Salmon, Lobster Mushroom, Corn, Baby Tomato, Oregano
So, as you know, I can now claim myself to be a former ballet dancer. And, BTW, it feels freaking fantastic. And, can I be quite frank? I didn’t really know how I was going to react. I mean, I have been saying I am a ballet dancer for over a decade. I didn’t know if I would feel lost, like I was losing a part of myself to dethrone myself from the ballet world. But, I have only felt liberated and excited for what is next. The only trouble is, what do I call myself now? I certainly don’t feel like a Chef. Obviously.
Duck Leg Ragu with Bucatini
Why do we eat Ducks, Chickens, Turkeys, and Geese but not Swans? Why do Swans get exempt from the ubiquitous poultry category. Well for one, it is illegal to kill and eat a swan in most countries. Especially in the United Kingdom because all of the swans are the property of the Queen. But, if you really want to try one, you can kill and eat a swan in North Carolina. Go figure. Southerners will eat anything.
The reason I wondered this is because we are in the midst of performing Swan Lake right now. In the story, Prince Siegfried goes hunting for Swan and then falls in love with Odette who is a Swan Queen that has been kidnapped and transformed by an evil sorcerer to a Swan by day and Woman by night. I wonder if Swan would even taste good? The Amateur Gourmet says no. Anthony Bourdain however….. Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday Night Pork Shoulder Ragu
I have never chopped onions and garlic at 8am. Never.
But because of my plans for Sunday, I knew I had to get an early start on this dish. I did all of the normal protocol: chop, saute, simmer, scrape the brown bits, but when it came to cooking on the stove for 2 hours, I just didn’t have time for that. So, I heated the oven to 250 degrees, put a lid on my dutch oven and left my pork shoulder to do what it does best. I got home at 4:00, 8 hours later, and I smelled the ragu down the hallway of my building. I came in and opened the oven. Took the lid off, and began to stir. The pork just shredded. Read the rest of this entry »
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
I was browsing through one of my favorite food blog sites, Smitten Kitchen, and I stumbled upon this recipe. I liked the idea of it because it was a one pot meal, which means easy clean up, and it was nutritionally balanced with protein, veggies, calcium, and carbohydrates.
I also liked the idea of it because she talked about how her husband actually made this dish for her. I related to this because the other night, I came home from a performance of Twyla Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs”, and Erik had an entire dinner made for me when I got home! He made soft tacos with organic ground beef. He cut up tomatoes, onions, cheese, and lettuce to top the tacos. I know this does not sound like much, but I was surprised and thrilled. This might become a new tradition:) Now that I know he actually CAN cook, he might have to help me a little more in the kitchen!
Also, I am going to Santa Fe today until Sunday. Besides Cafe Pasquals, does anyone have any good restaurant suggestions?
Cafe Lago’s Pomodoro al Forno
Cafe Lago kept presenting itself to me in many ways. First, the owner’s brother works as one of our stage crew at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Everyone at the ballet knows that I am a foodie, so I had been told many times about the restaurant by many of the stage crew. I just never got around to going there.
Second, I read about the restaurant in the most recent issue of Bon Appetit. And, the most important is that my favorite blogger, Molly Wizenberg, at Orangette, wrote about it and her favorite recipe on her blog today. Well, I guess that was not much of a coincidence because she was also the one who wrote the article in Bon Appetit.
So, when I went last week, I had to try the recipe that Molly had raved about in her monthly column. It was stunning, just as promised, but that was not all. The food and wine was out of this world. Our waitress even recommended a wine that came specifically from her Grandmother’s small Italian town.
And, I had been resisting for so long….
Here is my attempt at Cafe Lago’s recipe. I will have to go back soon to see if I am even in the ballpark.
Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash and Tomatoes
This past weekend we shipped the kid (Cashew) to my Mom’s, drank as much water as we could, and headed to Sonoma to celebrate Erik’s 30th birthday. We rented this amazing Italian Villa with a huge gourmet kitchen which I had planned to cook in. But, I actually did not saute or dice the entire weekend (thanks to Dane, Michael, and Eddie). We did many wine tastings, spent hours in the hot tub, and it turned out to be one of the best weekends I have ever experienced.
Well, last night, even though I was itching to cook again, my exhaustion got the best of me, which means Erik cooked. And by that I mean, he ordered a pizza.
Tonight, however, I made no excuses. I went to the grocery store to see what inspired me, and this seemed like my last salute to summer. Summer squash, corn, and grape tomatoes. I had also seen this “pressed chicken” by many of my favorite chefs, and I felt that at some point, I needed to jump on that bandwagon and try it. Enjoy!
Grilled Shrimp, Nectarine, and Corn Salad
After our Vail tour, our company has the opportunity to work with the famous Twyla Tharp for two months while she is choreographing new world premieres for PNB. I have been honored to be able to be learning one of her ballets, but I have to say that “Twyla-ing” drains me by the end of the day. Last week, I was going to bed at around 8:30 every night.
Today, however, I did not have it as rough, so I actually felt that I could stay up past 8:00 and cook. After spending about an hour at Whole Foods due to weekly grocery shopping, and Monday rush hour, I finally made it home as I anxiously awaited to cook again. I had no idea that I would become THIS ADDICTED to cooking.
I saw a version of this recipe in the August Bon Appetit. It caught my eye because of the ingredients. All of the vegetables and fruit are actually in season in August.
Market Salad with Spiced Goat Cheese
I know what you are thinking…ANOTHER salad. But, I am headed to Vail, Colorado for a Dance Festival with my company on Saturday. And, after only being back for two weeks with five weeks off, light dinners are a must.
Dancing in Vail, which is at an elevation off 8000 feet is much harder than dancing in Seattle. You lose your breath faster, and your muscles just don’t feel the same. Luckily, we have all been there before, so our company knows a little more of what to expect this time around. Last year, there was a girl who fainted, everyone had to take lots of oxygen supplements, and you didn’t see a person without a water bottle in had. This year, I am nervous because one of the ballets we do, Concerto Barroco, never leaves the stage. So, if you can’t catch your breath, you have to wait until the ballet is over. Twenty minutes. Scary.
At first, when I read this recipe off of Epicurious it made me a little curious. Spiced goat cheese and steamed potatoes. Sounds BORING, right. But, it got amazing reviews! It is loaded with ingredients which makes for interesting flavor combinations with every bite.
Spicy Chicken Sausage Rigatoni
This month’s Bon Appetit was filled with delicious pasta recipes that were fairly easy to make, and fast enough for a weeknight meal.
After a few modifications, I decided on this recipe because:
First: I LOVE anything spicy.
Second: Erik eats anything that has sausage in it, or on it.
Lastly: I love chopping onions and garlic.
This is actually on the healthier spectrum as far as pasta dishes go. Chicken Sausage, two cups of spinach, tomatoes. I am sure if you were really on a “health kick” you could also make whole-wheat pasta. I have not been able to get that one past Erik yet.
