Good Food in the East and the West [Coasts]

Ah! So many good things to savor and recount!

This past Thursday I hopped a red-eye to Boston because my sister, Kirsten, was graduating from college on Saturday (wooo! yay Sister!! Congrats again and again!). In classic Schmid tradition, the event was celebrated with the whole family attending a nice meal; my sister chose for her graduation dinner to be held at a favorite restaurant of hers, the Cottage, in Wellesley, MA. She described it to me as "fresh California cuisine meets traditional New England fare", heh, or in some way similar that makes me love her dearly and mock her description by asking if "fusion chowder" was on the menu. Oh, Kir, the place was fantastic!

Here is a picture-tour of some of the food we enjoyed: Cocktails. Heh. I asked the bartender to try to re-create the Sake Lemon Drop I had last week in SF. It wasn't the same, was a little stronger, and I was ok with both facts.

We chose a few different appetizers for the table, including delicious fried calamari with a fresh, ginger dipping sauce, fried

artichoke hearts, a seasonal mixed- grill salad and nachos.

Yes, nachos. Now I am not a chip fan, but when Kir asked me what I thought of the menu's description, I caved - homemade wontons, topped with sesame-seared Ahi tuna, Asian vegetables, ginger vinaigrette and a wasabi cream. They were fabulous and it is the only dish I can recall where raw celery enhanced the flavor!

Kir's boyfriend, Kyle, ordered one of the more interesting dinners of the night. A true food-pairing mind-boggle! Granola-crusted

Mahi-Mahi. My brain tried, but could not comprehend the taste

or texture that would result. When we asked the waiter to describe it, he said that brown sugar in the granola gave it a sweet coating. When Ky received the dish, it looked beautiful. The taste? So surprisingly well-paired. The firm fish was coated in a caramelized, slightly-chewy and moist granola crust with golden raisins that provided a sweet moistness to the "steaky" fish. It worked very very well!

I ordered the Polenta Cake w/ seared scallops: "crisp, creamy polenta, sauteed confetti garden fresh vegetables, blistered tomatoes,
crowned with goat cheese and micro-greens". It was wonderful to sop up the rich vegetable broth with the crunchy- outside/incredibly creamy[yet not cloying]-inside polenta cakes.

Everyone was quite pleased with their meals and the night was very much a success!

A few hours after Kir's Commencement Ceremony, I was on a plane back to Cali. I have used my relaxing Sunday to enjoy the 90* sun with bike-rides to the farmers market and other various errand-related locations. I've also been trying out some new cooking techniques with my standard brea dough.

For lunch, I grilled a rolled-out round of dough in a cast iron pan. Then I smeared it with ripe avocado and topped it with slices of fresh tomato, cilantro, society garlic and chipotle powder. The quick-to-assemble flat bread was super fresh, clean and delicious!

Dinner was significantly more labor-intensive. Like usual, I utilized my long plane ride to assemble a menu for the week. The dish that I planned to feed me for the next two nights? Pizza!

The preparation started with an hour of roasting garlic for the white bean/garlic spread that would be the base of my pizza topping. The resulting creamy and sweet garlic went into the food pro with a can of white beans, olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Next I assembled my side dish: red peppers stuffed and roasted with tomatoes, garlic and Kalamata olives. They went into the oven for an hour on 375*.

Back to the pizza toppings: I sliced and caramelized one of the red onions I bought at the farmers market this morning. Once the half-moons were sweet and brown, I added a bunch of chopped arugula to wilt and removed both from the stove.

Meanwhile, I started up the grill and rolled out a small ball of dough onto some floured aluminum foil. As you can see in the picture, I do not own a rolling pin; a wine bottle stands in nicely - thanks for the tip, J! :D I brushed the dough with oil and laid it on the grill for a few minutes until the under-side was toasty. Then I took it back inside where I assembled the toppings, grated on some "Silver Mountain" cheese - a great, aged, raw-milk cheddar from Bravo Farms in Traver, CA - and threw it back on the grill to warm.

I didn't expect the grilling to go so quickly (and easily), so I was left waiting for the roasted peppers to finish. It was probably for the best, however, because I think the pizza's combination of flavors benefited from the wait (like most things, I'm sure, only I'm usually too impatient to find out.) I finished the toppings with cayenne, a dash of cumin and fresh herbs.

I joyously took my first bite of the pizza and wondered what I could add to make it better; something was missing. It was now that I cursed aloud - I had completely forgotten to apply the garlic/bean spread before adding the onions and arugula!! {Sigh} To compensate, I dolloped and distributed the cool, lemony spread over the top of the slices. Much better! :D Tomorrow night, I'll remember to chop some basil onto the roasted pepper, too. Cheers to summer!

The Kabri Household Welcomes New Arrivals ...

A quick post RE: my new additions (hey, my friends/co-workers are having children ... I'm content raising veggies at this point). Anyway, last night I planted some medium red California onions and a 5-pack of mixed lettuces. My largest tomato plant has two tiny yellow flowers, and my red bell pepper plants have buds! The red chard is about 6" tall - maybe it will be ready harvest next week? 

