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Autumn

My oh my – the switch has been flipped or the flip has been switched – instant autumn.
The good news is that harvest is in full swing with great many choices and the temperature is perfect for spending time in your kitchen.
Classic recipes still stand the test of time. Remember ratatouille?
The movie? Couldn’t get over rats in the kitchen. Yikes!

Ratatouille

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 Japanese eggplants, cubed
2 bell peppers, thickly sliced
1 pound of summer squash, thickly sliced
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 handful fresh basil, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and a few pinches of pepper. Sauté over medium heat until soft.
Add garlic, eggplant and peppers, cook for 10 minutes or until the peppers are just tender.
Add summer squash, tomatoes, bay leaf and oregano. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add basil just before serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast for dinner

The new Saveur magazine just arrived dedicated just to breakfast around the world. Love it!
In Mexico, Chilaquiles is breakfast using yesterday’s tortillas, with many versions of the sauce depending on indigenous ingredients.
It has been said to have restorative power “the day after”, but don’t wait for that.
I made mine with beans so I could have breakfast for dinner.

Chilaquiles de Frijol Negro

2 16 - ounce cans of black beans
½ onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves,
1 sprig epazote
3 Chipotle chilies in Adobo (canned)
12 tortillas cut into wedges - slightly stale
½ cup crema
¼ cup cateja cheese or feta cheese
1 avocado, peeled, cut into cubes
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Sauté the onions and garlic in a medium saucepan, add a sprig of epazote. Cut the chipotle chilies in half, scrape out the seeds and cut into thin strips. Add the black beans and ½ of the chipotle to the pan. Cook for 20 minutes.
Puree in a food processor, return the mixture to the pan, and add chicken broth until the sauce is the consistency of thin cream soup
Bring to a boil. Add the tortillas and ½ of the chipotle. Stir until the tortillas have softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Scoop them into a serving bowl, drizzle with cream, sprinkle with cheese. Top with avocado and cilantro.
Serves 4-6

Come to the table

Slow Food Come to the Table

Slow Food hosted thousands of farmers, fishers, ranchers and producers in San Francisco last week – one of them being a local – Breadfarm located in cool and quaint Edison. Their poster story was on the wall in the Bread Hall. Check it out -

Slow Food San Francisco

Just returned from the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco, where we shared a lovely weekend with like minded people, food with wine is the purpose for living.
Hopping on BART from the airport to Civic Center, and climbing the stairs out the dark to find a with a huge garden planted in front of City Hall with the best snacks from all over the country – Salumi from Armandino Batali in Seattle, hand made tamales wrapped in banana leaves from Central Valley, fresh biscuits with cured ham from Virginia – That was just the first hour of our adventure – more to come.
Rather than fill up your email boxes, I will continue stories and pictures and from the Fabulous Food Weekend on my blog, so check it out.
By the way – Happy Birthday Terry!

Summertime

I usually have a wonderful recipe for each of the seasons, but this time of the year I think grazing is the way to go.
Opening my refrigerator I nibble on blueberries, strawberries and watermelon. I am thinking of BLT for dinner with the brandywine tomato that I purchased at the market from Nooksack Nine. Maybe replacing the L with arugula from Galatic Farm.
This is the way I plan on spending August!

Summer Treats

Only this time of the year can you enjoy these fab combos of fruit - picture a big spoon of Mallard's Ice Cream on top!
Apricot and Cherry Crisp

Topping
1 cup flour
1cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ pound cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Fruit
1 ½ pound apricots, quartered
½ pound Bing cherries, pitted
Zest of 1 lemon
1 generous teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the topping: Mix flour, sugar in a small bowl., quickly mix in butter until it is like coarse cornmeal.
Mix the fruit, zest, ginger, sugar, and flour in a 9 inch baking dish. Spread the fruit level, sprinkle with the topping.
Bake 35-45 minutes until golden and the juices bubble around the edges.

