running with tweezers

RWT in Scandinavia - Bergen, Norway 2010

At a stark-but-charming restaurant called Jacob's, I had my very first taste of Norway: freshly caught mackerel, thinly sliced radish, sweet roasted cauliflower, sharp spring onion in a browned butter sauce. It was a beautiful dish that was at the same time unassuming and bold...simple but so complex. It's a theme that repeated itself in the food I ate in Bergen. In fact, the same could be said about the city itself and the magnificent days we spent there.

RWT in Scandinavia - Stockholm, Sweden 2010

"Stockholm, eh?" was pretty much my response as I stared blankly at my laptop screen. Mike told me he was going to Sweden for work...for 10 days. I was immediately filled with feelings of anxiety - I'm not sure we've been apart for 10 days since the day we first met - but more so was an unexpected wave of jealousy. Honestly, Sweden was one of those places that I never thought I'd go....or even thought about traveling to. However, when the possibility of joining him on the tail end of his business trip came up, I thought about that creaking sound my passport was going to make when I opened it - it's been a decade too long since I'd used it. Being able to share a trip like that with my sweetie - and experience a culture I never realized I'd been missing - was too tempting to turn down. So we sent the kitten to summer camp, packed up more camera gear than clothing, and went off on our Scandinavian vacation...

Tomato & Peach Quinoa - A Guest Post by the duo from Whisk Away!

An editors note: Before I went on my Scandinavian adventure, I asked two of my favorite bloggers - Katie and Nic from Whisk Away - to guest blog for me while I was gone. Nic held up her end of the bargain, sending me a recipe for an unusual sounding quinoa recipe. I dropped the ball and picked up a box of Kleenex - I got sick at the end of vacation & didn't get around to posting it. I've been thinking about this recipe since I received it...so I made it today for lunch, as you can see above. It's amazing - truly. Original, so flavorful, and a great dish to make for friends that are veggie or gluten-free. Thanks, ladies, for the wonderful recipe contribution and fabulous post. Here goes...

Two sisters, two kitchens, one block apart, one mantra to Whisk Away. Nic keeps it real with health food for her diabetic man. But not to worry, the blog's other half, Kate, keeps the sisters' incredible sweet tooth in business.

It's a rare opportunity in food making, or food blogging, to actually create something never before seen. But if you have a flavor pairing in mind, sometimes you can out cook Google and the legions of cooks to come before. Classic ingredient combinations are a natural place to start. This past fall while traveling through northern Italy I discovered the wonder of pecorino cheese with pear. Since then, I've thrown them together against risotto, pizza, spinach salad and ice cream. No recipe required! It's the ability to translate those combinations across a range of forms that earns you 'good cook' status.

Quinoa, however, has not been the easiest thing to incorporate into my repertoire. And I have really made an effort to bring it into rotation once my #1 recipe tester's pancreas went on the fritz, and began demanding low-carb, low-sugar, generally healthy food. Pasta is out, protein packed quinoa is in. But how to make it summery? Most quinoa recipes highlight its nutty flavor, leaning heavily fall. I can't in good conscience hack into a butternut squash this time of year.

Summer naturally presented me with peaches and tomatoes at the same time. Coincidence? I think not. It's a tried and true flavor combination, that I've seen across caprese-style salads, bruschetta and gazpacho. Could it brighten up a grain sometimes compared to cardboard? My hunch was correct, and Google confirmed this to be the first ever published Peach Tomato Quinoa. And delicious to boot!

Peach Tomato Quinoa - serves 4

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3 peaches, peeled and diced
• 1 red onion or 2 shallots (skip the Vidalia's, you don't want any additional sweetness)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups broth of your choice (using veggie broth here keep the whole recipe vegetarian or vegan!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme

- Dice tomatoes and set in a colander to drain excess liquid. Peel and dice peaches and onion.

- Preheat a saucepan. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and allow to drip most water out. Scrape into the pre-heated pot and let it toast for a minute or two until aroma is released. Add the broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. You'll know it's done when the liquid is absorbed and the individual grains show a little spiral.

- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat, adding diced onion or shallots. Cook to take the raw edge off, about three minutes. Add tomatoes and peaches. Saute for no more than five minutes, or else too much liquid will be released and require extra time to boil off. Add basil.

- Fluff quinoa, and serve topped with peach tomato mixture.

the essence of tomatoes

I've been waiting and waiting to share this recipe with you but, well, there's some traveling going on that has priority these past two weeks. On our first leisurely morning of our trip, I'm up early to work on this post - this is time-sensitive stuff! I made this recipe for a dinner party several weeks ago. It was quite the dinner party dish in that it took some effort and has one of those names that brings about a good bit of guffawing & eye rolling...but there's no better title for this recipe. It is the essence of tomatoes and it's worth every minute in the kitchen. It's arrival at the table inspired a few sighs and definitely savoring of the pure, unadulterated tomato presence.

