Red Red Wine.
I lost my father today 6 years ago. It doesn’t get any easier…but I continue to grow. I had my day of solitude, eating a Vietnamese sandwich overlooking the San Francisco cityscape and writing down all those great memories of him. After a day of sun the clouds came moving in, I walked to Bi-Rite and bought some beautiful flowers. Bountiful lush and blossomed lilacs placed there positioned amongst the great array of other flowers. But also my favorites ranunculus’ were sitting proudly alongside the others. I brought home the two bunches and made a celebratory arrangement for him. I came home and with scissors in hand began to prune each stem. As I was making a flower arrangement, UB40′s Red Red Wine, his favorite song came on. I smirked, knowing that his presence was surely there – every time the birds chirp- every time I smell a donut-, every time I cook, I am sure that my love for food and cuisine comes from him. He was so wise, he always told me that birds were NEVER to be kept as pets because they had wings and were to fly…something his grandmother had told him.
When I was a little girl I dreamed of playing the violin.
One day in my fathers beat up 1979 Toyota Celica whose interior had been deeply engrained with the exhaust fumes. I remember crouching down in the back seat, quietly pretending like I was playing the violin. With both my eyes closed, I imagined the bow in one hand and my chin resting the on the body of the violin, my fingers; thumb… ring middle and forefinger draped over the strings…I dreamed and played. The climactic moments the drawn out solo’s I dreamed of being the girl on stage that had the ability to lure a crowd into a different world. “What are you doing back there??” he asked, I was pretty embarrassed, I perked up pretended like I was just looking for something in the back seat, I looked into the rear view mirror to see him flash his smile.
A couple of days after he passed my brother and my mother were in the bedroom, out of the blue a butterfly appeared flying around the room. When my mom tells me this story she also reminds me that no windows were open. She kneeled down and she asked if it was him, it landed on her shoulder, then her cheek, then it flew off and disappeared. Skeptical I asked my brother, he nodded he wouldn’t have believed it himself if he didn’t witness it. I think that moment changed him. Butterflies can be a symbol that a loved one’s soul is visiting you.
I had a brief couple of months in Southern California before I decided to move back to San Francisco. I was a waitress at the time at a small restaurant, and it also happened on the day of my birthday. After a long brunch shift the staff both front of house and back of house chef and owner pulled out a bottle of champagne. After the bubbly was poured the small staff of 8 people clinked glasses and wished me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
It was a sunny beautiful day, warm and inviting it was a great shift. As we clinked glasses a white butterfly flew in. My eyes began to well up, and begun to tell the staff the story, a bit hesitantly but also proudly. Thirty minutes waltzed by, and the staff of eight meandered to a staff of three – I was heading to my other job at the time and had to leave and as I grabbed my belongings we noticed that the butterfly was still there resting on the shoulder of the door. My boss said “Tina if that butterfly flies out with you when you leave, I’m going to church on Sunday.” I made my way out the door, about three to five steps out, I turned a left the butterfly brushed up against the side of my face flying pass me into the beaming sun and melted into the horizon. I looked back and saw my chef, arms crossed nodding his head up and down smiling at me..the owner of the restaurant had his arms in front of him, palms up shaking them, eyes wide, exclaiming “What the F*&@!”.
He last visited me in a dream. We were being chased by Karl Lagerfield clones.
As a little girl every single time I would cook something, my father would exclaim that no one cooked like me. He enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinners I cooked every year for the family from my first at 13 to the last at I think 26. HAPPY THANKSGIVING every single day to you dad and for me to cook my turkey with all the fixings again for you one day.
Calm Waters.
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
― Ira Glass
Sweets
I am happiest when laughter wraps around me, when sun drenches me with warmth and rays, when I hold a strong hand, a passionate kiss, when I have an extremely sharp edge on my favorite knife, when that knife slices green onions beautifully on a bias, when a soup has all the body and richness it needs because of the well made stock, and when an unexpected recipe turns out better than expected.