Japanese pickles

I have a book on traditional Japanese pickling. I thought the sweet and sour shallots sounded like something I might do, so reading the directions I found - "Be sure to get unwashed bulbs, prewashed ones tend to have a hard surface. I make it a habit to sit and peel the shallots in front of the TV and mumble that I need a pet monkey to help at this time of the year. "

Wild West

Okay So…
Driving home from Colorado took us through wide open spaces, beautiful scenery and a look at the history of the Wild West. I am always looking for the culinary bent to towns; we passed through Chugwater Wyoming where they have a chili cook-off in June. We are thinking of entering.
Further along the road a billboard advertising the annual Testicle Festival.
Now those of you know me well - my tendency to exaggerate for the sake of the story, knows even I cannot come up with this stuff.
The “Testy Festy” happens at the end of August in the town of Clinton Montana, the billboard ended with “Have a ball” ! What can I say?

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder

While imbibing the illegal beverage with brave friends - thoughts of the artists and poets of the nineteenth century contributed to the mystique of the famous beverage. Did Van Gogh really cut off his ear under the influence?
The most dramatic thing that happened is the ceremony involved with the pouring of the smuggled spirit. A shot of absinthe is poured into beautifully etched glass - an ornate slotted spoon is placed across the rim of the glass and 2 cubes of sugar is placed on top. Cold water is poured through the top that turns the spirit milky. It is a licorice flavor similar to Ouzo.
Conviviality reigned!

April Farmers Market

April Market bring…swirling snow

I am impatient; I want the spring greens, the apple blossoms and all that goes with them. Now. Any rational person will tell you, nature rules; it will arrive when it’s time. So enjoy. Now.
I like to taste the Saturday market, simply without a lot of fuss, a market munch, so to speak.

Fig and Anise Bruschetta with goat cheese and honey

Slice a Breadfarm Fig and Anise roll in half, lightly toast under a broiler and slather with Gothberg Farm goat cheese and drizzle with raspberry honey.

Perfect!

I Love Computers

Hello everyone,
I am in recovery mode on my computer, having lost it all. So, if you want to reach me, please email.
If you want to continue to receive the newsletter, please send me your address. I will be back soon!
Ciao, Mary Ellen

Home Again

Made it home in time for the seasonal opening of the market, come rain or shine, the Farmers market always reassures me that Spring is on the way.
Nettles were available from some farmers. Listed as a power food, stinging nettles are high on the list as a Spring tonic.
If you have ever touched a nettle you know how badly they hurt, so how did people get to the point of eating them. How did they discover dipping them in boiling water took the sting out?
Wear gloves and eat on!

Adam and Eve on a raft

Searching for a Diner

Where is the All American diner? The place where Flo the waitress calls me darlin’, and serves breakfast all day. Someplace where I can eat something really good - that’s really bad for me? That diner in Double Indemnity?
Well, couldn’t find one.
Some of the “travel plazas” (truck stops) have great names:
Gear Grinder Diner
The Hungry Red Neck
Fork in the Road
But these menus only had poorly cooked chicken breasts and bad spinach salad.
Took a ride with a ex NY cabbie – “Go to Rosie’s - good food, great looking waitresses, hell they even insult ya…what more could you want.”
But I am ready, I have been practising the lingo:
Order up: “burn it, take it through the garden and pin a rose on it”

My Vacation in Rawlins

Rawlins Wyoming is a town of 6000 people that’s located 100 miles away from the next nowhere town. We are here on the first day of spring; they say they will have snow for the month and a half. Wherever we look there frozen mud or slushy mud.
Oh and the wind – whew!
As we leave town, we see a huge spray of some mysterious substance coming out of the car. The oil pressure gauge drops to zero.
We pull over to the side of the off ramp and call AAA. We are transferred to various people, finally they call back to say they have located a tow truck and they have woken the driver up and he will be here within the hour. As we sat on the side of the road the huge trucks swoop by and rock the car.
As the clouds cover the sun, Terry starts contemplating hypothermia, which he is convinced he is losing his sight. We then discuss whether someone will place a small marker on the road when they find us after we perish. Will they put fake flowers on the road marker? No!
I am wondering what kind food they serve at funerals in Rawlins.
We wonder if anyone will come to Rawlins for the funeral.
The heat is off and the snow is now blowing sideways. I think I have a very shallow glimpse about the struggles of those pioneers.

