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TUESDAY 25 JUNE 2002 link
We're off to New Mexico, land of green chile and beautiful sunsets. Back next week - have a good Fourth of July, everyone!
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TUESDAY 25 JUNE 2002 link
MANGO LASSI
Is everyone else as busy as I've been lately? I've been almost too busy to cook. I did make chicken with preserved lemons and olives last night, but other than that, dinner's been anything I can make in less than half an hour.
Lucky for me, it's summer, and there's a lot of fruit around, which doesn't have to be cooked. Just since Saturday, we've eaten blueberries, boysenberries (YUM!), peaches, cherries, and mangoes. Catherine made a great drink yesterday - mango lassi. Mango, yogurt, water, lime juice, and a little sugar, whirled in the blender until smooth, then poured over ice. I've never liked the texture of smoothies made with yogurt, but this was really good. The water made it more like a drink than a milkshake, and the lime juice perked up the flavor. I absolutely recommend it.
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WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2002 link
Zucchini pancakes are my new favorite thing to make - and eat. Grated zucchini, salted and drained for at least 45 minutes. Then mixed with herbs (even some nasturtium!), onion, garlic, parsley, romano cheese, an egg or two, and a little bit of flour. I cook them in olive oil, and they are pretty darned good. I've eaten them plain, and also with goat cheese, and the are good both ways.
My mother might laugh at me. Once when I was little she snuck zucchini into the potato pancakes. I felt so incredibly betrayed when I saw the telltale green flecks. Now I've come more than full circle - I leave out the potato completely!
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TUESDAY 11 JUNE 2002 link
It was HOT this weekend in Santa Cruz while we were gone - I could tell from all my plants. The ones that need more water were droopy, but the nasturtiums were blooming like crazy. Do you grow nasturtiums? Did you know that they were edible? The have a peppery flavor and of course a lovely confetti color, once they're all chopped up. Make some dressing for your next salad!
NASTURTIUM SALAD DRESSING (for two)
3 nasturtium flowers
4 nasturtium leaves
3 T. olive oil
2 t. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. dijon mustard
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
Coarsely chop the flowers and leaves, then mix with remaining ingredients. Whisk with a fork until emulsified.
Tonight I had this dressing on a salad of mixed lettuces, golden beets, and goat cheese. I also added chopped fresh tarragon, which is really nice with beets.
NOTE: Make sure that the nasturtiums that you're using have been grown without chemicals - either grow them yourself, or buy ones that have been grown for culinary purposes.
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MONDAY 10 JUNE 2002 link
Just got back from a weekend in Santa Barbara. We had a very luxurious day at the spa at Bacara. I had a sea salt bath and then a seaweed wrap. This meant that I was smeared with green slime and then wrapped in a foil blanket while it soaked into my skin. Very interesting experience. One of the best parts was the shower I took to wash off the slime - SIXTEEN shower heads jetting water at me. Pretty nice. Catherine had a botanical bath and then an aromatherapy massage.
Here's the thing about going to a spa. They're expensive, but it's worth it if you do it right. You have to go to a full-service spa, not a day spa. You want one that's in a resort and that has as many facilites as possible. Your treatment will cost a lot, depending on what you choose; however, the price of a treatment also includes use of the facilities. I spent part of the day lying by the pool while Catherine was using the fitness center. We also had use of a sauna, jacuzzi, eucalyptus steam room, and private sunbathing. In the "vanity center" they have everything for you - shampoo, conditioner, razors and shaving cream in the showers, millions of white towels, hair care products, sterilized haribrushes and combs, hair dryers and curling irons. There's also lots of bottled water, herbal tea, and fruit around for you to help yourself. And yoga and meditation classes! In my opinion, the secret is to get just one (or two!) treatments, but stay the whole day. I brought fruit and cheese and cashews to eat by the pool so we didn't have to buy lunch. Maybe this is something everyone knows, but no one ever told me. My sister is getting married, and I think we'll give her a day at the spa for her bridal shower.
After the spa we had dinner at Café Buenos Aires, one of our favorite restaurants. They've changes their menu - I love the things they've added, but I wish they'd left more of their old dishes on the menu. It's an Argentinian restaurant, and they import free-range Argentinian beef, which is delicious. It's also the first place that we ever had mojitos, and they're still the best I've ever tasted. Even the ones Catherine & I make ourselves just aren't as good.
All of those lovely treats, and Catherine said tonight at dinner (lavender-lemon-mustard glazed chicken, sautéed escarole, and green salad with spring onions, nasturtium dressing, and goat cheese) that she'd been missing my cooking. Isn't she sweet? (Some of the time, anyway...!)
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THURSDAY 6 JUNE 2002 link
I love smelling like wood smoke. I grilled salmon last night and this morning my hair still smells like fire. After a year, I've finally mastered the particularities of my grill. I've got temperature-monitoring down to a science - mesquite charcoal, applewood chips, how far to have the vents open - practice makes perfect, I'm telling you.
With the salmon, some preserved lemon relish. Wondering what to do with the jar of preserved lemons that someone gave you for Christmas? Have they been sitting on a shelf for months, keeping company with the Syrian apricot paste and tamarind juice? Do you have your own Gourmet Ghetto, located not in Berkeley, but in the back of your cupboard? Open those mysterious jars and packages! Here's one recipe to get you started:
PRESERVED LEMON RELISH
2 preserved lemons, rinsed and chopped fine
6 green onions, sliced
1/2 c. chopped parsley, or mixed parsley and cilantro
3 - 4 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Mix everything together, adding enough olive oil to make the mixture loose enough to spoon onto whatever you're serving it with. Season with freshly-ground pepper. The lemons are probably salty enough that you won't have to add much salt, if any. Good with grilled fish, grilled chicken - probably be good with grilled lamb, too. Simple!
READING: Jon Carroll's latest idea for world peace: "As long as there is really good produce around, it seems unlikely that people will think hostile thoughts." The simplest ideas are usually the ones that work.
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TUESDAY 4 JUNE 2002 link
Infused sprits. Isn't that a lovely phrase? Chuck Taggert of The Gumbo Pages has been making them. Look at his weblog, Looka!, June 4th for a recipe for strawberry-infused tequila, and then May 31st for apple-infused vodka. Yum!
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