Learning every day on the line, in the kitchen I am sometimes bored with the daily routines but it is at home that I will continue to happily divulge and blog about my miscellaneous adventures in my cooking. Even though my career involves pots and pans and cooking, it’s when I am in my quaint kitchen that I can cater to my own creative impulses. New or old they are mine
Those droplets of cookies that you see on the top are an experiment. I love coconut macaroons and I love a deliciously nutty financier, so combined they become a delicate and nutty and chewy delight. An american delight, the coconut macaroon is usually a densely sweet pastry made with shredded coconut, egg whites & sugar. A financier is a french sweet made with a beurre noisette, egg whites, flour, sugar and almond meal. What happens when you combine them? They become a great post dinner treat with coffee or tea . Best of all they are airy, crisp, yet chewy and in this recipe gluten free.
Coconut Almond Macaroons. 8 Oz. egg whites or the whites of 4 eggs 2 C. Toasted Almond meal or Ground Almonds (finely ground and toasted) or Almond Flour 1 C. Shredded Coconut 1 C. Sugar 1/4 C. Water 1/2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract 1 T. Lemon Juice (Stabilizer) 1 T. Cornstarch 1/8 tsp. Salt Using a whisk or a whisk attachment on your machine, start by beating your egg whites – add salt – in separate bowl mix cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add mixture of cornstarch, lemon juice etc. into your egg whites – clean sides and continue to whisk on speed 4 until you reach medium peaks. In a small saucepan combine water and sugar- dissolve mixture till it comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved preferred heat would be 118°. Slowly add in the molten hot sugar into the egg whites.
Your mixing bowl should be cool when the egg whites get to a stiff peak. During this stiff peak period, take out the whisk attachment, clean sides of the bowl and add your toasted and cooled almond meal, and coconut.
Fold lightly till incorporated.
Set oven to 325°. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet, using two spoons – one to scoop and one to push out batter- spoon out a non uniform and lovely little plump batter on cookie tray. Dry them out for at least 60 minutes.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Eat immediately.
*note on a humid day – you may want to re-crisp them in the oven at 300°.
Fa la la ….
Each day…
D.Dent
Once again…
Patience…now I must tell myself to see the importance in having an answer…and relaying proper questions. Oh, and the disappointment that I felt in my heart when I ASSUMED. Assumptions are never a good thing.
But clarity, what a feeling.
Bright
Continuing from the last post lets introduce 3 recipes from adventures in my kitchen that will brighten up any day or evening light. Citrus- the last post was originally only about the color orange but, how can you think of that color without thinking about the bulbuous, plump and fragrant fruits? Also included are 2 savory recipes.
Heres an introduction to a few ingredients; Baccalla, Mandarinquats, and Limequats, some otherworldly items that some of you might not have seen or even heard of before. Baccala is a magnificent piece of fileted cod that is heavily salted and preserved fully dried. It can be quite smelly however when soaked, the flavor is delicate and the flesh quite hearty. During the soaking process I completely submerge the fish in water and periodically change the water, and surprisingly the fishy aroma is close to nonexistent.
The mandarinquat is a hybrid of a mandarin and a kumquat and yes you can eat these whole! They look like a rotund little gourd, their skins resembling a satsuma and flavor resembling the kumquat and mandarin. The limequat is another miracle. It is a wonderous little yellow thin skinned kumquat shaped hybrid of a lime and a kumquat, it’s tart sweet with a hint of lime. Both crossbreeds have a super sour flesh, a sweetly lined and fragrant shell, and both are edible whole.
As a little girl my mother would saute up tomatoes, garlic and onions – simple, and delicious- sweet sugar and tangy vinegar tingled my nostrils as they simmered together. I remember whole fish coming out of the oven – still steaming with their skins still intact, the crispy brown and golden skin just looked so magical. Still hot, she then spooned this sauce over the fish. This sauce- this delicious well balanced sauce has wonderful layers of sweet and sour – the savory aromas that filled the air are still so hypnotizing. Here is my rendition of it. This dish translates to sweet and sour salt cod. 
Sweet and sour doesn’t sound as appealing, but when I add a bit of european flair to the name it somewhat gives it more elegance. In my research I also found that this recipe is very similar to other Roman recipes which also include the sweet and sour elements.
