Pickled eggs and using the beets

Restarted an old family tradition of making pickled eggs this time of year. Our recipe doesn't include pickling spices -- just canned beets, vinegar, and salt. Boy, I sure do like them. My husband seems to think they are okay, too. What was kind of cool though was what I did with the beets after they were pickled. I used whole small beets, and shredded them in the food processor, tossed them with sour cream. Sort of a riff on borscht. Even better though was turning that into a slaw by mixing them with shredded cabbage that I salted and drained for about an hour. It was surprisingly good, and a great side dish for some smoked pork chops I did in the stovetop smoker.

Eating in the Midwest

Lots of travel the past couple of weeks, one weekend in Chicago, the next in Ft. Wayne. It's trips like these that I realize how regional our eating is. I have fallen madly in love with Italian beef sandwiches, and am at a loss to recreate the "gravy" they dip them in. So I'll be experimenting with that for quite some time until I get it right. Then of course there is getting the right bread. Not sure where to get that in Seattle. In Ft. Wayne, I tried to find out what "traditional" food everyone eats. Seems the closest I got was sausage rolls, which is sort of a rolled up calzone. Wish we'd been there when the corn was coming in, now that's the kind of food I can get into!

Restaurant observations

Since as I said the baseball season is getting in the way of dinner this week, we went to McCormack & Schmicks' on 1st Ave tonite after the late afternoon game. I don't normally order salmon in a restaurant, assuming that I can do it as well at home. But the line chef (Eric was out tonite) told me he'd do their crab/shrimp/brie stuffing in a piece of king salmon for me, and I was sold. (By the way, I highly recommend sitting at the kitchen counter, it's fun and you get to watch, and you can ask questions of the cooking staff.) They cook it for about 12 minutes in their 500 degree convection oven (yeah! I'll have one soon!) and it is just wonderful. I don't recommend the beet and goat cheese salad. It used to be great, but now they are coating goat cheese rounds in dried herbs and not only do they have no flavor but the texture is lousy too. The french onion soup is better, but be prepared for chicken stock, not the usual beef stock.

Cooking for family

This is kind of a "catch-up" post since I wasn't really blogging when this happened. But in January I had my mom and her husband (C and J) over for the weekend. They live about an hour away, and other than cooking at their home for family dinners, I really haven't cooked dinner for them. J has a really good palate, and besides is a cool guy. It was important to share my cooking passion with them. That's sort of an annoying feeling in some ways, because I don't want to feel pressure (self-imposed or otherwise) when I'm cooking. But, I settled on rack of lamb, roasted asparagus, and roasted new potatoes for dinner, with a molten chocolate cake for dessert (the guys both really like chocolate). It's a very reliable menu, one I can almost do in my sleep. Went with a logical Pinot Noir for wine, partly because I'm slowly but surely getting my husband to enjoy a good Pinot. He's not wild about the ones with a barnyardy aroma and flavor (usually due to Brettanomyces, for those of you who know or care about that). But he's open to trying them and expanding his palate -- just one of the many things I adore about him. Anyway, turns out C and J had never had rack of lamb before! And they loved it. We had a lovely dinner. It was great to introduce them to something new, and my husband enjoyed that experience as much as I did. Saturday morning we made waffles and bacon for them. That's mostly noteworthy because they were yeast-raised Belgian waffles. We got this waffle iron that rotates to ensure more even cooking -- it's the kind you see in some motels that have "serve yourself" breakfasts. Works great, and the waffle recipe is just yummy. It's from Joy of Cooking. The waffle iron isn't easy to store, but it seems to be earning its keep.

Slow week for cooking

It's going to be a slow week for any original cooking. Baseball season started this week (in case you're hibernating someplace) and, since we have season tickets, we're living in the diamond world right now. Yesterday's opening day game started mid-afternoon, which meant lunch at the ballpark and nibbing all the way home. Did have something interesting at a new place down on 1st Ave. by Safeco Field. It was a kimchee pancake, with a red pepper sauce drizzled over the top. Quite spicy, went well with a Sapporo. Also some potstickers that had apple in the in addition to the pork, nice contrast. Might have to try recreating those at home sometime.

A different corned beef and cabbage

My husband has sworn that he doesn't like corned beef and cabbage.  Though he loves corned beef sandwiches.  But the corned beef I cooked this week (simmered, rather than baked) was really dry and kind of tasteless.  So I diced it and stir-fried it with shredded green cabbage and julienned carrots, a little bacon fat and some allspice. Perked it right up, and my husband loved it.  Quite good with some horseradish, too.  From now on, I'll go back to slow-baking my corned beef in a covered casserole; it just turns out juicier and more flavorful.

New appliances!