I changed the original recipe up a bit by adding the cucumber to the mix - both to add another fresh note to the dish but to help give a bit more thin liquid without having to dilute with water. Instead of pulpy tomatoes used as a garnish in the center, I've taken advantage of the beautiful & tiny heirlooms out there right now as a colorful element. If you want the tomato liquid to be more translucent and not as red, you can take the time to continue to strain the tomato water until it's almost clear - that's your call and would make this dish super elegant. For me, I wanted to cue to the tomato in the dish & wanted to spend more time with company than I did with cheesecloth. I need not say you should make this NOW as we are winding down tomato season - don't wait & attempt this with fall or winter tomatoes.

The Essence of Tomatoes - adapted from this recipe found on BBC Good Food - serves 6 as a soup/starter

• 5 pounds large cherry or small roma vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery , finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small shallot , finely chopped
• half of a fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove , finely chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme , roughly chopped
• 4 leaves tarragon , roughly chopped
• handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 5 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 3 drops Tabasco sauce

      To Serve:

• 1/4 cup small basil leaves, left whole if small or chiffonaded if larger leaves
• 1 1/2 cups small cherry heirloom tomatoes - of any color or type - chopped or left whole if small
• good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

- In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with 1 tbsp sea salt, cover with cling film and marinate for 6 hrs. Then, in a food processor, pulse the tomato mix in batches until roughly chopped - don't over-chop them to a mush.
- Place three layers of cheesecloth (or a new kitchen cloth) over a large bowl and pour the mix into the cloth. Tie up with string and hang in a cold place for at least 15 minutes over the bowl to collect the tomato essence. Squeeze the mixture in the cloth (you may have to do this in batches, as well) to get out as much liquid as possible. Set aside the pulp. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, then cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- To serve, spoon a quarter of the chopped heirloom tomato into the center of six bowls. Carefully pour the chilled tomato essence around the tomato and garnish with the basil and a small drizzling of olive oil.

Attack of The Killer Tomato Festival 2010!

This past Sunday brought the second edition of what has become my favorite Atlanta food event - Attack of the Killer Tomatofest, which is a benefit for Georgia Organics. The organization does so much for area farmers, raising awareness of locally grown food and helping network growers, retailers and consumers together to spotlight the diversity and deliciousness of eating local. Georgia Organics is involved with many events throughout the year but this one has become a local favorite of not just me but of the entire food community in Atlanta, as evidenced by the sell-out crowd that braved the scorching heat & blaring sun to sample the best tomato-based dishes & drinks created by the best chefs and mixologists in the Southeast.

In case tastes by Atlanta legends such as Gerry Klaskala and Kevin Rathbun wasn't enough, this year's festival brought incredible chefs such as Chris Hastings from Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham and Mike Lata from Fig in Charleston. There was so much deliciousness in one place, I can't begin to tell you about it all. To see photos of just a few scenes from Tomatofest, check out my Flickr set here. You can see more photos from the event both at Georgia Organic's Facebook page (there's a list of the winners there, too), as well this great recap post over at Foodie Buddha.

Cooking from the Farmers' Market - Cantaloupe in Spiced Syrup

You don't see a lot of cantaloupe recipes. The ones I've seen are for granitas or for slices wrapped in prosciutto. When I was flipping through Williams-Sonoma's Cooking From The Farmers' Market, I noticed several recipes for cantaloupe.  I was instantly transported back to mornings (or afternoons...or after dinner, really) at my house growing up. Cantaloupe and watermelon were two of my dad's favorite things. I never grew up knowing about cottage cheese and cantaloupe. I grew up knowing about putting pepper on melon. My dad always did it - sometimes with a healthy dash of salt, as well. Making this recipe took me back to those times and, well, maybe my dad was onto something.

We're at peak season for cantaloupes - they're best in July and August - and the few I've tasted have been very impressive. Super sweet and perfect texture. I've added a little sprinkle of fresh ground pepper to the final dish, as well as a smattering of herbs that are from the patio garden. The strength of the star anise and the ginger is really complimented by the brightness of the herbs and the lemon. This is just a simple, refreshing and easy dessert that was spot-on during one of the hottest summer weeks I can remember - make the syrup in advance, slice your melon & store it in the fridge and assemble when you're ready.