I'm off to Boston tonight through Saturday and San Jose is expecting temperatures in the high 80's/90's, so I hope the garden survives the weekend!

El Jardin De Kabri

Seriously, I am living "the life" ... and it really is the life I want to live ... well, sans a few important things like: my love. Oh ... and our dog .... and chickens. But it is gooood.

This weekend I went to brunch and out shopping in SF with J's mom - we had a lovely time, complete with brunch and happy-hour cocktails (mmm sake lemon drops), vintage consignment shop browsing and my first experience with Parisian macarons at Paulette. Having a thin, crisp outside, a creamy inside with a slight chewiness and a delightful filling, they were truly decadent (and pretty!) ... the candy-pink colored Sweet Wedding Almond and pale purple Violet Cassis outshone the others.

 

Otherwise, I've spent my days off re-planting my over-crowded tomatoes into 3 large pots, baking up a storm and enjoying the sun while perusing the Mountain View farmers market. And now I get to blog about it all with a glass of wine on my patio ... this is rough! My plants are all looking pretty good, but I feel like they will all shrivel up if I don't water them twice a day. I'm still trying to find the perfect locations for each plant so that they get enough, but not too-much, sun.

  

  

The Farmer's Market was fantastic. I got there 

earlier than last time and had my pick of fresh strawberries, asparagus, eggs, cheese, multi-colored potatoes, tomatoes, apricots, dried nectarines, avocados, zucchini and carrots. On my way there, I stopped by a store called Casablanca Market. There I met Katia, who had just arrived back in the States after a business trip in Morocco. She helped me pick a beautiful tagine and the spice mixture, Ras al-Hanout, that I'll need for my Moroccan Themed Cuisine week next month. The store sells gorgeous colored tile and an array of fragrant spices. She shared some dates while she explained how to cure and season my new tagine.

I took some pictures of the beautiful day and Mountain View's main street on my walk back to the car (I didn't ride my bike this week, because it is at the bike shop to be adjusted.) Being able to see not-too-distant hills in most directions makes me so happy. So does the sun. 

   

On the way home, I stopped across the street at Karoon, an international market, where I found freshly-made sesame halwa  (which I'll bring to J in two weeks), rose-flavored Turkish delight (my favorite sweet ever) and orange blossom water. I saw the latter of the three in the cookbook I mean to buy at Casablanca Market, where it was mixed with almond paste and stuffed into fresh dates {drool}. The nice guy at the counter at Karoon approved of my choices and asked what I planned to do with the orange blossom water. He smiled when I told him about the recipe, but shared that he knew of a lot of people who simply add it to drinking water. As soon as I got home, I added it to a large glass of ice water. With a splash of simple syrup, it is one of the most refreshingly light and lovely tastes I can imagine - similar to jasmine. I think the combination will become a summertime favorite.

On the home-front, today I've baked two loaves of bread and a dozen "Glazed Lemon Cakes of Love, Joy and Goodness". We'll see what my co-workers think of the tender, heart-shaped cakes, tomorrow - I'm really challenging that lemon tree to keep up! For dinner, I think I'll grill up some lemon-garlic chicken (marinating in the fridge) with carrots, asparagus and zucchini, smear some avocado on a grilled slice of bread and serve it all with a fresh-made salsa of tomatoes and herbs from the garden. Of course, I'll first have to consult my new favorite reference book, "Mastering the Grill: the owner's manual for outdoor cooking"  - it was a house warming gift from J ... I love it!!

 

Ah, California. You really do have a slower, more mindful pace. While it may be a challenge to adjust at work, I'm pretty sure I can get used to this during my non-work hours.

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UPDATE: Tonight's dinner confirms my previously expressed joy.

The zucchini, carrots and asparagus were tossed in celery salt and olive oil and grilled until just tender. Grilled zucchini and asparagus are up there as some of my favorite vegetables to grill (along with fennel and red bell pepper), but I had never grilled carrots. They took as long as the chicken, but came out deliciously sweet!

The salsa, made with farm-fresh tomatoes (soon to be from my own pots), green onion and basil, cilantro, society garlic, Vietnamese coriander, parsley and a few sprigs of arugula from my garden was so much fun to eat! It was simply sprinkled with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and a dash of chipotle pepper and topped with a few slices of avocado. Every time I got a fresh bite of one of my herbs I couldn't stop smiling. Growing things is fun!!

The chicken was great, too. The lemon zest and garlic really carried over through grilling. It all went so well together (yeah, Syrah probably doesn't belong in this meal, but it was open and tasted good!) and the freshly-baked bread (rubbed in the vegetable seasoning before grilling) was a great utensil and sponge :) I even have enough left over for tomorrow's dinner! Hooray!!

Dessert is a slice of bread with some of the fantastic apple butter J's mom shared with me! Dessert is also a slice of halwa with a drizzle of honey ... oh the joys of joy!

Themed Cuisine Week #1: The Ethiopian Feast

Since moving to California a little over two weeks ago, I've been focusing hard on the cultivation of my inner Californian - naturally, being a Californian entails the regular enjoyment of good, fresh food and wine ... right? Right.