And Salt cod – my beloved baccala- if you can get ahold of this pantry item be sure to adore it as much as I do. A friend of mine named Morgan Scholfield made the best croquettes while I was in New York. They were rich and creamy and salty -an addictive quality with its crisp fried exterior and ultra creamy interior. I am still salivating. Baccala is great when certain fresh white fleshed fish would not fare well to this type of stew, because of the cooking time.
Baccala in Agrodolce
1/3 lb. Baccala (Salt Cod) soaked and rinsed about 2+ days 1 Medium Onion – Cut into Coins about 1/4 inch think 2 C. Yukon Gold Potatoes or German Butterball – Unevenly cut into large chunks about the same size as the Salt cod. (*as the potatoes break down in the sauce it is important that they are irregularly cut enough to cream the sauce yet some remaining intact.) 2 C. Diced Tomatoes 2 T. Garlic – Sliced 1 C. Orange Juice 1/8 C. Sugar 1/4 C. White Wine 1/4 C. Red Wine or Champagne Vinegar 2 T. Hungarian Paprika 1 T. Pimente D’espelette Salt Pepper *May I highly suggest a enameled cast iron pot for this dish or a beautiful earthenware pot because the dish needs to go from stove top to oven. Sweat onions and garlic with both spices, and 1 tsp. salt- sweat till onions are soft 8 minutes-add sugar. Add Potatoes, toss well. Add 1/2 the white wine, orange juice and vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 375º. Cut baccala into 1 inch cubes. Lightly dredge your baccala in flour. Bring separate pan to temp and add olive oil- lightly brown. Add baccala to pot of simmering sauce. – DE-glaze pan with the rest of the white wine and add to pot. Season to taste. Simmer in oven covered for an additional 20-30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and eat with crusty bread.Fennel and Parsley Salad w/ Limequats and Red Onions.
2 C. Shaved Fennel 1 C. Flat Leaf Parsley- picked- leaves and very little stem. 1 C. Red Onion – Thinly sliced 1/2 C. Limequats -de-seeded Sliced in coins - Scant 1/4 C. Champagne Vinegar Salt Olive Oil – Fresh pressed is best for this recipe Thinly slice and de-seed your Limequats. Thinly slice the red onion. Place ingredients into a bowl. Add Salt to taste, Champagne vinegar and 2 T. of Olive Oil. Add shaved fennel coat well and toss with more olive oil about 1/4 C. Add Parsley and toss. Goes well with EVERYTHING – would pair well with fresh mozzarella or fresh ricotta as well as most meats.Mandarinquat Marmalade
3 C. Mandarinquats – de-seeded, and sliced into thin coins 2 C. Cane Sugar 2 C. Water Combine water and Sugar till syrup dissolves. Place fruit into syrup and bring to boil reduce heat. Let sit overnight to cool. Cook – simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes occasionally stirring to make sure that the fruit does not stick at the bottom. Reduce and watch carefully. You can put a few spoons in the freezer to test if the batch will gel, but I usually eyeball my jams and make sure that the consistency is to a very well at a half reduced stage. There is so much pectin in the citrus that natural reduction will ensure a properly thick jam. Of course you can also put a spoon in the freezer and test if the gelling of your marmalade or jam is to your liking. For my home recipe I introduced 2 blood-red oranges sliced thinly which yielded me about 1.5 cups to my 2 Cups of Limequats. The result was beautiful the saturated red and orange were beautiful as the taste was explosive and bright, the flesh of the blood orange worked really well with the delicate mandarinquat. To keep he integrity and freshness of the fruit I do not fuss much with my jams and preserves. Rosemary Fried Chicken with Orange Marmelade Glaze.
Orange
As I step into another new career change I realize there will be more responsibilities ahead. Don’t you worry, I’ll still be cooking. In the meantime while I sit and wait for the training to begin, my precious solitude and laziness needs a charge. I have so many recipes that I just need to get out of my head that maybe a theme would help…
This post is mostly about the color orange is that it induces memories of summer, sun, citrus and beautiful pure mornings – and of course my dear Daniel whose favorite color also happens to be orange! In a state where citrus is abundant nearly year round I just can’t get my fill of it, so I include you dear orange and your cousins into this post.