Seems my life is all about food right now. We just ordered new appliances for a partial kitchen remodel. I am so excited, I will finally have a nice built-in fridge (KitchenAid, in case you are wondering -- had the best repair record). And one of those Advantium ovens that cook with microwaves and light. That should be very fun to play with. The dishwasher is the brand-new top end model from Miele, with a rack in the top for silver instead of that dumb basket. All in stainless; even though I know it shows fingerprints yadda yadda yadda it will look cool and in fact I think brighten the kitchen nicely. The new range is GE and has two ovens, one that can warm at 150 degrees but also goes up to 450 degrees. The main oven has convection cooking, and the cooktop has five gas burners with a continuous grate that will be much friendlier than what we currently have. Unfortunately it will be a few weeks before the electrical and cabinet work are done so we can have all the neat new stuff installed, but knowing that we made the leap and bought them is a great step. After that, new countertops! No more formica for me, we're going to Swanstone because I can put a 450 degree pot on it without insulation. In this really cool sage and violet pattern, will go great with the sage green walls in the kitchen. Backsplash is going to be metal, one that works with magnets so I can put all my spices in cans and stick them to the backsplash over my work counter. Can't wait...

Me and Jacques (sort of)

The IACP conference is here in Seattle this week. Wish I'd known about it sooner. Guess I'd better join, even though I'm not really a "professional" (yet). But, I got to volunteer at the "birthday party" for Jacques Pepin last night. In case you're wondering, he's 70. But he looks about 55! And that's my point -- I got to talk to him briefly last evening, and took his picture. Actually I talked to him twice, but once was to yell across a corridor to him that he should not go up the escalator, because he was going to the wrong place (in my role of crowd herder). But a little later I was working at the registration table and it turns out his coat was on the chair beside me. He walked up to get something out of it and I told him hello, it was nice to see him here and he said hello, how are you in that adorable French accent of his...yeah I know, it's not much but it was something, and I was thrilled. He stopped in front of me and I whipped out my little digital camera (in my pocket for just such an event) and I got a quick snapshot. Rick Bayless was there too, but I didn't talk to him. He looks really great since he's lost all that weight, I guess he is now into yoga. Anyway, the IACP people ought to be thrilled because the weather in Seattle this week has been glorious.

Back again

Okay, so I've not exactly been using my blog. But that sure doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Stocks and broths are big for me right now; in the past month I've made duck stock, beef broth, lobster stock, and crab stock. Some of the duck stock went into an aspic to coat my first try at duck pate -- actually duck and pork meat, no liver. Not bad, but a little dry for my taste. I think I needed more pork fat in the mix. But it was really good with a little dried fruit chutney I cooked up. I soaked dried sour cherries, chopped prunes, and raisins in some brandy, then simmered it with some chopped walnuts along with black pepper, allspice, cloves, and some Splenda. That stuff would make a rock taste good.

Lunch for an old friend

I've known Bob since I was a freshman in college, and I think this might be the first time I've ever cooked just for him. Had him over for lunch. I was going to make a lentil salad, but I cooked the lentils too long the night before so they were just a touch mushy. So I made a curried lentil soup instead for the first course. Used garam masala as well as Madras curry powder with sauteed onions and brunoise carrots. Yummy. Entree was halibut roasted on a bed of sliced asparagus stems. I marinated the halibut filets overnight in a lemon-flavored avocado oil with kosher salt, and they were just great. It only takes 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven, so you can cook the fish while you eat the first course. I just put the asparagus under the halibut so it doesn't stick. Works with fennel, too, and salmon. Also had some Persian cucumbers chopped and marinated in rice wine vinegar and sugar, with fresh tomato concasse. On yellow plates, it looked very nice. If it wasn't lunch, I would have served a nice Columbia gewurtztraminer with the soup and the fish, but Bob had to go back to work. It was a nice interlude with an old friend.

Can you always follow your passion?

What happens when your passion and your career are on different paths? Why did I find out so late in life that what I could have been brilliant at might have passed me by? Has it? Can I grab the gold ring without falling on my face? All I really want to do is cook. But I can't spend 12, 10, or even eight hours on my feet anymore, and I feel like I'm over the hill to start such a demanding new career. Now that I'm old enough to know what I want, I feel like I'm too old to go for it. Guess we're having a pity party tonite. But, listen, I made this great soup this week. Took the carcass of a smoked chicken and made a stock. Soaked 2 cups of cranberry beans overnight. Sauteed a mirepoix, very simple, with some thyme and pepper. No garlic (not sure why I made this decision but it felt right). Added the stock, the beans, and cooked for an hour. Salted to taste, added 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes and juice. Simmered another half hour or so. Garnished with chopped roasted red and orange peppers. Very stick to your ribs, comforting. The cranberry beans get so creamy. Made me happy to serve it to my special someone.