Cantaloupe in Spiced Syrup - makes 4 servings

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 star anise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and either cubed or sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, tough stems removed - mint, regular or lemon basil, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, cinnamon basil would be great here
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- Heat the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the ginger, star anise and lemon juice & zest and simmer for 10 minutes to make a syrup. Let cool then strain. Arrange the cantaloupe into a bowl and drizzle with the spiced syrup. Serve at once.

Cooking From The Farmers' Market - Celery, Parsley & Prosciutto Salad

I've had all three recipes for this week's Cooking From The Farmers' Market planned out for a week. As I said in my post yesterday, picking just a few of them was a tall task. I'd even gone so far as to photograph and beginning writing out the post for today's recipe choice...and then I went and confused myself. Flipping through the cookbook yesterday, I saw this and realized I had everything to make it for lunch - a bit of prosciutto left from one recipe, most of a fennel bulb from something I'm posting next week. It ended up being a great way to use up ingredients I had around the house...except for flat leaf parsley, which was missing. This "salad" is so delicious that I changed up my plans and am posting about it instead. So, please excuse that this is a bit of a "hail mary" blog post - do include the parsley when you make this because I'm sure it can only enhance an already amazing dish. 

To me, this recipe is as much an "antipasto" as it is a salad. The combination of textures in this is so wonderful, my taste buds totally ignored the fact that it included celery, which I am finally learning to enjoy. Adding the mint and the lemon just accentuates the freshness here - I threw on some fennel fronds for another layer of texture and color and substituted the spring onions for chives. I can't wait to make this on a big platter (or one of those dark slate serving boards - that would be stunning!) for a summertime party with some crusty bread to make this a light, no-cook meal.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final of three recipes I'm sharing this week from Williams-Sonoma's Cooking From The Farmers' Market, which you can buy here.

Celery, Prosciutto, and Parsley Salad - makes 6 servings

• 6 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, preferably on a mandoline
• 4 green spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (I substituted 2-3 tablespoons fresh snipped chives)
  
• 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup small fresh mint leaves
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 6 thin slices prosciutto
• Shaved hard sheep's milk cheese such as Pecorino-Romano

- Put the celery, fennel, green onions, parsley, and mint in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and toss gently. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Place the prosciutto on a platter and top with the fennel mixture. Garnish with the shaved cheese and serve at once.

Cooking From The Farmers' Market - Butter Lettuce with Mustard Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, the folks at Williams-Sonoma were kind enough to send me a couple of their newest cookbooks to preview. All of them were wonderful - you would expect nothing less from WS. I kept going back to one title in particular, Cooking from the Farmers' Market. It's stunning and extremely well organized. Beautiful images divided into category of type of produce with tons of information about seasonality and varieties of each. I asked if I could share a few recipes with my readers and they've been kind enough to let me, so I'll be posting some of my favorites on the blog all this week. I tell you...choosing just a few to preview with you was a tough choice.

As you can see from the other posts on this blog, I'm a fan of salads. I don't think I've met one I don't like. While it's easy to pile on ingredients and make a show-stopping salad, mastering a perfect simple salad is something every cook needs to know how to do. I love this recipe because it champions just a few ingredients and focuses on great quality - you can't get away with sub-par butter lettuce when it's the only green in the salad.

This recipe also makes a wonderfully flavorful make-it-yourself dressing. I whip together my own dressings all the time and the difference in taste is striking. Once you get in the habit of doing it, you won't bother with a fridge door full of half-used bottles. The tang of the mustard, the herby brightness of the tarragon and the silky texture of the butter lettuce is sublime - gorgeous on it's own but would be an amazing accompaniment to a perfectly roasted chicken.

Stay tuned this week for two other recipes from Cooking From The Farmers' Market, new from Williams-Sonoma. You can get more information about the book, as well as purchase your own copy, here.

Butter Lettuce with Mustard Vinaigrette - makes 4 to 6 servings 

• 2 heads butter lettuce
• 3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian (flat-lead) parsley

- Separate the lettuce leaves. Tear the largest outer leaves in half, leaving the smaller leaves whole. Wash, rinse, and dry.

- In a large salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste to make a dressing. Add the lettuce, chives, tarragon, and parsley and toss well. Serve immediately.

the scent of summer

Standing at the kitchen counter earlier this week, I let out this relaxed shudder while chopping away at tomatoes. Twisting each tomato off the vine and smelling that wafting smell - you know which one I'm talking about. The smell of summer that lives between the stem and the fruit of a tomato. It's clean and familiar and homey and so...specific. It's my sign that the season is here and we're living in summer's cornucopia. I've been waiting to be able to make gazpacho - in some form - and this was truly a moment for me.