The oils that are released when you zest a lime, meyer lemon, a lemon, cara cara, blood orange, or grapefruit ETC ETC are truly intoxicating. All of these fruits impart such a lively smell, that sometimes I just cant help but to close my eyes each time I come across a large amounts of citrus! I imaging nuzzling my nose up against the bulbous tree ornaments, scraping the skins to spray my nostrils with the oils that release to parfume the air.
*There are a couple more citrus recipes to follow up with this post so stay tuned.
Duck Leg In Orange Sauce with Creme Fraiche
2 Duck Legs 1 C. Carrots – about 1 inch thick-roll cut 1 C. Fresh Orange Juice – pulp OK! 4 cloves Garlic – lightly smashed skins still intact 1/2 C. White Wine 1 Bay leaf 2 Sprigs Thyme or Marjoram 1/2 C. Water or Chicken Stock 1/2 C. Creme Fraiche or Heavy Cream Salt Pepper Olive Oil Lightly Pay dry each leg and generously Salt and pepper each leg. Let sit for 1 hour. Pat dry a second time. Heat pan add a bit of olive oil to pan and brown both sides of the duck legs about 3-4 minutes each side – Set aside when ready. Pour out excess fat from pan and discard. Add white wine to scrape the fond and drippings from the pan. Place Duck legs in oven proof dish- Arrange carrots and garlic, thyme and bay around, or on top of legs. Pour in Orange Juice, Water or chicken Stock (chicken stock will add more richness and depth), and white wine from pan. Season with Salt – and a drizzle of olive oil on top. Bake at 375° for 1.5 hours or till tender and meat pulls from bone. When finished take out legs. Strain the cooking liquid, discard the carrots and aromatic herbs except the garlic -remove skin from the garlic cloves and reserve . Skim off fat from cooking liquid and place in saucepan. Bring to simmer and reduce 1/3 of the liquid. Smash and incorporate the soft buttery rich garlic cloves into sauce. Whisk in Creme Fraiche when close to serving. Season to taste. Place duck legs on plate and spoon sauce generously over legs.
Persimmon and Carrot Soup
4 Carrots – Washed and roughly cut 1/2 inch pieces 3 Persimmons – Peeled and roughly cut 1/2 inch pieces 2 cloves Garlic – minced. 1 Yellow Onion – Diced 2 quarts Water or Chicken Stock 1 Fresh bay Leaf or Dried 2 T. Fresh Ginger – Grated 1 T. Fresh (Grated) or Dried turmeric 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg Olive Oil Salt White Pepper Heat soup pot or any pan with high walls add olive oil. Saute Onions, garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, salt add bay leaf – til onions are soft and translucent- cook on medium. Add carrots- and liquid either chicken stock or water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add Persimmon, ginger and white pepper and continue to cook for another 20- Remove Bay leaf before serving. For a creamier soup, blend til smooth or for a heartier more rustic soup lightly mash vegetables. Season to taste. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, toasted sesame seeds and Cilantro.This next dish was inspired by my time spent at NOPA- where I worked with some of the nicest cooks not to mention owners and managers. I never knew that you could eat the exterior or a squash but it was a revelation!!! Absolutely no waste and all the nutrients! I also made a similar dish when a couple of cook friends and I managed to cook about 15 + items at a farm dinner a couple of months ago. I topped some roasted delicata with some minted yogurt, and topped all of that with some freshly cut watercress that was dressed in a simple sherry shallot vinaigrette. Watercress would also be very delicious intertwined in this farro version.
