting thing about tonight’s meal was the “movie.” It was actually a documentary about the Dust Bowl called “The Black Blizzard” on the History International channel. The concept of soil conservation and soil building is just as relevant now as it was when walls of topsoil a hundred miles wide and thousands of feet tall blew across the high plains at 60 miles per hour.  It made us think about Maureen and other farmers who choose to grow organically.  Farmers who rotate crops.  Farmers who eschew chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  Farmers who take the long view.

It is only organic farmers who work to continually build the health of soil rather than depleting it.  It is only organic farmers who don’t take the easy way out. It is only organic farmers who care enough about the present and about the future to put forward the huge amount of effort it takes to preserve soil; to preserve water; to plant a multitude of varieties which provide a hedge against disease, pests, and unforseen calamities. It is only organic farmers who truly care about biodiversity and genetic preservation.

The dust bowl could so easily happen again. Drought, depleted aquifers, overused soil and the hubris to believe we can control our destiny – the very same elements that caused the decade-long calimity in the 1930′s – are equally as prevelant today as they were 80 years ago.

Thank you Maureen, and thank you organic farmers and concerned growers across the Peninsula and around the country.  If we are to have food security into the next decade and beyond, it is mostly because of your efforts.

Already, this has become the “almost-daily” dinner blog. Why? Because last night we didn’t get home until 9:30 and that was too late even for us.  We baked frozen organic pot pies - warm, brainless comfort food.

But I digress…on to tonight’s dinner; roast chicken, potatoes, gravy and fresh salad. We almost always make chicken with crispy skin. In fact, we cook chicken the same way nearly every time – butterflied, with potato “coins” cooking underneath. The skin is crisp, the potatoes are delicious. I’m sure it will be blogged about it some evening in the future!

Tonight we roasted the chicken in an oval metal roasting pot. The benefit? Juicy meat without brining.  This meant no crispy skin, and I found I missed that.

We used a pre-made marinade, one we carry at the store but haven’t tried yet.  It was a garlic chardonnay blend from – ohh…..Napa.

I rinsed the chicken and put it in the pan, salted and peppered the skin, put on the lid and cooked at 350, pouring some of the marinade over the chicken every so often.

Meanwhile, I scrubbed some nice red potatoes (from Johnston Farms, Agnew), and set them in a pot of water.  Using the lungs and other parts included with a whole chicken, plus some celery that needed cooking, I prepared a basic stock.

The stock boiled while the chicken cooked.  I took it off the heat when it seemed fragrant enough and when cool, I poured it into a fat-skimmer measuring cup.

This was all in preparation for the most important part of the meal; the gravy. “Should I make gravy?” is a rhetorical question in this house.

I actually love making gravy, though tonight wasn’t my best effort. Once the chicken was done (when the breast reached about 175 degrees and the juice that came out upon poking is clear), I set it on a grooved cutting board and tented with foil.

Next, I used the fat plus a little butter and flour to make a roux in the roasting pan.  I cooked the roux over medium-low heat until it was nice and brown and then began to add the broth, about a cup at a time, as the gravy thickened to the desired consistency.  I also added the chicken juices drained from the cutting board.

A good gravy needs fond to have depth of flavor.  A good fond includes carrots, onions, celery and some fresh herbs in the roasting pan with the chicken.  I didn’t have any of those and I was using a lot of the marinade, so I hoped the intensified flavors of the marinade would suffice.

After the roux was golden brown, I slowly added the broth, seasoned with salt and pepper.  I made a decent gravy but it lacked depth of flavor. The flavors in the marinade just didn’t come through as I had hoped.

The potatoes, however, were perfect. I got them off the stove when tender but not mushy.  Wa-hoo!  We tossed them with butter, salt, and dried chives.

So that was tonight’s dinner. The chicken – tasty.  Marinade – par, perhaps not the best application.  Gravy – could have been better.  Potatoes - perfect.  Greens - perfect (thanks to Headwater Vineyard, Port Angeles).  All in all, I doubt I would make it again.  I missed the crispy skin and a really good gravy.

And what of tonight’s movie? The Nightmare Before Christmas is one I haven’t seen since the theatre. I quickly remembered what I liked about it at the time – the completely original idea and the irreverance.  There have been so many movies since then, you might not realize now how original it was unless you saw it then.

What’s for dinner tomorrow? I have no idea, but I hope it tastes good.

At least, that is what we are calling it for now. The premise? Your typical couple, the end of another long day, faced with the same old question. “What to have for dinner?” Now mind you, we own a grocery store and have access to lots of great ingredients. But dinner doesn’t cook itself and that makes us a lot like you.

Tonight we came to the realization that “all squash are not created equal.” Some are smooth and creamy, like butternut. Some tend toward stringy, like acorn. Clearly, we’re talking winter squash here.

Why is this important? Because acorn squash should not be paired with risotto, one of our favorite meals. The stringy nature of the squash just doesn’t match the creamy texture of the risotto. And, the flavor doesn’t add much. Who knew? We thought it was a great idea until we tried it this evening.

Risotto in and of itself is a great meal. Sure, it takes awhile to cook because you add the broth slowly. But really, it is pretty simple and the creamy smooth texture can’t be beat. Don’t rush it!

Have you ever made risotto? Heat some olive oil in a pot. We prefer enameled cast iron – (a perfect gift from Mom & Dad).  Then add finely diced onion and cook until translucent. Next, add some garlic that you’ve pressed or minced depending upon your mood. After a couple of minutes, add about a cup of aborio rice and saute until you can smell the rice.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, about a half cup. Once the liquid is absorbed, add hot broth (we prefer chicken) about a half cup at a time, stiring frequently. Keep adding broth until the rice is barely past al dente. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add shredded parmesean cheese to your liking. Perfect! You can add most anything you want to dress it up a bit, but we don’t recommend acorn squash.  Tonight we wished we had remembered to bring home some kale because we like adding some greens to just about everything we make.

Oh yes, we usually like to watch a movie while we are cooking and eating. Tonight is “Sleep, My Love” with Claudette Colbert and Don Amiche. It makes us think that it used to be much easier to make women think they were going crazy. We’ve come a long way, baby.

Happy eating! Thanks for reading our very first blog post. We’ll keep at it.