In the first few days after my arrival - even without my kitchen having been delivered with the moving truck - I had started my first vegetable garden in [many] planters/pots on my patio alongside my new Weber. I also took a trip up to the Russian River Valley with my parents where we dutifully enjoyed much wine during our various vineyard visits and dutifully purchased 3 cases for our at-home enjoyment.

I located my new home using the following fundamental criteria: [very] nice kitchen, must be less than 10mi from work and less than 2mi from a farmer's market ... sure, and a place for a bed (details, details). My new home achieved all of these things and exceeded my expectations with a large patio area, the flood of sunlight through my large windows and skylights and my fantastic landlords with lemon trees that overfloweth (as well as producing plum and apricot trees).  See my other blog for pictures of my new place. I went to the farmer's market in Mountain View the first Sunday and was overjoyed to see fresh strawberries, spring peas, cheeses, eggs and mushrooms galore. I anticipate the 11mi round trip on my new road bike to be a recurring Sunday activity.

On the home front, my beautiful new kitchen and its copious sunlight has rekindled my passion to cook new and interesting foods ... well, sunlight and the fact that I'm no longer working 70hrs a week. My new position in the office is considerably less stressful and leaves me searching for challenges elsewhere in my day. So along with a 18mi R.T. bike commute, I decided to involve myself in some food experimentation. Besides attempting to maintain an edible garden, I devised a plan to cook "Themed Cuisine", focusing on a different food nationality a week at a time.

A package of berbere spice (and a sweet sale on London broil) inspired my Themed Cuisine Week #1: The Ethiopian Feast. For those of you who have never eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant: get on that. And look forward to partaking in one of the most satisfying and comforting home-cooked meals you'll ever enjoy. In almost every restaurant I've been to, I've been checked-up on by a cook who appears to be the mother of the family eating one table over - as if she had excused herself from her house-guests to whip me up a feast of love. Assuring her that the food is wonderful so visibly satisfies her that I feel like a "good girl", commended for enjoying it so thoroughly with happy eyes and a truly happy smile.

Traditionally, you share the meal with your table-mates in the form of little (or BIG) piles of fragrant stews atop a large, bubbled, crepe-like 'place mat' made of teff flour called injera. You use additional pieces of injera to pick up the food - there are no utensils. Main spices used in the different stews include: turmeric, ginger, cloves, coriander, cumin, allspice, cardamom and cinnamon. I decided to attempt some of my favorite dishes.

On the menu:

Abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)

Ye'atakilt Alick'A (Cabbage and Potato Stew)

Berbere-Rubbed Steak

Injera

Three hours of cooking actually kicked off with

 the preparation of an ingredient that will be used next month when I attempt Theme Cuisine Week: Morocco, Tagine Cook-Out (or some other, clever name). I took advantage of my access to my landlords' over-productive (perfectly-productive) lemon tree and decided to have my first go at canning. I sanitized the jars, bands and lids in boiling water for 15min, then shoved into them cut lemons doused in salt. Of the three jars, I spiced one with traditional flavorings including black pepper, coriander, clove, bay leaf and cinnamon.  After a month in the brine, the rind [supposedly] becomes mild and is chopped up in various Moroccan preparations. We shall see...

On to the main event! While the collards wat (stew) is one of my favorites, I couldn't find collard greens at my grocery store so had to settle for kale. Combined with Serrano chilies, grated ginger, red bell pepper and a lot of onion, the dish was beautifully flavored - not spicy. I was surprised how well the kale and red pepper retained their color, flavor and firmness through almost 20min of simmering. 

The cabbage wat is another favorite vegetarian dish of mine. A big onion and 4 sliced carrots sauteed for 15min created the sweet flavor base. Stained with turmeric and scented with cumin, the sauteed-for-40min cabbage and potatoes produced a creamy, sweet and smokey starch accompaniment for my feast. Next time I'll use twice as much cabbage and half as many potatoes.

I publicly admit that I chickened out on the protein front. My favorite Ethiopian dish is called Gored Gored - a traditional butter made with toasted spices (Niter Kibbeh) is mixed with raw strips of beef {drooool}. I caved ... and chose to use my new grill and an overnight berbere-rub over Googling how to buy beef I could eat raw. Meh. Happily, the steak was fantastic - this is the start of a beautiful relationship between me and the grill.

After 3 hours of prep-work and cooking, I was almost ready to forego an attempt at the injera. But for the sake of doing my first Themed Cuisine Week right, I mustered up enough [stove-to-] intestinal fortitude to whip up a batch of teff-less injera (made instead with whole wheat flour and club soda). It was pretty good - characteristically bubbled - but lacked the lovely sourness of the real thing. As you can see below, however, it served its purpose!

 

(What would I do without my two Dutch ovens???)

I believe my first themed week was a great success! I made enough to cover me for a whole week's worth of [large] dinners and the stews have gotten better with every passing night. In one of the next two weeks I think I'll attempt Indian food and get back into cheese-making with a Palak Paneer dish.