Roasted Delicata, Artichokes and Carmelized Onion Farro Salad
1 Medium Sized Delicata squash- Cleaned,Cut in half, Seeds scooped out and cut in half moons about 1/2 inch in size 1 large or 2 small artichokes- properly cleaned- Hearts only cut into 1/4 inch wedges 1 small Yellow Onion 1 T crushed dried Oregano 1 1/2 C. Farro (Cous Cous – can also be supplemented) Olive Oil Sherry Vinegar Salt Pepper Red Pepper Flakes (optional) Lightly toast farro grains in pan or oven till slightly nutty aroma imparts. Boil Farro in 1 quart of water – when it comes to a boil turn down to a simmer. Cook till farro grains are tender but still toothsome – Drain and cool. (30 minutes) In large bowl place Onions, Delicata, Oregano, red pepper flakes (optional) Artichokes, 1/4 C. of olive oil, salt and pepper into bowl. Toss well and place in oven-proof roasted pan. Roast on high at 400º- partially covered with parchment for the first 10 then uncovered for another 10 – till delicata is tender and till onions become roasted and carmelized. Stir every 5 minutes. Place Farro in bowl, season with olive oil, salt, sherry vinegar – immediately place cooked vegetables straight from oven into the farro – this ensures the farro to capture the roasted flavors of the oven. *This dish is also delicious cold, integrated with some arugula.In Sunny California you always await the tender abundance of fresh produce…and the chirping of birds.
Revamp
Photo: Daniel Dent
The horizon is set. Amongst the rolling hills and blue skies, day and night intertwine to become 1 full moment of a brief time on this planet.
Photo: Daniel Dent
Photo: Daniel Dent Description:Scrambled Eggs, Warm Panzanella Salad w/ Green Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Red Onions w/ toasted Olive Levain in a Mustard Vinaigrette.
A brief yet full moment of our lives…1 full day. As I begin a transition, anticipation is heavy in the air, I become anxious and even impatient for this. Each day seems to extend it’s stay and I am longing to check out. VERY excited, I feel that it is time for revamping. Living in San Francisco it seems like we are constantly in a state of Autumn – the weather can be unpredictable, so is the career of a chef. It is set in stone is that each season lasts a few months each year, we know that there are 4 seasons of which can vary depending on what part of the world you are living in. The weather here is fairly moderate year round with spikes of cold, fog and shivers, frustratingly it forces me to be ready for the sunny days and bone chilling nights – all within the same 24 hours. My wardrobe went from Southern California heat ready to San Francisco layer savvy. Adjust.
In the 4+ years that I have been cooking professionally, I have cut my fingers and hands with various knives, meat slicers, food processors, scraped my fingers and knuckles with graters, cried on the line, become frustrated, had salt poured down my pants, had croutons burn, had nuts burn, thrown away large amounts of dough, sweated profusely, flubbed on a few recipes, had ovens turned off, been angered, been belittled…can I go on?? YES…yet I have had to comes to terms with why I cook as a profession. After realizing why, I become uplifted. What next, now?
As I continue to revise my career path, I also have to question how selfless do I become and for how long. Most cooks will admit that cooking in a selfless act, but when does that selfless act pay off?
Transition seems to be in the air and things are in a state of flux, not only for me but also for many of my fellow chef and cook friends.
In a way we are vagabonds hungry for more experiences, constantly needing to be fed- journeying from one destination to another- at times this can be a curse, but most cooks I know have a vague destination – but through one path cuisine and food. We all want to cook, to learn, to take and to make as much from life as we can. Some of my peers are travelling, some are moving to different states, some are having families, some taking a break, some realizing that a commercial kitchen is just not a place for them. The thread that binds us is our brief time as a team honing in on our focus in each kitchen where we have worked. We all seem to need change, and it’s those times when we face our biggest challenge- maturity & stability. Because as we get older and dig deeper into cooking we just want more out of it. I look forward to one day hearing each of their journeys, over coffee, tea, whiskey, wine maybe even at a table at one of their restaurants.
Photo: Daniel Dent
Dissolve.
In the past couple of months I have found a new ally. I’ve been working with yeast and have grown and fond attachment to the living organisms that dissolve, dwell, and swell up within some of my baked goods. Pastry who knew? It came as a surprise, but again I find myself within the confines of a basement, in the pastry department.
