05.12.06
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Artichoke Season

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Baby Artichokes at the Market

I don’t know when I “learned to like” artichokes. It was before 1977 when we took a three-week family trip from Boston to explore California. Driving on the Route 1, along the Pacific, we marveled at the artichoke fields around Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the World.

All we knew then was the big ol’ Globe Artichoke that we boiled and ate, leaf by leaf dipped in a butter sauce, until we got to the “choke,” which we carefully removed with a spoon to attack the heart or bottom of the artichoke. Of course, we naively overcooked them, but they were good eatin’, nonetheless. Far superior to the only other artichokes we knew, which came in a jar.
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04.28.06
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Pizza Redux

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I bought a container of pizza dough from Whole Food as the Wednesday Chef said I should. $1.99 Rolled out about half of it on a floured cutting board. Put the dough on parchment paper on a peel, as Emeril said I should. This is so it will slide easily off of the peel onto the pizza stone in the oven. I’ve always used corn meal on the peel, the little grains kind of roll the dough off the peel. This is not just Pizza Again, but a whole new exploration.
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04.26.06
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Beets Redux + Creamed Potatoes

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Good Eatin’ iv

This is the fourth in an occasional series of Good Eatin’, kind of a sidebar usually involving leftovers (LO), where I will describe an easily put together meal that we enjoyed very recently, maybe yesterday.

After praising the virtues of red beets, it’s time to give a little love to the golden variety. We took home a Golden Beet and Asparagus Salad from Cowgirl Creamery for dinner, after our Funky Foodie Getaway. At dinner I remarked, “I can do that!” So I got some golden beets and asparagus at the Market.
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04.18.06
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Meat ‘n’ Two


Good Eatin’ iii

This is the third in an occasional series of Good Eatin’, kind of a sidebar usually involving leftovers (LO), where I will describe an easily put together meal that we enjoyed very recently, maybe yesterday.

This turkey has been taking up a huge amount of space in our undercounter freezer for months. (Yet another reason why the term “turkey” is a derogatory appelation.) We bought the freezer two summers ago when I changed 60 pounds of fresh tomatoes—Early Girl and San Marzano—into tomato sauce. Now, besides tomato sauce, we use it for various stocks, and stuff we buy frozen on the cheap, bags of shrimp and yes, White Castle Hamburgers in an 8 pack box. I guess the turkey falls into that category; frozen, on-the-cheap. Carol bought it on sale just after Christmas, a good buy, but it’s been there ever since. Last week, I’m looking for fish stock and all I can see is this massive turkey (okay, its only 12 pounds, but the freezer has only 3 shelves, and its taking up the middle one).
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04.17.06
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Squid Fried Rice

Big Squid

This is the second in an occasional series of Good Eatin’, kind of a sidebar usually involving leftovers (LO), where I will describe an easily put together meal that we enjoyed very recently, maybe yesterday.

Good Eatin’ ii

Friday for dinner, I cooked a really simple squid dish that I saw in the New York Times a couple weeks ago: Squid with Black Pepper, Vietnamese Style, by Mark Bittman. It sounded so appealing, that I went looking for squid right away. At Bryant’s, maybe the best fish store in town, they’re out of squid. I went to Cal Mart just down the block. They had no squid; the guy said he could order it for me and have it tomorrow. But I want it today, so he said to go to the big Chinese fish market on Clement Street. I did, and found that they had the big squid—what I call “steak squid”—so I settled for that.
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04.12.06
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Funky Foodie Getaway

North CoastFood Adventures in Sonoma County and West Marin

The rain in San Francisco in March is unceasing and Carol’s Spring Break is approaching. We wanted and needed a getaway.

On Wednesday, April 5, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco and drove out of the rain. We didn’t see sunshine for a few more miles, but out of the rain is a good start. Our immediate destination is the Anderson Valley Wine Country, particularly the Navarro Vineyards, northwest of Boonville. I like Navarro wines a lot and they’re mostly under $20, but they only sell to the public at the winery or by mail order. Otherwise they sell to restaurants. Frank J. Prial wrote in his NY Times Blog about how pleased he is to now be able to get them delivered to New York. Navarro is a little too far from San Francisco for a day trip, so we must plan for our occasional visits.
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04.07.06
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Cowgirl Creamery

Mt_Tam_ii.JPGCarol and I visited Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes,California, this morning. Cowgirl makes brie like cheeses, triple creme Mt. Tam, washed rind Red Hawk, St. Pat (wrapped in Nettles, spring and summer) and Pierce Point (crusted with herbs for fall and winter).

They also make Clabbord Cottage Cheese, Fromage Blanc and Creme Fresh.

From the Cowgirl Creamery catalog: “COWGIRL CREAMERY thrives in the coastal Marin Pastoral Zone because of the work of two innovative organizations that provide an infrastructure for farming in our county: Marin Agricultural Land Trust and Marin Organic.”

We’ve been loving their cheeses for some time and finally got a chance to go visit and enjoy a tasting.

I took some pictures to share with you:
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04.04.06
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Beets

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I love beets!

Red beets. I’m not partial to Golden Beets or Chioggia Beets, although since they’re non-staining, they have their place. Red Beets deliver brilliant color, silky texture and pronounced earthiness. Red beets are of the earth. One imagines them being dug and turned over and the fresh, sweet smelling earth knocked off. The beet greens are delicious, as well, but I don’t like to eat the greens as often as I like to eat the beets, so I’m likely to buy the beets loose, without the greens.
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03.31.06
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These Prawns Have A Shell of a Flavor…

Prawn ShellShell of a flavor… get it?

I loved the headline so much that I clipped this recipe from the Boston Globe, sometime around 1980. And good for me… though I don’t cook it often, it is one of my favorites.

In this dish, the shells of the Prawns flavor a stock that is used for cooking couscous to serve with the prawns. An extra dollop of stock sends more flavor back to the Prawns as they cook.

So what if you can only find Shrimp in your market? Use the Shrimp. Technically, they’re different critters, but commercially, the terms are used interchangably. Some think Prawns looks more classy on a menu or in a recipe.

This “trick” can work with lobster, as well, using the shells to make a broth or sauce. In fact, the poached fish dish that I posted earlier, essentially uses the fish juices to help the sauce.
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03.30.06
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Spareribs, Carrots and Romaine

This is the first in an occasional series of Good Eatin’, kind of a sidebar usually involving leftovers (LO), where I will describe an easily put together meal that we enjoyed very recently, maybe yesterday.

Good Eatin’
The spareribs have been wrapped in foil in the refrigerator for over a week. I got the Winter Ribs recipe from Mark Bittman in the New York Times recently, planned for leftovers and now they await.

Spareribs
Pop into preheated Toaster Oven at 350 ° for 15 minutes. About halfway through warming, slather with bottled BBQ sauce of choice.

Carrots
I have a bunch of baby carrots. Trim and wash. These are way too little to peel. In a saucepan, put in juice of a small orange, (actually, I had a tangelo) some white wine (or vermouth or water), a teaspoon of Honey Dijon, and a pat of butter. Bring to a boil, add the carrots and simmer, covered for about 4 minutes—until carrots are tender, but not mushy. Plate the ribs and carrots, reduce the remaining pan liquid to 2 or 3 tablespoons and pour over carrots.

Romaine
Split and trim a head of romaine. Slather on creamy dressing (I had Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese in the refrigerator).

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Now, that’s Good Eatin’.