After the hectic month of work and travel I've been through, I've been seeking out my gazpacho in restaurants and take out containers. I've just not had the fortitude to chop every vegetable on earth, whether I know it's worth it in the end or not. Having two of my favorite girlfriends over for dinner was reason enough to pull down the Vitamix (off a top shelf, mind you) and let it do some of the work on this lovely cold tomato soup. I found the inspiration for this back in winter and have held onto it. It's a great year-round cold soup recipe because the tomato paste helps prop up sub-par tomatoes. In the summer, it adds a smoothness and sweetness to already-wonderful fruit that is just divine.

You can garnish this however you'd like - some croutons, chopped herbs, a drizzle of seasoned oil - but I recommend this whipped cream. The marriage of two of my favorite things - gazpacho and green goddess dressing - is brilliant, herby and fresh...and the silky texture is so refreshing. I've used the Vitamix here to make both components - you can whiz together whipped cream in about 10 seconds. Even if you have to use a blender and a mixer or whisk, this is well worth the time...as little as that is. The complexity of flavors you'll get far outweighs the input so just inhale and enjoy.

Chilled Tomato Soup with Green Goddess Whipped Cream - serves 6 as a soup course - adapted from this recipe on Food & Wine

• 5 pounds ripe red tomatoes - de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp. fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup loose packed assorted herbs - I used chives, basil, tarragon and oregano
• kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- For the whipped cream: In your Vitamix or blender, add the loose herbs. You can roughly chop them beforehand if you feel your blender isn't up to the task. Pour in the cream and whip until it's lightly foamy - you're not looking for stiff peaks but you're looking for a slightly firm texture. Gently scrape down sides of blender and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

- For the soup: If you're using a Vitamix, you can pretty much throw your tomatoes in there and whiz them up in one batch. In a blender or food processor, this will take at least 2 batches. Combine your seeded & chopped tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, water, vegetable broth, lemon juice and water. Pureé until very smooth and incorporated. Taste as you go and add kosher salt & pepper, as needed. I would go light on that because the flavors will mingle & change in the fridge. You can always re-season before you serve. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours

- To serve: Take soup and whipped cream out of the fridge. Taste your soup and re-season if necessary. While you're ladling the soup into bowls, the whipped cream will soften slightly. Stir it with a spoon or small whisk until you have an airy, loose cream. Drizzle the cream on top of the soup and serve immediately.

not just for winter

Lentils are a year round thing for me. So easy to prepare, filling, packed with protein...but my favorite thing about them is their versatility. Most people think of heartier, cold weather dishes when it comes to lentils but I truly enjoy them in salads and cold preparations just as well. They really take on any flavor that's given to them with a background taste of earthiness & nuttiness.

In an effort to use up some of the dried legumes and produce that was around the house (so one of us doesn't die under an avalanche erupting from the cabinets), I put together this summery lentil salad. Roughly chopped heirloom tomatoes, the remainder of a red onion, the last hearts of palm in the jar - it all mixed wonderfully with the tangy lentils. To make it a more substantial meal, I topped the salad with a thin slice of pan fried Kasseri cheese. Just a few minutes in a hot pan will slightly melt this cheese and give it a nice char on the outside. You could do this with Halloumi or even a thick slice of Feta, as well. 

Pan Fried Kasseri Cheese & Summer Lentil Salad - serves 2 as a main course

• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 2 ounce-ish slices of Kasseri cheese (the packages I've seen are 6 oz. so make a third or have leftover cheese!)
  
• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 cups vegetable stock
  
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 
• 1 large heirloom tomato (any variety) - de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 20 Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 4 hearts of palm, chopped
• 3 large radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 handful fresh herbs (think basil, marjoram, oregano, even mint) and edible flowers, for garnish
• salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- In a medium pot, heat the lentils and vegetable stock until they come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender - between 15 and 25 minutes depending on the age of your lentils. Drain, rinse and allow to cool.

- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped tomato, sliced red onion, chopped olives, chopped hearts of palm, and radishes. Mix thoroughly & salt and pepper to taste - remember that you are topping this salad with a slightly salty cheese so err on the side of under-salted. You can always add more at the very end. When the lentils have cooled, stir them in along with the herbs and flowers. Cover and allow the flavors to mingle for at least 30 minutes. Taste one last time and re-salt & pepper if you need to.

- To complete the dish, portion out the lentil salad on two plates. Heat the remaining olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, quickly pan fry the Kasseri cheese slices - 1 to 2 minutes on each side should do it. You're looking for a slightly loose, gooey texture but with a nice griddled char on the sides. Place a slice of the fried cheese on each plate of lentil salad. Serve immediately.