The other month someone contacted me and wanted to do an interview on working line cooks, the reporter had a hard time finding female line cooks to speak with. Clearly saddened to hear that I was now working in the pastry department, she said that this wouldn’t work out. And even though I had worked as a line cook for the past 4 years, this 1st week as a pastry assistant was offering me complete displacement from the other side of the kitchen. So I posed a question her, “If you are finding it hard to find women line cooks then you should consider why that is happening…” because the problem is not about finding women line cooks but asking where are they…why is it that they are so much harder to find. Working with the many women cooks that I have been so fortunately connected with I know that this shouldn’t be too hard to find. Maybe we aren’t tatted up enough, maybe we aren’t glamorized enough. I felt that whatever she was looking for, whatever this article was about, as a woman reporter there was a bigger question amongst many – pastry surely emasculated the idea of cooking. So I continue…
A couple of months ago I was asked if I wanted assist in pastry for a bit, and while having mostly a savory background I thought WHY NOT? Another question was asked, “What do you want out of this” my shameless answer was “I just want to learn“, anything and everything about the craft of cooking. Call it stupid, but at this point in my career that’s what I can only offer. I can offer you that I will be a student, to compress as much information as I can from one cook to another, from one chef to another through osmosis. Listening and learning- hands on- trial and hopefully no errors.
However, I messed up a tart the other day at work. I overcooked the tart in the oven and I felt like a complete moron, it felt horrible and I was completely disgusted with the outcome. But that reminded me of something; one day working a busy brunch shift at NOPA, I was faced with multiple calls and multiple dishes that needed to come out, I was sweating and agitated, worked up and BUSY- the wood in the oven was hot, the sauce in my cazuelas molten and bubbly, eggs on the brink of becming overcooked and the line of salads other dishes growing. If one dish wasn’t turning out right then the fire times for the others would have to suffer. Frustration clearly seen from the shine on my forehead. My chef came up to me and told me, “Look Tina, a chef once told me the only thing that separates a cook and a chef is the ability to leave those mistakes behind.” So I did and next week was a better shift and so on…
Like yeast, I feel like I need to be active. A line cook that is now displaced into a whole new world. Even though this is temporary, I feel as if it is a chance to grow, to rise and proof. Never having been a person that fancied sweets and desserts I have become fond of the process. About an inch gained on the waistline and a palate that is getting sweeter, I have to say that I honestly enjoy working with the many malleable products that come out of the pastry department.
Having been once denied for one interview I became part of another…
I received an email asking me to be one of the women featured on a blog for the Max Mara group and their sister company SportMax. Way of Women is their blog and it is all about empowering women and I am very honored to be a part of this blog. Thank you Studio Blanco and SportMax Code. You can view the interview here:
Lunch w/a Stranger
Who ever knew that a smile could go such a long way…
I once laughed and giggled all the time. I got to a point in my life when suddenly my brows furrowed and wrinkled up-centered…my warped forehead showing signs of worry, woes and distractions. I call it concentration…don’t get it so twisted now, there is a time when you should smile and there is a time to think. One can’t always be smiling, what is often a sign of annoyance is also a sign of thought.
But, certainly a smile can go a long way…
I was walking with my friend Andrew and as we crossed the street I caught eyes with a stranger and we exchanged smiles. “Do you know her?” No, I said. We talked about smiles from strangers, the creepy ones versus the friendly ones, and jokingly made parodies of such cases from various passersby..
Upon my stroll home, I noticed two radiant young girls walking- almost skipping pass when I noticed their bright and beaming smiles like rays of light. I smiled proudly at them 
as to acknowledge their happy innocence as they briskly passed by. The air that day was clean, the streets lined with healthy and active trees with the fallen leaves of Autumn resting at their feet. “EXCUSE ME!” I heard, then again-next came the rush of footsteps and a tap on my shoulder...it went something like this…”Here you go…this if for you…’we’d like you to have this“- was along the lines of what they had said. They handed me a red rose carefully wrapped in a well moistened napkin and placed in a plastic sandwich bag.
I looked to see their mother and grandmother waiting for the two girls to run back. Of course in a state of shock, awe and surprise I gave them each a hug. “Why me?” I asked, “Because you smiled at us.” was their reply. I asked them if they liked jam- Yes was the answer. I motioned for their mother and grandmother to come over and offered them to come into my house for some homemade soup, bread, cookies and of course fresh homemade jam. It was such a celebratory moment, how serendipitous that they had decided to go eat at a restaurant around the corner from me, one that they had never been to before.