Screaming – you call this is food?

I have left my culinary cocoon, where I converse with like minded friends and family about the value of fresh local food. I know you are all patient with me while I go on and on about local, seasonal, and local seasonal.
Well for the 1500 miles of travel, with nights at various hotel/motels, I am shocked to see what America has decided is food.
At every motel through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado claim to serve a hot continental breakfast.
From Pendelton Oregon to downtown Denver Colarado - they serve EXACTLY the same stuff! I can’t say the word food here.
Every place has the the same lay out and machinery for a self serve buffet of powdered eggs, frozen waffles, multi colored fruit loops, individual packages of peanut butter, jam, maple syrup, butter [not butter but whipped spread], and cream cheese. Most have the corporate logo on the machinery.
So that is what is in all those WincoFood trucks going down the highway.

Across the Great Divide

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Terry and I we have been following the Oregon Trail for hundreds of miles through 3 states so far and my respects go to the hardy souls who crossed this country so many years ago. The wind is constant and there are snow drifts as far as the eye can see.
I have often wonder what other era that I would like to live in.
Being a rugged pioneer is not one of them.
As I recline in a heated car seat, listening to music and crossing the Continental divide at 7000 feet, I picture those families in buck boards and Prairie schooners and can’t fathom the hardship.
It gives me pause to wonder what were they running from or what were they seeking?

Irish Bubble and Squeak

l A densly flavored root vegetable one dish meal... Excellent

beware the "eyes" of March

Corned Beef continued

Simmer 4 quarts of water in a large saucepan. Add sugar, salt and spices, stir well until dissolved. Allow to cool completely.

Place the brisket in a non-metallic container. Cover with cold brine and weight it down to submerge the beef.
I will use a heavy plastic bag probably doubled, and twist it tightly so the brine will cover the brisket, and place it in a small ice chest to store in the garage so as not to take up room in the refrigerator.

This is it so far! We will allow that to sit for 5 days. See you Saturday!

Corned beef for St Patrick's

Corned Beef

Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, why not try your hand at making corned beef.
It is simple, tasty and is done with spices, without the red dye chemicals.
Together we can take the mystery out of this process which will take about 5 -7 days, so it will be ready for next Monday.

What you will need:

4-6 pound beef brisket (flank will do)
1 pound light brown sugar
2 pound coarse sea salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 cloves
4 bay leaves
A sprig of thyme

So if you would like to play along, check it our and get daily updates

After lunch in Chinatown Vancouver

As you stroll down the streets in Chinatown the markets spill out on to the streets, large bins and boxes filled with interesting finds, not all are familiar. The Herbalsit shops have geckos (pictured). Steeped in tea they are used for various cures, maybe even a curse.

Chinatown

This last Saturday a group of 35 hopped a bus and spent the day in Chinatown Vancouver B.C.
We left Whatcom Community College at 9:00 each of us looking at the sky wondering about rain. Arriving at our destination at 10:30, the sun welcomed us and the start to a great day began.
With our trusted guide, Jonathan Lau, we enjoyed lunch at Jade Dynasty restaurant. It seemed like a neighborhood gathering place, the patrons were greeting each others as friends. I would recommend it.

I think I've got it right!

After a mini melt down I believe my computer is up to the task of blogging, so with brand new enthusiasm I will begin again...

Eggs for dinner

During this time of year there is "slim pickins" at the markets. As the days grow longer, I want to lighten up dinner a bit, so because the egg is the quintessential symbol of Spring, I thought we should bring them to the dinner table.

Frittata
This Italian favorite can be served for lunch or dinner.

1 pound red skinned potatoes, cubed
8 large eggs
4 teaspoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon, chili flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Whisk the eggs with the parsley, chili flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix in the potatoes.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until golden. Add the eggs and cook about 3 minutes.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake the eggs until set about 20 minutes.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Serves 4.

Let's go!

I have enjoyed keeping in touch with all of you through with my newsletter, but would love to be a little more interactive, so let's blog!
We are looking forward to Spring,the sunshine and gardens.