11/11/11 – was a significant day for the family, it was the girl’s favorite number. They were in the city to celebrate and commemorate not only the date but also Veterans day. It was certainly a girls day out if I had ever seen one. They also told me they were on a mission, actually an adventure, to do things that they had never done before, possibly 11 things: One of them being, give a rose to a stranger. I detoured them from their lunch destination in hopes of just borrowing a few minutes in their day so that I could show my appreciation. Instead we spent a good amount of time together in the kitchen getting to know one another. So the four of them followed me to my little apartment and into my little kitchen, where we snacked on chocolate chip biscuits w/ sea salt, potato & zucchini soup w/ bacon, flatbread w/ Za’atar and Olive Oil, and peppermint tea w/ honey.
We shared stories mostly of love- how their mother met their father (who sounds like the nicest man!), all 4 ladies; grandmother, mother, and 2 daughters were so kind and loving, they gushed about their father! I shared my story of how I met Daniel and we laughed, giggled, and nibbled. I was so warmed by this moment, this moment of total sincerity. I still couldn’t believe that I had 4 such amazing and angelic faces at my table.
We parted with hearty hugs, an exchange of information, our names on paper and a connection that satiated our appetite for human interaction. Also with a gift of a fresh jar of plum and yuzu jam.
Dear serendipity,
I had fallen in love again.
Thank you Lee, Tia, Kari and Jean for giving such an achingly special moment-a moment that hopefully for them was something I would always want to remember. Happy 11/11/11, this post is dedicated to the Jonsson Family who made my day!!!!
I have yet to test this batch of recipes, these are mostly rough estimates but that’s why there are readers out there. Maybe Tia and Kari can test these recipes out for me!
Potato and Zuccini Soup w/ Bacon. 1/2 C. Diced Bacon 1 large Yellow Onion – Diced 1 C. Green tops of Green Onions chopped. (I used this because I hate to throw away the tops of my green onions and because it adds great flavor) 2 Cloves Garlic – Chopped 2 Sprigs Marjoram- removed from stem 1 C. Yogurt 3 C. Potato (*I used Ruby Crescents which are waxier and are like fingerlings only larger – but other potatoes can totally work!) 2 C. Grated Zuccini 1 C. Grated Carrot Olive Oil Salt Pepper *Optional* 1 tsp. Chipotle pepper or Cayenne Start by adding a bit of olive oil to your pan of choice. add your bacon and turn on heat to medium-high. Render bacon for about 5-6 minutes. Turn down to medium heat -Add your onions, garlic, marjoram, 1 tsp. salt and cook till translucent – about 6-10 minutes. Add potatoes, coat with onions and garlic and bacon mixture. Add yogurt and coat. Add now carrot, and zuccini all at once. Combine together then add water. A enough water so that there is a good 2 inches above your vegetables. Simmer till tender – Season to taste. Blend by machine for a creamier more velvety texture, or mash by using a masher for a more rustic and hearty soup. Garnish w/ Chives and a dollop of yogurt. Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt Biscuits. 1.5 sticks butter 1 C. Confectioners Sugar 1/2 C. Regular or Course Sugar 1 T. Vanilla Extract 1 Large Egg 1/4 C. Cocoa Powder 3/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1 tsp. Salt 1 1/8 C. Flour *Optional* Course Sea Salt to Garnish Using paddle attachment for your mixer -cream butter and sugars on speed 6 till well incorporated or airy and soft- add cocoa powder -then add egg and vanilla set aside, mix till incorporated. In separate bowl combine Flour, baking soda, Salt and chocolate chips. Add dries to your butter mixture and mix for another 3 minutes. Using tablespoon measure dollops on parchment and bake at 350 for 5 minutes check and rotate cook for another 3-4. With this batch I also rolled and froze a log and re-baked it the next day, what yielded was a more uniform cookie and when baked a little longer came our crisper and more biscuit like. Enjoy <3 and test.New Day Dawns.
You come to a point, when things just happen…change develops and will continue to do so without your control. You go with the flow without trying to lose your own control.
Flowing with the momentum gathering and extracting ideas and recipes.
Today I have two easy recipes for you, one is a vinaigrette and another a pasta recipe. What I like about this is that all these recipes are approachable and their ingredients completely attainable. See, I love pasta I love noodles and the following recipe sums up what a pasta dish is to me. Light and filling and satisfyingly warm and comforting. For this recipe I suggest any dried hand rolled pasta. I find the nooks and crannies of a hand rolled pasta capture the sauce beautifully. An Orechiette might also work, and if your looking for noodle strands I suggest maybe even a Buccatini. 
But I have to tell you, I used dry farmed early girl tomatoes and I found the flavors with these wonderfully sweet and tartly balanced gems pretty awesome when cooked with pasta.
Also there is a recipe for a vinaigrette. This recipe for a vinaigrette or dressing is great because it clings on to whatever greens you are using. I recently went on 101Cookbooks and found a recipe for a Double Broccoli and Quinoa salad – I made this dressing instead of the broccoli pesto in that recipe – I am sure that it changed the mouth feel of the salad, but it was still delicious – but I also used this dressing on a kale salad, and can imagine it being used with little gems and romaine. Daniel and I also used it to dress our salmon En Papillote - we also added a bit of preserved lemon and shallots in the parchment packet.
Strozzapreti w/Tomatoes, Zuccini, Pinenuts and Oregano.
6 oz. Pasta 3 Cloves Garlic – 1 T. Chopped or 1.5 T. Sliced. 1.5 T. Roughly Chopped Fresh Oregano. 1.5 C. Fresh Tomatoes – (you can also use canned but it will not have the same flavor) 1 C. Coins of Green Zuccini 1/3 C. Roasted Pinenuts *Optional – 1/2 C. Fresh Ricotta. *Optional – 1 tsp. Chili Flakes Bring Salted Water to Boil – Add the 6 ounces of pasta. In Oven or separate pan toast pinenuts til fragrant and slightly golden. Set Aside. Start pan with Olive Oil. Add Garlic-tilt pan so that oil and garlic creates a pool and infuses oil without coloring the garlic- Add Zuccini – Toss well to coat – 2 minutes - Add Chopped Tomatoes – Cook another 3 minutes – Check your pasta – You want this sauce and pasta on the thicker and richer side- on the saucy side- on the also stewwy side – to do this the pasta will have to finish cooking in the sauce. Your pasta will be about 2-3 minutes from the finished cooking time. This texture will be crunchy yet the outside will be soft – not quite Al Dente. The dish will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce, the starches will lend a hand to developing the rich element of this dish. The way the exterior starches in the Aborio rice helps to create the creaminess of a risotto.Add pasta + 1/2 C. pasta water into sauce pan. Add roughly chopped fresh Oregano. On medium heat – Continue to cook . Let Stew and simmer till sauce richens and pasta is cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to over season – your pasta water was also salted.To Serve - Sprinkle Pinenuts on pasta and lightly toss to. Finish with a nice fresh olive oil – You can also do dollops of fresh ricotta and black pepper. The ricotta will bring a delicious, milky neutral element to the dish – it also offsets the acidity of the wonderful tomatoes.
Creamy Tahini and Basil Vinaigrette.
1 Large Lemon Zest 1/8 C. of Lemon Juice 1/4 C. Champagne Vinegar 1-2 Cloves Garlic – Microplaned i.e using a zester- or very finely chopped 1/2 C. Tahini 1 Bunch Basil 3/4 C. Olive Oil In a bowl zest 1 large lemon and extract it’s juice. Rasp or microplane a medium sized clove of garlic into bowl, add champagne vinegar, add salt.Add 1/2 C of Tahini and incorporate well till uniform –
Place your roughly chop basil in blender- pour in olive oil – Pulse til basil is roughly chopped to releasing its green juices and flavors but has not yet bruised. Bruised basil will result in a less bright basil flavor. To do so place on high for a mere 3 seconds. Too much heat and speed from the blender will harm the flavor.
You can also use a hand wand, or you can roughly chop your basil (but be sure to use a very sharp knife) place in olive oil and press down to release the juices to create a basil oil. – Slowly drizzle basil oil into the Tahini mixture and whisk til incorporated. Trying not to break the dressing. Season to taste.
